RCB Captain Rajat Patidar Awarded Honorary Doctorate

The coaching staff for the 'Rest of India' team for the Iran Cup has been determined. Lakshmi Ratan Shukla, the current head coach of Bengal and a former Indian cricketer, has been appointed as the batting coach for this team.

The 'Rest of India' team, under the guidance of Rishabh Pant, will play the Iran Cup match against Jammu and Kashmir from October 1 to 5 in Srinagar.

Lakshmi Ratan Shukla, who is 46 years old, led the Bengal team in recent seasons. In last season's Ranji Trophy tournament, the Bengal team lost to Jammu and Kashmir in the semi-finals. Now, Shukla will work with the batsmen of 'Rest of India' in the Iran Cup against the same team, Jammu and Kashmir.

Shukla has experience playing for India in three one-day matches in 1999. He was also part of the KKR team that won the IPL title, playing there in 2012, and in his last season, he played for Delhi Capitals in 2014.

The appointment as batting coach for the 'Rest of India' team is his first assignment from the BCCI. Debashish Mohanty will take the post of bowling coach, and Milap Mewara will take the post of fielding coach in the 'Rest of India' coaching staff.

The full squad for the 'Rest of India' team includes: Rishabh Pant (captain, wicket-keeper), Sanat Sangwan, Shikhar Mohan, Sudip Garami, Sarfaraz Khan (vice-captain), AR Samran, Manav Sutar, Saransh Jain, Akash Dip*, Mukesh Kumar, Mukesh Choudhary, Aryan Juyal (white-keeper), Aryan Pandey, Anukul Roy, and Ayush Dosija. However, Akash Dip's selection will depend on his physical condition.

Significant adjustments have been made to the India-A squad, which will face Australia-A in two four-day matches. The decision was made to exclude fast bowler Vijayakumar Vaishak from the team.

The reason for his exclusion was that 29-year-old Vaishak could not fully recover from a hamstring injury. Initially, he was given a spot in the 15-man squad provided he met the fitness requirements. Since the expected recovery did not materialize, he was dropped from both unofficial test matches against Australia-A.

According to TOI, Vaishak's place was taken by left-arm spinner Tripura Vidhay from Andhra. This 25-year-old left-arm spinner is already under the observation of BCCI's Bode. He was recently invited to the BCCI Centre of Excellence (CoE) in Bengaluru to participate in a spin bowling camp.

Tripura Vidhay's recent performance in the final of the Duleep Trophy 2026-27 for the South Zone was very successful: he took five wickets. This recent performance helped him secure a spot in the India-A team. His first-class statistics are also impressive: he took 57 wickets in 17 matches, including four instances of five-wicket hauls in a single game and one instance of a ten-wicket haul in a match.

He will now play as part of the India-A spin department in the four-day encounters against Australia-A. The matches between India-A and Australia-A will take place in Puducherry. The first match will be held from September 22 to 25, and the second from September 29 to October 2. Following this, both teams will play three one-day unofficial matches scheduled for October 6, 9, and 11.

In the multi-day format matches, India-A will be led by Devdhadhat Padikkal, with Sai Sudarshan serving as vice-captain. The team will also include wicketkeepers Kumar Kushagar and Narayan Jagdishan. Among the star fast bowlers in the squad are Anshul Kamboj and Tushar Deshpande.

The India-A squad for the multi-day matches includes: Aman Mokhade, Ayush Pandey, Devdhadhat Padikkal (captain), Sai Sudarshan (vice-captain), Yash Rathore, Sheikh Rashid, Kumar Kushagar (wicketkeeper), Shams Mulani, Tanush Kotian, Tushar Deshpande, Anshul Kamboj, Prahul Hinge, N. Jagdishan (wicketkeeper), Nachiket Bhute, and Tripura Vidhay.

Rishabh Pant was unable to make the Indian squad for the ODI series against West Indies, so his focus is now on the Iranian Cup. He has been entrusted to captain the Rest of India team. The first match, scheduled for October 1st in Srinagar, will be played between Rest of India and the Ranji Trophy champion from Jammu and Kashmir for the 2025-26 season.

Pant will not only lead the team but also serve as the wicketkeeper. This means that after a long break, he will take on a leadership role in a first-class match.

Sarfaraz Khan has been named the vice-captain of the Rest of India team. Additionally, fast bowler Akash Dip has been included in the 15-man squad, although his participation is contingent on his health. Akash Dip last participated in a competition in February, representing Bengal in the Ranji Trophy semi-finals. Following this, he struggled with a lower back injury, which prevented him from playing the entire IPL 2026 season and also caused his absence from matches for India.

The Iranian Cup could offer an opportunity for his return to competitive cricket, but he must first undergo a medical examination.

Selectors have also included players who demonstrated outstanding performances in last season's Ranji tournament. Four batsmen who scored the most runs in the 2025-26 Ranji Trophy have been selected for the Rest of India. Aash Rasmaran scored 950 runs, Ayush Dosija scored 949, Sannat Sangwan scored 828, and Sudip Kumar Garami scored 797.

These four have secured spots in the 15-man squad. Batsman Shikhar Mohan from Jharkhand is also part of the team; he scored the most runs for Jharkhand in the previous Ranji season. Furthermore, he played innings of 85 and 52 runs in the recently concluded Duleep Trophy final.

Mukesh Kumar and Mukesh Choudhary will handle the batting line for Rest of India. Manav Sutar and Saransh Jain will be the primary options in the spin department. Anukul Roy has also joined the team, having made significant contributions to both batting and bowling in East Zone's victory in the Duleep Trophy.

Manav Sutar's recent performance has been impressive: he took 23 wickets in his first three Test matches, including one match with 10 wickets. He also scored 79 runs across four innings in batting. Saransh Jain debuted in international cricket in the second match against Sri Lanka in Colombo, where he took three wickets. His domestic cricket statistics are also strong: Jain took only 51 wickets over two Ranji seasons. He was also recently part of the Central Zone team in the Duleep Trophy.

Who will be the backup wicketkeeper alongside Pant?

Aryan Jual has been included in the squad as a backup wicketkeeper for Pant. This match is particularly important for Pant, as after missing the ODI series against West Indies, he will attempt to regain his form with red balls. Captaining the Rest of India team is also an added responsibility for him. The team includes several players who performed well in recent domestic tournaments.

The Iranian Cup is traditionally viewed as an important fixture before the start of the new Ranji season. After this match, the new Ranji Trophy season will commence on October 11th.

Rest of India squad: Rishabh Pant (Captain, Wicketkeeper), Sannat Sangwan, Shikhar Mohan, Sudip Garami, Sarfaraz Khan (Vice-Captain), Aash Rasmaran, Manav Sutar, Saransh Jain, Akash Dip*, Mukesh Kumar, Mukesh Choudhary, Aryan Jual (Wicketkeeper), Aryan Pandey, Anukul Roy, Ayush Dosija. *Akash Dip's selection will be based on his health condition.