Test Twenty Gains Momentum with Global Cricket Stalwarts Backing the …

As I write this, I have just received an invitation from Gaurav Bahirvani for an evening of cricket conversation with AB de Villiers in Mumbai. The evening will also feature Rajkumar Sharma and will deliberate on the road ahead for Test Twenty. Both ABD and Rajkumar are important names and add considerable heft to the project. They have serious work behind them and, while Rajkumar brings the coaching perspective, ABD is one of the finest players ever to have graced the sport. With Matthew Hayden and Sir Clive Lloyd also part of the board, Bahirvani has put together a team of stalwarts, and that should go a long way towards inspiring anyone who wants to register for the project.

Rajkumar, best known as Virat Kohli’s coach, was excited by the opportunity. “It is a unique concept and will elevate the women’s game considerably,” he said. “The girls will benefit from playing alongside the boys, and seeing them in leadership roles will be great. There will be enough motivation to push themselves and improve, and it should help the overall growth of the sport.”

The concept has many things going for it. It is a mix of red-ball and white-ball cricket, it has both women and men equally empowered, and it is tailor-made for the youth. With the 19–21 age group now included, the catchment area has expanded as well. Finally, it is a global concept that will attract international talent while also helping with socialisation and exposure. catcross.org

The one thing I do not think receives adequate attention in sport is socialisation. While one per cent of people who play sport are able to build successful careers, the remaining 99 per cent go on to do other things. For them, socialisation and exposure are key. You will often find sportspeople reluctant to speak publicly because they are unsure of themselves. A lack of socialisation is often the reason.

With a global talent pool, Test Twenty will address this issue from the very outset. Its board also reflects this global mindset. Rajkumar and Gaurav are from India, ABD is from South Africa, while Hayden and Sir Clive represent Australia and the Caribbean respectively. Sir Clive is currently a resident of Manchester, so in every sense this is a global concept that will provide every entrant with an international outlook.

With so many things going for it, the organisers now need to get the season under way as soon as possible. Clearly, there is interest and, with all the momentum behind them, the action now has to begin. Having seen the concept evolve and take shape, we will follow its growth closely and will also cover the format in detail because we believe it has the potential to become an aspirational story for many. Tonight’s fireside chat in Mumbai will offer everyone present a glimpse of what lies ahead.

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The national selection committee did not even discuss appointing Rajat Patidar as the new T20I captain, according to a report by Jagran. Patidar led Royal Challengers Bengaluru (RCB) to their second consecutive title in the IPL 2026 season, raising questions about the board's approach to evaluating leadership candidates.

After the tournament concludes, India will return to T20I action on the Ireland tour in 2026. Following a short home series against Afghanistan featuring a Test and three ODI matches on home soil, the T20I squad will travel to Malahide for a two-match series against Ireland, starting on Friday, June 26.

Rajat Patidar Reportedly Not Considered for India's T20I Captaincy

According to Jagran, Rajat Patidar was not part of India's T20I captaincy discussions. The report claimed that selectors overlooked Patidar despite his success as RCB captain and suggested that Tilak Varma's long-term leadership prospects may have been affected by his recent appointment as vice-captain.

"Notably, there was no discussion about appointing Rajat Patidar, who led RCB to two consecutive championships, as captain. Tilak's future has also been blocked by appointing him vice-captain."

The report also highlighted the poor IPL 2026 season of Suryakumar Yadav, the current T20 World Cup-winning captain. He scored 270 runs in 13 matches at an average of 20.76 and struggled for consistency throughout the tournament.

Selectors Prioritized Current Form and Future Planning

A senior board official explained the thinking behind the selection committee's leadership decisions. According to the official, the selectors considered both current form and long-term plans while deciding the team's leadership group for the upcoming international cycle.

"According to a senior board official, the selectors have decided on the new leadership keeping in mind the current form and future plans."

After the Ireland tour in June, India will face a busy schedule. The team will travel to England for a five-match T20I series starting on July 1 in Chester-le-Street. They will then tour Zimbabwe for a three-match T20I series in Harare, which concludes on July 26.

Rajat Patidar's Leadership And Batting Leave Selectors With Questions To Answer

Rajat Patidar's absence from India's T20I captaincy discussions has surprised many fans and experts after his excellent IPL 2026 season with Royal Challengers Bengaluru. He led RCB to a second straight IPL title, becoming only the third captain after MS Dhoni and Rohit Sharma to successfully defend the trophy.

Patidar was also impressed with the bat, scoring 501 runs in 14 innings at an average of 41.75 and a strike rate of 192.69. He hit five half-centuries, playing several important innings under pressure.

In Qualifier 1 against the Gujarat Titans, he smashed 93 off 33 balls. He also scored 61 off 31 balls against Lucknow Super Giants, 53 off 20 balls against Mumbai Indians, and an unbeaten 48 off 19 balls against Chennai Super Kings. His captaincy and batting were key to RCB's successful title defense.

Also read: R Ashwin IGNORES Virat Kohli picks star pacer's performance as RCB's highest point from IPL 2026 title win

Team India is set to take on Afghanistan for a one-off Test match and three-match ODI series, which will begin from June 6. The "Men in Blue" will play a one-off Test match against the Afghans from June 6 at the PCA New Cricket Stadium in Tira.

Later, both teams will engage in a three-match ODI series. Ahead of the series, Team India stalwart Virat Kohli has been ruled out due to a hamstring injury, according to PTI.

Virat Kohli ruled out of ODI series against Afghanistan due to a hamstring injury: BCCI source. pic.twitter.com/NuoKOtyJ2v

— Press Trust of India (@PTI_News) June 4, 2026

The first match of the three-match ODI series will be played on June 14 at the Himachal Pradesh Cricket Association Stadium in Dharamshala. The second match will be held on June 17 at the Ekana Cricket Stadium B Ground in Lucknow, and the third match on June 20 at the MA Chidambaram Stadium in Chennai.

Shubman Gill will lead India in both formats, while KL Rahul and Shreyas Iyer have been named vice-captains for the Test and ODI squads, respectively.

Recently, former Team India cricketer Sairaj Bahutule was appointed as the spin bowling coach of the men`s national cricket team. He has already joined the squad for the upcoming series against Afghanistan.

He expressed happiness over his appointment by saying, "It is a tremendous honour to be appointed as the Spin Bowling Coach of the Indian Men`s Cricket Team. Representing India as a player was a matter of immense pride, and the opportunity to contribute to Indian Cricket once again in a coaching capacity is deeply special. I look forward to working with the players and supporting the team`s pursuit of excellence across formats".

India`s squad for the one-off Test match against Afghanistan

Shubman Gill (C), Yashasvi Jaiswal, KL Rahul (VC), Sai Sudharsan, Rishabh Pant (WK), Devdutt Padikkal, Nitish Kumar Reddy, Washington Sundar, Kuldeep Yadav, Mohammed Siraj, Prasidh Krishna, Manav Suthar, Gurnoor Brar, Harsh Dubey, Dhruv Jurel (WK).

India`s squad for the three-match ODI series against Afghanistan

Shubman Gill (C), Rohit Sharma, Shreyas Iyer (VC), KL Rahul (WK), Ishan Kishan (WK), Hardik Pandya, Nitish Kumar Reddy, Washington Sundar, Kuldeep Yadav, Arshdeep Singh, Prasidh Krishna, Prince Yadav, Gurnoor Brar, Harsh Dubey.

The Mumbai Cricket Association’s T20 Mumbai League’s (TML) youngest player, 13-year-old Swara Jadhav picked an impressive 3-19 to help SOBO Mumbai Falcons (SMF) outclass Aakash Tigers in the T20 Mumbai Women’s League match at the Wankhede Stadium on Wednesday.

Bowling her left-arm spin, Swara supported her skipper and pace ace Sayali Satghare (4-29) as SMF registered their second successive win in the tournament.

Swara Jadhav’s father Sudip

Chembur resident Swara, was born in Mumbai before her family shifted base to the USA in 2016, when she was just four, due to her father’s job placement there. However, her father Sudip decided to shift Swara and her mother back to Mumbai for the girl’s cricketing prospects. “It was difficult to leave the US because my school and daily life was set there. I was studying in Class IV there when I moved back to Mumbai. But I moved for a good reason, my cricket, so I’m glad,” Swara told mid-day on Wednesday.

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When asked what it feels like to be the youngest player in the tournament, Swara replied “Not everyone gets this opportunity at such an early age, so I’m grateful. Yes, there is pressure, I’ll just try and give my 100 per cent. The coaches and my captain Sayali have been supporting me well.”

Swara did not just bowl economically, but also excelled with her variations, dismissing three key batters to restrict Aakash Tigers to 113-9 in their allotted 20 overs. “My role in the team is to bowl as many dot balls as I can,” she said.

Meanwhile, dad Sudip, who is currently in Mumbai to watch his daughter playing, said that her performance comes as no surprise. “Swara started playing in the USA and was doing well so we decided to shift her and her mother to Mumbai for better prospects in cricket. She’s known for her bowling, but her main forte is her batting. She’s a genuine all-rounder. Pravin Amre sir and her Modern English School [Chembur] coaches, including Sarvesh Damle sir, look after her training,” Jadhav Sr told mid-day on Wednesday.

North Mumbai Panthers (NMP) defeated Bandra Blasters (BB) via Super Over on Wednesday in a T20 Mumbai League (TML) match that saw quite a few records broken.

BB first posted 228-5, the second highest total in the TML. In reply, NMP posted 228-8 to force the match into the
Super Over.

BB rode on captain Suved Parkar’s 54-ball 110 (10x4s, 7x6s), a joint highest individual score. Parkar’s 100 off 46 balls was TML’s fastest ton.

NMP’s Hardik Tamore made 83

The BB innings witnessed 15 sixes, the most by a team. Parkar and opening partner Prateek Kumar Yadav (33) began well, raising 101 in just 7.5 overs. In reply, NMP wicketkeeper-batter Hardik Tamore (83 off 39 balls, 10x4s, 4x6s) scored TML’s fastest fifty, off just 17 deliveries, one less than Sumeir Zaveri on Monday and Rakesh Prabhu in 2019. In the Super Over, NMP posted 20-1 while BB managed just seven runs. Parkar had mixed emotions after the match. “I’m a bit disappointed, but will rate my century highly as this came at the Wankhede and is my first T20 ton. We will try to win the next three matches now,” said Parkar.

Brief scores
BB 228-5 (S Parkar 110, P Yadav 33; P Mishra 3-38) lost to NMP 228-8 (H Tamore 83, A Kundu 39, T Kotian 32, V Mali 32; S Chhabriaa 3-9, D Matkar 3-32) by Super Over