Mahendra Singh Dhoni will be leading an Indian team perhaps for the last time. The former captain, who quit captaincy last week, will be leading a star-studded India A team against an England XI. This match will serve as a warm-up game before the ODI and T20 series between India and England starting in Pune on January 15. Catch live cricket score of India A vs England XI here. (Ranji Trophy final live)
6:20 pm IST: Mohit Sharma is introduced into the attack. England brings up their 50 in the 9th over.
6:12 pm IST: It has not been a pleasant outing for Ashish Nehra till now as he has conceded 33 runs in 4 overs. England 39/0 after 7 overs
6:04 pm IST: Lucky escape for Jason Roy as the ball hits his inside edge and misses the stumps by a very small margin! England 20/0 after 5 overs.
6:00 pm IST: Steady start by both the England opening batsmen. England 15/0 after 4 overs.
5:51 pm IST: Good start by Hardik Pandya as he concedes just two runs. England 10/0 after 2 overs.
5:48 pm IST: Strong start by England as Jason Roy gets a couple of boundaries in the very first over.
5:44 pm IST: Jason Roy and Alex Hales are the openers for England while Ashish Nehra will start proceeding for India A.
5:40 pm IST: India have opted for four specialist bowlers in this match. Mohit Sharma and Ashish Nehra are the pace bowlers, while Yuzvendra Chahal and Kuldeep Yadav will take care of the spin department.
5:36 pm IST: When a cricket fan invaded the pitch to get close to Mahendra Singh Dhoni:
A spectator, who came on to the ground to touch MS Dhoni’s feet, is taken off the field @HTSportsNews pic.twitter.com/AJIInoiGrH
— Harit Joshi (@Haritjoshi) January 10, 2017
5:24 pm IST: A look at the sea of spectators who were present at the stadium to watch the warm-up game.
Almost a packed house at the Brabourne Stadium for a warm-up match and there’s only one name on their lips ‘MS Dhoni’ @HTSportsNews pic.twitter.com/NnLV4zvwlb
— Harit Joshi (@Haritjoshi) January 10, 2017
5:20 pm IST: India A had a very slow start to their innings, but the batsmen showed great character to take the team to a fighting total of 304. Now, the onus will be on the bowlers to defend the total.
5:10 pm IST:
#IndAvEng | It was a special innings from @msdhoni as he scored 68 runs from 40 balls!
LIVE | https://t.co/kaakvdZ6tc pic.twitter.com/UD3OVOJtyU
— HT Sports (@HTSportsNews) January 10, 2017
5:07 pm IST: Ambati Rayudu scored a brilliant century while Yuvraj Singh, Shikhar Dhawan and Mahendra Singh Dhoni chipped in with fifties as India reach 304/4 against England.
5:04 pm IST: Another six! India A cross 300 with one ball left in the innings!
5:01 pm IST: Fifty for MS Dhoni! An innings fit for the occasion from the former India ODI skipper!
5:00 pm IST: India A reach 281/4 after 49 overs with MS Dhoni batting on 44! Can he reach his fifty with just one over to go in the innings?
4:55 pm IST: 48 overs gone. India A 273/4 with MS Dhoni unbeaten on 38.
4:51 pm IST: It has been a calm innings from MS Dhoni till now as he reaches 32 runs in 28 balls. India A 265/4 after 47 overs
4:48 pm IST: The Dhoni fever is clearly there in Mumbai as a fan dodges security to enter the ground in order to get close to the former India skipper!
4:47 pm IST: India A lose two quick wickets as they reach 258/4 after 46 overs.
4:44 pm IST: WICKET! Not a good outing for Sanju Samson as he departs for a golden duck after being caught in the deep. India A 257/4
4:41 pm IST: it’s two wicketkeepers out in the middle for India as Sanju Sampson comes out to bat.
4:39 pm IST: 250 comes up for India A in the 45th over, but they lose Yuvraj Singh as he is caught in the deep for 56! India A 250/3
4:33 pm IST: Two boundaries for MS Dhoni in the over as India A race to 245/2 after 44 overs.
4:27 pm IST: The atmosphere is electric as MS Dhoni takes a quick double. India A 234/2 after 43 overs.
4:19 pm IST: Ambati Rayudu brings up his century and retires not out. MS Dhoni is out in the middle!
Enter MSD! CCI deafening and rise to welcome @msdhoni to the crease. pic.twitter.com/xq4mgqGeNb
— BCCI (@BCCI) January 10, 2017
4:15 pm IST: Fifty for Yuvraj Singh as the flamboyant left hander reaches the milestone with a four!
India A batsman Yuvraj Singh plays a shot during the first warm-up one day cricket match between India A and England XI at the Cricket Club of India (CCI) stadium. (AFP)
4:10 pm IST: Yuvraj Singh is just 5 runs away from a brilliant fifty! India A 210/2
4:08 pm IST: Another six for Ambati Rayudu as India A cross 200! It has been a special batting performance by the 31-year old!
4:06 pm IST: A huge six over long on as India A reach 197/2 after 38 overs
4:02 pm IST: 37 overs gone. India A are 182/2 with Yuvraj and Rayudu both looking quite comfortable.
3:58 pm IST: The Yuvraj Singh show continues as India A reach 178/2 after 36 overs!
Vintage @YUVSTRONG12! How’s that for a SIX! CCI at its feet in admiration. pic.twitter.com/VNN2F38cfx
— BCCI (@BCCI) January 10, 2017
3:51 pm IST: Yuvraj Singh has shown great touch till now as India A 173/2 after 35 overs.
3:45 pm IST: It’s deja vu time for England as Yuvraj Singh dispatches the ball for two huge sixes! India A 172/2
3:38 pm IST: What a shot! A brilliant boundary for Yuvraj Singh straight down the ground as India A bring up their 150 at the end of the 32nd over.
3:36 pm IST: 31 overs gone. India A are batting on 143/2 with Rayudu and Yuvraj out in the middle.
3:31 pm IST: Yuvraj Singh is known to be shaky against spin at the start of his innings and England will be looking to take advantage! India A 139/2
India A’s Ambati Rayudu plays a shot as England XI’s wicketkeeper Jos Buttler looks on. (REUTERS)
3:28 pm IST: A huge roar from the crowd as Yuvraj Singh is the new batsman for India A!
3:26 pm IST: WICKET! Jake Ball strikes! Shikhar Dhawan is caught behind for 63! India A 136/2
3:18 pm IST: It’s Ambati Rayudu’s turn as he also brings up his fifty! India A 128/1
3:15 pm IST: Solid batting by both Dhawan and Rayudu! India A 118/1
India A batsman Shikhar Dhawan reached his fifty in 73 balls against England. (AFP)
3:12 pm IST: Fifty for Shikhar Dhawan as he brings up the milestone in 73 balls! India A 110/1
3:06 pm IST: Back-to-back boundaries for Rayudu! Shikhar is batting on 49, but it seems that he may not be the first person to score a fifty today!
3:02 pm IST: 22 overs gone. India A reach 79/1 with both batsmen looking quite comfortable out in the middle.
2:56 pm IST: Shikhar Dhawan and Ambati Rayudu have steadied the innings as India A reach 75/1 after 20 overs against England.
2:55 pm IST: England are going to introduce their second specialist spinner as Adil Rashid steps up for the visitors.
2:54 pm IST: 19 overs gone. India A 72/1 (Dhawan 38*, Rayudu 23*)
2:50 pm IST: Meanwhile, Mumbai are 179/6 at tea against Gujarat in the Ranji Trophy final.
2:49 pm IST: A good over for India A as Shikhar Dhawan and Ambati Rayudu take India A to 69/1 after 18 overs.
2:43 pm IST: A look at Mahendra Singh Dhoni’s preparation ahead of this match:
How many of you are at the stands of CCI to support #TeamIndia and cheer for @msdhoni pic.twitter.com/ljzm2lXlpQ
— BCCI (@BCCI) January 10, 2017
2:40 pm IST: A minor injury concern for Ambati Rayudu as a throw catches him on the wrist. India A 53/1
2:36 pm IST: 50 comes up for India A in the 16th over as Jake Ball concedes 5 runs from overthrows.
2:35 pm IST: Shikhar Dhawan has shown good touch till now, but the run rate is still extremely poor as India A reach 45/1 after 15 overs.
2:24 pm IST: Change from both ends as Jake Ball is also introduced from the other end. But, it was not a good start for the medium pacer as Shikhar Dhawan dispatched him for a boundary on his second ball. India A 42/1 after 12 overs.
2:19 pm IST: First change in bowling for England as Moeen Ali is introduced in the attack.
2:16 pm IST: It has been an extremely slow start by India A as the England bowlers have shown good control on their line and length. India A 33/1 after 10 overs
2:11 pm IST: The Cricket Club of India (CCI) is letting the spectators enter the ground for free and it can safely be said that the warm-up match has a bigger crowd than the on-going Ranji Trophy final in Indore. India A 28/1 after 9 overs
2:07 pm IST: Ambati Rayudu is the next batsman for India A as they reach 25/1 after 8 overs.
India A’s Mandeep Singh reacts as he is bowled by England XI’s David Willey. (REUTERS)
2:05 pm IST: WICKET! Mandeep Singh was not looking comfortable at all and David Willey castled him for 7 to hand England the first breakthrough! India A 25/1
1:55 pm IST: 6 overs gone. It has been a really slow start for India A as they reach 24/0
1:48 pm IST: After a shaky start, Mandeep Singh joins the party with a crunching cover drive. India 13/0 after 4 overs.
1:43 pm IST: What a shot! Finally a show of intent from the Indian batsmen as Shikhar Dhawan hits the first boundary of the match. India 9/0
1:40 pm IST: Cautious start by the openers as India reach 3/0 after 2 overs.
1:35 pm IST: A good start for Chris Woakes as he gets a maiden on the first over of the innings.
1:32 pm IST: Mandeep Singh and Shikhar Dhawan are the openers for India A while Chris Woakes will start the proceedings for England.
1:29 pm IST: Time to take a look at the India A team which will be facing England:
INDIA A: Dhoni, Yuvraj, Dhawan, Mandeep, Rayudu, Samson, Pandya, Kuldeep, Mohit, Chahal, Nehra
LIVE | https://t.co/kaakvdZ6tc
— HT Sports (@HTSportsNews) January 10, 2017
1:27 pm IST: Mahendra Singh Dhoni will be captaining the India A side today and the Cricket Club of India felicitated him ahead of the warm-up match.
Felicitations in order for @msdhoni. He was felicitated by The Cricket Club of India before the start of game today #TeamIndia pic.twitter.com/EqOCpcxwwK
— BCCI (@BCCI) January 10, 2017
1:24 pm IST: Here’s a look at the England XI:
ENGLAND XI: Roy, Hales, Billings, Morgan, Buttler, Moeen, Dawson, Woakes, Rashid, Willey, Ball
LIVE | https://t.co/kaakvdZ6tc
— HT Sports (@HTSportsNews) January 10, 2017
1:13 pm IST: Dhoni has been feted by the Cricket Club of India. This has been a wonderful gesture for one India’s best cricket captains. (Read: According to Ravi Shastri, Ganguly not among best skippers in India)
The Cricket Club of India felicitates @msdhoni for his contribution to Indian Cricket as Captain of #TeamIndia pic.twitter.com/Op08ywQtwv
— BCCI (@BCCI) January 10, 2017
1:08 pm IST: England XI win toss and will field vs India A.
The two big hitters of Indian Cricket @YUVSTRONG12 and @msdhoni are back together. Expect plenty of fireworks in #INDvENG series. pic.twitter.com/m1FZxcSk6I
— BCCI (@BCCI) January 9, 2017
Old habits die hard. On Monday, Mahendra Singh Dhoni was amongst the first to come out for the practice session at the iconic Brabourne Stadium. As the rest of the squad members went about playing a customary football match, Dhoni too joined in and even scored a goal. Football, of course, was his first love.
India A team captain Mahendra Singh Dhoni (R) warms up with team mates during a training session at the Cricket Club of India (CCI) stadium in Mumbai on Monday. (AFP)
Old habits die hard. After captaining India for nine years, Dhoni monitored the net session for around 30 minutes before finally padding up for a stint in the nets that lasted for close to two hours under lights.
.@YUVSTRONG12 talks about comeback, transition in captaincy from @msdhoni to @imVkohli & more https://t.co/V6iwezKIpR #TeamIndia #INDvENG pic.twitter.com/DXLHa2PepJ
— BCCI (@BCCI) January 9, 2017
England, who got thrashed 4-0 in the five-match Test series before Christmas last year in India, will like to gain the maximum from this match. Limited overs skipper Eoin Morgan knows that the Indians are a deadly lot in the shorter format of the game. The India A team is studded with IPL stars like Shikhar Dhawan, Yuvraj Singh, Hardik Pandya, Ambati Rayudu and Ashish Nehra.
The Cricket Club of India should see a full house. Entry for the day-night match is free.
India A (From): YS Chahal, S Dhawan, Mahendra Singh Dhoni, S Kaul, Kuldeep Yadav, Mandeep Singh, A Nehra, HH Pandya, AT Rayudu, SV Samson, MM Sharma, Yuvraj Singh
England XI (from): MM Ali, JM Bairstow, JT Ball, SW Billings, JC Buttler, LA Dawson, AD Hales, EJG Morgan, LE Plunkett, AU Rashid, JE Root, JJ Roy, BA Stokes, DJ Willey, CR Woakes
Source: HindustanTimes