Published: Nov 12, 2015, 04:08 PM (IST)
Edited: Nov 12, 2015, 04:08 PM (IST)
New Delhi: Punjab all-rounder Gurkeerat Singh Mann has been included in the India squad for the second cricket Test against South Africa, starting on Saturday in Bengaluru. Mann was also there in India’s One-Day International (ODI) squad against the Proteas but did not get to play the game. He was kept as a reserve player for the first Test which India won in Mohali. “Gurkeerat Singh Mann has been included in the Indian Test team and will join the team for the second Test of the four-match Paytm Freedom Trophy in Bengaluru,” a Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) release said on Thursday. The 25-year-old is a middle-order batsman and also bowls effective off-spin. LIVE SCORECARD: India vs South Africa, 2015, 2nd Test match At Bengaluru
Gurkeerat Singh Maan’s Ranji History: Punjab‘s batsman Gurkeerat Singh Mann on Friday became the first cricketer to notch up a double century of the Ranji Trophy 2015-16, in their ongoing Group B match against Railways, at the Punjab Cricket Association Stadium (PCA) in Mohali. Gurkeerat’s double century has come at just the right time as the young cricketer has been selected for the Indian cricket team, for their upcoming One-Day International (ODI) series against South Africa. Gurkeerat slammed as many as 25 boundaries and five sixes to complete his double century, which was almost a run-a-ball innings. Gurkeerat faced 207 balls and remained unbeaten on 201, as Punjab made mockery of the Railways bowling attack, piling up 604 for five in their first innings.
Punjab produced a strong batting performance in their first match of the Ranji Trophy 2015-16 season, as there were two more centurions in Uday Kaul and Mandeep Singh in their batting line-up. In their reply, Railways were 14 without any loss in six overs, trailing by 590 runs.
It was a forgettable outing for the Railways bowlers as none of them could create any effect. Ranjeet Mali, Karn Sharma and Arnab Arun Nandi claimed one wicket each but they all proved very costly. Two of these bowlers — Mali and Karn — ended up giving away 149 and 115 runs respectively. It was also not so special outing for Indian all-rounder Yuvraj Singh, who managed only 23 runs from 53 balls with five boundaries. While the other Punjab batsmen made merry on a batting-friendly track, the left-hander Yuvraj ended up giving a return catch to Karn.
