Top Stories: Things that made news in the cricket world today

India vs South Africa: Hosts announce the playing XI for the first Test

• India and South Africa are set to lock horns in the first of the three-match Test series in Visakhapatnam on Wednesday.
• The hosts are unbeaten in the last 10 home Test series and they will be keen to keep the record intact.
• (Read more about the story)

BBL 2019-2020: Brisbane Heat sign up AB de Villiers for the upcoming season

• Putting an end to all the speculations surrounding his participation in the Big Bash League, former South Africa skipper AB de Villiers has signed up for Brisbane Heat.
• One of the most sought after batsmen of this generation, AB de Villiers will play his trade in Australia in the second half of the tournament.
• (Read more about the story)

IPL 2020 Auction to take place on December 19 in Kolkata

• The much-awaited auction for the forthcoming season of Indian Premier League (IPL) next year will take on December 19 this year.
• For a change, the auction will take place in December. Mostly, the auctions have been done in the same year as that of the tournament.
• (Read more about the story)

Prithvi Shaw to train with India’s badminton star PV Sindhu

• Prithvi Shaw is going through tough times in his career at the moment.
• He is currently serving the doping ban for having “inadvertently ingested a prohibited substance, which can be commonly found in cough syrups.”
• (Read more about the story)

Never been in favour of honorary ranks, says Gautam Gambhir on MS Dhoni’s army rank

• Gautam Gambhir’s love for the armed forces is well known to one and all. Time and again, the former India batsman has made it clear on Twitter and interviews.
• A couple of years ago, he had announced to take responsibility for the education of the CRPF martyrs.
• (Read more about the story)

India vs South Africa: Virat Kohli ready to give Rohit Sharma ‘time and space’ as a Test opener

• Though Rohit Sharma is a fulcrum of India’s limited-overs teams, his position in the Test setup has always been a debatable one.
• The Mumbai batter’s numbers in red-ball cricket at home are stupendous, but it’s his batting in trying overseas conditions that has brought him under the scanner a number of times.
• (Read more about the story)

Miguel Cummins signs Kolpak deal with Middlesex; quits playing for West Indies

• West Indies fast bowler Miguel Cummins has decided to quit playing for the Caribbeans. He has signed a three-year Kolpak deal with Middlesex.
• This is a surprising move from the pacer as he was in contention time and again in the Test side.
• (Read more about the story)

India vs South Africa: Rain might play spoilsport in the first Test in Visakhapatnam

• South Africa is fully prepared to open its campaign of the ICC Test Championship.
• Proteas are one of the three teams that are still due to open their account in the inaugural season of the Test league.
• (Read more about the story)

The Hundred: Chris Gayle, Steve Smith, David Warner, Eoin Morgan available for the main draft

• Another format of cricket is about to take center stage. Yep! Next year in England, we’ll see the inaugural season of ‘The Hundred’.
• The inaugural 100-ball competition, which boasts of eight city-based franchises, will take place in the 2020 English summer between July 17- August 16.
• (Read more about the story)

Pakistan vs Sri Lanka: Ill Asif Ali taken to temporary mobile health unit during the 2nd ODI

• Pakistan had got a great start to its home series against Sri Lanka.
• They won the 2nd ODI match by 67 runs. It was a memorable moment for the cricketers who were getting the chance to play in front of their home crowd after a long interval of time.
• (Read more about the story)

After Jasprit Bumrah, Hardik Pandya stuck with a back injury, and is likely to miss Bangladesh series in November

• Hardik Pandya, the Indian all-rounder in the last two years has become an essential part of the team.
• He came into the spotlight after his bang on performance against Pakistan in Champions Trophy 2017.
• (Read more about the story)