Nikhil Doru

Rajasthan Cricket Association (RCA) has entrusted Nikhil Doru with the tough task of ending the state side’s nine-year-long wait for the Ranji Trophy title and the newly-appointed chief coach believes infusing a sense of security among the players about their place in the team is the first step towards realising that dream.

The Rajasthan Cricket Association (RCA) on Tuesday named 34 probables for the upcoming Syed Mushtaq Ali Trophy. The players will be a part of the camp that will start from December 23 at the RCA Academy.

Former Mumbai pacer Santosh Saxena has been named as one of the 3 coaches of the Railways senior team for the domestic season. The other 2 coaches are Kulamani Parida and Nikhil Doru.

In an interesting turn of events, Rajasthan senior men's cricket team is most likely to get a new head coach, TOI has learnt.

In an expected turn of events, Rajasthan Cricket Association (RCA) has relieved senior men's cricket team assistant coach Dishant Yagnik from his duties. Sources in the state cricket body revealed that chief coach Nikhil Doru and the other assistant coach Puneet Yadav have retained their positions.

Justice Manish Bhandari issued notices to the RCA and the BCCI to be returnable within a week.

Railways are in third place in the points table, with 14 points. They are desperate to win their sixth encounter against hosts Chandigarh by a big margin to keep their hopes alive for the knockout stages. The match begins at Sector 16 Stadium in the city on Tuesday. The team worked hard during their practice session with three specialist coaches. Upendra Yadav, the captain, and Pratham Singh, the vice-captain, have represented the Indian team in T20 ODI and Test matches, and have also shown their skill in the IPL over the last several years. Mohammad Saif, who scored an unbeaten double century in the tournament, is in great form.

No matter how conducive the circumstances are, Rajasthan have always failed to capitalise on them. Be it home advantage or winning the toss, nothing has worked for the team as the root cause of the problem — their batting, continues to hamper their progress in tournament after tournament.

In Maharashtra, Rajasthan have an opponent with a strong batting unit. Going into the third match, captain Ashok Menaria will have a tough task at hand as he would expect his inconsistent batsmen to raise the bar and provide the necessary cushion to the inexperienced bowling battery.

A fine half-century by Rajasthan's Rashmi Ranjan Parida (64) went in vain as Panthers lost to Lions by just one run in a thrilling Jaipur Premier League (JPL) match at K L Saini stadium in Mansarovar.

With two wins on the trot, it has been a great start for Rajasthan in the Syed Mushtaq Ali Trophy 2020-21. A familiar script was on display even during their second match against Madhya Pradesh which they won by 10 runs on Wednesday, where one batting hero and a dependable bowling unit took the team through.

Former Mumbai seamer Santosh Saxena is set to coach the Railways senior team for the 2025-26 season, alongside Syed Zakaria Zuffri. Saxena, who previously coached Railways in 2022-23, brings a wealth of experience, including a stint with Mumbai's Under-25 team that won the CK Nayudu Trophy.

Delhi Capitals' young batter Ashutosh Sharma led his team to a thrilling 1-wicket victory over Lucknow Super Giants with an unbeaten 66 off 31 balls. His heroics under pressure were reminiscent of his exceptional Ranji Trophy debut, where he scored 123 off 84 balls against Gujarat, showcasing his potential as a game-changer.

Former Mumbai pacer Santosh Saxena has been named as one of the 3 coaches of the Railways senior team for the domestic season. The other 2 coaches are Kulamani Parida and Nikhil Doru.In 40 first-class games for Mumbai and Railways 1997-98 to 2009, Saxena picked up 94 wickets@30.

Rajasthan have started their Vijay Hazare Trophy campaign on a winning note with a convincing six-wicket win over Punjab in an Elite Group 'E' match in Ranchi on Wednesday.

Augmented by the potency of its bowling unit, the team’s strength in the shortest format of the game is known to all, and this is why making it to the top-eight of the Syed Mushtaq Ali T20 Trophy has come as no surprise for Ashok Menaria & Co.