Ganguly slams Shastri, Indian opener to play County cricket and more - Cricket News Today, 8th September 2018

Former captain Sourav Ganguly has lashed out at current head coach Ravi Shastri for his bold claims whilst comparing the overseas records of the current Indian team and the sides of the recent past.

Having been dropped from the Test team after a poor start to the England series, Indian opener Murali Vijay has signed with Essex in a bid to revive his game. The 34-year old will be available for the county's remaining three matches in the 2018 season.

Here are all of today's significant news from the cricket world.

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Jadeja hopes to play all three formats for India

Ravindra Jadeja returned to the Test lineup at the Oval at the expense of Ravichandran Ashwin

Eager to seal the all-rounder's slot in the Indian team, Ravindra Jadeja has expressed an inclination to play all three formats. Currently out of the ODI and T20I teams, the left-arm spinner is hoping to utilise his Test comeback at the Oval as a springboard for more opportunities in the white-ball formats as well.

At the end of play on day one of the fifth Test, Jadeja enthused, "Whenever I get an opportunity to play for India, I will give my best in both aspects batting and bowling. I want to become a trusted member of the team and I can fulfil the all-rounder slot well because I have done it before in the past. It isn't anything new to me. It is a matter of time."

He added, "When you are going through a bad patch, you need to play more and more to regain your old form and touch. So it is possible the more I play international cricket, the better I will perform and will be able to make a comeback in all three formats."

Mitchell Marsh helps Australia 'A' subdue India A's resurgence

Mitchell Marsh finished the first day by remaining unbeaten on 86 from 151 balls

The second unofficial Test between India 'A' and Australia 'A' got off to a rather bizarre start as incessant traffic extended the first session's play at the KSCA Cricket Ground in Alur. Located in the outskirts of Bengaluru, lunch was delayed by 30 minutes as the food did not arrive at the venue on time due to heavy traffic in the city.

After losing opener Matt Renshaw for a duck, Australia 'A' rode on a splendid partnership between Kurtis Patterson and Travis Head to consolidate their advantage of winning a handy toss. However, the spin duo of Kuldeep Yadav and Shahbaz Nadeem ran through the middle-order to lead India A's revival.

From 180/6, Australia 'A' recovered brilliantly to end the first day at 290/6. Skipper Mitchell Marsh, who remained unbeaten on 86 from 151 balls, found a suitable ally in all-rounder Michael Neser. The duo kept the spinners at bay to ensure that the visitors finished the opening day in a strong position.

Alastair Cook eyeing early move into the commentary box

Alastair Cook will be finishing his memorable Test career at the Oval

England opener Alastair Cook is eyeing a rapid transition from the pitch to the commentary box. The 33-year old, who will bring his glorious Test career to a close at the end of the fifth Test against India at the Oval, has already begun shaping plans for his post-retirement future.

According to ESPNCricinfo, Cook is in talks with TalkSport to join their commentary panel for England's tour of the West Indies at the start of next year. The likes of Mark Nicholas, Darren Gough, David Lloyd and Jarrod Kimber are expected to form the commentary team for England's upcoming winter assignments.

TalkSport possesses the audio rights for England's tour of Sri Lanka during October and November as well as the trip to the Caribbean from January to March.

Ganguly slams Shastri's 'immature comments' on previous Indian teams

Ganguly has lashed out at Shastri for his views on the overseas records of previous Indian sides

Former captain Sourav Ganguly has reacted strongly to Ravi Shastri's statements on the overseas records of Indian teams of the past. Terming the 56-year old's views as 'immature comments', he slammed the current head coach for comparing players from different generations.

Ahead of the ongoing Oval Test, Shastri had ruffled feathers by claiming that Virat Kohli's team has played better away from home when compared to the Indian teams of the preceding 15 to 20 years.

However, Ganguly retorted, "These are immature comments. You should not pay much attention to what Ravi Shastri says. What he says and when he says things, no one knows. Whichever generation is playing for India, be it Chetan Sharma’s or when I played for India or when Dhoni played or now when Virat is playing, we are all the ‘Indian Team'."

The iconic skipper added, "We all just represent the team at different times. It is not necessary to compare one generation or the other. I can say a lot more but it would not be correct. Virat Kohli and his players are working hard to perform for India; it would not be nice for me to say anything."

Murali Vijay joins Essex for the remainder of County season

Murali Vijay will be hoping to resurrect his game after enduring a dismal England tour

Discarded Indian opener Murali Vijay has signed with Essex County Cricket Club for the remainder of the 2018 Championship season. The experienced right-hander replaces Australian seamer Peter Siddle in the county's overseas slot.

Currently, at fourth in the Division One table, Essex have three more matches left in the season. After visiting Trent Bridge to take on Nottinghamshire between September 10 and 13, they host Worcestershire at Chelmsford and then travel to the Oval to lock horns with Surrey.

Essex head coach Anthony McGrath stated, "We're delighted that Vijay has chosen to come here. He's a great batsman who can score runs at the top of the order. Vijay's run-scoring ability means he can be the difference-maker in a game, and that skill is something we were looking to bring in towards the end of the season and something that we're excited about."