India suffer big blow, Gambhir defends Kohli and more - Cricket News Today, 20th September 2018

The day after India-Pakistan game is always one filled with plenty of headlines and this one was no different. However, not all of them were what the Indian team would have wanted.

To begin with, three members of their Asia Cup 2018 squad have been ruled out of the tournament and their replacements have been named. Virat Kohli came in for criticism for skipping the Asia Cup while Sunil Gavaskar was critical of Fakhar Zaman and Dinesh Karthik.

Shahbaz Nadeem also made the headlines courtesy of his world record-breaking spell during the Vijay Hazare Trophy clash between Jharkhand and Rajasthan.

Here are all of today's important developments from the cricket world.

Hardik Pandya, Axar Patel and Shardul Thakur ruled out of Asia Cup

Although India have won both their games and qualified for the Super Four of the Asia Cup 2018, they suffered a major setback as three players have been ruled out of the tournament.

While Hardik Pandya injured himself during the Pakistan game and was stretchered off after bowling just 4.5 overs, Axar Patel injured his left index finger while fielding as a substitute and Shardul Thakur was ruled out after complaining of "right hip and groin soreness after the game against Hong Kong".

"Axar injured his left index finger while fielding as a substitute during Wednesday's clash against Pakistan. Subsequent scans revealed a tendon tear," a BCCI press release read.

Replacing the trio of injured players will be Ravindra Jadeja, who returns to the Indian squad after more than a year after he last played an ODI for India, Siddarth Kaul and Deepak Chahar.

All three players didn't feature in their respective team's Vijay Hazare Trophy matches on Thursday and are expected to arrive in Dubai later in the day.

Gambhir defends Kohli, shuts down former Pakistan cricketer

Gambhir hit back at Tanvir Ahmed

Virat Kohli's absence from the Indian side for the Asia Cup has been a subject of plenty of debate. Several current and former players have had their say on India's decision to rest Virat Kohli for the tournament and when former Pakistan cricketer Tanvir Ahmed called out Kohli for not playing, Gautam Gambhir came to his defence with the perfect response.

On ABP News, former Pakistan cricketer Tanvir Ahmed and Gautam Gambhir were involved in a discussion along with Kapil Dev ahead of India's eight-wicket win over Pakistan. Things took a different turn when Tanvir accused Kohli of running away from the tournament, where India could face Pakistan as many as three times in the tournament.

Tanvir said, "Meri nazar mein Virat Kohli bhaag gaye hain. Jab ek player apnemulk ke liye England ki series khel sakta hai, toh jab usko pata hai Asia Cup jitna bada event aa raha hai, toh jab wo England series survive kar sakta hai toh Asia Cup bhi survive kar sakta hai. Mere mulk ke matches Pakistan ke khilaaf hone hain, ek baar nahi teen baar, toh aise bhaag jaana...(In my view Virat Kohli has run away. When a player can play a series against England for his country battling a back issue, then he could have managed to play in Asia Cup as well. Kohli knew that India might have to play with Pakistan on three occasions including the final which is why he ran away.)"

In response, Gambhir said, "Virat Kohli has 35-36 centuries to his name. He (Tanvir) doesn’t even have 35 international matches to his name."

Nadeem breaks all-time List-A record

Nadeem broke a 21-year-old record

Ahead of the Asia Cup 2018, Shahbaz Nadeem was one of the five bowlers sent to the UAE to help India prepare as they look to defend their title. On Thursday, the left-arm spinner finished with figures of 10-4-10-8 as he broke the world record for the best figures in List-A cricket during Jharkhand's clash against Rajasthan in the Vijay Hazare Trophy.

The previous record for best List-A figures was held by Rahul Sanghvi, courtesy of his 8-15 for Delhi against Himachal Pradesh in the 1997-98 season. Thanks to Nadeem's record-breaking exploits, Rajasthan were bundled out for 73 at the T.I Murugappa Ground in Chennai. Jharkhand ended up chasing down the target with seven wickets to spare in the 15th over.

MUST WATCH: Shahbaz Nadeem's record breaking spell!The left-arm spinner picked 8/10 in the #VijayHazareTrophy and set a List A record.📽️ - https://t.co/RfJI1kRBeq

— BCCI Domestic (@BCCIdomestic) September 20, 2018

Sunil Gavaskar slams Fakhar Zaman

Gavaskar wasn't too happy

Former Indian captain Sunil Gavaskar was critical of Pakistan opener Fakhan Zaman and Dinesh Karthik on commentary during the Asia Cup clash between India and Pakistan. While Zaman's decision to wear his national cap backwards didn't go down too well with the Indian legend, Karthik's decision to have DK on the back of his jersey wasn't well received either.

While on the air for Star Sports, Gavaskar said: “Somebody, maybe the captain, should tell him that it’s the national cap. He should wear it properly. You can do this in PSL (Pakistan Super League) may be but this is the national team.”

On Dinesh Karthik's decision to have "DK" on his jersey, he said: “Maybe that’s his nickname but since the jersey carries his number, people should identify with the name. Maybe with the name he can have his initials”.

Orange ball at The Hundred?

Will orange be the new pink?

The England and Wales Cricket Board are certainly pulling out all the straws in their bid to create a new competition that will stand apart. The latest bid to do just that is the report that they are considering using an orange ball instead of the traditional white.

While the idea is still on the drawing board, it is one of many things that are being trialled in matches involving England Women academy players and a number of first and second XI male county cricketers.