The duo have scored a fifty each in the County Championship 2025.
The results for Indians in the County Championship 2025 have been mostly positive. Currently, four players are out of favour in the red-ball set-up who are playing their trade in the UK domestic circuit. Ishan Kishan is with Nottinghamshire, Tilak Varma is playing for Hampshire, left-arm pacer Khaleel Ahmed is playing for Essex, and leg-spinner Yuzvendra Chahal is playing for Northamptonshire.
Khaleel, who recently impressed in India A’s shadow tour with a four-wicket haul against England Lions, got his first County wicket in the form of Yorkshire captain Jonny Bairstow. Khaleel had to work hard for that one scalp as he bowled 26 overs and conceded 126 runs.
Chahal’s outing with Northamptonshire wasn’t so fruitful as he bowled 42 tireless overs but came out empty-handed after conceding 129 runs.
TBW
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VSS
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AMR
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KNK
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BVB
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PD
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MTV
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MTV
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MTV
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HAM
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KENT
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JJ
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CEC-A
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MYW
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HBT
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MAT
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While the bowlers have bent their backs to get wickets, there has been a trend of too many runs flowing in the English summer. Ishan Kishan began life at Nottinghamshire with 87 against Yorkshire. He followed it up with 77 in the first innings of the ongoing match against Somerset. Meanwhile, Varma began his maiden county stint with a 100 against Essex. He continued his form with 56 in the first innings against Worcestershire.
While their batting exploits have gained the attention of the selection committee, it might not amount to much as batters have been dominating all across the tournament in the UK.
While hot summer conditions and dry pitches across the country might have contributed to it, the main argument from coaches in the County circuit is the use of Kookaburra ball as opposed to the Dukes ball, which is English-manufactured.
According to a report by the BBC’s Test Match Special, the England and Wales Cricket Board (ECB) has decided to play four rounds of the County Championship with the Kookaburra. This way, the English bowlers will have the opportunity to prepare for The Ashes in Australia later this year.
In the previous round, only the games between Northamptonshire-Middlesex and Worcestershire-Surrey yielded results. The other seven matches ended in high-scoring draws.
In the ongoing round, the matches are headed towards a similar conclusion. Only Middlesex was able to beat Leicestershire before the final and fourth day. Six of the remaining eight matches are still in their third innings, while the game between Surrey and Durham is still in its second innings.
Surrey, led by Chennai Super Kings’ Sam Curran, recorded their highest ever total. They declared at 810/9 and batted two full days.
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The Dukes ball, which is hand-stitched and was designed to resist the dampness of the English conditions, retains its shine for a longer period. On the other hand, the Kookaburra’s shine wears off faster in conditions it wasn’t made for.
Meanwhile, the England bowlers from the Anderson-Tendulkar Trophy 2025 are still bowling and hitting the nets with the traditional Dukes ball. The pitch at Headingley was also curated carefully to retain moisture for all five days of the match. It yielded a definite result, as well as the bowlers getting 35 off the 40 wickets in the match.
With most of the England players from the India series likely to be in the squad for The Ashes, many in the County set-up have trashed the idea of playing with Kookaburra. Surrey director of cricket and former England wicket-keeper Alex Stewart called it ‘worst decision ever.’ Leicestershire coach Alfonso Thomas remarked that the Kookaburra made ‘average batters look great.’
Varma and Kishan are big prospects for the Test side in the current transition phase under Shubman Gill. They will be cursing the time of their arrival in County cricket if the selectors look at these factors.
Even if they are called in as replacements for India for the England Tests, the results might not look pretty. After England Tests wrap up by early August, India will play red-ball cricket in October when they host West Indies.
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