View source for Services cricket team

{{short description|Indian cricket team}}
{{Use dmy dates|date=July 2019}}
{{Infobox cricket team
| name           = Services cricket team
| image          = Services Sports Control Board.svg
| captain        = [[Rajat Paliwal]] (FC) <br> [[Mohit Ahlawat (cricketer)|Mohit Ahlawat]] (LA & T20)
| coach          = 
| founded        = 1926
| ground         = [[Palam A Stadium]], [[Delhi]]
| capacity       = 
| owner          = [[Services Sports Control Board]]
| first_fc       = [[Marylebone Cricket Club]]
| first_fc_year  = 1926
| first_fc_venue = [[Lawrence Gardens|Lawrence Gardens, Lahore]]
|         title1 = [[Ranji Trophy]]
|     title1wins = 0
|         title2 = [[Vijay Hazare Trophy]]
|     title2wins = 0
|         title3 = [[Syed Mushtaq Ali Trophy]]
|     title3wins = 0
| website        = [http://sscbindia.in/ SSCB]
}}
The '''Services cricket team''' plays in the [[Ranji Trophy]], the main domestic [[first-class cricket]] competition in [[India]]. Under the auspices of the [[Services Sports Control Board]], they represent the [[Indian Armed Forces]]. Their home ground is the [[Palam A Stadium]], [[Indira Gandhi International Airport|Palam Air Force Base]], [[New Delhi]].

==Records==
The Services team first played in the Ranji Trophy in 1949–50. They played in the North Zone of the competition until 2001–02, and have played in the Plate Group and other lower-ranked groups since 2002–03, except for one season, where they played in the Elite Group, during 2005–06. Their strongest period was the 1950s: between 1950–51 and 1959–60 they reached the semi-finals six times and the final twice, losing to [[Mumbai cricket team|Bombay]] in 1956–57 by an innings,<ref>{{cite web |title=Services v Bombay 1956–57 |url=http://static.espncricinfo.com/db/ARCHIVE/1950S/1956-57/IND_LOCAL/RANJI/SVCS_BOM_RJI-FINAL_29MAR-01APR1957.html |website=Cricinfo |access-date=20 February 2019}}</ref> and to [[Baroda cricket team|Baroda]] in 1957–58, also by an innings.<ref>{{cite web |title=Baroda v Services 1957–58 |url=http://static.espncricinfo.com/db/ARCHIVE/1950S/1957-58/IND_LOCAL/RANJI/KNOCK-OUTS/BARODA_SVCS_RJI-FINAL_13-16MAR1958.html|website=Cricinfo |access-date=20 February 2019}}</ref>

As of February 2024, Services had played 365 first-class matches, with 96 wins, 124 losses, and 145 draws. 33 of their victories have been over [[Jammu and Kashmir cricket team|Jammu and Kashmir]].<ref>{{cite web |title=Playing Record (1949/50-2023/24) |url=https://cricketarchive.com/Archive/Records/India/Firstclass/Services/Team_Records/Playing_Record.html |website=CricketArchive |access-date=5 March 2022}}</ref> Their highest first-class score is 250 [[not out]] by [[Yashpal Singh (cricketer)|Yashpal Singh]] against [[Tripura cricket team|Tripura]] in 2012–13.<ref>{{cite web |title=Most Runs in an Innings for Services |url=https://cricketarchive.com/Archive/Records/India/Firstclass/Services/Batting_Records/Highest_Innings_For.html |website=CricketArchive |access-date=10 July 2018}}</ref> The best bowling figures are 8 for 37 by [[Gokul Inder Dev]] against Jammu and Kashmir in 1968–69.<ref>{{cite web |title=Most Wickets in an Innings for Services |url=https://cricketarchive.com/Archive/Records/India/Firstclass/Services/Bowling_Records/Best_Innings_Bowling_For.html |website=CricketArchive |access-date=10 July 2018}}</ref>

Services reached the semi-finals of the [[Vijay Hazare Trophy]] for the first time in the [[2021–22 Vijay Hazare Trophy|2021–22]] season. Their best finish in the [[Syed Mushtaq Ali Trophy]] was in the [[2019–20 Syed Mushtaq Ali Trophy|2019–20]] season, where they finished third in their group with 4 wins and 2 losses.

Services set the world record for the highest successful run chase in first-class cricket without losing a wicket when they chased 376 runs against [[Odisha cricket team|Odisha]] in the group stage in the [[2024–25 Ranji Trophy]]. It was also the second-highest successful fourth-innings run-chase in the history of the Ranji Trophy.<ref>{{cite news |title=Ranji Trophy: Services record second-highest chase |url=https://indianexpress.com/article/sports/cricket/ranji-trophy-services-record-2nd-highest-chases-openers-partnership-9813471/ |access-date=3 February 2025 |work=Indian Express |date=2 February 2025}}</ref><ref>{{cite web |title=Odisha vs Services, Elite, Group A at Cuttack, Ranji Trophy, Jan 30 2025 |url=https://www.espncricinfo.com/series/ranji-trophy-2024-25-1445824/odisha-vs-services-elite-group-a-1445937/full-scorecard |publisher=Cricinfo |access-date=3 February 2025}}</ref>

==Honours==
* '''[[Ranji Trophy]]'''
** '''Runners-up (2):''' [[1956–57 Ranji Trophy|1956–57]], [[1957–58 Ranji Trophy|1957–58]]

==Notable players==
Services players who have played [[Test cricket]] for [[India cricket team|India]], along with year of Test debut:

* [[Hemu Adhikari]] (1947) (primarily played for Baroda)
* [[Kanwar Rai Singh]] (1947 (primarily played for Southern Punjab)
* [[Bal Dani]] (1952)
* [[Chandrasekhar Gadkari]] (1953)
* [[Narain Swamy]] (1955)
* [[Surendranath (cricketer)|Surendra Nath]] (1958)
* [[Apoorva Sengupta]] (1959)
* [[V. M. Muddiah]] (1959)

==Current squad==
{| class="wikitable" style="font-size:95%;"
|-
!align=center| Name
!align=center| Birth date
!align=center| Birthplace
!align=center| Batting style
!align=center| Bowling style
!align=center| Notes
|-
! colspan="6" style="background: #DCDCDC" align=center| Batsmen
|-
| [[Rajat Paliwal]] || {{birth date and age|1991|12|24|df=y}} || [[Sonepat]], HR || Right-handed || Right-arm [[off-break]] || '''First-class Captain'''
|-
| [[Ravi Chauhan]] || {{birth date and age|1993|9|17|df=y}} || [[New Delhi]], DL || Right-handed || Right-arm [[leg-break]] ||
|-
| [[Shubham Rohilla]] || {{birth date and age|1998|3|10|df=y}} || [[Rohtak]], HR || Left-handed || Right-arm [[leg break]] ||
|-
| Suraj Vashisht || {{birth date and age|2001|7|27|df=y}} || [[Delhi]], DL || Right-handed || Right-arm [[off-break]] || 
|-
| Kunwar Pathak || {{birth date and age|1998|11|23|df=y}} || [[Amritsar]], PB || Left-handed || Right-arm [[off-break]] || 
|-
| [[Anshul Gupta]] || {{birth date and age|1989|9|20|df=y}} || [[Ghaziabad]], UP || Right-handed || Right-arm [[off-break]] ||
|-
| [[Vikas Hathwala]] || {{birth date and age|1993|9|6|df=y}} || [[Delhi]], DL || Left-handed || Left-arm [[Fast bowling|medium]] ||
|-
! colspan="6" style="background: #DCDCDC" align=center| All-Rounders
|-
| [[Arjun Sharma]] || {{birth date and age|1996|5|25|df=y}} || [[Jalandhar]], PB || Left-handed || [[Slow left-arm orthodox]] ||
|-
| Vineet Dhankhar || {{birth date and age|2004|5|3|df=y}} || || Right-handed || Right-arm [[leg break]] || 
|-
| [[Nitin Tanwar]] || {{birth date and age|1996|10|9|df=y}} || [[Delhi]], DL || Right-handed || Right-arm [[off break]] ||
|-
! colspan="6" style="background: #DCDCDC" align=center| Wicket-keepers
|-
| [[Mohit Ahlawat (cricketer)|Mohit Ahlawat]] || {{birth date and age|1995|12|25|df=y}} || [[Delhi]], DL || Right-handed || || '''List A & Twenty20 Captain'''
|-
| Arun Kumar || {{birth date and age|2002|12|6|df=y}} || [[Bhiwani]], HR || Right-handed || ||
|-
| Lovekesh Bansal || {{birth date and age|1995|8|17|df=y}} || [[Yamuna Nagar]], HR || Left-handed || ||
|-
! colspan="6" style="background: #DCDCDC" align=center| Spin Bowlers
|-
| Amit Shukla || {{birth date and age|2002|12|28|df=y}} || [[Faizabad]], UP || Right-handed || [[Slow left-arm orthodox]] ||
|-
| [[Pulkit Narang]] || {{birth date and age|1994|6|18|df=y}} || [[New Delhi]], DL ||Right-handed || Right-arm [[off break]] ||
|-
| [[Mohit Rathee]] || {{birth date and age|1999|1|13|df=y}} || [[Rohtak]], HR || Right-handed || Right-arm [[leg break]] || Plays for '''[[Royal Challengers Bengaluru]]''' in [[Indian Premier League|IPL]]
|-
! colspan="6" style="background: #DCDCDC" align=center| Pace Bowlers
|-
| [[Poonam Poonia]] || {{birth date and age|1994|12|12|df=y}} || [[Sri Ganganagar]], RJ|| Right-handed || Right-arm [[Fast bowling|medium]] ||
|-
| [[Varun Choudhary]] || {{birth date and age|1993|10|26|df=y}} || [[Jammu]], JK || Right-handed || Right-arm [[Fast bowling|medium-fast]] ||
|-
| [[Nitin Yadav]] || {{birth date and age|1992|11|20|df=y}} ||[[Delhi]], DL|| Right-handed || Right-arm [[Fast bowling|medium]] ||
|-
| Vishal Gaur || {{birth date and age|2001|7|3|df=y}} || [[Meerut]], UP || Left-handed || Left-arm [[Fast bowling|medium]] ||
|-
| Jayant Goyat || {{birth date and age|2005|6|24|df=y}} || || Right-handed || Right-arm [[Fast bowling|medium]] ||
|-
| [[Raj Bahadur (cricketer)|Raj Bahadur]] || {{birth date and age|1993|10|5|df=y}} || [[Allahabad]], UP || Left-handed || Left-arm [[Fast bowling|medium]] ||
|-
| Gaurav Sharma || {{birth date and age|1994|7|6|df=y}} || [[Bulandshahr]], UP || Right-handed || Right-arm [[Fast bowling|medium]] ||
|}

''Updated as on 30 January 2025''

==References==
{{Reflist}}

==External links==
*[https://cricketarchive.com/Archive/Teams/0/349/First-Class_Matches.html First-class matches played by Services]

{{Ranji Trophy}}
{{Cricket in India}}

[[Category:Indian first-class cricket teams]]
[[Category:Military sport in India]]
[[Category:Military cricket teams]]
[[Category:1926 establishments in India]]
[[Category:Cricket clubs established in 1926]]


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