Harish Kotian writes on cricket and sports. You can e-mail the author at harishk@rediff.co.in
India's batting is a major concern with Rohit Sharma and Virat Kohli struggling for runs ahead of the tour of Australia.
'He is definitely much more mature and he knows the value of his place in the Indian team, 2-3 years of not being there.' 'He will now look to take care of his body much more. He has developed from a youngster to a responsible person now.' 'He knows what he needs to do, to succeed at the highest level.'
Since making his debut in 2017, the highly rated Kuldeep Yadav has featured in just 13 Tests in seven years.
From working in a garment factory, selling bread, and driving an autorickshaw, the 24-year-old fast bowler's path to representing domestic giants Mumbai was anything but easy.
This crushing defeat is a major wake-up call for Team India. They now face the real possibility of losing a home series for the first time in over a decade, warns Harish Kotian.
Who do you think should be part of India's playing XI for the first Test against New Zealand?
'Whichever teams have the best players they get a chance to retain them.
'There is a lot of scope for new players to come in and get their maximum value, given how the auction is structured.'
'When it comes to strategy or planning for a match, there is nobody better than Dhoni.' 'Whether he is uncapped or capped, every franchise would want to pick Dhoni, no matter what price he is available for.'
'We haven't discussed anything with M S Dhoni. We will speak post October 15.'
How India's players fared in the Bangladesh Test series.
Who do you think should be part of India's playing XI for the second Test against Bangladesh?
From January 1, 2021 to September 9, 2024 -- during which Joe Root hit 17 centuries, Kane Williamson has hit, Steve Smith has made six tons but Virat Kohli has managed just two centuries.
Ravichandran Ashwin has the second most wickets by an active player in Test cricket. Australia's Nathan Lyon leads the list with 530 wickets and Ashwin can overtake him in the second Test in Kanpur.
Who do you think should be part of India's playing XI for the first Test against Bangladesh?
Could the Chennai Test against Bangladesh this week be Ravichandran Ashwin's last Test in front of his home fans?
Virat Kohli and Ravindra Jadeja are set for important milestones during the coming series against Bangladesh.
India boast of a near perfect record against Bangladesh in Tests, having never lost a Test match against their neighbours.
Rishabh Pant last played a Test match in December 2022 before a serious car crash saw him sidelined for nearly two years.
The Mumbai batter lit the Chinnaswamy stadium with his brilliant batting.
'We used to give these boxers a hammering in the ring and now they are teaching youngsters how to defend. Come on man!' 'People like Akhil Kumar and Jitender Kumar were among the top boxers in the world, but instead of choosing them to train young boxers they are picking people who are yes men.'
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