This was India's fourth defeat in the last six Tests at home and in all four Tests -- including three against New Zealand -- their batters have flopped against spin.
The series promises a fascinating duel between the two modern-day pace greats.
For the first time in many years, India are going into a home Test match as underdogs and not favourites. Ask any player worth his salt and he would tell that it is not a happy place to be.
Pace bowling all-rounders always come at a premium and therefore, the troika of Green, Venkatesh Iyer and West Indies' Jason Holder, all coming at the highest base price of Rs 2 crore (US$220,000), are set to headline the bidding war.
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'You saw Yashasvi Jaiswal start in the second innings, did you see the first three balls, the kind of shots that he attempted?'
Deepti Sharma and Shafali Verma's superb all-round showing powered India to a historic first-ever Women's ODI World Cup title after they outclassed South Africa by 52 runs in the final.
Mahendra Singh Dhoni made the players feel comfortable by backing them, while Virat Kohli's aggression and uncompromising standards proved vital in moments of crisis.
'The real story of 2025 is that India officially stopped being a 'market of the future' and started acting as the world's primary economic engine.'
The controversial decision to select Shubman Gill in place of a well-settled Sanju Samson as the opener has backfired for the Indian team so far.
For India, the battle is no longer about proving skill or form, but about crossing the elusive final hurdle that has so often tripped them -- including in this very tournament.
'I will watch India's match against New Zealand with no tension -- just enjoy the cricket.'
K L Rahul takes over the captaincy after regular skipper Shubman Gill missed the series because of a neck injury.
'As a captain and a player, he never played for a draw, he always wanted to win.'
Noman collected a 10-wicket haul during Pakistan's 93-run triumph over South Africa in Lahore recently and moved up four places.
Injuries prevented Archer appearing in subsequent Ashes series but the 30-year-old is now fit and firing and will be part of England's high-octane pace attack that many think could power them to a first series win in Australia since 2010-11.
South Africa will aim for their first Test victory in India in more than 15 years.
Bavuma believes this group, unbeaten in full-strength Test series since coach Shukri Conrad took charge in 2023, has the maturity and belief to mount a serious challenge and win their only second series in India after 25 years.
Buoyed by her team's first win in the ongoing Women's World Cup in Guwahati on Friday, New Zealand captain Sophie Devine expressed hopes of a turnaround for the White Ferns in the tournament and cited South Africa's stunning victory over India.
India overpowered New Zealand by 53 runs via the Duckworth-Lewis method to seal their place in the semi-finals of the Women's ODI World Cup.
'Bernard Julien was one of the quiet legends of the 1975 World Cup, a tournament that fifty years ago brought this region joy like no other as the West Indies lifted the first men's world title in the history of the game.'
This time, Harmanpreet Kaur and Pakistan skipper Fatima Sana are unlikely to exchange even the most basic pleasantries.
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England recovered from a disastrous start as captain Brook bludgeoned 135 from 101 balls and Jamie Overton made 46 to help their side finish on 223 all out in 35.2 overs for a fighting chance in the contest.
The Harmanpreet Kaur-led Indian side landed in the evening after completing their warm-up games in Bengaluru.
England claimed a 1-0 victory in their three-match Twenty20 series against New Zealand after rain curtailed Thursday's final match in Auckland.
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Having already secured a place in the semi-finals, England will be hoping to acquire some quality workout time for their batters in their last league match against a beleaguered and rain-tormented New Zealand in the women's World match Cup, in Visakhapatnam, on Sunday.
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After her early dismissal, Georgia Plimmer brought some spark to the White Ferns' innings, taking on the English attack with a flurry of boundaries.
The Harmanpreet Kaur-led India will be playing an ODI World Cup final for the third time, having finished runners-up in 2005 and 2017 to Australia and England, respectively. This will be South Africa's maiden appearance in the final.
Pat Cummins was ruled out of the upcoming white-ball series against India and New Zealand due to a lower-back issue.
The Indian team management has not asked for a rank turner for the opening Test of the two-match series against South Africa beginning at the Eden Gardens on Friday, Cricket Association of Bengal president Sourav Ganguly said on Monday.
'Emotions run high. You are expected to win pretty much every game. You are expected to win because you have been doing that consistently. You have the strength on your side to achieve those kinds of milestones and secure those kinds of victories. So, accountability and appraisal are always going to be there. So, it goes hand in hand.'
Armed with a potent spin attack, taking on South Africa seems like competing against a "subcontinent team", Ten Doeschate said, admitting that they need to get better at negotiating the challenge posed by tweakers.
Jemimah Rodrigues rose through the ranks in Mumbai to become one of the key batters for India, but the journey wasn't easy.
Nitish Kumar Reddy made waves with a quick-fire 43 in the second Test, even without bowling a single delivery, as head coach Gautam Gambhir emphasized the focus on experience over overs.
The 0-3 loss to New Zealand at home last year still haunts India head coach Gautam Gambhir and he also doesn't want his players to forget that rare drubbing in Tests as they build for the future.
According to the Indian Express, Kohli informed the BCCI that he wants to retire from Test cricket. However, the Board has asked him to reconsider the decision with the five Test series against England coming up next month.
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