The barren run of skipper Rohit Sharma and the selection conundrum that Virat Kohli's possible return poses are the towering obstacles in India's quest for a series win against England in the second ODI in Cuttack on Sunday.
Here are some pictures of the two getting into some unwanted action on Day 4 of the 2nd Test...
Sanju Samson's T20I future took another hit on Tuesday as India benched him yet again, favouring the finishing skills of Jitesh Sharma in a team that now appears fully committed to its Shubman Gill-led blueprint.
Wriddhiman Saha, on nine, and Ravichandran Ashwin, who is 15 not out, will return on Friday hoping to continue India's march towards the 300-mark.
'...I believe he has all the raw materials to become a really good leader.'
Shubman Gill has described his appointment as India's ODI captain as the "biggest honour", expressing pride in carrying forward the legacy left by Rohit Sharma, who will play under him in the upcoming three-match series in Australia.
According to ESPNCricinfo, Shubman Gill has also confirmed his availability for Punjab's upcoming Ranji Trophy sixth-round fixture against Karnataka, set to begin on January 23.
The duo were snapped laughing about something as youngster Shivam Dube stood around listening to the conversation.
'Don't bring work home isn't going to be applicable for Virat for sometime. #QuarantineAtTheStadium,' Anu, looking lovely as always, captioned her Instagram post.
Indian cricketers took to Twitter to wish the country and everyone on the joyous occasion.
The twin retirements mean India will not only have a new captain at the helm but will be without two of their most experienced players.
The eight players who featured in India's World Cup triumph in 2024 will aim to repeat their magic from two years ago.
India captain Virat Kohli wasn't happy that his team lost out on a perfect DRS call just because replay of the delivery bowled to Matthew Wade was shown on giant screen before the permissible limit of 15 seconds.
The 53-year-old said he had immense respect for some of the Indian players of his generation but never showed it on the field.
Shubman Gill is enjoying a 'honeymoon period' as India's Test captain but there will be more pressure on him in the days to come, feels former India skipper Sourav Ganguly.
Virat Kohli, who amassed 593 runs at an average of 59.3 in the series which the visitors lost by 1-4 margin, had started the series 27 points behind Australia's Steve Smith and finished one point ahead of his closest rival.
Kohli is not the one sitting quietly and resting.
'In India, it is our tradition that if the team plays well, everyone is quiet, but as soon as the team plays poorly, we get on top of the coach.'
Gambhir has once again criticised Virat Kohli's captaincy
The reactions to Virat Kohli stepping down as the captain of the Indian Test team after seven years on Saturday.
India take on Australia in the first of the three-match ODI series in Mumbai on Tuesday.
Fast-rising India pacer Mohammed Siraj considers Virat Kohli his 'superhero' and says the batting ace will always remain his skipper despite his captaincy tenure ending in all formats of the game.
India seamers Jasprit Bumrah and Mohammed Shami took three wickets each as the tourists bowled South Africa out for 191 to claim victory by 113 runs just after lunch on the fifth day of the first Test in Centurion on Thursday.
The streets at Marine Drive, as well as the Wankhede Stadium, were packed with fans from as early as 3pm in anticipation of the arrival of their champions.
India will hope the return of regular captain Virat Kohli proves to be the difference for the hosts against New Zealand when the world's two top-ranked Test sides clash in the second and final match at the Wankhede Stadium from Friday.
India captain Virat Kohli lauded his bowling unit for taking control of the proceedings from the onset after an emphatic seven-wicket victory against New Zealand in the second T20 International in Auckland on Sunday. Ravindra Jadeja (2/18 in 4 overs) and Jasprit Bumrah (1/21 in 4 overs) were primarily responsible for restricting New Zealand to 132 with the help of a steady Mohammed Shami (0/22 in 4 overs).
Also, he is the only Indian with two Test triple tons.
Spin great Ravichandran Ashwin praised Rohit Sharma's remarkable transformation after he surpassed Shahid Afridi's record for the most sixes in ODIs.
'Maybe Kohli can offer to make an honourable way for Rahane to take over during the series against England at home.' 'I can assure no bad blood would be caused when we ensure that the larger picture on the canvas is Indian cricket.'
The Indian players went through a gruelling training session ahead of the first Test against Bangladesh, starting next week.
There is no better stage than the match against Bangladesh for the two to find form, as India look to book a place in the semis.
'Every game in this tournament is big, but we have a side with a few youngsters coming in and gradually getting towards strengthening their careers for India'
You don't just play here -- you must dare to play here because the sound from the stands crashes onto the field, and often the cheer comes back to the players like waves.
Having got a well-deserved break after the Bangladesh Test series, India cricket captain Virat Kohli is making the most of it along with his wife Anushka.
While the white-ball trophy cabinet kept getting heavier, Team India's fortunes in Test cricket swung wildly between hope and despair in 2025.
Virat Kohli put in the hard work during Team India's training sessions in Sydney.
Rohit Sharma's decision-making has come under intense scrutiny, especially after the team's failure to contain Australia's innings in the first session of Day 2.
India have relied on their spin strength on rank turners to gain points in WTC cycles in the past but Gill has said he wants his side to play on tracks that offer equally to batters and bowlers.
Kohli scored 466 runs in 15 matches at a strike rate of 121.35 and has often struggled to get going in the middle overs.
Virat Kohli is among the finest batsmen of all time, and has amassed a staggering 12,169 runs from 254 ODIs.
