Runs have dried up for Suryakumar, with his last T20I fifty coming back in October 2024. With the World Cup less than two months away, the pressure has begun to mount.
Yashasvi Jaiswal, Shubman Gill and Sai Sudharsan are in the fray for selection in India's Asia Cup squad, which is expected to be picked in the third week of August.
India's two time World Cup-winning hero Yuvraj Singh has said golf could have helped him score "at least 3,000 more runs" in international cricket and advised his "wards" Shubman Gill and Abhishek Sharma to take up the sport for its calming influence.
Former India batter Robin Uthappa has flagged a lack of role clarity in India's batting approach during a big chase.
The indefatigable duo of Rishabh Pant and Mohammed Siraj is expected to be the big talking point on Saturday when the selectors pick a 15-member Indian ODI squad for a three-match series against New Zealand starting January 11 in Vadodara.
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Shubman Gill enjoyed a phenomenal run with the bat in England, piling up 754 runs at an average of 75.40 with four centuries.
'Sanju was playing because Shubman and Yashasvi were not available at that point (and) so was Abhishek. (But) Abhishek's performances clearly make it hard to leave him out. Plus, his bowling (left arm spin) is handy.'
With three centuries already in the series, Gill could join Don Bradman and Gavaskar in the elite club of captains who've hit the most hundreds in a single Test series, if he converts his current innings into a fourth on Day 5.
Intent does not always translate immediately into numbers, and effort however sincere needs to find expression in runs, especially with a World Cup drawing closer.
India made 3,809 runs in this series, which is the most ever scored by a team in a five Test series.
Gill said staying calm under pressure would be crucial going forward in the five-match series.
Former India wicketkeeper Dinesh Karthik praised India's Test captain Shubman Gill after he scored a record-equalling fourth hundred in the fourth Test against England.
Shubman Gill has not just scored a double hundred; he's rewritten the record books.
The India skipper will be eyeing the great Don Bradman's 88-year-old record for most runs by a captain in a Test series.
The T20 WC champions will look to enter this phase with clarity of intent as they refine roles, streamline combinations and settle the XI that will carry the weight of expectations in front of home crowds.
Speaking on The Great Indian Cricket Show on Doordarshan, Mukund, who represented India in seven Tests from 2011-17, said: "I think Shubman has it in him to become an all-format captain, but I do not think India should have an all-format captain anymore."
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Shubman Gill had fired a verbal salvo at Zak Crawley during the Lord's Test after he and his opening partner Ben Duckett arrived 90 seconds late to the crease.
India Test captain Shubman Gill expressed anguish over the large-scale devastation caused by floods in his home state of Punjab due to incessant rainfall.
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Shubman Gill walked out at Edgbaston with questions swirling around his captaincy - and answered them with his bat
After a brilliant 269 in 387 balls in the first innings, Gill was dismissed for an entertaining 161 off 162 balls with 13 fours and 8 sixes. His runs came at a strike rate of 99.38.
Test captain Shubman Gill also doesn't fit in the Indian T20 line-up, which has a settled top three in Abhishek Sharma, Sanju Samson and captain Suryakumar Yadav.
Five Tests between India and England going down to the wire should be enough to convince the sport's authorities not to tinker with the format, reckoned Shubman Gill after a dramatic win at The Oval on Monday.
The team's balance puzzle once again took centre stage on Tuesday night, even as individual performances from the ongoing series highlighted why leaving either out is a tough ask.
Former skipper Mohammad Azharuddin slipped to the third spot, having scored 426 runs at 85.20 during India's tour of England in 1990.
'I want to be conventional and also blend with out-of-box thinking. Want to have nice balance...'
'...he's not shown any obvious signs of dismissal and he's played stylishly.'
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'Hopefully, we can finish this match on a great note.'
The Indian selectors will be announcing the team for the three-match ODI series against the Black Caps, starting January 11 in Vadodara and there have been speculations about whether Pant can hold on to his place in the squad.
It is understood that right after India's abject surrender against South Africa in the two-Test series at home last month, someone who matters in the cricket board had once again informally approached VVS Laxman to check if he would be interested in coaching the red ball team.
Gill, who donned the opener's role during India's unbeaten run to the Asia Cup trophy, mustered up 127 runs in seven appearances.
As fans celebrated his bold leadership, a black Nike vest he sported during the drinks break has triggered questions about a potential breach of BCCI's apparel deal with Adidas.
England openers' delaying tactics at Lord's not within spirit of the game: Shubman Gill
Shubman Gill's toss woes continued as England opted to bowl in the fifth and final Test at The Oval on Thursday.
In a lapse of concentration, Atkinson picked the ball and sent the timber rattling to have Gill run out on 21(35).
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