When I interviewed Alishan Sharafu as a 14-year-old schoolboy following his huge scores in domestic matches, he told me he wanted to bat like A B de Villiers.
In this rivalry, numbers fade and national pride takes centre stage.
'He just has to do what he does best -- which is to destroy opposition bowling.'
For most IPL teams, the 2026 mini auction will be all about strategic buys and role-specific additions, while for a couple of others, it is going to be a captain-centric affair.
IMAGES of the Asia Cup Final played between India and Pakistan in Dubai on Sunday
Rohit Sharma offered a hilarious piece of advice to spinner Kuldeep Yadav ahead of the T20 World Cup this year from February 7.
Shubman Gill has been guilty of taking too much load on himself since his T20 comeback and the Indian team wants him to bat as freely as he does in the IPL, said assistant coach Ryan ten Doeschate.
Trying to make maximum utilisation of my current form: Sanju Samson
'Hearts are broken for sure. You've got to feel bad for Shubman Gill.'
A mouth-watering India-South Africa warm-up at the D Y Patil stadium did exactly that, igniting anticipation and hopes among fans.
India vs New Zealand, 3rd T20, Guwahati: Abhishek blitz hands India series win
India put on a commanding performance to beat South Africa by 30 runs in their T20 World Cup warm-up clash at DY Patil Stadium, Navi Mumbai, on Wednesday.
Ishan Kishan will play ahead of Shreyas Iyer in the series against New Zealand as he is a part of India's T20 World Cup squad and a like-for-like replacement for an injured Tilak Varma being a left-hander, skipper Suryakumar Yadav said on Tuesday.
Shivam Dube flickered brightly with a fifty of exceptional quality but it was insufficient to prevent India's 50-run defeat against New Zealand in the fourth T20 International.
Out-of-form India vice-captain Shubman Gill has been ruled out of the last two T20I games against South Africa with a toe injury, sources close to the team told PTI.
Earlier, warm-up routines had players darting through shuttle runs and high knees before bats were unsheathed.
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.
The former South African batter pointed out that Rana does not have a lot of international experience with the new ball, but is well supported in the pace department.
'It is a passing phase'. 'He will bounce back'. 'He is a run machine; poor form is just temporary'. The vote of confidence in Gill was inspiring and reassuring, notes Sandeep Goyal.
The lack of runs from captain Suryakumar Yadav and his deputy Shubman Gill remains a talking point.
'If they have picked him ahead of Yashasvi Jaiswal, and as many felt, Sanju Samson, you can imagine how extremely privileged he is.'
Suryakumar Yadav, who returned to form with a blazing 82* against New Zealand at Raipur, spoke on how he dealt with his lean patch
'(On Parag and Jaiswal) They are 22 each, so is Jurel. With very little experience, the way they are performing at this level is amazing.'
KKR, CSK to engage in bidding war in IPL mini-auction with big purse in hand
With India set to name their T20 World Cup 2026 squad on Saturday in Mumbai, the spotlight has firmly shifted to Shubman Gill and Suryakumar Yadav, whose recent struggles have turned the selection meeting into a high-stakes call.
As India start their T20 World Cup title defence in less than 72 hours, one is tempted to look at Suryakumar Yadav and Gautam Gambhir's working relationship which has been fantastic, at least so going by the results -- a whopping 31 wins in 39 games with a winning percentage of 79.48.
India Captain Suryakumar Yadav and his deputy Shubman Gill once again flopped with the bat as India suffered a 51-run thrashing in the second T20 International against South Africa.
Rajasthan Royals captain Sanju Samson says he is still not over Jos Buttler leaving the team and wishes the IPL would change its rule of releasing players every three years.
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.
Tournament co-hosts India will be out to defend their Twenty20 World Cup title. The 10th edition of the 20-overs global showpiece event will run from February 7 to March 8.
Phil Salt's explosive 33-ball 65 laid the foundation and Virat Kohli's 100th T20 fifty provided the finishing touch as RCB chased down what looked like a big target without much ado.
Former India player Robin Uthappa called for a bold revamp of the Indian Premier League by getting rid of the annual player auctions and having trade windows open throughout the year.
Former Australian opener Mathew Hayden is mighty impressed with the IPL performance of Sanju Samson and has lauded the T20 World Cup-bound power-hitter for "handling both spin and pace with finesse".
Sanju Samson has etched his name in the record books by becoming the first player to score three T20I centuries in a calendar year.
Vice-captain Vihaan Malhotra's exhilarating stroke-play was well complemented by Aaron George's composure as India set up an Under-19 Asia Cup summit date with arch-rivals Pakistan after crushing Sri Lanka by eight wickets in a rain-curtailed semi-final, in Dubai, on Friday.
Rajasthan Royals skipper Sanju Samson has been fined Rs 12 lakh after his team maintained a slow over rate during the Indian Premier League match against Gujarat Titans in Jaipur.
The three players will travel back home to India with the rest of the T20 World Cup winning squad.
The 34-year-old mystery spinner rewrote the record books during the fifth and final T20I against South Africa at Ahmedabad on Friday, casting a spell of his bamboozling spin magic on the Proteas batters, four of them surrendering to his bowling.
After this snub, it looks difficult for Shubman Gill at this point to make a comeback to the T20 team with plenty of talented young players waiting in the wings.
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