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.
Yash Dhull smashed his way to 92 but Vidarbha bowling unit proved too good for Rest of India as they comfortably won the Irani Cup by 93 runs in Nagpur on Sunday.
The Proteas arrive high on confidence, having fought out a hard-earned 1-1 draw in Pakistan last month under challenging conditions.
Abhimanyu Easwaran made the future path all the more tough with his second duck of the match, while Sai Sudharsan concluded his lukewarm preparation for the South Africa Test series with an underwhelming 23 off 38 balls.
Shami has not exactly been pleased with the national selectors and has gone on record to say that they have not communicated with him. However, sources in the BCCI say that it may not be the correct picture.
Top-order batters subjugate India A's Test bowlers as SA A register five-wicket win
Saurashtra registered their narrowest T20 victory in terms of runs, edging Karnataka by one run in the Mushtaq Ali Trophy 2025 Elite Group D match.
'The whole country is behind him and watching his performances. You can't ignore a guy who's done so much for India.'
Devdutt Padikkal hit a stroke-filled 92 not out after right-arm pacer Akash Deep shone bright with the ball with a four-wicket haul as India A took control of the four-day second unofficial Test against England Lions on the opening day in Ahmedabad on Wednesday.
Coming off a commanding 336-run win at Edgbaston, Team India not only ended their winless streak at the historic venue, but also levelled the five-match series 1-1 in stunning fashion thanks to Shubman Gill's twin hundreds and a rousing spell from pacer Akash Deep.
'There's probably no need to sort of walk him off in that fashion'
Shubman Gill deservedly was the Player of the Match in the Edgbaston Test, but many Indian cricket fans will agree that Akash Deep deserved to be joint POM for his incredible 10 wickets that gave India a triumph for the ages.
Akash Deep's 10-wicket match-haul sets up famous win for India in the second Test against England at Edgbaston.
Virat Kohli, former Test captain, lauded the team's resilience
After hundreds upon hundreds of runs on flat tracks in the ongoing series so far, it took the green top at The Oval to finally produce the best day of the Indian summer, on the fifth and last Friday of the Test series.
Ranji Trophy champions Vidarbha left Rest of India (RoI) reeling at 142 for 5 as bad light forced early close of Day 2 in their Irani Cup match, in Nagpur, on Thursday.
Ranji Trophy champions Vidarbha took firm control of the Irani Cup, seizing a healthy first-innings lead and then consolidating it with a solid batting effort in their second essay against Rest of India at the VCA Stadium, in Nagpur, on Friday.
Siraj took had a match haul of 7 wickets, with 6 for 70 in the first innings, while Akash finished with 10 wickets in the match (4 for 88 and 6 for 99), their performances proving crucial to India's historic win.
Soon after gently rolling his arm over in the field of play, Akash Deep cut a forlorn figure as uncapped Anshul Kamboj and Prasidh Krishna bowled full tilt at India's first outdoor training session ahead of the fourth Test.
As for the home side, Kolkata Knight Riders' quality might appear thin on paper in absence of their captain Shreyas Iyer and Shakib Al Hasan, but coach Chandrakant Pandit firmly backed the team to do well.
Sachin Tendulkar was effusive in his praise for Akash Deep after India's thumping 336-run win at Edgbaston
Shami's four-wicket burst sets up Bengal's eight-wicket win over Uttarakhand
Siraj, Krishna, Akash Shine as India's Pace Future Takes Shape
'Sometimes it might look wrong in the fans' eyes, but please don't twist things or create narratives that aren't even close to the truth.'
Indian captain Shubman Gill and his teammates also revelled in the win and expressed their pride and joy on social media handles.
Here's a roundup of all Ranji Trophy matches played on Day 1 on Wednesday.
And ahead of the 4th Test, some members of the Indian team went all out at a gym training session.
Mumbai were bowled out for 181 in their second innings, setting J&K 243 runs to win the season-opening match.
Central Zone captain Dhruv Jurel and East Zone skipper Abhimanyu Easwaran missed the Duleep Trophy quarterfinals, which began in Bengaluru on Thursday, owing to fever and groin niggle respectively.
The 24-year-old pacer, handed his maiden international cap, is being hailed as a 'good replacement' by former India quick Varun Aaron
Varun Aaron said that the England batting unit is not going to be "very comfortable" heading into the third Test against India at Lord's
Former India cricketer Arun Lal believes captain Shubman Gill's patience and self-assurance are rubbing off on the group.
Images from Day 4 of the fifth Test between England and India at The Oval, London, on Sunday.
Shreyas Iyer has been named captain of the India A squad for the upcoming three-match one-day series against Australia A, starting September 30 in Kanpur.
The decision to allow Virat Kohli to complete his fitness in London has sparked a debate within the cricketing circles on whether this was a one-off allowance to a player of his stature.
Manjrekar labelled Akash's injury as a "glaring example" of the ongoing injury crisis among Indian seamers.
Ajinkya Rahane hits 159 in Ranji Trophy match against Chhattisgarh
Gill's magnificence. Siraj and Akash's brilliance. Jadeja's class. Jaiswal and Rahul's success. Stokes' toss blunder. Root's failures.
India pacer Mohammed Siraj on Monday confirmed Jasprit Bumrah's participation in the fourth Test beginning at Old Trafford on Wednesday.
It's unbelievable because I was waiting for a long time: Siraj on his six-wicket haul
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