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.
Kishan's statement knock, Surya's welcome fifty give India 2-0 lead
A toe injury suffered before the fourth T20I is set to keep Gill out of the final T20I here as India would want to take a cautious route, more so when there is a ready replacement for the top order slot in Sanju Samson.
'He has been benched so many times that he has lost a bit of rhythm.'
JSW Soorma Club registered a thrilling 3-1 shootout victory against Hyderabad Toofans after a 1-1 stalemate in the regulation time in their men's Hockey India League (HIL) match in Chennai on Friday.
Jasprit Bumrah is also only the second Indian to reach the landmark of 100 wickets in T20Is.
India beat South Africa by seven wickets on Sunday to take a 2-1 lead in the T20 series after their bowlers skittled the tourists for 117, with Indian pacer Arshdeep Singh's performance setting up the platform for a dominant win for the hosts in Dharamsala.
Skipper Suryakumar Yadav would want the attacking batter in him to front up and bolster his leadership against New Zealand when the five-match T20I series gets underway in Nagpur on Wednesday, serving as a final dress rehearsal for India's World Cup title defence in less than three weeks' time.
Holding on to a comfortable lead, Toofans pushed ahead for a third when Sam Ward's terrific stickwork saw him control an aerial ball and dribble his way into the box before earning a penalty corner.
These comments come after India recently announced their squad for the upcoming T20 World Cup 2026. Suryakumar Yadav is set to lead India in his first-ever ICC tournament as captain, with Axar Patel named as his deputy.
Arshin Kulkarni struck a run-a-ball 114 while Ramakrishna Ghosh made a stunning 27-ball 64 not out to set up Maharashtra's comprehensive 128-run win over Mumbai in their Vijay Hazare Trophy Group C match, in Jaipur, on Saturday.
Virat Kohli's stroke-filled 91-ball 93 set up India's win in the series opener against New Zealand.
'Myself, Shubman, we could have given a good start because we can't rely on Abhishek all the time.'
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.
India all-rounder Axar Patel was on Monday ruled out of the remaining two T20 Internationals against South Africa due to illness with the BCCI's selection committee naming Shahbaz Ahmed as his replacement.
HarHardik Pandya added another milestone to his T20I career on Sunday, becoming one of the rare all-rounders in world cricket to combine power-hitting with a century of wickets in the shortest format.
Spin great Harbhajan Singh said the selectors were right in appointing Shubman Gill as India's ODI captain last year, stating that the youngster is ready for "big challenges".
Reaching the 100 mark will also make him the first Indian bowler to claim 100 wickets in all three formats.
With the T20 World Cup less than two months away, India would want their captain Suryakumar Yadav to rediscover his rhythm sooner rather than later.
Indian mystery spinner Varun Chakravarthy has extended his lead at the top of the ICC Men's T20I Bowler Rankings, climbing to a new career-high rating.
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.
For a bowler this effective to be sidelined repeatedly, there must be either a very specific tactical reason -- or something unspoken within the dressing room dynamics.
IMAGES from the 3rd T20I between India and South Africa in Dharamsala on Sunday.
Reflecting on the defeat, Markram acknowledged the challenging conditions but stressed the need for adaptability.
The lack of runs from captain Suryakumar Yadav and his deputy Shubman Gill remains a talking point.
Rohit Sharma and Virat Kohli, who returned to international cricket for the three-match ODI series against Australia recently, were not considered for India A's three-match one-day series against the touring South Africa A side, beginning in Rajkot on November 13.
Hardik Pandya made a memorable comeback to the Indian team, smashing a blistering half-century to power India to a thumping 101-run win over South Africa in the first T20 International.
Virat Kohli and Rohit Sharma, arrived in Delhi on Tuesday and linked up with rest of the Indian team, many of whom were playing in the two-Test series against West Indies.
Washington Sundar enhanced his reputation as a T20 hitter with India batting in top gear through the innings to comfortably chase down a target of 187 for a series levelling five-wicket win over Australia.
As India gear up for the T20 World Cup at home, the selectors have backed a squad built on impact, and versatility.
Defending champions India will take on the USA in one of the three matches on the opening day of the tournament.
'India will have to use him carefully. If they want him to bowl three overs early, then Arshdeep Singh has to partner Bumrah in the death overs.'
Skipper Suryakumar Yadav and his deputy Shubman Gill's indifferent form is a massive concern but the national selection committee is unlikely to make any shocking changes when it picks the 15-member squad for next year's T20 World Cup in Mumbai on Saturday.
Hardik Pandya marked his return to the Indian team from a two-month injury layoff with a match-winning half-century.
K L Rahul takes over the captaincy after regular skipper Shubman Gill missed the series because of a neck injury.
Virat Kohli has two hundreds and a fifty in his last three innings, while Rohit Sharma has a hundred and two fifties in his last four outings.
Yashasvi Jaiswal smashed his maiden ODI hundred to power India to a 2-1 series win after they thrashed against South Africa by nine wickets in the third and final ODI.
India great Virat Kohli continued his push to regain his place as the best ODI batter while moving up to the second spot in the latest ICC rankings released on Wednesday.
In the chase, India lost Shubman Gill for a golden duck, while Marco Jansen got rid of Abhishek Sharma and India skipper Suryakumar Yadav, before Baartman broke the 35-run stand between Axar Patel and Varma.
At this moment, the Indian think tank is doing a tough balancing act of building the team around a new set of players without completely cutting ties with the old guard.
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