Rishabh Pant back in full flow as India step up nets ahead of SA opening Test
India will look to reprise their home template of big first-innings totals and sustained spin in the short two-Test series against South Africa beginning in Kolkata on Friday.
Microsoft CEO Satya Nadella on Tuesday announced plans to invest $17.5 billion in India to help build infrastructure and sovereign capabilities for the country's AI-first future, marking the third major AI-driven investment in the country in the past two months. Microsoft said that the $17.5 billion (around Rs 1.58 lakh crore) investment builds on the $3 billion (around Rs 26,955 crore) funding announced earlier this year, which the company is on track to spend by the end of CY (calendar year) 2026.
'Here the wicket is hard and the outfield really fast. If you are desperate, if you try to bowl those magic balls, you'd end up bleeding runs.'
Team India skipper Shubman Gill is unlikely to feature in the second Test against South Africa, with Cricket Association of Bengal sources confirming that he is not travelling to Guwahati with the team on Wednesday.
Cheteshwar Pujara refuses to believe India's recent poor record at home is because of transition.
India have long curated home tracks that accentuate turn, but the assumption their own batters would master such conditions no longer appears safe following their defeat in the opening Test against South Africa.
India vice-captain Rishabh Pant is understandably delighted to have made a difficult comeback from the latest injury setback.
India's awe-inspiring batting depth will face a stern test against South Africa's quality spin attack in the first Test, starting in Kolkata on Friday.
Messi's last visit with the Argentina team to India was back in 2011, when they faced Venezuela in a friendly match at Kolkata's iconic Salt Lake Stadium.
Mohun Bagan accused Kolkata Knight Riders of high-handedness after their jersey-wearing fans were denied entry into the Eden Gardens.
The track is historically a high-scoring one and the outfield is quick. But on a red soil surface, the ball grips and can surprise the batters.
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."
Sourav Ganguly believes India's biggest selection dilemma ahead of the upcoming Test series against South Africa could centre around one man - Dhruv Jurel.
Former India captain Sourav Ganguly will begin a new chapter in the administration after he filed his nomination for the President of the Cricket Association of Bengal (CAB).
Fondly remembering for his memorable spells at Eden Gardens, the former cricketer expressed gratitude towards the city and its people, saying he would forever cherish his bond with Kolkata.
Daryl Mitchell becomes only the second player from New Zealand to hold the top the ICC ranking for ODI batters.
Keshav Maharaj couldn't hide his pride after South Africa stunned India in Kolkata, reserving his highest praise for Simon Harmer's heroics and describing their partnership as nothing short of a 'privilege.'
Skipper Shubman Gill acknowledged that the choice between a spinner and an extra seamer for the first Test against South Africa is nothing short of a "conflict".
While the white-ball trophy cabinet kept getting heavier, Team India's fortunes in Test cricket swung wildly between hope and despair in 2025.
The second and final Test starts in Guwahati from Saturday with India trailing 0-1 after the defeat on a challenging Eden Gardens pitch in Kolkata.
South African pacer Kagiso Rabada, who missed the first Test against India in Kolkata due to a rib injury, is in awe of his team's ability to rebound from setbacks.
Ganguly lauded Gill's leadership during India's tour of England, noting the challenge of captaining at a young age in such conditions
In India's title-winning ICC Women's World Cup, Richa scored 235 runs in eight innings at an average of 39.16 and a strike rate of over 133, with a brilliant, innings-saving 94 against South Africa as her best knock.
Lionel Messi's much-hyped visit to the Salt Lake Stadium in Kolkata on Saturday lasted 22 minutes, just enough to underline everything that is wrong in Indian football and the state administration's mismanagement.
K L Rahul takes over the captaincy after regular skipper Shubman Gill missed the series because of a neck injury.
Eight-time Ballon d'Or winner Lionel Messi is not scheduled to play serious football on the 'G.O.A.T. India Tour 2025'.
South Africa's stunning three-day win over India at Eden Gardens has drawn reactions from some of cricket's biggest names, with AB de Villiers, Faf du Plessis and Dale Steyn celebrating the historic result while Kevin Pietersen used the collapse-filled Test to launch a scathing critique of modern batting.
'After the media exchanges between Ajit Agarkar and Mohammad Shami last week, newly-appointed selector R P Singh is at Eden Gardens for the Bengal vs Gujarat clash. The World T20 winner spoke to Shami at length after the day's play today.'
When I'm batting, I think only as a batter: Captain Gill on dual responsibility
South Africa are the World Test champions and skipper Temba Bavuma wants them to play like it and prove their credentials in the two-Test series against India beginning on Friday.
The landmark innings also placed Campbell in a rare club of openers who took the longest route to their maiden Test century.
This was India's fourth defeat in the last six Tests at home and in all four Tests -- including three against New Zealand -- their batters have flopped against spin.
Not handing the ball to lead pacer Jasprit Bumrah to start the third day's play on a challenging Eden Gardens surface was "questionable", said the legendary Anil Kumble.
Application required in Test cricket was missing, says Kumble after India's batting collapse
Argentine superstar footballer Lionel Messi's touchdown in Kolkata in the early hours of Saturday sent the city into a frenzy.
Assam's largest city Guwahati is set to make its debut as the newest Test centre on Saturday when India take on South Africa in the second and final game of the two-match series.
Ravichandran Ashwin exposed India batters' lack of quality to battle ball tweakers by claiming that if legendary batter Sachin Tendulkar or past domestic heroes Amol Muzumdar, the India women's team head coach and Mithun Manhas had played against spinners on such a track, the Test would have gone to four days, unlike India's harrowing 30-run defeat against South Africa at Eden Gardens.
Sai Sudharsan and Dhruv Jurel faced spinners while wearing only one pad to counter the turning deliveries, a method that comes with an element of risk, in Kolkata on Monday.
West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee once again threw her weight behind Sourav Ganguly, saying the former India captain should have been the International Cricket Council president by now and warned, in her trademark style that "it's not that easy to stop him."
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