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 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.
The charismatic presence of Virat Kohli and Rohit Sharma alongside a host of top India cricketers lends unprecedented gravitas to the Vijay Hazare One-Day Trophy beginning on Wednesday, giving all of them a chance to prove a point amid a renewed focus on domestic grind.
Virat Kohli smashed record-extending 52nd ODI to guide India to a 17-run win in the series opener, getting India off to a winning start in their three-match series.
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.
Ramesh didn't mince words when criticising the decision to send Harshit Rana ahead of Shivam Dube, arguing that the management must respect each player's primary role.
When players select themselves, the selectors' job becomes delightfully simple. But did the Indian selectors have that luxury while picking the T20 World Cup squad for the 2026 T20 World Cup? asks K R Nayar.
The JioStar expert also analysed KKR's buys at the auction, saying that getting NZ all-rounder Rachin Ravindra at base price was smart and there is "serious batting power" in the squad.
A record-extending 52nd ODI century by Virat Kohli and a rapid 57 from Rohit Sharma paved the way for India's victory in the series-opener in Ranchi.
K L Rahul takes over the captaincy after regular skipper Shubman Gill missed the series because of a neck injury.
Rishabh Pant's place in the playing eleven is far from guaranteed, while Washington Sundar and Nitish Kumar Reddy are locked in a tight contest for the additional all-rounder's slot as India confront several selection dilemmas ahead of the first ODI against South Africa in Ranchi.
The focus is to bring momentum back into the Indian dressing room: Morne Morkel
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.
Indian head coach Gautam Gambhir confirmed that T20I vice-captain Shubman Gill is "ready to start" ahead of the first T20I against South Africa of the five-match series, which will take place on December 9.
Nitish Rana to lead Delhi in SMAT; Rathi misses out
Josh Hazlewood clinically dismantled a famed Indian top-order with a probing spell to kill the contest as Australia cantered to a four-wicket victory in the second T20 International.
India will look to address several lingering selection puzzles when they take on South Africa in Ranchi on Sunday in the first ODI of the three-match series, where Rohit Sharma and Virat Kohli return to the set-up for a short audition that could well shape their 2027 World Cup fate.
Abhishek Sharma admitted that India's batting unit was caught slightly off guard by the extra bounce and disciplined bowling in Australian conditions in the second T20I in Melbourne.
Star Indian batter Shreyas Iyer on Thursday said he is "on the road to recovery and getting better every passing day" after sustaining a ruptured spleen and rib cage injury during the third ODI against Australia.
The controversial decision to select Shubman Gill in place of a well-settled Sanju Samson as the opener has backfired for the Indian team so far.
Senior batter Virat Kohli's awesome genius in 50-over format was on full view during his 52nd hundred that guided India to a strong 349 for eight against South Africa in the first ODI of the three-match series in Ranchi on Sunday.
Shubman Gill said the masterly innings of Rohit Sharma and Virat Kohli helped him register his maiden win as India's ODI skipper.
Shubman Gill's form in the series is a concern for India as he has now gone six games without a half-century.
The camaraderie between Indian pacer Harshit Rana and Australian speedster Mitchell Starc, former Kolkata Knight Riders teammates, stood out on Day 2.
'He has been benched so many times that he has lost a bit of rhythm.'
As India gear up for the T20 World Cup at home, the selectors have backed a squad built on impact, and versatility.
Hazlewood said he was keyed up for the massive summer with the Ashes beginning November 21.
The lack of runs from captain Suryakumar Yadav and his deputy Shubman Gill remains a talking point.
Harshit Rana has been part of India's white-ball squads since his impressive 2024 IPL season with the Kolkata-based franchise, where he claimed 19 wickets at an average of 20.15 over 13 matches.
The Bellerive Oval is one ground where the side boundaries are smaller in size, hence hitting the right lengths would be paramount considering anything short would be flying over cover, point, square leg or mid-wicket on either side of the fence.
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.
Gill may miss ODI series due to unhealed neck injury; Rahul, Pant in line for ODI captaincy
Rohit Sharma shared a few words of encouragement before presenting the cap to the youngster.
'It was just put the ball in the right areas, don't try too much and see what happens.'
South Africa A humble India A by 73 runs to avoid series whitewash
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.
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.
Australia's Mitchell Marsh marked a milestone with a flurry of towering sixes on Sunday, becoming the eighth Australian to smash 100-plus sixes in ODIs.
Harshit Rana's meteoric rise may have come as a surprise to many, but not N S Negi, his coach in his formative years, who has seen the strapping youngster mature into a pacer with the "potential to become a multi-format bowler for India".
Grind pays off for Ruturaj Gaikwad, now upto him and luck to prove his 50-over mettle.
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