Responding to India's squad selection for the home series against West Indies, former Indian cricketer Irfan Pathan opined that pace spearhead Jasprit Bumrah could have been rested for the series in order to groom a young fast bowler.
South Africa will aim for their first Test victory in India in more than 15 years.
Round up of all the Ranji Trophy action on Thursday
The final Test begins on Friday in New Delhi, and the Shubman Gill-led side is expected to maintain their winning combination as they look to wrap up the home series.
Indian spinners will have a tough fourth day in office with the pitch getting slower, thereby making batting way easier, admitted assistant coach Ryan Ten Doeschate after the end of third day's play in the third Test against the West Indies in New Delhi on Sunday.
Rishabh Pant's return to competitive cricket after a three-month injury-enforced hiatus will be the primary focal point of India A's four-day match against South Africa A.
'I think it's an ongoing process, just continuously putting in hours of work and speaking to people that have played in these conditions, have done well in these conditions.'
Shubman Gill said he could not have asked for a better all-round performance from his team after they hammered the West Indies by an innings and 140 runs in the first Test.
Despite India's seven-wicket win in Delhi, Gambhir called the surface 'alarming' and stressed the need for more balanced wickets to keep Test cricket alive.
'He is a man of action and goes to the ground and solves the problem.' 'Be it the Air India crash of Ahmedabad, Morbi bridge collapse, Deesa blast or Gambhira bridge collapse, he is on the spot.'
IMAGES from Day 5 of the 2nd Test between India and West Indies in New Delhi on Tuesday.
Mahendra Singh Dhoni was the centre of attention as Chennai Super Kings hits the nets in Chennai on Monday.
Ravindra Jadeja produced an excellent all-round performance, taking 5 wickets and scoring 38 runs, to help Saurashtra gain a commanding position against Delhi on the first day of their Ranji Trophy Elite Group D match.
IMAGES from Day 3 of the 2nd Test between India and West Indies in New Delhi on Sunday.
Assessing Sai Sudharsan's temperament and Nitish Kumar Reddy's utility in home conditions would be topmost on India's checklist when the high-on-confidence hosts take on a floundering West Indies
India beat West Indies by seven wickets in the second and final Test to complete a 2-0 series sweep at the Arun Jaitley Stadium on Tuesday.
The towering presence of Virat Kohli and Rohit Sharma in the Indian ODI team can only help newly appointed captain Shubman Gill grow as a leader, said Axar Patel.
India remained on course for a 2-0 series sweep after enforcing the follow-on but West Indies produced a much better batting display in their second innings to reach 173-2 on day three of the second and final Test in New Delhi on Sunday.
A good batting surface is in store for the second and final Test between India and the West Indies at the Arun Jaitley Stadium, with curators expecting the pitch to aid strokeplay for the first two days before offering only slow turn as the game progresses.
Here's a roundup of all Ranji Trophy matches played on Day 1 on Wednesday.
Wicketkeeper-batter Dhruv Jurel on Friday dedicated his maiden Test hundred against the West Indies to the Indian Army, saying he has always had "respect for what they do on the battlefield".
Sarfaraz might have to try batting at No.3 for Mumbai to remain in scheme of things
'...the guys who are just part of Test cricket, I think for them to prepare and play domestic cricket is very, very important.'
With no ODI series in Australia in the next two years, it is impossible to think that the legendary duo will again be seen Down Under in India blues.
Central Zone top-order batters, led by Danish Malewar, carried the team to 229 for two, giving a solid reply to West Zone on the second day of the Duleep Trophy semifinal
'If they have picked him ahead of Yashasvi Jaiswal, and as many felt, Sanju Samson, you can imagine how extremely privileged he is.'
The series in Australia could well be Rohit's last in India Blues. But Kohli, given his high fitness standards, could play on until the 2027 World Cup.
Shubman Gill backed young No. 3 Sai Sudharsan to come good, insisting that the team must look at 'potential, not just numbers'.
India's first breakthrough came courtesy of their spearhead, reminding fans why Bumrah is considered a match-winner.
Jadeja's return along with Akash Deep replacing Harshit Rana, is seen as a bold move that could either turn the series around or backfire spectacularly.
'Rishabh Pant is not fit for West Indies series, hopefully he will be available for home Tests against South Africa.'
Australia held their nerve in a tense chase, edging past India by two wickets to seal the series 2-0 despite a late fightback from the visitors on Thursday in Adelaide.
The short turnaround time from the high of winning a controversy-marred Asia Cup notwithstanding, Shubman Gill's India will be outright favourites against a struggling and under-strength West Indies when the teams face-off on a green-top in the first Test in Ahmedabad on Thursday.
Test captain Shubman Gill divulged that India is still mulling over its combination ahead of the opening Test against the West Indies in Ahmedabad on Thursday, hinting at the possibility of Kuldeep Yadav being sacrificed for batting depth and team combination.
'Dhoni is a very cool captain. But he was also very happy and was enjoying that moment.'
India included two debutants -- Harshit Rana and Nitish Kumar Reddy -- while leaving out Ravichandran Ashwin and Ravindra Jadeja.
There is a school of thought that having done the hard yards in the England series, Karun Nair deserves an opportunity against a weaker opposition where a century could boost his career.
Jammu and Kashmir's Shubham Khajuria struck a fighting, unbeaten century to rescue North Zone, but South Zone remained favourites to progress to the Duleep Trophy final, in Bengaluru on Saturday.
Vimal Khumar and Pradosh Ranjan Paul struck massive hundreds as Tamil Nadu piled up 399 for two against Nagaland on the opening day of their Ranji Trophy Elite Group A match in Dimapur on Saturday.
'...When you come back home, when there's three spinners playing and the field's spread out, you really need to get your runs with singles. The boundaries don't come that easily.'
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