Even shadow Purple Cup winner Prasidh couldn't escape Vaibhav's onslaught on Monday night!
For the home side, it has been a season of mixed returns so far. After early defeats to Royal Challengers Bengaluru and Mumbai Indians, KKR roared back to form in their last outing -- a commanding win over Sunrisers Hyderabad.
The BCCI's Centre of Excellence (COE) in India is expected to witness a few changes in staff composition in the coming months following the resignation of Nitin Patel, head of Sports Science and Medical Team, after a successful stint of nearly three years.
In the bowling rankings, Keshav Maharaj and Matt Henry have broken into the top five
Successful in keeping opponents and vitriol at bay so far, India will have to rise above traditional bugbear New Zealand and a rigmarole of emotions surrounding stalwarts Virat Kohli and Rohit Sharma to reclaim the Champions Trophy after 12 years in Dubai on Sunday.
Lucknow Super Giants skipper KL Rahul on Sunday said panic has not set within his team after two successive defeats, but stressed on the need to have some tough conversations within the group.
Mumbai Indians and Lucknow Super Giants, both struggling in the Indian Premier League, will be looking to turn their fortunes around when they face each other on Friday.
Rishabh Pant hasn't been a part of the playing eleven in the last two group games as India handed over the wicketkeeping duties to KL Rahul, who has performed remarkably well behind the stumps and provided solidity to the middle order.
In India's last ODI series against Sri Lanka, Rahul kept wickets in the first two matches, scoring 31 and 0, while Pant played the third game but managed only 6 runs. India could opt to include both players in the XI, but that would likely come at the expense of Iyer.
Following India's optional training session at the Wankhede Stadium, fielding coach T Dilip said the team had improved in a lot of areas and also backed the under-fire KL Rahul.
An out of sorts Rohit Sharma will strive to keep himself relevant going forward in the Indian Premier League when he is challenged by Delhi Capitals' effective troika of spinners in Mumbai Indians' next match in Delhi on Sunday.
Rohit, Virat Kohli, along with Shubman Gill, Rishabh Pant, KL Rahul, Shreyas Iyer, and Yashasvi Jaiswal were among the first to touch down, setting the stage for what promises to be an exciting series.
Bangar delved into the critical consideration of KL Rahul's involvement as a wicketkeeper-batsman and how this strategic decision aligns with India's quest for balance
Srinivas Bhogle and Purnendu Maji present Rediff's Most Valuable Player Index of IPL 2025 after Game 39.
Srinivas Bhogle and Purnendu Maji present Rediff.com's Most Valuable Player Index of IPL 2025 after Game 29.
Virat Kohli, the architect of India's victory over Australia in the Champions Trophy semifinal, expressed his unwavering belief in continued success as long as his passion for the game remains strong.
India's spinners were the key architects of the bowling performance. Varun Chakravarthy (2/45) and Kuldeep Yadav (2/40) were the standout performers, while Jadeja (1/30) and Axar Patel (0/29 in 8 overs) kept the pressure on with their economical spells.
It may be a matter of celebration in the Indian dressing room but there is something that has not gone down too well with cricket fans.
Lucknow Super Giants skipper KL Rahul was all praise for Marcus Stoinis' match-winning 63-ball-124 not out against Chennai Super Kings as he felt that the home team's score of 210 for 4 was at least 30 runs above-par on that particular Chepauk track.
Their pre-tournament decision to fill the squad with five spinners drew a lot of flak from all corners, but it is now proving to be a masterstroke on the slow pitches in Dubai.
That said the pitch is going to get challenging for the batters as the game wears on.
Rahul will, in all probability, travel to Sri Lanka for the Asia Cup and the India team for the tournament will be selected on August 21.
Rohit immediately knew the gravity of his mistake. He banged the ground in frustration, visibly furious with himself.
'I knew he would come through in a big match because of his ability to rise to the occasion.'
KL Rahul relieved to get first ODI win in South Africa
A seemingly invincible India will be eager to sharpen their game against spin and give a run to second-line players ahead of the semi-final when they take on New Zealand in their last group match of the Champions Trophy in Dubai on Sunday.
Rohit cited India's last Group A match against New Zealand here on Sunday to emphasize his point.
'Rinku supported Zeeshan a lot during UP T20 league. A leg-spinner needs a lot of confidence from his captain. He was brought into bowl at crucial junctures and that helped him catch attention of scouts.'
In the 82 matches he has donned the red and blue of the Capitals, Patel scored 967 runs and picked up 62 wickets, at an impressive economy of 7.09.
'In the 2023 World Cup, we lacked batting depth from No. 8 onwards. These are the crucial questions that need to be addressed.'
'That is something I really wanted, to have six bowling options and then batting till No. 8 as well.'
"May take him for dinner tomorrow," the Mumbai batter quipped, trying to lighten the mood.
In a video that surfaced on social media, Rahul was seen holding the right hand while receiving treatment.
Former India captain Dilip Vengsarkar has defended Rohit Sharma from speculation about his retirement, saying it is "unwarranted."
Although India are playing a strong brand of 50-overs' cricket of late, they have some selection riddles to solve before they face Bangladesh in their opening match of the Champions Trophy.
Kuldeep claimed a remarkable five-wicket haul in the ODI against Pakistan and followed it up with another four-wicket haul.
As Day 4 unfolds in the closely contested match, all eyes are on KL Rahul, whose performance could be pivotal in shaping the outcome.
Images from the IPL 2025 match between Delhi Capitals and Sunrisers Hyderabad in Visakhapatnam on Sunday.
With their respective leaders switching camps and squads undergoing major overhauls, both Delhi Capitals and Lucknow Super Giants, under new captains, will be eager to make a strong start to their IPL campaign when they face off in Visakhapatnam on Monday.
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