India completed a 3-0 series whitewash of South Africa with a comprehensive innings and 202 runs win in the final Test in Ranchi on Tuesday. The Proteas were no match to the hosts as they suffered two innings defeats in the three-match Test series.
Delhi Capitals will look to put the 'no-ball' controversy behind and gain much needed momentum against another side seeking course correction, the Kolkata Knight Riders, in the Indian Premier League.
Chennai Super Kings will be determined to erase their IPL 2020 nightmare when they failed to make it to the IPL play-offs for the first time.
India all-rounder Ravindra Jadeja will miss Chennai Super Kings' six-day conditioning camp ahead of the team's departure to the United Arab Emirates for the Indian Premier League next month because of personal commitments.
India stalwart Virat Kohli retained his second spot in the ICC men's ODI batting rankings on the back of his decent performance in the recently-concluded three-match series in South Africa.
India will need another near perfect game to take the five-match series into the decider.
While the return of pace spearhead Anrich Nortje, who had been nursing an injury, bolstered the bowling unit, the South African, who hasn't bowled since the T20 World Cup in November, looked understandably rusty.
While the batting looks in perfect shape, India's new-look pace department needs to come up with something special against the Proteas in Cuttack on Sunday.
Meanwhile, South Africa have included uncapped off-spinner Prenelan Subrayen and seamer Lizaad Williams in their squad for the two-Test series in the West Indies that starts on June 10.
Former captain and Cricket South Africa Director of Cricket Graeme Smith will take the knee along with players and staff in support of the Black Lives Matter (BLM) movement during the 3TC Solidarity Cup at the Centurion. Smith said he backed national team pacer Ngidi Lungi on the BLM movement which gathered momentum following the death of African-American George Floyd.
But the focus will be on 19-year-old Gill, who has broken into the Indian Test squad for the three-match series against the Proteas, starting on October 2 in Visakhapatnam.
Dale Steyn has fully recovered from a shoulder injury and recently featured for the Melbourne Stars in Australia's domestic Big Bash league.
The teams for both the matches are a mix of experience and youth.
Wicketkeeper Kona Bharat has showcased his skills with the gloves and bat in the several games he has played for India 'A' in the past year or so and is close to selection in the Test team.
How Rishabh Pant performs as skipper will be watched with interest
Jasprit Bumrah and Mohammed Shami took three wickets each as the tourists bowled South Africa out for 191 to claim an emphatic 113-run victory just after lunch on the fifth day of the first Test in Centurion on Thursday.
Sarfaraz, Imad Wasim dropped from Pakistan white-ball squad vs Australia.
The countries will pin their hopes of victory on their quicks with seamer friendly wickets on order for the Tests in Durban, Port Elizabeth, Cape Town and Johannesburg, and the contests set to be dominated by fiery exchanges of fast bowling.
However, South Africa have lot of openers stacked on top (Bavuma, Quinton de Kock, Aiden Markram, Rassie van der Dussen and Reeza Hendricks) with a light middle order which is still a huge concern.
Delhi Capitals will have their fortune in their own hands as they aim to pull all stops against Mumbai Indians in what will be a virtual quarter-final clash for Rishabh Pant's men as far as their IPL 2022 play-offs hopes are concerned.
Save for Quinton de Kock, who has retired from Test cricket and will play for Lucknow Super Giants, there is no certainty on whether Proteas pace attack of Kagiso Rabada (Punjab Kings), Nortje (DC), Marco Jansen (Sunrisers Hyderabad), Lungi Ngidi (DC) will be available before the Test series against Bangladesh ends.
Punjab are seventh on the points table with 12 points. The Capitals also have a dozen points and are fifth
Fast bowler Kagiso Rabada took three wickets as South Africa bowled India out for 187 to take the opening day honours on a seaming wicket in the third and final Test at the Wanderers in Johannesburg on Wednesday.
Jonny Bairstow led England to within 40 runs of South Africa's first innings total, with seven wickets in hand, on the first day of the second Test at Old Trafford on Thursday.
Rahul Tewatia changed the course of the match with some crucial strikes.
Images from the third T20 International between India and South Africa, in Indore, on Tuesday.
South Africa completed a sweep of their two match series against Sri Lanka as they strolled to a 10-wicket win on the third day of the second Test on Tuesday.
Fernando took his first-ever Test five-wicket haul as Sri Lanka dismissed South Africa for 302 in their first innings, restricting the hosts to a 145-run lead, while Karunaratne scored an unbeaten 91 in the tourists' second innings.
It may be an inconsequential game on paper but Indian bowlers await another tough test against South Africa ahead of the T20 World Cup when the two teams meet in the final game of the three-match series in Indore on Tuesday.
Delhi Capitals will aim to solve their opening conundrum quickly and boost their chances of making it to the IPL play-offs when they take on a lacklustre Chennai Super Kings at the DY Patil Stadium in Navi Mumbai on Sunday.
South Africa will be without experienced pace bowler Dale Steyn for Thursday's Cricket World Cup opener against England at The Oval after failing to shake off a recurring shoulder problem.
The selectors have added uncapped batsman Raynard van Tonder, seamer Lutho Sipamla and all-rounder Dwaine Pretorius to the squad.
Images from the IPL 2020 opener between Mumbai Indians and Chennai Super Kings, in Abu Dhabi, on Saturday.
Two wrist-spinners, who are currently dominating the bowling charts will be itching to show their wares
Rahul and Pant, both match-winners in their own rights even with the bat, will like to seize the initiative in these early rounds.
At stumps, Pakistan's score read 145/3 with Fawad and Babar unbeaten on 42 and 77 runs respectively. For South Africa, Keshav Maharaj picked two, Anrich Nortje took one while Kagiso Rabada went wicketless.
South Africa captain Faf du Plessis scored an unbeaten century to lead his side to a comfortable eight-wicket victory over Sri Lanka in the first One-day International at The Wanderers on Sunday.
Images from the rain-curtailed 1st ODI between India and South Africa in Lucknow on Thursday.
Pakistan spinners Yasir Shah and Nauman Ali took five wickets between them to restrict South Africa to 220 all out, but the home side faltered in reply to close on 33 for four on day one of a fast-moving first Test in Karachi on Tuesday.
This is the second time Quinton de Kock has won the Cricketer of the Year in CSA's virtual awards
© 2026 Rediff.com - Investor Information - Advertise with us - Disclaimer - Privacy Policy - Sitemap - Feedback - About us - Terms of use - Grievances