'The brand of cricket we wanted to play was the same, result is in front of us.'
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.
Hardik Pandya marked his return to the Indian team from a two-month injury layoff with a match-winning half-century.
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.
Kohli finished the series with 302 runs at an astonishing average of 151 and a strike rate of 117-plus, including two centuries and a fifty.
Virat Kohli, Ruturaj Gaikwad hundreds help India set 359-run target in second ODI
Quinton de Kock's participation in the upcoming Indian Premier League was, on Thursday, thrown into jeopardy.
India great Virat Kohli continued his push to regain his place as the best ODI batter while moving up to the second spot in the latest ICC rankings released on Wednesday.
The IPL 2026 auction is gearing up for a blockbuster showdown, with 350 players fighting for just 77 spots including 31 overseas berths in what promises to be one of the most competitive bidding wars yet.
Babar Azam, playing his first T20 international since December last year, perished for a duck as Pakistan suffered a 55-run thrashing against South Africa, in the first T20 International.
The 34-year-old mystery spinner rewrote the record books during the fifth and final T20I against South Africa at Ahmedabad on Friday, casting a spell of his bamboozling spin magic on the Proteas batters, four of them surrendering to his bowling.
At a loss to explain South Africa's capitulation in the series-opener, their batting coach Ashwell Prince said the visitors simply failed to answer the questions posed by India's "formidable" bowlers while being dismissed for their lowest T20I total of 74 Cuttack.
India's mystery spinner Varun Chakaravarthy retained his place among the world's top T20I bowlers, sitting just ahead of New Zealand's Jacob Duffy in the latest ICC Men's Rankings update.
The eight players who featured in India's World Cup triumph in 2024 will aim to repeat their magic from two years ago.
This is the second time Quinton de Kock has won the Cricketer of the Year in CSA's virtual awards
Seasoned South African opener Quinton de Kock returned to his old base Mumbai Indians for a base price of Rs 1 crore.
With the T20 World Cup less than two months away, India would want their captain Suryakumar Yadav to rediscover his rhythm sooner rather than later.
A toe injury suffered before the fourth T20I is set to keep Gill out of the final T20I here as India would want to take a cautious route, more so when there is a ready replacement for the top order slot in Sanju Samson.
Shubman Gill has been guilty of taking too much load on himself since his T20 comeback and the Indian team wants him to bat as freely as he does in the IPL, said assistant coach Ryan ten Doeschate.
Arshdeep Singh -- statement spells against SA shows need to give pacer consistent ODI outings
Jaiswal ticked a box in the third ODI with his maidan ton and Ruturaj Gaikwad chipped in with a hundred at Raipur, leaving Gambhir pleased as punch.
Namibia pulled off a shock four-wicket win over South Africa in a one-off Twenty20 international on Saturday that marked the opening of the new cricket stadium in Windhoek.
The lack of runs from captain Suryakumar Yadav and his deputy Shubman Gill remains a talking point.
IMAGES from the 3rd T20I between India and South Africa in Dharamsala on Sunday.
IPL Auction 2026 was not just about money; it was a celebration of ambition, opportunity, and the unrelenting belief that the next big star could come from anywhere.
Whose Catch Was Better? De Kock's Or Russell's? Vote!
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.
Expect some fireworks for the highly-versatile Cameron Green along with Quinton de Kock, Matheesha Pathirana, Venkatesh Iyer and Ravi Bishnoi.
Virat Kohli has two hundreds and a fifty in his last three innings, while Rohit Sharma has a hundred and two fifties in his last four outings.
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.
KKR, CSK to engage in bidding war in IPL mini-auction with big purse in hand
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.
Ahead of the mini-auction, scheduled to be held in Doha on December 26, the 10 franchises have released their list of retained and released players.
The Indian Premier League (IPL) 2026 auction saw some foreign names earning big bucks, headlined by Aussie all-rounder Cameron Green
SKY has rewritten franchise history by becoming the first player from the team to notch up three Indian Premier League (IPL) seasons with 500 or more runs
Trent Boult's critical cameo with the bat at Grand Prairie Stadium that ultimately got MI New York over the line
India have relied on their spin strength on rank turners to gain points in WTC cycles in the past but Gill has said he wants his side to play on tracks that offer equally to batters and bowlers.
Walking out with intent and flair, the wicketkeeper-batter smashed a quickfire 51 off just 56 deliveries in the morning session, propelling England to a strong 387.
Chasing 152 could have been tricky but KKR Opener Quinton de Kock got stuck in and guided the team to victory.
When Punjab Kings opted to bat, they were 39 for 1 in just 3.2 overs before they fell like nine pins and at the thick of all the action was Ramandeep Singh.
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