India failed to bowl out New Zealand on a deteriorating track on the fifth and final day of the first Test but skipper Ajinkya Rahane praised his players saying they tried their best and couldn't have done 'anything different'.
India head coach Ravi Shastri declared stand-in skipper Ajinkya Rahane's hundred as the turning point of the second Test against Australia, which the visitors won by eight wickets, calling his knock a display of "unbelievable concentration".
Rahane said Virat Kohli and his men are taking the match as just another game.
Mumbai captain Ajinkya Rahane backed Shreyas Iyer to deliver a punchy performance for the team in the Ranji Trophy semi-final against Tamil Nadu.
Shams Mulani and Tanush Kotian together claimed six wickets for only 23 runs to put Mumbai within sniffing distance of the Irani Cup triumph despite Abhimanyu Easwaran's heroic 191.
Ajinkya Rahane brought calmness in the dressing room in the absence of regular captain Virat Kohli, spinner Ravichandran Ashwin said on Tuesday after India recorded an epic series-levelling win in the second Test, in Melbourne, on Tuesday.
Rahane also played a good hand of 27 not out in the second innings as he along with debutant Shubman Gill (35 not out) steered India to an easy victory on the fourth day of the Boxing Day Test.
Facing Anderson in English conditions was the toughest for Ajinkya Rahane by his own admission. Rahane, who has amassed over 4000 runs in Test cricket and has a century in England, the West Indies apart from India, emphasised on the need to be mentally fit during the coronavirus-forced lockdown period.
Rahane and his teammates are enjoying the phase where the current batch under Virat Kohli is expected to win Test series outside sub-continent following their historic triumph in Australia last year.
Chappell still believes that Australia might have a slight edge in Test matches
A round-up of the Ranji Trophy matches played on Friday.
Controversial keeper-batter Wriddhiman Saha, who has been dropped from the Test team, will still earn Rs 1 crore in annual income after being demoted from group B to C.
'We were not thinking about a series win because we were just bowled out for 36.' 'The mood in the dressing room was a bit down. Ravi Bhai organised a team dinner. He arranged for karaoke, he started singing. He sang old Hindi songs. Everybody joined in.'
Under Kohli's captaincy, India became the first Asian side to win a Test series in Australia, besides recording some memorable wins elsewhere.
Easwaran compiled an unbeaten 151 off 212 balls, and laced his innings with 12 fours and a six on the third day of the match at the Ekana Cricket Stadium.
A look at the best catches of the match.
According to PTI, the chairman of selectors, Chetan Sharma has asked the duo to regain form by playing Ranji Trophy.
Ajinkya Rahane and Shikhar Dhawan stroked solid half-centuries to power Delhi Capitals to a six-wicket victory against Royal Challengers Bangalore and qualify for the play-offs.
Shreyas Iyer, Prithvi Shaw and Ajinkya Rahane flopped with the bat as defending champions Mumbai were shocked by Baroda by 84 runs.
Ajinkya Rahane's slump in form can't be 'judged' by anyone, not even skipper Virat Kohli, who feels that his Test deputy needs an arm of assurance around his shoulders as he figures out what exactly is he going through.
Two more failures in two home games could effectively mean end of the road for Ajinkya Rahane, who is leading India in the first Test in Kanpur, starting on Thursday.
Ajinkya Rahane announced his return to form in Monday's Indian Premier League match against Royal Challengers Bangalore and India captain Virat Kohli will be happy with the timing, despite being at the receiving end in Abu Dhabi.
'The boys deserve all the credit for the character they showed, real character.'
The complete list of players sold in the IPL 2025 Auction in Jeddah.
Shreyas Iyer would be aiming to revive his start-stop international career, while Ishan Kishan would aim to clear the popular perception about his allegedly 'misplaced priorities'.
Despite being locked in their hotel rooms, the Indian players are keen not to let their guard down as they prepare for the Test series against England.
'But yes, Melbourne Test hundred was really special. I said in Melbourne that my Lord's hundred was special but many people told me that I think Melbourne hundred was better than my Lord's hundred.'
Ajinkya Rahane said it is a proud moment for him to captain India ahead of the the second Test match against Australia, starting in Melbourne, from Saturday.
David Miller's outstanding fielding effort earned Gujarat Titans an early wicket.
Indian team vice-captain Ajinkya Rahane, senior batsman Rohit Sharma and pacer Shardul Thakur arrived in Chennai on Tuesday for the first two Tests against England.
India's Ajinkya Rahane has his own personality and it would be a mistake for him to try and copy Virat Kohli's leadership style in the final three Tests against Australia, former test spinner Harbhajan Singh has said.
Rahane fell short of the three-figure mark again when he was bowled by paceman Shannon Gabriel
A round-up of the Ranji Trophy matches played on Saturday.
Ajinkya Rahane has such calmness that bowlers don't feel scared when they fail to execute a plan under him while regular skipper Virat Kohli's energy is sometimes mistaken for anger, India's bowling coach Bharat Arun said on Wednesday, describing the two contrasting leaders of the side.
Shreyas Iyer continued with his red-hot form, smashing a stroke-filled 233 to lead Mumbai to a massive 602/4 declared in their Ranji Trophy Elite Group A match against Odisha.
Aiden Markram stroked a half-century to steer Sunrisers Hyderabad to a comfortable six-wicket victory against Chennai Super Kings.
Australia's fielders spilled a few chances offered by Ajinkya Rahane as India took a 82-run lead by the end of Day 2 in the second Test.
Ajinkya Rahane's meticulous planning and execution of his training sessions during the COVID-19 induced break is helping him immensely on the ongoing tour of Australia, believes his coach Pravin Amre.
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