'I am sure there is enough time for us to prepare and guys are looking forward to this series. This is the best opportunity for us to win our first series in South Africa. So all of us are looking forward to it.'
Virat Kohli's future as India's ODI captain will be decided this week when the national selection committee, led by Chetan Sharma, selects the squad for the upcoming tour of South Africa.
Akhtar saw it coming having seen the division in the Indian dressing room during the T20 World Cup.
Kohli was addressing the media on the eve of the second and final Test against New Zealand in Mumbai from Friday.
Put in to bat at the Providence stadium, India rode on skipper Yash Dhull's responsible 82 to post a fighting 232 all out and then bundled out the opposition for 187, with left-arm spinner Vicky Ostwal (5/28) and pacer Raj Bawa (4/47) doing bulk of the damage.
The new COVID-19 variant, which threatens to wreak havoc in South Africa, has led to considerable concerns about India's tour of the Rainbow Nation next month and there could be changes in the quarantine rules for players in the coming days.
Sreesanth is open to playing in overseas leagues and coaching roles
India's formidably consistent match-winners have a date with history in the New Year when they take on an out-of-sorts South Africa in the second Test in Johannesburg from Monday in pursuit of a coveted first-ever series win in the Rainbow Nation.
India have a real shot at winning their first ever away series against South Africa,
Images from the third One-Day International between South Africa and India, in Cape Town, on Sunday.
As India take on South Africa in a three-Test series here Rajneesh Gupta takes a look at the players' record and their individual performance against the Rainbow nation. The first Test commences in Centurion on Thursday.
South Africa head coach Mark Boucher has ranked the remarkable, come-from-behind 2-1 series triumph over world No. 1 India as one of the best in the Rainbow Nation's Test cricket history.
Rediff.com's man in South Africa captures the mood in Durban on World Cup match day.
'It is no accident that politicians strive to control sports bodies, and get their names associated with popular sports, sometimes by renaming stadiums after themselves,' observes Devangshu Datta.
Markram's good form augurs well for the Proteas
In the end, it turned out to be a nightmare with dark clouds hovering over the future of this Indian team and no sign of 'VIBGYOR' in the Rainbow Nation.
Rediff.com's man in South Africa Siddhanta Pinto shares his experiences and the many moods of the Rainbow Nation at the football World Cup. This time World Cup Sid gives us a sneak peek at the beautiful women who make the beautiful game even more beautiful by their presence.
With the Rainbow Nation celebrating 150 glorious years of Indian settlement in South Africa, Cricket South Africa (CSA) hosted the biggest ever official reception for the visiting Indian cricket team in Johannesburg.
South Africa captain Graeme Smith has termed Sachin Tendulkar as 'a great ambassador of the game' and said his desire to become a cricketer got wings after watching the Indian batting maestro during his childhood.
Manish Pandey hogged the limelight by scoring the first century of the IPL II in South Africa and the young Royal Challengers Bangalore batsman is now eyeing upcoming Champions League Twenty20 in the Rainbow Nation to make his way into the star-studded India team.
Fans speak their minds out on banners and placards at the Football World Cup. A glimpse of the action in the stands.
Rediff.com's man in South Africa Siddhanta Pinto shares his experiences and the many moods of the Rainbow Nation at the football World Cup.
Rediff.com's man in South Africa Siddhanta Pinto shares his experiences and the many moods of the Rainbow Nation at the football World Cup.
Born in Mozambique and a former coach of the South African soccer side, Portugal's Carlos Queiroz has flown to the Rainbow Nation countless times but said Sunday's flight to the World Cup finals was a unique moment and the culmination of an old dream.
Your weekly shot of inspiration from super achievers.
Bangalore Royal Challengers' England all-rounder Kevin Pietersen says the good weather and hard pitches of South Africa will add to the attraction of the 37-day Indian Premier League.
The senior BCCI office-bearer said that unless the government clears international travel, BCCI won't be in a position to make a commitment to any country.
Why South Africa is such a popular vacation spot among Indian celebs?
Star opener Shikhar Dhawan, on Friday, made it clear that if Indian team intends to do well in upcoming England tour, the preparations for that would need to start early.
Kuldeep is in his fourth season with the KKR but it's only in the recent past that he has cemented his place in the Indian team as its go-to spinner along with Yuzvendra Chahal in the limited overs game.
England is the third team to figure in the tournament in which all matches will be played at the Cricket Club of India's Brabourne Stadium.
Kagiso Rabada considers himself 'blessed' to have been a part of the 'Born-Free generation' with parents, who endured tough times to create a level-playing field for him.
Earlier, Mithali Raj scored 62 off 50 balls while teenager Jemimah Rodrigues smashed 44 off 34 balls as Indian women scored a competitive 166 for 4 in 20 overs against South Africa in the fifth and final T20 International, in Cape Town on Saturday.
No Indian men's side since its first tour in South Africa back in 1992, has ever won a series across any format
'In the T20 format, there are lot of areas where we need to improve and a big thing where we are lacking is our fielding, because if you see the ODI series, (because of) fielding we have given a lot of runs'
Winning Test matches outside the sub-continent has been an 'Achilles Heel' for the Indian teams over the years but skipper Virat Kohli made it clear that they have "nothing to prove to anyone" during the upcoming South Africa series, starting January 5.
Captain Virat Kohli and opener Murali Vijay made a mockery of sub-par Sri Lankan attack with effortless centuries as India cruised to 371 for four on the first day of the third and final cricket Test.
'See, he (Kohli) is a kind of player who performs well in all the formats of the game and the way he started off, if there was some other batsmen, I don't think they could have started in the same way. I think it's his confidence and way he is batting, in last two to three years, it would have been difficult for any other batsman to score at such a strike rate'
It was after many years that an Indian cricket team lived up to expectations outside the sub-continent.
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