Rohit has managed just one half-century in his last eight innings in which he has tallied 104 runs. Kohli's freefall in Test cricket continues. He has fallen to spin three times in the first two Tests. Ashwin, usually, dominant at home, managed just six wickets in the first two Tests at an average of 43.
The national selectors on Sunday retained the Indian team, which hammered Bangladesh by 280 runs in the opening Test here, for the second and final match in Kanpur.
Born in Wellington to parents hailing from Bengaluru, the mop-haired left-hander emerged as a big crowd favourite in India when he played for the Black Caps in last year's 50-overs World Cup and for Chennai in this season's Indian Premier League.
Shubman Gill was batting on 31 while Rishabh Pant was not out on one at stumps after India had come back into the game with Jadeja claiming 5-65 and Washington Sundar bagging 4-81.
Gautam Gambhir put up a stout defence of under-pressure skipper Rohit Sharma and star batter Virat Kohli.
Ashwin has had the opportunity to play under the wing of both stars. He pointed out that there isn't a huge gap between Gambhir and Dravid's approach or the passion that the duo shares for Indian cricket.
While this may not secure qualification outright, it would certainly keep them in contention. New Zealand head coach Gary Stead drew inspiration from the inaugural WTC cycle in 2019-21, when New Zealand won six consecutive matches enroute to securing the title.
Who do you think should be part of India's playing XI for the second Test against Australia in Adelaide?
India would want their big guns Virat Kohli and Rohit Sharma to fire when the mighty hosts aim for a clean sweep against a beleaguered Bangladesh in the second and final Test starting in Kanpur on Friday.
The future of some senior India players will be decided after the tour of Australia as the BCCI evaluates the shocking 0-3 drubbing against New Zealand at home while rolling out a structured phaseout policy before the start of the next WTC cycle.
The story of Ravichandrean Ashwin remains incomplete without the mention of Ravindra Jadeja.
Ravichandran Ashwin said on Tuesday that star Pakistan batter Babar Azam "should not be mentioned in the same line" as Indian icon Virat Kohli
India were in danger of suffering their first home test loss to New Zealand since 1988, despite Sarfaraz Khan's 150 and Rishabh Pant's 99, when the tourists bowled them out for 462 on the fourth day of their rain-interrupted series opener on Saturday.
Who do you think should be part of India's playing XI for the first Test against Bangladesh?
Pace spearhead Harshit Rana received a well-deserved maiden call-up, following his impressive performances.
The four wickets that India prised out in the third session, on balance, swung the game back in their favour, says Prem Panicker .
India suffered a disappointing start to their Women's T20 World Cup campaign in Dubai, facing both on-field struggles and a contentious decision against New Zealand.
Virat Kohli and Ravindra Jadeja are set for important milestones during the coming series against Bangladesh.
In the second edition of Global Chess League, each team will play a total of 10 matches in a double round-robin format, with the winner of each match being decided in a best-of-six board scoring system.
Premier pacer Jasprit Bumrah was on Friday named vice-captain of India for the upcoming three-match home Test series against New Zealand, strongly indicating his possible elevation to the leadership role when the team travels to Australia from next month.
India's ace spinner Ravichandran Ashwin believes that Shubman Gill and Yashasvi Jaiswal will emerge as the future pillars in the overseas tours next month.
'Every game that he has been part of, where India has won across formats, you will see that Bumrah has left a big imprint on that game.'
A spectacular seven-wicket haul by Mitchell Santner helped New Zealand dismiss India for 156 before the tourists reached 198-5 at stumps on day two of the second test in Pune on Friday to tighten their grip on the three-match series.
Only once in the history of Test cricket has a team bounced back to win after being bowled out for less than 50.
India were still staring at a daunting challenge despite a much more assured performance in their second innings, trailing by 125 runs at the close with Sarfaraz Khan on 70 not out after Virat Kohli fell for the same score on the day's final ball.
Since making his debut in 2017, the highly rated Kuldeep Yadav has featured in just 13 Tests in seven years.
Shubman Gill believes that revisiting all the technical work that he did before the five-Test series against England earlier this year helped him find his bearings during an impressive knock of 90 on a rank turner that has put India in an advantageous position against New Zealand in the third and final Test in Mumbai on Saturday.
'Firstly, I had this fear... personally I had thought that I won't lose a series in India as long as I am playing. But that too has happened.'
'He's got a pretty good record against Indian batsmen (123 wickets in 28 Tests versus India).' 'In India too he has a great record (56 wickets in 11 Tests in India), that is a pretty good record against a country that traditionally plays spin very well.'
'Virat and Rohit not playing (Duleep Trophy) was not good for Indian cricket, nor was it good for the two players. Had they played the Duleep Trophy and had some time in the red-ball cricket, things would have been different.'
The sight of a pitch with a fair smattering of grass and premier pacer Jasprit Bumrah putting in hard yards at nets might be the early signs of India sticking to the three pacers theory for the first Test against New Zealand
For India, the biggest disappointment was the poor showing of their senior most players Rohit Sharma, Virat Kohli and Ravichandran Ashwin.
Washington Sundar made a dream return to Test cricket with a sensational spell of 7/59 against New Zealand, in his first Test since March 2021.
Mominul Haque was batting on 40 with Mushfiqur Rahim on six at the other end when bad light forced players off the pitch and rain followed soon after.
Yashasvi Jaiswal, who has moved up a spot to seventh.
India spared Bangladesh the ignominy of a follow-on but grabbed an overall lead of 308 with seven wickets in hands to seize control of the opening Test in Chennai on Friday.
'What is the use of talent if that player plays so many Tests and averages below 35 after a few years of being in the Indian team?'
The dream run began with the pair of Ashwin, who made his debut in November 2011, and Jadeja, who played his first Test in December 2012, coming together to form a lethal spin combination.
This crushing defeat is a major wake-up call for Team India. They now face the real possibility of losing a home series for the first time in over a decade, warns Harish Kotian.
© 2026 Rediff.com - Investor Information - Advertise with us - Disclaimer - Privacy Policy - Sitemap - Feedback - About us - Terms of use - Grievances