Their pre-tournament decision to fill the squad with five spinners drew a lot of flak from all corners, but it is now proving to be a masterstroke on the slow pitches in Dubai.
Shubman Gill, Shreyas Iyer and Axar Patel smashed half-centuries as India defeated England by four wickets in the first One-Day International in Nagpur.
Mumbai Indians cantered to a nine wicket win with 26 balls to spare to pile on the misery of Chennai Super Kings, who slumped to their sixth defeat in eight outings in IPL 2025.
With Mahendra Singh Dhoni being the same player and no one to "bell the cat", CSK are in unusual mess with a mis-firing top-order where the skipper Ruturaj Gaikwad has had to give up his opening slot.
With just a week to go until the start of the Champions Trophy in Pakistan and the UAE, it sets up a tight race for the premier position for batters in 50-over cricket during the eight-team tournament.
He loves horses and fast cars. He can ride well and brandish a sword as expertly as he does a bat. Yet he is down to earth and religious, and has just agreed to an arranged marriage... The unknown side of the star all-rounder from his sister Naina Jadeja.
Though Australia have dominated the rain-hit Test, time will most likely deny the hosts.
While India are on a high after a measured six-wicket win over a sprightly Bangladesh, Pakistan are evidently tense after the 60-run loss in the tournament-opener to New Zealand.
A seemingly invincible India will be eager to sharpen their game against spin and give a run to second-line players ahead of the semi-final when they take on New Zealand in their last group match of the Champions Trophy in Dubai on Sunday.
The Indian team will have a five-day training camp in Chennai ahead of the Test series.
As GT gears up to face Sunrisers Hyderabad in the 2025 season, Nehra reaffirmed his confidence in captain Shubman Gill, who is in his second season as the franchise's leader.
Australian all-rounder Marcus Stoinis has been left supremely impressed by the quality of youngsters in the Punjab Kings squad as well as the Indian T20 set up on the sidlelines of the IPL.
'If you stay humble, put your heart in the right place, train hard, and let your bat talk, God finds ways to bless you.'
The Indian team in Australia lacks a bowling attack that is good enough to take 20 wickets in a Test, Cheteshwar Pujara said
Except in the IPL, the Australians have not had a good look at Varun Chakravarthy's bowling and that could spell trouble for Steve Smith and Co.
Jadeja's assessment of the track was also an indicator that possibly Ravichandran Ashwin has lost a bit of pace in his deliveries.
India included two debutants -- Harshit Rana and Nitish Kumar Reddy -- while leaving out Ravichandran Ashwin and Ravindra Jadeja.
Rohit Sharma hailed the resilience of the lower-order batters after his team managed to salvage a crucial draw in the rain-hit third Test against Australia in Brisbane
IMAGES from the Indian Premier League match played between Chennai Super Kings and SunRisers Hyderabad in Chennai, on Friday.
Indian captain Virat Kohli arrived two hours early for practice ahead of the crucial Champions Trophy clash against Pakistan, focusing on his struggles against spin bowling.
K L Rahul was on Monday named in the Karnataka squad to face table-toppers Haryana in their final league match of the Ranji Trophy Elite Group C.
Who do you think should be part of India's playing XI against Pakistan on Sunday?
Mohammed Shami has etched his name in the record books, becoming the fastest Indian and the second-fastest bowler in the world to claim 200 wickets in ODIs
Ravindra Jadeja and Arshdeep Singh were among the sports stars in attendance for the Mangal Utsav on Sunday.
All eyes will be on Captain Shubman Gill and Coach Gautam Gambhir to lead the Indian Test team into a bold new era.
Varun Chakravarthy, a key player for both the Indian team and the Kolkata Knight Riders, emphasizes the importance of consistency and reveals he is working on new variations to his spin bowling.
He added that, Ravindra Jadeja and Rachin Ravindra would also be crucial retentions, with captain Ruturaj Gaikwad also an obvious choice.
There were moments in past tournaments where we weren't able to finish games or capitalise on crucial situations. But this time, we learned from those experiences,
'That is something I really wanted, to have six bowling options and then batting till No. 8 as well.'
Mystery spinner bowls in nets as India prep for three-match ODI series vs England.
With the Champions Trophy opener against Bangladesh just around the corner, India's star batsman KL Rahul focused on power-hitting during a training session in Dubai.
Henry's exceptional spell of 5 for 42 in eight overs played a crucial role in restricting India to 249/9 at the Dubai International Cricket Stadium on Sunday.
'There is no substitute for hard work. The relentless effort behind the scenes translates into success on the field. The Indian bowlers are ticking every box as we get ready for the Boxing Day Test.'
'India needs to score big because they will have to defend those totals without Bumrah.'
A look at Indian players' records in ICC ODI tournament finals including the World Cup and Champions Trophy.
Images from Day 3 of the fourth Test between Australia and India at the MCG on Saturday.
Here are the batters who brought the crowds to their feet at Chepauk on Sunday night...
'When you leave, you want to leave the team in better place'
The Royals batting looks decent but there is the issue of consistency and lack of depth that could be telling as the tournament wears on.
At IPL 2025, expect nothing short of electric cricket from Thala Dhoni and his band of machas.
© 2026 Rediff.com - Investor Information - Advertise with us - Disclaimer - Privacy Policy - Sitemap - Feedback - About us - Terms of use - Grievances