The squad also features India batter Ruturaj Gaikwad who has captained his state team in the past, while the selectors opted to go with experience, picking Pradeep Dadhe over Rajvardhan Hangargekar.
Dazzling Rohit Sharma hits 155 as Mumbai decimate Sikkim by 8 wickets
India have been served well by Shreyas Iyer in ODIs at No. 4 but with the Mumbai batter unavailable due to injury, the team management entrusted Gaikwad with the job to build the innings and he did it with aplomb, hitting his maiden century in the second ODI against South Africa on Wednesday.
Jadeja said that the team will continue to back Ruturaj Gaikwad after the opener's poor show.
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.
The Indian selectors will be announcing the team for the three-match ODI series against the Black Caps, starting January 11 in Vadodara and there have been speculations about whether Pant can hold on to his place in the squad.
'You have a lot of options if you want to see. You can remove Abhishek Sharma and Shubman Gill and you can open with Sai Sudharsan and Ruturaj Gaikwad...'
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.
Ranji Trophy: MP enter quarterfinals; Saurashtra on brink of qualification
Former Royal Challengers Bengaluru captain Anil Kumble believes fans may have already seen the last of M S Dhoni behind the stumps, hinting that the Chennai Super Kings icon may not don the gloves in IPL 2026.
Rohit Sharma perished for a golden duck but Mumbai had enough firepower in its arsenal to quell the Uttarakhand challenge by 51 runs in a Group C match of the Vijay Hazare Trophy.
India skipper KL Rahul said his side needed to be sharper in key moments but felt the toss played a decisive role in the home team's four-wicket loss to South Africa in the second ODI, in Raipur, on Tuesday.
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.
SMAT 2025: Hardik comeback on cards, chance for rich domestic talent to shine before IPL auction
Virat Kohli's second successive ton during the second ODI against South Africa here seemed "inevitable" as the stalwart got off the mark with a six, carrying the confidence of his first-game heroics, feels former India captain Sunil Gavaskar.
Spending more than US$3 million (Rs 28.40 crore) and nearly 60 percent of their purse on players, who can proverbially be termed as wet behind the ears, does display a change in mindset.
Who is Ruturaj and why has he won N Srinivasan's vote of confidence?
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.
Rishabh Pant was ruled out for nearly three months after he fractured his foot during the fourth Test against England in Manchester in July.
Ruturaj Gaikwad, Prithvi Shaw included in Maharashtra squad for Buchi Babu tournament
Earlier in the match, Ruturaj Gaikwad continued his rich vein of form, compiling a classy 116 off 163 balls as Maharashtra posted 313 in their first innings.
Expect some fireworks for the highly-versatile Cameron Green along with Quinton de Kock, Matheesha Pathirana, Venkatesh Iyer and Ravi Bishnoi.
It is believed that captain Sanju Samson has asked Rajasthan Royals to trade him or release him into the auction, signalling an end to his long association with the franchise.
Bihar's teen sensation Vaibhav Suryavanshi, aged just 14, blasted an 84-ball 190 to become the youngest List-A centurion ever. His captain Sakibul Gani, then upstaged him with a 40-ball 128 not out -- the fastest List-A century by an Indian.
With the twin home Test series against West Indies and then against South Africa, Gaikwad's resurgence comes just at the right time, giving selectors another reminder of his ability after a difficult few months.
Ravindra Jadeja, who has played a pivotal role in CSK's three IPL title triumphs, was retained ahead of the 2025 season for a hefty Rs 18 crore.
Rishabh Pant's place in the playing eleven is far from guaranteed, while Washington Sundar and Nitish Kumar Reddy are locked in a tight contest for the additional all-rounder's slot as India confront several selection dilemmas ahead of the first ODI against South Africa in Ranchi.
The gifted Ruturaj Gaikwad showed his class with a splendid half-century to power Chennai Super Kings to the top of the IPL standings after they beat champions Mumbai Indians by 20 runs, in Dubai, on Sunday.
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.
K L Rahul on Saturday conceded that Indian batters' repeated struggles against spin, especially on home tracks, remain a concern.
The West Zone squad was selected by the selection committee chaired by Mumbai's Sanjay Patil, Baroda's Prayan Dave, Maharashtra's Akshay Darekar, Sandip Maniyar from Saurashtra Cricket Association and Kirat Damani from the Gujarat Cricket Association.
Veteran domestic cricketer Jalaj Saxena on Saturday joined Maharashtra ahead of the Ranji Trophy 2025-26 after parting ways with Kerala where he played for nine seasons.
'I just enjoyed my time at home and then obviously trying to get into the rhythm, get into the game routines, you know, do the small things and really loved the process throughout.'
The Indian Premier League (IPL) 2026 auction saw some foreign names earning big bucks, headlined by Aussie all-rounder Cameron Green
Ranji Trophy champions Vidarbha left Rest of India (RoI) reeling at 142 for 5 as bad light forced early close of Day 2 in their Irani Cup match, in Nagpur, on Thursday.
India A skipper Rishabh Pant will look to build on the gains from the first match, while the likes of Mohammed Siraj and Kuldeep Yadav will aim for crucial red-ball game time in the second four-day match against a Temba Bavuma-led South Africa A in Bengaluru from Thursday.
Ruturaj Gaikwad has opted out of the final part of the County Championship for Yorkshire citing "personal reasons".
On Wednesday, Cricbuzz reported that Royals have demanded a swap deal for star all-rounder Ravindra Jadeja, Ruturaj Gaikwad or hard-hitter Shivam Dube in exchange for Samson. However, CSK have reportedly turn down the request.
Former Indian cricketer Ravichandran Ashwin has expressed his disappointment at the potential exit of all-rounder Ravindra Jadeja from Chennai Super Kings (CSK), saying that the move is "very unlike CSK", a franchise whose "identity was stability and trust in players".
Ranji Trophy champions Vidarbha took firm control of the Irani Cup, seizing a healthy first-innings lead and then consolidating it with a solid batting effort in their second essay against Rest of India at the VCA Stadium, in Nagpur, on Friday.
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