'I'm here because of years of grind. Yet a few careless words online can reduce that struggle to a stereotype.'
IMAGES from the first ODI played between India and New Zealand in Vadodara on Sunday
India's T20 World Cup squad had space for only 15, but the pool of quality options ran far deeper. The consequence was inevitable: several players with genuine claims were left on the outside, the unlucky ones who narrowly missed the cut.
Siraj's six-wicket haul helps India stay ahead on bizarre day three of the second Test against England at Edgbaston.
Temba Bavuma, who led South Africa to their maiden ICC World Test Championship title and a historic 2-0 series sweep in India, also made the cut, while four Australian players were included.
India finished day three of the second Test on 64/1 to lead England by 244 runs after they dismissed the hosts for 407 in the first innings at Edgbaston on Friday.
How the Indian players fared in the five-Test series in England.
Fans boo Gambhir after 408-run hammering; Kotak, Siraj step in to douse fire
Ignored by the national selectors for T20 set-up, Yashasvi Jaiswal sent another stern reminder to the Ajit Agarkar-led selection committee with a blistering 48-ball century as defending champions Mumbai crushed Haryana by four wickets in a high-scoring Syed Mushtaq Ali Trophy Super League B match, in Ambi, Pune, on Sunday.
Mohammed Siraj lit up the Rajiv Gandhi international stadium, his domestic home ground, with a sensational spell of 4/17.
On a surface offering little assistance for bowlers, South Africa's top order had frittered away starts but number seven Muthusamy marshalled a lower-order surge with a composed 109.
England's scoring rate of 2.91 runs per over during the second session was the second-slowest in a home Test in the Bazball era, only behind their 2.72 per over effort against New Zealand at Lord's in 2022.
India's bowling drew sharp criticism, particularly Prasidh Krishna and Harshit Rana. Krishna leaked runs and failed to maintain pressure, prompting Rohit Sharma to intervene during the 37th over.
Gujarat Titans Director of Cricket Vikram Solanki believes that head coach Ashish Nehra has played a significant role in reviving the confidence of Mohammed Siraj, who was dropped from India's white-ball setup after their T20 World Cup triumph in 2024.
Abhimanyu Easwaran made the future path all the more tough with his second duck of the match, while Sai Sudharsan concluded his lukewarm preparation for the South Africa Test series with an underwhelming 23 off 38 balls.
The charismatic presence of Virat Kohli and Rohit Sharma alongside a host of top India cricketers lends unprecedented gravitas to the Vijay Hazare One-Day Trophy beginning on Wednesday, giving all of them a chance to prove a point amid a renewed focus on domestic grind.
'With the old ball, the way he got Aniket lbw and bowled Simrajeet with a yorker. Siraj has answered all the questions.'
Arshdeep Singh -- statement spells against SA shows need to give pacer consistent ODI outings
Virat Kohli moved up to No. 4 in the latest ICC rankings with a match-winning hundred against South Africa in the first ODI at Ranchi boosting his ascend.
Siraj was delighted with his performance at his home ground, especially with his family in attendance.
Simon Harmer picked up four wickets as South Africa staged an incredible fightback to shock India by 30 runs in a low-scoring first Test match.
India great Virat Kohli continued his push to regain his place as the best ODI batter while moving up to the second spot in the latest ICC rankings released on Wednesday.
At this moment, the Indian think tank is doing a tough balancing act of building the team around a new set of players without completely cutting ties with the old guard.
He posted a picture on X and captioned it 'ALHAMDULILAH'.
With Bumrah leading the charge, India prised out five wickets in the second session to snuff out South Africa's hopes of reaching the 200 mark.
Images from Day 1 of the second Test between India and South Africa, in Guwahati, on Saturday.
He also met with skipper Rajat Patidar, pacer Yash Dayal, head coach Andy Flower, and Director of Cricket Mo Bobat.
'It (the pitch) wasn't free-flowing. You felt comfortable, but the scoreboard wasn't going anywhere.'
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.
As India gear up for the T20 World Cup at home, the selectors have backed a squad built on impact, and versatility.
Kuldeep Yadav has acknowledged that playing all three formats "is a luxury" but an attacking mindset has kept him relevant in the face of stiff competition.
With 288 runs at a strike rate of 225, Nicholas Pooran is the top run-getter in IPL 2025, while Mohammed Siraj has been brilliant in Powerplay overs with 10 wickets in five games.
Marco Jansen smashed the records held by legends Matthew Hayden and Vivian Richards for the most sixes hit by an overseas batter in a Test innings in India.
Images from Day 1 of the first Test between India and South Africa, in Kolkata, on Friday.
Rishabh Pant was ruled out for nearly three months after he fractured his foot during the fourth Test against England in Manchester in July.
'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...'
Siraj, named Player of the Match, dismantled RCB's top order with a fiery 3/19, leading GT to a dominant 8-wicket victory at the M. Chinnaswamy Stadium.
With India's home aura cracking again, Sourav Ganguly has stepped into the pitch debate admitting the Eden surface was far from ideal but stressing that a world-class Test side should never crumble in pursuit of 124.
Australian cricketer Usman Khawaja was among the first to post Eid greetings on his social media handles.
For the first time in many years, India are going into a home Test match as underdogs and not favourites. Ask any player worth his salt and he would tell that it is not a happy place to be.
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