India women's captain Harmanpreet Kaur and former men's skipper Rohit Sharma headline the list of sportspersons to be honoured with Padma awards this Republic Day.
Even as the focus remains on the T20 World Cup which is less than a month away, Kohli and Rohit will hog the limelight in the three ODIs over the next seven days.
The tourists went to the close on 213 for one in their second innings, but still trail South Africa by 208 runs after they were forced to follow-on having been bowled out for 194 earlier in the day.
Pakistan completed a clean sweep of their One-day International series in South Africa with victory by 36 runs in the third and final clash at The Wanderers on Sunday.
'We are fully focused on this series. Every series is important. Individually for these players, there's a lot at stake.'
'He's the guy who can win you games with bat and ball. He can bowl in any situation, he can bat anywhere in the line up.'
Hardik Pandya and girlfriend Mahieka Sharma made for a picture-perfect pair at a friend's wedding, both donning matching red outfits as they celebrated the festive occasion together.
Salman Agha and Mohammad Rizwan both struck centuries as Pakistan completed their highest successful run chase in ODIs with a six-wicket win over South Africa.
Form and familiarity favour India in T20 World Cup
'In India, it is our tradition that if the team plays well, everyone is quiet, but as soon as the team plays poorly, we get on top of the coach.'
Australia pace spearhead Pat Cummins says his injury-forced withdrawal from the T20 World Cup was also driven by a desire to be completely fit for the upcoming Test season.
The Netherlands delivered a disciplined bowling performance to restrict Namibia to 156 for 8 in their T20 World Cup Group A match, despite a recovery in the middle overs by the Namibian side.
'India-Pakistan match, if it does not happen, no big deal. Honestly, for a long time now, the actual game has never lived up to the hype and the drama we built up before the match.'
'We will need to review the scheduling of matches between 15 December to 15 January in north India.'
Captain Shubman Gill backed veteran opener Rohit Sharma despite his below-par showing during India's 2-1 defeat in the three-match ODI series against New Zealand.
Indian head coach Gautam Gambhir confirmed that T20I vice-captain Shubman Gill is "ready to start" ahead of the first T20I against South Africa of the five-match series, which will take place on December 9.
In the chase, India lost Shubman Gill for a golden duck, while Marco Jansen got rid of Abhishek Sharma and India skipper Suryakumar Yadav, before Baartman broke the 35-run stand between Axar Patel and Varma.
South Africa captain Temba Bavuma feels facing an Indian side with Virat Kohli and Rohit Sharma is nothing new.
India opener Rohit Sharma bettered Pakistan's Shahid Afridi's record for maximum sixes (352) by a batter in the history of One-Day Internationals in the first ODI against South Africa, in Ranchi, on Sunday.
Yuzvendra Chahal says Sanju Samson can have no excuses after repeated T20I failures, with Ishan Kishan's form putting pressure on the opener ahead of the 2026 T20 World Cup.
SA20 turns 4: Social healer, job creator and a new lucrative option for players around globe
Inderjit Singh Bindra served as the BCCI president from 1993 to 1996, and was also the president of the Punjab Cricket Association from 1978 to 2014
This is the first time in nearly seven decades that India have suffered two successive series whitewashes at home.
Suryakumar Yadav on Sunday acknowledged the shortage of runs from him but India's T20I skipper did not count it as lack of form, saying that runs will come sooner than later.
He further criticised South Africa's use of the G20 platform to promote "solidarity, equality, and sustainability" to promote "Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion (DEI) and climate change."
World Cup winners Yuvraj Singh and Harmanpreet Kaur were immortalized at the PCA's New Chandigarh Stadium on Thursday, with stands named in their honour.
South Africa captain Temba Bavuma downplayed Shukri Conrad's controversial remarks that he wanted India to "really grovel".
'This measure aims to manage workload and ensure peak performance for national duties.'
Rohit Sharma became only the fourth Indian cricketer to complete the landmark of 20,000 runs in international cricket, during the third and final ODI against South Africa.
Beyond the three host nations, the highest number of applications came from Germany, England, Brazil, Spain, Portugal, Argentina and Colombia.
India skipper Suryakumar Yadav urged his teammates to remain on the fearless on the cricket pitch.
South Africa head coach Shukri Conrad wholeheartedly admitted that the use of the word 'grovel' took the sheen away from his team's landmark Test victory over India.
Former South Africa captain AB de Villiers said he agrees "to a certain extent" with India head coach Gautam Gambhir's belief that ODI batting orders are 'overrated'
"Gill should cement his place at the top order in T20": Irfan Pathan
Throughout the Test series, Indian batters struggled against a strong South African bowling attack. Indian batters averaged just 15.23 across the two-match Test series against South Africa.
Meanwhile, the India captain was seen with his wife Devisha at the Sri Venkateswara Swamy Temple in Tirumala, Andhra Pradesh, where the couple offered prayers on the occasion of Vaikuntha Ekadashi.
Already through to the quarter-finals, hosts India blanked debutants Brazil 4-0 in their final Pool B match of the Squash World Cup in Chennai on Thursday.
Rohit Sharma took to the nets to fine-tune his batting ahead of the three-match series against New Zealand, starting on Sunday, January 11.
A video showing Gautam Gambhir and Hardik Pandya engaged in an animated chat after the defeat in the second T20I vs South Africa has gone viral.
Football giants Italy begin cricket World Cup's maiden campaign against Scotland
© 2026 Rediff.com - Advertise with us - Disclaimer - Privacy Policy - Sitemap - Feedback - About us - Terms of use - Grievances