Shubman Gill joined an unwanted list following the loss to Australia in the first ODI at Perth, becoming the second Indian skipper after Virat Kohli and overall ninth captain to lose their first matches in all three formats as captain.
Lots to look forward to in Indian sports as packed 2026 calender awaits
Tilak Varma enjoys the longer formats and has been seeking inputs from Virat Kohli on fitness and running between the wickets as he looks to make the most of the opportunities coming his way.
From Royal Challengers Bengaluru's historic first IPL title to star javelin thrower Neeraj Chopra finally breaking the iconic 90-meter mark to India women winning their first cricket World Cup, this was the year of long-awaited victories and record-breaking feats.
Defending champions India will take on the USA in one of the three matches on the opening day of the tournament.
On Saturday, Rohit and Virat turned back the clock, delivering a vintage special with their refined strokeplay to silence their critics.
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.
Dhruv Jurel continued his remarkable form in the Vijay Hazare Trophy 2025-26 with an unbeaten 160 for Uttar Pradesh against Baroda, a knock that sends a clear message to selectors ahead of India's New Zealand ODI series.
Sanju Samson's T20I future took another hit on Tuesday as India benched him yet again, favouring the finishing skills of Jitesh Sharma in a team that now appears fully committed to its Shubman Gill-led blueprint.
Now in 16 ODIs against South Africa, the spinner has taken 36 wickets at an average of 17.58, with a strike rate of 21.3 and an economy rate of 4.95.
Virat Kohli received a thunderous standing ovation from a capacity crowd at the Sydney Cricket Ground as he strode out to bat, likely for the final time in Australia.
K L Rahul takes over the captaincy after regular skipper Shubman Gill missed the series because of a neck injury.
The focus is to bring momentum back into the Indian dressing room: Morne Morkel
Former India batter Suresh Raina has backed under-fire national head coach Gautam Gambhir, saying the team's recent poor run in home Tests cannot be attributed to the support staff, as players must shoulder responsibility for the results.
Making a comeback to international cricket after a seven-month gap, Virat Kohli has perished for ducks in the first two ODIs against Australia.
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.
This year, Diwali started on Saturday, October 19 with Dhanteras and ends on October 23 with Bhai Dooj.
Rohit won the 'Player of the Match' award and the 'Player of the Series' award as well for top-scoring in the series with 202 runs, including a century and a fifty each.
Bengaluru Police Commissioner Seemanth Kumar Singh said that permission has been denied to hold the Vijay Hazare Trophy match at Bengaluru's Chinnaswamy Stadium on December 24.
Senior pros Rohit Sharma and Virat Kohli made a grand comeback to the Vijay Hazare Trophy, smashing centuries on the opening day of the one-day tournament on Wednesday.
As Virat Kohli looks to make amends in Thursday's second ODI at the Adelaide Oval, one of his favourite hunting grounds, former India international Mohammed Kaif said that Virat did not appear to be in his batting zone.
'He's no doubt scored a fair few runs against me so it's always a good contest and one we both enjoy.'
Virat Kohli was dismissed for an eight-ball duck -- the first time he had fallen without scoring in an ODI in Australia.
Pant boost for Delhi as keeper-batter returns for Vijay Hazare Trophy
Spin great Ravichandran Ashwin praised Rohit Sharma's remarkable transformation after he surpassed Shahid Afridi's record for the most sixes in ODIs.
Rohit Sharma hit an unbeaten century, while Virat Kohli returned to form with a fluent fifty as India cruised to an emphatic nine-wicket victory in the inconsequential third and final ODI against Australia.
India will be bolstered by the return of former captains Virat Kohli and Rohit Sharma - both of whom have retired from Test cricket - adding more depth and experience to the side.
Anushka Sharma and Virat Kohli on Tuesday were spotted roaming around on the streets of London with their son Akaay in a stroller.
This achievement places him in an elite group of Indian cricketers, joining Sunil Gavaskar, Sachin Tendulkar and Rahul Dravid as the only Indians to have reached this landmark.
Former India batter Aakash Chopra believes that Virat Kohli 'will definitely play' for champions Royal Challengers Bengaluru in IPL 2026.
Mitchell Starc and Steven Smith believe that Virat Kohli is an Australian in the way he thinks, acts, and has the desire to perform in big games.
"Be very kind to yourself. Start with small things. If you really want to do it, nothing is going to stop you." Mumbai based, 26-year-old Aayushi Tailor shares her weight loss journey in a candid chat with Rediff's Rishika Shah.
Kohli, widely considered one of the batting greats of the modern game, has managed just two centuries in the last five years and only two fifties in his last 12 innings in the longest format.
K L Rahul on Saturday conceded that Indian batters' repeated struggles against spin, especially on home tracks, remain a concern.
'India is much stronger in white ball than the red ball. Rohit Sharma, Virat Kohli... they know that these youngsters are pushing them.'
'We just want them to go out there and do their magic'
"He needs to rotate strike, keep the scoreboard moving": Pathan on Virat ahead of 3rd Sydney ODI
Having overseen Kohli's most prolific years as coach, Shastri knows the batter better than most.
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.
Rohit Sharma has informed the Mumbai Cricket Association of his availability for the upcoming Vijay Hazare Trophy, heeding the BCCI directive.
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