Handed the reins of a depleted Indian side in his maiden stint as Test captain, the 24-year-old has been tasked with breaking a 17-year drought without the experience of Rohit Sharma or Virat Kohli by his side.
'Special mention to Siraj, who will put everything on the line for the team. Extremely happy for him.'
Aus ODIs: Bumrah, Gill workload to be discussed, battle between Jaiswal and Abhishek
Despite living in close proximity to the series venues, Kohli is expected to remain absent not just on the field, but off it too.
'One of the things I love about Virat's thought process on the game is, it is always the aggressive option.'
Mohammed Siraj has revealed the close bonding he shares with Test captain Shubman Gill, highlighting both their on-field and off-field camaraderie.
Virat Kohli on Monday announced his retirement from Test cricket, after a 14-year career.
'He was always a people's person. Don't forget he had been a Delhi captain in a team that had a lot of big stars, India players. They played under him and he managed them fairly well.'
'Absolutely gutted,' he posted on Instagram.
The short turnaround time from the high of winning a controversy-marred Asia Cup notwithstanding, Shubman Gill's India will be outright favourites against a struggling and under-strength West Indies when the teams face-off on a green-top in the first Test in Ahmedabad on Thursday.
'There was too much of bullshit and I am the Universe Boss and I don't like bullshit.'
The BCCI never believes in taking decisions in haste and would always gauge the public perceptions before taking a call, which is sensitive in nature considering the massive fan following of the two greats.
Former Australia captain Michael Clarke believes Virat Kohli, who considers Test cricket as the pinnacle, could come out of retirement if India suffer a heavy defeat in the upcoming five-Test series in England.
Former India coach Ravi Shastri feels Virat Kohli's Test retirement could have been handled better as he deserved a proper farewell and said he would have reinstated him as captain after the Australia series.
Virat Kohli was overcome with emotions as Royal Challengers Bengaluru finally ended their long wait for the IPL title.
In the era of uber-stylish batters, Pujara was that glue that held the Indian batting together for a decade between 2013-14 till 2023 over a period of 100 plus Test matches.
India's new Test captain Shubman Gill will drop down one spot in the order to take Virat Kohli's old position at number four
England tested him like no other place - from exposing his raw edges in 2014 to witnessing his peak in 2018, and finally revealing his human side in 2021.
Star Indian cricketer Virat Kohli will be in Bengaluru to flag off India's first 18-km run, set to tbe held in association with Kohli's brand.
Shubman Gill was inspirational both as a batter and skipper, as he led from the front with four hundreds amassing 754 runs in the five-match Test series in England.
The cricketing fraternity on Monday paid glowing tributes to India's batting talisman Virat Kohli on his retirement from the longest format after an illustrious 14-year-career.
Winning the Asia Cup was the "best reply" to an aggressive opposition, middle-order batter Tilak Varma said.
'He (Virat) is certainly one who can push us back and we will have to get the better of him'
'If they had continued playing Test cricket and quit ODIs, then staying in the groove would have been a lot easier.'
The former South African pacer said Ganguly will get to know more about his role once he joins the team and meets the players.
Ravindra Jadeja powered to his record sixth fifty of the series to extend his stunning run with the bat, on Day 3 of the fifth and final Test against England.
A large group of players, including Mohammed Siraj, the hero of the victory, boarded an Emirates flight early Tuesday morning, heading to Dubai en route to their respective home cities in India.
Karun Nair's struggles at the crucial No. 3 position is a big headache for Team India.
The Indians have not featured in ODIs in recent months but Kuldeep Yadav (650) and Ravindra Jadeja (616) still remained static at number three and number nine in the latest ODI rankings for bowlers.
Kohli remained unfazed through the whole monologue and while some photographers requested for a photo, he seemingly gestured that he was in a hurry and joined his wife in the car before driving off.
Pattnaik's creation featured a replica of 14 bats-a symbolic gesture honouring Kohli's incredible journey in red-ball cricket.
The star batter's aggression has been a fire to forge inspiration and motivation, but it has also led to some unnecessary controversies in the red-ball format.
Despite the ups and downs, The Oval remains a ground of rich memories and monumental moments for Indian cricket.
Earlier in the day, B Sai Sudharsan has etched his name in Indian cricket history by making his Test debut on June 20.
'Scoring those half-centuries and winning the trophy for India is indeed special.'
Rajeev Shukla hailed the star batter for his contribution in the longest format.
India's star batter Virat Kohli is likely to miss the third and fourth Tests against England due to personal reasons, which also kept him out of the first two matches of the series, a BCCI source said on Wednesday.
India ODI skipper Rohit Sharma made an unexpected appearance at the Kennington Oval to enjoy the live action on Saturday.
Gill clashed with England openers Zak Crawley and Ben Duckett, accusing them of deliberately wasting time.
© 2026 Rediff.com - Advertise with us - Disclaimer - Privacy Policy - Sitemap - Feedback - About us - Terms of use - Grievances