India captain Shubman Gill, head coach Gautam Gambhir along with Jasprit Bumrah, Washington Sundar and Axar Patel arrived in Kolkata late on Sunday ahead of the upcoming two-Test series against South Africa.
India's chances of reaching the World Test Championship finals (WTC) took a major hit as they slipped to the fifth spot in standings following their embarrassing 0-2 series whitewash to South Africa at home.
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.
New Zealand will pin their hopes on a rookie attack and field a new wicketkeeper when they take on the West Indies in the second Test in Wellington starting on Wednesday following a slew of injuries.
Justin Greaves produced a nine-and-a-half-hour batting masterclass before walking into Caribbean lore after his maiden Test double hundred secured an unlikely draw for West Indies.
Ganguly lauded Gill's leadership during India's tour of England, noting the challenge of captaining at a young age in such conditions
Virat Kohli's elder brother Vikas Kohli took a veiled jibe at India Coach Gautam Gambhir as the team continued to struggle on home soil in the longest format.
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For the first time since 2012, India walked off Eden Gardens on the wrong side of a Test result. A tricky pitch, a chaotic chase, and the absence of captain Shubman Gill combined to hand South Africa a 30-run win that reshapes the WTC race.
Asked about losing yet another toss, Gill quipped, 'I think the only toss that I'm going to win is hopefully in the WTC finals.'
Bavuma believes this group, unbeaten in full-strength Test series since coach Shukri Conrad took charge in 2023, has the maturity and belief to mount a serious challenge and win their only second series in India after 25 years.
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South Africa's experienced pacer Kagiso Rabada said their young team are ready for the challenge.
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Lungi Ngidi's call-up indicates that Kagiso Rabada, who missed the team's memorable win in Kolkata due to a rib injury, is still uncertain for the Guwahati Test
The Hindi word bauna is commonly used for those suffering from dwarfism, but its also used as a taunt for someone who is simply short in height.
'I'm feeling strong. I am feeling fit, and I am feeling ready to go,'
Rishabh Pant's 'chaotic' leadership style and batting might be the wildcard India need to level the Test series against South Africa, former cricketer Jonty Rhodes said on Friday.
Bavuma remains unbeaten in his 11 Tests as skipper, winning 10 of them to go with a draw, and in that period has averaged 57.00 with the bat.
India have long curated home tracks that accentuate turn, but the assumption their own batters would master such conditions no longer appears safe following their defeat in the opening Test against South Africa.
India will look to reprise their home template of big first-innings totals and sustained spin in the short two-Test series against South Africa beginning in Kolkata on Friday.
Armed with a potent spin attack, taking on South Africa seems like competing against a "subcontinent team", Ten Doeschate said, admitting that they need to get better at negotiating the challenge posed by tweakers.
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Speaking on The Great Indian Cricket Show on Doordarshan, Mukund, who represented India in seven Tests from 2011-17, said: "I think Shubman has it in him to become an all-format captain, but I do not think India should have an all-format captain anymore."
South Africa pulled off a sensational victory inside three days of the opening Test against India on Sunday and the manner of it would go a long way in silencing those who doubted their credentials as the reigning world test champions.
The Proteas have included three frontline spinners in the squad with Keshav Maharaj leading the attack, while also consisting of Simon Harmer and Senuran Muthusamy, who was the player of the series against Pakistan.
South Africa are the World Test champions and skipper Temba Bavuma wants them to play like it and prove their credentials in the two-Test series against India beginning on Friday.
Not handing the ball to lead pacer Jasprit Bumrah to start the third day's play on a challenging Eden Gardens surface was "questionable", said the legendary Anil Kumble.
The contest between England's dialled-down "Bazball" approach and Australia's more methodical batting could determine who prevails in the Ashes series beginning in Perth on Friday.
'I think it's an ongoing process, just continuously putting in hours of work and speaking to people that have played in these conditions, have done well in these conditions.'
South Africa's head coach Shukri Conrad is backing his spin troika of Keshav Maharaj, Senuran Muthusamy and Simon Harmer to match their seasoned counterparts from India and "make history of our own" in the upcoming Test series
India are 1-0 up in the two-match series, having beaten WI by an innings and 140 runs in the first Test at Ahmedabad's Narendra Modi Stadium.
Pakistan slipped to eighth in the World Test Championship standings following their 10-wicket loss to Bangladesh.
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Shubman Gill celebrated his maiden Test series win as India completed a 2-0 sweep over West Indies at the Arun Jaitley Stadium in New Delhi.
With the scars of last year's home series whitewash against New Zealand still raw, preparing rank turners may invite risk.
The 0-3 loss to New Zealand at home last year still haunts India head coach Gautam Gambhir and he also doesn't want his players to forget that rare drubbing in Tests as they build for the future.
Shubman Gill's unbeaten 129 in Delhi wasn't just another century; it was history etched in numbers and intent.
Former India batter Cheteshwar Pujara on Thursday stressed that each and every bilateral assignment will be "very important" now for stalwarts Virat Kohli and Rohit Sharma as India look ahead to the 2027 ODI World Cup.
The collapse, India's lowest failed chase at home, has left behind deeper fault lines than a dry Eden Gardens wicket can conceal.
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