'Form brings confidence. And we, at the moment, to be honest, don't have that confidence.'
Short of match practice, Mahendra Singh Dhoni, Ashish Nehra and Ajinkya Rahane will captain the India A team for two warm-up matches against England at CCI, Mumbai next week. Dhoni, who has not played a competitive game in over two months, will lead the India A side in the opening warm-up here on January 10. Rahane, who is coming back from an injury, will captain the team in the second warm-up on January 12.
Ajinkya Rahane was chosen as captain of the depleted Indian team for the limited overs tour to Zimbabwe next month as the selectors decided to rest several seniors including Mahendra Singh Dhoni and Virat Kohli.
A look back at a few memorable showdowns in the last decade and half that had the quintessential crests and troughs of Test cricket.
Chappell still believes that Australia might have a slight edge in Test matches
Pleased with his world record feat of eight catches in a Test match, Ajinkya Rahane credited former India captain Rahul Dravid for guiding him on slip catching and overall fielding.
One of India's most dependable batsman outside the sub-continent has hit a rough patch but Ajinkya Rahane found support from teammate Cheteshwar Pujara, who backed him to come good in the coming matches.
Vidarbha took a commanding lead in the Ranji Trophy semifinal against Mumbai, reducing the defending champions to 83/3 in their second innings.
One of the highlights of the series so far has been Ravichandran Ashwin's duels with Steve Smith and Tendulkar explained why the senior off-spinner enjoyed an upper hand.
'The pitch looks pretty similar, I do not know how it is going to play, we have to wait and see'
Indian batsman Ajinkya Rahane joined the bandwagon of Indian players, who have attributed Team Director Ravi Shastri for bringing about a turnaround in team's fortunes with his technical inputs in the ongoing ODI series after their dismal show in the Test matches.
'Under lights, with the late swing, it is challenging for batsmen'
'All of us have played domestic cricket in almost empty stadiums, so that's an experience all cricketers are used to'.
India lost seven wickets for the addition of just 70 runs as they crumbled in the first session itself. Here's how the Day 5 panned out.
Once Virat leaves, Rahane would be leading the Indian side for the remaining three Test matches.
Ajinkya Rahane is the fifth Indian to hit a hundred while batting at No. 7 away from home, during the second Test against New Zealand in Wellington.
Ajinkya Rahane consciously ignored that he was closing in on his first Test century on the second day of the second Test against New Zealand, mindful that he had fallen in the 90s against South Africa when he was too keen to achieve the milestone.
Virat Kohli and Ajinkya Rahane hit unbeaten half-centuries to put India in firm control, on Day 3 of the first Test against West Indies in Antigua, on Saturday.
Former captain Sunil Gavaskar lashed out at the team management's decision to make Ajinkya Rahane bat at number three in the first innings of the second Test against Sri Lanka, on Thursday, saying it "sacrificed" an "uncomplaining" cricketer.
England will need their batting unit to fire against India, who are eyeing a 13th consecutive Test series victory on home soil.
Ajinkya Rahane opens up on the slot he likes to bat at, Virat Kohli's captaincy and India's record against spin
Shivam Dube and Ajinkya Rahane's brutal partnership propelled CSK to 235.
Images from the Asia Cup match between Bangladesh and India in Fatullah on Wednesday.
It is difficult to visualize an Indian squad without a single representative from 39-time Ranji Trophy champions Mumbai in a One-dayer at the Wankhede stadium, Mumbai, the scene of the country's momentous triumph in the World Cup just over six months ago.
The team will be announced on Tuesday, September 24.
Ajinkya Rahane went through a rare lean patch during first-class matches in the Caribbean, but back-to-back half centuries in the limited-overs games have restored the Mumbai youngster's confidence as he gears up for the senior team's assignment in Sri Lanka.
Ajinkya Rahane's maiden Test century in the ongoing second Test against New Zealand is a crucial milestone in his fledgling Test career, feels his former coach Pravin Amre.
Jammu and Kashmir skipper Paras Dogra expressed frustration with the umpiring standards during their Ranji Trophy match against Mumbai.
Rohit Sharma's fiery knock was cut short by Yudhvir Singh, as he was caught at midwicket for a fluent 28 runs off 35 balls.
Lucknow Super Giants spin bowling all-rounder Shahbaz Ahmed has expressed confidence in captain Rishabh Pant despite his poor form in IPL 2025, saying the "chilled and relaxed" skipper will come good in crunch moments.
Royal Challengers Bengaluru all-rounder Krunal Pandya revealed his mindset behind bowling a bouncer out of the blue to Kolkata Knight Riders record-signing Venkatesh Iyer during the opening match of Indian Premier League 2025, at the Eden Gardens in Kolkata, on Saturday.
Having surprised even himself with a fine showing in the fifth edition of the Indian Premier League, Ajinkya Rahane says the entire experience is like living a dream.
Purnendu Maji and Srinivas Bhogle figure out the paisa vasool players in IPL V.
After the one-off Afghanistan Test match, Rahane has nothing to look forward to as he has been dropped from the limited-overs side which is going to UK first. The Test series against England is scheduled to start on August 1 after a limited-overs series featuring three T20 Internationals and an equal number of ODIs beginning July 3.
Ajinkya Rahane is scouring the missing runs. By batting at the nets in shorts spans, against a variety of bowlers, and by doing everything else that is in his control, the seasoned Rahane is bracing up for the upcoming Test series against New Zealand, knowing well it could decide his future in the Indian team.
Stand-in skipper, Rahane's patient 112 paved the way for India taking a substantial 131-run first innings lead against Australia, who were reduced to 133 for six by the end of the third day's play on Monday.
'I would like to mention, he fulfilled his responsibility in Australia with flying colours, it was amazing to see him lead the team towards victory, which has always been our goal," Kohli said during a virtual media interaction on the eve of the first Test against England.'
Ravindra Jadeja continued his renaissance as a batter, delivering his best-ever outing during the recent Test series in England and joining a list of legends
Sachin Tendulkar roared back to form ahead of the upcoming Test series against England with a strokeful 137, while Ajinkya Rahane remained unbeaten on 105 as Mumbai amassed 344 for 4 against Railways on the opening day of their four-day Ranji Trophy match in Mumbai on Friday.
Can Rahane lead India out of the depths of misery and to the glorious peaks of victory?
