India pacer Bhuvneshwar Kumar feels the debate over preparing a spin-friendly track at the Eden Gardens for the opening Test against South Africa is pointless as the country has been laying out such wickets for ages.
With Rahul and wife Athiya Shetty expecting their first baby, the senior player could miss a game or two depending on the due date.
Raina also laid emphasis on how Kuldeep Yadav could be a lynchpin in India's success.
Team India skipper Suryakumar Yadav has found himself in the spotlight for a brief moment of forgetfulness at the toss during their Asia Cup fixture against Oman in Dubai on Friday.
The team management now has a tricky call on hand while deciding whether to keep Samson in the playing XI finding a slot for him in top three or play Jitesh Sharma
The national selectors brought back wicketkeeper-batter Kishan along with Rinku Singh while dropping Test and ODI captain Shubman Gill who has been struggling in the T20 format.
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.
The final Test begins on Friday in New Delhi, and the Shubman Gill-led side is expected to maintain their winning combination as they look to wrap up the home series.
For a bowler this effective to be sidelined repeatedly, there must be either a very specific tactical reason -- or something unspoken within the dressing room dynamics.
Hardik Pandya made a memorable comeback to the Indian team, smashing a blistering half-century to power India to a thumping 101-run win over South Africa in the first T20 International.
Gill back in full flow, Hardik opts out of practice ahead of SA T20I series
Ashwin wants this "unexpected hero" to surprise against Pakistan during Asia Cup
Delhi Capitals has spinner Axar Patel and seamer Harshal Patel in its ranks.
With the much-anticipated Group A clash against arch-rivals Pakistan looming, India is sparing no effort in their training sessions, honing skills and strategising tactics.
All-rounder Axar Patel is set to take over as captain of the Delhi Capitals for IPL 2025 after K L Rahul declined to lead the team.
Delhi Capitals will be desperate to arrest their slump and stay in contention for a play-off berth when they take on high-flying Punjab Kings in a crucial IPL match in Dharamsala on Thursday.
With the T20 World Cup less than two months away, India would want their captain Suryakumar Yadav to rediscover his rhythm sooner rather than later.
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.
After this snub, it looks difficult for Shubman Gill at this point to make a comeback to the T20 team with plenty of talented young players waiting in the wings.
Arshdeep Singh -- statement spells against SA shows need to give pacer consistent ODI outings
Nicholas Pooran kept LSG in the hunt even though wickets were tumbling at the other end. But Pooran's stay was cut short when Axar Patel took a sharp game-changing catch!
When players select themselves, the selectors' job becomes delightfully simple. But did the Indian selectors have that luxury while picking the T20 World Cup squad for the 2026 T20 World Cup? asks K R Nayar.
DC's brilliant fielding turned the game in their favour, proving once again that catches win matches.
South African batting stalwart Faf du Plessis has been appointed vice-captain of the Delhi Capitals team for the upcoming Indian Premier League season.
Mike Hesson is free to rank Pakistan left-arm spinner Mohammed Nawaz as high as he wants but India know where their spinners are placed in the world order.
Spinners Axar Patel and Ravichandran Ashwin's tight spells with the ball were instrumental in Delhi Capitals scoring a narrow three-wicket victory over Chennai Super Kings.
Shubman Gill might just want to be fit enough to bat, as even a half-fit skipper is seen as more effective than Sai Sudharsan, Abhimanyu Easwaran or Sarfaraz Khan.
'My bat did its work, and they (Pakistan) did not get a chance to speak.'
Narine stars as KKR keep playoff hopes alive with 14-run win over DC
KL Rahul, Axar Patel, and Harshit Rana Face Rohit Sharma's Wrath
Ravichandran Ashwin exposed India batters' lack of quality to battle ball tweakers by claiming that if legendary batter Sachin Tendulkar or past domestic heroes Amol Muzumdar, the India women's team head coach and Mithun Manhas had played against spinners on such a track, the Test would have gone to four days, unlike India's harrowing 30-run defeat against South Africa at Eden Gardens.
The 23-year-old explained that his stint with Delhi Capitals sharpened his cricketing brain.
Ruturaj Gaikwad and Deepak Hooda will replace them in the squad for the series, beginning in Kolkata on February 16.
'He never lets his own form affect his leadership.'
With Bumrah leading the charge, India prised out five wickets in the second session to snuff out South Africa's hopes of reaching the 200 mark.
Fresh from their morale-boosting win over LSG, and bolstered by the return of India wicketkeeper-batter K L Rahul, Delhi Capitals will look to build on the momentum when they take on formidable Sunrisers Hyderabad in the IPL match in Visakhapatnam on Sunday.
Such has been the problem of plenty for selectors in the T20 format that they are finding it difficult to even accommodate Yashasvi Jaiswal -- a proven performer in T20 cricket.
Delhi Capitals looked like a well-oiled machine with four wins in a row before a stunning batting meltdown against Mumbai Indians halted their momentum.
All-rounder Axar Patel said he used the experience he gained from the IPL to hit a match-winning half-century which lifted India a series-clinching victory in the second ODI against West Indies in Port of Spain, Trinidad, on Sunday.
Images from the second T20 International between India and South Africa, at the PCA's New Chandigarh Stadium, Mullanpur.
