Indian head coach Gautam Gambhir confirmed that T20I vice-captain Shubman Gill is "ready to start" ahead of the first T20I against South Africa of the five-match series, which will take place on December 9.
The charismatic presence of Virat Kohli and Rohit Sharma alongside a host of top India cricketers lends unprecedented gravitas to the Vijay Hazare One-Day Trophy beginning on Wednesday, giving all of them a chance to prove a point amid a renewed focus on domestic grind.
Virat Kohli's 58th List A hundred resembled a grand opera played inside an empty Royal Albert Hall.
Star batters Virat Kohli and Rishabh Pant made solid fifties as Delhi eked out a narrow seven-run win against Gujarat in the Vijay Hazare Trophy.
Virat Kohli confirms his availability for Vijay Hazare Trophy
Pant boost for Delhi as keeper-batter returns for Vijay Hazare Trophy
Virat Kohli is yet to arrive in Bengaluru and it is not clear when he will undergo the mandatory fitness test ahead of the new season.
Anvay, the son of legendary India batter Rahul Dravid, was on Tuesday named in the India U-19 B squad for an upcoming triangular series also featuring India A and Afghanistan's U-19 teams.
"Gill should cement his place at the top order in T20": Irfan Pathan
The Karnataka State Cricket Association has failed to comply with the safety and security requirements at M Chinnaswamy stadium, said Karnataka Home Minister G Parameshwara.
Shubman Gill will return 'better, stronger' after T20 World Cup snub: Gujarat Titans COO
Asked about it at a media interaction in Dubai, Chief Selector Ajit Agarkar clarified: 'He is injured.'
U-19 Tri-Series: Vedant Trivedi guides India B to two-wicket win over Afghanistan
Last season's runners-up Vidarbha produced a disciplined all-round performance to beat Delhi by 76 runs and enter their second successive semi-final of the Vijay Hazare Trophy in Bengaluru on Tuesday.
India A skipper Rishabh Pant allayed injury concerns, smashing a quickfire half-century after being forced to retire hurt on Day 3 of the four-day match against South Africa A.
Rishabh Pant is making a comeback to competitive cricket after recovering from his foot injury.
Out-of-form India vice-captain Shubman Gill has been ruled out of the last two T20I games against South Africa with a toe injury, sources close to the team told PTI.
Pant, who will lead India A, is returning after a three-month absence because of a foot injury which he sustained in July in England, and now the 28-year-old southpaw is aiming to get back to the national fold during the two-match Test series against the Proteas.
After taking a dig at former India skipper Rohit Sharma on his fitness, Congress leader Shama Mohamed, on Wednesday, again sparked controversy, drawing a religious angle to cricketer Sarfaraz Khan's omission from the India and India A squads announced recently by the Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI).
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.
The two four-day games will be held at the BCCI Centre of Excellence in Bengaluru from October 30 to November 9.
On paper, India are overwhelming favourites to win the series against Chamari Athapaththu-led visitors.
Decision on IPL matches at Chinnaswamy stadium after discussing it in Cabinet meet: Karnataka DyCM Shivakumar
In keeping with workload management for frontline pacers, spearhead Jasprit Bumrah is also likely to be rested from the three-match ODI series, which carries little significance in the build-up to the T20 showpiece.
Abhimanyu Easwaran made the future path all the more tough with his second duck of the match, while Sai Sudharsan concluded his lukewarm preparation for the South Africa Test series with an underwhelming 23 off 38 balls.
The Indian selectors will be announcing the team for the three-match ODI series against the Black Caps, starting January 11 in Vadodara and there have been speculations about whether Pant can hold on to his place in the squad.
According to BCCI sources, Bangladesh men's S&C coach Nathan Kiely is in talks with the Indian board and he is likely to join the COE.
Rishabh Pant's return to competitive cricket after a three-month injury-enforced hiatus will be the primary focal point of India A's four-day match against South Africa A.
Rohit spent nearly a week at the BCCI's Centre of Excellence (CoE) in Bengaluru last month
Shreyas Iyer takes break from red-ball cricket, informs BCCI of a back issue
India's T20I vice-captain Shubman Gill will be reporting at Bengaluru's Centre of Excellence on Monday for his mandatory fitness assessment protocols, which will determine his return to action for the upcoming five-match series against South Africa starting December 9.
Shami has not exactly been pleased with the national selectors and has gone on record to say that they have not communicated with him. However, sources in the BCCI say that it may not be the correct picture.
Top-order batters subjugate India A's Test bowlers as SA A register five-wicket win
The decision to allow Virat Kohli to complete his fitness in London has sparked a debate within the cricketing circles on whether this was a one-off allowance to a player of his stature.
Central Zone captain Dhruv Jurel and East Zone skipper Abhimanyu Easwaran missed the Duleep Trophy quarterfinals, which began in Bengaluru on Thursday, owing to fever and groin niggle respectively.
Pant, looking super fit after a three-month injury layoff, took the field for India A against South Africa A at the Centre of Excellence in Bengaluru.
It was also his third hundred in the last seven innings after going past three digits against Australia A at Lucknow and the West Indies at Ahmedabad.
Venkatesh Prasad to contest for KSCA president's post, Kumble, Srinath back ex-India pacer's panel
Those who bowl at 150 kph are kings, but I am also working on slower balls, yorkers: Umran Malik
India A skipper Rishabh Pant will look to build on the gains from the first match, while the likes of Mohammed Siraj and Kuldeep Yadav will aim for crucial red-ball game time in the second four-day match against a Temba Bavuma-led South Africa A in Bengaluru from Thursday.
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