Rahul hasn't crossed the 30 run mark in his last 10 innings and his overall career average of 33 after 47 Tests doesn't ooze confidence.
Like the billionaire investor Rakesh Jhunjhunwala, Gautam Gambhir, the tenacious former opener-turned-coach, also seems to be governed by instincts while picking unheralded players and turning them into match-winners, points out Vishal Menon.
Arun Lal's "very poor pitch" comment on the opening day drew a sharp rebuttal from the Saurashtra Cricket Association on Wednesday after its curator, Mahendra Rajdev, said the Bengal coach erred in his judgement by jumping the gun in the ongoing Ranji Trophy final in Rajkot.
Images from Day Two of the opening Test between India and New Zealand at the Rajiv Gandhi International stadium in Uppal on Friday.
An emphatic six-wicket win in the fourth and final Test in New Delhi on Sunday helped Team India complete a historic 4-0 clean sweep against Australia.
Lokesh Rahul, who hit two half-centuries in the deciding Dharamsala Test against Australia, on Thursday, jumped 11 places to a career-high rank of 11th in the latest ICC chart for Test batsmen.
Captain Alastair Cook and Haseeb Hameed may have frustrated the Indians with their dogged defence on Day 4 but Cheteshwar Pujara says it will be extremely tough for England to bat through the fifth and final of the second Test in Visakhapatnam.
Like all cricketers, Krunal had been confined to his house in Vadodara since March 25, when the centre enforced a nationwide lockdown to curb the outbreak of COVID-19 pandemic.
To keep their minds off the Pune disaster, the team went on a hike at Tamhini Ghat on Monday, and the trek to the Western Ghats seemed to have brought out their inner Platos and Ramanujas.
Tanush Kotian's five-wicket haul helped Mumbai bounce back as the visitors bowled out Baroda for 185 in their second innings.
Test specialists Cheteshwar Pujara may have drawn criticism for his slow strike rate during the tour of West Indies but India coach Anil Kumble on Wednesday threw his weight behind the batsman saying he is a vital cog in the team's scheme of things and no one has put pressure on him to score quickly.
Ian Chappell reckoned Indian batsmen need to strike a balance between caution and aggression. Known for his sharp cricketing mind, Chappell's line of thinking is a bit different from that of Kohli.
Only if we could have a Rohit versus Ashwin clash in the semis! What a perfect fill-up it would be for the resurgence of the Ranji Trophy.
The Indian squad led by Mahendra Singh Dhoni departed for New Zealand from Mumbai on Sunday for a five-match ODI series followed by a best-of-two Test rubber against the hosts.
Jaiswal's selection comes after an impressive performance in the domestic circuit across various formats,
Shepherded by Priyank Panchal's spunky innings, West Zone defied South Zone bowlers while chasing a formidable 298 and finished day four of the Duleep Trophy final at 182 for five.
Vihari, clearly hampered having pulled up clutching his hamstring after running for a single before tea, scored at a rate that made Pujara look like a limited overs slogger.
Rohit's 162-run partnership with Ajinkya Rahane dragged the hosts back into the contest, before England dismissed both in the final session.
It remains to be seen if Rishabh Pant retains his place in the team after his shocking dismissal at a crucial stage in the second innings of the second Test.
Indian women cricketers took to social media to laud the Board of Control for Cricket in India for introducing equal match fees for both men's and women's cricketers in a huge step to introduce pay equity in the sport.
Rohit Sharma's request to the BCCI for a break from white-ball cricket in South Africa despite being offered T20 captaincy has been accepted, while Jasprit Bumrah has been named his deputy for the two Tests starting December 26.
India spinner Kuldeep Yadav was inundated with birthday greetings on Twitter.
The 14th season of the IPL, which was postponed in May this year in the wake of the COVID-19 pandemic, will resume on September 19 in Dubai with a blockbuster clash between Chennai Super Kings and Mumbai Indians.
A look at Team India's nets session in Kanpur on Tuesday.
As expected, the Indian selectors decided to stick with the same 16-member squad, which beat Bangladesh in the one-off Test, for the first two matches of the forthcoming four-match Test series against Australia, starting in Pune, on February 23.
Statistical highlights from the third day's play of the first Test between India and Sri Lanka.
The 19-year-old Samson and 26-year-old Karn were rewarded for consistent performances in the domestic circuit as well as India 'A' engagements.
India captain Rohit Sharma including mainstays Virat Kohli, Jasprit Bumrah and Ravindra Jadeja have placed in the highest category of BCCI central contracts.
Opener Mayank Agarwal hit a gritty hundred to rescue India after New Zealand left-arm spinner Ajaz Patel had put them in a spot of bother with three quick wickets on the weather-hit first day of the second and final Test, at the Wankhede stadium, in Mumbai, on Friday.
In a curious case of mistaken identity that could cause serious embarrassment to national selectors, a Saurashtra Cricket Association official on Sunday claimed that little known Punjab player Ravi Inder Singh was thought to be prolific all-rounder Ravindrasinh Jadeja and got selected for the Challenger Trophy.
The 18-year-old right-hander was named in a 12-man squad on Wednesday for the first of the two-Test series and is expected to open alongside Lokesh Rahul.
Five Indian players to watch in the Test series against Australia, which begins in Adelaide on December 17:
Images from Day 4 in the first Test between India and New Zealand, at Green Park in Kanpur, on Sunday.
Star all-rounder Ravindra Jadeja was rewarded with the elite grade A plus retainership.
Another tough choice India need to make is in the wicket-keeping department.
Team combination a worry for India
Pakistan legend Wasim Akram said the Indian fast bowling unit should not get 'carried away' with the new ball.
Rahul Dravid's tenure as India Head Coach, which ended gloriously with the T20 World Cup triumph in Barbados on Saturday, will remain a case study on how to be stately and understated at the same time in modern-day cricket coaching.
India's Test captain Virat Kohli took the field along with team mates for a light session at Green Park, in Kanpur, on Sunday.
India's pace trio took less than three hours to rout the tourists after Mominul Haque's decision to bat backfired.
