Indian cricket fans celebrate historic win over Australia on Tuesday.
Pant bludgeoned four sixes and nine fours in his innings of 96 in 97 deliveries as India reached 357 for six
India's strong opening day show may have put South Africa on the backfoot in the first Test in Centurion, on Sunday, but home side pacer Lungi Ngidi said they still can turn the match around if they bowl the tourists out under 350.
The spotlight will, however, continue to be on the 33-year-old Kohli in Mohali with the contest against Sri Lanka being his 100th Test match for the country.
Left-arm spinner Axar Patel picked up five wickets to help India grab a handy 49-run first-innings lead on Day 3 of the first Test against New Zealand on Saturday.
The duo of Vyas and Desai took the opposing bowlers to the cleaners throughout the innings while stitching a massive first-wicket partnership of 282 runs.
Virat Kohli and Cheteshwar Pujara have been a "bit of a headache" for South Africa and the hosts will look to get them out early on Day 3 of the series-deciding third Test, said Proteas batter Keegan Petersen, in Cape Town, on Wednesday.
Rohit's 162-run partnership with Ajinkya Rahane dragged the hosts back into the contest, before England dismissed both in the final session.
The dominance of Saurashtra's bowlers could be gauged from the fact that Himachal lost their first seven wickets for just 22 runs.
Virat Kohli's talismanic presence will be the shot in the arm that India would need in their bid to win the historic first-ever away Test series against South Africa.
India's premier Test batsman Cheteshwar Pujara will play for Team Zalawad Royals in the inaugural Saurashtra Premier League.
Kohli's meeting would be about motivating his teammates
Jasprit Bumrah will have to squeeze every ounce of energy from his already overworked body, while Ajinkya Rahane will hope to get one final chance to save his international career when India take on England in the fifth and final Test, chasing a historic series win, in Manchester on Friday.
For the Indian captain and his team, the WTC final is like their Test debuts as young players trying to come up the ranks.
South Africa pacer Kagiso Rabada tried to disturb Cheteshwar Pujara's concentration on the opening day of the second Test in Pune.
Pujara may not have set alight county cricket with his Yorkshire stint but many believe the time he spent in the country gives him a distinct advantage over his team mates.
Can this Indian side, which has shown character and courage after the debacle in the first Test at Adelaide, stun the Aussies at their favourite hunting ground?
India captain Rohit Sharma was all praise for Shreyas Iyer, saying the promising batter had big shoes to fill following the axing of Cheteshwar Pujara and Ajinkya Rahane and grabbed the opportunity with both hands in the just-concluded Test series against Sri Lanka.
All-rounder Hardik Pandya is one of the notable promotions to Grade A, which is worth Rs 5 crore, while rookies Shubman Gill and Mohammed Siraj got their maiden central contracts, worth Rs 1 crore, in Grade C.
In all likelihood, vice-captain Ajinkya Rahane would get another chance but over the past two years, his inconsistency has hurt this team badly.
Shreyas Iyer's dream Test debut has put India in pole position in the opening Test against New Zealand but it also presented his team with a selection headache for the second and final test in Mumbai next week.
South Africa have often relied on fast bowlers on spicy home wickets to get them to victory, but are also well aware that India have developed an excellent pace attack that has brought them overseas success in the last few years.
Debutant Shreyas Iyer and recalled opener Shubman Gill struck half-centuries to help India overcome Kyle Jamieson's terrific display of seam bowling and post 258/4 on Day 1 of the opening Test against New Zealand.
Do you know who rules Cheteshwar Pujara's heart?
The performance of openers Rohit Sharma and K L Rahul has been the biggest plus for India in the batting department. Both have showed remarkable temperament and technique in testing conditions to give the team a solid start.
South Africa batter Keegan Petersen says his team will look to keep India's lead under 200 in the second Test, as anything more will be difficult to chase on a pitch that is getting tougher by the day.
The 29-year-old, who signed a Kolpak deal with Yorkshire in 2019 only to return to the South African domestic circuit this season, returned figures of 3 for 64 as India were bowled out for 202 in 63.1 overs on Day 1 of the second Test, in Johannesburg, on Monday.
'Cheteshwar Pujara is the wall (of Indian cricket) after Rahul Dravid. He is the Indian wall like the China Wall (referring to the Great Wall of China).'
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.
Former Australia spinner Brad Hogg feels young Prithvi Shaw is more suited for the number three spot in Test cricket and is the top candidate to step in place of Cheteshwar Pujara if India think of replacing the veteran India batsman in the five-Test series against England, starting next month.
While Cheteshwar Pujara scored 4, 12 not out and 9 in the three innings he batted on the ongoing England tour, Ajinkya Rahane managed just 5 and 1 in the two innings he played.
A resolute Ravichandran Ashwin and a hamstrung Hanuma Vihari battled pain and a hostile Australian bowling attack while displaying the largely extinct art of Test-saving batsmanship to snatch a remarkable draw for India in the third Test, after Rishabh Pant raised visions of an improbable victory, at the Sydney Cricket Ground, on Monday.
The selectors have decided to persist with struggling opener K L Rahul who has gone through a string of poor scores.
New Zealand's Mumbai-born left-arm spinner Ajaz Patel is relishing every bit of his dream homecoming after grabbing all the four wickets during the first day's play against India in the second Test, on Friday.
India No 3 batsman Cheteshwar Pujara, who ground it out on Day 1, scoring 43 off 160 balls, believes that the match is evenly poised after India ended the day at 233 for 6 but conceded that skipper Virat Kohli and Ajinkya Rahane's dismissals in the final hour of the opening day will provide a 'little bit of advantage' to the hosts.
Here are some of the memorable celebratory moments...
Images from Day 4 of the third Test between South Africa and India, in Cape Town, on Friday.
Dhoni had arrived in Chennai on Wednesday last.
Besides Agarwal, New Zealand spinner Ajaz Patel and Australian pacer Mitchell Starc were also short-listed for the award.
Five Indian players to watch in the Test series against Australia, which begins in Adelaide on December 17:
© 2026 Rediff.com - Advertise with us - Disclaimer - Privacy Policy - Sitemap - Feedback - About us - Terms of use - Grievances