Devdutt Padikkal, Nitish Rana and Chetan Sakariya is looking to imbibe the traits of Rahul Dravid
'Sometimes it might look wrong in the fans' eyes, but please don't twist things or create narratives that aren't even close to the truth.'
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.
Shreyas Iyer, aiming to make a comeback to India's Test squad, fell for a second successive duck in the ongoing tournament.
K L Rahul is likely to miss Karnataka's Ranji Trophy match against Punjab, starting on Thursday, to continue his recovery from an elbow niggle.
Royal Challengers Bangalore (RCB) have signed Mayank Agarwal as a replacement for the injured Devdutt Padikkal, while Delhi Capitals (DC) have signed Afghan batter Sediqullah Atal in place of Harry Brook.
A recap of the action of the fifth week of IPL 2026.
Sanju Samson's century, Punjab Kings' record 265 chase, Rinku Singh's Super Over heroics and standout knocks from KL Rahul, Abhishek Sharma and Virat Kohli headline an action-packed Week 4 of IPL 2026.
Skipper Shubman Gill had a long batting stint while the troika of Jasprit Bumrah, Kuldeep Yadav and Axar Patel returned to action for India's final training session here on Wednesday before the first Test against the West Indies.
'So make sure first you pick the right characters and then if you see that, try and give them a longer run so that they themselves should be content and happy that they've got a longer run rather than just chopping and changing as well.'
Openers Phil Salt and Virat Kohli will brace for a fiery showdown against thunderbolts from express pacer Jofra Archer as Rajasthan Royals and Royal Challengers Bengaluru look to get back to winning ways in the IPL match in Jaipur on Sunday.
Pant's gritty fifty keeps India A together in chase of 275
Who do you think should be part of India's playing XI for the first Test against Australia in Perth?
Auqib Nabi, Jammu and Kashmir's key bowler, is focused on performing well in the Ranji Trophy final against Karnataka, aiming to leverage his adaptive skills and contribute to his team's success.
'Jaiswal is too talented to be written off after one bad innings. He'll bounce back. The real test is how he handles the second innings.'
Batting stalwart Cheteshwar Pujara, ignored for the two-Test series against South Africa, cracked an unbeaten century as defending champions Saurashtra made a mockery of the Jharkhand bowling attack.
Devdutt Padikkal, Yashasvi Jaiswal and Shimron Hetmyer starred in the Royals chase.
Speaking to ANI, sources within the RCB franchise confirmed that Virat and Siraj will be flying out from Manchester in a charter flight on Saturday night and reach Dubai early Sunday morning.
India's Test stars flopped with the bat as the hosts folded for a lowly 194 in 52.5 overs in their first innings, on Day 2 of the unofficial second Test against Australia A.
The COVID-19 setback firmly behind him, Royal Challengers Bangalore opener Devdutt Padikkal says he is now ready to fire with the bat in IPL 2021 and feels confident of replicating his stupendous domestic form in the T20 league.
Here's a roundup of all Ranji Trophy matches played on Day 1 on Wednesday.
'Most of the batters performed. I would say that is a very good sign going forward. Apart from this you have got three quality batters who are not even part of the squad -- Shreyas (Iyer), Sarfaraz (Khan) and (Devdutt) Padikkal.'
Devdutt Padikkal joined Mumbai skipper Prithvi Shaw to surpass Mayank Agarwal's tally of most runs in a single Vijay Hazare Trophy edition.
Opener Sam Konstas smashed a century to lead Australia's superb showing with the bat on the rain-hit Day 1 of the first unofficial Test match against India A.
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.
Durham pace duo of Matthew Potts and Brydon Carse wreaked havoc on a depleted India A side as they bowled the hosts out for a modest 192 to give England Lions upper hand in the third and final unofficial Test in Ahmedabad on Thursday.
Kohli has constructed a mini hot streak, making four fifties in his last five innings and pushing for Orange Cap with 443 runs.
'DC v RCB: Dressing room Chat Part 2. Jitesh appreciates cameos from Bethell and David, and has a special message for Rajat in the end!'
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.
Mayank Agarwal received a fitness clearance after he missed out on the Ranji Trophy game against the Railways due to medical issues
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.
Flamboyant keeper-batter Ishan Kishan walked into the middle and he looked in the mood as he played some impressive shots, including pulling O'Neill for a six.
Royal Challengers Bangalore will aim to turn their fortunes around at home when they face a struggling Rajasthan Royals on Thursday in the Indian Premier League (IPL).
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.
Who do you think should be part of India's playing XI for the second ODI against Sri Lanka?
RCB seamer Josh Hazlewood's participation in remaining IPL matches doubtful
Before this game. Kohli after three poor outings across which he made just 30 runs in RCB's home matches.
Struggling Mumbai Indians will be hoping their batters get their act together and shoulder responsibility when they take on an inspired Royal Challengers Bengaluru in the Indian Premier League match in Mumbai on Monday.
Buoyed by their win in the first Test in Perth, the Indian cricket team arrived in Canberra for the mid-series two-day game against the Australia Prime Minister's XI on November 30 and December 1 ahead of the Pink Ball Test in Adelaide on December 6.
Young batting sensation Devdutt Padikkal sharisays ng a birthday with the legendary Mahendra Singh Dhoni is 'a great feeling' for him.
