Rohit and the team management will also have to keep some of the young talents like Yashasvi Jaiswal, Sarfaraz Khan and Dhruv Jurel wrapped in cotton wool after experiencing some early success in top-flight cricket.
Rajasthan seamers did well to keep LSG down to under 200 before Sanju Samson and Dhruv Jurel guided the team home.
Purnendu Maji and Srinivas Bhogle present Rediff's Most Valuable Player Index of IPL 2025 after Game 55.
'Hardik is also a part of leading group. When we sit, we decide what we want to do in the game going forward and also on the field. He is always around. It's like we have a lot of captains on the ground.'
In-form Karun Nair's career could see a resurrection.
'Virat and Rohit not playing (Duleep Trophy) was not good for Indian cricket, nor was it good for the two players. Had they played the Duleep Trophy and had some time in the red-ball cricket, things would have been different.'
Bengal veteran Abhimanyu Easwaran was on Saturday named captain of a 13-member India A squad for the upcoming four-day match against visiting England Lions which will be preceded by a warm-up fixture.
How the India Test regulars and discards fared over the first two days in the opening round matches of Duleep Trophy.
Even shadow Purple Cup winner Prasidh couldn't escape Vaibhav's onslaught on Monday night!
K L Rahul has ruled out of the third Test against England, starting in Rajkot on Thursday, after failing to recover fully from his injury.
With 9 runs needed off 6 balls, Dhruv Jurel played an important role in sealing the victory with a sensational six. The youngster showed composure and skill under pressure, emerging as a valuable asset for the team.
In a big blow to the Indian team, the hosts will miss Ravindra Jadeja and KL Rahul for the second Test against England.
The series already in their pocket, India will look to address their batting woes against an England team gunning for revenge after feeling hard-done by a debatable concussion substitute when the two teams clash in the fifth and final T20 International in Mumbai on Sunday.
The likes of Yashaswi Jaiswal, Dhruv Jurel, Abhimanyu Easwaran, Sarfaraz Khan, Nitish Reddy, Harshit Rana, Akash Deep and Prasidh Krishna are on their maiden Test tour of Australia.
India's premier pace bowler and vice-captain Jasprit Bumrah was rested for the fourth Test match against England.
Since Suryakumar took over as captain last year, India have hardly put a wrong but his own form has dipped.
Srinivas Bhogle and Purnendu Maji present Rediff's Most Valuable Player Index of IPL 2025 after Game 39.
India will look to extend lead against England
All eyes will be on Captain Shubman Gill and Coach Gautam Gambhir to lead the Indian Test team into a bold new era.
Shami has been steadily rebuilding his form through domestic cricket. Making his Ranji Trophy return last November, he guided Bengal to a season-opening victory with a match haul of seven wickets.
Root played just three matches for Rajasthan Royals in his IPL debut this year, and Rob Key, managing director of England's men's cricket, had said the 32-year-old "needs a break" after the 50-overs World Cup in India.
High-flying Rajasthan Royals will look to continue their winning momentum and consolidate their position at the top when they take on a resurgent Lucknow Super Giants, who would be gunning for revenge at home in an IPL match in Lucknow on Saturday.
Rajasthan Royals' coach Kumar Sangakkara backs the Assamese all-rounder to repay the team's faith in him.
Premier pacer Jasprit Bumrah was on Friday named vice-captain of India for the upcoming three-match home Test series against New Zealand, strongly indicating his possible elevation to the leadership role when the team travels to Australia from next month.
India fast bowler Mohammed Siraj was ruled out of the upcoming Duleep Trophy because of illness.
'Every game that he has been part of, where India has won across formats, you will see that Bumrah has left a big imprint on that game.'
Cheteshwar Pujara looked rock-solid while Suryakumar Yadav played his natural attacking game as their contrasting half-centuries put West Zone in complete control.
The legendary Sunil Gavaskar is confident that the stylish K L Rahul can excel on Australian tracks, just like he did in South Africa last year.
While the previous CSK-RR encounter this season was a thrilling affair, the match in Jaipur was a one-sided contest.
Suryakumar Yadav will miss the first round match after suffering a a sprain to his right thumb.
Mumbai Indians have once again made a familiar disappointing start to their IPL campaign as they lost their first two matches.
The MP batter registered four single digit scores in the six innings he has played so far. The 30 year old registered scores of 32, 9, 5, 0, 17 and 0.
England captain Jos Buttler is confident that the upcoming T20I series against India will not impact their preparation for the Champions Trophy.
Eden Gardens will host the first game of the five match T20I series between India and England on Wednesday.
Former Australian skipper Aaron Finch said that Alex Carey and Rishabh Pant, two left-handed wicketkeeper-batters will be extremely important for their respective sides during the highly-anticipated Border-Gavaskar Trophy against India.
The BCCI secretary is the convenor of the senior selection committee (men) and with Shah busy with his political commitments, it is understood that the meeting will be held in Ahmedabad.
Saha said a cricketer should treat every match with equal importance citing his own example.
Ashwin feels the rule, introduced in the 2023 season which allows all IPL teams to substitute a player -- batter or bowler -- during their respective innings as per the demands of the match, makes the game fairer.
'It's gruelling. Playing a five-match series is not easy. That's what Test cricket is all about.'
Virat Kohli, the maestro of the chase, orchestrated a dominant nine-wicket victory for Royal Challengers Bengaluru (RCB) against Rajasthan Royals in Jaipur on Sunday.
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