They weren't up for a windfall even after the trophy but life was certain to get a lot better as some sponsors and state governments stepped up to lift them financially.
'Here we are putting an end to all the masala and spice.'
To be or not to be could well be the dilemma in Shubman Gill's mind as he crisscrosses formats, having tweaked his technique from an unorthodox style to a more classical one that is not quite yielding the returns he may have envisaged in T20 Internationals.
Simon Harmer picked up four wickets as South Africa staged an incredible fightback to shock India by 30 runs in a low-scoring first Test match.
The national selection committee led by Ajit Agarkar, in all likelihood, will select identical squads for the five-match T20I series against New Zealand and the marquee ICC T20 World Cup, a BCCI source said on Friday.
While the white-ball trophy cabinet kept getting heavier, Team India's fortunes in Test cricket swung wildly between hope and despair in 2025.
Little-known ambidextrous Bengal spinner Kaushik Maity seamlessly doubled up for both roles during the optional practice session.
Ravichandran Ashwin's three-word post on X featured the Nike tick symbol in the Indian tri-colour with the words 'Just leave it'.
The once familiar sight of nimble-footed, whippywristed Indian batters dominating spin looks a distant memory, replaced by the horror of watching South Africa off-spinner Simon Harmer wreak havoc by taking 17 wickets over the two Tests.
As India gear up for the T20 World Cup at home, the selectors have backed a squad built on impact, and versatility.
India will look to reprise their home template of big first-innings totals and sustained spin in the short two-Test series against South Africa beginning in Kolkata on Friday.
Team India skipper Shubman Gill is unlikely to feature in the second Test against South Africa, with Cricket Association of Bengal sources confirming that he is not travelling to Guwahati with the team on Wednesday.
Hardik Pandya made a memorable comeback to the Indian team, smashing a blistering half-century to power India to a thumping 101-run win over South Africa in the first T20 International.
Cheteshwar Pujara refuses to believe India's recent poor record at home is because of transition.
On Raksha Bandhan, the coach got Aazeen and Anaiza to tie rakhis to each other as their mom Natasha Jain holding a thaali of sweets, looked on.
Jitesh Sharma, who has emerged as India's preferred wicketkeeper-batter in T20 format with less than two months left for the World Cup, has played down his 'competition' with Sanju Samson in the squad, saying it only brings out his "A-game" to the fore, strengthening the side.
Virat Kohli smashed record-extending 52nd ODI to guide India to a 17-run win in the series opener, getting India off to a winning start in their three-match series.
India's awe-inspiring batting depth will face a stern test against South Africa's quality spin attack in the first Test, starting in Kolkata on Friday.
The track is historically a high-scoring one and the outfield is quick. But on a red soil surface, the ball grips and can surprise the batters.
The head coach gets to pick the support staff, and Gambhir is no exception. However, the board has reportedly nixed his first choices for bowling and fielding coaches.
Gautam Gambhir put up a stout defence of under-pressure skipper Rohit Sharma and star batter Virat Kohli.
There are three aspects of the decision taken jointly by Agarkar and Gambhir with the blessings of someone very powerful in Indian cricket ecosystem. First, they are on same page that both Rohit and Virat Kohli aren't exactly in their scheme of things for the 2027 World Cup.
South Africa pulled off a sensational victory inside three days of the opening Test against India on Sunday and the manner of it would go a long way in silencing those who doubted their credentials as the reigning world test champions.
Ignored by the national selectors for T20 set-up, Yashasvi Jaiswal sent another stern reminder to the Ajit Agarkar-led selection committee with a blistering 48-ball century as defending champions Mumbai crushed Haryana by four wickets in a high-scoring Syed Mushtaq Ali Trophy Super League B match, in Ambi, Pune, on Sunday.
Working with Abhishek has made me understand how to become a coach: Yuvraj Singh
The second and final Test starts in Guwahati from Saturday with India trailing 0-1 after the defeat on a challenging Eden Gardens pitch in Kolkata.
Kohli has assured the BCCI that their past differences won't affect their work together.
When the Indian team entered the ICC Cricket Academy Arena for their evening net session ahead of the Asia Cup, Samson was the first to start his solo keeping drills with fielding coach T Dilip, even as others were just about lumbering up.
Speculations and debates have sparked over social media since last week, after chief selector Ajit Agarkar announced the management's decision to hand over the ODI captaincy from Rohit to Shubman Gill.
'Will any coach think of keeping out Rohit and Kohli from the ODI team? That means there is something going on within the team against the two players.' Manoj Tiwary, who played 12 ODIs and three T20Is for India, said iconic players like Rohit Sharma and Virat Kohli deserve greater respect.
Australia skipper Mitchell Marsh expressed disappointment at the loss but praised India's all-round performance.
Ravi Shastri guided India to back-to-back series wins in Australia and his short advice to current head coach Gautam Gambhir is to "stay calm" over the course of five Tests Down Under and avoid knee-jerk reactions.
The last time two specialist keepers played together in a Test was in 1986, when Kiran More and Chandrakant Pandit featured in the same XI, with Pandit playing as a batter.
Rishabh Pant's place in the playing eleven is far from guaranteed, while Washington Sundar and Nitish Kumar Reddy are locked in a tight contest for the additional all-rounder's slot as India confront several selection dilemmas ahead of the first ODI against South Africa in Ranchi.
Gambhir has taken over from Rahul Dravid at a time when the team is gradually embracing a transition phase, and in that context, he wanted the team to follow a result-oriented approach.
Gambhir, currently the mentor of IPL 2024 Champions Kolkata Knight Riders, wants complete control of the team if he takes over as head coach.
"When a captain or a coach says something like this, obviously there is a bit of confidence and you've to back yourself up.'
Former India batter Ajay Jadeja defended head coach Gautam Gambhir from the criticism he has received following the 0-3 drubbing against New Zealand.
India's sporting fraternity, including Olympic medalists Neeraj Chopra and PV Sindhu, expressed grief and condemnation over the deadly terrorist attack in Pahalgam, Kashmir.
'He will be a people's man. He will capture everybody's heart.'
