The careers of senior pros Ajinkya Rahane and Ishant Sharma are on the line when the selectors pick the Indian Test squad for the coming tour of South Africa.
Tamil Nadu lead Railways by 363 runs courtesy Jagadeesan double hundred
India are marginally ahead of third-placed New Zealand in the WTC points tally.
Vice-captain Ajinkya Rahane will lead India in the first Test against New Zealand in Kanpur, starting November 25, before regular skipper Virat Kohli returns to take charge from the second Test in Mumbai.
Post Kohli's departure following the pink-ball Test, Ajinkya Rahane is likely to take the skipper's position at number four while Hanuma Vihari will bat at number five.
'Happy Birthday to a wonderful selfless cricketer, his contributions cannot be measured only in runs.'
Pant bludgeoned four sixes and nine fours in his innings of 96 in 97 deliveries as India reached 357 for six
Former India opener Virender Sehwag believes all is not well with the Rahul Dravid-coached Indian team and a few things needed to be addressed as soon as possible after England pulled off a record 378-run chase.
Among his wards, Mayank Agarwal, Prithvi Shaw and Hanuma Vihari have taken to Test cricket like duck to water, all-rounder Vijay Shankar is staking World Cup claims, while Shubhman Gill broke into the ODI team in New Zealand.
Former India captain Dilip Vengsarkar advocated the inclusion of Suryakumar Yadav as the sixth specialist batsman in the fourth Test against England, starting on September 2.
The Indian team hit the nets as they geared up for the series-deciding fourth and final Test match against Australia, starting in Brisbane on Friday.
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.
If one has to analyse Ashwin the cricketer, it is very difficult to ignore Ashwin, the person, who had a very independent mind and a brain that probably ticked 24x7. He believed in de-construction of his art and became craftier one ball at a time.
Opting to bat, India 'A' put on a massive 295 for 6 in their allotted 50 overs and then bowled out the hosts for 147 in 34.2 overs.
Seniors like Ajinkya Rahane and Cheteshwar Pujara came in for a lot of flak for their below-par showing with the bat, while Jasprit Bumrah also failed to live up to expectations.
A few bruised egos will eye redemption when India square off against Australia in the second Test in Melbourne from Saturday, ready to bounce back in skipper Ajinkya Rahane's hour of reckoning after their batting debacle in the series opener in Adelaide.
India will look to make the most of their only warm-up game, beginning, in Sydney, on Wednesday against Cricket Australia XI.
Since the Test specialists are also travelling, the red ball training will also happen along with usual white ball nets.
There will certainly be some distinct home advantage for Australia along with the experience of playing more Day/Night Tests.
The batting was a big letdown for the Indians with Virat Kohli, Hanuma Vihari, Shubman Gill and Shreyas Iyer failing in both innings, while Shardul Thakur's selection over Ravichandran Ashwin turned out to be a big mistake.
This is his 'Test' and for Kohli, a century to mark a 'century' is something he would be craving
It was Virat Kohli's fourth unsuccessful attempt to lead India to an ICC title
Also giving the training a miss were first Test double centurion Mayank Agarwal and wicketkeeper Wriddhiman Saha.
Paine has come under fire for a verbal duel with Ashwin when the Indian held vigil with an injured Hanuma Vihari to eke out a draw for his team
India's captain Ajinkya Rahane on Monday said the racial abuse faced by his teammates Jasprit Bumrah and Mohammed Siraj during the third Test against Australia in Sydney is not at all acceptable and should not happen anywhere in the world.
The official handle of the Indian cricket team revealed the jersey numbers of the players through Instagram stories.
Following is a fact box on the second Test of the four-match series between Australia and India:
New Zealand pace bowler Kyle Jamieson enjoyed a dream start to his Test career on the opening day of the first match against India as he captured three wickets and also took a catch in the deep as the tourists limped to 122-5 after rain washed out the entire post-tea session. Ajinkya Rahane was on 38 at stumps at the Basin Reserve on Friday, while the recalled Rishabh Pant was 10 not out, with the 2.03m tall Jamieson tormenting batsmen with his ability to get the ball to rear off a length.
India captain Rohit Sharma advised young batters aspiring to represent the country to keep scoring runs in Ranji Trophy and not worry about selection as opportunities are bound to arise.
Kohli decorated his innings with five boundaries and two sixes.
England opener Alastair Cook's final Test innings came to a close when he was dismissed having scored a fairytale 147 against India in the fifth Test at the Oval on Monday.
Team combination a worry for India
According to PTI, the chairman of selectors, Chetan Sharma has asked the duo to regain form by playing Ranji Trophy.
West Zone's batting stars Ajinkya Rahane and Shreyas Iyer flattered to deceive as South Zone restricted them to 250/8 on the opening day of the Duleep Trophy final in Coimbatore on Wednesday.
Shaw kept taking on the bowlers and ensured boundaries came in every over as he got into the 90s.
Rishabh Pant excelled with a counter-attacking 71-ball 67 as India 'A' scored a five-wicket victory over West Indies 'A' in the second unofficial Test, coming back from a precarious position to clinch the series 1-0, in Taunton, on Friday.
The latest edition of the grand opera that is Indian domestic season will begin in Bengaluru on Wednesday with the Duleep Trophy.
India batting coach Vikram Rathour said that pace spearhead Jasprit Bumrah is working closely with the medical team and the decision on his inclusion will be taken ahead of the start of the match on Friday.
Australia head coach Justin Langer on Wednesday hinted that the Indian Premier League could be responsible for the large number of injuries suffered by India in the ongoing four-match Test series.
'It's important to do that, give these guys confidence and we will take it from there. We are very open minded as a team management, so whatever suits the best for the team we will try and take that call.'
