Senior batter Virat Kohli's awesome genius in 50-over format was on full view during his 52nd hundred that guided India to a strong 349 for eight against South Africa in the first ODI of the three-match series in Ranchi on Sunday.
The inability to turn promising starts into match-defining scores haunted India throughout the series, including in the third and final ODI in Indore.
Virat Kohli surpassed the great Ricky Ponting for most runs by a No 3 batter in ODIs.
While Rohit Sharma and Virat Kohli batted. Mohammed Shami looked good as in ran in with steam in the nets.
India will look to address several lingering selection puzzles when they take on South Africa in Ranchi on Sunday in the first ODI of the three-match series, where Rohit Sharma and Virat Kohli return to the set-up for a short audition that could well shape their 2027 World Cup fate.
Sunrisers Hyderabad coach Daniel Vettori has highlighted the threat posed by Kolkata Knight Riders' spinners Sunil Narine and Varun Chakravarthy ahead of their IPL match, despite their recent struggles. He also discussed the pitch conditions and the team's stand-in captain, Ishan Kishan.
South Africa A humble India A by 73 runs to avoid series whitewash
Champions Kolkata Knight Riders look like the most complete squad heading into IPL 2025.
ri Lanka opener Pathum Nissanka smashed a belligerent century as Indian bowlers endured their worst day in the Asia Cup before Arshdeep Singh produced a brilliant 'Super Over' to win the game for his side in Dubai on Friday.
This happened following India's practice session that saw both India's senior batters hit the nets at the Optus Stadium.
Kolkata Knight Riders face a tough challenge against a strong Punjab Kings side in their upcoming IPL match.
The others to arrive after a delayed flight were K L Rahul, Yashasvi Jaiswal, Arshdeep Singh, Harshit Rana and Nitish Kumar Reddy along with some members of the support staff.
Mumbai Indians will begin their quest to end a five-year title drought in the Indian Premier League against a depleted Kolkata Knight Riders side.
Barring Jasprit Bumrah, who got five wickets in England's first innings, none of the other bowlers looked penetrative as the hosts chased down a target of 371 with minimum fuss.
'So he's available for the bigger match, which is against Sri Lanka.'
An analysis of Gautam Gambhir's coaching style, highlighting his conviction, support for players, and success in white-ball cricket, while also addressing his polarising nature and the challenges he faces in longer formats.
Virat and Rohit have made oppositions look silly, fun to see them in dressing room: KL Rahul
Images from the first One-Day International between India and England in Nagpur, on Thursday.
With Abhishek Sharma hospitalised with a stomach bug, Sanju Samson is set to get another opportunity at the top of the order.
Shubman Gill enjoyed a phenomenal run with the bat in England, piling up 754 runs at an average of 75.40 with four centuries.
With the much-anticipated Group A clash against arch-rivals Pakistan looming, India is sparing no effort in their training sessions, honing skills and strategising tactics.
With no ODI series in Australia in the next two years, it is impossible to think that the legendary duo will again be seen Down Under in India blues.
Rishabh Pant was ruled out for nearly three months after he fractured his foot during the fourth Test against England in Manchester in July.
Earlier, warm-up routines had players darting through shuttle runs and high knees before bats were unsheathed.
Kolkata Knight Riders will be looking for their spinners to rediscover their form against Sunrisers Hyderabad in their IPL match.
Rohit Sharma offered a hilarious piece of advice to spinner Kuldeep Yadav ahead of the T20 World Cup this year from February 7.
The grand comeback party of Virat Kohli and Rohit Sharma endured a quick 22-ball ending, and their lowkey outing reflected in India's seven-wicket defeat against Australia.
Jasprit Bumrah is only human and cannot always shoulder the responsibility of bowling opposition out all by himself, skipper Rohit Sharma said.
The indefatigable duo of Rishabh Pant and Mohammed Siraj is expected to be the big talking point on Saturday when the selectors pick a 15-member Indian ODI squad for a three-match series against New Zealand starting January 11 in Vadodara.
India will take on the UAE in their tournament-opener on September 10 before facing arch rivals Pakistan at Dubai on September 14. Their third group match will be against Oman on September 19 before the Super Four stage.
Jadeja went wicketless in the first two ODIs against New Zealand (0/44 and 0/56) in the ongoing series and could scalp only one batter in the preceding three-match series against South Africa at home.
Folks who had previously mocked Gambhir on social media suddenly acknowledged his foresight. Some even apologised for doubting him, flooding SM with praise and memes celebrating his 'KKR quota' selections.
Shubman Gill, Shreyas Iyer and Axar Patel smashed half-centuries as India defeated England by four wickets in the first One-Day International in Nagpur.
The likes of Tilak Varma, Hardik Pandya, Sanju Samson, Shivam Dube and Axar Patel would all like to get some decent hit out there in the middle ahead of Sunday's clash against Pakistan.
The Indian team's heavy reliance on all-rounders will be tested by a plucky Australia in the second ODI but the spotlight will continue to stay firmly on Virat Kohli and Rohit Sharma, both of whom would look to turn back the clock with series-saving knocks in Adelaide on Thursday.
Kaif also questioned Gill's tactical choices on debut, especially the call to leave out Kuldeep -- a bowler capable of turning games in Australia's own backyard.
Delhi storm into VHT quarterfinals from Group D
Kolkata Knight Riders' new head coach, Abhishek Nayar, emphasises the importance of finding the right team combinations as their biggest challenge ahead of IPL 2026, despite a revamped squad with new players.
The cricketing ecosystem has learned to survive the prolonged absence of Kohli and Rohit -- at least in two formats -- in this interim period.
With a power-packed batting line-up, match-winning spinners and a solid pace attack, champions KKR are once again the team to beat.
