The Indian cricket fraternity shared their views on India's T20I World Cup squad, which threw up several surprises with the return of Rinku Singh and Ishan Kishan, while Jitesh Sharma missed out and Shubman Gill was dropped.
Shreyas Iyer, Riyan Parag and Jitesh Sharma are the three names that Aakash Chopra has thrown in as potential replacements for the injured Tilak Varma.
All-rounder Axar Patel was named vice-captain of the squad, which also saw the return of in-form Ishan Kishan, who pipped Jitesh Sharma as the second wicketkeeper behind Sanju Samson.
After losing his central contract and slipping down the pecking order, Ishan Kishan rebuilt his game and mindset through discipline, meditation and domestic grind - culminating in a defining performance against Pakistan.
India's T20 World Cup squad had space for only 15, but the pool of quality options ran far deeper. The consequence was inevitable: several players with genuine claims were left on the outside, the unlucky ones who narrowly missed the cut.
Strong fifties from Atharva Taide and Ravikumar Samarth powered Vidarbha into the quarterfinals of the Vijay Hazare Trophy with a thumping 160-run win over Assam in Rajkot on Thursday.
Shubman Gill is set to make a comeback during the upcoming five-match T20I series against South Africa, starting in Cuttack, on December 9.
Insipid India A go down to Bangladesh A in Super Over of Rising Asia Cup semifinals
Sanju Samson's T20I future took another hit on Tuesday as India benched him yet again, favouring the finishing skills of Jitesh Sharma in a team that now appears fully committed to its Shubman Gill-led blueprint.
The national selectors brought back wicketkeeper-batter Kishan along with Rinku Singh while dropping Test and ODI captain Shubman Gill who has been struggling in the T20 format.
Chief selector Ajit Agarkar identified Shubman Gill's recent lack of runs and combination compulsions as reasons for his omission from India's squad for the T20 World Cup.
Three people, including the CEO of a private IT company, have been arrested for alleged gangrape of a female manager of the company after a birthday party in Rajasthan's Udaipur, police said on Friday.
14-year-old Vaibhav Suryavanshi, the youngest centurion in men's T20 cricket, will once again be the player to watch out for in the Rising Stars Asia Cup.
"Gill should cement his place at the top order in T20": Irfan Pathan
Rinku Singh made a roaring return with a match-tilting 44 not out off 20 balls against New Zealand in Nagpur on Wednesday
Skipper Suryakumar Yadav and his deputy Shubman Gill's indifferent form is a massive concern but the national selection committee is unlikely to make any shocking changes when it picks the 15-member squad for next year's T20 World Cup in Mumbai on Saturday.
The T20 WC champions will look to enter this phase with clarity of intent as they refine roles, streamline combinations and settle the XI that will carry the weight of expectations in front of home crowds.
'He's the guy who can win you games with bat and ball. He can bowl in any situation, he can bat anywhere in the line up.'
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.
Smashes second fastest T20 hundred by an Indian batter at India A's Asia Cup Rising Stars match against UAE on Friday.
India all-rounder Axar Patel was on Monday ruled out of the remaining two T20 Internationals against South Africa due to illness with the BCCI's selection committee naming Shahbaz Ahmed as his replacement.
Hardik Pandya's dazzling performance with both bat and ball powered Baroda to an emphatic 149-run victory against Chandigarh.
Defending champions India have unveiled a well-rounded 15-member squad for the upcoming ICC Men's T20 World Cup
Players of both India A and Pakistan Shaheens teams on Sunday avoided handshakes before the start of their match in the Asia Cup Rising Stars tournament here, continuing the trend started by the senior side during the Asia Cup in September.
Images from the second T20 International between India and South Africa, at the PCA's New Chandigarh Stadium, Mullanpur.
Jitesh Sharma could well pip Ishan Kishan for second wicketkeeper's slot in the Suryakumar Yadav-led Indian T20 team which will play three T20Is against the Bangladesh starting October 6 in Gwalior.
India beat South Africa by seven wickets on Sunday to take a 2-1 lead in the T20 series after their bowlers skittled the tourists for 117, with Indian pacer Arshdeep Singh's performance setting up the platform for a dominant win for the hosts in Dharamsala.
India A qualify for semifinals with convincing win over Oman A
In the chase, India lost Shubman Gill for a golden duck, while Marco Jansen got rid of Abhishek Sharma and India skipper Suryakumar Yadav, before Baartman broke the 35-run stand between Axar Patel and Varma.
Head coach Gambhir, captain Gill, men's squad send best wishes to Harmanpreet-led side for Women's World Cup final
Sanju Samson boasts of a superb record in T20 Internationals, with 995 runs in 51 matches at a strike rate of 147.40, including three centuries and as many fifties.
Yorkers on the field, reels off it -- Arshdeep Singh is mastering both games. The left-arm pacer, already India's leading T20I wicket-taker, is fast becoming cricket's social media star.
Indian head coach Gautam Gambhir confirmed that T20I vice-captain Shubman Gill is "ready to start" ahead of the first T20I against South Africa of the five-match series, which will take place on December 9.
When players select themselves, the selectors' job becomes delightfully simple. But did the Indian selectors have that luxury while picking the T20 World Cup squad for the 2026 T20 World Cup? asks K R Nayar.
Dhruv Jurel continued his remarkable form in the Vijay Hazare Trophy 2025-26 with an unbeaten 160 for Uttar Pradesh against Baroda, a knock that sends a clear message to selectors ahead of India's New Zealand ODI series.
Test captain Shubman Gill also doesn't fit in the Indian T20 line-up, which has a settled top three in Abhishek Sharma, Sanju Samson and captain Suryakumar Yadav.
With the T20 World Cup less than two months away, India would want their captain Suryakumar Yadav to rediscover his rhythm sooner rather than later.
A toe injury suffered before the fourth T20I is set to keep Gill out of the final T20I here as India would want to take a cautious route, more so when there is a ready replacement for the top order slot in Sanju Samson.
India will look to overcome batting inconsistencies and finish the tour of Australia with authority when the two sides clash in the fifth and final T20 International in Brisbane on Saturday.
Vidarbha wicketkeeper-batter Jitesh Sharma's finishing ability is like gold dust that the current Indian T20 set-up is desperately seeking.
