Sai Sudharsan pulled off a jaw-dropping catch on Day 2.
It is now-or-never for the now senior-most superstar batter to produce an all-timer series that justifies his talent.
Former World Cup winner Yuvraj Singh led the accolades, hailing the team's 'serious temperament' and singling out the standout performers who defied the odds.
Indian Test skipper Shubman Gill spoke on the team dinner hosted by head coach Gautam Gambhir on Thursday
In India's last ODI series against Sri Lanka, Rahul kept wickets in the first two matches, scoring 31 and 0, while Pant played the third game but managed only 6 runs. India could opt to include both players in the XI, but that would likely come at the expense of Iyer.
'...the guys who are just part of Test cricket, I think for them to prepare and play domestic cricket is very, very important.'
Shubman Gill might just want to be fit enough to bat, as even a half-fit skipper is seen as more effective than Sai Sudharsan, Abhimanyu Easwaran or Sarfaraz Khan.
The short turnaround time from the high of winning a controversy-marred Asia Cup notwithstanding, Shubman Gill's India will be outright favourites against a struggling and under-strength West Indies when the teams face-off on a green-top in the first Test in Ahmedabad on Thursday.
Rahul would like to make full use of the game time he gets as an opener during the three games against Zimbabwe
Nitish flaunted his six-hitting muscle in the first innings and showed signs of living up to the belief that the former Indian skipper has exuded in him. After being put to bat by Australia, rain interrupted the play on four instances, and the Indian team toiled for rhythm as well as runs.
Ever since he saw him bat for the first time, as a tiny 11-year-old at his academy, Mangalore-based Karnataka State Cricket Association coach Samuel Jayaraj knew KL Rahul was destined for bigger things.
Dhruv Jurel made a strong case for his continued presence in the senior Test eleven with his second hundred in as many innings against South Africa A while fortifying India A's position on the third day of the four-day match in Bengaluru on Saturday.
In a series finale defined by pressure and fine margins, the Indian dressing room found its anchor in an unexpected source - the Shri Shiva Rudrashtakam.
'Of course, when you face a quality bowling attack, they can more often than not get the ball in the danger area and it does too much for you. And unfortunately, that's been the case today.'
India wicketkeeper-batter Dhruv Jurel, who played in the fifth and final Test at The Oval against England in their last assignment, has been named Iyer's deputy.
'If you stay humble, put your heart in the right place, train hard, and let your bat talk, God finds ways to bless you.'
IMAGES from Day 1 of the 1st Test between England and India at Headingley in Leeds on Friday
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.
Ben Stokes, the man who had earlier lit up the field with a sensational century, didn't bowl a single over.
Kuldeep bowled the best ball to beat me in drift and my hands followed: Stubbs on his dismissal
With the pitch here not assisting the spinners so far a great deal, Rampaul expressed his surprise.
Looking forward to the challenge of facing Dale Steyn in the upcoming four-match Test series against South Africa, Indian opener Lokesh Rahul has said playing the speedster in the longer format is a "different ballgame" as one has to counter the late movement he gets.
The Proteas arrive high on confidence, having fought out a hard-earned 1-1 draw in Pakistan last month under challenging conditions.
India lost their openers Yashasvi Jaiswal and K L Rahul on a green top but did well to reach 72 for two at lunch on Day 1 of the series-deciding fifth Test against England at The Oval, London, on Thursday.
Jadeja reduces South Africa to 93/7 in second innings, India smell big win
Nitish Kumar Reddy has been ruled out of the remainder of the series against England due to a knee injury.
There is a school of thought that having done the hard yards in the England series, Karun Nair deserves an opportunity against a weaker opposition where a century could boost his career.
Yashaswi Jaiswal advance two slots to fifth after notching 175 in the first innings of the New Delhi game while KL Rahul's knocks of 38 and 58 not out lifted him two places to 33rd.
Skipper Shubman Gill had a long batting stint while the troika of Jasprit Bumrah, Kuldeep Yadav and Axar Patel returned to action for India's final training session here on Wednesday before the first Test against the West Indies.
India opener Lokesh Rahul is determined to make amends in the second innings after failing to convert a fifty into a century for the fifth time in the ongoing series against Australia.
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.
Images from Day 4 of the second Test between England and India at Edgbaston, in Birmingham, on Saturday.
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.
India's heroes from Old Trafford took to social media to share what the draw meant to them - not just as cricketers, but as fighters.
'To have that drive to make a comeback to the Indian team despite all the hardships is commendable.'
The Indian Premier League (IPL) 2026 auction saw some foreign names earning big bucks, headlined by Aussie all-rounder Cameron Green
'You have to move ahead with whatever (players) you have and ensure they perform.'
After the proceedings began with light warm-up and catching, the action shifted to the nets where all batters had long stints in the nets while the other pace bowlers too put in the hard yards.
ndia will be very happy after a technical masterpiece from Rahul and the flamboyance and exuberance that you can imagine from Pant
'We would like to believe and back ourselves to know these conditions or adapt to these conditions a lot faster even if we find them slightly different, as compared to, say, somebody who is brought up in Johannesburg and has played all his cricket at the Wanderers ground.'
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