On a surface offering little assistance for bowlers, South Africa's top order had frittered away starts but number seven Muthusamy marshalled a lower-order surge with a composed 109.
In his first high-profile captaincy assignment, K L Rahul is looking to lead from the front and use the nuggets of leadership knowledge he has collected while observing the likes of Mahendra Singh Dhoni, Virat Kohli and Rohit Sharma.
There is a slight desperation to win ODI series after below par Test outing: Ten Doeschate
Rahul replaced Australian skipper Aaron Finch and has gained a spot to be at number three.
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.
After the 2-1 series win against West Indies, India opener KL Rahul and skipper Virat Kohli have significant progress in the latest ICC T20I player rankings.
He contrasts that with Pakistan's past batting line-ups.
Since 2022, he has scored 514 runs in Tests from 12 matches (21 innings) at an average of 25.7, having registered three half-centuries and a century.
Sai Sudharsan pulled off a jaw-dropping catch on Day 2.
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.
ndia will be very happy after a technical masterpiece from Rahul and the flamboyance and exuberance that you can imagine from Pant
Application required in Test cricket was missing, says Kumble after India's batting collapse
India Test captain Virat Kohli on Wednesday declared fit-again K L Rahul as the team's No.1 choice opener, ruling out veteran Gautam Gambhir's chances of playing in the second Test against England, starting in Visakhapatnam, from Thursday.
Indian Test skipper Shubman Gill spoke on the team dinner hosted by head coach Gautam Gambhir on Thursday
'...the guys who are just part of Test cricket, I think for them to prepare and play domestic cricket is very, very important.'
The cricketing ecosystem has learned to survive the prolonged absence of Kohli and Rohit -- at least in two formats -- in this interim period.
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.
Kuldeep was instrumental to India's success at the Asia Cup, topping the wicket-taking chart with 17 wickets. Chopra explained the rationale behind dropping the left-arm wrist spinner, attributing it to batting depth.
With two fifties in the two practice games, Lokesh Rahul has virtually staked claim for a Test spot when the series against the West Indies gets underway in Antigua on July 21 but the youngster says that thought has not yet struck him.
'Ideally we would have wanted about 40 runs more'.
Rahul has scored only 22 runs in three games but the coach said that there is no chance of replacing him
With the pitch here not assisting the spinners so far a great deal, Rampaul expressed his surprise.
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.
Earlier, after being 0-2 early in their second innings, India continued to battle on to frustrate England on day five, the tourists doing everything possible to keep the series alive on 322-4 at tea.
Justin Langer has taken himself out of contention for the head coach position of the Indian cricket team.
Thakur, who resumed Day 3 unbeaten, brought up his century with ease, reinforcing his case as the ideal seam-bowling all-rounder ahead of the Leeds Test.
The 37-year-old player added that uncertainty about a place in the Playing XI or 12, means one needs to capitalise on chances offered.
'It (the pitch) wasn't free-flowing. You felt comfortable, but the scoreboard wasn't going anywhere.'
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.
Jaiswal ticked a box in the third ODI with his maidan ton and Ruturaj Gaikwad chipped in with a hundred at Raipur, leaving Gambhir pleased as punch.
It was also his third hundred in the last seven innings after going past three digits against Australia A at Lucknow and the West Indies at Ahmedabad.
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.
Home lad KL Rahul's innings led the celebrations at the M Chinnaswamy Stadium with a cracking century.
India captain Rohit Sharma has climbed to second place in the ICC men's ODI batting rankings, closing in on top-ranked Shubman Gill.
India's experienced opener KL Rahul expressed admiration for vice-captain Rishabh Pant and his dream to replicate the dynamic southpaw's play style following their record-breaking exploits on Day 3 of the third Test against England at Lord's.
In the ongoing IPL, LSG suffered a 20-run defeat to RR in their opening game of this year's IPL. KL Rahul-led LSG is currently languishing in the tenth spot with no points and a net run rate of -1.000 after its loss in the previous game.
'A further assessment will be conducted at the conclusion of the series.'
Kuldeep bowled the best ball to beat me in drift and my hands followed: Stubbs on his dismissal
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.
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.
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