Form and familiarity favour India in T20 World Cup
Rohit Sharma and Virat Kohli, who returned to international cricket for the three-match ODI series against Australia recently, were not considered for India A's three-match one-day series against the touring South Africa A side, beginning in Rajkot on November 13.
Shubman Gill joined an unwanted list following the loss to Australia in the first ODI at Perth, becoming the second Indian skipper after Virat Kohli and overall ninth captain to lose their first matches in all three formats as captain.
Rohit Sharma scored only 61 runs in three innings at an average of 20.33, failing to register a single fifty in the series against New Zealand.
Cricket has never been the same since India's thrilling, last-over win over Pakistan in the final at The Wanderers Stadium, Johannesburg, on September 24, 2007.
Shubman Gill warmly greeted senior pros Rohit Sharma and Virat Kohli ahead of the Indian team's departure to Australia for a white-ball series.
Pant, looking super fit after a three-month injury layoff, took the field for India A against South Africa A at the Centre of Excellence in Bengaluru.
India's batting coach Sitanshu Kotak dismissed the notion that the senior duo looked rusty, countering suggestions that their preparation had been insufficient.
Arshdeep feels that being a master of 50-over cricket, Kohli will score runs in the remaining two games of this series.
This happened following India's practice session that saw both India's senior batters hit the nets at the Optus Stadium.
Virat Kohli, 36, and Rohit Sharma, 38, are active internationally only in the 50-overs format but their future beyond the three-match series is uncertain.
Shubman Gill said the masterly innings of Rohit Sharma and Virat Kohli helped him register his maiden win as India's ODI skipper.
Suryakumar Yadav becomes fourth player to play 100 T20Is for India, achieves feat during 1st T20I against New Zealand
Pharma tycoon Adar Poonawalla has emerged as a potential suitor for the Indian Premier League franchise Royal Challengers Bengaluru, sparking fresh speculation around a possible change in ownership of one of the league's most high-profile teams.
It's going to be a busy month at the theatres in February.
India begins their T20 World Cup campaign against the USA, aiming to leverage their strong team composition and recent form to secure a victory.
The BCCI has secured a lucrative Rs 270 crore (Rs 2,700 million) sponsorship deal from Google's AI platform Gemini ahead of the 2026 Indian Premier League (IPL).
Rohit Sharma hit a century and Virat Kohli a bright 74 to drive India to a nine-wicket win in the third one-day international on Saturday
Australia batter Matthew Short believes his team's pacers will continue to exploit Virat Kohli's recent weakness outside off stump when India face Australia in the second ODI, in Adelaide, on Thursday.
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.
Batting superstar Virat Kohli admitted that the aggressive Australian cricketing environment tested his resilience, but felt that standing up to it while playing a bold brand of cricket toughened his mind and shaped his career path, besides influencing his growth as an individual.
South Africa batting coach Ashwell Prince said the Proteas' ODI side still needs to sharpen its temperament in "clutch moments".
The two greats showed their class with some brilliant shots during the practice session.
As India start their T20 World Cup title defence in less than 72 hours, one is tempted to look at Suryakumar Yadav and Gautam Gambhir's working relationship which has been fantastic, at least so going by the results -- a whopping 31 wins in 39 games with a winning percentage of 79.48.
Virat Kohli's batting a plus but lots of areas need improvement, says Shubman Gill
Sharma praised Kohli and Rohit Sharma, saying they've nothing to prove, as their contributions to Indian cricket are well-known.
Gautam Gambhir, India's head coach, may have expressed support for the Kolkata pitch, but it continues to draw criticism from all quarters.
Former coach Ravi Shastri believes Rohit Sharma and Virat Kohli's form in Australia will play a decisive role in shaping their ODI future.
Play domestic cricket to maintain fitness, Jagdale advises Kohli and Rohit
Former India batter Aakash Chopra believes that Virat Kohli 'will definitely play' for champions Royal Challengers Bengaluru in IPL 2026.
The cricketing ecosystem has learned to survive the prolonged absence of Kohli and Rohit -- at least in two formats -- in this interim period.
Rohit Sharma hit a magnificent 121, while Virat Kohli stroked 74 in India's emphatic nine-wicket victory against Australia in Sydney.
Rohit Sharma and Virat Kohli will need a lot of game time going forward now that they play only one format but a decision on how the two white ball legends will stay in rhythm will be decided once the South Africa ODI series is over, skipper Shubman Gill said on Saturday.
The eight players who featured in India's World Cup triumph in 2024 will aim to repeat their magic from two years ago.
The Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) vice-president Rajeev Shukla said that head coach Gautam Gambhir has a firm grip on the team and is popular among the players.
'Even if Reddy fails, the management should persist with him, and India will eventually get a good all-rounder.'
The great Ricky Ponting expressed confidence in Rohit Sharma and Virat Kohli's abilities despite their poor showing with the bat in the first ODI against Australia on Sunday.
On Saturday, Rohit and Virat turned back the clock, delivering a vintage special with their refined strokeplay to silence their critics.
'The 50-over World Cup is still two and a half years away. It is very important to stay in the present.'
As Virat Kohli looks to make amends in Thursday's second ODI at the Adelaide Oval, one of his favourite hunting grounds, former India international Mohammed Kaif said that Virat did not appear to be in his batting zone.
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