India fielding coach Ramakrishnan Sridhar on Friday dismissed reports raising question marks over Kuldeep Yadav's fitness, saying the spinner is fully fit but not playing regularly is probably having a negative impact on his bowling. Kuldeep has been fairly inconsistent in his international outings of late and conceded 84 runs in his 10 overs and took two wickets in the first ODI against New Zealand on Wednesday.
This is Kevin Pietersen's first coaching assignment in the IPL, where he featured as a player from 2009 to 2016.
With the series nicely poised at 1-1 going into the third Test, the narrative built around both the teams has changed significantly following India's 336-run routing of England at Edgbaston.
Shubman Gill said on Monday he had planned not to lose his wicket to an lbw decision come what may, despite the odd ball keeping low and turning sharply during the fourth Test against England, which India won by five wickets.
Gavaskar said that one should take a cursory glance at Kohli's record to understand his greatness in ODIs.
'Obviously, he's a guy who has scored 9,000-plus Test runs, which is pretty mind-blowing, but for us it was a huge wicket.'
On Sunday, Kuldeep and Chahal showcased signs of form.
Chasing 192 for a victory that would fetch them an unassailable 3-1 lead in the five-match series, India cruised to 40 for no loss at stumps on day three.
IMAGES from the Champions Trophy Group A match played between India and Pakistan at the Dubai International Cricket Stadium, in Dubai on Sunday.
Karun Nair has got starts in majority of his six innings in England but he has not been able to convert them into something substantial.
'Kanpur #TeamIndia hit the ground running ahead of the 2nd #INDvBAN Test.'
While Kuldeep has played more white-ball cricket in past 8-10 months, switching the format has never been a problem for him as wrist spin doesn't depend on the surface a lot.
'Most of the batters performed. I would say that is a very good sign going forward. Apart from this you have got three quality batters who are not even part of the squad -- Shreyas (Iyer), Sarfaraz (Khan) and (Devdutt) Padikkal.'
Kohli reached the landmark in just 287 innings, shattering Sachin Tendulkar's previous record of 350 innings.
Spinners Ravindra Jadeja and Kuldeep Yadav left Australia reeling on 236/6.
'Virat and Rohit not playing (Duleep Trophy) was not good for Indian cricket, nor was it good for the two players. Had they played the Duleep Trophy and had some time in the red-ball cricket, things would have been different.'
Surpassed Zaheer Khan to become India's highest wicket-taker in ICC ODI tournaments with 60 scalps, including 55 in World Cups.
While India are on a high after a measured six-wicket win over a sprightly Bangladesh, Pakistan are evidently tense after the 60-run loss in the tournament-opener to New Zealand.
With the pitch at the Dubai International Cricket Stadium (DICS) expected to offer some grip to the spinners, the Indian batters did not want to leave anything to the chance.
Two wrist-spinners, who are currently dominating the bowling charts will be itching to show their wares
Srinivas Bhogle and Purnendu Maji present Rediff's Most Valuable Player Index of IPL 2025 after Game 39.
Who do you think should be part of India's playing XI for their first Champions Trophy match against Bangladesh on Thursday?
The Men's Selection Committee has picked India's 15-member squad for the upcoming three-match IDFC FIRST Bank Test series against New Zealand.
Jurel has produced a solid body of work in first-class and Test cricket alike, even though he displayed a completely different avatar for the Rajasthan Royals (RR) in the Indian Premier League (IPL) as a finisher since his debut in 2023.
India's magnificent nine-wicket victory is their largest over Australia in terms of wickets in T20Is, eclipsing the eight-wicket victory at Melbourne on February 3, 2012.
The BCCI's Centre of Excellence (COE) in India is expected to witness a few changes in staff composition in the coming months following the resignation of Nitin Patel, head of Sports Science and Medical Team, after a successful stint of nearly three years.
Their pre-tournament decision to fill the squad with five spinners drew a lot of flak from all corners, but it is now proving to be a masterstroke on the slow pitches in Dubai.
An injury-plagued India could be forced to depart from their preferred template when they takes on a reinvigorated England in the fourth Test starting in Manchester on Wednesday.
'Dealing with this setback is tough, but we hold onto faith, believing in the journey ahead.'
Former India left-arm spinner Sunil Joshi is the frontrunner to become the spin bowling coach at the BCCI's Centre of Excellence.
Virat Kohli will be expected to hit his straps after a lean run
With Rahul and wife Athiya Shetty expecting their first baby, the senior player could miss a game or two depending on the due date.
Gautam Gambhir broke into a rare smile, trading shayari with Navjot Singh Sidhu, and even (almost) breaking into a dance.
Indian captain Virat Kohli arrived two hours early for practice ahead of the crucial Champions Trophy clash against Pakistan, focusing on his struggles against spin bowling.
'We were 20 or 25 under to what we were looking for.'
A final decision by the team's think-tank will be taken after the final practice session on Friday.
Who do you think should be part of India's playing XI for the second ODI against England on Sunday?
Royal Challengers Bengaluru's bid for a maiden home victory this IPL season will depend on their batters' ability to handle the spin duo of Yuzvendra Chahal and Glenn Maxwell when they face the Punjab Kings on Friday.
It is understood that Kuldeep, who had lost his mojo in the Kohli-Ravi Shastri era, has been called back as the current team management and selectors feel that he has the X-Factor to contribute to team's cause.
'If he gets a couple of early wickets, he will be a different bowler but things may not go as per plan. It might take some time for him to get back the rhythm.'
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