Rahul, who initially batted at No. 6 in the first two games, didn't look comfortable and fared far better at the familiar No. 5 position with a useful 40 off 29 balls in India's one-sided 142-run victory in the third ODI in Ahmedabad.
Although India are playing a strong brand of 50-overs' cricket of late, they have some selection riddles to solve before they face Bangladesh in their opening match of the Champions Trophy.
Shubman Gill is enjoying a 'honeymoon period' as India's Test captain but there will be more pressure on him in the days to come, feels former India skipper Sourav Ganguly.
India had 'Fab 5' with the bat in early 2000s, now they have them with the ball: Nasser Hussain
India fast bowler Mohammed Shami's central contract was on Wednesday withheld by the BCCI after his wife accused him of domestic violence and adultery, charges that were denied by the cricketer.
As many as 16 wickets fell on the opening day as visitors Hyderabad were left reeling at 88/6 after bundling out Jammu and Kashmir for 170 on the opening day of their Ranji Trophy Elite Group D match in Jammu on Sunday.
Gill will try to prove a point with aggressive cricket in Asia Cup, says Irfan Pathan
Having claimed 42 wickets, one in the 3rd ODI against the Windies on Sunday, Mohammed Shami became the highest wicket-taker in ODIs in 2019 .
Pacer Mohammed Shami became the fastest Indian to claim 100 wickets in One-day Internationals, reaching the mark in the opening match against New Zealand in Napier.
Veteran India pacer Mohammed Shami says he has found his 'rhythm' during the now-suspended IPL and feels the upcoming UK tour will be a successful one for the team if it is able to replicate the stellar performance of the last six months.
With an emphatic seven-wicket win Rajasthan ended Kings XI Punjab's five-match winning run in the IPL.
'Bumrah is a class act.' 'Bhuvneshwar makes the ball move and that is why he will be successful over in England.'
Former and current players, including Virender Sehwag and Harbhajan Singh, on Monday extended their support to pacer Mohammad Shami, who was subjected to a fierce online attack following the Indian team's first-ever loss to Pakistan in World Cup history.
'When you are in the leadership group you have to make some harsh decisions. These are the discussions we have.'
India's injured fast bowler Mohammed Shami and first-choice wicketkeeper Wriddhiman Saha were on Sunday ruled out of the fifth and final Test against England, to be held in Chennai from December 16 to 20.
Jasprit Bumrah is only human and cannot always shoulder the responsibility of bowling opposition out all by himself, skipper Rohit Sharma said.
Opener Ben Duckett hit the most defining century of his career, exposing an out-of-depth Indian attack as England comfortably chased down a tricky target of 371 to win the opening Test by five wickets.
'That is something I really wanted, to have six bowling options and then batting till No. 8 as well.'
Senior India speedster Mohammed Shami's US visa got rejected due to his existing police record on charges of domestic violence and adultery before the Board of Control for Cricket in India stepped in to his rescue.
It is learnt that pacer Shami will not be picked for the match as he is still being monitored by physio Patrick Farhart.
The pacer has been charged under IPC 498A and 354A for dowry harassment and sexual harassment respectively.
The cupboard is bare and it will take some time to prepare another cracking line-up that can match the aura of Jasprit Bumrah, Mohammed Shami and Ishant Sharma.
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.
India captain Virat Kohli hinted that possibility of including fit-again Mohammed Shami who got four wickets for Bengal in the Vijay Hazare final against Tamil Nadu on Monday.
Facebook on Monday said it quickly introduced measures to remove the abusive comments against pace bowler Mohammed Shami, who faced criticism on social media following the Indian team's first-ever loss to Pakistan in World Cup history.
Shreyas Iyer described India's six-wicket victory over Pakistan in the Champions Trophy as "sweet" because it came against a competitive team and involved warding off a lot of "external pressures." Iyer also praised Virat Kohli's fluent century and the team's spin attack for their performance in the match.
The spinners kept a lid on the scoring with Varun Chakravarthy, Kuldeep Yadav and Ravindra Jadeja taking wickets at regular intervals.
The first half an hour saw only 5 runs being scored and that showed the determination in both Taylor and Williamson's approach. While Jasprit Bumrah could have bowled slightly better in the conditions, Shami and Ishant kept trying to add to the tension as they maintained a disciplined approach. It was about who breaks first.
What's interesting is now fans are questioning the reasons and persons behind their retirements.
During the recently-concluded Champions Trophy, players like Virat Kohli, Ravindra Jadeja, and Mohammed Shami had their families with them in Dubai but did not stay at the team hotel. The expenses for their stay were borne by the players, not the BCCI.
Who do you think should be part of India's playing XI for the second ODI against England on Sunday?
Shami was hit on the hand by a Pat Cummins short ball during India's second innings last Saturday, which ended at a record lowest score of 36 for nine at the Adelaide Oval. He was taken to a hospital for scans, which revealed a fracture.
Sanju Samson's technical weaknesses against express pace along with Rinku Singh's dip in form and fitness issues will be a concern for India
India will look to extend lead against England
She has also accused him of torturing her both mentally and physically for over two years.
Virat Kohli's World record 50th ODI hundred, a scintillating century by Shreyas Iyer and Mohammed Shami's brilliant pace bowling powered the hosts past New Zealand in the first semi-final with a 70-run victory at the Wankhede stadium in Mumbai on Wednesday.
Mohammed Shami will be needed on a dry Motera surface, which might be conducive for reverse swing.
Indian cricket legend Sachin Tendulkar reckons that ground conditions will dictate which spinners are to be played in the XI.
The 25-year-old Shubman Gill is a clear favourite to land the high-profile job as Indian embarks on a new World Test Championship cycle.
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