India captain Suryakumar Yadav has expressed confidence in Varun Chakravarthy despite concerns about his recent form, as the team prepares for the T20 World Cup final against New Zealand. The final team combination remains uncertain, with Kuldeep Yadav also in contention.
Morne Morkel, India's bowling coach, is delighted to have Mohammed Shami back in the squad and hinted at a possible return for the veteran pacer in the fifth T20 International against England in Mumbai on Sunday.
Morne Morkel isn't here to shake things up. He sees the Indian cricket system as a well-oiled machine, and his goal is to help it run even smoother.
I won't be able to play freely if I focus on criticism: Harshit Rana
Morne Morkel resigns as Pakistan's bowling coach
India bowling coach Morne Morkel is delighted to see the way Hardik Pandya is shaping up ahead of the T20 World Cup.
Nitish Kumar Reddy made a promise to himself post the Australia tour that he would improve his bowling.
And ahead of the 4th Test, some members of the Indian team went all out at a gym training session.
India will be bolstered by the return of former captains Virat Kohli and Rohit Sharma - both of whom have retired from Test cricket - adding more depth and experience to the side.
Abhishek Sharma's flamboyance will meet its match in Shaheen Shah Afridi's precision in what promises to be an "edge of the seat" battle in the Asia Cup final on Sunday.
Shubman Gill has been ruled out of the remainder of the ongoing first Test against South Africa after he continues to be under observation in a Kolkata hospital for a neck injury.
The focus is to bring momentum back into the Indian dressing room: Morne Morkel
India suffered a major pre-match blow in the Asia Cup final against Pakistan as star all-rounder Hardik Pandya was ruled out of the title-deciding clash in Dubai due to a niggle.
India bowling coach Morne Morkel admitted his side was "surprised" by how quickly the Eden Gardens surface "deteriorated" after a dramatic second day in which 15 wickets fell and the opening Test swung sharply in India's favour.
India begin their Super 8 journey against South Africa at the Narendra Modi stadium in a thrilling clash where a single mistake could change the course of the semifinals.
'Gautam Gambhir and Morne Morkel will need to provide Rohit with more inputs like whether to bowl bouncers or bowl round the wicket or whether we are allowing the game to drift.'
The pitch, left unwatered for nearly a week, appeared dry and brown with faint traces of grass, conditions that could bring reverse swing and variable bounce into play later in the match.
Runs have dried up for Suryakumar, with his last T20I fifty coming back in October 2024. With the World Cup less than two months away, the pressure has begun to mount.
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.
The Proteas arrive high on confidence, having fought out a hard-earned 1-1 draw in Pakistan last month under challenging conditions.
The Lucknow Super Giants welcome their bowling and fielding coaches while Gujarat Titans welcome their coach.
'Tomorrow we can just focus on doing a good warm-up, get the boys ready to hopefully get the ball in the right area and create a little bit of excitement again.'
Little-known ambidextrous Bengal spinner Kaushik Maity seamlessly doubled up for both roles during the optional practice session.
India's bowling coach Morne Morkel expects the batting unit to lift its performance under pressure in the Asia Cup final against Pakistan
'We knew it won't be easy to hit how much you may connect. Plan was to bowl smartly and when a batter is set, force him to hit on the bigger sides than small sides.'
This happened following India's practice session that saw both India's senior batters hit the nets at the Optus Stadium.
The second and final Test starts in Guwahati from Saturday with India trailing 0-1 after the defeat on a challenging Eden Gardens pitch in Kolkata.
Morkel said Mayank's recent start in bowling shows promising progress, with efforts now directed towards hitting the 150 kmph mark consistently.
The batters' constant failure in making runs in the first innings is costing the team dear, admitted bowling coach Morne Morkel even as India are in danger of losing the first Test series at home since 2012-13.
India's batting coach Sitanshu Kotak on Friday acknowledged that Sanju Samson has been going through a lean phase without doubting the quality of the struggling batter, and reiterated the team management's support for him.
Indian Test skipper Shubman Gill spoke on the team dinner hosted by head coach Gautam Gambhir on Thursday
India's pace great Zaheer Khan is reportedly set to part ways with Lucknow Super Giants after just one season as their mentor.
Earlier, warm-up routines had players darting through shuttle runs and high knees before bats were unsheathed.
Morne Morkel will take no further part in the two-match series against Bangladesh after suffering a side strain that will sideline him for six weeks, officials said on Monday.
'Jassi is a guy that immediately put his hand up and he wanted that leadership role.'
The 'Impact Player' in IPL might have restricted Chennai Super Kings' Shivam Dube's role but 'India's Shivam Dube' aspires to be a full-fledged all-rounder backed by head coach Gautam Gambhir and helped by bowling coach Morne Morkel.
Prasidh Krishna has the ability to bowl "magic balls" and the pacer needs to be given an extended run to serve India for a long time, said bowling coach Morne Morkel in London on Sunday.
Team India wasted no time in getting their preparations underway as they kicked off their first training session at Lord's a few hours after their arrival in London on Saturday.
'Pretty amazing. The whole tournament, we remained unbeaten, it feels pretty amazing to be in this position.'
