For the first time in many years, India are going into a home Test match as underdogs and not favourites. Ask any player worth his salt and he would tell that it is not a happy place to be.
Star batters Virat Kohli and Rishabh Pant made solid fifties as Delhi eked out a narrow seven-run win against Gujarat in the Vijay Hazare Trophy.
India registered a thumping 86-run victory in the second T20I against Bangladesh to seal the three-match series 2-0.
South Africa's Aiden Markram created a new world record for the most catches by a fielder in a Test match, during the second Test against India in Guwahati on Wednesday.
Pandya has played 11 Test matches for India, scoring 532 runs at an average of 31.29 with a century and four fifties, along with 17 wickets at an average of 31.05 under his belt.
Even as the focus remains on the T20 World Cup which is less than a month away, Kohli and Rohit will hog the limelight in the three ODIs over the next seven days.
Rishabh Pant's place in the playing eleven is far from guaranteed, while Washington Sundar and Nitish Kumar Reddy are locked in a tight contest for the additional all-rounder's slot as India confront several selection dilemmas ahead of the first ODI against South Africa in Ranchi.
Former poll strategist Prashant Kishor's Jan Suraaj Party fails to win any seats in the Bihar assembly elections, while his prediction about JD(U)'s performance proves inaccurate. The article analyzes Kishor's political journey and future prospects.
Skipper Suryakumar Yadav and his deputy Shubman Gill's indifferent form is a massive concern but the national selection committee is unlikely to make any shocking changes when it picks the 15-member squad for next year's T20 World Cup in Mumbai on Saturday.
The former CSK stalwart also noted that Axar Patel's consistency over recent years positions him as a natural leader within the DC core. But the trickier decision, according to Raina, concerns veteran opener Faf du Plessis, who endured a lean run with just 202 runs from nine games.
Rishabh Pant was ruled out for nearly three months after he fractured his foot during the fourth Test against England in Manchester in July.
'Nitish is our premium batting all-rounder at the moment. So I would say it's a very good chance to play this Test.'
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.
Nitish and Shardul were thrown into the playing XI for India A during both unofficial Tests against England Lions, and both all-rounders reaped mixed results across the two contests.
India wicketkeeper-batter Dhruv Jurel, who played in the fifth and final Test at The Oval against England in their last assignment, has been named Iyer's deputy.
With no ODI series in Australia in the next two years, it is impossible to think that the legendary duo will again be seen Down Under in India blues.
The 21-year-old Reddy showed tremendous grit, scoring a dogged 105 not out at number 8 to virtually bail India out on the third day of the Boxing Day Test.
Rishabh Pant's 'chaotic' leadership style and batting might be the wildcard India need to level the Test series against South Africa, former cricketer Jonty Rhodes said on Friday.
Former players Irfan Pathan and Venkatesh Prasad have questioned the Indian team's muddled approach, lack of stability and the increasing reliance on all-rounders.
Ignored by the national selectors for T20 set-up, Yashasvi Jaiswal sent another stern reminder to the Ajit Agarkar-led selection committee with a blistering 48-ball century as defending champions Mumbai crushed Haryana by four wickets in a high-scoring Syed Mushtaq Ali Trophy Super League B match, in Ambi, Pune, on Sunday.
'Rahul Gandhi's problem is that he doesn't think big.' 'He looks more like an activist, while politics is like a game of chess. You attack and then defend and have a game-plan.'
Reddy took to social media with a witty post dedicated to his teammate Mohammed Siraj, adding a lighthearted touch to his incredible achievement.
Shubman Gill struck his 10th Test century, while Ravindra Jadeja picked up three wickets as India dominated Day 2 of the second Test against West Indies, in Delhi, on Saturday.
Shubman Gill backed young No. 3 Sai Sudharsan to come good, insisting that the team must look at 'potential, not just numbers'.
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.
The problem with Surya has been his limited range of strokes and always trying to play behind the square using the pace and bounce of the deliveries
Grind pays off for Ruturaj Gaikwad, now upto him and luck to prove his 50-over mettle.
If Harshit Rana keeps contributing 20 to 25 runs with the bat, he could well be the bowling all-rounder that India are looking for at No. 8, said skipper Shubman Gill after the Delhi speedster had a career-best haul of 4 wickets in the third ODI against Australia in Sydney on Saturday.
Team India touched down in Manchester on Sunday ahead of the must-win fourth Test of the Anderson-Tendulkar Trophy
Nitish Reddy's straight drive off Scott Boland that carried him past his maiden Test hundred has convinced the Australian pacer about the young Indian batter's potential with the bat.
Can the young trio of Dhruv Jurel, Nitish Kumar Reddy and Akash Deep leave a mark in the Border Gavaskar Trophy series?
The opening Test of the Border-Gavaskar Trophy series in Perth marked a big moment for two young Indian talents, Harshit Rana and Nitish Kumar Reddy, who made their Test debuts.
Expect some fireworks for the highly-versatile Cameron Green along with Quinton de Kock, Matheesha Pathirana, Venkatesh Iyer and Ravi Bishnoi.
India A batters enjoyed their time on a placid batting track with all the top four batters helping themselves to half-centuries as the first unofficial 'Test' against England Lions ended in a draw
'We were debutants, obviously we will have nervousness and pressure. He gave that license to us. Any youngster would like to get it from the captain.'
Sunrisers Hyderabad's fielding was an absolute masterclass, suffocating the life out of the Lucknow SuperGiants innings.
Pat Cummins captured the sentiment perfectly, calling this potentially the 'last chance' for fans Down Under to witness these legends in action. With both stalwarts set to be 39 and 40 respectively by the 2027 World Cup, every appearance carries added significance. Ro-Ko have been the heartbeat of Indian cricket for over 15 years. Their return brings an emotional lift to the team and raises expectations for the series against the world champions.
Openers Yashasvi Jaiswal and K L Rahul perished early as India fumbled in the chase of a mammoth 549-run target on Day 4 of the second Test.
The decision to allow Virat Kohli to complete his fitness in London has sparked a debate within the cricketing circles on whether this was a one-off allowance to a player of his stature.
Australia's stand-in captain Mitchell Marsh continued his fine run of form on Sunday, scoring 46 not out and leading his side to a seven-wicket triumph over India in the weather-affected first one-day international at Perth Stadium.
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