Captain Suryakumar Yadav believes Hardik Pandya's return will restore the tactical depth and balance of India's T20 team.
In the chase, India lost Shubman Gill for a golden duck, while Marco Jansen got rid of Abhishek Sharma and India skipper Suryakumar Yadav, before Baartman broke the 35-run stand between Axar Patel and Varma.
'Jitesh Sharma has shown he is quite a capable player. He can bat lower down the order and look to hit the big shots even with a slightly older ball.'
India all-rounder Axar Patel was on Monday ruled out of the remaining two T20 Internationals against South Africa due to illness with the BCCI's selection committee naming Shahbaz Ahmed as his replacement.
Shubman's T20I series participation against South Africa doubtful; Samson, Jaiswal contenders for the slot
A toe injury suffered before the fourth T20I is set to keep Gill out of the final T20I here as India would want to take a cautious route, more so when there is a ready replacement for the top order slot in Sanju Samson.
Ravichandran Ashwin stressed that Washington Sundar must be treated as a frontline bowling all-rounder and given a full quota of overs to build confidence with the bat as well.
From Royal Challengers Bengaluru's historic first IPL title to star javelin thrower Neeraj Chopra finally breaking the iconic 90-meter mark to India women winning their first cricket World Cup, this was the year of long-awaited victories and record-breaking feats.
The T20 WC champions will look to enter this phase with clarity of intent as they refine roles, streamline combinations and settle the XI that will carry the weight of expectations in front of home crowds.
The fourth T20I between India and South Africa in Lucknow was called off without a ball being bowled on Wednesday, as dense fog and worsening air quality rendered playing conditions unsafe at the Ekana stadium.
Save Shreyas Iyer, who will take a lot more time to get fit, others are expected to represent their state teams.
Jitesh Sharma, who has emerged as India's preferred wicketkeeper-batter in T20 format with less than two months left for the World Cup, has played down his 'competition' with Sanju Samson in the squad, saying it only brings out his "A-game" to the fore, strengthening the side.
At a loss to explain South Africa's capitulation in the series-opener, their batting coach Ashwell Prince said the visitors simply failed to answer the questions posed by India's "formidable" bowlers while being dismissed for their lowest T20I total of 74 Cuttack.
Hardik Pandya is finally set to return to cricketing action.
The controversial decision to select Shubman Gill in place of a well-settled Sanju Samson as the opener has backfired for the Indian team so far.
India cricketers, along with coach Gautam Gambhir, visited Shri Jagannath Temple in Odisha's Puri on Tuesday to seek blessings ahead of the first T2OI of the five-match series against South Africa, set to be played on the same day at Cuttack's Barabati Stadium.
As India gear up for the T20 World Cup at home, the selectors have backed a squad built on impact, and versatility.
The 34-year-old mystery spinner rewrote the record books during the fifth and final T20I against South Africa at Ahmedabad on Friday, casting a spell of his bamboozling spin magic on the Proteas batters, four of them surrendering to his bowling.
'Gill is recovering really well, it's a speedy recovery.'
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 lack of runs from captain Suryakumar Yadav and his deputy Shubman Gill remains a talking point.
India beat South Africa by seven wickets on Sunday to take a 2-1 lead in the T20 series after their bowlers skittled the tourists for 117, with Indian pacer Arshdeep Singh's performance setting up the platform for a dominant win for the hosts in Dharamsala.
The fourth T20I between India and South Africa was called off on Wednesday owing to poor visibility after a dense layer of smog engulfed the Ekana Stadium raising serious questions about BCCI's scheduling of matches in northern part of India during peak winter month.
South Africa head coach Shukri Conrad termed his team's tour of India "a very successful one" and expressed hope that the two teams meet once again in the final of the next year's T20 World Cup.
While the white-ball trophy cabinet kept getting heavier, Team India's fortunes in Test cricket swung wildly between hope and despair in 2025.
In keeping with workload management for frontline pacers, spearhead Jasprit Bumrah is also likely to be rested from the three-match ODI series, which carries little significance in the build-up to the T20 showpiece.
Shubman Gill was ruled out of the second Test against South Africa and the recently concluded three-match ODI series due to a neck injury.
Former South Africa pace ace Dale Steyn feels Suryakumar Yadav's "secure, welcoming, and willing to adjust" captaincy brings out the best in the players, who in turn back their skipper.
SMAT 2025: Hardik comeback on cards, chance for rich domestic talent to shine before IPL auction
Producer-Director Aanand L Rai and his wife Yogita threw a grand Diwali bash for their friends and colleagues from the film industry.
With the T20 World Cup less than two months away, India would want their captain Suryakumar Yadav to rediscover his rhythm sooner rather than later.
Fourteen years after their last title, Pakistan's golden era at the Hong Kong Sixes roared back to life. A commanding 43-run victory over Kuwait in the 2025 final at Mission Road Ground, Mong Kok, crowned them champions for a record sixth time, a feat unmatched by any other nation.
At this moment, the Indian think tank is doing a tough balancing act of building the team around a new set of players without completely cutting ties with the old guard.
The Indian Premier League (IPL) 2026 auction saw some foreign names earning big bucks, headlined by Aussie all-rounder Cameron Green
Hardik Pandya has finally made his romance with Mahieka Sharma Instagram-official, sharing intimate Diwali moments.
Gill back in full flow, Hardik opts out of practice ahead of SA T20I series
India's T20I vice-captain Shubman Gill will be reporting at Bengaluru's Centre of Excellence on Monday for his mandatory fitness assessment protocols, which will determine his return to action for the upcoming five-match series against South Africa starting December 9.
Expect some fireworks for the highly-versatile Cameron Green along with Quinton de Kock, Matheesha Pathirana, Venkatesh Iyer and Ravi Bishnoi.
'I'm feeling strong. I am feeling fit, and I am feeling ready to go,'
Skipper Hardik Pandya was full of praise for the newcomer, highlighting how Bosch's fearless approach with bat and ball epitomised the team's growing momentum in the IPL.
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