Senior India opener Rohit Sharma was all praise for Cheteshwar Pujara after his unbeaten knock of 91 on Day 3 in the third Test against England on Friday.
Controversial keeper-batter Wriddhiman Saha, who has been dropped from the Test team, will still earn Rs 1 crore in annual income after being demoted from group B to C.
India's batting is a major concern with Rohit Sharma and Virat Kohli struggling for runs ahead of the tour of Australia.
Images from Day 4 in the second Test between England and India, at Lord's, on Sunday.
The promising cricketer has been appointed the Gujarat Election Commission's brand ambassador, says Haresh Pandya
He did admit in a roundabout manner that he was putting too much pressure on himself earlier, which has changed since he scored 91 and 61 at Leeds and Oval at a decent clip.
The opening round of Ranji Trophy matches will begin from February 17 following a five-day quarantine and the squad size, including support staff, has been capped at 30.
'There will be a lot of spice to the contest -- there is a reason India is the only team other than England against whom Australia is keen to play a five Test series.' 'I'll watch, as I suspect most fans will -- but this one time, I'll watch with considerable trepidation and, from a fan's point of view, with the hope that the team finds its feet and that right quick,' notes the distinguished cricket commentator Prem Panicker.
Cheteshwar Pujara and Ajinkya Rahane's position in group A of the BCCI central contracts could be up for deliberation
Eoin Morgan said the current Indian team ranks as "one of the greatest in their own conditions".
South Africa finished at 11 for one in nine overs bowled in second innings.
A crestfallen India captain Virat Kohli's defence of Cheteshwar Pujara and Ajinkya Rahane lacked conviction, as he put the ball in the selection committee's court regarding the future of the two out-of-form senior batters.
'I am sure there is enough time for us to prepare and guys are looking forward to this series. This is the best opportunity for us to win our first series in South Africa. So all of us are looking forward to it.'
Cheteshwar Pujara has made a comeback to India's Test team while youngsters Umran Malik and Arshdeep Singh have received an India call-up as the selection committee on Sunday named the squad for the five-match T20I series against South African in June and the one-off Test against England in July.
India will be under tremendous pressure when they face an equally circumspect Australia in a battle of two out-of-form batting units in the opening Test of the Border-Gavaskar Trophy in Perth
South Africa pacer Kagiso Rabada tried to disturb Cheteshwar Pujara's concentration on the opening day of the second Test in Pune.
The national selectors want all the players to be available for the Duleep Trophy ahead of the two Test series against Bangladesh next month.
Team management was always clear that once Rohit is fit and able to join the squad, he will be Rahane's deputy.
'Cheteshwar Pujara is the wall (of Indian cricket) after Rahul Dravid. He is the Indian wall like the China Wall (referring to the Great Wall of China).'
As many as four world-class match-winners are expected to bid adieu to the game one by one in the next couple of years and Gautam Gambhir is in an unenviable position as head coach.
According to PTI, the chairman of selectors, Chetan Sharma has asked the duo to regain form by playing Ranji Trophy.
India No 3 batsman Cheteshwar Pujara, who ground it out on Day 1, scoring 43 off 160 balls, believes that the match is evenly poised after India ended the day at 233 for 6 but conceded that skipper Virat Kohli and Ajinkya Rahane's dismissals in the final hour of the opening day will provide a 'little bit of advantage' to the hosts.
Veteran India speedster Mohammed Shami has recovered from his niggles and is fit to play the final Test against England in Manchester, starting September 10.
Cheteshwar Pujara, Ajinkya Rahane along with the uncapped duo of Rajat Patidar and Sarfaraz Khan are in the running for a place in the Indian Test team.
India head coach Gautam Gambhir, BCCI president Roger Binny and all-rounder Hardik Pandya led the long list of joyous members of the cricketing fraternity in lauding Jay Shah, who was on Tuesday elected unopposed as the ICC Chairman.
Australia's in-depth planning to subdue Cheteshwar Pujara worked out well in the opening Test but spinner Nathan Lyon says it would be a massive challenge to keep the world-class batsman quiet through the remainder of the series.
According to Pujara, his nemesis Patrick Cummins bowled the 'ball of the series' about which he couldn't do anything.
Pujara has so far scored 521 runs in seven innings with three hundreds at an impressive average of 74.42.
'Under lights, with the late swing, it is challenging for batsmen'
The Board of Control for Cricket in India nominated prolific run scorer Cheteshwar Pujara for the prestigious Arjuna award, acknowledging his stupendous show during the last Test season for India.
With only two training sessions possible under lights before the day/night Test at the Eden Gardens starting November 22, the Indian team is trying to make most of the time at their disposal.
There is a possibility that some of the senior India players may play against England Lions when they tour India for a full-fledged series in end January-February.
A round up of the fourth and final day's action of the Ranji Trophy matches on Sunday.
Ravi Shastri didn't expect the orthodox Cheteshwar Pujara to try out an uncharacteristic ramp shot against Pat Cummins.
India's senior batsman Cheteshwar Pujara is expecting a strong showing from Ravichandran Ashwin in the upcoming Test series against Australia.
India captain Rohit Sharma including mainstays Virat Kohli, Jasprit Bumrah and Ravindra Jadeja have placed in the highest category of BCCI central contracts.
Cheteshwar Pujara contributed an unbeaten 130 to India's 303 for four on the opening day of the fourth Test against Australia in Sydney on Thursday, keeping the tourists firmly on track for a historic breakthrough with his third century of the series.
'I couldn't even hold my bat, but I still wanted to carry on batting despite the amount of pain because me staying there was important for the team.' 'It was tough, but if you want to win matches for your team, if you want to contribute, then you will have to overcome such challenges.'
India captain Virat Kohli said he was not "cool as ice" after the Australian lower-order's spirited resistance delayed India's march to victory in the opening Test in Adelaide.
Senior India pace bowler Zaheer Khan and prolific batsman Cheteshwar Pujara left Mumbai by an early morning flight to South Africa along with three other players well ahead of the two-Test series against the hosts.
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