For Shastri, India's recent successes in Test cricket have often been defined by the stubbornness and resilience of the tail-enders.
Shubman Gill dispelled all doubts about his thumb injury with a stylish fifty even as skipper Rohit Sharma kept cards close to his chest by coming in at No. 4 in India's curtailed pink-ball warm-up game against Prime Minister's XI in Canberra on Sunday.
'International cricket is incomplete without Pakistan.'
In his 13th pink ball Test since 2015, the 34-year-old Australian pacer has taken 72 wickets at an average of 17.
'Bumrah's 2024 exploits were a masterclass in skill, precision, and relentless consistency,' ICC said in a statement.
At the end of the first day of play, it is the home side that is firmly in control, and India that is now reduced to chasing the game.
To prove his point, Laxman cited the example of Steve Smith's trouble against Ashwin during India's recent tour Down Under.
Rohit Sharma on Sunday emphasised on building his team around "strong bowling options" in order to take the conditions out of the equation as they gear up for the challenges that lay ahead in the run-up to the World Test Championship.
With Kohli and Rohit misfiring, the pressure has mounted on opener Yashasvi Jaiswal and India's middle order to put the kind of scores on the board their bowlers can defend.
Langer remains hopeful for Kohli's comeback, saying, "I just hope, if this is the last time (Kohli) is out here, people enjoy it because he is a superstar."
As you look your best during these nine days, with gorgeous costumes and jewellery, share your fun moments with us. Write in to getahead@rediff.co.in (My Navratri Pix).
India off-spinner Ravichandran Ashwin on Saturday was added to Surrey's squad for the County Championship fixture against Somerset, starting on July 11 at the Oval in London.
Any of these match ups could influence the outcome of the Perth Test.
Former India all-rounder Suresh Raina feels middle-order batter Suryakumar Yadav will be sorely missed in the upcoming Champions Trophy, as he could have provided the 'X-factor' in Dubai, where Rohit Sharma's side will play all its matches.
Ashwin is relishing one of his "happiest IPL seasons" even though he finished the league phase with 11 wickets and 183 runs IMAGE:
Senior spinner Ravichandran Ashwin revealed he had given serious thought about retiring after the England series in 2018 as he felt he was not being adequately backed despite being a proven match-winner for the Indian team.
His third life came astonishingly when the ball hit the stumps, the bail lit up and fell back into place!
IMAGES from Day 1 of the 2nd Test played between India and Bangladesh in Kanpur, on Friday.
Ashwin ended with nine wickets in the ongoing first Test, including 6 for 61
A look at some of India's best victories over Pakistan in ICC tournaments.
With the series locked at 1-1, Brisbane could well decide the course of the rubber and whether Rohit's men would continue to be the master of their fate in the ongoing World Test Championship.
The youngsters in the side couldn't have got a better mentor than 'King' Kohli himself to guide them with his words of wisdom.
Wriddhiman Saha acknowledged that his axing from the national side under Rahul Dravid's coaching tenure in 2022.
Shreyas Iyer and Ravichandran Ashwin held their nerve in a tense finish to steer Delhi Capitals to a four-wicket victory over Mumbai Indians in the IPL match in Sharjah on Saturday.
The biggest positives with the bat in Perth were Virat Kohli regaining his rhythm and Jaiswal's coming of age hundred in his debut Test in Australia. Both will look to build on those significant gains in Adelaide.
Former England skipper Michael Vaughan on Thursday termed the non-selection of off-spinner Ravichandran Ashwin in the Indian lineup as "madness". "The non selection of @ashwinravi99 has to be greatest NON selection we have ever witnessed across 4 Tests in the UK !!! 413 Test wickets & 5 Test 100s !!!! #ENGvIND Madness," tweeted Vaughan.
'He knows that Gabba will be a different wicket where he will get to face a lot of bounce and pace and that back foot game needs to be included in his game.'
'He's got a pretty good record against Indian batsmen (123 wickets in 28 Tests versus India).' 'In India too he has a great record (56 wickets in 11 Tests in India), that is a pretty good record against a country that traditionally plays spin very well.'
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'One of the most significant factors contributing to the optimism for 2025 is the lineup of films featuring Bollywood's three superstar Khans.'
He was referring to his Twitter posts after that game in which he asked Morgan and Tim Southee to not use "derogatory" words and lecture him on 'Spirit of Cricket' by taking a moral high ground.
The new red-soil pitch at Chepauk perfectly aligned with Indian team's vision to give more practice to their pacers ahead of the all-important tour to Australia.
Although he termed it as Indian team's internal matter, Cummins was a touch surprised with Rohit Sharma's decision to drop himself from the playing eleven on account of poor form.
New Zealand can become only the second team to inflict a series whitewash on India in their backyard.
President Droupadi Murmu on Saturday approved 139 Padma awards including seven Padma Vibhushans, 19 Padma Bhushans and 113 Padma Shris.
Dhanatrayodashi is called Dhanteras and its twinkling lights set the mood of India's greatest and most popular festival -- Diwali, the festival of lights.
'When it comes to playing spin, the only way, spend time playing against it for hours and hours and hours.'
India will have to wait until day two to show their skills and may need early wickets to force a third consecutive result in the series.
Who do you think should be part of India's playing XI for the first Test against Bangladesh?
