Round up of all the Ranji Trophy action on Thursday
The final Test begins on Friday in New Delhi, and the Shubman Gill-led side is expected to maintain their winning combination as they look to wrap up the home series.
Mumbai off to flourishing start in SMAT, beat Railways by 7 wickets
Rivaba Jadeja broke the news on social media, sharing striking images of the power couple holding their BJP membership cards.
Indian spinners will have a tough fourth day in office with the pitch getting slower, thereby making batting way easier, admitted assistant coach Ryan Ten Doeschate after the end of third day's play in the third Test against the West Indies in New Delhi on Sunday.
Shubman Gill said he could not have asked for a better all-round performance from his team after they hammered the West Indies by an innings and 140 runs in the first Test.
The other Indian bowlers who have taken 300 Test wickets or more include Anil Kumble (619), R Ashwin (524), Kapil Dev (434), Harbhajan Singh (417), Ishant Sharma (311) and Zaheer Khan (311).
South Africa will aim for their first Test victory in India in more than 15 years.
Saurashtra all but ensured Delhi's exit from Ranji Trophy with a 10-wicket victory inside two days in Group D, in Rajkot, on Friday.
Rishabh Pant's return to competitive cricket after a three-month injury-enforced hiatus will be the primary focal point of India A's four-day match against South Africa A.
Despite India's seven-wicket win in Delhi, Gambhir called the surface 'alarming' and stressed the need for more balanced wickets to keep Test cricket alive.
Assessing Sai Sudharsan's temperament and Nitish Kumar Reddy's utility in home conditions would be topmost on India's checklist when the high-on-confidence hosts take on a floundering West Indies
IMAGES from Day 5 of the 2nd Test between India and West Indies in New Delhi on Tuesday.
Ravindra Jadeja will play in Saurashtra's Ranji Trophy match against Delhi, from January 23. The India all-rounder, who last played for Saurashtra in January 2023, turned up for the team's practice session in Rajkot on Sunday.
IMAGES from Day 3 of the 2nd Test between India and West Indies in New Delhi on Sunday.
'He is a man of action and goes to the ground and solves the problem.' 'Be it the Air India crash of Ahmedabad, Morbi bridge collapse, Deesa blast or Gambhira bridge collapse, he is on the spot.'
India beat West Indies by seven wickets in the second and final Test to complete a 2-0 series sweep at the Arun Jaitley Stadium on Tuesday.
Central Zone top-order batters, led by Danish Malewar, carried the team to 229 for two, giving a solid reply to West Zone on the second day of the Duleep Trophy semifinal
'I think it's an ongoing process, just continuously putting in hours of work and speaking to people that have played in these conditions, have done well in these conditions.'
A good batting surface is in store for the second and final Test between India and the West Indies at the Arun Jaitley Stadium, with curators expecting the pitch to aid strokeplay for the first two days before offering only slow turn as the game progresses.
Ravindra Jadeja starred with a 12-wicket haul for Saurashtra, but India's top stars, including Rohit Sharma and Rishabh Pant, failed to impress in the Ranji Trophy.
India remained on course for a 2-0 series sweep after enforcing the follow-on but West Indies produced a much better batting display in their second innings to reach 173-2 on day three of the second and final Test in New Delhi on Sunday.
'If they have picked him ahead of Yashasvi Jaiswal, and as many felt, Sanju Samson, you can imagine how extremely privileged he is.'
The towering presence of Virat Kohli and Rohit Sharma in the Indian ODI team can only help newly appointed captain Shubman Gill grow as a leader, said Axar Patel.
Wicketkeeper-batter Dhruv Jurel on Friday dedicated his maiden Test hundred against the West Indies to the Indian Army, saying he has always had "respect for what they do on the battlefield".
India's first breakthrough came courtesy of their spearhead, reminding fans why Bumrah is considered a match-winner.
Here's a roundup of all Ranji Trophy matches played on Day 1 on Wednesday.
Star all-rounder Ravindra Jadeja has called for an improved performance from India's batting unit in the Boxing Day Test in Melbourne, saying the lack of runs from the top-order builds pressure on the lower-order.
Jadeja's assessment of the track was also an indicator that possibly Ravichandran Ashwin has lost a bit of pace in his deliveries.
Nayar believes that the whole team has bought into Rohit and Gambhir's philosophy, including the two spin greats.
'...the guys who are just part of Test cricket, I think for them to prepare and play domestic cricket is very, very important.'
Sarfaraz might have to try batting at No.3 for Mumbai to remain in scheme of things
The series in Australia could well be Rohit's last in India Blues. But Kohli, given his high fitness standards, could play on until the 2027 World Cup.
'Rishabh Pant is not fit for West Indies series, hopefully he will be available for home Tests against South Africa.'
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.
Shubman Gill backed young No. 3 Sai Sudharsan to come good, insisting that the team must look at 'potential, not just numbers'.
'Dhoni is a very cool captain. But he was also very happy and was enjoying that moment.'
Jasprit Bumrah, Ravindra Jadeja and Yashasvi Jaiswal have been recognised for their exceptional performances in 2024 by being named in the ICC Men's Test Team of the Year.
'We thought they deserved a century there (about the decision to not shake hands). Every match going till the last session on the last day.'
Earlier, after being 0-2 early in their second innings, India continued to battle on to frustrate England on day five, the tourists doing everything possible to keep the series alive on 322-4 at tea.
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