Virat Kohli has expressed his full support for Rajat Patidar as the new captain of the Royal Challengers Bangalore (RCB), praising Patidar's consistency and discipline.
Ajinkya Rahane's place in the India Test squad has come into question following a string of low scores in England but batting coach Vikram Rathour said they are not overly worried about the vice captain's form slump.
Jammu and Kashmir skipper Paras Dogra expressed frustration with the umpiring standards during their Ranji Trophy match against Mumbai.
Rohit Sharma's fiery knock was cut short by Yudhvir Singh, as he was caught at midwicket for a fluent 28 runs off 35 balls.
Ajinkya Rahane is, more than anyone else, keen on getting big runs under his belt and it's a matter of just one game before the India vice-captain regains his form, head coach Rahul Dravid said on Monday.
India captain Ajinkya Rahane on Tuesday singled out the debutant duo of Shubman Gill and Mohammed Siraj while commending the tremendous character shown by his side to turn it around in the second Test, in Melbourne, for a series-levelling triumph.
He was a central figure in India's epic turnaround during the 2020-21 tour of Australia but stand-in captain of that series Ajinkya Rahane says "someone else took the credit" for decisions he made to resurrect the team after the nightmarish 36 all out in the Adelaide Test.
Ajinkya Rahane is a 'bowler's captain' whose calm leadership will come in handy in India's bid to bounce back in the four-Test series against Australia, seamer Ishant Sharma said.
Wives and kids of CSK players took to the pitch for the after-game party, joining in the cheers and taking in the love of the fans who lit up the stadium in Ahmedabad.
Danish Malewar's gritty 79 and opener Dhruv Shorey's attractive 74 helped Vidarbha reach 308 for 5 against defending champions Mumbai on the first day of their Ranji Trophy semi-final.
He has been told to follow a strict fitness and shed weight to ensure his return to the Mumbai team.
After his sterling show in Australia, Rahane hasn't had the best outing with the bat this series with mostly single digit scores apart from one half-century in the second Test in Chennai.
'Rahane hasn't lost the game as captain, he was really brave yesterday to give India a little sniff. I thought the runs were always too much for them, but he gave them a sniff.'
Shreyas Iyer feels the Mumbai batter can touch the deserved heights if he "gets his work ethics right."
India seized the initiative with Ajinkya Rahane shuffling his bowlers smartly
But Kohli came to the defence of his deputy, insisting that Rahane is the team's most important batsman along with Cheteshwar Pujara.
England will need their batting unit to fire against India, who are eyeing a 13th consecutive Test series victory on home soil.
India finished Day 2 of the second Test against Australia on a strong 277 for 5 in 91.3 overs, with a handy lead of 82 runs, and three days still left.
Rahane was left to pick up the pieces at the Melbourne Cricket Ground and responded in emphatic style.
After several losses in the early years of the new century, a resurgent India notched up two consecutive series wins in Australia to become the Aussies' nemesis.
Rahane admitted that the run out handed Australia the momentum as they recorded an eight-wicket win inside two and half days.
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.
Ajinkya Rahane's dismissal proved crucial as Rajasthan never really got back the momentum.
Before the opening day of the second Test, the BCCI officially announced that Rahane, Ishant and, more importantly, Ravindra Jadeja are out of the match due to various injuries.
Gavaskar was impressed with Rahane's field placements
'This hundred was special. My time with Hampshire really helped me. I dedicate this hundred to the people who backed me, supported me when I was going through a rough patch'
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.
Ajinkya Rahane, Rohit Sharma, Shardul Thakur and Prithvi Shaw and Head Coach Ravi Shastri took the RT-PCR test on their arrival at Mumbai's Chhatrapati Shivaji Naharaj international airport.
'In my mind, it was very clear you can't do worse than that (Adelaide). You'll have a day when the luck is in your favour and you can bounce back. And that's exactly what happened.'
Back from national duty, Ishan Kishan joined the Mumbai Indians for the IPL 2021 campaign.
Ajinkya Rahane was not amused with questions related to his poor form, insisting that concerns about his lean patch are unfounded and contribution doesn't mean a Test hundred in every game.
Ajinkya Rahane steered clear of the controversy surrounding domestic stalwart and his former Mumbai teammate Wasim Jaffer
'I would like to mention, he fulfilled his responsibility in Australia with flying colours, it was amazing to see him lead the team towards victory, which has always been our goal," Kohli said during a virtual media interaction on the eve of the first Test against England.'
India Test vice-captain Ajinkya Rahane will be leading Mumbai in the upcoming Syed Mushtaq Ali T20 tournament. Prithvi Shaw has been named as vice-captain while Yashasvi Jaiswal has also been named in the 20-member squad.
'The pitch looks pretty similar, I do not know how it is going to play, we have to wait and see'
A summary of Friday's action in the Ranji Trophy matches across the country.
Prithvi Shaw expressed his frustration after being dropped from Mumbai's squad for the Vijay Hazare Trophy beginning on December 21.
Cheteshwar Pujara and Ajinkya Rahane's position in group A of the BCCI central contracts could be up for deliberation
'Having interacted with Ajinkya Rahane, I know he has a very smart brain and he is balanced.'
A round-up of Day 1 of the Ranji Trophy matches played on Thursday.
