The South Africans had only recently wiped away their reputation of being chokers. Finn Allen got them to choke again.
As questions swirled around dropped catches, poor captaincy calls, and a one-dimensional bowling attack, former players didn't hold back.
Harbhajan Singh believes Mumbai Indians' IPL playoff chances were hampered by Rohit Sharma's delayed return from a hamstring injury. He highlights Sharma's impactful innings against Lucknow Super Giants and suggests that an earlier recovery could have changed MI's fortunes.
'From what I've heard, England have had just one net session this entire trip, if not any. If you're not prepared to do the hard yards, you're not going to improve.'
Two fast-bowling all-rounders look to be in a battle for one spot, while a decision between Prasidh Krishna and left-armer Arshdeep Singh could be condition-dependent.
Royal Challengers Bengaluru and Mumbai Indians faced injury concerns to key batters during their high-scoring IPL clash, with Virat Kohli sparking worry after not fielding in the second innings.
Former India all-rounder and head coach Ravi Shastri reflected on Rohit Sharma and Virat Kohli's below-par showing in the first ODI against Australia in Perth.
'The most important thing for India is to throw the counter punch almost immediately.'
K L Rahul has been in great form with the bat in England, with 375 runs in the first three Tests at an average of 62.50, with two centuries and a fifty.
Ricky Ponting is of the opinion that the Indian team should be focusing on playing their best XI rather than trying to get the matchups right, when they face Zimbabwe in their next Super Eight clash on Thursday in Chennai's MA Chidambaram Stadium.
- 'Give this side 12 months and you watch, they will be a bullet side' - 'The scoreline doesn't matter' - 'What we miss overseas is a batsman in the top six who can bowl. Someone like Sourav'
Praising Team Director Ravi Shastri for lifting the morale, Test opener Murali Vijay has said that the former all-rounder has entered the Indian cricket dressing room at the right time as things have fallen into place with the current coaching set-up.
Batting-order flexibility has become a key factor in modern white-ball cricket, and former India all-rounder Vijay Shankar believes players who can seamlessly adapt to different roles are increasingly valuable in a format driven by situational demands.
In a candid conversation on The ICC Review with Sanjana Ganesan, Shastri named two young stars he believes are ready to be groomed for the role - Shubman Gill and Rishabh Pant.
'Why stop a guy (from playing in Big Bash League) if he can't make it to the Test side, get a level C or level D contract?'
Sunil Gavaskar has criticised the practice of encouraging spectators to chant Jasprit Bumrah's name while he is bowling, particularly during crucial matches like the ICC T20 World Cup semifinal.
Former coach Ravi Shastri believes Rohit Sharma and Virat Kohli's form in Australia will play a decisive role in shaping their ODI future.
Former Team Director of the Indian cricket team Ravi Shastri made it clear that had he been the chairman of selectors, he would have thought about making "Virat Kohli the captain in all three formats" and let Mahendra Singh Dhoni "enjoy his game". Asked if he feels that Kohli is ready for leading across all formats, Shastri told India Today channel: "If I am the chairman of selectors, I would be thinking in that fashion, absolutely. It is it time to start thinking. You have to see India has no major event in three years till 2019 World Cup. This is your best chance to think and build." Shastri also made it clear that Dhoni can still contribute as a player. "By no stretch of imagination, you are taking anything away from MS. He can still contribute massively as a player. Time has come to allow him to enjoy himself, enjoy the game. It also depends on how much hungry MS is, how passionate he is, whether the juices are still flowing. It's a Catch-22 situation but you have to take hard decisions."
The contrast between Iyer's selflessness and Kohli's perceived self-interest fuelled online discussions, with many interpreting Shastri's comment as a veiled critique of Kohli's actions.
'You have the best fast bowler in the world and you make him sit out after seven days of rest. It is something very hard to believe.'
Suryavanshi first grabbed attention when Rajasthan Royals snapped him up for Rs 1.1 crore at just 13 years old.
Virat Kohli has acknowledged the positive influence of Rahul Dravid and Vikram Rathour in helping him rediscover his passion for cricket after a difficult period following his departure from the India captaincy.
On Friday, in the second T20I against Australia at the Melbourne Cricket Ground, Suryakumar Yadav lost yet another toss as Mitchell Marsh called correctly and opted to bowl first.
'Ravi was very streetsmart, cricketsmart, so that made him more adaptable whenever situations changed or conditions changed.'
The 21-year-old Reddy showed tremendous grit, scoring a dogged 105 not out at number 8 to virtually bail India out on the third day of the Boxing Day Test.
Shastri added that Shreyas Iyer, who has had a tremendous run in white-ball cricket for India as well as in the IPL, is another player who could get selected for the England tour, but would face stiff competition.
Ravi Shastri believes Virat Kohli has the potential to turn around his poor form and prosper during the upcoming five-Test Border-Gavaskar series in Australia.
Sinner, Alcaraz will keep tennis' flag flying: Shastri
Google CEO Sundar Pichai, an avid cricket fan, had a memorable fan boy moment as he carried the ICC T20 World Cup alongside his childhood idol Sunil Gavaskar.
On the podcast, Shastri named Gavaskar, Kapil Dev, Sachin Tendulkar, MS Dhoni, and Virat Kohli in his top five.
Virat Kohli and Steve Smith will be "dangerous" and "hungry" for runs in the remaining two Tests
Chennai Super Kings and Sunrisers Hyderabad face off in a crucial IPL match with playoff qualification at stake. Both teams need a win to boost their chances of reaching the knockouts.
Former all-rounder and head coach Ravi Shastri has thrown his weight behind young Washington Sundar to be a 'genuine all-rounder for many, many years for India'.
Gill scored a sensational 269 in the first innings and followed it up with 161 in the second-earning comparisons to Don Bradman from Shastri himself.
Chennai Super Kings, still in the hunt for a play-off berth, will look to continue their recent resilient run when they take on the already-eliminated Lucknow Super Giants in the IPL 2026 match on Friday.
Ravi Shastri claimed India's dominant contribution to global cricket revenue makes the share fair.
Venkatesh Iyer smashed an unbeaten 73 off 40 balls in a pressure game against Punjab Kings, powering Royal Challengers Bengaluru into the IPL 2026 playoffs with a commanding victory.
Former India coach Ravi Shastri says the stylish batter should go in with a clear mindset, change his tactics, and attack the bowlers.
Nasser Hussain and Michael Atherton, the former England captains and respected pundits, will also be providing their expert analysis alongside former West Indies pacer Ian Bishop.
Wasim Akram said some of his team-mates still blame him for that defeat.
