But Rohit's deplorable form in red-ball in red-ball cricket may have forced this decision.
The appointment of Mo Bobat and Andy Flower and Dinesh Karthik into the coaching staff changed the template, and it reflected in RCB's approach in the auction room in 2024.
India's Test team has entered a bold new era - one without Virat Kohli, Rohit Sharma, or Ravichandran Ashwin - and the message from new head coach Gautam Gambhir is clear: it's time to fight, not just play.
Lucknow Super Giants (LSG) will be wary of Sunrisers Hyderabad's (SRH) aggressive batting approach when the two teams face off in the Indian Premier League (IPL) on Thursday.
Shreyas Iyer has consistently excelled with the bat in knockout matches in white ball cricket across formats.
With their respective leaders switching camps and squads undergoing major overhauls, both Delhi Capitals and Lucknow Super Giants, under new captains, will be eager to make a strong start to their IPL campaign when they face off in Visakhapatnam on Monday.
While the cricket fraternity is taken aback by talismanic Virat Kohli's wish to retire from Test cricket, it has been learnt that selection committee did ponder over the idea of handing over leadership to him in England to allow Gill some more time to groom.
The retirement of Ravichandran Ashwin has opened the door for other spin all-rounders to step up, and Vidyut is confident that Washington Sundar could be the one to watch.
With 288 runs at a strike rate of 225, Nicholas Pooran is the top run-getter in IPL 2025, while Mohammed Siraj has been brilliant in Powerplay overs with 10 wickets in five games.
Jasprit Bumrah took four wickets as a rampaging Mumbai Indians demolished Lucknow Super Giants by 54 runs.
Ashutosh Sharma's late heroics earned Delhi Capitals a thrilling one-wicket win against Lucknow Super Giants on Monday.
Rohit, Virat Kohli, along with Shubman Gill, Rishabh Pant, KL Rahul, Shreyas Iyer, and Yashasvi Jaiswal were among the first to touch down, setting the stage for what promises to be an exciting series.
'Make it a habit that this is how it's going to be under my captaincy.'
This was India's seventh defeat in their last nine matches as their poor run in Test cricket continues following successive series defeats against New Zealand at home and in Australia.
Kohli follows Rohit into retirement: Can Next Gen stars emulate India's batting luminaries?
Lucknow Super Giants skipper Rishabh Pant believes his bowlers could have done the basics better at the back end as the target of 210 was defendable.
'If you are called in as a replacement, you are likely to start. Ups and downs are a part of life. I have always backed my skills.'
IPL 2025 recap: From Kohli and RCB conquering final frontier to decline of champions
'He is a fearless cricketer and we (team management) want him to have that freedom'
'While the current pause offers temporary reprieve and alleviates any immediate legal pressure, the long-term implications remain uncertain.'
England tour may go either way, pressure on Gill but experience will help: Agarkar on transition
'Pant can give that differential variable that they are looking for in the batting order.'
All eyes will be on Captain Shubman Gill and Coach Gautam Gambhir to lead the Indian Test team into a bold new era.
The Indian team ramped up preparations for the Boxing Day Test by practicing on a fresh wicket on Tuesday at the MCG.
Shardul Thakur's four-wicket haul and a sensational display of power-hitting from Nicholas Pooran set up a five-wicket win for Lucknow Super Giants over Sunrisers Hyderabad.
Ishant Sharma dazzled with a three wicket haul to power DC to a 19 run win over LSG.
While India dominated visiting teams on spin-friendly wickets to put together 18 consecutive series wins at home in last 12 years, the choice to play on turning tracks against New Zealand backfired in Pune and Mumbai.
Srinivas Bhogle and Purnendu Maji present Rediff.com's Most Valuable Player Index of T20 World Cup 2024 after Game 54.
An angry Rohit complained about Gavaskar being 'too negative' about his form in Australia, claiming that external pressure impacted his focus!
Delhi Capitals are still in the race for the play-off along with Mumbai Indians and Lucknow Super Giants.
With the Champions Trophy opener against Bangladesh just around the corner, India's star batsman KL Rahul focused on power-hitting during a training session in Dubai.
'We have been with Team India since the first session and today is the fourth. Shreyas bhai is really joyful around the field.'
RR feeling Jos Buttler's absence, KKR under-utilising Andre Russell: Anil Kumble
A look at Indian players' records in ICC ODI tournament finals including the World Cup and Champions Trophy.
Avesh Khan held his nerve in the death overs, bowling yorker after yorker to perfection, to help Lucknow Super Giants pull off a thrilling two-run win over Rajasthan Royals.
Rajasthan Royals face a tough challenge against a marauding Punjab Kings batting lineup, led by in-form Shreyas Iyer.
In India's last ODI series against Sri Lanka, Rahul kept wickets in the first two matches, scoring 31 and 0, while Pant played the third game but managed only 6 runs. India could opt to include both players in the XI, but that would likely come at the expense of Iyer.
Doeschate admitted that Sunday's match could be a contest of spin between the two sides.
Former India batting coach Sanjay Bangar believes Virat Kohli and Rohit Sharma, who have struggled in recent Test matches, will find their form in the upcoming ODI series against England and the Champions Trophy.
Rishabh Pant was considered one of the hottest captaincy prospects in the league.
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