Rohit Sharma didn't expect the Kensington Oval track to deteriorate so much but defended his decision to promote ODI specialists ahead of him and Virat Kohli.
Cheteshwar Pujara, Ajinkya Rahane along with the uncapped duo of Rajat Patidar and Sarfaraz Khan are in the running for a place in the Indian Test team.
Virat Kohli and Rohit Sharma are expected to return to international duties in June when India host Afghanistan for a three-match ODI series.
Former India cricketer Mohammed Kaif has defended Rishabh Pant after he was removed as India's Test vice-captain following a disappointing IPL season with Lucknow Super Giants. Kaif said Pant should not be judged on his IPL performances alone and insisted he remains India's biggest match-winner in Test cricket.
Rohit spent nearly a week at the BCCI's Centre of Excellence (CoE) in Bengaluru last month
Rohit Sharma became the seventh Indian to complete 100 catches in One-Day Internationals, while young speedster Harshit Rana went level with decorated spinner Ravichandran Ashwin for the record of most wickets for India after a player's first eight ODIs, in the third and last match of the series against Australia, in Sydney, on Saturday.
Former India captain Sunil Gavaskar has advised Rohit Sharma to get back to Ranji Trophy to regain form in the longest format after failing in the ongoing series against South Africa.
'Don't bring up this whole age issue that he is touching 40.' 'He's fit, batting well and catching brilliantly at slips.' 'What else do you need?'
Speaking on The Great Indian Cricket Show on Doordarshan, Mukund, who represented India in seven Tests from 2011-17, said: "I think Shubman has it in him to become an all-format captain, but I do not think India should have an all-format captain anymore."
Indian cricketers Virat Kohli and Shreyas Iyer are on the brink of something special in their respective ODI careers.
Rohit Sharma continue to rewrite the record books in limited overs cricket as the India opener smashed his third double hundred in one-day internationals to fire India to a mammoth 392 for four in the second ODI against Sri Lanka in Mohali on Wednesday.
Yashasvi Jaiswal should drop down to the No 3 position, said batting great Sunil Gavaskar.
Abhishek Sharma continues to lead the IPL 2026 MVPI table, highlighting a worrying trend where batters overwhelmingly dominate the top positions and only one bowler features in the top 20. Purnendu Maji and Srinivas Bhogle present Rediff's Most Valuable Player Index of IPL 2026 after Game 54.
India will take on Afghanistan in a one-off Test from June 6 onwards at New Chandigarh. This comes after the Men in Blue suffered a 0-2 clean sweep loss to South Africa at home last year, marking back-to-back series whitewashes in two years in a row, after a 0-3 whitewash loss to New Zealand in 2024, which marked the end of India's 12-year unbeaten streak at home.
Virat Kohli returns to play in the Vijay Hazare Trophy -- India's national ODI tournament -- after 15 years with his previous match in the competition dating back to February 18, 2010.
'India have shown their intent by adding Rohit Sharma and Virat Kohli to their T20I squad.'
With limited opportunities coming his way in the ODI format, opener Yashasvi Jaiswal said his focus was on making his starts count as he smashed a fine unbeaten century to guide India to a nine-wicket win in the third match against Afghanistan in Chennai on Saturday.
The streets at Marine Drive, as well as the Wankhede Stadium, were packed with fans from as early as 3pm in anticipation of the arrival of their champions.
India will look to address several lingering selection puzzles when they take on South Africa in Ranchi on Sunday in the first ODI of the three-match series, where Rohit Sharma and Virat Kohli return to the set-up for a short audition that could well shape their 2027 World Cup fate.
India will look to seal the ODI series against Afghanistan while continuing to test combinations for the 2027 World Cup, with Kuldeep Yadav and Yashasvi Jaiswal among those pushing for opportunities in the second match.
Ravindra Jadeja, Rishabh Pant and pacer Mohammed Siraj too faced local bowlers and significant amount of throwdowns.
Under Rohit Sharma, India won the 2018 and 2023 ODI Asia Cup, runners-up position in the 2023 World Cup at home and triumphed in the the ICC Champions Trophy in March.
Skipper Shubman Gill on Saturday hoped that "phenomenal" Yashasvi Jaiswal will continue to churn out big performances to keep himself in contention in India's ODI scheme of things.
Rohit, along with another former skipper Virat Kohli, are currently not a part of the shortest format.
It won't be easy for Virat Kohli and Rohit Sharma to remain fit and find a place in India's ODI World Cup squad in 2027, said former captain Sourav Ganguly.
'I felt they (Rohit and Kohli) had this cycle left. It could be that we don't know what actually transpired.'
The BCCI never believes in taking decisions in haste and would always gauge the public perceptions before taking a call, which is sensitive in nature considering the massive fan following of the two greats.
'If they had continued playing Test cricket and quit ODIs, then staying in the groove would have been a lot easier.'
Virat surpasses Tendulkar for most centuries in a single format, extends golden run in Ranchi
The back-to-back series defeats against New Zealand (home) and Australia (away) and the diminishing returns with the bat have put Kohli and Rohit under scanner.
Virat Kohli received a thunderous standing ovation from a capacity crowd at the Sydney Cricket Ground as he strode out to bat, likely for the final time in Australia.
Spin great Ravichandran Ashwin praised Rohit Sharma's remarkable transformation after he surpassed Shahid Afridi's record for the most sixes in ODIs.
Rohit has backed Pant to come good in the five-match T20I series
Making a comeback to international cricket after a seven-month gap, Virat Kohli has perished for ducks in the first two ODIs against Australia.
Krunal Pandya's gritty 73 and Bhuvneshwar Kumar's all-round heroics (4/23, 7 not out) powered Royal Challengers Bengaluru to a nervy two-wicket victory and knocked Mumbai Indians out of the race for IPL playoffs in Raipur on Sunday.
Senior pros Rohit Sharma and Virat Kohli made a grand comeback to the Vijay Hazare Trophy, smashing centuries on the opening day of the one-day tournament on Wednesday.
India's Shubman Gill has ascended to the second position in the ICC ODI batting rankings, propelled by strong performances against Afghanistan. Meanwhile, New Zealand's Matt Henry has joined India's Jasprit Bumrah as the world's top-ranked Test bowler, marking a significant achievement for both players in the latest ICC updates.
'When Kohli made himself available for this Australia tour, I believe he will also be available for the 2027 World Cup.'
Kohli maintains highest fitness standards while 23 of his colleagues checked-in at NCA for rehab in 2021-22 season
Virat Kohli's much anticipated return to Test cricket was marred by a disappointing dismissal for just six runs in the first innings against Bangladesh in Chennai.
