Rishabh Pant's place in the playing eleven is far from guaranteed, while Washington Sundar and Nitish Kumar Reddy are locked in a tight contest for the additional all-rounder's slot as India confront several selection dilemmas ahead of the first ODI against South Africa in Ranchi.
Yashasvi Jaiswal smashed his maiden ODI hundred to power India to a 2-1 series win after they thrashed against South Africa by nine wickets in the third and final ODI.
K L Rahul takes over the captaincy after regular skipper Shubman Gill missed the series because of a neck injury.
Former India player Sanjay Manjrekar has painted a grim picture of Rohit Sharma's current form, saying "things are slipping away" from the senior batter who has reached a point in his career where he has to "push himself every morning".
A look at Tilak Varma's stunning effort on the field
Maharashtra Congress chief Harshwardhan Sapkal alleges Mumbai police surveillance, claiming an officer entered his room. He questions if CM Fadnavis ordered the snooping. BJP denies the allegations. Sapkal also raises questions about a hostage situation and accuses the CM of shielding criminals.
The India vs Bangladesh rivalry has gotten bitter in recent years, thanks to the partisan young fans, many of whom perceive India as an adversary.
Varma has been the leading run-getter for Mumbai Indians this season, with 307 runs under his belt.
'I am very close to Sammy. I had promised her that whenever I will score a century or a fifty, I will do a celebration for her.'
That is the level of trust we have in each other.'
The Indian Premier League (IPL) 2026 auction saw some foreign names earning big bucks, headlined by Aussie all-rounder Cameron Green
Rohit Sharma fires again as Mumbai Indians pulverise hapless Sunrisers Hyderabad by seven wickets.
'Australia is his favourite hunting ground, and now he is making his comeback after the IPL. I am really looking forward to seeing him bat in those three ODIs, and hopefully, out of those three, he gets at least two centuries for India.'
Ahead of the mini-auction, scheduled to be held in Doha on December 26, the 10 franchises have released their list of retained and released players.
Tilak Varma, who was handed his maiden T20I call-up, posted a series of photos with family and friends before departure, and wrote, 'Blessings from my family and wishes from my friends. Ready for life's next chapter.'
Expect some fireworks for the highly-versatile Cameron Green along with Quinton de Kock, Matheesha Pathirana, Venkatesh Iyer and Ravi Bishnoi.
Tilak Varma has hit just two fifties in 16 T20 Internationals.
Indian spinner Ravi Bishnoi and left-arm seamer Arshdeep Singh moved up to the sixth and 10th spot respectively in the latest ICC T20 rankings released on Wednesday.
Mumbai Indians and Lucknow Super Giants, both struggling in the Indian Premier League, will be looking to turn their fortunes around when they face each other on Friday.
Virat Kohli has the skill to score runs at a much better strike-rate like any young T20 star but RCB's team composition is such that he needs to adopt a risk-free approach.
At the end, Rohit concluded the interaction with Tilak by using famous Hyderabadi slang 'Bahut maza aya tumse baat karne miyan! (it was nice to talk to you)'.
As the continental tournament kicks off on September 9 in Dubai, India will look to lean on this mix of proven winners and new leaders while keeping uncompromising fitness standards at the heart of their preparations.
The five-times champions have retained the quartet of Bumrah, Suryakumar, Pandya and Rohit along with youngster Tilak Verma.
Shreyas Iyer has been named captain of the India A squad for the upcoming three-match one-day series against Australia A, starting September 30 in Kanpur.
India will kickstart their campaign on September 10 against the UAE. Media reports suggest that Gill could make his return to the T20I team, possibly as vice-captain.
IMAGES from the Indian Premier League Qualifier 2 match played between Punjab Kings and Mumbai Indians in Ahmedabad, on Sunday.
'It's a big thing for me to make my ODI debut in the Asia Cup and get T20I and ODI call-up in the same year.'
'Sanju was playing because Shubman and Yashasvi were not available at that point (and) so was Abhishek. (But) Abhishek's performances clearly make it hard to leave him out. Plus, his bowling (left arm spin) is handy.'
The brief chat between Rohit and Rinku sparked curiosity.
Such has been the problem of plenty for selectors in the T20 format that they are finding it difficult to even accommodate Yashasvi Jaiswal -- a proven performer in T20 cricket.
A rampant Mumbai Indians will present a stern test of character for the rattled Punjab Kings in a virtual semi-final when the two teams face-off in Qualifier 2 of the Indian Premier League in Ahmedabad on Sunday.
Spinners of both sides will have a significant role to play considering that Jasprit Bumrah and Shaheen Shah Afridi are the only specialist pacers who will be seen in action in Sunday's match.
'Honoured to have hosted my Mumbai Indians family at my home for dinner. It was a wonderful night that my family and I won't forget.'
How well will Shubman Gill fit in the T20 team? Is it a gamble by the selectors in order to unite captaincy across formats? asks Harish Kotian.
MI will hope Jasprit Bumrah returns to his menacing best, which is essential for them to stop an explosive Sunrisers Hyderabad batting unit in its tracks.
But in their pursuit of glory, both leaders must find a way to address the issues at hand.
Mumbai Indians head coach Mahela Jayawardene has expressed his faith in the senior players despite the team's poor performance in the IPL. Despite losing four out of their five matches, Jayawardene has ruled out making major changes to the playing eleven, citing the experience and skill of the players. He believes that the team is playing good cricket and needs to be more ruthless, particularly in the powerplay. Jayawardene also defended Rohit Sharma's struggles against left-arm pace, highlighting his experience and the need to credit the bowlers. He acknowledged that MI is not playing its best cricket and emphasized the need for consistency. Jayawardene also expressed satisfaction with Tilak Varma's performance, highlighting his ability and potential.
Suryakumar Yadav's doughty 73 not out proved to be the difference as Mumbai Indians sealed the fourth and final play-off berth with a 59-run trouncing of Delhi Capitals.
© 2026 Rediff.com - Advertise with us - Disclaimer - Privacy Policy - Sitemap - Feedback - About us - Terms of use - Grievances