Former India batter Sanjay Manjrekar has stirred up fresh controversy with his latest IPL 2025 rankings, leaving fans fuming after snubbing two of the tournament's top run-scorers.
He also highlighted the team's focus on playing good cricket and improving in areas like fielding.
Team India skipper Shubman Gill is unlikely to feature in the second Test against South Africa, with Cricket Association of Bengal sources confirming that he is not travelling to Guwahati with the team on Wednesday.
A nasty bouncer ended Prasidh Krishna's fighting knock on Day 2 of the unofficial Test in Lucknow on Wednesday
India A skipper Rishabh Pant will look to build on the gains from the first match, while the likes of Mohammed Siraj and Kuldeep Yadav will aim for crucial red-ball game time in the second four-day match against a Temba Bavuma-led South Africa A in Bengaluru from Thursday.
In India's first innings, only Yashasvi Jaiswal (58 off 97 balls) and Washington Sundar (48 off 92 balls) could contribute substantially as the home team suffered a batting collapse after starting the day at 9 for no loss.
Sudharsan and Rinku put on 55 runs for the fourth-wicket stand.
Those early wickets from Shami and Joseph, and some tight bowling and wickets by Rashid in the middle, didn't allow DC to go big or build worthwhile partnerships, leading to their undoing.
Sai Sudharsan and Prithvi Shaw failed to get big scores in their English county games for Surrey and Northamptonshire respectively.
There are at least six contenders for a couple of reserve middle-order slots for the five-Test series in England, starting in June.
For the first time in many years, India are going into a home Test match as underdogs and not favourites. Ask any player worth his salt and he would tell that it is not a happy place to be.
Little-known ambidextrous Bengal spinner Kaushik Maity seamlessly doubled up for both roles during the optional practice session.
Virat Kohli gave Royal Challengers Bengaluru fans a brief scare during their IPL 2025 clash against Gujarat Titans on Wednesday
273 runs to his name, he has surged to the second position in the Orange Cap race and also became the first Indian to cross the 200-run mark in IPL 2025.
Defending champions Royal Challengers Bengaluru carried off from last season with dominating performances in their opening two games of IPL 2026.
K L Rahul made a solid 74 before retiring hurt as India remained on course to chase a formidable 412-run target set by Australia A on day three of the second unofficial Test in Lucknow on Thursday.
'Rishabh Pant is not fit for West Indies series, hopefully he will be available for home Tests against South Africa.'
Openers Yashasvi Jaiswal and K L Rahul perished early as India fumbled in the chase of a mammoth 549-run target on Day 4 of the second Test.
India wicketkeeper-batter Dhruv Jurel, who played in the fifth and final Test at The Oval against England in their last assignment, has been named Iyer's deputy.
Magical Paddikal overshadows maverick Kishan to hand Karnataka 5-wicket win over Jharkhand
Shubman Gill might just want to be fit enough to bat, as even a half-fit skipper is seen as more effective than Sai Sudharsan, Abhimanyu Easwaran or Sarfaraz Khan.
Gujarat Titans assistant coach Parthiv Patel isn't the least bit surprised to see Sai Sudharsan enjoying a prolific run in IPL 2025.
Gujarat Titans scored a resounding 38-run victory over Sunrisers Hyderabad, in Ahmedabad on Friday, to move a step closer to the Indian Premier League play-offs.
The last time two specialist keepers played together in a Test was in 1986, when Kiran More and Chandrakant Pandit featured in the same XI, with Pandit playing as a batter.
India have long curated home tracks that accentuate turn, but the assumption their own batters would master such conditions no longer appears safe following their defeat in the opening Test against South Africa.
India lost their openers Yashasvi Jaiswal and K L Rahul on a green top but did well to reach 72 for two at lunch on Day 1 of the series-deciding fifth Test against England at The Oval, London, on Thursday.
'I definitely believe the kind of form he is in, the way he is batting, it will strengthen the Indian batting line-up.'
Rishabh Pant was ruled out for nearly three months after he fractured his foot during the fourth Test against England in Manchester in July.
Fresh from a hard-fought 2-2 draw in England, Shubman Gill's men will be eager to translate their overseas resilience into home dominance.
Gujarat Titans are set to retain their captain Shubman Gill alongside star spinner Rashid Khan and left-handed batter Sai Sudharsan ahead of the IPL mega auction.
The series, to commence on June 20, will be played at Headingley in Leeds, Edgbaston in Birmingham, Lord's and The Oval in London, and Old Trafford in Manchester.
How India's players enjoyed their time in Wednesday's training session.
Mumbai Indians outlasted Gujarat Titans by 20 runs in a high-scoring IPL Eliminator despite a classy effort from Sai Sudharsan.
Fans and experts questioned the logic behind repeatedly including Easwaran in squads without ever giving him a real opportunity
As Team India gear up for the much-anticipated Test series against England starting on Friday, several players in the squad will draw confidence from their county cricket experience.
B Sai Sudharsan is set to become the rookie face in the Test squad along with T20 specialist left-arm pacer Arshdeep Singh.
There is a school of thought that having done the hard yards in the England series, Karun Nair deserves an opportunity against a weaker opposition where a century could boost his career.
Rishabh Pant's 'chaotic' leadership style and batting might be the wildcard India need to level the Test series against South Africa, former cricketer Jonty Rhodes said on Friday.
'But I think if you look at a rebuilding sort of phase, I think India can cope with it better than most other teams'
The home side, chasing a 2-0 series sweep, reduced West Indies to 140-4 with left-armer Jadeja (3-37) leading the way.
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