Though Shubman Gill travelled with the Indian team to Guwahati on Wednesday, his injury is unlikely to heal in time ahead of the second Test, which begins on Saturday.
'You have a lot of options if you want to see. You can remove Abhishek Sharma and Shubman Gill and you can open with Sai Sudharsan and Ruturaj Gaikwad...'
Following India's 2-1 series win over hosts South Africa, Sai Sudharsan win the Impact Fielder of the ODI Series medal.
Former New Zealand player Ian Smith put down the Shubman Gill-led India's recent red ball struggles at home to their diminishing ability against spin.
South Africa were dealt a major blow before the first ball was even bowled, with pace ace Kagiso Rabada ruled out of the opening Test against India due to a rib injury.
Pant, who will lead India A, is returning after a three-month absence because of a foot injury which he sustained in July in England, and now the 28-year-old southpaw is aiming to get back to the national fold during the two-match Test series against the Proteas.
India will be desperate for a quality replacement for the crucial No. 4 slot with Shubman Gill likely to be ruled out for the must-win second and final Test against South Africa.
Application required in Test cricket was missing, says Kumble after India's batting collapse
Chasing 121 for victory, India were 63/1 at stumps and West Indies will draw solace from being able to force a final-day finish after being made to follow on.
Veteran spinner Ravichandran Ashwin has expressed surprise over Sarfaraz Khan's omission from India A squads for the home series against South Africa, calling the decision unfair.
South Africa completed a memorable 2-0 series sweep against India after off-spinner Simon Harmer claimed 6/37 to bowl the Proteas to a comprehensive 408-run victory in the second Test,
R Sai Kishore's carrom ball, a rare sight for a left-arm spinner, has been a revelation in IPL 2023, proving his constant evolution as a T20 bowler.
Shubman Gill celebrated his maiden Test series win as India completed a 2-0 sweep over West Indies at the Arun Jaitley Stadium in New Delhi.
Rishabh Pant's return to competitive cricket after a three-month injury-enforced hiatus will be the primary focal point of India A's four-day match against South Africa A.
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.
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.
Ravindra Jadeja, Jasprit Bumrah, Yashasvi Jaiswal, skipper Shubman Gill were among India's Test regulars in action during the second day of the intra-squad match against India A.
Earlier in the day, B Sai Sudharsan has etched his name in Indian cricket history by making his Test debut on June 20.
A nasty bouncer ended Prasidh Krishna's fighting knock on Day 2 of the unofficial Test in Lucknow on Wednesday
Gujarat Titan's Sai Sudharsan is the quickest Indian in terms of innings to reach 1,000 runs in IPL.
Chennai Super Kings head coach Stephen Fleming says the defending champions were undone by "high calibre" batting effort of the Gujarat Titans openers -- skipper Shubman Gill and B Sai Sudharsan -- during their 35-run defeat in the IPL match in Ahmedabad on Friday.
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.
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.
He also highlighted the team's focus on playing good cricket and improving in areas like fielding.
IMAGES from the IPL 2024 match between Gujarat Titans vs Shubman Gill at the Narendra Modi Stadium in Ahmedabad on Friday.
Magical Paddikal overshadows maverick Kishan to hand Karnataka 5-wicket win over Jharkhand
Little-known ambidextrous Bengal spinner Kaushik Maity seamlessly doubled up for both roles during the optional practice session.
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.
Centuries from openers Shubman Gill and Sai Sudharsan powered Titans to an emphatic victory against champions CSK.
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.
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.'
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.
'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.
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.
There are at least six contenders for a couple of reserve middle-order slots for the five-Test series in England, starting in June.
Sudharsan and Rinku put on 55 runs for the fourth-wicket stand.
© 2026 Rediff.com - Advertise with us - Disclaimer - Privacy Policy - Sitemap - Feedback - About us - Terms of use - Grievances