With Jason Holder's men just about managing to draw the three-match ODI series against Afghanistan 1-1, there is no doubt that the current Indian team are a few notches ahead in terms of quality.
According to a source in the BCCI, Kumble said: 'He doesn't want to continue with the team'
With the 2019 ODI World Cup on the horizon, focus has firmly shifted to white-ball cricket with the arrival of limited-overs' specialists, in Sydney, on Tuesday.
Dean Elgar criticises Mohali pitch, says it's is a bad wicket.
Looking to salvage pride in the third Test beginning, in Johannesburg, on Wednesday, team India got down to business at the Wanderers with a practice session that lasted just under four hours.
Rishabh Pant may be the flavour this domestic cricket season but chief coach Anil Kumble feels that Parthiv Patel's experience as well as better "keeping skills" have enabled him to make a comeback into Indian Test side after eight long years. "Parthiv has been really consistent both with his keeping as well as his batting. That's why Parthiv was chosen. Rishabh has certainly shown the exuberance a young cricketer can bring in. He has shown a lot of batting skills. He has obviously got a lot of runs in domestic cricket. But Parthiv was chosen for his keeping skills and his experience," Kumble said on Thursday, giving a peek into his thought process on Patel's selection.
India cricket captain Mahendra Singh Dhoni feels that talented Mumbai batsman Ajinkya Rahane is one player who has improved by leaps and bounds in recent times and is ready to don any hat for the team's cause.
Virat Kohli is the quintessential 'teacher's delight' but it is injury-prone Mohammed Shami, in his current fit avatar, that India's strength and conditioning coach Shankar Basu considers his biggest achievement since joining the team.
Three MLAs abstained, while 20 legislators, most of them from Congress and the NCP, including Congress's Ashok Chavan and Vijay Wadettiwar, both former ministers, were absent during the trust vote.
Suresh Raina has come out in full support of Mahendra Singh Dhoni.
Senior India batsman Rohit Sharma feels pacers Jasprit Bumrah and Bhuvneshwar Kumar are the world's best death bowlers and the duo have contributed significantly to the recent limited overs success of the team.
Kolkata Knight Riders will aim for their third win on the trot and end the home leg on a high.
The skipper said that there has been a lot of experimentation at number four, and while the batting line-up at Adelaide, where Rayudu batted at four, was an ideal one, they would like to keep things mixed up until someone assumed responsibility at number four.
Rajasthan Royals would be keen to adapt quickly to their new 'home ground' when they lock horns with last season's runner-up Kings XI Punjab in their campaign opener in the Indian Premier League in Pune.
The Men in Blue won the first T20I at Johannesburg by 28 runs and a victory on Wednesday will see them wrap up another series win on this tour.
India aim to stay afloat against daunting South Africa in the second Test
The game features two of the world's leading batsmen captaining their sides in Virat Kohli and Kane Williamson, as well as a pair of strike bowlers at the top of their game in Jasprit Bumrah and Trent Boult.
The Indian team management took this decision during this afternoon's net practice after having a look at the pitch. Although there was no official word on why the match was shortened, Indian coach Ravi Shastri was seen having an animated discussion with the local officials after getting a glimpse of the grassy pitch and a barren outfield that can cause injury while fielding.
- 'The current coaching set-up has done a fantastic job and if they are given a one-year run then they could really make a difference'
Will it be a foreigner from among the 57 applications received for job? Is it a race between Anil Kumble, Ravi Shastri, Sandeep Patil and Venkatesh Prasad?
Should India bolster its batting by including Rohit Sharma at No 6? Pick India's playing XI for the first Test.
Suresh Raina says he wants to use the opportunity to regain his place in ODIs ahead of the 2019 World Cup.
India last won a Test series in England in 2007 under Rahul Dravid, and it will be no easy task ahead of the Virat Kohli-led side to replicate that feat.
Glenn Maxwell played a scintillating cameo hitting an unbeaten 32 off 14 balls under pressure to power Kings XI Punjab to a six-wicket win over Rising Pune Supergiants.
On a high after sealing the series with comprehensive victories, an upbeat India will be aiming to complete a 3-0 rout in order to retain it's No 1 Test ranking, when they meet a listless West Indies in the final Test match of the series in Port of Spain on Thursday. Having already taken an unassailable 2-0 lead in the four-match series after their crushing 237-run win in the third Test, Virat Kohli and his men will be aiming to go for the kill and keep their top ranking in Test. India were reinstated as the No.1 Test side after Australia 0-3 whitewash at the hands of Sri Lanka.
Former Australia captain, Dean Jones, is of the view that India Test captain Virat Kohli must have a say in picking the next coach and also says that changing staff again and again isn't a solution for the team.
His report will decide Duncan Fletcher's future as India's cricket coach and Ravi Shastri, who served as Team Director during the just-concluded limited overs series against England, has put his weight behind the under-fire Zimbabwean.
India's Team Director Ravi Shastri on Friday said that South Africa are still a formidable side despite the retirement of some big players recently but his side will continue their aggressive brand of cricket in the upcoming series beginning on October 2.
India's marauding cricket team will be aiming to reclaim the No 1 spot in ICC rankings when it takes on an unsettled New Zealand in the second Test starting, in Kolkata, on Friday.
How does India's current national coach Ravi Shastri compare with the other men who have coached the Indian cricket team this century?
'Before Shastri's induction, things were sketchy and it was not known who was responsible for taking cricketing decisions around the team. The selectors chose a squad of players, the captain ran the show on the field and the coaches helped draft plans, or sort of tried to. There needed to be one man who could coordinate all elements around the squad -- someone who had the backing of the Board, the respect of the players and that of the support staff.'
The reasons for India's poor show in England lie between a very demanding captain, a very smug coach and inadequate coaching staff, says Sudhir Bisht.
Ajinkya Rahane said the key to his success was keeping a blank mind and playing one ball at a time.
'It is not just about one skill anymore, so everyone needs to contribute with whatever they can.' 'It certainly puts the opposition on the defensive when you know that all eleven can bat.'
Speedster Umesh Yadav feels that England could have scored more than 268 for eight as the wicket did not change much and it was "easy to play spinners" with not much turn on offer.
After their best-ever show at IPL 7, Kings XI Punjab will look to continue their aggressive brand of cricket when they start their campaign against Hobart Hurricanes in a Group B match of the Champions League Twenty20 in Mohali on Thursday.
'Sachin Paaji told me to enjoy the situation because this is a reward for all the hard work I have put in for so many years in domestic cricket. He told me not to take any pressure on myself, but to enjoy the moment because this will stay with me forever.' Ajinkya Rahane relives his Test debut and how he has become the Indian team's new Mr Dependable in this exclusive interview with Harish Kotian/Rediff.com
New Indian captain Virat Kohli should channelise his aggressive attitude in the right direction, according to Team Director Ravi Shastri, who said Mahendra Singh Dhoni's "selfless act" of retiring from Test cricket format at the right time should also be given its due respect.
New Indian captain Virat Kohli should channelise his aggressive attitude in the right direction, according to Team Director Ravi Shastri, who said Mahendra Singh Dhoni's "selfless act" of retiring from Test cricket format at the right time should also be given its due respect.