His consistency comes at a crucial time, with stiff competition for a spot in India's Asia Cup XI following Shubman Gill's return as vice-captain, and the inclusion of wicketkeeper-batter Jitesh Sharma after a stellar IPL season for Royal Challengers Bengaluru.
Emotions often get the better of his side when facing arch-rivals India, a flaw former Pakistan skipper Rashid Latif believes has cost them crucial matches in recent years.
'To take two left-arm spinners to Australia is not possible, but he is clearly in the scheme of things with how good he is.'
With the much-anticipated Group A clash against arch-rivals Pakistan looming, India is sparing no effort in their training sessions, honing skills and strategising tactics.
Tickets for the match on September 14 are in huge demand than for any other match. Most journalists are also arriving only in time for this match, even skipping India's opening match against the UAE on September 10.
Mumbai were bowled out for 181 in their second innings, setting J&K 243 runs to win the season-opening match.
'Pretty amazing. The whole tournament, we remained unbeaten, it feels pretty amazing to be in this position.'
Asia Cup: Hardik Pandya goes past Chahal to become second-highest wicket-taker for India in T20Is
The tournament had been fraught with tension from the very start, and the animosity carried into the final, which India won by five wickets on a rather long Sunday night.
stroked 69 not out off 53 balls to steer India to a famous five-wicket victory in the title clash, dedicated his knock to "all the Indians".
The report also indicated that Shubman Gill and Yashasvi Jaiswal are unlikely to get a call-up to the T20I squad as the team management might not upset the team's core combination.
Since he took over, head coach Gautam Gambhir has stressed on multi-skilled players across formats, especially those who can add batting depth.
'It wouldn't have happened if Salman Agha was playing on the 14th and the game is in the balance.'
AB de Villiers shared insights on Sanju Samson's inclusion
India off-spinner Ravichandran Ashwin announced his retirement from the Indian Premier League on Wednesday, bringing curtains down on a 16-year-long association with the tournament within months of calling it quits from international cricket.
Rajasthan Royals captain Sanju Samson has been fined 30 per cent of his match fees for breaching the IPL Code of Conduct during his side's 20-run loss to Delhi Capitals at the Arun Jaitley Stadium in New Delhi.
India defeated a spirited Oman in their final Group A match by 21 runs with Rana and Arshdeep giving away plenty of runs while taking a wicket each at the back end of the game.
Abhishek Sharma's brutal yet beautiful stroke-play was the highlight of India's optional net session on Tuesday
However, Wassan also believed that Suryakumar made a political statement mentioning Operation Sindoor and Pahalgam during the post-match presentation and press conference following the group stage clash between the two teams, which could have been avoided.
'On the very day the soldiers were dying for our country, we were playing the World Cup in England against Pakistan. We were shaking their hands even then because the spirit of the game is a different spirit from what goes on between countries, between Armies and so on.'
Hardik Pandya could become the first Indian and overall the third player in the history of T20 Internationals to achieve the double of 2000 runs and 100 wickets.
One can't say with a degree of certainty that Rinku Singh is an automatic choice going into the T20 World Cup in India and Sri Lanka next year.
Bigg Boss 19 will return on August 24 on JioHotstar, and the reality show will feature a mix of television faces, social media stars, gamers, and entertainers.
As India gears up to face Oman on Friday, September 19, at the Dubai international stadium, the focus returns to cricket.
Purnendu Maji and Srinivas Bhogle present Rediff's Most Valuable Player Index of Asia Cup 2025.
In the Super Four stage, the Men in Blue will take on Pakistan at the R Premadasa Stadium in Colombo on Sunday.
Despite being focused on leading his team in the IPL, the thought of the impending World Cup selections was at the back of his mind and he has come "most prepared", said Indian wicketkeeper-batter Sanju Samson.
Gill's recall would mark his first T20I appearance since the Sri Lanka series in July 2024, right after the T20 World Cup, where he didn't feature.
Aus ODIs: Bumrah, Gill workload to be discussed, battle between Jaiswal and Abhishek
YIndia's batting unit includes Shubman Gill, Abhishek Sharma and Sanju Samson, who can all open the innings. Jaiswal will only be drafted in if one of them is ruled out due to injury. Similarly, Prasidh Krishna could only come into contention if there is an issue with Jasprit Bumrah, Arshdeep Singh, or Harshit Rana.
Rahul Dravid's sudden exit from Rajasthan Royals has raised eyebrows across the cricketing world..
'The exact reason for the inevitable separation is immediately not clear but the veteran off spinner is believed to have made up his mind.'
Kuldeep Yadav has a good record in T20 Internationals with 69 wickets in 40 matches at an economy rate of 6.77, with a best of 5/17 against South Africa.
C P Rizwan led the UAE to its first win in a T20 World Cup match, played 42 ODIs and 18 T20Is before he retired this week. 'I end my international career with a heavy heart, but I feel proud of what I have achieved,' Rizwan tells K R Nayar.
This final was filled with unusual happenings, and one that will stand out is India coach Gautam Gambhir seen smiling for a change!
That merging of skills and temperament has made him a much more desirable player than in the past.
To defend their Asia Cup title, India must improve catching and find a steady middle order. Friday's dead rubber is a good chance to try these out.
Arshdeep Singh performing under pressure in the Super Over against Sri Lanka can be attributed to meditation and yoga that he practices regularly.
Sanju Samson has never enjoyed the backing of the team management while Riyan Parag and Abhishek Sharma were ignored despite good showing with the bat in the Mushtaq Ali Trophy, the national T20 tournament.
Abhishek Sharma's scintillating 75 was beautifully complemented by Kuldeep Yadav and Varun Chakravarthy as India comfortably hammered Bangladesh by 41 runs to enter the Asia Cup final in Dubai on Wednesday.
