At the Jaipuria Vidyalaya ground, Shardul won the toss and used the early morning nip to good effect to reduce Chattisgarh to 10 for 4 inside first five overs.
Nair will bat at No 5 at The Oval in what many see as his last chance at redemption.
Suryakumar Yadav (30) couldn't convert a start, Sarfaraz Khan (6) and Shreyas Iyer's (2) bids of spending quality time in the middle didn't fructify.
India were in danger of suffering their first home test loss to New Zealand since 1988, despite Sarfaraz Khan's 150 and Rishabh Pant's 99, when the tourists bowled them out for 462 on the fourth day of their rain-interrupted series opener on Saturday.
India assistant coach Ryan ten Doeschate said on Tuesday that middle-order batters KL Rahul and Sarfaraz Khan are locked in a selection battle for the second Test against New Zealand here even though head coach Gautam Gambhir is keen to give the former, a long rope.
As Sarfaraz Khan reached his hundred, he celebrated with joy, while the Kiwi players stood in awe of his performance.
'The angry reactions are understandable but I can tell you with some degree of certainty that the reason behind Sarfaraz getting ignored time and again is not just cricketing one. There are multiple reasons for which he hasn't been considered.'
Pakistan's former captain Shahid Afridi has said he is not averse to joining politics in the future after he moved his residence from his hometown Karachi to capital Islamabad.
Tom Haines smashed an unbeaten century to lead England Lions' strong reply after Karun Nair's double century had powered India A to a massive 557 on Day 2 of the first Unofficial Test.
Marco Jansen picked 12 wickets in the two Tests at an average of 10.08 including a six-wicket haul in the first innings of the Guwahati Test, while Jasprit Bumrah managed eight wickets in the series.
IMAGES from Day 2 of the Ranji Trophy final played between Mumbai and Madhya Pradesh at M Chinnaswamy Stadium in Bengaluru on Thursday.
IMAGES from Day 4 of the first Test played between India and New Zealand in Bengaluru, on Saturday.
Pace bowling all-rounders always come at a premium and therefore, the troika of Green, Venkatesh Iyer and West Indies' Jason Holder, all coming at the highest base price of Rs 2 crore (US$220,000), are set to headline the bidding war.
Domestic veterans Ruturaj Gaikwad, Rajat Patidar and Rinku Singh could keep the team management interested going forward in Test cricket.
Musheer Khan did the right thing by imitating his prolific older brother Sarfaraz for everything linked to cricket.
IPL Auction 2026 was not just about money; it was a celebration of ambition, opportunity, and the unrelenting belief that the next big star could come from anywhere.
Shami puts Bengal on top of points table with easy win vs Services
The Mumbai batter lit the Chinnaswamy stadium with his brilliant batting.
Reddy's all-round show not enough for Andhra Pradesh.
The Indian squad, which is expected to comprise 16 members, will be one of the trickiest ones in recent times as there is a debate around who the new captain should be.
Under pressure, the BCCI announced that the final to be played from September 11-15 will be broadcast live.
'Me and my family along with Sarfaraz have given our entire life towards this dream.'
Ton-up Desai helps Saurashtra make semis
Young Mumbai batsman Sarfaraz Khan, who had a dream domestic season last year, is playing good Samaritan during the ongoing nationwide lockdown. Sarfaraz, his younger brother Mushir and his father-cum-coach Naushad have been distributing food packets to migrant workers, in their native village in Uttar Pradesh, who are travelling back to their respective homes.
K L Rahul has ruled out of the third Test against England, starting in Rajkot on Thursday, after failing to recover fully from his injury.
The fringe and aspiring bunch will look to own the elevated Duleep Trophy stage as the red-ball competition returns to its traditional zonal format and marks the start of India's domestic cricket season.
A round-up of Ranji Trophy matches played on Monday.
Earlier, Mukesh bowled with venom, taking three wickets to help India crawl back into the contest as England Lions stumbled to 333 for five at lunch on Day 3.
Captained by Sarfaraz Khan, Mohammed Siraj and Dhruv Jurel, the teams battled it out, showcasing their agility and precision.
"We will have an advantage...": BCCI VP Shukla on India's new-look squad for England tour
'Most of the batters performed. I would say that is a very good sign going forward. Apart from this you have got three quality batters who are not even part of the squad -- Shreyas (Iyer), Sarfaraz (Khan) and (Devdutt) Padikkal.'
Rohit Sharma and Ravindra Jadeja slammed centuries under pressure in a 204-run partnership as India recovered from a jittery start to pile 326/5 on the opening day of the third Test.
Former India captains Dilip Vengsarkar and Diana Edulji were conferred with the Lifetime Achievement Award by the Mumbai Cricket Association (MCA).aments.
The Indian Premier League (IPL) 2026 auction saw some foreign names earning big bucks, headlined by Aussie all-rounder Cameron Green
'I don't think size has anything to do with it. It's your mental strength -- whether you can last the distance -- that's the most important thing. Bat well, bat for long, and score runs.'
SMAT: Haryana beat Bengal to enter Super 8s, Punjab also qualify
'I would like to thank everyone who believed in my father's skills and ability, and would love to share this happiness with them.'
Ajit Pawar became a ray of hope for Muslims, the only man in power who could resolve their grievances.
Only once in the history of Test cricket has a team bounced back to win after being bowled out for less than 50.
