India were sitting pretty on 473/8 in 120 overs at stumps on the second day for an overall lead of 255 runs.
A spectacular seven-wicket haul by Mitchell Santner helped New Zealand dismiss India for 156 before the tourists reached 198-5 at stumps on day two of the second test in Pune on Friday to tighten their grip on the three-match series.
Fifteen year old Mumbai youngster Sarfaraz Khan smashed 101 off only 66 balls to help India colts record a four-wicket victory over South Africa in their round robin league encounter of the U-19 Quadrangular tournament in Visakhapatnam.
'Virat and Rohit not playing (Duleep Trophy) was not good for Indian cricket, nor was it good for the two players. Had they played the Duleep Trophy and had some time in the red-ball cricket, things would have been different.'
Australia's batting great Ricky Ponting on Friday said he was 'surprised' by the Indian camp's wording around Rohit Sharma's absence from the Sydney Test.
A round-up of Ranji matches played on Monday.
New Zealand can become only the second team to inflict a series whitewash on India in their backyard.
Mitchell Santner played through the pain barrier as New Zealand secured their maiden series win in India going back to 1955 and the left-arm spinner said picking up wickets regularly in the second test had helped him persevere.
Who do you think should be part of India's playing XI for the first Test against Australia in Perth?
The standout performers that allowed India to maintain their upper hand over England were young opener Yashasvi Jaiswal and wrist spinner Kuldeep Yadav.
Premier pacer Jasprit Bumrah was on Friday named vice-captain of India for the upcoming three-match home Test series against New Zealand, strongly indicating his possible elevation to the leadership role when the team travels to Australia from next month.
India stormed into the ICC Under-19 cricket World Cup quarter-finals after producing a clinical all-round performance to wallop New Zealand by 120 runs in their penultimate group D encounter, in Mirpur, on Saturday.
India were still staring at a daunting challenge despite a much more assured performance in their second innings, trailing by 125 runs at the close with Sarfaraz Khan on 70 not out after Virat Kohli fell for the same score on the day's final ball.
India captain Rohit Sharma is confident that his team will bounce back from the eight-wicket defeat against New Zealand in the first Test in Bengaluru.
Former Australian skipper Aaron Finch said that Alex Carey and Rishabh Pant, two left-handed wicketkeeper-batters will be extremely important for their respective sides during the highly-anticipated Border-Gavaskar Trophy against India.
'Obviously, he's a guy who has scored 9,000-plus Test runs, which is pretty mind-blowing, but for us it was a huge wicket.'
Team India has done their research and have taken notes from their English rivals as the batters were seen perfecting their sweeping skills.
Skipper Rohit Sharma asserted that the 'three hours' on Day 2, when they collapsed for a lowly 46 in the first Test against New Zealand.
Team India registered their biggest winning margin in the history of Test cricket during the third Test against England at Rajkot on Sunday.
Virat Kohli spent about 45 minutes in the nets and pace spearhead Jasprit Bumrah bowled full tilt as the Indian cricket team on Friday began its preparations
The team's remarkable feat of hitting 28 sixes in this match established a new record for the highest six-count in a single Test match
'Bumrah is not the right option for captain.' 'All the pressure to deliver is on his shoulders. So taking on the mantle of captain will be added pressure.'
India will need to be ruthless and tactful in equal measure while dealing with an unpredictable England when the third chapter of a riveting Test series begins in Rajkot on Thursday.
Musheer Khan, younger brother of Sarfaraz Khan (9), saved his side from a total collapse with an innings of rare maturity that belied his 19 tender years.
Fifteen-year-old Mumbai off-spinner Sarfaraz Khan grabbed four wickets as India Under-19 comfortably beat their Sri Lankan counterparts by seven wickets to win the 'Youth ODI' series 2-0 in Dambulla on Thursday.
They'll wait to make a call with him up until the morning of the Test match, said India's bowling coach Morne Morkel.
Padikkal made a classy 65, including 10 fours and a six. His play on the off-side oozed elegance associated with left-handers.
Young Royal Challengers Bangalore batsman Sarfaraz Khan on Tuesday revealed he has been advised to play as per the match situation by captain Virat Kohli in the ongoing Indian Premier League.
India batter Shreyas Iyer was on Tuesday added to the Mumbai squad for their next Ranji Trophy game against Andhra to be played in Mumbai from January 12-15.
Despite the challenging build-up, Gambhir said he is "extremely confident" of retaining the Border Gavaskar Trophy. The players will hope to be as confident as they prepare for the fight to keep their World Test Final chances alive.
Ben Stokes is notably absent from the list of 1,574 players who have registered for the IPL 2025 mega auction, scheduled for November 24 and 25 in Jeddah, Saudi Arabia.
Images from Day 2 of the 3rd Test played between India and New Zealand, in Mumbai, on Saturday.
Pace spearhead Harshit Rana received a well-deserved maiden call-up, following his impressive performances.
India B captain Abhimanyu Easwaran single-handedly kept his team in the hunt with a defiant century against India C, in the Duleep Trophy.
India's emphatic win over England was a tailor-made series for the debutants. The absence of key players gave India the perfect opportunity to test their bench strength and boy, did the youngsters grab the chance with both hands!
K L Rahul's indifferent form could throw Cheteshwar Pujara a lifeline for the tour of Australia, where he enjoys a great record.
Reeling at 156 for six at stumps on the fourth and penultimate day, South Zone were staring at a heavy defeat
The selectors announced India's teams for the tour of South Africa.
A round-up of Ranji matches played on Wednesday.
Only if we could have a Rohit versus Ashwin clash in the semis! What a perfect fill-up it would be for the resurgence of the Ranji Trophy.
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