Indian skipper Suryakumar Yadav acknowledged his recent lean patch and expressed confidence in returning to form ahead of the upcoming ICC T20 World Cup.
The national selectors brought back wicketkeeper-batter Kishan along with Rinku Singh while dropping Test and ODI captain Shubman Gill who has been struggling in the T20 format.
When players select themselves, the selectors' job becomes delightfully simple. But did the Indian selectors have that luxury while picking the T20 World Cup squad for the 2026 T20 World Cup? asks K R Nayar.
India captain Shubman Gill has been discharged from the hospital in which he was receiving treatment for a neck injury sustained during the opening Test against South Africa in Kolkata.
Sanju Samson boasts of a superb record in T20 Internationals, with 995 runs in 51 matches at a strike rate of 147.40, including three centuries and as many fifties.
IMAGES from the first ODI played between India and New Zealand in Vadodara on Sunday
India's new Test captain Shubman Gill is a mix of his predecessors Rohit Sharma and Virat Kohli but he will be 'very much his own man' in the middle, said Jos Buttler.
Ishan Kishan's selection in the Indian Cricket Team for the T20 World Cup Squad has brought immense joy to his family. His father, Pranav Pandey, expressed his excitement about his son's addition to the squad, stating, "Ups and downs are part of sports, but he's worked hard for it."
India all-rounder Axar Patel was on Monday ruled out of the remaining two T20 Internationals against South Africa due to illness with the BCCI's selection committee naming Shahbaz Ahmed as his replacement.
Shubman Gill has struggled for consistency in Test cricket, averaging 35.05 for a tally of 1893 runs in 32 Tests, with five centuries and seven fifties.
Shubman Gill has gone past the 50-run mark just once in his last 11 innings, failing in three successive series -- against Bangladesh, New Zealand and Australia.
BCCI AGM: Kohli, Rohit's contracts, payments for women in domestic cricket to be discussed
While the white-ball trophy cabinet kept getting heavier, Team India's fortunes in Test cricket swung wildly between hope and despair in 2025.
Shubman Gill has been ruled out of the remainder of the ongoing first Test against South Africa after he continues to be under observation in a Kolkata hospital for a neck injury.
Gill, too, has found the going tough. The opener has scored 263 runs in 14 T20Is this year, without a single fifty.
India's staggering, unwanted run of consecutive ODI toss losses extended to 20 matches.
BCCI secretary Devajit Saikia has denied speculation that the Board has approached batting great V V S Laxman to take over as Team India's Test coach and replace Gautam Gambhir.
Gill has been repeatedly linked with names like Sara Tendulkar and Bollywood actress Sara Ali Khan.
Ganguly lauded Gill's leadership during India's tour of England, noting the challenge of captaining at a young age in such conditions
It is understood that right after India's abject surrender against South Africa in the two-Test series at home last month, someone who matters in the cricket board had once again informally approached VVS Laxman to check if he would be interested in coaching the red ball team.
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.
Gujarat Titans captain Shubman Gill was fined Rs 12 lakh after his side maintained a slow over-rate during their seven-wicket win over Delhi Capitals.
Gautam Gambhir slammed critics who had advocated for split coaching for Team India after the recent Test series defeat against South Africa
For the first time since 2012, India walked off Eden Gardens on the wrong side of a Test result. A tricky pitch, a chaotic chase, and the absence of captain Shubman Gill combined to hand South Africa a 30-run win that reshapes the WTC race.
The Indian selectors will be announcing the team for the three-match ODI series against the Black Caps, starting January 11 in Vadodara and there have been speculations about whether Pant can hold on to his place in the squad.
India's T20I vice-captain Shubman Gill will be reporting at Bengaluru's Centre of Excellence on Monday for his mandatory fitness assessment protocols, which will determine his return to action for the upcoming five-match series against South Africa starting December 9.
India clinched the five-match T20I series against Australia 2-1 after the fifth and final game was abandoned due to rain, in Brisbane, on Saturday.
Asked about losing yet another toss, Gill quipped, 'I think the only toss that I'm going to win is hopefully in the WTC finals.'
Save Shreyas Iyer, who will take a lot more time to get fit, others are expected to represent their state teams.
Speaking on The Great Indian Cricket Show on Doordarshan, Mukund, who represented India in seven Tests from 2011-17, said: "I think Shubman has it in him to become an all-format captain, but I do not think India should have an all-format captain anymore."
Steyn, however, said his team had "exceeded expectations" on their tour of India.
'He is explosive, dangerous, and capable of shots like these. Where do you even bowl to him?'
Shubman Gill has been guilty of taking too much load on himself since his T20 comeback and the Indian team wants him to bat as freely as he does in the IPL, said assistant coach Ryan ten Doeschate.
India cricketers, along with coach Gautam Gambhir, visited Shri Jagannath Temple in Odisha's Puri on Tuesday to seek blessings ahead of the first T2OI of the five-match series against South Africa, set to be played on the same day at Cuttack's Barabati Stadium.
K L Rahul takes over the captaincy after regular skipper Shubman Gill missed the series because of a neck injury.
If starting with Jitesh Sharma in the last three T20s in Australia felt like an experiment, his selection over fellow wicket-keeper batter Sanju Samson in the series opener against South Africa provided ample clarity over team management's thought process going in to the World Cup at home.
The T20 WC champions will look to enter this phase with clarity of intent as they refine roles, streamline combinations and settle the XI that will carry the weight of expectations in front of home crowds.
To be or not to be could well be the dilemma in Shubman Gill's mind as he crisscrosses formats, having tweaked his technique from an unorthodox style to a more classical one that is not quite yielding the returns he may have envisaged in T20 Internationals.
IMAGES from the 3rd T20I between India and South Africa in Dharamsala on Sunday.
All-rounder Axar Patel was named vice-captain of the squad, which also saw the return of in-form Ishan Kishan, who pipped Jitesh Sharma as the second wicketkeeper behind Sanju Samson.
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