South Africa fought a rearguard action to turn the second Test against Pakistan on its head and take the upper hand after an enthralling third day's play on Wednesday.
'Constant changes to the playing XI, batting orders, and frequent rotations prevent stability.'
Sack Gambhir before he damages any more careers, if you must. But it cannot stop there. The project ahead must be bigger, more ambitious, and far more urgent: Rebuilding the spine of Indian cricket from the grassroots up, and giving the Test team the seriousness it deserves. Only then will Indian cricket stop lurching from one crisis to another and begin, once again, to imagine greatness, suggests Prem Panicker.
Germany secured a place at next year's World Cup by crushing Slovakia 6-0 in their final qualifier on Monday.
On a surface offering little assistance for bowlers, South Africa's top order had frittered away starts but number seven Muthusamy marshalled a lower-order surge with a composed 109.
India have long curated home tracks that accentuate turn, but the assumption their own batters would master such conditions no longer appears safe following their defeat in the opening Test against South Africa.
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.
Armed with a potent spin attack, taking on South Africa seems like competing against a "subcontinent team", Ten Doeschate said, admitting that they need to get better at negotiating the challenge posed by tweakers.
South Africa coach Shukri Conrad was overwhelmed to see his spinners rule the roost in the first Test against India at the Eden Gardens, signalling to him that the Rainbow Nation is no longer an exclusive "fast bowling country" and hoped that a lot more slow bowlers will emerge.
'You saw Yashasvi Jaiswal start in the second innings, did you see the first three balls, the kind of shots that he attempted?'
Daryl Mitchell becomes only the second player from New Zealand to hold the top the ICC ranking for ODI batters.
The second and final Test starts in Guwahati from Saturday with India trailing 0-1 after the defeat on a challenging Eden Gardens pitch in Kolkata.
South Africa pulled off a sensational victory inside three days of the opening Test against India on Sunday and the manner of it would go a long way in silencing those who doubted their credentials as the reigning world test champions.
'When you are playing on spin-friendly pitches, you need to prepare differently.'
Eberechi Eze scored a majestic hat-trick as Arsenal trounced north London rivals Tottenham Hotspur 4-1 to open up a commanding six-point lead.
South African captain Temba Bavuma mixed grit with humour after his team's shock win over India in Kolkata, celebrating his hard-fought fifty and the "small hands" catch that turned the match on its head.
'You don't come to a country to win a Test match, you obviously want to win the series.
This was India's fourth defeat in the last six Tests at home and in all four Tests -- including three against New Zealand -- their batters have flopped against spin.
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.
K L Rahul on Saturday conceded that Indian batters' repeated struggles against spin, especially on home tracks, remain a concern.
Gill stretchered out with neck injury; ''just bad timing'', says Morne Morkel
It was poetry in motion as Simone Biles mesmerised spectators at the Bercy Arena in Paris and watching all over the world with her dazzling routines to win her fifth Olympic gold medal as she made a triumphant return to the women's gymnastics team final at the Paris Games on Tuesday.
Ravichandran Ashwin exposed India batters' lack of quality to battle ball tweakers by claiming that if legendary batter Sachin Tendulkar or past domestic heroes Amol Muzumdar, the India women's team head coach and Mithun Manhas had played against spinners on such a track, the Test would have gone to four days, unlike India's harrowing 30-run defeat against South Africa at Eden Gardens.
On one of India's most challenging surfaces in recent memory -- a dry, unpredictable turning track where every ball felt like an event, Temba Bavuma played one of the defining innings of his career.
The Indian team management has not asked for a rank turner for the opening Test of the two-match series against South Africa beginning at the Eden Gardens on Friday, Cricket Association of Bengal president Sourav Ganguly said on Monday.
Bayern beat Borussia Moenchengladbach 3-0 on Saturday to bag their 13th win from 13 matches across all competitions this season.
The aura of home advantage -- long regarded as a hallmark of India's Test side -- seemed secure. But in barely over a year, that fortress has not just cracked, it has collapsed, raising uncomfortable questions about strategy, selection, and temperament.
Names and names and names and names... 329 in all. Some Indian. Some Canadian. Some British. Berry. Gupta. Jain. James. Bhatt. Beauchesne. Chatlani. Enayati. Lougheed.... Vaihayasi Pande Daniel visits Ahakista, Ireland, home to the memorial for the worst terrorist atrocity in India's history.
With the scars of last year's home series whitewash against New Zealand still raw, preparing rank turners may invite risk.
South Africa sharpen spin game in attacking net session ahead of Eden Test
Rohit Sharma followed up his knock of 73 in the second ODI in Adelaide with a match-winning unbeaten 121 in Sydney to be named the Player of the Series.
Former South African cricketer Jonty Rhodes said that Team India does not need to prepare turning wickets as they can bowl out their opponents with their pace line-up and having another spin-friendly wicket for the second Test against South Africa will be a "big test of their ability".
Jannik Sinner has decided not to take part in this year's Davis Cup Finals with reigning champions Italy confirming his absence in Monday's team announcement, while world number one Carlos Alcaraz will represent Spain at next month's competition.
The collapse, India's lowest failed chase at home, has left behind deeper fault lines than a dry Eden Gardens wicket can conceal.
India, South Africa pretty close on bowling, batters will face big test in getting runs: Amla
Countering Bumrah before spinners come into play will be key for SA: Graeme Smith
South Africa captain Aiden Markram said their Test victory over hosts Pakistan in difficult conditions was a major confidence boost for the tourists, who will be heading to India next and expect an even sterner test.
Images from Day 1 of the first Test between India and South Africa, in Kolkata, on Friday.
Simone Biles clinched her sixth Olympic gold medal in front of an ecstatic crowd at the Paris Games on Thursday.
Pakistan captain Shan Masood scored 87 as the hosts reached 259 for 5 at the close of play on Day 1 of the second Test against a wasteful South Africa, who were poor in the field but kept in the contest by fine bowling in Rawalpindi on Monday.
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