Kapil backs India in T20s, stresses focus on Test cricket
Fast bowler Makhaya Ntini took six wickets as South Africa beat Australia by 196 runs to take a 2-0 lead.
Pakistan will tour Bangladesh in March for a three-match ODI series in Dhaka as part of preparations for the 2027 ODI World Cup.
South Africa are not sure how they are going to deal with England's new aggressive approach to playing Test cricket with coach Mark Boucher saying on Monday they will adopt a wait-and-see attitude when the first match starts at Lord's on Wednesday.
Rookie opener Sarel Erwee savoured a maiden century as South Africa dominated day one of the second Test against New Zealand in Christchurch to be 238 for three at the close on Friday.
Australia's only warm-up fixture ahead of the three-match Test series against South Africa has been cancelled after torrential rain in Potchefstroom left little chance of play.
Australia's leading pace bowlers, including Pat Cummins, Mitchell Starc, and Josh Hazlewood, are set to miss the start of IPL 2026.
Fawad Alam put Pakistan in control of the first Test against South Africa, chalking up a superb century to lead the home side to 308 for eight by the close of day two in Karachi for a first innings lead of 88 runs.
The Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB) is reportedly offering the head coach position for the Test team to former captain Sarfaraz Ahmed, potentially making him the youngest person to hold the role.
Herschelle Gibbs and Jacques Kallis hit centuries to give the hosts complete control of the third Test against West Indies at Cape Town.
A Test match in India usually starts at 9:30 am and the day's play ends at 4:30 pm, while the game in Guwahati will begin at 9 am and end at 4 pm.
Sri Lanka had suffered crippling injuries to their bowling attack in the Test and were also without middle-order batsman Dhananjaya de Silva for the second innings, a major concern for their home series against England that starts on January 14.
The Barsapara Cricket Stadium in Guwahati will become the newest Test venue in India when it hosts the second and final match against World Test Championship defenders South Africa from November 22-26.
Dean Elgar and Hashim Amla had given South Africa a slender lead over New Zealand at the end of the third day of the first Test on Friday, which was disrupted for 30 minutes by a fire alarm at University Oval.
'Ajinkya has 12 centuries and more than 4,000 runs in Test cricket. So he knows his game and he has gone through such kind of bad phases before as well.'
Rishabh Pant back in full flow as India step up nets ahead of SA opening Test
Kallis is the latest high-profile name to be inducted in South Africa's coaching set-up after Mark Boucher's appointment as head coach
South Africa needed just three overs of the fourth day's play to win the second Test by an innings and 18 runs.
Ajinkya Rahane's assured approach in the middle has been the hallmark of his comeback and the Indian team will need him to maintain form when it tours South Africa later this year.
India have never won a Test series on South African soil and Kohli's men will go all out to be the first team to achieve the feat.
Quinton de Kock scored a superb century as South Africa completed a clean sweep of their three-match one-day international series against India with a tense four-run victory at Newlands on Sunday.
Moeen Ali took three wickets on Wednesday as England made quick work of securing victory in the first Test by bundling out South Africa for 174 before lunch and ensure a 241-run victory on the last day at Kingsmead.
AB de Villiers' sixth Test century put South Africa on the verge of winning the second Test at Headingley after England ended the third day 269 runs behind the visitors on Sunday.
South Africa's status as the top-ranked Test-playing nation has been dented after their crushing defeat in India last month and is in danger of being eroded completely by England over the next month or two.
India put on a commanding performance to beat South Africa by 30 runs in their T20 World Cup warm-up clash at DY Patil Stadium, Navi Mumbai, on Wednesday.
Senior batsman Faf du Plessis on Monday stepped down as captain of South Africa's Test and T20I teams with immediate effect. Du Plessis, who gave away the ODI captaincy to wicket-keeper Quinton de Kock, for the recent series against England, said he took the decision to help South Africa start a new era.
'Shubman Gill returned to training on Monday as Punjab prepare to face Goa in the Vijay Hazare Trophy at the KL Saini Stadium.
Skipper Shubman Gill, who missed the second Test due to a neck injury, struck a defiant tone of unity and resolve after India's 0-2 series loss to South Africa, saying the team would "rise stronger" despite the setback.
Heavy overnight rain ended New Zealand's hopes of winning the third Test against South Africa and levelling the series at 1-1 on Wednesday when the final day in Hamilton was abandoned without a ball being bowled.
South Africa captain Temba Bavuma feels facing an Indian side with Virat Kohli and Rohit Sharma is nothing new.
Images from Day 3 in the third Test between India and South Africa, at Nagpur, on Friday.
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.
BCCI treasurer Arun Dhumal on Tuesday said India's tour of South Africa remains on schedule provided the situation doesn't aggravate in the rainbow nation after a new COVID-19 variant was detected there.
'As long as the guys understand the way that we want to try play as a team and can keep that close to them when playing in different leagues and tournaments. Then hopefully by the time we meet up for the World Cup, the guys are used to that brand and how we want to operate as a team.'
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.
Ishant Sharma is yet to realise his true potential, feels former pacer Venkatesh Prasad, who wants the lanky speedster to lead the Indian attack in next month's tough tour of South Africa.
'Whichever team starts well, they will have always the advantage because it will be tough for the other team to bounce back in a three-match series.'
South Africa replaced England at the top of the world Test rankings on Monday after defeating the home side by 51 runs at Lord's to win their three-Test series 2-0.
Stuart Broad started the third Test against South Africa feeling unwell but finished it on an incredible high after grabbing six wickets to spur England to a series victory on Saturday.
© 2026 Rediff.com - Advertise with us - Disclaimer - Privacy Policy - Sitemap - Feedback - About us - Terms of use - Grievances