India will look to address several lingering selection puzzles when they take on South Africa in Ranchi on Sunday in the first ODI of the three-match series, where Rohit Sharma and Virat Kohli return to the set-up for a short audition that could well shape their 2027 World Cup fate.
India's T20 World Cup squad had space for only 15, but the pool of quality options ran far deeper. The consequence was inevitable: several players with genuine claims were left on the outside, the unlucky ones who narrowly missed the cut.
'When AI comes in, coders in Bangalore or Hyderabad will lose their jobs.'
All three, who were responsible for the heinous crime near the Coimbatore international airport on Sunday, were found to have been involved in criminal cases in the past, the police said on Tuesday.
Patel stayed unbeaten on the crease in India's innings, scoring 21 off 11 balls to power his side to 167 and then took two wickets, removing Matthew Short and Josh Inglis.
Marco Jansen smashed the records held by legends Matthew Hayden and Vivian Richards for the most sixes hit by an overseas batter in a Test innings in India.
South Africa were dealt a major blow before the first ball was even bowled, with pace ace Kagiso Rabada ruled out of the opening Test against India due to a rib injury.
The controversial decision to select Shubman Gill in place of a well-settled Sanju Samson as the opener has backfired for the Indian team so far.
Shubman Gill retired hurt after suffering a neck sprain while attempting a slog-sweep off Simon Harmer on the second day of the first Test against South Africa, in Kolkata, on Saturday.
Openers Yashasvi Jaiswal and K L Rahul perished early as India fumbled in the chase of a mammoth 549-run target on Day 4 of the second Test.
India skipper Suryakumar Yadav did not use Washington mainly because there were too many right-handers in the Australian line-up, but during chase the Tamil Nadu man showed his hitting prowess with four sixes and three fours making a tricky chase look very easy.
As India gear up for the T20 World Cup at home, the selectors have backed a squad built on impact, and versatility.
The lack of runs from captain Suryakumar Yadav and his deputy Shubman Gill remains a talking point.
Senuran Muthusamy and Marco Jansen made Indian finger spinners' look ordinary in good batting conditions with invaluable lower-order contributions as South Africa seized control of the second Test.
For the first time in many years, India are going into a home Test match as underdogs and not favourites. Ask any player worth his salt and he would tell that it is not a happy place to be.
'Raising the retrenchment, layoff and closure threshold to 300 workers for prior government permission enables hire-and-fire in more than 90 per cent of the Indian workplaces. More than 12,00,000 disputes are now pending for adjudication with an average disposal period ranging from 3 to five years for more than 75 per cent of the disputes.'
'Jassi bhai just told me that the wicket-taking option was if you bowl at the stumps...'
The Proteas arrive high on confidence, having fought out a hard-earned 1-1 draw in Pakistan last month under challenging conditions.
Little-known ambidextrous Bengal spinner Kaushik Maity seamlessly doubled up for both roles during the optional practice session.
'We would like to believe and back ourselves to know these conditions or adapt to these conditions a lot faster even if we find them slightly different, as compared to, say, somebody who is brought up in Johannesburg and has played all his cricket at the Wanderers ground.'
Rohit Sharma shared a few words of encouragement before presenting the cap to the youngster.
Gill may miss ODI series due to unhealed neck injury; Rahul, Pant in line for ODI captaincy
Simon Harmer led South Africa's lion-hearted bowling effort as the Proteas registered a thrilling 30-run victory against India inside three days of the low-scoring opening Test.
'It was good fun. I was obviously really nervous. Super stoked for the boys to get the win.'
It's Diwali in every home, and just like Bollywood, southern stars are celebrating too.
Rinku Singh, known for his hard-hitting abilities down the order, rolled his arms over during a training session on the eve of the opening game of the 5-match T20 series against Australia in Canberra on Thursday.
Rishabh Pant back in full flow as India step up nets ahead of SA opening Test
Cheteshwar Pujara refuses to believe India's recent poor record at home is because of transition.
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.
Images from Day 1 of the first Test between India and South Africa, in Kolkata, on Friday.
The track is historically a high-scoring one and the outfield is quick. But on a red soil surface, the ball grips and can surprise the batters.
'You saw Yashasvi Jaiswal start in the second innings, did you see the first three balls, the kind of shots that he attempted?'
India's awe-inspiring batting depth will face a stern test against South Africa's quality spin attack in the first Test, starting in Kolkata on Friday.
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.
'I guess the thinking going into the last Test, we wanted to strengthen the batting'
India will look to overcome batting inconsistencies and finish the tour of Australia with authority when the two sides clash in the fifth and final T20 International in Brisbane on Saturday.
Grind pays off for Ruturaj Gaikwad, now upto him and luck to prove his 50-over mettle.
Rishabh Pant's place in the playing eleven is far from guaranteed, while Washington Sundar and Nitish Kumar Reddy are locked in a tight contest for the additional all-rounder's slot as India confront several selection dilemmas ahead of the first ODI against South Africa in Ranchi.
Virat Kohli, Ruturaj Gaikwad hundreds help India set 359-run target in second ODI
The Indian Premier League (IPL) 2026 auction saw some foreign names earning big bucks, headlined by Aussie all-rounder Cameron Green
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