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.
Team India on Friday went through an optional net session in Visakhapatnam on Friday with Yashasvi Jaiswal, Nitish Kumar Reddy, Washington Sundar and Tilak Varma sweating it out under lights ahead of the ODI series decider against South Africa.
spinner Washinton Sundar was also in focus, especially during the Super Over, where he restricted the Sri Lankans to just two runs, which India won comfortably.
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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
Indian head coach Gautam Gambhir confirmed that T20I vice-captain Shubman Gill is "ready to start" ahead of the first T20I against South Africa of the five-match series, which will take place on December 9.
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.
Rohit Sharma shared a few words of encouragement before presenting the cap to the youngster.
'When AI comes in, coders in Bangalore or Hyderabad will lose their jobs.'
'Only four or five original companies remain; the rest have been replaced every decade as sectors evolve or leadership shifts.' 'Companies that fail to adapt -- like many textile mills from the 1970s and shipping firms from the 1980s -- disappear.' 'Benchmark indices reward those who reinvent themselves in line with economic demands.'
Washington Sundar made a dream return to Test cricket with a sensational spell of 7/59 against New Zealand, in his first Test since March 2021.
It's Diwali in every home, and just like Bollywood, southern stars are celebrating too.
With the T20 World Cup less than two months away, India would want their captain Suryakumar Yadav to rediscover his rhythm sooner rather than later.
'It was good fun. I was obviously really nervous. Super stoked for the boys to get the win.'
A toe injury suffered before the fourth T20I is set to keep Gill out of the final T20I here as India would want to take a cautious route, more so when there is a ready replacement for the top order slot in Sanju Samson.
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.
The Proteas arrive high on confidence, having fought out a hard-earned 1-1 draw in Pakistan last month under challenging conditions.
'Jassi bhai just told me that the wicket-taking option was if you bowl at the stumps...'
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.
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.
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.
Washington Sundar justified his selection with a career-best 7/59 to bowl out New Zealand for 259 on Day 1 of the second Test in Pune.
Little-known ambidextrous Bengal spinner Kaushik Maity seamlessly doubled up for both roles during the optional practice session.
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.
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.
'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.'
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.
Rishabh Pant back in full flow as India step up nets ahead of SA opening Test
Responding to India's squad selection for the home series against West Indies, former Indian cricketer Irfan Pathan opined that pace spearhead Jasprit Bumrah could have been rested for the series in order to groom a young fast bowler.
'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.'
Gill may miss ODI series due to unhealed neck injury; Rahul, Pant in line for ODI captaincy
Cheteshwar Pujara refuses to believe India's recent poor record at home is because of transition.
The 26-year-old Chahar scalped 8-51 in 24 overs to become the first bowler to pick eight wickets in an innings on debut for Surrey. The previous best was 7-61 by William Mudie vs the North at the Oval in 1859.
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.
The lack of runs from captain Suryakumar Yadav and his deputy Shubman Gill remains a talking point.
Images from Day 1 of the first Test between India and South Africa, in Kolkata, on Friday.
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.
