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.
South African stand-in captain Aiden Markram said home side Pakistan were well within their rights to prepare extreme turning wickets for their two-Test series, which starts in Lahore on Sunday, as they did last year to beat England.
Top-order batters subjugate India A's Test bowlers as SA A register five-wicket win
South Africa will be without striker-bowler Kagiso Rabada for Tuesday's opening One Day International against England at Headingley, captain Temba Bavuma revealed ahead of the clash.
The Indian men ruled white-ball cricket, while South Africa ended decades of hurt by winning the World Test Championship at Lord's. Royal Challengers Bengaluru finally lifted their maiden IPL title, though the celebrations were dimmed by a deadly stampede. Above all, it was India's women who won a billion hearts by finally adding an ICC World Cup trophy to the cabinet.
With Bumrah leading the charge, India prised out five wickets in the second session to snuff out South Africa's hopes of reaching the 200 mark.
Application required in Test cricket was missing, says Kumble after India's batting collapse
Simon Harmer picked up four wickets as South Africa staged an incredible fightback to shock India by 30 runs in a low-scoring first Test match.
South Africa's experienced pacer Kagiso Rabada said their young team are ready for the challenge.
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 head coach Gautam Gambhir mounted a strong defence of the tough Eden Gardens pitch despite losing to South Africa in the first Test.
Australia's senior batter Steve Smith has been ruled out of the remainder of the World Test Championship final against South Africa at Lord's after suffering a compound dislocation of his right pinkie on Friday.
India A skipper Rishabh Pant will look to build on the gains from the first match, while the likes of Mohammed Siraj and Kuldeep Yadav will aim for crucial red-ball game time in the second four-day match against a Temba Bavuma-led South Africa A in Bengaluru from Thursday.
Ryan Rickelton struck a career-best unbeaten 176 and his captain Temba Bavuma scored 106 as South Africa pummelled Pakistan's seamers at Newlands to finish the first day of the second and final Test on 316 for four on Friday.
India will look to reprise their home template of big first-innings totals and sustained spin in the short two-Test series against South Africa beginning in Kolkata on Friday.
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.
A record-extending 52nd ODI century by Virat Kohli and a rapid 57 from Rohit Sharma paved the way for India's victory in the series-opener in Ranchi.
South Africa's dream start to the World Test Championship final quickly turned into a nightmare at Lord's, as their batters failed to back up Kagiso Rabada's five-wicket masterclass.
Keshav Maharaj couldn't hide his pride after South Africa stunned India in Kolkata, reserving his highest praise for Simon Harmer's heroics and describing their partnership as nothing short of a 'privilege.'
Jason, who also served as Pakistan's head coach in 2024 from April to December, was interacting with his followers on X handle.
Prem Panicker and Faisal Shariff discuss the World Test Championship final, where South Africa pulled off a magnificent win against favorites Australia.
South Africa fast bowler Anrich Nortje has been named in their Twenty20 International squad for the five-match series against India next month, the first time he will have played for the side since the 2024 T20 World Cup final.
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.
South African pacer Kagiso Rabada, who missed the first Test against India in Kolkata due to a rib injury, is in awe of his team's ability to rebound from setbacks.
India skipper KL Rahul said his side needed to be sharper in key moments but felt the toss played a decisive role in the home team's four-wicket loss to South Africa in the second ODI, in Raipur, on Tuesday.
This is the first time in nearly seven decades that India have suffered two successive series whitewashes at home.
Images from Day 1 of the first Test between India and South Africa, in Kolkata, on Friday.
Kohli finished the series with 302 runs at an astonishing average of 151 and a strike rate of 117-plus, including two centuries and a fifty.
India great Virat Kohli continued his push to regain his place as the best ODI batter while moving up to the second spot in the latest ICC rankings released on Wednesday.
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.
Bavuma said his hamstring was 'feeling good' ahead of his return, and the South African skipper also confirmed he would bat at number three for the opening match of the three-game series behind openers Ryan Rickelton and Aiden Markram.
South Africa captain Temba Bavuma will miss Cricket World Cup warm-up matches against Afghanistan and New Zealand after returning home for family reasons, officials confirmed on Thursday.
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.
South Africa's stunning three-day win over India at Eden Gardens has drawn reactions from some of cricket's biggest names, with AB de Villiers, Faf du Plessis and Dale Steyn celebrating the historic result while Kevin Pietersen used the collapse-filled Test to launch a scathing critique of modern batting.
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.
South African captain Temba Bavuma has said that the ICC Champions Trophy is a bigger challenge than the 50-over World Cup because the lesser number of matches makes it tough for teams to make a comeback.
South Africa's two heaviest defeats have transpired when they fielded first and were accompanied by a lack of discipline as well as dropped chances.
'You don't come to a country to win a Test match, you obviously want to win the series.
At stumps, Sai Sudharsan and Kuldeep Yadav were at the crease with India requiring another 522 runs to win and level the two-Test series.
Aiden Markram scored an unbeaten century as South Africa edged tantalisingly close to an unlikely success in the World Test Championship final, needing 69 runs to dethrone Australia after reaching 213-2 at stumps on the third day at Lord's on Friday.
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