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.
Teenager Konstas to make debut in fourth Test against India
Assessing Sai Sudharsan's temperament and Nitish Kumar Reddy's utility in home conditions would be topmost on India's checklist when the high-on-confidence hosts take on a floundering West Indies
Sachin Tendulkar is the only Indian in former New Zealand skipper Brendon McCullum's all-time cricketing eleven, which is led by West Indian great Vivian Richards.
Off spinner Harbhajan Singh, not picked in the playing eleven for the third Test match in progress against England at Kolkata, is hopeful of getting into the side after leading Punjab in the Ranji Trophy league game against Mumbai.
'One Chinese interlocutor said India should realise that "China can do without India, but India could not do without China", pointing to its inability to do without Chinese intermediates and components,' former foreign secretary Shyam Saran discovers on a visit to China.
Bumrah's exclusion wasn't solely about workload management-his leadership potential played a crucial role in the decision. The BCCI has all but finalised him as India's next Test captain.
India A left-arm spinner Manav Suthar picked up three wickets to leave Australia A reeling, on Day 1 of the second unofficial Test.
The enduring relationship between the two countries have survived the disintegration of the erstwhile USSR in 1991, the end of the Cold War and the regime change in both countries, points out Rup Narayan Das.
Nair will bat at No 5 at The Oval in what many see as his last chance at redemption.
Pat Cummins captured the sentiment perfectly, calling this potentially the 'last chance' for fans Down Under to witness these legends in action. With both stalwarts set to be 39 and 40 respectively by the 2027 World Cup, every appearance carries added significance. Ro-Ko have been the heartbeat of Indian cricket for over 15 years. Their return brings an emotional lift to the team and raises expectations for the series against the world champions.
Will Shubman Gill force either Sanju Samson or Tilak Varma out of the playing XI for the Asia Cup opening match against the UAE?
This brings us to the question of combination and perhaps Arshdeep could miss out on more games going into the T20 World Cup -- a tournament that will be held in the sub-continent -- India and Sri Lanka.
With no ODI series in Australia in the next two years, it is impossible to think that the legendary duo will again be seen Down Under in India blues.
Handed the reins of a depleted Indian side in his maiden stint as Test captain, the 24-year-old has been tasked with breaking a 17-year drought without the experience of Rohit Sharma or Virat Kohli by his side.
Gambhir non-committal about Playing XI for Sydney Test
Former No. 1-ranked Test batter Marnus Labuschagne will be pushed up in the order to open alongside Usman Khawaja.
Rohit Sharma's career has been a mix of brilliant moments and inconsistencies. While his Test record may not be impressive, his white-ball dominance and leadership qualities make him a legend.
Kuldeep Yadav could have helped India take 20 wickets in England series, says Michael Clarke
Rohit's numbers with the willow has been a bit underwhelming during the five home Tests but those were played on difficult tracks.
Aryan Sharma, a 17-year-old inspired by Virat Kohli, saw his 2018 message to the Indian batting great to 'watch him play for Australia in 2025' come to life.
Will Rohit continue playing Test cricket for the next two years and complete the upcoming cycle?
There are at least six contenders for a couple of reserve middle-order slots for the five-Test series in England, starting in June.
The Bellerive Oval is one ground where the side boundaries are smaller in size, hence hitting the right lengths would be paramount considering anything short would be flying over cover, point, square leg or mid-wicket on either side of the fence.
Kuldeep for Shardul could be the only change at Edgbaston as India eye parity
The 24-year-old Jurel stepped in as keeper twice during the series - once after Pant took a blow to his finger in the third Test at Lord's, and again in the Manchester Test when Pant sustained a foot injury that ruled him out.
Shubman Gill had fired a verbal salvo at Zak Crawley during the Lord's Test after he and his opening partner Ben Duckett arrived 90 seconds late to the crease.
Karun Nair has managed only 131 runs across six innings at a below-par average of 21.83, in the first three Tests against England.
"He needs to rotate strike, keep the scoreboard moving": Pathan on Virat ahead of 3rd Sydney ODI
Pakistan have made four changes to the side for the second Test against England after resting senior cricketers including former captain Babar Azam from the rest of the series.
'It's always frustrating to miss out. I've got some good things to focus on, so even though I'm not playing I've got a goal in mind.'
Former pacer Mitchell Johnson reckons that Australia should drop out-of-form Marnus Labuschagne from the playing XI for the day-night Adelaide Test against India.
Karun Nair has got starts in majority of his six innings in England but he has not been able to convert them into something substantial.
India's pace spearhead Jasprit Bumrah and wicketkeeper-batter Rishabh Pant are expected to play in the fourth Test against England at Old Trafford starting from July 23.
From Jasprit Bumrah's much-anticipated return to the all-rounder conundrum, the playing XI could very well hold the key to seizing control of this historic series.
In the team's first session ahead of the third Test, Bumrah seemed to be good spirits, constantly chatting with fellow teammates and at times with the travelling Indian media.
Team India skipper Suryakumar Yadav has found himself in the spotlight for a brief moment of forgetfulness at the toss during their Asia Cup fixture against Oman in Dubai on Friday.
Jasprit Bumrah was rested from the second Test at Edgbaston, as part of his workload management.
Sai Sudharsan made his Test debut in the series opener against England, where he played at No. 3 while skipper Shubman Gill batted at No. 4.
'If you consider Parag for captaincy, how do you expect Samson to stay?'
