Skipper Suryakumar Yadav would want the attacking batter in him to front up and bolster his leadership against New Zealand when the five-match T20I series gets underway in Nagpur on Wednesday, serving as a final dress rehearsal for India's World Cup title defence in less than three weeks' time.
Ishan Kishan will play ahead of Shreyas Iyer in the series against New Zealand as he is a part of India's T20 World Cup squad and a like-for-like replacement for an injured Tilak Varma being a left-hander, skipper Suryakumar Yadav said on Tuesday.
Tilak Varma smashed an unbeaten half-century to steer India to a thrilling two-wicket victory against England in Chennai on Saturday.
David Miller smashed a brilliant half-century while Marco Jansen picked up four wickets as South Africa thrashed India by 76 runs in the ICC T20 World Cup Super 8s match.
Captain K L Rahul broke India's infamous toss jinx on Saturday as the hosts won the coin flip for the first time in 21 ODIs.
Tilak Varma stole the show with a spectacular maiden century as India clinched a narrow 11-run win over South Africa in a high-scoring third T20 International.
India captain Suryakumar Yadav on Wednesday climbed five places to seventh in the ICC men's T20I rankings
Is Tilak Varma playing the Super Four game against Bangladesh on Friday a sign that Shreyas Iyer won't be fit for the World Cup?
Who do you think should be part of India's playing XI for the T20 World Cup final against New Zealand on Sunday?
Sanju Samson's unbeaten 89 powered India to 253/7 before they survived Jacob Bethell's stunning century to beat England by seven runs and enter the T20 World Cup final.
India should only focus on winning their match T20 World Cup match against Zimbabwe in Chennai on Thursday without worrying about the net run rate, says former all-rounder Irfan Pathan.
Ajinkya Rahane and Angkrish Raghuvanshi scored half-centuries as Kolkata Knight Riders posted a total of 220 for 4 against Mumbai Indians in their IPL match.
India all-rounder Axar Patel was on Monday ruled out of the remaining two T20 Internationals against South Africa due to illness with the BCCI's selection committee naming Shahbaz Ahmed as his replacement.
Sanju Samson reveals how he overcame a lean patch by shutting out negativity and focusing on self-belief, culminating in a match-winning performance against the West Indies in the T20 World Cup.
While wickets fell in a steady procession at the other end, captain Suryakumar Yadav took it upon himself to anchor and attack and almost single-handedly hauled his side to a competitive total on a sluggish pitch.
South Africa showcased their T20 World Cup title aspirations with a commanding 76-run victory over India in their Super Eight clash, fuelled by David Miller's explosive batting and a dominant bowling performance.
Mumbai Indians' head coach Mahela Jayawardene praises Rohit Sharma's improved fitness and commitment ahead of IPL 2026, while also highlighting Suryakumar Yadav's leadership and Jasprit Bumrah's work ethic.
Ruturaj Gaikwad made an unbeaten fifty following Harshit Rana's three-wicket burst as India A crushed South Africa A by nine wickets in the second unofficial ODI in Rajkot on Sunday.
Morne Morkel backs India's batting unit to improve against spin ahead of Super Eight clash vs South Africa in the ICC T20 World Cup.
Batting great Sunil Gavaskar hailed Sanju Samson after his match-winning knock powered India to a five-wicket victory in the must-win match against West Indies in the T20 World Cup.
Tilak Varma and Pratham smashed centuries as India A dominated the third day of their Duleep Trophy match against India D.
A review of the key contributions from each player in India's victorious T20 World Cup campaign, highlighting individual brilliance and teamwork.
The top fielding efforts from the players during the GT-MI game in Ahmedabad.
Ravi Shastri believes Tilak Varma is at an advantageous position because he is a left-hander.
'You won't find anyone else like Hardik Pandya.'
India faced a heavy defeat against South Africa in their T20 World Cup Super Eights opener after a batting collapse while chasing 188. Skipper Suryakumar Yadav admitted the failure to build partnerships cost them the game.
Images from the second T20 International between India and South Africa, at the PCA's New Chandigarh Stadium, Mullanpur.
Shubman Gill is set to make a comeback during the upcoming five-match T20I series against South Africa, starting in Cuttack, on December 9.
Purnendu Maji and Srinivas Bhogle present Rediff's Most Valuable Player Index of T20 World Cup 2026 after Game 48.
Purnendu Maji and Srinivas Bhogle present Rediff's Most Valuable Player Index of T20 World Cup 2026 after Game 52.
Gaikwad guides India A to four wicket win over South Africa A
Opener Sanju Samson once again failed to get back among the runs, as he was dismissed for 24 from 15 balls in the fourth T20I against New Zealand.
These comments come after India recently announced their squad for the upcoming T20 World Cup 2026. Suryakumar Yadav is set to lead India in his first-ever ICC tournament as captain, with Axar Patel named as his deputy.
A recap of the action of the second week of IPL 2026.
Shivam Dube's consistent and crucial contributions often went unnoticed during India's victorious T20 World Cup campaign, despite his significant impact on the team's success.
Purnendu Maji and Srinivas Bhogle present Rediff's Most Valuable Player Index of T20 World Cup 2026.
Hardik Pandya ditched tradition and brought back the streets-style swag - skipping the coin toss in favour of a classic gully cricket
'With the ease and the calmness that he batted, it gave us a lot of confidence that now, probably, we are on the right track.'
The Indian team refused to take the trophy from Asian Cricket Council chairman Mohsin Naqvi, who is also the Pakistan Cricket Board chief and known for his vocal anti-India stand.
Samson, Bumrah help India tide over England challenge to reach second successive T20 WC final
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