New Zealand climbed to the top of the World Test Championship (WTC) standings following their thumping 281-run victory over South Africa
South Africa coach Shukri Conrad was overwhelmed to see his spinners rule the roost in the first Test against India at the Eden Gardens, signalling to him that the Rainbow Nation is no longer an exclusive "fast bowling country" and hoped that a lot more slow bowlers will emerge.
Former Australian captain Brad Haddin encouraged the Aussie public to go out and watch Indian icons Rohit Sharma and Virat Kohli in action
'Hopefully, not too far in the future, but more in the near future, we'll go back to play four Tests against India'
Australia's sensational eight-run defeat to the West Indies in Brisbane on Sunday did not have much impact on them as they continued to lead the WTC rankings.
Skipper Shubman Gill acknowledged that the choice between a spinner and an extra seamer for the first Test against South Africa is nothing short of a "conflict".
The 0-3 loss to New Zealand at home last year still haunts India head coach Gautam Gambhir and he also doesn't want his players to forget that rare drubbing in Tests as they build for the future.
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.
South Africa spinner Keshav Maharaj believes his team deserves to lift the World Test Championship trophy after their consistent performances throughout the cycle.
Marco Jansen picked 12 wickets in the two Tests at an average of 10.08 including a six-wicket haul in the first innings of the Guwahati Test, while Jasprit Bumrah managed eight wickets in the series.
'You don't come to a country to win a Test match, you obviously want to win the series.
The BCCI has postponed Wednesday's press conference to Thursday afternoon, where Ajit Agarkar will unveil India's squad for the two-Test series against the West Indies, with Shubman Gill returning as captain.
Not handing the ball to lead pacer Jasprit Bumrah to start the third day's play on a challenging Eden Gardens surface was "questionable", said the legendary Anil Kumble.
With South Africa's seam attack featuring Kagiso Rabada, Lungi Ngidi, and Marco Jansen and Australia having Pat Cummins, Mitchell Starc, and the ever-dependable Josh Hazlewood in their lineup, the battle between the two sides' fast bowlers is likely to be critical in determining the outcome of the World Test Championship final, as per ICC website.
While this may not secure qualification outright, it would certainly keep them in contention. New Zealand head coach Gary Stead drew inspiration from the inaugural WTC cycle in 2019-21, when New Zealand won six consecutive matches enroute to securing the title.
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South Africa have eight wickets in hand and are now overwhelming favourites to finish off the job, and take the title away from champions Australia, who had set them a daunting fourth innings target of 282 in the final on Friday.
'Rishabh Pant is not fit for West Indies series, hopefully he will be available for home Tests against South Africa.'
Fresh from a hard-fought 2-2 draw in England, Shubman Gill's men will be eager to translate their overseas resilience into home dominance.
'There is a lot of inspiration we can draw from in the brand of cricket we have played in the last three or four years.'
'That's great for our team and in a way Ashes are bloody hard to win. It's not going to be easy but if we were to win it, that is legacy defining stuff.'
With a soaring PCT of 52.77, India surpassed South Africa, New Zealand, and Bangladesh, all with a PCT of 50.
A B de Villiers described South Africa's squad as a well-balanced unit and backed them to pull off an upset against defending champions Australia.
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.
The Pakistan Cricket Board in a bid to attract more crowds to the Test match have for the first time announced free entry for several enclosures.
Perhaps, another Ranji title with Mumbai will be a fitting send off for Ajinkya Rahane.
The Rohit Sharma-led Indian team consolidated its top position in the World Test Championship rankings following its 4-1 series win over England.
Pakistan consolidated its top spot in the 2023-24 ICC World Test Championship table after a a 2-0 series sweep against Sri Lanka.
The over rate regulations must be modified according to the playing conditions in different continents, England Test captain Ben Stokes said on Tuesday, arguing that current rules unfairly penalise pace-heavy attacks.
Imam was in a hurry to reach his ton and, attacking the bowling, got an inside edge to Senuran Muthusamy's left-arm spin and was snagged at short leg by Tony de Zorzi's sharp catch.
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.
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.
He has taken nine five-wicket hauls in SENA conditions.
The short turnaround time from the high of winning a controversy-marred Asia Cup notwithstanding, Shubman Gill's India will be outright favourites against a struggling and under-strength West Indies when the teams face-off on a green-top in the first Test in Ahmedabad on Thursday.
Australia, following their eight-wicket win in the third and final Test against Pakistan at Sydney are on 56.25 percentage points and have pushed India to the second spot in the latest WTC standings issued by ICC on Saturday.
The series marks the beginning of a new cycle for both India and England in the 2025-27 World Test Championship (WTC).
Pant equals Sehwag's six-hitting record, surpasses Rohit Sharma in WTC Test runs
India face Australia in the WTC final at The Oval in London on Wednesday, June 7.
India qualified for the World Test Championship final after New Zealand edged Sri Lanka by two wickets off the final ball in a dramatic finish to the first Test in Christchurch on Monday.
