'I mean, KL Rahul is certainly good enough to be a number five.'
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.
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.
Washington Sundar is ready to bowl 50 in an innings if that's what the side wants of him.
India head coach Gautam Gambhir mounted a strong defence of the tough Eden Gardens pitch despite losing to South Africa in the first Test.
Sunil Gavaskar believes Abhishek Sharma is struggling with expectations in the T20 World Cup and advises him to avoid risky shots early in his innings. Gavaskar also praises Shivam Dube and Varun Chakravarthy's performances and suggests potential changes for the Super 8 clash against South Africa.
Skipper Suryakumar Yadav and his deputy Shubman Gill's indifferent form is a massive concern but the national selection committee is unlikely to make any shocking changes when it picks the 15-member squad for next year's T20 World Cup in Mumbai on Saturday.
Later, priests honoured the visitors with the temple's Shesha Vasthram (sacred cloth) and presented them with the deity's portrait and prasadam on behalf of the Devasthanam.
Indian team management will heave a sigh of relief with Tilak Varma ticking all the boxes on his return to competitive cricket after a lower abdominal surgery as the 'A' team, comprising mostly of IPL stars, comfortably defeated the United States of America by 38 runs in a high-scoring warm-up game in Navi Mumbai on Monday.
Images from Day 5 of the second and final Test between India and South Africa, at the Barsapara Cricket Stadium in Guwahati, on Wednesday.
'One who was aggressive in the Powerplay, and the other after the Powerplay when wickets were falling he turned into an adamant batter, who batted sensibly and was not ready to give away his wicket.'
Gautam Gambhir's penchant for shuffling cricketers has often come under sharp scrutiny, but the head coach insisted that "batting order is overrated" in white ball cricket, strongly hinting of him sticking to his trusted ways.
India begin their Super 8 journey against South Africa at the Narendra Modi stadium in a thrilling clash where a single mistake could change the course of the semifinals.
Even as the focus remains on the T20 World Cup which is less than a month away, Kohli and Rohit will hog the limelight in the three ODIs over the next seven days.
India face a tough spin challenge from England in the T20 World Cup semi-final at Wankhede Stadium, as both teams aim for a perfect game in the high-pressure knockout.
India face New Zealand in the T20 World Cup final in Ahmedabad as Suryakumar Yadav's side aim to become the first team to successfully defend the title.
India faces Zimbabwe in a crucial T20 World Cup Super 8 match, needing a big win to improve their net run rate after a heavy loss to South Africa. The team needs to address issues in the top order and consider strategic changes to the batting lineup.
Ravindra Jadeja and Washington Sundar struck unbeaten centuries as India staged a superb fightback on the final day to draw the fourth Test against England.
India and West Indies clash in a high-stakes virtual quarter-final on Sunday, with the winner advancing to the semi-finals of the T20 World Cup.
All-rounder Washington Sundar was on Sunday added to the India squad for the remaining two Tests against New Zealand.
Kaif also questioned Gill's tactical choices on debut, especially the call to leave out Kuldeep -- a bowler capable of turning games in Australia's own backyard.
SRH had barely utilised him the previous season. He played just two matches in the 2024 season for SRH, claiming just one wicket before he was released.
India's spinners took six wickets in a stunning fight back to rout Australia by 48 runs in the fourth T20I on the Gold Coast on Thursday.
India will be hoping that Abhishek Sharma returns to his destructive ways and the other batters up their game against spin when the side takes the field for its final T20 World Cup league fixture against the Netherlands.
Rishabh Pant was ruled out for nearly three months after he fractured his foot during the fourth Test against England in Manchester in July.
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.
Pathan also lauded young Harshit Rana's all-round contribution, insisting the pacer is earning his place purely on merit.
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.
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.
Jadeja reduces South Africa to 93/7 in second innings, India smell big win
Who do you think should be part of India's playing XI for the must-win match against Zimbabwe on Thursday?
Indian skipper Suryakumar Yadav acknowledged his recent lean patch and expressed confidence in returning to form ahead of the upcoming ICC T20 World Cup.
Washington Sundar expressed his gratitude towards head coach Gautam Gambhir and the support staff for their unwavering belief in his abilities in the post-day press conference in Melbourne on Saturday.
Rohit Sharma shared a few words of encouragement before presenting the cap to the youngster.
'Constant changes to the playing XI, batting orders, and frequent rotations prevent stability.'
Jadeja returned to haunt South Africa with the ball after the Proteas came out to bat for the second time in the match.
Rana and Sundar also spoke of their respective spells and how they helped India script victory in Sydney.
K L Rahul takes over the captaincy after regular skipper Shubman Gill missed the series because of a neck injury.
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.
The Namibia match could be a God-sent opportunity for an out-of-form Sanju Samson to get into run-scoring mode after a string of failures that saw him lose his place to Ishan Kishan, who is going through a purple patch.
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