Pant was slammed by fans for spilling a few chances in the third and final ODI against the West Indies in Cuttack on Sunday.
'The merit is still there and he has only gotten better with time'
Delhi Capitals have made the perfect start to IPL, with two morale-boosting victories, while SunRisers Hyderabad are the only side yet to register a win in the tournament, having lost both their games.
Indian off-spinner Ravichandran Ashwin has said that his side will be looking to continue the fightback in the remainder of the third Test after recovering from a precarious 130 for five and finishing the first innings at 353.
Needing a win to keep their play-offs hopes alive, KXIP could put up just 167 for 6 after being put into bat but they defended the total courtesy a remarkable show by their bowlers at the PCA Stadium.
Who do you think should be part of India's playing XI for the first Test against Australia?
Shahbaz Nadeem took a five-wicket haul for the second time in the match to put India A on the cusp of a big win over West Indies A in the first unofficial Test, at North Sound, Antigua, on Friday.
Umran Malik came up with one of the most bowling destructive spells in IPL history, but it was in vain as the Sunrisers Hyderabad went down to the Gujarat Titans by five wickets.
PHOTOS of the IPL 2023 final between Gujarat Titans and Chennai Super Kings at the Narendra Modi Stadium in Ahmedabad on Monday.
IMAGES from the IPL 2022 game between Punjab Kings and Gujarat Titans in Navi Mumbai on Tuesday.
Kings XI Punjab will be aiming to continue their late surge against Rising Pune Supergiant in a 'winner takes it all' Indian Premier League encounter, in Pune on Sunday.
Opener Mayank Agarwal hit a gritty hundred to rescue India after New Zealand left-arm spinner Ajaz Patel had put them in a spot of bother with three quick wickets on the weather-hit first day of the second and final Test, at the Wankhede stadium, in Mumbai, on Friday.
Having reclaimed the World No 1 spot in the International Cricket Council's Test rankings, a beaming Indian captain Virat Kohli on Monday said the team has a good chance of holding on to the No. 1 position given the long home season.
PHOTOS of the IPL 2023 match between Punjab Kings vs Gujarat Titans played at the Punjab Cricket Association Stadium in Mohali on Thursday.
Pacer Bhuvneshwar Kumar's devastating five-wicket haul after a late batting blitzkrieg put India firmly in command as they reduced a hapless New Zealand to 128 for 7 on the rain-hit second day of the second cricket Test, in Kolkata, on Saturday.
Team India, set for a gruelling tour of Australia, looked in top gear as they practiced diligently during a nets session on the eve of the first Test in Adelaide on Monday.
Shubman Gill's epic century powered Gujarat Titans to a sensational victory against Royal Challengers Bangalore on Sunday.
Not just the 40 points, India will also be eyeing a 3-0 whitewash in the Gandhi-Mandela series.
Former opener Sunil Gavaskar predicted an India win by a 4-0 or 3-1 margin, depending on the weather, adding that the visitors would emerge victorious anyway as England is depleted without the likes of Ben Stokes and Jofra Archer.
PHOTOS of the IPL 2023 match between Gujarat Titans and Sunrisers Hyderabad at the Narendra Modi Stadium in Ahmedabad on Monday.
Who do you think should be part of India's playing XI for the second Test against New Zealand, starting on Friday?
Rashid finished with final figures of 4-24 against Lucknow after what he would later attribute to 'experimenting with a different length' in this particular match.
India spinners roared back to form and leave England reeling at 103 for five in their first innings as the hosts strengthened their position on Day 2 of the second Test in Visakhapatnam on Friday.
Riding on leg-spinner Rashid Khan's brilliant effort, Sunrisers Hyderabad produced an inspired bowling display to eke out a fighting 13-run win over in-form Kings XI Punjab in a low-scoring IPL match in Hyderabad, on Thursday.
Sri Lankan middle-order batsman Lahiru Thirimanne was today fined 30 per cent of his match fee for 'showing dissent at an umpires's decision.'
Rohit Sharma is set to play at number three in the first Test against Sri Lanka beginning on Wednesday but Sunil Gavaskar feels India captain Virat Kohli should bat at the crucial position.
Gujarat Titans put up a dazzling show to hand Rajasthan Royals a crushing 9-wicket defeat at the Sawai Mansingh Stadium in Jaipur.
Ajinkya Rahane said it is a proud moment for him to captain India ahead of the the second Test match against Australia, starting in Melbourne, from Saturday.
Srinivas Bhogle and Purnendu Maji present Rediff.com's Most Valuable Player Index of IPL 2023 after Game 52.
"Every match is important and poses a different challenge, there's nothing like preparation. We will go match by match. If we do better here then we will think of the SA series," he said.
The three-day practice game will give a chance for the players who are already in the West Indies to shift from limited overs to the five-day format.
Kings XI Punjab continued their winning streak with a facile five-wicket victory to strengthen their position at the top of the heap as Royal Challengers Bangalore were left licking their wounds after yet another loss in the ongoing Indian Premier League in Dubai on Monday.
Wriddhiman Saha, on nine, and Ravichandran Ashwin, who is 15 not out, will return on Friday hoping to continue India's march towards the 300-mark.
A confident Indian cricket team arrived in Kingston for the second Test against hosts West Indies starting July 30, hoping to carry on the momentum it gained with an innings victory in the series opener in Antigua.
Roundup of Ranji Trophy matched played on Sunday
Former Australia skipper Ricky Ponting, who had earlier called for Pant's inclusion in the Indian team, was disappointed by the wicket-keeper batsman's glovework.
The BCCI tweeted photographs of the Indian contingent before departure with the players sporting customised PPE kits for travel amid the COVID-19 pandemic.
Ravindra Jadeja stole the show while Umesh Yadav bowled his heart out.
Isa Guha feels that Indian team going into the first Test looks way more settled compared to the Australian side
