Srinivas Bhogle and Purnendu Maji present Rediff.com's Most Valuable Player Index of IPL 2023 after Game 42.
In a series finale defined by pressure and fine margins, the Indian dressing room found its anchor in an unexpected source - the Shri Shiva Rudrashtakam.
Their scintillating performance powered Royals to 89/1 in six overs, their highest-ever Powerplay score.
India crushed West Indies by an innings and 140 runs inside three days in the first Test to take a 1-0 lead in the two-match series, in Ahmedabad, on Saturday.
Test captain Shubman Gill also doesn't fit in the Indian T20 line-up, which has a settled top three in Abhishek Sharma, Sanju Samson and captain Suryakumar Yadav.
She was also seen chatting with Rajasthan opener Yashasbvi Jaiswal, who scored a 25-ball 50 and nearly took the game away from the visitors.
Former Australia wicketkeeper-batter Brad Haddin believes the Indian team needs an 'attitude adjustment' as they seek to find a way out of their fielding woes.
Playing his 32nd Test, he showed no signs of nervousness and batted with his signature effortless ease.
India are favourites to secure victory and draw the series, but England will still fancy their chances of completing what would be by far the highest successful Test run chase at The Oval.
Gill, Rahul score fifties in intra-squad practice match against India A ahead of England Test
It was a dream comeback to the XI by Yashasvi Jaiswal, who hit 2 sixes and 9 boundaries for his 41-ball 68.
'We want pace on the ball, we want the ball to bounce and we want the ball to carry through so that when we're batting, we can be aggressive, we can attack, and we can put pressure back on the bowlers.'
Such has been the problem of plenty for selectors in the T20 format that they are finding it difficult to even accommodate Yashasvi Jaiswal -- a proven performer in T20 cricket.
Samson reminded everyone of his class with a 54 off 36 balls in a high-voltage friendly at Greenfield Stadium, guiding the KCA Secretary XI to a nail-biting win ahead of the Kerala Cricket League.
Gaikwad constructed a handy partnership 90 for the second wicket with Aarya Desai as West gradually entered a stabilised phase.
"We will have an advantage...": BCCI VP Shukla on India's new-look squad for England tour
India A batters enjoyed their time on a placid batting track with all the top four batters helping themselves to half-centuries as the first unofficial 'Test' against England Lions ended in a draw
The fringe and aspiring bunch will look to own the elevated Duleep Trophy stage as the red-ball competition returns to its traditional zonal format and marks the start of India's domestic cricket season.
India Test skipper and T20 vice-captain Shubman Gill reached the BCCI's Centre of Excellence (CoE) for fitness assessment ahead of travelling to Dubai for the upcoming Asia Cup.
Shubman Gill played a masterful captain's knock with his second century of the series on the opening day of the second Test
As Indian bowlers' desperate search for a breakthrough continued on Day 5 of the first Test against England in Leeds, poor show by fielders added to their woes.
Siraj was the day's hero and India have pulled ahead, but England are not out of the contest by any stretch of imagination.
While Jaiswal's 41 may not seem that impressive, it set the tone for Rajasthan's innings, built a solid foundation and paved the way for the rest of the RR batters to go for the big hits in the slog overs.
Kuldeep slips to third in ODI rankings, Maharaj regains top spot
Siraj has attained a career-best 15th position in the latest ICC Test rankings
Nitish Kumar Reddy has been ruled out of the remainder of the series against England due to a knee injury.
How well will Shubman Gill fit in the T20 team? Is it a gamble by the selectors in order to unite captaincy across formats? asks Harish Kotian.
India fast bowler Akash Deep, who walked in as a night watchman in the third session on Day 2 of the fifth and final Test against England at The Oval, stole the spotlight on Day 3, producing and entertaining knock to register his maiden Test half-century.
The ground brought sanity to the wild, soaring numbers for the batters in the series. The wicket had grass, and it made the batters struggle.
With three centuries already in the series, Gill could join Don Bradman and Gavaskar in the elite club of captains who've hit the most hundreds in a single Test series, if he converts his current innings into a fourth on Day 5.
India stuck to their pre-series decision to field Bumrah in only three Tests and was hence not played in the final Test at the Oval
Engineer surprised by Kuldeep's omission from 1st Test, says he should be playing all matches
'He adds stability in the middle order and there were spots where he could have slotted in.'
India's Bumrah produced a devastating spell in the morning, dismissing Ben Stokes, Joe Root and Chris Woakes before Archer struck with his third delivery to remove Yashasvi Jaiswal in his first test for four years.
Led by Shubman Gill, a defiant India put on a mentally strong and technically disciplined response to keep the series alive with England 2-1 up. While there were plenty of positives to take forward, a few concerns continue to linger as the series heads to a decider at The Oval.
Yashasvi Jaiswal was "disappointed" on missing a century by a whisker, but amazed by Test captain Shubman Gill's "incredible" effort that powered India to a comfortable position at the end of the opening day of the second Test against England, at Edgbaston, on Wednesday.
The 107-run partnership between Jaiswal-Akash Deep was a turning point in India's second innings.
England still have hopes of winning this game. This prognosis is based on their fourth innings exploits over the last three years and the fact that India galloped to 321 runs in 70 overs, suggesting the wicket isn't particularly tricky. However, the big difference from Leeds in June this year, or Birmingham in 2022, is that this track still has plenty of juice.
The BCCI press conference scheduled at 1.30pm in Mumbai is 'expected to be delayed owing to weather disruptions'.
Former wicketkeeper Vijay Dahiya feels Shreyas Iyer was unlucky to be left out of India's Asia Cup squad but said some players will always miss out due to the depth of talent in the country.
