The grand comeback party of Virat Kohli and Rohit Sharma endured a quick 22-ball ending, and their lowkey outing reflected in India's seven-wicket defeat against Australia.
The Indian team's heavy reliance on all-rounders will be tested by a plucky Australia in the second ODI but the spotlight will continue to stay firmly on Virat Kohli and Rohit Sharma, both of whom would look to turn back the clock with series-saving knocks in Adelaide on Thursday.
Head coach Gambhir, captain Gill, men's squad send best wishes to Harmanpreet-led side for Women's World Cup final
For a bowler this effective to be sidelined repeatedly, there must be either a very specific tactical reason -- or something unspoken within the dressing room dynamics.
'We would like to believe and back ourselves to know these conditions or adapt to these conditions a lot faster even if we find them slightly different, as compared to, say, somebody who is brought up in Johannesburg and has played all his cricket at the Wanderers ground.'
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.
KKR, CSK to engage in bidding war in IPL mini-auction with big purse in hand
India bowling coach Morne Morkel admitted his side was "surprised" by how quickly the Eden Gardens surface "deteriorated" after a dramatic second day in which 15 wickets fell and the opening Test swung sharply in India's favour.
Mohammed Shami was once ignored for the upcoming two-Test series against South Africa, despite having proved his fitness in the ongoing Ranji Trophy.
Ahead of the mini-auction, scheduled to be held in Doha on December 26, the 10 franchises have released their list of retained and released players.
The cricketing ecosystem has learned to survive the prolonged absence of Kohli and Rohit -- at least in two formats -- in this interim period.
Armed with a potent spin attack, taking on South Africa seems like competing against a "subcontinent team", Ten Doeschate said, admitting that they need to get better at negotiating the challenge posed by tweakers.
Kuldeep was instrumental to India's success at the Asia Cup, topping the wicket-taking chart with 17 wickets. Chopra explained the rationale behind dropping the left-arm wrist spinner, attributing it to batting depth.
Rohit Sharma hit an unbeaten century, while Virat Kohli returned to form with a fluent fifty as India cruised to an emphatic nine-wicket victory in the inconsequential third and final ODI against Australia.
Gill's struggle against spin has been glaring and former India cricketer-turned commentator Akash Chopra has suggested a bold change to overcome his recent slump: bat deep and not be overly aggressive with his approach.
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.
Indian Test skipper Shubman Gill spoke on the team dinner hosted by head coach Gautam Gambhir on Thursday
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".
'Rishabh Pant is not fit for West Indies series, hopefully he will be available for home Tests against South Africa.'
Shubman Gill's form in the series is a concern for India as he has now gone six games without a half-century.
'You told me to give revs on the ball. I decided to give the ball some spin and get some bounce. Because of that, I got three wickets, you got two.'
Australia's stand-in captain Mitchell Marsh continued his fine run of form on Sunday, scoring 46 not out and leading his side to a seven-wicket triumph over India in the weather-affected first one-day international at Perth Stadium.
While India left out Kuldeep Yadav for the second match in a row, Australia's leg-spinner Adam Zampa took a four-wicket haul and was named the man of the match.
'I definitely believe the kind of form he is in, the way he is batting, it will strengthen the Indian batting line-up.'
IMAGES of the Asia Cup Final played between India and Pakistan in Dubai on Sunday
Pat Cummins captured the sentiment perfectly, calling this potentially the 'last chance' for fans Down Under to witness these legends in action. With both stalwarts set to be 39 and 40 respectively by the 2027 World Cup, every appearance carries added significance. Ro-Ko have been the heartbeat of Indian cricket for over 15 years. Their return brings an emotional lift to the team and raises expectations for the series against the world champions.
The towering presence of Virat Kohli and Rohit Sharma in the Indian ODI team can only help newly appointed captain Shubman Gill grow as a leader, said Axar Patel.
Australia opener Travis Head expects the "great white ball" duo of Virat Kohli and Rohit Sharma to carry on till the 2027 ODI World Cup.
South Africa will aim for their first Test victory in India in more than 15 years.
Kuldeep Yadav has a good record in T20 Internationals with 69 wickets in 40 matches at an economy rate of 6.77, with a best of 5/17 against South Africa.
Since he took over, head coach Gautam Gambhir has stressed on multi-skilled players across formats, especially those who can add batting depth.
There is a school of thought that having done the hard yards in the England series, Karun Nair deserves an opportunity against a weaker opposition where a century could boost his career.
The Bellerive Oval is one ground where the side boundaries are smaller in size, hence hitting the right lengths would be paramount considering anything short would be flying over cover, point, square leg or mid-wicket on either side of the fence.
As Farhan reached his fifty, lofting Axar Patel for a massive six over mid-wicket, he pulled off a gun-firing celebration with his bat, adding another layer of intrigue to an already electric rivalry.
'We cannot deny that Pakistan also played brilliantly.'
Kuldeep Yadav grabbed 3/18, while Axar Patel played a vital role getting 2/18 besides bowling 15 dot balls in the game to power India to an emphatic seven-wicket victory.
Skipper Suryakumar Yadav made optimal use of available resources in both departments as India did enough to beat a spirited Oman by 21 runs to end their league stage commitments in Asia Cup with a hat-trick of victories.
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.
India will be keen to get the job done against Bangladesh and seal their place in Sunday's final before considering resting their players.
'India is much stronger in white ball than the red ball. Rohit Sharma, Virat Kohli... they know that these youngsters are pushing them.'
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