Eight-time Ballon d'Or winner Lionel Messi is not scheduled to play serious football on the 'G.O.A.T. India Tour 2025'.
Simon Harmer led South Africa's lion-hearted bowling effort as the Proteas registered a thrilling 30-run victory against India inside three days of the low-scoring opening Test.
Team India skipper Shubman Gill is unlikely to feature in the second Test against South Africa, with Cricket Association of Bengal sources confirming that he is not travelling to Guwahati with the team on Wednesday.
Argentine superstar footballer Lionel Messi's touchdown in Kolkata in the early hours of Saturday sent the city into a frenzy.
Rishabh Pant back in full flow as India step up nets ahead of SA opening Test
Cheteshwar Pujara refuses to believe India's recent poor record at home is because of transition.
India have long curated home tracks that accentuate turn, but the assumption their own batters would master such conditions no longer appears safe following their defeat in the opening Test against South Africa.
India will look to reprise their home template of big first-innings totals and sustained spin in the short two-Test series against South Africa beginning in Kolkata on Friday.
'Here the wicket is hard and the outfield really fast. If you are desperate, if you try to bowl those magic balls, you'd end up bleeding runs.'
Jurel's consistent batting has made him a strong contender for a place in the playing XI as a specialist batter.
The track is historically a high-scoring one and the outfield is quick. But on a red soil surface, the ball grips and can surprise the batters.
India vice-captain Rishabh Pant is understandably delighted to have made a difficult comeback from the latest injury setback.
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.
Speaking on The Great Indian Cricket Show on Doordarshan, Mukund, who represented India in seven Tests from 2011-17, said: "I think Shubman has it in him to become an all-format captain, but I do not think India should have an all-format captain anymore."
Daryl Mitchell becomes only the second player from New Zealand to hold the top the ICC ranking for ODI batters.
The second and final Test starts in Guwahati from Saturday with India trailing 0-1 after the defeat on a challenging Eden Gardens pitch in Kolkata.
'My motivation is to stay fit and be available for Indian team.'
Keshav Maharaj couldn't hide his pride after South Africa stunned India in Kolkata, reserving his highest praise for Simon Harmer's heroics and describing their partnership as nothing short of a 'privilege.'
South African pacer Kagiso Rabada, who missed the first Test against India in Kolkata due to a rib injury, is in awe of his team's ability to rebound from setbacks.
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 senior Indian seamer had previously returned seven wickets in their previous match against Uttarakhand, and he now has 15 wickets in just two matches.
K L Rahul takes over the captaincy after regular skipper Shubman Gill missed the series because of a neck injury.
Sourav Ganguly believes India's biggest selection dilemma ahead of the upcoming Test series against South Africa could centre around one man - Dhruv Jurel.
We may not know Dr Ramani at first, but by the end, we get a clearer sense of his nobility. For a biopic, that's a job done well, notes Mayur Sanap.
Application required in Test cricket was missing, says Kumble after India's batting collapse
Ganguly lauded Gill's leadership during India's tour of England, noting the challenge of captaining at a young age in such conditions
South Africa's stunning three-day win over India at Eden Gardens has drawn reactions from some of cricket's biggest names, with AB de Villiers, Faf du Plessis and Dale Steyn celebrating the historic result while Kevin Pietersen used the collapse-filled Test to launch a scathing critique of modern batting.
When I'm batting, I think only as a batter: Captain Gill on dual responsibility
South Africa are the World Test champions and skipper Temba Bavuma wants them to play like it and prove their credentials in the two-Test series against India beginning on Friday.
In India's title-winning ICC Women's World Cup, Richa scored 235 runs in eight innings at an average of 39.16 and a strike rate of over 133, with a brilliant, innings-saving 94 against South Africa as her best knock.
Messi's last visit with the Argentina team to India was back in 2011, when they faced Venezuela in a friendly match at Kolkata's iconic Salt Lake Stadium.
This was India's fourth defeat in the last six Tests at home and in all four Tests -- including three against New Zealand -- their batters have flopped against spin.
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.
Sourav Ganguly, who previously served as BCCI president from 2019 to 2022, replaced his elder brother Snehasish Ganguly.
Assam's largest city Guwahati is set to make its debut as the newest Test centre on Saturday when India take on South Africa in the second and final game of the two-match series.
The actor recently vacationed in Australia with her husband Gautam Kitchlu and posted gorgeous pictures.
Ravichandran Ashwin exposed India batters' lack of quality to battle ball tweakers by claiming that if legendary batter Sachin Tendulkar or past domestic heroes Amol Muzumdar, the India women's team head coach and Mithun Manhas had played against spinners on such a track, the Test would have gone to four days, unlike India's harrowing 30-run defeat against South Africa at Eden Gardens.
Sai Sudharsan and Dhruv Jurel faced spinners while wearing only one pad to counter the turning deliveries, a method that comes with an element of risk, in Kolkata on Monday.
'After the media exchanges between Ajit Agarkar and Mohammad Shami last week, newly-appointed selector R P Singh is at Eden Gardens for the Bengal vs Gujarat clash. The World T20 winner spoke to Shami at length after the day's play today.'
India are 1-0 up in the two-match series, having beaten WI by an innings and 140 runs in the first Test at Ahmedabad's Narendra Modi Stadium.
