'I kept urging Salman to see Pokiri, and one day, past midnight, he finally turned up at a Mumbai preview theatre to see it. Nervously, I waited for Salman's reaction to Pokiri. After watching it, he walked past me without a word. I followed anxiously, and before sitting in his car, he just signalled thumbs up.'
Shubman Gill scored a record-breaking 269 and their seamers struck early to put the tourists in a commanding position at Edgbaston on Thursday.
England gained the upper hand after a rain-hit first day of the final Test against India at The Oval on Thursday
Grind pays off for Ruturaj Gaikwad, now upto him and luck to prove his 50-over mettle.
Gill clashed with England openers Zak Crawley and Ben Duckett, accusing them of deliberately wasting time.
Gill scored a sensational 269 in the first innings and followed it up with 161 in the second-earning comparisons to Don Bradman from Shastri himself.
Jitesh Sharma, who has emerged as India's preferred wicketkeeper-batter in T20 format with less than two months left for the World Cup, has played down his 'competition' with Sanju Samson in the squad, saying it only brings out his "A-game" to the fore, strengthening the side.
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.
'We have to show consistency and move forward with the current combination.'
For the first time since 2012, India walked off Eden Gardens on the wrong side of a Test result. A tricky pitch, a chaotic chase, and the absence of captain Shubman Gill combined to hand South Africa a 30-run win that reshapes the WTC race.
England bowling coach Tim Southee praised the depth and quality of the Indian Test side after a commanding performance by the visitors on Day 1
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.
'I think Shubman has done a good job in putting things together and staying calm. You look at him, you always feel that he's not panicking. He is calm.'
Hardik Pandya marked his return to the Indian team from a two-month injury layoff with a match-winning half-century.
When Abhishek Sharma and Shubman Gill bat together at the top of the order, they put smiles on the faces of everyone and are learning the different facets of dealing with various match situations in the shortest format, skipper Suryakumar Yadav said after his team won the five-match T20I series against Australia on Saturday.
Captain Shubman Gill and the ever-dependable K L Rahul gave India a glimmer of hope with resilient half-centuries after a well crafted hundred from Ben Stokes extended England's supremacy in the fourth Test in Manchester on Saturday.
In the chase, India lost Shubman Gill for a golden duck, while Marco Jansen got rid of Abhishek Sharma and India skipper Suryakumar Yadav, before Baartman broke the 35-run stand between Axar Patel and Varma.
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.
'Jitesh Sharma has shown he is quite a capable player. He can bat lower down the order and look to hit the big shots even with a slightly older ball.'
Images from the fifth T20 International between India and South Africa, in Ahmedabad, on Friday.
'I think the partnership between me and Washington was very important.'
With the series now level and momentum on India's side, Gill will be hoping the belief, resilience and unity on display in Birmingham will carry through to the remaining three Tests.
Former Australia captain Greg Chappell believes Shubman Gill has displayed greatness with the bat and shown glimpses of his potential as a young captain.
Teenage sensation Vaibhav Suryavanshi scored a sparkling 143 off just 78 balls to become the fastest and youngest batter to register a hundred in Youth ODIs during India Under-19's fourth match against England on Saturday at Worcester.
Manjrekar acknowledged that although Gill hadn't yet made a significant mark overseas, his composure as a leader was never in doubt.
For the first time in many years, India are going into a home Test match as underdogs and not favourites. Ask any player worth his salt and he would tell that it is not a happy place to be.
'Folks - your Test captain, Shubman Gill.'
Pictures of the meet were splashed across social media as Indian captain Shubman Gill looked like a happy chappy meeting United captain Bruno Fernandes.
At this moment, the Indian think tank is doing a tough balancing act of building the team around a new set of players without completely cutting ties with the old guard.
Shubman Gill on Sunday criticised the rapidly deteriorating quality of the Dukes ball and expressed his dissatisfaction with the trend of flat pitches
Playing his 32nd Test, he showed no signs of nervousness and batted with his signature effortless ease.
How the Indian players fared in the five-Test series in England.
Shubman Gill played a masterful captain's knock with his second century of the series on the opening day of the second Test
Shubman Gill putting up a batting masterclass on a good pitch reflected his supreme confidence as India's new Test captain, senior spinner Ravindra Jadeja said on Thursday.
The 25-year-old captain struck 13 fours and eight sixes to make 161 off 162 balls, following up his first-innings' 269 to become only the second Indian after legendary Sunil Gavaskar to have scored a double century and a ton in a Test.
Lungi Ngidi's call-up indicates that Kagiso Rabada, who missed the team's memorable win in Kolkata due to a rib injury, is still uncertain for the Guwahati Test
Virat Kohli arrived in Ranchi ahead of the first One-Day International against South Africa on Wednesday morning.
Images from Day 4 of the second Test between England and India at Edgbaston, in Birmingham, on Saturday.
World Championship silver medallist Aishwary Pratap Singh Tomar delivered a landmark performance at the 68th Shooting Nationals on Tuesday, firing a World record 470.5 to clinch gold in the men's 50m rifle 3 positions final at the Madhya Pradesh State Shooting Range.
India can draw inspiration from their stunning comeback in the 2016 Chennai Test against England when they triumphed despite conceding 400-plus in the first innings.
© 2026 Rediff.com - Investor Information - Advertise with us - Disclaimer - Privacy Policy - Sitemap - Feedback - About us - Terms of use - Grievances