Captain Shubman Gill will travel with the Indian team to Guwahati for second Test against South Africa, starting on Saturday, but his participation is still not confirmed.
The Proteas arrive high on confidence, having fought out a hard-earned 1-1 draw in Pakistan last month under challenging conditions.
The collapse, India's lowest failed chase at home, has left behind deeper fault lines than a dry Eden Gardens wicket can conceal.
Rohit Sharma scored only 61 runs in three innings at an average of 20.33, failing to register a single fifty in the series against New Zealand.
Shami, 35, was left out of India's 15-member squad for the two home Tests against South Africa, scheduled to commence on Friday at the famed Eden Gardens in Kolkata. Before his most recent snub, Shami had openly expressed his disappointment about being sidelined from India's recent Test fixtures.
'Congratulations to the Indian Cricket Team on their victory over Pakistan at the ICC Men's #T20WorldCup2026. A proud moment for the nation.'
When I'm batting, I think only as a batter: Captain Gill on dual responsibility
The 26 year old rued the dropped catches, which ultimately cost India the match and the series.
Shubman Gill joined an unwanted list following the loss to Australia in the first ODI at Perth, becoming the second Indian skipper after Virat Kohli and overall ninth captain to lose their first matches in all three formats as captain.
South Africa, already qualified for the Super Eights, will face the United Arab Emirates in their final Group D fixture of the T20 World Cup. South Africa would expect big-hitting youngster Dewald Brevis to regain his form against a struggling United Arab Emirates.
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.
The Indian team management has kept the media guessing but Rishabh Pant is set to become India's 38th Test captain.
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.
Pune police are investigating the death of a migrant worker from West Bengal, denying claims of a hate crime made by West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee.
East Bengal FC secured a commanding 3-0 victory against NorthEast United FC in their Indian Super League match, fueled by a second-half double from Youssef Ezzejari and a late goal by Miguel Ferreira.
Rana and Sundar also spoke of their respective spells and how they helped India script victory in Sydney.
'It's about taking the right options in the given situation.'
Stars love the soft girl aesthetic is all about embracing gentleness and femininity in a world that is always chaotic.
Rahul Dravid had backed Shubman Gill to become India's all-format captain four years ago.
India captain Shubman Gill, head coach Gautam Gambhir along with Jasprit Bumrah, Washington Sundar and Axar Patel arrived in Kolkata late on Sunday ahead of the upcoming two-Test series against South Africa.
The others to arrive after a delayed flight were K L Rahul, Yashasvi Jaiswal, Arshdeep Singh, Harshit Rana and Nitish Kumar Reddy along with some members of the support staff.
Shubman Gill warmly greeted senior pros Rohit Sharma and Virat Kohli ahead of the Indian team's departure to Australia for a white-ball series.
Gambhir said his only advice to Gill has been, "Just be himself".
Indian Test skipper Shubman Gill spoke on the team dinner hosted by head coach Gautam Gambhir on Thursday
Tejaswin Shankar won the men's heptathlon event to clinch India's lone gold as the country ended the Asian Indoor Athletics Championships campaign with five medals. India finished overall sixth in the medals tally.
'In Shubman's leadership, there is either "Yes" or "No". There is no place for "May Be". As a leader and captain, you need to have that assertiveness about decisions you take, and he definitely has that.'
Shubman Gill on Thursday said he would look to imbibe the 'calmness' that his predecessor Rohit Sharma brought to the dressing room
Brett Lee compared Gill's captaincy style to that of Australian legends Ricky Ponting and Steve Waugh, highlighting his ability to command respect and stand firm in challenging moments.
Shubman Gill has described his appointment as India's ODI captain as the "biggest honour", expressing pride in carrying forward the legacy left by Rohit Sharma, who will play under him in the upcoming three-match series in Australia.
Rinku Singh made a roaring return with a match-tilting 44 not out off 20 balls against New Zealand in Nagpur on Wednesday
As India prepare for a high-stakes ODI series, all eyes naturally turn to Rohit and Kohli as this series marks their return since the title-winning ICC Champions Trophy Final earlier this year.
Mitchell says adapting to Kuldeep key after series-levelling win
In the fifth T20I against New Zealand in Thiruvananthapuram, Ishan Kishan produced an innings that may well have changed the course of his career.
Former off-spinner Harbhajan Singh is hopeful that the newly appointed India's ODI captain, Shubman Gill, will carry forward the legacy of Virat Kohli, Rohit Sharma and other captains who served before him in the format.
Defending champions India have unveiled a well-rounded 15-member squad for the upcoming ICC Men's T20 World Cup
If Harshit Rana keeps contributing 20 to 25 runs with the bat, he could well be the bowling all-rounder that India are looking for at No. 8, said skipper Shubman Gill after the Delhi speedster had a career-best haul of 4 wickets in the third ODI against Australia in Sydney on Saturday.
Yuvraj Singh was seen giving Sanju Samson some batting tips during a nets training, in a video posted on X.
Shubman Gill marked his home captaincy in style, becoming the first Indian skipper in 47 years to score a half-century on debut.
Rohit Sharma and Virat Kohli will need a lot of game time going forward now that they play only one format but a decision on how the two white ball legends will stay in rhythm will be decided once the South Africa ODI series is over, skipper Shubman Gill said on Saturday.
Tempers flared, words were exchanged, and emotions spilled over in a heated contest that India ultimately dominated.
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