India would have been better served with a frontline spinner in their side, pace spearhead Mohammed Shami said.
Tim Southee picked up five wickets as India suffered another batting failure to lose the opening Test against New Zealand by 10 wickets, on Day 4, in Wellington, on Monday. Needing just nine runs for the win, New Zealand eased to victory in just 1.4 overs to finish the game with one full day and a half to spare and take a 1-0 lead in the two-match series.
Former Australia skipper Ricky Ponting believes India have a couple of injury concerns and will have to rejig their combination if Ravindra Jadeja and Hanuma Vihari are not fit in time for the final Test.
India's injury woes in the Test series against Australia compounded on Monday after Hanuma Vihari -- the hero of their drawn game in Sydney -- was ruled out of the fourth and final match with a hamstring tear that could keep him out of action for a considerable time.
It is understood that Kohli, Rahane, Shami, Jadeja will be sweating it out at the nets alongside Ashwin, who has already bowled a whopping 58 overs and taken seven wickets in a County game for Surrey last week.
The choice of Jayant Yadav as back-up off-spinner in Test squad, or picking Baba Aparajith over the likes of Mandeep Singh and Sheldon Jackson in India A, could raise pertinent questions as to whether enough respect has been given by this committee when it comes to selecting performers in domestic cricket.
The legendary Sunil Gavaskar said the Test series triumph in Australia last year ranks among the team's 'greatest wins' of all time and can be considered a golden chapter in the country's cricket history.
K L Rahul came in for harsh criticism from former India medium pacer Venkatesh Prasad who claimed the opener's selection was based on "favouritism'.
India's injury woes deepened on the opening day of the fourth Test against Australia at the Gabba on Friday as pacer Navdeep Saini was forced to come off the field after lunch following an apparent groin issue.
The India 'A' bowlers had a tough time on the field as Pieter Malan and Tony de Zorzi scored centuries to take South Africa 'A' to 343 for three at stumps on day one of the opening unofficial Test.
Ashwin, Rohit ruled out of 2nd Test.
Irfan and Yusuf have been providing COVID-related help.
The IPL franchises may have turned him down but Team India's Test specialist Hanuma Vihari is all set to prepare for the six-match Test series in England later this year by competing for English county side Warwickshire.
Dinesh Karthik hit a quickfire half-century as Tamil Nadu overcame a jittery start to down Baroda by 38 runs.
Wriddhiman and Hanuma Vihari are the two Test specialists who have been included in the 'A' squad to prepare for the two-Test series starting late August.
Left-arm spinner Shams Mulani grabbed a match haul of 10 wickets as Mumbai defeated Andhra by 10 wickets to secure a successive bonus-point victory in the Ranji Trophy in Mumbai on Monday.
Shubman Gill's run-a-ball 83 was the only high point for India 'A' as New Zealand 'A' grabbed the opening day honours in their first unofficial Test, in Christchurch, on Thursday. The Indians were all out for 216 in their first innings before the hosts responded strongly as they reached 105 for two at the close of play.
Roundup of Ranji Trophy matched played on Sunday
The Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) tweeted a short footage of the players batting in the nets and on display was a square cut, front foot defence, on-drive, a whack down the pitch -- it was all that and more.
'Your character stood out for me than the number of runs you scored," said India captain Virat Kohli while explaining his decision to give opening Mayank Agarwal a Test debut in the 2018-19 Australia series. Agarwal had made his Test debut against Australia in the third Test of the four-match series in Melbourne in December 2018. The opening batsman impressed in his very first outing for India, hitting a solid 76 in his very first innings in Test cricket and followed it up with 42 in the second.
We have Shubman Gill at one end ready to carry on the mantle but what about his partner?
'The IPL should form the selection basis for the T20 team and at the most the ODI team.'
IMAGES from the tour match played between Australia A and India at the SCG in Sydney on Sunday.
Virat Kohli has upper back spasm, hopefully will recover for next Test: K L Rahul
Former India opener Virender Sehwag believes all is not well with the Rahul Dravid-coached Indian team and a few things needed to be addressed as soon as possible after England pulled off a record 378-run chase.
Who do you think should be part of India's playing XI for the first Test against Australia?
Virat Kohli was rested from the three-match T20I series against the West Indies.
West Zone's batting stars Ajinkya Rahane and Shreyas Iyer flattered to deceive as South Zone restricted them to 250/8 on the opening day of the Duleep Trophy final in Coimbatore on Wednesday.
Mumbai youngster Prithvi Shaw and Andhra batsman Hanuma Vihari were the two surprise inclusion in India's squad for the last two Tests of the ongoing five-match series against England.
Ajinkya Rahane has been retained in India's Test squad, to be led by Virat Kohli, for the South Africa series later this month.
Hanuma Vihari remained unbeaten on 86, while Suresh Raina made a strokeful 52 as India Blue reached 216 for three in reply to India Red's 383 all out on the second day of the Duleep Trohpy match, in Kanpur on Thursday.
India's star batsman Rohit Sharma wasted no time in getting back to business as he underwent a practice session at the Melbourne Cricket Ground on Thursday.
All-rounder Hardik Pandya is one of the notable promotions to Grade A, which is worth Rs 5 crore, while rookies Shubman Gill and Mohammed Siraj got their maiden central contracts, worth Rs 1 crore, in Grade C.
Among those who impressed were Shubhman Gill, Hanuma Vihari and Rishabh Pant.
Alastair Cook, as unflappable as ever, led from the front in the final innings of his record-breaking Test career as England built a commanding 154-run lead over India at the Oval on Sunday.
'The way Jinx and Pujara batted, in second innings, that experience is obviously priceless for us'
Bumrah endured a tough and unrewarding day on the field during the third Test at the SCG.
The 18-year-old right-hander was named in a 12-man squad on Wednesday for the first of the two-Test series and is expected to open alongside Lokesh Rahul.
Kohli decorated his innings with five boundaries and two sixes.
Team combination a worry for India
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