Facing Kerala in the quarter-finals in Pune from February 8, J&K will be looking to script history as they aim to make it to the Ranji Trophy semi-finals for the first time ever.
Indian team vice-captain Ajinkya Rahane, senior batsman Rohit Sharma and pacer Shardul Thakur arrived in Chennai on Tuesday for the first two Tests against England.
Rahane returns to lead Royals for the game against Delhi Capitals on Saturday after Smith replaced him as captain in the middle of the season following the team's disappointing run which saw them lose six out of their first eight games.
Ajinkya Rahane has such calmness that bowlers don't feel scared when they fail to execute a plan under him while regular skipper Virat Kohli's energy is sometimes mistaken for anger, India's bowling coach Bharat Arun said on Wednesday, describing the two contrasting leaders of the side.
Prithvi Shaw's inclusion comes as a fresh lease of life for the explosive batter who found himself out of reckoning in the Ranji Trophy.
Australia's fielders spilled a few chances offered by Ajinkya Rahane as India took a 82-run lead by the end of Day 2 in the second Test.
Ajinkya Rahane's meticulous planning and execution of his training sessions during the COVID-19 induced break is helping him immensely on the ongoing tour of Australia, believes his coach Pravin Amre.
Rahane spoke about how pink ball's increased pace off the pitch during the 40-50 minutes of the twilight session, will be the biggest challenge for any batsman.
'I think there's going to be a very interesting story that's going to run through this series -- Kohli comes back as captain after Ajinkya Rahane was so good in Australia'
Delhi Capitals's new recruit Ajinkya Rahane looked sharp and timed the ball quite well during Delhi's nets session in Dubai on Wednesday.
'...the one that turned the match firmly in India's favour was the Johnny Mullagh medal-winning contribution from Rahane. The captain's century came at a time when India could easily have faded to a two-nil deficit, and it was this performance that gave his team the conviction that victory was attainable.'
Ajinkya Rahane, Sachin Tendulkar and Suryakumar Yadav stepped out to cast their votes on Monday.
Warner lauded Kohli's decision to be with his wife for the big day, while praising India's Test vice-captain Rahane for his measured approach.
Jaffer seemed to have posted a motivational quote, but when you have a closer look and just pick the first letter from the different words, the cryptic message can be guessed as: "Pick Gill and Rahul".
'Teaching my two team-mates a few Punjabi steps, but it's going to take a while to get them into rhythm.'
Mumbai Ranji Trophy captain Ajinkya Rahane has praised the BCCI 'for giving importance to domestic cricket.'
Star all-rounder Hardik Pandya will be an impact player for India in the ongoing T20 World Cup, India Test vice-captain Ajinkya Rahane said, urging the side to rally around the injury-ravaged cricketer whose role as a bowler is uncertain due to fitness issues.
In all likelihood, vice-captain Ajinkya Rahane would get another chance but over the past two years, his inconsistency has hurt this team badly.
Captain Virat Kohli was at the crease having scored 44 runs along with Ajinkya Rahane who was batting on 29.
Openers Prithvi Shaw and Shubman Gill fell for ducks as India 'A' batsmen struggled on the opening day of their three-day practice match against Australia 'A' at the Drummoyne Oval, in Sydney, on Sunday.
'See all our spinners are really good and given a chance they will all do really well'
India's star batters have lost a lot of confidence over the years by playing on rank turners, with their home averages taking a beating and affecting their careers adversely, feels former off-spinner Harbhajan Singh.
A look at the best catches of the CSK vs PBKS match...
'My instinct answers yes, I want to make a comeback in ODI cricket'
Rohit Sharma will bat at the top of the innings.
The team will be announced on Tuesday, September 24.
Here are clicks from an evening celebrating Mumbai's memorable triumph...
Ajinkya Rahane played only six games for Delhi Capitals in the 13th edition of IPL.
'I am pretty happy that Puj (Pujara) isn't here.'
With Kohli and Rohit misfiring, the pressure has mounted on opener Yashasvi Jaiswal and India's middle order to put the kind of scores on the board their bowlers can defend.
Rahane, who too has also endured rough end of the stick as far selection matters go, had a word of advice for Rishabh Pant.
'If it was up to me, Dubai would always host a one off match like this WTC game. Neutral venue, fabulous stadium, guaranteed weather, excellent training facilities and a travel hub!' KP tweeted.
The Indian batting legend reckons the pressure is now on Australia.
Ajinkya Rahane will not be bogged down by the pressure of captaincy if he leads India in the last three Tests against Australia in Virat Kohli's absence, said batting great Sunil Gavaskar.
Mumbai captain Ajinkya Rahane backed Shreyas Iyer to deliver a punchy performance for the team in the Ranji Trophy semi-final against Tamil Nadu.
Rajasthan Royals suffered their third straight defeat on Sunday when they lost to Chennai Super Kings by eight runs.
Wants to take his T20 game forward at Delhi Capitals.
Former India captain Bishan Singh Bedi praised vice-captain Ajinkya Rahane for his attacking unbeaten half-century which helped the visitors make a strong reply with the bat during Day 2 of the second Test against Australia.
We hope for more safe and happy travels for this cute couple.
Gujarat opener Priyank Panchal is likely to lead India 'A' in three four-day 'Tests' against New Zealand 'A'
