India pacer Bhuvneshwar Kumar feels the debate over preparing a spin-friendly track at the Eden Gardens for the opening Test against South Africa is pointless as the country has been laying out such wickets for ages.
Despite India's seven-wicket win in Delhi, Gambhir called the surface 'alarming' and stressed the need for more balanced wickets to keep Test cricket alive.
IMAGES from Day 5 of the 2nd Test between India and West Indies in New Delhi on Tuesday.
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.
Boycott defends Jadeja, Sundar for declining draw offer; slams England's bowling
Grind pays off for Ruturaj Gaikwad, now upto him and luck to prove his 50-over mettle.
'Bring the deficit down to about 60 and then take it 10 runs at a time.'
'We thought they deserved a century there (about the decision to not shake hands). Every match going till the last session on the last day.'
Spending more than US$3 million (Rs 28.40 crore) and nearly 60 percent of their purse on players, who can proverbially be termed as wet behind the ears, does display a change in mindset.
Left-arm spinners, all-rounders, and pacers who mastered their craft and left a mark in Test cricket.
There is Ravindra Jadeja, whose superior batting becomes a huge factor in SENA countries but against England's 'Bazballers', Kuldeep Yadav's versatility could complement pace spearhead Jasprit Bumrah better if India harbour any hopes of picking 20 wickets.
There is a school of thought that having done the hard yards in the England series, Karun Nair deserves an opportunity against a weaker opposition where a century could boost his career.
India beat West Indies by seven wickets in the second and final Test to complete a 2-0 series sweep at the Arun Jaitley Stadium on Tuesday.
'He is one of the most valuable players in India.'
India outclassed New Zealand by four wickets to win their third Champions Trophy title at the Dubai International Cricket Stadium on Sunday.
The Indian Premier League (IPL) 2026 auction saw some foreign names earning big bucks, headlined by Aussie all-rounder Cameron Green
India remained on course for a 2-0 series sweep after enforcing the follow-on but West Indies produced a much better batting display in their second innings to reach 173-2 on day three of the second and final Test in New Delhi on Sunday.
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.
While many captains have buckled under the pressure, the responsibility to lead a team followed by a billion-plus fans appears to have brought the best out of Gill.
Steyn, however, argued that once the draw had been secured, personal milestones should have been secondary to the spirit of the game.
Obviously, we miss Ashwin but one day Jadeja will also be gone: Ravindra Jadeja
Shubman Gill said he could not have asked for a better all-round performance from his team after they hammered the West Indies by an innings and 140 runs in the first Test.
With the pitch here not assisting the spinners so far a great deal, Rampaul expressed his surprise.
Ravindra Jadeja's omission from the India ODI squad for Australia tour raised a few eyebrows but the veteran all-rounder was not surprised as the selection committee and team management had "communicated" to him about their inability to pick him.
India's strategy of playing two fast bowlers, one pace bowling all-rounder, and three spinners could possibly come in handy on this surface.
Uncapped players who cashed in at the IPL auction in Abu Dhabi on Tuesday.
A record-extending 52nd ODI century by Virat Kohli and a rapid 57 from Rohit Sharma paved the way for India's victory in the series-opener in Ranchi.
Ravindra Jadeja of India has been fined 50 per cent of his match fee and has also received three demerit points for breaching Level 2 of the ICC Code of Conduct during the second day's play in the third and final cricket Test against New Zealand in Indore on Sunday. Jadeja was found to have breached Article 2.2.11 of the ICC Code of Conduct for Players and Player Support Personnel, which relates to "causing avoidable damage to the pitch during an international match".
'But I would say given the importance of this series and given the conditions we think we are going to face, he (Nitish Kumar Reddy) might miss out in this Test this week.'
Indian spinner Ravi Bishnoi and left-arm seamer Arshdeep Singh moved up to the sixth and 10th spot respectively in the latest ICC T20 rankings released on Wednesday.
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.
Virat Kohli has two hundreds and a fifty in his last three innings, while Rohit Sharma has a hundred and two fifties in his last four outings.
Marco Jansen demolished the Indian batting line-up with a six-wicket haul before South Africa extended their lead on Day 3 of the second and final Test.
He loves horses and fast cars. He can ride well and brandish a sword as expertly as he does a bat. Yet he is down to earth and religious, and has just agreed to an arranged marriage... The unknown side of the star all-rounder from his sister Naina Jadeja.
Names of Bumrah, Jadeja should be considered for India captaincy: Ashwin
The former India wicketkeeper believes the game still had some cricket left in it and that India had earned the right to continue batting.
How India's players enjoyed their time in Wednesday's training session.
The Indian team's valiant fight did not go unnoticed with Indian batting legend Sachin Tendulkar patting the players for their effort.
Yashasvi Jaiswal smashed his maiden ODI hundred to power India to a 2-1 series win after they thrashed against South Africa by nine wickets in the third and final ODI.
