Captain Suryakumar Yadav believes Hardik Pandya's return will restore the tactical depth and balance of India's T20 team.
Skipper Suryakumar Yadav and his deputy Shubman Gill's indifferent form is a massive concern but the national selection committee is unlikely to make any shocking changes when it picks the 15-member squad for next year's T20 World Cup in Mumbai on Saturday.
Abhishek Sharma was brutal and beautiful in equal measure during his scintillating 74 as India made a tricky chase look comfortable, winning an ill-tempered Super 4 contest of the Asia Cup against Pakistan by six wickets in Dubai on Sunday.
'Easily the best innings of his career so far.'
Skipper Suryakumar Yadav would want the attacking batter in him to front up and bolster his leadership against New Zealand when the five-match T20I series gets underway in Nagpur on Wednesday, serving as a final dress rehearsal for India's World Cup title defence in less than three weeks' time.
Axar Patel's 11-ball 21, laced with a four and a six in the last over off Marcus Stoinis, was instrumental in India's 48-run victory in the fourth T20I.
'Pretty amazing. The whole tournament, we remained unbeaten, it feels pretty amazing to be in this position.'
Defending champions India have unveiled a well-rounded 15-member squad for the upcoming ICC Men's T20 World Cup
The triumph at the Dubai International Stadium marked India's ninth Asia Cup title and showcased the team's grit, character, and ability to perform under pressure.
Farhan made it clear that he wasn't concerned about public opinion, insisting the celebration was simply a spur-of-the-moment decision.
Patel stayed unbeaten on the crease in India's innings, scoring 21 off 11 balls to power his side to 167 and then took two wickets, removing Matthew Short and Josh Inglis.
Shubman Gill enjoyed a phenomenal run with the bat in England, piling up 754 runs at an average of 75.40 with four centuries.
Ishan Kishan's sensational comeback and Sanju Samson's inconsistent displays with the bat will reignite debate over who should be Abhishek Sharma's preferred opening partner.
The likes of Tilak Varma, Hardik Pandya, Sanju Samson, Shivam Dube and Axar Patel would all like to get some decent hit out there in the middle ahead of Sunday's clash against Pakistan.
Abhishek Sharma's scintillating 75 was beautifully complemented by Kuldeep Yadav and Varun Chakravarthy as India comfortably hammered Bangladesh by 41 runs to enter the Asia Cup final in Dubai on Wednesday.
India's players celebrated with empty hands, making cricket history for all the wrong reasons.
That is the level of trust we have in each other.'
Shubman Gill is the flavour of the season after his stupendous show in the recent Test series against England but he will face a contender in Axar Patel for vice-captaincy
Michael Hussey said big-hitting batter Shivam Dube is a unique talent
New Zealand duo of Rachin Ravindra and Devon Conway joined Chennai Super Kings' training camp ahead of IPL 2025.
Dube has 350 runs in nine outings at a strike rate of 172.41, including three half-centuries.
Against Bangladesh, Samson wasn't even considered good enough to come inside the top seven of the line-up and that begs a question as to what is he doing in the team if he isn't good enough to come ahead of Axar Patel.
Bonafide six-hitter Shivam Dube on Monday said his ability to play a wide range of strokes against spinners is "god's gift" but overcoming issues against express pace and bounce will require plenty of hard work.
What this game against the Royal Challengers Bangalore produced was an all-round team performance of epic proportions spearheaded by some of the most iconic individual performances this season.
Jaiswal has featured in just one Ranji Trophy match this season, scoring 4 and 26 in Mumbai's group-stage loss to Jammu and Kashmir.
Team India skipper Suryakumar Yadav has found himself in the spotlight for a brief moment of forgetfulness at the toss during their Asia Cup fixture against Oman in Dubai on Friday.
Skipper Suryakumar Yadav will depend heavily on his spin troika as India gear up for yet another demolition act of Pakistan in what promises to be an intense and tense Super 4 face-off of the Asia Cup in Dubai on Sunday.
Dube got in thanks to more game time for Chennai Super Kings during the first 10 games of the league.
'Rohit told me to be positive, keep playing this way as you can.'
Ashwin wants this "unexpected hero" to surprise against Pakistan during Asia Cup
With the much-anticipated Group A clash against arch-rivals Pakistan looming, India is sparing no effort in their training sessions, honing skills and strategising tactics.
With the T20 World Cup less than two months away, India would want their captain Suryakumar Yadav to rediscover his rhythm sooner rather than later.
After this snub, it looks difficult for Shubman Gill at this point to make a comeback to the T20 team with plenty of talented young players waiting in the wings.
38-year-old off-spinner Ravichandran Ashwin, who was bought back to Chepauk for a whopping sum of Rs 9.75 crore, is at the receiving end of criticism from fans and former cricketers after underwhelming performances in the 18th edition of the cash-rich T20 league.
When players select themselves, the selectors' job becomes delightfully simple. But did the Indian selectors have that luxury while picking the T20 World Cup squad for the 2026 T20 World Cup? asks K R Nayar.
Once Dube departed in the 16th over, it was always going to be a big ask for RR to post a challenging total.
The Indian players enjoyed a game of beach volleyball as they touched down in Barbados for the next leg of the T20 World Cup 2024.
'It was just put the ball in the right areas, don't try too much and see what happens.'
Jaiswal, who made his ODI debut against England, scoring 15 in Nagpur last week and was at Ahmedabad with the Indian team for the third and final match, will join the Mumbai team in Nagpur on Friday.
Five-time IPL champions Chennai Super Kings have no paucity of talent to excel in IPL 2025, especially in home conditions.
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