Shreyas Iyer sparkled with a half-century on debut, while Ravindra Jadeja also hit an unbeaten fifty to keep New Zealand at bay on Day 1 of the first Test in Kanpur on Thursday.
Bowling all-rounder Shardul Thakur will also be aiming to continue his dream run for Mumbai so far.
Shardul Thakur's better batting ability compared to speedster Prasidh Krishna could prove to be decisive while selecting the extra pacer for World Cup but both are likely to be auditioned if India pick a 17-member squad for the Asia Cup, which is set to be named on Monday.
Rajasthan Royals face a tough challenge against a marauding Punjab Kings batting lineup, led by in-form Shreyas Iyer.
Dravid chose to be a bit more empathetic towards Gaikwad and Iyer
Speaking at the post-match presentation, Santner acknowledged India's superior game plan and their ability to dictate terms in the middle phase.
Under Rohit Sharma, India won the 2018 and 2023 ODI Asia Cup, runners-up position in the 2023 World Cup at home and triumphed in the the ICC Champions Trophy in March.
'In the 2023 World Cup, we lacked batting depth from No. 8 onwards. These are the crucial questions that need to be addressed.'
Punjab Kings have been setting themselves up to win the Indian Premier League and not settle for third place, asserted bowling coach James Hopes.
'The grass has not received water and it has dried up.'
The 25-year-old Shubman Gill is a clear favourite to land the high-profile job as Indian embarks on a new World Test Championship cycle.
India is facing form concerns and selection dilemmas as they enter the final phase of their Champions Trophy preparations.
Pant admitted to feeling immense pressure as his name neared the top of the bidding list. He particularly dreaded being picked by the Punjab Kings, who possessed a massive purse.
Former India captain Dilip Vengsarkar has defended Rohit Sharma from speculation about his retirement, saying it is "unwarranted."
'He brings immense value to the team - not just in terms of tactics, but also in terms of creating a winning culture.'
The IPL 2025 auction was a spectacle of astronomical bids and shattered records.
Kagiso Rabada grabbed a five-wicket haul before K L Rahul rallied India to 208/8 on a rain-hit Day 1 of the first Test.
India's Shreyas Iyer scored a half-century and fast bowlers Mukesh Kumar and Arshdeep Singh took a combined five wickets as the home side beat Australia by six runs in the final Twenty20 International to deny the visitors a consolation win on Sunday.
India's Shreyas Iyer once again dazzled on his debut Test, hitting his second 50-plus score of the match to put his team in charge of the opening Test against New Zealand on Sunday.
Despite the rain stealing the spotlight in Guwahati, the Rajasthan Royals refused to let disappointment dampen their spirits.
Rohit Sharma explained the reason for leaving out Kuldeep Yadav from India's squad for the first two matches of the upcoming ODI series against Australia, saying the team management does not want to expose him before the ODI World Cup, starting October 5, and it is important to build bench strength.
K L Rahul has managed just 38 runs in three innings in the ongoing Test series against Australia.
India captain Rohit Sharma was all praise for Shreyas Iyer, saying the promising batter had big shoes to fill following the axing of Cheteshwar Pujara and Ajinkya Rahane and grabbed the opportunity with both hands in the just-concluded Test series against Sri Lanka.
Except in the IPL, the Australians have not had a good look at Varun Chakravarthy's bowling and that could spell trouble for Steve Smith and Co.
India captain Rohit Sharma on Friday said left-arm spinner Axar Patel is likely to miss the first two ODIs against Australia next week while middle-order batter Shreyas Iyer is "99 percent" match-fit.
On young Indian players frequently choosing the sweep and reverse sweep shots against spinners, Gill said it was not a team strategy.
Yadav is the best-placed Indian with 805 points in the batting list headed by Pakistan's Babar Azam.
Punjab Kings produced a disciplined bowling performance to outsmart Chennai Super Kings and return to winning ways at Mullanpur, Chandigarh, on Tuesday, April 8 2025.
RCB might show interest in KL Rahul.
The BCCI, on Monday, declared pacer Bhuvneshwar Kumar fit and said he will be a part of India 'A' squad in the ongoing Quadrangular series.
In an interview to PTI ahead of the IPL play-offs, Ponting covered all areas that got the franchise much-needed success. Excerpts from the interaction.
The Mumbai batsman hit a splendid innings of 140 not out from 131 balls, as he anchored the chase alongside Tamil Nadu captain Vijay Shankar (72) to guide India 'A' to victory in 46.5 overs
Uncapped Shreyas Iyer is comfortable batting at any position and said on Tuesday that scoring a century against South Africa 'A' in a tournament final earlier this year has been satisfying.
The batters who will be salivating at the prospect of breaching the 300-mark when IPL 2025 gets under way on Saturday.
His nearly "500 international match experience" gives him the right to speak and guide any player "be it Shreyas Iyer or Virat Kohli", BCCI president Sourav Ganguly hit back at his detractors who made loose allegations of conflict of interest against the former India captain.
'I did not make Kolkata Knight Riders successful, it was KKR that made me a successful leader.'
'Whatever was thrown at us, we responded pretty well throughout the series.'
'One thing I can say is that they would be watching the fast-bowling department more than anything else as they are going to Australia in four months' times after the IPL.'
'That is something I really wanted, to have six bowling options and then batting till No. 8 as well.'
Indian men's team batter Shreyas Iyer, women's team captain Mithali Raj and star all-rounder Deepti Sharma were on Wednesday nominated for the ICC's Player of the Month award.
