Rishabh Pant was ruled out for nearly three months after he fractured his foot during the fourth Test against England in Manchester in July.
Gautam Gambhir, India's head coach, may have expressed support for the Kolkata pitch, but it continues to draw criticism from all quarters.
Shubman Gill took a cheeky dig at the rumours by posing with Captain Rohit Sharma and his daughter Samaira.
It is understood that right after India's abject surrender against South Africa in the two-Test series at home last month, someone who matters in the cricket board had once again informally approached VVS Laxman to check if he would be interested in coaching the red ball team.
As India start their T20 World Cup title defence in less than 72 hours, one is tempted to look at Suryakumar Yadav and Gautam Gambhir's working relationship which has been fantastic, at least so going by the results -- a whopping 31 wins in 39 games with a winning percentage of 79.48.
India head coach Gautam Gambhir mounted a strong defence of the tough Eden Gardens pitch despite losing to South Africa in the first Test.
Hardik Pandya marked his return to the Indian team from a two-month injury layoff with a match-winning half-century.
Sunil Gavaskar said it's time to support India's Asia Cup squad, refusing to debate Yashasvi Jaiswal's exclusion.
'Jitesh Sharma has shown he is quite a capable player. He can bat lower down the order and look to hit the big shots even with a slightly older ball.'
Shubman Gill on Monday played down the finger injury which kept him off the field on the fourth day of the second Test
'He is a brilliant player, the way he started in one-day cricket, he has been exceptional. He has been a huge part of India's success at top of the order.'
India and England players will push their tired bodies on the line with everything to play for in the fifth and final Test starting at The Oval on Thursday
India stuck to their pre-series decision to field Bumrah in only three Tests and was hence not played in the final Test at the Oval
Since he took over, head coach Gautam Gambhir has stressed on multi-skilled players across formats, especially those who can add batting depth.
Nitish Kumar Reddy sustained a left quadriceps injury during the second ODI in Adelaide and was subsequently unavailable for selection for the third ODI
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.
At this moment, the Indian think tank is doing a tough balancing act of building the team around a new set of players without completely cutting ties with the old guard.
It was his first international match at his home ground in Mohali.
India begins their T20 World Cup campaign against the USA, aiming to leverage their strong team composition and recent form to secure a victory.
South Africa pulled off a sensational victory inside three days of the opening Test against India on Sunday and the manner of it would go a long way in silencing those who doubted their credentials as the reigning world test champions.
Gujarat Titans are set to retain their captain Shubman Gill alongside star spinner Rashid Khan and left-handed batter Sai Sudharsan ahead of the IPL mega auction.
'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.'
The Bellerive Oval is one ground where the side boundaries are smaller in size, hence hitting the right lengths would be paramount considering anything short would be flying over cover, point, square leg or mid-wicket on either side of the fence.
Assessing Sai Sudharsan's temperament and Nitish Kumar Reddy's utility in home conditions would be topmost on India's checklist when the high-on-confidence hosts take on a floundering West Indies
The Anderson-Tendulkar Trophy saw a staggering run aggregate of 7187 runs -- the second-highest in a series in Test history.
Gill has been placed as an option for the opening slot alongside Yashasvi Jaiswal in case Rohit Sharma is not available for the first Test following the birth of his second child on Friday.
'KL was excellent in nullifying that early threat and played very straight.'
Former England captain Michael Vaughan believes that the five-Test series could be a start of 'something special' for Shubman Gill-led India.
'One of the best aspects of the IPL is that every day, a new player emerges as a star.'
Speculations and debates have sparked over social media since last week, after chief selector Ajit Agarkar announced the management's decision to hand over the ODI captaincy from Rohit to Shubman Gill.
With Samson pushed to No. 5 in the batting line-up, fans are now call for his promotion up the order in the dead rubber final Group A match against Oman on September 19.
South Africa completed a memorable 2-0 series sweep against India after off-spinner Simon Harmer claimed 6/37 to bowl the Proteas to a comprehensive 408-run victory in the second Test,
England go in a happier side on Day 1 despite taking just four wickets, after Pant retired hurt injured and Sudharsan back in the hut after making 61.
'Am I the reason team will lose? Kuldeep might think, I am bowling so well, even after that I am not playing, then am I the problem in this team?'
Seniors Rohit Sharma,Virat Kohli, Jasprit Bumrah and Ravichandran Ashwin received exemptions for the Duleep Trophy, starting in Bengaluru on September 5.
Names of Bumrah, Jadeja should be considered for India captaincy: Ashwin
The Indian team also made history at Headingley in the series opener, with five centuries scored in a Test match.
Samson tried to whip Donovan Ferreira down the ground but the ball hit umpire Rohan Pandit on the shin and he required medical assistance before he was able to continue.
Simon Harmer led South Africa's lion-hearted bowling effort as the Proteas registered a thrilling 30-run victory against India inside three days of the low-scoring opening Test.
'If their next knocks do not go good, the problems will become grave for both of them.'
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