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.
The architects of the win were Abhishek Sharma and Shubman Gill, who blasted a 105-run opening stand that left Pakistan's bowlers gasping.
Shubman Gill dispelled all doubts about his thumb injury with a stylish fifty even as skipper Rohit Sharma kept cards close to his chest by coming in at No. 4 in India's curtailed pink-ball warm-up game against Prime Minister's XI in Canberra on Sunday.
This isn't just a Test match - it's a test of Shubman Gill's leadership, temperament, and decision-making.
Rohit Sharma expressed his concern for Shubman Gill's health and well-being, emphasising that his primary wish is for Gill to recover fully.
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.
Here are the crunch moments that were series-defining and the contributions of the players who came of age during the English summer.
Shubman Gill termed his 101 not out as "one of the most satisfying innings" for himself
Former England captain Michael Vaughan feels Zak Crawley's time-wasting tactics at the end of the third day in the ongoing third Test was "as good a piece" he has ever seen, but said India can't complain as the visitors employed the same approach on the second day at Lord's.
In the chase, India lost Shubman Gill for a golden duck, while Marco Jansen got rid of Abhishek Sharma and India skipper Suryakumar Yadav, before Baartman broke the 35-run stand between Axar Patel and Varma.
Bumrah steps aside from Test captaincy race; Gill, Pant now leading contenders
Jadeja returned to haunt South Africa with the ball after the Proteas came out to bat for the second time in the match.
Central Zone captain Dhruv Jurel and East Zone skipper Abhimanyu Easwaran missed the Duleep Trophy quarterfinals, which began in Bengaluru on Thursday, owing to fever and groin niggle respectively.
Shubman Gill's fluent century and a clinical performance from their bowlers helped India trounce England by 142 runs in the third and final ODI on Wednesday, to complete a 3-0 series sweep.
'Raat mein bande ne chashme pehne hue hain,' Bumrah chuckled in a video shared by the BCCI.
'The more you bat in England, the better it is because you never feel you are set in England.'
'Shubman Gill is sort of struggling a little bit in controlling his tempo.'
Test captain Shubman Gill divulged that India is still mulling over its combination ahead of the opening Test against the West Indies in Ahmedabad on Thursday, hinting at the possibility of Kuldeep Yadav being sacrificed for batting depth and team combination.
Shubman Gill's thumb fracture is certainly a "jolt" for India ahead of the series opener against Australia
Aus ODIs: Bumrah, Gill workload to be discussed, battle between Jaiswal and Abhishek
Ben Stokes, the man who had earlier lit up the field with a sensational century, didn't bowl a single over.
The series promises a fascinating duel between the two modern-day pace greats.
Grind pays off for Ruturaj Gaikwad, now upto him and luck to prove his 50-over mettle.
Karun Nair rued that he could not convert the starts he got in the recent Test series against England into big scores.
'Samson is most dangerous in the top three. That's where he wins you matches. He should be left there.'
Arshdeep feels that being a master of 50-over cricket, Kohli will score runs in the remaining two games of this series.
Former spinner Amit Mishra backed the inclusion of stalwarts Rohit Sharma and Virat Kohli to in the 2027 ODI World Cup, saying that there is no one better in the team who can handle pressure better than the legendary duo.
Coming off a commanding 336-run win at Edgbaston, Team India not only ended their winless streak at the historic venue, but also levelled the five-match series 1-1 in stunning fashion thanks to Shubman Gill's twin hundreds and a rousing spell from pacer Akash Deep.
The Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) vice-president Rajeev Shukla said that head coach Gautam Gambhir has a firm grip on the team and is popular among the players.
Ollie Pope believes the young Indian side, led by a 'fantastic' Shubman Gill, has plenty of depth and talent, but it will miss the aura of Virat Kohli
India will enter the Asia Cup as defending champions under the leadership of Suryakumar Yadav, with the tournament serving as key preparation for next year's World Cup at home.
'Watching Virat bhai win Cricketer of the Year was something I would never forget.' 'Pure motivation for me to go a step further and give everything for my country.'
His consistency comes at a crucial time, with stiff competition for a spot in India's Asia Cup XI following Shubman Gill's return as vice-captain, and the inclusion of wicketkeeper-batter Jitesh Sharma after a stellar IPL season for Royal Challengers Bengaluru.
Defending champions India have unveiled a well-rounded 15-member squad for the upcoming ICC Men's T20 World Cup
As Ruturaj Gaikwad eyes a spot in the Test team, Gill must elevate his performance, especially with next month's England Test series. Failure to do so could see him replaced by Gaikwad at No. 3.
Cheteshwar Pujara refuses to believe India's recent poor record at home is because of transition.
'Rishabh Pant is not fit for West Indies series, hopefully he will be available for home Tests against South Africa.'
Earlier this week, the duo arrived in Perth with the first batch of the team and practised relentlessly in the nets.
'The way Abhishek and Shubman bat, it is like fire and ice.'
South Africa will aim for their first Test victory in India in more than 15 years.
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