Images from Day 5 of the second and final Test between India and South Africa, at the Barsapara Cricket Stadium in Guwahati, on Wednesday.
Vaibhav Sooryavanshi, a 15-year-old cricket prodigy, is now eligible to play for India in senior international cricket, sparking comparisons to Sachin Tendulkar and raising questions about fast-tracking his career.
Here's a glimpse of India's new faces and veterans sweating it out...
India Test and ODI captain Shubman Gill signed off a defining 2025 with a message of gratitude and resolve
India won 18 series at home over 12 years, until it all unravelled late last year against New Zealand.
The visiting bowlers claimed 13 wickets on the final day to win the second Test by an innings and eight runs.
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.
'No different from anyone else, if they are coming from a declared hotspot they will have to quarantine'
The focus is to bring momentum back into the Indian dressing room: Morne Morkel
He was among the key plotters of England's historic 2012 Test triumph in India and former coach Andy Flower sees no reason why an encore is not possible this year as he believes the visitors have enough 'formidable players' to challenge the upbeat hosts.
Virat Kohli ruled out any possibility of returning to Test or Twenty20 internationals after his player-of-the-match century guided India to a 17-run win over South Africa.
Sarfaraz Khan doesn't need India A exposure tours and series to play international cricket as the middle-order India batter can find his way back into the Test side with runs in domestic cricket, said India all-rounder Shardul Thakur on Friday.
Lyon's lack of recent action has left him stalled on 562 wickets, one shy of Glenn McGrath's tally in the list of most prolific Australian test wicket-takers.
'Beating India here is never easy, in any format. To do it with this group makes it very special for New Zealand cricket.'
Graeme Smith emphasised the importance of getting off to a strong start in the upcoming Test series against India
'Someone with a strong record against Australia, especially as a coach, is worth considering. Looking ahead to the Ashes in 2027, England might benefit from a different voice -- that extra 1% that helps teams win.'
Six players to watch when India host England in a four-match Test series which begins on Feb. 5
The England women's cricket team was forced to shift its T20 World Cup preparatory camp to South Africa after it had to call off its plans to travel to Abu Dhabi due to security concerns owing to the ongoing conflict in the region, involving United States, Israel and Iran.
When I'm batting, I think only as a batter: Captain Gill on dual responsibility
A good batting surface is in store for the second and final Test between India and the West Indies at the Arun Jaitley Stadium, with curators expecting the pitch to aid strokeplay for the first two days before offering only slow turn as the game progresses.
The Indian team management has not asked for a rank turner for the opening Test of the two-match series against South Africa beginning at the Eden Gardens on Friday, Cricket Association of Bengal president Sourav Ganguly said on Monday.
'It might take a little time to find the right preparation rhythm to face the best bowlers in the world.'
K L Rahul on Saturday conceded that Indian batters' repeated struggles against spin, especially on home tracks, remain a concern.
Wicketkeeper Josh Inglis and spinner Adam Zampa will miss Australia's first one-day international against India in Perth on Sunday, Cricket Australia said on Tuesday.
Australia paceman Mitchell Starc has warned against flattening surfaces to maximise five-day revenue as England's aggressive "Bazball" approach looms.
Pat Cummins was ruled out of the upcoming white-ball series against India and New Zealand due to a lower-back issue.
Cricket Australia were left millions of dollars out of pocket, having to refund tickets for a confirmed sell-out crowd on day three at the 100,000-seat stadium and for another large crowd for day four.
Gautam Gambhir, India's head coach, may have expressed support for the Kolkata pitch, but it continues to draw criticism from all quarters.
'It has been a very transparent dressing room, it has been a very honest dressing room and that is how we want this dressing room to be.'
Alyssa Healy scored a remarkable 158 in her final ODI match, leading Australia to a dominant victory over India and securing a 3-0 series win. Healy's performance, combined with Beth Mooney's century, highlighted Australia's strength, while India struggled with repeated mistakes.
Massive chance for series win in India, SA better-placed with spin resources: Bavuma
India may have drawn the series in England, but Jasprit Bumrah's performance has come under scrutiny-with Irfan Pathan rating the world's No. 1 Test bowler a modest 6 out of 10 for failing to deliver decisive wins.
Shami, 35, was left out of India's 15-member squad for the two home Tests against South Africa, scheduled to commence on Friday at the famed Eden Gardens in Kolkata. Before his most recent snub, Shami had openly expressed his disappointment about being sidelined from India's recent Test fixtures.
Having bid adieu to his stellar Test career a content man, Indian Test batting great Cheteshwar Pujara wouldn't mind a coaching stint or a role at the BCCI's Centre of Excellence in the next stage of his cricketing journey.
Australia vice captain Travis Head backed on Thursday the idea of playing the entire Test series against India in a 'bio-secure' Adelaide Oval to ensure the lucrative fixture goes ahead later this year. Cricket Australia (CA) is banking heavily on the series, reportedly worth A$300 million ($195 million) in revenue, to help it cope with a financial crisis triggered by the coronavirus pandemic.
Even as the focus remains on the T20 World Cup which is less than a month away, Kohli and Rohit will hog the limelight in the three ODIs over the next seven days.
Pakistan captain Shan Masood gave a vote of confidence to his country's controversial policy of preparing slow, spinning wickets for home Tests, even after it backfired on Thursday and they lost the second Test to South Africa.
The tourists have hosted a training camp at the South East London venue in Beckenham as they solidify their preparations for the first bilateral Test series without batting bigwigs Virat Kohli and Rohit Sharma
Abhimanyu Easwaran made the future path all the more tough with his second duck of the match, while Sai Sudharsan concluded his lukewarm preparation for the South Africa Test series with an underwhelming 23 off 38 balls.
BCCI's decision came after an under-prepared India lost 1-2 against South Africa in an away Test series recently.
