Grind pays off for Ruturaj Gaikwad, now upto him and luck to prove his 50-over mettle.
Young Indian batting stars Abhishek Sharma and Tilak Varma are near the 1,000 run mark as the five-match T20I series against Australia Down Under draws closer.
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.
Ramesh didn't mince words when criticising the decision to send Harshit Rana ahead of Shivam Dube, arguing that the management must respect each player's primary role.
Virat Kohli has two hundreds and a fifty in his last three innings, while Rohit Sharma has a hundred and two fifties in his last four outings.
The Asia Cup champions will not have it easy against the Mitch Marsh-led Aussies at home as the Indians were seen going hard in the nets on Monday.
Hardik Pandya marked his return to the Indian team from a two-month injury layoff with a match-winning half-century.
The senior duo of Virat Kohli and Rohit Sharma went full throttle in India's practice session on the eve of the India vs South Africa first ODI in Ranchi.
Gaikwad guides India A to four wicket win over South Africa A
Team India on Friday went through an optional net session in Visakhapatnam on Friday with Yashasvi Jaiswal, Nitish Kumar Reddy, Washington Sundar and Tilak Varma sweating it out under lights ahead of the ODI series decider against South Africa.
Tilak added that the atmosphere in the stadium fuelled him to excel in a high stakes contest.
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.
The T20 WC champions will look to enter this phase with clarity of intent as they refine roles, streamline combinations and settle the XI that will carry the weight of expectations in front of home crowds.
India will look to address several lingering selection puzzles when they take on South Africa in Ranchi on Sunday in the first ODI of the three-match series, where Rohit Sharma and Virat Kohli return to the set-up for a short audition that could well shape their 2027 World Cup fate.
Ruturaj Gaikwad made an unbeaten fifty following Harshit Rana's three-wicket burst as India A crushed South Africa A by nine wickets in the second unofficial ODI in Rajkot on Sunday.
Tilak Varma shared his remarkable journey from a modest upbringing to shining on the international stage, driven by a childhood dream to win a World Cup for India.
Indian head coach Gautam Gambhir confirmed that T20I vice-captain Shubman Gill is "ready to start" ahead of the first T20I against South Africa of the five-match series, which will take place on December 9.
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.
Azharuddeen was the vice-captain of the side, and now that role has been handed to Tamil Nadu's N Jagadeesan.
Dinesh Karthik backed young batter Tilak Varma to be a strong contender for India's No. 4 slot for the ODI World Cup.
'I am very close to Sammy. I had promised her that whenever I will score a century or a fifty, I will do a celebration for her.'
A toe injury suffered before the fourth T20I is set to keep Gill out of the final T20I here as India would want to take a cautious route, more so when there is a ready replacement for the top order slot in Sanju Samson.
The architects of the win were Abhishek Sharma and Shubman Gill, who blasted a 105-run opening stand that left Pakistan's bowlers gasping.
India's players lauded batting maestro Virat Kohli after his scintillating century guided India to a 17-run win over South Africa in the first ODI in Ranchi on Sunday.
Formidable India have their tails up as they head to the gargantuan MCG for the second T20I against Australia here on Friday, thanks to the influx of young talent and the return to form of skipper Suryakumar Yadav.
India will look to overcome batting inconsistencies and finish the tour of Australia with authority when the two sides clash in the fifth and final T20 International in Brisbane on Saturday.
Tilak Varma made a strong claim for selection in India's 50-over format with an attractive 94 but Australia A came back strongly to win the rain-affected second List A game by nine wickets, in Kanpur, on Friday.
South Africa A humble India A by 73 runs to avoid series whitewash
IMAGES from the 3rd T20I between India and South Africa in Dharamsala on Sunday.
'Honoured to have hosted my Mumbai Indians family at my home for dinner. It was a wonderful night that my family and I won't forget.'
The lack of runs from captain Suryakumar Yadav and his deputy Shubman Gill remains a talking point.
Will Shubman Gill force either Sanju Samson or Tilak Varma out of the playing XI for the Asia Cup opening match against the UAE?
"Domestic political issues" might prevent Pakistan Cricket Board Chairman Mohsin Naqvi from attending the ICC's Executive Board meeting in Dubai where the BCCI is set to raise the issue of the Asia Cup trophy not being presented to India.
'My bat did its work, and they (Pakistan) did not get a chance to speak.'
The two A teams will engage in the three-match 50-overs series at Kanpur's Green Park Stadium a few days after the conclusion of their two four-day unofficial Tests in Lucknow.
'India is much stronger in white ball than the red ball. Rohit Sharma, Virat Kohli... they know that these youngsters are pushing them.'
Rishabh Pant was ruled out for nearly three months after he fractured his foot during the fourth Test against England in Manchester in July.
As India gear up for the T20 World Cup at home, the selectors have backed a squad built on impact, and versatility.
K L Rahul takes over the captaincy after regular skipper Shubman Gill missed the series because of a neck injury.
Virat Kohli and Rohit Sharma, arrived in Delhi on Tuesday and linked up with rest of the Indian team, many of whom were playing in the two-Test series against West Indies.
© 2026 Rediff.com - Investor Information - Advertise with us - Disclaimer - Privacy Policy - Sitemap - Feedback - About us - Terms of use - Grievances