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.
With two senior pacers Bhuvneshwar Kumar (thigh injury) and Ishant Sharma (side strain) all but ruled out, Navdeep Saini will certainly be the fourth pacer after Mohammed Shami, Jasprit Bumrah and Umesh Yadav.
IMAGES from Day 1 of the 2nd Test played at Optus Stadium in Perth on Friday
Vaibhav Rawal scored a fine century before pacer Divij Mehra's dismantled Mumbai with a five-wicket haul to power Delhi to an emphatic eight-wicket victory in the Ranji Trophy Group B match.
Dean Elgar lived up to his reputation as a dogged, street-fighting batsman as he held the Indian bowling attack at bay, scoring a patient 46 off 121 balls.
Agarwal, thrusted into the squad following failure of KL Rahul and Murali Vijay, responded with a 76-run knock off balls, sorting out India's opening woes to some extent.
The ICC Awards will comprise a total of 13 individual recognitions in all, as well as five Team of the Year announcements for each format across both men's and women's cricket.
Senior batter Manoj Tiwary combined with the young Sudip Kumar Gharami to steer Bengal to a hardfought seven-wicket win against Baroda to climb to the top of Group A in the Ranji Trophy.
Cheteshwar Pujara and Virat Kohli combined to frustrate Australia for an entire session as India held the whip-hand at 215 for two at the close of a grinding opening day of the third Test in Melbourne on Wednesday.
India's captain Virat Kohli will have to think overtime about the balance of his squad, with a long tail, often bushy with runs, and just two openers -- one untested (Rohit Sharma) but very capable and another supremely talented (KL Rahul) but highly reluctant starter.
Indian captain Virat Kohli on Saturday said he has "no idea exactly what's happening" when asked about the legendary Rahul Dravid being in line to be the team's head coach after the T20 World Cup.
In what comes as the biggest positive for Indian cricket in recent times, former captain Rahul Dravid has agreed to take over as the head coach of the men's team.
'There is a plan to add a '19 plus' level where all these boys could be integrated'
'Happy Birthday to a wonderful selfless cricketer, his contributions cannot be measured only in runs.'
Virat Kohli was rested from the three-match T20I series against the West Indies.
'Everyone in the contingent will be undergoing 14-day quarantine in India'
The Indian team hit the nets as they geared up for the series-deciding fourth and final Test match against Australia, starting in Brisbane on Friday.
India put together their second highest team total on Australian soil, piling up 622/7 declared on the second day of the match. Their highest team total, 705/7 declared, was also incidentally scored at this venue, in 2004.
What happened at the Gabba on January 19, 2021 now sits at the pinnacle of India's most significant Test wins, declares Faisal Shariff.
Cheteshwar Pujara didn't exactly have a great tour of Australia in 2014-15 but the Saurashtra batsman has been 'flexible in altering his game' as per team's demands which has got him success this time, said captain Virat Kohli.
Veteran India speedster Mohammed Shami has recovered from his niggles and is fit to play the final Test against England in Manchester, starting September 10.
A few bruised egos will eye redemption when India square off against Australia in the second Test in Melbourne from Saturday, ready to bounce back in skipper Ajinkya Rahane's hour of reckoning after their batting debacle in the series opener in Adelaide.
There will certainly be some distinct home advantage for Australia along with the experience of playing more Day/Night Tests.
Bumrah ripped through the Windies batting order twice in the series
After New Zealand thrashed India by ten wickets in the first Test in Wellington on Monday, former cricketer VVS Laxman said the visitors were outplayed in all departments. This was New Zealand's 100th Test match win, while on the other hand World No 1 India suffered their first defeat in the ICC World Test Championship.
Alastair Cook, as unflappable as ever, led from the front in the final innings of his record-breaking Test career as England built a commanding 154-run lead over India at the Oval on Sunday.
Rohit, who has made a comeback to the Test side, will now leave for Australia with India's T20 squad on Friday.
Pick your Playing XI for the second Test against New Zealand.
Since the Test specialists are also travelling, the red ball training will also happen along with usual white ball nets.
A summary of Ranji Trophy matches played on Thursday.
Shivam Dube led India A's spirited comeback from 20 for five with an aggressive knock before pacer Sandeep Warrier struck thrice to leave West Indies A reeling in their second innings on day two of the second unofficial Test.
The 18-year-old right-hander was named in a 12-man squad on Wednesday for the first of the two-Test series and is expected to open alongside Lokesh Rahul.
India batting coach Vikram Rathour said that pace spearhead Jasprit Bumrah is working closely with the medical team and the decision on his inclusion will be taken ahead of the start of the match on Friday.
Australia head coach Justin Langer on Wednesday hinted that the Indian Premier League could be responsible for the large number of injuries suffered by India in the ongoing four-match Test series.
Rohit Sharma returned to India's playing XI for the third Test
A round-up of Ranji matches played on Thursday.
Team management was always clear that once Rohit is fit and able to join the squad, he will be Rahane's deputy.
Left-arm pacer Thangarasu Natarajan earned his maiden call-up to the Indian Test squad after he was named as the replacement for the injured Umesh Yadav for the last two games against Australia.
If Rahane's side can go 2-1 up and ensure the retention of the Border-Gavaskar Trophy, it will be one of the finest hours in the history of Indian cricket
There are still many questions over Australia's opening partnership for the second Test against India but one thing is all but certain -- Joe Burns will face the new ball at the Melbourne Cricket Ground later this week.
