'India is much stronger in white ball than the red ball. Rohit Sharma, Virat Kohli... they know that these youngsters are pushing them.'
While the white-ball trophy cabinet kept getting heavier, Team India's fortunes in Test cricket swung wildly between hope and despair in 2025.
Rishabh Pant was ruled out for nearly three months after he fractured his foot during the fourth Test against England in Manchester in July.
The cricket fraternity lavished praise on Yashasvi Jaiswal after the young opener produced a masterful century on Day 3 of the fifth and final Test against England at the Oval on Saturday.
Talented Yashasvi Jaiswal is clear about his role in the Indian batting line-up and said he was just trying to give his team a flying start with a good strike rate in the second T20I against Afghanistan in Indore.
Ravindra Jadeja agreed to return to the Rajasthan Royals, where he played the first two IPL seasons, taking a pay cut from Rs 18 crore to Rs 14 crore.
Jaiswal's brilliance is in not being too aggressive yet batting on 173: Batting coach Kotak
When I'm batting, I think only as a batter: Captain Gill on dual responsibility
Shubman Gill was rewarded with the captaincy of the Indian ODI team for the upcoming tour of Australia, the BCCI announced on Saturday.
We wanted India to grovel: SA coach Shukri Conrad creates a stir
Rishabh Pant's place in the playing eleven is far from guaranteed, while Washington Sundar and Nitish Kumar Reddy are locked in a tight contest for the additional all-rounder's slot as India confront several selection dilemmas ahead of the first ODI against South Africa in Ranchi.
Application required in Test cricket was missing, says Kumble after India's batting collapse
Ravindra Jadeja said the looming series defeat to South Africa will have no bearing on India's next Test assignment in Sri Lanka in August next year.
If Yashasvi Jaiswal is happy slamming his first Test double hundred in only his sixth match, he is happier just being able to sleep, wake up, and work.
It was a dream comeback to the XI by Yashasvi Jaiswal, who hit 2 sixes and 9 boundaries for his 41-ball 68.
Jaiswal smashed 16 fours and eight sixes in his knock of 124 runs from just 62 balls, single-handedly powering RR to a huge total.
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.
Jaiswal remained composed, primarily adopting a defensive approach throughout the evening.
The others to arrive after a delayed flight were K L Rahul, Yashasvi Jaiswal, Arshdeep Singh, Harshit Rana and Nitish Kumar Reddy along with some members of the support staff.
Prolific India opener Yashasvi Jaiswal, the leading run-scorer in the ongoing Test series against England, has been nominated for ICC Men's Player of the Month Award for February alongside New Zealand's Kane Williamson and Sri Lanka's Pathum Nissanka.
With Bumrah leading the charge, India prised out five wickets in the second session to snuff out South Africa's hopes of reaching the 200 mark.
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
While Jaiswal's 41 may not seem that impressive, it set the tone for Rajasthan's innings, built a solid foundation and paved the way for the rest of the RR batters to go for the big hits in the slog overs.
Jaiswal gears up for SA Test with big hundred but Mumbai get only 1 point
The Indian team's heavy reliance on all-rounders will be tested by a plucky Australia in the second ODI but the spotlight will continue to stay firmly on Virat Kohli and Rohit Sharma, both of whom would look to turn back the clock with series-saving knocks in Adelaide on Thursday.
Shardul Thakur hasn't given up hope of a white-ball comeback after featuring in Tests on the tour of England earlier this year, with the all-rounder setting his sights on the 2027 ODI World Cup.
Openers Yashasvi Jaiswal and K L Rahul perished early as India fumbled in the chase of a mammoth 549-run target on Day 4 of the second Test.
The cricketing ecosystem has learned to survive the prolonged absence of Kohli and Rohit -- at least in two formats -- in this interim period.
Sarfaraz Khan was a part of the Indian side on the tour of Australia where he didn't play any match and since then has not been considered for any of the 'A' team assignments as well.
The Proteas arrive high on confidence, having fought out a hard-earned 1-1 draw in Pakistan last month under challenging conditions.
Sai Sudharsan pulled off a jaw-dropping catch on Day 2.
Kuldeep was instrumental to India's success at the Asia Cup, topping the wicket-taking chart with 17 wickets. Chopra explained the rationale behind dropping the left-arm wrist spinner, attributing it to batting depth.
Senuran Muthusamy and Marco Jansen made Indian finger spinners' look ordinary in good batting conditions with invaluable lower-order contributions as South Africa seized control of the second Test.
'Rishabh Pant is not fit for West Indies series, hopefully he will be available for home Tests against South Africa.'
Srinivas Bhogle and Purnendu Maji present Rediff.com's Most Valuable Player Index of IPL 2023 after Game 42.
YIndia's batting unit includes Shubman Gill, Abhishek Sharma and Sanju Samson, who can all open the innings. Jaiswal will only be drafted in if one of them is ruled out due to injury. Similarly, Prasidh Krishna could only come into contention if there is an issue with Jasprit Bumrah, Arshdeep Singh, or Harshit Rana.
The aura of home advantage -- long regarded as a hallmark of India's Test side -- seemed secure. But in barely over a year, that fortress has not just cracked, it has collapsed, raising uncomfortable questions about strategy, selection, and temperament.
It is an opportunity for new bowlers to learn about operating for long periods, West Indies batting coach Reifer
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.
Fresh from a hard-fought 2-2 draw in England, Shubman Gill's men will be eager to translate their overseas resilience into home dominance.
© 2026 Rediff.com - Investor Information - Advertise with us - Disclaimer - Privacy Policy - Sitemap - Feedback - About us - Terms of use - Grievances