Shubman Gill is treating Rohit Sharma and Virat Kohli as senior professionals whose input is valued but whose places are not guaranteed.
Shubman Gill doesn't treat Rohit Sharma and Virat Kohli as untouchables. He asks for their views in team meetings, then decides on batting order and selection himself.
He's backed those calls with quiet conviction and takes the heat when India lose. The approach marks a shift: India head into the West Indies series without Hardik Pandya and Jasprit Bumrah, and Gill is already planning around a side that won't rely on the two veterans as cornerstones.
Rahane revealed he copied Tendulkar's batting style as a junior and was asked by Steve Waugh if he had matched the icon's earnings.
Ajinkya Rahane said he modelled his batting on Sachin Tendulkar when he was young. Steve Waugh asked him during a conversation whether he had earned as much money as Tendulkar.
Rahane recalled that he tried to copy Tendulkar's technique as a junior cricketer. He said the approach helped him develop his game in Mumbai's domestic circuit.
The exchange surfaced during Rahane's appearance on a broadcast panel. Tendulkar remains the benchmark for Mumbai batters who followed him into the India side.
Rajat Patidar received an honorary doctorate days after leading RCB to their second consecutive IPL title.
Rajat Patidar received an honorary doctorate from Madhya Pradesh Governor Mangubhai Chhaganbhai Patel on September 25. The RCB captain led the franchise to consecutive IPL titles in 2025 and 2026, becoming only the third captain after MS Dhoni and Rohit Sharma to defend the title.
Patidar scored 501 runs in 14 innings during IPL 2026 at an average of 41.75 and strike rate of 192.69. He has been named in the India A squad for the upcoming three-match ODI series against Australia A in Puducherry.
The 33-year-old has represented India in one ODI and three Tests. He scored a century in the 2022 Ranji Trophy final for Madhya Pradesh and continues to feature at domestic and A-team level.
India's fast bowlers have posted an average of 32.1 and an economy of 7.9 in overs 35-50 since the ICC introduced the single-ball rule after 34 overs on July 2, 2025. Their figures were 23.5 and 6.9 before the change.
The rule allows the ball to age up to 33 overs and potentially reverse. India have used nine seamers across 15 ODIs in this period and taken 27 wickets without settling on a settled attack.
Arshdeep Singh has taken six wickets at under seven runs per over while Prasidh Krishna leads the group with eight scalps. Jasprit Bumrah has played two matches without a wicket in the old-ball phase.
Virender Sehwag said comparing Arjun Tendulkar with his father Sachin is unfair and prevents the younger player from developing his own identity.
Virender Sehwag says comparing Arjun Tendulkar to his father is unfair and blocks the kid from finding his own path as a fast-bowling all-rounder. He made the point in an NDTV interview when asked about sons of former players.
Arjun has already posted match-winning numbers on his own terms — a hundred and a five-for in the Ranji Trophy. Sehwag wants the selectors and the public to let him keep building that record instead of measuring him against Sachin.
He also mentioned his own son Aaryavir, who just scored 28, 47 and 34 for India Under-19 against Australia. The same spotlight is waiting.
Former India wicketkeeper-batter Vijay Dahiya has been reappointed as head coach of the Delhi senior men's cricket team for the 2026-27 domestic season.
Dahiya replaces Sarandeep Singh and returns for a second stint. He previously coached Delhi to the 2007-08 Ranji Trophy title. His support staff includes former pacers Parvinder Awana and Sanjeev Sharma as bowling coaches, with Kshitiz Sharma and Kuldeep Rawat as assistant coaches.
Rajkumar Sharma, Virat Kohli's childhood coach, has been named state mentor. Delhi begin their Ranji Trophy campaign on October 11 against Bengal in Kalyani.
India head coach Gautam Gambhir said Hardik Pandya and Jasprit Bumrah need sufficient game time ahead of the 2027 World Cup and cannot enter the tournament without being fully prepared. Pandya has not played since IPL 2026 due to a leg strain, while Bumrah missed the Test series against Sri Lanka with a knee issue.
Gambhir noted that few teams have an all-rounder like Pandya who can bowl ten overs and bat at number six or seven with impact. He said the focus is on giving Pandya T20 cricket first, then moving him to ODIs to build rhythm.
Gambhir added that managing Bumrah's workload across ODI and Test cricket will be critical, and the team must balance his participation to ensure he peaks for the World Cup.
India begin a three-match ODI series against West Indies on Sunday, with Rohit Sharma and Virat Kohli returning to the 50-over side.
India open a three-match ODI series against West Indies on Sunday in Thiruvananthapuram. The series marks the return of Rohit Sharma and Virat Kohli to the 50-over side, with both batters training at the venue on Thursday. Ravindra Jadeja has also been recalled for the format.
Shubman Gill captains the side, with KL Rahul named vice-captain. India’s squad also includes Yashasvi Jaiswal, Ruturaj Gaikwad, Dhruv Jurel, Nitish Kumar Reddy, Kuldeep Yadav, Prasidh Krishna, Mohammed Siraj and Gurnoor Brar. West Indies are led by Shai Hope and have named Jayden Seales, Shamar Joseph and Alzarri Joseph in their 15-man group.
The remaining matches are scheduled for Guwahati on September 30 and New Chandigarh on October 3. All three matches start at 02:00 PM IST and will be shown live on Star Sports Network and streamed on JioHotstar.
Mark Wood retired from international cricket after a career hampered by injuries but marked by several memorable spells.
England fast bowler Mark Wood retired from international cricket on Tuesday at the age of 36. The Cumbrian took 253 wickets across 146 matches in all three formats since his debut in 2015.
Injuries kept cutting into his availability, yet Wood still produced bursts that stood out: 6 for 37 in the 2022 Ashes, 5 for 41 against West Indies in 2019, and match figures of 9 for 100 in Johannesburg in 2020. He lengthened his run-up on Michael Holding's advice and became England's fastest bowler by most metrics.
Wood said he was proud of playing four of the five Tests during the 2021-22 Ashes despite the series defeat.
Gautam Gambhir admitted that selecting 15-year-old Vaibhav Sooryavanshi over Sanju Samson was his toughest decision as India coach.
Gautam Gambhir says the only selection call that kept him up at night during two years as India coach was dropping Sanju Samson for Vaibhav Sooryavanshi. He made the move after three or four games, convinced the teenager's form at the top was too strong to ignore.
Gambhir told Samson the side needed a platform and that Sooryavanshi was the one who could build it. Social media chatter had nothing to do with it, he said — the eleven was picked on what the dressing room believed could win matches.
Established players sometimes have to wait when a youngster arrives in this kind of nick. The conversation was direct, Gambhir added, and Samson took it well.
via Times of India, Hindustan Times, Indian Express
The Bengal pacer returns to action after missing the IPL and international cricket due to a back injury.
Akash Deep has been named in the Rest of India squad for the Irani Cup starting October 1 in Srinagar. The 29-year-old fast bowler received clearance from the Centre of Excellence after recovering from a lower-back stress fracture that sidelined him since the Ranji Trophy semi-final in March. He has not played competitive cricket since sustaining the injury while representing Bengal. Akash Deep said the six months away proved fruitful as his elder sister recovered from cancer and he got married. He also received an appointment as Deputy Superintendent of Police by the Bihar government during the layoff.
Gambhir says Pandya cannot go into World Cup half-cooked.
India head coach Gautam Gambhir stressed that Hardik Pandya needs sufficient game time before the 2027 ODI World Cup. Pandya has not played substantial cricket since the IPL and is not yet fit to bowl 10 overs in an ODI.
Pandya and Jasprit Bumrah will miss India's upcoming three-match ODI series against West Indies. Gambhir said both remain central to India's plans for the World Cup in South Africa but need match practice to maintain rhythm.
India face a congested schedule with the first Test in New Zealand starting November 19, only three days after the fifth ODI against New Zealand. Workload management for senior players may require selective rest during the white-ball leg.
Morne Morkel said India wants younger players to seek advice from Kohli and Rohit during training and meetings.
India bowling coach Morne Morkel said the team is deliberately creating opportunities for younger players to seek advice from Virat Kohli and Rohit Sharma. Speaking ahead of the first ODI against West Indies, Morkel said the management wants players to approach the two seniors during nets sessions and team meetings.
Morkel said Kohli and Rohit offer perspective that extends beyond batting. He added that different players may feel comfortable speaking to different seniors and that the coaching staff wants to make those conversations routine rather than accidental.
The comments come with Kohli and Rohit both in the squad for the three-match series that starts on Sunday. Shubman Gill leads the side, and the management has positioned the two veterans as active resources during the transition to a younger group.
Gambhir admitted the selection call over Samson and Sooryavanshi was his toughest as India coach.
India head coach Gautam Gambhir said the decision to drop Sanju Samson for Vaibhav Sooryavanshi during the England T20I series was the toughest of his tenure and left him unable to sleep. Samson had been Player of the Tournament at the T20 World Cup but was left out after the first match when India lost. Gambhir said he had an honest conversation with Samson about the need for a top-order platform.
The call was reversed when India returned home for the Afghanistan series and Samson returned to score consecutive fifties. Gambhir said outside noise does not decide the playing XI and that a combination which has delivered over time must be protected.
Sooryavanshi is now in the squad for the upcoming home series against the West Indies.
Former India Under-19 captain Unmukt Chand suffered a facial injury during a cricket match in the USA, one day after scoring a century in Minor League Cricket. He confirmed there was no fracture.
Chand posted pictures showing significant swelling and bruising around his face. The injury occurred during an on-field collision while attempting a catch.
The 33-year-old had scored an unbeaten 100 from 67 balls for Lone Star Athletics against All Stars on September 19. He has played in Minor League Cricket and Major League Cricket since moving to the USA after ending his Indian career in 2021.
The coach links India's selection approach to the decline of all-format regulars.
India head coach Gautam Gambhir said three-format cricketers will become increasingly rare as teams prioritise rotation and format-specific preparation. Gambhir spoke to broadcasters JioStar while reflecting on India's current selection patterns.
Several established players have already been limited to specific formats this year. Shubman Gill has played Tests and ODIs but no T20Is, while Jasprit Bumrah has featured in ODIs and T20Is without playing Tests. Axar Patel and Washington Sundar have similarly been restricted to white-ball formats.
Gambhir stressed that a strong Test side remains India's priority and that workload management will continue to shape selection across formats. He said backing the right players will help India dominate red-ball cricket for a long period.
Cummins' limited availability turns Marsh's interim leadership into a structural necessity for the South Africa tour.
Mitchell Marsh will captain Australia in the first ODI against South Africa on Thursday after Pat Cummins was rested to manage his workload ahead of the Test series. Cummins has played only two of Australia's 31 ODIs since the 2023 World Cup and is expected to miss at least the opening match.
Australia will rotate their leading fast bowlers across the three ODIs, with Nathan Ellis likely to feature in all three games. Mitchell Starc and Josh Hazlewood are also expected to sit out matches as the team prepares for the Test series that starts next month.
The arrangement leaves Marsh as the de facto full-time white-ball captain for the tour. He has now led Australia in 13 of their last 31 ODIs, compared with Cummins' two appearances in the role.
India survived a late scare after umpires overturned a wide call in the final over of a rain-shortened T20I against Japan.
India defeated Japan by two runs in a rain-shortened five-over T20I at Sano on Tuesday. Japan finished on 30 for 3 chasing 32 after umpires reversed a wide decision in the final over.
Japan needed eight runs from the final over when Axar Patel bowled a delivery that was initially called wide. The umpires conferred and overturned the call, leaving Japan needing seven from three balls. India captain Shreyas Iyer approached the umpires during the discussion.
According to MCC Law 22.4.1, an umpire should not adjudge a delivery as wide if the striker's movement brings the ball within reach. Japan had no DRS available to challenge the decision.
Miller available for selection after CSA drops him from 2026-27 contracts list.
David Miller said he remains available for South Africa selection after being omitted from the 2026-27 central contracts list. The 37-year-old batter spoke ahead of the three-match ODI series against Australia starting Thursday.
Miller acknowledged disappointment at losing his contract but stressed his priority has always been representing his country. He has played 178 ODIs and scored 4,611 runs, the second-highest tally among current squad members.
South Africa face Australia in Durban on Thursday with several younger players earning their first central contracts. Miller said healthy competition from emerging talent encourages growth in the team.
Kumar Kushagra scored his seventh first-class century as India A reached 270 for six against Australia A on day two in Puducherry.
Kumar Kushagra scored his seventh first-class century on the second day of the first unofficial Test against Australia A in Puducherry. The 22-year-old reached three figures after resuming on 82 not out following his retirement hurt on the opening day.
Kushagra and Tanush Kotian had added 138 runs on day one to rescue India A from 97 for five. Kotian fell early on day two for 69 when he edged Brendan Doggett to second slip. Shams Mulani remained unbeaten alongside Kushagra at lunch. Corey Rocchiccioli took three wickets on day one to leave India A struggling before the recovery partnership. India A reached 270 for six at lunch on day two.
Mulani took four wickets on day two to help dismiss Australia A for 171. India A lead by 163 runs with one day remaining and can enforce the follow-on when play resumes.
