India didn't have "extra fire" in the lost opening Test against South Africa but a "mental shift" turned things around, said KL Rahul after the visitors won the second game to level the two-match rubber in Cape Town.
Yashasvi Jaiswal has no qualms in admitting that the South Africa series was a challenging one and said it was India skipper Rohit Sharma, who helped him maintain a positive mindset.
After the win in their opening match of the series, South Africa led the WTC25 rankings, but the loss in the second Test meant their win percentage fell down to 50%, the same as New Zealand, Australia, and Bangladesh.
Virat Kohli and Rohit Sharma showed their respect for the retiring Dean Elgar by presenting him with autographed India jerseys.
Captain Rohit Sharma rates the seven-wicket victory in the Cape Town Test as one of India's 'best victories'.
There should be a review of how pitches are rated with India receiving undue criticism according to Test captain Rohit Sharma.
There will be plenty of scrutiny of the Newlands pitch with the match completed in 642 balls, the shortest ever test in which there has been a winner, beating Australia's 656-ball victory over South Africa in 1932.
The India-South Africa Test, which lasted just 642 deliveries, is the shortest ever in the history of Test cricket in terms of balls bowled.
During an action-packed day one of second Test between India and South Africa, a total of 23 wickets fell, which is the second highest number of wickets falling on day one of a Test.
South Africa will fancy their chances of victory if they can set India a target of 100 or more.
Dean Elgar's decision backfired as South Africa were bundled out for 55 in their first innings.
Mohammed Siraj's 6/15 is the third best bowling figures by an Indian bowler in South Africa.
Virat Kohli advanced four slots to ninth position after scores of 38 and 76 in the first Test against South Africa.
Ashwin appeared to impart some of his off-spin expertise to Bumrah, who playfully bowled a few deliveries while emulating the renowned spinner's style.
The Ajit Agarkar-led selection committee will have some sleepless nights before selecting the squad for T20s against Afghanistan with veterans Rohit Sharma and Virat Kohli keen to play the World Cup in June.
Team India is in Cape Town intensively preparing for the match at Newlands, which begins on Wednesday. In a rigorous training session, players exhibited resilience, showcasing their determination to bounce back.
Kohli is known to come to nets with specific purpose and on Monday, it seemed he wanted to extensively bat against a left-arm pacer.
Ahead of the 2nd and final Test in Cape Town, Donald has a pro-tip for the visiting team batters.
Gavaskar hoped that Gill would find his range sooner than later.
Thakur, who was the first player to enter the throwdown nets, was hit on the left shoulder while facing throwdowns from batting coach Vikram Rathour.
He has scored 994 runs in 35 innings at an average of 31.06. However, his statistics suggest his struggle against red-ball giants like New Zealand, England and now South Africa.
Nandre Burger, replacing injured Lungi Ngidi in the line-up, finished with match figures of 7-83
South Africa is set for a fairytale farewell as Dean Elgar takes the helm in the final Test against India
Jadeja missed the opening Test match after complaining of 'upper back spasm' during the morning of the first day at the Supersport Park.
Shami had been picked in the initial squad for the two Tests, but was forced to withdraw due to fitness issues.
South Africa meet India in Centurion in the opening Test starting on December 26 before moving to Cape Town for the second match from January 3.
Six episodes are not enough, applauds Deepa Gahlot.
They are scheduled to fly out to Johannesburg on Friday.
Kohli is a massive player, will play major role in Test series: Kallis
'As long as the guys understand the way that we want to try play as a team and can keep that close to them when playing in different leagues and tournaments. Then hopefully by the time we meet up for the World Cup, the guys are used to that brand and how we want to operate as a team.'
South Africa's Lungi Ngidi ruled out of India T20 series
The players were cheered by fans at the airport and obliged supporters with selfies.
'I do a lot of hard work to ensure I look after my body to be able to play this brilliant game we love so much.'
South Africa's premier left-arm spinner Keshav Maharaj is confident that slow bowlers will play a vital role on flat decks expected to be on offer during the upcoming ICC T20 World Cup in the Americas in June.
'He started the campaign really well in the IPL and he needs some support. He's not going to score runs on every occasion.'
Former Australian cricketer Simon O'Donnell is not in favour of opening batter David Warner getting a farewell Test, saying no one should have the right to pick and choose the venue and date of his choice.
India registered a thrilling 6-3 win over South Africa to advance to the final of the FIH Hockey5s Women's World Cup in Muscat.
England's Ollie Pope, who has scored 2136 runs from 38 Tests since his debut in 2018, does not mind low-scoring Test matches in India.
The legendary Clive Lloyd wants to see more Test cricket on the international calendar and prefers a minimum of three red-ball games in a bilateral series.
In the ODI rankings, Sri Lanka's two ODI matches at home against Zimbabwe =saw a number of movers, most notably on the bowling side through spinner Maheesh Theekshana, who moved to a career high rating (634) and rank (11th) with four wickets across the matches.
© 2025 Rediff.com - Investor Information - Advertise with us - Disclaimer - Privacy Policy - Sitemap - Feedback - About us - Terms of use - Grievances