India coach Gautam Gambhir on Monday backed "incredibly tough men" Rohit Sharma and Virat Kohli to prove their critics wrong and find form in Australia.
India must start planning for Rohit Sharma's successor if the team do not play well in their five-Test series in Australia as the captain could well retire from the longest format, former skipper Krishnamachari Srikkanth has said.
With Australia looming large, the form of 37-year-old Rohit and superstar batsman Kohli, 35, is of particular concern to Indian cricket fans.
After India's batting frailties were brutally exposed in a 3-0 home series defeat by New Zealand, captain Rohit Sharma said it was important that his players get in the right frame of mind for what promises to be a challenging tour of Australia.
After stunning victories in Bengaluru and Pune, the Black Caps won the third Test in Mumbai by 25 runs to become the first team to whitewash India at home in a series featuring three or more matches.
Batsmen have forgotten how to defend in Test cricket because of the T20 game, India coach Gautam Gambhir said Thursday ahead of the third and final match against New Zealand.
Through three World Cup titles, two World Test Championship (WTC) finals, and a 12-year Test series winning streak on home soil, Kohli and Sharma, often together, have been integral to every major Indian success of the last 17 years.
After a surprising series defeat by New Zealand, India's skipper Rohit Sharma said undue expectation was being put on frontline spinners Ravichandran Ashwin and Ravindra Jadeja, as he called for more collective bowling efforts to win Test matches.
Seamer Mohammed Shami will not play in the Border-Gavaskar Trophy test series against Australia while spinner Kuldeep Yadav has been sidelined with a groin injury as the country's cricket board (BCCI) announced an 18-member squad on Friday.
Indian captain Rohit Sharma said his team's seven-wicket win inside two days over South Africa in the second Test at Newlands on Thursday had shown their ability to play anywhere in the world.
India pacers Jasprit Bumrah and Mohammad Siraj picked starred with six-wicket hauls in each innings to help India beat South Africa by seven wickets in the second Test in Cape Town on Thursday.
South Africa captain Dean Elgar won the toss and elected to bat first in the second and final Test against India amid glorious sunshine at Newlands on Wednesday as the hosts seek a series sweep against the top ranked side in the world.
Captain Rohith Sharma, who was dismissed cheaply in both innings, said India would regroup and come back strongly despite having missed the chance to take the series.
Speaking to reporters ahead of the first Test against South Africa, Rohit stated that the loss was a tough one to digest.
"The decision taken by Mumbai Indians is for the benefit of their team," Gavaskar told Star Sports
Pandya replaces Rohit, who led Mumbai to five IPL titles
India captain Rohit Sharma has spoken out for the first time since his side suffered defeat in the ICC Men's Cricket World Cup 2023 Final against Australia.
On Sunday, the world of sport saw a re-enactment of sorts of the Maracanazo, albeit in a different sport.
India coach Rahul Dravid on Sunday said skipper Rohit Sharma batted superbly and "led the team fantastically well" despite losing the World Cup final to Australia by six wickets.