Team India Skipper Rohit Sharma will miss the First Test of the Border-Gavaskar Trophy, which starts on November 22 at the Optus Stadium in Perth. Rohit Sharma stayed back in India for the birth of his second child and will join the India Squad ahead of the Second Test in Adelaide a day-night match starting on December 4.

Rohit had communicated with BCCI and National Selectors in advance that he might miss the Perth Test. He had left the possibility of last-minute travel open, depending on the timing of the child's birth. Rohit and his wife welcomed their second child on Friday, a week before the first Test, raising the chance that he might travel to Perth. However, Rohit has communicated to BCCI that he will be available to play the two-day pink-ball warm-up game against the Australian Prime Minister's XI before the day-night Test in Adelaide.

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Vice Captain Jasprit Bumrah will lead the side in the absence of Rohit Sharma. Bumrah has led India in one Test previously, the fifth Test of their two-part 2021-22 tour of England at Edgbaston, when Rohit had tested positive for Covid-19. India lost that Test match by 7 wickets and the 5-match Series was tied at 2-2 with the first test being drawn at Nottingham.

India will begin their Test series with two key members missing from their top order, with Shubman Gill also set to miss the Perth Test due to a fractured thumb. KL Rahul and the uncapped Abhimanyu Easwaran were the top contenders to open with Yashasvi Jaiswal in Rohit's absence, but now there’s a possibility that both might play.

In the latest ICC Test batting ranking announcement, former Indian captain Virat Kohli slipped to the lowest points in the last 10 years. 

While the 36-year-old Virat Kohli is playing the senior batter role of the Test team, he recently disappointed in the three-match home Test series against New Zealand. While India suffered a shocking 3-0 defeat in the home Test series, the right-handed batter scored only 93 runs in six innings. 

After scoring a duck in the Test series opener at Bengaluru, Kohli scored fighting 70 runs in their second innings of the Bengaluru Test. However, his next four innings scores were 1, 17, 4, and 1 run, respectively. 

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Virat Kohli is now in the 22nd ICC Test batting rankings

Kohli’s poor batting performances forced him to go down eight spots in the ICC Test batting rankings as he is standing in 22nd place. It is his worst ICC Test batting rankings in almost the last 10 years. Last time, Kohli was outside the top 20 ICC Test batting rankings in December 2014. Meanwhile, the Indian captain Rohit Sharma also slipped to 26th position. 

While Indian batters Yashasvi Jaiswal, Rishabh Pant, and Shubman Gill strongly performed in the recently concluded home Test series against New Zealand, they are in strong positions in the ICC Test batting rankings. 

Pant, Gill, and Jaiswal are shining in the Test batting rankings

Rishabh Pant finished the Test series as the leading run-scorer with 261 runs, including three half-centuries. By climbing to the five spots, the left-handed wicketkeeper-batter’s latest Test batting ranking is no. 6. 

Despite scoring 190 runs, the opener Jaiswal slipped one place to shining at the fourth place. While Shubman Gill scored 144 runs, he improved his rating to four places by standing in the 16th position. 

Sarfaraz Khan, who shined in the Bengaluru Test with a 150-run knock, scored only 21 runs in the next four innings. By falling to 11 places, he is standing in the joint 77th place.

English star Joe Root and New Zealand star Kane Williamson are in the first and second positions, respectively, in the latest ICC Test batting rankings. The new English star Harry Brook is in third place in the Test batting rankings. 

India’s Rishabh Pant and Shubman Gill took the spotlight on Day 2 of the third Test, putting up a solid partnership that lifted India to 185/5 in the 39.4th over. With both young batters reaching their fifties, the morning session saw India countering New Zealand’s early edge and stabilizing their innings with aggressive play.

Pant and Gill dominate New Zealand bowlers in morning session

Rishabh Pant and Shubman Gill brought an impressive start for India on Day 2, with both batters reaching their fifties to shift the momentum in India's favor. Shubman Gill played with determination, benefitting from a dropped catch on 45, and reached his fifty with precise strokes and well-timed boundaries. Pant, meanwhile, played a chanceless innings, reaching 60 runs off just 59 balls, showcasing his trademark aggressive style. The pair added 100-plus runs together, punishing the New Zealand bowlers and pushing the Indian score to 185/5 in the 39.4th over.

Gill’s solid 68 off 98 balls included several exquisite cover drives and disciplined shot selection, reflecting his composure at the crease. His partnership with Pant proved to be a much-needed lift for India after New Zealand’s early breakthroughs on Day 1. Pant, with his fearless batting, took on the bowlers from the outset, racing to 55 with boundaries and singles that kept the scoreboard ticking.

𝐏𝐚𝐧𝐭 𝐦𝐚𝐚𝐫 𝐫𝐚𝐡𝐚 𝐡𝐚𝐢 🔥#INDvNZ #IDFCFirstBankTestTrophy #JioCinemaSports #RishabhPant pic.twitter.com/Rf9qhP76PF

— JioCinema (@JioCinema) November 2, 2024

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India fight back against New Zealand’s early advantage

New Zealand’s bowlers initially found success on Day 1, putting India under pressure by claiming four early wickets. However, Pant and Gill's partnership on Day 2 shifted the tide, with the young duo anchoring the innings and taking India to a stronger position by the morning's end. The quick runs from Pant gave India a boost in run rate, and Gill’s solid technique kept the bowlers at bay, helping India build towards a competitive total.

The New Zealand bowlers, who seemed poised for a quick finish in the early stages, struggled to contain the aggressive pair as they adjusted their lengths but found little success. As the day progresses, India will look to Pant and Gill to continue their form and lead a counterattack that could potentially set the stage for a challenging total.

Star India batter Shubman Gill returned to India's playing XI in the second Test against New Zealand as the visitors won the toss and opted to bat in Pune on Thursday. Team India made three big changes after facing an eight-wicket defeat in the first Test in Bengaluru last week. However, Gill missed the first Test match in Bengaluru due to a stiff neck but Team India head coach Gautam Gambhir confirmed before the second Test that Gill has recovered completely.

Shubman Gill replaced KL Rahul

However, Shubman Gill replaced out-of-form batter KL Rahul, while India also dropped the speedster, Mohammed Siraj and Kuldeep Yadav, respectively. Akash Deep and Washington Sundar replaced Kuldeep and Siraj in the playing XI for the match as well.

Meanwhile, New Zealand made one change to their playing XI as they added left-arm spinner Mitchell Santer in place of injured pacer Matt Henry as well. India captain Rohit Sharma also admitted that he would've loved to bat first in Pune.

"I would have batted as well . Whatever the pitch is we have to play good cricket. Lot of positives. No matter what the situation of the game is, you always try and come back into the game. That is what we did. At the end, not a lot of runs on the board. A little drier [the pitch]. We do understand how important the first 10-15 overs. We have made three changes," Rohit Sharma said at the toss.

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Matt Henry misses out with a glute niggle

"We're going to have a bat. Surface slightly different to what it was last week. Not a lot of grass. Might produce a bit of spin as we expect when we come to these parts of the world. Obviously a really proud moment for this group. We celebrated that but our focus has quickly turned to Pune here. It's just about adapting to this surface. Trying to take the confidence we built up from last week. Matt Henry misses out with a glute niggle. Santner comes in," the New Zealand captain, Tom Latham said.

India XI: Yashasvi Jaiswal, Rohit Sharma (C), Shubman Gill, Virat Kohli, Rishabh Pant (wk), Sarfaraz Khan, Ravindra Jadeja, Washington Sundar, Ravichandran Ashwin, Akash Deep, Jasprit Bumrah

New Zealand XI: Tom Latham (C), Devon Conway, Will Young, Rachin Ravindra, Daryl Mitchell, Tom Blundell (wk), Glenn Phillips, Tim Southee, Mitchell Santner, Ajaz Patel, William O'Rourke

Star India batter Shubman Gill smashed his fifth Test century for India after having faced an eight-ball duck in the first innings of the opening Test against Bangladesh in Chennai on Day 3 on Saturday, September 21. Gill, who didn't have a great time in the Duleep Trophy, was a bit under pressure in the last couple of months. However, in the second innings, he took some time to settle down in the middle and completed a magnificent century.

However, Shubman Gill played a decent knock and scored boundaries whenever the opportunity came. With this century, Gill became the 8th youngest Indian batter to have five Test centuries in his name as he (25 years, 13 days) broke former India captain Virat Kohli's record (25 years, 43 days) as well. He also hit 10 boundaries and 4 sixes in his unbeaten knock of 119 which came off 176 balls.

Notably, Gill also went past Virat Kohli in the list for most World Test Championship centuries for India. However, Gill has now five centuries to his name in World Test Championship history, one more than Kohli. On the other hand, India's wicketkeeper-batter Rishabh Pant, who also smashed a century just before Gill, equalled Virat Kohli and Mayank to smash his fourth WTC hundred as well.

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Youngest to 5th Test century for India

19 years, 282 days - Sachin Tendulkar

22 years, 218 days - Ravi Shastri

23 years, 242 days - Dilip Vengsarkar

24 years, 3 days - Mohammad Azharuddin

24 years, 73 days - Mansoor Ali Khan Pataudi

24 years, 270 days - Rishabh Pant

24 years, 331 days - Sunil Gavaskar

25 years, 13 days - Shubman Gill*

25 years, 43 days - Virat Kohli

Most centuries for India in the World Test Championship

9 - Rohit Sharma (56 innings)

5 - Shubman Gill (48 innings)*

4 - Mayank Agarwal (33 innings)

4 - Rishabh Pant (43 innings)

4 - Virat Kohli (62 innings)

On Day 3 of the first Test match against Bangladesh, Indian cricket stars Shubman Gill and Rishabh Pant are forging a formidable partnership, with Pant celebrating a remarkable milestone. After a lengthy absence of 625 days from Test cricket, Pant has crossed the 50-run mark, showcasing his skill and resilience as he makes a significant comeback.

An impressive return

Rishabh Pant’s journey back to Test cricket has been nothing short of inspiring. Having spent nearly 700 days away from the format, his performance is exceeding expectations. Currently, he is part of an 83-run partnership with Shubman Gill, reflecting their strong collaboration at the crease. Notably, this marks Pant’s 12th Test fifty, adding to his impressive tally of seven scores above 50 in the last 11 innings. Amid the excitement, a video of Pant displaying a unique gully cricket style while padding the ball has gone viral, further endearing him to fans. As the match progresses, both players are poised to build on this strong foundation for India.

Rishabh Pant played a remarkable innings, scoring 82 runs off 108 balls, showcasing his resilience and skill at the crease. His performance was crucial in stabilizing the Indian innings and boosting the team's confidence against Bangladesh.

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Test Cricket is Cricketing when Rishabh Pant is playing!! Who would say he is Coming back to Test Cricket after 20 long months..❤️🥺 #RishabhPant #INDvBAN
pic.twitter.com/IhPkvMWrpR

— Jenil Modi (@Jenil1903) September 21, 2024

Another 50 in Test cricket for Rishabh Pant! What a brilliant cricketer he is for Team India 🇮🇳🔥🔥

India lead Bangladesh by 378 runs in Chennai now 🤯#INDvBAN #tapmad #DontStopStreaming pic.twitter.com/q0ncKKvhrt

— Farid Khan (@_FaridKhan) September 21, 2024

Test Cricket is Cricketing when Rishabh Pant is playing!! Who would say he is Coming back to Test Cricket after 20 long months..❤️🥺 #RishabhPant #INDvBAN
pic.twitter.com/IhPkvMWrpR

— Jenil Modi (@Jenil1903) September 21, 2024

Watching Rishabh Pant play Test cricket is pure entertainment. pic.twitter.com/bVAMDOcfe8

— Out Of Context Cricket (@GemsOfCricket) September 21, 2024

Half Century for Rishabh Pant 💥

This is Pant's 7th 50+ Score in Last 11 Test Innings 😮#INDvBAN pic.twitter.com/GNE3pLkDJ2

— 𝑺𝒉𝒆𝒃𝒂𝒔 (@Shebas_10dulkar) September 21, 2024

Rishabh Pant setting the field for Bangladesh 🤣🤣🤣🤣#RishabhPant#CricketTwitter pic.twitter.com/8vpHkcqAG8

— Riseup Pant (@riseup_pant17) September 21, 2024

Shubman Gill, recently appointed as India’s vice-captain for the white-ball formats, expressed his admiration for new head coach Gautam Gambhir, highlighting his clarity of thought and vision for the team. As Gill embarks on his journey as vice-captain, he hopes to establish himself as a key player across all formats.

During India’s upcoming tour of Sri Lanka, he will serve as deputy to Suryakumar Yadav in T20Is and to Rohit Sharma in ODIs. This series marks Gambhir’s debut as head coach, following his replacement of Rahul Dravid after India’s T20 World Cup triumph in America last month.

Shubman Gill’s aspirations and new partnerships

Shubman Gill is determined to become an all-format batsman for India, aiming to make significant contributions in different conditions. Although he was a travelling reserve during the T20 World Cup, Gill did not make it into the final 15-man squad. This exclusion has motivated him to refine his game further. Looking ahead, Gill has his sights set on the five-match Test series in Australia later this year and the subsequent Champions Trophy. He believes his experience and skills can be valuable assets in these prestigious tournaments.

In T20Is, Gill will team up with Yashasvi Jaiswal as his new opening partner following Rohit Sharma’s retirement from the format. The right-handed batsman expressed confidence in their partnership, emphasizing their complementary playing styles.

“We really enjoy batting with each other, especially the kind of shots that we both play, we complement each other. And being the right-left combination…our partnership has been good in the matches we have played together. I think we have two 150-run partnerships. We have a very good understanding and communication between us, and that’s very enjoyable,” Gill explained.

“We are the world champions and we will look to play accordingly, and, hopefully, we will have more success under the new coaching staff. This is the first time I am working with him (Gambhir),” Gill told the media during a press-meet at Pallekele, Sri Lanka.

“But during those two net sessions, his intent and communication have been very clear. He is very clear about which player he wants to work with at a particular time and on which areas he wants to work with him,” he added.

“During the matches before the T20 World Cup, I could not perform to the level that I was expecting from myself.

“In the upcoming cycle where we will play 30-40 T20Is, I will try to improve my performance as a batsman,” he said.

Praise for Gautam Gambhir and coaching staff

Gill lauded Gautam Gambhir for his strategic approach and clear vision, which resonates well with the team’s goals. He noted that Gambhir and captain Suryakumar Yadav share a similar mindset regarding team strategy and player development. Gill believes this alignment will be beneficial as India aims for success in the upcoming series.

Additionally, Gill praised Abhishek Nayar, the newly appointed assistant coach, with whom he had previously worked during his tenure at the Kolkata Knight Riders in the IPL. Gill expressed confidence in Nayar’s coaching abilities and looked forward to benefiting from his guidance and expertise.

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“He (Nayar) puts in a lot of effort on the ground. He stays with the players until they are satisfied with their own skills. It’s his biggest plus point,” he added.

As the Indian team prepares for the first T20I against Sri Lanka in Pallekele, Gill’s leadership role and growing partnership with Yashasvi Jaiswal promise to bring a fresh dynamic to the squad. With new coaching strategies and emerging talent, India aims to continue its success on the international stage.

The next IPL season will see big changes in the coaching setups of many teams. Gautam Gambhir, Abhishek Nayar, and Ryan ten Doeschate have left Kolkata Knight Riders to join the Indian team’s coaching staff, and Ricky Ponting has ended his time as head coach of Delhi Capitals.

According to News18, head coach Ashish Nehra and Director of Cricket Vikram Solanki might leave Gujarat Titans before IPL 2025. Last season, GT finished eighth on the points table under Shubman Gill’s captaincy, who took over from Hardik Pandya.

Nehra and Solanki joined the Titans in IPL 2022 and led the team to their first title in their debut season, a huge achievement. Titans had a great run in IPL 2023, reaching the final where Chennai Super Kings beat them. However, this year, they missed the playoffs after failing to replace all rounder Hardik Pandya, who was traded to Mumbai Indians, and also missed the injured Mohammad Shami.

Ashish Nehra and Vikram Solanki likely to leave Gujarat Titans

The report mentions that Titans are talking to Yuvraj Singh about joining the coaching staff as Nehra and Solanki are expected to leave.

“Lot of changes on the cards. Ashish Nehra and Vikram Solanki are highly likely to move on and discussions around Yuvraj Singh have already begun. Nothing is finalised right now but there could be some major changes in the coaching staff of the Gujarat Titans,” says a source

Yuvraj Singh in talks for coaching role with Gujarat Titans

Yuvraj has mentored GT captain Shubman Gill before, and they share a great bond off the field, but Yuvraj has no IPL coaching experience.

Gary Kirsten, who was Titans assistant coach for the past three seasons, has already left to become head coach of the Pakistan cricket team. Other coaching staff members like Aashish Kapoor, Naeem Amin, Narender Negi, and Mithun Manhas are also expected to leave if Nehra and Solanki depart.

IPL owners set to meet BCCI

IPL team owners will probably meet with the BCCI on July 30 or 31. The exact date isn’t set yet, but the meeting will happen this month to finalize player retentions and discuss the Impact Player rule and salary cap before the mega auction.

BCCI officials and top executives from various IPL teams have already had one round of discussions. Final decisions will be made when the owners meet with the BCCI’s top leaders.

Gautam Gambhir, now India’s head coach, made a notable move by appointing Suryakumar Yadav as the new T20 captain, replacing Hardik Pandya, who had seemed the likely successor after Rohit Sharma’s retirement from T20 internationals. This six-match white-ball series against Sri Lanka holds significant importance for Gambhir, aligning with chairman of selectors Ajit Agarkar in their decision to position Suryakumar as captain with an eye on the 2026 T20 World Cup, which will be co-hosted by India and Sri Lanka.

The series serves as a key preparatory phase leading up to that event.

The first T20I is scheduled for July 27, with additional matches on July 28 and 30, all to be played at the Pallekele International Cricket Stadium. The ODIs will take place on August 2, 4, and 7 at the R Premadasa Stadium in Colombo.

It was under Gambhir’s captaincy at Kolkata Knight Riders that Suryakumar Yadav, affectionately known as ‘SKY,’ first garnered attention for his exceptional finishing abilities, a talent Gambhir frequently praised.

Leadership Shift: Pandya’s injury struggles and Gill’s rise as Vice-Captain

Pandya, the vice-captain of the T20 World Cup-winning team and the bowler of the historic last over in the final against South Africa, was informed of the decision on Tuesday by both Ajit Agarkar and Gautam Gambhir.

Previously, Pandya served as vice-captain in the 50-over World Cup before his injury. With Shubman Gill now appointed as deputy in both formats, it’s evident that the selection committee and Gambhir are shifting their focus away from Pandya for leadership roles.

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Pandya’s frequent injury issues were a significant factor against him. He participated in only 46 of the 79 T20I matches since January 1, 2022, while Suryakumar Yadav missed only a few games during this time, primarily due to sports hernia surgery.

Pandya did lead India to a 4-1 victory over Australia in a T20I series last November and secured a 1-1 draw in South Africa. Despite this, Pandya remains part of the T20 squad but has opted out of ODIs due to personal reasons.