Rhodes praises Bavuma’s leadership for the rejuvenation of South Africa
South Africa’s growth in the world of long form cricket can be described as anything but ordinary. Their growth has been steady and a memorandum of continuous persistence. Their resurgence in Test cricket hasn’t been a fluke, for them it was more like a rollercoaster ride. South African cricket had been hinting at a new dawn for a while. A finals appearance in the 2024 T20 World Cup, another in the 2025 Women’s ODI World Cup, and a strong semifinal run in the 2023 ODI World Cup all suggested that something was shifting. For years, the “chokers” label clung stubbornly to the Proteas, shaping every discussion around them. But under Temba Bavuma’s calm and resilient leadership changed its course. South Africa didn’t just win matches—they rewrote their identity. Their first-ever World Test Championship triumph in the 2023–2025 cycle, sealed with a memorable win over Australia, felt like a collective exhale. While talking to Sports Today, former South African star Jonty Rhodes, reflecting the national team’s comeback in the international cricket, stated, “Twenty years ago, when I was still playing cricket, if we travelled to India, we’d arrive with our nerves already shot,” Rhodes recalled. “We’d be wondering how much the ball would spin past the bat, feeling uncomfortable, and honestly not believing we could take 20 wickets.” Rhodes believes the toughest hurdle for South Africa in the subcontinent was never skill—it was the psychological barrier they carried with them. “Now, that’s the key difference with this South African team,” he said. “Sure, they struggle with the bat, scoring 150s or even less, but having 30 more runs on a turning surface in India shows the quality of our spin bowling and the shift in mindset.” He further gave much credit to Bavuma’s leadership, “Arriving here believing you can compete with India — a great side at home — says a lot about Temba Bavuma’s captaincy,” he added. “It’s a quiet captaincy. It’s not a team buzzing with superstars; they’re just guys who go out and do the job. And on difficult surfaces, it’s often those teams that pull together that come out victorious.” South Africa’s growth in the world of long form cricket can be described as anything but ordinary. Their growth has been steady and a memorandum of continuous persistence. Their resurgence in Test cricket hasn’t been a fluke, for them it was more like a rollercoaster ride. South African cricket had been hinting at a new dawn for a while. A finals appearance in the 2024 T20 World Cup, another in the 2025 Women’s ODI World Cup, and a strong semifinal run in the 2023 ODI World Cup all suggested that something was shifting. For years, the “chokers” label clung stubbornly to the Proteas, shaping every discussion around them. But under Temba Bavuma’s calm and resilient leadership changed its course. South Africa didn’t just win matches—they rewrote their identity. Their first-ever World Test Championship triumph in the 2023–2025 cycle, sealed with a memorable win over Australia, felt like a collective exhale. He further gave much credit to Bavuma’s leadership, “Arriving here believing you can compete with India — a great side at home — says a lot about Temba Bavuma’s captaincy,” he added. “It’s a quiet captaincy. It’s not a team buzzing with superstars; they’re just guys who go out and do the job. And on difficult surfaces, it’s often those teams that pull together that come out victorious.” The story of South Africa is about resilience, growth, steady leadership and unstoppable force.
Rishabh Pant may return to ODIs as India captain against South Africa
India cricket team star Rishabh Pant’s return to One Day International seems luminous as the wicketkeeper-batsman could be selected as the captain of India’s ODI series against South Africa. Pant participated in a One Day International last in August 2024. He is currently captaining the Indian team in the ongoing 2nd Test in Guwahati in the absence of Shubman Gill. According to a report from The Week, the BCCI top brass does not seem to be in a hurry to bring Shubman Gill back into action after the captain is ruled out of the ongoing second Test due to a severe neck injury he suffered in the first Test at the Eden Gardens. Instead, Pant, who took over the reins of the Test team, is expected to continue as captain for the ODI series as well. It is pertinent to point out that while other seniors like KL Rahul and Rohit Sharma can lead the side. Shreyas Iyer was the vice-captain, but he is too unlikely to be a part of the series, leading to the selectors and the management zeroing in on Pant to lead the side in the ODIs as well. The report states that since Gill is an integral part of the T-20I set-up as well, the management does not want to take any chances, given that he is a certain part of India’s XI in the upcoming T-20 World Cup 2026. In fact, the Punjab batsman might as well skip the ODI series to be fit for the T20Is vs SA that will take place between 9th and 19th December. As for Pant, he last featured in an ODI way back in August 2024 against Sri Lanka. Since then, he has been ruled out of the 50-over and T-20Is format, with Rahul being picked as the first-choice keeper-batter in ODIs.
India to train in Kolkata on Tuesday, leave for Guwahati without Shubman Gill on Wednesday
The Indian cricket team will have its first training session on Tuesday at the Eden Gardens after the defeat at the hands of South Africa in the first Test. The hosts, who were without the services of team captain Shubman Gill for 3 innings, were handed a 30-run defeat by South Africa, ending their unbeaten streak in Tests in Kolkata. The 2nd Test will be played in Guwahati from 22nd November onwards. According to ESPNCricinfo reports, Team India will have a training session at the Eden Gardens on Tuesday. Following that, the team will travel to Guwahati on Wednesday. Meanwhile, Gill – who was discharged from the hospital on Sunday evening – will neither be part of the training session nor travel with the team. The report suggests that since commercial air travel is not recommended for people with neck issues, Gill is unlikely to travel with the team on the same day. After facing just 3 deliveries in the 1st innings, Gill was forced to retire hurt following a sweep shot. The BCCI later said in a statement that he had suffered a neck spasm and was ruled out for the remainder of the 1st Test. Subsequently, the Indian captain was admitted to a hospital and was closely monitored by Dr Dinesh Pardiwala. “Captain Shubman Gill had a neck injury on the second day of the Test against South Africa in Kolkata. He was taken to the hospital for examination after the end of the day’s play. He is currently under observation in the hospital. He will take no further part in the Test match. He will continue to be monitored by the BCCI medical team,”BCCI had said in a statement on 16th November.
Harbhajan Singh slams Eden pitch, says pathetic after India’s loss to South Africa
Harbhajan Singh, a former Indian spinner who famously acquired 13 wickets at the Eden Gardens in India’s iconic Test triumph against Australia in 2001, slammed the pitch after India conceded a 30-run victory at the Eden Gardens against South Africa on Sunday, with two more days left. South Africa were bundled out for 153 on the third morning, setting a target of only 123 for India. But as the pitch had already broken on several spots, India’s poor chase failed to reach the target, collapsing to 93 in their second innings. This was India’s loss after 13 years at the Eden Gardens and they also booked their place in the lowest five defeats at this venue. Harbhajan said on his YouTube channel, “This pitch is not at all fit for cricket’s longest format. The pitch has developed such a large number of spots on the surface that the spinners of both teams who bowled and scalped wickets did not even know what would happen after a ball was delivered.” “This pitch is like, you pitch here, and the ball will turn and go elsewhere. I am sure that even the top-class batsmen like Sachin Tendulkar, Virat Kohli, and Rohit Sharma would have struggled to survive on this surface. You can see the reflection where Temba Bavuma’s unbeaten 55 is the highest run scored on this pitch.” Harbhajan added, saying, “It has been going on for years in our country. The game is being played on completely under-prepared pitches. Test cricket does not seem to have any value nowadays, and this pitch at the Eden Gardens is not acceptable. It is pathetic.”
KKR appoints Tim Southee as bowling coach
Kolkata Knight Riders (KKR) announced the appointment of former New Zealand pacer Tim Southee as the bowling coach for IPL 2026 on Friday. “Southee’s huge international experience, deep tactical understanding, and prior association with the franchise add an additional strength to KKR’s coaching staff,” the franchise said in a statement. One of the most accomplished fast bowlers of his generation, Tim Southee has been a cornerstone of New Zealand cricket for over 15 years. Having represented his country in 107 Test matches, 161 ODIs, and 126 T-20 Internationals, Southee has claimed 776 international wickets. Renowned for his swing, accuracy, and leadership, he captained New Zealand in multiple formats and played pivotal roles in their 2019 ICC World Cup campaign and the 2021 ICC World Test Championship victory. Southee is no stranger to the KKR family, having been part of the KKR squad (2021, 2022, and 2023) in the IPL during his playing career. He announced his retirement from international cricket in 2025. Southee also expressed his excitement about returning to the franchise, saying: “KKR has always felt like home to me, and it’s an honour to return in this new role. The franchise has an incredible culture, passionate fans, and a great group of players. I look forward to working closely with the bowlers and helping the team achieve success in IPL 2026.”
Gill says adjusting to different formats of games depends more on psychological flexibility than physical ability
Ahead of the first test against South Africa at the Eden Gardens, starting from Friday, India skipper Shubman Gill was asked in the media conference on Thursday at the Eden Gardens that how he is being able to manage the character of the game’s different formats while switching from the ‘white-ball’ cricket to the ‘red-ball’ Test cricket. “I think in 4-5 days of turnaround, coming from another country and playing different formats is not easy. It’s more mental than showing physical ability. “I am still trying to figure out how to manage it. I think the workload, starting from the Asia Cup, we have been playing kind of back-to-back, travelling to different countries, switching between formats within 4 to 5 days. So, I am also trying to figure out what gives me the best chance to be able to perform and succeed in all those formats that I am going to play. But the challenge is definitely more mental than physical. Bodily, I feel fine. There’s obviously a little bit of jet lag when you are coming from Australia. Apart from that, physically, I feel completely fine. It’s a bit challenging at times because the requirements for different formats in different places of the world are different, so I think it’s a good challenge and a good learning curve for me, Gill explained in the media conference. Additionally, returning from Australia to India, and the adjustment to the climate is not as easy as the captain added, “There’s a good amount of time difference between India and Australia. So, the body takes a bit of time to get used to it. Then, after coming here, there’s a different challenge of playing Test cricket in India as compared to playing white-ball cricket in Australia. Definitely, it’s a bit challenging mentally and physically. But as a professional cricketer, it’s about how you tackle these things.” The 26-year-old has been playing and juggling the three formats on a consistent basis. Gill played the England series from June to August. He was then announced as deputy for T20I skipper Suryakumar Yadav for the Asia Cup in the UAE, which went on from September 9-28. There was little rest for the weary skipper, however, with Gill then coming back to India to lead in the 2-match West Indies series, which went on from October 2-October 14. After the Windies series, Gill had to fly in for a white-ball tour to Australia, consisting of 3 ODIs and 5 T20Is, which started on October 19 and ended on November 8. That makes it 6 months on the road where Gill has played 7 Tests, 12 T20Is, and 3 50-over matches. With the South Africa series starting on November 14 and its associated preparations, that doesn’t afford Gill much of a turnaround time. However, he also did not hesitate to reveal that playing at the Eden Gardens has always been homely for him. Eden Gardens was the ground that shaped his formative years when he burst onto the scene for the Kolkata Knight Riders in the IPL in 2018 after a successful U-19 World Cup campaign in the same year. It’s, however, ironic that since becoming captain of the India Test and ODI teams, Gill’s concept of ‘home’ has been basically living out of a suitcase.
BCCI tells Kohli, Rohit to play domestic one-day matches to keep chances alive for India ODI team
If two of India’s recent cricket icons have to stay in the team, they will have to go through the domestic grind. This is the message from the Indian board for Virat Kohli and Rohit Sharma. Both stepped down from Tests and T20 Internationals in 2024, but continue to play for India in One-Day Internationals. The first step in this direction could possibly be a Vijay Hazare Trophy game on December 24. This is the only one-day game on the domestic calendar between the three-ODI series against South Africa from December 3-9 and another one against New Zealand from January 11, both at home. According to The Indian Express, Rohit has informed the Mumbai Cricket Association (MCA) that he will be available to play the Vijay Hazare Trophy, but there is no clarity yet on Virat’s availability. Kohli (37) and Rohit (38) last featured in the ODI series in Australia last month, where they went on to join hands for a winning partnership in the final game. While Rohit starred in two of the three games, hitting a hundred in the third match, Kohli bounced back from two ducks to hit an unbeaten 87. “The board and team management have conveyed to both of them that they will have to play domestic cricket if they want to play for India. As they both have retired from two formats, they have to play domestic cricket to be match-fit,” sources in the board told The Indian Express. Rohit and Kohli retired from T20Is after the 2024 World Cup, and called time on their Test careers after the 2024-25 tour of Australia. Rohit is learnt to have informed the MCA that he might even be available for the Syed Mushtaq Ali T20 tournament scheduled to start on November 26. He has been practising at Mumbai’s Sharad Pawar indoor academy. The Indian board is also hoping to see Kohli, who lives in London these days, play domestic cricket.
J&K stun Delhi in Ranji Trophy for the first time in 65 years
Jammu and Kashmir’s progress in Indian domestic cricket makes another take-off. The team achieved another rare milestone on Tuesday, securing their first-ever triumph against fancied Delhi by seven wickets at their home. Chasing 179, Jammu and Kashmir was steered by an unbeaten 133 from opener Qamran Iqbal that anchored a composed chase. It was Qamaran’s career-best knock in domestic cricket so far. The groundwork of the victory was laid by a familiar cast of heroes. Auqib Nabi ripped through Delhi’s first innings with a fiery 5 for 35. The team’s captain Paras Dogra led by example with a composed 106. Abdul Samad added a brisk 86 to keep the momentum alive. And when Delhi tried to claw back, young Vanshaj Sharma delivered a telling spell of 6 for 68, sealing the visitors’ grip on the match. This was J&K’s second outright win of the season. In recent years, the team has stunned several heavyweight sides, including Mumbai, Baroda, Rajasthan, and Vidarbha. This win also pushes Jammu and Kashmir to second in the Elite Group D points table, just behind leader Mumbai. However, Bengal secured a humiliating triumph agaist railways with an innings and 120 runs in their Group-C league match on Tuesday. Bengal pacer Shahbaz Ahmed demonstrated a devastated performance with seven for 56 runs. Railways innings collasped to 132 only in 55.5 overs.
Harmanpreet reveals ‘Sachin sir’s’ call and priceless advice
India’s World Cup-winning captain Harmanpreet Kaur revealed the priceless advice from legendary Sachin Tendulkar just on the day before the final against South Africa at DY patil Stadium,Navi Mumbai. “The night before the match, Sachin (Tendulkar) sir called. He shared his experience and asked us to keep our balance. When the game is going fast, just slow it down a little,” Harmanpreet said while speaking on The ICC Review. “Try to control it because when you go too fast, chances are you can stumble. That is what we need to avoid. I was just thinking of all the advice I was getting from the seniors. To keep control, stay patient, the moment will come and you will be able to grasp it,” Harmanpreet said. The Indian women’s team have won their maiden ICC World Cup tournament on Sunday when they beat South Africa in the final by 52 runs in the final. Harmanpreet also recalled how different it feels to be called a world champion. “Whenever we see each other, we are just saying, ‘world champion’. It is a very different feeling. We were waiting when we would feel this way,” Harmanpreet said. “My mother and father were there. For me, it was a very special moment to lift the World Cup trophy with them. Since my childhood, they have heard me say that I want to wear India’s jersey, play for the country, lead the team, and win the World Cup,” Harmanpreet added.
Services bowlers create history in Ranji trophy: make two hat-tricks in the same innings as Assam face a tough outing!
The Tinsukia District Sports Association Ground hosted its first Ranji Trophy match in 24 years, witnessing both a remarkable performance and history as Services bowlers made history on the first day of the second round of the Ranji Trophy, achieving two hat-tricks. Assam were reduced to 45 for the loss of five wickets in a flash. Captain Riyan Parag was the first victim of Services left-arm spinner Arjun Sharma before he proceeded to take out wicket-keeper Sumit Ghadigaonkar and Sibsankar Roy and record the first Ranji Trophy hat-trick of the season. Assam’s decision to bat first after winning the toss grew murkier after lunch in the North-Eastern town when Arjun’s teammate and left-arm pacer Mohit Jangra bagged the second hat-trick of the innings. Jangra cleaned up opener Pradyun Saikia, who waged a lone battle with his quick-fire 52 off 42 laced with two fours and six sixes, off the final delivery of the 15th over. He returned to dismiss Assam No. 9 Mukhtar Hussain and No. 10 Bhargab Lakhar to claim his maiden First-Class hat-trick before Arjun returned to claim his five-wicket haul (5/46). It is the first instance in Ranji Trophy history where two bowlers have bagged hat-tricks in the same innings of a match. Previously, Joginder Singh Rao, a former player for Services nearly five decades ago, had recorded two hat-tricks in the same innings of a match. Rao remains the only Indian to have bagged multiple hat-tricks in the same First-Class innings, having achieved the feat in a game against Northern Punjab in Amritsar in 1963. Assam were finally folded for only 103 in 17.3 overs before skipper Parag opened the bowling and racked up two wickets in the first over.
