Overview
- Assistant coach Ryan ten Doeschate confirmed Dhruv Jurel will play the Nov 14 opener against South Africa, with both Jurel and Rishabh Pant included and Jurel expected to feature primarily as a specialist batter.
- Sourav Ganguly said the team made no request for a rank turner in Kolkata, reflecting India’s plan to avoid extreme spin conditions against South Africa’s balanced attack.
- England will play one three-day warm-up against an England Lions XI at Lilac Hill from Thursday, with Ben Stokes saying preparations will be “balls to the wall” and dismissing criticism from “has-beens.”
- Ian Botham and other former players questioned England’s limited red-ball build-up, while the England camp argued modern schedules make longer tours impractical.
- Australia are assessing hamstring issues for Josh Hazlewood and Sean Abbott after Sheffield Shield exits, with Pat Cummins noting Hazlewood seemed upbeat, Abbott still under review, and Scott Boland set to cover Cummins in the Nov 21 Perth Test.