Change the sentence "Sneha said, \"I am buying a gaming console today.\"" into indirect speech using the correct sequence of tenses.

Introduction / Context:
Direct and indirect speech questions examine how accurately you can report spoken words while adjusting pronouns, time expressions, and verb tenses. In this case, Sneha is making a present continuous statement about an action happening today, and we must report it using the past reporting verb said. Correct sequence of tenses and the appropriate change of time word today to that day are crucial.

Given Data / Assumptions:

• Direct speech: Sneha said, I am buying a gaming console today.
• Reporting verb: said, which is in simple past.
• Reported clause: I am buying a gaming console today.
• We are converting to indirect speech in a neutral narrative context.

Concept / Approach:
When the reporting verb is in the past tense, the tense of the reported speech usually shifts one step back. Present continuous am buying changes to past continuous was buying. The first person pronoun I changes to she to match the subject Sneha. Time reference today becomes that day because the point of reference is now the reporting moment, not the original speaking moment. Putting these changes together gives a correct and natural indirect speech form.

Step-by-Step Solution:
Step 1: Identify the subject in the reported speech, I, which refers to Sneha, and replace it with she. Step 2: Change the verb am buying, which is present continuous, to was buying, which is past continuous. Step 3: Replace today with that day to reflect reported context. Step 4: Keep the reporting verb said as it is and add the conjunction that. Step 5: Form the indirect sentence: Sneha said that she was buying a gaming console that day.

Verification / Alternative check:
Check whether the indirect sentence preserves the original meaning: Sneha is reporting that at the time of speaking she was in the process of buying a gaming console. In the indirect form, we express this from a later point of view, using past continuous. The pronoun and time words have been adjusted logically. Reading both versions side by side shows that only option D maintains a clear and grammatically correct correspondence.

Why Other Options Are Wrong:
Sneha said that she is buying a gaming console today wrongly keeps the verb in present continuous and the word today, which is inconsistent with the past reporting verb.

Sneha says she was buying a gaming console that day changes the reporting verb to present tense says and mixes it with past continuous, which does not match the original sentence.

Sneha say that she is buying a gaming console today contains an incorrect form say instead of said and keeps the tense and time expression unchanged.

Common Pitfalls:
Students often forget to change time expressions like today, tomorrow, and yesterday when converting from direct to indirect speech. Others ignore the backshift of tense when the reporting verb is in the past. A systematic approach is to first adjust pronouns, then tense, and finally time and place words. Practising this sequence will improve accuracy in exam situations.

Final Answer:
The correct indirect speech form is: Sneha said that she was buying a gaming console that day.