India aim to stay afloat against daunting South Africa in the second Test
CSK captain Mahendra Singh Dhoni missed the game against SRH due to a stiff back but is likely to be back for Sunday's match against Virat Kohli-led RCB.
India have not lost a series at home since the defeat to South Africa in October 2015.
Afghanistan's controversial campaign, marred by poor on and off-field decisions, has gone from bad to worse. They now face the onerous task of squaring off against a galaxy of world class players, whose performance graph is on the upswing.
Virat Kohli's participation in the fourth and deciding Test match against Australia, in Dharamsala, hangs in balance even as young Mumbai batsman Shreyas Iyer has been included in the team.
Australia will start favourites in Thursday's clash but a passionate Bangladesh are expected to make life tough for the holders.
Mayank Agarwal could likely to make his ODI debut as the first of the three-match ODI series kicks off in Chennai on Sunday. But all eyes will be trained on under-fire Pant who will have to work to prove his worth in the squad.
Having won the series, India would like to carry on momentum forward, especially with the three-match T20I series to follow soon after. Yet, the visitors would also like to find a balance between going all out in a dead rubber and resting a few players keeping in mind a long overseas schedule later this year.
Australian cricket, in contrast, has been dogged by structural reform in the wake of the ball-tampering saga in South Africa in March and it has resulted in turbulence on the field as well.
India will look to crush a South African revival before it becomes a threat to their pursuit of a maiden ODI series triumph here when the two sides clash in the fifth one-dayer, on Tuesday.
The in-form Rajasthan Royals will be confident of a third consecutive victory when they take on Kolkata Knight Riders in the Indian Premier League, in Jaipur, on Wednesday.
Advancing into the Super 10 stage for the first time in three attempts, minnows Afghanistan will face a formidable challenge when they clash with South Africa in the ICC World Twenty 20 Championship at the Wankhede Stadium in Mumbai on Sunday.
A look at the performances of Indian players in Test cricket and also against Australia.
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The three-Test South Africa series is the first of a gruelling 2018-19 season that includes tours to England and Australia.
A confident India will look to pile the misery on the a struggling Australia and seal the five-match series when the teams clash in the third One-Day International, in Indore, on Sunday.
India's One-Day-International captain Mahendra Singh Dhoni celebrates his 35th birthday, on Thursday, July 7.
Iconic batsman Sachin Tendulkar did not find a place in Kumar Sangakkara's list of all-time XI while Rahul Dravid was the lone Indian in the team selected by the former Sri Lankan skipper.
Indian captain Mahendra Singh Dhoni won the toss and elected to field. India made two changes, bringing in Ishant Sharma for Praveen Kumar, while Ravindra Jadeja made way for Abhishek Nayar. West Indies fielded the same team that won the second one-dayer at Sabina Park, Kingston.
RCB have been inconsistent in their first six games in IPL-12, with both their bowling and batting faltering on many occasions.
India will look to ensure a smooth passage into the semi-finals with yet another victory.
Mumbai Indians lock horns with an out-of-sorts Rajasthan Royals in an IPL match in which home skipper Rohit Sharma's return from injury will also be awaited, in Mumbai, on Saturday.
The visitors have a 2-0 lead in the series and can wrap up the contest with another win here before leaving for the last leg of the tour in Colombo.
The hosts have hit nadir in both form and confidence, and, after a lop-sided 3-0 Test series victory, the script did not change much in the opening ODI, where India steamrolled the opposition by nine wickets.
A buoyant India will look to cash in on South Africa's injury woes, compounded by the loss of captain Faf du Plessis, when the two sides meet in the second One-Day International in Centurion on Sunday.
The Indian Playing XI will also have Bhuvneshwar Kumar on Sunday as he replaces Mohammed Shami, who was hit on the leg in his follow through during the third match.
We should not be compared to male cricketers, says Mithali Raj
The Virat Kohli-led team ticked all the boxes in their opening win of the series Australia on Saturday.
India will be looking to erase the memories of a heart-breaking World Cup final defeat last year when they take on England in the semi-finals of the ICC Women's World T20 on Friday morning (IST).
Mumbai colts are participating in the Moin-ud-Dowla Gold Cup invitation cricket tournament, at Hyderabad from September 6.
One of the finest fast bowlers in current times, Mohammed Amir would be pitted against the talismanic Virat Kohli in what could turn out to be a battle primarily between India's vaunted batting line-up and against Pakistan's potent bowling attack.
Their campaign back on track after a stunning victory over South Africa, a resurgent England will be looking to plug their bowling loopholes when they take on an ever-improving Afghanistan in a Super 10 Group 1 match of the ICC World Twenty20, in New Delhi, on Wednesday.
Veteran batsman Wasim Jaffer will lead Mumbai in their four-day Ranji Trophy Group A match against Orissa, at the Wankhede stadium, from December 14, as Abhishek Nayar is injured.
Team India, set for a gruelling tour of Australia, looked in top gear as they practiced diligently during a nets session on the eve of the first Test in Adelaide on Monday.
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India left out off-spinner Ramesh Powar, preferring young leg-spinner Piyush Chawla instead for the day-night encounter.
Young Rishabh Pant's competition for the second wicketkeeper's slot with veteran Dinesh Karthik will be the highlight of the discussion.
Talented Karnataka batsman Manish Pandey, who recently led the India A squad to a tri-series win in South Africa, made a comeback to the team.
Mithali Raj will lead a 15-member Indian team in the women's Asia Cup cricket tournament, to be held in Sri Lanka from April 27 to May 12. ICC 'Woman Player of the Year' award winner Jhulan Goswami will be her deputy.
Having struggled in the past one year after suspensions of Steve Smith and David Warner, Australia finally seemed to have picked their pieces and playing exactly like a five-time champions ought to.
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