The first T20I between India and England at Eden Gardens was a significant event for multiple reasons.
The spotlight will be firmly on Mohammed Shami as the Indian team contemplates his inclusion in the playing XI.
Many of the national team players come from the Khyber Pakhtunkhwa province where Northern areas security forces are fighting terror attacks frequently.
The Melbourne Cricket Ground (MCG) fell silent on Friday as players from India and Australia, along with match officials and staff, paid an emotional tribute to 17-year-old cricketer Ben Austin, who tragically lost his life after being struck on the neck during a training session earlier this week.
The T20 series is tied at 1-1 ahead of the fourth match on the Gold Coast on Thursday, with the series-opener in Canberra washed out by rain.
Patel stayed unbeaten on the crease in India's innings, scoring 21 off 11 balls to power his side to 167 and then took two wickets, removing Matthew Short and Josh Inglis.
Abhishek Sharma and Smriti Mandhana have been named ICC Players of the Month for September after setting new benchmarks in India's dominance across formats.
'We knew it won't be easy to hit how much you may connect. Plan was to bowl smartly and when a batter is set, force him to hit on the bigger sides than small sides.'
All-round performances from Shafali Verma and Deepti Sharma were the crowning jewels for the team in the title clash.
The Bellerive Oval is one ground where the side boundaries are smaller in size, hence hitting the right lengths would be paramount considering anything short would be flying over cover, point, square leg or mid-wicket on either side of the fence.
Shami last played for India in the 2023 World Cup final in Ahmedabad after which he was sidelined because of an ankle injury which needed surgery.
Lungi Ngidi's call-up indicates that Kagiso Rabada, who missed the team's memorable win in Kolkata due to a rib injury, is still uncertain for the Guwahati Test
A record-extending 52nd ODI century by Virat Kohli and a rapid 57 from Rohit Sharma paved the way for India's victory in the series-opener in Ranchi.
Australia linking cricket with politics against spirit of game: Afghan chief selector Asadullah
'It would have been 2-2 coming to the Wankhede (Stadium for final T20I). It would have been way more on the game. But it didn't happen.'
The MCA later had to apologise for the mismanagement, which was promptly addressed, but the governing body is keen to avoid any such incident.
Former captain Babar Azam and pacer Naseem Shah have been recalled to Pakistan's T20 squad for the upcoming home assignment against South Africa and a tri-Series involving Sri Lanka and Zimbabwe next month.
'His free-spirited character perfectly matches T20 cricket's essence, it's about freedom and expression.'
Namibia pulled off a shock four-wicket win over South Africa in a one-off Twenty20 international on Saturday that marked the opening of the new cricket stadium in Windhoek.
Team India skipper Shubman Gill is unlikely to feature in the second Test against South Africa, with Cricket Association of Bengal sources confirming that he is not travelling to Guwahati with the team on Wednesday.
Hazlewood said he was keyed up for the massive summer with the Ashes beginning November 21.
Grind pays off for Ruturaj Gaikwad, now upto him and luck to prove his 50-over mettle.
Ravindra Jadeja's verified account on Instagram is currently unavailable on the social media platform.
Noman collected a 10-wicket haul during Pakistan's 93-run triumph over South Africa in Lahore recently and moved up four places.
Many months into his retirement from T20I and Test format, the 38-year-old right-hander on Tuesday said he is getting used to sitting at home and watching the action unfold on television instead of being part of it.
14-year-old Vaibhav Suryavanshi, the youngest centurion in men's T20 cricket, will once again be the player to watch out for in the Rising Stars Asia Cup.
K L Rahul takes over the captaincy after regular skipper Shubman Gill missed the series because of a neck injury.
Australia paceman Mitchell Starc has warned against flattening surfaces to maximise five-day revenue as England's aggressive "Bazball" approach looms.
'...He'll provide us a good challenge...I think you want to be challenged against the best players in the world...'
Towards the end of the video, backup wicketkeeper Jitesh Sharma perfectly summed up the frosty challenge clutching his hoodie tightly around his ears and showing off his thin gloves.
Australian pacer Josh Hazlewood feels it is possible to do the balancing act with meticulous planning and strategising.
The Asia Cup champions will not have it easy against the Mitch Marsh-led Aussies at home as the Indians were seen going hard in the nets on Monday.
Shreyas Iyer sustained a lower left rib cage injury while attempting a difficult running catch during the third ODI against Australia in Sydney.
According to medical reports, Shreyas Iyer will require over a month to regain full match fitness.
'In a format driven by aggression and innovation, the question remains: Can Shubman Gill's classical batting style continue to find space in India's T20 future?'
With a five-match T20I series in October-November in Australia, five T20Is against South Africa at home in December and five T20Is against New Zealand at home in January 2026, Team India will now look to test itself, its combinations and youngsters against some of the world's best T20I teams ahead of the T20 WC 2026, which will start in early 2026.
Sanju Samson continued his dream run in T20I cricket, smashing his second consecutive century in the first match of the series against South Africa at Kingsmead, in Durban on Friday night.
What Gambhir Wants: Players who are not playing to the gallery, care for dressing room
The opening T20I of the five-match series between Australia and India at the Manuka Oval in Canberra was eventually called off due to persistent rain on Wednesday.
The Pakistan Cricket Board has rescheduled the opening of a T20I tri-series against Sri Lanka and Zimbabwe from November 17 to November 18 besides making Rawalpindi the sole venue for the tournament owing to the visiting teams' security concerns in the wake of a suicide attack in Islamabad.
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