The upcoming edition of the Indian Premier League (IPL) is likely to see bowlers playing a crucial role in the success of teams.
With a heavy downpour preventing the resumption of play after the break, the match was abandoned and the series remains locked at 1-1.
India's captain Jasprit Bumrah hit England pacer Stuart Broad for a world record 35 runs in an over as India were dismissed for 416 in the first innings on Day 2 of the rescheduled fifth Test against England, at Edgbaston cricket ground, in Birmingham, on Saturday.
Any of these match ups could influence the outcome of the Perth Test.
Team combination a worry for India
It was a decision that not many saw coming but once it did, Jasprit Bumrah's elevation as India's ODI vice-captain, albeit as a stop-gap arrangement, seemed a perfectly justified reward for his terrific all-format consistency.
Images from Day 1 of the third Test between Australia and India in Brisbane on Saturday.
'He has got more grey hair after beginning captaincy,' Head Coach Mahela Jayewardene quipped as he gave his skipper an affectionate hug.
Pace bowler and vice-captain Jasprit Bumrah said Mumbai Indians are going through a "transition phase" and called upon the new players in the team to understand how to react to pressure situations in a high-intensity tournament like the IPL.
The Indian squad for the continental championship will be selected on Monday, but it is still not clear if the official announcement will happen on the day.
The big-hitting former batter also lauded Rohit for dropping himself from the Sydney Test, saying it was a selfless act.
Why did he overbowl Siraj and underbowl Ashwin?
Bumrah was on Thursday ruled out of the upcoming T20 World Cup due to a back stress fracture.
'Five spinners, Siraj ignored for Rana, and Jaiswal dropped. Brain-faded captain and coach combo!'
Who do you think should be part of India's playing XI for their first Champions Trophy match against Bangladesh on Thursday?
Rohit is on a paternity break and will miss the series-opener. Pace spearhead Jasprit Bumrah is captaining the Indian team in his absence.
Veteran off-spinner Ravichandran Ashwin, who entered the elite 500 Test wicket club at Rajkot, climbed a rung to the second position behind pace spearhead Jasprit Bumrah.
Ravi Shastri guided India to back-to-back series wins in Australia and his short advice to current head coach Gautam Gambhir is to "stay calm" over the course of five Tests Down Under and avoid knee-jerk reactions.
Ideally, India will want a pace bowler, who has the ability to keep things tight at the end -- an area where they have have struggled recently in T20 cricket.
Had it not been for Kishan's free-flowing batting up front and then David's smashing sixes all over the park, MI would not have knocked out DC.
'Not sure whether I will be going, fingers crossed.'
Images from Day 2 of the 'Pink-ball' second Test between Australia and India in Adelaide on Saturday.
Although India are playing a strong brand of 50-overs' cricket of late, they have some selection riddles to solve before they face Bangladesh in their opening match of the Champions Trophy.
Former Australia captain Michael Clarke believes Rohit Sharma has earned the right to walk away from Test cricket on his own terms.
'You always want to play all games but you miss out on home Tests when playing all three formats," Bumrah said. "It's always a great feeling when you can contribute to the team's success.'
Mumbai Indians' newcomer Ashwani Kumar made history on his IPL debut, becoming the first Indian bowler to take four wickets in a maiden IPL appearance.
'The 2018 series win in Australia stands out in his captaincy.'
Ashwin is shaping up well and looking 'comfortable during training', Jasprit Bumrah said
On Thursday, opener Suryavanshi was out for a duck, while young Jaiswal too could not make an impact, scoring just 13 runs as RR were all out for 117 at their home ground, chasing Mumbai Indians' 217/2.
DC's downfall was marked by unstable opening partnerships, inconsistent middle-order performances, and poor execution in pressure moments-both with bat and ball.
K L Rahul or Abhimanyu Easwaran will open the batting for India if captain Rohit Sharma is not available for the first Test against Australia in Perth, said head coach Gautam Gambhir.
Out-of-form skipper Rohit Sharma's batting position will be in focus against a dangerous Australia
Former skipper Sourav Ganguly has urged captain Rohit Sharma to travel to Australia 'very soon' to join the Indian team.
Jasprit Bumrah's return to action has been delayed further after the fast bowler was ruled of the three-match ODI series against Sri Lanka as a 'precautionary measure', BCCI said on Monday.
Former India captain Sourav Ganguly has backed Virat Kohli and Rohit Sharma to bounce back in the Champions Trophy, expressing confidence in their ability to lead India to success.
'He's got a lot of time ahead of him'
Seniors like Ajinkya Rahane and Cheteshwar Pujara came in for a lot of flak for their below-par showing with the bat, while Jasprit Bumrah also failed to live up to expectations.
Despite the challenging build-up, Gambhir said he is "extremely confident" of retaining the Border Gavaskar Trophy. The players will hope to be as confident as they prepare for the fight to keep their World Test Final chances alive.
Sonam said that in a sports-loving and multi-cultural country like Australia it was not difficult to build a team from scratch even for lesser-known sport.
Jasprit Bumrah blitzed England with the bat and then blew away their top order with the ball to put India in a strong position in the rescheduled fifth and final Test at Edgbaston on Saturday.
