K L Rahul made a solid 74 before retiring hurt as India remained on course to chase a formidable 412-run target set by Australia A on day three of the second unofficial Test in Lucknow on Thursday.
India and Bangladesh have two points each with Suryakumar Yadav's men leading the standings owing to a superior net run rate. Sri Lanka and Pakistan occupy the third and fourth spots respectively.
Star batter Beth Mooney struck a magnificent hundred and led a remarkable Australian fightback along with tailender Alana King to set up a crushing 107-run win over Pakistan in their ICC World Cup match, in Colombo, on Wednesday.
India, for all their internal debates and external expectations, look like the one side that has clarity of purpose. And clarity, in high-pressure tournaments, often counts for more than raw talent.
Lucknow Super Giants mentor Zaheer Khan believes Rishabh Pant needs to find his form with the bat to help the team bounce back from a poor run of scores in the IPL.
Varun Chakravarthy said head coach Gautam Gambhir has instilled in the Indian team a mentality that leaves no room for mediocrity and where losing is not an option.
Former England opener Mark Butcher feels the Indian Test captain has taken ownership of Virat Kohli's No 4 spot quite comfortably despite the 'enormous scrutiny'.
Seasoned all-rounder Ashleigh Gardner's commanding century and disciplined effort from the bowlers helped defending champions Australia thrash trans-Tasman rivals New Zealand by 89 runs in their ICC Women's World Cup opening match in Indore on Wednesday.
Pakistan made short work of an inexperienced UAE batting unit by winning their last group league game by 41 runs in Dubai on Wednesday.
India defeated Pakistan by 88 runs in their Women's World Cup match in Colombo on Sunday.
'Easily the best innings of his career so far.'
'Frustrated' Sophie Devine calls on WC organisers to start matches early if forecast predicts rain
Tilak Varma made a strong claim for selection in India's 50-over format with an attractive 94 but Australia A came back strongly to win the rain-affected second List A game by nine wickets, in Kanpur, on Friday.
While Asim Malik's role in Pakistan's recent warming up of relations with the US is acknowledged, army watchers note a recent distancing, what with Asim Munir not wanting his DG, ISI to share the limelight during his subsequent sojourns to Tampa and Brussels, points out Rana Banerji, who headed the Pakistan desk at RA&W.
The India vs Bangladesh rivalry has gotten bitter in recent years, thanks to the partisan young fans, many of whom perceive India as an adversary.
Gambhir Leads Chorus as Cricket Fraternity Hails India's Triumph
Bee Gees' 'Stayin' Alive, Stayin' Alive' could've been the soundtrack of the night - because Sunil Narine made sure Kolkata Knight Riders were doing just that.
Devdutt Padikkal sets sights on Test opportunity with upcoming red-ball series
'Honestly, I realised this is going to be my career when I was 11. Like, a moment happened. There was a camp going on of under-23 Indian fast bowlers, and I was only 11.'
'Will any coach think of keeping out Rohit and Kohli from the ODI team? That means there is something going on within the team against the two players.' Manoj Tiwary, who played 12 ODIs and three T20Is for India, said iconic players like Rohit Sharma and Virat Kohli deserve greater respect.
Chennai Super Kings captain Ruturaj Gaikwad expressed his concerns with his team's struggles in the Powerplay.
The Indian team management is unlikely to tinker with its playing XI for the inconsequential final group league Asia Cup game against Oman except for resting pace spearhead Jasprit Bumrah in Dubai on Friday.
20 wickets and batting depth: Gill eyes ideal combination on potentially high-scoring English tracks
Latif slammed Pakistan's middle order for their timid approach, accusing them of 'giving up' when the game demanded urgency.
Mike Hesson is free to rank Pakistan left-arm spinner Mohammed Nawaz as high as he wants but India know where their spinners are placed in the world order.
Having lost against Sri Lanka, Bangladesh face a must-win against Afghanistan to keep their Super 4s hopes alive.
Rajasthan choked in successive chases against Delhi Capitals and Lucknow Super Giants -- they needed nine from the final over in both matches and fell short on both occasions.
Players from the other teams who could push the Men in Blue to the limit.
India set to remain unchanged as team wants Reddy to settle in all-round role
The Indian women's cricket team will look to end a 47-year wait for its maiden ICC title when it takes the field at the ODI World Cup starting with a clash against Sri Lanka.
Test captain Shubman Gill also doesn't fit in the Indian T20 line-up, which has a settled top three in Abhishek Sharma, Sanju Samson and captain Suryakumar Yadav.
Cheteshwar Pujara elieves that a shift in playing philosophy is the need of the hour for CSK even if it means scoring at a quicker clip.
'Form brings confidence. And we, at the moment, to be honest, don't have that confidence.'
Sunrisers Hyderabad captain Pat Cummins said his hard hitting batters might need to alter their approach after three consecutive defeats.
After the proceedings began with light warm-up and catching, the action shifted to the nets where all batters had long stints in the nets while the other pace bowlers too put in the hard yards.
Change will be a key theme for both the West Indies and Australia in their upcoming three-Test series in the Caribbean with the visitors set to field a remodelled batting line-up and the hosts being led out for the first time by Roston Chase.
Prabhsimran's blazing ton, Iyer-Parag fifties guide India A to 2-1 series win over Australia A
'Everyone wants to be the best in the country. I would like to be someone the team can depend on to win games. That is what I want to be known for.'
'So he's available for the bigger match, which is against Sri Lanka.'
Backed by the pace of Annabel Sutherland and spin of Sophie Molineux, who has shaped up well for the slow sub-continent wickets, Australia will take the match against Pakistan to further streamline their strategy before taking on tougher teams like England, India and South Africa in the competition.
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