Another failure to win an ICC tournament will put Virat Kohli's leadership future in doubt. When BCCI president Sourav Ganguly and secretary Jay Shah hold a virtual meet with the national selectors in a couple of days' time, the leadership issue will be discussed.
India is led by senior batsman Shikhar Dhawan and coached by NCA head Rahul Dravid.
With bilateral cricket remaining suspended between the bitter neighbours, India and Pakistan play each other only in multi-team tournaments with their rivalry now a rare but enticing occasion for fans worldwide.
India T20I skipper Rohit Sharma has said that playing alongside Trent Boult for Mumbai Indians has helped both of them know each other's weaknesses and strengths and as a result, it is always a good battle when they play for their national teams.
The Indian team management has asked Axar Patel to be mentally ready as he could be asked to bat in the top six.
India's bowling coach Paras Mhambrey says Avesh Khan and Arshdeep Singh have shown their ability to perform under pressure.
The ICC on Thursday announced the nominees to recognise the best performances from both male and female cricketers across all forms of international cricket.
While there were no glaring surprises in the squad, Manish Pandey has once again been sidelined as the selectors continue to repose their trust in out of form KL Rahul.
India would look to finalise their batting order for the tournament-proper when they take on Australia in their second and final warm-up game in Dubai on Wednesday.
A desperate Sunrisers Hyderabad would seek inspiration from skipper David Warner to arrest any further slide when they take on Punjab Kings in an IPL match, in Chennai, on Wednesday.
The veteran coach also said both teams would have to be tactfully aware of playing at the MCG.
'It is a different matter as to what happens in Test selection. Workload management in IPL would be keeping red-ball cricket in mind'.
Who do you think should be part of India's playing XI for Sunday's first T20I against Ireland?
India were expected to try out a bunch of players after another World Cup debacle but if the team combination for the second T20 was any indication, they seemed reluctant to start with a clean slate.
Sunrisers Hyderabad's seasoned seamer Bhuvneshwar Kumar on Sunday praised his younger pace colleague Umran Malik, saying watching him bowl fast 'is a joy'.
If Kolkata Knight Riders beat Rajasthan Royals on Thursday, then Mumbai Indians may find it very difficult to qualify for the play-offs even if they beat Sunrisers Hyderabad in their final league match.
Captaining a young side could be tricky, but Hardik Pandya, who led India to a 2-1 series win over Asian champions Sri Lanka, feels it was not that difficult, as he just had to ensure that they "belong at this level".
The Indian team's strategy is expected to undergo paradigm shift with some players getting a subtle yet stern message to lift their games as they face an embarrassing possibility of a clean sweep against South Africa in the third ODI, in Cape Town on Sunday.
Led by a determined showing from their bowlers, SRH restricted CSK to a below par 154/7 in their 20 overs before Abhishek Sharma's fluent half-century helped them outclass the defending champions by eight wickets.
The Group A match won't be more than a glorified net session for Rohit Sharma's men against a team, mostly comprising Pakistani and Indian expats.
India captain Rohit Sharma is happy that his team is "moving in the right direction" and ticking the right boxes, but doesn't want complacency to creep in with just three months left for the T20 World Cup in Australia.
While praising Suryakumar, Buttler didn't forget to mention that his team can't afford to just think about him. "It would be remiss just to think about him. I think they have some other excellent players, as well,"
Dasun Shanaka is their 10th captain in nearly five years, and barring a classy batsman like Dhananjaya de Silva and a steady pacer in Dishmantha Chameera, this team lacks quality to challenge the might of the Indian team led by Shikhar Dhawan.
Shardul Thakur replaced spinner Axar Patel, who was transferred to the list of standby players.
Dravid said that Dinesh Karthik has been able to show skills at the backend of the innings during the last 2-3 years.
'The main motive is adapting to the situations and demands of the team'
Srinivas Bhogle and Purnendu Maji list India's Most Valuable ODI Players in the India-Australia T20 series.
Hardik suffered an acute lower back injury five months ago and underwent a surgery in London, following which he has been rehabilitating at the National Cricket Academy in Bengaluru. Hardik Pandya hit four towering sixes and ran swiftly between the wickets at the DY Patil T20 Cup as chief selector MSK Prasad closely monitored his fitness.
The chinks in India's pace bowling armour were badly exposed in the three-match T20s against Australia.
Rashid and Rahul turned the game on its head with their unbeaten 59-run stand from just 24 balls.
Australian legend Ricky Ponting feels Mohammed Shami's strength lies in the longest format and there are better quick bowlers in India's T20 set up, weighing in on his absence from the Asia Cup squad.
What changes must India make to the playing XI for Friday's second T20 International against Australia?
Abdul Samad bowled the 20th over and gave away 20 runs but it was not enough for CSK to get over the line as they faced their third defeat in this season.
Opening batsman Gautam Gambhir was dropped while India's medium pacer Bhuvaneswar was recalled to the 16-man squad for the next three Tests against England.
The Indian team is good enough to reach the semi-finals of T20 World Cup but for the side to play at its full potential, Hardik Pandya "needs to start bowling" and Bhuvneshwar Kumar must crank up the pace, feels former Australian speedster Brett Lee.
Suryakumar Yadav displayed his unmatched superiority in the shortest format with a breathtaking hundred as a dominant India thrashed New Zealand by 65 runs in the second T20 in Mount Maunganui on Sunday.
Images from the fifth Twenty20 International between India and England, in Ahmedabad, on Saturday.
Rishabh Pant made no bones about the uninspiring performance of the two leading spinners
Wicketkeeper Rishabh Pant said the failure of the Indian bowlers to claim wickets in the middle overs proved vital in their seven-wicket defeat against South Africa in the second ODI in Paarl on Friday.