And congratulations were in store for the team.
Drafted into the team for the first time in the ongoing cricket World Cup, Pakistan wicketkeeper Sarfraz Ahmed made an instant impact with a record-equalling six catches and 49 runs in the team's upset win over South Africa in Auckland.
Titans skipper Henry Davids (64) and Jacques Rudolph (49 not out) put on a century stand to lead their side to a crushing eight-wicket win over Sunrisers Hyderabad in their Champions League Twenty20 Group B match in Ranchi on Saturday.
David Warner's power-packed performance complemented by excellent death bowling from Bhuvneshwar Kumar enabled Sunrisers Hyderabad record an emphatic 10-wicket victory over Gujarat Lions, in a lopsided Indian Premier League encounter, in Rajkot, on Thursday.
South Africa will be hoping to ease new coach Ottis Gibson into his job in a two-Test series against Bangladesh where the home side defend a one-sided record against their opponents but are light on fast bowlers and still tinkering with their top order.
Legendary South African batsman Barry Richards feels Virat Kohli is a few notches above his contemporaries in the Indian team but still has some way to go before one can compare him with the iconic Sachin Tendulkar.
'We are at this stage where we have lost almost all of our experience'
Rediff.com takes a look at how the owners fared this time.
Vishwa Fernando bagged four wickets as Sri Lanka took the honours on day one of the first Test against South Africa by reducing their hosts to 235 all out at Kingsmead on Wednesday.
There is a definite spring in Ajinkya Rahane's steps after he ended a 17-Test run of not scoring a hundred, a number which has proved to be lucky for him.
'We are known as a team who starts slow, so this time around we have to start well. There is a lot of pressure on players, (but then) it's international cricket and you want to keep it that way.'
South Africa will hope the new year brings about a change in luck as they seek to put behind them a disappointing 2015 and get back to winning ways against England in the second Test at Newlands starting on Saturday.
Captain Hashim Amla has said South Africa were suffering a crisis of confidence following a woeful 2015 which culminated with a 241-run defeat to England in the first Test.
Kallis had earlier said that not entering the tournament as favourites could work in South Africa's favour.
Captain Virat Kohli roared back to form with a scintillating unbeaten 83 as India further consolidated their position with whopping overall lead of 403 runs at stumps on Day 3 of the fourth and final Test against South Africa at the Feroz Shah Kotla, in Delhi, on Saturday.
South Africa's pace bowlers laid the foundation for a crushing nine-wicket victory over Pakistan in the first Twenty20 international at Dubai International Cricket Stadium on Wednesday.
RCB suffered four consecutive defeats to finish the league stage at the fourth spot, SRH registered a hat-trick of wins to edge past Virat Kohli's men in the standings.
Seamer Duanne Olivier completed an 11-wicket match haul as South Africa roared back into contention in the first Test
South Africa's success in Australia is often put down to their comfort on the hard local tracks, which can be similar to those at home, but they could face some unfamiliar conditions this year.
Rajasthan Royals, who have won their last two games, will look for another victory against RCB and keep their hopes alive of making it to the IPL play-offs.
Unheralded teenagers Prabh Simran Singh and Prayas Ray Barman attracted astonishing bids during the IPL Players' Auction on a day when superstar Dale Steyn went unsold and once a hot-property Yuvraj Singh went for his base price.
Images from Wednesday's Indian Premier League match between Royal Challengers Bangalore and Mumbai Indians, in Abu Dhabi.
Moeen Ali, who is set to return to England to prepare for the upcoming World Cup, says leaving the Indian Premier League midway through the season is a shame, especially when there is a slim chance of Royal Challengers Bangalore making it into the semi-finals if they win all the remaining games.
Pacer Navdeep Saini, who is among India's standbys for the World Cup, says he is ready for his big break in the mega event should the need arises.
Former India captain Sourav Ganguly, who is a member of the Marylebone Cricket Club World Cricket Committee, will skip its upcoming meeting at Lord's on August 11-12.
India's long winning streak in Test cricket is under threat in a quick-fire three match series against South Africa this month, where their status as the top ranked nation in the format faces a stiff examination.
While South Africa grabbed a 1-0 lead in the three-match series, the visitors squandered a golden opportunity to script a memorable win outside the sub-continent.
The three-Test South Africa series is the first of a gruelling 2018-19 season that includes tours to England and Australia.
The auction ahead of the ninth edition of the Indian Premier League had in store something on expected lines and some surprises. Here's a look at the top buys after the first round.
South Africa captain Hashim Amla feels frustrated over 'bizarre' rain-hit series against Bangladesh.
Six out of the 10 days in the entire series were thus lost to rain, questioning the logic behind scheduling the tour during monsoon season
Buttler departed after an angry exchange with Ashwin and his exit condemned the Royals to a 14-run defeat in their IPL opener in Jaipur.
David Miller and Faf du Plessis scored sparkling centuries in a partnership of 252 runs as South Africa beat Australia by 40 runs in a one-day international, in Hobart, on Sunday, to win the three-match series 2-1.
There is speculation that the T20 World Cup, scheduled to be held between October 18 and November 15 giving BCCI a window to organise the IPL.
Kings XI Punjab once again showed their batting might as the table-toppers chased down another 200-plus run target to comfortably beat Sunrisers Hyderabad by six wickets in an IPL match in Uppal on Wednesday.
David Warner thumped a run-a-ball century as Australia dominated the opening day of the third and final Test against South Africa, piling up 331 for three at Newlands on Saturday.
Australia's dramatic collapse against South Africa at the weekend has drawn inevitable comparisons with their previous Test defeat but vanquished coach Darren Lehmann says the two losses were vastly different.
It's worse than a nightmare but letting the youngsters in the team wallow in self-pity is the last thing skipper Faf du Plessis would want ahead of their crucial game against world No 2 India.
From bloody noses to sparks on the race track, Rediff.com has the best pictures from the last week snapped right here...
As many as 76 players including 28 from overseas will go under the hammer at the 2017 Indian Premier League auction to be held in Bengaluru on February 20.
