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.
With the national selection committee and the team management deciding to promote Rohit as an opener, keeping his spunky strokeplay in mind, the next five Tests could be a make or break for the 32-year-old stylish right-hander.
Karnataka looked set to secure a big first innings lead against Goa despite fighting half-centuries by three of the home team's batters on day three of their Elite Group C match in Porvorim, on Thursday.
A summary of the Ranji Trophy matches played on Wednesday.
Dhapola's feat did not miss the attention of the BCCI secretary Jay Shah who termed it as one of the finest bowling performances of the tournament.
New Zealand pace spearheads exploited a tricky Basin Reserve wicket to bowl India out for under 200 twice with Jamieson's height and delivery angle providing plenty of problems.
Virat Kohli's split second indiscretion became his undoing as he went for a needless pull-shot to a well-disguised short ball.
New Zealand's debutant pacer Kyle Jamieson says with his height, he "can afford to go a fraction fuller", especially at the Basin Reserve which has extra bounce.
The BCCI will lock in a three-week window between September 15 and October 15 for the resumption of the currently-suspended IPL in the UAE, when it holds a Special General Meeting (SGM) virtually on Saturday.
All-rounder Thisara Perera smashed a quickfire half-century as Sunrisers Hyderabad staged a remarkable fightback to pip Trinidad and Tobago by four wickets in the Champions League Twenty20 in Mohali.
Shubman Gill's stellar show for India A in the recently-concluded two-match unofficial Test series against New Zealand is an indicator that he is ready for Test debut, believes senior off-spinner Harbhajan Singh. Shubman had scores of 83 and 204 not out batting in middle-order in the first unofficial Test for India A and then scored a hundred while opening the batting in the second game, showing his versatility at different slots. Prithvi Shaw, back in the Test squad after 16 months, is also a contender in the playing XI with his equally dazzling repertoire of strokes.
Two more failures in two home games could effectively mean end of the road for Ajinkya Rahane, who is leading India in the first Test in Kanpur, starting on Thursday.
Faiz Fazal and Jalaj Saxena hit half-centuries to keep Central Zone in the contest after South Zone had taken the first innings lead of day three of Duleep Trophy final at the Feroz Shah Kotla in Delhi, on Friday.
Norma Godinho evaluates the Indians after their humiliating loss in Perth.
Pujara established himself as the difference between the sides in the ongoing series against Australia on Friday.
Pujara has been criticised for his ultra-defensive approach in the series so far and instead of propping up his team's response to Australia's first innings total
India spinners Ravichandran Ashwin and Ravindra Jadeja are both under an injury cloud ahead of the Boxing Day Test against Australia, leaving the tourists with a potential selection conundrum.
A big win on Saturday will not only will boost Delhi's morale after the 80-run hammering at the hands of CSK but it could also propel the side to the second position in the eight-team standings.
A win for either side will help it consolidate its position at the top and also seal a spot in Qualifier 1.
For Kohli, a trophy-less cabinet doesn't do justice to the champion performer that he has been for a decade.
A confident Delhi are coming off two back-to-back victories against Royal Challengers Bangalore and a strong Kolkata Knight Riders outfit.
In charge of a house in complete disorder, Virat Kohli will hope that Royal Challengers Bangalore play in the manner that defines his cricket when they meet Delhi Capitals in the IPL match in Bengaluru on Sunday.
Workload management of pacer Jasprit Bumrah and all-rounder Hardik Pandya will be the focus when Mumbai Indians take on a renamed Delhi Capitals in their first match of the 12th Indian Premier League in Mumbai on Sunday.
Rest the skipper against a West Indies team whose batsmen would struggle against some Ranji Trophy sides and try out some new players in the Hyderabad Test recommends Harish Kotian.
Dean Elgar and Quinton de Kock struck commanding hundreds to author South Africa's spectacular fightback before Ravichandran Ashwin wrested back India's control with a five-wicket haul on the third day of the opening Test.
Sunrisers Hyderabad face an uphill task to find their way through in the ongoing Indian Premier League as they get ready to take on formidable Chennai Super Kings.
From Under-19 talents such as Prithvi Shaw and Shivam Mavi to last domestic season's top run-getter Mayank Agarwal, the list includes all those whom the selection committee found worthy of national or A team call-up in the near future
Images from Day 4 of the fifth and final Test between England and India at The Oval in London on Monday.
An extra bowler would have allowed the rest of the attack more time to recuperate, feels Indian pacer Jasprit Bumrah, who conceded they failed to execute their plans against England's tailenders on the second day of the fifth and final Test.
Jasprit Bumrah doesn't want to indulge in a 'blame game' which he believes is an exercise in futility. He had copped a bit of criticism for his dry spell in the ODI series as well as the first Test but Bumrah said that he doesn't bother as long as he knows that he is bowling well.
Hat-trick man Jasprit Bumrah attains highest rating points by an India seamer since since Kapil Dev in 1981.
Cheteshwar Pujara's masterful 193 and Rishabh Pant's magnificent unbeaten 159 extinguished Australia's hopes of winning the SCG Test.
India play their World Test Championship opener against the Windies on Thursday, but captain Virat Kohli will be in a quandary over team selection. Will they play Ajinkya Rahane and Rohit Sharma, or drop either to adopt a five-bowler strategy?
Prithvi Shaw, who last played for India in October 2018, returns to the side after Rohit Sharma was ruled out of the ODI and Test series due to a left calf muscle strain.
'But I will say that Australia played better cricket than us and they played more consistently. That's why then won the match. Beyond that, I don't think I need to over-analyse this game'
'It's a very tricky decision to make what kind of a bowling option you want to go with or you want to think whether that guy can contribute with the bat as well or not. Eventually you come to one decision and we backed that decision and we went ahead with it. Whether it comes off or not is a different thing.'
Australia need five wickets in the second Test to secure a series-levelling victory with India's daunting run chase on a menacing pitch teetering at stumps on day four on Monday.
IMAGES from Day 3 of the 2nd Test at Perth on Monday
Pacer Jasprit Bumrah has been rested for the three-match T20Is and ODIs against West Indies but has been included in the Test squad, while veteran wicketkeeper Mahendra Singh Dhoni is 'unavailable' for the entire tour.
Dhoni's contract not being renewed is not exactly a surprise as he has not played a competitive game since that World Cup semifinal on July
