Ajinkya Rahane will have his task cut out once he dons the captain's armband after Kohli returns to India following the opening Test.
The vice-captain of the Australian team Michael Clarke feels that combating India's pace spearhead Zaheer Khan and off-spinner Harbhajan Singh will be a tough ask but they are up for it.
On a roll post the IPL's resumption, Chennai Super Kings and Kolkata Knight Riders will look to continue their winning streak when they meet in a high-octane Indian Premier League encounter, in Abu Dhabi, on Sunday.
Harbhajan Singh's tweet about 'spin-friendly' pitches in India lead to a controversy with many perceiving the senior spinner was taking a dig at India's spin king Ravinchandran Ashwin. Ashwin was awarded man of the series for taking 27 wickets in the recently concluded Test series against New Zealand. The off-spinner has also taken the No.1 spot in Test rankings for bowlers.
Mumbai Indians have won three out of the four IPL finals they have been part of, including the two against CSK in 2013 and 2015.
As the beleaguered Indian cricket team start picking up pieces after a forgettable first Test, the spotlight is firmly fixed on team's senior-most pro Harbhajan Singh whose unimpressive show in the 63-run defeat has raised question marks about his future.
A win for either side will help it consolidate its position at the top and also seal a spot in Qualifier 1.
As Harbhajan Singh celebrates his 30th birthday, rediff.com looks back on his five best moments in Test cricket.
Images from the fourth match of the Asia Cup between India and Pakistan in Dambulla, on Saturday.
With this victory, Kohli became the first Indian captain to win seven consecutive Test matches.
Bollywood actress Geeta Basra was back in the stands, and cheering for Mumbai Indians during the Indian Premier League match against Sunrisers Hyderabad, at the Rajiv Gandhi International Cricket Stadium, Hyderabad, on Sunday.
Faf du Plessis's half-century and Mahendra Singh Dhoni's late assault helped Chennai Super Kings register a comfortable 22-run victory against Kings XI Punjab in the IPL match, in Chennai, on Saturday.
The Mahmudullah-led Bangladesh defeated India in the series opener last week
Calling Mahendra Singh Dhoni his mentor, wicketkeeper-batsman Rishabh Pant says the World Cup-winning skipper has his own way of helping the younger crop as he never provides a full solution to a problem, encouraging them to look for answers.
Indian captain Mahendra Singh Dhoni and off-spinner Harbhajan Singh are recovering fast and they are set to play the second Test against Bangladesh in Dhaka from January 24, team manager Arshad Ayub said in Chittagong.
Star Australian opener David Warner does not see the need to abolish the use of saliva to shine the ball when cricket resumes in the post coronavirus world as he feels it is no more or no less risky than sharing the change room with fellow players. There is speculation that use of saliva to shine the ball will be stopped to cut down the risk of the highly contagious infection when international cricket restarts.
Former India spinner Harbhajan Singh expressed his concern over rising levels of pollution in New Delhi and urged Prime Minister Narendra Modi to take all necessary steps to address the problem.
Mumbai Indians will be fretting over their team combination as they take on a marauding Kolkata Knight Riders in an Indian Premier League encounter, in Mumbai, on Sunday.
Eyeing a maiden IPL title, the fancied Delhi Capitals will face another litmus test in the form of a Kolkata Knight Riders unit brimming with optimism when the two sides lock horns in the Qualifier 2 match in Sharjah on Wednesday.
It will be a test of Virat Kohli's tactical acumen against the ice-cool demeanour of Eoin Morgan when perennial underachievers Royal Challengers Bangalore clash with former champions Kolkata Knight Riders in the IPL Eliminator in Sharjah on Monday.
Balram Singh met Virat Kohli, Yuvraj Singh and Harbhajan Singh in Sydney.
Bailey hopes find a cool drink in IPL's tight schedule.
India vice-captain Rohit Sharma wants his team to win at least two out of the next three World Cups and says the management is making a conscious effort to give young players adequate chances to prove themselves. India have not won a global event since the 2013 Champions Trophy. Rohit had hit a record five hundreds in the 2019 World Cup but India could not go beyond the semi-finals.
Being a student of the game Ashwin wants to evolve as a cricketer and a person everyday.
Andrew Symonds claimed India spinner Harbhajan Singh 'broke down crying' while making peace after the infamous 'monkeygate' episode had sent the former Australian all-rounder into a downward spiral.
'This is a really boring pregnancy as I have no cravings.'
Afridi said that he was surprised by the comments of Indian great Kapil and former IPL chairman, Rajeev Shukla, who outrightly dismissed Akhtar's suggestion. He also questioned the PCB and the Pakistan team management for making fitness of players a big issue.
Harbhajan Singh has come out in support of his longtime team mate Anil Kumble amid reports of rift between the current India coach and captain Virat Kohli.
The Headlingley triumph marked the start of a new and important chapter in Indian cricket, with the Indians winning consistently away from home from that point onwards.
Amid speculation surrounding India-Pakistan World Cup clash owing to the Pulwama terror attack, the International Cricket Council said it does not foresee any change in the schedule of the mega event, starting on May 30.
India skipper Virat Kohli was effusive in praise of Ravchandran Ashwin after the off-spinner became only the fourth Indian, and sixth spinner in the world, to take 400 Test wickets.
Former India great VVS Laxman feels Mayank Agarwal's "fearless" approach while batting resembles the maverick Virender Sehwag, the Karnataka opener's idol.
Rajneesh Gupta presents all the numbers you need to know about Virat Kohli in Test cricket.
Sunil Narine and Varun Chakravarthy, have done an excellent job in restricting the oppositions but KKR's top-order batting has hurt them the most.
Captain KL Rahul has been one of the few consistent performers in the formidable-looking Punjab batting unit and he once again led by example against MI
In 2019, Bumrah not only emerged as India's pace spearhead in all three formats of the game, but also became one of the best bowlers of the world.
'The art of swing bowling should come back. Learning the knuckle ball and all is fine. If you don't know how to swing the ball, everything is waste.'
KKR have so far failed to come together as a unit and slipped to sixth in the table after starting the tournament on a high against Sunrisers Hyderabad.
India's batting superstar Virat Kohli celebrates his 28th birthday on Saturday. Courtesy of his batting heroics, Kohli has become one of the most loved cricketers in India in the last few years, following in the footsteps of the legendary Sachin Tendulkar.
India will miss the injured Harbhajan Singh but have two spinners who can make their mark in Sri Lanka, captain Mahendra Singh Dhoni said on Monday.
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