Neither side will be at full strength, as a string of first-team players will be missing due to injuries, when India and New Zealand meet in the opening match of the ODI series on Wednesday in Hamilton.
Virat Kohli hit an unbeaten 154 to make short work of a seemingly steep target as India beat New Zealand by seven wickets in the third one-day international in Mohali to take a 2-1 lead in the five-match series on Sunday.
While Ajinkya Rahane always scores good runs, he seldom scores them quickly enough. And he doesn't bowl, although he is a handy fielder. Srinivas Bhogle and Purnendu Maji assess the India-West Indies ODI series.
A pure match-winner, a back-up opener and an effortless six-hitter in the class of Rohit Sharma -- Rishabh Pant merits selection in India's World Cup squad.
Srinivas Bhogle and Purnendu Maji identify India's Most Valuable ODI Players during the 2018-2019 season that has so far featured 22 games.
Promising Delhi batsman Unmukt Chand will lead India 'A' in three one-day matches against a visiting New Zealand 'A', while Abhishek Nayar will captain the side for the three-day and four-day games in the series, starting in Visakhapatnam on August 31. Chand has also been named for three-day and four-day games.
Shikhar Dhawan and stand-in skipper Rohit Sharma made a steady start and added 21 runs before Boult hit his rhythm.
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
Choosing between a third spinner and an extra batsman will be the topic of discussion when the three-member national selection panel decides on the Indian squad for the ICC Champions Trophy, starting June 1 in England.
Indian limited-overs captain Mahendra Singh Dhoni was on Monday retained in Group A of the men's player contracts for 2015-16 by the BCCI.
Pakistan are favourites in Asia Cup: Manjrekar
CSK's Harbhajan Singh and Mumbai Indians' Lasith Malinga were among the other big names to be released by their respective sides ahead of next month's auction.
Kolkata Knight Riders batsman Chris Lynn, on Monday, said Royal Challengers Bangalore would be the team to beat in the upcoming 10th edition of the Indian Premier League.
Ravichandran Ashwin and Ravindra Jadeja were ignored by the national selectors for the third time in a row as they continued with the younger crop for the ODI series against New Zealand.
The all-rounder is at the top of the MVP table more because of his batting than his bowling, note Srinivas Bhogle and Purnendu Maji.
The Board of Control for Cricket in India's Committee of Administrators (COA) on Tuesday doubled the annual retainership amount to Rs 2 crore for seven Grade A cricketers, including captain Virat Kohli and former skipper Mahendra Singh Dhoni.
The third umpire ruled Jadeja out after which Kohli looked miffed and rose from his seat before having a word with the fourth umpire Anil Choudhary. However, he did not enter the field of play.
Dhoni, who turned a year older Sunday, shook a leg with daughter Ziva in the presence of wife Sakshi as his teammates, in his preferred minimalistic manner.
Ajinkya Rahane, who has been axed for the upcoming three-match T20 series against Australia, on Monday said that he respects the decision taken by the team management and the selectors.
Selectors once again ignored Ashwin and Jadeja for the 3-match T20 series against Australia.
The Supreme Court-appointed Committee of Administrators announced a new category 'A+' with an annual retainership of Rs. 7 crore. The top category includes the likes of captain Virat Kohli, Rohit Sharma, Shikhar Dhawan, Bhuvneshwar Kumar and Jasprit Bumrah.
India and Australia play their opening T20 match In Ranchi on Saturday. And, although the visitors have added fresh faces to their squad for the three-match series, India are clearly the dominant side in this match-up.
Kedar Jadhav claimed he never lost faith in India's bowlers to deliver victory in a last-over thriller with Afghanistan. Jadhav's careful half century, alongside captain Virat Kohli's 67, were the two highlights in a difficult day at the crease for India's batsmen in their latest ICC Men's Cricket World Cup clash at the Hampshire Bowl.
Virat is No 1, Rohit is No 2, but guess who are 3, 4 and 5?
Kedar Jadhav's maiden Twenty20 International fifty proved decisive as India scored a nail-biting three-run victory over Zimbabwe in the final match and won the series 2-1 in Harare, on Wednesday. The Maharashtra batsman smashed 58 off 42 balls before Axar Patel came up with a late cameo, scoring 20 off 11 balls, as India posted a competitive 138 for 6.
Akila Dananjaya's career-best 6-54 was in vain as India beat Sri Lanka by three wickets in their second one-day international to go 2-0 up in the five-match series in Pallekele on Thursday.
Having already clinched the series, India would look to hand Zimbabwe a third successive whitewash while testing more youngsters when they take on the lacklustre hosts in the third and final One-day International in Harare, on Wednesday.
Sri Lankan batting once again promised a lot but delivered too little losing as many as seven wickets for 53 runs after they were cruising along at 185 for 3.
The Indian batting line-up's soft underbelly lay exposed in slightly favourable bowling conditions as New Zealand gave the two-time champions a rude wake-up call, easing to a six-wicket victory in the World Cup warm-up match at the Oval, in London, on Saturday.
Krishnappa Gowtham's late assault proved to the difference as India B registered a comprehensive 51-run win over India C to win the Deodhar Trophy title.
India captain Virat Kohli wants specific roles for certain players keeping a two-year time frame leading upto the 2019 World Cup in mind.
India would be aiming for a clean-sweep to dent England's confidence a bit more in the third and final One-Day International, their final ODI outing before the ICC Champions Trophy in less than five months, in Kolkata, on Sunday.
Shankar believes how he prepares will be the key factor going into the tournament.
'Sachin Tendulkar called him world's best fast bowler at the moment. Indeed he is, for the impact he has created. If you take Bumrah out of that India line-up, it's like you rip a heart out of the body'
India have never won an ODI series in South Africa, having lost 5-2 in 1992-93, 4-0 in 2006- 07, 3-2 in 2010-11 and 2-0 in 2013-14.
Chennai Super Kings will aim to maintain their pole position with a victory over a struggling Kings XI Punjab
Azim and Naushad Shaikh (36) then stitched a 109-run partnership before the latter was trapped leg before by leg-spinner Priyanshu Khanduri.
The nine-wicket demolition of Bangladesh exceeded even Virat Kohli's expectations but the skipper quickly played down the hype around the upcoming blockbuster ICC Champions Trophy final against arch-rivals Pakistan on Sunday.
Interestingly, the two players were named in the 15-member squad in place of Rohit Sharma and Jasprit Bumrah, with the Board of Control for Cricket in India not specifying any reason for leaving out the two players.
