The spotlight though was on the 36-year-old former India captain, who now has to fend off questions about his future with alarming regularity.
Rajasthan Royals and Chennai Super Kings, the two franchises that returned to the IPL after serving bans in the aftermath of the 2013 spot-fixing scandal, will come face to face for the first time in the ongoing edition, keen to regain lost momentum in Pune, on Friday.
There remains a big question mark over who will be India's No.4 in the World Cup.
A 'Shane Warne like drift' makes Kuldeep Yadav a more difficult bowler to face compared to Yuzvendra Chahal, believes former Australia opener Matthew Hayden.
After their below par showing in the World Cup, some senior Indian players are living on borrowed time.
The India captain's 41st ODI century wasn't enough to prevent India from losing the third ODI against Australia by 32 runs in Ranchi, on Friday.
Any public criticism of umpiring decisions invites sanctions from the ICC and Dhoni chose his words very carefully.
India captain Virat Kohli shrugged off concerns about his team's lower-middle order ahead of their ICC Champions Trophy semi-final with Bangladesh on Thursday and called for complete focus against their "dangerous" opponents.
A ruthless India, sporting its new flaming orange and blue colours, will be eyeing pole position with a solid knock-out punch on an already disintegrated England in Sunday's high-profile World Cup encounter. With an unbeaten record in six encounters so far, Virat Kohli's men are all but through to the semi-finals with 11 points, but victory over England will tighten their grip at the top and, in the process, oust the world's No 1 ODI team from the global event.
India skipper Virat Kohli said his team has strengthened its lower middle-order and that has eased the pressure on Mahendra Singh Dhoni to finish off the games.
Shikhar Dhawan continued his love affair with the ICC Champions Trophy with yet another elegant hundred, guiding India to an imposing 321 for six.
A first T20 series victory in New Zealand will be the icing on the cake for the Men in Blue, who have far exceeded expectations during their three-month sojourn in this part of the world.
MS Dhoni is ready for limited overs series against South Africa.
It will be a different sort of challenge for Mahendra Singh Dhoni when he captains a new-look Indian cricket team against Zimbabwe in the first ODI of a short series starting in Harare on Saturday.
Rohit Sharma-led squad will be hoping it has enough left in the tank to record a maiden T20 series win in New Zealand
Fit again Rohit Sharma and Mohammad Shami on Monday staged comeback in India's 15-member ODI squad.
Fast bowler Trent Boult picked up five wickets as New Zealand hammered India by eight wickets in the fourth One-Day International.
Troubled England all-rounder Ben Stokes and India off-spinner Ravichandran Ashwin are among the 16 marquee players for the upcoming Indian Premier League Players' Auction in Bengaluru on January 27 and 28.
Srinivas Bhogle and Purnendu Maji present Rediff.com's Most Valuable Players ratings after the league phase in IPL 10.
He believes that his game thrives well in pressure situations and Hardik Pandya does not have to look too far as he has both Mahendra Singh Dhoni and Virat Kohli for "inspiration." "There's a lot to learn when both (Kohli and Dhoni) of them bat. Their batting, running between wickets inspire us. It's at another level. It's fun to watch them bat together," Pandya paid glowing tributes to his seniors on the eve of their fourth ODI against New Zealand in Ranchi. A 151-run match-winning partnership between Dhoni (80) and Kohli (154 not out) set up their seven-wicket win in Mohali as India will look to seal the issue in the five-match rubber at the Jharkhand State Cricket Association Stadium Complex in Ranchi on Wednesday.
India captain Mahendra Singh Dhoni was rested for the first three One-day Internationals against Sri Lanka next month and batting mainstay Virat Kohli will lead the side in his absence.
Hardik Pandya stole the limelight on his ODI debut with the new ball in hand, on Sunday and captain Mahendra Singh Dhoni backs the all-rounder to be one of his premier fast bowlers for next year's Champions Trophy in England.
'Over the last 12 months Virat's averaged 133, Shikhar 75, and Rohit 50; so there's a lot of runs and balls faced from their top three. It's important to get them as early as you can because once they get in, they score fast and they don't seem to get out too easily'
After an emphatic ODI clean-sweep, India would be looking to continue their dominance when they square off against Zimbabwe in a couple of Twenty20 Internationals starting in Harare on Friday.
Srinivas Bhogle and Purnendu Maji present the Most Valuable Player Index of the just-concluded three-match series between India and Zimbabwe.
An inspired Yuvraj Singh once again led from the front with an all-round effort while leg-spinner Rahul Sharma produced a five-for as India 'A' cantered to a crushing 93-run win in the one-off Twenty20 match against the West Indies 'A'.
Hardik Pandya has come back 'wiser' into the Indian team after being dropped and says his recent performance has given him a sense of belonging at the highest level.
Images from Thursday's IPL match between Rajasthan Royals and Chennai Super Kings, in Jaipur.
After putting a stop to their prolonged losing streak, Delhi Daredevils will look to carry forward the momentum when they take on Sunrisers Hyderabad in their Indian Premier League encounter in Visakhapatnam on Saturday.
Virat Kohli appears able to produce miracles with his bat and the India captain masterminded yet another successful chase in Sunday's run-feast against England to enhance his reputation as the second innings king of one-day cricket.
'This win is going to take a while to sink in'
Captain Virat Kohli admitted that India were at least 30 runs short while lauding the application shown by New Zealand's batsmen, especially Tom Latham, in the first One-Day International at the Wankhede stadium, in Mumbai, on Sunday.
Snapped up for Rs 1.7 crore, Gurinder Sandhu is highly rated by Ricky Ponting.
'It was difficult two years for the franchise. The desire to get back to the competition was high. It was sustainable to keep winning throughout. The players were motivated (to win)'
Mumbai Indians humbled Chennai Super Kings by 37 runs in the Indian Premier League, in Mumbai, on Wednesday.
'As far as batting is concerned, obviously the one area we look to focus on is to maintain our batting techniques and use T20s and ODIs as an extension of our Test batting' 'But I think these guys have shown character and stuck it out whenever we've been under pressure. And that, to me, is the stand out of this series as a captain'
India will be itching to avenge the thrashing they got in Guwahati when they take on an edgy but resilient Australia in the series-deciding third and final Twenty20 International in Hyderabad on Friday.
India had a forgettable outing with both bat and ball as Australia bounced back in the T20 International series with a crushing eight-wicket win in the second match in Guwahati, on Tuesday.
Dhoni would be the centre of discussion amid speculation that the Jharkhand player is contemplating retirement even though he hasn't spoken about it till now.
Rain is expected to play role in 5th ODI in Thiruvananthapuram even as the wicket-keeper batsmen will look to complete 10,000 ODI runs.
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