All-rounder Stuart Binny stamped his class by hitting a sparkling unbeaten century as Karnataka took firm grip of the Irani Trophy match against Rest of India (ROI) with a 189-run first innings lead in Bangalore on Monday.
Sunrsiers' middle-order has hardly been tested and when the opportunity came against Mumbai Indians, the likes of Vijay Shankar, Manish Pandey, Deepak Hooda and Yusuf Pathan fell flat.
The home team's bowlers will be wary of Chris Gayle's power-hitting.
Pujara established himself as the difference between the sides in the ongoing series against Australia on Friday.
Images from Day 1 of the one-off Test, between India and Afghanistan, in Bengaluru, on Thursday.
Seamer Jasprit Bumrah took five wickets as India seized control of the third and final Test against South Africa on Thursday, going to the close of the second day with a 42-run lead on a treacherous wicket at the Wanderers.
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.
Minor tweaks to his bowling after the lunch break made all the difference for left-arm spinner Steve O'Keefe who claimed a career-best six for 35 to put Australia ahead in the opening Test against India on Friday.
Factbox on the four-Test series between India and Australia, which starts at Pune on Thursday:
The Elite list is set to comprise only three players ---skipper Virat Kohli, his limited overs deputy Rohit Sharma and Jasprit Bumrah.
Srinivas Bhogle and Purnendu Maji list the Most Valuable Players of the India-New Zealand ODI series.
Australia coach Darren Lehmann said more thought needed to be given to the positioning of the "spidercam" TV camera after his captain Steve Smith spilled a key catch in the fourth Test against India on Thursday.
Chief selector MSK Prasad told reporters last month that most of the players in the current India side pick themselves and it was a matter of finalising a couple of slots before the World Cup in England and Wales.
Rahane to lead India in one-off Test vs Afghanistan
Australia beat India by three wickets with the final delivery in a low-scoring first Twenty20 international.
Ravindra Jadeja continued his impressive form in India's second and final tour match against West Indies Board President's XI as he followed up his three-wicket spell with a fine half-century on the second day.
Indian cricket icon Sachin Tendulkar has turned a year older.
Srinivas Bhogle and Purnendu Maji identify India's Most Valuable ODI Players during the 2018-2019 season that has so far featured 22 games.
The Indian under-23 team lifted the ACC Emerging Trophy tournament as they thrashed arch-rivals Pakistan by nine wickets in the final with opener Lokesh Rahul (93) being the star of a lop-sided chase.
In a team that mostly includes aggressive stroke-players, the 22-year-old Rahul's fortitude makes him just the right choice. The fact that he played in Australian conditions in recent times, having opened for India 'A', will be an added advantage.
The 31-year-old has been ruled out of the opening test due to a mild hamstring strain, the Team India Director Ravi Shastri said in Colombo, on Monday.
He may have scored a fluent century to steady India from the early jitters against Sri Lanka in the second Test, but opener Lokesh Rahul has mixed feelings about his innings.
David Warner slammed a whirlwind 50-ball 92 to set up a comfortable 15-run win for Sunrisers Hyderabad over Royal Challengers Bangalore in their Indian Premier League match, in Hyderabad, on Saturday.
India pacer Ishant Sharma wrecked havoc with the ball as he claimed a five-wicket haul to leave the Sri Lanka Board President's XI in tatters on Day 2 of the three-day tour match, in Colombo, on Friday.
Captain Virat Kohli determinedly led India's fightback on an engrossing day two on Saturday, blunting Australia's bowling attack to leave the second Test hanging in the balance.
Images from Friday's IPL match between Kings XI Punjab and Kolkata Knight Riders, in Mohali.
De Villiers was set to lead the side in Kohli's absence but the South African was ruled out of the team's opening game of the season on Wednesday.
Rajneesh Gupta presents some interesting numbers from Day 2:
David Warner blasted a quickfire half-century before Sunrisers Hyderabad survived a sensational onslaught from David Miller to register a thrilling five-run victory against Kings XI Punjab and keep themselves in the hunt for a place in the play-offs of the Indian Premier League, in Hyderabad, on Monday.
Adam Zampa picked up two wickets in a miserly spell of leg spin bowling as Australia edged India by four runs in an enthralling rain-shortened Twenty20 International in Brisbane on Wednesday.
Seeking home comforts after multiple reverses at the Ferozshah Kotla, Delhi Capitals will be desperate to buck the trend when they take on a rejuvenated Kings XI Punjab in the Indian Premier League, in Delhi, on Saturday.
India coach Anil Kumble gave a measured response on Friday after his team's spectacular collapse against Australia in the opening Test, calling it just one bad day for his world No 1 team.
Images from Day 4 of the second Test between Sri Lanka and India in Colombo, on Sunday.
Rohit Sharma blazed his way to the joint fastest century in T20 Internationals, reaching the three-figure mark off just 35 balls in the second T20 International against Sri Lanka in Indore on Friday.
Sam Curran grabbed four top Indian wickets in the first innings and gave his team a precious 13-run lead despite a century by Indian skipper Kohli.
Lakmal's sensational spell, in which he struck thrice without conceding a run in six overs, saw him remove opener Lokesh Rahul on the first ball of the match after play began three and a half hours late due to wet conditions.
India have the perfect opportunity to find a solution to their top-order batting woes before their year-end series in Australia when the world's top-ranked side host two Tests against lowly West Indies, starting on Thursday.
Among his wards, Mayank Agarwal, Prithvi Shaw and Hanuma Vihari have taken to Test cricket like duck to water, all-rounder Vijay Shankar is staking World Cup claims, while Shubhman Gill broke into the ODI team in New Zealand.
India's young guns will get an opportunity to fire on the big stage and carry forward the team's exceptional dominance over England when they clash with the visitors in the three-match Twenty20 series, starting in Kanpur on Thursday.
'Overall as a team, they cannot be seen as walkover. They're very competitive as a one-day and T20 side. They keep proving it over and over again'
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