Rediscovering himself in the twilight of his career, a rejuvenated Mahendra Singh Dhoni would look to continue his regained form and guide India to a series-clinching win when the hosts take on New Zealand in the fourth One-Day International, in Ranchi, on Wednesday.
England start as the favourites but India have a golden chance to reverse the trend and get into gear just before the World Cup.
And having watched the last 13 home Tests, I hope Virat and his team really has the potential to win anywhere - in or outside India, writes former India captain Sourav Ganguly.
It will be a test of character and battle for supremacy when Delhi Daredevils and Gujarat Lions, two of the most impressive teams of IPL 9, lock horns against each other at the Feroze Shah Kotla stadium in New Delhi on Wednesday. Barring one bad day in office, both Daredevils and Gujarat Lions had a near perfect campaign so far in the tournament. While new outfit Gujarat Lions are comfortably placed at the second spot in the eight-team standings with eight points from five matches, the Daredevils are a place below in the third position with six points from four games.
India's batting ace Yuvraj Singh commanded the highest price, Royal Challengers Bangalore paying a massive 14 crore for him, while Dinesh Karthik was a surprise pick at 12.5 crore by Delhi Daredevils.
Shikhar Dhawan hit a century but pacer Neil Wagner took four wickets to help New Zealand clinch a thrilling 40-run victory on the fourth day of the first Test.
The fourth One-Day International between India and Australia was abandoned in Ranchi, because of a wet outfield caused by heavy rain.
India yet again produced a listless bowling performance as Derbyshire piled up 326 for five at stumps of the first day of their second tour game ahead of five-match Test series against England.
Indian bowlers struggled even under favourable conditions on a rain-hit third day as the visitor's three-day practice match against Leicestershire ended in a draw.
Opener Kieran Powell's half century along with spinners Veerasammy Permaul and Nikita Miller's magical spell, tightened the West Indies A grip over India A on the third day of the first unofficial Test at Gangothri Glades Cricket Grounds in Mysore on Friday.
World champions India suffered a humiliating nine-wicket defeat against England after a flop show by their batsmen in the third One-Day International of the Carlton Mid Tri-Series, in Brisbane.
Off-spinner Nathan Lyon claimed seven wickets (7-152) to help the Aussies win the first Test at the Adelaide Oval on Saturday.
Exasperated by the never-ending speculation around his retirement, India's limited overs captain Mahendra Singh Dhoni on Sunday said being questioned about it at every platform will not change his plan to continue playing for a "considerable period" of time. "If I say something one month or 15 days back, the answer does not change. It's irrespective of where I'm asking. The answer remains the same. It's as simple as what is your name and I will say MS Dhoni. It will remain the same for a considerable period of time unless you give me a new format," Dhoni told reporters here ahead of the team's departure for the Asia Cup T20 in Bangladesh. Dhoni, on Friday, made it clear that he was not retiring from international cricket anytime soon. The 34-year-old Dhoni had called time on his Test career in the middle of the away series against Australia in December 2014. "There will be questions, you send me letters or requisitions. If you have the freedom, it's not right to ask all types of questions. It's very important to judge everything as to what needs to be done, why it needs to be done "Because somebody has the platform to ask questions, it does not mean that you keep on asking the same questions. It's a world today where everything is covered by media," an irritated Dhoni said on the oft-repeated query of his retirement.
Relishing the prospect of leading the side in the the first three ODIs against Sri Lanka, India's stand-in skipper Virat Kohli today said the hastily-planned series would be an exciting one, especially with World Cup spots up for grabs.
India's batsmen have gone about their job efficiently, posting big totals on the board but the bowlers have been ordinary at best, allowing the hosts to chase down those tall scores in each of the first three ODIs of the five-match series.
McCullum was 143 not out at the close of play, his eighth Test century, while Williamson was dismissed after tea for 113, his fifth hundred, as the Kiwis finished the opening day on a strong 329 for four in 90 overs.
Series already in their pocket, a rampaging India would look to keep the foot on the pedal and press for a clean sweep when they take on England in the fifth and final cricket one-dayer in Leeds on Friday.
India off-spinner Ravichandran Ashwin surged to the top of the MRF Tyres ICC Player Rankings for Test Bowlers after a superb outing in the first Test against the West Indies in Antigua which the visiting side won by an innings and 92 runs.
'I am always in favour of playing five bowlers, because if we play more batsmen, you can score 700 runs in a Test but that doesn't help in any way' 'We want to start the series with that same mindset, that our bowling should be strong enough to take 20 wickets' 'We have committed some mistakes we cannot afford in Test cricket if you want to be a champion side'
Rohit Sharma's sizzling century went in vain as Australia survived a few anxious moments before pulling off a tense four-wicket win over India in a cricket tri-series ODI match in Melbourne.
India's bowlers may have come under severe criticism for a below-par showing in the recent Test series in Australia but head coach Duncan Fletcher has defended them, saying the thrashing they got from the home side's batsmen was due to the inexperience of some of them.
Australia captain Steve Smith slammed a half-century to break Don Bradman's record for the most runs in a Test series against India and put the hosts in control on Day 4 of the fourth and final Test in Sydney.
The series is out of bounds but Indian cricket is all set to enter a new era under the feisty Virat Kohli, whose leadership would be put through a trial by fire when the visitors seek redemption in the fourth and final Test against Australia starting in Sydney on Tuesday.
With the cricket world still mourning the tragic death of Phillip Hughes, the first Test between India and Australia next week was on Saturday put off to an unspecified date and might even be cancelled to pay homage to the young batsman.
Rajneesh Gupta's fascinating figures from the Kolkata Test.
Virat Kohli scored a confident 136 and shared a 213-run partnership with Ajinkya Rahane (73) as India cruised to an easy six-wicket victory over Bangladesh in their Asia Cup opener, in Fatullah, on Wednesday night.
Joe Root scored his second ODI hundred as England denied India a clean sweep with a 41-run victory in the fifth and final match of the One-Day International series, in Leeds.
A spirited Bengal downed bitter foes Railways by 48 runs in their controversy-filled match at the Eden Gardens on Sunday to set up a Ranji Trophy semifinal clash against Maharashtra.
Jolted by the loss to Australia in their opening match, India will look to plug its bowling loopholes and ensure a stronger batting display when they take on England in their second ODI tri-series match in Brisbane on Tuesday. Both sides will be looking to register their first victory in the tournament, the hosts having stolen a march on them with two successive wins.
India Test regulars like Cheteswar Pujara and Ishant Sharma have also thrown their hat into the ring with base prices of Rs 50 and Rs 75 lakh respectively.
A confident India, with a new coach at the helm, will seek to record a third consecutive Test series triumph on the Caribbean soil when the Virat Kohli-led side clashes with an inexperienced West Indies in the first cricket match, in Antigua, on Thursday.
Mohammed Shami was the wrecker-in-chief as India scored a resounding innings and 51-run victory over the West Indies in the first Test at the Eden Gardens in Kolkata on Friday. Victory, sealed with well over six sessions left, gave India its fifth Test win in a row, after the 4-0 whitewash of Australia earlier in the year.
Their World Cup build-up halted by West Indies team's sudden mid-series pullout, India would resume the preparations for the mega-event when they square off against under-cooked sub-continental rivals Sri Lanka in a hastily-arranged ODI series starting in Cuttack on Sunday.
The Indian bowling unit not only gave away too many runs in the four-match Test against Australia but also failed to get 20 Australian wickets in any of the games.
Virat Kohli said being called a "spoilt brat" by the Australians brought the best out of him as he smashed a career-best 169 to lead India's strong reply on the third day of the third Test, in Melbourne, on Sunday.
Day 4 in the first Test was dominated by Australian performances. First, spinner Nathan Lyon bagged his sixth five-wicket haul as India were dismissed for 444 in the first innings. Then, opener David Warner continued in his sublime form and struck his second century of the match as the home side put up 290 for five in their second innings, an overall lead of 363 runs. Here are images from Friday's play at the Adelaide Oval.
Seeking to continue their winning momentum and take an unassailable 2-0 lead, India were dealt a blow ahead of the third one-dayer against England at Trent Bridge on Saturday as opener Rohit Sharma was ruled out of the remainder of the tour because of injury.
Half-centuries from Shikhar Dhawan and Dinesh Karthik combined with excellent performances from their bowlers helped India 'A' outclass Australia 'A' by 50 runs to win the 'A' teams tri-series in Pretoria, on Wednesday.
Under-fire batsman Virat Kohli finally came good and the bowlers delivered to help India beat Middlesex by 95 runs in the the 50-over practice game at Lord's.
Ishant Sharma exploited the seaming conditions brilliantly to return a career-best 6 for 51 as India took early control of the second and final Test by bowling out New Zealand for a paltry 192 in the first innings in Wellington on Friday. Opener Shikhar Dhawan then hit an unbeaten half-century as India reached 100 for 2 at close, still trailing by 92 runs at the Basin Reserve.
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