Shubman Gill's run-a-ball 83 was the only high point for India 'A' as New Zealand 'A' grabbed the opening day honours in their first unofficial Test, in Christchurch, on Thursday. The Indians were all out for 216 in their first innings before the hosts responded strongly as they reached 105 for two at the close of play.
'Your character stood out for me than the number of runs you scored," said India captain Virat Kohli while explaining his decision to give opening Mayank Agarwal a Test debut in the 2018-19 Australia series. Agarwal had made his Test debut against Australia in the third Test of the four-match series in Melbourne in December 2018. The opening batsman impressed in his very first outing for India, hitting a solid 76 in his very first innings in Test cricket and followed it up with 42 in the second.
The focus will be firmly on India's Test vice-captain Ajinkya Rahane and young prodigy Prithvi Shaw when Mumbai take on Karnataka in their Ranji Trophy Elite Group B game, beginning in Mumbai on Friday. Both Rahane and Shaw failed with the bat in the last Ranji Trophy game against Railways which the domestic giants lost by 10 wickets inside two and half days.
Who do you think should be part of India's playing XI for the first Test against Australia?
Openers Mayank Agarwal and Priyank Panchal struck fine half-centuries as India A registered a comfortable seven-wicket victory over the West Indies A in the second unofficial Test, in Port of Spain, on Saturday.
India 'A' bowlers fought back with a flurry of wickets in the final session to reduce the West Indies 'A' to 243 for five, on Day 1 of the second unofficial Test.
India retained their number one spot and captain Virat Kohli remained static at second in the ICC rankings. India have 116 rating points, six more than New Zealand with third-placed Australia accumulating 108 points.
Images from Day 2 of the second Test between India and Sri Lanka, in Bengaluru, on Sunday.
Australia's Steve Smith is back on top of the list of batsmen in the MRF Tyres ICC Test Player Rankings after India captain Virat Kohli could manage only 21 runs in his two innings in the first Test against New Zealand in Wellington, which his side lost by 10 wickets to concede a 1-0 lead in the two-match series. This is the eighth time that Smith is on top of the rankings after first occupying the top position in June 2015.
Virat Kohli said India would not go into their shells as they prepared for the series-deciding game at Hagley Oval from Feb. 29.
The careers of senior pros Ajinkya Rahane and Ishant Sharma are on the line when the selectors pick the Indian Test squad for the coming tour of South Africa.
Images from Day 2 of the first Test between India and Bangladesh in Indore.
India have more serious worries on their hands heading into the Boxing Day Test at the Melbourne Cricket Ground next week - the visitors are definitely in a spot of bother as far as their opening combination is concerned.
India captain Virat Kohli has reached to within one point of top-ranked Steve Smith in the MRF Tyres ICC Test Player Rankings after his imperious 254 not out in the second Test against South Africa in Pune.
Who do you think should be part of India's playing XI for the second Test?
Images from Day 2 of the third Test between South Africa and India, in Cape Town, on Wednesday.
Opener Mayank Agarwal stamped his authority on a struggling South African attack with a second successive hundred as India gained the upperhand on the opening day of the second Test.
Mayank Agarwal and Manish Pandey smashed centuries to power India 'A' to a 34-run win over South Africa A and qualify for the tri-series final at the M A Chidambaram Stadium in Chennai.
'The game against Delhi Capitals came to my mind. However, Gayle told me 'Mayank, just watch the ball and the rest will be fine'.
IMAGES from Day 1 of the second Test between South Africa and India, in Johannesburg, on Monday.
Shikhar Dhawan failed to recover from his knee injury. The team management is keen on Mayank translating his stupendous Test performance into the ODI arena
Rishabh Pant and Hanuma Vihari put themselves in the reckoning for next week's first Test with contrasting hundreds as India thoroughly dominated Australia A on Day 2 of the day-night practice match, in Sydney, on Saturday.
Images from Day 1 of the third Test between South Africa and India, in Cape Town, on Tuesday.
Images from Day 2 of the second Test between India and South Africa in Johannesburg on Tuesday.
A round-up of the Syed Mushtaq Ali Trophy T20 matches on Tuesday.
Rohit, who now has five centuries from 28 Tests, gained a whopping 36 slots after his knocks of 176 and 127 in the first Test against South Africa in Visakhapatnam
Opener Mayank Agarwal smashed a breezy century as India 'A' recorded a convincing seven-wicket victory over West Indies 'A' in the Tri-Series in Leicester on Monday.
Chennai Super Kings put an end to their poor run after registering a massive 10-wicket win against Kings XI Punjab in Dubai
Senior off-spinner Ashwin and speedster Mohammed Shami didn't bowl in the first innings but might bowl in the second.
Coming off heartbreaking losses, the Indian Premier League game between Mumbai Indians and Kings XI Punjab will be a test of character for both sides as they look to get back to winning ways, in Abu Dhabi, on Thursday.
Images from the Indian Premier League match between Royal Challengers Bangalore and Punjab Kings, in Sharjah, on Sunday.
It was Shami and his pace colleagues who inflicted telling blows that Bangladesh could never recover from.
Virat Kohli's career-best Test score of 254 came at an impressive strike rate of 75.59 as he hammered 35 boundaries, including two sixes, in his 336-ball innings.
There was not much luck for the South African bowlers as they toiled tirelessly on a hot and humid day unable to convert their half-chances.
Pick your Playing XI for the second Test against New Zealand.
Who are the five current Indian cricketers Dada would have loved to have in his team?
Mayank Agarwal refused to fret over what went wrong during his wretched run on the tour of New Zealand which finally ended with a morale-boosting 81 in a warm-up game, in Hamilton, on Sunday.
A cultural shift with rising fitness standards are the primary reasons for India's current depth in fast bowling department, said former captain and current BCCI president Sourav Ganguly. A young Jasprit Bumrah in the company of the experienced Ishant Sharma, Mohammed Shami, Umesh Yadav and Bhuvneshwar Kumar has made India's bowling one of the world's most potent pace attacks.
Opener Mayank Agarwal continued his dream run with yet another hundred as India 'A' comfortably beat England Lions by 102 runs in the third match of the Tri-nation 'A' series, in Leicester, on Tuesday.
Double centurion Agarwal, meanwhile, climbed to the 11th spot after his player-of-the-match effort of 243 in India's only innings. The 28-year-old has reached 691 rating points after scoring 858 runs in his first eight Tests.
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