Delhi's strong batting line up of Shikhar Dhawan, Prithvi Shaw, Ajinkya Rahane, Steven Smith and Pant himself will look to fire on all cylinders right from the opening game.
India's captain Virat Kohli will have to think overtime about the balance of his squad, with a long tail, often bushy with runs, and just two openers -- one untested (Rohit Sharma) but very capable and another supremely talented (KL Rahul) but highly reluctant starter.
Skipper Joe Root, who led England to a series-levelling win at the Headingley, expects an Indian backlash in the penultimate Test and said they're ready for all combinations including facing the "world-class" R Ashwin at Oval.
Rajneesh Gupta presents statistical summary of Kings XI Punjab and much more.
Total runs scored by Virat Kohli in Tests so far this year: 1,182. Last year, Virat aggregated 1,215 runs, notes Rajneesh Gupta.
Six players to watch when India host England in a four-match Test series which begins on Feb. 5
Indian off-spinner R Ashwin has expressed hope that one of their bowlers will step up on second day to prevent England from running away with the fourth Test at Old Trafford in Manchester.
Anil Kumble has expressed hope that India would win the ICC World Twenty20 Championship.
Former India captain Sunil Gavaskar slammed Australia skipper Tim Paine for sledging Ravichandran Ashwin during the drawn third Test in Sydney, saying his behaviour was "unbefitting" of a leader and could cost him his captaincy.
India may not have played a Test match for more than three months now but off-spinner R Ashwin held on to his eighth spot in the ICC Test bowlers' rankings led by South African paceman Dale Steyn.
'...the one that turned the match firmly in India's favour was the Johnny Mullagh medal-winning contribution from Rahane. The captain's century came at a time when India could easily have faded to a two-nil deficit, and it was this performance that gave his team the conviction that victory was attainable.'
Opening batsman Prithvi Shaw, who had suffered a left ankle injury while attempting a catch in the practice game against Cricket Australia XI has been ruled out of the ongoing four-Test series against Australia.
Dhoni fetches 'Spirit of Cricket' honour.
With two senior pacers Bhuvneshwar Kumar (thigh injury) and Ishant Sharma (side strain) all but ruled out, Navdeep Saini will certainly be the fourth pacer after Mohammed Shami, Jasprit Bumrah and Umesh Yadav.
That miss meant Chris Gayle went on to his first IPL-11 century.
Erapalli Prasanna and Bishan Singh Bedi, arguably the greatest off-spinner and left-arm spinner in cricket history, tell Rediff.com's Bikash Mohapatra why R Ashwin does not do well away from home.
What an over Umesh Yadav bowled!
After winning the ICC Champions Trophy with a remarkable unbeaten record in England, the triumphant Indian team departed for Jamaica on Wednesday to compete in the One-day International tri-series against the West Indies and Sri Lanka, starting June 28.
India players paid for their under-performance in the opening Test against New Zealand in Auckland as most of them saw a drop in their rankings.
Cheteshwar Pujara held his position and remained the best-placed Indian batsman at the seventh spot, while R Ashwin was also steady at the same position in the bowlers' chart of the latest ICC Test rankings issued on Tuesday.
Lungi Ngidi bowled the most economical figures of this season's IPL to uproot Punjab's innings.
The match, at the Dubai International Cricket Stadium, will also be a face-off between skippers KL Rahul and Shreyas Iyer, both seen as future India captaincy material.
India had two bowlers - Ravindra Jadeja and Ishant Sharma - in the top five, and three (R Ashwin) in the top six.
Ravindra Jadeja continues to jointly head the bowlers' list, while Virat Kohli is the highest-ranked Indian batsman at fourth in the latest ICC ODI rankings.
KL Rahul, who is having a good run with the bat in the Test series against the West Indies, says the unbroken century partnership between R Ashwin and Wriddhiman Saha could prove to be crucial to the outcome of the ongoing third Test in St Lucia. India lead the four-match series 1-0. India were in trouble at 126 for five before Ashiwn and (75 not out) and Saha (46 not out) engineered the rescue act.
The film is directed by superstar's daughter Soundarya R Ashwin.
Former captain Sourav Ganguly says the likes of Gautam Gambhir, Yuvraj Singh and Zaheer Khan can still make a comeback to India's national team but they need to be 'hungry' for that.
Images from Day 2 of the first Test match between India and West Indies, in Kolkata, on Thursday.
The national selection committee announced the squad for the two-Test series against the West Indies.
The film is slated for release in July.
Rising Pune Supergiant (RPS) have acquired the services of Kings XI Punjab (KXIP) pacer Shardul Thakur for the 10th edition of the Indian Premier League.
Chennai Super Kings will be determined to erase their IPL 2020 nightmare when they failed to make it to the IPL play-offs for the first time.
Former India opener and two-time IPL champion skipper Gautam Gambhir believes Virat Kohli's non-performance as Royal Challengers Bangalore captain should lead to his removal from the hot seat as it is now a question of accountability.
India spinner R Ashwin says England defeat not haunting team and squad is in a positive mindset after clinical performance against Aussies in Chennai.
Cheteshwar Pujara was the highest-placed Indian batsman, climbing a rung to the sixth position, while Pragyan Ojha broke into the top-10 among bowlers after gaining one spot to be 10th in the latest ICC Test rankings issued on Monday.
Punjab bowlers gave nothing away, especially after taking out Hyderabad opener Jonny Bairstow (1 off 6) in the second over. With their middle order getting few chances to bat in this IPL, it was going to be a task for them to get going.
Kohli is now five points clear after Smith's knock of 36 in the Adelaide Test
R Ashwin faced a lot of criticism after a lacklustre showing against England, and many wondered whether he was the man to take the Indian spin legacy ahead.
A look at the averages in the just concluded India - Australia series in which the home team made a 4-0 clean sweep.
The Chennai Super Kings squad for the Champions League T20 in South Africa.
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