West Indies, on the other hand, would be desperate to return home with some positivity at the end of a two-month long series in which they lost both the Test and ODI series.
A ruthless India equalled their biggest victory margin, decimating a lacklustre Sri Lanka by an innings and 239 runs in the second Test to take a 1-0 lead in the three-match series.
Delhi Daredevils' pacer Umesh Yadav feels that the Indian Premier League is an ideal platform for youngsters like him, competing for a place in the senior national side.
'There's an innings to go and I'm looking forward to the entire Test series. It's a great opportunity for me.'
New Zealand all-rounder Colin de Grandhomme changed the script completely with a final over assault that enabled Royal Challengers Bangalore put up a healthy total against Mumbai Indians.
Rahane spoke about how pink ball's increased pace off the pitch during the 40-50 minutes of the twilight session, will be the biggest challenge for any batsman.
Images from Day 1 of the fourth and final Test between India and Australia in Dharamsala, on Saturday.
Bhuvneshwar Kumar and Ravichandran Ashwin are fit for their second World Cup match.
'With more matches, I began realising what to do and what not. I slowly realised my strength and weaknesses. Now I have a better idea' 'At times it's very difficult to bowl against him (Steve Smith). You bowl with a particular plan but sometimes he changes his stance, shuffles from leg-stump to off, opening up, sort of affects your plan'
Half-way through the eighth edition of the Indian Premier League, the cash-rich Twenty20 tournament has witnessed some top quality catches. Rediff.com takes a look at some memorable ones.
Half-way through the eighth edition of the Indian Premier League, the cash-rich Twenty20 tournament has witnessed some top quality catches. Rediff.com takes a look at some memorable ones.
Hostile spells from pace trio of Rudra Pratap Singh, Pankaj Singh and Umesh Yadav saw Central Zone register a fantastic nine-wicket win over East Zone in a Duleep Trophy quarter-final match which concluded at the Barabati Stadium on Saturday.
The Indian cricket team were unhappy with practice facilities at the Edgbaston Cricket Ground with both coach Anil Kumble and skipper Virat Kohli expressing their displeasure with the local authorities in Birmingham on Thursday.
Mitchell Starc smashed an unbeaten half-century to steer Australia to 256 for nine on a difficult pitch on the opening day of the four-match series in Pune on Thursday.
Acutely short of match practice, senior fast bowler Ishant Sharma is set to play the next Duleep Trophy match between India Blue and India Green, starting in Delhi, on Tuesday.
Sanjay Bangar termed Umesh Yadav, who has been providing the team with breakthroughs at crucial juncture, as 'the most improved bowler' in the last one and half seasons.
If MI have their problems to sort out, having lost at the death in all three games so far, RCB too have their own shortcomings to address with only one win in three games under their belt.
India speedster Umesh Yadav on Saturday admitted that being a senior bowler he needs to perform better in the death overs if he has to consistently feature in the playing XI in the limited overs cricket.
His captaincy debut soured by the embarrassing loss to Zimbabwe, skipper Suresh Raina blamed his inexperienced bowlers for the debacle in Friday's tri-series opener.
Seniors like Ajinkya Rahane and Cheteshwar Pujara came in for a lot of flak for their below-par showing with the bat, while Jasprit Bumrah also failed to live up to expectations.
Ahead of the three-match series, here's the schedule and key stats between the teams.
A dominant India quickly wrapped up the last two wickets to win by a comprehensive margin of an innings and 202 runs and complete an emphatic 3-0 series whitewash against South Africa.
For Kohli, a trophy-less cabinet doesn't do justice to the champion performer that he has been for a decade.
'I think it is very difficult to bowl on this track'
The legendary Kapil Dev heaped praise on India's current pace battery, saying the fast bowlers have changed the face of Indian cricket in the last four to five years.
Statistical highlights of Friday's India-Zimbabwe tri-series match in Bulawayo.
Jonny Bairstow's composed 89 helped England survive some atrocious top order shot-making and reach 268 for eight at close of play on the first day of the third Test against India on Saturday.
Rohit Sharma is likely to miss his third game in a row when Mumbai Indians take on Royal Challengers Bangalore in Abu Dhabi on Wednesday with both teams aiming to secure their spot in the IPL play-offs.
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.
Unchallenged by Sri Lanka so far, India would look to keep the foot on the pedal in their pursuit for a series whitewash when the two teams face off in the fourth and penultimate cricket One-dayer at Eden Gardens on Thursday.
Ajinkya Rahane cracked a superb half-century to power Rising Pune Supergiants to a competitive 160-5 against Kolkata Knight Riders in an IPL match at the Maharashtra Cricket Association Stadium in Pune on Sunday.
The change in format may bring about some strategic shift in the playing eleven for India with captain Virat Kohli expected to open the innings.
The Virat Kohli-led RCB has won five of its eight games on the back of all-round performances but seemingly blundered in the eight-wicket defeat to laggards KXIP on Thursday.
Buoyed by their spectacular win over Chennai Super Kings in the opening match of this season's campaign, Kolkata Knight Riders will take on spirited qualifiers Lahore Lions in their second game of the Champions League Twenty20 in Hyderabad on Sunday.
Ravindra Jadeja was called up to the Indian team as the replacement for Axar Patel for the first three ODIs in the five-match series against Australia starting in Chennai, on Sunday.
A formidable India will fancy their chances of taking an unassailable 2-0 lead against a weakened West Indies when the two sides lock horns in the third game of the ongoing five-match ODI series, in North Sound, Antigua, on Friday.
Often criticised for not bowling consistent yorkers like his younger fast-bowling counterpart Jasprit Bumrah, Indian pacer Umesh Yadav says his action is more suited for full length outswing deliveries. "I know a lot of bowlers are judged by their ability to bowl yorkers at the death. I can also bowl yorkers effectively but it is a delivery that can go wrong as it is difficult to bowl consistently," Yadav told PTI during an exclusive interaction. "There would be days when the length would be wrong. The advantage for Jasprit (Bumrah) is that his action is natural when it comes to bowling yorkers while my action means that my stock ball will be outswinger," he said.
Their morale on the upswing after back-to-back victories, defending champions Kolkata Knight Riders will aim to continue the winning run when they take on the inconsistent Sunrisers Hyderabad in their fifth IPL cricket match in Visakhapatnam on Wednesday.
'The crowd, the pink ball, floodlights everything was new to us. It all added to the pressure'.
Such was the impact of India's three-pronged pace attack that India did not feel the need of spin in Saturday's first session when Bangladesh began their second innings.
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