Leg-spinner Adam Zampa bowled a sensational spell with the ball to help Australia register a narrow four-run victory against India in the rain-hit first T20 International in Brisbane on Wednesday.
Australia captain Steve Smith feels he has matured quite a lot as he gears up play his landmark 100th One-Day International, against India, in Kolkata, on Thursday.
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.
Australia's hopes of winning back respect and moving on from a ball-tampering scandal that plunged the team into disgrace face their first test on Sunday when Tim Paine's rebuilding side meet Pakistan in the series-opener in Dubai.
Australia's cricket team suffered a scare following their Twenty20 International victory over India in Guwahati on Tuesday after a rock was thrown at their team bus, shattering one of the windows, its governing body Cricket Australia (CA) said.
Australia need five wickets in the second Test to secure a series-levelling victory with India's daunting run chase on a menacing pitch teetering at stumps on day four on Monday.
'You could argue that middle-order role is one of the hardest in any cricket team. That's what we've identified, we've got to give guys a go.'
Smith's (28) ODI haul of 568 runs at 63.11 from 10 innings were enough to pip Finch (23) who scored 673 runs at 56.08 from 13 innings.
A confident India will look to pile the misery on the a struggling Australia and seal the five-match series when the teams clash in the third One-Day International, in Indore, on Sunday.
Photos from the ongoing IPL 2022 match between Kolkata Knight Riders and Delhi Capitals
A look at Royal Challengers Bangalore's IPL record over the years.
Debutants Gujarat Lions became the first team to confirm a play-off berth with a thumping six-wicket win over defending champions Mumbai Indians in the Indian Premier League in Kanpur, on Saturday.
Maxwell became Australia's first player to score three T20 centuries on Wednesday with an unbeaten 55-ball knock of 113 in the seven-wicket win over Virat Kohli's team in Bengaluru.
Opener David Warner thumped a maiden Twenty20 international century as Australia kicked off their home summer with a ruthless 134-run thrashing of Sri Lanka, at Adelaide Oval, on Sunday.
For Kohli, who led India to their first Test series victory in Australia but skipped the second half of the New Zealand tour, the series will be the last chance to identify the batsman to fill a middle order spot in an otherwise settled side.
India can seek motivation from the fact that they can claim the top spot in the ICC Twenty20 International rankings if they make a clean sweep in the three-match series that begins on January 26.
Backing Shaun Tait's surprise return to the Australian T20 squad for the three-match series against India, former pacer Jason Gillespie said the tearaway speedster will cause a lot of damage on Indian tracks if he makes the squad for the World T20 starting March 8.
'It's just frustrating; I'd imagine it's frustrating for everyone.'
Paine replaced Smith as Test captain after the tampering scandal broke during the third Test of the South Africa tour in March.
Shane Watson's international future looked bleak on Monday after the all-rounder was left out of Australia's 13-man squad for this month's one-day series against India on Monday.
India and Australia play their opening T20 match In Ranchi on Saturday. And, although the visitors have added fresh faces to their squad for the three-match series, India are clearly the dominant side in this match-up.
All-rounder Asela Gunaratne struck a superb 84 off 46 balls to inspire Sri Lanka to a dramatic two-wicket victory over Australia in the second Twenty20 International in South Geelong, Victoria on Sunday.
Sri Lanka beat Australia off last ball to win first T20
Mumbai Indians have so far looked like anything but IPL's five-time champions, losing both their opening games - against Delhi Capitals by four wickets, followed by a 23-run defeat at the hands of Rajasthan Royals.
Kolkata Knight Riders will begin their title defence against a formidable Mumbai Indians side in the opening match of the eighth edition of Indian Premier League at the Eden Gardens, in Kolkata, on Wednesday.
Travis Head and Marnus Labuschagne missed individual centuries but forged Australia's highest partnership of the summer to earn the hosts a handy first innings lead against Sri Lanka on day two of the series opening day-night Test on Friday.
James Faulkner, man-of-the-match in the 2015 World Cup final against New Zealand, has been omitted from the 15-man squad named on Thursday, with selectors opting for all-rounders Moises Henriques, Glenn Maxwell and Marcus Stoinis.
RCB, led by their captain Virat Kohli, has always been a team full of stars but has not played to its potential. After reaching the final in 2016, it has had three forgettable seasons.
Bangladesh thrashed Australia by 60 runs in Dhaka on Monday to secure a comprehensive 4-1 series win, with the tourists' batsmen managing just 62 in 13.4 overs, their worst ever total in the format.
Australia batsman Glenn Maxwell claimed Indian batsmen, including Virat Kohli, who has scored two centuries in the series so far, are 'milestone-driven'. Do you agree?
Reaction after Cricket Australia (CA) banned sacked captain Steve Smith and vice-captain David Warner for 12 months and opening batsman Cameron Bancroft for nine months for their roles in the ball-tampering scandal in Cape Town.
Images from the fifth One-Day International between Australia and India in Sydney, on Saturday.
Rohit Sharma's second successive century was once again overshadowed by Australia's collective batting might as the hosts continued their dominance over Indian bowlers to notch up a seven-wicket victory in the second One-Day International in Brisbane.
Captain Virat Kohli has thrown his weight behind India's struggling openers but the tourists' defeat in Perth showed they have yet to find a solution to their top order woes.
'We stuck to our guns and delivered skill under pressure and managed to keep ahead in the game'
For the Gujarat Lions to roar, their top-heavy batting order must first win in unison against a consistent KKR bowling attack.
Factbox on the four-Test series between Australia and India, which begins on Thursday
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