India head into the third Test with momentum after dampening Australia's Christmas cheer with a dominant eight-wicket win in the second match in Melbourne.
Images from Day 3 of the third Test between Australia and India, at the SCG, on Saturday.
Cheteshwar Pujara strongly believes in old adage 'form is temporary but class is permanent' and said it holds true for him and Ajinkya Rahane as their fluent half-centuries kept India in the hunt for a win in the second Test.
Batting coach Vikram Rathour on Saturday said that a first innings score of 250-plus will put India in a fighting position against New Zealand, keeping the prevailing conditions in Southampton in mind during the ICC World Test Championship final.
Opener Ajinkya Rahane's classy 92 went in vain as India slumped to a four-wicket defeat against South Africa in their fourth 50-over match of the Emerging Players Tournament in Brisbane, on Sunday. This was India's third 50-over defeat in the tournament. The Badrinath-led Indian side had also been beaten by the Australian Institute of Sports on July 23.
Cheteshwar Pujara warmed up in style for the upcoming two-Test series against West Indies with a fluent century in the warm-up match against West Indies Cricket Board President XI.
Captain Kohli, his deputy Rahane and senior opener Rohit were seen batting at the nets in a video posted by the BCCI on Twitter.
Only two batters have managed to achieve this unique record before him.
Indian batsman Ajinkya Rahane said that his team will have to bowl with a lot of patience on fifth day on Monday in their pursuit of victory in the second Test against Sri Lanka in Colombo.
India's captain for the One-day series in Zimbabwe addressed the media prior to the team's departure. Harish Kotian/Rediff.com reports.
Rediff.com rates the Indian players' performances in the ODI series.
The 18-year-old right-hander was named in a 12-man squad on Wednesday for the first of the two-Test series and is expected to open alongside Lokesh Rahul.
India dropped both Ajinkya Rahane and Cheteshwar Pujara from the side following the South Africa tour but brought them back rather than grooming youngsters? Rahane scored the bulk of the runs for India in the WTC final but was going back to him and Pujara the right call?
Images from Day 2 of the second Test between Sri Lanka and India in Colombo, on Friday.
Ravi Shastri believes Mumbai's cricketers have a headstart compared to players from other domestic teams in India.
Many pundits have tipped India to end their 70-year wait for a first Test series triumph in Australia
Ravi Shastri didn't expect the orthodox Cheteshwar Pujara to try out an uncharacteristic ramp shot against Pat Cummins.
Ajinkya Rahane has said it is always a challenge to play against Australia.
Shreyas Iyer would be aiming to revive his start-stop international career, while Ishan Kishan would aim to clear the popular perception about his allegedly 'misplaced priorities'.
As expected, the Indian selectors decided to stick with the same 16-member squad, which beat Bangladesh in the one-off Test, for the first two matches of the forthcoming four-match Test series against Australia, starting in Pune, on February 23.
Ajinkya Rahane said the key to his success was keeping a blank mind and playing one ball at a time.
India went to the Caribbean with a new top order, an uncapped stumper, and a rookie pace attack for the two-Test series.
India captain Virat Kohli batted in the nets on the sidelines of the warm-up match against Select County XI in Durham on Wednesday.
Opener Shubman Gill scored an elegant 50 but India struggled against James Anderson's (3-17) reverse-swing mastery, while left-arm spinner Jack Leach (4-76) ran through the lower order.
Shubman Gill is all set to open with Rohit Sharma after he was named in India's 15-man squad for the ICC World Test Championship final against New Zealand, in Southampton, from June 18.
India has lost three finals and on four occasion it bit dust at the semifinal stage. It also made an exit at the preliminary stage of the 2021 T20 World Cup.
The India Test vice-captain has scored just three hundreds and eight fifties from 48 innings since 2016.
India captain Virat Kohli embellished the pink-ball Test with a sparkling century and his quick bowlers reduced Bangladesh to 152-6 as the hosts closed on a 2-0 series sweep on day two of the second and final Test.
Hazlewood makes the cut as Australia confirm WTC final squad
'Maybe Kohli can offer to make an honourable way for Rahane to take over during the series against England at home.' 'I can assure no bad blood would be caused when we ensure that the larger picture on the canvas is Indian cricket.'
Rohit, who has made a comeback to the Test side, will now leave for Australia with India's T20 squad on Friday.
Alastair Cook worries over England's lack of preparation but backs Bazball for success in India
India now has 430 points while New Zealand, holding the second spot, has 420 points on the table.
Delhi Capitals started their preparations for the upcoming IPL with their first nets session after completing their one-week quarantine, in Dubai, on Saturday. All the top India players including captain Shreyas Iyer, Rishabh Pant, Shikhar Dhawan, Ishant Sharma, Ajinkya Rahane and Prithvi Shaw took part in the first nets session along with their other team-mates at the ICC Academy in Dubai, where the squad also got the opportunity to train under the lights.
Indian Premier League seems to have calmed Smith and he has won over some Indian fans.
The Indian dressing room is 'noisier', Coach Ravi Shastri noted, after the 23 year old's return.
Virat Kohli (115 not out) and Ajinkya Rahane (95) shared a 205-run third-wicket stand to guide India to a convincing seven-wicket win over New Zealand in their second one-dayer of the Emerging Players Tournament in Queensland on Friday.
Shastri wants both Ashwin and Jadeja in Indian playing XI for WTC Final
Kohli, playing in his 500th international game, was batting on 87 in with Jadeja on 36 at the other end.
Former India captain Sunil Gavaskar has advised Rohit Sharma to get back to Ranji Trophy to regain form in the longest format after failing in the ongoing series against South Africa.
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