Royal Challengers Bengaluru's IPL campaign that began with optimism has melted into chaos. Their bowlers require a drastic transformation in mindset against Sunrisers Hyderabad for them to register an elusive win in Bengaluru on Monday.
Durham pace duo of Matthew Potts and Brydon Carse wreaked havoc on a depleted India A side as they bowled the hosts out for a modest 192 to give England Lions upper hand in the third and final unofficial Test in Ahmedabad on Thursday.
India's solitary ODI series win in the Rainbow nation occurred in 2018, emphasising the need for a strong beginning from Ruturaj Gaikwad and B Sai Sudharsan.
India's emphatic win over England was a tailor-made series for the debutants. The absence of key players gave India the perfect opportunity to test their bench strength and boy, did the youngsters grab the chance with both hands!
India pacer Mohammed Shami said on Monday that he is completely pain-free and is still not out of reckoning for the marquee Test tour of Australia starting next month.
India will secure a series victory with a win against England in the third Test beginning in Ranchi on Friday but they must do so without their pace spearhead against a touring side looking to uphold their aggressive style of play.
India's top-order batter KL Rahul, who is undergoing rehab after struggling with quadriceps pain, too was ruled out of the fourth Test and seems doubtful for Dharamsala.
RCB on paper look like a team that can make it to the playoffs and with Dinesh Karthik playing his last IPL, Faf turning 40 and Kohli and Maxwell in their mid-thirties, the Challengers will be determined to win it for the veterans of the team.
Royal Challengers Bangalore batters overcame some nervy moments after leg-spinner Wanindu Hasaranga spun his way to a four-wicket haul to register a three-wicket win over Kolkata Knight Riders.
Bengal's dream of winning a Ranji Trophy after more than three decades suffered a setback as the left-arm Saurashtra pace duo of Jaydev Unadkat and Chetan Sakariya rattled the home team's top-order, bundling them out for a paltry 174 on the opening day of the summit clash in Kolkata on Thursday.
Yuzvendra Chahal might be despondent after the selectors snubbed him for the T20I series against Australia, but the leg-spinner channelised his angst positively with a six-wicket burst against Uttarakhand.
Royal Challengers Bengaluru's fairytale resurgent run will be up against the might of five-time champions Chennai Super Kings and the weather gods when the two sides clash in an epic do-or-die match to decide the fourth and final team for the IPL play-offs, in Bengaluru on Saturday.
India's Asian Games cricket team captain Ruturaj Gaikwad, who played the first two ODIs, has been released from the squad and will link up with the Hangzhou-bound outfit. Also released is pacer Mukesh Kumar, who came in as cover for Bumrah.
Desperate Royal Challengers Bengaluru will be under tremendous pressure to get their act together against an equally struggling Mumbai Indians when the two teams face-off in an Indian Premier League match in Mumbai on Thursday.
How India's players fared in the England series.
The KKR think-tank might not be unduly worried as their campaign is still at a nascent stage, but they would like to see the first-choice pacer and spinner finding their range at the earliest.
He may no longer be RCB's captain, but Virat Kohli is always in the thick of action on the field and off it.
India arrived in Bengaluru seeking a big win over the 2021 champions to improve their chances of making a third successive final in June 2025, but will now need to battle to keep alive their run of 18 straight home series victories since 2012.
Suryakumar Yadav and Ajinkya Rahane's half-centuries powered Mumbai to 278/4 at stumps on Day 3, a commanding lead of 292 runs.
For Saurashtra, the star performers were Sheldon Jackson, Arpit Vasavada, and of course, their captain Jaydev Unadkat.
Rajasthan Royals will face a stern test of character as they look to arrest a shocking slide in a do-or-die IPL Eliminator against an in-form RCB.
Hardik Pandya has quit Gujarat Titans to rejoin his former team Mumbai Indians, following a trade between the two franchises.
Sent in to bat, North Zone couldn't get any momentum and were reduced to 17 for two in 6 overs.
The Railway Protection Force (RPF) has detained a suspect in connection with the knife attack on actor Saif Ali Khan at Durg railway station in Chhattisgarh. The suspect was traveling by a Mumbai-Howrah train and held at Durg in the afternoon. Mumbai Police were informed about the development and their team will reach here by late evening.
New Zealand can become only the second team to inflict a series whitewash on India in their backyard.
IMAGES from Day 4 of the 2nd Test played between India and Bangladesh in Kanpur, on Monday.
Kohli has not played competitive cricket in almost two months after opting out of the recently-concluded Test series against England at home
Rohit has managed just one half-century in his last eight innings in which he has tallied 104 runs. Kohli's freefall in Test cricket continues. He has fallen to spin three times in the first two Tests. Ashwin, usually, dominant at home, managed just six wickets in the first two Tests at an average of 43.
Who do you think should be part of India's playing XI for the first Test against Australia in Perth?
India boast of a near perfect record against Bangladesh in Tests, having never lost a Test match against their neighbours.
Gujarat Giants will be wary of Royal Challengers Bengaluru's newfound firepower in the middle-order when the teams clash in the Indian Premier League in Ahmedabad on Sunday.
Rajasthan Royals would aim to build on their promising start to the season when they take on Royal Challengers Bangalore, a side that is yet to unlock its potential.
Who do you think should be part of India's playing XI for the second Test against Bangladesh?
It was learnt that once Kishan conveyed his decision, Tripura selector Jayanta Dey wanted Wriddhiman Saha and he was also contacted.
Pace spearhead Kagiso Rabada produced an inspired bowling performance to lead MI Cape Town to their maiden SA20 title with a comfortable 76 runs victory over two-time champions Sunrisers Eastern Cape in the final at the Wanderers in Johannesburg on Saturday.
Mumbai Indians's top-order failed to fire in unison as they lost to the Royal Challengers Bangalore.
The Bengaluru outfit will hope for a reversal at the Sawai Man Singh Stadium, a venue that carries similar traits as RCB's home -- Chinnaswamy Stadium -- in terms of a smooth pitch and a blistering outfield adding value to the batters' shots.
Images from Day 3 of the fourth Test between India and England in Ranchi on Sunday, February 25.
Roundup of matches across the country in the ongoing BCCI Ranji Trophy
K L Rahul has ruled out of the third Test against England, starting in Rajkot on Thursday, after failing to recover fully from his injury.
