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.
Suryakumar Yadav and Ajinkya Rahane's half-centuries powered Mumbai to 278/4 at stumps on Day 3, a commanding lead of 292 runs.
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 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.
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.
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.
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.
How India's players fared in the England series.
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.
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.
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.
New Zealand can become only the second team to inflict a series whitewash on India in their backyard.
Who do you think should be part of India's playing XI for the first Test against Australia in Perth?
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.
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.
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.
IMAGES from Day 4 of the 2nd Test played between India and Bangladesh in Kanpur, on Monday.
India boast of a near perfect record against Bangladesh in Tests, having never lost a Test match against their neighbours.
Who do you think should be part of India's playing XI for the second Test against Bangladesh?
Hardik Pandya has quit Gujarat Titans to rejoin his former team Mumbai Indians, following a trade between the two franchises.
He may no longer be RCB's captain, but Virat Kohli is always in the thick of action on the field and off it.
Kohli has not played competitive cricket in almost two months after opting out of the recently-concluded Test series against England at home
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.
Sent in to bat, North Zone couldn't get any momentum and were reduced to 17 for two in 6 overs.
Roundup of matches across the country in the ongoing BCCI Ranji Trophy
For Saurashtra, the star performers were Sheldon Jackson, Arpit Vasavada, and of course, their captain Jaydev Unadkat.
'Even if we had won the New Zealand series 3-0, it would have meant little because the conditions in Australia are very different, and the team there is very different.' 'In Australia, you just go with a clean slate and start fresh. It doesn't matter what has happened on the previous page.'
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.
'There will be a lot of spice to the contest -- there is a reason India is the only team other than England against whom Australia is keen to play a five Test series.' 'I'll watch, as I suspect most fans will -- but this one time, I'll watch with considerable trepidation and, from a fan's point of view, with the hope that the team finds its feet and that right quick,' notes the distinguished cricket commentator Prem Panicker.
Images from Day 3 of the fourth Test between India and England in Ranchi on Sunday, February 25.
It was learnt that once Kishan conveyed his decision, Tripura selector Jayanta Dey wanted Wriddhiman Saha and he was also contacted.
From a maths perspective, Royal Challengers Bengaluru and Gujarat Titans can still reach the IPL playoffs, but they need to ward off inner gremlins on Saturday to notch a mandatory win to keep that dream flickering.
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 first Test against Bangladesh?
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.
Royal Challengers Bengaluru's IPL 2024 campaign is just one-match old, but it has already exposed their biggest chink. It's fragility in bowling, and they need better returns from bowlers against a confident Punjab Kings at an unforgiving M Chinnaswamy Stadium, in Bengaluru, on Monday.
Mumbai Indians's top-order failed to fire in unison as they lost to the Royal Challengers Bangalore.
Bobat also backed England all-rounder Will Jacks to come in handy.
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