Bangladesh's T20 skipper Mahmudullah Riyad said Shakib Al Hasan's absence from the India tour will act more as a motivation than handicap.
India stalwart Virat Kohli retained his second spot in the ICC men's ODI batting rankings on the back of his decent performance in the recently-concluded three-match series in South Africa.
Mohammad Hafeez led Pakistan's strong reply with his third hundred in as many Tests after Bangladesh lost their last five wickets for 27 runs on the second day of the opening Test at Khulna on Wednesday.
Pakistan will be eager to raise their game.
Their campaigns thrown haywire by back-to-back losses, defending champions West Indies and Bangladesh would be locked in a do-or-die battle when they square off in a crucial group 1 Super 12 match of the T20 World Cup in Sharjah on Friday.
Bangladesh know the odds are stacked against them beating India in Thursday's World Cup quarter-final at the Melbourne Cricket Ground. If history and current form are any guide, India should win in a canter.
India's Ravichandran Ashwin maintained his stronghold at the top of the ICC Test All-Rounder rankings while Ravindra Jadeja stayed fifth in the chart.
India are the overwhelming favourites to win the tournament for a record seventh time while Bangladesh will be hoping to be third-time lucky in a summit clash.
IMAGES from the match played between Sunrisers Hyderabad and Rajasthan Royals on Monday
List of players released by IPL teams ahead of next month's auction for 2020 season:
Bangladesh shocked New Zealand by five wickets to keep their hopes alive of making it to the semi-finals at the ICC Champions Trophy in Cardiff, on Friday.
Left-arm spinner Taijul Islam became the first cricketer to claim a hat-trick on his debut in a One-day International as he set up a five-wicket victory for Bangladesh over Zimbabwe on Monday.
Opening batsman Anamul Haque top-scored with 95 as Bangladesh beat Zimbabwe by 124 runs in the third One-day International to wrap up the five-match series.
Their arrival itself was mired in drama and a mercurial Pakistan would look to bring the focus back on their cricket when they take on an enigmatic Bangladesh.
How India's players fared in the Asia Cup.
Sunil Joshi has applied for the national team bowling coach's job
Seamer Nuwan Kulasekara picked up four wickets to help Sri Lanka register a comfortable 70-run win in the third and final one-day international against Bangladesh on Saturday and level the series at 1-1.
Demoralised Bangladesh will look to end their campaign on a high when they face a rampaging New Zealand.
Indian chinaman Kuldeep Yadav, who played a key role in India's series win over West Indies, on Monday, leapfrogged 14 places to a career-high 23rd in the latest ICC T20 rankings.
India's star spinner Ravichandran Ashwin would be feeling the heat from his team mate Ravindra Jadeja as the two spinners take on Bangladesh in a one-off Test, starting in Hyderabad from Thursday.
As far as Bangladesh were concerned, there was nothing worth mentioning except for a fifty each from captain Mushfiqur Rahim (59) and Shakib Al Hasan (52), the latter emerging as the Most Valuable Player (MVP) on account of his all-round showing in the series as he also claimed six wickets with his left-arm spin.
The National Investigating Agency on Friday filed a charge sheet against 11 members of the banned terrorist group Al Qaeda in the Indian Subcontinent for allegedly planning to carry out attacks in India on the instructions of their Pakistan- and Bangladesh-based handlers, an official said.
The problem with non-selection of an Indian player in the XI is more to do with lack of matches rather than poor show since they have won both the series that they played in 2021.
Mahendra Singh Dhoni will be eager to break the sequence of reverses and get Rising Pune Supergiants' campaign back on track when they lock horns with in-form Kolkata Knight Riders.
JP Duminy hit a timely unbeaten 52 after skipper Dinesh Karthik set the foundation with a fighting 56-run knock as Delhi Daredevils edged out Kolkata Knight Riders by four wickets in a thrilling IPL Twenty20 cricket match on Saturday.
Glenn Maxwell hit his second half-century in a row to power Royal Challengers Bangalore to their best-ever start in the IPL.
A look at 7 memorable moments of World Cup 2023.
Delhi Capitals head coach Ricky Ponting is aware that it might be possible to retain only three to four players before IPL's mega auction but given a chance he would love to enter the next season with almost the same team he has now.
Kolkata Knight Riders' chief mentor David Hussey said Andre Russell is recovering from his injury and 'might be in the mix' for Friday's IPL final against Chennai Super Kings.
The four-wicket defeat against Kolkata Knight Riders in the IPL Eliminator match on Monday ended Virat Kohli's tenure as the Royal Challengers Bangalore's skipper but he said he will continue to play for the franchise till the end of his career.
After being comprehensively thrashed by 79 runs in the opening ODI of the three-match series, India, for the first time, are staring at the ignominy of series defeat against the proverbial minnows of world cricket.
Images from the Indian Premier League final between Chennai Super Kings and Kolkata Knight Riders, in Dubai, on Friday.
Saqib Majeed, a photojournalist of eight years, came across the scene on a visit to Nishat Bagh -- one of the most famous Mughal gardens.
Lokesh Rahul, who hit two half-centuries in the deciding Dharamsala Test against Australia, on Thursday, jumped 11 places to a career-high rank of 11th in the latest ICC chart for Test batsmen.
Formed in 2013, Sunrisers Hyderabad have been one of the most consistent performers, having won the tournament in 2016 and finishing as runners up last year.
Virat Kohli's men lock horns with a fairly inexperienced Bangladesh at the Holkar Stadium and it could be a stroll in the park for the hosts.
India skipper Virat Kohli was pushed to the fifth spot by his English counterpart Joe Root, who rose two rungs to third in the latest ICC Test rankings for batsmen, even as Jasprit Bumrah and Ravichandran Ashwin moved up in the bowlers' chart.
Mominul said he was completely taken by surprise at the Bangladesh Cricket Board's decision to hand him the Test captaincy in place of banned Shakib Al Hasan.
'You want someone like an X-factor, like Maxwell, and at the Chinnaswamy Stadium, where it's flat and small, so he can have that impact.'
Rookie left-arm paceman Mustafizur Rahman captured five wickets to scuttle India in the first ODI against Bangladesh.
