Who do you think should be part of the Indian team for Thursday's second ODI against Australia?
KL Rahul, Axar Patel, and Harshit Rana Face Rohit Sharma's Wrath
India's awe-inspiring batting depth will face a stern test against South Africa's quality spin attack in the first Test, starting in Kolkata on Friday.
Left-arm spinner Axar Patel picked up five wickets to help India grab a handy 49-run first-innings lead on Day 3 of the first Test against New Zealand on Saturday.
Hardik Pandya could become the first Indian and overall the third player in the history of T20 Internationals to achieve the double of 2000 runs and 100 wickets.
Delhi Capitals looked like a well-oiled machine with four wins in a row before a stunning batting meltdown against Mumbai Indians halted their momentum.
Fresh from their morale-boosting win over LSG, and bolstered by the return of India wicketkeeper-batter K L Rahul, Delhi Capitals will look to build on the momentum when they take on formidable Sunrisers Hyderabad in the IPL match in Visakhapatnam on Sunday.
'He never lets his own form affect his leadership.'
Axar also pointed to sloppy fielding as a factor that allowed MI to cross the 200-mark, but praised his spin unit.
Nicholas Pooran kept LSG in the hunt even though wickets were tumbling at the other end. But Pooran's stay was cut short when Axar Patel took a sharp game-changing catch!
But the hosts will be a confident group as star batter Virat Kohli made a return to run-making ways after an all too brief blip.
'I definitely believe the kind of form he is in, the way he is batting, it will strengthen the Indian batting line-up.'
UAE captain Muhammad Waseem said they won't treat the opening match against T20 World champions India as a big game and will look to play normally.
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India bowling coach Morne Morkel admitted his side was "surprised" by how quickly the Eden Gardens surface "deteriorated" after a dramatic second day in which 15 wickets fell and the opening Test swung sharply in India's favour.
Shubman Gill's form in the series is a concern for India as he has now gone six games without a half-century.
The T20 WC champions will look to enter this phase with clarity of intent as they refine roles, streamline combinations and settle the XI that will carry the weight of expectations in front of home crowds.
Delhi Capitals has spinner Axar Patel and seamer Harshal Patel in its ranks.
Josh Hazlewood clinically dismantled a famed Indian top-order with a probing spell to kill the contest as Australia cantered to a four-wicket victory in the second T20 International.
Will Shubman Gill force either Sanju Samson or Tilak Varma out of the playing XI for the Asia Cup opening match against the UAE?
IMAGES from the Champions Trophy final played between India and New Zealand in Dubai on Sunday.
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Spinners Axar Patel and Ravichandran Ashwin's tight spells with the ball were instrumental in Delhi Capitals scoring a narrow three-wicket victory over Chennai Super Kings.
'Am I the reason team will lose? Kuldeep might think, I am bowling so well, even after that I am not playing, then am I the problem in this team?'
The series promises a fascinating duel between the two modern-day pace greats.
'We would like to believe and back ourselves to know these conditions or adapt to these conditions a lot faster even if we find them slightly different, as compared to, say, somebody who is brought up in Johannesburg and has played all his cricket at the Wanderers ground.'
Rohit's early dismissal in the final against South Africa triggered a top-order collapse.
Ruturaj Gaikwad and Deepak Hooda will replace them in the squad for the series, beginning in Kolkata on February 16.
Rahul, who had joined Delhi Capitals' training camp just a day before the high-stakes clash, was unavailable for the match as he was on paternity leave.
Both DC and LSG have 10 points and a win will keep them safely perched in the higher echelons of the points table ahead of the jostlers.
'Though I would like to see him in the playing XI, Shubman Gill and Abhishek Sharma will open the batting for the team.'
Kuldeep Yadav's artistry was too much for a clueless UAE to comprehend as India hardly broke a sweat in an emphatic nine-wicket victory in their Asia Cup opener in Dubai on Wednesday.
The Bellerive Oval is one ground where the side boundaries are smaller in size, hence hitting the right lengths would be paramount considering anything short would be flying over cover, point, square leg or mid-wicket on either side of the fence.
All-rounder Axar Patel said he used the experience he gained from the IPL to hit a match-winning half-century which lifted India a series-clinching victory in the second ODI against West Indies in Port of Spain, Trinidad, on Sunday.
India's mystery spinner Varun Chakravarthy has dropped one place to third spot in the ICC men's T20 bowling rankings, while Hardik Pandya continues to top the all-rounders' chart issued on Wednesday.
We are used to the Dukes ball having practised with it during IPL, says Axar ahead of WTC final
Virat Kohli remains the biggest draw as he returns to his 'home ground' at the back of five half-centuries in nine games. Four of them have come away from the Chinnaswamy Stadium and despite being in the opposition camp, the Delhi crowd will be hoping the Indian superstar extends his prolific run in the tournament.
Expect some fireworks for the highly-versatile Cameron Green along with Quinton de Kock, Matheesha Pathirana, Venkatesh Iyer and Ravi Bishnoi.
Assessing Sai Sudharsan's temperament and Nitish Kumar Reddy's utility in home conditions would be topmost on India's checklist when the high-on-confidence hosts take on a floundering West Indies
Chasing a record victory target of 482, England were all out for 164 in their second innings with No. 9 batsman Moeen Ali their top scorer with a breezy 43.
