Skipper Suryakumar Yadav will depend heavily on his spin troika as India gear up for yet another demolition act of Pakistan in what promises to be an intense and tense Super 4 face-off of the Asia Cup in Dubai on Sunday.
The others to arrive after a delayed flight were K L Rahul, Yashasvi Jaiswal, Arshdeep Singh, Harshit Rana and Nitish Kumar Reddy along with some members of the support staff.
Pakistan, after a defeat against India, face Namibia in a must-win match to qualify for the Super 8s. Their fragile batting and Shaheen Afridi's form are key concerns, while Namibia aims to play spoiler.
Ruturaj Gaikwad and Deepak Hooda will replace them in the squad for the series, beginning in Kolkata on February 16.
India's recent T20 World Cup victory signals a new era of dominance in the format, driven by strategic gameplay, exceptional talent, and the financial power of the BCCI, while other teams struggle to compete.
West Indies captain Shai Hope took responsibility for his slow batting in their T20 World Cup match against India, which led to their elimination from the mega-event.
India batter Tilak Varma on Saturday underlined the team management's push for a flexible batting order, saying most players are ready to bat anywhere depending on match situations.
'The No. 3 spot can't become a game of musical chairs.'
There is a school of thought that having done the hard yards in the England series, Karun Nair deserves an opportunity against a weaker opposition where a century could boost his career.
Harry Brook dropped Sanju Samson on 15 in the third over of the Indian innings and the missed opportunity had a big impact on the outcome of the T20 World Cup semi-final.
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!
India great Virat Kohli continued his push to regain his place as the best ODI batter while moving up to the second spot in the latest ICC rankings released on Wednesday.
Purnendu Maji and Srinivas Bhogle present Rediff's Most Valuable Player Index of T20 World Cup 2026.
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.
This brings us to the question of combination and perhaps Arshdeep could miss out on more games going into the T20 World Cup -- a tournament that will be held in the sub-continent -- India and Sri Lanka.
Sanju Samson and Ishan Kishan face a key test as India take on New Zealand in the second T20I at Raipur, eyeing World Cup momentum.
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.
Raina also laid emphasis on how Kuldeep Yadav could be a lynchpin in India's success.
Shikhar Dhawan praised young Axar Patel's contribution in Delhi Capitals's campaign, saying having a quality all-rounder makes a big difference.
Bairstow made Delhi pay for the miss, hitting 48 runs in 28 balls.
Against Bangladesh, Samson wasn't even considered good enough to come inside the top seven of the line-up and that begs a question as to what is he doing in the team if he isn't good enough to come ahead of Axar Patel.
The former CSK stalwart also noted that Axar Patel's consistency over recent years positions him as a natural leader within the DC core. But the trickier decision, according to Raina, concerns veteran opener Faf du Plessis, who endured a lean run with just 202 runs from nine games.
Gautam Gambhir has made it clear that India's new T20 approach isn't just about fearless batting, it's about all-round aggression.
Not handing the ball to lead pacer Jasprit Bumrah to start the third day's play on a challenging Eden Gardens surface was "questionable", said the legendary Anil Kumble.
Sai Sudharsan smashed an unbeaten century and captain Shubman Gill stroked a quickfire 93 as Gujarat Titans thrashed Delhi Capitals by an emphatic 10-wicket margin.
The grand comeback party of Virat Kohli and Rohit Sharma endured a quick 22-ball ending, and their lowkey outing reflected in India's seven-wicket defeat against Australia.
Tournament co-hosts India will be out to defend their Twenty20 World Cup title. The 10th edition of the 20-overs global showpiece event will run from February 7 to March 8.
With Rahul and wife Athiya Shetty expecting their first baby, the senior player could miss a game or two depending on the due date.
Delhi Capitals have brought in Shams Mulani as a short-term COVID-19 replacement for Axar Patel for their IPL-2021 campaign.
Indian spinner Ravi Bishnoi and left-arm seamer Arshdeep Singh moved up to the sixth and 10th spot respectively in the latest ICC T20 rankings released on Wednesday.
Rohit Sharma followed up his knock of 73 in the second ODI in Adelaide with a match-winning unbeaten 121 in Sydney to be named the Player of the Series.
In the chase, India lost Shubman Gill for a golden duck, while Marco Jansen got rid of Abhishek Sharma and India skipper Suryakumar Yadav, before Baartman broke the 35-run stand between Axar Patel and Varma.
Abhishek, Hardik help India pulverise Zimbabwe by 72 runs; stay in semis race
Head coach Gambhir, captain Gill, men's squad send best wishes to Harmanpreet-led side for Women's World Cup final
Shubman Gill enjoyed a phenomenal run with the bat in England, piling up 754 runs at an average of 75.40 with four centuries.
We are used to the Dukes ball having practised with it during IPL, says Axar ahead of WTC final
In this rivalry, numbers fade and national pride takes centre stage.
The Namibia match could be a God-sent opportunity for an out-of-form Sanju Samson to get into run-scoring mode after a string of failures that saw him lose his place to Ishan Kishan, who is going through a purple patch.
Dube smashed an unbeaten 79 off 60 balls that included a half a dozen of sixes and three boundaries which took India's score to 327 for 6 in 47 overs.
