Former opener Sunil Gavaskar predicted an India win by a 4-0 or 3-1 margin, depending on the weather, adding that the visitors would emerge victorious anyway as England is depleted without the likes of Ben Stokes and Jofra Archer.
Team India has two members - MS Dhoni and Ishant Sharma - of that victorious 2009 side returning to New Zealand for the One-Day International series, which commences on Sunday. The hosts, however, are almost a completely overhauled unit. The teams may not appear equal on paper but the home advantage is something than should benefit New Zealand. Rajneesh Gupta presents a statistical lowdown of the teams ahead of tour opener in Napier.
The White Ferns chased down the target in 29.2 overs to register a morale-boosting win.
India goes into the third and final Test against Sri Lanka in Colombo on Friday hoping to register their first series victory in the island nation in 22 years.
India registered a resounding victory in the T20 series-opener against Australia, and following their clinical performance Sunil Gavaskar feels the Mahendra Singh Dhoni-led side will start as favourites at the upcoming World Twenty20 at home.
Harish Kotian evaluates Indian performances in the third Test.
'We have got to see tomorrow where he actually bats. It will either be No 3 or 4. I don't know where the captain wants to bat. That will be the most important question'
Jasprit Bumrah in full flow is always a joy to watch, six or seven stuttering steps, a skip and a shuffle, followed by undiluted fire and fury.
Harish Kotian evaluates the Indian team's performances in the first Test.
The 25-year-old with the signature slingshot action helped rout Australia for 151 soon after tea in their reply to India's declared first innings total of 443 for seven..
Some stellar performances by seasoned veterans and promising youngsters continued to raise the bar in Olympic sports but there was heartbreak in equal measure when corruption scandals blighted India's favourite obsession, cricket, in a see-saw year for the country's sportspersons.
Kohli was at his aggressive best in the just-concluded second Test against Sri Lanka as he smashed a strokeful 213 off 267 balls to help India amass a huge first innings total.
Statistical highlights of the fifth and final One-day International between India and the West Indies in Kingston, Jamaica, on Thursday.
A confident India, with a new coach at the helm, will seek to record a third consecutive Test series triumph on the Caribbean soil when the Virat Kohli-led side clashes with an inexperienced West Indies in the first cricket match, in Antigua, on Thursday.
Rediscovering himself in the twilight of his career, a rejuvenated Mahendra Singh Dhoni would look to continue his regained form and guide India to a series-clinching win when the hosts take on New Zealand in the fourth One-Day International, in Ranchi, on Wednesday.
Pakistan all-rounder Shoaib Malik feels the underdogs tag would help them do well in the ICC World T20, like it did when they ended up winning the 1992 World Cup and 2009 World T20. "It's good that we're underdogs and that gives you a lot of confidence at the same time. We are here to do well," Malik said at the open media session in Kolkata on Sunday. Drawing parallel with Imran Khan-led team's World Cup winning moment in Australia, the senior Pakistani cricketer said: "Let's talk about 1992 World Cup first. "People were not expecting us to do well and win it but we won that. Same thing happened in 2007 World T20 when we did well before losing to India in the final. In 2009, we were not that big as a team but still we won. The same is the case going into this edition."
India vice-captain Rohit Sharma on Friday hinted that Ajinkya Rahane could be the one replacing his regular opening partner Shikhar Dhawan, who will miss the first three ODIs against Australia due to personal reasons.
Rai said that the best part about central contracts was that it ensured a decent earning for domestic players.
Images from India's practice session at the Eden Gardens, ahead of the third and final T20 against South Africa.
Former India wicketkeeper Ajay Ratra, who was Punjab's coach when Shubman Gill made his Ranji Trophy debut in 2017, believes the time is right to blood the youngster into the India's Test team
Defending champions India have the best batting line-up and they should not lose heart despite a poor run up to the ICC World Cup, feels former speedster Javagal Srinath.
Kohli's double ton was followed by a 50 in the second innings as he finished with 610 runs in the series, which India won 1-0 after the first and third Test ended in draws in Kolkata and New Delhi.
Sri Lanka defeated India by five wickets in the first Twenty20 international cricket match to take a 1-0 lead in the three-match series, in Pune on Tuesday. Chasing a modest target of 102 runs set by India, Lankan skipper Dinesh Chandimal led from the front scoring 35 runs off as many balls, while Milinda Sriwardana's unbeaten 21 runs off 14 balls ensured a comparatively young visiting squad secured a morale-boosting victory.
Opener Shikhar Dhawan admitted that India were completely outplayed by Australia and that it was the middle-order collapse that triggered the loss in the opening ODI at the Wankhede in Mumbai on Tuesday.
Rajneesh Gupta brings you the drama and the magic behind all the 12 IPL finals so far.
In the end, it turned out to be a nightmare with dark clouds hovering over the future of this Indian team and no sign of 'VIBGYOR' in the Rainbow Nation.
The only concern for India is that the batting at the moment is slightly the Virat Kohli show.
Rajneesh Gupta presents the finest bowling heroics in the 20th over in recent T20Is.
Suryakumar Yadav hinted on Friday that Sri Lankan pacer Lasith Malinga will soon be back to play for Mumbai Indians after he flew back home to feature in a domestic one-day tournament.
'Hina makes fashion statements.' 'Priyank Sharma doesn't know how to respect women.' 'Luv Tyagi is a waste on this planet!' Bigg Boss 3 contestant Rohit Verma gives his impressions of the current season.
Robin Uthappa was elegance personified during his 52-ball 80 as he powered Kolkata Knight Riders to a convincing six-wicket win over Mumbai Indians in their Indian Premier League match in Cuttack on Wednesday.
Since the tour of Sri Lanka in July-August 2017, India have tried as many as six different batsmen -- KL Rahul, Kedar Jadhav, Manish Pandya, Hardik Pandya, Dinesh Karthik and Ajinkya Rahane -- at number four.
Images from the Asia Cup T20 cricket match between India and Pakistan on Saturday.
Images from Day 2 of the third Test between England and India, at Headingley, Leeds, on Thursday.
While there were brilliant performances from Virat Kohli, Murali Vijay and Ajinkya Rahane, India's pathetic bowling attack -- which could not claim 20 Australian wickets in any of the four Tests -- was depressing.
Without the captaincy, can the cricketer keep his place at the endorsement table?
Four openers. Two middle order batsmen. Two leg-spinners. Three fast bowlers. Harish Kotian picks his IPL XI from the league stages.
Sachin Tendulkar believes the quality of India's batting is sufficient to make up for the deficiency of left-handed batsmen in the lineup, the cricketing great told Reuters in a wide-ranging interview ahead of the World Cup.
Former New Zealand player Ian Smith reckons batting legend Vivian Richards would have been an absolute crowd pleaser in T20 cricket with franchises willing to pay more money than all the current stars like Pat Cummins and Ben Stokes put together. The West Indian, who won the 1975 and 1979 World Cup, is regarded as the most destructive batsman of his era scoring 8540 runs in 121 Tests and 6721 in 187 ODIs at a strike rate of 90 before retiring in 1991.
The India opener has always performed well in marquee events and is confident that he would be able to replicate his stellar show at the 2019 World Cup.
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