Suryakumar (838) is still second ahead of the blockbuster clash
Images from the first T20 International between India and West Indies at the Brian Lara stadium in Tarouba, Trinidad on Friday.
A day after their Test careers met with a dead end, veteran batters Cheteshwar Pujara and Ajinkya Rahane on Friday soldiered on for Saurashtra and Mumbai respectively with contrasting results in the Vijay Hazare Trophy in Bengaluru.
Samson smashed his way to a brilliant 55 from 27 balls, including three fours and five sixes.
While Robin Uthappa had scored a fifty in one of the games, the likes of Moeen Ali and Ambati Rayudu have failed to capitalise on their starts.
While Rohit Sharma will lead the side, the inclusion of KL Rahul and Kuldeep Yadav is subject to fitness.
Following his return to form in the abruptly-ended West Indies series, Indian batsman Virat Kohli claimed the number two slot in the ICC rankings while swing bowler Bhuvneshwar Kumar broke into the top-10 for the first time in his career.
Without Axar's 34 and 2/21, DC may not have won the game.
Bhuvneshwar Kumar registered remarkable figures of 2/15 in four overs, including 17 dot balls, in a high-scoring contest which saw over 400 runs being scored.
The two teams last played each other in the 2019 World Cup.
The swashbuckling Australia opener said the slow pitches in Chennai and Delhi will suit his team.
Indian batter Suryakumar continued to hold onto the top position on the latest ICC T20I Rankings.
Each year, Samson has played a few match-defining knocks but this time he would have to go the extra mile if the Royals want to win that elusive second title.
During Wednesday's training, a Jasprit Bumrah yorker hit Shankar flush on his toes.
Another failure to win an ICC tournament will put Virat Kohli's leadership future in doubt. When BCCI president Sourav Ganguly and secretary Jay Shah hold a virtual meet with the national selectors in a couple of days' time, the leadership issue will be discussed.
As expected, the Indian selectors decided to stick with the same 16-member squad, which beat Bangladesh in the one-off Test, for the first two matches of the forthcoming four-match Test series against Australia, starting in Pune, on February 23.
Besides KL Rahul, another individual who would like to answer his critics with solid performances is Pant.
Referring to India's problem of plenty in pace bowling, Kohli said, as a captain, he couldn't have been happier.
India opener Ruturaj Gaikwad has been ruled out of the remaining two T20 Internationals against Sri Lanka following a wrist injury.
Gujarat Titans pride themselves on consistency and will be expected to produce a solid show against Sunrisers Hyderabad in the IPL match in Ahmedabad on Monday after a rare "flat" performance against Mumbai Indians.
The India pacer bowled an impressive first spell, comprising pace and swing, as he finished with brilliant figures of 6.1-2-9-3, including the wicket of the dangerous David Warner, in the second One-Day International at the Eden Gardens, in Kolkata, on Thursday, which India won by 50 runs to take a 2-0 lead in the five-match series.
KL Rahul was dropped while senior off-spinner Ravichandran Ashwin and left-arm tweaker Ravindra Jadeja continued to be left out of the Indian ODI team, for the forthcoming three-match ODI series against New Zealand.
David Miller lavished praise on fellow teammate Heinrich Klaasen for his 'phenomenal' knock.
Operating like a well-oiled unit, Chennai Super Kings will start as overwhelming favourites when they clash with struggling Sunrisers Hyderabad in the IPL match in New Delhi on Wednesday.
Images from the Indian Premier League match between Sunrisers Hyderabad and Royal Challengers Bangalore, in Abu Dhabi, on Wednesday.
Team India will have to choose between experimenting and continuing the winning combination
Five-time champions Mumbai Indians will look to continue their winning momentum when they face a resurgent Sunrisers Hyderabad.
'There should have been one extra fast bowler. One spinner less.'
The Australian captain Aaron Finch struggled across all three formats during the India series, specially while trying to navigate Bhuvneshwar's inswinging deliveries.
If Kolkata Knight Riders beat Rajasthan Royals on Thursday, then Mumbai Indians may find it very difficult to qualify for the play-offs even if they beat Sunrisers Hyderabad in their final league match.
"Time will also take account of those registering cases and those getting them registered. Stopping the business of MLAs and allowing friends to loot, is this a change in the system?" he posed.
Being aware about his limitations as a bowler has been key to Bhuvneshwar Kumar's success at the international level, feels his childhood coach Sanjay Rastogi.
The Indian squad led by Mahendra Singh Dhoni departed for New Zealand from Mumbai on Sunday for a five-match ODI series followed by a best-of-two Test rubber against the hosts.
Picked in the Indian squad for the upcoming Champions Trophy, Bhuvneshwar Kumar is confident of making the opportunity count and says the seamer-friendly conditions in England and Wales will "assist" his style of bowling.
Bhuvneshwar Kumar believes bowling alongside world's best fast bowler Dale Steyn in the IPL will help him pick up the "little things" from the South African and make him a better bowler.
India T20I skipper Rohit Sharma has said that playing alongside Trent Boult for Mumbai Indians has helped both of them know each other's weaknesses and strengths and as a result, it is always a good battle when they play for their national teams.
Who would you pick in India's playing XI for Tuesday's first One-Day International against England?
Sunrisers Hyderabad will aim to stop a rampaging Rising Pune Supergiant when both teams meet in the Indian Premier League, on Saturday, in a bid to cement their place in the play-offs.
Tim David was run out after a quickfire 46 from 18 balls to all but end Mumbai Indians's hopes.
That Rohit will make a comeback was indicated by skipper Kohli in England and that was precisely the reason why he was rested for the limited overs series against West Indies.
