Playing two medium pacers on a drab Chennai wicket didn't make sense. Australia at least could say pace is their strength, but for Team India it made no sense.
The Virat Kohli-led Indian side will look to clinch five-match ODI series against West Indies when they play the must-win fifth and the final match at the Sabina Park here on Thursday.
India have only themselves to blame for their below-par showing in the Asia Cup as they struggled to put up consistent performances with both bat and ball.
The games will mark the onset of a long summer for the Indian team, with sterner tests against England to follow this short series in Malahide on the outskirts of Dublin.
India produced a professional performance under pressure to crush New Zealand by six wickets in a must-win game and level three-match series 1-1 in Pune on Wednesday.
An emphatic victory over Bangladesh in their final warm-up game on Tuesday may have boosted the team's confidence, but former champions India are yet to finalise plans for their World Cup campaign opener against South Africa, says seamer Bhuvneshwar Kumar.
India's seniormost speedster Ishant Sharma's has done an honest introspection of his bowling and has come to a conclusion that he has not been upto the mark in limited overs cricket unlike longer version where he is the pace spearhead.
Arshdeep Singh removed Pakistan's in-form openers Babar Azam and Mohammad Rizwan to give India a perfect start with the ball.
Saini is the only net bowler with the Men in Blue and he will train with them, the Board of Control for Cricket in India said.
Almost out of reckoning for a place in the play-offs, bottom-placed Sunrisers Hyderabad will look to play party-poopers when they take on an equally struggling Punjab Kings in the battle of laggards in the IPL in Sharjah on Saturday.
Robin Uthappa, on Saturday, said he's relishing his new-found role at number three as he guided Kolkata Knight Riders to a 17-run win over Sunrisers Hyderabad in their Indian Premier League match in Kolkata.
Skipper Rishabh Pant (234 from nine games) showed glimpses of his destructive power but the team would want more from its skipper who is more than capable of hammering any attack into submission.
Shardul Thakur replaced spinner Axar Patel, who was transferred to the list of standby players.
Australia captain Steve Smith won the toss and opted to bat against an Indian side missing their inspirational skipper Virat Kohli through injury in the fourth and final Test in Dharamsala on Saturday.
Delhi Capitals are at the bottom of the 10-team league with 2 points from 6 matches SunRisers Hyderabad are 9th with 4 points from 6 matches.
Mohit Sharma to replace the lanky pacer
Bhuvneshwar Kumar spoke to Harish Kotian on his unbelievable start to international cricket, on what it means to him to make it to the Indian Test team and how he is preparing for the Aussie batsmen.
Pacer Ishant Sharma retained his place despite his struggle for form as India named an unchanged squad, which played in the first three ODIs, for the remaining four games in the seven-match series against Australia.
Following Monday's selection, Rajneesh Gupta presents the Test career figures of the touring party along with the players' performance against Australia.
'You look at the numbers he has served up and the way he has consistently used that yorker, that makes everyone talk about it.'
Sanju Samson has never enjoyed the backing of the team management while Riyan Parag and Abhishek Sharma were ignored despite good showing with the bat in the Mushtaq Ali Trophy, the national T20 tournament.
By his own admission, Bhuvneshwar Kumar was a bit "nervous" but certainly not overawed ahead of his dream debut against arch rivals Pakistan where he had stunning figures of 3/9 in four overs.
IMAGES from Day 4 of the 3rd Test between South Africa and India played at the Wanderers in Johannesburg on Saturday
Bhuvneshwar was the pick of the India bowlers, taking 3 for 50 in his 10 over quota in India's win against the defending champions in their second World Cup game.
India's bowling coach Paras Mhambrey says Avesh Khan and Arshdeep Singh have shown their ability to perform under pressure.
Much was expected from a revamped Kolkata Knight Riders set-up but it seemed Dinesh Karthik did not learn from his past mistakes
Amid the ever-rising danger of the coronavirus outbreak, with more than 40 positive cases in the country, Bhuvneshwar Kumar said India's players are taking every possible precaution in these difficult times.
It will take a special effort from the struggling Sri Lankan side to pull one back against the rampaging visitors.
'There is a little bit of home advantage and you got to use your matches at home. It's your facility but in Hyderabad, I think it's fair conditions. At the end of the day, better team on the day wins the game. I must say I congratulate the ground staff for producing good tracks, it's just each and every time, we came up short.'
Surya continues to lead the batting list with 906 rating points.
Captain Kane Williamson, all-rounder Vijay Shankar and comeback man Wriddhiman Saha will look to score in the key match.
Photos of the Third Test between India and Australia being played in Mohali
What changes must India make to the playing XI for Friday's second T20 International against Australia?
Bhuvneshwar Kumar's opening spell has to be the turning point of the day.
PHOTOS of the IPL 2023 match between Sunrisers Hyderabad vs Royal Challengers Bangalore at the Rajiv Gandhi International Stadium in Hyderabad on Thursday.
Harish Kotian's analysis of the Indian squad for the upcoming tour of England.
India's skipper Virat Kohli was surprised that Shardul Thakur wasn't the man-of-the match in the third ODI against England, and Bhuvneshwar Kumar not man-of-the-series, saying credit to them for bowling so well in adverse conditions.
'I believe whichever bowlers will play -- like Umesh (Yadav) is doing well, Ishant (Sharma) is a senior bowler and has to take more lead (role) and Mohammed Shami has a good record - I believe their (Bhuvi and Bumrah's) absence will be felt, but still India's bench strength is very strong'
It turned out to be a lop-sided contest as India were thoroughly outplayed in both batting and bowling by a dominant England.
