New Zealand are hoping to give a better account of themselves when they take on the Indian Board President's XI in the final warm-up game on Thursday before the first One-Day International, in Mumbai on October 22.
Sunil Narine and Varun Chakravarthy, have done an excellent job in restricting the oppositions but KKR's top-order batting has hurt them the most.
The match, at the Dubai International Cricket Stadium, will also be a face-off between skippers KL Rahul and Shreyas Iyer, both seen as future India captaincy material.
Talented batter Yash Dhull hit a superb 193 decorated with 28 fours and two sixes to power North Zone to 433/3 in their first innings at stumps on day three of the Duleep Trophy quarter-final against East Zone.
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.
Their winning streak halted by defending champions Chennai Super Kings, Royal Challengers Bangalore will hope Harshal Patel returns to the playing eleven and contribute in bringing their campaign back on track when they face Delhi Capitals in the IPL match at the Wankhede Stadium in Mumbai on Saturday.
India have endured series losses in South Africa and England over the last nine months but have still managed to remain the number one side in the longest format.
Eyeing a maiden IPL title, the fancied Delhi Capitals will face another litmus test in the form of a Kolkata Knight Riders unit brimming with optimism when the two sides lock horns in the Qualifier 2 match in Sharjah on Wednesday.
Travis Head's aggressive fifty and a clinical showing from the bowlers helped Sunrisers Hyderabad score a fine 67-run victory over Delhi Capitals.
Bumrah finished with figures of 4 for 14 as Delhi crumbled under his accurate spell. But it was Boult who put Mumbai Indians early in the driver's seat with the early double strike.
The young turks are playing in the challenging English conditions with red duke ball for the first time in their career.
India crushed arch-rivals Pakistan by 203 runs on Tuesday to set up a summit clash against Australia on February 3 at Mount Maunganui in New Zealand.
"There is currently an ICC Anti-Corruption Unit (ACU) investigation underway in relation to the Ajman All Stars League held recently in Ajman, UAE," ACU general manager Alex Marshall said in a statement.
Dhawan took control of the proceedings with a flurry of boundaries to keep the scoreboard ticking.
Peaking at the right time and with all their boxes ticked, Sunrisers Hyderabad are certain to hold sway over a dishevelled Delhi Capitals in a virtual semi-final in the second Indian Premier League qualifier, in Abu Dhabi, on Sunday.
There will certainly be some distinct home advantage for Australia along with the experience of playing more Day/Night Tests.
A round-up of the Ranji Trophy matches played on Friday.
Mohammed Shami was ruled out of the rubber, starting Tuesday, late on Saturday night after he tested positive for COVID-19.
Batting first, Board President's XI made 295 for 9 in 50 overs and then bowled out the tourists for 265 in 47.4 overs.
'KL Rahul should play at number five and Rishabh Pant should play at number six. Jadeja and Ashwin should play at number seven and eight and then three seamers. I will want to go in with five bowlers.'
Focus will now be on how Rabada would fare against the likes of Chris Gayle, Lokesh Rahul, Mayank Agarwal and David Miller.
With two senior pacers Bhuvneshwar Kumar (thigh injury) and Ishant Sharma (side strain) all but ruled out, Navdeep Saini will certainly be the fourth pacer after Mohammed Shami, Jasprit Bumrah and Umesh Yadav.
The Capitals, which finished third last year, will start their campaign against Kings XI Punjab on Sunday and both Ponting and skipper Shreyas Iyer agreed that R Ashwin and Rahane have been great additions to the young side with their experience.
India captain Virat Kohli was on Thursday slammed by cricket fans for wearing shorts at the toss for the warm-up game against Cricket Australia XI ahead of the four-Test series in Adelaide.
The 55-year-old had previously suggested that Twenty20 internationals should be stopped to alleviate players' schedules.
India captain Virat Kohli might skip the last two Tests of the highly-anticipated four-match series against Australia as he gears up for the birth of his first child in January which could pave the way for an in-form K L Rahul's entry into the middle order.
The Delhi Capitals bowlers have come under the scanner for their poor death over bowling, but on Wednesday, they silenced critics with a sizzling display to bowl Gujarat Titans out for a paltry 89.
Rishabh Pant's belligerent unbeaten half-century helped Delhi Capitals' to a narrow four-run win over Gujarat Titans.
Krunal kept bowling tight lines, giving away only singles in his overs.
'It remains to be seen how much Prithvi Shaw's warriors go on to accomplish, but letting all the adulation go to their heads is the last thing you can expect.' 'Throughout its dominant streak in New Zealand, the Under-19 team played in the personality of its coach, Rahul Dravid.' 'Now, only if they can kick on and become as good as him.'
Bolstered by the arrival of Ben Stokes, Rajasthan Royals will hope for a better showing from its misfiring top order as they try to settle scores against second-placed Delhi Capitals in their return leg IPL match, in Dubai, on Wednesday.
'We have a number of match-winners, so it's very difficult to go up the order'
Chennai Super Kings skipper Mahendra Singh Dhoni batted at number seven against , promoting the likes of Sam Curran, Jadhav and Ruturaj Gaikwad ahead of himself but the ploy backfired badly
Left-arm pacer Thangarasu Natarajan earned his maiden call-up to the Indian Test squad after he was named as the replacement for the injured Umesh Yadav for the last two games against Australia.
Suresh Raina smashed a sensational fifty in his comeback game
PHOTOS of the IPL 2023 match between Royal Challengers Bangalore vs Delhi Capitals played at the M Chinnaswamy Stadium in Bengaluru on Saturday.
With both batsmen going hammer and tongs it was guaranteed that Rajasthan would breach the 200 run mark.
Despite being the world's top-ranked Test side India have struggled with their opening combination, which, in turn, has heaped pressure on the middle order.
A battle royale is in the offing as heavyweights Mumbai Indians and Delhi Capitals clash in a high-profile IPL encounter, in Chennai, on Tuesday.
Following is a fact file on the first Test match between Australia and India in Adelaide and how the teams have performed at the Adelaide Oval over the years:
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