Vidarbha's dominant title run in the Vijay Hazare Trophy was a result of the players' belief in each other which helped them overcome challenging situations successfully, reckoned head coach Usman Ghani.
While the first India vs New Zealand ODI will be played at Vadodara, the second match will get underway at Rajkot. The teams will face off for the final ODI of the series at Indore.
Around 100 artistes heralded the parade, on the theme 'Vividata Mein Ekta (Unity in Diversity) that featured a grand presentation of musical instruments, demonstrating the nation's unity and rich cultural diversity.
India's top men's doubles pair Satwiksairaj Rankireddy and Chirag Shetty, seeded third, also progressed without taking the court after receiving a walkover from USA's Chen Zhi Yi and Presley Smith.
Jurel's consistent batting has made him a strong contender for a place in the playing XI as a specialist batter.
India's absolute dominance at home will come under examination when they meet a determined New Zealand in the decisive third ODI at the high-scoring Holkar Stadium in Indore on Sunday, with the three-match series locked at 1-1.
P V Sindhu, returning from a long injury lay-off, defeated Chinese-Taipei's Sung Shuo Yun in the opening round at the Malaysia Open.
Earlier, former world No.1 Srikanth had to dig deep to outlast fellow Indian Tharun Mannepalli 15-21, 21-6, 21-19.
The indigenously designed and developed Advanced Light Helicopter (ALH-Dhruv) and the Light Combat Aircraft (LCA) Tejas will not be part of the upcoming Republic Day flypast in India due to the grounding of the entire fleet of ALH-Dhruv helicopters following a crash earlier this month. The grounding of the helicopters is a result of a Coast Guard ALH crash in Porbandar, Gujarat on January 5, which claimed the lives of two pilots and an aircrew diver. The decision to exclude the ALH-Dhruv and Tejas from the flypast comes as a high-level probe panel investigates the cause of the crash.
The indefatigable duo of Rishabh Pant and Mohammed Siraj is expected to be the big talking point on Saturday when the selectors pick a 15-member Indian ODI squad for a three-match series against New Zealand starting January 11 in Vadodara.
Sarfaraz Khan and Siddhesh Lad compiled superlative hundreds to power table-toppers Mumbai to a commanding 332 for 4 on Day 1 of their Ranji Trophy match against hosts Hyderabad on Thursday.
Bihar's teen sensation Vaibhav Suryavanshi, aged just 14, blasted an 84-ball 190 to become the youngest List-A centurion ever. His captain Sakibul Gani, then upstaged him with a 40-ball 128 not out -- the fastest List-A century by an Indian.
The last time two specialist keepers played together in a Test was in 1986, when Kiran More and Chandrakant Pandit featured in the same XI, with Pandit playing as a batter.
US-born Aman Rao underlined his prowess as a big hitter with a scintillating unbeaten double century to propel Hyderabad to a commanding 352 for 5 against Bengal.
'But I would say given the importance of this series and given the conditions we think we are going to face, he (Nitish Kumar Reddy) might miss out in this Test this week.'
Paine, who coached Australia A in the recent series against India A, witnessed Jurel's exploits in the second 'unofficial' Test where the 23-year-old scored an 80 and 68 at Melbourne.
The Supreme Court clarified that it has not ordered the removal of all stray dogs, but rather that they should be treated according to Animal Birth Control (ABC) Rules. The court heard arguments on the issue, addressing concerns about rodent populations, hospital safety, and the implementation of existing regulations.
'I definitely believe the kind of form he is in, the way he is batting, it will strengthen the Indian batting line-up.'
Simon Harmer led South Africa's lion-hearted bowling effort as the Proteas registered a thrilling 30-run victory against India inside three days of the low-scoring opening Test.
The Indian selectors will be announcing the team for the three-match ODI series against the Black Caps, starting January 11 in Vadodara and there have been speculations about whether Pant can hold on to his place in the squad.
Ton-up Desai helps Saurashtra make semis
The track is historically a high-scoring one and the outfield is quick. But on a red soil surface, the ball grips and can surprise the batters.
Vidarbha will take on Odisha at the VCA Cricket Stadium in Nagpur from Saturday.
Manipur's Lamabam Singh fell victim to one of cricket's most unusual dismissals when he was given out for hitting the ball twice during a Ranji Trophy plate league match against Meghalaya in Surat.
Magical Paddikal overshadows maverick Kishan to hand Karnataka 5-wicket win over Jharkhand
India A skipper Rishabh Pant allayed injury concerns, smashing a quickfire half-century after being forced to retire hurt on Day 3 of the four-day match against South Africa A.
Images from Day 5 of the second and final Test between India and South Africa, at the Barsapara Cricket Stadium in Guwahati, on Wednesday.
Ishan Kishan's return to the Indian T20 setup is a story of timing, perseverance and a domestic season that selectors simply could not overlook.
Devdutt Padikkal and Dhruv Jurel's marathon partnership was the highlight of the first unofficial Test in Lucknow, which ended in a rain-hit draw between India 'A' and Australia 'A' on Friday.
Nitish Rana to lead Delhi in SMAT; Rathi misses out
Marco Jansen demolished the Indian batting line-up with a six-wicket haul before South Africa extended their lead on Day 3 of the second and final Test.
Rishabh Pant is making a comeback to competitive cricket after recovering from his foot injury.
Senior pros Rohit Sharma and Virat Kohli made a grand comeback to the Vijay Hazare Trophy, smashing centuries on the opening day of the one-day tournament on Wednesday.
Virat Kohli and Rohit Sharma, arrived in Delhi on Tuesday and linked up with rest of the Indian team, many of whom were playing in the two-Test series against West Indies.
South Africa were dealt a major blow before the first ball was even bowled, with pace ace Kagiso Rabada ruled out of the opening Test against India due to a rib injury.
With Bumrah leading the charge, India prised out five wickets in the second session to snuff out South Africa's hopes of reaching the 200 mark.
In India's first innings, only Yashasvi Jaiswal (58 off 97 balls) and Washington Sundar (48 off 92 balls) could contribute substantially as the home team suffered a batting collapse after starting the day at 9 for no loss.
Mari Selvaraj delivers his most rage-filled film in years, with a superbly cast Dhruv Vikram giving it his all, notices Arjun Menon.
South Africa completed a memorable 2-0 series sweep against India after off-spinner Simon Harmer claimed 6/37 to bowl the Proteas to a comprehensive 408-run victory in the second Test,
It was also his third hundred in the last seven innings after going past three digits against Australia A at Lucknow and the West Indies at Ahmedabad.
