The final will be played in Coimbatore from September 21, and it will be a five-day affair
West Indies all-rounder Rahkeem Cornwall said making Cheteshwar Pujara his first victim in his debut Test was a good feeling to have.
Not just the 40 points, India will also be eyeing a 3-0 whitewash in the Gandhi-Mandela series.
'Since we cannot trust the net bowlers about their exposure to COVID, it would be ideal to go with a large contingent as we can be assured of all the players' safety as they will be in a bio-secure environment.'
'Seriously guys? We felt so bad at that time. We are in the same bubble. But you get into the lift and you can't share the space with another person staying in the same bubble. It was too difficult for us to digest.'
Virat Kohli's men ticked almost all the boxes during their 203-run win in the opening encounter in Visakhapatnam and they would like to maintain the same intensity in their bid to seal the series in Pune itself.
Responding to India's 246 for eight declared after a day of multiple rain interruptions, Leicestershire were primed to take a sizable lead over the tourists when Pant was in his element.
Bharat shone during his 158-minute stay in the middle
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India's captain Virat Kohli will have to think overtime about the balance of his squad, with a long tail, often bushy with runs, and just two openers -- one untested (Rohit Sharma) but very capable and another supremely talented (KL Rahul) but highly reluctant starter.
India 'A' lead the series 1-0.
'It's something I do in games to visualise where we are bowling, how the batter is playing our bowlers and then out of habit I always mark centre.'
But Pant took the game away from the Lankans by going after the bowling as soon as he walked to the crease, bringing up his fifty with seven fours and two sixes.
Axar Patel's heroics down the order went in vain as India A suffered a narrow five-run defeat to West Indies A in the fourth unofficial ODI of the five-match, in Coolidge, Antigua, on Friday.
More than the runs scored, it is the manner of his dismissals that is causing frustration, considering that the Indian cricket establishment has invested heavily in the 21-year-old from Rourkee.
After several losses in the early years of the new century, a resurgent India notched up two consecutive series wins in Australia to become the Aussies' nemesis.
The three-day practice game will give a chance for the players who are already in the West Indies to shift from limited overs to the five-day format.
Wriddhiman Saha, on nine, and Ravichandran Ashwin, who is 15 not out, will return on Friday hoping to continue India's march towards the 300-mark.
At times, Rishabh Pant has confounded the Indian team with his brazen batting style but skipper Rohit Sharma on Monday said they are willing to accept the way he bats for his sheer ability to be a game-changer in matter of minutes.
'They came out with an attitude that they had nothing to lose.' 'That's what stands out about this team.'
Agarwal, thrusted into the squad following failure of KL Rahul and Murali Vijay, responded with a 76-run knock off balls, sorting out India's opening woes to some extent.
India opener Prithvi Shaw is likely to retain his place in the playing eleven for the second Test against New Zealand, starting Saturday, while Ravindra Jadeja may replace Ravichandran Ashwin.
Who do you think should be part of India's playing XI for the second Test against South Africa, starting on January 3?
If India's net session on Wednesday is taken into consideration, Wriddhiman Saha is starting as the wicketkeeper ahead of Rishabh Pant for the series opener beginning on Friday.
Pant, whose rapid 146 put India in the box seat, was more restrained in the second innings.
Virat Kohli's talismanic presence will be the shot in the arm that India would need in their bid to win the historic first-ever away Test series against South Africa.
Following is a fact box on the final Test of the four-match series between Australia and India
In a bizarre incident, the start of a Ranji Trophy match between Vidarbha and Andhra on Monday was delayed by a few minutes after a snake entered the ground in Vijaywada.
Mayank Agarwal scored his fourth Test half-century as India inched to 78-2 at tea on the third day of Trent Boult followed up his counter-attacking cameo innings of 38 to take three wickets, including that of Virat Kohli, to put New Zealand on top against India at the end of the third day of the first test on Sunday. Trent Boult followed up his counter-attacking cameo innings of 38 to take three wickets, including that of Virat Kohli, to put New Zealand on top against India at the end of the third day of the first test on Sunday. The visitors, who had not lost any of their seven previous International Cricket Council World Test Championship matches, were 144-4 at the close of play at the Basin Reserve, still 39 runs behind and staring at their potential first defeat.
A complete list of players, who failed to attract any bid in the IPL 2021
The mood in the Indian camp was summed up best by the skipper after a green pitch was unveiled on eve of the maiden Test at the new facility.
India last lost a Test series on home soil nearly 10 years ago.
Opting to bat after winning the toss, India A declared their first innings after some useful contributions from the lower-order batsmen. The visitors were 340 for five at stumps on the opening day at the Bay Oval.
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Faiz Fazal and Jalaj Saxena hit half-centuries to keep Central Zone in the contest after South Zone had taken the first innings lead of day three of Duleep Trophy final at the Feroz Shah Kotla in Delhi, on Friday.
India 'A' suffered a massive collapse to be bowled out for 345 before the visiting South African team reached 213 for three at stumps on the second day of the second four-day 'Test' in Bengaluru.
Indian captain Virat Kohli on Saturday said he has "no idea exactly what's happening" when asked about the legendary Rahul Dravid being in line to be the team's head coach after the T20 World Cup.
In what comes as the biggest positive for Indian cricket in recent times, former captain Rahul Dravid has agreed to take over as the head coach of the men's team.
India will be desperately hoping that Rohit replicates his limited overs success in the traditional format
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