Australia buried India under an avalanche of runs for a 51-run drubbing in the second ODI and an unassailable 2-0 series lead after the majestic Steve Smith produced another master-class in the form of a 64-ball 104, in Sydney, on Sunday.
'India have played very good cricket for a long time now in your conditions (sic). They are tough to beat. We have taken it to the decider in the last two series. Both teams will want to win (tomorrow).'
It remains to be seen how the BCCI selectors pick the best players for every series in a cramped calendar, where the players have openly stated being fatigued by the bio-bubble life due to non-stop cricket.
India captain Virat Kohli shrugged off concerns about his team's lower-middle order ahead of their ICC Champions Trophy semi-final with Bangladesh on Thursday and called for complete focus against their "dangerous" opponents.
India sailed into the ICC World Cup semi-finals and eliminated opponents Bangladesh after Rohit Sharma's century and Jasprit Bumrah's four-wicket haul secured a 28-run victory over their neighbours on Tuesday.
Former England captain Nasser Hussain was severe in his criticism and felt the fans would have been disappointed seeing India's approach which seemed passive towards the end of the innings.
Having pocketed the series 4-1, with a match still to go, India snatch ICC ODI top rank from Proteas
Opener Murali Vijay (53 off 113 balls) and Lokesh Rahul (58 off 92 balls) also scored a half century each after the visitors opted to bat after winning the toss.
Rohit Sharma slammed a quickfire 83 to power India to a comprehensive 45-run victory against Bangladesh in the first match of the Asia Cup T20 tournament in Dhaka, on Wednesday.
Chahal and Yadav (3/20) continued their wrist-spin magic and shared eight wickets for 42 runs between them to rattle the hosts in 32.2 overs after Virat Kohli won the toss and elected to bowl.
Mumbai Indians will be fretting over their team combination as they take on a marauding Kolkata Knight Riders in an Indian Premier League encounter, in Mumbai, on Sunday.
Kohli, Rohit Sharma, KL Rahul, Mohammad Shami, Yuzvendra Chahal, Dinesh Karthik, Kedar Jadhav played all their 14 league games.
He believes that his game thrives well in pressure situations and Hardik Pandya does not have to look too far as he has both Mahendra Singh Dhoni and Virat Kohli for "inspiration." "There's a lot to learn when both (Kohli and Dhoni) of them bat. Their batting, running between wickets inspire us. It's at another level. It's fun to watch them bat together," Pandya paid glowing tributes to his seniors on the eve of their fourth ODI against New Zealand in Ranchi. A 151-run match-winning partnership between Dhoni (80) and Kohli (154 not out) set up their seven-wicket win in Mohali as India will look to seal the issue in the five-match rubber at the Jharkhand State Cricket Association Stadium Complex in Ranchi on Wednesday.
With the series lost, what changes must India make for the final Test?
Chris Woakes struck a maiden Test century and Jonny Bairstow added 93 as England dominated the third day of the second Test at Lord's on Saturday, reaching 357-6 to open up a significant 250-run lead over India.
Professionalism will be pitted against passion when defending champions India square off with Bangladesh in the second semi-final of the ICC Champions Trophy, in Birmingham on Thursday.
Images from the IPL match between Mumbai Indians and Punjab Kings, in Chennai, on Friday.
With Jasprit Bumrah "ready and roaring" after an injury scare, Mumbai Indians will fancy their chances against an erratic Royal Challengers Bangalore when the two star-studded teams square off in the IPL, in Bengaluru, on Thursday. The big sub-plot of the contest will be the world's best ODI batsman -- Virat Kohli -- taking guard against the world's best ODI bowler -- Bumrah -- in a format notorious for its unpredictability.
India lifted the Asia Cup trophy for a record sixth time after beating Bangladesh by a comprehensive eight-wicket margin in the weather-hit final at Sher-e-Bangla stadium in Mirpur on Sunday. Chasing a challenging target of 121 runs in the allotted 15 overs after rain resulted in two-hour delay in the start of the match, opener Shikhar Dhawan and Virat Kohli guided the men-in-blue home. After the early dismissal of Rohit Sharma, Kohli (41 not out off 28 balls) partnered Dhawan (60 off 44 balls) to stitch a match-winning partnership of 94 runs for the second wicket. India now has won the continental tournament most number of six times followed by Sri Lanka (5).
A formidable India will fancy their chances of taking an unassailable 2-0 lead against a weakened West Indies when the two sides lock horns in the third game of the ongoing five-match ODI series, in North Sound, Antigua, on Friday.
Images from Tuesday's IPL Qualifier 1 between Chennai Super Kings and Mumbai Indians, in Chennai.
Ajinkya Rahane will be aiming to get his mojo back as India, formidable even without regular skipper Virat Kohli, eye another 'Whitewash' against Sri Lanka in the three-match ODI series, starting on Sunday.
While South Africa grabbed a 1-0 lead in the three-match series, the visitors squandered a golden opportunity to script a memorable win outside the sub-continent.
Bhuvneshwar Kumar and Kedar Jadhav claimed three wickets each followed by Rohit Sharma's quickfire half-century as India registered a comprehensive eight-wicket victory against Pakistan.
Rajasthan Royals pulled off a nail-biting three-wicket win over Mumbai Indians
Images from the second Twenty20 International between India and England, in Ahmedabad, on Sunday.
A re-energised Delhi Daredevils would look for their third win in a row when they face table leaders Mumbai Indians in the Indian Premier League in New Delhi, on Saturday.
'Speechless with the tragic news of the passing of my great mate and beloved cricketing man'
Let's looks at 10 former India players, who missed the IPL but had they been active today, they could have forced the Ambanis and the Shah Rukh Khans to loosen their purse strings a tad more.
With the series already in their pocket, India will look to give some of the bench players a chance but there will be no let-up in the intensity as they eye a complete whitewash against Sri Lanka in the third and final T20I in Mumbai on Sunday.
Rohit Sharma's 104 at Edgbaston helped India to secure the win they needed to guarantee a place in the semi-finals of the ICC World Cup.
The protests were held after police detained Dalit leader and independent MLA Jignesh Mevani, and over 70 others, in Saraspur area of Ahmedabad on Sunday morning when they tried to stage demonstrations over Vanakar's death.
IMAGES from the second One-Day International between India and New Zealand in New Delhi, on Thursday.
Images from the second T20 International between India and Sri Lanka in Ranchi.
IMAGES from the 1st T20I played between India and South Africa at the Wanderers on Sunday
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.
Fakhar Zaman and Mohammad Amir shone as Pakistan defied the odds to overwhelm arch-rivals India by 180 runs and pull off a major upset in the ICC Champions Trophy final.
An unassailable lead has opened up the window for experimentation but there will be no letup in India's intensity when they face a heartbroken New Zealand team in the fourth T20 International, in Wellington, on Friday. Sanju Samson and Rishabh Pant are waiting for opportunities, with the former expected to get a look-in. Pant's call-up would depend on which batsman is left out, and whether KL Rahul will continue to keep wickets.
Pacers Umesh Umesh and Ishant Sharma shared four wickets between them in absence of injured R Aswhin as Essex batsmen made India toil hard by reaching 237 for five on the second day of the three-day practice game, in Chelmsford, on Thursday.
New Zealand coach Mike Hesson has criticised his players' decision-making in India after the one-day side were thrashed in the final match of the tour.
