Light rain delayed the start of the tri-series final between India and Pakistan at the Sher-e-Bangla National Stadium on Saturday.
On paper, it is difficult to imagine how Bangladesh will even be able to compete in a format which has been their weakest till date.
A cultural shift with rising fitness standards are the primary reasons for India's current depth in fast bowling department, said former captain and current BCCI president Sourav Ganguly. A young Jasprit Bumrah in the company of the experienced Ishant Sharma, Mohammed Shami, Umesh Yadav and Bhuvneshwar Kumar has made India's bowling one of the world's most potent pace attacks.
Riding on the match-saving hundred against New Zealand in the second cricket Test, Indian batsman VVS Laxman on Tuesday returned to the top-20 of the ICC Rankings, up six places to 15th in the latest list.
11 other players have quoted the highest base price for this year's auction to be held on February 6 in Bangalore.
Jesse Ryder's 768 runs in his Test career is the maximum by a Kiwi batsman after their first eight Tests. Ryder surpassed Mark Greatbatch's tally of 739 runs, on Day 2 of the second Test against India in Napier.
The Anil Kumble-led Indian cricket team had a strenuous three hour-long practice session in hot and humid conditions at the MA Chidambaram Stadium on Sunday ahead of the first of the three Test-series against South Africa beginning in Chennai on March 26.
With the second Test set to start on Wednesday, here is a quick fact check on how both teams stand at the Gabba.
Their pride hurt in the Twenty20 internationals, India would be aiming to rediscover their winning momentum when they take on a rampaging New Zealand in the first match of the five-ODI cricket series starting in Napier on Tuesday.
Harbhajan Singh reckons that Matthew Hayden's stinging verbal attack at him stems from the frustration of realising that the Australians are "no longer the undisputed champions".
Ishant Sharma and Praveen Kumar picked four wickets each as Sri Lanka were dismissed for a paltry 179 in 47.1 overs. India hit up the runs with 17.4 overs to spare, in Tuesday's tri-series match.
Gujarat left-arm spinner Akshar Patel was recalled to the Indian squad for the last two One-Day Internationals against West Indies, while senior off-spinner Ravichandran Ashwin continues to be rested.
India made a strong reply to England's first-innings total of 477 after half-centuries by debutant Liam Dawson and number nine Adil Rashid underlined the tourists' batting depth in the fifth and final Test on Saturday. - Scorecard: India claimed three wickets on the second morning but the 108-run partnership between Dawson and Rashid in a productive second session for the touring side frustrated the hosts.
India fended off a spirited challenge by Sri Lanka to snatch a thrilling 15-run victory in the second one-dayer and take a 2-0 lead in the five-match series, in Colombo on Saturday.
India were 45 for one at stumps in their second innings, a lead of eight runs after trailing Australia by 37 on the first innings.
Debutants Afghanistan were bowled out twice in a day to lose the one-off Test match against India by an innings and 262 runs, in Bengaluru, on Friday.
Bumrah said his controlled aggression has done wonders to his run as an international cricketer.
From setting inspirational songs as his mobile ringtone to wearing I-Never-Give-Up T-shirts, pacer S Sreesanth has come up with unique methods to keep himself motivated as he waits for a recall to the Indian cricket team.
Intense bidding is expected to be the order of the day when 10 teams jostle to grab their preferred players in the IPL players' auction in Kochi on Friday.
A pool of 346 cricketers will go under the hammer at the IPL Player Auction in Jaipur on December 18.
India made one change with paceman Zaheer Khan ruled out because of an injured heel and was replaced by Ishant Sharma.
"The Indian team is good enough to beat Australia on their home soil. I hope we win a series in Australia for the first time," Chauhan said in a felicitation function in New Delhi on Saturday.
An all-round performance by Sumit Narwal, who hit an unbeaten half-century and scalped three wickets, helped Delhi beat Orissa by 52 runs and bag five crucial points in their Ranji Trophy Super League match in New Delhi on Sunday. Narwal slammed a gritty unbeaten 66 to help Delhi post 150 in 44.5 overs and later combined with pacer Ishant Sharma to shot out the visitors for 96 in 33.1 overs.
Replying to Delhi's first innings total of 224, Saurashtra were 175 for 7 at close on day 2 of the Ranji Trophy match.
Harbhajan Singh and Murali Kartik were named in the Indian squad for the first two Tests against Pakistan.
Paceman Munaf Patel's devastating five-wicket haul propelled Rest of India to a nine-wicket win over Ranji champions Mumbai on the penultimate day of the match.
Australia finished Day 4 in the first Test against India on 193 for 5, an overall lead of 263 runs.
Full list of players released, retained and traded by all ten teams in the IPL.
It would be interesting to see whether the selectors repose faith in veteran Gautam Gambhir, who made a half-century in the second innings of the third and final Test against New Zealand in Indore, if KL Rahul and Shikhar Dhawan are both passed fit to play.
The Rest of India squad to take on Ranji Trophy champions Delhi in the September 24-28 Irani Cup tie in Vadodara will be picked in Mumbai on September 8. The squad would be a virtual Test side barring those who would be representing Delhi like Virender Sehwag, Gautam Gambhir and Ishant Sharma.
Spinner Ajantha Mendis claimed 5-56 as Sri Lanka dismissed India for 249 on the first day of the third Test.
Bharath Arun, who has overseen the golden era of Indian fast bowling, believes that a lot of exciting fast bowlers are coming through the ranks and coaches, along with selectors, should be identifying the next batch in earnest.
Kane Williamson moved up a rung to join his Indian counterpart Virat Kohli
Former and current players took to Twitter to extend wishes to Ravi Shastri
Images from the Indian Premier League match between Chennai Super Kings and Kolkata Knight Riders in Kolkata on Tuesday.
Hyderbad went from 101/2 to 116 all out.
Images from Day 1 of the third Test between India and England, at the Narendra Modi stadium in Ahmedabad.
Shikhar Dhawan has been named as the replacement for the injured Murali Vijay for India's upcoming Test series in Sri Lanka.
The series-levelling win in the third Test against South Africa has helped India retain the second place in the ICC Test Championship table. India had come into this Test facing the possibility of slipping to fourth on the ladder after South Africa won the second Test in Ahmedabad by an innings and 90 runs following a drawn first Test in Chennai.
