For DC, the onus will be on Prithvi Shaw and veteran Australian David Warner to provide a solid start.
Ponting also cleared the air on veteran pacer Ishant Sharma and David Warner's fitness status, confirming that the former is fit for selection on Tuesday.
Rising talent, off-spinner R Ashwin replaced out-of-form senior tweaker Harbhajan Singh in the top bracket of BCCI's list of central retainership contracts, while struggling pacer Ishant Sharma was also demoted from Grade A to B.
Veteran batsman Rahul Dravid and pacer Ishant Sharma, who were the top Test performers for India on the recent tours to England and the West Indies, would receive Cricket Board awards at the function scheduled to be held in Chennai in December.
The Capitals have been inconsistent so far, winning five and losing six of their last 11 games.
India suffered a jolt ahead of Tuesday's tri-series opener against New Zealand, as pacee Ishant Sharma was ruled out of the match due to an ankle injury. The lanky Delhi bowler was to do the duty with new ball along with state-mate Ashish Nehra.
He walked on crutches in one of his first public appearances at Feroz Shah Kotla last year, but when an emotional Rishabh Pant walks out as captain of Delhi Capitals, he will need to put on his 'out of box' thinking cap to stop a marauding Sunrisers Hyderabad in an IPL match in New Delhi on Saturday.
Three Sri Lanka players and India's Ishant Sharma were found guilty of breaching the ICC Code of Conduct in two separate incidents during the penultimate day's play in the third Test at the Sinhalese Sports Club in Colombo.
Harbhajan Singh and Ishant Sharma picked three wickets each as India dismissed South Africa for 265 on Day 1 of the third Test. The visitors frittered away a solid start and were bundled out at the fag end of the day on a Green Park track that has given enough indication that it will deteriorate rapidly.
The Supreme Court on Tuesday set aside an order of the Calcutta high court in which it acquitted an accused in a sexual assault case and made 'objectionable' observations advising adolescent girls to 'control sexual urges'.
A green pitch welcomed the Indians at the Basin Reserve in Wellington after Mahendra Singh Dhoni won the toss and elected to field in the second Test against New Zealand, on Friday.
Kuldeep Yadav advised rest as precautionary measure for groin niggle
Former India pacer Chetan Sharma believes Ishant Sharma has matured as a bowler and is leading the attack well following good performances with the ball in the ongoing three-Test series in Sri Lanka.
West Indies pace legend Courtney Walsh feels that Indian speedster Ishant Sharma needs to work harder in the nets in order to iron out his flaws and achieve consistency.
India's seniormost speedster Ishant Sharma's has done an honest introspection of his bowling and has come to a conclusion that he has not been upto the mark in limited overs cricket unlike longer version where he is the pace spearhead.
Indian pace ace Ishant Sharma Ishant admitted that after getting off to an incredible start in international cricket, the pressures of maintaining that level of consistency have taken its toll on him.
Under-fire Indian pacer Ishant Sharma whose sloppy bowling cost India the third One-Day International against Australia, worked overtime with bowling coach Joe Dawes on Monday even as his team mates took a day's break ahead of their fourth match in Ranchi.
The 36-year-old Gambhir, who had captained Delhi in the Ranji Trophy for the past four seasons, expressed his desire to continue as a player.
Delhi Capitals' bowling unit will have to punch above its weight against an in-form Lucknow Super Giants, who will start as overwhelming favourites in an Indian Premier League match in Lucknow on Friday.
Dhoni groomed bowlers and left complete package with Kohli: Ishant Sharma
The Supreme Court on Wednesday rejected the Centre's plea for prospective effect of its July 25 verdict, which upheld the power of states to levy tax on mineral rights and mineral-bearing land, and allowed them to seek refund of royalty from April 1, 2005 onwards.
Test skipper Virat Kohli refuses to be drawn into the brouhaha surrounding the new-found aggressive approach of Team India.
Statistician Rajneesh Gupta explains why Ishant Sharma should not have been retained in the squad for the ongoing ODIs against Australia..
India pacer Ishant Sharma on Sunday said even though it was hard for him to swallow the ignore from the home Test series against Sri Lanka late last year, the experience has taught him to be more patient.
Deccan Chargers coach Darren Lehmann exuded confidence that his team will start off with a victory against Chennai Super Kings in their opening encounter on April 7.
Rishabh Pant's leadership skills will be under scrutiny as a struggling Delhi Capitals would seek a much-improved performance from their bowlers when they take on an inconsistent Gujarat Titans in the IPL in New Delhi on Wednesday.
Pacer Ishant Sharma might have struggled to get his rhythm in the just-concluded series against Australia, but former India captain Sourav Ganguly said the Delhi pacer is the future of Indian bowling.
Reader Bhagya Vasudev sent us these pictures from Wellington.
He was off-colour during the IPL and Twenty20 World Cup, but Ishant Sharma looked impressive in his short spell today and India skipper Mahendra Singh Dhoni feels a disciplined approach coupled with little assistance from the pitch did the trick for the pacer.
Former Skipper Sourav Ganguly revealed that Bengal pacer Ashok Dinda will fly to Australia as cover for injured fast bowler Ishant Sharma, who has been ruled out of a three-day practice match starting in Canberra on Monday.
Ishant Sharma bagged seven wickets as India scored a thumping 95-run victory over England in the second Test at Lord's on Monday.
He may have been retained for the remaining four matches against Australia. But his current form begs a question. Should Ishant Sharma have been dropped from the Indian team?
Indian pacer Ishant Sharma does not quite bowl yorkers and is not quite cut out at the moment to bowl in the initial or final overs but is fit to cause turbulence in the opposition ranks in the middle overs.
Reader Sushant Saxena sent us his photograph with pacer Ishant Sharma, taken when the Indian team toured New Zealand earlier this year.
The Board of Control for Cricket in India named batsman Abhinav Mukund and pacer Jaydev Unadkat as replacements for Gambhir and Ishant respectively.
The Supreme Court on Wednesday refused to grant interim bail to Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal in a corruption case filed by the Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) in the alleged excise policy scam.
# Ishant Sharma (4/59) recorded his best bowling figures against England, surpassing the 3 for 57 in Chennai in December 2008.
Seamer Bhuvneshwar Kumar's swollen ankle has the Indian team management worried ahead of the fourth Test against England, starting at Old Trafford on August 7.
Skipper Rishabh Pant will look to overcome his rustiness as Delhi Capitals aim for an improved batting display in their bid for a first win of the IPL season when they take on Rajasthan Royals in Jaipur on Thursday.
I don't think there is any upcoming bowler in the fray who is capable of bowling 140-plus regularly, says Ishant Sharma.
