If the weather holds up, expect a run feast in the 2nd ODI at the Eden Gardens in Kolkata on Thursday. But should the Aussies retain the same team or bring Ashton Agar on for Adam Zampa and bench misfiring opener Cartwright?
Australian pacer Josh Hazlewood feels South African swashbuckler AB de Villiers will be the toughest batsman to bowl against at the World T20, given his compact technique and ability to score with innovative strokes.
Delhi Daredevils would look to continue the new-found momentum against a struggling Gujarat Lions in New Delhi on Thursday.
IPL Player draft: How the bidding went
They endured a disastrous run the last time around to finish at the bottom of the heap and Kings XI Punjab would be aiming to make amends this season when they begin their campaign against newbies Gujarat Lions in their IPL opener in Mohali on Monday. Kings XI Punjab did not make any big buys this year and have a new captain in South African David Miller in place of Australian George Bailey who was released after leading the side to the last place in the previous season. Virender Sehwag has also retired and he will serve as team mentor this season. The Preity Zinta-owned side continues to lack the team balance as it has not added any significant player, only snapping the likes of all-rounders Farhaan Behardien and Marcus Stoinis, seamer Mohit Sharma and left-arm spinner Swapnil Singh. Last season, their batsmen lacked consistency and whenever they did well, the bowlers let the side down. On the other hand, debutants Gujarat Lions have a balanced side with top-class performers in both batting and bowling. They have explosive batsmen in Brendon McCullum, captain Suresh Raina, Aaron Finch and a plenty of top-notch all-rounders in Dwayne Bravo, Ravindra Jadeja and James Faulkner.
Australia's batting sensation Steven Smith tells Harish Kotian switching over from the Test and One-day mode to T20 will not be a problem for him in the upcoming eighth edition of the IPL.
Rajasthan Royals comprehensively crushed favourite 'whipping boys' Delhi Daredevils by 62 runs in a thoroughly one-sided encounter to consolidate their chances of making it to the play-offs in the seventh edition of the Indian Premier League on Thursday.
Shaun Marsh's sensational strokeplay helped Kings XI Punjab edge past Rajasthan Royals via the Super Over after the match had finished in a tie in the Indian Premier League, in Ahmedabad, on Tuesday.
Australia all-rounder Shane Watson has suffered a suspected abdominal strain while competing in a Twenty20 tournament in the United Arab Emirates, throwing his participation in the World T20 in doubt.
Brendon McCullum struck a quickfire fifty before Ravindra Jadeja produced a brilliant spell of 4-11 as Chennai Super avenged its defeat over Rajasthan Royals with a 12-run win to virtually secure its place in the play-offs of the Indian Premier League in Chennai on Sunday.
Glenn Maxwell produced a stellar all-round performance and Mitchell Johnson returned to terrorize England as Australia clinched the one-day tri-series with an emphatic 112-run victory over their Ashes rivals on Sunday.
James Faulkner, man-of-the-match in the 2015 World Cup final against New Zealand, has been omitted from the 15-man squad named on Thursday, with selectors opting for all-rounders Moises Henriques, Glenn Maxwell and Marcus Stoinis.
Rilee Rossouw smashed a sparkling 78 off 50 balls to drive a youthful South Africa side to a comfortable seven-wicket victory over Australia at the Adelaide Oval on Wednesday in the first of three Twenty20 internationals.
How do the Aussie and Indian cricketers compare? Rajneesh Gupta presents all the career numbers.
Punjab are lying at the bottom of the table with only one win from six matches, while the in-form Lions are the top of the IPL standings with six wins from seven matches.
Here are different scenarios depending on how the series pans out
Yuvraj Singh made a sensational return to international cricket, blasting his way to an unbeaten 35-ball 77 as India beat Australia by six wickets in a high-scoring one-off T20, in Rajkot, on Thursday.
Australia won the ICC cricket World Cup for a record fifth time when they beat New Zealand by seven wickets in the final at the Melbourne Cricket Ground on Sunday.
India's Under-19 star Rishabh Pant struck a brilliant half-century to power Delhi Daredevils to a comprehensive eight-wicket victory over Gujarat Lions at the Saurashtra Cricket Association Stadium in Rajkot, on Tuesday.
Buoyed by their thrilling last-ball win against Delhi Daredevils, a confident Rajasthan Royals will take on a beleaguered Mumbai Indians in an Indian Premier League cricket encounter in Ahmedabad on Tuesday.
Hoping to end their 10-match losing streak in the IPL cricket tournament, Delhi Daredevils will look to turn their fortunes around on home turf when they take on an upbeat Rajasthan Royals at the Feroz Shah Kotla.
Coach Duncan Fletcher devices innovative methods to help batsmen counter short-pitched deliveries
Steve Smith and Aaron Finch struck half-centuries to help Australia to a three-wicket win over Sri Lanka in the first One-day international in Colombo on Sunday. Sri Lanka, who lost the toss and were sent out to bat on a dry, turning wicket, set the visitors a target of 228, but Australia successfully chased them down with 19 balls to spare to give them the lead in the five-match series.
Shane Watson's spectacular decline as Australia's premier all-rounder has not yet robbed him of his self-belief and the 33-year-old is still hopeful of making a comeback in the World Cup team.
Gujarat Lions' star performer Aaron Finch is confident that their team can win five out of the next six matches to make it to the play-offs of the Indian Premier League after comprehensively defeating Royal Challengers Bangalore.
Young Karun Nair cracked a brilliant unbeaten half-century to guide Rajasthan Royals to a comfortable seven-wicket victory over Delhi Daredevils in their IPL-7 match at the Ferozshah Kotla stadium in New Delhi.
'We've tried a few different things. It hasn't really worked.'
Kings XI Punjab will look to go all guns blazing against down and out Gujarat Lions in Mohali.
Images from the World Cup Pool A match between Australia and Sri Lanka at the Sydney Cricket Ground.
All set to defend their cricket World Cup crown in less than a month, India will get their preparations underway with the aim of finding the right combination for the marquee event.
Australia captain Michael Clarke is pleased with whatever batting opportunity he and his teammates had against Scotland on Saturday and said every member of the squad was 'switched on' for the knockout stage of the World Cup.
Glenn Maxwell equalled the fastest fifty by an Australian in Twenty20 internationals as the tourists clinched a four-wicket win against Sri Lanka on Friday that secured a 2-0 series victory.
Spinner Nathan Lyon, top order batsman Usman Khawaja and all-rounder Moises Henriques have been omitted after being selected in the squad that defeated Sri Lanka 4-1 away
Fans are speculating that Dhoni is going to retire
Australia all-rounder Shane Watson has been ruled out of the first Test against South Africa starting on Wednesday after a slow recovery from a calf injury.
The hard-hitting 27-year-old becomes the fifth Australia player to leave the Indian Twenty20 tournament early following the departures of captain Steve Smith, John Hastings and Mitchell and Shaun Marsh
An "emotional" and "overwhelmed" Virat Kohli has termed his exceptional 82-run knock against Australia as his best in Twenty20 internationals.
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.
In-form batsman Usman Khawaja has been selected to play his first one-day international in three years when Australia meet New Zealand in the second match of their series in Wellington on Saturday.
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