As we write this we still await the crucial India-Australia knock-out in Mohali. But India's individual performances in the T20 World Cup so far haven't been truly impressive. A look at the most valuable player index (MVPI) table reveals that there's no Indian player in the top 20. MVPI merges a player's batting + bowling + fielding performance into a single 'run equivalent'. The formula to compute the MVP is devised to reward batsmen who score runs at a high strike rate, bowlers who take wickets at low economy rate and fielders who field the best (take a lot of catches and participate in run-outs). Since this is a relatively low scoring tournament we have assumed a team's par score to be 150, and each wicket to be worth 15 'runs'. It isn't a surprise that players from New Zealand dominate the rankings so far, although Joe Root tops the table after his 83 in 44 balls against South Africa.
Rohit Sharma, India's captain, acknowledged the dry pitch and the team's readiness for the challenge.
England have named an unchanged squad for the first two Tests of the five-match Ashes series against Australia.
India skipper Rohit Sharma lamented his top batmen's failure in the opening Test of the five-match series against England in Hyderabad on Sunday, saying they lacked the fight and character showed by the team's lower-order batters after being set a "gettable" 231-run target.
Jonny Bairstow will be available for the entire duration of the Indian Premier League
England have a lead of 27 runs and the Indian batsmen will come in on a Sunday morning to face the English fast bowlers led by the magnificent Jimmy Anderson.
Amidst a challenging tour of India, England finds themselves in the serene embrace of Dharamsala for the final Test.
Despite the chastening defeat, Root said they were still in the series.
To avoid the ignominy of missing the cut for the prestigious Champions Trophy, England must win their remaining two fixtures against the Netherlands and Pakistan.
India maintained their unbeaten streak at the 2023 World Cup with a 100-run victory in a low-scoring contest against holders England
Ben Duckett's hundred overshadowed Ravichandran Ashwin's monumental feat as England stormed to 207/2 at stumps on Day 2.
Jonny Bairstow was selected to play as a specialist batsman in England's fourth Test against India even though he fractured a finger while keeping wicket in the third-Test loss.
In-form Sri Lanka right-hander Kamindu Mendis is another player on the move, with the 26-year-old improving five places to 11th and reaching a new career-high rating after he scored another century in the second Test of his side's recent series with New Zealand.
He's been Rooty's (Joe Root) right-hand man for a while now. I know Rooty does turn to him a lot. He's been involved in a lot of talks we have behind the scenes, England coach Silverwood said.
Incumbent Alastair Cook has admitted to having 'questions' about his role as Test captain following England's series loss in India with a match to spare and batting mainstay Root is perceived as a natural heir to the job.
'Let batters play the switch hit, but give us LBW when they miss'
Rohit Sharma's 11th Test century -- 131 from 196 balls -- was laced with 14 fours and three sixes. He played a crucial role in India's recovery putting on 204 runs for the fourth wicket with Ravindra Jadeja.
England batting mainstay Joe Root explained what made Ashwin, who combines a spinner's guile with a fast bowler's aggression, such a difficult bowler to play.
Trump is confident the US will eventually emerge the winner from whatever turmoil his policies cause, notes T T Ram Mohan.
A day before their return to India, England were dealt a blow with their frontline spinner Jack Leach ruled out of the remaining three Tests with a knee injury.
Four interesting images from Day 3 of the India-England Test at Lord's
The 34-year-old will hope to push for a second century, four years after his glorious 140 in Perth.
'We'll have to play right at the top of our game to win out there but we couldn't be in a better place to go and challenge them (India).'
England on Monday named four specialist spinners, including the uncapped duo of Tom Hartley and Shoaib Bashir, in the 16-member squad for next month's five-Test series in India.
IMAGES from Day 2 of the 1st Ashes Test at Edgbaston, Brmingham, on Friday
New Zealand's experienced batter Kane Williamson surpassed Virat Kohli and former Australia batter Don Bradman in the Test hundreds list on Sunday.
Bangladesh would like to exploit those chinks in England's armour
All eyes will be on Captain Shubman Gill and Coach Gautam Gambhir to lead the Indian Test team into a bold new era.
England captain Joe Root confirmed that rookie batsman Ollie Pope will make his debut against India in the second Test starting at Lord's on Thursday.
The hosts are without the services of all-rounder Jadeja for the first two Tests of the four-match series against England as he is nursing a thumb injury he sustained on the tour of Australia.
IMAGES from the 1st Test, Day 1 between India and England played at the Rajiv Gandhi International Stadium, Hyderabad, on Thursday
India 21 for no loss at stumps on Day 1 after bowling out England for 183 in the first Test, in Nottingham, on Wednesday.
Several England players, including skipper Ben Stokes, have been affected by a virus on the eve of their opening Test against Pakistan in Rawalpindi, senior batsman Joe Root said on Wednesday.
Images from Day 2 of the second Test between India and England at Visakhapatnam.
Sri Lanka's decision to bat first backfired when they were all out for 236 on Day 1 of the first Test.
Since embracing Bazball, England are yet to lose a Test series, while India remain unbeaten at home since 2012-13.
Can the World Cup-winning English T20 captain vanquish the Indian team in the first T20I at the Narendra Modi stadium in Ahmedabad on Friday, March 12?
Srinivas Bhogle and Purnendu Maji list the 50 Most Valuable Players in the 2025 Champions Trophy.
Jonny Bairstow will keep wicket for England in the fifth and final Test against India after recovering from a broken middle finger.
Labuschagne was the lone player from the Australian national side who was included in the list.
