Four defeats in six games notwithstanding, Royals Challengers Bangalore batsman KL Rahul expressed confidence of his team bouncing back in the ongoing Indian Premier League, saying that it just needed to sort out a few grey areas in its bowling attack.
In India's first innings, only Yashasvi Jaiswal (58 off 97 balls) and Washington Sundar (48 off 92 balls) could contribute substantially as the home team suffered a batting collapse after starting the day at 9 for no loss.
Rishabh Pant's place in the playing eleven is far from guaranteed, while Washington Sundar and Nitish Kumar Reddy are locked in a tight contest for the additional all-rounder's slot as India confront several selection dilemmas ahead of the first ODI against South Africa in Ranchi.
Pant cops blow during nets ahead of ODI series against New Zealand
As India got off to a strong start in the must-win fourth Test for the Anderson-Tendulkar Trophy at Old Trafford in Manchester on Wednesday, opener K L Rahul achieved a major career milestone, joining an elite list of Indian batters with 1,000 or more Test runs in England.
Former India pacer R Vinay Kumar said the enviable batting riches in their line-up will give Karnataka a huge upper hand over maiden entrants Jammu and Kashmir in the Ranji Trophy final.
India's absolute dominance at home will come under examination when they meet a determined New Zealand in the decisive third ODI at the high-scoring Holkar Stadium in Indore on Sunday, with the three-match series locked at 1-1.
Even as the focus remains on the T20 World Cup which is less than a month away, Kohli and Rohit will hog the limelight in the three ODIs over the next seven days.
'This is my ground, my home, (I) know this (ground) better than anyone else. Something I have always done with my preparation is that I always try to adapt to different wickets.'
'I am getting used to managing this side.'
India have been fined 10 per cent of their match fee for maintaining a slow over-rate against South Africa in the second ODI in Raipur.
'There was a time when I was in a quality over quantity mindset in international cricket and did not hit enough balls. Now I am back to enjoying hitting a lot of balls in the nets.'
Updates from Day 1 of the Ranji Trophy final between Jammu & Kashmir and Karnataka, in Hubbali on Tuesday.
Devdutt Padikkal, who appears to have found a magic bat of sorts and is scoring runs at will, will hold the key to Karnataka's chances as they take on Vidarbha in the first semifinal of the Vijay Hazare Trophy in Bengaluru on Thursday.
India beat West Indies by seven wickets in the second and final Test to complete a 2-0 series sweep at the Arun Jaitley Stadium on Tuesday.
Kohli's 124 in vain as New Zealand beat India by 41 runs in 3rd ODI to clinch series 2-1
Mayank Agarwal stroked a fluent century to lead Karnataka's fightback after Auqib Nabi's three-wicket haul had put Jammu and Kashmir in control, on Day 3 of the Ranji Trophy final.
Left-arm wrist spinner Kuldeep Yadav admitted that he is "bad with DRS" appeals after his hilarious banter with senior pro Rohit Sharma formed a nice, little subplot of India's series-clinching victory against South Africa in the third ODI in Visakhapatnam.
IMAGES from Day 3 of the third Test match, played between England and India at Lord's, London, on Saturday.
Grind pays off for Ruturaj Gaikwad, now upto him and luck to prove his 50-over mettle.
Middle-order batsman Kedar Jadhav and speedster Shardul Thakur were back in the 17-member India squad for the six-match ODI series in South Africa but KL Rahul failed to make the cut despite back-to-back half- centuries in the T20 series against Sri Lanka.
In a video that surfaced on social media, Rahul was seen holding the right hand while receiving treatment.
IMAGES from the Indian Premier League match played between Royal Challengers Bengaluru and Delhi Capitals in Bengaluru on Thursday.
The Internet is ablaze with adoration for Athiya Shetty and K L Rahul as they share intimate glimpses into their journey towards parenthood.
IMAGES from the first ODI played between India and New Zealand in Vadodara on Sunday
IMAGES from Day 2 of the third Test match between England and India at Lord's, London, on Friday.
With Bumrah leading the charge, India prised out five wickets in the second session to snuff out South Africa's hopes of reaching the 200 mark.
'...it will be interesting to see what happens in the final World Cup squad. Definitely, he has made a strong case for himself. It's good he's in great nick and hopefully he can carry it forward'
Rahul would like to make full use of the game time he gets as an opener during the three games against Zimbabwe
Delhi Capitals annihilated Lucknow Super Giants by eight wickets in an IPL match in Lucknow on Tuesday.
Opener KL Rahul feels that had another six overs been available, India could have won the first Test against Sri Lanka, which ended in a draw after a riveting final day.
It was a memorable night for the number 6 batter who hit 4 off 33 balls and watched from the other end as Ravindra Jadeja hit the winning runs.
Team India touched down in Manchester on Sunday ahead of the must-win fourth Test of the Anderson-Tendulkar Trophy
Athiya Shetty celebrated her 32nd birthday on Tuesday. On her special day, K L Rahul took to social media to wish his actor-wife.
India's opening batsman Shikhar Dhawan looked visibly upset, venting out his anger on reserved opener KL Rahul on day 3 of the 4th Test at Feroz Shah Kotla ground in New Delhi. Birthday boy Dhawan played an important hand before lunch. The incident unfolded when Dhawan was hit on the forearm by a rising delivery from Imran Tahir.
Save Shreyas Iyer, who will take a lot more time to get fit, others are expected to represent their state teams.
KL Rahul becomes second India batter after Vengsarkar to score more than one Test ton at Lord's
'India never began well, and that's one of the main reasons they weren't able to chase these big scores,'
Although he termed Champions League T20 as a "great platform", Test specialist and SunRisers Hyderabad player KL Rahul feels that scrapping of the tournament will not mean the end of opportunity for talented Indian players to prove their mettle.
Shubman's T20I series participation against South Africa doubtful; Samson, Jaiswal contenders for the slot
