Opting to bat after winning the toss, India struggled on a slow pitch and crawled to 224-8 with Virat Kohli (67) and Kedar Jadhav (52) managing half-centuries against a disciplined Afghan attack.
Mahendra Singh Dhoni will be back in the IPL next year. The World Cup-winning captain confirmed it himself during the toss Chennai Super Kings' final game of the season, against Kings XI Punjab, in Abu Dhabi, on Sunday.
Avesh stepped up whenever called upon by Pant and finished with figures of 3 for 34.
The focus will be on K L Rahul and Vijay Shankar, contenders for the number four slot, in the World Cup warm up match against New Zealand, in London, on Saturday.
Indian captain Virat Kohli, on Friday, slipped a rung to third in the International Cricket Council (ICC) rankings for ODI batsmen but his predecessor Mahendra Singh Dhoni gained a spot to be 13th in the latest list issued in Dubai.
The World Cup is just a couple of months away, and even after even a 0-2 loss in the just-concluded T20 series there won't be any shift in plans as far as skipper Virat Kohli and coach Ravi Shastri are concerned.
India have a couple of middle-order slots still up for grabs and Shreyas Iyer sees this as an 'opportunity'
India play the opening T20I against New Zealand on Friday.
Check out the Delhi Daredevils squad for IPL 2014.
Srinivas Bhogle and Purnendu Maji list the Most Valuable Players of the India-New Zealand ODI series.
Indian openers have not replicated the kind of starts the Indian batting has grown accustomed to from its top-order.
It will be a big statement if Virat Kohli's young side could start off with a bang at Mahendra Singh Dhoni's 'spritual home', a task which will be easier said than done.
Royal Challengers Bangalore got back to winning ways after they squeezed past Delhi Daredevils by 15 runs on a batsman-friendly wicket in their Indian Premier League match at the Chinnaswamy Stadium in Bengaluru on Saturday.
A fit-again pacer Jasprit Bumrah, who missed the last One-Dayer in Ranchi, bowled with vigour as eight Indian players turned up for the optional practice session on the eve of the series-deciding fifth and final game against New Zealand in Vishakapatnam on Saturday.
The Indian Playing XI will also have Bhuvneshwar Kumar on Sunday as he replaces Mohammed Shami, who was hit on the leg in his follow through during the third match.
Hosts Australia will pull on a classic uniform from the 1980s featuring green strip on bright gold top and pants when they take on India in the three-match ODI series.
With the three-match T20I series ahead and also the World Cup round the corner, India will have to address this weakness to ensure that their much-vaunted batting doesn't crumble on an odd day when the condition aids swing bowling in England.
India are eyeing a place in the final after three wins in as many matches, while Pakistan will look to step up their game in the Super Four match, after a scare against Afghanistan.
Australian fast bowler Pat Cummins, on Tuesday, was added to the growing list of injured players in the Indian Premier League
After a shock defeat against Bangladesh 'A' in the second One-dayer, India 'A' will look to get their act together and clinch the unofficial three-match ODI series as they go into the third and final match, in Bengaluru, on Sunday, with both teams locked 1-1.
Will India retain the team that won the semi-final? Should India bring back Umesh Yadav?
Leg-spinner Shreyas Gopal claimed the first hat-trick of his career to guide Ranji Trophy champions Karnataka to a convincing innings and 222 runs victory over Rest of India in the final of the Irani Trophy, in Bangalore, on Wednesday.
'This win is going to take a while to sink in'
Playing IPL 2023's last league stage match, Royal Challengers Bangalore would know what exactly is required of them to qualify for the play-offs, when they face table-toppers Gujarat Titans in Bengaluru on Sunday.
A vintage Yuvraj Singh blasted a quickfire half-century to help champions Sunrisers Hyderabad outclass Royal Challengers Bangalore by 35 in the opening match of the tenth edition of the Indian Premier League in Hyderabad, on Wednesday.
Injured Royal Challengers Bangalore captain Virat Kohli, who is yet to feature in the ongoing Indian Premier League, on Wednesday, went through some fielding drills during the team's net session, in Bengaluru.
A formidable India will fancy their chances of taking an unassailable 2-0 lead against a weakened West Indies when the two sides lock horns in the third game of the ongoing five-match ODI series, in North Sound, Antigua, on Friday.
Stung by a batting debacle, Royal Challengers Bangalore have the onerous task of picking up pieces when they face defending champion Sunrisers Hyderabad on Tuesday, with a singular aim of keeping their hopes alive in the Indian Premier League.
Rohit Sharma will be back in his familiar opening position with an aim to get some quality batting practice when India take on Bangladesh in their final warm-up game before the Champions Trophy opener against Pakistan.
Premier off-spinner Ravichandran Ashwin will be in focus alongside speedster Mohammed Shami when defending champions India take on New Zealand on Sunday in their opening warm-up game ahead of the Champions Trophy in London.
Flamboyant Australian Glenn Maxwell is expected to be a favourite, despite his under-whelming record, along with England's spin bowling all-rounder Moeen Ali, while Kerala's batting sensation Mohammed Azharuddeen could be in hot demand during a condensed IPL players' auction, to be held in Chennai, on Thursday.
Star batsman Suresh Raina will look to get some batting practice ahead of the upcoming South Africa series along with some of the other fringe players as India 'A' take on Bangladesh 'A' in a three-match One-Day series, starting in Bengaluru, on Wednesday.
All-rounder Hardik Pandya returned to the Indian squad for the three-match ODI series against South Africa after a six-month injury lay-off along with fit-again senior opener Shikhar Dhawan and seasoned seamer Bhuvneshwar Kumar. This was the first selection meeting under new chairman Sunil Joshi. However, vice-captain Rohit Sharma is yet to fully recuperate from his calf muscle injury and is expected to return to action during the Indian Premier League later this month.
Following the heart-wrenching defeat in the first ODI in Pune on Sunday, England pacer Jake Ball has insisted that his team would try to ruin India's party when the two sides meet in the next game in Cuttack on Thursday.
"Can't be so defensive against the spinners," Sehwag tweeted.
Ravindra Jadeja was called up to the Indian team as the replacement for Axar Patel for the first three ODIs in the five-match series against Australia starting in Chennai, on Sunday.
Pakistani players made a prolonged appeal but umpire Marais Erasmus was not convinced.
Chairman of selectors MSK Prasad indicated that Wriddhiman Saha will regain his rightful place in the Indian Test for upcoming matches.
CSK began full-fledged preparations for IPL-12 at the M A Chidambaram stadium in Chennai.
Chennai Super Kings all-rounder Dwayne Bravo, who has been ruled out of the remainder of Indian Premier League because of a groin injury, tells fans CSK is going to come back stronger and better like champions.
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