During a recent meeting of the CoA in Hyderabad, Kohli suggested resting pacers, especially Jasprit Bumrah and Bhuvneshwar Kumar, from the entire IPL to keep them fresh for the World Cup.During a recent meeting of the CoA in Hyderabad, Kohli suggested resting pacers, especially Jasprit Bumrah and Bhuvneshwar Kumar, from the entire IPL to keep them fresh for the World Cup.
Following the debacle in the New Zealand ODI series, the selectors finally lost patience with the under-performing Suresh Raina and Ishant Sharma and axed them from India's squad for the Asia Cup later this month. Cheteshwar Pujara, who played two ODIs in Zimbabwe in August, made a comeback to the ODI squad.
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.
Rookie seamer Ishwar Pandey was named in India's Test and ODI squads for the tour of New Zealand. Mahendra Singh Dhoni will lead the team on the tour, which starts with the first One-Day International in Napier on January 19, 2014.
Two-time champions India begin their World Cup campaign against South Africa in Southampton on June 5.
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.
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.
Mayank Agarwal could likely to make his ODI debut as the first of the three-match ODI series kicks off in Chennai on Sunday. But all eyes will be trained on under-fire Pant who will have to work to prove his worth in the squad.
IMAGES from the 2nd ODI played between West Indies and India at Port-of-Spain in Trinidad on Sunday
Pacer Bhuvneshwar Kumar's devastating five-wicket haul after a late batting blitzkrieg put India firmly in command as they reduced a hapless New Zealand to 128 for 7 on the rain-hit second day of the second cricket Test, in Kolkata, on Saturday.
How do the Aussie and Indian cricketers compare? Rajneesh Gupta presents all the career numbers.
Pacer Jasprit Bumrah earned his maiden call-up to the Test squad, while Parthiv Patel made a comeback for the three-Test series in South Africa.
"Definitely, we all do believe that we have the team that can do well in South Africa, Australia, New Zealand and England. It is important to start well. The preparations part will be really important as it will provide us with the momentum," Rahane said at the India Today Conclave in Mumbai.
India dished out a dominating performance to crush New Zealand by 90 runs as spinners Kuldeep Yadav and Yuzvendra Chahal yet again tormented the home batsmen.
The talented Shreyas Iyer will be auditioning for the vacant number four slot when India take on West Indies in Sunday's second ODI of the three-match series.
India pulled off a brilliant all-round performance to trounce New Zealand by 178 runs in the second Test and clinch the series with an unassailable 2-0 lead, a win that propelled the team to the top of the ICC rankings, dethroning arch-rivals Pakistan.
The Elite list is set to comprise only three players ---skipper Virat Kohli, his limited overs deputy Rohit Sharma and Jasprit Bumrah.
Having won the series, India would like to carry on momentum forward, especially with the three-match T20I series to follow soon after. Yet, the visitors would also like to find a balance between going all out in a dead rubber and resting a few players keeping in mind a long overseas schedule later this year.
Kohli will be wary of the challenge that can be posed by the new ball pair of Kemar Roach and Shannon Gabriel
Mumbai get the money-spinning tournament rolling in Chennai on Friday, just four months after claiming their second successive title, with a match against Royal Challengers Bangalore, led by India captain Virat Kohli.
'They need to click as a group, not as batsmen or bowlers.'
Images from Monday's IPL match between Sunrisers Hyderabad and Kings XI Punjab, in Hyderabad.
With the second Test set to start on Wednesday, here is a quick fact check on how both teams stand at the Gabba.
Here are different scenarios depending on how the series pans out
With Jason Holder's men just about managing to draw the three-match ODI series against Afghanistan 1-1, there is no doubt that the current Indian team are a few notches ahead in terms of quality.
Stopping a resurgent Australia would not be easy but a confident India would look to end the series on a high when they compete in the fifth and final ODI match, in Nagpur, on Sunday.
Rising Pune Supergiant, who have gone from strength to strength, will look to seal their place in the Play-offs with a win over inconsistent Delhi Daredevils in the Indian Premier League in New Delhi, on Friday.
India captain Mahendra Singh Dhoni revealed on Saturday that Virat Kohli's agreement to drop down the order paid the team rich dividends and the strategy would be followed in the remainder of the One-Day series.
India's fielding coach Ramakrishnan Sridhar is expecting some of the reserve players to get much-needed game time during the remaining two ODIs against New Zealand as the team management wants every player to be match-ready going into this year's ICC World Cup.
The team will have to leave out either Yadav or Chahal and also decide which all-rounder between Kedar Jadhav and Vijay Shankar to field.
One of the finest fast bowlers in current times, Mohammed Amir would be pitted against the talismanic Virat Kohli in what could turn out to be a battle primarily between India's vaunted batting line-up and against Pakistan's potent bowling attack.
After their below par showing in the World Cup, some senior Indian players are living on borrowed time.
The Indian bowling was a pleasant surprise in the recent World Cup but a bigger pool of genuine fast bowlers and spinners needs to be created for the team to be a consistent force in the future, feels the legendary Erapalli Prasanna.
Remember Yuvi's 6 sixes in an over in the first World T20?
India would be desperate for the likes of Mahendra Singh Dhoni to find some form ahead of the semi-final when they take on Sri Lanka in their last preliminary World Cup clash, in Leeds, on Saturday.
Yuzvendra Chahal shone with the ball, while Mahendra Singh Dhoni rekindled his love affair with final flourishes, anchoring India to their maiden bilateral ODI series triumph in Australia.
West Indies coach Stuart Law is happy that his batsmen have been able to 'manufacture' changes in the Indian bowling line-up
Dinesh Karthik's experience and composure in pressure situations helped him pip young sensation Rishabh Pant to the second wicketkeeper's spot in India's World Cup squad, captain Virat Kohli said.
India hinted at a recall for Ajinkya Rahane in the third cricket Test against South Africa, days after his omission from the first two matches of the series raised eyebrows.
