It will be a test of Virat Kohli's tactical acumen against the ice-cool demeanour of Eoin Morgan when perennial underachievers Royal Challengers Bangalore clash with former champions Kolkata Knight Riders in the IPL Eliminator in Sharjah on Monday.
New Zealand's three-pronged attack could spell trouble for India on a spiced-up track and Will Somerville, who played a gutsy knock in Kanpur, might have to sit out.
Pakistan captain Babar Azam was named the International Cricket Council's ODI Cricketer of the Year following his exploits in 2021 when he scored 405 runs in six games at an average of 67.50.
An underwhelming India suffered their first ODI whitewash in more than three decades as New Zealand completed a 3-0 sweep with a five-wicket victory in the third match, in Mount Maunganui, on Tuesday. It is the first whitewash for India in 31 years in a series in which all matches have been played.
Images from Day 2 of the first Test between India and New Zealand, in Kanpur, on Friday.
Deep down, Kohli perhaps well understands that in the most challenging of conditions, his team needs more than just his sheer force of will to succeed. It requires that extra skill, tenacity and temperament. His jigsaw is near-ready; he just needs to find the final pieces, observes Dhruv Munjal.
Ajinkya Rahane wants to take on the New Zealand pace battery with more intent in the second Test. He has a foolproof strategy, which includes countering the awkward angles which became a nightmare for Indian batsmen during the first Test at the Basin Reserve.
Indian openers have not replicated the kind of starts the Indian batting has grown accustomed to from its top-order.
Virat Kohli will be facing the most defining test of his captaincy career as he expects his men to be the proverbial 'phoenix rising from the ashes' when India take on a street-smart New Zealand in a do-or-die T20 World Cup Super 12 match in Dubai on Sunday.
Two more failures in two home games could effectively mean end of the road for Ajinkya Rahane, who is leading India in the first Test in Kanpur, starting on Thursday.
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.
Purnendu Maji and Srinivas Bhogle list IPL 2021's Most Valuable Players up to Game 21.
Purnendu Maji and Srinivas Bhogle list IPL 2021's 50 Most Valuable Players up to Game 11.
Punjab Kings, who had paid Rs 10.75 crore for Maxwell in the previous auction, had released the 32-year-old following the 2020 edition in which he made 108 runs in 13 games at 15.42.
Purnendu Maji and Srinivas Bhogle list IPL 2021's 50 Most Valuable Players up to Game 29.
Images from Day 5 of the first Test between India and New Zealand, at Green Park in Kanpur, on Monday.
Before they take the field for the World Test Championship final on Friday, June 18, Rajneesh Gupta takes a look at India-New Zealand Test encounters in the new century.
Images from the IPL match between Rajasthan Royals and Royal Challengers Bangalore, in Mumbai, on Thursday.
When India lost the Wellington Test by 10 wickets, was it the worst defeat for Virat Kohli's team? Rajneesh Gupta has the answers.
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