Kohli trails Smith by 26 points and will have to produce a string of strong performances to leapfrog the Australian.
National Investigation Agency on Monday formally arrested Lokesh Sharma, already in judicial custody in connection with the Samjhauta train bombing case, for his alleged role in the 2008 Malegaon blast.
India opener Lokesh Rahul hit back at all those who branded him a player for the longer version, saying he has proved them wrong.
India completed a 3-0 series sweep against Sri Lanka on Sunday following their five-wicket victory in the final Twenty20 International at the Wankhede Stadium in Mumbai.
Satbir Singh scored four goals as India opened their campaign in the Junior Asia Cup hockey tournament defeating neighbours Sri Lanka 11-0, in Malacca, Malaysia, on Friday.
Temperamentally poles apart, a cavalier Pant and a composed Ajinkya Rahane eventually wrested the initiative back with a burgeoning 146-run partnership to guide India to 308-4 at stumps.
An Indian fisherman was killed and three others were wounded on Monday when a security team onboard a US Navy ship fired at their small boat off Dubai. The fishing boat had four Indians and two Emirate nationals on board when the incident took place in Jabel Ali, a frequent docking point for American naval vessels about 30 miles southwest of Dubai, according to an UAE official.
For Hyderabad, KXIP encounter is the last game where they can avail the services of Warner before he leaves home for Australia's World Cup preparations alongside Steven Smith and Marcus Stoinis.
India team continued to be dogged by injuries as young all-rounder Hardik Pandya was Sunday released from the Test squad due to a blow on the shoulder, sustained during a training session. Lokesh Rahul and wicket-keeper Wriddhiman Saha were also forced to miss the third Test due to injuries but the BCCI is expecting the young opener to regain fitness before the fourth Test, scheduled to begin from December 8 in Mumbai.
Captain Virat Kohli has thrown his weight behind India's struggling openers but the tourists' defeat in Perth showed they have yet to find a solution to their top order woes.
Images from Day 1 in the third Test between India and Sri Lanka, in Colombo.
Indian opener Murali Vijay will miss the second Test against West Indies due to a thumb injury and will be replaced by Lokesh Rahul, skipper Virat Kohli said ahead of the match that begins at Kingston's Sabina Park later on Saturday.
Captain Akashdeep Singh came to his side's rescue with a golden goal as India defeated South Korea 2-1 to bag a consolation bronze medal at the Junior Asia Cup hockey tournament in Malacca on Sunday.
Factbox on the four-Test series between Australia and India, which begins on Thursday
Ajinkya Rahane scored an unbeaten hundred but skipper Virat Kohli's poor form continued as the touring Indians put up 314 for six on the opening day of their only three-day tour game against Sri Lanka Board President's XI in Colombo, on Thursday.
Ravichandran Ashwin says leadership tips from Virender Sehwag and Yuvraj Singh will help him immensely in his maiden captaincy stint in the upcoming Indian Premier League.
The right-handed duo of Murali Vijay and Lokesh Rahul have remained India's trusted batsmen upfront but the former's wrist injury opened an unlikely door for Shikhar Dhawan when they toured Sri Lanka earlier this year.
Murali Vijay and Cheteshwar Pujara overcame occasional discomforts to take India to 86 for one wicket at lunch on the opening day of their one-off Test against Bangladesh at Hyderabad on Thursday.
Capping four years of probe, the National Investigation Agency on Monday charged Swami Aseemanand and four others with triggering explosions in the cross-border Samjhauta Express in 2007 that left 68 people dead.
Smith was handed a one-year ban along with his then deputy David Warner exactly a year ago for their roles in the ball-tampering scandal in South Africa.
An Indian student testifying in the trial of his former classmate Dharun Ravi, who allegedly spied on his roommate's homosexual tryst, has said he had helped the accused set up the webcam to get a better view of the bed. Lokesh Ojha of Rutgers University took the stand in the trial of 20-year-old Ravi at a New Jersey court. Ravi has been accused of spying on his roommate Tyler Clementi, who committed suicide days later.Ojha described how he had helped Ravi adjust his webcam.
The new rules have given discretion to government to decide on allowances or service conditions not specifically covered by the 2019 rules which would be 'binding'.
Photos from Day 3 of the first Test played in Galle on Friday.
England pace bowler Stuart Broad swept aside the India middle order batting in an inspired spell on Sunday to propel his team to a crushing innings and 159 runs victory on the fourth day of the second Test at Lord's.
Criticised for failing in his debut Test in Melbourne, young batsman Lokesh Rahul was relieved after scoring his maiden century in only his second game as India stayed afloat on the third day of the fourth and final Test against Australia, in Sydney, on Thursday.
Check out the images from Day 2 of the fourth Test between Australia and India played at Sydney Cricket Ground
The only Indian batsman to get a chance to shine in the lop-sided ODI series against Zimbabwe, opener Lokesh Rahul says he always knew he has the ability to do well in every format. The 24-year-old from Karnataka, who amassed 196 runs in the series from three innings, which included an unbeaten century and a half-century, was adjudged the player of Wednesday's the third and final and man of the series.
The Samjautha blasts chargesheet was finally filed after many twists and turns on Monday. The accused now are Swami Aseemanand, the late Sunil Joshi, Lokesh Sharma, Sandeep Dange and Ramchandra Kalasangra.
Glenn Maxwell blasted an unbeaten 113 from 55 balls to guide Australia to a seven-wicket win over India that sealed a 2-0 away T20I series victory.
'The pitch should have enough for the bowlers to be interested on all days of the Test.'
Rajasthan Anti Terrorist Squared has arrested one more person from Gujarat in connection with the 2007 Ajmer dargah blast case following interrogation of Swami Aseemanand whose custody was on Saturday extended till February 11.
After putting a stop to their prolonged losing streak, Delhi Daredevils will look to carry forward the momentum when they take on Sunrisers Hyderabad in their Indian Premier League encounter in Visakhapatnam on Saturday.
Sunrsiers' middle-order has hardly been tested and when the opportunity came against Mumbai Indians, the likes of Vijay Shankar, Manish Pandey, Deepak Hooda and Yusuf Pathan fell flat.
The home team's bowlers will be wary of Chris Gayle's power-hitting.
Opener Murali Vijay (53 off 113 balls) and Lokesh Rahul (58 off 92 balls) also scored a half century each after the visitors opted to bat after winning the toss.
The National Investigation Agency (NIA), on Monday, did not name Lt Col Prasad Srikant Purohit as one of the main conspirators in the 2007 Samjhauta Express blast case. Purohit was earlier being considered as one of the main accused in the case, but NIA's revelation has brought in a new twist in the tale.
Along with Aseemanand, Devendra Gupta, Lokesh Sharma, Chandrashekher Leve, Bharat Mohan Rateshwar, Jarshad Bhjai and Mukesh Wasani have been charged under sections 302 (murder) and 307 (attempt to murder) of IPC.
Lokesh Rahul, who hit two half-centuries in the deciding Dharamsala Test against Australia, on Thursday, jumped 11 places to a career-high rank of 11th in the latest ICC chart for Test batsmen.
The Jaipur Municipal Corporation has taken possession of the two heritage havelis that were purchased by the former Indian Premier League commissioner Lalit Modi four years ago in the protected Amber Fort area, a senior official said on Thursday.
Srinivas Bhogle and Purnendu Maji identify the Most Valuable Indian ODI Players in the 2018-19 season so far.