Despite Gaikward's brilliance, Maharashtra could not qualify for the knockout stages of the competition.
There were no major surprises with most of the players picking themselves.
KL Rahul has gained 26 points and is now on 760 rating points, just six behind Australia's Glenn Maxwell
Indian openers have not replicated the kind of starts the Indian batting has grown accustomed to from its top-order.
While there were no glaring surprises in the squad, Manish Pandey has once again been sidelined as the selectors continue to repose their trust in out of form KL Rahul.
Robin Uthappa and Manish Pandey smashed attacking half centuries to keep IPL champions Kolkata Knight Riders winning run intact with a convincing 36-run victory over Dolphins in an inconsequential Group A match of Champions League Twenty20 in Hyderabad.
Some of their bowling and fielding frailties exposed in the series-opener, India will aim for quick course correction when they take on a resurgent New Zealand in a must-win second ODI, in Auckland, on Saturday. India find themselves in a familiar situation after the loss in Hamilton. But the visitors have come from behind against the West Indies and Australia to win their last two ODI series and Virat Kohli's men will aim to do the same against the Kiwis.
Mahendra Singh Dhoni hit couple of towering sixes in his 43 but once again failed as a finisher with Karnataka pipping Jharkhand by five runs in a group D league encounter of the Vijay Hazare Trophy.
An all-weather bowling attack and batsmen's improved ability against pacers in overseas conditions have made India a formidable unit across formats, believes former New Zealand head coach Mike Hesson. He opined that India already have plans in place if Mahendra Singh Dhoni didn't return after this year's IPL as speculated.
The hosts have not name a replacement for the left-handed batsman, with Ajinkya Rahane and KL Rahul both able to play at the top.
Head coach Trevor Bayliss said the reason why Kane Williamson was left out of SunRisers Hyderabad's opening match against Kolkata Knight Riders on Sunday was because the New Zealand captain needs a bit of extra time to regain his match fitness.
Bumrah bowled full tilt at Rishabh Pant while Prithvi spent time with trainer Nick Webb
Sitting atop the points table, Kolkata Knight Riders would look to consolidate their position when they clash with an equally confident Delhi Daredevils in what promises to be a thrilling IPL encounter, in New Delhi, on Monday.
It all starts in Guwahati on Sunday as the biggest city in Assam is slowly getting back to normalcy after protests against the Citizenship Amendment Act (CAA).
umbai Indians overcame some tense moments to pull off a last-ball win over Delhi Capitals at the Arun Jaitley Stadium in Delhi on Tuesday.
Chennai Super Kings take on table toppers Sunrisers Hyderabad in an Indian Premier League match, in Pune, on Sunday.
Coach Anil Kumble posed with a problem of plenty: 'I don't think it is the right for me to discuss the team combination. It is a good choice that we have in the squad with Yuvi coming back into the team. We all know what he is capable of. Having said that, both Manish Pandey and Kedar Jadhav, have done well in that slot'
Gautam Gambhir feels Virat Kohli's team will keep facing the problem of imbalance till it finds a suitable replacement for a half-fit Hardik Pandya
Hardik Pandya staged a late assault to help Mumbai Indians pull off a thrilling four-wicket win over Kolkata Knight Riders for their first win in the Indian Premier League in Mumbai, on Sunday.
IMAGES from the Indian Premier League matches played in Guwahati on Saturday.
A summary of the Ranji Trophy matches played on Wednesday.
The third and series-deciding match will be played in Cape Town on Saturday.
The unbeaten streak of table-toppers Surisers Hyderabad would be up for a test when they take on third-placed Kings XI Punjab in an Indian Premier League contest, in Mohali, on Thursday.
India's selectors went on expected lines, leaving out former champions while giving the nod to top performers in domestic circuit in the 30-man probables' list for the 2015 World Cup.
Mayank Agarwal blasted 162 to help Karnataka demolish Andhra Pradesh in a South Zone match of the Vijay Hazare National One Day Championships in Secunderabad, on Friday.
'Congratulations on an excellent campaign @sunrisers. You took your supporters on a roller coaster but you produced a lot of joy.'
Neither DC nor LSG look like outfits that give you the vibe of a champion side
Left-arm spinner Shams Mulani grabbed a match haul of 10 wickets as Mumbai defeated Andhra by 10 wickets to secure a successive bonus-point victory in the Ranji Trophy in Mumbai on Monday.
Check out the Kolkata Knight Riders squad for IPL 2014.
Images from the Indian Premier League Qualifier 2 between Delhi Capitals and SunRisers Hyderabad, in Abu Dhabi on Sunday.
India captain Virat Kohli is happy that Shikhar Dhawan is back in form with a half-century but doesn't endorse the idea of pitting a senior player against a much younger KL Rahul as possible partner for Rohit Sharma in the upcoming three-match ODI series against Australia. Dhawan, who was under some pressure before the third T20 International against Sri Lanka in Pune on Friday, smashed a half-century which will keep him in the mix for the upcoming series against Australia where Rohit Sharma will be back from his break.
Tamil Nadu lead Railways by 363 runs courtesy Jagadeesan double hundred
Having flattered to deceive on most occasions after his transition from Under-19 to senior cricket, Delhi boy Unmukt Chand would like to make amends as he leads India 'A' in the tri-nation 'A' series, considered a launch pad to the senior team.
'Yuzi (Chahal) comes in and completely changed the game for us. Not many spinners got much out of the pitch, but tonight he showed that you can turn it if you have it in your wrists. He showed he can get purchase on any wicket. The way he came in and bowled attacking lines, he changed the game.'
Sunil Narine and Kuldeep Yadav sizzled with the ball as two-time champions Kolkata Knight Riders rode on its spin attack to advance into the play-offs of the ongoing Indian Premier League with a 22-run win over Sunrisers Hyderabad.
Rishabh Pant's form would be an important sub-plot when India look to seize the advantage against South Africa
'I had said earlier that Ajinkya Rahane would be looked at as a third opener but that situation can change because he has batted at No. 4 in a World Cup (in 2015) before. These conditions are such that you get to play fast bowling throughout the innings so he becomes a strong candidate for No. 4'
Openers KL Rahul and Shikhar Dhawan slammed quickfire half-centuries as India outclassed Sri Lanka by 78 runs in the third and final T20 International to win the three-match series 2-0, in Pune, on Friday. Images from the third T20 International between India and Sri Lanka, at Pune, on Friday.
Rajneesh Gupta has all the numbers about how each player from the Indian and South Africa teams fared in T20 Internationals.
Mahendra Singh Dhoni will be eager to break the sequence of reverses and get Rising Pune Supergiants' campaign back on track when they lock horns with in-form Kolkata Knight Riders.
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