An unassailable lead has opened up the window for experimentation but there will be no letup in India's intensity when they face a heartbroken New Zealand team in the fourth T20 International, in Wellington, on Friday. Sanju Samson and Rishabh Pant are waiting for opportunities, with the former expected to get a look-in. Pant's call-up would depend on which batsman is left out, and whether KL Rahul will continue to keep wickets.
After their below par showing in the World Cup, some senior Indian players are living on borrowed time.
Wicketkeeper-batsman Naman Ojha was named captain of the India 'A' team, which will take part in the two unofficial 'Tests' and a four-nation One-day tournament, in Australia.
India will have their task cut out against a vastly improved England
West Indies, on the other hand, would be desperate to return home with some positivity at the end of a two-month long series in which they lost both the Test and ODI series.
Ajinkya Rahane will be aiming to get his mojo back as India, formidable even without regular skipper Virat Kohli, eye another 'Whitewash' against Sri Lanka in the three-match ODI series, starting on Sunday.
The Indian team led by Mahendra Singh Dhoni got down to business with their first training session in Perth, ahead of the upcoming ODI series. It will be a crucial series for the Men in Blue as they prepare for the T20 World Cup in March-April.
How do the Aussie and Indian cricketers compare? Rajneesh Gupta presents all the career numbers.
India showed commendable character in Rajkot to level the series, proving that the panic buttons were pressed prematurely following the 10-wicket loss in Mumbai.
Rohit Sharma showed no signs of the finger injury that kept him out of action for more than two months as he hammered the visiting Sri Lanka bowlers making 142 off 111 balls, said India A coach Sanjay Bangar after his team won the warm-up game.
Fringe players have a chance to prove their worth when India 'A' takes on Sri Lanka in the tourists' only warm-up match ahead of the hastily scheduled One-Day International series, in Mumbai on Thursday. The tour game, at the Cricket Club of India's Brabourne Stadium, also provides Rohit Sharma, who is recovering from a fractured finger and shoulder injury, an opportunity prove his fitness and return to the side for the last two games in the best-of-five ODI series.
Bhuvneshwar Kumar looks set for a long injury lay-off after it emerged that the pacer had been carrying sportsman's hernia all along which the doctors failed to notice, according to media reports. He is now scheduled to undergo surgery for sports hernia -- which he has been carrying for over a period of three months -- after which he will have to undergo a two-month recovery period.
Here are different scenarios depending on how the series pans out
Gautam Gambhir said it was a big gamble to push Suryakumar Yadav up the order but he is happy it paid off.
While Gurkeerat Mann played second fiddle, Shimron Hetmyer took charge and battered the bowling all around the park.
Defending champions West Zone rode on gritty half centuries from Suryakumar Yadav and Axar Patel to scramble past South Zone by two wickets and enter the Deodhar Trophy final, in Mumbai, on Monday. Chasing an imposing 315 for victory in the second semi-final at the Wankhede stadium, West were struggling at 174 for 6 before Yadav (80 off 56 balls, 4 sixes, 7 fours) and No. 8 batsman Patel (64 not out off 38 balls) put together a match-winning stand of 70 runs off 76 balls that saw the hosts home with 17 balls to spare.
'I thought it was a good score on that pitch and the way we came out and bowled and showed that attitude on the field was very important, it was great team performance.'
Virat Kohli's return to form and a rather dramatic entry into the IPL play-offs will make Royal Challengers Bangalore a more confident unit when they meet a top-heavy Lucknow Super Giants in the IPL 2022 Eliminator match in Kolkata on Wednesday.
Delhi done in by poor batting as Karnataka win by 4 wickets
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.
They took whopping fashion risks and were greatly rewarded.
Punjab bowlers gave nothing away, especially after taking out Hyderabad opener Jonny Bairstow (1 off 6) in the second over. With their middle order getting few chances to bat in this IPL, it was going to be a task for them to get going.
Mahendra Singh Dhoni will lead the Indian team for the limited overs tour of Zimbabwe starting June 11, while top stars like Virat Kohli and Ajinkya Rahane have been rested.
KKR are placed at the sixth spot with 12 points and they will not only have to win but do it with a big margin
Dwayne Smith starred with the ball before Suresh Raina struck a sublime half century to guide Gujarat Lions to a six-wicket win over Kolkata Knight Riders in Kanpur, taking them closer to a spot in the play-offs of the Indian Premier League.
Chasing 294 for victory on a batting pitch, Hardik Pandya (78 off 72) and Manish Pandey (36 off 32) took India to the finish line after Rohit Sharma and Ajinkya Rahane had laid the platform for the victory with a 139-run opening stand.
Producer Krishnan Kumar's Diwali party -- with its huge turnout -- seemed to be the biggest of the season.
The Indian cricket team would get into the groove for the short limited-overs series against Australia with a couple of warm-up games against a Western Australia XI at the WACA ground on Friday and Saturday. While the first match tomorrow is slated to be a T20 affair, the second match scheduled the day after will be a 50-over warm-up game against the same opposition. It will certainly not be the first team of Western Australia which is better known as Perth Scorchers, which will be playing in the warm-up games. It will be a second string squad that will take on the Indians.
Formed in 2013, Sunrisers Hyderabad have been one of the most consistent performers, having won the tournament in 2016 and finishing as runners up last year.
Indian captain Virat Kohli, along with former skipper Mahendra Singh Dhoni, on Friday took the fitness test which will determine his availability for the gruelling tour of United Kingdom, starting on June 27.
While KKR suffered their heaviest defeat of the season against Sunrisers Hyderabad in their last game, Pune looked to have found their mojo in the business end of the tournament having registered consecutive wins in their last two matches.
India's middle order batsman Suresh Raina has been ruled out of the first ODI against New Zealand to be played in Dharamsala on Sunday because of viral fever.
Chahal, who has been an automatic choice in the limited overs format has not played any first-class cricket since December 2016 (against Haryana in Ranji Trophy), but the Indian team management and especially skipper Virat Kohli has indicated that he wants the wiry leg-spinner for five-day matches also.
India would be aiming to ensure that a plucky Bangladesh don't run away with the momentum when the two sides clash in the second T20 International, which is facing a cyclonic threat, in Rajkot, on Thursday.
All-rounder Stuart Binny stamped his class by hitting a sparkling unbeaten century as Karnataka took firm grip of the Irani Trophy match against Rest of India (ROI) with a 189-run first innings lead in Bangalore on Monday.
Delhi Capitals will expect more from their batters after an underwhelming display in their previous outing, while Lucknow Super Giants are eager to shrug off overdependence on skipper KL Rahul when the teams clash in the IPL match in Mumbai on Sunday.
Mumbai, Punjab, Karnataka, Himachal Pradesh and Bengal advance to QFs
Virtually out of the play-off race and struggling on multiple fronts, a horribly out-of-sorts Mumbai Indians will need a special team effort to arrest their slide when they take on Lucknow Super Giants in a return-leg IPL fixture in Mumbai on Sunday.
India captain Virat Kohli wants specific roles for certain players keeping a two-year time frame leading upto the 2019 World Cup in mind.
If Kolkata Knight Riders beat Rajasthan Royals on Thursday, then Mumbai Indians may find it very difficult to qualify for the play-offs even if they beat Sunrisers Hyderabad in their final league match.