A formidable Indian cricket team is likely to revel in home conditions, as they prepare to host and dominate New Zealand in the first Test in Kanpur, from Thursday, heralding the beginning of a long 13-match home season.
India have a couple of middle-order slots still up for grabs and Shreyas Iyer sees this as an 'opportunity'
Having decimated the opposition with clinical precision in all four matches, India will be aiming to complete a clean sweep when they take on a struggling Sri Lanka in the fifth and final cricket one-dayer in Ranchi on Sunday.
Not just the 40 points, India will also be eyeing a 3-0 whitewash in the Gandhi-Mandela series.
India will be desperately hoping that Rohit replicates his limited overs success in the traditional format
Unchallenged by Sri Lanka so far, India would look to keep the foot on the pedal in their pursuit for a series whitewash when the two teams face off in the fourth and penultimate cricket One-dayer at Eden Gardens on Thursday.
A change in technique after being asked to open had a negative impact on his performance during his playing days. No wonder VVS Laxman wants Rohit Sharma to stick to his natural game in his new role during the South Africa Test series.
Former India captain Sunil Gavaskar says instead of reporting a bowler with suspect action, umpires can straightaway call the offender or inform the captain to take him off attack, as that would not allow the bowler to have an impact on the outcome of the match.
His back-foot play off the pacers was a treat to the eyes and when the spinners were deployed, he was not afraid to use the long handle.
The 42-year-old batsman played 31 Tests and scored 1,944 runs, at an average of 34.11. He has five hundreds and 11 fifties in the longest format, with 212 his highest score.
38-year-old Brad Hodge and 41-year-old Pravin Tambe engineered a comfortable 30-run victory for Rajasthan Royals against Highveld Lions of South Africa in the Champions League T20, on Wednesday.
Their World Cup build-up halted by West Indies team's sudden mid-series pullout, India would resume the preparations for the mega-event when they square off against under-cooked sub-continental rivals Sri Lanka in a hastily-arranged ODI series starting in Cuttack on Sunday.
Rohit Sharma's sizzling century went in vain as Australia survived a few anxious moments before pulling off a tense four-wicket win over India in a cricket tri-series ODI match in Melbourne.
Virat Kohli will be facing the toughest battle of his nascent ODI captaincy career when defending champions India take on South Africa in a do-or-die match of the ICC Champions Trophy, in London, on Sunday.
Ravindra Jadeja stole the show while Umesh Yadav bowled his heart out.