New Zealand captain Kane Williamson enjoyed a return to form but his Hyderabad Sunrisers were left sweating on their Indian Premier League play-off hopes after a four-wicket loss to the Royal Challengers Bangalore on Saturday.
Indian team director Ravi Shastri also made it clear that Shami will figure in the playing XI during the two warm-up games against West Indies (in Kolkata, on Thursday) and South Africa in Mumbai on March 12 in order to assess his fitness.
'I had got good feedback from the New Zealand series and the Indian team coaches had also said look to work on these things. So, whatever they had said, we worked on it and it is reaping benefits today.'
India's stand-in captain Gautam Gambhir did not disclose the XI but gave enough indications that he would not make wholesome changes to the squad that will take on New Zealand in the opening one-dayer of the five-match series, in Guwahati on Sunday.
Pant had so far scored 222 runs in the IPL compared to a mere 93 by Karthik, but the latter's experience helped tilt the scale in his favour for the mega-event, starting in England from May 30.
The left-arm spinner is two victims shy of joining an elite club of 11 bowlers with 300 wickets in one-day internationals. Sri Lanka's Muttiah Muralitharan heads the list on 534.
Table-toppers Mumbai Indians are on course to make it to the play-offs but the game is crucial for Rajasthan, who are languishing in seventh place. Defeat would mean a step closer to elimination.
Jadhav, who also played a significant role in the ODI series decider against Australia in Melbourne, said that everyone is trying to put their best foot forward and grab that spot in the UK bound squad.
Hardly challenged in a dominating run this season, India once again start as overwhelming favourites when they take on an inconsistent-but-gritty New Zealand in a three-match One-Day International series, starting in Mumbai, on Sunday.
Kings XI Punjab skipper George Bailey rued making changes to the batting order, saying it played a part in their defeat to Rajasthan Royals in Friday night's IPL match in Pune.
Asked for China's comments on India not joining the RCEP deal over concern of cheap Chinese products potentially harming its domestic industry, Chinese foreign ministry spokesman Geng Shuang told the media in Beijing on Tuesday that China welcomes India joining the deal.
Rajasthan Royals, struggling at the penultimate spot on the points table after two wins and four straight defeats, need something special against Sunrisers Hyderabad in Sunday's IPL match in Dubai.
Stephen Fleming rued that their batsmen let it 'slip' despite having so much resources.
Superb performances by Chris Gayle and Sunil Narine gave the West Indies a comfortable six-wicket victory over Sri Lanka in the opening match of the tri-series, also involving India, at Kingston, Jamaica, on Friday. Check out some statistical highlights from the Sabina Park match.
Wriddhiman Saha's father is ensuring that India's most technically accomplished wicketkeeper's hand-eye co-ordination remains top notch.
Premier off-spinner Ravichandran Ashwin will be in focus alongside speedster Mohammed Shami when defending champions India take on New Zealand on Sunday in their opening warm-up game ahead of the Champions Trophy in London.
Dale Steyn, Ishant Sharma, Joe Root, Hashim Amla and Lasith Malinga were among the big names who went unsold at the IPL auction.
As the clock ticks down on Brendon McCullum's international career, the New Zealand captain will achieve one more milestone on Friday in the first Test against Australia at the Basin Reserve.
India captain Virat Kohli and pace spearhead Jasprit Bumrah were the only two Indians who found a place in Wisden's T20 International team of the decade, which didn't feature ex-skipper Mahendra Singh Dhoni. Australia's limited overs captain Aaron Finch was named captain of the team, which has two more Australian in Shane Watson and Glenn Maxwell, two England cricketers -- Jos Buttler and David Willey, two Afghanistan all-rounders -- Mohammad Nabi and Rashid Khan, and New Zealand's Colin Munro and Sri Lanka's Lasith Malinga.
Asked if the team management was looking at the workload of skipper M S Dhoni given that he had to take rest in the middle of the tournament due to back spasm, Fleming said: "We look at workload of the players just because we are little bit older than the other teams, so we are always monitoring that."
Dope-tainted pacer Mohammad Asif and opening batsman Imran Farhat will return to the Pakistan Test side after over two years in the first Test against New Zealand starting on Tuesday in Dunedin.
Rajneesh Gupta gives you the numbers-that-matter from the IPL auction 2017.
What makes these players such hot properties at the IPL Players Auction?
It is learnt that the Indian team's data analyst CKM Dhananjay prepared a special data analytics package doing an entire SWOT analysis of the World Cup hopefuls as well as opposition since the 2017 Champions Trophy.
Will Ravi Shastri be retained or will the BCCI opt for a new face?
A summary of sports events and sports persons, who made news on Wednesday
Surprised and disappointed at being ignored for next month's Sri Lanka tri-series and the Champions Trophy, Indian left-arm spinner Pragyan Ojha said he would come back better and stronger.
Australia paceman Josh Hazlewood has expressed concerns about the safety of the pink ball to be used in the maiden day-night Test match against New Zealand.
In striking form against Australia recently and in the ongoing series in New Zealand, and with his recent appointment as captain of the Kings XI Punjab team, 2020 looks like the year K L Rahul delivers on his promise.
'Bowl the ball reasonably quick on the surface and make the batsmen commit a mistake' 'It always tends to spin here more, which is a good thing for me as a spinner. But yeah the Indians are very good players of spin, and we have to work really hard'
Delhi Daredevils skipper Virender Sehwag has put Daniel Vettori in the same league as legendary spinners Shane Warne and Anil Kumble and said the New Zealand skipper is the best tweaker in the world at present.
Eight franchises collectively spent Rs 91.15 crore to buy 66 players from a pool of 350 plus that went under the hammer.
Luke Ronchi and Grant Elliott put on a world record 267-run partnership as New Zealand recovered from 93-5 to thump Sri Lanka by 108 runs in the fifth One-Day International in Dunedin on Friday.
Gujarat Lions will have their task cut out when they lock horns with Sunrisers Hyderabad.
Limited over captain Mahendra Singh Dhoni will be eager to regain his golden touch even as Virat Kohli eyes another smashing knock at his home ground when favourites India lock horns with New Zealand in the second ODI in New Delhi on Thursday. It may be just another ODI in a bilateral series, but there is lot at stake for Dhoni, who has been under pressure after Test skipper Virat Kohli led India to the number one ranking following a 3-0 whitewash.
With no World T20 competition in 2018, Nehra apparently told the team management that it is only fair that performing juniors have a longer rope, PTI reported.
Former India captain and member of the 1983 World Cup winning team Krish Srikkanth will be the recipient of this year's prestigious CK Nayudu Lifetime Award given by the BCCI. Former India women's captain Anjum Chopra is the co-recipient of the lifetime achievement award for the year 2019.
Star medium-pacer Jhulan Goswami said India will look to get maximum points during the limited-overs series against New Zealand in their quest to qualify for the 2017 women's World Cup.
Ashish Nehra running into bowl one last time at a place where it all began will form the sub plot as India aim to better their abysmal T20 record against New Zealand in the three-match series starting in New Delhi, on Wednesday.
Cricket Australia on Monday introduced three new rule innovations (Power Surge, X-Factor Player, and Bash Boost) that will be implemented in the upcoming edition of BBL.
