After taking an unassailable 3-0 lead following the nine-wicket victory in the fourth One-Day International against England, India is likely to give a break to some of their key players in the inconsequential fifth and final match at Headingley, Leeds, on Friday.
India are yet to finalise their middle-order ahead of the World Cup but are unlikely to tinker much with the playing eleven for Friday's second ODI in Mount Maunganui.
Former wicketkeeper-batsman Parthiv Patel said India have all the 'bases covered' for the ICC World Test Championship final against New Zealand, to be played in Southampton from June 18 to 22.
Mahendra Singh Dhoni averages 100-plus in ODIs at M A Chidambaram stadium in Chennai -- his tally being 401 in six innings, including two hundreds and a fifty, at an average of 100.25.
Buttler believes the Twenty20 series, in particular, is important for England to work through their selection permutations.
Shikhar Dhawan believes that every lean patch in his career has made him "stronger" but it is his clarity and calmness that has enabled him to ride over rough times.
Brad Hodge will take his place in the team with Adam Gilchrist assuming the captaincy.
'Well, there is always excitement when India plays. So I am looking forward to the series. Lots of young talent in the spin bowling department. Am looking forward to seeing the spinners doing really well.'
Trent Boult has seen how Shaheen Afridi swung the ball to wreck India's top order at the Twenty20 World Cup and the New Zealand pace spearhead is plotting something similar in Sunday's crucial contest against Virat Kohli's men.
Former captain Shahid Afridi grabbed yet another five-wicket haul as Pakistan overcame Bangladesh by five wickets in the first one-day international in Dhaka on Thursday.
The former Australian spinner has straight away included both Ajinkya Rahane and Steve Smith in Delhi Capitals' probable playing XI and expects the top four batsmen to drive in fourth gear right from the word go.
The fifth match of the Commonwealth Bank series between India and Sri Lanka in Adelaide ended in a thrilling tie on Tuesday. While the bowlers helped India stay on course for a third straight win by restricting Sri Lanka to 236 for nine on a placid Adelaide Oval wicket, the batsmen paid the price for leaving too much for the end.
Batting great Sachin Tendulkar, on Thursday, heaped praise on India captain Virat Kohli for bagging most of the major honours at the ICC Annual Awards.
Sourav Ganguly looks set to reclaim his one-day spot for the upcoming home series against West Indies.
MI's middle-order hasn't fired yet and Boult said the batsmen wouldn't be too pleased about it.
Gibbs back India, England as contenders for ODI World Cup
Australia shone with bat and ball to beat South Africa by three wickets and claim a 2-1 series victory after the third one-day international at Kingsmead on Friday.
India will start their Asia Cup campaign against minnows Hong Kong on Tuesday followed by the big game against Pakistan.
The first one-day international between South Africa and India in Johannesburg on Sunday was called off due to rain.
Spinners Kuldeep Yadav and Yuzvendra Chahal have taken a combined 77 wickets in the past 12 months, six more than India's pace trio of Jasprit Bumrah, Bhuvneshwar Kumar and Mohammed Shami.
Becomes only the 3rd Indian batsman to be in the top-10 in all formats of the game; Rahane at career-best fifth
India's cricketing icon Sachin Tendulkar vehemently opposed the International Cricket Council's proposed four-day Test, urging the governing body to refrain from tinkering with a format in which the spinners come into play on the fifth and final day. A day less, according to the world's highest run-getter across two formats, will lead to batsmen thinking of Tests as an extended version of limited-overs cricket.
The ICC's ban will be effective from the first international series between England and West Indies, starting July 8.
Ravindra Jadeja will have to improvise.
Teams could withdraw batsmen for slow scoring during one-day internationals under radical recommendations from an ICC committee on Tuesday.
Sri Lanka chased down 239 for victory in the second ODI of the three-match series against Bangladesh at R Premadasa Stadium, Colombo.
Chris Gayle was not at his brutal best in the IPL but Andre Russell's butchering of the bowlers has forced the teams to take note of what could await them at the World Cup.
India's pacer Jasprit Bumrah, who has been sidelined with injury fell to sixth in the latest ICC Test rankings, Starc up to career-best fifth spot.
Steve Smith was handed a one-year ban from international cricket in 2018 for his involvement in the ball-tampering scandal against South Africa.
Fascinating predictions for the years ahead. A revealing excerpt from Tim Wigmore and Freddie Wilde's Cricket 2.0: Inside The T20 Revolution.
A switch hit involves a batsman changing the order of his hands (from left-handed to right-handed grip or vice-versa) after the bowler starts his run-up.
'I have looked at other sportsmen and women who I have a lot of respect for doing it to an extreme level'
Batting coach Vikram Rathour is not amused any more to answer questions on Rishabh Pant
Having claimed 42 wickets, one in the 3rd ODI against the Windies on Sunday, Mohammed Shami became the highest wicket-taker in ODIs in 2019 .
Former England captain Nasser Hussain reckons Tendulkar has a magnificent technique and in modern cricket New Zealand's Kane Williamson similarly has a good technique.
Pakistan's wily spinners gave a masterclass in slow bowling to bamboozle South Africa's batting line-up and lead their side to a 66-run victory in the second one-day international in the United Arab Emirates on Friday.
Yuzvendra Chahal is among the best leg-spinners in international cricket right now but he can be more effective with better use of the crease, says former Pakistan spinner Mushtaq Ahmed. Ahmed picked Chahal, Australia's Adam Zampa and Pakistan's Shadab Khan among the top leg-spinners in white-ball cricket.
Former selector Sarandeep Singh called Rohit-Dhawan the 'best option' despite skipper Virat Kohli's recent interest in the slot.
Pakistan's poor fielding was a major talking point in the final ODI but they turned up on the night, taking difficult catches in the deep and even inflicting a run out with a direct hit.
'In the '70s, Vivian Richards used to be the difference between the West Indies and any other side.' 'Similarly, Pant was the difference between India and England.'
