The four-match Border-Gavaskar Trophy is locked at 1-1 and the match at Jharkhand State Cricket Association (JSCA), which is organising it's first-ever Test, is set to be a make-or-break affair for both teams.
The maestro wants a repeat of the teamwork from the current pace battery.
Images from Day 4 of the second Test between Australia and India, at the Melbourne Cricket Ground, on Tuesday.
Kolkata Knight Riders defeated Delhi Daredevils by nine wickets in the Indian Premier League.
The consistency of India's bowlers throughout the tournament disguised the team's batting problems till they were exposed in the semi-final against Australia.
India's skipper Virat Kohli scored a splendid unbeaten century to guide his team to a comfortable 302 for the loss of four wickets at stumps on day one of the first Test against the West Indies in Antigua on Thursday. At the Sir Vivian Richards Stadium, Kohli carried his limited-overs form into Tests and scored an effortless 143 off 197 balls, which was laced with 16 boundaries.
India's carefully devised plan to triumph in England seems to be coming undone with injuries to their key bowlers.
India were in with a very good chance of levelling the series in Melbourne on Friday after reducing Australia to 132 for 7 in 19 overs but rain put paid to their hopes.
Brimming with confidence after a clean-sweep in the Test series, India will look to carry on their dominance over New Zealand when the two teams lock horns in the first cricket One-day International of the five-match series, in Dharamsala on Sunday.
India coach Anil Kumble on Tuesday said there is no need for his team to curb its aggression despite the din over on-field behaviour in what is turning out to be an intensely-fought Test series against Australia.
Ishant explained how Gillespie changed his training methods to get better results
Do you feel Dhoni should bring in all-rounder Dhawan for Jadeja, or strengthen the pace attack by playing Ishant? Select your Indian team for the second match against Australia, in Brisbane, on Friday, January 15.
Sandeep Sharma scalped three crucial wickets as Kings XI Punjab produced a disciplined bowling display to compensate for their batting failure and notch up a comfortable 23-run victory over Kolkata Knight Riders in an IPL match in Abu Dhabi.
On paper as well as on current form, West Indies are no match for defending champions India, who have registered convincing victories against Pakistan, South Africa and UAE in their first three matches of the ICC World Cup.
This was not the first time that Steve Smith and the Australian team resorted to unfair measures in a Test match to gain advantage over their opponents.
Images from Day 2 of the first Test between India and Bangladesh in Indore.
Seniors like Ajinkya Rahane and Cheteshwar Pujara came in for a lot of flak for their below-par showing with the bat, while Jasprit Bumrah also failed to live up to expectations.
Ravi Shastri and bowling coach Bharat Arun had a close look at the pitch which wore a dry look, indicating that it would have something for the spinners.
'Finisher' Dhoni takes blame for not taking the across the line, saying: "We lost the match in the last five overs of either innings."
Opener Mayank Agarwal stamped his authority on a struggling South African attack with a second successive hundred as India gained the upperhand on the opening day of the second Test.
Harish Kotian/Rediff.com's report card on India's three-ODI series in Bangladesh.
A confident India will look to pile the misery on the a struggling Australia and seal the five-match series when the teams clash in the third One-Day International, in Indore, on Sunday.
India announced themselves as genuine contenders to defend their World Cup title on Sunday by humbling South Africa's vaunted pace attack before bowling out the Proteas for an emphatic 130-run victory at the Melbourne Cricket Ground.
There will be no let-up in intensity as a ruthless India look to inch closer to yet another series whitewash when they take on a beleaguered Australia in the fourth One-day International in Bengalurg, on Thursday.
Former India pacer Ajit Agarkar feels that Ishant Sharma should step up in a leadership role as the bowling unit has the skill set and ability to take 20 Australian wickets in the third Test starting at the Melbourne Cricket Ground.
India will eye revenge for their defeat in one-day series as they meet fierce rivals Australia in three Twenty20 Internationals, starting on Tuesday, January 26 at Adelaide Oval. Games will also be played at the Melbourne Cricket Ground (January 29) and Sydney Cricket Ground (January 31). The matches will see some of the world's explosive batsmen in action, while the series is also tipped as a much-needed preparatory ground ahead of the crucial World T20 scheduled to be held in March in India.
Former selector Raja Venkat, who was part of the committee which picked the victorious Indian team for the 2011 World Cup, says the current selectors are not doing things the right way.
India speedster Mohammed Shami is amazed at how Jimmy Anderson is able to deceive batsmen with his guile even when he is not as quick as his Indian counterparts.
Vice-captain Ajinkya Rahane conceded that the batsmen committed mistakes under challenging conditions as India were bowled out for just 107 runs in the first innings of the rain-affected second Test against England, at Lord's, on Friday.
The series already in their pocket, India would aim for a clean sweep against the hosts and end the tour of Australia on a high when the two teams clash in the third and final Twenty20.
Rohit Sharma's rollicking 150-run knock went in vain as South Africa pulled off a thrilling five-run victory in the first one-dayer against India in Kanpur to continue their winning run.
India's batsmen have gone about their job efficiently, posting big totals on the board but the bowlers have been ordinary at best, allowing the hosts to chase down those tall scores in each of the first three ODIs of the five-match series.
I don't think there is any upcoming bowler in the fray who is capable of bowling 140-plus regularly, says Ishant Sharma.
India will look to find the 'perfect' balance in their playing eleven when they take on a resurgent West Indies in the fourth One-day International in Mumbai on Monday. The decision to play with five specialist bowlers in Saturday's third ODI in Pune did not work for India and they ended up as the losing side for the first time in the home series against the West Indies.
With so much focus on turning wickets and spinners, India captain Virat Kohli on Friday stressed that fast bowlers also have an important role to play and the return of strike bowler Ishant Sharma is a big boost for the team.
Skipper Virat Kohli had to once again come to the rescue of under-fire former skipper Mahendra Singh Dhoni whose painstaking 37 off 58 balls came in for sharp criticism after England beat India by 86 runs in the second ODI at Lord's on Saturday.
Duncan Fletcher handled the toughest transition phase in Indian cricket post the retirement of stalwarts and he should be given due credit for shaping the pace attack of the current team, former England opener Nick Compton said.
The record-shattering Virat Kohli became the quickest to reach 10,000 ODI runs on his way to slamming yet another century as India notched a competitive 321 for six in the second match against the West Indies, in Visakhapatnam, on Wednesday.
Rain threatens to disrupt the first day's play when Sri Lanka and India face-off in the opening Test at Galle on Wednesday.
The day belonged to Smith, who has now scored six Test hundreds against India in the last seven appearances and in the process also completed 5000 runs in Test cricket.
