The final Test begins on Friday in New Delhi, and the Shubman Gill-led side is expected to maintain their winning combination as they look to wrap up the home series.
This was India's fourth defeat in the last six Tests at home and in all four Tests -- including three against New Zealand -- their batters have flopped against spin.
Shreyas Iyer's 604 runs across 17 matches for Punjab Kings at a strike-rate in excess of 175 did not resonate with the selectors during the Asia Cup selection.
Opener Sam Konstas smashed a century to lead Australia's superb showing with the bat on the rain-hit Day 1 of the first unofficial Test match against India A.
Assessing Sai Sudharsan's temperament and Nitish Kumar Reddy's utility in home conditions would be topmost on India's checklist when the high-on-confidence hosts take on a floundering West Indies
Mumbai were bowled out for 181 in their second innings, setting J&K 243 runs to win the season-opening match.
Devdutt Padikkal stroked a sparkling 63 from 45 balls, inclusive of a six and six fours, to propel RCB to a comprehensive eight-wicket victory against Rajasthan Royals.
Round up of all the Ranji Trophy action on Thursday
Responding to India's squad selection for the home series against West Indies, former Indian cricketer Irfan Pathan opined that pace spearhead Jasprit Bumrah could have been rested for the series in order to groom a young fast bowler.
Ahead of the mini-auction, scheduled to be held in Doha on December 26, the 10 franchises have released their list of retained and released players.
Fresh from a hard-fought 2-2 draw in England, Shubman Gill's men will be eager to translate their overseas resilience into home dominance.
RCB batter Devdutt Padikkal's absence at No. 3 will also be partially filled by Patidar's availability. Padikkal has been sidelined for the remainder of the IPL due to a hamstring injury, and Mayank Agarwal, who is primarily an opener, has been brought in by the franchise to take his place.
The fringe and aspiring bunch will look to own the elevated Duleep Trophy stage as the red-ball competition returns to its traditional zonal format and marks the start of India's domestic cricket season.
India Test skipper and T20 vice-captain Shubman Gill reached the BCCI's Centre of Excellence (CoE) for fitness assessment ahead of travelling to Dubai for the upcoming Asia Cup.
Virat Kohli's unbeaten 73 off 54 balls led Royal Challengers Bangalore to a seven-wicket victory over Punjab Kings in the Indian Premier League (IPL) 2023.
'We are not a team that looks at venue, we look to play positive and good cricket'
Royal Challengers Bangalore (RCB) have signed Mayank Agarwal as a replacement for the injured Devdutt Padikkal, while Delhi Capitals (DC) have signed Afghan batter Sediqullah Atal in place of Harry Brook.
The 20-year-old Padikkal was one of the finds of the last IPL, scoring 474 runs with five half-centuries and contributing handsomely to RCB's campaign.
Central Zone advanced to the Duleep Trophy final by virtue of their first innings lead in the drawn match against West Zone.
Josh Hazlewood scalped four wickets in a brilliant spell as Royal Challengers Bengaluru staged a stunning comeback to edge Rajasthan Royals by 11 runs.
Karun Nair played a pivotal role in Vidarbha's Ranji Trophy title last season, which also helped him make a comeback to the Indian Test team after a long gap of eight years.
Devdutt Padikkal (5) and skipper Virat Kohli (7) departed in quick succession early, both falling to Sandeep Sharma (2 for 20).
Devdutt Padikkal joined Mumbai skipper Prithvi Shaw to surpass Mayank Agarwal's tally of most runs in a single Vijay Hazare Trophy edition.
In an interaction with ANI, Padikkal opened up on his goals in the ongoing season, his bond with stalwarts like Virat Kohli and AB de Villiers and he also spoke about why he idolises 2011 World Cup-winning hero Gautam Gambhir.
'Will any coach think of keeping out Rohit and Kohli from the ODI team? That means there is something going on within the team against the two players.' Manoj Tiwary, who played 12 ODIs and three T20Is for India, said iconic players like Rohit Sharma and Virat Kohli deserve greater respect.
'Most of the batters performed. I would say that is a very good sign going forward. Apart from this you have got three quality batters who are not even part of the squad -- Shreyas (Iyer), Sarfaraz (Khan) and (Devdutt) Padikkal.'
Speaking to ANI, sources within the RCB franchise confirmed that Virat and Siraj will be flying out from Manchester in a charter flight on Saturday night and reach Dubai early Sunday morning.
Before this game. Kohli after three poor outings across which he made just 30 runs in RCB's home matches.
Devdutt Padikkal seems to have impressed two of the most important figures in Indian cricket after the opener's whirlwind century powered Royal Challengers Bangalore to their fourth successive win in the Indian Premier League on Thursday.
Royal Challengers Bangalore's young batsman Devdutt Padikkal is quarantining at his home in Bangalore since returning positive for COVID-19 during a test conducted on March 22, his IPL franchise said on Sunday.
The COVID-19 setback firmly behind him, Royal Challengers Bangalore opener Devdutt Padikkal says he is now ready to fire with the bat in IPL 2021 and feels confident of replicating his stupendous domestic form in the T20 league.
Royal Challengers Bangalore's Australian all-rounder Daniel Sams on Wednesday tested positive for COVID-19 ahead of the IPL, starting in Chennai on April 9, but opener Devdutt Padikkal recovered from the dreaded infection to join the side.
Karun Nair's struggles at the crucial No. 3 position is a big headache for Team India.
Devdutt Padikkal had tested positive for COVID-19 before the start of the IPL season, which forced to miss RCB's opening match against Mumbai Indians.
In a video posted by RCB's X handle, Krunal Pandya spoke in the dressing room about two people and crucial moments that turned the tide in their favour.
Devdutt Padikkal grabbed the headlines in his debut match with an entertaining half-century as he inspired Royal Challengers Bangalore to a winning start in the IPL, against SunRisers Hyderabad in Dubai on Monday.
'Jaiswal is too talented to be written off after one bad innings. He'll bounce back. The real test is how he handles the second innings.'
Under the shimmering floodlights and in front of a roaring partisan crowd, Virat Kohli unleashed his latest masterclass, blasting a 42-ball 70 to guide Royal Challengers Bengaluru (RCB) to a sensational 11-run win over Rajasthan Royals (RR) in the Indian Premier League (IPL).
The Indian team management in England wants young openers Prithvi Shaw and Devdutt Padikkal to join the side but questions are being raised about whether chairman of selectors Chetan Sharma is on the same page as the think-tank.
Images from Monday's IPL match between Royal Challengers Bangalore and SunRisers Hyderabad, in Dubai.
