With the scars of last year's home series whitewash against New Zealand still raw, preparing rank turners may invite risk.
Harmanpreet was quick to highlight fielding as the area that India needs to address quickly before facing South Africa and Australia on Thursday and Sunday, respectively.
Pakistan fast bowler Haris Rauf has been fined 30 per cent of his match fees for abusive behaviour and making an aggressive gesture during the high-voltage Asia Cup clash against India, tournament sources confirmed.
'One thing is for sure, Virat is the best player and best human being in Indian cricket history, respect.'
South Africa will aim for their first Test victory in India in more than 15 years.
Pakistan skipper Salman Agha on Wednesday admitted that his team's middle-order remains a concern and said the batters will need to step up in upcoming matches, including the Super 4 clash against India in the Asia Cup.
Sourav Ganguly believes India's biggest selection dilemma ahead of the upcoming Test series against South Africa could centre around one man - Dhruv Jurel.
Interacting with the Indian diaspora in Kuala Lumpur, Banerjee said, "We have been in talks with them (Pakistan) for decades, despite changes in various paradigms and governments. But one thing remains constant, the conflict with Pakistan."
Pakistan's Army Chief Field Marshal Asim Munir met with Chinese President Xi Jinping, along with Pakistani Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif, to discuss bilateral and regional cooperation. The meeting occurred during Sharif's visit to China for the Shanghai Cooperation Organisation (SCO) summit.
The Supreme Court on Friday directed authorities not to deport to Pakistan six members of a family, who allegedly overstayed their visa, till their citizenship claim is verified.
Suryakumar fined 30 percent of match fee, India appeal verdict
'If there is a military standoff eyeball to eyeball on the western border, the Chinese could create problems by making movements in the north, in our northeast, which could involve us tying down some forces there so that could stretch our military actions.'
The 'mediation' by the United States from behind the scene on the diplomatic track appears to be once again working, which calls on both Delhi and Islamabad to show restraint and pull back from a military confrontation, notes Ambassador M K Bhadrakumar.
India A skipper Rishabh Pant will look to build on the gains from the first match, while the likes of Mohammed Siraj and Kuldeep Yadav will aim for crucial red-ball game time in the second four-day match against a Temba Bavuma-led South Africa A in Bengaluru from Thursday.
'As far as I'm concerned, how effective the Rafale was or frankly, how effective other systems were -- to me, the proof of the pudding is the destroyed and disabled airfields on the Pakistani side'
Namibia pulled off a shock four-wicket win over South Africa in a one-off Twenty20 international on Saturday that marked the opening of the new cricket stadium in Windhoek.
Ganguly lauded Gill's leadership during India's tour of England, noting the challenge of captaining at a young age in such conditions
I won't stop anyone from expressing emotions as long as it is not disrespectful: Pak captain Agha
Pakistan qualified for the tournament in April this year.
'We got to the end of the powerplay and we were in the game and then we got squeezed and that built up a lot of pressure during the middle overs.'
Customs were broken and tensions visible as India and Pakistan skipped the usual handshakes after their Asia Cup clash in Dubai on Sunday.
'Amrishji had a fascination for the colour red and wanted it in every movie costume of his.'
Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi on Friday met Pakistan Army Chief Asim Munir and discussed regional security, counter-terrorism and matters of mutual interest.
'It was just bad decisions. All of the teams have that at some point. It was us today. We didn't make the best shot selections.'
Mandhana led the Indian charge at the top, and her partnerships with opening batter Pratika Rawal created quite a buzz in the showpiece event.
Pakistan's cricket team continued to invite scathing criticism a day after being knocked out of the Champions Trophy, the great Sunil Gavaskar saying that it would struggle to beat even a second-string Indian team.
The BCCI took strong exception to his act of walking away with the trophy and vowed to raise the matter in an ICC meeting next month.
India and Central Asian nations agree to collaborate with Afghanistan on security challenges amid escalating tensions with Pakistan. The discussions took place at the third India-Central Asia meeting of top security officials in Bishkek.
The Proteas arrive high on confidence, having fought out a hard-earned 1-1 draw in Pakistan last month under challenging conditions.
Gill's highest score in the three Asia Cup matches has been an unbeaten 20 with the Test skipper failing to click in the games against Pakistan and Oman after a fruitful red-ball away series against England.
Countering Bumrah before spinners come into play will be key for SA: Graeme Smith
Residents of Zehri tehsil in Khuzdar district have accused the Pakistani military of carrying out indiscriminate air and drone strikes that have killed civilians, including women and children, amid a siege that has continued for over a month.
India on Thursday night swiftly foiled Pakistan's attempts to hit various key Indian installations including military stations at Jammu, Pathankot and Udhampur with drones and missiles, the defence ministry said.
Ben Sears picked up five wickets as New Zealand outclassed Pakistan by 43 runs in the third and final ODI, to register a 3-0 series whitewash.
The Indian skipper said that the wicket today was much better from a batting point of view.
As Farhan reached his fifty, lofting Axar Patel for a massive six over mid-wicket, he pulled off a gun-firing celebration with his bat, adding another layer of intrigue to an already electric rivalry.
Following Pakistan's early exit from the Champions Trophy, former players have expressed their opinions, ranging from calls for bilateral series against India to criticism of the IPL.
Shaheen Shah Afridi steered clear of giving a direct response to Suryakumar Yadav's view that Indo-Pak games should not be considered a rivalry.
Former Pakistan player Basit Ali believes the experience of veterans Rohit Sharma and Virat Kohli gives India the edge in the blockbuster February 23 game.
