Skipper Rohit Sharma will look to feast on a Zimbabwe bowling attack in his bid to play an innings that is long overdue in a must-win game of the T20 World Cup match in Melbourne on Sunday.
Kohli is the leading Indian batsman in the chart with 886 rating points behind Australia's Steve Smith (911 points).
As we write this we still await the crucial India-Australia knock-out in Mohali. But India's individual performances in the T20 World Cup so far haven't been truly impressive. A look at the most valuable player index (MVPI) table reveals that there's no Indian player in the top 20. MVPI merges a player's batting + bowling + fielding performance into a single 'run equivalent'. The formula to compute the MVP is devised to reward batsmen who score runs at a high strike rate, bowlers who take wickets at low economy rate and fielders who field the best (take a lot of catches and participate in run-outs). Since this is a relatively low scoring tournament we have assumed a team's par score to be 150, and each wicket to be worth 15 'runs'. It isn't a surprise that players from New Zealand dominate the rankings so far, although Joe Root tops the table after his 83 in 44 balls against South Africa.
At the end of it all, Dravid's one-year report card doesn't paint a rosy picture and a meticulous planner like him will sit back and think hard about the tough calls he might need to take before the ODI World Cup in a year's time.
The 21-year-old left-hander has gained 21 slots and reached 17th place, the joint-highest by a specialist India wicketkeeper along with Farokh Engineer, who did so in January 1973.
Coming off a socio-economic crisis and the worst turmoil in its country's history, the Sri Lankan cricket team would like to provide the island nation with an emotional catharsis by beating fancied Pakistan in the Asia Cup final in Dubai on Sunday.
Good times are here for the Men in Blue! Their dominating performance against England coupled with Australia's shock loss to Zimbabwe made India the sole No 1 team in the latest ICC ODI rankings issued in Dubai.
The reasons for India's poor show in England lie between a very demanding captain, a very smug coach and inadequate coaching staff, says Sudhir Bisht.
Team combination a worry for India
'When it comes to cricket, I try to entertain as much as possible whether it's for good or for bad..., thankfully, it was on the good end of things.'
Batsmen from Papua New Guinea, Oman and UAE leap to find place in top-50
With three play-offs spots already sealed by Delhi Capitals, Chennai Super Kings and Royals Challengers Bangalore, KKR consolidated their position for the fourth and final spot, finishing their league engagements with 14 points from 14 games and an impressive net run-rate of 0.587.
'...I feel that I am in the most balanced space that I have ever been and I am happy with who I am and how I am leading my life. I am not finding any source of encouragement or disappointment by what happens on the field.'
A summary of Thursday's action in the Ranji Trophy group stage matches.
The dominance of Saurashtra's bowlers could be gauged from the fact that Himachal lost their first seven wickets for just 22 runs.
The Knight Riders finished their league campaign with a 60-run victory over Rajasthan Royals to get into the top four with 14 points. However, their net run-rate of -0.214 could be an impediment towards qualification.
Belgium are on red hot form and have stunned strong gold medal contenders and world champions Australia.
The Board of Control for Cricket in India on Monday congratulated the Indian cricket team for reclaiming the No. 1 spot in the International Cricket Council's Test rankings, saying it reflects the side's performance overseas beginning with the historic series win in Sri Lanka.
Williamson has a chance to topple Kohli at the top of the rankings.
India captain Virat Kohli and his deputy Rohit Sharma maintained their supremacy at the top of the ICC ODI rankings for batsmen, occupying the first and second spots respectively in the latest list released on Wednesday.
Skipper KL Rahul managed to snatch defeat from jaws of victory with a baffling batting approach as defending champions Gujarat Titans beat Lucknow Super Giants by seven runs.
Mandhana is leading the pack with 774 rating points ahead of Australia pair of Ellyse Perry and Meg Lanning.
India captain's 937 rating points are the 11th best in the all-time list for batsmen.
A testimony to KKR's problems has been the fact that 20 players have played in 12 games. There has not been a single game, where the playing XI has been retained, making the outfit look completely unsettled.
Didier Deschamps of France and Argentina's Lionel Scaloni should avoid the temptation to throw on a 'penalty specialist'
A round-up of the first day's play in the Ranji Trophy matches across the country, on Tuesday.
Rajasthan Royals' director of cricket Kumar Sangakkara said all-rounder Chris Morris knows that he has not done a good enough job in the last few games.
India would like to keep the winning momentum going and maintain its stay in the top four
Norma Astrid Godinho picks her IPL 2022 Dream XI, an unbeatable combination that could give the very best a run for their money...
A round-up of the Syed Mushtaq Ali Trophy T20 matches on Tuesday.
Delhi Capitals showed remarkable resilience to overcome the COVID-19 crisis in their camp and hand Punjab Kings a nine-wicket thrashing in the Indian Premier League match at the Brabourne Stadium in Mumbai on Wednesday.
Currently placed at number three behind South Africa and Australia, India have an opportunity to jump to the top in the ICC ODI team rankings if they win the upcoming five-match one-day series against Sri Lanka 4-1 or better.
'Hardik has done very well and I have been impressed by his leadership.' 'His approach is in line with a modern-style of leadership which is collaborative.'
A win for either side will help it consolidate its position at the top and also seal a spot in Qualifier 1.
Capitals were the best team in the league and their 20-point finish at the group stage was an indication of their consistent performances which didn't dip due to the COVID-19 forced break. CSK, over the years, have been in final eight times and won on three occasions which speak volumes of the team's ability to lift their game just when it's required most.
Summary of sports events and persons who made news on Friday.
A summary of the Ranji Trophy matches played on Wednesday.
With 871 rating points, Virat Kohli is at the top followed by Rohit (855) and Pakistan's Babar Azam (829).
KXIP's chances of a top four finish took a serious hit after Rajasthan Royals handed them a seven-wicket loss,
KL Rahul has gained 26 points and is now on 760 rating points, just six behind Australia's Glenn Maxwell
