Young Rishabh Pant's competition for the second wicketkeeper's slot with veteran Dinesh Karthik will be the highlight of the discussion.
Rohit Sharma is likely to miss his third game in a row when Mumbai Indians take on Royal Challengers Bangalore in Abu Dhabi on Wednesday with both teams aiming to secure their spot in the IPL play-offs.
It will be a test of Virat Kohli's tactical acumen against the ice-cool demeanour of Eoin Morgan when perennial underachievers Royal Challengers Bangalore clash with former champions Kolkata Knight Riders in the IPL Eliminator in Sharjah on Monday.
Some of their bowling and fielding frailties exposed in the series-opener, India will aim for quick course correction when they take on a resurgent New Zealand in a must-win second ODI, in Auckland, on Saturday. India find themselves in a familiar situation after the loss in Hamilton. But the visitors have come from behind against the West Indies and Australia to win their last two ODI series and Virat Kohli's men will aim to do the same against the Kiwis.
A summary of the first day's proceedings in the Ranji Trophy matches across the country.
Yuzvendra Chahal took 3/24 in his four overs which was instrumental in Royal Challengers Bangalore outclassing Rajasthan Royals by eight wickets.
The two squads comprise a host of players, who have performed consistently for their state teams and IPL franchises over the past couple of seasons.
Besides Kohli, who led India to a historic Test series triumph in Sri Lanka recently, the likes of Shikhar Dhawan, Ishant Sharma, Gautam Gambhir and Ashish Nehra were also named among the probables.
Saker took the unusual step of publicly criticising his bowlers in the fourth and final Test against India in Sydney last month, revealing discord with staff over tactics.
An underwhelming India suffered their first ODI whitewash in more than three decades as New Zealand completed a 3-0 sweep with a five-wicket victory in the third match, in Mount Maunganui, on Tuesday. It is the first whitewash for India in 31 years in a series in which all matches have been played.
Royal Challengers Bangalore would look to build on the momentum when they take on a struggling Rajasthan Royals in their Indian Premier League match in Dubai on Wednesday.
A look at how the teams stack up ahead of the mega auction.
Kings XI run into a RCB squad which has grown in confidence by leaps and bounds since their last meeting.
Enduring a forgettable outing in the first half of this year's IPL, two-time former champions Kolkata Knight Riders would look for reversal of fortunes when they resume their campaign against Royal Challengers Bangalore in the second phase of T20 league in Abu Dhabi on Monday.
There were no major surprises with most of the players picking themselves.
Srinivas Bhogle and Purnendu Maji identify India's most valuable players in ODI games this season.
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Teenage sensation Prithvi Shaw, who made a successful Test debut against the West Indies, will play for India 'A' captained by Dinesh Karthik.
It all starts in Guwahati on Sunday as the biggest city in Assam is slowly getting back to normalcy after protests against the Citizenship Amendment Act (CAA).
Srinivas Bhogle and Purnendu Maji list India's Most Valuable ODI Players this season.
While Kishan looked in ominous touch the moment he arrived at the crease, getting off the mark with a cracking boundary past backward point, Pollard took a few balls before the fireworks began.
Looking to salvage pride in the third Test beginning, in Johannesburg, on Wednesday, team India got down to business at the Wanderers with a practice session that lasted just under four hours.
The World Cup disappointment will continue to linger but Kohli will fancy his team's chances in the series, notwithstanding the return of the swashbuckling Chris Gayle.
Delhi's bid for a quarter-final berth received a major boost after their regular captain Ishant Sharma was released by the Indian team management for the fifth round Ranji Trophy Group A game against Maharashtra, starting in New Delhi on Friday.
Images from Saturday's IPL match between Rajasthan Royals and Royal Challengers Bangalore, in Abu Dhabi.
Should India try out Shreyas Iyer or Manish Pandey at No 4? Who should be the two spinners in the playing XI? Should India include young pacers Khaleel Ahmed and Navdeep Saini?
Bumrah was rested for the second Test at Chepauk, which India won by 317 runs to level the four-match series 1-1.
It will take a special effort from the struggling Sri Lankan side to pull one back against the rampaging visitors.
Suresh Raina has been named captain of the India Blue team for the Duleep Trophy, which will be held in Kanpur and Lucknow from September 7 to 29, providing him a platform to make a return to the Indian team.
Since Dhawan is not part of the Test squad, the Delhi left-hander would like to finish the Caribbean assignment on a high.
Kolkata Knight Riders may have missed a trick by not playing Kuldeep Yadav on a slow Sharjah wicket but skipper Dinesh Karthik said AB de Villiers put the game beyond their reach with an incredible display of power-hitting.
For KKR, the biggest cause of concern will be the availability of big-hitter Andre Russell, who hurt his knee when he dived into the advertisement boards after missing a catch on Saturday.
Images from Wednesday's IPL match between Kolkata Knight Riders and Royal Challengers Bangalore, in Abu Dhabi.
The Kiwis will have greater concern over their lack of finishing after squandering two last over winning positions in two consecutive games, and the series along with.
Team India possess a much more balanced squad in the shortest format.
Who do you think should be part of India's playing XI for the first Test against Australia?
'Ishant has a slight ankle niggle and he would not like to aggravate his injury before the South Africa series'
Successive elections have demonstrated that the BJP campaign switches towards polarisation when it is faced with palpable discontent among the electorate, notes Utkarsh Mishra.
A World Cup year tends to dominate discussion on ODI cricket, and bilateral series are usually quickly forgotten. Before the series against Australia begins, let us take a look at India's best ODI players during the ongoing 2019-2020 season.
On the other hand, the Royals have managed to win only one of their three fixtures. They lost to Chennai Super Kings in their previous match to slip down to the sixth spot. Sanju Samson and his men will be eyeing a second win.
Virat Kohli and AB de Villiers hit half-centuries to overshadow Chris Gayle's unbeaten 99 as Royal Challengers finally snapped their six-match losing streak with a eight-wicket win over Kings XI Punjab.
