The 2025 Champions Trophy promises to be a battleground for the world's top cricketers, with several players ready to leave their mark on the tournament.
Who do you think should be part of India's playing XI against New Zealand in Sunday's final?
After a much-needed two-day respite, Team India returned to the training grounds with renewed vigour, setting their sights on a pivotal showdown against New Zealand on Sunday.
While India are on a high after a measured six-wicket win over a sprightly Bangladesh, Pakistan are evidently tense after the 60-run loss in the tournament-opener to New Zealand.
Fresh from their morale-boosting win over LSG, and bolstered by the return of India wicketkeeper-batter K L Rahul, Delhi Capitals will look to build on the momentum when they take on formidable Sunrisers Hyderabad in the IPL match in Visakhapatnam on Sunday.
Chennai Super Kings (CSK) and Sunrisers Hyderabad (SRH) will face off in a crucial Indian Premier League (IPL) match on Friday, both teams desperate for a win to keep their playoff hopes alive.
T20 cricket is largely about explosive batting, but Kolkata Knight Riders (KKR) mentor Dwayne Bravo reminded his batters on Wednesday that staying aggressive all the time is "not cricket" if the basics are ignored.
The spinners kept a lid on the scoring with Varun Chakravarthy, Kuldeep Yadav and Ravindra Jadeja taking wickets at regular intervals.
Choose Your India team for the first ODI against England in Nagpur.
Images from the second One-Day International between India and New Zealand, at Raipur.
Who do you think should be part of India's playing XI against Pakistan on Sunday?
Kolkata Knight Riders rode on Venkatesh Iyer's explosive 60 off 29 balls to crush a hapless Sunrisers Hyderabad by 80 runs to register their second win of IPL 2025 at the Eden Gardens in Kolkata on Thursday.
Former India international Robin Uthappa hailed Lucknow Super Giants' (LSG) right-arm seamer Shardul Thakur following his exceptional show against Sunrisers Hyderabad.
Rinku Singh attempted the falling reverse lap scoop and reverse pull by using the pace off Ravi Bishnoi's googlies, similar to Rishabh Pant's audacious stroke-making.
But Rohit's deplorable form in red-ball in red-ball cricket may have forced this decision.
Former and current players, including Virender Sehwag and Harbhajan Singh, on Monday extended their support to pacer Mohammad Shami, who was subjected to a fierce online attack following the Indian team's first-ever loss to Pakistan in World Cup history.
Rahul, who initially batted at No. 6 in the first two games, didn't look comfortable and fared far better at the familiar No. 5 position with a useful 40 off 29 balls in India's one-sided 142-run victory in the third ODI in Ahmedabad.
With an emphatic seven-wicket win Rajasthan ended Kings XI Punjab's five-match winning run in the IPL.
'India needs to score big because they will have to defend those totals without Bumrah.'
"I think he (Shami) will be a major miss for India, given the Australian conditions. The pace and bouncy wickets in Australia would have helped India in gaining an upper hand if Shami had been in the squad but that's not in the selector's hand as he is recovering, but I think he will be missed," Adams said.
Facebook on Monday said it quickly introduced measures to remove the abusive comments against pace bowler Mohammed Shami, who faced criticism on social media following the Indian team's first-ever loss to Pakistan in World Cup history.
Thrown into the spotlight in just his second ODI, Varun Chakaravarthy made the opportunity count in spectacular fashion.
In India's last ODI series against Sri Lanka, Rahul kept wickets in the first two matches, scoring 31 and 0, while Pant played the third game but managed only 6 runs. India could opt to include both players in the XI, but that would likely come at the expense of Iyer.
The series already in their pocket, India will look to address their batting woes against an England team gunning for revenge after feeling hard-done by a debatable concussion substitute when the two teams clash in the fifth and final T20 International in Mumbai on Sunday.
Shubman Gill, who has been India's stand out batter in the tournament, was the only one who did not turn up for practice.
The barren run of skipper Rohit Sharma and the selection conundrum that Virat Kohli's possible return poses are the towering obstacles in India's quest for a series win against England in the second ODI in Cuttack on Sunday.
Nicholas Pooran led the charge, dishing out a taste of SRH's own medicine with his ferocious hitting, while Mitchell Marsh provided perfect support.
Shami unleashed yorker after yorker to keep Kings XI in the match.
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.
India is facing form concerns and selection dilemmas as they enter the final phase of their Champions Trophy preparations.
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'It was a test of character, a true pressure situation, and you responded with a phenomenal team performance.'
Former India all-rounder Suresh Raina feels middle-order batter Suryakumar Yadav will be sorely missed in the upcoming Champions Trophy, as he could have provided the 'X-factor' in Dubai, where Rohit Sharma's side will play all its matches.
The team has won 10 out of their 24 matches while losing 14.
England secured a 26-run victory over India in the third T20I in Rajkot on Tuesday to stay alive in the five-match series.
Mohammed Shami defended 11 runs in the final over to hand India a 6-run victory over Australia in a warm-up match.
The tournament was decorated with several impactful players and 12 of them have made it to the ICC Champions Trophy Team of the Tournament.
'As a captain and a player, he never played for a draw, he always wanted to win.'
