Indian bowlers were thwarted by Australia's perseverance as Steve Smith's men survived a battle of nerves on Monday to force a draw in the third cricket Test in Ranchi and keep the series alive.
Kings XI Punjab's head of cricket operations Virender Sehwag is confident that international players like Varun Aaron, Darren Sammy will bring fresh ideas and skills going into the 10th edition of Indian Premier League.
Having dismissed Australia for a paltry 145 in their first innings, Pakistan stretched their lead to a daunting 281 by stumps on day two with Zaman's 66 and an unbeaten 54 by Ali taking them to 144-2.
Kings XI Punjab will be aiming to continue their late surge against Rising Pune Supergiant in a 'winner takes it all' Indian Premier League encounter, in Pune on Sunday.
Ravindra Jadeja struck a fifty to give India a handy first innings lead before returning to claim three Australian wickets as the home side stood 87 runs away from a series-clinching victory in the fourth and final Test in Dharamsala on Monday.
With Steven Smith now helming the Australian affairs, and Mahendra Singh Dhoni returning from injury, the 2nd Test at Gabba, starting Tuesday, will shed light on the mindset of the two leaders.
IMAGES from Day 1 of the 2nd Test played at Optus Stadium in Perth on Friday
Fast bowler Kagiso Rabada, who took three wickets to take apart the Australian top order, has put South Africa in the driver's seat at the end of Day Four of the first Test here at the WACA on Sunday. - Scrorecard: The Proteas closed in on a first Test victory by reducing Australia to 169 for four, still 369 runs behind, at the end of the fourth day. Rabada, who took the price scalps of Shaun Marsh (15), Steven Smith (34) and Adam Voges (1), ensured that his side did not take their foot off the Aussie throats.
Smith and Warner have returned from year-long bans following a ball-tampering scandal in South Africa which also prompted Lehmann to step down as coach of the side in March last year.
'To have Glenn Maxwell sitting in the sheds ready to go with two, three overs to go, I think that's a pretty powerful position for our cricket side to be in'
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England's rampant one-day side powered to a fourth straight win over Australia, following up their world record rampage at Trent Bridge with a commanding six-wicket victory at Chester-le-Street on Thursday led by centurion Jason Roy.
Images from Day 2 of the 4th Ashes Test played at the MCG in Melbourne on Wednesday
Tempers flared again in the ongoing battle between fierce rivals India and Australia with pacer Ishant Sharma and young opener Matt Renshaw getting involved in a heated exchange on day five of the third Test in Ranchi.
The World Cup is just a couple of months away, and even after even a 0-2 loss in the just-concluded T20 series there won't be any shift in plans as far as skipper Virat Kohli and coach Ravi Shastri are concerned.
Punjab are lying at the bottom of the table with only one win from six matches, while the in-form Lions are the top of the IPL standings with six wins from seven matches.
Australia coach Darren Lehmann expects the upcoming limited-overs series against India to be an exciting one given the 'aggressive' brand of cricket that Mahendra Singh Dhoni's men have been playing of late.
Captain Aaron Finch scored a century as Australia beat Pakistan by eight wickets in the opening One-Day International between the countries at the Sharjah Cricket Stadium on Friday. Chasing 281 to win, the tourists reached their target with an over to spare and took a 1-0 lead in the five-match series, with Finch making 116 and Shaun Marsh unbeaten on 91.
Debutant Pakistan off-spinner Bilal Asif ripped through the Australian middle-order with six wickets as the visitors were bowled out for 202 on the third day of the first Test, in Dubai, on Tuesday.
It was a day dominated by record-breaking performances from Yashasvi Jaiswal and Yuzvendra Chahal as Rajasthan Royals pummelled Kolkata Knight Riders into submission.
Aus coach Darren Lehmann refused to blame selection errors and concedes being outplayed by England
Former U-19 World Cup-winning captain Unmukt Chand is set to become the first Indian cricketer to play in Australia's Big Bash League after he signed for Melbourne Renegades for the 2021-2022 season.
Struggling teams Delhi Daredevils and Kings XI Punjab take on each other in an Indian Premier League match in Mohali on Sunday as they desperately seek to get back to winning ways to stay in the hunt for a play-offs berth.
England paceman Stuart Broad took 8-15 as Australia collapsed to 60 all out in 94 minutes on the first day of the fourth Ashes Test on a remarkable morning session at Trent Bridge.
Robin Uthappa smashed his way to a quickfire half-century as Kolkata Knight Riders notched up a comfortable six-wicket victory over Kings XI Punjab in the Indian Premier League in Mohali, on Tuesday.
Factbox on the four-Test series between India and Australia, which starts at Pune on Thursday:
Australia face a selection quandary with the return from injury of all-rounder Shane Watson for the second Test against South Africa, which starts on Thursday.
Rajneesh Gupta presents some interesting numbers from Day 3:
Already out of the reckoning, Gujarat Lions severely dented Kings XI Punjab's play-off chances with a comfortable six-wicket victory in an Indian Premier League match, in Mohali, on Sunday.
Kings XI Punjab will once again be facing a 'do-or-die' situation during their penultimate round encounter against table toppers Mumbai Indians in the Indian Premier League, in Mumbai, on Thursday.
Kings XI Punjab will look to go all guns blazing against down and out Gujarat Lions in Mohali.
All-rounder Mitchell Marsh leads a 14-man squad packed with international experience, a group featuring Alex Carey, Ashton Agar, Peter Handscomb, Head, Jon Holland, Usman Khawaja, Joel Paris, Matthew Renshaw and Chris Tremain.
Australia captain Aaron Finch is relishing a "blockbuster" Cricket World Cup semi-final against England at Edgbaston on Thursday but injury concerns threaten to derail the plans of the defending champions.
'The pitch should have enough for the bowlers to be interested on all days of the Test.'
IMAGES from the 1st ODI played in Sydney on Saturday
Usman Khawaja is doubtful for the day-night Test against New Zealand in Adelaide later this month after the Australian top order batsman re-injured his left hamstring while fielding at the WACA on Saturday.
A tumultuous nets session at Old Trafford left one Australian batsman ruled out of the Cricket World Cup and another screaming in pain but coach Justin Langer said the hard training would pay dividends on the field.
The 28-year-old has claimed 10 wickets in 15 games for Hobart Hurricanes this season besides amassing 637 runs at 53.08 and a strike rate of 140.61.
The IPL has produced many, many, memorable moments on the way.
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