A look at his T20 Internationals numbers and one wonders why M S Dhoni was dropped for the T20 series against the Windies and Australia. His T20I numbers are quite decent and there is no sudden dip in his form, notes Rajneesh Gupta.
Jolted by the shock loss to New Zealand in the opening game, India will be fighting a survival battle quite early in the tournament when they take on arch foes Pakistan in what is being seen as the marquee clash of the ICC World Twenty20 in Kolkata on Saturday. The hosts, who started clear title-favourites, were in for a blow in the first match itself when New Zealand's spinners bamboozled their famed batting line-up on a turning Nagpur track. As a result, the world No.1 side is staring at an early elimination should it lose to Pakistan in the high-voltage game at the Eden Gardens. As is the case with most India-Pakistan contests, this game too has been preceded by its share of drama. The match was originally scheduled to be held in Dharamsala but was shifted here after the Himachal Pradesh government expressed inability to provide security to the Pakistan team owing to protests by ex-servicemen and their families.
Moving away from the mundane fielding drills, Team India tried something unique in Perth as they were involved in a 75-minute fielding session.
Taking note of the fatigue factor, India are likely field a second string team for the forthcoming limited overs tour of Zimbabwe next month.
Ahead of the upcoming Test and ODI series against Bangladesh Rajneesh Gupta presents a statistical outlook on India's players selected for the two squads.
Former Australian captain Ian Chappell feels Indian captain Mahendra Singh Dhoni must pick specialist spinner Axar Patel over "bits and pieces" player Ravindra Jadeja in the team's second cricket World Cup game against South Africa in Melbourne.
Without the captaincy, can the cricketer keep his place at the endorsement table?
India will eye another dominant performance against hosts England in a three- match ODI series
Virat Kohli became the highest run-getter in Indian Premier League during his 92-run innings against Mumbai Indians but the star batsman said it doesn't really matter as his effort couldn't ensure a victory for Royal Challengers Bangalore.
With part-timers like Suresh Raina and Rohit Sharma capable of bowling a few overs of spin, India might have ended up picking one spinner too many in their squad, says Harish Kotian.
Sri Lanka defeated India by five wickets in the first Twenty20 international cricket match to take a 1-0 lead in the three-match series, in Pune on Tuesday. Chasing a modest target of 102 runs set by India, Lankan skipper Dinesh Chandimal led from the front scoring 35 runs off as many balls, while Milinda Sriwardana's unbeaten 21 runs off 14 balls ensured a comparatively young visiting squad secured a morale-boosting victory.
As India go in to the four-match Test series against Australia that commences in Adelaide on Tuesday, here is a factbox.
Cricket fraternity and Prime Minister Narendra Modi condoled the death of Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) president Jagmohan Dalmiya.
Rajneesh Gupta presents a complete statistical IPL dossier.
Bangladesh all-rounder Shakib Al Hasan picked Virat Kohli as India's key player, but asserted that his team cannot take the other batsmen lightly when the teams meet in the ICC World T20 match in Bengaluru on Wednesday.
The Indian selectors finally lost patience with the under-performing pace duo Ishant Sharma and R Vinay Kumar and ignored them for the upcoming three-match One Day International series against the West Indies.
Team India, set for a gruelling tour of Australia, looked in top gear as they practiced diligently during a nets session on the eve of the first Test in Adelaide on Monday.
Rohit Sharma's rollicking 150-run knock went in vain as South Africa pulled off a thrilling five-run victory in the first one-dayer against India in Kanpur to continue their winning run.
'You can have an extra batsman in the middle order, a player like Suresh Raina gets more dangerous at 3, so when Rohit (Sharma) is not around as an opener, I can anytime step up because it provides more balance'
Mahendra Singh Dhoni has grown a reputation as a notorious hoarder of souvenir stumps and considering India's imperious form going into the World Twenty20, few would be surprised if he adds one more to his formidable collection on April 3.
India will eye revenge for their defeat in one-day series as they meet fierce rivals Australia in three Twenty20 Internationals, starting on Tuesday, January 26 at Adelaide Oval. Games will also be played at the Melbourne Cricket Ground (January 29) and Sydney Cricket Ground (January 31). The matches will see some of the world's explosive batsmen in action, while the series is also tipped as a much-needed preparatory ground ahead of the crucial World T20 scheduled to be held in March in India.
Captain Mahendra Singh Dhoni rued the lack of consistency by his bowlers after India were beaten by South Africa by seven wickets in the first Twenty International on Friday, saying his team could have executed their game plans better.
India will look to complete a hat-trick of victories when they take on minnows United Arab Emirates in Saturday's World Cup match.
Key facts on the India squad for the 2015 cricket World Cup.
England start as the favourites but India have a golden chance to reverse the trend and get into gear just before the World Cup.
Chennai Super Kings skipper Mahendra Singh Dhoni's absence from Friday's Indian Premier League match came as a "massive boost" for Mumbai Indians, said Rohit Sharma, after the visitors scored an easy 46-run victory in Chennai.
Pacer Ishant Sharma retained his place despite his struggle for form as India named an unchanged squad, which played in the first three ODIs, for the remaining four games in the seven-match series against Australia.
Mumbai Indians' star all-rounder batsman Kieron Pollard said he is proud of his match-winning knock against arch rivals Chennai Super Kings in the IPL match on Saturday, adding that this was a kind of performance which people would speak about for a long time.
The raucous chants Jeetega bhai Jeeetega Hindustan Jeetega was met with the counter Jeetega bhai jeetega Pakistan Jeetega.
India gained the much-needed boost ahead of their ICC World T20 opener against Pakistan when they comfortably defeated England by 20 runs in their second and final warm-up game in Mirpur on Wednesday.
Captain promises game-time for all players in squad after defeating Ireland in first T20I
For India, who are considered as title contenders, a good showing in the Asia Cup will give them the much-needed boost going into the World T20.
India's preparations for the cricket World Cup suffered a jolt as Australia thrashed the defending champions by 106 runs with Glenn Maxwell and David Warner striking blistering centuries in their first warm-up game in Adelaide.
The Men in Blue won the first T20I at Johannesburg by 28 runs and a victory on Wednesday will see them wrap up another series win on this tour.
Mumbai Indians humbled Chennai Super Kings by 37 runs in the Indian Premier League, in Mumbai, on Wednesday.
Rookie seamer Ishwar Pandey was named in India's Test and ODI squads for the tour of New Zealand. Mahendra Singh Dhoni will lead the team on the tour, which starts with the first One-Day International in Napier on January 19, 2014.
Debutants Gujarat Lions became the first team to confirm a play-off berth with a thumping six-wicket win over defending champions Mumbai Indians in the Indian Premier League in Kanpur, on Saturday.
India have emerged winner in all five matches against Pakistan in T20 World Cups, starting from the inaugural World T20 in 2007.
Images from Friday's IPL match between Chennai Super Kings and Mumbai Indians, in Chennai.
It will not be the first time that the competition has had to be held outside India.
