India thrashed West Indies by 318 runs in their inaugural World Test Championship encounter but at the onset, there was a debate on the omission of senior off-spinner Ravichandran Ashwin. The legendary Sunil Gavaskar termed his exclusion as "astonishing".
Senior opener and first-choice vice-captain KL Rahul is expected to reclaim his place back in the Indian team along with seamer Deepak Chahar when the squad will be selected for the Asia Cup on August 8.
Opener Murali Vijay and vice-captain Ajinkya Rahane will be looking to get into the groove in India 'A''s last first-class engagement, against England Lions at the County Ground in Worcester, starting on Monday.
Hat-trick man Jasprit Bumrah attains highest rating points by an India seamer since since Kapil Dev in 1981.
Ravindra Jadeja was called up to the Indian team as the replacement for Axar Patel for the first three ODIs in the five-match series against Australia starting in Chennai, on Sunday.
A few bruised egos will eye redemption when India square off against Australia in the second Test in Melbourne from Saturday, ready to bounce back in skipper Ajinkya Rahane's hour of reckoning after their batting debacle in the series opener in Adelaide.
Left chasing shadows in the first two games, a listless Indian team would most certainly tweak its bowling combination in order to avoid a second successive clean-sweep when it takes on Australia in the third and final ODI, in Canberra, on Wednesday.
Rohit Sharma will certainly leave a gaping hole at the top of the order, something that skipper Virat Kohli wouldn't have fancied at the onset of a gruelling two-month tour.
India, missing their top players, aim to punch above their weight and seal a memorable series victory against South Africa in the third and final ODI in New Delhi on Tuesday.
It is understood that Kohli, Rahane, Shami, Jadeja will be sweating it out at the nets alongside Ashwin, who has already bowled a whopping 58 overs and taken seven wickets in a County game for Surrey last week.
India will aim to soar higher with the return of Virat Kohli against Joe Root's England
Images from Day 4 of the fourth Test between England and India, at The Oval, on Sunday.
India will look to find the 'perfect' balance in their playing eleven when they take on a resurgent West Indies in the fourth One-day International in Mumbai on Monday. The decision to play with five specialist bowlers in Saturday's third ODI in Pune did not work for India and they ended up as the losing side for the first time in the home series against the West Indies.
England stuck to their gameplan in the second innings, attacking the spinners at every opportunity as the Indians came undone and clearly looked bereft of ideas.
"Stunning day at the beach with the boys," Kohli posted
'He is getting better and a player like him is probably just one game away from getting his natural way and we have seen it in the past. If I have to put everything together, I am confident of his ability and there is no doubt he will be a valuable asset.'
Senior spinner Ravichandran Ashwin was the big surprise in India's squad for the T20 World Cup to be held in the United Arab Emirates next month.
Can 2007 champions India finally end their 15-year title drought?
A two week gap between the limited overs series and the five-match Test series against England starting on August 1, has given Virat Kohli and his boys the time to travel around UK with their families, while also bond with their team mates as they mix practice with pleasure.
If Rahane's side can go 2-1 up and ensure the retention of the Border-Gavaskar Trophy, it will be one of the finest hours in the history of Indian cricket
India will be without captain and batting mainstay Virat Kohli, who decided to skip the first of the two Tests, while batter Rohit Sharma, wicketkeeper Rishabh Pant and fast bowlers Jasprit Bumrah and Mohammed Shami will miss both matches.
With 871 rating points, Virat Kohli is at the top followed by Rohit (855) and Pakistan's Babar Azam (829).
Team India, on Wednesday, arrived in London to participate in the International Cricket Council (ICC) Men's Cricket World Cup, beginning May 30.
The sub-narratives in the main story will be equally intriguing in the next 13 days.
The All-India Senior Selection Committee of the BCCI has picked the squads for India's upcoming series against New Zealand and Bangladesh
Will this (Rohit, KL Rahul and Kohli), be India's top three going into the T20 World Cup?
Insisting that Indian players have played on worse tracks back home, vice captain Ajinkya Rahane termed the Wanderers' pitch as 'challenging' and not dangerous.
Close on the heels of Parveez Rasool's selection in the Indian team for the Zimbabwe tour, another Jammu and Kashmir cricketer Shubham Khajuria was on Wednesday selected in the India Under-19 squad for the tour of Sri Lanka.
A 3-0 lead in the five-match series will be a perfect parting gift for Ranchi's favourite son, who, in all likelihood, will be seen wearing the India Blues for the last time at his home ground.
The Virat Kohli-led team ticked all the boxes in their opening win of the series Australia on Saturday.
Should Shikhar Dhawan open with Mayank Agarwal or Shubman Gill? Should India continue with K L Rahul in the middle order?
India have recalled fast bowlers Mohammed Shami and Umesh Yadav for the first three One-day Internationals against Australia while they continue to rest their frontline spinners.
Vice-captain Rohit Sharma will lead the side in his absence.
Having won the first game by three runs, another victory will give India a successive ODI series win in the Caribbean.
While the two T20 matches will be a precursor to the ODI series, vice-captain Rohit Sharma is likely to be given a short break to rejuvenate and come back fresh for the ODIs.
Former captain Kapil Dev said the Indian team with its right balance of youth and experience along with the "unmatchable" duo of Virat Kohli and Mahendra Singh Dhoni will definitely reach the World Cup semi-finals.
A determined New Zealand bounced back in fine style on the third day to gain the upperhand in the World Test Championship final.
IMAGES from the 1st ODI between Australia and India played at the Sydney Cricket Ground on Friday
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