India will now lock horns with South Africa for three Tests and three ODIs, beginning December 26.
Ricky Ponting was the coach of Mumbai Indians for three seasons and Rohit Sharma spent a lot of time with the former Australian skipper.
The duo is scheduled to arrive at 9.40am, while the rest of the team will arrive in batches, local team manager Samrat Bhowmcik told PTI.
Unlike the IPL, the wickets in the United States and the West Indies could be slow and could assist spinners. That could be why India went in for experience in their batting ahead of strike rates, points out Harish Kotian.
Under-performers Rohit Sharma and Suresh Raina need to tighten up their batting considerably, the former his shot selection and the latter playing the short balls with more conviction, says former India skipper Dilip Vengsarkar.
The returning Shikhar Dhawan will add more firepower to a ruthless India, who are faced with the problem of plenty, as they eye a clean sweep of West Indies in an inconsequential third and final ODI in Ahmedabad on Friday.
With the series on the line, captain Hardik Pandya is unlikely to make changes despite clamour for inclusion of Prithvi Shaw.
'Selectors should have a clear idea about him (Pujara). Do they need him to play Test cricket anymore or do they want to continue with youngsters and communicate it to him. Somebody like Pujara can't be dropped, then picked, dropped again and then picked. Same with Ajinkya Rahane also.'
'They showed a lot of discipline and overall if I had to analyse the performance of these bowlers, I would say they bowled pretty well. It's a good pitch still. This is a great experience for them bowling against the best batters, and test themselves'.
'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.'
Virat Kohli's Indian team will be aiming for another comprehensive show against a depleted Australia when the two sides square-off in the opening encounter of the five-match series, in Chennai, on Saturday.
The Indian cricketers on Thursday cleared their first round of RT-PCR COVID-19 tests and will be undergoing two more rounds before they can start training from February 2 for the upcoming Test series against England.
With rain playing spoilsport, the Indian cricket team was forced to train indoors on Thursday on the eve of the first ODI against the West Indies in Port of Spain, Trinidad.
Hardik Pandya's leadership skills and India's overall World Cup preparedness will be under focus
India would be looking to sort out issues such as the opening blues, the middle-lower order conundrum and also the bowling strategies during the three-match T20 series against West Indies.
India will hope for better weather and a chance for the team's young batters to show their mettle in Sunday's second T20 International against Ireland in Dublin.
Former India opener Wasim Jaffer feels incumbent vice-captain Ajinkya Rahane will have to consistently score runs to remain in the Test reckoning.
Yuvraj revealed that he was promised a farewell game by the BCCI provided he failed the 'Yo Yo' fitness test. However, he passed it and the swansong never happened.
Jasprit Bumrah's return to action has been delayed further after the fast bowler was ruled of the three-match ODI series against Sri Lanka as a 'precautionary measure', BCCI said on Monday.
India play their World Test Championship opener against the Windies on Thursday, but captain Virat Kohli will be in a quandary over team selection. Will they play Ajinkya Rahane and Rohit Sharma, or drop either to adopt a five-bowler strategy?
After returning to form with a quickfire fifty, KL Rahul ran out dangerman Litton Das with a direct hit triggering a Bangladesh batting collapse.
In the middle-order, Shreyas will replace Kohli, who was given a much-needed break ahead of his landmark 100th Test.
A 15-member India cricket squad, led by Virat Kohli, left here this morning for Zimbabwe to take on the hosts in a five-game One-Day International series commencing on July 24.
It may be an inconsequential game on paper but Indian bowlers await another tough test against South Africa ahead of the T20 World Cup when the two teams meet in the final game of the three-match series in Indore on Tuesday.
Natarajan was added to the Test squad for the remaining two Test matches against Australia on January 1.
It is an perfect stage for India's mercurial skipper Virat Kohli, who loves to bring his A game to the fore when the chips are down.
England shot out India for a paltry 78 and cruised to 120 for no loss in their robust reply to take early control of the third Test at Headingley on Wednesday.
The Board of Control for Cricket in India selectors on Sunday included left-arm spinner Axar Patel in the Indian squad for the last two one-dayers of the ongoing series against Australia and dropped Ravindra Jadeja.
Former Indian captain Sunil Gavaskar has pointed out that the Indian bowling is simply not good enough for the Australian conditions.
Fans were quick to condemn Rahul's remarks with some calling the Indian cricketer 'despicable' and someone who lacked 'the spirit of sportsmanship'.
Several members of the Indian cricket team including the stand-in captain Hardik Pandya on Wednesday began training at the Wankhede Stadium in Mumbai, on Friday, but all eyes were on the wrist-spinning duo, who have to battle it out with Ravindra Jadeja and Washington Sundar for a place in the Playing XI.
Vice-captain Ajinkya Rahane will lead India in the first Test against New Zealand in Kanpur, starting November 25, before regular skipper Virat Kohli returns to take charge from the second Test in Mumbai.
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.
Who do you think should be in India's playing XI for the first Test against the West Indies?
Hardly challenged in a dominating run this season, India once again start as overwhelming favourites when they take on an inconsistent-but-gritty New Zealand in a three-match One-Day International series, starting in Mumbai, on Sunday.
Images from the third Twenty20 International between India and Sri Lanka, in Dharamsala, on Sunday.
Hardik Pandya will be expected to begin his full-time T20 captaincy tenure on a bold note as the Indian team prepares to start its life beyond Virat Kohli, Rohit Sharma and KL Rahul.
One of the primary focus of Monday's encounter could be the inclusion of Indian cricket's latest enfant terrible Hardik Pandya, who is coming back from provisional suspension for his loose talk on a TV chat show.
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