India are fretting over the fitness of their skipper Harmanpreet Kaur (shoulder) and Smriti Mandhana (finger) ahead of the opening game.
Rajneesh Gupta gives us all the numbers.
KL Rahul hit a quickfire half-century and Ravichandran Ashwin took three wickets in an over but India suffered a 36-run defeat against Western Australia in their second practice match ahead of the T20 World Cup, at the WACA stadium in Perth on Thursday.
The New Zealand government tightened border restrictions and stating that all those entering the country from Australia would be subjected to a mandatory 14-day self-isolation period. The new restrictions, which come into from Sunday midnight, would have led to the New Zealand team being quarantined if it stayed back to complete the assignment.
Indian middle order batsman Harmanpreet Kaur took centre stage with an unbeaten 171 and was backed by a disciplined performance by her bowlers as India pulled off a 36-run upset win over six-time world champions Australia.
Chennai Super Kings will launch their Indian Premier League (IPL) title defence against Royal Challengers Bengaluru on Friday
Virat Kohli set to miss T20I series opener due to personal reasons, confirms head coach Rahul Dravid
India captain Rohit Sharma on Wednesday urged his side to keep their focus on "things we can control" ahead of the mega World Cup clash against arch-rival Pakistan, having completed a dominating eight-wicket win over Afghanistan in New Delhi.
Yashasvi Jaiswal presented a heady cocktail of patience and flair on debut but India's expected series win over West Indies will not serve as an accurate parameter.
India completed a historic 4-0 clean sweep against Australia by recording an emphatic six-wicket victory in the fourth and final Test in New Delhi on Sunday.
Prem Panicker, a keen follower of the game and one of cricket's finest writers, analysed, debated and dissected the four semi-finalists on the Rediff World Cup Chat on Monday.
Skipper Ajinkya Rahane concentrated hard as his unbeaten 86 off 197 balls took Mumbai to 237 for four against Rest of India on a weather-curtailed opening day of the Irani Cup.
The New Zealand cricket team members will wear black armbands tomorrow during the World T20 game against hosts India here as a mark of respect to the departed former captain Martin Crowe. "In the match on Tuesday, we will be showing our respects by wearing black armbands and I believe after the anthems, there will be a moment where there will be a pause, so that will be a special time of recognition on behalf of the side," said New Zealand captain Kane Williamson on the eve of the Super 10 Group 2 game at the VCA Stadium in Jamtha. Crowe died after a long battle with cancer on March 3 in Auckland aged 53 and the funeral was conducted on March 11. "Like you mentioned, some blokes in the side, they were very close to Martin and I guess they will deal it in their own way throughout the tournament and throughout the cricket that is coming up. He was a big part of their lives as a cricketer and as a person. It's just the process that you get through when something significant like this happens," Williamson added.
As expected, the Indian selectors decided to stick with the same 16-member squad, which beat Bangladesh in the one-off Test, for the first two matches of the forthcoming four-match Test series against Australia, starting in Pune, on February 23.
Another tough choice India need to make is in the wicket-keeping department.
Opener Shikhar Dhawan said poor fielding cost India the game after the visitors lost by four runs via the Duckworth-Lewis method against Australia in the first Twenty20 International.
This will be the first clash between the two arch-rivals on Indian soil in seven years.
There was large demand for India vs Pakistan, England vs Australia and the final, all of which were oversubscribed at every price band.
Ravichandran Ashwin has the second most wickets by an active player in Test cricket. Australia's Nathan Lyon leads the list with 530 wickets and Ashwin can overtake him in the second Test in Kanpur.
Rishabh Pant last played a Test match in December 2022 before a serious car crash saw him sidelined for nearly two years.
India will be looking for another favorable result to extend their lead in the World Test Championships standings.
Big-hitting Tim David is a "versatile and flexible" player. His presence only adds to the options Australia possess going into the T20 World cup, feels skipper Aaron Finch.
David Warner punished a wasteful India with his second century as Australia seized control of the first Test at close of play on Day 4. The left-hander, who scored an emotional 145 in the first innings, added another 102 to help fire Australia to a 363-run lead at a sun-drenched Adelaide Oval on Friday. In the course of the day's play several milestones were set. Check them out.
Shubman Gill has missed India's first two ICC ODI World Cup matches and ahead of the hosts' marquee clash against Pakistan, Indian skipper Rohit Sharma provided a major update on the opener's availability.
Asia Cup in September but itinerary and venue not announced
Statistical highlights of the tri-series match between India and England at the WACA on Friday.
Rohit Sharma struck his second successive hundred of the series but once again the Indians were comfortably outclassed by Australia by seven wickets, in the second One-Day International in Brisbane, on Friday.
Australia have named Michael Clarke in a 12-man squad for the first Test against India starting in Brisbane next week, but the hamstrung captain must prove his fitness in a tour match starting on Friday.
The decline in Kohli's Test batting average is particularly alarming. It has now plummeted to an eight-year low of 48.74.
Some cricket enthusiasts said they came to the ground in the early hours of the day to purchase tickets.
A look at the significant milestones and achievements of Indian off-spinner Harbhajan Singh, who announced his retirement from all forms of cricket on Friday.
Indian batting stalwart Virat Kohli and Australia's Steve Smith would be more than keen to stamp their authority in the upcoming Border-Gavaskar series in which runs would be "at a premium", feels Australian great Matthew Hayden.
India dictated terms to mighty Australia who did everything they could to survive the difficult overs under lights and finish the third day of the rain-marred pink ball Test at 143 for four on Saturday.
A month and half back, Ravichandran Ashwin was eloquently explaining on his Tamil YouTube channel, why a talent like Tilak Varma should be seriously considered for the ODI World Cup.
Sarfaraz became the first cricketer to score a double century for Mumbai in the Irani Cup, solidifying his reputation as a formidable batsman.
Statistical highlights of the fourth day's play of the first cricket Test between India and England in Rajkot on Saturday.
Maverick batsman Chris Gayle opted out of the ODI and T20 series against India citing personal reasons as the West Indies Cricket Board (WICB) named three fresh faces for the assignment.
Yashasvi Jaiswal stole the limelight with a classy century on Day 2 of the first Test on Thursday.
The stage will also be set for Virat Kohli to score his first Test hundred since November 2019.
India will aim to take an unassailable lead in the three-match series when it faces a below-par West Indies in the second ODI, in Barbados, on Saturday.
