Australia captain Steve Smith won the toss and opted to bat against an Indian side missing their inspirational skipper Virat Kohli through injury in the fourth and final Test in Dharamsala on Saturday.
A play-offs spot having sealed after a resounding victory in their previous match, Kolkata Knight Riders would aim for a top-two finish with a win when they take on an inconsistent Kings XI Punjab in an IPL match, in Mohali, on Tuesday.
South Zone took just 40 minutes into the third morning to crush East Zone by an innings and 118 runs en route their entry into Duleep Trophy final, in Lahli on Friday.
Cheteshwar Pujara stood tall amid ruins as Sri Lanka struck twice in the truncated morning session to reduce India to 74 for five before rain forced play to be called off early on day two of the opening Test on Friday.
Centuries from openers Shubman Gill and Sai Sudharsan powered Titans to an emphatic victory against champions CSK.
India suffered a late batting collapse, allowing the West Indies to sneak back into the contest after Ravichandran Ashwin and Wriddhiman Saha struck fighting centuries on day two of the third Test in Gros Islet, St Lucia.
Delhi Daredevils beat Kings XI Punjab by five wickets in their Indian Premier League match in Pune on Wednesday. It was Delhi's first win in 12 matches and their first against Punjab after four straight defeats.
KKR bowlers never let any SRH batsman get comfortable in the middle and that reflected on the scorecard.
The conditions in Visakhapatnam were ideal for him as the Bengal speedster got the ball to reverse both ways.
Rajasthan Royals would be keen to adapt quickly to their new 'home ground' when they lock horns with last season's runner-up Kings XI Punjab in their campaign opener in the Indian Premier League in Pune.
With Australia taking a 2-0 lead in the four-match Test series against India, the scales are titled highly in favour of the hosts. History also shows that the Melbourne Cricket Ground has been a happy hunting ground for the hosts. With the Boxing Day Test around the corner, here is a quick look at how the teams stand.
India beat Australia by 75 runs in the second Test to level the four-match series at 1-1 after home off-spinner Ravichandran Ashwin took 6-41 on the fourth day in Bengaluru on Tuesday.
Mayank Agarwal finally found some form going his way and Rishabh Pant mixed caution with his customary aggression as India's warm-up fixture against New Zealand XI ended in a draw, in Hamilton, on Sunday.
History is on Hardik Pandya's side, which has won all three games against the Royals so far, and that would certainly play on the minds of the Sanju Samson-led Rajasthan outfit at the Narendra Modi stadium.
Sunrisers overcame the loss of Warner in style, savouring more success than failures, to claim the top spot in the pecking order along with Chennai Super Kings.
How the cricket fraternity celebrated the 5-0 rout of New Zealand on Twitter.
Retiring home hero Kumar Sangakkara featured in a brief rebuilding act in his final Test as Sri Lanka reached 140 for three in reply to India's first innings total of 393 on day two of the second Test in Colombo, on Friday. Images from the second day's play.
Jasprit Bumrah and Mohammed Shami gave an exhibition of high-quality fast bowling on Saturday, on Day 2 of India's warm-up match against New Zealand XI, sending a warning signal for the home team ahead of first Test in Wellington.
Delhi Capitals chief executive officer Dhiraj Malhotra and assistant coach Mohammad Kaif shared their thoughts, having met their players after a long time.
Gujarat Titans clinched their second win on the trot as the defending champions handed Delhi Capitals a six-wicket loss at the Feroz Shah Kotla on Tuesday.
Delhi Capitals are looking like an outfit that is bereft of a Plan B as it became apparent in their 50-run thrashing at the hands of Lucknow Super Giants.
The National Cricket Academy, which has often been criticised for its handling of players' injuries, is set to get the help of a BCCI medical panel and a dedicated social media department as part of its overall revamp plan. The development comes after the criticism the NCA drew for the injury management of leading India players, including Wriddhiman Saha and more recently Bhuvneshwar Kumar. All-rounder Hardik Pandya and premium pacer Jasprit Bumrah added to the NCA's woes by choosing personal rehabilitation over recovering in Bengaluru.
Ravichandran Ashwin says leadership tips from Virender Sehwag and Yuvraj Singh will help him immensely in his maiden captaincy stint in the upcoming Indian Premier League.
Suresh Raina was presented a golden opportunity to force his way back into the Test squad after being named captain of the Board President's XI, which will play the West Indies in a three-day warm-up match ahead of the Test series that follows the ongoing One-day internationals.
arpreet Singh Bhatia slammed his second first-class ton to lead the Madhya Pradesh run-spree in the second innings and set Bengal an improbable 788 runs for a win in their Ranji Trophy quarterfinals on Saturday. The 24-year-old Bhatia notched up 139 in 206 balls, studded with 14 fours, to help MP pile on runs after resuming on overnight score of 338 for five. MP finally declared at a mammoth second-innings total of 560 for 9, just before tea on the fourth and penultimate day. Bengal, who conceded a huge first-innings lead of 227 after being bowled out for a meager 121, are on the verge of a defeat as they were struggling at 113 for three in 31 overs at the close of play.
Both batsmen batted fearlessly and played the balls on merit. They took minimal risks, yet their attacking batting was wonderful to watch.
Kings XI Punjab bowlers displayed exceptional death bowling skills as they shocked a formidable Delhi Daredevils by 9 runs in an IPL encounter.
India pulled off a brilliant all-round performance to trounce New Zealand by 178 runs in the second Test and clinch the series with an unassailable 2-0 lead, a win that propelled the team to the top of the ICC rankings, dethroning arch-rivals Pakistan.
India were 36 for one at stumps, with debutant Shubman Gill 28 not out and Cheteshwar Pujara on seven after the loss of opener Mayank Argarwal for a duck, after dismissing Australia for 195.
Young opener Shubman Gill and pacer Mohammed Siraj will make their Test debuts in the second Boxing Day Test against Australia, starting in Melbourne, on Saturday.
Both Gujarat and Delhi Capitals started their campaign in IPL 2022 with wins and they would look to continue in the same vein at the Maharashtra Cricket Association Stadium.
After their emphatic victory against LSG, Mumbai Indians would be fancying their chances against defending champions Gujarat Titans in Friday's Qualifier 2 match.
'He is a fearless cricketer and we (team management) want him to have that freedom'
Former Australia wicketkeeper Brad Haddin reckons the opening day-night Test was India's best shot at winning in the ongoing series as it will be very difficult for the visitors to script a turnaround after the demoralizing eight-wicket loss in Adelaide.
Jadeja's impressive figures read 2/18 in four overs, including 12 dot balls, which Dhoni believes was instrumental in the changing the course of the game.
'No more red ball... it doesn't swing, it doesn't do anything, goes soft after 25 overs. It has been pathetic for so long now. Except for the Dukes ball in England, it has been rubbish.'
Shankar and Gill put together a 123-run stand from 71 balls to not drive Gujarat in the middle overs.
The teams which don't make long-term promises that are difficult to fulfil but focus on immediate process and know the roles of players required for slots.
Here is a factbox on the third and final Test between India and Sri Lanka beginning at the Feroz Shah Kotla Stadium in New Delhi on Saturday:
South Africa will have to produce an exceptional batting performance to get back into the contest when skipper Faf du Plessis and Zubayr Hamza return to the crease in Ranchi on Monday.
