Rishabh Pant's brute power will be put to test against Rashid Khan's bagful of tricks in an IPL encounter where Delhi Capitals will start as favourites against SunRisers Hyderabad due to their better bowling resources.
Defending champions Kolkata Knight Riders would look to return to winning ways.
Railways captain Murali Kartik took the attack back to the opposition camp with a timely half-century as the visitors need another 154 runs with seven wickets in hand as their Ranji Trophy quarter-final against hosts Bengal hangs in balance at the end of the fourth day.
A new captain in the saddle, Kolkata Knight Riders would look to sort out their batting woes and strive for consistency when they face Sunrisers Hyderabad in an intriguing mid-table Indian Premier League clash, in Abu Dhabi, on Sunday.
West Indies are reeling at 90 for the loss of three wickets at lunch on day 3, as India extended their advantage in the first Test at Antigua on Saturday. Pacer Mohammed Shami bagged his second wicket of the innings after dismissing Darren Bravo (11) at the stroke of lunch.
Rahane to lead India in one-off Test vs Afghanistan
Their bowling attacks struggling to find form, Kings XI Punjab and SunRisers Hyderabad will look towards their power-hitters to do the job when the two erratic teams go head to head in an IPL match, in Dubai, on Thursday.
Mumbai Indians skipper Rohit Sharma is in sublime form and he can pummel any attack into submission on his day.
India justified their top ranking with their breakthrough overseas win in Australia on Monday and captain Virat Kohli has reasons to be optimistic about leading a team which can dominate Test cricket for years to come.
'A player of Dhoni's stature needs to be told that he is not being awarded a central contract for the time being and it was done in an appropriate manner.'
Naman Ojha may not be India's No 1 Test wicketkeeper but he has hopes of making the national team for its next assignment in the longest format.
Naman Ojha is certainly back in the national selection committee's radar after four centuries in his last five first-class innings, including two double hundreds but he rules out any competition with Wriddhiman Saha for the second wicketkeeper's slot in the Indian team.
Desperate to get their campaigns back on track, the two bottom placed teams in the Indian Premier League -- Kings XI Punjab and Royal Challengers Bangalore -- lock horns in Mohali on Monday, aiming to keep their winning momentum going to stay afloat in the ninth edition of the T20 league.
Following Rohit Sharma's fighting half-century, India finished the day on 227-8, taking a massive 339-run lead on Day 3 of the 2nd Test in Kolkata on Sunday. Here are the statistical highlights from the day's play.
The Board of Control for Cricket in India's Committee of Administrators (COA) on Tuesday doubled the annual retainership amount to Rs 2 crore for seven Grade A cricketers, including captain Virat Kohli and former skipper Mahendra Singh Dhoni.
India's 3-0 whitewash of South Africa in the four-match Test series has surprised former captain Sunil Gavaskar even though he feels that the Proteas were incapable of playing on Indian pitches.
Spin great Erapalli Prasanna says the time has come for Virat Kohli to lead India in all three cricket formats, and Mahendra Singh Dhoni, who is captaining the One-Day International and Twenty20 squads, can continue playing as wicketkeeper-batsman in the limited-overs' formats.
Ishant Sharma and his pace colleagues wreaked havoc with the pink ball to put India in charge of their maiden day-night Test against Bangladesh at the Eden Gardens in Kolkata.
Abhimanyu Mithun claimed a third five-for of the season as Vidarbha collapsed for 185 before Karnataka were left reeling at 36 for three on the opening day of their Ranji Trophy semi-final in Kolkata.
For Hyderabad, KXIP encounter is the last game where they can avail the services of Warner before he leaves home for Australia's World Cup preparations alongside Steven Smith and Marcus Stoinis.
Royals are more affected than Sunrisers with the absence of Ben Stokes, Jos Buttler and Joffra Archer, who have left for England to join the World Cup camp.
Indian swashbuckler Virat Kohli says the added responsibility has left no room for complacency in his batting and that has helped him achieve the record-breaking feat.
Images from Day 3 of the third Test between India and South Africa, in Ranchi, on Monday.
Parthiv Patel's positive batting with scores of 42 and 67 (not out) have impressed skipper Virat Kohli so much that he did not rule out a possibility that along with second wicketkeeeper's slot, the Gujarat stumper could also be an option as back-up opener.
Six players to watch when India host England in a four-match Test series which begins on Feb. 5
Ambati Rayudu will be aiming to make a statement when a marauding Chennai Super Kings take on a desperate Sunrisers Hyderabad
'No one is going to relax at any stage, we are going to go for a result in the third Test'
Australia great Ian Chappell says Virat Kohli is an exceptional captain who has carried the Indian team to a higher level, whereas England's Joe Root is a "fine batter but poor captain".
Warner would be looking to make the most of the early start and put runs on the board again.
Images from Day 1 of the second Test between India and New Zealand in Kolkata, on Friday.
Only four India regulars - Virat Kohli, Ajinkya Rahane, Rohit Sharma and Wriddhiman Saha -- turned up for optional practice session.
'We want to give Rohit Sharma an opportunity to open the innings in Tests'
India's Rishabh Pant has grown a nice little reputation as a batsman who can whack the white ball pretty hard and the 20-year-old reckons he would need only minor adjustments to his technique to excel in Test matches in England.
Former selector Sarandeep Singh called Rohit-Dhawan the 'best option' despite skipper Virat Kohli's recent interest in the slot.
IPL can be truly said to have come of age. It is now more Indian than ever before. Teams often fielded fewer than the four allowed foreign players. Indian batters and bowlers were simply better in performance, consistency and reliability, points out Shreekant Sambrani.
Mahendra Singh Dhoni will lead a full strength India squad for the two-match Twenty20 series against the West Indies in the United States on August 27 and 28.
The West Indies A top-order put up a gutsy show to force a draw despite another five-wicket haul by left-arm spinner Shahbaz Nadeem as India A won the unofficial three-'Test' series 2-0.
'He is someone who picks up what the bowler is trying to do, he is always there in your ears on what the bowlers are trying to do.'
Rahane spoke about how pink ball's increased pace off the pitch during the 40-50 minutes of the twilight session, will be the biggest challenge for any batsman.
Images from Day 2 of the first Test between India and New Zealand, in Kanpur, on Friday.
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