Rohit and the team management will also have to keep some of the young talents like Yashasvi Jaiswal, Sarfaraz Khan and Dhruv Jurel wrapped in cotton wool after experiencing some early success in top-flight cricket.
Heavyweight Cheteshwar Pujara was down with fever as Bengal gained the upperhand against a scratchy Saurashtra on an attritional opening day's play in the Ranji Trophy final, in Rajkot, on Monday. Avi Barot and Vishvaraj Jadeja struck gritty half-centuries before Bengal pacer Akash Deep struck late in the final session to leave Saurashtra at 206 for five at stumps on Day 1.
Rajasthan Royals face a tough challenge against a marauding Punjab Kings batting lineup, led by in-form Shreyas Iyer.
Harsh Dubey picked up five wickets as Vidarbha outclassed Mumbai by 80 runs to enter the Ranji Trophy final, in Nagpur, on Friday.
This crushing defeat is a major wake-up call for Team India. They now face the real possibility of losing a home series for the first time in over a decade, warns Harish Kotian.
IMAGES from the IPL match between Kolkata Knight Riders and Rajasthan Royals at the Eden Gardens in Kolkata on Sunday
The RCB leg-spinner snapped four wickets as Kolkata Knight Riders were bowled out for 128.
Images from Day 5 in the fourth Test between Australia and India at the Melbourne Cricket Ground on Monday.
A summary of Ranji Trophy matches played on Tuesday
The latest edition of the grand opera that is Indian domestic season will begin in Bengaluru on Wednesday with the Duleep Trophy.
IMAGES from Day 5 of the 2nd Test played between India and Bangladesh in Kanpur, on Tuesday.
K L Rahul has been ruled out of after failing to recover from injury to his right quadriceps
Images from Day 2 of the fourth Test between India and England in Rajkot on Saturday, February 24.
Images from Day 2 of the second Test between India and New Zealand at the Maharashtra Cricket Association Stadium in Pune on Friday.
A turner in Pune exposed the soft underbelly of Indian batters' technique against slow bowling but as per the current team's philosophy, it has decided to take the bull by its horns by asking for a turner where the ball might turn at right angles from first hour.
Sunrisers Hyderabad will look to unleash their brute batting power on struggling Royal Challengers Bengaluru when the two teams face off in their return-leg fixture of the IPL in Hyderabad on Thursday.
India seamer Bhuvneshwar Kumar fetched a winning bid of Rs 10.75 crore from Royal Challengers Bengaluru on a largely predictable second day of the mega auction, in Jeddah on Monday.
Washington Sundar justified his selection with a career-best 7/59 to bowl out New Zealand for 259 on Day 1 of the second Test in Pune.
Mumbai's run machine Sarfaraz Khan was ruled out of the match because of injury.
Patidar or Rinku set for debut; India look to seal series
IMAGES from the Day 1 of the third Test played between India and New Zealand at the Wankhede Stadium in Mumbai on Friday
The last time India fielded five or more debutants in a Test series was during the 1996 tour of England when current Head Coach Rahul Dravid, Batting Coach Vikram Rathour, Bowling Coach Paras Mhambrey all made their debuts along with Sourav Ganguly, Venkatesh Prasad and Sunil Joshi.
India pacer Mohammed Shami said on Monday that he is completely pain-free and is still not out of reckoning for the marquee Test tour of Australia starting next month.
Saurabh Kumar grabs his 22nd five-for as India 'A' close-in on victory over Lions
Shubman Gill said on Monday he had planned not to lose his wicket to an lbw decision come what may, despite the odd ball keeping low and turning sharply during the fourth Test against England, which India won by five wickets.
'I make music to express myself.' 'So even if only one person hears it, and it impacts their life in any way, I feel grateful.'
IMAGES from the IPL 2022 game between Rajasthan Royals and Royal Challengers Bangalore, in Mumbai, on Tuesday
'Hard work is there, but I believe in visualisation and manifestation. Whatever match or series, one or two weeks prior I start preparation looking at the bowling line-up, who will bowl and how will I play them. I play out the scenarios and it helps.'
A resurgent Royal Challengers Bengaluru will look for their fourth consecutive victory when they face an unpredictable Punjab Kings as the two sides fight for survival in the Indian Premier League, in Dharamsala on Thursday.
Royal Challengers Bengaluru's IPL campaign that began with optimism has melted into chaos. Their bowlers require a drastic transformation in mindset against Sunrisers Hyderabad for them to register an elusive win in Bengaluru on Monday.
Suryakumar Yadav and Ajinkya Rahane's half-centuries powered Mumbai to 278/4 at stumps on Day 3, a commanding lead of 292 runs.
Durham pace duo of Matthew Potts and Brydon Carse wreaked havoc on a depleted India A side as they bowled the hosts out for a modest 192 to give England Lions upper hand in the third and final unofficial Test in Ahmedabad on Thursday.
KKR looked a shadow of their past in their season-opener
India's emphatic win over England was a tailor-made series for the debutants. The absence of key players gave India the perfect opportunity to test their bench strength and boy, did the youngsters grab the chance with both hands!
RCB on paper look like a team that can make it to the playoffs and with Dinesh Karthik playing his last IPL, Faf turning 40 and Kohli and Maxwell in their mid-thirties, the Challengers will be determined to win it for the veterans of the team.
India's solitary ODI series win in the Rainbow nation occurred in 2018, emphasising the need for a strong beginning from Ruturaj Gaikwad and B Sai Sudharsan.
India will secure a series victory with a win against England in the third Test beginning in Ranchi on Friday but they must do so without their pace spearhead against a touring side looking to uphold their aggressive style of play.
India's top-order batter KL Rahul, who is undergoing rehab after struggling with quadriceps pain, too was ruled out of the fourth Test and seems doubtful for Dharamsala.
The Railway Protection Force (RPF) has detained a suspect in connection with the knife attack on actor Saif Ali Khan at Durg railway station in Chhattisgarh. The suspect was traveling by a Mumbai-Howrah train and held at Durg in the afternoon. Mumbai Police were informed about the development and their team will reach here by late evening.
Royal Challengers Bengaluru's fairytale resurgent run will be up against the might of five-time champions Chennai Super Kings and the weather gods when the two sides clash in an epic do-or-die match to decide the fourth and final team for the IPL play-offs, in Bengaluru on Saturday.
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