Ravichandran Ashwin is fast closing in on the No 1 spot in the ICC Test rankings for bowlers.
This was India's seventh defeat in their last nine matches as their poor run in Test cricket continues following successive series defeats against New Zealand at home and in Australia.
Chennai Super Kings will lean on their formidable spin strength under favourable conditions at the Chepauk as well as recent record against Mumbai Indians sans Jasprit Bumrah and Hardik Pandya, when the two sides face each other in their Indian Premier League campaign opener in Chennai on Sunday.
Ravichandran Ashwin has maintained the top spot among bowlers
Ashwin is not part of India's squad for the warm-up game against Leicestershire, which started on Thursday.
With key players -- KL Rahul (thigh) and Shreyas Iyer (lower back) yet to prove their fitness, the BCCI top brass and selectors could opt for safer options that gives them an opportunity to check all available players in the five (six if they reach final) Asia Cup games in Sri Lanka.
Royal Challengers Bangalor will attempt to break a 17-year jinx at the Chepauk stadium when they face Chennai Super Kings in the IPL match on Friday.
India off-spinner Ravichandran Ashwin said wickets must be credited to the bowlers when they run out batters at the non-striker's end for backing up too far, as it requires "presence of mind".
England tour may go either way, pressure on Gill but experience will help: Agarkar on transition
The former left-arm spin legend further said the key to success for a spinner in Australia is to bowl more topspin and get bounce like the way Nathan Lyon does for the home side.
Sachin Tendulkar, whose batting records and impact on international cricket have stood the test of time, was on Saturday conferred with the Col CK Nayudu Lifetime Achievement Award
Who do you think should be part of the Indian team for the first Test against England?
Former India captain Krishnamachari Srikkanth predicted another successful Indian Premier League season for five-time champions Chennai Super Kings
'...whether he is a top player or not, it doesn't matter.' 'If I go by a player's name I won't be able to bowl at my best.' 'For me he is just a batter, and my only focus is where I need to land the ball.'
Ashwin posted a video on his official YouTube channel, revisiting the history of The Wanderers
Chennai Super Kings (CSK) and Sunrisers Hyderabad (SRH) will face off in a crucial Indian Premier League (IPL) match on Friday, both teams desperate for a win to keep their playoff hopes alive.
Not Cummins, not Starc, this bowler was the difference in the end for Australia, reckons Ravichandran Ashwin
Siraj also disclosed that it was India's strategy to bat aggressively in the second innings and set a big target quickly for the home side.
Ashwin went on to cite examples of other domestic stalwarts like Sarfaraz Khan, Yashasvi Jaiswal, Shahbaz Nadeem and Abhimanyu Easwaran.
Australia's star batter Marnus Labuschagne can't wait to engage in a "lovely game of chess" with Ravichandran Ashwin during next month's Test tour of India after making required changes in his game to combat the ace spinner.
Adil Rashid produced a stunning delivery to dismiss the in-form Tilak Varma during the third T20 International in Rajkot on Tuesday.
Mumbai Indians skipper Hardik Pandya achieved some remarkable individual feats on Friday although his team suffered a heartbreaking loss against Lucknow Super Giants in an away match in Lucknow.
K L Rahul stroked a fluent half-century as a dominant Delhi Capitals outclassed Chennai Super Kings by 25 runs.
Afghanistan's Noor Ahmad registered the best figures for a Chennai spinner against Mumbai with 4-18, restricting the five-times champions to a below-par 155-9 and laying the foundation for his team's four-wicket victory on Sunday.
Senior India off-spinner Ravichandran Ashwin has urged fans to be patient with star batters Rohit Sharma and Virat Kohli as far as winning an ICC trophy is concerned, saying it took even "the great" Sachin Tendulkar six attempts to win a World Cup.
Led by Josh Hazlewood, RCB produced a dominant bowling performance to crush Chennai Super Kings by 50 runs.
Kohli has constructed a mini hot streak, making four fifties in his last five innings and pushing for Orange Cap with 443 runs.
'You've got to be quite smart against him. If he gets on a roll, he's pretty tough to stop. As we've seen, he has bowled extremely well'
The game on Friday had enough positives for India, mainly the performance of Mohammad Shami and Suryakumar Yadav, but few questions still need to be answered ahead of the World Cup, beginning October 5.
'Why does Ashwin have to be that guy again?'
Kuldeep Yadav spun his way into history on Sunday, becoming just the fifth Indian spinner to take 300 international wickets.
Australian batters have been focussed on tackling the spin threat
The South African's blistering 52 off 25 balls not only augurs well for him personally but for the franchise who are aiming to build a team from scratch for the next season.
Ashwin's age is certainly a factor that is being kept in consideration.
In IPL, he has previously worked with Delhi Daredevils (now Delhi Capitals) and Lucknow Super Giants.
While the others seemed relaxed, Pujara stood at attention.
Ishan Kishan and Shreyas Iyer were left out from the list of centrally-contracted players last year, after failing to show up for domestic cricket despite a directive from the BCCI.
Jayawardene said showing situational awareness is imperative and Rohit was able to execute his plans well against CSK.
'He will be a people's man. He will capture everybody's heart.'
Ravichandran Ashwin dismissed Tom Latham to claim his 418th Test wicket and go past Harbhajan Singh on the fifth and final day of the opening Test against New Zealand in Kanpur on Monday. He is now only behind Anil Kumble and Kapil Dev in the overall standings.
