A lot of grey areas are yet to be addressed, but a young Indian team, with an admirable collective temperament, will start as favourites in the series-deciding fifth T20 International against South Africa, in Bengaluru, on Sunday.
India captain Virat Kohli moved up a place to fourth in the ICC T20 rankings for batsmen, while his deputy Rohit Sharma climbed three spots to 14th in the latest update issued on Wednesday.
Arshdeep Singh credits his success in the T20 World Cup to senior pace bowling partner Bhuvneshwar Kumar, who he said has been creating relentless pressure in the Powerplay overs which has made it easier for him to get wickets.
Dhoni had led India to the title victory at the inaugural T20 World Cup played in South Africa in 2007.
While Ishan Kishan has done well so far, Ruturaj Gaikwad (23, 1) has pulled the team down with questions being raised over his technique against quality pacers and his ability to force the pace early on.
Comeback man Heinrich Klaasen followed Rassie Van der Dussen's suit in turning out to be an unlikely hero with a career-best 81 as South Africa once again outwitted India by four wickets on a tricky pitch to take a 2-0 lead in the five-match T20I series.
While there were no glaring surprises in the squad, Manish Pandey has once again been sidelined as the selectors continue to repose their trust in out of form KL Rahul.
India have only themselves to blame for their below-par showing in the Asia Cup as they struggled to put up consistent performances with both bat and ball.
Young Indian pacer Arshdeep Singh said that using variations, especially the slower ones, on a sticky wicket was the key to his success in the first T20 International against the West Indies on Friday.
'India fans can't wait for the ICC Men's T20 World Cup 2021 to start for this reason. We have the players, we have the momentum -- we just need to go out there and execute now.'
India is led by senior batsman Shikhar Dhawan and coached by NCA head Rahul Dravid.
Images from the Asia Cup match played between India and Pakistan in Dubai on Sunday.
The ICC on Thursday announced the nominees to recognise the best performances from both male and female cricketers across all forms of international cricket.
Another failure to win an ICC tournament will put Virat Kohli's leadership future in doubt. When BCCI president Sourav Ganguly and secretary Jay Shah hold a virtual meet with the national selectors in a couple of days' time, the leadership issue will be discussed.
The absence of the team's established players, such as Virat Kohli and Rishbah Pant as well as KL Rahul, in the upcoming three T20 Internationals will definitely translate into more opportunities for the likes of Ishan Kishan, Ruturaj Gaikwad and Sanju Samson.
A look at Indian players who need a good showing in the IPL to get back in the reckoning.
In the middle-order, Shreyas will replace Kohli, who was given a much-needed break ahead of his landmark 100th Test.
A desperate Sunrisers Hyderabad would seek inspiration from skipper David Warner to arrest any further slide when they take on Punjab Kings in an IPL match, in Chennai, on Wednesday.
India T20I skipper Rohit Sharma has said that playing alongside Trent Boult for Mumbai Indians has helped both of them know each other's weaknesses and strengths and as a result, it is always a good battle when they play for their national teams.
'It is a different matter as to what happens in Test selection. Workload management in IPL would be keeping red-ball cricket in mind'.
India would look to finalise their batting order for the tournament-proper when they take on Australia in their second and final warm-up game in Dubai on Wednesday.
If Kolkata Knight Riders beat Rajasthan Royals on Thursday, then Mumbai Indians may find it very difficult to qualify for the play-offs even if they beat Sunrisers Hyderabad in their final league match.
India's bowling coach Paras Mhambrey says Avesh Khan and Arshdeep Singh have shown their ability to perform under pressure.
With bilateral cricket remaining suspended between the bitter neighbours, India and Pakistan play each other only in multi-team tournaments with their rivalry now a rare but enticing occasion for fans worldwide.
Hardik suffered an acute lower back injury five months ago and underwent a surgery in London, following which he has been rehabilitating at the National Cricket Academy in Bengaluru. Hardik Pandya hit four towering sixes and ran swiftly between the wickets at the DY Patil T20 Cup as chief selector MSK Prasad closely monitored his fitness.
Opening batsman Gautam Gambhir was dropped while India's medium pacer Bhuvaneswar was recalled to the 16-man squad for the next three Tests against England.
Dasun Shanaka is their 10th captain in nearly five years, and barring a classy batsman like Dhananjaya de Silva and a steady pacer in Dishmantha Chameera, this team lacks quality to challenge the might of the Indian team led by Shikhar Dhawan.
Sunrisers Hyderabad's seasoned seamer Bhuvneshwar Kumar on Sunday praised his younger pace colleague Umran Malik, saying watching him bowl fast 'is a joy'.
The Indian team's strategy is expected to undergo paradigm shift with some players getting a subtle yet stern message to lift their games as they face an embarrassing possibility of a clean sweep against South Africa in the third ODI, in Cape Town on Sunday.
The Indian team management has asked Axar Patel to be mentally ready as he could be asked to bat in the top six.
Who do you think should be part of India's playing XI for Sunday's first T20I against Ireland?
Shardul Thakur replaced spinner Axar Patel, who was transferred to the list of standby players.
Led by a determined showing from their bowlers, SRH restricted CSK to a below par 154/7 in their 20 overs before Abhishek Sharma's fluent half-century helped them outclass the defending champions by eight wickets.
The veteran coach also said both teams would have to be tactfully aware of playing at the MCG.
Abdul Samad bowled the 20th over and gave away 20 runs but it was not enough for CSK to get over the line as they faced their third defeat in this season.
India's World Cup-bound bowlers could pick and choose matches during the second phase of Indian Premier League as part of the workload management programme, senior pacer Bhuvneshwar Kumar said on Thursday.
India were expected to try out a bunch of players after another World Cup debacle but if the team combination for the second T20 was any indication, they seemed reluctant to start with a clean slate.
India fast bowler Bhuvneshwar Kumar married Nupur Nagar in Meerut.
India captain Rohit Sharma is happy that his team is "moving in the right direction" and ticking the right boxes, but doesn't want complacency to creep in with just three months left for the T20 World Cup in Australia.
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