India captain Virat Kohli said the hard-fought win over Afghanistan in the Word Cup was much-needed as it helped the two-time champions to show their character and clinch a victory from the jaws of defeat.
England go into the 10-team tournament as the top side in the team rankings with 125 points and India in second position four points behind.
'We have been already successful in Australia at Big Bash. That's why they pick us. The main thing is to adjust to the conditions. Here most of the times, the condition is such that the ball is turning. In Australia, it is totally different, there is bounce and not that much turn, so you have to stick to your line and look for dot balls'
Focus will now be on how Rabada would fare against the likes of Chris Gayle, Lokesh Rahul, Mayank Agarwal and David Miller.
Kings XI Punjab will be looking to get their campaign back on track after a couple of defeats when they lock horns with bottom-placed Rajasthan Royals in the Indian Premier League in Indore on Sunday.
Wrist spinners have become the toast of the Indian Premier League (IPL) so much so that a successful off-spinner like Ravichandran Ashwin, too, has been keen to try bowling leg breaks, feels cricket legend Kapil Dev.
CSK's Harbhajan Singh and Mumbai Indians' Lasith Malinga were among the other big names to be released by their respective sides ahead of next month's auction.
1983 World Cup winner Krishnamachari Srikkanth believes Virat Kohli's captaincy, and Jasprit Bumrah and Yuzvendra Chahal's excellent bowling, were the key to India's narrow victory over Afghanistan.
Opting to bat after winning the toss, India struggled on a slow pitch and crawled to 224-8 with Virat Kohli (67) and Kedar Jadhav (52) managing half-centuries against a disciplined Afghan attack.
Afghanistan's controversial campaign, marred by poor on and off-field decisions, has gone from bad to worse. They now face the onerous task of squaring off against a galaxy of world class players, whose performance graph is on the upswing.
Rajneesh Gupta presents us all the numbers that matter in T20 World Cup 2021.
RCB have been inconsistent in their first six games in IPL-12, with both their bowling and batting faltering on many occasions.
Every person was tested 72 hours before they travelled in order to ensure that all members of the party were travelling virus free.
KXIP are riding a roller-coaster ride, having to endure a controversy involving their captain Ravichandran Ashwin who 'Mankaded' Rajasthan Royals batsman Jos Buttler in their first match, an act which was legal but criticised by some as against the 'Spirit of Cricket'.
Impressed with leg-spinner Mayank Markhande's bowling for Mumbai Indians in the IPL, former India spinner Venkatapathy Raju praised him and termed control as the rookie's strongest point.
Jasprit Bumrah in full flow is always a joy to watch, six or seven stuttering steps, a skip and a shuffle, followed by undiluted fire and fury.
Only the top ten teams will be taking part in this World Cup and they all will play each other in a round-robin format before the semi-finals stage.
Images from Monday's IPL match between Sunrisers Hyderabad and Kings XI Punjab, in Hyderabad.
Images from the IPL match between Punjab Kings and Sunrisers Hyderabad, in Chennai, on Wednesday.
Fascinating predictions for the years ahead. A revealing excerpt from Tim Wigmore and Freddie Wilde's Cricket 2.0: Inside The T20 Revolution.
With 10 points from 11 games, it is a must-win encounter for Dinesh Karthik and his men if they want to keep their play-off chances alive.
Kings XI Punjab co-owner Ness Wadia revealed that the team almost lost the destructive opener at the auction, thinking it had run out of cash.
Kings XI Punjab speedster Andrew Tye heaped praise on his side's explosive opener Chris Gayle, saying the West Indian played to perfection during his unbeaten knock of 104 against Sunrisers Hyderabad in Thursday's IPL match in Mohali.
IMAGES from the Indian Premier League match played between Kings XI Punjab and Sunrisers Hyderabad in Mohali on Thursday
It will not be the first time that the competition has had to be held outside India.
Chasing a competitive 258 for victory, Pakistan overhauled the target with just three balls to spare with former captain Shoaib Malik (51 off 43 balls) getting the winning runs.
This was Sri Lanka's second loss in as many matches, and, as a consequence, they have been knocked out of the tournament.
From Brian Lara to Virat Kohli, Ben Stokes to Steve Smith, the ICC Under-19 Cricket World Cup has never fallen short of showcasing cricket's brightest young stars. More than 30 years have passed since the world's top talents first announced themselves on the big stage, with the 1988 Youth Cricket World Cup a ground-breaking step in bringing ability to the fore.
Mumbai Indians seamer Jasprit Bumrah helped his side beat Kings XI Punjab in an IPL match in Mumbai.
South Africa won their first game at the World Cup, beating Afghanistan by nine wickets (DLS). Imran Tahir finished with figures of 4 for 29, the best figures by a spinner in the tournament so
Riding on leg-spinner Rashid Khan's brilliant effort, Sunrisers Hyderabad produced an inspired bowling display to eke out a fighting 13-run win over in-form Kings XI Punjab in a low-scoring IPL match in Hyderabad, on Thursday.
The legend of Chris Gayle continued to grow in company of young KL Rahul as Kings XI Punjab outclassed Kolkata Knight Riders by nine wickets in a rain-hit IPL encounter, in Kolkata, on Saturday.
Images from Monday's match between Kings XI Punjab and Sunrisers Hyderabad, in Mohali.
Faf du Plessis's half-century and Mahendra Singh Dhoni's late assault helped Chennai Super Kings register a comfortable 22-run victory against Kings XI Punjab in the IPL match, in Chennai, on Saturday.
'T20 is so fast-paced that a coach can do very little from the sidelines, you need a very good captain, who can take decisions there and then.'
Spinner Rashid Khan celebrated his 20th birthday in style by producing a stunning all-round display as Afghanistan beat Bangladesh by 136 runs in an Asia Cup match in Abu Dhabi on Thursday.
India take on a war-ravaged-but-resilient Afghanistan in their first ever Test match, in Bengaluru, on Thursday.
Rajneesh Gupta presents statistical summary of Kings XI Punjab and much more.
Rajneesh Gupta profiles the cricketers playing the World Cup 2019.
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