West Indies trounced Nepal by 10 wickets in the inconsequential third and final T20 International to avoid the humiliation of a series sweep.
As India gear up for their second Super 4s match in the Asia Cup, against Bangladesh in Dubai on Wednesday, star all-rounder Hardik Pandya is on the verge of becoming the second Indian to complete 100 T20I wickets, and overall, he will be the 26th to do so.
Harmanpreet Singh expressed optimism that the team would start well and highlighted the need for both strong attacking and defensive play.
Pakistan are currently in the second spot with two points, ahead of UAE (2 points) on net run rate.
'He has been working hard on his bowling. This was a perfect game for him.'
Bumrah has been at the heart of India's success in recent years. He spearheaded India's title-winning run in the T20 World Cup last year, finishing with 15 wickets, and overall has 89 scalps in 70 matches at a remarkable average of 17.74.
Gill's highest score in the three Asia Cup matches has been an unbeaten 20 with the Test skipper failing to click in the games against Pakistan and Oman after a fruitful red-ball away series against England.
With Samson pushed to No. 5 in the batting line-up, fans are now call for his promotion up the order in the dead rubber final Group A match against Oman on September 19.
The Asian Cricket Council (ACC) has issued fresh guidelines barring journalists from asking political questions at press conferences in an apparent bid to diffuse the volatile situation that has persisted since the India-Pakistan match last Sunday.
The Indian trio of all-rounder Hardik Pandya, mystery spinner Varun Chakravarthy and aggressive opener Abhishek Sharma retained their respective top positions in the ICC T20 rankings.
India head coach Gautam Gambhir and captain Suryakumar Yadav closely inspected the pitch of the Dubai International Stadium on the eve of their highly-debated Asia Cup clash against Pakistan.
He is also expected to sit out the home Test series against the West Indies in October.
On Sunday, in the crucible of Dubai, it all comes down to a single question: Who will seize their moment and become a hero for a nation?
India skipper Suryakumar Yadav has lauded the energy and commitment of his teammates on the opening day of training ahead of the Asia Cup
The development comes as relations between the two countries showed marked improvement following the four-day military conflict between Pakistan and India in May.
Arshdeep Singh prepared for the Asia Cup opening match against UAE by closely watching their batters practice in the nets in Dubai on Tuesday.
Featuring in the T20 World Cup for the third time, Oman on Wednesday named Aqib Ilyas as their skipper for the upcoming edition of the tournament, which will be held across June in the USA and West Indies.
West Indies recorded their first win in the Super Six stage of the ongoing ICC World Cup Qualifier, defeating Oman by seven wickets
Former India player Manoj Tiwary said that he is against India playing Pakistan in the Asia Cup, to be played in September.
Despite over-utilising his craft, Bumrah chased shadows of his past self and returned with figures of 0/45.
'Looking at their bowling line-up, they had a left-arm spinner and a leg spinner. I think Dube was perfect for that occasion in that 7-15 overs range.'
When I interviewed Alishan Sharafu as a 14-year-old schoolboy following his huge scores in domestic matches, he told me he wanted to bat like A B de Villiers.
Salman Ali Agha will lead the team for the upcoming UAE tri-series and the subsequent Asia Cup also to be played in the UAE, the International Cricket Council announced on Sunday.
Ashwin wants this "unexpected hero" to surprise against Pakistan during Asia Cup
In the men's 10m air rifle final, India's Himanshu, who had topped qualification with 633.7, kept his form intact to clinch gold with a superb 250.9. Individual Neutral Athlete Dmitrii Pimenov followed with 249.9 for silver, while India's Abhinav Shaw claimed bronze with 228.4.
Former India opener Virender Sehwag has backed the current T20I team to win the upcoming Asia Cup under Suryakumar Yadav's "fearless captaincy".
India will take on the UAE in their tournament-opener on September 10 before facing arch rivals Pakistan at Dubai on September 14. Their third group match will be against Oman on September 19 before the Super Four stage.
Asia Cup: Hardik Pandya goes past Chahal to become second-highest wicket-taker for India in T20Is
'I can't come in and say, "I only can do the hero role." I need to be a villain. I need to be a joker. I need to play around".'
Afghanistan on Sunday unveiled a 17-member squad for the upcoming Asia Cup, scheduled from September 9 to 28 in Abu Dhabi and Dubai.
The men's Asia Cup will be held in the United Arab Emirates (UAE) from September 9 to 28, Asian Cricket Council chairman Mohsin Naqvi announced on Saturday.
Since last year, he has found a new lease of life as an opener, scoring three centuries in five innings across series against Bangladesh and South Africa
Shubman Gill enjoyed a phenomenal run with the bat in England, piling up 754 runs at an average of 75.40 with four centuries.
Pakistan T20I captain Salman Ali Agha broke the silence about playing the format without the nation's batting bigwigs Mohammad Rizwan and Babar Azam.
'Samson is most dangerous in the top three. That's where he wins you matches. He should be left there.'
FC Goa join fellow ISL team Mohun Bagan Super Giant in the continental tournament's group stage. The Mariners had secured a direct berth by clinching the 2024-25 Indian Super League Shield.
Despite introducing a single ticket format to make purchases more accessible, organisers haven't seen a significant boost in sales, with the numbers remaining sluggish ahead of the match.
India and Bangladesh have two points each with Suryakumar Yadav's men leading the standings owing to a superior net run rate. Sri Lanka and Pakistan occupy the third and fourth spots respectively.
India-Pakistan bilateral relations must improve before engaging in cricket: Harbhajan Singh
'One of the challenges we encounter in Dubai Stadium is the lights are slightly different.'
