India captain Virat Kohli might skip the last two Tests of the highly-anticipated four-match series against Australia as he gears up for the birth of his first child in January which could pave the way for an in-form K L Rahul's entry into the middle order.
Both the Indian and Australian players are scheduled to leave for Sydney on Monday.
Left-arm pacer Thangarasu Natarajan earned his maiden call-up to the Indian Test squad after he was named as the replacement for the injured Umesh Yadav for the last two games against Australia.
The Indian limited overs side led by Shikhar Dhawan reached Bengaluru on Friday evening from Sri Lanka where three members of the squad -- Krishnappa Gowtham, Yuzvendra Chahal and Krunal Pandya were forced to stay back after testing positive for COVID-19.
They stand on the opposite ends of IPL's success spectrum but there is little to separate between Mumbai Indians and Delhi Capitals in the tournament's 13th edition as they head into a blockbuster Qualifier 1 match, in Dubai, on Thursday.
Delhi Capitals have gone from strength to strength in the last few years -- finishing third in 2019 before finishing runners up last year to Mumbai Indians.
Having conceded 25 runs in the first three overs, SRH were back in the game and it got better for them with the introduction of T Natarajan (2/30) into the attack as the left-arm pacer bowled Ruturaj Gaikwad (16).
Images from Monday's Indian Premier League match between Royal Challengers Bangalore and Delhi Capitals, in Abu Dhabi.
Check out the early reaction of fans on Day 1 of the second Test between Australia and India at the Melbourne Cricket Ground on Saturday.
The 10 IPL franchises have so far spent above Rs 388 crore collectively
Virat Kohli was rested from the three-match T20I series against the West Indies.
Mumbai Indians had roared back to form after thrashing RCB by five-wickets in the last game, there are problems aplenty for DC.
'KL Rahul should play at number five and Rishabh Pant should play at number six. Jadeja and Ashwin should play at number seven and eight and then three seamers. I will want to go in with five bowlers.'
Ganguly said that it will be a different side, which won't have anyone from the outfit that will be in the United Kingdom at that time.
Not only Yash Dhull's batting but his captaincy is also being appreciated as he is on the verge of emulating the likes of Mohammed Kaif, Virat Kohli, Unmukt Chand and Prithvi Shaw in leading India to the Under-19 World Cup title.
Krunal kept bowling tight lines, giving away only singles in his overs.
Gavaskar said Pant will give India more flexibility in the first Test, the only day-night game, to be played in Adelaide.
Flavour of the season Rahul Tewatia didn't prove to be third time lucky in what turned out to be an incredible death overs performance by the Delhi Capitals pace attack in their 13-run victory against Rajasthan Royals in the IPL match, in Dubai, on Wednesday.
Among his wards, Mayank Agarwal, Prithvi Shaw and Hanuma Vihari have taken to Test cricket like duck to water, all-rounder Vijay Shankar is staking World Cup claims, while Shubhman Gill broke into the ODI team in New Zealand.
Presenting the best styles from the celebrity circuit.
Kuldeep Yadav, among all the players in this team, has more experience of playing with pink ball and the kind of revolution he produces, he could make it difficult for batsmen to spot the black seam of the pink kookaburra under lights.
Williamson has been a part of few Super Overs, with the most famous being the 2019 World Cup final, which England won on boundary-countback rule.
The Indian Premier League will be a 10-team affair from 2022 as the BCCI has decided to auction two new teams in the month of May during the final phase of upcoming 14th edition of the T20 league.
Julian Wood saw it coming before anyone else and the pioneering power-hitting coach reckons the role of cricketers with brute power will only increase in the rapidly evolving Twenty20 format, forcing the "touch and skill" batters to reinvent their game.
A look at how the teams stack up ahead of the mega auction.
'We have a number of match-winners, so it's very difficult to go up the order'
K L Rahul has been named vice-captain of the squad, which also has Ruturaj Gaikwad, Harshal Patel, Venkatesh Iyer, Avesh Khan, Axar Patel.
Images from Tuesday's IPL match between Sunrisers Hyderabad vs Delhi Capitals, in Abu Dhabi.
All-rounder Krunal Pandya tested positive for COVID-19, forcing the postponement of Tuesday's second T20 International between Sri Lanka and India in Colombo.
The Indian team's new 2019 World Cup jersey was launched by sporting apparel giants Nike in the presence of former captain Mahendra Singh Dhoni, current skipper Virat Kohli, his Test deputy Ajinkya Rahane and young turk Prithvi Shaw.
Two dropped catches cost Delhi Daredevils the game against Sunrisers Hyderabad in the Indian Premier League, said assistant coach Pravin Amre.
Shikhar Dhawan's poor technique in testing conditions along with the fitness status of Ishant Sharma and Ravichandran Ashwin will come up for discussion when the selectors pick the Indian team for the two-Test series against the West Indies.
Gujarat batsmen have hogged the limelight for the entire season but their unheralded bowling line-up, sans India stars Axar Patel and Jasprit Bumrah, came to the party by dismissing defending champions Mumbai for a paltry 228 on the first day of the Ranji Trophy final, in Indore on Tuesday.
To ensure the morale of the pilots does not suffer, flying activity continues without a pause. Pilots take to the sky like they would on any other day.
Rohit, who has made a comeback to the Test side, will now leave for Australia with India's T20 squad on Friday.
From Under-19 talents such as Prithvi Shaw and Shivam Mavi to last domestic season's top run-getter Mayank Agarwal, the list includes all those whom the selection committee found worthy of national or A team call-up in the near future
Rohit was greeted warmly by batting coach Vikram Rathore and teammates Ravindra Jadeja among others on his arrival at the hotel.
Powering the Agni-1P will be the cutting-edge technologies developed for the Agni-4 and Agni-5 missiles.
Images from Day 1 of the pink-ball first Test between Australia and India, in Adelaide, on Thursday.
Ajinkya Rahane said it is a proud moment for him to captain India ahead of the the second Test match against Australia, starting in Melbourne, from Saturday.
