Whether it was promoting Sam Curran to the opener's slot or finishing pacer Deepak Chahar's quota upfront while using seven bowlers to dry up runs, every move produced desired result.
Natarajan was added to the Test squad for the remaining two Test matches against Australia on January 1.
Both the high-profile openers, Kohli and Faf du Plessis, are big match players and will be itching to make an impact after low returns in the previous game.
The Most Valuable Player Index table is telling another (worrying?) story: Performance from players in teams that are not going to make the top four is dropping somewhat alarmingly. The IPL is gruelling and cruel. It can do wonders to your career, but can also seriously hurt your international prospects if you get injured in a match that is essentially inconsequential. Srinivas Bhogle and Purnendu Maji present Rediff.com's Most Valuable Player Index after Game 63.
India, Pakistan, Sri Lanka, Afghanistan and Bangladesh can beat each other on their day
When India lost the Wellington Test by 10 wickets, was it the worst defeat for Virat Kohli's team? Rajneesh Gupta has the answers.
Becomes first batter to face most balls against Australia in the last decade.
India off-spinner Ravichandran Ashwin shared a cup of coffee with Indian Naval sailors and officers after the team clinched a massive 245-run victory over England in the second Test at the Dr. Y.S. Rajasekhara Reddy ACA-VDCA Cricket Stadium in Visakhapatnam on Monday.
Kohli gained two points for his half-century to get to 888 while Smith (911) lost 10 points in the table after scoring 1 and 1 in his two innings.
R Ashwin is the only Indian bowler to feature in the top ten ICC rankings in the Test format
In impressive form throughout the season, Lucknow Super Giants will look to bounce back from the reverse they suffered in their previous match and beat Rajasthan Royals in the IPL fixture at the Brabourne Stadium in Mumbai on Sunday and confirm a berth in the play-offs.
R Ashwin has been among the more vocal cricketers in highlighting the existential threat posed by the deadly virus.
India vice-captain Rohit Sharma says R Ashwin's presence in the playing XI is always an advantage as the seasoned off-spinner is on the lookout for wickets at all times.
In a special series, we will put YOU to the test everyday!
Delhi Capitals star players Rishab Pant, Ravichandran Ashwin, Ajinkya Rahane have started their preparations for the Indian Premier League (IPL) 2021.
The ICC Awards will comprise a total of 13 individual recognitions in all, as well as five Team of the Year announcements for each format across both men's and women's cricket.
'We only felt that it has never happened before, I don't think it will ever happen again. It was a freak inning'
'Everyone in the contingent will be undergoing 14-day quarantine in India'
'Did you read Harbhajan's comments about Ashwin? He was out of order there. What is first spinner and second spinner? Spinner is a spinner,' said Engineer during a talk show organised by Legends Club at the Cricket Club of India in Mumbai on Wednesday.
And Kolkata Knight Riders gave their boss man a lot to be happy about -- they defeated the R Ashwin-led Kings XI Punjab by 28 runs making themselves cosy at the top of the IPL table.
While Rohit Sharma will be eager to test his ultra-aggressive batting template against the Asian giants, for Virat Kohli it is the perfect platform to return to form after enduring a tough phase in the last few years.
IMAGES from the IPL 2022 game between Rajasthan Royals and Delhi Capitals in Mumbai on Friday.
KL Rahul, Mayank Agarwal and Ravichandran Ashwin joined the captain and his better half in a boat ride somewhere in the Caribbean.
Indian batsman Ajinkya Rahane jumped three places to enter the top-10 in batsman's list while Ravichandran Ashwin maintained his pole position among all-rounders in the latest Test rankings released by the International Cricket Council (ICC).
In other big movements, Punjab Kings have released their last edition's captain Mayank Agarwal, while West Indies skipper Nicholas Pooran was released by Sunrisers Hyderabad.
Tamil Nadu on Wednesday named a strong team comprising ace off-spinner Ravichandran Ashwin and the experienced Dinesh Karthik and Abhinav Mukund for the next two Ranji Trophy games against Mumbai and Railways. The team led by Vijay Shankar will take on Mumbai at the M A Chidambaram stadium in Chennai from January 11 followed by the clash against Railways from January 19.
India batsman Shreyas Iyer was on Wednesday ruled out of the ongoing three-match ODI series against England and looks likely to miss the first half of the IPL starting next month after dislocating his left shoulder in the opening game in Pune.
IMAGES from the IPL 2022 game between Rajasthan Royals and Lucknow Super Giants, in Mumbai, on Sunday
Former opener Gautam Gambhir backed Ravichandran Ashwin's return to the One-Day International squad ahead of the World Cup, saying a finger-spinner like him could be as effective as a wrist-spinner in English conditions.
'We have seen both teams not having played Test matches for a couple of months. So, it is a one-off. Anything can happen. I will sit on the fence'
The R Ashwin-led Kings XI slipped to the fifth spot after suffering back-to-back losses against Mumbai Indians and Royal Challengers Bangalore respectively. Overall, the hosts have registered four wins from eight matches this season.
Vice-captain Ajinkya Rahane will lead India in the first Test against New Zealand in Kanpur, starting November 25, before regular skipper Virat Kohli returns to take charge from the second Test in Mumbai.
Inzamam also labelled Dhoni as the best Indian skipper and credited him for developing match-winners like Suresh Raina and Ravichandran Ashwin.
Rajneesh Gupta previews Game 18 in IPL 12: Chennai Super Kings vs Kings XI Punjab.
The Indian team for Australia classified by IPL franchise.
To keep their minds off the Pune disaster, the team went on a hike at Tamhini Ghat on Monday, and the trek to the Western Ghats seemed to have brought out their inner Platos and Ramanujas.
Here's the full list of players sold on Day 1:
One of New Zealand's most successful coaches who is now currently director of cricket at the Royal Challengers Bangalore, Mike Hesson expects Rohit and Gill to open but wants Agarwal, who lost his spot in the eleven after two Tests in Australia, to be given a chance.
'Lyon has improved as a bowler in the last four-five years. He likes to bowl and he wants to bowl as many overs as possible. His line length is very good and has improved a lot, I feel.'
Hardik Pandya's philosophy of playing 'not just to win' but 'to entertain' has infused energy and life into Gujarat Titans
