India's batsmen have gone about their job efficiently, posting big totals on the board but the bowlers have been ordinary at best, allowing the hosts to chase down those tall scores in each of the first three ODIs of the five-match series.
A summary of Thursday's matches in the Vijay Hazare Trophy limited-overs' tournament.
Handed a rude shock in the opening game, the Indian youngsters will have to raise their game in the second Twenty20 International to stay afloat in the three-match series against minnows Zimbabwe, in Harare on Monday.
Rohit Sharma and Manish Pandey sparkled with half-centuries but rest of India's batsmen put up a lackluster performance before the bowlers came good to hand the team a 64-run win over a second string Western Australia XI in the warm-up one-day cricket match at the WACA, in Perth, on Saturday.
Railways caused the biggest upset in this Ranji Trophy season so far, after they defeated domestic giants Mumbai by 10 wickets within three days in their Elite Group B match, in Mumbai, on Friday. Railways pacer Himanshu Sangwan (5-60) took five wickets, as Mumbai were bundled out for 198 in their second essay at the Wankhede Stadium, after India Test vice-captain Ajinkya Rahane failed miserably in the second innings as well.
All eyes will be on 41-year-old Wasim Jaffer, who is only 853 runs shy of 20,000 first-class runs.
Lendl Simmons smashed a scintillating 61-ball 100 to guide Mumbai Indians to a morale-boosting seven-wicket win over table toppers Kings XI Punjab in the Indian Premier League in Mohali.
The two-day players' auction for the seventh edition of the Indian Premier League is finally over. At the end of it all, Yuvraj Singh emerged the most expensive of the 154 players that went under the hammer in Bangalore. Royal Challengers Bangalore acquired him for a whooping Rs 14 crore.
Having already clinched the series, India would look to hand Zimbabwe a third successive whitewash while testing more youngsters when they take on the lacklustre hosts in the third and final One-day International in Harare, on Wednesday.
Skipper Gautam Gambhir's 37th first-class century might have made his case stronger for an India comeback but his knock could not help North Zone overhaul Central Zone's imposing first innings score on Day 3 of the four-day Duleep Trophy semi-final in Mohali.
Gurkeerat Singh's all-round brilliance enabled India 'A' thrash Bangladesh 'A' by 96 runs in the first One-dayer of the three-match series, in Bengaluru, on Wednesday. The talented Punjab youngster first contributed a quickfire 58-ball 65 to ensure a commanding total of 322 for 7 for the hosts and then bowled his off-breaks effectively to return figures of 5 for 29 in 7.3 overs as the visitors were dismissed for 226 in 42.3 overs.
Ranji Trophy: Birla scion Aryaman hits maiden first-class ton, MP salvage draw against Bengal
Kedhar Jadhav struck a timely 78 and the tail wagged as Rest of India took a slender first innings lead over Karnataka on Day 2 of the Irani Cup match at the Chinnawsamy Stadium in Bengaluru on Wednesday.
Skipper Gautam Gambhir led from the front with two half-centuries in the initial phase and when he failed to contribute, Robin Uthappa and Manish Pandey have stepped up to do the bulk of scoring.
Kolkata Knight Riders head coach Jacques Kallis, on Wednesday, said poor fielding was hurting the team badly in the ongoing Indian Premier League.
Senior batsman Suresh Raina hit a strokeful century to help India 'A' outplay Bangladesh 'A' by 75 runs via Duckworth/Lewis method in the third unofficial rain-hit ODI and clinch the series 2-1 in Bengaluru.
590 cricketers -- including 370 Indian players and 220 overseas players -- will go under the hammer during the two-day mega auction in Bengaluru on February 12 and 13.
The series is an opportunity for players like Manish Pandey, Kedar Jadhav, Sanju Samson, Karun Nair and Karn Sharma to impress the selectors and stake their claim in the national side.
The fact that some of the records in the ongoing IPL are held by KKR players reflects the red-hot form of the team.
A rampaging Kolkata Knight Riders stand in the way of Delhi Daredevils' revival plan as the two teams, with contrasting runs so far, gear up to clash in an Indian Premier League (IPL) fixture in Kolkata on Friday.
Mumbai Indians will be fretting over their team combination as they take on a marauding Kolkata Knight Riders in an Indian Premier League encounter, in Mumbai, on Sunday.
It will be a different sort of challenge for Mahendra Singh Dhoni when he captains a new-look Indian cricket team against Zimbabwe in the first ODI of a short series starting in Harare on Saturday.
Spin great Erapalli Prasanna says the time has come for Virat Kohli to lead India in all three cricket formats, and Mahendra Singh Dhoni, who is captaining the One-Day International and Twenty20 squads, can continue playing as wicketkeeper-batsman in the limited-overs' formats.
The series already in their pocket, India would aim for a clean sweep against the hosts and end the tour of Australia on a high when the two teams clash in the third and final Twenty20.
The likes of Virender Sehwag, David Miller and Glenn Maxwell have not managed to live up to expectations for Kings XI Punjab in IPL 8.
A struggling Kings XI Punjab will have to pull out all stops against in-form and unbeaten, Rajasthan Royals, when the two teams clash in an Indian Premier League match in Ahmedabad on Tuesday.
Defending champions Kolkata Knight Riders would look to return to winning ways.
Mumbai registered their first victory of the season, thrashing Odisha by 120 runs in a Ranji Trophy Group 'C' match at KIIT Stadium, in Bhubaneshwar, on Saturday.
A rejuvenated India will start as the favourites when they lock horns with Zimbabwe, who have been left bruised and battered after a 10-wicket thrashing, in the series-deciding third and final Twenty20 International in Harare, on Wednesday.
Mahendra Singh Dhoni, rated as one of the best finishers in limited overs cricket, hailed Zimbabwe pacer Neville Madziva, who bowled a superb final over to give the hosts a thrilling two-run victory in the first T20 International in Harare, on Saturday.
Out-of-favour India off-spinner Harbhajan Singh has been handed a golden opportunity to get back into the reckoning after being named captain of Rest of India for the Irani Cup match against Ranji Trophy champions Karnataka, in Bangalore, from February 9 to 13. Also included in the Rest of India team is Gautam Gambhir, who is also keen to make a comeback to the Indian team. However, his Delhi team mate Virender Sehwag failed to make the cut after a poor run in the Ranji Trophy.
Kings XI Punjab may have shown their mettle, winning two games so far in the Oppo Champions League T20, but the team coach Sanjay Bangar said that there is still a scope for improvement.
After their best-ever show at IPL 7, Kings XI Punjab will look to continue their aggressive brand of cricket when they start their campaign against Hobart Hurricanes in a Group B match of the Champions League Twenty20 in Mohali on Thursday.
A round-up of Ranji matches played on Wednesday
He may have had to relinquish his captaincy and a place in the side during the World Cup, but Kings XI's George Bailey utilized his 'spare' time to prepare himself for the IPL.
A summary of the third day's play in the Ranji Trophy league matches at various venues across the country.
Two-time champions Kolkata Knight Riders would be eager to avenge their twin defeats in the league stage when they face old foes Mumbai Indians in the IPL Qualifer 2 in Bengaluru, on Friday.
Mahendra Singh Dhoni's unbeaten half-century was in vain as Delhi scored a 99-run victory over Jharkhand in a lop-sided second quarter-final in the Vijay Hazare trophy, One-day tournament, at the M Chinnaswamy Stadium in Bengaluru, on Wednesday.
A summary of the day's play in the Vijay Hazare One-day tournament.
Kolkata Knight Riders will look to regain their momentum and remain in the hunt for the knockout stage when they clash with laggards Royal Challengers Bangalore in an Indian Premier League encounter, in Bengaluru, on Sunday.
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