The heated exchanges between Virat Kohli and Tim Paine were humorous not abusive.
The series is even more important for Kohli as it would also define his legacy as a leader having already established himself as world's premier batsman.
With an aim to stay relevant till the business end, a desperate Kings XI Punjab will be aiming a comprehensive victory against a down and out Royal Challengers Bangalore in an Indian Premier League, in Bengaluru, on Friday.
Virat Kohli has got a new admirer for his on-field aggression in none other than legendary West Indian batsman Vivian Richards who described the new captain as one of those very few Indian cricketers who do not shy away from having a verbal fight with opposition players.
The skipper said that there has been a lot of experimentation at number four, and while the batting line-up at Adelaide, where Rayudu batted at four, was an ideal one, they would like to keep things mixed up until someone assumed responsibility at number four.
Even Bollywood superstar and co-owner Shah Rukh Khan's presence could not inspire Kolkata Knight Riders, who were outclassed by Royal Challengers Bangalore by nine wickets, in the Indian Premier League match, in Kolkata, on Monday.
Indian captain Virat Kohli, day said head coach Ravi Shastri was the brain behind promoting all-rounder Hardik Pandya up the order, which eventually paid rich dividends for the home side in the series-clinching five-wicket win over Australia in the third One-day International in Indore.
Royal Challengers Bangalore lived to fight another day in the Indian Premier League as the star duo of Virat Kohli and AB de Villiers shared a scintillating 118-run stand off 64 balls to script a five wicket win over Delhi Daredevils
India will look to find the 'perfect' balance in their playing eleven when they take on a resurgent West Indies in the fourth One-day International in Mumbai on Monday. The decision to play with five specialist bowlers in Saturday's third ODI in Pune did not work for India and they ended up as the losing side for the first time in the home series against the West Indies.
Captain Virat Kohli continued his record-breaking run with the bat but the rest of the Indian batsmen failed to live up to expectations as West Indies levelled the five match series 1-1 with a 43-run victory, in the third ODI in Pune.
A series win in Australia will certainly put Kohli on a higher pedestal even though the quality of the home team's batting line-up suffered adversely due to the bans of former skipper Steve Smith and his deputy David Warner.
Pujara was the dominant figure with his second century of the series, a dogged but faultless 106 off 319 balls
Agarwal, thrusted into the squad following failure of KL Rahul and Murali Vijay, responded with a 76-run knock off balls, sorting out India's opening woes to some extent.
Kohli said the Indian team is fired up for the five-Test series against England.
Virat Kohli urged his batsmen to complement the superb effort of his bowling unit in the upcoming Boxing Day Test against Australia starting on Wednesday.
Some of his team-mates may have considered Anil Kumble 'strict' but India's Test wicketkeeper Wriddhiman Saha never felt that about the former coach, who quit after a bitter fallout with captain Virat Kohli.
Virat Kohli's brilliant innings under pressure enabled Royal Challengers Bangalore to eke out a thrilling six wicket victory over Sunrisers Hyderabad in the IPL cricket tournament on Friday.
India's bowling coach Bharat Arun, on Sunday, took a dig at the Sri Lankan cricketers, stating that home team captain Virat Kohli did not require anti-pollution mask to bat for nearly two days in the third Test in New Delhi.
A formidable India will fancy their chances of taking an unassailable 2-0 lead against a weakened West Indies when the two sides lock horns in the third game of the ongoing five-match ODI series, in North Sound, Antigua, on Friday.
Yuvraj Singh's patchy form and fear of inclement weather will be paramount when India take on the West Indies in the second One Day International, in Port of Spain on Sunday.
The ongoing India vs England series is turning out to be a battle within a battle with both Virat Kohli and Joe Root vying for the title of the best batsman in world cricket.
The destructive show of Virat Kohli and AB de Villiers during their first meeting of Indian Premier League 9 still fresh in his mind, Sunrisers Hyderabad coach Tom Moody said he has a few ideas up his sleeve to stop the marauding Royal Challengers Bangalore duo.
Rohit Sharma will be back in his familiar opening position with an aim to get some quality batting practice when India take on Bangladesh in their final warm-up game before the Champions Trophy opener against Pakistan.
Virat Kohli says wrist spinners Yuzvendra Chahal and Kuldeep Yadav have been simply 'unbelievable'
Having found some light at the end of the tunnel, Royal Challengers Bangalore will be keen to expose the chinks in Kings XI Punjab's armoury during their must-win IPL encounter in Indore on Monday.
The 14-man side flew in from Kolkata, where it had assembled for a brief camp before the series.
A formidable Royal Challengers Bangalore led by India captain Virat Kohli became the first team to be out of contention for play-offs after a humiliating 61-run defeat against Rising Pune Supergiant in an Indian Premier League encounter, in Pune, on Saturday.
Former captain Sunil Gavaskar lashed out at the team management's decision to make Ajinkya Rahane bat at number three in the first innings of the second Test against Sri Lanka, on Thursday, saying it "sacrificed" an "uncomplaining" cricketer.
Backing Virat Kohli's five-bowler theory to win Test matches, former batsman Russel Arnold said that the Indian pace attack has the variety to match their Sri Lankan counterparts.
India would look to continue their ruthless streak
Virat Kohli took a giant stride towards exorcising the ghosts of 2014 with a masterful century as he single-handedly pulled India out of the woods against England on an eventful second day of the first Test, in Birmingham, on Thursday.
With Jason Holder's men just about managing to draw the three-match ODI series against Afghanistan 1-1, there is no doubt that the current Indian team are a few notches ahead in terms of quality.
India will look to plug the chinks in its armoury and provide finishing touches to its preparation for the four-Test series when it takes on the West Indies Cricket Board Presidents' XI in the final warm-up match, starting in Basseterre, St Kitts, on Thursday.
India's new chief coach Anil Kumble will be keeping a keen eye on speedster Mohammed Shami's fitness along with the form of opener Shikhar Dhawan when the team begin its tour of West Indies.
Virat the batsman wins, Virat the captain loses
AB de villiers enthralled the crowd with a whirlwind unbeaten 39-ball 90 to power Royal Challengers Bangalore to a convincing six-wicket win over Delhi Daredevils
The Australians are struggling against India's new spin duo of Kuldeep Yadav and Yuzvendra Chahal and the hosts would like to ensure that it doesn't get any easy as the series progresses.
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.
Bangalore have been on a roll with skipper Virat Kohli enjoying one of the best phases of his career as he has four centuries under his belt.
Captain Virat Kohli and opener Murali Vijay made a mockery of sub-par Sri Lankan attack with effortless centuries as India cruised to 371 for four on the first day of the third and final cricket Test.
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