MELBOURNE: No one is more committed to Indian cricket than Mahendra Singh Dhoni and batting at number five is the ideal spot for him, said Virat Kohli in stout defence of the former captain.

Dhoni faced criticism for slow batting in the ODI series-opener in Sydney before redeeming his pride and reputation with match-winning contributions in the Adelaide and Melbourne ODIs.

READ ALSO: I'm ready to bat at any position, says MS Dhoni

Acknowledging Dhoni's contribution in the historic series-triumph in Australia, Kohli defended the former captain saying he should be allowed breathing space.

READ ALSO: Dhoni powers India to first-ever bilateral ODI series win in Australia

"I think firstly as a team we are very happy for Dhoni that he is amongst the runs, because it is very important to get runs under your belt to get that rhythm and confidence back. Especially when you have not been playing so much international cricket," said the India captain at the post-match press conference.

"Many things happen outside. People say a lot of things but as an individual we know that there is no one more committed to Indian cricket than Dhoni and people should let him have his space because he has contributed so much for the nation.

"They should let him figure out things on his own and what he needs to do. He is one of the most intelligent cricketers and he is not someone who is not aware about what needs to be done. As a team we are totally in sync with what he is doing and we are all very happy for him," said Kohli.

The skipper also reckons that the just-concluded Australia series has proved that number five is the most logical spot for Dhoni.

"Dhoni batted at number four in 2016 for a while. But after that he has been pretty happy playing at five and six for the team. We felt that number five was the ideal position for him. And if you saw him bat at Adelaide as well he was pretty comfortable in that position because that allows him to do a bit of both - get some game time as well as finish games off, attacking as and when required," Kohli said.

Dhoni played a crucial role in India winning the decisive third ODI with his unbeaten 87-run knock on Friday and at Adelaide too his unbeaten half-century had scripted India's win.

"He was more himself from that game (Adelaide) on, and he built onto this knock today. We are pretty happy with the batting combination that we had in Adelaide. When someone like Hardik Pandya is not there you have to balance somehow. So a lot of things vary in that regard. But we as a team, and myself as captain, we feel that Dhoni at five is the most logical. It is the ideal place for him and the team as well," Kohli said.

NEW DELHI: Virat Kohli and his men made history as India registered their maiden Test series victory on Australian soil after the fourth Test at the Sydney Cricket Ground was drawn due to rain on Day 5 on Monday.

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Cheteshwar Pujara was declared the Man of the Match and the Man of the Series.

Rain prevented any play on Day 5 with Australia needing to bat out the last day to salvage a draw.

India won the series 2-1 with victories in the first Test in Adelaide by 31 runs and in the third Test in Melbourne by 137 runs to retain the Border-Gavaskar Trophy. Australia had won the second Test in Perth by 146 runs.

No Indian team had managed to win a Test series since they began touring Australia in 1947-48.

The hosts were 6/0 at stumps on a weather-affected Day 4 after being forced to follow-on by India.

Australia were dismissed in their first innings for 300 in reply to India's 622/7.

India had taken a stranglehold after making Australia to follow-on at home for the first time in 30 years on Day 4.

Play started almost four hours late due to rain, with the home team resuming on 236/6 after lunch.

But needing a win to level the four-match series, Australia crumbled to 300 all out, compounding the misery after some soft dismissals by the top order.

Kohli sent them straight back into bat -- the first time Australia have been asked to follow on at home since Mike Gatting's England did the same in 1988, also in Sydney.

Marcus Harris, not out two, and Usman Khawaja, unbeaten on four, survived four overs before tea was taken early for bad light. They didn't come back with play abandoned for the day.

India's spinners had picked up five of the six wickets on Day 3, but under overcast skies when play finally began on Day 4 Kohli took the new ball straight away and threw it to his pacers.

It immediately paid dividends with Pat Cummins, who scored a gutsy 63 in the Melbourne Test, lasting just three balls, clean bowled by Mohammed Shami without adding to his overnight 25.

The recalled Handscomb began with purpose, confidently stroking two boundaries to move to 37 before swiping at a Jasprit Bumrah delivery and dragging it onto his stumps.

That brought Nathan Lyon to the crease but he only lasted five balls, out lbw to a full toss from Kuldeep Yadav.

Hanuma Vihari dropped a sitter when Josh Hazlewood was on nought, and it proved costly with the tailender putting on 42 with Mitchell Starc for the last wicket before he fell to Yadav, who was the pick of the bowlers with 5-99 -- his second career five-wicket haul.

SYDNEY: Australia were forced to follow-on on home soil for the first time in 30 years after being dismissed for 300 as India went for the jugular in search of a maiden series triumph Down Under on the fourth day of the final Test on Sunday.

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Openers Usman Khawaja (4) and Marcus Harris (2) safely negotiated four overs until bad light and light drizzle forced an early end to an already heavily rain-disrupted day just before the re-scheduled tea break.

Australia will resume on six without loss on Monday, still without a century in the series and 316 runs adrift of India's mammoth first innings effort of 622-7 declared.

The tourists, leading 2-1 in the four-Test series, only need a draw to secure a breakthrough triumph in Australia but skipper Virat Kohli did not hesitate to send the hosts back in when they fell well short of the 423 runs needed to avoid the follow-on.

Play at the Sydney Cricket Ground had finally got underway after a rain delay of almost four hours and India needed just 80 minutes to take the last four wickets at a cost of 64 runs.

Mohammed Shami immediately took the second new ball and removed Pat Cummins's off stump with the sixth delivery of the day to dismiss his fellow paceman for 25.

Peter Handscomb, recalled for his ability to play spin, followed for 37 after adding nine runs to his overnight tally, dragging the ball onto his stumps to give quick Jasprit Bumrah his first wicket of the match.

Nathan Lyon faced just five balls before he was adjudged lbw to fellow spinner Kuldeep Yadav for a duck, a decision Australia decided against reviewing despite a question mark over whether the ball would have hit the stumps.

Josh Hazlewood was dropped by Hanuma Vihari off Kuldeep's bowling when he had yet to score and he and fellow tailender Mitchell Starc (29 not out) fought a dogged rearguard to put on 42 for the final wicket.

Left-arm wrist spinner Kuldeep (5-99) finally got his man to secure a second five-wicket haul in his sixth Test, though, trapping Hazlewood leg before wicket for 21, in a decision confirmed after a review.

England were the last team to force Australia to follow-on at home in the drawn 1988 Sydney Test, a result the hosts are unlikely to repeat unless the weather intervenes decisively.

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5:15 am If no further rain, play on day four will begin at 0530 IST





5:05 am Rain has stopped, ground staff peeling off the covers.



4:45 am Bit of rain now in Sydney as the SCG ground staff brings the covers on.

4:30 am Bad light delays start.



4:25 am Hello and welcome to day four of the fourth and final Test between India and Australia at Sydney.

With a bit of rain forecast on the Sunday, following a shortened third day due to bad light and rain, India would want to make the most of the active sessions the Test would see on its last two days. Play was scheduled to start half an hour early today due to early stumps on day three, but the light is not good enough to get on the park.

The visitors took control of the match on Saturday after spin twins Kuldeep Yadav (3/71) and Ravindra Jadeja (2/62) reduced the hosts to 236/6, still 386 behind India's 622/7 declared.

The not-out batsmen on the crease -- Peter Handscomb and Pat Cummins -- will thus have a task at hand once the day's play gets underway.

Day 4 Round-up

Australia's batting woes returned on the third day of the fourth Test on Saturday and they had slumped to 236/6 when bad light and rain brought an early end to their response to India's mammoth first-innings tally of 622/7 declared.

The tourists only need a draw to claim a first series win in Australia and the home side's hopes of preventing even that faded as they blew a solid start to lose five wickets after lunch.

Marcus Harris, Marnus Labuschagne, Shaun Marsh and Travis Head were all dismissed after lunch and captain Tim Paine followed soon after the tea break.

Peter Handscomb, unbeaten on 28, and fast bowler Pat Cummins, who had made 25, were at the crease when the rain clouds gathered over a Sydney Cricket Ground swathed in pink for the McGrath Foundation breast cancer support charity day.

Most of the Australian batsmen made starts but only opener Harris was able to get past the half century mark -- his 79 the highest score by the home side in a series during which India have pillaged five centuries.

SYDNEY: Australia's batting woes returned on the third day of the fourth Test on Saturday and they had slumped to 236 for six when bad light and rain brought an early end to their response to India's mammoth first-innings tally of 622-7 declared.

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The tourists only need a draw to claim a first series win in Australia and the home side's hopes of preventing even that faded as they blew a solid start to lose five wickets after lunch.

Marcus Harris, Marnus Labuschagne, Shaun Marsh and Travis Head were all dismissed after lunch and captain Tim Paine followed soon after the tea break.

Peter Handscomb, unbeaten on 28, and fast bowler Pat Cummins, who had made 25, were at the crease when the rainclouds gathered over a Sydney Cricket Ground swathed in pink for the McGrath Foundation breast cancer support charity day.

Most of the Australian batsmen made starts but only opener Harris was able to get past the half century mark -- his 79 the highest score by the home side in a series during which India have pillaged five centuries.

The left-hander showed plenty of intent but just when it seemed he could be heading for a maiden Test ton he calamitously played the ball onto his own stumps off the bowling of Ravindra Jadeja.

India's disciplined pace attack played a leading role in the victories in Adelaide and Melbourne that gave the tourists a 2-1 series lead coming to Sydney but it was the spinners who did most of the damage on Saturday.

Jadeja (2-62) also accounted for Marsh, who must surely have exhausted his supply of Test recalls after departing for eight having left his bat hanging to gift Ajinkya Rahane the simplest of catches at first slip.

Rahane had to work considerably harder for the catch at short midwicket that dismissed Labuschagne (38), diving low to his left to grab the ball with both hands off the bowling of quick Mohammed Shami.

Kuldeep Yadav (3-71) made Travis Head his second victim of the day shortly before tea, the batsman charging down the track to take on the left-arm wrist spinner only to send the ball straight back to him for the catch.

Paine gave the 24-year-old his third wicket, a peach of a delivery that clean bowled the Australia captain through his gaping gate for five.

The surface that India's batsmen had plundered almost at will for two days was still offering little movement for the bowlers and the Australians will be cursing themselves for some soft dismissals after the solid start to the day.

The openers had put on 72 when Usman Khawaja, moved up from number three to replace the dropped Aaron Finch, miscued a slog off Kuldeep to depart for 27 in the opening session.

NEW DELHI: Mahendra Singh Dhoni was Monday brought back to India's T20 squad to ensure he gets "enough game-time" before the ODI World Cup but the young Rishabh Pant was axed from the 50-over side for the upcoming series against Australia and New Zealand.

While Dhoni's inclusion in the shortest format came as a surprise after he was dropped for the Australia leg just last month, Pant's omission is an indication that he is currently not in the team management's 2019 World Cup radar as a first XI player.

The convenor of selection committee, Amitabh Chaudhary, refused to comment on the matter but a source privy to the development justified the 37-year-old Dhoni's selection.

"Since there are only eight ODIs (three against Australia and five against New Zealand), selectors want to give MS as much game time as possible (before the World Cup). Three T20Is means 11 international matches through the next one month," a BCCI official told PTI on conditions of anonymity.

Pant, on the other hand, will come back to play five ODIs against England Lions in India from January 23.

The 16-member squad for the twin ODI series against Australia (starting January 12) and New Zealand (starting January 23) is pretty much the core team for the World Cup in England that starts May 30. The three T20 Internationals against the Kiwis are lined up from February 6.

The selection committee's decision to bring back Dhoni is set to raise a few eyebrows as the logic given before the Australia T20s was that he was not going to be in the scheme of things for the T20 World Cup in Australia in 2020. The former captain is already retired from the Test format.

"That's the reason Rishabh is a part of T20 squad. Also now with Kedar (Jadhav) and Hardik (Pandya) are fit and Kedar being an off break bowler, it will be difficult for the team management to fit in Rishabh in playing XI in the World Cup unless someone gets injured. Already Dinesh Karthik and KL Rahul are there in case MS gets injured," he added.

Karthik, 33, has played 86 ODIs and was part of India's Asia Cup squad but was left out for the West Indies matches.

Karthik was inconsistent and could not convert starts into big scores at the Asia Cup and finished with a total of 146 in six matches, missing the opportunity to secure the number four spot India have been looking to fill ahead of the 50-over World Cup next year.

But Karthik could well have sealed the spot with captain Virat Kohli and coach Ravi Shastri confirming recently that India's period of experimenting with their ODI side is over with five months left before the World Cup in England.

Interestingly, skipper Virat Kohli, when asked about Dhoni's T20 omission in November, had stated that the veteran had offered to give up the format so that Pant could be groomed for the job.

"...he (Dhoni) just feels that in the T20 format, someone like Rishabh can get more chances," Kohli had said last month.

From the last T20 squad, Shreyas Iyer and Manish Pandey have been dropped as Hardik expectedly made a comeback and Kedar was also included to give him more game time.

The squad is also an indicator that till the World Cup, all doors are closed for Test vice-captain Ajinkya Rahane and premier spinner R Ashwin.

The other senior bowler Ravindra Jadeja, however after a good show in the Asia Cup, is in the mix with first choice wrist spinner Kuldeep Yadav and Yuzvendra Chahal.

Left-arm pacer Khaleel Ahmed has impressed the team management enough and if all goes well, will surely board the UK-bound flight.

India are currently engaged in a Test series against Australia and will play three ODIs against them starting in Sydney.

This will be followed by a limited-overs engagement with New Zealand, beginning with five ODIs from January 23.

India’s squad for ODI series against Australia and New Zealand:

Virat Kohli (Captain), Rohit Sharma (vice-captain), KL Rahul, Shikhar Dhawan, Ambati Rayudu, Dinesh Karthik, Kedar Jadhav, MS Dhoni (WK), Hardik Pandya, Kuldeep Yadav, Yuzvendra Chahal, Ravindra Jadeja, Bhuvneshwar Kumar, Jasprit Bumrah, Khaleel Ahmed, Mohammed Shami

India’s squad for T20I series against New Zealand

Virat Kohli (Captain), Rohit Sharma (vice-captain), KL Rahul, Shikhar Dhawan, Rishabh Pant, Dinesh Karthik, Kedar Jadhav, MS Dhoni (WK), Hardik Pandya, Krunal Pandya, Kuldeep Yadav, Yuzvendra Chahal, Bhuvneshwar Kumar, Jasprit Bumrah, Khaleel Ahmed

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9 a.m. Kohli taking some throw-downs to warm up ahead of the start of day's play. He is 28 runs away from another Test century.



8:25 am: Watch how Shaw reacted to Sachin Tendulkar's tweet congratulating him for a fantastic debut


8:20 am: Hello and welcome once again to Timesofindia.com's continued coverage of first Test between India and West Indies at Rajkot, which witnessed an entertaining opening day highlighted by debutant Prithvi Shaw's century.

Day 1 Round-up: Teenage sensation Prithvi Shaw announced his arrival in top-flight cricket by becoming the youngest Indian to score a Test century on debut, headlining the home team's march to 364/4 against West Indies on day one of the series-opener in Rajkot.

Shaw (134 off 154 balls) and Cheteshwar Pujara (86 off 130) laid the foundation for a big score with a 206-run partnership after the early loss of KL Rahul (0).

Skipper Virat Kohli (72 not out off 137) and his deputy Ajinkya Rahane (41 off 92) then took the innings forward with a 105-run stand in the final session, putting India in the driver's seat before the latter was caught behind off spinner Roston Chase.

Kohli looked set for another hundred and was batting alongside Rishabh Pant (17 not out off 21) at close of play. Eighty nine overs were bowled on day one with India scoring at 4.08 runs per over.

The West Indies, handed a big setback even before toss with the last-minute withdrawal of captain Jason Holder, looked ordinary at best on the field. Barring pacer Shanon Gabriel (1/66), none of the bowlers troubled the Indian batsmen on a greenish surface which did not seem to do much.

RAJKOT: Teenage sensation Prithvi Shaw announced his arrival in top-flight cricket by becoming the youngest Indian to score a Test century on debut, headlining the home team's march to 364 for four against West Indies on day one of the series-opener here.

Scorecard | As it happened

Shaw (134 off 154 balls) and Cheteshwar Pujara (86 off 130) laid the foundation for a big score with a 206-run partnership after the early loss of KL Rahul (0).

Skipper Virat Kohli (72 not out off 137) and his deputy Ajinkya Rahane (41 off 92) then took the innings forward with a 105-run stand in the final session, putting India in the driver's seat before the latter was caught behind off spinner Roston Chase.

READ ALSO: Shaw second youngest Indian Test centurion after Tendulkar

Kohli looked set for another hundred and was batting alongside Rishabh Pant (17 not out off 21) at close of play. Eighty nine overs were bowled on day one with India scoring at 4.08 runs per over.

READ ALSO: WATCH - Pujara bats with water bottle in his pocket

The West Indies, handed a big setback even before toss with the last-minute withdrawal of captain Jason Holder, looked ordinary at best on the field. Barring pacer Shanon Gabriel (1/66), none of the bowlers troubled the Indian batsmen on a greenish surface which did not seem to do much.

The opposition attack was far from threatening but due credit must be given to Shaw, who batted like a seasoned campaigner in his first match for India. His back-foot play off the pacers was a treat to the eyes and when spinners were deployed, he was not afraid to use the long handle.

At 18 years and 329 days, Shaw reached the milestone off just 99 balls, adding to a host of records he holds in his blossoming career. He had earlier made waves by reaching three figures in his first Ranji Trophy appearance and was the youngest to hit a century on Duleep Trophy debut.

In the process, Shaw also became the second youngest Indian to score a maiden Test ton after the legendary Sachin Tendulkar.

Shaw, who was 75 not out at lunch, reached the three figures in the afternoon session with a typical punch to the cover, the same way he got his first runs in international cricket.

More than half of his runs came through boundaries, 19 in total. Unfortunately, Shaw fell at the stroke of tea, in what was a soft dismissal as he chipped one straight into the hands of leggie Devendra Bishoo.

He was not facing one of the best attacks but he gave ample evidence of his brilliance on way to a memorable hundred. Pujara too looked at ease at the other end until he was caught behind off debutant Sherman Lewis, missing out on a 16th Test ton.

In the morning, Shaw, who became the 293rd cricketer to represent India in Tests, showed supreme confidence from ball one, on which he offered a watchful leave.

The Mumbaikar punched the second ball he faced towards the cover boundary for a three, his first runs in international cricket, easing whatever nerves left inside.

Gabriel was clocking in the higher 140kph but that did not faze Shaw. Gabriel trapped his opening partner Rahul in front with a sharp incoming delivery to give the West Indies an early breakthrough. Rahul was better off not taking the DRS as the ball was clearly crashing into the stumps.

Shaw, however, continued batting with confidence and his first boundary came in the second over bowled by Keemo Paul, another back-foot punch towards the point boundary.

He got more aggressive in Paul's following over, hitting him for three fours as the pacer was duly punished for bowling far too many looseners. After Rahul's dismissal, Shaw and Pujara gave the innings a move on and did not look in any sort of trouble.

While Shaw punched and drove effortlessly off pacers, he was equally comfortable against the spin duo of Bishoo and Chase.

The teenage prodigy collected two fours off Bishoo in the 11th over and did the same to Chase in the 20th over. He also produced a delightful straight drive on way to reaching his half-century which came off 56 balls.

The West Indians looked listless on the field as boundaries came at will for India. Their troubles had mounted even before the start of the game as Holder pulled out with an ankle injury, giving Kraigg Brathwaite a chance to lead the team.

Their lead pacer, Kemar Roach, was already ruled out of the series opener due to a bereavement in the family.

DUBAI: With their powerful batting and fast improving bowling, India are Asia's best hope at the World Cup which takes place in England next year.

Even without batting star and regular captain Virat Kohli, India powered their way to the Asia Cup title in Dubai, outlasting Bangladesh by three wickets off the last ball in the final.

"India proved to be well ahead of everyone," former Pakistan skipper Wasim told AFP.

"Their exposure is greater, they have financial benefits and the money invested in their system like the Indian Premier League is bearing fruits."

He added: "It's hard to predict eight months in advance but I am sure Pakistan will bounce back. They have some serious work to do in both bowling and batting. Bangladesh have an inspirational captain in Mashrafe Mortaza and Afghanistan is becoming a dangerous team."

Indian team celebrates after winning the Asia Cup in Dubai. (AFP Photo)

Bangladesh, led by Mortaza, fought hard to beat higher-ranked Pakistan and Sri Lanka, who both require some serious work ahead of the World Cup starting from May 30.

Fast-rising Afghanistan, who had to qualify for the World Cup, proved they will be a thorn for many teams with their wicket-taking spinners Rashid Khan and Mujeeb Ur Rahman and a never-say-die spirit.

Champions Trophy holders Pakistan had promised more at the Asia Cup but failed to deliver, unable to put up a fighting total as 162 and 237-7 could not challenge a powerful Indian batting line-up.

Head coach Mickey Arthur termed it a "confidence crisis."

"It's a confidence thing," said Arthur after two defeats against India. "These guys work every day on their catching, but the minute one goes down, it's kind of like a disease.

"We've got to trust the skills to come out in the end. We've banked the work. It's time for that to pay off."

While Rohit Sharma will continue to challenge Kohli as stand-in captain, Sri Lanka's Angelo Mathews was not only forced to step down but was also dropped from the squad for the forthcoming England one-day series.

Pakistan have since dropped pace spearhead Mohammad Amir who went wicketless in three Asia Cup matches.

He has yet to play a 50-over World Cup -- missing the 2011 and 2015 events due to a five-year ban for spot fixing on Pakistan's tour of England in 2010.

Afghanistan shocked Sri Lanka and Bangladesh in the first round at the Asia Cup.

Every time Afghanistan bat first and score 250-plus they will cause problems for the rivals through Rashid who on Sunday became the number one allrounder in one-day cricket besides being number two bowler in that format.

Afghanistan's best came against a depleted India -- resting Rohit Sharma, Shikhar Dhawan, Jasprit Bumrah, Bhuvneshwar Kumar and Yuzvendra Chahal -- as they tied the game in the last over.

Only a three-run defeat off the last ball against Bagladesh deprived Afghanistan from a place in the final.

"We have sounded a warning for the World Cup teams," said Afghanistan captain Asghar Afghan. "We need to work in a few areas so we have time to do that before the World Cup."

DUBAI: Opener Rohit Sharma, who led his team to Asia Cup title in the absence of top-ranked Virat Kohli, on Sunday climbed two places up to a career-best second position to make it a 1-2 for India in the ICC ODI batting rankings.

READ ALSO: Rohit Sharma's captaincy helps India take assured steps towards 2019 World Cup

This is for the second time that Sharma is in second position, having first reached number two in July this year. He aggregated 317 runs in the tournament, which India won by beating Bangladesh in the final by three wickets.

Shikhar Dhawan, who was highest run-getter with 342 runs, gained four slots to reach fifth position.

The pair was rested in India's last Super Four match which ended in a tie against Afghanistan but still led the run aggregate, thanks largely to a 210-run partnership in the Super Four match against Pakistan in which Sharma slammed an unbeaten 111 and Dhawan scored 114.

Another India player to gain in the rankings table is spinner Kuldeep Yadav, who has advanced three places to take a career-best third position after finishing as the joint-highest wicket taker along with Bangladesh's fast bowler Mustafizur Rahman and Afghanistan leg-spinner Rashid Khan, all of who finished with 10 wickets each.

Rashid has displaced former Bangladesh captain Shakib Al Hasan from the top of the all-rounders' list. He has become the first from his country and 32nd overall to reach top position in the list with a jump of six places.

Rashid's success with the ball saw him cross the 800-point mark during the tournament, which saw in action five of the 10 teams to fight it out in next year's ICC Cricket World Cup, and he also chipped in with 87 runs to reach a career-best 97th position among batsmen.

Afghanistan opener Mohammad Shahzad has gained 19 slots to reach 36th position, his highest in two years, while spinner Mujeeb Ur Rahman has gained 15 slots to reach eighth position.

For Bangladesh, wicketkeeper-batsman Mushfiqur Rahim has attained a career-best 16th position, while Liton Das has advanced 107 positions to reach 116th rank after his fine century in the final. Mustafizur has moved up four places to take 12th position among bowlers.

Pakistan left-hander Imam-ul-Haq has gained 15 places to reach a career-best 27th position while Shoaib Malik has gained 12 slots to reach 42nd position. Junaid Khan has gained seven slots to reach 30th position among bowlers.

For Sri Lanka, Upul Tharanga has gained two positions to reach 41st rank while Hong Kong captain Anshuman Rath's knock of 73 against India has led him to 55th position with 532 points, the highest ever points tally for a Hong Kong batsman.

Rath's opening partner Nizakat Khan has gained 28 slots to reach a career-best 78th rank.

In the ICC ODI Team rankings, there is no change in positions in the list led by England, who are followed by India, New Zealand, South Africa, Pakistan, Australia, Bangladesh, Sri Lanka and the West Indies.

However, India have gained one point and Afghanistan five. Pakistan and Sri Lanka have lost three points each.

NEW DELHI: Shikhar Dhawan was on Saturday dropped for the two-match Test series against West Indies after his horror run in England while Mayank Agarwal and Mohammed Siraj's domestic exploits were rewarded with maiden India call-up.

The selectors decided to rest the duo of Bhuvneshwar Kumar and Jasprit Bumrah, taking into account their "workload" in recent months, effectively thrusting upon Mohammed Shami the responsibility to lead the pace attack.

Dhawan had a forgettable outing during the Test series against England with just 162 runs in 8 innings. Mayank, on the other hand, was the top scorer in the last Ranji Trophy season with 1160 runs in 8 matches.

Mumbai's Prithvi Shaw has retained his place in the side after failing to make the playing XI in the last two Tests in England.

Considering that Dhawan has been shown the door, young Shaw could finally get his chance to open the batting with KL Rahul, who seemed to have saved his place with a fine knock in the final Test against England.

Mayank, who is also enjoying a good run of form, is another option for one of the opening slots. Both Mayank and Shaw had a good outing for India A in England earlier this summer.

"Taking stock of the recent workload, the selectors have decided to rest Jasprit Bumrah and Bhuvneshwar Kumar. Both Ishant Sharma and Hardik Pandya were not considered for selection, as they are yet to recover from their injuries," BCCI acting secretary Amitabh Choudhary said in a statement.

With this being the final assignment before the team embarks on the tour of Australia, Dhawan's chances for an imminent Test recall looks bleak. His Man of the Series winning effort in Asia Cup ODI tournament was not enough to save his place in the traditional format.

Karun Nair, who was not played in a single Test against England, also got the axe in a surprising move.

Hanuma Vihari, who made a battling half century on his debut at the Oval in the final Test, was preferred over Nair.

The other new face, pacer Siraj was picked after he performed for India A in the recently-concluded quadrangular series featuring Australia A and South Africa A. His exploits included brilliant figures of 8/59 in one of the games.

Murali Vijay, who has been in impressive form in county cricket for Essex after being dropped following a disastrous run in the first three Tests in England, failed to convince the selectors for a recall.

Pandya had to be stretchered off the field after suffering an acute lower back injury in India's game against Pakistan at the Asia Cup.

The spin responsibility will be shouldered by seasoned duo of Ravichandran Ashwin, Ravindra Jadeja and aided by Kuldeep Yadav.

The first Test will be played at the Saurashtra Cricket Association Stadium in Rajkot from October 4 to 8, followed by the second match at the Rajiv Gandhi International Stadium in Hyderabad from October 12 to 16.

The five-match ODI series will begin on October 21 at Guwahati, followed by the second ODI on October 24th at Indore and third ODI at Pune on October 27th. The final two one-dayers will be held at Mumbai and Thiruvananthapuram on October 29th and November 1, respectively.

The one-dayers will be followed by the three T20 Internationals to be held at Kolkata (November 4), Lucknow (November 6) and Chennai (November 11).

Squad: Virat Kohli (captain), KL Rahul, Prithvi Shaw, Mayank Agarwal, Cheteshwar Pujara, Ajinkya Rahane (vice-captain), Hanuma Vihari, Rishabh Pant (wicket-keeper), R Ashwin, Ravindra Jadeja, Kuldeep Yadav, Mohammed Shami, Umesh Yadav, Mohammed Siraj, Shardul Thakur

SCORECARD | LIVE BLOG: India vs Bangladesh

INDIA INNINGS (Target: 223)

End of Over 30: India need 88 runs more to win in 20 overs with seven wickets standing. Sounds pretty one-sided, but two quick wickets and it can all change. 135/3

End of Over 28: Dhoni (27*) and Karthik (33*) have added 46 runs now to bring India's chase back on track. Should they manage to stay together for the next 10 overs, it should become easy for India. 129/3

End of Over 25: Mehidy Hasan returns to the attack and Dhoni (17*) dances down the track to smack it past the bowler for a boundary. 112/3

23.1 Overs: Dhoni muscles a half-volley through the covers for his first boundary, which raises India's hundred.

End of Over 21: Karthik (25*) releases the pressure as he makes the most of a rank long-hop from Nazmul Islam. Deposits it for a HUGE SIX over mid-wicket. 97/3

End of Over 20: Dhoni (3* off 10 balls) is taking his time to get his eye in, and Bangladesh mixing it well with an odd short ball to keep him guessing. 90/3



End of Over 18: MS Dhoni has joined Karthik (17*) in the middle as India wobble with the loss of Rohit's wicket. 85/3

16.4 Overs: BIG WICKET! Rubel gets his man - Rohit Sharma (48) pulls it straight to Nazmul Islam. India 83/3

End of Over 15: SIX! Rubel tries to bounce out Rohit (47*), but the India captain hooks the medium-pacer for a maximum over backward square leg. Huge mix-up, yes-no between the two Indian batsmen, but safe in the end as Liton Das throws at the wrong end. 79/2

End of Over 14: India 73/2. Karthik on 13*, Rohit 41*.

End of Over 12: Bangladesh bowlers have done well, which shows in the 4.3 overs Rohit (38*) and Karthik (7*) have taken to add 17 runs since India lost Dhawan. 63/2

End of Over 10: Karthik didn't look comfortable in that Mortaza over. The first Powerplay ends on an even note. India scored 57 runs, Bangladesh bowlers came back from a poor start to take two wickets.

8.3 overs: India's fifty comes up but the two wickets they have lost will make them think twice before continuing aggressively in this tricky run-chase.

7.3 overs: Mortaza strikes, removes Ambati Rayudu (2) caught behind. India have been pegged back after the brisk start. 46/2

End of Over 6: Dismissive! Rohit (27*) pulls Mustafizur for a SIX to end the over. The skipper is in a hurry. 43/1

4.4 overs: Dhawan throws his wicket away. After paddling Nazmul Islam for a boundary, he tries to clear mid-on but fails to do so. India 35/1



End of Over 4: Fourth boundary of the Indian innings and second off Dhawan's bat. The left-hander pierces the field with a square drive. 24/0

End of Over 2: Mustafizur Rahman begins from the other end and hits Dhawan on the pads with the one that seamed in sharply, but it was struck high and turned down. 12/0

End of Over 1: Bangladesh start with the part-time spin of Mehidy Hasan. So they have come out trying to surprise the in-form Indian openers, but Dhawan begins with cut in front of point for India's first boundary. And Rohit's neat clip off the pads gets him his first boundary as well. 10/0

BANGLADESH INNINGS (222 all out)

48.3 Over: All out! Bumrah castles last man Rubel for a duck to bring the curtains down on Bangladesh innings. What a comeback from India to bowl out the opposition for 222 from 120/0! Kuldeep Yadav took 3/45 and Kedar Jadhav 2/41 to help India come back. Das the top-scorer with 121 off 117 balls.



48.1 Overs: Third run-out of the innings. Soumya Sarkar (33) played a handy innings but failed to beat Rayudu-Dhoni combination while trying to steal a second run. 222/9

End of Over 48: Bangladesh 221/8 and are now looking to just play out the last 12 balls to bat their full quota of overs.

46.4 Overs: Another Bangladeshi batsman walks back. It was easy for Manish Pandey to just run in and remove the bails to send Nazmul Islam (7) back. 213/8.

End of Over 45: Bumrah is doing what he does the best, bowling full-length deliveries in death overs, not allowing anything to the batsmen to play with. BAN 202/7. Soumya Sarkar batting on 23 and Nazmul Islam on 1.

42.5 Overs: Mortaza smacks Kuldeep for a six over mid-wicket and loses his cool later in the over. Jumps out and completely misses the line while taking a wild swing. Dhoni gets another stumping, this time a simple one. 196/7

40.5 overs: Dhoni's swift glovework sends Liton Das back after a brilliant knock of 121. Yadav the wicket-taker. Bangladesh 186/6.



End of Over 40: Sarkar (18*) breaks a spell of ones and twos with a SIX over mid-wicket fence off Jadhav, as the Bangladesh innings enters death overs at 178/5.

End of Over 39: Looks like Bangladesh have rightly reassessed the target they had in mind and are now eyeing a late flourish to perhaps cross 250. They are 168/5 now with Liton batting on 109 and Soumya on 10.

End of Over 37: Liton (107* off 100) has slowed down and quite evidently making an effort to bat as deep as he can with the lower-middle order and tailenders to come. 165/5

Drinks Break - BAN 160/5 in 35 overs

End of 34 Overs: Das (106*) continues to hold one end together but it's a Catch-22 situation for him, with wickets continuing to fall at the other end that is now occupied by Soumya Sarkar (2*). 157/5

32.2 Overs: WICKET! Mahmudullah (6) too falls trying to be flamboyant and is taken brilliantly by Bumrah in the deep. 151/5


End of Over 30: From 120/0, Bangladesh lost four wickets in the next 19 runs, and are now 147/4, with Mahmudullah accompanying centurion Das.

28.4 Overs: Century for Liton Das in 87 balls. So he converts his maiden fifty to maiden hundred. Bangladesh 145/4.

End of 28 Overs: Run out! Bangladesh slip further as a brilliant stop by Jadeja results in a mix up leading to Mithun's (2) wicket.

End of 26.5 Overs: The golden arm of Jadhav strikes again as Bangladesh slip further after a brilliant stand. Mushfiqur holes out at deep mid-wicket to Bumrah, as Das (95*) looks on at the other end. 137/3

End of 25 Overs: Bangladesh 133/2 at halfway stage as Mushfiqur gets going with a boundary off Jadhav. Das batting on 92.

23.5 Overs: Another wicket! Umpire raises his finger to an LBW appeal against Kayes (2) facing Chahal. The batsman goes for a review. On-field decision upheld. BAN 128/2

End of Over 23: Das (91*) is into the nineties. Imrul Kayes (2*) partnering him now after the fall of Hasan. BAN 128/1.

20.5 OVERS: OUT! Kedar Jadhav once again proves to be man with the golden arm, as Hasan (32) tries to cut but couldn't keep it down. 120/1.

End of Over 20: It's raining boundaries off Das's (85*) bat now, and Jadeja is at the receiving end with two more boundaries in that over. 116/0

17.5 Overs: 100 up for Bangladesh with another boundary by Das (73*), who cuts Jadeja to the third-man fence. Hasan on 27*. BAN 102/0





End of Over 16: A pull from way back in his crease against Jadeja brings the seventh boundary for Das, as he and Hasan approach century opening stand.

End of Over 15: Kuldeep finishes his third over, but the Bangladesh openers are playing well, trying to sweep or paddle the Indian wrist spinner at every given opportunity. 86/0

End of Over 13: Hasan (19*) and Das (57*) have taken the total to 78/0.

End of Over 11: Fifty for Das with a boundary, off 33 balls, maiden half-century in ODIs, but off the next ball he miscues trying to sweep Jadeja. The skier, though, is dropped by Chahal who back-paddles to get under the ball but to no avail. BAN 74/0,

End of Over 10: Bhuvneshwar is back in the attack and bowls a good one, just a single off it. BAN 65/0 at the end of first Powerplay.



End of Over 8: Swept! SIX! Das (41*) is on a roll here as he takes on Chahal's leg-spin. That follows fifty for Bangladesh, and ANOTHER SIX by Das to end the over that leaked 16 runs. 58/0

End of Over 7: Boundaries continue to flow off Das's (28*) bat as he lifts Bumrah over mid-on for his fourth four. 42/0.

End of Over 5: Consecutive boundaries by Liton Das (22*) disturb Bhuvi's figures. Some superb timing on both the shots - first one a guide through square leg and the next a leg glance. 33/0

End of Over 4: A punch through the covers off Bumrah brings the second boundary for Mehidy Hasan. Bangladesh 25/0.

End of Over 3: Close run-out call for Mehidy but he survives. Bangladesh 13/0

End of Over 2: Mehidy hits first four of the match off Bumrah but not a confident one as the thick outside edge goes past a diving first slip. Bangladesh 8/0

End of Over 1: Good start by Bhuvi as he gives away just three runs from the over. Bangladesh 3/0

Mehidy Hasan and Liton Das are out in the middle to open Bangladesh innings while Bhuvneshwar Kumar with the ball

TOSS

Indian skipper Rohit Sharma wins toss, opts to field against Bangladesh in Dubai

India pick a full strength team for the title clash, bringing back Jasprit Bumrah, Bhuvneshwar Kumar, Yuzvendra Chahal, Shikhar Dhawan and captain Rohit Sharma, who all were rested for the game against Afghanistan.

India (Playing XI): Rohit Sharma (c), Shikhar Dhawan, Ambati Rayudu, Dinesh Karthik, MS Dhoni (wk), Kedar Jadhav, Ravindra Jadeja, Bhuvneshwar Kumar, Kuldeep Yadav, Yuzvendra Chahal, Jasprit Bumrah

Nazmul Islam was picked in place of Mominul Haque in the Bangladesh playing eleven

Bangladesh (Playing XI): Liton Das(wk), Soumya Sarkar, Mohammad Mithun, Mushfiqur Rahim, Imrul Kayes, Mahmudullah, Mehidy Hasan, Mashrafe Mortaza(c), Nazmul Islam, Rubel Hossain, Mustafizur Rahman

DUBAI: The mood around the Dubai International Cricket Stadium here on Thursday did not give the sense that it is going to play host to 25,000 fans who will brave the sun and heat to cheer either India or Bangladesh in a big Asia Cup final on Friday. The tournament has been sort of an anti-climax. The day the fixtures were drawn, it seemed the market forces and the caretakers of cricket had designed it to make up for the lack of India-Pakistan bilateral series. Two encounters were ensured but the big one did not happen. In a tournament of underdogs - where Afghanistan gave the big boys a scare - Bangladesh have made it to the final.



READ ALSO: Mushfiqur Rahim sets the middle-order tone for Bangladesh

So, you now have a team focused on retaining its pride as the top-ranked bunch in the tournament, and the other eager to give some happiness to its passionate fans back home. The usual drill ahead of such a final sees teams going through the paces in the practice area, polishing their skills. This time, neither team turned up for practice. Blame it on the heat and humidity and the cruel schedule. The organisers will certainly have to plan the tournament better. Yet, there is a final to be played, a final that has now come thrice for Bangladesh in Asia Cup cricket in the last four editions. A final that could be a game-changer in their cricketing history.

India, save the last edition which was played in T20 format, haven't been able to win the tournament post the 2011 World Cup triumph. Their smooth run here and Bangladesh's toil would make Rohit Sharma's men the favourites. But the Indian players are fighting their own little battles trying to stay in shape in the light of a cramped calendar that keeps them on the road for nearly 85 per cent days of the year.


"We won the Asia Cup the moment Tamim (Iqbal) batted with a fractured thumb in the first match against Sri Lanka," claimed Bangladesh captain Mashrafe Mortaza, still recovering from previous night's grind against Pakistan. Their star allrounder has flown back, their crisis man Mushfiqur Rahim is in pain due to an injured rib cage and the captain himself has a dodgy little finger in his bowling arm.

"When you are in such a situation in a battlefield, you either kill or get killed," Mushfiqur gave a peek into the mindset of the Bangladesh team after knocking Pakistan out on Wednesday night. Both Mushfiqur and Mortaza know that the match is billed as a chance for their team to settle scores with India after what happened in the 2015 World Cup quarterfinal, 2016 World T20 and the 2017 Champions Trophy. "They (India) are a far better team. We will fight till the end as we did against Pakistan," Mortaza conceded.


When asked about the growing India-Bangladesh rivalry in white ball cricket, India opener Shikhar Dhawan simply said: "Wasn't there a rivalry before that 2015 match? We are fine off the field." Not playing a final against Pakistan may have taken that extra pressure off the Indians. But Shikhar did have encouraging words for Bangladesh cricket.

"It's been just 18-20 years that they are playing international cricket. The fact they are consistently making the finals is commendable. Hopefully, we will win tomorrow. We could see them crossing that barrier also," he said.

DUBAI: India opener Shikhar Dhawan on Thursday said there was "no shame" in his disastrous run of form in the Tests against England as his plans did not work out despite giving his all.

ALSO READ: Asia Cup Final, IND v BAN - Top players to watch

Dhawan, whose place in the Test team is under threat for the home series against the West Indies, seemed unfazed about a possible axe.

The batsman, who has made a Test comeback in the past on the basis of his stellar showing in white-ball cricket, is back amongst the runs in the ongoing Asia Cup.

"I think it always helps when you perform well (irrespective of the form). Agar fayda hona hoga to ho jayega, nahi hona hoga to nai hoga (will see if my current form helps me in Tests). Whenever I play, red ball or white ball, I utilise whatever knowledge I have of the game," said Dhawan on the eve of the Asia Cup final against Bangladesh here.

"If you talk about the England Test, I did not do well but I gave it all. Others played better than me. I accept it. There is no shame in it. Then I came here to play white-ball cricket, had different plans because of different conditions. Sometimes they (plans) work sometimes they don't," the stylish left-hander said in his defence.

Talking about Friday's final, Dhawan said Bangladesh will pose a stiff challenge even though India beat them comfortably in Super Four.

"Pakistan may be a bigger team on paper but Bangladesh played better cricket than them and are in the final again. They are always tough to beat, especially at home. They are showing by performances they have gotten so much better. They know how to play under pressure.

"They play fearlessly against big teams and you have to appreciate that. Having said that, it takes time (to win major events). For them reaching the final is also a big thing. Hopefully, we will win tomorrow but you will see them crossing the barrier in some other tournament."

Dhawan and Rohit Sharma have provided India solid starts and that is one of the reasons why the side is unbeaten in the tournament.

When asked whether there was extra pressure on the two senior batsmen in the absence of skipper Virat Kohli, the southpaw said: "It was not like that. We felt that we had more responsibility in Virat's absence. It was a tournament where the management could give opportunity to the upcoming players, find out who all are equipped to bat in the middle order.

"That is why we took rest also (against Afghanistan), so that guys who have not spent time in the middle get to do that. Virat around or not, Rohit and I approach every match the same way, with the same effort. There is obviously a lot of difference between England weather and the weather here but we train well to deal with that."

On India-Bangladesh rivalry getting bigger with time, especially after the 2015 series when the latter won at home, Dhawan added: "Well, there was rivalry before that also. There will always be rivalry on the field. Off the field, we are friends but on it we have to do our job."

DUBAI: "I don't want to be fined," said Mahendra Singh Dhoni as umpiring howlers became as much a talking point as Afghanistan's dogged resilience in the exciting tie between the two sides in what was an inconsequential Asia Cup match.

READ ALSO: India-Afghanistan match ends in thrilling tie

Dhoni and Dinesh Karthik were given leg before by the on-field umpires -- Gregory Brathwaite of West Indies and Anisur Rahaman of Bangladesh -- even though TV replays clearly indicated that the ball was missing the stumps in both the cases.

Dhoni was dismissed by part-time off-spinner Javed Ahmadi and the delivery seemed to have gone over stumps while Karthik's dismissal of Mohammed Nabi was bigger blunder as the ball missed the leg stump by a couple of feet.

Kedar Jadhav's run-out was also a case of bad luck as his bat got stuck near the crease while he was dragging it in. India were set a target of 253 and the match ended in a tie after the team was bowled out for 252.

"There were a couple of run-outs, and a few things we can't talk about because I don't want to get fined for it," Dhoni said at the post-match presentation, his irritation quote palpable.

Any public criticism of umpiring decisions invites sanctions from the ICC and Dhoni chose his words very carefully.

However, the stand-in captain was magnanimous in his praise for Afghanistan.

"Their (Afghanistan's) cricket has improved a lot. The way they have continued from the start of the Asia Cup, it is commendable and we have enjoyed their cricket. It is one country that has risen through the ranks very well," Dhoni said.

Dhoni felt that Afghanistan excelled in all departments of the game.

"They batted extremely well too. The wicket slowed down later, but they bowled extremely well throughout the game and their fielding was tight too."

Dhoni was quick to point out that India were not playing their full-strength side also needed to be factored in.

"I wouldn't say we went wrong in the chase. To start off, it was like a handicap in golf. We didn't go with a full-strength side. Not enough spinners on this wicket. The first over that a fast bowler bowls, they need to extract swing. We didn't hit the back of a length area, and we gave away too much initially with the ball."

He praised the Indian openers KL Rahul and Ambati Rayudu for providing a solid start.

"We got off to a very good start with the bat, but the wicket slowed down over the course of the game, so someone should have continued with the bat. Shot-selection is something that we need to work on. It's good that it's a tie, but they played really well.

"The Afghanistan guys played really well. 250 was a very good score on this wicket. We could have been on the losing side because of quite a few things that didn't go for us, so I'm happy with the result."

Centurion Mohammed Shahzad was, however, a bit dejected that Afghanistan couldn't register a victory.

"I'm not very happy, we have slogged for 6 hours at the ground without result, but I am happy with the performance of the team. We have a flight tomorrow, so I thought of playing my game freely.

"I am feeling proud, because I have played an innings like this against the best side in Asia. I haven't played well throughout the tournament, but I am happy that I played well in this one."

Scorecard | Blog: India vs Afghanistan

What a thriller! Needing seven runs off the final over, India scored six off first four balls to level the score. But on the fifth ball, Rashid Khan got the better of Ravindra Jadeja and bowled out India for 252. The result: Match tied.

Overs 49.5: India 252 all out. Match ends in a tie

Overs 49.2: FOUR! Ravindra Jadeja (24*) takes India to 250/9, need two more to win

Overs 49: India 246/9, need 7 more to win. Ravindra Jadeja 20* on the strike for India; Rashid Khan with the ball for Afghanistan. Who will win the contest?

Overs 48.5: OUT! Siddarth Kaul run out for 0. India 245/9, need 8 more to win

Overs 48.1: OUT! Kuldeep Yadav run out for 9. India 242/8, need 11 more to win

Overs 48: India 240/7, need 13 off 12 balls

Another tight over from Rashid Khan, just four runs came off it.

Overs 47: India 236/7, need 17 more to win. Jadeja 13* & Kuldeep 6*

Aftab Alam conceded six in it. The match is still very tight for both the teams.

Overs 46: India 230/7, need 23 more in 24 balls

Mohammad Nabi gave away just four singles in the over and completed his quota of overs with figures of 2/40

Overs 44.5: OUT! Aftab Alam cleans up Deepak Chahar for 12. India 226/7, need 27 more to win

The match is not over yet.

Overs 44: India 223/6, need 30 more to win in 36 balls

Deepak Chahar (11*) hit a four off Mujeeb Ur Rahman, who returned figures of 10-1-43-0, as India scored seven runs in it.

Overs 43: India 216/6, need 37 more to win in 42 balls

Another tight over from Rashid Khan (1/31 in 8 overs), gave away just three singles in it.

Overs 42: India 213/6, need 40 more to win off 48 balls

Overs 40: India 207/6, need 46 more to win. Two new batsmen in the middle for India - Ravindra Jadeja and debutant Deepak Chahar

Overs 39.4: OUT! Big Wicket. Mohammad Nabi strikes to dismiss Dinesh Karthik (44)

Karthik was unlucky. The ball was missing leg. Karthik hit four boundaries in his 66-ball innings.

Overs 38.5: OUT! Unlucky. Kedar Jadhav (19) run out at the non-striker's end. India 204/5

Overs 38: India 202/4, need 51 more to win

Another tight over from Afghanistan spinners. Mohammad Nabi conceded just two runs, including a wide.

Overs 36.2: 200 comes up for India, need 53 more to win (Dinesh Karthik 41* & Kedar Jadhav 18*)

Overs 35: India 190/4, need 63 more to win

Dinesh Karthik 37* and Kedar Jadhav 12* keeping India on course after four wickets at regular intervals. Added 24 for the fifth wicket so far.

Overs 33: India 180/4, need 73 more to win. Dinesh Karthik 31* & Kedar Jadhav 9*

Overs 30.3: OUT! Aftab Alam gets rid of Manish Pandey (8). India 166/4

Can Afghanistan turn around the tide from here on?

Overs 30: India 164/3, need 89 more to win

Overs 27: 150 comes up for India. Dinesh Karthik 19* & Manish Pandey 3*

Overs 25.5: OUT! Big Wicket. Javed Ahmadi strikes to dismiss MS Dhoni (8). India 142/3

Unlucky. The replay shows that the ball was missing the leg stump. But India have no review left, after the unsuccessful challenge by KL Rahul.

Overs 25: At the half-way mark, India 140/2. Need 113 more to win

Overs 23: India 134/2

Two new batsmen for India, skipper MS Dhoni and Dinesh Karthik are finding it tough to score against Rashid Khan and Mohammad Nabi. No bounadries in the last three overs.

Overs 20.3: OUT! Big Wicket. Rashid Khan dismisses KL Rahul for 60. India 127/2

KL Rahul hit a six and five fours during his 66-ball knock

Overs 20: India 127/1. KL Rahul 60* & Dinesh Karthik 6*

Overs 17.2: FIFTY for KL Rahul off 55 balls, his 2nd in ODIs. India 111/1

KL Rahul hit a six and four boundaries to reach the landmark.

Overs 17.1: OUT! Mohammad Nabi strikes to dismiss Ambati Rayudu for 57 (49 balls)

Finally a wicket for Afghanistan. Rayudu skied it high and Najibullah Zadran took a good catch at long-on. Rayudu hit four sixes and four boundaries in his quick innings as the openers built a solid foundation for India run chase.

Overs 15.3: FIFTY for Ambati Rayudu off 43 balls, his 8th in ODIs. India 101/0

Overs 15.2: 100 comes up for India in 15.2 overs

Overs 15: India 99/0

Ambati Rayudu (49*) ended the Gulbadin Naib over with a six again as India cruise in their run chase

Overs 14: India 86/0. Ambati Rayudu (42*) & KL Rahul (40*)

Overs 11: India 73/0

Ambati Rayudu (37*) ended the Gulbadin Naib over with a straight six.

Overs 10: India 64/0

This time KL Rahul 30*smacked a six off Mujeeb Ur Rahman in the over.

Overs 9: India 55/0

15 RUNS! Ambati Rayudu finished off the Gulbadin Naib over with a massive six over long-on, after KL Rahul hit two fours in it.

Overs 7: India 37/0

Ambati Rayudu (23*) hit two fours off Aftab Alam as India scored nine in the over.

Overs 5: India 22/0. Just three singles came in the last two overs

Overs 3: India 19/0

Ambati Rayudu hit the first maximum of the chase off Aftab Alam.

Over 1: Good start for India -- 10/1

KL Rahul and Ambati Rayudu start the run chase for India. Aftab Alam with the ball for Afghanistan

Overs 50: Afghanistan set 253-run target for India

Senior batsmen Mohammad Shahzad (124) and Mohammad Nabi (64) score the bulk of the runs as Afghanistan post a competitive 252/8 against India in their final Super Four match of the tournament.

Overs 49: Afghanistan 248/8. Only five runs in the last two overs

Overs 47.3: OUT! Khaleel Ahmed strikes to dismiss Mohammad Nabi for 64. Afghanistan 244/8

Good knock from Nabi, smacked four maximums and three boundaries during his 56-ball 64 innings

Overs 47: 12 RUNS! Afghanistan 243/7

Siddarth Kaul conceded 12 runs in it, including a six

Overs 46: Afghanistan 231/7

Kuldeep Yadav completed his quota of overs, 2/38 in 10 overs

Overs 44.1: OUT! Third wicket for Ravindra Jadeja, Najibullah Zadran gone for 20. Afghanistan 226/7

Zadran added 46 runs for the seventh wicket with Nabi 52*

Overs 43.3: FIFTY for Mohammad Nabi off 45 balls, his 12th in ODIs. Afghanistan 224/6

Nabi smacked three sixes and three fours for his milestone

Overs 42: 17 RUNS! Mohammad Nabi 44* & Najibullah Zadran 15* scored 17 runs off Kuldeep Yadav. Afghanistan 213/6

Overs 41.2: 200 comes up for Afghanistan. Mohammad Nabi 37* & Najibullah Zadran 11*

Overs 40: Afghanistan 189/6. Mohammad Nabi 28* & Najibullah Zadran 7*

Final ten overs, can Afghanistan reach 250 from here on?

Overs 37.5: OUT! Big Wicket. Kedar Jadhav ends Mohammad Shahzad's brilliant innings (124). Afghanistan 180/6

Shahzad hit seven sixes and 11 fours during his 116-ball innings.

Overs 36: Afghanistan 169/5. Mohammad Shahzad 121* -- 14 overs to go, can he score 200 tonight?

Overs 33.5: 150 comes up for Afghanistan. Mohammad Shahzad 115* & Mohammad Nabi 8*

Overs 30: Afghanistan 136/5

Mohammad Shahzad still holding the fort for Afghanistan on 106*

Overs 28.4: OUT! Maiden ODI wicket for Deepak Chahar, dismisses Gulbadin Naib for 15. Afghanistan 132/5

Overs 28.1: HUNDRED for Mohammad Shahzad off 88 balls, his 5th in ODIs. Afghanistan 131/4

Overs 27: Afghanistan 126/4. Mohammad Shahzad 98*, Gulbadin Naib 15*

Overs 25: At the half-way mark, Afghanistan 117/4

Overs 24: Afghanistan 114/4. Mohammad Shahzad 96*, Gulbadin Naib 5*

Overs 22: Afghanistan 111/4

Kuldeep Yadav gave away just one single in it. The spinner's figures so far: 5-0-7-2

Overs 20.3: NOT OUT! Successful review by Mohammad Shahzad (93*). Umpire has to change his decision of caught behind. Afghanistan 109/4

Overs 19: 100 comes up for Afghanistan.

Mohammad Shahzad is holding the fort for the Afghans, scoring 86 off 68 balls.

Overs 15.3: OUT! Two in two for Kuldeep Yadav, cleans up Asghar Afghan (0). Afghanistan 82/4

Afghanistan have lost four wickets in the last three overs as India claw back in the game. Mohammad Shahzad is the one man standing for Afghanistan in the middle.

Overs 15.2: OUT! Another brilliant stumping by skipper MS Dhoni. Kuldeep Yadav scalps Hashmatullah Shahidi (0). Afghanistan 82/3

Overs 14.4: OUT! Ravindra Jadeja strikes again, scalps Rahmat Shah (3). Afghanistan 81/2

Overs 14: Afghanistan 75/1

Overs 12.4: OUT! Ravindra Jadeja strikes to dismiss Javed Ahmadi (5) . Afghanistan 65/1

First breakthrough for India

Overs 10: After the first Powerplay overs, Afghanistan 63/0

Overs 8.5: FIFTY for Mohammad Shahzad off 37 balls, his 14th in ODIs. Afghanistan 57/0

Overs 8: Ravindra Jadeja started with a maiden over. Afghanistan 48/0

Overs 5: MAIDEN OVER! Superb over from Khaleel Ahmed. Afghanistan 35/0

Overs 4: 17 RUNS! Mohammad Shahzad scored 17 runs off debutant Deepak Chahar. Afghanistan 35/0

Overs 2: Afghanistan 13/0

Over 1: Afghanistan 6/0

Mohammad Shahzad and Javed Ahmadi start the Afghanistan innings. Khaleel Ahmed with the ball for India

Playing XIs:

India: MS Dhoni (captain), KL Rahul, Ambati Rayudu, Manish Pandey, Kedar Jadhav, Dinesh Karthik, Ravindra Jadeja, Deepak Chahar, Kuldeep Yadav, Khaleel Ahmed, Siddhart Kaul

Afghanistan: Asghar Afghan (captain), Mohammad Shahzad, Rahmat Shah, Hashmatullah Shahidi, Najibullah Zadran, Mohammad Nabi, Gulbadin Naib, Rashid Khan, Mujeeb Ur Rahman, Aftab Alam, Ihsanullah Janat

TOSS: Afghanistan captain Asghar Afghan won the toss and opted to bat

The match is inconsequential as title holders India have already qualified for the final to be played in Dubai on Friday while Afghanistan are out of contention. The second finalist will be decided in the last Super Four game between Pakistan and Bangladesh in Abu Dhabi on Wednesday.

India have rested skipper Rohit Sharma, Shikhar Dhawan, Bhuvneshwar Kumar, Jasprit Bumrah and Yuzvendra Chahal with Mahendra Singh Dhoni taking over as captain and leading he team for the 200th time in a one-day international. Afghanistan included Najibullah Zadran for Samiullah Shinwari.

DUBAI: The Indian cricket team will hope that its untested middle-order gets some game time ahead of the grand finale when it takes on an ever-improving Afghanistan in the final 'Super Four' encounter of the Asia Cup on Tuesday.

India have been on a roll after an unimpressive start against Hong Kong, with couple of one-sided victories over arch-rivals Pakistan and an equally facile one against Bangladesh.

With a spot in Friday's final sealed, skipper Rohit Sharma may want some of his untested middle-order batsmen to get quality time in the middle against someone of Rashid Khan's calibre.

Often in cricket, the 'Law of Averages' catches up with the best performing teams at a critical juncture.

Shikhar Dhawan (327) and skipper Rohit (269) have done the bulk of the scoring in the four matches so far with very little contribution being required from the other batsmen in the line-up.

The next highest scorer is Ambati Rayudu (116 runs) because he comes in at No 3.

The problem has been lack of batting time for the likes of Mahendra Singh Dhoni, Kedar Jadhav and Dinesh Karthik so far.

Sample this: Rohit and Shikhar have so far faced 284 and 321 deliveries respectively. The next best Rayudu has played 162 balls.

However, Karthik (78 balls), Dhoni (40 balls) and Kedar (27 balls) can be found wanting if there is a top-order collapse on the big day.

Rohit had given Dhoni an opportunity to come in at No 4 against Bangladesh and the former captain scored 33 runs. But it was a pressure-free situation.

Dhoni's achilles heel of late has been to keep the scoreboard ticking in pressure situations that the middle-overs throw up.

If the likes of Rashid Khan and Mujeeb ur Rahman can put pressure, it will be a good warm-up for the middle-order trio before the final match.

The Indian captain might fancy batting first in case he wins the toss, which in turn will give his team a chance to bat 50 overs instead of chasing another modest total.

The Indian bowlers have been splendid on the slow Dubai International Stadium track with all the bowlers enjoying an economy rate of less than five runs per over.

The spinners have been on a roll with Yuzvendra Chahal (5 wickets at 4.61 runs per over) and Kuldeep Yadav (5 wickets in 4.01 runs per over) have been tight as usual while Jasprit Bumrah (7 wickets with 3.37 runs per over) has been exceptional at the death with his yorkers.

Bhuvneshwar Kumar (6 wickets at 4.08 per over), in his comeback tournament, has also been consistent.

There is a possibility that India might rest both Bhuvneshwar and Bumrah before the summit clash to help them recharge their batteries.

In such a scenario, two among Deepak Chahar, Siddharth Kaul and Khaleel Ahmed will take their spots in the playing XI for the game.

For Afghanistan, a win against the fancied Indian side will be a great end to the tournament where they have been competitive throughout, only losing out due to lack of experience.

Having packed off Sri Lanka in the group league stage and crushed Bangladesh, Afghanistan were done in by inexperience during the fag end of the Super Four matches against Pakistan and Bangladesh.

Against Pakistan, their bowlers couldn't hold nerve in the final over while their batsmen found it difficult to read Mustafizur Rahman's variations in the final over.

Squads

India: Rohit Sharma (captain), Shikhar Dhawan, Ambati Rayudu, Dinesh Karthik, Kedar Jadhav, MS Dhoni (wk), Ravindra Jadeja, Kuldeep Yadav, Yuzvendra Chahal, Bhuvneshwar Kumar, Jasprit Bumrah, Khaleel Ahmed, Deepak Chahar, Siddharth Kaul, Manish Pandey

Afghanistan: Mohammad Shahzad, Ihsanulluah Jamat, Javed Ahmadi, Rahmat Shah, Asghar Stanikzai, Hasmat Shahidi, Mohammad Nabi, Gulbadin Naib, Rashid Khan, Najibullah Zadran, Mujeeb ur Rahman, Aftab Alam, Samiullah Shenwari, Munir Ahmed, Sayed Ahmed Sherzad, Ashraf, Momand Wafadar.

Match starts 5pm (IST).