BRISBANE: India are yet to shed their "poor travellers" tag but head coach Ravi Shastri feels that it's unfair to pick on one particular side when most of the nations have fared poorly on away tours.

READ ALSO: Ravi Shastri says India 'taking no prisoners' in Australia

India have lost two away Test series in 2018, against South Africa (1-2) and England (1-4). This was after both tours were seen as best chance for Virat Kohli's men to set the poor overseas record straight.

Asked how important it is for India to win the series in Australia, Shastri said: "You have got to learn from your mistakes. When you go overseas and when you look at teams that travel around now, there aren't too many sides (that travel well).

"Australia did for some time in the 90's and during the turn of century. South Africa did it for a while and other than these two, in the last five-six years, you tell me which team has travelled well. Why pick on India?" questioned Shastri.

Questioned whether he or skipper Kohli has spoken to the team as to why they lost in South Africa and England, Shastri said that it was all about "seizing big moments".

"We have spoken about seizing the big moments. If you look at the Test matches, the scoreline really doesn't tell you the real story. There were some real tight Test matches and we lost some big moments badly, which cost us the series at the end of it.

"It could have been an hour in a session over four days whether it was SA or England. Either as a batsman or a bowler and see what happens after that," the coach said in his team's defence.

Shastri refused to believe that Australian team has lost its aura after what all happened during the past few months.

"I don't think so. I think once you have a sporting culture in you, you will always have that. I have always believed that no team is weak at home. We might have three or four players not playing when a team comes to India God forbid but if anyone thinks it's a weak team, you will be surprised.

"Similarly, we are taking no prisoners and we want to go out and put our best foot forward, focussing on our game rather than focussing outside," he sounded cautious.

He is confident that his pacers will enjoy bowling on Australian pitches.

"I think they (pacers) should enjoy bowling on these pitches if it's like the pitches we have seen in the past. It's important to stay fit as a unit."

Shastri broadly dropped a hint that injured Hardik Pandya's absence robs them a chance to play an extra bowler. Even former Australian batsman Mike Hussey recently spoke about how Pandya's absence can hurt India.

"One player we will miss is Hardik Pandya, who has had an injury. He gave us that balance as a bowler as well as batsman, which allowed us to play that extra bowler. Even now we have got to think twice. Hopefully, he will get fit soon and if fast bowlers do well, we might not miss him then," the former all-rounder said.

Asked if this is the best chance for India's fast bowlers, Shastri said it will depend on if they can maintain "sustained intensity" for a long period of time.

"It doesn't matter what line-up they play as long as they are consistent. In the past, we have had one or two bowlers doing well in spells, but bowling as a unit for three, four or five hours with sustained intensity, if that comes into play, no matter which batting line-up you are playing against, you will be tested," he added.

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MUMBAI: For a while now, an underlying sentiment - that head coach Ravi Shastri is captain Virat Kohli's 'yes man' - has prevailed overwhelmingly much to the vexation of the entire Team India camp. On Thursday, as the Indian team got ready to take a long flight to Australia, Kohli found the time and the occasion to set the record straight.

READ ALSO: No more chopping and changing, says Ravi Shastri

"It is the most bizarre thing that I have heard. I don't think there is anyone who has said no to me more than him in Indian cricket, honestly. Because he is the one guy I can speak to and get an honest opinion and he will tell me something that doesn't need to be done. I have brought more changes to my game listening to him than anyone else in the past," Kohli said at the team's pre-departure address to the media.

The captain firmly believes that Shastri's major contribution - in his capacity as coach - has been in making the players believe that they belong at this (international) level. "I can vouch for it because at a time when we all went through a really difficult time in England in 2014, he played an important role, for me to be able to come out of that shell. A lot of other players - for instance, Shikhar Dhawan in 2015 - can vouch for that as well. To get the best out of the players - he is the most important factor as far as that is concerned," Kohli added.


Setting aside all the chatter about what the head coach needs to bring to the table, the skipper then shifted focus on what is clearly going to be the third of the three big overseas challenges India were going to face this year.

Improved contributions from the middle and lower order; greater focus and consistency; and individuals taking more responsibility are the three elements Kohli emphasised on, as India prepares for yet another tough battle Down Under.

"At the top (batting order), it can get difficult. Guys are bowling a good spell and it's really tough. It gets relatively easier for the middle-order. And the lower-order contributions are crucial. We saw in England, their lower-order contributions were much better than ours and that was the difference in the series. That's where we want guys to be fearless. If they get going, they can change the whole course of the game or the series. That's something we need to tighten up on, especially after England," says the skipper.

Where bringing in a larger amount of focus is concerned, Kohli says, off the field, things are explained in a proper manner and people are told what needs to be done in a situation. "But, when on the field, it becomes a different ballgame. No one can tell me what shot I need to play. Or no one can tell me what decisions I make every ball I play because out there, I'm alone. At that very moment, I think the focus has to be really precise on what the team wants," says the skipper.

Any series against Australia will have its heated moments and the last two series have been intense to say the least. With David Warner and Steve Smith still serving bans for ball tampering and the Australians trying to embrace a new culture of no sledging, how does Kohli see things panning out this time? "When it comes to getting engaged in an argument on the field, or in a fight as people want to call it excitedly, I have been completely OK playing without an altercation," Kohli stressed. "I have enough belief in my ability to play without a reason to pump myself up. If they want to play a certain way we will reciprocate in that way, that's how the game of cricket goes," Kohli added.

LUCKNOW: It’s always a gamble to predict winners in the shortest format of cricket. More so, if the game is between world T20 champions West Indies and India. But the hosts, after their win in the opener in Kolkata, will be on a high and look to wrap up the three-match series here at the Ekana Stadium on Tuesday, before the bandwagon moves to Chennai for the final game of what has been a long and testing tour for the visitors.

Tuesday’s contest will be this venue’s inaugural international game.

With India experimenting with alternatives in search of resources before the ODI World Cup next year, there will be an opportunity for youngsters to showcase their talent. Krunal Pandya and Khaleel Ahmed did well in their debut matches in Kolkata, and the side is likely to field a few more new faces in the next two games.

Dhoni’s absence will provide both Rishabh Pant and Dinesh Karthik yet another chance to showcase their ability. Pant, so far, has been bold with the bat but needs to tighten up things while wearing the gloves. Karthik, on the other hand, came up with a responsible innings to guide India to victory after initial wobble in the opening game.



The presence of five spinners – Kuldeep Yadav, Yuzvendra Chahal, Krunal Pandya, Washington Sundar and Shahbaz Nadeem – in the squad points to the fact that the selectors want to test all the probable tweakers before deciding the team for the World Cup.

The sudden dip in form of opener Shikhar Dhawan has been a worry. The Delhi opener hasn’t been able to make an impact. He will have to take a leaf out of his opening partner and skipper Rohit Sharma’s book on how to build an innings. Another concern has been the rustiness of new-ball bowler Bhuvneshwar Kumar. Coming back from an injury, the Meerut lad has so far been a shadow of his earlier self, unable to hit the right areas, and has leaked runs.

The biggest plus of the side has been the way their two premier bowlers Kuldeep Yadav and Jasprit Bumrah have shaped up. Bumrah has helped in containing things upfront and in the ‘death’ overs, while Yadav has asked the batsmen some difficult questions in the middle phase.

The visitors have their share of problems. The biggest has been the lack of consistency. The batting, except for some bright patches from Shimron Hetmyer and Shai Hope, has looked clueless. Now with Darren Bravo, Kieron Pollard and Carlos Brathwaite back in the side, they will have more choices to attack the Indians.

West Indies’ bowling too has lacked sting. Paceman Keemo Paul has displayed some spark, but has lacked variations to cage in the Indians. Rest of his partners have been nothing more than mediocre.

This being the inaugural international game at the venue, the wicket can hold some surprises. The strip, though, is devoid of grass and seems set for a runathon.

KOLKATA: India ended a four-match winless run against the West Indies with a five-wicket victory that came on the back of debutant Krunal Pandya's flourish and Dinesh Karthik's poise on Sunday.

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This was India's first win against the World T20 champions since 2014, spanning five matches.

WATCH: Mix-up between Hope and Hetmyer turns into comical run-out

Wrist spinner Kuldeep Yadav (3/13) led the Indian bowlers' fine show to restrict West Indies to 109 for eight after stand-in skipper Rohit Sharma opted to field on a dew-laden Eden Gardens.

India responded well with the pacers giving them a fine start after Umesh Yadav dismissed Denesh Ramdin in the third over.

Playing their first match at home without the inspirational Mahendra Singh Dhoni, India were 45 for four in eight overs, leaving their fragile middle order exposed.

But the 'local boy' Karthik, who leads Kolkata Knight Riders in IPL, stayed calm in his 31 not out from 34 balls (3x4, 1x6) to steer India home with 13 balls to spare.

Hardik's brother, Krunal, hit the winning boundary off Keemo Paul in the 18th over. The new Pandya smashed 21 off nine balls.

The 21-year-old debutant pacer Oshane Thomas (2/21) gave Windies a flying start, removing both the openers -- Rohit Sharma (six) and Shikhar Dhawan (three) -- for 16 inside the third over.

He bowled a peach of a delivery that clocked 147kph, the extra bounce taking an inside edge off Rohit's blade to dismiss the stand-in skipper on his happy-hunting ground.

In his next over, he struck once again, rattling Dhawan's middle-stump.

It was a perfect scenario for dashing Delhi wicketkeeper-batsman Rishabh Pant as he had ample time in the middle to play a match-winning knock and justify his inclusion in the side.

But Pant (1) got out playing a rash shot in his four-ball stay to become skipper Brathwaite's first victim.

Back at the ground where he hit four sixes in an over to help his side win the World T20 two years ago, Brathwaite next dismissed KL Rahul (16) in a wicket maiden over to put India on the backfoot.

Fortunately for India, the target was not a steep one and all they needed was a sensible partnership, which turned out to be the 38-run stand from 45 balls between Manish Pandey (19) and Karthik.

Earlier, debutant Khaleel Ahmed (1/16) and Jasprit Bumrah (1/27) ensured that the Windies run-rate dried up before the spin duo of Krunal Pandya (1/15) and Kuldeep made merry. Kuldeep (3/13) also completed 100 wickets in T20 cricket.

Tottering at 63 for seven inside 15 overs, the Windies looked to fold up inside 100 but Fabian Allen (27 from 20 balls) and Khary Pierre (15 not out from 13 balls) lifted the total past 100.

Krunal finished with excellent figures of 1/14 bowling his four overs at a stretch.

After being hit for a six by Kieron Pollard in his first over, the left-arm spinner not only dismissed the explosive batsman but conceded just four runs in his final three overs to finish on a high.

Down with a "gastric complaint", Bhuvneshwar Kumar pulled out in the last minute despite being named in the XII, but his absence was hardly felt with Yadav and debutant and Khaleel doing a fine job.

Left-arm pacer, Khaleel, was sensational giving away just 10 runs from his three overs, including a maiden over to Pollard.

It was in the same over the Windies batsmen made a mockery of running between the wickets and were sprinting against each other after confusion.

Opener Shai Hope, who had impressed with an unbeaten 123 and 95 in the ODI series, was the poor victim.

Introduced in the fifth over, Bumrah picked up another in-form batsman, Shimron Hetmyer (10), in his fourth over.

Runs dried up early as the visitors struggled at 31 for three, and the World T20 champions never looked at ease in their favourite format, taking 62 balls to complete 50 runs.

THIRUVANANTHAPURAM: The ball swung from the beginning for the seamers and it spun for the spinners. It also stopped on the batsmen making batting a tricky business. Add to that some mindless shots by the West Indies batsmen and what had the potential to be a thrilling series decider turned out to be a damp squib here at the Sports Hub on Thursday as India cruised to a nine-wicket win and took the series 3-1.

West Indies were bowled out for a paltry 104 in 31.5 overs and India chased down the target in 14.1 overs losing just one wicket finishing the match in just over three-and-a-half-hours and in the process making the threat of possible evening showers irrelevant. Ravindra Jadeja (4/34) capitalized on the good start given by the seamers to set up India's sixth consecutive series win at home. This was also India's eighth successive series triumph against West Indies.


The pitch at Sports Hub was not a batting paradise as most expected and even Jason Holder seemed to have misread it electing to bat. But on a track where 230-250 would have given them a golden chance, five batsmen perished going for ambitious lofted shots, four among them caught in the deep.

West Indies decided to go for an all-Powell opening partnership with Rovman Powell, who had struggled against spin promoted to open the batting in place of Chandrapaul Hemraj. The troubles of Kieron Powell (0) though had no end as Bhuvneshwar Kumar got the ball rolling with a delivery that moved away from the left-hander and got the nick. Dhoni did the rest to snap his 425th dismissal as a wicketkeeper, rising to third in ODIs, pipping Mark Boucher. He has only Kumar Sangakkara (482) and Adam Gilchrist (472) ahead of him.


Jasprit Bumrah then got the big wicket in his first over. Shai Hope, the joint top-scorer for Windies till then in the series with 250 runs, could not add to his tally. Bumrah surprised Hope (0) with prodigious movement off the deck to dislodge the timber.

Marlon Samuels had a history of coming good in crunch matches and for a while, it looked he was getting into the groove. Samuels welcomed Khaleel Ahmed by launching him over long-on for a six and then picking him over mid-wicket for a four.

However, Jadeja who had started with a maiden against Samuels (24) got the better of the veteran the next over with a ball that gripped and turned. Samuels' half-hearted poke landed safely in the hands of skipper Kohli at extra cover.

Shimron Hetmyer, already a hit among locals because of his swashbuckling batting style, was greeted with huge cheers. But Jadeja trapped him in front for nine. The umpire did not give it initially but on review, India got their man.

From then on, the batting was inexplicable at best. Rovman Powell (16) pulled Khaleel straight to deep-square leg. Fabian Allen (4) top-edged a hook off Bumrah to fine-leg. Captain Holder (25), solid till then, attempted to loft Khaleel over mid-off and perished to Jadhav again, at mid-off. Any hope of a West Indies revival was over once Holder was gone as the seventh wicket.

Keemo Paul (5) and Kemar Roach (5) also could not control the adrenaline rush and were holed out in deep. Jadeja completed the formalities dismissing Oshane Thomas (0) leg-before for his fourth.

Shikhar Dhawan had the chance to get a decent hit but Oshane Thomas cramped him for room as the left-hander dragged the ball back on to his stumps, attempting a cut. But fittingly, the most prolific Indian batsmen of this series, Rohit Sharma (63 no) and Virat Kohli (33 no) finished off the chase without further hiccups.

Injured Nurse out of tour

West Indies off-spinner Ashley Nurse has been ruled out of the rest of the India tour with a pectoral muscle injury. Nurse, who was the Man of the Match in the visitors' only win of the tour in the third ODI in Pune, injured his shoulder during the previous match in Mumbai and was forced to sit out of the final game here on Thursday. Leg-spinner Devendra Bishoo came into the Windies eleven in place of Nurse. Nurse will miss the three T20 matches also starting Sunday.

NEW DELHI: A ruthless India completed a nine-wicket demolition of the West Indies in the fifth and final ODI on Thursday for their sixth successive series win at home.

Left-arm spinner Ravindra Jadeja took four wickets to help India bundle out the West Indies for 104 in just 31.5 overs. Pacers Khaleel Ahmed and Jasprit Bumrah chipped in with two wickets each.

The home team took just 14.5 overs to reach the paltry target, courtesy an unbeaten 99-run stand between Rohit Sharma (62 off 54) and captain Virat Kohli (33 off 29), following another low score from Shikhar Dhawan.

It was a complete surrender from the West Indies, who let themselves down after competing hard in the first three ODIs. The previous game at Mumbai too was dominated by the hosts before they romped to a 3-1 series win here.

India last a lost a series at home in 2015, when they went down 2-3 against South Africa.

The hosts wasted in no time completing the 105-run target after the bowlers laid the foundation of a massive victory.

Rohit continued his fine form, notching up a half-century, in the process going past the 1,000-run mark for the calendar year 2018 and also hitting his 200th six in ODIs.

The India vice-captain had a lucky escape when he was caught behind by Shai Hope off Oshane Thomas' bowling on 18. He made most of that reprieve as he hit five boundaries and struck five imperious sixes. Kohli too was solid at the other end and his innings comprised six fours.

Dhawan's soft dismissal would probably be one of the lows for India as he chopped on a delivery from Thomas, who worked up good pace but was inconsistent with his line and length.

Earlier, the West Indies were in trouble right from the start after skipper Jason Holder chose to bat. Pacer Bhuvneshwar Kumar had Kieran Powell caught behind by M S Dhoni for a duck off the fourth ball, giving India their first wicket.

Shai Hope, who has been one of the best West Indies batsmen on tour alongside Shimron Hetmyer, was castled by Bumrah off a beauty in the second over to leave the team at 2 for 2.

The experienced Marlon Samuels, from whom a lot was expected, led a brief revival, hitting some crisp boundaries and the only six of the innings.

The Indian domination could be gauged from the fact that the first boundary came in the sixth over when Rovman Powell lofted one from Bumrah over the infield.

Samuels' resistance ended in the 12th over when he fell to a soft dismissal of Jadeja for 24, spooning a catch to skipper Virat Kohli.

As has often been the case in the series, Holder showed patience and skill to resist the rampant Indian bowlers but his dismissal hastened the end.

The lanky Holder was taken by Kedar Jadhav, running in from the deep when he tried to go ariel against Khaleel Ahmed. He was the top-scorer with 25.

The spinners took over and polished off the tail.

MUMBAI: India embarrassed the West Indies by 224 runs in the fourth One-day International on Monday for one of their biggest wins and a 2-1 lead in the five-match series.

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Rohit Sharma (162) and Ambati Rayudu (100) struck belligerent centuries to guide India to an imposing 377 for five after the hosts opted to bat.

The duo took centre stage after a rare failure by skipper Virat Kohli.

Rohit's 21st century came off 137 balls with the help of 20 fours and four hits over the fence, while Rayudu decorated his 100-run knock with eight boundaries and four sixes.

Chasing 378, West Indies simply caved in against India's clinical bowling attack on what was a batting-friendly wicket to be bundled out for a paltry 153 in 36.2 overs.

Young pacer Khaleel Ahmed (3/13) impressed upfront before chinaman Kuldeep Yadav (3/42)) ran through the West Indies' tail.

The Indians dished out an impressive effort on the field, inflicting two run outs besides Rohit holding onto three fine catches in the slips.

This is India's third biggest win in the format. Their biggest-ever win in ODI remains the 257-run demolition of Bermuda in the 2007 ICC World Cup.

West Indies' chase never really got going as they lost half of their side inside the 50-run mark with Khaleel doing the bulk of the damage.

Except for skipper Jason Holder (54 not out), no other West Indian batsmen could withstand the Indian attack, as the visitors lost wickets at regular intervals and were never really in the hunt.

West Indies lost two wickets - Chandrapul Hemraj (14) and Shai Hope (0) - in the fifth over. While Hemraj gave a sitter to Rayadu off Bhuvaneshwar Kumar, Hope was run out courtesy a stunning direct hit by Kuldeep from mid-on.

Matters became worse for the visitors after Kieran Powell (4) was run-out in the very next over by Kohli.

Wickets kept tumbling and the next to be dismissed was Shimron Hetymar (13), who was trapped in front by Ahmed in the 10th over, even though the batsman went for an unsuccessful review.

The 20-year-old Ahmed was on fire as he picked up two more wickets in quick succession. He first cleaned up Rovman Powell (1) and then accounted for Samuels, who edged one to Rohit in the first slip.

Batting first, India made a quick start with Rohit and Shikhar Dhawan (38) and added a run-a-ball 71 for the opening stand before the latter pulled a Keemo Paul short delivery straight to Powell at the midwicket boundary.

Kohli, who hit three consecutive tons before Monday's match, played aggressively for his 16 before edging a Kemar Roach delivery to Hope behind the stumps.

Rohit and Rayudu held fort and continued to play aggressive brand of cricket.

The duo continued the onslaught and made the West Indies attack look ordinary, picking up boundaries and sixes at will.

After Kohli's dismissal, Rohit, who had scored a match-winning unbeaten 152 in the lung-opener at Guhawati, and Rayudu built the innings and in the process shared a breezy 211-run stand for the third wicket, which came off just 163 deliveries.

Rohit didn't spare a single West Indian bowler and made his intentions clear when he opened the account with a boundary over point.

The Mumbaikar initially played second fiddle to Dhawan but after his half century, that came off 60 balls, he upped the ante.

Rohit displayed all the shots in the book - the drives, pulls, flicks and cuts - before he departed in the 44th over.

Rayadu, on the other hand, took time to settle down, but then hammered the bowlers with his exquisite stroke-play - first in Rohit's company and then alongside veteran Mahendra Singh Dhoni (23).

Kedar Jadhav (16) and Ravindra Jadeja (7) remained unbeaten as the hosts amassed 116 runs in the last 10 overs.

India won the first ODI by eight wickets before the second game ended in a tie. West Indies bounced back to win the third ODI by 43 runs. The final match of the series will be played in Thiruvananthapuram on Thursday.

HYDERABAD: A clinical India completed one of the most ruthless clean sweeps in recent times, demolishing a listless West Indies by 10 wickets in the second Test, inside three days, to clinch the series 2-0 on Sunday.

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Umesh Yadav's maiden 10-wicket haul (6/88 and 4/45) on a decent track was the highlight as India reached the meagre victory target of 72 in 16.1 overs, courtesy unbeaten partnership between openers Prithvi Shaw (33) and KL Rahul (33).

While any Test series victory is welcome, it hardly was an ideal preparation for the big away-series against Australia, starting December 4 in Adelaide.

West Indies were back to their worst despite showing signs of fight in the first innings as they couldn't last two full sessions and were bowled out for 127 in only 46.1 in their second innings.

Out of the four innings in this series, West Indies couldn't cross the 200-run mark thrice which was a testimony to their plight during the series.

For India, it was their 10th series win at home since their last defeat against England way back in 2012.

Virat Kohli's side did an encore of 2013 series which India won by an identical margin in that year's most lopsided contest with Sachin Tendulkar's farewell taking limelight.

The second innings started with Yadav on split hat-trick but Kraigg Brathwaite (0) survived one delivery before gliding one into Rishabh Pant's gloves.

Kieran Powell (6) edged one off Ravichandran Ashwin to Ajinkya Rahane in the slips.

Shai Hope (28) hit three delightful boundaries off Umesh while Shimron Hetmeyer (17) was trying to be more assertive against spinners in their 39-run stand.

However, a rush of blood saw Hetmeyer give Kuldeep Yadav the charge only to be caught by Cheteshwar Pujara at point.

From 45 for 3, there was not much resistance as Hope was snapped when he played a Ravindra Jadeja delivery for the turn to give Rahane his second catch.

West Indies' biggest hope Roston Chase (6) got a sharp inswinger while Shane Dowrich (0) played on with Umesh getting his ninth wicket of the match.

The wicket had its share of wear and tear but it wasn't a difficult track where surviving would be an arduous task. Yet, it was another instance of lack of application from the West Indies batsmen with opener Brathwaite and young Hetmeyer playing atrocious shots.

Jason Holder (19) and Sunil Ambris (38) added 38 runs for the seventh wicket but once Holder edged one to Pant off Jadeja, any chances of match going to fourth day slowly disappeared.

However, West Indies had started off well by dismissing India for 367, keeping the first innings lead down to a mere 56 runs.

In the process, they denied Rishabh Pant (92) and Ajinkya Rahane (80) from reaching their hundreds.

In a space of 16.1 overs, India lost five wickets for 25 runs to move from a comfortable 314 for 4 to 339 for 9 before Ravichandran Ashwin (35, 83 balls) made a useful contribution.

West Indies captain Jason Holder (5/56 in 23 overs) used the second new ball to good effect as he completed his fifth five-wicket haul in Test cricket. Shannon Gabriel after erratic performance on Saturday came back well to take 3/107 in 20.4 overs.

Holder first got one to rear up from back of length to shatter Rahane's dreams of a 10th Test hundred. The Indian vice-captain was caught at gully for 80 off 183 balls to give the opposition captain his third wicket. His innings had seven boundaries.

Rahane-Pant duo added 152 runs for the fifth wicket and once the visitors got the breakthrough, the floodgates open.

Pant (92), who added seven more runs to his overnight score, got a short ball from Shannon Gabriel, which he pushed at only to be caught by Shimron Hetmeyer at cover point.

In two consecutive Tests, Pant has been dismissed for identical scores of 92. This time he played 134 balls hitting 11 boundaries and two sixes.

For the record, during the West Indies second innings, the new SG Test ball had to be changed twice inside 12 overs.

On Saturday, Mohammed Siraj and Hanuma Vihari were released to play Vijay Hazare quaryer-finals for their respective teams Hyderabad and Andhra.

HYDERABAD: Rishabh Pant's audacious stroke-play complemented Ajinkya Rahane's patient approach as India reached 308 for four against West Indies on the second day of the second Test on Saturday.

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India are now only three runs short of West Indies' first innings total of 311. The Caribbeans could add only 16 runs in the morning session after Umesh Yadav polished off the tail with career-best figures of 6/88 in 26.4 overs.

While young Pant celebrated his ODI call-up with a second Test half-century, an attractive unbeaten 85 off 120 balls, vice-captain Rahane slogged hard to remain undefeated on 75 off 174 balls.

Together, the duo added 146 runs for the unbroken fifth wicket after India lost in-form skipper Virat Kohli (45) to be reduced to 163 for 4.

This was after young Prithvi Shaw lit up the morning, smashing his way to 70 off 53 balls to provide an initial momentum.

It was a day where India's Gen-Next enthralled the 18,000 odd crowd with spectacular strokeplay.

Shaw's cover and off-drive were treat for the eyes. The way he slashed Shannon Gabriel for a six over third man or stood on toes to smash Jason Holder through point was eerily similar to Virender Sehwag's style of play. The 11 fours and a six were out of the top drawer.

For Pant, it was more about brute power. He hit back-to-back sixes off left-arm spinner Jomel Warrican (1/76), who had till his arrival had decent figures including the wicket of Shaw. There was a steer and sweep and a slog sweep off the senior leg-spin bowler.

When off-spinner Roston Chase dropped short, he cut it ferociously. When leg-spinner Devendra Bishoo flighted the ball, he took a step forward and whacked it through mid-off. He hit 10 fours and two sixes.

Pant's approach also gave Rahane time to build his innings even though he never looked in control. However going to Australia, India needed its vice-captain to get some runs and to his credit he hung around to do the needful.

Rahane, on Indian sub-continent, has had problem facing spinners during last home season and here Pant was taking the spinners on most of the time while Rahane was seen more comfortable facing Gabriel for a lengthy period of time. The vice –captain hit six fours in his knock.

The Indians were also helped by poor fielding from the West Indians. It also didn't help their cause that their main keeper Shane Dowrich got a nasty hit on the knee and reserve keeper Jahmar Hamilton wasn't up to the mark.

He dropped a regulation caught behind chance when Pant was on 24 off Shannon Gabriel (1/73) and it did prove to be costly as the youngster started taking the bowling apart.

Skipper Virat Kohli (45, 78 balls) missed out on an opportunity to add another ton to his growing list of international hundreds as he looked in no trouble whatsoever during his stay at the crease.

He hit the cover drive well and ran the singles as a time when India were in a spot of bother at 102 for 3 after Shaw and Cheteshwar Pujara (10) were out in quick succession.

Kohli was the dominant partner in the 60-run stand for the fourth wicket as Rahane was initially struggling to score runs. He was finally dismissed by his opposite number with an incoming delivery.

On a reasonably good day, what stuck out like a sore thumb was yet another failure from opener KL Rahul (4), who seemed be batting on a different pitch from his other colleagues. He has now 15 failures in 17 Test innings this year.

Earlier, West Indies added only 16 runs to their overnight total but Roston Chase (106, 189 balls) however deservedly completed his fourth Test hundred before the innings wrapped up.

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13:49 pm: 50-run partnership comes up between Virat Kohli and Ajinkya Rahane

13:40 pm: Virat Kohli moves to 40 with a couple off Jason Holder.

13:23 pm: FOUR! Superb shot from Virat Kohli. The Indian skipper smashes Devendra Bishoo straight down the ground for a boundary. India 139/3, trail by 172 runs.

13:05 pm: The partnership between Ajinkya Rahane and Virat Kohli is now 30 runs.

12:32 pm: Pujara (10) goes shopping outside the off-stump and gets a feather touch onto the ball. Shannon Gabriel strikes. 102/3

12:20 pm: Shaw (70 off 53 balls) has been dismissed. Continued in aggressive mode after lunch, hitting Gabriel for two fours in the over, but has been caught at short cover off the bowling of Jomel Warrican. 98/2 in 18.4 overs.

11:33 a.m: That's LUNCH on Day. India 80/1 in 16 overs, trail West Indies (311) by 231 runs. Prithvi Shaw 52*, Cheteshwar Pujara 9*


11:25 a.m: Prithvi Shaw:
1st Test:
50 off 56 balls
100 off 99 balls

2nd Test:
50 off 39 balls

11:23 a.m: FIFTY! Prithvi Shaw brings up his maiden Test half-century off 39 balls. India 74/1, trail by 237 runs


11:03 a.m: WICKET! Jason Holder strikes, KL Rahul departs for 4 runs. India 61/1, trail by 250 runs. KL Rahul not having a great times against the West Indies. He was departed for a duck in the opening Test.

10:57 a.m: FOUR! Prithvi Shaw is on fire. He comes forward and smashes Warrican between mid wicket and long on. India 57/0, trail by 250 runs.

10:47 a.m: 5 overs gone! India 43/0. Prithvi Shaw 25*, KL Rahul 4*.

10:32 a.m: Shane Dowrich is getting some medical assistance.


10:25 a.m: What a start from Shaw. The right-hander hits Gabriel for a boundary and then a six. Positive start from the Indian openers

10:10 a.m. Prithvi Shaw and KL Rahul are out to open for India. Rahul would want to get over the duck he scored in the first Test, Shaw would want to carry on from his century on debut

West Indies First Innings (311 all out)

10 a.m. All over! Umesh mops up the last wicket getting an edge off Shannon Gabriel (0), taken easily by Rishabh Pant. That's 6/88 - career best Test figures by Umesh Yadav. West Indies 311 all out - led by Roston Chase's 106.

9:55 a.m. Five-for for Umesh Yadav! He gets through the defences of Chase (106), and now it could be moments before West Indies get bundled out. 311/9

9:42 a.m. Plenty happening already on the second morning. Umesh has castled Devendra Bishoo (2) for his fourth wicket, Chase has completed his fourth Test century, Jomel Warrican has started off with a six and West Indies have crossed 300. They are 303/8 in 97 overs.

9:30 a.m. West Indies resume their innings, and all eyes on Chase who is just two runs away from his fourth century. 295/7

8:55 a.m. On the second morning, West Indies, resuming at 295/7, would target getting past 350 while India would look to mop up the last three wickets quickly to make use of the track while it's still good for batting. Roston Chase (98*) is just two runs away from a century, with Devendra Bishoo (2*) for company at the other end

8:50 a.m. Hello and welcome to our continued coverage of West Indies' tour of India, which has reached day two of the second Test being played in Hyderabad

Day 1 Round-Up: Indian spinners went off the boil in the final session as all-rounder Roston Chase hit a gutsy unbeaten 98 to take the West Indies to a respectable 295/7 on the opening day of the second Test in Hyderabad on Friday.

Chase, who scored 137 to deny India a victory in a Test match in Jamaica back in 2016, showed the much-needed application with requisite technique as Indian bowlers struggled after polishing off the top half for only 113 runs.

Chase, along with skipper Jason Holder (52), did enough to ensure that the West Indies will have a good first innings total to fight against a heavyweight Indian batting line-up.

Not being able to dismiss the middle and lower-order was a problem in England and it once again turned out to be the bowling unit's bane as the Chase-Holder duo added 104 runs for the seventh wicket.

In England, it was the pacers, here it was the spinners and only one wicket fell for 102 runs in the last session.

Nonetheless, Umesh Yadav (3/83 in 23 overs) bowled his heart out on a good batting track while left-arm wrist spinner Kuldeep Yadav (3/74 in 26 overs) was also impressive during the first two sessions.

HYDERABAD: Indian spinners went off the boil in the final session as all-rounder Roston Chase hit a gutsy unbeaten 98 to take the West Indies to a respectable 295 for seven on the opening day of the second Test, here on Friday.

Scorecard | As it happened

Chase, who scored 137 to deny India a victory in a Test match in Jamaica back in 2016, showed the much-needed application with requisite technique as Indian bowlers struggled after polishing off the top half for only 113 runs.

Chase, along with skipper Jason Holder (52), did enough to ensure that the West Indies will have a good first innings total to fight against a heavyweight Indian batting line-up.

READ ALSO: Debutant Shardul Thakur hobbles out after sustaining groin strain

Not being able to dismiss the middle and lower-order was a problem in England and it once again turned out to be the bowling unit's bane as the Chase-Holder duo added 104 runs for the seventh wicket.

In England, it was the pacers, here it was the spinners and only one wicket fell for 102 runs in the last session.

READ ALSO: Another fan breaks security cordon for selfie with Virat Kohli

Nonetheless, Umesh Yadav (3/83 in 23 overs) bowled his heart out on a good batting track while left-arm wrist spinner Kuldeep Yadav (3/74 in 26 overs) was also impressive during the first two sessions.

Debutant pacer Shardul Thakur left the field complaining of groin strain after bowling merely 10 deliveries and the Indian attack was reduced to four men.

It seemed good enough till tea time, but the lack of a fifth bowler did have its effect in the final session as the two senior spinners Ravichandran Ashwin (1/49 in 24.2 overs) and Ravindra Jadeja (0/69 in 20 overs) lacked a Plan B to dismiss a set Chase.

That Jadeja didn't even have a Plan A was evident as he bowled flat out but wasn't even restrictive like Ashwin.

Prior to the match, when Chase was asked about doing a Jamaica encore, he replied: "Anything is possible."

He walked the talk and read the pitch better compared to his top-order colleagues.

He understood that it was a flat track and played most deliveries on the front-foot to meet the ball early. When the spinners fired in the faster ones, he was quick to lean on his backfoot.

In all, he hit seven boundaries and a six during his 174-ball knock.

However, it was India, who had started the post-lunch session on a dominant note with signs that another batting debacle from the Caribbeans looking imminent.

Shimron Hetmeyer (12) offered no stroke to a googly and was adjudged plumb in-front. Sunil Ambris (18) played a loose shot as the Caribbeans were left stuttering at 113 for five.

Chase and Shane Dowrich (30) then added 69 runs for the sixth wicket before Umesh got the ball to reverse trapping the keeper leg-before. While the umpire initially gave not out, skipper Virat Kohli had a successful DRS review.

Earlier, Ashwin and Yadav struck early as West Indies lost their top-order in the first session in which they scored 86 runs.

At the stroke of lunch, Shai Hope (36) was dismissed by Yadav as India gained the upper-hand.

Opener Powell, who scored 83 in the second innings at Rajkot in the first Test, struck four boundaries. He successfully reviewed a leg-before call off Ashwin's delivery as TV replays showed a big inside edge.

But Powell did not survive long as Ashwin flighted one and the batsman, trying the inside-out lofted drive, failed to get the elevation to be caught by Ravindra Jadeja at cover.

Powell's opening partner Brathwaite showed better application compared to the first Test as he was ready to dig in his heels and defend doggedly.

However, not scoring runs did put pressure as he looked clearly uncomfortable at not being able to pick Kuldeep's wrist-spinners.

In fact, he was facing problems with Kuldeep's incoming delivery -- the stock ball for a chinaman.

One such delivery ended his 68-ball vigil with a delivery that spun sharply into Brathwaite as the batsman played to a wrong line.

Youngsters Hope and Shimron Hetmeyer (10 batting), however, batted with grit, punishing the odd loose balls for boundary.

Both were ready to defend Ashwin off the front-foot primarily and it worked to their advantage as they added 34 runs for the third wicket.

The stand-out shots of the first session were a couple of back-foot punches by Hope off Umesh Yadav's bowling.

He also hit a front-foot cover drive before Umesh angled one in to get him leg before.

NEW DELHI: India colts produced a clinical performance to outclass Sri Lanka by 144 runs in the summit clash of the 2018 ACC Under-19 Asia Cup in Dhaka on Sunday. The victory gave India their sixth title in the continental tournament.

After batsmen set a competitive target of 305 runs, India bowlers bundled the Lankans out for 160 in 38.4 overs to reclaim the trophy. Left-arm spinner Harsh Tyagi was the pick of India attack as he bamboozled Lankan batsmen to return figures of 6 for 38 in ten overs.

India won the first five U-19 Asia Cups, but they failed to reach the semi-finals in the last edition in 2017 which was held in Malaysia. They have come back stronger this time around to remain unbeaten in the entire tournament.

Sri Lanka's run chase began on the wrong foot as they lost skipper Nipun Dananjaya (12) early to pacer Mohit Jangra to be at 20/1 in 6.1 overs. Indian bowlers squeezed the run flow after that with some tight bowling.

Tyagi then gave India their second breakthrough when he dismissed Pasindu Sooriyabandara (31 off 32), who was scoring at a good clip, to reduce Sri Lanka to 66/2 in 15.3 overs.

Tyagi did not stop there and struck twice in quick times. First, he removed Kalana Perera for nought in his next over (18th), before sending Nuwanidu Fernando (4) back to the pavilion with Sri Lanka strugging at 79/4 in 19.2 overs.

The left-armer Tyagi continued to wreak havoc in the Lankan camp and dismissed Nishan M Fernando to reduce them to 104/5 in 23.5 overs. Fernando was holding the fort for his team till then, scoring 49 off 67 balls with the help of two sixes and a solitary four.

It was all downhill for Sri Lanka after that, and soon two wickets in two balls left them reeling at 127/7 after 32.1 overs. Siddharth Desai dismissed Dulith Wellalage (7) with the final ball of the 32nd over, before Nipun Malinga was run out without facing a ball while trying to steal a second run.

In the 34th over, Tyagi completed his five-wicket haul by scalping Sandun Mendis (1), before making Kalhara Senarathne's his sixth victim.

Desai took the final wicket to wrap up the Lankan innings, when he trapped Navod Paranavithana LBW. Paranavithana scored a handy 48 off 61 balls but failed to find a reliable partner at the other end.

Earlier, India top-order fired in unison and post a big total of 304 for 3 after opting to bat first.

Openers Yashasvi Jaiswal (85) and Anuj Rawat (57) gave the former champions an ideal start by adding 121 runs for the first wicket in 25 overs. Both completed their respective half-centuries, before Rawat was out leg before to left-arm spinner Dulith Wellalage in the first ball of the 26th over. Rawat smacked three sixes and four boundaries for his 79-ball 57 knock.

Jaiswal was then joined by Devdutt Padikkal (31 off 43 balls) and the duo kept the momentum going with another solid stand of 59 runs in 12.2 overs.

India lost both Jaiswal and Padikkal in fairly quick successions and were at 194/3 in 40.5 overs. Jaiswal was trapped LBW by pacer Kalana Perera in the 38th over, after the India opener scored 85 off 113 balls with the help of a six and eight fours. While, Padikkal was clean bowled by off-spinner Senarathne in the 41st over.

Captain Simran Singh (65*) along with Ayush Badoni (52*) made sure that India finished off their innings in style, adding an unbeaten 110 runs in just 9.1 overs and took the score over 300-run mark. They capitalised on the solid platform set by the top-three batsmen and launched the attack from the word go.

Singh smashed four sixes and three fours for his 37-ball 65 knock, whereas Badoni scored a quick-fire 52 off just 28 balls, which included five hits over the ropes and two fours.

Brief Scores: India 304/3 (Yashasvi Jaiswal 85; Kalhara Senarathne 1/45) beat Sri Lanka 160 in 38.4 overs (Nishan M Fernando 49; Harsh Tyagi 6/38) by 144 runs

RAJKOT: Prithvi Shaw lived up to expectations with a classy Test century on his India debut, but former players feel the teenage sensation should tighten up his technique for tougher challenges away from home and that his past achievements count for nothing at the highest level.

ALSO READ: Prithvi Shaw sixth Indian to win man-of-the-match on Test debut

Shaw batted like a seasoned pro to hit a sublime hundred in the series opener against the West Indies, becoming the youngest Indian to reach three-figure score on Test debut. He did not face the best of attacks, but it was still a special knock that promises a great career.

"You may want to tighten up a bit but radical changes in your techniques are not advisable," said former India opener Aakash Chopra about Shaw. "He has got to be a little careful off the back foot. The punches that he likes to hit could be slightly risky if the ball is moving laterally. We will have to assume that he will learn with time. What he has done in the past counts for nothing. He will eventually be judged by what he does at the highest level."

Shaw's punches off the back foot reminded former West Indies all-rounder Carl Hooper of the good old Caribbean flair; but he feels Shaw's aggressive style with the existing technique makes the 18-year-old vulnerable for sterner tests overseas, starting with the tour of Australia next month.

"He seems to be a great talent but tends to play away from the body. Clearly, he likes to be on the back foot and play square off the wicket. It worked here (in Rajkot) but with so much gap between the bat and body, he could face issues in England and Australia," Hooper, a veteran of 102 Tests, said.

Chopra, however, felt nothing can be taken away from Shaw in his debut century, albeit it came against a pedestrian West Indies attack on a batting-friendly track in Rajkot.

"What we have just seen is perhaps a trailer of the things to come. It looks very promising. You cannot grudge about the opposition and pitch was flat. But he will be tested (overseas) and I am sure he is aware of it. We will get to know whether he can weather the storm and what all he needs to do," said Chopra, who played 10 Tests for India.

"Currently, there are a couple of things. I am pretty sure he is working on that. One was his trigger movement, which is already looking different to (what) we saw in the IPL. I am not too worried. He has got a great start," Chopra said.

"People will have faith and he will get a slightly extended run. God forbid even if Australia does not end up being the best of tours for him, you have to bear in mind that lot of players went there the first time and did not really set the world on fire."

He said Shaw might have to curb his aggression a bit while facing the likes of Mitchell Starc and Josh Hazlewood. The ball will swing in Australia but not as much as England.

"There will be some swing as Kookaburra tends to move a lot early on. Hazlewood and Starc will be exploiting those conditions. See, you have to back yourself. Whatever took you to this level should make you successful at the highest level as well."

Someone who has tracked Shaw closely is Amol Muzumdar, a stalwart of Mumbai and owner of more than 11,000 first-class runs. The 43-year-old said one should not jump the gun but wait till Shaw actually gets an opportunity overseas before making a comment on his technique.

"I think he does not need to change too much. Every player has got his own style of play. His style is aggressive, playing on the rise and he should continue doing that. We will have to wait and see how does in England and Australia then only we can talk about it," said Muzumdar.

"You cannot be technically correct all the time, too much reliance on technique is also not good. There has to be a balance between technique and flamboyance. All he needs to do is to be selective with his shot making. On which ball to go for your strokes and on which ball to hold back. That is the only thing he needs to watch out," reckoned Muzumdar, one of Mumbai's finest batsmen.

RAJKOT: India pulled off their biggest win over West Indies in one of the most ludicrous mismatches in recent times, inflicting on the hapless visitors an innings and 272-run humiliation inside three days in the first Test on Saturday.

As it happened | Scorecard

India dominated the game, amassing 649 for nine in their first innings before bowling out the West Indies twice on day three, to take a 1-0 lead in the two-match series.

They were bundled out for 181 in 48 overs before lunch and were expectedly forced to follow-on. They did not fare any better in the second innings, crumbling to 196 all out in 50.5 overs in the final session.

While Ravichandran Ashwin (4/37) was the pick of the bowlers in the morning, Kuldeep Yadav (5/57) was all over the opposition batsmen in the second innings on way to a maiden five-wicket haul in Tests.

The second and final Test will be played in Hyderabad from October 12-16. The West Indies will have to lift themselves to put up a better performance after being thoroughly outplayed in Rajkot. The absence of captain Jason Holder and pacer Kemar Roach also added to their woes.

For India, the game will be best remembered for the emergence of Prithvi Shaw, who announced his arrival in international cricket with a classy hundred on debut, becoming the youngest from the country to do so in Tests. Virat Kohli and Ravindra Jadeja were the other centurions.

By tea on Saturday, it became clear that the game will be done and dusted inside three days with the West Indies batsmen cutting a sorry picture at 185 for eight.

Opener Kieran Powell was the only West Indian batsmen to make a significant contribution in the second essay, an entertaining 83 off 93 balls with eight boundaries and four sixes.

Ashwin was their main tormentor in the morning and in the afternoon it was Kuldeep's turn to dominate. The opposition batsmen, who needed to bat for time, seemed to be in a hurry to finish the game. Punishing a loose ball is fine but they went for far too many strokes and paid the price for their recklessness.

Kuldeep thrived on that, mixing it up nicely to fox the batsmen. After he trapped Shai Hope in front for his first wicket, he removed the highly-rated Shimron Hetmyer who went for a wild slog across the line to be caught at short third man. He used his googly to send back Sunil Ambris, who stepped out without having any idea of the way the ball will turn.

In the morning session, Ashwin produced a brilliant spell as India enforced the follow-on.

At lunch, the West Indies were 33 for one in nine overs in their second innings with Ashwin removing skipper Kraigg Brathwaite (10) for his fourth wicket of the day.

The West Indies, resuming their first innings at 94 for six, lasted only an hour and 10 minutes, mainly due to efforts of Roston Chase (53) and Keemo Paul (47) who ended up sharing a 73-run stand. Ashwin ran through the tail on a pitch offering plenty of turn, ending with four for 37 in 11 overs as the West Indies were all out in 48 overs.

India started with the spin-pace combination of Kuldeep and Mohammad Shami. Surprisingly, Chase and Paul had little difficulty in picking the chinaman, who bowled the first over the day. Paul went on the offensive straightaway, sweeping Kuldeep for two crisp boundaries.

Paul was the aggressor in the partnership but Chase also came up with a few attractive shots.

Paul was comfortable against Kuldeep but had issues dealing with the short ball. Umesh Yadav set the West Indian up nicely before getting rid of him with a perfectly placed bouncer as he mistimed a pull to be caught at midwicket.

Ashwin then removed Chase with a beauty, a flighted ball that turned in viciously to create a big gap between bat and pad before crashing into the stumps, leaving the West Indies at 159 for eight. Number 10 and 11 were easy meat for Ashwin who sent them back with the away turning ball.

India expectedly enforced the follow-on with less than an hour to go for lunch.

Read this story in Gujarati

Live Blog | Scorecard

Over 29.3: Kuldeep Yadav comes round the wicket, Roston Chase hits to short extra cover for Ashwin to take the catch

Over 22.4: Sunil Ambris charges down the pitch, the ball turns away from him and Rishabh Pant removes the bails in a flash

Over 22.1: Kuldeep Yadav takes his second wicket as Shimron Hetmyer cuts to backward point for KL Rahul to take the catch

Over 20.3: Kieran Powell reaches his sixth Test half-century off 55 balls with a late cut to third man for four

Over 18.6: Kuldeep Yadav traps Shai Hope plumb in front of the wicket by a pitched-up delivery that turned to crash into the pads. Hope thought of a review but decided against it

West Indies were facing a comprehensive defeat after India skittled them out for 181 in the first innings and then enforcing the follow-on before lunch on day three of their series-opener in Rajkot on Saturday. The visitors were 33/1 at lunch in their second innings.

Over 7.6: Ravichandran Ashwin gives India the first breakthrough as Kraigg Brathwaite edges to Prithvi Shaw at forward short leg for a simple catch

Over 7: Openers Kraigg Brathwaite and Kieran Powell have given the West Indies a brisk start in the second innings

West Indies bowled out for 181 runs on Day 3, trail India by 468 runs, India enforce the follow-on

Over 47.6: Shannon Gabriel is stumped by Pant off Ashwin

Over 43.5: Debutant Sherman Lewis is clean bowled by a flipper from Ashwin

Over 43.2: R Ashwin deceives Roston Chase in the air with a flighted delivery that goes through the gap to hit the stumps

Over 39.5: Roston Chase brings up his fifty with a fine straight drive off Kuldeep Yadav

Over 38.4: Keemo Paul mistimes a pull off a Umesh Yadav delivery and is caught by Pujara at square leg

Over 30: Ten runs off the first over of the day bowled by Kuldeep Yadav

West Indies collapsed to 94/6 in reply to India's massive first-innings 649/9 declared by the close of the second day of the series-opening Test in Rajkot on Friday.

The visiting batsman proved no match for their Indian counterparts, losing six wickets in a single session after the hosts had piled on the runs.

India captain Virat Kohli eased to a 24th Test century while Ravindra Jadeja celebrated a maiden ton in front of his home crowd, striking five sixes against a toiling Windies attack.

West Indies will begin day three trailing by 555 runs and facing an uphill task to avoid an innings defeat against India's spin-heavy attack on a pitch already offering turn.

Roston Chase was unbeaten on 27 while Keemo Paul was 13 not out at stumps for the touring side.

Mohammed Shami sent back both openers in a hostile opening spell of fast bowling when West Indies walked out to bat after the tea interval and then India's spinners made further inroads.

NEW DELHI: India cricket team head coach Ravi Shastri cleared the air on why Virat Kohli was given rest in the recently-concluded Asia Cup held in UAE saying it was a case of mental fatigue and the skipper needed this rest.

"Virat needed this rest. Physically he is a bull. You can't keep him out of the ground. And the thing with Virat is if he plays, then you know the level of intensity he brings. So it was a case of just mental fatigue, giving him a break, take your mind off cricket and then come back fresh," he was quoted as saying by Gulf News.

Shastri also added that the other players will also be given rest when needed to keep them energetic.

"And we will have to do it with a lot of other players. You know like Bumrah ( Jasprit Bumrah), Bhuvi ( Bhuvneshwar Kumar), we have to sustain them and keep them energetic," he said.

Bumrah and Bhuvneshwar have also been rested for the two-Test series against West Indies after playing a pivotal role in India's 7th Asia Cup title after defeating Bangladesh in a thrilling final.

Kohli is all set to return to international cricket as he will be leading India against Windies in the Test series starting October 4 in Rajkot.

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