The big news: Kohli set for crucial test

Indian Test captain Virat Kohli will have revenge on his mind as he leads his side against England in the first Test in Rajkot on Wednesday. England have dominated India in the last three series, 4-0 in 2011 in England, 2-1 in 2012 in India and 3-1 in England in 2014. But, since then, India have become a force to reckon with on home soil, drawing just one Test match and winning the rest. They have never lost.

India are currently the top-ranked Test side in the world. With the likes of Ravichandran Ashwin and Ravindra Jadeja leading the bowling attack, England will have to play some intense cricket if they are win to this series. India’s batting also is in good touch and against New Zealand, everyone contributed with crucial knocks to win the series 3-0. For England, a spin-attack that is yet to be tested and a batting line-up, which did not click in Bangladesh, skipper Alastair Cook knows he has a tough task ahead of him. However, England will still fancy their chances as they begin the five-match Test series in Rajkot.

Other top stories

  1. The 2017 Indian Premier League is set to begin on April 5, announced the Board of Control for Cricket in India on Tuesday, with May 21 being selected for the final. Both matches will be hosted in Hyderabad because they are the defending champions. However, the dates were subject to confirmation from the Lodha committee, a BCCI official told ESPNcricinfo. It was also decided that the players' auction will be hosted on February 4 in Bangalore.
  2. Sri Lanka bowled Zimbabwe out for 272 in the first innings with Rangana Herath taking 5/89 to lead from the front. However, in the second innings, Sri Lanka were stunned by some early blows as they ended the day’s play on 102/4, taking a lead of 334 runs.
  3. Delhi's Rishabh Pant registered the fastest century in the history of the Ranji Trophy, getting to the milestone in just 48 balls against Jharkhand in Thiruvananthapuram on Tuesday. The 19-year-old's thundering knock came to an end on 135, which came off just 67 deliveries, including 13 towering sixes and eight fours at a strike-rate of 201.49.
  4. The BCCI was allowed to release Rs 58.66 lakh by the Supreme Court to host the first India-England Test match in Rajkot. The announcement was made a day before the start of the match. The ongoing tussle between the BCCI and the Lodha committee, the Indian board was provisionally stopped from disbursing cash to the state associations.