The Sunrisers Hyderabad outfit are certainly enjoying their time off the field and this time footage appears of India opener Shikhar Dhawan pranking Shakib Al Hasan in flight.

Shakib and his teammates like to keep things cool while the team are enjoying themselves off the field and Shikhar Dhawan is not shy of taking the micky out of his teammates whenever he gets the opportunity.

The team moved to Chandigarh to play their next match against Kolkata Knight Riders on April 19, Thursday and during flight Shikhar Dhawan lightened the mood of the squad with some pranks.

The India opener rolled a piece of thin paper and looked to jolt Shakib and Rashid Khan out of their slumbered sleep.

With a comfortable and light atmosphere around the squad, one can expect the Sunrisers outfit to make their mark in this edition of the IPL after they already gathered three wins from three matches so far.

Dhawan joked in a video that was posted by the Sunrisers "If I can't sit in peace then why should I let others sit in peace?"

Shikhar Dhawan led the India charge with a blistering 125 as the holders piled up 321 for six against Sri Lanka in the Champions Trophy on Thursday.

After scoring 68 in India's 124-run victory against Pakistan in their Group B opener, Dhawan overpowered the Sri Lanka attack with another swaggering display at The Oval.

The 31-year-old hit 15 fours and one six in his 128-ball innings, receiving strong support from fellow opener Rohit Sharma (78) and MS Dhoni (63).

India's total was the highest of the tournament so far, surpassing the 319 for three they amassed against Pakistan.

It was a typically muscular effort from India as they pursue an 11th win from their last 14 ODI matches, and a 15th victory in their last 18 meetings with Sri Lanka.

Sri Lanka, beaten by 99 runs against South Africa in their first match, face a daunting task as they try to keep alive their hopes of making the semi-finals.

With plenty of cloud cover over south London, Sri Lanka captain Angelo Mathews opted to bowl first after winning the toss.

Mathews must have wondered if that was such a wise move when Lasith Malinga served up a generous offering with the first ball, a short and wide delivery that Sharma caressed to the boundary.

Dhawan was even more ruthless, contemptuously swiping Suranga Lakmal to the fence three times in four balls in the sixth over.

Having put on 136 for the first wicket against Pakistan, India's openers were back in the groove and Sri Lanka found it impossible to halt their momentum as the partnership passed 50 in the blink of an eye.

Sharma brought up the 100 stand and his 50 in one blow as he smashed a six off Thisara Perera.

Reaching his half-century in 58 balls was almost pedestrian by India's standards, so Sharma stepped on the gas with another huge six to the delight of the vociferous Indians who made up the bulk of the large crowd.

- Flamboyant -

Eventually, Sharma attempted one flamboyant shot too many and was caught at fine leg off Malinga, bringing an end to the 138-run opening partnership.

Sharma's 78 came off 79 balls, featuring six fours and three sixes, but his departure was the signal for a brief India wobble as Nuwan Pradeep had captain Virat Kohli caught behind for his first ODI duck since 2014.

After Kohli's shock dismissal, Yuvraj Singh struggled to find his rhythm.

He made only seven before the flight of Asela Gunaratne's looping delivery deceived him and trickled onto the stumps to leave India 179-3.

Dhoni wrestled back the momentum for India as he got off the mark with a bludgeoned six, setting the stage for an awesome display of power hitting.

Dhawan couldn't be held in check for long either and he blasted a boundary to reach his ton in 102 balls before smashing Pradeep for a towering six.

Dropped by Danushka Gunathilaka off Malinga, Dhawan helped Dhoni put on 82 runs in 66 balls before finally falling victim to a mistimed slog off Malinga.

Dhoni was still blazing away down the other end and he reached his 62nd ODI half century in 46 balls.

By the time Dhoni was dismissed, his team's total was past 300 as they hit 51 runs in the last five overs to leave Sri Lanka in tatters.

Match facts

Wednesday, June 24, 2015
Start time 1500 local (0900 GMT)

Big picture

From the outside looking in, Bangladesh trouncing Zimbabwe 5-0 barely caused a blip. There was perhaps a double-take when Pakistan were served 3-0. If they whitewash India on Wednesday, the world will sit up and notice.

The 14 men and the support staff on tour here already have. MS Dhoni has admitted his team was outplayed. He has wrestled questions on his captaincy, even bristled momentarily when the critique moved onto selection.

R Ashwin, another player of the 'keep calm' variety, seemed to feel he was behind enemy lines at the pre-match press conference. He felt compelled to remind everyone that India had won 75% of their matches this year.

Whether that was because of the scoreline of the series or the brutal spotlight that is on the team is debatable, but it was clear to see it does have issues to sort out.

Besides the headache of why the batsmen who are touted to front up for the 2019 World Cup are misfiring all at once.

Mustafizur Rahman appeals during the first game of the 3-match ODI series against India at Mirpur. Photo: STAR

A lot of the credit should go to Bangladesh. They have won key moments and ensured the momentum never dissipated.

There is a pack mentality readily visible among the quicks. So much that India's batsmen haven't had any room to breathe.

They have been bowled out twice, and the best partnership they have put on - one among only four that have crossed fifty - has been 95. "They've owned the Mirpur stadium," was Ashwin's assessment.

New faces like Mustafizur Rahman, Soumya Sarkar and Litton Das have fit neatly into the one-day structure, while the old faithful Shakib Al Hasan and Mashrafe Mortaza have continued contributing.

An 11th win on the trot at home would be the perfect way for them to sign-off in front of the loud, colourful and unabashedly partisan Mirpur crowd.

Form guide

Bangladesh: WWWWW (last five matches, most recent first)

India: LLLWW

In the spotlight

With the squad bursting with performers, Mushfiqur Rahim hasn't had much to do. He did seal the series with a sparkly cameo that indicated he was finding his best touch again. But perhaps he might like to put in a more substantial performance, considering the scrutiny over his wicketkeeping lately.

Shikhar Dhawan has had a decent tour so far. He has restated his case for Test selection, and has taken home a half-century from the second ODI. What he and the rest of the India batting line-up haven't been able to do is set up a big total. India have spoken about playing freely, a mandate Dhawan quite likes.

Team news

Mominul Haque, a solid batsman looking to establish himself as a one-day option, did get in a good net on the eve of the game. He might be given a go considering Bangladesh have taken the series

Bangladesh (probable): 1 Tamim Iqbal, 2 Soumya Sarkar, 3 Litton Das/ Mominul Haque/ Rony Talukdar, 4 Mushfiqur Rahim (wk), 5 Shakib Al Hasan, 6 Sabbir Rahman, 7 Nasir Hossain, 8 Mashrafe Mortaza (capt), 9 Rubel Hossain, 10 Mustafizur Rahman, 11 Taskin Ahmed

Ajinkya Rahane opted to train yesterday after being dropped for the last ODI. The rest of the team went through "a couple of quiet days," Ashwin said. The morale isn't as high as it normally is within the Indian camp.

India (probable): 1 Shikhar Dhawan, 2 Rohit Sharma, 3 Virat Kohli, 4 Ambati Rayudu/ Ajinkya Rahane/ Stuart Binny, 5 Suresh Raina 6 MS Dhoni (capt &wk), 7 Ravindra Jadeja, 8 R Ashwin, 9 Bhuvneshwar Kumar, 10 Axar Patel, 11 Dhawal Kulkarni

Pitch and conditions

Every day of play on tour has contained the threat of rain, and the trend doesn't look to be changing. The players trained under cloudy skies on the eve of the match as well. As far as the pitch is concerned, there might not be much change. It is expected to be a touch slow.

Quotes

"If there is no counter, then what can we do? Can we kidnap him?"

R Ashwin on the ever-present Mustafizur Rahman threat.

"We spoke in the dressing-room just before going out to training [on Tuesday]. We have told to be as serious as we would be if we had lost the first two games. We will not give an inch."

Nasir Hossain says Bangladesh are guarding against complacency.

The first semi-final of the World Cup will have to wait one more day as play was suspended due to excessive rain.

The covers have gone on and off a few times but the match was eventually called off. New Zealand were 211-5 off 46.1 overs when persistent rain worsened sufficiently for the umpires to halt play with 23 balls left in the innings. Ross Taylor was 67 not out and Tom Latham three not out. New Zealand captain Kane Williamson had earlier made 67 after winning the toss, with Jasprit Bumrah (1-25 off eight overs) leading a disciplined India bowling attack. After more than four hours without play, the covers started to be removed but no sooner had an inspection been announced then fresh rain fell on the Manchester ground. 

The play will continue tomorrow from where it left off today. 

The covers at Old Trafford in Manchester are coming on. Drizzle starts and although it does not seem heavy, the umpires halted the proceedings. 

Click here to see what happens if the first semifinal is not concluded today.

 

New Zealand lose wickets in quick successions

New Zealand lost Jimmy Neesham and Coolin De Grandhomme in quick successions as the Kiwis reach the 200-run mark.

Neesham never looked comfortable on the field as he was sent back by Hardik Pandya after he scored 12 off 18 balls. However, De Grandhomme on the other hand scored a quickfire 16 off ten balls before being caught behind the stumps by Dhoni as Bhuvneshwar Kumar bowled a slower. Ross Taylor still on the crease having scored 60 runs off 81 balls after 45 overs.

Williamson departs trying to up the tempo

After a 64-run third wicket stand between New Zealand skipper Kane Williamson and Ross Taylor, the former fell prey to Chahal in the 36th over. A tossed up delivery from Chahal that got the outside edge of Williamson's bat who was already into the shot. A simple catch to Ravindra Jadeja who was standing at point. This could be a massive moment in the game where the Kiwis have been struggling with their scoring rate.

New Zealand's Kane Williamson and Henry Nicholls take a single during their semifinal against India at Old Trafford. Photo: Reuters

Williamson, Taylor hold firm against India in World Cup semi-final

New Zealand captain Kane Williamson again helped his side recover from the loss of an early wicket as the Black Caps reached 122-2 after 33 overs in the World Cup semi-final against India at Old Trafford on Tuesday.

Williamson, who won the toss, remains 58 not out and Ross Taylor 22 not out, with hopes of a competitive Black Caps total once more resting on the shoulders of the two senior batsmen. The duo have strung together an ongoing 53-run stand for the third wicket.

New Zealand lost opener Martin Guptill with just one run on the board and crawled to 27-1 off the first 10 overs.

All five previous matches in the tournament at Old Trafford had been won by the side batting first, so Williamson's decision at the toss was understandable.

But, Williamson apart, the Black Caps' top order has struggled at the World Cup and the overcast conditions in Manchester on Tuesday allied to a fresh pitch offering some seam movement promised to assist India's impressive pace attack.

Bhuvneshwar Kumar appealed for lbw against Guptill off the first ball of the match and an India review of the original not out decision proved unsuccessful, with replays indicating the ball would have gone down the legside.

It took New Zealand 17 balls to score the first run of the match and India did not have long to wait for Guptill's wicket in any event.

The right-hander was the leading run-scorer of the tournament when New Zealand finished runners-up at the 2015 World Cup.

But he had made just one when he fended carelessly outside off-stump against a rising Jasprit Bumrah delivery and was well caught, head-high, by India captain Virat Kohli at second slip.

Guptill's fifth single-figure score of the tournament left New Zealand 1-1 in the fourth over.

His exit brought in Williamson, who prior to Tuesday's match had scored over 28 percent of New Zealand's runs this tournament -- a remarkably high percentage for one batsman.

Left-hander Henry Nicholls eventually struck the opening boundary of the match when he cover-drove Bumrah for four in the eighth over to reach his first double-figure score of the tournament.

Bumrah's opening spell still yielded fine figures of one wicket for 10 runs in four overs.

Left-arm spinner Ravindra Jadeja ended a second-wicket stand worth 68 when he turned one between bat and pad to bowl Nicholls for 28. (AFP, Manchester)

New Zealand batsmen Ross Taylor and skipper Kane Williamson were not allowed to score freely as Indian bowlers bowled excellently.

Indian spinners Yuzvendra Chahal and Ravindra Jadeja kept the Kiwis in check, leaving the batsmen scratching their heads on how to score runs. The fielding has been excellent such that the Kiwis were not able to reach the hundred mark after 25 overs. Henry Nicholls was sent back as a good length ball broke back in and bounced, as the batsman aimed to defend off the front foot, but, he did not expect it to spin so much. Ravindra Jadeja breached Nicholl's defence. The middle stump was knocked back just as New Zealand looked to build a partnership.

 

Skipper Kane Williamson and opener Henry Nicholls steadied the ship and consolidated after New Zealand lost Martin Guptill for 1 following a very nervy and slow start by the Kiwis. Williamson was unbeaten on 26 with Nicholls not out on 23 as the Kiwis reached 52 for the loss of one wicket after 14 overs.

3.3 overs Jusprit Bumrah removes an out-of-form Martin Guptill with a peach outside off-stump. The ball rose sharply as Guptill hesitantly poked at it, only finding the safe hands of Virat Kohli at second slip. 1 run for Guptill off 14 deliveries and 1 run on the board for Kiwis for one wicket.

New Zealand captain Kane Williamson won the toss and elected to bat first in the first semifinal of the 2019 ICC Cricket World Cup at Old Trafford in Manchester today.

The kiwis made one change to their side. Fit-again speedster Lockie Ferguson comes in for Tim Southee. India, too, made one change, with Yuzvendra Chahal replacing Kuldeep Yadav.

Playing XIs:

India: Lokesh Rahul, Rohit Sharma, Virat Kohli(c), Rishabh Pant, MS Dhoni(w), Dinesh Karthik, Hardik Pandya, Ravindra Jadeja, Bhuvneshwar Kumar, Yuzvendra Chahal, Jasprit Bumrah

New Zealand: Martin Guptill, Henry Nicholls, Kane Williamson(c), Ross Taylor, Tom Latham(w), James Neesham, Colin de Grandhomme, Mitchell Santner, Lockie Ferguson, Matt Henry, Trent Boult

"We would've batted first. Fresh wicket, nice and hard, and not moist. A bit of rain around as well, the ball will get wet as the game goes on. It could remain decent throughout the game," India captain Virat Kohli said after losing the toss.

The prolific batsman feels their experience of playing two matches on this ground would help them negate the impact of losing the toss. "It's going to remain similar throughout the course of the game - we have done well in Manchester. We have had two good games in Manchester, and it's about focussing on the basics. We need to remember why we are in the semis."

New Zealand skipper Kane Williamson said, "It looks like a good surface. We have played a number of games here. A toss-up with the overheads, but it'll be around all day, so we need to get the job done first up. We are used to the routine, but we have to start afresh after the round robin we have a great opportunity to put up a good performance against a side like India."