Update on India's squad vs Australia, IPL schedule and more - Cricket News Today, 12th February 2019

A warm welcome to yet another edition of Sportskeeda's Cricket News Today, a round-up of the latest updates from the world of cricket. There's a small break for Team India fans with the conclusion of the New Zealand series, but the action will soon resume, in the form of the home series against Australia, with the IPL not very far away.

Here are some of the top stories from the day -

India's ODI squad against Australia to be announced on Feb 15

After a successful tour of Australia, India will play host for the second leg of the limited-overs series beginning February 24, with 2 T20Is and 5 ODIs planned. While the Australia squad has been announced, India is expected to release their list of players on February 15.

The spotlight will be on the senior players, and how they fit in the team in the lead-up to the World Cup. According to the Times of India, there are signs that Rohit Sharma might get some rest, and the committee is expected to continue their workload balancing ahead of the 50-overs tournament - as seen in the past, when players like Virat Kohli and Jasprit Bumrah were rested.

IPL 2019 schedule likely to be out only in March

Barely a month and a half before the 12th edition of the IPL commence, there's still no clarity regarding the exact date for the announcement of the complete schedule.

A BCCI official told Hindustan Times that the schedule is likely to be announced only in March when the election dates are out.

“The schedule will take some time as we need to wait for the general election dates to be released by the election commission. Since this is the most important event in the calendar year, one has to ensure that we work according to the dates and plan the games in a way that everything is in sync", the official was quoted by HT.

"We all know the kind of arrangement that goes behind hosting elections and that is the priority,” he added.

Kumar Sangakkara showers praise on 'passionate' Kohli

Sangakkara and Kohli during the 2014 World T20

There's no shortage of accolades for Virat Kohli who continues to make the headlines despite being away from the game.

Former Sri Lanka captain Kumar Sangakkara, a part of whose career coincided with the rise of Kohli, showered praise on the current Indian captain, calling him 'head and shoulders' above everyone else. Speaking to a news channel, Sangakkara said, according to Reuters: "He has this incredible knack of scoring runs and has a very, very solid method that he believes in. If you see the tempo which he bats with, it hardly changes. He does read the situation very well.

"He is a very passionate guy, you see that in his expressions on the field. It's the overall aspect of both the person and how he has sorted his batting and his attitude."

"If you don't get out, I'll ask for wheelchairs": Pujara recalls 'best sledge'

Pujara during the recent Test series against Australia

Cheteshwar Pujara has done enough with a bat in his hand to be hailed as one of India's best modern-day Test players, but more than the numbers, it is his ability to blunt bowling attacks that stands out.

The recollection of an Australian sledge on him, back in 2017, highlights how big a mental impact his innings have on the opposition.

"When we were playing against Australia in the third Test in Ranchi in 2017, one of the players came and told me 'Now if you don't get out, we'll have to ask for wheelchairs.' I was batting on 170-plus. That's the best sledge I remember from an Aussie player", Pujara told the Times of India.

Follow Sportskeeda for all the updates on IPL 2019 schedule, news, points table, live scores and fantasy tips.