Harish Kotian writes on cricket and sports. You can e-mail the author at harishk@rediff.co.in
If Rishabh Pant excels against Australia, then Dinesh Karthik will struggle to make the cut for the World Cup.
aptain Virat Kohli and premier fast bowler Jasprit Bumrah, were both called back into a full-strength Indian squad, while Dinesh Karthik was left out of the five-match ODI series against Australia, starting in Visakhapatnam, on February 24.
'A player need to have T20 skills otherwise he is not going to survive.'
'No matter how much runs you score in the Ranji Trophy or Duleep Trophy or Irani Trophy, if you don't have T20 skills in batting or bowling you are not going to go too far.'
'Winning even one Ranji Trophy title is a great achievement and to win 10 out of 10 is absolutely amazing.'
'He is like a pillar and the whole team bats around him.' 'In today's world, everyone likes to play their strokes while Pujara is someone who will tire out the bowlers.' 'If you have one batsman who can play out the new ball or play out a spell from a good bowler, then it helps the whole team, it helps the other batsmen.'
#TheRealKashmir celebrates the beauty of Jammu and Kashmir through the lens of football, highlighting the wave of positive change brought about by the beautiful game in the state.
How much do you remember about India's historic wins Down Under?
'It is the ability to fight back.' 'Obviously, you need skill to win a game of cricket, but the biggest thing is the resilience and the conviction to bounce back and the conviction to go and win abroad or anywhere.' 'I think that conviction is what stands out.'
'He showed what Test cricket is all about.'< 'It is not about hitting the ball and looking fancy out in the middle, it is about showing grit.'
'Important things like concentration, having a balanced mind, staying calm at all times, all these important things he learnt from his mother.' Arvind Pujara, the master batsman's dad, has been much praised for instilling the right values in his only child, but he tells Rediff.com's Harish Kotian that it was his late mother Reena who is majorly responsible for Cheteshwar's success.
'Pant can be your match-winner, he has the X-factor.'
How India's players fared in Australia.
India could bring in off-spinner Ravichandran Ashwin if he is ruled fit with Sydney pitch expected to be spin-friendly.
Harish Kotian evaluates Indian performances in the third Test.
The time for experiments is over, Harish Kotian points out.
Should Mayank Agarwal make his Test debut at the MCG? Will Kohli/Shastri pick Hardik Pandya for the Boxing Day Test? Pick India's playing XI for the third Test.
Harish Kotian evaluates the Indian team's performances in the first Test.
Should India bolster its batting by including Rohit Sharma at No 6? Pick India's playing XI for the first Test.
'I was actually appointed captain for the West Indies tour (in 1971).' 'But Mr Vijay Merchant (the then chairman of the selectors) didn't like me nor did he like 'Tiger' Pataudi. He thought we were far too flamboyant.' 'He made Ajit Wadekar captain.'
'If we don't win the series, then there could be something radically wrong with the team.'
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