The early overs used to be all about Smriti Mandhana but India's star opener says she feels relieved of pressure thanks to the emergence of teenage prodigy Shafali Verma. There's been no hesitation from Verma in making a name for herself on the global stage, the 16-year-old having scored 68 runs across two games, including five sixes and seven fours, at an impressive strike rate of 212.
Iyer had missed the first leg of the IPL after suffering a shoulder injury during the first ODI between India and England in March.
The visitors lost eight wickets for as many runs to suffer a dramatic slide in the match that saw them lose the series 1-2.
Bowlers put their foot on the pedal after a flamboyant innings from debutant Hardik Pandya enabling India to be in firm control of the proceedings in the first Test against Sri Lanka, in Galle.
Sachin Tendulkar feels the secret of India's No.1 batsman Virat Kohli's success is playing with a "straight bat" and "visualising all three formats without ever compromising on his technique".
'T20 is so fast-paced that a coach can do very little from the sidelines, you need a very good captain, who can take decisions there and then.'
'Over the last 12 months Virat's averaged 133, Shikhar 75, and Rohit 50; so there's a lot of runs and balls faced from their top three. It's important to get them as early as you can because once they get in, they score fast and they don't seem to get out too easily'
It was batters who mostly lead their teams to victories and some into the knock-outs. While Mumbai trailblazer Sarfaraz Khan continues to find the big runs, Baba Indrajith's consistency wasn't enough for Tamil Nadu to make even the top two in Group H.
Virat Kohli's form may have taken a hit since dropping to number four in the batting order, but West Indian legend Sir Viv Richards feels the marauding cricketer should continue in the position if that is what the Indian team requires.
Jammu and Kashmir skipper Parveez Rasool continued his brilliant all-round performance with a five-wicket haul as their Ranji Trophy quarter-final match seemed headed for an exciting finish with Punjab leaving them with a target of 324 for a historic victory in Vadodara.
Captain Michael Clarke gave a graphic illustration of the raw emotions of the Australia team when he broke down repeatedly while paying tribute to former team mate Phillip Hughes on Saturday.
All-rounder Hardik Pandya is likely to play a specialist batsman in this year's Indian Premier League and might not be used as a bowler with Mumbai Indians keeping an eye on his workload.
Batting at number four, Dhoni, who generally bats at number six, anchored India's chase with a 114-ball 87 not out which was studded with six boundaries.
'If you can't be on the same field as him and watch him and learn from what he is doing, then you are in the wrong space.'
Afghanistan's controversial campaign, marred by poor on and off-field decisions, has gone from bad to worse. They now face the onerous task of squaring off against a galaxy of world class players, whose performance graph is on the upswing.
They are determined to recapture the number one spot in the ICC ODI rankings but Australia skipper George Bailey said it would be "silly" to assume that the visitors would be able to thrash India by the requisite 6-1 margin in the seven-match series starting in Pune.
Capitals were the best team in the league and their 20-point finish at the group stage was an indication of their consistent performances which didn't dip due to the COVID-19 forced break. CSK, over the years, have been in final eight times and won on three occasions which speak volumes of the team's ability to lift their game just when it's required most.
As Mallikarjun Kharge won the Congress president poll, his electoral rival Shashi Tharoor on Wednesday said the 'democratic contest' has galvanised vibrancy at all levels and has prompted a healthy and constructive discussion on change, which will serve the party in good stead in the future.
Former champions Kolkata Knight Riders will look to strike a perfect balance under the astute leadership of Eoin Morgan when they open their IPL campaign against a consistent Sunrisers Hyderabad in Chennai on Sunday.
Should India play an extra fast bowler in Dharamsala where the pitches suit pacers?
Kohli, the world's No 1 Test and ODI batsman, led India through a historic tour of Australia, during which the team won the Test and ODI rubbers and drew the T20 International series.
Pujara believes that a talent like Pant will learn from his mistakes as he has the ability to rectify and play for the team's cause.
The South Africa pacer played six matches for Delhi Daredevils in the ongoing tenth edition of the 2017 Indian Premier League before returning home and he said the Twenty20 tournament is "a huge network of ideas."
Images from Day 2 in the first Test between England and India, at Trent Bridge, Nottingham, on Thursday.
RP Singh said Dhoni was a fair captain and their friendship never affected the wicketkeeper-batsman's decisions for the team.
Both Hardik and Shankar are known to hit big sixes, the former using a bit more brute power with his impeccable timing.
Former New Zealand captain Martin Crowe urged the younger generation of Indian batsmen to pick Sunil Gavaskar's brain on how to play fast bowling in adverse conditions, something he did more than three decades back and reaped its benefits.
'None of the guys in the change room are panicking. The support staff is not feeling down after this defeat because we knew things we wanted to do in these last three games'
Cheteshwar Pujara stood firm to guide India to 151 for three at stumps on Day 3 for an overall lead of 166 runs.
Pant said the win against Australia in the fourth Test is one of the biggest moments of his life.
Australia's spin legend Shane Warne has called for changes to all formats of cricket in order to bring about a better balance between bat and ball and sustain the interest of fans.
Rahul has shown a lot of flexibility in the series, first with the bat and then putting his hand up for keeping.
Australian captain George Bailey is not surprised that India did not qualify for the tri-series final and said that concentrating on Test cricket before heading into the ODI event might have been the reason for their below-par showing.
New Zealand captain Kane Williamson said though his team played well in the ODI and T20 series and put up a good fight but were not good enough in both the deciding rubbers.
India would look to reignite the spark and keep themselves afloat in the ODI cricket tri-series when they take on an unbeaten Australia in Sydney.
Punjab Kings have under-performed since IPL's inception, reaching the final only once in 14 attempts.
Former champions Sri Lanka are all but out of the tournament after the Islanders produced a dismal batting show to manage a modest 203, a target which the Proteas overhauled with 76 balls in hand.
Geoff Lawson, on Monday, expressed anguish at the hapless lot of the bowlers in T20 cricket around the world, especially in the Indian Premier League
India captain Mahendra Singh Dhoni has said the dilemma over settling down into the right bowling combination has put the team in a "catch-22 situation" ahead of the ICC World Cup.
One of New Zealand's most successful coaches who is now currently director of cricket at the Royal Challengers Bangalore, Mike Hesson expects Rohit and Gill to open but wants Agarwal, who lost his spot in the eleven after two Tests in Australia, to be given a chance.
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