Rohit Sharma on Sunday emphasised on building his team around "strong bowling options" in order to take the conditions out of the equation as they gear up for the challenges that lay ahead in the run-up to the World Test Championship.
New Zealand fast bowler Lockie Ferguson was ruled out of the ICC Champions Trophy with a foot injury on Tuesday in a major blow for the Black Caps.
India head coach Gautam Gambhir and captain Suryakumar Yadav closely inspected the pitch of the Dubai International Stadium on the eve of their highly-debated Asia Cup clash against Pakistan.
'Hunting in pairs' is an often-used maxim about fast bowlers, but Ravichandran Ashwin and Ravindra Jadeja have given a new spin to it, consistently troubling the opposition in more ways than one.
'We missed out on Ravichandran Ashwin, but we have a strong pace attack.'
As India gears up to face Oman on Friday, September 19, at the Dubai international stadium, the focus returns to cricket.
'Look, I'm sure the pitches will turn: it's whether or not they'll turn from day one, which potentially negates a bit of their strength in their seam attack. We know how strong they are.'
Jadeja returned to haunt South Africa with the ball after the Proteas came out to bat for the second time in the match.
With the pitch here not assisting the spinners so far a great deal, Rampaul expressed his surprise.
India, led by Harmanpreet Kaur, are coming into the showpiece event on the back of a hard-fought ODI series loss to Australia, where opener Smriti Mandhana slammed two back-to-back centuries and the spinners, led by Deepti Sharma, giving a good account of themselves.
Kuldeep and Noor have been in good form for their respective teams and a lot will hinge on them when Delhi Capitals take on Chennai Super Kings in an away game in Chennai on Saturday.
Aiming for their second Cricket World Cup title, Pakistan will be led by Babar Azam and are armed with a strong batting unit that includes Fakhar Zaman, Imam-Ul-Haq, Mohammed Rizwan, Iftikhar Ahmed, and Salman Agha.
New rules, new captains, but same excitement as two months of cricket extravaganza kicks off in Kolkata.
A country which produced champion players of spin bowling such as Roy Dias, Arjuna Ranatunga, Aravinda de Silva, Sanath Jayasuriya, Mahela Jayawardene and Kumar Sangakkara, it has been sharp downward slide for Dinesh Chandimal's men, who have consistently failed against Indian spin duo of Ravichandran Ashwin and Ravindra Jadeja.
Shaheen Afridi, who once tore through their batting lineup with ruthless efficiency, is showing signs of reclaiming his lethal edge just in time for the Asia Cup game against India on September 14.
Don Bradman wore the "baggy green" cap during India's first tour of Australia as an independent country in 1947-48, scoring 715 runs in six innings at an average of 178.75.
If series is on the line and Bumrah is fit, he has to play: Ian Bell
'ECB has hired my services for 2 years and I have to work 100 days a year with them. My main duty will be with the England Cricket team but I will also work with young and rising spinners in English cricket'.
The mystery spinner even has a YouTube channel dedicated to football discussions.
Australia has built an artificial pitch at the National Cricket Centre in Brisbane to help its batsmen deal with spin-bowling on the slow tracks of the subcontinent, where they have so often struggled in the past.
Defending champions Kolkata Knight Riders (KKR) have begun their pre-season preparations with a week-long domestic players' training stint in Mumbai, ahead of their main camp in Kolkata starting March 12 at Eden Gardens. The Mumbai camp, running from February 21-28, features nine domestic players, including Venkatesh Iyer, who was re-signed by KKR for a staggering Rs 23.75 crore after being released, making him the third most expensive player in the IPL auction.
Pakistan moved themselves into a strong position, needing eight wickets to win while South Africa are chasing an imposing target as the first Test headed for an exciting conclusion.
RCB will look to Virat Kohli not just for runs but also for inspiration as they chase that elusive IPL title -- a drought that has persisted for the last 17 years since the IPL's inception in 2008.
'Bumrah bowled brilliantly in both the ODI and T20 World Cups. Siraj is also in the same league. To protect him from injuries'
Australia's Champions Trophy roster will have a different look to the peerless squad that took a record-extending sixth World Cup title at the 2023 tournament in India.
Former captain Heather Knight guided England to a four-wicket win over a spirited Bangladesh in the Women's World Cup on Tuesday.
By picking all 10 wickets, Ajaz Patel joined Jim Laker and Anil Kumble.
Felt like a final, Arshdeep was always my choice for Super Over: Surya
Emotions often get the better of his side when facing arch-rivals India, a flaw former Pakistan skipper Rashid Latif believes has cost them crucial matches in recent years.
India's 40-4 (win-loss) home record in the last decade is awe-inducing but there is an ever-little crack, which is getting more pronounced in the past three years, particularly in the case of star batter Virat Kohli.
Moeen Ali said he has no issues with his spin being used sparingly by captain Mahendra Singh Dhoni after the Chennai Super Kings all-rounder helped his team to victory over Lucknow Super Giants.
India bowling coach Morne Morkel admitted his side was "surprised" by how quickly the Eden Gardens surface "deteriorated" after a dramatic second day in which 15 wickets fell and the opening Test swung sharply in India's favour.
The Indian women's cricket team will look to end a 47-year wait for its maiden ICC title when it takes the field at the ODI World Cup starting with a clash against Sri Lanka.
India endured arguably their worst day on the field on Day 3 of the Manchester Test as Joe Root's record-breaking 150 put the hosts in complete command.
Former India spinner Sridharan Sriram has joined Lucknow Super Giants as assistant coach for IPL 2024 next year.
Though the England-South Africa game yielded less than 150 runs thanks to the brilliant display by the English bowlers, the surface at the Barsapara Cricket Stadium is regarded as batting-friendly and has often produced high-scoring contests.
As many as four world-class match-winners are expected to bid adieu to the game one by one in the next couple of years and Gautam Gambhir is in an unenviable position as head coach.
Having lost against Sri Lanka, Bangladesh face a must-win against Afghanistan to keep their Super 4s hopes alive.
The final Test begins on Friday in New Delhi, and the Shubman Gill-led side is expected to maintain their winning combination as they look to wrap up the home series.
With the three-match Test series poised at 1-1 and the decisive third match, beginning here from Thursday, both the teams seemed to be unclear about the pitch's nature.
