Differing from the views expressed by former India captain Sourav Ganguly, his predecessor Mohammed Azharuddin today said Mahendra Singh Dhoni has achieved so much in his career as a cricketer and he should be allowed to take a call on his future. "It's Ganguly's personal decision (opinion) and I respect it. At the same time it all depends on Dhoni, on what he thinks about his future. I respect Ganguly's opinion, but I feel Dhoni should be given the chance to decide when to retire," said Azhar on the sidelines of a function to announce the joining of racer Nayan Chatterjee with Meco Motor Sports. "He (Dhoni) deserves that chance. He has been one of the finest captains ever. He has won all major tournaments, got India to the no.1 position in all formats of the game. I think we should not forget his performances," said Azhar in support of the current ODI and T20 captain, who has retired from Test cricket. "It's very hard for me to say. It totally depends on Dhoni, how he feels mentally or how demanding the sport is going to become. We have to give that chance to Dhoni to take the decision on his retirement," the former wristy batsman said.
Summary of sports events and persons who made news on Saturday
'We have a quality group of players and we need to be smart about how we use them against opposition. I thought we played a very good game given the fact that what they had to offer. But definitely (Harbhajan was) not dropped in the way that you want me to say it. Just that it was a tactical decision'
Surprised at his selection in the Indian squad for the first Test against South Africa in Nagpur, young Bengal stumper Wriddhiman Saha on Thursday said he would try to do his best if he gets the chance to play for the country.
Summary of sports events and persons who made news on Thursday.
The Proteas skipper felt that the manner in which Rohit Sharma batted in the second innings for his knock of 127, really made the chase difficult for his side.
The defeat against Sunrisers Hyderabad did not hurt them since they have already qualified for the Indian Premier League Play-offs but for Mumbai Indians captain Rohit Sharma the defeat is 'an eye-opener'.
Virat Kohli once again proved why he is regarded as the king of run chases as his unbeaten 154 powered India to an easy seven-wicket victory in the third ODI against New Zealand, in Mohali, on Sunday. During this knock, Kohli also emulated Sachin Tendulkar's record of 14 hundreds in successful run chases in the history of ODI cricket. Former India captain and Sachin's opening partner Sourav Ganguly lauded Kohli for his batting exploits.
Sachin Tendulkar's farewell speech.
Suresh Raina said he would have been left devastated had India failed to draw the fourth and final Test against Australia in Sydney following his failures with the bat in both innings.
Yuvraj Singh did contemplate retirement at one stage after his fight with cancer but it was skipper Virat Kohli's trust that has kept him going, which made it important for him to repay that faith.
Joe Root says James Anderson is a 'special commodity', who is getting better with age.
Full text of Kevin Pieterse's Pataudi Memorial Lecture in Bengaluru
India will begin the journey to identify the core of their 2019 World Cup squad when they square off against a low-on-confidence Sri Lanka in a five-match ODI series, starting in Dambulla, on Sunday.
Ravichandran Ashwin feels 'adaptability' has been the key to success for spinners Yuzvendra Chahal and Kuldeep Yadav in the first two ODIs in South Africa.
The biggest challenge before Virat Kohli and Ravi Shastri ahead of the semi-final will be how best to utilise Mahendra Singh Dhoni.
The conditions in Visakhapatnam were ideal for him as the Bengal speedster got the ball to reverse both ways.
Rajneesh Gupta picks fun sledging through the decades.
Chennai Super Kings pace spearhead Ashish Nehra said dismissing Rohit Sharma, when the Mumbai Indians' skipper was poised for a late assault, proved crucial in his side's six-wicket triumph over the home side in Friday night's IPL match in Mumbai.
He started his career as an equally talented U-19 cricketer like his illustrious peer Virat Kohli but Manish Pandey believes his former India colts colleague "fully deserved to play for the country" ahead of him.
Sachin Tendulkar. An inspiration to a nation. An icon of his sport. Sachin's life offers many, many, lessons, as Devendra Prabhudesai explains in his new book Winning Like Sachin. Think & Succeed Like Tendulkar, from which this fascinating glimpse we are proud to post today, the Master's 45th birthday.
Images from the 5th ODI between India and Australia, played in Nagpur on Sunday
'The armies that are lined up and firing at each other without ceasing, without much change on the ground and without much benefit, are replaced by civilians (also in uniforms, of team colours) screaming abuse,' says Aakar Patel.
The in-form Rajasthan Royals will be confident of a third consecutive victory when they take on Kolkata Knight Riders in the Indian Premier League, in Jaipur, on Wednesday.
- India are strong contenders to get into semi-final along with Australia, New Zealand and South Africa - Rohit is a class player and if he gets going at the top of the order, then he also has the ability to single-handedly win matches for India
With the series already in pocket, the Indian team management has decided to rest senior batsman Suresh Raina for the fifth and final ODI in Ranchi on Sunday.
India are on course for an effortless ODI series whitewash over Zimbabwe but skipper Mahendra Singh Dhoni said he is concerned about the lack of opportunities for most of his batsmen in the tour so far. India posted an eight-wicket victory over Zimbabwe in the second One-day International to claim an unassailable 2-0 lead in the three-match series here. "So far, only three of our top batsmen have got the chance to play. In the batting department we would like to make changes," Dhoni said at the post-match presentation ceremony.
With the Indian team management having already announced that KL Rahul will bat at No. 4 in the upcoming five-ODI series against Sri Lanka, middle order batsman Manish Pandey says he is ready to wait for his chance.
Manish Pandey says his maiden ODI call-up was long overdue and he now hopes to make his much awaited India debut during the short tour of Zimbabwe next month.
Former Sri Lanka spin sensation Muttiah Muralitharan discusses the BCCI's clampdown on suspect bowling actions and his role as bowling coach and mentor of Sunrisers Hyderabad with Harish Kotian/Rediff.com
What makes Ravichandran Ashwin the world's premier Test spinner?
Pace legend Michael Holding is impressed with Mahendra Singh Dhoni's approach.
Ravichandran Ashwin has defended the much hyped in-house rivalry between him and comeback-man Harbhajan Singh.
Mahendra Singh Dhoni and Virat Kohli inspire Rayudu to greater heights.
Relishing the prospect of leading the side in the the first three ODIs against Sri Lanka, India's stand-in skipper Virat Kohli today said the hastily-planned series would be an exciting one, especially with World Cup spots up for grabs.
Delhi Daredevils skipper Jean-Paul Duminy blamed poor batting and fielding as well as lack of intensity for his team's 14-run loss to Rajasthan Royals In an IPL match at the Brabourne Stadium.
Indian skipper Mahendra Singh Dhoni heaped praises on Suresh Raina for his match-winning hundred in the second One-dayer against England here today that helped the visitors take a 1-0 lead in the five-match series.
Kohli finished the series with a staggering 558 runs, which includes three hundreds and a half-century.
Devika Narain earlier designed the weddings of cricketers Dinesh Kartik and Robin Uthappa
'You can have an extra batsman in the middle order, a player like Suresh Raina gets more dangerous at 3, so when Rohit (Sharma) is not around as an opener, I can anytime step up because it provides more balance'
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