Sri Lanka captain Angelo Mathews weathered a fiery spell of reverse swing bowling from Dayle Steyn to take his team past the follow-on mark on the third day of the first Test against South Africa on Friday.
The series loss to South Africa notwithstanding, India held on to their second spot in the team list, while star batsman Virat Kohli rose up a rung to second in the batsmen's table of the latest ICC ODI cricket rankings.
Swashbuckling batsman Virender Sehwag, who announced his retirement from international cricket, will be the star attraction as Haryana takes on Karnataka in a Group A Ranji Trophy match, starting in Mysuru, on Thursday.
Indian captain Virat Kohli, on Thursday, staunchly supported Ravi Shastri, saying the growing perception of head coach being a 'yes' man to the skipper 'is the most bizarre thing he has ever heard'.
He became the second-fastest cricketer in the world to reach 200 Test wickets but Indian off-spinner Ravichandran Ashwin says the thought of creating records never crossed his mind since he is 'happy competing with himself'.
The maestro wants a repeat of the teamwork from the current pace battery.
New Zealand's Colin Munro and Ish Sodhi have started the year with a bang after vaulting to the top of the ICC T20I Player Rankings for batsmen and bowlers respectively, following stellar performances in the series against the West Indies, which recently concluded at Mount Maunganui on Wednesday.
Winning Test matches outside the sub-continent has been an 'Achilles Heel' for the Indian teams over the years but skipper Virat Kohli made it clear that they have "nothing to prove to anyone" during the upcoming South Africa series, starting January 5.
Former South Africa captain Graeme Smith said he is "nervous" about the Proteas' upcoming tour of India, starting with the first Test in Mohali on November 5.
India stormed into the final of the ICC World T20 with a resounding six-wicket victory over South Africa in the second semi-final, in Mirpur, on Friday night. Chasing South Africa's competitive total of 173, India, led by a scintillating unbeaten 76 by Virat Kohli, completed the task with five deliveries to spare and reach their second World T20 final.
Gujarat Lions would look to better their debut season's success and aim for a winning start against two-time champions Kolkata Knight Riders in an Indian Premier League match, in Rajkot on Friday.
Some strong performances with the bat will help Joe Root to surge to the top and then potentially strengthen his position in the four-Test series against Pakistan, which begins on 14 July.
Teams play safe, retain star players, total purse at Rs 148 crore versus Rs 198 crore last year
ujarat Lions face the challenging task of gathering themselves and bounce back when they square off against the consistent Kolkata Knight Riders.
Lasith Malinga and Mitchell McClenaghan came up with stellar bowling display to help Mumbai Indians defend a modest score and beat Sunrisers Hyderabad by 20 runs in their Indian Premier League match at the Wankhede stadium.
Gujarat Lions would be looking to get back to winning ways when they lock horns with Royal Challengers Bangalore.
Kolkata Knight Riders speedster Morne Morkel says one has to think on his feet to contain someone like AB de Villiers, considered the most dangerous batsman in contemporary cricket.
'You have to just adjust to the conditions quickly because there is a big difference in the 50-over and 20-over cricket.' 'Even in Test cricket you can't be a classical spinner, which you were 20 years ago.' 'If I want to hide myself from my limitations, then I don't want to play this game.'
New Zealand entered their maiden ICC World Cup final, beating South Africa by five wickets in a thrilling rain-reduced World Cup semi-final at Eden spoPark in Auckland on Tuesday. Set 298 to win from 43 overs, the Kiwis, led by fine knocks from captain Brendon McCullum (59 off 26 balls) and Grant Elliott (84 off 73) got across the finish line with one ball to spare. Elliott hit the winning run with a six over long-on off the bowling of Dale Steyn.
All their efforts to stop a rampaging England ending in smoke, South Africa's all-rounder Jean-Paul Duminy said it was the bowlers who let them down by giving too many extras during their two-wicket loss in the ICC World Twenty20 pool match in Mumbai on Friday.
When JP Duminy finally made his Test debut the first question many people asked was, "How good is South Africa's top six if this guy can't make it?"
Impressed with India's dominating performance in the World Cup so far but not completely satisfied with it, Sachin Tendulkar has said that the team can raise its game a few notches higher.
With an unassailable 3-0 lead in hand, India need just one more win to claim their maiden ODI series triumph on South African soil.
He was on the Marquee List. His base price was a meagre Rs 50,000. Yet batting sensation Martin Guptill failed to find a buyer at the IPL auction.
India aim to stay afloat against daunting South Africa in the second Test
Half-centuries from Kraigg Brathwaite and Marlon Samuels steered a battling West Indies to 147 for two at the close on day three of the second Test against South Africa on Sunday.
Vernon Philander took five wickets as South Africa closed in on victory having reduced West Indies to 76 for two in their follow-on innings at the close of play on day three of the opening Test on Friday.
South Africa pacer Vernon Philander, on Wednesday, questioned India's claims of being fully prepared for the three-match series, saying a fair assessment of where the visitors stand could only be made after the first Test beginning Friday.
Kane Williamson is the second New Zealand batsman after Glenn Turner to top the ICC Player Rankings for Test batsmen following a man of the match performance in the Hamilton Test against Sri Lanka, which helped the home side win by five wickets and take the series 2-0.
With four days lost in the drawn second Test, South Africa captain Hashim Amla candidly admitted that he is unable to find many positives from the rain-truncated game apart from AB de Villiers's knock of 85 in his 100th game.
