Former head coach Ravi Shastri feels India should look "in the direction" of Virat Kohli to lead the side in a major game, like the WTC final, if skipper Rohit Sharma is unavailable due to "unforeseen circumstances".
The left-handed batter and India vice-captain was signed up in the recent auction, in Mumbai, for Rs 3.40 crore, the highest price for a player in the WPL auction.
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.
After the first qualifier ended in Dubai on Sunday, players from the Delhi Capitals and the Chennai Super Kings caught up with their mates from the opposing side.
Captain Mahendra Singh Dhoni said his side banks on consistency in selection and head coach Stephen Fleming should be given credit for it.
'There is a little bit of home advantage and you got to use your matches at home. It's your facility but in Hyderabad, I think it's fair conditions. At the end of the day, better team on the day wins the game. I must say I congratulate the ground staff for producing good tracks, it's just each and every time, we came up short.'
The overhaul of South Africa's coaching structure has given the team a major boost as they get ready to take on England in a four-Test series which begins on Thursday, captain Faf du Plessis said. Meanwhile, veteran pacer James Anderson will be back on the frontline for England, for what will be his 150th Test.
Captain Faf du Plessis led from the front with an impressive 120 as he single-handedly took South Africa to 269 for 8 in the first One-Day International against India, in Durban, on Thursday.
South Africa have named six uncapped players in their 17-man squad for the first two Tests of the four-match series against England as new coach Mark Boucher seeks to revive the fortunes of the ailing side. Batsmen Pieter Malan and Rassie van der Dussen, fast bowlers Dane Paterson and Beuran Hendricks, all-rounder Dwaine Pretorius and wicketkeeper Rudi Second will all hope to make their debuts in the first Test starting in Pretoria on December 26.
Spinner Wanindu Hasaranga expressed happiness after his spell helped Royal Challengers Bangalore beat Mumbai Indians by seven wickets in the IPL match in Pune on Saturday.
Anyone watching the scenes in the Royal Challengers Bangalore dressing room after they beat the Rajasthan Royals by 4 wickets and 5 balls to spare at the Wankhede stadium on Tuesday night would have thought RCB had finally laid their hands on IPL silverware!
With batsman Steve Smith and all-rounder Cameron Green in reserve in the squad, some pundits had called on Australia to make changes for the next Super 12 game against former champions Sri Lanka in Perth on Tuesday.
Former Pakistani Test bowler Shoaib Akhtar has slammed the International Cricket Council (ICC) for their `mild rap on the wrist` to South African batsman Faf du Plessis over the ball tampering controversy, saying that the ICC 'doesn't have any guts' to show justice.
Defending champions Chennai Super Kings would need to lift themselves after a nightmarish start to the season as they target their first win of IPL 2022 when they take on a high-flying Royal Challengers Bangalore on Tuesday.
Royal Challengers Bangalore took time out from their IPL 2022 training and playing schedule to celebrate Vini Raman and Glenn Maxwell's wedding with a grand party at the team hotel last week.
Photos from the ICC World Cup match played between South Africa and Ireland on Tuesday.
Images from Saturday's IPL match between Royal Challengers Bangalore and Chennai Super Kings, in Dubai.
South Africa, who have been hit by injuries to their pacers, finally have something to cheer about with Lungi Ngidi set to make a comeback in their next game against Afghanistan on June 15.
South Africa captain Faf du Plessis picked hosts England and 2011 champions India as the title favourites for this year's ICC ODI World Cup.
Royal Challengers Bangalore's director of cricket Mike Hesson said that Virat Kohli's intensity proved vital in the win against the Gujarat Titans after the opener roared back into form to boost their chances of making the IPL 2022 play-offs.
Images from Wednesday's World Cup match between India and South Africa, at Southampton.
'Shahbaz is a small skinny guy, he can't hit it long but he can smash it a long way'
Kohli constantly looked up as he made his way back, asking: 'What else do you want me to do?'
England impressively chased down an imposing target to beat South Africa by nine wickets
Jonny Bairstow bludgeoned a brilliant unbeaten 86 from 48 balls as the tourists chased down 180 to beat South Africa by five wickets
Sri Lanka's slow bowlers spun a web around South Africa who collapsed for a meagre 126 to concede a significant first innings lead on a spin-dominated second day of the opening Test.
Images from the ICC World Cup match between Australia and South Africa at Old Trafford on Saturday
Had Rawat taken the catch and dismissed Smith, there is every possibility that RCB could have defended its total in the final overs of the game.
AB de Villiers has resigned as South Africa's Test captain, opening the way for childhood friend Faf du Plessis to take over on a permanent basis.
Images from Friday's Indian Premier League between SunRisers Hyderabad and Chennai Super Kings in Dubai.
'Virat needs to become a free-flowing personality again'
South Africa's openers Dean Elgar (15) and Aiden Markram were positive at the start of the innings, but disaster struck as they lost two wickets in the final two balls of the middle session.
Aiden Markram and Rassie van der Dussen hit half-centuries before Yasir Shah's late strikes gave Pakistan the upperhand, on Day 3 of the first Test, in Karachi, on Thursday.
Cricket South Africa (CSA) has confirmed that Proteas captain, Faf du Plessis, has appealed the decision of the ICC Match Referee which found him guilty of a breach of Article 2.2.9 of the ICC Code of Conduct. Faf was charged with ball tampering last week after footage emerged from the Hobart Test of him applying saliva to the ball with a mint in his mouth. "Faf has decided to appeal the match referee's decision after he and his legal team had studied the written reasons provided by the match referee." commented CSA Chief Executive, Haroon Lorgat.
Five years after USA Cricket shared its plans to launch a domestic T20 tournament, the inaugural edition of the MLC kicked off having assembled an impressive array of investors.
The 21 year old, who made his IPL debut on Saturday, April 9, has the ability to spin the ball both ways and is already being compared to Ajantha Mendis, the mystery spinner from his native island.
South Africa's hopes of a semi-final place at the Cricket World Cup appear to have been washed out along with their fixture against the West Indies at the Rose Bowl on Monday.
Images from Wednesday's IPL match between Sunrisers Hyderabad and Chennai Super Kings.
They came close to record a historic win against India but eventually had to settle for a draw in the opening Test at the Wanderers and South African batsman Faf du Plessis' admitted his team was satisfied with the end result.
South Africa opener Quinton de Kock's attacking 87 set up a four-wicket win over Sri Lanka in the second one-day international in Dambulla on Wednesday, handing the tourists a 2-0 lead in the five-match series.
