Captain Virat Kohli scored a scintillating unbeaten 83, while Ajinkya Rahane was unbeaten on 52 as the duo put on the first hundred-run partnership of the series and ensured that India took a massive 403-run lead on Day 3 of the fourth Test against South Africa in New Delhi on Saturday. Here are the statistical highlights of the day's play.
India's batting coach Sanjay Bangar defend Rohit Sharma's repeated failures in Test cricket, saying the Mumbai batsman deserves the same patience Sri Lanka had with their greats, Marvan Atapattu and Kumar Sangakkara.
The plan hinged on two critical assumptions: India would not be able to replenish supplies quickly to launch a counter-attack. India could not respond in enough strength to dislodge the Pakistanis. Both assumptions would be proved wrong due to the ferocity of the Indian response, reveals former RAW officer Tilak Devasher in his new book, Pakistan At The Helm.
England will be determined to get their act together against defending champions Sri Lanka.
'If Rakesh Sinha introduces the bill, but it does not pass the Rajya Sabha in six years, then the bill will lapse.'
Upbeat after two wins under their belt Delhi Daredevils coach Gary Kirsten believes the team can surely take the momentum forward in the four straight home IPL games at the Feroz Shah Kotla starting on Monday against Kolkata Knight Riders.
Sanjay Khan goes back in time with memories of the Mysore fire tragedy.
A formidable Indian cricket team is likely to revel in home conditions, as they prepare to host and dominate New Zealand in the first Test in Kanpur, from Thursday, heralding the beginning of a long 13-match home season.
Virat Kohli batted continuously for over a day in Delhi and showed no signs of fatigue caused by the pollution, marvels Dhruv Munjal.
'Suddenly, a deafening silence surrounds us. Broken occasionally by the sighs of those who admired this consummate actor, this splendid human being, and trying to grapple with the impermanence of mortal life.' Rinki Roy Bhattacharya, legendary filmmaker Bimal Roy's eldest daughter, celebrates Farouque Shaikh's life.
As the dust finally settles on the outcome of the Lok Sabha elections 2019 and Bharatiya Janata Party along with its NDA allies emerges as the clear winner, here is a list of who won in each of the 7 phases of elections.
Ravichandran Ashwin and Wriddhiman Saha stitched an unbeaten 108-run partnership for the sixth wicket to rescue India from a precarious start as the visitors' posted 234 for five when stumps were drawn on day 1 of the third Test at St Lucia. Ashwin will resume the second day on 75 and will be eyeing his second century of the series. His partner Saha will begin his innings on 46. Statistical highlights on Day one of the third cricket test between India and the West Indies, here on Tuesday.
'Freedom of expression is not a freedom to abuse those who do not agree with you.' 'It is also about being liberated from prejudices and intolerance.' 'To me, freedom is the right to be who I am and what I am without hurting the same rights of others.'
Glaring contrasts in various spheres in this Nehru-Gandhi family pocketborough are being raised by the rivals to target Congress President Sonia Gandhi for lop-sided development in the constituency from where she is seeking a fourth term.
England captain Eoin Morgan has said that he did not come into the ICC World T20 with an aim of achieving a specific target but the endeavour has always been to get the best out of the available resources. Asked if he had expected at the start that England will qualify for the semi-finals, Morgan said: "I don't expect a great deal to be honest. I don't set expectations, barriers or limitations. It's all about getting the best out of what we have and at the moment and we seem to be doing that. If we do that from here on in, we put ourselves in really good position." Morgan is happy that the T20 unit has shown a lot of character in recent times by winning pressure games. "It gives us a great deal of confidence. I think in three of our wins we've had to show an immense amount of character, having to chase down 230 (vs SA) and then against Afghanistan, we put our backs against the wall early. We had to fight quite hard.
The Delhi high court has told the Delhi and District Cricket Association it "cannot control" what the International Cricket Council is saying over the issue of lack of completion certificate for the old clubhouse of the Ferozshah Kotla ground, which could lead to shifting of the World T20 semi-final from Delhi.
Following his return to form in the abruptly-ended West Indies series, Indian batsman Virat Kohli claimed the number two slot in the ICC rankings while swing bowler Bhuvneshwar Kumar broke into the top-10 for the first time in his career.
Half-way through the eighth edition of the Indian Premier League, the cash-rich Twenty20 tournament has witnessed some top quality catches. Rediff.com takes a look at some memorable ones.
Rajasthan Royals batsman Ajinkya Rahane credited his mental preparation as the key to his success in Tests, One-Day Internationals and the ongoing Indian Premier League, in which he is the leading run-getter till date.
A resurgent Delhi Daredevils will look to build a winning momentum.
'I changed because I wanted to excel myself at every point. It's important to look good and take care of yourself as there is so much competition. I have not done any surgery. My lips have always been like this. Today, my face is exactly how it was, when I was 16.' Shama Sikander up, close and personal.
A round-up of the Vijay Hazare Trophy matches played on Monday
Half-way through the eighth edition of the Indian Premier League, the cash-rich Twenty20 tournament has witnessed some top quality catches. Rediff.com takes a look at some memorable ones.
Humiliated in their previous face-off this season, table toppers Rajasthan Royals will be desperate to seek revenge against a resurgent Royal Challengers Bangalore in Wednesday's Indian Premier League match in Bengaluru.
'In his 2014 election campaign, Mr Modi had boasted that he would apply the Gujarat model to the rest of India. We just have to ensure he doesn't start with Parliament,' says Shashi Tharoor in this fascinating excerpt from his new book, The Paradoxical Prime Minister: Narendra Modi And His India.
A resurgent Delhi Daredevils squad will look to continue with their winning momentum when they take on defending champions Kolkata Knight Riders in the team's fifth match of the Indian Premier League T20 cricket tournament at the Feroz Shah Kotla, in Delhi on Monday.
Hoping to end their 10-match losing streak in the IPL cricket tournament, Delhi Daredevils will look to turn their fortunes around on home turf when they take on an upbeat Rajasthan Royals at the Feroz Shah Kotla.
Skipper David Warner produced a majestic 93 as he single-handedly led Sunrisers Hyderabad into the IPL final after securing a four-wicket win over Gujarat Lions in the Qualifier 2 at the Ferozshah Kotla Stadium in New Delhi. Chasing a tricky 163, Sunrisers overhauled the target with four balls to spare as Warner anchored the chase with his responsible 58-ball knock, embellished with 11 four and three sixes.
The cricket pitch at the Roshnara Club ground came under scanner on the first day of the Ranji Trophy match between hosts Delhi and Vidarbha as the match had to be stopped for 28 minutes in order to make the 22-yard strip playable after one batsman was hit on shoulders by a bouncer.
Out-of-favour India opener Gautam Gambhir is still hopeful of a comeback and will call time on his career once he feels he can't play international cricket anymore.
'This term -- "Nehru-Gandhi" family -- is a misnomer. Nehru was not a dynast; he did not even name his successor... The big mistake she made was to push forward Rahul Gandhi who is a dead loss as a leader,' says Nayantara Sahgal, whom Sonia Gandhi calls 'Tara Masi.'
Delhi Daredevils defeated Mumbai Indians by 10 runs in their IPL match at the Feroz Shah Kotla.
Off-spinner Ravichandran Ashwin bagged his 18th five-wicket haul as India dominated the first day of the second test against West Indies in Jamaica on Saturday.
'I was actually appointed captain for the West Indies tour (in 1971).' 'But Mr Vijay Merchant (the then chairman of the selectors) didn't like me nor did he like 'Tiger' Pataudi. He thought we were far too flamboyant.' 'He made Ajit Wadekar captain.'
Riding high after an emphatic victory against Kings XI Punjab, a rejuvenated Delhi Daredevils will aim at posing a serious challenge to a formidable Royal Challengers Bangalore when the two teams square off in an Indian Premier League (IPL) encounter in Bengaluru on Sunday.
England batsman Joe Root believes if they stay true to their character, it will not be a problem to beat West Indies in the ICC World Twenty20 summit clash on Sunday. "I don't think there's been an attitude swing or the way we approach practice or anything like that. We went into the tournament and stayed true to what we believe in as a side and the way we play our cricket. I think that's probably been the most important thing," Root said ahead of the final. The promising youngster struck a match-winning 83 from 44 balls to script their famous win against South Africa chasing a huge 230 as they have not looked back since then. "It's about making sure that we did not go away how we wanted to play and the way we wanted to approach our cricket. Having that self-belief in each other and we could get and win against South Africa and build our confidence from that point onwards. Everyone contributed in some way, shape or form which is always nice getting into the final," Root said. He however credited the captain and coach duo of Eoin Morgan and Trevor Bayliss for this turnaround, especially after their ignominous exit in ODI World Cup in Australia last year where they had failed to get past any team apart from minnows Scotland and Afghanistan.
No one even comes close to the impact Anil Kumble has had on Indian cricket, when it comes to winning matches and series, say Aakash Chopra and Impact Index.
These characters have entertained us despite the fact that they do not have any name at all.
There were ugly scenes at Feroz Shah Kotla ground as rival captains Gautam Gambhir and Manoj Tiwary nearly came to exchanging blows during the Ranji Trophy match between Delhi and Bengal, in New Delhi on Saturday.
'Dilwale Dulhaniya Le Jayenge was the highest point of our life,' Lalit Pandit tells Subhash K Jha.