Faced with the prospect of a humiliating 0-3 series whitewash, a desperate India would be aiming to bounce back to winning ways against an unrelenting South Africa in the third and final Test, starting in Johannesburg, on Wednesday.
'I believe that if you have your skills, you will be in a mentally good space.'
Saker took the unusual step of publicly criticising his bowlers in the fourth and final Test against India in Sydney last month, revealing discord with staff over tactics.
'When I was dropped from the team, I think in June-July, I was out for nearly six months. At the start of the Ranji Trophy season I got three matches in Rajkot, and luck also favoured us with the wickets offering turn'
India off-spinner Ravichandran Ashwin hit back at criticism of the pitch for the ongoing third Test between India and South Africa in Nagpur, saying it needs to be taken out of the equation since both teams have to deal with the same conditions. Harish Kotian/Rediff.com reports
Images from Day 1 of the third Test between India and South Africa in Nagpur, on Wednesday.
Injured South Africa pacer Dale Steyn bowled for a short while in the nets, raising hopes of him being included in the playing XI in the third Test against India in Nagpur, but his fast bowling partner Morne Morkel said the team is keeping its fingers crossed.
The bowler, whose lethal pace is intimidating for most batsmen around the world, said he always found the going tough against an on-song Sehwag.
South Africa will have to dig deep if they are to avoid defeat in the first Test after being reduced to 72 for four wickets in their second innings, still trailing Pakistan by 121 runs, in Abu Dhabi on Wednesday.
Statistical highlights of the third cricket One-day international between India and Sri Lanka in Uppal.
Rajneesh Gupta presents all the fascinating career numbers of players in the World Cup.
Srinivas Bhogle and Purnendu Maji identify Rediff.com's Most Valuable Players in IPL 10, after Wednesday's Eliminator game.
A venomous spell of fast bowling from Stuart Broad led England to an emphatic seven- wicket win over South Africa in the third on Saturday to clinch the series. Broad's brilliant return of 6-17 on a lively wicket skittled the Proteas for 83 in their second innings on the third day. England reached their modest victory-target of 74 with relative ease as captain Alastair Cook (43) top-scored in guiding them to 77 for three from 22,4 overs under gloomy skies. The tourists now have an unassailable 2-0 lead in the four-match series, with the final game to be played in Pretoria. South Africa bowled out England for 323 in the morning session for a slender first-innings deficit of 10 runs, but were no match for the bounce and movement of a rampant Broad as they crumbled to their second lowest score since returning to international cricket in 1991.
Virat Kohli remained the highest-placed Indian batsman at fourth even as Shikhar Dhawan rose a rung to sixth in the latest ICC ODI rankings.
Factbox on the cricket World Cup semi-final between New Zealand and South Africa at Eden Park, Auckland.
South Africa's AB de Villiers and Sri Lanka's Kumar Sangakkara will take their battle for the coveted No 1 spot in the Reliance ICC Player Rankings for ODI batsmen to Sydney when they go head-to-head in the first quarter-final of the World Cup.
Ravindra Jadeja did the star turn with a five-wicket haul, after Ajinkya Rahane's brilliant century, as India took control of the fourth Test against South Africa by taking a commanding 213-run lead on the second day at the Feroz Shah Kotla, in Delhi, on Friday.
Their confidence in tatters after being entangled in a spin web on a rank-turner in Jamtha, Nagpur, the South Africans seemed a bit relieved on Tuesday following a look at the Kotla strip, on which the fourth Test will be played.
'Binny's slot could go to a spinning all-rounder in Nagpur. It could be either Rohit or Mann.'
India will meet Bangladesh in the semi-finals in Birmingham on Thursday.
"This will probably be the biggest World Cup, so there will be great expectations and I know we will do very well for the people of the West Indies," he added.
All-rounder Ravindra Jadeja on Saturday said he always feared being labelled as a player who excels only in domestic cricket and desperately wants success at international level.
Anderson becomes number-one ranked Test bowler
Srinivas Bhogle and Purnendu Maji present Rediff.com's Most Valuable Player Index after game 47 of IPL 10.
Murali Vijay's captain knock went in vain as Royal Challengers Bangalore snatched a nerve-wracking one-run win victory over Kings XI Punjab in an enthralling Indian Premier League encounter, in Mohali, on Monday.
In terms of days, Dale Steyn has spent 2,320 days at the top of the ICC Player Rankings for Test Bowlers, the most by any bowler since World War II.
Rajneesh Gupta checks out the numbers for Virat and Faf and their boys.
In the run-up to the 2015 World Cup, India seemed to stumble, but were a changed side once the tournament commenced. They have been clinical in their wins and have cruised to the quarter-final. Along the way, they continued their hold over archrivals Pakistan -- winning their sixth match against the neighbours in the mega event. They then thrashed the more fancied South Africa and took care of business in the other four first round matches. Here are the key moments that stood out in each of their first round matches.
India failed to make the best of first use of the wicket, their batsmen capitulating against both pace and spin as they were dismissed for 215 in the first innings in the third Test against South Africa at the Vidarbha Cricket Association stadium, in Nagpur, on Wednesday. However, the hosts hit back immediately, claiming two early scalps, leaving the Proteas reeling on 11 for 2 after nine overs at the end of Day 1.
South Africa coach Russell Domingo says India have a seriously good batting line-up and it's not the Proteas' style to target one individual player.
Rediff.com takes a look at a few brilliant efforts which, unfortunately, were in a losing cause.
Rediff.com takes a look at few of Virender Sehwag's best knocks.
A relieved Mahendra Singh Dhoni took a dig at his critics, after inspiring India to a series-levelling win over South Africa in the second One-Dayer in Indore on Wednesday.
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.
Murali Vijay and Cheteshwar Pujara eye top 10 places while Ravindra Jadeja jumps to career-best third position among Test all-rounders.
Rajneesh Gupta presents a complete statistical IPL dossier.
David Warner's blazing century sent him on top of Rediff.com's MVP table, with KKR's wicketkeeper-batsman Robin Uthappa not that far behind.
Virtually backing India's stance on producing spin-friendly tracks, former Australian captain Ian Chappell said he does not see anything wrong in the turning track in the Nagpur Test which saw India thrash South Africa inside three days, saying matches played elsewhere on seaming tracks have ended "in the blink of an eye".
Going by the state of the pitch and the match situation after Day 1 in the ongoing third Test against South Africa in Nagpur, few are betting against another three-day finish, says Harish Kotian/Rediff.com.
Pakistan skipper Misbah-ul-Haq is baffled by his team's batting failure, which has left the side struggling to stay alive in the Champions Trophy after two successive defeats.
