'The biggest danger is that majoritarianism is getting normalised, insidiously and overtly... We are bringing the worst, not the best in us... We are looking for new enemies - Muslims, urban Naxals, tukde tukde gang, some enemy or the other which keeps this majoritarian wheel turning,' says journalist Rajdeep Sardesai.
Former Pakistan speedster Shoaib Akhtar, once a nemesis of many a top Indian batsman, is now ready to offer advice to his arch-rivals saying that Mohammad Shami, Umesh Yadav and Varun Aaron will be key to India's 2015 World Cup defence.
All the Indian batsmen and bowlers will get a look in and skipper Virat Kohli is expected to decide his best possible combination for the playing eleven for the first Test depending on their performances in the coming two days.
Basu is most satisfied about the transformation he has brought in the fitness levels of speedsters Jasprit Bumrah, Bhuvneshwar Kumar and Mohammad Shami.
India overcame a disastrous start to beat New Zealand by 35 runs in the fifth and final One-Day International in Wellington on Sunday and finish the series with a 4-1 scoreline in their favour.
Shikhar Dhawan and Rohit Sharma on Monday managed to retain their places despite their below-par performances in the Test series in West Indies, which India won 2-0.
Ashish Nehra rates India's bowling attack as one of the best and said the ongoing first Test against Sri Lanka on a "green" Eden wicket is an ideal preparation for the hosts ahead of their gruelling tour of South Africa.
But former Pakistan pacer, Wasim Akram says it will be emotionally very demanding for the Australians to get back on the field.
Delhi Daredevils find themselves in an 'oh-so-familiar' situation as they seek home comfort against a Chris Gayle-inspired Kings XI Punjab
Pace attack may be seen as India's perennial problem overseas but it would be a thing of past come Australia series beginning next month, feels assistant coach Sanjay Bangar.
India speedster Umesh Yadav on Saturday admitted that being a senior bowler he needs to perform better in the death overs if he has to consistently feature in the playing XI in the limited overs cricket.
Pacer Ishant Sharma retained his place despite his struggle for form as India named an unchanged squad, which played in the first three ODIs, for the remaining four games in the seven-match series against Australia.
Images from Day 4 of the second Test between India and the West Indies.
Virat Kohli and AB de Villiers hit half-centuries to overshadow Chris Gayle's unbeaten 99 as Royal Challengers finally snapped their six-match losing streak with a eight-wicket win over Kings XI Punjab.
IMAGES from Day 3 of the 3rd Test played between South Africa and India at the Wanderers stadium in Johannesburg on Friday
Tendulkar and Dravid came close to the 900-point mark, but were unable to break the barrier
Dinesh Karthik rued the dropped catches that proved decisive in his team's nine-wicket loss to the West Indies in a one-off Twenty20 match, acknowledging a chance that he himself spilt.
A timely 52 not out off 29 balls in Royal Challengers Bangalore's easy win over Delhi Daredevils should erase the disappointment of failing to fire in the World T20 final against Sri Lanka.
Speedster Umesh Yadav feels that England could have scored more than 268 for eight as the wicket did not change much and it was "easy to play spinners" with not much turn on offer.
Architect-turned-cricketer Varun Chakravarthy, with a base price of Rs 20 lakh, went to Kings XI Punjab for a massive Rs. 8.4 crore, while Rajasthan Royals retained Jaydev Unadkat for the same amount.
Skipper Dinesh Karthik will face a big test when a struggling Kolkata Knight Riders lock horns with a resurgent Delhi Daredevils, led by double title winning former KKR skipper Gautam Gambhir, in a much-anticipated IPL clash, in Kolkata, on Monday.
India nearly scripted an epic win but the first cricket Test against Sri Lanka ended in a draw after a tantalising final day's cricket.
India crushed New Zealand by 178 runs in the second Test on Monday to clinch the three-match series and reclaim top spot in the world rankings from Pakistan.
Rajneesh Gupta gives us all the numbers from the first week of IPL 2020.
Delhi Daredevils would look to continue the new-found momentum against a struggling Gujarat Lions in New Delhi on Thursday.
Captain Zaheer Khan has said the next five games in a span of nine days starting with the clash against Kolkata Knight Riders in Kolkata on Friday will be a defining phase for Delhi Daredevils in the ongoing 10th edition of the Indian Premier League.
Ajinkya Rahane scored his maiden One-Day International century as India trounced England by nine wickets in the fourth one-dayer to take an unassailable 3-0 lead in the five-match series.
West Indian legend Michael Holding has been impressed with the growth of fast bowling in India but rued the decline of the art in world cricket due to an overkill of the game.
Their confidence restored after a bumpy start, a transformed Delhi Daredevils will look to stretch Kings XI Punjab to the limit when they face off in the Indian Premier League (IPL), in New Delhi, on Saturday.
Formidable India will hope to get more answers for their unsettled middle-order puzzle when they take on a reeling West Indies in the five-match ODI series, starting Sunday and ticking off the home team's countdown to the 2019 World Cup.
'In some matches I bowl badly and don't realise what went wrong and how to correct. A fast bowling coach can help us correct our mistakes and improve as bowler'
Stopping a resurgent Australia would not be easy but a confident India would look to end the series on a high when they compete in the fifth and final ODI match, in Nagpur, on Sunday.
Do you think India should go with an extra spinner in Harbhajan Singh or continue with all-rounder Hardik Pandya? Select your Indian team for their opening World T20 match against New Zealand.
India have endured series losses in South Africa and England over the last nine months but have still managed to remain the number one side in the longest format.
Former India pacer Rudra Pratap Singh believes the defending champions have found form at the right time and sent out a warning to other teams in the ICC World Cup.
Once again slamming the Indian bowlers for their poor showing in Australian conditions ahead of the World Cup, former captain Sunil Gavaskar said that the bowlers have learnt nothing from their past experiences on foreign tours.
India pacer Mohammed Shami allayed apprehensions that the experimental pink ball may not aid in getting reverse swing after he battled dehydration to grab five wickets in the CAB Super League final Super in Kolkata on Sunday. Playing for Mohun Bagan, Shami (5/42) was taken off the field after suffering from dehydration only to come back later on day 2 of the match against Bhowanipore, which is doubling up as the first day/night multiday experiment at the Eden Gardens. Shami looked unplayable with his pace and bounce that rattled the inexperienced Bhowanipore who recovered from 45 for seven to 153 all out (including 20 penalty) in 38.5 overs in reply to Mohun Bagan's first-innings total of 299.
Delhi Daredevils, looking to get back to winning ways after two straight defeats, face a stern test against formidable Sunrisers Hyderabad in Thursday's IPL match, in Hyderabad.
Pacers Mohammed Shami and Ashok Dinda shared seven wickets between them to trigger a collapse that saw Bengal beat Tamil Nadu by 77 runs and storm into the semi-finals of the Vijay Hazare One-Day tournament.
India skipper Virat Kohli mocked at Joe Root's 'mic drop' celebration with his own version of the gesture but the England captain took it sportingly, saying 'it adds to the spectacle of Test cricket'.
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