'The way Vijay and Rahul batted in second innings, I think it was overcast and very important phase, they took on the bowlers, especially Rahul. I think those contributions should not be neglected. A 44-run contribution in the context of a 323-run target is massive'
Indian assistant coach Sanjay Bangar highlighted the lower order collapse as one of the areas the team can improve
Livid with the criticism that pitches for the ongoing series against South Africa are not sporting enough, Indian Team Director Ravi Shastri said there is nothing wrong with Test matches folding up in three days and the critics should "stop cribbing".
Mumbai Indians defeated Kings XI Punjab by 23 runs in the Indian Premier League match in Mohali.
Statistical highlights on day 3 of the first Test between India and New Zealand in Kanpur on Saturday.
After taking an unassailable 3-0 lead following the nine-wicket victory in the fourth One-Day International against England, India is likely to give a break to some of their key players in the inconsequential fifth and final match at Headingley, Leeds, on Friday.
The likes of Virender Sehwag, David Miller and Glenn Maxwell have not managed to live up to expectations for Kings XI Punjab in IPL 8.
Defending champions Kolkata Knight Riders would look to return to winning ways.
Virat Kohli achieved another personal milestone by becoming the seventh India batsman and first since Sachin Tendulkar in June 2011, to top the MRF Tyres ICC Player Rankings for Test Batsmen.
India frittered away a solid start as a middle-order collapse saw them reduced to 291 for 9 on the opening day of the first cricket Test against New Zealand despite half-centuries from Murali Vijay and Cheteshwar Pujara in Kanpur on Thursday.
Having decimated South Africa inside three days on a turning track in Mohali, India will again look to unleash their troika of spinners to spoil A B de Villiers's landmark 100th match when the two sides meet in the second Test, in Bangalore, on Saturday.
ndia failed to bowl out county side Essex in 94 overs before Shikhar Dhawan and Cheteshwar Pujara suffered another batting failure
Outwitted in both the T20 and the ODI series, India will seek redemption in the Test format by trying to spin a web around the formidable South Africans in the four-match series starting in Mohali, on Thursday.
'Australia will be a different proposition... the pitches will be completely different than England.'
England pair Joe Root and James Anderson broke the all-time Test record for a 10th-wicket partnership on Saturday but the first Test against India at Trent Bridge looks like ending in a draw.
South Africans take the top 3 slots in Most Valuable Player Index.
India took a stranglehold over the West Indies on the opening day of the first Test at the Eden Gardens on Wednesday. Having restricted the visitors to 234 in the first innings, the home team put up 37 without loss in 12 overs in reply by stumps.
Ravindra Jadeja struck a fifty to give India a handy first innings lead before returning to claim three Australian wickets as the home side stood 87 runs away from a series-clinching victory in the fourth and final Test in Dharamsala on Monday.
West Indies leg-spinner Devendra Bishoo has said that the pitch at the Sir Vivian Richards Stadium is a batting friendly where the bowlers need to be patient in order to get wickets.
Captain Virat Kohli compiled an unbeaten century to put India in a commanding position on the first day of the opening Test against West Indies in Antigua on Thursday. Kohli was on 143 at the close of play, his 12th Test century, as the visitors reached 302 for four.
Overwhelmed by the comparisons with Virender Sehwag after his dream debut in Australia, Mayank Agarwal says he will be happy if he could do even half of what the former India opener achieved in his illustrious career.
Pleased with his world record feat of eight catches in a Test match, Ajinkya Rahane credited former India captain Rahul Dravid for guiding him on slip catching and overall fielding.
'It is the ability to fight back.' 'Obviously, you need skill to win a game of cricket, but the biggest thing is the resilience and the conviction to bounce back and the conviction to go and win abroad or anywhere.' 'I think that conviction is what stands out.'
Off-spinner Nathan Lyon claimed career-best figures of eight for 50 to help Australia bundle out India for 189 on the first day of the second Test at the M Chinnaswamy Stadium in Bengaluru on Saturday.
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.
'Rohit can bring a lot to the table.' 'And if he clicks, then imagine how strong our batting line-up will be.'
He may have scored a fluent century to steady India from the early jitters against Sri Lanka in the second Test, but opener Lokesh Rahul has mixed feelings about his innings.
Agarwal, thrusted into the squad following failure of KL Rahul and Murali Vijay, responded with a 76-run knock off balls, sorting out India's opening woes to some extent.
Considering that the tournament Down Under will be played on faster wickets, it's obvious that spinners are unlikely to play a significant role. In these circumstances, having one spinner in the playing eleven is the most one can expect, says Bikash Mohapatra.
'Rishabh is fine batsman but needs to do improve with gloves'
Looking to salvage pride in the third Test beginning, in Johannesburg, on Wednesday, team India got down to business at the Wanderers with a practice session that lasted just under four hours.
The national selection committee, under Sandeep Patil, is likely to leave it to limited-overs' captain Mahendra Singh Dhoni to decide on his availability for the short tour of Zimbabwe, from June 11-20.
Nerves will play a big role when title-hungry Chennai Super Kings and Sunrisers Hyderabad look to outdo each other and regain the coveted IPL crown when they square off in the final in Mumbai on Sunday.
Virat Kohli became only the third Indian to score a hundred on his captaincy debut as the visitors responded resolutely to Australia's mammoth first innings total by reaching 369 for five on the third day to leave the first cricket Test evenly poised at the Adelaide Oval on Thursday.
Cheteshwar Pujara rose to the occasion with a maiden century in Australia, pulling India out of a deep hole to a respectable 250 for nine on day one of the first Test in Adelaide on Thursday.
India's Shivil Kaushik has emerged as the proud heir to the South African spinner's 'frog-in-a-blender' action.
Gujarat left-arm spinner Akshar Patel was recalled to the Indian squad for the last two One-Day Internationals against West Indies, while senior off-spinner Ravichandran Ashwin continues to be rested.
AB de Villiers' masterly 85 in his 100th test could not gloss over South Africa's spin frailty as India took charge of the second Test after dominating the opening day at Bengaluru's M Chinnaswamy Stadium on Saturday.
South African pace ace Dale Steyn might not turn out to be as big a threat for India in next month's highly-anticipated Test series, feels senior spinner Harbhajan Singh.
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