'Well, there is always excitement when India plays. So I am looking forward to the series. Lots of young talent in the spin bowling department. Am looking forward to seeing the spinners doing really well.'
Muttiah Muralitharan on Thursday blamed non-performing youngsters and an unsettled combination for Sri Lankan cricket team's woes in recent times.
Complimenting Bhuvneshwar Kumar for his ability to stop run flow during slog overs, former Sri Lankan spin wizard Muttiah Muralitharan on Monday hailed the Indian paceman as the one of the best bowlers in the history of Indian Premier League.
Out-of-favour India all-rounder Suresh Raina knows his worth in the Indian Premier League and credited Chennai Super Kings for transforming him into a 'real cricketer'.
Former captain Sourav Ganguly has said the expertise of former Indian cricketers can surely be utilised for bringing improvements in the team but was not sure if they will have enough time for the challenging job.
Joe Root's England will have to step up their game against the turning ball to escape that fate in the test series beginning at Galle on Tuesday.
Amidst tributes for James Anderson, two voices have stood out to show things as they are.
The price eclipsed the A$425,000 achieved by the late Don Bradman's baggy green when it was sold in 2003.
Former Australia captain Steve Waugh has overlooked legends Sachin Tendulkar, Brian Lara, Jacques Kallis, Muttiah Muralitharan and Shane Warne to select Adam Gilchrist as the greatest player of the 21st century. Waugh said Gilchrist's game-changing career, in which he effectively evolved the wicketkeeping position to wicketkeeper-batsman, was what made him his No.1 choice. "I think the guy who's changed the game the most you would have to say is Adam Gilchrist," Waugh told Cricket Australia.
The veteran fast bowler believes Sri Lanka could surprise opposition teams in the round-robin format.
Rajneesh Gupta presents the numbers from the Lord's Test.
Riding on a superb all-round show, Gemini Arabians registered a massive 78-run win over Libra Legends in the opening match of the Masters Champions League Twenty20 tournament at the Dubai International Cricket Stadium on Friday. Put into bat, Gemini Arabians posted a massive 234 for three in their allotted 20 overs and in response the Libra Legends could manage only 156/8. The hero of the Gemini win was the pair of Kumar Sangakkara (86 runs 43 balls, 6x4, 7x6) and opener Richard Levi (62 runs, 43 balls, 4x4, 3x6). Together, they stitched together an 84-run partnership for the second wicket after skipper Virender Sehwag (21) got the tournament off to a rollicking start with a six off the first ball.
Rajneesh Gupta presents the interesting numbers from the second day of Kingston Test between West Indies and India
In David Warner, who is back as captain for this season, the franchise has an inspirational leader and a superb batsman, who would like to lead from the front.
Pakistan batsman Ahmed Shehzad has been provisionally suspended and charged with violating anti-doping regulations after he tested positive for a prohibited substance in May, the country's cricket board (PCB) has said.
Rajneesh Gupta presents the interesting numbers from Day 1 of the second Test between Sri Lanka and India in Colombo.
Rajneesh Gupta presents some interesting numbers from Day 2:
Which Indian batsman has the highest run tally against Sri Lanka (Clue: He has an aggregate of 1,995 runs)? Which Sri Lankan skipper led the islanders against India in 13 Tests and did not win a single one? As the Test series gets underway, Rajneesh Gupta surveys India-Sri Lanka Tests played over the years.
Allan Border, Steve Waugh, Mahela Jayawardene, Kumar Sangakkara and Muttiah Muralitharan are among the cricketers who will accompany Ian Botham at various points of his latest charity walk in Sri Lanka.
David Warner's inputs and influence on the team members makes him an important part of the leadership group at Sunrisers Hyderabad.
India off-spinner Ravichandran Ashwin became the fastest bowler to reach the milestone of 300 Test wickets in his 54th match, breaking Dennis Lillee's record during India's win over Sri Lanka in the second Test, in Nagpur on Monday.
Images from Day 5 of the fifth and final Test between England and India at The Oval in London on Tuesday:
Sri Lanka's spin legend Muttiah Muralitharan, who is bowling coach of Sunrisers Hyderabad, on Tuesday lavished praise on rookie Afghanistan leg spinner Rashid Khan terming him a 'special talent'.
Sri Lanka pace bowler Lasith Malinga ripped through the England batting line-up with four wickets as the former champions handed the favourites a 20-run defeat in a low-scoring World Cup match.
Hailing India's series levelling win against Sri Lanka in the second Test as a start of a bright future, former captain Sunil Gavaskar said that the Virat Kohli-led side not only looks "determined" but has also found the right balance in all departments.
Sachin Tendulkar's passion for speed ended up giving him and his wife Anjali 'a headache'.
Indian batting icon Sachin Tendulkar and Virendra Sehwag are among the nominees for the 'ESPNcricinfo@20 Cricketer of the Generation' award, after the cricket news website announcing two more categories to its seventh annual awards.
Fast bowler Mohammed Shami picked up a five-wicket haul while left-arm spinner Ravindra Jadeja took four in South Africa's second innings to hand India a convincing 203-run victory, in the opening Test.
Anderson was close to tears after finishing the series as the leading wicket-taker with 24 in five Tests.
The Aussie opener is back with the Orange Army after he was not disallowed by the BCCI last year following his involvement in the ball tampering saga in the Cape Town Test in March 2018.
Shane Warne doesn't like defensive bowlers in limited overs cricket and that's the reason three of his current favourites are India's Kuldeep Yadav, Pakistan's Yasir Shah and Afghanistan's Rashid Khan, who are 'not at all scared of getting hit'.
Kuldeep is in his fourth season with the KKR but it's only in the recent past that he has cemented his place in the Indian team as its go-to spinner along with Yuzvendra Chahal in the limited overs game.
Kohli's much-hyped stint at Surrey was eventually ruled out after he suffered a neck injury.
India batsman Suresh Raina on Thursday completed a decade in international cricket in which he established himself as one of the key players in limited-overs cricket but failed to make an impact in Test cricket.
India's run-machine Virat Kohli and in-form Murali Vijay smashed big centuries in a massive 283-run stand to deflate Sri Lanka on the opening day of the third and final Test on Saturday.
Sri Lankan spin legend Muttiah Muralitharan feels India's Ravichandran Ashwin is presently the best spinner in the world and his achievements with the ball are a testimony to his greatness.
Retired Australian speedster Brett Lee has become the latest player to be named in the Sachin Tendulkar-led Marylebone Cricket Club XI which will take on Rest of the World XI in a Lord's Bicentenary celebration match on July 5.
India's first World Cup winning skipper Kapil Dev, on Tuesday, compared current captain Virat Kohli with the late Jagmohan Dalmiya, terming them heroes on and off the field.
Sunrisers Hyderabad coach Muttiah Muralitharan said the franchise had a good chance of making the IPL final if its qualifier against Kolkata Knight Riders had not been truncated due to rain.
Eclipsing several other great individual knocks, VVS Laxman's masterly innings of 281 against Australia at the Eden Gardens in Kolkata has been rated as the greatest Test performance of the last 50 years.
© 2026 Rediff.com - Investor Information - Advertise with us - Disclaimer - Privacy Policy - Sitemap - Feedback - About us - Terms of use - Grievances