Manpreet Juneja's resolute knocks went in vain as India A succumbed to a humiliating 162-run defeat against the West Indies A in the first unofficial Test, giving away a 1-0 lead to the visitors in the three-match series in Mysore.
India 'A' batsmen failed to deliver when it mattered the most as they crashed to a 121-run defeat in the second unofficial 'Test' against South Africa 'A', who rode on seamer Beuran Hendricks' six-wicket haul to level the two-match series 1-1 in Pretoria, on Tuesday.
Umar Akmal played a stunning cameo of 18-ball unbeaten 38 as Lahore Lions beat defending champions Mumbai Indians by six wickets in their opening qualifying round match of the Champions League Twenty20 in Raipur on Saturday.
Middle-order batsman Sangram Atitkar hammered a listless Bengal attack into submission with a brilliant 168 as Maharashtra took a mammoth first innings lead to set sights on an innings victory by stumps on the second day of Ranji Trophy semi-final in Indore.
Railways' experienced campaigner Mahesh Rawat proved to be the thorn in the flesh for Bengal as he stood tall with an unbeaten century to lead the visiting team's recovery on day two of the Ranji Trophy quarter-final in Kolkata on Thursday.
A gritty unbeaten half-century by Parvinder Singh helped Uttar Pradesh overcome a jittery start and post 206 for 5 in the first innings, on the second day of the three-day practice match, against the visiting West Indies, in Kalyani, on Friday. The West Indies scored a healthy 466 in their first innings, courtesy a patient 112 by veteran Shivnarine Chanderpaul and an impressive 94 by Narsingh Deonarine.
Tamim Iqbal became his country's top run-scorer in one-day cricket as Bangladesh beat New Zealand by 40 runs in the second ODI to take an unassailable 2-0 lead in the three-match series, in Dhaka, on Thursday night.
Pacer Shardul Thakur had match figures of eight for 113 as Mumbai beat Delhi by 204 runs to enter the semi-finals of the Ranji Trophy.
Glenn Maxwell took the India A bowlers to the cleaners yet again, smashing a quickfire half-century, to help Australia A win by 25 runs and storm into the final of the A teams tri-series in Pretoria, on Sunday.
Glenn Maxwell hammered the India 'A' bowlers to all parts of the LC de Villers Oval in Pretoria to score 145 not out from 79 balls and lift Australia 'A' to 298 in the second match of the 'A' Team tri-series, on Thursday.
A superb all-round show by J P Duminy earned South Africa a 12-run victory over Sri Lanka in the first Twenty20 international in Colombo on Friday. The tourists, after putting up a modest 115-6 after electing to bat, restricted Sri Lanka at 103-9 at the Premadasa stadium.
The West Indies tasted success for the first time on their New Zealand tour on Thursday when they scraped home by two wickets in the first One-Day International in Auckland. After dismissing New Zealand for a modest 156 in 42.1 overs, the West Indies made hard work the target for the loss of eight wickets in 27.3 overs.
Skipper Cheteshwar Pujara hit a scintillating 140 as India 'A' posted 281 for three against South Africa 'A' at stumps on the opening day of the first unofficial Test in Rustenberg.
Skipper Laxmi Ratan Shukla's valiant unbeaten half-century helped Bengal stage a remarkable fight-back against Railways in their controversy-marred Ranji Trophy quarter-final at the Eden Gardens.
Once the US dollar launches into its final bull leg from the 79 region towards 84, the appreciating currency should put a lot of pressure on commodities that will perhaps trigger the capitulation that the market needs in commodities liker gold, silver and WTI crude, says Sonali Ranade.
Defending champion Viswanathan Anand and Norwegian challenger Magnus Carlsen played out a fourth successive draw in the World Chess Championship in Chennai on Tuesday after 64 moves.
On a day of fluctuating fortunes, West Indies 'A' batted brilliantly in the first two sessions and the India 'A' bowlers fought back strongly in the last session, to share the honours at the end of Day 1 in the third unofficial 'Test' at KSCA stadium in Hubli on Wednesday.
Lu Shanglei of China defeated Aleksander Indjic of Serbia and was crowned World junior chess champion at Hotel Hyatt, in Pune, on Sunday. In the girls' section, 16-year-old Alexandra Goryachkina successfully defended her title with a round to spare on Saturday.
Where do the commodities market go in the new year? Sonali Ranade offers an insight.
It is too early to say if we have seen the "final" bottom to these stocks in August 2013 or if another attempt to test them will be made before or just after elections, says Sonali Ranade.
In India, however, the Nifty continues to climb a wall of worry as general elections loom, fiscal deficit surges and the current account deficit is barely under control following subdued gold and crude prices, says Sonali Ranade.
The dollar's preliminary moves after the low 80.90 are supportive of a like dollar rally back to 85.50. We should see confirmation of that in the early part of next week, says Sonali Ranade
Waiting for capitulation in commodity markets is the better route to profits, says Sonali Ranade.
A lot will depend on how the equity markets in the US play out in April-May this year. A correction there, long overdue, could change all the variables in the current equations, says Sonali Ranade
Hoard cash. There will be plenty of time and opportunity at far lower levels, warns Sonali Ranade in her weekly Market Notes
The dollar is king in an intermediate correction, says Sonali Ranade
It was the RBI which destroyed our $-job economy. It is for the RBI to resurrect it by instituting news ways of managing the INR, says Sonali Ranade
Don't catch falling knives or chase bear rallies no matter how enticing those eight pc green blips look. They may be mouse traps, warns Sonali Ranade
Time to take profits and move to the sidelines in an euphoria, says Sonali Ranade
Keep exit plans handy, D-day could be the second week of August, writes Sonali Ranade in Market Notes.