"In today's context, we have not done well. I would like to still encourage the bowlers saying that they have slowed the process a little bit. We need to take 20 wickets and that's for sure," he added.
At 876 points he is only eight points behind second-placed India spinner Ravindra Jadeja and 20 behind top-ranked James Anderson of England.
Opener Shikhar Dhawan (94) and KL Rahul (73) restored India's dominance with fluent half-centuries as the hosts erased a 122-run lead to nose ahead in the opening cricket Test against Sri Lanka, in Kolkata on Sunday.
Lanka's sports minister said some 10 million rupees (around $70,000) had been offered to the players to lose the match. Police had mounted a search for the suspect who was said to have approached the two players
India's middle-order mainstay Ajinkya Rahane promised that the team's batsmen would put up a much more impressive display against spinners in the coming four-Test series against South Africa than they had in the last few rubbers.
The wily left-arm spinner picked up four wickets on the third day to complete his 23rd five-wicket haul in Tests.
Steven Smith and Shaun Marsh hit centuries but Sri Lanka spinner Rangana Herath picked up six wickets to restrict Australia's first-innings lead to 24 runs on the third day of the third and final Test on Monday.
Sri Lanka require 153 runs for a series-levelling victory after Pakistan rode Azhar Ali's obdurate century before being all out for 329 on day four of the second Test on Sunday.
Rishabh Pant became the first Indian and only the 12th player on record to hit a six as the first scoring shot of their Test career.
In an extraordinary twist to the game, India on Saturday capitulated to an embarassing 63-run defeat in the first cricket Test against Sri Lanka.
Sri Lanka lost early wickets in their second innings but extended their lead to 220 runs over Pakistan in the third and final Test in Sharjah to boost their chances of a series victory.
Sri Lanka batsman Dilruwan Perera was caught on camera looking at the dressing room before he asked for a review to overturn an leg before wicket decision by onfield umpire Nigel Llong, on Day 4 of the first Test against India in Kolkata.
Sri Lanka have included pace spearhead Lasith Malinga in their 15-man squad for the Cricket World Cup despite concerns over his fitness after ankle surgery, the country's cricket board said on Wednesday.
Having taken a handy 139-run first-innings lead, England declared their second innings on 322 for six to set Sri Lanka an improbable 462-run victory target.
England's Ben Foakes made a memorable debut to help the tourists recover from a terrible start and reach 321 for eight wickets on the opening day of the first Test against Sri Lanka in Galle on Tuesday.
England will be determined to get their act together against defending champions Sri Lanka.
JP Duminy and Stephen Cook scored half centuries but four wickets for Suranga Lakmal and two for Rangana Herath restricted South Africa to 267 for six on the opening day of the first Test against Sri Lanka on Monday. Duminy made 63 and Cook 59 as South Africa threatened to dominate on a dry track at St George's Park but wickets at key moments kept Sri Lanka firmly in the game.
Batting all-rounder Senuran Muthusamy realised his dream of playing international cricket for South Africa on Wednesday and could not be happier that his debut is against the country of his origin, India.
Sri Lanka beat England with just one ball to spare to win the second Test at Headingley by 100 runs on Tuesday and take the two-match series 1-0.
Rajneesh Gupta presents interesting statistics from Day 5 in the second Test between India and Sri Lanka.
Rajneesh Gupta presents the interesting numbers from Day 1 of the second Test between Sri Lanka and India in Colombo.
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.
Shehzad-Ali add 120 runs for second wicket as Pakistan trail by six runs with eight wickets in hand
England were reeling at 89-4 when Buttler somewhat steadied the innings before Curran clobbered six sixes in his blistering 64 to help them to a competitive score.
Cricketer-turned-commentator Sanjay Manjrekar, on Sunday, said he is in favour of batsmen taking help from dressing room in case he has doubts while going for a review.
England fast bowler James Anderson took five wickets to inspire the hosts to a crushing victory over Sri Lanka by an innings and 88 runs in the first Test in Leeds on Saturday.
A final-over blitz by Nathan McCullum gave New Zealand a thrilling last-ball victory by four wickets over Sri Lanka in the rain-hit second One-Day International on Tuesday.
Sri Lanka have suffered a double injury blow with batsman Dimuth Karunaratne almost certainly out of the World Cup and spinner Rangana Herath likely to miss at least a week of action, Mahela Jayawardene said on Friday.
The Sri Lankans have played 17 Tests in India in 35 years, but failed to win a single one.
Nathan Lyon is pleased to have bagged the prized wicket of 'head of the snake' Virat Kohli.
India's One-day skipper Mahendra Singh Dhoni reckons the current Indian squad is very balanced' ahead of the three-match series against Sri Lanka and insisted that maintaining fitness will be a crucial factor for his side during next month's World Twenty20.
Sri Lankan pitch curator Jayananda Warnaweera was on Wednesday suspended by the International Cricket Council for three years after he 'failed' to cooperate in an ongoing anti-corruption investigation against him.
Sri Lanka captain Angelo Mathews will appear before police on Tuesday to record a statement in connection with a match-fixing scandal that has led to the suspension of a fast bowling coach.
Former Sri Lanka pacer Chaminda Vaas predicted that Virat Kohli and his men would reach the semi-finals of the upcoming 2019 World Cup.
Sri Lanka recovered from losing opener Upul Tharanga to reach 99 for one in reply to Pakistan's 451 at close on the second day of the first Test on Thursday.
Cheteshwar Pujara marked his comeback with a gritty unbeaten century as India recovered from an early slump to reach a decent 292-8 in their first innings of the third and final Test against Sri Lanka on Saturday.
India's Test captain Virat Kohli has dropped out of ICC's top-10 list for batsmen in the five-day format.
Sri Lanka set Australia a stiff 268-run victory target before claiming three wickets in a truncated afternoon session to take the upper hand on the penultimate day of the first Test in Pallekele on Friday.
For Sri Lanka captain Rangana Herath, the two-day game against Board President's XI may be a warm-up game but for home team skipper Sanju Samson, it is an opportunity to gain experience of facing one of the best spinners in world cricket.
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