India are in the middle of a phenomenal run in the shortest format of the game, and Team Director Ravi Shastri on Wednesday said that he expects his side to maintain consistency and make winning a habit to clinch a big tournaments like the World T20. Shastri said that India have got the right balance in the team and most of the big players are in form at the right time ahead of the ICC event. "We have got into a good habit of winning games. You might get the odd hiccup on the way. But it's important to maintain a level of consistency and treat every game as an important game. Every game is important from here on," he told a news conference. "To win a big tournament you need seven-eight individuals performing consistently. We are not a team of individuals. We are the Indian cricket team. "Virat (Kohli) is in outstanding form, and so is Rohit (Sharma)... MS (Dhoni) has done well lower down the order. Yuvraj (Singh) has struck form. Shikhar (Dhawan) has had his moments," Shastri said ahead of the World T20 warm-up game against the West Indies.
Cricketing greats such as Kapil Dev, Sourav Ganguly, Wasim Akram and Inzamam ul Haq have picked India as the overwhelming favourites to win the World T20 title at home.
'Before Shastri's induction, things were sketchy and it was not known who was responsible for taking cricketing decisions around the team. The selectors chose a squad of players, the captain ran the show on the field and the coaches helped draft plans, or sort of tried to. There needed to be one man who could coordinate all elements around the squad -- someone who had the backing of the Board, the respect of the players and that of the support staff.'
Back in the national fold after a two-year hiatus, Harbhajan Singh immensely appreciates how Test captain Virat Kohli and Team Director Ravi Shastri made him feel 'wanted' in the team.
Having beaten Pakistan and South Africa convincingly in their first two matches at the World Cup, India have one foot in the quarter-finals. Nevertheless, the players are not relaxing, instead preparing for stiffer challenges they will encounter in the next phase of the tournament.
The former Indian captain was upset on learning about media reports that a support staff meeting was held without Fletcher being present.
The Indian media manager, denied a rift in the Indian team management, following a media report that chief coach Duncan Fletcher was being ignored in meetings and also not being kept in the loop about team strategy.
The all-powerful working committee meeting of the Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) will take place in Chennai on Friday to discuss about deferring the Annual General Meeting (AGM) and a longer tenure for team director Ravi Shastri, who in all likelihood would be requested to guide India till next year's World Cup.
Insisting that there are enough people in the support staff to take care of players, India captain Mahendra Singh Dhoni has said it is fine if the coach's position remains vacant for some time.
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Mumbai Indians' team director T A Sekar is confident that the franchise, which did not do too well in the last two editions of the Indian Premier League, would turn in an impressive display this season riding on skipper Sachin Tendulkar's good form.
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The England and Wales Cricket Board (ECB) have admitted that despite the incremental contract, they would not be able to stop star cricketer Andrew Flintoff from hawking his cricketing talents around the world.
"If you have played cricket then you have grown up watching these legends. It's a wonderful thing to have happened and they will help us in many ways," Kohli said.
Former Australia pacer Brett Lee feels ex-India skipper Sourav Ganguly has a huge wealth of knowledge and would do a great job if he is appointed as India's head coach.
As fanciful a scenario as it may seem but Kevin Pietersen says he could yet be open to the idea of coming out of retirement to play for England again if ECB boss Giles Clarke exits the scene.
England batsman Kevin Pietersen is fit to play in the final Test against Australia following a scan on his injured knee, the England and Wales Cricket Board said on Wednesday.
The Board of Control for Cricket in India is all set to retain the support staff members comprising of Sanjay Bangar, R Sridhar and Bharat Arun, who came in as temporary replacements for Trevor Penny and Joe Dawes.
Former seam bowlers Venkatesh Prasad and Balwinder Sing
India claimed their record sixth Asia Cup final after clinical performance with the bat and beating Bangladesh by 8 wickets at the Shere Bangla National Stadium in Dhaka on Sunday.
Former India pacer Chetan Sharma believes Ishant Sharma has matured as a bowler and is leading the attack well following good performances with the ball in the ongoing three-Test series in Sri Lanka.
How does India's current national coach Ravi Shastri compare with the other men who have coached the Indian cricket team this century?
Kevin Pietersen is likely to miss England's tour to South Africa this November, as his chances of becoming match fit are remote.
'You spoke of intensity. Where does the intensity come from? When you have a leader like that, who leads by example, the other guys jolly well follow. Otherwise they know what to expect. That's the beauty about this team on this trip where I feel proud as a coach about my boys and the intensity they showed'
India's Team Director Ravi Shastri has said that while "experience cannot be bought in super market" the likes of Yuvraj Singh, Harbhajan Singh and Ashish Nehra will play only if they fit into the combination that the team is looking for, going into ICC World Twenty20.
The future of India's bowling coach Joe Dawes and fielding consultant Trevor Penny will be decided at the all-important Working Committee meeting of the Board of Control for Cricket in India, in Chennai on September 26.
Wicketkeeper Matt Prior and struggling batsman Jonathan Trott have lost their central contacts with England, though all-rounder Ben Stokes has been rewarded despite a poor home series against India.
'In the merry-go-round of Indian cricket, amid abhorrent match-fixing scandals and incessant politicking, Ravi Shastri is a multifaceted personality who, when called upon, can don any hat with ease.'
For Virat Kohli, loyalty is paramount in relationships and that is why he believes that his bond with childhood coach Rajkumar Sharma and his IPL team Royal Challengers Bangalore is forever. "In relationships, I always look at loyalty. From 1998, I had only one coach (Rajkumar Sharma) and that's never going to change. I have played for one franchise in the IPL (RCB) and that's also never going to change," Kohli said at the launch of a new book on him 'Driven' written by veteran journalist Vijay Lokapally. Sitting alongside legends like Kapil Dev, Virender Sehwag and Anil Kumble, Kohli revealed that even now when he is at the height of his popularity as an international cricketer, one person he is scared of is his coach Sharma.
Former Test spin bowler Ashley Giles confirmed on Sunday that he would be "very interested" in succeeding Andy Flower as England's team director following his resignation.
The sudden retirement of Mahendra Singh Dhoni from Test cricket has raised the question of who will be Virat Kohli's deputy.
The Indian team is unlikely to get a new coach anytime soon with the BCCI's Cricket Advisory Committee member Sourav Ganguly today saying it will take another couple of months to find a suitable candidate for the high-profile position. This means the team will be without a full-time coach during its tour of Zimbabwe beginning June 11. "It will happen in the next couple of months. I am not too sure if it happens before the Zimbabwe tour because it is not too far away," said Ganguly, who is on the advisory panel, alongside Sachin Tendulkar and VVS Laxman. Post the short tour of Zimbabwe, India travel to the West Indies for a four-match Test series in July-August. Since Duncan Fletcher's departure, India played under the guidance of team director Ravi Shastri, whose tenure ended with the World T20 in March-April.
Andy Flower says England can rely on its fast bowling department to do the job in the remaining Ashes Tests if star performer Andrew Flintoff goes on to miss the series due to injury.
pacer Ishant Sharma left the Gabba at lunch on the third day on Saturday, after finding that there was no vegetarian preparation in the menu.
England's star batsman Kevin Pietersen clashed with his skipper Alastair Cook on the eve of the fifth Ashes Test in Sydney.
India pacer Jasprit Bumrah says the zeal to learn something new with each game has helped him survive in international cricket.
Ravi Shastri says the learning curve for the Indian side is over and it's time that the players start winning Test matches abroad.
Anil Kumble on his plans for India's cricket team after being named coach.
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