Delhi Capitals captain Shreyas Iyer was all praise for his teammates after victory over SunRisers Hyderabad in the IPL Qualifier 2 in Abu Dhabi on Sunday.
'He is a fearless cricketer and we (team management) want him to have that freedom'
India beat Australia by 75 runs in the second Test to level the four-match series at 1-1 after home off-spinner Ravichandran Ashwin took 6-41 on the fourth day in Bengaluru on Tuesday.
31 games (including the play-offs) in IPL 2021 are left to be played and October-November will be the only period when international players will be available since no country has any series scheduled in view of the T20 World Cup.
Skipper Kane Williamson hailed the fighting spirit of Sunrisers Hyderabad while praising star Afghanistan spinner Rashid Khan's all-round brilliance which earned them a 14-run victory over Kolkata Knight Riders in Qualifier 2 of the Indian Premier League and a place in Sunday's final.
I was destined to get a century
'My preparation is always aimed at bettering my performance. The rest depends on the selection committee. I don't perform to just play ODIs'
England batter Liam Livingstone fetched a staggering Rs 11.50 crore deal from Punjab Kings, who also roped in West Indies fast bowler Odean Smith, for Rs 6 crore, on Sunday, Day 2 of the TATA Indian Premier League 2022 Player Auction, in Bengaluru.
'A player of Dhoni's stature needs to be told that he is not being awarded a central contract for the time being and it was done in an appropriate manner.'
India picked up three Bangladesh wickets in the morning session after declaring their first innings on 462 for six but rain washed out the rest of the fourth day as the one-off Test headed for an inevitable draw in Fatullah, on Saturday.
The Indian squad led by Mahendra Singh Dhoni departed for New Zealand from Mumbai on Sunday for a five-match ODI series followed by a best-of-two Test rubber against the hosts.
Rajasthan Royals, struggling at the penultimate spot on the points table after two wins and four straight defeats, need something special against Sunrisers Hyderabad in Sunday's IPL match in Dubai.
Two more failures in two home games could effectively mean end of the road for Ajinkya Rahane, who is leading India in the first Test in Kanpur, starting on Thursday.
'He is someone who picks up what the bowler is trying to do, he is always there in your ears on what the bowlers are trying to do.'
Cheteshwar Pujara, India's batting mainstay in Test cricket, has surged to a career-high third position in the ICC Rankings after scoring back to back centuries against Sri Lanka in the ongoing three-match series.
Opener Shubman Gill, who is part of the Indian squad for the South Africa Tests, perished for a three-ball duck in the second innings.
Shaun Marsh's sensational strokeplay helped Kings XI Punjab edge past Rajasthan Royals via the Super Over after the match had finished in a tie in the Indian Premier League, in Ahmedabad, on Tuesday.
VVS Laxman said that the English experience would help the cricketers do well in the gruelling Australia tour that precedes the World Cup.
India's captain Virat Kohli will have to think overtime about the balance of his squad, with a long tail, often bushy with runs, and just two openers -- one untested (Rohit Sharma) but very capable and another supremely talented (KL Rahul) but highly reluctant starter.
A few bruised egos will eye redemption when India square off against Australia in the second Test in Melbourne from Saturday, ready to bounce back in skipper Ajinkya Rahane's hour of reckoning after their batting debacle in the series opener in Adelaide.
Ishant Sharma and his pace colleagues wreaked havoc with the pink ball to put India in charge of their maiden day-night Test against Bangladesh at the Eden Gardens in Kolkata.
Opener Murali Vijay and vice-captain Ajinkya Rahane will be looking to get into the groove in India 'A''s last first-class engagement, against England Lions at the County Ground in Worcester, starting on Monday.
India aim to stay afloat against daunting South Africa in the second Test
A virgin Motera pitch has become the big talking point as captain Virat Kohli looks to get the combination right with India looking to continue their momentum to trouble England in the day-night third Test match, starting in Ahmedabad, on Wednesday.
Will triple centurion Karun Nair be picked to counter the Afghan spinners?
Indian off-spinner Ravichandran Ashwin has said that his side will be looking to continue the fightback in the remainder of the third Test after recovering from a precarious 130 for five and finishing the first innings at 353.
Images from Day 3 of the third Test between India and South Africa, in Ranchi, on Monday.
Ajinkya Rahane scored his seventh Test hundred to help India take a huge first innings lead before rain forced play to be called off early on day three of the second Test against the West Indies, in Jamaica, on Monday.
Kings XI Punjab continued their winning streak with a facile five-wicket victory to strengthen their position at the top of the heap as Royal Challengers Bangalore were left licking their wounds after yet another loss in the ongoing Indian Premier League in Dubai on Monday.
First, Axar smashed his way to an unbeaten 38 off 17 balls as Kings XI Punjab managed 138 for 7 and then grabbed 3/11 in in 3 overs with RCB skittled out for 119 in 19 overs.
Afghanistan will play India after becoming full members of the International Cricket Council (ICC) last year.
'No one is going to relax at any stage, we are going to go for a result in the third Test'
Images from the nets session the Virat Kohli-led team had on on arrival from Kolkata on Monday morning.
India head coach Rahul Dravid says he and skipper Rohit Sharma are pretty clear about the team for the T20 World Cup in Australia in less than eight months' time.
Bengal were 134 for three in 65 overs at close of play on Day 3, trailing Saurashtra by 291 runs, with Chatterjee and Wriddhiman Saha (4 off 43) in the middle.
They stand on the opposite ends of IPL's success spectrum but there is little to separate between Mumbai Indians and Delhi Capitals in the tournament's 13th edition as they head into a blockbuster Qualifier 1 match, in Dubai, on Thursday.
Cheteshwar Pujara and Arpit Vasavada gave a masterclass in defensive batting with a five-hour partnership on day two, taking Saurashtra to a strong position on Day 2 of their Ranji Trophy final against Bengal, in Rajkot, on Tuesday. Pujara (66 off 237), who was on five when he retired hurt on day one due to fever, and Vasavada (106 off 287) batted for two sessions and five overs as the hosts reached 384 for eight at the close of play.
For Kohli, a trophy-less cabinet doesn't do justice to the champion performer that he has been for a decade.
Factbox on the four-Test series between India and Australia, which starts at Pune on Thursday:
Mayank Agarwal, who was the third opener for the West Indies series, is a contender for the yet-to-be-decided squad of 17 that will travel Down Under.
