Critical of the way Mahendra Singh Dhoni rotated Indian bowlers during the crushing loss to South Africa in the ODI series-decider, former skipper Sunil Gavaskar said the captain was just not flexible enough in his approach.
Kumar Sangakkara remained unbeaten after a sparkling half-century as Sri Lanka responded well to the challenge of scoring 370 runs in four sessions in order to win the first Test against South Africa on Saturday.
Kohli made 160 not out from 159 balls as India, who had been put into bat, posted 303 for six in their 50 overs, before restricting their hosts to 179 all out to take a 3-0 lead in the series.
India's Cheteshwar Pujara slipped a rung to seventh in the batting list but R Ashwin remained steady at fifth in the bowling chart of the latest ICC Test rankings issued on Thursday.
There is a definite spring in Ajinkya Rahane's steps after he ended a 17-Test run of not scoring a hundred, a number which has proved to be lucky for him.
Kohli, who also led India to the top of the world's Test rankings during the period, received the Sir Garfield Sobers Trophy, which team mate Ravichandran Ashwin had won last year.
The 21-year-old is now level with Englishman Jack Russell (vs South Africa at Johannesburg in 1995) and South Africa's AB de Villiers (vs Pakistan at Johannesburg in 2013).
India captain Virat Kohli and off-spinner R Ashwin put on splendid performances to put the hosts in the driver's seat on Day 3 of the 2nd Test. Here are the statistical highlights from the day's play from the match played between India and England in Visakhapatnam on Saturday.
South Africa captain Faf du Plessis was cleared to play the third and final Test against Australia after a hearing by the International Cricket Council in Adelaide, on Tuesday.
South Africa captain AB de Villiers blamed his batting unit for their 22-run defeat to India in the second cricket One-Dayer in Indore on Wednesday, on the placid wicket at Holkar Stadium.
'I am sitting here with a smile on my face knowing there is one less very competitive, very talented guy that we don't have to deal with'
Indian captain Virat Kohli on Sunday called the eight-wicket demolition of South Africa their 'best game so far' in the ICC Champions Trophy but quickly cautioned against complacency.
India secured their first ever series win in South Africa across formats when they beat the hosts by 73 runs in the fifth ODI on Tuesday.
South African captain Graeme Smith is reportedly unhappy with Cricket South Africa's (CSA) announcement of player contracts as it has been difficult for some of the players to handle.
Ryan Harris claimed the last two wickets at the fag end of the match as South Africa were bowled out for 265 and lost the third and final Test by 245 runs at Newlands on Wednesday. Australia won the series 2-1.
Tillakaratne Dilshan scored his 17th One-day international century and shared a second wicket stand of 184 with Kumar Sangakkara to guide Sri Lanka to a series clinching eight wicket win over South Africa in the fourth match at Pallekele on Sunday.
Dale Steyn claimed six for 100 to bowl out India for 334 in their first innings. In reply, South Africa got off to a positive start, scoring 82 for no loss, at stumps on the rain-hit second day in Durban, on Friday.
The series loss to South Africa notwithstanding, India held on to their second spot in the team list, while star batsman Virat Kohli rose up a rung to second in the batsmen's table of the latest ICC ODI cricket rankings.
The 28-year-old Kohli scored 62 and six not out to move to 833 points, within 14 points of England's Joe Root in a list led by Australia captain Steve Smith.
JP Duminy has been named in the South African Twenty20 squad for the three-match home series against West Indies next month, but a number of other top players will again be rested.
Jacques Kallis inched closer to scoring a century in his final Test after guiding South Africa to 299 for five before rain and bad light brought a premature end to the third day of the second Test against India on Saturday.
Can these South African WAGs prove lucky for their men at this World Cup?
International cricket needs more context and support from administrators to stop players from choosing lucrative Twenty20 leagues over the traditional Test format, former England captain Mike Brearley has said.
India pacer Bhuvneshwar Kumar, who scalped four wickets and scored 30 and 33 in the two innings, was adjudged the Player of the Match.
The 2016 Caribbean Premier League (CPL) Player Draft was held in Barbados on Thursday, with the six franchises flexed their financial muscles to rope in their desired cricketers.
Citing Mahendra Singh Dhoni's lack of form, former India captain Mohammed Azharuddin has said that India's ODI skipper is "no longer the player he used to be".
The battle for the final two available places in the ICC Champions Trophy 2017 will hot up when Bangladesh squares off against South Africa in the opening match of the three-One-Day International series in Mirpur on Friday and Sri Lanka hosts Pakistan in the first of five matches in Dambulla on Saturday.
Openers Graeme Smith and Alviro Petersen weathered a difficult 45 minutes to take South Africa to tea at 38 without loss chasing an unlikely victory target of 458 on the fourth day of the first Test against India at the Wanderers on Saturday.
Former Australia left-arm spinner Brad Hogg has said India, with three consecutive wins so far, have gotten over the setback of their disappointing Australia tour that preceded the World Cup.
Exhausted and elated in equal measure after a match-winning hundred in the fourth One-Day International against South Africa in Chennai, Indian batsman Virat Kohli said the knock is among the most challenging of his career.
India mantained its number three position in the recently released MRF Tyres ICC ODI Team Rankings which is being headed by world champions Australia. With 110 rating points in its kitty, India are place below Australia (123) and second-placed New Zealand (113).
Lesser known cricketers who could make waves at the IPL auction.
Kiwi Ross Taylor's mammoth 290 in the WACA Test against Australia, propelled him to the top-10 list
David Warner has said a 'vile and disgusting' sledge about his wife from South Africa wicketkeeper Quinton de Kock was the trigger for his angry outburst
A selection of musings from around the cricket World Cup
Steyn bowled one of the great final overs in the history of T20 International cricket to earn South Africa their first victory of the ICC World Twenty20 by a nail-biting two runs against New Zealand.
Cricket South Africa (CSA) has named Dean Elgar in the list of its contracted players, in place of the retired Test captain Graeme Smith.
England's Test captain Joe Root considers India's Virat Kohli as currently the most complete player around and said he expects England team mate Jos Buttler to soon replicate his limited-overs dominance in Test cricket.
South Africa cricket captain Faf du Plessis expressed disappointment on Wednesday that his sanction for ball-tampering had taken the "shine" off the Proteas' series-winning triumph in Australia and denied he had intended to cheat.
Opener Shikhar Dhawan believes the Indian ODI team now has the right balance and x-factor to succeed anywhere, holding the number one side in good stead ahead of the 2019 World Cup in England.
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