Skipper Virat Kohli had to once again come to the rescue of under-fire former skipper Mahendra Singh Dhoni whose painstaking 37 off 58 balls came in for sharp criticism after England beat India by 86 runs in the second ODI at Lord's on Saturday.
England need two more wickets on the final day to keep their all-winning record in Tests against Bangladesh intact with the hosts 33 runs away from a famous victory in the closely-contested opening match at Chittagong.
Hosts India would look to do an encore by putting England through another rigorous spin test when the two teams square off in the third Test starting in Mohali, on Saturday.
Under fire after a below-par show on a good batting strip, the Indian spinners will aim for an improved show on a comparatively more helpful track as they take on a gritty England in the second Test, starting in Visakhapatnam on Thursday.
Former India batsman Pravin Amre has tendered his resignation from the managing committee of the Mumbai Cricket Association after being appointed head of Talent Hunt for IPL franchise Delhi Daredevils.
Moeen Ali survived five reviews in his charmed innings as he and Jonny Bairstow helped England overcome their spin discomfort and post 258 for seven in the first Test against Bangladesh in Chittagong, on Thursday.
Jonny Bairstow bludgeoned a brilliant 83 not out in Durham to lead England to a three-wicket win over New Zealand on the Duckworth-Lewis method on Saturday, earning a 3-2 victory in the five-match series of one-dayers.
Classy centuries from captain Eoin Morgan and Joe Root propelled England to a seven-wicket victory over New Zealand.
India now are the only team to have chased 350-plus thrice and in each of them Kohli has been the backbone with centuries in each.
Karun Nair became the second Indian batsman to score a test triple hundred and his 303 not out helped the hosts post a massive 759 for seven before skipper Virat Kohli declared.
He might have scored an impressive half-century on debut but a month ago when he was plying his trade at the Bangladesh Premier League, playing Test cricket for England never even crossed his mind, revealed Liam Dawson, who led a lower-order resistance with an unbeaten 66 on Saturday.
Images from the T20 World Cup semi-final between England and New Zealand, in Abu Dhabi, on Wednesday.
They might have been disappointing so far but Indian opener Murali Vijay is still hopeful that the Indian spinners will utilise the spin-friendly conditions on the final day. Scorecard: "It's a pretty good wicket, (though it has) gone slower. There's a lot of assistance to the spinners now. Hopefully we can put some pressure in the morning session get some wickets and you never know," said Vijay after the fourth day's play at the SCA Stadium in Rajkot. Vijay feels that India still have the edge.
Australia will be desperately hoping to play a full game under clear skies when they face arch-rivals England in their must-win Champions Trophy clash in Birmingham on Saturday.
England's Jonny Bairstow steered his side to a three-wicket victory over New Zealand in the final game in Durham on Saturday.
Off-spinner Ravichandran Aswhin produced one of his most impactful performance outside the sub-continent as India reduced England to 285 for nine on the opening day of the first Test in Birmingham, on Wednesday.
Skipper Virat Kohli batted like a man possessed, slamming an unbeaten 151 in company of another centurion Cheteshwar Pujara to steer India to a commendable 317 for four against England on Day 1 of the second Test in Visakhapatnam.
Languishing at the bottom of ICC ODI team ranking, Pakistan have set sight on direct qualification for the ICC Cricket World Cup when they take on the in-form reigning world champions and number-one ranked Australia in a five-ODI series starting in Brisbane on Friday.
Images from the second Twenty20 International between India and England, in Ahmedabad, on Sunday.
Jonny Bairstow's composed 89 helped England survive some atrocious top order shot-making and reach 268 for eight at close of play on the first day of the third Test against India on Saturday.
India spinners Ravichandran Ashwin and Jayant Yadav claimed three wickets apiece in the second innings to lead the hosts to a comfortable 246-run win in the second Test against England on Monday and a 1-0 lead in the five-match series. - Scorecard: England, chasing an improbable victory target of 405, were all out for 158 shortly after lunch on the fifth and final day in the first Test match being played in the port city of Visakhapatnam.
A resurgent New Zealand beat England by 13 runs on the Duckworth/Lewis method in a high-scoring second One-day international, marred by a late rain interruption, at The Oval on Friday to level the five-match series at 1-1.
'England are a quality side, their bowlers put constant pressure. We need to accept what happened' 'It was a really tough five days, good toss to win'
Opener Jason Roy hit a quickfire half-century while leg-spinner Adil Rashid claimed three wickets to lift England to a convincing six-wicket victory against England in the ICC World T20 warm-up match at the Wankhede stadium, in Mumbai, on Saturday.
Joe Root made a half-century as England rallied to 130 for three at the close of the fourth day of the second Test, in Dubai, on Sunday, 360 runs behind Pakistan after the hosts' Younis Khan had made a swaggering 31st Test century.
India's batting maestro Virat Kohli held on to the number two position in the latest ICC ODI rankings for batsmen released on Monday, while Rohit Sharma dropped a place to seventh.
Darren Gough feels India have enough firepower in their pace attack to cover for the absence of Bhuvneshwar Kumar and Jasprit Bumrah i
Hamstrung, running out of partners and his team's title defence at stake -- the stage was set for Angelo Mathews to emerge from the Saturday night drizzle and enter Twenty20 folklore but the Sri Lankan captain fell agonisingly short. At 15-4, after England had set them a 172-run victory target in the World Twenty20 match, Sri Lanka's title defence looked all but over inside three overs. Their skipper then engineered a stunning recovery in the tournament's most portentous contest that was key to the semi-final hopes of three teams, including South Africa. But the lion-hearted effort took its toll on his hamstring and Mathews was clearly struggling when he took guard for the final over from Ben Stokes -- 15 runs separating him from Twenty20 greatness and his team from a place in the last four. As a mild drizzle fell on the Feroz Shah Kotla Stadium, Stokes charged in with a ball in hand and ice in veins to thwart Mathews' audacious bid to pull off a heist.
To do this on the biggest stage, three years on from that Kolkata classic when Carlos Brathwaite shattered his dreams, is a mark of the man.
England skipper Eoin Morgan gave credit where it was due, stating that Chris Gayle's 'skill level was quite up', on the night when the burly West Indian tormented the English bowlers in their opening ICC World T20 fixture on Wednesday.
Steve Waugh, who captained England to the World Cup triumph in 1999, says Eoin Morgan's side is one of the best one-day teams he's seen and would compete against anyone of the previous eras.
Cricket can be a game of some complexity and nuance but as England showed in their dismantling of Australia in Thursday's World Cup semi-final, it can also be a remarkably straightforward sport.
Joe Root hit an unbeaten century as England beat India by 86 runs to level the three-match series at 1-1, in Lord's in London, on Saturday.
Joe Root was hailed as the 'glue' that holds together England's dazzling batting operation after his superb match-winning century guided the injury-depleted hosts to the most convincing of eight-wicket triumphs over West Indies in Southampton.
Sam Curran's 78 helped England recover from 86 for six to 246 all out against India on the first day of the fourth Test.
Jos Buttler said it is important that more English cricketers play in the Indian Premier League.
Skipper Virat Kohli scored his 23rd Test century as a dominant India took giant strides towards victory in the third Test against England.
Wicket-taking is going to play a crucial role in deciding this World Cup.
Misbah helped steady his side after two brilliant morning catches by the indomitable Jonny Bairstow and James Anderson's 418th Test wicket from the first ball of the afternoon had reduced Pakistan to 85-3.
England have by far been the best team in the tournament.
© 2026 Rediff.com - Investor Information - Advertise with us - Disclaimer - Privacy Policy - Sitemap - Feedback - About us - Terms of use - Grievances