Choosing between a third spinner and an extra batsman will be the topic of discussion when the three-member national selection panel decides on the Indian squad for the ICC Champions Trophy, starting June 1 in England.
India should invest in someone like Jasprit Bumrah, says Damien Fleming.
Virat Kohli's elegant unbeaten 90 and some wily bowling by their spinners saw India secure a comprehensive 37-run victory over Australia in the first Twenty20 International at the Adelaide Oval on Tuesday. Rajneesh Gupta lists some interesting numbers from the match.
More stars than they are in heaven were at the Sachin: A Billion Dreams premiere.
West Zone produced a clinical all-round performance to score a comprehensive 133-run victory over North Zone in the final and win their third successive Deodhar Trophy in Visakhapatnam on Thursday. Riding on Kedar Devdhar's 94 and skipper Cheteshwar Pujara's patient half-century, West Zone posted a challenging 281 for 3 in 50 overs. Spinners Arpit Vasavada (3-20) and Akshar Patel (2-23) then emerged the pick of the bowlers as North Zone were bundled out for 148 in 37.1 overs at the Y S Rajasekhara Reddy ACA-VDCA Cricket Stadium.
Having already secured their place in the final with three back-to-back wins, India are set to field their benched players against minnows United Arab Emirates (UAE) in their final league encounter of the Asia Cup T20 tournament, in Mirpur, on Thursday.
Unstoppable so far with clinical performances, a formidable India will square off against a passionate and sprightly Bangladesh in their quest for continental supremacy in the final of the Asia Cup Twenty20 cricket tournament, in Mirpur, on Sunday.
World cricket's most intriguing rivalry will once again be renewed when India take on an unpredictable Pakistan with rehabilitated pacer Mohammad Aamir being the focus of attention in a round-robin league encounter of the Asia Cup T20 tournament, in Mirpur, on Saturday.
As the 16th edition of the glitzy Indian Premier League is set to unfold, let's take a look at the driving force of the T20 league and what's in store in this edition.
India pacer Jasprit Bumrah on Tuesday sought to play down the controversy surrounding poor umpiring in the second T20 International between India and England in Nagpur on Sunday, saying both sides will have to move on with the game as decisions do not always go in favour of only one team.
Erratic Sunrisers Hyderabad look to bounce back against inconsistent Mumbai Indians.
Hardik Pandya has come back 'wiser' into the Indian team after being dropped and says his recent performance has given him a sense of belonging at the highest level.
With both sides without a victory in their first three matches, it was the Royals who broke their duck with a seven-wicket win in Jaipur, spearheaded by Shreyas Gopal's 3-12 with his leg-spin and a 59 from Jos Buttler's bat.
A cultural shift with rising fitness standards are the primary reasons for India's current depth in fast bowling department, said former captain and current BCCI president Sourav Ganguly. A young Jasprit Bumrah in the company of the experienced Ishant Sharma, Mohammed Shami, Umesh Yadav and Bhuvneshwar Kumar has made India's bowling one of the world's most potent pace attacks.
Indian bowlers once again put up an impressive performance by restricting Sri Lanka to a modest 138 for nine in the third round robin encounter of the Asia Cup Twenty20 cricket tournament in Dhaka on Tuesday. Opting to bowl, young guns Hardik Pandya (2/27 in 4 overs) and Jasprit Bumrah (2/26) continued their stellar show as the island nation never really got going during their innings. Senior off-spinner Ravichandran Ashwin (2/26 in 4 overs) also showed brilliant control during the back-10 while veteran Ashish Nehra (1/23) once again showed why he is a class apart. Such was India's dominance that their bowlers bowled 50 dot balls out of a possible 120 deliveries, which effectively meant 8.2 overs went without any runs being scored. India's potent new ball pair of Nehra and Bumrah were on target in the Powerplay overs once again.
On a roll after three consecutive wins, a resurgent Sunrisers Hyderabad will start as overwhelming favourites against struggling Rising Pune Supergiants in an Indian Premier League match, in Hyderabad, on Tuesday.
The renaming will take place on September 12 at a function where a stand at the Kotla will be named after India captain Virat Kohli as announced earlier.
Delhi Daredevils, looking to get back to winning ways after two straight defeats, face a stern test against formidable Sunrisers Hyderabad in Thursday's IPL match, in Hyderabad.
Eyeing their first win of the season, Sunrisers Hyderabad would be looking to put up an improved show in their home ground where they lock horns with Kolkata Knight Riders, who would also be keen to get back to winning ways in the Indian Premier League.
A glamour-filled opening ceremony, featuring Bollywood personalities and all-girl English pop band TBC, performed for the Season 9 of the Indian Premier League, in Mumbai, on Friday.
Riding high on a comfortable win over Dolphins in their last encounter, Chennai Super Kings will look to keep the momentum going when they lock horns with Lahore Lions in the Champions League T20.
Indian team director Ravi Shastri also made it clear that Shami will figure in the playing XI during the two warm-up games against West Indies (in Kolkata, on Thursday) and South Africa in Mumbai on March 12 in order to assess his fitness.
For India, who are considered as title contenders, a good showing in the Asia Cup will give them the much-needed boost going into the World T20.
Australian all-rounder Shane Watson has said hosts India will be the toughest team to beat in next month's World Twenty20 Championship due to their familiarity with the conditions.
Injuries to key players such as skipper Mahendra Singh Dhoni and Rohit Sharma is giving them the jitters but India would still be firm favourites when they take on a depleted and struggling Sri Lanka in their penultimate league encounter of the Asia Cup Twenty20 cricket tournament, in Mirpur, on Tuesday.
Former captain Sunil Gavaskar says if India wants to win the ongoing five-match ODI series in Australia they need to find a way to dismiss home team skipper Steven Smith early.
'In the future, you will get pacers who will bowl even faster than the current lot because these guys are currently setting new standards.'
The 24-year-old, who was part of India's World Cup-winning Under-19 team in 2008, was banned for use of a prohibited substance during the sixth edition of the Indian Premier League in 2013.
Uncapped Shreyas Iyer is comfortable batting at any position and said on Tuesday that scoring a century against South Africa 'A' in a tournament final earlier this year has been satisfying.
The Delhi District Cricket Association (DDCA) named Gate 2 of the Feroz Shah Kotla Stadium in New Delhi as the 'Virender Sehwag Gate'.
The newly-constructed Assam Cricket Association (ACA) Stadium in Barsapara looks like a batting belter, Australia's stand-in captain David Warner said ahead of the second T20 International against India, in Guwahati, on Tuesday.
Star wrestlers Bajrang Punia and Vinesh Phogat's request to train in Kyrgyzstan and Poland respectively was approved by TOPS.
Virtually assured of a berth in the playoffs, Chennai Super Kings will aim to tighten their grip on the No 1 position in the points' table when they take on out-of-contention Delhi Daredevils in Tuesday's IPL match in Raipur.
High on confidence after their fourth consecutive victory, Mumbai Indians will look to extend their winning run and sneak into the top-four when they lock horns with table-toppers Chennai Super Kings in an Indian Premier League match at the Chepauk on Friday.
Mumbai Indians will look to extend their winning run and sneak into the top-four.
Chennai Super Kings would seek to get back to winning ways and consolidate their position at the top while Royal Challengers Bangalore would hope to build on the momentum when they lock horns in an Indian Premier League match on Monday.
Delhi Daredevils have no option but to go all out when they take on Kings XI Punjab.
It's going to be Chennai Super Kings' war cry Whistle Podu versus Korbo, Lorbo, Jeetbo re.
Facing early elimination, two-time champions Kolkata Knight Riders need to record a win to stay afloat when they take on table-toppers Sunrisers Hyderabad.
Struggling to be consistent, Kings XI Punjab will have their task cut out when they take on the in-form Chennai Super Kings.
