The 3-0 series win against the West Indies could be called a precursor and the real battle begins now against Quinton de Kock's Proteas who are also in the midst of a tough transition.
Uncapped left-arm spinner Zafar Gohar has joined the test squad from the Pakistan A team currently in Hamilton.
Saurashtra seamers Jaydev Unadkat, Shaurya Sanandia and Chirag Jani shared seven wickets among them to bundle out Haryana for 140 in their second innings and lift their team to an innings and 31-run victory on the third day of their Group B Ranji Trophy match, on Sunday.
Images of the fourth day's play of the second Test between India and Sri Lanka being played in Colombo.
England's humiliating series defeat in India painfully exposed an alarming paucity in the side's slow bowling options and drove home the fact they will continue to struggle in South Asia until they unearth some world class spinners. Retired off-spinner Graeme Swann had bemoaned England's indifferent approach towards slow bowling before the five-match series started and his fears were confirmed after the touring side were handed a 4-0 drubbing.
Retiring home hero Kumar Sangakkara featured in a brief rebuilding act in his final Test as Sri Lanka reached 140 for three in reply to India's first innings total of 393 on day two of the second Test in Colombo, on Friday. Images from the second day's play.
Cricket South Africa on Monday announced the appointment of Amol Muzumdar as interim batting coach for their next month's three-match Test series against India.
Former India captain and member of the 1983 World Cup winning team Krish Srikkanth will be the recipient of this year's prestigious CK Nayudu Lifetime Award given by the BCCI. Former India women's captain Anjum Chopra is the co-recipient of the lifetime achievement award for the year 2019.
With India set to host South Africa and Sri Lanka in Test series later this year, captain, Virat Kohli is sure that it is his bowling unit that will eventually make a difference.
Kumar Sangakkara, who rose to become one of the greatest Sri Lankan to have played the game, walked out to bat for one final time in international cricket amid a standing ovation at the P Sara Oval and guard of honour by the visiting Indian team.
England's protracted search for a long-term opening partner for captain Alastair Cook could be over after teenager Haseeb Hameed showed great skill and maturity to score his maiden test fifty on debut against India on Saturday. The 19-year-old Hameed is Cook's 10th partner at the top of the order in the game's longest format since the retirement of Andrew Strauss four years ago.
Bangladesh, who were shot out for 106 in their first essay, were reduced to 13 for four at one stage but the visitors ended the second day at 152 for six, courtesy a combative half-century from Mushfique Rahim (59 batting) and Mahmudullah, who retired hurt after scoring 39.
The comparisons will be inevitable but former Indian skipper Sourav Ganguly said it is unfair to equate the leadership skills of Mahendra Singh Dhoni and newly-appointed Test captain Virat Kohli, who will only become better with experience.
Retiring legend Kumar Sangakkara was unable to get a big knock in his swansong Test appearance but Sri Lanka overcame an early jolt to post 140 for 3, after dismissing India for 393 in the first innings, on Day 2 of the second Test in Colombo on Friday.
'... And give him the confidence and freedom to express himself.'
India's out-of-favour seniors Zaheer Khan and Virender Sehwag have been omitted from the Board of Control for Cricket in India's contracted players' list for 2013-14. The retiring Sachin Tendulkar, captain Mahendra Singh Dhoni, Virat Kohli, Suresh Raina and Ravichandran Ashwin are the five players in Grade 'A', and will pocket Rs 1 crore for the 2013-14 season.
India pacer Ishant Sharma wrecked havoc with the ball as he claimed a five-wicket haul to leave the Sri Lanka Board President's XI in tatters on Day 2 of the three-day tour match, in Colombo, on Friday.
Batting legend Sachin Tendulkar on Sunday threw his weight behind the beleaguered Indian team and said that the Virat Kohli-led side will bounce back from the embarrassing defeat against Australia in the first Test in Pune.
Muttiah Muralitharan on Thursday blamed non-performing youngsters and an unsettled combination for Sri Lankan cricket team's woes in recent times.
Bangladesh's star left-arm spinner Shakib Al Hasan needs just two wickets for becoming the only man in world cricket to be his country's most successful bowler in all three forms of the game. Shakib with 206 ODI wickets is behind fellow left-armer Abdur Razzak on 207. The all-rounder will be looking to achieve the record in the three-match ODI home series against Afghanistan.
Delhi missed a golden opportunity to register an outright win as Assam managed to sneak home with a point defending a target of 79 in 14 overs during final hour of play, on Monday.
Under-fire batsman Virat Kohli finally came good and the bowlers delivered to help India beat Middlesex by 95 runs in the the 50-over practice game at Lord's.
Seventh seed Vivek Shokeen defeated Taipei's Huai-En Chang 6-3, 6-4 while third seed Sunil Kumar Sipaeya easily beat Nai-Zheng Yu of China 6-4, 6-1 in the pre-quarter-finals of the ITF tournament in Lahore.
Dhoni's contract not being renewed is not exactly a surprise as he has not played a competitive game since that World Cup semifinal on July
The Elite list is set to comprise only three players ---skipper Virat Kohli, his limited overs deputy Rohit Sharma and Jasprit Bumrah.
With Tetley, Essilor and other brands seeking him out, Ganguly is the highest paid endorser among retired cricketers.
India goes into the third and final Test against Sri Lanka in Colombo on Friday hoping to register their first series victory in the island nation in 22 years.
Mahendra Singh Dhoni is a 'sprightly wicketkeeper batsman, a fresh captain with a remarkable fitness.'
Sri Lankan skipper Angelo Mathews has blamed his batsmen for the heavy defeat in the second Test against India in Colombo, saying they lost the game with their first innings batting.
The BCCI will hold its Special General Meeting (SGM) in New Delhi on December 1 to discuss a three- point agenda including the all-important Future Tours Programme (FTP) of the Indian team spanning 2019-2023.
'The present crop struggles overseas because they are not accustomed to getting wickets with patience and perseverance.' 'I don't know how they will survive when the track is not turning.'
Getting his team composition right will be Mahendra Singh Dhoni's primary aim as Rising Pune Supergiants meet an out-of-sorts Kings XI Punjab in an Indian Premier League cricket tournament encounter, in Mohali on Sunday.
The cricketing fraternity has paid glorious tributes to just-retired Virender Sehwag with India captain Mahendra Singh Dhoni leading from the front, comparing his destructive batting with that of legendary Viv Richards.
Blaming their woeful performance to the 'transition phase', Sri Lankan spin legend Muttiah Muralitharan said it is advantage India in the ongoing series and they would take couple of years to rebuild the team.
India will look to plug the chinks in its armoury and provide finishing touches to its preparation for the four-Test series when it takes on the West Indies Cricket Board Presidents' XI in the final warm-up match, starting in Basseterre, St Kitts, on Thursday.
India's new chief coach Anil Kumble will be keeping a keen eye on speedster Mohammed Shami's fitness along with the form of opener Shikhar Dhawan when the team begin its tour of West Indies.
India's champions from the last edition who will be missed when the action commences in Australia-New Zealand next year.
Sourav Ganguly is also eager to see how the national team performs in different formats with two set of skippers.
Be the selector, pick your team for the one-off Test, commencing Wednesday, June 10, in Fatullah.
With the Sydney Cricket Ground having a history of assisting spin from third day onwards, Australian left-arm orthodox Ashton Agar is hoping to get picked in the XI and play his part in the fourth and final Test against India starting January 6.
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