The Most Valuable Player Index table is telling another (worrying?) story: Performance from players in teams that are not going to make the top four is dropping somewhat alarmingly. The IPL is gruelling and cruel. It can do wonders to your career, but can also seriously hurt your international prospects if you get injured in a match that is essentially inconsequential. Srinivas Bhogle and Purnendu Maji present Rediff.com's Most Valuable Player Index after Game 63.
Images from the first One-Day International between South Africa and India, in Paarl, on Wednesday.
Indians dominated the limited-over teams by having three and four players in the ODI and T20I respectively
India captain Virat Kohli continued to top the ICC Test batsmen's ranking but his deputy Ajinkya Rahane slipped a place to ninth spot. Kohli has 928 points, 17 more than second-placed Australian run-machine Steve Smith, in the latest edition of the rankings released on Saturday.
Harbhajan Singh is the first Indian to take a Test hat-trick. He achieved this feat while playing against Australia at Kolkata in March 2001 by dismissing Ricky Ponting, Adam Gilchrist and Shane Warne.
India would look to finalise their batting order for the tournament-proper when they take on Australia in their second and final warm-up game in Dubai on Wednesday.
Dhananjaya de Silva's heroic hundred and Roshen Silva's gallant, unbeaten 74 helped secure Sri Lanka's morale-boosting draw in final Test against India, who won the three-match series 1-0 on Wednesday.
Things may seem too nice to be tru,e but the affable energy of its harmonious cast makes Potluck a rare light watch on the desi OTT scene, feels Sukanya Verma.
The Democratic Party's rising star spoke to Aziz Haniffa
KL Rahul gave a timely reminder to the Indian team management with a sublime first-class hundred against Select County XI on the opening day of the warm-up game in Durham on Tuesday.
Virat Kohli's maiden double century was followed by Ravichandran Ashwin's third ton in Tests as India piled misery on a listless West Indies bowling attack to declare at 566 for 8 on day two of the first Test at Antigua on Friday. The West Indies in reply, lost their opener Rajendra Chandrika (16) with pacer Mohammed Shami forcing his outside edge to wicketkeeper Wriddhiman Saha. The home team were 31 for the loss of one wicket at stumps with Kraigg Brathwaite (11) in company of night-watchman Devendra Bishoo (0).
Virat Kohli became the first Indian captain to post a Test double century overseas as the tourists played their way into a virtually unbeatable position on the second day of the first Test against West Indies in Antigua on Friday.
Dhoni was to make a comeback at the IPL, leading his team Chennai Super Kings but the cash-rich tournament, which was originally scheduled to begin on Sunday, was postponed due the COVID-19 pandemic.
What happened at the Gabba on January 19, 2021 now sits at the pinnacle of India's most significant Test wins, declares Faisal Shariff.
Jasprit Bumrah and Mohammed Shami gave an exhibition of high-quality fast bowling on Saturday, on Day 2 of India's warm-up match against New Zealand XI, sending a warning signal for the home team ahead of first Test in Wellington.
'We want to give Rohit Sharma an opportunity to open the innings in Tests'
With 100-plus Tests and 400-plus wickets, most of them not exactly coming on rank turners, Harbhajan's name will always figure among true blue cricketing elites of India.
Three experts on cyber security, digital forensics, networks and hardware were roped in by the Supreme Court on Wednesday to "enquire, investigate and determine" whether Pegasus spyware was used for snooping on citizens and their probe would be monitored by former apex court judge R V Raveendran.
India's Australia tour started on a positive note, following a commendable all-round display against Cricket Australia XI, as the two-day practice match ended in a draw in Adelaide on Tuesday.
Captain Virat Kohli was a relieved man after Royal Challengers finally snapped a six-match losing streak in this IPL with a eight wicket win over Kings XI Punjab, in Mohali, on Saturday.
Sighting the pink ball during the twilight period will be a challenge not only for batsmen but also umpires, says retired Australian umpire Simon Taufel.
Pacer Jasprit Bumrah has been rested for the three-match T20Is and ODIs against West Indies but has been included in the Test squad, while veteran wicketkeeper Mahendra Singh Dhoni is 'unavailable' for the entire tour.
India got off to a horror start in their practice match as youngsters Prithvi Shaw, Mayank Agarwal and Shubman Gill failed with the bat on Day 1 of the three-day game against New Zealand XI at Seddon Park, in Hamilton, on Friday. All the batsmen were dismissed by fast bowler Scott Kuggeleijn as India were reduced to 5/3 in the seventh over.
India's Under-19 World Cup triumph has confirmed that India's reservoir is inundating with bright, exciting talents, says Haresh Pandya.
Indian cricketers got much-needed match practice as they enjoyed an upper hand on all three days against Sri Lanka Board President's XI in the tour opener that ended in a tame draw in Colombo.
Sri Lanka were never going to chase 410, but did well enough to bat as many as 102 overs in the second innings, finishing at 299 for five before the captains mutually agreed to a draw.
Mumbai medium pacer Dhawal Kulkarni, who has played four ODIs for India (8 wickets), was named as a replacement for the injured Mohammed Shami in the One-day squad.
India are only side which can beat England in England: Jadeja
Having made a commendable comeback from the brink of a series defeat, India will look to increase their stranglehold on hosts England to draw parity when the two teams square off for the fourth Test, in Southampton, on Thursday.
Their bowling once again failed to live up to expectations while the fielding was also below-par as Royal Challengers Bangalore continued their poor run in IPL-11 with a six-wicket defeat to Kolkata Knight Riders in Bengaluru, on Sunday.
Umesh Yadav gave a brilliant exhibition of reverse swing bowling before Mitchell Starc's rearguard half-century helped Australia reach a competitive 256 for nine.
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.
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.
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.
'The confidence and the kind of cricket India has played in the recent past will be a big factor.'
Uncapped left-arm spinner Zafar Gohar has joined the test squad from the Pakistan A team currently in Hamilton.
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.
