Rohit Sharma and Hanuma Vihari will battle for a place in the Indian team for the first Test.
Former India opener Sunil Gavaskar on Saturday said that it is not a poor advertisement for cricket if a Test match finishes inside three days and such results are coming more often in recent years since the players nowadays lack patience to survive five days.
India registered a resounding victory in the T20 series-opener against Australia, and following their clinical performance Sunil Gavaskar feels the Mahendra Singh Dhoni-led side will start as favourites at the upcoming World Twenty20 at home.
'No one is going to relax at any stage, we are going to go for a result in the third Test'
'Leaner' Mohammad Shami has reaped benefits after drastically improving his fitness levels.
A big-time bookie Shobhan Mehta, arrested in connection with the Indian Premier League betting scandal, was on Saturday remanded to Mumbai Police custody as investigators said they want to probe his alleged role in spot-fixing and links in Pakistan.
Flamboyant West Indies opener Chris Gayle has attain fitness after recovering from a back injury which kept him away from the last game against Delhi Capitals, said Kings XI Punjab batsman Mayank Agarwal on Saturday.
'We understand that we do have a bowling attack that can bowl the opposition out as much as they're convinced about their attack.'
'Since we cannot trust the net bowlers about their exposure to COVID, it would be ideal to go with a large contingent as we can be assured of all the players' safety as they will be in a bio-secure environment.'
Underlining the significance of reverse swing, India pace spearhead Mohammed Shami has admitted that the unique art is one of his primary weapons in his bowling arsenal and insisted that he constantly strives to execute it to perfection.
'It's just frustrating; I'd imagine it's frustrating for everyone.'
Rookie leg-spinner Rahul Sharma feels hard work and long sessions with India team's bowling coach Eric Simmons has helped him a lot going into his maiden international match.
'The actual three quicks of India out-bowled the three quicks of Australia. They were outstanding. It's a big, big risk that Australia are taking'
Sachin Tendulkar has backed Kuldeep Yadav's inclusion in India's five-Test series against England, saying the tricky left-arm wristspinner could prove quite a handful against Joe Root and his men.
Back in the Australian ODI fold after more than a year, off-spinner Nathan Lyon says he cannot wait to challenge the Indian batsmen in the fourth one-dayer in Canberra, a venue he knows inside out after being a part of Manuka Oval's ground staff. Life has come a full circle for the 28-year-old, whose work as a curator took him from Canberra to Adelaide, and he is looking forward to not only extend his eight-match ODI career but also make a foray on the international Twenty20 stage. "I have got the opportunity and I will perform. I am very grateful and thankful to the selectors for giving me the opportunity, but I am just looking to go out there and hopefully keep winning games for Australia," Lyon told reporters. "I am feeling confident. I have enjoyed my time at the Sydney Sixes. I had some good performances there. As a team we didn't do too well, but I was pretty happy personally with the way the ball was getting off the hand.
The Indians dominated the Test match for four days at Sabina Park with both bat and ball. Yet, they fell short of the victory marker on the fifth and final day when they needed to take six wickets in 98 overs.
Former captain Sunil Gavaskar said that he would favour India going with four specialist bowlers and all-rounder Ravindra Jadeja in a five-pronged attack in the first Test against South Africa, starting in Mohali, on Thursday.
Paceman Mohammed Shami is improving but he is not certain for the next match.
India's 3-0 whitewash of South Africa in the four-match Test series has surprised former captain Sunil Gavaskar even though he feels that the Proteas were incapable of playing on Indian pitches.
KXIP have been perennial underachievers and barring two seasons -- 2008 and 2014 -- they have failed to make the playoffs and finished last thrice (2010, 2015 and 2016).
Taking a dig at James Anderson for his controversial comments on Virat Kohli, Kapil Dev has come out in strong support of India's Test captain, saying he has not seen a cricketer like him and the star batsman can score in all conditions. Anderson triggered a controversy by saying Kohli had made a mountain of runs in Indian conditions, which according to the England pace spearhead, "take any flaws out of the equation". When asked for his take on the subject, World Cup winning captain Kapil said Kohli can and will score runs in all countries including England, where he endured a tough time two years ago.
Ravindra Jadeja played a stellar role in Team India's recent series win against South Africa.
Pune Supergiants skipper Mahendra Singh Dhoni blamed his bowlers and said there are many areas where his team needs to work before the next match.
The high court had on May 12, nullified 2017 election of Chudasama on the ground of malpractice and manipulation and have also refused to stay of the operation of the order till the disposal of his appeal
'We don't ask for the kind of wickets that we get. For us to be the No. 1 team in the world, any conditions that come your way, you have to accept it as home conditions'
Former skipper Sunil Gavaskar believes India's bowling is still a concern and captain Mahendra Singh Dhoni will have to add some sting to their attack ahead of World Cup semi-final clash against Pakistan.
Indian leg-spinner Amit Mishra said the team is emphasising on improving the batting skills of the lower-order batsmen so that they can be handy in crunch situations in the West Indies. "The team is giving lot of importance to tail-enders (bowlers) to get runs so as to slacken the spirits of the opposition and help gain advantage over them," he told reporters.
New Zealand batsmen have the necessary skills to negotiate the Indian spinners on turning tracks but must apply themselves for longer periods, captain Kane Williamson said after his team's loss in the opening Test on Monday.
Former England captain Nasser Hussain, criticised the lack of fight from India in the second Test at Lord's while urging the beleaguered visitors to dig deep.
Despite being the world's top-ranked Test side India have struggled with their opening combination, which, in turn, has heaped pressure on the middle order.
Prithvi Shaw, on Monday, said he will be fit in time for the 12th season of Indian Premier League.
All-rounder Staurt Binny is likely to replace injured bowler Mohammed Shami for India's next World Cup match against the UAE.
India skipper Virat Kohli lauds his third spinner, who made most of the little opportunity he got in the third Test against South Africa. Harish Kotian/Rediff.com listens.
His 24-run cameo against Pakistan was worth its weight in gold and Yuvraj Singh said that his "focus was on right things" while batting in front of the vociferous capacity crowd at the Eden Gardens.
India's seniormost pacer Ishant Sharma is extremely happy with the performance of the bowling unit and hopes that the team will display "positive and ruthless" intent in the next three Test matches against the West Indies.
'It's always been slow and low, they know exactly what to expect there and we know what to expect as well. It's how you mentally prepare, mentally what kind of zone you are in as a team'
It will not be the first time that the competition has had to be held outside India.
India keen to take down Australia for perfect end to season.
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.
