It's hard to be in the wilderness for more than two years but Harbhajan Singh was always "very confident" of once again donning the Indian cricket team's jersey and termed his latest comeback a "fresh beginning" in a career that has spanned over 16 years.
He idolises Mahendra Singh Dhoni as a cricketer and Pakistani wicketkeeper batsman Sarfraz Ahmed on Sunday said he would love to play the role of a finisher like the celebrated Indian skipper. "I follow him a lot. The way he's making a difference with wicket-keeping and batting, I try to learn a lot from him. He's a very good cricketer for India, and I idolise him. Hope I too will be able to finish the match like him," Sarfraz said in an Open Media Session. Having impressed both with the bat and as a wicketkeeper, Sarfraz wants to be an utility player like the star Indian skipper. "It's great to be here. About my batting order, I play according to my team's need, be it up or lower down the order. I've been doing well," said the Pakistani U-19 World Cup winning skipper. However, Sarfraz rued their forgettable outing at Asia Cup but said they've plugged the loopholes and hoped to make an impact in the World Twenty20. "The condition was difficult in Bangladesh. Every team faced the situation in initial six overs. We have sorted this out. The condition will be similar to Pakistan here. Hope we will do well here," he said.
Australian bowling legend Shane Warne, has offered to think about reviving England's fortunes as next coach.
Batting legend Rahul Dravid has termed his current stint as coach of India Under-19 and India 'A' cricket teams, as well as his mentorship of young athletes in Olympic sports as "exciting" and "fun".
Ravichandran Ashwin has said that the Indian team is standing strongly behind beleaguered skipper Mahendra Singh Dhoni and there is no change in the dressing room atmosphere despite the visitors losing their first-ever ODI series to Bangladesh.
There are many interesting facts and stats about Dhoni's fabulous career.
South African opener Aiden Markram is of the opinion that the pitch at Supersport Park, although aiding more pace and bounce, will also be good for batsmen.
New Zealand's pulsating form in the Cricket World Cup is sparking a surge of ticket sales.
Join Prem Panicker on the Rediff World Cup Chat on Tuesday, March 17, 2015 at 3 pm IST to discuss the final stages of cricket's finest championship.
Our selection was wrong, says Aussie spin great Shane Warne.
Bharati Dutt witnessed life-changing events that shaped India on the threshold of freedom. Her memories are an account of how ordinary Indians saw India change.
Gilchrist made the comments after the IPL governing council proposed to have a dedicated "no-ball" umpire to reduce the number of howlers in the lucrative league.
Indian batting legend Rahul Dravid said he has not been approached for the coach's job of Team India, and added that the new coach must be selected irrespective of nationality.
PCB chairman Shaharyar Khan told the media that negotiations with Richards were wrapped up as the two parties could not agree on financial details and the West Indian legend also had prior commitments.
The ultimate was surely Yudhishthira's immortal "Aswathama hatha...", followed by a whispered "iti narova kunjarova..."," says Sunanda K Datta-Ray.
The Indian duo of Ravichandran Ashwin and Ravindra Jadeja on Wednesday became the first set of spinners to be jointly ranked number one in the ICC Test rankings for bowlers.
From players and coaches to legends and fans; let's hear them out!
The Indian cricket team's director says the two players have utmost respect for each other and the Indian team is 'one honest bunch' which believes in playing for each other.
India's leading off-spinner Ravichandran Ashwin can use the IPL as a platform to revive his dwindling career in limited overs cricket, feels veteran batsman Subramaniam Badrinath.
'If we focus on doing the basics well and give our best in whatever we do, then we have a good chance of going through the semis.' 'After that, we need just two good days to win the World Cup.'
Floored by the praise showered on him by Brian Lara, pacer Wahab Riaz has invited the West Indian legend to Pakistan.
Srikanth or Sindhu? Advani or Kohli? Or will a 21 year old pip the stars? Vote and tell us who your favourite Indian sportsperson of the year is.
Was it badminton sensation PV Sindhu, who became the first Indian to win the World Championships gold medal? Or is it the young shooting progidy Saurabh Chaudhary? Or his India colleague Elavenil Valarivan, who recently took over as World No 1? What about India's heroes on the cricketing field -- Virat Kohli? Rohit Sharma?
A round-up of our favourite photographs from the week gone by.
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.
'Ravi Shastri's contract has ended. We are looking at a full-time coach.'
Summary of sports events and persons who made news on Wednesday
Afghanistan's spin sensation Rashid Khan says he is prepared for the 'test of patience' that awaits him in the country's five-day debut against India, where all he wants is to keep the jangling nerves at bay.
While winning four major finals, India have finished on the losing side in the finals on four occasions.
The halcyon days of those thrilling 1980s and early 1990s teams, when Curtly Ambrose and his fellow pace demons inspired fear and batting blasters like Viv Richards looked so imperious on English tours, have never felt more like pre-history.
'Here was a man who played a major part in helping the Bengalis of East Pakistan create a new nation, secured the merger of Sikkim into the Indian dominion and built R&AW into a formidable outfit, comparable to the best in the world.' Rameshwar Nath Kao shunned the limelight, hated to be photographed and preferred to work behind the scenes. A revealing excerpt from Nitin A Gokhale's much awaited book, R N Kao: Gentleman Spymaster.
'It is easy to criticise the fast bowlers, but do they have the support they need to grow as bowlers? No!'
Kumar Sangakkara created history by notching up a record fourth consecutive ODI century that powered Sri Lanka to a crushing 148-run win over Scotland in their final group league match of the ongoing cricket World Cup in Hobart.
The legend of Virat Kohli reached gigantic proportions as the reigning superstar of Indian cricket virtually made the World Twenty20 a one-man show.
With a fourth crown, India also surpassed Australia in the race of most U-19 World Cup titles. Prior to the final, India and Australia were locked at three titles each.
With the threat of in-form off-spinner Ravichandran Ashwin looming large, Australia captain Michael Clarke summoned Shane Warne to the team's nets on Wednesday, ahead of their ICC Cricket World Cup semi-final against India, at the Sydney Cricket Ground.
The legend picked Pujara, Umesh for their feats.
The national team manager Intikhab Alam has blamed captain Shahid Afridi for Pakistan cricket team's recent poor performances, including at the World Twenty20 in India. The report states that Afridi was involved in 'needless controversies' during the World T20. In the five-page report submitted to the PCB and fact-finding committee of the PCB, Alam said that the team failed to sustain the stress and the pressure associated with the world event. "The recent Asia Cup and the ICC World T20 have made it evident that we have critical gaps both in batting and bowling and our fielding keeps on leaking runs, thus releasing pressure. In bowling, with the exception of Muhammad Amir, we do not have a bowler who can win us matches. "Our death bowling also is way below par. And the same goes with our batting line-up, where we do not have reliable pinch hitters and the top and power hitter to clinch us games," Alam wrote in his report, leaked to media.
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