Fringe players have a chance to prove their worth when India 'A' takes on Sri Lanka in the tourists' only warm-up match ahead of the hastily scheduled One-Day International series, in Mumbai on Thursday. The tour game, at the Cricket Club of India's Brabourne Stadium, also provides Rohit Sharma, who is recovering from a fractured finger and shoulder injury, an opportunity prove his fitness and return to the side for the last two games in the best-of-five ODI series.
A talented Central Zone team led by Piyush Chawla is aiming to come out firing all cylinders when it squares off with an equally combative South Zone side in the final of the Duleep Trophy, starting in New Delhi, on Wednesday.
Hardly challenged in a dominating run this season, India once again start as overwhelming favourites when they take on an inconsistent-but-gritty New Zealand in a three-match One-Day International series, starting in Mumbai, on Sunday.
Youngsters including Shreyas Iyer, Karun Nair, keeper-batsman Rishabh Pant, teen sensation Prithvi Shaw will be keen to make a mark and impress the national selectors during Tuesday's One-Day warm-up against New Zealand in Mumbai.
Facing the prospect of a series defeat at home for the first time in 15 months, skipper Virat Kohli will have a relook at his team combination as hosts India take on a resurgent England in a do-or-die second T20 International, in Nagpur on Sunday.
A fit again South African pacer Dale Steyn on Wednesday said that New Zealand's decision to play three spinners against India in the World Twenty20 opener paid off as the Kiwis posted a comfortable 47-run win over the hosts. Chasing a mere 127 runs for victory, favourites India were bundled out for 79 in 18.1 overs on a turning track at Nagpur last night with the Kiwi spinners sharing as many as nine wickets among them. "I guess New Zealand thinking was correct. Playing with three spinners paid off. We would probably go with spin, I don't know. But as a seamer I have to back myself. Bowl fast cutters. It is really difficult to hit out when the ball is coming at 140-145, its gripping and stopping," Steyn told reporters on the sidelines of his team's practice session at the Brabourne stadium on Wednesday. Steyn, who had suffered a shoulder injury, said he was now fully fit and things were coming up nicely.
A resurgent Delhi Daredevils will look to build a winning momentum.
The seventh edition of the Indian Premier League kicked-off in the United Arab Emirates on April 16 with a match between Mumbai Indians and Kolkata Knight Riders in Abu Dhabi. The UAE was awarded hosting rights for the first 20 matches of the cash-rich Twenty20 extravaganza because of a clash in dates with the general elections in India. On May 2, second phase of the league commences with matches in India, when Chennai Super Kings and Kolkata Knight Riders meet in Ranchi.
All-rounder Ravindra Jadeja on Monday made a comeback to the Indian team for the first two Tests against South Africa, replacing veteran Harbhajan Singh, who was the only casualty from the team which won the Test series in Sri Lanka last month.
Opener Smriti Mandhana struck a stylish 67 off 41 balls, helping India post a decent total of 152 for five in 20 overs, but it was not enough as Australia chased down the total in 18.1 overs
Wriddhiman Saha's career-best first-class knock of 203 was the stand-out performance as Rest of India lifted the Irani Cup after effortlessly chasing down a 379-run target set by Gujarat with more than two sessions to spare, in Mumbai, on Tuesday.
The mountain of runs that he has plundered so far in first-class cricket has ensured that the focus will be firmly on Delhi youngster Rishabh Pant as India 'A' take on the visiting England XI, in the second and final warm-up match in Mumbai, on Thursday.
Steve Smith has succeeded only moderately in the Indian Premier League for Rajasthan Royals this season, but he is optimistic that he would deliver big in the remaining matches of the T20 league, including the all-important play-off games.
Thanks to Taylor's 102 and Latham's 108 (both retired out) on a flat Brabourne Stadium track, New Zealand notched up a mammoth 343 for nine in the allotted 50 overs.
'The players all appreciate -- we all appreciate -- the fact that despite the pandemic and the restrictions, because of all of this protocol that has been put in place, the IPL season is still happening.'
Mumbai pacer Shardul Thakur pushed South Africa to the backfoot before the classy AB de Villiers rallied the tourists with a typically aggressive century on the second and last day of the practice game against Board President's XI which ended in a draw, in Mumbai, on Saturday.
Rajneesh Gupta presents all the numbers from the first Test in Rajkot.
'I came to hear you sing Ae Mere Watan Ke Logon. I am glad I have heard you sing.'
India's limited overs cricket will usher in a new era with the national selectors expected to name Virat Kohli as the captain when they pick the squad for three ODIs and three T20 Internationals against England in Mumbai on Thursday. Test skipper Kohli is expected to be anointed captain of the limited overs teams also, after Mahendra Singh Dhoni decided to step down from the job in a surprise decision last night.
New Zealand are hoping to give a better account of themselves when they take on the Indian Board President's XI in the final warm-up game on Thursday before the first One-Day International, in Mumbai on October 22.
'Bowl the ball reasonably quick on the surface and make the batsmen commit a mistake' 'It always tends to spin here more, which is a good thing for me as a spinner. But yeah the Indians are very good players of spin, and we have to work really hard'
Rajasthan Royals batsman Ajinkya Rahane credited his mental preparation as the key to his success in Tests, One-Day Internationals and the ongoing Indian Premier League, in which he is the leading run-getter till date.
IPL 2022 has passed the halfway mark after a month of high action and drama. So how will the second half play out for the teams still in contention for the playoffs?
Rediff.com takes a look at few of Virender Sehwag's best knocks.
With India all set to host the ICC World Twenty20 for the first time in 2016, we take a look at the 8 grounds that will host the 58 matches over 27 days from March 8 to April 3.
Ajinkya Rahane carved out his seventh Test century and was unbeaten on 108 runs as India extended their lead over West Indies by a mammoth 304 runs to take firm control of the second Test in Kingston. The final session on Day Three of the second Test was washed off due to rain.
Khaleel Ahmed and Kuldeep Yadav picked up three wickets each after centuries from Rohit Sharma and Ambati Rayudu as India demolished West Indies by 224 runs, in the fourth ODI in Mumbai on Monday.
Shane Watson smashed an unbeaten century and then bagged two wickets as Rajasthan Royals outplayed defending champions Kolkata Knight Riders by nine runs to seal a play-offs berth in the IPL tournament in Mumbai on Saturday.
The domestic season-ending five-day Irani Cup game between newly crowned Ranji Trophy champions Mumbai and the Rest of India, commencing in Mumbai from Sunday, will provide fringe players a good opportunity to stake claims for the national team. The first class match is the last occasion for hopefuls from both ranks to impress the five-member national selection panel headed by Sandeep Patil before attention shifts totally to the T20 format, commencing with the ICC World T20 Championships. With the country expected to play over 15 Test matches post Indian Premier League till the end of next season, this match is the ideal platform for these players to strengthen their claims for the long Test haul. Mumbai, who clinched the Ranji crown for the 41st time last week by defeating Saurashtra by an innings, have a settled combination led by wicket keeper batsman Aditya Tare. They appear to be better prepared than the motley bunch of Rest of India, being led by Madhya Pradesh stumper Naman Ojha. However, they would take the Rest of India lightly at their own peril as the latter have a good bowling attack at their command even without originally named Barinder Sran and Nathu Singh who have been injured and replaced by Ankit Rajpoot and Anureet Singh, according to their coach Ashish Kapoor.
An all-round effort from Team India saw the hosts bundle out Australia for 112 runs and record a superb 75-run win on Day 4 of the 2nd Test in Bengaluru on Tuesday. Here are the statistical highlights from Day 4 of the match.
Shreyas Iyer stroked his way to an unbeaten half-century in an otherwise unimpressive batting display by India 'A' in reply to Australia's first-innings total of 469 for seven declared on the second day of the three-day practice game in Mumbai.
Chasing a target of 283, India 'A' knocked off the runs in 39.4 overs.
England's limited overs captain Eoin Morgan sees the upcoming three-match ODI series against India as a formidable challenge and expressed happiness at the quality of the teams his side will face in the two warm-up games in Mumbai, on Tuesday, and on January 12.
'The present-day Congress party does not lack leaders who want a Rahul-led Congress to taste electoral success, but wish he fails in his efforts to cleanse the party.'
England batsman Sam Billings says working with Rahul Dravid during his six-week stint for Delhi Daredevils in the Indian Premier League last year helped him improve his footwork against spin bowling.
The possibility of this is inextricably linked with the Unique ID project.
Blessed with a computer-like brain and an elephantine memory, Anandji Dossa was a pioneer in compiling cricket statistics and scores. Haresh Pandya pays tribute to the modest stats-man, who has passed into the ages.
'I know how to play and how to score runs; it is just that I am waiting for the opportunity. Whenever it comes, I will grab it with both hands.'
Young batsman Shreyas Iyer pounded the Australian bowlers with his career-best unbeaten 202 before the three-day warm-up game between India A and the visitors ended in a draw, in Mumbai, on Sunday.
As Virender Sehwag called time on his international career, Harbhajan Singh recalls the memories of playing alongside the swashbuckling right-hander, whom he met a long time ago during the Under-16 days and has been good friends since then.
