Of cricket bats and kabbadi ads in the Gujarat poll
Like the billionaire investor Rakesh Jhunjhunwala, Gautam Gambhir, the tenacious former opener-turned-coach, also seems to be governed by instincts while picking unheralded players and turning them into match-winners, points out Vishal Menon.
Owing to his decent performance in the recently-concluded two-Test series against New Zealand, India batsman Virat Kohli rose to his career-best eighth position in the latest ICC Test rankings issued on Monday.
A decent performance in the just-concluded two-Test series against New Zealand propelled India batsman Virat Kohli to a career-best ninth in the latest ICC Test rankings, issued in Dubai on Wednesday.
India players paid for their under-performance in the opening Test against New Zealand in Auckland as most of them saw a drop in their rankings.
India face a daunting task of scoring 407 runs to win the first cricket Test after New Zealand suffered a dramatic batting collapse in the second innings and were skittled out for 105. Images from the third day's play in Auckland on Saturday.
India's Under-19 World Cup triumph has confirmed that India's reservoir is inundating with bright, exciting talents, says Haresh Pandya.
Sachin Tendulkar has made an expected return to the Test team while VVS Laxman, despite his woeful run of form in the series against Australia, retains his place for the NZ series.
India's Virat Kohli jumped nine places to achieve his career-best 11th spot in the latest Reliance ICC Player Rankings for Test batsmen issued on Monday.
Nathan Lyon scalped five wickets as the Indian batsmen were tested for the first time in the series on a crumbling track. The hosts still managed to take a slender four-run first-innings lead in the fourth and final cricket Test against Australia in New Delhi on Saturday.
India took a comprehensive 2-0 lead in the Test series after Australia suffered a crushing defeat of an innings and 135 runs on Tuesday. Here are the statistical highlights from the fourth day's play of the second Test between India and Australia played in Hyderabad.
Images from the opening day's play of the second Test between India and the West Indies at the Wankhede stadium on Thursday.
Virat Kohli's woeful form continued as India 'A' were shot out for a paltry 135 by Australia 'A' in the second unofficial 'Test' in Chennai on Wednesday.
It is understood that Kohli, Rahane, Shami, Jadeja will be sweating it out at the nets alongside Ashwin, who has already bowled a whopping 58 overs and taken seven wickets in a County game for Surrey last week.
Shastri wants both Ashwin and Jadeja in Indian playing XI for WTC Final
At 876 points he is only eight points behind second-placed India spinner Ravindra Jadeja and 20 behind top-ranked James Anderson of England.
The 28-year-old Starc finished with a match haul of nine for 109, enabling him to overtake South Africa's new-ball bowlers Morne Morkel and Vernon Philander among others, eclipsing his previous best sixth position that he enjoyed in December 2016.
Shubman Gill is all set to open with Rohit Sharma after he was named in India's 15-man squad for the ICC World Test Championship final against New Zealand, in Southampton, from June 18.
India captain Rohit Sharma including mainstays Virat Kohli, Jasprit Bumrah and Ravindra Jadeja have placed in the highest category of BCCI central contracts.
Shubman Gill smashed a career-best 128 and Virat Kohli regained his form to fuel India's robust reply
India 'A' coach Lalchand Rajput says pacer Ishwar Pandey was the find of the South Africa tour and many young players from that squad stand a good chance being selected for the senior team which will travel there later this year.
Rajneesh Gupta presents some interesting numbers from Day 2:
South Zone pacers were brilliantly bellicose while reducing West Zone to 129 for 7
Giving the 'social challenge' a new twist, the International Cricket Council called Australian batting sensation Marnus Labuschagne a duplicate of his team-mate Steve Smith. ICC used three different photos of Steve Smith indicating different profile pictures for Linkedin, Facebook, and Instagram. However, they replaced his Twitter picture with a duplicate account and used Labuschagne's photo to denote it, terming it as 'duplicate account'.
Statistical highlights from Day 1 of the second Test played between India and England at Wankhede in Mumbai on Friday.
Can this Indian side, which has shown character and courage after the debacle in the first Test at Adelaide, stun the Aussies at their favourite hunting ground?
Aiming at the stumps should be the way forward for Australia's quicks against India to take advantage of the uneven bounce on the M Chinnaswamy Stadium pitch, fast bowler Josh Hazlewood said on Monday.
Opener Murali Vijay's unbeaten 151 ensured Rest of India a crucial 75-run first innings lead on Day 2 of the Irani Trophy match against Rajasthan, at the Chinnaswamy stadium in Bangalore, on Saturday.
Mayank Agarwal scored his fourth Test half-century as India inched to 78-2 at tea on the third day of Trent Boult followed up his counter-attacking cameo innings of 38 to take three wickets, including that of Virat Kohli, to put New Zealand on top against India at the end of the third day of the first test on Sunday. Trent Boult followed up his counter-attacking cameo innings of 38 to take three wickets, including that of Virat Kohli, to put New Zealand on top against India at the end of the third day of the first test on Sunday. The visitors, who had not lost any of their seven previous International Cricket Council World Test Championship matches, were 144-4 at the close of play at the Basin Reserve, still 39 runs behind and staring at their potential first defeat.
India batter Shubman Gill doesn't see the role of a number three much different to an opener after deciding to bat lower down the order.
He relished batting at number three and registered a maiden hundred in the first Test against New Zealand in Hyderabad on Thursday, but insisted it is not appropriate to suggest that he can replace a legend like Rahul Dravid.
Central Zone bowlers led by captain Shivam Mavi (4/43) silenced the big guns in the West Zone batting line-up to restrict them to 216 for 8.
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.
A look at the possible vice-captain candidates for the Test series in South Africa.
Bumrah, Chahar, Kaul get their first dose of COVID vaccine.
India completed a historic 4-0 clean sweep against Australia by recording an emphatic six-wicket victory in the fourth and final Test in New Delhi on Sunday.
Images of the fourth and final Test between India and Australia being played at the Feroz Shah Kotla
Shastri, batting coach Vikram Rathour, bowling coach Bharath Arun and fielding coach R Sridhar have all reached from their respective home cities on Sunday.
Former India captain Sourav Ganguly feels it's time Ajinkya Rahane is given his Test cap, in the fourth and final Test against Australia, beginning in Delhi on Friday.
Former India batsman Navjot Singh Sidhu heaped praise on Shikhar Dhawan for scoring the fastest Test century on debut on Saturday.
