'It remains to be seen how much Prithvi Shaw's warriors go on to accomplish, but letting all the adulation go to their heads is the last thing you can expect.' 'Throughout its dominant streak in New Zealand, the Under-19 team played in the personality of its coach, Rahul Dravid.' 'Now, only if they can kick on and become as good as him.'
A defiant Ajinkya Rahane hit a superb 103 to pull India out of trouble after a mid-innings collapse on a lively track at Lord's, as the visitors ended the first day's play on a respectable 290 for nine on Day 1 of the second Test in London.
From Rohit Sharma's record breaking double century in One-Day Internationals, the team's never-ending woes in overseas Tests, to the controversy surrounding Board of Control for Cricket in India's president-in-exile Narayanswami Srinivasan over the Indian Premier League spot-fixing scandal, Indian cricket had the good, bad and ugly in equal measure in 2014.
Ajinkya Rahane paced his innings to perfection in the company of comeback man Robin Uthappa, as India cruised to a seven-wicket victory over Bangladesh in a rain-truncated first One-Day International in Mirpur, on Sunday. Chasing a target of 273 in 50 overs, India were cruising at 100 for one in 16.4 overs when the heavens opened up, leading to play being stopped for nearly two hours.
A summary of all the Ranji Trophy matches played on Sunday
Shikhar Dhawan hammered a record 248 to help India 'A' outclass South Africa 'A' by 39 runs and storm into the final of the 'A' teams' tri-series, in Pretoria, on Monday.
Rohit Sharma was unbeaten on 127 and Ravichandran Ashwin on 92 as India ended Day 2 in the first Test against the West Indies on 354 for 6 (from 102 overs), leading the visitors by 120 runs.
Indian cricket, it seems, pays overwhelming obeisance to a vapid, old adage: The more it changes, the more it remains the same.
As the year 2016 draws to a close, vote for the best Indian sportsperson of the year.
A summary of the first day's play in the Ranji Trophy matches at various venues across the country.