Here's a glimpse of all that happened around the world of sport last week, in 10 images.
County cricket teaches you a lot and helps you grow as a cricketer, says Cheteshwar Pujara as the Indian batsman emphasised the benefits of playing in England's domestic competition after scoring his 12th Test century.
Pakistan off-spinner Saeed Ajmal failed his biomechanics test in Brisbane because his average elbow extension was more than double the 15 degrees allowed by the ICC.
Rangana Herath picked up four wickets while spin partner Milinda Siriwardana took three as Sri Lanka defeated West Indies by 72 runs on the fifth day of the second and final Test on Monday to win the series 2-0.
A responsible half-century from captain Angelo Mathews and some big hitting by Thisara Perera set up a comprehensive 77-run win for Sri Lanka against Pakistan in the second ODI on Tuesday and helped the hosts level the series at 1-1.
South Africa batted cautiously to reach 98 for three as they try to preserve their 1-0 lead in the series in the second Test and final against Sri Lanka on Friday.
India's premier off-spinner Ravichandran Ashwin revealed the the demoralising effect former opener Virender Sehwag's swashbuckling batting had on him when the two practiced together.
But it was all Mumbai after that as Yadav joined Pawar at the crease. Yadav would have gone back without scoring had Sodhi not made mess of a regulation catch off his own bowling. That dropped catch proved costly for New Zealand as Yadav took their attack to the cleaners. Whether it was the express pace of Trent Boult and Neil Wagner or the three spinners, it did not matter much to Yadav. Such was his dominance that he brought up his 50 as well as his 100 with a six.
Prime Minister Narendra Modi has said that developing close relations with India's neighbours is a key priority of his government, ahead of his planned visit to Kathmandu on Tuesday afternoon to attend the 18th South Asian Association for Regional Cooperation, Summit.
'No, you don't require tantrums, or beating a tattoo on the helmet or rude and hostile gestures to make a point.' 'A true fast bowler lets the ball do the talking as it crashes into the stumps,' says veteran sports commentator Kishore Bhimani.
As the beleaguered Indian cricket team start picking up pieces after a forgettable first Test, the spotlight is firmly fixed on team's senior-most pro Harbhajan Singh whose unimpressive show in the 63-run defeat has raised question marks about his future.
The hosts have hit nadir in both form and confidence, and, after a lop-sided 3-0 Test series victory, the script did not change much in the opening ODI, where India steamrolled the opposition by nine wickets.
Rajneesh Gupta highlights the six top performances by Indian spinners in Tests abroad since the 2000s began.
India badminton team have been accorded the top seed this time and are clubbed with Sri Lanka, Pakistan and Scotland in Group A.
'I would have loved to win a 50-over World Cup. We had two chances, but we didn't convert them.' 'There are regrets, but not regrets that I will be thinking about for years and years.'
South Africa made a sedate start to their second innings after conceding a 78-run first innings lead to a spirited Bangladesh on day three of the opening Test at Chittagong on Thursday.
With the pitch showing no signs of aiding the bowlers, off-spinner Ravichandran Ashwin is pinning his hopes on the second new ball to give India breakthroughs on the fourth day of the second Test against Sri Lanka.
Sangakkara, who has scored more than 26,500 runs for his country, had already retired from One-Day Internationals and is currently playing his 132nd Test against Pakistan in Colombo.
Amit Mishra was the only Indian bowler to make an impact on an unresponsive wicket at St Kitts in the first practice game against West Indies President's XI. The leg-spinner, who is making a comeback into the national side, picked four vital wickets and also broke a 122-run stand for the second wicket in the second innings of the Caribbean side.
Mahela Jayawardene scored four streaky runs in his last Test, as Pakistan's bowlers dismantled Sri Lanka's first innings on the opening day of the second and final match, in Colombo, on Thursday.
From Novak Djokovic's top performances to Australia's ICC World Cup victory and Sania Mirza's fabulous run, we have these and many more scintillating moments frozen in time and presented to you in this special photo-feature...
Rain and an on-field injury which prevented South African opener Hashim Amla from batting spurred Sri Lanka to a 17-run win under the Duckworth-Lewis method in the second One-dayer in Colombo on Tuesday.
Kumar Sangakkara remained unbeaten after a sparkling half-century as Sri Lanka responded well to the challenge of scoring 370 runs in four sessions in order to win the first Test against South Africa on Saturday.
Having made a remarkable return to the cricket field for his Ranji side Baroda, India all-rounder Irfan Pathan has said that rather than speaking about international comeback he would let his performance do the talking.
'Even before the series started, we all knew that there was going to be some experiments from us going ahead over the next 18 months. It has been a great learning.'
At least three people were killed and nearly 100 others injured when communal clashes broke out in a popular Sri Lankan tourist region, even as President Mahinda Rajapaksa on Monday warned rioters against taking law into their own hands in curfew-bound areas.
Opener Dimuth Karunaratne missed out on a maiden double hundred but his 238-run stand with fellow centurion Dinesh Chandimal set up Sri Lanka's first-innings total of 484 on day two against West Indies in the opening test at Galle on Thursday.
Former India batsman Sanjay Manjrekar has hit out at the India's Team Director Ravi Shastri and Test captain Virat Kohli questioning their philosophy of aggression after Ishant Sharma incident resulted in a one-Test ban for the lanky Delhi fast bowler.
Wary of the threat posed by Kuldeep Yadav, Australian captain Steve Smith on Saturday said the Indian left-arm wrist spinner is difficult to pick and his side has put in extra effort at the nets to prepare for him.
Injuries have forced India to make changes to their winning combination. With Murali Vijay and Wriddhiman Saha returning home, the visitors are likely to field a new combination.
Looking to set a 350-plus target for Sri Lanka, says Amit Mishra.
India's middle-order batsman Manish Pandey said his main aim is to keep scoring runs whenever he gets an opportunity and push for a permanent berth in the playing eleven.
Tillakaratne Dilshan outshone Hashim Amla's 14th One-Day International century to steer Sri Lanka to a series-levelling 87-run win over South Africa in the second match at Pallekele Stadium on Wednesday.
India captain Virat Kohli wants specific roles for certain players keeping a two-year time frame leading upto the 2019 World Cup in mind.
The trouble-prone Pakistan cricket team dressing room was once again witness to some drama and it took PCB Chairman Shaharyar Khan's intervention to diffuse the controversy generated by Misbah-ul-Haq's decision to rest from the third ODI against Australia.
Suryakumar Yadav has been reported for a suspect illegal bowling action, becoming the fifth bowler to be called in the just concluded Champions League Twenty20 tournament.
In this exclusive conversation with Rediff.com contributor Rajeev Sharma, exiled opposition leader Ahmed Naseem explains why the world should care about democracy in Maldives.
Sohaib Maqsood and Fawad Alam struck quick-fire fifties and combined in a record 147-run sixth wicket stand as Pakistan defeated Sri Lanka by four wickets with one ball remaining in the first one-day international at Hambantota on Saturday.
