'Pressure will always be there because in international cricket, you can't take any series lightly.' 'The margin between winning and losing is very small, and nowadays, the gap between international teams isn't much either.'
The experienced West Zone team will take on a relatively young East Zone in the Duleep Trophy final starting on Saturday
Wicketkeeper-batter Rishabh Pant has been included in the Test squad for the upcoming two-match series against Bangladesh.
India batter Ishan Kishan on Wednesday returned to the Jharkhand Ranji team as its captain, following his controversial pullout last season
S Badrinath celebrated his India call-up with a fluent 82, while Manish Pandey and R Ashwin also struck half-centuries as South Zone thumped Central Zone by five wickets to sail into the final of the Duleep Trophy in Indore on Friday.
Has there existed another cricketer who has been hailed as a spinner, fielder, captain, umpire, selector, and above all, a consummate team man, asks K R Nayar.
Appeared in 61 Tests won by India. Only Sachin Tendulkar (72) and Virat Kohli (62) have been part of a winning XI on more occasions for India.
East Zone turned in a disciplined all-round performance to beat West by five wickets and make it to the semi-finals of the Duleep Trophy, in Valsad, on Monday. East will meet North in the semi-final, scheduled to be played in Delhi from February 4.
Skipper Subramanium Badrinath notched up a crucial 136 as South Zone took control of the Duleep Trophy final against North Zone, posting 477 in their first innings in Visakhapatnam on Friday.
Yuvraj Singh made a brilliant comeback into first-class arena as he smashed an unbeaten century for North Zone against Central on the first day of a semi-final match in the Duleep Trophy in Hyderabad.
Mumbai's young batting star Musheer Khan has been ruled out of the upcoming Irani Cup match after suffering a fracture in the neck, in a road accident on the Yamuna Expressway, on Friday.
Hardik Pandya on Thursday posted a video of himself bowling with the red-ball during a training session in England.
East Zone lost their top order batsmen after a cautious start and ended a rain-curtailed Day 2 in the Duleep Trophy final against Central Zone on 64 for 3 in Chennai, on Monday.
Orissa all-rounder Biplab Samantray's fine spell kept defending champions East Zone in the hunt for a berth in the Duleep Trophy final. He claimed three wickets for 22 runs in 14.1 overs to have South precariously placed at 134 for 5 at stumps on the second day. Earlier, East were dismissed for 267 in their first innings.
Prithvi Shaw said every run would be very important for him in his endeavour to make a comeback to the Indian team.
The young left-arm pacer held his nerve in a tense finish to bowl RCB to a narrow two-run victory in a high-scoring game.
Sri Lanka 'A' were 259 for 4 in their second innings, needing another 81 runs to save an innings defeat against North Zone.
Gritty batting by Chirag Pathak (130) and Yousuf Pathan (84 not out) on Friday brought West Zone back into the game as their Duleep Trophy final against South Zone is heading for an exciting finish.
West Zone breezed into the final of the Duleep Trophy on the basis of a huge 475-run first innings lead after their semi-final against North Zone ended in a tame draw in Rajkot on Friday. Resuming at the overnight score of 56 for 1, West Zone declared their second innings at 345 for 7, a few overs before the start of the mandatory overs.
Who do you think should be part of India's playing XI for the first Test against Bangladesh?
Fans and experts questioned the logic behind repeatedly including Easwaran in squads without ever giving him a real opportunity
The first semi-final of the Duleep Trophy between defending champions East Zone and South Zone is interestingly poised with the former scoring 126 for six in their second innings to enjoy a slender 152-run lead at stumps on day 3 in Visakhapatnam.
A round-up of the Ranji Trophy matches played on Saturday.
A round-up of the Ranji Trophy matches played on Saturday.
K L Rahul's much-anticipated return to Ranji Trophy lasted a mere 37 balls as the India opener was dismissed for 26, leaving Karnataka at 267/5 against Haryana.
'You can only break through the doors or force the selectors to pick you for the Indian team by scoring runs consistently in domestic cricket and that is what he has done in the last so many years.'
Ratra, a former Indian wicketkeeper-batter, brings with him a wealth of experience and an impressive track record in both domestic and international cricket.
BCCI president Sourav Ganguly said: 'Along with the international home series, the BCCI's domestic tournaments are crucial as they are a stepping stone towards making India a strong international side.'
BCCI has radical plans to allow participation of overseas players in major domestic tournaments.
Dravid acknowledged the players' sentiments, urging the BCCI to consult those 'putting their bodies on the line.'
Ravindra Jadeja, Rishabh Pant and pacer Mohammed Siraj too faced local bowlers and significant amount of throwdowns.
The wicket-keeper-batter's comeback to cricket has been nothing sort of miraculous. He could barely walk around a year back but hours and hours of relentless rehabilitation at the National Cricket Academy helped him make a remarkable comeback to cricket earlier this year in the IPL.
'We want to look at the future and try and make sure we get the right guys in as well.'
'He return to Australia for this tour in form and a man Australia fears, an unthinkable prospect when he was bailed up in hospital unable to walk.'
Axar Patel brought India D back into the game with a counter-attacking 86 following a disastrous start before picking up two timely wickets against India C for a standout effort on Day 1
The Mumbai batter lit the Chinnaswamy stadium with his brilliant batting.
'...whether he is a top player or not, it doesn't matter.' 'If I go by a player's name I won't be able to bowl at my best.' 'For me he is just a batter, and my only focus is where I need to land the ball.'
Usually, taking two wickets against a strong North Zone would leave any 17-year-old bowler with a wide smile. But Jotin Singh's smile had a tinge of nervousness.
T20 World Cup-winner Arshdeep Singh doesn't like fretting over the future or dwelling on the past. The left-arm pacer prefers to embrace the present.
For the team management, it is a choice between a younger man's (Sarfaraz) flamboyance and fearlessness versus a seasoned campaigner who has been a Test captain and is part of the national set-up for a decade now.
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