'When you saw him, you immediately knew that he was something special.'
Despite just one bid and the sponsorship rights going for its base price, the Board of Control for Cricket in India expressed satisfaction with its deal with Star India Pvt Ltd and ESPN for all 13 home international fixtures till March 2014.
India's limited overs specialist Jasprit Bumrah is aware that bowling effective yorkers can't remain his only weapon at the highest level.
'I think personally the home country should have the right to schedule matches as it sees fit and start them at whatever time of day they want'
Karnataka batsman Lokesh Rahul gave the selectors food for thought before the upcoming Australia tour, scoring a classy century which gave South Zone a vital first innings lead against Central Zone on Day 2 of the Duleep Trophy final, in Delhi, on Thursday. Replying to Central's first innings total of 276, South rode the opener's unbeaten 168 to end the day on 308 for three, a lead of 32 runs, at the Feroz Shah Kotla.
Skipper Manoj Tiwary continued his blazing form in domestic competitions with a magnificent 151 that powered East Zone to a comfortable 52-run win over North in the Deodhar Trophy semi-final in Mumbai.
Kuldeep Yadav, among all the players in this team, has more experience of playing with pink ball and the kind of revolution he produces, he could make it difficult for batsmen to spot the black seam of the pink kookaburra under lights.
The Australians, led by Steve Smith, arrived in Chennai from Bangladesh after drawing a two-Test series and the match tomorrow would give them opportunity to at least switch to the One-day format.
'I was not sure whether such a big player would come to my house but he was quite happy to visit my place... which was just unbelievable!'
Ganguly said he is happy that India skipper Virat Kohli as well as the Bangladesh Cricket Board (BCB) have agreed on a historic first at such a short notice.
Sourav Ganguly will have his hands full during his nine-month tenure
Tendulkar's sterling performances, his fascinating duels for supremacy with contemporaries -- Brian Lara, Ricky Ponting, Inzamam-ul Haq, Jacques Kallis among batsmen; Shane Warne, Muttiah Muralitharan, Wasim Akram among bowlers -- embellished modern cricket and globalised the game, asserts Ayaz Memon who has observed the cricketing colossus from the day he made his Test debut in November 1989.
'I am willing to help/assist in any way to help bring in a change. It's shocking to say the least that the payment system hasn't been changed since 2004. Imagine the value of 100 rupees then and now. It is so different' 'The guys can't even plan their future because they don't know whether they would earn Rs 1 lakh or Rs 10 lakh in that year and it leads to huge issues in their lives and families and (affects) state of mind. Anyway, let's try and gently make a change for our brothers'
Rahul was the only prominent batsman to miss out on a significant score in India's 358 all out on day two of the four-day tour game in Sydney.
'I would have loved to see Dhoni play the first ever Test in Rajkot.' Fans from Saurashtra share their excitement with Haresh Pandya.
'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.'
'The way they are playing, the bowlers we have, this is the best team in the world and I see them winning the World Test Championship.'
Going by the nature of the pitch on eve of the three-day game, senior player Ross Taylor said he does not expect the ball to turn much at Kotla, but is aware it won't be the case in the three-Test series, starting in Kanpur on September 22.
Wriddhiman Saha remained unfazed in his finest cricketing hour and said his twin half centuries against New Zealand in Kolkata carry 'more value' than his unbeaten 203 in the Irani Cup, perhaps one of his best knocks.
Ganguly convinced the Bangladesh Cricket Board to agree to a Day/Night Test just a few days before their team was to land in India.
In a team that mostly includes aggressive stroke-players, the 22-year-old Rahul's fortitude makes him just the right choice. The fact that he played in Australian conditions in recent times, having opened for India 'A', will be an added advantage.
As Sachin turns 50, Rediff brings you 50 fascinating facts about the God of Cricket.
Ravindra Jadeja spiced up an otherwise uneventful final day with another lethal spell of left-arm spin as India Blue notched a crushing 355-run victory over India Red to win the inaugural day-night Duleep Trophy tournament, in Greater Noida, on Wednesday evening.
Former India captain and team director Ravi Shastri said Cheteshwar Pujara, who was not picked up by any of the teams for this year's Indian Premier League, deserves to be compensated handsomely as a reward for his consistent contributions to the Test team's success this home season.
Domestic cricket will only happen when travelling is safe: Ganguly
The Board of Control for Cricket in India is in talks with British manufacturer 'Dukes' for supply of pink balls which can be tested before zeroing in on a particular brand for the proposed day-night Test matches later this year.
His back-foot play off the pacers was a treat to the eyes and when the spinners were deployed, he was not afraid to use the long handle.
When Dhoni arrived in Indian cricket, he wasn't a gym person but had an incredibly strong lower body as he played badminton and football regularly.
Please fill in your choices and help the Indian selectors make up their mind!
'He batted like someone who has played 50 Test matches.' 'He is an unbelievable talent and hopefully if he is nurtured well, he will serve Indian cricket for a long, long time'
Still on a learning curve as India's Test skipper, Virat Kohli has divulged crucial captaincy lessons learnt in his tenure so far.
Uncertanity over the availability of Wriddhiman Saha, who had a split webbing in his right hand, for the first One-Day International against Sri Lanka seems to be over as the wicketkeeper batsman looked fit ahead of the opening game, in Cuttack on Sunday.
Robin Uthappa has come out as a completely changed batsman this season and the Karnataka opener attributes his consistent scores on "staying true to his skills" just like India captain Mahendra Singh Dhoni and Virat Kohli.
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.
BCCI President Anurag Thakur on Sunday made it clear that unlike his predecessor Shashank Manohar, he is not "interested" in any ICC post and his sole focus at present is to protect the rights of Indian cricket. Hinting at Manohar, Thakur said, "One who had to go to ICC have already gone long back. I have no interest and I am happy here with BCCI and nothing is more important for me than India. We have to protect the rights of India. If you don't think about India then it will be difficult to think about any other country. "Today there is India, so world cricket is growing," Thakur said.
Arjun Tendulkar, son of cricket icon Sachin Tendulkar and a left-arm pacer, has been named in the 15-member Mumbai squad for the upcoming 'Bapuna Cup' to be held in Nagpur.
Former India opener Aakash Chopra believes that the "meaningless" tournaments like Duleep and Deodhar trophies should be done away with to improve the domestic cricket structure of the country.
Board of Control for Cricket in India president Sourav Ganguly revealed on Friday that India skipper Virat Kohli is open to the idea of playing day-night Tests. His comments come following a meeting with Kohli, in Mumbai on Thursday, during which the idea was floated.
Injuries to KL Rahul and Shikhar Dhawan have brought Gautam Gambhir back into the picture, and batting coach Sanjay Bangar says the Delhi batsman will be a vital cog in the Indian Test team in the long home season.
How will young batsmen brought up on T20 learn to build an innings? What about the technique to patiently negotiate hostile seam bowling conditions or the skill to play on difficult dusty turners? What about leaving the swinging ball outside off stump?
