Captain Mahendra Singh Dhoni and veteran pacer Ashish Nehra on Friday did not come for Indian team's pre-match day training after being advised rest ahead of the crucial Asia Cup T20 game against Pakistan, in Fatullah on Saturday. While Dhoni is suffering from back spasms, the injury-prone Nehra has his own specific training programme, which is different from the general team routine. Dhoni had played through pain against Bangladesh but back spasms need adequate recovery time, which is specifically the reason he has been given 48 hours to recuperate before the Pakistan match. His cover Parthiv Patel had his first training session but had precious little do as he did not get to bat in the main nets. Unless Dhoni's physical condition deteriorates further, Parthiv's chances of playing are minimal. There was one interesting sight during the training session on the match-eve. Both India and Pakistan trained adjacent to each other inside the main stadium at the Khan Saheb Osman Ali Stadium and trained at the same time between 4-6:30 pm local time. However, during the entire two and half-hour training session, no pleasantries were exchanged between the members of the two sides.
Supremely confident of his pace attack, Pakistan captain Shahid Afridi on Friday said his fast bowlers are capable of sending the Indian top-order packing in the first six overs itself when the two teams lock horns in the Asia Cup T20 group league match, in Fatullah on Saturday. "Pace bowlers are the main form of attack in these conditions. We have got four pacers and they are just cricketers who are considered to be wicket-taking. Our fast bowlers will try to utilise the opening six overs by removing their batsmen as that is considered to be their strength," Afridi said at the pre-match press conference. Afridi though acknowledged that Indian batsmen do play spinners very well. In the spin department, Afridi will be supported by left-arm spinner Muhammad Nawaz, who has done well in the recently concluded PSL. "Indian batsmen usually play spinners very well and they have in-form players in their squad as they have come here playing some good cricket. I think apart from me there is Mohammad Nawaz who performed really well in the domestic cricket as well as in the PSL. The fast bowlers are also in good shape whether it is Amir, Wahab or Irfan.
Rajneesh Gupta presents some interesting numbers from Day 1 in the first Test between India and Sri Lanka.
Glenn McGrath has said that Indian team would need to execute their plans properly during their one-off Test match against Bangladesh starting in Fatullah on Wednesday.
The 14-man side flew in from Kolkata, where it had assembled for a brief camp before the series.
Cricket Australia (CA) instead sent two security experts and a manager to meet with top Bangladesh security and intelligence officials.
Rajneesh Gupta presents some interesting numbers from the second day's proceedings.
Rajneesh Gupta gives us all the dazzling numbers.
With captain Mushfiqur Rahim nursing a sprained finger, young Litton Das is likely to be Bangladesh's wicketkeeper in the one off-Test against India, starting on Wednesday.
In the other match of the day, Dan Lawrence and Jack Burnham hit centuries as title contender England crushed Fiji by a massive margin of 299 runs.
With a penchant for scoring big Test hundreds, Indian opener Murali Vijay is now aiming to cross the 200-run barrier as he approaches the next phase of his cricketing career.
Backing the team's decision to pick five bowlers on what appears a good batting track, off-spinner Ravichandran Ashwin said the bowling department will certainly use the experience of playing in Australia on the placid wicket in the ongoing one-off Test against Bangladesh in Fatullah.
Reigning champion India will be bidding to gain further momentum and become only the third side in World Cup history to successfully defend its title after West Indies in 1975 and 1979 and Australia, who won the coveted prize three times in succession between 1999 and 2007.
Senior batsman Shikhar Dhawan proved his form and fitness in style before the South African series as he led India 'A's strong reply against Bangladesh 'A' with an unbeaten century on Day 1 of the only unofficial Test.
Dinesh Chandimal lauded India's bowlers on their brilliant showing on Day 1 of the first Test, in Galle on Wednesday, saying the spinners exploited the conditions well.
Pakistan pulled off a thrilling three-wicket victory over hosts Bangladesh to storm into the finals of the Asia Cup cricket tournament, knocking India out of the title race. Shahid Afridi's blistering 59 off 25 balls helped Pakistan set up a summit clash against Sri Lanka. Here are the statistical highlights from the Asia Cup One-dayer played between Pakistan and Bangladesh in Dhaka on Tuesday.
Lasith Malinga's brilliant five-wicket haul under pressure and opener Lahiru Thirimanne's second ODI century helped Sri Lanka script a thrilling 12-run win over Pakistan in a nail-biting opening match of the Asia Cup at the Khan Shaheb Osman Ali Stadium, in Fatullah, on Tuesday.
India skipper Virat Kohli said that the opener has it in him to replicate the swashbuckling Virender Sehwag at the top.
Opener Shikhar Dhawan's attractive stroke-play vindicated skipper Virat Kohli's decision to bat first as India comfortably amassed 239 for no loss at stumps on the first day of their one-off Test against Bangladesh in Fatullah.
Bangladesh made their foray into Test arena in 2000 against India but in 15 years, have never received invitation from BCCI, something that the current players are looking forward to, insists their limited overs captain Mashrafe Mortaza.
With India set to host South Africa and Sri Lanka in Test series later this year, captain, Virat Kohli is sure that it is his bowling unit that will eventually make a difference.
Ravichandran Ashwin cast his web with a five-wicket haul but Bangladesh managed to hold on for a draw despite being asked to follow-on against India, in the rain-marred one-off Test in Fatullah, on Sunday.
Captain Virat Kohli and opener Murali Vijay pulverised a hapless Bangladesh attack into submission with majestic hundreds as India reached a commanding 356 for three on Day 1 of the one-off Test match.
Six months after Afghanistan qualified for its maiden appearance in the Cricket World Cup, its success story continues to make waves and the strife-torn country has now entered into the main ODI rankings table for the first time.
Indian opener Rohit Sharma said that the team will not only be thinking of Pakistan's ace pacer Muhammed Amir, who has made a successful comeback after being suspended owing to match-fixing, but the team has a plan to counter all bowlers from the arch-rivals. "I have played him before but also other bowlers. We are preparing for each individual and not just about one. We have to be well prepared and we are up for the challenge. We are not thinking too far ahead and doing everything possible we can to win games," Rohit said on the eve of India's Asia Cup T20 match against Pakistan. Rohit also praised the selectors and captain Mahendra Singh Dhoni for giving him the confidence when he had a string of low scores at the start of his international career. "If any individual knows that he has the backing of the team, that's when he opens up and expresses himself better -- gets the performance going," Rohit told mediapersons in Fatullah on Friday. "For us also, we have been playing with the squad for a while which shows that we have a good bunch, which is ready to take up the challenge at any given point of time. That's a good sign and we are very proud of that.
Check out the statistical highlights of the second ODI between India and Bangladesh in Mirpur on Sunday.
Centuries from openers Shikhar Dhawan and Murali Vijay and a fluent 98 from Ajinkya Rahane lifted India to 462 for six before rain washed out the final session of play on Day 3 of the one-off Test against Bangladesh in Fatullah, on Friday.
Murali Vijay and Cheteshwar Pujara led India's determined response to England's mammoth first innings total of 537 as they struck dogged hundreds to guide the hosts to 319 for four on the third day of the first Test in Rajkot, on Friday.
Harish Kotian/Rediff.com explains why skipper Virat Kohli is backing his opening batsman to carry on the good form in the next two Tests of the series.
Ahead of the selectors' meeting in Mumbai on Wednesday, May 20, Harish Kotian picks the team he considers best to take on Bangladesh in the one-off Test in Fatullah from June 10 to 14.
Tamim Iqbal became his country's top run-scorer in one-day cricket as Bangladesh beat New Zealand by 40 runs in the second ODI to take an unassailable 2-0 lead in the three-match series, in Dhaka, on Thursday night.
Afghanistan notched up their first major win against a Test playing nation as they produced an all-round performance to script an upset 32-run victory over Bangladesh in their Asia Cup match in Fatullah on Saturday.
World champions India have consolidated their top rank on the ICC ODI Team Rankings after sweeping the series against Sri Lanka, which concluded in Ranchi on Sunday.
India have won the Asia Cup six times, Sri Lanka five, and Pakistan have won it just twice. As the 14th edition of Asia's own trophy gets underway on Saturday, Rajneesh Gupta presents the numbers on the 13 editions so far.
Kumar Sangakkara displayed his class with a breathtaking 84-ball 103 as Sri Lanka recovered from a middle-order batting collapse to score a thrilling two-wicket over India in the Asia Cup, at the Khan Shaheb Osman Ali Stadium, in Fatullah, Bangladesh, on Friday night. Chasing 265, the islanders rode on the 36-year-old batsman's 84-ball 103 to clinch victory with four balls to spare.
Virat Kohli scored a confident 136 and shared a 213-run partnership with Ajinkya Rahane (73) as India cruised to an easy six-wicket victory over Bangladesh in their Asia Cup opener, in Fatullah, on Wednesday night.
Virat Kohli's proactive and aggressive style of leadership will be tested when India take on sprightly underdogs Bangladesh in the one-off Test match starting in Fatullah on Wednesday.
Ahead of the upcoming Test and ODI series against Bangladesh Rajneesh Gupta presents a statistical outlook on India's players selected for the two squads.
Rain threatens to disrupt the first day's play when Sri Lanka and India face-off in the opening Test at Galle on Wednesday.
During Sandeep Patil's four-year tenure as chief selector, India continued to be dominant at home in Tests but struggled to win an away series outside Asia, except for the West Indies, as it suffered series losses in England, Australia, New Zealand and South Africa.
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