Pujara may not have set alight county cricket with his Yorkshire stint but many believe the time he spent in the country gives him a distinct advantage over his team mates.
'England were going great guns when Kapil threw the ball to Jimmy and then to me.'
India registered its first Test win at the Mecca of Cricket.
Kabir Khan's '83 saw a grand premiere in Mumbai, attended by the film's star cast.
'I was seven years old in 1983. I never heard about that historic win because we did not have a radio set in our village.'
Virat Kohli continued in his good run of form, hitting his 15th Test century on Day 3 of the 4th Test against England at the Wankhede. The India captain also completed a couple of personal landmarks during his innings, getting past 1,000 Test runs for 2016 and 4,000 career runs in the longest format. Rajneesh Gupta presents some formidable numbers, summarising Kohli's records thus far...
'The West Indies' pace battery was lethal.' 'Watching Gavaskar, Gaekwad, Amarnath and Vengsarkar play against those bowlers I learnt so much.' 'Everybody was getting hit.' 'Someone got hit on the fingers, someone on the chest, someone on the face, but they all showed guts.'
The Aussie series of 1985-1986 will remain a missed opportunity for Indian cricket. But it is least talked about despite all the high points in the series.
Former captain Rahul Dravid on Thursday said India are one of the strong contenders for the 2015 World Cup to be played in Australia and New Zealand as the team has the "advantage of playing five bowlers" in a match.
One game can turn around things but I have my doubts, says Mohinder Amarnath.
Only if we could have a Rohit versus Ashwin clash in the semis! What a perfect fill-up it would be for the resurgence of the Ranji Trophy.
This period saw big stars of the likes of Sunil Gavaskar and Kapil Dev fade into the sunset while it was witness to the birth of slew of young Indian cricketers that made their mark home and abroad.
Here are the statistical highlights from the third day's play of the fifth and final cricket Test between India and England in Chennai.
Statistical highlights after opening day's play in the first cricket Test between India and New Zealand in Kanpur on Thursday.
The film didn't offer the unfettered entertainment which everyone sought -- it was out-and-out a docu-drama, not a masala movie, notes Sandeep Goyal.
'Good shot, yaar; but why are you batting so aggressively, almost angrily?' Amarnath wants to know. 'Jimmy pa, you don't know, he swore at me in Madras. I have been waiting for an opportunity to give it back!' Yashpal responds.
'Ranveer Singh is on a different level, he is a super human.' 'The kind of energy, the kind of seriousness and dedication he has towards his work, it is just phenomenal.'
The World Cup belonged to Yashpal as much as it belonged to Kapil Dev, Mohinder Amarnath or Roger Binny, whose performances are often highlighted.
Slowly but surely, the game of cricket is changing character. Just that we are unwilling to see the writing on the wall, observes Indrajit GuptaWhy does Indian cricket find itself on a slippery slope?, Indrajit Gupta asks.
'He was the one who set the agenda for the 1983 World Cup win with 89 in the first match against the West Indies, then top-scoring with 40 in the crucial match against Australia when we had to qualify for the semi-finals.' 'He played another brilliant innings of 61 against England in the semi-finals.'
Who can forget the 1996 World Cup quarter-final in Bengaluru? Or Sachin Tendulkar's magical knock at Centurion in the 2003 World Cup? Or Kapil Dev-inspired India bowling out Pakistan 87 at Sharjah?
Kabir Khan's '83 is an ode to a game changing chapter of Indian cricket history, pitch-perfect partnerships between openers and tail enders, knowing your mate's strengths as well as your own, seizing that one moment that defines the rest of your life, applauds Sukanya Verma.
Imran Khan will always be first and foremost the enigmatic 'Kaptaan', who pulled off the impossible -- transform an immensely talented but fractious bunch of cricketers into world beaters.
Ambati Rayudu slammed his maiden hundred as India produced yet another comprehensive batting performance to ease past Sri Lanka by six wickets in the second One-Day International, in Motera, Ahmedabad, on Thursday.
Rajneesh Gupta presents all the numbers from the first Test in Rajkot.
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.
Haresh Pandya recounts one of the biggest upsets in One-day cricket.
Opener Faiz Fazal led Rest of India's dominating display with the bat as the visitors chased down a record target of 480 against Mumbai to win the Irani Trophy. Half-centuries from Karun Nair (92), Sudeep Chatterjee (54), Stuart Binny (54) and Sheldon Jackson (59) powered Rest of India to an unlikely-five wicket victory against Ranji Trophy champions Mumbai, on Day 5, at the Brabourne Stadium in Mumbai on Thursday. Fazal top-scored for the visitors as he scored 127 but Nair fell for 92, the second time he was dismissed in the 90s in the match. Bengal's Chatterjee played a steady innings of 54 before Binny provided the late boost as he smashed 54 from 51 balls. Saurashtra's Jackson carried his team home as he finished unbeaten on 59. For Mumbai, left-arm Iqbal Abdulla claimed five wickets for 154 in 42.4 overs but was still unable to prevent the visitors from chasing down the highest total in the history of the Irani Trophy.
Did Mahendra Singh Dhoni desert a sinking ship or was it a courageous decision to quit in the middle of a series?
India registered its 500th win in One Day Internationals when it beat Australia in the second ODI at Nagpur on March 5, 2019.
As Cheteshwar Pujara plays a landmark Test against Sri Lanka, Rajneesh Gupta salutes the batsman's career thus far in numbers...
'When you looked at him even at that age, you could make out he was special.'
'Truth is stranger than fiction. You cannot think these things up.' 'What happens is weird enough.'
Rajneesh Gupta surveys the cricketing milestones from the Mohali Test.
'The BCCI is -- and always has been, across successive dispensations -- allergic to criticism.' 'It has used the 'control' it enshrines in its name to destroy anyone who has dared to point fingers at its functioning,' says Prem Panicker, the distinguished cricket writer.
So India lost its first World Twenty20 game on Tuesday night. Maybe, we fielded the wrong team :) Haresh Pandya picks 11 India greats who never played the shortest format, but can take on any team in the World T20 championships.
Haresh Pandya picks his all-time best Indian Test team which is packed with some exciting stroke-players, a couple of heavy-scorers known to play monumental innings, some superb spinners, a world-class all-rounder and a top-notch wicketkeeper. Check out his list and then create your own Dream India XI, and share it with family and friends!
Rajneesh Gupta breaks down all the facts and figures from the recent India vs Australia ODI series.
Prem Panicker, a keen follower of the game and one of cricket's finest writers, analysed, debated and dissected the four semi-finalists on the Rediff World Cup Chat on Monday.
