'If we don't win the series, then there could be something radically wrong with the team.'
'He doesn't leave any stone unturned in his preparations.' 'It is a treat to watch the way he pans and prepares for each format of the game.' 'The way he switches from one format to the other is simply unbelievable.'
'Rishabh Pant must have gone through tough times because of the expectations on him.' 'It is not always easy to step into the shoes of a legendary cricketer.'
More runs from Virat Kohli. India winning the World T20 at home. A controversy-free IPL and more is what Harish Kotian/Rediff.com wants this year.
The Board of Control for Cricket in India could be again set on collision course with the Sports Ministry as a contentious clause in the Draft National Sports Development Bill states that only those federations who come under the Right to Information Act (RTI) ambit will have the right to use 'India' as the team's name.
Should India drop Rohit Sharma and bring in an extra spinner? Or should fast bowler Umesh Yadav make way for Amit Mishra?
Should India play an extra fast bowler in Dharamsala where the pitches suit pacers?
'Everything else runs because of the IPL, there is so much money involved so the IPL definitely needs to happen.'
After becoming the first Indian to win a pro title, Vijender Singh said the real journey starts for him now in his quest to become the World champion in the professional circuit.
Former Board of Control for Cricket in India chief Sharad Pawar could make a sensational return as president. There is talk that the Maharashtra politician could emerge an unlikely candidate to take on the suspended Narayanaswami Srinivasan.
'It is not that we took the decision out of some vengeance.' ' 'It was not that we dropped someone because we had some enmity with him.'
Making India the top team in all formats of the game will be the priority for BCCI president Anurag Thakur, writes Rediff.com's Harish Kotian.
Rohit, who didn't make it to the playing XI in the two-Test series in the West Indies, could be given another opportunity to revive his Test career, with the selectors looking towards him opening the innings.
If Rishabh Pant excels against Australia, then Dinesh Karthik will struggle to make the cut for the World Cup.
'The only issue for me as far as the Indian team is concerned is the batting.' 'When we lost in New Zealand, the batting was the major issue.'
'There were a lot of offers, but I wanted to be with a party that is working for the people and making them happy, not just by words, but also by action.'
'Kobe is easily among the five greatest basketball players of all time. This is such a tragic loss.'
As Team India begins its campaign in the Champions Trophy, many await the outcome of the Virat Kohli-Anil Kumble tangle.
He was on the Marquee List. His base price was a meagre Rs 50,000. Yet batting sensation Martin Guptill failed to find a buyer at the IPL auction.
'... And give him the confidence and freedom to express himself.'
'He did not take a loss lying down.' 'He inspired us to go to the next tournament with renewed confidence and helped us perform well.' 'That's the way I would remember him.'
'Sometimes we arrange a Zoom call just for him to say hello to the players, that's about it.' 'But otherwise, no, no direct talk, it's never happened, even in a normal year.' 'After the game, you win, you lose, SRK is there to encourage the team, give them hugs.'
'A little bit of banter is okay, because at the end of the day, especially with the T20 format, it is also entertainment.'
Kedar Jadhav's sizzling century and a cracking innings of 91 from young Vijay Zol helped Maharashtra stun defending champions Mumbai by eight wickets, to storm into the semi-finals of the Ranji Trophy, in Mumbai on Saturday.
'The game which I loved the most, it was taken away.'
Despite their up and down showing in the league stage, there is no doubt that England are one of the most complete teams in the World Cup and are heavy favourites for Sunday's final, but New Zealand won't give up without a fight.
'There could be a law where you can say from the 15th over or the 20th over, you can give the wax polish to the bowlers.'
'I look forward to meeting David Warner and talking to him about batting.' 'Our mindset is the same. We both look to dominate the bowlers,' says Abdul Samad, the exciting 18-year-old batsman from the Kashmiri valley.
Maharashtra needs 224 runs to make it to the semi-finals after Anupam Sanklecha leads a fightback, claiming four Mumbai wickets for 57 runs. Harish Kotian reports
'He is defying all the logic and that is something that I totally love.' 'I hate following the norm, and he is someone that is breaking all those barriers on a daily basis so I have a huge respect for him.'
Rediff.com's Harish Kotian lists five reasons why Bhuvneshwar Kumar has struggled to make it to the playing eleven.
South Africa's coach Russell Domingo lists reasons for South Africa's batting collapse on Day 1 of the second Test against India in Bangalore on Saturday. Harish Kotian/Rediff.com listens in...
'What authority does Vinod Rai have to take such a decision and overrule Diana Edulji?' 'The big shock was that the female employee who accused Rahul Johri was not even called to depose before the probe panel.'
Former president Sharad Pawar may have made a comeback in the Mumbai Cricket Association after being elected unopposed on Friday, but the Union Minister for Agriculture announced that he has no plans to return to the Board of Control for Cricket in India set-up.
'Australia will be a different proposition... the pitches will be completely different than England.'
'We decided this is the best time to give him the opportunity to lead the team.'
'The best thing is we have four tough games straight up.' 'It sets up things nicely, everyone has to be at their best, gain intensity from the first match itself.'
'Good performance in any format is good because it is confidence.' 'The striking of the ball, when it hits the bat and creates that sound that to me is confidence.' 'So, that sound will give a lot of confidence and I feel if you are confident in any format that is what matters.'
What makes these players such hot properties at the IPL Players Auction?
