E A S Prasanna, whom Ian Chappell rates as the greatest off-spinner ever, tells Harish Kotian what worked for Moeen and what didn't for Ashwin.
Uttar Pradesh clinched their maiden Mushtaq Ali T20 Trophy with a thumping 38-run win over two-time champions Baroda in the final under flood-lights at the Wankhede Stadium in Mumbai on Wednesday.
What makes these players such hot properties at the IPL Players Auction?
While the likes of Virat Kohli, Chris Gayle and Jos Buttler are already big hits with the fans, others like Rishabh Pant and Vijay Shankar will be looking for attention with some good performances.
'Players want a lot of games to stay in touch. You take them away from the game and they lose touch.'
126 of Ashwin's 176 Test wickets, points out Bikash Mohapatra, have come on home turf. Half of the remaining 50 have come on similar surfaces in Sri Lanka and Bangladesh.
India's carefully devised plan to triumph in England seems to be coming undone with injuries to their key bowlers.
40 must know nuggets about the legendary Mahendra Singh Dhoni.
As the legend turns 40, we take a look at his journey in cricket and life.
'For me, Dhoni is the main guy in the middle order and people will revolve around him.'
'I am feeling so nervous. I will be among so many big politicians.' 'It is a big responsibility and I hope I learn every day and do something for the people in whatever way I can.'
'I have not fought in a 10-round fight before, but my training will help me give my best till the end.' 'If I get the opportunity to knock him out early I will go for it.'
'I look to make a comeback in the Indian team,' Shanthakumaran Sreesanth tells Rediff.com's Harish Kotian.
'T20 is so fast-paced that a coach can do very little from the sidelines, you need a very good captain, who can take decisions there and then.'
The big stars who failed to live up to expectations and ended up disappointing not only their IPL franchises but also their fans.
'No 3 batsmen are very crucial in the way the team sets up a total.'
Despite taking a career-best six for four in an ODI against Bangladesh in Dhaka in June, Stuart Binny is, however, yet to win the confidence of captain Mahendra Singh Dhoni and the team management. He was benched throughout the ODI series in England before being dropped for the recent controversy-ridden ODI series against the West Indies.
'It is performing for my country which motivates me every day.' 'That is why till the day I can give my best I will continue to be in boxing.'
Will Ravi Shastri be retained or will the BCCI opt for a new face?
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.
'This is the only country where success seems to be viewed as a bad thing.' 'Other governments and countries go out of their way to protect a successful organisation. Here we find ways of destroying it.'
'The confidence and the kind of cricket India has played in the recent past will be a big factor.'
The Master recalls it was his match-winning century on his 25th birthday.
'These girls keep complaining to their godmother or godfather.'' 'The people at the top listen to whatever the players say, but they don't know what is happening in the team.'
The South African batting great revealed how he would pen love letters for girls in his school but never actually find the courage to hand it over to them.
'If we focus on doing the basics well and give our best in whatever we do, then we have a good chance of going through the semis.' 'After that, we need just two good days to win the World Cup.'
'After his back injury, he needs to look after himself.' 'He needs to keep working on his bowling.'
The legend picked Pujara, Umesh for their feats.
'Once you know your car well, then you know to drive the car in the race.'
Off-spinner Ravichandran Ashwin, who claimed five for 32 in South Africa's paltry first innings of 79, says the home side needs to be patient on Day 3 as things will be different in the second innings. Harish Kotian reports from Nagpur.
'Batting against spin bowling you need to have your own individual plan. You can't go into a match saying, "Oh, this wicket is going to spin this much".'
'I don't think we have ever had so many top players either in singles or doubles,' says badminton legend Prakash Padukone.
'The players all appreciate -- we all appreciate -- the fact that despite the pandemic and the restrictions, because of all of this protocol that has been put in place, the IPL season is still happening.'
Surya Kumar Yadav scored his first century in two years, while Vinit Indulkar hit a half-century in his comeback match, to rally Mumbai after a shaky start against Maharashtra, in the Ranji Trophy quarter-final in Mumbai, on Wednesday. Yadav played a sparkling innings of 120, which included 18 fours in 139 deliveries, while Indulkar's was a patient 82, as Mumbai finished the opening day on 306 for 7 in 84 overs.
Amiya Kumar Mallick, 21, will undergo a four-month training stint in Kingston, Jamaica, under the watchful eyes of Glenn Mills at the Racers Track Club. Mills is the club's head coach and has worked with the two fastest men in the world currently -- Bolt and Yohan Blake.
'I believe Bumrah, Ishant, Shami, Umesh, all four can play in the playing XI.'
Four openers. Two middle order batsmen. Two leg-spinners. Three fast bowlers. Harish Kotian picks his IPL XI from the league stages.
'He will be missed by all of us in Saurashtra.'
'I felt Test cricket is just beyond my reach.' 'And slowly, slowly, I started doing well.' 'In the second Test against Pakistan, I scored a fifty and when we went to Sialkot I played a series-saving innings, which was a game changer for me.' 'At that stage that was the most important innings of my life.'
Harish Kotian/Rediff.com highlights what Virat Kohli needs to ponder about, after the Galle defeat
