Putting behind the turbulent phase of the past few weeks, a red-hot India are standing on the threshold of winning their second straight world title as they take on hosts England in the summit showdown of the ICC Champions Trophy in Birmingham on Sunday.
A disciplined Sri Lanka set up a semifinal date with India in the ICC Champions Trophy as they knocked out holders Australia by posting a 20-run win, with veteran Mahela Jayawardene caressing his way to an unbeaten 84-run knock at The Oval on Monday.
Even a whiff of an incident like the violent 1989 shirt-ripping attack on Krishnamachari Srikkanth by a Karachi spectator would be ruinous. It would set back the ties further, derail an ongoing tournament, and harden Indian attitudes on playing Pakistan anywhere at all, asserts Shekhar Gupta.
The spinners kept a lid on the scoring with Varun Chakravarthy, Kuldeep Yadav and Ravindra Jadeja taking wickets at regular intervals.
Ganguly, Ponting among commentators for Champions Trophy.
Two-time finalists India are placed fifth and face a challenging path to secure a top-two finish.
While it has been a struggle for likes of Virat Kohli and Ajinkya Rahane during the ongoing tenth edition of the Indian Premier League, the former Aussie skipper feels it won't be much of a concern during Champions Trophy.
South Africa will look to shed their big tournament chokers' tag as they go into the first semi-final of the ICC Champions Trophy against strong contenders England in London on Wednesday.
The 2013 Champions Trophy in England will bring the curtains down on the 14-year-old tournament, with the ICC moving towards having one championship for each of the game's three formats from 2015.
The International Cricket Council's Chief Executives' Committee (CEC) on Wednesday recommended that the Champions Trophy be held in South Africa and not Sri Lanka as rainfall could affect the tournament to be held during September-October this year.
While Australia travelled to the UAE on Saturday, South Africa were slated to board a flight out of Pakistan on Sunday.
ICC has dedicated the Champions Trophy tournament in India to Spirit of Cricket
The Supreme Court-appointed Committee of Administrator chief Vinod Rai was non-committal on being asked whether the COA will ask Team India to participate or allow them to boycott the ICC Champions Trophy, starting in the United Kingdom, on June 1.
South Africa will stage this year's Champions Trophy one-day tournament in September and October, the International Cricket Council (ICC) said on Monday.
On Sunday in Dubai, Sarfaraz Ahmed added another chapter to a strangely consistent rivalry story as Pakistan Under-19s thrashed India by 191 runs to lift the ACC Men's U19 Asia Cup.
Indian batter and former ODI skipper Rohit Sharma expressed his excitement for the tour to Australia and how much he loves playing against the current 50-over world champions.
With just 129 runs to play with in the rain-curtailed final of the ICC Champions Trophy against England here, India captain Mahendra Singh Dhoni spurred his teammates by telling them to play like world champions and defend a sub-par score.
Rohit Sharma, head coach Gautam Gambhir, Hardik Pandya, Shreyas Iyer, Varun Chakravarthy and Ravindra Jadeja were among the first ones to reach India.
Images from the ICC Champions Trophy second semi-final between India and Sri Lanka in Cardiff, on Thursday.
50 overs cricket is a batsman's game, or so the conventional wisdom goes. But the Champions Trophy is being played in England, which means a different ball game :)
Former England cricketer Kevin Pietersen has urged the South African team management to get Heinrich Klaasen out of international cricket retirement in their bid to lift the ICC Cricket World Cup 2027 title on home soil.
The Indian Cricket Board on Wednesday rejected the holding of the Champions Trophy in October 2009 becuase of clash of date with the home ODI series against Australia.
The 2004 Champions Trophy will be staged at The Oval, Edgbaston and Hampshire's Rosebowl ground.
South African cricketers David Miller and Hashim Amla, on Friday, said it would be a great loss if the Indian team pulls out of the Champions Trophy as the country has largest number of cricket followers in the world.
India's U-19 World Cup triumph completes historic ICC sweep
'In India, it is our tradition that if the team plays well, everyone is quiet, but as soon as the team plays poorly, we get on top of the coach.'
'Because in white-ball cricket, we've lost two out of the last three series in the one-day format. If it was an era, we wouldn't have lost two series.'
The Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB) is reportedly offering the head coach position for the Test team to former captain Sarfaraz Ahmed, potentially making him the youngest person to hold the role.
Former IPL chairman Lalit Modi suggests Kolkata Knight Riders (KKR) should offer Gautam Gambhir a long-term role with equity, similar to Shane Warne's deal with Rajasthan Royals.
Rohit Sharma took to the nets to fine-tune his batting ahead of the three-match series against New Zealand, starting on Sunday, January 11.
The ICC is planning to test stump microphone technology and conduct research into slow bowling at the ICC Champions Trophy in England.
The 39-year-old shared the news on social media on Monday, posting a picture from the intimate ceremony along with a heartfelt message that reflected both gratitude and optimism.
From Royal Challengers Bengaluru's historic first IPL title to star javelin thrower Neeraj Chopra finally breaking the iconic 90-meter mark to India women winning their first cricket World Cup, this was the year of long-awaited victories and record-breaking feats.
India won their seventh ICC trophy, while registering their third Champions Trophy triumph.
Bubbling with confidence after an emphatic semifinal triumph, England cricket captain Alastair Cook is hoping that it his team's turn to lift the ICC Champions Trophy come Sunday.
Right now, our mindset is very similar, to go out there and enjoy our cricket, which we have done in the past few years, says Kohli at a press conference before the defending champions' departure to England for the Champions Trophy. Rediff.com's Harish Kotian listens in as the young Indian captain speaks.
BCCI gets SL, Afghan support on Asia Cup trophy fiasco but Naqvi refuses to budge
Rishabh Pant shared a video featuring Indian ODI captain Rohit Sharma joking about his retirement from the 50-overs format.
The hosts have been drawn against Zimbabwe in the opening match of this year's Champions Trophy.
