I was destined to get a century
England ripped out India for 94 to win the fifth Test by a crushing innings and 244 runs at The Oval on Sunday and clinch the series 3-1.
While South Africa grabbed a 1-0 lead in the three-match series, the visitors squandered a golden opportunity to script a memorable win outside the sub-continent.
Photos from Day 3 of the first Test played in Galle on Friday.
Chasing 135 to win, Gujarat lost both openers - Ishan Kishan (16) and Brendon McCullum (3) -- to be reduced to 23-2 but Finch blasted 5 fours and 6 sixes in his scintillating 34-ball 72-run innings as the visitors romped home with 6.1 overs to spare.
Ajinkya Rahane has become India's highest-ranked Test batsman in the latest ICC Test Player Rankings after scoring two centuries in the 337 runs victory over South Africa in the fourth and final Test, at the Feroz Shah Kotla in Delhi, which gave the home side a 3-0 series triumph.
With a record that was anything to be proud of, the only way India could have beaten the South Africans in the ongoing Test series was by using 'home advantage' to the optimum, says Bikash Mohapatra/Rediff.com.
New Zealand made 152 for 1 in their first innings, when play was called off early because of rain, on Day 2 of the first cricket Test against India in Kanpur on Friday.
Leg-spinner Yuzvendra Chahal scripted a dramatic collapse with sensational figures of six for 25 to help India crush England by 75 runs and win the three-match T20 International series 2-1, in Bengaluru, on Wednesday.
Ashish Nehra has not yet decided on life after active cricket even though he has narrowed down the options to coaching and commentary.
India became the first team to qualify for the semi-finals of the ICC World Twenty20 after a thumping eight-wicket victory over Bangladesh in a Group 2 match, in Mirpur, on Friday. After restricting the hosts to 138 for 7, courtesy yet another dominating performance by the spinners, their batsmen hit up the required runs easily, with nine balls to spare.
Photographs of the Day 4 play of the second Test between India and Australia being played in Brisbane.
Opener Shikhar Dhawan struck his second successive fifty to guide India to a six-wicket victory over Bangladesh in the Twenty20 Tri-Series match in Colombo on Thursday.
England's Alastair Cook fell short of a dream farewell century as India's bowlers roared back to leave the hosts reeling on 198-7 at stumps on Day 1 of the fifth and final Test at The Oval on Friday.
Former Pakistan captain Wasim Akram said he is in favour of resuming bilateral cricket ties with India which he believes will help improve relations between the two nations.
Bruised and battered by India after being bundled out for a meagre 79 while chasing 270 in the series-deciding fifth and final ODI here, New Zealand skipper Kane Williamson termed the performance of his batting department as "frustrating". Williamson said the Kiwi batsmen did not justify to lose eight wickets for just 16 runs. "That's what's so frustrating, because we failed as a batting unit. The spinners of the Indian side bowled very well but I don't think it is justified to lose 8 wickets for 16 runs. We need to look at some of our plans. There was turn in the pitch in some other games too but we were able to handle it better then," Williamson said after their massive 190-run defeat in the fifth and final ODI in Vizag.
'...India has a really good top-order line-up and they bat out nearly 30-35 overs in ODIs with guys like Virat (Kohli) and then MS Dhoni comes ahead of me (at times). So yeah, with some more chances, I feel I can deliver a lot more than what I am doing right now' 'Over the last couple of years, Indian batting has also been doing very well. So you have to be very patient for your chances'
Australia's Adam Zampa on Tuesday admitted that he failed to execute his plans against Hardik Pandya, who smashed him for 24 runs in a single over -- including three sixes, to turn the game on it's head, in the first ODI against India in Chennai.
India beat South Africa by 124 runs in the third Test in Nagpur,inside three days, to take an unassailable 2-0 lead in the four-match series on Friday. Rajneesh Gupta presents interesting numbers from day three of Nagpur Test.
After being bowled out for a paltry 183 in the first innings losing as many as eight wickets in a single session, No 3 Mendis (110 off 135 balls) and opener Karunaratne (92 batting, 200 balls) added 191 as the visitors could get only two wickets in the next two sessions.
'Judging by the formbook, both sides are an equal chance to win. Pakistan has the better-balanced attack, offset by a batting line-up that oscillates between the brilliant and the bwahahaha, sometimes in the space of the same over.' 'As for India, 'bowling attack' is an oxymoron and the batting line-up is still struggling to memorise its lines.'
Dinesh Karthik and Hardik Pandya smashed half-centuries to propel India to a formidable 324 for seven before Bhuvneshwar Kumar and Umesh Yadav sent Bangladesh crashing for 84, in the ICC Champions Trophy warm-up match at The Oval in London, on Tuesday.
Virtually backing India's stance on producing spin-friendly tracks, former Australian captain Ian Chappell said he does not see anything wrong in the turning track in the Nagpur Test which saw India thrash South Africa inside three days, saying matches played elsewhere on seaming tracks have ended "in the blink of an eye".
Young opener Matt Renshaw (60) and experienced Shaun Marsh (66) battled hard against the Indian spinners and their fighting half-centuries consolidated Australia's position in the match but Virat Kohli's captaincy left a lot to be desired.
Under-fire Mahendra Singh Dhoni marked his return to form with an unbeaten 92 as India recorded a 22-run victory over South Africa in the second One-Day International to level the five-match series 1-1 at the Holkar Cricket Stadium, in Indore, on Wednesday.
Underwater Photographer of the Year celebrates photography beneath the surface of the ocean, lakes and rivers. More than 5,500 underwater pictures were entered in 13 categories by underwater photographers from 70 countries around the world. Scroll down to see the winning images.
Images from the ICC World T20 match between India and New Zealand in Nagpur.
Images from Day 2 of the first Test between India and South Africa in Mohali, on Friday.
The susceptible technique of Indian batsmen in seamer-friendly conditions was thoroughly exposed as Sri Lanka comfortably beat India by seven wickets in the first ODI of the three-match series.
Mayank Agarwal, who was the third opener for the West Indies series, is a contender for the yet-to-be-decided squad of 17 that will travel Down Under.
Concerned about the total domination of bat over ball in ODI cricket, former India captain Rahul Dravid has urged the ICC to reconsider the rule allowing a maximum of four fielders outside the 30-yard circle once the World Cup is over.
'Dhoni has got his own ways of captaining the Indian team. He might not give out details or might not explain, but in his mind he knows very well how to captain the side, which players to pick and the right combination for a particular condition.'
A round-up of all the Ranji Trophy matches played on Monday.
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'It has been a wonderful journey so far. Playing the 50th Test match for the country will be a proud moment for me. Yes, there have been ups and downs but looking at my recent (good) form, I will be keen to score some runs in my 50th Test'
India produced a professional performance under pressure to crush New Zealand by six wickets in a must-win game and level three-match series 1-1 in Pune on Wednesday.
'In the merry-go-round of Indian cricket, amid abhorrent match-fixing scandals and incessant politicking, Ravi Shastri is a multifaceted personality who, when called upon, can don any hat with ease.'
Shashi Tharoor says the British Museum should change its name to Chor Bazaar because whatever it has within its portals is the result of 200 years of theft. The museum is once again in the eye of a storm for the possession of a statue of a god Hindus, across the world, worship as the Supreme Being.
The amazing Shraddha Kapoor on Rock On 2, acting as Dawood's sister and why she thinks journalists are unfair sometimes.
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