India dished out a clinical performance to beat hosts Sri Lanka by 34 runs and lift the Asian Cricket Council Under-19s Asia Cup title, in Colombo on Friday. Opting to bat after winning the toss, India Under-19s first posted a competitive 273 for eight in their 50 overs and then rode on its spinners fine bowling effort to bowl out Sri Lanka Under-19 to 239 in 48.4 overs at the R Premadasa Stadium. The first five batsmen, especially Himanshu Rana (71 off 790 and one-down Shubman Gill (70 off 92), were instrumental in laying the foundation for India's total, which in the end turned out to be too much for the islanders to overwhelm.
'There is an auction every year, but not every year will they have an opportunity to play for India in possibly a World Cup semi-final. That doesn't come very often'
Promising Mumbai batsman Prithvi Shaw will lead a 16-member Indian team in next year's ICC U-19 Cricket World Cup, the Board of Control for Cricket in India said on Sunday.
Much was expected from a revamped Kolkata Knight Riders set-up but it seemed Dinesh Karthik did not learn from his past mistakes
Kolkata Knight Riders would look to usher in a fresh era under new captain Dinesh Karthik with a victory when they open their Indian Premier League campaign against heavyweights Royal Challengers Bangalore, in Kolkata, on Sunday.
Kuldeep is in his fourth season with the KKR but it's only in the recent past that he has cemented his place in the Indian team as its go-to spinner along with Yuzvendra Chahal in the limited overs game.
A four-wicket haul by Bengal pacer Ishan Porel helped India notch up a massive 189-run win over South Africa in a warm-up match ahead of the U-19 World Cup
With a fourth crown, India also surpassed Australia in the race of most U-19 World Cup titles. Prior to the final, India and Australia were locked at three titles each.
KKR have plenty of resources in bowling but Karthik, it seems, has not been able to manage them well
A look at how the teams stack up ahead of the mega auction.
KKR's Indian pacers Kamlesh Nagarkoti, Sandeep Warrier, Shivam Mavi and Prasidh Krishna stressed on how important the next few weeks were going to be for them to get back in the groove for the season.
KKR with 12 points from 12 games would like to win the next two encounters to ensure a smooth passage while CSK, currently at the bottom of the eight-team table, are only playing for pride.
Lockie Ferguson's inclusion gave the much-needed impetus to the side, but KKR are still struggling with their star all-rounder Andre Russell who capped yet another flop show with the bat.
Images from the IPL match between Kolkata Knight Riders and Rajasthan Royals, in Mumbai, on Saturday.
A look at the Kolkata Knight Riders's IPL record over the years.
Carlos Brathwaite's presence in the Kolkata Knight Riders line-up will boost the franchise's batting, which is the 'best' among the eight IPL teams, claimed assistant coach Simon Katich.
On a roll after back-to-back wins, the vintage Chennai Super Kings would look to extend their winning run when they clash with struggling Kolkata Knight Riders in their next IPL match in Mumbai on Wednesday.
A win for Punjab will elevate them to the top four, while a victory for KKR will take them to 14 points
There is no shortcut to playing first-class cricket.
Images from Saturday's IPL match between Kolkata Knight Riders and Delhi Capitals, in Abu Dhabi.
His tunnel vision on the 'process' is legendary in Indian cricket and U-19 chief coach Rahul Dravid's next aim is to see a few of the World Cup-bound colts included in the 'A' team within the next six to eight months.
Two-time champions Kolkata Knight Riders will be striving to turn around their fortunes in IPL 2021 after a below-par showing last season.
From Under-19 talents such as Prithvi Shaw and Shivam Mavi to last domestic season's top run-getter Mayank Agarwal, the list includes all those whom the selection committee found worthy of national or A team call-up in the near future
The tournament, which has been shifted to the UAE due to five million plus COVID cases in India, is a 'TV-only event', expected to be lapped up by all and sundry who crave for cricket and Bollywood in equal measure during prime time.
Seamer R Vinay Kumar, on Thursday, threw his weight behind in-form wicketkeeper-batsman Dinesh Karthik who was a surprise choice to lead the two-time champions Kolkata Knight Riders (KKR) at the upcoming Indian Premier League (IPL).
'Experience is the key. There are basically two ways to read leg-break bowling. Either you pick up from the wrists or wait for the ball to pitch. No two batsmen would employ the same technique'
India crushed arch-rivals Pakistan by 203 runs on Tuesday to set up a summit clash against Australia on February 3 at Mount Maunganui in New Zealand.
Former India captain Mohammad Azharuddin says there cannot be another Kapil Dev, amid growing comparisons between Hardik Pandya and the World Cup-winning skipper.
India fast bowler Jaydev Unadkat claimed a Rs 11.5 crore deal with the usually thrifty Rajasthan Royals even as South African pace ace Dale Steyn went unsold on the second day of the Indian Premier players' auction in Bengaluru, on Sunday.
It will not be the first time that the competition has had to be held outside India.
Bollywood superstar Shah Rukh Khan said he wants his youngest son, five-year-old AbRam, to grow up to be a hockey player and represent the country in international stage.
Krunal Pandya on Saturday became the costliest uncapped buy in IPL history, going for a whopping Rs 8.8 crore to Mumbai Indians as rookie players, both Indian and overseas, turned overnight millionaires in the auction in Bengaluru.
'It remains to be seen how much Prithvi Shaw's warriors go on to accomplish, but letting all the adulation go to their heads is the last thing you can expect.' 'Throughout its dominant streak in New Zealand, the Under-19 team played in the personality of its coach, Rahul Dravid.' 'Now, only if they can kick on and become as good as him.'
Sunrisers Hyderabad stand in the way of two-time champions Kolkata Knight Riders, who would be looking to bring their campaign back on track at home during an Indian Premier League T20 cricket clash, in Kolkata, on Saturday.
'Whenever the team's needed them, they (fast bowlers) have provided the breakthroughs. They're ready whenever I ask them to bowl. They've good intensity as well, their fitness is great as well'
Rajneesh Gupta previews Game 6 in IPL 12: Kolkata Knight Riders vs Kings XI Punjab.
For the legion of CSK fans, it will be a homecoming like no other as the Mahendra Singh Dhoni-led side will play at the M A Chidambaram stadium in Chennai for the first time since May 2015.
Rajneesh Gupta presents statistical summary of Kolkata Knight Riders and much more.
'I don't think he (Karthik) will be under pressure. First and foremost thing will be to give guidance to this group. He has got a lot of experienced players around him, particularly in overseas group, and there's the likes of Piyush Chawala, Vinay Kumar and Robin Uthappa.'
However, if anyone has unfinished business over a decade of IPL, it is India captain Virat Kohli. He made his intent amply clear earlier this week.