Australian James Faulkner's superb all-round show helped Rajasthan Royals outclass Kings XI Punjab by 26 runs in their opening Indian Premier League match in Pune.
India opener Lokesh Rahul fell agonisingly short of his maiden Test double century as he helped his team to 391 for four in a robust reply to England's first innings total of 477 in the fifth and final Test in Chennai on Sunday.
Three consecutive defeats have more or less sealed their fate and for things to turn around for the Royals, every aspect of their game needs to improve and click for them.
Injured opening batsman Murali Vijay has kept his place in India's squad for the final two Tests against Australia, while all-rounder Hardik Pandya dropped out with a shoulder problem.
Former BCCI president and Tamil Nadu Cricket Association supremo N Srinivasan has made it clear that he would like star players Ravichandran Ashwin and Murali Vijay to play for the state during their upcoming Ranji Trophy quarter-final tie against Karnataka from December 23.
Rahul broke a couple of records en route the match-winning century.
Senior India off-spinner Ravichandran Ashwin exuded confidence of returning to action following his shoulder injury, saying the pain has subsided considerably and scan reports are encouraging.
Lucknow Super Giants will be itching to get back to winning ways against a buoyant Sunrisers Hyderabad with young wrist spinner Ravi Bishnoi holding the key.
Ashwin got rid of Tilak, Yuzi got David and Sams, and Pollard couldn't get going.
Adam Zampa and Ashok Dinda claimed three wickets each as Rising Pune Supergiants outclassed Delhi Daredevils by 19 runs via the Duckworth-Lewis method in a rain-hit match in the Indian Premier League, in Visakhapatnam, on Tuesday.
The spin duo of Krishnappa Gowtham and Karn Sharma shared nine wickets between them as India Red skittled out India Green for 157 on the second day of the Duleep Trophy match in Lucknow.
East Zone bowlers led by the seasoned Laxmi Ratan Shukla rattled South Zone in the final hour reducing them to 236 for nine despite Robin Uthappa scoring a well-crafted hundred on the first day of the Duleep Trophy semi-final in Lahli on Wednesday.
Chennai Super Kings eliminated Kings XI Punjab from the Indian Premier League (IPL) with a five-wicket win, a result which sealed Rajasthan Royals' place in the Play-offs, in Pune, on Sunday night.
Karnataka bowlers dished out a fine death over bowling display to restrict Tamil Nadu
Pragyan Ojha bagged an impressive five-wicket haul as India 'A' dismissed Australia 'A' for 268 before extending their lead to 154 runs by the end of the third day's play in the first unofficial cricket Test, at the M A Chidambaram stadium, in Chennai, on Friday. At the close of play, the hosts were 121 for 3 in their second innings.
A round-up of the Ranji Trophy quarter-final matches played on Monday.
The hosts will look to bounce back and level the series in Bengaluru, and knowing that India have fought back in series before (that historic 2001 Test series is still fresh in our minds), it's only imperative that they practice with intent heading into the 2nd Test.
A round-up of the Syed Mushtaq Ali Trophy T20 matches on Tuesday.
A round-up of Ranji matches played on Friday
A re-energised Delhi Daredevils would look for their third win in a row when they face table leaders Mumbai Indians in the Indian Premier League in New Delhi, on Saturday.
Lack of intent in Daredevils players has been very surprising.
PM Modi immediately took to Twitter to congratulate the athlete.
The Indian team management released pace duo of Umesh Yadav and Bhuvneshwar Kumar besides all-rounder Gurkeerat Singh Mann from the Test squad to enable them to play their next Ranji Trophy matches for their respective state sides on Saturday.
Check out the Rajasthan Royals squad for IPL 2014.
Left-arm spinner Shahbaz Nadeem (4/39) and leg-spinner Karn Sharma (4/58) shared eight wickets between them in a very impressive display of spin bowling.
Lungi Ngidi bowled the most economical figures of this season's IPL to uproot Punjab's innings.
LSG do not have to fret so much about the mathematical scenarios as a win would be enough for them to seal their back-to-back playoff berth.
Opener Faiz Fazal led Rest of India's dominating display with the bat as the visitors chased down a record target of 480 against Mumbai to win the Irani Trophy. Half-centuries from Karun Nair (92), Sudeep Chatterjee (54), Stuart Binny (54) and Sheldon Jackson (59) powered Rest of India to an unlikely-five wicket victory against Ranji Trophy champions Mumbai, on Day 5, at the Brabourne Stadium in Mumbai on Thursday. Fazal top-scored for the visitors as he scored 127 but Nair fell for 92, the second time he was dismissed in the 90s in the match. Bengal's Chatterjee played a steady innings of 54 before Binny provided the late boost as he smashed 54 from 51 balls. Saurashtra's Jackson carried his team home as he finished unbeaten on 59. For Mumbai, left-arm Iqbal Abdulla claimed five wickets for 154 in 42.4 overs but was still unable to prevent the visitors from chasing down the highest total in the history of the Irani Trophy.
Left-arm spinner Pragyan Ojha turned out to be the biggest gainer while comeback man Amit Mishra got five wickets and more importantly vital overs under his belt as the first unofficial 'Test' match between India A and Australia A ended in a tame draw.
Rediff.com presents the best catches from the eighth edition of the IPL.
Kings XI Punjab face the uphill task of not only pulling the rug from under the feet of formidable Chennai Super Kings but also boosting their net run-rate in the last IPL round-robin match to salvage hopes of sneaking into the play-offs.
Rishabh Pant excelled with a counter-attacking 71-ball 67 as India 'A' scored a five-wicket victory over West Indies 'A' in the second unofficial Test, coming back from a precarious position to clinch the series 1-0, in Taunton, on Friday.
Table-toppers Kolkata Knight Riders and a transformed Kings XI Punjab cross swords in an Indian Premier League contest in which big-hitting Jamaicans Andre Russell and Chris Gayle will be up against each other in Kolkata on Saturday.
The unbeaten streak of table-toppers Surisers Hyderabad would be up for a test when they take on third-placed Kings XI Punjab in an Indian Premier League contest, in Mohali, on Thursday.
Thanks to Taylor's 102 and Latham's 108 (both retired out) on a flat Brabourne Stadium track, New Zealand notched up a mammoth 343 for nine in the allotted 50 overs.
Bangalore have been on a roll with skipper Virat Kohli enjoying one of the best phases of his career as he has four centuries under his belt.
India 'A' struggled to 106 for four in 32 overs after veteran Alastair Cook's marathon 180 powered England Lions to 423 all out on the second day of the only four-day unofficial Test in Worcester.
Delhi Daredevils, looking to get back to winning ways after two straight defeats, face a stern test against formidable Sunrisers Hyderabad in Thursday's IPL match, in Hyderabad.
Manish Pandey blasted a quickfire 76-ball 77 before Mitchell Swepson returned with a four-wicket haul to dismiss India 'A' for 230 in their first innings against Australia 'A' in the opening match of the unofficial four-day Test Series in Brisbane, on Thursday.
Opening batsman Gautam Gambhir was dropped while India's medium pacer Bhuvaneswar was recalled to the 16-man squad for the next three Tests against England.