As much as Ishan Kishan has done his bit, India will need Iyer, the proverbial slayer of spin bowling in the middle overs during the World Cup.
India's Test captain Virat Kohli on Wednesday took a dig at the ICC, which rated the Nagpur track as 'poor', and wondered why nothing is written when teams get out for under 50-100 runs on South African pitches.
He has encountered technical problems outside the off-stump and perhaps that's one of the reasons he opted for throwdowns against the red duke ball, an effort to counter the swing factor in England at the on-going Champions Trophy.
Shami, who had reached Brisbane after recovering from COVID-19 was named as replacement for an injured Jasprit Bumrah in the squad of 15. He was out of the team for close to three months.
'RCB is the world's first carbon neutral cricket team and the foremost cricket franchise in the world.'
Cricketing legends Kapil Dev, Wasim Akram and Sourav Ganguly have heaped praise on Virat Kohli with one comparing India's batting mainstay to tennis great John McEnroe and another saying that his value in the team is more than his teammates.
Selection committee will leave it on Kohli to decide whether he needs a break or continue playing.
The on-field verbal duel between rival captains Virat Kohli and Tim Paine has been one of the talking points of the second Test in Perth but Australia pacer Josh Hazlewood played it down, saying it was done in good spirits.
VVS Laxman heaped praise on current Test skipper Virat Kohli, saying the Delhi batsman possessed strong basics and is a complete batsman in all formats of the game.
No matter what the format, India's batting hopes have always been majorly dependent on Virat Kohli in the last few years.
'It's been really good. The whole journey has been good' 'Agreements and disagreements happen. I would not comment on things that I am not fully aware of. I would not speculate'
Indian batting stuttered on a rain-marred opening day before Virat Kohli's half century took the visitors to 162 for four against Cricket Australia Chairman's XI in a three-day practice match, at the Manuka Oval in Canberra on Monday.
A Pakistani die-hard fan of Indian batsman Virat Kohli is facing up to 10 years imprisonment after being arrested for hoisting the Indian tri-colour atop his home in Punjab Province which he had done to show his love for the cricketer.
Test captain Virat Kohli on Thursday said the Indian team has discussed the contentious Decision Review System (DRS) and they look forward to embracing the technology in the future.
Sunil Gavaskar has praised Virat Kohli for his stellar show Down Under.
Pakistan head coach Mickey Arthur has heaped praise on right-handed batsman Babar Azam, saying he is as good as swashbuckling Indian batsman Virat Kohli. During the recently concluded Hamilton Test against New Zealand which Pakistan lost by eight wickets, Azam scored an unbeaten 90 and Arthur says the former deserves the high praise.
Pakistan might have heaved a sigh of relief to see that Shaheen Shah Afridi did not show any signs of a draining fever that had gripped the team upon its arrival in Bengaluru.
On Saturday, around 1000 odd Indian fans had surrounded the MCG 'Training Well'.
Rayudu plays only one format for India and his decision to quit Ranji Trophy and play ODIs and Indian Premier League raised a few eyebrows but the Hyderabad right-hander called it his method of managing the workload.
India captain Virat Kohli has confirmed that fit-again opening batsman KL Rahul will return to the side for the second test against Sri Lanka, with Abhinav Mukund appearing the player most likely to lose his spot.
Rahul Dravid was also very happy with his ward's performance and Kishan, in fact, got a hug from the head coach. "He (Dravid) was very happy because he knows that a player just wants a chance."Rahul Dravid was also very happy with his ward's performance and Kishan, in fact, got a hug from the head coach.
Rahul Dravid expects Virat Kohli to deliver in his first full series as Test captain when the Indian cricket team leaves for Sri Lanka, besides backing the star batsman to continue playing in his "aggressive" style.
'England are a quality side, their bowlers put constant pressure. We need to accept what happened' 'It was a really tough five days, good toss to win'
Virat Kohli feels that once the game is over, he will again be 'best buddies' with Dale Steyn.
The sheer self-belief in his ability separates Virat Kohli from the rest and he is very much capable of breaking Sachin Tendulkar's records with the way he has been batting, feels his childhood coach Rajkumar Sharma. Sharma doesn't see a weakness in Kohli's batting, which has reached the next level with sensational performances in the World T20 and subsequent IPL. "He is in sublime form at the moment. I don't remember anyone playing for India being as consistent as Kohli. Even internationally, there won't be many who have shown the consistency Kohli has shown. With the way he is batting, he is very much capable of breaking Sachin's records," Sharma, who watched Kohli lead RCB in the IPL final in Bengaluru on Sunday, told PTI on Wednesday. There has been no looking back for India's Test captain ever since the forgettable tour of England in 2014 when he failed to make a single half century in five Tests. He soon worked on the flaws in his game and went to hammer four hundreds in the subsequent four-Test series in Australia.
From winning the Under-19 World Cup to becoming Test captain, Virat Kohli has made rapid strides in international cricket. Pradeep Sangwan, his team mate from junior cricket, writes about the man they fondly call 'Cheeku'
The nine-wicket demolition of Bangladesh exceeded even Virat Kohli's expectations but the skipper quickly played down the hype around the upcoming blockbuster ICC Champions Trophy final against arch-rivals Pakistan on Sunday.
'When I returned to Mumbai Indians in 2018, it felt like I returned back to my family, they trusted me a lot, and gave me the opportunity to bat up the order and it was a big turning point.'
Virat Kohli enters the three match ODI series against Bangladesh starting on Wednesday as the highest-ranked batsman on either side, in fourth place in the ICC rankings.
Counter-attacking is the game I play, that's why I bat at No 3, says Virat Kohli.
Paine's batting lineup has been rated the worst Australia has ever, so the bowlers could well be under pressure
Australia coach Justin Langer lamented a lack of world-class batsmen in his side's line-up and pointed out that Virat Kohli and Cheteshwar Pujara have been the difference for the visitors in the ongoing four-match Test series.
'It is a big step towards changing something in Test cricket.'
Bowling in the dew was a big problem, admitted India spinner Kuldeep Yadav after the second ODI against the West Indies ended in a thrilling tie in Visakhapatnam.
He surpassed legends like Sachin Tendulkar to become the fastest to reach 7000 runs and 24 ODI centuries but Virat Kohli has said as a cricketer he is "still very much a work in progress".
In his last five innings including the first practice match against Western Australia, Rohit has scored just 63 runs, including two ducks in the T20I series against South Africa.
Hardik, who last rolled his arms over in the Sri Lanka series in July, did not bowl a single over for Mumbai Indians in the second leg of IPL in the UAE.
'The last time we were here, we were tested and challenged in all departments of our game and I think we replied to it quite well. So I expect a good, strong and competitive series.'
Virat Kohli and Dinesh Karthik smashed a century each as India warmed up their Champions Trophy campaign with a five-wicket thumping of Sri Lanka in their first practice game in Birmingham on Saturday.
Captain is confident of RCB going the distance this season
© 2026 Rediff.com - Advertise with us - Disclaimer - Privacy Policy - Sitemap - Feedback - About us - Terms of use - Grievances