In order to raise the dwindling number of spectators in the stadium, the Board of Control for Cricket in India last week said it is all set to host its first-ever day/night cricket Test with the pink ball against New Zealand in October.
- India are strong contenders to get into semi-final along with Australia, New Zealand and South Africa - Rohit is a class player and if he gets going at the top of the order, then he also has the ability to single-handedly win matches for India
Akashdeep Singh scored twice as Indian men's hockey team stunned world champions Australia 3-1 in the fourth and final Test to register a historic 3-1 series win over the mighty Kookaburras in their home soil in Perth.
Penpix of England players in England's Ashes squad.
New Zealand Cricket has agreed to play a day-night Test against Australia as part of a deal that will resume regular cricket between the two neighbours after a gap of four years and provide a significant financial leg-up for New Zealand.
Shane Watson feels that the faltering Indian batsmen will fare much better against Australia later this year compared to how they performed against England in the ongoing five-match series.
From Prime Minister Narendra Modi to eminent sports personalities, the country was wholesome in its praise for the Indian hockey team's gutsy effort.
The Indian batting legend is hardly worried that India doesn't have a settled No 4, saying the slot can be kept flexible as per requirement and match situation.
Young striker Nikkin Thimmaiah scored a hat-trick as India produced their best performance of the tournament to stun world champions and title holders Australia 4-2 on Saturday and secure a place in the third and fourth place play-off at the Azlan Shah Cup hockey tournament in Ipoh, Malaysia.
New Zealand will bank heavily on reverse swing to emerge from the trial by spin that awaits them in the test series in India, coach Mike Hesson said on Tuesday. Last time they hosted a team, India rolled out turning tracks and flexed their spin muscles to crush South Africa 3-0 in the four-test series last year. Kane Williamson and his men can look forward to a similar treatment in the three-test series beginning in Kanpur on Sept. 22 but Hesson sounded upbeat.
Prithvi Shaw lived up to expectations with a classy century on his Test debut but the teenage sensation must tighten up his technique for tougher challenges away from home, believe former players.
'I think if you asked us at the start of the day if we'd take losing the toss and India being 9 for 250 at stumps, I think we'd bite your arm off'
IMAGES from Day 4 of the 2nd Ashes Test played at the Adelaide Oval in Adelaide on Tuesday
After 138 years of its origin, Test cricket, is about to get a makeover in this week's first-ever day-night Test match between Australia and New Zealand in Adelaide.
It was not long ago that Australia wicketkeeper Tim Paine was considering giving up the game entirely. Now he is set to captain the team as they look to pick up the pieces following the ball-tampering scandal.
He is expected to play an important role in the upcoming 13 Tests at home, but Ajinkya Rahane doesn't want to look too far ahead, as it can clutter one's mind.
Australia and England will play the first day-night Ashes Test at the Adelaide Oval in December next year, adding a bold new ingredient to one of cricket's oldest and fiercest rivalries.
Germany might be the twice Olympic champions defending their title in men's field hockey but top-ranked Australia will be the team to beat at next month's Rio Games.
Mohammed Shami grabbed a match haul of seven wickets as Mohun Bagan beat Bhowanipore Club by 296 runs in India's first pink ball four-day match under lights, at the Eden Gardens in Kolkata, on Tuesday.
The primary aim for the Rohit Sharma-led India against minnows Hong Kong would be to get their combination right before the big game against Pakistan on Wednesday.
The iconic Eden Gardens in Kolkata on Saturday saw Indian cricket's first ever match with the pink ball during the Cricket Association of Bengal's Super League day-night final between Mohun Bagan and Bhowanipore.
'The way Vijay and Rahul batted in second innings, I think it was overcast and very important phase, they took on the bowlers, especially Rahul. I think those contributions should not be neglected. A 44-run contribution in the context of a 323-run target is massive'
India wasted a golden opportunity to break their 32-year-old medal jinx in the Champions Trophy hockey tournament after going down to Australia 1-2 in a hard-fought bronze medal play-off match of the eight-nation meet in Bhubaneswar on Sunday.
Australia's quest for a record hat-trick of titles started with a hard-fought 2-1 win over Ireland in the opening Pool D match of the men's hockey World Cup, in Bhubaneswar, on Friday.
Australia and Belgium got day two of the Champions Trophy hockey off to a roaring start with a stunning 4-4 draw.
ohn Stephenson, MCC Head of Cricket, said the announcement "is a very positive step for Test cricket".
'I think that's probably been the most surprising thing. We have kept the ball in really, really good condition but it really gets soft easily here compared to the Kookaburra we used in Bangladesh, where we managed to get (reverse swing) quite a lot'
Sloppy defending cost India dearly as Sam Ward scored a brace for England to hand the home team a heart-breaking 2-3 defeat in a hard-fought Pool B match of the Hockey World League (HWL) Final, in Bhubaneswar, on Saturday.
India squandered a two-goal lead to suffer a 2-7 hammering at the hands of world champions Australia and crash out of the Hero Hockey World League Final in New Delhi on Wednesday.
'Getting used to the lights and the pink ball, especially early on, is the key.'
Agarwal, thrusted into the squad following failure of KL Rahul and Murali Vijay, responded with a 76-run knock off balls, sorting out India's opening woes to some extent.
India's head coach Anil Kumble says a 'pink ball Test' in the country is "still a long way" off, even though he conceded that day/night Tests are the future to sustain interest in the longer format.
Cheteshwar Pujara rose to the occasion with a maiden century in Australia, pulling India out of a deep hole to a respectable 250 for nine on day one of the first Test in Adelaide on Thursday.
Akram explained that Shami's erratic strides at times hinder his consistency level.
Indian captain Virat Kohli, on Thursday, staunchly supported Ravi Shastri, saying the growing perception of head coach being a 'yes' man to the skipper 'is the most bizarre thing he has ever heard'.
Looking to salvage pride in the third Test beginning, in Johannesburg, on Wednesday, team India got down to business at the Wanderers with a practice session that lasted just under four hours.
Young chinaman bowler Kuldeep Yadav kept the opposition batsmen on tenterhooks with a maiden five wicket haul as he took India Red on the cusp of an outright victory against the Green team in the inaugural Day/Night Duleep Trophy encounter in Greater Noida on Thursday. Chasing a mammoth victory target of 497, the Green team was tottering at 217/7 at the end of penultimate evening with another 280 runs to win the match. Suresh Raina was at the crease batting on 35.
Batsmen have dominated Australia's series against New Zealand, but the pink ball and a green-tinged wicket should swing the balance of power back to the bowlers when Adelaide hosts Test cricket's inaugural day-night match.
South African pace ace Dale Steyn might not turn out to be as big a threat for India in next month's highly-anticipated Test series, feels senior spinner Harbhajan Singh.
Aware of the range of challenges India will offer during Australia's upcoming four-match Test tour, fast bowler Mitchell Starc says he hopes to extract swing -- both conventional and reverse -- from the SG balls on the spin-friendly Indian pitches.
