'He's arguably the best Twenty20 batter in the world over a long period of time. His record's so good and he's our captain, so maybe that's what's going on off-field but in our heads we just trust him'.
Back in the mix after one and half years, left-arm spinner Pragyan Ojha justified the selector's faith by rocking Australia A top-order with three quick wickets as the visitors reached 185 for four against India A at stumps on the second day of the first unofficial cricket Test in Chennai.
Australia's cricketing DNA is constructed by meticulousness and Pakistan's by explosiveness.
Srinivas Bhogle and Purnendu Maji present Rediff.com's Most Valuable Player Index of IPL 2024 after Match 54.
Smith ruled out; Cummins, Warner rested for white-ball tour.
Intention is to play every match, we won't be rotating bowlers unless we have to: Pat Cummins
England stood on the brink of the semi-finals of the Twenty20 World Cup after Jos Buttler's batting pyrotechnics secured their comprehensive eight-wicket victory against Australia in a Group I match on Saturday.
SKY overtook Pakistan opener Mohammad Rizwan to become just the second Indian player to hold the top T20I batter ranking.
When the game was called off, RCB became the first team to be knocked out of IPL-12 with RR's hopes of making it to the playoffs hanging by a thread.
The 10-team tournament will be played across 10 venues culminating in the November 19 final at the 132,000-capacity Narendra Modi Stadium in Ahmedabad.
LSG, despite losing three wickets in Powerplay with just 23 runs on the board, managed to win the game by one wicket on Monday, with the West Indian middle-order batter scoring a 19-ball 62, and blasting the fastest half-century in IPL 2023 off just 15 deliveries.
Indian cricket team will not just be looking to win a third ODI global title but also look at saving the '50-over format' which has been battling identity crisis for at least five years now.
60 runs came off the last 5 overs and that's where the game tilted in the favour of the defending champions.
Gambhir has once again criticised Virat Kohli's captaincy
IMAGES from the T20 World Cup, Super 12 match between Australia and South Africa.
New Zealand thrashed reigning champions Australia by 89 runs in a rematch of last year's final
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.
Rashid Khan ripped through the Delhi Capitals batting line-up to steer Sunrisers Hyderabad to an emphatic 88 run victory and keep their hopes alive of making it to the playoffs.
The game on Friday had enough positives for India, mainly the performance of Mohammad Shami and Suryakumar Yadav, but few questions still need to be answered ahead of the World Cup, beginning October 5.
Capitals were the best team in the league and their 20-point finish at the group stage was an indication of their consistent performances which didn't dip due to the COVID-19 forced break. CSK, over the years, have been in final eight times and won on three occasions which speak volumes of the team's ability to lift their game just when it's required most.
The unmatched legacy and hegemony created by the galacticos of Mumbai Indians will be thoroughly challenged by a young Mumbaikar Shreyas Iyer, who will lead a passionate-but-unpredictable Delhi Capitals in a cracker of an Indian Premier League final, in Dubai, on Tuesday.
Peaking at the right time and with all their boxes ticked, Sunrisers Hyderabad are certain to hold sway over a dishevelled Delhi Capitals in a virtual semi-final in the second Indian Premier League qualifier, in Abu Dhabi, on Sunday.
Kings XI Punjab captain KL Rahul believes that the 'short run' that played a part in their opening IPL loss to Delhi Capitals massively affected their play-off chances despite a remarkable comeback in the second leg of the tournament.
David Miller hit a superb 62 from 43 balls which helped Rajasthan Royals get back into the contest after a horror start.
If Rashid doesn't come good with the ball, he is certain to shine in the field or with the bat. His value and legend grew more on Sunday with an effort that changed the game's route.
Glenn Maxwell smashed an unbeaten 201 off 128 balls, single-handedly guiding Australia to an improbable three-wicket win over Afghanistan.
The leg-spinner was at his mercurial best in Abu Dhabi on Tuesday as he bowled a splendid spell of 3-14 in four overs, including 11 dot balls, to send Delhi Capitals crashing to defeat.
Images from Thursday's IPL match between Mumbai Indians and Delhi Capitals, in Dubai.
Rahul started off slow, played good cricketing shots, built good partnerships along the way and then went on the offensive in the closing stages
Images from Saturday's IPL match between Chennai Super Kings and Delhi Capitals, in Sharjah.
Srinivas Bhogle and Purnendu Maji present Rediff.com's Most Valuable Player Index of IPL 2023 after Game 52.
Hosts Australia will pull on a classic uniform from the 1980s featuring green strip on bright gold top and pants when they take on India in the three-match ODI series.
Delhi Capitals have made the perfect start to IPL, with two morale-boosting victories, while SunRisers Hyderabad are the only side yet to register a win in the tournament, having lost both their games.
Hardik's calm demeanour on the field as captain reminds many of Captain Cool Mahendra Singh Dhoni, whom the Baroda all-rounder considers one of his mentors.
England produced a brilliant comeback to beat Australia by two runs on the final ball of their first T20 international in Southampton on Friday after the visitors looked to be cruising to victory in their first competitive match for six months.
The Australians, led by Steve Smith, arrived in Chennai from Bangladesh after drawing a two-Test series and the match tomorrow would give them opportunity to at least switch to the One-day format.
Krunal Pandya's superb all-round showing helped Lucknow Super Giants notch a comprehensive five-wicket win over Sunrisers Hyderabad.
Australia on Tuesday named Steve Smith and David Warner in their Twenty20 squad for home series against Sri Lanka and Pakistan as selectors firm up plans for next year's World Cup on home soil.
Virat Kohli was a relieved man after a nail-biting 10-run victory over Kolkata Knight Riders, in Kolkata on Friday, kept Royal Challengers Bangalore's hopes alive in the Indian Premier League.
Kings XI Punjab's head of cricket operations Virender Sehwag is confident that international players like Varun Aaron, Darren Sammy will bring fresh ideas and skills going into the 10th edition of Indian Premier League.
