Who do you think should be part of India's playing for their T20 World Cup opening match against Pakistan on Sunday?
Srinivas Bhogle and Purnendu Maji present Rediff.com's Most Valuable Player Index after 33 World Cup 2023 games.
In a world where age and form seem to be at odds with each other, these IPL veterans defied expectations wrote their own narratives and left us all marveling at their incredible staying power.
In an unforgiving format like T20, Kings XI Punjab's England pace bowler Chris Jordan feels having a good sense of humour goes a long way in dealing with the extreme pressure of bowling in the death overs.
Speedster Umesh Yadav feels that England could have scored more than 268 for eight as the wicket did not change much and it was "easy to play spinners" with not much turn on offer.
'It's going to be different. It's a lot different wicket with the pink ball than Melbourne, so it is going to be a fresh start for both batters and bowlers.'
Their path to the semi-finals looking relatively easier in comparison, Australia will fancy their chances when they lock horns with a struggling Pakistan side whose hopes hangs by a thread in the ICC World Twenty20, in Mohali, on Friday.
Mahendra Singh Dhoni will lead an 18-man squad for the Test series against England. Opener Gautam Gambhir, whose last Test was in 2012, makes a comeback while two uncapped medium pacers - Ishwar Pandey and Pankaj Singh - find a place in the team after Zaheer Khan, who had to set out of the India leg of the Indian Premier League following a back injury, was overlooked.
In other big movements, Punjab Kings have released their last edition's captain Mayank Agarwal, while West Indies skipper Nicholas Pooran was released by Sunrisers Hyderabad.
India are yet to finalise their middle-order ahead of the World Cup but are unlikely to tinker much with the playing eleven for Friday's second ODI in Mount Maunganui.
Skipper Dinesh Karthik will face a big test when a struggling Kolkata Knight Riders lock horns with a resurgent Delhi Daredevils, led by double title winning former KKR skipper Gautam Gambhir, in a much-anticipated IPL clash, in Kolkata, on Monday.
Indian limited-overs captain Mahendra Singh Dhoni was on Monday retained in Group A of the men's player contracts for 2015-16 by the BCCI.
India set Sri Lanka a daunting 410-run victory target and dented the tourists' top order to maintain their iron grip on the third and final Test on Tuesday.
'Bumrah has taken over the mantle from Malinga'
KKR are gradually emerging as a strong contender for a third IPL title
India speedster Umesh Yadav on Saturday admitted that being a senior bowler he needs to perform better in the death overs if he has to consistently feature in the playing XI in the limited overs cricket.
After leading the team to their sixth consecutive bilateral series victory, a satisfied Kohli said he was satisfied with the overall performance of the team.
Mohun Bagan batsman Arindam Ghosh, who represents Railways in the Ranji Trophy, on Monday became the first player to score a century in a pink ball match in India in the Cricket Association of Bengal's four-day Super League final between Mohun Bagan and Bhowanipore at Eden Gardens in Kolkata.
It remains to be seen whether India stick to their combination of three specialist pacers and two spinners combination or bring in an extra spinner in Kuldeep Yadav to partner Yuzvendra Chahal and Ravindra Jadeja.
'... But India lacks solid backup to Bumrah, Shami, and Yadav. Bumrah is a fine paceman. He has very good durability. I think India needs to use him in such a way that he is as fresh as possible for each Test match.'
Ajinkya Rahane scored his maiden One-Day International century as India trounced England by nine wickets in the fourth one-dayer to take an unassailable 3-0 lead in the five-match series.
Ravindra Jadeja finally scored his maiden century after almost a decade in international cricket and the Indian all-rounder says being calm in the nervous 90s helped him reach the 'special' milestone.
'...the one that turned the match firmly in India's favour was the Johnny Mullagh medal-winning contribution from Rahane. The captain's century came at a time when India could easily have faded to a two-nil deficit, and it was this performance that gave his team the conviction that victory was attainable.'
Delhi Daredevils find themselves in an 'oh-so-familiar' situation as they seek home comfort against a Chris Gayle-inspired Kings XI Punjab
All the Indian batsmen and bowlers will get a look in and skipper Virat Kohli is expected to decide his best possible combination for the playing eleven for the first Test depending on their performances in the coming two days.
South Africa's most experienced spinner Keshav Maharaj wants to be as consistent as the seasoned Indian duo of Ravindra Jadeja and Ravichandran Ashwin during the upcoming three-Test series.
Images from Day 2 of the fourth Test between England and India, at The Oval, on Friday.
A Web series Bandon Mein Tha Dum will chronicle the Indian cricket team's historic Test series win in Australia last year.
India will be desperately hoping that Rohit replicates his limited overs success in the traditional format
Apart from Virat Kohli and the pace battery of Jasprit Bumrah, Mohammad Shami, and Ishant Sharma, not many in the current Indian Test setup can say they are sure-shot starters.
Delhi Daredevils will be aiming to display more impact in their batting department as they face a formidable challenge from defending champions Sunrisers Hyderabad in an IPL encounter, in Hyderabad, on Wednesday.
Former India strength and conditioning coach Shanker Basu believes maintaining fitness without running on the field is going to be quite tricky for the fast bowlers and advised the cricketers against too much screen time during the ongoing lockdown due to the coronavirus pandemic. Basu, who oversaw the fitness transformation of the Indian team between 2015 to 2019, worked extensively with the potent pace attack comprising Jasprit Bumrah, Ishant Sharma, Umesh Yadav and Mohammad Shami, and ensured they don't break down often.
Images from Day 4 of the second Test between India and the West Indies.
Opting to bat after winning the toss, India struggled on a slow pitch and crawled to 224-8 with Virat Kohli (67) and Kedar Jadhav (52) managing half-centuries against a disciplined Afghan attack.
Images from Day 5 in the second Test between England and India, at Lord's, on Monday.
RCB have been inconsistent in their first six games in IPL-12, with both their bowling and batting faltering on many occasions.
Do you think India should go with an extra spinner in Harbhajan Singh or continue with all-rounder Hardik Pandya? Select your Indian team for their opening World T20 match against New Zealand.
Royal Challengers and Delhi Daredevils, desperate for a victory under their belt, will try to outdo each other in Saturday's Indian Premier League match in Bengaluru.
Rajasthan Royals will need to regroup quickly after a heavy loss when they face Delhi Daredevils in what will be their first IPL home game in five years at the Sawai Mansingh Stadium, in Jaipur, on Wednesday.
Paceman Bhuvneshwar Kumar scalped four wickets as India hit back with two late strikes to wrest the initiative on Day 2 of the second Test against England despite Gary Ballance's gutsy century at Lord's, on Friday.
