Until September 14, Vaidehi Ankolekar was a bus conductor on Mumbai's famed BEST buses. Now, she is known nationwide as the mother of India's latest cricketing hero. That Saturday, her son Atharva bowled India to the Asia Cup Under-19 title.
Former captain and India A coach Rahul Dravid heaped praise on Pragyan Ojha, saying it was great to see the left-arm spinner bowl wearing a half sleeve shirt after being suspended for illegal action in December last year.
Ravindra Jadeja, who is still recovering from a shoulder injury, was included as the selectors felt that he would recover in time for the 2015 ICC World Cup.
India's marauding cricket team will be aiming to reclaim the No 1 spot in ICC rankings when it takes on an unsettled New Zealand in the second Test starting, in Kolkata, on Friday.
In a series in which, batsmen have dominated the bowlers with an unprecedented 3159 runs being scored, including 11 centuries hit by batters of both sides in the five one-day internationals. Pacer Jasprit Bumrah seems to have answered captain Mahendra Singh Dhoni's distress call in the fifth and final ODI at Sydney. Conceding only 40 runs for his 2 wickets off his full quota of 10 overs, Bumrah impressed with his pace and discipline especially in the death overs, when Australia posted a mammoth 331-run target. But, was it sheer luck that led to the surprise debut of this 22-year-old fast bowler from Gujarat? As per reports, Bumrah- picked only for the T20I series in Australia was supposed to travel with the rest of players in the squad for shortest format and join rest of the team in Adelaide- the venue for first T20I. But due to unavailability of tickets, the Board of Cricket Control in India had to send Bumrah to Sydney.
Ganguly, only the second Indian captain to take charge as the BCCI chief, sounded a pleased man on his first day at his new office at the BCCI head office
Former India spinner Maninder Singh looks back on Sachin Tendulkar's debut Test in conversation with Manu Shankar.
'In the merry-go-round of Indian cricket, amid abhorrent match-fixing scandals and incessant politicking, Ravi Shastri is a multifaceted personality who, when called upon, can don any hat with ease.'
How will young batsmen brought up on T20 learn to build an innings? What about the technique to patiently negotiate hostile seam bowling conditions or the skill to play on difficult dusty turners? What about leaving the swinging ball outside off stump?
'What is true khadoos? Stubborn? Dogged? Unyielding? Relentless? Or something in between that? Or all of it together?' 'Just like you can't translate it, you can't teach a kid to be khadoos either. You can only inculcate that attitude in him by sharing stories of all the khadoos-ness of past stalwarts.' 'For instance, the story of Sunil Gavaskar batting left handed to counter the left-arm spin of Raghuram Bhat and salvaging a draw in the 1981-1982 Ranji Trophy semi-finals...' Rahul Dravid on Cricket's Great Oral Tradition.
The left-hander, who was not selected in the preliminary list of 30 probables, has come back into contention by striking three back-to-back hundreds against Haryana, Maharashtra and Saurashtra in the Ranji Trophy.
'Some of the recommendations, I feel is too much. Let us not take anything away from the BCCI.'
With it's scandalous past, still fresh in the minds of fans and critics alike, the Indian Premier League (IPL) organisers will look to ensure that the focus remains firmly on cricket when the cash-rich event gets underway with a glamorous opening ceremony on Tuesday.
'I bring a lot of variety to any team I play for. I keep wickets, I field pretty well and I can bat up and down the order. I think I bring about a certain kind of advantage if I am utilised in the right manner.'
Wicketkeeper-batsman Rishabh Pant smashed his way into the record books with a 24-ball 78 as India colts gave Nepal a rude reality check by handing them a seven-wicket hammering to finish their league engagements unbeaten in the ICC U-19 World Cup in Mirpur on Monday.
In white-ball cricket things are different -- over there you outsmart the batsman, and over here in Test cricket it's all about patience and consistency. That was my main focus today. You can't blast the batsmen out. I was looking to bowl good lengths and always challenge the batsmen with good lengths and good line. So in the end it was a good day.'
The youngest president of the Indian cricket board in India in independent India, Anurag Thakur has taken over the reins of the world's richest cricketing body at a time it is fighting an existential battle against a complete restructuring recommended by the Supreme Court.
'Sachin Paaji told me to enjoy the situation because this is a reward for all the hard work I have put in for so many years in domestic cricket. He told me not to take any pressure on myself, but to enjoy the moment because this will stay with me forever.' Ajinkya Rahane relives his Test debut and how he has become the Indian team's new Mr Dependable in this exclusive interview with Harish Kotian/Rediff.com
Insurance companies are going all out to grab eyeballs.
Irfan Pathan discloses on how he coped with the disappointment of getting dropped from the Indian team and what inspired his superb comeback in domestic cricket this season which he hopes lead to bigger things and eventually into a 'a really good story and inspiration' for others.
And no, the commercial sporting leagues didn't cause the drought, says Shekhar Gupta.
Hosts India would look to do an encore by putting England through another rigorous spin test when the two teams square off in the third Test starting in Mohali, on Saturday.
'When I was in Shrirampur I thought I would make it to the Indian team. There were a series of events that happened, and even if one link was missing, I don't think I would be here.'
'Of the 32 captains who have led India in Test cricket, only four have been pure bowlers -- Ghulam Ahmed, Venkatraghavan, Bishan Bedi and myself.' 'The captain must lead with only one idea in mind -- to win the game. The draw mentality is partly because captains lacked confidence and partly because they want to protect their record. If you don't think winning is the point of the game, there is little point in even entering the field.' 'As the Monekygate controversy raged, I received a message from Bishen Bedi, no stranger to controversies himself. "As a captain," he wrote, "take a decision you will be proud of when you look back on history".' Anil Kumble, cricketing legend, on the Art of Captaincy.
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