Chennai Super Kings skipper Mahendra Singh Dhoni batted at number seven against , promoting the likes of Sam Curran, Jadhav and Ruturaj Gaikwad ahead of himself but the ploy backfired badly
Captain Virat Kohli and opener Murali Vijay made a mockery of sub-par Sri Lankan attack with effortless centuries as India cruised to 371 for four on the first day of the third and final cricket Test.
Back in India's ODI squad after two years, opener Murali Vijay says he was expecting the call up for the Zimbabwe series after good performances in 32 Test appearances since 2008.
India may have slipped to fourth in the Test rankings following the drawn Test in Fatullah, but its openers, Murali Vijay and Shikhar Dhawan, achieved career-best rankings for batsmen.
Murali Vijay said he has curbed the tendency to nibble at deliveries outside off and is back to batting the way that fetched him runs in international cricket.
Enjoying one of the best phases in his career so far, Royal Challengers Bangalore's inspirational leader Virat Kohli is ready to play through pain against Kings XI Punjab with multiple stitches in his split webbing in another must-win IPL encounter in Bengaluru on Wednesday. Kohli sustained split webbing in his left hand while fielding against Kolkata Knight Riders as he went for a diving catch. He left the field briefly to get medical assistance, got his webbing taped and was back in field. He then played another classy knock to keep RCB's play-off qualification hopes alive. "I might need 7-8 stitches," Kohli had said after the match but if KXIP thought that the opposition skipper will make himself unavailable, they would be in for disappointment as RCB's manager Avinash Vaidya said that India's No 1 batsman will be playing in this crucial encounter.
The Pandya brothers -- Hardik and Krunal -- bowled well to keep the runs down and take wickets inside the Powerplay.
Vijay in 11th spot; Kohli falls five places
Ajinkya Rahane said his side were determined to be 'ruthless' in their approach after the hosts demolished Afghanistan by an innings and 262 runs inside two days in its debut Test match, in Bengaluru.
Mahendra Singh Dhoni lost his bearings on the cricket field for the very first time as he rushed into the field of play to confront Indian umpire Ulhas Gandhe for not signalling a no ball, an act which certainly seemed out of line.
India were eyeing a series-leveling win in the second Test by reducing Sri Lanka to 72 for two after setting the hosts a daunting victory target of 413, riding on Ajinkya Rahane's sparkling century.
Despite enjoying reasonable success Down Under in Test matches, India opener Murali Vijay says he equally enjoys playing in the shorter formats despite the transition from five-day cricket to T20 being 'tough'.
Cheteshwar Pujara has now scored 3 centuries in this series, equalling Sunil Gavaskar's record.
India opening batsman Murali Vijay is a big fan of newly appointed head coach Anil Kumble and says the players have got a golden opportunity to learn from the great leg-spinner. "My first Test match was his last Test match and actually I did not spend lot of time with him, but I have been a great fan of him as an youngster," he told reporters on the second day of the India camp at the KSCA stadium in Bengaluru on Thursday.
Time is fast running out for the Mahendra Singh Dhoni-led Chennai Super Kings, a team which desperately needs its batting to click when it takes on SunRisers Hyderabad in Dubai on Tuesday in a battle to keep its IPL hopes alive.
The fourth day's play in the second cricket Test between India and South Africa was called off without a ball being bowled following rain and wet ground conditions, in Bengaluru, on Tuesday.
India 'A' struggled to 106 for four in 32 overs after veteran Alastair Cook's marathon 180 powered England Lions to 423 all out on the second day of the only four-day unofficial Test in Worcester.
Indian opener Murali Vijay was unable to bat on Day 1 of the only tour game due to a hamstring strain but is expected to get fit for the first Test against Sri Lanka in Galle starting August 12, the team management said.
India have more serious worries on their hands heading into the Boxing Day Test at the Melbourne Cricket Ground next week - the visitors are definitely in a spot of bother as far as their opening combination is concerned.
England's young left-arm spin bowler Zafar Ansari says he closely followed Indian spinner Pragyan Ojha's action and tried to learn from Murali Kartik during their county stints at Surrey.
A look at the various batting records in the IPL over the years.
Readers post their Valentine's Day wish for India. Here's how they have expressed their love.
In a big blow to India, opening batsman Murali Vijay and wicketkeeper Wriddhiman Saha were ruled out for the remainder of the Test series against Sri Lanka due to injuries.
India opener Murali Vijay said he is using the time away from the game to work on fitness with his next assignment being the Test series in Sri Lanka next month.
Will Captain Virat Kohli continue to change the team for the 39th game in a row?
The 19-year-old from Mumbai, wearing a protective brace on his left ankle, was seen jogging around the Adelaide Oval before the start of the fifth and final day of the first Test.
Tamil Nadu and Chennai Super Kings wicketkeeper-batsman N Jagadeesan is in awe of Mahendra Singh Dhoni's fitness
Delhi Capitals rode on Prithvi Shaw's fluent fifty and a disciplined bowling effort to inflict a 44-run defeat on Chennai Super Kings, in the Indian Premier League, in Dubai, on Friday.
Cheteshwar Pujara's innings is the highest by a subcontinent batsman and third highest by any visiting batsman on the opening day of a Test in Australia, reveals Rajneesh Gupta.
With a penchant for scoring big Test hundreds, Indian opener Murali Vijay is now aiming to cross the 200-run barrier as he approaches the next phase of his cricketing career.
With Shikar Dhawan back in the squad, it is indeed a happy problem for skipper Virat Kohli, who has to choose two quality openers among three.
The conciliation talks between UFBU and Indian Banks Association held in Mumbai moved a step ahead positively after the IBA offered a 9.5 per cent hike on pay slip cost and hold another round of talks on January 27, UFBU national Convenor M V Murali told PTI in Tirupati over phone.
The Indian squad led by Mahendra Singh Dhoni departed for New Zealand from Mumbai on Sunday for a five-match ODI series followed by a best-of-two Test rubber against the hosts.
Help Virat pick his team. Be the selector, chose your playing 11 for the first Test.
India opener Murali Vijay said on Saturday he fancies his chances on the bouncier Australian wickets, which favour his backfoot game.
CSK's Harbhajan Singh and Mumbai Indians' Lasith Malinga were among the other big names to be released by their respective sides ahead of next month's auction.
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.
Barring Amit Mishra's inclusion, there were no major surprise in India's Test squad for the tour of Sri Lanka, the selectors retaining as many as 14 players who had toured Bangladesh for the one-off Test earlier this month.
India 'A' scored 340 for five with four of the visiting batsmen, including young opener Prithvi Shaw, striking fluent half-centuries in the first unofficial Test against New Zealand 'A', in Mount Maunganui, on Friday.
Shikhar Dhawan has been named as the replacement for the injured Murali Vijay for India's upcoming Test series in Sri Lanka.
