>There's still hope and plenty to play for, says Rediff.com's Aruneel Sadadekar.
Brendon McCullum and Ross Taylor capped a dominant day's play for New Zealand with centuries as the hosts reached 367 for three at the close of the first day of the first Test against West Indies at University Oval in Dunedin on Tuesday.
Sachin Tendulkar was ensured a perfect farewell by his teammates as India thrashed a hapless West Indies by an innings and 126 runs at the Wankhede on Saturday, in well two and a half days, to complete a 2-0 whitewash in a lopsided contest.
Cricket aficionados' love, even passion, for their "god" Sachin Tendulkar is unlikely to recede even after his playing days.
Led by the in-form Cheteshwar Pujara, India 'A' will eye revenge for the ODI series loss when they take on a confident West Indies 'A' in the unofficial three-Test series, starting at the Gangotri Glades, in Mysore, on Wednesday.
Two unassuming young women saved India the humiliation of returning empty-handed from the Olympics for the first time since Barcelona in 1992 with awe-inspiring performances at Rio.
Chelsea found no chink in Everton's defensive armour as the Premier League champions were held to a frustrating 0-0 draw at Goodison Park on Saturday.
'Shooting is number one.' 'Archery, wrestling, badminton and boxing.' 'These are the five where we stand the best chance of winning a medal.'
As preparations for the Rio Olympics gather pace, India may be headed for yet another paltry medal haul.
New Zealand all-rounder Corey Anderson scored the quickest century ever in international cricket on Wednesday, taking just 36 balls against West Indies, to break the record long held by Pakistan's Shahid Afridi.
Out-of-favour opener Gautam Gambhir cracked his first century in more than two years as India 'A' came up with a solid batting display to take firm control of the third unofficial Test against the West Indies 'A' in Hubli.
Left-arm spinner Bhargav Bhatt took three wickets for India 'A' but opener Kraigg Brathwaite's patient half-century helped West Indies 'A' reach 283 for six in 90 overs after opting to bat on day one of the second unofficial four-day 'Test' in Shimoga.
Manpreet Juneja's resolute knocks went in vain as India A succumbed to a humiliating 162-run defeat against the West Indies A in the first unofficial Test, giving away a 1-0 lead to the visitors in the three-match series in Mysore.
Manchester City made sure of third place in the Premier League when they romped to a 5-0 win at Watford on Sunday to ensure a Champions League berth for next season.
Shivnarine Chanderpaul and Denesh Ramdin rebuilt West Indies' first innings with a 200-run partnership to guide their side to 289 for six at the close of play on the first day of the third and final Test against New Zealand on Thursday.
Rain forced the first Test between New Zealand and West Indies to be abandoned as a draw after tea on the fifth and final day at University Oval in Dunedin on Saturday.
A gritty unbeaten half-century by Parvinder Singh helped Uttar Pradesh overcome a jittery start and post 206 for 5 in the first innings, on the second day of the three-day practice match, against the visiting West Indies, in Kalyani, on Friday. The West Indies scored a healthy 466 in their first innings, courtesy a patient 112 by veteran Shivnarine Chanderpaul and an impressive 94 by Narsingh Deonarine.
The West Indies tasted success for the first time on their New Zealand tour on Thursday when they scraped home by two wickets in the first One-Day International in Auckland. After dismissing New Zealand for a modest 156 in 42.1 overs, the West Indies made hard work the target for the loss of eight wickets in 27.3 overs.
'No country can go from zero to hero at the Olympics.' 'A hundred Indians now feature in the world's top 25 and that's progress,' says Shekhar Gupta.
Photos from the Champions League matches played across Europe on Tuesday
New Zealand openers Peter Fulton and Hamish Rutherford safely negotiated their way to the close of play on the third day of the third Test against West Indies on Saturday after their bowlers had set up a likely victory with a destructive display.
Ross Taylor's first Test double century helped New Zealand to 609 for nine declared before his bowlers reduced West Indies to 67 for two as the hosts took firm control on day two of the first Test in Dunedin on Wednesday.
At stumps, India were comfortably placed at 157 for 2, after bundling out the West Indies for a meagre 182 by tea, riding on left-arm spinner Pragyan Ojha's five-wicket haul.
On a day of fluctuating fortunes, West Indies 'A' batted brilliantly in the first two sessions and the India 'A' bowlers fought back strongly in the last session, to share the honours at the end of Day 1 in the third unofficial 'Test' at KSCA stadium in Hubli on Wednesday.
With a strike rate of 115, Shikhar Dhawan is the MVP from the India-West Indies series according to Srinivas Bhogle and Purnendu Maji.
Cheteshwar Pujara and Rohit Sharma hit hundreds, but it was batting maestro Sachin Tendulkar who stole the limelight with a majestic 74 in his farewell match as India took a firm grip of the second Test against the West Indies, at the Wankhede stadium, in Mumbai, on Friday. When stumps were drawn on Day 2, the home side had the West Indies tottering at 43 for 3 in the second innings.
The International Cricket Council released the provisional squads of the 12 teams for next year's World Cup in Australia and New Zealand on Friday. However, co-hosts Australia and minnows Ireland decided against releasing the provisional list although they submitted 30 names to the parent body within the stipulated deadline.
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