Indian men's hockey coach Harendra Singh wa, on Wednesday, sacked from the position following a disappointing 2018 and offered the task of helming the junior squad by the national federation.
'He (Smith) will be so excited to turn up and play cricket. That's what he loves doing and that's what he is very, very good at. Smith and Warner are two of the best players in world cricket, I think Smith will be giving a lot and integrate with the team'
The Kerala High Court on Friday directed the central government to ensure participation of P U Chitra in the World Athletics Championships in London next month.
'I am particularly happy that an Indian has done such a superb job as the coach because people always talk about foreign coaches, but Shastri has dashed all those views.'
Shocked at constantly being ignored by the selectors, off-spinner Harbhajan Singh said he will make every bit of effort in the next few months to make a comeback into the national side.
Here's the second part of guide to a year that will soon become history.
Harbhajan Singh is itching to get back on the field and perform for India. It's been a year since the feisty off-spinner was dropped from the national squad following inconsistent performances, but a good showing in the Indian Premier League, followed by a stint with Essex in English county cricket, helped him earn a recall.
A special sniffer dog squad of Indo-Tibetan Border Patrol has been brought in to the national capital to sanitise the locations which are on the itinerary of US President Barack Obama for his visit later this month to take part in the Republic Day celebrations.
Australia named five uncapped players in a raw tour squad to play Pakistan in a Test series in the United Arab Emirates, while recalling pace veteran Peter Siddle for the first time in two years and dropping middle order batsman Peter Handscomb.
The 23-year-old fast bowler has not played a Test since his stunning seven-wicket debut against South Africa as an 18-year-old in 2011.
Sri Lanka's sports ministry said on Friday that an investigation had found evidence that members of the national women's cricket team had been forced to perform sexual favours for officials.
'This is a landmark moment for Lord's, with women's cricket now documented in the dressing rooms for the first time.'
India hockey coach Roeland Oltmans is delighted at his team's outstanding performance at the Champions Trophy and said it will boost their confidence to produce a better show at the Rio Olympic Games.
Former Pakistan Test all-rounder Azhar Mahmood has been offered the assistant coach's job with the national cricket squad, which is set to tour England this summer.
The abundance of talent is complemented by a confident approach which the likes of Manu Bhaker, Mehuli Ghosh, Anish Bhanwala and Anjum Moudgil will display at the Games.
Will Ishan Kishan get Rs 15.25 crore for one year, or for three years? Do the players get their IPL payments, whether it is in full or in part, and what is the payment schedule? Harish Kotian/Rediff.com explains all you need to know about IPL player payments.
Former India international Rajput was announced as the permanent head coach of the side on Friday having previously held the role in a caretaker capacity.
Easwaran opened up on his hopes from the UK tour and what he has learned from the likes of Virat Kohli and Rohit Sharma by watching them closely in the India nets.
The third specialist spinner's slot will be the subject of much deliberation when the national selection committee, headed by Sandeep Patil, meets in New Delhi, on Thursday, to announce the squad for the three-Test away series against Sri Lanka, starting August 12.
Indian Women's Hockey team leaves for Argentina tour.
The World Championships will be held in Budapest from October 20-28.
Indian boxers training in Italy for next month's Olympic qualifiers were given the option of flying out early due to the novel Coronavirus threat in that country but the team has decided to stay put as its training base in Assisi is "far" from the epicentre of the outbreak.
Eagerly looking forward to making his debut for India, batsman Saurabh Tiwary, who has been picked for the Asia Cup in Sri Lanka, says just getting selected in the 15-man squad is "like a dream come true."
PCB Cricket Committee to take decisions on splitting captaincy, inviting applications for new coach
With the national selection committee and the team management deciding to promote Rohit as an opener, keeping his spunky strokeplay in mind, the next five Tests could be a make or break for the 32-year-old stylish right-hander.
The OTT scene is bursting with action. Sukanya Verma gives her 10 exciting new recommendations for the week.
Discarded Pakistan left-arm pacer Sohail Tanvir says he regrets not getting the opportunity to play in the Indian Premier League after its opening season, as it is 'realistically the top T20 league in the world'.
After their early exit from the Asia Cup, there seems to be more bad news for Pakistan cricket fans with reports of 'infighting' within the national team. As per PTI, captain Shahid Afridi and Pakistan's national coach Waqar Younis are at loggerheads and attempts are being made by Pakistan Cricket Board to sort out the differences ahead of the crucial ICC World T20 in India. Chief selector Haroon Rasheed announced the revised World T20 squad on Monday, but insiders in the board say all is not well even as Pakistan prepares to leave for India on Tuesday night. "The board Chairman, Shaharyar Khan will be meeting with Afridi in Lahore later today while he has had a detailed meeting with Waqar," one well-informed source told PTI. "Waqar, when he met with the Chairman, expressed his displeasure over the working of the national selectors and also voiced some complaints about Afridi," the source added.
Bangladesh have named uncapped wicketkeeper-batsman Mohammad Mithun Ali and pacer Taskin Ahmed in their 15-member squad, which will be led by Mushfiqur Rahim, for three One-day Internationals against India, starting in Dhaka on June 15.
It was largely made possible by Manika Batra, who ended up winning four medals, the most by an Indian in Gold Coast.
Nieva said boxers in all the five Olympic categories for women will be picked after selection bouts over two days.
News of all that's transpired on and off the football field.
Australia have dropped out-of-form limited overs specialist Glenn Maxwell from the squad for the one-day international series in Sri Lanka next month, the country's cricket board announced on Sunday.
The 36-year-old Manipuri has been an ambassador of the sport not just in India but also the world over
Former captain Sardar Singh was brought back to bolster the Indian hockey team's mid-field while Birendra Lakra was included to shore up the defence line-up for the upcoming Champions Trophy, beginning on June 23 in Breda, The Netherlands.
India's 16-member squad for Rio Olympics was announced on Tuesday in New Delhi. Goalkeeper PR Sreejesh will lead the side with SV Sunil as the vice captain.
It remains to be seen if he gets a No Objection Certificate (NOC) from the BCCI, which has maintained a tough stance in not allowing Indian cricketers to participate in T20 leagues such as BBL, CPL and BPL.
