Rishabh Pant, on Thursday, earned a maiden call-up to the Indian ODI team, replacing Dinesh Karthik for the first two games against the West Indies.
Shreyas Iyer's superb form in the ODI series against the West Indies has impressed India captain Virat Kohli, prompting him to declare that the Mumbai batsman can be a "regular feature in middle order" if he continues taking responsibility like he did during the third match, in Port of Spain, on Wednesday.
Rohit Sharma-led squad will be hoping it has enough left in the tank to record a maiden T20 series win in New Zealand
Formidable India will hope to get more answers for their unsettled middle-order puzzle when they take on a reeling West Indies in the five-match ODI series, starting Sunday and ticking off the home team's countdown to the 2019 World Cup.
'It's always good to get 40-50 extra and we want to bat the opposition out of the game. Rohit and KL were outstanding, the opening partnership set it up. Shreyas and Rishabh, the way they played, was outstanding'
Dinesh Karthik's experience got him the nod, says Harish Kotian, but Ambati Rayudu's exclusion is puzzling.
Rayudu's consistency at No. 4 slot will solve our middle-order conundrum, says Kohli
India won the twin T20 Internationals in Auckland by margins of six and seven wickets respectively to go 2-0 up in the five-match series.
Ishant Sharma is suffering from a knee injury he sustained during the Boxing Day Test against Australia in December.
In opting for an extra spinner, says Harish Kotian/Rediff.com, India have picked a batsman less.
It was after many years that an Indian cricket team lived up to expectations outside the sub-continent.
Virat Kohli has had a modest World Cup so far.
India would be desperate for the likes of Mahendra Singh Dhoni to find some form ahead of the semi-final when they take on Sri Lanka in their last preliminary World Cup clash, in Leeds, on Saturday.
.jpg)
Virat Kohli was focus personified as India geared up to take on a traditionally pace-heavy South Africa in their upcoming ICC World Cup match.
Kevin Pietersen is not the only one trying to work out why he is unwanted by England's cricket selectors.
'It's happened before. Not just Virat but there's many players that have come up to IPL time and ... look, we know it's a cash rich tournament, there's some money up for grabs.'
South Africans take the top 3 slots in Most Valuable Player Index.
Mumbai Indians need to rethink their strategy; Narine boost for Kolkata Knight Riders.
Off the field the Board of Control for Cricket in India looks set for a complete overhaul with Supreme Court's stinging observations tightening the noose around the mandarins of the richest sports body.
'The man who never knows when he is beaten deserved, on the day he played what will be his last World Cup game, mates who were not beaten in the mind before they were beaten on the field.' Prem Panicker salutes 'India's best one day captain by a long margin who led superbly throughout the tournament.'
'When Dhoni walked in, India needed 105 to win with 32 overs to play. The situation called for calm, nerveless, ice-cold execution without necessitating any adrenalin-fueled impestuosities -- the sort of situation that is the Indian captain's spiritual home.'
© 2026 Rediff.com - Investor Information - Advertise with us - Disclaimer - Privacy Policy - Sitemap - Feedback - About us - Terms of use - Grievances