Italy are gearing up for their Twenty20 World Cup debut, hoping a strong showing next month will help the sport break into popular culture in a soccer-obsessed nation that does not have a natural cricket pitch.
India pacer Bhuvneshwar Kumar feels the debate over preparing a spin-friendly track at the Eden Gardens for the opening Test against South Africa is pointless as the country has been laying out such wickets for ages.
Shubman Gill retired hurt after suffering a neck sprain while attempting a slog-sweep off Simon Harmer on the second day of the first Test against South Africa, in Kolkata, on Saturday.
Spin great Harbhajan Singh said India don't have a specialist off-spinner for Test cricket.
The focus is to bring momentum back into the Indian dressing room: Morne Morkel
India's campaign was on the verge of derailment after losing back-to-back games to South Africa, Australia and England. Against England, India were cruising at 234 for 3 before failing to surpass a target of 289.
'Emotions run high. You are expected to win pretty much every game. You are expected to win because you have been doing that consistently. You have the strength on your side to achieve those kinds of milestones and secure those kinds of victories. So, accountability and appraisal are always going to be there. So, it goes hand in hand.'
Gill may miss ODI series due to unhealed neck injury; Rahul, Pant in line for ODI captaincy
Venkatesh Prasad described the meeting with the two leaders as "extremely positive", saying the aim is to bring back international cricket and IPL to the M Chinnaswamy Stadium in Bengaluru.
Rishabh Pant back in full flow as India step up nets ahead of SA opening Test
Bavuma remains unbeaten in his 11 Tests as skipper, winning 10 of them to go with a draw, and in that period has averaged 57.00 with the bat.
Shubman Gill might just want to be fit enough to bat, as even a half-fit skipper is seen as more effective than Sai Sudharsan, Abhimanyu Easwaran or Sarfaraz Khan.
Sachin once removed the drive in Australia; maybe Jaiswal needs to shelve the cut shot: Steyn
Aiden Markram himself knows what he is capable of -- and how to express it on a cricket field. And South Africa will be the biggest beneficiary in the coming years.
Openers Yashasvi Jaiswal and K L Rahul perished early as India fumbled in the chase of a mammoth 549-run target on Day 4 of the second Test.
Former India wicketkeeper-batter Deep Dasgupta feels that India's T20I vice-captain Shubham Gill, who is currently struggling to get going in the shortest format, has to play a similar role what Virat Kohli did for so long by consistently holding on to one end.
In its report released on Monday, the United Nations Office on Drugs and Crime (UNODC) and UN Women said that femicide continues to take the lives of tens of thousands of women and girls worldwide, with no sign of real progress.
How Mumbai Maidan coach Patwal's tough-love sessions gave Harmer his second wind
Rohit Sharma and Virat Kohli will need a lot of game time going forward now that they play only one format but a decision on how the two white ball legends will stay in rhythm will be decided once the South Africa ODI series is over, skipper Shubman Gill said on Saturday.
Deepti Sharma and Shafali Verma's superb all-round showing powered India to a historic first-ever Women's ODI World Cup title after they outclassed South Africa by 52 runs in the final.
Sneha Rana's maiden five-for, Rawal's excellent fifty power India to 15 run-win over South Africa
Leg-spinner Alana King's spellbinding wizardry formed the cornerstone of Australia's seven-wicket triumph over South Africa as the defending champions concluded the Women's World Cup league stage firmly on top of the table in Indore on Saturday.
India's T20 World Cup squad had space for only 15, but the pool of quality options ran far deeper. The consequence was inevitable: several players with genuine claims were left on the outside, the unlucky ones who narrowly missed the cut.
Sai Sudharsan and Dhruv Jurel faced spinners while wearing only one pad to counter the turning deliveries, a method that comes with an element of risk, in Kolkata on Monday.
Jaiswal ticked a box in the third ODI with his maidan ton and Ruturaj Gaikwad chipped in with a hundred at Raipur, leaving Gambhir pleased as punch.
Amol Muzumdar never experienced the highs of an India cricketer but now he is a World Cup winning head coach -- only the third in the history of Indian cricket after Gary Kirsten and Rahul Dravid.
Facing the pressure of playing in a World Cup on home soil, Rodrigues struggled for consistence, posting two ducks and a pair of 30s before being dropped for India's group-stage match against England.
Rawal, one of India's standout performers in the tournament, had injured her right foot while fielding in the deep during the 21st over of Bangladesh's innings. The setback ruled her out of the Women's ODI World Cup before the semi-final against Australia, forcing her to miss the knockout matches, including the final.
Delhi blast: Heightened security in Kolkata ahead of India-South Africa Test
India bowling coach Morne Morkel admitted his side was "surprised" by how quickly the Eden Gardens surface "deteriorated" after a dramatic second day in which 15 wickets fell and the opening Test swung sharply in India's favour.
Australia captain Alyssa Healy will miss Wednesday's Women's World Cup match against England in Indore due to a calf injury.
Gill stretchered out with neck injury; ''just bad timing'', says Morne Morkel
'The whole country is behind him and watching his performances. You can't ignore a guy who's done so much for India.'
India have relied on their spin strength on rank turners to gain points in WTC cycles in the past but Gill has said he wants his side to play on tracks that offer equally to batters and bowlers.
It's good, pressure is not only around cricket but also for World Cup final tickets: Harmanpreet
Making a comeback to international cricket after a seven-month gap, Virat Kohli has perished for ducks in the first two ODIs against Australia.
Blair Tickner took 4/34 and Daryl Mitchell hit 56 not out as New Zealand beat England by five wickets in the second one-day international in Hamilton on Wednesday to seal the three-match series 2-0.
I felt India needed me in Australia, selectors should look at intent than age: Ajinkya Rahane
Nine years after he first made his India debut, Sanju Samson finally made it count with three centuries in eight innings against Bangladesh and South Africa last year.
Jemimah Rodrigues struck a sensational century as hosts India reached the ICC Women's World Cup Final with a magical run-chase against Australia
