Indian Test captain Anil Kumble is in no mood to lament cricket-weary Mahendra Singh Dhoni's absence from the squad and believes it is a gilt-edged opportunity for stumpers Dinesh Karthick and Parthiv Patel to prove their mettle.
Indian batting mainstay Virat Kohli said the Asia Cup starting in Mirpur, on Wednesday, is a perfect platform to assess the team's strengths, weaknesses and its current standing on the global stage ahead of the big-ticket World Twenty20 next month.
West Zone whipped East Zone by eight wickets with more than a day and one session to spare in the Duleep Trophy semi-final at the Brabourne Stadium in Mumbai on Saturday. West, leading East by a handy 111 runs in the first innings, dismissed their rivals for a mere 200 in the second essay before lunch on the third day and then rattled up 90 for two to emerge convincing winners.
Sourav Ganguly on Monday was not included in the Rest of India squad for the Irani Trophy match against Ranji Trophy champions Delhi to be played in Baroda, starting on September 24. Yuvraj Singh and Rohit Sharma were also left out of the 15-man squad announced by the Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) in Mumbai.
Mumbai Indians had a break of five days after their 20-run victory over Sunrisers Hyderabad in a low-scoring Indian Premier League in Mumbai and captain Rohit Sharma said on Thursday that the short respite was very helpful in recharging their batteries.
'When you are keeping wickets, you should concentrate 100 percent on your wicketkeeping,' says Parthiv Patel.
An inconsistent Delhi Daredevils will look to break the home jinx when they take on Mumbai Indians in their sixth match of the IPL cricket tournament at Feroz Shah Kotla in New Delhi on Thursday.
B D Thaker's strokeful unbeaten 151-run knock helped Gujarat reach a strong 291 runs for five against Punjab on day one of their Ranji Trophy group A Super League match at Sardar Patel stadium at Motera in Ahmedabad on Saturday.
Chennai Super Kings drubbed Kings XI Punjab by nine wickets in a lop-sided contest in Mumbai on Saturday night to storm into Sunday's final against table toppers Rajasthan Royals. After restricting the Punjab side to a meagre 112 for eight, the Chennai side romped home riding on a second wicket stand of 102 runs between opener Parthiv Patel (51 off 48 balls) and Suresh Raina (55 off 34 balls) at the Wankhede Stadium.
Former captain Vinay Kumar hit an unbeaten 83 and shared a crucial 97-run stand for the last wicket Ronit More (10) to help Karnataka take a 39-run first innings lead against Rajasthan in the Ranji Trophy quarterfinal, in Bengaluru, on Wednesday.
The three teams -- India Red, India Green and India Blue -- will be captained by Mohammad Kaif, Parthiv Patel and Virender Sehwag respectively.
Delhi's performance at home is woeful, but having registered a win after two consecutive losses at the Kotla, the Shreyas Iyer-led outfit is high on confidence.
Seamer Jasprit Bumrah took five wickets as India seized control of the third and final Test against South Africa on Thursday, going to the close of the second day with a 42-run lead on a treacherous wicket at the Wanderers.
Centuries from Parthiv Patel and Aakash Chopra helped India A reach a healthy 354 for four against South Africa A.
A look at Royal Challengers Bangalore's IPL record over the years.
CSK captain Mahendra Singh Dhoni missed the game against SRH due to a stiff back but is likely to be back for Sunday's match against Virat Kohli-led RCB.
Images from Friday's IPL match between Kolkata Knight Riders and Royal Challengers Bangalore, in Kolkata.
On Thursday Viru will enter wedlock, and cease to exist as a swashbuckling free spirit who was unfettered by anything around him.
Superb bowling by Munaf Patel, Ajit Agarkar and Siddharth Trivedi helped West Zone defeat South Zone by 26 runs in the Deodhar Trophy Cricket match in Bangalore on Wednesday.
Images from the IPL match played between Sunrisers Hyderabad and Royal Challengers Bangalore on Sunday
Back in the top half of the league table after a convincing win over Sunrisers Hyderabad, Delhi Daredevils will look to build on the winning momentum when they take on defending champions Mumbai Indians in their Indian Premier League match in Visakhapatnam on Sunday.
Mitchell McClenaghan led Mumbai Indians's superb showing with the ball as they thrashed Delhi Daredevils by 14 runs to register their sixth successive victory, in the ongoing tenth edition of the Indian Premier League, in Mumbai, on Saturday.
Yomahesh's incisive spell of seam bowling backed by Parthiv Patel's sparkling century gave India 'A' a stranglehold on their three-day tour match.
Erratic Sunrisers Hyderabad look to bounce back against inconsistent Mumbai Indians.
Estranged Pakistan team trainer-cum-doctor says that had Shoaib Akhtar got a normal elbow he would have bowled up to 176 kmph, and that he would still work with one of the world's fastest bowlers after the India series to enhance his speed.
Riding on the disciplined performances of their bowlers, Royal Challengers Bangalore thrashed Mumbai Indians by seven wickets for their second straight victory, in the Indian Premier League.
Needing 165 to beat Rajasthan, Bangalore were cruising at 75 for one in the ninth over with de Villiers (53) and Parthiv Patel (33) well set before the wheels came off their chase courtesy of some poor shot selections by subsequent batsmen.
Chennai Super Kings fell short by ten runs against Rajasthan Royals in Saturday's IPL match.
Success is a result of hard work. Right? Yes, but players talk of a divine force which decides fate and feel that talent means little unless backed by muqaddar, writes Amrit Mathur.
Royal Challengers Bangalore will take on table-toppers Sunrisers Hyderabad in another must-win Indian Premier League encounter
You be the selector and pick your eleven for the sixth ODI against New Zealand at Auckland, on January 11.
The Committee of Administrators is facing practical problems in implementing the Conflict of Interest guidelines on the day-to-day BCCI operations, CoA member Diana Edulji conceded.
Dhoni lauds spinners, Kohli blames it on dropped catches
The Indian team physio will work on players' fitness to prepare them for the next season at the MRF pace academy.
A fine all-round display by Sairaj Bahutule powered West Zone to a comprehensive 105-run victory over East Zone in the Deodhar Trophy league match.
Mumbai Indians became the first team to qualify for the final of the Indian Premier League with a comfortable 25-run win over Chennai Super Kings at the Wankhede stadium.
Though the cameras invaded the players' privacy, it was a mandatory move following the ICC ruling to prevent match-fixing.
Gujarat were 200 for 2 at stumps on day 1 in the Ranji Trophy match.
Anil Kumble and second wicketkeeper Parthiv Patel have also been asked by the BCCI to play in a Ranji Trophy match before leaving for Pakistan.
Pace bowler Mohammed Shami complained of soreness in his knee after the third Test.
