India captain Mahendra Singh Dhoni feels that a big deal is made out of Suresh Raina's susceptibility to short-pitched bowling.
Their bowling frailties thoroughly exposed in the first two ODIs, India are left with no option but to bank heavily on their batsmen to steer the side and upstage the rampaging Australians in the must-win third one-dayer in Melbourne.
India's reluctance to accept the Decision Review System in its current form has cost them what would have been a crucial, match-changing wicket in their loss to Australia at the WACA Ground on Tuesday. The home side were in trouble at 2-21 in the fifth over chasing 310 for victory when debutant quick Barinder Sran and India's fielders appealed for a leg-side catch from George Bailey's first ball. A muted appeal from captain and wicketkeeper MS Dhoni may have contributed to the not out decision from umpire Richard Kettleborough, but replays showed a clear deflection from Bailey's glove.
India may have had a terrible Australian summer so far, but commentator Harsha Bhogle said that putting in hard-yards against the No 1 ODI side would have certainly made the 'Men in Blue' battle-ready for the cricket World Cup.
Glenn Maxwell missed his maiden ODI century but his career-best 95 helped Australia win the tri-series
Images from the World Cup match between Australia and New Zealand at Lord's on Saturday.
The former India captain rated Anil Kumble as the best captain he had played under.
"The best team won, we struggled from the beginning and we couldn't deal with their long balls. Usually, you press the ball to win it, but this was different. They defended so deep and so well," City coach Pep Guardiola told the BBC.
Jacques Kallis feels that conditions in the sub-continent is "not conducive" for producing seam bowling all-rounders, something that the Indian cricket team has lacked for some years now.
Chelsea pair Diego Costa and Eden Hazard were named on Thursday on the shortlist for the Professional Footballers' Association (PFA) Player of the Year award.
Named captain for the tour of Zimbabwe, Ajinkya Rahane says he would like to take Mahendra Singh Dhoni's calmness and Virat Kohli's controlled aggression into the field when he wears the skipper's hat in the upcoming limited-overs series.
Images from Wednesday's IPL Eliminator between Sunrisers Hyderabad and Delhi Capitals, in Visakhapatnam.
Lewis Hamilton saw his net worth rise by 37 million pounds over the last year.
A round-up of Wednesday's action in the UEFA Champions League.
'We've just got to make sure we get enough balls in the right areas and be relentless and patient and stick two up their nose an over' Australia have not lost a series home or away to West Indies since 1992/93.
Liverpool moved into the Champions League qualifying spots after a 3-0 win at Burnley on Wednesday took them above Leicester City and into fourth place with one round of Premier League matches remaining.
Bhullar started from the back nine and birdied the 11th, dropped just one bogey on Par-5 14th and he birdied 15th and 17th to turn in 2-under 33. On the second nine, he birdied his closing holes eighth and ninth.
A win over Australia would see the Black Caps through and represent a strong recovery from their six wicket loss to Pakistan at Edgbaston on Wednesday.
South Africa skipper Faf du Plessis described Kagiso Rabada's performance as "phenomenal" after the young paceman helped turn a parlous situation on day two of the first Test against Australia into a thumping 177-run victory on Monday. The tourists had done well to get to 242 all out after being 5-81 on day one but were looking down the barrel of a heavy defeat when Australia raced to 158 without loss on day two. Matters got worse when, having finally broken the opening partnership, South Africa's pace spearhead Dale Steyn was forced off the field with a shoulder fracture that ruled him out of the series.
New Zealand all-rounder Jimmy Neesham feels his team was simply outdone by the brilliance of Virat Kohli and Mahendra Singh Dhoni in the third One-day International in Mohali. Neesham (57 off 47) helped New Zealand post 285 with a maiden half century down the order before Kohli made short work of the target to give India a seven-wicket victory on Sunday. Kohli, who hit his 26th ODI hundred, remained unbeaten on 154 after sharing a 151-run stand with Dhoni (80).
Tottenham Hotspur missed the chance to move up to provisional fourth place in the Premier League after relegation-threatened Newcastle United held them to a 2-2 draw with a late equaliser from substitute Joe Willock at St James' Park on Sunday. Images from EPL matches played on Sunday.
Shami will be given adequate rest in between matches, said Kings XI Punjab coach Mike Hesson
Bangladesh know the odds are stacked against them beating India in Thursday's World Cup quarter-final at the Melbourne Cricket Ground. If history and current form are any guide, India should win in a canter.
Former New Zealand skipper Stephen Fleming lauds the showing Chennai Super Kings players Ravichandran Ashwin, Mohit Sharma and Suresh Raina at the ongoing World Cup
A selection of musings from around the cricket World Cup.
Australia captain Michael Clarke showed a tetchy side to his nature in his pre-match press conference.
Manchester City came from behind twice to earn a 2-2 draw with Liverpool in a breathless and pulsating Premier League encounter, at Anfield, on Sunday. All four goals came in the second half.
The journey of Afghan cricket from the refugee camps to World Cup is nothing short of a fairytale.
Statistical highlights of the tri-series match between India and England at the WACA on Friday.
Plotting a path to the Australian Open has never been trickier or more uncertain. Even the best players are baffled about the best way to prepare for their annual trek Down Under.
Laxmi Negi/Rediff.com picks the very best players from what has been an outstanding tournament.
Arsenal coach Arteta has said that Granit Xhaka will stay at the London club while United have new headaches with injuries to Paul Pogba and Scott McTominay.
Juventus forward Cristiano Ronaldo and Barcelona's Lionel Messi, who have won the award 10 times between them, are included
The problem with non-selection of an Indian player in the XI is more to do with lack of matches rather than poor show since they have won both the series that they played in 2021.
Novak Djokovic urged people to think about Brazilians who are having to live with the Zika outbreak on a daily basis rather than worrying about how the situation might affect those travelling to the country for the Rio Olympics in August.
Images from the English Premier League matches played on Saturday.
Bangladesh collapsed to a 2-0 series defeat against West Indies, losing the second and final Test by 296 runs with a day to spare on Tuesday.
'We would've loved to win the game, but the boys bowled really well and they also batted really well. It's probably on us batters to take a bit of the weight from them'
Images from Thursday's action in the Europa League Europa League - Round of 16 Second Leg - matches.
Peaking at the right time and with all their boxes ticked, Sunrisers Hyderabad are certain to hold sway over a dishevelled Delhi Capitals in a virtual semi-final in the second Indian Premier League qualifier, in Abu Dhabi, on Sunday.
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