Former England captain Kevin Pietersen believes India are the favorites to win the T20 World Cup, but cautions that the format is unpredictable and that India's 'favourites' tag comes with its own dangers.
'India gave me its heart first. So India will always have mine.'
The overwhelmingly bowler-friendly Melbourne pitch on which 20 wickets fell on Day 1 of the Boxing Day Test has prompted Kevin Pietersen and Dinesh Kartik to point out the selective criticism of Indian tracks when spinners get wickets in a heap.
Ravi Shastri believes India too will "take off" in next month's T20 World Cup if their explosive opener Abhishek Sharma fires, while Kevin Pietersen hailed the lefthander as a "proper star".
KL Rahul has admitted that the thought of retirement did cross his mind but the India batter says it is still "some time away" and he will not drag on when the time comes.
Six different teams have lifted the trophy over the years, with the West Indies, England and reigning champions India the only nations to have won it twice.
Kevin Pietersen criticises England after their Ashes loss in Adelaide
Former players Irfan Pathan and Venkatesh Prasad have questioned the Indian team's muddled approach, lack of stability and the increasing reliance on all-rounders.
South Africa's stunning three-day win over India at Eden Gardens has drawn reactions from some of cricket's biggest names, with AB de Villiers, Faf du Plessis and Dale Steyn celebrating the historic result while Kevin Pietersen used the collapse-filled Test to launch a scathing critique of modern batting.
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Pietersen doubled down on his criticism, calling out the Proteas for going into a shell rather than trying to wrest back momentum.
Kasprowicz recalls being thanked "for saving Test cricket" for his Ashes 2005 Birmingham dismissal
'I think he is going to carry Yuvraj's legacy forward. He is a phenomenal talent.'
This is Kevin Pietersen's first coaching assignment in the IPL, where he featured as a player from 2009 to 2016.
Batting superstar Virat Kohli admitted that the aggressive Australian cricketing environment tested his resilience, but felt that standing up to it while playing a bold brand of cricket toughened his mind and shaped his career path, besides influencing his growth as an individual.
Pietersen's comments on his social media handle came a day after fellow England batter Joe Root overtook Australia great Ricky Ponting to climb to second place in the all-time list of Test run scorers.
Joe Root was full of praise for compatriot and Yorkshire teammate Harry Brook, saying that "he makes his life so much easier"
Former England captain Kevin Pietersen on Saturday rated Protea opener Aiden Markram's measured hundred against Australia in the World Test Championship final as the "best innings" by a South African batter in Test matches.
'He can destroy an attack if he wants to, he can play a longer innings if he needs to.'
Legendary West Indies batter Brian Lara has picked his 'GOATs' (Greatest Of All Time) in cricket, placing Indian pacer Jasprit Bumrah among three other legends of the sport.
In the last 10 games that United have played under Amorim's stewardship, they had lost six games, while under Gambhir, India have lost eight out of their last 11 Tests.
'Congratulations Joe Root, magnificent.'
Delhi Capitals mentor Kevin Pietersen believes that KL Rahul is the best option to bat at number four and keep wickets for India in the next T20 World Cup.
Virat Kohli has spoken for the first time since his emotional decision to retire from Test cricket.
A look back at a few memorable showdowns in the last decade and half that had the quintessential crests and troughs of Test cricket.
Shubman Gill is a 'thinking cricketer' but it is difficult to predict whether he would be able to replicate his T20 captaincy success in the Test format, said Gujarat Titans assistant coach Ashish Kapoor.
Limping Bavuma, Markram lead South Africa to brink of history.
Pietersen gives thumbs up to IPL owners' investment in English teams
Virat Kohli presented Kevin Pietersen's son Dylan with an autographed India blue jersey.
'It would have been 2-2 coming to the Wankhede (Stadium for final T20I). It would have been way more on the game. But it didn't happen.'
'Those who are very good at playing along the ground are also very good at playing in the air in same direction.'
Pietersen hoped for "sporting wickets" for five-Test series between India and England.
'You guys need to understand, these guys are human beings. You give them the stick now, but at the end of their careers, you look back and how did they make you feel when they played? They made people feel happy.'
Rahul, who had joined Delhi Capitals' training camp just a day before the high-stakes clash, was unavailable for the match as he was on paternity leave.
Rajat Patidar's astute captaincy has been apparent throughout this season, be it bowling changes or field placements, he has been spot on. Unlike other franchises where captaining big egos has not sat well with certain players, Patidar has commanded the respect of his senior India as well as international team-mates.
England head coach Brendon McCullum feels his players have lacked humility in their recent public utterances and he would like to see them win back respect from fans ahead of the tough home series against India and the Ashes later this year.
Injuries in the squad prevented England from training ahead of the last two One-Day Internationals against India, coach Brendon McCullum said.
'You get paid to score runs. You get paid to win games of cricket. You don't get paid to play golf.'
'I've worked really hard on my white-ball game the last year or so. (A) big shout out to Abhishek Nayar. We've spent hours together talking about my white-ball game and how I can be better.'
Harshit Rana's debut as a concussion substitute became a central talking point, overshadowing India's series-clinching 15-run victory and its unassailable 3-1 lead in the five-match series.
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