Australia has conceded its number-one ranking to India after Sri Lanka made a clean sweep of the three-Test series in Colombo on Wednesday. Australia had arrived in Colombo in number-one position on 118 points. But following loses by 106 runs in Pallekele, 229 runs in Galle and 163 runs in Colombo, Australia has joined England on 108 points but is ranked above Alastair Cook's side, while Sri Lanka has jumped to 95 points. Australia's drop means India has become the number-one ranked side on the MR ICC Test Team Rankings, while Pakistan has moved into second position - just one point behind.
Bigger than ever, the European Championship kicks off in Paris next month with a four-week feast of football that promises to elevate the game above the corruption scandals and security fears that have overshadowed its build-up.
Bashar is yet to get over the shock of Shakib not repprting the corrupt approaches to the ICC's anti-corruption unit.
India captain Virat Kohli said that Ajinkya Rahane will open alongside Shikhar Dhawan in the upcoming five-match ODI series starting on Friday.
Euro 2016's round of 16 gets under way on Saturday after the completion of the group stages. With shocks aplenty, we saw some major upsets and heartbreaks in the preliminary round. Aruneel Sadadekar/Rediff.com takes a look at the top five disappointments of Euro 2016 so far...
With eight teams remaining at Euro 2016, a guide to the form of the quarter-finalists, looking at their strengths and weaknesses.
Cricket will seek to reach out to the untapped American market when the sport's most followed practitioners, India, lock horns with the West Indies in their maiden international game in the US on Saturday.
Rajneesh Gupta has some interesting numbers from the fourth day's play in the final Test between India and South Africa at Ferozshah Kotla in New Delhi.
Skipper Virat Kohli said it was his turn to step up and take responsibility after the fall of early wickets in the second One Day International against the West Indies, which India won, riding on his 42nd hundred in the format.
West Indies batting legend Brian Lara travel to India with the Trinidad and Tobago team for the Champions League Twenty20 tournament, commencing on September 17, in Mohali. Although not a formal part of the team management, Lara, during his visit to India, will play a dual role of T&T tourism ambassador and mentor for the Red Force.
Former India off-spinner Erapalli Prasanna on Friday took a dig at Virat Kohli and said if the current skipper feels he is the boss of Indian cricket then the team can do without a coach.
Check out the statistical highlights on Day 2 of the second Test between India and New Zealand.
West Indies captain Dwayne Bravo has been suspended for one match after his side was fined for a second minor over-rate offence within 12 months during their tri-series ODI against India at Port of Spain, Trinidad.
A round-up of our favourite photographs from the week gone by.
Pointing out that Ajinkya Rahane has the quality to open and play in the middle-order, India captain Virat Kohli insisted that he could see the former providing greater balance to the side than anyone else.
Rajneesh Gupta presents some interesting numbers from Day 4:
European champions Portugal spurned a two-goal lead against Tunisia, stumbling to a 2-2 draw, as France, one of the World Cup favourites, flexed their muscles with a comfortable 2-0 win over Ireland in warm-up friendlies on Monday.
Tailored luxury experiences with the most minute of details charted out for discerning travellers is the way forward, says Nikita Puri.
'Doubtless he was the greatest opener of his era; and also one of the greatest in the history of cricket.'
He will have to fight it out with the in-form KL Rahul and a solid Murali Vijay for one of the opening slots in the playing XI of the Test team but Shikhar Dhawan terms the competition "good for Indian cricket" and finds "nothing wrong with it". "I am aware that there could be three players for two (opening) spots. But there is nothing wrong in it. In fact it is good for Indian cricket. To have healthy competitions among players for places in the team is good for Indian cricket and the game in general.
The fleet landed at Al Dhafra airbase on Monday in the United Arab Emirates after flying for over seven hours from the Merignac airbase. It was the only stopover by the jets while flying from France to India.
Virat Kohli has said that his team isn't reading too much into the newly acquired number one ranking in the longest format as they prepare to take on West Indies in the fourth and final Test starting in Port of Spain on Thursday.
Senior Bangladesh opener Tamim Iqbal says his side is good enough to upstage formidable India and lift the Asia Cup trophy when the two teams clash on Sunday. Tamim has fond memories of matches against India and no one can forget the six that he hit off Zaheer Khan during their upset victory during the 2007 50-over World Cup in Port of Spain. "I have forgotten about that match but you guys always make me remember. Yes, we have had some memorable matches against India. I believe if we play to our potential, there is every possibility of beating India. We have defeated them in 50-over format last year and there is no reason we can't repeat that in 20-over format," Tamim told reporters after practice session. Tamim is also confident that he and his teammates can tackle India's new speedster Jasprit Bumrah, who bowls with an unusual action. "We have had discussions in our team meeting about Jasprit Bumrah. We have seen footages of his bowling. I have done my homework on him and let's see how it goes.
Statistician Rajneesh Gupta has interesting numbers from India's Asia Cup match against the UAE. Check them out.
India recorded their biggest Test series win on Caribbean soil with a 2-0 victory over West Indies following a washout in the fourth and final Test match but ended up losing the number one spot in the ICC rankings, in Port of Spain, on Monday.
Pakistan becomes only the fifth team after Australia, England, India and South Africa to top the ICC Test rankings since these were introduced in 2003.
India are on the verge of losing their No. 1 ranking in Test cricket after Day 4 in the fourth and final match against West Indies was abandoned without a ball being bowled because of a wet outfield, in Port of Spain, on Sunday.
Bangladesh pacer Taskin Ahmed bagged five wickets for 28 runs on debut as India were dismissed in 25.3 overs in the second ODI in Mirpur. But the pace combination of Stuart Binny (6-4) and Mohit Sharma (4-22) saved India from humiliation by bundling out the hosts for just 58 in 17.4 overs. Following the Rajneesh Gupta presents some interesting statistics.
A formidable India will fancy their chances of taking an unassailable 2-0 lead against a weakened West Indies when the two sides lock horns in the third game of the ongoing five-match ODI series, in North Sound, Antigua, on Friday.
Off-spinner Ravichandran Ashwin bagged his 18th five-wicket haul as India dominated the first day of the second test against West Indies in Jamaica on Saturday.
Rajneesh Gupta presents some interesting numbers from the second day's proceedings.
Rajneesh Gupta highlights important numbers featuring the Sri Lankan team from World Cups.
The Board of Control for Cricket in India on Monday congratulated the Indian cricket team for reclaiming the No. 1 spot in the International Cricket Council's Test rankings, saying it reflects the side's performance overseas beginning with the historic series win in Sri Lanka.
While the COVID-19 pandemic has completely halted production and new orders, exporters say that payments have also been delayed for the shipments sent before the lockdown. Exporters say some customers are not taking delivery of the shipments because they have shut shop. Ready-made garment players had been hoping for a revival in demand in China but with the virus spreading to Europe, the US and other major markets, there are no orders coming from the major retailers.
Back in India's ODI squad after two years, opener Murali Vijay says he was expecting the call up for the Zimbabwe series after good performances in 32 Test appearances since 2008.
Having seen the 'Universe Boss' boss around from Ahmedabad to Port-of-Spain, and from the Oval to St George's, over nearly two decades, fans came in their thousands to Southampton amid some trepidation and much anticipation to watch Christopher Henry Gayle strut his unique stuff against England fo
These 12 photographs show what a mad, mad world we live in!
For Rajkumar Sharma, a coach is no different from a parent and that's why he has been "protective" about Virat Kohli, keeping a close watch on the progress of his "son" during his formative years. Sharma, who will be conferred with the prestigious Dronacharya Award, has been the Indian Test captain's coach since he was 10 years old. "It's a huge honour which increases your responsibility to produce not one but many more Virats. I still remember the day when a 10-year-old Virat came to my coaching camp. Today as an Indian captain when he comes for a net session, I don't find any difference. He is still the same old little Virat for me. Nothing has changed for him," the 51-year-old former first-class cricketer told PTI on Tuesday.
In a three part series, Rajneesh Gupta highlights all the important numbers from cricket World Cups held between 1975 to 2015.
