The controversy over the batting track prepared for the fifth ODI between India and South Africa at the Wankhede Stadium, where the visitors hammered the hosts by 214 runs to win the series last month, is yet to die down.
Faced with a do-or-die situation against South Africa in the fourth ODI, senior Indian off-spinner Harbhajan Singh has said his team's bowlers will have to be smarter than what they have been so far in the series.
After bagging back-to-back man of the match awards in the ongoing cricket tri-series, left-arm fast bowler Mitchell Starc said he is relishing the opportunity of leading Australia's bowling attack in the absence of pace spearhead Mitchell Johnson.
Having struggled in the past one year after suspensions of Steve Smith and David Warner, Australia finally seemed to have picked their pieces and playing exactly like a five-time champions ought to.
Just like his swashbuckling batting, memories of AB de Villiers' stunning one-handed catch against the Sunrisers Hyderabad will be etched forever in the memories of Indian fans.
For the visitors, the game against the Mandeep Singh-led India 'A' side will be more about getting into the match simulation mode before they get going against Mahendra Singh Dhoni's team in the opening T20 International at Dharamsala on October 2.
The Proteas bowlers took part in a thorough session under the watchful eyes of Langeveldt with the aim of increasing their workloads and mapping out expectations and game plans ahead of the 72-day tour which starts with the first Twenty20 match in Dharamsala on October 2.
South Africa captain AB de Villiers blamed his batting unit for their 22-run defeat to India in the second cricket One-Dayer in Indore on Wednesday, on the placid wicket at Holkar Stadium.
Quinton de Kock's return to form in South Africa's World Cup quarter-final rout of Sri Lanka was one of the most pleasing aspects of a convincing victory for the Proteas.
'I guess for Mitch, he's got no tendon or ligament damage so given everything goes well over the next couple of weeks, we're confident that'll he be okay for the first Test match'
Australia captain Michael Clarke, who is struggling with his hamstring injury, could be fit in time for the upcoming four Tests against India starting December 4, with reports surfacing that the batsman may not require surgery.
The 1999 World Cup player of the tournament said Pandya has a fine support system to hone him.
'From 1989 when I started playing there would be at least 25 world class bowlers. But someone I didn't enjoy batting against was Hansie Cronje. For some reason I got out and over a period of time I realised that I am better off being at the non-striker's end'
A threat issued by the Patidar Anamat Andolan Samiti or Patel agitation could affect the game temporarily
West Indies Cricket Board president Dave Cameron might have sounded defiant after the board meeting last week but it is being reported now that the members have forged an agreement to end the players' pay dispute that led to the West Indies team's abrupt pull-out from the India tour.
A fit again South African pacer Dale Steyn on Wednesday said that New Zealand's decision to play three spinners against India in the World Twenty20 opener paid off as the Kiwis posted a comfortable 47-run win over the hosts. Chasing a mere 127 runs for victory, favourites India were bundled out for 79 in 18.1 overs on a turning track at Nagpur last night with the Kiwi spinners sharing as many as nine wickets among them. "I guess New Zealand thinking was correct. Playing with three spinners paid off. We would probably go with spin, I don't know. But as a seamer I have to back myself. Bowl fast cutters. It is really difficult to hit out when the ball is coming at 140-145, its gripping and stopping," Steyn told reporters on the sidelines of his team's practice session at the Brabourne stadium on Wednesday. Steyn, who had suffered a shoulder injury, said he was now fully fit and things were coming up nicely.
The Men in Blue won the first T20I at Johannesburg by 28 runs and a victory on Wednesday will see them wrap up another series win on this tour.
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Virat Kohli was focus personified as India geared up to take on a traditionally pace-heavy South Africa in their upcoming ICC World Cup match.
India's Team Director Ravi Shastri on Friday said that South Africa are still a formidable side despite the retirement of some big players recently but his side will continue their aggressive brand of cricket in the upcoming series beginning on October 2.
Sri Lanka are never anybody's pre-tournament favourites but when the dust settles there they are.
The pressure will be on former captain Tillakaratne Dilshan to continue to play a pivotal role for Sri Lanka.
Australia coach Darren Lehmann has been rewarded for his integral role in turning around the fortunes of the team with a one-year contract extension until June, 2017, Cricket Australia said on Friday.
Opener Reeza Hendricks, wicketkeeper Dane Vilas, spinner Aaron Phangiso and fast bowler Kagiso Rabada, who have all previously represented the country in the limited overs formats, picked for Bangladesh Tests
'Today we bowled a lot of slow balls. It was a part of our strategy on this wicket, to do away with pace and make it difficult for the batsmen to score'
Bangladesh thrashed South Africa by seven wickets in the second one-day international on Sunday to tie the three-match series at 1-1 after an inspired bowling performance saw the Proteas bundled out for 162, their lowest total against the hosts.
Batting has been South Africa's 'Achilles' heel' during the ongoing series against India
'It's a home game for India. There's going up to (almost) 100,000 people here'
Any hopes that the issue of race in South Africa's sport was fading were damaged this week when the government banned its national cricket, rugby, athletics and netball federations from bidding for international tournaments due to a failure to increase their number of black players.
Promising that India will not back down from their "aggressive brand of cricket", team director Ravi Shastri feels consistency and patience would be key to success as the hosts gear up to face South Africa next month.
The bowler, whose lethal pace is intimidating for most batsmen around the world, said he always found the going tough against an on-song Sehwag.
'You have to just adjust to the conditions quickly because there is a big difference in the 50-over and 20-over cricket.' 'Even in Test cricket you can't be a classical spinner, which you were 20 years ago.' 'If I want to hide myself from my limitations, then I don't want to play this game.'
Kumar Sangakkara blasted a career-best 169 to help Sri Lanka crush South Africa by a huge margin of 180 runs in the first One-Day International, in Colombo, on Saturday.
He has nothing more to prove to anyone after haunting batsmen for more than 15 years in international cricket and Harbhajan Singh believes that his 'tried and tested' strengths are the ones he will rely on as he prepares to lay his hands on a record third world title.
South Africa cricket team captain AB de Villiers is 'incredibly humbled' by the huge response his autobiography has been getting in India even before it's launch there next week.
Having missed a few international games in Zimbabwe and Sri Lanka owing to a recurrent hamstring injury, India opener Murali Vijay has said he wants to attain peak fitness before the upcoming home series against South Africa.
Hashim Amla's 13th One-day International century and a clinical performance in the field carried South Africa to a comfortable 75 run victory in the opener of their three-match series against Sri Lanka on Sunday.
Playing 'fearless' cricket has been Bangladesh's war-cry at the ICC World Cup but courage alone will not be enough to upset India and their army of blue-clad fans at the Melbourne Cricket Ground where the teams play their quarter-final on Thursday.
According to Sourav Ganguly, not facing Australian bowlers regularly has helped Dhawan and Team India.
Former India captain Sourav Ganguly opined that he was confident of an Indian victory after the team crossed the 250-run barrier.
'Duminy was the key factor to my whole innings. Second over or the first over I faced, he told me this over needs to go for 10. He told me to just play my normal game and take the bowlers on. Luckily today it worked out'
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