India ended an 11-year-long ICC Trophy drought, beating South Africa by seven runs to claim the ICC T20 World Cup title for the second time on June 29 last year, in Barbados.
The all-round ability of the current Indian cricket team excites former captain Rahul Dravid, who feels Mahendra Singh Dhoni's men are a certainty for at least the semifinals of the World Twenty20 Championships. Dravid, who was here for the Laureus Sport for Good programme 'Magic Bus' in his capacity as a member of its World Sports Academy, said India looks to be the most "formidable" team of the tournament, the main draw of which gets underway from March 15. "I think India would make the top four, but after that, it's just a question of who has a better day in the semifinal and final... There's a good crop of players coming through. I think it's going to be an exciting 24 months for the Indian team. "I think the good thing about this Indian team and this T20 World Cup is they have good depth, they have good all-round depth at the moment," Dravid said. "Players like Hardik Pandya and Pawan Negi, it just shows that they have got sort of batting right down to No. 8, 9. They have got six or seven bowlers to call upon in Indian conditions that they can use.
K L Rahul has managed just 38 runs in three innings in the ongoing Test series against Australia.
"Glad that you haven't been watching videos of me batting," Delhi Daredevils coach Rahul Dravid jokingly told Rishabh Pant and Sanju Samson.
'It is a long road, but the hunger to play cricket is back, and he wants to play in all three formats.'
Talking about leading the side for the first time, Dhawan said: "It is a great honour for me to be the captain of the Indian team."
Regarded as an utility player, young Kerala wicket-keeper batsman Sanju Samson credits Rahul Dravid for his growth, and said the former captain played a big role in turning him into a 'better cricketer'.
Join us in congratulating the two players for winning the inaugural ICC awards.
BCCI to increase focus on player fitness ahead of ODI World Cup
Former captain Rahul Dravid has emphatically ruled out the notion that he was interested in taking up the India coaching job after Duncan Fletcher's departure.
Former captain Sunil Gavaskar reminded Ravi Shastri that India had won Test series in West Indies and England, a day after the under-fire coach claimed his side has better overseas record than teams of the last 15-20 years.
She is just two points behind leader Veronika Major of Hungary, who shot an aggregate of 592 (294 and 298) which helped her equal the Olympic record.
Former Pakistan batsman Mohammad Yousuf believes that India captain Virat Kohli is not in the league of legends like Sachin Tendulkar and Rahul Dravid.
The most recent 1-4 series loss in England was India's third in a row with batsmen letting the team down innings after innings.
Of course, Kohli could remain captain in ODIs, in which his performances are still top drawer, but another Test captain could help him recover form, recommends Suhit K Sen.
Nothing new in BCCI's policy document, says former India spinner Harbhajan Singh.
'Snapshots from #TeamIndia's nets session ahead of the third and final ODI against England at Manchester. #ENGvIND', BCCI tweeted with photos.
The first of the three T20I games between India and the West Indies will be played at the Eden Gardens in Kolkata starting 1930 IST tonight.
Deepak Chahar, India's unexpected hero with the bat in the second ODI against Sri Lanka, in Colombo on Tuesday, says coach Rahul Dravid's belief in his batting inspired him to produce a match-winning knock.
Suryakumar Yadav was picked as the India T20I captain ahead of Hardik Pandya, while Rohit stays as the captain of the ODI team.
India's biggest win against Pakistan in One-Day Internationals by margin of runs.
He added that he was in agreement with head coach Rahul Dravid's tactic of employing new ball bowlers, who are best suited to red-ball or Test format, in 50-over cricket as they would extract more movement and swing from the white ball in the early overs.
