Glimpses from Team India's nets in Perth on Tuesday.
Sunil Narine turned party pooper in stunning fashion-delivering a ruthless all-round performance to dismantle Chennai Super Kings.
Calling off-spinner Ravichandran Ashwin, the team's go-to man, ahead of the four-match Test series against South Africa, on Thursday, in Mohali.
IMAGES from Day 5 of the 2nd Test played between India and Bangladesh in Kanpur, on Tuesday.
Giving a strong indication of him turning up in India's World Cup opener against Australia in Chennai on Sunday, veteran off-spinner Ravichandran Ashwin went through an engaging net session on Thursday.
With Australia completely dominating the proceedings on Day 1 of the WTC Final, many questioned why R Ashwin was picked in the playing XI.
'It was during Covid that Ashwin realised that family can also be a part of his life. So he expanded a little bit to give us space which gave him more happiness and stability to deal with a lot of things on the field. That is why he has had a detached attachment over the last few years.'
India's premier off-spinner Ravichandran Ashwin described Mahendra Singh Dhoni as a "massive influence" on his career, revealing that at the beginning of his IPL stint, he was driven by an intense desire to get the former captain's attention. Ashwin got his contract with CSK, one of the most successful IPL sides, in 2008 and said the stint with the three-time IPL champions shaped his career.
Despite living in close proximity to the series venues, Kohli is expected to remain absent not just on the field, but off it too.
In an IPL match in 2010 against Royal Challengers Bangalore in Bengaluru, Ravichandran Ashwin was taken to the cleaners by Robin Uthappa and Mark Boucher. He had two bad games and was subsequently dropped from the squad. "It felt like a hard slap," says Ashwin.
Royal Challengers Bangalor will attempt to break a 17-year jinx at the Chepauk stadium when they face Chennai Super Kings in the IPL match on Friday.
The concern over Ravichandran Ashwin's bowling is growing. Voices are getting louder that the off-spinner's international career is going haywire.
Kohli, who was on a month-long break from cricket, took on the spinners almost immediately during the nets session.
Indian batsman Ajinkya Rahane jumped three places to enter the top-10 in batsman's list while Ravichandran Ashwin maintained his pole position among all-rounders in the latest Test rankings released by the International Cricket Council (ICC).
As Team India gear up for the much-anticipated Test series against England starting on Friday, several players in the squad will draw confidence from their county cricket experience.
R Ashwin is a content man after becoming only the second Indian to take 500 Test wickets and has no interest in chasing Anil Kumble's national record of 619 scalps.
If Ravichandran Ashwin is being hailed as the best spinner in contemporary cricket, the 29-year-old lanky Indian owes it as much to those long fingers as to an ever-ticking brain.
Senior Indian off-spinner Ravichandran Ashwin has backed Alex Carey's decision to run out a wandering Jonny Bairstow on the final day of the second Ashes Test.
The tweet angered some Indian fans who reminded Yuvraj how poorly he had played during the 2014 T20 World Cup final.
Mahendra Singh Dhoni stunned many with his decision of sending Ravichandran Ashwin ahead of himself in the batting order but Chennai Super Kings skipper defended the tactics, saying players needed to be given more responsibility to convert them into match winners.
Former England skipper Michael Vaughan on Thursday termed the non-selection of off-spinner Ravichandran Ashwin in the Indian lineup as "madness". "The non selection of @ashwinravi99 has to be greatest NON selection we have ever witnessed across 4 Tests in the UK !!! 413 Test wickets & 5 Test 100s !!!! #ENGvIND Madness," tweeted Vaughan.
Abhishek Sharma waged a lone battle with an entertaining 68 from 37 balls in the second T20I against Australia at MCG on Friday.
'Obviously, he's a guy who has scored 9,000-plus Test runs, which is pretty mind-blowing, but for us it was a huge wicket.'
'The world simply wants to see you cry, once you have cried they will feel satisfied and live happily ever after,' lamented India spinner Ravichandran Ashwin while expressing solidarity with the disgraced Steve Smith and David Warner.
India's bowling coach Bharath Arun said that English batsmen are "wary of Ravichandran Ashwin's abilities" on tracks with "assistance" but a call on the senior off-spinner's inclusion will only be taken on Thursday morning ahead of the fourth Test.
India's Ravichandran Ashwin continued to hold on to the top spot in the all-rounders' table and also retained his second position in the bowling list in the latest ICC Test rankings. Premier off-spinner Ashwin stood out with 31 wickets in four Tests in India's 3-0 triumph over South Africa in the home series, and has a Test batting average of 31.68 with a highest score of 124. Left-arm spinner Ravindra Jadeja, who picked up 23 wickets in four Tests against South Africa, is the only other Indian bowler to be figuring in the top-10 list, which is still headed by England's Stuart Broad.
The BCCI has decided to recommend women's cricket great Mithali Raj and premier spinner Ravichandran Ashwin for Rajiv Gandhi Khel Ratna, country's highest sporting honour.
'Even scorecards in T20 matches read better than the one we saw in Ahmedabad.'
Seasoned off-spinner Ravichandran Ashwin on Monday went past Harbhajan Singh to become the third highest wicket-taker for India in Test cricket, reaching the mark in his 80th match.
'Non-striker leaving the crease early is the actual unfair play in this whole scenario, not the bowler running them out.'
The Indian cricket team and its premier spinner Ravichandran Ashwin held on to their numero uno status in the latest ICC Test rankings for teams and bowlers respectively.
India skipper Virat Kohli was effusive in praise of Ravchandran Ashwin after the off-spinner became only the fourth Indian, and sixth spinner in the world, to take 400 Test wickets.
Sanjay Bangar says selectors would be vindicated if India win series against England
Ashwin's age is certainly a factor that is being kept in consideration.
Ravichandran Ashwin was India's best player in the series and he contributed with both bat and ball to emerge as the new all-round hope that India have been so desperately in the last so many years.
Chennai Super Kings off-spinner Ravichandran Ashwin has been fined five per cent of his match fee for showing dissent at an umpire's decision in Saturday's IPL match between his side and Kings XI Punjab at the M A Chidambaram Stadium.
In the ICC Test ranking for batsmen, Virat Kohli was in the second position, while Cheteshwar Pujara was placed sixth.
CSK have dropped 13 catches in their first five matches this season and it could be what defines their campaign eventually.
Images from the IPL 2025 match between Rajasthan Royals and Chennai Super Kings at Barsapara Cricket Stadium in Guwahati on Sunday.
Rajneesh Gupta presents some interesting numbers from second T20 between India and South Africa.
