Out-of-form opener Shikhar Dhawan has tried to put up a defence after India lost the ongoing Test series to England, saying the players are also 'hurt' like the fans and followers of Indian cricket.
Shikhar Dhawan feels India is "fortunate" that they have three options for the opening slot in him, Ajinkya Rahane and Rohit Sharma, which will help in gaining the much-needed consistency required at the top of the order, with the 50-overs World Cup just a few months away.
'Khansahab, you were brilliant at what you did and that will always live.'
India announced themselves as genuine contenders to defend their World Cup title on Sunday by humbling South Africa's vaunted pace attack before bowling out the Proteas for an emphatic 130-run victory at the Melbourne Cricket Ground.
Akshay was seen enjoying the company of India opener Shikhar Dhawan who has not been included in the T20 World Cup squad.
Punjab Kings batting coach Wasim Jaffer has backed his team's bowlers to make a strong comeback after the heavy defeat to Lucknow Super Giants, adding that it "was one of those days when everything clicked for the opposition".
Rajasthan Royals take on Punjab Kings aiming to seal their IPL play-offs berth, in their penultimate league match.
The Delhi batsman said winning the series so convincingly is a huge confidence booster for India with around six months left for the 2015 World Cup to be played in Australia-New Zealand.
Shikhar Dhawan is savouring a purple patch, hitting century after century, but the opener won't be overtly worried if he has to face a slump in form.
Out-of-form opener Shikhar Dhawan's place in the team will be one of the main discussion points when the Indian team management zeroes in on the playing eleven for the ICC World Cup match against arch rivals Pakistan in Adelaide on Sunday.
Shikhar Dhawan's prolonged bad patch is more about his mindset rather than technique, feel former players, who have watched the Indian opener's dip in form over the past few months.
Smarting from back-to-back defeats, Sunrisers Hyderabad will have a lot to ponder, especially addressing their batting frailties, when they take on high-flying Punjab Kings in the Indian Premier League in Hyderabad on Sunday.
Shikhar Dhawan attributes his comeback to a distinct change in mindset, when put under the pump.
Test captain Virat Kohli, Rohit Sharma and Shikhar Dhawan are likely to be rested for India's tour of Zimbabwe, but there is no confirmation on Mahendra Singh Dhoni's availability for the short series, starting June 11. India will play three ODIs and two T20 Internationals during the series which marks the end of the season.
It will be a rare occasion when two India squads will be playing in different countries at the same time. The Virat Kohli-led side will be preparing for the five-match Test series against England at the same time.
Veteran opener Gautam Gambhir and fit-again Shikhar Dhawan are set to open the innings for a bolstered Delhi side that is desperate to log home six points against Team Rajasthan in their sixth round Ranji Trophy group B encounter, in Wayanad, on Monday.
The game against CSK was Preity's first match at IPL 2022 in the stadium.
Both Punjab Kings openers were handed lifelines by the Rajasthan Royals in Guwahati on Wednesday.
Take a look at the pictures from Yuvraj Singh's retirement party:
The second One-day International between India and New Zealand in Hamilton on Sunday was abandoned because of rain.
Pakistan captain Misbah-ul Haq chose to impress upon his players to take a lesson from rivals -- India.
The Punjab Kings, who have heavily relied on skipper Shikhar Dhawan, will need their batters to step up as they face a confident Lucknow Super Giants on Saturday.
Nursing a toe injury, India opener Rohit Sharma on Monday skipped the team's training session and is likely to miss Tuesday's Asia Cup T20 match against Sri Lanka in Mipur. His opening partner Shikhar Dhawan did train, so did skipper Mahendra Singh Dhoni, who had a knock during the two-and-a-half-hour net session at the BCB Academy in Sher-e-Bangla Stadium. Rohit, who took a blow on the left toe off a yorker by Mohammed Amir, did not accompany the team for practice as he stayed back in his hotel room. While he is lucky to have escaped fracture, it is highly unlikely that he will play against Sri Lanka, which might increase the soreness of his left toe. With the World T20 starting in a week's time, the team management will not risk Rohit, who is one of the key players in the top order. Dhawan hit the nets but did not have the usual sprightly strides that one normally associates with the Delhi left-hander. He took a few catches, did a bit of shadow batting and was the last one to come out to bat in fading light.
Sam Curran's counter-attacking fifty powered Punjab Kings to a four-wicket win over Delhi Capitals in their IPL 2024 match in Chandigarh on Saturday.
IMAGES from Sunday's IPL match played between Delhi and Bangalore in New Delhi
Praising his players for the emphatic win over South Africa in the World Cup, team director Ravi Shastri said the management's decision to stick with Shikhar Dhawan, despite his poor form in the run-up to the showpiece event, proved right.
Mental health and life coach Anu Krishna shares a few mind hacks to help you acknowledge and tide over the process.
Titans look to forget Rinku Singh's onslaught against Punjab Kings
Shubman Gill was unlucky to miss out on a maiden century but India rode on his sublime 98 to outclass West Indies by 119 runs and complete a 3-0 rout in the ODI series at Queen's Park Oval in Port of Spain, Trinidad on Wednesday.
The national selection committee announced the squad for the two-Test series against the West Indies.
Kanitkar feels playing in the U-19 World Cup provides the players with an insight into the senior level.
It remains to be seen how many rookies will be included for the 50-over competition keeping bubble-life and workload management in mind.
Images from the IPL match between Mumbai Indians and Delhi Capitals, in Chennai, on Tuesday.
BCCI Medical Team has assessed KL Rahul and cleared him to play in the upcoming three-match ODI series in Zimbabwe.
Sunil Gavaskar has questioned the Board of Control for Cricket in India for allowing the likes of Shikhar Dhawan and Mahendra Singh Dhoni to skip domestic cricket
According to Sourav Ganguly, not facing Australian bowlers regularly has helped Dhawan and Team India.
The three-match T20 series will begin on July 7 in Southampton.
Former England skipper Kevin Pietersen revealed that spinner Rashid Khan is worried about the situation in Afghanistan and he is not able to get his family out of the country.
India will expect a better approach from skipper Shikhar Dhawan and young Shubman Gill in the Powerplay overs when the team clashes with New Zealand in a do-or-die second One-Day International, in Hamilton, on Sunday.
Delhi Capitals Captain David Warner and DC Head Coach Ricky Ponting worked on the team's preparations for IPL 2023.
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