Dravid chose to be a bit more empathetic towards Gaikwad and Iyer
'In the 2023 World Cup, we lacked batting depth from No. 8 onwards. These are the crucial questions that need to be addressed.'
Their pre-tournament decision to fill the squad with five spinners drew a lot of flak from all corners, but it is now proving to be a masterstroke on the slow pitches in Dubai.
Debutant Shreyas Iyer was guts, aggression and flair rolled into one during an unbeaten knock of 75, which was nothing short of a baptism by fire, as India ended on 258 for four on the first day of the opening Test against New Zealand in Kanpur on Thursday.
A look at the records set during India's innings against the Netherlands in the ICC World Cup match in Bengaluru on Sunday.
A seemingly invincible India will be eager to sharpen their game against spin and give a run to second-line players ahead of the semi-final when they take on New Zealand in their last group match of the Champions Trophy in Dubai on Sunday.
Ayush Mhatre's dazzling start to his IPL journey continued in his first home game for Chennai Super Kings at the MA Chidambaram Stadium on Friday.
Mhatre, Raghuvanshi, Kotian star attractions as 280 players go under the hammer
India batsman Shreyas Iyer is hoping that his 71-run knock in the second ODI against the West Indies will help him keep his place in the team.
'Whatever was thrown at us, we responded pretty well throughout the series.'
Shubman Gill's fluent century and a clinical performance from their bowlers helped India trounce England by 142 runs in the third and final ODI on Wednesday, to complete a 3-0 series sweep.
In addition to the Karnataka batsman, leg-spinner Karn Sharma, who has been in great form for India A against the Black caps A side, was called as a replacement for injured Rajasthan youngster Rahul Chahar.
'I will watch India's match against New Zealand with no tension -- just enjoy the cricket.'
Shreyas Iyer could "walk back" into India's playing eleven if he can take the load of a five-day Test. He deserves a spot in the side after playing some under-pressure knocks recently, says Head Coach Rahul Dravid.
When Shah Rukh Khan appears at a KKR game -- like he did, during the IPL 2024 game against the Lucknow Super Giants at the Eden Gardens on Sunday afternoon (a game KKR won by 8 wickets!) -- he is as much the centre of action as the events on the cricket field.
On Sunday, he did well to kill the notion that left arm spinners are not effective against left arm batters as he clearly took out the Rajasthan southpaws for his first two wickets.
Kolkata Knight Riders rode on Venkatesh Iyer's explosive 60 off 29 balls to crush a hapless Sunrisers Hyderabad by 80 runs to register their second win of IPL 2025 at the Eden Gardens in Kolkata on Thursday.
'We were 20 or 25 under to what we were looking for.'
'He brings immense value to the team - not just in terms of tactics, but also in terms of creating a winning culture.'
The 24-year-old Iyer played a big role in India's 2-0 series win against the West Indies, ably supporting captain Virat Kohli, who excelled with back- to-back centuries.
India's Head Coach Gautam Gambhir has seen both ends of the spectrum with high of Champions Trophy and low of six Test losses and he'll have tough choices to make once the new two-year cycle comes around with the new season.
Who would you pick for Friday's second One-Day International against England?
The Indian cricket coach has backed senior India pros Ajinkya Rahane and Cheteshwar Pujara, after the duo struck a half-century each in the 2nd innings of the 2nd Test at the Wanderers.
Rohit Sharma, Virat Kohli among India players to train ahead of ODIs against Sri Lanka
'India certainly needed someone to hold the innings together with a big century as once again most of the other batters got going like they did in the first Test and then gifted their wickets away.'
Ponting added that the likes of Rohit and Virat Kohli getting back amongst in the preceding ODI series against England augurs well for India.
Images from the fifth T20 International between West Indies and India at Lauderhill on Sunday
India captain Rohit Sharma on Friday said left-arm spinner Axar Patel is likely to miss the first two ODIs against Australia next week while middle-order batter Shreyas Iyer is "99 percent" match-fit.
DC have qualified for the playoffs and the side will now get two chances to qualify for the finals after finishing second on the points table.
Shreyas Iyer's performance will be under intense scrutiny as India gear up for the back-to-back T20I games against West Indies
'These (State T20 Leagues) are really good because you get an opportunity to play and these guys play with the Kookaburra ball, they (get to) play in those special situations.'
The batters who will be salivating at the prospect of breaching the 300-mark when IPL 2025 gets under way on Saturday.
Who do you think should be part of India's playing XI against New Zealand in Sunday's final?
India's Shreyas Iyer smashed a century on his test debut but Tim Southee's lion-hearted bowling and New Zealand's top order left the opening test between the teams evenly poised on Friday.
The fervour for the India-Pakistan match is so intense that for many beating Pakistan in Dubai seems even more important than winning the Champions Trophy itself, observes K R Nayar, the veteran cricket writer.
The Indian Premier League needs a 12-16 week operating window to match the brand value of top sporting leagues in the world including the NFL, NBA and the English Premier League, reckons Punjab Kings co-owner Mohit Burman.
The 58-year-old actor gave a shout-out to KKR mentor Gautam Gambhir, assistant coach Abhishek Nayar and head coach Chandrakant Pandit. He also mentioned KKR skipper Shreyas Iyer and support staff Ryan ten Doeschate, Bharat Arun, Carl Crowe, and Nathan Leamon in the post.
Afghanistan and Punjab Kings all-rounder Azmatullah Omarzai is determined to translate his remarkable ODI achievements into the T20 format.
Shreyas Iyer sparkled with a half-century on debut, while Ravindra Jadeja also hit an unbeaten fifty to keep New Zealand at bay on Day 1 of the first Test in Kanpur on Thursday.
KKR have assembled at the pre-season camp ahead of IPL 2023.
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