England fast bowler James Anderson says he enjoyed the "well-spirited" manner in which he and India captain Virat Kohli had a go at each other during the home Test series earlier this summer, describing the contest as his favourite of the many duels with the star batter.
Coming into the series at the back of a convincing series win over Pakistan, Australia will look to seal their seventh day-night Test win when they face New Zealand in the opening Test beginning in Perth on Thursday.
Kevin Pietersen failed to fire in his first match for Delhi Daredevils, as Sunrisers Hyderabad rode on brilliant batting by Aaron Finch and David Warner to notch a four-run victory in Friday's IPL match in Dubai.
In a world where age and form seem to be at odds with each other, these IPL veterans defied expectations wrote their own narratives and left us all marveling at their incredible staying power.
Jason Holder took 3-33 in four overs, which helped restrict Royals to a below par 154 for 6 in their 20 overs, which was easily overpowered by Sunrisers Hyderabad with eight wickets in hand and 11 deliveries to spare.
There will be no let-up in intensity as a ruthless India look to inch closer to yet another series whitewash when they take on a beleaguered Australia in the fourth One-day International in Bengalurg, on Thursday.
Rain had the final word as the ICC Champions Trophy warm-up game between Australia and Pakistan was washed out after only 10.2 overs of play in Edgbaston on Monday.
Leading online betting websites predicted the Indian team to enter the July 14 final and win the showpiece at the hallowed Lord's.
'When you don't score runs in India, obviously you will get flak. KL Rahul hasn't been the only one'
Aruneel Sadadekar/Rediff.com lists five matches you can't afford to miss out at the ICC's marquee event.
Former Australian batsman Matthew Hayden has heaped praise on Virat Kohli, saying that the current India Test skipper is a special blend of consistency and power while batting. "Virat is a special blend of consistency, power, his presence of mind, and his passion for the game. I think those elements are addictive in a personality," Hayden told reporters in Mumbai. Kohli, who is in his form of life, scored over 900 runs in the recently concluded IPL, which included four hundreds, but ended on the losing side last night after the Royal Challengers Bangalore lost to Sunrisers Hyderabad in the summit clash. Hayden, known for his aggression during his playing days, was present for the Ceat Cricket Rating awards function in Mumbai. "The game needs to have big personalities, big characters that allow the game and followers to almost polarise an audience. Cricket lovers like Kohli arguing with the umpires and engaging in sort of more combative style which is appropriate to Australian cricket," Hayden said.
In a sensational interview, former Australia captain Michael Clarke claims that Australia players did not want to sledge Kohli because 'I want him to pick me for Bangalore so I can make my USD 1 million for my six weeks'
Bhuvneshwar was the pick of the India bowlers, taking 3 for 50 in his 10 over quota in India's win against the defending champions in their second World Cup game.
Ricky Ponting was frank in his admission that the Michael Clarke-led Aussie outfit will be a force to reckon with on its home ground.
'With India's history, maybe this series will not be a fait accompli. I do feel the result will go India's way to the tune of a 2-0 or 3-0 result, as I just can't see Australia winning a Test anywhere'
Kings XI Punjab once again showed their batting might as the table-toppers chased down another 200-plus run target to comfortably beat Sunrisers Hyderabad by six wickets in an IPL match in Uppal on Wednesday.
Ravichandran Ashwin held on to his top spot, while Ravindra Jadeja rose a rung to be fifth in the all-rounders' chart of the latest ICC Test rankings issued on Tuesday.
Australia's mindless aggression backfired on a low and slow Kotla track.
Images from Thursday's IPL match between Rajasthan Royals and SunRisers Hyderabad, in Dubai.
Eoin Morgan expects Australia to be 'galvanised' when they face his team next month in their first series after the ball tampering scandal in South Africa.
Desperate to break their title jinx, Virat Kohli-led Royal Challengers Bangalore will be hoping for a positive start to their campaign in the ninth edition of the Indian Premier League, when they take on Sunrisers Hyderabad, in Bengaluru, on Tuesday.
They are termed by many teams as distractions while some feel that they make the cricketers happy. Yes, we are talking about the WAGs (wife and girlfriend).
Their campaign back on track after drubbing Bangladesh in their previous game, Australia cannot afford slip-up against an unpredictable West Indies in their final Super 12 match as they look to seal a semi-final spot in the T20 World Cup on Saturday.
A few pictures of Zampa showed him putting his hand in his pocket just before a delivery and social media was abuzz with talk of ball tampering.
Former Australian skipper Ricky Ponting picked Indian stalwart Mahendra Singh Dhoni as the captain of his all-time Indian Premier League XI, which comprises seven Indians and four foreigners.
IMAGES from the IPL 2022 game between Delhi Capitals and Mumbai Indians in Mumbai, on Sunday
Brilliant bowling by the pace duo of Umesh Yadav and Morne Morkel, followed by skipper Gautam Gambhir's superb half-century, powered Kolkata Knight Riders to a comprehensive eight-wicket win over Sunrisers Hyderabad in their Indian Premier League (IPL) match on Saturday.
'With a lead of 260 going into the day session, we're in the drivers' seat'
'We need to stick to plan and back our skills to tackle India' 'You've got to be adaptable and you've got to be able to change your game almost mid-innings'
Australian team's tempered on-field approach is a paradigm shift from earlier times but it's the quality of cricket which will decide the fate of the series, said India's head coach Ravi Shastri.
Michael Clarke's fitness for the Test series against India fading fast.
Former England captain Michael Vaughan rated Australia's World Cup triumph as the best in the tournament's history after they upstaged a rampaging India in front of a vociferous crowd.
Rajasthan Royals skipper Steve Smith wants to end his IPL 2019 campaign on a winning note against Royal Challengers Bangalore on April 30 before leaving for home to prepare for the upcoming ODI World Cup.
Australia will miss captain George Bailey in the One-dayer against England on Friday but their focus will be to seal a place in the ODI tri-series final.
Australian fast bowler Josh Hazlewood received his reward for some fine domestic form on Wednesday when he was included in a pace-heavy 13-man squad for the first two One-Day Internationals against South Africa next month.
Paine replaced Smith as Test captain after the tampering scandal broke during the third Test of the South Africa tour in March.
Down with a recurrent back injury, Australia's regular skipper Michael Clarke said the actions of David Warner and other teammates in Birmingham had an "impact on his leadership".
'The pink ball Test is probably going to be a bit more challenging in terms of conditions and how the ball moves around in the evening and stuff like that.'
'He is a really exciting talent and probably the guy I am looking forward to seeing the most this summer. I have seen the Aussies a lot and I have seen a lot of the Kiwis, but I am really excited to see him'
Micheal Clarke feels the need for the team to rebuild quickly for the tough series against India later this year.