The key player from Pakistan, says former India captain Rahul Dravid, is Mohammad Irfan. 'Having watched him bowl just recently, I believe he is going to pose a challenge to the Indian batsmen.'
With tempers expecting to reach the ugliest limits during the India-Pakistan World Cup match, the Adelaide administration has issued a 85-point "code of conduct" for spectators - one that specifically bars religious messages and anti-national chants.
India's premier off-spinner Ravichandran Ashwin said that "under favourable conditions", the hosts will be a "hard side to beat" in the ongoing World T20. India lost to New Zealand on a turner in the opening game but beat Pakistan easily in their next game on a similar surface. "I think, we are a very good team. On our day and unde conditions favourable for us, we are going to be a pretty hard side to beat," Ashwin told bcci.tv after the team's six wicket win over Pakistan. But as exception proves the rule, it can happen with 'Men In Blue' too. "There will be exceptions. We lost a recent game in Pune against Sri Lanka and another one in Nagpur against New Zealand. On both occasions, the opposition read the game better than us," said Ashwin. Ashwin, who is known to to be a thinking cricketer, said that even though there was much turn on offer at the Eden Gardens, it wasn't as easy as it seemed.
The enormity of the Indo-Pak rivalry is not lost on R Ashwin, who considers it bigger than the Ashes but the Indian off-spinner also feels that players will have to keep their emotions in check during Saturday's high-voltage World Twenty20 clash in Kolkata.
Lost in transition, defending champions Sri Lanka will look to come out of the rut and start well against a spirited Afghanistan in their World Twenty20 Super 10 opener at Eden Gardens on Thursday. The defending champions, who were also runners-up in 2009 and 2012, have managed to win only four of their 14 matches since they beat India to win the 2014 edition in Mirpur. They are in the middle of a transition phase after Kumar Sangakkara and Mahela Jayawardene's exit. The build-up to the tournament was also forgettable with series defeats in New Zealand and India followed by an early ouster in Asia Cup. To add to the misery, their 2014 WT20 winning skipper Lasith Malinga has stepped down as leader of the team, following concern over his slow recovery from a knee injury. Now Test and ODI skipper Angelo Mathews' task is cutout. Having joined the squad on Tuesday, Malinga is a doubtful starter for the match. His presence in the team would impact the team a lot.
Cricketing legends Kapil Dev, Wasim Akram and Sourav Ganguly have heaped praise on Virat Kohli with one comparing India's batting mainstay to tennis great John McEnroe and another saying that his value in the team is more than his teammates.
Virat Kohli termed Mahendra Singh Dhoni the "best finisher in the world" after the India skipper made short work of Bangladesh with a flurry of sixes and boundaries in the final of the Asia Cup in Mirpur.
Concerned by fresh protests, Pakistan government has decided to send a security team to assess the situation in India before taking a final call on the team's participation in the upcoming T20 World Cup.
Counter-attacking is the game I play, that's why I bat at No 3, says Virat Kohli.
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The in-form Rohit Sharma says being entrusted with the task of opening the innings in limited overs cricket has put added responsibility on his shoulders. Continuing his rich vein of form, Rohit struck a blazing 83 to lay the foundation for India's crushing win over Bangladesh in the Asia Cup T20 opener in Mirpur on Wednesday. "Batting at the top of the order has put up added responsibility on my shoulders. Being a top order batsman, it is a responsibility to get the team to a good score and make winning matches a habit," Rohit said. He added, "Experiences play a huge part in this game. The more cricket you play, the more experience you get as to how you need to build your innings, what is required by the team and identifying your game etc. These things have helped me a lot in the past."
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India batsman Rohit Sharma expects the upcoming limited-overs series Down Under to be highly-charged up.
Captain Mahendra Singh Dhoni made no excuses for India's 95-run loss to Australia in the World Cup semi-finals but said the fast bowlers could have done "slightly better" and Shikhar Dhawan should not have attempted a big shot when they were going smoothly.
Like a racehorse trained to peak for the big race after months of preparation, India's cricketers are confident they have timed their run to perfection at the World Cup.
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Another run fest is on the cards when India take on Ireland in a Pool B match of the ICC cricket World Cup at the Seddon Park in Hamilton on Tuesday.
Shikhar Dhawan's father Mahendra Pal Dhawan on Sunday lauded his son's career-best knock of 137 against South Africa in the ongoing World Cup and expressed hope that the Men in Blue continue their winning streak.
All focus at the India's training session was on Pakistan pacer Mohammad Irfan.
Statistical highlights of the cricket World Cup match between India and Pakistan.
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No Indian cricketer figures in the ICC's World Cup XI, which is dominated by runners-up New Zealand rather than champions Australia.
'Even when I made 264, I was told I should have made 300. People's expectations are high. Even if you make 300, they expect 350,' said the India opener ahead of Thursday's World Cup semi-final against Australia in Sydney.
With two confident teams going head-to-head in a blockbuster World Cup semi-final on Thursday, it could be the tiniest mis-judgement, the smallest detail that decides whether Australia or India emerge triumphant.
Former India bowling coach Joe Dawes is of the view that Indian pacers will struggle to match Wahab Riaz-like domination against Australia in the World Cup semi-final.
Impressed with Rohit Sharma's match-winning ton against Bangladesh, former New Zealand captain Martin Crowe said that the top-order batsman is a beautiful player who did the basics right at the MCG.
In awe of Virat Kohli's batting genius in the World Twenty20 win over arch-rivals Pakistan, Indian captain Mahendra Singh Dhoni has said the elegant right-hander's willingness to take challenges head on sets him apart from others.
Pakistan's chief selector Moin Khan returned home from Australia on Thursday and escaped an embarrassing situation at the airport, where a small group of protesters gathered to vent their anger with eggs and banners.
As one entered the hotel porch in Perth, there was India's captain and his deputy engrossed in a chat like long-lost friends.
India sealed the numero uno spot in the International Cricket Council Twenty20 rankings after Mahendra Singh Dhoni's side won the Asia Cup in Mirpur and will now enter the World T20 as the top team.
A bundle of nerves ahead of his international debut in the ongoing Asia Cup, India all-rounder Pawan Negi said emotions were getting the better of him before senior players like skipper Mahendra Singh Dhoni stepped in with their calming words.
Since the 76-run defeat to India at the World Cup gloom has descended on the Pakistanis. It seemed as if the team had left the Inter-Continental hotel in Adelaide after the match.
Uncertanity over the marque Twenty20 World Cup match between India and Pakistan at Dharamshala continues even after a meeting between BCCI Secretary Anurag Thakur and Himachal Pradesh Chief Minister Virbhadra Singh.
The much-awaited India-Pakistan World Twenty20 clash is in jeopardy after the Himachal Pradesh government expressed its inability to provide security for the match, leaving the Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) in a bind with Board Secretary Anurag Thakur saying that the state should not 'play politics'.
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India's flamboyant batsman Virat Kohli has conceded that the Pakistani attack he faced in the Asia Cup T20 was one of the most challenging spells of fast bowling but nonetheless expressed delight that his side had the last laugh as he guided India to a five-wicket victory.
Whacking the ball hard and far is his natural style but fast-rising Indian all-rounder Hardik Pandya insists he is a proper batsman and not merely a pinch-hitter.
Buses that run on battery, trucks that purr on LNG, and more from the stables of Tata Motors, Mahindras and Ashok Leyland. The Auto Expo 2018 had these and more.
India off-spinner Ravichandran Ashwin was instrumental in keeping England under check after Keaton Jennings hit a century on debut for the visitors on Day 1, on the fourth Test match, at the Wankhede stadium in Mumbai on Thursday. Ashwin claimed the wicket of Jennings (112) and Moeen Ali (50) in a single after the duo had put on 94 runs for the third wicket as England threatened to build towards a big first innings score. The off-spinner also got the wicket of England's batting mainstay Joe Root, caught at slip for 21, before he dismissed Jonny Bairstow late in the day.
India should start preparing for the 2019 World Cup in a diligent manner similar to the way in which the triumphant Australians did for the just-concluded edition, feels former Test cricketer and ex-chief selector Chandu Borde.
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