Shardul Thakur made his first appearance in the series count with a four-wicket haul as India yet again choked the South African batsmen, dismissing them for a below-par 204, in the sixth and final One-Day International, in Centurion, on Friday.
Impressed with the brand of cricket played by New Zealand in the World Cup, former India batsman Arun Lal believes the Black Caps are no longer the underdogs in the mega event.
'He has led India to wins in the World T20, the World Cup and the Champions Trophy. Which other captain in the world can boast of such a record?' 'And if it is about form, then Virat Kohli isn't in the best of form. Neither is Shikhar Dhawan. So what do you do? Drop them all?'
South Africa captain Hashim Amla remained unbeaten after his 22nd Test hundred but off-spinner Dilruwan Perera's career best figures gave Sri Lanka a big first innings lead at the end of the third day of the second Test on Saturday.
Images from Thursday's IPL match between Royal Challengers Bangalore and Kings XI Punjab, in Sharjah.
Assured of a play-off berth, Royal Challengers Bangalore will look to quickly recover from their loss in the previous game and finish the league phase on a high when they take on table-toppers Delhi Capitals in their final IPL round-robin game in Dubai on Friday.
Royal Challengers Bangalore would look to build on the momentum when they take on a struggling Rajasthan Royals in their Indian Premier League match in Dubai on Wednesday.
Former India captain Rahul Dravid believes that having the liberty to 'practice and experiment' risky shots in addition to the leniency shown by team managements with regards to failures are helping batsmen to improve and flourish in the T20 format. "We are more accepting of failure, I think, in T20 cricket than we are in any other form of the game," Dravid was quoted as saying by ESPNcricinfo. "When a batsman takes risks and plays a paddle sweep or a reverse sweep or all the kinds of shots that they play, you're more likely to view it with a certain degree of acceptance than you would, say, in a Test match or in one-day cricket. This has given batsmen freedom to try and experiment with these things more and they're getting better and better at it."
A look at the top performers in the IPL this year, who set the T20 tournament alight with outstanding performances this season.
Stand-in skipper AB de Villiers knocked the stuffing out of England attack with a blistering 28-ball 69 before the bowlers chipped in with useful contributions to propel South Africa to a three-run win and a semifinal berth at the ICC World T20 in Chittagong on Saturday.
Critical of the way Mahendra Singh Dhoni rotated Indian bowlers during the crushing loss to South Africa in the ODI series-decider, former skipper Sunil Gavaskar said the captain was just not flexible enough in his approach.
Images from Monday's IPL match between Royal Challengers Bangalore and Kolkata Knight Riders, in Sharjah.
'I am uncertain about giving a definite answer because I have been very hurt and burned in the past. Then people will again think I have turned my back on our country. I can't just walk into the team.'
Australia opener David Warner has been fined 15 per cent of his match fee after pleading guilty to a charge of making inappropriate comments about South Africa player AB de Villiers ahead of the third and final Test, which starts on Saturday.
'Getting Virat Kohli and AB Villiers in same match is a dream for any youngster. It is the best moment of my cricketing career and definitely one of biggest moments of my IPL cricket'
South Africa seamer Dale Steyn grabbed his first Test wicket after an injury absence of 14 months as the hosts fought back against a fired-up India on an enthralling first day of cut-and-thrust cricket in the opening Test at Newlands in Cape Town on Friday.
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.
Inspite of blasting a 61-ball 119 in the fifth and final ODI against India, South African skipper AB De Villiers has played down his effort in comparison to teammate Faf du Plessis's more sedate 133, saying the knock helped other batsmen free up.
South Africa One-day captain AB de Villiers swatted aside suggestions that India off-spinner Ravichandran Ashwin could prove his nemesis.
India's Team Director Ravi Shastri indicated that Ravichandran Ashwin will play in the opening cricket Test against South Africa, saying the off-spinner is "absolutely fine".
England, with a series win already secured, can complete South Africa's ignominious fall from the top of the rankings when the final Test of the four-match series starts at Centurion Park in Pretoria on Friday.
Rohit Sharma's blistering century went in vain as South Africa began their long tour of India on a winning note by scripting a thrilling seven-wicket victory in the first Twenty20 International match in Dharamsala.
England opener Alex Hales fell one short of a second one-day International century as his team completed a comfortable five- wicket victory over South Africa on Saturday. The hosts won the toss in the second game of the series and posted 262 for seven in their 50 overs on a slow wicket that produced nothing like the run-fest of Bloemfontein three days earlier. Hales took England close to their target with a patient 99 from 124 balls as they reached 263 for five from 46.2 overs. - Scorecard The touring side now lead the five-match series 2-0 with the third game in Pretoria on Tuesday. AB de Villiers returned to form as he top-scored for South Africa's with 73 from 91 balls, supported by Faf du Plessis (46) and JP Duminy (47).
Chennai Super Kings batsman Suresh Raina reckons that the early dismissal of South African swashbuckler A B de Villiers proved to be the decisive factor in CSK's 27-run victory over Royal Challengers Bangalore in their Indian Premier League match in Bangalore on Wednesday.
'It's unfair to compare different people. He's a guy who will always come and be a power hitter and hit it a long way'
Gibbs back India, England as contenders for ODI World Cup
South Africa exceeded expectations by scoring 431 in their first innings. At stumps on Day 4, they were 11 for one, needing another 384 runs for an improbably victory.
AB de Villiers and Faf du Plessis struck sublime centuries as South Africa chased down a massive score to beat Australia by seven wickets in the second One-Day International of the triangular series on Wednesday.
Akhtar criticised De Villiers for preferring cash-rich leagues when he should have made himself available for South Africa.
Vijay in 11th spot; Kohli falls five places
Mumbai Indians are enduring a poor start to IPL 2022, having lost their first three games.
'I believe, at home you should play to your strength, there is no need to hide behind that issue' 'I can't remember a series since then as big as this. So the opportunity is there for the team to go out and show their mettle'
Yadav said he shares a special bond with fellow spinner Yuzvendra Chahal, whose advise he values both on and off field.
Up against Delhi Capitals, RCB will need to address their middle-order woes, to return to winning ways, in what could be touted as a battle of equals.
The in-form Virat Kohli's Royal Challengers Bangalore takes on Mahendra Singh Dhoni's Chennai Super Kings in a top-of-the-table IPL showdown in Mumbai on Sunday with two points and momentum at stake.
KL Rahul and Co would like forget the unsavoury incident and focus on the task ahead.
Images from Monday's IPL match between Royal Challengers Bangalore and SunRisers Hyderabad, in Dubai.
Kohli has always led from the front but he knows his search for a maiden title will remain incomplete if the team doesn't perform in all departments.
South Africa skipper Faf du Plessis described Kagiso Rabada's performance as "phenomenal" after the young paceman helped turn a parlous situation on day two of the first Test against Australia into a thumping 177-run victory on Monday. The tourists had done well to get to 242 all out after being 5-81 on day one but were looking down the barrel of a heavy defeat when Australia raced to 158 without loss on day two. Matters got worse when, having finally broken the opening partnership, South Africa's pace spearhead Dale Steyn was forced off the field with a shoulder fracture that ruled him out of the series.
Seamer Jasprit Bumrah took five wickets as India seized control of the third and final Test against South Africa on Thursday, going to the close of the second day with a 42-run lead on a treacherous wicket at the Wanderers.
