Sri Lanka's long-suffering fans saw a sliver of hope when Dinesh Chandimal and his men blanked Pakistan 2-0 in the United Arab Emirates in October before embarking on their bid to win a maiden Test on Indian soil.
The BCCI has named Akshay Wadkar as the replacement for wicket-keeper batsman Abhishek Gupta in the India Red squad for Duleep Trophy after realising their blunder of picking a player banned for a doping violation till September 14.
Amid tensions over incidents along the LoC, the BCCI has told to its Pakistani counterpart that unless the Indian government gives a green signal, it cannot clear Faisalabad Wolves' participation in the Champions League Twenty20 to be held next month.
As people crisscross the country, eager to return to their homes, the cases have raced past 80,000 with at least 2,649 deaths, according to the Union health ministry on Friday. While there is no exact count, this includes a large number of those who have returned to their states.
With India being outplayed in the Twenty20s, captain Mahendra Singh Dhoni will face added pressure to perform and lead India from the front against a formidable South African unit in the five-match ODI cricket series starting in Kanpur on Sunday.
Glenn McGrath cautioned that an in-form Jimmy Anderson could make things tougher for the Indian captain this time too.
Congruence on terrorism, current disquiet on immigration, short-term visa would top the wish list.
Indian skipper Virat Kohli says his team never lost faith in itself despite the criticism that came with consecutive Test losses to South Africa, crediting this belief for the turnaround that gave the visitors a consolation win in Johannesburg.
A summary of sports events and persons who made news on Saturday
You'll be forgiven for salivating over these droolworthy pics that will give you a 'foodgasm'!
Mina Guli wants to complete 100 marathons across the world to raise awareness of water scarcity and save water.
Aakar Patel looks forward to Prime Minister Modi's speech at the bhoomi pujan for the Ram temple in Ayodhya next week. It will be entertaining and stirring, predicts Aakar, and make lots of promises that he most likely won't be able to keep.
Summary of sports events and persons who made news on Monday
Kaleidoscopic lights replace incandescent glory this year.
Asked for China's comments on India not joining the RCEP deal over concern of cheap Chinese products potentially harming its domestic industry, Chinese foreign ministry spokesman Geng Shuang told the media in Beijing on Tuesday that China welcomes India joining the deal.
Chefs in Mumbai are unleashing their creativity to woo gourmets with global vegetarian fare. Mini Ribeiro picks her 10 favourite restaurants.
With Shikar Dhawan back in the squad, it is indeed a happy problem for skipper Virat Kohli, who has to choose two quality openers among three.
Anirban Lahiri, making his debut at the Web.com Tour, stayed within striking distance of his maiden title in the United States as he took the sole second place at the end of the third round of the Hotel Fitness Championship.
'Animal populations are increasing. Human populations are increasing. So there is no way the man-animal conflict going to go away.'
The 21-year-old Indian's performance at the World Golf Championships has made the golfing world sit up and take notice.
While stating that a strong government should be led by those who have expertise, motivation and integrity and can provide the needed public good, Rajan warned that "strong governments, may not, however, move in the right direction".
Hard to believe that some of these surreal places do exist.
It would be the biggest Conservative victory since 1987, the poll suggests.
Marcus Harris, Aaron Finch and Travis Head all made half-centuries but none of them was able to really put their foot down on the gas as India pegged the Australians back on a grassy, drop-in wicket that occasionally played a few tricks.
India ODI captain Mahendra Singh Dhoni will join compatriot Virender Sehwag and a host of other international cricketers for a charity match at the Kia Oval on September 17.
Ajit Mishra, vice president, Research, Religare Broking, answers your queries.
Civil rights activist Lakshmi Sridaran argues why South Asians must stand on the right side of history and resist the Trump administration's "systematic attack on the entire spectrum of the US immigration system."
'We spoke of everything but politics.' 'She was well-versed in the Eng. Lit. canon of Dickens and Austen, but had also read Oscar Wilde's famous epistolary tract from jail, De Profundis.' Sunil Sethi recalls his memorable encounters with Jayalalithaa.
Aseem Chhabra watched some great films and some huge disappointments in 2020.
Meanwhile, Pakistan said the terrorist attack in Pulwama district is "a matter of grave concern" even as it strongly rejected Indian media and government's allegations of the country's link to the strike "without" probe.
Having made a commendable comeback from the brink of a series defeat, India will look to increase their stranglehold on hosts England to draw parity when the two teams square off for the fourth Test, in Southampton, on Thursday.
While okra was being sold for Rs 100-120 a kg and cauliflower for Rs 120-140 a kg in Mumbai and its suburbs, all other vegetable prices have increased by almost 100 per cent since July 20.
Board of Control for Cricket in India secretary Anurag Thakur confirmed that a call on India's new chief coach will be taken in September.
The banyan tree and the green chilli; the crow and the beetle; the rose and the mango; the informality and good humour of its people... Beloved author Ruskin Bond continues Rediff.com's special series on India's treasures, and tells Archana Masih that India's wealth lies in its simple splendours.
Devastation struck Venezuela when oil prices started collapsing in 1982, following a global oil glut. The country's economy contracted overnight.
Should India bolster its batting by including Rohit Sharma at No 6? Pick India's playing XI for the first Test.
Delhi, labelled the world's most polluted city in a 2014 World Health Organization survey, alone makes up about 7 per cent of total Indian auto sales.
'We will have a well-designed product, and not a compromise.' 'We will make a completely contemporary vehicle, in keeping with consumers' aspirations, not like the Nano, which disappointed them,' Sajjan Jindal tells Shreekant Sambrani.
'Mr Shankar is equivalent to James Cameron given steroids!' 'Trust me, in this Rs 510 crore, Hollywood cannot make what we have produced here.'
