Pace bowler Bhuvneshwar Kumar was promoted to Grade A, but Yuvraj Singh and Gautam Gambhir, who have lost favour with the selectors, were dropped from the list of BCCI's contracted players for 2014-15.
Karnataka defended their title in grand style after their top-order led by centurion Mayank Agarwal rose to the occasion to crush a hapless Punjab by 156 runs in the Vijay Hazare one-day tournament final in Ahmedabad on Tuesday.
Having spent considerable time under Rahul Dravid's tutelage in Rajasthan Royals as well as the India 'A' set-up, talented Karun Nair is grateful to the Karnataka legend for giving him the "right confidence" which has gone a long way in him earning a call-up to the Test squad.
Only pride will be at stake when Delhi Daredevils host embattled Royal Challengers Bangalore in an inconsequential IPL game in New Delhi, on Sunday, with both teams seeking an end to their misfiring campaign on a positive note.
India captain Mahendra Singh Dhoni was rested for the first three One-day Internationals against Sri Lanka next month and batting mainstay Virat Kohli will lead the side in his absence.
India rode on a solid all-round performance to comfortably crush Zimbabwe by 62 runs in the second One-day International, thereby taking an unassailable 2-0 lead in the three-match series in Harare on Sunday.
After taking an unassailable 3-0 lead following the nine-wicket victory in the fourth One-Day International against England, India is likely to give a break to some of their key players in the inconsequential fifth and final match at Headingley, Leeds, on Friday.
A relaxed Mahendra Singh Dhoni will take fresh guard when he leads his home team Jharkhand against Karnataka.
The paucity of pace-bowling all-rounders in Indian cricket played a role in Hardik Pandya being fast-tracked into the senior team but he deserves credit for making the most of his rare talent, says former captain and under-19 coach Rahul Dravid.
MS Dhoni will play for Pune in the next edition of the Indian Premier League.
Mahendra Singh Dhoni hit couple of towering sixes in his 43 but once again failed as a finisher with Karnataka pipping Jharkhand by five runs in a group D league encounter of the Vijay Hazare Trophy.
This was India's 50 victory in ODIs against New Zealand, against whom they have played 100 matches.
Bowling coach Bharat Arun said that India are in a comfortable position currently and targetting a first innings lead of around 100 runs, in the second Test match against Sri Lanka, in Colombo.
Delhi all-rounder Rajat Bhatia is a surprise inclusion in the 30-man shortlist, for the upcoming ICC World Twenty20, to be held in Bangladesh from March 16 to April 6. It includes young Kerala wicketkeeper Sanju Samson, former India Under-19 captain Unmukt Chand, Railways leg-spinner Karan Sharma and Harbhajan Singh.
With his tight technique and a cool temperament, Cheteshwar Pujara has an assuring presence at the crease, former captain Sunil Gavaskar said in praise of the young batsman, who rescued India with his century.
Dhoni returns to the Indian dressing room after three months and for him the series will be start of the preparation for next year's World Twenty20, that will be hosted by India.
Kuldeep Yadav said the presence of his idol, legendary Shane Warne in the Rajasthan Royals dug-out has motivated him
In-form Jos Buttler hit a record fifth successive IPL half-century as Rajasthan Royals thrashed Mumbai Indians by seven wickets to keep their play-off hopes alive, in Mumbai, on Sunday.
Shikhar Dhawan and Rohit Sharma on Monday managed to retain their places despite their below-par performances in the Test series in West Indies, which India won 2-0.
New Zealand rode on a superb unbeaten hundred from Ross Taylor to thrash India by seven wickets in the fourth One-Day International and take an unassailable 3-0 lead in the five-match series, in Hamilton, on Tuesday. The defeat also handed the tourists their second straight series defeat overseas, following the 2-0 loss to South Africa last month.
Three consecutive defeats have more or less sealed their fate and for things to turn around for the Royals, every aspect of their game needs to improve and click for them.
The Royals are aware of the challenges facing them at the Sawai Mansingh Stadum, a few days after Sunrisers Hyderabad got the better of Kings XI Punjab to grab the second position in the standings.
A struggling Kings XI Punjab will have to pull out all stops against in-form and unbeaten, Rajasthan Royals, when the two teams clash in an Indian Premier League match in Ahmedabad on Tuesday.
Rajasthan Royals will look to extend their four-match winning streak.
Looking to keep their winning run intact, table-toppers Rajasthan Royals face a stern SunRisers Hyderabad test in their fourth match of the Indian Premier League in Visakhapatnam on Thursday.
However, Rajasthan would be a bit more desperate than Delhi as they are languishing at the second last position in the points table with just three wins from nine outings.
CSK will be brimming with confidence having defeated the Royals earlier in the season
Shaun Marsh's sensational strokeplay helped Kings XI Punjab edge past Rajasthan Royals via the Super Over after the match had finished in a tie in the Indian Premier League, in Ahmedabad, on Tuesday.
A confident India, with a new coach at the helm, will seek to record a third consecutive Test series triumph on the Caribbean soil when the Virat Kohli-led side clashes with an inexperienced West Indies in the first cricket match, in Antigua, on Thursday.
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India opener Murali Vijay hit an unbeaten century and captain Mahendra Singh Dhoni slammed a half-century to frustrate England on the opening day of the first Test at Trent Bridge, on Wednesday.
Gujarat left-arm spinner Akshar Patel was recalled to the Indian squad for the last two One-Day Internationals against West Indies, while senior off-spinner Ravichandran Ashwin continues to be rested.
Ishant Sharma bagged seven wickets as India scored a thumping 95-run victory over England in the second Test at Lord's on Monday.
Under-fire captain Alastair Cook at last found his form but fell for 95 as he and century-maker Gary Ballance put England in control at the end of the first day of the third Test against India on Sunday.
A fit-again Rohit Sharma and Manish Pandey slammed strokeful centuries as India A feasted on Sri Lanka's mediocre attack before registering a comfortable 88-run victory in a warm-up match for the visitors ahead of their ODI series against India at the Cricket Club of India (Brabourne Stadium) on Thursday.
Indian spin troika of Ravindra Jadeja, Ravichandran Ashwin and Amit Mishra kept their stranglehold on the inexperienced West Indies Board President's XI to bowl them out for a paltry 180 on the first day of the final warm-up game in Basseterre (St Kitts).
More runs from Virat Kohli. India winning the World T20 at home. A controversy-free IPL and more is what Harish Kotian/Rediff.com wants this year.
Statistical highlights from Day 5 in the third and final Test between Sri Lanka and India.
Former India captain Sunil Gavaskar condemned the ugly on-field altercations between Indian and Sri Lanka players on Day 4 of the third and final Test in Colombo on Friday, saying such incidents are poor advertisement for the sport.
Having decimated South Africa inside three days on a turning track in Mohali, India will again look to unleash their troika of spinners to spoil A B de Villiers's landmark 100th match when the two sides meet in the second Test, in Bangalore, on Saturday.
South Africans take the top 3 slots in Most Valuable Player Index.
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