Salim Durani was the 'people's man', whose impact can never be quantified by the 29 Test matches that he played over 13 years between 1960 to 1973, or the 1200-plus runs he scored and 75 wickets he took with his mean left-arm spin.
Tendulkar's sterling performances, his fascinating duels for supremacy with contemporaries -- Brian Lara, Ricky Ponting, Inzamam-ul Haq, Jacques Kallis among batsmen; Shane Warne, Muttiah Muralitharan, Wasim Akram among bowlers -- embellished modern cricket and globalised the game, asserts Ayaz Memon who has observed the cricketing colossus from the day he made his Test debut in November 1989.
Rajneesh Gupta picks fun sledging through the decades. Take a look!
'I was seven years old in 1983. I never heard about that historic win because we did not have a radio set in our village.'
'I was not able to watch that 19th over bowled by Arshdeep.' 'My son and daughter were watching the match and my eyes were closed.' 'When they used to shout 'Dot ball', I used to open my eyes, that is how I saw that Arshdeep over.'
Mumbai Cricket Association's members are unhappy with the treatment meted out to former India player Sanjay Manjrekar, who has been sacked as the commentator.
'Ranveer Singh is on a different level, he is a super human.' 'The kind of energy, the kind of seriousness and dedication he has towards his work, it is just phenomenal.'
Despite losing four years of playing days due to World War II, Don Bradman still is head and shoulders above the rest. Haresh Pandya pays tribute to the incomparable Don Bradman.
Kolkata Knight Riders captain Dinesh Karthik finds it extremely unfair that the legendary Vinoo Mankad's name is used in a negative manner for a dismissal which is absolutely 'legal'.
'Vinoo Mankad's legacy has been to tell the aspiring Indian cricketer to believe in oneself. He was a great proponent of self-belief. He was the one who kept saying to me that you need to keep scoring runs and keep at it. When you get a 100, let that be the knock on the selector's door.'
'T20 cricket comes naturally to me because it is all about mindset.' 'I am someone who always loves to be aggressive on the field.'
During the drinks break, Kohli trotted out onto the field laden with drinks for his teammates, which earned him a resounding applause from the stadium and the commentators went gaga.
'Ravi Shastri told me he would go miles, and pay, to enjoy Vishy make 20 than to watch someone scoring an inelegant, laborious, 200.'
Rajneesh Gupta explains the numbers that led to the world's cricket cognoscenti to vote Ravichandran Ashwin as the ICC Cricketer of the Year 2016 and the ICC Test Cricketer of the Year 2016.
The Adelaide Oval was 'under virtual siege' as Indian fans took complete control of the city, outnumbering their Pakistani counterparts in Sunday's marquee clash between the arch-rivals in the ICC World Cup.
A day after the fixtures for the second leg of IPL 7 were released by the Board of Control for Cricket in India, the Rajasthan Cricket Association claimed it was not consulted before allotting Rajasthan Royals' home games to Ahmedabad.
Pakistan's legendary former captain and batsman Hanif Mohammad, who held the record for the longest innings in Test cricket, passed away on Thursday after a prolonged battle with lung cancer. A spokesman for the Aga Khan Hospital, where he was being treated, confirmed that Hanif passed away at the age of 81.
Dhoni, on Friday, urged people to refrain from 'criticising individual preferences' with regards to a number of India internationals who have decided to skip this year's Ranji Trophy.
As Sachin turns 50, Rediff brings you 50 fascinating facts about the God of Cricket.
'Her work ethic, disciple, dedication, determination and hunger to score runs for herself and for the team makes her stand out from the rest.'
The refurbished Sardar Patel Stadium in Motera is now renamed Narendra Modi Stadium.
It is a rare first Down Under for India since Lala Amarnath's side visited the country back in 1947-48 months after independence to face Sir Don Bradman's 'Invincibles'.
The Aussie skipper joins the Don and Sir Gary. Rajneesh Gupta has all the numbers on the Fastest to 6,000 Tests club.
Virat Kohli achieved another personal milestone by becoming the seventh India batsman and first since Sachin Tendulkar in June 2011, to top the MRF Tyres ICC Player Rankings for Test Batsmen.
Rashid Latif has told PTI in an interview that it was the duty of the ICC to ensure that the quality of cricket and players was not reduced in a mad rush to make more money.
Nostalgia and anecdotes, given to us by cricket's great writers, do much greater justice to the game.
India captain Virat Kohli has questioned the 'utility' of pre-series tour games if the touring side is not provided with ideal conditions and opposition before a Test series starts.
'By God's grace, everything is okay and we are back as friends.'
Former Australian tear-away pacer Rodney Hogg, says why India don't have a chance to retain the World Cup.
The Congress opened another front against the Bharatiya Janata Party, as it raked up the row surrounding allotment of land to Himachal Pradesh Cricket Association during its rule and accused former CM PK Dhumal and his son Anurag Thakur of causing a loss of Rs 100 crore to the state exchequer.
'Good shot, yaar; but why are you batting so aggressively, almost angrily?' Amarnath wants to know. 'Jimmy pa, you don't know, he swore at me in Madras. I have been waiting for an opportunity to give it back!' Yashpal responds.
'The dressing room is a precinct that abounds with all the complexities that make up human nature -- and the unpredictable consequences that can emerge from interpersonal relationships. 'A cursory study of cricket history throws up interesting (and some hugely surprising) examples of conflict between players from the same team,' says Ayaz Memon
Very impressed with India's tearaway quick Umesh Yadav, legendary West Indies fast bowler Andy Roberts feels he is the "first genuine" pacer from the country but needs to be a tad more aggressive.
Describing neonatal and maternal mortality rates as a matter of grave concern, Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Saturday said his government wanted to effectively use its 'Make in India' and 'Digital India' campaigns to reach healthcare to the country's poorest of the poor.
After his retirement, Sachin Tendulkar, Rediff.com's Harish Kotian discovers, has become more outspoken about cricketing issues.
As India kicks off its run in the World Test Championships on Thursday, Rajneesh Gupta tells you all you need to know about the India-West Indies on-field rivalry.
The day belonged to Smith, who has now scored six Test hundreds against India in the last seven appearances and in the process also completed 5000 runs in Test cricket.
'I was actually appointed captain for the West Indies tour (in 1971).' 'But Mr Vijay Merchant (the then chairman of the selectors) didn't like me nor did he like 'Tiger' Pataudi. He thought we were far too flamboyant.' 'He made Ajit Wadekar captain.'
Statistical highlights from the day's play
'When I entered the Indian team's dressing room, I discovered that there was a divide in the team, like a wall in between two groups of players, there were two teams within one.' 'It was all about individual glory and if the team won in the process great!' 'My entire Test career was about me wishing that my Indian team was more like the Pakistan team.'
