The hits and misses of the week.
A round-up of Ranji matches played on Friday.
Having outplayed Bangladesh 'A' in all the departments in the first unofficial ODI, an upbeat India 'A' will be looking to keep the winning momentum.
Joginder Tuteja looks at 10 film-makers who returned to direction after a long time.
The hits and misses of the week.
Under fire, Dhoni's men will look to plug all loopholes as the in-form Bangla tigers aim for a clean sweep
Sukanya Verma presents a playlist of 100 Lata Mangeshkar songs from different decades of Hindi films -- songs that make me sing, smile, sob and sigh.
After a shock defeat against Bangladesh 'A' in the second One-dayer, India 'A' will look to get their act together and clinch the unofficial three-match ODI series as they go into the third and final match, in Bengaluru, on Sunday, with both teams locked 1-1.
'Ajay Devgn is perfect to slip into Idris Elba's shoes.' 'Taapsee can play any role under the sun.'
A win on Friday would seal the three-match series for Virat Kohli and Co.
Ashish Nehra has contributed significantly to the Indian team's recent success in Twenty 20s, and the old warhorse says he is enjoying his role of a mentor in the fast bowling department.
Unstoppable so far with clinical performances, a formidable India will square off against a passionate and sprightly Bangladesh in their quest for continental supremacy in the final of the Asia Cup Twenty20 cricket tournament, in Mirpur, on Sunday.
After his phenomenal bowling performance, -- 13 wickets at an economy rate of 5.1 -- which proved vital in Bangladesh's first ever ODI series win over India, it is not a surprise that Mustafizur Rahman is the most valuable player (MVP) of the three-match series.
Nasir Hossain turned in a fine all-round show as Bangladesh 'A' scored a 65-run victory over India 'A' in the second One-dayer and levelled the three-match series, in Bengaluru, on Friday. The 23-year-old all-rounder first hit an unbeaten hundred and then destroyed the home side with a five-wicked haul as Mominul Haque's side avenged the 96-run defeat in the first game, at the M Chinnaswamy stadium.
A round-up of the Ranji Trophy matches being played in various part of the country.
Lokesh Rahul hit his maiden century, Virat Kohli his fourth of the series but Australia's Shane Watson hit back with two wickets in as many balls to leave India on 342 for five after the third day of the fourth Test on Thursday.
'Judging by the formbook, both sides are an equal chance to win. Pakistan has the better-balanced attack, offset by a batting line-up that oscillates between the brilliant and the bwahahaha, sometimes in the space of the same over.' 'As for India, 'bowling attack' is an oxymoron and the batting line-up is still struggling to memorise its lines.'
A round-up of Day 2 of the Ranji Trophy matches played on Saturday
'What was previously buried in the sands of time now gets buried by the weight of banality,' notes Sreehari Nair.
The Asia Cup to be played in Bangladesh from February 24, will be played in the T20 format for the first time in the tournament's history. The tournament which precedes the vital World T20 to be held in in India in March, has a rich history with India and Sri Lanka winning it five times each. Pakistan have been victorious on two occasions while Bangladesh's best finish has been their runner-up performance in the 2012 edition. Team India will be led by MS Dhoni and the tournament will also see Virat Kohli returning after taking a break from the recently concluded three-match T20I series against Sri Lanka. Dhoni will be chasing history to become the most successful skipper in the tournament history. The Indian skipper and former Lankan captain Arjuna Ranatunga have both recorded same number of nine victories and four defeats in the Asia Cup All the matches will be played at the Sher-e-Bangla National Cricket Stadium, Mirpur. The qualifying rounds involving Afghanistan, United Arab Emirates, Hong Kong and Oman has begun from Friday.
As far as the Indian team is concerned, even a 3-0 result against the hosts will not be enough for the second-placed side to claim the number one spot in the ICC rankings, while a favourable outcome for the home team will boost its qualifying chances for the 2017 ICC Champions Trophy.
Jammu and Kashmir made it to the quarter-finals of the Ranji Trophy despite suffering a two-wicket defeat at the hands of Haryana in their final Group C match in Jammu on Saturday. In the quarter-finals to be played from February 20 to 24, Saurashtra will be up against Andhra, Karnataka will face Jammu and Kashmir, Bengal will take on Odisha and Gujarat will square off against Goa.
Bangladesh have named uncapped wicketkeeper-batsman Mohammad Mithun Ali and pacer Taskin Ahmed in their 15-member squad, which will be led by Mushfiqur Rahim, for three One-day Internationals against India, starting in Dhaka on June 15.
After being comprehensively thrashed by 79 runs in the opening ODI of the three-match series, India, for the first time, are staring at the ignominy of series defeat against the proverbial minnows of world cricket.
Karun Nair returned to form with a patient hundred as Karnataka set a stiff target of 380 for Hyderabad on the third day of their Group 'A' Ranji Trophy encounter.
For India, who are considered as title contenders, a good showing in the Asia Cup will give them the much-needed boost going into the World T20.
Putting up an all-round show, Karnataka defeated Mumbai by 5 wickets in their Elite Group B Ranji Trophy game in Mumbai on Sunday, inside two-and-half days. This was Mumbai's second consecutive loss at home, following their defeat against Railways.
Check out the images from Day 1 of the fourth Test between Australia and India played at Sydney Cricket Ground.
Chasing a tough victory target of 399, Punjab were tottering at 108 for four at stumps on the third day with Test discard Yuvraj Singh unbeaten on 19 in company of Uday Kaul, who is yet to open his account.
A round-up of the Ranji matches played on Friday
The International Cricket Council released the provisional squads of the 12 teams for next year's World Cup in Australia and New Zealand on Friday. However, co-hosts Australia and minnows Ireland decided against releasing the provisional list although they submitted 30 names to the parent body within the stipulated deadline.
Round-up of the Ranji Trophy matches being played in different parts of the country.
As the top 10 teams prepare to battle for the World T20 crown, Rajneesh Gupta breaks down each squad's T20 performance and their showing in previous editions of the event.
Round Up of the Ranji Trophy matches being played in different parts of the country
Prem Panicker, a keen follower of the game and one of cricket's finest writers, interacted with readers on the Rediff World Cup Chat.
