Defending champions India have the best batting line-up and they should not lose heart despite a poor run up to the ICC World Cup, feels former speedster Javagal Srinath.
It was after many years that an Indian cricket team lived up to expectations outside the sub-continent.
Young all-rounder Pawan Negi was the surprise inclusion in India's squad for the World Twenty20 and Asia Cup even as the selectors reposed faith in old warhorses Yuvraj Singh and Harbhajan Singh for the two tournaments.
Australia rode on James Faulkner's brutal unbeaten 29-ball 64 to take Australia to thrilling 4-wicket win in Mohali on Saturday.
Australia rode on James Faulkner's brutal unbeaten 29-ball 64 to take Australia to thrilling 4-wicket win in Mohali on Saturday.
Off-spinner Ravichandran Ashwin weaved his magic with a career-best four-wicket haul as India thrashed Sri Lanka by nine wickets in the deciding third and final Twenty20 International, to clinch the three-match series 2-1, in Visakhapatnam, on Sunday.
Yuvraj Singh made a sensational return to international cricket, blasting his way to an unbeaten 35-ball 77 as India beat Australia by six wickets in a high-scoring one-off T20, in Rajkot, on Thursday.
Pakistan all-rounder Shoaib Malik feels the underdogs tag would help them do well in the ICC World T20, like it did when they ended up winning the 1992 World Cup and 2009 World T20. "It's good that we're underdogs and that gives you a lot of confidence at the same time. We are here to do well," Malik said at the open media session in Kolkata on Sunday. Drawing parallel with Imran Khan-led team's World Cup winning moment in Australia, the senior Pakistani cricketer said: "Let's talk about 1992 World Cup first. "People were not expecting us to do well and win it but we won that. Same thing happened in 2007 World T20 when we did well before losing to India in the final. In 2009, we were not that big as a team but still we won. The same is the case going into this edition."
Cricketing legends Kapil Dev, Wasim Akram and Sourav Ganguly have heaped praise on Virat Kohli with one comparing India's batting mainstay to tennis great John McEnroe and another saying that his value in the team is more than his teammates.
Virat Kohli termed Mahendra Singh Dhoni the "best finisher in the world" after the India skipper made short work of Bangladesh with a flurry of sixes and boundaries in the final of the Asia Cup in Mirpur.
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.
Young opener Quinton de Kock blasted his second ODI century as South Africa crushed India by 141 runs in the first One-Day International, in Johannesburg.
Mumbai Indians became the first team to qualify for the final of the Indian Premier League with a comfortable 25-run win over Chennai Super Kings at the Wankhede stadium.
The clean sweep in the T20 series against Australia has lessened their dilemmas but selectors will debate.
A look at how India have fared in their World Cup opening games.
Besides preparing for the 16-team World Twenty20 2016, India and South Africa will also aim to improve their positions on the ICC T20I Team Rankings.
Amazon Prime Video has announced a huge number of assorted Web series and movies, and the slate sure looks interesting.
India became the first team to qualify for the semi-finals of the ICC World Twenty20 after a thumping eight-wicket victory over Bangladesh in a Group 2 match, in Mirpur, on Friday. After restricting the hosts to 138 for 7, courtesy yet another dominating performance by the spinners, their batsmen hit up the required runs easily, with nine balls to spare.
Australia rode on a dominating all-round display to thrash a lacklustre India by 72 runs in the first cricket One-dayer in Pune.
Mahendra Singh Dhoni will lead the Indian team for the limited overs tour of Zimbabwe starting June 11, while top stars like Virat Kohli and Ajinkya Rahane have been rested.
Obviously, Twitter was abuzz and #HappyBirthdayDravid was the top trending topic.
World champions India have consolidated their top rank on the ICC ODI Team Rankings after sweeping the series against Sri Lanka, which concluded in Ranchi on Sunday.
Uttam Ghosh/Rediff.com looks at the enigma that is Virat Kohli
Lokesh Rahul put behind a failed debut at the Melbourne Cricket Ground to register a Test hundred in only his second Test as India ended Day 3 in the fourth and final Test against Australia on 342 for 5 at the Sydney Cricket Ground on Thursday. Promoted to open the innings with Murali Vijay, the Karnataka batsman scored 110 and with skipper Virat Kohli, who was unbeaten on 140, guided India to 342 for 5 at stumps. In the course of his knock, Kohli obliterated many milestones. Check them out.
Shankar claimed two crucial wickets to bag the Match of the Match award as India defeated Bangladesh by six wickets in the second T20 international in the tri-series on Thursday.
An umpiring howler off the last delivery cost Royal Challengers Bangalore dearly as Mumbai Indians beat the hosts by six runs, largely due to Jasprit Bumrah's brilliant spell at the death, in Thursday's IPL encounter in Bengaluru.
An unassailable lead in their pocket, India would look to clinch the one-day series against England by putting up another dominating display when the two sides square off in the fourth one-dayer in Birmingham on Tuesday.
Ravindra Jadeja very nearly pulled off a sensational victory with some lusty hits but could not take India home in the last over as the third one-dayer against New Zealand ended in a nail-biting tie to keep the visitors afloat in the five-match series in Auckland on Saturday.
This IPL would have been Dhoni's comeback tournament after eight and a half months. He would have again led the side -- face not giving away anything but unbridled joy when Chennai Super Kings does something.
Chasing a modest target of 228, which was possible thanks to Pakistan-born batsman Sikandar Raza, who top-scored with a patient 82, and Elton Chigumbura's 34-ball 43, the World champions had things their way while winning with 31 balls to spare at the Harare Sports Club.
Unchallenged by Sri Lanka so far, India would look to keep the foot on the pedal in their pursuit for a series whitewash when the two teams face off in the fourth and penultimate cricket One-dayer at Eden Gardens on Thursday.
Images from the World cup Group B match between India and the West Indies, in Perth.
In-form Australian opener Aaron Finch battled a hamstring injury to single-handedly take Gujarat Lions to a three-wicket last ball victory over defending champions Mumbai Indians in a thrilling IPL match.
Steve Smith scored a brilliant century to help Australia knock out defending champions India and set up a mouth-watering final against neighbours New Zealand, at the Sydney Cricket Ground, on Thursday.
Since the tour of Sri Lanka in July-August 2017, India have tried as many as six different batsmen -- KL Rahul, Kedar Jadhav, Manish Pandya, Hardik Pandya, Dinesh Karthik and Ajinkya Rahane -- at number four.
Before the selectors meet to finalise the squad, you can take on their role and pick 15 players you feel can deliver the World T20 Cup to India.
Skipper Virat Kohli had to once again come to the rescue of under-fire former skipper Mahendra Singh Dhoni whose painstaking 37 off 58 balls came in for sharp criticism after England beat India by 86 runs in the second ODI at Lord's on Saturday.
Alex Hales hit an unbeaten half-century to steer England to a series-levelling five-wicket victory in the second T20 International against India in Cardiff.
The Indian cricket team returned to the grind on Friday with an intense net session in Melbourne.
Brimming with confidence after a clean-sweep in the Test series, India will look to carry on their dominance over New Zealand when the two teams lock horns in the first cricket One-day International of the five-match series, in Dharamsala on Sunday.
