India skipper Rohit Sharma lauded his players on the comfortable 47-run victory over Afghanistan in the T20 World Cup Super 8 match in Bridgetown on Thursday, attributing the clinical all-round display to better planning, which was possible due to extensive knowledge about local conditions.
Barring two ODIs, the Caribbean side was easily crushed by the hosts, who won the Test, the ODI and the Twenty20 series with ease.
Bowlers need to find "innovative ways to execute deliveries with a touch of "anti-skill" to challenge the range-hitting batsmen in the ongoing IPL, reckons Kolkata Knight Riders assistant coach Ryan ten Doeschate.
India, without captain Virat Kohli and veteran Mahendra Singh Dhoni, won't have it easy against T20 World champions West Indies, who are bolstered by the arrival of star players Darren Bravo, Kieron Pollard and Andre Russell.
Former Australia skipper Steve Waugh feels the lure of Twenty20 cricket is affecting the longest format of the game and has put the onus on senior cricketers across the globe to promote Test cricket. "We have to hope senior cricketers in each country keep promoting Test cricket," Waugh was quoted as saying by cricket.com.au on Tuesday. "Australian players still always talk about the Baggy Green cap and playing for their country and the responsibility rests with senior players in every country (to do the same.)"
Veteran Smith, IPL sensation Fraser-McGurk ignored; Marsh to lead Aus at T20 WC
Calling all cricket lovers to take a crack at our latest IPL quiz.
'We have done that at U-19 level but at this World Cup, I don't have any words to describe the feeling back home.'
Australia pacer Pat Cummins will skip the three-match Twenty20 series against India next month. He will head back home after the ongoing ODIs to prepare for the Ashes later this year.
Keep an eye on these five players during the tournament.
Sri Lanka spinner Rangana Herath has retired from 50-over and Twenty20 internationals in order to carry on playing Test matches, the country's cricket board said on Sunday.
Hardik Pandya secured a Grade A contract despite not participating in Ranji Trophy matches
Afghanistan coach Jonathan Trott said his bowlers will have to put pressure on Indian batters in the middle-overs for them to be competitive against the home side in the third and final T20I in Bengaluru on Wednesday.
The selectors have decided to rest David Warner for the five-match T20 series in India following Australia's ODI World Cup triumph.
All-rounder Krunal Pandya and medium pacer Deepak Chahar earned their maiden call up in the Indian squad to replace the injured Washington Sundar and Jasprit Bumrah for the three-match Twenty20 International series against England, starting in Manchester on Tuesday.
Pakistan recalled veteran allrounders Abdul Razzaq and Shoaib Malik on Tuesday for the team's two Twenty20 internationals against South Africa in Dubai next week.
Kamran Akmal's 73 is the highest score by a wicketkeeper in all Twenty20 World Cup matches, bettering Kumar Sangakkara's 64 not out against Pakistan at Lord's on 21-06-2009.
There have been talks recently about splitting a T20 game into four innings as cricket continues to innovate. Brett Lee, one of the fastest bowlers to have played the game, said he wanted to keep certain things traditional.
Jos Buttler will captain the team for the Caribbean tour, with Gus Atkinson, Harry Brook, Brydon Carse, Sam Curran and Liam Livingstone featuring in the ODI group from the showpiece event.
The unwavering support from skipper Pat Cummins and the entire think-tank played a big role in his success in the on-going IPL, reckoned Sunrisers Hyderabad opener Abhishek Sharma.
Want to see aggressive start from SRH: Captain Pat Cummins
IMAGES from the 1st T20I between Zimbabwe and India played in Harare on Saturday
Out of six finals played, India have won three World titles, including two ODI World Cups (1983 and 2011) and one T20 World Cup in 2007.
Ahead of the mega IND v PAK encounter, let's delve into the records of some of India's most consistent performers against their arch-rivals.
Playing limited overs cricket ahead of their Test series in England will serve as the ideal platform for the Indian team to get used to conditions away from home, coach Ravi Shastri said.
Shashank Singh says his ability to pick the bowlers and take the game deep helped him produce the blistering unbeaten 68 off 28 balls which played a big role in Punjab Kings's record-breaking eight-wicket win over Kolkata Knight Riders in the IPL match in Kolkata on Friday.
'Post the game, Rohit bhai said I played really well and that we'll chat to improve my game in upcoming games. Today I got the opportunity and executed what I had to in bowling'
Ashwin has urged bowlers to start working on their batting skills in order to meet the demands of the game.
Veteran India discard Murali Kartik on Thursday said that spinners have come of age and are playing a great role in teams' victories in the Twenty20 format of the game.
Off-spinner Ashwin and left-arm colleague Jadeja played all five Tests against England, leading the hosts to a 4-0 victory in the rubber.
'I am not a Shubman Gill hater but I feel Ruturaj is a better option because he has scored runs in tougher situations.'
Here's a rundown on the leading run-getters and the ones with best strike rates in the T20 showpiece.
Ambati Rayudu was named as a replacement for injured batsman Manoj Tiwary in the Indian cricket squad for the two Twenty20s against England later this month.
Llyod also talked about the health of the Test cricket format, saying that he would prefer more long format matches and three/five Test match series being played instead of two.
Former BCCI chief curator Daljit Singh is shocked by the "poor quality" of drop-in pitches being used for the T20 World Cup games in New York
While Nortje missed DC's IPL opener as he was yet to recover fully from a back injury, Ishant just bowled two overs before limping off the field with a twisted ankle.
Unlike the IPL, the wickets in the United States and the West Indies could be slow and could assist spinners. That could be why India went in for experience in their batting ahead of strike rates, points out Harish Kotian.
Australian and RCB all-rounder Glenn Maxwell expressed that his franchise cricket teammate and Indian batting superstar Virat Kohli is the "most clutch player" he has played against.
Afridi added that players in The T20 squad should be given a long run ahead of the World Cup later this year.
Virat Kohli and Rohit Sharma, for the last decade and half, have complemented each other
