He also expressed satisfaction with the talent coming through in the Pakistan Shaheens squad and from domestic cricket, and claimed that 3-4 players were ready to step into international cricket.
England batter Joe Root defended fellow teammate Jamie Smith for his dismissal in the first innings of the final Sydney Test
'He's a good competitor, he comes hard at you so it was good fun.'
Indian head coach Gautam Gambhir confirmed that T20I vice-captain Shubman Gill is "ready to start" ahead of the first T20I against South Africa of the five-match series, which will take place on December 9.
The indefatigable duo of Rishabh Pant and Mohammed Siraj is expected to be the big talking point on Saturday when the selectors pick a 15-member Indian ODI squad for a three-match series against New Zealand starting January 11 in Vadodara.
Aryan Sharma and Yash Deshmukh were named in Australia's 15-member squad for the upcoming home series against India Under-19 team next month.
Lots to look forward to in Indian sports as packed 2026 calender awaits
Legendary Brian Lara said the struggling West Indies would "find a way" in getting their act together in Test cricket if they really had "cricket at heart".
Captain Sakibul Gani smashed a 32-ball hundred -- the fastest-ever by an Indian in List A cricket -- to power Bihar to a massive world record List A total of 574/6 against Arunachal Pradesh in the Vijay Hazare Trophy.
Leading international cricketers, including Laura Wolvaardt and India's World Cup hero Deepti Sharma, will go under the hammer at the Women's Premier League auction in Delhi on Thursday, with bidding wars also expected for homegrown Kranti Gaud and Shree Charani.
Bazball is in the firing line, with former players and pundits decrying the high-risk game on Australia's spicy pitches.
India to open their U-19 World Cup campaign against USA
Kamalini, Vaishnavi two new faces in India Women's squad for T20Is against Sri Lanka
Ravichandran Ashwin hails Travis Head after his 69-ball century, the second-fastest in Ashes history, helped Australia easily chase down 205 runs on Day 2 of first Ashes Test.
Rahul Gandhi hosted the India blind women's cricket team to celebrate their triumph in the T20 World Cup.
Australia return home for a limited-overs series against South Africa, while the West Indies play Pakistan in three T20Is and three one-day internationals.
India's first World Cup-winning captain Kapil Dev says a modern-day head coach's role is more about "managing" players than actually coaching them, amid criticism surrounding Gautam Gambhir's working style.
Greg Chappell said that while he admires positive cricket, a "full-frontal assault" approach is insult to the intelligence of the players and the public alike.
Having retained the majority of their squad, MI will be the team to beat given their formidable batting, but Royal Challengers Bengaluru and Delhi Capitals will be out to spoil their party.
Poor execution with the bat undid India A's superb bowling performance as Australia A made a clean sweep
Jitesh Sharma, who has emerged as India's preferred wicketkeeper-batter in T20 format with less than two months left for the World Cup, has played down his 'competition' with Sanju Samson in the squad, saying it only brings out his "A-game" to the fore, strengthening the side.
Pakistan to tour SL in January for 3 T20Is ahead of next year's T20 WC
Fast bowler Jacob Duffy and spinner Ajaz Patel routed West Indies as New Zealand won the third and final Test by 323 runs to complete a 2-0 series victory
England captain Ben Stokes dismissed claims his team was "arrogant" following their capitulation in the first Ashes Test against Australia in Perth last week as preparations for the second game in the five-match series continued on Saturday.
Accepting the flaws in her game was fundamental to her resurgence as a more compact batter, India opener Shafali Verma said.
Australia captain Steve Smith has declined to rule out a surprise return for fast bowler Pat Cummins for the second Ashes Test against England.
If starting with Jitesh Sharma in the last three T20s in Australia felt like an experiment, his selection over fellow wicket-keeper batter Sanju Samson in the series opener against South Africa provided ample clarity over team management's thought process going in to the World Cup at home.
'But I think that the manner in which they play is part of the reason why I think they've got their best chance in 15 years of regaining the Ashes Down Under, because in 2010-11 when we went down there and won, we pushed back against Australia.'
India restricted Nepal to 114/5 after opting to bowl before they coasted to 117/3 in just 12 overs to win the title.
'Rodrigues will stay in India to support her team-mate, and the Heat has agreed to her not returning for the final four games of the WBBL season.'
Hanuma Vihari leaves AP, joins Tripura for 2025-26 season
'They played well in Australia, in bouncy and quick conditions. I do not see a reason why they should not go to the 2027 World Cup.'
The Melbourne Cricket Ground (MCG) fell silent on Friday as players from India and Australia, along with match officials and staff, paid an emotional tribute to 17-year-old cricketer Ben Austin, who tragically lost his life after being struck on the neck during a training session earlier this week.
Shreyas Iyer will take centre stage for Punjab Kings at next week's IPL auction in Abu Dhabi, stepping in as the franchise's lead decision-maker at the table as PBKS plot their final moves for the 2026 season.
Cheteshwar Pujara understands more than anyone else that time was right for him to bid adieu without any regrets.
England did not have their full squad in Perth until last Sunday and will play one internal match before the first Ashes Test on November 21.
The first three matches were low-scoring affairs, but the fourth T20I was a run-fest, with both India and Sri Lanka registering their highest-ever totals in the format.
India's staggering, unwanted run of consecutive ODI toss losses extended to 20 matches.
Wong emphasised that sport has become a major pillar of the India-Australia relationship, noting how competitive and respectful the rivalry has grown.
While ever more hostage to Twenty20's global carve-up, cricket will take a breath from next week to indulge its most time-honoured rivalry as Australia and England battle in the Ashes.
© 2026 Rediff.com - Advertise with us - Disclaimer - Privacy Policy - Sitemap - Feedback - About us - Terms of use - Grievances