KKR hopeful of Russell, Lynn for IPL opener vs RCB
Shardul Thakur knows that opportunities in a settled limited overs line-up won't come easily and that's the reason he is ready to 'step up' in an unenvious role of India's stop-gap third seamer in absence of Bhuvneshwar Kumar and Jasprit Bumrah.
After missing last month's tri-series in Sri Lanka for family reasons, skipper Daniel Vettori and Brendon McCullum returned to the New Zealand squad for the tour of Bangladesh next month.
Injury-prone all-rounder Shane Watson has been ruled out of Australia's entire series against Pakistan in the United Arab Emirates with a calf injury, the country's cricket board said on Sunday.
Praising opener Shikhar Dhawan's match-winning century against South Africa, India skipper Mahendra Singh Dhoni said the left-hander played smart by staying at the crease even after getting his hundred.
Uncapped Shreyas Iyer is comfortable batting at any position and said on Tuesday that scoring a century against South Africa 'A' in a tournament final earlier this year has been satisfying.
'I think our quicks as well (are an edge). We've got great depth in our quicks'
Former Australian pacer Damien Fleming always had India in his final four of the World Cup until they carried their winless run of the Test series into the recent tri-series Down Under.
Sri Lanka skipper Kumar Sangakkara adopted a cautious approach ahead of Saturday's tri-series final, saying India have come back strongly despite suffering some of their worst ODI defeats in the league stage, and it will take a special effort from his team to avoid a fifth consecutive final loss to them.
India captain Mahendra Singh Dhoni on Wednesday said barring Virender Sehwag his batting department was having a tough time in the ongoing cricket tri-series in Sri Lanka.
India skipper Mahendra Singh Dhoni defended his woefully out-of-form batsmen, saying the team just needs one individual spark of brilliance for the entire line-up to click in Wednesday's must-win tri-series match against New Zealand.
Though India comprehensively lost their tri-series match against Sri Lanka in Dambulla, they were distinctly unlucky to be at the receiving end of at least four dodgy decisions on Sunday.
Sri Lankan captain Kumar Sangakkara was on Sunday in no mood to implicate the umpires for the dodgy decisions they handed to Indian batsmen in the tri-series match in Dambulla and said India should have agreed to the use Decision Review System to have a level playing field.
The Indian print media on Sunday boycotted captain Mahendra Singh Dhoni's press conference as he did not turn up despite repeated reminders after his side slumped to a eight-wicket loss to Sri Lanka in a cricket tri-series match in Dambulla.
Sri Lankan spinner Suraj Randiv deliberately bowling a no-ball and depriving Virender Sehwag of a well deserved century has a few recent parallels.
Suraj Randiv's deliberate no-ball to Virender Sehwag, which denied the Indian opener a hundred in their tri-series ODI match on Monday, came in for sharp criticism by former players who felt the Sri Lankan spinner's antics were 'unsporting and unpardonable'.
An 'upset' Sri Lanka Cricket on Tuesday apologised to Indian opener Virender Sehwag for the deliberate no-ball bowled by off-spinner Suraj Randiv which left him stranded on 99 in their tri-series match in Dambulla and promised action on the matter after getting a probe report.
In a highly unsporting and disgraceful conduct, Sri Lanka on Monday night prevented Indian swashbuckler Virender Sehwag a century in the tri-series match which invited a scathing reaction from former cricketers.
Images from the tri-series one-dayer between India and Sri Lanka at Dambulla on Monday.
Injury-hit Indian bowlers are in desperate need of timely breaks, said skipper Mahendra Singh Dhoni on Sunday, insisting that the workload on them is "a bit too much" compared to the batsmen.
India might have been robbed off valuable practice ahead of their second tri-series match, but Sri Lankan skipper Kumar Sangakkara does not feel that the visitors will be under prepared for Monday's game and his side is wary of their sub-continental neighbours.
Sri Lanka have named Tillakaratne Dilshan as captain after deciding to rest several senior players for their tri-series in Zimbabwe in June. Normal captain Kumar Sangakkara, vice-captain Muttiah Muralitharan, former captain Mahela Jayawardene and fast bowler Lasith Malinga were all rested for the three-nation tournament.
Sri Lanka captain Kumar Sangakkara hailed teammate Mahela Jayawardene's return to form, saying it augurs well for his team. With a weak Bangladeshi attack at his disposal, Jayawardene struck a cracking century to announce his return to form and Sangakkara said it suited his team.
Ravindra Jadeja, who is still recovering from a shoulder injury, was included as the selectors felt that he would recover in time for the 2015 ICC World Cup.
Sri Lanka captain Kumar Sangakkara credited the youngsters in his team for coming good against the experienced Indians and also announced that Chamara Silva and Muthumudalige Pushpakumara would miss the remainder of the tournament because of injuries.
Sri Lanka's young team are good enough to be competitive in the One-day tri-series in Bangladesh this month, coach Trevor Bayliss said on Sunday.
Dismissing criticism against Virat Kohli for his early dismissal in the World Cup semi-final against Australia, former Indian cricket captain Rahul Dravid said barring the one blip, the star batsman has been sensational Down Under.
Indian skipper Mahendra Singh Dhoni lost his number one spot but opening batsman Virender Sehwag gained eight places to return to the top-10 in the ICC ODI rankings issued on Sunday.
India skipper Mahendra Singh Dhoni called upon his teammates to do the basics right without worrying about the outcome in their tri-series final against Sri Lanka in Dambulla on Saturday.
India batsman Virat Kohli has been fined 15 per cent of his match fee for breaching the ICC Code of Conduct during the tri-series ODI against New Zealand in Dambulla on Wednesday.
Images from the sixth one-dayer in the tri-series between India and Sri Lanka at the Dambulla on Wednesday.
Bruised and battered in their previous outing, India go into the do-or-die encounter against a gritty New Zealand with concerns about the continuing poor form of their batsmen in the cricket tri-series in Dambulla on Wednesday.
India might be in woeful form right now but New Zealand captain Ross Taylor says the recent poor run would make Mahendra Singh Dhoni's men all the more dangerous when the two sides clash in a do-or-die encounter of the ODI cricket tri-series in Dambulla on Wednesday.
Back in their elements after the opening match debacle, a confident India will have a score to settle when they take on hosts Zimbabwe for the second time in the ongoing cricket tri-series in Harare on Thursday.
Thisara Perera claimed a career-best haul of 5 for 28 as Sri Lanka beat India by eight wickets in the crucial tri-series match in Dambulla on Sunday.
Having guided India to a thumping seven-wicket victory over Sri Lanka, Rohit Sharma attributed his red-hot form to his hunger for runs.
India will look to secure a place in the final when they take on Sri Lanka in Dambulla on Sunday in what could be a highly-charged match in the cricket tri-series, which has been hit by a spate of bizarre controversies and inclement weather.
Sri Lanka captain Kumar Sangakkara on Saturday defended his move during the unsavoury collision incident involving New Zealand's Nathan McCullum in Friday's tri-series match, saying it was the all-rounder who first obstructed his way.
Indian captain Mahendra Singh Dhoni on Sunday conceded that the no-ball controversy in the last tri-series match against Sri Lanka has turned his players into a more aggressive lot but the team will take care not to cross the line.
The ICC on Saturday gave a clean chit to Kumar Sangakkara, who was involved in an unsavoury incident with New Zealand all-rounder Nathan McCullum during a tri-series match, saying the Sri Lanka captain was found not guilty of breaching the ICC Code of Conduct.
