India need to carefully groom replacements for their batting 'fab four' after suffering a crushing innings defeat by South Africa on Tuesday, former captain and chief selector Dilip Vengsarkar said.
Dashing wicketkeeper-batsman Brendon McCullum, all-rounder Ravindra Jadeja, Sri Lankan master batsman Mahela Jayawardene and R Vinay Kumar will attract top bids when 144 players from eleven countries go under the hammer in the IPL V auction in Bangalore on Saturday.
Ravindra Jadeja became the first Indian batsman and only the eighth in the first-class history to hit three triple-centuries as his career-best unbeaten 320 helped Saurashtra reach a mammoth 534 for six against Railways in a Ranji Trophy Group A match, in Rajkot on Sunday.
Bengal captain Manoj Tiwary and his Mumbai counterpart Rohit Sharma are eyeing spots in the Indian middle-order which has opened up following the retirement of Test greats Rahul Dravid and VVS Laxman even as they are focusing on their current jobs in the Ranji Trophy.
As many as 144 players, including Indian Test batsman VVS Laxman, pacer S Sreesanth and all-rounder Ravindra Jadeja, will go under the hammer at the players' auction for the fifth edition of the Indian Premier League in Bangalore on February 4.
Former captain Ravi Shastri on Sunday, made scathing criticism of the star-studded Indian batting line-up for constantly playing away from the body outside the off-stump, which he said was responsible for their 4-0 whitewash in the just-concluded Test series.
The flop show of India's senior batsmen in the Test series loss to Australia notwithstanding, skipper Mahendra Singh Dhoni refused to say anything on their future, insisting that decisions would not be taken in haste.
The 'big-four' of India's batting department need to fire in unison to fish the team out of troubled waters if the visitors want to make a comeback in the third cricket Test against Australia, starting Friday at Perth, feels Yuvraj Singh.
Indian batting legend Rahul Dravid turned 39 on Wednesday. As his team-mates wished him in Perth, he must have surely asked for victory in the third Test, starting at Perth on Friday, as a birthday gift.
In good news for India, their bowling spearhead Zaheer Khan and fellow pacer Ishant Sharma appeared to be fit to play in the opening Test against Australia beginning in Melbourne, on Monday.
Former Australian captain Mark Taylor feels India's in-form batsmen have not been tested enough in the past few months and they might find the going tough on bouncy pitches here when the Aussies unleash their young pacers during the upcoming Test series.
Around 62 Indian cricketers will be up for auction for the fourth edition of the Indian Premier League (IPL) with Indian captain Mahendra Singh Dhoni and the legendary Sachin Tendulkar in the top-bracket of cricketers valued at Rs 1.84 crore.
One short of his 100th international century, Sachin Tendulkar, on Sunday, sought divine blessings when he visited Kali Temple at Kalighat while his fans organised havans to wish him luck.
Virender Sehwag and Rahul Dravid hit contrasting centuries to give India the upperhand against New Zealand on Day 1 of the first Test, at the Sardar Patel stadium in Motera, Ahmedabad, on Thursday. At stumps on the opening day, India were 329 for three in 90 overs, with Sachin Tendulkar on 13 from 47 balls and VVS Laxman on seven.
Defending Olympic, World and Commonwealth Games pole vault champion Steve Hooker is a sporting legend Down Under, but even he can't help but admire the greatness of Sachin Tendulkar.
The BCCI has decided to give the Ireland-bound Indian T20 squad, led by Hardik Pandya, a three-day break before it leaves for the two-match series in Malahide.
England coach Andy Flower feels India's poor performance in the just-concluded Test series should in no way diminish his team's achievement of humbling a side which features some of the most experienced players in international cricket.
The BCCI's Advisory panel's role should be clearly defined, says legendary spinner and former India captain Bishan Singh Bedi.
It was a special day for Virat Kohli at the Punjab Cricket Association IS Bindra Stadium in Mohali on Friday as he complete the landmark of 100 Test matches.
On Friday, Virat Kohli will achieve the milestone of playing 100 matches in the longest format.
Batting and fielding averages from the recently concluded four-match Test series in Australia.
Australia were on the brink of a series sweep after reducing India to 166 for six in their pursuit of 500 runs for an unlikely victory at the close of play on the fourth day of the fourth Test on Friday.
It is perhaps the last time that India's batting trinity of Sachin Tendulkar, Rahul Dravid and VVS Laxman will play a Test in Australia and host captain Michael Clarke paid tribute to the veterans, saying they should get the respect they deserve.
Ricky Ponting, who stepped down from the captaincy in March and turned 37 on Monday, needs a first Test ton in nearly two years merely to save his career.
Harbhajan Singh and Zaheer Khan destroyed South Africa's batting to give India the upperhand at the end of day two in the second Test.
Former South Africa captain Clive Rice rates the India bowling attack higher than South Africa's and said the home bowlers would struggle to take 20 wickets against a batting line-up, which boasts of the likes of Sachin Tendulkar, VVS Laxman, Rahul Dravid and Virender Sehwag, in the Test series starting next week.
Images from the opening day's play of the second Test between India and West Indies at the Eden Gardens, Kolkata.
Rahul Dravid slammed a fluent 119 to put India in command before the West Indies snapped up two quick wickets at the fag end of the day to recover marginally in the second Test at the Eden Gardens, Kolkata, on Monday. Opting to bat, Dravid and VVS Laxman (73 batting) continued their love affair with their favourite Eden Gardens track as their 140-run partnership put India in a strong position of 346 for five at close on the opening day.
Sachin Tendulkar's quest for a record 100th international ton continued, but India rode on his fluent 76 to script an admirable come-from-behind five-wicket victory over the West Indies with more than four sessions to spare at the Ferozshah Kotla on Wednesday.
New Zealand captain Daniel Vettori had no qualms in admitting that India's lower-order batman Harbhajan Singh denied the Kiwis a possible win in the first Test in Ahmedabad with his aggressive brand of cricket.
Chris Martin claimed five wickets and Kane Williamson and Jesse Ryder hit centuries to help New Zealand push for victory against India, on Day 4 of the first Test at the Sardar Patel stadium in Motera, Ahmedabad, on Sunday. At close on day four, India were struggling at 82 for six in 40 overs, for an overall lead of 109 runs.
Reading Team India's strong batting line-up in slow motion is sending shudders down New Zealand bowlers' spine, cricket columnist David Leggat has said.
Impressed with the way India team snatched a narrow one-wicket victory over Australia in the first cricket Test, legendary batsman Sunil Gavaskar said it is one of the greatest sporting achievements of the country.
The panel wanted Anil Kumble to continue as India's coach but the former captain was bent on quitting after his fallout with skipper Virat Kohli last year.
New Zealand Cricket on Sunday confirmed that six Indian players would turn out in the domestic championship as warm-up to the Test series, diffusing the tension between BCCI and Kiwi players' Association over the involvement of ICL-linked players in the tournament.
He no longer plays for Australia, but Andrew Symonds showed he is still one of the most dangerous players around. In fact, he forms an integral part of the Deccan Chargers middle order and he proved that yet again with a cracking knock of 53 against Kings XI punjab in the IPL match in Cuttack on Friday.
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