There might be growing criticism against Sachin Tendulkar after a string of poor performances but former India opener Navjot Singh Sidhu feels the senior batsman's presence is crucial at a time when the team is going through a transitional phase.
Just one Test into the four-match series against Australia and India are confronting the grim reality that they remain international cricket's slowest starters, especially on tour.
Former Pakistan captain Wasim Akram questioned if the Indian team has the bench strength to replace opening duo of Gautam Gambhir and Virender Sehwag ahead of the England series at home.
Cheteshwar Pujara and Virat Kohli's exploits with the bat in the two-Test series sweep of New Zealand will encourage India to believe they have pinpointed the right men to help carry the team through a tricky transitional period.
India finally confront the tricky transition problem that has been on the horizon for quite some time when they launch the two-Test series against New Zealand this week.
Former India captain Rahul Dravid hoped that Sachin Tendulkar would continue to shoulder responsibility in his and VVS Laxman's absence during the upcoming India-New Zealand series beginning on August 23 in Hyderabad.
With the threat of Twenty20 cricket eating into the share of the five-day formats, former India middle order batsman VVS Laxman said that it's high time that they bring in new innovation like introduction of day/night matches to sustain the legacy of Test cricket.
Indian skipper Mahendra Singh Dhoni's mind wanders in several directions while he is batting but he manages to keep the focus by humming songs even when the bowler is running in from the other end.
Uncertainty continues to reign over medium-pacer Munaf Patel's availability for the first Test against West Indies at Sabina Park starting on Monday.
Fit-again Australian pacer James Pattinson believes India still boast of a "class batting line-up" despite the retirements of Rahul Dravid and VVS Laxman and the visitors will have to work really hard to beat the hosts in their own backyard during the four-Test series.
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.
Batting great Rahul Dravid, the second most prolific batsman in the game's history and India's middle order bulwark for years, on Friday, bid adieu to Test cricket, bringing down the curtains on a glorious 16-year career.
Keeping the soul of the Lodha reforms in mind -- one person one post -- former Supreme Court judge Jain last month ruled that ex-India batsman Laxman and former captain Ganguly will have to choose one of the multiples roles they are performing at the moment including their commentary stints during the ongoing World Cup.
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.
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.
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.
The Kolkata crowd showed all their love for Tendulkar by chanting 'Sachin Sachin', taking the master blaster back to his playing days.
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.
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.
The National Cricket Academy in Bengaluru recently had an internship programme where well-known names like Lakshmipathy Balaji, Ranganath Vinay Kumar and Pankaj Singh upgraded their coaching skills under Ashes-winning mentor Troy Cooley.
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.
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.
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.
Sehwag, who accumulated 8,586 runs from 104 Tests at an average of 49.34 and also took 40 wickets during his Test career which spanned from 2001-2013, revealed the role of Zaheer Khan in his promotion as an opener.
The BCCI's Advisory panel's role should be clearly defined, says legendary spinner and former India captain Bishan Singh Bedi.
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.
After New Zealand thrashed India by ten wickets in the first Test in Wellington on Monday, former cricketer VVS Laxman said the visitors were outplayed in all departments. This was New Zealand's 100th Test match win, while on the other hand World No 1 India suffered their first defeat in the ICC World Test Championship.
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.
