A red-hot Bengal will have a chance to win their first Ranji Trophy title in 33 years when they face Saurashtra, bolstered by the return of pacer and domestic game heavyweight Jaydev Unadkat, in the summit clash in Kolkata from Thursday.
'At the end of the day, we also had to look at players who will figure in the playing XI.'
Dasun Shanaka is their 10th captain in nearly five years, and barring a classy batsman like Dhananjaya de Silva and a steady pacer in Dishmantha Chameera, this team lacks quality to challenge the might of the Indian team led by Shikhar Dhawan.
'The West Indies' pace battery was lethal.' 'Watching Gavaskar, Gaekwad, Amarnath and Vengsarkar play against those bowlers I learnt so much.' 'Everybody was getting hit.' 'Someone got hit on the fingers, someone on the chest, someone on the face, but they all showed guts.'
The concept of going back to the home and away format in Ranji Trophy games after one year's experiment with neutral venue format found favour from the majority of participants in the Board of Control for Cricket in India's captains-cum-coaches conclave in Mumbai on Tuesday.
It's no secret that the 37-year-old is the first choice wicketkeeper for the England World Cup but a lot will depend on how he performs in the last three ODIs against West Indies.
Former stumper Syed Kirmani was bestowed with the prestigious Col. CK Nayudu Lifetime Achievement Award for his contribution to Indian cricket, while Test captain Virat Kohli bagged the Polly Umrigar Trophy for Cricketer of the Year in the BCCI awards night in Mumbai on Tuesday.
Ravichandran Ashwin says leadership tips from Virender Sehwag and Yuvraj Singh will help him immensely in his maiden captaincy stint in the upcoming Indian Premier League.
'He didn't want to be a stagnant cricketer, he always wanted to work hard.'
In cricket, we have something that we can share with our families, neighbours and indeed, the whole country. It is colour-blind, language-neutral, truly secular and transcends all regions, from Kashmir to Kerala and Mizoram to Maharashtra, explains Shreekant Sambrani.
The dawn of a new era had begun under Sourav Ganguly's aggressive leadership. With Ganguly and Coach John Wright at the helm India had transitioned into a force to be reckoned with.
Overwhelmed by 'surreal' bidding for him during the Indian Premier League auction, it took Jaydev Unadkat some time to believe that franchises were so willing to break their banks to grab a fast bowler.
'He is like a pillar and the whole team bats around him.' 'In today's world, everyone likes to play their strokes while Pujara is someone who will tire out the bowlers.' 'If you have one batsman who can play out the new ball or play out a spell from a good bowler, then it helps the whole team, it helps the other batsmen.'
Rajneesh Gupta presents a statistical outlook of the players named in India's squad for the upcoming limited-overs series in Zimbabwe.
Maharashtra's Swapnil Gugale slammed a triple century while Ankit Bawane hit a double hundred as the duo registered the highest-partnership in the history of the Ranji Trophy, against Delhi, in the Ranji Trophy Group B match at the Wankhede stadium in Mumbai, on Friday.
For me, Arjun will be like any other player, says U-19 bowling coach Sanath
Mahendra Singh Dhoni is not a part of the three-match T20I series against West Indies and Australia presenting Rishabh Pant with a golden chance to consolidate his place in limited overs cricket.
Playing for Jharkhand, Mahendra Singh Dhoni, who was playing his first domestic match in eight years, made just nine before he was dismissed by Jammu and Kashmir's left-arm spinner Waseem Raza.
The teams are ready to battle it out and with no established name figuring in India's bowling department
'Jammu and Kashmir is a huge state, so to get the players together and put them on the right path, it is not easy, but I hope they will reap the benefits in the years to come.'
There is a school of thought that Dhawan should be given at least the last six ODIs in January against Sri Lanka and New Zealand and then the call should be taken, before the Australia ODIs at the end of March.
'Sikkim, with a population of 1.6 million, now has a cricket association.' 'But the MCA representing Mumbai and Thane, despite a population of 15 million, has lost its separate identity.'
Cricketer-turned-commentator Deep Dasgupta refused to call the IPL bubble porous but did admit to having anxieties of his own once cases began to rise in Delhi.
The doping menace in India's Olympic sport has always left the establishment embarrassed and the BCCI in a marked departure has set up an anti-doping helpline so that its domestic cricketers (men and women) are aware of the medicines and supplements they are consuming.
India's selectors went on expected lines, leaving out former champions while giving the nod to top performers in domestic circuit in the 30-man probables' list for the 2015 World Cup.
India off-spinner Ravichandran Ashwin, on Monday, described Virat Kohli as a captain with a fierce winning mentality and said that his positive body language always rubbed on the other players.
In a big setback for North Zone ahead of the Duleep Trophy semi-final against Central Zone, captain Harbhajan Singh has been forced to sit out due to viral fever as Gautam Gambhir will step in to lead the team, in Mohali, on Wednesday.
It is that time of the year when cricketers from around the world wait with bathed breath as their names come up at the Indian Premier League auction.
Among the 11-point agenda, is a discussion on domestic cricket season, which is likely to be a curtailed one considering the rapidly rising COVID-19 case load in the country.
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Former India wicket-keeper Madhav Mantri passed away early Friday morning at the age of 92.
One of the important issues expected to be discussed is the scheduling of domestic Syed Mushtaq Ali T20 championship, including its inter zonal phase which is in progress in Cuttack.
Mohit Sharma is one of the nine fast bowlers among the 30-World Cup probables chosen and the Haryana pacer believes the plentiful options available in the pace department can only be good for Indian cricket.
Rohit Sharma carried his bat, scoring 83 not out, while putting on two good partnerships. He first stitched a 61-run partnership with Dhawan at the top of the order and then joined hands with Dhoni to see India through.
The BCCI will lock in a three-week window between September 15 and October 15 for the resumption of the currently-suspended IPL in the UAE, when it holds a Special General Meeting (SGM) virtually on Saturday.
'Indian cricket is in the safe hands of excitingly talented cricketers. No team can afford to underestimate India. If they do, it is to their peril.'
Mithun became the first bowler in the domestic circuit to claim hat-trick in all the formats.
'Parthiv has to bat at No. 6, and in that position it is a different ball game.'
'The future of finger-spinners lies in the perception of people'
From working as a labourer on a daily wage of Rs 60 to fetching an Indian Premier League contract worth Rs 20 lakh, Jammu and Kashmir batsman Manzoor Dar has covered a distance more awe-inspiring than the 100-metre sixes he is known for.
As the legend turns 40, we take a look at his journey in cricket and life.
