Indian batsman Ajinkya Rahane joined the bandwagon of Indian players, who have attributed Team Director Ravi Shastri for bringing about a turnaround in team's fortunes with his technical inputs in the ongoing ODI series after their dismal show in the Test matches.
Nearly three years have passed since George Bailey was shut out of Test cricket after one middling series but the door has creaked ajar as Australia searches for answers to its subcontinental malaise before a daunting tour to India.
Hailing India's incredible series win against the number one-ranked Test side South Africa, former captain Sunil Gavaskar said the home team's turnaround in the longer-format after the loss in the ODIs and T20s speaks volumes about the character of the Virat Kohli-led side.
Even as the dust settles down on IPL 9, Bikash Mohapatra/Rediff.com presents his Dream XI.
Opener KL Rahul continued his dream form as he blazed his way to a brilliant unbeaten 121 after a classy 185 in the first innings as South Zone looked in cruise control in pursuit of 301 against Central in the Duleep Trophy final.
India spinners once again held centre-stage as the hosts produced a clinical performance to cruise to a comfortable eight-wicket victory on the fourth day of the third cricket Test and take a 2-0 lead in the five-match series.
England's defensive batting approach against India was a conscious decision to save the second Test on a wearing track, the touring side's captain Alastair Cook said after the hosts took a 1-0 lead in the series in Visakhapatnam on Monday.
Former England batsman Kevin Pietersen struggled to get along with coaches of his own team most of his playing career and his quest for a "genuine guru" ended in faraway India where former captain Rahul Dravid made a lasting impact on his technique.
Australia's hapless performances in the 2-0 series loss to South Africa came in for huge criticism from the country's local media on Wednesday, with demands for heads to roll in both the dressing room and the corridors of power at Cricket Australia.
James Anderson seems to have identified a chink in Virat Kohli's technique, especially his weakness outside the off-stump, having him caught behind the wickets on all the four occasions he has got him out in this series.
Indian captain Virat Kohli has been rendered a doubtful starter for the fourth and final cricket Test against Australia in Ranchi, a scenario that has put the hosts under immense pressure on the eve of the decider of the bitterly fought series.
Livid with the criticism that pitches for the ongoing series against South Africa are not sporting enough, Indian Team Director Ravi Shastri said there is nothing wrong with Test matches folding up in three days and the critics should "stop cribbing".
His approach to the game was a complete dichotomy to his background, a rich kid, who had a fleet of chauffeur-driven cars waiting for him to be taken to practice.
India face an embarrassing defeat after Alastair Cook's fairytale farewell knock and Joe Root's classy hundred enabled England to pile more misery on the visitors on Monday, the penultimate day of the fifth Test.
Performing well overseas should be India's top priority and the Test squad needs 'smart preparation' every time they embark on a tour, according to former India batsman VVS Laxman.
Even as he acknowledged that the shortest format of the game has helped players to innovate with their technique, Sachin Tendulkar insisted that Test cricket will reign despite the rising popularity of Twenty20.
There was optimism mingled with conviction in VVS Laxman's tone and tenor as the batting great today predicted the start of an era of prolonged dominance by the current Indian Test team, akin to the great West Indian and Australian sides of the past. As the long home season begin with the Kanpur Test against New Zealand, India are seeking to become the numero uno side in Test cricket and Laxman, who called captain Virat Kohli a "trendsetter", felt achieving the number one status will just be the beginning of a long journey.
India's batting woes persist, but skipper Virat Kohli has no complaints. Harish Kotian/Rediff.com reports from Nagpur.
'Ravindra is probably the best all-rounder in India today.' 'He is a thinking spinner. He uses both his fingers and mind when bowling.'
The 20-year-old, who had a dream debut in the Indian Premier League, tells Rediff.com's Harish Kotian how a successful show in the Ranji Trophy helped boost his confidence in the IPL.
'Is there any other batsman in the world who can hold a candle to Rohit Sharma in purely aesthetic terms?' asks Haresh Pandya.
Admitting that T20 is a game where bowlers often find themselves at the receiving end, Sri Lankan all-rounder Thisara Perera feels that its good to have a few variations in order to surprise the batsmen.
'It is the ability to fight back.' 'Obviously, you need skill to win a game of cricket, but the biggest thing is the resilience and the conviction to bounce back and the conviction to go and win abroad or anywhere.' 'I think that conviction is what stands out.'
Attributing his brilliant World Cup form to a calm mind and hard work, Indian batsman Shikhar Dhawan has said he managed to come out of a lean patch by sticking to his strong work ethic.
Photos of the World Cup match between UAE and Ireland being played in Brisbane.
The SCG may be perfect for the under-performing trio -- Pujara, Dhawan and Ashwin -- to regain their touch.
Pint-sized Kedar Jadhav's power-packed 65-ball 100 might have earned him the sobriquet of 'Pocket Dynamite' but former national selector Surendra Bhave revealed how a hard-core vegetarian added power to his small frame by switching to chicken.
India's One-Day-International captain Mahendra Singh Dhoni celebrates his 34th birthday today.
Australia batsman Steven Smith revealed English county side Surrey once tried to push him into the country's national set-up by virtue of his mother's British heritage.
A round-up of Ranji Trophy matches played across India on Monday
'I only played it to repay the sacrifices and hard work that both my parents had put in to make me play the sport.' 'I feel proud of them that they fought against orthodox notions of society to help me take up a sport.'
Pakistan all-rounder Shoaib Malik feels the underdogs tag would help them do well in the ICC World T20, like it did when they ended up winning the 1992 World Cup and 2009 World T20. "It's good that we're underdogs and that gives you a lot of confidence at the same time. We are here to do well," Malik said at the open media session in Kolkata on Sunday. Drawing parallel with Imran Khan-led team's World Cup winning moment in Australia, the senior Pakistani cricketer said: "Let's talk about 1992 World Cup first. "People were not expecting us to do well and win it but we won that. Same thing happened in 2007 World T20 when we did well before losing to India in the final. In 2009, we were not that big as a team but still we won. The same is the case going into this edition."
His place in the side is not guaranteed, but promising India batsman Ajinkya Rahane has said that it is always good to have a healthy competition in the team and he is ready to wait for his chance.
'Test cricket is so fortunate that today's cricket's biggest brand -- Virat Kohli -- loves Test cricket and puts his heart and soul into it,' says Sanjay Manjrekar.
Not since Sachin Tendulkar retired in 2013 has an Indian cricketer commanded the adulation that Virat Kohli is currently enjoying, and few would argue that he is not deserving of it.
Former Australian fast bowling great Brett Lee is worried at the alarming trend of young quicks putting an effort on beefing up upper body which in turn is adversely affecting the quality of speed merchants. Lee was forthright when asked about the absence of genuinely quick bowlers at the moment. "I just think that we have to keep promoting wickets where bowlers can bowl quick. I don't think bowlers are training correctly, there is a lot of emphasis and too much importance only on guys lifting heavy weights. Gym work is good only if it's done correctly, it has to be high on intensity and low on weights," Lee told PTI in New Delhi during an interaction.
Cheteshwar Pujara struck an unbeaten 79 as Indian batsmen gave a far better account of themselves to keep the hosts afloat by taking a 126-run lead.
How will young batsmen brought up on T20 learn to build an innings? What about the technique to patiently negotiate hostile seam bowling conditions or the skill to play on difficult dusty turners? What about leaving the swinging ball outside off stump?
England will head into this year's Ashes series against Australia heartened by their performances against New Zealand but with nagging doubts about key areas in the team.
India relied on their bowlers to stage a remarkable recovery scripting a comfortable 48-run win in the second cricket One-day international against the West Indies to level the five-match series 1-1 in New Delhi.
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