In Murali Vijay the team has now rediscovered a technically sound, highly reliable opener, who can be both aggressive and defensive, believes Haresh Pandya
When the selectors sat down to pick the Indian side for the Sri Lanka tour, they had plenty on their plate.
Former New Zealand captain Martin Crowe has said Virat Kohli, Joe Root, Steven Smith and Kane Williamson are the new "fabulous four" of Test Cricket but will go through "teething problems" before shooting for the stars.
Australia dropped batsman George Bailey from the squad for their three-Test tour of South Africa on Monday and brought uncapped Alex Doolan and Shaun Marsh into the 15-man party. Bailey made his debut in the first Test of the recently-concluded Ashes series, but scored only 183 runs at an average of 26 as an unchanged Australia romped to a 5-0 sweep of England.
The Delhi batsman said winning the series so convincingly is a huge confidence booster for India with around six months left for the 2015 World Cup to be played in Australia-New Zealand.
With Shikar Dhawan back in the squad, it is indeed a happy problem for skipper Virat Kohli, who has to choose two quality openers among three.
From winning the Under-19 World Cup to becoming Test captain, Virat Kohli has made rapid strides in international cricket. Pradeep Sangwan, his team mate from junior cricket, writes about the man they fondly call 'Cheeku'
'We are No 1 in the world, we played like the No 1 team in the world.' 'It is not just about being No 1 for the season. Whatever matches we play in the future we want to maintain that.'
'Syed Mushtaq Ali was like a lion, not a labourer, at the crease. Attack was his defence and he would show no mercy on the bowlers'
Australia's World Cup-winning captain Steve Waugh feels India's latest batting sensation Virat Kohli must learn from Mahendra Singh Dhoni to keep his emotions in check and mature as a captain.
Images from the Asia Cup T20 cricket match between India and Pakistan on Saturday.
'He spoke to the fact that his West Indies -- a team that brings joy wherever it goes, the one team that plays with a carefree spirit in these days of carefully calibrated professionalism -- played this tournament enveloped in a world of hurt,' says Prem Panicker, the legendary cricket writer, reviewing the World T20 final.
If India toyed with the South Africans, it was mainly because of awesome performances from spinners Ravichandran Ashwin and Ravindra Jadeja.
India's most successful Test captain also presided over a dismal away record with the team winning only two of 22 Tests on foreign soil since 2011.
Penpix of the Zimbabwe squad for the 2015 cricket World Cup in Australia and New Zealand.
'When cricketers, coaches, captains, managers, franchise owners focus on the prize, they forget the process.' 'You can't win every game. Getting better is all about making mistakes.'
Rohit Sharma says the South African conditions are not a problem for the Indian batsmen and the fault lay mainly in the lack of big partnerships, which he said resulted in the visitors already losing the three-match series after back-to-back defeats.
Former New Zealand captain Martin Crowe urged the younger generation of Indian batsmen to pick Sunil Gavaskar's brain on how to play fast bowling in adverse conditions, something he did more than three decades back and reaped its benefits.
India took a firm grip on the first Test against Sri Lanka by taking a first innings lead of 192 and snaring the hosts' openers in the second innings by the end of Day 2 in Galle on Thursday.
England are quite familiar with the Decision Review System (DRS) but they have to be very cautious while opting for referrals in the upcoming series against India due to different conditions here, Stuart Broad said. The fast-bowling all-rounder said conditions in England and Bangladesh, where they drew series 1-1 before coming to India, were different from Rajkot. "We had a lot of referrals over there. We have got to be quite clear with the communication, It's a bit different with the ball spinning in India rather than it seaming and swinging in England, so it is a bit hard to judge," Broad said.
'Even before the series started, we all knew that there was going to be some experiments from us going ahead over the next 18 months. It has been a great learning.'
Penpix of the New Zealand squad that will play the cricket World Cup final against Australia at the Melbourne Cricket Ground on Sunday.
Penpix of the West Indies squad for the 2015 cricket World Cup in Australia and New Zealand.
'He was not even 15 when he showed skills at captaincy.' 'Now that he is the captain, I keep telling him not to expect from others what easily comes to him.'
Penpix of the New Zealand squad for the cricket World Cup which they will co-host with Australia.
Full text of Kevin Pieterse's Pataudi Memorial Lecture in Bengaluru
Bangladesh gearing up for their biggest battle against defending champions India in the cricket World Cup quarter-finals.
India maintained their all-win record by producing yet another resounding performance to thrash minnows United Arab Emirates by nine wickets in a lop-sided inconsequential round robin league match of the Asia Cup T20 tournament in Mirpur on Thursday.
'I don't care where I play my 100th Test. I didn't mind where I played my 50th; I don't mind where I play any of my Test matches. Representing my country is a great honour'
'The impact Rishabh Pant, Sanju Samson, Ishan Kishan, Shreyas Iyer, Prithvi Shaw, Shubman Gill, Shivam Mavi, Mayank Markande, Mohammed Siraj, Prasidh Krishna and Washington Sundar had on the IPL not only won hearts, but also the approval of the selectors,' says Ayaz Memon.
Former Australia captain, Dean Jones, is of the view that India Test captain Virat Kohli must have a say in picking the next coach and also says that changing staff again and again isn't a solution for the team.
India has the fourth highest number of malaria cases in the world.
The BRICS also called upon all nations to adopt a comprehensive approach in combating terrorism including countering radicalisation and blocking terror financing sources.
'It has been a wonderful journey so far. Playing the 50th Test match for the country will be a proud moment for me. Yes, there have been ups and downs but looking at my recent (good) form, I will be keen to score some runs in my 50th Test'
Australian cricketer Phil Hughes died in a Sydney hospital on Thursday, two days after being hit on the head during a domestic match on Tuesday.
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.
Out-of-favour following a string of poor scores, top-order batsman Cheteshwar Pujara is keen to stage a comeback into the Indian Test squad. He says it's just a matter of time before he regains his place in the playing eleven.
Rajasthan Royals comprehensively crushed favourite 'whipping boys' Delhi Daredevils by 62 runs in a thoroughly one-sided encounter to consolidate their chances of making it to the play-offs in the seventh edition of the Indian Premier League on Thursday.
In an extraordinary twist to the game, India on Saturday capitulated to an embarassing 63-run defeat in the first cricket Test against Sri Lanka.
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