'That person can win you matches with fielding, he can win you matches with bowling and he can win you matches with batting. His performance gets better when the match is good.'
Bangladesh skipper Najmul Hossain Shanto on Sunday threw his weight behind the struggling Shakib Al Hasan and said the country's greatest all-rounder is doing everything in his capacity to regain his form with the ball.
Who do you think should be part of India's playing XI for the first Test against Bangladesh?
Given the relative paucity of cricket this year, Test cricket has emerged as a healer for deprived fans, notes Dhruv Munjal.
PHOTOS from Day 1 of the third and final Test between England and the West Indies at Edgbaston on Friday.
India's premier batter Virat Kohli arrived in New York on Friday for the T20 World Cup, five days after his other team members but it is still not clear if he would be playing the warm-up game against Bangladesh on Saturday.
The 62-year-old Rajput's appointment comes in the backdrop of UAE failing to make it to the T20 World Cup to be held in the West Indies and the USA this year.
Suryakumar Yadav is looking leaner and fitter than ever since his comeback to competitive cricket.
India captain Rohit Sharma expressed deep concerns about the vitiated air quality in Indian cities.
'Yes, the playing conditions still vary over time. But you're still in control of what sort of works for you on a pitch. So, you might play on a new hybrid pitch for one game.'
'Whether it was air quality or what, it was definitely an experience I've not had before.'
Impressed with the maturity shown by Yashasvi Jaiswal, West Indies cricket legend Brian Lara said the youngster's knock against Mumbai Indians was well put together.
The ICC says it is monitoring the air quality in smog-shrouded New Delhi ahead of the World Cup match between Bangladesh and Sri Lanka on Monday.
'Four games don't make him a bad bowler'
'And for some reason, I don't want to jinx it, but I think there's a big one coming up.'
159 dismissals in 36 Tests, 149 dismissals in 89 ODIs, and 89 dismissals in 70 T20s are very good by any standards. And yet they don't speak to Bumrah's true value and his special appeal, notes Sreehari Nair.
New Zealand look to experience and adaptability at T20 showpiece
'My dream was to see them qualify for the T20 World Cup in Australia. This is like icing on the cake'
Former India batter Mohammad Kaif feels there is no reason why Mahendra Singh Dhoni should not play the next season of the IPL, given his form, fitness and ability to play big shots with ease.
In the next 18 months, India will play several marquee events including the Border-Gavaskar Trophy Test series against Australia in November, next year's ICC Champions Trophy and a possible appearance in the World Test Championship Final in June.
The victory took India A to the top of the points table with a total of 12 points from three matches, crowing them as the eventual winners.
Samit Dravid, son of former India captain and head coach Rahul Dravid, was picked in the India Under-19 squad for the multi-format series against Australia.
'He has been such a great batsman, so he does not need reassurance.'
Kolkata Knight Riders pacer Mitchell Starc believes not having the Indian Premier League's 'Impact player' rule will force captains to think more tactically when the T20 World Cup begins in the Americas next month.
'...when they make mistakes and hugs them too. He guides them and gives them all liberty on the field.'
Cricket has taken many steps forward towards excellence and fairness. Electoral politics has a lot of catching up to do, points out Rajeev Bhargava in his fascinating new book Between Hope and Despair.
Images from the ICC T20 World Cup match between India and the United States at the Nassau County Cricket Ground, in New York, on Wednesday.
'You've just got to be positive enough to take that risk, accept that it may lead to your downfall. But when the intent is there and you have a clear reason as to why you are playing that shot, you can hold your hands up and accept it.'
Bobat also backed England all-rounder Will Jacks to come in handy.
Suryakumar Yadav (30) couldn't convert a start, Sarfaraz Khan (6) and Shreyas Iyer's (2) bids of spending quality time in the middle didn't fructify.
India captain Rohit Sharma is confident that his team will bounce back from the eight-wicket defeat against New Zealand in the first Test in Bengaluru.
'I'd like to probably err on the side of preparing him through red ball. We know how good a white-ball player he is so you put a priority on what it looks like next summer.'
Former Pakistan captain Misbah ul Haq feels that due to uncertainty in the PCB and its short-sightedness, foreigners and even local coaches don't want to work with the country's cricket board.
Images from the 1st ODI between India and Sri Lanka in Colombo on Friday.
'...Virat adds to the quality of any contest because he is such a wonderful player who brings fire, passion, competitiveness and great fan following to the sport. But personal matters always take preference over cricketing matters.'
Mayank Agarwal is likely to open with Shikhar Dhawan in Rohit's absence in the ODI series beginning on Friday.
After Sanju Samson was included in India's 15-member squad for the T20 World Cup, Sri Lanka great and Rajasthan Royals Director of Cricket Kumar Sangakkara believes the 29-year-old will succeed in the upcoming global showpiece if he wins the race to be first-choice wicket-keeper for Men in Blue at the prestigious event.
Flower batted for the 'Impact Player' rule saying that it allows two Indian players to participate in a game.
Rahul Dravid said he enjoyed every bit of his coaching tenure.
Former Australia pacer Jason Gillespie has questioned Pat Cummins' massive IPL price tag.
