Gautam Gambhir is a politician by choice but a cricketer at heart whose brain never stops ticking when it comes to conceptualising, planning and execution.
Jacques Kallis hit his second Test double century and AB de Villiers added a thrilling hundred before South Africa declared on 580 for four on the second day of the third and final Test against Sri Lanka at Newlands on Wednesday.
On the eve of his 100th Test, here are five memorable knocks by the 'Nawab of Najafgarh'.
Centuries from Jacques Kallis and Hashim Amla put Australia on the ropes before South Africa's bowlers landed some early blows of their own to leave the hosts struggling at 111 for three after the third day of the first Test on Sunday.
Hashim Amla was approaching his third century in his last four tests as South Africa defused Australia's pace attack and reached a dominant 255 for two at the end of the opening day of the first Test at the Gabba on Friday.
It is estimated KKR spent about Rs 100 crore, including Rs 50 crore for hiring players, this season. Four players -- Gautam Gambhir, Jacques Kallis, Sunil Narine and Yusuf Pathan -- alone cost KKR Rs 30 crore.
Images of the Indian Premier League match played between Mumbai Indians and Royal Challengers Bangalore in Mumbai on Saturday
Had it not been for the washed-out game against Perth Scorchers, reigning IPL champions Kolkata Knight Riders could have made the semi-finals of the ongoing Champions League Twenty20, said senior all-rounder Jacques Kallis.
Wisden, regarded as the Bible of cricket, has named Indian batting maestro Sachin Tendulkar as the leading cricketer in the world for the year 2010. The iconic batsman is the seventh recipient of the Wisden award after teammate Virender Sehwag, Australians Ricky Ponting and Shane Warne, England's Andrew Flintoff, Sri Lanka's Muttiah Muralitharan and South African Jacques Kallis.
Gautam Gambhir hit a breezy half century and Lakshamipathy Balaji bagged a four-wicket haul to enable Kolkata Knight Riders beat Bangalore Royals Challengers by 42 runs and bring their IPL campaign back on track in Bangalore on Tuesday.
The second Twenty20 international between World champions England and South Africa in Manchester on Monday was abandoned due to persistent rain. The match was reduced to nine overs per side and South Africa were led by a spectacular 47 not out from Hashim Amla as they notched up 77 for five wickets.
A fourth-wicket stand of 90 between Jacques Kallis and Jean-Peal Duminy guided South Africa to a comfortable seven-wicket win over England in the opening Twenty20 match played at Chester-le-Street on Saturday.
Jonny Bairstow fell five runs short of a maiden Test century on Saturday before South Africa took their lead in the match to 139 at the end of day three of the third and final Test against England at Lord's.
Long-serving Proteas all-rounder Jacques Kallis has announced that he will make a special donation to the Yuvraj Singh Foundation.
South Africa Test captain Graeme Smith was omitted from the 15-man squad to take part in the World Twenty20 in Sri Lanka next month, Cricket South Africa (CSA) announced on Thursday.
This edition of the tournament will also witness a qualifying event in Hyderabad from September 19 to 21 followed by the main event from September 23 to October 9.
Cummins said a player is always under pressure to perform in professional cricket.
South Africa have rested veteran all-rounder Jacques Kallis from the upcoming ODI series against England, replacing him with Dean Elgar in the 15-member squad for the five-match series starting August 24.
Hashim Amla put South Africa on the threshold of victory over England in the first Test with an unbeaten 311, the highest score by a South African in Test cricket, as the Proteas declared on 637-2 in their first innings. England lost four wickets before the close.
Hashim Amla and Jacques Kallis put on an unbeaten stand of 143 to help South Africa to an 18-run lead over England on day three of the first Test at The Oval on Saturday.
Former India skipper Sourav Ganguly hailed the maiden victory of Kolkata Knight Riders in the IPL, saying the team was destined to win and credited little-known Manvinder Singh Bisla for the triumph.
India's Sachin Tendulkar and South Africa's Jacques Kallis remain jointly atop the Reliance ICC Player Rankings for Test batsmen with 883 points each. Kallis also retained his top spot in the list of leading all-rounders in Test cricket.
The dearth of genuine Test all-rounders is a stark reality, a worrying fact as not many cricketers offer consistent all-round quality these days, notes Shashi Tharoor.
Statistical highlights of the IPL eliminator between Mumbai Indians and Kolkata Knight Riders.
After leading his side to the top with a facile win over Delhi Daredevils, Kolkata Knight Riders skipper Gautam Gambhir said he, along with senior batsman Jacques Kallis, will have to shoulder the responsibility of steering the team to play-off stage.
A spectatcular 89 by Jacques Kallis and a whirlwind 51 by Robin Uthappa helped Royal Challengers Bangalore score a comprehensive eight-wicket win over Kings XI Punjab in their Indian Premier League match at the Chinnaswamy Stadium on Tuesday.
Star pacer Dale Steyn feels he is fortunate to be part of a strong South African side, which has enabled him to produce his best in the past few years.
Statistical highlights of the IPL match between Royal Challengers Bangalore and Kolkata Knight Riders in Bangalore on Tuesday.
Skipper Gautam Gambhir smashed his way to a blistering 44-ball 75, while Jacques Kallis struck his third consecutive fifty, as Kolkata Knight Riders drubbed Rajasthan Royals by nine wickets in their Indian Premier League match in Jaipur on Friday.
Images from the one-off T20 between India and South Africa in Johannesburg on Friday.
Premier batsman Hashim Amla will make his debut as national team captain both in the T20 and ODI formats when the Proteas start their series against visitors Australia next week.
Chasing an improbable 415 for victory, Bangladesh was precariously placed at 67 for two at stumps on day four of the first Test against India, at the Zohur Ahmed Chowdhury stadium, in Chittagong, on Wednesday. The hosts need 348 runs more to win the Test, with eight of their second innings wickets intact.
Jacques Kallis brought his years of experience into play as he guided Kolkata Knight Riders to its maiden Oppo Champions League T20 final having comfortably beaten Australia's Hobart Hurricanes by seven wickets in Hyderabad on Thursday.
Roelof van der Merwe smashed a blistering 40-ball 73 to power Somerset to a five-wicket win over Kolkata Knight Riders in their Group B Champions League Twenty20 cricket match, in Hyderabad.
Kolkata Knight Riders' skipper, Jacques Kallis, has urged his team to come up with an improved performance in the main round of Champions League Twenty20 championship.
South Africa skipper Graeme Smith and Jacques Kallis both scored centuries and combined for a 200-run partnership as the tourists virtually batted New Zealand out of the first Test.
South Africa crushed the Netherlands by 231 runs in a lop-sided Group B match to record their second successive victory in the 2011 World Cup.
Almost all leading Indian batsmen, save Rahul Dravid, slipped in the latest Reliance ICC Test rankings for batsman, released on Tuesday. Their shoddy performance in the just-concluded Test series affected their individual rankings, with Sachin Tendulkar dropping a spot to fifth place.
Pakistan-born leg-spinner Imran Tahir, who was recently granted South African citizenship, was on Thursday named in the squad for the ODI series against India, starting January 12. In-form Jacques Kallis was not considered because of the rib injury he sustained in the third Test.
Ricky Ponting shot back at Zaheer Khan for finding fault with his batting rhythm on Wednesday, saying what the Indian pace spearhead said about him could also be applied to the likes of Sachin Tendulkar and Rahul Dravid.