'It's always good to get 40-50 extra and we want to bat the opposition out of the game. Rohit and KL were outstanding, the opening partnership set it up. Shreyas and Rishabh, the way they played, was outstanding'
'I think we were good for the first 16 overs while batting when we were 140 for 4. But then in the last four overs, we should have got 40 to 45 runs, and we got only thirty. We need to focus on that'
IMAGES from the 2nd T20 International played between India and West Indies in Thiruvananthapuram on Sunday.
The hullabaloo over his hamstring was confusing as well as amusing for Rohit Sharma, who says he always knew that the injury was not that serious and he would be battle-ready for the tour of Australia.
Sunil Narine and Kieron Pollard made triumphant returns to the West Indies team in a comfortable victory over South Africa in the opening match in a triangular one-day international series.
Hosts Kolkata Knight Riders run the risk of slipping away when they face resurgent defending champions and 'nemesis' Mumbai Indians in an IPL clash, in Kolkata, on Wednesday.
Former India pacer Ajit Agarkar blamed the Mumbai Indians' middle order for the defending champions' poor show in the ongoing Indian Premier League.
Purnendu Maji and Srinivas Bhogle list IPL 2020's 50 Most Valuable Players up to Game 52.
Purnendu Maji and Srinivas Bhogle list IPL 2020's 50 Most Valuable Players up to Game 41.
Chris Gayle was not at his brutal best in the IPL but Andre Russell's butchering of the bowlers has forced the teams to take note of what could await them at the World Cup.
Purnendu Maji and Srinivas Bhogle list IPL 2020's 50 Most Valuable Players up to Game 34.
High on confidence after decimating a high-profile Royal Challengers Bangalore, an upbeat Gujarat Lions will be aiming to lift their game a notch higher when they face title contenders Mumbai Indians in an Indian Premier League encounter, in Rajkot on Saturday.
Srinivas Bhogle and Purnendu Maji present Rediff.com's Most Valuable Players ratings after the league phase in IPL 10.
The threat of West Indies being forced to field a second string side at the World Twenty20 was averted on Sunday when 12 of 13 players in the original squad signed the contracts which had caused a standoff with the board.
Nitish Rana continued his good form with the bat as he hit his third half-century of IPL 10, while Rohit Sharma got back among the runs to lift Mumbai to a comfortable six-wicket against Gujarat Lions.
The R Ashwin-led Kings XI slipped to the fifth spot after suffering back-to-back losses against Mumbai Indians and Royal Challengers Bangalore respectively. Overall, the hosts have registered four wins from eight matches this season.
Maverick batsman Chris Gayle opted out of the ODI and T20 series against India citing personal reasons as the West Indies Cricket Board (WICB) named three fresh faces for the assignment.
It will not be the first time that the competition has had to be held outside India.
Images from the IPL match played between Mumbai Indians and Delhi Capitals at Wankhede Stadium on Sunday
Troubled England all-rounder Ben Stokes and India off-spinner Ravichandran Ashwin are among the 16 marquee players for the upcoming Indian Premier League Players' Auction in Bengaluru on January 27 and 28.
In the last six months, Hardik Pandya has had two breakdowns with recurring back-injury which ruled him out of the Asia Cup last September and out of the home series against Australia earlier this month.
Stressing the need to keep the spirit of gentleman's game alive, Indian limited-overs skipper Mahendra Singh Dhoni has said the Indian Premier League (IPL) has helped players from across the globe connect with each other and taken "ugly sledging" away from cricket.
Lahore Lions skipper Mohammad Hafeez feels his bowlers set the stage for victory over Mumbai Indians in their first qualifier of the Champions League T20 tournament, by restricting the opponents to a low score.
The 50-year-old Lara also gave his opinion as to what the team is required to do to become successful in the longest format of the game.
The West Indies laid down a significant marker ahead of the ODI series as they comfortably beat England by 21 runs in their sole Twenty20 fixture at Chester-le-Street on Saturday.
Rising star Babar Azam hit his third successive hundred to anchor Pakistan's 3-0 clean-sweep of the West Indies with a comfortable 136-run win in the third and final one-dayer on Wednesday. Azam smashed a 106-ball 117 while skipper Azah Ali returned to form with a 109-ball 101 as Pakistan compiled 308-6 before restricting West Indies to 172 in 44 overs on a flat Sheikh Zayed Stadium pitch.
Babar Azam hit his maiden century while spinner Mohammad Nawaz grabbed four wickets as Pakistan thrashed the West Indies by 111 runs on the Duckworth-Lewis method in the first day-night international on Friday. Azam's rapid-fire 139-ball 120 helped Pakistan post a challenging 284-9 in a match reduced to 49 overs a side due to a 70-minute floodlight failure at Sharjah Stadium in the UAE. West Indies -- set 287 to win -- never got close and folded at 175 in 38.4 overs.
Purnendu Maji and Srinivas Bhogle list IPL 2020's 50 Most Valuable Players before the IPL 2020 Final.
Mumbai Indians will fancy beating a floundering Kings XI Punjab when both sides face-off in a must-win match
Purnendu Maji and Srinivas Bhogle list IPL 2020's 50 Most Valuable Players after the league phase.
Mumbai Indians and Sunrisers Hyderabad face each other in a must-win IPL match.
Ambati Rayudu conceded that his side will have to play each game as a must-win.
Leaving behind the bashing they suffered in the opening match, Indian bowlers bowled with supreme control to bundle out West Indies for 143 in the second and final Twenty20 international in Florida on Sunday. Leg spinner Amit Mishra (3/24) provided the opening breakthrough by dismissing Johnson Charles (43) and R Ashwin then combined with paceman Jasprit Bumrah to tighten the noose around the West Indies with regular strikes.
Captain Rohit Sharma and Ambati Rayudu played crucial knocks after Harbhajan Singh's impressive showing with the ball as Mumbai Indians notched up a thrilling five-wicket victory over Delhi Daredevils in their rain-affected Indian Premier League match at the Wankhede stadium, in Mumbai, on Tuesday.
West Indies, on the other hand, would be desperate to return home with some positivity at the end of a two-month long series in which they lost both the Test and ODI series.
Cricket West Indies (CWI) showed it was willing to welcome back top players on Thursday when it cleared Darren Bravo to play in all forms of cricket after the batsman apologised to the board and its president, Dave Cameron, for a Twitter outburst.
Chennai Super Kings' skipper MS Dhoni powered his team to a final over victory. CSK beat the hosts Mumbai Indians by four wickets at the Wankhede, Mumbai on Saturday night.
West Indies captain Jason Holder demanded discipline from his bowlers in the remaining four ODIs of the five-match series against India, saying picking up wickets upfront would be crucial.
Fearless Hetmyer guides West Indies to challenging 207/5
'I remember on occasions where I lay in my room feeling the despair. It (mental health issue) is real, it is part of all sport and it is coming to the fore now with a lot more aggression. Players are at least standing up and saying 'I need to just remove myself, fight myself and comeback again'
