Indian captain Virat Kohli says opposition hardly matters in the ICC Champions Trophy semi-finals and final even though an India-England final is what everybody seems to want.
The views are stunning, the skies are blue, the forests are lush and, wonder of wonders, thanks to the discipline of the tea estate, even man isn't vile, discover Renu Bahal Wadhwa and T C A Srinivasa Raghavan after a trip to Kerala's breathtakingly beautiful hill retreat.
The emphatic win gave Australia a 2-0 lead in the five-Test series, a stunning turnaround from the northern Ashes series that England won 3-0 earlier this year.
What the Indian economy looks like next January will influence her view on India, not her genetics, notes Shekhar Gupta.
Rajneesh Gupta presents some interesting numbers from Day 1 of Pune Test.
With a tally of 19 wickets in the series so far, Moeen Ali is the second highest-wicket taker from both sides after team mate James Anderson, who has 21 dismissals to his name. Incidentally, only three spinners have taken more wickets against India outside Asia.
Come February, the longstanding rivalry between Virender Sehwag and Shoaib Akhtar will be renewed but this time it will play out on an ice field rather than on a cricket ground.
Only Alistair Cook and Joe Root from the present English side played the 2012 series which England beat India.
If England's struggles in Bangladesh are anything to go by, they could be in for an even rougher ride in India over the next couple of months when they take on the world's number one side in a five-match series in similar spin-friendly conditions.
England trail New Zealand's first innings by 69 runs but need to survive the remaining 31 overs in the final session to stop the hosts from taking a 1-0 lead in the two match series.
Monty Panesar is hoping a change of county will help his chances of gaining selection for England's Ashes tour to Australia later in the year.
England's humiliating series defeat in India painfully exposed an alarming paucity in the side's slow bowling options and drove home the fact they will continue to struggle in South Asia until they unearth some world class spinners. Retired off-spinner Graeme Swann had bemoaned England's indifferent approach towards slow bowling before the five-match series started and his fears were confirmed after the touring side were handed a 4-0 drubbing.
'India's first and longest-serving prime minister created -- or at the very least imagined -- a modern, democratic nation-State of the 20th century,' says Sunil Sethi.
India keen to take down Australia for perfect end to season.
Rediff.com takes a look at this epicentre of reefer madness that is the 4/20 celebration.
'It's cool in a decadent, Rome-is-burning kind of way,' says Kishore Singh.
'Since Piku, Irrfan seemed content in delighting us with his finesse than striking a nerve.' 'Now, why was this so?' 'Why did our No 1 soul-searching actor suddenly decide that he'd rather be a heart-warmer?' 'Did those journeys take too much out of him?' asks Sreehari Nair.
Former England off-spinner Graeme Swann, who made a shock decision to quit all forms of cricket on Sunday, denied his criticism of arrogant international players was aimed at his team mates.
Uncapped Test duo Simon Kerrigan and Chris Woakes have been named in England's 14-man squad for the fifth and final Ashes contest against Australia, starting at The Oval on Wednesday.
'These problems teach us to think and assess information in a rational way.' 'That's all important at a time when a minister for education crudely humiliates a schoolteacher for giving the right answers,' says Devangshu Datta.
India Test discard Virender Sehwag has been roped in to captain the Marylebone Cricket Club squad in a four-day Champion County match against Durham, starting March 23, in Abu Dhabi.
Alastair Cook's England seem to have neither the form nor the resources to repeat their 2012 heroics against an Indian team determined to cement their top Test rankings in a five-match series starting at Rajkot on Wednesday.
Trend researchers who come from design schools and have an art and sociology background are the latest foot soldiers in the struggle of auto companies to stay ahead in the competitive race.
The many reasons why the famed scientist was a minor celebrity in Hollywood.
In motoring parlance, Australia spinner Steve O'Keefe is more reliable Korean car than prestige vehicle but his "happy" mental state makes him a great addition to the team garage, according to former England bowler Monty Panesar.
After Australia's spinners took 17 wickets to out-bowl their Indian counterparts in Pune, the hosts will now be less confident of having a major advantage should they decide to produce turning tracks for the remainder of the series.
Australia spinner Steve O'Keefe is aware that taming the Indians would be a 'big job' but exuded confidence that his team is capable of doing 'some damage' during their four-Test series.
Vanquished England skipper Alastair Cook blamed missed chances and lack of spin-bowling options for losing the fourth Test by an innings and 36 runs and with that the five-match series, in Mumbai on Monday.
Steven Smith (133) became the ninth Australian to score a century on captaincy debut as Australia wriggled out from a precarious 247 for 6 to post a mammoth 505 in their first innings in the second Test against India at the Gabba on Friday. He was well-supported by Mitchell Johnson (88) and Mitchell Starc (52) who made valuable contributions down the order, as the hosts took a first innings lead of 97 runs. India ended the third day on 71 for 1 in the second innings. Statistical highlights from the day's play. Statistical highlights from the day's play.
The Ashes remains the pinnacle of Test cricket for James Anderson like any Englishman but the showdowns against India also rank pretty high as the world No.1 side brings out the absolute best in him -- the 2012 away series being a case in point.
Qarib Qarib Singlle is not a film that can be rushed. It moves languorously, pausing to savour moments at will, notes Savera R Someshwar.
Rome's new mayor, Virginia Raggi, pulled the plug on the city's bid to host the 2024 Olympics, saying staging the summer games would bury the Italian capital under mountains of debt and tonnes of cement.
Swapnil Bajpai, 32, from Jalandhar, Punjab tells us about his 17 years of friendship with his best buddy Nikhil who currently resides in Dubai.
The former England opener says Cook, Bell and Root shouldn't be in the One-day squad and is unimpressed with the team's bowling line-up.
Former India star batsman VVS Laxman prefers all-rounder Hardik Pandya over Karun Nair in the playing XI for the first Test match against England, considering his all-round skill sets. Laxman is a firm believer of the "five bowler theory" and wants Pandya to open the bowling with Mohammed Shami, with Amit Mishra playing as the third specialist spinner.
Darryl D'Monte mentored more journalists than any other editor of his generation. Some of the biggest bylines owe their beginnings in our glorious profession to this wonderful human being.
Nitin Gokhale, national security expert and founder BharatShakti.in, tells us what the controversy is all about.
Henry Blofeld, who charmed the cricket world for more than 40 years, bids farewell to the microphone come September. Haresh Pandya salutes the Master.
Wrecking ball Mitchell Johnson laid further scars on England's battered psyche with a stunning seven-wicket haul that skittled the tourists for 172 and put Australia in complete control of the second Ashes Test after the third day on Saturday.
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