This is his 'Test' and for Kohli, a century to mark a 'century' is something he would be craving
India finally made their presence felt as they thrashed Afghanistan by 66 runs on Wednesday to keep alive their slim hopes of reaching the Twenty20 World Cup semi-finals.
Queensland quick Michael Neser looks set to make his Test debut against New Zealand on Thursday with Australia considering an unconventional five-man attack for the Boxing Day Test at the Melbourne Cricket Ground. The hosts, who can clinch the three-match series with a second successive victory, are wary of the surface at MCG where bowlers had to really toil for any success in recent times.
'Ngidi won't be available. He won't be arriving in time for the next game'
Trent Boult and Tim Southee have exposed the chinks in Prithvi Shaw's armour but India captain Virat Kohli is ready to wait and watch before any corrective analysis as he does not see a pattern in the young opener's dismissals so far. There are a few shortcomings that experts have noticed in Shaw's batting after the 20-year-old right-handed batsman scored just 16 and 14 in the two innings of the first Test against New Zealand in Wellington, which India lost by 10 wickets.
Australia skipper Tim Paine believes his side is climbing back towards the top of Test cricket after a third successive victory at Perth
Shikhar Dhawan's injury has unintentionally forced India to go for a tactical rejig despite convincing victories in the first two games against South Africa and Australia.
Dhoni's CSK will take on Rohit Sharma's Mumbai Indians in the tournament opener on Saturday. Fleming, a former New Zealand captain, stressed that his team's experience of winning big matches will come in handy during the next 53 days.
India's bowlers highlighted the balance of their side as they set up an easy seven-wicket win over New Zealand in the second Twenty20 international at Eden Park in Auckland on Sunday to take a 2-0 lead in the five-match series. KL Rahul (57 not out) and Shreyas Iyer (44) then marshalled the run chase as they helped their side to reach 135-3 with 15 balls to spare, chasing New Zealand's 132-5.
Information technology industry veteran V Balakrishnan on Thursday criticised the new digital rules, alleging that they appear to be unduly compromising the privacy right of citizens. The two key issues with the new IT rules relate to user privacy, which is a fundamental right, and the oversight mechanism lying fully with the executive arm of the government, said the former chief financial officer of Bengaluru-headquartered IT major Infosys Ltd.
Ferguson, who will need five to six weeks to recover, is returning to New Zealand and a replacement for him will be named on Tuesday, coach Gary Stead told reporters on Monday.
'I think there'll be a huge fallout from this (defeat). There's not too many times that you lose to the second or third (choice) side.'
Root, Williamson, Rizwan and Afridi nominated for ICC Men's Cricketer of Year
India opener Prithvi Shaw is likely to retain his place in the playing eleven for the second Test against New Zealand, starting Saturday, while Ravindra Jadeja may replace Ravichandran Ashwin.
Sachin Tendulkar led the cricketing fraternity in lauding the fighting spirit of Mahendra Singh Dhoni and Ravindra Jadeja in the World Cup semi-final against New Zealand.
'Their domestic and international players are well-paid and they have built a strong pool of players,' says Mushtaq Muhammad, one of Pakistan's most successful captains.
Former India cricketers, including Bishan Singh Bedi, VVS Laxman and Sanjay Manjrekar, questioned the Virat Kohli-led team's tactics after it was humbled 0-2 in the Test series in New Zealand.
Indian batting is prone to collapses, especially from a position of strength. Chasing 160, India were going strong at 102 for 1 but Smriti Mandhana and Jemimah Rodrigues's dismissals proved fatal for the visitors who collapsed to 136 all out, bringing back memories of their inexplicable surrender in the 2017 50-over World Cup final against England.
Having annoyed Nadal with an underarm serve at Acapulco, Nick Kyrgios doubled down with the tactic to win two points against hapless Serb Dusan Lajovic at the Miami Open and fire up a timeworn debate between modern fans and purists.
Unless they getting their batting and bowling woes sorted out soon, the 2023 World Cup looks another distant dream for the Men in Blue.
The studies that put Virat Kohli as the top brand now do not have Rohit Sharma in the Top 10. That will change quickly if he delivers the T20 World Cup next year or the ODI championship the year after.
Now we do not know if the Board bugs the dressing room or employs Pegasus in players' phones. But nothing stopped them from speaking with Kohli, points out Shekhar Gupta.
Jessie Fleming and Nichelle Prince got second-half goals to give Canada a 2-0 win over New Zealand on Saturday and book their place in the last 16 of the women's World Cup.
India have a real shot at winning their first ever away series against South Africa,
Former Australia captain Ricky Ponting has joined the Australian coaching staff for the side's five one-day internationals and one Twenty20 international game against England in June.
New Zealand batting great Martin Crowe has slammed the "illogical" captaincy of Mahendra Singh Dhoni in the ongoing Test series in England and feels India would be better off without his leadership in the longest format.
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.
A modest New Zealand skipper Kane Williamson has said his team was "fortunate" to be playing on similar wickets after pulling off a dramatic victory over Australia in the ICC World Twenty20 in Dharamsala on Friday.
Chennai Super Kings coach Stephen Fleming said Mahendra Singh Dhoni and Ravindra Jadeja are "pretty sick", an update that could leave fans, slowly gearing up to switch to World Cup mode, worried.
Mahendra Singh Dhoni's defensive tactics has not been of any assistance to India, who needs an aggressive man of Virat Kohli's nature to lead the team, feels former Australia captain Ian Chappell.
The comprehensive loss to a rampant England side was the first time Australia had made the last four of the competition and not advanced to the final.
Chappell still believes that Australia might have a slight edge in Test matches
South Africa's attitude, rather than any change in tactics, will determine how well they do at the World Cup, says Quinton de Kock.
New Zealand captain Kane Williamson and coach, Mike Hesson, opined that it will be a "bit of scrap" for the batsmen to face Ravichandran Ashwin & Co. while their own spinners need to adapt quickly to the SG Test from kookaburra ball.
New Zealand fast bowler Andy McKay has revealed that he is training under the guidance of Kiwi great Sir Richard Hadlee to prepare for his Test debut in the upcoming series against India.
Vettori has not been a part of any Day/Night Test but he feels batting during the twilight period will be challenging.
India committed a "tactical blunder" by dropping Mahendra Singh Dhoni to number seven in the batting order, said former stalwarts Sourav Ganguly and V V S Laxman.
New Zealand captain Brendon McCullum will skip tours of Zimbabwe and South Africa this year but will return to the side and be available until at least next year's World Twenty20 tournament in India, the country's cricket governing body said on Friday.
After demolishing the New Zealand bowling attack with consummate ease in the One-Day International series, explosive opener Virender Sehwag will once again be crucial for India to dominate New Zealand in the Test series starting in Hamilton on Wednesday, skipper Mahendra Singh Dhoni said. Dhoni said he wants Sehwag to play his natural game and not change his tactics in the three-match Test series.
'I think the franchise has grown and MS has grown with it, so it is a great relationship and great fun.'
© 2026 Rediff.com - Advertise with us - Disclaimer - Privacy Policy - Sitemap - Feedback - About us - Terms of use - Grievances