16 Indian batters have scored a century on Test debut. Many did not score a hundred again in their Test careers. Rajneesh Gupta's fascinating facts on the members of the elite club of debutant centurions.
'If Hardik doesn't bowl, it disturbs the balance of the side hugely'
India were 36 for one at stumps, with debutant Shubman Gill 28 not out and Cheteshwar Pujara on seven after the loss of opener Mayank Argarwal for a duck, after dismissing Australia for 195.
Young opener Shubman Gill and pacer Mohammed Siraj will make their Test debuts in the second Boxing Day Test against Australia, starting in Melbourne, on Saturday.
Set to play in the second Test against an in-form Australian team, KL Rahul had a long hit at the nets, and so did Rishabh Pant.
The experienced Shikhar Dhawan had got a measure of the wicket and if he had stayed at the wicket for a few more overs, it would have given licence to the likes of Rishabh Pant to chance their arm and hit a few boundaries to bring the asking rate under control.
Isa Guha feels that Indian team going into the first Test looks way more settled compared to the Australian side
Delhi Capitals hardly broke a sweat in the run chase, cantering to victory in 17.4 overs, their sixth win in eight matches.
At the end of it all, Dravid's one-year report card doesn't paint a rosy picture and a meticulous planner like him will sit back and think hard about the tough calls he might need to take before the ODI World Cup in a year's time.
Not focusing on mistakes and weaknesses has helped Delhi Capitals remain positive in the ongoing Indian Premier League, feels pace spearhead Kagiso Rabada.
Rishabh Pant said it "felt special" when Sourav Ganguly lifted him to celebrate the youngster's blistering 78 that steered Delhi Capitals to a six-wicket win over Rajasthan Royals and the pole position in the IPL.
IPL can be truly said to have come of age. It is now more Indian than ever before. Teams often fielded fewer than the four allowed foreign players. Indian batters and bowlers were simply better in performance, consistency and reliability, points out Shreekant Sambrani.
Young all-rounder Cameron Green scored a confident century for Australia 'A' on day two of the tour match against India 'A' in Sydney on Monday to put his hand up for selection in the Test series starting next week.
K L Rahul has been named vice-captain of the squad, which also has Ruturaj Gaikwad, Harshal Patel, Venkatesh Iyer, Avesh Khan, Axar Patel.
Television umpire Rod Tucker declared Dhawan not out.
India coach Ravi Shastri saw in Prithvi Shaw's batting, glimpses of two of the greatest batsmen of modern era and a non-conformist who redefined batsmanship.
Images from Day 1 of the Day-Night Tour match played in Sydney on Friday.
India finished the second day on 308 for four in 81 overs. They trail West Indies by just three runs, after the visitors were bowled out for 311 earlier in the day.
India's limited-overs vice-captain Rohit Sharma was on Monday ruled out of the upcoming ODI and Test series against New Zealand after sustaining a calf injury in the fifth T20 International on Sunday. Rohit retired hurt after scoring 60 off 41 balls after he pulled his calf muscle while going for a quick single during the fifth and final T20 International in Mount Maunganui.
After bagging lucrative deals at the Indian Premier League Players' Auction, the Indian team will be eager to deliver when they face arch-rivals Pakistan in the second semi-final of the ICC Under-19 World Cup in Christchurch, on Tuesday.
Will Captain Virat Kohli continue to change the team for the 39th game in a row?
Mumbai produced an incisive bowling display to bundle out Uttar Pradesh for a paltry 180 and take the crucial first-innings lead on the third day of their Ranji Trophy semi-final, in Bengaluru on Thursday.
Pacer Mohsin Khan picked up four wickets as Lucknow Super Giants outclassed Delhi Capitals by six runs, to inch closer to the IPL play-offs, at the Wankhede Stadium in Mumbai on Sunday.
His tunnel vision on the 'process' is legendary in Indian cricket and U-19 chief coach Rahul Dravid's next aim is to see a few of the World Cup-bound colts included in the 'A' team within the next six to eight months.
Defending champions India were today knocked out of the U-19 Asia Cup after suffering a shocking eight-wicket defeat at the hands of Bangladesh in Kuala Lumpur on Tuesday.
The focus will be firmly on India's Test vice-captain Ajinkya Rahane and young prodigy Prithvi Shaw when Mumbai take on Karnataka in their Ranji Trophy Elite Group B game, beginning in Mumbai on Friday. Both Rahane and Shaw failed with the bat in the last Ranji Trophy game against Railways which the domestic giants lost by 10 wickets inside two and half days.
The national anti-doping body said it has made improvements in the system to allay the fears of the Board of Control for Cricket in India.
Images from Day 2 of the Pink-ball first Test between Australia and India, in Adelaide, on Friday.
'I wish I could reverse-lap Jofra Archer, that's about it. Don't think I am brave enough to play the shots Suryakumar plays. To be honest, I wasn't looking to take Anrich Nortje on, it was a matter of just seizing the opportunity when I had it. Fortunately, there were one-two balls I was able to go after.'
Delhi Capitals bowlers made up for the team's underwhelming display with the bat to hand Rajasthan Royals a 33-run defeat in their Indian Premier League match, in Abu Dhabi, on Saturday.
The 10 IPL franchises have so far spent above Rs 388 crore collectively
'There is an auction every year, but not every year will they have an opportunity to play for India in possibly a World Cup semi-final. That doesn't come very often'
'I am heartbroken at his dismissal, but I a happy Mayank has almost cemented his place in the team. Look at his consistency. He has now two half-centuries and a good 42 in the three innings he had played so far Down Under'
Who do you think should be part of India's playing XI for the first Test against Australia?
Not only Yash Dhull's batting but his captaincy is also being appreciated as he is on the verge of emulating the likes of Mohammed Kaif, Virat Kohli, Unmukt Chand and Prithvi Shaw in leading India to the Under-19 World Cup title.
India have more serious worries on their hands heading into the Boxing Day Test at the Melbourne Cricket Ground next week - the visitors are definitely in a spot of bother as far as their opening combination is concerned.
Wicketkeeper-batsman Wriddhiman Saha hit a gutsy half-century to help India A escape with a draw against Australia A, on the third and final day of their practice match at Drummoyne Oval, in Sydney, on Tuesday.
Pace bowler Umesh Yadav claimed three wickets but Cameron Green hit an unbeaten century to give Australia A the lead on Day 2 of the three-day practice match against India A at the Drummoyne Oval, in Sydney, on Monday.
In other big movements, Punjab Kings have released their last edition's captain Mayank Agarwal, while West Indies skipper Nicholas Pooran was released by Sunrisers Hyderabad.
India retained their number one spot and captain Virat Kohli remained static at second in the ICC rankings. India have 116 rating points, six more than New Zealand with third-placed Australia accumulating 108 points.
