A formidable India U-19 team coached by the legendary Rahul Dravid start as overwhelming favourites against minnows Ireland in their opening Group D league match of the ICC U-19 World Cup in Mirpur on Thursday. Being three-time champions, the tournament has always helped India unearth raw talent who have gone on to become big stars in the future. Whether it is Yuvraj Singh or India's current No. 1 batsman Virat Kohli, India have been lucky in terms of tapping quality talent from the tournament. It's no different this time round as the likes of Ishan Kishan, Risabh Pant, Avesh Khan would like to showcase their talent under the able guidance of Dravid, in an event which is widely televised.
A summary of sports events and sports persons, who made news on Sunday
Maintaining that it's not the end of the road for seniors like Zaheer Khan, Board of Control for Cricket in India secretary Sanjay Patel said India's Test squad for the upcoming series against West Indies was selected keeping in mind the busy international schedule next year.
India will play four Test matches against Australia with the first five-day contest commencing in Adelaide on December 6.
The 24-year-old, who was part of India's World Cup-winning Under-19 team in 2008, was banned for use of a prohibited substance during the sixth edition of the Indian Premier League in 2013.
'I was a nobody two months ago. Now people want to see me play for India.' 'Isn't it a giant leap?'
For tennis-ball sensation Ramesh Kumar, the Rs 20 lakh contract with KKR has ensured that his father doesn't have to make a living as a cobbler and his mother no longer needs to criss-cross villages in Punjab's Fazilka district to sell bangles.
Indian all-rounder Ravindra Jadeja got engaged to a Rajkot-based mechanical engineer, Reeva Solanki, in a private ceremony on Friday.
One of cricket's greatest players passed into the ages on Monday. Rediff.com salutes the legend.
Stuart Binny celebrated his maiden call-up into the Indian team with a scintillating 88 as table toppers Karnataka asserted their supremacy with a solid performance, scoring 226 for 5 at stumps on the second day of their final Ranji Trophy match against hosts Delhi, who are almost out of the race for a quarter-final berth.
Kohli penned a letter addressed to his 15-year-old version, dedicating quite a bit of its content to his late father Prem Kohli.
It is that time of the year when cricketers from around the world wait with bathed breath as their names come up at the Indian Premier League auction.
Veteran wicketkeeper-batsman Parthiv Patel on Thursday advised young Rishabh Pant to ignore criticism and focus on his game, saying dealing with this constant pressure can help him emerge as a better batsman. Seen as heir apparent to Mahendra Singh Dhoni, the 22-year-old Pant has been receiving flak for his failure to perform consistently at the international level.
The much talked about young duo of Ishan Kishan and Rishabh Pant will also be seen in action for India 'A' during the two-day warm-up match against Bangladesh, starting in Hyderabad, on Sunday.
"I have had a very good Ranji season this year. If you talk about T20 then I have had a very good IPL season for KKR. I am bowling well, letting down 9-10 overs in every match (Vijay Hazare), so things are moving in the right direction. Wickets are coming my way and I am also getting runs, when I am batting.
Sudeep Tyagi and Siddharth Trivedi, the medium pacers from Uttar Pradesh and Gujarat respectively, won't be a part of the Saurashtra Ranji Trophy squad for the first two matches this season.
'I look to make a comeback in the Indian team,' Shanthakumaran Sreesanth tells Rediff.com's Harish Kotian.
While he continues to be available as a wicketkeeper-batsman in ODIs and T20Is, the ICC Champions Trophy in England in June could be an indicator whether he would continue as a player till the 2019 World Cup.
Jharkhand spinner Shahbaz Nadeem broke a two-decade-old world record for best bowling figures in List A cricket, with an incredible haul of 8/10 against Rajasthan in the Vijay Hazare Trophy in Chennai on Thursday.
Dravid said that if there are more teams, all the talented players could be fitted in and there won't be a drop in quality.
Praising Kuldeep Yadav for his recent exploits in international cricket, India discard Suresh Raina said credit should be given to former head coach Anil Kumble for shaping the young spinner.
The Indian Premier League Players' Auction auctions are always 'tricky' and going unsold does not make him feel frustrated, reveals Cheteshwar Pujara as he fights the public perception of being a red-ball specialist.
Pravin Tambe believes that one's age is what one feels and at 48, the Mumbai leg-spinner doesn't think that he is one day older than 20. On a day when youngsters went unsold at the IPL auctions in Kolkata, the former Rajasthan Royals leg-spinner, who was the oldest player in the list, was snapped up by Kolkata Knight Riders at his base price of Rs 20 lakh.
He was expected to script a new chapter of hope in the sporting history of Jammu and Kashmir but it ended up being a case of so near yet so far for Jammu and Kashmir all-rounder Parvez Rasool, who was not included in the Indian team for any of the five One-Day Internationals against Zimbabwe.
Easwaran opened up on his hopes from the UK tour and what he has learned from the likes of Virat Kohli and Rohit Sharma by watching them closely in the India nets.
Suresh Raina was presented a golden opportunity to force his way back into the Test squad after being named captain of the Board President's XI, which will play the West Indies in a three-day warm-up match ahead of the Test series that follows the ongoing One-day internationals.
The last time he took charge, Ravi Shastri gave the Indian team a new josh after the 2007 World Cup debacle. Can he do so this time as well?
Pre-tournament favourites India put up a dismal show in their opening practice game, losing by six wickets to New Zealand in London on Saturday.
'I would have loved to see Dhoni play the first ever Test in Rajkot.' Fans from Saurashtra share their excitement with Haresh Pandya.
You pick the cheerleaders' team you like best.
'I enjoy this game, whenever I go in to bat, I put up a show.'
Tips from the likes of India batting legends Sunil Gavaskar and Rahul Dravid during the just-concluded 'A' teams' tri-series, says Mayank Agarwal, will go a long way in shaping his fledgling career.
Kedar Jadhav has played as a wicket-keeper batsman in 23 of his 51 IPL matches. The 31-year old attacking batsman donned a different role in India's victory in the first ODI against New Zealand in Dharamsala. A part-time off-spinner Jadhav claimed two crucial wickets to heap more misery on the Kiwis. On his new role with the Indian team Jadhav said, "When you play for India, you have to contribute in every possible way you can.
Cheteshwar Pujara says he pays no attention to talk about his slow batting, as his job is to make sure that the team wins at all times.
Shahbaz, one of the pillars of the Bengal Ranji Trophy side, is also an integral part of Royal Challengers Bangalore
For Sri Lanka captain Rangana Herath, the two-day game against Board President's XI may be a warm-up game but for home team skipper Sanju Samson, it is an opportunity to gain experience of facing one of the best spinners in world cricket.
A look at 5 exciting bowlers to watch out for in IPL 2020.
Disappointed at Parvez Rasool not getting a game in the ongoing ODI series against Zimbabwe, Jammu and Kashmir Cricket Association (JKCA) said the young all-rounder has lost a big opportunity to showcase his talent on a tour that was meant to test the second crop of Indian cricketers.
'The confidence we have with so many victories in Test matches, though they have come at home but still... going on a winning note is always good. So I am sure this is one of the most balanced teams that we have'
It is widely believed that the Indian team management was unhappy with Karun's inclusion in the Test set-up.
