Rediff.com's Harish Kotian lists five reasons why Bhuvneshwar Kumar has struggled to make it to the playing eleven.
The games will mark the onset of a long summer for the Indian team, with sterner tests against England to follow this short series in Malahide on the outskirts of Dublin.
The seemingly invincible Kolkata Knight Riders will start outright favourites when they square off against Australia's Hobart Hurricanes in the semi-finals of the Oppo Champions League T20 in Hyderabad.
Amit Mishra was praised by Virat Kohli as one of the two or three batsmen who showed resistance in India's second innings of the first Test and the bowler has said that his captain's support gave him a lot of confidence.
Star medium-pacer Jhulan Goswami said India will look to get maximum points during the limited-overs series against New Zealand in their quest to qualify for the 2017 women's World Cup.
El Salvador have banned 14 international footballers for life for match-fixing, including some of their best-known and most experienced players.
'Leaner' Mohammad Shami has reaped benefits after drastically improving his fitness levels.
India will have their task cut out against a vastly improved England
Hit hard. Don't give up. Just do it!
'Saina and Sindhu are top contenders, but they will have to beat players who are playing solid badminton at this juncture.'
In her weekly QnA with Rediff readers, life coach and mental health guru Anu Krishna addresses issues relating to mental health and offers solutions.
England captain Eoin Morgan indicated that they will replace out-of-form opener Jason Roy with Jonny Bairstow.
'By the time he gets done, he'll not only be the best player of his generation, but the best ever.' 'It'll take another 100 years for someone to break his records.'
Having turned the tables in the one-dayers after a shoddy show in the Test series, New Zealand speedster Tim Southee is confident that the Black Caps can script history by winning their first ever bilateral ODI series in India.
'We have a quality group of players and we need to be smart about how we use them against opposition. I thought we played a very good game given the fact that what they had to offer. But definitely (Harbhajan was) not dropped in the way that you want me to say it. Just that it was a tactical decision'
These measures are in addition to other proposals made earlier, including regulation of sale and consumption of liquor, free trips to certain religious places like Sabarimala and distribution of one lakh cows every year.
War-torn Afghanistan, playing only their third match after being inducted as a Test-playing nation two years ago, completed a famous victory by defeating Bangladesh by 224 runs with 3.2 overs left on the final day on Monday.
India's batting coach Sanjay Bangar lauded his batsmen for adapting quickly to the team's requirements and coming out to bat at any position they are asked to.
With momentum on their side, Dhoni and Co need to justify the favorites' tag and go the distance.
England still blinking after perfect Ashes start.
Amit Mishra was the only Indian bowler to make an impact on an unresponsive wicket at St Kitts in the first practice game against West Indies President's XI. The leg-spinner, who is making a comeback into the national side, picked four vital wickets and also broke a 122-run stand for the second wicket in the second innings of the Caribbean side.
'They have a belief that they can go and win anywhere.'
The Indian men's archery team will have one last chance to book a Rio Olympics berth when the qualification round is held on the sidelines of the World Cup.
India have endured series losses in South Africa and England over the last nine months but have still managed to remain the number one side in the longest format.
The high-powered International Cricket Council's Cricket Committee, chaired by former India captain Anil Kumble, on Friday expressed concerns about the "quality of Test pitches", especially the tendency of home teams to prepare tailor-made strips that suit them.
'We are covering all bases because if you want to be a champion side, you don't want to give the opposition any window to get into the game'
Captain Root mastered the pink ball to make 136 and Cook was unbeaten on 153 at the close as England recovered strongly from a perilous 39 for two to take control of the game at Edgbaston.
Pakistan's spin great Saqlain Mushtaq says Virat Kohli is the only current player who 'comes close' to matching the standards of his legendary contemporary.
India vice-captain Ajinkya Rahane said their 9-0 clean sweep in Sri Lanka will have no bearing in the return series and they remain focussed on maintaining the No. 1 spot in Tests.
India vice-captain Rohit Sharma on Friday hinted that Ajinkya Rahane could be the one replacing his regular opening partner Shikhar Dhawan, who will miss the first three ODIs against Australia due to personal reasons.
India's limited-overs' skipper Mahendra Singh Dhoni may be a shadow of his old self but former Australian batsman Dean Jones feels the Jharkhand dasher will be "missed more in sub-continental conditions" once he calls time on his illustrious career.
Depleted by the absence of high-profile names, Indian Premier League 2014 champions Kolkata Knight Riders have a tough task on hand when they lock horns with formidable Chennai Super Kings in the opening Group 'A' match of the Champions League T20, in Hyderabad, on Wednesday.
The Mumbai Indians seem to script a similar story from the last two Indian Premier League editions, when they had recovered from poor starts. After a sluggish start in IPL 9, the defending champions have finally seemed to find their form by defeating heavyweights Royal Challengers Bangalore at the Wankhede Stadium. Captain Rohit Sharma led from the front by scoring a match-winning 62 runs but another major positive that MI can take from Wednesday's game is that they finally look to find their settled playing XI. Skipper Rohit reflects on MI's second victory out of five games and also reveals his future plans in the tournament. Congratulations on the successful run-chase. This must be a very satisfying win against a good team? Yes, it is a very satisfying victory, especially to beat a team like that. We just wanted to focus on our strengths and we did pretty much well. We bowled really well, we fielded really well and we batted well too. This was a perfect example of how we can perform as a team. As a captain it is sheer joy to see the batsmen step-up and perform well. I am really happy to see this.
Conceding that South Africa's teams haven't really fulfilled their potential in World Cups, captain Faf du Plessis said the Proteas need to win the upcoming ICC World T20 to shed the tag of 'chokers' which is haunting them for quite a while now.
Commonwealth Games bronze medallist R M V Gurusaidutt is desperate to avenge India's Thomas Cup loss to Korea when they open their campaign against the hosts in badminton team event in the upcoming Asian Games in Incheon, Korea.
Even after sealing a quarter-final berth captain Mahendra Singh Dhoni is averse to changes in the team for their next World Cup match against Zimbabwe in Auckland on Saturday.
'Virat and I have good understanding in the middle.' 'The West Indies is a good team and we all respect them.' 'Grabbing the momentum will be key and that is why the start of the series is very important.'
India return to place from where journey to glory began.
In white-ball cricket things are different -- over there you outsmart the batsman, and over here in Test cricket it's all about patience and consistency. That was my main focus today. You can't blast the batsmen out. I was looking to bowl good lengths and always challenge the batsmen with good lengths and good line. So in the end it was a good day.'
'I just want to keep learning and keep getting better.'
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