The hockey veteran of four Olympics said the team should work on fitness as only four months are left for the elite six-nation tournament, in Chennai.
There was no shortage of quotable quotes. Here's some of the more memorable ones.
Pakistan have dropped senior batsman Younus Khan from the list of 30 probable players announced for this year's ICC Champions Trophy on Sunday.
Images from the Champions Trophy match played between Australia and England in Birmingham on Saturday.
Sri Lanka have named five uncapped players in their provisional 30-man squad for the ICC Champions trophy in England and Wales in June.
Tanvi Sharma is the youngest champion in the history of the Taipei Open at 17 years and 222 days.
Statistical highlights of the Champions Trophy Group B match between India and Pakistan in Birmingham.
The Hitman still probably hurts over missing World Cup glory in 2011 and his stellar career rightfully deserves one last hurrah at the ODI World Cup.
The hosts take on Olympic champions Australia in their opening match of the December 10 to 18 hockey tournament.
Manchester City enter a challenging post-Guardiola era, with Enzo Maresca tasked with preserving their dominance, managing squad changes and meeting immense expectations in a fiercely competitive Premier League.
Pace spearhead Auqib Nabi was the standout performer for Jammu and Kashmir but the triumphant Ranji Trophy campaign was a team effort.
Arsenal begin their Premier League title defence as the hunted, facing heightened expectations and a reshaped league featuring new managers, major departures and ambitious rivals challenging their supremacy.
Captain Mahendra Singh Dhoni on Tuesday expressed confidence that despite recent controversies the Indian team will not be under any pressure going into the Champions Trophy.
Iga Swiatek defeated Elena Rybakina 6-2, 6-3 to win her first title of the season at the Canadian Open. The victory provides a significant confidence boost for Swiatek ahead of the US Open.
The ICC's event technical committee has approved the name of opener Alviro Petersen as Graeme Smith's replacement in South Africa's squad for next month's Champions Trophy in UK. Smith has pulled out of the event due to an ankle injury.
India will launch its ICC Champions Trophy title defence against traditional rivals Pakistan at Edgbaston, Birmingham, on June 4. Check out the complete schedule.
Heavy rain since evening delayed the start of the final and even though the skies relented later, but by then the damage had already been done.
Photos of Group A match Champions Trophy match between England and New Zealand in Cardiff, on Sunday.
Choke is a word which has haunted South African cricket for three decades but rather than shy away from it, departing coach Gary Kirsten has embraced the term in a bid to end their semi-final hoodoo.
Barcelona manager Hansi Flick has extended his contract through to June 2028, with an option for a further season, after he guided them to a 29th LaLiga title, the club said on Monday.
Looking at the unconfirmed list of contestants lining up for the 20th edition of Bigg Boss.
The 2013 Champions Trophy in England will bring the curtains down on the 14-year-old tournament, with the ICC moving towards having one championship for each of the game's three formats from 2015.
Pakistan's cricket board has appointed former captain Sarfaraz Ahmed as the head coach of their Test team for the upcoming two-match series in Bangladesh, succeeding Jason Gillespie.
Defending champions South Korea hold Pakistan to 1-1 draw
Saransh Jain's domestic success motivated by his cancer-affected dad's inspiring note. Saransh received his India Test call-up for the Sri Lanka tour on Tuesday.
Pakistan's hopes of a triumphant return to Champions Trophy hockey were dashed after 4-2 defeat to Spain, in Auckland, on Monday.
While India downed China, Ashari struck twice in Malaysia's 3-1 win over Pakistan.
Olympic champions Germany clinched the Hero Champions Trophy title with a convincing 2-0 win over Pakistan in the summit clash, snapping their five-year old jinx in the elite eight-nation event at the packed Kalinga Stadium in Bhubaneswar.
Al-Ahli, despite playing with ten men, secured a 1-0 victory over Machida Zelvia in extra time to retain their Asian Champions League Elite title at the King Abdullah Sports City Stadium.
Former Indian cricketer Cheteshwar Pujara shared memorable anecdotes from his IPL career, including a 'fanboy moment' meeting Kolkata Knight Riders co-owner Shah Rukh Khan and Australian pacer Josh Hazlewood's humorous refusal to bowl to him in the Chennai Super Kings nets.
The England and Wales Cricket Board (ECB) have recommended that the ICC Champions Trophy in 2017 follow the successful formula of the 2013 edition and proposed The Oval, Edgbaston and Cardiff as the venues.
India's Kedar Jadhav had six career wickets in one day internationals before Thursday's Champions Trophy semi-final against Bangladesh but it was his very occasional off-spin proved to be decisive in his team's win.
India has lost the right to host this year's Champions Trophy because of an administrative mess which may cost the country future events as well, the International Hockey Federation (FIH) said on Tuesday.
South African cricketers David Miller and Hashim Amla, on Friday, said it would be a great loss if the Indian team pulls out of the Champions Trophy as the country has largest number of cricket followers in the world.
Having achieved the goal of a podium finish at the recently-concluded Champions Trophy in London, the Indian men's hockey team chief coach Roelant Oltmans has now set his eyes on his next big target -- the Rio Olympics.
Reigning world champions India, Britain, South Africa and hosts United States are set to feature in the men's Twenty20 competition when cricket returns to the Olympics at the 2028 Games in Los Angeles following a qualification pathway approved by the International Olympic Committee (IOC).
Ending weeks of uncertainty, the International Cricket Council on Thursday announced that Pakistan remain hosts for next month's Champions Trophy despite security apprehensions. After the ICC Board members held a teleconference, Pakistan Cricket Board chairman Nasim Ashraf told a news conference that the tournament will be staged in Pakistan as scheduled following a consensus decision by all members of the board.
South Africa will stage this year's Champions Trophy one-day tournament in September and October, the International Cricket Council (ICC) said on Monday.
Having sneaked into the semi-finals with a last-ball victory over Pakistan, Australia will have to plug their batting loopholes when they take on England in the first semi-final of the Champions Trophy in Centurion.
