Intent does not always translate immediately into numbers, and effort however sincere needs to find expression in runs, especially with a World Cup drawing closer.
IMAGES from the WPL match played between Royal Challengers Bengaluru and UP Warriorz on Monday.
Shubman's T20I series participation against South Africa doubtful; Samson, Jaiswal contenders for the slot
India's T20 World Cup squad had space for only 15, but the pool of quality options ran far deeper. The consequence was inevitable: several players with genuine claims were left on the outside, the unlucky ones who narrowly missed the cut.
India's players lauded batting maestro Virat Kohli after his scintillating century guided India to a 17-run win over South Africa in the first ODI in Ranchi on Sunday.
Under-fire India head coach Gautam Gambhir says it is up to the Board of Control for Cricket in India to decide his future after the Test series whitewash against South Africa, but he reminded everyone of the success the team has achieved during his tenure at the helm.
A fine half-century from Babar Azam and a three-wicket haul by pacer Sean Abbott helped Sydney Sixers seal a six-wicket win over Melbourne Renegades during their Big Bash League (BBL) New Year's clash on Thursday.
Strong fifties from Atharva Taide and Ravikumar Samarth powered Vidarbha into the quarterfinals of the Vijay Hazare Trophy with a thumping 160-run win over Assam in Rajkot on Thursday.
Devdutt Padikkal slammed his second consecutive ton, while Karun Nair also scored a run-a-ball century to guide defending champions Karnataka to a comfortable eight-wicket win over Kerala.
Both Suryavanshi and skipper Mhatre are coming into the tournament following a great run of form in the ongoing Syed Mushtaq Ali Trophy.
Spin-bowling all-rounder Will Jacks will replace paceman Mark Wood in an otherwise unchanged England side for the second Ashes Test against Australia in Brisbane.
Madhya Pradesh sealed a 47-run victory over Kerala in their Group A Vijay Hazare Trophy clash on Monday, but the win did little to mask Venkatesh Iyer's continuing struggles with the bat.
The T20 WC champions will look to enter this phase with clarity of intent as they refine roles, streamline combinations and settle the XI that will carry the weight of expectations in front of home crowds.
'I definitely believe the kind of form he is in, the way he is batting, it will strengthen the Indian batting line-up.'
With the IPL auction days away, some young cricketers who may launch a bidding war among the franchises.
India had entered the tournament on a high, demolishing the UAE by 234 runs in their opening match, powered by a Suryavanshi century.
Arshin Kulkarni struck a run-a-ball 114 while Ramakrishna Ghosh made a stunning 27-ball 64 not out to set up Maharashtra's comprehensive 128-run win over Mumbai in their Vijay Hazare Trophy Group C match, in Jaipur, on Saturday.
Steyn, however, said his team had "exceeded expectations" on their tour of India.
Shubman Gill has been guilty of taking too much load on himself since his T20 comeback and the Indian team wants him to bat as freely as he does in the IPL, said assistant coach Ryan ten Doeschate.
Virat's streak of happiness: Indian batting legend continues scorching run against SA, achieves 11th instance of a remarkable feat
From Royal Challengers Bengaluru's historic first IPL title to star javelin thrower Neeraj Chopra finally breaking the iconic 90-meter mark to India women winning their first cricket World Cup, this was the year of long-awaited victories and record-breaking feats.
The franchises spent a total of Rs 204.45 crore on 77 players, to complete their squads for IPL 2026. However some big names went shockingly unsold...
'You have a lot of options if you want to see. You can remove Abhishek Sharma and Shubman Gill and you can open with Sai Sudharsan and Ruturaj Gaikwad...'
Australia's Travis Head says he is prepared to open the batting once more against England during the ongoing Ashes series after his second innings display in the first Test in Perth last week led the home side to an eight-wicket victory over the tourists.
Former India batting coach Sanjay Bangar lauded wicketkeeper Rishabh Pant's fearless batting approach and natural talent, recalling how Ashish Nehra had predicted the youngster's rapid rise.
'We just need to chisel away at some of the things we haven't got quite right and make sure that we still have that conviction of what we're trying to achieve.'
Captain Pat Cummins and spinner Nathan Lyon have returned to the Australia XI for the third Ashes Test against England in Adelaide.
Sutherland, Gardner sparkle as Australia outplay England by six wickets
Shukri Conrad's 'grovel' remark has sparked an unexpected storm, and Sunil Gavaskar has stepped in with a sharp reminder: South African cricket has long been supported and in many ways sustained -- by India
The lack of runs from captain Suryakumar Yadav and his deputy Shubman Gill remains a talking point.
Speaking on the RCB Podcast, the English cricketer revealed that the team's style and clarity of communication made the transition seamless.
The Indian cricket fraternity shared their views on India's T20I World Cup squad, which threw up several surprises with the return of Rinku Singh and Ishan Kishan, while Jitesh Sharma missed out and Shubman Gill was dropped.
'To be able to take over or equal Glenn, or however you want to put it, it's pretty humbling to be honest with you, and it's something that I'll look back at the end of my career, or even tonight, and sit back and try and have a moment.'
Having already secured a place in the semi-finals, England will be hoping to acquire some quality workout time for their batters in their last league match against a beleaguered and rain-tormented New Zealand in the women's World match Cup, in Visakhapatnam, on Sunday.
Chief selector Ajit Agarkar identified Shubman Gill's recent lack of runs and combination compulsions as reasons for his omission from India's squad for the T20 World Cup.
'The runs from his bat at the top of the order will be crucial for India's success in this five-match series against South Africa.'
'They are up their own backsides convinced that Test cricket has changed so much that only they know anything about the modern game.'
UP batters, spinners overpower Hyderabad by 84 runs in Vijay Hazare opener
"There is no plan to remove Gautam Gambhir": Rajeev Shukla quashes reports of change in Test coach
'We would like to believe and back ourselves to know these conditions or adapt to these conditions a lot faster even if we find them slightly different, as compared to, say, somebody who is brought up in Johannesburg and has played all his cricket at the Wanderers ground.'
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