Indian Cricket Team Updates

India and Sri Lanka meet yet again, this time in the final of the Tri-Nation Series at Queen's Park Oval on Thursday, amid increasing speculation that Mahendra Singh Dhoni will be back to the lead the World Cup and Champions Trophy holders. (Also Read:  Preview: India vs Sri Lanka - Final - Tri-Series 2013 ) Dhoni sustained a right hamstring strain while batting against the West Indies in his team's first match of the tournament on June 30 at Sabina Park in Kingston and an announcement was made the following day that he was ruled out of the rest of the competition with uncapped batsman Ambati Rayudu being flown in as his replacement. However India's most successful captain ever has remained with the squad, and while there has as yet been no official word from the touring party, his presence on the field in pre-match warm-ups and in full team uniform during and after the final preliminary fixture against the Sri Lankans on Tuesday increase the likelihood that h...

What Final of the Celkon Mobile Cup, between India and Sri Lanka Where The Queen’s Park, Port of Spain, Trinidad When Thursday, July 11, 2013 The Teams India They suffered defeats in their first two matches, lost their captain MS Dhoni due to injury for the rest of the series and then faced a must-win situation to make the final. Since then, Virat Kohli and his young turks have shown tremendous character and skill to overcome all odds and book a place in the final of the tri-nation series. (Also Read:  MS Dhoni may be back for final against Sri Lanka: Tri-Series 201 3 ) The final will mark the 49th India-Sri Lanka cricketing contest since 2009. A superior ODI record against their familiar foes will augment India’s confidence. They might also receive another massive boost if, as hinted by Virat, MS Dhoni takes field. The Indian captain was earlier ruled out of the series with a hamstring injury. Sri Lanka The team from the Emerald Iles has blown hot and c...

What Match 6 of the Celkon Mobile Cup, featuring India vs Sri Lanka When Tuesday, July 9, 2013 Where Queen’s Park Oval, Port of Spain, Trinidad The Teams India For Team India, the last league match of the ongoing tri-series is a virtual semi-final as only a win would see them qualify for the finals on July 11. For a total less than 321, a win off the last ball will ensure that India make it to the final as it will take their net run-rate above that of West Indies (-0.383) – India’s NRR currently is -0.524. And if the Indians end up chasing a 321-plus total, they will need to get home with a few balls to spare – depending on the target they are chasing. The prevalence of rain in Trinidad over the last few days could present Virat Kohli and his young team an added challenge. As for the team combination, expect India to field more or less the same XI that defeated West Indies in the previous match. Sri Lanka A win in the rain-marred game again...

The rain curtailed final of recently-concluded ICC Champions Trophy has emerged as the highest rated ODI of the year with a stupendous 7.5 TVR on Indian television. While 5.1 TVR came from STAR Cricket and STAR Sports2, 2.4 TVR was contributed by Doordarshan. The ratings do not take into account viewers who would have consumed live cricket on STAR Cricket HD as it was not tracked. ( Also Read:   India vs England: ICC Champions Trophy 2013 - Repor t ) The tournament was seen by almost 11 crore individuals on STAR Cricket and STAR Sports2 network. This is almost 40 per cent higher than last edition of ICC Champions Trophy, which was seen by 7.85 crore people. ( Also Read:  India vs England: ICC Champions Trophy 2013 - Statistical Highlights ) Overall, the event delivered a rating of 2.1 TVR on STAR Cricket and STAR Sports2 network, almost 17 per cent higher than the last edition of ICC Champions Trophy. ( Also Read:  Shikhar Dhawan named player of the ...

Former Pakistan off spinner Saqlain Mushtaq believes Ravichandran Ashwin is a complete bowler who can do well in all three formats. Ashwin who has taken 92 wickets in 16 Tests and 76 in 54 ODIs is currently playing in the tri-series that features India, Sri Lanka and West Indies. His performance in the Champions Trophy in particular, impressed Mushtaq. Talking to pakpassion.net, Mushtaq said, “Ravichandran Ashwin, Ravindra Jadeja and Sunil Narine were the three spinners who really impressed me during the Champions Trophy. Ashwin, in my opinion, is an excellent all-round spinner who performs well in Test cricket too, not just the shorter formats. “Jadeja and Narine, however are yet to master bowling in Test cricket, which requires the utilisation of a very different set of skills which they are yet to demonstrate.” Apart from the orthodox off break, Ashwin has an armoury that features the carrom ball and a delivery stride in which he pauses just before releasing th...

What Match 4 of the tri-nation ODI series, between West Indies and India When Friday, July 5, 2013 Where Queen’s Park Oval, Port of Spain, Trinidad The Teams West Indies The hosts have made the most of their home advantage by beating both Sri Lanka and India in the first round. Both their victories came after choosing to field first on the slow Jamaica wicket, where the bowlers did a great job of restricting the opposition under 230. At Port of Spain, the WI batsmen will have to take charge. On the bowling front, it will be interesting to see if the hosts consider Jason Holder’s – replacement of the injured Ravi Rampaul – IPL experience with CSK and pencil him into the playing XI. Should they win against India come Friday, West Indies will book themselves a berth in the final. India After their Champions Trophy glory, the Caribbean tour has been an anticlimax for India. They have not only lost their first two matches in the tournament, but also lost their sk...

What Match 3 – India vs Sri Lanka – of the Tri-nation ODI tournament, also featuring hosts West Indies. When Tuesday, July 2, 2013 Where Sabina Park, Kingston, Jamaica The Teams India Riding high on their Champions Trophy triumph in England, the Indians flattered to deceive in their opening game of this tri-series. Barring Rohit Sharma (60) and Suresh Raina (44), the batting misfired. The bowlers did force the West Indies No.11 batsman at the crease while defending a modest total, but failed to deal the vital blow. Going into their second match of the tournament, India will experience a further setback with the absence of captain MS Dhoni. The Sri Lankans will surely look to exploit this situation as the Indians take the field without their astute skipper and master finisher. ( Also READ:  MS Dhoni Ruled Out, Virat Kohli Named Captain of Tri-Series ) Sri Lanka Like India, the Sri Lankan team too fell victim to the sluggish Sabina P...

What The second ODI of the tri-nation series, between West Indies and India When Sunday, June 30, 2013 Where Sabina Park, Kingston, Jamaica The Teams West Indies The hosts may have entered the tri-series on the back of an ordinary Champions Trophy campaign, but they made the best of their home advantage with an emphatic win over Sri Lanka in the first match of this competition. It is no surprise that the IPL stars from the Caribbean – Chris Gayle, Sunil Narine, Ravi Rampaul and Dwayne Bravo – shone on a slow and low Jamaica wicket a la India. The players’ enhanced knowledge about each other’s game due to time spent together at the IPL makes an India-West Indies encounter an exciting prospect. India The Champions Trophy 2013 winners are high on confidence and eager to meet with their two most familiar opponents in West Indies and Sri Lanka. The fact that India defeated them both en route their title in England, should make them feel positive. The Caribbean wickets will suit their s...

The international cricket calendar is one that is constantly moving, churning out tournaments and Test series, with players and teams crisscrossing the world and adapting to changing climes without much downtime. Just four days after the Champions Trophy drew to a close in England, the Celkon Mobile Cup One-Day International series featuring West Indies, India and Sri Lanka was officially launched in Jamaica. The three captains, Dwayne Bravo, Mahendra Singh Dhoni and Angelo Mathews, were quite philosophical about the grind and demands of international cricket. While admitting it is tough, they chose to look at the positives. Bravo noted that even as professional international players, it is still the love of playing cricket and facing tough competition that keeps them motivated. He is also keen on using this opportunity to make amends for West Indies’ early Champions Trophy exit. “I was disappointed with how the Champions Trophy ended for myself and rest of the West Indies team...

India pacer Bhuvneshwar Kumar has decided to help the Uttarakhand flash flood victims in his own small way by donating Rs one lakh which will be utilised for the benefit of the people affected by the tragedy. Bhuvneshwar's father Kiran Pal Singh today met Meerut District Magistrate at his residence and handed over a cheque of Rs one lakh to him for the flood victims. "I met DM (sahab) today and gave him a cheque of Rs one lakh for the Uttarakhand flood victims to donate under CM relief fund," Singh told PTI. "Bhuvneshwar called me up last night from England and said he could empathise with the victims. He said the whole Team India has been moved by the tragedy," Singh added. Bhuvneshwar is the second cricketer after off-spinner Harbhajan Singh to come out and help the affected people. Harbhajan, who was stranded in Joshimath for a few days along with his family members, has donated Rs 10 lakh. India's rising star Shikhar Dhawan has ...

Sourav Ganguly was a pleasant surprise at the presentation party for the ICC Champions Trophy final at Edgbaston on Sunday night. Dressed in a sky blue suit, when the former Test captain presented the Golden Bat and Golden Ball to Shikhar Dhawan and Ravindra Jadeja, respectively, a glorious and golden past met the future of Indian cricket.    June and the English summer has been very special for Ganguly. Seventeen years ago on June 22, he scored a century (131) on debut at Lord's. It was the second Test against England and two dramatic events changed the lives of two rookie batsmen. Navjot Singh Sidhu had walked out of the team under Mohammed Azharuddin's captaincy and Sanjay Manjrekar was indisposed. Ganguly and Rahul Dravid thus made their debuts. Ganguly became the 10th Indian to smash a century on debut while Dravid fell just five runs short of the coveted three-figure mark. Both went to lead India in Test cricket. Today, Ganguly is arguably one of the world...

India’s Ravindra Jadeja made all-round gains in the latest  Reliance ICC ODI Player Rankings  released on Monday, a day after India beat England by five runs in the final of the ICC Champions Trophy 2013.   Jadeja, who made an unbeaten 33 and picked two for 24 in the final, was named Man of the Match. His haul of 12 wickets in the tournament also made him the highest wicket-taker, fetching him the Golden Ball trophy.   Jadeja's efforts helped him move up a place to a career-best third in the latest  Reliance ICC ODI Player Rankings   for Bowlers. Jadeja also moved up three places to 52nd in the batting table. His combined effort with the bat and ball helped him move up a place to a best-ever third in the latest all-rounders’ rankings.   India off-spinner Ravichandran Ashwin has also made a return to the top 10 of the bowlers’ list, having jumped six places to ninth.   The others to make upward movements includ...