Indian Cricket Team Updates

What The final of Champions Trophy 2013, between India and England Where Edgbaston, Birmingham, England When 15:00 IST, Sunday, June 23, 2013 The Teams India Such has been India’s domination in the tournament that they have won all their matches so far with the same XI. The positives – batting and fielding – have been brilliant enough to cover up a relative lack of steel in the pace bowling department. Up to the semi-final, India got home-like slow and flat wickets. Small wonder then their spinners dominated. However, Bhuvneshwar Kumar, Ishant Sharma and Umesh Yadav gave an account of their skills in swinging, overcast conditions against Sri Lanka to take the team to the final. After tasting success on different types of wickets and overcoming opponents with varied strengths, India will be feeling confident going into the final against the hosts. Setting their record straight in England after their forgettable 2011 tour here might act as additional motivation ...

Former captain Sanath Jayasuriya said Sri Lanka will target the Indian bowlers during the Champions Trophy semifinal slated for Thursday at the Sophia Gardens here. ( Also Read:   2011 WC final on our minds: Mathews ) "Their (India) bowling isn't the best, so we need to have a very good plan. The goal was to make the semifinals. Anything can happen now," Jayasuriya told the BBC. ( Also Read:   Dhoni wary of ‘dangerous’ Sri Lanka   ) Jayasuriya, who led Sri Lanka when it shared the Champions Trophy with India in 2002, said Sri Lanka are peaking at the right time. Sri Lanka lost to New Zealand in their opening match but came back strongly and made the semifinals with wins over England and Australia. "I think the side is really coming up. The batting and the bowling unit has been doing really well for the last two years. I'm happy the way things are going," Jayasuriya said. source: ndtv.com

Sri Lanka have earned their place in the semi-final of the Champions Trophy 2013 on the back of tough victories in the league phase. The Angelo Mathews-led side comprising former captains – Mahela Jayawardene and Kumar Sangakkara – is eager to take the field on June 20 against India and hope to book a place in the final. ( Also Read:  Dhoni wary of ‘dangerous’ Sri Lanka | India vs Srilanka, Semi Final, CT2013 ) India, on the other hand, have put up an impressive performance in the tournament so far and their young batting line-up has emerged as one of the best in the tournament. Speaking about tackling the formidable batting line-up and his advise to his bowlers, Mathews said, “I haven't told them anything so far. Yes, we need to make our plans and strategies right for tomorrow, but I am sure the bowlers are confident enough to face their batting line-up. But I think India is a very strong team to beat, and the past record has not been very good for us. But hopefully we can...

Ahead of their semi-final clash against Sri Lanka, India captain Mahendra Singh Dhoni termed the team from Emerald Isle as a ‘dangerous’ side and said that his team will not just concentrate on Mahela (Jayawardene) and Kumar (Sangakkara) but the entire opposition squad. ( Also Read:   Preview: India vs SriLanka - Champions Trophy 2013 ) “I think they are a dangerous side. If you see their first seven batsmen, all of them are very dangerous; I think we will concentrate on all of them rather than thinking about the two individuals. But yes, they are someone who have done really well for Sri Lanka, but we need to prepare also for the whole team,” he said. ( Also Read:  India vs Srilanka, Semi Final - Champions Trophy 2013: Battles to watch out for ) Both the teams have plenty of experience when it comes to playing against each other. The India captain feels, “It gives a basic idea of what the strengths and weaknesses of each and every individual are as far as the bowler...

India so far has had a fantastic run in the tournament, winning all their matches including the warm up games and booked a spot in the semi-finals before any other team in the tournament. This definitely makes India the team to beat in the tournament. However, knowing Lankans Tigers, they will not give an inch in the cricket field and will do all that is required to make a match out of it when the two giants of the sub-continent, India and Sri Lanka, meet in semi-finals of the Champions Trophy at Cardiff. (Also Read:  Preview: India vs SriLanka - Champions Trophy 2013 ) Battles to watch out for: Dhawan vs. Kulasekara The Indian batting looks to be in ominous touch with Shikhar Dhawan and Rohit Sharma taking their team off to flier, more often than not in the tournament and Sri Lanka will have to come up with something special to stop them. It will be a contest worth watching when Shikhar Dhawan takes on the likes of Malinga and Kulasekara early on in the innings. N...

What The second semi-final of ICC Champions Trophy, 2013, between India and Sri Lanka When Thursday, June 20, 2013 Where Sophia Gardens, Cardiff, Wales, England The teams India With three wins from as many matches in the tournament, India are the overwhelming favourites to lift the ICC Champions Trophy, 2013. Like it happened in their victorious 2011 World Cup campaign, batting has been the cynosure of India’s journey to the top-four with tremendous aid from the fielders and a few cases of individual brilliance with the ball. Pace bowling has been a problem area for India with only Bhuvneshwar Kumar bowling consistently well in all three matches. India have fielded the same XI in all three matches and in case of an unlikely change in the semi-final, expect either Umesh Yadav or Ishant Sharma to sit out for Vinay Kumar. (Also Read:  MS Dhoni urges high-flying India to stay grounded: ICC Champions Trophy-2013 ) Sri Lanka The team from the Emerald Isle has ha...

What Match 10 of the ICC Champions Trophy, 2013, between India and Pakistan When Saturday, June 15, 2013 Where Edgbaston, Birmingham, England The Teams India Why fix what isn’t broken? India will go into their third match of the tournament with this mindset and hence, in all probability, will field an unchanged side. After emphatic wins over South Africa and West Indies, if there’s one area that MS Dhoni will look at for improvement, it is the death bowling. The Indian pacers need to bring their subcontinent bowling expertise into the picture while bowling towards the end of the innings, when the wicket has settled and the ball stops moving in the air. If at all the team management decides to make a change, it could be the inclusion of Vinay Kumar in place of Umesh Yadav. (Also Read:  MS Dhoni & Co must maintain winning momentum: Sunil Gavaskar ) Pakistan All hopes of making the semi-finals have been lost for Pakistan after defeats in their first two m...

What Match six of the ICC Champions Trophy, 2013, between India and West Indies. Where The Oval, London When Tuesday, June 11, 2013 The Teams India India’s batting was considered their obvious strength and it was proved right in their first match of the tournament. Led by centurion Shikhar Dhawan, the Indian batsmen flayed a Steyn-less but nonetheless mighty South African bowling attack for 331 runs and gave the bowlers the luxury of ending on the winning side despite conceding 305 runs. MS Dhoni would bank on his batsmen to take them forward into the tournament. The ploy of opening the batting with Rohit Sharma worked in the last game and it is likely that he will be given a chance to follow up his fifty with a bigger score. That spells tough luck for Murali Vijay once again. Barring injuries, expect India to field an unchanged side against the West Indies. West Indies The swaggerers from Caribbean have come into the Champions Trophy after having ru...

Here are a few stats ahead of India's clash against West Indies on Tuesday Introduction   India and the West Indies have met 106 times in ODI cricket with the West Indies winning 57 matches and India 46, with one tie and two no-results. India has won nine of their last 12 meetings. They have met three times in the ICC Champions Trophy with the West Indies leading 2-1.  They won by six wickets at Dhaka in 1998 and by three wickets at Ahmedabad in 2006. India won by seven wickets at Johannesburg in 2009. India was joint-winner of the tournament in 2002.  The West Indies won in 2004.   Lie of the Land   India has played 11 ODIs at The Oval, winning three and losing seven with one no-result. The West Indies have also played 11 games at the venue, with nine wins and two defeats. 46 day ODIs have been played at the ground. 17 have been won batting first and 28 batting second, with one no-result. In those 46 matches, 15 captains wo...

What The first match of Champions Trophy 2013, between India and South Africa When June 6, 2013 Where Sophia Gardens, Cardiff, England The Teams India All Indian players have flown to England after two hectic months of the IPL. Back in national colours, they will look to take fresh guard and further consolidate India’s top ranking in ODIs. If their performance in both their warm-up matches (against Sri Lanka and Australia) is anything to go by, MS Dhoni and his men look in tremendous form going into the main tournament. Thanks to the resurgent Dinesh Karthik – who scored centuries in both warm-ups – the batting department looks as plush as ever despite the patchy form of some of the regular members of the playing XI. Karthik is a sure starter against South Africa and the only question is who will sit out to accommodate him. If Dhoni persists with Karthik in the middle order, Rohit Sharma might have to sit out due to his indifferent performance...