Indian Cricket Team Updates

Tendulkar averages 81.8 in Mumbai wins Sachin Tendulkar's unbeaten 79 against Haryana was his 19th half-century in the Ranji Trophy and his 115th in first-class cricket. This was Tendulkar's first fifty-plus score in eight first-class innings since his 81 against Australia at Chennai earlier this year. Tendulkar has ended his Ranji Trophy-career with an average of 81.8 in Mumbai's wins; he has hit 2290 runs from 23 matches including nine centuries.  Harbhajan's first five-for in 39 first-class innings Harbhajan Singh's bowling figures of 6 for 54 against Odisha in Punjab's opening match are his best in the tournament. The last time Harbhajan took a five-wicket haul in a first-class match was against South Africa in Cape Town in 2011, when he took 7 for 120 in the second innings. Between these two innings, Harbhajan has taken 57 wickets from 38 first-class innings, at an average of 38.3 and a strike rate of 94.0. First hat-trick in Ranji for Guj...

With a well-compiled unbeaten 79-run knock, Sachin Tendulkar helped Mumbai to an outright win against Haryana to begin the Ranji Trophy 2013-14 season on a winning note. Punjab, Gujarat were among the other teams to post thumping victories in their opening games on the last day of the opening round. Here is the round-up for Day 4 of the first round:  Group A  Haryana vs Mumbai : Requiring only 39 runs with four wickets in hand on the last day, Mumbai were guided to an outright win by Sachin Tendulkar on a testing wicket in Lahli. The master batsman took the team across the line with an unbeaten 79 and was ably supported by lower-order bat Dhawal Kulkarni (16*) during the chase to post a four-wicket victory in the opening game of the season. (Also Read:  Ranji Trophy 2013-14: Group A, Oct 29 ) Mumbai gained six points from the win. Odisha vs Punjab : Punjab posted a thumping innings and 48-run win over Odisha at the PCA Stadium in Mohali and gained ...

File Photo The much talked about game of the first round of Ranji Trophy 2013-14 between Haryana and Mumbai witnessed Sachin Tendulkar come out to bat for Mumbai but walk back after scoring just five runs and also saw veteran Ajay Jadeja make a comeback to the domestic circuit. In another Group A match, Punjab captain Harbhajan Singh claimed six wickets against Odisha to tip the balance in his team’s favour. Here is the round-up for Day 1 of the first round:  Group A  Haryana vs Mumbai : Mumbai were trailing by 34 runs with six wickets in hand. Opting to field first at the Bansi Lal Cricket Stadium, the Zaheer Khan-led team bowled the hosts out for 134 in the first innings. While the captain claimed one wicket, Abhishek Nayar continuing in his good form picked four for 38 and Javed Khan took two. In reply the visitors lost opener Kaustubh Pawar, Wasim Jaffer, Sachin Tendulkar and Nayar on Day 1. Veteran batsman Sachin Tendulkar was castled for five by Haryana pacer M...

Harbhajan Singh, aka the Turbanator, led the Mumbai Indians to the Champions League Twenty20 trophy in 2011, and in 2013 the off-spinner was the Man of the Match in the final against the Rajasthan Royals. (Also Read:  Sachin Tendulkar: All My Dreams Have Come True ) Although they had set the Rajasthan Royals a 203-run target, in the battle of David versus Goliath, the match was evenly placed till about the 16th over of the chase. But Harbhajan Singh struck in the 17th over to claim the key wickets of Ajinkya Rahane, Stuart Binny and Kevon Copper and tipped the balance in MI’s favour. The experienced campaigner took the game away from the Royals and finished with four for 32. (Also Read:  Rohit Sharma: My Team Stuck By Me Through Thick and Thin ) Among his other achievements, the spinner has over 400 Test scalps under his belt and has had the opportunity of playing alongside both Sachin Tendulkar and Rahul Dravid during his career. Speaking about the batting legen...

Anil Kumble shares a special relationship with the Feroz Shah Kotla Stadium. Many of his bowling exploits for India were architected there, including the historic 10-wicket haul against Pakistan in 1999. It was on this very ground where the former India captain played his final international match, in 2008. (Also Read:  Sachin Tendulkar: All My Dreams Have Come True ) India’s highest wicket-taker in Test cricket now has another reason to remember his favourite cricket ground fondly. This time, however, it is not for his own performance but that of his wards at the Mumbai Indians. The mentor of the team was brimming with pride after MI drubbed the Rajasthan Royals by 33 runs in the final to lift the Champions League Twenty20 2013 trophy. (Also Read:  Rohit Sharma: My Team Stuck By Me Through Thick and Thin ) In a chat with clt20.com, Kumble spoke about the jittery start his team made to the tournament and how they fought back to take the title. He paid a loving tr...

142 Runs added by the Mumbai Indians batsmen in the last 10 overs, after being 60 for one in the first 10. 63 Runs scored by the Mumbai Indians in their last four overs. The Rajasthan Royals could manage only 14 while losing 7 wickets. (Also Read:  Rajasthan Royals vs Mumbai Indians, Final - Report: CLT20-2013 ) 23 Number of balls taken by Sanju Samson to score his fifty – the fastest by any player in a CLT20 final. Sydney Sixers’ Michael Lumb had taken 33 balls against the Lions at Johannesburg in the last edition. (Also Read:  Rohit Sharma: My Team Stuck By Me Through Thick and Thin ) 8 All 8 Mumbai Indians batsmen had a strike-rate of more than 100. Each one of them also hit a boundary four or six. (Also Read:  Ajinkya Rahane: Sorry Couldn't Win The Game ) 4.3 Overs taken by the Rajasthan Royals to race to 50 – their joint second-fastest 50 ever. 4 Ajnikya Rahane scored his fourth consecutive 50 in the tournament. He became the first player to...

In a match befitting of a tournament decider, the Mumbai Indians defeated the Rajasthan Royals in a thrilling final played at the Feroz Shah Kotla Stadium to be crowned champions of the Karbonn Smart CLT20 2013. After posting a daunting 202 runs on the board, MI dismissed their opponents for 169 to win by 33 runs. (Also Read:  Rajasthan Royals vs Mumbai Indians, Final - Stats Highlights: CLT20-2013 ) The Rajasthan Royals’ run-chase was a reflection of true grit, determination and a never-say-die attitude one has come to associate with the team. Set to chase a mammoth 203, the Royals innings began on a disastrous note as opener Kushal Perera was run-out in the very first over. But that set the stage for young Sanju Samson, who was promoted to bat at No.3. The 18-year-old showed no nerves despite the huge task in front of him. He played some outrageous shots – mostly through the leg-side – en route to his fourth half-century in Twenty20 cricket, which gave his team a seriou...

Kolkata:  Just like his cover drives, Sourav Ganguly was at his flowing best in an exclusive chat with NDTV. The Prince of Kolkata spoke on a range of topics that included England's over-the-top celebration at The Oval earlier this week and the future of four 'special' cricketers - Virender Sehwag, Zaheer Khan, Yuvraj Singh and Harbhajan Singh -- whose careers blossomed under his captaincy. Ganguly spoke on his 'controversial' dream Indian teams and why he is happy doing reality shows on TV. Excerpts: Monideepa Banerjie:   I know everyone celebrates after winning a Test match but surely no excuses for soiling the pitch (Some England players urinated on the Oval pitch after their 3-0 Ashes win) Sourav Ganguly:  I can only laugh at that. I did not see the celebrations as England had already won the Ashes a Test match before the fifth game at Oval. But I saw the newspaper the next day and saw Alastair Cook and Matt Prior waiting for a bus to get to the hotel. Eng...

With the raging IPL spot-fixing scandal denting the credibility of cricket, off-spinner Harbhajan Singh on Saturday said that every effort should be made to clean up the game and adequate steps should be taken in this regard. "I am a small person. Bigwigs are busy cleaning the mess. I want that everything that needs to be done should be done to clean the game in wake of present IPL scenario," Harbhajan said when asked about the IPL spot-fixing scandal. He refused to comment when asked whether betting in cricket should be legalised or an anti-fixing law should be enacted. Harbhajan was addressing a press conference after inaugurating a cricket academy at a private school here. Asked how he spent his time when he was out of the Indian team, Harbhajan said there was a lot of cricket left in him and he wanted to give back something to the game without being unnecessarily concerned about his future. He expressed satisfaction at the performance of the Indian c...

In cricket numbers can be deceptive at times and may not paint the real picture. But in case of Harbhajan Singh’s record this IPL, they tell the true story. Talk of 22 wickets from 18 matches (before the final), at a remarkable 6.59 runs per over and an average of 20.09 – besides making Harbhajan’s best IPL season numerically, the above figures are also a representation of how well the off-spinner has bowled. (Also Read:  RR vs MI - Qualifier 2 Report & Stats: IPL 2013 ) In and out of the national team, the veteran spinner needed a little push from the back and a few words from a trusted ally. Enter Anil Kumble. Mumbai Indians’ new team mentor helped his former India spin-twin regain his mojo. All he did was reminded Harbhajan of a quality that made him one of the most successful Indian spinners – bowl for a higher number in the wickets column, not a low number in the runs column. Harbhajan did that and reaped the result. After accepting his Man-of-the-Match award for ...

For the first half of the first innings, you could feel the Rajasthan Royals were well and truly playing at home. The Mumbai Indians bowlers were carted all over the park; if they bowled length, they were massacred straight down the ground or over mid-on or mid-off for boundaries and maximums. On a day when the MI bowlers had an off day on the field, Harbhajan Singh proved to be the side’s lone bright star with the most economical bowling figures and a wicket to his name.  In an exclusive chat with IPLT20.com, Habhajan talks about his approach towards bowling in the shortest format of the game and expresses his appreciation for Haryana spinner Ajit Chandila. (Also Read:  Getting Ponting, Tendulkar bigger than hat-trick: Ajit Chandila ) Is bowling in T20s the biggest challenge for a bowler? Bowling in T20s has always been a challenge. Since we are playing in India, it is even more difficult where the pitches are batting friendly and the boundaries are quite sm...

Senior players Virender Sehwag and Gautam Gambhir on Saturday took to micro-blogging site twitter in order to congratulate their statemate Shikhar Dhawan, who announced his arrival on international stage with a mindblowing unbeaten 185 off 168 balls. "Awesome stuff Shikhi boy! :) Best debut ever!! So proud of you. Go for a huge one tomorrow!," Sehwag wrote on his twitter page. Gambhir urged his junior to continue the good work and crush the opposition. "Jatt ji (Shikhar Dhawan) proud of u. Well done. Pakdey rehna, chordnaa nahi. They r down, crush 'em. Make it large Shikhar." South African pacer Dale Steyn, who played alongside Dhawan in IPL side Deccan Chargers and will now play for Sunrisers also wished the left-hander good luck. "I hear Shikhar is smoking it! So happy for him! U go my friend!!!," wrote Steyn.  Former Australian batsman Matthew Hayden praised Shikhar Dhawan's magnificent hundred on debut and feels that...

India v Australia, 2nd Test, Day 3, Session 3 Images:

India v Australia, 2nd Test, Day 1, Session 3 Images: