Indian Cricket Team Updates

Defending champions, India kicked-off their ICC World Cup 2015 campaign with a 76-run win over arch rivals Pakistan at the Adelaide Oval. Virat Kohli’s (107) century stands with Shikhar Dhawan and Suresh Raina helped India to 300 despite a collapse in the death overs after opting to bat. Back at No 3, Virat was involved in 129 and 110-run stands with Dhawan and Raina respectively to set the stage for a formidable total on a batting friendly track. The Mohammed Shami-led attack then kept the opposition in check. Complemented by excellent fielding, they kept up the pressure even as Misbah-ul-Haq (76) put up a lone fight. Striking at crucial junctures they kept partnerships from building and bowled Pakistan out for 224.   Earlier, with Mohammed Irfan and Sohail Khan hurling at the batsman, Rohit Sharma and Dhawan had put together 34 runs until the former was sent back. Rohit top-edged Sohail Khan and Misbah took the catch running in from mid-off.   With Kohli, Dhawan th...

In the format where spinners prefer to contain the flow of runs by bowling a flat trajectory, Amit Mishra is a rare exception. The leg-spinner has achieved recent success in the Twenty20 format by sticking to his attacking instincts, which is to bowl to pick wickets. (Also Read: Stats Highlights: India vs Pakistan – WT20 2014 ) "I am not afraid of flighting the ball because I always think about taking wickets and not restricting the batsmen,” Mishra said after bowling India to a win against Pakistan in Mirpur. “I believe you can never succeed trying to stop the flow of runs instead of trying to take wickets. If you try to take wickets, you can put pressure on the batsman," Mishra said after his Man of the Match winning performance of 4-1-22-2 in India’s first game of the World Twenty20. (Also Read: Report: India vs Pakistan – WT20 2014 ) Mishra said his belief also got the approval from his captain, who encouraged him to bowl to his strengths. "The cap...

0 India have never lost to Pakistan in a World Cup match. They have won all four encounters in World T20 and all five in ODI World Cup. So, the Men in Blue are now 9-0 against their archrivals in World Cup competition. (Also Read: Report: India vs Pakistan – WT20 2014 ) 2 Number of times Suresh Raina has taken three catches in a Twenty20 International match. He now joins Ross Taylor as the only other fielder to do so more than once. (Also Read: I always think about taking wickets: Amit Mishra ) 4 Number of times Kamran Akmal has been dismissed run-out in T20Is. Two of them have come against India, making him the first batsman to suffer this fate. His brother Umar holds the Pakistani record with 5 run-outs. 33 Number of wickets taken by Saeed Ajmal in World T20. With this he equalled Sri Lanka’s Lasith Malinga’s tally of most wickets in the tournament. 1011  Number of days after which Amit Mishra appeared in a Twenty20 International. He made his T20I d...

India opened their account in the 2014 ICC World Twenty20 with a seven-wicket win over archrivals Pakistan in their opening game of the tournament. In the Group 2 encounter, the Indian bowlers set up the game in their team’s favour by restricting Pakistan to 130 for seven. And later, following a 54-run opening stand between Rohit Sharma and Shikhar Dhawan, Virat Kohli and Suresh Raina took India across the line with a 66-run unbroken partnership. (Also Read: Stats Highlights: India vs Pakistan – WT20 2014 ) Opting to field first, MS Dhoni opened the bowling with Ravichandran Ashwin. India went into the game armed with the spin trio of Ashwin, Ravindra Jadeja and Amit Mishra, to complement the pace of Bhuvneshwar Kumar and Mohammed Shami. The spinners proved to be economical as India restricted Pakistan to a modest total. (Also Read: I always think about taking wickets: Amit Mishra ) Pakistan were on 115 for six till the 19th over. But Sohaib Maqsood unleashed h...

This was the 11th time these two sides were meeting in the Asia Cup. The record now reads: India 5, Pakistan 5, No Result 1.    (Also Read:  Report: India vs Pakistan – Asia Cup 2014 ) This was the 10th encounter between these two sides in Bangladesh. India are still ahead with a 6-4 record. Mohammad Talha was making his ODI debut. He became the 197th player to represent Pakistan in ODIs – and the 16th to make his ODI debut against India (later in the game, he suffered the ignominy of becoming first Pakistani to get a duck against India in his debut game). Amit Mishra made yet another comeback to the Indian side. Interestingly, he had made his ODI debut way back in 2003, but has played only 22 games thus far. Rohit Sharma made his fourth 50 against Pakistan. Plus, his strike-rate in this match (96.55) is his highest against Pakistan in an innings. In fact, it was the fifth highest for Rohit in an innings where he’s scored 50 or more. Virat Kohli has now aggregated 266...

Shahid Afridi (34 off 18) played a blinder of a knock to pull off a thrilling victory against India in what was a virtual semi-final in the 2014 Asia Cup. The charismatic cricketer sealed a tense chase of 246 with consecutive sixes off R Ashwin to give his team a one-wicket win.     (Also Read:  Stats Highlights: India vs Pakistan – Asia Cup 2014 ) With Pakistan needing 43 runs off five overs, the match hung on tenterhooks. To turn up the excitement level even further, Shahid Afridi walked into the middle. He began by running his partner (Sohaib Maqsood) out and then concentrated on sending the ball out of the boundary. A four and a six in the 46th over, off Jadeja swung the momentum in Pakistan’s favour. In the next, the one bowled by Bhuvneshwar Kumar, Afridi and Umar Gul eased the target by smacking a four and a six respectively. In the last three, Pakistan needed 17. Pakistan’s chase began on the perfect note with the openers firing straight away. Sharjeel K...

Being aware about his limitations as a bowler has been key to Bhuvneshwar Kumar's success at the international level, feels his childhood coach Sanjay Rastogi.  (Also Read:  Bhuvneshwar Kumar enjoying bowling in English conditions ) "Bhuvi knows his limitations as a bowler and never tries to cross those. Consistency makes his bowling more lethal. He will get better with the experience and can spearhead Indian pace attack with this consistency," Rastogi told PTI Bhasha on Sunday.  (Also Read:  India vs Pakistan: ICC Champions Trophy 2013 - Report   ) Kumar snapped two for 19 during his man-of-the-match performance against Pakistan yesterday but what made him stand out among the pace trio was the length which he bowled.  ( Also Read:   India vs Pakistan: ICC Champions Trophy 2013 - Statistical Highlights ) "This is his first England tour. He was expecting to get the ball to swing in English conditions but as he himself has said that he ...

Indian captain Mahendra Singh Dhoni has told his match-winning young team to remain focused as it approached the business end of the Champions Trophy. (Also Read:  India vs Pakistan: ICC Champions Trophy 2013 - Report   ) The reigning World Cup champions have enjoyed a remarkable campaign in the eight-nation tournament so far, becoming the only team to enter the semi-finals with an all-win record. (Also Read:  India vs Pakistan: ICC Champions Trophy 2013 - Statistical Highlights ) But Dhoni knowns all the good work will mean nothing if his team slips up in Thursday's second semi-final in Cardiff against a still unknown opponent from the wide-open group A. (Also Read:  Bhuvneshwar Kumar enjoying bowling in English conditions ) "There are, hopefully, still two more matches to go and we must play with the same intensity that we have shown so far," the Indian captain said. (Also See:  Images: India v Pakistan - ICC Champions Trophy 2013 ) It has ...

Images: 10th Match, Group B: India v Pakistan at  Edgbaston , 15 Jun 2013 RELATED LINKS: India vs Pakistan: ICC Champions Trophy 2013 - Statistical Highlights India vs Pakistan: ICC Champions Trophy 2013 - Report Bhuvneshwar Kumar enjoying bowling in English conditions