Indian Cricket Team Updates

A 187 on Test debut, Player of the Tournament in the Champions Trophy and five ODI centuries so far – Shikhar Dhawan has had a year he will never forget in his life. The left-handed opener concluded India’s home season with an authoritative century (119 off 95 balls) in the last ODI against West Indies to give India a 2-1 series win in Kanpur. (Also Read:   Zaheer Khan exudes confidence ahead of South Africa tour ) The Man of the Match of India’s five-wicket win, Dhawan looked back fondly at the ‘beautiful’ 2013 and focused on the huge last month of the year ahead of him. (Also Read:   Zaheer Khan’s presence will help: Umesh Yadav ) “I am thankful for being blessed with such a beautiful year and I am really happy that I have formed the habit of scoring centuries. It’s a good habit and I want to continue with that,” Dhawan said. “It’s good to end on a high note and this century will do a lot for my confidence when I go to South Africa. “It also adds to my confiden...

Along with veteran India pacer Zaheer Khan, Umesh Yadav has made his way back into the national Test squad for the much-awaited tour of South Africa. The nine-Test-old bowler will be hoping to make an impactful comeback, much like the ones the senior left-arm pacer is known for. (Also Read:  Zaheer Khan exudes confidence ahead of South Africa tour ) Before heading off to South Africa, Umesh will be playing against Zaheer at Wankhede Stadium in a four-day domestic Ranji Trophy match from November 28 to December 01. Although he last played a Test in November 2012 before being laid off due to injury, he has since played one Duleep Trophy match and two games in the ongoing Ranji Trophy season. Prior to that, the pacer had also played in the shorter formats of the game in tournaments like the Champions Trophy in England and in the Tri-nation series in the West Indies. (Also Read:   India Squad for South Africa Series 2013 ) While speaking to the media after practice at Wank...

Ace pacer Zaheer Khan is back in the national side as India embark on their tour of South Africa in December. Having led Mumbai to two victories in three games so far in the Ranji Trophy 2013-14, the left-arm pacer is in the thick of things and raring to go. (Also Read:   India Squad for South Africa Series 2013 ) “I am looking forward to joining the team (India). I will be playing this Ranji game [against Vidarbha]. It is going to be good to get some overs under the belt,” he said while speaking to the media in Mumbai ahead of the Ranji Trophy game scheduled to start on November 28 . (Also Read:  India Tour of South Africa Schedule and Fixtures 2013 ) Speaking about the upcoming tour, he said, “I have had some good memories of South Africa. My last comeback was there, so I am looking forward to it.” Speaking about making his way back into the national side, Khan, who last played a Test in December 2012, said, “I was expecting that. Last year when I sat down and was ...

Former cricketer Jonty Rhodes gave a huge morale-boost to the Indian batsmen for their upcoming battle against the South African pace attack in the three-Test series later this year, saying they possessed the wherewithal to confront the high-quality home team bowlers led by Dale Steyn. "In the IPL, they (Indians) are playing against the South Africans and Australians. They have a lot more confidence playing against them. They have the ability and the skill. They are not afraid of the pace," Rhodes told PTI in an interview here. "Dale Steyn is fast but he is not going to kill you. Vernon Philander bowls 130 kmph but he bowls in good areas and Morne Morkel gets bounce. It needs different skills to face those three different bowlers, but the Indian line up certainly has the ability to outclass the South African pace attack if they put their minds to it," said the 43-year-old former Proteas player. India are scheduled to play the world's highest-rank...