Indian Cricket Team Updates

For the third consecutive time in the series, MS Dhoni won the toss, and for the third consecutive time he opted to field first. In fact, in two ODIs against South Africa also – where he won the toss – Dhoni had opted to field first. The result summary: 4 losses, one tie. (Also Read:  Report: New Zealand vs India, 3rd ODI ) Varun Aaron had last played for India against West Indies at Visakhapatnam on 02-12-2011. He missed 56 matches during that period. MS Dhoni was playing his 250th international match as captain. The break-up of his matches: 51 Tests, 157 ODIs and 42 T20Is. Dhoni became the first Indian and only the fifth player to do so, after Australia’s Ricky Ponting (324), New Zealand’s Stephen Fleming (303), South Africa’s Graeme Smith (283) and Australia’s Allan Border (271). Martin Guptill (111) made his fifth ODI ton – his first against India. Kane Williamson (65) made his third consecutive 50 in the series. He became the first New Zealand player to m...

Rain followed the innings break and forced the last game of the three-match ODI series to be abandoned. Two centuries in the South African innings propelled the hosts to a 301 despite losing three wickets for 28 up front after opting to bat. In the last ODI at the SuperSport Park, besides Quinton de Kock it was AB de Villiers who slammed a ton to ensure the hosts a commanding total in the absence of Dale Steyn and Morne Morkel. While the centurions and David Miller with an unbeaten half-century milked the attack, the Indian bowlers put up a better performance to claim eight wickets and keep the team in reckoning. However, with incessant showers making an appearance, India didn’t get an opportunity to chase the target. Earlier, after SA opted to bat, Mohammed Shami brought into the attack in to the attack in the fifth over ended the opening partnership for 22. With Hashim Amla caught at square-leg by Yuvraj Singh India had ensured that there won’t be yet another solid start for ...

Rohit Sharma’s 177 is the highest score by a debutant at No.6, obliterating Australia’s Doug Walters’ 155 against England at Brisbane in 1965-66. Rohit’s 177 is also the second-highest score by an Indian in his very first Test innings, after Shikhar Dhawan’s 187 against Australia at Mohali earlier this year. Overall, it is the seventh-highest individual score by a player batting for the first time in Test cricket. (Also Read:  India vs West Indies – 1st Test, Day 1: Stats Highlights ) R Ashwin (124) posted his second Test century – also his highest score in Test cricket. Incidentally, his previous highest was 103 also against West Indies at Mumbai (Wankhede) in 2011-12.   (Also Read:  India vs West Indies – 1st Test, Day 2: Stats Highlights ) Ashwin has now equaled the Indian record of most centuries at No.8. Kapil Dev, MS Dhoni and Harbhajan Singh also have 2 centuries at this position. After 17 Tests Ashwin has aggregated 740 runs (avg 41.11) and taken 97...

The Mohammed Shami-led Indian bowling attack ran through the West Indies line-up, after Rohit Sharma and Ravichandran Ashwin piled the runs, to give India a comprehensive innings and 51-run victory. The pacer claimed a five-for in the second innings – as the hosts bowled the opposition out for 168 – to finish with nine scalps in his debut game at the Eden Gardens.    (Also Read:  India vs West Indies – 1st Test, Day 2: Mach Report s ) Earlier, runs continued to flow for the first 21 overs for India on the third morning as Rohit Sharma and Ravichandran Ashwin built on their overnight stand. Having helped rescue the team from a precarious situation, Ashwin, who was eight short of his second Test ton, brought up the three-figure mark with a single in the third over of the day. And complementing each other, the duo added 82 runs to this morning. Having scored bulk of the runs that India had on board, they had extended the lead to 202 in a record 280-run seventh-wicket p...

With a knock that was a picture of patience, perseverance and elegance, Rohit Sharma engineered India’s recovery with a century on debut, after Shane Shillingford had left the hosts reeling on 83 for five in the morning. Coming in to bat at No.6, Rohit carried forward his superb limited-overs form into the first Test. Adapting to the situation he played a careful knock at the Eden Gardens to tip the balance back in India’s favour. (Also Read:  India vs West Indies – 1st Test, Day 1: Mach Report s ) He bided his time at the crease as he first helped MS Dhoni stabilise the Indian innings, and then with an unbroken 198-run partnership with Ravichandran Ashwin, the middle-order bat guided India to 120–run lead at the end of Day 2. At stumps India were 354 for six, with Rohit unbeaten on 127 and Ashwin eight short of his century. Earlier, playing in his 11 th  Test match, West Indian off-spinner Shane Shillingford was instrumental in keeping the Indian batsmen on a ti...

Mohammed Shami and Rohit Sharma were making their Test debut for India. They became the 279th and 280th players to represent India in Test cricket. Sheldon Cottrell became the 297th player to represent West Indies in Test cricket. (Also Read:   India vs West Indies – 1st Test, Day 1: Report ) Rohit Sharma made his Test debut after having appeared in 108 one-day internationals. He now holds the record of playing most ODIs before making his Test debut. Rohit wrested the record from India teammate Suresh Raina, who had appeared in 98 ODIs before making his Test debut (vs Sri Lanka in 2010). Sachin Tendulkar became the seventh Indian to play a Test after turning 40, after Rustomji Jamshedji, CK Nayudu, Cota Ramaswami, Vijay Merchant, Lala Amarnath and Vinoo Mankad. Incidentally the last 40-plus player to appear in a Test was England’s Alec Stewart (in 2003). The last Indian to play a Test after turning 40 was Vinoo Mankad. Sachin Tendulkar is playing his 13th Te...

The bowlers put India in a dominating position at the end of first day’s play at the Eden Gardens. Local lad and debutant, Mohammed Shami, claimed a four-for, while the rest of the bowlers chipped in with wickets to bowl West Indies out for 234 in the first innings.  In reply, India were trailing by 197 runs with openers Shikhar Dhawan on 21 and Murali Vijay on 16 at the end of day’s play. (Also Read:  India vs West Indies – 1st Test, Day 1: Stats Highlight s ) Earlier, after the West Indies opted to bat first, pacers Bhuvneshwar Kumar and Shami removed the visitors’ openers – Chris Gayle and Kieran Powell respectively – within the first 15 overs of the day to get India off to a good start. Gayle, who had looked tentative during his short stay at the crease, was the first to be sent back. The destructive opener edged Kumar to Murali Vijay at second slip. And four overs later, Shami got the better of Powell. He departed while top-edging a wide bouncer from the debutan...

George Bailey became the first Australia skipper to amass 300 runs in any bilateral ODI series. He reached the milestone en route his 98-run knock against India in the fourth match against India at Ranchi on Wednesday. Here are all the statistical highlights from the encounter that was abandoned due to rain: (Also Read:  India vs Australia Star Sports 4th ODI 2013 - Report ) # Nine games between the two countries could not produce results in ODIs. Australia have won 66 and India 38 out of 113 contested - winning per cent for Australia (63.46) and India (36.53).  # Australia's 295 for eight is the highest innings total at Ranchi. # George Bailey (98) has posted his second highest score in ODIs, next only to the 125 not out vs West Indies at Perth on February 3, 2013. # Bailey's 98 is the second highest by a captain in a no-result games in ODIs, next only to the 101 by Bev Congdon for New Zealand vs England at Wellington on March 9, 1975. # Bailey's el...

India pacer Mohammed Shami’s first spell to send back Australia’s top three batsmen for 32 runs was the highlight for the hosts in the washed out fourth ODI at the JSCA International Stadium. Brought into the team for the match in Ranchi, he used the conditions to his advantage to deliver a telling blow up front, after MS Dhoni opted to field in overcast conditions. (Also Read:  India vs Australia Star Sports 4th ODI 2013 - Report ) Shami dislodged Aaron Finch’s bails in his first over, while his back-of-length delivery a little later took the edge of Phillip Hughes’ bat that was pouched by Dhoni behind the stumps. In his next over he castled Shane Watson to give India a leg up. While reflecting on his plans later, Shami spoke about utilising the conditions and told  bcci.tv  that pace with swing is important for his bowling.    Excerpts from his interview: Coming into the team with India 1-2 down in the series, what was the pressure like? Once ...

The fourth ODI of the series between India and Australia ended in a washout as rain played spoilsport in Ranchi. India’s aim of drawing level in the series with a win has been put on hold as Australia maintain their 2-1 lead going into the fifth match.  (Also Read:  India vs Australia Star Sports 4th ODI 2013 - Stats Highlights ) Chasing Australia’s 295 for 8, the Indian openers had scored 27 in 4.1 overs before rain interrupted the play. Rohit Sharma was unbeaten on nine while Shikhar Dhawan was batting on 14 when the players were taken off the field. After MS Dhoni elected to field, Mohammad Shami had the Aussie top-order back in the pavilion in eight overs. His first spell of six overs with pace, control and immaculate length got him the wickets of Aaron Finch (bowled off a back-of-the-length fast, swinging delivery), Phil Hughes (caught behind off another shortish, rising delivery) and Shane Watson (bowled off a swinging length ball) for 21 runs. Playing his firs...

Statistical Highlights form the game between India and Zimbabwe:  # India have taken a 3-0 lead over Zimbabwe in a bilateral series - their first such instance in Zimbabwe. For the first time in a bilateral series in Zimbabwe, India have won three ODIs. (Also Read:  Report: Zimbabwe vs India, 3rd ODI, Harare, 28th July 2013 ) # Zimbabwe have lost their 100th game out of 150 played at home (Won 45, Tied 2 & NR 3). The tally includes eleven defeats out of fifteen to India. # Virat Kohli's first fifty vs Zimbabwe is his 24th in ODIs. As captain, he has recorded two hundreds and a fifty in ODIs. # Kohli is the only batsman to have averaged 60-plus in chases (minimum 2000 runs) - his tally being 2915 at an average of 60.72, including 25 innings of fifty-plus - 9 hundreds and 16 fifties. # Vusi Sibanda has registered his second duck vs India - his 13th in ODIs. He had first recorded a duck vs India at Perth on February 3, 2004. # Vinay Kumar has captu...

With a seven-wicket win in the one-sided third match against Zimbabwe, India have claimed the five-match ODI series with a 3-0 lead. After the Indian seamers exploited the conditions early on to send the opposition on the backfoot, the spin attack, led by Amit Mishra’s four-for skittled them out for 183. Captain Virat Kohli (68*) then effortlessly led India to the target at the Harare Sports Club after Shikhar Dhawan set the tone with a quick 35. Opting to bowl first, the unchanged Indian team dominated the proceedings from the word go to bowl the home team out for 183 with four overs to spare. Opening the bowling for visitors, Vinay Kumar removed Visu Sibanda off the third ball of the day without Zimbabwe even opening their account. And while their first run came off a wide, Sikandar Raza tentatively edged Mohammed Shami to Dinesh Karthik off the pacer’s first delivery to leave his team on two for two. With his team reeling from the early blows, captain Brendan Taylor joined...