Indian Cricket Team Updates

India’s World Cup campaign ended in Sydney after Australia sealed the deal with a comprehensive 95-run win over the defending Champions. The chase was always meant to be tough after Australia posted a mammoth total of 327 runs on the board. But India did begin their run-chase positively as openers, Rohit Sharma and Shikhar Dhawan, got off to brisk starts, setting a perfect tempo for a successful run-chase. However, quick wickets and disciplined bowling from Australia put India under constant pressure and in the end India fell short of the target. ( Also Read:  Report: Australia vs India – ICC Cricket World Cup 2015 ) India captain MS Dhoni agreed that the team was slightly under pressure while chasing the mammoth total. “I felt it was a good score,” he said. “Yes, there was pressure, but at the same time it needed some good batting and good partnership. The score was gettable but it needed some hard work to get the runs on the board.” Dhoni also believed India could have ...

Australia sealed their place in the semi-final with a six-wicket win over Pakistan on Friday. They face India next in their semi-final clash which is set to be played at the Sydney Cricket Ground in five days’ time. India are on a roll having won all their matches thus far. And Glen Maxwell reckoned they had to be at their best to beat an in-form Indian side. “India are a very good side, they wouldn’t be here in the semi-finals if they weren’t a good side,” Maxwell said. “We have to bring our A game forward when we play them this week.” ( Highlights & Report: ICC Cricket World Cup 2015 ) India don’t have the best of memories of an Australian summer having lost the Tests and the tri-series, something that Maxwell believed would be playing in their opponent’s mind come Thursday. “I think we targeted them pretty well this summer. They haven’t won a game against us all summer and I hope that is pretty clear in their memories. We’ve been dominant all summer in the ODI format and hop...

ICC CRICKET WORLD CUP 2015 STATS Here the list of TOP RUNS SCORERS in ICC Cricket World Cup 2015. TOP 10 RUNS SCORERS KUMAR SANGAKKARA SRI LANKA Innings: 7 Average: 108.20 541 MARTIN GUPTILL NEW ZEALAND Innings: 7 Average: 83.00 498 BRENDAN TAYLOR ZIMBABWE Innings: 6 Average: 72.16 433 AB DE VILLIERS SOUTH AFRICA Innings: 6 Average: 83.40 417 TILLAKARATNE DILSHAN SRI LANKA Innings: 7 Average: 65.83 395 SHIKHAR DHAWAN INDIA Innings: 7 Average: 52.42 367 MOHAMMAD MAHMUDULLAH BANGLADESH Innings: 6 Average: 73.00 365 MISBAH-UL-HAQ PAKISTAN Innings: 7 Average: 50.00 350 CHRIS GAYLE WEST INDIES Innings: 6 Average: 56.66 340 SEAN WILLIAMS ZIMBABWE Innings: 6 Average: 67.80 339

Unbeaten in the tournament, with six wins in as many games, India start as firm favorites against Bangladesh, who will be playing the knockouts of a World Cup for the first time. India, however, are not taking their opponents lightly. “We are not taking Bangladesh lightly,” Suresh Raina said on the eve of the India’s Quarter Final tie at the Melbourne Cricket Ground. “Tomorrow is a big day for us. This is the quarter-final and we have to win. One mistake and you can lose.”  (Also See:  ICC Cricket World Cup Highlights ) Talking about the side’s preparations before the marquee clash, Raina said, “Today when we were practicing there was a sense of calm. Everyone looked focused in the nets. We have won from this stage many times and it is important that there is that belief in the team. We know what to do when we wake up in the morning. We just need to apply ourselves, need to be disciplined and enjoy a lot on the field. The results will follow. There is belief ...

Everything went according to plan for India at the WACA. The bowlers worked as a unit, put pressure on the Windies batsmen and bundled them out for 182. In the run-chase though on what was thought of as a cake walk, India stuttered. They kept losing wickets at regular intervals and finally for the first time in the tournament, India were under the pump. It required a disciplined batting effort to take India through and it came from their captain who led India to a close four-wicket victory scoring an unbeaten 45. There was a time in the innings when India had lost its top five and wanted Ravindra Jadeja the batsman to show character and play a supporting role to his captain. Jadeja instead lived dangerously, flashed a few and ultimately mistimed a pull and gave away his wicket at a crucial juncture of the match. “I think he needs to improve,” Dhoni said, reviewing Jadeja’s performance of late. “He needs to step up because we have a lot of faith in him. But at the end of the day you...

On a wicket that offered a lot of bounce, it was R Ashwin who made optimum use of the conditions at the WACA, registering career best figures of 4 for 25 against the UAE. With three wins in as many games, India next meet West Indies at the WACA on Friday. For Ashwin though, preparations remained the same irrespective of the opposition. “In terms of approach or preparation towards the game it is going to be the same because we are prepared for every other team the way we have prepared for the big teams,” Ashwin said. “It is not going to be very different and I am pretty confident about executing my skill tomorrow.”  When asked if he had any specific plans to keep Gayle quiet, Ashwin was of the view that his main motive was to take wickets against batsmen who have been a dominating force in international cricket. “It is not just about Chris Gayle, it is about any other hard-hitting batsman when it comes to my bowling. As far as I am concerned I will look to get their wicket and g...

Two months back, when the five wise men of Indian cricket were jotting down names for the 15-man World Cup squad, Mohit Sharma was sweating it out in a Ranji Trophy fixture for Haryana in Lahli. In fact, that very morning he took a hat-trick against Delhi and ended up with a four-wicket haul in the match. He would later find out that he would have to take a flight for Australia to be a part of the ODI tri-series. To his disappointment though, he did not find his name on the World Cup squad list.  ‘Never mind’ Mohit, told himself. Work ethics won’t change, the hunger would remain a constant and with time he would find meaning to the saying ‘Hard work pays’. Injury concerns to the Indian pace battery would mean Mohit would stay back with the Indian squad as for cover. In restless times, assurance would comfort him and as luck would have it, he was named as a replacement for Ishant Sharma who was flown back home due to a knee injury.  RELATED LINK: Video: Mohit Sharma hat-...

Team India will be without the services of head coach Duncan Fletcher since he has left for Cape Town to attend the funeral of his father-in-law. Fletcher will miss India’s next match, against the UAE, and is expected to rejoin the team in Perth on Monday ahead of their match against West Indies.  India opener Shikhar Dhawan, during the pre-match press conference ahead of the game against UAE, said that the team would miss his presence but that it won’t hamper their preparations for Saturday’s match.  Also, Mohammed Shami has been ruled out of the UAE game due to a mild left knee problem. Shami and team physio Nitin Patel visited the local hospital on Thursday night and had an ultrasound guided injection for his recovery.  The Indian team will remain in Perth until their second game at the WACA, against West Indies. source: bcci.tv

To be sitting in the stands and to feel this atmosphere is incredible, said Tendulkar. World Cup winner and ICC Cricket World Cup 2015 Ambassador Sachin Tendulkar has predicted that the event will be even more competitive as it progresses after the first 10 days produced exciting and entertaining cricket. ( Also Read:  MOST EXCITING DEBUTANTS - ICC CRICKET WORLD CUP 2015 ) Talking to the ICC on the sidelines of India versus South Africa match at the Melbourne Cricket Ground on Sunday, the maestro advised the sides and the players to find and maintain the right balance so that they remain fresh and ready for the big matches and yet maintain any momentum they have established early in the tournament. "It's been exciting. You've already seen a couple of surprises. The teams have played competitive cricket," Tendulkar, who is the record-holder for most runs and hundreds in One-Day Internationals (ODIs), said. "The standard has been good, and that is wh...