Outplayed in the fourth cricket one-dayer, Indian pace spearhead Bhuvneshwar Kumar on Thursday said the eight-wicket loss to New Zealand is a "reality check" for the team ahead of the remainder of the series.
Sri Lanka were working to shrug off a series of injuries and off-field dramas, captain Dinesh Chandimal said Thursday, as they look to avoid a series defeat against Australia.
"One of our worst performances with the bat for a long time. Something we didn't expect. You got to give credit to the New Zealand bowlers. It was a magnificent effort by them," said Rohit Sharma after a disappointing outing on his 200th ODI. India's much-vaunted batting was dismissed for 92 in 30.5 overs with pacer Trent Boult (5/21) bowling a deadly opening spell.
India seemed shorn of their aura in the absence of talismanic skipper Virat Kohli as New Zealand pulled off a stunning eight-wicket win in the fourth cricket one-dayer to halt the visiting side's domination on Thursday.
The West Indies legend dwelt upon a range of issues, including on the Virat Kohli phenomenon and rather premature comparisons between the Indian team and the West Indies side of the past.
Life after retirement is one of the biggest anxieties facing professional sportsmen the world over. In India, with youngsters today being encouraged to take up sports as a career, and the simultaneous drying up of public sector employment, the drop-out rates, particularly in cricket, continue to remain high. Dravid emphasized the need to enhance life skills of young cricketers outside of the sport.
Former India cricketer Mohinder Amarnath on Thursday said that the performance in Indian Premier League (2019) should not be taken into consideration when the team is picked for the ICC World Cup 2019, to be held in England and Wales.
Injury is part and parcel of a sportsperson’s life. More so in contact sports like boxing or wrestling, where athletes live in fear of getting grievously hurt. In such a scenario, the association of a full-time doctor with a sportsperson or the national team becomes even more important – to tend to them in case of an illness or injury during training sessions and competitions.
The preparation of the Indian players for the Olympic Games has run into a roadblock. The Pullela Gopichand Academy, the nerve centre of Indian badminton, is struggling for want of shuttles and so are the players.
The fourth ODI between India and New Zealand in Hamilton marked the 200th appearance for Rohit Sharma's in 50-over internationals for India. It's an exclusive club with only 79 international players, including 14 Indians, reaching the milestone. Sachin Tendulkar leads the pack with 463 matches.
Australia opted Thursday to stick with a winning combination for the second Test against Sri Lanka, meaning all-rounder Marcus Stoinis and young batting prospect Will Pucovski miss out on making their debut.
Former India cricketer VVS Laxman heaped praise on Indian wrist spinners Yuzvendra Chahal and Kuldeep Yadav, saying the duo have been sensational in India's victorious run.
Musheer Khan’s father Naushad Khan has appealed to the Mumbai Cricket Association (MCA) to review the three-year ban on his son, slapped by the cricket body after the youngster allegedly ‘flashed’ at a teammate during the (U-16) Vijay Merchant Trophy in December last year.
For Mahesh Bhupathi, it's a dream to have a left-right combination in singles for the Davis Cup Qualifier against Italy, starting at South Club on Friday.
The man who surpassed Italian legend Nicola Pietrangeli’s record of the most number of doubles wins in Davis Cup last year, made special mention of 22-year-old Matteo Berrettini, the youngest member of this Italian team. “He is a great talent, watch out for him,” Paes warned.
Liverpool failed to make the most of title rivals Manchester City's defeat 24 hours earlier in a 1-1 draw with Leicester at Anfield on Wednesday.
Philippe Coutinho struck twice as Barcelona mounted a comeback to thrash Sevilla 6-1 and sweep into the Copa del Rey semi-finals 6-3 on aggregate on Wednesday.
Chelsea's top-four hopes suffered a huge dent as Maurizio Sarri's side collapsed to a humiliating 4-0 defeat at mid-table Bournemouth on Wednesday -- a result that dropped them down to fifth in the table.
Opening batsman Quinton de Kock launched an assault on Pakistan's bowlers to set up a series-clinching win for South Africa in the fifth and final one-day international at Newlands on Wednesday.
Yadav’s presence has made Vidarbha attack look more lethal. Not only he has led the Vidarbha attack from the front, the India pacer has also guided the youngsters.
Banned cricketer S Sreesanth claimed in the Supreme Court that he had made the confession about his involvement in the alleged crime as Delhi Police had threatened that his family members would be implicated and tortured. The apex court observed that the conduct of Sreesanth, facing a life ban, in the entire episode was "not good".
A 'blindfold technique' to increase reaction time, leather balls of various weights to gauge trajectory in breezy conditions and a simulation machine for slip-catching have made the Indian team a remarkably improved catching unit, fielding coach R Sridhar said on Wednesday.
India's fielding coach R Sridhar is expecting some of the reserve players to get much-needed game time during the next few ODIs as the team management wants every player to be match-ready going into this year's ICC 50-over World Cup.
His penchant for hitting double hundreds is universally acknowledged and skipper Rohit Sharma will be eager to make his 200th appearance for India a memorable one with a solid performance against a below-par New Zealand in the fourth ODI here Thursday.
Sports minister Rajyavardhan Singh Rathore has often spoken about putting the sportsperson first. However, it seems India still has a long way to go before this goal is achieved.Beyond the cold numbers, the spell of magic cast by a 38-year-old Englishman will stay etched in the memories of those who managed to squeez...
