Virat Kohli has literally made the 22-yard strip his own kingdom and the India captain is not in a mood to &quot;compete with anyone&quot; for any specific &quot;tag&quot; such as the best batsman in world cricket.

Kohli was again at the forefront scoring a staggering 558 runs (including three hundreds) in his team&#39;s 5-1 ODI series win against South Africa but made it clear that he has never ever played cricket to be a &quot;headline grabber&quot;.

&quot;At this stage, I don&rsquo;t feel like competing with anyone. It&rsquo;s all about how I prepare before the game and what my work ethics are and how I am feeling on game day. My only motivation is to get into that frame of mind. I am not competing with anyone at all,&quot; Kohli said at the post-match press conference.

The key to consistency is not thinking too ahead of himself.

&quot;But if you are thinking about being ahead of someone else then you will be found out very soon by this game and you are compromising on what the team needs as well,&rdquo; the skipper said after anchoring his team home with yet another ODI hundred.

Asked if he can now be termed as the best batsman in world cricket, the straight-talking skipper said: &quot;As I said, I don&rsquo;t want any tags. I don&rsquo;t want any headlines. I just go out there and do my job, it is up to the people to write what they write, I don&rsquo;t want to be called anything.

&quot;It&rsquo;s my job, I am supposed to do what I am doing and I am not doing anyone a favour, so just want to be in this zone of working as hard as I can and trying to do the best for the team,&quot; the skipper added in a matter-of-fact manner.

The skipper once again made it clear that public perceptions are least of his concerns as long as his team knows his worth.

&quot;What matters is what the management thinks about me, what I think about the players and what the players think about me. That&rsquo;s all that matters to me. I know the headlines change from day in and day out. Tomorrow I play a bad shot and get out for zero everyone will conveniently do what they want to do, so it&rsquo;s not my job to say anything about what I do.

&quot;Yes, if I make a mistake I will come here and accept it. I have never been one to give excuses and will remain like that. But I am never one to come here and praise myself. I can never do that because as I said, this is a job for me. I am not doing anyone a favour,&rdquo; the skipper&#39;s statement showed that how much the criticisms in the past has hurt him.

While India&#39;s ODI juggernaut has rolled on, there have been questions raised about the quality of opposition playing ODI cricket and the skipper&#39;s views made it clear that he wasn&#39;t amused one bit. 
Questioned if this was India&#39;s best overseas win, pat came a terse response: &ldquo;You people can tell!&quot;

&quot;One month back we were a very bad team. Now we are being asked these questions. We haven&#39;t changed our mindset. Now whether this is the biggest win or no, whoever wants to analyze, write will do so,&quot; Kohli&#39;s response made it clear from where it was coming.

It was a sense of deja vu for the skipper, who had a slight altercation with the media at this very venue after the team lost the Test series.

&ldquo;I know for a fact that 90 percent people didn&rsquo;t give us a chance after two Tests. I was sitting in the same room giving a press conference. So we understand where we&rsquo;ve come from,&quot; the sarcasm was not lost on anyone.

&quot;I am not going to live in a dreamland right now and accept all the praise, sit here and feel good about this, because it doesn&#39;t matter to me. Honestly it doesn&#39;t. It didn&#39;t matter when we were 2-0 down, it doesn&#39;t matter now that we are 5-1 up because what matters is the respect in the change-room,&quot; the disdain and disregard for the media was once again evident in each and every sentence that he spoke.

The skipper sounded a bit irritated when asked about South Africa being laid low by injuries to senior players.

&ldquo;Whether the team was what it was supposed to be was not in our hands. It&rsquo;s none of our concern. We want to take the best team as far as we can on the field and have the best mindset to perform on every given day that we represent our country. That remains our mind set regardless of what happens.&quot;&nbsp;

The key to consistency is not thinking too ahead of himself

Virat Kohli has literally made the 22-yard strip his own kingdom and the India captain is not in a mood to "compete with anyone" for any specific "tag" such as the best batsman in world cricket. Kohli was again at the forefront scoring a staggering 558 runs (including three hundreds) in his team's 5-1 ODI series win against South Africa but made it clear that he has never ever played cricket to be a "headline grabber". "At this stage, I don’t feel like competing with anyone. It’s all about how I prepare before the game and what my work ethics are and how I am feeling on game day. My only motivation is to get into that frame of mind. I am not competing with anyone at all," Kohli said at the post-match press conference. The key to consistency is not thinking too ahead of himself. "But if you are thinking about being ahead of someone else then you will be found out very soon by this game and you are compromising on what the team needs as well,” the skipper said after anchoring his team home with yet another ODI hundred. Asked if he can now be termed as the best batsman in world cricket, the straight-talking skipper said: "As I said, I don’t want any tags. I don’t want any headlines. I just go out there and do my job, it is up to the people to write what they write, I don’t want to be called anything. "It’s my job, I am supposed to do what I am doing and I am not doing anyone a favour, so just want to be in this zone of working as hard as I can and trying to do the best for the team," the skipper added in a matter-of-fact manner. The skipper once again made it clear that public perceptions are least of his concerns as long as his team knows his worth. "What matters is what the management thinks about me, what I think about the players and what the players think about me. That’s all that matters to me. I know the headlines change from day in and day out. Tomorrow I play a bad shot and get out for zero everyone will conveniently do what they want to do, so it’s not my job to say anything about what I do. "Yes, if I make a mistake I will come here and accept it. I have never been one to give excuses and will remain like that. But I am never one to come here and praise myself. I can never do that because as I said, this is a job for me. I am not doing anyone a favour,” the skipper's statement showed that how much the criticisms in the past has hurt him. While India's ODI juggernaut has rolled on, there have been questions raised about the quality of opposition playing ODI cricket and the skipper's views made it clear that he wasn't amused one bit. Questioned if this was India's best overseas win, pat came a terse response: “You people can tell!" "One month back we were a very bad team. Now we are being asked these questions. We haven't changed our mindset. Now whether this is the biggest win or no, whoever wants to analyze, write will do so," Kohli's response made it clear from where it was coming. It was a sense of deja vu for the skipper, who had a slight altercation with the media at this very venue after the team lost the Test series. “I know for a fact that 90 percent people didn’t give us a chance after two Tests. I was sitting in the same room giving a press conference. So we understand where we’ve come from," the sarcasm was not lost on anyone. "I am not going to live in a dreamland right now and accept all the praise, sit here and feel good about this, because it doesn't matter to me. Honestly it doesn't. It didn't matter when we were 2-0 down, it doesn't matter now that we are 5-1 up because what matters is the respect in the change-room," the disdain and disregard for the media was once again evident in each and every sentence that he spoke. The skipper sounded a bit irritated when asked about South Africa being laid low by injuries to senior players. “Whether the team was what it was supposed to be was not in our hands. It’s none of our concern. We want to take the best team as far as we can on the field and have the best mindset to perform on every given day that we represent our country. That remains our mind set regardless of what happens."

I don't feel like competing with anyone: Virat Kohli

India skipper Virat Kohli on Wednesday was full of praise for the Men in Blue, claiming that the series win in South Africa was a collective team effort.&quot;I am very pleased, it was another complete performance from us.

They had the pressure of losing this series and we knew that. It`s a history and the guys have worked hard for it. Ever since the third Test in Johannesburg, it`s been a good time for us.

It`s been a collective effort to create history,&quot; Kohli said in the post-match conference.

The Indian team wrapped up the fifth One Day International (ODI) against the Proteas by 73 runs, to register their first bilateral series win in South Africa.

They also climbed up to the number one spot in the MFR ICC ODI Team Rankings.&quot;For now, 4-1 feels great. We want to win 5-1 for sure, but there might a scenario for a few more guys to get a chance in the next match.

But the ultimate priority is to win and we`ll do anything we can to win,&quot; Kohli added.Meanwhile, Rohit Sharma who scored his maiden century on the South African soil said that the century was long due.

&quot;It`s been a long time coming. It`s always a good feeling when you score a hundred and your team wins.

You have to keep yourself in a good frame of mind, that`s what I`ve been doing,&quot; Sharma said after being crowned the man of the match.

The Virat Kohli-led side started the series on the front foot, winning the first three matches with comprehensive wins in Durban, Centurion and Cape Town.

However, India failed to maintain their triumphant run in the series as South Africa bounced back strongly to clinch a five-wicket win over the visiting side by the Duckworth-Lewis method in rain-hit and lightning-struck Pink fourth ODI in Johannesburg.

The sixth ODI will be played on February 16 at SuperSport Park, Centurion.&nbsp;

The sixth ODI will be played on February 16 at SuperSport Park, Centurion

India skipper Virat Kohli on Wednesday was full of praise for the Men in Blue, claiming that the series win in South Africa was a collective team effort."I am very pleased, it was another complete performance from us. They had the pressure of losing this series and we knew that. It`s a history and the guys have worked hard for it. Ever since the third Test in Johannesburg, it`s been a good time for us. It`s been a collective effort to create history," Kohli said in the post-match conference. The Indian team wrapped up the fifth One Day International (ODI) against the Proteas by 73 runs, to register their first bilateral series win in South Africa. They also climbed up to the number one spot in the MFR ICC ODI Team Rankings."For now, 4-1 feels great. We want to win 5-1 for sure, but there might a scenario for a few more guys to get a chance in the next match. But the ultimate priority is to win and we`ll do anything we can to win," Kohli added.Meanwhile, Rohit Sharma who scored his maiden century on the South African soil said that the century was long due. "It`s been a long time coming. It`s always a good feeling when you score a hundred and your team wins. You have to keep yourself in a good frame of mind, that`s what I`ve been doing," Sharma said after being crowned the man of the match. The Virat Kohli-led side started the series on the front foot, winning the first three matches with comprehensive wins in Durban, Centurion and Cape Town. However, India failed to maintain their triumphant run in the series as South Africa bounced back strongly to clinch a five-wicket win over the visiting side by the Duckworth-Lewis method in rain-hit and lightning-struck Pink fourth ODI in Johannesburg. The sixth ODI will be played on February 16 at SuperSport Park, Centurion.

'Collective effort to create history': Virat Kohli on series win in South Africa

Rohit Sharma&rsquo;s hard-fought knock of 115 took India to 274-7 from their 50 overs during the fifth ODI against South Africa here on Tuesday.

The South African bowlers, especially Lungi Ngidi (4/51), have brought the Proteas back into the game.&nbsp;

After winning the toss, South Africa put India to bat. Shikhar Dhawan (34 runs) was the first to depart, but Rohit Sharma and Virat Kohli put up a 105-run partnership for the fourth wicket.&nbsp;

The Indian captain&rsquo;s life at the field with the bat was short-lived as he departed for 36.

Ajinkya Rahane (8) was the next to follow Kohli after another confusion between the wickets. Despite losing wickets in quick succession, Rohit carried on showing his batting prowess and went on to score his 17th ODI ton, hitting 10 boundaries and 4 sixes in the run-up to his century.&nbsp;

South Africa will hope to chase down the total and stay alive in the series when they come out to bat.

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<blockquote class="twitter-tweet" data-lang="en">
South Africa have won the toss and elected to bowl first in the 5th <a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/SAvIND?src=hash&amp;ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">#SAvIND</a> ODI in Port Elizabeth. Will they be able to restrict India and keep the series alive? 
 
Follow LIVE ➡️ <a href="https://t.co/BYzPaf9WOg">https://t.co/BYzPaf9WOg</a> <a href="https://t.co/H7aT8euy2v">pic.twitter.com/H7aT8euy2v</a>
&mdash; ICC (@ICC) <a href="https://twitter.com/ICC/status/963365886026424320?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">February 13, 2018</a></blockquote>
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Squad:

South Africa: Aiden Markram (c), Hashim Amla, Jean-Paul Duminy, AB de Villiers, David Miller, Heinrich Klaasen (wk), Andile Phehlukwayo, Kagiso Rabada, Lungisani Ngidi, Morne Morkel, Tabraiz Shamsi

India: Rohit Sharma, Shikhar Dhawan, Virat Kohli (c), Ajinkya Rahane, Shreyas Iyer, MS Dhoni (wk), Hardik Pandya, Bhuvneshwar Kumar, Kuldeep Yadav, Yuzvendra Chahal, Jasprit Bumrah

&nbsp;

The Men in Blue lead the six-match series by 3-1 and looking forward to winning the series

Rohit Sharma’s hard-fought knock of 115 took India to 274-7 from their 50 overs during the fifth ODI against South Africa here on Tuesday. The South African bowlers, especially Lungi Ngidi (4/51), have brought the Proteas back into the game. After winning the toss, South Africa put India to bat. Shikhar Dhawan (34 runs) was the first to depart, but Rohit Sharma and Virat Kohli put up a 105-run partnership for the fourth wicket. The Indian captain’s life at the field with the bat was short-lived as he departed for 36. Ajinkya Rahane (8) was the next to follow Kohli after another confusion between the wickets. Despite losing wickets in quick succession, Rohit carried on showing his batting prowess and went on to score his 17th ODI ton, hitting 10 boundaries and 4 sixes in the run-up to his century. South Africa will hope to chase down the total and stay alive in the series when they come out to bat. South Africa have won the toss and elected to bowl first in the 5th #SAvIND ODI in Port Elizabeth. Will they be able to restrict India and keep the series alive? Follow LIVE ➡️ https://t.co/BYzPaf9WOg pic.twitter.com/H7aT8euy2v — ICC (@ICC) February 13, 2018 × Squad: South Africa: Aiden Markram (c), Hashim Amla, Jean-Paul Duminy, AB de Villiers, David Miller, Heinrich Klaasen (wk), Andile Phehlukwayo, Kagiso Rabada, Lungisani Ngidi, Morne Morkel, Tabraiz Shamsi India: Rohit Sharma, Shikhar Dhawan, Virat Kohli (c), Ajinkya Rahane, Shreyas Iyer, MS Dhoni (wk), Hardik Pandya, Bhuvneshwar Kumar, Kuldeep Yadav, Yuzvendra Chahal, Jasprit Bumrah

5th ODI: India beat South Africa by 73 runs, win series 4-1

Indian cricket team, who&nbsp;is on the tour of South Africa to play three test matches, six One Day Internationals and three T20 Internationals, have already lost the Test series by 2-0.&nbsp;

Despite two consecutive loss to Proteas, few Indian players&nbsp;skipped a day of the training session for a small jaunt to the jungle safari in South Africa.&nbsp;

Although their location is not certain,&nbsp;but&nbsp;as per media reports, they went to Mabula game reserve which is located just two-and-a-half hours&#39; drive from Johannesburg. It is said to be one of South Africa&rsquo;s finest private game reserves, which is owned by absconding Indian businessmen Vijay Mallya.

He owns 99.5 per cent stake in the 25,000-acre game reserve, for which he paid $6 million.

The Indian cricketers even shared images on social media with Lion and Cheetah from their excursion.

Ravindra Jadeja posted a picture on Instagram quoting, &quot;Sher ! Sher Hota hai, Chahe Sasan gir mein ya Jobourg mein..Pinjare Mein Sher ko bahut log pathar marte hain, Asli Mard Saamne Khadde Hote Hain.&quot;

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&nbsp;

Opener batsman KL Rahul, who was roped in place of Shikhar Dhawan for the second Test, also&nbsp;posted a picture with Cheetah quoting, &quot;Just a Lion and a Cheetah chilling.&quot;

&nbsp;

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&nbsp;

Seamer Umesh Yadav&nbsp;posted a video of giraffes from&nbsp;Pilanesberg National Park &amp; Game Reserve and quoted, &quot;Wildlife safari#pilanesberg#great fun.&quot;

&nbsp;

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&nbsp;

Indian pacer,&nbsp;Jasprit Bumrah,&nbsp;too posted a picture and quoted, &quot;Never become sad when life pulls you back, because lion also takes one step back when he wants to go for a long jump. &quot;

&nbsp;

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&nbsp;

Mohammed Shami also posted an image with a lion.

&nbsp;

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&nbsp;

Not only the cricketers, their wives were also accompanying them. Rohit Sharma&#39;s wife Ritika, Umesh Yadav&#39;s wife Tanya Wadhwa and Shikhar Dhawan&#39;s wife Aesha Dhawan posed with the wild animals.

&nbsp;

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&nbsp;

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&nbsp;

The first Test was in Cape Town where both the teams struggled to score but it was South Africa which outplayed India and got the early lead.

The second Test was in Centurion and India again lost the match, though Indian skipper scored a massive century for the team in the&nbsp;first innings but rest of the batting order could not perform, at par.

The third and the final Test match is scheduled to be held in Johannesburg and will start from January&nbsp;24.

Team India has already arrived there but before starting tough training session, the men in blue have found a way to cope up with the loss.

&nbsp;

The third and the final Test match is scheduled to be held in Johannesburg and will start from January 24

Indian cricket team, who is on the tour of South Africa to play three test matches, six One Day Internationals and three T20 Internationals, have already lost the Test series by 2-0. Despite two consecutive loss to Proteas, few Indian players skipped a day of the training session for a small jaunt to the jungle safari in South Africa. Although their location is not certain, but as per media reports, they went to Mabula game reserve which is located just two-and-a-half hours' drive from Johannesburg. It is said to be one of South Africa’s finest private game reserves, which is owned by absconding Indian businessmen Vijay Mallya. He owns 99.5 per cent stake in the 25,000-acre game reserve, for which he paid $6 million. The Indian cricketers even shared images on social media with Lion and Cheetah from their excursion. Ravindra Jadeja posted a picture on Instagram quoting, "Sher ! Sher Hota hai, Chahe Sasan gir mein ya Jobourg mein..Pinjare Mein Sher ko bahut log pathar marte hain, Asli Mard Saamne Khadde Hote Hain." × Opener batsman KL Rahul, who was roped in place of Shikhar Dhawan for the second Test, also posted a picture with Cheetah quoting, "Just a Lion and a Cheetah chilling." × Seamer Umesh Yadav posted a video of giraffes from Pilanesberg National Park & Game Reserve and quoted, "Wildlife safari#pilanesberg#great fun." × Indian pacer, Jasprit Bumrah, too posted a picture and quoted, "Never become sad when life pulls you back, because lion also takes one step back when he wants to go for a long jump. " × Mohammed Shami also posted an image with a lion. × Not only the cricketers, their wives were also accompanying them. Rohit Sharma's wife Ritika, Umesh Yadav's wife Tanya Wadhwa and Shikhar Dhawan's wife Aesha Dhawan posed with the wild animals. × × × The first Test was in Cape Town where both the teams struggled to score but it was South Africa which outplayed India and got the early lead. The second Test was in Centurion and India again lost the match, though Indian skipper scored a massive century for the team in the first innings but rest of the batting order could not perform, at par. The third and the final Test match is scheduled to be held in Johannesburg and will start from January 24. Team India has already arrived there but before starting tough training session, the men in blue have found a way to cope up with the loss.

Despite Test loss, Indian players prefer to hang out with their wives than practice

Several Indian teams have travelled to South Africa since 1992-93. Not one has managed a Test series win. But no one has been whitewashed either. The current Indian team, ranked No. 1 in the world in Tests, is staring at the real possibility of becoming the first ever Indian team to achieve that humiliating feat. Having already lost the series 0-2, Team India begins the third and final Test in Johannesburg against South Africa amidst a lot of apprehension and uncertainty. We still don&rsquo;t know if Virat Kohli&rsquo;s men would be able to fight it out and survive the might of the South African unit.&nbsp;

If there is one thing that the visitors can find solace from is the fact that India has never lost a Test at the Wanderers. In fact, &#39;The Bullring&#39; has some very happy memories for Indian cricket. This is where India achieved their first Test win in South Africa and this is where they won the famous World T20 final back in 2007.&nbsp;

Can India find some inspiration from those happy memories and salvage a win in the final Test? Can they finally give something to their devoted fans to cheer about in this rather disappointing series? We shall know soon.

In hindsight, the result of this Test series would have been different had India done a lot of things right in the first two Tests. Had they elected Ajinkya Rahane, their best overseas batsman; had they not dropped Bhuvneshwar Kumar, their best bowler in the first Test, had they not dropped so many catches, had they not given so many runs with the ball in the first innings of the first Test, and had they batted with more authority, things surely could have been different. India has only got themselves to blame for the opportunities lost and the lack of intent they showed.

For India, the series is gone now but there is pride still at stake. South Africa would be determined to inflict India with another embarrassing loss to avenge their 0-3 series loss to India in 2015. India would have to do a lot of things right to make sure that do not follow the same pattern of the first two Tests.

Led by the fiery Virat Kohli, Team India does have a lot of potential. It is all about sticking to the basics and doing the little things right. While they have fought and had the upper hand in both the Tests, India has lost out on key moments that resulted in their downfall. They would have to make sure that they don&rsquo;t commit to silly mistakes and are disciplined throughout.

There has been too much dependency on Virat Kohli, the batsman, to bail the team out every time. The likes of Murali Vijay, Cheteshwar Pujara, KL Rahul and Rohit Sharma would have to display a lot more gumption. The bowlers have been doing a fine job and the pace, bounce and movement at Johannesburg should assist them enough to trouble the South African batsmen.&nbsp;

There have been some speculations that Ajinkya Rahane might finally get a game and that Bhuvneshwar Kumar might make a return in this Test. If that is to happen it will certainly bolster India&rsquo;s chances.&nbsp;

All eyes would now be on Virat Kohli. He has come in for a lot of criticisms for his team selections and the onus would be on him to lead from the front and ensure that India is able to save face in the third and final Test. Because a 0-3 loss here would really tarnish the No. 1 Test team&rsquo;s reputation globally and that is something Team India can ill afford at the moment.&nbsp;

&nbsp;

(Disclaimer: The opinions expressed above are the personal views of the author and do not reflect the views of ZMCL)&nbsp;&nbsp;

Virat Kohli has come in for a lot of criticisms for his team selections and the onus would be on him to lead from the front and ensure that India is able to save face in the third and final Test.

Several Indian teams have travelled to South Africa since 1992-93. Not one has managed a Test series win. But no one has been whitewashed either. The current Indian team, ranked No. 1 in the world in Tests, is staring at the real possibility of becoming the first ever Indian team to achieve that humiliating feat. Having already lost the series 0-2, Team India begins the third and final Test in Johannesburg against South Africa amidst a lot of apprehension and uncertainty. We still don’t know if Virat Kohli’s men would be able to fight it out and survive the might of the South African unit. If there is one thing that the visitors can find solace from is the fact that India has never lost a Test at the Wanderers. In fact, 'The Bullring' has some very happy memories for Indian cricket. This is where India achieved their first Test win in South Africa and this is where they won the famous World T20 final back in 2007. Can India find some inspiration from those happy memories and salvage a win in the final Test? Can they finally give something to their devoted fans to cheer about in this rather disappointing series? We shall know soon. In hindsight, the result of this Test series would have been different had India done a lot of things right in the first two Tests. Had they elected Ajinkya Rahane, their best overseas batsman; had they not dropped Bhuvneshwar Kumar, their best bowler in the first Test, had they not dropped so many catches, had they not given so many runs with the ball in the first innings of the first Test, and had they batted with more authority, things surely could have been different. India has only got themselves to blame for the opportunities lost and the lack of intent they showed. For India, the series is gone now but there is pride still at stake. South Africa would be determined to inflict India with another embarrassing loss to avenge their 0-3 series loss to India in 2015. India would have to do a lot of things right to make sure that do not follow the same pattern of the first two Tests. Led by the fiery Virat Kohli, Team India does have a lot of potential. It is all about sticking to the basics and doing the little things right. While they have fought and had the upper hand in both the Tests, India has lost out on key moments that resulted in their downfall. They would have to make sure that they don’t commit to silly mistakes and are disciplined throughout. There has been too much dependency on Virat Kohli, the batsman, to bail the team out every time. The likes of Murali Vijay, Cheteshwar Pujara, KL Rahul and Rohit Sharma would have to display a lot more gumption. The bowlers have been doing a fine job and the pace, bounce and movement at Johannesburg should assist them enough to trouble the South African batsmen. There have been some speculations that Ajinkya Rahane might finally get a game and that Bhuvneshwar Kumar might make a return in this Test. If that is to happen it will certainly bolster India’s chances. All eyes would now be on Virat Kohli. He has come in for a lot of criticisms for his team selections and the onus would be on him to lead from the front and ensure that India is able to save face in the third and final Test. Because a 0-3 loss here would really tarnish the No. 1 Test team’s reputation globally and that is something Team India can ill afford at the moment. (Disclaimer: The opinions expressed above are the personal views of the author and do not reflect the views of ZMCL)

Opinion: Can Indian Cricket Team salvage some pride in the last Test?

Not many would have expected this. The ease with which India dismantled South Africa in the first ODI of the 6-match series was pretty exhilarating to watch. And Virat Kohli has once again proven why he is the king of ODI cricket at present. His 33rd ODI century, along with Ajinkya Rahane&rsquo;s sparkling fifty, helped India achieve a thumping 6-wicket win over the visitors in Durban last night. Given that this was the No. 1 ODI side in the world who were on a 17-match unbeaten streak a home, India&rsquo;s victory is significant.

In the past, Indian teams have generally not begun well on tours to South Africa and, eventually, have had to play catch up throughout the series. With this win, India now has a rare chance to set the tone of remaining matches.&nbsp;

This win also showed how disciplined a team India has become in the ODI cricket. They do not care about the venue or the opposition. They have a varied and strong bowling attack; they back their strength of chasing, and have got all bases covered.&nbsp;

A majestic chase

An impressive show with the ball, especially by the spinners Kuldeep Yadav and&nbsp; Yuzvendra Chahal restricted South Africa to a respectable score of 269-8 with captain Faf du Plessis&rsquo;s excellent 120 being the home&rsquo;s team&rsquo;s sole shining light.

India stumbled in the chase after losing both their openers with the score on 67. Another wicket there and the game would have opened up. However, captain Kohli and the newly instated Ajinkya Rahane at No.4 went on stitch a match-winning 189-run partnership for the 4th wicket to take the game away from South Africa.

The South African quicks &ndash; Morne Morkel and Kagiso Rabada &ndash; were bowling consistently over 145 km/h, but both Kohli and Rahane played maturely. They got themselves in and ran well between the wickets. And as the ball became softer they began attacking with great authority. It was a beautiful display of batsmanship as both Kohli and Rahane unfurled an array of glittering strokes to please the crowd at the stadium.&nbsp;

No matter what bowling combination South Africa tried, Kohli and Rahane were equal to it and counter-attacked splendidly. Rahane&rsquo;s innings &ndash; 79 off 86 balls with 5 fours and 2 sixes &ndash; was special and needed for the Indian ODI team at present. The No.4 position has been causing India a lot of headaches recently and with Rahane&rsquo;s mature and classy knock, they can breathe easy for a while.

Kohli was majestic through and through. It was another ODI master class in a chase by the star batsman and the way he paved his innings was a treat to watch. To put things in perspective, this was Kohli&rsquo;s 20th ODI hundred in a chase and shows how dominant a batsman he is for India. Also, with this century, Kohli has played in nine countries, all full-members, and has scored a century in all of them. Clearly, at the rate he is progressing, Kohli would have created some unbeatable records by the time he is done.

By the time he was dismissed for a glorious 112 off 119 balls with 10 fours, India was well on their way to victory and eventually chased the target down with about five overs to spare.

It remains to be seen how Team India progresses in the remaining matches, but they have certainly made a bold statement that they will not be pushovers and South Africa have a task on their hands now.&nbsp;

&nbsp;

(Disclaimer: The opinions expressed above are the personal views of the author and do not reflect the views of ZMCL)&nbsp;&nbsp;

&nbsp;

This win against South Africa showed how disciplined a team India has become in the ODI cricket.

Not many would have expected this. The ease with which India dismantled South Africa in the first ODI of the 6-match series was pretty exhilarating to watch. And Virat Kohli has once again proven why he is the king of ODI cricket at present. His 33rd ODI century, along with Ajinkya Rahane’s sparkling fifty, helped India achieve a thumping 6-wicket win over the visitors in Durban last night. Given that this was the No. 1 ODI side in the world who were on a 17-match unbeaten streak a home, India’s victory is significant. In the past, Indian teams have generally not begun well on tours to South Africa and, eventually, have had to play catch up throughout the series. With this win, India now has a rare chance to set the tone of remaining matches. This win also showed how disciplined a team India has become in the ODI cricket. They do not care about the venue or the opposition. They have a varied and strong bowling attack; they back their strength of chasing, and have got all bases covered. A majestic chase An impressive show with the ball, especially by the spinners Kuldeep Yadav and Yuzvendra Chahal restricted South Africa to a respectable score of 269-8 with captain Faf du Plessis’s excellent 120 being the home’s team’s sole shining light. India stumbled in the chase after losing both their openers with the score on 67. Another wicket there and the game would have opened up. However, captain Kohli and the newly instated Ajinkya Rahane at No.4 went on stitch a match-winning 189-run partnership for the 4th wicket to take the game away from South Africa. The South African quicks – Morne Morkel and Kagiso Rabada – were bowling consistently over 145 km/h, but both Kohli and Rahane played maturely. They got themselves in and ran well between the wickets. And as the ball became softer they began attacking with great authority. It was a beautiful display of batsmanship as both Kohli and Rahane unfurled an array of glittering strokes to please the crowd at the stadium. No matter what bowling combination South Africa tried, Kohli and Rahane were equal to it and counter-attacked splendidly. Rahane’s innings – 79 off 86 balls with 5 fours and 2 sixes – was special and needed for the Indian ODI team at present. The No.4 position has been causing India a lot of headaches recently and with Rahane’s mature and classy knock, they can breathe easy for a while. Kohli was majestic through and through. It was another ODI master class in a chase by the star batsman and the way he paved his innings was a treat to watch. To put things in perspective, this was Kohli’s 20th ODI hundred in a chase and shows how dominant a batsman he is for India. Also, with this century, Kohli has played in nine countries, all full-members, and has scored a century in all of them. Clearly, at the rate he is progressing, Kohli would have created some unbeatable records by the time he is done. By the time he was dismissed for a glorious 112 off 119 balls with 10 fours, India was well on their way to victory and eventually chased the target down with about five overs to spare. It remains to be seen how Team India progresses in the remaining matches, but they have certainly made a bold statement that they will not be pushovers and South Africa have a task on their hands now. (Disclaimer: The opinions expressed above are the personal views of the author and do not reflect the views of ZMCL)

Opinion: The ease with which India dismantled South Africa

Captain Virat Kohli further enhanced his reputation as a &#39;chase master&#39; as he smashed his 33rd hundred to lead India to a six-wicket victory over South Africa in the first cricket one-dayer here on Thursday.

Kohli struck 112 off 119 balls with the help of 10 boundaries and put on 189 runs for the third wicket with Ajinkya Rahane (79 runs of 86 balls) as India chased down the target of 270 with 4.3 overs to spare.

It was the highest stand for India in South Africa, while Kohli notched up his 20th hundred in a run-chase, out of which 18 have been successfully converted to victories.

After scoring freely all across the world, this was Kohli&#39;s first ODI hundred on South African soil.

Also, this was India&#39;s first ODI win against South Africa at Durban, and only their sixth overall in bilateral engagements here since 1992-93.

India got off to a quick start with Rohit Sharma (20) and Shikhar Dhawan (35) adding 33 for the opening wicket. Rohit was looking to play his strokes but miscued one off Morne Morkel (1/35) in the seventh over and was out caught.

Dhawan and Kohli then added 34 runs for the second wicket and the duo were looking good to take advantage of South Africa&#39;s spinners, when the former was run-out.

Kohli took off for a quick single in the 13th over but Dhawan was late in responding having taken strike and was run-out by Aiden Markram&#39;s direct throw.

Kohli and Rahane came together thereafter and did not give the Proteas a sniff. Imran Tahir (0/51) was duly taken for runs, while JP Duminy (0/16) and Markram (0/20) had no impact in their short spells.

The most vital aspect of this partnership was the running between wickets. The duo looked to cut down on errors, calling loud and clear. They brought their 100-stand off 112 balls.

Rahane brought up his half-century off 60 balls as their partnership crossed 150 off only 154 balls. India reached 200 in the 36th over.

Kohli then celebrated his maiden hundred on South African soil in style, reaching there off 105 balls. In doing so, he equalled Sourav Ganguly&#39;s record of most ODI hundreds as Indian captain. Both now have 11 centuries, with Kohli reaching the milestone in 41 innings as compared to Ganguly&#39;s 142 innings.

Rahane was out caught in the 43rd over, while Kohli&#39;s innings ended three overs later. He walked off to a rousing reception from the Durban faithful even as the home side were subjected to a demoralizing defeat.

This was after India&#39;s leg-spin twins Kuldeep Yadav and Yuzvendra Chahal shared 5 wickets between them as South Africa were restricted to 269/8.

Yadav took 3/34 and Chahal returned 2/45 as the duo excelled in their first proper overseas outing, underlining the team management&#39;s faith in leg spin since July last year.

Proteas&#39; skipper Faf du Plessis (120 runs, 112 balls, 11 fours, 2 sixes) scored his ninth ODI hundred after South Africa&#39;s top-order collapse. The hosts lost 4 wickets for 51 runs before du Plessis and Chris Morris (37) rescued them with 74-run partnership for the sixth wicket.

Hashim Amla (16) and Quinton de Kock (34) got off to a watchful start. The latter, in particular, took his time for he had been enduring a poor run of form. At the other end, Amla looked in good nick and was scoring at a strike-rate of 90-plus.

They put on 30 runs for the opening wicket before Jasprit Bumrah (1/56) struck in the 8th over. He trapped Amla plumb lbw, albeit was lucky to have his front-foot only millimetres behind the line.

Just before this, India had a major injury scare when Virat Kohli hurt his knee while fielding in the seventh over. He struggled with his right leg for a while thereafter, and even went off to the Indian dugout to get attention from the physiotherapist.

South Africa scored 49/1 in the first 10 overs even as Hardik Pandya (0/41) came on to bowl first-change. More importantly though, Kohli went off the field -- this time to the dressing room to get further treatment -- in this interim as the knee niggle continued to bother him.

Meanwhile, du Plessis began his innings in attacking fashion. He put on 53 runs off 46 balls with de Kock for the second wicket. India had brought on spin from the 11th over itself as Chahal exerted control over proceedings. However, the Proteas&#39; batsmen attacked Pandya and he was expensive in his first spell.

Chahal trapped de Kock lbw in the 15th over, and the batsman walked without bothering for a review. Had he opted for the referral, he would have survived. Du Plessis, alternately, would have been given out lbw on 18 if India had opted for DRS at the end of the 13th over.

The spinners took quick wickets thereafter and did not allow South Africa&#39;s partnerships to settle even as 100 came up in the 21st over. Aiden Markram (9) was caught off Chahal shortly after.

Then Yadav got into the act. He bowled JP Duminy (12) with one that kept low, whilst foxing David Miller (7) into a false shot as Kohli completed a smart forward-diving catch at short extra-cover.

Du Plessis reached his half-century off 54 balls and brought up his 50-partnership with Morris off 57 balls. South Africa recovered to reach 200/5 at the end of 40 overs.

Yadav returned for a final spell to bowl Morris in the 41st over. Du Plessis though stood tall and added 56 runs for the seventh wicket with Andile Phehlukwayo (26 not out). In doing so, he brought up his century off 101 balls.&nbsp;

Kohli struck 112 off 119 balls with the help of 10 boundaries and put on 189 runs for the third wicket with Ajinkya Rahane as India chased down the target of 270 with 4.3 overs to spare.

Captain Virat Kohli further enhanced his reputation as a 'chase master' as he smashed his 33rd hundred to lead India to a six-wicket victory over South Africa in the first cricket one-dayer here on Thursday. Kohli struck 112 off 119 balls with the help of 10 boundaries and put on 189 runs for the third wicket with Ajinkya Rahane (79 runs of 86 balls) as India chased down the target of 270 with 4.3 overs to spare. It was the highest stand for India in South Africa, while Kohli notched up his 20th hundred in a run-chase, out of which 18 have been successfully converted to victories. After scoring freely all across the world, this was Kohli's first ODI hundred on South African soil. Also, this was India's first ODI win against South Africa at Durban, and only their sixth overall in bilateral engagements here since 1992-93. India got off to a quick start with Rohit Sharma (20) and Shikhar Dhawan (35) adding 33 for the opening wicket. Rohit was looking to play his strokes but miscued one off Morne Morkel (1/35) in the seventh over and was out caught. Dhawan and Kohli then added 34 runs for the second wicket and the duo were looking good to take advantage of South Africa's spinners, when the former was run-out. Kohli took off for a quick single in the 13th over but Dhawan was late in responding having taken strike and was run-out by Aiden Markram's direct throw. Kohli and Rahane came together thereafter and did not give the Proteas a sniff. Imran Tahir (0/51) was duly taken for runs, while JP Duminy (0/16) and Markram (0/20) had no impact in their short spells. The most vital aspect of this partnership was the running between wickets. The duo looked to cut down on errors, calling loud and clear. They brought their 100-stand off 112 balls. Rahane brought up his half-century off 60 balls as their partnership crossed 150 off only 154 balls. India reached 200 in the 36th over. Kohli then celebrated his maiden hundred on South African soil in style, reaching there off 105 balls. In doing so, he equalled Sourav Ganguly's record of most ODI hundreds as Indian captain. Both now have 11 centuries, with Kohli reaching the milestone in 41 innings as compared to Ganguly's 142 innings. Rahane was out caught in the 43rd over, while Kohli's innings ended three overs later. He walked off to a rousing reception from the Durban faithful even as the home side were subjected to a demoralizing defeat. This was after India's leg-spin twins Kuldeep Yadav and Yuzvendra Chahal shared 5 wickets between them as South Africa were restricted to 269/8. Yadav took 3/34 and Chahal returned 2/45 as the duo excelled in their first proper overseas outing, underlining the team management's faith in leg spin since July last year. Proteas' skipper Faf du Plessis (120 runs, 112 balls, 11 fours, 2 sixes) scored his ninth ODI hundred after South Africa's top-order collapse. The hosts lost 4 wickets for 51 runs before du Plessis and Chris Morris (37) rescued them with 74-run partnership for the sixth wicket. Hashim Amla (16) and Quinton de Kock (34) got off to a watchful start. The latter, in particular, took his time for he had been enduring a poor run of form. At the other end, Amla looked in good nick and was scoring at a strike-rate of 90-plus. They put on 30 runs for the opening wicket before Jasprit Bumrah (1/56) struck in the 8th over. He trapped Amla plumb lbw, albeit was lucky to have his front-foot only millimetres behind the line. Just before this, India had a major injury scare when Virat Kohli hurt his knee while fielding in the seventh over. He struggled with his right leg for a while thereafter, and even went off to the Indian dugout to get attention from the physiotherapist. South Africa scored 49/1 in the first 10 overs even as Hardik Pandya (0/41) came on to bowl first-change. More importantly though, Kohli went off the field -- this time to the dressing room to get further treatment -- in this interim as the knee niggle continued to bother him. Meanwhile, du Plessis began his innings in attacking fashion. He put on 53 runs off 46 balls with de Kock for the second wicket. India had brought on spin from the 11th over itself as Chahal exerted control over proceedings. However, the Proteas' batsmen attacked Pandya and he was expensive in his first spell. Chahal trapped de Kock lbw in the 15th over, and the batsman walked without bothering for a review. Had he opted for the referral, he would have survived. Du Plessis, alternately, would have been given out lbw on 18 if India had opted for DRS at the end of the 13th over. The spinners took quick wickets thereafter and did not allow South Africa's partnerships to settle even as 100 came up in the 21st over. Aiden Markram (9) was caught off Chahal shortly after. Then Yadav got into the act. He bowled JP Duminy (12) with one that kept low, whilst foxing David Miller (7) into a false shot as Kohli completed a smart forward-diving catch at short extra-cover. Du Plessis reached his half-century off 54 balls and brought up his 50-partnership with Morris off 57 balls. South Africa recovered to reach 200/5 at the end of 40 overs. Yadav returned for a final spell to bowl Morris in the 41st over. Du Plessis though stood tall and added 56 runs for the seventh wicket with Andile Phehlukwayo (26 not out). In doing so, he brought up his century off 101 balls.

1st ODI: Virat Kohli's 33rd ton helps India beat South Africa by 6 wickets

Indian captain Virat Kohli has been awarded the Sir Garfield Sobers Trophy for ICC Cricketer of the Year, besides bagging the top honour for ODI players in the ICC annual awards, announced in Dubai.

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&quot;It means a lot to win the Sir Garfield Sobers Trophy for becoming the ICC Cricketer of the Year 2017 and also the ICC ODI Player of the Year,&quot; Kohli was quoted as saying in an ICC statement.

&quot;I won that back in 2012 also but it&#39;s the first time winning the Garfield Sobers Trophy, and it&#39;s a huge honour for me. It&#39;s probably the biggest of all in world cricket and two Indians getting it back-to-back makes it more special,&quot; he added.

The Indian captain had a prolific 2017&nbsp;scoring three double centuries in Tests.

Kohli hit one Test double century&nbsp;against Bangladesh and two against Sri Lanka in the recently concluded home series.&nbsp;

According to ICC rules, the award lists the period between September 21, 2016 to the end of 2017 before announcing the award, in the same period Kohli scored 2,203 Test runs at an average of over 70.

In ODIs, the star batsman hit 1,818 runs at an average of 82.63 including seven centuries.

In T20s, the Indian captain scored 299 runs at a strike-rate of 153.

This is the second time in succession that an Indian won the overall cricketer of the year award. Off-spinner R Ashwin had claimed the honour last year.

It was Kohli&#39;s second gong at the 2017 ICC Awards, with the 29-year-old also being named the ODI Player of the Year.

Kohli was also named captain of the ICC Test and ODI teams of the year.

Australian captain Steve Smith claimed the Test Player of the Year honour after scoring 1875 runs in 16 matches at an average of 78.12, with eight hundreds and five 50s.

This is the first instance since 2013 that the ODI Cricketer of the Year award has been won by a non-South African, with Quinton de Kock receiving the accolade for 2016 and AB de Villiers winning it in 2014 and 2015.

(With inputs from PTI)

Indian captain Virat Kohli bags top ICC award.

Indian captain Virat Kohli has been awarded the Sir Garfield Sobers Trophy for ICC Cricketer of the Year, besides bagging the top honour for ODI players in the ICC annual awards, announced in Dubai. × "It means a lot to win the Sir Garfield Sobers Trophy for becoming the ICC Cricketer of the Year 2017 and also the ICC ODI Player of the Year," Kohli was quoted as saying in an ICC statement. "I won that back in 2012 also but it's the first time winning the Garfield Sobers Trophy, and it's a huge honour for me. It's probably the biggest of all in world cricket and two Indians getting it back-to-back makes it more special," he added. The Indian captain had a prolific 2017 scoring three double centuries in Tests. Kohli hit one Test double century against Bangladesh and two against Sri Lanka in the recently concluded home series. According to ICC rules, the award lists the period between September 21, 2016 to the end of 2017 before announcing the award, in the same period Kohli scored 2,203 Test runs at an average of over 70. In ODIs, the star batsman hit 1,818 runs at an average of 82.63 including seven centuries. In T20s, the Indian captain scored 299 runs at a strike-rate of 153. This is the second time in succession that an Indian won the overall cricketer of the year award. Off-spinner R Ashwin had claimed the honour last year. It was Kohli's second gong at the 2017 ICC Awards, with the 29-year-old also being named the ODI Player of the Year. Kohli was also named captain of the ICC Test and ODI teams of the year. Australian captain Steve Smith claimed the Test Player of the Year honour after scoring 1875 runs in 16 matches at an average of 78.12, with eight hundreds and five 50s. This is the first instance since 2013 that the ODI Cricketer of the Year award has been won by a non-South African, with Quinton de Kock receiving the accolade for 2016 and AB de Villiers winning it in 2014 and 2015. (With inputs from PTI)

Virat Kohli named ICC Cricketer of the Year

India is currently on tour to South Africa and has lost the&nbsp;first Test of a 3-match series.&nbsp;

The second Test is underway at Centurion, but the Proteas have already outplayed the &quot;Men In Blue&quot;.&nbsp;Team India is under pressure and on the verge of losing the second match as well.

Virat-Kohli-led team&nbsp;again failed to perform as the top batting order collapsed very quickly, including the skipper who scored smashing 153 runs in the first innings.&nbsp;

South African pacers Lungi Ngidi and Kagiso Rabada destroyed&nbsp;India&#39;s top batting order.

Currently, Indian team is facing criticism from fans and spectators and is being trolled for their poor performance.

<a href="http://www.wionews.com/sports/virat-kohli-retaliates-to-kagiso-rabada-as-he-messes-up-with-angry-young-man-29798" target="_blank">2nd Test: After hitting </a><a href="http://www.wionews.com/sports/virat-kohli-retaliates-to-kagiso-rabada-as-he-messes-up-with-angry-young-man-29798" target="_blank">ton</a><a href="http://www.wionews.com/sports/virat-kohli-retaliates-to-kagiso-rabada-as-he-messes-up-with-angry-young-man-29798" target="_blank">, Kohli retaliated against Rabada</a>

<a href="http://www.wionews.com/sports/india-vs-south-africa-india-on-verge-of-series-loss-29770" target="_blank">2nd Test: Parthiv, Pujara defy South Africa after top order fails</a>

<a href="http://www.wionews.com/sports/virat-kohli-found-guilty-of-misbehaving-with-umpires-29690" target="_blank">Virat Kohli found guilty of &#39;misbehaving&#39; with umpires, fined</a>

Even veteran cricketers are raising questions commenting on the team selection and game strategies.

Former&nbsp;Indian team captain Sunil Gavaskar also expressed his views&nbsp;on the performance of Parthiv Patel, who replaced wicketkeeper-batsman Wriddiman Saha.

He said that MS Dhoni&#39;s advice in the dressing room would have been invaluable.

&quot;I would have actually liked him to maybe give up captaincy and still stay in the team as&nbsp;wicketkeeper-batsman,&quot; Gavaskar said.&nbsp;

MS Dhoni retired from Test cricket in 2014 after playing 90 Test matches.

Recently, former cricketer, Mohammad Kaif took to his Twitter on the dismissal of Virat Kohli in the second innings, saying, &quot;Unfortunately it&#39;s all over. Kohli gone, India gone.&quot;

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Unfortunately it&#39;s all over. Kohli gone, India gone .
&mdash; Mohammad Kaif (@MohammadKaif) <a href="https://twitter.com/MohammadKaif/status/953289501551476736?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">January 16, 2018</a></blockquote>
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A few days back, International cricket legends <a href="http://www.wionews.com/sports/indvssa-2nd-test-allan-donald-vvs-laxman-surprised-over-bhuvis-omission-29431" target="_blank">Allan Donald and VVS Laxman</a> slammed the selectors for dropping Bhuvneshwar Kumar out of India&#39;s XI for the second Test against South Africa.

&nbsp;

&nbsp;

Team India is under pressure and on the verge of losing the second match

India is currently on tour to South Africa and has lost the first Test of a 3-match series. The second Test is underway at Centurion, but the Proteas have already outplayed the "Men In Blue". Team India is under pressure and on the verge of losing the second match as well. Virat-Kohli-led team again failed to perform as the top batting order collapsed very quickly, including the skipper who scored smashing 153 runs in the first innings. South African pacers Lungi Ngidi and Kagiso Rabada destroyed India's top batting order. Currently, Indian team is facing criticism from fans and spectators and is being trolled for their poor performance. 2nd Test: After hitting ton, Kohli retaliated against Rabada 2nd Test: Parthiv, Pujara defy South Africa after top order fails Virat Kohli found guilty of 'misbehaving' with umpires, fined Even veteran cricketers are raising questions commenting on the team selection and game strategies. Former Indian team captain Sunil Gavaskar also expressed his views on the performance of Parthiv Patel, who replaced wicketkeeper-batsman Wriddiman Saha. He said that MS Dhoni's advice in the dressing room would have been invaluable. "I would have actually liked him to maybe give up captaincy and still stay in the team as wicketkeeper-batsman," Gavaskar said. MS Dhoni retired from Test cricket in 2014 after playing 90 Test matches. Recently, former cricketer, Mohammad Kaif took to his Twitter on the dismissal of Virat Kohli in the second innings, saying, "Unfortunately it's all over. Kohli gone, India gone." Unfortunately it's all over. Kohli gone, India gone . — Mohammad Kaif (@MohammadKaif) January 16, 2018 × A few days back, International cricket legends Allan Donald and VVS Laxman slammed the selectors for dropping Bhuvneshwar Kumar out of India's XI for the second Test against South Africa.

Sunil Gavaskar remembers MS Dhoni as India's batting line fails against South Africa

The 2018 U-19 World Cup, currently underway in New Zealand, is attracting a lot of attention the world over among cricket fans. With its coverage having gone bigger and more visible, there is a lot of focus and excitement on the young players performing in the event. Every good performance is being applauded and new talents being keenly observed.

&nbsp;

In India&rsquo;s first game against Australia, Kamlesh Nagarkoti and Shivam Mavi, the Indian quicks, bowled with great venom and constantly clicked speeds of over 140 km/h. In a country that has been starved of decent pace bowlers, this was a sight for the tired eyes and was applauded wholeheartedly in the social media. In fact, none other than ex-Indian captain Sourav Ganguly tweeted, mentioning that these young quicks are worth keeping an eye out for.

&nbsp;

This just goes to show how much of an impact the U-19 World Cup has these days. There was a time when this tournament was barely noticed. And today, it has become a genuine launch pad for youngsters to be internationally recognized even before they have played any first-class cricket. So the question that needs to be asked now is whether the U-19 World Cup can now be considered as a stepping stone for young cricketers for an international call-up?

&nbsp;

Youngsters need to go through the rigors of first-class cricket first

&nbsp;

It is well known by now that the likes of Virat Kohli, Yuvraj Singh, Kane Williamson, and Hashim Amla, to name a few, first got recognition through their exploits in the U-19 World Cup. However, it was through the grind, toil and repeated success at the first-class level that these players got the opportunity to represent the country.

&nbsp;

The U-19 World Cup is a good platform. It allows youngsters some great exposure of playing in different conditions of the world and of facing off against cricketers of all nationalities. The experience they gather in such a high-octane and fiercely competitive tournament can be extremely helpful in molding them for the path ahead.

&nbsp;

It would be unwise, however, to take them directly from the U-19 level to the international one. The path in between those two phases must be covered by every cricketer. Getting to skip it altogether, except in some extremely rare cases, might do more harm than good to the young cricketers.

&nbsp;

The World Cup provides an experience of a very different kind to these young lads. But they also need to hone their skills and go through the toil of first-class cricket to become a proper and complete cricketer. There is and should never be an easy way to success. Rushing those kids to the world of international cricket might hamper their progress.

&nbsp;

First-class cricket allows players to be disciplined, patient, and tenacious. Without developing these traits through the rigors of domestic cricket, a youngster, who has been inducted in international cricket directly, might struggle as he grows older.

&nbsp;

So, while we should definitely be excited for young talents emerging from the U-19 World Cup, we should also be very watchful to not go overboard with it or call for their inclusion in international cricket straightaway. After all, there is a whole sea of a difference between those two levels. And that needs to be respected.

&nbsp;

For now, let us savour the young talents like Prithwi Shah, Raynard van Tonder, Kamlesh Nagarkoti, Shaheen Shah Afridi and, Jason Sangha, among a plethora of others featuring in the ICC U-19 World Cup. And just hope that they go on to make a name for themselves in international cricket in the years to come as better versions of themselves.

&nbsp;

(Disclaimer: The opinions expressed above are the personal views of the author and do not reflect the views of ZMCL)

It was through the grind, toil and repeated success at the first-class level that players, such as Kohli, Yuvraj Singh, Kane Williamson, and Hashim Amla got the opportunity to represent the country.

The 2018 U-19 World Cup, currently underway in New Zealand, is attracting a lot of attention the world over among cricket fans. With its coverage having gone bigger and more visible, there is a lot of focus and excitement on the young players performing in the event. Every good performance is being applauded and new talents being keenly observed. In India’s first game against Australia, Kamlesh Nagarkoti and Shivam Mavi, the Indian quicks, bowled with great venom and constantly clicked speeds of over 140 km/h. In a country that has been starved of decent pace bowlers, this was a sight for the tired eyes and was applauded wholeheartedly in the social media. In fact, none other than ex-Indian captain Sourav Ganguly tweeted, mentioning that these young quicks are worth keeping an eye out for. This just goes to show how much of an impact the U-19 World Cup has these days. There was a time when this tournament was barely noticed. And today, it has become a genuine launch pad for youngsters to be internationally recognized even before they have played any first-class cricket. So the question that needs to be asked now is whether the U-19 World Cup can now be considered as a stepping stone for young cricketers for an international call-up? Youngsters need to go through the rigors of first-class cricket first It is well known by now that the likes of Virat Kohli, Yuvraj Singh, Kane Williamson, and Hashim Amla, to name a few, first got recognition through their exploits in the U-19 World Cup. However, it was through the grind, toil and repeated success at the first-class level that these players got the opportunity to represent the country. The U-19 World Cup is a good platform. It allows youngsters some great exposure of playing in different conditions of the world and of facing off against cricketers of all nationalities. The experience they gather in such a high-octane and fiercely competitive tournament can be extremely helpful in molding them for the path ahead. It would be unwise, however, to take them directly from the U-19 level to the international one. The path in between those two phases must be covered by every cricketer. Getting to skip it altogether, except in some extremely rare cases, might do more harm than good to the young cricketers. The World Cup provides an experience of a very different kind to these young lads. But they also need to hone their skills and go through the toil of first-class cricket to become a proper and complete cricketer. There is and should never be an easy way to success. Rushing those kids to the world of international cricket might hamper their progress. First-class cricket allows players to be disciplined, patient, and tenacious. Without developing these traits through the rigors of domestic cricket, a youngster, who has been inducted in international cricket directly, might struggle as he grows older. So, while we should definitely be excited for young talents emerging from the U-19 World Cup, we should also be very watchful to not go overboard with it or call for their inclusion in international cricket straightaway. After all, there is a whole sea of a difference between those two levels. And that needs to be respected. For now, let us savour the young talents like Prithwi Shah, Raynard van Tonder, Kamlesh Nagarkoti, Shaheen Shah Afridi and, Jason Sangha, among a plethora of others featuring in the ICC U-19 World Cup. And just hope that they go on to make a name for themselves in international cricket in the years to come as better versions of themselves. (Disclaimer: The opinions expressed above are the personal views of the author and do not reflect the views of ZMCL)

Opinion: Should U-19 World Cup be the stepping stone for cricketers aiming international level?

Team India defeated Papua New Guinea by 10 wickets in the ICC Under-19 World Cup.&nbsp;

It was an easy win for Team India&nbsp;in a low scoring encounter as&nbsp;Indian bowlers destroyed Papua&#39;s batting order restricting&nbsp;them at a paltry&nbsp;67 all out.

Indian pacer Ankul Roy claimed his career-best figures as he took 5 wickets in 6.5 overs.&nbsp;For his spectacular spell, he was awarded player of the match.

Earlier, India had won the toss and opted to bowl first at Bay Oval, Mount Maunganui.

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Anukul Roy&#39;s 5/14 leads India to flatten PNG for 64 in Tauranga! <a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/U19CWC?src=hash&amp;ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">#U19CWC</a> <a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/INDvPNG?src=hash&amp;ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">#INDvPNG</a> LIVE ➡️ <a href="https://t.co/eqUyIdI5T9">https://t.co/eqUyIdI5T9</a> <a href="https://t.co/PT1GaBTQr4">pic.twitter.com/PT1GaBTQr4</a>
&mdash; Cricket World Cup (@cricketworldcup) <a href="https://twitter.com/cricketworldcup/status/953096698913411072?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">January 16, 2018</a></blockquote>
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Shivam Mavi was at full throttle taking two quick wickets of Igo Mahuru and Heagi Toua. Recently, former cricket legend of India, Sourav Ganguly, praised him for his splendid performance against Australia.

Kamlesh Nagarkoti and Arshdeep Singh claimed&nbsp;one wicket each and contributed to India&#39;s victory.&nbsp;

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Just how good is Prithvi Shaw!? He hit 57 out of India&#39;s 67 runs against PNG today - watch the highlights of his innings at the link below! 
 
▶️ <a href="https://t.co/XeNshywrcu">https://t.co/XeNshywrcu</a> <a href="https://t.co/n4reYmYgM1">pic.twitter.com/n4reYmYgM1</a>
&mdash; ICC (@ICC) <a href="https://twitter.com/ICC/status/953120170867699712?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">January 16, 2018</a></blockquote>
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For India, openers&nbsp;Prithvi Shaw and Manjot Karla took charge and&nbsp;achieved&nbsp;the target easily in just 8 overs.

India had earlier beaten Australia by&nbsp;100 runs in the first match of the U-19 World Cup.

Indian pacer Ankul Roy awarded player of the match for taking 5 wickets in 6.5 overs

Team India defeated Papua New Guinea by 10 wickets in the ICC Under-19 World Cup. It was an easy win for Team India in a low scoring encounter as Indian bowlers destroyed Papua's batting order restricting them at a paltry 67 all out. Indian pacer Ankul Roy claimed his career-best figures as he took 5 wickets in 6.5 overs. For his spectacular spell, he was awarded player of the match. Earlier, India had won the toss and opted to bowl first at Bay Oval, Mount Maunganui. Anukul Roy's 5/14 leads India to flatten PNG for 64 in Tauranga! #U19CWC #INDvPNG LIVE ➡️ https://t.co/eqUyIdI5T9 pic.twitter.com/PT1GaBTQr4 — Cricket World Cup (@cricketworldcup) January 16, 2018 × Shivam Mavi was at full throttle taking two quick wickets of Igo Mahuru and Heagi Toua. Recently, former cricket legend of India, Sourav Ganguly, praised him for his splendid performance against Australia. Kamlesh Nagarkoti and Arshdeep Singh claimed one wicket each and contributed to India's victory. Just how good is Prithvi Shaw!? He hit 57 out of India's 67 runs against PNG today - watch the highlights of his innings at the link below! ▶️ https://t.co/XeNshywrcu pic.twitter.com/n4reYmYgM1 — ICC (@ICC) January 16, 2018 × For India, openers Prithvi Shaw and Manjot Karla took charge and achieved the target easily in just 8 overs. India had earlier beaten Australia by 100 runs in the first match of the U-19 World Cup.

U-19 World Cup: India beats Papua New Guinea by 10 wickets, Ankul Roy shines

India started the ICC U19 World Cup 2018 with a terrific win as they defeated Australia by 100 runs at Bay Oval, Mount Maunganui, New Zealand.

The Men in Blue had posted a mammoth total of 328 runs against Australia after skipper-opener Prithvi Shaw played a brilliant 94-run knock along with 180 runs partnership with fellow opener Manoj Kalra.

Former captain Sourav Ganguly and Virender Sehwag are all praise for the young guns&nbsp;and are also commending their performances on social forums, especially pacers.

Also read:&nbsp;<a href="http://www.wionews.com/sports/opinion-why-these-5-cricket-stars-will-shine-in-icc-u-19-world-cup-29541" target="_blank">Opinion: Why these 5 cricket stars will shine in ICC U-19 World Cup</a>

Ganguly tweeted, &quot;@imVkohli...Keep an eye on two under 19 quicks Mavi and Nagarkoti.&quot;

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<a href="https://twitter.com/imVkohli?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">@imVkohli</a> <a href="https://twitter.com/VVSLaxman281?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">@VVSLaxman281</a> <a href="https://twitter.com/BCCI?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">@BCCI</a> keep an eye on two under 19quicks ..mavi and nagarkotti ..bowling at 145 in newzealand ..brilliant ..
&mdash; Sourav Ganguly (@SGanguly99) <a href="https://twitter.com/SGanguly99/status/952444634646523904?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">January 14, 2018</a></blockquote>
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&nbsp;

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<a href="https://twitter.com/imVkohli?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">@imVkohli</a> <a href="https://twitter.com/vikrantgupta73?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">@vikrantgupta73</a> <a href="https://twitter.com/BoriaMajumdar?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">@BoriaMajumdar</a> <a href="https://twitter.com/VVSLaxman281?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">@VVSLaxman281</a> <a href="https://twitter.com/sachin_rt?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">@sachin_rt</a> all 3 under 19 quicks prospect for india ..by far the best in the tournament
&mdash; Sourav Ganguly (@SGanguly99) <a href="https://twitter.com/SGanguly99/status/952445070556332033?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">January 14, 2018</a></blockquote>
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Not only Ganguly, Sehwag also tweeted to show his support to these cricketing talents, who are playing brilliantly in the ICC U19 World Cup 2018.

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This was serious pace from our boys. Solid beginning beating the Aussies by 100 runs. May the hunger continue and we carry the momentum. <a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/U19CWC?src=hash&amp;ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">#U19CWC</a> <a href="https://t.co/zL75RDxjN3">pic.twitter.com/zL75RDxjN3</a>
&mdash; Virender Sehwag (@virendersehwag) <a href="https://twitter.com/virendersehwag/status/952457429026971649?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">January 14, 2018</a></blockquote>
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India, who opened their 2018 U-19 WC campaign against Australia, are three-time champions, with their the last triumph coming in 2014.&nbsp;

Coached by the distinguished Rahul Dravid, the team displayed that there is no dearth of talent in the squad.

&nbsp;

&nbsp;

Shivam Mavi and Kamlesh Nagarkoti are good prospects for team India, said Ganguly

India started the ICC U19 World Cup 2018 with a terrific win as they defeated Australia by 100 runs at Bay Oval, Mount Maunganui, New Zealand. The Men in Blue had posted a mammoth total of 328 runs against Australia after skipper-opener Prithvi Shaw played a brilliant 94-run knock along with 180 runs partnership with fellow opener Manoj Kalra. Former captain Sourav Ganguly and Virender Sehwag are all praise for the young guns and are also commending their performances on social forums, especially pacers. Also read: Opinion: Why these 5 cricket stars will shine in ICC U-19 World Cup Ganguly tweeted, "@imVkohli...Keep an eye on two under 19 quicks Mavi and Nagarkoti." @imVkohli @VVSLaxman281 @BCCI keep an eye on two under 19quicks ..mavi and nagarkotti ..bowling at 145 in newzealand ..brilliant .. — Sourav Ganguly (@SGanguly99) January 14, 2018 × @imVkohli @vikrantgupta73 @BoriaMajumdar @VVSLaxman281 @sachin_rt all 3 under 19 quicks prospect for india ..by far the best in the tournament — Sourav Ganguly (@SGanguly99) January 14, 2018 × Not only Ganguly, Sehwag also tweeted to show his support to these cricketing talents, who are playing brilliantly in the ICC U19 World Cup 2018. This was serious pace from our boys. Solid beginning beating the Aussies by 100 runs. May the hunger continue and we carry the momentum. #U19CWC pic.twitter.com/zL75RDxjN3 — Virender Sehwag (@virendersehwag) January 14, 2018 × India, who opened their 2018 U-19 WC campaign against Australia, are three-time champions, with their the last triumph coming in 2014. Coached by the distinguished Rahul Dravid, the team displayed that there is no dearth of talent in the squad.

Sourav Ganguly, Virender Sehwag eye Under-19 champs

We Indians are so sensitive to the game we love that we lose patience as things derail a bit. Team India and Kohli were on a roll for past couple of years as Kohli seemed to have acquired that Midas touch. Everything which Kohli was touching was turning in to gold. His every decision on and off the field was hitting the bull&rsquo;s eye.

&nbsp;

However, as India lost out at the Cape Town, for the same people, Kohli has reduced not only to a mediocre captain but an ordinary batsman too. Virender Sehwag (though he is a bit of loose cannon) even suggested Kohli drop himself.

&nbsp;

The ruckus is mainly over the final eleven players selected by Kohli. Experts frowned when they saw Shikhar Dhawan and Rohit Sharma in the line-up at Cape Town and KL Rahul and Rohit Sharma on the bench. As Rohit and Shikhar both failed at Cape Town, the salvo got further ammunition.

&nbsp;

Flaks continue to Centurion. Now the complaint is that why Shikhar has been dropped (Gavaskar slammed Kohli for this) and why Rohit is still in the playing eleven. However, the decision which people believe most bizarre of all is, leaving Bhuvneshwar out in the second Test and going into play Test with just one spinner. Kohli believed that the conditions at Centurian are not conducive to Bhuvi&rsquo;s style of swing bowling. Moreover, Ishant produces bounce and also Lords 2014 must be playing in Kohli&rsquo;s mind where Ishant won Test for India by his rising deliveries. As for two spinners, pitch sprung surprises and Kohli could not read it upfront.

&nbsp;

But batsman Kohli is already on track with his first innings display.&nbsp;

There is something very interesting in Cricket because of inherent uncertainties in it. Most of the time you only come to know retrospectively, whether the decision of caption was good or bad on the outcome. Thus, it is always good to go with the conviction of captain till things really get repetitively wrong and go really haywire, which certainly not the case at this moment. &nbsp;

&nbsp;

In 1992 World Cup, Imran Khan continued with out of form Inzamam-ul-Haq despite criticism. In the semi-final, Inzamam played a whirlwind knock and bailed his side out from a crunch situation. Imran was hailed but had Inzy continued with his poor form in the semi-final as well what Imran would have faced back home is anybody&rsquo;s guess.

&nbsp;

In 1990, Azhar won the toss at Lords and put England in to bat. Graham Gooch slammed triple century and England decimated India. Azhar was severely criticised. Though it is correct that Azhar misinterpreted the playing condition but had Kiran More not dropped Gooch when he was on 36, the result of the match could have been different.

&nbsp;

But that doesn&rsquo;t mean that captain is absolved of a genuinely bad decision. In 1996 World Cup semi-final, Azhar put Sri Lanka in on a semi-prepared track. Indians crumbled in the second innings on a hyper-turning track.&nbsp;

&nbsp;

The captain in his judgement sometimes needs to one over the other, though they are evenly poised. Sourav Ganguly once admitted that as a caption, the toughest task for him was to tell Anil Kumble in overseas tours that Kumble was not part of playing eleven as Harbhajan had taken the only slot for the spinner in the eleven.&nbsp;

&nbsp;

Notwithstanding above, Kohli also doesn&rsquo;t have the license to decide things on his whims. True, he failed to read the playing conditions in South Africa and some of his decisions are not very convincing but then I call it captain&rsquo;s privilege to take the call, particularly when it is well known that Virat Kohli is a passionate campaigner and team man. &nbsp;

&nbsp;

It is Kohli&rsquo;s first tour as captain against a formidable opponent outside the sub-continent. Moreover, India hardly got any practice game before Test series to gauge the situation and get them duly adjusted and calibrated.&nbsp;

&nbsp;

We need to appreciate that these are not easy calls to take. Kohli probably believes that Shikhar and Rohit are a kind of player, if they click, they can simply run away with the innings and game, which probably has a rationale behind it. Rohit is failing but even like of Ian Chappel believes that with little adjustment in this technique and mindset, Rohit can become worthy of a Test player. Perhaps, based on this assumption, Kohli wants to give chances to Rohit.&nbsp;

&nbsp;

In 2001, in the home series against Australia, as per the experts Sourav Ganguly and team India was doing everything wrong till the third day of second Test at Kolkata. But when Dravid-Laxman built that mammoth partnership and India pulled Test, the narrative of fraternity for Ganguly took a brazen U-turn.

&nbsp;

Thus without going to the specifics in what Kohli has done, for this moment let&rsquo;s have faith in the conviction of the skipper in spite of few of his irrational decision. Who knows when table may turn and Kohli will again be at the top of the proceedings. &nbsp;

&nbsp;

(Disclaimer: The opinions expressed above are the personal views of the author and do not reflect the views of ZMCL).

It is always good to go with the conviction of captain till things really get repetitively wrong and go really haywire, which certainly not the case at this moment.

We Indians are so sensitive to the game we love that we lose patience as things derail a bit. Team India and Kohli were on a roll for past couple of years as Kohli seemed to have acquired that Midas touch. Everything which Kohli was touching was turning in to gold. His every decision on and off the field was hitting the bull’s eye. However, as India lost out at the Cape Town, for the same people, Kohli has reduced not only to a mediocre captain but an ordinary batsman too. Virender Sehwag (though he is a bit of loose cannon) even suggested Kohli drop himself. The ruckus is mainly over the final eleven players selected by Kohli. Experts frowned when they saw Shikhar Dhawan and Rohit Sharma in the line-up at Cape Town and KL Rahul and Rohit Sharma on the bench. As Rohit and Shikhar both failed at Cape Town, the salvo got further ammunition. Flaks continue to Centurion. Now the complaint is that why Shikhar has been dropped (Gavaskar slammed Kohli for this) and why Rohit is still in the playing eleven. However, the decision which people believe most bizarre of all is, leaving Bhuvneshwar out in the second Test and going into play Test with just one spinner. Kohli believed that the conditions at Centurian are not conducive to Bhuvi’s style of swing bowling. Moreover, Ishant produces bounce and also Lords 2014 must be playing in Kohli’s mind where Ishant won Test for India by his rising deliveries. As for two spinners, pitch sprung surprises and Kohli could not read it upfront. But batsman Kohli is already on track with his first innings display. There is something very interesting in Cricket because of inherent uncertainties in it. Most of the time you only come to know retrospectively, whether the decision of caption was good or bad on the outcome. Thus, it is always good to go with the conviction of captain till things really get repetitively wrong and go really haywire, which certainly not the case at this moment. In 1992 World Cup, Imran Khan continued with out of form Inzamam-ul-Haq despite criticism. In the semi-final, Inzamam played a whirlwind knock and bailed his side out from a crunch situation. Imran was hailed but had Inzy continued with his poor form in the semi-final as well what Imran would have faced back home is anybody’s guess. In 1990, Azhar won the toss at Lords and put England in to bat. Graham Gooch slammed triple century and England decimated India. Azhar was severely criticised. Though it is correct that Azhar misinterpreted the playing condition but had Kiran More not dropped Gooch when he was on 36, the result of the match could have been different. But that doesn’t mean that captain is absolved of a genuinely bad decision. In 1996 World Cup semi-final, Azhar put Sri Lanka in on a semi-prepared track. Indians crumbled in the second innings on a hyper-turning track. The captain in his judgement sometimes needs to one over the other, though they are evenly poised. Sourav Ganguly once admitted that as a caption, the toughest task for him was to tell Anil Kumble in overseas tours that Kumble was not part of playing eleven as Harbhajan had taken the only slot for the spinner in the eleven. Notwithstanding above, Kohli also doesn’t have the license to decide things on his whims. True, he failed to read the playing conditions in South Africa and some of his decisions are not very convincing but then I call it captain’s privilege to take the call, particularly when it is well known that Virat Kohli is a passionate campaigner and team man. It is Kohli’s first tour as captain against a formidable opponent outside the sub-continent. Moreover, India hardly got any practice game before Test series to gauge the situation and get them duly adjusted and calibrated. We need to appreciate that these are not easy calls to take. Kohli probably believes that Shikhar and Rohit are a kind of player, if they click, they can simply run away with the innings and game, which probably has a rationale behind it. Rohit is failing but even like of Ian Chappel believes that with little adjustment in this technique and mindset, Rohit can become worthy of a Test player. Perhaps, based on this assumption, Kohli wants to give chances to Rohit. In 2001, in the home series against Australia, as per the experts Sourav Ganguly and team India was doing everything wrong till the third day of second Test at Kolkata. But when Dravid-Laxman built that mammoth partnership and India pulled Test, the narrative of fraternity for Ganguly took a brazen U-turn. Thus without going to the specifics in what Kohli has done, for this moment let’s have faith in the conviction of the skipper in spite of few of his irrational decision. Who knows when table may turn and Kohli will again be at the top of the proceedings. (Disclaimer: The opinions expressed above are the personal views of the author and do not reflect the views of ZMCL).

Opinion: Skipper Kohli made bad decisions but why we need to trust him

By&nbsp;Rishibha Kumari

How far can a cricket fan go to immortalise his&nbsp;idol? A Chennai-based sports startup Sportwalk has created a comic book titled- &#39;The Wall&#39;, which highlights the 15 best cricketing moments from Rahul Dravid&#39;s career.

Today, the former cricketer and captain of the Indian team is the head coach of the Under-19 Indian cricket&nbsp;team.

In an exclusive chat with WION, the creators of the comic book revealed that they were inspired by Dravid&#39;s&nbsp;humility and the way he won hearts by his performance on and off the field.

&quot;It was a humble tribute that we wanted to pay to the great man that is Rahul Dravid. He is a cricketing idol for all of us. Like if you like sports, you have to love Rahul Dravid. He is an embodiment of the perfect gentleman and he is a great role model for every youngster,&quot; said Abhranil Roy who heads the digital media team at Sportwalk.

For them, the inspiration to make a comic book on Dravid came by meeting the Rahul Dravid fan clubs based in South India. The cricketer&#39;s&nbsp;journey excited them and they were overwhelmed by the response they received upon the conception of this idea. They chose Dravid&#39;s birth date January 11&nbsp;to launch the comic book.&nbsp;

<div class="ui-state-default" contenteditable="false"><img alt="" draggable="false" src="http://s.wionews.com/photos/cover%20image-20180114041504.jpg" />
<div class="media-description">
The Wall (Others)
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&quot;The response has been really good so far. We were specific on launching this comic book on his birthday that is January 11. When we posted the cover picture of this comic book earlier, people were positive about the entire idea and this was encouraging,&quot; said co-founder Divakar KS.

The writer of the comic book. Himanshu is amused at how the comic book has turned out and he is&nbsp;enthusiastic about what lies ahead. He also revealed that there were many cricketing moments and they did their research well to prioritise the best 15 cricketing moments.

He said, &quot;This is the first time I&#39;ve attempted this. It is an uncharted territory for me, it was a challenge but as we&#39;re talking about somebody as big as Rahul Dravid. It helped that we had certain guidelines as we had to capture 15 moments from his career. The initial challenge was to identify those moments, things that his fans could relate to. I hope the comic book takes Rahul Dravid fans to a trip down the memory lane.&quot;

The chief cartoonist revels in the way the comic book appears visually as he calls it his masterpiece. He recalls his journey as a cartoonist and he hopes for the best outcome for this project.&nbsp;&quot;I started practising during my college days and eventually developed my own style. Then Divakar approached me with the idea of telling sports stories using comics. Since I found this idea unique, I started doing it.&quot; said Adheedhan R, the chief cartoonist.

The company Sportwalk&nbsp;that also organises sports-related events and sells merchandises online&nbsp;is&nbsp;also the first sports&nbsp;startup to associate with Comic Con India. They&nbsp;are&nbsp;currently working on more comic book&nbsp;projects, sports&nbsp;events and merchandises.&nbsp;

The merchandise and comic books are available on their online store -&nbsp;www.sportwalk.co.

The comic book on Dravid titled - 'The Wall' is already creating a buzz on social media and is invoking nostalgia among millennials who've watched him play on TV

By Rishibha Kumari How far can a cricket fan go to immortalise his idol? A Chennai-based sports startup Sportwalk has created a comic book titled- 'The Wall', which highlights the 15 best cricketing moments from Rahul Dravid's career. Today, the former cricketer and captain of the Indian team is the head coach of the Under-19 Indian cricket team. In an exclusive chat with WION, the creators of the comic book revealed that they were inspired by Dravid's humility and the way he won hearts by his performance on and off the field. "It was a humble tribute that we wanted to pay to the great man that is Rahul Dravid. He is a cricketing idol for all of us. Like if you like sports, you have to love Rahul Dravid. He is an embodiment of the perfect gentleman and he is a great role model for every youngster," said Abhranil Roy who heads the digital media team at Sportwalk. For them, the inspiration to make a comic book on Dravid came by meeting the Rahul Dravid fan clubs based in South India. The cricketer's journey excited them and they were overwhelmed by the response they received upon the conception of this idea. They chose Dravid's birth date January 11 to launch the comic book. The Wall (Others) × "The response has been really good so far. We were specific on launching this comic book on his birthday that is January 11. When we posted the cover picture of this comic book earlier, people were positive about the entire idea and this was encouraging," said co-founder Divakar KS. The writer of the comic book. Himanshu is amused at how the comic book has turned out and he is enthusiastic about what lies ahead. He also revealed that there were many cricketing moments and they did their research well to prioritise the best 15 cricketing moments. He said, "This is the first time I've attempted this. It is an uncharted territory for me, it was a challenge but as we're talking about somebody as big as Rahul Dravid. It helped that we had certain guidelines as we had to capture 15 moments from his career. The initial challenge was to identify those moments, things that his fans could relate to. I hope the comic book takes Rahul Dravid fans to a trip down the memory lane." The chief cartoonist revels in the way the comic book appears visually as he calls it his masterpiece. He recalls his journey as a cartoonist and he hopes for the best outcome for this project. "I started practising during my college days and eventually developed my own style. Then Divakar approached me with the idea of telling sports stories using comics. Since I found this idea unique, I started doing it." said Adheedhan R, the chief cartoonist. The company Sportwalk that also organises sports-related events and sells merchandises online is also the first sports startup to associate with Comic Con India. They are currently working on more comic book projects, sports events and merchandises. The merchandise and comic books are available on their online store - www.sportwalk.co.

Rahul Dravid, former cricketing legend, turns comic book superhero

It was quarter-final match between India and Pakistan at Bangalore during 1996 World Cup. The atmosphere was charged up and spectators were on the ground with all sorts of banners to cheer their side. However, one banner was conspicuous with its presence and it said: &ldquo;Where is Dravid&rdquo;.&nbsp; It manifests that how dominating Rahul Dravid was in domestic Cricket by the year 1996 and his inclusion in Indian playing eleven had become so much imminent.

&nbsp;

Twenty-two years down the line when the great wall of India Rahul Dravid turns 45, I fondly recall this incident. During this time period, Dravid had not only arrived but had become one of the brightest stars and a great ambassador of the game in the whole annals of Indian Cricket.

&nbsp;

Statistics has its own tales to narrate about Rahul Dravid &ndash; that Rahul Dravid scored more than thirteen thousand Test runs &ndash; that he is highest run getter in Test Cricket for India after Sachin Tendulkar &ndash; that Dravid holds the world record of maximum nos. of catches in Test matches &ndash; that he scored with an average of fifty plus and has scored thirty-six Test Centuries &ndash; that Dravid scored Test century in each Test playing nation &ndash; that Dravid scored two Test centuries in a single Test on two different occasions &ndash; that Dravid scored four Test centuries in four consecutive innings in 2002, and many many others.&nbsp;

&nbsp;

The list is long but sorry to say all these statistics are insignificant. Rahul Dravid is the bloke, whose worth and greatness cannot be gauged by these number; its way beyond.

&nbsp;

Indian Cricket can broadly be divided into two time zones, before the year 2000 and post 2000. The huge turn around in Indian Cricket started in 2000 when Sourav Ganguly took over the rein. During 2000-2005, Indian Cricket evolved to a different level altogether and one man who undisputedly and unequivocally deserves most of the credit for this process of revamping was Rahul Dravid.

&nbsp;

Dravid made his Test debut in England during the summer of 1996 (three months later his ardent followers flashed that banner at Bangalore) but the inning which showed the world what actually Dravid was, came a few months later in Johannesburg, South Africa. It was a well-crafted 148 by him against blazing Allan Donald and company. He arrived with a huge thud.

&nbsp;

Coming back to the resurgence of Indian Cricket during 2000-2005; Indian side moved up the ladder, notch by notch, step by step and Dravid played his part to perfection, propelling his side, pushing his side at each step relentlessly and with mercurial consistency.

&nbsp;

Let&rsquo;s have a quick reap of that special upward journey.&nbsp;

&nbsp;

It all started in a very emphatic way by India&rsquo;s epic victory against Australia in Kolkata in March 2001. He along with Laxman built that immortal partnership which gave India one of its most famous Test victories.&nbsp;

&nbsp;

Next step up the ladder was India&rsquo;s tour to England in 2002; Dravid was in the form of his life. He scored more than 600 runs in four Test matches and India won the Test in England after 16 years. Dravid scored three centuries (one of them was double).&nbsp;

&nbsp;

Next step up the ladder (or I can say a leap) was India&rsquo;s tour down under in 2003-04. At Adelaide, Dravid architected undisputedly the most famous and glorious Test victory for India. He played knocks of 233 and 72 not out. India won the Test from a situation of 85 for 4 in first innings in reply of 550 plus by Australia; a Test victory in Australia after more than two decades.&nbsp;

&nbsp;

That series was the farewell series of legendary Steve Waugh. After India&rsquo;s heroic at Adelaide, one meme went viral in email (it was not WhatsApp/facebook era). In this meme, dejected Steve Waugh and Rahul Dravid were shown together post-match, and the caption was &ldquo;Mate, you have just spoiled my retirement&rdquo;.&nbsp; &nbsp;

&nbsp;

Next step up in ladder was India&rsquo;s tour to Pakistan in 2004.&nbsp; At Rawalpindi, Dravid scored 270 and India won the Test by a huge margin. India created history by winning Test series in Pakistan. I remember that how that Test series defeat was deeply mourned in Pakistan. The day India won Rawalpindi Test riding on a double century of Dravid, the Cricket fraternity in Pakistan tipped it as the blackest day of Pakistan&rsquo;s Cricket.

&nbsp;

To leave you spellbound, here is one data - Dravid scored more than 20% of the total run scored by India, in all Test victories under Sourav Ganguly during 2000-2005. Truly Incredible.

&nbsp;

For those who don&rsquo;t rate his ODI credentials high, India &ndash; Sri Lanka encounter in 1999 World Cup is there to rebut. The match was played at Taunton, England.&nbsp; Dravid and Sourav Ganguly built a record partnership of 318 runs for the second wicket. Dravid scored 145.&nbsp; Though in the end, Sourav with the knock of 183 took the majority of applause but this is a fact that it was Dravid who started showing aggression during the partnership and set the tone for such mammoth partnership.

&nbsp;

Taunton is home ground for Somerset County. There was a time when legendary Viv Richards and Ian Botham used to play for Somerset and this ground witnessed some superb attacking batting by them. After this India &ndash; Sri Lanka match, next day many newspapers in England wrote that the partnership between Sourav-Dravid was reminiscent of those good old days of the supremacy of Richards-Botham at this ground. &nbsp;

&nbsp;

Dravid was the man of all season. Give him the task and he would be up for the grab. He kept wickets in 2003 World Cup which allow the team to include one extra batsman in the lineup. He had to open with Sehwag in Test in Pakistan in 2006, he returned with a partnership of 410 runs for the opening wicket.

&nbsp;

Somehow, I found that Dravid was on the same template as that of great Pakistani batsman Zaheer Abbas and our very own Dileep Vengsarkar - away from galore and controversies and silently doing his job determinedly.&nbsp;

&nbsp;

If going gets tough and tough gets going, the great wall of India would come to rescue. During 2007-08 India&rsquo;s tour to Australia, India was 2-0 down when they went to Perth for the last Test. It was a series which was mired in various controversies. Indians were desperate to make a statement. Dravid played a well-crafted knock of 93 and India registered yet another famous victory in Australia.&nbsp;

&nbsp;

He scored three centuries during the Test series in England in 2011, though Indians were subjected to whitewash with a score line of 4-0. He has one bad series down under in Australia and he called it a day in 2011-12. An era had come to an end. He timed his retirement pretty well (the way he used to time his shots).

&nbsp;

Apart from the awards and statistics, Rahul Dravid is remembered as the true gentleman of the game. One, who is admired by almost every Cricket fan across the globe.&nbsp; &nbsp;

&nbsp;

Happy Birthday Rahul Dravid &ndash; History of Indian Cricket in this millennium would have been different, had you been a different player than what you were.

&nbsp;

(Disclaimer: The opinions expressed above are the personal views of the author and do not reflect the views of ZMCL).

Happy Birthday Rahul Dravid – History of Indian Cricket in this millennium would have been different, had you been a different player than what you were.

It was quarter-final match between India and Pakistan at Bangalore during 1996 World Cup. The atmosphere was charged up and spectators were on the ground with all sorts of banners to cheer their side. However, one banner was conspicuous with its presence and it said: “Where is Dravid”. It manifests that how dominating Rahul Dravid was in domestic Cricket by the year 1996 and his inclusion in Indian playing eleven had become so much imminent. Twenty-two years down the line when the great wall of India Rahul Dravid turns 45, I fondly recall this incident. During this time period, Dravid had not only arrived but had become one of the brightest stars and a great ambassador of the game in the whole annals of Indian Cricket. Statistics has its own tales to narrate about Rahul Dravid – that Rahul Dravid scored more than thirteen thousand Test runs – that he is highest run getter in Test Cricket for India after Sachin Tendulkar – that Dravid holds the world record of maximum nos. of catches in Test matches – that he scored with an average of fifty plus and has scored thirty-six Test Centuries – that Dravid scored Test century in each Test playing nation – that Dravid scored two Test centuries in a single Test on two different occasions – that Dravid scored four Test centuries in four consecutive innings in 2002, and many many others. The list is long but sorry to say all these statistics are insignificant. Rahul Dravid is the bloke, whose worth and greatness cannot be gauged by these number; its way beyond. Indian Cricket can broadly be divided into two time zones, before the year 2000 and post 2000. The huge turn around in Indian Cricket started in 2000 when Sourav Ganguly took over the rein. During 2000-2005, Indian Cricket evolved to a different level altogether and one man who undisputedly and unequivocally deserves most of the credit for this process of revamping was Rahul Dravid. Dravid made his Test debut in England during the summer of 1996 (three months later his ardent followers flashed that banner at Bangalore) but the inning which showed the world what actually Dravid was, came a few months later in Johannesburg, South Africa. It was a well-crafted 148 by him against blazing Allan Donald and company. He arrived with a huge thud. Coming back to the resurgence of Indian Cricket during 2000-2005; Indian side moved up the ladder, notch by notch, step by step and Dravid played his part to perfection, propelling his side, pushing his side at each step relentlessly and with mercurial consistency. Let’s have a quick reap of that special upward journey. It all started in a very emphatic way by India’s epic victory against Australia in Kolkata in March 2001. He along with Laxman built that immortal partnership which gave India one of its most famous Test victories. Next step up the ladder was India’s tour to England in 2002; Dravid was in the form of his life. He scored more than 600 runs in four Test matches and India won the Test in England after 16 years. Dravid scored three centuries (one of them was double). Next step up the ladder (or I can say a leap) was India’s tour down under in 2003-04. At Adelaide, Dravid architected undisputedly the most famous and glorious Test victory for India. He played knocks of 233 and 72 not out. India won the Test from a situation of 85 for 4 in first innings in reply of 550 plus by Australia; a Test victory in Australia after more than two decades. That series was the farewell series of legendary Steve Waugh. After India’s heroic at Adelaide, one meme went viral in email (it was not WhatsApp/facebook era). In this meme, dejected Steve Waugh and Rahul Dravid were shown together post-match, and the caption was “Mate, you have just spoiled my retirement”. Next step up in ladder was India’s tour to Pakistan in 2004. At Rawalpindi, Dravid scored 270 and India won the Test by a huge margin. India created history by winning Test series in Pakistan. I remember that how that Test series defeat was deeply mourned in Pakistan. The day India won Rawalpindi Test riding on a double century of Dravid, the Cricket fraternity in Pakistan tipped it as the blackest day of Pakistan’s Cricket. To leave you spellbound, here is one data - Dravid scored more than 20% of the total run scored by India, in all Test victories under Sourav Ganguly during 2000-2005. Truly Incredible. For those who don’t rate his ODI credentials high, India – Sri Lanka encounter in 1999 World Cup is there to rebut. The match was played at Taunton, England. Dravid and Sourav Ganguly built a record partnership of 318 runs for the second wicket. Dravid scored 145. Though in the end, Sourav with the knock of 183 took the majority of applause but this is a fact that it was Dravid who started showing aggression during the partnership and set the tone for such mammoth partnership. Taunton is home ground for Somerset County. There was a time when legendary Viv Richards and Ian Botham used to play for Somerset and this ground witnessed some superb attacking batting by them. After this India – Sri Lanka match, next day many newspapers in England wrote that the partnership between Sourav-Dravid was reminiscent of those good old days of the supremacy of Richards-Botham at this ground. Dravid was the man of all season. Give him the task and he would be up for the grab. He kept wickets in 2003 World Cup which allow the team to include one extra batsman in the lineup. He had to open with Sehwag in Test in Pakistan in 2006, he returned with a partnership of 410 runs for the opening wicket. Somehow, I found that Dravid was on the same template as that of great Pakistani batsman Zaheer Abbas and our very own Dileep Vengsarkar - away from galore and controversies and silently doing his job determinedly. If going gets tough and tough gets going, the great wall of India would come to rescue. During 2007-08 India’s tour to Australia, India was 2-0 down when they went to Perth for the last Test. It was a series which was mired in various controversies. Indians were desperate to make a statement. Dravid played a well-crafted knock of 93 and India registered yet another famous victory in Australia. He scored three centuries during the Test series in England in 2011, though Indians were subjected to whitewash with a score line of 4-0. He has one bad series down under in Australia and he called it a day in 2011-12. An era had come to an end. He timed his retirement pretty well (the way he used to time his shots). Apart from the awards and statistics, Rahul Dravid is remembered as the true gentleman of the game. One, who is admired by almost every Cricket fan across the globe. Happy Birthday Rahul Dravid – History of Indian Cricket in this millennium would have been different, had you been a different player than what you were. (Disclaimer: The opinions expressed above are the personal views of the author and do not reflect the views of ZMCL).

Opinion: How Rahul Dravid changed Indian cricket

When the third day of Cape Town Test was called off on 7th January due to rain, my Cricket freak cousin called me and told: &ldquo;I have a feeling that when game resumes on fourth day, Indian pacers can wrap up South African quickly&rdquo;. His prediction was based on favourable conditions for pacers post drizzle and little tendency of imploding which South Africans carry. There seemed a merit in his views and we opined that in case Indians restrict South Africa within 200, India stands a chance.

&nbsp;

One hour after the commencement of game on the fourth day of the Cape Town Test, it looked that things were actually going the way my cousin predicted.&nbsp; South African collapsed even quicker than expectations. From 52 for no loss, they were bundled out for 130. It was a huge effort by Indians.

&nbsp;

India&rsquo;s victory at Kolkata 2001 and Adelaide 2003 started playing in my mind when South African batting line-up was collapsing in second innings.&nbsp; When India started chasing 209, the match was heavily tilted toward India. The absence of Dale Steyn added to the woes of South Africa.&nbsp; When the score was 30 for no loss, it looked that this special team of Virat Kohli will continue the winning streak.&nbsp;

&nbsp;

But then they collapsed.&nbsp;

&nbsp;

Instead of Kolkata 2001 and Adelaide 2003, in the end, it turned out to be an imitation of Bridgetown 1997, when India chasing 120 collapsed at 81 in fourth innings.

&nbsp;

Indians per se had their moments in the Test, which was completed in less than three days (omitting the washed out day) but in the end better team won.

&nbsp;

This was a sort of reality check for number one Test side in ICC ranking and for a team who has been on a roll for quite some time now.&nbsp; It&rsquo;s simple - You piled up runs in sub-continent but what if situation upped the ante; you collapse.

&nbsp;

Indians need to fix problems very soon. Things started going wrong right from the beginning. Ravinder Jadeja ruled out for the Test, which was a blow considering the number of right-handed batsmen in the South African line-up. Remember his 6 wickets haul at Durban in 2013.&nbsp;

&nbsp;

The real problem, however, was the selection of playing eleven out of the available lot. Leaving KL Rahul and Ajinkya Rahane on the bench and picking Shikhar Dhawan and Rohit Sharma is not at all convincing. Rahane&rsquo;s recent failures notwithstanding, you cannot take a batsman lightly who has Test hundreds at Lords and Melbourne Cricket Ground under his belt.&nbsp; Shikhar and Rohit have nothing to boast about their overseas Test credentials, and if you are playing with five batsmen only then you need to pick the five with the best records. At the top of it, Dhawan&rsquo;s abysmal slip catching has put a serious question mark on his Test credentials.

&nbsp;

Vijay&rsquo;s tentativeness at the top of the order was baffling and made things worse. He as such is a Test opener with solid temperament but looked tentative at Cape Town.

&nbsp;

Indians let South African off the hook from the pressure situation. During the first session when South Africa was 12 for 3, India was on top but then a deluge of runs by South Africa turned the situation.&nbsp;

The bottom line is that Indians need to fix glitches in the selection of playing eleven and the difficulties of its batsman in front of pace bowling.&nbsp; The ODI/T-20 mindset will not work. As Gavaskar once explained, at Test level you need to respect bowlers for what they are and for sure once you are settled, you can dictate.

&nbsp;

All is, however, not lost.&nbsp;

&nbsp;

India has its takeaway from the match in form of all-round abilities of Hardik Pandya &amp; Bhuvneshwar Kumar and spirited Test debut of Bumrah. Pandya&rsquo;s blazing knock in the first knock and rock sold temperament of Bhuvi while batting in both innings is a clear silver lining. With Pandya, Ashwin, Saha and Bhuvi down the order, five batsmen strategy also looks fine. &nbsp;

&nbsp;

Moreover, it is not always easy to play a Test outside the subcontinent without a warm-up match and sufficient match practise. But course correction needs to be quick as this is a Three Test series and comeback has to be immediate.

&nbsp;

Virat Kohli and boys need not have their shoulders down though.&nbsp; Winning and losing is part of the game; what really matters is that how you compete and team India can draw consolation out the fact that that they ended up better than expectations from a situation when they were&nbsp; 7 down at 92 in first innings in reply of 286 but they missed the final punch.

&nbsp;

With bowlers doing their job well, a lot would depend on how Kohli, Pujara and Vijay perform in the remaining two Test matches as these three have the proven credentials for such situation.&nbsp;

&nbsp;

(Disclaimer: The opinions expressed above are the personal views of the author and do not reflect the views of ZMCL).

The bottom line is that Indians need to fix glitches in the selection of playing eleven and the difficulties of its batsman in front of pace bowling.

When the third day of Cape Town Test was called off on 7th January due to rain, my Cricket freak cousin called me and told: “I have a feeling that when game resumes on fourth day, Indian pacers can wrap up South African quickly”. His prediction was based on favourable conditions for pacers post drizzle and little tendency of imploding which South Africans carry. There seemed a merit in his views and we opined that in case Indians restrict South Africa within 200, India stands a chance. One hour after the commencement of game on the fourth day of the Cape Town Test, it looked that things were actually going the way my cousin predicted. South African collapsed even quicker than expectations. From 52 for no loss, they were bundled out for 130. It was a huge effort by Indians. India’s victory at Kolkata 2001 and Adelaide 2003 started playing in my mind when South African batting line-up was collapsing in second innings. When India started chasing 209, the match was heavily tilted toward India. The absence of Dale Steyn added to the woes of South Africa. When the score was 30 for no loss, it looked that this special team of Virat Kohli will continue the winning streak. But then they collapsed. Instead of Kolkata 2001 and Adelaide 2003, in the end, it turned out to be an imitation of Bridgetown 1997, when India chasing 120 collapsed at 81 in fourth innings. Indians per se had their moments in the Test, which was completed in less than three days (omitting the washed out day) but in the end better team won. This was a sort of reality check for number one Test side in ICC ranking and for a team who has been on a roll for quite some time now. It’s simple - You piled up runs in sub-continent but what if situation upped the ante; you collapse. Indians need to fix problems very soon. Things started going wrong right from the beginning. Ravinder Jadeja ruled out for the Test, which was a blow considering the number of right-handed batsmen in the South African line-up. Remember his 6 wickets haul at Durban in 2013. The real problem, however, was the selection of playing eleven out of the available lot. Leaving KL Rahul and Ajinkya Rahane on the bench and picking Shikhar Dhawan and Rohit Sharma is not at all convincing. Rahane’s recent failures notwithstanding, you cannot take a batsman lightly who has Test hundreds at Lords and Melbourne Cricket Ground under his belt. Shikhar and Rohit have nothing to boast about their overseas Test credentials, and if you are playing with five batsmen only then you need to pick the five with the best records. At the top of it, Dhawan’s abysmal slip catching has put a serious question mark on his Test credentials. Vijay’s tentativeness at the top of the order was baffling and made things worse. He as such is a Test opener with solid temperament but looked tentative at Cape Town. Indians let South African off the hook from the pressure situation. During the first session when South Africa was 12 for 3, India was on top but then a deluge of runs by South Africa turned the situation. The bottom line is that Indians need to fix glitches in the selection of playing eleven and the difficulties of its batsman in front of pace bowling. The ODI/T-20 mindset will not work. As Gavaskar once explained, at Test level you need to respect bowlers for what they are and for sure once you are settled, you can dictate. All is, however, not lost. India has its takeaway from the match in form of all-round abilities of Hardik Pandya & Bhuvneshwar Kumar and spirited Test debut of Bumrah. Pandya’s blazing knock in the first knock and rock sold temperament of Bhuvi while batting in both innings is a clear silver lining. With Pandya, Ashwin, Saha and Bhuvi down the order, five batsmen strategy also looks fine. Moreover, it is not always easy to play a Test outside the subcontinent without a warm-up match and sufficient match practise. But course correction needs to be quick as this is a Three Test series and comeback has to be immediate. Virat Kohli and boys need not have their shoulders down though. Winning and losing is part of the game; what really matters is that how you compete and team India can draw consolation out the fact that that they ended up better than expectations from a situation when they were 7 down at 92 in first innings in reply of 286 but they missed the final punch. With bowlers doing their job well, a lot would depend on how Kohli, Pujara and Vijay perform in the remaining two Test matches as these three have the proven credentials for such situation. (Disclaimer: The opinions expressed above are the personal views of the author and do not reflect the views of ZMCL).

Opinion: What ails Indian Cricket Team? Pace bowling

After following the Indian Cricket for close to 4 decades, one thing I can say with reasonable certainty: 2018 is going to be one of the most exciting and challenging years for Indian Test side.

&nbsp;

Let&#39;s bring instant objectivity to the discussion. India is slated to play Test series in South Africa, England and Australia during the next 365 days, which would be a serious challenge for a team which is on a dream run these days.

&nbsp;

Ever since Kohli took over the Indian Test captaincy in early 2015, he has been on an unprecedented winning spree in Test. The string of victories which started in 2015 during India&rsquo;s tour to Sri Lanka continued all through 2016 and 2017. India decimated South Africa, New Zealand and England at home. Sri Lanka was defeated both at the home and away series. The India team attained top ranking in the ICC Test ranking as well.

&nbsp;

But this does not complete the Kohli&rsquo;s crusade for sure. Kohli cannot claim the undisputed supremacy as yet. Real challenging stuff is yet to come for team India, and 2018 is the year which will provide that.

&nbsp;

With Pakistan and West Indies merely a shadow of their former glory, England, Australia and India are the only formidable Test sides. Since home Test series comes easily to India, the real challenge would be to play these three teams in their backyard. You can win a Test in Sri Lanka and Bangladesh but on green tracks in these three countries and with potent pace bowlers, the red ball becomes a different thing altogether to face.

&nbsp;

History vindicates this. India has never won a Test series in Australia and in South Africa. India&rsquo;s cricket ties with Australia and South Africa are respectively 70 and 25 years old. In England, India last won Test series in 2007 and was decimated in two Test series thereafter.

&nbsp;

Look at the few of the past bashings in Australia: there was a 4-0 and 3-0 whitewash in 2011-12 and 1999-2000 respectively. In 1991-92, there was a 4-0 defeat in five Test series. In 2003-04, India had a good time in Australia as the four Test series drew at 1-1. India registered that iconic victory at Adelaide, and with little better luck India should have ended up a winner in the series. At Melbourne during Boxing Day Test in 2003, Sehwag scored a swashbuckling ton on the opening day but, thereafter, the team imploded and lost the match. At Sydney Tendulkar scored a mammoth 241. India could have clinched the Test and series but then Steve Waugh saved it for Australia in his farewell Test match.

&nbsp;

In 2007-08, India defeated Australia in Perth but overall lost series which was mired in various controversies.

&nbsp;

Last time, India visited Australia in 2014-15, they lost the four-Test series by 2-0.

&nbsp;

In South Africa, India drew series in 2006-07 and 2010-11, but last time in 2013-14 lost by 1-0. Until 2006 Johannesburg Test, India had a total dismal show in South Africa and there was nothing to boast. At Johannesburg in 2006, Sreesanth produced one of the most spirited bowling performances and South Africa was bundled out for 84; India won the Test but failed to clinch series.&nbsp;

&nbsp;

India has one more famous victory at Durban in 2010-11. Sreesanth was again at the thick of action as he removed top three South African batsmen in the second innings but India again failed to win series.

&nbsp;

When India visited England in the summer of 2011 as newly crowned World Champion and number one Test side, England delivered the shocker to India in form of a 4-0 whitewash. Three years later in 2014, India drew the first blood by winning the second Test at Lords. Ishant Sharma created havoc with rising deliveries in the second innings. England, however, bounced back ferociously and won next three Test matches with immaculate ease. Viral Kohli failed miserably with the bat.

&nbsp;

So history suggests, Kohli may be reveling in his accomplishments over the past 2-3 years but there is no space for complacency. The real challenge is nestled in 2018 and Kohli and Indian think-tank must be well aware of it.

&nbsp;

In 2018, India though can hope for settling all those past bashings in South Africa, England and Australia essentially because of three reasons: a pool of genuinely quick and strike pace bowlers, in form batsmen, and spirited and aggressive captaincy of Kohli. Flamboyant Spinner Hardik Pandya brings further potency to the side.

&nbsp;

By the end of 2018, we would really know that how strong this Indian Test side is. If India is sitting at the top of ICC Test ranking, then 2018 will provide the ultimate endorsement of it (or rebuttal).

&nbsp;

Nonetheless, it would be roller coaster ride for a Cricket freak like me. Let&rsquo;s put the seat belt and enjoy this.

&nbsp;

(Disclaimer: The opinions expressed above are the personal views of the author and do not reflect the views of ZMCL).

So history suggests, Kohli may be reveling in his accomplishments over the past 2-3 years but there is no space for complacency.

After following the Indian Cricket for close to 4 decades, one thing I can say with reasonable certainty: 2018 is going to be one of the most exciting and challenging years for Indian Test side. Let's bring instant objectivity to the discussion. India is slated to play Test series in South Africa, England and Australia during the next 365 days, which would be a serious challenge for a team which is on a dream run these days. Ever since Kohli took over the Indian Test captaincy in early 2015, he has been on an unprecedented winning spree in Test. The string of victories which started in 2015 during India’s tour to Sri Lanka continued all through 2016 and 2017. India decimated South Africa, New Zealand and England at home. Sri Lanka was defeated both at the home and away series. The India team attained top ranking in the ICC Test ranking as well. But this does not complete the Kohli’s crusade for sure. Kohli cannot claim the undisputed supremacy as yet. Real challenging stuff is yet to come for team India, and 2018 is the year which will provide that. With Pakistan and West Indies merely a shadow of their former glory, England, Australia and India are the only formidable Test sides. Since home Test series comes easily to India, the real challenge would be to play these three teams in their backyard. You can win a Test in Sri Lanka and Bangladesh but on green tracks in these three countries and with potent pace bowlers, the red ball becomes a different thing altogether to face. History vindicates this. India has never won a Test series in Australia and in South Africa. India’s cricket ties with Australia and South Africa are respectively 70 and 25 years old. In England, India last won Test series in 2007 and was decimated in two Test series thereafter. Look at the few of the past bashings in Australia: there was a 4-0 and 3-0 whitewash in 2011-12 and 1999-2000 respectively. In 1991-92, there was a 4-0 defeat in five Test series. In 2003-04, India had a good time in Australia as the four Test series drew at 1-1. India registered that iconic victory at Adelaide, and with little better luck India should have ended up a winner in the series. At Melbourne during Boxing Day Test in 2003, Sehwag scored a swashbuckling ton on the opening day but, thereafter, the team imploded and lost the match. At Sydney Tendulkar scored a mammoth 241. India could have clinched the Test and series but then Steve Waugh saved it for Australia in his farewell Test match. In 2007-08, India defeated Australia in Perth but overall lost series which was mired in various controversies. Last time, India visited Australia in 2014-15, they lost the four-Test series by 2-0. In South Africa, India drew series in 2006-07 and 2010-11, but last time in 2013-14 lost by 1-0. Until 2006 Johannesburg Test, India had a total dismal show in South Africa and there was nothing to boast. At Johannesburg in 2006, Sreesanth produced one of the most spirited bowling performances and South Africa was bundled out for 84; India won the Test but failed to clinch series. India has one more famous victory at Durban in 2010-11. Sreesanth was again at the thick of action as he removed top three South African batsmen in the second innings but India again failed to win series. When India visited England in the summer of 2011 as newly crowned World Champion and number one Test side, England delivered the shocker to India in form of a 4-0 whitewash. Three years later in 2014, India drew the first blood by winning the second Test at Lords. Ishant Sharma created havoc with rising deliveries in the second innings. England, however, bounced back ferociously and won next three Test matches with immaculate ease. Viral Kohli failed miserably with the bat. So history suggests, Kohli may be reveling in his accomplishments over the past 2-3 years but there is no space for complacency. The real challenge is nestled in 2018 and Kohli and Indian think-tank must be well aware of it. In 2018, India though can hope for settling all those past bashings in South Africa, England and Australia essentially because of three reasons: a pool of genuinely quick and strike pace bowlers, in form batsmen, and spirited and aggressive captaincy of Kohli. Flamboyant Spinner Hardik Pandya brings further potency to the side. By the end of 2018, we would really know that how strong this Indian Test side is. If India is sitting at the top of ICC Test ranking, then 2018 will provide the ultimate endorsement of it (or rebuttal). Nonetheless, it would be roller coaster ride for a Cricket freak like me. Let’s put the seat belt and enjoy this. (Disclaimer: The opinions expressed above are the personal views of the author and do not reflect the views of ZMCL).

Opinion: Will Indian Cricket's dream run continue in Australia?

After Virat Kohli and head coach Ravi Shastri, Indian opener Rohit Sharma backed wicketkeeper-batsman Mahendra Singh Dhoni&rsquo;s presence in the limited-overs cricket.

Rohit, who led the Indian side in the recently concluded limited overs series against Sri Lanka, expressed his shock at the constant questioning of Dhoni&rsquo;s place.

&ldquo;I am shocked that this question is being raised. If you look at the recent performances, I don&rsquo;t understand why people are still talking about it. It is not about whether he will be part of the 2019 World Cup, his recent form has been good,&rdquo; Rohit said to a leading channel.

&ldquo;It (50-over World Cup) is too far and we should focus on what is happening now. He bats at No.6 and does not get to play so many balls as some of us at the top of the order,&rdquo; the Mumbai batsman added.

Under Rohit, Dhoni batted at No. 4 in the first T20I and scored an unbeaten 39.&nbsp;

In Indore, he was called in at No.3 after Rohit and KL Rahul had posted 165 for the first wicket and hit a 28.&nbsp;

In the last match in Mumbai, Dhoni slipped back down the order and made unbeaten 16 runs.

&ldquo;That decision lies with the coach and captain. I have seen him bat from four to six, and even batted at three in the IPL. That wicket in Rajkot (the second T20I vs New Zealand) was tough and we had lost four wickets when he went into bat. People need to look at the game situation before they talk,&rdquo; Rohit said in Dhoni&#39;s defence.

The former Indian skipper received a lot of criticism from former cricketers over his performances in the limited-overs cricket, especially T20. &nbsp; 
&nbsp;

Rohit said Dhoni's performance in recently concluded series has been good

After Virat Kohli and head coach Ravi Shastri, Indian opener Rohit Sharma backed wicketkeeper-batsman Mahendra Singh Dhoni’s presence in the limited-overs cricket. Rohit, who led the Indian side in the recently concluded limited overs series against Sri Lanka, expressed his shock at the constant questioning of Dhoni’s place. “I am shocked that this question is being raised. If you look at the recent performances, I don’t understand why people are still talking about it. It is not about whether he will be part of the 2019 World Cup, his recent form has been good,” Rohit said to a leading channel. “It (50-over World Cup) is too far and we should focus on what is happening now. He bats at No.6 and does not get to play so many balls as some of us at the top of the order,” the Mumbai batsman added. Under Rohit, Dhoni batted at No. 4 in the first T20I and scored an unbeaten 39. In Indore, he was called in at No.3 after Rohit and KL Rahul had posted 165 for the first wicket and hit a 28. In the last match in Mumbai, Dhoni slipped back down the order and made unbeaten 16 runs. “That decision lies with the coach and captain. I have seen him bat from four to six, and even batted at three in the IPL. That wicket in Rajkot (the second T20I vs New Zealand) was tough and we had lost four wickets when he went into bat. People need to look at the game situation before they talk,” Rohit said in Dhoni's defence. The former Indian skipper received a lot of criticism from former cricketers over his performances in the limited-overs cricket, especially T20.

Rohit Sharma defends MS Dhoni's presence in limited overs cricket

As India is all set to depart for South Africa today, skipper Virat Kohli believes the team is on the right track.&nbsp;

Kohli said he is happy for the boys that they will be able to walk around without being hassled.

&quot;I&#39;m really happy for the boys that they will be able to walk around without being hassled. I think we need to connect with normal life. We are on the right track, all we need to do is not focus on it too much. The cricket will take of care of itself automatically.&quot;

India signed 2017 off with a spectacular 3-0 T20I whitewash against Sri Lanka.

The team brought to an end a dominant calendar year where they won 37 international matches, second only to Australia&#39;s record of 38 such wins 14 years ago.

Starting January 5, India will play a series of three Tests, six ODIs and 3 T20Is against South Africa.&nbsp;

The first test will be beginning in Cape Town, the second Test is scheduled to be played in Centurion from January 13. The last match of the series will be played at Johannesburg from January 24.

Thereafter, the two teams will be engaged in a six-match One-day International and three-game T20 International series in February.

Kohli said he is happy for the boys that they will be able to walk around without being hassled

As India is all set to depart for South Africa today, skipper Virat Kohli believes the team is on the right track. Kohli said he is happy for the boys that they will be able to walk around without being hassled. "I'm really happy for the boys that they will be able to walk around without being hassled. I think we need to connect with normal life. We are on the right track, all we need to do is not focus on it too much. The cricket will take of care of itself automatically." India signed 2017 off with a spectacular 3-0 T20I whitewash against Sri Lanka. The team brought to an end a dominant calendar year where they won 37 international matches, second only to Australia's record of 38 such wins 14 years ago. Starting January 5, India will play a series of three Tests, six ODIs and 3 T20Is against South Africa. The first test will be beginning in Cape Town, the second Test is scheduled to be played in Centurion from January 13. The last match of the series will be played at Johannesburg from January 24. Thereafter, the two teams will be engaged in a six-match One-day International and three-game T20 International series in February.

India vs South Africa: 'We are on the right track', says Virat Kohli

Virat Kohli&#39;s India head for a gruelling tour of South Africa on Wednesday looking for a record-breaking tenth straight Test series triumph, but they will have to overcome a reputation for being bad travellers.

India, who beat New Zealand, England and Australia in a powerful home season to consolidate their number one Test ranking, celebrated their last major away victory in 2008-2009 when they beat the Kiwis 1-0 in a three-Test series.

&quot;Looking forward to the South Africa tour, it&#39;s going to be a different challenge,&quot; said Rohit Sharma, who captained the Indian limited-overs side in Kohli&#39;s recent absence.

&quot;But I want to reiterate about our home season, it&#39;s never easy to beat anyone. We were challenged at different times and we came back.&quot;

Overseas success against weakened West Indies and Sri Lanka sides in the past two years, and India&#39;s invincibility at home, has led pundits to back Kohli&#39;s side to put up a strong challenge to South Africa, who are second in the Test rankings and have never lost to India at home.

India will play three Tests, six one-day internationals and three Twenty20 matches during the two-month tour. The series begins with the first Test in Cape Town on January 5.

&quot;They had a very good 2017. They have to carry on with the good work overseas also, away from Asia. At any given time you cannot sit on your past laurels,&quot; former captain Bishan Singh Bedi told AFP.

&quot;To prove it to yourself, not to the world, that you are worthy of the number one position. It&#39;s not easy to get there but even more difficult to stay there,&quot; the ex-spinner added.

Apart from hosts Australia losing to South Africa 2-1 in 2016-2017, and visiting England beating the Proteas in 2015-2016, the top Test-playing nations have enjoyed hegemony on home turf.

The Indians once labelled &quot;tigers at home and lambs abroad&quot; in Test cricket, have a chance of breaking new ground in South Africa&#39;s den.

&quot;Most teams are doing well at home and struggling overseas. So this is an opportunity for India to move away from the pack,&quot; veteran sports journalist Ayaz Memon told AFP.

&quot;South Africa lost badly to India when they came here in 2015. India may have won the odd Test but they have never won a series in South Africa and Australia,&quot; he added.

India are pinning their hopes on the pace quartet of Mohammed Shami, Umesh Yadav, Ishant Sharma and Bhuvneshwar Kumar to make an impact on fast-paced South African tracks.

The fast bowlers played a significant role during India&#39;s 1-0 win over Sri Lanka as they equalled Australia&#39;s record of nine Test series victories between 2005-2008.

Promising fast bowler Jasprit Bumrah, who awaits his Test debut, and Hardik Pandya also add to India&#39;s pace brigade to match Proteas&#39; attack of Vernon Philander, Kagiso Rabada and Dale Steyn.

But the 71-year-old Bedi said the Indian team &quot;shouldn&#39;t get carried away&quot; after recent praise of its pacemen.

&quot;Very happy situation that Indians, given an opportunity, now will be able to retaliate with their pace department,&quot; he said.

But &quot;good bowling, whether it&#39;s fast or spin, is getting the opposition out twice&quot;, he warned.

&quot;Not so much of verbal bouncers or any sort of intimidation and even if you do it, first do your job of getting wickets,&quot; said Bedi, who is known for his forthright views.

On the batting front, vice-captain Ajinkya Rahane&#39;s form also seems to be of concern for a team whose batting is led by the prolific Kohli.

Rahane, who averaged over 65 in India&#39;s last South Africa tour in 2013-2014 when they lost the two-match series 1-0, has managed just 17 runs in his last five innings.

Coach Ravi Shastri said it was just a matter of time before the top-order batsman gets his act together.

&quot;It&#39;s not that they are shattered mentally. It&#39;s just about spending some time at the crease, get your feet moving the way it should be and you will be on your way,&quot; Shastri told CNN News18 TV Channel.

&quot;I think it will be Indian batting versus the South African batting. Both teams have good bowling attacks. I think our bowlers will do a very good job but it&#39;s how our batsmen stand up,&quot; he said.

India, who beat New Zealand, England and Australia in a powerful home season to consolidate their number one Test ranking, celebrated their last major away victory in 2008-2009 when they beat the Kiwis 1-0 in a three-Test series

Virat Kohli's India head for a gruelling tour of South Africa on Wednesday looking for a record-breaking tenth straight Test series triumph, but they will have to overcome a reputation for being bad travellers. India, who beat New Zealand, England and Australia in a powerful home season to consolidate their number one Test ranking, celebrated their last major away victory in 2008-2009 when they beat the Kiwis 1-0 in a three-Test series. "Looking forward to the South Africa tour, it's going to be a different challenge," said Rohit Sharma, who captained the Indian limited-overs side in Kohli's recent absence. "But I want to reiterate about our home season, it's never easy to beat anyone. We were challenged at different times and we came back." Overseas success against weakened West Indies and Sri Lanka sides in the past two years, and India's invincibility at home, has led pundits to back Kohli's side to put up a strong challenge to South Africa, who are second in the Test rankings and have never lost to India at home. India will play three Tests, six one-day internationals and three Twenty20 matches during the two-month tour. The series begins with the first Test in Cape Town on January 5. "They had a very good 2017. They have to carry on with the good work overseas also, away from Asia. At any given time you cannot sit on your past laurels," former captain Bishan Singh Bedi told AFP. "To prove it to yourself, not to the world, that you are worthy of the number one position. It's not easy to get there but even more difficult to stay there," the ex-spinner added. Apart from hosts Australia losing to South Africa 2-1 in 2016-2017, and visiting England beating the Proteas in 2015-2016, the top Test-playing nations have enjoyed hegemony on home turf. The Indians once labelled "tigers at home and lambs abroad" in Test cricket, have a chance of breaking new ground in South Africa's den. "Most teams are doing well at home and struggling overseas. So this is an opportunity for India to move away from the pack," veteran sports journalist Ayaz Memon told AFP. "South Africa lost badly to India when they came here in 2015. India may have won the odd Test but they have never won a series in South Africa and Australia," he added. India are pinning their hopes on the pace quartet of Mohammed Shami, Umesh Yadav, Ishant Sharma and Bhuvneshwar Kumar to make an impact on fast-paced South African tracks. The fast bowlers played a significant role during India's 1-0 win over Sri Lanka as they equalled Australia's record of nine Test series victories between 2005-2008. Promising fast bowler Jasprit Bumrah, who awaits his Test debut, and Hardik Pandya also add to India's pace brigade to match Proteas' attack of Vernon Philander, Kagiso Rabada and Dale Steyn. But the 71-year-old Bedi said the Indian team "shouldn't get carried away" after recent praise of its pacemen. "Very happy situation that Indians, given an opportunity, now will be able to retaliate with their pace department," he said. But "good bowling, whether it's fast or spin, is getting the opposition out twice", he warned. "Not so much of verbal bouncers or any sort of intimidation and even if you do it, first do your job of getting wickets," said Bedi, who is known for his forthright views. On the batting front, vice-captain Ajinkya Rahane's form also seems to be of concern for a team whose batting is led by the prolific Kohli. Rahane, who averaged over 65 in India's last South Africa tour in 2013-2014 when they lost the two-match series 1-0, has managed just 17 runs in his last five innings. Coach Ravi Shastri said it was just a matter of time before the top-order batsman gets his act together. "It's not that they are shattered mentally. It's just about spending some time at the crease, get your feet moving the way it should be and you will be on your way," Shastri told CNN News18 TV Channel. "I think it will be Indian batting versus the South African batting. Both teams have good bowling attacks. I think our bowlers will do a very good job but it's how our batsmen stand up," he said.

Lambs abroad? Buoyant India target maiden win in South Africa

With the T20I series already in their pocket, the Indian cricket team is eyeing a complete whitewash against Sri Lanka in the third and final match at the Wankhede Stadium on Sunday.&nbsp;

With zero pressure on them, India might consider giving a T20I debut to Tamil Nadu all-rounder Washington Sundar or Baroda all-rounder Deepak Hooda.&nbsp;

So far, the wrist-spinner duo of Yuzvendra Chahal and Kuldeep Yadav have managed well to keep the visitors silent on the batting front.

Sri Lanka will not be enjoying the services of Angelo Mathews after he was ruled out of the final match due to a hamstring injury.

Young KL Rahul has also grabbed his opportunity at the top of the other with back-to-back half-centuries in the previous two matches.

Stand-in-skipper Rohit Sharma has played exceptionally well in the series, having hit the fastest T20I century, 118, in Indore.

The 3rd T20I match will be India&#39;s last game of the year before embarking on the tour of South Africa.

The wrist-spinner duo of Chahal and Kuldeep have managed well to keep the visitors silent on the batting front.

With the T20I series already in their pocket, the Indian cricket team is eyeing a complete whitewash against Sri Lanka in the third and final match at the Wankhede Stadium on Sunday. With zero pressure on them, India might consider giving a T20I debut to Tamil Nadu all-rounder Washington Sundar or Baroda all-rounder Deepak Hooda. So far, the wrist-spinner duo of Yuzvendra Chahal and Kuldeep Yadav have managed well to keep the visitors silent on the batting front. Sri Lanka will not be enjoying the services of Angelo Mathews after he was ruled out of the final match due to a hamstring injury. Young KL Rahul has also grabbed his opportunity at the top of the other with back-to-back half-centuries in the previous two matches. Stand-in-skipper Rohit Sharma has played exceptionally well in the series, having hit the fastest T20I century, 118, in Indore. The 3rd T20I match will be India's last game of the year before embarking on the tour of South Africa.

3rd T20I: With series in pocket, India eye whitewash against Sri Lanka

Indian cricket team captain Rohit Sharma&#39;s double ton during the second ODI match against Sri Lanka was not less than a festival for the cricketing fans.&nbsp;

The splendid knock of unbeaten 208 runs made him the only cricketer to score three double centuries in ODIs, with two of them &nbsp;coming against the same opponent-Sri Lanka

With many people congratulating him for his accomplishment, the right-handed batsman&#39;s mother Purnima Sharma too expressed her happiness saying her son made the record on the day of his anniversary which doubled her joy.

Satisfied with her son&#39;s performance, Purnima said she feels proud that her son is the captain of Indian cricket team.

Rohit took 153 balls to reach his double century and hit 13 fours and 12 sixes in the inning. 
&nbsp; 
Rohit&rsquo;s first ever double century came in 2013 when he scored 209 against Australia in Bangalore. 
&nbsp;

Rohit is the only cricketer to score three double centuries in ODIs

Indian cricket team captain Rohit Sharma's double ton during the second ODI match against Sri Lanka was not less than a festival for the cricketing fans. The splendid knock of unbeaten 208 runs made him the only cricketer to score three double centuries in ODIs, with two of them coming against the same opponent-Sri Lanka With many people congratulating him for his accomplishment, the right-handed batsman's mother Purnima Sharma too expressed her happiness saying her son made the record on the day of his anniversary which doubled her joy. Satisfied with her son's performance, Purnima said she feels proud that her son is the captain of Indian cricket team. Rohit took 153 balls to reach his double century and hit 13 fours and 12 sixes in the inning. Rohit’s first ever double century came in 2013 when he scored 209 against Australia in Bangalore.

'Really proud of my son,' says Rohit Sharma's mother on his 3rd double ton

After registering his career-best 243 runs in the third and final test match against Sri Lanka, Indian Cricket Team skipper Virat Kohli on Thursday moved three places up to grab the second spot in the ICC Test rankings.&nbsp;

Kohli&#39;s first innings knock was followed by another half century, 50 runs, in the second innings taking his total to 610 in the three-match series against Sri Lanka which India won 1-0. The first and third test ended in draws in Kolkata and New Delhi respectively.

The right-handed batsman had slammed back-to-back double centuries and also registered three-figure scores in three consecutive matches.

Kohli, who is currently holding No. 1 spot in ODI&#39;s and T20&#39;s, will now be eying the chance of reaching the zenith in the test format also.&nbsp;As per official record, Australian Captain Steve Smith is on 938 points while Kohli is on 893 points, just 45 points away from surpassing Smith&#39;s record.&nbsp; 
&nbsp; 
Before this Test, only 11 points separated second-ranked Cheteshwar Pujara from fifth-ranked Kohli.

Among other Indians, opener Murali Vijay at 25th position and middle-order batsman Rohit Sharma at 40th place, are the other batsmen who performed well to move up. 
&nbsp;

The Indian skipper moved three places up to grab the second spot

After registering his career-best 243 runs in the third and final test match against Sri Lanka, Indian Cricket Team skipper Virat Kohli on Thursday moved three places up to grab the second spot in the ICC Test rankings. Kohli's first innings knock was followed by another half century, 50 runs, in the second innings taking his total to 610 in the three-match series against Sri Lanka which India won 1-0. The first and third test ended in draws in Kolkata and New Delhi respectively. The right-handed batsman had slammed back-to-back double centuries and also registered three-figure scores in three consecutive matches. Kohli, who is currently holding No. 1 spot in ODI's and T20's, will now be eying the chance of reaching the zenith in the test format also. As per official record, Australian Captain Steve Smith is on 938 points while Kohli is on 893 points, just 45 points away from surpassing Smith's record. Before this Test, only 11 points separated second-ranked Cheteshwar Pujara from fifth-ranked Kohli. Among other Indians, opener Murali Vijay at 25th position and middle-order batsman Rohit Sharma at 40th place, are the other batsmen who performed well to move up.

After two double tons, Virat Kohli ranked No. 2 in ICC Test rankings

Sri Lanka&#39;s unheralded youngsters, led by Dhananjaya De Silva, cashed in on the ineffectiveness of Indian spinners, holding on for a draw in the third Test even as the home team collected its ninth successive series victory here today.

While the win in Nagpur ensured a 1-0 series win for India, it will certainly be a moral victory for a beleaguered Sri Lankan team, which also had to endure physical discomfort due to pollution in the national capital.

Sri Lanka were never going to chase 410 but did well enough to bat as many as 103 overs in the second innings, finishing at 299 for five. The captains decided to shake hands after the end of seven mandatory overs.

En route his third Test hundred, De Silva battled severe muscle stiffness before retiring hurt on 119, but he instilled the self-belief in debutant Roshen Silva (74 not out) and the maverick Niroshan Dickwella (44 not out), who displayed enormous determination while playing out the final session of the match.

The Roshen-Dickwella pair added invaluable 94 runs for the unbroken sixth-wicket stand as India did not get a single wicket in the final session.

Wriddhiman Saha bungled an easy stumping chance of Dickwella off Ravindra Jadeja (3/81 in 38 overs) in the final session and that, effectively, was the end of India&#39;s hopes to win the Test match. 
In the past, only England and Australia have managed to win nine series on the trot.

The Test match once again proved that Indian spinners especially Ravichandran Ashwin (1/126 in 35 overs), is not the same bowler when there isn&#39;t much help in the wicket. The Kotla track didn&#39;t show any wear and tear throughout the five days, rendering Ashwin ineffective in the second innings.

He tried a lot of doosras, carom balls and altered the speed of his deliveries, but they were of no use. The trio of De Silva and Dickwella used Ashwin&#39;s pace picked up runs easily. His stock delivery, which is the conventional off-break, never came into use save once when he had bowled rival captain Dinesh Chandimal.

If not getting turn was Ashwin&#39;s bane, Jadeja was at his restrictive best but again the &#39;x-factor&#39; in his bowling, when there is some turn and grip on the surface, was missing. He was quicker through the air, hardly flighted the ball, depending on deliveries that straightened as batsmen played for turn.

De Silva, who had a problem using his feet during the later stages due to a muscle pull, was easily able to play him inside the crease. During the final hour of the day, a frustrated Jadeja at times was seen kicking the dust as breakthroughs were hard to come by.

This is the first time in six Tests this year that the Islanders managed to stretch Virat Kohli&#39;s men to the last session of a match, deservingly earning a favourable result after all the mauling in the past few months.

De Silva&#39;s innings was the highlight of the first two sessions as he was hardly troubled by the Indian bowlers en route his third Test hundred. Towards the end, he started hobbling due to the cramps, having played 219 balls.

His innings was studded with 15 boundaries and a six off Ashwin.

The range of his strokes was impressive as he cut and pulled with ease whenever the spinners dropped anything short. Anything pitched up was driven with disdain. 
With the pitch offering little help, Ashwin didn&#39;t look as effective although he dismissed Chandimal (36).

Jadeja, who completed most of his overs within 90 seconds, bowled quick and flat with the occasional delivery turning sharply.

Among the Indian quartet, he looked the most effective, keeping the batsmen pegged on the backfoot.

During the first session, Jadeja endured mixed luck with a couple of no-balls. The first one accounted for Angelo Mathews (1), with the umpires missing it altogether, while the second was a brilliant delivery to clean up Chandimal but the umpires were more cautious and promptly called him for overstepping.

First-innings centurion Mathews was dismissed when he edged one off Jadeja to the slips. But the left-arm spinner was lucky as he was not called for a no-ball even as replays showed that no part of his foot was behind the popping crease.

However, Jadeja was not so lucky when he bowled a classic left-armer&#39;s delivery that had Chandimal beaten all ends up. This time umpire Joel Wilson checked for the no-ball and the Sri Lanka captain got a reprieve.

It was a day when the Feroz Shah Kotla was bathed in bright sunshine, cutting through the haze that had forced the visiting players to don anti-pollution masks till yesterday.

The pitch was as flat as it could have been, which made strokeplay easier, as De Silva and Chandimal added 105 runs in 33 overs for the fifth wicket.&nbsp;

Sri Lankan players played well enough to bat as many as 103 overs in the second innings, finishing at 299 for five

Sri Lanka's unheralded youngsters, led by Dhananjaya De Silva, cashed in on the ineffectiveness of Indian spinners, holding on for a draw in the third Test even as the home team collected its ninth successive series victory here today. While the win in Nagpur ensured a 1-0 series win for India, it will certainly be a moral victory for a beleaguered Sri Lankan team, which also had to endure physical discomfort due to pollution in the national capital. Sri Lanka were never going to chase 410 but did well enough to bat as many as 103 overs in the second innings, finishing at 299 for five. The captains decided to shake hands after the end of seven mandatory overs. En route his third Test hundred, De Silva battled severe muscle stiffness before retiring hurt on 119, but he instilled the self-belief in debutant Roshen Silva (74 not out) and the maverick Niroshan Dickwella (44 not out), who displayed enormous determination while playing out the final session of the match. The Roshen-Dickwella pair added invaluable 94 runs for the unbroken sixth-wicket stand as India did not get a single wicket in the final session. Wriddhiman Saha bungled an easy stumping chance of Dickwella off Ravindra Jadeja (3/81 in 38 overs) in the final session and that, effectively, was the end of India's hopes to win the Test match. In the past, only England and Australia have managed to win nine series on the trot. The Test match once again proved that Indian spinners especially Ravichandran Ashwin (1/126 in 35 overs), is not the same bowler when there isn't much help in the wicket. The Kotla track didn't show any wear and tear throughout the five days, rendering Ashwin ineffective in the second innings. He tried a lot of doosras, carom balls and altered the speed of his deliveries, but they were of no use. The trio of De Silva and Dickwella used Ashwin's pace picked up runs easily. His stock delivery, which is the conventional off-break, never came into use save once when he had bowled rival captain Dinesh Chandimal. If not getting turn was Ashwin's bane, Jadeja was at his restrictive best but again the 'x-factor' in his bowling, when there is some turn and grip on the surface, was missing. He was quicker through the air, hardly flighted the ball, depending on deliveries that straightened as batsmen played for turn. De Silva, who had a problem using his feet during the later stages due to a muscle pull, was easily able to play him inside the crease. During the final hour of the day, a frustrated Jadeja at times was seen kicking the dust as breakthroughs were hard to come by. This is the first time in six Tests this year that the Islanders managed to stretch Virat Kohli's men to the last session of a match, deservingly earning a favourable result after all the mauling in the past few months. De Silva's innings was the highlight of the first two sessions as he was hardly troubled by the Indian bowlers en route his third Test hundred. Towards the end, he started hobbling due to the cramps, having played 219 balls. His innings was studded with 15 boundaries and a six off Ashwin. The range of his strokes was impressive as he cut and pulled with ease whenever the spinners dropped anything short. Anything pitched up was driven with disdain. With the pitch offering little help, Ashwin didn't look as effective although he dismissed Chandimal (36). Jadeja, who completed most of his overs within 90 seconds, bowled quick and flat with the occasional delivery turning sharply. Among the Indian quartet, he looked the most effective, keeping the batsmen pegged on the backfoot. During the first session, Jadeja endured mixed luck with a couple of no-balls. The first one accounted for Angelo Mathews (1), with the umpires missing it altogether, while the second was a brilliant delivery to clean up Chandimal but the umpires were more cautious and promptly called him for overstepping. First-innings centurion Mathews was dismissed when he edged one off Jadeja to the slips. But the left-arm spinner was lucky as he was not called for a no-ball even as replays showed that no part of his foot was behind the popping crease. However, Jadeja was not so lucky when he bowled a classic left-armer's delivery that had Chandimal beaten all ends up. This time umpire Joel Wilson checked for the no-ball and the Sri Lanka captain got a reprieve. It was a day when the Feroz Shah Kotla was bathed in bright sunshine, cutting through the haze that had forced the visiting players to don anti-pollution masks till yesterday. The pitch was as flat as it could have been, which made strokeplay easier, as De Silva and Chandimal added 105 runs in 33 overs for the fifth wicket.

Delhi Test ends in a draw, India clinch series against Lanka

Dinesh Chandimal scored 164 as Sri Lanka were bowled out for 373 in their first innings against India on day four of the pollution-hit third Test in New Delhi on Tuesday.

The visitors, who started the day on 356-9, conceded a 163-run lead after Ishant got skipper Chandimal caught on another hazy morning at the Feroz Shah Kotla stadium.

The final Test had been marred by Sri Lanka protests over bad air on Sunday.

New Delhi suffered another bad day of pollution on Tuesday, but the play was not disrupted.

Dinesh Chandimal scored 164 as Sri Lanka were bowled out for 373 in their first innings against India on day four of the pollution-hit third Test in New Delhi on Tuesday. The visitors, who started the day on 356-9, conceded a 163-run lead after Ishant got skipper Chandimal caught on another hazy morning at the Feroz Shah Kotla stadium. The final Test had been marred by Sri Lanka protests over bad air on Sunday. New Delhi suffered another bad day of pollution on Tuesday, but the play was not disrupted.

3rd Test, Day 4: Sri Lanka all out for 373, concede 163-run lead to India

The former India captain&nbsp;Mahendra Singh Dhoni&#39;s inclusion in Team India&#39;s T20 squad has come under the scrutiny of late. &nbsp;

Ever since the India vs New Zealand 2nd T20,&nbsp;Dhoni has been drawing flak for his slow innings when the team had&nbsp;to score more than 12 runs per over. Eventually, India lost the game.

Now, former skipper Sourav Ganguly has joined&nbsp;Ajit Agarkar, VVS Laxman, Akash Chopra, suggesting that if the Jharkhand-born batsman does not up against his game then he should start thinking about his retirement and that the Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) should start focusing on younger players to replace him.&nbsp;

&quot;I think India must now look at other options, at least in T20Is. In one-day cricket, they seem to be happy with the role that he is playing. When you are the captain of the side, it was different. But just as a batsman, will India miss him?&nbsp;I don&#39;t think so. In T20 cricket, it is a lot easier to make that transition as there is a lot of experience in that team apart from MS Dhoni now,&quot; Agarkar told sources.

However, World Cup-winning captain seems to be taking the criticism on the chin.&nbsp;

&quot;Everybody has views in life and it should be respected,&quot; Dhoni said about Agarkar&#39;s remarks on him. &nbsp;

&quot;The biggest motivation is being a part of the Indian cricket team. You have seen cricketers who are not god-gifted, but even then, they have gone far. That&#39;s because of the passion. The coaches need to find that out. Everybody doesn&#39;t play for the country,&quot; he said.

&quot;I have always believed that process is more important than results. I never thought about results, I always thought what is the right thing to do at that point in time whether it&#39;s 10 runs needed, 14 runs needed or 5 runs needed. &quot;I was always so engrossed in the process that I never took the burden of thinking what if the results don&#39;t go my way,&quot;&nbsp;he added.&nbsp;

Earlier Indian team&#39;s head coach Ravi Shastri defending MS Dhoni said: &quot;Looks like there are a lot of jealous people around, who just want Dhoni to have a couple of bad days. There are a few people who are waiting to see the end of MS Dhoni. But great players like him decide their own future,&quot;&nbsp;

Previously, star players like Sachin Tendulkar, Sourav Ganguly, Rahul Dravid and&nbsp;many others have been criticised for poor form at the fag-end of their careers.&nbsp;

Dhoni was in the bustling metropolis to launch his global cricket academy, inaugurating the MS Dhoni Cricket Academy - his first international academy, in association with Dubai- based Pacific Ventures.&nbsp;

"Everybody has views in life and it should be respected," Dhoni said about Agarkar's remarks on him.

The former India captain Mahendra Singh Dhoni's inclusion in Team India's T20 squad has come under the scrutiny of late. Ever since the India vs New Zealand 2nd T20, Dhoni has been drawing flak for his slow innings when the team had to score more than 12 runs per over. Eventually, India lost the game. Now, former skipper Sourav Ganguly has joined Ajit Agarkar, VVS Laxman, Akash Chopra, suggesting that if the Jharkhand-born batsman does not up against his game then he should start thinking about his retirement and that the Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) should start focusing on younger players to replace him. "I think India must now look at other options, at least in T20Is. In one-day cricket, they seem to be happy with the role that he is playing. When you are the captain of the side, it was different. But just as a batsman, will India miss him? I don't think so. In T20 cricket, it is a lot easier to make that transition as there is a lot of experience in that team apart from MS Dhoni now," Agarkar told sources. However, World Cup-winning captain seems to be taking the criticism on the chin. "Everybody has views in life and it should be respected," Dhoni said about Agarkar's remarks on him. "The biggest motivation is being a part of the Indian cricket team. You have seen cricketers who are not god-gifted, but even then, they have gone far. That's because of the passion. The coaches need to find that out. Everybody doesn't play for the country," he said. "I have always believed that process is more important than results. I never thought about results, I always thought what is the right thing to do at that point in time whether it's 10 runs needed, 14 runs needed or 5 runs needed. "I was always so engrossed in the process that I never took the burden of thinking what if the results don't go my way," he added. Earlier Indian team's head coach Ravi Shastri defending MS Dhoni said: "Looks like there are a lot of jealous people around, who just want Dhoni to have a couple of bad days. There are a few people who are waiting to see the end of MS Dhoni. But great players like him decide their own future," Previously, star players like Sachin Tendulkar, Sourav Ganguly, Rahul Dravid and many others have been criticised for poor form at the fag-end of their careers. Dhoni was in the bustling metropolis to launch his global cricket academy, inaugurating the MS Dhoni Cricket Academy - his first international academy, in association with Dubai- based Pacific Ventures.

MS Dhoni responds to criticism seeking his ouster from India's T20 team

<a href="https://sports.ndtv.com/cricket">Harbhajan Singh</a>,&nbsp;India&#39;s star off-spinner, gave a strong reply to former IPS officer who questioned lack of Muslims in the national cricket team.

Bhatt, who was sacked by the state govenment in 2015, tweeted on Sunday,&nbsp;&quot;Are there any muslim players in the Indian cricket team?&quot;&nbsp;expressing doubt on&nbsp;BCCI&#39;s selection process and creating controversy.&nbsp;&nbsp;

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???? ?? ??? ?????? ??????? ??? ??? ??? ??????? ??????? ?? ? 
 
?????? ?? ?? ?? ??? ????? ??? ??? ?? ???? ?? ???????... <a href="https://t.co/Nb6ufi71qX">https://t.co/Nb6ufi71qX</a>
&mdash; Sanjiv Bhatt (IPS) (@sanjivbhatt) <a href="https://twitter.com/sanjivbhatt/status/922160979244343296?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">October 22, 2017</a></blockquote>
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Well known as the &#39;Turbanator&#39;, Harbhajan&nbsp;took to Twitter to voice his opinion.&nbsp;&quot;Be it&nbsp;hindu, muslim or sikh, every player in the Indian cricket team is an Indian, their caste and&nbsp;colour should not be talked about,&quot; he said in his tweet&nbsp;which got over 8,000 likes.&nbsp;

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????? ??????? ??? ???? ??? ??? ?? ???? ??????? ??? ??? ????? ???? ?? ??????? ??????????? ?? ???? ??? ?? ??? ?? ??? ???? ???? ????? (?? ????) <a href="https://t.co/UVvSHaLJdY">https://t.co/UVvSHaLJdY</a>
&mdash; Harbhajan Turbanator (@harbhajan_singh) <a href="https://twitter.com/harbhajan_singh/status/922332390986358784?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">October 23, 2017</a></blockquote>
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BCCI selectors announced the team&nbsp;for the three-match T20I series against New Zealand on Monday which also included Mohammed Siraj and Mohammed Shami, which Bhatt failed to notice.

&nbsp;

Harbhajan Singh,?India's star off-spinner, came on strong to defend the Indian cricket team?as?former IPS officer questioned the?lack of Muslims in the?national team.

Harbhajan Singh, India's star off-spinner, gave a strong reply to former IPS officer who questioned lack of Muslims in the national cricket team. Bhatt, who was sacked by the state govenment in 2015, tweeted on Sunday, "Are there any muslim players in the Indian cricket team?" expressing doubt on BCCI's selection process and creating controversy. ???? ?? ??? ?????? ??????? ??? ??? ??? ??????? ??????? ?? ? ?????? ?? ?? ?? ??? ????? ??? ??? ?? ???? ?? ???????... https://t.co/Nb6ufi71qX — Sanjiv Bhatt (IPS) (@sanjivbhatt) October 22, 2017 × Well known as the 'Turbanator', Harbhajan took to Twitter to voice his opinion. "Be it hindu, muslim or sikh, every player in the Indian cricket team is an Indian, their caste and colour should not be talked about," he said in his tweet which got over 8,000 likes. ????? ??????? ??? ???? ??? ??? ?? ???? ??????? ??? ??? ????? ???? ?? ??????? ??????????? ?? ???? ??? ?? ??? ?? ??? ???? ???? ????? (?? ????) https://t.co/UVvSHaLJdY — Harbhajan Turbanator (@harbhajan_singh) October 23, 2017 × BCCI selectors announced the team for the three-match T20I series against New Zealand on Monday which also included Mohammed Siraj and Mohammed Shami, which Bhatt failed to notice.

'Every cricket player is a Hindustani': Harbhajan's terse reply to ex-IPS officer Sanjiv Bhatt

Hardik Pandya the 23-year old cricketer who won the Man of the Series in the recent India-Australia ODI, is also one of the most followed cricketers, thanks to his spectacular rise to stardom.

A fan page of the cricketer &#39;Hardik Pandya Official&#39;, posted a picture of Pandya posing for a selfie with an anonymous girl. This picture immediately went viral and the girl is being referred to as Pandya&#39;s &#39;Mystery Girl&#39;.

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<a href="https://www.instagram.com/p/BZoXZpAlm2J/" style=" color:#000; font-family:Arial,sans-serif; font-size:14px; font-style:normal; font-weight:normal; line-height:17px; text-decoration:none; word-wrap:break-word;" target="_blank">?????? @hardikpandya_official @hardikpandya_official</a>

<p style=" color:#c9c8cd; font-family:Arial,sans-serif; font-size:14px; line-height:17px; margin-bottom:0; margin-top:8px; overflow:hidden; padding:8px 0 7px; text-align:center; text-overflow:ellipsis; white-space:nowrap;">A post shared by Hardik Pandya (@hardikpandya_official) on <time datetime="2017-09-29T15:55:12+00:00" style=" font-family:Arial,sans-serif; font-size:14px; line-height:17px;">Sep 29, 2017 at 8:55am PDT</time>
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The all-rounder is currently the rage on the internet, not only because of his splendid performance in the ODI, but also because he was spotted posing with a mystery girl on a fan page a day before he won the Man of the Series title.

Earlier, reports emerged of a link-up with Bollywood actress Parineeti Chopra on the basis of a Twitter conversation. Then there were rumours about Shibani Dandekar, the 36-year-old crooner. However, these rumours were quelled even faster than they cropped up

The said photo has not been posted from Hardik Pandya&#39;s verified handle, hence, it&#39;s hard to tell if this spark has some fire or not. But his fans were curious to know about the girl and within no time a series of comments were posted on the photograph with just one question, &#39;&#39;Who&#39;s that girl?&#39;&#39;

The photograph was posted on Instagram from a fan's account

Hardik Pandya the 23-year old cricketer who won the Man of the Series in the recent India-Australia ODI, is also one of the most followed cricketers, thanks to his spectacular rise to stardom. A fan page of the cricketer 'Hardik Pandya Official', posted a picture of Pandya posing for a selfie with an anonymous girl. This picture immediately went viral and the girl is being referred to as Pandya's 'Mystery Girl'. ?????? @hardikpandya_official @hardikpandya_official A post shared by Hardik Pandya (@hardikpandya_official) on Sep 29, 2017 at 8:55am PDT × The all-rounder is currently the rage on the internet, not only because of his splendid performance in the ODI, but also because he was spotted posing with a mystery girl on a fan page a day before he won the Man of the Series title. Earlier, reports emerged of a link-up with Bollywood actress Parineeti Chopra on the basis of a Twitter conversation. Then there were rumours about Shibani Dandekar, the 36-year-old crooner. However, these rumours were quelled even faster than they cropped up The said photo has not been posted from Hardik Pandya's verified handle, hence, it's hard to tell if this spark has some fire or not. But his fans were curious to know about the girl and within no time a series of comments were posted on the photograph with just one question, ''Who's that girl?''

Who's that girl? Selfie of Hardik Pandya with 'mystery girl' goes viral

Skipper Virat Kohli Sunday urged&nbsp;India&nbsp;to be &quot;relentless&quot; after&nbsp;they thrashed Australia by seven wickets in the fifth one-day international, clinching the series 4-1.

Chasing 243 for victory, the hosts rode on opener Rohit Sharma&#39;s 109-ball 125 to achieve their target in 42.5 overs at Nagpur and get back to the top of ODI world rankings table.

India, who reached the ODI summit after three straight wins in the series, had slipped behind South Africa following their loss in the fourth game. They were already the top Test team.

&quot;It feels good. It was a really convincing series win for us. Ticked all boxes... We had a chance to retain the No. 1 spot and we ended up doing that,&quot; Kohli said at the presentation.

&quot;The management also plays a massive part in motivating players after being 3-0 up in the series. But we want to be relentless,&quot; he added.

It was a disciplined bowling effort led by spinner Axar Patel, who claimed three wickets, that set up&nbsp;India&#39;s comfortable victory after restricting the visitors to 242-9.

In reply,&nbsp;Sharma and Ajinkya Rahane, who made 61, put on a 124-run opening stand to lay a solid foundation in another dominating performance in recent times.

&quot;We repeated the way we played against Sri Lanka (beat them 9-0 across the three formats), proud of that. Shows the quality of the side, regardless of the opposition,&quot; said Kohli.

Man of the match Sharma, who opened his account with two successive boundaries after 14 deliveries,&nbsp;was the first to get to his fifty with a double off Marcus Stoinis.

Rahane also got his fourth successive 50-plus score before being trapped lbw by paceman Nathan Coulter-Nile, who ended with 10 wickets in the five matches.

Sharma went on to register his 14th ODI ton during his 99-run partnership with Kohli, who made a sedate 39. He got to his hundred with a six off Coulter-Nile.

Leg-spinner Adam Zampa sent Sharma, who hit 11 fours and 5 sixes, and Kohli back to pavilion.

&quot;Wickets in clumps&quot;

Kedar Jadhav, unbeaten on five, and Manish Pandey, 11 not out, then saw the team through.

Earlier, opener David Warner&#39;s 62-ball 53 was not enough to inspire Australian batting as they ended on a below-par total after electing to bat first.

All-rounder, Hardik Pandya, who struck first by getting Aaron Finch out for 32, was given the man of the series award for his six wickets and 222 runs in the series.

Travis Head and Stoinis tried hard to counter a persistent Indian bowling with their 87-run fifth-wicket partnership, but their departure spelt further trouble for the visitors.

Head, who made 42, and Stoinis, who scored 46, failed to convert their starts into bigger scores as Australia totally lost steam in the final five overs.

Left-arm spinner Patel returned impressive figures of 3-38 while fast bowler Jasprit Bumrah claimed two wickets.

&quot;Lost wickets in clumps again. Have a few things to look at to try and improve and gain the consistent performances we&#39;re after,&quot; said a disappointed Smith.

&quot;We&#39;ve been outplayed and deserve to lose 4-1...India&nbsp;have got a very good balance. We have six or so days until the 3-match T20I series. We&#39;d like to go home with a trophy,&quot; he added.

The action now shifts to the three Twenty20 internationals starting Saturday in Ranchi. 
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Virat Kohli asked?India?to be 'relentless' after?they thrashed Australia by seven wickets in the fifth one-day international

Skipper Virat Kohli Sunday urged India to be "relentless" after they thrashed Australia by seven wickets in the fifth one-day international, clinching the series 4-1. Chasing 243 for victory, the hosts rode on opener Rohit Sharma's 109-ball 125 to achieve their target in 42.5 overs at Nagpur and get back to the top of ODI world rankings table. India, who reached the ODI summit after three straight wins in the series, had slipped behind South Africa following their loss in the fourth game. They were already the top Test team. "It feels good. It was a really convincing series win for us. Ticked all boxes... We had a chance to retain the No. 1 spot and we ended up doing that," Kohli said at the presentation. "The management also plays a massive part in motivating players after being 3-0 up in the series. But we want to be relentless," he added. It was a disciplined bowling effort led by spinner Axar Patel, who claimed three wickets, that set up India's comfortable victory after restricting the visitors to 242-9. In reply, Sharma and Ajinkya Rahane, who made 61, put on a 124-run opening stand to lay a solid foundation in another dominating performance in recent times. "We repeated the way we played against Sri Lanka (beat them 9-0 across the three formats), proud of that. Shows the quality of the side, regardless of the opposition," said Kohli. Man of the match Sharma, who opened his account with two successive boundaries after 14 deliveries, was the first to get to his fifty with a double off Marcus Stoinis. Rahane also got his fourth successive 50-plus score before being trapped lbw by paceman Nathan Coulter-Nile, who ended with 10 wickets in the five matches. Sharma went on to register his 14th ODI ton during his 99-run partnership with Kohli, who made a sedate 39. He got to his hundred with a six off Coulter-Nile. Leg-spinner Adam Zampa sent Sharma, who hit 11 fours and 5 sixes, and Kohli back to pavilion. "Wickets in clumps" Kedar Jadhav, unbeaten on five, and Manish Pandey, 11 not out, then saw the team through. Earlier, opener David Warner's 62-ball 53 was not enough to inspire Australian batting as they ended on a below-par total after electing to bat first. All-rounder, Hardik Pandya, who struck first by getting Aaron Finch out for 32, was given the man of the series award for his six wickets and 222 runs in the series. Travis Head and Stoinis tried hard to counter a persistent Indian bowling with their 87-run fifth-wicket partnership, but their departure spelt further trouble for the visitors. Head, who made 42, and Stoinis, who scored 46, failed to convert their starts into bigger scores as Australia totally lost steam in the final five overs. Left-arm spinner Patel returned impressive figures of 3-38 while fast bowler Jasprit Bumrah claimed two wickets. "Lost wickets in clumps again. Have a few things to look at to try and improve and gain the consistent performances we're after," said a disappointed Smith. "We've been outplayed and deserve to lose 4-1...India have got a very good balance. We have six or so days until the 3-match T20I series. We'd like to go home with a trophy," he added. The action now shifts to the three Twenty20 internationals starting Saturday in Ranchi.

India thrash Australia to win ODI series 4-1

The Indian cricket team&#39;s media manager Nishant Arora has tendered his resignation following Committee of Administrators (COA)&#39;s decision that Delhi office of BCCI would be shut down.

It was learnt that Arora tendered his resignation last evening after he was told that he has to shift to Mumbai at Cricket House where the staff works. He also didn&#39;t go to Hyderabad where India will play Bangladesh in a one-off Test from February 9.

The Delhi office recruits were all former president Anurag Thakur&#39;s staff and with him being removed by Supreme Court, it was imperative that they would be laid off.

COA member Diana Edulji said that they have not named anyone but had only instructed for the closure of the office.

&quot;We had just said that President&#39; s Office in Delhi should be shut down and all those recruited in Delhi office will need to go. We never named Nishant but if he is a Delhi Office recruit then he has to go. But if his media manager&#39;s contract is independent of it, then Rahul (BCCI CEO Rahul Johri) takes a final call. Nishant&#39;s replacement will also be decided by Rahul,&quot; Edulji.

Arora has been the BCCI media manager for 18 months and had been on tours to Australia, US, West Indies to name a few.

(PTI)

Arora worked at the Delhi office, whose staff was picked by former president Anurag Thakur, was asked to move to Mumbai

The Indian cricket team's media manager Nishant Arora has tendered his resignation following Committee of Administrators (COA)'s decision that Delhi office of BCCI would be shut down. It was learnt that Arora tendered his resignation last evening after he was told that he has to shift to Mumbai at Cricket House where the staff works. He also didn't go to Hyderabad where India will play Bangladesh in a one-off Test from February 9. The Delhi office recruits were all former president Anurag Thakur's staff and with him being removed by Supreme Court, it was imperative that they would be laid off. COA member Diana Edulji said that they have not named anyone but had only instructed for the closure of the office. "We had just said that President' s Office in Delhi should be shut down and all those recruited in Delhi office will need to go. We never named Nishant but if he is a Delhi Office recruit then he has to go. But if his media manager's contract is independent of it, then Rahul (BCCI CEO Rahul Johri) takes a final call. Nishant's replacement will also be decided by Rahul," Edulji. Arora has been the BCCI media manager for 18 months and had been on tours to Australia, US, West Indies to name a few. (PTI)

India cricket team's media manager Nishant Arora quits

Mahendra Singh Dhoni, widely seen as Indian cricket&#39;s best captain, said on Friday the team would do even better under his replacement, Virat Kohli, days ahead of a limited-overs clash with England.

Kohli had a squad of young players and fast bowlers that could produce an unprecedented run of wins, Dhoni said in his first comments to the media since stepping aside from captaining the limited-overs side earlier this month.

Kohli took over, becoming the skipper in all three formats of the game.

&quot;You look at the kind of talent they have got and at the same time the age group they are in,&quot; Dhoni told reporters in Pune, where the hosts will meet England in the first of the three one-day international series on Sunday.

&quot;If everything goes well they have the potential to plan for the next 10-12 years if not more ... We have a pool of fast bowlers who can bowl well in any conditions.&quot;

Dhoni rose from the cricketing backwaters of India&#39;s Jharkhand to lead the game&#39;s most passionately followed team, before quitting test cricket in late 2014.

The 35-year-old wicketkeeper-batsman has captained India to the three International Cricket Council trophies - the 50-over World Cup, the World Twenty20 and the Champions Trophy.

&quot;This team has the potential to do well in all formats irrespective of where we are playing ... When it comes to winning games, they should win games more than any other captain or team has won,&quot; Dhoni said.

Dhoni said he never believed in multiple captains and he had made up his mind long back to hand over the reins to Kohli, who replaced him as test captain earlier.

&quot;I am somebody who believes... split captaincy is something that doesn&#39;t really work,&quot; Dhoni said. &quot;I always believed that with the Indian team, one player leading the team in all formats is something very crucial.

&quot;It was something that was always in my mind. Virat took over the test captaincy and I wanted him to have some time over there and then get into the full captaincy role. He was always ready.&quot;

India is already the world&#39;s top-ranked test side, second in the shortest Twenty20 format and third in the 50-over version of the game.

(Reuters)

Kohli took over from Dhoni, becoming the skipper in all three formats of the game

Mahendra Singh Dhoni, widely seen as Indian cricket's best captain, said on Friday the team would do even better under his replacement, Virat Kohli, days ahead of a limited-overs clash with England. Kohli had a squad of young players and fast bowlers that could produce an unprecedented run of wins, Dhoni said in his first comments to the media since stepping aside from captaining the limited-overs side earlier this month. Kohli took over, becoming the skipper in all three formats of the game. "You look at the kind of talent they have got and at the same time the age group they are in," Dhoni told reporters in Pune, where the hosts will meet England in the first of the three one-day international series on Sunday. "If everything goes well they have the potential to plan for the next 10-12 years if not more ... We have a pool of fast bowlers who can bowl well in any conditions." Dhoni rose from the cricketing backwaters of India's Jharkhand to lead the game's most passionately followed team, before quitting test cricket in late 2014. The 35-year-old wicketkeeper-batsman has captained India to the three International Cricket Council trophies - the 50-over World Cup, the World Twenty20 and the Champions Trophy. "This team has the potential to do well in all formats irrespective of where we are playing ... When it comes to winning games, they should win games more than any other captain or team has won," Dhoni said. Dhoni said he never believed in multiple captains and he had made up his mind long back to hand over the reins to Kohli, who replaced him as test captain earlier. "I am somebody who believes... split captaincy is something that doesn't really work," Dhoni said. "I always believed that with the Indian team, one player leading the team in all formats is something very crucial. "It was something that was always in my mind. Virat took over the test captaincy and I wanted him to have some time over there and then get into the full captaincy role. He was always ready." India is already the world's top-ranked test side, second in the shortest Twenty20 format and third in the 50-over version of the game. (Reuters)

Team would do even better under Kohli: Former Indian captain Dhoni