Shikhar Dhawan extended his excellent Champions Trophy form to the start of the West Indies tour but heavy rain was threatening to ruin the opening one-day international of a five-match series at the Queen&rsquo;s Park Oval in Trinidad on Friday.

Dhawan stroked an assured 87 and featured in an opening stand of 132 with Ajinkya Rahane (62) as the tourists reached 199 for three off 39.2 batting first when torrential midday showers curtailed their innings.

Such was the intensity of the rainfall that a complete abandonment looked likely. However conditions have since improved, and although India&rsquo;s innings has been declared closed, it remains to be seen if time will allow for a minimum of 20 overs to be faced by the West Indies in reply to constitute a match.

Should only 20 overs be possible, the home side will be required to reach a target of 169.

After West Indies captain Jason Holder chose to field on winning the toss on a bright warm morning, India&rsquo;s openers laid the foundation for a formidable total.&nbsp;

They dominated a bowling attack that lacked for genuine potency in the absence of injured fast bowler Shannon Gabriel, who has been ruled out of consideration for the first two games after breaking down during the series against Afghanistan two weeks earlier.

Rahane made the most of his opportunity with the experienced Rohit Sharma rested from this campaign following the Champions Trophy.&nbsp;

He was first to the half-century but was also the first wicket to fall, deceived by a slower delivery from fast bowler Alzarri Joseph and offering a simple catch to Holder at mid-on.

Dhawan was then joined by captain Virat Kohil and looked certain to complete an 11th ODI hundred only to fall leg-before to Devendra Bishoo 13 runs short of the landmark.&nbsp;

Leg-spinner Bishoo, who was not considered for any of the three ODIs against the Afghans, was the pick of the bowlers with figures of one for 39 from his allotment of ten overs.

As the skies clouded over India lost another wicket in attempting to accelerate with Yuvraj Singh becoming Joseph&rsquo;s second wicket. Kohli and former captain Mahendra Singh Dhoni were playing with greater urgency when the showers first arrived with India at 189 for three off 38 overs.

They resumed after half an hour but managed just another eight deliveries before the players were again chased off the field by a downpour that has now left the match in jeopardy.

Apart from the recall of Rahane, left-arm wrist spinner Kuldeep Yadav is making his ODI debut in this match for India.

(AFP)

Should only 20 overs be possible, the home side will be required to reach a target of 169

Shikhar Dhawan extended his excellent Champions Trophy form to the start of the West Indies tour but heavy rain was threatening to ruin the opening one-day international of a five-match series at the Queen’s Park Oval in Trinidad on Friday. Dhawan stroked an assured 87 and featured in an opening stand of 132 with Ajinkya Rahane (62) as the tourists reached 199 for three off 39.2 batting first when torrential midday showers curtailed their innings. Such was the intensity of the rainfall that a complete abandonment looked likely. However conditions have since improved, and although India’s innings has been declared closed, it remains to be seen if time will allow for a minimum of 20 overs to be faced by the West Indies in reply to constitute a match. Should only 20 overs be possible, the home side will be required to reach a target of 169. After West Indies captain Jason Holder chose to field on winning the toss on a bright warm morning, India’s openers laid the foundation for a formidable total. They dominated a bowling attack that lacked for genuine potency in the absence of injured fast bowler Shannon Gabriel, who has been ruled out of consideration for the first two games after breaking down during the series against Afghanistan two weeks earlier. Rahane made the most of his opportunity with the experienced Rohit Sharma rested from this campaign following the Champions Trophy. He was first to the half-century but was also the first wicket to fall, deceived by a slower delivery from fast bowler Alzarri Joseph and offering a simple catch to Holder at mid-on. Dhawan was then joined by captain Virat Kohil and looked certain to complete an 11th ODI hundred only to fall leg-before to Devendra Bishoo 13 runs short of the landmark. Leg-spinner Bishoo, who was not considered for any of the three ODIs against the Afghans, was the pick of the bowlers with figures of one for 39 from his allotment of ten overs. As the skies clouded over India lost another wicket in attempting to accelerate with Yuvraj Singh becoming Joseph’s second wicket. Kohli and former captain Mahendra Singh Dhoni were playing with greater urgency when the showers first arrived with India at 189 for three off 38 overs. They resumed after half an hour but managed just another eight deliveries before the players were again chased off the field by a downpour that has now left the match in jeopardy. Apart from the recall of Rahane, left-arm wrist spinner Kuldeep Yadav is making his ODI debut in this match for India. (AFP)

India vs West Indies ODI cut short due to torrential rain

With Anil Kumble having stepped down as coach of the Indian cricket team, captain Virat Kohli has said he has &quot;total respect for Kumble...&quot;&nbsp;

What was interesting was that he said he had total respect for him as a cricketer.&nbsp;

Kohli left out what he thought of Kumble as a coach.&nbsp;

Kumble stepped down as coach because of differences with Kohli.&nbsp;

ANI reported Kohli as saying on the eve of the first ODI against the West Indies: &quot;It&#39;s his opinion, which I respect. I have total respect for him as a cricketer and what he has achieved [for the] nation. All the years that he has played. There&#39;s no taking away that aspect of him at all. And we all respect him totally.&quot;&nbsp;

Kohli added: &quot;It&#39;s (Kumble&#39;s resignation) something that has happened right after the (Champions Trophy) tournament. One thing for sure is that I have had 11 press conferences that have happened during the Champions Trophy. We have created a culture over the last three-four years that whatever happens in the change room, we&#39;ve tried to maintain the sanctity of the change room throughout.

&quot;That is what the whole team believes in. For us that is paramount. I&#39;ve always respected that and we have continued to maintain that as well.&quot;&nbsp;

ANI said Kohli did not say anything more, saying the &quot;sanctity of the dressing room&quot; had to be maintained.&nbsp;

Kumble however had said a certain amount -- in a most dignified manner -- earlier.&nbsp;

He posted this letter (below) on his Twitter account on June 20.&nbsp;

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Thank you! <a href="https://t.co/eF5qVzdBRj">pic.twitter.com/eF5qVzdBRj</a>
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The Indian cricket captain however did not say what he thought of as Kumble as a coach

With Anil Kumble having stepped down as coach of the Indian cricket team, captain Virat Kohli has said he has "total respect for Kumble..." What was interesting was that he said he had total respect for him as a cricketer. Kohli left out what he thought of Kumble as a coach. Kumble stepped down as coach because of differences with Kohli. ANI reported Kohli as saying on the eve of the first ODI against the West Indies: "It's his opinion, which I respect. I have total respect for him as a cricketer and what he has achieved [for the] nation. All the years that he has played. There's no taking away that aspect of him at all. And we all respect him totally." Kohli added: "It's (Kumble's resignation) something that has happened right after the (Champions Trophy) tournament. One thing for sure is that I have had 11 press conferences that have happened during the Champions Trophy. We have created a culture over the last three-four years that whatever happens in the change room, we've tried to maintain the sanctity of the change room throughout. "That is what the whole team believes in. For us that is paramount. I've always respected that and we have continued to maintain that as well." ANI said Kohli did not say anything more, saying the "sanctity of the dressing room" had to be maintained. Kumble however had said a certain amount -- in a most dignified manner -- earlier. He posted this letter (below) on his Twitter account on June 20. Thank you! pic.twitter.com/eF5qVzdBRj — Anil Kumble (@anilkumble1074) June 20, 2017 ×

Kohli: Have total respect for Kumble

Anil Kumble has stepped down as Team India&#39;s head coach after serving out his year-long contract.&nbsp;Anil Kumble&#39;s contract with Team India ran out today.

Hours after stepping down, Kumble conceded the differences with Indian captain Virat Kohli as the primary reason for stepping down.

Although Kohli had played down rumours of a rift with Kumble during the Champions Trophy, the former leg-spinner put up a written statement on Twitter saying that the skipper had &quot;reservations&quot; with his style.

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Thank you! <a href="https://t.co/eF5qVzdBRj">pic.twitter.com/eF5qVzdBRj</a>
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&quot;I am honoured by the confidence reposed in me by the CAC, in asking me to continue as head coach. The credit for the achievements of the last one year goes to the captain, the entire team, coaching and support staff,&quot; Kumble said. &quot;Post this intimation, I was informed for the first time yesterday by the BCCI that the captain had reservations with my &#39;style&#39;&nbsp;and about my continuing as the head coach.&quot; 
 
&quot;I was surprised since I have always respected the role boundaries between captain and coach. Though the BCCI attempted to resolve the misunderstandings between the captain and me, it was apparent that the partnership was untenable, and I therefore believe it is best for me to move on,&quot; he added.&nbsp;

On Tuesday evening, the&nbsp;Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) informed the media about Kumble&#39;s decision to quit as the Indian coach despite being given an extension.

Former India captain Kumble was put in charge last June despite having never coached a team.&nbsp;

BCCI&#39;s Cricket Advisory Committee comprising former cricketers&nbsp;Sachin Tendulkar, Sourav Ganguly and VVS Laxman have the remit to choose the next coach.

Virender Sehwag, Tom Moody and English cricket coach Richard Pybus are the frontrunners to bag India&#39;s coaching role. &nbsp;

<a href="http://www.wionews.com/cricket/virender-sehwag-among-top-contenders-for-team-india-coach-bcci-16328">Also Read:&nbsp;Virender Sehwag among top contenders for Team India coach: BCCI</a>

&nbsp;

The former Indian cricket coach put up a statement on Twitter, confirming differences between him and captain Virat Kohli

Anil Kumble has stepped down as Team India's head coach after serving out his year-long contract. Anil Kumble's contract with Team India ran out today. Hours after stepping down, Kumble conceded the differences with Indian captain Virat Kohli as the primary reason for stepping down. Although Kohli had played down rumours of a rift with Kumble during the Champions Trophy, the former leg-spinner put up a written statement on Twitter saying that the skipper had "reservations" with his style. Thank you! pic.twitter.com/eF5qVzdBRj — Anil Kumble (@anilkumble1074) June 20, 2017 × "I am honoured by the confidence reposed in me by the CAC, in asking me to continue as head coach. The credit for the achievements of the last one year goes to the captain, the entire team, coaching and support staff," Kumble said. "Post this intimation, I was informed for the first time yesterday by the BCCI that the captain had reservations with my 'style' and about my continuing as the head coach." "I was surprised since I have always respected the role boundaries between captain and coach. Though the BCCI attempted to resolve the misunderstandings between the captain and me, it was apparent that the partnership was untenable, and I therefore believe it is best for me to move on," he added. On Tuesday evening, the Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) informed the media about Kumble's decision to quit as the Indian coach despite being given an extension. Former India captain Kumble was put in charge last June despite having never coached a team. BCCI's Cricket Advisory Committee comprising former cricketers Sachin Tendulkar, Sourav Ganguly and VVS Laxman have the remit to choose the next coach. Virender Sehwag, Tom Moody and English cricket coach Richard Pybus are the frontrunners to bag India's coaching role. Also Read: Virender Sehwag among top contenders for Team India coach: BCCI

Kohli had reservations with my style, says Kumble

Pakistan won the Champions Trophy final against India by 180 runs.

Pakistan opener Fakhar Zaman (114) hit his maiden ODI hundred after being caught off a no-ball in the innings&#39; fourth over, bowled by Jasprit Bumrah.

Azhar Ali (59), Mohammed Hafeez (57) and Babar Azam (46) also pitched in to take the Pakistani total to 338 for four.

None of the Indian bowlers, except Bhuvneshwar Kumar (1/44), could trouble the Pakistani batsmen after Virat Kohli opted to bowl even as the UP pacer was also taken to cleaners towards the end.

Hardik Pandya (76) was the lone Indian batsman who put up some resistance before India folded for 158 in 30.3 overs.

Mohammed Amir cleaned up the Indian top-order to pull the rug from under their feet, dismissing Rohit Sharma (0), Virat Kohli (5) and Shikhar Dhawan (21).

Brief Scores: 
Pakistan : 338 for four in 50 overs. (Fakhar Zaman 114, Azhar Ali 59, Mohammed Hafeez 57, Babar Azam 46; Bhuvneshwar Kumar 1/44). 
India: 158 all out in 30.3 overs. (H Pandya 76, Yuvraj Singh 22; Mohammed Amir 3/16, Hassan Ali 3/19)

(PTI)

Hardik Pandya (76) was the lone Indian batsman who put up some resistance before India folded for 158 in 30.3 overs

Pakistan won the Champions Trophy final against India by 180 runs. Pakistan opener Fakhar Zaman (114) hit his maiden ODI hundred after being caught off a no-ball in the innings' fourth over, bowled by Jasprit Bumrah. Azhar Ali (59), Mohammed Hafeez (57) and Babar Azam (46) also pitched in to take the Pakistani total to 338 for four. None of the Indian bowlers, except Bhuvneshwar Kumar (1/44), could trouble the Pakistani batsmen after Virat Kohli opted to bowl even as the UP pacer was also taken to cleaners towards the end. Hardik Pandya (76) was the lone Indian batsman who put up some resistance before India folded for 158 in 30.3 overs. Mohammed Amir cleaned up the Indian top-order to pull the rug from under their feet, dismissing Rohit Sharma (0), Virat Kohli (5) and Shikhar Dhawan (21). Brief Scores: Pakistan : 338 for four in 50 overs. (Fakhar Zaman 114, Azhar Ali 59, Mohammed Hafeez 57, Babar Azam 46; Bhuvneshwar Kumar 1/44). India: 158 all out in 30.3 overs. (H Pandya 76, Yuvraj Singh 22; Mohammed Amir 3/16, Hassan Ali 3/19) (PTI)

Champions Trophy final: India lose to Pakistan by 180 runs

India captain Virat Kohli said staying &quot;close to reality&quot; was the best way to carry the hopes of a cricket-crazy nation heading into a Champions Trophy final against arch-rivals Pakistan.

Sunday&#39;s showpiece match at the Oval in London is a 24,500 sell-out, with millions more around the world expected to watch the high-profile match.&nbsp;

Reigning champions India are the favourites, having launched their title-defence with a 124-run thrashing of Pakistan at Birmingham&#39;s Edgbaston on June 4.

A lone loss to Sri Lanka apart, India have been in commanding form.

Kohli&#39;s own performances at the Champions Trophy have seen him return to the top of the one-day international batting rankings.

His four innings, including three not outs, have left him with a colossal tournament batting average of 253 heading into the final.

This week also saw the 28-year-old Kohli become the fastest man to score 8,000 ODI runs, reaching the landmark in 175 innings -- seven fewer than South Africa star AB de Villiers&#39;s 182.

Kohli already has 27 ODI centuries to his name, with a career strike-rate in excess of 91, and such has been the passionate drive with which he has led India that his fortunes and those of the team as a whole now seem indivisible.

&quot;I know there are expectations, I know there are people that expect the team and me to do well every time we play,&quot; Kohli told reporters at the Oval on Saturday. &quot;But I understand as a player and as a person that it&#39;s not possible.&quot;

He added: &quot;You have to be close to reality.

&quot;This (pressure) is a part of being an Indian cricketer, you have to find a way to deal with it. You can&#39;t ignore it.

&quot;You have to maintain a balance and then focus on what you need to do on the field.

&quot;I think I&#39;ve been able to strike a good balance until now and I&#39;m sure I&#39;ll be fine tomorrow.&quot;

Meanwhile Kohli said it was important for players to ration their use of sites such as Twitter.&nbsp;

&quot;The biggest thing is to stay off social media,&quot; he said.

&quot;If you&#39;re too distracted listening to too many suggestions or players or criticism, then you can&#39;t focus on what you need to think as a sportsman first to be able to lead the team and then help the others in the team as well.

&quot;The more relaxed you stay in these situations it&#39;s a good thing, because it helps you take better decisions when you are composed and calm mentally.&quot;

Kohli&#39;s cool temperament has often been seen to good effect in many a run chase, a quality which could yet prove useful on Sunday.&nbsp;

&quot;If you are thinking &#39;we are three down and I might get out&#39;, then you will get out,&quot; he said.

&quot;If you&#39;re thinking &#39;we&#39;re three down, I&#39;m going to counter-attack and get the team back on track&#39;, it ends up happening, because you&#39;re convinced about it.

&quot;That&#39;s something I work on. I visualise a lot, and I see myself in difficult situations and actually convincing myself that I can pull the team out in those situations.

&quot;It won&#39;t happen every time, but eight out of 10 times it will end up happening because you&#39;re so convinced about it.&quot;

Meanwhile Kohli played down the importance of a group win against a Pakistan side who have since defeated top-ranked South Africa and Sri Lanka in pool play before thrashing previously unbeaten tournament hosts England by eight wickets in the semi-finals. &nbsp;

&quot;On their day they can beat any side in the world,&quot; said Kohli of Pakistan.

&quot;That&#39;s the kind of players they have, we&#39;re quite aware of that,&quot; added Kohli, with India hammering Bangladesh by nine wickets in Thursday&#39;s second semi-final at Edgbaston.

&quot;But, at the same time, neither are we too intimidated nor are we too arrogant about what we are doing.&quot; 
 
(AFP)

Reigning champions India are the favourites, having launched their title-defence with a 124-run thrashing of Pakistan on June 4

India captain Virat Kohli said staying "close to reality" was the best way to carry the hopes of a cricket-crazy nation heading into a Champions Trophy final against arch-rivals Pakistan. Sunday's showpiece match at the Oval in London is a 24,500 sell-out, with millions more around the world expected to watch the high-profile match. Reigning champions India are the favourites, having launched their title-defence with a 124-run thrashing of Pakistan at Birmingham's Edgbaston on June 4. A lone loss to Sri Lanka apart, India have been in commanding form. Kohli's own performances at the Champions Trophy have seen him return to the top of the one-day international batting rankings. His four innings, including three not outs, have left him with a colossal tournament batting average of 253 heading into the final. This week also saw the 28-year-old Kohli become the fastest man to score 8,000 ODI runs, reaching the landmark in 175 innings -- seven fewer than South Africa star AB de Villiers's 182. Kohli already has 27 ODI centuries to his name, with a career strike-rate in excess of 91, and such has been the passionate drive with which he has led India that his fortunes and those of the team as a whole now seem indivisible. "I know there are expectations, I know there are people that expect the team and me to do well every time we play," Kohli told reporters at the Oval on Saturday. "But I understand as a player and as a person that it's not possible." He added: "You have to be close to reality. "This (pressure) is a part of being an Indian cricketer, you have to find a way to deal with it. You can't ignore it. "You have to maintain a balance and then focus on what you need to do on the field. "I think I've been able to strike a good balance until now and I'm sure I'll be fine tomorrow." Meanwhile Kohli said it was important for players to ration their use of sites such as Twitter. "The biggest thing is to stay off social media," he said. "If you're too distracted listening to too many suggestions or players or criticism, then you can't focus on what you need to think as a sportsman first to be able to lead the team and then help the others in the team as well. "The more relaxed you stay in these situations it's a good thing, because it helps you take better decisions when you are composed and calm mentally." Kohli's cool temperament has often been seen to good effect in many a run chase, a quality which could yet prove useful on Sunday. "If you are thinking 'we are three down and I might get out', then you will get out," he said. "If you're thinking 'we're three down, I'm going to counter-attack and get the team back on track', it ends up happening, because you're convinced about it. "That's something I work on. I visualise a lot, and I see myself in difficult situations and actually convincing myself that I can pull the team out in those situations. "It won't happen every time, but eight out of 10 times it will end up happening because you're so convinced about it." Meanwhile Kohli played down the importance of a group win against a Pakistan side who have since defeated top-ranked South Africa and Sri Lanka in pool play before thrashing previously unbeaten tournament hosts England by eight wickets in the semi-finals. "On their day they can beat any side in the world," said Kohli of Pakistan. "That's the kind of players they have, we're quite aware of that," added Kohli, with India hammering Bangladesh by nine wickets in Thursday's second semi-final at Edgbaston. "But, at the same time, neither are we too intimidated nor are we too arrogant about what we are doing." (AFP)

Have to be close to reality, says Virat Kohli ahead of India-Pakistan final

India will play arch-rivals Pakistan in the Champions Trophy final after winning handsomely against Bangladesh by nine wickets.

India achieved the target of 265 with ten overs to spare.&nbsp;

Indian captain Virat Kohli and Rohit Sharma shared a partnership of 178 runs to power the title-holders to the finals of Champions Trophy.

Rohit Sharma completed his century and was not out on 123 while Virat Kohli remained not out on 96.

Fielding first, the Indian side restricted Bangladesh to a total of 264. Kedar Jadhav, the part time off-spinner, removed Bangladesh top scorer Tamim Iqbal on 70 and Mushfiqur Rahim on 61.

India achieved the target of 265 with ten overs to spare

India will play arch-rivals Pakistan in the Champions Trophy final after winning handsomely against Bangladesh by nine wickets. India achieved the target of 265 with ten overs to spare. Indian captain Virat Kohli and Rohit Sharma shared a partnership of 178 runs to power the title-holders to the finals of Champions Trophy. Rohit Sharma completed his century and was not out on 123 while Virat Kohli remained not out on 96. Fielding first, the Indian side restricted Bangladesh to a total of 264. Kedar Jadhav, the part time off-spinner, removed Bangladesh top scorer Tamim Iqbal on 70 and Mushfiqur Rahim on 61.

India thrash Bangladesh by 9 wickets, will face Pakistan in final of Champions Trophy

Talking to the media in Birmingham today -- ahead of India&#39;s Champions&#39; Trophy semi-final against Bangladesh tomorrow -- India captain Virat Kohli said they would not be &quot;taking anything for granted&quot;. &nbsp;&nbsp;

&quot;There is no guarantee in these sports. A lot of teams have surprised their oppositions in the lower stages too. We are not going according to the past results and we will go into this game the way we treated the last one,&quot; he said.&nbsp;

&quot;Bangladesh has taken huge strides in cricket, in the last few years, they themselves say that. In the world cup 2015, they were really very good. We are not taking anything for granted,&quot; he added.&nbsp;

Watch video below:&nbsp;

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LIVE: Virat Kohli addresses the media at Birmingham ahead of the semi-final match against Bangladesh <a href="https://t.co/v0YkEv2gPC">https://t.co/v0YkEv2gPC</a>
&mdash; ANI (@ANI_news) <a href="https://twitter.com/ANI_news/status/874960371299139584">June 14, 2017</a></blockquote>
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Things were a little &quot;lighter&quot;&nbsp;though during an earlier practice session, with some of the Indian stars breaking out into&nbsp;impromptu jigs. Have a look at the video below:

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<a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/WATCH?src=hash">#WATCH</a> Team India players share light moments during practice session in Birmingham <a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/ChampionsTrophy2017?src=hash">#ChampionsTrophy2017</a> <a href="https://t.co/I2Xhl5tFLx">pic.twitter.com/I2Xhl5tFLx</a>
&mdash; ANI (@ANI_news) <a href="https://twitter.com/ANI_news/status/874966705285365761">June 14, 2017</a></blockquote>
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&nbsp;

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India play Bangladesh in the second Champions' Trophy semi-final tomorrow

Talking to the media in Birmingham today -- ahead of India's Champions' Trophy semi-final against Bangladesh tomorrow -- India captain Virat Kohli said they would not be "taking anything for granted". "There is no guarantee in these sports. A lot of teams have surprised their oppositions in the lower stages too. We are not going according to the past results and we will go into this game the way we treated the last one," he said. "Bangladesh has taken huge strides in cricket, in the last few years, they themselves say that. In the world cup 2015, they were really very good. We are not taking anything for granted," he added. Watch video below: LIVE: Virat Kohli addresses the media at Birmingham ahead of the semi-final match against Bangladesh https://t.co/v0YkEv2gPC — ANI (@ANI_news) June 14, 2017 × Things were a little "lighter" though during an earlier practice session, with some of the Indian stars breaking out into impromptu jigs. Have a look at the video below: #WATCH Team India players share light moments during practice session in Birmingham #ChampionsTrophy2017 pic.twitter.com/I2Xhl5tFLx — ANI (@ANI_news) June 14, 2017 ×

Watch: India captain Virat Kohli says 'not taking anything for granted' against Bangladesh

It&#39;s official!&nbsp;Bollywood star Anushka Sharma&nbsp;will be the lead in the&nbsp;upcoming movie &quot;Pari&quot;. Anushka tweeted the poster of her upcoming movie this morning.

The film will be directed by debutant Prosit Roy. The cast includes another Bengali star Parambarata Chatterjee.

The film is produced by Clean State Films owned by Anushka herself&nbsp;and her brother Karnesh Sharma And KriArj Entertainment.

&nbsp;

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Pari...First Look <a href="https://twitter.com/OfficialCSFilms">@OfficialCSFilms</a> <a href="https://twitter.com/kriarj">@kriarj</a> <a href="https://twitter.com/paramspeak">@paramspeak</a> <a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/PariFirstLook?src=hash">#PariFirstLook</a> <a href="https://t.co/GvO6YfjIjz">pic.twitter.com/GvO6YfjIjz</a>
&mdash; Anushka Sharma (@AnushkaSharma) <a href="https://twitter.com/AnushkaSharma/status/874474600461197312">June 13, 2017</a></blockquote>
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The movie is produced by Clean State Films owned by Anushka herself?and her brother Karnesh Sharma

It's official! Bollywood star Anushka Sharma will be the lead in the upcoming movie "Pari". Anushka tweeted the poster of her upcoming movie this morning. The film will be directed by debutant Prosit Roy. The cast includes another Bengali star Parambarata Chatterjee. The film is produced by Clean State Films owned by Anushka herself and her brother Karnesh Sharma And KriArj Entertainment. Pari...First Look @OfficialCSFilms @kriarj @paramspeak #PariFirstLook pic.twitter.com/GvO6YfjIjz — Anushka Sharma (@AnushkaSharma) June 13, 2017 ×

First look: Anushka Sharma's spooky movie 'Pari'

Indian cricketers had a field day against South Africa in the Champions Trophy on Sunday. Delhi batsmen Shikhar Dhawan led from the front as Indians made merry at the Oval in London.

Team India was quick to celebrate on social media with Shikhar Dhawan celebrating with his teammates. Dhawan&#39;s 78 off just 83 balls(12 boundaries, 1 Six) set the stage for India&#39;s big win, the Indian opener will be the man to watch out for in the semis against Bangladesh.

<a href="http://www.wionews.com/sports/champions-trophy-india-beat-south-africa-to-enter-semis-16704">Also Read:&nbsp;Champions Trophy: India beat South Africa to enter semis</a>

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Happy times after winning d match!! Rabb da shukrana ada karte hue!! Rabb rakha ????????????<a href="https://twitter.com/imVkohli">@imVkohli</a> <a href="https://twitter.com/y_umesh">@y_umesh</a> <a href="https://t.co/oqI09FoHL9">pic.twitter.com/oqI09FoHL9</a>
&mdash; Shikhar Dhawan (@SDhawan25) <a href="https://twitter.com/SDhawan25/status/873948410939822080">June 11, 2017</a></blockquote>
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Hardik Pandya who helped run-out AB de Villeirs&nbsp;was being actively tracked on on his Twitter handle by none other than the great Jonty Rhodes:

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My pleasure <a href="https://twitter.com/hardikpandya7">@hardikpandya7</a> <a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/INDvSA%D9%90?src=hash">#INDvSA?</a> <a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/CT17?src=hash">#CT17</a> <a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/runout?src=hash">#runout</a>
&mdash; Jonty Rhodes (@JontyRhodes8) <a href="https://twitter.com/JontyRhodes8/status/873939510211555330">June 11, 2017</a></blockquote>
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&macr;\_??_/&macr; <a href="https://twitter.com/hardikpandya7">@hardikpandya7</a> <a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/CT17?src=hash">#CT17</a> <a href="https://t.co/ltfLMpZTe4">pic.twitter.com/ltfLMpZTe4</a>
&mdash; ICC (@ICC) <a href="https://twitter.com/ICC/status/873900219770994690">June 11, 2017</a></blockquote>
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<a href="http://www.wionews.com/photos/indias-cricket-team-off-the-field-257">Also See:&nbsp;India&#39;s cricket team off the field</a>

India will now take on Bangladesh in the semi-final to be played on Thursday(June 15) at Edgbaston, Birmingham. &nbsp;

Watch this space for more....

&nbsp;

Delhi batsmen Shikhar Dhawan led from the front as Indians made merry at the Oval in London

Indian cricketers had a field day against South Africa in the Champions Trophy on Sunday. Delhi batsmen Shikhar Dhawan led from the front as Indians made merry at the Oval in London. Team India was quick to celebrate on social media with Shikhar Dhawan celebrating with his teammates. Dhawan's 78 off just 83 balls(12 boundaries, 1 Six) set the stage for India's big win, the Indian opener will be the man to watch out for in the semis against Bangladesh. Also Read: Champions Trophy: India beat South Africa to enter semis Happy times after winning d match!! Rabb da shukrana ada karte hue!! Rabb rakha ????????????@imVkohli @y_umesh pic.twitter.com/oqI09FoHL9 — Shikhar Dhawan (@SDhawan25) June 11, 2017 × Hardik Pandya who helped run-out AB de Villeirs was being actively tracked on on his Twitter handle by none other than the great Jonty Rhodes: My pleasure @hardikpandya7 #INDvSA? #CT17 #runout — Jonty Rhodes (@JontyRhodes8) June 11, 2017 × ¯\_??_/¯ @hardikpandya7 #CT17 pic.twitter.com/ltfLMpZTe4 — ICC (@ICC) June 11, 2017 × Also See: India's cricket team off the field India will now take on Bangladesh in the semi-final to be played on Thursday(June 15) at Edgbaston, Birmingham. Watch this space for more....

Twitter trail: Shikhar Dhawan, Pandya celebrate victory over SA

Anil Kumble will remain India&#39;s coach for the tour of West Indies subject to his acceptance, Committee of Administrators (COA) chairman Vinod Rai said today, insisting that only the Cricket Advisory Committee (CAC) will decide the next head coach.

&quot;Coach selection has been entrusted to the CAC which selected Anil Kumble last year for a one-year contract. Now the process has to be followed. But since the process has been delayed, Kumble, subject to his accepting, will be there for the West Indies tour,&quot; Rai told reporters after a meeting of the COA here.

&quot;The CAC is meeting in London to decide upon the road ahead,&quot; he added.

India will tour the West Indies for a five-ODI series starting June 23 followed by a lone Twenty20 match on July 9.

The COA, now a three-member panel after the controversial exit of historian Ramachandra Guha, had a day long meeting in New Delhi.

Asked whether coach recruitment could have been handled better by the BCCI, Rai said the matter has been blown out of proportion with reports claiming a rift between captain Virat Kohi and Kumble.

&quot;The fact is that it was a one year contract so a process was followed. I don&#39;t know why is this controversy. I have spoken to both of them (Kohli and Kumble)and neither of them have confirmed what has come out,&quot; he said.

The CAC -- comprising Sachin Tendulkar, VVS Laxman and Sourav Ganguly -- is currently in London and is in touch with both the captain and the coach on the sidelines of the ongoing Champions Trophy.

The CAC, which is in favour of retaining Kumble, has sought more time ahead of the BCCI SGM on June 26.

&quot;We have left it to the CAC, they are legends, they know what is best for Indian cricket,&quot; said Rai, who also rubbished a report claiming that CAC has asked to be paid for the honorary job.

Guha, in his scathing resignation letter, had lashed out at the BCCI&#39;s functioning besides alleging conflict of interest in the case of Rahul Dravid who is India A coach and also a mentor of the Delhi Daredevils IPL franchise.

The former batsman had sought more clarity on the subject so that he can take an informed decision.

To address a host of conflict of interest issues, the BCCI will soon have an ethics officer.

&quot;All issues regarding COI will be referred to ethics officer appointed by the BCCI. He will be appointed soon. A lot of complaints regarding COI have been received,&quot; said Rai.

He further said that Guha&#39;s resignation will be forwarded to the Supreme Court.

The COA was formed mainly to carry out reforms recommended by the SC-appointed Lodha Committee. As expected, some of the recommendations, including one state and one vote and tenure of office-bearers, were met with stiff resistance by the state associations.

However, Rai insisted that reforms are on track and will be placed before the state associations at the SGM.

&quot;The reforms are on track. They will be entrusted to the SGM which is meeting on June 26. It is going to be placed before them but in all our conversations with them, they have expressed their willingness to accept the reforms,&quot; he said.&nbsp;

India will tour the West Indies for a five-ODI series starting June 23 followed by a lone Twenty20 match on July 9

Anil Kumble will remain India's coach for the tour of West Indies subject to his acceptance, Committee of Administrators (COA) chairman Vinod Rai said today, insisting that only the Cricket Advisory Committee (CAC) will decide the next head coach. "Coach selection has been entrusted to the CAC which selected Anil Kumble last year for a one-year contract. Now the process has to be followed. But since the process has been delayed, Kumble, subject to his accepting, will be there for the West Indies tour," Rai told reporters after a meeting of the COA here. "The CAC is meeting in London to decide upon the road ahead," he added. India will tour the West Indies for a five-ODI series starting June 23 followed by a lone Twenty20 match on July 9. The COA, now a three-member panel after the controversial exit of historian Ramachandra Guha, had a day long meeting in New Delhi. Asked whether coach recruitment could have been handled better by the BCCI, Rai said the matter has been blown out of proportion with reports claiming a rift between captain Virat Kohi and Kumble. "The fact is that it was a one year contract so a process was followed. I don't know why is this controversy. I have spoken to both of them (Kohli and Kumble)and neither of them have confirmed what has come out," he said. The CAC -- comprising Sachin Tendulkar, VVS Laxman and Sourav Ganguly -- is currently in London and is in touch with both the captain and the coach on the sidelines of the ongoing Champions Trophy. The CAC, which is in favour of retaining Kumble, has sought more time ahead of the BCCI SGM on June 26. "We have left it to the CAC, they are legends, they know what is best for Indian cricket," said Rai, who also rubbished a report claiming that CAC has asked to be paid for the honorary job. Guha, in his scathing resignation letter, had lashed out at the BCCI's functioning besides alleging conflict of interest in the case of Rahul Dravid who is India A coach and also a mentor of the Delhi Daredevils IPL franchise. The former batsman had sought more clarity on the subject so that he can take an informed decision. To address a host of conflict of interest issues, the BCCI will soon have an ethics officer. "All issues regarding COI will be referred to ethics officer appointed by the BCCI. He will be appointed soon. A lot of complaints regarding COI have been received," said Rai. He further said that Guha's resignation will be forwarded to the Supreme Court. The COA was formed mainly to carry out reforms recommended by the SC-appointed Lodha Committee. As expected, some of the recommendations, including one state and one vote and tenure of office-bearers, were met with stiff resistance by the state associations. However, Rai insisted that reforms are on track and will be placed before the state associations at the SGM. "The reforms are on track. They will be entrusted to the SGM which is meeting on June 26. It is going to be placed before them but in all our conversations with them, they have expressed their willingness to accept the reforms," he said.

Anil Kumble to continue as India coach till West Indies Series: COA

India crushed South Africa by eight wickets on Sunday to reach the Champions Trophy semi-finals and knock the world`s top-ranked team out of the tournament.

South Africa crumbled from 116 for one to 191 all out in good batting conditions at The Oval before Shikhar Dhawan (78) and Virat Kohli (76 not out) shared a fluent partnership of 128 to lead India to victory with 12 overs to spare.

The defending champions followed hosts England and Bangladesh into the last four and they will be joined by the winners of Monday`s final Group B game between Sri Lanka and Pakistan.&nbsp;

South Africa started cautiously after being sent in to bat as Hashim Amla and Quinton de Kock added 76 for the first wicket without undue alarm.

Amla raised the tempo with a six over mid-wicket but, on 35, he tried to cut spinner Ravichandran Ashwin and nicked a sharp catch to wicketkeeper Mahendra Singh Dhoni.

South Africa were 94 for one after 20 overs and De Kock reached a tidy half-century off 68 balls before he was deceived by spinner Ravindra Jadeja and bowled for 53.

South Africa then pressed the self-destruct button with two run-outs in quick succession.

AB de Villiers, on 16, perished trying to pinch a quick single and David Miller (one) was dismissed in farcical circumstances with both batsmen stranded at the same end to leave South Africa struggling at 142 for four.

Their hopes of a substantial total rested on the shoulders of Faf du Plessis but his scratchy knock of 36 ended when he dragged a ball from medium-pacer Hardik Pandya on to his stumps.

Chris Morris, Andile Phehlukwayo, Kagiso Rabada and Morne Morkel soon joined him back in the pavilion and the innings petered out in the 45th over when Imran Tahir became the third run-out victim.

India began their reply positively and both openers had struck sixes before Rohit Sharma drove loosely at Morkel and was caught by wicketkeeper De Kock for 12.

Kohli joined Dhawan and after surviving hostile spells from Morkel and Rabada the pair started to play with more freedom.

Dhawan crunched Morris over mid-on for his eighth four to reach his 50 and the left-hander played some brutal strokes before he skied Tahir to Du Plessis at long-off.

Kohli remained in total control, however, and Yuvraj Singh hoisted JP Duminy over mid-wicket for a huge six to complete the most comfortable of wins for his team.

(Reuters)

India chased down South Africa's 191 with loss of two wickets

India crushed South Africa by eight wickets on Sunday to reach the Champions Trophy semi-finals and knock the world`s top-ranked team out of the tournament. South Africa crumbled from 116 for one to 191 all out in good batting conditions at The Oval before Shikhar Dhawan (78) and Virat Kohli (76 not out) shared a fluent partnership of 128 to lead India to victory with 12 overs to spare. The defending champions followed hosts England and Bangladesh into the last four and they will be joined by the winners of Monday`s final Group B game between Sri Lanka and Pakistan. South Africa started cautiously after being sent in to bat as Hashim Amla and Quinton de Kock added 76 for the first wicket without undue alarm. Amla raised the tempo with a six over mid-wicket but, on 35, he tried to cut spinner Ravichandran Ashwin and nicked a sharp catch to wicketkeeper Mahendra Singh Dhoni. South Africa were 94 for one after 20 overs and De Kock reached a tidy half-century off 68 balls before he was deceived by spinner Ravindra Jadeja and bowled for 53. South Africa then pressed the self-destruct button with two run-outs in quick succession. AB de Villiers, on 16, perished trying to pinch a quick single and David Miller (one) was dismissed in farcical circumstances with both batsmen stranded at the same end to leave South Africa struggling at 142 for four. Their hopes of a substantial total rested on the shoulders of Faf du Plessis but his scratchy knock of 36 ended when he dragged a ball from medium-pacer Hardik Pandya on to his stumps. Chris Morris, Andile Phehlukwayo, Kagiso Rabada and Morne Morkel soon joined him back in the pavilion and the innings petered out in the 45th over when Imran Tahir became the third run-out victim. India began their reply positively and both openers had struck sixes before Rohit Sharma drove loosely at Morkel and was caught by wicketkeeper De Kock for 12. Kohli joined Dhawan and after surviving hostile spells from Morkel and Rabada the pair started to play with more freedom. Dhawan crunched Morris over mid-on for his eighth four to reach his 50 and the left-hander played some brutal strokes before he skied Tahir to Du Plessis at long-off. Kohli remained in total control, however, and Yuvraj Singh hoisted JP Duminy over mid-wicket for a huge six to complete the most comfortable of wins for his team. (Reuters)

Champions Trophy: India beat South Africa to enter semis

India must tighten up their fielding and be &quot;ruthless&quot; when they face Sri Lanka in the Champions Trophy at the Oval on Thursday, skipper Virat Kohli said.

The defending champions opened their Group B account with an emphatic 124-run victory over arch-rivals Pakistan on Sunday, but drew criticism for their lacklustre fielding performance.

&quot;Sometimes, starting with the tournament, creating momentum as a team, you can misfield, you can get overexcited,&quot; Kohli told a news conference on Wednesday.

&quot;There can be lapses as well, especially when the team is seven or eight down and you know that the game is going to end soon. We have addressed the guys and have asked them to be ruthless and finish games off.&quot;

Kohli also told his teammates not to get carried away by the praise that has come their way since they beat Pakistan. Despite the occasional fielding error, India dominated the rain-shortened match.

&quot;I don&#39;t think when you are playing good cricket, you should look too much into the praise factor,&quot; he added.

&quot;As a team, we really don&#39;t focus on these things and we try to maintain the same kind of intensity and momentum regardless of how we are playing.

&quot;At this moment we are playing some good cricket but that doesn&#39;t mean that we play with arrogance... In this sport, anyone can upset anyone on their given day... you certainly cannot even think of taking anyone lightly.&quot;

Both India and South Africa have two points apiece having won their opening encounters, but India top the group thanks to their superior run rate.

(Reuters)

Kohli also told his teammates not to get carried away by the praise that has come their way since they beat Pakistan

India must tighten up their fielding and be "ruthless" when they face Sri Lanka in the Champions Trophy at the Oval on Thursday, skipper Virat Kohli said. The defending champions opened their Group B account with an emphatic 124-run victory over arch-rivals Pakistan on Sunday, but drew criticism for their lacklustre fielding performance. "Sometimes, starting with the tournament, creating momentum as a team, you can misfield, you can get overexcited," Kohli told a news conference on Wednesday. "There can be lapses as well, especially when the team is seven or eight down and you know that the game is going to end soon. We have addressed the guys and have asked them to be ruthless and finish games off." Kohli also told his teammates not to get carried away by the praise that has come their way since they beat Pakistan. Despite the occasional fielding error, India dominated the rain-shortened match. "I don't think when you are playing good cricket, you should look too much into the praise factor," he added. "As a team, we really don't focus on these things and we try to maintain the same kind of intensity and momentum regardless of how we are playing. "At this moment we are playing some good cricket but that doesn't mean that we play with arrogance... In this sport, anyone can upset anyone on their given day... you certainly cannot even think of taking anyone lightly." Both India and South Africa have two points apiece having won their opening encounters, but India top the group thanks to their superior run rate. (Reuters)

Virat Kohli: India must be ruthless in finishing games off

India skipper Virat Kohli on Saturday rejected the reports of him having any rift with head coach Anil Kumble, saying they are mere speculations which have been created by the people ahead of the team`s much anticipated high octane opening match of the Champions Trophy against Pakistan to be played at Edgbaston Cricket Ground on Sunday.

&quot;There are lot of speculations and lot of things being written by people who are not even part of the change room, which is very strange. There are no problems whatsoever,&quot; Kohli told the media.

After India left for England to defend the Champions Trophy, it was reported that all was not well between Kohli and Kumble.

Reports have been surfacing about Kohli`s alleged spat with Kumble regarding differences of opinion on selection matters.

Kumble&#39;s contract as Indian cricket team&#39;s head coach will end post-India&#39;s campaign at the Champions Trophy and the BCCI has already invited applications for the position.

&quot;If something is being put in as a process, I don&#39;t see why people are creating so many speculations about it. It was followed last time also. The team is totally focused on the Champions Trophy. I honestly don&#39;t even know and I don&#39;t even want to know anything of this sort because in a tournament which is such big, lot of people like to find lot of rumours and especially before the start of the tournament,&quot; stated Kohli.

&quot;They are doing their job and on their livelihood. We are focused on our livelihood which is on the field and all that we are going to focus on,&quot; he added.

The iconic leg-spinner, who took over the post of head coach from former cricketer Ravi Shastri, has had a successful tenure as under him, team India claimed the ICC Test ranking top spot.

On Friday, after former India skipper and member of Cricket Advisory Committee, Sourav Ganguly, met Indian cricketers at team hotel, it was indicated that Kumble would step down from his position after the Champions Trophy.

Ramachandra Guha, who quit a Supreme Court-appointed four-member Committee of Administrators (CoA) overseeing the BCCI in protest, has said in his letter of resignation, &quot;If indeed the captain and the head coach were not getting along, why was this not attended to as soon as the Australia series was over in late March?&quot;

&quot;Why was it left until the last minute, when a major international tournament was imminent?&quot; he asked.

Former India opener Virender Sehwag, former Australian Test player Tom Moody, current head coach Kumble, former Indian cricketers Lalchand Rajput and Dodda Ganesh and former Pakistan and Bangladesh coach Richard Pybus have applied for the post of India`s head coach.

The BCCI`s three-member Cricket Advisory Committee comprising cricket icons Sachin Tendulkar, Ganguly and VVS Laxman will conduct interviews and seek presentations to select the best possible candidate to guide the team and take the team forward.

(ANI)

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In a press conference before the crucial Indo-Pak encounter on Sunday, Virat Kohli cleared the air about news that there is a rift between Indian cricket team coach Anil Kumble and him (WION)
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Reports have been surfacing about Kohli`s alleged spat with Kumble regarding differences of opinion on selection matters

India skipper Virat Kohli on Saturday rejected the reports of him having any rift with head coach Anil Kumble, saying they are mere speculations which have been created by the people ahead of the team`s much anticipated high octane opening match of the Champions Trophy against Pakistan to be played at Edgbaston Cricket Ground on Sunday. "There are lot of speculations and lot of things being written by people who are not even part of the change room, which is very strange. There are no problems whatsoever," Kohli told the media. After India left for England to defend the Champions Trophy, it was reported that all was not well between Kohli and Kumble. Reports have been surfacing about Kohli`s alleged spat with Kumble regarding differences of opinion on selection matters. Kumble's contract as Indian cricket team's head coach will end post-India's campaign at the Champions Trophy and the BCCI has already invited applications for the position. "If something is being put in as a process, I don't see why people are creating so many speculations about it. It was followed last time also. The team is totally focused on the Champions Trophy. I honestly don't even know and I don't even want to know anything of this sort because in a tournament which is such big, lot of people like to find lot of rumours and especially before the start of the tournament," stated Kohli. "They are doing their job and on their livelihood. We are focused on our livelihood which is on the field and all that we are going to focus on," he added. The iconic leg-spinner, who took over the post of head coach from former cricketer Ravi Shastri, has had a successful tenure as under him, team India claimed the ICC Test ranking top spot. On Friday, after former India skipper and member of Cricket Advisory Committee, Sourav Ganguly, met Indian cricketers at team hotel, it was indicated that Kumble would step down from his position after the Champions Trophy. Ramachandra Guha, who quit a Supreme Court-appointed four-member Committee of Administrators (CoA) overseeing the BCCI in protest, has said in his letter of resignation, "If indeed the captain and the head coach were not getting along, why was this not attended to as soon as the Australia series was over in late March?" "Why was it left until the last minute, when a major international tournament was imminent?" he asked. Former India opener Virender Sehwag, former Australian Test player Tom Moody, current head coach Kumble, former Indian cricketers Lalchand Rajput and Dodda Ganesh and former Pakistan and Bangladesh coach Richard Pybus have applied for the post of India`s head coach. The BCCI`s three-member Cricket Advisory Committee comprising cricket icons Sachin Tendulkar, Ganguly and VVS Laxman will conduct interviews and seek presentations to select the best possible candidate to guide the team and take the team forward. (ANI) In a press conference before the crucial Indo-Pak encounter on Sunday, Virat Kohli cleared the air about news that there is a rift between Indian cricket team coach Anil Kumble and him (WION) ×

Virat Kohli scotches reports of rift between him and Kumble ahead of match with arch-rival Pakistan

India is set to take on arch rival&nbsp;Pakistan in the Champions Trophy one-day cricket tournament on Sunday. The two are in a tough group with South Africa and Sri Lanka, so winning the ODI encounter will be crucial to qualify for the semi-finals. Captain Virat Kohli will no doubt feel the pressure on Sunday, so what can the history of&nbsp;India and Pakistan cricket rivalry tell us about who will win this weekend? WION uncovers the facts.

<a href="http://www.wionews.com/cricket/infamous-odi-encounter-when-indian-skipper-bishen-bedi-conceded-a-match-to-pakistan-15954">India first played Pakistan in a one-day international on October 1</a>, 1978 in Quetta, Pakistan. India may have won that match by four runs, but Pakistan has&nbsp;been dominant since, winning 55% of the matches between the two sides.

<img src="http://i.imgur.com/dyWml1u.png" style="margin:0 auto;width: 350px;height:auto;" />

A lot of India-Pakistan matches have been very close, one of the closest being the recent clash&nbsp;on March 2, 2014 in the Asia Cup. India scored 245/8 but Pakistan scored 249/9 to win by one wicket with two balls to spare.

<img src="http://i.imgur.com/sPDsIKC.png" style="margin:0 auto;width: 350px;height:auto;" />

If we look at past matches, the team batting first has historically won more times.

<img src="http://i.imgur.com/buZfjQX.png" style="margin:0 auto;width: 350px;height:auto;" />

This will be the first India-Pakistan one-day match in two years, but there was a time in the late &#39;90s when India and Pakistan played each other at least seven times a year. We also see from the chart below how India has slowly started dominating Pakistan since the mid-2000s.

<img src="http://i.imgur.com/bYO0Ggm.png" style="margin:0 auto;width: 350px;height:auto;" />

India and Pakistan have played<a href="http://www.wionews.com/cricket/infamous-cricket-matches-between-india-and-pakistan-india-plays-in-virtual-darkness-at-sharjah-15900"> each other a lot outside the subcontinent, especially in the UAE.</a> Interestingly, they&#39;ve also played each other in Canada 16 times. This happened over a three-year period from 1996 to 1998 when the Canadian city Toronto was hosting an annual one-day series between the two countries.

<img src="http://i.imgur.com/YKzjrVm.png" style="margin:0 auto;width: 350px;height:auto;" />

(WION)

India will be playing Pakistan this weekend in a one-day match for the first time in two years. Here are some graphics to help you understand the history of this encounter.

India is set to take on arch rival Pakistan in the Champions Trophy one-day cricket tournament on Sunday. The two are in a tough group with South Africa and Sri Lanka, so winning the ODI encounter will be crucial to qualify for the semi-finals. Captain Virat Kohli will no doubt feel the pressure on Sunday, so what can the history of India and Pakistan cricket rivalry tell us about who will win this weekend? WION uncovers the facts. India first played Pakistan in a one-day international on October 1, 1978 in Quetta, Pakistan. India may have won that match by four runs, but Pakistan has been dominant since, winning 55% of the matches between the two sides. A lot of India-Pakistan matches have been very close, one of the closest being the recent clash on March 2, 2014 in the Asia Cup. India scored 245/8 but Pakistan scored 249/9 to win by one wicket with two balls to spare. If we look at past matches, the team batting first has historically won more times. This will be the first India-Pakistan one-day match in two years, but there was a time in the late '90s when India and Pakistan played each other at least seven times a year. We also see from the chart below how India has slowly started dominating Pakistan since the mid-2000s. India and Pakistan have played each other a lot outside the subcontinent, especially in the UAE. Interestingly, they've also played each other in Canada 16 times. This happened over a three-year period from 1996 to 1998 when the Canadian city Toronto was hosting an annual one-day series between the two countries. (WION)

Infographic: India-Pakistan ODIs since 1978

The Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) has reportedly sent three of its officials to England to resolve the alleged differences between Team India captain Virat Kohli and coach Anil Kumble, a media report claimed on Thursday.

The two officials, chief of the BCCI Committee of Administrators Vinod Rai and&nbsp;general manager (cricket operations) Dr MV Sridhar, are making an unscheduled trip to England ahead of India&#39;s Champions Trophy opener 
against Pakistan on June 4.

Acting secretary Amitabh Chaudhary&#39;s visit to England was planned in advance while Dr MV Sridhar&#39;s visit has been scheduled now, official sources told Indian daily mid-day.com.

Sridhar, who has played 97 first-class matches, is highly respected by the players and may facilitate Vinod Rai&#39;s interactions with the coach and captain.&nbsp;

The BCCI officials will reach Birmingham today and will return after India&#39;s match with&nbsp;Pakistan match on Sunday.

Meanwhile, historian Ramachandra Guha, who was appointed by the Supreme Court as one of the four administrators of BCCI, informed the top court today that he had resigned from the post due to personal reasons.

Guha had been appointed by the top court to run the affairs of BCCI and implement court-approved recommendations on reforms in the cash-rich cricket body.

The speculation surrounding Kumble, whose&nbsp;&nbsp;future has become a matter of conjecture after reports of the rift with Kohli are suspected to be one of the reasons for Guha&#39;s exit. 
 
(WION) 
&nbsp;

The BCCI officials arrive in Birmingham today and will return after India's match with?Pakistan match on Sunday

The Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) has reportedly sent three of its officials to England to resolve the alleged differences between Team India captain Virat Kohli and coach Anil Kumble, a media report claimed on Thursday. The two officials, chief of the BCCI Committee of Administrators Vinod Rai and general manager (cricket operations) Dr MV Sridhar, are making an unscheduled trip to England ahead of India's Champions Trophy opener against Pakistan on June 4. Acting secretary Amitabh Chaudhary's visit to England was planned in advance while Dr MV Sridhar's visit has been scheduled now, official sources told Indian daily mid-day.com. Sridhar, who has played 97 first-class matches, is highly respected by the players and may facilitate Vinod Rai's interactions with the coach and captain. The BCCI officials will reach Birmingham today and will return after India's match with Pakistan match on Sunday. Meanwhile, historian Ramachandra Guha, who was appointed by the Supreme Court as one of the four administrators of BCCI, informed the top court today that he had resigned from the post due to personal reasons. Guha had been appointed by the top court to run the affairs of BCCI and implement court-approved recommendations on reforms in the cash-rich cricket body. The speculation surrounding Kumble, whose future has become a matter of conjecture after reports of the rift with Kohli are suspected to be one of the reasons for Guha's exit. (WION)

BCCI sends peacemakers to England to resolve differences between Virat Kohli, coach Kumble: Report

Virender Sehwag today became the most notable applicant for the Indian cricket team&#39;s chief coach&#39;s post, which would be technically vacant when Anil Kumble&#39;s term comes to an end after the Champions Trophy.

&nbsp;Others in the fray are former Australian cricketer Tom Moody and English cricket coach Richard Pybus, who has coached Pakistan earlier.

The two Indians among the applicants are former fast bowler Dodda Ganesh and former India A coach Lalchand Rajput.

Moody and Rajput had applied for the chief coach&#39;s job last year also but it was Kumble who got the nod.

However, the entry of Sehwag -- considered to be one of India&#39;s greatest ever game changers -- makes the battle for the position very interesting.

One of India&#39;s biggest match-winners and a part of two-time World Cup winning team, Sehwag played 104 Tests and 251 ODIs for India, scoring 8586 and 8273 runs.

He doesn&#39;t have any prior coaching experience apart from mentoring IPL franchise Kings XI Punjab recently, it was the BCCI top brass that convinced him to apply for the post.

It&#39;s the same kind of scenario when Ravi Shastri seemed all set to be retained as coach and Kumble was asked to throw his hat in the ring at the eleventh hour.

The BCCI joint secretary Amitabh Chaudhary today on record denied any rift between Kumble and captain Virat Kohli.

However, the fact that a player of Sehwag&#39;s stature has applied gives enough indication that everything is not right in the Indian dressing room.

Sehwag will only apply when he knows that he is a serious contender for the top job.

It will be interesting if Kumble finally appears for the interview knowing that Sehwag has applied for the post.

However many in BCCI feel that Sehwag, who is also a social media sensation, may demand an astronomical salary and then Moody, who gave a good presentation last time also, could come into the fray.

It may well happen that Moody, a proven international and IPL coach (Sri Lanka and Sunrisers Hyderabad) may be considered for the job.

Moody has been compared to John Wright and Gary Kirsten, two of the successful coaches of India. He is soft-spoken, more of a backroom man with a pleasing personality.

A two-time World Cup winner (1987 and 1999), 52-year-old Moody was an important member of Australia&#39;s limited overs side till the late 90&#39;s, representing the country in 76 ODIs.

Pybus doesn&#39;t have great cricketing pedigree, having played only one first-class match but is rated highly as a strategist. He has coached the Pakistan national side twice.

Rajput and Ganesh could at best be the fillers with the latter being an aspirant for the fast bowling coach&#39;s job.

However if Zaheer Khan is ever keen to take up the job, then BCCI may not look elsewhere.

The interviews are supposed to be held in England only. A few may join the interview via Skype.

Sourav Ganguly and VVS Laxman, part of the cricket advisory committee, and Sehwag are currently in England as part of the commentary team for the Star Sports in the Champions Trophy. 
 
(PTI)

Others in the fray are former Australian cricketer Tom Moody and English cricket coach Richard Pybus, who has coached Pakistan earlier.

Virender Sehwag today became the most notable applicant for the Indian cricket team's chief coach's post, which would be technically vacant when Anil Kumble's term comes to an end after the Champions Trophy. Others in the fray are former Australian cricketer Tom Moody and English cricket coach Richard Pybus, who has coached Pakistan earlier. The two Indians among the applicants are former fast bowler Dodda Ganesh and former India A coach Lalchand Rajput. Moody and Rajput had applied for the chief coach's job last year also but it was Kumble who got the nod. However, the entry of Sehwag -- considered to be one of India's greatest ever game changers -- makes the battle for the position very interesting. One of India's biggest match-winners and a part of two-time World Cup winning team, Sehwag played 104 Tests and 251 ODIs for India, scoring 8586 and 8273 runs. He doesn't have any prior coaching experience apart from mentoring IPL franchise Kings XI Punjab recently, it was the BCCI top brass that convinced him to apply for the post. It's the same kind of scenario when Ravi Shastri seemed all set to be retained as coach and Kumble was asked to throw his hat in the ring at the eleventh hour. The BCCI joint secretary Amitabh Chaudhary today on record denied any rift between Kumble and captain Virat Kohli. However, the fact that a player of Sehwag's stature has applied gives enough indication that everything is not right in the Indian dressing room. Sehwag will only apply when he knows that he is a serious contender for the top job. It will be interesting if Kumble finally appears for the interview knowing that Sehwag has applied for the post. However many in BCCI feel that Sehwag, who is also a social media sensation, may demand an astronomical salary and then Moody, who gave a good presentation last time also, could come into the fray. It may well happen that Moody, a proven international and IPL coach (Sri Lanka and Sunrisers Hyderabad) may be considered for the job. Moody has been compared to John Wright and Gary Kirsten, two of the successful coaches of India. He is soft-spoken, more of a backroom man with a pleasing personality. A two-time World Cup winner (1987 and 1999), 52-year-old Moody was an important member of Australia's limited overs side till the late 90's, representing the country in 76 ODIs. Pybus doesn't have great cricketing pedigree, having played only one first-class match but is rated highly as a strategist. He has coached the Pakistan national side twice. Rajput and Ganesh could at best be the fillers with the latter being an aspirant for the fast bowling coach's job. However if Zaheer Khan is ever keen to take up the job, then BCCI may not look elsewhere. The interviews are supposed to be held in England only. A few may join the interview via Skype. Sourav Ganguly and VVS Laxman, part of the cricket advisory committee, and Sehwag are currently in England as part of the commentary team for the Star Sports in the Champions Trophy. (PTI)

Virender Sehwag among top contenders for Team India coach: BCCI

India announced the 15-member squad for next month&#39;s Champions Trophy, after days of ambivalence over its participation.

Opener Shikhar Dhawan and middle-order batsman Manish Pandey made a comeback but warhorses Harbhajan Singh and Gautam Gambhir failed to make the list.

Rohit Sharma, who was out injured since last November due to a thigh injury, has also been included in the squad.

But KL Rahul continues to remain on the sidelines due to an injury he sustained in his shoulder.

Ashwin, who has not participated in the tenth edition of the lucrative Indian Premier League due to a hernia injury, has made himself available for the ICC event.

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&quot;Ashwin&#39;s selection was not a difficult decision. He&#39;s had rest, isn&#39;t out of form. We&#39;ve been preparing him for the Champions Trophy&quot; said MSK Prasad, the chairman of selectors.

Up-and-coming Rishabh Pant did not find a place either, though Prasad said the selection team are &quot;completely impressed&quot; with his rich vein of form in the ongoing IPL season.

Pant has scored 972 runs at an average of 81 in the tournament.

India will start their Champions Trophy campaign against their rivals Pakistan on June 4.

As reported earlier, the Indian team was announced on Monday morning following days of uncertainty.

The Board of Control for Cricket in India -- the country&#39;s cricket administrators -- had threatened to pull out of this year&#39;s Champions Trophy as it was unhappy with the revamped revenue-sharing model.

Squad:&nbsp;Virat Kohli (captain), Shikhar Dhawan, Rohit Sharma, Ajinkya Rahane (vice captain), MS Dhoni, Yuvraj Singh, Kedar Jadhav, Hardik Pandya, R Ashwin, Ravindra Jadeja, Md. Shami,&nbsp;Umesh Yadav, Bhuvneshwar Kumar, Manish Pandey and Jasprit Bumrah

(WION)

Manish Pandey also made a comeback but veteran off-spinner Harbhajan Singh misses out

India announced the 15-member squad for next month's Champions Trophy, after days of ambivalence over its participation. Opener Shikhar Dhawan and middle-order batsman Manish Pandey made a comeback but warhorses Harbhajan Singh and Gautam Gambhir failed to make the list. Rohit Sharma, who was out injured since last November due to a thigh injury, has also been included in the squad. But KL Rahul continues to remain on the sidelines due to an injury he sustained in his shoulder. Ashwin, who has not participated in the tenth edition of the lucrative Indian Premier League due to a hernia injury, has made himself available for the ICC event. #WATCH: BCCI selection committee addressing media in Delhi https://t.co/b7NAVFQj2x — ANI (@ANI_news) May 8, 2017 × "Ashwin's selection was not a difficult decision. He's had rest, isn't out of form. We've been preparing him for the Champions Trophy" said MSK Prasad, the chairman of selectors. Up-and-coming Rishabh Pant did not find a place either, though Prasad said the selection team are "completely impressed" with his rich vein of form in the ongoing IPL season. Pant has scored 972 runs at an average of 81 in the tournament. India will start their Champions Trophy campaign against their rivals Pakistan on June 4. As reported earlier, the Indian team was announced on Monday morning following days of uncertainty. The Board of Control for Cricket in India -- the country's cricket administrators -- had threatened to pull out of this year's Champions Trophy as it was unhappy with the revamped revenue-sharing model. Squad: Virat Kohli (captain), Shikhar Dhawan, Rohit Sharma, Ajinkya Rahane (vice captain), MS Dhoni, Yuvraj Singh, Kedar Jadhav, Hardik Pandya, R Ashwin, Ravindra Jadeja, Md. Shami, Umesh Yadav, Bhuvneshwar Kumar, Manish Pandey and Jasprit Bumrah (WION)

India announce Champions Trophy squad; Dhawan returns, Pant misses cut

Skipper Rohit Sharma played a sublime knock to lead Mumbai Indians to a five-wicket win over laggards Royal Challengers Bangalore, ensuring themselves of a berth at the IPL play-offs, here today. 
 
RCB, opting to bat, put up 162 for eight with Ab de Villiers hammering 43 off 27 balls. 
 
It was a rather straightforward chase for Mumbai as the home team reeled off 59 runs in the last six overs, courtesy some crisp hitting from Rohit, who ended with 56 off 37 balls. 
 
Hardik Pandya remained unbeaten with the captain, scoring 14 off nine balls. 
 
With the win at Wankhede, Mumbai moved to the top of the points table with eight wins out of 10 games fetching them 16 points. 
 
On the other hand, it was another disappointing performance from the star-studded RCB, who are very much out of contention for a play-off berth. The loss was their eighth in 11 matches. 
 
Fittingly, Rohit hit the winning runs, a cracking drive past mid-off. It was one of the six boundaries he hit alongside a maximum. 
 
The quick start to the chase was provided by Jos Buttler (33 off 21) and Nitish Rana (27 off 28) after Parthiv Patel was out for a first ball duck. 
 
Earlier, Mitchell McClenaghan claimed three wickets as Mumbai Indians produced a disciplined bowling performance to restrict RCB to a modest total. 
 
Besides McClenaghan (3/34), Krunal Pandya (2/34) took two wickets, while Karn Sharma (1/23) and Jasprit Bumrah (1/33) accounted for wicket apiece. 
 
For RCB, de Villiers emerged as the top-scorer after he blasted three fours and as many sixes during his 27-ball innings, while Pawan Negi (35) and Kedar Jadhav (28) provided the late charge to take the team past the 150-mark. 
 
RCB lost their first wicket in the fourth over when Mandeep Singh (17) went for the slog sweep and was caught by Hardik. 
 
In the sixth over, McClenaghan removed Virat Kohli (20) when the RCB skipper flicked a slower ball straight to short midwicket and Rohit took a simple catch, reducing the visitors slipped to 40 for two. 
 
De Villiers then blasted McClenaghan over backward point for a four before sending him over sweeper cover for a maximum as RCB scored 52-2 in the powerplay overs. 
 
The South African gave Krunal Pandya the same treatment as RCB accumulated 13 runs off the ninth over. 
 
After 10 overs, they were 80 for 2 but Travis Head (12) holed out to Hardik at deep midwicket and RCB slumped to 85-3. 
 
De Villiers brought up the 100 with a six off Krunal over the square leg boundary but was dismissed in the next delivery by the same bowler for the fourth time in as many meetings. 
 
Shane Watson&#39;s poor run continued and he went down cheaply again to leave RCB struggling at 108-5 in 13.4 overs. 
 
Negi and Jadhav then steadied the innings, taking ones and twos to keep the scoreboard ticking. 
 
Negi finally exploded in the 18th over, producing a couple of sixes off Lasith Malinga over extra cover and long- off, before smashing a six over long-on boundary in the next over to bring up the 150. 
 
The final over yielded just five runs as McClenaghan dismissed Negi and Jadhav in successive deliveries, while S Aravind ran himself out while looking for a single.

(PTI)

Rohit Sharma played a captain's knock to chase the target set by Virat Kohli's team

Skipper Rohit Sharma played a sublime knock to lead Mumbai Indians to a five-wicket win over laggards Royal Challengers Bangalore, ensuring themselves of a berth at the IPL play-offs, here today. RCB, opting to bat, put up 162 for eight with Ab de Villiers hammering 43 off 27 balls. It was a rather straightforward chase for Mumbai as the home team reeled off 59 runs in the last six overs, courtesy some crisp hitting from Rohit, who ended with 56 off 37 balls. Hardik Pandya remained unbeaten with the captain, scoring 14 off nine balls. With the win at Wankhede, Mumbai moved to the top of the points table with eight wins out of 10 games fetching them 16 points. On the other hand, it was another disappointing performance from the star-studded RCB, who are very much out of contention for a play-off berth. The loss was their eighth in 11 matches. Fittingly, Rohit hit the winning runs, a cracking drive past mid-off. It was one of the six boundaries he hit alongside a maximum. The quick start to the chase was provided by Jos Buttler (33 off 21) and Nitish Rana (27 off 28) after Parthiv Patel was out for a first ball duck. Earlier, Mitchell McClenaghan claimed three wickets as Mumbai Indians produced a disciplined bowling performance to restrict RCB to a modest total. Besides McClenaghan (3/34), Krunal Pandya (2/34) took two wickets, while Karn Sharma (1/23) and Jasprit Bumrah (1/33) accounted for wicket apiece. For RCB, de Villiers emerged as the top-scorer after he blasted three fours and as many sixes during his 27-ball innings, while Pawan Negi (35) and Kedar Jadhav (28) provided the late charge to take the team past the 150-mark. RCB lost their first wicket in the fourth over when Mandeep Singh (17) went for the slog sweep and was caught by Hardik. In the sixth over, McClenaghan removed Virat Kohli (20) when the RCB skipper flicked a slower ball straight to short midwicket and Rohit took a simple catch, reducing the visitors slipped to 40 for two. De Villiers then blasted McClenaghan over backward point for a four before sending him over sweeper cover for a maximum as RCB scored 52-2 in the powerplay overs. The South African gave Krunal Pandya the same treatment as RCB accumulated 13 runs off the ninth over. After 10 overs, they were 80 for 2 but Travis Head (12) holed out to Hardik at deep midwicket and RCB slumped to 85-3. De Villiers brought up the 100 with a six off Krunal over the square leg boundary but was dismissed in the next delivery by the same bowler for the fourth time in as many meetings. Shane Watson's poor run continued and he went down cheaply again to leave RCB struggling at 108-5 in 13.4 overs. Negi and Jadhav then steadied the innings, taking ones and twos to keep the scoreboard ticking. Negi finally exploded in the 18th over, producing a couple of sixes off Lasith Malinga over extra cover and long- off, before smashing a six over long-on boundary in the next over to bring up the 150. The final over yielded just five runs as McClenaghan dismissed Negi and Jadhav in successive deliveries, while S Aravind ran himself out while looking for a single. (PTI)

IPL: Mumbai seal playoffs spot after win over Bangalore

Royal Challengers Bangalore led by India captain Virat Kohli has become the&nbsp;first team to be thrown out of contention for play-offs after a humiliating 61-run defeat against Rising Pune Supergiant in the&nbsp;Indian Premier League today.

Skipper Steven Smith who was embroiled in a long drawn battle with Virat Kohli during Australia&#39;s tour to India finally extracted some &quot;revenge&quot;.

Although the RCB bowlers managed to keep the Pune batsmen under a tight leash restricting them to 157 for three but another shoddy batting performance saw them finish at a dismal 96 for 9 after 20 overs.

While Pune kept themselves in contention with their fifth win in nine games, RCB are practically out of the tournament with their seventh defeat in 10 games and only five points in their kitty.

Pune bowlers rose to the occasion defending a sub-par total with a controlled bowling performance.&nbsp;Imran Tahir was the pick of the bowlers with figures of 3/18 from four overs, while Lockie Ferguson claimed 2/7 in four overs to claim the Man of the match award.

Jaydev Unadkat, Daniel Christian and Washington Sundar took one wicket each.&nbsp;This is one of the rarest occasions when a team has been bundled out below 100 runs twice in the Indian Premier League.

RCB were shot out for 49 by KKR in an earlier game in the tournament.

Chasing a modest 158, Bangalore just kept losing wickets despite skipper Kohli holding his ground at one end.&nbsp;Apart from Kohli, who came up with an uncharacteristic 48-ball-55, studded with four boundaries and a six, none of the other RCB batsmen could reach the double-digit mark.

Though not in his usual aggressive self, Kohli single-handedly tried his best to bail the team out of trouble but just did not find an able partner at the other end.&nbsp;The highest partnership of just 21 runs tells the dismal saga of a vaunted batting line-up.&nbsp;The visitors were gasping at 48 for five in the 10th over and there was no time when RCB showed any signs of revival. 
Kohli only reduced the margin of defeat with a gritty knock.

Earlier, RCB bowlers dominated the proceedings from the word go after inviting the Pune outfit to take first strike, with left-arm spinner Pawan Negi returning with impressive figures of 1/18 from his 4 overs.

Stuart Binny (1/17) and Samuel Badree (1/31) chipped in with wicket apiece.

Despite losing just three wickets, Pune batsmen could not upped the ante even though the pitch was reasonably batting- friendly.

Skipper Steven Smith top-scored with 32-ball-45 that included five boundaries and a six, while Manoj Tiwary (44 no, 35 balls) and opener Rahul Tripathi (37) also made important contributions. 
However, Pune could bring up 100 runs only in the 14th over.

Even Mahendra Singh Dhoni, who hit a huge six and a boundary during his unbeaten 21 off 17 failed to increase the tempo in the final overs. Dhoni and Tiwary could put up only 46 runs in the last five overs.

Despite three 40-plus partnerships, Pune batsmen simply failed to get going, even as the bowlers maintained a consistent line and length to tightened the noose.

Having lost Ajinkya Rahane (6) early, opener Tripathi and Smith stitched 40 runs for the second wicket, before the skipper joined hands with Tiwary for a 50-run stand for the third wicket. 
Tiwary then couple with Dhoni for an unbroken fourth- wicket partnership of 49.

(PTI) 
&nbsp;

Royal Challengers Bangalore led by India captain Virat Kohli has become the?first team to be thrown out of contention for play-offs.

Royal Challengers Bangalore led by India captain Virat Kohli has become the first team to be thrown out of contention for play-offs after a humiliating 61-run defeat against Rising Pune Supergiant in the Indian Premier League today. Skipper Steven Smith who was embroiled in a long drawn battle with Virat Kohli during Australia's tour to India finally extracted some "revenge". Although the RCB bowlers managed to keep the Pune batsmen under a tight leash restricting them to 157 for three but another shoddy batting performance saw them finish at a dismal 96 for 9 after 20 overs. While Pune kept themselves in contention with their fifth win in nine games, RCB are practically out of the tournament with their seventh defeat in 10 games and only five points in their kitty. Pune bowlers rose to the occasion defending a sub-par total with a controlled bowling performance. Imran Tahir was the pick of the bowlers with figures of 3/18 from four overs, while Lockie Ferguson claimed 2/7 in four overs to claim the Man of the match award. Jaydev Unadkat, Daniel Christian and Washington Sundar took one wicket each. This is one of the rarest occasions when a team has been bundled out below 100 runs twice in the Indian Premier League. RCB were shot out for 49 by KKR in an earlier game in the tournament. Chasing a modest 158, Bangalore just kept losing wickets despite skipper Kohli holding his ground at one end. Apart from Kohli, who came up with an uncharacteristic 48-ball-55, studded with four boundaries and a six, none of the other RCB batsmen could reach the double-digit mark. Though not in his usual aggressive self, Kohli single-handedly tried his best to bail the team out of trouble but just did not find an able partner at the other end. The highest partnership of just 21 runs tells the dismal saga of a vaunted batting line-up. The visitors were gasping at 48 for five in the 10th over and there was no time when RCB showed any signs of revival. Kohli only reduced the margin of defeat with a gritty knock. Earlier, RCB bowlers dominated the proceedings from the word go after inviting the Pune outfit to take first strike, with left-arm spinner Pawan Negi returning with impressive figures of 1/18 from his 4 overs. Stuart Binny (1/17) and Samuel Badree (1/31) chipped in with wicket apiece. Despite losing just three wickets, Pune batsmen could not upped the ante even though the pitch was reasonably batting- friendly. Skipper Steven Smith top-scored with 32-ball-45 that included five boundaries and a six, while Manoj Tiwary (44 no, 35 balls) and opener Rahul Tripathi (37) also made important contributions. However, Pune could bring up 100 runs only in the 14th over. Even Mahendra Singh Dhoni, who hit a huge six and a boundary during his unbeaten 21 off 17 failed to increase the tempo in the final overs. Dhoni and Tiwary could put up only 46 runs in the last five overs. Despite three 40-plus partnerships, Pune batsmen simply failed to get going, even as the bowlers maintained a consistent line and length to tightened the noose. Having lost Ajinkya Rahane (6) early, opener Tripathi and Smith stitched 40 runs for the second wicket, before the skipper joined hands with Tiwary for a 50-run stand for the third wicket. Tiwary then couple with Dhoni for an unbroken fourth- wicket partnership of 49. (PTI)

IPL: Steven Smith's Pune has the last laugh, Kohli's RCB fails again

Gujarat Lions notched up a comfortable seven-wicket win over Royal Challengers Bangalore to revive their IPL play-off hopes, here today. 
 
Chasing 135 to win, Gujarat lost both openers -- Ishan Kishan (16) and Brendon McCullum (3) -- to be reduced to 23-2 but Finch blasted 5 fours and 6 sixes in his scintillating 34 -ball 72-run innings as the visitors romped home with 6.1 overs to spare. 
 
Earlier, Tye returned with a three-wicket haul to trigger a top-order collapse as Royal Challengers Bangalore were bowled out for 134 by Gujarat Lions after electing to bowl in their eighth match of IPL 10. 
 
Tye, who had taken a hat-trick on IPL debut against Rising Pune Supergiant at Rajkot, struck twice in two balls and returned with figures of 4-0-12-3 to leave the hosts at 22-3 in the fifth over. 
 
Besides Tye, Ravindra Jadeja (2/28) snapped two wickets and Basil Thampi (1/34) and Ankit Soni (1/28) picked up one wicket each as Lions dished out a disciplined bowling performance. 
 
For RCB, Pawan Negi (32) and Kedar Jadhav (31) were the top scorers. 
 
This is only the third victory in the season for Gujarat Lions, who had gathered just four points from seven games to be languishing at the bottom of the table. 
 
With this loss, the door is fast closing for RCB, who has just five points from nine matches.

(PTI)

Aaron Finch-led Gujarat Lions romped home with 37 balls to spare

Gujarat Lions notched up a comfortable seven-wicket win over Royal Challengers Bangalore to revive their IPL play-off hopes, here today. Chasing 135 to win, Gujarat lost both openers -- Ishan Kishan (16) and Brendon McCullum (3) -- to be reduced to 23-2 but Finch blasted 5 fours and 6 sixes in his scintillating 34 -ball 72-run innings as the visitors romped home with 6.1 overs to spare. Earlier, Tye returned with a three-wicket haul to trigger a top-order collapse as Royal Challengers Bangalore were bowled out for 134 by Gujarat Lions after electing to bowl in their eighth match of IPL 10. Tye, who had taken a hat-trick on IPL debut against Rising Pune Supergiant at Rajkot, struck twice in two balls and returned with figures of 4-0-12-3 to leave the hosts at 22-3 in the fifth over. Besides Tye, Ravindra Jadeja (2/28) snapped two wickets and Basil Thampi (1/34) and Ankit Soni (1/28) picked up one wicket each as Lions dished out a disciplined bowling performance. For RCB, Pawan Negi (32) and Kedar Jadhav (31) were the top scorers. This is only the third victory in the season for Gujarat Lions, who had gathered just four points from seven games to be languishing at the bottom of the table. With this loss, the door is fast closing for RCB, who has just five points from nine matches. (PTI)

IPL: Gujarat register facile win over Bangalore

India&#39;s cricket administration has thumbed its nose at International Cricket Council by not announcing the Indian team for the Champions Trophy before the April 25 deadline.

The&nbsp;Board of Control for Cricket in India -- the administrators of Indian cricket -- is apparently in no hurry to announce the&nbsp;squad, a move that will escalate tensions between the two cricket bodies.

The BCCI and ICC have recently sparred over the proposed revenue-sharing model. The new proposal would result in Indian cricket receiving a lot less money than they have in recent years.

Some reports suggest that the BCCI could lose up to&nbsp;$190 million if the new model is implemented. The Indian cricket administration will continue to remain the highest earners, but the massive pruning in their take-home earnings has prompted the BCCI to stoutly oppose the proposed model.

India&#39;s decision to not name the squad before the April 25 deadline is being viewed as BCCI&#39;s way of putting pressure on the ICC.

The BCCI is yet to officially seek an extension, which many could perceive as a show of defiance. The ICC extends the deadline only under special circumstances.

The BCCI top brass feels that naming the India squad is a mere formality as the selectors know who are the certainties.

With at least 14 of the 15 members of the Indian team more or less known, the Indian officials are in no tearing hurry. &quot;Tell me one thing, if we name the squad, say for example on May 5, will ICC bar us from participation. We have a settled squad and naming it is a mere formality,&quot; a top BCCI official told PTI today.

The Champions Trophy will be held in the United Kingdon from June 1 to 18, and India are the defending champions.

(WION with inputs from agencies)

BCCI flies in the face of ICC by not announcing the Champions Trophy squad before April 25

India's cricket administration has thumbed its nose at International Cricket Council by not announcing the Indian team for the Champions Trophy before the April 25 deadline. The Board of Control for Cricket in India -- the administrators of Indian cricket -- is apparently in no hurry to announce the squad, a move that will escalate tensions between the two cricket bodies. The BCCI and ICC have recently sparred over the proposed revenue-sharing model. The new proposal would result in Indian cricket receiving a lot less money than they have in recent years. Some reports suggest that the BCCI could lose up to $190 million if the new model is implemented. The Indian cricket administration will continue to remain the highest earners, but the massive pruning in their take-home earnings has prompted the BCCI to stoutly oppose the proposed model. India's decision to not name the squad before the April 25 deadline is being viewed as BCCI's way of putting pressure on the ICC. The BCCI is yet to officially seek an extension, which many could perceive as a show of defiance. The ICC extends the deadline only under special circumstances. The BCCI top brass feels that naming the India squad is a mere formality as the selectors know who are the certainties. With at least 14 of the 15 members of the Indian team more or less known, the Indian officials are in no tearing hurry. "Tell me one thing, if we name the squad, say for example on May 5, will ICC bar us from participation. We have a settled squad and naming it is a mere formality," a top BCCI official told PTI today. The Champions Trophy will be held in the United Kingdon from June 1 to 18, and India are the defending champions. (WION with inputs from agencies)

India runs the risk of not participating in this year's Champions Trophy

The IPL match between Sunrisers Hyderabad and Royal Challengers Bangalore was today called off without a ball being bowled as incessant rain made the ground unplayable.

Both the sides got one point each from the abandoned match at the Chinnaswamy Stadium.

Heavy rain lashed the city in the evening but stopped an hour before the start of the match.

It seemed for a while that the match would go ahead as scheduled and RCB players have even started warming up on the ground.

But&nbsp;it began drizzling just before the scheduled toss time and it continued non-stop.

Later, the rain intensified and forced the abandonment of the match.

There was no toss at all.

Puddles of water were seen at several areas of the ground and frenetic efforts of the groundstaff went in vain as rain finally played the spoilsport.

Though the cut-off time for a five-over shootout match was 11.26pm local time, the umpires called off the match at around 11pm.

With the one point from the abandoned match, RCB jumped to sixth spot with five points from eight matches while SRH remained at third position with nine points from eight games.

SRH had won the first-leg match between the two sides, the tournaments inaugural match, by 35 runs in Hyderabad.

RCB, under India captain Virat Kohli, were looking to come out of the embarrassing batting debacle when they were all out for just 49 in their match against Kolkata Knight Riders at the Eden Gardens on Sunday but they will have to wait longer to do so.

SRH, on the other hand, would have wanted to notch up their first away win this season. They have lost all their three matches away from home before today.

(PTI)

The two teams, who have largely struggled in this edition of the IPL, will receive a point each

The IPL match between Sunrisers Hyderabad and Royal Challengers Bangalore was today called off without a ball being bowled as incessant rain made the ground unplayable. Both the sides got one point each from the abandoned match at the Chinnaswamy Stadium. Heavy rain lashed the city in the evening but stopped an hour before the start of the match. It seemed for a while that the match would go ahead as scheduled and RCB players have even started warming up on the ground. But it began drizzling just before the scheduled toss time and it continued non-stop. Later, the rain intensified and forced the abandonment of the match. There was no toss at all. Puddles of water were seen at several areas of the ground and frenetic efforts of the groundstaff went in vain as rain finally played the spoilsport. Though the cut-off time for a five-over shootout match was 11.26pm local time, the umpires called off the match at around 11pm. With the one point from the abandoned match, RCB jumped to sixth spot with five points from eight matches while SRH remained at third position with nine points from eight games. SRH had won the first-leg match between the two sides, the tournaments inaugural match, by 35 runs in Hyderabad. RCB, under India captain Virat Kohli, were looking to come out of the embarrassing batting debacle when they were all out for just 49 in their match against Kolkata Knight Riders at the Eden Gardens on Sunday but they will have to wait longer to do so. SRH, on the other hand, would have wanted to notch up their first away win this season. They have lost all their three matches away from home before today. (PTI)

IPL: Bangalore, Hyderabad match called off as rain plays spoilsport

In a stunning collapse, Royal Challengers Bangalore were all out for 49, the lowest score in the history of IPL as Kolkata Knight Riders spanked them by 82 runs, here tonight. 
 
The hosts had put up a modest total on the board as they were all out for 131 with RCB leg-spinner Yuzvendra Chahal taking three wickets. 
 
However, the hosts defended the total despite facing one of the biggest hitters in the game in the rival camp. 
 
Australian paceman Nathan Coulter-Nile ripped apart the Bangalore top-order by dismissing skipper Virat Kohli (0), AB de Villiers (8) and Kedar Jadhav (9). 
 
Pacemen Chris Woakes (3/6) and Colin de Grandhomme (3/4) also took three wickets each to bowl out RCB for 49 in just 9.4 overs.

(PTI)

The Virat Kohli-led franchise was bowled out for the lowest score in IPL history

In a stunning collapse, Royal Challengers Bangalore were all out for 49, the lowest score in the history of IPL as Kolkata Knight Riders spanked them by 82 runs, here tonight. The hosts had put up a modest total on the board as they were all out for 131 with RCB leg-spinner Yuzvendra Chahal taking three wickets. However, the hosts defended the total despite facing one of the biggest hitters in the game in the rival camp. Australian paceman Nathan Coulter-Nile ripped apart the Bangalore top-order by dismissing skipper Virat Kohli (0), AB de Villiers (8) and Kedar Jadhav (9). Pacemen Chris Woakes (3/6) and Colin de Grandhomme (3/4) also took three wickets each to bowl out RCB for 49 in just 9.4 overs. (PTI)

IPL: Bangalore all out for 49, lose to Kolkata

Swashbuckling West Indies opener Chris Gayle smashed a blistering half-century before Yuzvendra Chahal returned with a three-wicket haul as Royal Challengers Bangalore defeated Gujarat Lions by 21 runs in their IPL encounter here today.

Gayle slammed a 38-ball 77-run innings, while skipper Virat Kohli produced a superb 50-ball 64 to guide RCB to a massive 213-2 after Gujarat skipper Suresh Raina won the toss and elected to field.

Opener Brendon McCullum then played a superb 72-run off 44-ball innings, studded with two fours and seven sixes but he didn&#39;t get the support from the other end as RCB restricted the Lions to 192-7 to snap their three-game losing streak.

Yuzvendra Chahal (3/31) was the pick of the bowlers for RCB as he picked up three crucial wickets -- Dwayne Smith (1), Suresh Raina (23) and McCullum -- in his four overs to derail Gujarat&#39;s runchase.

Chasing 214 to win, Gujarat lost their opening batsman Smith early when he was caught at the boundary line by Mandeep Singh off Chahal&#39;s bowling at deep square-leg.

Skipper Raina then slammed a quick-fire 8-ball 23 which included two fours and two sixes before becoming the second wicket of Chahal.

Coming down the pitch, Raina tried to play a sweep shot which went straight to Shane Watson at short fine leg.

McCullum (72) and Aaron Finch (19) then stitched a 66-run innings off 34 balls for the third wicket to take Gujarat across the 100-mark in 10th over.

McCullum also added 31 off 22 balls with Ravindra Jadeja (23) before becoming the third victim of Chahal in the 15th over as Lions looked down the barrel.

Jadeja then was run-out after a mix-up with new batsman Ishan Kishan in the 18th over. Kishan then hit a 16-ball 39, laced with four sixes and two four but it was too late in the end.

Earlier, Gayle and Kohli gave Bangalore a brilliant start as they amassed 45 in the first six overs and then went on to forge a 122-run opening partnership off 76 balls.

Gayle&#39;s innings was studded with five boundaries and seven massive sixes, while Kohli blasted seven fours and one six in his 50-ball innings.

Kohli took the early initiative as he picked up a boundary each in the first two overs before blasting Dhawal Kulkarni for three fours in the third over.

Gayle, who has been out of form, meanwhile, completed his 10,000 runs in twenty20 cricket with a single off Basil Thampi in the fourth over.

The West Indies batsman then blasted his first six of the innings over mid-off. He then sent young mystery spinner Shivil Kaushik for another maximum over long-off in the seventh over.

Gayle then exploded with successive fours and a six off left-arm spinner Ravindra Jadeja. He also blasted the last delivery of the over for a maximum but he was brilliantly caught by Brendon McCullum at the long-off boundary.

However, Gayle survived after replays showed that McCullum&#39;s hat had touched the boundary line.

Gayle made Lions pay as he brought up his fifty with a massive six over long on off Kaushik in the 10th over and then clobbered Smith for another six as RCB reached the 100-mark.

The dashing opener sent Smith out of the park again in the fourth ball over long-on as RCB picked 17 runs off the over.

In the 13th over, Thampi finally dismissed Gayle when he trapped him leg before to break the partnership.

Kohli, however, continued to score runs and reached his 28th IPL fifty in the 15th over with a couple of runs off Kaushik. He then blasted a towering six over wide of long-on in the 4th ball.

Newman Travis Head (30) then sent the last ball for another maximum over deep midwicket.

In the next over, Kulkarni returned to dismiss Kohli, who holed out to deep midwicket with Smith taking the catch at the boundary line.

Head and Kedar Jadhav (38) then provided the late charge to take RCB across the 200-mark. While Jadhav cracked five fours and two sixes, Head hit two fours and a six in his innings.

For Gujarat, Thampi (1/31) and Kulkarni (1/37) took one wicket each.

<iframe allowfullscreen="" frameborder="0" height="315" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/2wXscx2JcXU" width="560"></iframe>

(PTI)

Gayle slammed a 38-ball 77-run innings, while skipper Virat Kohli produced a superb 50-ball 64 to guide RCB to a massive 213-2

Swashbuckling West Indies opener Chris Gayle smashed a blistering half-century before Yuzvendra Chahal returned with a three-wicket haul as Royal Challengers Bangalore defeated Gujarat Lions by 21 runs in their IPL encounter here today. Gayle slammed a 38-ball 77-run innings, while skipper Virat Kohli produced a superb 50-ball 64 to guide RCB to a massive 213-2 after Gujarat skipper Suresh Raina won the toss and elected to field. Opener Brendon McCullum then played a superb 72-run off 44-ball innings, studded with two fours and seven sixes but he didn't get the support from the other end as RCB restricted the Lions to 192-7 to snap their three-game losing streak. Yuzvendra Chahal (3/31) was the pick of the bowlers for RCB as he picked up three crucial wickets -- Dwayne Smith (1), Suresh Raina (23) and McCullum -- in his four overs to derail Gujarat's runchase. Chasing 214 to win, Gujarat lost their opening batsman Smith early when he was caught at the boundary line by Mandeep Singh off Chahal's bowling at deep square-leg. Skipper Raina then slammed a quick-fire 8-ball 23 which included two fours and two sixes before becoming the second wicket of Chahal. Coming down the pitch, Raina tried to play a sweep shot which went straight to Shane Watson at short fine leg. McCullum (72) and Aaron Finch (19) then stitched a 66-run innings off 34 balls for the third wicket to take Gujarat across the 100-mark in 10th over. McCullum also added 31 off 22 balls with Ravindra Jadeja (23) before becoming the third victim of Chahal in the 15th over as Lions looked down the barrel. Jadeja then was run-out after a mix-up with new batsman Ishan Kishan in the 18th over. Kishan then hit a 16-ball 39, laced with four sixes and two four but it was too late in the end. Earlier, Gayle and Kohli gave Bangalore a brilliant start as they amassed 45 in the first six overs and then went on to forge a 122-run opening partnership off 76 balls. Gayle's innings was studded with five boundaries and seven massive sixes, while Kohli blasted seven fours and one six in his 50-ball innings. Kohli took the early initiative as he picked up a boundary each in the first two overs before blasting Dhawal Kulkarni for three fours in the third over. Gayle, who has been out of form, meanwhile, completed his 10,000 runs in twenty20 cricket with a single off Basil Thampi in the fourth over. The West Indies batsman then blasted his first six of the innings over mid-off. He then sent young mystery spinner Shivil Kaushik for another maximum over long-off in the seventh over. Gayle then exploded with successive fours and a six off left-arm spinner Ravindra Jadeja. He also blasted the last delivery of the over for a maximum but he was brilliantly caught by Brendon McCullum at the long-off boundary. However, Gayle survived after replays showed that McCullum's hat had touched the boundary line. Gayle made Lions pay as he brought up his fifty with a massive six over long on off Kaushik in the 10th over and then clobbered Smith for another six as RCB reached the 100-mark. The dashing opener sent Smith out of the park again in the fourth ball over long-on as RCB picked 17 runs off the over. In the 13th over, Thampi finally dismissed Gayle when he trapped him leg before to break the partnership. Kohli, however, continued to score runs and reached his 28th IPL fifty in the 15th over with a couple of runs off Kaushik. He then blasted a towering six over wide of long-on in the 4th ball. Newman Travis Head (30) then sent the last ball for another maximum over deep midwicket. In the next over, Kulkarni returned to dismiss Kohli, who holed out to deep midwicket with Smith taking the catch at the boundary line. Head and Kedar Jadhav (38) then provided the late charge to take RCB across the 200-mark. While Jadhav cracked five fours and two sixes, Head hit two fours and a six in his innings. For Gujarat, Thampi (1/31) and Kulkarni (1/37) took one wicket each. (PTI)

IPL: Gayle's quick-fire knock guides RCB to victory over Gujarat Lions

India captain Virat Kohli has recovered from his shoulder injury and is fit to play in the Indian Premier League Twenty20 tournament for the Royal Challengers Bangalore, the country&#39;s cricket board (BCCI) said on Thursday.

Kohli missed the franchise&#39;s first three matches as he underwent rehabilitation after injuring his right shoulder while fielding during the third test against Australia at Ranchi.

The injury forced him to miss India&#39;s series-sealing final test win over Australia in Dharamsala but the BCCI said on Thursday the 28-year-old has regained match fitness.

&quot;He will now be available for RCB&#39;s next match against Mumbai Indians on April 14 in Bengaluru,&quot; the board said in a statement.

&quot;The Indian captain had undergone rehabilitation after sustaining an injury to his right shoulder and has now recovered to be able to participate in IPL 2017.&quot;

Kohli&#39;s side, who have lost Australia paceman Mitchell Starc and India opener Lokesh Rahul to injuries, have lost two of their three matches in the April 5-May 21 tournament.

(Reuters)

The Indian captain is back after recovering from a shoulder injury that kept him from playing in the final Test series against Australia

India captain Virat Kohli has recovered from his shoulder injury and is fit to play in the Indian Premier League Twenty20 tournament for the Royal Challengers Bangalore, the country's cricket board (BCCI) said on Thursday. Kohli missed the franchise's first three matches as he underwent rehabilitation after injuring his right shoulder while fielding during the third test against Australia at Ranchi. The injury forced him to miss India's series-sealing final test win over Australia in Dharamsala but the BCCI said on Thursday the 28-year-old has regained match fitness. "He will now be available for RCB's next match against Mumbai Indians on April 14 in Bengaluru," the board said in a statement. "The Indian captain had undergone rehabilitation after sustaining an injury to his right shoulder and has now recovered to be able to participate in IPL 2017." Kohli's side, who have lost Australia paceman Mitchell Starc and India opener Lokesh Rahul to injuries, have lost two of their three matches in the April 5-May 21 tournament. (Reuters)

India captain Kohli fit to play IPL

Defending champions Sunrisers Hyderabad made a perfect start to their Indian Premier League campaign crushing a depleted Royal Challengers Bangalore by 35 runs in the opening encounter, here tonight. 
 
Veteran Yuvraj Singh&#39;s blazing blade (62 off 27 balls) and unheralded Afghanistan leg-spinner Rashid Khan Arman (2/36 in 4 overs)&#39;s crucial breakthroughs enabled Sunrisers to outwit a Virat Kohli-less RCB in all departments. 
 
A challenging target of 208 was achievable on a placid track but RCB could only manage 172 in 19.4 overs losing wickets at regular intervals. This was the first time after 23 IPL matches that RCB were all-out. 
 
RCB&#39;s top four -- Chris Gayle (32), Mandeep Singh (24), Travis Head (30) and Kedar Jadhav (31) -- were all set before getting out. Kedar&#39;s dismissal was the turning point as RCB were never in the match after that. 
 
The India international was looking dangerous during his 16-ball stay and was run-out when Ben Cutting&#39;s direct throw from the deep found him short by a metre. 
 
On a belter where pacers became easy prey for the batsmen, Sunrisers skipper David Warner rotated his spinners well trying to take the pace off the deliveries. 
 
Young Rashid, who created history by being the first Afghan to play an IPL match got Mandeep with a fuller delivery that didn&#39;t turn. 
 
The batsman trying to cut got an inside edge onto the stumps. The celebration was atypical Shahid Afridi just like his style of fastish leg-breaks. Rashid also got Travis Head when the batsmen tried to play a slog sweep. 
 
But Deepak Hooda got the most important wicket when he got Gayle trying to hit him over long-off for a second six only to be caught by Warner. Th wickets fell at regular intervals and there was no pressure on Sunrisers as they coasted to victory. Ashish Nehra (2/42) also gota couple of wickets to reach a personal milestone of 100 IPL victims. 
 
Earlier, a vintage Yuvraj hammered RCB bowlers to submission as Sunrisers Hyderabad posted a commendable 207 for 4 put into bat by Shane Watson. 
 
On a batting beauty, Yuvraj smashed the RCB bowlers to cleaners after Srinath Aravind dropped a dolly at deep square leg boundary. Yuvraj was on 26 then and the let-off allowed him to score his fastest IPL half-century off 23 balls. 
 
Moises Henriques&#39; 52 off 37 balls also went a long way in contributing to Sunrisers&#39; total. The Yuvraj-Henriques pair added 58 runs runs in only 4.5 overs after Shikhar Dhawan (40) was involved in a 74-run stand for the second wicket. 
 
Yuvraj&#39;s innings had seven fours and three sixes while Henriques&#39; innings had three fours and two sixes. 
 
Skipper David Warner started with a couple of boundaries and huge six over long-on off left-arm seamer Aniket Chaudhary but was gone when his slash was taken by a leaping Mandeep Singh at backward point. 
 
Dhawan banged rival skipper Shane Watson for four boundaries in the final Powerplay over to set the tone. 
 
Henriques at the other end chanced his arms to hit a six over long-on off Travis Head. Once Dhawan was caught in the deep off Stuart Binny&#39;s delivery, Yuvraj came in and started taking on the bowlers. 
 
Rajasthan&#39;s Chaudhary, who has been with the India camp came in for special treatment including a lofted extra cover drive for a six apart fom two fours in a single over. 
 
Aravind, who dropped him bowled a back of the hand slower that was dispatched into mid-wicket stands. 
 
A widish delivery from Chaudhary was slashed past point to reach his half-century. 
 
IPL&#39;s million dollar boy Tymal Mills was flicked past short fine leg and once again picked the slower delivery into the deep square leg stands before becoming his first victim. 
 
India&#39;s T20- specialist Yuzvendra Chahal (1/22 in 4 overs) held his own without conceding a single boundary while Mills 1/31 in 4 overs bowled the maximum (11) dot balls.

(PTI)

Veteran Yuvraj Singh's blazing blade and unheralded Afghanistan spinner Rashid Khan Arman helped the defending champions start with a win

Defending champions Sunrisers Hyderabad made a perfect start to their Indian Premier League campaign crushing a depleted Royal Challengers Bangalore by 35 runs in the opening encounter, here tonight. Veteran Yuvraj Singh's blazing blade (62 off 27 balls) and unheralded Afghanistan leg-spinner Rashid Khan Arman (2/36 in 4 overs)'s crucial breakthroughs enabled Sunrisers to outwit a Virat Kohli-less RCB in all departments. A challenging target of 208 was achievable on a placid track but RCB could only manage 172 in 19.4 overs losing wickets at regular intervals. This was the first time after 23 IPL matches that RCB were all-out. RCB's top four -- Chris Gayle (32), Mandeep Singh (24), Travis Head (30) and Kedar Jadhav (31) -- were all set before getting out. Kedar's dismissal was the turning point as RCB were never in the match after that. The India international was looking dangerous during his 16-ball stay and was run-out when Ben Cutting's direct throw from the deep found him short by a metre. On a belter where pacers became easy prey for the batsmen, Sunrisers skipper David Warner rotated his spinners well trying to take the pace off the deliveries. Young Rashid, who created history by being the first Afghan to play an IPL match got Mandeep with a fuller delivery that didn't turn. The batsman trying to cut got an inside edge onto the stumps. The celebration was atypical Shahid Afridi just like his style of fastish leg-breaks. Rashid also got Travis Head when the batsmen tried to play a slog sweep. But Deepak Hooda got the most important wicket when he got Gayle trying to hit him over long-off for a second six only to be caught by Warner. Th wickets fell at regular intervals and there was no pressure on Sunrisers as they coasted to victory. Ashish Nehra (2/42) also gota couple of wickets to reach a personal milestone of 100 IPL victims. Earlier, a vintage Yuvraj hammered RCB bowlers to submission as Sunrisers Hyderabad posted a commendable 207 for 4 put into bat by Shane Watson. On a batting beauty, Yuvraj smashed the RCB bowlers to cleaners after Srinath Aravind dropped a dolly at deep square leg boundary. Yuvraj was on 26 then and the let-off allowed him to score his fastest IPL half-century off 23 balls. Moises Henriques' 52 off 37 balls also went a long way in contributing to Sunrisers' total. The Yuvraj-Henriques pair added 58 runs runs in only 4.5 overs after Shikhar Dhawan (40) was involved in a 74-run stand for the second wicket. Yuvraj's innings had seven fours and three sixes while Henriques' innings had three fours and two sixes. Skipper David Warner started with a couple of boundaries and huge six over long-on off left-arm seamer Aniket Chaudhary but was gone when his slash was taken by a leaping Mandeep Singh at backward point. Dhawan banged rival skipper Shane Watson for four boundaries in the final Powerplay over to set the tone. Henriques at the other end chanced his arms to hit a six over long-on off Travis Head. Once Dhawan was caught in the deep off Stuart Binny's delivery, Yuvraj came in and started taking on the bowlers. Rajasthan's Chaudhary, who has been with the India camp came in for special treatment including a lofted extra cover drive for a six apart fom two fours in a single over. Aravind, who dropped him bowled a back of the hand slower that was dispatched into mid-wicket stands. A widish delivery from Chaudhary was slashed past point to reach his half-century. IPL's million dollar boy Tymal Mills was flicked past short fine leg and once again picked the slower delivery into the deep square leg stands before becoming his first victim. India's T20- specialist Yuzvendra Chahal (1/22 in 4 overs) held his own without conceding a single boundary while Mills 1/31 in 4 overs bowled the maximum (11) dot balls. (PTI)

IPL: Sunrisers Hyderabad beat Royal Challengers Bangalore in curtain-raiser

India captain Virat Kohli has been named as the Leading Cricketer in the World in the 2017 edition of the respected Wisden Cricketers&#39; Almanack, -- &quot;cricket&#39;s bible&quot;&nbsp;-- published this week.

Meanwhile Pakistan&#39;s Misbah-ul-Haq and Younis Khan were named as two of Wisden&#39;s Five Cricketers of the Year.&nbsp;

According to editor Lawrence Booth, Kohli had &quot;the year of his dreams&quot; in 2016, &quot;averaging more with the bat in each of the three formats than anyone: 75 in Tests, 92 in one-day internationals and 106 in Twenty20 internationals&quot;.

Under Kohli, India won series trophies in all three formats against England in 2016/17.

Booth said the star batsman&#39;s 235 in the fourth Test against England at Mumbai confirmed him as the &quot;spiritual successor to Sachin Tendulkar&quot;.

Kohli is the third Indian to win an award that has only been in existence since 2003 and is designed to recognise achievement in all forms of the international game in the previous calendar year.

Dynamic opener Virender Sehwag won twice, in 2008 and 2009, with Tendulkar himself awarded the title in 2010.&nbsp;

The 2017 women&#39;s award was won by Australia&#39;s Ellyse Perry.

While the Leading Cricketer of the Year award is a relatively new concept by the standards of Wisden -- a British-based publication which has appeared every year since 1864, with not even the First and Second World Wars halting its print run -- the Five Cricketers of the Year is a tradition that dates back 128 years.

The usual criteria for inclusion in that award, which can only be won once in a player&#39;s career, is the impact a player had on the preceding English season.

&nbsp;

&#39;Riveting&#39; England-Pakistan series

Veteran batsmen Misbah and Younis were both honoured in the context of their performances during Pakistan&#39;s 2-2 Test series draw in England -- a result that saw Pakistan, under Misbah&#39;s captaincy, briefly rise to number one in the world Test rankings.

&quot;Misbah-ul-Haq was central to one of the most riveting series in England for years,&quot; wrote Booth.&nbsp;

&quot;His century in the First Test at Lord&#39;s set a benchmark for his team-mates, while his celebratory press-ups became one of the motifs of the year.&nbsp;

&quot;Against the odds, he led Pakistan, without a home Test since 2009, to the top of the rankings -- and all at the age of 42.&quot;

Turning to Younis, he added: &quot;With the pressure on, Younis Khan delivered. His classy 218 in the final Test of the summer, at The Oval, helped Pakistan square the series after successive defeats had left them in danger of squandering their win at Lord&#39;s.&nbsp;

&quot;It was his 32nd Test hundred -- and a reminder that his struggles earlier in the series had been a blip rather than part of a decline.&quot;

England all-rounder Chris Woakes, who enjoyed a breakthrough year in 2016 that included 26 wickets at 16 apiece in four Tests against Pakistan, was also one of Wisden&#39;s Five Cricketers of the Year.

Middlesex&#39;s Toby Roland-Jones, whose hat-trick against Yorkshire at Lord&#39;s sealed the County Championship title for the London club, and Northamptonshire batsman Ben Duckett, who scored 2,706 runs in all formats during a prolific season, completed the quintet.

Reflecting on other topics, Booth said Alastair Cook had chosen &quot;the right time to go&quot; in resigning as England&#39;s Test captain following the 4-0 series loss in India.

However, he added: &quot;That his team lost only four of his 17 Test series in charge was testament to a very English grit: understated, occasionally self-conscious, always bloody-minded. It proved an exhausting combination.&quot;

(AFP)

Pakistan's Misbah-ul-Haq and Younis Khan were named as two of Wisden's Five Cricketers of the Year

India captain Virat Kohli has been named as the Leading Cricketer in the World in the 2017 edition of the respected Wisden Cricketers' Almanack, -- "cricket's bible" -- published this week. Meanwhile Pakistan's Misbah-ul-Haq and Younis Khan were named as two of Wisden's Five Cricketers of the Year. According to editor Lawrence Booth, Kohli had "the year of his dreams" in 2016, "averaging more with the bat in each of the three formats than anyone: 75 in Tests, 92 in one-day internationals and 106 in Twenty20 internationals". Under Kohli, India won series trophies in all three formats against England in 2016/17. Booth said the star batsman's 235 in the fourth Test against England at Mumbai confirmed him as the "spiritual successor to Sachin Tendulkar". Kohli is the third Indian to win an award that has only been in existence since 2003 and is designed to recognise achievement in all forms of the international game in the previous calendar year. Dynamic opener Virender Sehwag won twice, in 2008 and 2009, with Tendulkar himself awarded the title in 2010. The 2017 women's award was won by Australia's Ellyse Perry. While the Leading Cricketer of the Year award is a relatively new concept by the standards of Wisden -- a British-based publication which has appeared every year since 1864, with not even the First and Second World Wars halting its print run -- the Five Cricketers of the Year is a tradition that dates back 128 years. The usual criteria for inclusion in that award, which can only be won once in a player's career, is the impact a player had on the preceding English season. 'Riveting' England-Pakistan series Veteran batsmen Misbah and Younis were both honoured in the context of their performances during Pakistan's 2-2 Test series draw in England -- a result that saw Pakistan, under Misbah's captaincy, briefly rise to number one in the world Test rankings. "Misbah-ul-Haq was central to one of the most riveting series in England for years," wrote Booth. "His century in the First Test at Lord's set a benchmark for his team-mates, while his celebratory press-ups became one of the motifs of the year. "Against the odds, he led Pakistan, without a home Test since 2009, to the top of the rankings -- and all at the age of 42." Turning to Younis, he added: "With the pressure on, Younis Khan delivered. His classy 218 in the final Test of the summer, at The Oval, helped Pakistan square the series after successive defeats had left them in danger of squandering their win at Lord's. "It was his 32nd Test hundred -- and a reminder that his struggles earlier in the series had been a blip rather than part of a decline." England all-rounder Chris Woakes, who enjoyed a breakthrough year in 2016 that included 26 wickets at 16 apiece in four Tests against Pakistan, was also one of Wisden's Five Cricketers of the Year. Middlesex's Toby Roland-Jones, whose hat-trick against Yorkshire at Lord's sealed the County Championship title for the London club, and Northamptonshire batsman Ben Duckett, who scored 2,706 runs in all formats during a prolific season, completed the quintet. Reflecting on other topics, Booth said Alastair Cook had chosen "the right time to go" in resigning as England's Test captain following the 4-0 series loss in India. However, he added: "That his team lost only four of his 17 Test series in charge was testament to a very English grit: understated, occasionally self-conscious, always bloody-minded. It proved an exhausting combination." (AFP)

Virat Kohli is Wisden's leading cricketer for 'the year of his dreams'

India&#39;s cricket captain Virat Kohli received the Padma Shri award from President Pranab Mukherjee at the Rashtrapati Bhawan on Thursday.

Besides Kohli, Indian hockey captain PR Sreejesh, Olympic bronze medal-winning Sakshi Malik, gymnast Dipa Karmakar, Paralympian&nbsp;Mariyappan Thangavelu and Deepa Malik, discus thrower Vikas Gowda and blind cricket team captain&nbsp;Shekhar Naik were the seven other sportspersons who were conferred with the fourth-highest civilian order in India.

The Indian government had announced 81 other Padma awardees on the eve of the country&#39;s Republic Day on January 26.

Although India&#39;s cricket team captain Virat Kohli had suffered a blip in the recently-concluded Australia series at home, he&nbsp;amassed over 1,200 Test runs in this home season.

Kohli also became the fifth batsmen in history to have scored three double tons in a single season.

BJP leader Murli Manohar Joshi and former Chairman of Indian Space Research Organisation (ISRO) professor Udipi Ramachandra Rao were two of seven people who were conferred with the Padma Vibhushan, the country&rsquo;s second-highest civilian award, by the Indian president at a special function held at Rashtrapati Bhavan.

Thai princess Maha Chakri Sirindhorn and father of laparoscopic surgery in India Tehemton Erach Udwadia were conferred Padma Bhushan awards.

(WION)

Sreejesh, Sakshi Malik, Thangavelu, Deepa Malik, Vikas Gowda, Karmakar and Shekhar Naik were other sportspeople to have got the Padma Shri

India's cricket captain Virat Kohli received the Padma Shri award from President Pranab Mukherjee at the Rashtrapati Bhawan on Thursday. Besides Kohli, Indian hockey captain PR Sreejesh, Olympic bronze medal-winning Sakshi Malik, gymnast Dipa Karmakar, Paralympian Mariyappan Thangavelu and Deepa Malik, discus thrower Vikas Gowda and blind cricket team captain Shekhar Naik were the seven other sportspersons who were conferred with the fourth-highest civilian order in India. The Indian government had announced 81 other Padma awardees on the eve of the country's Republic Day on January 26. Although India's cricket team captain Virat Kohli had suffered a blip in the recently-concluded Australia series at home, he amassed over 1,200 Test runs in this home season. Kohli also became the fifth batsmen in history to have scored three double tons in a single season. BJP leader Murli Manohar Joshi and former Chairman of Indian Space Research Organisation (ISRO) professor Udipi Ramachandra Rao were two of seven people who were conferred with the Padma Vibhushan, the country’s second-highest civilian award, by the Indian president at a special function held at Rashtrapati Bhavan. Thai princess Maha Chakri Sirindhorn and father of laparoscopic surgery in India Tehemton Erach Udwadia were conferred Padma Bhushan awards. (WION)

Virat Kohli receives Padma Shri from India's president

Indian captain Virat Kohli today described the 2-1 triumph over Australia as his side&#39;s best series win so far, saying his highly motivated teammates give it right back when poked.

&quot;Regardless of whether we are on top or not, we speak, if something pokes us we speak and give it right back. All people don&#39;t digest it well but we take it very well and we give it back even better,&quot; Kohli told &#39;Star Sports&#39; after the fourth Test here, which he missed owing to a shoulder injury.

The feisty batsman was in the Australian media&#39;s line of fire after stopping just short of calling rival captain Steve Smith a cheat for his infamous DRS &#39;Brain Fade&#39;. Brushing the criticism aside, Kohli said he hardly cares for what was spoken or written about him Down Under.

&quot;Some people want to create some spice sitting at some part of the world. They don&#39;t confront such situations themselves. The easiest thing to do is to just sit at home and write a blog or speak on Mic but to go out there and bowl and bat is different,&quot; he said.

Kohli said he was thoroughly enjoying the responsibility of leading a motivated side.

&quot;I like taking responsibility, every game that I play for India is an opportunity to do something special with my skills. I like getting involved in the game. The workload is something that needs to be kept in mind in future but right now when the body is responding well I am fine,&quot; he said.

&quot;It&#39;s been unbelievable. This is our best series win so far. The way we bounced back from World number&nbsp;7 to number&nbsp;1 has been outstanding achievement and I am proud as a captain.

&quot;I thought (the series against) England was intense, but the way Australia gave us a fight it was amazing on their part but our guys kept bouncing back. We showed true character and maturity. The guys handled themselves well,&quot; he added.

He lauded stand-in skipper Ajinkya Rahane for the dominating eight-wicket win in the fourth Test, which concluded on the fourth day today.

&quot;Ajinkya led the team really well. It was very pleasing to see that from the outside.&quot;

Kohli said the fact his team&#39;s improved fitness helped has in taking the rigours of a long home season, which included series against South Africa, New Zealand and England.

&quot;The changes we made in our fitness regimen have paid off. Guys have been able to sustain the performance throughout the season,&quot; he said.

&quot;In the past, we have had sessions where we have given away the game easily. Not this season. It has been a team season. Not one or two individuals who have stood out.

Heaping praise on the pacers, Kohli said: &quot;Unbelievable, the kind of fitness and desire the fast bowlers have shown, it has been game-changing.&quot;

Speaking about his recovery from the shoulder niggle, Kohli said he will be back to full fitness in a few weeks. 
&quot;It&#39;s still a few weeks to go till I can be 100 per cent on the field. You have to take it in your stride and move forward,&quot; he said.

Rahane, on the other hand, credited the all-round team effort for the victory.

&quot;Really enjoyed the win. Credit to all the boys. Not only this series, but to whoever has played this season. I am really happy as a captain. I thought our bowlers, batsmen and fielders, they all did well,&quot; Rahane said.

An aggressive Rahane was on display today as he blasted two consecutive sixes off Pat Cummins even though India was chasing a paltry score of 106.

Asked about the sixes, Rahane said: &quot;In low-scoring games, you just need 30-40 quick runs in the middle. I was thinking of the Galle defeat when we got into our shell.&quot;

Adjudged Man of Match and Man of the series, Ravindra Jadeja was on cloud nine.

&quot;It really feels great to be the number&nbsp;1 Test bowler and being part of this champion Test side,&quot; he said.

&quot;When I batted, I was thinking to take my time and then Matthew Wade chirped from behind. That motivated me. If I can respond to him with runs, it will be great.&quot;

Jadeja also credited his coaches and captain for his performance and said he is happy to have answered his critics.

&quot;Coaches and captain have been telling me, I have the skill to bat long. I developed as a player overall. Some time ago people didn&#39;t consider me a Test bowler. This season is a good response to them,&quot; he said.

Talking about his combination with Ravichandran Ashwin, Jadeja said: &quot;Ashwin and I maintain pressure from both ends. The variation of off-spinner and left-arm spinner also works well. It is difficult for any team to play such a combination.

&quot;Hopefully we can continue this outside India too.&quot;

Known for his sword-wielding celebration, Jadeja said: &quot;I will try to get to a hundred next time, and celebrate with two bats as swords.&quot;

(PTI)

The feisty batsman was in the Australian media's line of fire after stopping just short of calling rival captain Steve Smith a cheat

Indian captain Virat Kohli today described the 2-1 triumph over Australia as his side's best series win so far, saying his highly motivated teammates give it right back when poked. "Regardless of whether we are on top or not, we speak, if something pokes us we speak and give it right back. All people don't digest it well but we take it very well and we give it back even better," Kohli told 'Star Sports' after the fourth Test here, which he missed owing to a shoulder injury. The feisty batsman was in the Australian media's line of fire after stopping just short of calling rival captain Steve Smith a cheat for his infamous DRS 'Brain Fade'. Brushing the criticism aside, Kohli said he hardly cares for what was spoken or written about him Down Under. "Some people want to create some spice sitting at some part of the world. They don't confront such situations themselves. The easiest thing to do is to just sit at home and write a blog or speak on Mic but to go out there and bowl and bat is different," he said. Kohli said he was thoroughly enjoying the responsibility of leading a motivated side. "I like taking responsibility, every game that I play for India is an opportunity to do something special with my skills. I like getting involved in the game. The workload is something that needs to be kept in mind in future but right now when the body is responding well I am fine," he said. "It's been unbelievable. This is our best series win so far. The way we bounced back from World number 7 to number 1 has been outstanding achievement and I am proud as a captain. "I thought (the series against) England was intense, but the way Australia gave us a fight it was amazing on their part but our guys kept bouncing back. We showed true character and maturity. The guys handled themselves well," he added. He lauded stand-in skipper Ajinkya Rahane for the dominating eight-wicket win in the fourth Test, which concluded on the fourth day today. "Ajinkya led the team really well. It was very pleasing to see that from the outside." Kohli said the fact his team's improved fitness helped has in taking the rigours of a long home season, which included series against South Africa, New Zealand and England. "The changes we made in our fitness regimen have paid off. Guys have been able to sustain the performance throughout the season," he said. "In the past, we have had sessions where we have given away the game easily. Not this season. It has been a team season. Not one or two individuals who have stood out. Heaping praise on the pacers, Kohli said: "Unbelievable, the kind of fitness and desire the fast bowlers have shown, it has been game-changing." Speaking about his recovery from the shoulder niggle, Kohli said he will be back to full fitness in a few weeks. "It's still a few weeks to go till I can be 100 per cent on the field. You have to take it in your stride and move forward," he said. Rahane, on the other hand, credited the all-round team effort for the victory. "Really enjoyed the win. Credit to all the boys. Not only this series, but to whoever has played this season. I am really happy as a captain. I thought our bowlers, batsmen and fielders, they all did well," Rahane said. An aggressive Rahane was on display today as he blasted two consecutive sixes off Pat Cummins even though India was chasing a paltry score of 106. Asked about the sixes, Rahane said: "In low-scoring games, you just need 30-40 quick runs in the middle. I was thinking of the Galle defeat when we got into our shell." Adjudged Man of Match and Man of the series, Ravindra Jadeja was on cloud nine. "It really feels great to be the number 1 Test bowler and being part of this champion Test side," he said. "When I batted, I was thinking to take my time and then Matthew Wade chirped from behind. That motivated me. If I can respond to him with runs, it will be great." Jadeja also credited his coaches and captain for his performance and said he is happy to have answered his critics. "Coaches and captain have been telling me, I have the skill to bat long. I developed as a player overall. Some time ago people didn't consider me a Test bowler. This season is a good response to them," he said. Talking about his combination with Ravichandran Ashwin, Jadeja said: "Ashwin and I maintain pressure from both ends. The variation of off-spinner and left-arm spinner also works well. It is difficult for any team to play such a combination. "Hopefully we can continue this outside India too." Known for his sword-wielding celebration, Jadeja said: "I will try to get to a hundred next time, and celebrate with two bats as swords." (PTI)

If something pokes us we speak and give it right back: Kohli

Indian bowlers Umesh Yadav, Ravindra&nbsp;Jadeja and off-spinner Ravichandran Ashwin led from the front to take three wickets apiece on the third day to put the hosts on top against Australia in the final Test at Dharamsala. Indian bowlers kept a tight line and attacked the Australian batsmen as the visitors folded for a paltry 137 all out, setting the hosts a 106-run target to win the Test on the fourth day tomorrow.

India ended their day at 19/0, needing another 87&nbsp;runs to win with openers Murali Vijay and KL Rahul still at the crease.

Earlier, India&#39;s pace bowlers Umesh Yadav and Bhuvneshwar Kumar gave India a sensational start, removing three of Australia&#39;s top-order batsmen including skipper Steve Smith inside the first 10 overs.

The top-ranked spin duo of Ravindra Jadeja and Ravichandran Ashwin then picked up a wicket apiece to have the visitors on the ropes.

At tea, the visitors were 92-5 in their second innings, leading India by only 60 runs with five wickets in hand.&nbsp;It was Bhuvneshwar Kumar who sent Smith (17) packing with a short ball to the bottom edge of the bat that crashed into the stumps in spectacular fashion.&nbsp;

Smith amassed 499 runs including three centuries from the four Tests, only the sixth visiting batsman to hit so many hundreds in a series in India.&nbsp;India got the first breakthrough when Yadav had David Warner caught behind cheaply for six, just after the opener was dropped in the slips by the butter-fingered Karun Nair.

Nair dropped the same batsman in the first innings as well.&nbsp;Warner ended the four-Test series with an average of 24.12 -- his lowest in a series of four or more matches, and his third lowest overall.

The Indian fast bowlers exploited the pace and bounce in the wicket to trouble the batsmen relentlessly.

&nbsp;

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Umesh Yadav celebrates the wicket of Australia&#39;s Matthew Renshaw during the third day of the fourth and last Test cricket match between India and Australia at Dharamsala (AFP)
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Yadav also accounted for Matt Renshaw before Glenn Maxwell (37 not out) put on 56 runs for the fourth wicket with Peter Handscomb to steady the innings briefly.&nbsp;Handscomb was brilliantly caught by India&#39;s stand-in skipper Ajinkya Rahane off Ashwin while Jadeja dismissed Shaun Marsh for one.

Jadeja had starred with the bat as well, top-scoring with 63 to help India post 332 in reply to Australia&#39;s 300.

With the series tied 1-1, India must win the match if they are to regain the Border-Gavaskar trophy from Australia, who triumphed at home in 2014-15.

(WION with AFP input)

Indian bowlers Umesh Yadav, Ravindra?Jadeja and off-spinner Ashwin led from the front to take three wickets apiece on the third day

Indian bowlers Umesh Yadav, Ravindra Jadeja and off-spinner Ravichandran Ashwin led from the front to take three wickets apiece on the third day to put the hosts on top against Australia in the final Test at Dharamsala. Indian bowlers kept a tight line and attacked the Australian batsmen as the visitors folded for a paltry 137 all out, setting the hosts a 106-run target to win the Test on the fourth day tomorrow. India ended their day at 19/0, needing another 87 runs to win with openers Murali Vijay and KL Rahul still at the crease. Earlier, India's pace bowlers Umesh Yadav and Bhuvneshwar Kumar gave India a sensational start, removing three of Australia's top-order batsmen including skipper Steve Smith inside the first 10 overs. The top-ranked spin duo of Ravindra Jadeja and Ravichandran Ashwin then picked up a wicket apiece to have the visitors on the ropes. At tea, the visitors were 92-5 in their second innings, leading India by only 60 runs with five wickets in hand. It was Bhuvneshwar Kumar who sent Smith (17) packing with a short ball to the bottom edge of the bat that crashed into the stumps in spectacular fashion. Smith amassed 499 runs including three centuries from the four Tests, only the sixth visiting batsman to hit so many hundreds in a series in India. India got the first breakthrough when Yadav had David Warner caught behind cheaply for six, just after the opener was dropped in the slips by the butter-fingered Karun Nair. Nair dropped the same batsman in the first innings as well. Warner ended the four-Test series with an average of 24.12 -- his lowest in a series of four or more matches, and his third lowest overall. The Indian fast bowlers exploited the pace and bounce in the wicket to trouble the batsmen relentlessly. Umesh Yadav celebrates the wicket of Australia's Matthew Renshaw during the third day of the fourth and last Test cricket match between India and Australia at Dharamsala (AFP) × Yadav also accounted for Matt Renshaw before Glenn Maxwell (37 not out) put on 56 runs for the fourth wicket with Peter Handscomb to steady the innings briefly. Handscomb was brilliantly caught by India's stand-in skipper Ajinkya Rahane off Ashwin while Jadeja dismissed Shaun Marsh for one. Jadeja had starred with the bat as well, top-scoring with 63 to help India post 332 in reply to Australia's 300. With the series tied 1-1, India must win the match if they are to regain the Border-Gavaskar trophy from Australia, who triumphed at home in 2014-15. (WION with AFP input)

4th Test: India need 87 runs to beat Australia

India captain Virat Kohli will miss the fourth and final Test against Australia with a shoulder injury he had suffered in the previous match in Ranchi, batting coach Sanjay Bangar said before the start of the match on Saturday.

Ajinkya Rahane will lead&nbsp;in Kohli&#39;s absence, making him the 33rd Test captain of India.&nbsp;

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Virat Kohli out of the 4th Test due to injury, Ajinkya Rahane to captain the team <a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/IndvAus?src=hash">#IndvAus</a> <a href="https://t.co/mGYbnHeL50">pic.twitter.com/mGYbnHeL50</a>
&mdash; ANI (@ANI_news) <a href="https://twitter.com/ANI_news/status/845477962006740992">March 25, 2017</a></blockquote>
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The other big change is that India is heading into the decisive Test with five bowlers.

Left-arm spinner Kuldeep Yadav will make his debut, meaning India is fielding three spinners. The pace attack has been rejigged too, with BHuvaneshwar Kumar replacing Ishant Sharma.&nbsp;

Kohli, who hurt his shoulder while diving to stop a boundary in the drawn third test in Ranchi, was hoping to be fit for the decider at the Himachal Pradesh Cricket Association Stadium which is hosting its first Test.

Mumbai batsman Shreyas Iyer, who scored a double century in the warm-up gainst Australia last month, was flown into Dharamsala for the fourth Test. He was widely expected to replaced Kohli, but has been kept in the reserves.

Meanwhile, an unchanged Australia have won the toss and decided to bat first on a pitch that according to their captain Steve Smith looks to have &quot;bit of a grass&quot;. India&#39;s stand-in captain Rahane surmised the pitch as a good track to bat on for the first two to three days.

The four-match series between the world&#39;s top two test team is locked at 1-1.

Australia need just a draw to take home the Border-Gavaskar trophy, having triumphed at home in 2014-15.

A victory for the tourists will see them win their first Test series in India in 13 years.

Whatever the result, India will retain their number one Test ranking.

Teams:

India: Lokesh Rahul, Murali Vijay, Cheteshwar Pujara, Ajinkya Rahane (capt), Karun Nair, Wriddhiman Saha, Ravichandran Ashwin, Ravindra Jadeja, Kuldeep Yadav, Bhuvneshwar Kumar, Umesh Yadav.

Australia: David Warner, Matt Renshaw, Steve Smith (capt), Shaun Marsh, Peter Handscomb, Glenn Maxwell, Matthew Wade, Pat Cummins, Steve O&#39;Keefe, Nathan Lyon, Josh Hazlewood.

Umpires:&nbsp;Marais Erasmus (RSA) and Ian Gould (ENG)

TV umpire: Chris Gaffaney (NZL)

Match referee:&nbsp;Richie Richardson (WIS)&nbsp;

(WION with inputs from agencies)

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India goes into the decisive fourth Test against unchanged Australia with five bowlers as spinner Kuldeep Yadav replaces Kohli

India captain Virat Kohli will miss the fourth and final Test against Australia with a shoulder injury he had suffered in the previous match in Ranchi, batting coach Sanjay Bangar said before the start of the match on Saturday. Ajinkya Rahane will lead in Kohli's absence, making him the 33rd Test captain of India. Virat Kohli out of the 4th Test due to injury, Ajinkya Rahane to captain the team #IndvAus pic.twitter.com/mGYbnHeL50 — ANI (@ANI_news) March 25, 2017 × The other big change is that India is heading into the decisive Test with five bowlers. Left-arm spinner Kuldeep Yadav will make his debut, meaning India is fielding three spinners. The pace attack has been rejigged too, with BHuvaneshwar Kumar replacing Ishant Sharma. Kohli, who hurt his shoulder while diving to stop a boundary in the drawn third test in Ranchi, was hoping to be fit for the decider at the Himachal Pradesh Cricket Association Stadium which is hosting its first Test. Mumbai batsman Shreyas Iyer, who scored a double century in the warm-up gainst Australia last month, was flown into Dharamsala for the fourth Test. He was widely expected to replaced Kohli, but has been kept in the reserves. Meanwhile, an unchanged Australia have won the toss and decided to bat first on a pitch that according to their captain Steve Smith looks to have "bit of a grass". India's stand-in captain Rahane surmised the pitch as a good track to bat on for the first two to three days. The four-match series between the world's top two test team is locked at 1-1. Australia need just a draw to take home the Border-Gavaskar trophy, having triumphed at home in 2014-15. A victory for the tourists will see them win their first Test series in India in 13 years. Whatever the result, India will retain their number one Test ranking. Teams: India: Lokesh Rahul, Murali Vijay, Cheteshwar Pujara, Ajinkya Rahane (capt), Karun Nair, Wriddhiman Saha, Ravichandran Ashwin, Ravindra Jadeja, Kuldeep Yadav, Bhuvneshwar Kumar, Umesh Yadav. Australia: David Warner, Matt Renshaw, Steve Smith (capt), Shaun Marsh, Peter Handscomb, Glenn Maxwell, Matthew Wade, Pat Cummins, Steve O'Keefe, Nathan Lyon, Josh Hazlewood. Umpires: Marais Erasmus (RSA) and Ian Gould (ENG) TV umpire: Chris Gaffaney (NZL) Match referee: Richie Richardson (WIS) (WION with inputs from agencies)

Virat Kohli out of fourth Dharamsala Test, Rahane to lead team

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