Opener Shikhar Dhawan believes the Indian ODI team now has the right balance and x-factor to succeed anywhere, holding the number one side in good stead ahead of the 2019 World Cup in England.
Chinappa lost 6-11, 12-10, 7-11, 11-8, 3-11 to Camille in a 70-minute marathon tussle on Wednesday.
'Virat's career and captaincy are on auto-pilot mode right now.' 'He knows what he is doing and leads by example.'
In the 35 Tests Kohli has led as captain, he has fielded 35 different playing 11s. Sure, the chopping and changing worked in the sub-continent because the home conditions masked the deficiencies in constantly chopping and changing the playing 11, says Chetan Narula.
Mohammed Shami led India's fight-back with a career-best five-wicket haul as India snapped nine wickets for 53 runs to dismiss South Africa for 177 and avoid a humiliating whitewash in the three-match series.
Virat Kohli, on Tuesday, said performance of the pacers has been a big boost for the team and hinted at employing an all-seam attack against South Africa on a typical green Wanderers track in the third cricket Test in Johannesburg.
Perhaps for the first time, India's pace strength is not centred on any one individual, or set of individuals.
India coach Ravi Shastri on Monday said Virat Kohli and Co. should have landed in South Africa earlier to acclimatise and called for more preparatory time ahead of overseas tours in the future.
Rajneesh Gupta is amazed at Evin Lewis' whirlwind knock.
South African skipper Faf du Plessis said that the 2015 series loss in India on raging turners motivated their team to win the series in Centurion, on a pitch that 'should have suited the visitors more'.
Statistical highlights of the fifth and final One-day International between India and the West Indies in Kingston, Jamaica, on Thursday.
Deepak Gupta grows chemical-free food and wants farmers to go back to the practices they once knew but have forgotten, says Aditi Phadnis.
'Is Xi's China stable?'
'No one can say whether the regime will fall all at once or if its leaders are devising a new solid and competitive -- anything but democratic -- model.' A fascinating excerpt from Francois Bougon's Inside The Mind of Xi Jinping.
The Pretoria wicket is likely to be similar, with perhaps not the same sideways movement of Newlands, and will provide another test of the Indian batsmen's bravery against a seam bowling barrage.
'...India has a really good top-order line-up and they bat out nearly 30-35 overs in ODIs with guys like Virat (Kohli) and then MS Dhoni comes ahead of me (at times). So yeah, with some more chances, I feel I can deliver a lot more than what I am doing right now' 'Over the last couple of years, Indian batting has also been doing very well. So you have to be very patient for your chances'
A summary of sports events and persons who made news on Thursday.
Reader Pradyumna sent us this picture from Johannesburg.
Though he hasn't been able to replicate his rich limited-overs' form in Test cricket, Rohit Sharma feels there's no need to make drastic changes in his game for the five-day format.
A summary of sports events and sports persons, who made news on Thursday
Statistical highlights of the second ODI between India and Sri Lanka, on Mohali on Wednesday.
Hosts India produced a spirited performance to stun Olympic silver medallist Belgium in the shoot-out and progress to the semi-finals of the Hockey World League (HWL) final after both the teams were locked at 3-3 at the end of regulation time, in Bhubaneswar on Wednesday.
Former South African fast bowler Fanie De Villiers has praised Mohammed Shami as India's best Test bowler and added that the Proteas could easily fit him in their highly-competitive pace attack.
Kagiso Rabada claimed a six-wicket haul on Thursday as South Africa bowled Sri Lanka out for 224 in their second innings to win the second Test by 282 runs with a day and a half to spare and take an unassailable 2-0 lead in the three-match series. Sri Lanka failed to last the first session of the fourth day at Newlands, having resumed on 130-4 and being dismissed after just over 100 minutes of play.
South Africa and Australia will contest a four-Test series for the first time in almost 50 years when they clash in March and April 2018, Cricket South Africa (CSA) announced on Wednesday. Australia will tour South Africa seeking revenge for their 2-1 home series loss in November and will play four Tests for the first time since being humbled 4-0 on South Africa soil in the 1969/70 season.
Johannesburg, Dubai and Abu Dhabi are being considered as possible venues to host the Champions Trophy this year, a senior International Cricket Council official said on Monday. Sri Lanka is the back-up venue but Dave Richardson, ICC general manager for cricket, said some doubts had been raised as September-October, when the event is planned, would be the monsoon season in the island nation.
India thrashed New Zealand by 53 runs to give veteran fast bowler Ashish Nehra a winning farewell, in the first Twenty20 International in New Delhi on Wednesday.
As Ashish Nehra gets set to quit international cricket after the first T20I game against New Zealand in New Delhi this evening, Rajneesh Gupta presents the mighty fast bowler's top five performances.
India have never won an ODI series in South Africa, having lost 5-2 in 1992-93, 4-0 in 2006- 07, 3-2 in 2010-11 and 2-0 in 2013-14.
Pakistani pace spearhead Wahab Riaz and leg-spinner Yasir Shah have been reported to be involved in a scuffle during a practice session in Brisbane on Wednesday following which the team management is likely to take action against the duo. As per a Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB) official, both the players hit each other following an argument while playing football on the eve of the opening Test of the three-match series against Australia starting from Thursday.
South Africa have named uncapped batsman Theunis de Bruyn in their injury-hit squad for the three-match home Test series against Sri Lanka that starts on December 26.
Reader Sheron Vishwambaran sent us this picture from Johannesburg.
New England skipper Joe Root was taken aback by the 'unfair' criticism made by Michael Vaughan of his side's performance.
India's batting woes in South Africa continued as the visitors folded up for 187 on Day 1.
Faced with the prospect of a humiliating 0-3 series whitewash, a desperate India would be aiming to bounce back to winning ways against an unrelenting South Africa in the third and final Test, starting in Johannesburg, on Wednesday.
Kathrada, who frequently referred to Mandela as his 'elder brother', was among three political prisoners who were sentenced to life imprisonment together with the South African anti-apartheid icon after the infamous Rivonia Trial of 1964.
Virat Kohli is the sixth Indian batsman to register a hundred in his 50th Test, joining Polly Umrigar, Gundappa Viswanath, Sunil Gavaskar, VVS Laxman and Kapil Dev.
IMAGES from the 1st T20I played between India and South Africa at the Wanderers on Sunday
David Warner scored 124 in his 100th match and combined with Aaron Finch (94) for a record 231-run opening stand, as Australia posted a 21-run victory over India in the fourth One-Day International in Bengaluru, on Thursday. Check out some statistical highlights from the match.
Former Australian skipper Ian Chappell has come under fire for his comment on Proteas fast bowler Kagiso Rabada made during the first Test at the WACA in Perth, which offended the South African fans.