Karun Nair never stopped believing. And now, eight years after his last Test, India's only triple-centurion since Sehwag is back - older, tougher, and hungrier than ever.
Nair's runs have powered Vidarbha into the final of the Vijay Hazare Trophy tournament, where they will take on Karnataka in Vadodara on Saturday.
Nair is only the second Indian after Virender Sehwag to score a triple-hundred for India in Test cricket. He achieved the feat in December 2016, scoring an unbeaten 303 in his third Test against England in Chennai.
Ajinkya Rahane has always loved staying under the radar even when he was a highly successful India captain and that possibly explains his affinity for Mumbai's head coach Omkar Salvi, who seems to be cut from the same cloth.
Karun will be tested by Kings XI Punjab before the flight to Dubai.
Rajneesh Gupta previews Game 53 in IPL 12: Delhi Capitals vs Rajasthan Royals.
Rajneesh Gupta previews Game 37 in IPL 12: Delhi Capitals vs Kings XI Punjab.
Rajneesh Gupta previews Game 34 in IPL 12: Delhi Capitals vs Mumbai Indians.
Pune Warriors captain Yuvraj Singh has blamed his team's poor bowling, especially in the death overs, for his side's three-wicket loss to Delhi Daredevils in the Indian Premier League in Navi Mumbai on Sunday.
Graeme Swann helped England restore parity on Day 1 of the opening Test against India at Motera on Thursday. The spinner struck at regular intervals to finish with figures of four for 85 and keep the visitors in the game after Virender Sehwag slammed his first century in two years. At stumps, the hosts were 323 for 4.
Faced with a players' revolt, the Delhi Ranji team started its preparatory camp for the upcoming domestic season without seven players though officials insisted that unrest against the DDCA was not the reason for their absence. After Virender Sehwag's outburst against "nepotism and corruption" in the Delhi District and Cricket Association (DDCA), seven players, including pacer Ishant Sharma and opener Gautam Gambhir, skipped the opening day of the camp.
Rajneesh Gupta presents some interesting numbers from Day 1 of the 1st Test.
Bolstered by the return of charismatic captain Mahendra Singh Dhoni and off-spinner Harbhajan Singh, India would look to clinch the two-match series 2-0 when they take on Bangladesh in the second cricket Test starting in Mirpur on Sunday.
Yusuf Pathan refuses to take the credit for Rajasthan Royals' title triumph. Teamwork, he says, was the key to success.
Mahendra Singh Dhoni smashed his way to his third Test century, after Virender Sehwag missed a world record third triple hundred, to boost India to a record total on Day 3 of the third and final Test against Sri Lanka at the Brabourne stadium, in Mumbai, on Friday. Dhoni slammed 100 off 154 deliveries, and Sehwag 293, as India posted a record 726 for 9 declared in 163.3 overs, their highest total in Test cricket.
Virender Sehwag, who stole the limelight on Day 3 of the first Test against South Africa with an unbeaten 309, said the knock was even better than the maiden triple hundred he scored against Pakistan at Multan in March 2004.
The six off Iain O'Brien was 50th for Sachin Tendulkar in Test cricket. He became the fourth Indian after Virender Sehwag (65), Kapil Dev (61) and Sourav Ganguly (57) to do so.
India were blown away in the opening match of their New Zealand tour on Wednesday. The World champions failed to live up to reputation and lost the first of two Twenty20 internationals on the tour by seven wickets, in Christchurch.
Riding on Tendulkar's half-century and Yuvraj's entertaining 20-ball 49 not out which had six sixes
Virender Sehwag's participation was in doubt owing to a shoulder spasm.
India have played three ODIs at the venue and have won all the three ODIs.
India have won the Asia Cup on seven occasions, Sri Lanka on five occasions, with Pakistan winning it twice.
"Honestly speaking, I stopped thinking about Test matches long time back", says Rohit Sharma, who made a superb return to the five-day format in the series against South Africa. The India opener also had a successful 2019 in white-ball cricket, says he is no longer bothered by criticism.
Skipper Gautam Gambhir again led by example with a match-winning half-century as Kolkata Knight Riders remained in contention for play-off berth with a comprehensive nine-wicket win over table toppers Kings XI Punjab in an IPL encounter, in Cuttack on Sunday.
Rajneesh Gupta presents some interesting numbers from Day 1:
Former captain Sunil Gavaskar said Karun Nair and K L Rahul's knocks in the ongoing Test against England reminded him of their illustrious predecessors from Karnataka -- Gundappa Vishwanathan and Rahul Dravid.
The Kings XI Punjab juggernaut continues to roll this IPL season. On Friday night in Bangalore they scored another commanding victory, beating Royal Challengers Bangalore by 32 runs to consolidate their position atop the eight-team table.
India carried its domination from the Test series into the One-day format and achieved its biggest ever win in terms of overs left while chasing a 200-plus total.
Off the field the Board of Control for Cricket in India looks set for a complete overhaul with Supreme Court's stinging observations tightening the noose around the mandarins of the richest sports body.
India batsman Karun Nair reflected on his brush with death this year after scoring a brilliant triple century against England in the fifth Test on Monday.
Rohit Sharma blasted a record-breaking 209, including a world record 16 sixes, which propelled India to a 57-run victory over Australia in the seventh and final One-Day International.
India have won the Asia Cup six times, Sri Lanka five, and Pakistan have won it just twice. As the 14th edition of Asia's own trophy gets underway on Saturday, Rajneesh Gupta presents the numbers on the 13 editions so far.