MELBOURNE: No one is more committed to Indian cricket than Mahendra Singh Dhoni and batting at number five is the ideal spot for him, said Virat Kohli in stout defence of the former captain. Dhoni faced criticism for slow batting in the ODI series-opener in Sydney before redeeming his pride and reputation with match-winning contributions in the Adelaide and Melbourne ODIs. READ ALSO: I'm ready to bat at any position, says MS Dhoni Acknowledging...

LIVE BLOG | LIVE SCORECARD OVERS 1.2: Rohit is hit on the back pad, Aussies appeal, umpire turns it down, Aussies take a review, replays show the ball was hitting the top of the bails, so the umpire's call stays Peter Siddle bowls the second over Jhye Richardson bowls the first over for Australia, Rohit Sharma on strike OVERS 48.4: OUT! Stanlake edges a Shami delivery onto his stumps. AUSTRALIA 230 ALL OUT IN 48.4 OVERS End of Chahal's...

MUMBAI: Former Indian captain Sourav Ganguly on Thursday said 'we should move on' from the controversy surrounding Hardik Pandya and KL Rahul's sexist comments because he is sure the two will learn from it and become better persons. Speaking at an event here, Ganguly said he hasn't seen the 'Koffee with Karan' episode in which Pandya and Rahul's misogynistic comments on women led to a provisional suspension on them. But he offered a sympathetic view...

ADELAIDE: Virat Kohli has no peers in ODIs but he has a priceless message for youngsters - sole focus on limited overs formats shouldn't be an 'excuse' for not being able to cope with the challenges of Test cricket. World's No. 1 batsman with 25 Test hundreds warned that youngsters will have mental problems if they don't embrace the pristine form of five-day cricket. "If we focus too much on shorter formats - yes, they're important - but if we solely...

SYDNEY: Virat Kohli smashed his 39th one-day international century as India claimed a dramatic six-wicket victory over Australia at a sweltering Adelaide Oval on Tuesday to level up the three-match series at 1-1. Skipper Kohli contributed 104 of his side's runs as they successfully chased down their victory target of 299 for the loss of four wickets to send the series into a decider on Friday at Melbourne Cricket Ground. Mahendra Singh Dhoni, clearly...

LIVE BLOG | LIVE SCORECARD OVERS 6.5: FOUR! Dhawan pulls a Siddle delivery to fine leg OVERS 5.2: FOUR! Dhawan cuts a Richardson delivery past point OVERS 4.4: FOUR! Dhawan smashes a Behrendorff delivery through the covers OVERS 4.1: FOUR! 4 leg byes are conceded OVERS 3.2: FOUR! Dhawan flicks a Richardson delivery to the square leg fence OVERS 2.4: Dhawan cuts over backward point for one to get off the mark OVERS 1.5:...

MUMBAI: The controversy surrounding cricketers Hardik Pandya and KL Rahul refuses to die even as the Indian team management seeks answers to the big question doing the rounds now: Whatever the penalty, after they've served it, will the two players be available for World Cup selection? The Indian team is close to figuring the bunch that will head to England in May for the 50-over tournament and Pandya, in particular, happens to be an important cog in...

NEW DELHI: Rishabh Pant is a 'champion cricketer in the making', who is very much in the mix for the 2019 India's World Cup campaign for his ability to seamlessly switch formats, says chairman of selector MSK Prasad. After being 'rested' for the ODI series against Australia and New Zealand, there have been conjectures about his place in the England-bound squad but Prasad set the record straight about selection committee's plans about talents such as...

NEW DELHI: Mayank Agarwal and Vijay Shankar will replace suspended KL Rahul and Hardik Pandya for the remainder of the ODI series against Australia. "Mayank Agarwal for KL Rahul and Vijay Shankar for Pandya are like-for-like replacements suggested by the selectors. They will be joining the team at the earliest," a senior BCCI official told PTI. Pandya and Rahul have been suspended pending an inquiry into their sexist comments on a TV show, ruling...

LIVE BLOG | LIVE SCORECARD OVERS 45.4: OUT! Rohit (133) pulls to mid-wicket for Maxwell to take the catch. India 221/7 OVERS 45.3: FOUR! Rohit mistimes a hit over mid-off for his tenth boundary OVERS 44.1: OUT! Jadeja (8) cuts a Richardson delivery to deep point for Shaun Marsh to take the catch. India 213/6 OVERS 43.6: FOUR! Rohit pulls to the mid-wicket fence OVERS 43.5: BIG HIT! Rohit hits a Stoinis delivery over mid-wicket into...

NEW DELHI/SYDNEY: Hardik Pandya and KL Rahul will be sent home on the first available flight from Australia as the BCCI suspended them on Friday for their outrage-evoking comments on women, hours after the duo's on-field leader Virat Kohli expressed his disapproval. The under-fire players have been suspended pending an inquiry into their sexist comments on a TV show, ruling them out of the three-match ODI series against Australia, beginning Saturday...

SYDNEY: Captain Virat Kohli on Friday said the Indian team doesn't stand by Hardik Pandya and KL Rahul for making "inappropriate" comments on women during a TV show but insisted that the controversy won't affect the dressing room morale. Kohli said that the availability of both Pandya and Rahul for the ODI series against Australia would depend on any action that the BCCI might take on Friday. "From the Indian cricket team point of view, any inappropriate...

NEW DELHI: Indian men's hockey coach Harendra Singh was on Wednesday removed from the position following a disappointing 2018 and offered the task of helming the junior squad by the national federation. Constant chopping and changing of coaches is a frequent phenomenon in Indian hockey and Harendra, who was appointed in May, is the latest casualty. He has become the sixth coach to be sacked in six years. "Though the year 2018 was very disappointing...

SYDNEY/NEW DELHI: Indian cricketers Hardik Pandya and KL Rahul were on Wednesday issued show cause notices by the BCCI for their comments on women on a TV show that triggered a massive outrage and might prompt the Board to bar players from such appearances. READ ALSO: After backlash, Hardik Pandya apologises for comments on TV show Pandya, whose remarks on 'Koffee with Karan' were criticised as sexist, apologised for his remarks, saying he got "carried...

NEW DELHI: The speculation over where the 12th edition of the Indian Premier League (IPL) will be held has finally ended. The Supreme Court appointed Committee of Administrators (CoA) on Tuesday decided that IPL 2019 will be scheduled to be played in India itself. The CoA met in the capital to discuss the IPL 2019 venues and window and based on preliminary discussions with the appropriate central and state agencies and authorities took the decision....

SYDNEY: In-form Indian pacer Jasprit Bumrah was on Tuesday rested from the upcoming ODI series against Australia and the subsequent tour of New Zealand with Mohammad Siraj replacing the hero of the team's maiden Test series triumph Down Under. With 21 scalps, Bumrah ended the four-Test series as the joint-leading wicket-taker alongside Australian off-spinner Nathan Lyon. "Keeping in mind the work load of the bowler, it was best felt to give him adequate...

SYDNEY: He was a part of India's victorious World Cup campaign in 2011 but Virat Kohli felt "more emotional" than ever before after his team's maiden Test series win in Australia, something the captain termed as the "biggest achievement" of his career. READ ALSO: India win first-ever Test series in Australia "By far this is my best achievement. Has to be on top of the pile," Kohli said after being the first Indian captain to lead the team to a Test...

NEW DELHI: Virat Kohli and his men made history as India registered their maiden Test series victory on Australian soil after the fourth Test at the Sydney Cricket Ground was drawn due to rain on Day 5 on Monday. SCORECARD Cheteshwar Pujara was declared the Man of the Match and the Man of the Series. Rain prevented any play on Day 5 with Australia needing to bat out the last day to salvage a draw. India won the series 2-1 with victories in...

SYDNEY: Australia were forced to follow-on on home soil for the first time in 30 years after being dismissed for 300 as India went for the jugular in search of a maiden series triumph Down Under on the fourth day of the final Test on Sunday. SCORECARD | BLOG Openers Usman Khawaja (4) and Marcus Harris (2) safely negotiated four overs until bad light and light drizzle forced an early end to an already heavily rain-disrupted day just before the re-scheduled...

LIVE SCORECARD | BLOG 5:15 am If no further rain, play on day four will begin at 0530 IST Update: The covers are off. The umpires have done their inspection. If there is no further rain, play will commence… https://t.co/wQvZJluQ9g— BCCI (@BCCI) 1546731596000 The covers are coming off! #AUSvIND https://t.co/kcJB3XAL4y— cricket.com.au (@cricketcomau) 1546731490000 5:05 am Rain has stopped,...