India

Ashwin last played an ODI more than 18 months ago, and his selection is a chance for the team management to have him ready, along with Washington, should they need a replacement for Axar Patel, who has a left quadriceps strain that ruled him out of the Asia Cup final. Ashwin has been training at

Siraj continues with three slips3.1 Siraj to Nissanka, OUTA stunner from Jadeja. A length ball from Siraj, just outside off. Nissanka pushed at it, opening the face of the bat at the point of contact, and that meant the ball went squarer. Jadeja dived to his right and pouched it low with both hands Sadeera

Shreyas Iyer wasn’t fit for much of the Asia Cup, but he has ticked off most of the boxes the team management had set for him as he came back from injury and attempted to prove his match fitness for the World Cup, which is now less than three weeks away. “Shreyas was not available

“Arre! World Cup jeetne ke baad phodo, yaar.” (“Burst these firecrackers after winning the World Cup!”) The sound of firecrackers boomed through the walls as Rohit Sharma sat patiently for his post-match press conference, wearing a smile that seldom left his face for much of Sunday’s short Asia Cup final that culminated in India winning

India 51 for 0 (Gill 27*, Kishan 23*) beat Sri Lanka 50 (Siraj 6-21, Pandya 3-3) by 10 wickets After a couple of tight games, it seemed like the 2023 Asia Cup was heading towards an exciting finale but the title bout turned out to be an anti-climax as Mohammed Siraj singlehandedly demolished Sri Lanka

Washington Sundar will link up with India’s Asia Cup squad in Colombo ahead of Sunday’s final against Sri Lanka as cover for Axar Patel. Axar has some swelling on his forearm after a receiving a blow from a throw in Friday’s Super Four fixture against Bangladesh. ESPNcricinfo understands there is no fracture and the move

Big picture: Watch out for spin and rain The continent’s crown jewel is on the line, but the two teams fighting for it come into the final with different motivations. India have not lifted any multi-team trophy since their Asia Cup win in 2018, and are desperate to know how that feels. Sri Lanka, ODI

What do you watch when you watch a batter? The bat swing? Hands and eyes? The transfer of body weight? The execution of the shot? The reaction of the batter after? With Shubman Gill, at times, it’s best to watch the feet. Like on Friday evening at the men’s Asia Cup. It was as much

India batter Prithvi Shaw faces at least three months on the sidelines as he battles a knee injury. This means he will most definitely miss a big chunk of India’s 2023-24 domestic season that resumes with the Irani Cup in Rajkot on October 1. After initially consulting a surgeon in London, Shaw returned to the

It was as if the eyes – and the cameras – of everybody gathered were set on auto-focus mode. India had scheduled an optional training session on a sultry Colombo morning. It was the eve of their last league game against Bangladesh, who were already knocked out of the men’s Asia Cup. The eyes were

“It’s been over one and a half years since I had surgery,” Kuldeep said after India’s biggest win against Pakistan in the format. “The run-up has become straighter. The rhythm has become aggressive. The approach is nice. Maybe my hand used to fall over but that is well in control and faces the batter more.

KL Rahul wasn’t in India’s first XI for their Asia Cup Super Four fixture against Pakistan. But just prior to the toss in Colombo, when he was asked by head coach Rahul Dravid to get ready, there was a slight problem. Knowing he was going to carry drinks, Rahul had left his batting gear and

India 213 (Rohit 53, Rahul 39, Wellalage 5-40, Asalanka 4-18) beat Sri Lanka 172 (Wellalage 42*, de Silva 41, Kuldeep 4-43, Bumrah 2-30, Jadeja 2-33) by 41 runs On a surface where India picked three frontline spinners and lost all ten of their wickets to spin for the first time in ODIs, it was the

With three matches remaining in the Super Four stage of the Asia Cup 2023, India vs Sri Lanka will give us a fair idea of who might make the title round. Here’s a look at the scenarios (without forgetting the ever-present Colombo rain). Scenario 1: India beat Sri Lanka India will cement their spot in

Big picture – India might rotate players Two weeks ago in Bengaluru, India’s Asia Cup-bound squad had exhaustive fitness tests to check their levels of preparedness for the cricket coming up over the next three months. On Tuesday, the players’ fitness levels will be put to test as India return to the R Premadasa Stadium

Laxman, who is the head of the National Cricket Academy (NCA) in Bengaluru, has previously too stepped in as head coach on men’s tours when Rahul Dravid has been rested – as was the case recently for the T20I series in Ireland. The India men’s unit at the Asian Games will be a second-string squad,

India made a bright start to the game with Rohit Sharma and Shubman Gill scoring half-centuries at better than a run a ball in an opening stand of 121. Shaheen Shah Afridi bowled an expensive first spell while Naseem Shah was luckless at the other end, beating Rohit’s bat repeatedly with outswing and extra bounce.

Iyer hadn’t played since the home ODI series against Australia in early March, and missed the IPL altogether, as he recovered from a back condition that required surgery. He was picked in the Asia Cup squad – as well as in the squad for the ODI World Cup starting next month – after being declared

AB de Villiers feels that India batter Suryakumar Yadav, the world’s No. 1 T20I batter, needs a slight tweak in his mindset in order to replicate his success in the 50-over format. Suryakumar, who has managed to hold onto his spot in India’s squad for the upcoming World Cup, averages only 24.33 in ODIs, with

Big picture: Rain threat in Colombo The tournament has moved to Colombo, with India and Pakistan looking to resume their rivalry after rain had held sway in Pallekele. The weather, however, continues to be a threat. It could be another wet day on September 10, with chances of precipitation up to 90%. The is a

Karun Nair has joined Northamptonshire for their remaining three County Championship games this season. The India batter replaces Sam Whiteman, who has returned to Australia. “I’m really looking forward to joining Northamptonshire and getting to play in the County Championship.” Nair said in a statement. “You hear a lot about county cricket and I know

A reserve day has been added to the India vs Pakistan Super Four game of the Asia Cup on September 10. It is the only match apart from the final to have a reserve day. The change to the playing conditions was announced by PCB, advising spectators to hold on to their tickets should a

After linking up with the India squad in Colombo on Tuesday, KL Rahul had his first session at the Nondescripts Cricket Club indoor nets on Thursday. Heavy rain accompanied by winds lashed the Sri Lanka capital in the morning, forcing India to have their optional training indoors. Rahul was part of a select group –

Former India spinner Harbhajan Singh feels Suryakumar Yadav should be in the starting XI come the World Cup because he can do in his role what even Virat Kohli and Rohit Sharma can’t. Harbhajan feels the selectors and team management were right to pick Suryakumar in the World Cup squad ahead of Sanju Samson, who

Yuzvendra Chahal is in line to play first-class cricket for Kent, after signing up for three matches in the ongoing County Championships “subject to regulatory approval”. Ignored by the national selectors in India for the ongoing Asia Cup and the upcoming ODI World Cup, at home over October and November, Chahal “will be available for

With less than a month to go for the first match of the men’s ODI World Cup, the BCCI, the host board, has announced the release of as many as 400,000 tickets in the next phase of ticket sales. A BCCI statement on Wednesday evening said that the “general sale of tickets” for all matches

On Tuesday, India announced their 15-member World Cup squad that was largely on similar lines as the one they picked for the ongoing Asia Cup. The composition did, however, elicit a few talking points. Kishan v Rahul: Who will win the race? It’s a massive show of confidence from the selectors and team management to

KL Rahul has been included in India’s World Cup squad despite not having played any competitive cricket since May this year. Rahul, the first-choice wicketkeeper, is currently preparing to fly out to Sri Lanka for the Super Four stage of the Asia Cup after passing a fitness assessment at the National Cricket Academy in Bengaluru

Toss India opt to bowl vs Nepal India captain Rohit Sharma won the toss and chose bowl against Nepal in what was the first international game between the two teams, in rainy Pallekele. Just when Rohit announced his decision to insert Nepal, the drizzle returned. It had also rained on the eve of the game,

India fast bowler Jasprit Bumrah will be unavailable for the team’s Asia Cup game against Nepal, on Monday. Bumrah returned home from Sri Lanka for the birth of his son, but is expected to be back for the Super Fours, should India qualify. Bumrah, who had just returned from a long-standing back injury, is yet