King Kohli's India script history with maiden Test series win in Australia

India scored 622 for 7 in their first innings and then bowled out Australia for 300 thereby enforcing the follow-on.

India Tour of Australia 2019: India scripted history winning their first ever series on Australian soil beating the home team 2-1 after the fourth and final Test ended in a tame draw due to inclement weather.

India scored 622 for 7 in their first innings and then bowled out Australia for 300 thereby enforcing the follow-on.

However persistent drizzle washed out day five thereby keeping the victory margin down to 2-1.

Coming into this fifth Test, India had an unassailable 2-1 series' lead after winning the first Test in Adelaide by 31 runs and the third Test in Melbourne by 137 runs. Australia had won the second Test in Perth by 146 runs.

The morning began with similar murky clouds as seen throughout Sunday, and right at the supposed start of play at 10 am local time, rain arrived to prevent any possibility of cricket happening at the Sydney Cricket Ground.


Highlights & Scorecard → India Vs Australia 4th Test Match

Pakistan Vs New Zealand 3rd T20: Pakistan won by 47 runs, whitewash New Zealand 3-0 in T20 series

Pakistan won the first match in Abu Dhabi by two runs and the second by six wickets in Dubai.

Pakistan Vs New Zealand 2018: Pakistan defeated New Zealand by 47 runs in the third and final Twenty20 international in Dubai on Sunday to claim another clean-sweep in the game's shortest format.

Pakistan were lifted to 166-3 by Babar Azam who made a 58-ball 79 with seven boundaries and two sixes while Mohammad Hafeez hit a 34-ball 53 with four boundaries and two sixes.

When on 48, Azam became the quickest to score 1,000 Twenty20 runs in just 26 innings beating India's Virat Kohli's record by an innings.

Leg-spinner Shadab Khan took 3-30 as New Zealand were bundled out for 119 in 16.5 overs.

Pakistan won the first match in Abu Dhabi by two runs and the second by six wickets in Dubai.

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Pakistan Vs New Zealand 3rd T20 Highlights

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India Vs West Indies 1st T20: India win by 5 wickets, lead 3 match T20 series 1-0

Kuldeep yadav remained instrumental in derailing West Indies' innings by picking three key wickets.

 

West Indies Tour of India 2018 » The first T20 match between India and West Indies ended on the similar note as it was in the ODIs with India clinching another victory against the visitors at the Eden Gardens in Kolkata today.

Batting first, West Indies faced troubles right from the start and wickets kept falling at regular intervals as Indian bowlers continued the assault. Windies scored 109/8 in 20 overs.

India was no excception today, skipper Rohit Sharma was the first to fall, surrendering to Oshane Thomas' pace and Shikhar Dhawan followed him soon.

Debutant Krunal Pandya was in IPL hangover, playing clever shots without much fear and in the process added 21 runs in his teams tally.

For West Indies, Oshane Thomas and Carlos Brathwaite delivered well with the ball, the duo forced the hosts to surrender to their pace and line.

At one time, it looked that India will find it hard to proceed towards victory but it all did not go in West Indies' favor.

Krunal Pandya and Khaleel Ahmed made their T20 debut for India.
India now have 1-0 lead over West Indies in the three-match T20 series.

↓↓↓ Check 1st T20 Scorecard ↓↓↓

 India Vs West Indies 1st T20 Highlights

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India Vs West Indies 5th ODI: WI made strong changes in the team to level the series 2-2 (Team Updates)

It would be interesting to see if West Indies could pull a face-saver in the 5th and last ODI

West Indies Tour of India 2018 » As India and West Indies lock horns for the 5th and penultimate ODI in Kerala's Thiruvananthapuram today, India would look to clinch another home series win while West Indies again attempt to pose a challengle, just like they did after the first ODI.

Leading 2-1 in the five-match series that also included a tie, India have faced just a little resistance from the visitors who were back to square one in the 4th ODI where they lost by 224 runs.

The return of Jasprit Bumrah and Bhuvneshwar Kumar has intensified Indian pace attack while youngster Khaleel Ahmed also found his form in the 4th ODI where he picked three key wickets and dismantled West Indies batting. Spinner Kuldeep Yadav has been minting wickets and there has been no halt to that.

For West Indies, Shimron Hetmyer and Shai Hope have impressed the most with a century each while captain Jason Holder has been an obstacle for Indian bowlers. In the bowling department, the visitors are yet to find a go-to man.

India Vs West Indies Today's Squad

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Asia Cup 2018: Bangladesh beat Pakistan by 37 runs to play against India in the final

Mushfiqur's 99 and Mohammad Mithun's 60 were instrumental in Bangladesh's win against Paksitan. Bangladesh will now take on India in the title clash in Dubai on Friday.

Asia Games 2018: Gritty Bangladesh set up a final clash with India in the Asia Cup after stunning Pakistan by 37 runs in the last Super Four match, riding on Mushfiqur Rahim's valiant 99 here.

Mushfiqur notched up his 30th half-century, while Mohammad Mithun made 60 to lift Bangladesh to a decent 239 all out from a precarious position after skipper Mashrafe Mortaza opted to bat in the virtual semifinal on Wednesday night.

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Mushfiqur was unlucky as he fell one short of what could have been his seventh ODI century but did enough to rescue Bangladesh with a 144-run fourth wicket stand with Mithun after they were reduced to 12 for three inside five overs.

Later, opener Imam-ul-Haq (83) turned out to be the lone bright spot for Pakistan as they faltered in pursuit of the modest chase and were restricted to 202 for nine.

Bangladesh will now take on India in the title clash in Dubai on Friday.

↓↓↓ Scorecard & Highlights ↓↓↓

Pakistan Vs Bangladesh

'Cricket is a captain's game, coach must take back seat'

Former Indian captain Sourav Ganguly said that a coach should take a back seat in cricket as it is a captain's game, unlike football.

Asia Games 2018: "I think the coach has to take a back seat in cricket. It's not like football. A lot of the current cricket coaches start to believe that I'm going to run a cricket team like a football team. Cricket is a captain's game and the coach has to take a back seat," the 46-year-old said at an event here on Monday.

Furthermore, Ganguly quipped that if given a chance, he would like to ask the Indian cricket team's head coach, Ravi Shastri who picks the team, him or Rohit Sharma.

Ganguly also said that he would like to ask the head coach how he changes the current Indian team to perform in a similar manner away from the subcontinent.

Reflecting on the nature of a team's head coach, Ganguly said that man management is one of the key qualities a coach should possess, adding that hardly few have those skills.

The former Indian skipper was in Symbiosis International (Deemed University) for the launch of his book- 'A Century is not Enough', co-authored with senior sports writer Gautam Bhattacharya.

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Sourav Ganguly on Cricket

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Asia Cup 2018: Afghanistan pull off thrilling last-ball tie with India (Match Report)

Opener Mohammad Shahzad's entertaining century and sensible innings from Mohammad Nabi helped Afghanistan post 252/8 against Mahendra Singh Dhoni-led India.

Asia Games 2018: Mahendra Singh Dhoni's comeback as skipper, albiet for a game ended in a thrilling tie against a resurgent Afghanistan in their final Super Four match of the Asia Cup at the Dubai International Cricket Stadium.

Chasing a competitive 253, the defending champions got off to a flier from the new opening pair of Lokesh Rahul (60 off 66 balls; 4X5, 6X1) and Ambati Rayudu (57 off 49; 4X4, 6X4) before a mini collapse, coupled with a few run-outs and umpiring errors, eventually resulted in a tie.

Needing 7 off the final over, Ravindra Jadeja (25 off 34; 4X1) struck a boundary on the second ball off leg-spinner Rashid Khan before taking two singles with last man Khaleel Ahmed in company.

With 1 needed off the final two balls, Jadeja pulled the fifth delivery -- a shorter one towards midwicket only to find Najibullah running in from deep to grab it with both hands and help Afghanistan bow out of the tournament with their head held high.

↓↓↓ Scorecard & Highlights ↓↓↓

India Vs Afghanistan

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Asia Cup 2018: India Survive Scare, Beat Hong Kong By 26 Runs (Match Report)

In the Match 4 of Asia Cup 2018, Shikhar Dhawan hits his 14th century to help India post 285/7 while Rayudu scores 60 runs.

Asia Cup 2018: A 174-run partnership between Hong Kong openers Anshuman Rath and Nizakat Khan gave some mighty scares to the Indian camp and fans, but the Men in Blue fought back to clinch a 26-run win in their Group A match at the Dubai International Stadium. With the win, India registered their first win of the prestigious tournament.

Earlier, Hong Kong won the toss and asked India to bat first. The Indian openers, stand-in skipper Rohit Sharma (23) and Shikhar Dhawan (127), gave a good start to the Men in Blue. Chasing a target of 286 runs to win, Hong Kong made a cautious start to their innings, coupled with India's misfielding chaos.

Slowly and steadily, Rath (73) and Nizakat (92) made runs and piled pressure on the Indian bowlers, that had an inexperienced line-up, barring Bhuvneshwar Kumar and spinning duo Yuzvendra Chahal and Kuldeep Yadav, who were struggling to pick up wickets.

However, much to everyone's relief, Kuldeep drew first blood for the Men in Blue at the 34th over, accounting for Rath, who holed out at extra cover. In the next over, Nizakat was sent back to the pavilion by debutant Khaleel Ahmed, who trapped him in front to end the former's innings with a patient but well-made 92 runs.

Hong Kong's middle and lower orders then frittered away the advantage set up by the openers as Indian bowlers, led by Khaleel and Chahal, continued to get breakthroughs at regular intervals. From 174 for 0, Hong Kong lost their way and huffed and puffed past the 250-run mark, eventually finishing at 259 for 8 in 50 overs.

↓↓↓ Over -by-Over Highlights & Scorecard ↓↓↓

India Vs Hong Kong

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Asia Cup 2018: Can India put a stiff challenge to Pakistan in Dubai today (Match Preview)

The last time India and Pakistan met was in the ICC Champions Trophy final on June 18, 2017, at the Oval in London

Asia Cup 2018: In Match 5 of Asia Cup 2018, Rohit Sharma’s India will up against their arch rival Pakistan led by Sarfaraz Ahmed at Dubai International Stadium in United Arab Emirates. Indian cricket team will look to correct the mistakes they did against Hong Kong on Tuesday. India might make change in their playing 11 bringing in Jasprit Bumrah in place of Shardul Thakur and Hardik Pandya would replace Khaleel Ahmed. On the other hand, Pakistan will be high on confidence after crushing Hong Kong in their first game of the tournament.

India Team News

• The major concern for India is their middle order batters as in their previous game, Dinesh Karthik and Kedar Jadhav were not able to hit big shots in the death overs while Dhoni was dismissed out for a duck. On the bowling front, Bhuvneshwar Kumar looked rusty in his opening spell leaking too many runs while the spin duo of Kuldeep Yadav and Yuzuvendra Chahal bowled superbly in the middle overs to bring India back in the game against Hong Kong. Jasprit Bumrah likely to replace Shardul Thakur, who bowled 3 No balls in an over which somehow shifted the momentum in opposition favor.

Pakistan Team News

• For Pakistan, Asia Cup is the start of a busy season. The trend suggests that once Pakistan are in the groove they are hard to stop. Pakistan has a combination of experienced players and young talented players like Fakhar Zaman who is coming after a fantastic ODI series in Zimbabwe where he finished as the leading run-getter with 515 runs. Meanwhile, Shoaib Malik the most experienced batsman in Pakistan line-up is also among the leading run scorers in ODIs with 7,015 runs.

↓↓↓ Playing 11, Scoreboard & Live Updates ↓↓↓

India Vs Pakistan

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Asia Cup 2018: India to take on minnows Hong Kong with eye on Pakistan tie (Match Preview)

India will look to finetune their playing 11 in today's Asia Cup 2018 match against Hong Kong before going into their much-anticipated clash with arch-rivals Pakistan.

Asia Cup 2018: In Match 4 of Asia Cup 2018, India, led by stand-in captain Rohit Sharma, will lock horns with Hong Kong at Dubai International Stadium in United Arab Emirates today. A formidable India will be aiming to make short work of minnows Hong Kong in their Asia Cup opener before getting battle-ready for their much-anticipated clash against arch-rivals Pakistan. Even without regular skipper Virat Kohli, the Indian side is an intimidating one in the limited-overs format. However, Hong Kong, who were crushed by Pakistan’s disciplined bowling attack in their opening tie, will look to pose a stiff challenge. India will look to finetune their playing 11 against Hong Kong before going to the much-anticipated clash with arch-rivals Pakistan.

India Cricket Team News - India Vs Hong Kong

Even as it is being seen by many as a warm-up game, Rohit Sharma and his colleagues won't want to take Hong Kong lightly. Even so, this may help India check their preparedness and make course correction, if necessary, before the all-important India vs Pakistan match the very next day.

For the past few years, Mahendra Singh Dhoni's waning batting skills have repeatedly come under scanner and this tournament will give everyone a fair idea of his ideal position. Whether he should be playing at number 5, 6 or 7 will be the big question before the Pakistan game. Possibly, Kedar Jadhav or Manish Pandey at number 5 and Hardik Pandya with his big hitting abilities at number 7 could prove ideal foil for the former India captain if he decides to come in at number 6.

Hong Kong Cricket Team news - Hong Kong Vs India

On the other hand, Hong Kong will look to play the mandatory 50 overs to put a competitive total on the board if they bat first. Hong Kong lost their opener game against Pakistan by eight wickets in a truly one-sided showdown after they managed to put only 116 runs on the board batting first.

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Asia Cup 2018: Afghanistan win by 91 runs, knock Sri Lanka out of Asia Cup (Match Report)

In reply of Afghanistan's 249/10, Sri Lanka bundled out for 158/10 in 41.2 overs, Mujeeb, Nabi and Rashid take 2 wickets each and Rahmat was highest scorer with 72 runs.

Asia Cup 2018: Afghanistan knocked five-time champions Sri Lanka out of the Asia Cup with a 91-run win here Monday, the result reflecting the rise of the cricketers from the strife-torn nation and the fall of the once all-conquering islanders.

Opting to bat after winning the toss, Afghanistan were all out for 249 in 50 over on a pitch that looked to be on the slower side, making stroke-making difficult.

Rahmat Shah top-scored for the minnows with a composed 72 off 90 balls, while pacer Thisara Perera was the most successful bowler for the islanders with figures of five for 55.

In reply, Sri Lanka were bundled out for 158 in 41.2 overs.

Afghanistan vs Sri lanka

Afghanistan have had an impressive run so far in 2018, beating Zimbabwe and Ireland, apart from winning the qualifiers to book a berth in next year's ICC World Cup.

At the the Sheikh Zayed Stadium, the Afghanistan cricket team made another emphatic statement.

In the past, batting has often let them down but once they closed in on 250, the spin-heavy Afghanistan fancied their chances against the struggling Sri Lankans, who simply caved in and threw away their wickets.

By the time their trump card Rashid Khan was introduced, Afghanistan had already taken two wickets, and the leg-spinner delivered immediately bowling out Kusal Perera, who made an unsuccessful attempt to unsettle the strike bowler.

↓↓↓ Over -by-Over Highlights & Scorecard ↓↓↓

Sri Lanka vs Afghanistan

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Virat Kohli admits India were ‘outplayed’ by England in crushing Lord’s defeat

England defeated India by an innings and 159 runs on the fourth day of the second Test to take 2-0 lead in the five-match series.

Sports News : After suffering a crushing defeat at the hands of England in the second Test at the Lord's, Indian skipper Virat Kohli has admitted that his side deserved to lose the match as they were completely outplayed by the home side.

Pacers James Anderson and Stuart Broad combined to take eight wickets as England crushed India by an innings and 159 runs on the fourth day of the second Test to take 2-0 lead in the five-match series here at the Lord's Cricket Ground on Sunday.

Expressing disappointment over the loss, Kohli said that he is not at all proud of the way his side performed in the match, while admitting that the England team displayed their hard work and dedication throughout the game.

"Not proud of the way we've played. First time in the last five Tests that we've been outplayed. We deserved to lose this game, the way we went about things.," Kohli said in a post-match presentation. Virat Kohli further didn't mince his words as he said the poor batting conditions could not be blamed for the defeat.

"Can't really think about conditions when you're playing the game. You can't sit and crib about these things. Sometimes the rub of the green won't go your way. Even when the ball's doing a bit, you have to pitch it in the right areas," he added.

However, Kohli allayed concerns about his injury, saying he is confident of getting fit ahead of the third Test. "I should be fine. Lower back issue, I'm confident I'll be fine in five days time with a bit of rehab," Kohli asserted. It should be noted that the match was India's first innings defeat under Kohli's captaincy.

↓↓↓ Match highlights & Scorecard ↓↓↓

India vs England Match Scorecard

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India vs England 2nd Test Result: England beat India by an innings and 159 runs (Scorecard)

England bowled out India for 130 runs in 2nd innings to win second Test by an innings and 159 runs on Day 4 at Lord's cricket ground in London. England take a 2-0 lead in the five-match series.

 

Sports News : India suffered an embarrassing 159-run innings defeat in the second Test against England after yet another batting failure on day four at Lord's in London, leaving the struggling visitors 0-2 behind in the five-match series. Indian batsmen failed to learn from their mistakes and were all at sea against the moving ball as the second innings folded up for 130 in 47 overs.

James Anderson (4-23) once again toyed with the opposition, taking his match tally to nine, and equally effective was Stuart Broad (4-44). England, who resumed at overnight 356 for six, declared their first innings at 396 for seven earlier on Sunday with Chris Woakes staying unbeaten on 137. The Indian batsmen let the team down also in the first Test but the away side at least put up a fight. Here at the 'Home of Cricket', the Virat Kohli-led unit showed no semblance of a fight, bringing back the haunted memories of the previous series in 2014 and 2011.

With the rain threat looming large over the remainder of the game, India needed to bat for survival. But it wasn't to be as the batsmen once again cut a sorry picture after mustering 107 in the first innings that lasted just 35.2 overs. The crushing loss has given the Indian team management plenty to think about ahead of the third Test beginning August 18 at Nottingham.

The weather was also kind on the impressive hosts, who batted in the sunshine on day three while overcast conditions made the job tougher for the Indian batsmen. "Not very proud of the way we played. For the first time in the last five Tests, we were outplayed," said captain Virat Kohli at the post-match presentation.

↓↓↓ Match highlights & Scorecard ↓↓↓

India vs England Match Scorecard

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‘Mr 360’ AB de Villiers announces retirement from all forms of cricket

AB de Villiers played 114 test matches and scored 8765 runs with an average of 50.77. His career best in 5-day cricket is 278 not out. While in 228 One Day Internationals (ODIs), he amassed 9577 runs.

Latest News : AB de Villiers, popularly known as ABD, announced his retirement from international cricket with immediate effect through a Twitter post saying that he has run “out of gas”. He announced his retirement from Tuks Cricket Club in Pretoria saying, “At this place the Tuks Cricket Club where I arrived as a nervous youngster when I was first called for Proteas squad and from the same place I wanted you to know that I retire from all international cricket with immediate effect.”

AB de Villiers played 114 test matches and scored 8765 runs with an average of 50.77. His career best in 5-day cricket is 278 not out. While in 228 One Day Internationals (ODIs), he amassed 9577 runs with an average of 53.50.

“… It’s about running out of gas, and feeling that it’s time to move on. Everything comes to an end… I have no plans to play overseas and I hope to be available for the Titans (his domestic side),” de Villiers said.

The 34-year-old swashbuckler, a fan-favourite for his innovative strokeplay and power-hitting, also has a prolific IPL record, scoring 3953 runs with an average of 39.53.

In IPL his top score is 133 runs. In IPL 2018 he was the second highest run-getter for Royal Challengers Bangalore (RCB) as he scored 480 runs with an average of 53.33 in 12 matches

“…it’s time for others to take over. I have had my turn and to be honest I am tired. This is a tough decision. I have thought long and hard about it and I’d like to retire while still playing decent cricket,” said the right-hander, who played for Royal Challengers Bangalore in IPL 2018.

RCB are already out of the title race this season.

“After fantastic series wins over India and Australia, now is the time to step aside. It would not be right for me to pick and choose where and what format to play for the Proteas. For me, it must be everything or nothing,” he said.