Australian captain Ricky Ponting said today his side was better prepared to tackle the Indian team including big guns Rahul Dravid, Sachin Tendulkar and Sourav Ganguly as it knows their "strengths and weaknesses". India would be under pressure after their young team clinched th

Pakistan captain Shoaib Malik today described his team's close defeats against India as sheer bad luck and said the players were high on morale as they were not lacking in cricketing terms. "Man to man both teams were equal in strength and balanced. Team to team we fought on an even k

India's World Cup winning cricketers returned to a tumultuous welcome today as an ecstatic nation rolled out the red carpet for the homecoming of their young heroes. The euphoria of the remarkable Twenty20 World Cup triumph spilled over onto the streets as the bustling metropolis virtually

A day after India won the first Twenty20 World Cup in Johannesburg, former Indian cricket captain Kapil Dev described Mahendra Singh Dhoni as "fearless" and the shortest format of the game as a "big hit." Kapil who was here to promote a brand congratulated the team for its

Although the heart-breaking loss to India in the Twenty20 World Cup final would haunt him for some time to come, Pakistani pacer Umar Gul said he is relieved to have come out largely unscathed in an event tailored for batsmen. "I am proud of these 13 wickets. They mean a lot to me. Firs

India's triumph over Pakistan in the inaugural Twenty20 extravaganza last night made Pathan siblings -- Irfan and Yusuf -- part of history as they become the lone Indian brothers in a World Cup winning side. Irfan and Yusuf, the latter representing the country for the first time, played vi

Four days ahead of the first match of the one-day series between India and Australia here, excitement is already in the air as a sell-out crowd gears up for the limited overs game. Tickets for for the September 29 match were sold in no time, fuelled by India's sterling performance in the T

India's young brigade may have been exceptional in the Twenty20 World Cup but the side will have to fall back on veterans like Sachin Tendulkar and Rahul Dravid once it returns to playing "serious cricket", feels former New Zealand all-rounder Chris Cairns. "Of course the yo

Pakistan Cricket Board has announced a cash prize of Rs 5 lakh for each player of its team for making the summit clash of the ongoing Twenty20 World Cup. "The PCB Chairman has announced 500,000 each for the players for winning the semi-final. Obviously if we win the final there will be

Pakistan's cricket greats are backing their team to win the Twenty20 World Cup title by beating arch rivals India in tomorrow's final in Johannesburg. Be it Wasim Akram, Javed Miandad, Rameez Raja, Rashid Latif or Aaqib Javed, they all believe Pakistan has the spirit and potential to beat In

Indian batsmen are a "scared species", making them an easy prey for the Australian pace battery in the upcoming ODI series, feel former Aussie bowlers Ray Bright and Rodney Hogg. Former pacer Hogg and Bright -- a left-arm spinner of the 70's -- felt the Indians would not get much

The Australian cricket team breathed a huge sigh of relief today when captain Ricky Ponting was cleared for the upcoming seven-match one-day series in India. Cricket Australia's National Selection Panel confirmed that Ponting, who suffered a hamstring strain during the ongoing Twenty20 Wor

A scintillating Yuvraj Singh hit six sixes in an over en route to his 14-ball 58 against England to keep alive India's semifinal hopes in the Twenty20 cricket World Cup here tonight. In reply to India's imposing 218 for four, England managed 200 losing six wickets, with Vikram Solanki (43

Breaking his silence over his surprise resignation as India's cricket captain, Rahul Dravid said today that he was not enjoying the job after two years because "there is a shelf life to captaincy in India". The 34-year-old batsman, who has not said a word in public since his resigna

Former India coach Greg Chappell, who quit the hot-seat in the aftermath of the World Cup debacle in March, is returning to the country to join an academy set up by the Rajasthan Cricket Association (RCA). Chappell, along with bio-mechanist Ian Frazer, have been signed up as advisors by th

Rahul Dravid's out-of-the-blue decision to relinquish the captaincy of the Indian cricket team found a supporter in former Australian captain Ian Chappell, who believes India should ask VVS Laxman to lead the Test squad, while the ODI reins should be in MS Dhoni's hands. Chappell, an astut

Mahendra Singh Dhoni might have led India to a famous win through a 'bowl out' against arch-rivals Pakistan in the Twenty20 World Cup, but the dashing wicket-keeper would not like to see cricket matches ending in such a fashion. A beaming Dhoni was all praise for his side for snatching a

Rahul Dravid today sprang a surprise by resigning as the captain of Indian cricket team on the ground that the burden of leadership was affecting his batting. Back from leading India to a rare Test rpt Test series win against England, Dravid submitted his resignation to BCCI Chief Sharad Paw

Rain played spoilsport as India's Group D match against Scotland in the Twenty20 cricket World Cup was called off without a ball being bowled here. The points were divided between the two teams yesterday and both India and Scotland now have one point each in their kitty. Scotland though ha

The BCCI today asserted its new Indian Premier League (IPL) will be a commercial success with over 30 corporates and individuals already approaching it for sponsorship, even as Sony Entertainment Television claimed it was confident of bagging telecast rights for these matches. "Wh

Traditional rivals India and Pakistan will resume their cricketing hostilities when they square up against each other here tomorrow in a Group D clash of the Twenty20 World Cup at Kingsmead. The two Asian giants could not keep their date in second round clash at the 2007 World Cup in the

The "roadblocks" being put up by the BCCI notwithstanding, Indian Cricket League's Executive Board Chairman Kapil Dev today asserted that the rebel series would go ahead as per schedule. Addressing reporters at Mayajaal grounds on the sidelines of an ongoing camp for ICL players,

Playing down the absence of fast bowler Shoaib Akhtar, Pakistan skipper Shoaib Malik said the presence of explosive striker Shahid Afridi would provide his team some psychological advantage in the much-awaited Twenty20 clash against India on Friday. After the disastrous World Cup in the Wes

The Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) today said it has settled a dispute with sports gear firm Nike on sponsorship issue, adjusting 1.228 million dollars compensation claim put on the Board after making some discounts. "There is no outstanding issue, everything has been reso

Mahendra Singh Dhoni is set for a challenge of leading a virtually inexperienced team in the World Twenty20 Championships as India has played just one international match in the shortest version of the game. Dhoni on his debut as a captain, however, can draw inspiration from the one-off ma

Captain Mahendra Singh Dhoni today said that it was imperative for the Indian team to adapt quickly to the demands of Twenty20 cricket to be able to make an impact in the inaugural World Championship. Dhoni said the players had to approach the tournament with an open mind as the pressing s

With a batsman of Rahul Dravid's calibre at their disposal, Team India need not explore other options for the crucial number three slot, said chief selector Dilip Vengsarkar. In an exclusive interview, Vengsarkar wondered what made the think-tank try out Dinesh Kaarthick rpt Kaarthick, Yu

Juggling captaincy, wicket-keeping and batting is no kid's play but Rahul Dravid has immense faith in Mahendra Singh Dhoni and feels the swashbuckler with flowing tresses can lead India to World Twenty20 triumph in South Africa later this month. Dravid said he had advised Dhoni to keep

Virender Sehwag has decided to rein in his natural agressive instincts a bit so as not to throw away good starts as in the past when he re-enters the international cricket arena through the Twenty20 World Cup starting in South Africa in two days' time. "I have been doing yoga training

Mohun Bagan's Brazilian coach Carlos Roberto Pereira da Silva says India would do well to aim at qualifying for the 2014 World Cup instead of focus 2010 edition of the quadrennial mega event. "The Federation and everybody else connected with football should look at the bigger picture