Impressed by the nagging discipline shown by the pacemen in their final warm-up game against the West Indies, Indian captain Rahul Dravid said it had given them an idea about their bowling attack for the World Cup matches.He said even though the pitches in the Caribbean were expected to suit t

Virender Sehwag came a cropper again but India sent a strong warning to their rivals with a thumping nine-wicket win against hosts West Indies in the final warm-up match before the World Cup.While Sehwag's prolonged bad patch was a worry for the Indian think-tank, Irfan Pathan's three-wicket h

Captain Rahul Dravid today said that the key players in his team where coming into top form and fitness which augured well for India's chances at the cricket World Cup. "Most key players are finding form and fitness which is a good sign for us," Dravid said after a convincing ni

Hours before the start of the World Cup, Indian cricket team dealt with a blow as opener Sourav Ganguly injured his ankle during net practice today to be doubtful for the warm-up match against the West Indies. Indian team sources said Ganguly hurt his ankle during the practice session and

Unfazed by the controversy surrounding his conversation with an alleged Indian bookie, West Indies middle order batsman Marlon Samuels insists he is not bothered by the "distraction" and is preparing to live up to captain Brian Lara's expectations. Samuels has had a good run in r

Refusing to part with his hard-earned money for an expensive passage to the West Indies, the average Indian cricket fan has given a firm thumbs down to the World Cup. While tour operators blame it on Men in Blue's late peaking, the average crowd find the packages beyond their reach. Prem

Middle-order batsman Mohammad Kaif, bewildered by his omission from the Indian team, today said he was not told by the authorities concerned which aspects of the game he needs to address. "I have not been told which areas of my game I need to improve upon," Kaif, here to guide

A confident India will warm-up against cricket minnows the Netherlands at Trelawny stadium here tomorrow, seeking to acclimatise to the Caribbean conditions before launching their quest of regaining the World Cup after nearly a quarter of a century. The Rahul Dravid-led team, which is regar

A two-member team of International Cricket Council (ICC) today received tapes of alleged conversation between West Indies all-rounder Marlon Samuels and bookie Mukesh Kochar ahead of the January 21 ODI. "We have handed over the tapes and transcripts to N.S. Virk -- regional security

Team India will be guarded by elite National Security Guard commandos in West Indies during the World Cup Cricket because security arrangements in the Carribean Islands were considered not up to the mark. The government took a decision in this regard after West Indian officials conveyed t

The BCCI President Sharad Pawar, who could not meet the World Cup-bound Indian team here yesterday to convey his best wishes in person, is planning to visit the West Indies in the first week of April to watch a couple of Super 8 Series games. "He could not make it to Mumbai and meet t

Pakistan pacers Shoaib Akhtar and Mohammad Asif were today ruled out of the World Cup in Caribbean due to injuries. The team's media manager, Pervez Mir told reporters that both the fast bowlers had not been able to recover from injuries despite getting treatment in London. "They

Dismissing uncertainty over the fitness of some players', skipper Rahul Dravid said that all 15 going to the West Indies for the World Cup were fit. 'I am happy with the pacers and I don't think we are taking any unfit player to the World Cup,' said Dravid at press conference here, hours b

Ending the suspense over his fitness, left-arm seamer Irfan Pathan today got the green signal to play in the ICC cricket World Cup beginning in the West Indies next month. "There are no alteration in the 15-member World Cup squad. Pathan will go to West Indies for the Workd Cup,&quo

Indian cricket captain Rahul Dravid has said that his team is capable of handling all challenges at World Cup. Sending out an ominous signal to World Cup rivals, he said that his team was not only motivated but "fully equipped" to do well in Caribbean conditions. Dravid said

The TV umpire can indicate a batsman is not out if the replays show there was no contact between bat and ball when an appeal for caught behind is referred to him - under the rules and regulations adopted for the upcoming cricket World Cup. Among other interesting regulations for the March 1

India would have to improve its fielding to bring back the World Cup which it won 24 years ago, says talented middle order batsman Yuvraj Singh. "We are improving our fielding. That is one area we have to improve upon. And, we are working hard in that area," Yuvraj told reporters

Bowlers of rival teams in the coming World Cup have to put in extra effort to bowl dot balls against ICC's number two batsman Mahendra Singh Dhoni, who today said he would strive hard to take at least one run every ball he faced in the quadrennial showpiece. "I will try to play well a

Indian paceman Irfan Pathan on Thursday brushed aside concerns over his form and fitness, saying he was confident of delivering at next month's World Cup in the Caribbean. "Whatever has happened in the last eight months has made me stronger. I am happy to have gone through this phas

Bowlers of rival teams in the coming world cup have to put in extra effort to bowl dot balls against ICC's number two batsman Mahendra Singh Dhoni, who said he would strive hard to take at least one run every ball he faced in the quadrennial showpiece. "I will try to play well and my

Former Indian skipper Sourav Ganguly's return to international cricket was today celebrated with the launch of journalist Debashish Dutta's new book charting Dada's career. The book contains scores of pictures throughout Sourav Ganguly's career. In fact, Debashish Dutta has also added anoth

Australia captain Ricky Ponting has come up with a simple solution to end his team's habit of failing to defend massive totals -- bat second. Australia have been on the wrong end of the four biggest run-chases in one-day cricket history, all in the past 14 months, raising concerns abou

West Indies great Garfield Sobers said on Wednesday he was confident Australia would bounce back from their recent string of losses and make a strong title defence at next month’s World Cup in the Caribbean. The world champions were whitewashed 3-0 in the one-day series against hosts

India wicketkeeper-batsman Mahendra Singh Dhoni has moved up to second position overtaking Australian captain Ricky Ponting in the latest ICC Player Rakings for ODI batsmen. The 25-year-old, who had briefly reigned the rankings charts last year, has just completed a successful four-match

This time around it won't be easy for the beleaguered Australians to defend their World Cup title for more than one reason. First, their successive defeats at the hands of New Zealand that made them lose number one spot in the ICC ranking must have discouraged them. Secondly a sea cha

India’s wicketkeeper-batsman Mahendra Singh Dhoni has moved up to second position overtaking Australian captain Ricky Ponting in the latest ICC Player rakings for ODI batsmen. This is Dhoni`s highest ranking since May 2006. The 25-year-old, who had briefly reigned the rankings chart la

Plagued by a lackluster form and niggling injuries, Irfan Pathan admitted that things were not going his way but was keen to prove his form and fitness before the World Cup. Pathan, who is part of the World Cup squad, has been asked to play for West Zone in the Deodhar Trophy one dayer a

Young middle order batsman Dinesh Karthick said his match-winning half-century that helped India beat the West Indies at Cuttack was crucial in winning him a berth in the World Cup squad. "Definitely my chances increased after I got runs (top-score of 63) in the Cuttack game (on Jan

S Sreesanth says his own expectations after a successful Test series in South Africa may have resulted in a patchy performance in the recent One day games against the West Indies and Sri Lanka. Sreesanth said in trying too hard to take wickets, he forgot the basics and thus returned with

Team India's batting fulcrum Yuvraj Singh has said that the players are aware that they need to improve over their fielding standards and are working harder in that department to give themselves a strong chance of winning the World Cup. "Fielding, obviously, is a key area of the game