Sports

Mumbai, November 23: While all eyes are on Virender Sehwag, who will be playing in his 100th Test, and Sachin Tendulkar, who will probably be featuring in his last Test on home soil, one man will be happy to have the focus off him: Gautam Gambhir. The southpaw averages a disappointing 27.76 in his last 22 Tests and has scored just eight fifties. A battling 93 against South Africa at Cape Town is

Mumbai, November 23: A lot of things have changed about English cricket in recent years. They don't always end up losing to Australia anymore; won an ICC trophy in 2009; became the World's No. 1 Test team for a brief period last year and their life doesn't revolve just around the Ashes like it used to. In fact, captain Alastair Cook -- the choir boy turned prolific run-getter -- insists that the

Mumbai, November 22: Indian captain Mahendra Singh Dhoni on Thursday ruled out any chance of including a third spinner in the team for the second Test against England commencing on Friday. "Not really. We are looking at a 2-2 combination. Add balance to the side. Also you don't know exactly whether you are bowling first or batting first. Which means if the spinners are bowling and there is not

Mumbai, November 22: Buoyed by the comprehensive nine-wicket win in the series opener, a confident India will look to maintain their stranglehold over England when the second Test begins on Friday in conditions which is expected to suit the home team spinners. Already 1-0 up in what has been touted as the 'revenge series', another victory for Mahendra Singh Dhoni's men will ensure that England's

Mumbai, November 22: After Pepsi won the Indian Premier League title sponsorship rights for Rs 396 crore for the next five years starting 2013, Pepsico vice-president (marketing) Deepika Warrier defended the price of the deal. "We really believe in this property and we really believe that this is a big brand that the BCCI has been able to build. It's a brand that rivals sporting brands across the

Mumbai, November 22: Sudhir Naik, the Wankhede Stadium curator, walked out of the field after a long day's work on Wednesday afternoon, pouting at the sight of the Indian team that had arrived for a practice session and gnawing away at inquisitive journalists. "They want it to turn from the first ball... Yeh kya laga rakhe hain (what are they thinking?)," he murmured. "Pehla over bhi nahi, pehle

Mumbai, November 22: To earn the trust of your captain is perhaps the second-most important task for any spinner, other than his bowling. A good bowler who has his captain's backing is doubly potent, as Pragyan Ojha is now discovering. The left-arm spinner, who rose nine places in the ICC bowling charts post the Ahmedabad Test to make it to the top-five, is becoming captain Mahendra Singh Dhoni's

Mumbai, November 21: Yuvraj Singh's fairytale comeback into the Indian team after fighting a rare germ cell cancer has been a matter of great discussion in the cricket fraternity across the world. Those who have played the game over the years and those who have watched him play have been generous in singing their praise. However, the same people are equally convinced that Yuvraj, despite being the

Mumbai, November 21: The BCCI's Working Committee will meet here tomorrow to discuss the course of action on former captain Mohammad Azharuddin after the ban imposed on him by the Board was lifted by the Andhra Pradesh High Court earlier this month. "The Working Committee will discuss what action will be taken on Azharuddin after the High Court lifted the ban imposed on him by the Board," a BCCI

Mumbai, November 21: Pace bowlers were meant to be mere side casts to offer relief to the aching fingers of R Ashwin and Pragyan Ojha. But after the first Test, Zaheer Khan and Umesh Yadav have proved unequivocally that they are here not to fill the numbers. Yes, the spinners have bowled more overs – 137.2 to pace bowlers’ 72.3 – at Ahmedabad and the tweakers have taken 13 wickets whereas Zaheer