Former Sri Lanka fast bowler Nuwan Kulasekara has said MS Dhoni never raised the 2011 World Cup final during their time together at Chennai Super Kings. Dhoni hit Kulasekara for the winning six in Mumbai to seal India's title. Kulasekara joined CSK immediately after the tournament and played alongside Dhoni for several seasons.

Kulasekara told Revsportz that Dhoni's silence on the subject reflected his focus on the present rather than past results. He also expressed regret at dropping Gautam Gambhir during the final, noting that the opener went on to score 97. Kulasekara said such moments are part of the game and pointed to Ben Stokes' experience in the 2016 T20 World Cup final before England's 2019 triumph.

Moeen Ali separately named former India pacer Ashish Nehra as the greatest cricket brain he has encountered, citing Nehra's work as Gujarat Titans head coach and earlier at Royal Challengers Bengaluru.

Shubman Gill and the Indian team landed in Colombo on Tuesday for the two-Test series that starts August 15 in Galle. Jasprit Bumrah stayed home after the Centre of Excellence wouldn't clear him, the knee he hurt against England last month still a problem. Auqib Nabi comes in for his first India call-up after 104 wickets across the last two Ranji seasons.

Sai Sudharsan won't play the warm-up that starts August 7 because of a toe niggle, though he's expected to be fit for the first Test. Subhadeep Ghosh takes over as fielding coach, replacing T Dilip after the T20Is against Zimbabwe.

Gill had already flagged the fitness worries before the squad left, and at least five players from the original group missed the final ODI against England. The BCCI is now reviewing how the selectors and the Centre of Excellence talk to each other about injuries.

Pretoria Capitals captain Keshav Maharaj pointed to Sourav Ganguly as the man who set the tone. Ganguly joined the franchise as head coach last year and built an environment that carried them to the SA20 final in their debut season. They fell short by six wickets against Sunrisers Eastern Cape.

It was Ganguly's first coaching job. He'd been president of the Cricket Association of Bengal and the BCCI before that, then worked as an advisor and team director with Delhi Capitals in the IPL.

The next edition starts in January 2027 with the same final matchup. Maharaj said the priority is a strong opening and showing up ready against the champions.

Sunil Gavaskar said Ajinkya Rahane never received the credit his leadership deserved after India won the Border-Gavaskar Trophy 2-1 in Australia in 2020-21. Rahane took charge after India were bowled out for 36 in Adelaide and Virat Kohli returned home for the birth of his first child. The visitors also lost several players to injury yet still won the series.

Gavaskar wrote in his Mid-Day column that Rahane's record of four wins from six Tests as captain matched Dravid's achievement of winning series without receiving full recognition. He noted that Rahane scored a century in Melbourne immediately after the Adelaide collapse and guided India to their first Test victory at the Gabba.

Gavaskar added that Rahane leaves the game without a single enemy and that fewer than a dozen cricketers can make the same claim. Rahane announced his retirement from all formats last week after playing 85 Tests for India.

West Indies fast bowler Alzarri Joseph has criticised head coach Daren Sammy for saying he declined selection for the ongoing Test series against Pakistan. Joseph said his body was not ready for Test cricket after returning from a year-long injury layoff caused by a recurrent lower-back stress fracture.

Joseph said the statement from Cricket West Indies cited personal reasons but Sammy's public comments created a narrative without proper context. He explained that playing two Tests plus five back-to-back ODIs would have been too much for his body.

Joseph said he remains professional and will represent the West Indies without holding any personal grudge against Sammy. He emphasised that he goes to work for the team and the people of the West Indies, not to make friends with the coaching staff.

Bjorn Fortuin has been named captain of South Africa's white-ball squad for the tour of Namibia. Aiden Markram and Temba Bavuma, along with most of the country's first-choice players, have been rested from the tour.

The 15-member squad will play a T20I tri-series against Namibia and Zimbabwe from August 28 to September 6. This will be followed by a three-match ODI series against Namibia from September 9 to 13, marking the first bilateral 50-over contest between the two countries.

Duan Jansen and Eathan Bosch are among the uncapped players in the T20I squad. Connor Esterhuizen, Jordan Hermann and Nqobani Mokoena have received their first ODI call-ups. South Africa departs Johannesburg on August 25.

The BCCI plans to look at the team's injury troubles and assess physiotherapist Kamlesh Jain once the Sri Lanka Tests are done. Jain has held the role since replacing Nitin Patel in 2022.

India have lost players in batches. Jasprit Bumrah is the latest to drop out. Harshit Rana, Nitish Kumar Reddy and Washington Sundar were already unavailable, and Sai Sudharsan still needs a fitness sign-off.

Captain Shubman Gill and coach Gautam Gambhir have both voiced irritation at the constant absences. The review sits for early August and could bring changes to the support staff.

Joe Root said he is in a different place mentally compared to when he stepped down as England Test captain four years ago. He will lead the side in the upcoming three-match series against Pakistan. Root cited coach Brendon McCullum as a key reason for accepting the role again.

The former captain had relinquished the position in 2022 after a prolonged period in charge. His return comes as England prepare for their next Test cycle under the current coaching setup.

Root's first assignment will be the Pakistan series, which begins later this year. He indicated that the circumstances and his own perspective have changed since his initial tenure.

Joe Root stayed unbeaten on 58 from 40 balls as Welsh Fire chased 138 and beat Birmingham Phoenix by seven wickets at Edgbaston. He and Phil Salt knocked off the target without much fuss.

Welsh Fire had lost their opening games, so this mattered. Root didn't force anything — he just found gaps, rotated the strike, and kept the asking rate in check against both spin and pace.

Three matches left in the group stage, and Welsh Fire are back in the mix.

Former Pakistan fast bowler Shoaib Akhtar has warned Babar Azam's side that England will prepare seam-friendly pitches for the three-Test series starting August 19 at Headingley. Akhtar told a local sports platform that the hosts will not repeat the mistake West Indies made by allowing Pakistan to get into winning positions during their recent 1-1 series draw. Pakistan enter the series after their first away Test win since July 2023. Babar Azam returned to the ICC Test batting top 10 after scoring 88 and 24 not out in the drawn series against West Indies, moving five places to tenth position. The second Test begins at Lord's on August 27, while the third starts at Edgbaston on September 9. Pakistan are currently ninth in the World Test Championship standings after the West Indies series.