Dilip highlighted Kohli's consistent intensity and its effect on teammates' standards.
Former India fielding coach T Dilip said Virat Kohli maintains the same intensity on the field even at this stage of his career. He noted that Kohli's approach remains consistent whether in practice sessions or matches.
Dilip said what impressed him most was Kohli's work when the ball was not coming to him. He cited Kohli running toward the non-striker to collect throws and returning the ball to the wicketkeeper as examples of sustained effort.
Dilip added that Kohli's intensity is contagious and pushes other fielders to stretch their limits. He said Kohli continues to field at long-on in the closing overs and is among the first to run out, setting an example for the team.
Sarfaraz Khan's India recall continues Chennai Super Kings' record of reviving international careers.
Sarfaraz Khan's selection for India's two-Test tour of Sri Lanka adds another name to Chennai Super Kings' list of players who revived their international careers after playing for the franchise. He replaces Sai Sudharsan, who was ruled out with a toe injury, for the first Test in Galle beginning August 15.
Sarfaraz scored 161 runs in 10 innings for CSK in IPL 2026 at a strike rate of 169.47. His opportunities were limited, but the manner of his scoring, including a 25-ball fifty against Royal Challengers Bengaluru, impressed selectors. He had not played for India since the Mumbai Test against New Zealand in November 2024.
Previous CSK players who returned to the India side after strong IPL seasons include Suresh Raina in 2008, Ashish Nehra in 2015 and Ambati Rayudu in 2018. The pattern shows the franchise has repeatedly provided a platform for players seeking second chances.
Gavaskar linked India's current standing to the 1983 triumph during the '83 Legends Tour in Singapore.
Sunil Gavaskar said India's 1983 World Cup victory changed the outlook of Indian cricket and the rest of the cricketing world toward the country. He made the remarks during the '83 Legends Tour of Singapore, where the 1983 squad received a felicitation from the Mariners Cricket Club at the Singapore Indian Association ground.
Gavaskar noted that the win gave Indian players and administrators newfound confidence. He added that the IPL has shown the world what a well-organised tournament can achieve, with Indian franchise owners now lifting cricketing ecosystems in other countries.
Gavaskar also previewed India's upcoming two-Test series in Sri Lanka. He said the matches will not be easy, as Sri Lanka are a formidable team at home, and winning both would give India a strong start to their World Test Championship campaign.
India's decision to pick Kuldeep Yadav, Ravindra Jadeja and Manav Suthar together signals a deliberate shift toward wrist-spin leadership in home conditions.
India are set to field three left-arm spinners in the first Test against Sri Lanka in Galle. Bowling coach Morne Morkel said the combination offers distinct skills — Kuldeep brings wrist spin and attacking threat, Jadeja brings control and accuracy, and Suthar turns the ball more than the other two. Morkel added that the Galle surface traditionally assists spin as the match progresses, so the trio becomes a genuine attacking option.
The selection comes amid transition in India's spin department. Jadeja is in the twilight of his career, while Suthar took seven wickets on debut against Afghanistan. Former spinner Murali Kartik believes the series will test whether Kuldeep can finally emerge as the next spin leader after limited opportunities under previous regimes. India sit fifth in the World Test Championship standings and need strong results to stay in contention for the 2027 final.
Kapil Dev has urged the BCCI to reduce fast-bowling workloads and increase domestic multi-day exposure.
Kapil Dev wants the BCCI to watch fast-bowling workloads more closely. The calendar is stacked with T20 cricket, and the body simply isn't built for that volume, he told the crowd at Bengaluru Blasters' JITO Premier League launch.
He also backed the board’s plan to send international players into domestic cricket. India’s recent trouble against spin in Tests, he said, stems partly from not playing enough multi-day cricket at home.
The team heads to Galle and Colombo on August 15 for two Tests against Sri Lanka, and Kapil Dev reckons they’ll need a different plan on the turning pitches.
Indian leg-spinner Rahul Chahar returned wicketless on his One-Day Cup debut for Surrey as the county was knocked out by Nottinghamshire. Chahar had earlier taken 8 for 15 on his first-class debut for the club in 2025.
Surrey posted 298 for eight after openers Ryan Patel and Dom Sibley scored 102 and 84. Chahar was dismissed for a second-ball duck. Nottinghamshire chased the target with ease, led by George Munsey’s 138.
Chahar finished with figures of 0 for 57 from 10 overs. Surrey’s elimination ends their One-Day Cup campaign with one group fixture remaining.
Mohammad Kaif has criticised the BCCI for failing to secure top medical professionals for the Centre of Excellence.
Former India batter Mohammad Kaif says he’s surprised the BCCI can’t land the best medical and rehab staff even with its money. The comments come after VVS Laxman revealed several candidates pulled out at the last minute for the Centre of Excellence in Bengaluru.
Sai Sudharsan’s toe injury has already ruled him out of the two-Test series against Sri Lanka that starts August 15. He joins Jasprit Bumrah, Harshit Rana, Nitish Kumar Reddy and Washington Sundar on the sidelines. Kaif points out that the board’s trouble locking down top physiotherapists is directly cutting into who’s available.
India will open the series in Galle missing several frontline players, and the gap has put fresh attention on how the BCCI runs its medical setup before a crowded calendar.
Shubman Gill, Yashasvi Jaiswal and Gurnoor Brar gave India positives in the Colombo warm-up. Devdutt Padikkal scored a century to press his Test claims.
Shubman Gill looked sharp during India's final warm-up against Sri Lanka Cricket XI in Colombo, moving freely and signalling he's ready for the Galle Test. Yashasvi Jaiswal opened with fluent batting while Gurnoor Brar made an impression with the ball.
Devdutt Padikkal scored a stylish century on day two, staking a real claim for selection. India used the fixture to work through their spin depth — Ravindra Jadeja and Manav Suthar both got extended time to press their cases. One surprise: Gary Kirsten, Sri Lanka's head coach, dropped by the Indian camp during the match.
Gill's full recovery from the blow to his right hand earlier in the tour removes the main selection headache. That lets India focus on which spinners to back rather than scrambling to find batting cover.
Bjorn Fortuin will captain South Africa on their upcoming tour of Namibia. The all-rounder leads the side in a T20I tri-series against Namibia and Zimbabwe beginning August 28, followed by a three-match ODI series.
Duan Jansen earned his maiden national call-up after impressing in domestic white-ball competitions. Eathan Bosch is the other uncapped T20I player in the squad. Connor Esterhuizen, Jordan Hermann and Nqobani Mokoena received their first ODI call-ups.
South Africa head coach Shukri Conrad said the tour provides opportunities for players to build international caps. Fortuin has previously captained the Lions in domestic cricket. The T20I tri-series runs from August 28 to September 6, with the ODI series scheduled for September 9 to 13.
Former India batter says the vacant sports science role is affecting team performance amid rising injuries.
Mohammad Kaif has criticised the BCCI for leaving the Sports Science and Medicine Head position empty at the Centre of Excellence. The post has sat vacant since Nitin Patel quit. Kaif says several candidates pulled out at the last minute after they had already agreed to take it.
He pointed to Jasprit Bumrah's absence from the third ODI against England as proof the issue is hurting the side. India gave up 387 runs that day. Kaif says the board needs to admit that the growing injury toll is dragging on performance. VVS Laxman confirmed Andrew Leipus had accepted the job before he withdrew for family reasons.
Laxman says the board spoke to five candidates. An Australian was chosen but then declined to move to Bengaluru. Kaif says the BCCI has the money to bring in the best medical staff yet keeps coming up short.
Travis Head called on Australia to stay grounded ahead of their World Test Championship series against Bangladesh despite being clear favourites.
Travis Head urged Australia to temper expectations ahead of their two-Test series against Bangladesh beginning August 13 in Darwin. The opening batter said the team faces scrutiny despite being favourites in their World Test Championship campaign.
Australia sit atop the WTC standings with a point percentage of 87.5. Head warned that expecting runs against Bangladesh can be harder than facing stronger opposition because the game remains unpredictable.
Jake Weatherald will make his home Test debut in Darwin. The left-hander scored 483 runs at an average of 60.37 in six County Championship matches for Leicestershire this season.
Jaffer said India must return to the strict fitness regime of the Kohli-Shastri period to reduce injuries.
Former India batter Wasim Jaffer wants the team to bring back the strict fitness regime that defined the Kohli-Shastri years. Back then, players who failed the tests were simply left out.
Five frontline options are already ruled out for the Sri Lanka Tests. Jasprit Bumrah is managing knee swelling, Sai Sudharsan, Harshit Rana, Nitish Kumar Reddy and Washington Sundar are all unavailable, while Akash Deep has been out longest with a lower-back stress fracture. The white-ball squad is short too—Hardik Pandya, Varun Chakravarthy and Prince Yadav are at the Centre of Excellence.
Jaffer insists the facility itself isn’t the problem. Contracted players still sit regular fitness tests, and injured players stay on for rehab. Selection decisions, he points out, rest with the captain, coach and selectors—not the physios.
Ajinkya Rahane will make his Test commentary debut on Sony Sports Network during India's two-Test series against Sri Lanka starting August 15. The 38-year-old retired from all forms of cricket on July 30 after scoring 5,077 runs in 85 Tests at an average of 38.46, including 12 centuries. Rahane's most memorable leadership achievement came during India's 2020-21 tour of Australia when he captained the side to a 2-1 series victory.
Retirement will not mean a complete break from the game. Rahane has signed for Amsterdam Flames as their marquee player for the inaugural European T20 Premier League, which begins on August 26. He will bring more than a decade of international experience to his new role in the commentary box.
Tendulkar expected Rahane to play longer, but the batter chose to retire without regrets.
Ajinkya Rahane announced his retirement from international cricket on July 30. Sachin Tendulkar was the first person to call. He told Rahane he'd expected him to keep playing, but the 38-year-old said he didn't want to stretch his career any further.
Rahane also heard from Virat Kohli, Rohit Sharma and Jasprit Bumrah. Across 85 Tests, 90 ODIs and 20 T20Is he scored more than 8,000 runs. His last innings came against West Indies in Port of Spain in 2023. Three years earlier he'd led India to a 2-1 Border-Gavaskar Trophy win in Australia when the senior players were out injured.
He cried after filming his retirement video. He'll play for Steve Waugh's Amsterdam Flames in the first season of The Hundred.
Kuldeep Yadav was rested after bowling nearly 20 overs in the warm-up. India are monitoring his fitness ahead of the Galle Test.
India rested Kuldeep Yadav in the second innings of the Colombo warm-up after he'd already bowled close to 20 overs — 18 during the three-day match plus a couple more before play started. Team management wanted to assess his condition rather than pile on the workload.
Spin bowling coach Sairaj Bahutule confirmed it was precautionary. Ravindra Jadeja, Manav Suthar and Saransh Jain got extended bowling time instead, giving the selectors more data on who partners Kuldeep at Galle. With his Test career a stop-start affair, keeping him fresh matters. The next few days will show how his body's holding up before the actual Test begins.
The Pakistan Cricket Board hasn't decided whether to publicly announce the list of players receiving central contracts under its new format-based system.
The Pakistan Cricket Board still hasn't settled whether it'll announce the list of players getting central contracts under its new payment and categorisation system. Usually the board releases the names by the first week of August, with contracts covering June to July each fiscal year.
A source told PTI the board sees no need to make the names public, calling it an internal matter. Pakistan ODI captain Shaheen Shah Afridi said he hadn't heard about the decision when asked in Multan on Monday.
The PCB confirmed earlier that format-based contracts would begin for 2026-27. Male players will qualify if they've played at least four Tests, six ODIs, or six T20Is in the previous 12 months. The uncertainty arrives while the board faces separate questions over its financial disclosures.
Cricket Scotland and the Royal Dutch Cricket Association criticised the ICC for making significant structural changes to the 2027 ODI World Cup qualification pathway less than 18 months before the tournament.
Cricket Scotland and the Royal Dutch Cricket Association have criticised the International Cricket Council's recent changes to the qualification pathway and format for the Men's 50-over World Cup. The two European Associate Member boards said they were disappointed that the ICC had made significant structural changes less than 18 months before the tournament begins.
The ICC announced the changes in June as part of a revamp of structures for its two men's World Cup tournaments. The tournament will still have 14 teams, but the three lowest-ranked teams will now first play in a Super Series round, with only the top team advancing to the main 12-team group stage.
The boards said changing qualification rules during a cycle creates uncertainty for players and teams. Members invest years preparing for World Cups, and confidence in those pathways depends on them not changing part-way through a qualification cycle without consultation. They also highlighted that the opportunity to compete at a World Cup provides Associate Members with a unique competitive opportunity to drive investment and inspire players.
Cricket Scotland and the Royal Dutch Cricket Association criticised the ICC's decision to reduce direct qualification spots for the 2027 ODI World Cup from 14 to 11 teams.
Cricket Scotland and the Royal Dutch Cricket Association have criticised the ICC's decision to cut direct qualification spots for the 2027 ODI World Cup. Only 11 of the 14 teams that qualify will now enter the group stage straight, while three others must fight through a Super Series with just one survivor. The ICC announced the shift in July, barely 18 months before the tournament.
The two Associate boards called it a setback for Associate cricket and said it risks undoing recent progress. They argued that decisions of this scale should follow proper consultation and leave enough time for affected members to adjust. Both boards met the ICC twice asking for written confirmation and clearer process details.
They also asked for an invitation to bilateral planning meetings with Full Members and positive steps to improve future decision-making. Changing qualification rules mid-cycle leaves players and teams who have spent years preparing for the event in the dark, they said.
Chahal's 3 for 35 helped Northants bowl out Somerset before they chased the target with seven wickets in hand.
Yuzvendra Chahal claimed three for 35 as Northamptonshire bowled out Somerset for 185 in the One-Day Cup. Chahal dismissed Archie Vaughan and two tailenders to finish with 15 wickets in six matches.
Northamptonshire reached the target in 30 overs for a seven-wicket victory. Luke Procter scored 85 and shared a 136-run stand with Nathan McSweeney.
Chahal now sits fourth in the list of highest wicket-takers in the tournament.
Saikia said the board is open to moving the Duleep Trophy final to a stadium because crowds are barred at the CoE.
BCCI secretary Devajit Saikia said the board will look at shifting the Duleep Trophy final out of the Centre of Excellence and into a proper stadium. The 2026-27 domestic season begins with the Duleep Trophy from August 23 to September 10 at the CoE, but government rules keep spectators out.
Saikia told reporters that only people connected to the teams can enter, while general crowds stay locked out. The board has already increased the number of live-televised matches this season so fans still get some access.
Suggestions for a stadium venue are being invited, and a call can still be made before the final.
