Chris Cairns approached me thrice for spot-fixing: Brendon McCullum

- I was shocked. I sort of thought he may have been joking, but I quickly became aware that he was not: McCullum on Cairns' spot-fix approach.
- McCullum said that Cairns had spoken to him in a hotel in Kolkata in 2008 during the first season of the Indian Premier League.
- McCullum also narrated a brief telephonic conversation and one over red wine and a curry with Cairns, about spot-fixing.

Adding credence of

Bowl as fast as you can when you are young: Zaheer Khan

Thoughts on retirement

I was preparing for the season when I figured things were coming to an end. I just went ahead with the decision. It was clear that it was time for me to walk away from the game.

Zak the bowler to Zak the coach?

It is pretty early right now but in whatever capacity I can, I would like to stay connected with the game. There are various things you can do to stay connected with the game. I'll see what is the best way for me to stay connected.

Can a county stint help the current set of fast bowlers?

Personally, I have always

Shashank Manohar invites PCB for bilateral series talks

• Since he (Manohar) was not at the ICC meeting I phoned him and he invited me to tour India for talks: Khan.
• I told the BCCI officials during discussions with them in Dubai that they must confirm or reject the tour in the next 10 to 12 days: Khan.
• The ball is now in the court of the Indian Board: Khan.  

After long periods of impasse, the prospects of an India-Pakistan bilateral series in

Paytm waiting to fill Pepsi's big shoes

• Mobile commerce firm Paytm has thrown its hat in the ring for the title sponsorship rights of Indian Premier League (IPL) in case Pepsi pulls out
• Paytm recently bagged a Rs 203-crore deal as BCCI's title sponsor for home matches for a period of four years  

Mobile commerce firm Paytm has thrown its hat in the ring for

'Brand IPL still hot property'

• Even as PepsiCo India has made its "right choice" to disassociate from the title sponsorship of IPL, the brand of cricket league is still considered to be hot property
• Whilst past incidents may have somewhat dented IPL's image, most of the official sponsors said they will stick around and support the platform going forward  

Even as PepsiCo India has made its "right choice" to disassociate from the title sponsorship of IPL, the brand of cricket league is still considered to

IPL pullout: Pepsi facing own financial woes

• Top BCCI officials felt that Pepsi's decision was more to do with its "own financial problems" than the controversy surrounding Indian Premier League
• Pepsi had paid Rs 396 crore for the five-year IPL title sponsorship in 2012, almost double of what DLF had paid for the previous five-year period  

Indian Premier League (IPL), which has seen its image take a beating after the 2013 spot-fixing scandal, suffered another blow on Friday with

Pepsi set to end sponsorship deal with IPL

As reports of the cola giant Pepsi pulling out of their sponsorship of the Indian Premier League with two years still left on their contract began to gather steam, Rajeev Shukla, the chairman of the T20 league, praised Pepsi as being a 'very good partner' and stated that the matter will be brought up in the next BCCI meeting on October 18. BCCI has released an official statement, saying, "BCCI has assured that steps will be taken to address the concerns and will work necessary solutions in the interests of the league as well as Pepsico."

When contacted, PepsiCo mirrored BCCI's sentiments on

Sachin Tendulkar: There is room for improvement for Indian cricket

• Two years after announcing his retirement, Sachin Tendulkar reckons Indian cricket is moving in the right direction,although there is still room for improvement
• Tendulkar said as long as there is commitment and passion for the game, things will be on track for the young Indian team  

Two years after announcing his retirement, batting legend Sachin Tendulkar reckons Indian cricket is moving in the right direction, although there is still room for improvement. Tendulkar said as long as there is commitment and passion for

India T20 team is a work in progress: Ravi Shastri

The final T20I may have been washed out but India team director Ravi Shastri felt that there was little that could be done. He also outlines the Indian T20 team's plan over the next few months among other topics in a press conference.

It's quite a long series that's coming up. How is the team looking at rebuilding ahead of the ODI and Test series?

You're right. It's a long season coming up. But I think, this has been a great exposure for the team. We might have lost the series, but I take it as great exposure in

Bizarre run-out sparks debate

Can a run out be more freakish than Sreevats Goswami's on the first day of the Ranji match here? The Bengal batsman's dismissal triggered heated discussions that resonated through the KSCA stadium. It must have been the most perplexing dismissal of the left-hander's career.

Goswami, who had turned out for Royal Challengers Bangalore in the IPL a few seasons ago, walked in to bat when the medium-pacers were getting the ball to dart around and decided to take his stance outside the batting crease.

He would often step out to the medium-pacers to throw them off the

Yuvraj Singh vows to keep playing till he enjoys the game

• I enjoy playing cricket and it was always my passion as a young kid. So as long as I am enjoying it, I want to play: Yuvraj Singh.
• If I get an opportunity to come back and play for India, I would look forward to that: Yuvraj Singh.
• A World Cup is a World Cup, whether it is T20 or 50 overs. It's always an honour to play another World Cup: Yuvraj Singh.  

 

He may be out of

It is a 200-run wicket: Eden Gardens curator Prabir Mukherjee

Prabir Mukherjee has seen and done it all. Eighty-five years now, the Eden Gardens pitch curator has been handling the track at the most revered of Indian stadiums for almost 40 years. He was in the news less than three years ago when India wanted a pitch that would take a lot of turn and he held on to his beliefs and produced a pitch that was hard and even. India played England soon after, and lost. Much was said and written about the game and whether home captains need to have a say in how the pitches were going to play, but Mukherjee stood firm.

Now, with India playing their first T20I at Eden Gardens since

Shashank Manohar seeks report on Cuttack crowd trouble

The Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) president Shashank Manohar has sought for a detailed report from Ashirwad Behera, the secretary of the Orissa Cricket Association, following unruly crowd behaviour in Cuttack during the second T20I between India and South Africa that the hosts lost by seven wickets.

The two teams witnessed some ugly scenes at

Sunil Gavaskar: Barabati should be banned

• The disgraceful behaviour of spectators at the Barabati Stadium in Cuttack has led to calls for heavy penalties on the Odisha Cricket Association
• Leading the charge was former India captain Sunil Gavaskar, who told a TV channel that the venue deserved to be banned from hosting international matches 

The disgraceful behaviour of

Ajinkya Rahane unfortunate to miss out: Former cricketers

• Ambati Rayudu, the man who took Ajinkya Rahane's place in the XI, is yet to open his account in the T20 series against South Africa
• "Rahane is a batsman who can stay put when wickets fall or improvise when the situation arises," says Dilip Vengsarkar
• "Rohit and Dhawan have been batting very well at the top of the order. With them doing so well, it's become difficult to get Rahane in," says Ajit Agarkar

With Indian skipper MS Dhoni expressing

Mahendra Singh Dhoni - Is finish line close for the finisher?

It was a quintessential MSD response. After an embarrassing six-wicket loss in the second T20 at the Barabati Stadium, 'Captain Cool' chose to dwell on the crowd trouble and used gallows humour to describe the response of the people to India's mediocre performance. However, even with his phlegmatic attitude, he would know that he doesn't have the same command over the limited-overs format like he used to.

It will also be interesting to

Anushka Sharma isn't love-locked for Virat Kohli - but for another dude

According to a report on Dnaindia.com, the hot actress recently visited 'Love Lock' which is a place in Paris. A love lock or love padlock is a padlock which couples lock to a bridge or gate to embody their love for

Simple gameplan, unswerving mindset key to Rohit Sharma's success

"My game plan is very simple and I don't want to change it too much," said Rohit Sharma when asked if he looking to hit out from the very first ball in T20s. And with good reason, too. It was not until the last over of the powerplay that Rohit had started to free his arms. He had a modest 24-ball 22 at that point, but 40 balls later, he had brought up his maiden T20I century. A knock that propelled India to

Fate of suspended IPL franchises, Sundar Raman hangs in balance

Never in the past has the return of a top-level administrator in BCCI made the others, who form a part of cricket's administrative circle in India, sweat like now. Shashank Manohar's return as the board's president has left his supporters and detractors thinking alike - What will be the man's first definitive move?

There are a host of issues that Manohar will look to tackle, and for the most important ones he's already set himself a deadline of two months. Among those issues, the primary ones are the fate of

Shashank Manohar outlines reforms for BCCI

Shashank Manohar, the new BCCI President, addressed the media after his appointment and took time to outline his plans for the Board. Manohar detailed various grievances in the board's functioning and methods to tackle the same. Here are excerpts from his address:

Good afternoon friends. The BCCI is a huge brand in itself. It was created because of the love of the fans. Without the support of fans, it would not have been possible for the sport to become this big. In the last few days, the confidence of cricket lovers has been shaken due to certain unpleasant things that have happened. But leaving that aside, it is the duty of all the members of the board to