Universal Cricket

India lose heavily

2012-01-05T16:05:00.001-08:00

Sachin seems to be in good nick, at 45 not out. Gambhir has just gone, out to Siddle for 83. India now are 173/3, still facing an uphill task ! Now Sachin is playing confidently and let us see whether he will get the coveted hundred.

Now India are 181/3 !Laxman and Sachin are batting confidently and India are now 193/3!India were all out for 400, Tendulkar perishing in the 80s. Overall it was a lack lustre performance by the Indians. The only consolation was a 62 by Ashwin and 68 by Laxman. Kohli went out cheap.

India has a lot of homework to do Down Under. Gavaskar was right when he predicted India has no chance Down Under.

Aussies resume accumulating !

2012-01-04T15:53:00.001-08:00

Aussies are now 484/4, with Clarke on 253, on his way to a triple ton.

Ponting, Clarke score centuries

2012-01-03T19:49:00.001-08:00

Tons by Ponting and Clarke have destroyed India. Now India is fighting back to wall.

India face an uphill task Down Under. Against genuine pace bowling, their batsmen are faltering and except for some luck by the pacers, there is nothing for India to brag about

Clarke had progressed to 251 and Aussies are 482/4 !. India is flattened.

Gavaskar had opined that things look bleak for India Down Under and his prediction has been proved right. Indian batting and bowling Down Under gives scope for alarm and despondency. India is formidable in India and a paper tiger abroad !

An enthused Clarke said " "Hopefully, it would earn me respect. That's all I can do - to put the team in a good position to win another Test. Punter had told me while I was starting as skipper that as a leader, I should be standing up in the field, leading from the front and scoring runs. That's what I have tried to do".

Can he score a triple ?

A visibly overjoyed Ponting said "There have been plenty of frustrating moments. It's not when you get out early. It's when you have had a decent start and not capitalized. It's a game where the low scores are always going to happen. But when you are 40, 50 and 60, the great players make big scores. The last few weeks have been frustrating. I was getting starts but not capitalizing."

"I was probably run-out by two yards (if the throw had hit the stumps while Ponting ran for his 100th run). I had a brain fade. Thankfully, the ball missed the stumps or it would have been pretty sad end. When I got up, my shirt was destroyed, the grill was pressed against my face and I changed my shirt which probably made it the whole day out for the crowd," said Ponting, who was at his jovial best.

"It was an unbelievable day. To make 1 for 366 during the day was special. Michael (Clarke) batted as good as ever in any game. The way we batted, we repaid the bowlers in setting this game up," said Ponting.

"Michael came last night. It was a huge little period for us. We were three down for not many. The momentum had begun to swing in favour of India. We played our natural games, showed great intent and also managed to score reasonably quick. It was the same this morning. Our scoring rate was very good and we are taking the game forward all the time. That's the way we want to play." said the whirlwind master batsman.

Dhoni and Ashwin block Aussies

2012-01-02T16:30:00.001-08:00

At the moment, India are 30/2, having lost both Dravid and Gambhir to the Aussie quickies.

While Pattinson was responsible for the wicket of Gambhir, Siddle cleaned up Dravid.

The Little Master has just come in and everybody is looking forward to his century of centuries. Not possible this series, says McGrath !

Dhoni , 42 not out and Ashwin, 20 not out are blocking the Aussies and India are now 174/6 ! Sachin is gone for 41, as Pattinson and Siddle carved up India !

India declining ?

2012-01-01T21:16:00.001-08:00

Are aging batsmen the problem? Is India like the West Indies side, a declining side in 1971 when Wadekar's team defeated them ?

What changes are to be made to the Indian team?

You decide. The 100th Test at the Sydney Cricket Ground begins tomorrow at 0500 AM IST sharp !

The Indian weakness against genuine pace has been exposed by the Kangaroos ? Will the Indian batsmen learn ?

Will Sachin score his 100th century at SCG ?

India mauled !

2011-12-29T01:35:00.000-08:00

Indian cricket at the crossroads again. The Holy Trinity and Co fell like nine pins. Gone are the days of formidable Indian batting displays.

The Kangaroo quickies bowled with fire and India were skittled out for 169.

Dhoni, meanwhile, defended Indian batsmen and lauded the Aussie demon fast bowlers.

He said he is not worried by the lacklustre performance.

Said he "Not really. They are very experienced batsmen. You have to give credit to Australia bowlers for the way they bowled. They kept a nagging line outside the off-stump and that's why they got us."

He also praised the lower order Kangaroo batsmen for making contributions with the bat in Australia's first innings.

"Bowlers brought us back in to the game. We were short by 50-odd runs in the first innings. Their lower-order scored some runs, if we had got them earlier, we would have had 50-60 runs less to chase" he said.

He said India has resilience.

"We are known to be tentative starters, I think in the next game we will be slightly better."

Clarke hailed his pace trio and the experience of Hussey and Ponting.

"Our tail were outstanding with their batting, and we have to give full credit to the bowlers. You always want to have plans against whatever team you play and we were able to execute the plans.

"Credit has to go to Ponting and Hussey as well. India are a fantastic team. It is great to have them here in Australia. We know they'll come hard at us in Sydney" Clarke said.

We have said in our columns that astrologically this is not a good phase for India, with Jupiter in the 10th and Saturn in the 4th. Now it is a real problem Down Under India is facing, despite the Holy Trinity ( Laxman, Dravid & Sachin ).

India strike back !

2011-12-28T02:03:00.000-08:00

Umesh Yadav bagged three top wickets, as Australia plunged to 27/4. Then Ponting and Hussey played well and the Kangaroos are on a respectable 179/8 !

Hussey is still a thorn in the flesh for the Indians and is unconquered on 79. Ponting was out for 60.

Yadav was the pick of the bowlers with 4/49. Zaheer took 2/32 and Ishant and Ashwin scalped one each.

Earlier Dravid was bowled Hilfenhaus for 68 and Laxman was removed by Siddle for 2. Then Hilfenhaus removed Kohli and Dhoni and India plunged to 282 all out.

Experts say that chasing more than 250 is difficult at the MCG but Sehwag says chasing 300 can be easy.

India 214/3 !

2011-12-26T19:35:00.000-08:00

Sehwag scored a quick fifty in reply to Australia's 333.

Zaheer took 4, Yadav 3 and Ashwin 3 and Australia crept to 333.

Later Yadav showed his aggression in scalping 2 early wickets and Australia were 50/2 yesterday. Then Cowan led the fightback with a brilliant 68. Ponting always is a thorn to the Indians and he scored a superb 62.

Then Khan struck removing Clarke and Hussey and Australia were in the doldrums again, at 5/205. Then the latter order batsmen fought for Australia, particularly Siddle who scored 41 and Haddin 27.

The latter order did well Australia and the Kangaroos recovered to 333, after being 214/6.

Sehwag has smashed Hilfenhaus or four and is now unconquered on 65. India, at the moment, are 89/1.

Sehwag perished in the 60's and now Tendulkar is batting with 71 not out and Dravid 60 not out out of a total of 214/2.

Tendulkar fell in the 70s, maybe the nervous 70s for him.

Maiden tons by Tiwari, Pollard !

2011-12-11T19:38:00.001-08:00

Pollard and Tiwari took this glorious opportunity to record maiden tons. Tiwari was the Man of the Match, while Pollard with his ten sixes held the audience spellbound.

Needing 268, Wi started disastrously, losing four for just 36 runs, their top order blown by the Indian pacers, Mithun and Pathan. Jadeja then scalped Ramadin, till Pollard and Russell launched a counter offensive, with a 89 run blast off just 79 balls !

Both Irfan ( who dismissed Simmons with the first ball ) and Mithun impressed. And so did the Indian spinners.

Pollard said he hopes to be more consistent !

"I hope that I am more consistent. Thank God, I got my maiden hundred. Wanted the team to win. Didn't happen today.

"Just have to go back and reflect on what went wrong. First couple of games were really close. Hopefully, we'll take a couple of months off international cricket and reflect and come back strong for Australia".

"Significant hundred. I was looking for a different approach after I have had a couple of starts in the earlier matches. Thank God, one of the best fielders (Kohli) in India dropped me on 99 tonight."

"I was looking for singles, and when the ball is in your arc, go for it. Hopefully, I will learn from this innings and do well for West Indies in future also."

Pollard ignored the criticism that he is only a T20 player.

"Everybody has an opinion. As far as I am concerned, I feel that when I go back to my room I should know that I have given my hundred per cent. I can be harsh with myself, if I've played a bad shot. But at the end of the day, what people have to say are just opinions."

The problem with the WI side is psychological.

"It's just a mental aspect or killer instinct. Past West Indian sides had it, then the Aussies had it and now India is doing really well. Hopefully, we'll be better equipped mentally to handle close matches in the future."

Tiwari dedicates century to Kolkotta victims

"I want to dedicate my Man-of-the-Match award to all the people who died in the Calcutta hospital tragedy. It was an unfortunate incident and it should not have happened,"

"I enjoyed it. It wasn't coming onto the bat. Generally I play spin pretty well, so I made sure I took advantage of the loose balls" he said.

He retired hurt at 104.

"I didn't hydrate enough before the match, that is my mistake. I had cramps because of that. I have to hydrate before playing in future" he said.

Meanwhile, Gambhir, the acting skipper, paid tributes to his bowlers who did not allow Pollard to run away with the game.

"We know what Pollard can do on his day, but credit to the bowlers who stuck to their game. It was a matter of just one ball. Every ball he (Pollard) middled was going out of the ground, but you have to stick to your line and length" he said.

"Our bowlers did just that. We missed Ravichandran Ashwin in the spin department. But Rahul Sharma and Ravindra Jadeja bowled well" he added.

"We thought 240 would be a good total. But we ended up scoring 266, thanks to Manoj. Good to see him get the hundred, hopefully he will go on and get many more.

Incidentally, Sehwag was happy with his young team.

"I am satisfied with the young team. Especially with the young fielding and bowling unit. West Indies have some big hitters but our bowlers did well throughout the series. Credit to the players for winning the series 4-1" he said.

"They were all eager to play. I asked everybody can you take a break, they said no, so I had to take the break. I am happy that all of them played in the series and they did well" he said.

"It's a good end to the season. We beat England 5-0, New Zealand 5-0 and now West Indies 4-1".

On the contrary, Sammy congratulated Pollard, who almost pulled it off.

"Congratulations to Pollard on his first one-day hundred. It was really good to watch. We have been paying some good cricket, we have been fighting throughout, but unfortunately we are not finishing things off" he said.

"Everybody expected us to roll over, we did not. We showed our never-say-die attitude. I'd like to congratulate the boys on the effort, the way they supported me in the tough series. We can only move forward from here. Congratulations to Sehwag and his team, but we can hold our heads high" he said.

Rohit Sharma, the Man of the Series, said he had forgotten the past and will make a new beginning.

Australia firm in chase !

2011-12-10T22:06:00.000-08:00

Australia are 72/0, needing 241 to win.

Seems to be a cliff hanger.

NZ won by seven runs, in an incredible match. Bracewell took six wickets and the Aussie middle order collapsed. David Warner remained unbeaten with 123, carrying his bat through. This is NZ' first win on these shores after 1985 !

Always believed Viru would score 200: Dhoni

2011-12-09T20:16:00.001-08:00

Dhoni was all praise for Sehwag for his 219. He always believed that the maverick Veeru can do it !

"I want to say that others may have said that are a few who could score double century in ODIs, but I always believed Viru could always score 200 on his day.With Viru, it's not just about big shots, but calculative batting," Dhoni said.

He was enthused by the fact that both double centurions are from India.

"I am proud that both Viru and Sachin Paaji are Indians, and would not mind if they score double centuries again" said the whirlwind wicketkeeper batsman.

India can win Down Under - Dravid

2011-12-09T19:49:00.003-08:00

Dravid's form may serve India's interests as they take on formidable Australia ( Aus is always formidable in Aus ).

As the Kangaroos are under the inexperienced Clarke, Dravid feels that India
can triumph.

"In terms of personal satisfaction in terms of batting, yes I am very happy.
I got more runs in 2002 but that seems so far away, so [I] can't even
remember what it was like," Dravid said.

"I think some of the runs that I got this year classify as what you call 'tough runs'. They were in pretty tough conditions
when the team needed it. So, in that sense, I do feel this was one of my
better years personally as a player. Obviously the tour of England was
disappointment. From that point of view it was disappointing, but from a
personal view this year probably is among the best that I have had."

Rahul scored 1067 runs this calender year, with five tons. He said the the
runs accumulated in 2011 set him up for a rugged tour.

"Runs behind you don't necessarily translate into runs in the future but
what I can definitely say is that I go there in a good space. I feel have
been hitting the ball well," he said. "I feel quit relaxed when around the
group and in the team and am comfortable with the contributions that I am
making. I think it's a good time to be travelling.

Dravid is hailed as Mr Wall and is the main architect of series wins in Pakistan,
the West Indies, England and New Zealand, but a series win in Australia has been elusive.

If India triumphs in Australia, it will be a great benchmark.

"Australia is the benchmark, definitely. They had some absolute
legends and still have some great players, and they have been the kind of
team that you set your mark against. It would definitely be special to go
and do well there."

The new look Australian side will be resurgent.

"I still think they are a good side. I know they don't have the
big names they had in the past, but they have got some emerging players,
some good young players. You can clearly see that they have got a lot of
potential and any Australian team is going to hard to beat on home soil. But
quietly, I think as a team we should be confident in our own abilities and I
really like the look of the way our pace attack is developing. Hopefully we
can stay fit and I believe we give ourselves a good chance."

Dravid said he had not set specific goals for himself for this tough tour !

"I don't have any thing in terms of my own
numbers or statistics that I want to achieve in Australia," he said. "I want
to win a Test series there try and help the team win in Australia. That is
something that we have never done. So every time you go and tour there you
want to get that goal. Its not going to be easy, it's never is, but I think
the team's goal is to try and win a series."

Dravid became the second player, after Sachin, to score more than
13 K runs, an achievement which Dravid himself considered was not
just possible when he started. .

"I wouldn't have minded scoring five hundreds or a thousand runs less if we
could win a series in Australia. I think those of are the kind of memories
that stay with you. I think the greatest memory for me now is not
necessarily statistical. It's not the number of runs, it's those magical
moments. It's winning in Kolkata and Rawalpindi. The series wins in Tests
stay with you. I think that's what you would play for at this stage."

He is hailed as the best batsman India has produced, despite being the oldest, but his penchant for fitness has paid off !

"It tells you that fitness levels have risen, and that's thanks to the
access that we have today - to physiotherapists and trainers. Sports science
has improved tremendously since the time I started and I think it means
players are fitter for longer periods of time. Especially as batsman, if you
are disciplined about things you can prolong your career for periods of
time. It's a question of getting everything right and getting the technical
side of things right. Then you have all this help to tap into in terms of
your physical fitness. If you are doing these things you can ensure that you
play for pretty long periods of time."

The clone overtakes the original

2011-12-08T19:47:00.001-08:00

On Feb 24, 2010, history was made as Sachin became the first player to score a double century in ODIs. On Dec 8, 2011, that record was overhauled in a stunning manner by his clone ! It just took 260 ODIs to eclipse that record and the record breaker was his clone !

It is said that Sehwag modelled himself on the lines of Sachin. He was the clone and Sachin the original. And now the clone has surpassed the original.

When he scored 219 yesterday off 149 balls with 25 fours and seven sixes, he had overtaken the world record set by the original, Sachin ! His is the fastest double century in ODI ( off 140 balls ) and the highest score in ODI !

What a way to prove his critics wrong !

"I never expected to score a double hundred. While opening the innings, I told Gautam Gambhir that if we can show some patience on this track, we will be in for a big one as the wicket is a good one. The outfield is fantastic and the distance of the boundary is only 50 yards," said the swashbuckling opener, after his epic hundred.

After the batting powerplay, he felt he can cross the 200 mark.

"It was only after the batting powerplay started, I felt that I could reach double hundred. Also when Sammy dropped me (at 170), I knew that God was with me," Sehwag stated.

He thanked his family and those who supported him.

"I want to thank my family and fans. I know people expected me to score a double century. Today when I wanted to hit a six, I just did that."

He was determined to expiate for the low scores in the first three ODIs.

"I have said this earlier also that the top-order needs to contribute. It was a wicket where one could score big runs if he stayed around for 30 overs."

Success has taken a toll of Sehwage "Obviously, I am very tired. I am an old man now and my back gets stiff. So I need to take an ice bath."

Except for a catch which he offered Sammy at 170, his innings was blemishless. Sehwag is the highest scorer for India in Tests and ODIs. He scored 319 against SA in Chennai in 2008, after the 309 against Pak in Multan in 04.

Both double hundreds in ODIs are by Indians, by Sachin and Sehwag. India won the series 3-1 and what a way to win ! Ramadin threw away a possible hundred, as he swept Raina to be caught for 96 , but then none of the other Carribean batsmen put up any resistance. Chasing 419, the WIs were all out for 265.

Rahul Sharma had a brilliant debut, taking three wickets in the last balls of the three overs, all of them bowled.

Cricketers hail Sehwag

"If you are a cricket fan, pls switch your tv's on right now & watch a genius bat.. Sehwag destroying the WI.. World record coming.." - Kevin Pieterse in his Twitter Page.

"The double hundred will be a big morale booster for him with the tough Australian tour lined up. You will find the bowling attack, conditions different Down Under. This double ton will give him a big confidence for sure ahead of the Australia tour. This is a great achievement and I congratulate Sehwag for the amazing feat. He has captained the Indian side on and off for a short while and I believe he could make up as a good captain. He is a gambler, a player who loves to take risks. If he keeps getting opportunity as a captain, he will come up with many such milestones," - Sourav Ganguly.

"I am very happy for Sehwag. He is one of the greatest players I have ever seen. He missed his double century (175) during the World Cup game against Bangladesh at Mirpur. But on Thursday he has achieved the feat which I would like to describe as incredible," - Srikanth, Chairman of Selectors, India.

"I have always remained a great fan of Sachin Tendulkar and when he scored the double hundred against South Africa, one name that crossed my mind was Sehwag. In my view, other player who could have scored double ton was Sri Lankan opener Sanath Jayasuriya because he also plays an attacking brand of cricket.

"Both Sehwag and Jayasuriya have the talent and ability to score a double hundred and can only touch the mark. I would like to extend my congratulations to all Indians for Sehwag scoring a double hundred"- Abdul Qadir.

"It was long overdue. I always used to tell him whenever he stepped on the field that this time you have to score a double hundred. It was very satisfying finally watching Viru score 200 runs with such strokeful display. He has always played attacking game and that helped him achieve the milestone.

"I hope Viru will be back to his usual self after this inning. My congratulation to him - Coach, A N Sharma.

"Once Sehwag gets going, it's very difficult to stop him. I am delighted and congratulations to him." - Abbas Ali Baig.

"I say it again! I never saw sir Viv (Vivian Richards) bat but I have seen Sehwag bat! What a player... 219 in a one day game is next to impossible!" - Yuvraj Singh on Twitter.

Cheers! congratulations!! way to go buddy!" - Zaheer Khan

Incidentally, 418/5 is India's highest total in ODIs and the two double centuries in ODIs were achieved all in the state of Madhya Pradesh, at venues within 500 kms !

India can beat Australia :Symonds

2011-12-06T20:07:00.000-08:00

Symonds says India can beat the Kangaroos Down Under.

"Indians can put pressure on the young Australian players. They have a good opportunity to beat Australia in their home country. I think there are good chances of India beating them," said the swashbuckling batsman.

"However, the young Australian players too have an opportunity to beat the Indians. There are positive chances for both the sides. One needs preparation and also needs to respond properly in big games," he averred.

Sachin may score his 100th century in Australia.

"Sachin is an enormous person. There is lot of pressure on him for the 100th ton. I hope he gets the century at the earliest so that the burden that he faces is reduced and he can carry on with the game. He has the ability to do it soon. There are chances that he might score the century during the India-Australia series.It would be a great thing for him to score it in Australia,"

Talks about Ponting's retirement were unnecessary, he felt.

"It is disappointing that reports of that sort are coming out. They are unnecessary. He is a good batsman. It is up to him to decide whether to be in the game. He should be left alone," he said.

Meanwhile, Saha, the Indian reserve wicket keeper is confident about his future Down Under.

"I will not be curious of the conditions there. I have played there and have some good memory (of winning the title under Virat Kohli). So I will wait for an opportunity" Saha said.

"As a batsman you need to give a little extra there. But for a wicketkeeper, the conditions are ideal as the ball comes along nicely."

"He (Sourav) has told me to stay focused and concentrate on my style of play. Besides, he has given me few cricketing tips and I'm confident of a good show if given an opportunity.

"It's a big opportunity for me. But I'm not extra cautious. I am taking it as any other tour. I don't have any specific target other than improving my performance day by day," said the whirlwind wicketkeeper.

Rohit sparkles, but India lose !

2011-12-05T20:50:00.000-08:00

The Indian top order failed again. Patel & Co were 85/5 against WI, which cost them the match.

Rampaul wrecked India with the devastating figures of 4/57 to give the WI a 16 run victory.

Earlier, a half century by Samuels ( 58 off 93 ) and cameos by Sammy ( 41 off 17 ) and Russell ( 40 off 18 ) helped WI to put up a challenging 260/5, after India asked them to bat.

The two allrounders plundered 43 runs in the last two overs. WI blasted 52 in the last three overs, 73 in the last fie and 93 in the last seven. 79 runs came in just 34 balls for the sixth wicket.

The WI innings started off shakily with Simmons ( 1 off 8 ) deaprted early. But then it was Mithun who struck for India, as he removed Hyatt ( 20 off 39 ), caught behind by Parthiv.

Bravo had to grapple with a hamstring injury and he had to retire hurt for 26 off 41.

Samuels reached his 22nd ODI fifty off just 78 deliveries. Ramadin looked good for his 38 off 52, till he was unsettled by a Yadav delivery.

When India batted, she lost two wickets, that of Sehwag and Gambhir in quick succession to Ravi Rampaul. Then Samuels removed Parthiv. Then Rampaul scalped Raina and India were 85/5 ! Then Jadeja was run out and India were in the doldrums.

Lusty hitting by Rohit, supported ably by Ashwin did revive India but all was in vain as Rohit was dramatically run out for 95. Narine trapped Ashwin and that was the end of the road for India !

Kohli and Rohit maul Windies !

2011-12-02T20:05:00.001-08:00

The issue was never in doubt. A glorious 163 run partnership between Rohit and Kohli sealed the fate of the second ODI, as Kohli brought up his 8th ODI hundred, enhancing his reputation as an expert in successful chases.

Rohit again proved to be dependable, as he guided India to a five wicket victory, with 90 not out.

Umesh Yadav struck early in the Windies innings, taking two wickets. Darren Bravo threatened to take the game away, but perished to Vinay Kumar. V Kumar also accounted for Hyatt for a duck and Windies were tottering.

At 170/9, they looked like the lamb to the slaughter. Then Rampaul played an innings of rare aggression, as he smashed 86, thus spoiling the figures of the Indian bowlers.

The asking rate was always under control, as Rohit and Kohli hit the WI bowlers to all parts of the field. India rolled over to an easy victory, after being 86/3, after the loss of lacklustre Sehwag !

A big blow was dealt to India as Sehwag tried to loft Samuels, but only holed out to long off. But Kohli's classic fifty confirmed India's recovery. Boundaries came with regularity along with the ones and twos to keep the scoreboard moving, much to the discomfiture of the Carribeans.

Rohit also made his half century. He completed it with a four off the last ball of the 35th over to take India to 172/3, needing just 98 off 90 deliveries with seven wickets intact. It was Advantage India, as the powerplay came in the next over from No 36 to 40.

India win by one wicket !

2011-11-29T02:41:00.000-08:00

Sehwag won the toss and fielded, as he thought there will be dew after 0500 PM. Patel will open the innings with Sehwag and the spin dept will be handled by Jadeja and Ashwin and pace by Aaron, Yadav and V Kumar. WI brought back all rounders Pollard and Andre Russel and rested Rampaul.

In 21.2 overs, WI are 88/3. The Indian pace attack struck, with V Kumar, Aaron and U Yadav taking one wicket each. Yadav bowled exceptionally well, bowling consistently around 147 kph.

Hyatt had lofted Jadeja for a six and WI are 96/3.

Pollard is gone, lofting one Ashwin delivery into the hands of Kohli. Ashwin strikes !

Darren Bravo played magnificently for his 60, till he was clean bowled by Raina !

In the 5th over, an outswinger from V Kumar accounted for Barath (17). In the 6th over, Samuels hit Yadav for two fours.In the 7th over, Simmons hit V Kumar for a six and a four, plundering 13 runs in that over.

In the 9th over, Aaron clean bowled Samuels (10). In the 10th over, Yadav clean bowled Simmons.

In the 27th over, Hyatt is unfortunately run out. WI 127/4. In the 33rd over, six runs were amassed and WI reach 150.

Now the score is 173/7. Jadeja clean bowls Sammy for a duck and all Indian bowlers become successful.

Wi are all out for 211. Indian bowling has been very impressive, says Gavaskar.

The Cuttack stadium was full. Shastri opined that there were thousands of motorbikes that it will be difficult for the owners to identify their bikes ! Jampacked stadium to watch No 2 team in action !

In reply, India are 41/2, losing both left handers, Patel and Gambhir to one Kemar Roach over.

India now are 201/9, with only Aaron and Yadav left. 11 more runs are needed with only these two inexperienced players left. Seems to be a cliff hanger.

Aaron hits a four and Yadav hits a four and India has won by one wicket ! Normally India do not win close games, but this was a fantastic game !

There is no excuse for not scoring: Sehwag

Sehwag was equivocal about the the efforts of the lower-order batsmen for pulling off a thrilling win over the West Indies in the first one-dayer here on Cuttack, but averred that there was no excuse for the top order's lack of application, including himself !

India's complacency was evident as she stumbled to 59/5. But Rohit Sharma's 72 and resolute showings by Varun Aaron and Umesh Yadav gave India the much needed victory.

"In India you hardly see the team tottering at 59/5. Our batsmen made mistakes. Hope we will come up with strong batting performance in next games," Sehwag said. "We have to learn from our mistakes. There were two good balls. The ball came in and we (myself and Virat Kohli) played early and made mistakes"

The way Raina, Gambhir and Patel got out confounded many an analyst.

"There were three soft dismissals of Parthiv Patel, Gautam Gambhir and Suresh Raina. We have to bat really well in coming games. There is no excuse for anybody to not scoring runs."

Sehwag said India will put up a better show in the remaining ODIs.

"We have to back our batting. We have some exciting youngsters playing for last three four years. But I am happy with bowling and fielding."

He praised Rohit for his heroic, character innings.

"Rohit is one of the talented batsmen. He is improving match by match. He is proving himself. He is one of the best. A win is a win. It does not matter by one wicket or 10, it was important that we started well. We are 1-0 up. Full credit to Rohit Sharma, Jadeja and Vinay Kumar. They built on partnerships. One by one they did it for us."

About his decision to field first, he said "My decision was absolutely right. You were chasing 212 after all. When you lose five quick wickets, it's difficult to come back. I praise Rohit Sharma and Jadeja as their partnership took us there.

After that Vinay and Rohit had a good partnerships. It's not easy when you lose five six wickets. The way Rohit, Jadeja and Vinay batted it was great to see that."

He praised the team's resilience.

"We just stay cool and calm. That's the quality of Indian dressing room. We believe that we can win from any situation."

About the massive crowd turnout, he said "It feels great when people come to watch a game. People come and support us. It was a good game at the end of the day. Nobody expected Windies would make only 211 and then we will be five down so early and win the game in this exciting way.

"We hope people will come and support us in the next matches. It was much important to start off on a winning note.

"We want to become No. 1 and for that we have to win the series. Our process is going on we have to concentrate on it."

Talking about the pitch, he said, "It was a good track. We were expecting them to score 270-280 but our bowlers did well."

Matches in smaller towns is a good idea. "I love to play in smaller towns. People give so much respect and love. They bring all kinds of food and stuff to you to make sure you are happy."

A remarkable last ball tie !

2011-11-26T20:51:00.000-08:00

West Indies were happy to draw with India. India needed two off the last ball. Ashwin was slow in running and was run out with India needing one more to win !

This is an incredible tie. Ojha and Ashwin brought India back into the game with some superb spin bowling, skittling out the Carribeans for a paltry 134.

India lost wickets at regular intervals and the maestro Sachin was out for 3. Bishoo and Samuels bowled superbly to restrict India to 242/9.

"Defeat would have broken our hearts" said Sammy. "I had all sorts of feelings coming into my mind. At one time, the feeling of a tied Test too came to my mind. I was speaking to Kirk (Edwards) at covers and he said 'we can draw, we won't lose.' To lose the game after scoring 590 would have been heart-breaking for us," a visibly-relieved Sammy said . India just needed 3 runs to win off the last over with 2 wickets in hand and only managed to get only two when Ashwin, the Man of the Match and the Series, was run out, when he attempted a non-existent double.

Sammy was hopeful of victory when this dramatic finale happened.

"Obviously, happy with the result, but a win would have been the icing on the cake. We would have loved to win against a higher-rung team. It would have given us some points. Our goal is to make it to the top five in Test cricket," Sammy said. "To win a match like this, we need to bat well in both innings. But (in the end) it was a good game of cricket."

India's haste gave WI chance of victory,averred the WI skipper.

"When (Virat) Kohli and (MS) Dhoni were batting, there were about 15 overs left and about 50-55 runs to win. Ravi (Rampaul) was bowling well, along with (Devendra) Bishoo. They (Indians) decided to go for the runs but in the process lost Kohli and Ishant. They were going for the runs, but we also had an opportunity to win the game."

WI lost 8 wickets for 53 runs and India were on course for victory.

"We were hoping to get about 300-plus when we came to the ground this morning. But after we lost seven or eight wickets, we had to go back to the dressing room and plan out the game. We didn't bat well but we kept believing that we could get a draw or a win," Sammy said. He was shocked to see 17 wickets fall on the last day.

"I didn't foresee that. But it was a disappointing performance with the bat. Some of the shots we played were uncalled for. You have to be prepared to bat for a long time," Sammy said.

"But the way we fought back with me not bowling, Bishoo bowling on one leg, (Marlon) Samuels bowling 20 consecutive overs and Ravi and Fidel (Edwards) doing well, it's heartening. The bowlers showed fight and that's the positive we can take from here."

He praised the duo of Ashwin and Ojha, who took 22 and 20 wickets each. "They (Ojha and Ashwin) did well for India. Ashwin not only bowled well but did well with the bat too. Both have an extremely bright future for India."

He was also happy about the progress of the WI team. "We have progressed well. We dominated the two Tests against Sri Lanka, did well against Pakistan and competed well against India. The players now have the belief that they can do well."

" We lost wickets at the wrong time" said Dhoni.

"It was a superb final day and again it was proven that the match is not yours until it's in your kitty. We lost wickets at the wrong time and they also played good cricket," Dhoni averred.

"Last time when we played at the CCI (Brabourne Stadium), the ball turned less as the match progressed. This time we wanted to start safely and didn't want to concede too many runs. Luckily we got wickets and didn't concede runs. So we could put some fielders in catching positions. Having said that, I would expect tracks here to start offering turn from the first day evening rather waiting till the fifth day."

Dhoni said he needed a break. "It is a much-needed break. I have been playing continuous cricket for quite sometime now. More than the physical break, I am looking forward to the mental break before the Australia tour," he said.

The Man of the Series and Match Man, Ashwin, said he was disappointed that he could not socre one more run to win for India."I wanted to squeeze a few boundaries when the field came up but unfortunately couldn't get them. Off the last two deliveries, the plan was to defend the first one and go after the last ball. The plan didn't work."

"As the ball got old, it bounced and stopped. Ojha really bowled well and built the pressure. I chipped in at the back end as well."

Ashwin's start in Tests is a dream come true. "I will be taking confidence from this series but will have to really work hard on different facets of my game."

Kohli gets 50

2011-11-25T19:22:00.000-08:00

"I played with a clear mind" said Kohli, who got his maiden Test fifty. He had struggled in the Carribean, but this time he got 52 off 111 balls and he put on a 97 run partnership with Ashwin, to help India avoid following on.

"I was tagged as someone who cannot play the short ball after the West Indies tour. When I went in today, I knew they will throw the short balls at me. I had a blank mind before playing every ball, which helped," said Kohli on Friday. "Test matches are mental mind games and the more clear I leave my mind, the better decision I can make."

"To a certain extent I thought I got the West Indies call because so many people took rest. Not having done well there, scoring runs again in a calendar year and getting back into the team was satisfying."

"It was a better feeling that you are included as that way you know the selectors and the team management are showing faith in you in doing well in that format. It's a confidence-booster."

It was Sachin who instructed Virat to play normally.

"It's all about having a good mindset. Being in good form is fine, but I needed to be in the right frame of mind to go and perform. It was one of those days today when I thought 'I am going to get my full stride out and if I can leave from the front foot, nothing better.' I left them quite well. Sachin told me to prepare normally and I did so. It helped," said Kohli.

Kohli felt that Sachin was unnecessarily pressurised by the formidable media and that is how he missed out of his epic century of centuries.

"A lot of people have put unnecessary pressure on him. I don't know why. He has achieved so much and people are making such a fuss about it," said Kohli.

Sachin, he said, was relaxed in the dressing room, after missing out the most wanted hundred.

"I was still batting when he came back so I don't know instantly what happened. He was pretty relaxed afterwards. It has happened to him a lot of times. Obviously, he will be disappointed on missing out on a ton, but he has been around long enough not to get bothered by it. He was pretty relaxed in the dressing room."

Kohli was all praise for Ashwin, who took five for and scored a brilliant hundred.

"He batted brilliantly, timed the ball well. I could see standing at the other end, his mind was totally free. He was totally relaxed and pretty much sure of what he wanted to do and reacting to the ball," said Kohli. "The confidence from his bowling rubbed off. He just came out and started timing the ball very well."

"We all knew he has batting abilities. He has two first-class tons. He is in a good space as he has taken wickets (18) in this series. Getting a hundred is always special for a bowler. It was a brilliant innings."

Ashwin at the other end allowed Kohli to settle down and that he is how he played well for his fifty.

"It was good to have Ashwin scoring from the other end. I could also take my time and just get myself to spend more time in the middle. It was a very good innings from him."

India may very well win this Test on Sunday, feels the formidable batsman.

"Our aim was to get early breakthroughs, which we got. We would have loved to have them four wickets down, but that did not happen unfortunately. Tomorrow could be interesting if we could get early wickets. We will try and put pressure on them. The game is still very much alive," he insisted.

WI were 81/2 and India have to get eight wickets and score the necessary runs on the fourth innings to wrap up this Test, a possibility echoed by Kohli.

Ashwin, not Sachin, scores hundred !

2011-11-25T05:38:00.001-08:00

Ashwin scored a brilliant 103 and along with Virat Kohli (52) saved India from the ignominy of following on.

Unfortunately Sachin's jinx of falling in the nineties manifested again. He was out for 94.

India scored 482, leaving a 108 run lead to the West Indies. Laxman was taken for 32, Sachin for 94, Kohli for 52 and Ashwin was the last to go for 103 and India had saved the follow on !

All set for the century of centuries by Sachin !

2011-11-23T19:49:00.001-08:00

India did make a comeback in the last session, but WI piled up a mammoth 575/9 at stumps on the second day. Aaron struck thrice and Ashwin scalped two to reduce WI below the 600 mark, after they wre 494/4 at tea.

Darren Bravo scored 166 in 284 balls. Kirk Edwards was out to Ishant for 86. Powell blasted 81 and Samuels 61.

Bravo hit Aaron for two consecutive fours, thus revealing his aggressive mindset. Breakthrough came when Edwards nicked Ishant and WI had lost their third wicket.

Powell, who replaced Edwards, believed that attack is the best form of defence. Bravo played the sheet anchor role and proved to be the backbone of WI batting.

Powell too fell in the eighties. The elegant left hander played a loose cut against Ojha and it was taken brilliantly by Dhoni.

Bravo hit the century mark, his third in Tests four - in 153 deliveries.

Both Bravo and Powell were in belligerent mood, as WI inched closer to the 500 mark.

After hours of toil, Aaron got his first wicket, when he had the dangerous Bravo caught behind. In the next over he had Baugh bowled. Aaron struck for the third time, when he drew the WI captain, Sammy, forward, inducing an outside edge to be caught by India's formidable wicket keeper.

After Aaron, Ashwin struck twice to create confusion in the West Indian ranks, which was on their way to the 650 mark. Ravi Rampual was taken and Samuels was consumed in the slips by the greatest catcher in Test cricket, Dravid !

Meanwhile, there is criticism that the Indian attack lacked venom. What was the necessity of resting the latest pace success, Yadav ? Indian cricket, critics say, have gone to pre-KIrstenian days. It was Gary Kirsten who transformed Indian cricket, making the team more professional !

Aaron hopeful, as he bags three wickets

Yadav relaxed deep into the chair he had positioned near the ropes. On the contary, Aaron, was a bundle of wicketless nerves, as he walked in to bowl, when the shadows were creeping in to the field. Suddenly Aaron had some inspiration. "I will pitch it up, I will make the ball talk," he told himself, as he began to run with the ball in hand. The first five balls were well pitched up and the sixth ball took the edge of the formidable Bravo's bat and flew to Dhoni. That wicket seemed to have inspired the youngster. In the next over, he had Baugh clean bowled and Aaron had taken two wickets in two overs ! Spurred by these success after 22 wicketless overs, Aaron continued his strategy of inspired, accurate bowling. He found the edge of Sammy's bat and he had picked up three ! He could have picked up four, if Dhoni had not floored a half chance, off Samuels !

This three wicket burst seems to have increased Aaron's chances Down Under !

West Indies bat well at last !

2011-11-22T19:49:00.000-08:00

All WI batsmen were successful yesterday as WI piled up 267/2.

Four half centuries by the West Indies batsmen - Barath 62, Brathwaite 68, Edwards 65* and Bravo 57* - saw a successful WI batting day.

If win this Test match, she will come to the No 1 position. But the Test appears to be moving towards a draw.

Even though the Indian pacers bowled at more than 140 kph, both Aaron and Ishant, many catches were not held, but that happens in cricket !.

After a 137 partnership between between Barath and Brathwaite, an unfinished 117 run partnership evolved between the 'new Lara", Bravo and Kirk Edwards. Ashwin picked up both wickets.

Australia win thriller !

2011-11-21T19:34:00.000-08:00

Glorious batting by Khawaja, Ponting, Haddin, Johnson and Cummins saw the Kangaroos win the second Test.

At 215/6, Australia seemed to be against all odds. Then Haddin scored a brilliant 55, Khwaja 65, Ponting 62 and Mitchell Johnson 40 not out, in a great score of 310/8.

This was the largest chase at the Wanderers. Cummins cornered glory, as he got seven wickets and hit the winning four to the amazement of the South Africans ! Cummins hard hit was floored by Dale Steyn. If Steyn had taken that catch, history would have been different. But that was not to be.

Haddin and Johnson took Australia from 215 to 287, when Haddin was out. Johnson used all his experience to weather the South African speedsters.

Rightly, Cummins was adjudged Man of the Match. Philander, with his penchant for both out and in swing was named Man of the Series.

This match was providential to Ponting, Haddin and Johnson, who are all at the mercy of the Australian selection panel. But experience proved to be the major factor for Australia's win !

Bajji out of Aussie tour ?

2011-11-20T19:30:00.001-08:00

The Indian selectors are on the horns of a dilemma. To select Bajji or not ? Now that Ashwin and Ojha have established themselves as front line spinners, they automatically select themselves.

Bajji's plus points are playing in 96 Tests and the favour of the Indian skipper. But Sreekant & Co are now harping on performance, with their dictum "Perform or Perish".

The other spinner's choice falls on Piyush Chawla or Rahul Sharma. Rahul Sharma with his height can extract bounce from the pitches Down Under. Chawla has the support of the skipper Dhoni.

In the last two Ranji Trophy matches, Bajji's performance was below par. In the match against UP he went wicketless and managed 1-44 against Orissa. Time is also running out for him, as he has only one chance to make his case stronger.

Rahul Sharma is in the good books of the selectors for his ability to extract bounce from any surface. "Sharma's bounce may come handy on Australian
pitches" said one of the selectors. Sreekant, M Amarnath, Bhave and Venkat are in the team of the selectors.

Meanwhile, Australia are 142/3 in the match against formidable SA, needing 168 for victory with seven wickets in hand. Can they do it ? No wonder cricket has been defined as a glorious game of dire vicissitudes !

Indian bowlers click !

2011-11-17T20:51:00.000-08:00

Dhoni was happy about the Indian bowling performance.

"The bowlers are hunting as a pack, it doesn't matter who is taking the wickets," said the whirlwind wicket keeper batsman.

"Umesh can really bowl over 140kph. Ishant also bowled well," he added. "The bowlers are taking the responsibility. The first innings was perfect. We got off to a good start and the middle order capitalized and we put up a par-plus score. It was a lot of runs to defend. The fast bowlers gave us breakthrough and the spinners capitalized."

Yuvraj has been axed and Rohit Sharma is in for the next Test starting on 22nd. India hope to continue their winning streak.

People may have dismissed Ojha's and Ashwin's success in the First Test as a flash in the pan, but they proved otherwise. Yadav bowled regularly above 140 kph and clean bowled many a set batsman. He took seven wickets in this Test, most of them clean bowled. Ishant Sharma also bowled well and the Indian bowling clicked as a unit.

In Yadav and Aaron, India has some genuine speedsters or demon fast bowlers, who can bowl about 140 kph and remove well set batsmen. These pacers are needed to skittle out the lower order. So these two are a boon to India. They have to be groomed well for the future. Hope the Indian administrators will do the needful.

India win by an innings and 15 runs !

2011-11-16T20:50:00.000-08:00

Yadav clean bowled Chanderpaul for 47 and now the WI are 278/4, trailing by 202 runs behind India. It ended the 108 partnership by Bravo and Chanderpaul for the fourth wicket.

If India can get rid of Darren Bravo, now on 89, she has a chance to pull it off. Everything depends on Darren Bravo for the West Indies. He is now joined by Samuels.

Chanderpaul inside edged a fiery Yadav delivery onto his stumps. Bravo is still Windies hope and is on his way to a well compiled century.

At 0950 AM, the century partnership was achieved, as Bravo and Chanderpaul kept the aggressive Indian bowlers at bay. Dhoni is not exactly worried but Windies may take the match to the fifth day. WI 262/3.

At 0855 AM, IST, Bravo brought up a decent Test fifty but it was sad to see an empty stadium such a feat. WI 217/3.

After playing a masterly innings, Darren Bravo departed after scoring 136. He was held in the slips by Dravid off Ojha and the West Indies lost the last six wickets for 62 runs. Six overs after Ojha removed Bravo, Ashwin removed Samuels lbw for 84.

Sammy hit three sixes in an aggressive belligerent mood, showing defiance. Dhoni turned to Yadav and the fast bowler obliged by removing Sammy and Bishoo off successive deliveries and the game was over. WI all out for 463 and India winning by an innings and 15 runs.

Unorthodox spinner Sunil Narine and top order batsman Jason Mohammed were the surprise selections for the West Indian ODI squad to meet India in the five ODIs starting from Nov 29. Bishoo and Fidel Edwards have been rested. While Narine was the star of the Championship League, Mohammed was the star in the Regional Super 50 Limited Overs competition. He scored 227 runs in the domestic season.

VVS Laxman is the Man of the Match for his 176 not out. When Samuels and Bravo were going strong, it looked good for the Windies. But once Bravo fell, India came back into the match strong.

The Ojha Dravid combination were responsible for the wickets of Bravo and Baugh. Low catches were snapped up by the greatest cather in Test cricket against the well tossed up deliveries of Ojha.

At lunch, the Windies were 339/4. He did what Brian couldnt in India - a century.

India declare at 631/7

2011-11-15T01:59:00.000-08:00

Three masterly hundreds, by Laxman ( 176*), Dhoni ( 144 ) and Dravid ( 119 ) saw India amass a mammoth 631.

The WI bowlers could do nothing against the three centurions ( Can we call them the Three Musketeers ? )who blasted them them to all parts of the field. Dhoni hit five sixes and Dravid and Laxman were as solid as the Rock of Gibraltar.

The West Indies are 34/2, with Umesh Yadav capturing the wicket of Barath and Ashwin accounted for Brathwaite. The West Indies need 432 to avoid following on and it seems an uphill task against the wiles and guiles of Ashwin, Ojha, Ishant and Yadav ! Anyway, let us watch and see.

Indian batting proved to be formidable with three Test players scoring scintillating hundreds and the West Indian bowling lacked penetration. Windies bowlers could not take all Indian wickets and it seems it is Fortress India in India. One wonders whether it is the same Indian team which got routed in England. But then the Indian bowlers are different, and the Indian batsmen are freed from injuries. !

West Indies are now all out for 153 and will be following on. They lasted only 48 overs and the blistering speed of Yadav and the tantalising spin of Ojha and Ashwin did them in. It is interesting to note that Bishoo bowled 45 overs and WI lasted only 48 overs !

It was Umesh Yadav who struck first, removing Samuels and Bravo who could have proved ominous for India.

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Smith and Amla score centuries

2011-11-11T22:55:00.000-08:00

Graeme Smith and Amla scored glorious hundreds to power SA to a great victory over the Kangaroos. Australia never thought that they will be so humiliated, even after their batting capitulated for 47 all out.

SA take a 1-0 lead in the Test series. When Siddle was hit through midwicket by Smith, SA had won the game by eight wickets.

SA became the second team in the world to win a Test, after being bowled out for less than 100 in their first innings.

Gone are India's chances to make it to the No 2 spot in Test rankings. We had envisaged an Australian dominance and and Indian dominance, for India to make it to the No 2 spot.

The second Test at the Wanderers start after six days.

23 wickets fall on Day 2

2011-11-10T19:22:00.000-08:00

SA seems to be in the driver's seat in this Test, as 23 wickets fell like nine pins on Day 2.

Australia were all out for 284, with Clarke scoring a brilliant 151. SA were bowled out for 96, with Harris taking 4-33 and Watson 5-17.

Then Australia were bowled out for 47, with Philander taking 5 for 15 and Morkel 3-9.

SA are 81/1, needing 155 runs to beat Australia ! Anything can happen, as the wicket seems to be a fast bowler's Paradise.

Australia's last wicket ensured that they did not hit the record books for the lowest total in Test history. They were 21/9 and the last pair ( Siddle and Lyon ) added 26 runs to take Australia to 47. The lowest total record is 26, by NZ against Eng in Auckland in 1955. Australia's all time low was 36 against Eng in Birmingham in 1902.

Amla and Graeme Smith batted with care and the Proteas seem comfortably placed at 81/1. Smith on 36 and Amla on 29 now battle it out with the Kangaroos.

Debutant Vernon Philander took 5-15 and Morkel 3/9 on a pitch which offered plenty of seam movement than on the first day.

Clarke on 107 was helped by Siddle (20) in the first innings, as the Kangaroos added 70 runs to their overnight total of 214. The value of Clarke's innings shone like gold, as Watson in a devastating spell, captured five wickets for 17 runs to rattle the Proteas and make them all out for 96.

Australia's collapse for 47 was dramatic, as it was all over in 18 overs. There were three ducks in the Aussie innings, as Ponting, Haddin and Hussey went back to the pavilion without scoring.

To make the day more dramatic, Amla was dropped of the last ball, off Harris, when Hussey could not hold a slash at backward point.

Clarke scores century

2011-11-09T19:32:00.000-08:00

A valiant century by Clarke saw Aus at 214/8, after Dale Steyn threatened to rip through the Aussie batting line up.

The Kangaroos were 40/3, as Steyn devastated with some genuine fast bowling. Clarke scored 107 not out and Steyn starred with 4/31.

Shaun Marsh was the only other batsman who brought in a touch of respectability, scoring 44.

Greame Smith won the toss and sent Aus in to bat and his decision was justified as Steyn struck some lethal blows and the Kangaroos were tottering at 40/3.

The Proteas could not get the wicket of Michael Clarke, who played a glorious innings of 107 not out. He still represents Aussie hope.,

Sachin proves his critics wrong !

2011-11-09T00:39:00.000-08:00

There has been criticism in some quarters that the Master Blaster had not played any matchwinning innings, despite his 99 tons in international cricket.

He proved it wrong with a classic 76. He found an able partner in Laxman (58*) and India won the First Test by five wickets.

He may not have scored his 'ton of tons' but clearly it was a matchwinning knock. His tenure at the crease tormented the West Indian bowlers.

Sachin and Laxman were involved in a 71 run partnership which sealed the fate of the Test. Sachin brought up his 62nd half century and all eyes were on him as Laxman hit boundaries after boundaries. But then he misread a Bishoo delivery and was adjudged lbw.

On the other side, Dravid could only add one run to his overnight total of 30. When Sachin was dismissed, India needed only 43 more to win. Yuvraj and Laxman took the score to 254/4 at lunch and India had already plundered 102 runs in the pre lunch session. Then Laxman completed his 55th half century in the post lunch session. Yuvraj continued his bad patch, run for 18!

Ashwin was delighted about his effort and now he is in a happy mood to marry, having established himself in the Indian team as an ace spinner. Said he at the post presentation ceremony. "It's a pleasing effort. I expected to get a few wickets but not so many. I don't know if it's gift for me and my wife before the marriage but it is a very happy feeling to go into my wedding with such a performance".

"It helped that Ojha was bowling so many maidens from the other end. The batsmen did not have the fear of being caught at bat-pad, which is not the best thing for spinners."

"The only thing was the variation in bounce, if you were slower through the air, you would be slower off the pitch. So I bowled a bit quicker in the second innings," said the master carrom ball bowler.

Dhoni was ecstatic.

"That was a big lead, We all felt we did not bat the way we should in the first innings but it was not like panic. We said we will have to make it up. Ojha bowled well in the first innings, Ashwin has got a few variations and he was supported by the other bowlers.

"We got a good start in both innings, and the middle order did well in the second. It was not an easy wicket to score, you had to be aware of the ball that kept low" said the maverick Indian captain.

Sammy said you can only learn via Trial and Error.

"When you play against a top team, you want to create the opportunity to win, we did that in the first innings but did not bat well in the second and that cost us. The pitch played much better on the third and fourth days.

"We want improvement, we have to look to create opportunities and hopefully cash in. We believe we can win matches here" said the demon all rounder.

Test delicately poised !

2011-11-08T19:53:00.001-08:00

India needs 124 runs, WI needs 9 wickets within 124 and that is the equation for this Test.

Well, cricket has been defined as a game of glorious vicissitudes and it was proved true yesterday as Ashwin six for brought India back into the match. Pulverising shots by Sammy and Chanderpaul saw WI set India a challenging total of 276, but then Sehwag's brilliant strokeplay seemed to torment the Windies. But then Sammy got the wicket of Sehwag, bringing WI right back into the game. Fortunes fluctuated. But then the Wall ( 30 * ) and Sachin ( 33*) stalled the West Indians with the game hanging delicately in the balance !

Batting fourth is not something desirable and everything depends on Bishoo et al. Let us see whether the ball or the bat will predominate. It will be better to say that India is on the cusp of registering a grand victory !

Cusps can be dangerous and with only Yuvraj, Dhoni and Laxman as recognised batsmen to come, loss of some early wickets can spell doom. Pessimism always raises her ugly head. If Bishoo can strike form as Ashwin did, it can difficult for India.

But India has the greatest run assimilators on the crease. Sachin crossed 15 K runs yesterday and is partnered by the second largest run getter in Tests. They had put on an unbroken 57 run partnership, after a devastating 55 from V Sehwag laid the foundation to chase the 276 run target set by Sammy and Co.

After scoring 15 K, Sachin requires another 67 to register a century of centuries. Can he do it on a turning track? He had done it on turning tracks before. All eyes will be on the Little Master when he takes guard tomorrow morning.

India can pip SA to second position in Tests, if they can beat WI 3-0 and if the Proteas lose to formidable Australia 0-2 in the two Test series. SA is only ahead of India by just one rating point. England is placed first and Australia 4th.

If India wins all the three Test, they can get 119 points. A 2-0 series win will leave India with 118 rating points. while a 1-0 or 2-1 will keep them on 117 rating points.

And a 0-1 series loss against Australia will leave SA on 112 points and a 0-2 series defeat will leave the Proteas to join Australia on 110 rating points. SA will be ranked higher than the Kangaroos when the rating are calculated beyond decimals.

Indian carelessness may cost them the match

2011-11-07T19:54:00.000-08:00

Just imagine ! 89 runs for the first wicket off just 12 overs and things
looked ominous for the Carribeans. Then the Indians handed the game on a
platter to the West Indians.

It was inefficiency of the highest order. Now future looks bleak for India
( at least in this Test ) and looms over them like a grim Sahara.

Indian greats fell like nine pins before some mediocre bowling. Indian
recklessness made it interesting, on a pitch where the ball kept low. India
had some satisfaction at the end, when they picked up two wickets and WI are
21/2.

Sehwag was given a life when he was bowled by Fidel Edwars off a no ball and
had hit 3 fours in six balls, when a straight drive was delected onto the
nonstriker's stumps, thus cruelly running Gambhir out for 41.

Sehwag's penchant for innovation saw him stumped, as he was executing some
sort of dance and his leg was in the air. Laxman seemed too lazy, poking
away from the body to be caught by Baugh. Indian chances of taking a lead
appeared remote as the lead footed Indian batsmen committed follies after
follies.

Yuvraj took 19 balls to score his first and was never comfortable against
spin. He lambasted Bishoo for a six. Dravid was the only dependable batsman
and scored 54. Sehwag got 55. The rest of the Indian batsmen were
lacklustre, to the amazement of millions of Indian fans !

Dhoni was ingloriously bowled through the gate by Sammy and Sammy also
accounted for Yuvraj. Two wickets in one over saw India plunge to abysmal
depths, from which they never recovered.

Sammy said he wanted to set a target of 350

"Our bowlers did a great job today to bowl India out (for 209). Considering
the slow and low pitch, the plan was to bowl at the right areas and from
wicket-to-wicket. We stuck to the plan," Sammy said at the end of the second
day's play. It was not a perfect day for us but we supported each other and
played fearless cricket and it paid off" said the maverick all rounder.

"We want to score minimum of 250 runs in our second innings and set 350-plus
for India as they have very good batsmen in their ranks."

"We expect India to come hard on us. We will play fearless cricket and if we
stick to our plan, we can come on top" said the all rounder, whose place in
the side is suspect.

He said he was not surprised by the pitch.

"We have come across such slow and low pitches in Bangladesh and that has
helped up in preparing our game here. Like Shivnarine Chanderpaul said, you
have to be patient and stay at the crease as long as possible and runs are
there to be scored."

Fidel Edwards got rid of Sachin and all Indians were gloomy. "Fidel was our
strike bowler and he was bowling very well. So I thought why should not I
give the ball to my best bowler to bowl at their premier batsman .We had a
similar experience in Bangladesh and I knew that once the ball was old, the
run rate would be down. At lunch break I told my players to maintain the
line and length and stick to basics. We did that and it paid off" .

Honors even on Day I

2011-11-06T20:04:00.000-08:00

WI were 256/5 and the Indian spinners took all the five wickets between
them. India will try to keep WI within 350 and WI will try to post a 400+
total, with Chanderpaul still there on 110.

Chanderpaul played a superb knock, 110 not out, to stifle the Indian
spinners. In Baugh he seemed to have found an ideal partner, as both forced
Dhoni to take the second new ball. Chanderpaul scored his 24th Test ton,
his seventh against India.

Ashwin found the faint edge of Samuel's bat and WI were in trouble. Samuels
had to depart for 16, caught Dhoni bowled Ashwin.

Ojha obliged his skipper several times. He got Brathwaite out of his crease
and had him stumped, thus ending a 108 run fourth wicket partnership.
Kraigg Brathwaite st Dhoni b Ojha 63.

Darren Bravo, touted as the new Lara, committed hara kiri. He failed to read
the quickish off break from Ashwin and was beaten and bowled. D Bravo b
Ashwin 12

Kirk Douglas went after the left arm spinner Ojha, but only succeeded in
lobbying the ball to him. Kirk Edwards c&b Ojha 15

Ojha dropped Powell in the last ball of his first over, but then made amends as he
trapped the WIndian right in front. Kieran Powell lbw b Ojha 14

Dhoni picked up Yuvraj instead of Kohli, Yadav instead of Aaron and
Ojha instead of Rahul Sharma.

All Indians are expectant of the century of centuries from Sachin.

Meanwhile, Chanderpaul said that the WI side is not dependent on him.

"That is not a fair statement. We have other quality batsmen in the team.
They have done well in the series in Bangladesh. We have very capable
players. I am doing what I am supposed to do and playing my role in the
team," said the master batsman. who is nearing 10 K runs.

He said he is helping the youngsters. "I have been helping my team-mates especially the youngsters how to go about batting. I am helping them in whatever way I can. When they have any doubt they come to me and I helped them." said the formidable 37 year old. He smashed seven fours and two sixes, despite being a slow starter.

"The wicket was pretty good to bat on. It might deteriorate later but it was
nice to bat today. So I started at a good pace" Chanderpaul said.

He was controversial before but Chanderpaul said, "I can't control my
selection in the team. I can do things under my control. When I was dropped
I played cricket only in the Caribbean and now I have come back."

He praised Ojha, Ashwin and Yadav.

"They (Ashwin and Ojha) are good spinners. They are competitive. He (Yadav)
has good pace and is sharp though there was not much on the wicket for him."
said Chanderpaul.

Meanwhile, Ojha said he did not get much help from the wicket.

"There was not much in the wicket for bowlers, so I stuck to one line,
played with basics. I just tried to put the ball in the right areas and did
not do any other thing"

"My last match was against New Zealand and I played county cricket after
that. I honed my skills there, learnt variations and that helped me a lot. I
also take advice from Anil Bhai and Bhajji whenever I fee" said
the maverick left arm spinner.

Ojha was all praise for Chanderapual. "He (Chanderpaul) is one of the
legends of the game. But more than the pitch which helped the batsmen, he
was using all his experience. It was a nice contest with him. There were a
couple of half chances and I thought I should have got him. I hope I can
take his wicket on Monday. West Indies batsman were not trying too much.
They were playing straight and did not play fancy shots. I hope we can take
the remaining five wickets soon on Monday"

Ojha was delighted when he removed opener Kraigg Brathwaite, who scored 63.
"I was elated with the wicket. I think he was beaten by the flight"

About being the main spinner, Ojha said, "I took it in a positive way. I tried not to
think much and focus on my performance. I take advice from Anil bhai,
Bhajji, VVS Laxman and Dravid. They told me to play in county cricket. They
want me to do well for the country."

Ton of Tons to affect Tendulkar

2011-11-05T03:22:00.000-07:00

Gibson, the WI coach, feels that the milestone - century of centuries - for Tendulkar may affect his performance in the Airtel Test Series. The First Test between WI and India begins tomorrow.

"I was not aware of the milestone and haven't thought much about it. But I
feel if there is too much hype, it would be tough for Tendulkar" said
he after a practice session at the Delhi Cricket Ground.

"But Tendulkar is a legend and he would get it anyways any time soon" said
Gibson.

Rampaul, the spearhead of WI attack, said he is aware of the milestone and the WI will play positive cricket.

"We know that Tendulkar is on the verge of a personal milestone but our
target is to play good cricket. We have to stick to our plan" said the formidable
swing bowler.

Sachin scored his 99th Test century against SA this year, during the World Cup, which saw the ascent of India.

All expected Sachin to score his century of centuries in England but India and he had
a miserable tour. However in the fouth Test at the Oval, he almost came to achieve that landmark, scoring 91.

Sammy and Dhoni unveiled the AirTel Trophy for the three Test series. With gold
plating, the trophy is made of silver. For all international cricket
matches to be played in India till 2013, .Bharti Airtel has won the sponsorship rights.

In domestic cricket, Ravindra Jadeja scored a triple century confirming his ability. He is amongst the 36 players on BCCI's payroll.

New fast bowlers in Indian Squad

2011-10-30T20:50:00.001-07:00

Varun Aaron and Umesh Yadav, pacers who can bowl at 150 kph, find their
place in the Indian Test team. The First Test against the West Indies is on
Nov 6.

This is the squad for the first Test

M S Dhoni (capt & wk), Gautam Gambhir, Umesh Yadav, Virat Kohli, Varun
Aaron, Ajinkya Rahane, Rahul Sharma, Virender Sehwag, Rahul Dravid, Sachin
Tendulkar, VVS Laxman, Yuvraj Singh, R Ashwin, Pragyan Ojha, Ishant Sharma

Kohli finds his way into the Test side ahead of Raina. Bajji has been
dropped for poor performance and the spin department will be handled by
Ojha, Ashwin and Rahul Sharma. Sachin, Sehwag, Gambhir and Yuvraj have
recovered from their injuries and will play for India.

" We think from the perspective of the future ' said Sreekanth, the Chairman
of Selectors. " We are building a team for the future and all are 100 per
cent fit". Ashwin is yet to make his debut in Tests and Rahul Sharma's
inclusion is surprising. Ojha took 24 wickets in County Cricket for Surrey
and comes back to the squad.

Rotate fast bowlers to avoid injury: Sehwag

"It's important that the team management ensures that they don't play too
many matches. Fast bowlers are prone to injuries and when they get injured
their pace goes," said the dashing opener. "Besides, when you are injured,
your comeback becomes very difficult. A cricketer's passion is to play for
the country. If somebody says he's tired, he can talk to the team
management. Dhoni was not given rest on his request, because there were too
many injuries in the team." He admitted he had played in England without
recovering from injuries and said he is always annoyed with himself when he
gets injured. I knew I was needed. I tried my best but I realised I hurried
my comeback in England. It was a difficult time in England for the whole
team... so many injuries." added the formidable opening batsman.

He said the Country vs Club debate is futile and said no international
player has renounced Test cricket to play in the IPL.

"Tell me one cricketer who has said that. It's a perception that the media
and ex-cricketers have. Every youngster dreams of playing Tests. There is
not a single Indian or for that matter international cricketer who has taken
retirement from Tests and ODIs to play IPL," he said.

"I played the World Cup with injuries, Sachin played when he had a fractured
toe or other injuries. People are not aware of this," he said.

He said Sachin is irreplaceable. " "Nobody will ever play for as long as
Sachin has however good he may be. There can never be another Sachin," he
said.

He said he is impressed by Rahane, Kohli, Raina and Rohit Sharma and that
India has a formidable future.

"When the seniors retire, I have full faith in these talented youngsters
taking their place. There may be a problem for a year or two, but Indian
cricket is in safe hands."

England keep their No 1 Slot

2011-10-29T20:58:00.001-07:00

England beat India by six wickets in the lone T20, thus keeping their numero uno position in World T20 Cricket.

India could only score 120-9 and England surpassed that humble target with 8 balls to spare. KP scored 53 off 39 balls to spearhead the English win. England get a lot of relief, as this win save their faces, as they lost horribly to India in the ODIs. KP was dropped at one by Raina and he hit three sixes and five fours, as the reigning T20 champions proved their supremacy in the shortest version of the game. Samit Patel hit 21 off 25 balls and Bopara remained not out on 14. England bowled clinically and restricted India to 120. Raina top scored with 39 and only he could shine with the bat. The rest Indian batsmen fell like nine pins.

Meanwhile, BCCI awarded 36 contracts to players, an addition of 11 more players in Grade C. Kohli, Yuvi and Ishant were promoted to Grade A. Now Grade A has 12 players, instead of the previous nine.

They are

Grade A ( Rs 1 Crore)

Harbhajan Singh, Zaheer Khan, Yuvraj Singh, Ishant Sharma, Virat Kohli.Sachin Tendulkar, Rahul Dravid, Gautam Gambhir, Virender Sehwag, M S Dhoni, VVS Laxman & Suresh Raina.

Grade B ( Rs 50 lakhs)

Rohit Sharma, Ravindra Jadeja.,Praveen Kumar, Pragyan Ojha & Ravichandran Ashwin.

Grade C ( Rs 25 lakhs )

S Sreesanth, Amit Mishra, Cheteshwar Pujara, Abhimanyu Mithun, Vinay Kumar, Ajinkya Rahane, Munaf Patel, Murali Vijay, Shikhar Dhawan, Wriddhiman Saha, Parthiv Patel, S Badrinath, Manoj Tiwary, Piyush Chawla, Dinesh Karthik, Jaydev Unadkat, Umesh Yadav, Rahul Sharma & Varun Aaron.

Kohli got the nod because of his impressive show in the series against England, even though he flopped in the West Indies. Ishant for his good show in England. Murali Vijay was pushed to Group C and Ashish Nehra was not included in the list.

We are world champions, say India !

2011-10-25T22:01:00.001-07:00

Indian spinners triggered an English collapse. Dhoni opined that the English batsmen have not yet mastered Indian conditions.

England were chasing a target of 272 and Cook and Keiswetter gave them a solid 120 partnership, but the visitors lost their way with the exit of these two formidable batsmen, as their ten wickets fell for 47 runs.

After Aaron achieved the initial breakthrough, Indian spinners Jadeja, Ashwin, Raina and Tiwary took the remaining wickets to send the visitors back to the pavilion for just 176 runs. Jadeja took 4/33 and Ashwin 3/28. This
brownwash made amends for the humiliation in England, where India were mauled !

Cook and Kieswetter were going great guns, when Aaron, arguably the fastest Indian bowler, dismissed Cook for 60 in his second over. Jadeja trapped Kieswetter lbw., Ashwin dismissed Ian Bell for two, Trott and Bairstow were removed in eight balls by Jadeja. Bopara was removed by Raina, bowled round his legs and Bresnan holed out ot Tiwary. Ashwin then picked up Meaker and Finn to complete the brownwash.

Dhoni was adjudjed Man of the Series and he smashed 75 not out off 69 balls to power India to 271-8, after India was sent in to bat by Cook. His last seven knocks now read 69, 78 not out, 50 not out, 87 not out, 35 not out, 15 not out and 75 not out.

Jadeja was adjudged Man of the Match for his 4 wickets. Earlier Rahane ( 42 ) and Gambhir ( 38 ) scored 80 for the first wicket. Raina scored 38 before being run out and Jadeja remained a good No 7, scoring a steady 21.

The rivals will meet again on Saturday for a lone T20 ! In this series, known as the payback series, India had to win. The Indian crowd was irate and everybody was blaming the busy schedule. When the team was announced, many were apprehensive that a second rate Indian XI may not hold against England, who beat India comprehensively in England. But the Indian team rose to the occasion and now India is third in ODI rankings.

Cook was dejected and said " We were in with a shout there, 120 for no loss, and then we were blown away at the end. It was very disappointing. We know that you can lose wickets in a cluster, we seem to have lost 10 there in a cluster. Credit to the way they bowled, and we played a couple of poor shots."

Indian spinners led by Jadeja and Aswin sealed the fate of the series. English batsmen had no clues to balls which kept low and they were routed. Indians will be thankful to the return of Jadeja, the pace of Aaron and Yadav ( who both clocked more than 145 kph ), the length of Vinay Kumar , the batting of Raina, Kohli, Dhoni and Jadeja. Now India has 118 points.

India had won 16 out of 18 ODIs played in India and their dominance in home conditions is alarming.

Dhoni was ecstatic.

"I remember them as a very strong side and they can give you the punch with a good bowling unit. But they need to click as a batting unit. It's just that they have not done well in India."

Indian bowlers could not use English conditions well. "I've not said anything different. We must realise our strengths and weaknesses. Of course, it's a great series win. But our pacers could not bowl 10 overs. But it didn't happen here. We have to realise where we have to go better. It's good to have bowlers. We need to improve as a team. Hopefully, we have improved but we still need to be consistent and not depending on the venue. We have to be more consistent with our bowling as well. These are the areas we need to emphasis upon so that we may not see a Raina bowling alongside Tiwary." said the whirlwind wicket keeper batsman.

As a No 6, 'Man of the Series' Dhoni said he had adjusted himself to that slot. "The last time I played up the order was in Pakistan and I could not capitalise on a couple of innings. I was supposed to bat at 5, 6 or 7 and got myself adjusted. Now the format of the game has also changed. Now with split of powerplays, the situations are different. We have to be good at slog overs and rotate strikes as well. It's about taking risks as well. I have changed my style of batting. At 3, you can be flamboyant but at 5 and 6 you have to be careful. Reiterating his stand on terming the series as revenge, he said, "It's not about revenge. In sport, you don't go for revenge. We are a good side. Our bowling did not perform to the extent in the series. For us, it's about to do well but not setting examples."

Dhoni said he is philosophical about the humiliation incurred in England.

"It happens in the world. You are appreciated when you do well. It should be taken in an open heart. I can also sit and criticise. I was not too worried about criticism. We know cricket is big in India. It's a part of our life."

Dhoni praised the youngsters. "It's difficult to replace the seniors talent-wise. But these youngsters have clicked as a unit. They are slightly better fielders. They may save 8-10 runs which matter in ODIs. They have reacted in the right way. They waited to turn the game in their favour. But we really can't replace Sachin, Sehwag and Yuvraj."

About the low turnout at Kolkotta, Dhoni said, "We played a lot of cricket in India. The World Cup, IPL and then the Champions League were held here. Big stars like Sachin were missing. This is one of the biggest stadia in India. So it's not easy to get a jam-packed crowd everytime. I remember them as a very strong side and they can give you the punch with a good bowling unit. But they need to click as a batting unit. It's just that they have not done well in India."

Dhoni wished his countrymen Happy Diwali. "I extend my best wishes to everyone for Diwali" said the formidable Indian captain.

In T20s, England is positioned at No 1 with 127 points, India is placed No 5 with 112 points, Australia with 111 points and Pakistan 97 points. Misbah condemend the ranking of Pakistan at No 7, saying that they were World Champions. He said his side will improve, even though the ranking is undeserved !

Said Misbah, "It was quite a shock to the whole team. We felt it quite a lot, all the players," whose shot, in the 2007 final, went straight into the safe hands of Sreeshant, giving India the Cup that mattered.

He said his players were eager to improve their rankings. "We've spoken about it as well. All the players have quite a lot of concern about it. All the players want to do well. We've lost quite a few of our last T20s, so all the players felt it and their thinking is that they need to improve it now." Pakistan start their second Test against SL on Wed.

"Next time we play a T20, our approach will be that this is a format that we have done really well in, it's a format that we've played a lot, and our performances in the three World T20s, runner-up, winner, then semis, we want to bring that ranking back" said the solid middle order batsman

India thrash England !

2011-10-23T21:01:00.001-07:00

Varun Aaron impressed one and all with his blistering pace. He clocked 145.3 in the 11th over. Even though he did not get a chance to complete his full quota of ten overs, his spell 6-1-24-3 was a pointer that India's pace bowling future is not all brimming with pessimistic prophecies.

Dhoni used him very carefully and gave him the first over after the end of the mandatory first power play. A move which ensured that the promising speedster got enough support.

Even though his first spell was uneventul, his second spell of 3-1-10-3 was great and gave Indian supporters the pep that they needed. One always wondered why a nation of 1.2 billion people could not develop fast bowlers, who could bowl faster than 150 kph.

His second spell was marked by full length deliveries and it is to his credit that he clean bowled Borthwick, Meaker and Bresnan. One should also give credit to the ball of Finn which clean bowled Raina. It came at a blistering 149.9 kph !

Kohli (80) and Raina ( 86 ) crushed England in a century partnership. England looks like a cat out of water in Indian conditions.

Dhoni was exuberant. He said "They got a good start. After 10 overs, we thought they will get 270 plus. But there was a twist in the tale. Spinners got more and more turn as the game progressed and that helped us restrain them." .

Dhoni also said pacer Varun Aaron, who made his debut, was a good addition to the team."He bowled quick. If you can bowl quick, it's difficult to rotate the strike. Now we have both Umesh Yadav and Aaron, and we can make a good choice according to the conditions."

Indian fiedling has improved. "We have improved a lot. Those 10 runs (saved) matter. Overall it has become a good fielding unit."

Cook blamed lack of partnerships for the debacle. "We fell short again. In Indian conditions, you need to score 270, 280. We lost wickets in cluster today; 220 was never going to be enough. We kept losing wickets. We have not performed to our potential. We have not played as well as we would have liked to. The guys would definitely want to win in Kolkata."

Suresh Raina, who scored a quick-fire 80 off just 62 balls, was adjudged Man-of-the-Match. "The partnership with Virat was crucial. Me and Virat spoke to each other and he said, 'We have to be together for about 100 runs'. He said 'We'll rotate strike and wait for the loose deliveries to play our shots'" said the versatile left hander.

Bowled by a fastish delivery from Finn which made him miss his century, the maverick left hander said. "I had decided to play my natural game. But I won't repeat that mistake again. We will try to win it 5-0."

India take revenge

2011-10-20T20:49:00.000-07:00

If it was a matter of nerves, India held their nerves and beat England in the third ODI, to win the series 3-0.

England batted magnificently to score 298 and India had to hold their nerves. 7 runs were needed in the final over, when Dhoni smacked the first two balls for fours, registering a great win for India. The visitors came back into the game taking some quick wickets, but Jadeja ( 26 not out ) and Dhoni ( 35 not out ) steered India home.

After being smashed in Hyderabad and thumped in Delhi, the visitors were a more convincing, cohesive unit this time. but didnt have the bowling strength to contain Indian batting.

England won the toss and elected to bat and K P's 64, Patel's 70 not out and Trott's superb 98 not out saw England score a formidable 298/4. Umesh Yadav failed to impress, finishing with the figures 0-71.

Trott missed his ton by two runs, as he remained not out on 98, facing 116 balls with nine boundaries. Patel scored 70 off 44 balls, with two sixes and seven boundaries. England's big score was due to a great century partnership, 101 to be exact, between Trott and KP. Trott added 103 runs with Patel, who hit two sixes and seven fours, as England amassed 91 runs in the last ten overs.

Vinay Kumar trapped Cook for three in the fourth over. Kieswetter made amends for his low scores, by slamming two sixes and three boundaries in a quick fire 36.

Rahane scored 91 and partnered Gambhir in a 111 run partnership for the second wicket. Gambhir scored 58, Patel 38 and Kohli 35, as India amasseed 300/7.

Kohli, a potential Sachin : Rhodes

2011-10-18T20:36:00.000-07:00

Kohli has the ability to become another Sachin, opined Jonty Rhodes.

"Kohli is only 22 but he has already shown his potential with the bat. He has shown that he can be a superstar."said the ex great fielder.

"His conversion rate from fifties to hundreds in ODIs is amazing. Once he gets a fifty, he is a difficult batsman to dismiss. With regards to the stats and the number of runs scored, he has shown that he can compete with the records of the likes of Sachin Tendulkar in the long run.

"Kohli is expected to play a big role in India's success in the future. He is a fine cricketer and a fine athlete. He is a complete all-rounder."

Kohli has scored 2,496 runs in 66 ODIs at an average of 45.38 with the help of seven centuries and 16 fifties.

He can also be a successful Test player.

"The right-handed batsman has been consistent in IPL, T20s and ODIs because he plays good cricketing shots." said Rhodes.

"He plays shots all-round the park. From the team point of view, he has shown maturity. He finishes games for India and does not throw his wicket away. That's what Test cricket is all about." he added.

Rhodes feels that England may find it difficult to bounce back.

"England are a team that have come off a convincing win (over India) in their home. But being 0-2 down is always a dangerous position to be in, especially when you are playing against a quality side. England have shown that they are very good but beating India in India is a tough ask."

"We all know its pretty tough to play in India. England had played pretty well recently but India have bounced back.

"They are the world champions. No team would like to go to England and fail to win even a game there, especially if they are the world champions. India have given England a lesson in cricket in the last two games." said the talented South African.

Rhodes supported Bajji, who is on a lean period.

"Bhajji has always been a fighter and he has been known for it throughout his career. I have been dropped in my career. There are two things you can do in that situation - either sulk and say that's it I'm not going to participate or you can get back to the field. That's what he did for Mumbai Indians in the Champions League." said the Mumbai Indians coach.

"He could have said Sachin is not here, I've been dropped from the Indian team so what's the point, but he led (Mumbai Indians) from the front. That's shows the kind of guy he is.

"He is a real team man. He has got a lot to contribute to the India team."

Kohli's century destroys England

2011-10-17T21:01:00.000-07:00

A superb century by Kohil, 112 and a brilliant 84 by Gambhir helped India
win the second one dayer against England. England were bowled out for 237
and India won effortlessly.

Dhoni said he is impressed by the effort of the youngsters.

"I'm glad we're the winning side, it's really good. Well, of course, the
series in England wasn't a good one for us, but the team showed character
not to lose temper and still be sociable on the field."

Dhoni said the pitch was placid, not giving help to the spinners. "The
pitch was a bit too placid, I'd prefer a bit more turn. I think a turning
wicket is a sporting track in India. But this was a good ODI wicket."

Asked whether India will win 5-0, , Dhoni said, "For us, it's all about
winning one game at a time, improving ourselves as cricketers, especially
with youngsters in the side. We needed a good start, Vinay (Kumar) and
Praveen (Kumar) gave us that with early wickets. We never let them get a
partnership together."

Dhoni praised Gautam and Virat Kohli for their performance. "I think Gautam
played brilliantly, and Virat, we all know, is a strokeplayer once he sets
in. Gautam's innings at No. 3 was crucial; the ball was still moving a bit
when he got in."

Cook said England have to improve a lot. "We would like to do everything
differently. We got a lot of 30s and 40s (today) but we know that doesn't
win a game. We prepared well in the practice games, but we haven't
translated that to the main games. We need to score more runs, and our
fielding wasn't quite to standard. Virat and Gambhir showed us how it's
done. Credit to the way they played."

Kohli, who got the Man of the Match Award, said he is happy to perform well
before his home crowd.

"It's especially satisfying playing at my home ground. I was really keen to
perform at my home ground, really happy with the way I batted." said the
master batsman. About the track, he said "The pitch did a bit early and the
English bowlers were getting some bounce early on, but it was coming on to
the bat beautifully.On this kind of wicket if you play good cricket shots,
you can get boundaries. I'm definitely hungry for more, you never know when
you can hit a bad patch. I want to continue my form as much as I can, but
stay humble in the process."

Cook was a bit dejected after the match.

"After two heavy defeats, there is bound to be some questions asked about the
team. We have the self-belief and there is no reason why we can't do it
here. The conditions here are different, and it played a big role in today's game. It was hard to stop (Virat) Kohli and (Gautam) Gambhir once they got going. They really played well to take the game away from us." Cook said that his team has prepared well for the series by coming to India well in advance but the players have not been able to carry their recent form into these games. We do have the players to do well
in these conditions. There are no major changes in the team. It is just that
we are not being able to deliver."

Cook admitted that there should be some changes in the team. "There will be
questions. We have got the skills. We were a little short on the basics in
the first two matches and we paid a price"In today's game, we did not start
well after winning the toss. We just could not recover. We have to face it
that we did not play well enough."

Cook praised Vinay Kumar for his excellent bowling. "Vinay bowled really
well. He bowled in the right areas and it worked. He kept it simple, that's
it".

Admitting that the Mohali match on Oct 20 will be a do or die match, he said
"It will be a challenge to make sure that everyone is in the right frame of
mind. We have to do well in Mohali."

Vinay took 4 wickets and destroyed England. England started horribly losing
both openers for 0. Umesh Yadav removed KP and that was more or the
less the finis !

SA crush Kangaroos in thriller !

2011-10-16T20:48:00.001-07:00

This is snatching victory from the jaws off defeat ! Rusty Theron and Parnell put on 64 runs for the eighth wicket off just 27 balls to snatch an improbable win over young Australia.

The young Kangaoos pushed Australia to the edge of victory, but their inexperience cost them the match.

"It's a bitter pill to swallow," Cameroon White admitted. "We didn't execute our skills very well at the end but we're a very young side. There were some really encouraging performances from some individuals and the experience of feeling the heat and pressure of Twenty20 international cricket will be invaluable."

Theron on the contrary was ecstatic.,

"We never got ahead of ourselves," he said. "We tried to take it as deep as we could, give ourselves a chance and see how close we could get."

Teenager Mitchell Marsh hit four sixes in the last two overs to give the Australian innings a late boost, taking their score to a respectable 147/8. Fast bowler Pat Cummins started a SA collapse, taking two for three and it seemed that Australia was in the driver's seat. Pattinson kept the pressure on, taking two for 17 off four overs.

SA were reeling at 84/7 with only 32 balls remaining, when Theron joined Parnell.

37 runs were needed in the last three overs when skipper White brought O Keefe to bowl. Parnell hit O Keefe for two sixes and a four in an over which cost 18 runs. Cummins gave 13 runs in the next over, conceding two wides.

Six was needed off the last over and White turned to David Hussey. Theron hit the first ball for six, thus registering an incredible victory for SA.

India win magnificently !

2011-10-14T08:30:00.000-07:00

England at the moment are badly placed at 134/6, needing 301 to win.

Dhoni, Raina, Gambhir, Jadeja and Kohli powered India to 300. And England batsmen made heavy weather of the Indian attack.

The same pattern continues. England who thrashed Australia in Tests, were humiliated by the Kangaroos in the one dayers, 6-1.

A similar pattern is developing, with England not coming upto the mark in ODIs. The Indian batsmen were aggressive in posting 300, and English batsmen were short of aggression !

Ashwin took three and Jadeja three and England were all out for 174. Yadav clean bowled Swann and Patel ! A good performance by India.

One wonders about the selection of Parthiv Patel and Vinay Kumar. Shikhar Dhawan and Varun Aaron should have been there in their place.

Meanwhile, Cook admitted that England had been outplayed in all departments of the game.

"It was an important toss to win. We saw at the end that the ball kept low. But credit to India. They outplayed us in all departments today." said the English captain.

"We're going to learn from this, and that's the beauty of a five-match series."

Indian medium pacers, Kumar and Yadav bowled well while the spinners Ashwin and Jadeja sparkled in the slow conditions, sharing 9 wickets between them. Cook is of the view that tackling the slow bowlers in slow conditions will be a great challenge.

"We know that (playing spin) is an issue, and that's a skill thing. We're going to work hard on that in the next couple of days," he said.

Dhoni said revenge is a strong word. "For us, it is not about revenge. Revenge is a strong feeling, it is a strong word. What is important for us is to go out on the field and perform well."

"It is important to win the games because if you are not winning too many games, (it is) a bit of a problem in the sense you can't enjoy to the extent you do when you are winning. Winning and losing is part and parcel of the game. The losing streak was a bit too long," said the whirlwind wicket keeper.

Dhoni feels the absence of dew aided his bowlers.

"If you see the ODIs in England, all the players did very well. Because of rains, it was difficult for our spinners to bowl consistently. We did well in the second half of the England series. Today there was no dew. If the conditions are slightly in their favour, the bowlers can make us win games."

The timing of the series is uncertain, as you cant tell about the dew.

"If you are close to November or December, you know there will be dew and blindly you will opt to field after winning the toss so that bowlers get an upper hand. It is a bit tricky. It was good that in this game there was no dew. Spinners gripped the ball well, they bowled the right length. Fast bowlers got a bit of reverse swing also; outfield was very dry and the wicket was also dry."

Stating that his immediate target was 250-260 runs, he averred that "which we thought was good enough score provided there is no dew on the field in the second half".

His innings was invaluable for the team.

"It was a valuable inning like quite a few others I have played in my short career. It was a very calculated inning. Quite a few shots that I played, I generally don't play those shots. I have changed my game and adapted to number six position."

His ability to go over the top with helicopter shots brought home the bacon. "At time it pays off. It was a precious inning."

He said he is happy with the performance of his new bowlers, who with experience can be weapons both in India and abroad.

"It's a grooming period we are going through. We have few bowlers who are new to the scenario. I feel as a unit they have done very well in this game."

Dhoni's brutal 87 not out, which won him the Man of the Match Award, was reminiscent of his 91 not out in the World Cup Final. He and Jadeja crushed England in the death overs !

After 34 overs, India were struggling at 134/4 in 34 overs and 150/4 in 35 overs, when Dhoni, Raina and Jadeja scored another 161 in the next 16 overs to annihilate England. Raina and Jadeja hit two sixes each and Dhoni one, as English bowlers were hit to all corners of the field.

Mumbai, world champions !

2011-10-09T23:22:00.001-07:00

If world championship can be decided by CLT20, Mumbai are the world champions. This they achieved without stalwart Tendulkar, R Sharma and Davy Jacobs.

It was not a great batting display from the Mumbai Indians, but their bowling was great with Bajji taking three wickets & Chahal two.

It was Bajji who took the prize wicket of Kohli and Gayle. MI were skittled out for 139, as Bhatkal ( 3/29 ) and Vettori ( 2-30) ran riot. Mumbai, batting first, lost Blizzard early, due to an unfortunate run out.

Kanwar smashed the first six of the match, lofting Dilshan into the stands. Rayudu joined Kanwar and started well by lofting Aravind into the stands but Nannes put an end to his knock. Franklin hit a couple of sixes in his brief 29 ball knock and Suryakumar Yadav hit a six and two fours in his 17 ball innings before both were run out in consecutive overs. They did try to resurrec the Mumbai innings, adding 40 runs for the fourth wicket. Vettori tightened his reins as he forced Pollard to hit to Kohli at long off. He also trapped Bajji for a duck. Malinga showed his belligerence and hit Aravind for a glorious six over the sight screen. Satish hit Bhatkal for a six but got out next ball. Malinga followed with a quickfire 16.

Bangalore started losing wickets and Bajji ( 3/20 ) and Chahal ( 2/9) not only strangled the Bangalore batsmen but also picked up five prize wickets between them. Bangalore made heavy weather of the Mumbai attack and fell short by 31 runs. The failure of the inform Kohli and Gayle hepled Mumbai consolidate. Bangalore needed a good start and Dishan smashed Malinga for a four and then hit Ahmed for two consecutive fours to start the onslaught. But Malinga had the better of him, when he clean bowled him with a superb yorker. In the next over, Bajji trapped Gayle and the match was half won ! Chahal then struck dismissing Agarwal and in the 12th over, Kohli was dismissed by Bajji, giving a clear edge to Mumbai.

Chahal dismissed Arun Karthik. Bangalore wobbled under pressure, needing 65 runs off 45 balls. Tiwary and Kaif struggled against an accurate Mumbai attack. Pollard then swung the match in Mumbai's favour by dismissing Kaif for three and leaving the rest to Malinga to finish Bangalore.

Malinga swings out Somerset

2011-10-08T20:55:00.003-07:00

A dream of the Indians ! An all India final between Mumbai and Bangalore on Sunday night !

It will be a great contest, between Gayle and Kohli and Malinga. Mumbai had not been amidst the runs, but their bowling is sharp. Bangalore is amidst runs, but their bowling needs much to be desired. Vettori and Nannes will have to pull their act together, if Bangalore is to become the international champions. The earlier champion, Chennai, could not hold on to their trophy. Indians have a lot to cheer, as the World Champion T20 team will be from India.

One should appreciate the determination of Mumbai. After missing half their side, they found it difficult to put an XI on the field. But still they have won most of the matches and now are in the finals.

Blizzard's 54 off 39 kept the momentum going for them. When Pollard fell, they had Satish and Yadav to carry the attack to the bowler's end. It was a 43 runs partnership off 22 balls. Van der Merve and Trego were taken by the great yorkers of the formidable Slinga Malinga. Klieswetter's 62 could not bring home the bacon for Somerset and MI were into the finals.

28 runs were needed in the last 3 overs and Malinga and Franklin defended that. Bajji gave the 19th over to Franklin and it was a big risk. But the last two overs were well bowled and Somerset could not just do it.

Today's match will be tense and exciting. Let us pray for a great battle, a cliff hanger !

Gayle and Kohli take Banglore into the finals !

2011-10-07T20:48:00.001-07:00

Glorious batting by Gayle ( 92 off 41 balls ) and Kohli ( 84 off 49 ) ecliped the century of Warner and Bangalore stormed into the finals. Now they take on the winners of MI - Somerset.

This is the second consecutive successful chase of more than 200 and Bangalore can be proud of this redoubtable feat. Gayle and Kohli have been doing it consistently and hats off to them.

David Warner scored his second back to back T20 century and was in great form, belting the hapless Bangalore bowlers to all parts of the field. It powered NSW Blues to score 203 and Bangalore had to everything possible to win over them. And win over them did, thanks to Gayle and Kohli.

Warner was involved in a 146 run partnership with Daniel Smith, who scored 62. Warner accelerated towards the end of the innings and scored 122 of 68 balls ! Only Dilshan impressed for Bangalore and the rest of the bowlers were battered by Warner and Smith. Sreenath Aravind was hit for 55 runs in his four overs.

A couple of fours from Kaif, saw Bangalore home. Virat Kohli was not out 84, when the match ended. Bangalore started badly, losing Dilshan ( 4) early in the third over. Kohli and Gayle were involved in a majestic 141 run partnership off just 66 balls for the second wicket to take Bangalore within touching distance of victory. Gayle and Tiwari departly abruplty, sending tremors in the Bangalore camp. But then Kohli and Kaif played sensibly and took them home.

Run Fiesta on the cards at First Semi Final, CLT20 !

2011-10-06T21:59:00.001-07:00

The batting strip at Banglaore promises a lot. We have the likes of Gayle, Kohli, Shane Watson, David Warner, Dilshan and Henriques and the average fan is just enthusiastic about a run fest.

In their previous, Kohli, Warner and Dilshan had amassed 279 off 152 balls and they promise a lot to the cricket enthusiast.

Vettori is wary of Watson and Warner, it is learnt. Both are matchwinners and may come in the way of high flying Bangalore.

On the other hand, Gayle is always a nightmare for the opposition. So also is Kohli and Dishan. NSW will try to get these three dangers out, if they have fulfill their dream.

Meanwhile, Arun Karthik opined that he knew that Christian will bowl a slower ball and he gave it all the strength needed.

Bangalore will be up against a fit and fighting NSW Blues, who is ready for the battle. Spearheaded by David Warner, the Blues can be a dangerous outfit on their day. Warner may not look as strong as Gayle, but the power he generates is simply incredible. Now he has become a nightmare for the CLT20 bowlers. Spin continues to be the forte for Bangalore, as Vettori and Syed can rattle the Blues, who seem a bit suspect against spin in India.

Incredible win with a last ball six by Bangalore !

2011-10-05T21:22:00.001-07:00

What an incredible match ! He who said that Cricket is a game of dire vicissitudes is right after all !

In a very high scoring match ( more than 400 runs were scored off 40 overs ), Bangalore (215/8) edged out South Australian Redbacks (214) by two wickets. Glorious innings from centurion Harris and Ferguson (70) enabled SA to score a mammoth 214. Bangalore started violently, with Gayle, Dilshan and Kohli carrying the attack to the bowlers end. Kohli played the best innings of his T20 career and his 70 contained six mighty sixes !

Here is how the drama unfolded.

The 20th over

The stuff of which heavenly tales are made off. SIx runs needed off the last ball and Arun Karthik belts it for six !

Daniel Christian bowls the last ball and Karthik slog sweeps it for six. The crowd erupts into delirium !

The 19th over

Tait bowls a beamer to Dilshan and the next ball the Sri Lankan is castled. putting the end to an incredible 74 off 47 balls. Vettori and Bhatkal get out Tait gets a glorious five for and RCB tumbles from 183/2
to 201/7!

The 18th over

Agarwal belts O Brien for a six, but perishes. Vettori begins with six and now 18 needed off 12.

Virat Kohli was excited after the match. "Never been in such an exciting T20 match all my life." said the dashing youngster, after he received the Man of the Match Award.

Asked to relive the moment when KB Arun Karthik hit that stunning six, Kohli said "I had my eyes closed on the last ball. I was talking to our coach when two balls were left. Thought if we could get boundary and a two so that scores are tied."

The team management relied a lot on the start that Chris Gayle and Tillekaratne Dilshan provided. "We thought if Chris and Dilshan could bat five or six overs, we had a fair chance.I was calm and relaxed, but of course you can't stay assured chasing a target such as 215."

Kohli's skipper Daniel Vettori was equally at loss of words after the match. "Pretty amazing game of cricket. One thing about this ground is you can chase anything here. The last five overs that we bowled were really poor. Harris and Callum and Dan Christian batted extremely well." said Vettori.

"The dew does change this wicket. The new ball turns a bit, but once it becomes soft, it's really difficult. However, the class of the batsmanship coupled with the wicket was amazing."

On the contrary, Callum Ferguson, who played another "callous" innings was dejected that his side could not pull it off. "Obviously, it's disappointing to not defend 214. Dan Harris and Dan Christian batted well, Tait came back with the ball and went bang bang bang, but Virat and Dilshan batted beautifully. We were backing our bowlers to execute despite the dew, disappointed not to do that."

T & T beat Cobras in thriller !

2011-10-04T22:30:00.001-07:00

It was a real cliffhanger of a match and Kevon Cooper proved to the the man of the hour, as T & T beat the Cobras by two wickets yesterday.

Cooper struck 25 off 11 balls, a matchwinning innings. He had also starred with the bat against Chennai.

Chasing a modest 138, T & T were struggling initially, as both openers fell cheaply for 26. From the last two overs, they needed 24 runs to win, with 3 wickets in hand.

Dale Steyn bolwed the penultimate over and 15 runs were blasted by T & T . Nine runs were needed from the last over and T & T achieved that effortlessly.

Darren Bravo top scored with 36, but it was the day of Kevon Cooper, who lofted Steyn for a glorious six in the penultimate over. Steyn's figures were economical till that time.

Earlier Shah ( 63* ) and Vilas ( 54) scored half centuries to bring the Cobras to some semblance of respectability, at 137/4.

Warner's century destroys Chennai

2011-10-04T21:50:00.001-07:00

Dave Warner blasted 8 sixes in a formidable display of batting. and NSW Blues scored a massive 201/2. Chennai could not do anything about it and is now out of CLT20 !

Chennai was helpless as a rampaging Warner smashed 11 fours and 8 huge sixes, in a mammoth individual score of 135 not out. Chennai lost their composure before that whirlwind knock and was nervously all out for 155 !

When T & T defeated Cobras, they had assured that only one Indian tem - Mumbai Indians - qualified. Chennai had come with hopes of making it, but they had to have a better run rate and win the match. They lost it due to too much tension.

When we said in our columns that Dhoni is having the adverse 8th transit of Jupiter, we meant what we said. Look at the way India lost in England. When India won the World Cup, Jupiter was in the favourable 7th for Dhoni.

One player can decide the game in the T20 format and it was Warner's day ( as it was Gayle's before ).

Somerset quiver before Gayle storm !

2011-10-03T22:18:00.000-07:00

Gayle spearheaded a great Bangalore victory, as he blasted 86 off 46 , with eight sixes and four fours. A CLT20 record of 14 sixes were blasted by Bangalore. 206/6 is the highest in the CLT20 championship this season.

Gayle hit Dockrell for 21 runs in over, including three massive sixes. Trego also got hit, as 50 runs were conceded in his three overs.

An intimidating 207 target was given by Bangalore and Somerset never came anywhere near that. Gayle had sent a scare to the opposition !

Gayle lost Dilshan ( 23 ) and joined hands with Kohli ( 33) and the second wicket pair smashed 70 off 40 balls. Saurabh Tiwary scored 18 and adding 49 runs with Gayle.Agarwal shone in the death overs, blasting 19, with two sixes.

Somerset could only manage 155/6 and Vettori's side won for the first time in the competition.

Narine wrecks Chennai

2011-10-03T02:13:00.000-07:00

Narine took three wickets for Trinidad & Tobago and won the game for them. For Chennai, this was an abysmal performance, one which they should try to forget !

They couldnt chase a modest 124 and were just 111/6, at the end of the allotted 20 overs.

Hussey was crestfallen after the loss "It wasn't a difficult target. We had our plans ready. We wanted to get off to a good start, keep wickets intact and then attack in the last few overs. But unfortunately, we lost three quick wickets. Ideally, one of the top three or four should have played a majority of the innings."

A shoddy performance had done Chennai in. "Ours is a flexible order but we lost quick wickets. We needed someone to stabilise the innings, and that's the reason we sent (Wriddhiman) Saha up the order. Both Saha and S Badrinath have done the job for us previously. But unfortunately, it didn't work today." said the dejected Hussey.

Off spinner Sunil Narine came as Nemesis and took three vital wickets, to put Chennai on the back foot. He took three for eight in his allotted four overs.

"We couldn't read which way he (Narine) was spinning the ball because we haven't played him before. Sometimes, it's tough to play someone we haven't faced. There was a bit of Ajantha Mendis sort of mystery with him, but the more we play him we will get used to him, as it happened with Mendis. I thought their spinners bowled wonderfully and the slowness of the track aided them," said Mr Cricket.

Mr Cricket felt that Chennai should have opened with Ashwin and not with the two medium pacers. "There was a bit of variable bounce on the track, so we thought it's better to use fast bowlers up front. A lot of balls kept low and medium pacers could have better utilised it."

Hussey hoped that the relaid Chepauk pitch will play better in the future.

"After the IPL, they dug it up and re-laid it, and most pitches will take time to be din. So we have to give some more time for the groundsmen to work on it. The crowd will obviously be quite disappointed, but come next IPL, I'm sure there will be plenty of runs on this wicket. But as a player, we should be able adapt to all kinds of pitches." he averred.

Earlier, T & T's innings was redeemed by a 28 off 10 from their bowler Kevon Cooper. Barath ( 23 ) and Perkins ( 34 ) also batted well.

For Chennai, Dwayne Bravo's 32 was the only redeeming feature. Most of the reputed batsmen fell, unable to read Narine's off breaks.

Rains gods block Kanwar's & Pollard's heroics !

2011-09-30T20:42:00.000-07:00

Pollard scored a brilliant 58 and took MI to a great 178/5, when the rain gods decided to finish the game.

Sarul Kanwar impressed with his 45. Six fours and three sixes flowed off the bat of Pollard, as CC bolwers were at the receiving end.

Kanwar smashed five sixes and and three fours in an incredible display of batting, in his 45 off 21.

When Kemp put the opposition into bat, Kanwar lofted Langveld to kickstart the blazing Mumbai innings. Even Steyn could not stop the rampaging Kanwar, who was severe on him, hitting him for a four and a six in the third over. Duminy was lofted out of the ground, as Kanwar blasted 17 runs of him ( two fours and a six ). Kanwar lofted Petersen for a mighty six, but the cunning spinner got his revenge, as the dangerous batsman holed out to Shah !

Kolkotta win at last !

2011-09-29T23:52:00.000-07:00

Bangalore were 92/6 and then Vettori took the attack to the bowlers end, hammering 46. Bhatkal gave him good support. 169 was not a bad score, but it was not enough to contain the in form Kolkotta batsmen.

Brad Haddin played a gem of an innings, but then he perished when the score was 62 off 8 overs. Then the clinical 'callous" Kallis ( 64 not out ) and Gambhir ( 55 not out)took the Knight Riders home !

Bangalore never deserved to win, after being 92/6. All top order batsmen failed and Vettori and Bhatkal (25) had to do the rescue act.

Bravo lofts Chennai to victory

2011-09-29T23:44:00.000-07:00

On advice from Dhoni to play on Indian turfs, Dwayne Bravo played a splendid innings of 46 runs off 26 balls, to pave the way for a magnificent Chennai victory.

Dwayne was the cynosure of all eyes, as with captain Dhoni, he added 43 runs off 39 balls for the sixth wicket to set the platform for the grest onslaught in the death overs.

"You must give credit to MS (Dhoni) because he really showed the way as how to go about in this wicket, placing the ball in the gaps, and running a lot of singles and twos. It was unfortunate he got out but by that time we knew we had a realistic chance of winning the match," Bravo said after CSK's six-wicket win over Cobras last night."

Bravo felt thatCape Cobras would have been better off with a spinner rather than a fast bower in the death overs.

"Taking the pace off the ball is a good idea, but when you have the world's best bowler in your team, you expect him to take wickets. Today, unfortunately, the balls didn't come off well for Steyn, and as a batsman I capitalised," said the Calypso wonder.

The wicket, he said, is tough.

"It's a good wicket as it tests your abilities. If you get your eyes in and play proper shots, you will be able to get runs. The pitch is relaid and we are only getting used to it, but as the tournament progresses teams will get accustomed to it," said the formidable all rounder.

"Callous" Ferguson devastates !

2011-09-27T20:43:00.000-07:00

Callum Ferguson played a callous innings, 70 off 40 balls to guide the South Australian Redbacks to victory. Involved in a 84 run partnership with Christian, the callous Ferguson's innings helped the Redbacks to blast 94 runs off the last six hapless overs. The match winning score of 188 was too much for the Knight Riders !

Kolkotta failed by 19 runs and their fate was sealed when big hitting Yousuf Pathan was out. The score was just 102/5 when the master blaster fell.

It was lacklustre performance on the part of the Redbacks initially, as they plodded along for 94/3 off 15 overs. Then Ferguson accelerated and in just 7.2 overs, he put on 84 with Daniel Christian ! Off 31 balls, Christian scored 42.

Fireworks by Doeschate ( 32 off 19 ) and Rajat Bhatia saved Kolkotta from a heavy defeat.

Mumbai rides on luck !

2011-09-26T20:52:00.001-07:00

Chahal hit the last ball for two runs and Mumbai had won a thriller. The bungling Trinidad and Tobago could not pull off a win, despite being in the driver's seat, when MI were 33/5......

Malinga and Bajji were responsible for skittling out T & T for a paltry 98. Bajji took three and Malinga two. Then when MI started, they had to face the fiery Rampaul, who succeeded in toppling their top order and MI were in the doldrums at 33/5. Then Ambati Rayudu took over, scoring a patient 36 and becoming the sheet anchor of the versatile Mumbai Indians !

In a low scoring match, in which neither team scored more than 100, in a match of fluctuating fortunes, MI emerged winner due to keeping their nerves. This is a second display of keeping nerves for MI. Rayudu and Malinga led the fightback. Malinga scored 15 and is now making his mark as a batsman in T20 !

Eleven runs were required in the final over, when Malinga swung Ganga for a six. Pressure got on to both Malinga and Rayudu and both were run out. Then Yuvzendra Chahal came to the rescue and hit two runs off the last ball and MI had done the impossible !

The last ball scenario was great. Darren Ganga pushed the field back and Sherwin Ganga sent down a full toss on Chahal's pads. Chahal nudged it to midwicket. He charged back for the second, the throw from the fielder was not accurate enough and Ramadin underarmed the ball, only to miss the stumps to the delight of the crowd, who obviously were pro MI !

T & T chose to give the single and tie the match, unaware of the fact that they have to face the formidable Slinga Malinga in the Super Over, if they had tied the match.

Warriors win easily

2011-09-25T21:43:00.001-07:00

Jon Jon Smuts smashed a magnificent 88, Ingram 30 and Boucher 34 and Warriors posted 171/5 in their allotted 20 overs. South Australian Redbacks could only muster 121/6 and Warriors won with ease.

It was a great display of batting from Smuts, as he thrashed the Redback bowlers to all parts of the field. In restricting the Redbacks, the bowlers involved were Tsotsobe ( 2 wickets ) Theron ( 1 wicket ), Botha (1) and Parnell(1).

Smuts was involved in a 80 run partnership with Boucher ( 34 off 26).

Redbacks could not give a fitting reply, with only Klinger (34) offering some resistance. SA lost wickets quite regularly and this prevented their surge. They can hope for better luck next time.

Somerset register emphatic win

2011-09-25T20:57:00.001-07:00

Despite the heroics of Pathan and the technical brilliance of Kallis, Kolkotta could not register a win. The slow and low track was mastered by an unknown batsman, Roelof van der Merwe, who smashed 73 off 40 balls to set a great Somerset victory.

78 runs were plundered in the last 6 overs by Pathan & Co and KKR finished at 161/3.

Chasing a competitive 162 runs to win, Somerset lost their first wicket for just 15 runs, but Roelof took the attack to the bowlers by a blistering 73, studded with two sixes and nine fours. Off just 25 balls he reached his fifty, which proved to be the third fastest fifty in the Championship League. He was supported by Trego ( 28 off 35 ) and the two were involved in a century partnership.

But their run chase hit a big block, as Somerset lost both van der Merwe and Trego. Hildreth and Suppiah followed in quick succession. Shakib al Hasan ran out Trego and then took a catch to send off van der Merwe. But Nick Compton and Steve Snell held their nerves to register a great victory.

Earlier Jacques Kallis was on the rampage, with a devastating 74 off 61 balls, pulverising the Somerset attack. Adding fuel to the fire was Yousuf Pathan, who scored a brilliant 39 not out. Kallis hit four sixes and four fours and Pathan followed suit with 4 sixes. 161/3 was not at all a bad score, but Somerset proved to be too smart for that.

Cobras prevail

2011-09-24T21:58:00.000-07:00

New South Wales could only put up a modest performace. The 130 odd which they posted were overrun by a ravaging Gibbs and Levi. These openers put on 88 for the first wicket and Cape Cobras won easily.

The issue was never in doubt, as NSW folded up for 130 odd. Watson( 34 off 29 ) and Warner ( 20 off 30 ) were crusing merrily when Langveld dimissed both of them. Daniel Smith ( 24 off 16 ) kept the scoreboard moving but Phlander removed him. Great expectations were on Simon Katich but he failed to deliver, falling a prey to Kemp. Steven Smith ( 16 ) and Henriques ( 18) then took NSW to a respectable score.

Gibbs started slowly, scoring just 1 run off 11 deliveries. Then he accelerated, blasting five fours and two sixes in a brilliant display of batting. His 55 off 47 balls was his 19th T20 fifty. He fell when just 24 runs were needed for victory. Levi scored 43 off 27 balls, before holing out to Warner. When Owais Shah ( 3) left, Cobras were 112/3, but then Duminy ( 14 not out ) and Ontong ( 11 not out ) knocked off the remaining runs with ease.

Earlier Warner and Watson got off to a blistering start, putting on 41 in just 30 balls. But then NSW lost their way, as they lost their top three batsmen quickly.

Malinga's new Avatar

2011-09-24T21:39:00.001-07:00

Malinga played the best innings of his career, as he lambasted the Chennai bowlers to all parts of the field. With Bajji, he was involved in an unconquered 53 run partnership, which brought home the bacon for Mumbai Indians.

Eleven runs were needed in the ultimate over and Malinga hit the second delivery for four. Off the next ball he took a single and Bajji swung for another four. Bajji then hit the winning run by nudging a single on the leg side.

Off 18 balls, Malinga blasted 37 runs and Bajji 19 off 20 balls. For Chennai Bravo, Ashwin & Raina took two wickets each.

Chasing a modest 159 run target, Mumbai were in the doldrums at one stage at 106/7, before this partnership turned defeat into victory !

Bizzard (28) and Jacobs (18) gave MI a good start, but then MI had lost half the side in the first ten overs for 63!. Earlier Mike Hussey was at his best, as he cracked a belligerent 81 off 57 balls to help Chennai post a competitive 158/4. Three sixes and eight fours flowed off his bat but he could not get support from other players. Raina ( 18 off 17) and Badrinath ( 16 off 21) fell cheaply at the other end.

Lasith "formdiable" Malinga had done the impossible. He had proved Napolean's dictum " The word impossible occurs only in the dictionary of fools".

Warriors win off last ball !

2011-09-23T22:15:00.001-07:00

When the 19th over started, the Warriors needed 19 off 12 balls. But they lost Prince, who miscued to Nannes. Thyssen followed, after cracking a boundary off the last ball. The last ball was hit by Boje for six and W needed just seven off six. Aravind managed to get two dot balls and Botha could not combat pressure and perished. With seven needed from 3 balls, Boje picked up a single off the fourth ball. The fifth was hit for a cracking four and two off the last ball by Wayne Parnell brought home the bacon for the Warriors !

This was a real humdinger ! Earlier Bangalore could only muster 172, thanks to Kohli ( 34). Warriors were in dire straits at 82/4, but Prince ( 74) and Botha ( 42 ) steered them home.

It was a day of fluctuating fortunes, as RCB fought back with the prize wickets of Botha and Prince.

Theron bowled superbly taking four wickets and thereby restricting Bangalore to 172/8. Warriors had won the toss and elected to bat and Gayle exploded with two sixes and two fours, in a typical Gaylian manner. Left armer Parnell accounted for Gayle. Villiers ( 31) and Kohli ( 34) were involved in a fiery 52 off 41 balls, before Theron had Kohli caught at deep midwicket.

Botha had his SA colleague Villiers caught, but Saurabh Tiwari blasted 28 off 15 balls to keep the momentum going. But Theron proved to be economical in the death overs, ensuring the Warriors victory. Theron picked up three wickets in the penultimate over, of Kaif ( 26 ), Mithun (4) and Vettori ( 8). And Parnell only conceded 8 runs in the final over ! Good bowling by Warriors.

Championship League kicks off today !

2011-09-23T02:16:00.001-07:00

The IPL Champions League will start on Sep 23, to find out which is the best T20 Club team.

It will be a struggle for supremacy as 12 teams from different countries fight it out

The 12 teams are

Chennai Super Kings
Kolkata Knight Riders
Leicestershire Foxes
Mumbai Indians
New South Wales Blues
Royal Challengers Bangalore
Ruhunu Eleven

Auckland Aces
Cape Cobras
Somerset
South Australian Redbacks
Trinidad & Tobago
Warriors

Let us see who is the best Club side in T20 cricket !

“Stars will emerge from CLT20″, says J Sutherland, ceo, Cricket Australia.Fixtures & Results

Main Round

Date & Time (IST) Match Venue Result

Sep 23 (20:00) Royal Challengers Bangalore vsWarriors M.Chinnaswamy
Stadium, Bengaluru

Sep 24 (16:00) Cape Cobras vs New South Wales Blues MA Chidambaram
Stadium, Chennai

Sep 24 (20:00) Chennai Super Kings vs Mumbai Indians MA Chidambaram
Stadium, Chennai

Sep 25 (16:00) Warriors vs South Australian Redbacks Rajiv Gandhi
International Stadium, Hyderabad

Sep 25 (20:00) Kolkata Knight Riders vsSomerset Rajiv Gandhi
International Stadium, Hyderabad

Sep 26 (20:00) Mumbai Indians vs Trinidad and Tobago M.Chinnaswamy
Stadium, Bengaluru

Sep 27 (20:00) Kolkata Knight Riders vs South Australian Redbacks
Rajiv Gandhi International Stadium, Hyderabad

Sep 28 (16:00) New South Wales Blues vsTrinidad and Tobago MA
Chidambaram Stadium, Chennai

Sep 28 (20:00) Chennai Super Kings vs Cape Cobras MA Chidambaram
Stadium, Chennai

Sep 29 (20:00) Kolkata Knight Riders vs Royal Challengers Bangalore
M.Chinnaswamy Stadium, Bengaluru

Sep 30 (20:00) Mumbai Indians vs Cape Cobras M.Chinnaswamy Stadium,
Bengaluru

Oct 1 (16:00) South Australian Redbacks vsSomerset M.Chinnaswamy
Stadium, Bengaluru

Oct 1 (20:00) Kolkata Knight Riders vsWarriors M.Chinnaswamy Stadium,
Bengaluru

Oct 2 (16:00) Mumbai Indians vs New South Wales Blues MA Chidambaram
Stadium, Chennai

Oct 2 (20:00) Chennai Super Kings vs Trinidad and Tobago MA
Chidambaram Stadium, Chennai

Oct 3 (20:00) Royal Challengers Bangalore vsSomerset M.Chinnaswamy
Stadium, Bengaluru

Oct 4 (16:00) Cape Cobras vs Trinidad and Tobago MA Chidambaram
Stadium, Chennai

Oct 4 (20:00) Chennai Super Kings vs New South Wales Blues MA
Chidambaram Stadium, Chennai

Oct 5 (16:00) Warriors vs Somerset M.Chinnaswamy Stadium, Bengaluru

Oct 5 (20:00) Royal Challengers Bangalore vsSouth Australian Redbacks
M.Chinnaswamy Stadium, Bengaluru

Semi Final

Oct 7 (20:00) B1 vs A2 M.Chinnaswamy Stadium, Bengaluru
Oct 8 (20:00) A1 vs B2 MA Chidambaram Stadium, Chennai

Final

Oct 9 (20:00) SF1 vs SF2 MA Chidambaram Stadium, Chennai

Jointly sponsored by Cricket Australia, Cricket RSA and BCCI, CLT20 will be more popular than IPL. IPL is only Indian, CLT20 is international !

Adverse Jupiter does it for India !

2011-08-22T19:28:00.000-07:00

We had warned against the adverse transits of Jupiter, adverse for both Dhoni and India.

While Jove in the 10th indicates " loss of position and wandering about" for India, for Dhoni Jove transits the hostile 8th, indicating fall !

India whitewashed and humiliated, we can now understand. Sachin losing his 100th century also.

Just shows how powerful the Nine Revolving Heavens are and how the physique and the psyche of the natives are affected.

Now India will have to resurrect herself from the ruins!

Good luck, India. Well done, England !

India becomes a laughing stock !

2011-08-22T01:59:00.000-07:00

It is to the credit of Gooch that England owes its batting renaissance. Gooch gave tips to the English batsmen and you can see the result.

Gooch scored 333 against India in one Test and he knows the methodology to counter Indian swing and spin. Mentally and physically he prepared the English batsmen to score massive scores.

England did score heavily in Australia, where they trounced the Kangaroos in Tests. Now it is their turn to defeat India.

India is now a laughing stock, despite Dravid's 35th ton, an unconquered 146 not out. India most probably will lose this Test and it is time to do some rethinking !

India slump to their heaviest defeat

2011-08-14T02:08:00.000-07:00

We had warned in our columns that India is facing the adverse 10th transit of Jupiter. Dhoni is under the 8th Jovian transit.

But that did not deter him to score 74 not out, but all his heroics were in vain, as India slid to an inglorious defeat.

The 10th adverse Transit of Jove refers to "loss of position and wandering about". This is true of the One day World Champions, who will get brickbats and not the laurel, when they return home.

Sending a second XI to the West Indies and a first XI to England, well, things wont work out that way. England was preparing hard and smashed India 3-0!

Uphill task for India

2011-08-12T02:45:00.001-07:00

India is dithering, with England scoring 456/3. Cook is undefeated with 182. Stauss was out for 87 and KP for 63. Eoin Morgan scored 44.

Indian bowlers were made to look ordinary before the might of English batting. India is at a big psychological disadvantage, having lost both Tests.

India's rating is bound to suffer because of such lack lustre performances.

As we have outlined in our columns before, adverse Jupiterian transits have affected both India and Dhoni. We hope the Indian team will come out of the impasse with flying colors.

Dhoni's 77 redeems not India !

2011-08-10T23:47:00.001-07:00

Dhoni scored a gutsy 77, but that could not save India, who dithered to 224 all out.

It was a pathetic display of batsmanship, as Sehwag fell for nought and Sachin for one. P Kumar gave a good stand to Dhoni, after the visitors were 7/111.

Strauss scored a brilliant 50 and is still unconquered, with England 84 for no wicket.

Only Gambhir (38) and Laxman (30) could stay at the wicket. The rest was a procession.

Broad and Bresnan took 4 wickets each and swung India out cheap.

P Kumar's 26 saved India, as he gave a good stand to the Indian skipper. Will England do a 4-0 whitewash ?

Adverse Jupiter Strikes for Dhoni and India !

2011-08-02T20:29:00.000-07:00

Adverse Jupiter for both India ( Jove in the 10th ) and Dhoni ( 8th ) wreacked havoc as India slumped to a huge defeat.

A defeat by 319 runs and England moved over to top place in ICC Rankings. What happened to India is a huge slump.

Jupiter moved over to the 10th in India's national chart on May 8. Dhoni is under 8th Jupiter ( Ashtame Haritho Bali ).

England holds absolute sway !

2011-08-01T02:03:00.001-07:00

Bell's century ensured that England is in control of this Test.

Indian bowlers could not achieve much success as Bell plundered 159, Morgan 70, KP 63 and Prior 64 not out. England were in absolute command at 441/6.

India will have to fight it hard to save this Test. It will need a century of centuries from the Little Master, if India is to hold on to a draw.

Maybe this is the occasion we are waiting for !

The Wall scores 34th Test century !

2011-07-30T20:45:00.001-07:00

Dravid scored a century again. India were in a strong, commanding position at 267/4 but then were bowled out for 288, thanks to a hat trick from Stuart Broad.

Broad took his revenge by dismissing Yuvraj for 62 ( Yuvraj had hit him for six sixes in one over before ) and then dismissed Dhoni, Bajji and Kumar and took a rich six wicket haul

The Wall was in his inimitable best, but rued the advantage which India had lost !

"It was sort of frustrating at the way we played. Look we were 267 for four but were reduced to 273 for eight," said the Wall, who became the joint second Indian century maker in Test cricket with Gavaskar. ( after Sachin, of course ).

"It was not easy for the guys though. The pitch was difficult to bat and the guys tried their best. We need to pull our socks and come up with some strong performance in the remaining three days," said the solid batsman.

"It was tough conditions out there. It was a hot day. I had slight cramps towards the end of my innings. But I would say I am not tired but pleasantly weary. At the back of my mind, I think there is a lot of play left in the Test. We need strong performance in the remaining three days" said the dour batsman.

Yuvraj passed the Nottingham "Test". Playing in his first Test in England, he was a bit jittery in the initial stages. Taking the Wall's advice, he became confident and played a superb innings when India needed it most !

Indian swing bowlers strike !

2011-07-29T21:04:00.000-07:00

Had it not been for a brilliant 64 by Stuart Broad, India would have skittled out England for less than 150.

Sreeshant, Praveen and Ishant took three wickets each, as India reduced England to 124/8 at tea. Then the tail wagged and England finished at 221. India were 14 for the loss of Mukund.

Meanwhile, Gavaskar has criticised the Indian selection for not taking three openers for the England tour. Because of this factor, Dravid had to come in as opener. There is a lot of difference being an opener and a No 3 batsman !

Indians held on to their catches, unlike at Lord's. All three swing bowlers swung the ball well, pitching the ball in the right areas. England were in dire straits at tea, having lost 8 wickets to the swing maestros.

Sreeshant proved to be an effective replacement for Zaheer and he got the prize scalp of KP.

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Anderson swings out India

2011-07-25T20:37:00.001-07:00

Anderson, with superb swing bowling, skittled out the Indians at Lord. He grabbed his 11th 5 wicket Test haul, when he took 5/69 yesterday. He bowled Praveen Kumar with a beauty and then removed Raina ( 78) and Ishant ( 1) with consecutive deliveries.

The Indians were expectant of a century of centuries from the Little Master, but had to contend with defeat. KP was declared Man of the Match.

The Nottingham Test starts on Friday and England has already taken a lead of 1-0 in the four match Test series.

Despite the loss, Dhoni said he was happy the way the Indians performed. Lots of injuries was the problem and he said the Indians rose to the occasion !

Tremlett achieved the breakthrough after tea, as he removed the dangerous Dhoni. The Indians lost their seventh wicket as Bajji tried to pull Anderson and was caught by Tremlett.

Ishant's quadruple strike saves not India

2011-07-25T00:17:00.001-07:00

The quadruple strike of Ishant sent England reeling at 107/6, but then Prior and Broad redeemed England with some scintillating batting. Prior was not out 103 and Broad on 74, when England declared at
at 269/6.

India were 80/1 in their second innings, still needing 378 runs to win the game.

Mukund was removed by Broad for the second time in the series, but then the doggedness of Laxman and Dravid saw to that India did not lose any furthur wickets.

Dravid opened the innings instead of Gambhir who was hospitalised because of an injury on his left arm.

Prior and Broad put on 162 for the seventh wicket. Ishant shocked England by sending back Pietersen ( 1), Ian Bell (0) and Trott ( 22). Striking like a bolt of lightning, Sharma proved to be a different bowler than the Sharma of the first innings! Pietersen was done in by a snorter from Sharma, which he gloved helplessly to Dhoni. Bell was done in by the swing of Sharma and Trott was beaten and bowled by Sharma.

England, therefore, seems to be in a commanding positon, but you can never tell in cricket !

Dravid saves India from ignominy

2011-07-23T20:38:00.001-07:00

Dravid's ton at Lords, saved India from the ignominy of following on. India went past the 274 mark, thanks to his superb century. With this milestone, Dravid has gone past Ponting, as No 2 Test scorer in the history of the game. India were all out for 284 and just avoided the follow on. England are 5/0, after declaring at 474/8 in the first innings.

He was behind 49 runs behind Ponting when the match started.

Here are the stats

Sachin Tendulkar: 14726
Rahul Dravid: 12373
Ricky Ponting: 12363
Brian Lara: 11953
Jacques Kallis: 11947
Alan Border: 11174
Steve Waugh: 10927
Sunil Gavaskar: 10122

Fifteen years ago, the Wall fell in the nervous nineties and now he has proved to the world that he is not over the hill.

The briliant double ton scored by KP was superb. Boycott says he was out at 49, but umpire Asad Rauf's lacked of conviction saved him. He was out caught in the leg slip, but Rauf referred it to the third umpire. This however does not diminish the brilliance of KP !

To KP England owes a lot to its dominance in this Test match. Even though Luck had graced England, still they could contain the best ranked Test team in the world.

Meanwhile, Kapil has criticised Zaheer. If he was not fully fit, why was he taken ? There are other equally good swing bowlers and India owes a lot to its pitiable state to its poor selection.

Boycott wrote in the "Daily Telegraph" "The only blot on the day was the poor decision by the square leg umpire, Asad Rauf, when he should have given Pietersen out caught at leg slip when he was on 49.

"He had an uninterrupted clear view from 20 yards away and chickened out of making the correct decision. Anybody who works in television will tell you that low catches will always look as if the ball has bounced before being caught,"

"Batsmen throughout the game know that if a low catch is referred to television umpire there is every chance they will get away with it. I don't blame the batsman for standing. I blame the umpire for not having the courage of his convictions and making the decision without television."

Boycott critised India's bowling performance in the absence of Zaheer.

"It is not Pietersen's fault that India were one bowler short and their other bowling wasn't special. Harbhajan Singh made no impact whatsoever, Ishant Sharma tried his best but his inexperience and inability to put the ball in awkward areas showed up time and again," said the dour ex England batsman.

"Praveen Kumar is military medium but swung the ball and fully deserved his successful haul of five wickets which shows that in Test cricket, provided you move the ball off straight and narrow, you have a chance of getting people out.

"But with this bowling line up you wonder how the hell India are going to take England wickets without Zaheer Khan. Even more so, you wonder how they got to number one in the world," he added.

India should remember catches win matches !

2011-07-21T22:28:00.001-07:00

India missed three chances. Trott gave two and Pietersen one. If Dravid had held on to that catch offered by Trott off Bajji or if Dhoni had held onto that catch off Trott, the story would have been otherwise.

One remembers the catch missed by Kiran More off Gooch at 33 and Gooch went on to score 333.

Earlier, Zaheer Khan removed the dangerous Strauss and Cook. And England were reeling at 62/2. Then Trott and Pietersen did the retrieving work and England are on their way to recovery at 127/2.

In a day curtailed by rain, only 49.2 overs were possible.

Ishant missed a Strauss run out at 2. Dhoni had won the toss and opted to bowl first. Pietersen batted nervously, trying to negotiate the swinging ball and edging and missing most of the time.

Let us see what England does today.

Sachin, the best in the world

2011-07-19T21:09:00.001-07:00

Lara define Sachin as the best in the world. Former Eng captain Alex Stewart called him "the modern day Bradman". The world is waiting with tremendous angst and the question on everybody's lips is " Can Sachin do the impossible, score his 100th international hundred at Lords ?".

His record at Lords had been dismal. In the last seven innings at Lords, his scores have been 10, 27, 31, 16, 12, 37 and 16. And Lords seems to be the only Test ground where he has not scored a fifty.

But he is in tremendous form and his average against England is 61.42, the highest against any standard Test side. This may be his last tour to England.

Strauss has already warned India that this will be a baptism of fire. If Eng beat India in two Tests, they can surpass South Africa and go to the top of the table, in ICC Rankings.

Lara, participating in a panel discussion at Dhoni's "East Meets West" Gala Dinner at Hilton Park Lane in London, said " "Sachin started playing (Test cricket) at the age of 16. And at 38 now, we have not seen a better player. Sachin is the best batsman in the world."

"I am going to the Lord's to see Sachin make his 100th century," he said.

Dravid, the master batsman, described as the Wall of India, said "In India we have many Gods and he is one of them."

When interviewed by cricket commentator Henry Blofeld, Lara said "While Sachin is special, Dravid is the wall."

"Dravid is always going to be there - he is a tremendous player."

India emerge triumphant !

2011-07-10T20:55:00.001-07:00

Chanderpaul's ton denied India victory, but India emerged triumphant in the series, beating the WI 1-0 in Tests and 3-2 in ODIs. Chanderpaul was unconquered on 122, when WI crashed to 322 all out. India scored 94/3, with Vijay scoring 45. Dravid was not out 34 and India drew the Dominica Test. Bajji took 4/75.

India fielded a second XI, with Sachin, Sehwag, Gauti and Zaheer conspicous by their absence, but still kept the numero uno position in Tests.

The man with the Midas touch, the brilliant Dhoni helped India win the Test series easily and India under Raina performed well in the ODIs.

Despite the mediocrity of Indian batting, certain knocks stood above the rest. Dravid's century in the First Test and Laxman's glorious half centuries in the second, were the redeeming grace for India. Dhoni was also resting on his laurels with only a brilliant 74 run knock to remember. Bajji's 400 wickets and Dravid's 15th year in Test cricket was also accompanied by the return to form of Ishant, who bowled with fire to take 22 wickets in the Test series.

Nobody thought that the World Champions would reign supreme in both the formats and that too for the first time in the Carribean. With the Test at Dominica ending in a draw, India ended her Carribean cruise, emerging victors in both formats of the game.

Strauss has warned that England will give India the baptism of fire and Indians are relieved that the veterans are back in the game. India now take on England in England ! Will Dhoni's men rise up to the challenge ?

India comes back with a bang !

2011-07-10T05:16:00.000-07:00

Despite a century by Kirk Edwards, West Indies were in trouble, as India reduced them to 224/6. One more day to go and anything can happen.

Chanderpaul and Kirk Edwards pulled the WI to respectability with a brilliant 161 run partnership. Chanderpaul is still there with 73 not out. WI were 40/3 at one stage and this partnership pulled them to a seemingly high score.

Edwards hit nine boundaries and a six during his glorious innings of 110. He was, however, out caught behind by Dhoni and then Samuels followed suit for a duck and the home team lost their fifth wicket.

WI suffered a jolt, when Darren Bravo tried to hit Bajji, but holed out to Praveen Kumar for 14. The Indian new ball bowlers, Ishant and Praveen struck early by removing the WI openers. Barath was scalped by Kumar and Powell was snapped by Sharma. Earlier Fidel Edwards grabbed his 10th five wicket haul in Tests, as India folded up for 347. India could only add 39 more runs to take a 143 run lead. Fidel Edwards took 5/103 and took three of the four Indian wickets that fell, including the prize scalp of Dhoni who was out for 74.

Dhoni redeems India

2011-07-08T22:01:00.001-07:00

A brilliant 65 not out by Dhoni saw India score 308/6. Half centuries by Mukund ( 62), Laxman ( 56) and Raina ( 50 ) saw India battle it out for supremacy and is poised to take a huge lead. Dhoni on 65 not out and Bajji on 12 were at the crease.

Earlier, the West Indies fought back magnificently to reduce India to 182/5 at tea. A brilliant piece of glove by Baugh off Chanderpaul saw Laxman depart, after a well compiled 56. Laxman left a delivery outside his off stump and Baugh whipped off the bails in a flash ! Promising youngster Kohli was caught down the legside off Sammy and India lost a valuable wicket at 168. Then Bishoo dismissed Mukund, who made a good 62. Mukund was involved in a 84 run partnership with Laxman for the third wicket.

India started at 8/0, but lost the wickets of Vijay and Dravid. Dravid was bowled ingloriously through the gate and Vijay dabbed at a delivery outside the offstump. Both scored five runs.

India added 126 runs after tea for the loss of only Suresh Raina's wicket. Dhoni and Raina added 103 runs for the sixth wicket, before Raina was trapped lbw by the pacer Fidel Edwards.

Ishant & Co skittle out WI for 204

2011-07-08T03:08:00.001-07:00

Ishant delivered the goods again by taking 5/77 and triggered another WI collapse. WI was going great guns at 190/6, when Ishant shot out the rest. Earlier, Bajji became the 11th bowler in the world and the fourth spinner to take 400 wickets. He is the fourth spinner after Murali, Warne and Kumble.

India were 8/0, and Mukund ( 6 ) and Vijay (1) were at the crease at the close of day 1. A downpour after tea curtailed play. West Indies started the day at 75/3 disastrously, as Chanderpaul edged a Munaf delivery into the safe hands of Dhoni. Then Praveen Kumar clean bowled Samuels, who left after making nine runs. Darren Bravo along with Baugh put on 29 for the sixth wicket, before Ishant removed Bravo for 50.

Bajji got the WI captain Sammy caught at forward short leg by Mithun for 20 and then grabbed his 400th wicket, as he went through the defense of Baugh, who fell for a gutsy innings of 60 off 79 balls. Ishant then removed the last two WI batsmen and took 5/77, his third five wicket haul in Tests. Fidel Edwards pulled injudiciously and WI were 204/9, and Bishoo dragged one without opening his account and Windies were skittled out for 204.

Ishant Sharma strikes again !

2011-07-06T21:22:00.001-07:00

Ishant Sharma struck twice, removing Kirk Edwards and Adrian Barath and WI were reeling at three down for 40 !

It was the swerve of Praveen Kumar which removed debutant Keiron Powell. Powell dabbed at a Praveen delivery to be caught in the second slip by Laxman. Dhoni asked the WI to bat first and got the opportunity to bowl first in the series. The reason was simple. There was moisture in the pitch. Powell was out for three and paid the price for fishing outside the off stump ! A Sharma bouncer accounted for Barath, as Barath tried to pull, but only succeeded in dragging the ball onto his wicket. He made 12 off 38 balls. Then Sharma induced Edward to hook and was caught by Dhoni.

WI finished at 75/3, with the south paws, Chanderpaul and Darren Bravo on 17 and 22 respectively.

After 100 years, Dominica got her First Test match and the Dominican PM was delighted about it.

Sreeshant is in !

2011-07-02T22:41:00.000-07:00

Sreeshant is back in the Indian Test team to tour England. Sehwag will miss the first two weeks due to his injury, but will play after that.

Zaheer, Munaf, Sreeshant join the triumphant duo of Praveen and Ishant Sharma. The spin attack is in the hands of Bajji.

Yuvraj, Gambhir, Sachin, Sehwag all return to the India squad. It is a full strength squad, rising to the challenge of England, who said they will beat India in their home ground.

Sachin came back after skipping the Carribean tour because of badly needed rest, Yuvraj also came back after missing the WI tour due to chest infection while Gambhir, Gautam and Sreeshant came back after injury breaks. Kohli and Vijay were dropped, while Raina's good performance helped him to retain his place.

The reserve opener Abhinav Mukund goes to England and Saha edged out Parthiv Patel. Cheteswar Pujara missed out again due to injury.

Munaf came back after injury problems and he along with Zaheer and Sreeshant and the in form Ishant and Praveen will pose problems for the English batsmen, particularly in a country where the ball swings from morn till eve.

Sreeshant said that he will waiting for the Test at Lords, to see Sachin crack his 100th century !

Squad

Dhoni ( wk and cpt ), Yuvraj, Sachin, Sehwag, Dravid, Laxman, Gambhir, Raina, Mukund, Saha ( reserve wk ), Amit Mishra, Harbhajan, Zaheer, Munaf, Sreeshant, Praveen Kumar and Ishant Sharma.

Ishant Sharma picks up ten wickets

2011-07-02T22:32:00.000-07:00

Ishant took 4/53, as West Indies struggled to draw the Second Test with India. Ishant took his haul to ten wickets in the match. He will be spearheading the Indian attack for years to come.

Earlier Edwards swung the ball and removed Kohli (27), Laxman (87) and Dhoni (6) and India declared at 270/6. A challenging 281 runs to get, but the WI batsmen made heavy weather of the situation and lost seven wickets for 202.

Ishant took 10/108 in the match, signalling his return to the Indian team. Baugh played a solid 46 not out and Rampaul (0) were at the crease, when stumps were drawn.

India leads the series 1-0, having won the First Test.

Kohli edged Edwars to Sammy in the slips, and Laxman was removed in the same fashion. And then Edwards shot out Dhoni, who gave a simple catch to midoff. Raina with 16 and Bajji with 6 were at the crease, when Dhoni declared the innings closed. setting 281 for the WI to win.

Ishant removed Simmons early and Praveen accounted for the scalp of Sarwan, who was caught in the slips. The early loss of Simmons and Sarwan put WI on the defensive. Even though Darren Bravo played well for his 73, none of the WI batsmen could support him. Baugh with 46 not out saw to that WI drew the match !

After lunch, Ishant removed Barath for 27. Barath edged one to Raina. Bravo and Chanderpaul consolidated the WI innings and the visitors could not make any breakthrough. WI were 108/3 at tea. Chanderpaul was adjudged lbw to Bajji and WI were in the doldrums ! The left hander tried to cut Bajji and the ball was leaving the off stump, but the umpire thought otherwise and gave him out ! With a glorious inswinger, Ishant trapped Samuels lbw and WI were five down ! Then Dhoni dropped Baugh. If he had held on, history would have been otherwise. Mithun removed Bravo. Now all eyes are riveted on Jul 6th, when the Third Test starts at Dominica.

Laxman powers India to respectability

2011-07-01T21:19:00.001-07:00

Laxman scored 72 not out and India recovered to 229/3, after the early loss of M Vijay. Rahul Dravid was at his scintillating best and scored 55 and steadied the Indian innings, like a true Wall ! India lead by 240 runs.

Laxman with 72 not and Kohli wiht 26 not out were at the crease when stumps were drawn. Rampaul dismissed Vijay (3), when the right hander lunged forward to a well pitched delivery that kissed the otuside edge of his bat, before going into the hands of Baugh.

Mukund drove Sammy for four and Dravid steered Edwards for his first four and their partnership blossomed. Dravid survived a catch appeal, when Barath plucked the ball out of the ground. Dravid stood his ground and the umpires after a lenghty consultation gave him not out.

Mukund followed an Edwards delivery into the hands of Baugh and India had lost two wickets. Then Laxman and Dravid pulled India out of the danger zone, both scoring brilliant half centuries.

In the post tea session, India scored 81 runs, thanks to Dravid and Laxman. The immense experience of both paved the way for a huge Indian score. Dravid then steered Edwards into the safe hands of Baugh. Virat Kohli joined the in form Laxman, who has now hit two half centuries in this Test Match.

Virat Kohli had to undergo the baptism of fire, a flurry of fast, short pitched deliveries from the fiery Edwards. He pulled Edwards for six, but looked a bit fidgety in his short, unconquered innnigs. He ensured that India did not lose more wickets yesterday.

Ishant bowls India to a first innings lead !

2011-06-30T22:32:00.001-07:00

Ishant proved Gavaskar's word true, as he bowled India to an 11 runs lead !

His pace and bounce accounted for 6 West Indian scalps and he removed Edwards and Rampaul off successive balls, to bowl out West Indies for 190.

Earleir, India could only get one wicket before the pre lunch session, that of Chanderpaul, who was clean bowled by Mithun for 37. Then Sharma came back strongly into the game and finished with the great figures of 21.5 - 7 - 55 - 6 !

Ishant was born with Mercury and Moon exalted, in Vasumath Yoga, a yoga for prosperity. His Sun is powerful in the 4th. His Rahu is dominant on the Meridien, which endows him with professional skill. His Mars in the Eleventh makes him a very competitive individual.

Samuels was unconquered with 78 not out. He tried to redeem the West Indies, but Ishant was too smart for that ! The Indian openers played solidly in a tricky period and India are 23/0 !

Mihtun scalped two wickets for 34 and Praveen Kumar and Bajji took one wicket each.

Manuels threatened to go past India's 201, but Bajji had other plans. He induced Baugh to drive and he was promptly held in the slips by a diving Dravid. The 43 run partnership between Sammy ( 15 ) and Samuels was ended by Ishant, who trapped Sammy lbw with an inswinging delivery ! Then Ishant bowled WI out for 190, taking the last two wickets quick !

Ishant swings the game the India way

2011-06-29T20:33:00.001-07:00

Great bowling by Ishant Sharma reduced WI to 98/5, till rain came to their resue.

Sharma removed Bishoo, who was alarmed by the pace and bounce of the lanky pacer. He trapped the dangerous Sarwan lbw in the same over. He got the rewards for the persistent line and length he maintained throughout the pre lunch session. Chanderpaul with 12 and Samuels with 15 are at the crease.

The game is delicately poised, with honours even. The Indian swing bowlers are in form and anything can happen !

Ishant Sharma was born with Jupiter conjunct Moon, which makes him very intelligent ( Vikrantham kula mukhyamasthira mathim vitheswaram sangirah - he will be the leader of his tribe, genius and with wealth.

May he deliver the goods for India !

India falter, but strike back !

2011-06-28T20:46:00.001-07:00

India were bowled out for 201 by Rampaul and Co in the second Test At one stage Rampaul tore through the Indian top order and India were reeling at 44/4 ! WI were simply brilliant in the field, but faltered at the start, as the Indian new ball bowlers, Sharma, Kumar and Mithun took one wicket each to send them cart wheeling at 30/3 !

West Indies were 5/2, losing both openers Simmons and Barath, within the space of five overs. Sharma removed Barath at 3 and Simmons was scalped by Kumar at 5. Then Darren Bravo took on the role of Lara and took the score to 30, when Mithun struck, removing Bravo for 9 ! Night watchman Bishoo joined Sarwan, who is on ten not out.

Edwards and Bishoo bowled superbly, restricting the mighty Indian batting to 201. A great 117 run partnership was shared by Laxman ( 85 ) and Raina ( 53 ) and this partnership redeemed India, who were tottering at 38/4, thanks to some great medium fast bowling by Rampaul.

Laxman stood like the Rock of Gibraltar and ensured that India reached a respectable score, with his brilliant 85. He was supported by the southpaw Raina, who did hit some glorious shots in his well compiled 53. Rampaul's bounce and pace was too much for the Indian top order and they were dithering at 38/4. He scalped three and Edwards and Bishoo also claimed three wickets.

In the session after tea, India lost Raina to a dubious decision. Dhoni soon left and the Indian innings folded up for 201. The Indian captain gave a simple catch to Chanderpaul and continued his miserable form with the bat. But his luck did not desert him, as India struck back, claiming three WI wickets !

India win handsomely

2011-06-23T20:28:00.001-07:00

The Indian bowlers struck back and WI could only muster 262, chasing 326 and India won by 63 runs.

In the early hours of the morning, Praveen Kumar scalped both Darren Bravo and Chanderpaul and WI were in the doldrums at 149/5. They were in furthur trouble at 188/8, when Sammy and Nash were out.

Sammy was caughtby Laxman off Mishra for 25 and Nash was trapped lbw by Mishra. Then last minute bravado by Rampaul ( 34), Bishoo ( 26) Fidel Edwards ( 15 ) could not save Windies !

Dhoni lauded Praveen's swing bowling as a debutant. Praveen took 3/42 and Ishant 3/81, while Mishra took two, Bajji one ane Raina one.

India lead the series 1-0. Dravid was declared Man of the Match.

When asked by reporters about bringing back Chris Gayle, Sammy retorted ' Why not bring back Viv Richards and Gary Sobers"

Dhoni kept his winning spree and is one of the best Indian captains ever. Rahul Dravid proved that he is still one of the best batsmen in the world with his superb century. If not for his 112, India would have been in the doldrums. The Indian pacers swung the ball both ways and took vital West Indies wickets, which paved the way for Indian victory !

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Dravid scores century to redeem India !

2011-06-22T20:53:00.001-07:00

Dravid scored his 32nd century to redeem his country. Just imagine. Amit Mishra with 28 was the next top scorer ! Showed to what abysmal depths Indian batting had sunk.

Mishra with 28 provided the much needed support to Dravid. Then Darren Sammy struck twice to make India reel at 183/8. Sammy's incutter trapped Bajij lbw and then the WI captain clean bowled Praveen Kumar. Dravid was the last man to get out, when he tried to hit Bishoo for six. Bishoo and Sammy took four wickets each and Edwards and Rampaul got one wicket each.

India went into lunch at 166/6, having lost Raina for 26 and Dhoni for 16. Both were removed by Bishoo, who bowled superbly even with a sore knee. Raina and Dravid were involved in a 48 run stand, after the early loss of Virat Kohli. India received an early jolt when Kohli was caught behind off Edwards for 15. The ball, going down the leg side, kissed Kohli's bat and set into the hands of Baugh. Raina tried to sweep Bishoo and perished. Dhoni hit Bishoo for a four and a six, but perished trying to hit Bishoo.

Chasing 326 to win, the Carribeans were 80/3, when Darren Bravo (30) was joined by Chanderpaul (24) and their unbeaten 51 run partnership took WI to 131/3. Earlier Barath and Simmons gave WI a rousing start, hitting 50 off 9.1 overs. Both Sharma and Kumar were punished by this duo and they were hit for three sixes and six fours in the first ten overs !

After surviving a scare on the 3rd ball of Praveen's sixth over, Barath fell driving the swerving ball into the hands of Raina ! Sarwan was removed by Sharma for the second time. He was caught magnificently by Kohli.

Simmons was beaten and bowled by Sharma and WI were in the doldrums at 80/3, but then Chanderpaul and Darren Bravo has redeemed them somewhat. Still the match is interestingly poised, with slight Advantage India, but anything can happen, as cricket is a game of grand vicissitudes.

Indian bowlers strike !

2011-06-21T21:18:00.001-07:00

Great bowling by Ishant ( 3/29 ), P Kumar ( 3/38), Bajji ( 2/51) and Mishra (2/51) reduced the West Indies to 173, giving India a lead of 73 runs !

Gavaskar was right when he opined that Ishant has come back into form and will spearhead the Indian attack in the years to come. Temporarily he was off form, trying to bowl fast, with the result he lost his swing. Now his swing is going, he can swing the ball both ways and can bowl at 150 kph, as West Indies found to their discomfiture !

Look at his figures yesterday. 17-6-29-3 ! What a great spell of bowling and WI all out for 173 !

India are 91/3, with Dravid unconquered with 45 not out. The Indian lead at the moment in 164 and since this is a low scoring match, it seems to be Advantage India ! But one can never say, as an Indian collapse can bring the West Indies back into the game.

WI made inroads into the Indian batting, as they captured three wickets, but Dravid, known as Mr Wall, stood his ground and saved the innings. Ravi Rampaul trapped Vijay for a blob, sending shivers down in the Indian camp. Bishoo removed Mukund and Sammy removed the dangerous, off form Laxman for a duck !

Kohli on 14 not out and Dravid on 45 not out will resume the Indian innings today.

Earlier Ishant Sharma and Praveen Kumar ran through the West Indian top order, which crumbled like a ton of bricks. And spinners Mishra and Bajji polished off the Carribean tail !

India play unconvincing cricket

2011-06-20T21:10:00.001-07:00

India were 69/4 at lunch, losing openers debutant Mukund and M Vijay. The Indian batting was slipshod and unconvincing.

But then Raina with 82 not out and Bajii(70) redeemd India with some powerful stroke play. Raina, who had lost his form in the ODI series due to the pressures of captaincy, was back again in form, smashing 82 not out.

Bajji rose to the occasion and provided the help which Raina was seeking. For WI, Ravi Rampaul and Bishoo took three wickets, Fidel Edwards four to send India crashing to 246 all out.

Ishant Sharma provided the much needed breakthough for India, removing Lendl Simmons. Wi are 34/1, in reply to the Indian score of 246. Simmons edged a Sharma delivery onto his pads and the ball lobbied up to be taken by M Vijay.

The first day's honours went to the Carribeans, as they shot out India for a paltry 246. The century partnershp between Bajji and Raina revived India from 85/6 to 246 all out. India lost their last four wickets for 27 runs after tea to be all out for 246. The late order collapse was triggered by Fidel Edwards, when he removed Bajji, ending the glorious partnership of Bajji and Raina.

Bajji blasted WI bowlers to all parts of the ground and reached his 50 off 45 balls. Raina, however, reached his fifty off 76 balls !

Indian weakness exposed !

2011-06-17T02:52:00.000-07:00

That Indian batsmen still buckle under short pitched stuff was proved again as Russell and Roach put them under a baptism of fire !

Y Pathan, Badrinath and Raina still found it difficult to negotiate with short pitched deliveries. Except for the young Kohli and Sharma, none of the other batsmen could get on top of the WI pacers in the last two ODIs. After Roach and Russell had struck, Pollard and Sammy took advantage of the Indian batsmen !

Of course, WI will have to face professionals like Dravid, Sehwag and Dhoni in Test matches, but it is clear that their bowlers will resort to the short pitched stuff.

Dhawan and Patel also found it difficult to face fast short pitched balls. The WIes had already exposed the chinks in the Indian armour !

Even though India had won both ODI and T20 series, certain weaknesses were exposed. It is good that these weaknesses are known and it is time the Indian batsmen rectified these errors before taking the Carribeans in their den in Tests !

India scored 251 yesterday, thanks to a 93 from Kohli and 57 from Rohit Sharma. Sarwan and Darren Bravo smashed great half centuries and WI scored 255/3, winning by seven wickets.

India lose for the first time in the Carribean !

2011-06-13T21:11:00.000-07:00

India were crushed by WI yesterday. Andre Russel and Martin bowled out India for 146. India were beaten by 103 runs.

West Indies were helped by a whirlwind 70 by Keiron Pollard, who at last, came back to form. He blasted 70 off 72 balls, in a great display of batting. The Indian batsmen have only themselves to blame, as their shot selection was ridiculous and inexplicable.

249 is a competitive score and WI were happy that they could put up such a score, after being 103/5. Pollard was helped by Baugh, the wicket keeper, who scored 39. Andre Russel scored 25 and WI were 249/8 at the end of 50 overs.

Leg spinner Antony Martin swung the game for the West Indies, picking up four wickets. Andre Russel got three and they bowled India out for a paltry 146. Sammy picked up two wickets.

Tiwary was all at sea when the Indian innings began. He scratched around for 17 balls and was dropped by Bravo off Roach in the slips. He couldnt play bouncers and was out to Sammy for 2. Sammy removed Patel also and all except Rohit Sharma, who scored 39, failed miserably !

Rohit Sharma powers India to victory !

2011-06-12T22:26:00.001-07:00

Rohit's brilliant 86 not out pulled India to victory and Amit Mishra and Munaf Patel took three wickets each to complete a brownwash !

India chased 226 to win, but were reduced to 92/6 by some great bowling by the West Indies. The hour findeth the man and in walked Rohti Sharma, who single handedly took India to a winning position. He was partnered by Bajji and they added 88 for the seventh wicket. Then another partner in the form of Praveen Kumar, who scored 25 not out, supported him and India won the match and the series.

Darren Sammy had Shikhar Dhawan and Virat Kohli in his first over and Simmons pulled off a magnificent catch to send back the dangerous Yousuf Pathan. It seemed the West Indies were on their way to take revenge, but they were stalled by the determination and the will power of Bajji and Rohit.

Bajji scored 41 off 64 balls which included a four and a six, but then he edged one to Baugh. But then Praveen Kumar held fort, smashing 25 off only 15 balls ! With four overs to spare, Sharma hit the winning runs.

Earlier Andre Russell hit a gutsy 92 off 64 deliveries, after the WI were 92/7, but then his brilliance could not save the West Indies. WI recovered to 225/8 in their fifty overs.

Duncan Fletcher, the Indian Coach, said that India has abundance of talent. Players like Rohit Sharma are waiting in the wings and India will not be short of talent for the next ten years. He complimented Young India for their superlative performance in the Carribean.

Kohli lofts India to victory

2011-06-08T21:32:00.000-07:00

Sent in by Raina to bat, the West Indies put up a better performance and scored 240. But it was not enough as rain curtailed play and India needed only 183 off 37 overs, which they did effortlessly !

This time the West Indian openers Simmons and Edwards got them off to a good start. Mishra struck the first blow when he had Edwards caught behind. Superb bowling by Munaf and Mishra restricted the West Indies to 240. Spurred by the wicket of Edwards, Mishra bowled with considerable guile, extracting vicious turn from the track and troubling all batsmen.

Lendl Simmons continued to impress and along with Sarwan put on 67 runs for the second wicket and both batsmen kept the scoreboard moving with delectable shots and quick running between the wickets. Simmons completed his fifty in 75 balls beofre he jumped to Yousuf Pathan and was stumped.

Sarwan was in sublime form and he saw to that West Indies posted a respectable score. Samuels played a brief cameo but was out to Pathan. He hit Pathan for a four and a six and then tried to repeat the shot and perished in that process Sarwan scored his second successive fifty and put West Indies on the road to respectability.

But then loss of many a wicket saw WI tumbling down to 240, instead of the projected 270 ! Munaf and Mishra bowled beautifully, getting 3 and 4 wickets and WI could not get on to the coveted 270 !

Munaf accounted for Sarwan and this brought in big hitting Keiron Pollard and WI took the batting powerplay. But the ruse did not work, as wickets fell regularly. Pollard was trapped lbw by Mishra, Dwyane Bravo holed out to Bajji off Mishra and Baugh also fell to Mishra. But Darren Sammy ( 22 off 19 ) indulged in big hitting and West Indies crawled upto 240 !

Glorious batting by Kohli ( 81 off 103 ) and Parthiv Patel ( 56 off 64 ) helped India register an effortless win by seven wickets. Six fours and a six flowed off the bat of Kohli while Patel blasted 2 fours and 2 mighty sixes in his knock. Suresh Raina ( 26 off 19 ) steered India to victory after their exits.

2011-06-08T03:30:00.000-07:00

Rohit pulls India to victory

2011-06-06T22:41:00.000-07:00

A glorious innings of 68 not out by Rohit Sharma saw India home . WI could only score 214 and Indian won by four wickets.

Off 75 balls, Rohit smashed 68 to pull India to victory. He was aided by the Indian skipper Suresh Raina (43 ) and India laboured to victory.Earlier Sarwan and Samuels scored fifties but the rest of the West Indian batsmen failed to capitalise. The Indian bowlers bowled superbly to restrict the Carribeans to 214 in their allotted fifty overs.Praveen Kumar, Raina and Munaf Patel took two wickets each and Bajji took three wickets to stifle the Carribeans.

Sharma smashed a six and three fours and put on 80 runs for the fifth wicket with skipper Raina and India lead the series now 1-0.

Shikhar Dhawan scored his maiden 50, 51 off 76 balls. It was a solid innings and held the Indian innings together till Rohit Sharma took over. The other opener Parthiv was run out unnecessarily and Kohli threw his wicket away, slashing at a wide ball off Rampaul. Badrinath tried to square cut the leg spinner Devendra Bishoo but the ball ended up in Baugh's hands. In walked Sharma and he along with Dhawan put on 43 runs for the fourth wicket. Dhawan reached his coveted half century but perished soon, trying to slog sweep Martin. Raina scored a gutsy 43 but was out to Martin. Yousuf Pathan failed, caught and bowled by Ravi Rampaul. Bajji lofted Darren Sammy into the stands and the match was over, with 5.1 overs to spare.

Dhoni triumphs again !

2011-05-28T22:07:00.000-07:00

We have said in our columns earlier that Dhoni is running his Rising Saturn Period. ( Pongum Sani ). This was proved yesterday when his side lifted the IPL Trophy. He had lifted the World Cup two months back. What a captain ! He has a fascination for silverware and the heavens helped him !

A 58 run triumph over the Bangaloreans and Chennai had retained the Trophy. Chennai put up a glorious total of 205 and followed it up with a superb bowling performance, restricting Bangalore to 147/8.Chennai was off to a great start, with the openers putting up 159 runs for the first wicket. M Vijay blasted 95 runs and Hussey 63, which laid the foundations for a formidable score.

Chasing 206 to win, Bangalore were dealt a great blow, when the wily Ashwin dismissed Gayle for a blob. Dhoni, genius that he is, opened with Ashwin and that move paid off, as Gayle, the wearer of the Orange Cap, was back in the pavilion when the Bangalore innings started ! Gone was the threat before Chennai and Gayle's dismissal was half the battle won.Ashwin induced Gayle to edge, which was promptly taken by Dhoni And then Ashwin clean bowled Agarwal for ten. Kohli showed promise with some great hits and Villiers was out to Jakati and Bangalore were 48/3. Pomersbach was removed by Jakati and Bangalore were in the doldrums. Kohli scored 35 off 32 balls but then Raina got him out lbw and the match was almost over.

Earlier Hussey and Vijay mixed caution with aggression, taking singles and keeping the score board moving, while hitting fours and sixes occasionally. They started solidly initially, but accelerated later. Chennai's 50 came up in 5.1 overs, as Hussey and Vijay went on the rampage. Their 100 was raised in just 10.3 overs and Vijay reached in 50 off just 29 balls ! Fours and sixes flowed off his bat and Hussey was glad to give the strike to Vijay. Hussey reached his fifty in 40 balls, but tried to loft Syed over long on, but only succeeding in holing out to Mithun ! This put the end to the 159 runs partnership in just 14.5 overs.

Chepauk was lit up by two sixes from the Indian captain, but Aravind removed him as well as Vijay, in consecutive balls. Vijay fell short of his hundred by five runs and in his 95 run knock, he had smacked six sixes and four fours.

While Bangalore made some sort of comeback into the game, Bravo hit a six off the the last ball to take the score past the magical 200. And such a giant score proved to be too much for the Bangaloreans !