Brilliant Australia blow India away in Melbourne

The most gripping day of the Melbourne Test ended in an anti-climax with Australia crushing India by 122 runs.

Australia had their backs to the wall at the start of Day 4, but their positive intent and perfect execution of bowling plans laid low their opponents. India were bizarrely defensive with the ball and showed no stomach for a fight with the bat chasing a stiff 292.

One of Australia’s finds of the season, James Pattinson, and Peter Siddle made the most of India’s trigger-happiness with the bat. They bowled in the right areas — Pattinson’s high pace in particular troubled every batsman — and India obliged them with outside edges.

This was the sort of wicket were the home team also made the same mistakes with the bat. But the key to winning this game was building partnerships. Australia had several; India, none.

India let momentum slip

In the morning session, Mike Hussey, Pattinson and Ben Hilfenhaus thrived with MS Dhoni’s conservative field settings that allowed them to pick easy singles and score the occasional boundary.

India, 230 runs behind at the start of the day, let the momentum drift. No team has chased more than 250 at the Melbourne Cricket Ground since 1961.

Virender Sehwag and Gautam Gambhir fell cheaply. The contest practically ended when Rahul Dravid, VVS Laxman, Sachin Tendulkar and Virat Kohli fell within a few overs of each other in the noon session. What came to hurt India bad was their conservative tactics against the Australia lower order.

Their last four wickets added 119 runs in the first innings and 92 in the second. In a low-scoring game such as this, 211 runs were a lot to give away to the tail-end. To Australia’s credit, they fought tooth and nail and the 60 runs they added this morning caused a seismic momentum shift.

Pattinson took seven wickets in the game, and batting at No. 10, was unbeaten in both innings in making 18 and 37. But this wouldn’t have been possible had Dhoni applied greater pressure on him his partners.

Former Australia captain and commentator Ian Chappell in particular was critical of Dhoni’s methods. Today, he described them as “... ridiculous... an absolute blue print on how to lose a Test match.” India proved him right.

Read More

1:59 AM

India takes place against Australia - Test cricket

Indifferent batting from India and an abject response by the Australian top order left the first Test tantalisingly poised after a helter skelter third day on which 15 wickets fell at the MCG.

The visitors and the hosts traded collapses on a track still offering a modicum of help to the bowlers, India slipping from 2 for 214 to 282 all out before Australia slumped to 4 for 27 thanks to Umesh Yadav and Ishant Sharma. It was a hole plugged only partially by the staunch efforts of Ricky Ponting and Michael Hussey, who was undefeated on 79 when the close arrived at 8 for 179, the lead standing at 230.

Rahul Dravid, bowled off second ball of the morning by the recalled and renewed Ben Hilfenhaus, completed his unhappy day by shelling the sort of slips catch he would expect to claim when Hussey advanced to R Ashwin on 69. Though Peter Siddle and Nathan Lyon departed thereafter, it may yet prove a crucial drop.

Hussey and Ponting were both under enormous pressure for runs coming into this match, given their poor recent returns, but younger team-mates were grateful for their calming presence in a partnership of 115 after the tumult that marked the start of the second innings. Hussey's innings was particularly strong, counter-punching from the start to build some sort of lead.

India had earlier surrendered 8 for 68 to be halted 51 runs short of Australia's 333. Hilfenhaus followed up Dravid's defeat with the wickets of Virat Kohli, MS Dhoni and the dogged nightwatchman Ishant Sharma, while Siddle neutralised the threat of VVS Laxman and rounded things off by disposing of Ashwin for a useful 31.

The continuing flood of wickets was attributable to smart, full bowling but also poor batting, with David Warner, Ed Cowan and Shaun Marsh all guilty of vast misjudgements. Michael Clarke was less culpable, out to a corking delivery from Ishant. Ponting's dismissal was followed by another flighty innings from keeper Brad Haddin, who must be under severe scrutiny for his spot despite claiming five catches.

Starting out with a 51-run advantage, Warner and Cowan were unable to get themselves going in the manner of the first innings. Warner looked uncomfortable, tugging at the ball rather than timing it, and it was no great surprise when he dragged Yadav onto the stumps with an angled bat. Cowan had left the ball with great skill on Boxing Day, but two balls after Warner he would die by the sheathed sword, padding up to a Yadav delivery that straightened and as such having scant cause to complain about the lbw verdict.

Read More

8:57 AM

Sachin disappointment but India ahead

The 50,000 odd fans at the Melbourne Cricket Ground, many of them Indians, were hoping on Tuesday that the Master Blaster will finally end the wait to get his 100th international ton.

Sachin Tendulkar was in sublime touch but the landmark was not to be as he fell to Peter Siddle for 73, three deliveries before stumps on the second day.

The wicket sent groans around the MCG but the Indians weren't complaining.

Tendulkar's century partnership with Rahul Dravid(68 not out) laid the platform for the visitors to seize the advantage on Day 3.

"It's going to eventually happen," team-mate R Ashwin said afterwards.

point in bothering about it. We're very happy to be in this position."

"Probably one wicket less would have been nice. Tendulkar played well but eventually he got a good ball," he said

But it was Sehwag who set the tone for India. The Nawab of Najafgarh produced an aggressive innings as the visitors started their response to Australia's 333 before he was removed just before the tea interval.

The opener raced to 67 from 83 balls - passing 8,000 Test runs in the process and surviving two lives - before James Pattinson knocked over his middle stump.

Australia's pent up frustration showed after Pattinson and Sehwag clashed briefly but the hosts will have much to worry as India look to turn the screws with a third good day on the trot.

Read More

8:47 AM

Sixteen teams from World for ICC World T20 Qualifiers

Sixteen teams from across the world, including United States and Uganda, will compete in March next year to claim the last two available spots for the ICC World Twenty20, to be held in Sri Lanka. The ICC World Twenty20 Qualifiers will be held in the UAE from March 13 to 24.

The 12-day qualifying tournament will be played at five venues -- Dubai International Cricket Stadium and ICC Global Cricket Academy grounds number one and number two in Dubai, Abu Dhabi's Sheikh Zayed Stadium and Sharjah Cricket Stadium.

The 16 teams have been divided into two groups with Afghanistan, Netherlands, Canada, Papua New Guinea, Hong Kong, Bermuda, Denmark and Nepal forming Group A. Ireland, Kenya, Scotland, Namibia, Uganda, Oman, Italy and the USA form Group B.

The tournament winner will join Australia and the West Indies in Group B of the ICC World Twenty20 in September 2012 while the losing finalist will complete Group A which also includes defending champion England and 2007 winner India.

"This final qualifier is the last step of a pathway that comprised 13 ICC regional tournaments during 2010 and 2011 and saw the involvement of over 90 ICC Associate and Affiliate members. The 72-match format has been designed to give the best sides every chance of making the final," ICC Global Development Manager Tim Anderson said.

According to the tournament format, the sides that top the two groups will feature in the 1st Qualifying Final at the Dubai International Cricket Stadium on March 22 with the winner sealing a place in the ICC World Twenty20, to be staged from September 18 to October 7.

Meanwhile, the sides that finish second and third in the two groups will play cross-over matches. The two winners of those matches will progress to the Preliminary Final to be played on March 23 at the Dubai International Cricket Stadium.

The 2nd Qualifying Final -- for the second spot in the ICC World Twenty20 -- will take place on March 24 at the Dubai International Cricket Stadium between the loser of the 1st Qualifying Final and the winner of the Preliminary Final.

The winners of the two Qualifying Finals will play in the tournament final on March 24 at the Dubai International Cricket Stadium.

Read More

11:12 PM

Sportsperson of the Year: Sachin Tendulkar from India

Is there any surprise here? Sachin might well be the sportsperson of the decade, if not the last two decades and indeed, for a better part of this millennium for India. As compatriot and starry-eyed fellow player Virat Kohli put it, for the better part of 20 years, Sachin has carried the burden of a nation's expectation on his shoulders alone.

For having inspired a nation to put aside its religious, linguistic and other like divides aside every time he picks up the willow and takes centrestage on the cricket ground, Sachin Tendulkar, teen prodigy turned the player who defines the 'gentleman' part of the gentleman's game, is this year's sportsperson of the year, his elusive 100th ton aside.

Read More

7:15 AM

Dravid bats for Test Championship and day-night Tests

Rahul Dravid delivered an astounding speech at the the annual Sir Donald Bradman Oration for 2011 at the Australian War Memorial in Canberra. The Indian batting star covered a range of topics and made a strong point about why cricket needs to find a way to accommodate all three formats.

The 2nd highest run-getter in Tests also spoke about the effect Sir Donald Bradman had on him, and in fact, every Indian cricket fan while also saying that "the Indian cricket team is in fact, India itself, in microcosm." "The Indian cricket team is in fact, India itself, in microcosm.

A sport that was played first by princes, then their subordinates, then the urban elite, is now a sport played by all of India," the former Indian captain said.

Dravid who became the first foreigner to deliver a speech at the event added the Indian cricket teams presents a view of the country itself with myriad languages and cultures. "In this last decade, the Indian team represents more than ever before, the country we come from - of people from vastly different cultures, who speak different languages, follow different religions, belong to all classes of society," he said. "I went around our dressing room to work out how many languages could be spoken in there and the number I have arrived at is: 15 including Shona and Akrikaans." He however said that, in spite of the variety he thoroughly enjoyed his stint as the national skipper: "Most foreign captains, I think, would baulk at the idea. But, when I led India, I enjoyed it, I marvelled at the range of difference and the ability of people from so many different backgrounds to share a dressing room, to accept, accommodate and respect that difference.

In a world growing more insular, that is a precious quality to acquire, because it stays for life and helps you understand people better, understand the significance of the other," he said. Dravid said that while it was tough to allocate an equal number of games to all formats, a 'middle path' should be found to reduce 'the merry-go-round that the players find themselves in' "Cricket must find a middle path," Dravid said. "It must scale down this mad merry-go-round that teams and players find themselves in: heading off for two-Test tours and seven-match ODI series with a few Twenty20s thrown in." The newly appointed Rajastan Royals skipper said it will be a challenge for the administration to draw crowds for Test cricket and that day-night Tests could be the answer. "Test cricket deserves to be protected, it is what the world's best know they will be judged by. Where I come from, nation versus nation is what got people interested in cricket in the first place. When I hear the news that a country is playing without some of its best players, I always wonder, what do their fans think? "People may not be able to turn up to watch Test cricket but everyone follows the scores.

We may not fill 65,000 capacity stadiums for Test matches, but we must actively fight to get as many as we can in, to create a Test match environment that the players and the fans feed off. Anything but the sight of Tests played on empty grounds," he added. "For that, we have got to play Test cricket that people can watch. I don't think day-night Tests or a Test championship should be dismissed. In March of last year I played a day-night first-class game in Abu Dhabi for the MCC - and my experience from that was that day-night Tests is an idea seriously worth exploring. There may be some challenges in places where there is dew but the visibility and durability of the pink cricket ball was not an issue," he said. The quintessential batsman also supported the idea of a Test Championship saying it would drive players and teams to be more competitive.

"Similarly, a Test championship, with every team and player driving themselves to be winners of a sought after title, seems like it would have a context to every game. Keeping Tests alive may mean different innovations in different countries - maybe taking it to smaller cities, playing it in grounds with smaller capacities like New Zealand has thought of doing, maybe reviving some old venues in the West Indies, like the old Recreation Ground in Antigua," the 38 year old said.

Read More

4:28 AM

Zaheer khan back for Australian batsmen

With a gruelling four-Test series against Australia ahead, India pace spearhead Zaheer Khan on Thursday said he is prepared for the challenge and determined to get in the "best state of mind". "I am all prepared for it. I am feeling confident, I have done every bit possible to get my fitness up and just looking forward to playing some matches now," said Zaheer. The left-arm pacer reiterated that he wanted to focus on his strengths rather than pondering over the conditions and the quality of batsman in the opposite camp. "Just want to focus on my strengths rather than worrying who am I going to bowl, what is going to happen, what kind of wickets I am going to bowl on. It's all about me thinking about my bowling and fitness and get in the best state of mind to perform well for team India," Zaheer said. "I have played few first class games back home which went well, I have enough bowling under my belt so just want to focus on my cricket now," he added. Zaheer stressed on the importance of hitting the right areas to keep the batsmen under check and said the practice games ahead of the all-important series will help the bowlers to explore the right length. "As a bowler its all about getting in the right areas, if you are hitting the right length, if you are able to get the ball moving, then you are going to trouble any batsman in the world," he said. "It is about increasing the percentage of getting the ball in the right areas which is going to cause trouble to the batsman. For bowlers it is important to try and work out which length to bowl on this track," Zaheer stressed. Zaheer also said it will be important for the batsman to get accustomed to the conditions. "For batters also it is important to get used to the conditions. I am sure from batting point of view also it is going to be an important match," he said. The 32-year-old, who skipped India's two-day warm-up match against CA Chairman today, heaped praise on the young Umesh Yadav for his three-wicket haul at the Manuka Oval. "Its good to see him bowl 140 plus which is really important and I am sure that wickets here are definitely going to suit his style of bowling because wickets are going to produce that extra bit of bounce," Zaheer said. "Its still early days for him, the more he plays the more he will learn. So its all about exposure at this level. I am sure with time to come he will learn more things as well," he added.

Read More

4:23 AM

The Best chance to beat Australia Down Under: Dhoni

Indian skipper Mahendra Singh Dhoni reckons that the upcoming four-Test series is his team's "best chance" of upsetting Australia in their own backyard but will not take them lightly despite their recent slump. India and Australia will square off from December 26 in a highly-anticipated series in which the visitors seem to have a good chance given the struggle through transition that Michael Clarke's men are enduring. On a day the Indian players head Down Under, Australia were upstaged in a Test at home by New Zealand for the first time in 26 years. "Even last time we had a very good chance and we did perform well. It is not like that the opposition is not doing well (but) it will be the best chance for us," Dhoni told reporters in a pre-departure press conference here in Chennai. "We have to play to the kind of talent that we have got and not worry about such things. We need to work on our strengths and weaknesses. We are more concerned about where we need to work on and not worry about what kind of opposition we are playing," the skipper stated. India's two first-choice pacers, Praveen Kumar and Varun Aaron, were ousted due to injuries even before the tour started but Dhoni insisted that led by the experienced Zaheer Khan, bowling will click Down Under. "Our bowlers are talented. Of course, when you do not have your main bowlers you need a bit of time. Once the youngsters play more and more games, that is how they get experienced at the top level. I think talent wise we are there. We have a good exposure for the youngsters who are part of the side now touring Australia," he said. Dhoni took a break from cricket by opting out of the just-concluded ODI series against the West Indies at home and he said he is back a rejuvenated man. "I needed the break and I am happy that I got it. The team also did really well. I am looking forward to the Australian tour," he said. "We have enough time for some preparation also before the start of the first test match that we play. Looking good as of now. Hopefully we do not have too many injuries before the start of the Test series," he added. Asked which aspect of the game the Indian team needs to improve on, Dhoni said, "You want to improve in all three departments (bowling, batting and fielding) always. You have seen cricketers who have been part of international cricket for more than 10 years still believe in improving and they keep improving. It is a constant process and everyone is part of it." He stressed on how important the catches would be and hoped that Indian fielders, certainly not the best in circuit by his own admission, would latch on to catches that come their way in Australia. "We would like to improve in all the three departments. Catching will be very crucial. Last series that we played in India we did not have so many catching fielders. We need to have a bit more catching fielders. They say catches win matches, which is true. So that will be one of the areas where we have to work on. On big grounds, running between wickets and trying to keep the batsman on strike are also necessary. All these small things help you put pressure on the opposition," he explained. Despite the couple of injury setbacks before the tour, Dhoni hoped that players would remain fit through the gruelling tour, which also features a tri-nation ODI series in February-March. "If you see the injury list, it is quite blank as of now. More often than not, the 15 or 16 who are in the team will be ready for selection to play. That takes a bit of the pressure off and you need not worry about the playing eleven that much and most of players get their berths on merit. Apart from that, if you see, the batting lineup is quite the same. Bowling wise we have got Umesh Yadav who can bowl over 140 kmph. I think it looks like a good pack. We need to do well on the field rather than looking at it as to how we look on paper." he said. Tours to Australia almost always include a bit of controversy, the ugliest of which was perhaps the 2008 'monkeygate scandal'. The two protagonists of the drama, Indian off-spinner Harbhajan Singh and Australian all-rounder Andrew Symonds, are not part of the series this time and Dhoni hoped that there wouldn't be any face-offs of that kind. "We will try to keep the fireworks off. Someone like Virender Sehwag starts playing their game, then there will be fireworks on the field. Not on the verbal side but with the bat and if the bowlers are going the ball will do the talking. Hopefully, we will keep the controversy away," Dhoni said. Indian coach Duncan Fletcher, who was also present at the media interaction, said having around half a dozen players including Sachin Tendulkar early in Australia will work to India's advantage. "We have sent some of the players early to Australia. By putting up two warm-up games you hope that they adapt during that period of time. Probably it is not easy enough. Perhaps at the nets if they give us the same set of quality and from that they will be able to adapt enough. We will see when we go in to the first Test." he said. On Zaheer's fitness status, given his history of breaking down on long tours, Fletcher said, "From the reports that I get, Zaheer had come to Mumbai and bowled at the nets there and he looked impressive. I think it is very important that he looked to be in very good condition from what we saw in him even when he came to England. Secondly, he has got these two games. It will be preparation for him. We do not want to rush him too quickly. The one three day game there, will be important for him before the first Test." he added.

Read More

1:45 AM

Sehwag's record-breaking 219

Quite naturally, the only memory that will remain of the India vs West Indies 4th ODI is that of Virender Sehwag smashing his way into the record books with 219 bludgeoned runs, but along the way Sehwag also crossed the significant landmark of 8000 ODI runs. Sehwag is on the cusp of 8000 Test runs too and it's a safe bet that he will end his career with 10,000 runs in both forms of the game. Another facet that completely escaped notice during Sehwag's innings was that in terms of balls faced, the 149 that he lasted today was the longest Sehwag has ever batted in ODIs. His previous best was during the opening match of the 2011 World Cup where he batted for 140 balls while bludgeoning 175 runs against Bangladesh. Given that Sehwag had stated before the World Cup that he would aim to stay for the full 50 overs at the crease - and given the devastating results when he does stay for long - this is a welcome sign for the Indian team. It also means that if Sehwag continues to have innings where he aims to last the full quota of overs, he could have another mammoth score soon to join in the list of best ever scores in ODI cricket.

Read More

4:02 AM

Dhoni's security heightened

Ranchi, Dec 8 (IANS) Indian cricket captain Mahendra Singh Dhoni's security has been beefed up in Jharkhand following intelligence inputs on threats to him from the Maoists and terrorists, a police official said here Wednesday.

Dhoni arrived in Ranchi, his home town, last week with his wife Sakshi.

'We are not taking any chances. There are inputs of threat to Dhoni from the Maoists and terrorist groups. Based on the input we are taking appropriate measures to beef up the security of Dhoni,' a Ranchi-based police official, who did not want to be named, told IANS.

'We have received directives from the police headquarters to beef up Dhoni's security. Commandos of Jharkhand Armed Police will be deployed in his security,' the official said.

Security personnel in plain clothes have already been deployed near Dhoni's house in Harmu housing colony. They will move along with Dhoni within the state.

Read More

9:59 PM

West Indies beat India in 3rd ODI

Ahmedabad, (Reuters): Rohit Sharma's sparkling 95 was in vain as West Indies beat India by 16 runs in the third One-Day International to stay afloat in the five-match series at Ahmedabad's Sardar Patel Stadium on Monday.

Having dropped Sharma on 33, West Indies skipper Darren Sammy redeemed himself with a direct throw in the 44th over as India, chasing 261 for a third successive win that would have sealed the series, folded for 244 in 46.5 overs.

Sharma's 100-ball knock, which included 10 hits to the fence and a six, was his third successive half-century in the series which his team lead 2-1.

Ravi Rampaul (4-57) derailed India's chase almost as soon as it began by removing the scoreless duo of captain Virender Sehwag and Gautam Gambhir with his first two deliveries.

Sehwag edged to depart caught behind while Gambhir was trapped leg before, leaving India tottering on eight for two wickets.

Barring opener Parthiv Patel (39), none of the Indian top order batsmen could do justice to their reputation and it was Sharma's 91-run seventh-wicket stand with Ravichandran Ashwin (31) that took India near the target.

West Indies were put into bat and Marlon Samuels top-scored with a sedate 58 but it was the unbeaten 79-run stand between Sammy (41 not out) and Andrew Russell (40 not out) off 5.4 overs that helped West Indies to overcome a sluggish start and post 260 for five.

The visitors lost opener Lendl Simmons (1) in the third over and were also denied the service of another in-form player, Darren Bravo (26), when the batsman retired hurt with a hamstring problem.

Samuels tried to steady the innings but the run rate nosedived, prompting him to go after Umesh Yadav in the 19th over, hitting the bowler for a couple of fours and a six.

West Indies lost three cheap wickets to slump to 181 for five in the 45th over before Sammy paired up with Russell to provide the late surge to power them past 250.

Sammy hit Abhimanyu Mithun for two sixes and as many fours in the 49th over, while Russell struck two fours and a six off the final over sent down by Yadav.

West Indies milked 93 runs off the last seven overs and 43 off the last two. Indore hosts the fourth One-dayer on Thursday.

Read More

10:39 PM

Tendulkar likely to play the last two ODIs against WI

His 100th international century eagerly awaited across the nation, veteran Indian batsman Sachin Tendulkar is likely to play the last two one-dayers against the West Indies.

Tendulkar, who failed to reach the milestone despite coming close at least twice during the Test series, might be selected for the last two matches of the ongoing ODI series when national selectors meet on Monday.

India leads the five-match rubber 2-0 with the third ODI scheduled here on Monday.

Tendulkar had been rested from the squad for the first three matches but sources say the 38-year-old wants to play the remaining two matches of the series scheduled on December 8 and 11 in Indore and Chennai respectively.

The Kris Srikkanth-led selection panel will meet on Monday to pick the squad for the remainder of the series besides picking injured pacer Praveen Kumar's replacement for the upcoming four Tests against Australia.

Tendulkar's last international century came on March 12 during a World Cup group league match against South Africa at Nagpur.

It has been more than eight months that the entire nation has been waiting with bated breath for the elusive century.

The last missed opportunity came in the third Test against Caribbeans when Tendulkar was dismissed six runs short of the milestone.

Read More

12:40 AM

India look to seal series against Windies Today

Ahmedabad, Dec 5 (IANS) India would look to seal the series against the West Indies when they they clash in the third One-dayer at the Sardar Patel Gujarat Stadium in Motera here Monday.

For the visitors, it will be their last chance to keep the five-match series alive. The Carribbean team has given a good account of themselves in the two ODIs but inconsistency has brought their downfall.

After losing the second match, despite bouncing back in a stellar fashion, West Indies captain Darren Sammy's blank expression said it all. 'We just can't get over the line though. Sooner rather than later we can get that final push.'

'We'll keep our head up and come strongly at the Indians again,' Sammy said.

For that, West Indies will have to sort out their batting problem that has troubled them througout the Test and ODI series. Another inexplicable collpase at Visakhapatnam left them tottering at 5-163. Lendl Simmons and Ravi Rampaul bailed the team out with gritty knocks. Rampaul smashed an unbeaten 86, hitting the Indian bowlers all over the park.

India had a shaky start with stand-in captain Virender Sehwag, Parthiv Patel and Gautam Gambhir leaving early. But Virat Kohli and Rohit sharma played with maturity to see the team home. Kohli hit his eighth ODI century while Sharma again showed that he has learnt his lessons after being dropped.

Another high point for India was the bowling of the pacers. Youngsters Umesh Yadav, Vinay Kumar and Varun Aaron bowled with pace and swing, exploiting the conditions, and pinning down the West Indies batsmen.

Sehwag may not be scoring runs, but his captaincy has come as a whip of fresh air. Quite like his batting, he has been aggressive with his captaincy. He always had fielders in catching positions that put pressure on the West Indies batsmen. There were no easy runs on offer.

Teams:

India: Virender Sehwag (captain), Gautam Gambhir, Virat Kohli, Ajinkya Rahane, Suresh Raina, Ravindra Jadeja, Parthiv Patel, Ravichandran Ashwin, Abhimanyu Mithun, R.Vinay Kumar, Umesh Yadav, Varun Aaron, Rohit Sharma, Manoj Tiwary, Rahul Sharma

West Indies: Lendl Simmons, Adrian Barath, Marlon Samuels, Darren Bravo, Danza Hyatt, Kieron Pollard, Denesh Ramdin, Darren Sammy (captain), Andre Russell, Ravi Rampaul, Kemar Roach, Anthony Martin, Sunil Narine, Kieran Powell, Jason Mohammed.

Read More

10:26 PM

Tendulkar and Dhoni rested for West indies Tour

India skipper Mahendra Singh Dhoni, leading the side in the ongoing Test series against the tourists, has been rested for the entire series, the Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) said in a statement on Friday.

Hard-hitting opener Virender Sehwag will lead the team in Dhoni's absence.

Tendulkar, with 51 hundreds in Tests and 48 in one-day internationals, came close to scoring the 100th century before falling for 94 in the ongoing third and final Test in Mumbai on Friday.

All-rounder Yuvraj Singh was not named in the 15-man squad for the opening three matches as he was not fit. "Yuvraj was not considered for selection as he has informed that he is not fully fit," the BCCI said.

The opening one-day international starts in Cuttack on November 29.

India's one-day squad for first three matches:

Virender Sehwag (capt), Gautam Gambhir, Virat Kohli, Ajinkya Rahane, Suresh Raina, Ravindra Jadeja, Parthiv Patel, Ravichandran Ashwin, Praveen Kumar, Vinay Kumar, Umesh Yadav, Varun Aaron, Rohit Sharma, Manoj Tiwary, Rahul Sharma.

Read More

10:01 PM

short of six to sachins 100th 100

Mumbai, November 25, 2011 (AFP) - Sachin Tendulkar fell agonisingly short of an unprecedented 100th hundred while Ravichandran Ashwin hit a maiden century as the third Test between India and the West Indies headed for a draw on Friday.

Tendulkar scored a superb 94 and Ashwin a robust 103 in only his third Test before India were bowled out for 482 in their first innings in reply to the West Indies' 590 on the penultimate day.

The tourists were 81-2 in their second innings at stumps for an overall lead of 189 with eight wickets in hand, with teenager Kraigg Brathwaite (34 not out) and Darren Bravo (27 not out) at the crease.

Left-arm spinner Pragyan Ojha, who opened the attack, removed Adrian Barath (three) and Kirk Edwards (17).

India, needing 391 to avoid the follow-on, were struggling at 331-6 before Virat Kohli (52) and Ashwin added 97 valuable runs for the seventh wicket at the Wankhede Stadium in Mumbai.

Ashwin also became the third Indian after Vinoo Mankad and Polly Umrigar to grab five wickets in an innings and score a century in the same Test. He hit two sixes and 15 fours in his 118-ball knock.

It was the first time in the history of Test cricket that 11 half-centuries or more were scored in the first innings of a match, with the West Indies making six and India five.

Tendulkar looked set to complete a century of centuries as he had been timing the ball remarkably well before he attempted to drive paceman Ravi Rampaul on the up and was caught by Darren Sammy at second slip.

While the West Indies celebrated the huge success, the "Little Master" walked back dejectedly and nearly 15,000 cheering spectators suddenly fell silent at the 32,000-capacity stadium.

With the spectators applauding each run from Tendulkar and chanting "Sa-chin, Sachin", the batting star started the day with an attacking stroke when he flicked Rampaul past square-leg for a four in the opening over.

Tendulkar, 67 overnight, continued to play attractive shots as he straight-drove Rampaul for a four and then uppercut paceman Fidel Edwards over the slips for a six to move into the nineties before the disaster struck. He smashed two sixes and eight fours in his 153-ball knock.

Skipper Sammy's words came true a day after he said his team hoped to break a "few Indian hearts" by trying to get local hero Tendulkar out early with a disciplined bowling performance. In fact, his team broke millions of hearts.

It was the 10th time in an illustrious 184-Test career that Tendulkar had fallen in the nineties.

Tendulkar, who scored his 99th international hundred against South Africa in a World Cup match in Nagpur in March, also came close to achieving the feat in the fourth Test in England in August before being dismissed for 91.

India, resuming 281-3, lost two more wickets in the morning as Venkatsai Laxman (32) was caught by Marlon Samuels at gully off Edwards off the first ball he faced and skipper Mahendra Singh Dhoni (eight) was bowled by Sammy.

India lead 2-0 in the series after winning the opening Test in New Delhi by five wickets and the second match in Kolkata by an innings and 15 runs.

Read More

8:42 AM

Sachin's 100th Century? Big Deal!

Yes, it has been 10 matches (Tests and ODIs) since Sachin Tendulkar has scored a century, which would incidentally be his 100th international hundred. The expectations around the great man getting to the landmark are huge and every failure to get there - even if his innings was a good one - comes with its share of 'Sachin should retire now', 'I think, Petrol will reach 100 before Sachin does' and the ones used ad-nauseum, 'Sachin isn't a match winner' and 'He's selfish, he plays only for his records'. No one seemed to care about the potentially match winning innings he played during the first match of the ongoing tour against the West Indies. Everyone seemed to be waiting with bated breath for Sachin's hundred so much that they forgot how important his innings was in the context of the game.

For me, the 100th hundred remains just another milestone, not one that merits so much hype. Understandably, for a nation that is crazy about Sachin Tendulkar and statistics, the milestone is a dream come true - 100 is a magical number in cricket, one that every player yearns to reach, and it is only expected that a century of centuries be associated with so much hullabaloo. The achievement however fails to tell us anything new - Sachin still has the highest number of hundreds, runs and matches to his name. If there's one thing that it does, it will show the enormous amount of respect and inspiration Sachin commands around the world - but we didn't really need the hundredth hundred to tell us this, did we?

Getting to 30 tons was a milestone worth appreciating. He had just crossed Don Bradman's tally - the other half in the World's Greatest Batsman Ever debate. The 35th hundred too had a lot of significance, since Sachin had become the person with the most number of hundreds in Tests and that was a reason to rejoice. The 50th hundred? Well, we already knew how good Sachin Tendulkar was. 100 hundreds? About time, can we get on with the cricket please.

India's top priority right now in Tests will be to get back the No. 1 ranking and ensuring that the fans are made to forget the debacle at England (not with a worse one, mind you!). The majority seems to echo these thoughts, with a recent poll on Cricbuzz indicating that India winning was far more important than Sachin's ton. A significant 61% wanted an Indian win even if that meant Sachin failed.

Sachin's career has always been under scrutiny - by people who are waiting to pounce on every opportunity to show to the world that he's the best and by the others who are trying to prove someone else is. These have hardly affected the man, but for perhaps the first time he has shown that he is vulnerable to pressure from outside.

The hype around the 100th hundred unfortunately has been a deterrent to the Master Blaster. Having averaged a brilliant 78+ in Tests last year, Sachin's average has dropped to the forties since his last century, but that includes the disastrous tour to England where no one except Rahul 'The Wall' Dravid managed to hold his own. Sachin's average still does not merit the outrageous calls by many to drop him based on his poor performances or get someone younger in lieu of him. A famous personality on Twitter asked his followers how long it will be before Sachin is dropped for his disappointing show. Unfortunately, this clearly shows the obsession we have towards records and statistics - It's a hundred and no less that is expected from Sachin. A stellar batting effort to save the game or a gritty knock to help the team avoid follow on, etc, would hold absolutely no value in relation to a scratchy 100 on a belter of a track. If he fails, people will still reckon it is time for Sachin to hang his boots up because they are unable to wait for him to get to the elusive figure.

It's about time we stop obsessing over Sachin and his around-the-corner ton. The 100th ton proves nothing except what has already been said, written or discussed. There are more important things India have to set their sights on and if Sachin helps India get there with a ton, fantastic!

Read More

9:05 AM

Tendulkar very closer to 100th ton, Dravid crosses 13,000-run mark

Mumbai, Nov 24 (IANS) Rahul Dravid Thursday became the second player in the world to score 13,000 runs in Test cricket after Sachin Tendulkar, who himself was 33 short of his 100th international century, as India ended the third day of the third and last cricket Test at 281 for three in reply to the West Indies' first-innings score of 590.

Dravid missed his hundred by a mere 18 runs, though he crossed the thousand runs in the calendar year, and Tendulkar was still there batting on 67 and with him at stumps was V.V.S.Laxman on 32.

All the top-order Indian batsmen, barring Virender Shewag (37), got half-centuries, Dravid top-scoring with 82 (149 balls, 11x4) was involved in two good partnerships -- 71 for the second wicket with Gautam Gambhir and 86 runs for the third with Tendulkar.

Gautam Gambhir (55) and Sehwag gave India the customary rousing start, knocking up 67 runs at over five runs an over, after off-spinner Ravichandran Aswhin (5/156) picked up his second five-wicket haul as the West Indies innings came to a close within 15 minutes of the morning play.

Sehwag brought up the 50 of the innings, greeting Darren Sammy with a huge six over the covers.

Sammy, however, was rewarded for his accuracy in his third over when he pitched it just short of driving length and it nipped back enough to rattle Sehwag's stumps. This was the third time the Indian opener was dismissed by the West Indies captain in the series.

India were 74/1 at lunch break, and in the second session Gambhir and Dravid got going untroubled. Dravid reached the milestone of 13,000 runs with a classic drive for four off Sammy as he moved from 19 to 23.

Gambhir reached his half-century with a lofted shot over mid-wicket off Sammy and a ball later struck the medium-pacer to the on for a four.

The re-introduction of fast bowler Ravi Rampaul did the trick. Gambhir looked good for a big innings when he tried to hook a bouncer and was adjudged caught behind. The Delhi batsman was seen shaking his head as he walked off and the TV replays and snickometre were not conclusive.

In walked hometown hero Tendulkar to a rousing welcome from the crowd in the hope of his hundredth international century. Even he looked confident and secure, timing his shots to perfection till an intended late-cut off Devendra Bishoo was dropped by Carlton Baugh.

He was on 58 then, but there was no hint of such an aberration as he drove off Rampaul for four or upper-cut Fidel Edwards sailing 15 rows into the stand for a six.
Dravid was also in great touch, getting to his half-century off 99 deliveries, and was on his way to his 37th Test century. Unaccountably, he tried to cut off-spinner Marlon Samuels and missed. The ball took the bail off.
Earlier, the West Indies, resuming at 575/9, survived just 3.1 overs before their innings folded up, last man Bishoo being bowled by Ashwin, who finished with five for 156.

Read More

8:57 AM