Ravichandran Ashwin (30 not out) and Ravindra Jadeja (24 not out) played sensibly in the end to help India beat Sri Lanka by 4 wickets in the second ODI as they opened their account in the tri-series at the WACA in Perth.

Chasing 234-run target, India lost Virat Kohli (77), MS Dhoni (4) and Suresh Raina (24) in quick succession to put pressure on themselves in the final 15 overs of the match.

India were still 53 runs behind the modest target when top-scorer Kohli ran himself out trying to steal a cheeky single off the last ball of 36th over after hitting previous ball for a massive six.

Ashwin and Jadeja added unbeaten 53-run stand for the seventh wicket to steer India to an important victory with 19 balls to spare.

Ashwin hit three boundaries in his brilliant unbeaten 38-ball 30 whereas Jadeja hit a four in his sensible 28-ball 24 innings.

Kohli ran himself out trying to steal a cheeky single off the last ball of 36th over after hitting previous ball for a massive six. Kohli hit a six and eight boundaries in his 94 balls sensible knock before one wrong decision ended his innings.

Dhoni top-edged Dhamika Prasad delivery as Lasith Malinga took a sharp running catch at mid-on soon after Angelo Mathews dismissed Suresh Raina in the previous over.

Raina played an aggressive 24 runs knock off 27 balls and hit three boundaries as he tried to steady India run chase with Kohli after losing Rohit Sharma (10).

Dilshan took a brilliant catch at point to dismiss Sharma off Thisara Perera’s ball to reduce India to 122/3 in 25.5 overs.

Sharma added 33-run for the third wicket with Kohli, with the later scoring his 19th ODI fifty off 66 balls with the help of seven boundaries.

Sachin Tendulkar, who was playing well and looked destine for 100th ton, was bowled by Angelo Mathews for 48.

The master blaster played a sensible knock of 48 off 63 balls, which included five hits to the fence, before Mathews got better of him in the 19th over.

Tendulkar added valuable 75-run for the second wicket with Virat Kohli to revive India run chase after they lost Virender Sehwag (10) early.

Chasing a modest 234-run target, India lost opener Sehwag in the third over to be reduced to 14/1 in 2.3 overs.

Sehwag started in a typical aggressive style as he hit two fours in his short 8-ball stay on the crease before Kulasekara took a running catch at the third man area off the bowling of Lasith Malinga.

Asked to field first, Ravichandran Ashwin (3-32) and Zaheer Khan (2-44) led a fine bowling display by India as they restricted Sri Lanka to 233/8 on Wednesday.

Ashwin dismissed three crucial Sri Lankan middle-order batsmen as the Islanders failed to increase their tempo in the entire match and set a modest 234-run target for the Indians. Ashwin finished his ten overs spell with impressive figure of 3 for 32 runs.

Zaheer started Indian attack on the right note as he took two early wickets after Sri Lanka decided to bat at the bouncy WACA pitch.

Dinesh Chandimal was the top scorer for Sri Lanka with a steady 81-ball 64. The right-hander slammed four boundaries in his innings and added valuable 52-run stand for the fourth wicket with skipper Mahela Jayawardene (23).

Sri Lanka lost Chandimal, Thisara Perera (7) and Jayawardene in quick succession to spinner Ashwin as India controlled the proceeding in the match.

Half-centurion Chandimal was stumped by India keeper Dhoni off Ashwin as the right-hander tried to attack the spinner to increase the scoring rate.

Ashwin struck again to dismiss Perera and reduced Sri Lanka to 172/5 in 39.4 overs soon after he got rid of Lanka skipper Jayawardene and put a halt to the decent partnership between Jayawardene and Dinesh Chandimal.

Jayawardene hit two fours in his 34-ball knock as he put on a 52-run stand for the fourth wicket.

Ravindra Jadeja struck to dismiss Dilshan to reduce Sri Lanka to 100/3 in 24.3 overs soon after Zaheer Khan gave India second breakthrough after dismissing Kumar Sangakkara (26).

Dilshan failed to complete his fifty after playing a patient innings of 48 in 79 balls, which included seven boundaries.

Sangakkara was caught behind the wicket after Indian skipper MS Dhoni dived to his left to pouch a fine catch. Sri Lanka lost their second wicket at the score of 74.

Sri Lanka crossed their 100-run mark in 23.4 overs. Tillakaratne Dilshan and Kumar Sangakkara added 62 runs for the second wicket.

Sri Lanka were 46 for 1 after the mandatory powerplay of 10 overs as their first 50 runs came in 63 balls. Zaheer Khan gave India first breakthrough after he dismissed Lankan opener Upul Tharanga in the second.

Earlier, Sri Lanka lost their first wicket at the score of 12 after skipper Mahela Jayawardene elected to bat against India in the second one-dayer. Tharanga edged Zaheer Khan’s delivery straight into the hands of Sachin Tendulkar at first slip.

Virender Sehwag, who had been rested from the first game in order to play Rohit Sharma, returned to the final XI. Sehwag replaced Gautam Gambhir who has been rested for the second ODI.

Veteran pacer Zaheer Khan, who missed out the opening match like Sehwag, also made his way back into the team as he replaced injured Rahul Sharma.

The Sri Lankans went with five fast bowlers – Dhammika Prasad, Lasith Malinga, Nuwan Kulasekara, Thisara Perera and Angelo Matthews – on a pitch which already has cracks.

In Australia, the two teams have clashed five times and India have an advantage of 2-1 over their southern neighbours, with two matches finishing with no result.

Teams:

Sri Lanka: Mahela Jayawardene (captain), Angelo Matthews, Kumar Sangakkara, Tillakaratne Dilshan, Lasith Malinga, Dinesh Chandimal, Thisara Perera, Lahiru Thirimanne, Upul Tharanga, Dhammika Prasad and Nuwan Kulasekara.

India: Mahendra Singh Dhoni (captain), Sachin Tendulkar, Virender Sehwag, Ravindra Jadeja, Virat Kohli, Rohit Sharma, Suresh Raina, Praveen Kumar, Vinay Kumar, Ravichandran Ashwin, Zaheer Khan.

Source: Times of India

The home team humbled India by 65 runs in the opening tri-series international at MCG . The tourists were bowled out for 151 chasing 217 runs.

Australia overwhelmed India by 65 runs in the opening tri-series international at the Melbourne Cricket Ground. The tourists were bowled out for 151 – another unimpressive batting performance – chasing 217 under Duckworth-Lewis method.

The contest was reduced to 32-over-per-side following the loss of more than three hours of play due to rain.

India got off to a horrific start with both their openers – Sachin Tendulkar and Gautam Gambhir – back in the pavilion for just 13 runs. Mitchell Starc did the cleaning work for Australia in his first two overs.

However, Virat Kohli and Rohit Sharma dealt positively with the best of the Australian attack before being undone in a spectacular fashion by Clint McKay – who took two wickets in three balls. The pitch suddenly came to life, runs dried up and boundaries almost disappeared after the twin blow in the 12th over.

Suresh Raina came and left as if he had some unfinished business left in the dressing room. Needless I say – it was that short ball again.

It was now left on the responsible shoulders of MS Dhoni and million dollar man Ravindra Jadeja but the Indian duo had no answer to the swing variations of Australia’s four-pronged pace attack, backed by the subtle tweaking of Xavier Doherty. Together they managed 37 runs for the sixth wicket in 49 balls. The required run-rate had climbed to 10.98 and it was only a matter of time before they folded like they have for a long time now.

McKay was Australia’s chief destroyer taking four for 20 off 4.4 overs.

Earlier, Australia were 35 for two after 11 overs when rain came down. But the home team came out blazing after the weather interruption adding 181 runs in 21 overs.

India, after recording their first victory of a miserable tour at the same venue on Friday, started on a positive note. Vinay Kumar rocked the home side early with two quick wickets – David Warner (6) and Ricky Ponting (2) – with the scoreboard reading 19/2 in 7.5 overs. Vinay, who fetched $1.0 million from Royal Challengers Bangalore in the 2012 IPL auction yesterday, dismissed Warner and then accounted for Ponting in his hostile five-over first spell.

Left-handed Warner fell to an irresponsible shot, trying to force a good length delivery from Kumar and missing it completely. Soon after, the young paceman produced a sharp rising delivery that caught Ponting in two minds as the right-hander played it straight to Suresh Raina, who had no trouble in gathering it in the cover region. Vinay’s figures read 5-0-8-2 before the rain interval.

U-Turn

However, the break was all the home side needed. They came back with vengeance and gathered runs at will. Matthew Wade and Hussey brothers flicked the switch, ran quick doubles and scored boundaries as often as possible. The Australians specially targeted Gautam Gambhir in the outfield – who doesn’t have the strongest of arms.

The visitors took only 21 deliveries to get rid of in-form Michael Clarke (10) but Wade – making his debut – and senior Hussey put together 73 runs for the fourth wicket with aggressive strokeplay. Wade followed up his big-hitting in the Twenty20 series with a belligerent 67 off 69 balls with two sixes and four fours before edging one on to the stumps.

Michael then joined by David continued to pile misery on Indians with impressive running between the wickets and scored boundaries at will before falling to Vinay at deep square leg. David followed the suit in the run-gathering stakes and blasted a quickfire unbeaten 61 off just 30 balls, including two sixes in the final over off Ravindra Jadeja to have the Australians scoring at 6.75 runs an over.

The home team brought up their second, third and fourth fifty came is 30, 33 and 35 balls respectively. The first fifty runs came in 14.6 overs.

As many as eight bowlers were used by Dhoni – with spinners going for plenty in damp conditions. Only Vinay returned with impressive figures of 3 for 21 in seven overs.

India made one change to Friday’s eight-wicket Twenty20 win over Australia, resting opener Virender Sehwag and including Sachin Tendulkar in the line-up – who is still searching for his elusive 100th international century.

Wicket-keeper Matthew Wade and all-rounder Dan Christian made their ODI debuts for Australia. The second match of the tri-series between India and Sri Lanka will be played in Perth on February 8.

Source: Yahoo Cricket

Kieron Pollard’s stunning maiden century went in vain as India beat West Indies by 34 runs to win the fifth and final one-day international to record an emphatic 4-1 series triumph on Sunday.

Electing to bat on a track where the ball was keeping low, India reached respectable 267 for six — courtesy Manoj Tiwary’s (104) first ODI century and a fine 80 by Virat Kohli.

It was Pollard whose magnificent power-hitting helped West Indies reach as close as 233 in 44.1 overs. Pollard hit as many as 10 sixes and four fours in his smashing knock of 119 off 110 deliveries. He was last man out in his bid to clear the long-off boundary where Ajinkya Rahane took a smart catch off Suresh Raina’s bowling. Such was his disappointment that he was finding it difficult to walk out.

While chasing, West Indies were pegged back by comeback man Irfan Pathan and Abhimanyu Mithun who blew away the top four with only 36 on board.

After Ravindra Jadeja removed Denesh Ramdin with scoreboard reading 78 for five, T20 specialist Pollard and all-rounder Andre Russell (53, 47 balls, 5×4, 3×6) launched a furious counter-attack adding 89 runs in only 79 deliveries.

Once Russell was run-out by a direct throw from stand-in skipper Gautam Gambhir, Pollard who was hitting sixes at will ran out of partners.

It was match where both Pollard and Tiwary had a point to prove to their detractors that they belong to the top flight.

The immensely talented Tiwary finally displayed his true potential as he scored his maiden century on a difficult track to help India reach a competitive 267 for six.

The Bengal boy who has been in the fringes for quite some time and has never really done justice to his talent in the previous five ODI appearances, grabbed the opportunity with both hands to score 104 off 126 balls (10×4, 1×6) before he had to retire due to cramps.

Coming out to bat in the first over of the match with India reeling at 1/2, Tiwary conjured two important partnerships — first 83 runs with stand-in captain Gautam Gambhir (31, 41 balls, 2×4) for the third wicket and then 117 runs for the fourth wicket with Virat Kohli (80, 85 balls, 5×4).

With Sehwag opting to rest, Gambhir won the toss and elected to bat. To his horror, Ajinkya Rahane (0) and Parthiv Patel (0) were dismissed of successive deliveries in Kemar Roach’s opening over. Both deliveries kept low. While Rahane was trapped leg-before, Patel was played on by a delivery that didn’t rise after pitching.

The situation was certainly not conducive for someone who is yet to cement his place in the Indian ODI line-up with a highest score of 24 before this match.

However Tiwary started off with confident drive through the mid-off region off Andre Russell’s bowling.

With the pitch keeping on the slower side and the odd-ball shooting up, both Tiwary and Gambhir didn’t take any undue risk and concentrated on taking singles hitting the odd boundary in between. Yet, the team’s 50 came fairly quickly in the 11th over.

Gambhir-Tiwary duo added 83 runs for the third wicket before leg-spinner Anthony Martin got one to pitch on the leg-middle line and straighten to find the skipper plumb in-front.

Tiwary used his feet well against both offie Sunil Narine and Martins.

The Tiwary-Kohli duo played freely and also ran well between the wickets. As Manoj entered the 80′s he started cramping up but manfully carried on.

Tiwary’s best shot came when he effortlessly lifted Narine over long-off for a six. As he ran a few singles to reach 99, he was seen in extreme discomfort.

A deft glance off Narine brought up the magic figure as a completely drained looking Tiwary acknowledged the standing ovation given by his teammates. But soon after the completion of his landmark, he walked off the field.

Kohli, who had by then reached his 18th ODI fifty continued in company of Rohit Sharma (21, 3×4). Just when it looked that Kohli would get his second century of the series, he was holed out in the deep trying to go for a big hit.

Rohit was dismissed when he tried playing for the turn off Narine to get bowled. Suresh Raina (16) hit a few blows while Pathan (4) played out a maiden over which robbed India a chance of scoring another 10-15 runs.

Pathan however made amends as he struck with the very first delivery of the West Indian innings when he got one to dart back in to trap Lendl Simmons (0) leg before. However the ball looked like it was going over the stumps.

In his third over, Pathan removed left-hander Kieran Powell (15) who inside edged a delivery onto the stumps.

Marlon Samuels got a beauty from Mithun and was beaten all ends up but to bowler’s pleasant surprise, umpire Sudhir Asnani raised his finger.

Debutant Jason Mohammed got a delivery from Mithun that straightened after pitching hitting him on the middle and leg line.

At 36 for four, Pollard and Denesh Ramdin added 42 runs in 6.1 overs with Pollard starting hitting the big shots. Jadeja removed Ramdin but then Russell was the ideal partner Pollard was looking for. Suddenly runs started coming in sixes and fours with Jadeja (3-62) being punished severely.

Pollard was hitting most of his sixes in the arc between long-off and long-on. Russell also complemented him well and got a quickfire 50 as well. It was a direct throw from the short third-man region by skipper Gambhir that saw the back of Russell. Pollard continued hitting the big sixes.

Even Pathan (2-42) coming back for his second spell wasn’t spared as he was hit for a four followed by a big six.

Pollard was finally lucky to get his century when Kohli dropped a dolly at long-on as the ball trickled down to the boundary ropes. However with not much batting left at the other end, his pyrotechnics was supposed to come to an end.

Teams:

India: Gautam Gambhir (Capt.), Ajinkya Rahane, Virat Kohli, Rohit Sharma, Suresh Raina, Ravindra Jadeja, Manoj Tiwary, Parthiv Patel (wk), Abhimanyu Mithun, Irfan Pathan, Rahul Sharma.

West Indies: Darren Sammy (Capt.), Lendl Simmons, Kieran Powell, Marlon Samuels, Jason Mohammed, Kieron Pollard, Denesh Ramdin (wk), Andre Russel, Kemar Roach, Sunil Narine, Anthony Martin.

Source: Times of India

It took nearly four decades for a batsman to score the first double-century in one-day international cricket but less than two years for the second. Virender Sehwag, the batsman most touted to break Sachin Tendulkar’s record for the highest individual ODI score, didn’t merely break it – he shattered it and raised the bar so high that it’s hard to imagine anyone, apart from Sehwag himself, raising it higher.

Unlike Tendulkar in Gwalior, Sehwag wasn’t running out of time as he raced towards 200 in Indore. He got there in the 44th over and had made 219 off 149 balls by the time he was dismissed in the 47th. And in one of cricket’s stranger coincidences, both ODI double-centuries were scored in the same Indian state – Madhya Pradesh – at venues less than 500 kilometres apart.

Sehwag’s performance led India to 418 for 5, their highest ODI total, and sealed victory in the five-match series against West Indies. It was an innings characteristic of Sehwag’s approach to batting. He hit his second ball for four and simply did not stop. He took plenty of risks too, surviving two run-out chances and two dropped catches, but thundered on, ensuring India’s run-rate stayed above seven after the 15th over. Sehwag’s only out-of-character moment came in the 20th over, when he dived to avoid being run out. Sehwag never dives. It was a sign that he was determined to stay the course. He went to 50 off 41 balls, to 100 off 69 balls, to 150 off 112 and past 200 off 140. The record was broken with a withering cut that sped to the backward-point boundary, and he celebrated with an aggressive fist-pump before breaking into a smile.

Before this game, and after each of the previous three, Sehwag had admitted that the top-order failures, which he contributed to, were the reason India had struggled in their chases. Sehwag had made a duck in the previous match in Ahmedabad, where India lost, but led by example today.

India did two things differently at the Holkar Cricket Stadium. They chose to bat for the first time in the series and also opened with their strongest combination, Sehwag and Gautam Gambhir, pushing Parthiv Patel down the order. The upshot of those decisions was an opening partnership of 176 that began smoothly, picked up speed, and gathered the momentum of a runaway train before it was eventually ended, inevitably, by a run-out.

A strong crowd continued the trend of resurging attendances during the home ODIs and they cheered the first boundary in the second over, when Sehwag flicked Ravi Rampaul’s first ball for four – a welcome he would give several other West Indian bowlers. Sehwag looked dangerous from the start. Gambhir did not. After making only 3 off 15 balls, Gambhir finally had the width he needed and cut Kemar Roach to the point boundary.

Both batsmen could have been dismissed on 20, though. Sehwag had given up hope of making his ground but Kieron Pollard missed the stumps from point, and Andre Russell dropped Gambhir on his follow through. Gambhir began to steer, cut and drive through the off side frequently, going over fielders’ heads and placing wide of the boundary riders. Seven of his first nine fours were in this region. India ended the mandatory Powerplay on 63 for 0.

The field spread after that but it didn’t matter. Sehwag and Gambhir scored 45 runs between overs 11 and 15. This passage began with Sehwag hoisting the offspinner Sunil Narine’s first ball over the long-on boundary. He then launched Darren Sammy’s first inside out over extra cover. This passage ended with Sehwag hammering Narine again, this time into the stands beyond deep midwicket.

The field came in for the bowling Powerplay and Gambhir immediately cut Roach through point, and then dabbed for a single to reach his half-century off 51 balls. The smash-and-dab combo was a feature of the partnership. Sehwag got to his hundred with a fierce cut, hit in the air, brushing the fingertips of the leaping fielder at point before speeding to the boundary. The next ball, he ran Gambhir out, to a direct hit from Samuels. Visibly upset with himself, Sehwag continued to punish West Indies.

When he was hitting fours, Sehwag preferred to go square of the wicket, flicking and glancing the numerous deliveries he received on the pads, and opening the face to pepper the backward-point boundary. When he wanted six, he usually went straighter, targeting the arc between midwicket and long-on. He hit 25 fours and seven sixes in all. On 170, in the 38th over, Sehwag spooned Rampaul towards cover, where Sammy dropped a dolly, leaving the bowler distraught.

The rest of the innings was a blur of boundaries and landmarks. Suresh Raina got to his half-century off 42 balls. India reached 300 in 39.1 overs. Sehwag broke his personal best – 175 against Bangladesh in the World Cup – with a flick to the square-leg boundary. He went past 8000 ODI runs with a chip over the fielder at short fine leg. That shot took him from 191 to 195, and soon he was cutting Russell to send India into rapture. When Sehwag was dismissed – lofting Pollard to the substitute Anthony Martin at long-off – most of the West Indian fielders came from far and wide to shake his hand.

Sehwag did not come out to field – the only blot on his performance – and watched from the dressing room as West Indies’ top-order batsmen crashed and burned amid a flurry of shots. India’s debutant legspinner Rahul Sharma struck with the last ball of each of his first three overs in international cricket, bowling Marlon Samuels, Danza Hyatt and Pollard to leave West Indies reeling at 100 for 5.

Rahul, who’s been in India’s squads since the home ODIs against England but stayed on the bench, bowled a variety of deliveries. He sent down legbreaks, googlies and topspinners at varying speeds, but it was the one delivered quicker that brought him success.

Samuels tried to cut a fast topspinner but bottom-edged it onto his stumps. Hyatt then stepped out of the crease, but was yorked by a fast legbreak. The ball pitched outside leg stump and spun between the batsman’s pads to bowl him. Pollard was the next to go, swinging across the line and missing a topspinner that clipped off stump.

After losing more wickets, West Indies decided to bat out time instead of playing shots, and the match ended in stark contrast to how it began – tamely. Denesh Ramdin, however, made 96, his best score and the highest by a West Indies wicketkeeper in ODIs. His 64-run partnership with No. 11 Sunil Narine merely kept India on the field longer than they would have liked.

George Binoy is an assistant editor at ESPNcricinfo

West Indies finally got their act together to snatch an upset 16-run victory over world champions India to keep themselves afloat in the five-match series on Monday.

Chasing a competitive 261, Rohit Sharma struck a classy 95 but the Indians lacked firepower to overhaul the target and were ultimately bowled out for 244 in 46.5 overs.

West Indies, who desperately needed a victory to keep themselves in the reckoning, recorded their first win in the tour to reduce the margin to 1-2 in the ODI series after having lost the Test rubber 0-2.

The last wicket pair of Abhimanyu Mithun (23) and Umesh Yadav (11 not out) raised hopes of unlikely win with 28-run stand after India were reduced to 216 for nine in 43.3 overs.

But it was not be as West Indies’ most impressive bowler Ravi Rampaul (4-57) trapped Mithun plumb in front of the wicket to end India’s winning streak.

Sharma, whose 100-ball knock was laced with 10 fours and a six, and Ravichandran Ashwin (31 in 64 balls) put on a defiant stand of 91 in 115 balls to keep India in the hunt after a top-order collapse that saw India lose half of their side with only 84 on board by the 16th over.

The dangerous-looking stand was finally broken by debutant Sunil Narine (2-34) when he had Ashwin LBW in the 40th over.

And then Sharma was brilliantly run out by West Indies skipper Darren Sammy with a direct hit four overs later to tilt the balance of the match.

Mithun, who struck two fours and as many sixes, and Yadav brought India closer to an improbable win but in the end it was not enough as West Indies clawed their way back into the series.

The fourth ODI of the series is slated to be held on December 8 at Indore and the final game at Chennai on December 11.

Teams:

India: Virender Sehwag (Captain), Gautam Gambhir, Virat Kohli, Suresh Raina, Ravindra Jadeja, Parthiv Patel, R Ashwin, Abhimanyu Mithun, R Vinay Kumar, Umesh Yadav and Rohit Sharma.

West Indies: Lendl Simmons, Marlon Samuels, Darren Bravo, Danza Hyatt, Kieron Pollard, Denesh Ramdin, Darren Sammy (Captain), Andre Russell, Ravi Rampaul, Kemar Roach and Sunil Narine.

Source: Times of India

India wriggled out of a precarious position to clinch a nerve-wrecking one-wicket victory over the West Indies in the first one-dayer which turned out to be a low-scoring thriller on Tuesday.

After restricting the visitors to 211 for nine, India were tottering at 59 for five before riding on Rohit Sharma’s 99-ball 72 to scrape past the target with seven balls to spare and take a 1-0 lead in the series.

Rohit took India close to the victory target before getting out with 11 runs to get, leaving it to the last pair of Varun Aaron and Umesh Yadav to see the hosts through in a game which went down to the wire.

Rohit staged a fine comeback by playing a knock, which was laced with three boundaries and a six, and along with Ravindra Jadeja (38), put on an 83-run partnership for the sixth wicket to set it up for India.

But there was excitement galore as fortunes ebbed and flowed till the very end.

After two wicket-maiden overs following Rohit’s dismissal, the visitors had a real chance to wrap it up with the last two Indian batsmen requiring 11 to finish the task.

There was a lot of drama and confusion between the two batsmen but the West Indies could not dislodge them as India recorded their 10th win on the trot at home, beginning with their World Cup success.

Aaron slammed Darren Sammy for a four before Yadav hit the winning boundary in the same over as the hosts broke into celebrations.

Earlier, India’s young bowling attack performed creditably and justified stand-in skipper Virender Sehwag’s decision to field as it restricted the West Indies to a modest total.

Yadav (2/33) was the pick of the three-pronged Indian pace attack, which ensured that the team did not miss Praveen Kumar who was ruled out of the series due to a fractured rib.

Aaron also picked up two wickets while R Vinay Kumar, Ravichandran Ashwin and Suresh Raina had one each in a disciplined show.

Darren Bravo was the top-scorer for the West Windies with 60 (74b, 6×4) but the stylish left-hander could not convert his knock into a big one.

He was involved in a 75-run fourth-wicket partnership with Danza Hyatt (31 from 54 balls; 2×4, 1×6) as the duo somewhat repaired the damage done by the Indian pacemen early on but could not consolidate.

It was a flop show by the much-fancied Kieron Pollard who took 33 balls for his 13 runs, leaving the visitors to bank on a 22-run cameo by Andre Russell to get past the 200-mark.

In reply, the strong Indian batting line-up left the packed crowd stunned with a reckless display, before Rohit steadied the innings. It was not an ideal time for Rohit to come into the middle with India reeling on 47 for three.

Immediately after he joined Sehwag, some frustrated ones in the packed crowd hurled missiles at Pollard, forcing the match to be stopped for about five minutes.

Rohit however remained unfazed, and focussed on the task ahead. In his comeback match, the task only got tougher as two quick wickets followed in the form of Sehwag and Suresh Raina.

India’s top five were back in the dressing room with just 59 on the board in 11.2 overs, when Jadeja joined Rohit.

With 153 runs needed for victory, the last two recognised Indian pair staged a recovery act.

Fresh from his match-winning 175 against Railways and 100 vs Rajasthan in the Ranji Trophy, Rohit was not short on confidence and found an ally in Jadeja.

The Saurashtra left-hander, incidentally, had a triple hundred in a domestic match at the same ground.

The duo batted intelligently to take India closer by 70 runs before Jadeja got out.

India suffered another blow when Ashwin ran himself out in a fashion strikingly similar to the one in the dramatic drawn third Test in Mumbai.

After a breezy start by India with 15 runs coming from Kemar Roach’s error-prone first over, India soon found themselves on the backfoot.

Opener Parthiv Patel (12) once again failed to cash in on the opportunity, getting out to a wide delivery, and so was the case with Gautam Gambhir.

Having opened his account with a boundary, an over- ambitious Gambhir was dismissed by Roach.

The Windies pacer was on a roll, picking up his third victim in Virat Kohli.

It was around the same time that play was stopped, and the situation only got worse for India after resumption as they lost Sehwag (20) and Raina (5).

But just like in the Test series, Sammy’s men once again failed to capitalise, letting Sharma and Jadeja off the hook.

Earlier, the trio of Yadav, Aaron and Vinay picked one apiece initially, with the top three of the Windies batting – Lendl Samuels (19), Adrian Barath (17) and Marlon Samuels (10) – making their way back to the dressing room with the scoreboard reading 52.

The Windies top-order looked reckless as Vinay gave the first breakthrough, dismissing Barath, who looked in elegant touch before edging one behind.

Teams:

India: Virender Sehwag (Capt.), Gautam Gambhir, Virat Kohli, Rohit Sharma, Suresh Raina, Ravindra Jadeja, Parthiv Patel, Ravichandran Ashwin, Vinay Kumar, Varun Aaron, Umesh Yadav.

West Indies: Darren Sammy (Capt.), Lendl Simmons, Adrian Barath, Danza Hyatt, Darren Bravo, Marlon Samuels, Kieron Pollard, Denesh Ramdin, Andre Russell, Anthony Martin, Kemar Roach.

Source: Times of India

Indian spinners led by Ravindra Jadeja bowled out England for 176 to win the fifth and final ODI by 95 runs at the Eden Gardens in Kolkata.

Ravindra Jadeja was pick of the bowlers for India to start England’s downfall after the visitors got off to a great start. The left-arm spinner took four wickets by giving away 33 runs.

It all started when Jadeja dismissed Craig Kieswetter, Jonathan Trott and Jonny Bairstow in successive overs to put India on top.

Jadeja first trapped Kieswetter plumb in front of the wicket for the second breakthrough. Kieswetter hit a six and 9 fours in his 64-ball 63.

In his next over, Jadeja had Trott caught by Virat Kohli at first slip and in his next over Bairstow edged his delivery straight into the hands of Ajinkya Rahane at backward point.

Jadeja’s triple strike came after Varun Aaron clean bowled England skipper Alastair Cook, who hit 8 fours in his 61-ball 60.

R Ashwin gave India the third breakthrough when he had Ian Bell caught behind by captain MS Dhoni.

The England run chase got off to a great start with Kieswetter and Cook putting up an opening stand of 129 runs.

Cook and Kieswetter got off to a steady start chasing a target of 271 and didn’t seem to be in any kind of hurry.

Earlier, Indian skipper Mahendra Singh Dhoni smashed an unbeaten 75 off 69 balls to power India to 271/8 in Kolkata on Tuesday.

England, hoping to avoid a 5-0 series whitewash after losing the first four games, grabbed wickets at regular intervals after skipper Alastair Cook asked India to bat in the day-night match.

India were reduced to 123-4 before Dhoni hit his way out of trouble, pounding four sixes and three boundaries, to help the world champions put up a challenging total on a sluggish wicket.

The late flourish led by the captain saw India plunder 84 runs in the last eight overs, including 39 off the final 12 balls.

Left-arm spinner Samit Patel claimed three for 57, while Steven Finn took 2-47.

Indian openers Gautam Gambhir and Ajinkya Rahane put on 80 runs in 17 overs when England hit back with three wickets without a run being added.

Finn, England’s most impressive fast bowler in the series, bowled Gambhir (38) and the in-form Virat Kohli with the first and last deliveries of his sixth over.

In the next over, Tim Bresnan forced Rahane (42) to edge a ball to wicket-keeper Craig Kieswetter, who dived to his right to pick up a superb catch.

Kolkata local Manoj Tiwary, making his first appearance in the series in place of opener Parthiv Patel, scored 24 with the help of four boundaries when he was caught behind off Stuart Meaker.

Suresh Raina helped Dhoni lift the total to 162/4 in the 37th over, before he was run out for 38 by a direct throw from Ravi Bopara.

Patel dismissed Ravindra Jadeja and Ravichandran Ashwin in successive overs, but Dhoni stepped in to steer India to a competitive total.

England gave seasoned batsman Ian Bell his first game in the series in place of Kevin Pietersen, who has a fractured thumb.

Source: Times of India

England’s weakness against spin cost them for the third time in the series as they unravelled from a strong position to post an underwhelming total on a slow turning pitch. Their fast bowlers struck three early blows but Virat Kohli and Suresh Raina motored to a 131-run stand at close to seven an over, showcasing the difference between the sides and sparking another needless bout of words in the middle as England’s frustration overflowed.

It was England’s own batsmen who had let down their ragged bowlers down when they caved in against spin in the afternoon. R Ashwin and Ravindra Jadeja took 5 for 79 in 20 overs between them after Jonathan Trott and Kevin Pietersen had built on England’s quickest start of the series.

After Vinay Kumar had broken the 73-run stand between Trott and an uncharacteristically subdued Pietersen, Jadeja and Ashwin worked their way through a clueless England middle order, striking thrice in six overs. Tim Bresnan took the score past 200 with a run-a-ball 45 but England were dismissed with 23 deliveries remaining when fast bowler Varun Aaron bowled Bresnan to finish with three wickets on debut.

Disciplined pace bowling led by the impressive Steven Finn kept England in with an outside chance at the start of the chase. Kohli and Raina kept the runs coming, though, not allowing the score of 46 for 3 to tie them down in a partnership that steadily at first, and then emphatically, pushed England out of the match, making a 5-0 whitewash a very distinct possibility.

Finn and Bresnan had started with testing spells that kept the India openers quiet. The first five overs produced only 17 runs, leading Parthiv Patel to whip across the line and lose his stumps to Finn. Finn struck again in his next over when Gautam Gambhir inside-edged onto his stumps. Finn’s opening spell of 5-0-10-2 was followed by a sharp burst from debutant Stuart Meaker that induced Ajinkya Rahane into a poke outside off stump only for wicketkeeper Craig Kieswetter to take a leaping one-handed blinder.

Scott Borthwick, the young legspinner surprisingly chosen ahead of Grame Swann, bowled with heart, but it was unfair to expect him to have the same effect that the experienced Swann could have managed. Kohli and Raina continued almost unbothered, picking off the singles easily and finding the boundaries with crisp shots. The duo’s approach was in sharp contrast to England’s tottering line-up.

Despite India being three down at the start of the bowling Powerplay, Raina took the chance and chipped Meaker just over mid-off for a boundary. His innings grew into a blur of scythes through extra cover and swings down the ground before Finn bowled him after a missed slog. Raina had surged to 80 by then and with Kohli easing into elegant drives and cuts, India were runaway winners with almost ten overs remaining.

England’s fate had almost been sealed earlier when their middle order tried to sweep and slog-sweep their way out of trouble. Pietersen was one of three batsmen to fall on the shots, though the substitute fielder Manoj Tiwary was responsible for sending him back with a diving catch after running across from deep midwicket.

Ravi Bopara missed one from Jadeja to be caught in front and Jonny Bairstow’s disappointing series continued when he was bowled by a ripper that pitched on leg and turned to hit off stump. Samit Patel and Bresnan tried to salvage something from 145 for 6 but Patel slog-swept Ashwin straight to deep midwicket in another disappointing batting Powerplay for England.

Aaron, who had consistently hovered above 140 kph on debut, came back to run through the lower order, hitting the stumps thrice, the last of which was straightened past Bresnan’s outside edge to clip the top of off, with England well short of a challenging total on a turning pitch without Swann.

Things hadn’t looked as gloomy for England when Pietersen and Trott accumulated solidly in a steady partnership that helped them recover after Alastair Cook and Craig Kieswetter departed off successive deliveries. Though Pietersen went hard at deliveries and mistimed his strokes at times, Trott kept the runs flowing, cutting Jadeja three times to the deep point boundary. Trott welcomed Vinay’s second spell with a cracking drive that beat sweeper cover easily but was dismissed two deliveries later. Pietersen continued to find the field and the India spinners soon got on top decisively, yet again.

Abhishek Purohit is an editorial assistant at ESPNcricinfo

India took an unassailable 3-0 lead by inflicting a crushing five-wicket defeat on England in the third one-dayer at the PCA stadium in Mohali on Thursday.

Captain Mahendra Singh Dhoni (35*) and Ravindra Jadeja (26*) added 65 runs for the sixth wicket to take India to victory after they were in a spot of bother at 235/5.

With seven runs needed off the last over, Dhoni hit fours on the first two deliveries by Tim Bresnan to seal victory for India.

Graeme Swann trapped Virat Kohli plumb in front of the wicket as India lost their fifth wicket.

Kohli hit 5 fours in his 30-ball 35 before falling to Swann.

Ajinkya Rahane fell short of his maiden century by 9 runs as he mistimed a Steven Finn slower delivery into the hands of England captain Alastair Cook at mid-off.

Rahane hit 6 fours in his 104-ball 91.

In the next over, Suresh Raina hit a Tim Bresnan delivery staright into the hands of Kevin Pietersen at short extra cover. Raina failed to trouble the scorers.

Pietersen took a superb diving catch at point to dismiss Gautam Gambhir off Finn.

Gambhir hit a six and 3 fours in his 60-ball 58.

Ajinkya Rahane and Gambhir hit half-centuries as India crossed the 150-run mark with one wicket down.

Gambhir reached his 27th half-century off 53 balls with a six over long-off off Graeme Swann.

Gambhir brought up the 100-run partnership with Rahane off 91 balls.

Rahane hit his second half-century off 59 balls with the help of four hits to the fence.

Tim Bresnan gave England the first breakthrough when he trapped Parthiv Patel plumb in front of the wicket.

Patel hit 3 fours in his 46-ball 38 and put up a 79-run opening stand with Ajinkya Rahane.

Patel and Rahane brought up the Indian 50 in 9 overs as the hosts got off a good start in pursuit of 299-run target.

Earlier, Jonathan Trott’s unbeaten 98 and brisk half-centuries by Samit Patel and Kevin Pietersen powered England to 298/4.

Trott remained undefeated on 98 that came off 116 balls with the help of 8 hits to the fence.

Patel’s unbeaten 70 came off 43 balls and was studded with 2 sixes and 7 fours and he justified his promotion up the order ahead of Jonny Bairstow.

Trott and Patel added 103 runs off 71 balls for the fourth wicket and the stand came after Praveen Kumar clean bowled Ravi Bopara with a fantastic yorker.

Trott hit his fifteenth fifty soon after Ravindra Jadeja trapped Kevin Pietersen plumb in front of the wicket.

Pietersen hit a 61-ball 64 with the help of 9 fours and added 101 runs with Trott for the third wicket to revive England.

Virat Kohli gave India the second breakthrough when he scalped Craig Kieswetter to reduce the visitors to 53/2 in 12.1 overs.

Kieswetter, who scored 36 off 38 balls with the help of three fours and two sixes, attempted to squeeze it out to the off side but it took the inside edge and went onto rattle the stumps.

England again suffered an early jolt when seamer Vinay Kumar struck to dismiss skipper Alastair Cook.

Earlier, England skipper Alastair Cook won the toss and decided to bat first against India. Both India and England retained the same sides from the first two games at Hyderabad and New Delhi.

Teams:

India: Mahendra Singh Dhoni (captain and wicketkeeper), Gautam Gambhir, Parthiv Patel, Ajinkya Rahane, Virat Kohli, Suresh Raina, Ravindra Jadeja, R Ashwin, Umesh Yadav, Vinay Kumar, Praveen Kumar.

England: Alastair Cook (captain), Craig Kieswetter (wicketkeeper), Jonathan Trott, Ian Bell, Kevin Pietersen, Ravi Bopara, Jonathan Bairstow, Graeme Swann, Samit Patel, Tim Bresnan, Steven Finn.

Source: Times of India

Virat Kohli (112 not out) and Gautam Gambhir (84 not out) shared an unbeaten 209-run stand to steer India to a comprehensive eight-wicket victory over England in the second one-day international at Ferozeshah Kotla stadium in New Delhi on Monday.

With this thumping win, India took a 2-0 lead in the five-match series against the visiting side.

Kohli completed another impressive century, his seventh in one-dayers, to lead the Indian run chase as they achieved the modest 238-run target in just 36.4 overs.

Kohli hit 16 boundaries in his 98-ball brilliant knock as he raced to his seventh ton in just 89 balls.

Gambhir played a perfect partner for flamboyant Kohli, as the left-hander himself played a gem of an innings off 90 balls and smashed ten boundaries.

India got off to a bad start as they lost openers Ajinkya Rahane (14) and Parthiv Patel (12) early.

Tim Bresnan struck twice in his successive overs to provide England early breakthroughs after visiting bowlers checked India’s run chase from the beginning.

Rahane was caught near the boundary rope while trying to hit two consecutive sixes in the seventh over. The right-hander hit a six and a four in his 15-ball cameo.

Earlier, pacer Vinay Kumar took 4 wickets for 30 runs to help India bundle out England for 237 on Monday.

Vinay led an impressive young Indian attack as they knocked off England top-orders cheaply to reduce the visitors to 121/5 in 25.2 overs. Umesh Yadav supported Vinay and Praveen Kumar well as a third paceman and took two English wickets for 50 runs.

Praveen started Indian attack by removing England skipper Alastair Cook for nought in the very first over. Vinay soon joined the party as he dismissed Craig Kieswetter (0), Jonathan Trott (34) inside the mandatory powerplay.

England failed to accelerate in the end as they lost their last five wickets for just 30 runs and were eventually bowled out in 48.2 overs.

Jonathan Bairstow (35) and Samit Patel (42) tried to revive England innings with a steady 86-run stand for the sixth wicket before both fall in quick succession.

Virat Kohli took a well timed catch at the boundary to dismiss Bairstow off Ravindra Jadeja in the 43rd over soon after Patel became Yadav’s second victim in the previous over.

Bairstow played a patient innings of 35 off 49 balls with the help three boundaries whereas Patel smacked two sixes and two fours in his 53-ball knock.

Ravichandran Ashwin and Yadav struck in the consecutive overs to give England double blow as they dismissed Ravi Bopara (36) and Kevin Pietersen (46) respectively.

Yadav increased England worries when Pietersen went for the drive but the ball took a faint outside edge off the bottom of the bat and Dhoni grabbed it behind the wickets soon after Ashwin broke a crucial 73-run fourth wicket partnership between them.

Indian seamers were on a roll as they removed England top three batsmen inside the mandatory powerplay to reduce the visitors to 48/3.

After losing two early wickets, Jonathan Trott and Kevin Pietersen tried to steady England innings as they added 48 runs third wicket stand. Trot lost his cool and got faint edge which went into the gloves of skipper MS Dhoni.

England started their innings on a bad note as they lost skipper Alastair Cook and Craig Kieswetter in the first two overs.

Praveen Kumar struck on the fourth delivery of the first over to remove Cook who attempted to hit over point but failed to get the elevation as Ravindra Jadeja made no mistake to pouch it.

Vinay Kumar joined his partner to give England another shock as he dismissed Craig Kieswetter to thump visitors to 0/2.

Earlier, England skipper Alastair Cook won the toss and decided to bat against India. Both India and England have retained the same side which played the first ODI in Hyderabad.

Buoyed by the resounding 126-run triumph in the opening game, India will seek to maintain their supremacy against England in the second ODI with the focus on grooming the young brigade.

Teams:

India: Mahendra Singh Dhoni (captain and wicketkeeper), Gautam Gambhir, Parthiv Patel, Ajinkya Rahane, Virat Kohli, Suresh Raina, Ravindra Jadeja, R Ashwin, Umesh Yadav, Vinay Kumar, Praveen Kumar.

England: Alastair Cook (captain), Craig Kieswetter (wicketkeeper), Jonathan Trott, Kevin Pietersen, Ravi Bopara, Jonathan Bairstow, Graeme Swann, Samit Patel, Tim Bresnan, Steven Finn, Jade Dernbach.

Source: Times of India