Gambhir’s 92 sets up India’s chase for 270 in the 4th CB Series ODI against Australia in Adelaide.

India weren’t perfect today. But they beat Australia the hard way. And nothing satisfies a team more than a hard-fought win when it is going through a rut.

A pale-looking MS Dhoni got off to an agonisingly slow start of three runs in 17 balls. But he caught up with the pace at the end, capping off a tight chase for 270 by getting India the 13 needed in the final over from Clint McKay.

It helped India burst past some glass ceilings – they had never beaten Australia in an ODI in Adelaide, and had never chased more than 242 against the hosts in their country. More importantly, the win would take the attention away from the howls of protest after Sachin Tendulkar was rested today.

Gambhir Shines

The chase was set up by Gautam Gambhir’s 92 and a couple of thirties from Rohit Sharma and Suresh Raina. But each time they seemed at ease, Indian batsmen got out to rash shots to complicate matters.

Virender Sehwag (after adding 52 with Gambhir) got out to McKay trying to flick a loose ball on the leg. Virat Kohli was caught at the cover boundary trying to hit a six. And Rohit, having looked in total ease, played a ridiculous chip shot to be caught at long-off.

The win was in sight before India nearly botched it the chase by playing out two quiet overs from left-arm spinner Xavier Doherty in which Raina yorked himself, and Ravindra Jadeja holed out to midwicket, leaving the game precariously balanced.

Monster Six

Dhoni biffed McKay’s second ball of the final over into the banks behind long-on, one of the biggest boundaries in international cricket. The hit may have easily been about 120 metres long. Dhoni swung the next ball, a waist-high full-toss to midwicket, where it was caught by David Warner. The no-ball was called, leaving India three runs to get from three balls.

He swung it to midwicket again, taking three runs, coolly collecting a souvenir stump and walking off the park. At the award ceremony, Dhoni said he had hit a longer six in his pre-India days. It put in the shade a pull shot by Rohit for six – probably the most authoritative shot an Indian batsman had done on this tour of Australia.

India Raise Fielding Standards

India did two things well today. They fielded well, and bowled tightly in the last 10 overs (conceding 57-4), displaying a real urgency to keep Australia’s score down. India scored four run-outs in the second T20 in Melbourne. Today they had three, plus a sharp catch by Virender Sehwag to dismiss Hussey.

Sehwag’s catch was crucial. Australia looked set for a score close to 300. Sehwag’s tumbling effort at square leg cut short Hussey’s stay at 72. But the run-outs of David Warner and Daniel Christian were also crucial in keeping Australia under check.

Forrest Shines On Debut

The merits of the rotation system is another topic. The fact is that Australia have come out of their worst slump in years on the basis of really good selections. Today, the right-handed Peter Forrest came in for Mike Hussey, who has been given a week’s rest.

Forrest in only 26 and has played just 37 First Class games. This is in sharp contrast with Hussey, who was 30 and nearly 15,000 First Class runs down before he wore the Baggy Green. But like Hussey when he appeared on the scene, Forrest looked ready for the big league.

On his international debut, Forrest looked at ease – off the front-foot, off the back-foot, against pace or spin. You’d expect an Australian batsman coming out of Brisbane to be really good against pace bowling. But Forrest impressed with his footwork against Indian spinners too.

Twice he walked down to Jadeja and Rohit – that walk is rarely seen in the stand-and-deliver era – and lofted them over the straight field for six. If you could find one blemish in the innings, it was that Dhoni didn’t consider exposing Forrest to Zaheer Khan, and gave a long run to his spinners, none of whom were particularly impressive today.

Source: Yahoo Cricket

VVS Laxman continued his love affair with the Eden Gardens with an unbeaten 176 and Mahendra Singh Dhoni slammed a century as India buried a hapless West Indies under a mountain of runs to take complete control of the second Test on Tuesday.

Laxman produced yet another classy knock at his favorite ground where he averages an astounding 110, while Dhoni struck a belligerent 144 (175b, 10×4, 5×6) to record his first century in 21 months as India declared their first innings at a colossal 631 for seven in the post-tea session.

The hosts then dismissed both the West Indies openers to reduce the visitors to a shaky 34 for two before the second day’s play was called 50 minutes early because of bad light. West Indies are trailing by 597 runs.

Laxman and Dhoni stitched 224 runs together for the seventh wicket in an alliance that put India in complete command on what looked to be a good batting track.

Such was the batting domination by India that the hosts had one two-hundred plus, one-hundred plus and four half-century partnerships with Laxman in the middle in three of them.

Indian bowlers did well to claim the early wickets with Umesh Yadav and Ravichandran Ashwin taking one wicket each.

Yadav gave the breakthrough when he had the wicket of comeback-man Adrian Barath (1) who was caught at the second slip by Virender Sehwag in the second over with West Indies 3/1.

Newly-married R Ashwin took the other opener Kraigg Brathwaite (17) in the 12th over of the day which became the last over as the play was called off because of bad light. Play will start half an hour early on Wednesday.

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

MS Dhoni marked India’s homecoming with a brutal innings of 87 not out from 70 balls, before the left-arm spin of Ravindra Jadeja sparked a dramatic English batting collapse, as the team that failed to win a single international fixture on their recent tour of England returned to form with a crushing 126-run victory at Hyderabad.

Dhoni’s performance was his fourth half-century in as many international innings, but whereas the last three had been insufficient to force victory, this performance was more reminiscent of his last performance in a home international – his crushing 91 not out in the World Cup final against Sri Lanka in April.

After winning his first toss in six attempts against England, Dhoni chose to bat first on a slow surface, but India were struggling on 139 for 4 after 34 overs before he and Suresh Raina turned on the after-burners as a further 161 were added in the final third of the innings. As had regularly been the case in England, he started cautiously against a disciplined attack, and had reached 5 from 18 balls before belting his first boundary, from Ravi Bopara, to signal India’s late charge.

In total, Dhoni belted 10 fours and one six in his innings, the latter coming from a trademark helicopter flick off Steven Finn in the penultimate over of the innings. Finn had started his day’s work with impressive pace and accuracy, and should have had a first-over wicket when Jonathan Trott dropped a sitter off Ajinkya Rahane at second slip – a moment that only the 26,000 crowd were able to witness, thanks to a TV rights dispute that caused a three-over blackout. But Finn finished with the bruised figures of 1 for 67 in nine overs, with his solitary wicket that of Raina in his seventh over, moments after he had been battered for another six over long-on.

Raina, whose brutality against the full length ball was a sight to behold, crunched 61 from 55 balls, with both of his sixes coming from the final four balls of his innings. Like Dhoni, he had opted for circumspection in the early part of his stay, but the longer his 62-run stand for the fifth wicket continued, the more boisterous the Hyderabad crowd became.

It had been a more muted affair in the early part of India’s innings. Parthiv Patel was run out at the non-striker’s end for 9 as Finn fingertipped a Rahane drive onto the stumps, while Rahane himself had reached 15 from 41 balls when Graeme Swann dragged him out of his crease with his third delivery of the match to give Craig Kieswetter an easy stumping.

In his first match since recovering from concussion, Gautam Gambhir confirmed his fitness with a fluent 32 from 33 balls. However, Jade Dernbach’s liquorice allsorts proved hard to pick and tough to get away on the surface, and the slower ball that did for Gambhir was a beauty. It looped up above the batsman’s eyeline and dropped sharply to rap his shin in front of leg stump.

At 79 for 3 after 18 overs, the game was very much in the balance. However, England’s position could, and probably should, have been even better after 25 overs, when Samit Patel repeated Finn’s trick of dropping his fingertips on a straight drive. It was Raina this time who was in peril as the bails were dislodged, but after a lengthy delay for the TV adjudication, he was given the benefit of the doubt by the third umpire, Sudhir Ashani.

In the final analysis, however, it really didn’t matter. Though Alastair Cook continued his impressive form as England captain with 60 from 63 balls, his dismissal in the 23rd over of the innings precipated a dramatic collapse at the hands of Jadeja and R Ashin. England tumbled from 111 for 2 to 134 for 7 in the space of 40 balls, and only Samit Patel (16) and the No. 10, Finn, with a run a ball 18, provided any resistance.

Praveen Kumar, India’s star bowler from their ill-fated tour of England, had launched India’s defence in fine style, opening up with a maiden to Cook, and he had not conceded a run when he extracted Kieswetter with his eighth delivery, a full-length ball that jagged off the seam to take a thin edge through to Dhoni.

The loss of their top-order powerhitter caused England to rejig their conventional batting order, with Kevin Pietersen emerging at No. 3 ahead of the more staid Trott. The plan looked to be paying off as Pietersen launched his innings with ominous resolve, but having struck three fours in a 28-ball 19, he attempted a quick single to mid-on where Ashwin nailed him with a direct hit.

Trott then appeared at No. 4, and for 13.3 overs he and Cook steadied the innings, adding 71 for the third wicket to give England a solid platform. But then, having brought up his fifty at exactly a run a ball, Cook gave his innings away with a loose clip to deep midwicket off Ravindra Jadeja, and thwacked his pad with his bat in frustration as he left the crease.

Worse was to follow for England two overs later. Trott, whose 26 from 42 balls had been a typically measured performance, attempted an ungainly smear across the line against Jadeja and lost his leg stump, and eight balls later, Ravi Bopara drove loosely at Ashwin and chipped a simple return catch to the keeper.

Jadeja by now was on a roll with the crowd fully behind him, and he extended England’s collapse to four wickets in 26 balls when Jonny Bairstow, the hero of the run-chase in Cardiff, last month, also offered up a return catch. His figures after four overs were 3 for 17, and England’s unbeaten run against India in 2011 was soon all over.

Andrew Miller is UK editor of ESPNcricinfo

Rain again stopped the fourth one-day international between India and England at Lord’s, with scores tied according to Duckworth-Lewis method on Sunday.

England lost two successive wickets of Ravi Bopara (96) and Graeme Swann (31) off Munaf Patel in the penultimate over to put the match in the balance when rain lashed the field again.

England were at 270/8 in 48.5 overs when match was stopped and the match will be declared tied if match fails to start.

Play was stopped by rain earlier too with England on 242/6 in 45 overs, chasing 281-run target and England were ahead by 2 runs according to the D/L method at that time.

RP Singh uprooted Tim Bresnan’s off-stump to give India a chance in the fourth one-dayer.

RP came round the wicket to get a different angle and fired in a full length ball to uproot Bresnan off-stump, who could have proved dangerous for India at the end.

Ben Stokes didn’t last for long when he played a flighted delivery straight into the hands of bowler, R Ashwin.

Before that the partnership between Ian Bell and Ravi Bopara looked threatening when Jadeja chipped in with the wicket of Bell.

Both Bell and Bopara were able to sneak in the ones and twos pretty easily and didn’t seem to be in any trouble playing the Indian bowlers.

Praveen Kumar’s patience paid off as he joined the party to get the wicket of Jonathan Trott. It was unfortunate on the part of Trott when he played on to his stumps trying to pull a short ball from Praveen Kumar.

RP Singh gave a solid start to India when he removed both the openers Craig Kieswetter and Alastair Cook.

RP is a changed bowler in the ongoing ODI series and gave India the right kind of start they needed from the bowlers upfront. He dismissed the dangerous Kieswetter when he charged down the wicket to hand a simple catch to Jadeja.

England captain Alastair Cook fell prey to RP in his next over when he slashed hard straight into the hands of Virat Kohli standing at silly-point.

While, Suresh Raina hit 84 as India made 280-5 off their 50 overs after being put in to bat in the fourth ODI.

Raina shared a stand of 169 with captain MS Dhoni (78 not out) which was the highest fifth wicket partnership for India in one-day internationals against England as India posted a challenging total.

Dhoni faced 71 balls, hitting six fours and three sixes, whilst Raina, who accelerated late in his innings faced 75 balls and hit seven fours and two sixes.

But it looked like it would be a different story when India were 110-4 in 26th over.

Graeme Swann had just dismissed Virat Kholi and Rahul Dravid in his first over and one more wicket would have exposed the Indian tail.

But Raina and Dhoni got their side to a score well above the average first innings one-day total with aggressive batting which delighted the hordes of Indian supporters at the ground.

They helped their side to add 109 off the last ten overs with both batsmen hitting the English bowlers high into stands as India finally enjoyed themselves after a dismal summer in England.

In a bad session for England Stuart Broad went off without completing the final over holding his arm and Steve Finn was called on to bowl the rest of the over.

Earlier, Broad had dismissed both openers Parthiv Patel for 27 and Ajinkya Rahane for 38 but Finn, playing his first match of the series, went wicketless despite bowling well.

He eventually snared Raina when he was asked to replace Broad when the batsman was superbly caught by Ben Stokes in the deep.

England lead the five-match series 2-0 with one no result and one match left to play, in Cardiff, on Friday.

Source: Times of India

It’s a mark of the high standards which England now set that India’s eventual total of 224 felt a few too many after the pace attack had made short work of the top order, but the openers reached 84 without loss to ensure England remained firmly in control at Edgbaston. The visitors slumped to 111 for 7 before MS Dhoni rediscovered his form with a counter-attacking 77 as Stuart Broad and Tim Bresnan shared eight wickets to do the bulk of the damage.

Andrew Strauss won his first toss of the series and was happy to insert – as his opposite number had twice done in the series – but though conditions were helpful the pitch was slow and the Indian batsmen mostly aided in their own demise. The only real exception was Rahul Dravid, removed by a wonderful ball from Bresnan moments before lunch, while Virender Sehwag’s return lasted one ball and Sachin Tendulkar fell for 1 as England surged either side of the interval.

If it wasn’t for Dhoni this match could well have been over as a contest already, but India still have a huge task to keep the series alive after Strauss and Alastair Cook made a significant dent in the total during the final 23 overs. Strauss reached his first international fifty of the season as the pace bowlers struggled to make an impression and Amit Mishra didn’t pose many problems.

England’s quicks, on the other hand, are a handful in most conditions so a well-grassed pitch and cloudy skies just added to the threat. James Anderson wasn’t quite at his best, but Bresnan continued to demonstrate his development as a Test cricketer – and it’s worth remembering his place was only confirmed when Chris Tremlett was ruled out on Tuesday – while Broad’s resurgence shows no sign of abating.

Yet it wasn’t perfect from the home side. While Dhoni and Praveen Kumar were adding 84 in 14 overs there was a strange loss of direction in the field. Strauss was very quick to go on the defensive to Dhoni, at one stage with eight fielders on the boundary, and the bowlers diverted from their successful strategy. As with the Broad-Swann stand at Trent Bridge it showed the impact of a positive approach and India were served well by the captain coming out of his shell. Dhoni had taken 16 balls to get off the mark, and India were going nowhere as the main batsman had departed in a rush, but he burst into life with a string of boundaries and the strut so often associated with his batting hinted at returning. His fifty came from 62 balls and included three mighty sixes to various corners of the impressively redeveloped ground.

Still, Dhoni’s innings only papered over the ever-expanding cracks in India’s batting. It would have seemed inconceivable at the start of the series that such a strong line-up (even allowing for the missing Sehwag and other injuries) would have failed to pass 300 in five innings. Sehwag’s return couldn’t have been briefer when he failed to lower his hands and gloved Broad’s first delivery to the wicketkeeper. The umpire, Steve Davis, initially said not out and Strauss was swift to call for the DRS, which clearly showed the mark on HotSpot. Sehwag was seemingly carrying the hopes of a nation on his dodgy shoulder, but the odds were always stacked against him having an impact even if he’s one player who often goes against convention.

Given the form of England’s pace attack, a grassy pitch and cloudy skies, further wickets seemed there for the taking but India responded solidly. Gautam Gambhir, also returning from injury after the blow to his elbow at Lord’s, had already collected two boundaries in Anderson’s first over and moved along at a pace more akin to Sehwag’s. Dravid, who wasn’t given much of a break despite a return to No. 3, showed the judgement and skill that made him India’s stand-out batsman in the series.

However, as India were sensing stability England burst through as Bresnan, who had bowled with nagging accuracy and immediately located the right length for the pitch, was rewarded when Gambhir inside-edged a drive onto leg stump. Tendulkar was greeted with the cheers that have followed him throughout the series and Anderson was recalled immediately to target someone he has removed seven times.

This time, though, Anderson had to settle for a helping hand in the wicket when Broad found the outside edge and he held the catch at third slip. It was the third time in the series that Broad had removed Tendulkar, whose 100th hundred is proving elusive, and India’s problems didn’t stop as Dravid received an unplayable leg cutter that took off stump in the final over of the session. England have had to work hard to dislodge Dravid in this series and Bresnan won’t have bowled many better deliveries in his career.

Suresh Raina was again unconvincing as the quicks toyed with him before he loosely drove over a delivery from round the wicket, then Laxman joined the list of poor shots when he flicked a pull straight to long leg much as he did at Lord’s. Mishra, who replaced the injured Harbhajan Singh, was batting high at No. 8 and soon edged a drive to give Broad his fourth.

The innings was at its low point, and England will have expected to be batting by tea, but India responded with some gusto. Praveen more than played his part with an idiosyncratic innings which included crunching drives and haphazard defence. The partnership was ended when Praveen top edged a pull off Bresnan, but it again needed DRS to confirm the edge after Davis said not out for the second time.

Given the ultra-defensive fields set by Strauss it was ironic that Dhoni’s resistance was ended when an edge flew to the one close man – Strauss, himself, at first slip. The innings was ended when Cook, at silly point, managed to cling onto a well-timed punch that lodged in his elbow. When a team is playing confident cricket those are the sorts of things that go their way. One more good day can seal the series and No. 1 spot.

Andrew McGlashan is an assistant editor at ESPNcricinfo

India built up a lead of 104 runs over West Indies with four first-innings wickets remaining at the close of the third day of the third and final test in Dominica on Friday as the tourists moved closer to securing a series victory.

India lead the three-test series 1-0 and it is hard to see how, barring a second-innings catastrophe, they can lose that advantage in the final two days of a rain-affected test.

Half centuries from Abhinav Mukund (62) Vangipurappu Laxman (56), Suresh Raina (50) and skipper MS Dhoni (65 not out) were the backbone of India’s 308 for six at the end of what, for this series at least, was a rare day of rain-free cricket.

West Indies were hampered by the absence of seamer Ravi Rampaul who did not bowl at all due to a virus which kept him at the team hotel for most of the day.

With the other pace bowler Fidel Edwards also having some physical difficulties, West Indies skipper Darren Sammy, who opened the bowling with his medium pace, bowled 26 overs while spinner Devendra Bishoo worked his way through 35 overs.

West Indies even turned to the occasional spin of Kirk Edwards and Shivnarine Chanderpaul – with the latter producing a surprise wicket when the Guyanese had Laxman stumped in unusual fashion by Carlton Baugh.

The day began brightly for the hosts when Murali Vijay (5) was caught behind off a rising delivery from Edwards and then India found themselves 18 for two after Rahul Dravid (5) was bowled by Sammy.

Mukund and Laxman saw the tourists through to 102 for two at lunch and the 98-run partnership between the pair laid the foundations for India’s innings.

Mukund, who had made his maiden test half-century, must have been fancying his chances of going on to a first hundred but he was caught, off a bat-pad, by Adrian Barath from Bishoo’s spin.

Virat Kohli was then caught behind off Sammy to leave the tourists at 168 for four and a key breakthrough for the home side came with the dismissal of Laxman who, on 56, let go an innocuous, wide delivery from Chanderpaul but lifted his foot briefly and wicket-keeper Baugh reacted sharply to stump him.

At 172 for five, West Indies, despite injuries also appearing to affect Sammy and Edwards, would have fancied their chances of getting into the Indian tail but a 103-run partnership between Raina and Dhoni put paid to those hopes.

Raina was trapped lbw by Edwards with the new ball and Harbhajan Singh (12) saw the session to a close with a confident-looking Dhoni.

Source: Yahoo Cricket

Defending champions Chennai Super Kings cruised to the top of points table by inflicting an 18-run defeat over Delhi Daredevils in their IPL match at MA Chidambaram stadium in Chennai on Thursday.

Ravichandran Ashwin and Dwayne Bravo took two wickets each after fifties by Subramaniam Badrinath and Mahendra Singh Dhoni as Chennai won the match comfortably.

Chasing a stiff victory target of 177 runs, Delhi managed to score 158/6 in 20 overs with Irfan Pathan top scoring for the visitors with an unbeaten 34-ball 44 that came with the help of 2 sixes and 3 fours.

Bravo took his second wicket when Michael Hussey took a good catch running in from long-off to dismiss Delhi captain James Hopes.

Delhi lost their fourth wicket when Ravichandran Ashwin clean bowled Venugopal Rao to reduce the hosts to 107/4.

Bravo struck in his first over when he had David Warner caught by Murali Vijay at deep mid-wicket as Daredevils lost their third wicket in pursuit of 177.

Warner hit 2 fours in his 25-ball 21 before falling to Bravo.

Bravo took a superb catch at backward point to dismiss Colin Ingram off Ravichandran Ashwin as Delhi lost their second wicket.

Ingram scored 7 before falling to Ashwin.

Delhi lost their first wicket when Albie Morkel had Naman Ojha caught by Shadab Jakati at mid-off.

Ojha hit 2 sixes and 3 fours in his 14-ball 25 before falling to Morkel.

Earlier, Subramaniam Badrinath and Mahendra Singh Dhoni smashed fifties to power Chennai Super Kings to 176/4.

Dhoni’s unbeaten 31-ball 63 was studded with 4 sixes and 5 fours.

Badrinath reached his half-century off 41 balls and Dhoni reached his fifty off 28 deliveries.

Badrinath hit a six and 6 fours in his 43-ball 55 before he was run out.

Murali Vijay hit a 33-ball 35 before Ajit Agarkar had him caught by Venugopal Rao at deep mid-wicket off a full toss.

Vijay hit 2 sixes and 2 fours in his knock before falling to Agarkar.

Varun Aaron had Suresh Raina caught by Irfan Pathan at fine-leg as Chennai lost their second wicket.

Raina hit a six and a four in his 10-ball 14 before mistiming a short ball from Aaron that resulted in his dismissal.

Irfan Pathan gave Delhi an early breakthrough when he trapped Michael Hussey plumb in front of the wicket in the first over.

The breakthrough came after Chennai captain MS Dhoni won the toss and chose to bat.

Chennai are unchanged from the last match while Delhi have brought in Andrew McDonald and Varun Aaron in place of Morne Morkel and the injured Virender Sehwag.

Teams:

Chennai Super Kings: Mahendra Singh Dhoni (Capt.), Michael Hussey, Murali Vijay, Suresh Raina, Albie Morkel, Subramaniam Badrinath, Dwayne Bravo, Wriddhiman Saha, Ravichandran Ashwin, Doug Bollinger, Shadab Jakati.

Delhi Daredevils: James Hopes (Capt.), David Warner, Naman Ojha, Yogesh Nagar, Venugopal Rao, Colin Ingram, Irfan Pathan, Ajit Agarkar, Shahbaz Nadeem, Andrew McDonald, Varun Aaron.

Source: Times of India

Twenty-eight years on from the match that transformed the history of world cricket, India recaptured the crown that Kapil Dev and his men first lifted at Lord’s in 1983, and this time they did so in their very own back yard. An iron-willed 97 from Gautam Gambhir was matched for intensity by the finest captain’s innings since Ricky Ponting in Johannesburg eight years ago, as MS Dhoni trumped a poetic century from Mahela Jayawardene to pull off the highest run-chase ever achieved in a World Cup final.

Against a triumphant backdrop at the Wankhede Stadium, victory was sealed by six wickets with 10 balls to spare, as Dhoni – who had promoted himself to No. 5 to heap extra lashings of responsibility onto his own shoulders – rushed through the gears as the victory target drew nearer. With 15 required from 17 balls, he flicked Sri Lanka’s only true threat, Lasith Malinga, through midwicket for consecutive boundaries, before smoking Nuwan Kulasekara over long-on to finish on 91 not out from 79 balls, and spark the most delirious scenes of celebration ever seen on the subcontinent.

However, the final margin did little justice to the tussle that had preceded it. Even the toss ended up being disputed, as Kumar Sangakkara’s initial call was drowned out by the crowd, but it was the ebb and flow of Zaheer Khan’s day that epitomised the fluctuations of a compelling contest. Zaheer opened his account with three consecutive maidens and the scalp of Upul Tharanga in a peerless spell of 5-3-6-1, only to be clobbered for 17 and 18 runs in his ninth and tenth overs, as Sri Lanka monstered 63 runs in the batting Powerplay to post an imposing 274 for 6.

And India’s day got much worse before the team’s fortunes began to inch upwards. Virender Sehwag had hit a boundary from the first ball of six of India’s previous eight innings in the tournament, but this time Malinga’s slingers dealt him a second-ball duck, as he skidded a full delivery into his back pad. And then Sachin Tendulkar, for whom the script had seemingly been written, was drawn into a loose drive by a fast Malinga outswinger, having set the stadium on standby for instant history with 18 sumptuously accumulated runs from his first 12 deliveries.

At 31 for 2 in the seventh over, India were struggling to keep their toehold in the contest, and it was all too much for a faithless few in the crowd who turned their backs and set off for home. But Gambhir and Virat Kohli epitomise a generation that does not easily accept defeat, and their third-wicket stand of 83 laid the foundations for an epic turnaround. The prospect of a seam-friendly surface, allied to the grievous loss of Angelo Mathews to a thigh strain, had tempted Sri Lanka into four key changes to the team that had triumphed over New Zealand in Colombo, and with Muttiah Muralitharan lacking bite in the final wicketless appearance of his 19-year career, Malinga alone could not carry the day.

The hard-hitting of Nuwan Kulasekara and Thisara Perera had been instrumental in hoisting Sri Lanka’s total to such heights, but in their primary role as front-line seamers they lacked menace and were all too easy to squeeze as 119 runs came from their combined allocation of 17.2 overs. The newcomer to the squad, Suraj Randiv, caused a moment of alarm with his high-kicking offspin when Gambhir, on 30, was dropped by a diving Kulasekara at long-off, but as the innings progressed, his lack of guile proved costly. The decision to omit both Ajantha Mendis and Rangana Herath, whose combined efforts had been so effective against England and New Zealand, is one that will haunt Sri Lanka for years to come.

But this was a victory that still had to be grasped, and India found the men who were willing to do so. The 22-year-old Kohli, who was greeted with a stern word of encouragement as he replaced the outgoing Tendulkar, showed all the mettle for the big occasion as he eased along to 35 from 49 balls before falling to an outstanding return catch by Tillakaratne Dilshan, who dived full-length across the crease to intercept a leading edge. But it was Gambhir and Dhoni to whom the ultimate duty fell. Their 109-run stand was the highest by an Indian pairing in three World Cup final appearances, and even when Gambhir gave away the chance for an unforgettable century with a tired charge and slash at Perera, the result was no longer in doubt.

Gambhir struck nine fours in a 122-ball statement of indomitability, and both he and Dhoni required treatment for stiff backs as the sapping Mumbai heat took its toll. Dhoni at one stage looked so immobile that a precautionary retirement seemed the only logical response, but after some harsh work from the physio he resumed his stance and responded with another trademark filleting of the extra cover boundary, an area in which he scored six of his eight fours – three of which helped to blunt Murali’s attacking instincts.

Both teams contained numerous veterans of World Cup final defeat, with no fewer than five Indians still remaining from the team that lost to Australia back in 2003, and as a consequence this was a match thick with performances that spoke of the wisdom of experience. Though each of the previous five centurions in finals had gone on to lift the trophy, as well as seven of the nine teams that had had the chance to bat first, Jayawardene had the misfortune to become an exception to both rules. His stunning 103 not out from 88 balls was proof that finesse has as much of a place at this level as brutality, but ultimately it was not enough to deny India their destiny.

Four years ago at Sabina Park, Jayawardene produced a supreme century against New Zealand to carry his side to their second World Cup final, but this was an innings of even more exquisite application. He came to the crease with his side under the cosh at 60 for 2 in the 17th over, having been throttled by Zaheer’s supreme new-ball spell. But he responded with a tempo that scarcely wavered from a run a ball, until with Kulasekera for company, he opened his shoulders to power through to his hundred from 84 balls.

For an occasion of this magnitude, cool heads were the order of the day, and though his final figures did not show it, no-one was cooler in the opening exchanges than Zaheer. On his watch, Sri Lanka were limited to 31 for 1 in their mandatory Powerplay, their lowest ten-over score of the tournament, and the hapless Tharanga was restricted to two runs from 20 balls before snicking to Sehwag at slip, whose sharp low take epitomised a fielding effort that was rarely less than totally committed. Then, when he returned in the 37th over, Zaheer deceived Chamara Kapugedera with a beautiful slower ball that was driven to short cover, on route to equalling Shahid Afridi as the tournament’s leading wicket-taker, with 21.

And yet, the speed with which his figures were vandalised was astounding. Though each of Jayawardene’s 13 fours was a classy stroke in its own right, none was better than the last of them, an inside-out cover-drive to one of Zaheer’s trademark outswinging yorkers, as he premeditated the late movement and filleted the ring of fielders on the off-side. The outright acceleration came from the other end, however, where Kulasekera made 32 from 30 balls before his sacrificial run-out led to a pat of gratitude from Jayawardene as they parted. And then, by the time Perera, who made 22 from nine balls, had sealed his onslaught with a dismissive thump for six over midwicket, the decibel levels in the Wankhede had plummeted.

But run by run, over by over, minute by minute, India picked themselves up, dusted themselves down, and turned the screw on Sri Lanka with a determination that a lesser group of men could not have begun to muster, amid the sure knowledge that several billion countrymen were investing all their hopes in their actions. And though he himself played just a walk-on part in the wider drama, it was Tendulkar who was chaired from the field as the celebrations began in earnest. “He’s carried the burden of our nation for 21 years,” said the youngster Kohli. “It was time to carry him on our shoulders today.”

Andrew Miller is UK editor of ESPNcricinfo

The legend of Sachin Tendulkar continued to grow on Sunday as the Indian batting maestro hit his 50th Test century and shared a remarkable partnership with captain Mahendra Singh Dhoni on the fourth day of the first Test against South Africa at SuperSport Park.

It was almost certainly not enough to save his team from defeat, with India finishing the day on 454 for eight in their second innings, still 30 runs short of making South Africa bat again.

But it was an heroic effort which salvaged the reputation of an Indian side which took a battering in the first innings.

Tendulkar (107 not out) and Dhoni (90) put on 172 for the seventh wicket and defied the South African bowlers for a minute short of three hours.

“It was extremely important for us to come back strong and to send out a strong message,” said Tendulkar, adding that the world’s top-ranked Test team needed to recover from the first innings in which they were bowled out for 136 before conceding 620 for four declared when South Africa batted.

“I think we have been able to do that,” said Tendulkar.

“Many positives have come out of this match. We just need to continue with this in the remaining part of the series.”

It took a special delivery from fast bowler Dale Steyn to end the Tendulkar-Dhoni stand shortly before bad light and an approaching thunderstorm ended play for the day.

Steyn produced a vicious bouncer which Dhoni could only fend to wicketkeeper Mark Boucher. In the next over Harbhajan Singh edged left-arm spinner Paul Harris to slip, almost certainly ending any hopes of a miracle reprieve for India, although more storms are forecast for the final day on Monday.

South Africa seemed set for an early win when they took four wickets before lunch, with a new ball available 13 balls after the break. At that stage India were 277 for six, still trailing by 207 runs.

But Dhoni counter-attacked in thrilling fashion and South Africa’s new ball pair, Steyn and Morne Morkel, were on the receiving end of some cracking drives and cuts as Dhoni raced to a half-century off 40 balls with nine fours.

South African captain Graeme Smith was forced into making bowling changes with the ball still relatively new and Harris was brought on after 56 runs had been scored in nine overs against the new ball.

Having seen off the immediate threat of the pace pair, Dhoni settled down to play a more conventionally watchful innings and he made his 90 off 106 balls with 14 fours.

After the interval, the focus switched to Tendulkar, the highest-scoring batsman in international cricket history. Resuming at 80 he continued a calm innings during which he was seldom troubled.

He went to 95 with a straight six off Harris. On 97 he was beaten by a ball from Morkel which cut back and missed the inside edge of his bat. He pushed Steyn to midwicket for two, then drove the fast bowler to deep cover to reach his century after 258 minutes of watchful batting, during which he faced 197 balls and hit 12 fours and a six.

As he ran to complete the single he jumped in the air and lifted his bat to the heavens. No other batsman has scored more than 39 centuries in Tests.

“He’s a great player,” said South African spinner Harris. “It’s just good for a player like me to be able to bowl to him.”

Harris said he thought South Africa bowled well on what he described as a day of “proper” Test cricket.

“Dhoni and Tendulkar showed the fight we expected from them,” he said.

Sharma frustrated the South African bowlers for the first 48 minutes of the day, looking awkward against short-pitched deliveries but finding a straight bat to keep out anything aimed at his stumps. He eventually fell to Steyn when he prodded a catch to Hashim Amla at short leg after making 23 and batting for a total of 71 minutes, facing 51 balls.

Dravid became the third batsman, behind team-mate Tendulkar and Australia’s Ricky Ponting, to make 12 000 Test runs, reaching the mark when he had scored 43. He was congratulated by Tendulkar but did not add to his score before edging a lifting ball from Morkel to wicketkeeper Mark Boucher. The previous ball, pitched well outside off stump, had kept low.

Laxman and Raina fell cheaply, edging Lonwabo Tsotsobe and Jacques Kallis to gully and first slip respectively, with Raina out in the last over before lunch.

Source: Times of India