In Quest To Conquer The Lankans

In search of a desperate win india take on the mighty lankans on Tuesday at Hobart. Indian team has put itself in such a situation that even a win might not settle the cause, because india needs to win by a bonus point and hope that srilanka loses its next match against the auseis. It is not the first time the team has found itself in such a situation and given the current form it won’t be the last. Currently bowling has looked ordinary and the batting has chocked on every occasion they needed to score and hence find themselves last in the points table.

This series has proved that win is never a certainty for a team that lifted the world cup less than a year ago. Throughout the series the batting has been horrendous and the bowling looked abject and hence this has lead the team in a situation where curtains are bound to fall on the glittering courrires because they have become more burden than the need of the team.

For viru the tour down under has proved to be a nightmare, as throughout the series he has failed to show any kind of resilience against the bowling nor any spirit to perform. making things worse for him is his short stay at the wicket, interestingly out of the 4 matches played viru has scored just 35 runs and has faced just 42 balls. As a vice captain of the team viru has not contributed in field placing or an bowling change to make the job easier for the captain rather he had  openly opposed the policies of captain that intended to rotate the players so as to give youngsters a chance. But youngsters like raina,jadeja,rohit and many others have failed to grasp the opportunities and have underperformed right through the series.

Players like gambhir,kholi,dhoni looked good in first leg of the tournament but off late have failed to click and produce any match winning inning. The main strike bowler zaheer khan is injured and vinay is not fit so it would be difficult for dhoni to marshal his team.

The pressure there on "Little Master" to produce one last piece of brilliance to get the World Cup champions the bonus-point victory over Sri Lanka they need for a chance to stay in the tournament.

Because it could well be his last appearance in Australia and he must be desperate to sign off on a high note from a tour that has proved disastrous for him till now as he is striving hard for his magical landmark of three figures.

So india will take on the field on Tuesday in quest to conquer the Lankans and prove that they are the world champs but in accordance with the current scenario the chances of winning are bleak and that to with a bonus point is the rarest possibility as every player has underperformed throughout and one can’t expect them to fire this time again. Also a team who has struggled to win matches cant improve lift their performances overnight and cause a big upset beating an inform lankan side.

Sahil

27/02/2012

CAN INDIA STILL REACH THE FINALS

India can reach finals even after losing on Sunday
Scenario : If India lose on Sunday and win on Tuesday, then Australia have to beat Sri Lanka on March 2

In a situation where India lose their match on Sunday against the hosts at SCG, they can still make the finals along with Australia. For this, India will have to win their last league game on Tuesday against Sri Lanka in Hobart with a bonus point. And Australia should beat Sri Lanka on Friday, March 2, in Melbourne, which will be the last day of preliminary round.

Then the points will be 15 for India. In such a case, both will have 15 points each.

Then, according to tournament rules, India will pip their Asian neighbours into the finals on the basis of number of wins against them.

When two teams are tied with same points, then the team with most number of wins will go through to the finals. But in such a case, India and Sri Lanka both would have ended with three victories apiece. Then, the head-to-head record will be seen to determine who plays in the finals, meaning the most number of wins against the other opposition. India would have beaten srilanka twice and this will sail them into the finals. Sri Lanka had defeated India only once in Brisbane and the other game was tied.

Tournament Rules

Win without bonus point: 4 points

Loss: 0

Win with bonus point: 5 (Bonus point is awarded to that team which achieves a run rate of 1.25 or higher than the other in the match)

Tie or No Result: 2 points each

In case of teams finishing on equal points, then the finalist will be decided as per the following:

1. Team with most number of victories

2. If still equal, then head-to-head in the league stages. Team with more wins against the other team which is locked on same on points.

3. If still same, then team with most bonus points

4. If still tied, then the team with highest net run rate

source internet
sahil

INDIA OUTPLAYED BY AUSRALIA…INDIA LOOSE BY 87 RUNS

 Sydney: Australia crushed India by 87 runs in the 10th CB Series ODI to qualify for the tri-series final at the Sydney Cricket Ground on Sunday.

India’s top-order failed yet again as they were bowled out for 165 in the 40th over chasing Australia’s 252-9. It was India’s third straight defeat in the competition.

Australia kept chipping away with the wickets and never really allowed India to settle in the chase. Watson bowled beautifully and got great support from Lee and Doherty. India's run is almost over with a game to play against Sri Lanka. Yes, mathematically they still have a chance but for that to happen, they need a real big win.

MS Dhoni: "Defintely not a good night. We got off to a decent start but it was difficult in the middle overs. Pathan got injured but Sehwag bowled well. 250 was good and we were happy at the end of first innings. In batting, we left too much for number 7, 8 and 9. Rankings doesn't matter and one has to do well on the field. We have to bat well to do well. Overall, we should have done better. I'm not good at mathematics but good at cricket. The scorers will do their job as let us know before the start of the game against Sri Lanka on our mathematical chance of qualifying."

Shane Watson: "It was a very nice start. It all worked out very well. A good team performance in the end. We tried to create impact towards the end but wickets fell at inappropriate time while batting. I felt David Hussey was looking to protect himself (on that run out controversy) and I have full faith in Simon Taufel and Billy Bowden. In the end, whatever decision they made was good. I'm excited after my first win as captain and would like to continue, but want to see Clarke back as well." Laughs and signs off.

David Warner (MOM): "Obviously I'm happy to be amongst the runs. It's really good to play against India as you really don't know who the home side is. The key for me is, if I get my defense right, runs will come. I didn't get a run out this season and hoped for one today, luckily it was Tendulkar."

OUT OR NOT OUT

              OUT  OR  NOT  OUT

Was sachin out or was lee obstructing him from completing a tight single. Well it was a tough call as sachin looked disappointed after being dismissed in such a way.

Experts  call         

Tendulkar was out – it was a bad call compounded by his not running wide of Lee and diving for his crease.(tony greig).

LANKA OUTSHINES OZ'S ,,,WIN A THRILLER

Sri Lanka move to the top of the table courtesy this fantastic win. They managed the highest ever chase at this venue and also their second highest chase ever in Australia. It was a team effort and they will be happy to lead the tri-series table now.

It was always going to be a tricky chase and Sri Lanka managed the win in the last over. Jayawardena's knock upfront, Chandimal's middle innings grit and cameos by Mathews and Perera sealed it in the end. Australia's bowling was under par but Doherty was still impressive.

Michael Clarke: "Unfortunately we couldn't get there but Sri Lanka played very well. Execution with the ball wasn't good. In batting, the top four could have done much more. Sri Lanka showed if you hang in there you can do it. Yes, I'm a bit stiff with my back. No doubt. We have a big game against India on Sunday and have to do well. Sri Lanka have the momentum and are doing well now, we need to step up."

Mahela Jayawardena (MOM): "I was in my zone and whatever I played went in the gaps. The youngsters finished the game well. We saw the history of the ground and did well to hang in there and finish it with big-hitters. It's good for the youngsters as they are learning a lot. We are still not in the finals, so our main aim is to get there and then decide what next."

Second Defeat in a Row for Indian, Drops To 3rd in the PointTable..

Another disgraceful performance by India led it to another defeat by SriLanka in today's match by 51 run.All-rounded Lankans looked undefetable and much high in field. They got a Good start lead by the skipper Jayawardhane and Dilshan putting up a 95 run partnership. But even after getting good start they were just decent with the score till 40th over but the last 10 overs took the game away from the world champions and once again the young bowling department failed to deliver. Indian's conceded 91 runs in the last 10 overs and the acting captain Sehwag seemed to be unsatisfied from the regular bowlers as the 49th and the 50th over was bowled by Raina and Kohli conceding around 25 runs. Was this a wise decision by the captain? But India got a hideous start as they lost the skipper on the 2nd ball ball of the inning with a poor shot. It showed that the skipper had no sense of responsibility. But the situation became terrible when the men in blues lost three wickets on 54 runs. Thanks to Raina and Kohli who added valuable 92 run partnership because of some drop catches by the Lankans.The top order again failed to deliver and the expectations were once again thrashed. But towards the end some splendid bowling performances by Kulesekara , Parera and Malinga took the game away. Pathan's knock of 47 kept the expectations high but the other end failed to support this talented cricket. Now India has to win all the coming matches to be in the game. We have to perform incredibly well to match the standards of the opponent and to regain the prestige of Being the World Champions. All The Best And Play Hard.

Team India thrashed by Australia , Oz clinches Bonus Point...

Australia came up with full force today in the match as they won the game with 6 overs remaining.
Batting first Australia piled up decent total of 288 on the board but once again the men in blue failed to chase the target as excepted and it was  Captain M.S Dhoni who top scored  with 56 of 84 balls  and looked in a good touch .
The star of the show was Hilfenhaus as he took a 5 wicket hawl in the match and was looking superb with his bowling. Pathan(3/61) was the most successful from the Blues but was also expensive. Although fielding looked good but it was poor bowling that gave aussies to reach a par score that was tough for out of form batting order of team india. Star player Michel Hussey(59) and new comer Peter Forrest(52) also seemed to be in a good touch as they scored  half century apiece .Hilfenhaus playing his first one-day international after November 2009 looked in a great form and did an exceptional comeback replacing McCay. The dropped catch of Wade by Rohit Sharma at slip of the second ball of the match proved to be a costly affair for the Indians as the host got a great start and bundled out India in 44th over to at 178 runs and finished the match.
Except Dhoni no one showed any resistance to Oz bowling and threw their wickets away. Once again the middle order disappointed.
Its also the time for the youngsters to show their talent along with aggression on the field.
Now the Indians have to tighten their seat belts as they cannot take Lankan team easy because they defeated the Oz by 8 wickets in the previous match.
So best of Luck TEAM INDIA and play hard.

Sajan Banka/sahil
19/02/2012

SRILANKA BEAT AUSTRALIA BY 8 WICKETS

srilanka beat australia by 8 wickets and register their first win in the series. The Sri Lankan bowlers set up the match brilliantly by orchestrating a fine spell of bowling. They kept pegging the opposition with regular wickets and never allowed any partnership to blossom. David Hussey stroked a valiant half-century but he was the lone fighter as Australia managed a paltry total on the board.Australia needed early wickets to bounce back in the contest but that didn't happen as the Lankan openers got off to a rollicking start. They added 74 for the first wicket and Sangakkara played a nice cameo of 30. Mahela Jayawardena with a 67-ball 61 stayed there till the end and steered his side to a resounding win.

MATCH ENDED IN A TIE

So the match ended in a tie. The second game in a row went to the last over. India needed 9 runs from the last over and was narrowed to 4 needed from the last ball. Again it was captain cool m.s. dhoni who was there till the end but could not win the game for his team. India chasing a modest target of 236 india made a mess off the chase and that proppled a match to end in a tie. Once again it was the delhi dasher Gautam who was the top scorer but was again unlucky to miss out on a hundred. Sachin could not score much and Indian middle order flattered miserly. The mistake that occerd was a 5 ball over bowled by lasith malinga and that could have coasted India the match also it was the wicket of Gambhir triggered the downfall and  Sri Lanka were back in the game.    

match summary::

srilanka ---236/9

india--236/9

result :: MATCH ENDED IN A TIE

man of the match : ms dhoni 

SAHIL GUPTA

INDIA WIN BEAT AUSTRLIA IN A THRILLER

India beat australia in a last over thriller. india needed 13 runs of the last over and india chased it down with two balls to spare.
it was the captain m.s dhoni ho held the fort till the end and made sure india finish on the winning side.

"Serious leadership composure from MSDhoni he sweats ice cubes he is that cool under pressure. 112 meter 6 to basically win the game" tweets Damien Fleming.

Australia almost made a game out of nowhere. India were always looking good with their regular partnerships but the home side held them back a bit towards the end. Though, India's Captain Cool came good.

sahil gupta....

Australia bat, Tendulkar rested

AUSTRALIA WINS THE TOSS AND ELECTS TO BAT

  Michael Clarke won the toss and chose to bat in good batting conditions on a warm day. Michael Hussey was rested.

India continued with their rotation policy of their openers, resting Sachin Tendulkar and bringing in Gautam Gambhir to open with Virender Sehwag. The middle order remained the same. India made another change, bringing in Umesh Yadav ahead of Praveen Kumar. Whether Praveen was dropped, resterd or injured, Dhoni didn't say.here one feels that irfan deserved a chance to play because the seaming wickets suits his bowling style and could have extracted some swing early on and strengthned the indian batting

Australia 1 David Warner, 2 Matthew Wade (wk), 3 Ricky Ponting, 4 Peter Forrest, 5 Michael Clarke (capt.), 6 David Hussey, 7 Daniel Christian, 8 Ryan Harris, 9 Mitchell Starc, 10 Xavier Doherty, 11 Clint McKay.

India 1 Virender Sehwag, 2 Gautam Gambhir, 3 Virat Kohli, 4 Rohit Sharma, 5 Suresh Raina, 6 MS Dhoni (capt. & wk), 7 Ravindra Jadeja, 8 R Ashwin, 9 R Vinay Kumar, 10 Umesh Yadav, 11 Zaheer Khan. 

sahil gupta

12/02/2012

Yuvraj posts his bald picture on Twitter

Yuvraj posts his bald picture on Twitter

Agencies
New Delhi, February 10, 2012

Cricketer Yuvraj Singh undergoing chemotherapy posted this latest picture on Twitter.

Star cricketer Yuvraj Singh who is undergoing chemotherapy for a rare germ cell cancer in the US on Friday posted his bald picture on his twitter account.
"Finally the hair has gone ! But #livstrong #yuvstrong," Yuvraj tweeted on Friday morning. The cricketer has entered the third week the of nine-week chemotherapy session in the Cancer Research Institute in Boston.
On Wednesday the stylish batsman tweeted, "Overwhelmed with the love and support people have given me, I feel joy in my heart that so many wishes. Will cure me! Iv read every tweet of Every fan who has wished me watched all videos ! Seen how many prayers are said in temples ! I thank you all from the bottom of my heart!"
The determined all rounder said he is recovering and will come back as a stronger man.
"Thank you again to all my friends back home! I'm recovering well yes its tough but tough times don't last tough men do ! I will fight and come back as a stronger man cause I have the prayers of my nation ! Thank you to the media for there support and respecting my privacy."
Yuvraj also tweeted about meeting cyclist Lance Armstrong, who is also a cancer survivor, and taking inspiration from him.
The cricketer is suffering from a rare cancer called extragonadal seminoma, which forms less than 1% of cancers and the cure rate is above 95%. He is expected to start active training in about 10 weeks and by May.
source:--HT

FIRST WIN FOR INDIA IN TRI SERIES

Kohli, Ashwin star as India trump Sri Lanka

Chasing a target of 234, Kohli and Ashwin led India to their first win of the CB Series.

By Akshay Iyer !!

Ashwin celebrates after dismissing Chandimal. (Hamish Blair/Getty Images)

Two stars of the future - India's Virat Kohli and Sri Lanka's Dinesh Chandimal - proved yet again that they will be at the centre of their respective countries' batting line-up for years to come. But, it was Kohli, who finished on the winning side in the second match of the Commonwealth Bank Series at the WACA Ground in Perth today as India, chasing a target of 234, beat Sri Lanka by four wickets. 

Kohli led the run chase after the early dismissal of Virender Sehwag, and though he couldn't see India home, he had put his team on the road to victory with his 94-ball 77. 

Sehwag, who was rested for the match against Australia, slashed at a wide and short ball from Lasith Malinga but only managed to guide the catch to Nuwan Kulasekara at third man. Kohli and Sachin Tendulkar then got India's run chase back on track with their 75-run partnership for the second wicket. 

Tendulkar hit five boundaries in his 63-ball 48, and looked comfortable against all the Sri Lankan bowlers, before he chopped a ball from Angelo Mathews on to the stumps. Rohit Sharma, Suresh Raina and India captain MS Dhoni failed to contribute too much to the chase, but despite wickets tumbling at the other end, Kohli kept his composure and was as cool as a cucumber. Rohit was brilliantly caught by Tillakaratne Dilshan at point, while Raina yet again fell to the short delivery as he became Mathews' second victim of the match. Dhoni was also done in by a short ball from Dhammika Prasad and his woeful attempt at playing the pull shot only went as far as Malinga at wide mid on, who took a good catch running back.

Kohli added to his growing reputation with a calculated knock which included 31 singles, 4 twos, 8 boundaries and one massive six. He didn't look in any kind of discomfort against any of the Sri Lankan bowlers, and it was his mix of caution and aggression that set India firmly on the path to victory. Kohli though was troubled by cramps towards the end of his innings and was run out while attempting a risky single when Malinga hit the stumps directly from mid on. He was unable to get up after his dismissal and had to be helped off the ground.

At the time of his dismissal, India needed 53 runs to win with four wickets in hand, but Man of the Match RVirat Kohli pulls during his 94-ball 77. (Photo by Hamish Blair/Getty Images) Ashwin and Ravindra Jadeja batted sensibly as India finished the run chase in the 47th over. Ashwin remained unbeaten on 30 off 38 deliveries, with Jadeja remaining not out on 24 off 28 balls. Mathews was the most successful Sri Lankan bowler, but Malinga, Prasad and Thisara Perera failed to make much of an impression. 

while Sehwag and Zaheer Khan came in for Gautam Gambhir and the injured Rahul Sharma respectively for India. 






source (yahoo cricket)

MEDIA TOO HARSH

"Another spineless performance from India”

   India’s horror show down under.

    Flames down under.

    Ships are sinking

    Absolute shame.

The above were the headlines of the newspapers after India suffered a loss in the perth test match yet again. India was bowled out for 191 in the first innings and 162 in the second innings and was handed yet another inning defeat by the Australian team.

I think the media has gone bizzarde against the losses that India has suffered at the hands of Australia which was once the world champion. In my views the reaction from the media was extreme because it’s only a test match that rather a test series that India has lost not its pride. I wonder how a person who has not held a cricket bat in his entire life term Indian team good for nothing and define the losses down under as a shameful sin for which the members of the Indian cricket team are responsible.

I wonder how some people can term Indian coach Duncan Fletcher as a man with no ideas. It’s not right on the media’s part to term a series loss as a national shame because in my views the game of cricket cannot bring a national shame to the people of India. One must not forget that cricket might be a religion in India whose god’s are the star cricketers but it’s not even the national game of our country.

Many national television channels termed India’s loss as flamesà> as if the world was coming to an end. Many termed it as a matter of absolute shame as if the cricketers had degraded India’s pride at the hands of Australia. I wonder how the people can term the Indian batting order spineless in the presence of greats such as Sachin, Dravid and Laxman. I think media has no right to suggest them when to retire because for decades these players have performed consistently to be at the top and they very well know when it’s the right time.

Also a die heart cricket fan must realize that losing a test match is no big deal and their faith in the Indian cricket must not disappear due to this. It’s not a matter to be worried of because in a game you win some and loose some it’s just that Indian team was at the receiving end. One must not forget the memorable triumph moment that our team gave us in April 2011 when they made us the world champions after 28 long years .one must not term them as zeroes just because the team is going through a bad face that might end soon and India would retain its number one position in the tests also Sachin would score his much awaited hundredth international hundred and would give us a moments of joy and would put Indian team back on track.

I wish them all good luck for the triangular series and many more series to come.

sahil gupta

23/01/2011 

Pakistan whitewash England in Test series

It was England's seventh series whitewash, their first at the hands of Pakistan. Pakistan have now recorded five series whitewashes, their last coming in a 3-0 win over Bangladesh in 2003.

Yahoo! Cricket 

Dubai, (AFP): Pakistan's bowlers sealed an emphatic 71-run win in the third and final Test against England here on Monday, wrapping up a humiliating 3-0 series whitewash in the process. Set a daunting 324-run target, England were bowled out for 252 with paceman Umar Gul taking 4-61 and off-spinner Saeed Ajmal 4-67 to help Pakistan achieve a first-ever Test cleansweep against their opponents.

With the ball turning again it was always going to be a difficult task for England's batsmen, who have struggled to play the Pakistani spinners throughout the series, on a weary fourth day pitch at Dubai Stadium. Pakistan won the first Test here by ten wickets and the second by 72 runs in Abu Dhabi.

'England win makes Pakistan a cricket power'

Pakistan have also become the first team to win a Test after being bowled out for under 100 since 1907 when England, shot out for 76, beat South Africa at Leeds. It was England's seventh series whitewash, their first at the hands of Pakistan. Pakistan have now recorded five series whitewashes, their last coming in a 3-0 win over Bangladesh in 2003.

England's last series whitewash came in 2007 when they were routed by Australia 5-0.

So dominating have been Pakistanis spinners that Ajmal finished the series with 24 and Rehman with 19. An elated Pakistan captain Misbah-ul Haq praised his team. "It's a wonderful team effort," said Misbah, who now has won nine of the 15 Tests as captain, with one loss and five draws. "It's a big win against a big team, achieved through hard work."

England captain Andrew Strauss said the lack of run-making had left him disappointed. "It's a bit of surprise as well as disappointment because we did not put scores on the board, and we must give credit to Pakistan," said Strauss who has lost his first series since losing to the West Indies in 2009.

"We have important lessons to learn from this defeat."

In his next over, Ajmal produced another sharp turning delivery which caught the edge of Cook's bat and was smartly held by a diving Younis Khan in the lone slip. Ian Bell (10) and Eoin Morgan (31) added 37 for the fifth wicket but again failed to produce a big score in the series as Gul dismissed them in the space of just three runs.

Pakistan could have wrapped the match earlier had they not dropped two crucial catches, the first off Strauss on 26 when wicket-keeper Adnan Akmal grassed a simple chance off Gul. But that didn't hurt Pakistan as Rehman trapped the England captain in the very next over. Strauss challenged the decision by Australian umpire Steve Davis but his review failed.

 The teams will now play four one-day and three Twenty20 internationals.

AUSTRALIA WINS THE FIRST ODI AS INDIAN BATTING CRUMBLED

Australia draw first blood

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.

By Bikash Singh | Yahoo! Cricket 

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.

Clint McKay celebrates after taking the wicket of Rohit Sharma at the Melbourne Cricket Ground.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.

INDIA END WINLESS STREAK

Finally, a win for India on foreign soil

India win the second T20 against Australia in Melbourne, ending a streak of 16 games abroad without a win.

Yahoo! Cricket –

Gambhir anchored India's innings with a fifty.
India’s winless streak on foreign soil began in June in the Caribbean, stretched through the whole England tour and continued in Australia. That’s a total of 16 international games — 10 Tests, four ODIs, and two T20s — out of which India lost 13. But the streak came to an end today in Melbourne, where a rare Australian collapse in the second T20 allowed India the win they had been waiting for.

Gautam Gambhir’s unbeaten fifty and a rare good start of 43 runs with Virender Sehwag set up India’s chase for 132. Virat Kohli controlled the middle overs with Gambhir with a 54-run stand, before MS Dhoni took the chase home. It was the first time on the tour that India had outplayed their opponents in all three departments.

India reached the last over from Brett Lee needing a single to win. Gambhir played three dots making the game a little bit interesting. He then ploughed the fourth ball through wide mid-on for four to complete a much-awaited win for the touring party.

Australia elected to bat and their innings was marred by four run-outs. India were sharp in the field and accurate with the ball. R Vinay Kumar and Praveen Kumar gave India a tidy start, taking the wickets of David Warner and Shaun Marsh before the spate of run-outs derailed the Australian innings.

India didn’t miss a trick on the field today. Gambhir began the proceedings with a beautifully-judged back-pedalling at long leg to dismiss Warner. The luck continued to go India’s way with Marsh’s summer of horror continuing. Praveen Kumar had him caught behind for a duck, Marsh’s fourth against India since the start of the Tests. It was again a smart catching from Dhoni who calmly collected the double rebound from Sehwag at slip.

However, the stand-out fielding pieces from India today were the run-outs of Aaron Finch and Matthew Wade. Ravindra Jadeja fielding a point swooped in on a dab from David Hussey. As he lay on the floor, Jadeja had the presence of mind to hurl the ball in to the wicketkeeper’s end, running out Finch. It was the first of Jadeja’s two run-outs of the day. He would later run George Bailey out fielding at the same position.

Later, Rohit Sharma displayed similar alertness while running out Wade, who was sent back by Brett Lee. Rohit made a clean pick-up, waited a moment to choose an end, and lined up the direct hit towards the wicketkeeper’s end to run Wade out.

A rare positive result for India means they can go into the tri-series feeling a little better.

SOURCE(Yahoo! Cricket )

New format, same result for India

Sydney: The format changed, but not India’s fortunes. In the first of the two T20 Internationals, Australia won again in the near absence of a challenge from India’s batsmen who finished 31 short chasing 172. The damages were minimised by skipper MS Dhoni’s 48, but the contest had ended in the eight over when India were reduced to 53-4. This time, they weren’t undone by Australian pace, but by the spin bowling of the 40-year-old Brad Hogg and part-timer David Hussey.

India have lost 13 of their last 14 international fixtures abroad, an immense worry since the under-fire veterans had a hand in eight of those. They had young players in the other games. Compare that to Hogg, who is making his international comeback having retired in 2008. He was named in Australia’s T20 squad after a prolific run in the Big Bash League.

Australia’s score was set up by Matthew Wade’s breezy 72 and Hussey’s 42 that maintained the pace David Warner had set with a quick 25. After India elected to bowl, there were two major takeaways from Australia’s innings. The first was the energy and the body language of the Indians on the field.

The generational difference was all too visible: in the Tests, India displayed a calm, emotionless resignation to their fate. But the limited overs squad is different. The average age of the eleven Indians playing in Sydney today is 26 years. They dived around, gave the hard chase, and when wickets fell, they celebrated with palpable energy. When Rahul Sharma bled from his right hand after dropping a difficult return catch off Travis Birt, he went off the park, got taped up and returned to finish his overs. Unfortunately for India, the energy ceased to exist once they came out to bat.

The second was Australia’s dismantling of Indian spinners. Ravichandran Ashwin tossed some up to Warner and Wade who took full advantage and provided the template for attacking batting. Their confident forward stride was followed by a lovely straight swing of the bat. The ANZ Stadium – hosting its first international cricket fixture today – has long straight boundaries, nearly 90 metres on both sides. But Wade and Warner could clear them with ease several times. Wade struck three sixes, Warner two – including one switch-hit over extra-cover off Ashwin.

This sits in contrast to India’s defensive approach to Nathan Lyon in the Adelaide Test, and how they played Australia’s spinners today. Australia ended the contest after taking three wickets in three overs. Gautam Gambhir mistimed a drive to cover, Virat Kohli hit a short ball to long-on, and Rohit Sharma – who’d been waiting since December to play for India – was bowled first ball by a quicker one from Hussey. The shot-making was tentative and the strike rotation poor. There were no partnerships in the top-order. The young team has much to learn and it is unlikely things will get easier for them in the one-day internationals to follow.

SOURCE (YAHOO CRICKET)

01/02/2012