Indian bowlers put up a spirited show on the third day of the fourth and final cricket Test against Australia here on Monday to give the hosts an advantage that could well clinch them the four-match series.

Pacer Umesh Yadav and the spin duo of Ravichandran Ashwin and Ravindra Jadeja scalped three wickets each while medium-pacer Bhuvneshwar Kumar took one wicket to restrict the visitors to 137 in the second innings — and set a 106-run target for clinching the final cricket Test match.

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The third day’s play started with Indian lower-middle order stepping up to the occasion. Resuming the day at 248/6, overnight batsmen Ravindra Jadeja (63) and Wriddhiman Saha (31) added 69 runs before the former was dismissed by pacer Pat Cummins in the 113th over.

Cummins bowled a wide length ball which Jadeja tried to drive without using his feet and guided a thick inside edge onto the stumps.

Incoming batsmen Bhuvneshwar Kumar departed in the next over without disturbing the score. He was sent packing by left-arm spinner Steve O’Keefe.

Saha, who seemed good at the crease was the next one to go. He was dismissed by Cummins when the scoreboard read 318/9. His 102-ball knock contained only two boundaries.

Tailenders Umesh Yadav (2 not out) and debutant Kuldeep Yadav (7), however, added 14 runs for the last wicket to frustrate Australian bowlers and helped India get past the 330-run mark.

For Australia, spinner Nathan Lyon scalped five wickets while Cummins took three wickets.

Coming in to bat in the second innings, the visitors tried to apply themselves in the middle but failed drastically in doing so. At one point, the visitors were struggling at 92/5, with a meagre 60-run lead in the second innings.

Continuing his poor form, opener David Warner (6) again failed to provide a good start as he was the first to return to the pavilion with the visitors’ scoreboard reading 10 runs.

Incoming batsmen Steve Smith, who scored a brilliant century in the first innings, could only manage 17 runs in the second outing.

Smith was bowled by Kumar, who delivered a short ball which, taking the bottom edge, flattened the off stump.

Youngster Matt Renshaw (8) was the next batsmen to leave — sent packing in the next over by Yadav.

Middle order batsmen Peter Handscomb (18) was then sent back cheaply by Ashwin to be in commanding position.

Apart from Glenn Maxwell (45), no other batsmen, including in-form Smith, were able to understand the Indian bowling strategy.

Wicketkeeper-batsman Mathew Wade, however, tried to hold the innings towards the end but it was too late as the Indian bowlers had already rampaged through the Australian batting line-up.

Australia, scoring only 137 runs in their second outing and setting a 106-run victory-target, now face a difficult task to restrict India, who started the run chase on a positive note, with two day’s play left.

At the end of the day’s play, India had scored 19/0 and needed only 87 runs more to win the final Test — as also the four-match Test series.

Openers Murali Vijay (6) and Lokesh Rahul (13) were at the crease when the day’s play was called off.

IANS

Former India cricket captain Sourav Ganguly on Tuesday hailed the team for inflicting another 4-0 humiliation on England on home soil.

The Virat Kohli-led side won by an innings and 75 runs to seal yet another dominating show in Chennai riding on Karun Nair and Lokesh Rahul’s batting display and Ravindra Jadeja’s 10-wicket match-haul.

“It was a fantastic display by the Indian team,” Ganguly told reporters.

“I hope they carry forward the momentum. In the sub-continent if you have to beat them, you need quality spinners and clearly Adil Rashid and Moeen Ali were not good enough,” said Ganguly.

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Having made a sedate start to the day, England made a hash of their batting after tea losing the last six wickets for a mere 15 runs.

Speaking on the collapse of the visitors, Ganguly said: “I think that’s where Virat Kohli as a captain comes in. I am sure he would have said to the boys that the match is not over yet.

“This is one of the good things we have seen in the series. These were pitches which did not have turn and we lost four tosses but still managed to win four back-to-back Test matches which is remarkable.”

Asked about the happy conundrum the team has at the moment with the likes of stand-in wicketkeeper batsman Parthiv Patel and rookie Karun Nair performing excellently, Ganguly said the problem will be solved when they start playing abroad.

“The batting has a lot of bench-strength available. There were guys who stood up and performed. Karun Nair was remarkable in this Test match. So it’s a good problem to have. This problem will be solved in the next 12 months when India go around the world and play in conditions where there is pace and bounce,” he said.

“There are five more Test matches to come in India and they will win all five. Then they start on the road and then we will find out who stands up against good quality pace attack.”

Ravindra Jadeja, according to Ganguly, is one of the best bowlers in the sub-continent.

“He (Jadeja) is lethal on slow turning pitches in the sub-continent. I think he is one of the best.

Asked to compare between Ravichandran Ashwin and Jadeja to Anil Kumble and Harbhajan Singh, Ganguly, who was captain when the latter duo were in full tilt, said, “I don’t think it’s fair to compare them. Those were different eras of cricket.”

India won their ninth match of the year to stretch an unbeaten run to 18.

The hosts wrote and rewrote a plethora of records, including notching up their biggest-ever series victory over England.

IANS

India opener K.L. Rahul said he was determined to score big on a batsman-friendly pitch after crafting a superb 199 to guide India to a strong position at stumps on the third day of the fifth Test against England.

Rahul faced 311 deliveries, batted for eight-and-half hours to strike 16 fours and three sixes to guide India to a healthy 391/4 at close of play, in response to England’s first innings score of 477.

But he suffered a cruel heartbreak, getting dismissed for 199, becoming the second Indian after former skipper Mohammad Azharuddin, and ninth overall to depart on the verge of a milestone.

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The 24-year-old was fluent during his knock and was judicious in his shot selection, becoming the second opener after Sunil Gavaskar to score so many runs in a Test innings against England.

Gavaskar holds the distinction of scoring most by an Indian opener (221 in 1979) — the only double-hundred by an Indian opener against England.

Rahul said injuries prevented him from becoming a permanent feature in the team and he was determined to make the most of the opportunities he got in his stop-start career so far.

“I haven’t played a lot in the last couple of months. Going in and out isn’t easy. Spending time in Bombay was good. Once I came here, this pitch was good, and I didn’t want to waste the opportunity,” said Rahul after the day’s action.

“Missed out on the whole New Zealand series. I thought I was in good form. Went back home, worked on my fitness. Played one Ranji game, that was good to get my flow. I was killing myself… I missed out in Wankhede (third Test), the wicket was very good.”

Rahul looked set to complete what would have been a well-deserved double-century. But he was over eager to complete the feat, chasing a wide delivery outside off-stump, and gave a simple catch at point. He was visibly distraught at missing the double ton and walked back slowly to the pavilion after getting out.

“This hundred will be on the top of the list. Now you understand what your coach means when he says one run will be important. I’ll always have to live with this. I played a horrible shot and got out on 199,” the Karnataka batsman said.

“I haven’t seen the videos. Just been standing under the shower. It will take some time to sink in. I thought I would get a double hundred with ease. Just have to come back stronger. I did discuss with my batting coach (on improvements).

“Knowing where my off stump is… I hadn’t played enough games, so didn’t know where my off stump was. Went back and worked on my basics and (batting coach) Sanjay Bangar said if I stayed inside the crease, I would judge the line better,” he added.

IANS

England won the toss and elected to bat in the third Test against India at the Punjab cricket Association I.S. Bindra Stadium.

For India, promising Karnataka batsman Karun Nair will make his Test debut replacing injured opener Lokesh Rahul while stumper Parthiv Patel has been included in place of injured Wriddhiman Saha.

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After losing the second Test by 246 runs, the visitors have made three changes in their playing XI by including middle order batsman Jos Butler, pacer Chris Woakes and off-spinner Gareth Batty in place of Ben Duckett, injured Stuart Broad and Zafar Ansari respectively.

Teams:
India: Murali Vijay, Parthiv Patel (wk), Cheteshwar Pujara, Virat Kohli (Captain), Ajinkya Rahane, Karun Nair, Ravichandran Ashwin, Ravindra Jadeja, Jayant Yadav, Umesh Yadav, Mohammed Shami

England: Alastair Cool (Captain), Jos Butler, Haseeb Hameed, Moeen Ali, Chris Woakes, Abdul Rashid, Joe Root, Jonny Bairstow, James Anderson, Gareth Batty

IANS

Skipper Virat Kohli hit a responsible unbeaten 49 runs to help India secure a nervy draw on the final day of the first cricket Test against England.

Chasing a 310-run target, India survived anxious moments before posting 172/6 in their second innings to force the draw on the fifth and final day at the Saurashtra Cricket Association Stadium.

Kohli was accompanied by local lad Ravindra Jadeja (32 not out) when the match ended inconclusively.

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Spinner Adil Rashid (3/64) was England’s most successful bowler in the second innings. His fellow spinners Moeen Ali and Zafar Ansari took one wicket each.

Earlier, England declared their second innings at 260/3 shortly after lunch — an overall lead of 309 runs — with captain Alastair Cook slamming a fine knock of 130 runs — his 30th Test century and fifth in India.

It left the hosts to chase 310 runs off a minimum 49 overs on the degrading Rajkot pitch.

India were reduced to 71/4 quickly, and were left battling for survival in Rajkot, which hosted its first ever Test match. They lost Gautam Gambhir (0) in the second over of the second innings, dismissed by pacer Chris Woakes. Joe Root took a simple catch at second slip to send back the opener.

Following the wicket, came Cheteshwar Pujara (18), who along with Vijay forged a crucial 47-run partnership for the second wicket to steady the inning.

But just when things seemed good, spinner Adil Rashid sent back Pujara shortly before the tea break. Pujara missed the straight delivery from Rahid and was struck right in front.

India were 49/2 at tea requiring still 261 more runs to win.

The post-tea session saw a downward spiral that also accounted for opener Murali Vijay (31). This hurt India’s cause as both Pujara and Vijay were dismissed within the space of nine deliveries after having got set. Ajinkya Rahane (1) also didn’t last long.

Kohli then steadied the chase with a timely 47-run partnership with Ravichandran Ashwin (32).

But India were subjected to further pressure when Ashwin departed at 118/5 with a minimum 11 overs still left to play. Wicketkeeper-batsman Wriddhiman Saha (9) was the next to go.

But Kohli, with considerable help from Jadeja, nipped England’s hopes in the bud.

Earlier, England captain Alastair Cook (130) slammed his 30th century to pull England to 260/3, extending their overall lead to 309, when they declared after lunch.

It was Cook’s fifth century in India, that put the visitors in a commanding position.

England began the day at 114/0, an overall lead of 163, with Cook unbeaten on 46 and Haseeb Hameed not out on 62.

They continued their solid opening wicket partnership and stretched their association to 180, denying India any chance of quick breakthroughs to get back into the match.

They added 97 runs in the first session before losing Hameed (82) and Joe Root (4) in similar fashion — slog sweeps in search of quick runs — to set up their declaration.

Leg-spinner Amit Mishra took two wickts for 60 runs. The other wicket belonged to Ashwin.

IANS

Signalling the end of the cold war with his successor Ravichandran Ashwin, seasoned off-spinner Harbhajan Singh on Thursday hoped the Chennai tweaker would shatter all records and predicted a 3-0 win for India in the ongoing five-match cricket Test series against England.

During the New Zealand series, Harbhajan had indirectly taunted Ashwin’s success with the cherry by raising fingers at the spinning pitches being made in the last four years.

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“Records are made to be broken and I wish Ashwin, (Ravindra) Jadeja and all others should surpass us with their achievements and wish the same for future generations too,” the 36-year-old told reporters on the sidelines of an Advanced Hair Studio (AHS) event.

“We have all the capable spinners in the team who can take wickets on any sort of track. What you need to do is just be more patient and bowl a tight line according to the field.

On Thursday, England went on to pile up a mammoth 537 with three of their batters — Joe Root (124), Moeen Ali (117) and Ben Stokes (128) — hitting big hundreds despite India playing three of their premier spinners in the XI.

Defending the Indian spinners’ inability to bundle out the visitors cheaply, Harbhajan said: “They are all good spinners but sometimes when you try too many things which don’t work in your favour. Its one of those days when you don’t click and I would wish them all the luck for the series, which still is very very young.”

“Every match is a new challenge and so is every series. England have a very good young side and we can expect a tough fight in the series. But I will still back India to win the series 3-0”

Commenting on the track at Rajkot, the Punjab spinner said: “To be honest, I haven’t seen the wicket yet, obviously I have seen the score which shows it must be a pretty good wicket to bat on.”

“Its a totally different track from what we have seen in the last five years, where teams have come and scored 500 runs in one innings.”

“I haven’t seen that in the last four years, either the wicket is really good or England have batted very well,” he added.

Harbhajan further revealed that he will return to cricket in Punjab’s next Ranji Trophy game from November 21 after spending “quality” time with his new-born daughter.

“Yea I took a break to spend time with my daughter and family. I will be back to cricket in Punjab’s next Ranji Trophy game from November 21.”

Asked if he is ready for the England series if the need arises, he said: “I am not ready at the moment but from November 21, I will be ready, no matter it is for the Test series or the ODIs.”

Medium pacer Mohit Sharma, who was also present at the event said he is currently focussed on leading the Haryana side back to the Elite group in the Ranji Trophy.

The 28-year-old is in great nick after taking two back to back five-wicket hauls in Haryana’s last two matches.

“Personally I am taking one series at a time. I am currently captaining Haryana in the domestic competition and the focus is on collecting as many points to get back to the Elite Group. So as of now, I am thinking more for the team rather than individual benefits,” he said.

IANS

International Cricket Council (ICC) general manager Geoff Allardice on Thursday said India’s head coach Anil Kumble played an important role in convincing a reluctant Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) to adopt the Decision Review System (DRS) on a trial basis in the upcoming home Test series against England.

India will be using DRS in the upcoming five-Test series, and then ICC will hold a meeting in early February to prepare a roadmap for the use of the technology further.

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“The fact that he was subsequently appointed as Indian coach; he obviously has that background going into his coaching position. He’s been very instrumental in the process that we’ve taken with the assessment of technology and the approval process and new technologies and things like that; he’s taken a methodical approach,” Allardice said during a telephonic conference ahead of the India-England Test series.

“He has been very supportive of the project. He was also in the ICC Cricket Committee meeting in May last year when the results when the majority of the tests were presented.”

“He was aware of the cricket committee’s position, which was that they wanted a more consistent use of technology across international matches.”

“I know he’s been part of the ICC Cricket Committee for I think for four years now, and one of the things that he was keen to do when he came on as Chairman was to make sure that the technologies that were used as part of DRS were assessed independently, and he’s driven a lot of that project, and it’s taken awhile to get to the stage where we’ve got results of testing, etc,” he added.

In the England series, the ICC will also make sure to make the use of DRS, as a permanent fixture for the BCCI.

“From the time we were advised by the BCCI that they would be using it in the England series, I think our focus has been on the delivery of DRS in that series and making sure we get the umpire appointments, to have an independent TV umpire, and making sure all the support staff and the equipment that goes with the DRS gets to those matches,” Allardice said.

“I think over the course of the next month or two, when we get a chance to talk to them, we’ll work out the steps beyond the England tour.”

“But in terms of assessing the performance of DRS, we’ll obviously provide any information or any views of ours on the performance of DRS during that series. I think it’s probably one the BCCI would be in a better position to answer as to what would shape their position for the future use of DRS technology,” he added.

IANS

India’s World Cup winning coach Gary Kirsten threw his weight behind current limited overs skipper Mahendra Singh Dhoni, saying removing the stumper from the helm could invite trouble for the team in the shorter formats of the game.

“You are not going to get an answer out of me. You replace M.S. Dhoni at your peril, because the one experience I have had is that all great leaders have great performances till the end of their careers,” Kirsten said at a promotional event here on Tuesday.

Kirsten said that if one is willing to let Dhoni go, one never knows if India misses out on some potential match-winning performances in 2019 International Cricket Council (ICC) World Cup in England.

“So, if you (are) willing to let M.S. Dhoni go when there might potentially be a great World Cup performance left in him if he goes to the (2019) World Cup, which I am not sure if he is (taking part in) or not, you take the risk of doing that,” the former South Africa opener said.

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Terming Dhoni as a “great player”, Kirsten poured cold water on his critics, saying those doubting his ability are making a mistake.

“I think that is the question I get asked the most everytime I come to India. My answer hasn’t changed in three years. That he (Dhoni) is definitely the best leader I have ever worked with. And his record for Indian cricket over the last nine-ten years speaks for itself,” said the South African when asked about the debate surrounding Dhoni’s future.

“There is no debating in my opinion that he is up there with India’s greatest captains and certainly has produced the trophies for India in his time,” added Kirsten who was India’s coach when Dhoni and company lifted the World Cup in 2011.

According to Kirsten, Dhoni’s record in limited overs cricket spoke for itself.

“You just have to look at his ODI batting record as well, As a finisher, it’s unsurpassed in the world in terms of the position he bats in. So, if anyone is doubting his ability, I think they would be making a great mistake.

“He is a great player and all great players would continue to produce fantastic performances through their career. It’s exciting to see him doing well and having success with the Indian team. I enjoyed working with him and it was a great experience for me,” he added.

Kirsten feels it should be left to the Ranchi star to decide on his future.

“There comes a time in every player when he is got to consider for himself whether he should be in the team or it’s time to move. We will leave the decision up to him,” he said.

To a query whether Dhoni should consistently bat higher up the order as he did in the recently concluded ODI series against New Zealand when he batted at No.4, Kirsten said he was capable of batting in a lot many positions.

“That discussion is going on for eight years. He does (have) an ODI batting average of over 50. He can bat in lot of different positions.

“When I was with the Indian team, I encouraged rotational batting order, where we batted according to the situation rather than this is your batting position today. M S was brilliant at that, he didn’t mind where he batted.”

“I always liked him to come in when we needed 100 runs to win because there was no one better (than him) in the world (who) could have won a game from that position, speaking from my experience. But he often liked to get up little bit earlier, so that he can have more time at the wicket and help himself to a hundred. M.S. Dhoni could pretty much bat anywhere in the batting order,” Kirsten explained further.

Kirsten also hailed the Board of Control for Cricket in India’s (BCCI) decision to use the Decision Review System (DRS) in the upcoming Test series against England after having consistently opposing it in the past.

“If they (BCCI) are going to try it, its brilliant. It is a great technology, and it’s got better and better. It will be great for every Test playing country to use the technology”.

IANS

With the One-Day International (ODI) cricket series between India and New Zealand squared at 2-2, skipper Mahendra Singh Dhoni will be looking for a resounding victory to clinch the series in the fifth and final game on Saturday.

Going into the crucial summit clash at ACA-VDCA cricket stadium, the home side holds the advantage against the Kiwis as it has a much more experienced pool of cricketers.

At the start of the series, India were to play a total of eight ODIs — five against New Zealand and three against England — so the Indian squad will also look to get their combination right before the Champions Trophy next year.

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But the Indian plans could fail to fructify if rain — forecast for the next four days — plays spoil-sport. The weather office has forecast light to moderate rainfall at many places over coastal Andhra Pradesh during the period October 28 to 31.

The main concern for Dhoni, meanwhile, is the inconsistent batting, as his batsmen have not fired on all cylinders so far. Apart from Virat Kohli (293 runs in four matches) and to some extent Ajinkya Rahane (113 runs), no other batsmen performed under the demanding situations.

Dhoni will also hope that Manish Pandey and Kedar Jadhav will make the opportunity count after floundering in the previous matches.

India also have a relatively inexperienced pace bowling attack but the bowlers have exceeded expectations and the Anil Kumble-coached team will have high hopes again from seasoned leg-spinner Amit Mishra.

The Haryana bowler has been in fine form, taking 10 wickets in four matches, and with off-spinner Kedar, they have managed to control the run flow.

On the other hand, after sweeping India in the Second and Fourth ODI, New Zealand appear to be in fine fettle inspired by stellar performances by skipper Kane Williamson and opener Martin Guptill — the latter scored his only second fifty on this tour in the fourth ODI in Ranchi.

After a disappointing tour so far, the visitors are now looking desperate for success in at least one leg of the tour.

On a neutral wicket, the Kiwi bowlers who have impressed so far with their disciplined bowling will be looking to extract some turn. New Zealand opener Tom Latham has also said that the Visakhapatnam wicket is devoid of grass, which means it might offer turn.

New Zealand will also bank on their experience and the momentum which they got after winning two ODIs.

They can still clinch this series if their middle-order, including veteran batsman Ross Taylor, clicks in the crucial summit clash.

The visiting team will rely on pacers Trent Boult and Tim Southee and offie Mitchell Santner to keep check on the home batsmen.

Squads:

India: Mahendra Singh Dhoni (captain and wicket-keeper), Virat Kohli, Rohit Sharma, Ajinkya Rahane, Manish Pandey, Mandeep Singh, Kedar Jadhav, Axar Patel, Amit Mishra, Hardik Pandya, Dhawal Kulkarni, Jayant Yadav, Umesh Yadav, Jasprit Bumrah.

New Zealand: Kane Williamson (Captain), Ross Taylor, Tom Latham, Luke Ronchi (wk), Corey Anderson, Tim Southee, Martin Guptill, B.J. Watling (wicket-keeper), Matt Henry, Ish Sodhi, Mitchell Santner, James Neesham, Anton Devcich, Trent Boult, Doug Bracewell.

IANS

In-form drag-flick expert Rupinder Pal Singh scored a brace as top-ranked India eked out a 2-1 win over Malaysia to secure the top spot in the round-robin stage in the Asian Champions Trophy hockey tournament on Wednesday.

Rupinder, who had scored eight goals before this match, gave world No.6 India the lead in the 12th minute but Razie Rahim equalised for world No.14 Malaysia in the 18th minute. However, Rupinder once again stepped up to convert a penalty corner to make it 2-1.

With this win, Roelant Oltmans-coached India have 13 points having played all the five games, while Malaysia remained in the second spot with nine points from four games.

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Meanwhile, South Korea sealed a spot in the semi-finals following a 4-3 win over Japan, who lost five consecutive matches. South Korea are third on the table with seven points from four matches, while fourth-placed Pakistan face fifth-placed China on Thursday.

Pakistan have six points from four matches while the Chinese have three points. Pakistan not only have three points more than China but the goal difference of -1 for the former world champions could come into play even if China, who have a goal difference of (-14), manage a win.

The match at the Wisma Belia Hockey Stadium between India and Pakistan started at a very good pace with both the teams, known for their counter-attacking game, at it from the very beginning.

India, however, looked better and earned a penalty corner in the third minute. Malaysian goalkeeper Kumar Subramaniam brought out his stick to the left to deny Rupinder’s powerful flick in the third minute.

But Rupinder gave India a 1-0 lead in the 12th minute when the Punjab set-piece specialist scored on a rebound after his penalty corner flick hit the side bar and fell just in front of him.

India’s quick counter-attacking game came to the fore when Nikkin Thimmaiah led a stirring attack and squared for Akashdeep, who attempted a reverse-hand strike that was padded away by Subraniam in the 15th minute.

A couple of minutes into the second quarter, Affan Yousuf wasted a chance of putting India 2-0 up as Akashdeep set him up with just Subramaniam to beat but the former fired it over.

But the Malaysians levelled from the penalty corner as Razie flicked past young Indian custodian Akash Chikte, who was standing in for injured captain P.R. Sreejesh, in the 18th minute. Chikte quickly fell down during an untimely jump and it allowed Razie to send the ball over him.

Chitke, however, later proved his quality as he denied a close-range deflection near his right post to keep India at 1-1 till the half-time.

After the 10-minute break, India made numerous goal-scoring chances in the third quarter but the goal didn’t come.

Talwinder Singh’s drive from a close angle was blocked by custodian Subramaniam but the ball popped out, giving India a penalty corner. But Rupinder’s flick to the right was palmed away by the Malaysian custodian in the 37th minute.

Malaysia too had their moments earning two penalty corners in the final five minutes of the third and penultimate quarter but they were not able to go past the Indian defence. While Razie was denied by defender Surender Kumar, Shahril Saabah’s lethargic flick was blocked by Chikte.

Also Read: India crush China to seal semis spot in Asian Champions Trophy

Malaysia got another opportunity of taking a lead when an indisciplined defensive activity from India’s part earned the hosts a penalty corner in the 56th minute. But Razie’s flick went wide off the mark.

But India hit back in a fierce attack and earned a penalty corner which was duly converted by Rupinder with just 2.15 minutes left on the clock, stunning the home fans.

The hopes of the Malaysian fans revived as they were rewarded with a penalty corner in the final minute but Razie’s high flick was blocked by Chikte, paving the way for India’s 2-1 win.

IANS