Mohali, October 21
India completed the formalities handing Australia a humiliating defeat in the second Test to forge 1-0 ahead in the four-Test series.

Their second innings folded sooner than expected - at paltry 195 - as the visitors lost the match by whopping 320 runs.

Even before they started their second innings yesterday, the Australian victory was out of question. At best, an extraordinary batting performance would have resulted in the visitors saving the match and staying on level terms with India.

Quite surprisingly, the Australians showed no spine while batting. After the Indian batting flourished for the second time in succession, Australian batting collapsed like a pack of cards.

If their being bundled out in the first innings for 268 was not bad enough, they fared even worse in the second innings, failing to touch even the 200-run mark as India emerged winner by a mile.

This was India’s biggest-ever victory in terms of runs. India’s previous highest victory was against South Africa at Kanpur in 1996 when the hosts had won the Test by 280 runs.

Set an improbable 516-run victory target, the visitors were never in the hunt. After they had lost five wickets for a paltry 141 yesterday, Indian needed to go through mere formalities and what remained to be seen was the margin of defeat.

Seamer Zaheer Khan, enjoying the form of his life, hastened the Australian batting collapse. Even before the scribes or the sparse spectators present on the ground could settle down in the seats, Zaheer’s triple strike snuffed the life out of the Australian innings.

First he castled Brad Haddin, batsman having no clue whatsoever, without the addition of his overnight score of 37. Next he ensnared Cameroon White, having him caught behind. The very next delivery accounted for Brett Lee as the batsman was bowled off the very first delivery he faced.

The Indian bowling spearhead was on fire and was in with a chance to complete a hattrick. Mitchell Johnson showed good defence and denied Zaheer the distinction.

Introduction of debutant leg-spinner Amit Mishra added to the Australian misery. Johnson, who had showed good defence, was deceived by Mishra. Johnson tried to work the delivery towards square leg but ended up connecting the edge of the blade resulting in a return catch which the wily leg-spinner accepted gleefully.

Clarke, who had offered resolute resistance all this while, failed a keep a drive off Mishra down and was caught by Sehwag to signal the end of the Australian innings. Clarke was out for 69, his ninth half century in his 37th Test. Clarke’s 152-ball knock included nine hits to the fence.

India’s previous biggest run margin victory against Australia was in 1997 at Melbourne where they had emerged victorious by 222 runs.

Interestingly, this was the second Test defeat for the Australians this year and both they suffered at the hands of India, the first being at Perth in January.

For his two superlative knocks in both the innings (92 and 67 not out), the stand-in skipper Mahendra Singh Dhoni was declared Man of the Match.

Scoreboard

India 1st innings: 469

Australia 1st innings: 268

India 2nd innings (dec for 3): 314

Australia 2nd innings:

(Overnight 141 for 5)

Hayden lbw b Harbhajan 29

Katich c Tendulkar b Harbhajan 20

Ponting b Ishant 2

Hussey lbw b Harbhajan 1

Clarke c Sehwag b Mishra 69

Watson lbw b Ishant 2

Haddin b Zaheer 37

White c Dhoni b Zaheer 1

Lee b Zaheer 0

Johnson c & b Mishra 26

Siddle not out 0

Extras (b-4, nb-4) 8

Total (all out, 64.4 overs) 195

Fall of wickets: 1-49, 2-50, 3-52, 4-52, 5-58, 6-142, 7-144, 8-144, 9-194.

Bowling: Zaheer 15-3-71-3, Ishant 13-4-42-2, Harbhajan 20-3-36-3, Mishra 11.4-2-35-2, Sehwag 5-2-7-0.

Mohali, October 21
Though there were so many sterling individual performances, stand-in skipper Mahendra Singh Dhoni attributed the big victory to the team effort. “Ganguly, Mishra, Gambhir and others played their role in the victory,” Dhoni said.

Visibly pleased with the team effort, the enigmatic wicketkeeper-batsman said the batting duo of Virender Sehwag and Gambhir provided good starts in both the innings, which made the task a lot easier. “Winning the toss on such a wicket also proved crucial,” he observed.

“Seamers bowled very well, hitting the right areas. Spinners were also consistent. Once the ball was nearly 40-overs-old, it tended to lose its zip. It became easier for the batsmen to score runs at this stage. We were lucky to make it count when it mattered the most.”

“We got perfect starts in both the innings. Our middle order was good , which made the things easier,” the T20 and ODI skipper, said. Dhoni expressed his surprise at the Australians being thoroughly outplayed in the Test. Australians were earlier targeted by Zaheer Khan who said he had never seen an Australian side playing so defensively.

About he being adjudged Man of the Match, Dhoni said there were other contenders as well. “Mishra got his maiden five-wicket haul (on debut) and Gautam got a century. In fact, it did not matter who won the Man of the Match award till the team keeps winning. As long as it stays with any one of the teammates, it was good.”

“Zaheer is going through the form of his life. He is not suffering any injury and his commitment level is more than 100 per cent. His form is brilliant right now. Hope he continues in this fashion in the next matches as well,” he stated.

Asked what he thought after Mishra replaced injured Anil Kumble and whether the rookie leggie would do justice to his inclusion, Dhoni replied that he believed in each and every member of the team playing for the country.

“One reaches at this level after a lot of toil. So it would be unfair on me if I doubted someone’s capabilities. As for Mishra, he had rich experience of playing in the domestic cricket. Besides, he has played for India A. The experience was bound to help him. I am happy he came good in this match.”

Asked to explain Mishra’s bowling, the stand-in skipper said he relatively delivered the ball slow and flighted the ball well. With more experience, he would add a slider and a googly to his repertoire and would be a more effective bowler.

About the performance of the Australians who were brushed aside by India and asked whether the team was weak, Dhoni replied, “They are a strong side. Just because they did not do well in this Test does not mean they are not a good side. They have proved themselves over a period of time. That’s why they are currently world No 1. I have no doubt they will come out strongly in the remaining Tests.”

Asked what special memory he will carry from this match, Dhoni said, “It’s Sourav’s 7,000 Test run. Since he is playing his last series. Under no pressure, he is just going out and enjoying the game. He is very different from others.”

Mohali, October 21
“We were outplayed in this Test,” Australian skipper Ricky Ponting conceded after his side crashed to 320-run defeat in the second Test to give India 1-0 lead in the four-Test series at the PCA Stadium here today.

“We did not bowl well nor could we bat well. Even in the fielding we were a bit sloppy,” Ponting said as he lost the match with more than two sessions to spare.

“India built an early momentum in the match. In both the innings they were off to good starts. We started to come back. We had our moments, but unfortunately we could not hang on to these and ended up losing the match,” he said.

About his Australian bowling which palpable lacked the bite, he said, “Mitchell Johnson was was very good in the first innings, but showed his inexperience in the second innings.” The left-arm seamer went wicket-less, conceding 72 runs in his 14 overs in the second innings.

“The team has certain world class players in his team like Lee, Matthew Hayden and others. They were top players not for nothing, having performed at this level consistently over a period of time. I have full faith that they will regain their form and bring us back into the series,” Ponting, himself a leading batsman in the world, said.

“We have a couple of days before the start of the third Test in New Delhi. We would want to be away from cricket for a couple of days and return charged up.”

Praising Ishant, who claimed wickets at crucial moments, Ponting observed, “He hits the deck hard. With his height, he creates tough angles for the batsmen which sometimes becomes tough to deal with.”

Besides, he said with Zaheer Khan getting the ball to reverse at the other end, the duo really made the things tough for us, he conceded.

Mohali, October 21
Pace spearhead Zaheer Khan was today fined 80 per cent of his match fee after he was found guilty of breaching the ICC Code of Conduct during the second Test against Australia here.

At a hearing in front of match referee Chris Broad, Zaheer pleaded guilty to a Level 2 charge under clause C1 of the ICC Code of Conduct which states that players ''shall at all times conduct play within in the spirit of the game as well as within the Laws of Cricket''.

The incident that led to the charge being laid took place after the fall of the first wicket in Australia's second innings on day four of the match.

Once Australian opener Matthew Hayden was dismissed by Harbhajan Singh, Khan ran from his fielding position towards the outgoing batsman.

He then circled the batsman and shouted at him in an aggressive manner before returning to his team-mates.

''Clearly, this sort of behaviour is not acceptable at any level of cricket. It showed a lack of respect for the player who had been dismissed,'' said Broad, who is the ICC Match Referee.

''Respect for the opposition was something that we talked about in the pre-series meeting I had with both captains and so it was disappointing that Zaheer behaved in this way.

''However, in considering the penalty, I took into account the fact that Zaheer had a good disciplinary record. He also pleaded guilty at the first opportunity and was very apologetic while also promising not to repeat the offence,'' Broad added.

The charge against Zaheer was levelled by the umpires. The penalty for a Level 2 offence is a fine of between 50 and 100 per cent of the player's match fee and/or a maximum ban of one Test match or two ODIs.

For Level 2 offences, players have the right to appeal against an adjudicator's decision within 24 hours of notification of that decision. — UNI

It has to be one of the finest wins India has had in Test cricket. Winning by the kind of margin that they did signifies total domination of the opposition and that’s exactly what it was.

The word team effort is often a cliché and used by captains to make sure that those who may not have had a successful game are made to feel good, but team effort it surely was.

Right from the coin falling the wrong way for Ponting, nothing went right for the Australians while just about everything did for the Indians. Dhoni once again displayed what a good captain he is and like he said at the presentation, it was almost a perfect match.

The openers, Virender Sehwag and Gautam Gambhir were the ones who ensured that the Australians were not given a chance, and their rollicking start in both innings put the Australians on the defensive.

Never has an Australian quick bowler had a deep cover on the first afternoon of a Test match and as well as Australia may profess that these are tactics to tire an ageing Indian team, the plain fact is that those same tactics used by India would have been called negative and not good for the game.

The Australians believe that cutting off the fours and making the Indians take more singles will tire them out. It certainly did not tire Tendulkar and Ganguly, as they went serenely on their way taking the singles on offer and building their innings without any trouble, and anyway Sehwag, Gambhir, and Dhoni are young and quick between the wickets and couldn”t be bothered where the deep fielder is. Whenever they want they just flex their muscles and heave the ball into the stands leaving the deep fielder superfluous.

Amit Mishra was the pick of the bowlers in the first innings and Ishant and Zaheer had to be watched all the time. Here again the opening bowlers have given the breakthroughs that have eased the load on the spinners.

Zaheer’s spell on the final morning was stupendous. He was getting the ball to do pretty much what he wanted. There haven’t been too may better deliveries seen than the ones which got Haddin and Lee.

It was fitting that Mishra finished off the game picking up the last two wickets. He has caused a pleasant headache to the selectors with his performance. If Kumble is fit for the next Test, the selectors will have to take a hard call on whom to leave out.

That all is not well in the Australian camp is evident from the different versions as to why Brett Lee was not given the ball straight away on the fourth morning. The excuses varied from the slow speed of the overs, to the sluggish pace off the pitch. No team that is trying to win or save a game bothers about over rates and invariably use their best bowlers and would willingly pay a fine, so the excuses don’t match.

India deserve to bring in the Diwali festival with gaiety after this great win but must not forget that in cricket the pendulum can swing in a session or two, and should reserve more of the firecrackers for the Test in Delhi than fire all of them off the field. — PMG

Ahmedabad, October 21
In the 14th match of the ICL 20s Indian Championship the Chennai Superstars defeated Hyderabad Heroes by 18 runs here tonight. Ian Harvey was declared man of the match.

Earlier in the evening Stuart law won the toss and elected to bat wanting to take full advantage of the formidable Superstars batting line up. The Harvey –Vignesh combination were on the job right away racing to 19 for no loss at the end of the 2nd over.

The half way mark of their innings saw the Superstars handsomely placed at 96/2, right on track for a big score. Cheap dismissals of Arnold & Sathish brought the Heroes right back in the match at the Chennai score of 109/4 in the 13th over.

Lack of application compounded by some smart bowling from especially the experienced Harris saw the Superstars loose their momentum at 146/7 in the 17th over. Finally the Superstars folded their innings in 19.3 overs setting their arch rivals a target of 161.

Stuart Law employed an attacking field with two slip fielders to defend his 161 target. The move delivered immediate result with the first breakthrough in form of the dangerous Razzaq caught by law off the bowling of Jesuraj in the second over.

Shabbir struck in the third over curtailing the promising innings of Maher (12 runs off three fours) to leave the Heroes in a bit of a bother at 16/2.

The half way mark of their innings had the Heroes needing another 86 runs off 60 balls and Boje and skipper Harris battling it out in the middle.

The Superstars were at their dominant best in the field not giving an inch away to their archrivals, finally falling short of the target.

Brief Scores: Chennai Superstars: 160 (Harvey 49, Vignesh 32; Reddy 2 for 31, Harris 3 for 18); Hyderabad Heroes: 142 (Boje 38, Khaleel 29; Jesuraj 2 for 16, Hayward 2 for 24). — Agencies

Bonn, October 21
Defending world champion Viswanathan Anand may well have scored a decisive second win in the World Chess Championships with a stunning second win with black pieces over Vladimir Kramnik to go two full points ahead in the 12-game world championships match.

Anand once again stayed in the Slav opening and as Kramnik attempted to try the same as he had in the third game, he was dealt another surprise by the Indian ace. Anand came in with a novelty and then crushed Kramnik once more to go 3.5-1.5 up in the match.

Kramnik, pushed to the wall, tried to create a lot of complications but in the end managed only to create a web for himself and perished in 35 moves. — UNI

New Delhi, October 21
The runners-up finish at the Madrid Masters has helped Indian ace Mahesh Bhupathi and his Bahamian partner Mark Knowles to secure a place in the prestigious Tennis Masters Cup, scheduled to begin in Shanghai next month.

The season-ending tournament will feature top seven teams in the ATP doubles race which will also include the Roland Garros winners Pablo Cuevas of Uruguay and Luis Horna of Peru.

With 593 points, Bhupathi and Knowles have been placed third, while Leander Paes and Lukas Dlouhy are at the sixth place with 431 points.

Bhupathi-Knowles have won ATP titles in Memphis and Dubai besides reaching four finals, including three at the ATP Masters Series events at Miami, Monte Carlo and Madrid last week. — UNI