New Delhi, October 31
When the established pacers and spinners found the going tough to get a breakthrough, Virender Sehwag chanced his arm with his gentle off-spin to claim three vital wickets as Australia, chasing India's mammoth first innings total of 613 for 7 declared, struggled at 338 for 4 (105 overs) at close on the third day of the third Test at the Ferozeshah Kotla ground here today.

Sehwag claimed the prized scalps of Mathew Hayden, captain Ricky Ponting and Mike Hussey with the Australians needing 24 more runs to avoid the follow on. But the visitors are unlikely to fold up without a fight on the morrow, despite the new ball, taken in the 98th over, being fresh and shining, with two days of playing remaining, and their top batsmen back in the dressing room.

Michael Clarke was unbeaten on 31 and Shane Watson was not out on 4 when the stumps were drawn. Sehwag, who bowled 22 overs, with four maidens thrown in, took 3 for 66 to have decent three run-per-over average.

Australia, resuming at 50 for no loss, with Mathew Hayden on 16 and Simon Katish not out on 29, continued the good work in the morning to frustrate the Indian bowlers.

Though Amit Mishra got one to turn in and fox Katish to castle his stumps in the 35th over, (64m 154m, 116b, 10x4), but not before putting on a 123-run stand with Hayden, it was not yet time for celebration for the hosts as Zaheer Khan and Ishant Sharma, for all their offensive, restrictive bowling, were not getting wickets.

Reverse swing, flippers, shooters and beamers, made no impact on the Australian batsmen, though Hayden was lucky to get a breather when Kumble dropped him at shot mid-on off Amit Mishra, when he was on 70 in the 52nd over. Kumble injured his finger to be out of action for the rest of the day and Mahender Singh Dhoni once again donned the mantle of "stand-in-captain".

It was, however, Kumble who gave the ball to Sehwag to bowl from the pavilion end, replacing Amit Mishra, in the 41st over when Hayden and Ponting were getting out of control. Sehwag, in his opening spell itself, troubled the Australian veterans, and it looked just a matter of time before he struck. And so it was as he got rid of the defiant Hayden with a straight one, which struck his pad, for 83 (249m, 154b, 13x4, 1x6) in the 58th over. The Indian attack got so depleted after Kumble made his exit that Dhoni brought in Sachin Tendulkar to bowl, just one over, in the 69th over, perhaps as a breather before persisting with Sehwag, Mishra and Ishant Sharma.

Sehwag kept on toiling, teasing and tormenting both Ponting and Hussey with his foxy off-spin, and finally got one to sneak in to rattle Ponting's stumps (87, 225m, 165b, 13x4) in the first over after the last drinks break. And Hussey became Sehwag's victim with the new ball, which was taken in the 99th over, in the 102nd over.

With the wicket not yet taking much turn, the run flow may yet again continue, if the remaining Australian batsmen apply, at least to avoid the follow-on, and if Kumble does not bowl, it will only be a blessing in disguise for the 
visitors.

Scoreboard 

India (1st innings)

declared for 7 wickerts : 613

Australia (1st innings):

Hayden lbw b Sehwag 83

Katich b Mishra 64

Ponting b Sehwag 87

Hussey b Sehwag 53

M Clarke not out 21

Watson not out 4

Extras (b-16, lb-3, wd-1, nb-6): 26

Total (for 4 wickets in 105 overs): 338

Fall of wickets: 1-123, 2-202, 3-284, 4-326.

Bowling: Zaheer 16-4-57-0, Ishant 19-5-46-0, Kumble 17-3-53-0, Mishra 30-7-95-1, Sehwag 22-4-66-3, S Tendulkar 1-0-2-0. 

New Delhi, October 31
On a day when Virender Sehwag struck three telling blows to put the Australians on the defensive, things did not go very well for the hosts. Captain Anil Kumble suffered a deep cut on his left-arm finger while trying to catch Mathew Hayden and double centurion Gautam Gambhir faces one-Test ban after match referee Chris Broad found him "guilty of conduct contrary to the spirit of cricket" for a Level 2 offence in the International Cricket Council's (ICC) Code of Conduct manual.

Anil Kumble calls team physiotherapist after he got hurt on the third day of the third Test. — Reuters

Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) secretary N.Srinivasan said for a Level 2 offence, the concerned player had the right to appeal against the adjudicator's decision within 24 hours of notification of the decision, and "accordingly, Gambhir will be lodging an appeal".

If Gambhir's appeal is rejected, he may be barred from the fourth and final Test, starting at Nagpur on November 6, or two ODIs or may face a fine of 50 or 100 per cent of the match fee.

Gambhir met Emirates Elite Panel ICC match referee Chris Broad today morning before the start of the third day's play in the third Test at the Ferozeshah Kotla ground where he was informed of the penalty. The hearing had been adjourned on Thursday evening to allow the match-referee to review the evidence.

Gambhir, in the hearing, had "pleaded guilty" to a charge under Rule CI of the Code (Level 2), which stated that "the players shall, at all times, conduct play within the spirit of the game".

It happed in the 51st over of India's innings on the first day when Gambhir was involved in a run-in with Australian pacer Shane Watson. Watson was also found guilty and fine 10 per cent of his match fee "for verbally engaging with Gambhir in a manner that was not in keeping with the spirit of cricket".

Chris Broad said "any degree of physical contact is unacceptable" and Gambhir would have received a much more severe punishment had he been "charged with and found guilty of a charge under 2.4, due to his previous offence, and I would have been obliged to impose a minimum penalty of a two-Test ban."

Ironically, Kumble was rendered hors de combat after lunch today when he fell and injured his finger on the left arm while trying to catch Mathew Hayden at short mid on.

Kumble gets stitches, to play today

Kumble got stitches on the little finger of his left hand which he injured while fielding, but the veteran leg-spinner would be back to his bowling ways on the fourth and penultimate day of the on-going third cricket Test against Australia.

"Kumble was rushed to the Apollo hospital where he got a couple of stitches as the cut was deep. But he will be back on the field tomorrow, there is nothing to worry," said team's logistics manager Russell Radhakrishnan after the day's play on Friday.

May play fourth Test

Dubai: Gambhir may still play the fourth and final Test in Nagpur after the ICC today said that pending a hearing into the opener's appeal against the one-Test ban, he could continue playing under Code of Conduct regulations.

The ICC said is a statement that its Legal Counsel will appoint a Code of Conduct Commissioner within 48 hours and that the appeal will be heard within seven days of the Commissioner's appointment. The final Test against Australia starts in Nagpur from November 6 and if a decision doesn't arrive by then, Gambhir would be eligible to play in that match. — PTI 

The wickets of Ricky Ponting and Michael Hussey in the last session of play has tilted the scales towards India but with the pitch still playing pretty well the Indians will have to bowl really smartly to win this Test. One says smartly because from what has been seen in this game, the bowlers have not bowled half as well as at Mohali and certainly after the mountain of runs put on the board by the batsmen the bowlers have looked a touch casual.

The intensity of Mohali is not quite there and while there is no doubt that the pitch has defeated them, the impression was that the Indians did not get at the Australians as they did in Mohali.

It could be due to the ban handed out to Gambhir by the match referee for barging onto Shane Watson while going for a second run, perhaps the Indians pulled back a bit after that. The first session of the play is where energy levels are highest but it was here that the Indians looked a bit slow and the field placing for a team having 600 plus runs in the bank was baffling.

In modern-day cricket, having a short mid off for a quick bowler has become the fashion despite the fact that no catches have been taken there. Yes, often skippers put fielders in positions not for a catch to come there but to make the batsman play in other directions which may not be their strong point.

Ishant Sharma and Zaheer Khan, however, are bowlers who get late movement and there is more chance of the batsman edging the deliveries in the slips so there should have been more fielders there for the possible catching opportunity.

Even when the spinners are on, having fielders in the face of the batsman makes for more pressure than having them behind the batsman. Leaving a gap tantalisingly for batsmen to look to score in that region and thus looking to exploit the commitment to the drive is a ploy that works more often than not. Ponting's dismissal by Sehwag is a classic example of that. If the batsman connects well and hits a boundary, then good luck to him but in such a situation with so many runs in the bank a few boundaries does not make much of a difference but somehow the Indians with their field placing gave the impression that they were looking to save the game rather than win it.

It was left to Sehwag, who with his fullish flattish deliveries made the batsman come forward to show the right length and he caused endless trouble. Amit Mishra too bowled well without rewards and maybe the tide will turn for India tomorrow.

The Australians showed great application and determination and had a bit of luck with edges and playing and missing but nothing can be taken away from them for the manner in which they stuck to their task. It is never easy to bat after fielding for almost two days so full credit to the Aussies for their response so far. If they carry on in the same vein, then the Test will end in a draw and give Australia the confidence for the last Test at Nagpur. — PMG

Chandigarh, October 31
Shahriar Nafeez played a superb knock (73 n.o.) as debutants Dhaka Warriors sailed past Chandigarh Lions in the ICL 20s Indian Championship match at Tau Devi Lal Stadiumat Panchkula tonight.

With Shahriar anchoring the innings, all rounder Alok Kapali came good and notched a blazing 17-ball 32 n.o. (3x4, 2x6) as Warriors overhauled the 138-run target in the 18th over, losing just two wickets.

Chasing the modest target, Warriors got good off to a rollicking start as Shahriar and Nazimuddin amassed brisk 53 runs before the latter was consumed by left-arm spinner Bipul Sharma. The batsman contributed nearly run-a-ball 23.

The fall of second wicket in the form of Aftab Ahmad, who fell lbw to the same bowler immediately thereafter, proved a temporary setback as Nafeez and Kapali batted well and ensured victory without any further loss of wickets.

Lanky new-ball Daryl Tuffey had forgettable outing, giving away 45 runs in his four overs.

Earlier, Lions, put in by the Warriors, were provided late impetus to the innings by Chetan Sharma, Hall and Bipul after they were left in a difficult situation at 45 for 4.

This was after T P Singh, opening the innings, providing his team a whirlwind start scoring 15 runs off the first over from seamer Mohammad Sharif. The bravado proved shortlived as TP was sent back in the third over after he had scored 13 runs off 8 balls. The knock included three fours.

The tailenders caved in meekly. It was left to Bipul, who played a useful knock of 30 runs off 22 balls laced with four boundaries, which saw the Lions reach 137 for 9 in their allotted quota of 20 overs.

Brief scores:

Chandigarh Lions for 9 wickets; in 20 overs 137 (Chetan Sharma 27, Hall 29, Bipul 30, Mohammad Rafique 3 for 28, Mosharraf Hossain 2 for 17).

Dhaka Warriors for 2 wickets in 17.5 overs 138 (Nafees not out 73, Kapali not out 32, Bipul Sharma 2 for 14).

Karachi, October 31
Former skipper Inzamam-ul-Haq has described insistence by the MCC and ICC to re-instate the original result of the disputed Oval Test between Pakistan and England as a "joke."

The original result of the controversial Test played in August 2006 was a forfeited win in favour of England but the ICC executive board in July had changed the result to a draw, and now MCC has asked the ICC to reconsider its decision.

"If the ICC now revokes the drawn result it will become a joke because you don't take majority decisions and change them like this," Inzamam said. — PTI

Nabha, October 31
At the end of the first day of the 45 all India Public Schools (IPSC) Athletic Championship PPS athletes (boys) were leading with three gold, three silver and one bronze medal.

The other results are:

Boys: High jump: Ameet Singh Khudian (PPS) 1, Prithvi Raj (YPS Mohali) 2, Jagwinder Singh (PPS) 3.

Pole Vault: Shahbaz Singh (PPS) 1, Harinderjeet Singh (PPS) 2, Gurwinder Singh (SDA Anandpur Sahib) 3, Javelin throw: Jagwinder Singh (PPS) 1, Rupinder Singh (PPS) 2, Pawandeep Singh (MS Delhi) 3

1500 m: Shakti Partap Solanky (Daily College Indore) 1, Sachin (MNSS Rai) 2, Rakesh (MNSS Rai) 3

400 m hurdles: Manjit (MNSS), Ameet Singh (PPS) 2, Akshay (MNSS) 3

Discus throw: Sikanderjeet Singh (YPS Patiala) 1, Pawandeep Singh (MS Delhi), Shaurya Chopra (DPS Delhi) 3

Girls: 1500 m: Rekha Kumari (MNSS) 1, Manpreet Kaur (YPS Patiala) 2, Sheetal (MNSS) 3

400 m hurdles: Rekha Kumari (MNSS) 1, Surekha (MNSS) 2, Sabrina Sidhu (Wehalm Girls Dehradoon) 3

Discus throw: Sharmistha (Wehalm Girls Dehradun) 1, Neelam Sidhu (YPS Mohali) 2, Menu Dabas (MNSS Rai) 3

BRIEFLY

Gambhir ban too harsh, says Gavaskar
New Delhi: Batting great Sunil Gavaskar today flayed the one-Test ban on Gautam Gambhir for elbowing Shane Watson and said it would upset the balance of the ongoing India-Australia cricket series. Gavaskar said Gambhir was guilty of misconduct but felt the one Test ban handed by Match Referee Chris Broad was too harsh, especially in comparison to the 10 per cent match fee fine imposed on Watson, who provoked the Indian opener. "Gambhir is guilty, no doubt about that and it's (elbowing) just not on as far as cricket is concerned. But I think the punishment was little too harsh," the former India captain told CNN-IBN channel. "Look at Watson, the man who provoked him, he was handed a 10 per cent match fee fine. Well, if Gambhir has done something which is 10 times wrong, make it 100 per cent match fee for him. But see the quantum of punishment he got," Gavaskar said. "By banning him for a Test match, it has changed the whole balance of the series. He is someone who has scored 400-plus runs in the series, two centuries and a double century. Now he is out of the Nagpur Test which would render India weak," Gavaskar argued. — PTI

Bees take over Kotla, force players to prostrate
New Delhi: It happened suddenly. The bees overtook the Ferozeshah Kotla ground here and players and umpires scurried for cover but as the aliens were faster and hovered all over the men in white-players and umpires-fell to the ground to protect themselves causing suspension of the play for four minutes on the third day of the third Test between India and Australia here on Friday. As the bees moved over and around the ground one over after the lunch, Sachin Tendulkar covered his ears with his hat while substitute Munaf Patel walked in wearing a helmet. Umpires Aleem Dar and Billy Bowden were first to duck and prostrate fearing bee stings, but they got up quickly and ordered others to do so but Australian batsmen, Ricky Ponting and Matthew Hayden, preferred safety to bravado and continued lying down for couple of minutes. — UNI

Bopanna-Qureshi crash out of Germany Challenger
New Delhi: Rohan Bopanna and his Pakistani partner Aisam-ul-Haq Qureshi crashed out of the euro 42,500 ATP Challenger series tournament in Aachen, Germany after losing a tough quarterfinal against the German pair of Andreas Beck and Philipp Petzschner. The Indo-Pakistani duo took a one-set lead but their opponents fought back and inflicted a 5-7 6-4 13-11 defeat on them to advance to the semifinals of the tournament. Meanwhile, the Indo-American pair of Stephen Amritraj and Donald Young also exited from the USD 50,000 Challenger event in Louisville, USA after losing their quarterfinal against Canadian Frank Dancevic and Serbian Dusan Vemic 6-7 (4) 3-6. — PTI

Saina, Gurusai in semis of world junior meet
Pune: India's Saina Nehwal and RMV Gurusaidutt notched up contrasting wins to advance to the singles semi-finals at the World Junior Badminton Championship here on Friday. Top-seed Saina prevailed over Lindaweni Fanetri of Indonesia 21-13, 21-13 in just 30 minutes, while fifth-seed Gurusaidutt stunned second-seed Korean Sung Min Park 21-16, 14-21, 21-19 in a 53-minute gruelling battle. National champion Saina will next face third-seed Chinese Shixian Wang, while Gurusaidutt will take on another third seed, Chinese Zhengming Wang, for Saturday's last four clash. — PTI

Pay dispute mars Panesar's Lanka trip
London: A pay dispute seems to have poured cold water on Monty Panesar's plans of playing for Sri Lankan Club Bloomfield to prepare for the Test series against India with the England Cricket Board ruling out the spinner's trip to the island nation. Bloomfield reportedly demanded 7,000 pounds for allowing the English left-armer to play in the Sri Lanka Premier League to prepare for the Two Tests against India starting December 11. — PTI