Kolkata, December 10
Mahendra Singh Dhoni insists that coach Duncan Fletcher is a very fine reader of the game, and that his knowledge on the technical aspects of the sport is very, very good.

“He has been doing what the coaches do. He has got excellent technical knowledge about batting. He guides the players in the right direction,” Dhoni says.

Indeed, that is what most other players also say about Fletcher, both his current wards in the Indian team and players of the England team he worked with as their coach.

Yet, strangely enough, India’s players — most noticeably, the batsmen — have been making basic technical mistakes. Virender Sehwag is not a man who can be analysed, so let’s talk only about the others.

Gautam Gambhir has been tentative through the series and has been making similar mistakes in his innings; he’s been out twice when he’s fallen back, exposed his stumps and tried to cut balls too close to him. And twice in Kolkata his careless running cost his partners their wickets.

Sachin Tendulkar has been out of sorts and has batted with fear and tentativeness. He attacked too soon, hitting in the air unnecessarily, in his only innings in Ahmedabad; in Mumbai he played turning balls on the back foot and, more crucially, didn’t play them with a straight bat. In both his innings in Kolkata, he showed the signs of a man woefully out of touch and confidence — his footwork was uncertain, hesitant. An in-form Tendulkar would have decisively reached for the balls from James Anderson and Graeme Swann that beat him here. “He has made five errors in five innings,” says Geoff Boycott, the former England captain.

Virat Kohli too has made five mistakes in a row; he’s hit a full toss straight to a fielder, and he’s driven at balls way outside the off-stumps to edge them to the wicketkeeper or slips. “What’s going on with him? He has played bad shots, has been out badly. Is anyone talking to him? The captain? The coach?” Boycott asks. “He has been a very fine player, and he can’t have suddenly become a bad batsman.” “To make one mistake is human, to make it twice is stupid,” he adds. “You can’t play at the top level and keep making same errors.” Sanjay Manjrekar, the former Indian batsman, wonders if Kohli, and the others, are playing Test cricket a bit like limited-overs cricket.

“I think I or Rahul Dravid would have left those balls well alone,” Manjrekar says. In fact, in a recent interview, Kohli himself said that it’s not easy to shift gears back and from limited-overs cricket to Test cricket, or vice versa.

“Changing your game according to the format isn’t very easy and takes some time. The balls that you would normally chase in the shorter formats need to be left alone in the Test matches and so you need to train accordingly,” he said. Yuvraj Singh and Dhoni have scored a few runs but in spite of having played several years of international cricket, they haven’t been able to iron out their technical flaws. Yuvraj freezes at the sight of an off-spinner, unsure of his off-stumps; Dhoni has technical issues to deal with both in batting and wicketkeeping.

All these flaws are now being exposed even on Indian wickets by an accurate and determined English attack. The one Indian batsman who has inspired confidence in the series is Cheteshwar Pujara.

In bowling and fielding too, the home players have lagged far behind the English cricketers. India’s fielding has been quite woeful, sometimes comically inept.

England have been methodical overall, none more than their excellent captain, Alastair Cook. As a blogger puts it, he bats like a German — with efficiency and order. His responses to different balls are tirelessly and flawlessly same. He’s shown flair and great stroke-play too, most of all during his third century of the series here.

Kolkata, December 10
Will Sachin Tendulkar retire after the Nagpur Test? This question has been floating in the air but if I know Sachin well, I believe that he would like to continue after Nagpur, which will be his 194th match in Test cricket.

My information says that he will play for at least one year more. In this time, he will definitely play over 200 Test matches. Sources close to the master batsman say that he believes he can play for another year. Tendulkar is also likely to figure in the One-day series against Pakistan. “He is still hungry and I think he can still play,” Geoffrey Boycott, the former England captain, says in his support. “His 76 was the best score by an Indian batsman here, so why should he retire?” What is the logic Boycott uses to support his opinion? “He’s 39, I also played until the age of 41. International cricket can be played until that,” Boycott says. “But he should not go for expansive shots. He needs to play straight and then he should be all right.”

“I’ve seen him dancing down to Muralitharan at Nagpur to hit him over his head. He was not 39 then, now he is. He has to play his innings sensibly. The appetite is there,” adds Boycott. “He should not be wristy now, though.” Boycott thinks that Indians must stop talking about Tendulkar and his retirement. 

Kolkata, December 10
Indian cricket is at the crossroads. One path leads to the Indian Premier League, the other to more Test match defeats if these are seen merely as the price for wearing white clothes on the field. Only Pakistan, Sri Lanka and Bangladesh would have played fewer than India's nine Tests by the end of this year.

The Indian team have a job on their hands – specific and time bound – and that is to win the Nagpur Test match to level the series against England. The selectors have a job on their hands too – general and not bounded by time or place – and that is to rebuild a team that was once No 1 but has been demoralised by a succession of defeats.

Yet, the tasks are allied, and how the specific job is done will have a bearing on how the general one is approached. The big decisions may have been postponed by a week, even if they do not officially have to be made before the next series begins. If India win in Nagpur, the old order will survive – and that means skipper MS Dhoni will retain his job and Sachin Tendulkar will have a few more weeks to make up his mind, meanwhile filling newsprint, the airwaves and cyberspace with lengthy, passionate, and ultimately inconclusive debates.

A draw might see the end of Dhoni's reign as he would become the first captain in 27 years to lose a home series to England and the first to lose any home series in eight years. A defeat should, in all fairness, definitely end it especially since the skipper has got away unscathed after two disastrous series abroad.

At the end of the Kolkata defeat he said it would be irresponsible of him to quit now when the team is down, which is an argument for not quitting at all. For why would you quit when the team is doing well?

Indian cricket hasn't been big on accountability. It is a reflection of the policy of the cricket board which sees itself above either transparency or accountability.

The sight of an England team coming together under an inspiring captain has contrasted sharply with that of an Indian team disintegrating under a leader too concerned with the here and now, and too slow to ring the changes even as he watches a once-great team slide down the tube. Admittedly not everything is his fault. Not all great teams have handled transition well. The West Indies, riding on the conveyor belt of fast bowlers and attacking batsmen, didn't, nor did Australia more recently. Both teams had one thing in common with India. They were not a team of just very good players; they were a collection of contemporary greats and that does not always happen in the same generation.

As early as 2004 in Australia, there was speculation that India's top order might be the finest line-up of all time: Sehwag, Chopra, Dravid, Tendulkar, Ganguly, Laxman. The 1948 Invincibles' batting order in Bradman's last Test was: Barnes, Morris, Bradman, Hassett, Miller, Harvey. — The Independendent

London, December 10
Former India captain Rahul Dravid was scathing in his criticism after India's abject surrender in the Kolkata Test, questioning the "skill, ability and talent" of the players who are representing the country.

"People talk about attitude and say (the players) don't care because there is too much money in the Indian Premier League (IPL). That's one side of things but the main thing is their lack of skill and ability, which is more worrying for me. It raises questions as to the talent and quality of players coming through," Dravid said.

"One of the challenges India face is that our domestic cricket is not of the quality to allow players to seamlessly move into international cricket."

There is a lot of anger among the cricket-crazy Indian fans and the veteran of 164 Tests and 13,288 runs feels that it is absolutely justified. "A lot of people are upset not just by losing but the manner of the defeats. India won three tosses and had the wicket in their favour in Mumbai and the best of the batting conditions here in Kolkata but they just haven't been able to capitalise or put up a fight," said Dravid, who had retired from international cricket last March.

Dravid along with Sachin Tendulkar, Sourav Ganguly, VVS Laxman, Anil Kumble and Virender Sehwag formed the core of a solid Indian Test team that reached the pinnacle of success winning in Australia, England, Pakistan, West Indies, New Zealand.

"England have put a mirror up to the Indian cricket team and shown them the challenges that they face. Successful teams have a group of players who come through together and peak at the same time."

"I think having 'A' tours and the academy system is becoming more and more important and I think England have been pretty good with that in the way that the academy travels every winter to different parts of the world. I think that is something India can learn from England," Dravid said. "It is about recognising that the Indian team is in a bit of transition and working out how to bring through young players who have the skill, technique, temperament and desire to play Test cricket."

Dravid also admitted that Ashwin and Ojha didn't deliver as per expectations. "India have been outbowled in the spin department and that's a worrying sign because spin has been our strength."

Although he is thoroughly disappointed with the team's effort and their general fitness standards, he was blunt in stating that it can't be used as an excuse. "India have been poor in the field and their physical fitness is disappointing me. That's not an excuse. You can't demand runs, but you can at least demand accountability in terms of intensity and effort." — PTI

Mumbai, December 10
Rohit Sharma slammed a strokeful, unbeaten 163 as Mumbai replied strongly to Punjab's mammoth first-innings total on the penultimate day of their four-day Ranji Trophy Group A league tie at the Wankhede Stadium.

The 25-year-old Sharma, who is yet to fulfill his dream of becoming a Test cricketer after having played the first of his 85 ODIs five years ago, struck 19 fours and three sixes in his 243-ball innings. Mumbai were 364 for three in 109 overs at the close of play. Giving company to Sharma, who compiled his 14th first class ton, was in-form batsman Hiken Shah, who was not out on a watchful 54 off 163 balls with five fours. The home team was 216 runs behind Punjab's 580 with plenty of batting to come.

The fourth-wicket duo, who came together at the fall of Kaustubh Pawar —dismissed by Harbhajan Singh — have so far added 171 runs for the unbroken fourth wicket in 329 balls, Sharma's contribution being 108.

The second and third wicket partnerships also fetched Mumbai 74 and 87 runs respectively. Mumbai, 69 for the loss of Aditya Tare's wicket yesterday, added 295 runs while losing Ajinkya Rahane and Pawar (78 in 176 balls with 9 fours), during the day.

For Punjab, Harbhajan, Manpreet Gony and Sidharth Kaul shared the three wickets.

With Sharma and Shah —who came into the game with three back-to-back Ranji hundreds against his name — going strong and Abhishek Nayar - the second-best run getter for the team behind Shah this season — skipper Ajit Agarkar and Ankit Chavan to follow, Punjab have their task cut out.

Brief scores: Punjab 580. Mumbai 364/3 in 109 overs (Kaustubh 78, Rohit 163 batting, Hiken Shah 54 batting; Gony 1-68, Sidharth Kaul 1-55, Harbhajan 1-71). — PTI 

Madrid, December 10
Lionel Messi surpassed Gerd Mueller's record of 85 goals in a calendar year with a first-half double that helped his side to an important 2-1 win at Real Betis on Sunday.

The Argentinian moved up to 86 goals in 2012 but was only given the go-ahead to play against Betis before the game after injuring his knee in the midweek Champions League game against Benfica.

He beats the German legend's record set in 1972, and now has 23 in the league this season alone, six more than Radamel Falcao who hit five goals for Atletico Madrid in their 6-0 Deportivo La Coruna. Aterwards the unassuming Barcelona superstar was happier to highlight the win more than the record as his team stayed six points clear at the top. "I've said it a lot, it's nice to beat records but the win for the team is what is important and the points difference at the top.

"My goals are to win titles with the team, the Spanish league, Spanish Cup or Champions League is more important than any personal records," he said.

Barca's Sporting Director, Andoni Zubizarreta, was more forthcoming. "I think his records will be valued more in the future, it's one more for now but he makes it seem so easy it's hard to measure his talent. It's a gift to see him play football but I think he'll say the same, its a team game and he needs his team mates to help him," he said. Barca coach Tito Vilanova looked forward to more to come. "It seems impossible to score so many goals, let's hope he can add to the record in the games to come," said the coach. "He is still young and gives us so much, even tonight he helped us out defensively when we needed it, he has so many more qualities than just his goals."

It did not take long for Messi to equal Mueller's record with his side's first real attack on 16 minutes, making a diagonal run across the Betis defence before hitting a left footed shot into the right hand corner.

His history-making moment came nine minutes later when he struck from almost an identical position after good play from Adriano and Andres Iniesta. — AFP

Mumbai, December 10
Observing that "ethically" it was wrong for the Badminton Authority of India's (BAI) chief national coach and selection panel head Pullela Gopichand to run a private training academy, the Bombay High Court today said it was not in the best interest of justice.

"Ethically, coach who also heads the selection panel should not run a private academy. He may be a good coach. We are not saying otherwise. But in the interest of justice and fairness, a national coach, also part of the selection panel, should not run a private camp," Chief Justice Mohit Shah and Justice A V Mohta said.

The court observed this while hearing a petition filed by 19-year-old Prajakta Sawant, who had alleged mental harassment by Gopichand after she was refused entry to the All India National Coaching Camp in Hyderabad.

Directing the petitioner to include BAI as respondent in the petition, the bench sought the authority's reply with regard to Gopichand's private academy. The matter will be heard next on December 19.

During the last hearing on November 6, the court had directed BAI to allow the girl to participate in the camp.

Sawant's lawyer Piyush Shah today told the court that when she went to the camp on November 17 the players had already left for China for a tournament.

Shah also said that there was another camp in January.

The bench then directed BAI to allow the girl to participate in the second camp. "BAI shall not take any action averse to the petitioner on the ground that she did not participate in the Hyderabad camp," the court said. Sawant, a first year Bachelor of Commerce student, stated in her petition that she was selected for the training camp from October 4 to December 12. However, she contended that she had asked for her doubles and mixed doubles partners to be changed and Gopichand had hence, nursed a grudge against her.

"On August 22, 2012, the petitioner (Sawant) had informed by e-mail to Gopichand that the petitioner is not comfortable playing with the mixed doubles and women's doubles partners. However, Gopichand made wild allegations against the petitioner that she was not serious about badminton," Sawant's petition stated.

Gopichand, Sawant's petition mentioned, had informed her telephonically before the camp began that she will not be allowed to participate in the camp. — PTI 

New Delhi, December 10
Three days after de-recognising two federations, Sports Ministry today issued a notice to the Athletic Federation of India to remove a few contentious clauses from its constitution and hold re-elections for the post of president and secretary.

Taking a tough stand on the National Sports Federations ever since the International Olympic Committee suspended the IOA, the Ministry shot off a letter to the AFI drawing its attention to the clauses and warned of taking action if those were not rectified.

The development triggered off speculations that the AFI could be the next federation to be de-recognised after the Indian Amateur Boxing Federation (IABF) and the Archery Association of India (AAI). — PTI