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Historic series win for England
Couldn’t build solid partnerships: Dhoni
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It is at par with winning in Oz: Cook
Trott-Ashwin spat adds an injection of heat
Expressing it through Twitter
Punjab returns with Yuvi’s effort
Australia set imposing total for Sri Lanka
Indians corner major share of HIL pie
Punjabi varsity go down to Sikh Regimental Centre
SA football assn suspends officials
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Historic series win for England
Nagpur, December 17 England have finally won in India, after a series of losses and draws. They have waited for this day for a long time — it comes 28 years after David Gower’s unheralded team won in 1984-85. Current captain Alastair Cook was 42 days old then. Now he can be called a great, motivational leader. A year ago, he came to India as captain of the One-day side, which was pummelled 5-0. That result had distressed Cook no end; today he couldn’t stop smiling. It was his amazing knock of 176 in the second innings of the first Test that kept the team alive in a crushing defeat. England started the day at 161/3, 165 runs ahead. India’s hope, the tiny little bit that hadn’t yet died, needed a miracle to be revived. Twenty-two wickets — five, nine, four, and four — had fallen on the first four days. India needed to take England’s last seven today by lunch, to get a realistic shot at victory. It was not really going to happen on this pitch, which seemed to have been equipped with some sort of self-replenishing mechanism. No wear and tear occurred, the cracks existed but seemed to be held in place by industrial glue, and after five days of cricket, it seemed ready for another new Test. England’s batsmen never looked like getting out. India needed a bowler of genius to dislodge Jonathan Trott and Ian Bell, both of whom seemed to sprout roots and prosper on the dry, crack-surfaced wicket. India needed a bowler like Wasim Akram or Malcolm Marshall, men who could take the pitch out of the equation. But what they had was a poor, hapless bunch of four spinners who have played a mere 36 Tests among them; and a pacer who’s played 47, but hasn’t grown beyond the status of a “great prospect for the future”. Trott and Bell, to top that, were simply immovable; both of them have endured tough times in the recent past. Bell had made 56 runs in five innings prior to this one. Trott began the series with 0, 2, and 0 in his first three innings; Kolkata marked the resurgence, with 87 and 3. Nagpur, with 44 and 143, was his triumph. Having come together at 94 for three, at the inexplicable self-destruction of Kevin Pietersen, Bell and Trott shut India out completely. Both made their first century of the series on its last day, with growing assurance on an easing track. India bowled 18 overs in the first hour today, followed by 13 in the second. Clearly, as their hopes waned, so did their enthusiasm for bowling as many overs at England as they could. They believed that, as much as by the two batsmen, they were defeated by the pitch. The result was a happy one from England’s perspective; but perhaps they too would agree that this pitch was far from ideal for Test cricket. It was reminiscent of the dead Asian tracks of the 1980s, when often two teams finished their first innings on the fourth or even fifth days. The ball didn’t come on to the bat and stroke-play was badly hindered; 1008 runs were made for 23 wickets in 443 overs in five days, at an average of 2.27 an over. The ground at Jamtha, 18 kilometres outside the city, attracted its greatest crowds ever over the last four day. This pitch was not the best way to repay their enthusiasm. The Mumbai pitch of 2004 for the Test against Australia, or the Nagpur track in the same series, should be preferable to this one. They encouraged competitive cricket and results; this one caused endless boredom. SCOREBOARD England (1st ings): 330 India (1st ings): 326/9 d. England
(2nd ings) (Overnight 161-3) Cook c Dhoni b Ashwin 13 Compton lbw b Ojha 34 Trott c Kohli b Ashwin 143 Pietersen b Jadeja 6 Bell not out 116 Root not out 20 Extras: 20 Total: (4 wkts in 154 ov) 352 Fall of
wickets: 1-48 2-81 3-94 4-302 Bowling: Sharma 15-3-42-0, 40-14-70-1, Ashwin 38-11-99-2, Chawla 26-6-64-0, Jadeja 33-17-59-1, Gambhir 2-0-4-0 |
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Couldn’t build solid partnerships: Dhoni
The captain says that it’s quite a nadir — yet, he believes that the depths of gloom India plumbed at the 2007 World Cup were lower. “It has been tough, but there are not many things that will come close to when we lost the 2007 50-over World Cup,” he said shortly after the draw in the final Test gave the series to England. “This is not even close to that.” Dhoni’s captaincy has attracted criticism during the series, and in the recent past. His field placements, for instance, have been deemed too defensive over the last two days. Dhoni said that the docility of the pitch ensured that even close-in fielders would have got catching opportunities. India crossed the 500-run mark only once in the series, during the win in Ahmedabad. In Mumbai and Kolkata, the batting failed miserably. “In this series the batting was the department in which we were lacking... Mumbai was a tough wicket, but apart from that we were not able to get into big partnerships,” he said. “In cricket it’s not about who is scoring how many runs. It’s about how big partnerships are between individuals. We were not really able to have those big partnership... We were not even able to get into the fourth innings of the opponent, which is important because that’s when the game changes.” Dhoni said that the transition India are going through is hurting performance. “A few big players have left us. Youngsters coming up will have to fill the gap, and the seniors will have to take the extra responsibility till the juniors start getting runs or start taking wickets.” England ended a long drought in India. This win is their fourth overall in India, but the first since the 2-1 win in 1984-85. They’ve toured India four times in between, winning one Test and losing six. India had been unbeaten at home for eight years, since the defeat to Australia in 2004. Dhoni said the England team proved to be superior to India, and very well balanced. “They are a very well balanced side,” he said. “Their two spinners are very good. Anderson bowled very well throughout the series on wickets with no help for the fast bowlers. He tested the batsmen all the time. During the second or third spells, he started to reverse (swing) when the ball was slightly on the harder side. The major difference between the two sides was James Anderson who bowled really well.” He said the team suffered badly after losing six wickets quickly in the second innings of the Kolkata Test. “If you talk about mistakes, then we made one in Kolkata where we lost six wickets in a session. That was very crucial because it was important to absorb the pressure so that the batsmen coming in later could come in and play freely. There were some phases we lost out, which is why we lost the series,” he said. Now it’s off to the T20s, an entirely different beast. So different that success, if we get that, in the T20s should not be allowed to dispel the state of misery Indian cricket in. |
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It is at par with winning in Oz: Cook
Nagpur, December 17 "It's been an incredible tour and to keep India out today and how convincingly we batted out the day... obviously nervous over the last 140 overs knowing how close we were to doing something really special. To eventually go out and do it as convincingly as we did was incredible," Cook said. England wrapped up the four-match series after the final Test ended in a draw here, giving the visitors their first win on Indian soil since 1984-85. "It's at par with winning in Australia. As an Englishman, winning in Australia meant a huge amount, but here the dressing room, especially in the last half hour so, knowing what we had achieved, was a very special place to be in. It will stay in my memory. I'm going to enjoy it tonight. "I can't praise the guys enough. The whole squad has played its part and everyone has contributed. I can't praise their effort and willingness to learn enough. It was a very tough challenge," said the English skipper who walked away with the Man-of-the-Series award for scoring a phenomenal 562 runs with three back-to-back centuries. Cook said the turnaround was their second-innings batting effort at Ahmedabad. "I was not surprised with the way we stood together but at the level that we achieved. After Ahmedabad, I did talk about playing to our potential but to do it straightaway and put all those doubts to bed was a good thing and after that second innings, we knew we could score runs here." He was referring to the way England — following on behind India's huge score of 526 after being rolled over for 191 in the first innings —responded by making 406. "It helped that we were playing on a wicket that we knew would have a result because it was turning so big. That took the pressure off us. We knew no one was expecting us to win apart from ourselves," he said. — PTI
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Trott-Ashwin spat adds an injection of heat
Nagpur, December 17
There were three separate unsavoury but compelling incidents on the fourth day of the final Test, the last two apparently derived from the first. And how the match needed an injection of something that the surface was not going to provide. Soon after coming in Jonathan Trott received a ball from Ravi Jadeja which he hit for four. All well and good, but this was one of those balls that slipped from the bowler's hand and rolled along the floor. Some of the India players, including their captain, M S Dhoni, who is not ruffled by much, appeared to chuckle, though maybe it was out of disbelief. Trott was perfectly within the laws of the game, though he might refresh himself with the preamble about the spirit. A little later, Trott was given not out caught behind, but India were sure he had hit the ball. At the end of the over he was the subject of angry words from a couple of the fielders, with Virat Kohli, a centurion the day before, especially expressive. A little after that Trott was caught backing up too far by R Ashwin who was bowling at the time and warned him in no uncertain terms. Trott had a word or two back, as Ashwin explained later. "It was just about the shot he played to the rolling ball," he said. "When you talk about gamesmanship and sportsmanship, then you hold yourself to expect the same from opponents. Nothing else. If it didn't seem obvious to you then it seemed obvious to us." What was obvious to India was that Trott should not have done what he did, not even with the match and the series on the line. Jimmy Anderson, one of the bowling warriors from earlier in the piece, was sent in to face the music about the "golfing" shot. —
The Independent |
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Nagpur, December 17 Almost all the players wrote on their twitter pages to express their feelings after the win. "28years later! Such an incredible team effort!. ? @kevinpp24 BOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOM," wrote Kevin Pietersen, who batted superbly in the England middle-order. Matt Prior wrote, "Very proud day! test series win in India...special!!! As I've said before..it's 5pm somewhere in the world! Time to get on it! " Prior also took a jibe at people, who had predicted that England would suffer a 0-4 whitewash. "Where's that tweet predicting 4-0 win to India @MichaelVaughan? The boys can't seem to find it?," he wrote. Paceman Tim Bresnan was happy that he was part of the historic win although he did not play a major role in it. "That is a monumental win for us. First time in India during my lifetime. Proud to play a small part in it." Jonathan Bairstow said he has got some amazing moments from the tour that will remain with him forever. "A day and tour I shall never forget! Absolutely brilliant!!,' he tweeted. Debutant Joe Root wrote, "First test tour, Test debut, first series win.... Doesn't get any better than this! #comeonengland!." Graeme Swann wrote, "What a feeling, winning the series and get to see my kids again in the morning. Oh and the wife." — PTI
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Punjab returns with Yuvi’s effort
Gwalior, December 17 Yuvraj led Punjab's spirited fightback with an aggressive 150-ball 131 after the visitors had left with a 175-run deficit after bundling out for 148 in their first essay in reply to the hosts' first innings total of 323. Opener Jiwanjot Singh also hit a patient 208-ball 103 and, together in the company of Yuvraj, added 192 runs for the third-wicket partnership at Captain Roop Singh Stadium. While Yuvraj struck 15 fours and four huge sixes in his 239-minute vigil at the crease, Jiwanjot found the fence 13 times. The duo first helped the team wriggle out of a precarious situation and then reduced the deficit to stretch the game to the fourth and final day. Later, Amitoze Singh struck a fine half-century lower down the order to take the team past 350-run mark and swell his team's overall lead. However, the prospect of defeat still looms large over Punjab as they lead by 179 runs in their second innings with just two wickets remaining. The Madhya Pradesh pace trio of Gaurav Yadav, Anand Rajan and Amarjeet Singh shared all the wickets among themselves to keep the hosts in the hunt. Gaurav finished with an impressive figure of four for 86 while Anand Rajan picked up two for 61 that included the prized scalp of Yuvraj. Amarjeet too made his presence felt with figures of 2/80. Goa take first innings lead against HP Middle-order batsman Reagen Pinto remained unbeaten on 85 while opener Swapnil Asnodkar scored a patient 81 to hand Goa the vital first innings lead against Himachal Pradesh in Group C match. Resuming at the overnight score of 118 for one in reply to HP's 338-run first innings total, Goa were 347 for eight at stumps on the third and penultimate day of the encounter. Brief Scores: HP 1st innings: 338 all out in 126 overs (Amit 86, 73; Gauresh 4/109); Goa 1st innings: 347/8 in 142 overs (Reagen 85*, Swapnil 81; Rahul 4/71). UP get going Senior pros Suresh Raina and Mohammad Kaif failed but Uttar Pradesh rode on their youngsters to regain some lost ground after conceding the first-innings lead to Haryana in their Group B match. After conceding a crucial 49-run lead to Haryana who were bowled out for 276, the hosts reached 217 for four at stumps. — PTI
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Australia set imposing total for Sri Lanka
Hobart, December 17 There was bad news for the hosts on the injury front, however, with skipper Michael Clarke retiring hurt after smashing 57 runs off 46 balls to help drive his side to 278 in their second innings. Coach Mickey Arthur said the 31-year-old, the highest run scorer in test cricket this year with 1,489, had suffered a hamstring injury but would play on in Hobart even if he might miss the second test in Melbourne. "I think you'll have to cut Michael's leg off from him not to be out there," he told reporters. "He certainly wants to marshal the troops and I think he certainly wants to be there if hopefully sometime tomorrow we can clinch a win." Sri Lanka were dismissed for 336 on Sunday in reply to Australia's first innings 450 for five declared and will need to set a new record for a fourth innings run chase at Hobart to beat the 369 Australia scored against Pakistan in 1999. "Surely in 90-odd overs there's eight balls that have got wickets on them?" Arthur added. "I've got full confidence that we've got an attack that has ability to get those eight wickets tomorrow." At stumps, Sri Lanka's hopes were in the experienced hands of Kumar Sangakkara (18 not out) and skipper Mahela Jayawardene, who took 25 balls to get off the mark and was unbeaten on five. Spinner Rangana Herath, who took five for 95 to mop up Australia's tail, said the Sri Lankans were still going for a win despite the enormity of their task. "If we can bat through the first session without losing a wicket, it's going to be a good game," he told reporters. "It's just an up-and-down track. It's going to be an interesting day." While the Sri Lankan bowlers had to wait for their reward after being frustrated by the hosts' openers for much of the morning, their Australian counterparts made a more immediate impact. Shane Watson, taking on a bigger bowling burden after Sunday's side injury to quick Ben Hilfenhaus, struck with his first ball to remove Tillakaratne Dilshan, who made 147 in the first innings, caught behind for 11. Dimuth Karunaratne had put 30 runs on the board when he also fell victim to a superb delivery - a sizzling Mitchell Starc yorker which hammered into the base of the off-stump. Despite his injury, Clarke had led his team out to field but missed a chance to remove Sangakkara when he dropped the ICC Cricketer of the Year in the slips when the batsman was on three. In the morning sunshine, openers David Warner (68) and Ed Cowan (56) had combined for a partnership of 132 but both were removed in the half hour before lunch in an appetiser for what was to come in the second session. Herath had been belted for a six and a switch-hit four by Warner. — Agencies
SCOREBOARD Australia 1st ings 450-5 d Sri Lanka 1st ings 336 Australia 2nd ings (overnight 27-0) Cowan b Welegedera 56 Warner c P. Jaya b Herath 68 Hughes b Eranga 16 Watson st b Herath 5 Wade c Kulasekara b Herath 11 Clarke retired hurt* 57 Hussey not out 31 Siddle c P Jaya b Welegedera 4 Starc lbw Welegedera 5 Lyon b Herath 11 Hilfenhaus lbw Herath 0 Extras: 14 Total: (all out, 73.5 ov) 278 Fall of wickets: 1-132 2-140 3-153 4-165 5-181 6-250 7-256 8-271 Bowling: Kulasekara 12-3-24-0 (nb-1), Welegedera 22-3-89-3, Dilshan, 2-0-2-0, Eranga 11-0-53-1, Mathews 5-2-5-0, Herath 21.5-2-95-5 Sri lanka 2nd ings Karunaratne b Starc 30 Dilshan c Wade b Watson 11 Sangakkara not out 18 Jaya not out 5 Extras: 1 Total: (2 wkts, 37 ov) 65 Fall of wickets: 1-26 2-47 Bowling: Starc 10-4-21-1, Siddle 7-3-12-0, Watson 9-4-10-1, Lyon 10-3-16-0, Hussey 1-0-5-0
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Indians corner major share of HIL pie
New Delhi, December 17 Each of the five HIL franchisees—Jaypee Punjab Warriors, Delhi Waveriders, Mumbai Magicians, Uttar Pradesh Wizards and Ranchi Rhinos—had a budget of Rs 3.5 crore, and they used the money judiciously to snap up players they thought would be good value addition to their scheme of things. But a couple of franchisees felt that the cap should have been a little higher so that they could have exercised some financial leverage in hiring the players of their choice. Still, it will be a great boost for Indian hockey that 70 out of the 153 Indians have been bought for handsome prices, which will encourage more and more youngsters to take to hockey as a career option. It’s also a matter of great pride for Indian hockey that two of their star players—Sardar Singh and VR Raghunath—have been sold for $78,000 and $76,000 respectively. And Raghunath’s high price also did a star turn for Netherlands forward Teun De Nooijer, who is one of the five marquee players. He has now emerged as the highest paid player—$87,400, due to the high price paid to Raghunath. Though he had been hired by Uttar Pradesh Wizards for only $66,000 from a base price of $25,000, his remuneration went up by 15 per cent more than Raghunath’s. Out of the 14 Pakistan players up for grabs, only nine were sold, with Mumbai buying four, Ranchi and Delhi taking two each and Punjab hiring one. Among the foreign players, Australians were in great demand, as 16 of them were hired to make their presence in all the teams—Punjab (6), Mumbai (4), Uttar Pradesh (3), Ranchi (1) and Delhi (1). Delhi Waveriders also have the most eclectic team as among the foreign recruits, there are players from Australia, Germany, South Africa, Pakistan, New Zealand, Spain and Holland in their line-up. Almost two-third of the total money on offer have gone into the pockets of the Indian players, which augurs well not only for the sustainability of the HIL, but also for the future of Indian hockey, which will now travel to the hockey pockets of the country where players had not been exposed to quality international players. “The HIL will surely give the game a big thrust in India”, observed the Dutch star Teun De Nooijer. Not only that quality players have been hired, but the support staff are world class too, as some of the best hockey players will be associated with the franchisees as advisers and coaches.
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Punjabi varsity go down to Sikh Regimental Centre
Patiala, December 17 The tournament was inaugurated among great pomp and show by Padamshree Pargat Singh who had led the Indian hockey team in yesteryears with distinction. He is also a former Director of Sports Punjab and presently MLA Jalandhar Cantonment. SRC, Ramgarh, established their superiority over young Punjabi University lads from the start of the game and scored twice in the first 20 minutes through Dheeraj Kumar and Satnam Singh with the latter converting a penalty stroke to forge ahead 2-0. The university team reduced the lead to 2-1 in the 20th minute and tried to equalize through a number of raids on the rival goal but the army men took full advantage of a counter attack in the 30th minute to force a penalty corner in the 30th minute which was duly converted by Jagjit Singh 3-1. With both sides trying very hard, the university team rallied to score in the 38th minute and 42nd minute to level the score 3-3. Stung by the spirited revival of the University lads, Satnam Singh and Gurjeet Singh added two more goals in 51st and 68th minute to go ahead 5-3. — TNS
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SA football assn suspends officials
Johannesburg, December 17 The association made the announcement in a statement on Monday. On Saturday, the association said that it was "infiltrated" by now-convicted match-fixer Wilson Perumal and his "bogus" football company Football4U, which was a front for the Asian syndicates. No players have been implicated in fixing matches. Instead, referees appointed by Football4U are believed to have fixed the games. SAFA didn't identify the games but South Africa's 5-0 win over Guatemala was under suspicion. SAFA says FIFA's report also recommended "further examination" of some South African officials. The South African Football Association says a FIFA report into match-fixing ahead of the 2010 World Cup has found "compelling evidence" that one or more games played by the host in the buildup to the world's showpiece tournament were fixed by betting syndicates. South Africa's national football association says Saturday that it was "infiltrated" by now-convicted match-fixer Wilson Perumal and his "bogus" football company Football4U. — Agencies
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The win that may have drawn the series for India didn’t materialise. The final day of the contest was also its dullest, but for England and their fans, it brought the thrills of a lifetime.
India have been beaten at home for only the second time in this century.
Nagpur, December 17
Hobart, December 17
Nagpur, December 17
Dhoni's become stale and doesn't know what to do when things go out of the way. He shouldn't be the Test captain anymore. It is time to look beyond him as a Test captain. I think he will be better off without captaincy and add more value to the Test team. Also, Sachin needs to take an honest call about what he wants to do. If he thinks he can play against the Australians then he should be given another series.
Criticism is fine, but if you still like playing it's crazy to stop for no reason. In sport there is no question that it favours young people in general. I am lucky to have the chance. I imagine the same for him ( Sachin
Tendulkar) —
Till the fourth day of this Test I said there is no alternative to Mahendra Singh Dhoni, but now that Virat (Kohli) has come up with a 100 under trying circumstances I think he has discovered a good part about himself. I think he is ready to take on the mantle. I think this is something to be looked at in a positive manner because that's where the future is.
