The Great Game Called Cricket...

India storm to series win in Dhaka
A sensational ten wicket haul by Zaheer Khan and hundreds by Sachin Tendulkar and Rahul Dravid helped India coast to a ten wicket victory against Bangladesh in Dhaka.

INDIA WIN BY 10 WICKETS

A dramatic collapse by Bangladesh helped India win the series 2-0 and maintain their numero uno sopt in the ICC Test rankings. They now go home to await the South Africans, number two in the rankings to determine the best side in the world.

Zaheer Khan finished with seven wickets in the second innings and ten in the match to help wrap up Bangladesh's innings.

India were also aided by Tendulkar's 45th Test ton and Dravid's 29th. Skipper MS Dhoni was impressive too, scoring 89, most of them with the tail.

A sensational morning session saw Bangladesh lose six wickets- three of them to Zaheer Khan in the same over- as India stormed towards victory in the second Test.


Zaheer Khan did most of the damage with a six wicket haul. Three wickets in the same over for the left arm seamer and India are on the verge of victory against Bangladesh in Dhaka.

Zaheer Khan snapped up his fourth one and only Raqibul Hasan knew what he was trying to do, letting go a delivery that seemed like coming into him. India are not complaining though as the ball hit the timber.

Zaheer then removed Mahmudullah and Shaifiul Islam in the same over to nip Bangladesh in the bud.

Pragyan Ojha removed skipper Shakib-al-Hasan as India finally charged aggressively towards a win.

Harbhajan Singh and Ojha struck in successive overs to get rid of Shahadat Hossain and Mohammad Ashraful with Bangladesh inching close to the visitors' lead.

Finally, a wicket for India this morning. After making a mess of the first chance, substitute fielder Amit Mishra caught Shahadat Hossain off Harbhajan Singh.

Bangladesh are well on their way to wiping off India's first innings lead. Mohammad Ashraful and nightwatchman Shahadat Hossain had been impressive and solid this morning.

India declared with a lead of 311 runs yesterday but ran into an aggressive Tamim Iqbal, who blasted the fastest Test hundred by a Bangladeshi batsman before being done in by Zaheer Khan for 151. Junaid Siddique was solid in a 200 run partnership with the opner, grinding his way through to a patient 55.

Zaheer did all the damage last night, picking up all three wickets to fall. There was a hint of reverse swing for Zaheer in the last half an hour.

With the pitch expected to wear down further on the penultimate day, MS Dhoni would want his spinners to come to the party.


Recap of day three

Tamim Iqbal cracked a dazzling century and led a strong fightback from Bangladesh on the third day of the second Test against India in Dhaka.

India had declared on 544 for eight in their first innings, injury to Yuvraj Singh and Mahendra Singh Dhoni's dismissal off the last delivery before the lunch interval for 89 hastening an early closure to the innings.

It left India with a lead of 311, but Tamim's brisk 151 and a 200-run stand with a more staid Junaid Siddique (55) revived the home side, but late wickets had undermined their progress.

At close, Bangladesh reached 228 for three, only needing 84 runs to make India bat again.

Shahadat Hossain and Mohammad Ashraful were freshly arrived at the crease when play ended for the day.

Bangladesh's second innings had begun poorly, the home side losing Imrul Kayes early.

Zaheer Khan had rattled the opener with a series of short balls, one of which had hit him on the helmet and then lured him into the drive with a good-length delivery, the batsman only managing to spoon a catch to Dinesh Karthik at cover.

Bangladesh's brave fightback on the third day couldn't inspire the middle order to put further pressure on the Indians on the fourth morning as Zaheer Khan ran through the line-up with 7 for 87. Zaheer at one stage had four wickets for four runs and when he cleaned up the tail, he took his first seven-for in a Test innings. Bangladesh managed to avoid an innings defeat and after lunch, India took just two balls to win the match and the series 2-0.

Full report to follow


Lunch Bangladesh 233 and 312 for 9 (Mushfiqur 10*, Rubel 0*) lead India 544 for 8 dec by 1 run


From a position of relative strength to utter disarray in the space of half an hour - that was the story of Bangladesh's morning in Mirpur. From 290 for 3, they lost six wickets for 14, and only a couple of hefty blows from Mushfiqur Rahim ensured the innings defeat would be avoided. Defeat, however, was all but inevitable, with the lead just one at lunch. Pragyan Ojha took the wickets of Mohammad Ashraful and Shakib Al Hasan, before Zaheer Khan, who spent much of the morning wearing a back-brace, returned to scalp three in an over.


There was no hint of the drama to come as Bangladesh made serene progress in the opening hour. Ashraful drove Zaheer through cover, but was largely an amused onlooker, as Shahadat Hossain, the nightwatchman, took to the attack with gusto. A pull for four off Ishant Sharma bolstered his confidence and though a subsequent top-edged heave over slips betrayed his tail-end roots, there was nothing fortuitous about a lovely straight six off Ojha or a copy-book cover-drive off Zaheer.


With Gautam Gambhir then conceding four overthrows, and Ojha clubbed for another four through midwicket, there would have been Indian supporters whose minds strayed to the prospect of a tricky fourth-innings chase. The sense of unease was compounded when Amit Mishra dropped Shahadat at deep midwicket after he'd given Harbhajan Singh the big heave-ho.


There were 51 runs scored before drinks and it was only when Shahadat tried to wallop Harbhajan over long-on again that the wheels came off. This time, Mishra held on to the catch, and the 68-run partnership was over. Ashraful, who had shown uncharacteristic patience all the while, followed in Shahadat's wake, undone by a beautiful Ojha delivery from round the wicket.

Shakib played the most bizarre of innings, striking the first ball he faced for a straight six, and then sweeping one straight to Gambhir at square leg. Resistance breached, MS Dhoni turned to his best bowler. Brace or no brace, Zaheer was too hot to handle. Raqibul Hasan shouldered arms to one that came in with the angle from round the wicket, while Mahmudullah was defeated by late movement and a magnificent catch from M Vijay, who took the ball an inch from the ground while diving to his left at second slip.


Shafiul Islam's stumps were splayed next ball, and it took some defiance from Mushfiqur to avoid the ignominy of an innings defeat. But with Zaheer taking his first six-wicket haul, the 2-0 series win was as good as assured.

India wanted to build on the strong foundation laid by openers Virender Sehwag (56) and Gautam Gambhir (68) to ensure they don’t have to bat again. And Rahul Dravid (79*) and Sachin Tendulkar (89*) are still on the job. Despite a few anxious moments and a whole lot of luck, the two maestros took India to tea at 301 for 2, giving a lead of 68 runs over Bangladesh.

The Bangladesh fast bowlers bowled their hearts out and were also able to pose some trouble to the Indian greats. Shahadat Hossain made the batsmen play at most deliveries, bowling a good line and length. Rubel Hossain, despite bowling well, was spurned by the Lady Luck.

After dismissing Dravid off a no-ball in the first session, Raqibul Hasan added to the pacer’s agony by dropping Tendulkar at point. Rubel also sighed in despair as he saw the ball sneak through the gap between Tendulkar’s bat and stumps and run away to the fence.

Dravid and Tendulkar, like all great batsmen do, made the opposition pay for the lapses, with a fine 155-run unbroken partnership. This was the 17th occasion when the two stalwarts of Indian cricket had added 100-plus runs in a Test innings – a world record. On the way, they also completed their respective half-centuries.

Dravid’s unbeaten 79 had all the ingredients one would associate with his typical innings – the rock-solid defense, the gorgeous cover-drives, the elegant leg-glances and the unwavering concentration. It also comprised a couple of flowing hits to the fence.

Tendulkar, on the other hand was more adventurous, dealing in upper-cuts and sweeps. He rode his luck throughout his knock, as catches were dropped and ill-connected shots didn’t carry to the fielders. Tendulkar fetched five of his nine boundaries on the leg-side, with the help of paddle-sweeps and leg-glances.

Mirpur: Temperamental India off-spinner Harbhajan Singh was reprimanded by the ICC for kicking an advertising board during the first day of the ongoing second cricket Test against Bangladesh.

Harbhajan pleaded guilty to contravening Level 1 offence (Section 2.1.2) of the ICC Code of Conduct for Players and Team Officials, which relates to “abuse of cricket equipment or clothing, ground equipment or fixtures and fittings”.

The incident took place when Harbhajan kicked and damaged an advertising board after a misfield while guarding the boundary on Sunday.

Match referee Andy Pycroft, however, did not call for a hearing as the off-spinner accepted the decision without contest.

"While giving my verdict, I took into account that Harbhajan admitted his mistake and apologised for his actions," Pycroft said.

"I also accepted Harbhajan's explanation that he had kicked the advertising board in frustration. Professional cricketers try to give their best effort when they are on the field and whenever they don't live up to the standards they have set for themselves, they feel disappointed. However, venting their frustrations in this manner is unacceptable," he said.

"I would now expect him to maintain a certain level of self-control in future and avoid the repeat of the incident as he sets an example for millions of youngsters who follow him around the world," said Pycroft.

The charge was brought by on-field umpires Billy Bowden and Marais Erasmus, third umpire Sharfuddoula and fourth umpire Enamul Haque.

All Level 1 breaches carry a minimum penalty of an official reprimand and a maximum penalty of 50 per cent of a player's match fee.

An impossible tail-end partnership from over a decade ago, and how it made an eternal optimist of one Indian fan.

So a few days ago India was playing Sri Lanka in the final of the Tri-Nation Bore-nament in Bangladesh. Kumar Sangakkara, if you recall, won the toss and put India in to bat first. India, no longer the spineless pushovers they used to be in decades past, flatly refused to do so for any length of time. After 43 overs, the boys in blue were seven wickets down for 213. Or to put it in Sri Lankan numbers for our foreign readers, seven for "two-and-a-half Dilshans".

As the tragedy unfolded on a TV screen in the office canteen, an excited colleague offered instant analysis: "Oho! Now getting 300 is going to be very difficult. But if Zaheer stays..."

Instantly Zaheer got out.

"Aha! But if Raina stays..."

Instantly Raina got out.

And then I went back to work, leaving Lostradamus behind, my mind full of Javagal Srinath feelings.

Let me explain.

Javagal Srinath is, sans doubt, one of the most likeable cricketers to have ever played for India. Sure, he may not have struck white-hot fear into hearts as Hadlee, Wasim, Waqar or Ankola did. And he rarely uprooted stumps two or three at a time with fiendish yorkers.

For years he bowled thanklessly, again and again, on lifeless pitches, against deadly batsmen, with players like Anil Kumble effortlessly patrolling the field.

In fact, if you ask me, one of the great injustices in Indian cricket is that the one ball that Srinath deserved to have bowled in his career was delivered by Venkatesh Prasad. (You know the one. 1996 World Cup. Aamer Sohail smashes a Prasad special home delivery for four and then makes an arrogant gesture at the bowler. The very next ball an enraged Prasad runs up and, without any warning, refuses to pick Aamer Sohail for an IPL team. The Pakistani is devastated.)

But still there is one element of Srinath's 11-year-long international career that I have a grouse with.

Over the last 14 or so years Srinath has been single-handedly responsible for my wasting hundreds of precious man-hours watching the last few overs of cricket matches half-hoping India will grab victory from the jaws of unavoidable defeat.

Or that some form of power cut, rain, sandstorm or DDCA ingenuity will call off a match at the last possible moment before defeat and Duckworth-Lewis.

These desperation scenarios often call on India to score 60 runs in the last four overs, with Sreesanth being the only regulation batsman left. Or they involve opponents needing 10 runs with three overs and seven wickets to spare.

Your local cricket cynic - and this is a compulsory vacancy in offices - has already laughed off India's chances in that whiny, irritating voice. Publicly you laugh along with him and say things like "Traitors! Can only act in ads!" or "One billion people and you pick Joginder?!" or "Buy them all some Musli Power, I say!"

But that is an act. A ruse. For public consumption.

In reality, deep inside, you want to gently call the cynic to one corner and redecorate the conference-room wall with his face.

This is all because of one unforgettable god-awesome innings by Srinath and Kumble in Bangalore in 1996. Ever since that wonderment, it is impossible to sit through the most one-sided, pre-determined, un-winnable match without secretly hoping for an Indian miracle. I am cursed with this foolish optimism. And, come on admit it, so are you.

Who can forget that superb partnership? Who can forget that emotional end to the match, with Kumble's family in the stands? Who can forget Srinath's 30 runs off 23 balls? Who can possibly forget that stupendous six Srinath hit off an Australian bowler I cannot recall right now?

Most people, that's who. Because almost everyone I know had given up on that Titan Cup match long before Srinath and Kumble pulled off the impossible. They'd all switched off the TV and gone to bed confident that, at 164 for 8, India had absolutely no chance of getting to 216 in the remaining eight.

I remember that night as if it were yesterday. At first the Vadukuts were gung-ho after India restricted Australia to a paltry 215. Victory looked imminent. But then India started batting. Wickets tumbled. Grandparents mumbled. Cousins grumbled. But I held firm and my confidence never stumbled. (Ahem.)

But when he got out after making 88, there was no more hope. Everyone went to bed. Except me. I figured the match would end in minutes anyhow. Might as well see the presentation ceremony before turning in. Like any true cricket connoisseur.

A few overs later I was running around the house screaming like a banshee, trying to wake everyone up. Several older Vadukuts had near-strokes. The rest stood around open-mouthed. What a win that was. A win that truly made you believe that a match just ain't over till Arun Lal has made the presentation.

Kumble was exceptional of course. But the true surprise in that match was Srinath. Usually Srinath batted with the fluency of a train wreck. But on that day... well, he still batted like a train wreck. Yet victory was ours.

And now, in 2010, I still can't get up and leave a match till the every end. What if? What if Munaf does it? Or Nehra? I know, I know. It's impossible. But still...

The Feroz Shah Kotla will not host any international match until the end of this year following the ICC's report that the pitch on which the abandoned ODI between India and Sri Lanka was played last month was "dangerous" and should be classified "unfit". The ICC report, released on Thursday after a high-level inquiry, means the Kotla ground will be able to host matches during the 2011 World Cup.

An ICC release said: "Following the conclusion of a full investigation into the circumstances that led to the abandonment of a one-day international match between India and Sri Lanka on 27 December 2009, the ICC confirms that no international cricket will be played at the New Delhi ground until the end of December 2010."

The inquiry, carried out by Dave Richardson, the ICC's general manager of cricket, and its chief referee Ranjan Madugalle, corroborated the findings of match referee Alan Hurst as reported at the time. Hurst was reported to have classified the Kotla pitch used in that one-dayer as "unfit", the harshest possible assessment. The match had been called off after 23.3 overs during which Sri Lankan players received several blows due to severely varying bounce.

In today's statement Richardson explained the rationale behind the ban, which the world body arrived at after studying footage of the match, and based on reports from the match referee and the BCCI. "The frequency of the misbehaving deliveries [on average just more than one every three overs] - and the excessive degree of variation - had the potential to inflict serious injury to the batsmen," he said, "and that therefore the pitch that was prepared for the above match was 'dangerous' and should therefore be classified as 'unfit'."

He also pointed out that this was the first time the Feroz Shah Kotla pitch had been rated as unfit and that the ground has a long history of successfully hosting international cricket - and that it was scheduled to host matches at the 2011 World Cup.

The Delhi & Districts Cricket Association (DDCA) welcomed the decision as the Kotla was not scheduled to host any international matches till December 2010. Chetan Chauhan, the DDCA vice-president and former India Test player, said, "We don't consider this a ban, but officially we can say that the Feroz Shah Kotla has been 'banned'. We are not hosting any matches till the end of December 2010 and we have BCCI's assurance on that."

Chauhan also indicated that the DDCA was already working on improving the track and welcomed the ICC's decision to send its curator to help in the process. "Venkat Sundaram is already working on getting the tracked fixed for the IPL and then after the event gets over we will get assistance from ICC's pitch consultant in further improving the pitch's condition so that we will be ready for the World Cup."

The ICC's chief executive, Haroon Lorgat, was also certain that Delhi would get its act together before the World Cup came along. "We are confident that there is ample time for the necessary remedial work to be carried out ahead of next year's World Cup," he said, "and it is important now that the work should be carried out and domestic cricket played on the pitch to make sure it returns to the standards required for high-level international cricket."

The problem with the Kotla pitch - which has already been relaid four times in the last five years under four different curators - stems from the decision, taken immediately after the second IPL was shifted to South Africa, to relay the entire square. Daljit Singh, the head of the BCCI's grounds and wickets committee until it was disbanded following the ODI debacle, had said in October that it would take a year for the relaid tracks to get seasoned.

The five days of grueling action culminated in India taking the match by 113 runs. At one point, when India were reduced to 150 for six in the first innings it looked difficult. But it was the master himself who bailed them out from the precarious situation and set up a comfortable win in the end.

Sachin Tendulkar’s undefeated 105, his 44th Test ton, was the crucial knock that brought Indian back into the match. It’s only in the fitness of things that Sachin got the man of the match award.

Tendulkar’s effort was beautifully backed by fiery and disciplined pace bowling, which saw India dominate the proceedings for most of the time. Gautam Gambhir’s record fifth Test ton in consecutive matches was the icing on the cake.

Though weather often played spoilsport, the Indians came in hard to push for a convincing win. The victory could have come in much quicker time for the visitors but for a scintillating hundred by Mushfiqur Rahim on the final day. With some brave hits all around the ground, Rahim made sure his maiden Test hundred was also the fastest by a Bangladesh batsman. His 114-ball knock of 101 included 17 boundaries and a huge six.

The Indians came out all guns blazing on the fifth morning. Virender Sehwag crowded the batsmen with fielders and the two pacers Zaheer Khan and Ishant Sharma were relentless in their attack. For an inexperienced Bangladesh batting line-up it was a tall order to battle it out, and they showed little character and willingness to succeed.

Mohammad Ashraful (27), after flashing and missing twice, eventually nicked one from Ishant straight into the soft hands of Rahul Dravid at the second slip.

Ishant was at his lethal best. He bowled a perfect length, generated good bounce using his height to advantage and beat the batsmen with his consistent line. After removing Ashraful, Ishant wrapped Raqibul Hasan plumb on his pads with an in coming delivery. Ishant’s first spell of 8 overs produced 11 runs for 2 wickets.

When a batsman breathed a sigh of relief after negotiating Ishant’s testing bounce, he was up against Zaheer’s cunning reverse swinging deliveries. The Indian pace spearhead was shrewd and mean, giving nothing away to the batsmen by bowling an immaculate line.

As his teammates succumbed to the pressure of pacers, Tamim Iqbal (52) stood his ground. He took the blows, got beaten quite a few times, survived a couple of risky shots and executed some fine ones en route to his dogged half-century. The left-hander surprised one and all when he reverse-swept Amit Mishra against the turn for four to get to his fifty.

Amit Mishra, who had bowled some lovely deliveries in the first session without luck, was rewarded with the wicket immediately after lunch. The leg-spinner deceived Shakib Al Hasan in flight and the Bangladesh skipper provided a simple catch to silly point.

Mishra put up a much improved show in the second essay as compared to the first innings. Though there was no vicious turn in the pitch, the leggie used his flight and variation to good effect. He mixed his length intelligently, never allowing a batsman to settle into his groove. The leg-spinner finished with seven wickets in the match.

After Shakib’s wicket, Virender Sehwag decided to attack the new batsman with his premiere pace bowler and Zaheer Khan straight away got into an interesting contest with Mohammad Mahmudullah (20).

In an over, the first ball flew over the slip cordon for four. When Mahmudullah backed off before facing the second delivery, Zaheer let his displeasure known to the batsman. Next ball, a bouncer, was hooked away for a boundary. This charged Zaheer up further and Mahmudullah was fired with a series of short-pitched deliveries for the rest of the over. Every delivery was followed up with a mouthful of aggression from the pacer. Zaheer eventually got his man in the next over when Mahmudullah edged a fuller and wider delivery to the keeper.

With seven wickets down and defeat almost inevitable, Mushfiqur Rahim decided to have some fun. He took the attack to Zaheer, smashing him through covers and mid-wicket. He also took on Mishra with controlled sweeps and a charge down the track. Ishant, who was a bit wayward in his second spell, too was treated with disdain, as Mushfiqur hit him for some cracking cover drives. The Bangladesh keeper gave something to cheer for the hosts, as he slammed his first Test century.

After a long delay, the inevitable victory came India’s way when Rahim holed out to Pragyan Ojha at long-off, giving Mishra his fourth wicket of the innings.

Tamim Iqbal's brief resistance and Mushfiqur Rahim's crowd-pleasing century were way too inadequate for Bangladesh who had no surprises lined up on the final day. Even with an off-rhythm Sreesanth making it a virtual three-man attack, Ishant Sharma and Zaheer Khan paved India's way to an eventually comfortable win despite their first-innings failure and murky conditions curtailing action on every day of the match. Despite Mushfiqur's knock - the fastest hundred for a Bangladesh player - alongside the tail, they could not last until the final session.

In the end, it was the batsmen who let the Bangladesh bowlers down. Their bowlers might have shown they were better than ordinary, getting India out for 243 in the first innings, but both their batting efforts were ordinary. In the final innings, none of the batsmen showed either the aptitude or the inclination to bat out long periods on a flat pitch and on a day where bad light was bound to cut the day short.

The signs were all there in the first ten minutes of the day. Mohammad Ashraful carried on from an edgy first innings. After surviving two slashes and edges in the first three overs, he drove on the up at an Ishant delivery that held its line enough to take a healthy edge. Raqibul Hasan showed the willingness to fight it out, even taking a blow on the elbow, but Ishant's re-discovered offcutter proved to be too good for him, trapping him plumb in front.

The only bit of fight came from Tamim, who survived the early thorough examination given by Ishant and Zaheer. He concentrated hard, and quelled his natural game for the first hour. Except for one loose drive in the second over, he resisted the cover-drives, and instead relied on bunting the balls close to him for singles. He did not concentrate for long enough, though. The way he tried to open up against Sreesanth and Amit Mishra showed that the first hour had taken a big extra effort. From 27 off 81, when the back-up bowlers were introduced, he moved to 50 off 106, bringing up the milestone with a reverse-sweep.

Eight minutes before lunch, Tamim gave it all away. Virender Sehwag had replaced Sreesanth, and in his second over, Tamim went for a big booming drive when he was close to neither the line nor the length of the delivery. The outside edge was snapped well by an alert Rahul Dravid, and India were sensing the win.

The only man who could hold them up was Shakib Al Hasan, and post the break, he got a special googly from Mishra that kicked at him and took the shoulder of his bat on its way to silly point. Mahmudullah, who scored 69 in the first innings, got into a personal battle with Zaheer, and eventually Bangladesh paid for it. Bouncers, verbals, hooks, upper-cuts, and then a tame edge outside off.

Mushfiqur stood on the burning deck, hit his way to a personal best, added 60 for the eight wicket, then cut, pulled and lofted some more, made Sreesanth mouth off like a madman for no reason, manoeuvred the strike expertly, and managed a consolatory maiden century. Mishra kept at the task, mixing the googlies well with the legbreaks, and took out the last three wickets.

Daren Ganga, the Trinidad & Tobago, believes the fund-raising charity Twenty20 against Guyana in Port of Spain will be an emotional affair for both sides. The match, to be played on January 20, is to aid victims of the catastrophic earthquake which struck Haiti last week and Ganga expected a full house at the Queen's Park Oval.

"My team-mates and I were saddened and overwhelmed by the enormity of the disaster that has befallen the people of Haiti from the awesome earthquake," he said. "We needed no persuasion to play in the charity match for our suffering and unfortunate CARICOM (Caribbean community) brothers and sisters."

Ganga believed T&T's success at the inaugural Champions League Twenty20, where their stunning run to the final not only won Indian hearts but also brought alive the tournament, would similarly bring the crowds to their feet in the upcoming match.

Guyana's captain, Sewnarine Chattergoon, was equally sentimental when asked about the disastrous situation in Haiti and his team's decision to take part in the fund-raising event. "The Guyana Cricket Board, the team management and us the players acknowledge unhesitatingly how critical it is to show solidarity and support for our fellow Caribbean families in their moment of need and desperation," he said.

The International Red Cross estimates that about three million people were affected by the earthquake, which devastated the capital Port-au-Prince and caused an estimated 45,000-50,000 deaths.

The two teams to be involved in the charity match are currently playing each other in a historic first-class four-day game at the Sir Vivian Richards Ground in Antigua.


T&T squad: Daren Ganga (capt), Lendl Simmons, William Perkins, Jason Mohammed, Imran Khan, Denesh Ramdin (wk), Samuel Badree, Sherwin Ganga, Dave Mohammed, Ravi Rampaul, Navin Stewart, Daron Cruickshank, Rayad Emrit, Richard Kelly.

Guyana: Sewnarine Chattergoon (capt), Travis Dowlin, Assad Fudadin, Rajindra Chandrika, Narsingh Deonarine, Royston Crandon, Vishaul Singh, Esuan Crandon, Veersammy Permaul, Derwin Christian, Devendra Bishoo, Brendon Bess, Trevor Benn.

The IPL has released its final list of 66 overseas players who will be involved in the IPL auction on Tuesday. The list is a mix of rising stars such as Kieron Pollard and Eoin Morgan, and ICL returnees like Shane Bond and Damien Martyn in addition to Pakistan players returning to the IPL-fold. The list includes players from all eight Test-playing nations other than India, with 11 players from Pakistan, Australia and South Africa; nine from Sri Lanka; eight from England and West Indies; four from New Zealand and one each from Bangladesh, Zimbabwe, Canada and Holland.

Initially, 97 players had registered for the IPL auction and once the franchises had gone through the names, the list was pruned to 66.

Brad Haddin, Phillip Hughes and Doug Bollinger are prominent Australia players in the list along with Damien Martyn. Haddin's reputation as an attacking wicket-keeper batsman, and Bollinger's impressive performance with the ball in both ODIs and Tests, make them strong contenders. Hughes could go high in the auction, given his average of 51.22 in Twenty20 cricket.

Bangladesh's flag-bearer is allrounder Shakib Al Hasan, who, despite being ranked the No.1 allrounder during last year's auction, wasn't picked. Eoin Morgan's aggression in the ODI series against South Africa will have some franchises interested - England's players were named in the list only after the IPL organisers received a guarantee that they would be available for the full season. From New Zealand, Shane Bond's admirable show after returning from the ICL, in the Champions Trophy, as well as in his short-lived Test comeback, makes him a bankable buy.

The list also includes Pakistan's Twenty20 captain Shahid Afridi, who had played for Deccan Chargers in the first season, and Sohail Tanvir, who struck the winning runs for Rajasthan Royals in the final of the inaugural edition. Pakistan's finds of 2009, Mohammad Aamer and Umar Akmal, are also in the list, as are ICL-returnees Imran Nazir, Abdul Razzaq and Naved-ul-Hasan. Pakistan's players did not participate in the IPL in 2009 following a deterioration in diplomatic relations between India and Pakistan in the aftermath of the Mumbai terror attacks in November 2008.

West Indies boast an impressive group of contenders; chief among them is Trinidad and Tobago's Pollard, whose clean, ruthless hitting in the Champions League Twenty20 could merit a lucrative IPL contract. Ramnaresh Sarwan comes back on the auction list while, for South Africa, left-arm fast bowler Wayne Parnell is in the fray for a deal.

Here is the complete list:

Australia: Brad Haddin, Philip Hughes, Doug Bollinger, Ashley Noffke, Adam Voges, Luke Pomersbach, Clint McKay, Graham Manou, Ben Laughlin, Jason Krejza, Damien Martyn

England: Tim Bresnan, Eoin Morgan, Robert Key, Anthony McGrath, Monty Panesar, Mark Ramprakash, Graeme Swann, Jonathon Trott

Pakistan: Shahid Afridi, Misbah-ul-Haq, Umar Gul, Imran Nazir, Rana Naved-ul-Hasan, Mohammad Aamer, Abdul Razzaq, Kamran Akmal, Umar Akmal, Saeed Ajmal, Sohail Tanvir

South Africa: Zander de Bruyn, Wayne Parnell, Tyron Henderson, Lonwabo Tsotsobe, Rory Kleinveldt, Yusuf Abdulla, Vernon Philander, Johan van der Wath, Vaughn van Jaarsveld, Morne van Vyk, Justin Kemp

Sri Lanka: Nuwan Kulasekara, Nuwan Zoysa, Upul Tharanga, Thissara Perera, Thilina Kandamby, Kaushalya Weeraratne, Chanaka Welegedara, Chinthaka Jayasinghe, Chamara Silva

West Indies: Kieron Pollard, Ramnaresh Sarwan, Daren Ganga, Lendl Simmons, Darren Bravo, Wavell Hinds, Kemar Roach, Sulieman Benn

New Zealand: Grant Elliott, Lou Vincent, Shane Bond, Nathan McCullum

Zimbabwe: Murray Goodwin

Bangladesh: Shakib Al Hasan

Canada: Rizwan Cheema

Netherlands: Ryan ten Doeschate

Shahid Afridi

He was part of the disaster that was the Deccan Chargers' first season, missed the triumphant second season and in between was involved in a verbal spat with VVS Laxman, the franchise's first captain. That, though, shouldn't prevent him from being among the most in-demand players on Tuesday - not after his Man-of-the-Match performances in the semi-final and final of last year's World Twenty20 that showcased a maturity to go with his manic hitting and potent legspin.

Kieron Pollard
An electric 18-ball 54 for Trinidad & Tobago against New South Wales in the Champions League last year catapulted him to Twenty20 stardom. Throw in the steady medium-pace, acrobatic fielding and the made-for-IPL love of bling and there should be a hefty contract in hand come Tuesday. That will only follow the lead set by South Australia and Somerset, both of whom secured his Twenty20 services in the past three months.

Shane Bond
After a couple of seasons with the ICL, he is back in the mainstream and has shown he remains as dangerous as ever. He can still crank up the pace, the yorkers continue to seek out batsmen's toes, and he can fall back on bouncers and slower deliveries for variety. His retirement from Tests also means that he will only be missing a few days of the IPL, unlike his compatriots, who will out for around three weeks.

Umar Gul
His ability to deliver yorkers on demand and his supreme control over reverse-swing make him perhaps the world's finest Twenty20 bowler - and he comes minus the baggage of controversy or disciplinary problems. Like his national team-mates, he will be available for the entire season. Not yet convinced? His career Twenty20 stats read: 46 matches, 78 wickets, economy-rate 6.44, average 13.82, strike-rate 12.8, six four-wicket hauls. The case rests.

Mohammad Aamer
His ice-in-the-veins opening over during the final of the 2009 World Twenty20 - dismissing Man-of-the-Tournament Tillakaratne Dilshan for a five-ball duck after bombarding him with short deliveries - showed off this 17-year-old's unflappable temperament. Add to that the raw pace (capable of touching 150kmph), a sharp bouncer and promising lower-order batting. What's not to like?

Eoin Morgan
The dark horse. Fearless and inventive are the two most common adjectives to describe his strokeplay but he isn't all power-hitting - he has a bewildering array of sweeps and reverse-sweeps that spring from the teenage years spent playing the traditional Irish sport of hurling, making it hard to stop him scoring. He has galvanised the England middle-order with his combination of muscle and finesse, and grown into a brilliant finisher of innings. Message to IPL franchises: watch his 34-ball 67 in the ICC Champions Trophy and 45-ball 85 in a Twenty20 against South Africa two months ago.

Umar Akmal
Just six months into his international career, he is already being spoken of as the future of Pakistani batting. On his Test debut in the unfamiliar conditions of New Zealand, he showed the versatility of his batting: blasting an all-guns-blazing 129 after a top-order failure in the first innings, before a composed 75 in the second nearly pulled off a stiff chase. An aggressive batsman by nature, the Twenty20 format will be to his liking.

Shakib Al Hasan
Eyebrows were raised when he didn't land a contract last season but, after a year of relentlessly collecting runs and wickets, he should feature in this edition of the IPL. His left-arm spin has improved tremendously over the years, and he is now the batting mainstay for his country. Plus, he is Bangladesh cricket's biggest star at the moment, which means signing up Shakib will provide his franchise access to a massive fanbase

The ICC remains hopeful that bilateral contests between Pakistan and India can be resumed in the near future. Ties between the two governments have been rocky since the Mumbai terror attacks in November 2008, which the Indian government blamed on elements based within Pakistan.

Soon after, an Indian tour to Pakistan was cancelled, bringing yet another halt to a brief period of cricketing detente; between 2003-04 and 2007-08, each country visited the other twice for full tours in addition to facing off in a number of ICC and offshore bilateral contests. Since the attacks, however, the two sides have only played one international match, a group game in the 2009 ICC Champions Trophy.

Subsequently the relationship between the two boards has become strained during the period of impasse. A nadir was reached in the aftermath of the terror attacks in Lahore on the Sri Lankan team, with many officials in the PCB believing the BCCI had somehow engineered the removal of Pakistan as a venue for the 2011 World Cup.

But David Morgan, the ICC president, believes he can broker a resolution between the two. "One of the things I am working on is trying to persuade the BCCI that they should play bilaterally as opposed to in ICC events with Pakistan," Morgan told Cricinfo. "India versus Pakistan, Pakistan versus India is the equivalent of the Ashes in Test match cricket parlance. It is very important for both countries that they renew their rivalries on the field in the five-day game. I am very hopeful they will."

A revival of the rivalry is crucial especially for the PCB, currently battling a financial crunch after the banishment of the country as an international venue. According to Ijaz Butt, chairman PCB, the board lost US$40 million as a result of India's cancellation last year; a fair portion of the US$140 million broadcast deal the board has with Ten Sports is believed to have been based on the series against India.



The PCB has suffered losses of up to US$125 million over the last year or so, as a result of series and events being postponed, relocated or cancelled in light of the security situation in Pakistan. The ICC has set up a task force to work with the PCB and examine ways in which the financial impact of no international cricket can be lessened. One of the ideas emanating from their first and only meeting in December was to organize a series of fund-raising games between a World XI and Pakistan.

Morgan said he wasn't aware of the idea, but was awaiting a report from the task force of that meeting. "We'll be having a report from the task-force chairman Giles Clarke on the ninth of February when we meet in Dubai," Morgan said. "I am very pleased in the way the task force and the PCB interfaced really very well together."

At one stage last year the relationship between the PCB and the ICC also suffered; the PCB launched legal action against the world governing body following the decision not to stage matches of the 2011 World Cup in Pakistan, as was the original plan. But the dispute was resolved out of court and Morgan said that the situation had never got out of hand.

"There was an uneasiness, but never was it a difficult situation," Morgan said. "Mr Butt and I maintained good and decent relationships throughout. It was a very difficult time for them. At first there was a belief that they were being removed as hosts. That was never the case. The decision that the board took was that we couldn't actually stage any of the 14 matches in Pakistan but that the hosting rights were still Pakistan's.

"The ICC is determined that Pakistan should not be isolated. Pakistan is an extremely important cricketing nation, a very important part of the ICC. If you look back at the last two decades, Pakistan has produced some of the most stylish, some of the most achieving cricketers. It's important from world cricket's point of view that Pakistan is not isolated and that cricket continues to thrive there. It's obviously particularly difficult when cricketers cannot play on their home turf," Morgan said.

Security concerns in Pakistan

September 2001- New Zealand decide not to tour Pakistan following the September 11 attacks. West Indies and Australia then decide to move their games in Pakistan scheduled for later in the year to neutral venues in Colombo and Sharjah.
May 2002 - New Zealand cancel their tour of Pakistan after a bomb blast outside Karachi's Sheraton Hotel where they were staying.
March 2008 - Australia postpone their tour of Pakistan slated for the end of March as a result of security concerns.The decision was taken in the aftermath of Benazir Bhutto's assasination in December 2007.
August 2008 - Citing security concerns, five out of eight member nations of the ICC choose not to send their teams to Pakistan for the Champions Trophy scheduled for September the same year. As a result, the tournament is postponed until October 2009.
October 2008 - West Indies call off a proposed tour of Pakistan scheduled for November citing security concerns, a week after the West Indies Women had cancelled the Pakistan leg of their Asian tour.
December 2008 - The BCCI call off India's scheduled tour of Pakistan in 2009 following a directive from the government.
December 2008 - The PCB confirm that Sri Lanka will tour Pakistan after India decided not to after the Mumbai terror attack.
February 2009 - The ICC decide not to stage the 2009 Champions Trophy in Pakistan after some of the members expressed reservations about touring the country.

One of these days the crowds will throw up in stadiums. On purpose. In synchrony. Mass streaking will happen.

They will put up tents in the heat and dust of Dubai, outside the ICC's headquarters, and smoke hash and play rebel songs until they get a written assurance that India and Sri Lanka won't play each other for the next five years. Not in Tests. Not in ODIs. Not in Twenty20. Not in women's cricket. Not in carrom. Not in women's carrom.

The written assurance will also have to guarantee that if India and Sri Lanka happen to reach the final of the 2011 World Cup, that match will be abandoned - dangerous pitch or not - and that the losing semi-finalists will play for the World Cup.

I have no doubt that Vijay Bahadur Mishra and Daljit Singh grew sick of it all, and took the only route left for men of honour and dignity. They rolled out a monster of a pitch at the Feroz Shah Kotla, making sure at least one of these matches was called off. Or that enough players got injured, just in case the BCCI arm-twisted the SLC to keep playing. So what if they lost their jobs? It was a small sacrifice made for the Cause. So what if Kotla might miss out on World Cup matches? It's better than staging yet another game between India and Sri Lanka.

Soon Daljit and Mishra will find followers. They'll charge through the streets of Colombo and Calcutta, they'll stage candle-light protests outside Galle Fort and Gandhi Memorial. For there is only so much India-Sri Lanka cricket that humanity can take. Twenty-two ODIs in less than 19 months to go with six Tests and three Twenty20s.

This week's tri-series final will be the 121st ODI between these two great cricketing nations, beating the record held by Australia and West Indies, who started playing ODIs against each other four years before this particular venerable contest began. The best rivals bring out the best in each other; India and Sri Lanka have for months been excavating the worst out of each other.

Tillakaratne Dilshan and Yuvraj Singh drop a catch a match. Harbhajan Singh sees Sri Lankans and starts firing balls into the pads. Muttiah Muralitharan's bowling shoulder almost came out of its socket, and to make sure it didn't fall out along with the next delivery, he vowed never to play India again. Mendis' middle finger is about to break. Nehra has refused to perform two acts in any one match: bowling and fielding.


It's not the traditional boring contest, the kind Wisden and Cricinfo love to call an insomniacs' dream. Because there is always Sangakkara, who has become so desperate he has forgotten cricket rules, jumping up and down like he has stepped barefoot on a hot plate every time a ball as much as kisses the pad. And he doesn't even say "How was that?" How can one fall asleep with a Sangakkara lbw appeal for a ball pitched three feet outside leg just around the corner? Insomniacs' nightmare, more like. These matches resonate long after they are over. Painfully.

I don't know how Dilshan, the wannabe Sehwag, feels about it, but he seems to have scored 8000 of his 9000 international runs against India. And what of Gambhir, that greatest Indian opener since Gavaskar? We have forgotten the last time he scored a run against a team that was not wearing a shade of blue darker than his own uniform.

The only saving grace is the rare honourable man such as Dhoni, who slows the bowling rate down under the guise of discussing strategy, and gets himself banned for two ODIs. That's the closest we will get - in this corporate world - to Gandhi's Non-cooperation Movement.

Time the statisticians joined in the protest. Just like they don't consider matches against Bangladesh, Zimbabwe and other non-Test playing nations when carrying out a qualitative analysis, all India-Sri Lanka matches should be disqualified. This torture has gone on for too long, and there should be hell to pay. Sehwag should stand at two double-centuries fewer, and five of Dilshan's international centuries should be struck off the record, never mind how delightful some of those innings were.

Only then will these sides stop fighting each other like slave-gladiators from Rome. Cricket needs Marleys, Dylans, Guevaras. The BCCI and the SLC want blood, like the emperors of old. Somebody has to stop them. Is there no one man enough to stand up to them? Is anybody listening? Maximus, anybody?

With all due to respect to Bangladesh, the teams with the more commanding records were always expected to meet in the final. After going at each other for the past two months, Sri Lanka and India clash at the Shere Bangla National Cricket Stadium on Wednesday, and if recent encounters are any clue, India are the favourites.

That's not a tag they have ever been comfortable with. Finals of multi-team tournaments have long been India's dreaded bogie, but against Sri Lanka there will at least be the comfort of familiarity - they have played each other 22 times in the last 19 months, with India winning 13 and losing seven times. Since MS Dhoni took over the leadership India have reached four finals and won two. Those two losses, against Sri Lanka and Pakistan in the summer of 2008, left a sour taste and India will be keen to impose their strength.

On the other hand, Kumar Sangakkara has only won one ODI series since he became captain in early 2009. Defeats to India in the home tri-series and the away tour must rankle, and his leadership has come under heavy fire of late.

A look back at the league phase, which ended on Monday with India comfortably handing Bangladesh their fourth loss in a row, indicates that neither they nor Sri Lanka had a tough time reaching this point. Both batting line-ups are in form, the fielding has improved significantly from when they played each other in December, but it is the bowling which is still a concern. No frontline fast bowler from either side has averaged less than 5.38 runs an over or 31.20 per wicket, and the most successful bowler overall has been the allrounder Thissara Perera, whose five wickets have come at 18.20 and 4.33 an over.

Inaccurate bowling at the start and during the death overs hampered both India and Sri Lanka in the limited-overs series before the New Year. India's fast bowlers were lukewarm in their first two games of this series, failing to defend a total of 279 against Sri Lanka and allowing Bangladesh to post 296 after that. The rookie Sudeep Tyagi has impressed in two games but is not a certainty for the final, Sreesanth has been wayward and expensive, and most of the responsibility has been shouldered by Zaheer Khan and Ashish Nehra. Both have had more off days than good ones.

The situation is even more worrying for Sri Lanka. Apart from Chanaka Welegedara's five-wicket haul in the first game against India, no pace bowler has been impressive, and the pick of the attack has been the young offspinner, Suraj Randiv. Their two most experienced bowlers, Nuwan Kulasekara and Thilan Thushara, have been poor and Suranga Lakmal all over the place. Too much pressure has been put on Randiv and Perera, and neither can be expected to carry Sri Lanka's attack.

After Sri Lanka's defeat on Sunday, Sangakkara admitted that the result had robbed them of some momentum going into the final. The mantra for this series has been simple - field first. With that in mind, the bowling will have to be extremely proficient.


Virender Sehwag: After being given two matches to rest up before the big game, Sehwag - who averaged 45.00 in 2009 with three centuries - will slot back alongside good mate Gautam Gambhir at the top. In two games this series Sehwag has scores of 47 and 13, and his overall average in tournament finals isn't so hot, with no century yet. Expect him to try and rectify that tomorrow.


The battle of the openers: India's first-choice openers, Gambhir and Sehwag, have added 44 for the first wicket in two games this tournament; Upul Tharanga and Tillakaratne Dilshan have put on 35 in two games. Dilshan and Sehwag have both missed two games, but will return for the final. How Gambhir and Tharanga adjust to having their stronger and flashier accomplices back in the saddle could be crucial.

Suraj Randiv v Yuvraj Singh: Four innings have resulted in just 96 runs for Yuvraj, and in the last outing against Bangladesh he looked particularly uneasy against spin. The 25 deliveries he faced for his 13 runs were all against spin, and there was but one dominating shot. Against the offspinner Naeem Islam, a similar bowler to Randiv, Yuvraj managed eight runs in 18 balls before he was out lbw. Randiv has been impressive in not allowing batsmen to dominate, so watch this battle closely.


India rested Sehwag for the last two games, so he will slip back at the top for Dinesh Karthik. Sreesanth's patchy form may not guarantee him a place, especially since Tyagi has done well as a replacement for Nehra and Zaheer, who are certain to play. Harbhajan Singh's return means Amit Mishra will go back to the bench. India had an optional training day, indicative of their schedule and confidence, and just six players turned up.


India: (probable) 1 Virender Sehwag, 2 Gautam Gambhir, 3 Virat Kohli, 4 Yuvraj Singh, 5 MS Dhoni (capt/wk), 6 Suresh Raina, 7 Ravindra Jadeja, 8 Harbhajan Singh, 9 Zaheer Khan, 10 Ashish Nehra, 10 Sreesanth/Sudeep Tyagi.


With the team progressing smoothly to the finals, Sri Lanka may not tinker too much with their combination. At training on the eve of the final, Welegedara and Lakmal were practising a lot of yorkers and bouncers. Welegedera more yorkers, Lakmal more bouncers. Thushara was also seen trying to get bounce from short of a length. Sri Lanka will have to decide between one of them and Kulasekara.

Sri Lanka: (probable) 1 Upul Tharanga, 2 Tillakaratne Dilshan, 3 Kumar Sangakkara (capt./wk), 4 Mahela Jayawardene, 5 Thilan Samaraweera, 6 Thilina Kandamby, 7 Thissara Perera, 8 Suraj Randiv, 9 Nuwan Kulasekara, 10 Thilan Thushara, 11 Chanaka Welegedara.

Stats and trivia

The final will be the 121st ODI between India and Sri Lanka, a record for most matches played between two teams. Australia and West Indies have played 120, while Sri Lanka have played 119 against Pakistan.


In neutral venues India hold a 19-11 advantage against Sri Lanka, and have won eight of the last 12. In Bangladesh, though, Sri Lanka have won three out of five.


Sangakkara has an overall batting average of 35.72 against India, but in the last year he has done much better, averaging 46.78 at a strike rate of 91.48 in 14 matches since the beginning of 2009. In these 14 innings he has struck seven half-centuries. Mahela Jayawardene has struggled, though, scoring only 222 runs in 12 innings during this period.


Among India's current batsmen, MS Dhoni and Gambhir have been the most successful (in terms of averages) against Sri Lanka: Dhoni averages 63.08 at a strike rate of 90.93 in 31 innings, while Gambhir averages 49.60 at a strike rate of 91.68 in 23 innings.


All six matches in the tournament so far have been won by the team batting second.

"I am fresh after the break and the youngsters got a chance. We have a good bench strength which is good for the team."
The extra time to rest up came handy for Sehwag.


"If he [Virender Sehwag] plays well, it will be crucial for India. If he doesn't, it will be good for us."
Seriously, Sangakkara?

Former Australian captain and leading commentator Ian Chappell has said India don't have the resources to retain their No.1 spot in the ICC Test rankings for a long enough period to emulate Australia and the great West Indies teams of the past. Chappell said that India's batting alone will not sustain them and to do so, they will have to unearth a couple of champion bowlers.

Chappell and former India batsman Sanjay Manjrekar aired their views in Time Out, Cricinfo's new fortnightly audio show hosted by the leading commentator Harsha Bhogle. India bagged the top ranking from Australia after beating Sri Lanka 2-0 in the three-Test series at home last month. India jumped from No. 3 to No.1 for first time since the rankings came into place in May 2001.

Manjrekar said a big reason for India's success is the arrival of a strong opening pair in Virender Sehwag and Gautam Gambhir, and the ability to adjust to foreign conditions.

"It's a huge asset to have, a stable opening pair. I noticed a change in India's batting around the time Sourav Ganguly was leading India, John Wright was in charge, and I saw India playing on foreign pitches," Manjrekar said. "I found that the new generation of Indian batsmen could play the pull shot, the cut shot, and they were pretty good against the short deliveries."

However, Chappell felt that India have completed only half the job of being a well-rounded team.

"I don't think great teams are built on opening batting partnerships. But to me, there is a far more important thing, and this is one reason why I don't rate India as a long-term No.1, " Chappell said. "I think you have got to have two champion bowlers in your line-up to be a long-term successful cricket team. That is where India is falling down at the moment.

"When I look at the averages and the strike-rates for India in the last 12 months, I don't see two champion bowlers. In fact, I am struggling to find one champion bowler in that line-up. They've got some good bowlers. Sure, they have got a very good batting line-up, but the bowling is really not good enough to see them win consistently all around the world."

Over the last two years, India have played 20 Tests, winning nine and losing three. Three of those wins have come against Australia, including one in Perth during their last tour in 2007-08. Chappell acknowledged that India had performed above themselves in the last two tours of Australia, but their success would have tasted much better had they beaten them while they were still a major force in international cricket.

Since the collective retirement of their champion players like Glenn McGrath, Shane Warne, Justin Langer and later Matthew Hayden and Adam Gilchrist, Australia haven't produced the same level of consistency in results.

"I would have thought it was a greater achievement if they had caught up with Australia while Australia was still very much a great side, rather than waiting for Australia to come back to the field," Chappell said. "That to me has been the disappointing thing. It seems to me that the other teams have almost thrown their hands and said that 'it's hard to beat them, we will just wait for them to fall back and then we will catch them'."

Two ODI centuries in 19 matches and it's rather evident that Virat Kohli has grabbed every opportunity that has come his way, but the young batsman says he will take one step at a time and not think of too far ahead to keep pressure at bay.

Addressing the media at the post match press conference after he helped India beat Bangladesh by six wickets in a tri-series match with an unbeaten 102, Kohli said he is still under pressure whenever he goes to out bat.

"Pressure is there as I am in the early stage of my career. I want to grab every opportunity that comes my way. I got a lot of confidence from the century I scored against Sri Lanka in Kolkata last month. I am in a great form and I want to continue my form but at the same time I don't want to put myself under pressure by setting goals and targets," he said.

"I could not score much in the first match (of the tri-series) and I came out late in the innings in the second match. So I am happy that I scored a century today," said Kohli, the man of the match and tournament top scorer with 279 runs.

He said the Emerging Players' Tournament last year in Australia had done a lot of good in his confidence and made him a better player.

"I did not change much in my technique of batting. But the Emerging Players' Tournament in Australia gave me a lot of confidence. That changed my career," said the right-handed batsman who led India to Under-19 World Cup triumph in 2008.

The temperamental batsman, who is considered to carry some attitude, accepted that he committed mistakes and was trying to rectify them by just concentrating on the game.

"Everybody is entitled to have his or her opinions (that I have attitudinal issues). I made mistakes and I have accepted it and am trying to rectify myself. I just want to concentrate on cricket and not think of any other things," he said.

Asked if he now dreams of staking a claim for a Test spot, Kohli said, "Getting a Test spot is any cricketer's dream. I want to make the most out of my current good form. But I don't want to think too far ahead. I will take one step at a time."

Meanwhile, the team's administrative manager Arshad Ayub tried to clear the air on Virender Sehwag who has not been sighted with the team during practice and in dressing room saying that the dashing opener is likely to play in the final against Sri Lanka on Wednesday.

"A lot has been made out of Sehwag. He is all well and fine without any injury and illness. Hopefully he will be back in the playing XI in the final," he said.

Bangladesh captain Shakib Al Hasan said, by playing against India in the Test series starting in Chittagong on January 17, his players can learn a lot.

"India are much ahead of us. They are the world number one side and we are number nine. There are so many things we can learn from them. We will give our best shot in the Test series and see how it goes," he said.

The following are the statistical highlights of the tri-series cricket match between India and Bangladesh:

# Shakib's 85 off 97 balls is the highest individual innings by a Bangladesh captain against India. The said knock is his highest against India. It's his third half-century against India and his 13th overall.

# Raqibul Hasan, during the course of his 28, completed 1,000 runs in ODIs, aggregating 1018 (average 29.94) in 40 matches.

# Mushfiqur Rahim also completed 1,000 runs, aggregating 1,002 at an average of 22.26, including four fifties in 63 ODIs.

# Shakib and Mahmudullah were involved in a 106-run stand for the sixth wicket, which is Bangladesh's highest against India in Bangladesh.

# Mahmudullah, with an unbeaten 64 off 80 balls has recorded his career-best knock, bettering the 60 not out off 45 balls against India at Dhaka on January 7, 2010.

# Mahmudullah's second half-century against India is his fourth in ODIs. His runs' tally of 193 (average 193.00) is the best for Bangladesh in the present competition.

# Naeem Islam (22 not out) recorded his highest innings against India apart from registering his best bowling performance (2/35) against India.

# Tamim Iqbal, during the course of his 17, completed 2,000 runs in ODIs, amassing 2002 (average 28.60) in 70 matches. He became the fourth Bangladeshi player to make 2,000 runs or more in ODIs, joining Mohammad Ashraful, Habibul Bashar and Shakib Al Hasan.

# Virat Kohli is the top run-getter in the tri-nation series - 273 runs (ave.136.50), including one hundred and two fifties - his career-best batting performance in a series/competition.

# Kohli has been adjudged the Man of the Match for the second time in ODIs.

# Amongst the Indian batsmen with 500 runs or more, Kohli's average of 58.23 is the best - he has 757 in 13 innings, including two hundreds and five fifties.

# India, with 13 points, are on the top of the table with three wins out of four - the only team to have a net run-rate in the positive.

# Bangladesh have lost all four matches in the tri-series competition that they played.

# Kohli, for the first time, has posted his third consecutive fifty-plus innings. He has recorded three fifties and two hundreds in his last six innings.

# Kohli posted his first hundred against Bangladesh - his second in ODIs.

With a place in the final already clinched and nothing much at stake, most of India's batsmen batted sloppily. However there was no such charity from Virat Kohli as he struck a mature unbeaten century to ensure that India went into Wednesday's game on the back of three successive wins.

Shakib Al Hasan's 85 and a 106-run partnership with the lively Mahmudullah had lifted Bangladesh from a dismal 95 for 5 to 247 for 6, but on a placid track and against a line-up in form, it was nowhere near enough. India cantered home with seven overs to spare.

Kohli played with commendable concentration until victory was in sight, driving and cutting beautifully even as wickets fell around him. He got his first reprieve on 83, when Mohammad Ashraful put him down at deep midwicket off Syed Rasel, and the butter-fingers epidemic appeared to catch on, with Mushfiqur Rahim fluffing a stumping off Shakib in the next over. Ashraful's woeful outing continued when he dropped Suresh Raina two balls later. It summed up Bangladesh's evening in the field though the match was as good as over by then.

The only interest towards the end of the game centred around whether Kohli would get to his second century. The first 50 had taken just 47 balls, and he was especially severe on Shafiul Islam in his final spell, off-driving and pulling with authority. Naeem Islam was punched off the back foot for four and when Rasel decided to test him with a short one, he pulled it behind square for four. Victory and three figures were completed in a hurry, with an off-drive and a leg-side swish off Shakib.

Bangladesh needed early wickets to send any tremors through the Indian ranks but they didn't get them. Shafiul bowled some fine deliveries, but also offered width that Dinesh Karthik was quick to capitalize on, cutting powerfully past the inner ring for fours. With Gautam Gambhir glancing anything directed at his pads and Karthik easing one through the covers, India were off and away.

When Abdur Razzak came on, Karthik greeted him with a fierce heave over midwicket, but his cameo ended on 34 when he under-edged Shafiul to the keeper. Shafiul continued to be expensive though, with Gambhir taking three fours in an over, and it was left to Naeem to strike in his first over and give the team some hope.

Gambhir sauntered down the track to Naeem and swiped airily, only to see his stumps broken. But with Kohli cutting Shakib for boundaries and playing a gorgeous on-drive, the asking rate was in no danger of climbing. Yuvraj Singh was becalmed against spin though, and after a superb cover-drive, Naeem had him playing down the wrong line to be trapped in front. MS Dhoni glimmered briefly for 32 before clipping Shakib to mid-on, but there were no further alarms as Raina and Kohli saw it home in dew-heavy conditions.

Naeem had contributed a brisk 22 late in the Bangladesh innings as they took 47 from the batting Powerplay and 95 from the final 10 overs to reach a respectable score. Mahmudullah continued his good form against India, remaining unconquered on 64. Shakib was dropped by Dhoni off Yuvraj when he had made just 38 and he took advantage with some punishing strokes in the final stages of the innings. A huge six over midwicket off Ravindra Jadeja started the acceleration, and he took Amit Mishra in the same direction when he dropped short.

There was some fortune, with a top edge clearing Dhoni for four, but there was also plenty of ability, with Sudeep Tyagi being pulled for two fours and then scooped impudently down to fine leg. But when he tried to repeat the stroke off Ashish Nehra's slower ball, he only found Dhoni's gloves.

Mahmudullah had started off with a thump over cover off Mishra, and he then lofted Nehra to long-off for four more. Sreesanth was cut powerfully to the ropes and Mishra hit over long-on for six as the runs came far more freely in the final stages. Naeem swung Nehra for a six at the end and slashed another four as the sparse crowd celebrated a frenetic finish to the innings.

India had started much the better. After a maiden from Tyagi, Imrul Kayes had flailed twice through the off side as Sreesanth pitched too wide, but when he tried the same approach against Tyagi, Kohli snaffled him at point. Ashraful had no thoughts of consolidating - after playing one reckless shot to third man, he decided to give Sreesanth the charge and played on via the pads.

Raqibul Hasan played some chancy strokes, and a delightful pull off Tyagi, while Tamim Iqbal, after a cautious start, lofted Sreesanth over mid-on and then pulled him for four. But again, a wicket fell when they could least afford it, with Tamim driving Nehra on the up to mid-off, where Tyagi took an excellent catch on the run.

Raqibul was then run out as Yuvraj managed to deflect a Shakib drive on the stumps, and though Shakib gave the fans something to cheer with some crisp strokes through the off side, Mushfiqur lobbed a slower one from Yuvraj straight to the man at cover to leave the side in disarray with half the overs remaining. Honour was partially restored by the end, but once again India were just too strong, even with Virender Sehwag, Harbhajan Singh and Zaheer Khan not taking the field.

India's best fielding performance in ODIs since the Champions Trophy in September last year set up their march to the final by way of a thumping win. It wasn't anything spectacular: half chances were taken and easy ones not missed, marking a big improvement on their recent fielding form. That, coupled with impressive bowling from Zaheer Khan and Amit Mishra, pulled Sri Lanka from an explosive start and restricted them to a paltry 213, which was chased down with 17.2 overs to spare.

Zaheer was the pick of the bowlers, creating one half chance, and two fairly easy ones. At one stage his figures read 6-2-11-2. Sri Lanka had chosen to bat to allow their bowlers experience first-hand the wet conditions before the final, but it took resilient half-centuries from Kumar Sangakkara and Suraj Randiv to take the match far enough for the dew to set in.

If Sangakkara and Randiv had to work hard, India's runs came with predictable ease: Gautam Gambhir scored his 19th half-century, Dinesh Karthik narrowly missed a fourth, and Virat Kohli made it to his fourth 50-plus score in his last five innings.

But it was the first 11 overs of the match that staged the decisive action: two wicket-maidens, a wicket in the first over of new spells on three occasions and, between that, scintillating batting from Tillakaratne Dilshan. Coming back from a groin injury, Dilshan decided to do away with the running. He just drove, cut, pulled and late-cut eight boundaries in 17 deliveries to deflate any confidence India and Sudeep Tyagi would have gained from getting Upul Tharanga out in the first over.

When Zaheer was brought on, in the sixth over, Dilshan had hit seven boundaries in his 29, and Sri Lanka nine in their 38. He was pulled for a four second ball. The next ball took a thick edge, and was dying on Gambhir at fine gully before he snared it. Zaheer was pumped, and proceeded to bowl to a plan that worked just fine for him. Nothing to drive, a short cover in place, playing on the batsmen's patience with the nagging accuracy. Mahela Jayawardene gave in, driving a ball that should not have been driven, and Kohli hung on to a sharp catch at short cover.

Back came Sreesanth, whose first two overs had gone for 16, and Thilan Samaraweera walked across to a straight delivery and missed. Forty-two for 1 in 5.2 overs became 61 for 4 in 10.2. Soon Thilina Kandamby was run out, his fifth such dismissal out of 23. This time, though, he was sold a dummy by his captain, and was done in a by a smart throw from Karthik and quick backing-up by Zaheer.

Thissara Perera, bounced and verbalised by Zaheer, tried to target Mishra, but Yuvraj Singh pulled out a diving catch at wide long-on, not his last contribution to Sri Lanka's woes. Sangakkara, who had reached 32 off 42 by then, responded to Perera's wicket by stepping out and hitting Sreesanth for four. He dominated a seventh-wicket partnership that took Sri Lanka closer to 150, but that's when Yuvraj struck.

Sangakkara had tried to make full use of every loose delivery that came his way, and also took calculated risks to keep the scoreboard from stagnating. But when he pulled a Yuvraj delivery which was too full, he had completed 43 innings without a century. Randiv and Thilan Thushara added 59 for the eighth wicket, a stand that saw Randiv through to his first List A fifty. But when the time came to press on, when they opted for the Powerplay in the 44th over, the tail came up short, and Sri Lanka were bundled out by Zaheer and Mishra, with four overs still to go.

If there was any doubt to which way the match was going, Karthik and Gambhir removed it by taking 86 off the first 10 overs. Sri Lanka's last chance of preventing India from getting the bonus point vanished when Dilshan and Tharanga dropped Gambhir on 41 and 44 respectively.

Karthik did no harm to his chances of pushing for a place in further matches by following up a catch and a smart run-out with a dominating role in the opening partnership. He started off with a streaky boundary past the slip but soon got into the groove, punishing errors in both line and length. Anything straying on the pads was flicked through midwicket, and the ones short were cut through point and covers. Gambhir smartly assumed the second fiddle, capitalising on width when not milking singles.

Once with Kohli, and with fields spread, the two got down to exploiting the gaps, running almost on intuition, scoring 60 off their 72-run partnership on foot. Upon Gambhir's dismissal, Kohli asked for the Powerplay and quickly finished Sri Lanka off, accelerating from 33 off 48 to 71 off 68.

A succession of bowling changes within the first eight overs of the chase indicated where the match was heading. Bangladesh, under immense pressure to defend a modest - by this tournament's standards - 250, found themselves at the receiving end of an annihilation by Sri Lanka, who marched into the finals with three wins in three. Mahela Jayawardene and Upul Tharanga compiled centuries with risk-free cricket and the hosts were at the mercy of the conditions again. The decision to advance play by half an hour to protect the bowlers from the dew didn't made an iota of difference.

Tharanga and Jayawardene caressed the ball around, as if the fielders didn't exist. Jayawardene, initially rested for this tournament, was rushed to Bangladesh as an injury cover and he didn't waste much time settling down. He imposed himself with three boundaries in the second over, off Rubel Hossain, flicking and driving through the off side. Shakib Al Hasan, sensing the futility of bowling his seamers in tandem, took them off after the third over.

It made no difference. Shakib himself was taken for consecutive boundaries by Tharanga as soon as he brought himself on, in the fifth over. The same treatment was reserved for Mahmudullah, who was punished by Tharanga in his first over for dropping it short. It was sensible cricket against some very ordinary bowling. The bowlers couldn't grip it properly and fed many deliveries on the pads.

Batting from the crease had never been this easy. The pair complemented each other stroke for stroke, giving room to glide the spinners past the keeper for boundaries to third man. The spinners were almost forced to bowl it flat because of the dew, and that allowed the batsmen enough time to rock back and place their shots in the gaps. A flick down to fine leg brought up Jayawardene's fifty, while Tharanga reached his milestone with a fierce cut off Ashraful past backward point. Tharanga continued to pick the gaps with his eyes shut, taking Rasel for three effortless boundaries in an over. With every punch, flick and cut, the game drifted away from Bangladesh, who had already thrown in the towel.

Shakib didn't opt for the bowling Powerplay in the 11th over because he had no other option but to go on the defensive. By the eighth over, he had used five bowlers, and, by the 14th, he had used seven. They were hurt by the absence of a raw quick bowler to hurry the batsmen with bounce. The bowlers were made to wait for the batsmen to make mistakes but instead, they were made to witness a batting performance close to perfection.

With the target well within reach, it was a question of who would get to a century first. Jayawardene punished the easy short deliveries which Rubel dished out and reached three figures with a cut for four to deep point. Tharanga got to his milestone with a similar shot. Jayawardene had all but taken his team home, when he edged Naeem Islam to the keeper for 104. It was Bangladesh's only success of the evening.

Looking back, the hosts would have wished they batted better. After the top order wasted good starts, the middle order took time to consolidate. They still had wickets in hand to accelerate in the last ten overs, but despite saving the Powerplay almost till the end, couldn't seal the innings with a flourish.

However, the game still had the makings of yet another high-scoring encounter when Tamim Iqbal and Imrul Kayes set off confidently again. But Tamim, Ashraful and Kayes made starts and got out at the wrong time. It was upto the Hasans - Shakib and Raqibul - to consolidate after that. Shakib was trying to play himself into form after two successive failures and was happy to push the singles. There was a boundary drought for 14.1 overs, before Raqibul broke the shackles with a powerful sweep off Malinga Bandara to deep midwicket.

The pair added 77 in nearly 20 overs before a false shot cost Raqibul his wicket. Mushfiqur Rahim certainly impacted the decibel levels in the crowd when he mowed Thilan Samaraweera for two sixes in an over off deep midwicket and heralded the Powerplay with improvised boundaries. But Shakib and Mushfiqur perished while trying to clear the boundaries and with those breakthroughs, Sri Lanka clawed back.

With the field restrictions in place. Mahmudullah was trapped in two minds whether to attack freely or adopt a more cautious approach. The bowlers changed their pace very effectively to strangle the scoring. Sri Lanka tightened their grip by picking up a wicket in each of the five overs, for 32 runs. It was the second-worst performance in the batting Powerplay in ODIs, after Pakistan lost 6 for 41 against India at Centurion in last year's Champions Trophy. Bangladesh ended with a total which, by the end of the game, seemed a 100 short.

If Team India is the numero uno of Test cricket, a lot of credit goes to one man who has been silently and selflessly working behind the scene. In an exclusive interview, Gary Kirsten, the coach of the Indian cricket team, talks to Cricket Nirvana on the journey to the top and the team he is in charge of…

A good 18 months ago, you sat down with Team India and set a goal of becoming the world’s best Test team. How does it feel to get there?

It’s been a fantastic and interesting run. I’ve enjoyed the time that I’ve spent with the Indian team and for them to achieve the level of success they have over the last 18 months is particularly satisfying. It’s not something that I’ve put in place. The whole team has worked together and MS Dhoni has played a crucial role as the captain of the team and by playing the type of cricket we wanted to play. Everyone has made crucial contributions at one stage or another in the last two years.

My relationships with players are built on trust. I encourage them to speak up and give their feedback. I feel players’ contribution is very vital, as I might not have all the answers.— Gary Kirsten on his relationship with player © Getty Images

What according to you is the biggest strength of this team?

Let’s put one thing on the table that it is a very talented team; there is a lot of skill. I believe that it has one of the strongest batting line-ups in the world and that alone says a lot. But generally, it all boils down to try and achieve the goals as a unit, which this team has done amazingly well.

How do you look back at your stint so far?

I’ve just thoroughly enjoyed understanding the way the Indian players are, the way they play their cricket and how they go about their business. It’s very different from other countries. I’ve also grown close to a lot of the players, having spent the last two years with them. We’ve worked on this mission to be consistently a good team and we’re on the right path.

What struck you the most about India and Indian cricket when you first came here to take up the coaching job?

Everyone knows that India is a cricket-mad country. There is a huge following and these players are revered here. I was amazed at how well the players handle themselves with this kind of fan-base and popularity. I think it’s quite difficult sometimes to manage the adulation that you receive and at the same time go out and give your best, playing for Team India. All credit to the players for the way they conduct themselves on and off the field.

As a foreign coach, what were the areas you had to work on during your early days?

The main challenge was to understand the Indian way, which is very different. It would have been foolish of me to come in with a South African mindset and say, ‘this is how we’re going to play cricket’. So, I spent a lot of time just understanding and getting a feel of how the Indians go about their business on and off the field. Then it was on to building some relationships and trust and create an environment where we could all talk very openly to each other.


Paddy Upton has been tremendous on the road with me. Together we were able to lay out a path in terms of the influence we could have on the players and how we wanted to change a certain things. But at the same time we also focused on the things the team was doing well at the time and make sure we continue with them.

What goes into coaching a team at an international level?

The word coaching might not necessarily be the right word at this level, but a whole lot of things go into it. The first is to manage the players and their thought processes. There’s an enormous amount of stress on international players to perform for their country in front of 50,000 people every day. So, it’s all about working out what you need to say or do to a player to get the best out of him. That’s one very important component.

Of course there is the technical component but that’s more about monitoring each individual and making sure he’s doing the things that he wants to do technically. Then there’s the strategy component, where you sit with the captain and players, understand their individual game-plans and combine them with the team’s plans.

There’s also a motivational component. There comes a time when you need to have a strong word or two with the guys just to get them going.

Lastly, we also need to set up an environment where people enjoy themselves. That’s an important thing when the players are on the road for a long time. We need to make sure that when we wake up in the morning, we’re up doing what we want to do and that we’re having a lot of fun doing it.

You’ve had to deal with a variety of players, considering that we have different teams for Test and shorter forms of the game. How do you handle that aspect?

It is very important to handle every individual differently. With the younger players, you want to help them grow and become better cricketers. In case of senior players, one just needs to make sure they continue their level of success and may be even get 10 or 15 per cent better. I think a lot of the players know what they need to do, so for me it’s really just to monitor that. And if there’s anything that I feel I can add to their game, I bring it to their attention and we take it from there.

Many players have given you credit for their success. How do you motivate them?

It’s a very nice thing for them to credit me because at the end of the day they’re the ones crossing the ropes and doing the job. The best that I can do is monitor their game and let them know if I pick up any technical glitch. More importantly, you should allow them to be themselves and play the way they play best. Also, they should be made aware that we’re trying to achieve one goal as a team and should play within that boundary.

Representing the country is the motivation for the players. How do you motivate yourself everyday?

I’m here to do a job and do it as well as I can. I’d like to believe that I give a hundred per cent every day and I’m completely motivated and geared towards giving this team the best chance of success. We’re not always going to win games or play how we want to play, but I believe this bunch of cricketers can really achieve the level of success we’re striving for on a regular basis.

One player who has really flourished under you is Gautam Gambhir. He has scored runs with amazing consistency for the last two years. What do you think is Gambhir’s biggest strength?

The bottom line is that he takes every innings he plays for his country very seriously. He’s got a fierce determination to succeed and he treats every innings as his last for India. He is a tremendous example for the young players in terms of not being satisfied with being average and not being satisfied with one good knock in the series. Another huge attribute is that he can play any type of game. He can save a Test match for you and can bat at a run-a-ball in ODIs. He can adapt his game to different situations. He’s a wonderful asset to the team and I just hope his form continues.

Former India coach John Wright once caught Sehwag by his collar as he nonchalantly walked into the dressing room after getting out to a terrible shot. Did it also take time for you to come to terms with Sehwag’s unique brand of batsmanship?

No, not at all! I very much knew the way Virender played his cricket. I’d watched him play and also played against him on a few occasions. So, I had a good understanding of the way he went about his business. I knew the value that he added to the team. It’s ideal to have a good mix of aggressive players and the more compact ones in the top six of the batting line-up, so that they compliment each other. And Sehwag brings that balance into the Indian team. We encourage his high-risk cricket because even his quick 30-40 can change the game to the team’s favour and help in upping the run-rate right from the start.

Despite having talented bowlers, we lack consistency in the attack as we have in our batting line-up. Both spinners and pacers are juggled around. Is this an area of concern?


I think it’s a real opportunity for the younger bowlers to stake their claim in the team. The point you’re making is correct. But we know that every one of these bowlers has done well at one stage or the other and we’re just making sure we pick the best out of a group of guys as the third seamer or second spinner who can compliment the senior bowlers. So, it presents a chance to the young guys to stake their claim and say, ‘I want a place in the team at a consistent level and willing to work hard for it’.

For any team to be successful, the captain-coach relationship is very crucial. You and MS Dhoni have struck a good rapport. What do you think makes this working relationship click?

I think it’s the respect we have for each other. I have tremendous respect for his playing ability and his captaincy. Equally, he shows respect for what I do within the team. We understand each other’s roles within the team environment and each other’s space but at the same time we can always cross that boundary and offer suggestions.

Do you think the team needs a specialist bowling and fielding coach?

It just helps the process. The game has moved to a stage where specialist coaches have a very important role to play. More importantly, I believe that just one specialist bowling or fielding coach doesn’t serve the purpose of the entire team. Take me for an example, I’m the head coach and probably also the designated batting coach. But I can’t fulfill the needs of all individuals. There will be players who have their own coaches they’d want to turn to. I want players to receive different types of input that would help them improve their game. So, to have consultants coming in and offering value over a period of time is very important.

During the Twenty20 World Cup and Champions Trophy, many of our players were carrying niggles and you raised a point about their participation in the IPL and Champions League. Now that these tournaments are here to stay, what do you think is the best way to ensure international cricket doesn’t suffer?

I think it’s the responsibility of the players to make sure they look after themselves during the IPL and at the back of their minds prepare for the international tournaments. They can use the IPL as a preparation ground for the Twenty20 World Cup. They play 13-14 games in the league, which is a huge opportunity and it must be used in a right way.

As Indian coach, you must have come across many young talented players. Anybody who has impressed you in particular?

I don’t think it’s right to pick any one. There is a lot of talent in Indian cricket and that is particularly heartening. I think in that context, the introduction of the IPL is a great opportunity for youngsters. They are exposed to the big scene with big crowds and pressure situations, which give them a sense of belonging. It prepares them well for international cricket. There is a lot of talent out there and it all depends on how it is nurtured and whether the individuals understand what they need to convert it into performance.

Do you fret over the future of Test cricket?

All the players think it’s great to play Test cricket and that’s the bottom line. It’s a very important component of the game. We have three disciplines now, which can all be played in a calendar year. It’s really important to understand that Test cricket is the soul of the game and we must make sure that we don’t play less and less of it.

Understandably, it’s difficult to fit in everything at the moment because we have a lot on the plate in a year, but I think Test cricket is doing very well at the moment. You just have to look at a couple of series played recently where we got good crowds. The Ashes series last year and our series against Sri Lanka attracted good crowds. So, I believe Test cricket is in a healthy state.