India mauled !

Indian cricket at the crossroads again. The Holy Trinity and Co fell like nine pins. Gone are the days of formidable Indian batting displays.

The Kangaroo quickies bowled with fire and India were skittled out for 169.

Dhoni, meanwhile, defended Indian batsmen and lauded the Aussie demon fast bowlers.

He said he is not worried by the lacklustre performance.

Said he "Not really. They are very experienced batsmen. You have to give credit to Australia bowlers for the way they bowled. They kept a nagging line outside the off-stump and that's why they got us."

He also praised the lower order Kangaroo batsmen for making contributions with the bat in Australia's first innings.

"Bowlers brought us back in to the game. We were short by 50-odd runs in the first innings. Their lower-order scored some runs, if we had got them earlier, we would have had 50-60 runs less to chase" he said.

He said India has resilience.

"We are known to be tentative starters, I think in the next game we will be slightly better."

Clarke hailed his pace trio and the experience of Hussey and Ponting.

"Our tail were outstanding with their batting, and we have to give full credit to the bowlers. You always want to have plans against whatever team you play and we were able to execute the plans.

"Credit has to go to Ponting and Hussey as well. India are a fantastic team. It is great to have them here in Australia. We know they'll come hard at us in Sydney" Clarke said.

We have said in our columns that astrologically this is not a good phase for India, with Jupiter in the 10th and Saturn in the 4th. Now it is a real problem Down Under India is facing, despite the Holy Trinity ( Laxman, Dravid & Sachin ).

India strike back !

Umesh Yadav bagged three top wickets, as Australia plunged to 27/4. Then Ponting and Hussey played well and the Kangaroos are on a respectable 179/8 !

Hussey is still a thorn in the flesh for the Indians and is unconquered on 79. Ponting was out for 60.

Yadav was the pick of the bowlers with 4/49. Zaheer took 2/32 and Ishant and Ashwin scalped one each.

Earlier Dravid was bowled Hilfenhaus for 68 and Laxman was removed by Siddle for 2. Then Hilfenhaus removed Kohli and Dhoni and India plunged to 282 all out.

Experts say that chasing more than 250 is difficult at the MCG but Sehwag says chasing 300 can be easy.

India 214/3 !

Sehwag scored a quick fifty in reply to Australia's 333.

Zaheer took 4, Yadav 3 and Ashwin 3 and Australia crept to 333.

Later Yadav showed his aggression in scalping 2 early wickets and Australia were 50/2 yesterday. Then Cowan led the fightback with a brilliant 68. Ponting always is a thorn to the Indians and he scored a superb 62.

Then Khan struck removing Clarke and Hussey and Australia were in the doldrums again, at 5/205. Then the latter order batsmen fought for Australia, particularly Siddle who scored 41 and Haddin 27.

The latter order did well Australia and the Kangaroos recovered to 333, after being 214/6.

Sehwag has smashed Hilfenhaus or four and is now unconquered on 65. India, at the moment, are 89/1.

Sehwag perished in the 60's and now Tendulkar is batting with 71 not out and Dravid 60 not out out of a total of 214/2.

Tendulkar fell in the 70s, maybe the nervous 70s for him.

Maiden tons by Tiwari, Pollard !

Pollard and Tiwari took this glorious opportunity to record maiden tons. Tiwari was the Man of the Match, while Pollard with his ten sixes held the audience spellbound.

Needing 268, Wi started disastrously, losing four for just 36 runs, their top order blown by the Indian pacers, Mithun and Pathan. Jadeja then scalped Ramadin, till Pollard and Russell launched a counter offensive, with a 89 run blast off just 79 balls !

Both Irfan ( who dismissed Simmons with the first ball ) and Mithun impressed. And so did the Indian spinners.

Pollard said he hopes to be more consistent !

"I hope that I am more consistent. Thank God, I got my maiden hundred. Wanted the team to win. Didn't happen today.

"Just have to go back and reflect on what went wrong. First couple of games were really close. Hopefully, we'll take a couple of months off international cricket and reflect and come back strong for Australia".

"Significant hundred. I was looking for a different approach after I have had a couple of starts in the earlier matches. Thank God, one of the best fielders (Kohli) in India dropped me on 99 tonight."

"I was looking for singles, and when the ball is in your arc, go for it. Hopefully, I will learn from this innings and do well for West Indies in future also."

Pollard ignored the criticism that he is only a T20 player.

"Everybody has an opinion. As far as I am concerned, I feel that when I go back to my room I should know that I have given my hundred per cent. I can be harsh with myself, if I've played a bad shot. But at the end of the day, what people have to say are just opinions."

The problem with the WI side is psychological.

"It's just a mental aspect or killer instinct. Past West Indian sides had it, then the Aussies had it and now India is doing really well. Hopefully, we'll be better equipped mentally to handle close matches in the future."

Tiwari dedicates century to Kolkotta victims

"I want to dedicate my Man-of-the-Match award to all the people who died in the Calcutta hospital tragedy. It was an unfortunate incident and it should not have happened,"

"I enjoyed it. It wasn't coming onto the bat. Generally I play spin pretty well, so I made sure I took advantage of the loose balls" he said.

He retired hurt at 104.

"I didn't hydrate enough before the match, that is my mistake. I had cramps because of that. I have to hydrate before playing in future" he said.

Meanwhile, Gambhir, the acting skipper, paid tributes to his bowlers who did not allow Pollard to run away with the game.

"We know what Pollard can do on his day, but credit to the bowlers who stuck to their game. It was a matter of just one ball. Every ball he (Pollard) middled was going out of the ground, but you have to stick to your line and length" he said.

"Our bowlers did just that. We missed Ravichandran Ashwin in the spin department. But Rahul Sharma and Ravindra Jadeja bowled well" he added.

"We thought 240 would be a good total. But we ended up scoring 266, thanks to Manoj. Good to see him get the hundred, hopefully he will go on and get many more.

Incidentally, Sehwag was happy with his young team.

"I am satisfied with the young team. Especially with the young fielding and bowling unit. West Indies have some big hitters but our bowlers did well throughout the series. Credit to the players for winning the series 4-1" he said.

"They were all eager to play. I asked everybody can you take a break, they said no, so I had to take the break. I am happy that all of them played in the series and they did well" he said.

"It's a good end to the season. We beat England 5-0, New Zealand 5-0 and now West Indies 4-1".

On the contrary, Sammy congratulated Pollard, who almost pulled it off.

"Congratulations to Pollard on his first one-day hundred. It was really good to watch. We have been paying some good cricket, we have been fighting throughout, but unfortunately we are not finishing things off" he said.

"Everybody expected us to roll over, we did not. We showed our never-say-die attitude. I'd like to congratulate the boys on the effort, the way they supported me in the tough series. We can only move forward from here. Congratulations to Sehwag and his team, but we can hold our heads high" he said.

Rohit Sharma, the Man of the Series, said he had forgotten the past and will make a new beginning.

Australia firm in chase !

Australia are 72/0, needing 241 to win.

Seems to be a cliff hanger.

NZ won by seven runs, in an incredible match. Bracewell took six wickets and the Aussie middle order collapsed. David Warner remained unbeaten with 123, carrying his bat through. This is NZ' first win on these shores after 1985 !

Always believed Viru would score 200: Dhoni

Dhoni was all praise for Sehwag for his 219. He always believed that the maverick Veeru can do it !

"I want to say that others may have said that are a few who could score double century in ODIs, but I always believed Viru could always score 200 on his day.With Viru, it's not just about big shots, but calculative batting," Dhoni said.

He was enthused by the fact that both double centurions are from India.

"I am proud that both Viru and Sachin Paaji are Indians, and would not mind if they score double centuries again" said the whirlwind wicketkeeper batsman.

India can win Down Under - Dravid

Dravid's form may serve India's interests as they take on formidable Australia ( Aus is always formidable in Aus ).

As the Kangaroos are under the inexperienced Clarke, Dravid feels that India
can triumph.

"In terms of personal satisfaction in terms of batting, yes I am very happy.
I got more runs in 2002 but that seems so far away, so [I] can't even
remember what it was like," Dravid said.

"I think some of the runs that I got this year classify as what you call 'tough runs'. They were in pretty tough conditions
when the team needed it. So, in that sense, I do feel this was one of my
better years personally as a player. Obviously the tour of England was
disappointment. From that point of view it was disappointing, but from a
personal view this year probably is among the best that I have had."

Rahul scored 1067 runs this calender year, with five tons. He said the the
runs accumulated in 2011 set him up for a rugged tour.

"Runs behind you don't necessarily translate into runs in the future but
what I can definitely say is that I go there in a good space. I feel have
been hitting the ball well," he said. "I feel quit relaxed when around the
group and in the team and am comfortable with the contributions that I am
making. I think it's a good time to be travelling.

Dravid is hailed as Mr Wall and is the main architect of series wins in Pakistan,
the West Indies, England and New Zealand, but a series win in Australia has been elusive.

If India triumphs in Australia, it will be a great benchmark.

"Australia is the benchmark, definitely. They had some absolute
legends and still have some great players, and they have been the kind of
team that you set your mark against. It would definitely be special to go
and do well there."

The new look Australian side will be resurgent.

"I still think they are a good side. I know they don't have the
big names they had in the past, but they have got some emerging players,
some good young players. You can clearly see that they have got a lot of
potential and any Australian team is going to hard to beat on home soil. But
quietly, I think as a team we should be confident in our own abilities and I
really like the look of the way our pace attack is developing. Hopefully we
can stay fit and I believe we give ourselves a good chance."


Dravid said he had not set specific goals for himself for this tough tour !

"I don't have any thing in terms of my own
numbers or statistics that I want to achieve in Australia," he said. "I want
to win a Test series there try and help the team win in Australia. That is
something that we have never done. So every time you go and tour there you
want to get that goal. Its not going to be easy, it's never is, but I think
the team's goal is to try and win a series."

Dravid became the second player, after Sachin, to score more than
13 K runs, an achievement which Dravid himself considered was not
just possible when he started. .

"I wouldn't have minded scoring five hundreds or a thousand runs less if we
could win a series in Australia. I think those of are the kind of memories
that stay with you. I think the greatest memory for me now is not
necessarily statistical. It's not the number of runs, it's those magical
moments. It's winning in Kolkata and Rawalpindi. The series wins in Tests
stay with you. I think that's what you would play for at this stage."


He is hailed as the best batsman India has produced, despite being the oldest, but his penchant for fitness has paid off !

"It tells you that fitness levels have risen, and that's thanks to the
access that we have today - to physiotherapists and trainers. Sports science
has improved tremendously since the time I started and I think it means
players are fitter for longer periods of time. Especially as batsman, if you
are disciplined about things you can prolong your career for periods of
time. It's a question of getting everything right and getting the technical
side of things right. Then you have all this help to tap into in terms of
your physical fitness. If you are doing these things you can ensure that you
play for pretty long periods of time."

The clone overtakes the original

On Feb 24, 2010, history was made as Sachin became the first player to score a double century in ODIs. On Dec 8, 2011, that record was overhauled in a stunning manner by his clone ! It just took 260 ODIs to eclipse that record and the record breaker was his clone !

It is said that Sehwag modelled himself on the lines of Sachin. He was the clone and Sachin the original. And now the clone has surpassed the original.

When he scored 219 yesterday off 149 balls with 25 fours and seven sixes, he had overtaken the world record set by the original, Sachin ! His is the fastest double century in ODI ( off 140 balls ) and the highest score in ODI !

What a way to prove his critics wrong !

"I never expected to score a double hundred. While opening the innings, I told Gautam Gambhir that if we can show some patience on this track, we will be in for a big one as the wicket is a good one. The outfield is fantastic and the distance of the boundary is only 50 yards," said the swashbuckling opener, after his epic hundred.

After the batting powerplay, he felt he can cross the 200 mark.

"It was only after the batting powerplay started, I felt that I could reach double hundred. Also when Sammy dropped me (at 170), I knew that God was with me," Sehwag stated.

He thanked his family and those who supported him.

"I want to thank my family and fans. I know people expected me to score a double century. Today when I wanted to hit a six, I just did that."

He was determined to expiate for the low scores in the first three ODIs.

"I have said this earlier also that the top-order needs to contribute. It was a wicket where one could score big runs if he stayed around for 30 overs."

Success has taken a toll of Sehwage "Obviously, I am very tired. I am an old man now and my back gets stiff. So I need to take an ice bath."

Except for a catch which he offered Sammy at 170, his innings was blemishless. Sehwag is the highest scorer for India in Tests and ODIs. He scored 319 against SA in Chennai in 2008, after the 309 against Pak in Multan in 04.

Both double hundreds in ODIs are by Indians, by Sachin and Sehwag. India won the series 3-1 and what a way to win ! Ramadin threw away a possible hundred, as he swept Raina to be caught for 96 , but then none of the other Carribean batsmen put up any resistance. Chasing 419, the WIs were all out for 265.

Rahul Sharma had a brilliant debut, taking three wickets in the last balls of the three overs, all of them bowled.


Cricketers hail Sehwag

"If you are a cricket fan, pls switch your tv's on right now & watch a genius bat.. Sehwag destroying the WI.. World record coming.." - Kevin Pieterse in his Twitter Page.

"The double hundred will be a big morale booster for him with the tough Australian tour lined up. You will find the bowling attack, conditions different Down Under. This double ton will give him a big confidence for sure ahead of the Australia tour. This is a great achievement and I congratulate Sehwag for the amazing feat. He has captained the Indian side on and off for a short while and I believe he could make up as a good captain. He is a gambler, a player who loves to take risks. If he keeps getting opportunity as a captain, he will come up with many such milestones," - Sourav Ganguly.

"I am very happy for Sehwag. He is one of the greatest players I have ever seen. He missed his double century (175) during the World Cup game against Bangladesh at Mirpur. But on Thursday he has achieved the feat which I would like to describe as incredible," - Srikanth, Chairman of Selectors, India.

"I have always remained a great fan of Sachin Tendulkar and when he scored the double hundred against South Africa, one name that crossed my mind was Sehwag. In my view, other player who could have scored double ton was Sri Lankan opener Sanath Jayasuriya because he also plays an attacking brand of cricket.

"Both Sehwag and Jayasuriya have the talent and ability to score a double hundred and can only touch the mark. I would like to extend my congratulations to all Indians for Sehwag scoring a double hundred"- Abdul Qadir.

"It was long overdue. I always used to tell him whenever he stepped on the field that this time you have to score a double hundred. It was very satisfying finally watching Viru score 200 runs with such strokeful display. He has always played attacking game and that helped him achieve the milestone.

"I hope Viru will be back to his usual self after this inning. My congratulation to him - Coach, A N Sharma.

"Once Sehwag gets going, it's very difficult to stop him. I am delighted and congratulations to him." - Abbas Ali Baig.

"I say it again! I never saw sir Viv (Vivian Richards) bat but I have seen Sehwag bat! What a player... 219 in a one day game is next to impossible!" - Yuvraj Singh on Twitter.

Cheers! congratulations!! way to go buddy!" - Zaheer Khan

Incidentally, 418/5 is India's highest total in ODIs and the two double centuries in ODIs were achieved all in the state of Madhya Pradesh, at venues within 500 kms !

India can beat Australia :Symonds

Symonds says India can beat the Kangaroos Down Under.

"Indians can put pressure on the young Australian players. They have a good opportunity to beat Australia in their home country. I think there are good chances of India beating them," said the swashbuckling batsman.

"However, the young Australian players too have an opportunity to beat the Indians. There are positive chances for both the sides. One needs preparation and also needs to respond properly in big games," he averred.

Sachin may score his 100th century in Australia.

"Sachin is an enormous person. There is lot of pressure on him for the 100th ton. I hope he gets the century at the earliest so that the burden that he faces is reduced and he can carry on with the game. He has the ability to do it soon. There are chances that he might score the century during the India-Australia series.It would be a great thing for him to score it in Australia,"

Talks about Ponting's retirement were unnecessary, he felt.

"It is disappointing that reports of that sort are coming out. They are unnecessary. He is a good batsman. It is up to him to decide whether to be in the game. He should be left alone," he said.

Meanwhile, Saha, the Indian reserve wicket keeper is confident about his future Down Under.

"I will not be curious of the conditions there. I have played there and have some good memory (of winning the title under Virat Kohli). So I will wait for an opportunity" Saha said.

"As a batsman you need to give a little extra there. But for a wicketkeeper, the conditions are ideal as the ball comes along nicely."

"He (Sourav) has told me to stay focused and concentrate on my style of play. Besides, he has given me few cricketing tips and I'm confident of a good show if given an opportunity.

"It's a big opportunity for me. But I'm not extra cautious. I am taking it as any other tour. I don't have any specific target other than improving my performance day by day," said the whirlwind wicketkeeper.

Rohit sparkles, but India lose !

The Indian top order failed again. Patel & Co were 85/5 against WI, which cost them the match.

Rampaul wrecked India with the devastating figures of 4/57 to give the WI a 16 run victory.

Earlier, a half century by Samuels ( 58 off 93 ) and cameos by Sammy ( 41 off 17 ) and Russell ( 40 off 18 ) helped WI to put up a challenging 260/5, after India asked them to bat.

The two allrounders plundered 43 runs in the last two overs. WI blasted 52 in the last three overs, 73 in the last fie and 93 in the last seven. 79 runs came in just 34 balls for the sixth wicket.

The WI innings started off shakily with Simmons ( 1 off 8 ) deaprted early. But then it was Mithun who struck for India, as he removed Hyatt ( 20 off 39 ), caught behind by Parthiv.

Bravo had to grapple with a hamstring injury and he had to retire hurt for 26 off 41.

Samuels reached his 22nd ODI fifty off just 78 deliveries. Ramadin looked good for his 38 off 52, till he was unsettled by a Yadav delivery.

When India batted, she lost two wickets, that of Sehwag and Gambhir in quick succession to Ravi Rampaul. Then Samuels removed Parthiv. Then Rampaul scalped Raina and India were 85/5 ! Then Jadeja was run out and India were in the doldrums.

Lusty hitting by Rohit, supported ably by Ashwin did revive India but all was in vain as Rohit was dramatically run out for 95. Narine trapped Ashwin and that was the end of the road for India !

Kohli and Rohit maul Windies !

The issue was never in doubt. A glorious 163 run partnership between Rohit and Kohli sealed the fate of the second ODI, as Kohli brought up his 8th ODI hundred, enhancing his reputation as an expert in successful chases.

Rohit again proved to be dependable, as he guided India to a five wicket victory, with 90 not out.

Umesh Yadav struck early in the Windies innings, taking two wickets. Darren Bravo threatened to take the game away, but perished to Vinay Kumar. V Kumar also accounted for Hyatt for a duck and Windies were tottering.

At 170/9, they looked like the lamb to the slaughter. Then Rampaul played an innings of rare aggression, as he smashed 86, thus spoiling the figures of the Indian bowlers.

The asking rate was always under control, as Rohit and Kohli hit the WI bowlers to all parts of the field. India rolled over to an easy victory, after being 86/3, after the loss of lacklustre Sehwag !

A big blow was dealt to India as Sehwag tried to loft Samuels, but only holed out to long off. But Kohli's classic fifty confirmed India's recovery. Boundaries came with regularity along with the ones and twos to keep the scoreboard moving, much to the discomfiture of the Carribeans.

Rohit also made his half century. He completed it with a four off the last ball of the 35th over to take India to 172/3, needing just 98 off 90 deliveries with seven wickets intact. It was Advantage India, as the powerplay came in the next over from No 36 to 40.

India win by one wicket !

Sehwag won the toss and fielded, as he thought there will be dew after 0500 PM. Patel will open the innings with Sehwag and the spin dept will be handled by Jadeja and Ashwin and pace by Aaron, Yadav and V Kumar. WI brought back all rounders Pollard and Andre Russel and rested Rampaul.

In 21.2 overs, WI are 88/3. The Indian pace attack struck, with V Kumar, Aaron and U Yadav taking one wicket each. Yadav bowled exceptionally well, bowling consistently around 147 kph.

Hyatt had lofted Jadeja for a six and WI are 96/3.

Pollard is gone, lofting one Ashwin delivery into the hands of Kohli. Ashwin strikes !

Darren Bravo played magnificently for his 60, till he was clean bowled by Raina !

In the 5th over, an outswinger from V Kumar accounted for Barath (17). In the 6th over, Samuels hit Yadav for two fours.In the 7th over, Simmons hit V Kumar for a six and a four, plundering 13 runs in that over.

In the 9th over, Aaron clean bowled Samuels (10). In the 10th over, Yadav clean bowled Simmons.

In the 27th over, Hyatt is unfortunately run out. WI 127/4. In the 33rd over, six runs were amassed and WI reach 150.

Now the score is 173/7. Jadeja clean bowls Sammy for a duck and all Indian bowlers become successful.

Wi are all out for 211. Indian bowling has been very impressive, says Gavaskar.

The Cuttack stadium was full. Shastri opined that there were thousands of motorbikes that it will be difficult for the owners to identify their bikes ! Jampacked stadium to watch No 2 team in action !

In reply, India are 41/2, losing both left handers, Patel and Gambhir to one Kemar Roach over.

India now are 201/9, with only Aaron and Yadav left. 11 more runs are needed with only these two inexperienced players left. Seems to be a cliff hanger.

Aaron hits a four and Yadav hits a four and India has won by one wicket ! Normally India do not win close games, but this was a fantastic game !

There is no excuse for not scoring: Sehwag

Sehwag was equivocal about the the efforts of the lower-order batsmen for pulling off a thrilling win over the West Indies in the first one-dayer here on Cuttack, but averred that there was no excuse for the top order's lack of application, including himself !

India's complacency was evident as she stumbled to 59/5. But Rohit Sharma's 72 and resolute showings by Varun Aaron and Umesh Yadav gave India the much needed victory.

"In India you hardly see the team tottering at 59/5. Our batsmen made mistakes. Hope we will come up with strong batting performance in next games," Sehwag said. "We have to learn from our mistakes. There were two good balls. The ball came in and we (myself and Virat Kohli) played early and made mistakes"

The way Raina, Gambhir and Patel got out confounded many an analyst.

"There were three soft dismissals of Parthiv Patel, Gautam Gambhir and Suresh Raina. We have to bat really well in coming games. There is no excuse for anybody to not scoring runs."

Sehwag said India will put up a better show in the remaining ODIs.

"We have to back our batting. We have some exciting youngsters playing for last three four years. But I am happy with bowling and fielding."

He praised Rohit for his heroic, character innings.

"Rohit is one of the talented batsmen. He is improving match by match. He is proving himself. He is one of the best. A win is a win. It does not matter by one wicket or 10, it was important that we started well. We are 1-0 up. Full credit to Rohit Sharma, Jadeja and Vinay Kumar. They built on partnerships. One by one they did it for us."

About his decision to field first, he said "My decision was absolutely right. You were chasing 212 after all. When you lose five quick wickets, it's difficult to come back. I praise Rohit Sharma and Jadeja as their partnership took us there.

After that Vinay and Rohit had a good partnerships. It's not easy when you lose five six wickets. The way Rohit, Jadeja and Vinay batted it was great to see that."

He praised the team's resilience.

"We just stay cool and calm. That's the quality of Indian dressing room. We believe that we can win from any situation."

About the massive crowd turnout, he said "It feels great when people come to watch a game. People come and support us. It was a good game at the end of the day. Nobody expected Windies would make only 211 and then we will be five down so early and win the game in this exciting way.

"We hope people will come and support us in the next matches. It was much important to start off on a winning note.

"We want to become No. 1 and for that we have to win the series. Our process is going on we have to concentrate on it."

Talking about the pitch, he said, "It was a good track. We were expecting them to score 270-280 but our bowlers did well."

Matches in smaller towns is a good idea. "I love to play in smaller towns. People give so much respect and love. They bring all kinds of food and stuff to you to make sure you are happy."

A remarkable last ball tie !

West Indies were happy to draw with India. India needed two off the last ball. Ashwin was slow in running and was run out with India needing one more to win !

This is an incredible tie. Ojha and Ashwin brought India back into the game with some superb spin bowling, skittling out the Carribeans for a paltry 134.

India lost wickets at regular intervals and the maestro Sachin was out for 3. Bishoo and Samuels bowled superbly to restrict India to 242/9.

"Defeat would have broken our hearts" said Sammy. "I had all sorts of feelings coming into my mind. At one time, the feeling of a tied Test too came to my mind. I was speaking to Kirk (Edwards) at covers and he said 'we can draw, we won't lose.' To lose the game after scoring 590 would have been heart-breaking for us," a visibly-relieved Sammy said . India just needed 3 runs to win off the last over with 2 wickets in hand and only managed to get only two when Ashwin, the Man of the Match and the Series, was run out, when he attempted a non-existent double.

Sammy was hopeful of victory when this dramatic finale happened.

"Obviously, happy with the result, but a win would have been the icing on the cake. We would have loved to win against a higher-rung team. It would have given us some points. Our goal is to make it to the top five in Test cricket," Sammy said. "To win a match like this, we need to bat well in both innings. But (in the end) it was a good game of cricket."

India's haste gave WI chance of victory,averred the WI skipper.

"When (Virat) Kohli and (MS) Dhoni were batting, there were about 15 overs left and about 50-55 runs to win. Ravi (Rampaul) was bowling well, along with (Devendra) Bishoo. They (Indians) decided to go for the runs but in the process lost Kohli and Ishant. They were going for the runs, but we also had an opportunity to win the game."

WI lost 8 wickets for 53 runs and India were on course for victory.

"We were hoping to get about 300-plus when we came to the ground this morning. But after we lost seven or eight wickets, we had to go back to the dressing room and plan out the game. We didn't bat well but we kept believing that we could get a draw or a win," Sammy said. He was shocked to see 17 wickets fall on the last day.

"I didn't foresee that. But it was a disappointing performance with the bat. Some of the shots we played were uncalled for. You have to be prepared to bat for a long time," Sammy said.

"But the way we fought back with me not bowling, Bishoo bowling on one leg, (Marlon) Samuels bowling 20 consecutive overs and Ravi and Fidel (Edwards) doing well, it's heartening. The bowlers showed fight and that's the positive we can take from here."

He praised the duo of Ashwin and Ojha, who took 22 and 20 wickets each. "They (Ojha and Ashwin) did well for India. Ashwin not only bowled well but did well with the bat too. Both have an extremely bright future for India."

He was also happy about the progress of the WI team. "We have progressed well. We dominated the two Tests against Sri Lanka, did well against Pakistan and competed well against India. The players now have the belief that they can do well."

" We lost wickets at the wrong time" said Dhoni.

"It was a superb final day and again it was proven that the match is not yours until it's in your kitty. We lost wickets at the wrong time and they also played good cricket," Dhoni averred.

"Last time when we played at the CCI (Brabourne Stadium), the ball turned less as the match progressed. This time we wanted to start safely and didn't want to concede too many runs. Luckily we got wickets and didn't concede runs. So we could put some fielders in catching positions. Having said that, I would expect tracks here to start offering turn from the first day evening rather waiting till the fifth day."

Dhoni said he needed a break. "It is a much-needed break. I have been playing continuous cricket for quite sometime now. More than the physical break, I am looking forward to the mental break before the Australia tour," he said.

The Man of the Series and Match Man, Ashwin, said he was disappointed that he could not socre one more run to win for India."I wanted to squeeze a few boundaries when the field came up but unfortunately couldn't get them. Off the last two deliveries, the plan was to defend the first one and go after the last ball. The plan didn't work."

"As the ball got old, it bounced and stopped. Ojha really bowled well and built the pressure. I chipped in at the back end as well."

Ashwin's start in Tests is a dream come true. "I will be taking confidence from this series but will have to really work hard on different facets of my game."

Kohli gets 50

"I played with a clear mind" said Kohli, who got his maiden Test fifty. He had struggled in the Carribean, but this time he got 52 off 111 balls and he put on a 97 run partnership with Ashwin, to help India avoid following on.

"I was tagged as someone who cannot play the short ball after the West Indies tour. When I went in today, I knew they will throw the short balls at me. I had a blank mind before playing every ball, which helped," said Kohli on Friday. "Test matches are mental mind games and the more clear I leave my mind, the better decision I can make."

"To a certain extent I thought I got the West Indies call because so many people took rest. Not having done well there, scoring runs again in a calendar year and getting back into the team was satisfying."

"It was a better feeling that you are included as that way you know the selectors and the team management are showing faith in you in doing well in that format. It's a confidence-booster."

It was Sachin who instructed Virat to play normally.

"It's all about having a good mindset. Being in good form is fine, but I needed to be in the right frame of mind to go and perform. It was one of those days today when I thought 'I am going to get my full stride out and if I can leave from the front foot, nothing better.' I left them quite well. Sachin told me to prepare normally and I did so. It helped," said Kohli.

Kohli felt that Sachin was unnecessarily pressurised by the formidable media and that is how he missed out of his epic century of centuries.

"A lot of people have put unnecessary pressure on him. I don't know why. He has achieved so much and people are making such a fuss about it," said Kohli.

Sachin, he said, was relaxed in the dressing room, after missing out the most wanted hundred.

"I was still batting when he came back so I don't know instantly what happened. He was pretty relaxed afterwards. It has happened to him a lot of times. Obviously, he will be disappointed on missing out on a ton, but he has been around long enough not to get bothered by it. He was pretty relaxed in the dressing room."

Kohli was all praise for Ashwin, who took five for and scored a brilliant hundred.

"He batted brilliantly, timed the ball well. I could see standing at the other end, his mind was totally free. He was totally relaxed and pretty much sure of what he wanted to do and reacting to the ball," said Kohli. "The confidence from his bowling rubbed off. He just came out and started timing the ball very well."

"We all knew he has batting abilities. He has two first-class tons. He is in a good space as he has taken wickets (18) in this series. Getting a hundred is always special for a bowler. It was a brilliant innings."

Ashwin at the other end allowed Kohli to settle down and that he is how he played well for his fifty.

"It was good to have Ashwin scoring from the other end. I could also take my time and just get myself to spend more time in the middle. It was a very good innings from him."

India may very well win this Test on Sunday, feels the formidable batsman.

"Our aim was to get early breakthroughs, which we got. We would have loved to have them four wickets down, but that did not happen unfortunately. Tomorrow could be interesting if we could get early wickets. We will try and put pressure on them. The game is still very much alive," he insisted.

WI were 81/2 and India have to get eight wickets and score the necessary runs on the fourth innings to wrap up this Test, a possibility echoed by Kohli.

Ashwin, not Sachin, scores hundred !

Ashwin scored a brilliant 103 and along with Virat Kohli (52) saved India from the ignominy of following on.

Unfortunately Sachin's jinx of falling in the nineties manifested again. He was out for 94.

India scored 482, leaving a 108 run lead to the West Indies. Laxman was taken for 32, Sachin for 94, Kohli for 52 and Ashwin was the last to go for 103 and India had saved the follow on !

All set for the century of centuries by Sachin !

India did make a comeback in the last session, but WI piled up a mammoth 575/9 at stumps on the second day. Aaron struck thrice and Ashwin scalped two to reduce WI below the 600 mark, after they wre 494/4 at tea.

Darren Bravo scored 166 in 284 balls. Kirk Edwards was out to Ishant for 86. Powell blasted 81 and Samuels 61.

Bravo hit Aaron for two consecutive fours, thus revealing his aggressive mindset. Breakthrough came when Edwards nicked Ishant and WI had lost their third wicket.

Powell, who replaced Edwards, believed that attack is the best form of defence. Bravo played the sheet anchor role and proved to be the backbone of WI batting.

Powell too fell in the eighties. The elegant left hander played a loose cut against Ojha and it was taken brilliantly by Dhoni.

Bravo hit the century mark, his third in Tests four - in 153 deliveries.

Both Bravo and Powell were in belligerent mood, as WI inched closer to the 500 mark.

After hours of toil, Aaron got his first wicket, when he had the dangerous Bravo caught behind. In the next over he had Baugh bowled. Aaron struck for the third time, when he drew the WI captain, Sammy, forward, inducing an outside edge to be caught by India's formidable wicket keeper.

After Aaron, Ashwin struck twice to create confusion in the West Indian ranks, which was on their way to the 650 mark. Ravi Rampual was taken and Samuels was consumed in the slips by the greatest catcher in Test cricket, Dravid !

Meanwhile, there is criticism that the Indian attack lacked venom. What was the necessity of resting the latest pace success, Yadav ? Indian cricket, critics say, have gone to pre-KIrstenian days. It was Gary Kirsten who transformed Indian cricket, making the team more professional !

Aaron hopeful, as he bags three wickets

Yadav relaxed deep into the chair he had positioned near the ropes. On the contary, Aaron, was a bundle of wicketless nerves, as he walked in to bowl, when the shadows were creeping in to the field. Suddenly Aaron had some inspiration. "I will pitch it up, I will make the ball talk," he told himself, as he began to run with the ball in hand. The first five balls were well pitched up and the sixth ball took the edge of the formidable Bravo's bat and flew to Dhoni. That wicket seemed to have inspired the youngster. In the next over, he had Baugh clean bowled and Aaron had taken two wickets in two overs ! Spurred by these success after 22 wicketless overs, Aaron continued his strategy of inspired, accurate bowling. He found the edge of Sammy's bat and he had picked up three ! He could have picked up four, if Dhoni had not floored a half chance, off Samuels !

This three wicket burst seems to have increased Aaron's chances Down Under !

West Indies bat well at last !

All WI batsmen were successful yesterday as WI piled up 267/2.

Four half centuries by the West Indies batsmen - Barath 62, Brathwaite 68, Edwards 65* and Bravo 57* - saw a successful WI batting day.

If win this Test match, she will come to the No 1 position. But the Test appears to be moving towards a draw.

Even though the Indian pacers bowled at more than 140 kph, both Aaron and Ishant, many catches were not held, but that happens in cricket !.

After a 137 partnership between between Barath and Brathwaite, an unfinished 117 run partnership evolved between the 'new Lara", Bravo and Kirk Edwards. Ashwin picked up both wickets.

Australia win thriller !

Glorious batting by Khawaja, Ponting, Haddin, Johnson and Cummins saw the Kangaroos win the second Test.

At 215/6, Australia seemed to be against all odds. Then Haddin scored a brilliant 55, Khwaja 65, Ponting 62 and Mitchell Johnson 40 not out, in a great score of 310/8.

This was the largest chase at the Wanderers. Cummins cornered glory, as he got seven wickets and hit the winning four to the amazement of the South Africans ! Cummins hard hit was floored by Dale Steyn. If Steyn had taken that catch, history would have been different. But that was not to be.

Haddin and Johnson took Australia from 215 to 287, when Haddin was out. Johnson used all his experience to weather the South African speedsters.

Rightly, Cummins was adjudged Man of the Match. Philander, with his penchant for both out and in swing was named Man of the Series.

This match was providential to Ponting, Haddin and Johnson, who are all at the mercy of the Australian selection panel. But experience proved to be the major factor for Australia's win !

Bajji out of Aussie tour ?

The Indian selectors are on the horns of a dilemma. To select Bajji or not ? Now that Ashwin and Ojha have established themselves as front line spinners, they automatically select themselves.

Bajji's plus points are playing in 96 Tests and the favour of the Indian skipper. But Sreekant & Co are now harping on performance, with their dictum "Perform or Perish".

The other spinner's choice falls on Piyush Chawla or Rahul Sharma. Rahul Sharma with his height can extract bounce from the pitches Down Under. Chawla has the support of the skipper Dhoni.

In the last two Ranji Trophy matches, Bajji's performance was below par. In the match against UP he went wicketless and managed 1-44 against Orissa. Time is also running out for him, as he has only one chance to make his case stronger.

Rahul Sharma is in the good books of the selectors for his ability to extract bounce from any surface. "Sharma's bounce may come handy on Australian
pitches" said one of the selectors. Sreekant, M Amarnath, Bhave and Venkat are in the team of the selectors.

Meanwhile, Australia are 142/3 in the match against formidable SA, needing 168 for victory with seven wickets in hand. Can they do it ? No wonder cricket has been defined as a glorious game of dire vicissitudes !

Indian bowlers click !

Dhoni was happy about the Indian bowling performance.

"The bowlers are hunting as a pack, it doesn't matter who is taking the wickets," said the whirlwind wicket keeper batsman.

"Umesh can really bowl over 140kph. Ishant also bowled well," he added. "The bowlers are taking the responsibility. The first innings was perfect. We got off to a good start and the middle order capitalized and we put up a par-plus score. It was a lot of runs to defend. The fast bowlers gave us breakthrough and the spinners capitalized."

Yuvraj has been axed and Rohit Sharma is in for the next Test starting on 22nd. India hope to continue their winning streak.

People may have dismissed Ojha's and Ashwin's success in the First Test as a flash in the pan, but they proved otherwise. Yadav bowled regularly above 140 kph and clean bowled many a set batsman. He took seven wickets in this Test, most of them clean bowled. Ishant Sharma also bowled well and the Indian bowling clicked as a unit.

In Yadav and Aaron, India has some genuine speedsters or demon fast bowlers, who can bowl about 140 kph and remove well set batsmen. These pacers are needed to skittle out the lower order. So these two are a boon to India. They have to be groomed well for the future. Hope the Indian administrators will do the needful.

India win by an innings and 15 runs !

Yadav clean bowled Chanderpaul for 47 and now the WI are 278/4, trailing by 202 runs behind India. It ended the 108 partnership by Bravo and Chanderpaul for the fourth wicket.

If India can get rid of Darren Bravo, now on 89, she has a chance to pull it off. Everything depends on Darren Bravo for the West Indies. He is now joined by Samuels.

Chanderpaul inside edged a fiery Yadav delivery onto his stumps. Bravo is still Windies hope and is on his way to a well compiled century.

At 0950 AM, the century partnership was achieved, as Bravo and Chanderpaul kept the aggressive Indian bowlers at bay. Dhoni is not exactly worried but Windies may take the match to the fifth day. WI 262/3.

At 0855 AM, IST, Bravo brought up a decent Test fifty but it was sad to see an empty stadium such a feat. WI 217/3.

After playing a masterly innings, Darren Bravo departed after scoring 136. He was held in the slips by Dravid off Ojha and the West Indies lost the last six wickets for 62 runs. Six overs after Ojha removed Bravo, Ashwin removed Samuels lbw for 84.

Sammy hit three sixes in an aggressive belligerent mood, showing defiance. Dhoni turned to Yadav and the fast bowler obliged by removing Sammy and Bishoo off successive deliveries and the game was over. WI all out for 463 and India winning by an innings and 15 runs.

Unorthodox spinner Sunil Narine and top order batsman Jason Mohammed were the surprise selections for the West Indian ODI squad to meet India in the five ODIs starting from Nov 29. Bishoo and Fidel Edwards have been rested. While Narine was the star of the Championship League, Mohammed was the star in the Regional Super 50 Limited Overs competition. He scored 227 runs in the domestic season.

VVS Laxman is the Man of the Match for his 176 not out. When Samuels and Bravo were going strong, it looked good for the Windies. But once Bravo fell, India came back into the match strong.

The Ojha Dravid combination were responsible for the wickets of Bravo and Baugh. Low catches were snapped up by the greatest cather in Test cricket against the well tossed up deliveries of Ojha.

At lunch, the Windies were 339/4. He did what Brian couldnt in India - a century.

India declare at 631/7

Three masterly hundreds, by Laxman ( 176*), Dhoni ( 144 ) and Dravid ( 119 ) saw India amass a mammoth 631.

The WI bowlers could do nothing against the three centurions ( Can we call them the Three Musketeers ? )who blasted them them to all parts of the field. Dhoni hit five sixes and Dravid and Laxman were as solid as the Rock of Gibraltar.

The West Indies are 34/2, with Umesh Yadav capturing the wicket of Barath and Ashwin accounted for Brathwaite. The West Indies need 432 to avoid following on and it seems an uphill task against the wiles and guiles of Ashwin, Ojha, Ishant and Yadav ! Anyway, let us watch and see.

Indian batting proved to be formidable with three Test players scoring scintillating hundreds and the West Indian bowling lacked penetration. Windies bowlers could not take all Indian wickets and it seems it is Fortress India in India. One wonders whether it is the same Indian team which got routed in England. But then the Indian bowlers are different, and the Indian batsmen are freed from injuries. !

West Indies are now all out for 153 and will be following on. They lasted only 48 overs and the blistering speed of Yadav and the tantalising spin of Ojha and Ashwin did them in. It is interesting to note that Bishoo bowled 45 overs and WI lasted only 48 overs !

It was Umesh Yadav who struck first, removing Samuels and Bravo who could have proved ominous for India.


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Smith and Amla score centuries

Graeme Smith and Amla scored glorious hundreds to power SA to a great victory over the Kangaroos. Australia never thought that they will be so humiliated, even after their batting capitulated for 47 all out.


SA take a 1-0 lead in the Test series. When Siddle was hit through midwicket by Smith, SA had won the game by eight wickets.

SA became the second team in the world to win a Test, after being bowled out for less than 100 in their first innings.

Gone are India's chances to make it to the No 2 spot in Test rankings. We had envisaged an Australian dominance and and Indian dominance, for India to make it to the No 2 spot.

The second Test at the Wanderers start after six days.

23 wickets fall on Day 2

SA seems to be in the driver's seat in this Test, as 23 wickets fell like nine pins on Day 2.

Australia were all out for 284, with Clarke scoring a brilliant 151. SA were bowled out for 96, with Harris taking 4-33 and Watson 5-17.

Then Australia were bowled out for 47, with Philander taking 5 for 15 and Morkel 3-9.

SA are 81/1, needing 155 runs to beat Australia ! Anything can happen, as the wicket seems to be a fast bowler's Paradise.

Australia's last wicket ensured that they did not hit the record books for the lowest total in Test history. They were 21/9 and the last pair ( Siddle and Lyon ) added 26 runs to take Australia to 47. The lowest total record is 26, by NZ against Eng in Auckland in 1955. Australia's all time low was 36 against Eng in Birmingham in 1902.

Amla and Graeme Smith batted with care and the Proteas seem comfortably placed at 81/1. Smith on 36 and Amla on 29 now battle it out with the Kangaroos.

Debutant Vernon Philander took 5-15 and Morkel 3/9 on a pitch which offered plenty of seam movement than on the first day.

Clarke on 107 was helped by Siddle (20) in the first innings, as the Kangaroos added 70 runs to their overnight total of 214. The value of Clarke's innings shone like gold, as Watson in a devastating spell, captured five wickets for 17 runs to rattle the Proteas and make them all out for 96.

Australia's collapse for 47 was dramatic, as it was all over in 18 overs. There were three ducks in the Aussie innings, as Ponting, Haddin and Hussey went back to the pavilion without scoring.

To make the day more dramatic, Amla was dropped of the last ball, off Harris, when Hussey could not hold a slash at backward point.

Clarke scores century

A valiant century by Clarke saw Aus at 214/8, after Dale Steyn threatened to rip through the Aussie batting line up.

The Kangaroos were 40/3, as Steyn devastated with some genuine fast bowling. Clarke scored 107 not out and Steyn starred with 4/31.

Shaun Marsh was the only other batsman who brought in a touch of respectability, scoring 44.

Greame Smith won the toss and sent Aus in to bat and his decision was justified as Steyn struck some lethal blows and the Kangaroos were tottering at 40/3.

The Proteas could not get the wicket of Michael Clarke, who played a glorious innings of 107 not out. He still represents Aussie hope.,

Sachin proves his critics wrong !

There has been criticism in some quarters that the Master Blaster had not played any matchwinning innings, despite his 99 tons in international cricket.

He proved it wrong with a classic 76. He found an able partner in Laxman (58*) and India won the First Test by five wickets.

He may not have scored his 'ton of tons' but clearly it was a matchwinning knock. His tenure at the crease tormented the West Indian bowlers.

Sachin and Laxman were involved in a 71 run partnership which sealed the fate of the Test. Sachin brought up his 62nd half century and all eyes were on him as Laxman hit boundaries after boundaries. But then he misread a Bishoo delivery and was adjudged lbw.

On the other side, Dravid could only add one run to his overnight total of 30. When Sachin was dismissed, India needed only 43 more to win. Yuvraj and Laxman took the score to 254/4 at lunch and India had already plundered 102 runs in the pre lunch session. Then Laxman completed his 55th half century in the post lunch session. Yuvraj continued his bad patch, run for 18!


Ashwin was delighted about his effort and now he is in a happy mood to marry, having established himself in the Indian team as an ace spinner. Said he at the post presentation ceremony. "It's a pleasing effort. I expected to get a few wickets but not so many. I don't know if it's gift for me and my wife before the marriage but it is a very happy feeling to go into my wedding with such a performance".

"It helped that Ojha was bowling so many maidens from the other end. The batsmen did not have the fear of being caught at bat-pad, which is not the best thing for spinners."

"The only thing was the variation in bounce, if you were slower through the air, you would be slower off the pitch. So I bowled a bit quicker in the second innings," said the master carrom ball bowler.

Dhoni was ecstatic.

"That was a big lead, We all felt we did not bat the way we should in the first innings but it was not like panic. We said we will have to make it up. Ojha bowled well in the first innings, Ashwin has got a few variations and he was supported by the other bowlers.

"We got a good start in both innings, and the middle order did well in the second. It was not an easy wicket to score, you had to be aware of the ball that kept low" said the maverick Indian captain.

Sammy said you can only learn via Trial and Error.

"When you play against a top team, you want to create the opportunity to win, we did that in the first innings but did not bat well in the second and that cost us. The pitch played much better on the third and fourth days.

"We want improvement, we have to look to create opportunities and hopefully cash in. We believe we can win matches here" said the demon all rounder.

Test delicately poised !

India needs 124 runs, WI needs 9 wickets within 124 and that is the equation for this Test.

Well, cricket has been defined as a game of glorious vicissitudes and it was proved true yesterday as Ashwin six for brought India back into the match. Pulverising shots by Sammy and Chanderpaul saw WI set India a challenging total of 276, but then Sehwag's brilliant strokeplay seemed to torment the Windies. But then Sammy got the wicket of Sehwag, bringing WI right back into the game. Fortunes fluctuated. But then the Wall ( 30 * ) and Sachin ( 33*) stalled the West Indians with the game hanging delicately in the balance !

Batting fourth is not something desirable and everything depends on Bishoo et al. Let us see whether the ball or the bat will predominate. It will be better to say that India is on the cusp of registering a grand victory !

Cusps can be dangerous and with only Yuvraj, Dhoni and Laxman as recognised batsmen to come, loss of some early wickets can spell doom. Pessimism always raises her ugly head. If Bishoo can strike form as Ashwin did, it can difficult for India.

But India has the greatest run assimilators on the crease. Sachin crossed 15 K runs yesterday and is partnered by the second largest run getter in Tests. They had put on an unbroken 57 run partnership, after a devastating 55 from V Sehwag laid the foundation to chase the 276 run target set by Sammy and Co.

After scoring 15 K, Sachin requires another 67 to register a century of centuries. Can he do it on a turning track? He had done it on turning tracks before. All eyes will be on the Little Master when he takes guard tomorrow morning.

India can pip SA to second position in Tests, if they can beat WI 3-0 and if the Proteas lose to formidable Australia 0-2 in the two Test series. SA is only ahead of India by just one rating point. England is placed first and Australia 4th.

If India wins all the three Test, they can get 119 points. A 2-0 series win will leave India with 118 rating points. while a 1-0 or 2-1 will keep them on 117 rating points.

And a 0-1 series loss against Australia will leave SA on 112 points and a 0-2 series defeat will leave the Proteas to join Australia on 110 rating points. SA will be ranked higher than the Kangaroos when the rating are calculated beyond decimals.

Indian carelessness may cost them the match

Just imagine ! 89 runs for the first wicket off just 12 overs and things
looked ominous for the Carribeans. Then the Indians handed the game on a
platter to the West Indians.

It was inefficiency of the highest order. Now future looks bleak for India
( at least in this Test ) and looms over them like a grim Sahara.

Indian greats fell like nine pins before some mediocre bowling. Indian
recklessness made it interesting, on a pitch where the ball kept low. India
had some satisfaction at the end, when they picked up two wickets and WI are
21/2.

Sehwag was given a life when he was bowled by Fidel Edwars off a no ball and
had hit 3 fours in six balls, when a straight drive was delected onto the
nonstriker's stumps, thus cruelly running Gambhir out for 41.

Sehwag's penchant for innovation saw him stumped, as he was executing some
sort of dance and his leg was in the air. Laxman seemed too lazy, poking
away from the body to be caught by Baugh. Indian chances of taking a lead
appeared remote as the lead footed Indian batsmen committed follies after
follies.

Yuvraj took 19 balls to score his first and was never comfortable against
spin. He lambasted Bishoo for a six. Dravid was the only dependable batsman
and scored 54. Sehwag got 55. The rest of the Indian batsmen were
lacklustre, to the amazement of millions of Indian fans !

Dhoni was ingloriously bowled through the gate by Sammy and Sammy also
accounted for Yuvraj. Two wickets in one over saw India plunge to abysmal
depths, from which they never recovered.

Sammy said he wanted to set a target of 350

"Our bowlers did a great job today to bowl India out (for 209). Considering
the slow and low pitch, the plan was to bowl at the right areas and from
wicket-to-wicket. We stuck to the plan," Sammy said at the end of the second
day's play. It was not a perfect day for us but we supported each other and
played fearless cricket and it paid off" said the maverick all rounder.

"We want to score minimum of 250 runs in our second innings and set 350-plus
for India as they have very good batsmen in their ranks."

"We expect India to come hard on us. We will play fearless cricket and if we
stick to our plan, we can come on top" said the all rounder, whose place in
the side is suspect.

He said he was not surprised by the pitch.

"We have come across such slow and low pitches in Bangladesh and that has
helped up in preparing our game here. Like Shivnarine Chanderpaul said, you
have to be patient and stay at the crease as long as possible and runs are
there to be scored."

Fidel Edwards got rid of Sachin and all Indians were gloomy. "Fidel was our
strike bowler and he was bowling very well. So I thought why should not I
give the ball to my best bowler to bowl at their premier batsman .We had a
similar experience in Bangladesh and I knew that once the ball was old, the
run rate would be down. At lunch break I told my players to maintain the
line and length and stick to basics. We did that and it paid off" .

Honors even on Day I

WI were 256/5 and the Indian spinners took all the five wickets between
them. India will try to keep WI within 350 and WI will try to post a 400+
total, with Chanderpaul still there on 110.

Chanderpaul played a superb knock, 110 not out, to stifle the Indian
spinners. In Baugh he seemed to have found an ideal partner, as both forced
Dhoni to take the second new ball. Chanderpaul scored his 24th Test ton,
his seventh against India.

Ashwin found the faint edge of Samuel's bat and WI were in trouble. Samuels
had to depart for 16, caught Dhoni bowled Ashwin.

Ojha obliged his skipper several times. He got Brathwaite out of his crease
and had him stumped, thus ending a 108 run fourth wicket partnership.
Kraigg Brathwaite st Dhoni b Ojha 63.

Darren Bravo, touted as the new Lara, committed hara kiri. He failed to read
the quickish off break from Ashwin and was beaten and bowled. D Bravo b
Ashwin 12

Kirk Douglas went after the left arm spinner Ojha, but only succeeded in
lobbying the ball to him. Kirk Edwards c&b Ojha 15

Ojha dropped Powell in the last ball of his first over, but then made amends as he
trapped the WIndian right in front. Kieran Powell lbw b Ojha 14

Dhoni picked up Yuvraj instead of Kohli, Yadav instead of Aaron and
Ojha instead of Rahul Sharma.

All Indians are expectant of the century of centuries from Sachin.

Meanwhile, Chanderpaul said that the WI side is not dependent on him.

"That is not a fair statement. We have other quality batsmen in the team.
They have done well in the series in Bangladesh. We have very capable
players. I am doing what I am supposed to do and playing my role in the
team," said the master batsman. who is nearing 10 K runs.

He said he is helping the youngsters. "I have been helping my team-mates especially the youngsters how to go about batting. I am helping them in whatever way I can. When they have any doubt they come to me and I helped them." said the formidable 37 year old. He smashed seven fours and two sixes, despite being a slow starter.

"The wicket was pretty good to bat on. It might deteriorate later but it was
nice to bat today. So I started at a good pace" Chanderpaul said.

He was controversial before but Chanderpaul said, "I can't control my
selection in the team. I can do things under my control. When I was dropped
I played cricket only in the Caribbean and now I have come back."

He praised Ojha, Ashwin and Yadav.

"They (Ashwin and Ojha) are good spinners. They are competitive. He (Yadav)
has good pace and is sharp though there was not much on the wicket for him."
said Chanderpaul.

Meanwhile, Ojha said he did not get much help from the wicket.

"There was not much in the wicket for bowlers, so I stuck to one line,
played with basics. I just tried to put the ball in the right areas and did
not do any other thing"

"My last match was against New Zealand and I played county cricket after
that. I honed my skills there, learnt variations and that helped me a lot. I
also take advice from Anil Bhai and Bhajji whenever I fee" said
the maverick left arm spinner.

Ojha was all praise for Chanderapual. "He (Chanderpaul) is one of the
legends of the game. But more than the pitch which helped the batsmen, he
was using all his experience. It was a nice contest with him. There were a
couple of half chances and I thought I should have got him. I hope I can
take his wicket on Monday. West Indies batsman were not trying too much.
They were playing straight and did not play fancy shots. I hope we can take
the remaining five wickets soon on Monday"

Ojha was delighted when he removed opener Kraigg Brathwaite, who scored 63.
"I was elated with the wicket. I think he was beaten by the flight"

About being the main spinner, Ojha said, "I took it in a positive way. I tried not to
think much and focus on my performance. I take advice from Anil bhai,
Bhajji, VVS Laxman and Dravid. They told me to play in county cricket. They
want me to do well for the country."

Ton of Tons to affect Tendulkar

Gibson, the WI coach, feels that the milestone - century of centuries - for Tendulkar may affect his performance in the Airtel Test Series. The First Test between WI and India begins tomorrow.

"I was not aware of the milestone and haven't thought much about it. But I
feel if there is too much hype, it would be tough for Tendulkar" said
he after a practice session at the Delhi Cricket Ground.

"But Tendulkar is a legend and he would get it anyways any time soon" said
Gibson.

Rampaul, the spearhead of WI attack, said he is aware of the milestone and the WI will play positive cricket.

"We know that Tendulkar is on the verge of a personal milestone but our
target is to play good cricket. We have to stick to our plan" said the formidable
swing bowler.

Sachin scored his 99th Test century against SA this year, during the World Cup, which saw the ascent of India.

All expected Sachin to score his century of centuries in England but India and he had
a miserable tour. However in the fouth Test at the Oval, he almost came to achieve that landmark, scoring 91.

Sammy and Dhoni unveiled the AirTel Trophy for the three Test series. With gold
plating, the trophy is made of silver. For all international cricket
matches to be played in India till 2013, .Bharti Airtel has won the sponsorship rights.

In domestic cricket, Ravindra Jadeja scored a triple century confirming his ability. He is amongst the 36 players on BCCI's payroll.

The Alpha Numeric System of Mathematica Indica

Known as Paral Sankhya, the Alpha Numeric System was developed by Vararuchi. It is also known as Katapayadi, as 1 represents the letters Ka, Ta, Pa and Ya, whose corresponding digit is 1.


Number Letters

1 ka ta pa ya
2 kha tta pha ra
3 hu da bha la
4 gha da ba va
5 nga na ma sha
6 cha tha sha
7 chha dha sa
8 ja dha ha
9 jha ddha
0 nja na ksha

The Value of Kaa ki ku ke and ko was 1


31 was represented by Kala

Kala is ka + la = 31 ( The digits are counted from the right )

and 351 by Kamala
Kamala = ka + ma + la = 351

The Alpha Numeric System of Mathematica Indica

Known as Paral Sankhya, the Alpha Numeric System was developed by Vararuchi. It is also known as Katapayadi, as 1 represents the letters Ka, Ta, Pa and Ya, whose corresponding digit is 1.


Number Letters

1 ka ta pa ya
2 kha tta pha ra
3 hu da bha la
4 gha da ba va
5 nga na ma sha
6 cha tha sha
7 chha dha sa
8 ja dha ha
9 jha ddha
0 nja na ksha

The Value of Kaa ki ku ke and ko was 1


31 was represented by Kala

Kala is ka + la = 31 ( The digits are counted from the right )

and 351 by Kamala
Kamala = ka + ma + la = 351

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Elemental Numbers in Mathematica Indica

Sanskrit poets used Elemental Numbers in their poems. As eyes are 2, two represents eyes. As the Vedas are four, four represents the Vedas. Netra Netra ( eyes , eyes ) means 22 and Veda Veda means 44.

Here we give the correspondence between numbers and the Elements


1 - Earth, Moon
2. Eyes, hands, feet, ears
3. Worlds, trinitarian unity, three yogas, three vedas.
4. Vedas
5. Sense organs.
6 Rithus or the six seasons.
7. Rishies
8 Directions, eightfold prosperity
9 Digits, numbers
0 Ether


10 - Ego and its ten heads.
11 - Rudras
12 Months, Zodiacal Signs
13 Universe
14 Vidyas, Manus
15 Lunations, thidhis
16 King
17 Athushti
18 Treatises astronomical, mythological
19 Athi Dhruthi
20 Nails
21 Uthkruthi
22 Akrithi
23 Vikruthi
24 Gayathri
25 Principles
27 Constellations
33 Deities


The digits for the letters are written, counting from right to left

For example,

Bhanandagni

Bham = Stars = 27
Nandan = 9
Agni = 3

Bhanandagni = 3927

New fast bowlers in Indian Squad

Varun Aaron and Umesh Yadav, pacers who can bowl at 150 kph, find their
place in the Indian Test team. The First Test against the West Indies is on
Nov 6.

This is the squad for the first Test

M S Dhoni (capt & wk), Gautam Gambhir, Umesh Yadav, Virat Kohli, Varun
Aaron, Ajinkya Rahane, Rahul Sharma, Virender Sehwag, Rahul Dravid, Sachin
Tendulkar, VVS Laxman, Yuvraj Singh, R Ashwin, Pragyan Ojha, Ishant Sharma


Kohli finds his way into the Test side ahead of Raina. Bajji has been
dropped for poor performance and the spin department will be handled by
Ojha, Ashwin and Rahul Sharma. Sachin, Sehwag, Gambhir and Yuvraj have
recovered from their injuries and will play for India.

" We think from the perspective of the future ' said Sreekanth, the Chairman
of Selectors. " We are building a team for the future and all are 100 per
cent fit". Ashwin is yet to make his debut in Tests and Rahul Sharma's
inclusion is surprising. Ojha took 24 wickets in County Cricket for Surrey
and comes back to the squad.


Rotate fast bowlers to avoid injury: Sehwag

"It's important that the team management ensures that they don't play too
many matches. Fast bowlers are prone to injuries and when they get injured
their pace goes," said the dashing opener. "Besides, when you are injured,
your comeback becomes very difficult. A cricketer's passion is to play for
the country. If somebody says he's tired, he can talk to the team
management. Dhoni was not given rest on his request, because there were too
many injuries in the team." He admitted he had played in England without
recovering from injuries and said he is always annoyed with himself when he
gets injured. I knew I was needed. I tried my best but I realised I hurried
my comeback in England. It was a difficult time in England for the whole
team... so many injuries." added the formidable opening batsman.

He said the Country vs Club debate is futile and said no international
player has renounced Test cricket to play in the IPL.

"Tell me one cricketer who has said that. It's a perception that the media
and ex-cricketers have. Every youngster dreams of playing Tests. There is
not a single Indian or for that matter international cricketer who has taken
retirement from Tests and ODIs to play IPL," he said.

"I played the World Cup with injuries, Sachin played when he had a fractured
toe or other injuries. People are not aware of this," he said.

He said Sachin is irreplaceable. " "Nobody will ever play for as long as
Sachin has however good he may be. There can never be another Sachin," he
said.

He said he is impressed by Rahane, Kohli, Raina and Rohit Sharma and that
India has a formidable future.

"When the seniors retire, I have full faith in these talented youngsters
taking their place. There may be a problem for a year or two, but Indian
cricket is in safe hands."

Of Scholarship

Scholarship is great and is like an expanding flower

Pandityam nava pallavam vikasitham pushpam prayogajnatha

In order to have scholarism graced, one should strive hard to gain it. It is said that the hard work done by the scholar is known only to the scholar ! How can others know it ?

The scholar and the world, the endless strife
The discord in the harmonies of Life
The love of Learning, the sequestered nooks
And the sweet serenity of Books
The marketplace, eager love for gain
Whose aim is vanity, whose end is pain !


Vidwaneva Vijanathi
Vidwajjana parishramam
Na hi vandhya vijanathi
Gurveem prasava vedanam !

How can others know the work hard
Which the scholars have indulged in ?
Like a barren woman who cannot know
The pain of delivering !

England keep their No 1 Slot

England beat India by six wickets in the lone T20, thus keeping their numero uno position in World T20 Cricket.

India could only score 120-9 and England surpassed that humble target with 8 balls to spare. KP scored 53 off 39 balls to spearhead the English win. England get a lot of relief, as this win save their faces, as they lost horribly to India in the ODIs. KP was dropped at one by Raina and he hit three sixes and five fours, as the reigning T20 champions proved their supremacy in the shortest version of the game. Samit Patel hit 21 off 25 balls and Bopara remained not out on 14. England bowled clinically and restricted India to 120. Raina top scored with 39 and only he could shine with the bat. The rest Indian batsmen fell like nine pins.

Meanwhile, BCCI awarded 36 contracts to players, an addition of 11 more players in Grade C. Kohli, Yuvi and Ishant were promoted to Grade A. Now Grade A has 12 players, instead of the previous nine.

They are

Grade A ( Rs 1 Crore)

Harbhajan Singh, Zaheer Khan, Yuvraj Singh, Ishant Sharma, Virat Kohli.Sachin Tendulkar, Rahul Dravid, Gautam Gambhir, Virender Sehwag, M S Dhoni, VVS Laxman & Suresh Raina.

Grade B ( Rs 50 lakhs)

Rohit Sharma, Ravindra Jadeja.,Praveen Kumar, Pragyan Ojha & Ravichandran Ashwin.

Grade C ( Rs 25 lakhs )

S Sreesanth, Amit Mishra, Cheteshwar Pujara, Abhimanyu Mithun, Vinay Kumar, Ajinkya Rahane, Munaf Patel, Murali Vijay, Shikhar Dhawan, Wriddhiman Saha, Parthiv Patel, S Badrinath, Manoj Tiwary, Piyush Chawla, Dinesh Karthik, Jaydev Unadkat, Umesh Yadav, Rahul Sharma & Varun Aaron.

Kohli got the nod because of his impressive show in the series against England, even though he flopped in the West Indies. Ishant for his good show in England. Murali Vijay was pushed to Group C and Ashish Nehra was not included in the list.

Big names for Indian numbers

There are greater numbers, than the ones mentioned below.

Maha Padma = 10^15
Kshoni = 10^16
Parardha = 10^17
Sankha = 10^18
Maha Sankha = 10^19
Kshithi = 10^20
Maha Kshiti = 10^21
Kshobha = 10^22
Maha Kshobha = 10^23

Neethi Lamba = 10^27
Sarva Bala = 10^45
Thallakshana = 10^83

Indian names for big numbers

Ganitha Kerala, the Kerala School of Astronomy and Maths, has given a lot of names for big numbers.

Like the Western

Myriad = 10^4
Million = 10^6

Indian names are

Shata = 10^2
Sahasra = 10^3
Ayutha = 10^4
Laksha = 10^5
Dasa Laksha = 10^6 ( Million )
Koti = 10^7
Dasa Koti = 10^8
Vrinda = 10^9
Kharva = 10^10
Nikharva = 10^11
Mahapadma = 10^12
Mahakharva = 10^13
Padma = 10^14

In the Western, we have

Million = 1000^2
Billion = 1000^3
Trillion = 1000^4

or

Nillion = 1000^(n+1)

where n is the number. Tri meaning 3 and trillion = 1000^(3+1)!

We are world champions, say India !

Indian spinners triggered an English collapse. Dhoni opined that the English batsmen have not yet mastered Indian conditions.

England were chasing a target of 272 and Cook and Keiswetter gave them a solid 120 partnership, but the visitors lost their way with the exit of these two formidable batsmen, as their ten wickets fell for 47 runs.

After Aaron achieved the initial breakthrough, Indian spinners Jadeja, Ashwin, Raina and Tiwary took the remaining wickets to send the visitors back to the pavilion for just 176 runs. Jadeja took 4/33 and Ashwin 3/28. This
brownwash made amends for the humiliation in England, where India were mauled !

Cook and Kieswetter were going great guns, when Aaron, arguably the fastest Indian bowler, dismissed Cook for 60 in his second over. Jadeja trapped Kieswetter lbw., Ashwin dismissed Ian Bell for two, Trott and Bairstow were removed in eight balls by Jadeja. Bopara was removed by Raina, bowled round his legs and Bresnan holed out ot Tiwary. Ashwin then picked up Meaker and Finn to complete the brownwash.

Dhoni was adjudjed Man of the Series and he smashed 75 not out off 69 balls to power India to 271-8, after India was sent in to bat by Cook. His last seven knocks now read 69, 78 not out, 50 not out, 87 not out, 35 not out, 15 not out and 75 not out.

Jadeja was adjudged Man of the Match for his 4 wickets. Earlier Rahane ( 42 ) and Gambhir ( 38 ) scored 80 for the first wicket. Raina scored 38 before being run out and Jadeja remained a good No 7, scoring a steady 21.

The rivals will meet again on Saturday for a lone T20 ! In this series, known as the payback series, India had to win. The Indian crowd was irate and everybody was blaming the busy schedule. When the team was announced, many were apprehensive that a second rate Indian XI may not hold against England, who beat India comprehensively in England. But the Indian team rose to the occasion and now India is third in ODI rankings.

Cook was dejected and said " We were in with a shout there, 120 for no loss, and then we were blown away at the end. It was very disappointing. We know that you can lose wickets in a cluster, we seem to have lost 10 there in a cluster. Credit to the way they bowled, and we played a couple of poor shots."

Indian spinners led by Jadeja and Aswin sealed the fate of the series. English batsmen had no clues to balls which kept low and they were routed. Indians will be thankful to the return of Jadeja, the pace of Aaron and Yadav ( who both clocked more than 145 kph ), the length of Vinay Kumar , the batting of Raina, Kohli, Dhoni and Jadeja. Now India has 118 points.

India had won 16 out of 18 ODIs played in India and their dominance in home conditions is alarming.

Dhoni was ecstatic.

"I remember them as a very strong side and they can give you the punch with a good bowling unit. But they need to click as a batting unit. It's just that they have not done well in India."

Indian bowlers could not use English conditions well. "I've not said anything different. We must realise our strengths and weaknesses. Of course, it's a great series win. But our pacers could not bowl 10 overs. But it didn't happen here. We have to realise where we have to go better. It's good to have bowlers. We need to improve as a team. Hopefully, we have improved but we still need to be consistent and not depending on the venue. We have to be more consistent with our bowling as well. These are the areas we need to emphasis upon so that we may not see a Raina bowling alongside Tiwary." said the whirlwind wicket keeper batsman.

As a No 6, 'Man of the Series' Dhoni said he had adjusted himself to that slot. "The last time I played up the order was in Pakistan and I could not capitalise on a couple of innings. I was supposed to bat at 5, 6 or 7 and got myself adjusted. Now the format of the game has also changed. Now with split of powerplays, the situations are different. We have to be good at slog overs and rotate strikes as well. It's about taking risks as well. I have changed my style of batting. At 3, you can be flamboyant but at 5 and 6 you have to be careful. Reiterating his stand on terming the series as revenge, he said, "It's not about revenge. In sport, you don't go for revenge. We are a good side. Our bowling did not perform to the extent in the series. For us, it's about to do well but not setting examples."

Dhoni said he is philosophical about the humiliation incurred in England.

"It happens in the world. You are appreciated when you do well. It should be taken in an open heart. I can also sit and criticise. I was not too worried about criticism. We know cricket is big in India. It's a part of our life."

Dhoni praised the youngsters. "It's difficult to replace the seniors talent-wise. But these youngsters have clicked as a unit. They are slightly better fielders. They may save 8-10 runs which matter in ODIs. They have reacted in the right way. They waited to turn the game in their favour. But we really can't replace Sachin, Sehwag and Yuvraj."

About the low turnout at Kolkotta, Dhoni said, "We played a lot of cricket in India. The World Cup, IPL and then the Champions League were held here. Big stars like Sachin were missing. This is one of the biggest stadia in India. So it's not easy to get a jam-packed crowd everytime. I remember them as a very strong side and they can give you the punch with a good bowling unit. But they need to click as a batting unit. It's just that they have not done well in India."

Dhoni wished his countrymen Happy Diwali. "I extend my best wishes to everyone for Diwali" said the formidable Indian captain.

In T20s, England is positioned at No 1 with 127 points, India is placed No 5 with 112 points, Australia with 111 points and Pakistan 97 points. Misbah condemend the ranking of Pakistan at No 7, saying that they were World Champions. He said his side will improve, even though the ranking is undeserved !

Said Misbah, "It was quite a shock to the whole team. We felt it quite a lot, all the players," whose shot, in the 2007 final, went straight into the safe hands of Sreeshant, giving India the Cup that mattered.

He said his players were eager to improve their rankings. "We've spoken about it as well. All the players have quite a lot of concern about it. All the players want to do well. We've lost quite a few of our last T20s, so all the players felt it and their thinking is that they need to improve it now." Pakistan start their second Test against SL on Wed.

"Next time we play a T20, our approach will be that this is a format that we have done really well in, it's a format that we've played a lot, and our performances in the three World T20s, runner-up, winner, then semis, we want to bring that ranking back" said the solid middle order batsman

India thrash England !

Varun Aaron impressed one and all with his blistering pace. He clocked 145.3 in the 11th over. Even though he did not get a chance to complete his full quota of ten overs, his spell 6-1-24-3 was a pointer that India's pace bowling future is not all brimming with pessimistic prophecies.

Dhoni used him very carefully and gave him the first over after the end of the mandatory first power play. A move which ensured that the promising speedster got enough support.

Even though his first spell was uneventul, his second spell of 3-1-10-3 was great and gave Indian supporters the pep that they needed. One always wondered why a nation of 1.2 billion people could not develop fast bowlers, who could bowl faster than 150 kph.

His second spell was marked by full length deliveries and it is to his credit that he clean bowled Borthwick, Meaker and Bresnan. One should also give credit to the ball of Finn which clean bowled Raina. It came at a blistering 149.9 kph !

Kohli (80) and Raina ( 86 ) crushed England in a century partnership. England looks like a cat out of water in Indian conditions.

Dhoni was exuberant. He said "They got a good start. After 10 overs, we thought they will get 270 plus. But there was a twist in the tale. Spinners got more and more turn as the game progressed and that helped us restrain them." .

Dhoni also said pacer Varun Aaron, who made his debut, was a good addition to the team."He bowled quick. If you can bowl quick, it's difficult to rotate the strike. Now we have both Umesh Yadav and Aaron, and we can make a good choice according to the conditions."

Indian fiedling has improved. "We have improved a lot. Those 10 runs (saved) matter. Overall it has become a good fielding unit."

Cook blamed lack of partnerships for the debacle. "We fell short again. In Indian conditions, you need to score 270, 280. We lost wickets in cluster today; 220 was never going to be enough. We kept losing wickets. We have not performed to our potential. We have not played as well as we would have liked to. The guys would definitely want to win in Kolkata."

Suresh Raina, who scored a quick-fire 80 off just 62 balls, was adjudged Man-of-the-Match. "The partnership with Virat was crucial. Me and Virat spoke to each other and he said, 'We have to be together for about 100 runs'. He said 'We'll rotate strike and wait for the loose deliveries to play our shots'" said the versatile left hander.

Bowled by a fastish delivery from Finn which made him miss his century, the maverick left hander said. "I had decided to play my natural game. But I won't repeat that mistake again. We will try to win it 5-0."

India take revenge

If it was a matter of nerves, India held their nerves and beat England in the third ODI, to win the series 3-0.

England batted magnificently to score 298 and India had to hold their nerves. 7 runs were needed in the final over, when Dhoni smacked the first two balls for fours, registering a great win for India. The visitors came back into the game taking some quick wickets, but Jadeja ( 26 not out ) and Dhoni ( 35 not out ) steered India home.

After being smashed in Hyderabad and thumped in Delhi, the visitors were a more convincing, cohesive unit this time. but didnt have the bowling strength to contain Indian batting.

England won the toss and elected to bat and K P's 64, Patel's 70 not out and Trott's superb 98 not out saw England score a formidable 298/4. Umesh Yadav failed to impress, finishing with the figures 0-71.

Trott missed his ton by two runs, as he remained not out on 98, facing 116 balls with nine boundaries. Patel scored 70 off 44 balls, with two sixes and seven boundaries. England's big score was due to a great century partnership, 101 to be exact, between Trott and KP. Trott added 103 runs with Patel, who hit two sixes and seven fours, as England amassed 91 runs in the last ten overs.

Vinay Kumar trapped Cook for three in the fourth over. Kieswetter made amends for his low scores, by slamming two sixes and three boundaries in a quick fire 36.

Rahane scored 91 and partnered Gambhir in a 111 run partnership for the second wicket. Gambhir scored 58, Patel 38 and Kohli 35, as India amasseed 300/7.

Kohli, a potential Sachin : Rhodes

Kohli has the ability to become another Sachin, opined Jonty Rhodes.

"Kohli is only 22 but he has already shown his potential with the bat. He has shown that he can be a superstar."said the ex great fielder.

"His conversion rate from fifties to hundreds in ODIs is amazing. Once he gets a fifty, he is a difficult batsman to dismiss. With regards to the stats and the number of runs scored, he has shown that he can compete with the records of the likes of Sachin Tendulkar in the long run.

"Kohli is expected to play a big role in India's success in the future. He is a fine cricketer and a fine athlete. He is a complete all-rounder."

Kohli has scored 2,496 runs in 66 ODIs at an average of 45.38 with the help of seven centuries and 16 fifties.

He can also be a successful Test player.

"The right-handed batsman has been consistent in IPL, T20s and ODIs because he plays good cricketing shots." said Rhodes.

"He plays shots all-round the park. From the team point of view, he has shown maturity. He finishes games for India and does not throw his wicket away. That's what Test cricket is all about." he added.

Rhodes feels that England may find it difficult to bounce back.

"England are a team that have come off a convincing win (over India) in their home. But being 0-2 down is always a dangerous position to be in, especially when you are playing against a quality side. England have shown that they are very good but beating India in India is a tough ask."

"We all know its pretty tough to play in India. England had played pretty well recently but India have bounced back.

"They are the world champions. No team would like to go to England and fail to win even a game there, especially if they are the world champions. India have given England a lesson in cricket in the last two games." said the talented South African.

Rhodes supported Bajji, who is on a lean period.

"Bhajji has always been a fighter and he has been known for it throughout his career. I have been dropped in my career. There are two things you can do in that situation - either sulk and say that's it I'm not going to participate or you can get back to the field. That's what he did for Mumbai Indians in the Champions League." said the Mumbai Indians coach.

"He could have said Sachin is not here, I've been dropped from the Indian team so what's the point, but he led (Mumbai Indians) from the front. That's shows the kind of guy he is.

"He is a real team man. He has got a lot to contribute to the India team."