England drop Bell and Anderson

India won the toss and decided to field against England
Ian Bell has been cut from the XI after failing to give England satisfactory starts to their innings

The series is already safely in India’s hands after four dominant performances, but their focus is firmly on a 7-0 whitewash. England have been narrowing the margins of defeat each time, but in truth have only competed on a level playing field for brief periods. There is much for Kevin Pietersen to ponder, while Mahendra Singh Dhoni’s life is pretty rosy.

England have attempted to shake things up by making two changes for Cuttack, bringing in Alastair Cook and Steve Harmison in place of Ian Bell and James Anderson. This will be Cook’s first game of the series while Harmison is making a comeback after being dropped for the offspinner Graeme Swann in the third ODI. Harmison fared poorly in his two games, taking 1 for 125 at an economy-rate of 7.35 per over.

The switch in fast bowlers was expected after a wicketless four matches for Anderson where he has conceded 158 runs at 6.32 per over, but Bell’s omission is more of a surprise because of the faith shown in him by the England management. However, he too has laboured during the one-dayers and really struggled during the 22-over chase in Bangalore where he managed 12 off 15 balls during the Powerplays.

Cook will be under the spotlight early on after Dhoni put England in, a decision Pietersen called “surprising.” The pressure will be on for the visitors to get away to a positive start, and at least he’ll have a familiar face at the other end in Essex team-mate Ravi Bopara.

India, true to their word, have also made a couple of changes with Irfan Pathan earning a recall in place of Munaf Patel and Rohit Sharma coming back into the middle order as Gautam Gambhir is rested. However, you sense it will take more than a couple of changes to disrupt India’s momentum.

India 1 Virender Sehwag, 2 Sachin Tendulkar, 3 Suresh Raina, 4 Yuvraj Singh, 5 Rohit Sharma, 6 Mahendra Singh Dhoni (capt & wk), 7 Yusuf Pathan, 8 Irfan Pathan, 9 Harbhajan Singh, 10 Zaheer Khan, 11 Ishant Sharma

England1 Alastair Cook, 2 Ravi Bopara, 3 Kevin Pietersen (capt), 4 Paul Collingwood, 5 Andrew Flintoff, 6 Owais Shah, 7 Samit Patel, 8 Matt Prior (wk), 9 Graeme Swann, 10 Stuart Broad, 11 Steve Harmison

 

Border-Gavaskar trophy

Again north Indian shows they are the best. Mahendra Singh Dhoni (Jharkhand) again took india on winning path.
Now its time to kick out Sachin Tendulkar.

Amit Mishra followed up a stunning run out with three wickets in India’s 172-run triumph over Australia © AFP

India 441 (Tendulkar 109, Ganguly 85, Sehwag 66, Laxman 64, Dhoni 56, Krejza 8-215) and 295 (Sehwag 92, Dhoni 55, Harbhajan 52, Watson 4-42, Krejza 4-143) beat Australia 355 (Katich 102, Hussey 90) and 209 (Hayden 77, Harbhajan 4-64, Mishra 3-27 ) by 172 runs

That it happened in the same city where Australia famously conquered the final frontier four years ago was poignant. India regained the coveted Border-Gavaskar trophy, their first series win over Australia in eight years, after they bowled Australia out for 209 to win by 172 runs. It was a dramatic day, with an energetic India following up three early wickets with dropped catches to allow Matthew Hayden score a pugnacious 77 and give Australia a whiff of victory. India’s spinners held their nerve, however, and relentlessly plugged away with precision and hostility to snuff out the seven wickets required to regain the trophy squandered in 2004. India confidently stepped into a new era with their captain, Mahendra Singh Dhoni, winning his third Test in a row.

Lunch Australia 355 and 111 for 3 (Hayden 46*, Hussey 14*) need another 271 runs to beat India 441 and 295

At the end of a schizophrenic session, India maintained their authority over the final Test, taking three wickets in the first two hours on day five to leave Australia at 111 for 3. After a good catch to dismiss Simon Katich and a brilliant run out by Amit Mishra to nail Ricky Ponting, India’s butterfingered fielders dropped Matthew Hayden twice and misfielded with sloppy regularity. Hayden rode his luck to finish the session on 46, helping Australia score 98 at 4.56 an over in the session. The intent was clear, despite the early wickets, but Australia still face a tough ask to square the Border-Gavaskar trophy.

India began the day well. Katich had played the horizontal shot a couple times, once connecting with a swing to the deep square-leg boundary, but trying to work a short ball across to the on side once too often, he skied Ishant Sharma into orbit. Mahendra Singh Dhoni didn’t for a second take his eyes off the swirling ball – 29 for 1.

Zaheer Khan produced an edge from the first delivery bowled to Ponting, squared up on the back foot, but the ball didn’t carry to Rahul Dravid at first slip. One classy on-drive later, Ponting, was wastefully run out for four. He dabbed and set off for an extremely ambitious single and Mishra, screaming in from mid-off, threw down the stumps with a brilliant underarm pick-up and fling – 37 for 2.

Ishant couldn’t believe Michael Clarke wasn’t given lbw by the umpire Billy Bowden in the next over when the ball incriminatingly thudded into his left pad – replays showed it would have clipped leg stump – while Zaheer grit his teeth when the batsman twice edged wide of second slip in three balls. Hayden also chopped through the slips, looking to score off almost every delivery against the new ball. But India missed a big opportunity when he was on 30. Harbhajan Singh came in after 12 overs and cursed under his breath when Dhoni dropped a regulation edge as Hayden went to cut the second ball for four as well.

The dismissal of Clarke for 22, nibbling at a lovely delivery after Ishant plugged away on an exemplary length, seemed to have nailed it decisively India’s way at 82 for 3. Then Dravid, at slip, dropped Hayden on 36 when the batsman went for another powerful reverse-sweep. To add to the mess, needless overthrows and misfields in the circle allowed Australia easy runs as they set about chasing a big score.
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India crushed Australia by 172 runs to win the fourth and final Test and regain the Border-Gavaskar trophy, in Nagpur on Monday.

Harbhajan Singh claimed four wickets for 64 runs, while Amit Mishra took three for 27, as Australia, chasing a record 382 for victory, were dismissed for 209 in 50.2 overs, handing India a 2-0 series triumph.
My Son, Sourav
Sourav’s last Test innings

It was an emotional moment for Indian cricket as its most successful captain Sourav Ganguly bid farewell to the international game. The left-hander, who scored 324 in the series, at an average of 54, was even handed charge of the team for a while, after Australia had lost nine wickets.

Gautam Gambhir , who missed the match because of a ban, finished as the top scorer from either side with 463 runs in six innings at 77.16. Fast bowler Ishant Sharma, later named man of the series, and Harbhajan Singh emerged the top wicket-takers with a haul of 15 wickets each. Jason krejza was adjudged man of the match.

India had won the second Test in Mohali by 320 runs, while the first Test and the third were drawn.

Morning session: (98 runs, 21.3 overs, 3 wickets)

Defending a target of 382, India’s plan was clear: set a defensive field and bowl wide outside the off-stump. With a 1-0 lead one would not blame them for doing so. It forced the Australian batsmen to come up with something out of the ordinary, something they have not been accustomed to over the years.

Simon Katich came out firing and swung at a delivery outside the off-stump to the leg side boundary in the fourth over of the innings. However, that was followed by a few moments of sheer madness as the two Aussie openers fished at everything wide and were lucky not to edge a few of those.

Katich’s agony ended on 16 when he tried another wild swipe across the line off Ishant but holed it on the off-side and wicketkeeper Mahendra Singh Dhoni neatly pouched it.

Ricky Ponting survived a close chance when his edge off Zaheer fell short of Rahul Dravid at first slip. But five balls later the Aussie captain was run out for 8 at the non-striker’s end by a direct hit from Amit Mishra at mid-off.

Michael Clarke survived a confident leg before wicket appeal off the third ball he faced, from Ishant. Closer looks at replays indicated that he was trapped in front and lucky to be given not out.

Clarke, who came in with a runner, then survived two more chances when his edges flew just wide off slips in the boundary in the 11th over of the innings, bowled by Zaheer.

Only 10.3 overs were bowled in the first hour of play, with Australia scoring 52 runs and losing two wickets. It was clear India were in no rush to bowl their overs just like Australia did the day before.

Harbhajan Singh came into the attack in the 13th over and was smashed for a boundary by Hayden. The very next ball Hayden, on 30, tried another cut short but the straight forward edge was dropped by Dhoni.

Australia were surely having a dash at the target with Hayden even attempting a reverse sweep off Harbhajan that fetched him a boundary. But their hopes suffered a setback when Ishant claimed the big wicket of Clarke for 22, caught behind by Dhoni, as Australia were reduced to 82 for three.

Hayden, on 35, attempted another reverse sweep off Harbhajan but this time hit it straight to Dravid, at first slip, who failed to hold on to a sharp chance.

At lunch on the final day, Australia were 111 for 3 in 23 overs. Hayden (46 not out) and Hussey (14 not out) are looking to attack at every opportunity, but the target seems a huge mountain to climb.

India’s over-rate, as expected, was pathetic at around 10 overs per hour, but, as Dhoni said on Sunday, their first aim is winning the series, and for that even a draw would do.

By the look of things, they are just playing for that.

Post-lunch session: (98 runs, 7 wickets, 27.2 overs)

Hayden completed his half-century in the first over after lunch when he thumped Sehwag through mid-wicket for a boundary. The left-hander then launched into Harbhajan in the 27th over with two powerfully swept boundaries and followed it up with a big six off Sehwag in the following over.

35 runs had come off the first five overs after lunch, as Australia tried to step up a gear. Immediately Dhoni reacted and his bowlers bowled negative lines and fielders were all back on the boundary.

Mishra was introduced into the attack and the young leg-spinner struck in his very first over. He got one to bounce from the rough, which Hussey could only fend to Dravid at first slip for 19.

In the following over, Harbhajan claimed the big wicket of Hayden for 77. The left-hander walked across his stumps to play on the leg-side but missed the shot and was trapped plumb in front. He hit eight boundaries and a six in his 93-ball knock and his dismissal took India closer to victory.

Brad Haddin also perished cheaply, caught at mid-on by Tendulkar off Mishra for 4. Incidentally, that catch saw Tendulkar achieve another landmark as he completed 100 catches in Test cricket.

Whatever hopes Australia had of at least saving the match were all dashed by their collapse after lunch which saw them lose three wickets for 11 runs in the space of four overs.

Shane Watson prodded around for a while before he was caught behind off Harbhajan for 9.

Jason Krejza could not do much damage with the bat as he was stumped off Mishra for 4, trying a huge shot down the ground.

Interestingly, in a rare goodwill gesture, Dhoni gave Ganguly the perfect farewell by allowing him to lead the team at the fall of the ninth Australian wicket. It brought back memories of the Ganguly of yore as he moved around his fielders and chatted with the bowlers while Dhoni stood and watched for a few overs.

Mitchell Johnson was the final dismissal, trapped leg before wicket by Harbhajan for 11. Australia were out for 209, giving India a huge 172-run victory.

It ensured India their first series win against Australia since 2001.

Defensive tactics or not, Australia were comprehensively outplayed in this Test and had no answers to Dhoni’s quick thinking.

Harbhajan was the star performer for India with the ball as he ended with four for 64 in 18.2 overs, while Mishra claimed three for 27.

Immediately after the victory, Ganguly was chaired to the pavilion by his team mates. Even Anil Kumble and Gautam Gambhir joined in the celebrations.

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Chandidas Ganguly is the proud owner of one of Asia’s best printing business houses, but most Indians know him as the father of cricketer Sourav ‘Dada’ Ganguly, who retired from the game today.

We caught up with the senior Ganguly at his Behala home in Kolkata a few hours after his son missed a century by 15 runs. Sourav’s father had yet to get over the fact that Dada had missed a ton. “But then, cricket is a one-ball game,” he said.

“I am so proud of him. He has had such a wonderful career.”

Last match

Sourav Ganguly did a Don Bradman when he fell for a duck in his final Test innings on Day 4 of the fourth and final Test against Australia in Nagpur on Sunday.
The left-hand batsman, who will retire after the ongoing Test, walked out to a standing ovation from the crowd and the Australians in the middle, but returned immediately after being caught and bowled by Jason Krejza off the first ball he faced.

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Final scorecard

Played at Vidarbha Cricket Association Stadium, Jamtha, Nagpur, on 6,7,8,9,10 November 2008 (5-day match) Result India won by 172 runs

	India 1st innings			R	M	B	4s	6s	SR
		V Sehwag	b Krejza	66	114	69	9	1	95.65
		M Vijay	c Haddin b Watson	33	88	53	2	0	62.26
		R Dravid	c Katich b Krejza	0	4	2	0	0	0.00
		SR Tendulkar	lbw b Johnson	109	274	188	12	0	57.97
		VVS Laxman	c Haddin b Krejza	64	193	141	5	0	45.39
		SC Ganguly	c Clarke b Krejza	85	220	153	8	1	55.55
		MS Dhoni	b Krejza	56	158	97	4	0	57.73
		Harbhajan Singh	not out	18	40	24	4	0	75.00
		Z Khan	b Krejza	1	25	16	0	0	6.25
		A Mishra	b Krejza	0	1	1	0	0	0.00
		I Sharma	c Katich b Krejza	0	9	7	0	0	0.00
		Extras	(b 4, lb 2, w 1, nb 2)	9
		Total	(all out; 124.5 overs; 568 mins)	441	(3.53 runs per over)

Fall of wickets1-98 (Vijay, 17.5 ov), 2-99 (Dravid, 18.4 ov), 3-116 (Sehwag, 22.3 ov), 4-262 (Laxman, 68.4 ov), 5-303 (Tendulkar, 82.5 ov), 6-422 (Dhoni, 116.4 ov), 7-423 (Ganguly, 116.6 ov), 8-437 (Khan, 122.3 ov), 9-437 (Mishra, 122.4 ov), 10-441 (Sharma, 124.5 ov)

	Bowling	O	M	R	W	Econ
	B Lee	16	2	62	0	3.87	(2nb, 1w)
	MG Johnson	32	11	84	1	2.62
	SR Watson	20	5	42	1	2.10
	JJ Krejza	43.5	1	215	8	4.90
	CL White	10	1	24	0	2.40
	SM Katich	3	0	8	0	2.66

	Australia 1st innings			R	M	B	4s	6s	SR
		ML Hayden	run out (Vijay)	16	30	26	3	0	61.53
		SM Katich	lbw b Khan	102	304	189	9	0	53.96
		RT Ponting	b Harbhajan Singh	24	45	41	3	0	58.53
		MEK Hussey	run out (Vijay/Dhoni)	90	315	229	8	0	39.30
		MJ Clarke	c Dhoni b Sharma	8	58	44	1	0	18.18
		SR Watson	b Harbhajan Singh	2	36	22	0	0	9.09
		BJ Haddin	c Dravid b Mishra	28	94	80	2	0	35.00
		CL White	c Sehwag b Harbhajan Singh	46	162	133	4	0	34.58
		JJ Krejza	lbw b Sharma	5	40	21	0	0	23.80
		MG Johnson	c Khan b Mishra	5	41	25	0	0	20.00
		B Lee	not out	1	5	4	0	0	25.00
		Extras	(b 12, lb 3, w 2, nb 6, pen 5)	28
		Total	(all out; 134.4 overs; 570 mins)	355	(2.63 runs per over)

Fall of wickets1-32 (Hayden, 6.5 ov), 2-74 (Ponting, 17.1 ov), 3-229 (Katich, 70.6 ov), 4-255 (Clarke, 84.4 ov), 5-265 (Hussey, 89.5 ov), 6-266 (Watson, 91.4 ov), 7-318 (Haddin, 115.5 ov), 8-333 (Krejza, 126.1 ov), 9-352 (White, 133.2 ov), 10-355 (Johnson, 134.4 ov)

	Bowling	O	M	R	W	Econ
	Z Khan	28	8	68	1	2.42
	Harbhajan Singh	37	7	94	3	2.54
	I Sharma	26	8	64	2	2.46	(4nb, 2w)
	A Mishra	23.4	5	58	2	2.45	(2nb)
	V Sehwag	18	2	38	0	2.11
	SR Tendulkar	2	0	13	0	6.50

	India 2nd innings			R	M	B	4s	6s	SR
		V Sehwag	c Haddin b Lee	92	163	107	10	1	85.98
		M Vijay	lbw b Watson	41	128	81	5	0	50.61
		R Dravid	c Haddin b Watson	3	20	17	0	0	17.64
		SR Tendulkar	run out (White/Haddin)	12	90	55	1	0	21.81
		VVS Laxman	b Krejza	4	62	34	0	0	11.76
		SC Ganguly	c & b Krejza	0	1	1	0	0	0.00
		MS Dhoni	c Hussey b Krejza	55	117	81	4	0	67.90
		Harbhajan Singh	b Watson	52	121	94	5	0	55.31
		Z Khan	c Haddin b Krejza	6	10	11	1	0	54.54
		A Mishra	b Watson	7	14	8	1	0	87.50
		I Sharma	not out	1	9	9	0	0	11.11
		Extras	(b 6, lb 3, w 6, nb 2, pen 5)	22
		Total	(all out; 82.4 overs; 373 mins)	295	(3.56 runs per over)

Fall of wickets1-116 (Vijay, 28.2 ov), 2-132 (Dravid, 32.5 ov), 3-142 (Sehwag, 35.1 ov), 4-163 (Laxman, 47.1 ov), 5-163 (Ganguly, 47.2 ov), 6-166 (Tendulkar, 49.5 ov), 7-274 (Dhoni, 77.1 ov), 8-286 (Khan, 79.2 ov), 9-288 (Harbhajan Singh, 80.1 ov), 10-295 (Mishra, 82.4 ov)

	Bowling	O	M	R	W	Econ
	MG Johnson	14	4	22	0	1.57
	B Lee	10	3	27	1	2.70	(2nb)
	JJ Krejza	31	3	143	4	4.61
	SR Watson	15.4	2	42	4	2.68	(1w)
	CL White	2	0	15	0	7.50	(1w)
	MEK Hussey	4	2	3	0	0.75
	MJ Clarke	6	1	29	0	4.83

	Australia 2nd innings (target: 382 runs)			R	B	4s	6s	SR
		ML Hayden	lbw b Harbhajan Singh	77	93	8	1	82.79
		SM Katich	c Dhoni b Sharma	16	16	3	0	100.00
		RT Ponting	run out (Mishra)	8	6	2	0	133.33
		MJ Clarke	c Dhoni b Sharma	22	30	3	0	73.33
		MEK Hussey	c Dravid b Mishra	19	30	2	0	63.33
		SR Watson	c Dhoni b Harbhajan Singh	9	34	0	0	26.47
		BJ Haddin	c Tendulkar b Mishra	4	10	0	0	40.00
		CL White	not out	26	49	3	0	53.06
		JJ Krejza	st Dhoni b Mishra	4	17	0	0	23.52
		B Lee	c Vijay b Harbhajan Singh	0	3	0	0	0.00
		MG Johnson	lbw b Harbhajan Singh	11	16	1	0	68.75
		Extras	(b 6, lb 1, w 4, nb 2)	13
		Total	(all out; 50.2 overs)	209	(4.15 runs per over)

Fall of wickets1-29 (Katich, 5.4 ov), 2-37 (Ponting, 6.6 ov), 3-82 (Clarke, 15.5 ov), 4-150 (Hussey, 28.4 ov), 5-154 (Hayden, 29.2 ov), 6-161 (Haddin, 32.4 ov), 7-178 (Watson, 38.4 ov), 8-190 (Krejza, 43.5 ov), 9-191 (Lee, 44.4 ov), 10-209 (Johnson, 50.2 ov)

	Bowling	O	M	R	W	Econ
	Z Khan	8	0	57	0	7.12	(2w)
	I Sharma	9	0	31	2	3.44	(1nb, 1w)
	Harbhajan Singh	18.2	2	64	4	3.49	(1w)
	V Sehwag	4	0	23	0	5.75
	A Mishra	11	2	27	3	2.45	(1nb)

 

Fourth Test

A blistering half-century from Virender Sehwag got India off to a flying start but Australia turned the tables by claiming three quick wickets on the first day of the fourth Test of the Border-Gavaskar series in Nagpur.

Sehwag (66) and debutant Murali Vijay (33) put on 98 runs for the opening wicket in quick time

after Mahendra Singh Dhoni won the toss, but Shane Watson severed the burgeoning partnership by disposing of Vijay for 33 just after the first drinks break.

Off-spinner Jason Krejza, playing his first match, then sent back Rahul Dravid for a two-ball duck and later had his second victim in Sehwag as India crashed to 122 for three at lunch.

Sachin Tendulkar was batting on 16 and with him was VVS Laxman, playing his 100th Test match, on four.

Murali plunged into his first Test match with gusto, providing able support for Sehwag as they pushed the visitors, still recovering from the loss of yet another toss, further on the back foot.

The first hour was marked by a flurry of boundaries, an astonishing 70 runs coming in that period.

Australia’s new ball bowlers Brett Lee and Mitchell Johnson had struggled with line and length, although they did have their chances.

Sehwag had an inside edge off Johnson miss off stump by a whisker, while another top-edge flew over the slip cordon.

Those chances, however, came when Sehwag had not yet aligned his sights quite perfectly.

The right-hand batsman hit Krejza for a four and a six off consecutive deliveries in his first over and then took nine runs from three deliveries in his third.

Sehwag brought up his half-century – off just 45 deliveries – by turning the off-spinner through square leg for a single and looked set to take heavy toll.

Ricky Ponting had persisted with Krejza although he had leaked 34 runs in his first four overs and was rewarded when Sehwag dragged one back on to his stumps from the off-spinner.

Sehwag’s 66 came off 69 deliveries and contained nine boundaries and a six.

Vijay was first to go, Shane Watson generating steepling bounce and catching the edge which Brad Haddin grasped easily.

Rahul Dravid had lunged forward to defend a delivery, but only managed to jab straight to Simon Katich at short leg.

 

Kumble gone

India’s test skipper Anil Kumble dropped a bombshell just a few minutes before the close of third test match between India and Australia at Feroz Shah Kotla by announcing his retirement from cricket. Kumble played 132 tests and took 619 wickets. His illustrious 18-year of cricket career finally came to an end at his favorite cricket ground, where he took 58 wickets in 7 tests. He also took his career-best 10/74 at the Kotla ground against Pakistan in 1999.

Anil Kumble was under tremendous pressure from several quarters, as he has been fighting with injury for a few months. After announcing retirement, Kumble said he had taken the decision before Kotla test and he attributed it to frequent injuries. Kumble also said that he always gave his 100 per cent to the game of cricket. “Feroz Shah Kotla Ground remains memorable for me. That’s why I decided to announce my retirement on this ground. I will definitely go to Nagpur, to watch Sourav Ganguly play in his last test match”, said an emotional Kumble.

Retired cricketers, current Indian cricketers and cricket fans across the globe expressed shock over Kumble’s decision to quit, but they all were on the same opinion that Kumble did it at the right time and bowed out with full dignity. Chief Selector K Srikkanth said that Kumble has been a role model to cricket and with his retirement, an era came to an end. Anil Kumble is placed third in terms of test wickets after Muralitharan and Shane Warne.

Anil Kumble is the second test cricketer to claim all 10 wickets in a test innings. All Indian cricketers, Australian players and a huge crowd gave a standing ovation to Anil Kumble, when he left the ground for the last time on the shoulders of his team mate. Indian cricket will always remain indebted to Anil Kumble. Mahendra Singh Dhoni will be the skipper of Indian cricket team at Nagpur.

 

Dhoni

Mahendra Singh Dhoni is destiny’s favourite child. And he is very happily married to Lady Luck. How else do you explain the fact that everything he touches turns to gold. He first substituted for Anil Kumble (as Test captain) against South Africa in the Kanpur Test and led India to a comprehensive eight-wicket win inside three days. A second opportunity came his way in Mohali and he has ensured himself a 320-run thrashing of Australia . And here we won’t even mention his ODIs or T20 exploits. Don’t agree with us. Here’s a second point of view then. He has given the term “leading from the front” a whole new meaning. Captaincy at a young age can be a burden and can affect your performance as a player. Not in Dhoni’s case though. He celebrated wearing the captain’s armband for a second time by contributing 92 and 68 not out with the bat– a performance that won him the man-of-the-match award. Don’t agree with us? Here’s the third and final point of view. The 27-year-old has his head firmly on his shoulder and has not let success distract him as is usually the case with the young Indian cricketers. Dhoni is aware of the fact that both “performance” and “luck” are variable factors and would pose a problem for him at some stage. And that is precisely what keeps him rooted. Still, don’t agree with us? Then just hear from the horse’s mouth. “When you play one or two matches, records do happen,” said Dhoni, when queried about his second successive triumph as Test captain. “But it is about doing it over a longer period of time.” The captain was in fact surprised that the Aussies succumbed so meekly. “Honestly speaking, we have not seen this before,” he admitted. “I mean in their first innings, they were 22 for two wickets after 13 overs and I was so surprised that I told Rahul (Dravid) that you don’t see things like that very often “And maybe you won’t see that again for a long time.” Dhoni did admit, however, that India was the better side. “I don’t believe in comparisons but we did most things right,” he explained. “We had only four bowlers and to their credit, they shared the responsibility well.” But doesn’t his captaincy deserved some credit as well? “There’s not too much pressure of being a captain,” admitted Dhoni. “We have to take care of certain things on the ground and channel our efforts in the right direction.” And what about his own batting? “It was a perfect scenario for me to just go out and play my natural game,” reasoned Dhoni. “We got a good start, the track was placid and the ball old. It was just the perfect occasion for my sort of batting. “I have realized that I should play my natural game, play to my strengths. In between, I was not playing my game but thinking of the scenario.” Another thing he has realised happens to be the fact that the hallmark of a good captain is to have faith in his players. “I believe in every guy who is part of the side,” he asserted. “Every player comes to this level after putting in a lot of effort.” The Mohali Test was memorable on many grounds– Sachin’s record, Amit Mishra’s performance on debut and his own batting. But what was it that Dhoni himself like the most? “Sourav getting 102 was special,” blurted Dhoni, without thinking even for a moment. “Since it is his last series, he was playing without any pressure. And that is how one wants to see him play.” With almost everything going to perfection he definitely has reasons to expect more. But Dhoni believes caution is the best way to propagate aggression. “They are a strong side,” he warned. “It is just that we are doing our job well now. So we don’t have to worry about the opposition as much. But they will come back strong for sure.” Successful, and still not complacent, that’s Mahendra Singh Dhoni for you. And now you better believe us.

 

Yusuf and Ojha get maiden call-ups

Yusuf Pathan, a right-hand batsman, and Pragyan Ojha, a left-arm spinner, have been called up to the 15-member squad for the tri-series in Bangladesh and the Asia Cup in Pakistan next month. Dinesh Karthik and Munaf Patel, who played in the CB Series, failed to make the cut. The inclusion of Yusuf, who is the half-brother of Irfan Pathan, was on expected lines after his stand-out performances for the Rajasthan Royals in the Indian Premier League. He has scored 334 runs at 27.83 from 13 innings with three fifties, and recorded the fastest half-century of the Twenty20 tournament: off 21 balls against the Deccan Chargers. He also took five wickets at 41.60 with his offspin. Ojha was one of exceptions in an otherwise lacklustre performance by his team, Deccan, who lost 12 off their 14 matches. He took 11 wickets at 25.81, and his best figures were 2 for 18 in their IPL opener against the Kolkata Knight Riders. However Venkatapathy Raju, the former India left-arm spinner who is also one of the national selectors, said IPL performances had not carried much weightage in picking the squad. “Our team did well in Australia and we kept in mind injuries to players in our selection”, Raju told Cricinfo. “Murali Kartik was injured and he opted out so we were looking for another left-arm spinner and Ojha’s advantage is his height. He was the selectors’ choice and not a recommendation from the captain.” Yusuf, meanwhile, was a unanimous choice, Raju said, based on his recent performances. Apart from the selectors, Dav Whatmore, the National Cricket Academy director, Gary Kirtsen, the coach, Niranjan Shah, the board secretary, and Mahendra Singh Dhoni attended the meeting. Ojha first came in to the limelight last August when he picked up 22 wickets in India A’s tour of Kenya, including 9 for 85 in a three-day fixture that India won by an innings and 87 runs. In four List A games last season, Yusuf scored 92 for Baroda, while Ojha, picked up six wickets for Hyderabad. Their first-class record was better, with Yusuf getting 441 runs at 44.10 from seven Ranji games and Ojha topping Hyderabad’s wickets list with 24 at 31.87 from six matches. Squad Mahendra Singh Dhoni (capt & wk), Yuvraj Singh, Robin Uthappa, Gautam Gambhir, Virender Sehwag, Rohit Sharma, Suresh Raina, Yusuf Pathan, Irfan Pathan, Sreesanth, Ishant Sharma, Praveen Kumar, RP Singh, Piyush Chawla, Pragyan Ojha.