Laxman, Zaheer achieve career-best rankings after Durban win

DUBAI: The match-winning 96-run knock in the Durban Test on Thursday catapulted VVS Laxman to a career-best ninth in the batting chart while paceman Zaheer Khan's good show also helped him touch his career-best mark of number four in the bowling list of latest ICC rankings.

Laxman's effort in the second innings played a pivotal role in India's 87-run win, which helped India level the three-match series 1-1, and also pushed him six places up.

It is for the first time that Laxman has entered into the top-10 zone.

The wristy Hyderabadi is now the third Indian batsman inside the top-10 with Sachin Tendulkar sitting in the second position and Virender Sehwag occupying the fourth spot.

Zaheer Khan recorded figures of 3/36 and 3/57 in India's win at Durban and has been rewarded with a jump of three places which puts him along side James Anderson of England.

Off-spinner Harbhajan Singh has also improved his ranking by two places and is now in eighth position after match figures of 6/80.

Paceman S Sreesanth jumped lifted six places to 27th position after match figures of 4/86. In contrast, South Africa's top four batsmen failed to retain their places.

Jacques Kallis slipped to fifth (down by two places), AB de Villiers to sixth (down by one place), Hashim Amla to 12th (down by three places) and Graeme Smith to 14th (down by three places).

For South Africa, the only consolation is that Dale Steyn has strengthened his number-one ranking by opening up 83 points advantage over his closest rival, Graeme Swann of England.

Steyn is now just three ratings points away from reaching the 900-point mark. Steyn took 6-50 and 2-60, for which he earned 21 ratings points giving him a career-best rating of 897.

If Steyn manages to earn three more ratings points in Cape Town, he will become only the second South Africa bowler after Shaun Pollock (November 1999) and 20th overall to reach the 900-point mark which, in rankings terms, is the benchmark for top bowlers.

Meanwhile England's Jonathan Trott, whose undefeated 168 helped England to take a 415-run first innings lead which eventually resulted in an innings and 157 runs victory over Australia, has climbed seven places to claim third position.

Trott is now just nine ratings points behind Tendulkar. The two can swap places depending on how they perform in the final Tests of the series which start in Sydney and Cape Town, respectively next week.

The other England batsmen moving in the right direction are Alastair Cook in 13th position (up by one place) and Kevin Pietersen in 21st spot (up by four places).

The news is not very good for Australia whose top-order batsmen have taken a dive in the rankings.

Mike Hussey has dropped four places to share 10th position with Sri Lanka's Thilan Samaraweera, Shane Watson has fallen two places to 15th spot. Michael Clarke has slipped three places to 24th position and Ricky Ponting has dropped to 29th place, one behind England captain Andrew Strauss.


Read more: Laxman, Zaheer achieve career-best rankings after Durban win - The Times of India http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/sports/cricket/top-stories/Laxman-Zaheer-achieve-career-best-rankings-after-Durban-win/articleshow/7189955.cms#ixzz19akk30Nf

Asian Games: Easy for Saina, tough draw for other Indians

NEW DELHI: Going by current form and the draw, India's badminton star Saina Nehwal should have little difficulty in making the women's singles semifinals at the Asian Games at Guangzhou, China, starting November 12.

Other Indian players, however, will have a tough time right from the first round.

India won two gold medals, one silver, and one bronze at the Commonwealth Games, but repeating the feat at the Asian Games will be a tough ask. They will have to reckon with powerhouse China who will be in full force.

World No.3 Saina and the gold medallist at the Commonwealth Games, is seeded second and has a bye in the first round. Saina could face Hong Kong's Pui Yin Yip, sixth seed, in the quarterfinal. She is likely to encounter her first Chinese opponent only in the semifinals, possibly third seeded Shixian Wang.

The other women's singles player Aditi Mutatkar may face fourth-seeded Eriko Hirose of Japan in the second round as she is expected to beat her first-round opponent Thilini Jayasinghe of Sri Lanka.

In the men's singles, Chetan Anand will open against Sri Lankan Niluka Karunaratne in the first round and may face sixth-seeded Boonsak Ponsana of Thailand in the next round.

Parupalli Kashyap, who emerged India's star player at the Commonwealth Games with singles bronze, will take on world No. 9 Vietnam's Tien Minh Nguyen, seeded fifth, in the first round.

World No.1 Malaysian Lee Chong Wei and China's Lin Dan are seeded one and two respectively in men's singles.

In the men's doubles, Rupesh Kumar and Sanave Thomas will face top-seeded Malaysian Kien Keat Koo and Boon Heong Tan.

India's women's pair Jwala Gutta and Ashwini Ponnappa, who won the doubles gold at the Commonwealth Games, meet Thailand's Savitree Amitrapai and P. Munkitchokecharoen in the first round. However, they are expected to run into second seeded Chinese Shu Cheng and Yunlei Zhao in the next round.

In mixed doubles, Gutta and V Diju, seeded fourth, have got a bye in the first round.

In the men's team event, India will open against Chinese Taipei. If they win they will meet third seeded Indonesia in the second round.

The women's team will face Indonesia first and is likely to take on fourth seeded Chinese Taipei in the next round. China is the top seed in both men's and women's team event.

Read more: Asian Games: Easy for Saina, tough draw for other Indians - The Times of India http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/sports/events-tournaments/2010-asian-games/Asian-Games-Easy-for-Saina-tough-draw-for-other-Indians/articleshow/6769478.cms#ixzz12m3yvKkJ

Asian Games: Easy for Saina, tough draw for other Indians

NEW DELHI: Going by current form and the draw, India's badminton star Saina Nehwal should have little difficulty in making the women's singles semifinals at the Asian Games at Guangzhou, China, starting November 12.

Other Indian players, however, will have a tough time right from the first round.

India won two gold medals, one silver, and one bronze at the Commonwealth Games, but repeating the feat at the Asian Games will be a tough ask. They will have to reckon with powerhouse China who will be in full force.

World No.3 Saina and the gold medallist at the Commonwealth Games, is seeded second and has a bye in the first round. Saina could face Hong Kong's Pui Yin Yip, sixth seed, in the quarterfinal. She is likely to encounter her first Chinese opponent only in the semifinals, possibly third seeded Shixian Wang.

The other women's singles player Aditi Mutatkar may face fourth-seeded Eriko Hirose of Japan in the second round as she is expected to beat her first-round opponent Thilini Jayasinghe of Sri Lanka.

In the men's singles, Chetan Anand will open against Sri Lankan Niluka Karunaratne in the first round and may face sixth-seeded Boonsak Ponsana of Thailand in the next round.

Parupalli Kashyap, who emerged India's star player at the Commonwealth Games with singles bronze, will take on world No. 9 Vietnam's Tien Minh Nguyen, seeded fifth, in the first round.

World No.1 Malaysian Lee Chong Wei and China's Lin Dan are seeded one and two respectively in men's singles.

In the men's doubles, Rupesh Kumar and Sanave Thomas will face top-seeded Malaysian Kien Keat Koo and Boon Heong Tan.

India's women's pair Jwala Gutta and Ashwini Ponnappa, who won the doubles gold at the Commonwealth Games, meet Thailand's Savitree Amitrapai and P. Munkitchokecharoen in the first round. However, they are expected to run into second seeded Chinese Shu Cheng and Yunlei Zhao in the next round.

In mixed doubles, Gutta and V Diju, seeded fourth, have got a bye in the first round.

In the men's team event, India will open against Chinese Taipei. If they win they will meet third seeded Indonesia in the second round.

The women's team will face Indonesia first and is likely to take on fourth seeded Chinese Taipei in the next round. China is the top seed in both men's and women's team event.

Read more: Asian Games: Easy for Saina, tough draw for other Indians - The Times of India http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/sports/events-tournaments/2010-asian-games/Asian-Games-Easy-for-Saina-tough-draw-for-other-Indians/articleshow/6769478.cms#ixzz12m3yvKkJ