Ind vs WI: India beat West Indies by 7 wickets (D/L)

PORT OF SPAIN: India produced a disciplined all-round performance to notch up a convincing seven-wicket victory over the West Indies in a rain-affected second one-day international and also take a 2-0 lead in the five-match series on Wednesday.


Virat Kohli (81) played a stellar hand in first partnering opener Parthiv Patel (56) for 120-run second wicket stand and then withstanding the little tremor induced by the rain breaks.

Chasing 241 to win, India were 100 for one in 22 overs when a sharp passing shower made the square unfit to play for 85 minutes. The rain break reduced the visitors innings to 37 overs and the target was revised to 183, implying they needed 83 runs from 90 deliveries.

India achieved the target comfortably losing the wickets of Parthiv Patel (56) and Virat Kohli (81) in 33.4 overs.

Earlier, India restricted West Indies to 240 for nine after skipper Suresh Raina won the toss and elected to field at the Queen's Park Oval.

Amit Mishra (4/31) and Munaf Patel (3/35) struck in the late moments to stop the run flow and trigger a collapse after the Caribbeans went off to a good start.

For the hosts, Ramnaresh Sarwan (56) and Lendl Simmons (53) cracked individual half-centuries up the order but their middle-order crumbled, slipping from 175 for three in 34 overs to 229 for nine in 48.5 overs.

Chasing the revised target, Patel left early, caught behind off a tickle, but Kohli held firm and was well supported by stand-in skipper Suresh Raina (26) who brought an early end to the innings.

India were off to a poor start when left-handed opener Shikhar Dhawan (3) guided a Ravi Rampaul delivery into the hands of gully fielder.

But Kohli was in his element from the very start and rarely hit the ball in the air, a contrast with Parthiv Patel who scooped and flicked in vacant places at will.

Kohli completed his 2000 runs in ODI internationals with a sweep off Devendra Bishoo. It has taken him only 53 innings -- the second fastest behind the joint record holder Navjot Singh Sidhu and Sourav Ganguly (52 innings each).

None of the West Indian bowlers made any impression and the biggest flops were the local boys -- Kieron Pollard and Dwayne Bravo -- who made little impression with either bat or ball.

Patel, during his gritty knock, faced 64 balls and hit two fours and two sixes.

Kohli, who hit six fours and one six in his 103-ball innings, was finally dismissed in the last ball of the 31st over when looking for a six, he ended up holing out to Pollard off Bishoo at long-off.

Raina's brief cameo of runs came off 19 balls and contained one four and a six.

Earlier, leg-spinner Mishra took four for 31 with his sharply turning leg-breaks to keep West Indies down to 240 for nine after the hosts had threatened to run up a bigger total at one stage.

Munaf Patel (3 for 35) too played a good supporting hand as the West Indies lost six wickets for 48 runs in the final nine overs.

An entertaining 36 for Marlon Samuels and a hectic eighth wicket 31-run stand between skipper Darren Sammy (22 not out) and Ravi Rampaul (14) gave the Caribbeans some momentum but in the end the total was not enough.

Earlier, openers Simmons and Kirk Edwards (25) provided the perfect platform with 57 runs by the 13th over as they feasted on some rugged fielding and wayward bowling.

Edwards' first four flicked bowler Munaf Patel's raised hand to go to long-on fence and the next one was crashed past covers in the fourth over.

Moving into his stride, Edwards smote Praveen Kumar at the other end over mid-on, hurrying Indians to bring on leg-spinner Amit Mishra in the eighth over.

Simmons survived a caught behind in the 10th over after Munaf Patel overstepped the bowling crease.

Mishra was impressive from the word go but Simmons was confident enough to sweep him for four.

Harbhajan Singh, introduced in the 12th over, had a horrid start as he either bowled too wide or too full to go for 24 runs in his first two overs.

There were two deliveries which spun past leg stump to go for wide fours and then Edwards launched into a ferocious hit straight down the ground for a six.

Mishra gave Indians the first breakthrough after a sharply turning leg-break took the edge of Edwards' bat to nestle into the gloves of Parthiv Patel.

However, Simmons was unperturbed as he smacked Mishra over midwicket for a six and later dished out the same treatment to Yusuf Pathan to bring up his half century in the 25th over with the score reading 114 for one.

New man Sarwan and Simmons forged a 67-run partnership before the opener was departed in the 27th over in a rather ungainly manner when he rushed down the wicket and Patel stumped him off a wide delivery.

Sarwan though had dropped anchor at the other end and once powerfully square cut Harbhajan to the fence and then deftly guided Munaf past vacant slips for four.

His new partner Marlon Samuels was more aggressive as he stylishly drove Mishra to the cover fence and then pulled Yusuf behind square leg for another four.

In this eventful over, he smote the next ball for a six but then was fooled by a slow wide floater to be out stumped.

Sarwan then brought up his 37th ODI fifty with a boundary of Praveen Kumar but the right-handed batsman gifted his wicket away, hitting a rank full toss from Munaf Patel into the hands of the deep square leg fielder Amit Mishra.

With Pollard next in line, West Indies asked for the batting powerplay at 192 for four in the 42nd overs and it turned out to be a disaster spell for them.

Pollard survived three balls before his attempted sweep made him a leg-before candidate for nought. Bravo (8) stroked one in the deep as if to give catching practice to Harbhajan Singh and wicketkeeper Carlton Baugh completely misjudged a googly from Mishra to be bowled.

West Indies made 29 runs from the five overs of batting powerplay, losing three wickets.

Skipper Sammy and Rampaul then freed their arms for some entertaining hits before Munaf ended the pyrotechnics of this pair with two wickets in his final over.

Rampaul was caught in the deep and young Bishoo could only guide a rising delivery into the hands of the wicketkeeper.

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Ageing Jayasuriya recalled to international cricket

COLOMBO: Veteran batsman Sanath Jayasuriya's international career has been resurrected in the wake of a doping investigation involving Sri Lanka opener Upul Tharanga.

Jayasuriya, who turns 42 this month, will return to play for Sri Lanka in the upcoming limited-overs and Twenty20 matches against England.

He was included in a 16-member squad announced on Thursday, a day after Sri Lanka Cricket announced the official notification by International Cricket Council that Tharanga has tested positive for a banned substance after the World Cup semifinal win over New Zealand and that a disciplinary action has been initiated.

"Since there is an ongoing inquiry to verify this charge, Upul Tharanga will not be making himself available for selection until the conclusion of the inquiry and therefore will not be available for the ODI and T20 matches in England and the Sri Lanka "A" team tour of England," a statement from Sri Lanka Cricket said.

Jayasuriya has not played a limited-overs international for Sri Lanka since December 2009, and played his last Twenty20 game a year ago. His career was thought to be over after being dropped from the World Cup squad and failing to secure a contract with a franchise in this year's Indian Premier League.

Jayasuriya has played 444 one-day internationals, scoring 13,428 runs at an average over 32. He has also taken 322 wickets bowling left-arm spin.

Left-handed batsman Thilina Kandamby was named deputy to captain Tillakaratne Dilshan.

Dimuth Karunaratne, a 23-year-old left-handed opening batsman is the only uncapped player in the squad.

All-rounder Anjelo Mathews' selection will be subject to fitness as he hasn't fully recovered from an injury sustained during the World Cup.

Sri Lanka will play England in a Twenty20 match and five limited-over internationals starting June 25, followed by Twenty20 games against Ireland and Scotland.

The squad: Tillakaratne Dilshan (captain), Thilina Kandamby, Kumar Sangakkara, Mahela Jayawardene, Sanath Jayasuriya, Dinesh Chandimal, Jeevan Mendis, Dimuth Karunaratne, Angelo Mathews, Tissara Perera, Lasith Malinga, Nuwan Kulasekara, Dilhara Fernando, Suranga Lakmal, Suraj Randiv, Ajantha Mendis.

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We are missing Gayle: Sarwan

PORT OF SPAIN: West Indies are missing Chris Gayle and it's just that the board - even though it understands the importance of having the Jamaican in the squad - is yet to come to terms with the issue on hand.

It is clear now that should the hosts have any chance of giving India a tough fight in this series, Gayle will have to be back in the squad, if not as skipper then as a player alone for he - the West Indies cricketers feel - has it in him to provide the necessary inspiration.

"Yeah, we miss Gayle," admitted Ramnaresh Sarwan after Monday's loss to India at the Queen's Park Oval in Port of Spain.

Sarwan feels that the West Indian players have been trying to help each other and looking to improve. However, the team certainly requires an individual right now - desperately rather - to stick around and show them the way.

"We have not started the way we would have liked, against India," says Sarwan, not going into the little details of how the team's batting misfired on Monday.

The wicket played very slow and it wasn't easy for batsmen to get runs out there in testing temperatures. But the manner in which the top and middle-order - with the exception of Sarwan and Marlon Samuels - lost their wickets to rash strokes, was appalling.

Horrendously mistimed pull shots, going for lofted drives when the need of the hour was to stay put and save wickets, absolute lack of patience and no plan in place to build an innings, all cost West Indies the game. That India chased the target with just four wickets to spare was the result of some good bowling by leg-spinners Anthony Martin and Devendra Bishoo.

"It was pretty tough early up, but once we got set, it became a bit easy to bat," says Sarwan, talking about very hot and humid conditions.

"Marlon and I got the start, but we did not quite carry on. I was looking to get a much bigger score for the team and set a bigger target," he says.

Sarwan, the most experienced of the lot, is still trying to find his feet out there in the middle and admits his batting hasn't been upto his expectations yet.

"I'm still not my fluent self, but I will go back to the nets tomorrow. I have a few things I have to work on and be ready for the match on Wednesday. From here on I will be looking to improve even more and do better for the team," he says.

West Indies have to come up with something far better than what they did on Monday, if they have to give this young Indian side any trouble. It is also the need of the hour in the Caribbean for these men to get a grasp of the depleting situation.

"There's no humiliation if you go down fighting to a better team," say former cricketers here. "But learn from the mistakes and try not to repeat them."

TOI

Tests in the Caribbean will be tough: Laxman

HYDERABAD: VVS Laxman has come a long way since his first visit to the Caribbean in 1997. From opening for the country then to becoming India's vice-captain a second time, he has been there and done that. Still, he finds the latest tour to the West Indies alluring.

"The 1997 series was a great learning experience for me. Opening the innings for the first time against Walsh, Ambrose, Bishop and Franklyn Rose was a great experience. I'm quite happy with my performance in the West Indies. In fact, West Indies is one of my favourite place because of its cricket culture, for the kind of people who come and watch the game. It's a great place to tour and I'm looking forward to one more visit," said Laxman on Tuesday after a stint at the Gymkhana nets. The Test specialists leave on June 12.

Laxman has played 16 Tests against the Calypso Kings - 13 away (903 runs) - and aggregates 1174 runs at an average of 52.36. The World No. 1 Test team will not have Sachin Tendulkar, Virender Sehwag and Gautam Gambhir in its ranks. But Laxman hoped to repeat his 2002 show, when in five matches he totalled 474 runs at 79, and the team its 2006 performance when they won a Test series in the West Indies after 35 years.

"We will definitely miss the services of Sachin, Viru and Gautam. That said, even when they were there I always performed to the best of my ability. This time will be no different. Their replacements Murali Vijay, Abhinav Mukund and Virat Kohli are up and coming youngsters. If we play to our potential we'll definitely win. We won the Test series there last time and we hope to repeat the feat."

Not just the team, there is a change in support staff too, including new coach Duncan Fletcher. "We will miss Gary (Kirsten) without doubt and I'm sure Duncan Fletcher will continue what Gary has done because he has done well with the countries he was associated with. We are looking to continue the good work done by Gary and I'm sure the Indian team will prosper under the guidance of Duncan Fletcher," Laxman said.

The appointment couldn't have come at a better time as India head to England after the Windies tour. "Playing England in England will be definitely the toughest challenge because England have done very well the last few seasons. Personally, I've never got a hundred but a lot of 50s. It would be a dream Test match if I get a 100 at Lord's and we win the Test. That will be really special!"

India's first Test on their latest Caribbean sojourn begins in Jamaica on June 20 and Laxman reckons the series will not be easy.

"West Indies in West Indies is very tough competition. They have good match-winners, so it will be a good contest. How you meet the challenge is very important. I've always given a lot of importance to my performance overseas."

TOI

We take great pride in being world champions: Rohit

PORT OF SPAIN: An old Trini, who says he doesn't quite remember his own age and adds that he must have been born at around the same time as Charlie Davis, his favourite cricketer, is usually found hanging around the main entrance to the Queen's Park Oval. He won't look at you, won't even say "hello". At best, he'll ask you for a cigarette, and then leave without thanking you.

On Monday, though, there was a surprise in store. He startled even the security guards and made his way to the Team India bus just as it was preparing to leave the venue. He walked up to the players and asked them a question any journalist would've been proud of: "You boys, how long you think you go on as world champions?" And then he rattled off, "It's a great responsibility. Are you proud enough to handle that?"

Most of the cricketers didn't even look at him. Those who did, smiled and were gone. Agitated, the old man walked back to his usual hangout outside the gate.

On the eve of the second one-dayer, which gives the team opportunity to stamp their class on the home team, one was left wondering if the players gave his question a thought as they drove away. Were they proud of the tag that Team India carries today, that of world beaters? Do they have an idea of the responsibility it entails?

"Being world champions is not a joke. It is a great responsibility for all of us and we're conscious of it. We take great pride in it but we have to move on and keep winning. We have to keep the focus," India's middle-order batsman Rohit Sharma had said minutes after his half-century helped the team win the first one-dayer.

Had the old man heard it, he would have perhaps belted out a couple more questions. There's no better example than the West Indies to illustrate what can happen to a champion side if they don't plan for the future. They dominated the game for 20 years but where are they now?

Sharma agreed that this could be the most important phase in his career and that of his young teammates.

Virat Kohli, a few years younger to Sharma and member of the World Cup winning squad, said, "It is for us now to shoulder that responsibility. The seniors guided us till here and we have to take this momentum forward."

Rohit cited Monday's example, when he walked in to bat with India struggling a little at 61/3. "It wasn't an easy track; it was very slow and turning a bit. You needed a lot of time to keep the innings going. Till the first 35 deliveries, I didn't score a single boundary," he says.

The youngsters want to make the most of the opportunity available and Sharma in particular, who missed the World Cup, is aware of what he lost out on.

"These guys are very motivated and each of them has his own reason," says Suresh Raina.

That will be music to the ears of those who want India to build on the World Cup winning platform. Unless India manages to continue their reign at the top for the next 10-odd years, the effort that went into becoming Number One will have been wasted.

TOI

Tremlett thanks Warne for helping him toughen up

LONDON: Australia may have been spared their Ashes torment at the hands of Chris Tremlett if only Shane Warne had avoided telling him a few home truths, the giant paceman has revealed.

The 6ft 7in fast bowler was a revelation in Australia where, after missing the first two Tests, he took five for 87 in Perth and then four for 26 in Melbourne before featuring in the climatic Sydney Test where England clinched a 3-1 Ashes series triumph.

Even more impressive than his raw figures, was the way in which Tremlett maintained an accurate line with sharp bounce qualities also evident when he took four for 40 as England shot out Sri Lanka for just 82 in an innings and 14-run first Test win in Cardiff on Monday.

Tremlett, whose physique would do justice to an international rugby union lock forward, has arrived at Lord's, where the second Test of a three-match series against Sri Lanka starts on Friday.

He is a key man in England's attack, especially given injured Ashes spearhead James Anderson has been ruled out.

Yet only a couple of seasons ago conventional wisdom had it that Tremlett was too nice a guy to be a fast bowler

Tremlett began his career at Hampshire where his father, Tim, had been a reliable medium-pace bowler before overseeing his son's promising career as the county's cricket director.

But the arrival of Australia leg-spin great Warne as Hampshire captain led to Tremlett being told to shape up, although it still took a move to London-based Surrey for the now 29-year-old paceman to book his Ashes spot, having made his Test debut when still with his native county four years ago.

"I guess I've always been a believer in letting the ball do the talking," Tremlett told reporters at Lord's on Wednesday.

"I perhaps held back a bit at Hampshire. I did try to be aggressive but I guess it was forced a bit, to be honest. I tried to be someone I wasn't...it was difficult to be nasty."

Warne was left frustrated, not so much by a lack of 'verbals', but by the undeniably talented Tremlett's inability to always impose himself on opponents.

"I won't disagree with Warney," Tremlett said. "I was a bit timid at times - but the older I've got, with more confidence and age, being more aggressive comes more naturally to me.

"I don't think about it too much - it just happens."

If England recall Steven Finn, almost as tall as Tremlett himself, and, as seems likely retain Stuart Broad, well over 6ft himself, it will give the hosts one of the tallest of any all-time fast bowling trios.

Sri Lanka looked decidedly uncomfortable against the rising delivery on the final day in Cardiff - something not lost on Tremlett.

"The short ball is a great weapon - and playing against this team, they are not used to it at times.

"It could be a plan we'll go with, but we'll assess that on the day. It's something to think of."

Whatever the plan, a newly self-confident Tremlett is ready for the task.

"The England management know what they're going to get - whereas maybe a couple of years ago, when I was bit more inconsistent, they didn't know which Chris Tremlett was going to turn up on the day."

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Shahid Afridi announces early retirement

KARACHI: Flamboyant Pakistani all-rounder Shahid Afridi announced an early retirement from international cricket, in protest against his removal from the captaincy of the national one-day team.

"The people have given me lot of respect and love and I don't want to waste that working with this board who don't know how to respect players," an angry Afridi said.

In a scathing attack on the Pakistan Cricket Board, Afridi described the current set of administrators as a disgrace to Pakistan cricket.

Afridi who announced his retirement from all international cricket as a protest against the board for removing him as captain of the national one-day team told Geo News channel that nothing was greater to him than his self-respect.

The experienced all-rounder said until the present board under the chairmanship of Ijaz Butt was in place he would not play international cricket.

"I will continue to play domestic and league cricket but not international cricket but it is not worth my while under this board which gave me no reason nor did it bother to hear me out before sacking me as captain," he said.

"I don't want to work with such disgraceful people. I don't know on what grounds they sacked me as captain. I worked hard on building up a broken team and turned it into a fighting combination. We played in the World Cup semifinal and yet they sacked me without hearing me out."

Afridi also claimed that there was a group of people belonging to the Punjab province in Lahore who had always been against him.

"This group has always kept on working against me. They are the ones who keep on filling the chairman's ears against me. Maybe they don't want me to play because I get in the way of their plans."

Afridi also claimed that as captain he was never consulted in selection of teams nor was he sure about his captaincy before a series until the last moment.

"This board never gave me a feeling of assurance that I would be captain. I would not know before a series until the last few days whether I was going to be captain and I can't continue to play under these circumstances."

Afridi also made it clear that he had spoken to some of his elders and seniors before taking his retirement decision and they supported him.

"I want to make it clear that till this board is there I will not play international cricket. When it goes and if people want me to play on I will consider a comeback," he added.

The retirement announcement came just a few days after the board chairman, Ijaz Butt had in a surprising move sacked the all-rounder as captain of the national limited overs team although Afridi had led the team to the World Cup semifinals and to a 3-2 win over the West Indies in the Caribbean.

It was after returning from the West Indies that Afridi ruffled the board feathers when he told the media that he didn't like people interfering in his work an obvious reference to an ongoing row with head coach, Waqar Younis over selection issues.

After issuing him a notice for speaking to the media on team issues in contravention of the players code of conduct the board while announcing the squad for the one-day series against Ireland replaced Afridi as captain with Test captain, Misbah-ul-Haq who on Monday led Pakistan to a 2-0 win over Ireland.

Afridi after the sack also pulled out of the series against Ireland telling the board that he wanted to stay with his father who was under treatment in the United States.

Afridi defended his statement saying he had only spoken the truth and nothing else.

"I didn't speak against anyone nor did I criticize anyone by name. What I said was for betterment of team. But if they don't want me to speak the truth than I can't accept working with such people," he said.

"I didn't want any problems what I said was keeping in the benefits of the team. I can't continue to play under a board that does not respect senior players," he added.

Afridi had last year already retired from Test cricket after losing the first Test to Australia at Lords.

Afridi after his sacking also pulled out of the series against Ireland telling the board that he wanted to stay with his father who was under treatment in the United States.

But the all-rounder reached England from the US and on Monday made his retirement announcement from London.

Afridi who played 325 ODIs and 27 Tests told the channel that whatever he had said on returning home was in the better interests of the team.
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1st Test: England seize dramatic victory over Sri Lanka

CARDIFF: Chris Tremlett led England to a sensational victory as they defied the elements to beat Sri Lanka by an innings and 14 runs in the first Test at Sophia Gardens on Monday.

Sri Lanka were skittled out for just 82 in their second innings, with fast bowler Tremlett taking the first three wickets to fall on his way to a return of 4/40 in 10 overs on the final day.

Off-spinner Graeme Swann followed up with 4/16 in seven overs as Sri Lanka's dramatic collapse continued.

Stuart Broad finished off the match with two wickets in three balls, the tourists second innings ending in the 25th over in under two dramatic hours.

England's victory in their first Test since a 3-1 Ashes triumph on Australia was achieved despite rain, which fell throughout this match, washing out nearly a whole day's play in total.

And the win was achieved despite England being without James Anderson, who was ruled out from bowling in the remainder of this match on Saturday with a side strain.

Tremlett struck sixth ball to have Tharanga Paranavitana well caught low down at first slip by England captain Andrew Strauss.

But it was all the 6ft 7in Surrey paceman's own work when he caught and bowled Sri Lanka skipper Tillakaratne Dilshan after a review confirmed the batsman had gloved a lifting delivery back to the bowler.

The experienced duo of Kumar Sangakkara and Mahela Jayawardene hung around until tea.

But both former captains fell shortly afterwards.

The hostile Tremlett removed Jayawardene with the aid of a Strauss slip catch before Thilan Samaraweera played on to Swann for nought.

Sangakkara was then held by Strauss off Swann and 43/5 soon became 43/7.

Prasanna Jayawardene, who had defied England with a century in Sri Lanka's first innings 400, fell for just three when he was given out on review, after gloving an attempted hook off Tremlett through to wicket-keeper Matt Prior.

England then reduced Sri Lanka to 52/8 when Rangana Herath, swinging wildly, was lbw to Swann before Broad wrapped things up.

There seemed little chance of England forcing a victory after rain washed out the whole of Monday's morning session and prevented play from resuming until 3.00pm local time.

England then added just five runs to their overnight total.

Strauss declared on 496/5 as soon as Ian Bell, who resumed on 98, completed a 159-ball hundred featuring a six and 11 fours.

Bell's was the third century of an England innings that saw his Warwickshire team-mate Jonathan Trott score 203 and opener Alastair Cook 133.

England will now head to Strauss's Lord's home ground, where the second Test starts on Friday, 1-0 up in this three-match series.

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'Upul Tharanga in trouble without TUE'

NEW DELHI: There are indications Upul Tharanga's failure to produce a Therapeutic Use Exemption (TUE) certificate, required for athletes before using substances like prednisolone which are banned under the WADA list, may land him in trouble.

The player faces a ban of up to two years since the International Cricket Council has confirmed that it will follow the World Anti-Doping Agency's (WADA) regulations to the letter while investigating the issue. "As a matter of policy the ICC doesn't comment on on-going investigations. The ICC, though, is completely WADA complaint and we'll follow the procedure laid down by the world body," ICC spokesperson James Fitzgerald told TOI.

Tharanga, incidentally, was the only cricketer to fail a dope test during the World Cup.

Prednisolone is part of WADA's 'specified list' of banned drugs. A glucocorticosteroid, it is widely used for the treatment of inflammatory and auto-immune conditions such as asthma, rheumatoid arthritis, Bell's palsy and multiple scelorosis.

Athletes can use it after applying for a TUE from WADA, though the ICC has its own TUE commission comprising of six medical experts. The ICC also considers any TUE from a valid National Anti-Doping Agency. The ICC would have considered Tharanga's TUE if it was filed 30-days prior to the event, in this case the World Cup.

"A TUE is easily obtainable in India if an athlete has the required doctor's prescriptions with him. I am not quite aware of the Sri Lankan procedure but it is the athlete's folly for not seeking the TUE in time," NADA director general Rahul Bhatnagar said, adding: "Prednisolone is a drug on the specified list, which means it doesn't carry any preliminary ban.

An athlete can ask for their 'B' sample and if that too comes out positive he will be subject to a hearing according to WADA rules. If the player is found guilty after the hearing he can be banned up to a maximum of two years. A panel will
take into account a player's argument before reaching a final decision."

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IPL players are chasing contracts: Harsha Bhogle

He's a well known face on television, especially when a cricket match is in progress. With former players sharing several technical views on the sport, Harsha Bhogle is often viewed as someone who balances his thoughts between the informative and the interesting aspects. CT got talking to him on the sidelines of his recent book launch in the city.

IPL 4: This season of the IPL has exposed the lack of quality of our domestic cricket. We don't have good enough players. It looks like a lot of them are chasing contracts! The other thing I've noticed is that players who've done well in the previous seasons are fading out. They are trying to be halfhour players; but for that, you'll need to first be a good four-day player!

Changes in the commentary box: I don't know about the changes in clothing for commentators because that's something the producer decides. As far as the three-commentator experiment goes, they're trying three points of view at the same time. I think it works if all three commentators have a good understanding with each other. But if they don't, there's no respite for the viewer. Sometimes it works, sometime it doesn't. I feel that sometimes, there needs to be silence too during a cricket telecast.

Time tales! In most cities, if you tell people to come for an event at 6.30 pm, you can rest assured that the event will start only an hour later. Keeping that in mind, for my book launch at 6.30 pm, I thought it would be safe to tell people to land up at 7 pm. But guess what, almost everybody was on time. Chennai just freaks me out! But seriously, it's so beautiful that it's a quality I strive for.

TOI

Impressive Aravind admits to not bowling well in IPL final

CHENNAI: Royal Challengers Bangalore's left-arm seamer Sreenath Aravind, the third highest wicket-taker in the IPL this season with a tally of 21 wickets from 13 matches, expressed disappointment at the defeat in the final to the Chennai Super Kings and felt that he also contributed to the loss by not bowling well.

"I bowled on the wrong lines. It is a lesson for me. I have said it is a batsmen's game, but one day the bowlers too will dominate. It is part and parcel of the game," said the 27-year old who went for 39 runs in his three overs, but took two wickets.

"We could have won this match. I was dreaming to win. It is unfortunate but part of the game. It was dream come true for me to take lots of wickets.

"I was well supported by Zaheer Khan and Daniel Vettori and especially coach Venkatesh Prasad."

While tacitly admitting that the absence of fast bowler Dirk Nannes (who was later replaced by Chris Gayle), Aravind felt that it provided opportunity for other players.

"Missing one player or some, it is part of the game. For that matter, we miss him, but it is a chance for youngsters to show their mettle and come up well in their career," said Aravind, a relatively late bloomer on the domestic circuit having made his first class debut only three seasons ago.

However, Aravind has been a revelation in this year's IPL and was a key member in the team that topped the league table and eventually finished runners-up.

"During the last two years, I have been improving a lot on each day by watching the seniors. I can say that in Karnataka, many people are helping me out in domestic circuit.

"Players like Robin (Uthappa), Vinay (Kumar), (Sunil) Joshi and my coach Sanath Kumar have been helping me a lot. This has helped me to build my confidence levels. I am looking forward to do better," said Aravind.

Taking an overview of his own performance in the IPL, he said: "Every delivery is a learning lesson for me. I have learnt how to bowl to good and experienced batsmen in such a competitive field. Zaheer Khan had been telling me how to hit right areas and bringing variations," he said.

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Sticking to basics was key to Vijay's IPL success

CHENNAI: The decision to stick to basics and work on his singles rather than playing just the big shots were the key to his success, said opening batsman Murali Vijay whose knock of 95 paved the way for Chennai Super Kings' 58-run win against the Royal Challengers Bangalore in the Indian Premier League final in Chennai on Saturday.

"Personally, I was missing out on lot of singles in some of the previous games because Hussey is more of a timer and I was trying to play of my skin," said Vijay at the post-match media conference held in the early hours of Sunday.

"I had thought I could have ran a lot more singles for myself as well Hussey and the team's cause for a momentum. I was working on it consciously and today, I went out for it and excelled as well.

"I was batting well today. I was confident about my tasks and did not worry much about anything else. My only worry was that I was getting 30s and 40s and was thinking about performing.

"Everybody in our team was performing well. I raised my hand and said to myself that this is going to be my day and I succeeded."

Vijay was overjoyed that the Super Kings retained the trophy and said that although he was disappointed at missing out on a century, it was more important that the team won.

"A bit (disappointed) now. But at that time, I was trying to hit the ball because the wicket was deteriorating and I thought a total of 220 might be a good score.

"In this format, any total could be chased by the rivals. I tried to clear (the field) but it did not come out in the way that I wanted. However, I am happy that the team won," said Vijay who earlier in the week was selected for next month's Indian team's tour of the West Indies.

After having gone through a lean patch in the IPL this season, Vijay said he was determined to come out on top in the final, but did not bat any differently than he had previously.

"Actually, I was not trying to do anything differently. I was trying to see the ball and hit it when it was in my areas. I knew that if I bat well for the first six overs, then I can take it from there. I was just working on the basics."

On the forthcoming tour of the Caribbean, Vijay said that he was hoping to perform well in the Test series.

"I am enjoying this moment and looking on to improve on all aspects of my cricket, batting and everything. I am looking forward to join the Indian team in the Tests in which I really love to carry the momentum and do well," he said.

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Impressive Aravind admits to not bowling well in IPL final

CHENNAI: Royal Challengers Bangalore's left-arm seamer Sreenath Aravind, the third highest wicket-taker in the IPL this season with a tally of 21 wickets from 13 matches, expressed disappointment at the defeat in the final to the Chennai Super Kings and felt that he also contributed to the loss by not bowling well.

"I bowled on the wrong lines. It is a lesson for me. I have said it is a batsmen's game, but one day the bowlers too will dominate. It is part and parcel of the game," said the 27-year old who went for 39 runs in his three overs, but took two wickets.

"We could have won this match. I was dreaming to win. It is unfortunate but part of the game. It was dream come true for me to take lots of wickets.

"I was well supported by Zaheer Khan and Daniel Vettori and especially coach Venkatesh Prasad."

While tacitly admitting that the absence of fast bowler Dirk Nannes (who was later replaced by Chris Gayle), Aravind felt that it provided opportunity for other players.

"Missing one player or some, it is part of the game. For that matter, we miss him, but it is a chance for youngsters to show their mettle and come up well in their career," said Aravind, a relatively late bloomer on the domestic circuit having made his first class debut only three seasons ago.

However, Aravind has been a revelation in this year's IPL and was a key member in the team that topped the league table and eventually finished runners-up.

"During the last two years, I have been improving a lot on each day by watching the seniors. I can say that in Karnataka, many people are helping me out in domestic circuit.

"Players like Robin (Uthappa), Vinay (Kumar), (Sunil) Joshi and my coach Sanath Kumar have been helping me a lot. This has helped me to build my confidence levels. I am looking forward to do better," said Aravind.

Taking an overview of his own performance in the IPL, he said: "Every delivery is a learning lesson for me. I have learnt how to bowl to good and experienced batsmen in such a competitive field. Zaheer Khan had been telling me how to hit right areas and bringing variations," he said.

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Chennai home to IPL final again in 2012

CHENNAI: Chennai partied like never before on Saturday night, with celebrations around Chepauk and the Marina beach going on well past midnight, and now it seems there might be more revelry in store. Not only did cricket buffs here get to see Indian Premier League (IPL) team Chennai Super Kings retain their crown, the city may get to see the IPL 5 final too following decisions made by the IPL governing council.

The IPL committee has taken a decision that the team that wins the tournament will get to host the final the following year. "The IPL commission has taken a decision on those lines and as of now, next year's final will be in Chennai," a senior BCCI functionary told TOI. This is, of course, an added incentive for franchisees to go for maximum. Earlier, there used to be a bidding process for the IPL final, with the host-status going to the highest bidder.

CSK players are elated that the final will be back in Chennai. "It's a big boost for us. We have played well right through the tournament here and we know how to go about it," a senior CSK player said. The champions won all the eight matches they played at the Chepauk this year, with only a couple of games against Kolkata Knight Riders and Deccan Chargers going down to the wire.

Dhoni left 'a bit disappointed'!

On Saturday night, as the team partied hard after the game, skipper MS Dhoni sat glued to a TV set at a nightclub, watching Barcelona take on Manchester United in the Champions League final. "Dhoni is a big United fan. So he was a bit disappointed after his favourite team lost. But then, the mood in the camp was such that the disappointment didn't linger long," a source said.

CSK's owners too are delighted with the team's performance. TOI has learnt that the management will put in another Rs 10 crore - in addition to the Rs 10 crore IPL prize money the team won on Saturday - and the entire booty will be distributed among players and support staff.

However, all the players looked tired and with flights to catch on Sunday, the celebrations were called off earlier than planned. After all, quite a few players in the team will be leaving for the Caribbean soon to take on the Windies.

TOI

Mumbai Indians winners on social media

MUMBAI: As the Indian Premier League ( IPL-4) draws to a close, Mukesh Ambani-owned Mumbai Indians (MI) have gathered the most amount of support across social media platforms followed by liquor baron Vijay Mallya's Royal Challengers Bangalore (RCB). According to a report by NM Incite, a Nielsen McKinsey company, among the players, Indian skipper MS Dhoni has emerged as the most discussed player on social media websites with the West Indian star Chris Gayle taking the second spot. Interestingly, Dhoni's Chennai Super Kings (CSK) beat Gayle's RCB in the playoffs to book a place in Sunday's final.

On the brand front, Samsung, Vodafone, Cadbury and Volkswagen top the list of brands which were the most talked about on blogs, discussion boards and online forums, said the report which was shared with TOI.

"In this edition of the IPL brands have created campaigns that are capable of engaging the digital consumer effectively. We find that this triggers positive buzz which can result in increased purchase intent," said Adrian Terron,VP, Nielsen.

Although, social networking websites like Facebook and Twitter have become part of every brand's marketing strategy, blogs and forums have also been used by brands increasingly, said the report. The report was generated by analyzing data collected by monitoring social media channels from the start of the tournament till May 13.

Samsung, which ran television campaigns during the IPL for its smartphone, Galaxy Tab, as well as its 3G phone, Hero, backed it up with increased online activity in this year's tournament. It also advertised during the live streaming of IPL matches. "Given the committed viewership that the IPL generates, we used the platform to launch five new campaigns so that we could generate the visibility as well as create awareness around these products online," said Ranjit Yadav, country head, Samsung Mobile & IT.

While CSK captain Dhoni was the most popular on international forums, the domestic blogs and boards had RCB's Gayle topping the charts. Indian and international players were a part of the list of players leading online discussions with Sachin Tendulkar and Sourav Ganguly featuring on it.

"When compared to the World Cup, brands haven't necessarily managed to draw similar linkages between themselves and the players that endorse them this time around," said Nielsen's Terron. Besides, the Mumbai and Bangalore teams, CSK and Shah Rukh Khan's Kolkata Knight Riders (KKR) were also able to create a sense of community online. Even the two new franchises, Kochi Tuskers and Pune Warriors, appear to have garnered a fifth of social media mentions, said the report.

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Sachin, Yuvraj and Gambhir ruled out of West Indies tour

CHENNAI: There's always a twist to the tale when it comes to national selection committee meetings these days. The Indian cricket fraternity was eagerly awaiting the result of the fitness test of Gautam Gambhir, but by the time the selectors came out of the meeting, there were a couple of more blows awaiting the fans.

Not only was Gambhir ruled out, Sachin Tendulkar and Yuvraj Singh, too, opted out of the series opening the door for the likes of Virat Kohli, Abhinav Mukund and S Badrinath.

While Tendulkar wants some time off from a hectic schedule to be with his family, Yuvraj is suffering from an upper respiratory infection, with a small patch of pneumonitis in the left lung. With Yuvi and Gambhir opting out, two openings were created in the ODI squad as well and the selectors inducted Shikhar Dhawan and Manoj Tiwary in for the five-match series.

Predictably, Suresh Raina will lead the side with Harbhajan Singh being his deputy in the ODI squad. VVS Laxman, on the other hand will be the vice-captain for the Tests.

The selectors, though, made it clear they have nothing against Gambhir for opting to play for KKR and thus aggravating his injury. "There have always been injury issues and we have to live with it. Our job is to work with the options in hand and we have done that," chairman of selectors Krishnamachari Srikkanth told TOI.

Once it was made official Gambhir won't be going, TN lefty Abhinav Mukund was drafted into the Test squad. Mukund has amassed 1,211 runs in the first-class season and the selectors felt "the time was ripe to give him the break".

It will be an all Tamil Nadu opening combination with M Vijay being the other specialist in the line-up. Parthiv Patel, who pipped Wriddhiman Saha to the post for the second wicketkeeper's slot, will be the back-up opener.

But Tendulkar and Yuvraj's decisions to opt out came as a bolt from the blue for the selectors and that put them in a bit of a tricky situation. They didn't know beforehand that these two players won't be going and that's why it took them a while to finalise the Test squad. But the selectors don't think the team will do badly in the series. They feel that there's a nice combination of youth and experience and most of the new boys like Kohli and Badrinath will get to play in the first XI.

"The tour will provide us with the perfect platform to see how these boys shape up," Srikkanth said. The pace quartet for the Tests comprises Zaheer Khan, Sreesanth, Ishant Sharma and Munaf Patel, the three spinners are Harbhajan Singh, Amit Mishra and Pragyan Ojha.

Test squad: MS Dhoni (capt), VVS Laxman (vc), M Vijay, Abhinav Mukund, Rahul Dravid, Virat Kohli,S Badrinath, Harbhajan Singh, Ishant Sharma, Sreesanth, Amit Mishra, Pragyan Ojha, Zaheer Khan, Munaf Patel, Suresh Raina, Parthiv Patel (wk).

Limited-overs squad: Suresh Raina (capt), R Ashwin, S Badrinath, Harbhajan Singh (vc), Virat Kohli, Praveen Kumar, Amit Mishra, Munaf Patel, Parthiv Patel (wk), Yusuf Pathan, Wriddhiman Saha (wk), Ishant Sharma, Rohit Sharma, Vinay Kumar, Manoj Tiwary, Shikhar Dhawan.

TOI

Gayle blitz takes Bangalore into IPL final

Royal Challengers crushed Mumbai Indians by 43 runs to enter the IPL final in Chennai today.

Put into bat RCB rode on a whirlwind 47 ball 89 by Chris Gayle to pile up an imposing 185 run total. The RCB bowlers then bowled brilliantly taking wickets at regular intervals. The Mumbai batsmen hardly looked settled with the middle order collapsing at crucial moments.

Sachin Tendulkar (40) was the only Mumbai batsman who showed some grit but after his departure, it was all over with wickets crumbling at regular intervals.

Sachin was stumped by an excellent delivery by Syed Mohammad which turned sharply and for once even suprised the batting maestro.

Sreenath Aravind picked up two wickets at the start to to dent Mumbai Indians run chase.

Blizzard was the first to depart when he was caught at long on by Mayank Agarwal in the fourth over. Harbhajan soon followed when he was caught by Pomersbach at midwicket.

Earlier, Opener Chris Gayle butchered Mumbai Indians bowlers with a whirlwind 89 as Royal Challengers Bangalore posted an imposing 185 for four in the second qualifier of the Indian Premier League here today.

Gayle blasted nine fours and five sixes in his 47-ball innings and shared a 113-run opening partnership with Mayank Agarwal (41) in 10.4 overs to set the foundation for a big score for Bangalore at the MA Chidambaram Stadium here.

Sachin Tendulkar's decision to bowl first backfired as Gayle took the Mumbai attack by the scruff of its neck and helped RCB amass 111 in first 10 overs.

Mumbai came back strong in the second half and dismissed four of their batsmen in quick succession and did well to restrict the Royals inside the 200-mark.

Gayle gave Bangalore a blistering start, accumulating 27 runs in the first over off Abu Nechim studded with three fours and a six, besides a wides four behind the keeper.

Taking a cue from Gayle, young Mayank also clobbered Harbhajan Singh for a couple of boundaries through short third man in the second over.

Tendulkar then turned to Lasith Malinga but there was no respite for Mumbai as Gayle smashed his first ball through covers and then flicked one across the fine line boundary.

Mayank brought up the first fifty in 3.2 overs with a huge six over long on off Harbhajan and followed it up with a nice-looking four through point as RCB reached 57 in 4 overs.

Munaf Patel also rolled his arms but there was no difference in the result as Gayle clobbered him for a boundary between mid on and midwicket and managed to pick up another four across short fine leg.

Malinga pulled things a bit in the next over but Gayle was simply unstoppable as he blasted Patel across extra over for another four in the next over.

Rohit Sharma was then introduced into the attack but Mayank welcomed him with a four and a six as he bleded 14 runs in the eighth over.

Gayle too continued his blitzkrieg punishing Pollard for another boundary in the next over to not only bring up the hundred for Bangalore but also reached his personal score of 52 in 27 balls.

Pollard finally gave Mumbai something to chew on by dismissing Mayank in the fourth ball of the 11th over but not before Rohit had dropped him in the first delivery.

However, there was no respite for Mumbai as Gayle blasted three sixes in the space of four balls spread across the 13th and 14th over.

The former West Indies skipper first sent Pollard soaring over long off in the last ball of the 13th over and then hammered Harbhajan over deep midwicket in consecutive balls as RCB reached 145 for one in 14 overs.

Gayle was dismissed by Munaf in the next over with James Franklin taking a good catch at long on but by then the damage was done. Virat Kohli (8) also couldn't stay long and was sent packing by Nechim in the 16th over.

Malinga then pulled off a brilliant diving catch at short third man off Munaf to dismiss Luke Pomersbach (4) as Bangalore slipped to 157 for four in 16.2 overs.

However, AB de Villiers (21) and Saurabh Tiwary (8) stayed in the crease and took Bangalore close to the 200-mark.

Getting Gayle early will be top priority for Mumbai

CHENNAI: It's a matter of winning one more game to reach the final and the play-off between Mumbai Indians (MI) and Royal Challengers Bangalore (RCB) promises to be a cracker of a contest at the MA Chidambaram stadium on Friday. It's a great chance for RCB to reach the IPL final for the second time while Mumbai Indians, it's an opportunity to make their second straight summit clash.

Mumbai Indians, after winning back-to-back matches against Kolkata Knight Riders, are on a high and the Sachin Tendulkar-led side will look to carry the momentum into Friday's game. But RCB are a tough opponent and despite losing matches at the league stage, they have showed the gumption to fight back at crucial periods.

Royal Challengers owe their turnaround in IPL 4 to Chris Gayle. The Jamaican has almost single-handedly put the side into the play-offs. Gayle was ignored by all franchises during the IPL auction and was dropped from the West Indies squad for the home series against Pakistan. But the former Windies skipper, who replaced Australian pacer Dirk Nannes in the RCB squad, has dazzled with his whirlwind batting. Gayle is a great threat to any team and MI will need to keep him silent.

Mumbai Indians, too, have plenty of big-hitters in the squad. The likes of Sachin Tendulkar, Ambati Rayudu, Rohit Sharma, Aiden Blizard and James Franklin are in good nick and will definitely be a challenge for Daniel Vettori's boys. Tendulkar has been the lighthouse for his side, guiding youngsters like Sharma and Rayudu in the tournament.

Royal Challengers lost a close game against the Chennai Super Kings in the first playoff in Mumbai. Despite posting a formidable 175 on the board, they failed to stop the marauding defending champions. The likes of Zaheer Khan and Daniel Vettori looked patchy and the two have to pull up their socks if they wish to beat Mumbai Indians at Chepauk.

Most teams have played at least two spinners in the tournament but RCB have lacked the second spinner who can complement Vettori. Their bowling has mainly revolved around Zaheer but the Indian spearhead has not been at his best so far. But Zaheer is experienced and is capable of bouncing back. "As far as the second spinner is concerned, we have Gayle who has been supporting me well and I'm happy with Zaheer's form too. He has produced wickets upfront and has been exceptional with the ball so far," Vettori said.

Teams (from):

Royal Challengers Bangalore: D Vettori (capt), V Kohli, M Agarwal, S Aravind, Z Khan, B Arun Karthik, G Muralidharan, A Mithun, Mohd Kaif, R Ninan, A Pathan, C Gayle, AB de Villiers, C Langeveldt, L Pomersbach, S Tiwary, J van der Wath, S Mohammed, R Roussow, J Vandiar, A Kazi.

Mumbai Indians: S Tendulkar (capt), A Rayudu, Harbhajan, R Sharma, T Suman, M Patel, A Blizzard, K Pollard, L Malinga, A Symonds, D Jacobs, J Franklin, D Fernando, R Price, A Nechim, A Tare, A Murtaza, D Kulkarni, P Suyal, R Satish, S Kanwar, S Yadav, Y Singh.

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Injured Gautam Gambhir to miss West Indies tour

MUMBAI/NEW DELHI: Caught in the midst of a raging club-vs-country debate after he played the IPL eliminator game for the Shah Rukh Khan-owned Kolkata Knight Riders (KKR) against Mumbai Indians on Wednesday, Gautam Gambhir has told the BCCI that he will be unavailable to lead India to the Caribbean.

Even as a controversy raged over whether Gambhir's IPL franchise had hidden the extent of his shoulder injury, the board said it was still to take an official call on the matter.

According to sources, Gambhir, who was supposed to stand in for regular skipper MS Dhoni in the ODI and T20 series against the West Indies, told the board on Thursday that he was "unable to take the load". This followed KKR physio Andrew Leipus's letter to the BCCI revealing the player's chronic shoulder and groin injuries. Leipus has advised the Delhi opener 4-6 weeks of rest.

Caught on the wrong foot, the BCCI asked Gambhir to clarify as to why he had played the IPL eliminator. He reportedly said he "didn't know" the exact nature or seriousness of the injury. Sources said Gambhir felt it would be better to rest for 4-6 weeks instead of aggravating his condition and risking a longer lay-off. Suresh Raina is likely to lead the squad now.

Meanwhile, even as the player refused to further clarify the matter, a comment he made at a press conference hinting that he had been kept in the dark about the seriousness of his injuries sparked a war of words between the BCCI and KKR. The issue has raised serious questions over who was responsible for hiding the nature of Gambhir's injuries - the franchise, the cricket board or the player himself. Sources suggested that once Leipus's report was leaked and it became apparent that he may not be able to tour the Caribbean, Gambhir may have had no choice but to play the IPL eliminator game, which KKR lost.

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Tendulkar's Mumbai bid for IPL final

CHENNAI: Sachin Tendulkar's Mumbai Indians are hoping the momentum from back-to-back wins will carry them into the IPL final in Friday's qualifier against Royal Challengers Bangalore.

Mumbai looked in danger of missing the play-offs but two victories against Kolkata Knight Riders have revived their campaign in the glitzy Twenty20 competition.

A win against Bangalore will take Tendulkar's men into a Saturday's title clash against defending champions Chennai, and offer them a chance to avenge their defeat against the same rivals in last year's final.

"It's obviously a knockout game for us," said Mumbai coach Robin Singh on Thursday. "We have done pretty well against Bangalore in the few outings we have had in the past.

"But this is a fresh game and we have to start from scratch. We have to refocus and regroup because the stakes are really high."

Bangalore will be counting once again on hard-hitting West Indies opener Chris Gayle to fire with the bat.

Gayle has been instrumental in guiding Bangalore to the play-offs, having scored 519 runs from 10 innings at a strike rate of 184 after joining the franchise as a replacement for the injured Dirk Nannes.

"You can't ignore the fact that Gayle is in terrific form," said Singh, a former India all-rounder.

"But we have been bowling exceptionally well. You have to back yourself to bowl well against anyone. We have thought about how we want to go about things. We have our own plans ready for what we would like to do."

Bangalore captain Daniel Vettori also praised Gayle but dismissed the suggestion that his side were too dependent on the muscular left-hander.

"We know Chris has played well and he has been the main scorer for us this season, winning so many games for us. But we have other batsmen like Virat Kohli who have stepped up and performed when needed," Vettori said.

"So if Gayle has an off-day, we are still confident that we can win games."

Mumbai are high on confidence following a spectacular last-ball victory against Kolkata in the final league game and another by four wickets with four balls to spare in the first play-off on Wednesday.

But Mumbai may bring in Australian all-rounder Andrew Symonds to replace West Indies batsman Kieron Pollard, who has just 143 runs from 15 matches with a high score of 28.

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