WC semi-final googly: Mumbai to Chandigarh air fares triple

MUMBAI: Air fares between Mumbai and Chandigarh shot through the roof since Thursday, following India's entry into the World Cup semi-final against Pakistan. A day after the Indian team beat the Aussies, fares to Chandigarh—the venue of the semi-final match—quickly tripled. India will take on Pakistan next Wednesday at Mohali, Chandigarh.

City-based tour operators have seen a sudden surge in demand for bookings to Chandigarh, an otherwise low-key sector. The usual one-way fare between Mumbai and Chandigarh is between Rs 6,000 and Rs 8,000. However, on the day of the match, the highest fare available is anywhere between Rs 18,000 and Rs 22,000. Mumbai has only three direct flights to Chandigarh and they are left with very few seats for the coming Wednesday. "Just after India's victory, I booked at least eight people to Chandigarh on a one-way fare of more than Rs 20,000," said Rajesh Rateria, managing director, Cirrus Travels. "The fares are high for Wednesday as most people want to fly out, watch the match and return on Thursday." Tour operators said the fact that there are few flights to Chandigarh from the city aided the fare rise.

"Compared to Delhi, Mumbai has only three direct flights to Chandigarh," said a Fort-based travel agent. "The fare between Delhi and Chandigarh is much lower because nine flights operate daily between these destinations. Also, people can drive down to Chandigarh in four hours."

Tour operators said there were still some reasonably priced flights to Chandigarh. However, they halt at two places before reaching the destination; their flight duration is more than 10 hours. "There are flights available via Indore and Delhi for Rs 7,000 to Rs 10,000," said another tour operator.

Due to the high fares, tour operator Jay Bhatia has been asking his clients to book for Tuesday to Delhi instead, and then cab it up to Chandigarh. "There are more than 15 flights between Mumbai and Delhi at a reasonable Rs 3,000-5,000." Travel agents said fares have been high for places where India has been playing. "Just before the India-South Africa match in Nagpur, fare to Nagpur was around Rs 14,000 instead of Rs 5,000-7,000," Rateria said.

TOI

Ind vs Pak: World Cup record in India's favour

MIRPUR: Team India is fancying its chances quite strongly against Pakistan in the semifinal to be played at Mohali on March 30, and their confidence obviously stems from their awe-inspiring track record against the arch-rivals. Since the 1992 Cup, India faced Pakistan four times and emerged winners on all occasions.

"We are happy that Pakistan are our opponents in the semifinals and we are ready for them. We have a good track record against them in the World Cup and we will draw a lot of inspiration from that. Even the last time we played them in the Asia Cup, we were able to beat them," an Indian player, who didn't wish to be named, said.

Notwithstanding this piece of record, India are not taking Pakistan lightly and respect the fact that they also played consistent cricket to reach the semis, like India. "We are not going to take any match lightly. The Australia win was very satisfying, but we have to move on and get ready for the Pakistan game," the cricketer said.

With the biggest game of the World Cup coming up, the celebration of annihilating Australia has been muted. "Pressure will be huge, but we are ready for it," a team source said.

Along with the batting, which is India's forte, the team is relieved that the bowlers have finally joined the party. "With Ashwin coming into the playing XI, the bowling unit now looks very good. Hope we can continue to do like this in the next two matches," a team source said.

Team India is likely to reach Mohali by Saturday and hit the nets right on Sunday to sharpen their game for the big battle. "The couple of days rest should do a lot of good before they begin their preparation for the big game," said the sources.

With five days remaining for the high-octane clash, India would like to cover up all the bases.

toi

SL vs Eng: Sri Lanka meet gritty England on home turf

COLOMBO: Without an iota of doubt, Sri Lanka will go into their quarterfinal match of the World Cup against England as out and out favourites.

They don't quite have a very superior pace attack as compared to England but Lasith Malinga adds a bit of edge. Not that England don't have quality spinners but Sri Lanka have Muttiah Muralitharan.

Without doubt England have a batting line-up that has shown some amount of resilience but Sri Lanka have Kumar Sangakkara and Mahela Jayawardene who are kings in their own backyard.

England are a good team to have made it to the last eight but at the R Premadasa Stadium, on Saturday evening, they will be up against a side who know very well what it takes to win here and certainly have the right ingredients to make that happen.

If England can defy this odd and come out trumps, it is fair to say that they will go on to create a major upset in the subcontinent. The math is as simple as it can get for Andrew Strauss' men. Handle three bowlers - Malinga, Muralitharan and Ajantha Mendis - well and get rid of two batsmen - Sangakkara and Jayawardene - as soon as possible. How well England manage this will eventually tell whether they're moving any further in this tournament or not.

No prizes at all for guessing what the wicket is likely to have in store for the two teams. A clean shave, less water, more roll. The ball is most likely to turn as soon as the match starts and slow while coming on to the bat - that is how the captains see it. However, unlike most similar subcontinent wickets, Premadasa's still a bit different. Chasing under lights is as tough as it can get and while Sri Lanka coach Trevor Bayliss says that it has eased out considerably in the last two to three years, those even slightly foreign to the conditions here have a lot to worry about.

Afternoon onwards, the weather can get very sticky and sweaty here in Colombo and under lights, when the ball happens to be slow off the wicket and doesn't come on to the bat, things can get messy for those chasing.

A good example of the same was Sri Lanka's own defeat at the hands of Pakistan batting second. Bayliss, in fact, says Sri Lanka actually did well in reaching almost 260 runs under lights. Strauss certainly would've made note of that.

The one thing that will not trouble the batsmen and bowlers under lights is dew. It is the weather again that assists this factor and therefore, players with soft hands will make a huge difference when the going gets tough.

Expecting such situations, Strauss & Co are wary about Murali no doubt. "His record speaks for itself. He is still bowling well. In these conditions in particular, he will be a big challenge for us.

Quite a few guys have played him a fair amount now and we have got our own individual plans on how we are going to counter him," he says. How well England manage to live up to these words will decide their fate.

toi

Bookies make India hot favourite to beat Pakistan

MUMBAI: Indian cricket fans who are praying day and night for MSD's men to trump Pakistan in the 'mother of all battles' at Mohali on March 30, can take heart. Most global betting websites predict that India will put it across Afridi's resurgent boys.

Ladbrokes has tipped India at 4/7 (win 57 paise on every rupee bet), while giving Pakistan an 11/8 chance. On Betfair, India is favoured at 1.58, Pakistan is at 2.68. Bet365.com too backs the hosts, giving them odds of 8/15 against Pakistan's 6/4. Sri Lanka (4/9), meanwhile, is expected to beat England (7/4) easily in the last quarterfinal on Saturday.

The only glitch here that the game seldom follows the form-book.

toi

SA vs NZ: Oram, Ryder help Kiwis book berth in World Cup semis

MIRPUR: There is certainly no team in world cricket who can beat South Africa's consistency in traveling till the wire before giving up the ghost.

At the Sher-e-Bangla stadium on Friday, they proved that this characteristic is purely their preserve when Graeme Smith and his men, who were running to seal their place in the semifinals, got knocked out by New Zealand by 49 runs.

It was hard to believe that this was the same team that had won five matches in the group stage and lost only five matches in last 24 ODI outings. Batting first, New Zealand made 221 for eight and then bowled out the opposition with surprising ease at 172 in 43.2 overs. This was South Africa's sixth loss in the knock-out stages of the World Cup since 1992.

The road to New Zealand's victory was first laid by Jesse Ryder who made a fighting 83 off 121 deliveries and then Jacob Oram (4 wickets) and Nathan McCullum (3 wickets) put the skids under South African batting to hand them a humiliating loss.

In a pathetic batting display, all the top South African batsmen got off to good starts but except Jacques Kallis (47) and AB de Villiers (35) none of the others could translate the good starts into knocks of substance. On a low and slow wicket, Oram was rewarded for stump-to-stump bowling. He also moved the ball well and cleverly used the slower ball. He took the wickets of Faf du Plessis, Johan Botha, Robin Peterson and Smith.

Jacques Kallis' effort failed to lend much value to the total as he departed just as the South African innings began to rely more on the all-rounder's effort. de Villiers too departed in similar conditions, getting run out precisely at a time when his side needed him to stay at the crease. Plessis did try to swing the match South Africa's way, but in the end it wasn't enough.

In contrast, New Zealand did quite commendably on a pitch that had something for the spinners even with the new ball. However, Vettori's decision to bat first appeared to backfire when they lost both the openers early - Brendon McCullum and Martin Guptill quite cheaply.

McCullum fell to his own greed while Guptill found the going tough and simply couldn't wriggle himself out. At 16/2 New Zealand looked in deep trouble, but a 114-run stand between Ryder and Taylor resurrected their innings.

Ryder, who has not been among runs, was a little shaky to start with, but as he grew in confidence with the time he spent at the crease. His first half-century comes as a boost to himself as well as the team ahead of the semifinal.

As runs were not easy to come by, the duo ran their singles and twos quite well and rotated the strike. Kane Williamson's smart 38 enabled the team to put a respectable total on the board.

toi

Ad rates up 350% for dream semis

MUMBAI: Team India lives another day to play the dream semifinal against Pakistan and that means advertisers, who banked on the 50- over World Cup, feel they have got a bigger bang for their buck than expected.

It's not only the advertisers, the ICC World Cup is turning out to be a jackpot for the broadcaster ESPN Star Sports (ESS) as well. Media planners told TOI that ESS has hiked its advertising rates-the amount a brand pays to be seen on air-to as much as Rs 17-18 lakh for a ten second spot for the India-Pakistan semifinal scheduled to be played in Mohali on March 30. This is a huge jump from Rs 3.5- 4 lakh for a ten second spot the broadcaster charged before the start of the tournament.

ESS got on board brands like Britannia and Nike, which paid about Rs 8-9 lakh for a ten second spot during Thursday's quarterfinal encounter between India-Australia. "There are very few spots left. We are definitely looking at substantially higher rates as compared to what we were selling before the tournament started," said Sanjay Kailash, executive VP-ad sales & new media, ESPN Software India. Sports broadcasters usually keep about 10% unsold inventory to bag so that they can charm a premium for it at the last leg of the tournament.

"The World Cup has delivered impressive ratings and has proved to be an instant reach builder for all our clients. We are exploring some buys for the semifinal as well considering the kind of huge platform it will offer to advertisers," said Madison Media CEO Basab Datta Chowdhury. Most media planners said they will either look to buy more inventory for existing clients or get new advertisers on board, especially brands which are planning to launch new campaigns. Media agency Maxus, which bought spots for its clients Vodafone, Nokia, Hero Honda, Fiat, besides others, said the increased rates make sense. "If you paid Rs 3 lakh for a rating of 2 or 3, its OK to pay in the range of Rs 15 lakh for a 20 rating for an India-Pak match," said Ajit Varghese, MD, Maxus India.

American sports goods marketer Nike, which premiered its Bleed Blue campaign during the India-Australia game on Thursday, said it was a strategic move to come on during the knock-out stage. "With the build-up in place for the Bleed Blue campaign, we wanted to get onto the World Cup at this crucial stage. We were clear that we wanted to create the most impact and, therefore, chose to enter when the momentum is at its peak," said Sanjay Gangopadhyay, marketing director, Nike India.

Cola major PepsiCo India, a brand traditionally associated with cricket, launched "change the game" campaign aimed at building up the passion around the World Cup. Having learnt lessons from India's early exit in the 2007 tournament, the brand kept its campaign away from India's fortunes this time and instead focused on the changes that have been brought about in the game. "We believed that the World Cup is the premier cricketing event in the world. The results are very encouraging with very high top-of-the-mind association translating into consumption and share increase," said Sandeep Singh Arora, executive VP, marketing, PepsiCo India.

But things would have been different for Nike had India not progressed to the semifinal. where it now meets arch-rival Pakistan, "If India did not win, it would have been different. But its part of the risk which we took. But yes, although, the campaign would have been canned if we did not progress," added Gangopadhyay. According to Map, an overnight audience mapping agency, the India-Australia quarterfinal clocked a peak rating of 10 with as many as 53 million people watching it.

toi

From Motera to Mohali, and then Mumbai?

If you thought a bleeding Brett Lee summed up intensity on the cricket field, wait till Team India take on Pakistan in the semifinal at Mohali.

It's the match that fans, organizers and advertisers have been fantasizing about, and the fact that it will be Pakistan's first match on Indian soil since 26/11 lends an extra edge, if any was needed.

The bad news first: Pakistan are on a dream run. They thrive on confidence and momentum, and given current form look hard to beat. Besides, India have played Pakistan in ODIs twice at this venue in the past, in 1999 and 2007, and lost on both occasions.

But this is the World Cup, where India have never lost to Pakistan. Not once, over four pulsating encounters.

Interestingly, Australian captain Ricky Ponting, whose side lost to both the teams, backed India to beat Pakistan.

Imran Khan, the only Pakistani captain to lift the Cup, however believes the pressure of playing Pakistan at home may prove too much for India.

At first glance, it seems to be Pakistan's bowling vs India's batting. But ultimately, it could be about who wins the battle of nerves. Both sides are battle-hardened, and unlikely to blink first.

toi

Ponting predicts India will beat Pakistan in the semifinals

AHMEDABAD: Australian captain Ricky Ponting on Thursday predicted that India would beat Pakistan in the World Cup semifinal and Mahendra Singh Dhoni's men are the strong favourites to win the coveted title after a gap of 28 years.

"India played well as a team today and deserved victory. Today we were not good enough (to win). Going forward they will be pretty hard to beat. They will beat Pakistan in the semifinal and go on to win the World Cup now," Ponting said at the post-match press conference after Australia were knocked out of the World Cup by India.

"India have a very good batting line-up. We played very competitive cricket tonight but I'm disappointed with the two successive losses (against Pakistan in their last league game and today against India)," he said after his side's five-wicket loss in a high-octane World Cup quarterfinal.

He said he would not be playing in the next World Cup but ruled out quitting one-day cricket.

"I am not quitting one-day cricket but this is probably my last World Cup game. I will be happy to look back after retirement that I made a century in my last innings in the World Cup," Ponting said

He also said that the talk of the end of an era in Australian cricket was misplaced.

"It's a bit premature to say it was the end of an era for Australian cricket, it was a pretty good game tonight. I do not think we were far away from winning the game against a very good Indian team on their home soil. I think it's a bit too early to say it's the end of an era," said Ponting.

Ponting said his side had the chances to win the game and they were devastated by the loss.

"We had great expectations from the game. We were a well organized group. We are devastated. We found it difficult to get momentum. Not performing at critical moments cost us the game. We did not grab our opportunities," he said.

"We were 15 to 20 runs short with the bat. 250-260 was a good total but we lost wickets at bad time and never got the momentum going. We did not execute the plans properly," said the 36-year-old Tasmanian who scored a superb 104 after having struggled in the earlier part of the tournament.

The Australian captain felt the schedule of the tournament could have been spread out better but said that that cannot be an excuse for his side's crashing out in the quarterfinals.

"The schedule did not help us. But that cannot be put as an excuse for the loss. Over the last ten days my team has played four games. It would have been nice to have them (games) evenly spread out," he said.

He sympathised with his key fast bowler Brett Lee who had made a great effort to get back into the team after a 14-month injury lay-off.

"Brett has given a lot for Australian cricket during his entire career and at times coming back after big injuries. He will be shattered as he has worked very hard to get here," he said.

toi

Ind vs Aus: Yuvraj, Sachin, Raina help Men in Blue avenge 2003 humiliation

AHMEDABAD: It was billed as the blockbuster and the quarterfinal, the second of the 2011 Cricket World Cup at the Sardar Patel Stadium at Motera on Thursday lived up to the expectations.

India survived a Ricky Ponting masterclass (104, 118 balls, 7x4, 1 x6) and some tense moments to beat four-time World Champions Australia by five wickets and 14 balls to spare to set up a potentially explosive clash with arch rivals Pakistan in Mohali on March 30.

The hosts rose to the occasion in style, first with a superb bowling and fielding effort, then the great master Sachin Tendulkar set the stage alight with glorious strokeplay to put the side on cruise mode before some quintessential Indian harakiri.

The Aussies sensing a chance changed colours, bowled with venom, sledged hard and even bled - Brett Lee getting a cut under his eye while fielding. They did it all but couldn't stop India from progressing.

There were many heroes for India as they set about their chase of 261, but Yuvraj Singh, yet again, emerged as the knight in shining armour coming up with a match-winning knock of unbeaten 57 runs besides picking up two wickets earlier. The effort earned the southpaw his fourth Man-of-the-match award in this World Cup.

Also rising to the challenge was young Suresh Raina with a gutsy unbeaten 34. Yuvraj and Raina realized 74 runs from 61 balls just when the Aussies had turned on the screws.

There was some intense drama before though courtesy a horrible mix-up between Gautam Gambhir (50; 64b, 7x4) and Yuvraj (their third in the span of five minutes) resulting in the run out of Gambhir. Yuvraj edged David Hussey to Cameron White at slip and even before Yuvraj could realize, Gambhir had dashed towards him from the non-striker's end and it was a point of no return.

Five overs earlier, Virat Kohli swatted a full toss straight down the throat of Michael Clarke at mid-wicket.

Skipper MS Dhoni cracked a thundering boundary, but another attempt off Lee saw Dhoni cut the bowler straight to Michael Clarke at point. The Indians had slid to 187 for 5 in 37.3 overs and seemed to be spoiling their own party till Yuvraj and Raina came into their own.

Of course, Tendulkar (53; 68b, 7x4) was on a different planet altogether as he caressed, punched, pulled, drove and also played the upper cut, the way only he can to raise hopes of the ton of tons.

IOC issues a warning

The International Olympic Committee (IOC) has cautioned the Union Sports Minister that the proposed sports legislation could threaten India's participation in international events, especially the Olympic qualifiers and Olympic Games, if stipulations being imposed on the National Olympic Committee and National Sports Federations (NSFs) were not modified so as to respect the autonomy of the Olympic Movement.

In a letter to Union Minister of State for Youth Affairs and Sports (Independent Charge), Ajay Maken, on Tuesday, the NOC Relations Director of the IOC, Pere Miro, stated that it was not the IOC's intention to interfere directly in the process of legislation formulation by the Government of India.

However, he pointed out, organisations of the Olympic Movement in India — the NOC and National Federations in particular — would be “directly impacted and affected by this new sports legislation.”

Miro stated that the internal operations (including the composition of the bodies, decision-making mechanisms, holding of meetings, election process, age limit, if any, number of terms for the elected office-bearers, mechanisms for resolving disputes etc.) should come under the jurisdiction of the sports organisations.

Ind vs Aus: Sehwag doubtful for quarterfinal against Australia

AHMEDABAD: Uncertainty remained on the availability of dashing opener Virender Sehwag for India's make-or-break World Cup quarterfinal match against defending champions Australia on Thursday, skipper Mahendra Singh Dhoni said on Wednesday.

"We will take a call on Virender Sehwag late this evening or tomorrow morning before the start of the game. All the others are fit and available for selection," Dhoni said at the match-eve media conference at the Sardar Patel Stadium in Motera.

Sehwag, who lit up the tournament with a breathtaking 175 against Bangladesh in the opening match at Mirpur on February 19, missed India's last Group B tie against the West Indies at Chennai on March 20 after aggravating his old knee problem during the course of the tournament.

He played last against South Africa at Nagpur on March 12, scoring a half century.

Dhoni said the Indian team would certainly miss Sehwag if he is unable to play on Thursday against the world's top-ranked ODI outfit.

"It's really good to have Virender Sehwag opening the innings. He can play an aggressive game. He can change the course of the game in the first five overs, give the team the kind of momentum that is needed," said Dhoni.

On Tuesday, the Delhi dasher did not take part in the warm-up session but later joined the team in the batting practice for half an hour.

toi

Pak vs WI: West Indies blown away by Pak spin

MIRPUR: With every passing game, Pakistan's form is looking more ominous. Their skipper Shahid Afridi has led from the front and been devastating with his leg-breaks, ensuring that from dark horses before the tournament, Pakistan are now one of the favourites.

On Wednesday, they pulverized past a hapless West Indies to sail convincingly into the semifinal, fashioning a 10-wicket win after spinning out Darren Sammy's men for a mere 112 at the Shere-e-Bangla stadium.

They now await the winner of the India-Australia game in Ahmedabad on Thursday. This is the sixth time in 10 World Cup campaigns that Pakistan have booked a place in the last four. A combination of effective spin bowling and dismal technique did the Windies in.

Afridi was again at the forefront, grabbing 4/30 to destroy any hopes of a batting recovery after Mohammad Hafeez prised out two early wickets.

Once Chris Gayle fell early, the Windies fell apart, and it was obvious some veterans in the team were also past their prime. They simply failed to get the scorecard moving after being reduced to 16/3 before Afridi came to the party and wrecked their hopes further.

At one point, Afridi was on the verge of a hat-trick when he dismissed Kieron Pollard and Devon Thomas off successive deliveries. Chanderpaul played a lone hand, remaining unbeaten on 44, but he too did not look his best. The Windies lost out on everything but the toss.

Hafeez followed up his impressive bowling display with a fluent, unbeaten 61 when Pakistan chased, notching up his maiden World Cup half-century and the Man of the Match award in the bargain. The Windies were so dispirited after their batting effort they failed to dislodge Kamran Akmal too.

The West Indies will return with a bagful of worries. Their team composition needs a rethink, and their batsmen must learn to cope with spin. Four of their batsmen were trapped in front of the wicket. Overall, the team struck only seven boundaries while Hafeez himself notched up ten fours.

toi

We will keep Sachin on 99 tons: Ponting

AHMEDABAD: Apart from aiming to do everything right with a view to pull off a coup against hosts India at the Motera on Thursday, Australian captain Ricky Ponting also has a prayer on his lips that Sachin Tendulkar does not get his 100th hundred against them.

"Sachin has had an amazing couple of years. His last 15 months have been unbelievable. It's absolutely inspirational for everyone, but we only hope the 100th ton doesn't come on Thursday. He'll be doing everything to make sure he gets it, and we'll be doing everything to make sure he stays on 99 for a bit longer," said the Australian captain.

All Ponting is concerned at the moment is Thursday's match and nothing less than a win.

"It doesn't get any bigger, playing India in the quarterfinal in India. It's one of the biggest games I have played as captain. It's going to be enjoyable and exciting. Like us they too will be a bit anxious about the outcome of the game as well," he said.

"Thursday's match will not be about individuals, not about Ponting and Sachin. India are one of the favourite teams, and if we want to win the World Cup we have to win on Thursday."

toi

Ind vs Aus: India on the edge as Men in Blue face Australia

AHMEDABAD: This is it. Hold your breath when India take on Australia on Thursday, for there will be no second chances. The biggest stage, and the crucial moment, has arrived.

Where India and Australia stand in ODIs/World Cup

Reputations are at stake for MS Dhoni and his beleaguered counterpart Ricky Ponting. India lost to Australia in the 2003 World Cup final and endured an awful campaign in 2007, but the scales have tilted since. This isn't the invincible Australia of old. Rather than a sublime and uplifting battle between two powerhouses of the international game, current form indicates this second quarterfinal might be more of a scrap.

Neither side has been awe-inspiring in the build-up to this moment. Both have obvious chinks in the armour just waiting to be exploited, and both need to shed the blow-hot, blow-cold approach which has characterized their campaign so far.

Then there's the enormous pressure breathing down their necks, especially Dhoni's men. India are playing at home and millions expect nothing less than victory. The backlash, in case of defeat, will be painful. Australia have dominated this stage for so long that this bunch of players wouldn't like to be remembered as children of a lesser god. Whichever team can raise its game now will go through to meet Pakistan.

As many as six players in Dhoni's current squad were losing finalists in 2003 and will be looking to make amends. It's a great opportunity to settle an old score. Yet, making a statement of intent might not be easy, even though the Motera is expected to be dry and spin-friendly. India's bowling, apart from Zaheer Khan, has been ordinary. Time and again, they have faltered in the Batting Powerplay. Even the middle-order has collapsed twice. Australia's pacers can be a handful. Can the sight of a familiar opponent get the competitive juices flowing?

The issue of Virender Sehwag's fitness is another complication the team could have done without. The opener is struggling with a troublesome knee and Dhoni said a call on his availability would be taken in the morning. Sehwag, however, spent a lot of time at the nets fielding and batting, and seems more likely to play than not.

The Australians too have been anything but impressive. Ponting's time seems to be running out. His form and confidence is under the scanner and his fierce temper has shown through. Controversy and bad blood seems to be hounding the Aussies and they've been forced to maintain a quieter profile. The loss to Pakistan meant drawing the curtains on a 34-game unbeaten streak in this tournament and this loss of aura is a boost for opponents.

Will this be India's turn to deliver a knockout blow?

toi

Ind vs Aus: Tendulkar, Ponting get ready for final World Cup duel

AHMEDABAD: The quarterfinal clash between Australia and India, on Thursday, is not only about who stays in the hunt for the title but also about two of game's modern day greats Sachin Tendulkar and Ricky Ponting squaring off in a World Cup game for what appears to be one last time.

The two ageing warriors would like to stamp their superiority and propel their side to the last four stage on March 24 at Motera's Sardar Patel Stadium.

Neither of the two is expected to be around in 2015 when the next edition is scheduled to be held Down Under.

In the previous meeting between the two sides in the World Cup, that took place in the summit clash of the 2003 edition in Johannesburg, Ponting came out trumps with his unbeaten century took the game away from India even before the Men In Blue came out to bat.

Ponting's blistering 140 not out, in only 121 balls with a staggering eight sixes and 4 fours, had propelled Australia to an imposing 359 for two.

Chasing the huge Australian total, Tendulkar could score only 4 and despite Virender Sehwag's run-a-ball 82, India fell well short of the target and Australia walked away with cricket's most coveted prize for the second edition running.

On Thursday, in front of a vociferous 50,000-strong crowd, the Indian master has the chance to make ample amends for what happened eight years ago and also step into the record books as the first batsman to have scored 100 centuries combined in both forms of cricket - Tests and ODIs.

Tendulkar has had a very good tournament individually, with superbly crafted tons against England and South Africa at the league stage, though both efforts could not power India to victories, with the first match tied and the second ending in a narrow defeat.

Ponting, on the other hand, has had a horrendous run with the bat. In six matches, he has mustered a miserly 102 runs with 36 being his best effort at a poor average of 20.40, less than half his 358-match career average.

Ponting's ODI average in India against the hosts is also an impressive 44.86 from 24 games, but the second and last of his two hundreds in this country was notched eight years ago in Bangalore.

The Tasmanian has looked a pale shadow of his domineering style and is under tremendous pressure to keep his captaincy though teammate Michael Hussey felt otherwise.

Hussey brushed aside reports in Australia that Ponting's captaincy was at stake, at a media conference here today and said the entire team was backing the struggling skipper.

"No worries at all. He has been fantastic, best man for the job and has been for a long time. He's certainly got the full support of all team members," Hussey said.

Ponting has also been lambasted in the media for losing temper on the field of play and off it too, as well as for not walking after clearly edging behind the stumps while Tendulkar did the exact opposite a day later and was hailed for his sportsmanship.

"He's been criticized over minor things. They have been blown out of proportions. He's been playing well and just like a champion rises to the occasion at the right time, on Thursday we will see the best of Ricky Ponting," Hussey said in his skipper's defence.

In five duels against Australia in World Cups, Tendulkar's best effort thus far has been a splendid innings of 90 in a league game at Mumbai's Wankhede Stadium in 1996, and his average against them is a modest 28.20 spread over four World Cups.

Thursday's match provides both these stalwarts, among the all-time great batsmen in the game, a last chance to impose their stature in head-to-head battles in the premier ODI tournament.


toi

This is the most important tournament of my life: Sachin

AHMEDABAD: Finally, the word is out. Sachin Tendulkar has conceded that this is the most important tournament of his life.

Typical of the man, though, he has made sure that his feelings have remained in the private domain. TOI had to dig deep to find out how much importance he attaches to this World Cup.

Having started his WC career in 1992, he has featured in as many as six World Cups, including the ongoing one. By 1996, he had not only become the bulwark of the Indian batting but also the most feared player as far as the opposition went.

While he has broken virtually every record out there, he has always longed for the one missing crown: the World Cup title. He missed out the T20 world title when he, and Rahul Dravid and Sourav Ganguly, withdrew from the tournament in South Africa and Mahendra Singh Dhoni scripted a memorable victory.

At 37, he knows it's a now or never opportunity. It's generally believed this could be his farewell World Cup and he realizes nothing could be sweeter than winning it at home. It would complete his mission in cricket and make him the greatest player the game has seen, if he already isn't that.

"Yes, it is the most important tournament of my life," Tendulkar had told his closest friends, and most in the team are also aware of his determination.

Like always, though, he is making sure that it doesn't become a self-before-team cause. "Everyone wants the team to do well," he has told his mates. "I need to focus all my energies on how to go about doing my job."

What remains unsaid is that this is the perfect setting not only for him but also the team. India, of course, take on mighty Australia in the quarterfinals on Thursday. If they get past them, they might well face Pakistan in the semis. And then South Africa (if form and odds don't go awry). Seems daunting.

Tendulkar, though, is clearly driven. He has worked hard for the tournament and you could see him straining every sinew on Tuesday too, here at the Motera. He happily spent a few hours under the blazing sun so that his body is not caught napping on match day.

That's not all. He has watched most of the other games closely, in the sanctity of his hotel room. He has been doing his homework and devising his own strategies.

toi

How the teams stack up in the World Cup quarterfinals

1st quarterfinal: Pakistan vs West Indies
Venue: Dhaka
Date: March 23

Pakistan's form: Inconsistency has been Pakistan cricket's second name. However, in this tournament they seem a determined lot. They lost to New Zealand but raised the bar against bigger teams like Sri Lanka and Australia to top Group A. Will West Indies be easy pickings?

What makes them dangerous: Their unpredictability. With them, the opposition doesn't know what's in store. Pakistan have a potent bowling attack which can dismantle any batting line-up, as Sri Lanka and Australia already know. With the bat, they have enough experience in the middle order too.

Players to watch out for: Skipper Shahid Afridi, who has led with vigour and panache and also been extremely effective with his leg-breaks: 17 scalps at 11.47 make him the highest wicket-taker in the tournament. His tally includes two five-wicket hauls too. Seamer Umar Gul is the other man in form and is equally dangerous both with the old and new ball.

West Indies' form: Patchy so far. They still haven't beaten any Test team except Bangladesh in the last two years. Looked threatening against minnows but struggled against the big boys like England, India and South Africa. Have often failed to hold their nerves in crunch situations.

What makes them dangerous: They are a compelling blend and have quite a few match-winners. Players like Chris Gayle, Kieron Pollard, Devon Smith and Darren Bravo can take the game away from the opposition within no time. They have a good bowling attack which can be effective under any conditions. Besides, they are a vastly improved fielding unit.

Players to watch out for: Openers Chris Gayle (162 runs @ 54) and Devon Smith (293 @ 48.83) have provided solidity to the West Indies batting lineup while Kieron Pollard (179 runs, SR 158.40) has given the team momentum lower down. Kemar Roach (13 wickets @ 12) and Sulieman Benn (12 wickets @ 19.83) have been instrumental with the ball.

2nd quarterfinal: India vs Australia
Venue: Ahmedabad
Date: March 24

India's form: Have blown hot and cold so far. Haven't clicked as a unit at key moments and that cost them dearly against South Africa and England. Bangladesh, Ireland and Netherlands did not pose much threat while the West Indies surrendered meekly. Scope for improvement given they are one of the favourites.

What makes them dangerous: The batting. The top seven is probably the most potent in the world. If they click as a unit, they have the ability to tear apart any bowling attack and bat the opposition out of the game. Crowd support and knowledge of local conditions are other factors that can work for the team.

Players to watch out for: Yuvraj Singh (284 runs @ 94.66 and 9 wickets @ 25.22) has held the middle order together with great responsibility. Openers Sachin Tendulkar (326 @ 54.33) and Virender Sehwag (327 @ 65.40) have also made their starts count. Zaheer Khan (15 wickets @ 14.86) has been right on the money and has provided the breakthroughs whenever needed.

Australia's form: The Australian juggernaut was on a roll before they being confronted with a spirited Pakistani side. With rain disrupting the game against Sri Lanka, they haven't beaten any big team except New Zealand. They were also stretched by minnows Canada and Kenya.

What makes them dangerous: Australia are a good all-round side and most of their players are multi-utility players. They know what it takes to perform in pressure-cooker situation too. Many players in the side were the part of the 2007 World Cup and 2009 Champions Trophy winning teams.

Players to watch out for: Michael Clarke has been the man in form with an average of 112.50. Openers Shane Watson (265 runs@53) and Brad Haddin (279 runs @ 55.80) are doing the job perfectly and so are the pace trio of Brett Lee, Mitchell Johnson and Shaun Tait, who share 32 wickets among them.

3rd quarterfinal: South Africa vs New Zealand
Venue: Dhaka
Date: March 25

South Africa's form: Have looked the most complete team. Have covered most of the bases and that has reflected in their performance. Unlike other teams, they crushed minnows Netherlands and Ireland with precision. They were ruthless against Bangladesh and West Indies while clinching victory out of the jaws of defeat against India. Their only loss came against England in Chennai.

What makes them dangerous: They have a man for every job. Their batsmen provide enough cushion for their pacers, who are the best in the world. This time, they have variety in their attack too and the spinners have stood up to be counted.

Players to watch out for: Hashim Amla (299 runs @ 49.33) and AB De Villiers (318 runs @ 106) have been in the form of their lives. The spinning duo of Robin Peterson and Imran Tahir has taken the oppositions by surprise, sharing the bulk of the spoils during the league stages.

New Zealand's form: New Zealand's form has been patchy. They were brilliant in all departments against Pakistan in Pallekele but were ordinary against Australia and Sri Lanka. Against the minnows, they were dominant.

What makes them dangerous: New Zealand have quite a few match-winners in their side. On their day, players like Ross Taylor, Brendon McCullum, Daniel Vettori, Scott Styris, Jacob Oram can single-handedly win matches. They have a good record in ICC tournaments too.

Players to watch out for: Ross Taylor (245 runs@ 81.66) loves subcontinent conditions. Unlike his other teammates, he enjoys facing spin and is equally effective at the crease even when the ball is reversing. Opener Martin Guptill too has been solid. Tim Southee (14 wickets @ 15.07, eco: 3.95) has been a revelation.

4th quarterfinal: Sri Lanka vs England
Venue: Colombo
Date: March 26

Sri Lanka's form: Are bigger than the sum of their parts and one of the top favourites. Except for the loss against Pakistan, the Sri Lankans have been very clinical. Besides crushing the minnows and New Zealand, were looking good against Australia too before rain marred the tie.

What makes them dangerous: Team combination. The top order is getting runs, the pacers are among wickets and the spinners are always a force to reckon with. So far, the middle order hasn't contributed.

Players to watch out for: Kumar Sangakkara is the leading run scorer in the tournament. Muttiah Muralitharan has shown glimpses of his old form too.

England's form: Watching England has been as exciting as it has been frustrating. They huffed and puffed to victory against The Netherlands, lost to Ireland and Bangladesh but beat South Africa in a thriller and played one of the most exciting games of the tournament against India. They clinched another thriller against the West Indies, winning from an almost impossible situation. Is luck on their side this time?

What makes them dangerous: Just like Pakistan, England have been an unpredictable side. On paper, they look one of the best teams and have so far shown the ability to hold their nerves in crunch situation. Fringe players have risen to the occasion. England are a bunch of fighters who never give up.

Players to watch out for: Man-in-form Jonathan Trott (336 runs) has shown he has a good head on his shoulders. Spinner Graeme Swann (12 wickets @ 20.66) is showing his worth in conditions that favour batsmen more than bowlers.

India are better off facing world champs than Lanka at Motera

MUMBAI: For the most part, on Sunday evening, India would have been tempted to take the easy route ahead: lose to West Indies and avoid Australia in the quarterfinal.

After all, the world champions are a daunting mission, even if they are not in full flow; but the fact is India probably have a much better chance to quell Australia in Ahmedabad than the other option: Sri Lanka

The Lankans would surely have been trickier: their batting is versatile while their bowling has a mysterious ring to it, thanks to the three Ms: Malinga, Murali and Mendis. The Motera track would also have suited them better.

On paper, it would have been an equal battle, no doubt, with India even starting as slight favourites. But that itself would have been the tricky part: India would have slipped into complacency and could easily have ended up with egg, or worse, on their faces.

Now, they will be on their guard: they know giving Australia even a slim chance, a minor opening, is akin to jumping off a cliff. : India, themselves, are a dangerous side when they are pushed into a corner, when nothing but a victory can salvage them.

There are, however, better reasons for being more comfortable against Australia: first and foremost, the aura around them has long been busted; secondly, they don't even have the right balance or wherewithal to claw out of squishy holes.

After the defeat against Pakistan, they would even be somewhat tentative; this is the best time to hit them, before they recover their poise or arrogance. They have a flourishing top order and a menacing pace attack too; but the middle order lacks the old assurance, even with the return of Mike Hussey.

Most importantly, their spin component might not be good enough to stop the Indian run-machine. If India can survive the opening spell, or don't lose too many early wickets, they can reasonably expect to avenge the 2003 WC humiliation. Harbhajan, Ashwin and Yuvraj can then complete the final rites of Australia's demise.

In the other quarters, Pakistan are unexpectedly looking the most assured; they may have lost one match too but they don't look disjointed or dispirited at all. It almost looks like the quibbling before they came here didn't even happen.

West Indies will have to get everything right at the start itself to pull off an upset. They need a towering performance from either Gayle or an over-powering one from Roach; otherwise, they are too brittle to finish off a match. They have already disintegrated under pressure, not once but twice.

South Africa face an unpredictable Kiwi side and will begin a little more confidently. They will, however, feel the world closing in on them: it is the knockout stage and they know things can go awfully wrong any time now. They have, no doubt, the strongest line-up, with enough firepower in pace and variety in spin. New Zealand won't find it easy to get past them.

Sri Lanka probably have the easiest match; England have clearly looked tired and uninspired. They have the players to make one last lunge for it but do they have the chutzpah for it? Worse, they will be playing Sri Lanka at home, which is never an easy proposition; and despite the presence of Swann, they might get trapped in a spin tangle.


toi
So, the possible semifinal line-up: India vs Pakistan and South Africa vs Sri Lanka.

India are bookies' favourite to lift World Cup

MUMBAI: India might face the monumental task of overcoming four-time champions Australia in the quarterfinal at Ahmedabad on March 24, but for bookies, MS Dhoni & Co are the runaway favourites to win the 2011 World Cup.

Top betting site Ladbrokes is offering odds at 3/1 for India to lift the trophy on April 2 in Mumbai. In other words, a bet of Rs 1,000 on India will earn you a profit of Rs 3,000 if Team India justifies its billing. Another leading betting website, Williamhill, also tips the hosts to win the Cup. While India get top billing at 3/1, South Africa, at 10/3, are the next close favourites. Another betting site, www.bet365.com, gives South Africa, at 3/1, the top billing, with India only slightly behind at 10/3.

At Ladbrokes, India gets favourable odds at 8/13 to beat Australia on Thursday night, while for the Aussies, the figure is 5/4. Williamhill too tips India, at 4/6, to vanquish the Oz (6/5). South Africa, who topped Group B, the pool in which India were placed, and Sri Lanka are the other teams favoured to win the crown, says Ladbrokes. The Proteas enjoy odds of 7/2, while the Lankans are tipped at 9/2.

If Ladbrokes' estimation comes true, India are likely to meet Lanka or South Africa in the final. For both eventualities, the odds are at 5/1.

As for the other quarterfinals, Shahid Afridi's Pakistan are tipped to beat the West Indies at Mirpur. South Africa, the bettors think, should not have a problem against the Kiwis at Mirpur, while Lanka are expected to have it easy against England at Colombo.

If the Cup goes the bookies' way from here, it should be an India versus Pakistan semifinal at Mohali, with Dhoni's boys making it to the summit clash.

toi

Somdev jumps to number 73 in singles ranking

NEW DELHI: Reaping rich reward for his fantastic run at the Indian Wells Masters, Somdev Devvarman on Monday jumped 11 places to achieve his career-best singles ranking of 73 in the latest ATP list.

Somdev reached the pre-quarterfinals in Indian Wells, eventually losing to finalist and top seed Rafael Nadal but not without giving a good fight to the world number one Spaniard.

Rohan Bopanna, who along with Aisam-ul-Haq Qureshi of Pakistan reached the semifinals of the doubles event at the same tournament, also improved his ranking by four places to 15.

The Indo-Pak pair had lost to eventual champions Alexandr Dolgopolov and Xavier Malisse.

Leander Paes (7) and Mahesh Bhupathi (5), however, remained static.

In the WTA list, Sania Mirza broke back into the top-100 as she stands 99th in the singles list with a jump of eight places.

This week Sania is seeking to qualify for the Miami event in the USA. She has been seeded 19th and will take on Chinese Xinyun Han in the first round.

The doubles title win at the Indian Wells tournament helped Sania jump 21 places to 33.

Sania and Elena Vesnina of Russia had beaten Bethanie Mattek and Meghann Shaughnessy in the summit clash.

toi