Indian seamer Praveen Kumar has been ruled out of next month's Test series in Australia after fracturing a rib, the Indian cricket board announced on Tuesday.
"Praveen Kumar underwent a scan last evening and was found to have a fractured rib as per the report that came through today," the board said in a statement.
"He is expected to recover in five-six weeks and has therefore been ruled out of the (ongoing) one-day series against the West Indies as well as the Test series in Australia that follows."
Kumar's replacement for the Australia tour will be named on December 5, the statement added.
The 25-year-old has bagged 27 wickets in six Tests and 69 wickets in 61 one-day internationals.
India open the three-month tour on December 15 with two practice matches in Canberra ahead of the first Test starting at the Melbourne Cricket Ground on December 26.
The remaining Tests will be played in Sydney, Perth and Adelaide.
This will be followed by two Twenty20 internationals, before Sri Lanka join in for a one-day tri-series from February 5.
Resurgent Pakistan continued their winning form to defeat Bangladesh by 50 runs in the one-off Twenty20 international at the Sher-e-Bangla stadium in Dhaka on Tuesday in a low-scoring affair.
Misbah-ul-Haq's men, buoyant after a successful series against Sri Lanka in the United Arab Emirates, where they won in all three formats of the game, proved their mettle once again.
The tourists, playing their 50th Twenty20 match, fought back after being restricted to 135-7 to keep Bangladesh down to 85-9 on a slow wicket that hindered stroke-making.
Mohammad Hafeez claimed 2-11 in four overs and Shoaib Malik picked up two wickets in three balls as Pakistan recorded their fifth successive Twenty20 win over Bangladesh.
The Tigers were in danger of falling below their lowest T20 total of 78 against New Zealand last year when they stumbled to 69-9 in the 17th over.
But Nasir Hossain hit a defiant unbeaten 35 with two boundaries and a six to ensure Bangladesh batted out their stipulated 20 overs.
The hosts were left to rue a lethargic batting display in which nine batsmen failed to reach double figures, while two ran themselves out.
The match was as good as over when Bangladesh lost half their side by the ninth over with the total at 23.
The batsmen undid the good work by the bowlers who kept the Pakistani batting in check after Misbah-ul-Haq won the toss and elected to take first strike.
Spinner Alok Kapali, the eighth bowler used by Bangladesh captain Mushfiqur Rahim, picked up two for 12 and former skipper Shakib Al Hasan finished with two for 24.
Hafeez top-scored for Pakistan with 25, but found little support from the other end.
The rivals begin a three-match one-day series in Dhaka on Thursday, which will be followed by two Tests.
Rohit Sharma hit a responsible 72 under pressure as India survived a top-order collapse to post a thrilling one-wicket win over the West Indies in the opening one-dayer on Tuesday.
India were reeling at 59-5 following Kemar Roach's three-wicket burst and Andre Russell's double strike before reaching the 212-run target with seven balls to spare in front of 45,000 spectators at the Barabati stadium in Cuttack.
Sharma came to his team's rescue with an 83-run stand for the sixth wicket with Ravindra Jadeja (38) in the day-night game, which was held up for nearly five minutes during India's innings due to disturbances in the stands.
Sharma, returning to the side after recovering from a finger injury, then added 42 valuable runs with Vinay Kumar (18) to help his team to a 1-0 lead in the five-match series. He cracked one six and three fours in his ninth half-century in one-dayers.
The hosts needed nine runs to win in the last two overs before Umesh Yadav hit the winning boundary off seamer Darren Sammy as India posted their 10th successive one-day win at home.
Paceman Roach removed Parthiv Patel, Gautam Gambhir and Virat Kohli in his sharp opening spell before Russell accounted for skipper Virender Sehwag (20) and Suresh Raina to put pressure on India.
India earlier put in a disciplined bowling performance to restrict the West Indies to a modest total despite Darren Bravo's impressive half-century. Left-handed Bravo, who hit two hundreds in the recent Test series against the hosts, top-scored for the West Indies with a 74-ball 60 for his sixth half-century in one-day internationals.
Bravo, who survived a difficult caught-and-bowled chance off off-spinner Ravichandran Ashwin on 26, was bowled by part-time spinner Suresh Raina in the 35th over after hitting six fours.
The West Indies were struggling at 52-3 before Bravo steadied the innings with a 75-run stand for the fourth wicket with Danza Hyatt (31). The tourists failed to build on Bravo's effort and they added just 44 runs in the last 10 overs, with tailender Russell making a 20-ball 22.
Indian pacemen Yadav and Varun Aaron each bagged two wickets. The tourists raced to 52 off 10 overs after being put in to bat but lost top-three batsmen Lendl Simmons (19), Adrian Barath (17) and Marlon Samuels (10) in the process, with Vinay Kumar, Yadav and Aaron each taking a wicket.
The Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) is under investigation for violating the country's foreign exchange laws, sports minister Ajay Maken said on Tuesday.
The government was looking into alleged violations of the Foreign Exchange Management Act amounting to some 10.77 billion rupees, Maken told the parliament.
He said the investigation covered the ownership of franchises and fund transfers without the permission of the Reserve Bank of India (RBI) and income tax department during the 2009 Indian Premier League (IPL) held in South Africa.
The BCCI moved the 2009 edition of the Twenty20 tournament out of India due to lack of security cover during general elections in the country.
BCCI's chief administrative officer Ratnakar Shetty said the body had yet to receive any official communication about the investigation.
New Australian coach Mickey Arthur warned on Tuesday that fans needed to be patient as the national side undergoes a rebuilding process that could take years to come to fruition.
The South African's recent appointment as Australia's first foreign coach completed a major overhaul sparked by the Ashes debacle against England earlier this year.
But Arthur said it could take until his contract expires at the end of the 2015 World Cup for Australia to get a true indication of their world standing.
Arthur takes charge of Australia for the first time in Thursday's first of two Tests against New Zealand at Brisbane's Gabba ground.
"We have to be realistic," Arthur told reporters. "But if we keep chipping away, in a year or two we could be top of the tree again."
"I guess it (deadline) is the length of my contract, which is until the end of the World Cup."
"That will be after back-to-back Ashes series, a Twenty20 World Cup and a 50-over World Cup."
"Then you will know exactly where we are at."
"Have some patience with the team but also embrace the excitement of the young talent."
At least three players will make their Test debuts against the Black Caps this week.
Young quicks Mitchell Starc, Ben Cutting and James Pattinson are in line for a start while opening batsman David Warner is expected to debut.
Arthur hoped the team's new rotation policy could groom up to 25 players capable of playing international cricket by the end of the southern summer.
"We want to build a sustainable squad. With the amount of cricket we play, it is impossible to have 15 players," he said.
"If by the end of the summer we can bolster our squad from 15 guys capable of playing international cricket at any given time to a squad of 20 to 25, then Australian cricket is going to be in a really healthy state."
"It's by default that this opportunity has arisen (due to injuries) but the benefit is that we are going to have three more guys knowing the intensity required to be in Test match cricket."
Captain Michael Clarke, who along with Arthur has been included on the revamped selection panel, faced all three fast bowlers in the nets on Tuesday.
Cutting, 24, and 21-year-olds Pattinson and Starc did not hold back in front of new selectors John Inverarity, Rod Marsh and Andy Bichel.
"It felt very fast," veteran batsman Mike Hussey said.
"But they were all probably 140kph (90 mph) and there is a bit of movement on those tracks - it was a proper workout. It certainly got the adrenalin rushing."
India's fast-bowling spearhead Zaheer Khan has been included in the Mumbai Ranji Trophy squad for the fixture against Orissa to be played in Cuttack from November 29. Zaheer's inclusion was along expected lines, and his participation in India's upcoming tour of Australia will depend upon how his body holds up in the domestic outing. The India selectors sit on November 26, the final day of the home Test series against West Indies, to pick the squad for Australia. Zaheer is expected to "provisionally" figure in that list.
Zaheer injured his right hamstring on the first day of the Lord's Test during the tour of England in July. Though he recovered from that injury, a recurring ankle injury re-surfaced during the practice match against Northampton ahead of the third Test at Edgbaston, forcing Zaheer to abort the series that India eventually lost 4-0.
He underwent ankle surgery and is on the road to peak fitness. In the last month, in addition to his rehabilitation at the National Cricket Academy in Bangalore, Zaheer has been involved in light bowling sessions.
Zaheer pulled out of India's last two tours to Australia after playing just one Test - with a left heel injury in 2007-08 and with hamstring problems in 2003-04.
"I am monitoring my fitness on a day-by-day basis," Zaheer had said on November 20. "It is looking good but I don't want to say much."
The tour match may have ended in a draw, but there was no shortage of entertainment as Jesse Ryder equalled a first-class record for the most sixes in an innings - 16 - on his way to 175 at the Allan Border Field. The captain Ross Taylor too helped himself to a century as the New Zealanders made 6 for 467 to round-off a healthy batting report card ahead of the first Test.
Ryder equalled the record set by Graham Napier and Andrew Symonds in his 137-ball knock, which also included 11 fours. Ed Cowan copped the worst of Ryder's assault, conceding 28 runs in an over which included four sixes and a four. Taylor too adopted an aggressive approach in his 138, hitting seven sixes and 11 fours.
The tourists lost Martin Guptill for 47 before Taylor and Ryder added an explosive 160 for the fourth wicket. Ryder added 122 with Dean Brownlie for the fifth wicket, the latter scoring an unbeaten 53. Australia A finally saw the back of Ryder when he was caught by Nic Maddinson at square leg off Cowan.
Dwayne Bravo, the West Indies allrounder, has said his ankle injury has healed and he expects to be fit for the Big Bash League in Australia next month. Bravo, who has signed for Sydney Sixers, is also expected to take part in the Caribbean Twenty20 for Trinidad and Tobago.
"My ankle injury has healed and it stood up well during training. Last week it felt very sore but it is now fine and the stiffness is gone," Bravo told CMC. "I will be flying out to Australia for the Big Bash but this time around I will also be available for Trinidad and Tobago in the regional series, as we look to defend our title."
Bravo's career has been blighted by injury in the past few years, since he suffered a serious ankle injury in 2008 which kept him out of the game for eight months. He suffered a big blow this year when his World Cup ended due to a knee injury he sustained in West Indies' first game of the tournament. He returned for the home one-day series against Pakistan but asked for a break after the first two ODIs against India in June to work on his game.
Since then Bravo has turned out for Chennai Super Kings in the Champions League T20 and for Trinidad & Tobago in the Regional Super50 tournament. The matches against Bangladesh A were to be his first first-class matches since the Tests in Sri Lanka last year but his return to the longer format has now been delayed further.
Sri Lanka had a disappointing outing against Pakistan in the United Arab Emirates, but the team needs to put the series behind and look ahead to South Africa, batsman Mahela Jayawardene has said.
"The UAE tour was frustrating because we had our opportunities, but didn't convert them - especially in the fourth and fifth ODIs. In the fifth match we didn't hold onto our chances, while Pakistan had a couple of good partnerships and finished it off. We needed to be consistent with the momentum," Jayawardene wrote in an article for the Daily Times.
"South Africa is going to be a bigger challenge mentally. We have to put this Pakistan series behind us. We cannot ride on what happened in the Middle East, take that extra baggage on board and think everything will turn around in South Africa. We need to play to our strengths and take positives from the Pakistan series," he added. Pakistan had won the three-Test series 1-0 and secured the five-match ODI series with a 4-1 win. (ANI)
Indian spinner Ravichandran Ashwin has been chosen for the Dilip Sardesai award for becoming the Man of the Series in the recently concluded three-match Test series against the West Indies.
The Indian cricket board announced Monday that the award, comprising a trophy and a cheque for Rs.5 lakh, will be given to Ashwin, Dec 10 in Chennai.
The 25-year-old picked up 22 wickets at an average of 22.90 and scored 121 runs, which included a century in the third and final Test.
He made his Test debut in Delhi, where he picked up a match haul of nine for 128, the second best by an Indian on debut.
Ashwin picked up five for 156 in his third Test in Mumbai and also scored a brisk 103 from 118 balls to become the first Indian since 1962 to take five wickets and score a century in the same match.
He picked up four for 34 in the second innings and finished a wicket short of joining Imran Khan and Ian Botham in the record books for a century and 10 wickets in a match.
Toss and dew could play crucial roles in the first India-West Indies One-Day International here on Tuesday, the chief pitch curator of the Barabati Stadium said on Sunday. He also said that the pitch would be "batting-friendly" and that there would be "good bounce" for bowlers as the city gears up to host its first ODI in two years.
Pankaj Pattnaik, a former Orissa Ranji Trophy player, said that dew has been falling regularly since the beginning of this month and could influence the strategies of the two teams which landed in Bhubaneswar, about 30 kms from here, though captain Virender Sehwag and Gautam Gambhir would arrive on Monday. "We have been seeing dew fall in the evenings since the first week of this month and it would most probably continue. If that happens on match day, it could affect the team that fields second as the ball would get wet and bowlers would have difficulty in gripping it," Pattnatik told MAIL TODAY.
"And because of the dew factor, the toss has become crucial, and the captain winning it would most probably bowl first," he said. "But we would try our best to make the ground as dry as possible. For this, we would use the two super soppers the Orissa Cricket Association (OCA) has and we would also use four thick ropes to dry the outfield during the drink breaks and the interval between the innings."
To buttress his point about the importance of batting second on Tuesday, taking into considering the dew factor, Pattnaik recalled that in the last two ODIs played here India had won batting second. In November 2008, India successfully overhauled England's 270 for four and won with 6.2 overs to spare with Virender Sehwag, who will lead India in the five-match ODI series, scoring 91 in the six-wicket win.
In December 2009, after bowling out Sri Lanka for 239, India scored 242 for three in 42.4 overs, with Sachin Tendulkar remaining unbeaten on 96. Tendulkar will, however, be missing this time as the selectors have rested him for the first three ODIs.
Pattnaik was hopeful that tall scores would be seen and a full house of 45,000 spectators would enjoy the game. "It is a batting-friendly pitch. But it will be a good one for bowlers too as it would provide good bounce," he said.
Pattnaik stressed that the drawn Orissa-Saurashtra Ranji Trophy match in the first week of this month produced two innings of almost 500 runs each. Saurashtra tallied 545, built on 314 from Ravindra Jadeja, who will be in the Indian line-up on Tuesday, and Orissa replied with 494 for seven wickets before time ran out. "That match was played on the pitch adjacent to the one prepared for the ODI. But the behaviour of the pitch for Tuesday's one-dayer would be almost the same as the five pitches comprising the centre 'square' was re-laid five months ago," he said.
"In June, we re-laid the one-inch deep upper crust of the 'square'. The soil, brought from a village close to the city, contains about 60 per cent clay." After the Orissa-Saurashtra Ranji Trophy match, the pitch and the ground is being prepared for the 16th ODI to be played here.
The first one-dayer was played here in January 1982. It was an India-England encounter that the hosts won by five wickets.
On Sunday afternoon, Pattnaik oversaw his 31-strong ground staff - six of them are permanent members and the rest daily wagers - roll the pitch and trim the grass with ultra-modern imported machines. Even as the groundsmen worked on the field, a large posse of police personnel listened intently to their boss as he made them aware about the do's and don'ts to be followed during the day-night encounter.
"There will be a heavy police bandobast for the match; it has always been the case for ODIs in Cuttack," said an OCA official. He also said that all the tickets for the 45,000- capacity stadium have been sold out.
Australia's new pace sensation Pat Cummins' agent is unhappy with captain Michael Clarke not being in favour of the fast bowler playing in all forms of cricket to save him from early burnout.
'We've got to be smart. I don't think it's possible for Patty right now to play all forms of the game for Australia,' Clarke said.
Neil Maxwell, the businessman hired to manage the affairs of Cummins, disagrees, arguing it is too early in the young speedster's career to shut him out from one format or another.
'He's played one Test match, one Twenty20 and a couple of ODIs. I think it's way too premature to even start thinking about that,' Maxwell was quoted as saying in the Sydney Morning Herald.
'He's got to find a niche and he's not going to know what that niche is until he's experienced all forms of the game. Time will tell but at this point I think he should be allowed (to play all three). Just like a young kid starting out you want them to bowl, bat and wicket keep. You don't want to limit them to anything until you better understand what their strengths are.'
Due to a bruised heel, Cummins won't play in Australia's first Test against New Zealand, starting in Brisbane Thursday, but Maxwell is adamant he should be considered for all forms of the game for Australia this summer.
'At the end of the day, my job is not to guide him in cricket,' Maxwell said. 'My job is to provide him with an infrastructure that allows him to be able to play cricket to the best that he can. I don't want to encroach too far into the area but my view as a cricketer would be that it's way too early to start pigeonholing somebody like him.'
Medium-pacer Praveen Kumar has been ruled out of the first three one-day internationals against West Indies because of a chest injury and will be replaced in India's squad by Karnataka fast bowler Abhimanyu Mithun. The first match of the series will be played at Cuttack tomorrow.
This has been an injury-prone year for Praveen as he was forced to miss India's successful campaign in the 2011 World Cup because of a tennis elbow injury. He then injured his ankle during the Test series in England.
"Praveen Kumar has got a blunt chest on the left side, and has therefore been ruled out of the first three ODIs against the West Indies. Abhimanyu Mithun will replace him in the squad for the first three games," secretary Sanjay Jagdale was quoted as saying in a media release issued by the BCCI.
Earlier, India's stand-in captain Virender Sehwag had said Praveen would miss the first ODI, but is expected to be fit in time for the second match at Visakhapatnam. "We expect him to join the squad tomorrow and be fit for the second match," Sehwag told reporters.
New South Wales batting tyro David Warner could end former captain Ricky Ponting's Test career.
Warner, the haymaker who considered leaving NSW last year because he could not get a four-day game for the Blues, is putting indirect but firm pressure on Australia's best batsman since Bradman, the Herald Sun reports.
Warner is in the Test team to play New Zealand and if he fires as an opener then Australia is likely to reshape the top order around him.
That is likely to put the squeeze on Ponting when injured Shane Watson returns, probably for the first Test against India in Melbourne from Boxing Day.
Chairman of selectors John Inverarity confirmed on Saturday night that if Warner shone as an opener, the panel would debate whether the time had come to move Watson down the order, which seems inevitable and common sense. But who goes?
Usman Khawaja looks like a player just about ready to spread his wings at Test level.
He should be inked in at least for the opening Tests against India, no matter what he does against New Zealand. Mike Hussey failed against South Africa but was brilliant against Sri Lanka. He hasn't got a bottomless pit of credits, but he has some.
So Ponting, after a rugged year and with his 37th birthday close, is fighting for his career against New Zealand, no matter how he performs.
It took Cricket Australia just five minutes last week to snuff out a rumour that Ponting planned to pull up stumps after the second Test in Hobart. Like so many rumours, it was total fiction.
The only other thing to say about it was it was the most sensible suggestion you have ever heard.
There is a general uneasiness in cricket circles about Ponting's future. Yet the portents are there for a form revival at the Gabba this week. The Brisbane Test has always been Ponting's favourite of the summer. He always looks fresh and vibrant in Brisbane and generally plays that way.
He averages 66 an innings in Brisbane and 57 an innings against New Zealand. The numbers are encouraging, but it still won't make the talent squeeze any easier to handle for the Indian series, particularly if Shaun Marsh is also available
Indian spinner Pragyan Ojha has broken into the top 15 of the International Cricket Council (ICC) Player Rankings for Test bowlers for the first time in his career following a high-quality performance in the third Test against the West Indies in Mumbai.
Ojha took seven wickets in the match, including 6-47 in the second innings, and as a result has earned himself 11 places on the rankings and now sits in 15th place, just ahead of Australian fast bowler Peter Siddle.
The news is not so good for Ojha's teammate Ishant Sharma, who has slipped three places to 20th position after taking just one wicket in the match.
In the ICC Player Rankings for Test batsmen, West Indies' Darren Bravo has moved up 14 places and now sits just outside the top 20 in 21st position, thanks to his knocks of 166 and 48 in the match, which concluded in a thrilling draw. (ANI)
Brian Lara has said that the talented Darren Bravo will have to play with more maturity from now since he will be the main target of rival teams due to his sheer batting talent.
Bravo, whose style of batting is being compared to Lara's, has scored three centuries in his last four Tests - one in Bangladesh and two in India.
"Bravo seems to be going from strength to strength. It took a bit of time before he got his first hundred, but now he's had a taste of it, he's going to carry on."
"He's got to understand now that a lot of the opposition will start looking at him - the Australians, the English - because he's now a recognised player, and he will come under a bit of pressure. Hopefully, he has the maturity to come out of it," Lara was quoted as saying on a website.
Bravo's 136 against India at Eden Gardens in the second Test gave him the same run aggregate and average as Lara had after 12 Tests (941 runs at 47.05).
Talking about the ongoing series against India, Lara said the young players have done a great job so far despite conceding the three-Test rubber 0-2.
"We haven't won any Test matches in India but I still believe that the young players have done a great job," said Lara.
Ravichandran Ashwin said his plan in the final over did not work on Saturday. "I wanted to squeeze a few boundaries when the field came up but unfortunately couldn't get. Off the last two deliveries, the plan was to defend the first one and go after the last ball. The plan didn't work," he said.
The Man of the Match and Man of the Series admitted that he never thought that it would get so close.
"I never thought it would go so close and down to the wire... We definitely thought we could fight them out and try and chase the target. But, probably, we lost a few wickets in the middle and then things got tough... At the end of the day, it was a very good game and a tight game."
When contacted by The Telegraph's Special Correspondent in Mumbai, Ashwin said he was dedicating his maiden Man of the Series award to himself.
That's because he had already dedicated the hundred to his father, Ravichandran; his maiden Test wicket (Darren Bravo) to mother Chitra; his first five-wicket haul after marriage, at the Wankhede, to wife Preethi.
What was going through his mind in that final over? "I thought Ishant (Sharma) was playing well in the last two overs and the field was up for him... So I thought he had a better chance of squeezing a boundary through... I thought I will get the strike over and see what happens. If he can hit a boundary, we will almost be there... Unfortunately, it didn't fire..."
On the dream start to his Test career, the off-spinner said: "Well, obviously, taking in the confidence... I hope I can perform the same way in the future..."
Misbah-ul-Haq's Pakistan will look to continue their recent winning form when they open the tour of Bangladesh with a Twenty20 international in Dhaka on Tuesday.
The three-week visit, which also comprises three one-day internationals and two Tests, is Pakistan's first full tour of their South Asian rivals since 2002. Pakistan are buoyed by their emphatic success over Sri Lanka in the United Arab Emirates this month, where they beat their accomplished rivals in all three formats of the game. "This is a good period for us and I hope we will continue to win," Misbah said on Sunday.
"It's all about team work. The guys know what is expected of them and they work hard to fulfil their responsibilities. It's really good to have a team like this." Pakistan have enjoyed overwhelming success over Bangladesh in the past, but Misbah cautioned his team-mates against taking the hosts lightly. "We will have to play good cricket to beat them because Bangladesh are a strong side at home. They are sure to put up a tough fight," the Pakistan captain said.
"We have to be more consistent in our batting. There is always room to improve the fielding and we must be more disciplined in our bowling."
When Pakistan last played a Test series in Bangladesh in 2002 they won both matches by heavy margins, the first by an innings and 178 runs in Dhaka and the second by an innings and 169 runs in Chittagong.
Bangladesh have endured a wretched period at the top level, having lost nine of their last 10 Tests with one drawn game. The 1-0 loss at home to the West Indies in October was their 61st defeat in 71 Tests since they entered the big league in 2000.
Bangladesh have won just three Tests so far, while seven matches were drawn. The hosts, now led by their gutsy wicket-keeper Mushfiqur Rahim, will look to push Pakistan hard when the two-Test series starts on December 9.
Former India cricket captain Sourav Ganguly Saturday said off spinner Harbhajan Singh who has been dropped for the upcoming Australia tour will make a comeback sooner than later.
'He is a talented player and the one of the best spinner we have. Getting dropped is a part and parcel of the game. Many great players too have been dropped. He will surely make a comeback sooner than later,' Ganguly told IANS on the sidelines of a programme here.
Ganguly said star batsman Yuvraj Singh who too has been dropped from the team will make a comeback.
'It is only a matter of time before Yuvraj walks into the team. Some had written him off just before the World Cup. But he proved his critics wrong by becoming the player of the World Cup. He will again be back with a bang,' added Ganguly.
Harbhajan And Yuvraj were not included in the 17-man test squad announced for the grueling Australian tour beginning December 26 in Melbourne followed by three other matches in Sydney Jan 3-7, Perth Jan 13-17 and Adelaide Jan 24-28.
Indian captain Mahendra Singh Dhoni Saturday made it clear that he wants spinning tracks at home.
The third and the final Test between India and the West Indies ended in a thrilling draw after 17 wickets fell on the final day of the match at Wankhede Stadium , with the pitch turning square on the final day after four high-scoring days.
Dhoni said India should make most of the Tests at home by dishing a turning track that can help spinners from the first day.
'I would like to say that we must have wickets spinning from day one as that has been our strength. We started the day with a safe approach and as we started getting couple of wickets, we went for the offensive. Eventually, the way the first session went, I am sure last four days must have been forgotten because of that,' said Dhoni of the morning session where the visitors slumped to 134 all out in their second innings with spinners Pragyan Ojha (6)and Ravichandran Ashwin (4) splitting the wickets between themselves.
Dhoni said he was surprised with the way the pitch behaved on the final day.
'The last time we played at Cricket Club of India (CCI), there was something in the morning, and it fizzled out. We weren't expecting it to do as much as it did here,' he said.
India, needing 243 to win the Test, had their share of nervous moments. They were at a precarious 186 for 6 with 15 overs remaining for stumps, and needed two runs from the last ball of the day to win the Test.
Dhoni said they lost wickets at crucial moments and complimented the opponents for putting up a good show.
'We lost wickets at the wrong time. Also they played good cricket. It is a lesson. The match is not won until it is in your kitty.'
On being given rest for five ODIs against the West Indies beginning Tuesday in Cuttack, Dhoni said: 'It is a much needed break. I have been playing continuous cricket for quite sometime now. More than the physical break, I am looking forward to the mental break before the Australia tour.'
Yuvraj Singh's mysterious lung problem, that has kept the Player of the World Cup out of international cricket the last couple of months, is more serious than thought to be.
Yuvraj's mother Shabnam Singh Saturday revealed that he has a serious lung problem and the flamboyant left-hander has shown immense courage in fighting it out.
Yuvraj has been in and out of the team after the World Cup. The only hint about his ailment came from the cricket board.
Shabnam said 'his problem is more serious than the family initially thought.'
'The initial reports suggested that Yuvraj had what in medical terms is called an abnormal tumor called lymphoma over his left lung. The danger was, we were told, that it could be malignant,' she said.
'After detailed scanning and biopsy, reports have indicated that the tumour is non-malignant and non-threatening and can be treated through proper medication and therapy.'
She said Yuvraj is now in a much better state and on his way to full recovery.
'He has sought some more time from the BCCI (Board of Control for Cricket in India) and asked not to be considered for selection in the One-dayers against the West Indies.'
'Now his entire focus is to regain full fitness. He is already preparing himself to play in the One-day series in Australia.'
The problem surfaced during the World Cup when Yuvraj found himself constantly troubled by bouts of coughing and vomiting.
Yuvraj had ignored the problem, assuming it was due to stress and did not want anything to 'distract him during the course of such an important tournament.'
'When the problem persisted after the World Cup, we decided to seek medical advice,' Shabnam said.
'Reports and scans showed us that Yuvraj was dealing with something really serious. A golf-ball size lump found over his left lung and doctors advised us to go in more detailed scans.'
Shabnam said the last few months have been extremely tough for Yuvraj and the family.
'Yuvraj has found himself dealing with the toughest time of his life in these last six-seven months. Everyone in the family was very disturbed.'
She said that Yuvraj got better with medication and therapy and was eager to resmue his India duties.
'All through this period, the BCCI has given its full support and guidance, BCCI president N.Srinivasan offered Yuvraj all the support and help. I want to express our gratitude to him.'
'Yuvraj is also very touched by the love and encouragement he has received from his teammates, who also knew about his problem and were very caring.'
'We must mention here that all of us, particularly my son, sought the solace and blessings of the family's spiritual gurus.'
As fans eagerly wait for Beti B's 'naam karan', new B-town daddy Abhishek Bachchan is still struggling to finalise a name for his daughter.
The Bachchan family welcomed the baby girl Nov 16. Since then Bachchan junior has asked fans to suggest names for the new member on a micro-blogging site.
'The suggestions still pour in and still we haven't managed to finalise a name. Evenings are spent reading out all your suggestions in front,' Abhishek posted on his Twitter account.
'Of the family and trying to decide. Will decide soon. Many thanks again. Lots of love,' he further tweeted.
Meanwhile, Amitabh Bachchan is busy hosting well wishers.
'A host of visitors for the baby and the joy and blessings they leave behind ... thank you. The name suggestions keep coming in,' he tweeted.
There are those who like refinement in cinema, and many who trip just on the opposite. If you belong to the latter category, 'Jack and Jill' is a film hand-made for you. However, if you're not, avoid the film like the plague.
Brother-sister twins Jack and Jill (Adam Sandler both), can't stand each other. Mostly it's because Jill manages to get on the nerves of Jack. Hence, during one Thanksgiving when Jill comes and stays with Jack's family all hell breaks loose till Jill unwittingly seduces Al Pacino, whom Jack needs to save his company.
In the film, Adam Sandler plays a double role. But he is so all over the place that it might seem that he is playing 10 different characters. Thus, if you are a big fan of Adam Sandler, even then you won't be able to stand this film because Adam Sandler is as full of Adam Sandler in the movie as in this sentence.
Yes, the film has its funny moments. But there are so many gags and jokes stuffed one after the other that the good ones are lost in the melee of the bad ones. There's not a moment's respite or silence in the film as one dialogue follows another. By the end of it all, it is a mixed bag in your head.
The jokes and gags are unintentionally funny because they have been done so many times by so many films in the past that it is hilarious to see another film try it once again and fail so desperately.
It is as if the makers of the film knew that they were in possession of a bad film and so tried their best to fill every second of silence with some or the other noise to din out the lack of quality. It, however, worsens the film.
Even the delectable Al Pacino, playing himself, and cameos by many famous people, is unable to save this loud, crash and boorish film.
Indians will perhaps take particular insult to the character of an adopted Indian kid in the family who is always sticking things to his body with duct tape.
Even the wordplay, with words like 'Prostitwin' and 'womb-mate' (to describe a twin) does not particularly appeal and leaves you disappointed.
For only the second time in history a Test ended in a draw with the scores level, after a day of extraordinary drama at the Wankhede Stadium. R Ashwin is a leading candidate for the Man of the Match and Man of the Series, but he wasn't the man of the moment for India when they needed two off the final delivery - he took a single, but bizarrely didn't set off immediately for the tight second that could have sealed the win, and the clean sweep for India.
A comatose Test sprang to life on the final morning in Mumbai as Pragyan Ojha and R Ashwin brought back memories of the years when India's spinners regularly ran through the opposition. A combination of atrocious shot selection from the inexperienced West Indies batsmen and generous turn left India 64 overs to try to chase 243 and complete a rare clean sweep of a three-Test series.
Virender Sehwag then concocted another brisk half-century to set the early pace, but his exit and a couple of other quick strikes left India pondering whether to go all-out for a thorny target. VVS Laxman and Virat Kohli survived a nervy phase before picking up some momentum to bring India within 95 runs of victory at tea.
Neither team would have been confident of a win at the start of play, with only 22 wickets falling in four days. It had taken India nearly six sessions to get eight West Indian wickets in the first innings, but it required little more than an hour on Saturday morning at the Wankhede. The difference between West Indies' totals was 456, the fourth largest in Test history, yet again highlighting their inability to put together two solid innings.
Darren Bravo and Kraigg Brathwaite began the morning with the same assurance they had shown on the fourth evening, as India attacked with only one spinner early on. Twenty minutes in, the game was meandering along with the lead nearing 200 when Brathwaite slapped a slightly short delivery towards Sachin Tendulkar at gully. There was still nothing major for West Indies to worry about as Bravo, West Indies' best batsman, brought up 400 runs in the series, and fluently crashed Varun Aaron for consecutive boundaries.
That changed in one over, during a spell in which Ojha gave the ball plenty of air and got it to spin. He floated a tossed-up delivery that invited the drive, Bravo responded by trying to carve it through his favoured cover region, only to edge it back to the bowler. In the absence of Shivnarine Chanderpaul, the most-experienced batsman in the side was Marlon Samuels. The shot he played, though, hardly befitted his senior position in the side. Samuels jumped out three deliveries into his innings, looking to heave Ojha against the turn and out of the park. He made no contact, and Dhoni did the rest.
It was then time for Ashwin to contribute. Cartlon Baugh capped his horror match with an expansive drive that left acres of space between the bat and pad for an offbreak to saunter through on its way to the top of middle stump. Suddenly, every delivery seemed like getting a wicket. Kieran Powell, a naturally aggressive batsman, was teased by a 7-2 leg-side field, enticing him to go for the big hit against Ojha's turn. He resisted that temptation but was undone by an Ashwin arm-ball, struck on the pad after playing for the turn.
West Indies were down to 120 for 7, with all their recognised batsmen dismissed. Rolling over the tail was all too easy for India's spinners, leaving the mighty home team's batsmen a challenge over the final two sessions.
Gautam Gambhir stabbed a wide ball to gully to exit early, but Sehwag capitalised on three reprieves to power his way to a half-century. It wasn't the usual blast-from-the-start innings from Sehwag, his first boundary coming only in the eighth over. Once he got going, though, it was classic Sehwag. He pulled fast bowlers from outside off for fours, didn't give the spinners must respect, and had jaws dropping after an insouciant late dab to the third-man boundary.
His dismissal was also entertaining, top-edging to short fine leg while attempting to reverse sweep a full toss. Sachin Tendulkar was done in by the extra bounce from Samuels, and Dravid's also chipped a catch to midwicket soon after. With India at 113 for 4, thoughts turned to whether they would shut shop as they had when faced a tricky chase in the third Test in Dominica. Kohli and Laxman, though, showed India still had the intent to go for the win.
comatose Test sprang to life on the final morning in Mumbai as Pragyan Ojha and R Ashwin brought back memories of the years when India's spinners regularly ran through the opposition. A combination of generous turn and atrocious shot selection from the inexperienced West Indies batsmen left India 64 overs to try to chase 243 and complete a rare clean sweep of a three-Test series.
It had taken India nearly six sessions to get eight West Indian wickets in the first innings, but it required little more than an hour on Saturday morning at the Wankhede. The difference between their first and second innings was 456, the fourth largest in Test history, yet again highlighting their inability to put together two solid innings.
Darren Bravo and Kraigg Brathwaite began the morning with the same assurance they had shown on the fourth evening, as India attacked with only one spinner early on. Twenty minutes in, the game was meandering along with the lead nearing 200 when Brathwaite slapped a shortish delivery towards Sachin Tendulkar at gully. There was still nothing major for West Indies to worry about as Bravo, West Indies' best batsman, brought up 400 runs in the series, and fluently crashed Varun Aaron for consecutive boundaries.
That changed in one Ojha over, in a spell in which he gave the ball plenty of air and got it to spin. First Ojha floated a tossed-up delivery that invited the drive, Bravo responded by trying to carve it through his favoured cover region, only to edge it back to the bowler. In the absence of Shivnarine Chanderpaul, the most-experienced batsman in the side is Marlon Samuels. The shot he played, though, hardly befitted his senior position in the side; he jumped out three deliveries into his innings, looking to heave Ojha against the turn and out of the park. He made no contact, and Dhoni did the rest.
It was then time for Ashwin to join the fun. Cartlon Baugh capped his horror match with an expansive drive that left acres of space between the bat and pad for an Ashwin offbreak to saunter through on its way to the top of middle stump. Suddenly, every delivery seemed like getting a wicket. Kieran Powell, a naturally aggressive batsman, was teased by a 7-2 leg-side field, enticing him to go for the big hit against Ojha's turn. He resisted that temptation but was undone by an Ashwin arm-ball, struck on the pad after playing for the turn.
West Indies were down to 120 for 7, with all their recognised batsmen dismissed. Rolling over the rest of the line-up was all too easy for India's spin pair, leaving the mighty home team's batting a challenge over the final two sessions. Virender Sehwag will need to be at his belligerent best if India are to have a chance of conjuring a win. India had shut shop when they had faced a tricky chase in the third Test on the tour of the West Indies earlier this year; it will be interesting to see how they go about it this time.
India have left out Harbhajan Singh from the squad for the Test series in Australia, picking Pragyan Ojha and R Ashwin as the spinners in the 17-man group. Medium-pacer Praveen Kumar, who was part of the team in England, returns to the squad in place of legspinner Rahul Sharma, who was part of the sqaud for the ongoing Test series against West Indies but did not play a match.
The squad comprised eight specialist batsmen, two wicketkeeper batsmen, five fast bowlers and two spinners. Wriddhiman Saha was named as reserve wicketkeeper, while Zaheer Khan, who is recovering from hamstring and ankle injuries, will join the team subject to match fitness.
"Zaheer will play in a couple of Ranji Trophy matches. And once he is fully match-fit and everything is fine, he will join the side," Kris Srikkanth, the chairman of India's selectors, said. "He may also go with the team as by the time [the team leaves] he would have played a couple of matches."
Left-arm spinner Ojha and offspinner Ashwin produced compelling performances in the ongoing series against West Indies to keep Harbhajan Singh out of the Test side. Ashwin was the series' highest wicket-taker with 22 scalps at 22.90 apiece, while Ojha took 20 at 22.50. Ashwin also scored his maiden international century in the third Test at the Wankhede.
"Unfortunately, we cannot help it [not picking Harbhajan] as the team selects itself," Srikkanth said. "In Australia, you cannot have more than two spinners. Pragyan Ojha and Ashwin are doing an excellent job. Sometimes it becomes bad luck and sometimes people miss out. I'm sure everyone has their own time and space to come back."
Harbhajan had been dropped from the squad for the West Indies series after a poor performance in England, where he took only two wickets in two Tests before an abdominal-muscle injury forced him to return home. He failed to perform in the Ranji Trophy as well, managing only two wickets at an average of 102 in three matches as captain of Punjab. On India's previous tour to Australia, in 2007-08, Harbhajan had a tally of eight wickets in three Tests at 61.25. He conceded over 100 runs in an innings three times in that series.
Yuvraj Singh, who will miss the upcoming ODI series against West Indies because of a lung infection, and Suresh Raina, were also not in not in the team.
"We have chosen a very balanced side. We have taken everything into account, including fitness and Australian conditions," Srikkanth said. "If you ask me today whether this team can beat Australia in Australia, I would say I'm very confident. We should beat Australia in Australia in a Test series.
"Our batsman are in form, our bowlers are in form. And now we have all kinds of bowlers. We have fast bowlers, medium-fast bowlers, we have swing bowlers, spinners - left-arm and offspin," Srikkanth said. "So depending on the conditions there the team management will select the team on a match-to-match basis."
Big-hitting David Warner is set to make his Test debut after being named on Saturday in the squad to take on New Zealand, as selectors also brought in a fresh pace attack to counter a string of injuries.
Warner, who is best known for his explosive form in shorter forms of the game, replaces all-rounder Shane Watson, who, along with Mitchell Johnson, Patrick Cummins, Ryan Harris and Shaun Marsh, has been ruled out due to injury.
The reshaped squad now includes pace trio James Pattinson, Ben Cutting and Mitchell Starc.
National selector John Inverarity said the absence of the injured players gave the newcomers a chance to come into the squad and perform on the international stage.
"Although injuries to those key players are not ideal, this provides an opening for these promising young players to come into the Australian squad and further their development," he said.
Inverarity said while it was the first time Cutting, 24, had been included in an Australia squad he had impressed as the leading wicket-taker in the domestic Sheffield Shield competition.
Michael Beer and Trent Copeland, who were part of the South Africa Test squad, have missed selection for the team that takes on New Zealand in Brisbane starting on Thursday.
Because of the absence of Watson, keeper Brad Haddin has been appointed stand-in vice-captain.
"Brad is an experienced member of the squad, has had leadership responsibilities in the past and we believe those qualities will make him a good vice-captain for this match," Inverarity said.
Squad: Michael Clarke (captain), Phillip Hughes, David Warner, Usman Khawaja, Ricky Ponting, Michael Hussey, Brad Haddin (vice-captain), Peter Siddle, Mitchell Starc, Nathan Lyon, James Pattinson, Ben Cutting. (12th man to be named).
Pakistan put up another clinical performance to win the only Twenty20 by five wickets against Sri Lanka at Abu Dhabi stadium on Friday, blanking their rivals in all three forms of the game.
Paceman Aizaz Cheema took 4-30 to bowl Sri Lanka out for 141 in 19.3 overs before skipper Misbah-ul Haq kept his nerves with a fighting unbeaten 48 to help his team chase down the target with three balls to spare.
The victory capped a remarkable performance by Pakistan who won the preceding three-Test series 1-0 and the five-match one-day series 4-1.
Misbah, who hit three boundaries and a six off 38 balls, added 46 for the fourth wicket with Asad Shafiq (33) after Pakistan lost their way in persuit of the target.
They lost Mohammad Hafeez (13), Imran Farhat (13) and Umar Akmal for a first ball duck.
Shafiq hit three boundaries during his run-a-ball knock before he was bowled by Lasith Malinga.
Misbah hit Dilruwan Perera for a huge six and when 43 needed off the last four overs, the Pakistani captain hit three boundaries in Dilhara Fernando's 17th over of the innings.
When Pakistan needed 23 off the last two overs Afridi hit Fernando for two sixes over deep mid-wicket before the paceman had him caught behind. Pakistan needed nine off the last over bowled by Malinga whose first ball saw two taken by Misbah but the ensuing throw went for four before Shoaib Malik knocked off the winning runs.
Misbah said Afridi's sixes turned the tables on Sri Lanka.
"At one point of time it became difficult, but Afridi's two sixes in the 19th over turned the tables in our favour and it's remarkable to win all three forms of the game against a top ranked team," said Misbah.
Sri Lankan skipper Tillakaratne Dilshan rued the loss of quick wickets after a good start.
"We couldn't capitalise on a good start but still we had Pakistan in trouble before Afridi hit two sixes," said Dilshan, who has lost three Test and as many one-day series since taking over in May this year.
Earlier, Cheema took 4-30 in a superb display of swing bowling to derail Sri Lanka who had looked set to put up a big total on the back of maiden Twenty20 half-century by Dinesh Chandimal.
Chandimal had looked threatening during his 44-ball 56, hitting six boundaries and added a firey 31 for the second wicket with Dilshan (28) before Cheema came into his own.
Sri Lanka were off to a flying start of 30 by the third over before losing opener Upul Tharanga, bowled by Cheema for 12.
Dilshan miscued a drive off spinner Saeed Ajmal in the sixth over but Sri Lanka still had a ten run average by the sixth over.
Pakistani bowlers led by Cheema, playing only his second Tewnty20 match, checked Sri Lankan innings as they lost their last seven wickets for 54 runs.
Chandimal brought up his maiden half-century in the shortest form of the game off 40 balls before Cheema had him in the 19th over of the innings, trapped leg-before.
Cheema also had Thissara Perera (nought) and Malinga (one) to finish his four-over spell.
Sri Lanka's poor batting was not helped by two run outs of Angelo Mathews (14) and Chamara Silva (four).
Umar Gul polished off the tail with 2-16. Pakistan fly off to Dhaka on Saturday to play a Twenty20, three one-day internationals and two Tests. The Twenty20 will be played in Dhaka on Tuesday.
Sachin Tendulkar yet again missed out on an unprecedented 100th international century when he fell for 94 before the West Indies gained the upper hand in the third Test against India on Friday.
India added 95 to their overnight total of 281-3 to reach 376-6 in their first innings at lunch on the penultimate day in reply to the West Indies' 590, still needing 15 more runs to avoid a follow-on with four wickets in hand.
Virat Kohli was unbeaten on 33 at the break with Ravichandran Ashwin (26 not out).
Tendulkar looked set to complete a century of centuries as he had been timing the ball magnificently before falling to a loose shot, trying to drive on the up to be caught by Darren Sammy at second slip off paceman Ravi Rampaul.
While the West Indies celebrated the big wicket, the master batsmen walked back dejectedly and nearly 15,000 spectators fell silent at the 32,000-capacity Wankhede Stadium in Mumbai.
Tendulkar, 67 overnight, smashed two sixes and eight fours in his 153-ball knock.
Skipper Sammy's words came true a day after he said his team hoped to break a "few Indian hearts" by trying to get local hero Tendulkar out early with a disciplined bowling performance. In fact, his team broke millions of hearts.
The West Indies also removed Venkatsai Laxman (32) and skipper Mahendra Singh Dhoni (eight) in the morning session to put pressure on India, with paceman Fidel Edwards and seamer Sammy taking one wicket each.
It was the 10th time in an illustrious 184-Test career that Tendulkar had fallen in the nineties.
Tendulkar, who scored his 99th international hundred against South Africa in a World Cup match in Nagpur in March, also came close to achieving the feat in the fourth Test in England in August before being dismissed for 91.
The West Indies took the second new ball in the opening over of the day, only to see Tendulkar flick Rampaul for two runs and then past square-leg for four in the same over.
India, however, suffered a setback in the next over when Laxman fell at his overnight score, driving Edwards to gully where Marlon Samuels took the catch.
But there was no stopping Tendulkar, who firmly straight-drove Rampaul for a four and then drove Edwards past mid-off and uppercut over the slips for a six in the same over to move into the nineties before disaster struck.
India lead 2-0 in the series after winning the opening Test in New Delhi by five wickets and the second match in Kolkata by an innings and 15 runs.
