Ishant played last day of the practise match to prove his fitness

The final day of the drawn three-day warm-up game here at the Manuka Oval between Indians and the Cricket Australia (CA) Chairman's XI turned farcical as Ishant Sharma, who was not even in the 13-man squad, bowled to prove that he is on track to lead the attack on Boxing Day Test at the Melbourne Cricket Ground (MCG).
The Indian team management requested Chairman's XI to allow Ishant bowl on the final day here Wednesday. Ishant wasn't included in the original 13-man squad to play at Manuka Oval because of his ankle injury.
Ishant's inclusion became a farce and to add to it three nonsensical declarations on the final day ensured it will be a hard to explain in the record books.
David Warner's Chairman's XI declared their first innings at 215 for seven overnight, meaning they trailed India's first innings score of 269 by 54 runs.
India declared at 90 for two after Virender Sehwag (8) and Ajinkya Rahane departed in quick successions. Gautam Gambhir remained unbeaten on 42 and Rohit Sharma on 38.
Set a target of 145 to win, Usman Khawaja and Phil Hughes, motivated by their axings from the Test side, gave the Chairman's XI a good start. But surprisingly both the teams decided to end the match when Chairman's XI were 100 for no loss and with nearly two hours of play left. Khawaja made 56 not out and Hughes an unbeaten 42.

India hammered in practise match

India's bowlers took a hammering and paceman Ishant Sharma failed to complete six overs as a

Ishant Sharma managed to bowl only 5.3 overs before he left the field

Chairman's XI rattled up 398 for six declared on the first day of the tourists' opening match in Australia on Thursday.
India won the toss and chose to bowl first in the two-day tour match at Manuka Oval, one of two warm-up matches they will play in the Australian capital before the first of four tests starts on December 26 at the Melbourne Cricket Ground.
The tourists had said they wanted to use the match to give their relatively inexperienced bowlers plenty of practise in Australian conditions.
Opener Wes Robinson smashed 143 but South Australia's Tom Cooper, who has played for the Netherlands in one day internationals, bettered that with a brutal unbeaten 182 off 194 balls with 24 fours and three sixes. The pair shared a partnership of 226.
Right-arm paceman Umesh Yadav, who impressed in his first test series against West Indies last month, was the pick of the Indian bowlers, taking three wickets at a cost of 39 runs.


Left-arm spinner Pragyan Ojha was the most costly, taking two wickets for 149 to do his personal tussle with off-spinner Ravichandran Ashwin for a test spot no good.
The Chairman's XI declared when Dean Solway was caught behind off the medium pace of Ranganath Vinay Kumar for five after 86 overs to bring up stumps.
The India side, which boasts a strong batting line-up featuring Rahul Dravid, Sachin Tendulkar and VVS Laxman, will have the same number of overs, requiring 399 for victory on Friday.
Sharma bowled the first over but made a couple of trips off the pitch before departing for good midway through his sixth. A team spokesman said he had not suffered an injury.
India, who have never won a test series in Australia, play a three day match against a more experienced Chairman's XI on the same pitch starting next Monday.

Gavaskar disappointed with the BCCI u-turn

Former India captain Sunil Gavaskar has blasted the cricket board after its

Sunil Gavaskar at the BCCI headquarters in Mumbai in 2010.

refusal to pay him $1 million fee per season for media activities involving the Indian Premier League (IPL).
The decision was taken at the Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) working committee meeting here Monday.
'BCCI has made a u-turn on my contract. I am baffled after reading reports that BCCI has refused to pay me my dues and my faith in BCCI has been shaken,' Gavaskar told NDTV.
Gavaskar said he got an assurance from BCCI president Sharad Pawar that his dues will be cleared.
'Sharad Pawar and Arun Jaitely both promised me on phone that my dues will be cleared. In fact, Sharad Pawar and Lalit Modi had promised me a Rs.4 crore IPL contract in 2007,' he said.

Gavaskar also criticised BCCI on Anil Kumble's resigning from the chairmanship of the National Cricket Academy (NCA).
'When someone of his (Anil's) credibility speaks about a programme then one should always discuss it properly. You may not agree with him 100 per cent but one should look at what he says. He has played the game at the highest level and has also suffered from injuries. So if he had a plan, it must have been for the benefit of players. The board could have told him that look this is expensive but we can try and make certain adjustments,' he said.

Watson, Marsh add to Aussie batting woes

Australia's beleaguered batting line-up faces fresh problems ahead of

Will Marsh and Watson be fit in time?

their series against India with Shaun Marsh unlikely to be fit for the first Test and question marks over Shane Watson's role.

Left-hander Marsh and opener-cum-all-rounder Watson had been expected to return from injury to shore up the top order after Monday's humiliating loss to New Zealand, when the hosts threw away their last eight wickets for 74 runs.

The first home defeat to New Zealand in 26 years was a heavy blow for a team which will face India on December 26 with veterans Ricky Ponting and Michael Hussey in the firing line, and the young batsmen also mostly in poor touch.

As ex-Test great Shane Warne called for "brave decisions", new coach Mickey Arthur urged the selectors to decide where injury-prone Watson would bat and how much he would be asked to bowl. "It has been speculated about a huge amount," the South African said.

"We have to come to a point where we make a decision where Shane is going to bat in the batting order and how many overs we expect of him so there is no more debate about the issue."

Arthur added that Watson needed a "clear role definition" before the Melbourne Test, indicating he may be moved down the order. "We have to balance out how many overs we can possibly get out of him -- that is going to determine the balance of the team," he said. "There are a lot of unanswered questions in terms of selection."

However Watson, 30, told local media that although he is now close to recovering from his hamstring injury, he would probably not be able to bowl in the first Test. "At the moment things are progressing well," he told the Sydney Morning Herald. "Hopefully if everything continues to go well I'll definitely be fully fit to play on Boxing Day."
Arthur has given his backing to struggling Ponting and Hussey, but Warne said it was time for selectors to bring in new blood. "Some brave decisions need to be made in the interests of Australian cricket to make sure that the best things happen and Australian cricket is strong," he said Tuesday.

"That's life. Cricket is a performance-based game. If you don't perform you shouldn't be playing." He added: "Have we hung on to someone too long? Is there someone else we need to get in there? All those types of questions will be asked so it's a tough one for the selectors."

Meanwhile Marsh has been ruled out of the second tour match against India starting Monday after failing to recover from a back injury, and is "unlikely" to play in Melbourne, according to team performance manager Pat Howard.

Arthur wants Ponting and Hussey in the team

ustralia coach Mickey Arthur on Tuesday backed struggling senior

Michael Hussey and Ricky Ponting are expected to make the Boxing Day squad

batsmen Ricky Ponting and Michael Hussey to retain their team places for the Boxing Day Test with India in Melbourne.

Arthur said there were no plans to manage the Test exits of former skipper Ponting and Hussey after they both struggled for runs in Australia's humiliating seven-run loss to New Zealand in Hobart on Monday.

Ponting, whose 158 Tests have seen him become the third greatest Test runscorer, and Hussey are fighting for their spots, but Arthur said their experience was vital in the transitional Australian team.

"We are certainly not managing yet how they go out of the side and in my opinion they've still got big roles to play because we do need some experience within our middle order and they bring that experience that we need," he said. "We haven't even come to any thought on how we manage any exit of any of those players. The key for us is to get them up firing for Australia come Boxing Day because they are key."

Arthur backed Ponting, who turns 37 next week, to play in the showpiece Boxing Day Test against the second-ranked Indians. "I think he should (bat on to Boxing Day). I've already had a chat with (selector) Rod Marsh and (captain) Michael Clarke and we're trying to give ourselves a bit of direction to Boxing Day," he said.
"I think Ricky still fits firmly in that picture at the moment."

But the picture did not look bright for under-fire opening batsman Phillip Hughes, who was again caught in the slips off Kiwi seamer Chris Martin's bowling for the fourth time in a row in the series against New Zealand.

Clarke said that Hughes may have to return to state cricket to rediscover his touch after his latest Test batting failure and Arthur was unsure whether Hughes would remain in the Australian side for Boxing Day. "By his own admission there is a bit of technical work that he needs to do but again a very good young cricketer," Arthur said. "Whether that's enough for him to play on Boxing Day I'm not sure. That will be a discussion we will have in a couple of days' time."

Arthur said injured allrounder Shane Watson, who missed both Tests against New Zealand, would be assessed well before the MCG Test to "determine the balance of the team". "We've got to come to a point now where we make a decision on where Shane's going to bat in the order and how many overs we expect from him so there can be no more debate around the issue," he said.

Arthur, who is South African, said Australia's batsmen would be working hard to improve their techniques against the swinging ball after the New Zealand Test. "The swinging ball again was something that exposed us a little bit and that's going to be top of the agenda to work on before the Boxing Day Test," he said.

"I think if we can get a couple of extra days into our batters, just sharpen them up and their techniques, I think that will be invaluable ahead of what is a massive series for Australia."

Nimbus loses telecast rights

It was a double whammy for Nimbus Sports Monday. The Indian cricket board terminated its telecast rights contract for defaulting on paymentments and it was also forced to put off its much-touted World Series Hockey (WSH) till after the Olympic qualifiers in February.
There was speculation for quite some time that Nimbus would not only lose the TV rights but also may not be able to fund the WSH. It may be a setback for Nimbus as far as telecast rights are concerned, but the postponement of the league must have come as a big relief at this juncture when it has to sink in a huge amount to run it.
The Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI), contrary to expectations that it would give Nimbus a little more time to make the payments, chose to scrap the deal and look for a new contract. Nimbus' contract, which was renewed in 2009, was to run till 2014.
Nimbus, which has first signed a four-year deal in 2005-06 and renewed it after being offered first right of refusal, said it would react only after hearing officially from the BCCI.
'They have defaulted, they have not made the 50 percent advance payment for both the England and the West Indies series and the Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) had no choice but to terminate the deal,' said Rajiv Shukla, chairman of the Indian Premier League.
Another member stated that Nimbus paid Rs.24 crore Monday morning, but still owed Rs.85 crore to Rs.88 crore and the BCCI did not want to continue with a defaulter. The immediate offshoot of the decision is that there will be no telecast of domestic tournaments. A big casualty is the next round of Ranji Trophy matches which will not be telecast.
With no international cricket matches scheduled in India for the next eight months, the board has apparently felt it was the right time to terminate the contract and enter into a fresh deal.
Unlike the cricket imbroglio, Nimbus will get breathing space to reschedule the WSH league.
The league, a joint venture of Nimbus and the Indian Hockey Federation (IHF), was to kick off on December 17 here, but with almost all the India players deciding to join the Dec 11-Jan 15 national camp in Bangalore for the Olympic qualifiers, the organisers had no choice but to postpone the highly hyped Rs 10 crore proffessional league to February 29-April 1. The Olympic qualifiers will be held February 16-25.
IANS had reported the WSH would be postponed in view of an appeal by India captain Bharat Chettri that the players would prefer the league to be played after the qualifiers. Both the organisers as well as the Union sports ministry took the line of least resistance by putting it off.
Both the IHF bosses and a source in the sports ministry told IANS that it took some hard bargaining and persuasion with the broadcasters, franchises and sponsors to get the the league put off as it involved huge sponsorship money and logistical problems.
The IHF and sports ministry officials met Monday to carry forward their discussions with Sports Minister Ajay Maken last week and it was strongly felt that nothing should be done that could effect India's chances of qualifying for the London olympics, more so after the uproar in the wake of their failing to make it to the Beijing Games.
The ministry is likely to take up the organisers' fears that the Hockey India (HI) might put hurdles in releasing the national players even after the qualifiers.
An HI source refused to react saying it would be no position to hazard guess what would happen once India qualify for the Olympics. 'It is too premature to make any commitment now.'
IHF president R.K. Shetty told IANS that the organisers did not want to put any pressure on the players when they were preparing for such an important international event and hoped HI would reciprocate in the right spirit.
'We are in touch with the players and they all want to play in WSH. But we know how HI has gone about things. We do not want to put the players under any pressure before an important event like Olympics qualifiers. We hope HI also acts in a similar spirit,' he said.
Shetty pointed out that it was huge decision, considering that international players, coaches and officials of the eight city-based franchisees have started arriving.
Shetty said they will soon take a decision on whether to keep these people here for a camp or not.

When Bhajji get robbed

Thieves broke into cricketer Harbhajan Singh's car while he had stopped by at a popular cafe near Karnal town Monday evening and took away his laptop and other belongings, police said.
The thieves broke the window panes of Harbhajan Singh's Ford Endeavour sports utility vehicle (SUV) on

the busy National Highway No. 1 (NH-1) near Karnal town in Haryana, 130 km from state capital Chandigarh, police said.
They are said to have taken away his laptop, passport and a bag containing credit cards and other documents.
The incident took place around 6 p.m. Monday outside Cafe Coffee Day outlet at Madhuban near here.
The cricketer had stopped at a popular cafe near Karnal town while on his way from his hometown Jalandhar in Punjab to New Delhi.
Harbhajan was inside the cafe when the SUV was vandalized by the thieves.
Police sources said that he immediately called the police for help.
While the cricketer, who was recently dropped from the Indian test and ODI side owing to poor form, proceeded towards New Delhi after the incident, the police said that it was investigating his complaint.

Watch Exclusive highlights of India Vs West Indies 4th ODI, Indore. Which Includes extraordinary inning of 219 runs from Sehwag. and Set a new world record

India sealed series, won 4th ODI vs West Indies

Indore was home to two of India's greatest cricketers, CK Nayudu and Syed Mushtaq Ali. The two richly talented all-rounders were known for their fearless big-hitting that entertained Indian crowds.

How fitting was it that the most fearless of India's batsmen and the straightest of talkers — Virender Sehwag — paid rich tribute to those masters by breaking the record for the highest score in a one-day international at Indore's Holkar Stadium today.

After electing to bat against the West Indies, the Indian opener and stand-in captain made 219 off 149 balls, becoming just the second man to score a double-ton in ODIs. Sachin Tendulkar was the first in 2010, when he made 200 not out not too far from Indore in Gwalior against South Africa.

As you would expect in an innings of this nature, the West Indian bowlers threw everything they could at Sehwag to no avail. The Indian opener toyed with the field placements, picked up boundaries with ridiculous ease, prompting Chris Gayle to jocularly describe the innings as "child abuse."

Sehwag's form had been questioned after a string of casual dismissals and small scores. However, with this innings, he buried those concerns, powering India to a record 418-5, setting up a series win with a game left in Chennai. [See match scores]

West Indies at one point were in danger of being bowled out for less than Sehwag's score when their ninth wicket fell on 201. Denesh Ramdin's 96 and a last-wicket stand of 64 with Sunil Narine delayed an Indian win.

Sehwag had two big partnerships along the way: 176 with the opening wicket with Gautam Gambhir (67 at a run-a-ball) to kick off the run-fest and 140 with Suresh Raina (55 off 44) to keep the momentum strong.

The 33-year-old completed a hundred off just 69 balls and the double off just 140. He had some luck along the way. On 97, a difficult catch was put down at point as Sehwag slashed a four to get to his hundred. Later on a 170, West Indies captain Darren Sammy put down a sitter running back at extra-cover.

Sehwag completed the double hundred in just the 44th over, cutting Andre Russell for four. The shot took him to 201, beating Tendulkar's record.

Sehwag hits 219 against West Indies

Virender Sehwag said during this year's World Cup that he would try and play the full 50 overs in One-Day Internationals (ODI). For good measure he added that he had been trying to do so for a decade and that is hard to believe, though everyone knows how he builds monumental innings in Test cricket. He doesn't remember he has ever batted for more than 42 or 44 overs.
He knew in his heart of hearts that if he plays 50 overs, he can get to a mindboggling score. He was modest to say that Sachin Tendulkar batted 50 overs more than once but he could get only one double hundred and that showed how difficult it is to get 200 runs in an ODI innings.
He tried against Bangladesh in a Dhaka World Cup game but could not, he was out for 175 in 140 balls. Now that he has scored the highest ODI score, 219, against West Indies in Indore, he knows that he doesn't need to bat 50 overs to score a double hundred. He was out in the 44th over and in 140 deliveries he was past 200. Had he carried his bat through he would have, perhaps, closer to 300! He didn't have to hurry to the landmark, that's Sehwag for you.
He considers getting out to a score of 50-odd is a failure. Because, he invariably goes on to play a monumental innings once he crosses the half-century mark.
Sehwag has shown all the human failings in attaining greatness. He has scored runs by the ton and at the other end of the spectrum he just could not get going to get dropped from both the Test and ODI teams! If it had not been for Rahul Dravid, he would not have gone for the disastrous 2007 World Cup in the Caribbean.
Sehwag can be self-critical as only he can. After India lost the third One-dayer in Ahmedabad earlier in the week, he lambasted the top-order, including himself, saying the main batsmen should click and fire if the team has to succeed. Those who know the Delhi blaster knew very well that Darren Sammy and his men will have to pay for the Ahmedabad victory.
Now that he has crossed the line, surely it won't be the only double century for him in limited overs cricket.
The West Indians did not know what hit them here. Their hopes of running close in the series vanished into thin air. By nightfall, the dispirited West Indies just went through the motions to complete the formalities. That is the Sehwag effect.

"India will miss Bhajji in Australia", says Gilchrist

Former Australian captain Adam Gilchrist feels that Harbhajan Singh will be missed by India during their tour Down Under as the feisty off-spinner can get under the skin of the champion team.
Harbhajan's slump in form has paved the way for two young spinners Ravichandran Ashwin and Pragyan Ojha to be picked for the four-Test series against Australia.
'Bhajji is a great competitor, his fighting qualities are admirable, he is very much like an Australian that way. He will be missed. But a player has to be picked on performances,' Gilchrist told reporters when asked about the exclusion of the turbanator.
'Ashwin and Ojha have set very high standards,' he added.
India's tour to Australia starts Dec 26 and with both teams fielding new faces in their bowling attack.
Gilchrist feels that the bowlers will play the key role in deciding the series.
'It is a series that's quite difficult to predict. Both teams are equal, the batting of both the teams are the strong points, while injury has plagued both the bowling line-ups.'
'Whichever bowling line-up settles down first that team will have the upper hand,' Gilchrist said on the sidelines of a promotional campaign on behalf of University of Wollongong in New South Wales.
India will be taking an inexperienced bowling attack, with the likes of Varun Aaron, Umesh Yadav and Abhimanyu Mithun, all touring Australia for the first time.
Australia, on the other hand, are having an injury crisis with Ryan Harris, Mitchell Johnson, Pat Cummins and Shane Watson currently side-lined.
Gilchrist felt that India-Australia contests are of high intensity and among the best sporting rivalries in the world.
'The rivalry between India-Australia is terrific. I was a part of the 2001 series and it was one of the best series ever.'
'Any series India play is an interesting one, the Indian people are very passionate about he sport. I love coming to India it's a fascinating country.'
'I continue to come stay here 2-3 months every year with the IPL and other things,' he said.

Pitch report: India Vs West Indies 4th ODI, Indore

India will have to raise their game against a buoyant West Indies if they are to seal the series in the fourth One-day International at the Holkar Stadium here Thursday.
The West Indies showed fighting spirit in the first two ODIs before finally winning the third at Visakhapatnam to keep the five-match series alive. India lead the series 2-1.
India allowed the West Indies to make 269 after having them on mat at 170 for nine in the second ODI. In Ahmedabad, India had things under control until late fireworks by captain Darren Sammy and all-rounder Andre Russell took the West Indies to 260 from 181 for five in 45th over. The score in the end proved enough for the tourist's first win on the tour.
The Caribbean side, however, have already received a setback with in-form batsman and leading scorer of the series Darren Dravo ruled out due to a hamstring injury.
A lot has already been said about the form of Indian captain Virender Sehwag and ace batsman Gautam Gambhir, who got out to first ball at Motera. The Delhi duo are yet to shine in the series. Suresh Raina will be another one looking for runs after scores of 5, 0, 2 in three successive outings.
Rohit Sharma has been the stand out Indian batsman so far, scoring three consecutive fifties, including an unbeaten 90 in Visakhapatnam and 95 in Ahmedadbad.
The seamers also need to show consistency. They have got the early wickets but proved expensive in the death overs. The West Indies amassed 73 runs in the last five overs at Ahmedabad as Umesh Yadav and Abhimanyu Mithun's erratic line provided fodder for Sammy and Russell.
Irfan Pathan, who has been inducted in the squad for the last two ODIs, is likely to play.
The confidence in the West Indies camp must be sky high after their maiden win and they would be keen to end the tour on a high by performing well in the remaining two games.
'Morale of the team is good. So far, we kept seeing we have been coming close. It is about taking the opportunity, grabbing it and winning,' Sammy said on the eve of the match here.
'It is two games left and most of the guys have been away from home for two and a half months. We want to finish on a high. We have to believe we can win. It is an important game for us and hopefully we can win it and take it down to Chennai for the final.'
The West Indies would expect some runs from the openers, who have failed to score in tandem.
The highest opening wicket partnership for them has been 18 that was between Lendl Simmons and Adrian Barath.
India: Virender Sehwag (captain), Varun Aaron, Ravichandran Ashwin, Ravindra Jadeja, Virat Kohli, Abhimanyu Mithun, Parthiv Patel (wicket-keeper), Irfan Pathan, Ajinkya Rahane, Suresh Raina, Rahul Sharma, Rohit Sharma, Manoj Tiwary, Vinay Kumar.
West Indies: Darren Sammy (captain), Lendl Simmons, Adrian Barath, Marlon Samuels, Darren Bravo, Danza Hyatt, Kieron Pollard, Denesh Ramdin (wicket-keeper), Andre Russell, Ravi Rampaul, Kemar Roach, Anthony Martin, Sunil Narine, Kieran Powell, Jason Mohammed.

Dhoni's security increases

Indian cricket captain Mahendra Singh Dhoni's security has been beefed up in Jharkhand following intelligence inputs on threats to him from the Maoists and terrorists, a police official said here Wednesday.
Dhoni arrived in Ranchi, his home town, last week with his wife Sakshi.
'We are not taking any chances. There are inputs of threat to Dhoni from the Maoists and terrorist groups. Based on the input we are taking appropriate measures to beef up the security of Dhoni,' a Ranchi-based police official, who did not want to be named, told IANS.
'We have received directives from the police headquarters to beef up Dhoni's security. Commandos of Jharkhand Armed Police will be deployed in his security,' the official said.
Security personnel in plain clothes have already been deployed near Dhoni's house in Harmu housing colony. They will move along with Dhoni within the state.

Irfan waiting to bowl

Irfan Pathan, making a comeback into the Indian team after two years, is eager to cash in on the opportunity given by the national selectors.
Pathan was Monday named in the India squad for the remaining two One-Day Internationals against the West Indies on the back of having had a successful season so far in the ongoing Ranji Trophy where he is the leading wicket-taker with a tally of 21 in four matches. The Baroda all-rounder last played for India during the World Twenty20 in England in 2009.

'I am really happy to get back into the team. It is a great feeling. It has been a long wait for two years and god has fulfilled my dreams. Nothing comes better than playing for your country. If given the opportunity to play, I will try to do my best,' Pathan told reporters.

Pathan was dropped from the Indian team after his bowling form dipped. The ability to swing the ball both ways that made him a regular in the side suddenly disappeared. He had a frustrating domestic season in 2010 when he also suffered a severe back injury.

Pathan remembered the tough times in his career and said it made his return all the more worthwhile.

'It makes every second of the struggle worthwhile. You feel blessed when your hard work is rewarded.'

'The dream to play for the country has always been there. When it is fulfilled, you feel nothing gets better than this. Having all the luxuries in life - having a big car, big house - nothing comes close to this,' said Pathan. He was also in the running for Praveen Kumar's replacement in the Test squad for Australia but lost out to Abhimanyu Mithun.

He would be looking forward to impress the selectors and get a berth in the ODI squad for the tri-nation series in Australia.

Pathan has taken 100 wickets in 29 Tests and and 152 scalps in 107 One-Day Internationals.

Abhimanyu Mithun is the replacement of Praveen Kumar for Australia tour; Irfan Pathan get selected for last 2 ODIs vs West Indies

Abhimanyu Mithun, the Karnataka fast bowler, has been named as Praveen Kumar's replacement in India's Test squad for their tour of Australia. After Praveen was ruled out of the Tests with a fractured rib, the selectors had to add another seamer to the 17-man squad and the place was expected to go to either one of Mithun, Vinay Kumar or Irfan Pathan. Vinay Kumar and Irfan have been left out and Mithun, who has played four Tests for India, the last in Barbados in May, has been called up.

Mithun took six wickets in three Tests in his debut series - the tour of Sri Lanka in July 2010 - and impressed the team management with his strength and spirited bowling on flat tracks. He, however, had to make way for the returning Zaheer Khan and Sreesanth after that series, and waited till May 2011 for his next opportunity in a Test. He took three wickets in the Test against West Indies in Barbados and was subsequently left out of India's tour of England. He has also been out of India's one-day squads, only being called up as a replacement for other players.

He replaced Praveen for the home ODIs against West Indies. He and Vinay both played the third ODI, at Motera; Vinay took 2 for 39 in eight overs while Mithun took just one wicket and conceded 47 runs in his seven overs. Vinay has been a more regular part of India one-day team - he has 13 wickets from his last eight ODIs - but has never been part of an Indian Test squad.

Irfan, meanwhile, has not played for India since 2009, but drew attention because of his performance in this season's Ranji Trophy, in which he is the leading wicket-taker in the Elite division with 21 scalps.

Mithun joins Umesh Yadav, Varun Aaron and Ishant Sharma in India's pace department for the Australia tour, with Zaheer Khan selected provisionally, subject to him proving his fitness before the squad's departure.

Finally West indies won their match against India

t took Darren Sammy and Andre Russell 5.4 overs of mayhem to undo an afternoon of impressive work from India, and plot their first defeat in 12 home games. The pair came together after Ravindra Jadeja pulled off an outfield catch for the ages to remove Kieron Pollard, West Indies' most dangerous batsman on paper. Sammy and Russell proceeded to test that assumption with an unbroken partnership of delightful ferocity that yielded 79, propelling West Indies to a defendable 260. The bowlers, led by the irrepressible Ravi Rampaul, sliced through India's top order and set up West Indies' first win on tour.

Two things have been constant in this series - Rohit Sharma's pristine form, and the game-changing capabilities of the last wicket pair. Under lights, West Indies did enough to overcome both and finish on top. Rohit stoked a sublime 95 after India's top order funked, but ran himself out in a desperate effort to manipulate the strike to be the ninth man dismissed. Abhimanyu Mithun and Umesh Yadav then lashed out 28 for the final wicket in 19 balls to keep West Indies sweating, before Rampaul yorked Mithun to close the game.

Full report to follow ...

25 overs India 116 for 6 (Rohit 33*, Ashwin 7*, Rampaul 3-36) need 145 runs to beat West Indies 260 for 5 (Samuels 58, Sammy 41*, Russell 40*)

	Ravi Rampaul's three wickets derailed India's chase

West Indies bowlers' needed all of 21 overs to slice through India's top six, and leave their side poised for their first win of the tour. Rohit Sharma survived through the shambles, but despite his efforts India's unbeaten home run of 11 games looked set to end at Motera. More worryingly, Virender Sehwag and Gautam Gambhir bagged first-ball ducks to extend their runs of poor form, leaving India concerned ahead of the Australia tour. To make matters worse, Virat Kohli and Suresh Raina perished to umpiring errors that could have been reversed by the DRS - not in place for this series thanks to BCCI's opposition to the system.

India's batting blues continued the remarkable turnaround in fortunes from the 45th over of the West Indies innings, when Darren Sammy and Andre Russell came together to pummel 79 runs in no time. The hosts seemed hung-over from the onslaught when they began their chase. Sehwag is yet to make a significant score since the World Cup, but that didn't stop him from chasing a short and wide first delivery without moving his feet. Gambhir followed the very next ball, shouldering arms after misreading an inswinger that straightened to catch him plumb on the crease.

Parthiv Patel and Virat Kohli responded with a slew of boundaries as the new balls flew into, and off, the middle of the bat. Parthiv in particular was in prime touch in front of his home crowd, whipping, on-driving and steering Kemar Roach for fours. Kohli then carved Rampaul through the covers, before drilling him straight and pulling for fours as the chase looked up. It was about to go pear-shaped in a hurry, though.

The debutant offspinner Sunil Narine started off with a mix of offbreaks and knuckle-flicked top spinners, before striking with his stock ball. Kohli was well forward looking to work him with the turn to the leg side, and was struck in front of middle and leg, with the ball sliding further down. The umpire Sudhir Asnani was convinced, though, and Kohli left the pitch spewing a litany of invective in his wake, which should earn him a visit to the match referee's chambers. Marlon Samuels then produced a ripping offspinner that whizzed past Parthiv's forward prod to disturb his stumps.

The arrival of Raina brought about an automatic shortening of length, though he wasn't dismissed by the bouncer this time. A short ball from Rampaul was heading down the leg side as Raina looked to hop across and glance, and it went straight off his thigh pad into the keeper's gloves. Umpire Tony Hill raised the finger, and Raina was as agonised as Kohli, but far more graceful in accepting the decision. Ravindra Jadeja survived after being dismissed off a no-ball, and top-edged the free-hit for a boundary, but his stay ended when Rohit summoned him for an impossible single.

Pitch report: India Vs West Indies 3rd ODI, Ahemadabad

India would look to seal the series against the West Indies when they they clash in the third One-dayer at the Sardar Patel Gujarat Stadium in Motera here Monday.
For the visitors, it will be their last chance to keep the five-match series alive. The Carribbean team has given a good account of themselves in the two ODIs but inconsistency has brought their downfall.

After losing the second match, despite bouncing back in a stellar fashion, West Indies captain Darren Sammy's blank expression said it all. 'We just can't get over the line though. Sooner rather than later we can get that final push.'

'We'll keep our head up and come strongly at the Indians again,' Sammy said.

For that, West Indies will have to sort out their batting problem that has troubled them througout the Test and ODI series. Another inexplicable collpase at Visakhapatnam left them tottering at 5-163. Lendl Simmons and Ravi Rampaul bailed the team out with gritty knocks. Rampaul smashed an unbeaten 86, hitting the Indian bowlers all over the park.

India had a shaky start with stand-in captain Virender Sehwag, Parthiv Patel and Gautam Gambhir leaving early. But Virat Kohli and Rohit sharma played with maturity to see the team home. Kohli hit his eighth ODI century while Sharma again showed that he has learnt his lessons after being dropped.

Another high point for India was the bowling of the pacers. Youngsters Umesh Yadav, Vinay Kumar and Varun Aaron bowled with pace and swing, exploiting the conditions, and pinning down the West Indies batsmen.

Sehwag may not be scoring runs, but his captaincy has come as a whip of fresh air. Quite like his batting, he has been aggressive with his captaincy. He always had fielders in catching positions that put pressure on the West Indies batsmen. There were no easy runs on offer.

Teams:
India: Virender Sehwag (captain), Gautam Gambhir, Virat Kohli, Ajinkya Rahane, Suresh Raina, Ravindra Jadeja, Parthiv Patel, Ravichandran Ashwin, Abhimanyu Mithun, R.Vinay Kumar, Umesh Yadav, Varun Aaron, Rohit Sharma, Manoj Tiwary, Rahul Sharma

West Indies: Lendl Simmons, Adrian Barath, Marlon Samuels, Darren Bravo, Danza Hyatt, Kieron Pollard, Denesh Ramdin, Darren Sammy (captain), Andre Russell, Ravi Rampaul, Kemar Roach, Anthony Martin, Sunil Narine, Kieran Powell, Jason Mohammed.

Philip Hughes to miss India tour

With the Cricket CA selection panel under pressure to strike the right balance in the batting order, it is being said that opening batsman Phillip Hughes needs a big score in the second Test against New Zealand or must be discarded for the four-match series against India.
Hughes had a wondrous start to his Test career, scoring 415 runs at an average of 69.17 in his maiden series against South Africa, but his numbers since leave him vulnerable to the axe, Fox Sports reports.

Since that series, the 23-year-old has scored 626 runs from his past 13 Tests at an average of 28.45.
Hughes also has only two scores above 36 in his past 16 Test digs.
With scores of 10 and 7, he has also failed in the opening Test against New Zealand in Brisbane. (ANI)

Zaheer should play more in Domestic: Ganguly

Former India captain Sourav Ganguly feels pace bowler Zaheer Khan needs to play more matches before the first Test against Australia, beginning in Melbourne on Boxing Day.
"Zaheer is a great bowler...we have seen some memorable performances from him over the years," said Sourav on Friday. "But playing just one Ranji Trophy tie would not be enough to judge his fitness."

"I feel Zaheer is still not hundred per cent fit and we can't afford to have a 50 per cent fit Zaheer Khan in Australia. He still needs to play a lot more matches to regain full fitness. One Ranji Trophy game is not enough," Sourav said on the sidelines of the launch of Wisden India in association with Fidelis World.
"There are 24 days still left before the first Test and I believe Zaheer will play another Ranji game as well as two practice matches in Australia. The BCCI has planned the schedule well unlike 10 years back when I had to appear for a fitness test only 10 days prior to an important tour," he said.
Sourav, who was leading Bengal in the Ranji Trophy game against Haryana at Rohtak till Friday evening, drove down to Delhi for the function. Sourav said the tour of Australia would also be a "great challenge" for off-spinner Ravichandran Ashwin.
"Things in Australia would be totally different," he said. "Ashwin is a gifted cricketer. But bowling in India with SG balls against an inconsistent West Indies batting line-up is completely different from bowling with the Kookaburra balls. Also, the quality of batsmen will certainly be better in Australia."
Sourav, however, was not ready to comment on who should come in as a replacement for the injured Praveen Kumar. Asked if Irfan Pathan or Ashish Nehra could be considered, Sourav said: "We should have a good young pacer...whoever it is."
"About Irfan, I have heard that he is bowling well but my question would be whether he is good enough to get into the team on the merit of his bowling alone."
"As far as Nehra is concerned, it is nice to see him playing the four-day game. Also, he is getting wickets, which is a good sign. I don't think that not being in the central contracts is an issue. He is only 32 and still can play for India for some time."
Asked what he thought about former New Zealand all-rounder Chris Cairns' comment that former Australia captain Ricky Ponting has become "an elephant in the dressing room", Sourav said it was a "ridiculous and reckless" jibe.
"He (Cairns) said that yesterday and today I guess Ponting is batting close to 70 (67 batting). I have always said this and I maintain, please don't judge batsmen like Ponting, (Sachin) Tendulkar or (Rahul) Dravid by their age. To do so would be a huge mistake."
As the chairman of the technical committee of the Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI), the former captain feels some changes could be brought into the present format of the Ranji Trophy.
"At times, the second innings becomes immaterial. It happened only today in our match against Haryana. We need to look at possibilities whether Ranji matches can be made five-day affairs," he said.

Pitch report: 2nd ODI India Vs West Indies, Vizag

Having made a mess of the run chase in the opening cricket ODI against West Indies, India will have much ground to cover in the second match here Friday.
The young bowling attack did well to restrict the Caribbean side to 211, but the batsmen did not click. Rohit Sharma saved the blushes for India with a gritty 99-ball 72 and the tail finished the job. He got support from Ravindra Jadeja, who made 62-ball 38. The two guided the innings after India were struggling at 59 for five.

India's stand-in captain Virender Sehwag has asked the batsmen to score runs.

'There is no excuse for anybody not scoring runs. We have to back our batting. We have some exciting youngsters playing for last three four years,' he said.

He would like to believe that the Cuttack match was an aberration as India have dominated in the shorter format at home. With the likes of Gautam Gambhir, Virat Kohli and Suresh Raina, in the team, the batting looks in safe hands.

Sehwag himself would be eager to give the inings a good start. He was bowled by Andre Russell.

West Indies would be hoping to carry on their good form and put the pressure on the hosts after their good showing.

Roach was at his best and troubled the Indian batsmen with the extra bounce that he got from the wicket. He took three wickets, dismissing Parthiv Patel, Gautam Gambhir and Virat Kohli which triggered the collapse.

The hosts will be bolstered by the fact that they have all the three matches at Dr Y.S. Rajasekhara Reddy ACA-VDCA Cricket Stadium. Though the stadium is hosting a match after more than two years.

Teams
India: Virender Sehwag (captain), Parthiv Patel (wicket-keeper), Gautam Gambhir, Virat Kohli, Rohit Sharma, Suresh Raina, Ravindra Jadeja, R.Ashwin, R.Vinay Kumar, Varun Aaron, Umesh Yadav, Ajinkya Rahane, Manoj Tiwary, Abhimanyu Mithun and Rahul Sharma.

West Indies: Darren Sammy (captain), Lendl Simmons, Adrian Barath, Marlon Samuels, Darren Bravo, Danza Hyatt, Kieron Pollard, Denesh Ramdin (wicket-keeper), Andre Russell, Kemar Roach, Anthony Martin, Jason Mohammed, Sunil Narine, Kieran Powell and Ravi Rampaul.