England v India, Third Test, Day 4 Live: India all out for 330, England don't enforce follow-on

July 30, 2014

England v IndiaSouthampton, Jul 30: James Anderson and Stuart Broad each took three wickets to leave India in trouble on 323 for eight, 246 runs adrift of England, after the third day of the third test on Tuesday.

Anderson picked up three for 52 while fast bowling partner Broad shrugged aside some indifferent recent performances to snatch three for 65.

The pair were well backed up by spinner Moeen Ali who took two for 62 after being banned by the International Cricket Council from sporting the "Save Gaza" and "Free Palestine" wristbands he wore on Monday.

Ajinkya Rahane and skipper Mahendra Singh Dhoni made half-centuries but England, 1-0 down in the five-match series, are in control as they bid to win their first test in 11 outings.

"I've probably been putting too much pressure on myself to take responsibility and I just wanted to get back to enjoying my cricket," Broad told reporters.

"Before this test coach Peter Moores came up to us and said, 'Go and express yourselves', which freed me up a bit. I'm an attacking cricketer but perhaps I fell into a defensive mindset after the tough time we've been going through."

Resuming on 25 for one, the dangerous Broad quickly removed Cheteshwar Pujara (24) and Murali Vijay (35).

Anderson tempted Virat Kohli (39) into a tentative prod outside off stump after lunch and the edge was snapped up by captain Alastair Cook.

Moeen then removed Rohit Sharma for 28, ending a watchful stand of 74 with Rahane.

The spinner also claimed Rahane's wicket following an elegant 54, top-edging a short delivery to substitute fielder Sean Terry at mid-wicket.

The dismissal was another example of India's batsmen being victims of their own downfall as they showed poor shot selection throughout.

"I was really disappointed in the way I got out because I was batting so well and we needed that partnership," said Rahane.

"My focus was 100 percent but I played a bad shot. I'll learn from this and I hope to bat well in the second innings."

BRIEF REVIVAL

Dhoni and Ravindra Jadeja led a brief revival, displaying the counter-attacking style that helped guide India to victory in the last test at Lord's.

When their seventh-wicket partnership had reached 58 Anderson bowled a beauty to Jadeja that nipped back and cannoned into his pads to leave the tourists on the ropes.

Lower-order batsman Bhuvneshwar Kumar, who has hit three half-centuries on the tour, fell to Broad for 19, edging on to his pads and watching the ball loop up to Gary Ballance at slip.

Dhoni struck a patient unbeaten 50 and will resume with Mohammed Shami (four) on Wednesday morning as India look to scrape past the follow-on mark of 370.

Broad and Anderson reached a landmark on Tuesday, combining for their 500th wicket as a test partnership.

It made them only the third pair to achieve the feat, following Pakistani duo Waqar Younis and Wasim Akram and West Indians Curtly Ambrose and Courtney Walsh.

"To be in the company of people like that is a great honour and I think it shows the value of bowling partnerships," Broad said.

"Jimmy and I are constantly talking not just on the field but also in the nets."

Broad said he would not be in favour of enforcing the follow-on.

"I haven't discussed it with Cook but if it were up to me it is 100 percent off limits," he explained.

"From a seamer's point of view you're going back and bowling at opening batsmen so even if you just get a 30 or 40-overrest that's pretty important."

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Agencies
May 25,2020

Chandigarh, May 25: Legendary former hockey player Balbir Singh Senior died in a private hospital on Monday, his family said.

He was 96 years old. His condition was critical for nearly a fortnight.

He was undergoing treatment at Fortis Mohali and was in a "semi-comatose condition".

He was hospitalised on May 8 with high fever and breathing trouble. His COVID-19 test came negative.

Balbir was part of the Indian teams that won gold at the 1948 London Olympics, Helsinki 1952 and Melbourne 1956. His record for most individual goals scored in an Olympic men's hockey final remains unbeaten.

Balbir had set this record when he scored five goals in India's 6-1 win over Netherlands in the gold medal match of the 1952 Games.

He was the head coach of the Indian team for the 1975 men's World Cup, which India won and the 1971 men's World Cup, where India earned a bronze medal. He was also conferred with the prestigious Padma Shri in 1957.

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News Network
May 14,2020

New Delhi, May 14: Mahendra Singh Dhoni is an unconventional and unique leader, whose biggest strength is his incredible gut feeling, says his Chennai Super Kings teammate Faf du Plessis.

The former South Africa skipper has spent considerable time with Dhoni after joining the Indian Premier League (IPL) side in 2011 and has been an integral part of its successful journey.

"He reads the others player really well and he uses that to make instinctive decisions on the field. He's got an incredible gut feeling on the game and I think that's his biggest strength," du Plessis said in a Facebook live session with Bangladesh ODI skipper Tamim Iqbal.

The 35-year-old said Dhoni changed his perception of how a captain should be.

"It was amazing for me to see how different M S was as a captain. I used to think a captain must speak all the time in team meetings etc but M S was completely different.

"He doesn't believe a lot in team meetings. He's a very instinctive captain he's got such a good cricket brain that he relies on it to make the right decisions on the field," du Plessis said of former India skipper.

Dhoni last played for India in World Cup semifinal last year and was expected to be back to playing competitive cricket at now-postponed IPL.

Calling Dhoni the best finisher he has played with, Du Plessis said no one can emulate what the dasher from Ranchi can do with the bat.

"He's extremely calm. I haven't played with someone who is a better finisher than him. It's just remarkable to watch him from the side of the field."

"If someone else tries to do it like him they won't be able to. He's just so unique like he times the ball so late he's got an incredible calmness. He knows his game and he picks a bowler and goes for it."

Du Plessis said that playing for CSK alongside Dhoni and under the guidance head coach Stephen Fleming has taught him a lot about leadership.

"I'm lucky to have started my journey there at CSK because I have really learned a lot from a leadership point of view. I tried to learn as much as possible from Dhoni and Stephen Fleming because both are great captains."

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News Network
March 2,2020

Madrid, Mar 2: Real Madrid won El Clasico and might have saved their season as they ended their slump in the best way possible last night by beating Barcelona 2-0 and returning to the top of La Liga.

Vinicius Junior's deflected finish and a stoppage-time goal from Mariano Diaz decided a frenzied contest at the Santiago Bernabeu, where Madrid found new life after a Champions League defeat by Manchester City had left them on the brink of crisis.

"It's been a tough week," said Real Madrid manager Zinedine Zidane. "We talked about how we had an opportunity this weekend and we took it."

Victory put them one point clear at the top of the table and shifts focus back to Quique Setien's Barcelona, who were outfought and, at times, outplayed.

"The reality is we lost a lot of confidence with the ball," said Setien. "We entered a nervous spell and that's when the goal came."

Lionel Messi's rasping shot was saved by Real goalkeeper Thibaut Courtois in the first half but it was the Argentine's opposing captain, Sergio Ramos, who was thrashing his arms in celebration after the final whistle.

His reaction was an indication of the importance of this victory, not only for the effect it has on the standings but on the dynamic of the title race, which had seemed to be switching firmly in favour of Barca.

Opportunity missed

Cristiano Ronaldo, now of Juventus, was watching from an executive box and Madrid could have done with him during a period in which they had won only one of their last five games.

Zidane said on Saturday this match would not decide who lifted the trophy in May but a Barca win and a five-point gap might well have been difficult to close.

Yet from the start Barcelona seemed keener to kill the game than win it, playing for time in the hope of keeping the contest tight, when they might have been better off attacking their opponents' fragility.

The Madrid we faced in the first half was one of the worst Madrids I have faced at the Bernabeu. I don't say it as a criticism, we also have our problems, but we've missed an opportunity.

--Gerard Pique, Barcelona defender

There was more tension than creativity in the early stages as Fede Valverde crashed into Arthur Melo before fellow Spain full-backs Dani Carvajal and Jordi Alba were both booked after a disagreement.

Madrid had the better of the play and regularly broke at speed through Vinicius down the left but constantly they failed to make the final pass, with Isco once left with his head in his hands after Marcelo opted not to pull the ball back.

Slow Barca

Barcelona's passing was slow and their lack of urgency obvious. At one point Messi bent to tie his bootlaces and re-spotted the ball before taking a corner.

But the visitors also created chances as Antoine Griezmann drove over from Alba's cutback and then Madrid had Courtois to thank for two excellent saves.

First, Arthur held off Toni Kroos to go clear but his finish was blocked by teh foot of Courtois and then the Belgian palmed away Messi's shot after he had skipped in behind Madrid's defence.

Ramos was lucky to get away with an error that allowed Nelson Semedo to break past him while Alba risked a second yellow when he checked Valverde but referee Mateu Lahoz was unmoved.

Barcelona were sloppy after half-time and Madrid should have capitalised. Instead, Isco's header beat Marc-Andre ter Stegen but not Pique on the line and Karim Benzema volleyed over after a sloppy pass from Arturo Vidal.

Vidal was replaced by Martin Braithwaite, Barca's emergency signing, and he sprinted in behind Marcelo twice in his first minute.

But Madrid remained in the ascendancy and in the 71st minute they took the lead.

Benzema came short and pointed right to encourage Vinicius to run in behind. Kroos found him and Vinicius's shot deflected off the sliding Pique to beat Ter Stegen at his near post.

The game opened up as Barcelona chased an equaliser. Marcelo celebrated when Messi's surge through was stopped by Raphael Varane. Pique headed Messi's cross over at the near post. Messi picked up a yellow card for a frustrated slide on Casemiro.

In injury time, Ter Stegen ventured up for a late free-kick but it was Madrid that struck again. Mariano sped past Semedo and finished from the angle.

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