4th Test: Ravindra Jadeja falls after fighting knock, India 7 down

March 23, 2013

DhoniNew Delhi, Mar 23(Agencies): India found themselves in a spot of bother as they lost wickets at regular intervals on the second day of the fourth Test against Australia at Ferozeshah Kotla Stadium in New Delhi.

Australian pacer James Pattinson added India's woes as he scalped MS Dhoni to leave tottering at 210/6.

Nathan Lyon was on a roll as he picked up four wickets to lead Australia's fightback on Day 2.

Lyon gave India huge blow by dismissing Sachin Tendulkar to reduce the hosts to 180/5. Tendulkar missed short of a length delivery with his defense and caught plumb in front.

Debutant Ajinkya Rahane failed to grab the chance as he scored 7 runs before went back to the pavilion.

India suffered a massive blow as they lost in-form Murali Vijay after tea. Peter Siddle captured his 150th Test wicket by removing Vijay for 57.

Vijay surprised by the short of a length delivery from Siddle as the ball hit on the gloves and went in the air. Wicketkeeper Matthew Wade took the simple catch to end Vijay's knock.

Vijay continued with his fine form against Australia as his impressive half century and a solid opening stand with Cheteshwar Pujara took India to 135 for two at tea.

India are now 127 runs behind Australia's first innings score of 262.

At the break, Vijay was batting on 54 in company of Sachin Tendulkar, who survived a few anxious moments including a strong leg before appeal to remain unbeaten on 12.

Vijay has faced 114 balls so far hitting eight boundaries in the process.

For Australia, the post-lunch session turned out to be a productive one with Nathan Lyon accounting for both Pujara (52) and Virat Kohli (1).

The makeshift opening stand of Pujara (52) and Vijay yielded 108 runs in 25 overs.

At the beginning of the innings, Pujara played a majestic backfoot cover drive off Pattinson after Vijay opened his account with a streaky boundary past the slip cordon.

Pattinson drifted one onto Pujara's pads and the batsman promptly got his second boundary. Then came the best shot of the morning session as Pujara hit left-arm pacer Mitchell Johnson for a straight drive.

The three boundaries gave Pujara confidence to get off the blocks. Vijay also joined forces as he elegantly played Pattinson through the wide mid-on area.

The first five overs of the innings produced 34 runs and it looked as if Vijay and Pujara are in a mood to get 'ready' for the Indian Premier League which is scheduled to start in 10 days time. The 50-run partnership was completed in the 10th over.

The Kotla track, which has already come under much criticism, was slowly turning from bad to worse as a number of deliveries bowled by Johnson from the Old Club House end started keeping low.

If it created a bit of problem for batsmen, the low bounce meant that the edges did not carry to the glovesman Matthew Wade and the fielders stationed in the slip cordon.

Pujara was finally dismissed after completing a well deserved half-century. Facing a Lyon delivery, Pujara played for the turn but the ball went straight to hit the off-stump.

Pujara faced 76 balls and hit five boundaries in the process.

Virat Kohli also did not stay for long as Lyon trapped him plumb-in-front for one.

Around 1:25 pm, Tendulkar walked out amid a standing ovation from the 20,000-odd weekend crowd and got off the mark off the 10th delivery that he faced.

Earlier, Australia folded their first inning on 262 after adding 31 runs to their overnight total of 231 for eight.

Peter Siddle completed his maiden Test fifty but was done in by a straighter from Ravichandran Ashwin who completed his fourth five-wicket haul in the series. Siddle scored 51 off 136 balls with four boundaries.

Ashwin finished with figures of five for 57 in 34 overs. The Australian innings lasted just over 14 overs as Pattinson's (30) dogged resistance ended with Pragyan Ojha getting his 100th Test wicket.

Ojha completed the feat in his 22nd Test, becoming the third fastest Indian to reach the milestone after Erapalli Prasanna (20 Tests) and Anil Kumble (21 Tests).

Aussies caught in a spin again

Aussies_caught

(DHNS)In their victory-less tour of India, the toss had been the only winning factor for the Australians.

For the fourth successive time in the series, they found the spin of coin in their favour, this day through their newly appointed captain Shane Watson. In terms of performance, too, they offered few surprises; the spin bowling once again leaving them dazed in a bundle of shrinking timidity.

As Michael Clarke’s back prevented him to take the field for the first time in his career, Watson completed a rollercoaster week from being dropped in the last Test to becoming a father and then returning to lead Australia as its 44th captain.

Including Watson, Australia made five changes to the team that lost the third Test. Brad Haddin replaced Matt Wade, Mitchell Johnson filled in for the injured Mitchell Starc, Xavier Doherty made way for James Pattinson and Glenn Maxwell walked in for Moises Henriques. For India, Ajinkya Rahane's debut in place of Shikhar Dhawan was the only talking point.

For Australia, it brought little reprieve though. The baggy greens ended the day at 231/8 with Peter Siddle (47 batting) and James Pattinson (11 batting) showing the resolve missing from the top order batsmen. Ravichandran Ashwin (4/40) was the most successful bowler for India with Ishant Sharma thrilling with his medium pace with the new ball.

The track at the Kotla could never be the cushion for a side already struggling with confidence. The big cracks even before the start of the match looked menacingly at the visitors. And true to its nature, the wicket remained two-paced throughout. The conditions were not the easiest to bat and Australia’s attempt to score quick runs fell flat. Local boy Ishant Sharma (14-3-35-2) prospered in familiar conditions.

Sharing the new ball with Bhuvneshwar Kumar, Ishant, sharp and quick, got result in his first over. David Warner, flashed at the away going delivery to get a thick edge that went sailing to Virat Kohli in the slips for a four-ball duck.

Phil Hughes (45), post his fighting 69 in Mohali, was at his fluent best. Showing excellent footwork and adaptability to the surface, he hit three cracking boundaries in Kumar’s over to race to 21 off 17 balls. His counter-attacking innings was well supported at the other end by Ed Cowan, who was slow but dogged.

But long, drab spells of restrained action soon followed. Ishant was incisive in his first spell and kept up the tempo on his return. One of his deliveries rose viciously to hit the helmet of Hughes, who shrugged it off with a smile. Two deliveries later, the smile changed into frown, as he played on. Australia took lunch at 94/2 and India returned with a certain epiphany.

It was soon time for the spinners to thrive. They did so by taking five wickets in the second session. Cowan’s doughty innings met a soft end when he misread the line of Ashwin’s delivery, to be bowled round his legs for the second time in three Tests.

Watson, on his part, couldn’t follow the elementary. After surviving a heart-stopping stumping chance, he was eventually dismissed in the same fashion. Mathew Wade and Glenn Maxwell followed him in quick time and Mitchell Johnson underlined Australia’s struggle with his dismissal, shouldering arms to Ashwin’s carrom ball.

Like the way in the past matches, the tail continued to wag on the Indian face, first anchored by Steven Smith and later Siddle. Like the past, this match, too, bears strong undercurrents of a mediocre contest. And once again India could smell win on the opening day.

score board

AUSTRALIA (I Innings):

Cowan b Ashwin 38

(135m, 99b, 7x4)

Warner c Kohli b Ishant 0

(6m, 4b)

Hughes b Ishant 45

(82m, 59b, 10x4).

Watson st Dhoni b Jadeja 17

(63m, 56b, 3x4)

Smith c Rahane b Ashwin 46

(152m, 145b, 3x4, 2x6)

Wade c Vijay b Ashwin 2

(7m, 5b)

Maxwell c Ishant b Jadeja 10

(14m, 16b, 1x4, 1x6)

Johnson b Ashwin 3

(24m, 22b)

Siddle (batting) 47

(158m, 125b, 4x4)

Pattinson (batting) 11

(71m, 57b, 1x4)

Extras (B-5, LB-7) 12

Total (for 8 wkts, 98 overs) 231

Fall of wickets: 1-4 (Warner), 2-71 (Hughes), 3-106 (Cowan), 4-115 (Watson), 5-117 (Wade), 6-129 (Maxwell), 7-136 (Johnson), 8-189 (Smith).

Bowling: Bhuvneshwar Kumar 9-1-43-0, Ishant Sharma 14-3-35-2, Ravichandran Ashwin 30-17-40-4, Pragyan Ojha 23-6-67-0, Ravindra Jadeja 22-6-34-2.

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News Network
May 7,2020

Melbourne, May 7: Australia opener Joe Burns is eyeing the Tests against India should they take place later this year, to stabilise his stop-start international career, saying "you want to play in and do well in" in this kind of series.

India is scheduled to play four Tests in Australia in December-January, a series which is currently in doubt due to the COVID-19 pandemic, which has claimed over 2.5 lakh lives across the world.

"They are obviously world class team. I think the two teams going at each other will be very exciting to watch and players playing against each other as well," Burns told reporters in a video conference on Thursday.

"You look at the world ranking, they were number one and now we have got to number one, so I know that series will be anticipated by everyone and as a player this is a sort of series you want to play in and do well in."

With the coronavirus also threatening the T20 World Cup, Cricket Australia is under financial stress and has gone on a cost-cutting drive, which included standing down 80 per cent of its staff at 20 per cent salary.

There are also speculations that the Sheffield Shield for 2020-21 would be curtailed to cut costs.

Burns, however, hoped it won't be tinkered with.

"I love the fact we have a really strong first-class system. The 10 games, where you play everyone twice," Burns, who was struck down by a fatigue illness after an indifferent season, said.

"It leads to world-class players coming into Test teams. You don't want to see that get changed.

"Obviously it is unique circumstances at the moment and There's a lot of things to work through ... the players' association is consulted on those things."

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News Network
February 18,2020

New Delhi, Feb 18: Skipper Virat Kohli has become the first Indian to reach the 50M followers mark on social media platform Instagram. Kohli, who is breaking cricketing records with each passing match, has a great social media following.

The 31-year old has so far made 930 posts on the platform and his social media posts continue to enthrall fans worldwide. Overall, Instagram's official account has the most number of followers and it is followed by Portugal's Cristiano Ronaldo, who has 200M followers.

In terms of Indians with most number of followers, Bollywood actor Priyanka Chopra is on the second spot with 49.9 followers while Deepika Padukone is on the third place with 44.1 followers.

Last year, Kohli had become the most successful Indian Test captain, surpassing Mahendra Singh Dhoni.

Currently, Kohli is in action against New Zealand and his side would take on the hosts in the two-match Test series, slated to commence from February 21.

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Agencies
May 23,2020

New Delhi, May 23: Sports Minister Kiren Rijiju on Saturday said India will not host any international event in immediate future and fans will have to learn to live with the new normal of sporting activities happening behind closed doors in the post-COVID-19 world.

Rijiju's statement gain greater significance in the context of the suspended IPL, which the BCCI wants to host in October-November in case of the ICC T20 World Cup in Australia is postponed.

"We have been working for quite some time now to resume sporting activities but before that, we have to think about practice and training. We are not going to have a tournament kind of situation immediately," Rijiju was quoted as saying by India Today.

For latest updates on coronavirus outbreak, click here

"We have to learn to live with the situation where sporting events will have to be carried forward without spectators in stadiums and sports venues," he added.

Talking specifically about the 13th edition of IPL, which has been put on hold for an indefinite period due to the pandemic, Rijiju said it is the government's prerogative to take a call on conducting any tournament in the country.

"In India, the government has to take a call and it will take a call depending on the situation. We cannot put health at risk just because we want to have a sporting event.

"Our focus is fighting Covid-19 and at the same time, we will have to work a mechanism to get back to normalcy. It is difficult to confirm dates but I am sure we will have some kind of sporting events this year," he said.

Rijiju's statement came close on the heels of Sports Authority of India (SAI) laying out a detailed Standard Operating Procedure for the resumption of sporting activities across the country in a phased manner.

"In the background, their (athletes) fitness and everything has been tracked. They are in touch with the coaches, the fitness experts, the high-performance directors. We are monitoring each and every athlete who are of the higher stature, who played for India and higher clubs," he said.

"Now it has been laid out. SAI has prepared a detailed SOP. These are prepared by experts from different fields. This SOP has already been issued to all sports federations and other sports bodies including govt stakeholders. So, based on this SOP training will start."

Coronavirus India update: State-wise total number of confirmed cases, deaths on May 23

The Sports Minister, however, reiterated that resumption of sporting activities will entirely depend on guidelines of respective states and local administrations.

"We have been clearly advising that health and safety are top priorities. Besides that we have to keep in mind two other things, one is the guidelines issued by the Home Ministry, second, is the guidelines issued by the administrations of the respective localities or states. So, these are to be taken into account," he said.

"But we have clearly stated that sports complexes and stadiums are open, other than that there should not be any activities till the lockdown is there or we come up with a renewed kind of advice."

Asked about the prospect of the Tokyo Games that were scheduled for this year but were postponed to 2021 due to the pandemic, the Sports Minister said he is hopeful of the quadrennial event taking place on the revised dates.

"Olympics is still far away and we have full confidence in the Japanese government and IOC and every country will support that the conduct of Tokyo 2021 will not be postponed. There are too many stakes in Olympics, so it is difficult to even foresee that the Olympics can be postponed," he said.

"As far as India's preparation goes, we are at the best stage of our preparation of any Olympics so far in history. This is going to be India's biggest contingent so far and have medal-winning prospects. But I am not saying we are so prepared to finish in the top 10 or 5 but our long term target is that India will be in the top 10 in 2028.

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