India on the brink of victory against Australia in Melbourne

Agencies
December 29, 2018

Dec 29: India moved within two wickets of an emphatic victory in the third Test after reducing Australia to 258 for eight at the close of day four on Saturday.

Having set a mammoth victory target of 399 shortly before lunch, Virat Kohli`s team attacked with precision and intensity to leave the home side on life support at the end of a muggy and overcast day at the Melbourne Cricket Ground.

The lion-hearted Pat Cummins thwarted India`s hopes of closing out the win with a day to spare, anchoring some stubborn tail-end resistance after the top order crumbled.

The seamer was 61 not out, with Nathan Lyon on six, and Australia still 141 runs short of their victory target.

Having dominated with bat and ball throughout a one-sided contest, the tourists will almost certainly head to the Sydney finale with a 2-1 series lead and a genuine belief that they can become the first Indian team to win a series Down Under.

On a grim day for Australian cricket, Cummins was the only shining light for the home side, and recorded career-best figures of 6-27 before Kohli declared India`s second innings at 106-8 before lunch.

However, Cummins`s heroics will likely be consigned to a foot-note, squandered as they were by the familiar batting failures of his team mates.

Where straight bats were required to provide a platform of resistance, Aaron Finch got his team off to the worst possible start by throwing away his wicket for three with an unsightly cut shot off Jasprit Bumrah that was gobbled in the slips.

Recalled all-rounder Mitchell Marsh was similarly wasteful, slogging spinner Ravindra Jadeja straight to Kohli at short cover to be out for 10.

Having done the hard work to get set in his innings, Travis Head (34) fell on his sword after tea by dragging Ishant Sharma onto his stumps with a dubious drive away from his body.

Amid the help from Australia`s poor shot selection, India produced moments of brilliance to remove their more assured batsmen.

Mohammed Shami dismissed Usman Khawaja lbw for 33 shortly after lunch with a peach of a delivery, before Bumrah trapped Shaun Marsh for 44 with a searing ball.

The wily Jadeja proved a constant menace, and induced an edge off Marcus Harris (13) that lodged in Mayank Agarwal`s mid-riff.

The left-arm spinner later returned to dismiss wicketkeeper-captain Tim Paine for 26, leaving Australia to rely on their tail and a miracle to stave off defeat.

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News Network
April 8,2020

London, Apr 8: England wicketkeeper Jos Buttler has raised more than 65,000 pound (USD 80,000) to help fight the coronavirus by auctioning off his World Cup final shirt.

Buttler's shirt, which he wore when completing the last-ball run-out that saw England beat New Zealand at Lord's last year, was sold to raise money for specialist heart and lung centres provided by the Royal Brompton and Harefield hospitals in London.

Buttler, who earlier in the showpiece match had hit a fifty and batted in the Super Over, put his long-sleeve keeping jersey up for sale on eBay a week ago.

By the time the auction closed on Tuesday, the shirt had attracted 82 bids with the winner paying 65,100 pound.

Buttler, speaking on Monday, said: "It's a very special shirt but I think it takes on extra meaning with it being able to hopefully go to the emergency cause.

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News Network
January 29,2020

Hamilton, Jan 29: India defeated New Zealand in the third T20 International via Super Over to take an unassailable 3-0 lead in the five-match series here on Wednesday.

India posted a competitive 179 for five at Seddon Park after being sent into bat. Opener Rohit Sharma top scored for India with a 65-run knock while skipper Virat Kohli contributed 38 runs in team's total.

Later, skipper Kane Williamson smashed a 48-ball 95 but New Zealand faltered in the final over to take the match into the Super Over.

Needing nine runs of the last over, New Zealand lost Williamson and Ross Taylor to finish at 179 for six and tie the match.

In the Super Over, New Zealand scored 17, a target which India overwhelmed in the final ball with Rohit smashing Tim Southee for two consecutive sixes.

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News Network
June 25,2020

Jun 25: After asserting that the 2011 World Cup final was "sold" by "certain parties" in Sri Lanka to India, the island nation's former sports minister Mahindananda Aluthgamage has now called his claim a "suspicion" that he wants investigated.

The Lankan government has ordered an enquiry into the matter and a special Police investigation unit recorded Aluthgamage's statement on Wednesday. He told the team that he was only suspicious of fixing.

"I want my suspicion investigated," Aluthgamage told reporters.

"I gave to the Police, a copy of the complaint I lodged with the International Cricket Council (ICC) on 30 October 2011 regarding the said allegation as then Sports Minister," he said.

Aluthgamage has alleged that his country "sold" the game to India, a claim that was ridiculed by former captains Kumar Sangakkara and Mahela Jayawardene who demanded evidence from him.

Set a target of 275, India clinched the trophy thanks to the brilliance of Gautam Gambhir (97) and then skipper Mahendra Singh Dhoni (91).

"Today I am telling you that we sold the 2011 world cup, I said this when I was the sports minister," Aluthgamage, who was the sports minister at the time, had stated.

Sangakkara, the captain of Sri Lanka at that time, asked him to produce evidence for an anti-corruption probe.

"He needs to take his 'evidence' to the ICC and the Anti corruption and Security Unit so the claims can be investigated thoroughly," he tweeted.

Jayawardene, also a former captain who scored a hundred in that game, ridiculed the charge.

"Is the elections around the corner...like the circus has started...names and evidence?" he asked in a tweet.

Aluthgamage said that in his opinion no players were involved in fixing the result, "but certain parties were."

Both Aluthgamage and the then President Mahinda Rajapaksa were among the invitees at the final played at the Wankhede Stadium in Mumbai.

Following his allegations, Aravinda de Silva, the former great who was the then chairman of selectors, has urged the BCCI to conduct its own investigation.

De Silva has said he is willing to travel to India to take part in such an investigation despite the current COVID-19 threat.

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