2nd Test: India beat SA to level series 1-1

Durban: An inspired India made amends for the drubbing at Centurion with a sensational 87-run victory against South Africa in the low-scoring second cricket Test to level the three-match series 1-1 here on Wednesday.

After setting a target of 303, the Indian bowlers put up a disciplined show to dismiss the hosts for 215 in 72.3 overs about an hour after the lunch break to record only their second Test triumph on South African soil.

It turned out to be an extraordinary Test with fortune fluctuating from one team to the other but the Indians eventually tilted the balance in their favour on a bouncy Kingsmead track which saw 40 wickets fall in three and half days.

The Indians, who had lost the first Test at Centurion by an innings and 25 runs, showed great character and resilience to demolish the Proteas in their own den and in conditions tailor-made to suit the home team.

The Indians players jumped in joy and hugged each other after last man Lonwabo Tsotsobe was run out to bring about the moment of glory while coach Gary Kirsten and the other support staff stood up at the dressing room to applaud the players.

S Sreesanth (3/45), Zaheer Khan (3/53) and Harbhajan Singh (2/70) were the pick of the bowlers for India while Ashwell Prince was the top scorer for the South Africans with an unbeaten 39.

It was India's second Test triumph in South Africa. The 123-run victory in the first Test at Johannesburg in 2006 was their first Test victory on South African soil.

The two teams will now travel to Cape Town for the third and final Test starting on Sunday.

Both teams had an equal chance of winning the match when play began this morning with South Africa needing 192 runs and India needing to scalp the seven remaining wickets.

With plenty of time at hand, South African batsmen adopted a cautious approach in the morning and were content in playing the waiting game against some disciplined Indian bowling.

Resuming their chase at the overnight score of 111 for three, both de Villiers and Jacques Kallis found the going tough against the Indian attack and scored in ones and twos before a ripper from Sreesanth broke the dangerous-looking 41-run fourth-wicket stand.

The Kerela speedster came up with a blinder of a delivery that bounced sharply on to Kallis from just short of length and the big man had no other option but to fend at it, only to glove it to Virender Sehwag at gully.

Kallis made 17 off 52 deliveries and hit two boundaries in the process.

It seemed Indian captain Mahendra Singh Dhoni came out with a perfect plan as he started the day's proceeding with off-spinner Harbhajan Singh, who bowled in tandem alongside Sreesanth and Zaheer Khan.

Dhoni's tactic bore fruit as Harbhajan inflicted the second big blow of the morning to South Africa by dismissing another dangerman De Villiers (33) lbw even though TV replays showed the South African was unlucky.

Bowling from round the wicket, Harbhajan tossed one up on off and middle and got it to bite and straighten which struck de Villiers around the knee in front of the stumps and umpire Asad Rauf had no hestiation in raising the finger but replays later showed the ball was going above the stumps.

Soon after de Velliers wicket, another dubious lbw decision ruined South Africa's morning when Zaheer Khan dismissed Mark Boucher in the 43rd over.

Zaheer too registered his name in the wicket list when he struck Boucher on the pads with a delivery that seemed to be angling away from the off-stump but umpire Steve Davis thought otherwise and adjudged the Protea wicket-keeper lbw much to the dismay of the home fans.

Zaheer then took India closer towards victory dismissing Dale Steyn (10) caught by Cheteshwar Pujara at third slip after the right-hander went for a flashing drive only to get an outside edge.

But a resolute Prince remained a thorn in the flesh for the Indians as he joined hands with Harris to lead South Africa's fightback and frustrated the visitors with their eighth-wicket partnership.

Zaheer broke the 27-run partnership immediately after the lunch break by bowling Harris with a gem of a delivery which moved in to clip the bails.

Morne Morkel, who joined the action after Harris' dismissal, went for his strokes to ease the pressure and the strategy seemed to work as South Africa crossed the 200 mark to give some anxious moments to the Indians.

But Ishant came to his team's rescue by evicting Morkel (20) and bring India within sniffing distance of victory.

Last man Lonwabo Tsotsobe did not survive long as he was run out, thanks to some smart fielding by Cheteswar Pujara at short leg.

India level series with inspired victory

Durban: An inspired India made amends for the drubbing at Centurion with a sensational 87-run victory against South Africa in the low-scoring second cricket Test to level the three-match series 1-1 on Wednesday.

After setting a target of 303, the Indian bowlers put up a disciplined show to dismiss the hosts for 215 in 72.3 overs about an hour after the lunch break to record only their second Test triumph on South African soil.

It turned out to be an extraordinary Test with fortune fluctuating from one team to the other but the Indians eventually tilted the balance in their favour on a bouncy Kingsmead track which saw 40 wickets fall in three and half days.

The Indians, who had lost the first Test at Centurion by an innings and 25 runs, showed great character and resilience to demolish the Proteas in their own den and in conditions tailor-made to suit the home team.

The Indians players jumped in joy and hugged each other after last man Lonwabo Tsotsobe was run out to bring about the moment of glory while coach Gary Kirsten and the other support staff stood up at the dressing room to applaud the players.

S Sreesanth (3/45), Zaheer Khan (3/53) and Harbhajan Singh (2/70) were the pick of the bowlers for India while Ashwell Prince was the top scorer for the South Africans with an unbeaten 39.

It was India's second Test triumph in South Africa. The 123-run victory in the first Test at Johannesburg in 2006 was their first Test victory on South African soil.

The two teams will now travel to Cape Town for the third and final Test starting on Sunday.

Both teams had an equal chance of winning the match when play began this morning with South Africa needing 192 runs and India needing to scalp the seven remaining wickets.

With plenty of time at hand, South African batsmen adopted a cautious approach in the morning and were content in playing the waiting game against some disciplined Indian bowling.

Resuming their chase at the overnight score of 111 for three, both de Villiers and Jacques Kallis found the going tough against the Indian attack and scored in ones and twos before a ripper from Sreesanth broke the dangerous-looking 41-run fourth-wicket stand.

The Kerela speedster came up with a blinder of a delivery that bounced sharply on to Kallis from just short of length and the big man had no other option but to fend at it, only to glove it to Virender Sehwag at gully.

Kallis made 17 off 52 deliveries and hit two boundaries in the process.

It seemed Indian captain Mahendra Singh Dhoni came out with a perfect plan as he started the day's proceeding with off-spinner Harbhajan Singh, who bowled in tandem alongside Sreesanth and Zaheer Khan.

Dhoni's tactic bore fruit as Harbhajan inflicted the second big blow of the morning to South Africa by dismissing another dangerman De Villiers (33) lbw even though TV replays showed the South African was unlucky.

Bowling from round the wicket, Harbhajan tossed one up on off and middle and got it to bite and straighten which struck de Villiers around the knee in front of the stumps and umpire Asad Rauf had no hestiation in raising the finger but replays later showed the ball was going above the stumps.

Soon after de Velliers wicket, another dubious lbw decision ruined South Africa's morning when Zaheer Khan dismissed Mark Boucher in the 43rd over.

Zaheer too registered his name in the wicket list when he struck Boucher on the pads with a delivery that seemed to be angling away from the off-stump but umpire Steve Davis thought otherwise and adjudged the Protea wicket-keeper lbw much to the dismay of the home fans.

Zaheer then took India closer towards victory dismissing Dale Steyn (10) caught by Cheteshwar Pujara at third slip after the right-hander went for a flashing drive only to get an outside edge.

But a resolute Prince remained a thorn in the flesh for the Indians as he joined hands with Harris to lead South Africa's fightback and frustrated the visitors with their eighth-wicket partnership.

Zaheer broke the 27-run partnership immediately after the lunch break by bowling Harris with a gem of a delivery which moved in to clip the bails.

Morne Morkel, who joined the action after Harris' dismissal, went for his strokes to ease the pressure and the strategy seemed to work as South Africa crossed the 200 mark to give some anxious moments to the Indians.

But Ishant came to his team's rescue by evicting Morkel (20) and bring India within sniffing distance of victory.

Last man Lonwabo Tsotsobe did not survive long as he was run out, thanks to some smart fielding by Cheteswar Pujara at short leg.

PTI

We're eyeing to seal the series in Durban

Confidence on sky high after the convincing win in the opener against India in Centurion, South Africa middle-order batsman Hashim Amla on Friday said the Proteas will be hoping to seal the three-match series in the second Test beginning on Sunday.

South Africa thrashed world number one India by an innings and 25 runs in the first Test in Centurion earlier this week, which prompted Amla to say that the home team has a great chance of pocketing the series in Durban.

"Absolutely (we are confident of winning). A lot has been said about the wicket but at the end of the day, as a team, we try to keep things simple. Our bowlers and batsmen have been in good nick and hopefully we can continue in that vein. It's a big chance for us to seal the series here," Amla told reporters in a pres conference ahead of Sunday's match.

"The mood in the team is quite positive after the Centurion win. The team has played a lot of cricket together and we've been through a lot of ups and downs.

"Very rarely has there been any complacency and people are putting in as much hard work, if not more, coming up to this Test. We're just trying to keep things simple and do what works for us. Everybody is motivated to perform but it's hot and humid here so it's going to be hard work," the right-hander said.

Incidentally, Durban match will be Amla's 50th Test but he seemed least bothered about the feat.

"I'm not sure. At that stage I don't think I was looking past the next game. Fortunately, things have gone well and I've managed to reach 50 Tests," he said.

"I think playing any Test match at my home ground is a special occasion. To be honest, being the 50th Test doesn't make it any more important. The team always comes first and the fact that we won the last Test in a big series like this has taken precedence over any other distraction," Amla insisted.

Asked whether scoring a century in his 50th Test match would be a special moment in his career, he said, "It would be lovely if I can score a ton, because my record here is not fantastic in Test matches.

"I've always enjoyed playing at Kingsmead. It would be lovely to make a good contribution to the team here. I've been brought up playing cricket here for the Dolphins and I've made runs here over the years in domestic cricket. It will be lovely to get some runs in a Test here."

Born and brought up here, Amla is familiar with the Kingsmead strip and he feels with pace and bounce on offer it would good contest between the bat and ball.

"I've been very fortunate to have grown up playing on this wicket. It has pace and bounce for the bowlers," he said.

"I'm not sure how this wicket is going to play, but on a good day, when the wicket is flat, it's a fantastic place to bat. The outfield's small and the boundaries are short and you get fantastic value for shots," Amla added.

Incidentally, Amla is the first South African of Indian descent to have made it to the national team and have also been very successful against the Indian attack.

Asked about the mantra behind his success against the Indians, he said, "It's quite funny actually. I really don't know what to say. I'm just grateful that I've had a good year so far, and the year is not over yet.

"At the end of the day it's the players who can perform consistently that stand out. I don't think it's anything in particular. Things have just worked out for me in the ODIs and Tests this year."

Dravid, Kumble, Yuvraj in top bracket

Despite being away from any sort of competitive cricket for four years, Brian Lara finds himself in the pool of 21 players with highest base price of $400,000 for the 2011 IPL auction, to be held in Bangalore on January 8 and 9.

The list also comprises Indian players, Anil Kumble, Rahul Dravid and Yuvraj Singh, former Australian wicketkeeper Adam Gilchrist and five members of the victorious World Twenty20 England side – Stuart Broad, James Anderson, Graeme Swann, Michael Yardy and Luke Wright.

Star IPL performers like Daniel Vettori, Brendon McCullum, Ross Taylor, Graeme Smith, AB de Villiers, Tillakaratne Dilshan and Chris Gayle are also a part of the elite list, as are Brett Lee, Shaun Marsh and Mahela Jayawardene – all players released by Kings XI Punjab.

The next bracket, of $300,000 includes Jacques Kallis and Muttiah Muralitharan, who have played key roles for Bangalore and Chennai franchises. The Indian players on that list are Zaheer Khan and Yusuf Pathan who are joined by Andrew Symonds, Shaun Tait, Kumar Sangakkara, and Angelo Mathews.

Sourav Ganguly, the ‘icon’ player of Kolkata Knight Riders in the first three seasons and Gautam Gambhir, who led the Delhi Daredevils in IPL-3, find themselves in the bracket of $200,000, which also includes the Australian pair of Michael Hussey and Doug Bollinger. Others in that bracket are Dirk Nannes, Eoin Morgan, Robin Uthappa and Sanath Jayasuriya. The bracket of $100,000 comprises 87 players, including Tamim Iqbal, R Ashwin, Morne Morkel and Ben Hilfenhaus. However, as inferred from the previous IPL auctions, the final amount received by a player can exceed way beyond his base price.

There are also surprises as far as some of the names excluded from the list of 416 players in the auction is concerned. Besides the Pakistani players, who continue to suffer the IPL snub, big current Australian players like Ricky Ponting, Michael Clarke and Mitchell Johnson and former stars like Matthew Hayden and Glenn McGrath have been ignored. Also omitted is Andrew Flintoff, who was the most expensive players in the second auction, signed by the Chennai Super Kings for $1.55 million.

Only 12 players have been retained by their respective franchises with Punjab, Deccan Chargers and Kolkata opting to release all their players. This means, these three teams have the entire purse of $9 million intact to spend in the auction. Chennai and Mumbai Indians, who have retained their full quota of four players each, are left with $4.5 million.

The fourth season is set to feature 10 teams and 74 matches, as originally planned as it is unlikely the BCCI will move the Supreme Court after their appeal to suspend Punjab and Rajasthan Royals was overturned by the High Court.

Chawla included South Africa ODI series

New Delhi: Uttar Pradesh leg-spinner Piyush Chawla was a surprise inclusion in the Indian squad that will take on South Africa in the one-off Twenty20 and five match ODI series that starts on January 9.

Apart from Chawla, regular captain Mahendra Singh Dhoni, senior-most player Sachin Tendulkar, dashing opener Virender Sehwag and off-spinner Harbhajan Singh – all of whom opted for rest during the New Zealand ODI series made a comeback.

Incidentally, the South Africa ODI series will be India's last assignment before the World Cup in sub-continent next year.

With a last chance to settle the core team before the World Cup, one can be rest assured that most of the players who will be playing against South Africa will be in the World Cup squad also.

Chawla's inclusion means that selectors want to check out what's in store in the slow bowling department after their experiments with Ravindra Jadeja haven’tt exactly paid rich dividends.

Also surprising was Parthiv Patel's non-inclusion in the ODI squad after the player scored back-to-back half centuries against New Zealand being given chance in shorter form after six and half years. There is no second wicket-keeper in the team.

Among the ones who are with the Test squad currently, Rahul Dravid, VVS Laxman, Wriddhiman Saha, Ishant Sharma, Umesh Jadhav and Jaydev Unadkat will be boarding a flight back home.

In-form Virat Kohli, Yuvraj Singh and Yusuf Pathan also returned to the side to bolster India's batting department after sitting out of the Test matches.

The Indian pace department will be spearheaded by Zaheer Khan, who missed the first Test against South Africa due to an injury.

S Sreesanth also managed to retain his place in the fast bowling department which will have Ashish Nehra, Praveen Kumar and Munaf Patel.

In the spin department, Harbhajan will be assisted by Ravichandran Ashwin and Chawla.

All-rounder Jadeja has been left out of the team, while Yusuf, who impressed during the home series against New Zealand, has been retained.

Middle-order batsman Rohit Sharma and Saurabh Tiwary, both of whom played in the ODI series against New Zealand, also failed to make the cut.

The squad comprises six batsmen, one wicketkeeper in Dhoni, one all-rounder in Yusuf and eight bowlers – five quicks and three spinners.

Indian team for Twenty20 and ODI series in South Africa: Mahendra Singh Dhoni (captain), Virender Sehwag, Gautam Gambhir, Sachin Tendulkar, Virat Kohli, Suresh Raina, Yuvraj Singh, Harbhajan Singh, Zaheer Khan, Ashish Nehra, Praveen Kumar, Munaf Patel, R Ashwin, Yusuf Pathan, Piyush Chawla S Sreesanth.

PTI

Australia set tough target against Sri Lanka

Sydney: Australia need to score 244 runs in 39 overs if they are to snap their six-match losing streak in all forms of cricket in the rain-disrupted second one-day international against Sri Lanka on Friday.

Upul Tharanga survived a farcical run-out attempt to contribute an unbeaten 86 to Sri Lanka’s 213 for three, which they achieved in 41.1 overs as showers stopped play for a total of nearly three hours at the Sydney Cricket Ground.

Australia were set an adjusted total in line with the Duckworth-Lewis method for weather-interrupted matches.

The Sri Lankan top order put in a solid afternoon’s work to give themselves a good chance of claiming a first series win on Australian soil after relying on the tailenders to produce Wednesday’s remarkable victory in the first match in Melbourne.

Australia again laboured in the field with test strike bowler Mitchell Johnson the target of some big hits and Michael Clarke and Shane Watson conspiring to mess up a simple run out.

Teams:

Australia: Ricky Ponting (captain), Shane Watson, Brad Haddin, Michael Clarke, Cameron White, Michael Hussey, Steven Smith, Mitchell Johnson, Nathan Hauritz, Peter Siddle, Clint McKay. 12th man: Callum Ferguson.

Sri Lanka: Kumar Sangakkara (captain), Upul Tharanga, Tillekeratne Dilshan, Mahela Jayawardene, Chamara Silva, Angelo Mathews, Thissara Perera, Suraj Randiv, Nuwan Kulasekera, Lasith Malinga, Muttiah Muralitharan. 12th man: Chamara Kapugedera.

New Zealand fight but India retain upper hand

New Zealand 69 for 2 trail India 487 (Sehwag 173, Dravid 104, Harbhajan 69) by 418 runs

It was not the one-way traffic that was expected, but India were well on top after the second day in Ahmedabad. In an hour either side of the lunch break, New Zealand's spinners ripped through the Indian middle-order, before struggling to wipe out the tail.

The fans had turned up hoping to see crowd-pleasing batsmen such as Sachin Tendulkar, VVS Laxman and MS Dhoni, but it was Harbhajan Singh who kept them cheering by making his highest Test score, and eighth Test half-century, to push India towards 500. New Zealand lost two early wickets in their reply after which key batsmen, Brendon McCullum and Ross Taylor, safely played out the final hour.

The New Zealand spinners had plenty of work to do on the first day, and there was even more responsibility on them today after debutant fast bowler Hamish Bennett picked up a groin injury that prevented him from taking the field. Vettori bowled unchanged almost until lunch, giving away only 13 runs, but it was the other slow bowlers who got the morning breakthroughs.

India had jogged to 383 for 4, adding 54 leisurely runs with few alarms, when Jeetan Patel struck. Tendulkar fell punching a length ball back to Patel at waist height, and his serene march towards a record-equalling 11th 50-plus score in successive Tests was cut short.

If that seemed a bonus, given that New Zealand had been tidy but nonthreatening all morning, they had more to celebrate soon. Suresh Raina had already edged several deliveries in a short stay when he went hard at the ball but succeeded only in hitting it to McCullum at short extra cover, giving Kane Williamson his first Test wicket. Then, in the final over before the break, Laxman was caught plumb in front as Patel got the ball to sneak past his bat to trap him lbw. Laxman was unhappy with decision, but a jubilant New Zealand went into lunch savouring their best session of the game.

A swift end to the Indian innings looked imminent after Vettori's double-strike early in the post-lunch session: MS Dhoni inside-edged to forward short leg for 10, and Zaheer Khan was bowled for 1 by an arm ball to leave India at 412 for 8.

Harbhajan, though, began to attack soon after Zaheer's dismissal, clobbering Patel onto the roof beyond long-on and then slogging him to cow corner for four. His spin partner, Pragyan Ojha, supported him with a dour innings that barely had any forceful strokes. His dogged 73-minute stay came to an end when he padded up to an arm ball from Patel.

By then, Ojha had done his job, which was to support Harbhajan. There was a brief lull after Harbhajan's initial assault, but the big shots reappeared soon after. The tireless Vettori was thumped through extra cover, and in his next over Harbhajan skipped beyond leg stump and hammered Vettori over mid-off first for four and then for six.

Harbhajan was more circumspect against the quick bowlers, though there was a blast past mid-off off Jesse Ryder to move past his previous Test best of 66. He has spoken of his ambition to make a Test century, but it wasn't to be today as he bottom-edged a late cut to the keeper on 69.

Still, he had helped set New Zealand's misfiring batting a huge challenge. McCullum, playing as a specialist batsman, was opening for the first time since 2004 and he started with a flurry of boundaries - two off Sreesanth from his first four deliveries, and two more off Zaheer in the fifth over. But Tim McIntosh departed for without scoring, a short ball from Zaheer stayed low and McIntosh gloved it through to the keeper while attempting to duck. BJ Watling began brightly but was bowled off his first ball against spin in India - playing down the wrong line against Ojha.

New Zealand were 27 for 2, before McCullum and Taylor made sure there was no more damage. There were some close calls - a massive lbw shout against Taylor who was hit just outside off, and a McCullum edge just wide of slip among them - but the senior batsmen largely reined in their natural aggressive instincts to remain unbeaten till stumps.

It was a far better day for New Zealand than the first day, though the advantage provided by centuries from Virender Sehwag and Rahul Dravid, and the belligerent hitting from Harbhajan, meant the visitors are still second-best after two days.

Siddarth Ravindran is a sub-editor at Cricinfo

Aus gain advantage in riveting Test

After a riveting day of cricket that saw 247 runs being scored for the fall of 14 wickets, the Mohali Test hangs in fine balance, with India needing another 161 runs to win on the final day with six wickets in hand. After restricting Australia to 192 with a superb bowling performance, India are up against a tricky target of 216 for victory with Sachin Tendulkar (10*) and Zaheer Khan (5*) at the crease.

India’s chase began on a gloomy note when one of the many howlers by Billy Bowden cost them the wicket of Gautam Gambhir, who was adjudged lbw despite a thick inside edge. The Australian pacers bowled excellently as very soon Bollinger got Rahul Dravid (13) caught behind followed by Hilfenhaus’s another strike to dismiss Virender Sehwag (17) in a similar fashion. Hilfenhaus continued his fine display of swing bowling when he bounced Suresh Raina (0) out.

Earlier, Shane Watson got the visitors off to a flier with a 59-ball knock of 56, laced with seven boundaries and a six. He was toying with the Indian bowling attack and looked good for his fourth ton of this tour. That’s when MS Dhoni’s gut feeling took over and he brought his lanky pacer Ishant Sharma into the attack, who had struggled in the first innings with his line and overstepping.

The bowling change turned out to be the watershed moment of the match. Off the first ball of his new spell, Ishant got rid of Watson, who, in his attempt to pull a short and wide delivery just managed to play it on to the stumps. That wicket was just the kind of tonic the young fast bowler needed. The Australian skipper, Ricky Ponting, then held out to Suresh Raina at leg-gully, to his once most productive shot – the pull.

More drama unfolded in the fourth delivery, as Michael Clarke (4) flicked a full-length ball straight to the man at mid-wicket. The umpire, recalled the batsman soon after giving him the marching orders. Reason: he had a doubt that Ishant had overstepped for the 14th time in the match. His doubt was confirmed by the third umpire and that became Ishant’s second wicket off a no-ball in the match.

Clarke, however, failed to take the advantage of the lucky respite. In his next over, Ishant fired in a nasty bouncer. Clarke took his eyes off the ball as it kissed his glove and went up in the air. Dhoni held it with ease. In no time, Australia slumped to 96 for 3 from a formidable 87 for no loss.

The post-lunch session belonged to the Indian spin duo of Harbhajan Singh and Pragyan Ojha. They used the day-four Mohali pitch fantastically to trouble the Australian batsmen with sharp turn and flight.

The Katich-Hussey duo weathered the storm for a while as the Indian spinners began to turn it sharply. Harbhajan, in particular was immensely impressive as he gave the ball a lot of air along with spinning it away from the left-handers. Ojha, who toiled hard in the first innings too, got the purchase off the track. He struck when Katich’s luck finally ran out after a series of respites and a mildly turning delivery took the outside edge giving Dhoni a sharp catch.

Marcus North, the new man was put under immense pressure by the Indian captain, who crowded him with four fielders around his bat. There was a slip, leg-slip, forward shortleg and silly point in place for the left-hander as the tweakers spun the ball sharply. He got troubled by the turners and was also lucky to survive a very good lbw appeal by Harbhajan.

But the ‘Turbanator ‘got rewarded for his sensational spell of spin bowling with the quick wickets of Hussey and North. Hussey had the right to be disappointed after being given out as he tried sweeping the ball pitched well outside the leg-stump. North, who was having a torrid time out there in the middle, finally gave in to the pressure created all round him and edged a spinning delivery from Harbhajan straight to Dhoni.

Ojha then got rid of Tim Paine with the help of young uncapped substitute fielder Cheteshwar Pujara, who took a superb low reflex catch at silly point. Dhoni, then made another inspirational bowling change and replaced the left-arm spinner with Zaheer Khan. And the left-arm pacer, in the second delivery of the spell got Mitchell Johnson caught behind with an out-swinger.

Zaheer continued to trouble the tailenders with reverse swing and had a frustrating moment when the ball hit the stump after beating Nathan Hauritz but the bail didn’t come off. The Indian pacer made up for it by sending Hauritz’s off-stump cart wheeling just an over later. When Zaheer rearranged Hilfenhaus’s stumps with a stunning yorker, it not only spelled the end of the Australian innings but also gave him his 250th Test wicket.

1st Test: Aus dealt quick blows after tea

Mohali: Australia lost the wickets of Tim Paine and Mitchell Johnson straight after tea on day four of the first Test against India at Mohali on Monday.

Harbhajan Singh got the better off Michael Hussey and Marcus North in quick succession to leave Australia in trouble at 165/6 at tea.

Earlier, Indian pacer Ishant Sharma produced a hostile spell to grab three quick wickets on a dead track and reduce Australia to 100 for three in their second innings at lunch on the fourth day of the first cricket Test here on Monday.

Australia have an overall lead of 123 runs courtesy a slender 23-run first-innings lead. Opener Simon Katich is batting on 24 while Michael Hussey is yet to open his account.

Watson smashed 56 off only 59 deliveries -- an innings which was in stark contrast to his toiling century in the first essay -- before Ishant snared three quick wickets to bring India right back in the match.

Watson added 87 runs with Simon Katich for the opening stand before Ishant bowled a deadly second spell from the pavillion end to dismiss the all-rounder, rival captain Ricky Ponting and his deputy Michael Clarke in a space of two overs to bring the hosts right back into the match.

Ishant, who started in an erratic manner giving away 17 runs in two overs, had brilliant figures of 3-2-8-3 to show for in his second spell. His pre-lunch session figures read 5-2-25-3.

Among his three victims, Watson should curse himself for doing a hara-kiri.

Ishant bowled one wide outside the off-stump and the opener went for a wild slog over deep mid-wicket but dragged it back onto his stumps. Watson hit seven boundaries and a huge six off Pragyan Ojha during his knock.

Ponting started with a boundary but Ishant got his man when the Australian skipper pulled a short one straight into the hands of backward square leg which was specifically stationed for that particular shot. Suresh Raina took a well-judged catch.

The lanky speedster from Delhi was over the moon when he got Michael Clarke to flick one to short mid-wicket where Virender Sehwag was standing.

However, as Clarke was about to walk back, umpire Billy Bowden, who had apprehensions that Ishant may just have overstepped, referred to third umpire Sanjay Hazare.

The television replays showed that Ishant had overstepped and Bowden's decision was vindicated.

However, Clarke's joy was shortlived as the pacer got a nasty snorter right into the Aussie vice-captain's rib cage and the ball ballooned to captain Dhoni.

The Australians, however, started in the right earnest as Watson and Katich both showed positive intent from the beginning.

While Watson was determined to hit anything that was pitched on his area, Katich was keen to play the second fiddle rotating the strike.

Watson made his intentions clear from the very first over as Zaheer went for 10. In the first five overs, the pace duo went for 47 runs.

Indian skipper went on the defensive introducing spinners from both ends. However, Watson launched into Ojha hitting him for a big six as 50 came up in only 6.4 overs.

Harbhajan, however, bowled a tidy spell from the other end. Just when it looked that Australians are taking a firm grip, Ishant struck those deadly blows to bring India back.

Ishant sparks fightback after Watson's fifty

Ishant Sharma picked up three wickets in his liveliest spell of the match as India halted Australia's growing lead on the fourth day in Mohali. Shane Watson's brisk half-century took Australia's advantage into triple figures before he and Ricky Ponting fell in the first over of Ishant's second spell, shortly before lunch.

When Michael Clarke chipped a catch to midwicket first ball, it looked like Ishant had claimed three breakthroughs in one over. However, confusion reigned as the umpire Billy Bowden stopped Clarke from walking off, radioed the third official Sanjay Hazare to check on a suspected no-ball, and found that Ishant had overstepped.

Clarke's reprieve was short-lived, though, and in Ishant's next over he could not evade a sharp and well-directed bouncer that lobbed off his gloves to the wicketkeeper MS Dhoni. Australia had rapidly fallen from 87 for 1 to 96 for 3, and the momentum was suddenly with India after Watson's excellent start.

The Australians began the morning with a lead of 23 and they could not have asked for a better opening than the 67 runs Watson and Simon Katich put on in the first hour. Watson was the aggressor, cutting and driving with precision, and he also launched Pragyan Ojha over the midwicket boundary with a powerful slog-sweep.

He moved to his half-century from 51 deliveries, but Dhoni's decision to reintroduce Ishant for a second spell in the final half hour of the session proved a triumph. Watson (56) tried to pull Ishant's first delivery from wide of off stump through midwicket, but a bottom edge dislodged his bail to give Ishant his first wicket of the Test.

Ponting eased his first ball to the cover boundary but fell facing his fourth delivery when he pulled Ishant straight to Suresh Raina at square leg. The loss of Clarke shortly afterwards left Australia in the hands of Simon Katich, who was on 24 at the lunch break, along with Michael Hussey yet to score.

Katich had enjoyed a couple of lucky breaks - he should have been lbw to Harbhajan Singh for 7 and on 9 he edged Harbhajan between Dhoni and Rahul Dravid at first slip. With the exception of Watson, the Australian batsmen did not find runs easy to come by on the fourth morning and, with a lead of only 123 and seven wickets in hand, they need a big partnership to ensure they bat out the day.

Brydon Coverdale is an assistant editor at Cricinfo

Asif, Amir submit appeals against ICC suspension

Lahore: Mohammed Amir and Mohammed Asif, two of the three Pakistan players implicated in the spot-mixing scandal, have appealed against their provisional suspension by the International Cricket Council (ICC) under its anti-corruption code.

The third tainted player, Salman Butt, had already filed his appeal in this regard, and the ICC Chief Executive, Haroon Lorgat, had confirmed receiving it, saying that his formal appeal was evidence that the "time-consuming" probe was moving forward, The Nation reported.

"That in itself is good progress," he added.

Lorgat said that in his view, it would be very unfair to castigate the entire (Pakistan) team, or even the nation.

"I`m confident that we`ve followed the proper process and have an arguable case for those players to answer," he stated, adding, "These are a few individuals that need to be dealt with," he said.

Following fears looming over the forthcoming Commonwealth Games in Delhi, Lorgat said he was "very confident" of the ability of the Indian sub-continent to host the upcoming World Cup,

Meanwhile, the Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB) will not provide any financial assistance to the tainted trio in their appeal against the ICC suspension.

An appeal hearing is expected to take place on October 28 and 29 as per the ICC`s anti-corruption code of conduct for provisional suspensions, where `it shall be the burden of the ACSU`s general manager to establish: (a) that there is a strong, arguable case against the player on the charge(s) that have been made against him; and (b) that, in such circumstances, the integrity of the sport could be seriously undermined if a provisional suspension was not imposed against him."

ANI

Virender Sehwag surges to set up India

Virender Sehwag delivered a brutal response to stun Australia with a quick half-century as India finished the second day of a two-paced Test on a high. Sehwag raced to a 38-ball fifty but was undone by Mitchell Johnson shortly before the close for 59, walking off frustrated by his error.

India finished at 110 for 2 at stumps in reply to the visitors' 428, with Rahul Dravid unbeaten on 21 and the nightwatchman Ishant Sharma on 0. Both the local openers showed the positive intent that was often missing in the field when they put on 81 in 13.2 overs to build on Zaheer Khan's 10th five-wicket haul. Sehwag, Gautam Gambhir (25) and Dravid quickly changed the value of Australia's total during a breathless finish to a day that had previously followed a sombre tempo.

After Australia had sweated to score at 2.82 an over, the Indians were soon careering along at a run a ball to upset a visiting attack that battled to regain control. Sehwag started biffing through the offside, hitting two boundaries from a Doug Bollinger over, and then crashing three off Ben Hilfenhaus. Nathan Hauritz's first ball went over mid-off, his next sped along the ground in the same region for the same result, and the over cost 11.

Gambhir was lbw to Johnson (2-29) but the most important blow came with a few minutes left in the day when Sehwag's leading edge went to Michael Clarke at cover. The crowd went silent but the Australians roared, mostly with relief.

The visitors were encouraged after they had blunted India's bowlers and blossomed under Tim Paine's guidance as he narrowly missed a maiden century in his third Test. Showing impressive determination, he first stabilised his team with Shane Watson and then lifted the pace with Johnson during an energetic 82-run stand.

The gains came after Watson's assured 126 set the platform while Zaheer kept interrupting the tourists to prevent a damaging score. The total is tough to gauge and took more than five sessions to compile, but the Australians were satisfied after some difficulties on both days.

However, it is a target that India's batsmen could conquer by the end of the third day if they build on Sehwag's start. At times during Australia's innings the lack of urgency from both sides, in particular the home team's lapses in the field, appeared to indicate everyone would be content with a draw. Sehwag changed the thinking.

Having crawled 71 in the opening session, Australia relaxed through Paine and Johnson after lunch and started to swing freely against the tiring spin duo of Harbhajan Singh and Pragyan Ojha. Johnson skipped to 47, striking three sixes, and provided a necessary boost to take Australia to safer ground.

Paine also increased his rate, lifting Ojha over midwicket for consecutive boundaries in his most memorable burst, and showed his comfort at this level. Dropped by MS Dhoni on 0 yesterday, Paine refused to submit to the various tensions and played the sort of settling innings the injured Brad Haddin could not have managed.

At times it was easy to wish for some Haddin extravagance, but Paine delivered an old-fashioned display, just as Watson had done so purposefully. In the first hour Watson and Paine scraped 25 as they followed the extra cautious method of the previous afternoon.

The stress eased for Paine after drinks in the morning when he glanced his first four from his 61st ball, gaining confidence from the unshackling. He drove and late cut Zaheer for another couple of boundaries and was soon comfortable in the humid conditions and on the turning surface.

In the end Paine struck 12 fours from 196 deliveries, showing his ability off both feet, and his sharp reading of the slow men. He was dropped by Dhoni again on 86 but VVS Laxman quickly made up for the mistake with a sharp catch low down at second slip to give Zaheer his fifth breakthrough.

The innings ended when Bollinger holed out to provide Ojha with his first wicket in his 52nd over of an economical but unrewarding marathon. Zaheer stepped up for the under-manned India with 5 for 94 while Harbhajan collected 3 for 114 off 49 overs.

After resuming at 224 for 5, the Australians crept forward in the morning with a couple of aims. They didn't want to expose the lower order too soon, especially with India's spinners operating, and they intended to keep the local attack in the field for as long as possible. They were successful on both counts and frustrated the hosts, who expected a quick end to the innings following their late surge on day one.

Watson's concentration finally broke when he pushed at a flighted offspinner from Harbhajan and popped it to Gambhir at short leg, ending his 338-ball resistance. The wicket threatened to change the game but it was not until almost an hour after tea that Australia were finally dismissed. For most of the day Zaheer worked with the old ball - the new one remained unused until the 147th over - and he succeeded even though he could not gain the severe swing that hurt the tourists on the opening afternoon.

Harbhajan was also a threat and Ojha was tidy, but both were overused - they had to be - due to the knee injury to Sharma. Ishant returned with four unconvincing overs and India will be desperate for him to have more impact in the second innings.

Peter English is the Australasia editor of Cricinfo

Allround Aus take command after see-saw day

Day-two of the Mohali Test was a see-saw that eventually ended with Australia having an upper-hand, restricting India to 110 for 2 in reply to their first innings score of 428 all-out. Rahul Dravid (21), who got among runs with some fine cover-drives and on-drives is at the crease with watchman Ishant Sharma (0). Virender Sehwag (59) and Gautam Gambhir (25) went about their business as usual. Gambhir pushed and prodded to rotate the strike and Sehwag dominated the hapless bowlers. All Australian pacers found out, yet again, that there’s no place to hide after giving even a wee bit of width outside the off-stump to the nawab of Najafgarh.

Hilfenhaus did it and stood there motionless watching the ball whip past the cover. The pacer didn’t learn and Sehwag creamed him for three more boundaries in an over. Bollinger made the same mistake and was duly driven through mid-off and cut away to the fence through point. Off consecutive deliveries. Nathan Hauritz was introduced in the 13th over and Sehwag dealt his full-tosses with two smacking cover-drives. Result: Sehwag blasted his way for his half-century in 38 deliveries.

Together the Indian openers put on 81 runs before Gambhir was adjudged lbw to Mitchell Johnson. The wicket gave added confidence to the Aussies, who managed to keep Sehwag quiet for a long time before dismissing him in the dying moments of the day. Johnson was ecstatic when a mistimed uppish on-drive from Sehwag’s willow went straight to the hands of Michael Clarke at covers.

All this happened after Australia piled on a formidable 428, thanks to Shane Watson (126) and Tim Paine (92). For India, it was Zaheer Khan who delivered the goods with the old, reverse-swinging SG ball to pick up his 10th five-wicket haul in Test cricket. He added the scalps of Mitchell Johnson (47) and Paine to his overnight numbers to end with the figures of 5 for 95.

Watson and Paine showed tremendous resilience against the disciplined Indian bowling and batted unruffled even as runs came in a trifle on the day-two morning. Both, known for their attacking style of batting, put their heads down and played the waiting game.

But when an odd ball was pitched on the leg, both men were quick to flick it to the fence. They also broke the shackles by playing a couple of attacking drives through the covers. Watson overtook his highest Test score of 120 en route to a very crucial 53-run stand with Paine.

Despite the breakthrough not coming, Dhoni reposed his faith on the spinners and refused to take the new ball until the 147th over of the Australian innings. The faith finally paid off when Harbhajan got rid of Watson with a generously flighted delivery. Watson was deceived by the bounce and poked at it as Gautam Gambhir took a fantastic diving catch at forward short-leg.

Then Mitchell Johnson joined hands with Paine to stitch an 88-run stand, which frustrated the Indians to no end.

Johnson showed his prowess with the bat by clobbering Zaheer Khan for two back to back boundaries. Zaheer tried to unsettle him with a short-ball but Johnson turned the plot on its head by pulling him away to the fence and inducing him to bowl a half-volley up next, which was thrashed through covers.

The left-hander then turned his concentration to Ojha and smashed him over the long-on for a six with the turn. A couple of overs later he repeated the stroke, this time for four runs. Ojha decided to come over the wicket but that didn’t deter Johnson from smacking him for a four through point and heaving him over mid-wicket for maximum.

After Johnson, it was Paine who took on Ojha by lofting him for two consecutive boundaries over mid-on. The Aussie wicketkeeper got rewarded for his hard work and determination with his maiden Test half-century.

The 82-run stand between Paine and Johnson for the seventh wicket caused the Indian shoulders to droop in the sweltering heat of Chandigarh. But the drinks break seemed to do the trick for Zaheer, who came back and struck right away as Johnson nicked a shortish delivery outside the off-stump to Dhoni. Johnson’s 66-ball entertaining knock ended on 47. Harbhajan then returned to dismiss Nathan Hauritz as Gautam Gambhir held on to a superb low, reflex catch at the forward short-leg.

Johnson’s wicket once again put the brakes on Australia’s scoring rate and Harbhajan, in particular, strangled them for runs. The off-spinner impressed with his control and variation. He tossed it up nicely and kept it straight.

Ojha had an off day. He often strayed on the leg bowling to a heavy off-side field and paid the price for it. Even luck continued to elude the left-arm spinner, who managed to find the edge of Watson’s bat only to see the ball bounce in front of Raina at slip. He finally got a wicket when Bollinger was held out in the deep to end the Australian innings.

Zaheer-Ponting spat adds spice to Test

Mohali: Tempers flared at Mohali on Friday when India locked horns with Australia in the first Test of the two-match series. Zaheer Khan allegedly poked Ricky Ponting with an off-the-cuff remark as the Australia skipper was going off the park after being run out for 71.

Ponting was walking past the Indian huddle when suddenly Zaheer chose to give him a send-off, after which Ponting turned around leading to a verbal duel between the two that needed umpire Billy Bowden's intervention.

The exact nature of the exchange is still not known but one thing is pretty clear that this series won't be short of high-octane on-field exchanges with none of the teams willing to hold back.

Australia, however, had an upper hand on the first day of Mohali Test as the visitors looked well placed at 179/3 at tea despite losing two wickets for 78 runs in the afternoon session.

Zaheer summoned after Ponting clash

Mohali: Sparks flew on the opening day of the first India-Australia cricket Test with Ricky Ponting and Zaheer Khan having a on-field showdown which prompted the match referee to summon the Indian pacer after the end of day's play.

The incident occurred in the 42nd over which was being bowled by Harbhajan Singh.

All-rounder Shane Watson pushed the fourth ball of that over towards mid-wicket and called Ponting who was batting on 71 for a quick single.

Before the Australian skipper could make his ground, Suresh Raina's direct throw hit the stumps.

After third umpire Sanjay Hazare adjudged him run-out, Ponting was walking back towards the pavilion when he turned back after hearing some comments from Zaheer.

With the Indian players standing in a pack, Ponting walked back towards them pointing the bat at them when he was intervened by Billy Bowden. Good sense prevailed after that and he walked back to the pavilion.

Match referee Chris Broad summoned Zaheer at the end of the day's play and had a word with him but according to team official Mayank Parikh, it was just a "friendly interaction" and there was no official caution or fine as such.

Australian opener Shane Watson, who came at the media conference after the day's play, was forthright in stating that it was Zaheer whose remarks escalated the tension.

"I didn't know what happened in the middle. Only later I saw the footage. It was Zaheer who came out of the huddle and his remarks escalated the incident. Ricky is not someone who will go out there to pick up a fight. He reacted only after something was said. We know what's the line we shouldn't cross," Watson.

India spinner Pragyan Ojha, however, sought to play down the issue.

"It often happens when you are competitive. There are times when words are exchanged," Ojha told the reporters.

Interestingly, on Thursday at the pre-match media conference, Ponting had said that he doesn't want any negativity or bad blood during the series as world cricket is still suffering in the wake of spot-fixing controversy involving the Pakistan trio of Mohammad Asif, Mohammad Aamir and Salman Butt.

Watson stands in way of fighting India

India turned a bad morning into a bright afternoon despite the committed effort of Shane Watson, who collected his third century in a week. Watson, who posted twin hundreds in the tour game, survived two chances in delivering the sort of performance expected of a specialist opener, not one Australia have manufactured over the past year.

Despite Watson's calm 101 on the opening day, the visitors are far from safe at 224 for 5 after a stinging late burst from Zaheer Khan, India's only fit paceman following a knee injury to Ishant Sharma. Zaheer, who was steaming in the second session during a confrontation with Ricky Ponting, gained his second lbw when he picked up Michael Hussey (17) with a reverse-swinging delivery and followed up by clipping Marcus North's off stump when he tried to leave on 0.

Zaheer finished with 3 for 45 off 16 overs to continue the fine recovery by a side that was struggling badly over the first half of the day. The locals would have been happier had MS Dhoni, who returned from the Champions League Twenty20 two days ago, caught a regulation chance off Tim Paine (1 not out).

On a pitch with low bounce and gaining in turn, Watson began in an aggressive mood but toned down once Ponting and Michael Clarke departed before tea, leaving the tourists at an uncomfortable 172 for 3. Until Ponting's departure for 71, Australia had been the ones in control but his run-out forced a change of pace, and Watson started grinding towards three-figures.

There was no rush from Watson as the Indian spinners delivered tight spells in the afternoon and were called on for more work following Ishant's departure after 7.4 overs. Only 45 runs were scored in the final session as the ball softened and the spinners closed in against the defensive Watson, Clarke and Hussey.

Watson has spent some gut-wrenching periods in the nineties during his 21 Tests, but he stayed calm and crept up on a rewarding second century. The milestone came with a legside clip for two off Harbhajan Singh and he stayed until the end, capturing eight fours from his 279 balls. It was a performance that bettered the 78 he made at the same ground two years ago, an innings that showed he could succeed when grit was required.

Watson and Ponting had survived some scares and overcame the early loss of Simon Katich (6) in their stabilising 141-run stand. The two-Test series began with Virender Sehwag's second-ball drop of Watson, who was also missed by Dhoni on 37, while Ponting benefitted from Ishant's over-stepping when glancing behind.

Ponting returned the charity after responding tardily to Watson's call for a single and was run out by Suresh Raina's smart direct hit from midwicket. The third umpire was required to decide Ponting's fate after his mostly composed innings, but as he walked past the fielders he was called out by Zaheer in the first flashpoint of the series. The taunts resulted in the captain changing direction and walking towards the huddle for a short exchange.

It was the fourth time Ponting, 35, had been caught short in Tests since going to England last year and the type of dismissal was particularly frustrating given the strong position of his team. Until that point it was India who had been unnecessarily generous with dropped catches, missed run-out chances and a flood of eight no-balls from Ishant.

India went in with four specialist bowlers, but only two were fast men, so Ishant's injured knee was another concerning development, especially as Harbhajan had to pass a fitness test in the morning. The lack of firepower could harm the hosts for the remainder of the game, but not if Zaheer continues weaving the ball late.

India's initial difficulty was eased by Raina's brilliant throw and the scoring-rate quickly dropped as Watson and Clarke added 18 at 1.5 an over against the spinners. Clarke then tried to cut a wider ball from Harbhajan and edged to Rahul Dravid at first slip.

Harbhajan was much more dangerous after lunch, slowing the runs and creating some half-chances in his 1 for 69 off 29 overs, and the pitch will help the slow men more as the game wears on. Pragyan Ojha, the left-arm orthodox spinner, also played an important role, rarely allowing an attacking option, as he gave away 39 runs in 31 overs. After a strong start the signs are already worrying for Australia, even though their opponents are possibly a man short

Unadkat, Ganguly script a fine five-wicket win over Rajasthan

Kolkata captain superbly lead his young guns on the field and later scored a fine unbeaten 75 to carve out a rather comfortable eight-wicket victory over Rajasthan Royals.

Though it was a tad baffling why Ganguly and his partner Cheteshwar Pujara, who batted well for his 45, did not show any urgency to knock off the runs within 13 overs, as it would have helped the team to have more favourable net run rate.

Eventually, after restricting Rajasthan to 132 for 9, Kolkata scored 133 for 2 with consummate ease and with 3.5 overs to spare. Jaidev Unadkat, the 18-year-old left-arm medium-pacer was adjudged man-of-the-match for his fine bowling effort of 3 for 26 in 4 overs.

After inspiring the bowlers with his outstanding fielding, Ganguly brilliantly anchored Kolkata’s innings and scored a 50-ball 75, which included two blazing sixes and 11 boundaries. He shared an unbeaten 111-run partnership with Pujara to make the run-chase look like a walk in the park. Though initially, Kolkata were in a spot of bother when they lost two of their most explosive batsmen Brendon McCullum (6) and Chris Gayle (0) in the third over with the scoreboard reading 22 for 2.

They built the innings with a lot of patience and care. They chose the more ugly but effective way of building the innings— with singles and twos. Ganguly worked the gaps smartly and ran hard like a youngster in his 20s. And every time a bowler erred in length, the captain would help himself to a boundary. In fact, he began very confidently by cracking Yusuf Pathan for two boundaries in the first over of the innings and stepped on the gas towards the business end of the innings.

Pujara played the role of a junior partner to perfection. He placed the ball well in the gaps and often gave Saurav the strike to take the game in control. During his 38-ball innings, Pujara hit five cracking boundaries and a massive six.

After being asked to bowl, Kolkata allowed the tourists to get off to a fine start, when the openers Shane Watson and Naman Ojha raced off to 46 for no loss in the first 6 overs. Ganguly turned to his statemate Laxmi Ratan Shukla and he more than obliged his captain.

Shukla bowled a slower bouncer to which Watson had no answer; he completely missed the line to see the ball rearrange his timber. Until then Watson had been shaping up well for a big score but had to return to the dug out for 44.

Unadkat produced another breakthrough when Ojha flashed hard at a rank bad ball wide outside the off stump, but Shukla pulled of a breathtaking catch at point by flinging himself full length to his left.

In a matter of one over, Rajasthan went from 59 for no loss to 69 for 2. It was still a decent platform for the middle order to put up a formidable total but soon after Yusuf Pathan departed and that opened the flood gates. Pathan got out to a spectacular catch by Ganguly, who dived full-length to take a single-handed catch off Unadkat.

The Royals batsmen joined the procession that went in one direction — the dug out. A wicket fell almost every second over and there was no partnership worth the mention. The next seven wickets could add only 61 runs.

Strike bowler Shane Bond bowled remarkably well and finished with a figure of 20 for 1 in his 4 overs, which included a wicket maiden. Medium-pacer Ashok Dinda also put up a spirited effort while taking 2 for 24.

Must-win for Chennai in battle of Kings

Dharamsala: Chennai's fate lies as much in their own hands as in the hands of other teams. For starters, they will have to win their game against Punjab at Dharamshala on Sunday to keep their hopes alive of remaining in the competition. Punjab, on the other hand, would like keep their pride intact in what has been otherwise a disastrous IPL - III for them and sign off on a winning note.

On paper, Chennai look far superior, but the problem with them has been their batting. Matthew Hayden like most Australian batsmen this time has not fired and Mike Hussey seems to have terribly lost his touch. Murali Vijay and Suresh Raina are the only two batsmen who have taken Chennai to most of their wins and the side would hope for an encore from them. Skipper MS Dhoni has also been short of runs and it's time for a Dhoni special.

Meanwhile, hosts Punjab have come a long way since their insipid performances in the first leg. Their batting has started to click and Sri Lankan players Kumar Sangakkara and Mahela Jayawardene have begun to look extremely dangerous. Even Yuvraj Singh seems to be finding his feet which is a good sign for India ahead of the T20 World Cup.

If the three click again in tandem, they could gatecrash Chennai's party.

Chennai's bowling too is better than Punjab's. The team almost defended a paltry score of 112 against Delhi in their last game. Ravichandran Ashwin and Shadab Jakati have done well with their slow spinners and Doug Bollinger has made an incredible impact since coming into the side. It was Bollinger's first over in the last game where he scalped both Virender Sehwag and Tillakratne Dilshan that opened the floodgates for Delhi. The Punjab batsmen will have to see him off and can then look to accelerate in the middle overs.

Chennai also have an edge being a better fielding unit and the likes of Raina, Hussey, Hayden and Morkel all of a safe pair of hands. Punjab will have to pull up their socks in this regard. They have dropped important catches in crucial games and they cannot make the same mistake against the Chennai Super Kings.

The pitch at Dharamshala is a belter and its high time the Mongoose fires. If it does, Sangakkara's average bowling outfit willl have their task cut out. Punjab in their last game at the same venue could not defend a good score of 174 against Deccan Chargers. That tells a lot about the bowling arsenal Sangakkara possesses. For him what will be pertinent is that his batsmen score a lot many runs to put any pressure on the opposition. For now though Chennai look to be the firm favourites.

Virtual semi-final as Delhi take on Deccan

New Delhi In a game supposed to decide the fourth and the final semi-finalist, Delhi Daredevils take on Deccan Chargers at the Ferozeshah Kotla stadium in New Delhi. Loss for either could jeopardise their chances of reaching the semis. A win though would guarantee a place in the final four, something which has surely come at a high price this IPL.

Delhi's position is a little better than Deccan's. They have a good run-rate and are sitting pretty with 14 points. They might just be in the semis, unless they make the mistake of losing by a huge margin. Their batting has looked good in most of the games and the good news is that their skipper Gautam Gambhir has struck form. With Virender Sehwag, Gautam Gambhir, David Warner and Paul Collingwood in their line-up, this is one batting attack that has the potential to decimate any bowling line-up.

On the other hand, Deccan’s batting has failed to live upto their reputation. Skipper Adam Gilchrist has hardly made runs; Andrew Symonds has more often then not failed to deliver and Monish Mishra’s quick knocks have been too brief. It is the efforts of two Indian batsmen namely Tirumalasetti Suman and Rohit Sharma which has taken Deccan to where it stands now. Both the batsmen have has been spectacular in taking their side home, time and again.

On the bowling front, Delhi has the edge with Dirk Nannes and Ashish Nehra being in sublime form. The two left-arm seamers have succeeded in maintaining a tight leash as well as picking up wickets up front. It was early wickets against Chennai in their last game which broke Chennai’s back and made sure the home side skittled for a paltry 112. Amit Mishra has also been in decent form with comeback man Tillakratne Dilshan and all-rounder Virender Sehwag support him pretty well.

Deccan on the other hand has struggled in their bowling department. Though Ryan Harris has given them good starts time and again, others have seriously let the side down. Their biggest disappointment without doubt has been RP Singh. The left-arm seamer has given runs in plenty to the opposition batsmen. The way Mahela Jayawardene picked him up for boundaries in the last game, it was clear that he had a lot of work to do on his bowling to be back in rhythm. Purple cap holder Pragyan Ojha has also not looked very impressive in the last few games and all and all-in-all the situation looks grim for Adam Gilchrist’s bowlers.

The one problem for batters of both sides will be the Delhi track. It has been a low-slow kind of a surface with enormous help for the spinners. Run scoring has not been easy and totals of 140 odd can be a tricky one to chase. The team batting first is definitely going to hold an advantage and hence the toss would be doubly crucial.

Modi offered $50 mn to pull out: Kochi team owner

New Delhi/ Mumbai: Lalit Modi – Shashi Tharoor IPL row took yet another turn after one of IPL Kochi’s co-owners Shailendra Gaikwad alleged that Modi had offered Rendezvous Sports a huge sum to pull out of the bidding process that was held in March.

"We were offered USD 50 million by Modi to withdraw from the Kochi team" Shailendra Gaikwad, CEO of the franchise, alleged within hours of Modi telling reporters that there was a question mark over the fate of the new team, secured by a bid of Rs 1533 crore last month.

Terming as "rubbish" the charges, Modi told PTI: "Are they mad. Who will offer tham what they say Rs 200 crore. I will take legal recourse."

Asked when he would initiate the legal action, he said "I am awaiting the clippings (in which Gaikwad had made allegation that Modi wanted their bid to be withdrawn). Once I

have that, I will serve them legal notice... possibly tomorrow."

Hours after Modi told a press conference that there was a question mark over the owners of the Kochi franchise, Gaikwad hit back at the IPL Commissioner saying that they were being deliberately made to go through a "tough time" because they refused the offer.

"We went through the process in the right manner and won the bid. But within 10 days of winning the bid, Modi offered us USD 50 million to give away the rights of the IPL franchise," Gaikwad told agency.

Gaikwad said that the franchise was being targeted because it outbid some big business houses whom Modi wanted to rope in for the subsequent editions of IPL.

"We are being put to an unnecessary process and the reasons are obvious. If we did not have all the papers in place how could we win the bid. It is unfair now to make us go

through these problems," he said.

Modi, on the other hand, wondered as to "why I will offer them the money... the bid had gone for a good sum," and dared Gaikwad to prove the allegations.

"Today they are saying USD 50 million. Tomorrow they may say some different figures," he said adding that every communication and conversations, including that of Tharoor

wherein the Union Minister asked him not to identify the owners, was minuted in IPL.

Allegations from Rendezvous, which has given a 18 per cent share of its 25 per cent equity in Kochi Team to Sunanda Pushkar -- a friend of Tharoor, came within days of Modi divulging the names of stakeholders in Kochi Team, a tweet that led to a public spat between the Union Minister and IPL official. Gaikwad said that all the details of the owners were provided in the bid document which would have, otherwise, been

rejected.

"We have submitted all the details such as, PAN card, passport and other professional documents in the bid. Everything was attached as per the requirements. So how come

suddenly there is a doubt about the owners? he asked.

Gaikwad suggested that the IPL Commissioner may be putting obstacles on the Kochi franchise so that he could push some other team which he favoured.

He alleged that Modi had asked a lot of personal details during the meeting with owners in Bangalore.

"We were asked a lot of personal questions about some of our owners which we could not readily answer. He asked questions about when did you meet Sunanda (Pushkar) and other such irrelevant things.

"We said that whatever questions were unanswered we will mail all the details as soon as possible. We felt that most of the questions were planted. Before we could give all the

answers he went on Twitter and said at the press conference that we did not have knowledge about all the owners," Gaikwad said.

Asked whether the Kochi franchise, which won the bid for a whopping Rs 1533 crore, was contemplating legal action against Modi for breaking the confidentiality terms, Gaikwad said, "we don`t want to take legal recourse."

"We don`t want to make this a legal issue. We are here for the passion of the game. We wanted to do something for cricket."

Earlier, Modi had said that he is in dark about the owners of Kochi franchise and would call a meeting of the IPL Governing Council after April 25 to discuss the issue.

"As regards all earlier franchisees we know who the owners are. They come, they attend conferences and meetings but as far as Kochi IPL is concerned we had a question mark," he said at a press conference in Mumbai.

We wanted to finish it off quickly: Pietersen

Jaipur: After taking Royal Challengers Bangalore close to the IPL semifinals with a blistering 29-ball 62, Kevin Pietersen said they came to bat with an aim to finish the game within 15 overs.

Chasing 131 to win, the visitors cruised to the win in 15.4 overs which helped them move up a place to second in the points table and get to a healthy net run-rate of +0.467.

"Against Deccan Chargers we took too long to be there and wanted to finish it early to improve our run-rate. I was firing on all cylinders because we wanted to finish it inside 15 overs," Pietersen, adjudged Man-of-the Match, said the British batsman`s splendid knock had a tragic end as he got run out after a mix up with Virat Kohli but Pietersen condoned the young teammate.

"I was disappointed with the run out. It was silly way to get out. Run outs are run outs and nobody was at fault. I am happy with the team`s performance. Everything came out very good. With run-rate improving we are closer to the semifinals," Pietersen, who was seen yelling at Kohli after the run out, said.

Rajasthan skipper Warne attributed the loss to poor start and chided his team for the pathetic show.

"We again had a horror start because of the Lumb run out. We were 14 in 2 overs but in the next few balls we lost third wicket also. It was disappointing. We thought we had a calm head under pressure but it was panic.”

"Still we did well to reach 130 for six but Pietersen came and took them along. He was hitting the ball and escaped with it. We still have a mathematical chance of making it to the semifinals but I am still very disappointed with the performance today," Warne said.