Breaking News: India chase history but Lankan lions in the way

Mumbai: Armed with the wishes of millions of passionate fans and a never-say-die spirit, India are just one win away from crowning themselves the ODI world champions after almost 28 years as they clash with an equally determined Sri Lanka in the first all-Asian ICC cricket World Cup 2011 summit showdown on Saturday.

More than two decades after their incredible World Cup triumph at the historic Lord's, India find themselves on the threshold of probably their biggest cricketing moment as they brace up for a nerve-wrecking battle for supremacy at the renovated Wankhede stadium.

Both India and Sri Lanka, two Asian giants who have played against each other frequently in recent times, have won the coveted trophy once each and will leave no stone unturned to regain the Cup.

Though there is little to choose between the two teams, India will fancy their chances of putting it across the islanders as they are playing at home and are peaking at the right time after a rather patchy beginning to their campaign.

Both the teams have some injury concerns ahead of the grand finale which will be high on emotions for a variety of reasons and will give one last chance to ageing maestro Sachin Tendulkar to fulfill his dream of winning the World Cup, one silverware that has been missing from his collection.

The match will be the last outing for India's highly respected coach Gary Kirsten who has transformed the team into world-beaters as also Sri Lanka coach Trevor Bayliss, who is set to resign after the World Cup.

It will also be a swansong match for Muttiah Muralitharan, who is racing against time to recover from a knee injury.

The home team has suffered a jolt ahead of the game with Ashish Nehra, who bowled well in the high-voltage semifinal clash against Pakistan in Mohali, being virtually ruled out because of a finger injury.

Similarly, Sri Lanka have injury concerns over Muralitharan and all-rounder Angelo Matthews and have called in Suraj Randiv and Chaminda Vaas as cover.

The hosts are also grappling with a selection dilemma ahead of the summit showdown which will be watched by millions of fans in both the cricket-crazy nations.

The Indians misread the Mohali track and opted for an additional seamer in Nehra at the expense of spinner Ravichandran Ashwin who did a decent job in the two matches he has played so far.

The Mohali pitch assisted the slow bowlers more though the three Indian pacers -- Zaheer Khan, Munaf Patel and Nehra -- bowled well.

The Indians are peaking at the right time having prevailed over defending champions Australia in the quarters and arch-rivals Pakistan in a high-voltage semi-final but it remains to be seen whether they can pull it off when it matters the most.

Captain Dhoni has warned his teammates not to get distracted by the excessive hype surrounding their World Cup campaign and just focus on the job at hand.

"There'll be plenty of things happening around us, but what's important is not to get distracted. We all know what our jobs are as professional cricketers so we'll stick to that and try to play good cricket", Dhoni said.

"The Sri Lankans have a good side and they have done really well in the tournament. We have to play good cricket to beat them. We have to be at our best."

Both the teams appear to be well-balanced on paper though the islanders certainly have a more potent bowling attack, particularly with the presence of spin wizard Muralitharan who will be keen to make an impression in his swansong game.

Muralitharan has been troubled by a knee injury and Randiv has been called in as cover for him, though the team management is confident that he would be fully fit by Saturday.

Although the Indians have a formidable batting line-up and most of them are quite adept in dealing with spin, Muralitharan is a wily customer and will find a way to put pressure on the batsmen if he takes the field on the morrow.

The home team will look to Tendulkar and the flamboyant Virender Sehwag to provide a rollicking start and set the platform for the middle-order to take India to a decent total at the Wankhede stadium track which is expected to suit the batsmen.

Tendulkar has been in good form right through the tournament with 464 runs and his fans will be hoping that he achieves the phenomenal milestone of scoring his 100th international century at his home ground.

Sehwag, who started with a brilliant 175 against Bangladesh, has not really fired after that knock though he has rattled up quick-fire 30s and 40s. India need him to be at his brutal best to take the game away from the Lankans.

India have the depth in their batting but they need to ensure that they don't collapse in the batting powerplay as they had done against South Africa and the West Indies. They, however, made the powerplay count in the last game against Pakistan.

Gautam Gambhir, Virat Kohli, Yuvraj Singh, captain Mahendra Singh Dhoni, and Raina have enough talent and skill to put runs on the board. Dhoni has been struggling with the bat and will be hoping to make a contribution when it matters most.

Yuvraj, who is having a dream World Cup and has already won a record four man-of-the-match awards, will have a key role to play since he is the player in form both with the bat and ball.

The Sri Lankans, on the other hand, have a settled look to their squad and definitely have the resources to spoil India's party.

Their top batsmen -- Tillakaratne Dilshan, Kumar Sangakkara, Upul Tharanga and Mahela Jayawardene -- have all been among the runs.

"It means a lot to us. This is what we planned for over two years. We missed a great opportunity in 2007 when we reached the finals and again we've got a great opportunity on Saturday," Sri Lankan captain Kumar Sangakkara said.

"We will be preparing for the finals. We don't have to get carried away. We are in the finals and that's great and we need to keep our heads down and keep in mind that there's a lot of work left to be done. Its the biggest day of our lives", he said.

The eventual winners of the flagship event of the game would be richer by USD three million, while the runners-up would take home USD 1.5 million out of the total prize pool of USD 12.52 million.

Sri Lanka have played four one-dayers at this venue, including a league match in this tournament against New Zealand. Out of those four, they have won two and lost two.

Sri Lanka had been beaten by India and defeated them once each in their first two encounters at the ground in 1986-87 and 1996-97.

In two other non-India games, the Lankans were beaten by the West Indies in 1993, while they defeated New Zealand earlier this month.

Teams (Probable elevens):

India: MS Dhoni (captain-wk), Virender Sehwag (vice-captain), Sachin Tendulkar, Gautam Gambhir, Yuvraj Singh, Virat Kohli, Suresh Raina, Zaheer Khan, Munaf Patel, Ravichandran Ashwin, Harbhajan Singh.

Sri Lanka: Kumar Sangakkara (captain-wk), Mahela Jayawardene (vice-captain), Tillakaratne Dilshan, Rangana Herath, Lasith Malinga, Angelo Mathews, Ajantha Mendis, Muttiah Muralitharan, Thilan Samaraweera, Chamara Silva, Upul Tharanga

On-field Umpires: Simon Taufel and Aleem Dar.

Third Umpire: Ian Gould.

Fourth Umpire: Steve Davis.

Match Referee: Jeff Crowe.

Match starts at 2.30 pm.

PTI

Dhoni sees finisher's role for Yusuf Pathan

Cape Town: Indian skipper Mahendra Singh Dhoni lauded Yusuf Pathan for his blistering innings and said with more experience the dashing all-rounder can become a good match-finishing batsman for the country.

Pathan produced a terrific 50-ball 59 run innings in the third ODI to help India chase South Africa's total of 220 with 10 balls to spare after being precariously placed at 93 for five at one stage.

"He (Pathan) played his natural game. I want him to continue playing the kind of cricket he plays. As he gets more experience he will turn into a match-finishing batsman," Dhoni said.

"It was good effort from the batsmen. The lower middle-order also played well. But Pathan was superb," Dhoni said.

Dhoni also praised his pace bowlers for their superb show during the death overs of the South African innings.

"The best thing today was our powerplay and death bowling," the Indian skipper said.

Man-of-the-match Pathan said he was just playing his natural game and it put pressure on the South African bowlers.

"It's a good win for us. I was just looking to hit the balls which were in my areas. If you let the bowler know you can play the shots, you will play the shots and he will stay under pressure," Yusuf said.

"I went in thinking that I will play my shots but won't be in any hurry to play those shots. I will wait for the balls in my area and I was successful in doing that."

Pathan, who hit six fours and three sixes, said it was a bouncy pitch but he played his shots to put the opponent on to the back foot.

"There was bounce in the pitch. But I knew if I played a few shots, things would get easier. If you hit the bowlers, the opposition gets on to the back foot. A lot of things run through the captain's mind, and you benefit from that," he added.

The Baroda batsman said with this win, South Africa will be under pressure to bounce back into the five-match One-day series.

"Our team is full of confidence right now," Pathan said.

"South Africa will obviously be under pressure because they have lost two matches, and we have done better in pressure situation. We made a comeback in the previous game and here too. So the pressure will be on them."

PTI

Top 15 priced Players for IPL4

Gautam Gambhir - 2.4 Million US$ (Kolkata)


Yusuf Pathan - 2.1 Million US$ (Kolkata)


Robin Uthappa - 2.1 Million US$ (Pune)


Rohit Sharma - 2 Million US$ (Mumbai)


Irfan Pathan - 1.9 Million US$ (Delhi)


Yuvraj Singh - 1.8 Million US$ (Pune)


Saurabh Tiwary - 1.6 Million US$ (Bangalore)


Mahela Jayawardene -1.5 Million US$ (Kochi)


David Hussey -1.4 Million US$ (Punjab)


Dale Steyn - 1.2 Million US$ Million US$ (Deccan)


Muttiah Muralitharan - 1.1 Million US$ (Kochi)


AB de Villiers - 1.1 Million US$ (Bangalore)


Cameron White - 1.1 Million US$ (Deccan)


Jacques Kallis - 1.1 Million US$ (Kolkata)


Ross Taylor - 1 Million US$ (Rajasthan)

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.

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.

Punjab sink to new low as Kolkata win big

Mohali: Things went from bad to worse for Kumar Sangakkara's Kings XI Punjab as they lost their third successive game at home on Saturday. Chasing 184, Punjab made 144-6 to give a comfortable win to the Kolkata Knight Riders.

The day belonged to Manoj Tiwary who bludgeoned an unbeaten 79 and then took a super catch to send back the dangerous Yuvraj Singh at the PCA stadium.

Punjab were never in the hunt with Kolkata striking in the first over and keeping a tight lid on the scoring from there on. Shane Bond trapped Ravi Bopara for no score and though Yuvraj Singh (24) belted a few blows, Kolkata were always in control. Especially after Yuvraj, who opened the batting, perished to Ajit Agarkar in the sixth over, Punjab never posed a threat.

Kumar Sangakkara (30) and Mahela Jayawardene (16) attempted to put up a fight but both eventually succumbed to the pressure. And by the time, Irfan Pathan came in the middle it was a little too late for Punjab.

Agarkar, playing his first game of the tournament, returned figures of two for 32 while Bond had figures of two for 24.

Earlier, The Kolkata Knight Riders finally batted like they were playing a 20-over game as Tiwary (79 not out) and skipper Sourav Ganguly (50) drove them to 183-5.

After Ganguly elected to bat, Chris Gayle got the Knight Riders off to a super start by pounding comeback man Brett Lee for 15 runs in the first over of the game. The Kolkata captain took over after Gayle fell for 14 and along with Tiwary added 79 runs in less than 10 overs.

Ganguly reached his fifty in the 14th over, his first in 16 IPL innings. His last half-century was in the inaugural edition in 2008. The southpaw smashed six boundaries and one six in his knock that ended when he tried to lift Irfan Pathan over long-off but was caught by Piyush Chawla.

David Hussey (three) failed to make a mark in his first game of IPL III as he was deceived by Chawla. However, Tiwary held one end up and reached his second IPL fifty and struck lusty blows in the end to power the Knight Riders to a formidable total. Tiwary belted eight fours and two sixes in his unconquered 47-ball innings.

The 39-run win escalated the Knight Riders to the fifth position in the points table.