India crushed England in 1st ODI

It was very close to England's worst one-day defeat in terms of runs as India won the first game of the seven-match series by 158 runs here in Rajkot on Friday.
Yuvraj Singh smashed an unbeaten 138 off 78 balls to lift India to their second highest one-day total of 387-5 after being being ruled out for Test Series against Australia.
England could reply 229 in perfect batting conditions despite a classy 63 from skipper Kevin Pietersen and Ravi Bopara's unbeaten 54 off 38 balls lower down the order.
The tourists were in danger of falling below their heaviest-ever loss total before Bopara's late charge, which included five sixes and two fours, saved Pietersen's men the blushes.
It was India's highest total against a test playing cricketing nation -- they made 376-2 against New Zealand in 1999 -- although their best ever is 413-5 against Bermuda at the 2007 World Cup.
"At the end of the day when you stand up and watch innings like the ones Yuvraj, Sehwag and Gambhir played, you just have to say: well played guys," said Pietersen.
"The pitch was a perfect batting beauty. They played superb cricket today, but we have to regroup and sort things out. There are six games still left in the series."
Dhoni said the huge scores posted by his players made victory easier.
"It was a great start given by Sehwag, Gambhir and Raina, and Yuvraj was just fantastic," the Indian captain said.
"That kind of innings by Yuvraj just takes you through. And after those early wickets, we knew the game was ours" and why not that was almost impossible target.
"These have been a hard couple of months, but this was one of my best innings because I carried on till the end," said the left-hander on asking by Ravi.
"I pulled a muscle in my back but luckily I had Gambhir running for me. I will try to get fit for the next game in Indore on Monday."
England have twice lost by 165 runs, once to the West Indies in 1994 and again to Pakistan in 2005. They were beaten by 162 runs by Australia in 1999.
India, who stunned world champions Australia 2-0 in a Test series on Monday, switched quickly to the one-day mode to reduce England to 38-4 by the 11th over.
Left-handed Yuvraj, who batted with a runner because of a back injury in the early part of his innings, hammered 16 boundaries and six sixes in his ninth one-day century.

Board of Control for Cricket in India - India v England: the head-to-heads that matter

Board of Control for Cricket in India - India v England: the head-to-heads that matter

Fresh from jilting Australia’s crown as the undisputed kings of Test cricket, India arrive in Rajkot to take on England in the first of seven one-day internationals. Despite their recent defeat at the hands of the Stanford Superstars 20-20 in Antigua, England have enjoyed something of a renaissance in the limited-overs arena of late, and with India riding high after overwhelming Ricky Ponting’s team, this series has all the hallmarks of a classic. We examine some of the key battles that will help decide which side claims the spoils.
Dhoni’s credentials as a leader, after leading India to two Test victories over Australia as well as lifting the inaugural World T20 back in 2007, are simply not up for debate. His ability to unite and inspire his team-mates has drawn praise from all corners of the game, whilst his out-manoeuvring of Ricky Ponting at Nagpur demonstrated to observers he has a fine tactical mind. Couple this with his ebullient batting – his rapid half-century at Mohali was a perfect example of his ability to take the initiative away from the opposition – and you realise why Dhoni is regarded as one of the most dynamic players in international cricket.Pietersen is a similarly destructive presence at the crease, averaging 47.83 in ODIs, and his appointment as captain helped inspire England to a 4-0 series victory against South Africa. Pietersen has gone on record that he looks to lead by example, and his brand of ‘up and at ‘em’ leadership has certainly brought about a short-term upturn in England’s fortunes, but arguably he has yet to take charge of a match that has called for a great deal of tactical consideration, and it will be fascinating to see if he can contend with a leader of Dhoni’s stature.
Despite a relatively slow start to the series against Australia, which saw him struggle to convert promising starts into his customary big scores, Virender Sehwag returned to his blistering best in the final Test at Nagpur, making 66 and 92 in double quick time. One of the most explosive talents on the world stage, Sehwag forms a formidable opening partnership with Gautam Gambhir that will look to exploit the fielding restrictions and place pressure on England’s opening bowlers.Jimmy Anderson is likely to be one of the bowlers in question, and whilst the 26-year-old has enjoyed an excellent year in Test cricket, he has had a frustrating time of it in the ODI arena, taking just 10 wickets in 16 matches. Anderson’s mastery of conventional swing is well known, and the England think-tank will no doubt be hoping that he can pick Sehwag up early before he can cause too much damage. The Delhi Dynamo’s ruthless ability to punish any width means that Anderson’s out-swinger, by far his best delivery, needs to be well directed. If it is, he stands a reasonable chance of snaring Sehwag caught behind. If it isn’t, expect Sehwag to capitalise by repeatedly slashing Anderson through the off side. It should be an enthralling contest. Harbhajan Singh v Andrew Flintoff Harbhajan (pictured) is, to put it simply, an excellent one-day bowler. Equally comfortable tossing it up outside of off looking for big turn as he is firing it in to the legs, Harbhajan is rarely truly collared and his mastery of the doosra, a delivery that has caused England no end of trouble over the years, adds further to his versatility. Posted using ShareThis

England in India

November 2008
Date Time (GMT) Match Details Venue
Fri 14 03:30 India v England, 1st ODI Rajkot

Mon 17 03:30 India v England, 2nd ODI Indore

Thu 20 03:30 India v England, 3rd ODI Kanpur

Sun 23 08:30 India v England, 4th ODI Bangalore (D/N)

Wed 26 08:30 India v England, 5th ODI Cuttack (D/N)

Sat 29 03:30 India v England, 6th ODI Guwahati

December 2008
Date Time (GMT) Match Details Venue
Tue 02 08:30 India v England, 7th ODI Delhi (D/N)

Test Match Series

Thu 11 - Mon 15
India v England, 1st Test
Ahmedabad

Fri 19 - Tue 23
India v England, 2nd Test
Mumbai

Redemption is here...

Nagpur: India’s supremacy on the field was re-established when MS Dhoni’s boys forced the Australians into submission, made them bit the dust, and claimed the coveted Border-Gavaskar Trophy, their first series win over Australia in eight years, after they bowled Australia out for 209 to win by 172 runs.

It was a dramatic day, with an energetic India following up three early wickets with dropped catches to allow Matthew Hayden score a maverick 77 and give Australia a sign of victory. India's spinners held their nerve, however, and relentlessly plugged away with precision and hostility to snuff out the seven wickets required to regain the trophy lost in 2004. India confidently stepped into a new era with their captain, Mahendra Singh Dhoni, winning his third Test in a row.
Ishant Sharma has been chosen man of the Series for his excellent bowling performance on such wickets. He got shining Toyota Corolla Altis.

In a touching tribute to Sourav Ganguly, who signed off in this Test, Dhoni let him captain the side as the final rites were being administered. When the last wicket fell just before tea, Mitchell Johnson trapped lbw by a Bhajji's doosra, Ganguly and Dhoni embraced at the centre of India's raucous celebrations. Ganguly had played a key role in shaping cricket's most enthralling current rivalry back in 2001, and he can leave the game knowing that it has been passed on into worthy hands. Dhoni led his team off in style, while people made room for Ganguly to say his final goodbyes. There was no emotional reaction from Ganguly.

This was Australia's first series defeat since the 2005 Ashes tour of England. I think India started it in Jan this with the win in Perth. Also it has been a long time since Australia could not register even a single win a series.

India captain Kumble retires from Test cricket

Anil Kumble spin bowling legend has announced his retirement from cricket, saying the finger injury he sustained on the third day of the Test helped him make his decision. The news was made public minutes after the tea break on the final day; Kumble then bowled four overs before two teams agreed for a draw.
"The body was asking questions every day, It was not easy to keep bowling the way I have been bowling the last 18 years, to keep going. The injury I had on the third day probably helped me make the decision" Anil said.
Kumble made the formal announcement at the post-match press conference, at which he received a standing ovation from the journalists crowded into the room. He stayed composed throughout the conference, which took place minutes after the emotional farewell he had received on the field.
Kumble had decided to quit last night but took his time in letting his team-mates know and informed them in the morning so that they can have their concentration in the match. "I did inform my team-mates, who I have played with all these years, one by one during the day," Kumble said. "Then I informed the chairman of the selection committee just after lunch. I did inform the board as well."
It took a "nasty injury" to finally push Kumble into retirement. "You could see the flesh. There are 11 stitches. The doctor said I had to undergo the procedure under general anesthesia. I told him, 'If you give me general anesthesia I'll lose time, I'd like to go there and bowl.' He said 'Look, it's a medical decision, not a cricketing decision." Anil told reporters.
"The stitches will come out only on November 8, which is the third day of the Nagpur Test. I don't think it was easy for me to bat or field. I wouldn't have been 100% and I didn't want to let the team down. Anyway I had more or less decided this would be my last series."
Kumble has never given the team less than 100% and he said wanted to be remembered most for that. "I definitely put the team above self, right through my career," Kumble said. "I believe Indian cricket has certainly gone further from the time when I started, in terms of results, not just in India but also abroad.
"And I am confident that with this young team, with a few of the experienced senior players still being a part of the team, we have an opportunity to dominate world cricket and be No. 1 in all forms of the game. In one-day cricket we're pretty close to the top, in Twenty20 we're No. 1, I don't think we are that far behind in Tests as well and it will be great to see that happen." Anil Kumble: "I kept getting responses from the body saying that you can't. I fought that, I took various painkillers and tried all sorts of things, but ultimately one injury to the hand said 'enough now'."
Adios to samurai. The fight is over, sir.

India crush Australia in a historic Win

India observed a massive 320-run defeat over Australia in the second Test to take a 1-0 lead in the four-Test series in Mohali on Tuesday.
Australia, who were left starving to save the Test after being reduced to 141-5 on the fourth day, were bowled out for 195 in final day to slide to one of their worst defeats in the history of Test cricket.
Debutant leg-spinner Amit Mishra, whose five-wicket haul in the first innings triggered an Australian collapse, finished off the tail with two wickets to iginate celebrations in the Indian camp with their biggest victory in terms of runs in Tests.
India showed a splendid bowling performance throughout the match with all their bowlers figuring in the wickets column. Harbhajan Singh and Zaheer Khan took three wickets each while Ishant Sharma and Amit Mishra took two.
The old aged Australians were no match for an Indian outfit brimming with the right mix of young talent and a wealth of experience.
Even their fast bowlers like Lee and Johanson have been outperformed by the Indian duo of Zaheer Khan and Ishant Sharma, who have captured the visitors with 21 wickets so far in the series.

MS Dhoni declared Man Of The Match for his invaluable performance from bat and excellent captaincy.

India close to famous win

India is about to clinch a famous win in the second Test over Australia who were battling to save the game on 141-5 at stumps on the fourth day in Mohali on Monday.
The Indians, led by Gautam Gambhir's second Test hundred, fired at five runs an over before declaring their second innings on 314-3, handing the Australians an improbable target of 516 to win the test match.
Michael Clarke (42*) and Brad Haddin (37*) were left with an uphill task of batting out the final day along with the tail-enders, after Harbhajan Singh and Ishant Sharma sacked Australia's top order to have them reeling at 58-5 at one stage.

Brief Score Card:

India: 469 & 314/3 dec.

Australia: 268 & 141/5 @ Day-4 stumps.