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India had an eventful, often turbulent year, marked by all kinds of leadership-related turmoil, but it was a surprisingly successful one as well

Siddhartha Vaidyanathan07-Jan-2008

Crash out of one world event, storm to victory in another; fumble over the appointment of a coach, win a rare Test series in England; get flustered after one player resigns from captaincy and another refuses the job, revel in the newly appointed captain, dominating Pakistan in the process; panic after an informal league lures domestic players, watch the closest Ranji Trophy league round in recent memory.Rarely did a day go by in 2007 without Indian cricket throwing up something or the other. If it was an unnamed member of the team management leaking news at the start of the year, an unnamed selector was doing the same by the end of it. If none of the board officials made the headlines, there was always Sreesanth.Scratch the turbulent surface, though, and you have one of India’s most successful years. The year began with them squandering a series-winning opportunity in Cape Town and ended with a thrashing in Melbourne, but India made up with a couple of series wins against England and Pakistan in between – one after 21 years, the other after 27. Throw in a win in the World Twenty20 and you had a year to look back on fondly.If India rose steadily in Tests, in limited-overs cricket they oscillated from the pathetic to the inspirational. If they could do nothing right against Bangladesh in the World Cup opener, they were unstoppable against Australia in the World Twenty20 semi-final. When India won an ODI, it was usually owing to Sachin Tendulkar. Whether it was his 76-ball 100 in Vadodara that sealed the series against West Indies, or the twin 90s against South Africa in Belfast, or his magical 94 that helped level the series at The Oval, or even his uplifting 97 against Pakistan in Gwalior, he was the guiding force. His only weakness? Falling in the nineties.He was far quieter in the Test arena, preferring the path of least risk. Eclipsing him were two contrasting batsmen: the languid Wasim Jaffer and the enigmatic Sourav Ganguly. Jaffer’s efficient run-scoring underlined his coming of age as a batsman over the last couple of years, but it was Ganguly who made for the poignant story. Banished into exile a little over a year ago, he returned to conquer, batting better than he had ever done before. A number of moments stand out but his towering double-hundred in Bangalore will be talked about the longest.India went through much of the year without a coach. Greg Chappell resigned after the World Cup debacle and the board didn’t think it was urgent to appoint someone on a long-term basis. Ravi Shastri, Chandu Borde and Lalchand Rajput handled the responsibilities over different series before Gary Kirsten was finally handed a two-year contract.Captains changed too. Rahul Dravid relinquished the job after the England series and the selectors gave Mahendra Singh Dhoni the responsibility in the shorter formats. Anil Kumble was handed the reins for the longer version, though the appointment was likely to last only a couple of series at the most.

High point
The final of the World Twenty20 against Pakistan will top the list. India’s first victory on the world stage for 22 years was engineered by a bunch of rookies who started without much of a chance. Dhoni was leading a group of unknowns, but they turned in one fearless performance after another to strike gold. The Test series win in England must come a close second.Low point
The first-round exit from the World Cup. India were outclassed by Bangladesh and Sri Lanka and never looked good enough to mix it with the best. A bunch of ageing stars dawdled in the field, and a helpless captain and garrulous coach bungled at the top.Several shenanigans of the board will vie for a close second.New kids on the block

A number of promising stars were part of the World Twenty20 squad. Rohit Sharma and Robin Uthappa shone bright but it was probably RP Singh who emerged the strongest, going from a second-change bowler to a new-ball exponent. He was probably India’s most consistent bowler in England, and began the New Year leading the attack.What does 2008 hold?

There’s no doubt that a number of voids will open up. With Dravid, Ganguly, Laxman, Tendulkar, and Kumble nearing the end of their careers, India could be in for a serious depletion. The challenge would be to phase these players out gradually, blooding new talent at the right time and making sure the boat isn’t rocked too hard. It may turn out to be the most challenging task yet.

It would be ridiculous to suggest that a new world order is upon us but one thing has been re-established at Perth: Australia v India is the Test rivalry of the decade

Sambit Bal at the WACA19-Jan-2008

Australia must wonder why they always run into India when in full flow. The same opponents had halted them in 2001 by conjuring a miracle in Kolkata; now they have done one better by overwhelming them at the bastion of Australian supremacy. Perth didn’t quite live up to the hype, but it was still the paciest, bounciest track the Indians have experienced this summer and it is likely to remain so.More significantly, though, after a blip in Melbourne, a great rivalry has been restored to health. Just over four years ago India had taken a Test off Australia in Adelaide and now they have done it again. It would be ridiculous to suggest that a new world order is upon us but one thing has been re-established: Australia v India is the Test rivalry of the decade. England popped up spectacularly in 2005 but only India have been able to match, fight and beat Australia over a sustained period.Since India’s disastrous tour in 1991-92, the teams have met 21 times in Test cricket; the numbers now stand at 10-8 in Australia’s favour. In the corresponding period Australia’s record stands at 27-9 against England, 12-2 against Pakistan, 15-4 against South Africa and 9-1 against Sri Lanka. And India were the last team to humble Australia in a home Test.Till 2001, contests between India and Australia followed a familiar pattern: India were hopeless in Australia and Australia could never beat India in India. Steve Waugh’s team, though it lost that great series, actually started the change – Australia were two wicket-taking balls away from winning the series – and Sourav Ganguly’s Indians continued it during a magnificently competitive series in 2003-04.There was a real danger of this series ending as a washout. A less resilient side would have been shattered by the heartbreaking last-minute loss at Sydney, and the other distractions it brought. India are fortunate to have a man of Anil Kumble’s resolve and calm, and a bunch of steely senior players in the dressing room. Instead of licking their wounds when they retreated to Canberra after the stand-off, they renewed their spirit to fight on and found the calm to be able to do so. Kumble spoke after the win about the special bond within the team and this is as united a team as India have ever been.Kumble had no hesitation in ranking this win the greatest of his career and he is hardly off the mark. The good thing about this Indian side is that the wins have been getting better and better. Adelaide in 2003 was special because no one had given them a chance of competing against Australia before the series and, more so, because they were 85 for 4 in the first innings chasing 556. Like Kolkata, it had a touch of the miraculous to it. And of course, Australia had contributed to their defeat by some reckless batting.Not so here. This was a Test in which India looked Australia in the eye from the first session and never blinked. Apart from batting and bowling better than their opponents, they even caught more safely. Sachin Tendulkar and Rahul Dravid showed what difference technique can make by batting through a challenging period when Brett Lee and Stuart Clark were at their best on the first day; when they failed in the second innings VVS Laxman stood up. Virender Sehwag’s two wickets in successive overs hastened India’s win but his contribution with the bat was equally vital. He got India off to quick starts in both innings and in fact had looked to have regained his form in the second innings. Mahendra Singh Dhoni is still far from his booming best but this is his first tour of Australia and his restrained 38 in the second innings saved India from a collapse.

But the bowlers won India the match and, staggeringly, they outbowled their rivals. Even more staggeringly the bowling line-up, had injury not intervened, would have read Zaheer Khan, Sreesanth and Munaf Patel. Rarely has the gap between expectation and delivery been so huge in a positive sense. Even though Perth was expected to deliver pace and bounce, the Indians always knew they had to do it with swing and, irrespective of what the pitch did, they were prepared to throw it up.Teamwork has been a feature of India’s recent wins and, as in Trent Bridge and Delhi, there were no singular performances here. Wasim Jaffer and Sourav Ganguly were the only failures of the match, and even Jaffer played his part in the first innings. It’s a sign of strength and a healthy departure from the not-so-distant past when they were over-reliant on individual brilliance.The result in Perth was also a victory for world cricket and there were few Australian journalists in the press box who were not alive to the fact; they were even prepared to rejoice over it. Australia’s dominance has been boring and unhealthy and, even though this is not a sign of a decline, to see them challenged itself is uplifting.The Australian season began in misery with Sri Lanka belying their promise. Now, Test cricket is alive again. The trophy has been won but there is a series that can be shared. Adelaide is a salivating prospect.

Like everything during the early stages of Kevin Pietersen’s captaincy, the speed of England’s one-day revival has come as a surprise.

Andrew McGlashan at The Oval29-Aug-2008

Like everything during the early stages of Kevin Pietersen’s captaincy career, the speed of England’s one-day revival has come as a surprise. After less than a month in charge he has secured his first trophy and if England go on and claim a series whitewash they will climb to second in the world rankings. Pietersen likes to do things quickly, but that would be outdoing himself.Of course, 5-0 is still two good performances away for England and with the series in the bag it remains to be seen whether they can keep the motivation levels high enough. South Africa have certainly found it difficult to rouse themselves after their main task was completed in the Tests. But the benefit of the upheaval England have been through since their Test-series defeat at Edgbaston is that it has given them plenty of incentive to perform. Not least because their new captain is constantly taking notes.”It puts extra pressure on us [searching for 5-0] because it takes us up to second in the world, which is very very interesting,” Pietersen said. “That’s the sort of pressure we want. Pressure, I believe, is a privilege. If we win 5-0, which is a goal, then it takes us up to the top with Australia. If we keep delivering there’s no reason why we can’t do it.”We are doing a real good job on South Africa at the moment,” he added with a sense of achievement. “I know South Africans really well. They wouldn’t have wanted to lose the series 3-0. They are very proud people and very stubborn people. I know them well, it’s definitely hurt them, but it’s the pressure we have applied over the three games.”Pietersen isn’t someone who accepts second-best and he won’t be shy of putting anyone in their place if they start to drift in the final two games. However, England are currently a very happy team – a term Pietersen spread liberally after the match – and there is a clear enjoyment in everything they are doing. It helps, no end, to be winning. “There’s no fear, playing with Kev,” said Samit Patel, who was Man of the Match after his vital 31 and 5 for 41. “It’s a freedom to play cricket and enjoy it. You can’t ask for any more from the captain. As a newcomer coming in it’s been great.”Contrary to some expectations, Pietersen seems genuinely thrilled by the individual success of his team-mates. “One of my goals was to get guys playing to their potential, loving playing for England and loving the badge. So far the guys have been brilliant,” he said. “The fortunate thing I have is that I have guys who bowl at 90mph and two guys who can bat as well – [Stuart] Broad and [Andrew] Flintoff.”In the space of three matches Pietersen has been able to form a side that looks like a winning ODI outfit and plays like one. Compare it to the team that finished with their second consecutive 3-1 defeat to New Zealand in July and the transformation has been stark. Only five players remain from the side that lost by 51 runs at Lord’s, compared to the one that won by 126 runs here. Pietersen’s attacking mindset – the desire for pace in the middle overs and a deep batting order – has been key.It has been Pietersen’s good fortune to have Flintoff and Steve Harmison firing, but he makes his own luck. He had the force of personality to persuade Harmison out of retirement and has given Flintoff the responsibility he relishes. The pair have been fundamental to England’s upsurge in form.As it was at Headingley, Flintoff’s batting was central to the success. When he came in at No. 5 there was the ideal platform of 146 for 3 in the 26th over, but that soon became 182 for 5 in the 35th. It was the tipping point of the innings. One more wicket and England’s lower order would have been exposed too early. He played the perfect innings. It started with a languid cover drive, then he made sure he played through the mid-innings wobble alongside the mature Patel. He waited until well into the final 10 overs to have a dip, trusting in his own ability.At the start of the 40th over Flintoff had 38 off 46 balls; then he took a nasty blow from Morne Morkel off his 50th delivery. But he refocused – in every sense – and cracked 39 off his next 27 balls. The authority is returning to Flintoff’s batting, a commanding presence that hasn’t existed since the heady days of 2004 and 2005. He has been given a huge vote of confidence by Pietersen and is repaying him.It is a long while since England have produced one-day cricket of this vibrancy in a run of matches (albeit just three games) against supposedly superior opposition. They had their moments against Australia in 2005 when they also had a side packed with fast bowling and a deep order. But the stand-out feature of these last three matches is that South Africa have either completely outplayed or, if they have momentarily had a sniff, England have come down hard on them.Although this doesn’t seem the moment, a word of a caution is worthy. When England had a major change of captaincy in 2003 a certain Michael Vaughan swept all before him in one-day colours winning his first two series, including thrashing South Africa in the Natwest Series final. Then, last year, Paul Collingwood beat India and Sri Lanka early in his reign. They were both false dawns, and the one-day side quickly slipped back to mediocrity. This time, you sense, it might just be different.

Stats preview of the four-Test series between India and Australia

S Rajesh07-Oct-2008Over the last seven years, there’s been little to separate India and Australia in Tests. In four series since 2001, India have won one and lost two, but each team has won at least one Test in all series. Australia achieved a comprehensive victory the last time they toured, and the 2-1 result ensures they maintain a slight edge in terms of their win-loss record in India. The other aspect which stands out is that in seven Tests between the two teams in India since 2001, only one has been drawn, and even that was due to the inclement Chennai weather, which washed out the entire last day and ruined a match which would surely have ended decisively otherwise.

On paper, India start as favourites, thanks primarily to their batsmen and spinners. Of the five specialist batsmen who have played more than one home Test against Australia, only Sourav Ganguly has a sub-40 average. Similarly, Anil Kumble and Harbhajan Singh have fantastic home records against Australia: Kumble’s 59 wickets have cost him 20.86 runs each with six five-wicket hauls in eight Tests, while Harbhajan has taken 55 in seven Tests at 21.54

Among the Australian batsmen, Matthew Hayden and Michael Clarke have tackled Indian conditions superbly, but the same can’t be said of their captain. For Ricky Ponting, this will be a huge opportunity to set right a gaping hole in his career stats – 172 runs in eight Tests, at an average of 12.28.

Head-to-head battlesAustralia’s wafer-thin spin attack puts the onus of wicket-taking on the fast bowlers, and how the Indians tackle the pace and swing of Brett Lee will probably be a huge factor in the outcome of the series. While Lee has a pretty good record against India – 45 wickets at 26.71 – the Indian top order has handled him pretty well. Virender Sehwag averages nearly 80 against him, while Dravid has good numbers against him too. The only specialist batsman who has struggled is VVS Laxman, who has fallen to him five times in 231 deliveries. (All head-to-head numbers are only since 2002.)

Australia’s batsmen will be up against the twin threat of Kumble and Harbhajan, and while most of them have impressive numbers against both, those runs were mostly scored in the last two series in Australia. (Remember, these stats don’t include the 2001 series, when Harbhajan took 32 wickets.) In conditions more favourable to spin, both bowlers are likely to be a much bigger force.

The toss factorOver the two most recent series, the toss has been a vital aspect: the last six decisive results have all gone in favour of the team winning the toss. Australia called correctly in Bangalore and Nagpur on their previous tour, and in Melbourne and Sydney last season, while India won the toss in Mumbai and Perth. The last time a team won the toss and lost the Test was in the Boxing Day Test of 2003, when India won the toss and batted, but lost by nine wickets.

Sriram Veera explains some Twenty20 tactics, lifts the veil on some common misconceptions, raises some questions – and sticks his neck out answering them

Sriram Veera18-Apr-2009Sriram Veera explains some Twenty20 tactics, lifts the veil on some common misconceptions, raises some questions – and sticks his neck out answering themShane Watson took an off-stump guard and repeatedly hit to the on side, which proved very effective•Getty ImagesThe toss-upLast year, 28 out of 58 games (one was washed out) were won by the team calling correctly at the toss. The captains realised that chasing a target was the better option, with teams often unsure of what a competitive target could be when batting first. This could be a key factor this year – Stephen Fleming has already gone on record saying that in South Africa batting first in the night games could be the way to go.The runaroundThe two finalists, Rajasthan and Chennai, ran the most singles, twos, and threes (750 and 748 runs respectively) in the tournament and their boundary percentage (as a factor of total runs) was almost identical – 59.28 and 59.23. Interestingly, they had a lower boundary percentage compared to the other teams – showing that Twenty20 is not about slogging.The brain in the brawnThe successful batsmen had a different technique – and it wasn’t slogging. Instead, there was some sound scientific rationale – and lots of practice – behind it. Shane Watson’s was perhaps the most obvious technical change: he took an off-stump guard and repeatedly hit to the on side. Others like Gautam Gambhir and Rohit Sharma chose to stay beside the line and drive through or over the covers. Shaun Marsh stayed very still with a leg stump guard and drove hard in the V. The successful batsmen weren’t too keen to get behind the line. Martin Crowe famously said, “In Twenty20, you have to forget the stumps.” What innovations will this edition on South African pitches throw up? It’s not all runfestsThere were seven 200-plus totals in April but only one in May in the first year. There were several reasons: the pitches slowed down, the bowlers adapted, a few of the big-hitting batsmen left midway and, interestingly, the pressure increased on the batsmen as the tournament moved closer to the semi-final stage.Will the pitches have more zip under lights in South Africa, as Fleming predicted? This could affect the totals. Even during the ICC World Twenty20 in South Africa, the totals steadily decreased as the tournament progressed.Powerplays and end gameLogic suggests that teams have to make the Powerplays count in this format. But, if the first year was any indication, that wasn’t the case across the board. Mumbai Indians revelled here, taking 26 wickets while losing just 16 and scoring more runs than they conceded. The winners, Rajasthan, were steady in the Powerplays but really controlled the game in the middle and end overs. Rajasthan scored at 8.7 runs per over during the middle phase (6-14 overs) and really tightened the noose in the last six overs – they took 48 wickets. You might see the trend continue in South Africa. The team that controls the middle and end overs might be the ones going all the way.A Cricinfo study at the end of 36 games last season showed that yorkers constituted approximately a little over 2% of the total balls bowled•AFPPace vs spinBoth performed superbly in the first edition. Fast bowlers averaged 28.54 per wicket while the spinners averaged 30.38 for theirs and the economy-rate was pretty much the same; a little over 8. Under lights, in South Africa, logic dictates that the pace bowlers might hold the key but one has to wait and watch how the pitches play. During the recent Australia-South Africa ODI series, the pitches were a tad slow and offered turn.York ’em out?Not really. A Cricinfo study at the end of 36 games last season showed that yorkers constituted approximately a little over 2% of the total balls bowled while a majority – around 61% – were on a good length and nearly 18% of the deliveries were short of length. The trick was the change of pace. Not the really obvious slower ones but there were the cutters, little changes of pace, the slower bouncers and the ball held across the seam. Those were perfectly suited to the slower pitches in India – South Africa could be a whole new ball game.The new starsFinally, it’s down to the players. Who will be this year’s Shane Watson? Tyron Henderson, Jesse Ryder and Albie Morkel are all in the running. Which Indian local cricketer will take the leap from the unknown to stardom? Will it be the fast bowlers Kamran Khan, Umesh Yadav, Bhuvneshwar Kumar or Amit Singh? All should thrive on South African conditions. There’s been much talk that Indian domestic cricketers would struggle in South African conditions but the fact is that those in contention for their team’s playing XI are mainly seamers and they should revel.

A selection of tributes on Sachin Tendulkar’s double-century

Cricinfo staff24-Feb-2010″Better than Brian Lara and Ricky Ponting, the other two great players of my era. Better than Sir Viv Richards, Sunil Gavaskar and Allan Border. And I would even say better than Sir Don Bradman himself.”
“Nobody else does deserve to get there. It’s only Sachin who deserves to scale that peak. 200 is a big score in one-day cricket. It’s not easy to get there. It took him 20 long years to get there. He has come a long way. It’s Sachin’s greatness. Records are meant to be broken. I heard somebody [Charles Coventry] equalled my record sometime ago. But I did not know him. It’s great that my friend from Mumbai Sachin broke it. I am very happy for him.”
“He should aim for more. Maybe a Test innings of 450 or an ODI knock of 250. And then he himself wants to win next year’s World Cup. There is a little boy in Tendulkar who wants to keep playing. That spirit keeps him going. It’s absolutely incredible how he keeps going.”
“Come on Sachin my friend get your 200. World record to please! You deserve it… Nervous for my good friend Sachin everything crossed for you mate… Glad I’m not bowling to him today ha ha ha.”

“I thought the way he celebrated when he reached his 200 epitomised the man’s persona. There was no running laps around the field, no aggressive gestures, nothing over-the-top. He did what he always does, raised both his arms, closed his eyes for a moment and quietly acknowledged that it had been done.”
I was very proud to have held the record for a little while but there could be no better man in the history of the game to break through the 200 barrier. Zimbabwe versus Bangladesh … India versus South Africa. Not quite in the same bracket, are they?”
“The unbeaten 200 that Sachin made at Gwalior is a benchmark for others to follow. Now, there will be lot of players who believe that they can also make 200 in an one-day international. We will wait and see.”
that it was a path breaking innings“He has always respected the game and is dedicated to it. But I think this is not enough for him. He is hungry and I am sure he will keep creating new records. He is a dedicated student of the game and is still keen to learn things.”
“I think if you ask Saeed Anwar, he would say he’s happy that Tendulkar broke his record. The reason for his success is that he has a great respect for the game.”
“He has got so much class. His greatest strength is the longevity, to be able to be so successful at a young age and to still be doing the same thing 20 years on. We’re blessed to still have such a great player playing this game.”
“If any person deserved to do better than me it was Tendulkar. I am happy for him, there are no real regrets.”
.”It shows his mental and physical toughness. He’s a player who does not throw away his wicket once he’s set. He always places a huge price on his wicket.”

“Sachin – the greatest ever player ever – without any doubt… I salute Sachin… World’s greatest sportsman. We can see him only rise. (He is an) inspiration to us all. He is the best.”

“What an innings it was. He had come close to achieving it twice. I always felt that Tendulkar and Sanath Jayasuriya are capable of doing that.”
“He is my favourite player. I had said that one day he would go on to break all batting records and now you see him scoring runs and runs.”

“Whatever record is seen to be impossible to achieve, he makes it possible. That’s all I can say. It seems as he’s getting older, he is becoming more and more mature. No wonder Sir Donald Bradman saw himself in the way Sachin bats.”

This innings was Gayle at his destructive best, but it was also Gayle at his most mature and composed as he batted for all bar two balls of the innings

Andrew McGlashan in Bridgetown09-May-2010If Chris Gayle leads, West Indies tend to follow. All teams can be inspired by the performance of their captain, yet rarely has the impact been so clear as with Gayle’s role within his side. As with Mahela Jayawardene he came within a brace of becoming the first batsman to make two Twenty20 international hundreds, but of far greater significance is that the hosts remain very much alive in this tournament.This innings was Gayle at his destructive best, but it was also Gayle at his most mature and composed as he batted for all bar two balls of the innings when his bat bounced up when he tried to make his ground. He scored at better than a run-a-ball in the first six, but only just as he assessed conditions were tougher after overnight rain. At the start of the eighth over he was on 26 – Gayle has often had that many to his name before anyone can blink.He picked his moments and targeted certain bowlers. Harbhajan Singh was allowed to escape with four overs for 16 (much as Johan Botha had been treated with respect by England) and teams are often allowing the opposition’s main threat to be played out. Batsmen are confident of being able to make the ground up elsewhere. This time it was Ravindra Jadeja – who has had a tournament to forget – and Suresh Raina who were picked off for 50 in four overs. India again packed their batting, but they were desperate for another bowler.This effort can rank alongside the 117 Gayle made against South Africa in the opening match of the inaugural tournament and the stunning 88 off 50 balls against Australia last year as his finest Twenty20 innings. “The South Africa one will always stand out more but if you look at the situation here it was a must-win for us,” Gayle said. “So to come out and deliver is what we asked for. It was suitable for my style of batting and the ball came on nicely.”The atmosphere inside the Kensington Oval was electric which confirmed how important West Indies presence is to this tournament. Each Gayle boundary was greeted by cacophonous noise as the West Indian fans made sure they out-cheered their Indian counterparts. For sponsors and broadcasters this would have been the perfect final.Staging the match at 9.30 on a Sunday morning (or 10am after the delayed start) was hardly ideal timing for the local audience, but the needs of the Indian television market are being serviced first. The irony now is that India are looking increasingly unlikely to make the knockout stages. However, despite the early start the crowd turned up in numbers with only a few vacant seats.”The support has been tremendous,” Gayle said. “We had to come out and give the crowd something to cheer about otherwise I’m sure stones would have been thrown. This victory eases the pressure a bit but we can’t relax.”Gayle’s strokeplay warmed the crowd and one blow – a back-foot drive off Yusuf Pathan – bounced on the top of the 3Ws stand. Locals say they have never see such a blow. It was a monstrous strike. But there was one moment later in the match that was true Caribbean and all too rare these days. Kemar Roach produced a wicked bouncer which followed Gautam Gambhir as he tried to sway out of the line. The ball kissed the glove and Denesh Ramdin leapt off the ground to take the catch. The stands went wild.The reaction was the same, and perhaps even louder given the match was heading for its denouement, when Dwayne Bravo produced a direct hit from long-on to run out MS Dhoni who was India’s last hope. Bravo ended up at midwicket in celebration then had the task of bowling the final over after a nervous Roach bowled four wides and a no-ball to make West Indies sweat. Even on a day when Bravo hadn’t been at his best with the ball he wasn’t going give up 19 runs.The local fans are desperate for success – victory still brings huge passion – but they are so used to defeats that it has become the norm. The scenes when West Indies do conjure victory remind of how much they are savoured. As they exited the stands the trumpets were blaring and smiles beamed. It was much the same when Jerome Taylor skittled England for 51 in Jamaica last year. Now West Indies need to repeat this against Australia and Gayle will set benchmark. Once again captain, it’s over to you.

Plays of the day for the final of the tri-series between Sri Lanka and India

Siddarth Ravindran in Dambulla28-Aug-2010Watch out for that car
It’s usually only in neighbourhood cricket that you have to worry about breaking car windows. In the 12th over of the day, when Tillakaratne Dilshan hammered Ishant Sharma over long-on for one of the biggest sixes of the tournament, the sponsors would have had an anxious moment as it flew perilously close to the car to be presented to the Man of the Series. Or perhaps they wouldn’t have minded the extra publicity caused by a smashed windscreen.Silva loses his grip
In the 48th over, Sri Lanka needed some big hits to get close to 300. Chamara Silva looked to slog a slower ball from Ashish Nehra towards midwicket, but the bat slipped out of his hand and flew over his head towards the keeper. Just before the bat took off, the ball hit the edge and sailed towards fine leg for four, increasing India’s frustration.Praveen loses his cool
With the ball in hand, Praveen Kumar is usually an intense man, looking angry even when he gets a wicket. With Sri Lanka already set for the highest total of the tournament, Silva tucked Praveen to long-on and scampered two in the 49th over. The throw was wide from the fielder, Dinesh Karthik, and Praveen showed how annoyed he and India were, hurling the ball to the ground in disgust.Malinga’s birthday gift
At regular intervals, the giant screen flashed a picture of Laith Malinga in a white suit and a black bow tie wishing him a happy birthday. He was gifted a wicket in his first over when the umpire, Asad Rauf, deemed Karthik caught-behind though the ball flew off his pad. Karthik was stunned by the decision, leaning on his bat and lingering in the middle in disbelief. On the walk to the pavilion, he looked at the heavens cursing his luck, his helmet falling to the ground as he absent-mindedly tried to put it back on. When he reached the dressing-room, the first thing he did was point to his team-mates where the ball struck him.Sehwag on caffeine
Faced with a huge target, Virender Sehwag seemed determined to get India off to a flier. He put in an all-action 22-ball effort containing everything from delightful offside boundaries, leading edges, manic running, two botched free-hits, before finally ending in a manner befitting the frenzied knock – he was a run-out by a direct hit by Chamara Kapugedera from backward point when attempting a single after a typically vociferous Sri Lankan appeal for lbw was turned down.Benefit for batsmen
It wasn’t the greatest of days for the umpires. On most occasions, it was the batsman who gained from the poor calls: Mahela Jayawardene survived a close lbw call in the first over of the day, Yuvraj Singh nicked his first ball to the keeper but escaped, MS Dhoni was deemed to have an inside-edge on a confident lbw shout on 12. Perhaps the umpires were sympathetic given how difficult it has been to score in Dambulla right through the tournament.Another Rohit no-show
Rohit Sharma has had a wretched run over the past three weeks, and if he was looking for a slice of luck to turn things around, he didn’t get it on Saturday. India picked him as an extra specialist batsman in place of the allrounder Ravindra Jadeja, but Rohit wasn’t able to contribute the runs expected. He fell for 5 after being drawn forward and beaten by the spin of Suraj Randiv; the keeper didn’t collect the ball but, to Rohit’s dismay, it ricocheted off Sangakkara’s boot onto the stumps with the batsman just out of the crease.

Both teams have been guilty of taking a backward step in what has otherwise been an enthralling series, but India’s tactics on the fourth day could prove decisive in the outcome

Sidharth Monga at Newlands05-Jan-2011This series will be remembered for many high-quality passages of play both with the bat and the ball – moments, spells, hours, days of individual brilliance – but for every such passage you will find uninspiring spells of defensive captaincy from both camps. The template was set on the first day of the series when Sachin Tendulkar – with the score 40 for 3 on a damp pitch – pulled Lonwabo Tsotsobe for a four. It was a calculated risk, a shot that avoided midwicket not by much, but Graeme Smith responded by sending the fielder back to the boundary.By the time the teams came to the decider, the captains were trying to outdo each other. In the first innings of this game, MS Dhoni refused to try and get Jacques Kallis out after a Sreesanth burst in the middle of the innings. In the second, with batting even more difficult, and with Tendulkar having to struggle for longer than Kallis did, it took just one six from Harbhajan Singh for Smith to spread the field out. And this when Dale Steyn was bowling one of the spells of our times.Dhoni might just end up with the last word here, though, with what could be a decisive show of defensive captaincy on the fourth day. It was quite extraordinary that an injured Kallis walked out in the second innings, with the score effectively reading 51 for 3, soon to become 62 for 4, with a long-on in place. Harbhajan, at that moment, was exploiting the rough outside off appreciably. His bowling figures were 4 for 10, and Kallis was starting out on a fresh innings. Soon Kallis reverse-swept him, a brilliant, calculated shot all right, but one that involved risk. The man that went from short third man to collect the ball from the boundary was asked to stay back there. After just one boundary. In a remarkable show of following the ball, that deep fielder kept moving to wherever the previous shot went, and Kallis had established the psychological upper hand already.This is to take nothing away from a superb century under pressure and in pain, but Kallis couldn’t have asked for anything better at that point of time than the easy singles down to long-on. It was quite similar to what India did to Thilan Samaraweera in the deciding Test of their Sri Lanka tour earlier this year. On the fourth day at the P Sara Oval, India had taken five second-innings wickets for 24 runs, reducing Sri Lanka to effectively 76 for 7, and Samaraweera was 4 when Lasith Malinga came out to join him. It took one boundary from him to open up the easy-single route to sweeper-cover, and another hit over mid-off to spread the field for good. The last three wickets then added 180 runs, and it took special innings from VVS Laxman and Tendulkar to level the series.Not learning a lesson, India perhaps took it a step further here. Kallis was not even batting with the tail; he started off with Hashim Amla, AB de Villiers, Ashwell Prince and Mark Boucher. Of the four, de Villiers, too, was shown remarkable respect when he was welcomed with a long-on in place already. Why not ask a batsman to clear mid-on on a pitch that is offering you turn and variable bounce? Sadly, as Smith and other modern captains have shown over the years, this is not a problem with India and Dhoni alone. The moment they see a lesser batsman, they choose to attack only one of the two men batting, and invariably they get only two balls an over where they are actually trying to take wickets.Boucher, one of the beneficiaries of India’s defensive field-sets, gave an insight into modern captains’ mindsets. “Not really [not surprised at those fields],” he said. “We have been in that situation as well before. I came out looking to play aggressively, I had an aggressive mindset. I think in the back of a captain’s mind, you don’t want to give away many boundaries. If there’s stuff happening out there, you’d rather have catchers and in-and-out fields. Like I said, to protect the boundaries, and make the guys work the singles.”They are all worried about tailenders – admittedly better batsmen than the breed used to be in the era before heavy bats and protective cushioning on their bodies – adding quick runs, and the recognised batsman counterattacking. In the process they tell the opposition, they are worried and nervous. The bowlers start responding accordingly; it can’t be easy from bowling defensively to one batsman and aggressively to the other. That’s what happened with India today: they spent the last two sessions confused, conceding 220 runs for five wickets.Four years ago, when India came to Cape Town, they went in to lunch on fourth day with two second-innings wickets down and a lead of 114 in the bag. The next two sessions featured confused cricket, and India lost the series there. Here, too, going into lunch India had South Africa effectively at 119 for 5, soon to be 130 for 6. But the rest of the day almost played India out of the Test. Now it’s up to the Indian batsmen to put in yet another special show to prevent a repeat.

Bell’s silky presence in the middle-order is providing far more than mere embellishment

Andrew Miller at the Rose Bowl19-Jun-2011When all else is said and done, when all the psychological by-plays are taken out of the equation, cricket is in essence a numbers game, and right at this moment, Ian Bell’s are stacking up phenomenally. Sunday’s unbeaten century was his second of the series and his third in his past four Tests, and by the time of England’s declaration his series average stood at a monumental 335.In a team that already possesses Alastair Cook and Jonathan Trott, two of the most avaricious run-hoarders in the world game, Bell’s silky presence in the middle-order is providing far more than mere embellishment. As Stuart Law, Sri Lanka’s frustrated coach, admitted, he is becoming “a pain in the backside”. Time and time again, he steals in from his No. 5 position to turn shaky positions into solid ones, and formidable positions into impregnable ones, without ever compromising the silken nature of his strokeplay.Today’s performance was as inevitable as it was attractive to watch. From the moment he resumed on 40 not out overnight, he exuded a sense of purpose and belonging that bent Sri Lanka’s bowling to his will. Whereas Kevin Pietersen, in a thrilling return to form on Saturday afternoon, had played exclusively in the V to maximise his strengths (and shield his current weaknesses), Bell soon proved there was no shot beyond his remit. “He scores quickly but hits the ball in 360-degree arcs,” said Law. “It’s very difficult to contain. He’s full of confidence and you can see that in the way he plays.”These days, the psychology of the game can go hang. Bell’s only interest is the numbers, which – from the days he was marked out as a teenage prodigy – is all he has ever really sought. At the age of 29, and with 4500 Test runs safely tucked away alongside a mounting Test average of 47.11, he seems to have cultivated an immunity to all external pressures. It’s hard to believe this is the same batsman whom Shane Warne once derided as “The Sherminator”, and who briefly developed a cringe-inducing habit of puffing out a still-mousy frame in a bid to improve his body language.It used to be the case that Bell saved his most fluent performances for situations devoid of pressure. Nowadays he takes the pressure out of situations through the fluency of his performances. “Playing good cricket is all about consistency and Ian has started to fulfil the promise he showed coming through the ranks as a youngster at Warwickshire,” said Law, who saw him at close quarters during his long service on the county circuit. “Hats off to him, he played another great knock today.”Qualitatively, there was scarcely a jot of difference between this latest breeze of an innings and the 162 not out he pillaged off the over-awed Bangladeshis at Chester-le-Street in 2005. Then as now, an outclassed attack was further demoralised by every new swish of his bat. But the context has been transformed in the intervening years. These days Bell’s team-mates, his opponents, the press and the paying public all know he’d be playing with the same clarity of purpose, regardless of the match situation.”I feel like I am batting as well as I can at the minute, and it’s nice to contribute to us getting in winning positions.,” said Bell. “I think in the past I’ve played well at times, probably not when it’s got very tough, but hopefully in the last 12-18 months I’ve started to put in performances when the team have needed them most, and doing it more consistently, which is what you want to do as a batsman. I’m really happy with the way my game’s going, and the improvement I’ve made, but there’s still a long way to go hopefully with where I can take my game to.”Bell knows better than any player that his 335 series average is unsustainable. In the immediate aftermath of that Bangladesh performance, his overall career mark stood at 297 – an unfortunate prelude to his run of seven single-figure scores in ten innings of the 2005 Ashes. But right at this moment, it is a fitting tribute to a run of form that has crashed past innumerable benchmarks in the past two years, ever since his axing in the Caribbean forced a complete reappraisal of his game.Bell was made the scapegoat for England’s 51 all out in Jamaica in March 2009 – the match that marked the nadir from which Andy Flower and Andrew Strauss plotted their rise towards world Test domination. A feckless cut in the final over before lunch led to his banishment, and he wasn’t recalled until Kevin Pietersen’s Achilles injury in the subsequent Ashes campaign. He trained harder in the interim, toughening himself up in the physical sense which in turn brought the mental side along with it, while facing up to the fact that he had to embrace his seniority in the team.Bell’s series average is now 335•Getty ImagesThe returns were almost instantaneous. From the moment he marked his comeback with a half-century in the drawn Ashes Test at Edgbaston, Bell has averaged 69.04, which is a notch below the 72 he made in the decisive victory at The Oval two matches later. That was the first occasion in which he really made runs when it mattered, but his defining innings was his 140 in Durban four months later, since when his figure has been 91.46. Since the tour of Bangladesh last March, when at the tenth time of asking, he scored a century without another batsman doing likewise, it has risen to 106.60.As Trott and Cook are no doubt aware, and as Pietersen has spent the past two years confirming, such good times are unlikely to continue in perpetuity. But as Graeme Swann aptly put it while describing England’s top three as “cures for insomnia”, most of Bell’s fellow batsmen have limitations on their games that he does not seem to possess. Like Eoin Morgan, whose Test credentials are improving by the match, his wealth of scoring options create new opportunities with every new switch of the field.His 57 from 43 balls in the declaration rush at Lord’s was a case in point. At the other end was Cook, unquestionably admirable in reaching yet another Test century, but defiantly one-paced even when the match situation demanded more haste. His belated attempt to up the ante brought him out of his comfort zone, and resulted in the first stumping of his first-class career.With the retirement of Paul Collingwood, Bell has been landed the extra responsibility of being England’s insurance policy in times of need, but it is a burden he has worn particularly lightly. Awkward situations – such as England’s first-day 22 for 3 at Lord’s – have been greeted with the insouciance he demonstrated all throughout the Ashes, the series in which it was clear he had outgrown his No. 6 position. At Brisbane and Perth, he alone possessed the fluency to overcome tricky conditions, but he was twice forced to chance his arm, for 76 and 53 respectively, as the tail subsided around him.Can it last? It’s hard to see a reason why not. With the possible exception of Andrew Strauss, no-one else in the current England team has a range of experiences quite like Bell’s, and Strauss would never pretend to have anything like the same range of shots. After years in the shadows, his time has finally come. And his quest for greater numbers could yet define that of his team as a whole. No. 1 in the world is attainable for both.