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The preview of the Champions League T20 final between Mumbai Indians and Rajasthan Royals

The Preview by Devashish Fuloria06-Oct-2013Match factsSunday, October 6, 2013
Start time 2000 (1430 GMT)With Rahul Dravid and Sachin Tendulkar playing their last T20 game, it will be a perfect farewell for only one of them•Getty ImagesBig PictureA chance to see two legends play the T20 format for the last time was one of the things to look forward to at the start of this Champions League, but by some design and because of the quality of cricket played by Rajasthan Royals and Mumbai Indians, the two players have got an opportunity to finish in style. The 2013 Champions League began with the Dravid v Tendulkar show, and it is ending the same way.Despite being light-years away from their best form, they continue to inspire their respective teams – Rahul Dravid, in an active and visible role as the passionate leader and Tendulkar, as every Mumbai Indians player concedes, for being the guiding light.Dravid joined the franchise three years ago and has managed to successfully convert Warne’s Royals into Rahul’s Royals after a topsy-turvy year that brought exhilarating highs and crushing lows. He had said at the start of the tournament that the team was closer because of the spot-fixing crisis they faced and that has shown in their undefeated campaign in this tournament. Their non-flashy players excelled playing a similar non-flashy brand of cricket. Ajinkya Rahane, Shane Watson, Brad Hodge, Stuart Binny and Sanju Samson have collectively stood up to every batting challenge efficiently, but it’s their bowling that has surprised most, with inspirational performances from inexperienced players like Pravin Tambe, Rahul Shukla and Vikramjeet Malik.All that success, however, has come at home – Royals won only three matches outside Jaipur in the IPL this year. Add to that the absence of Hodge from the XI due to the injury he sustained in the semi-final and it appears the Royals have a tough task against a formidable opponent under a new set of conditions.Mumbai, on the other hand, have already had a chance to get used to the conditions in Delhi after playing their last two matches there. Rohit Sharma, their captain, had said after their semi-final win that it was to their advantage, because one needed time to adjust to the slower and lower pitches at the Kotla.In the two matches, Mumbai’s power-packed batting, apart from a stern test from Sunil Narine, excelled. A lot had to do with the team combination they hit upon midway during the IPL when Ricky Ponting, the then captain, dropped himself and was replaced by an imposing Dwayne Smith. Rohit was handed the captaincy and he relished the role, taking Mumbai to their first IPL title. He now has a chance to make it a double this year. They will be tested by a team that is now synonymous with resilience.Team newsRoyals have drafted Sri Lankan wicketkeeper-batsman Kusal Perera and Kerala batsman Sachin Baby into their squad as replacements for Hodge and Shaun Tait, who is also injured.There are no known injury concerns for Mumbai Indians.In the spotlightPravin Tambe has already played more matches in the Champions League than he played in IPL 2013, and hasn’t he been a revelation? Apart from being the second-highest wicket-taker with 10 wickets – one behind Sunil Narine – he has also bowled his 15 overs at a miserly economy of 3.93. Although his best spell – 4 for 15 – was against Lions, Tambe had tremendous impact in the semi-final against Chennai Super Kings. He picked up 3 for 10 against a batting line-up not too dissimilar to Mumbai Indians’. Tambe’s form has made spin, which was considered a slight weakness for Royals at the start of the tournament, their trump card. He wasn’t a part of the XI that beat Mumbai Indians in the first match of the tournament, so he will pose a fresh challenge.Sachin Tendulkar and Rahul Dravid have collectively scored 102 runs off 121 deliveries in nine innings – statistics that could be damning for any T20 opening batsmen – but given the intangible value they bring to their teams, there is no point analysing those numbers. The result of the match won’t matter for most of their fans, nor would their individual contributions, but as the crowds have shown throughout this tournament, they will come and watch their favourites sign off on a cricket field and not off it.Quotes”I am a little superstitious, so I don’t like speaking about my own team.”

“I haven’t talked to Hodge yet, but touch on wood he comes through because we only have four foreign players in the squad and if one gets injured we will be struggling.”
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‘This match is about a lot of money’

The match had almost all the ingredients of an absorbing Twenty20 match

The Report by Kanishkaa Balachandran27-Apr-2013
Scorecard and ball-by-ball detailsShane Watson gathered pace towards the end to finish unbeaten on 98•BCCIThe match had almost all the ingredients of an absorbing Twenty20 contest. Sunrisers Hyderabad lost their top order in a cycle-stand collapse, before Darren Sammy led a lower-order revival to push the score to 144. On a pitch assisting the seamers, Rajasthan Royals had to deal with a testing opening period of swing and seam, which the experienced duo of Rahul Dravid and Shane Watson negotiated. Watson, coming off a century in Chennai, paced his innings and powered Royals home with a blistering unbeaten 98.Watson wasn’t the only Australian making waves at the Sawai Mansingh Stadium. James Faulkner demolished the Sunrisers’ top order during a five-wicket haul, the first of IPL 2013. Faulkner and the innocuous Ajit Chandila reduced Sunrisers to 29 for 6, raising expectations of early finish. The top six registered scores of 2,0,4,4,6,4 – leaving much responsibility on Sammy.Kumar Sangakkara had dropped himself for three games owing to his indifferent form, but his return made no difference as he joined the early procession of wickets. After Akshath Reddy fell off a leading edge against Chandila, Sangakkara chased a wide delivery from Faulkner and edged to second slip for 4.Though the pitch gave a lot of assistance to the seamers in terms of movement and bounce, the shot selection by the Sunrisers was poor. Shikhar Dhawan slashed straight to backward point and Karan Sharma, walking in unexpectedly at No.5 – just as Amit Mishra did in Chennai – succumbed to the pressure of needing quick runs by top edging Faulkner to fine leg. Thisara Perera perished to a one-handed slog down to long-on before Hanuma Vihari gloved Kevon Cooper down the leg side. It was the first time Royals had managed so many wickets in the Powerplay.Sammy and Amit Mishra scripted Sunrisers’ recovery with a stand of 58. Sammy made room against the seamers to clear cover and shoveled the ball over midwicket to give the innings some impetus. He hit the first six of the innings in the 13th, a pull off Siddharth Trivedi over deep midwicket. He celebrated his fifty – his first in T20s – in unique style, pulling out a baby pacifier tied around his neck sucking at it, for his baby daughter.The seventh, eighth and ninth wickets added 115, giving the Sunrisers bowlers a fighting total to try and defend.Watson and Dravid, however, used their experience to counter the swing and prevent the loss of early wickets. Several deliveries came back into the right-hander, but Watson ensured he played the ball late, dabbing it down to third man and behind point. He did offer some chances, though. On 16, an outside edge off Perera just beat a diving Sangakkara, and another just dropped short of Sammy at slip.Royals had progressed to 53 for 1 after ten overs, with the asking rate passing nine. The partnership gathered pace in the second half of the innings, Dravid launching Royals’ march with a six over long-on. A costly Ishant Sharma over, which leaked 20, included three fours and a six by Watson. The next, off Perera, went for 15 and hastened Royals’ march to the target. Three powerful blows to deep midwicket, by Watson off Karan Sharma, sealed a clinical win.

On the eve of their match against India at The Oval, West Indies coach Ottis Gibson hoped his side will be known for more than just their flair

Andrew Fidel Fernando at The Oval10-Jun-2013On that famous Colombo night, after Marlon Samuels had launched a staggering counterattack with the bat, he came to the bowling crease and made his presence felt there too. When Samuels took a wicket in his final over, he stood mid-pitch, face lit up in jubilation, and began to shudder while dusting himself off. Incoming team-mates committed to the caper. Each one picked a spot on Samuels’ body and brushed him down ecstatically. It is a moment few who were in the ground will ever forget, and an emphatic expression of uniquely Caribbean cricketing fun. On the eve of their second Champions Trophy group match, against India at The Oval though, West Indies coach Ottis Gibson hoped his side will be known for more than just their colour.”That’s the one thing you will get when you come to the stadium to watch West Indies play, you will be entertained,” Gibson said. “There was a time not long ago where we entertained you and ended up on the wrong side of the result, and we’re hoping to change that. We saw against Pakistan a very close, entertaining match – low scoring but very entertaining – and we actually got the right result. We’re looking to do the same again.”Samuels and company had helped deliver West Indies’ first major world title since 1979 (although they won the Champions Trophy in 2004). In the intervening years – particularly since the mid-1990s – West Indies had slid drastically from their perch atop the cricket world, and Gibson hoped the triumph in Colombo would become the beginning of West Indies’ road to regaining credibility.”When you look at the style of play that we have as a nation, Twenty20 lends itself to the way we play, the way we like to play. Having said that, Twenty20 to me is always about entertainment. The 50‑over format and, more importantly for me, the Test format, is where the real skills of cricket need to be applied.”In the past, we’ve had this group of players together, and we’ve gone to major tournaments with high expectations, and we didn’t do as well as we could have done or should have done. Winning the tournament in Sri Lanka gave us huge belief that yes, we can win. We know we have the superstars, we know we have the players, the talent, but we never really got the job done. Sri Lanka gave us a huge belief that we can, and you’ll see a sort of renewed attitude within the team, that when we come to major tournaments we’re not just here to make the numbers up anymore.”The rankings say that we are now eighth in the world. We know that on our day we’re capable of beating the No. 1 team. We’re capable of beating any team in a format like this where it’s so short and every game matters.”Having won one match and secured – if fortuitously- top spot with a strong net run rate, they are not far from earning a semi-finals berth. India have been one of the form sides in England so far, however, and shape as West Indies’ biggest hurdle in the group. West Indies players have been among the most abundant overseas stars in the IPL, and Gibson hoped that experience would sharpen his side’s strategy on Tuesday.”Dwayne Bravo, Chris Gayle, Kieron Pollard and especially Sunil Narine have been starring in the IPL, so hopefully they’ve got a lot of information to share when we get back this evening. We’ll have a really good discussion about the Indian players and stuff like that, and those guys will form part of the main part of that discussion.”Gibson said their strategy is unlikely to prey on India batsmen’s perceived weakness against the short ball and would instead seek to maximise West Indies’ strengths. India exited the World Twenty20 in England in 2009, after several batsmen had their techniques exposed, and the same deficiency also contributed to their downfall in England in 2011, when they lost the Test series 4-0 and the ODI series 3-0.”The last time we used short-pitched bowling, it was Joel Garner, Colin Croft, Michael Holding and people like that,” Gibson said. “We don’t have those tall guys anymore, so as we saw against Pakistan, we pitched it up, we swung it a little bit and we put it in the right areas. I suppose that will be the strategy going forward.”

Michael Clarke has not given up hope of Shane Watson returning to India for the fourth Test in Delhi, despite the vice-captain’s indications that he is considering his cricket future

Brydon Coverdale13-Mar-2013Michael Clarke has not given up hope of Shane Watson returning to India for the fourth Test in Delhi, despite the vice-captain’s indications that he is considering his cricket future. Watson arrived in Sydney on Tuesday night for the birth of his first child, although his departure from Chandigarh also coincided with him being one of four players stood down from the Australia team for this week’s third Test due to their failure to complete a task set by the coach Mickey Arthur.When he left India, Watson said he would use his time at home to weigh up his cricket future, which given his new family commitments was taken as a suggestion that long Test tours might no longer be on his radar. However, Clarke and Watson spoke on the phone after Watson landed in Sydney and Clarke said the best-case scenario for Australia was that Watson could still return to India in time for the final Test in Delhi, which starts on Friday next week.”I think Watto has made it clear to everybody that that’s something he’s thinking about while he’s home,” Clarke said of Watson’s cricket future. “From my point of view he’s vice-captain of this team and he’s a big part of this team, there’s no doubt about that. From the conversation Watto and I have had, 100% he has gone home for the birth of his first child, which is very exciting for him. I know he’s really excited about that.”Hopefully all goes to plan there, Lee has the baby in the next few days and Watto is back here playing the fourth Test as our vice-captain. That’s the best-case scenario from my point of view and from the team’s point of view. The rest is really up to Shane.”The Watson situation was complicated by a press conference in which Cricket Australia’s general manager of team performance, Pat Howard, said that Watson was a team player “sometimes” and alluded to issues between Watson and Clarke. Watson responded by saying that Howard did not know him well and that his relationship with Clarke had its ups and downs but that things were going well between them at the moment.Clarke was careful not to be drawn too far into the debate on the eve of the Mohali Test, but he said he was sure Watson and Howard would be in communication while Watson was at home. Clarke was doing his best to focus firmly on the third Test against India, which Australia could enter with as few as 12 available players due to Watson, James Pattinson, Mitchell Johnson and Usman Khawaja being suspended, and Matthew Wade battling an ankle injury.”I’m not going to get into that,” Clarke said. “I don’t think it’s fair to Watto and I don’t think it’s fair to Pat that I get involved in that. Watto has been around for a long time. Pat has been around sport for a very long time. I know those two will be in communication. For me the focus is this team and trying to have success in these two Test matches.”I think the most important thing is that this group looks forward. The decision has been made. The players have accepted and respect the decision that has been made, and now we’re trying to do what the most important thing is and have success in this Test match. I think it would be very stupid of me to look backwards. I don’t think right now, a day out before the Test, I can afford to do that.”Watto made it clear yesterday that me and him have known each other for such a long period of time. The players respect the position I’m in as captain and that this decision isn’t personal. We made the decision irrelevant to the four players’ names. It was because we thought it was best for the team that we made that decision.”

Lionesses Ella Toone, Millie Turner and Maya Le Tissier have completed an impressive keepy-uppy challenge while away on England duty.

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Red Devils team-mates in Wiegman's squadHoping to figure in friendly datesEnjoying some warm weather trainingWHAT HAPPENED?

The Manchester United stars form part of Sarina Wiegman’s squad that is preparing to face Austria and Italy in a couple of international friendlies. While preparing for those fixtures, which will take place on Spanish soil, an opportunity has been taken to enjoy some warm weather training.

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During their free time, England’s players have taken to relaxing by the pool. A ball is never far from their thoughts, though, and challenges have been taken on when it comes to showcasing touch, control and team work.

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Toone, Turner and Le Tissier have set the standard when it comes to keepy-uppy skills, with the trio combining to complete a complex sequence of passes without allowing the ball to hit the ground. Wild celebrations were sparked once pulling off that move, although nobody ended up in the water!

Australia wouldn’t be a pushover but would face a stern test by a strong West Indies when the two teams meet on Saturday

The Preview by Brydon Coverdale21-Sep-2012Match facts September 22, 2012
Start time 1930 local (1400 GMT)Big Picture Australia and West Indies entered this tournament with vastly different expectations placed upon them. Although the Australians were quietly confident, plenty of people saw their form, ranking and not-so-settled side as an indication they would struggle. West Indies came in as one of the tournament favourites, the first time in a long while that they have been considered such a strong chance. Australia have already overcome Ireland and should West Indies do so as well, both these sides will progress to the next stage. But West Indies don’t want to be placing themselves under any unnecessary pressure when they take on Ireland so victory in this, their first match, is important. Not that Australia will be a pushover – the teams drew 1-1 when they met for two T20s in the Caribbean earlier this year.Everywhere you look in the West Indies line-up there are men seemingly made for T20. Chris Gayle at the top of the order. Kieron Pollard in the middle. Dwayne Bravo, Darren Sammy and Andre Russell. The best player in the IPL this year, the offspinner Sunil Narine. And the highly under-rated legspinner Samuel Badree, who has the best economy rate of any bowler in T20 history (with a minimum qualification of 300 balls). Badree goes for 4.59 an over, on average. If every bowler in a team managed that, the opposition wouldn’t even rack up a hundred. But for all of their star power, West Indies haven’t really turned their potential into results. In the past year, they have won four T20s and lost four. Overall, they are the only ICC Full Member besides Bangladesh to have lost more T20s than they have won. Much greater consistency is what they will require to go all the way in this tournament.For Australia, the opening victory against Ireland has provided a handy bit of breathing space and they know that victory against West Indies will put them through to the Super Eights. There have been minor health worries for the veteran spinner Brad Hogg and the fast bowler Mitchell Starc over the past couple of days, but both are still in contention to take their places against West Indies.Form guide (completed matches, most recent first) Australia WWLLW
West Indies WWLWLWatch out for On the ICC’s rankings for T20 international allrounders, it is Shane Watson and then daylight. Against Ireland on Wednesday he showed why, with 3 for 26 and 51 from 30 deliveries, ensuring there were no nasty surprises for the Australians in their opening game. Notably, he also made important contributions in both T20s against West Indies earlier this year in the Caribbean, and his 69 in the first match was the highest score in the two-game series.Australia are aware of their potential weakness against high-class spinners with hard-to-read variations – Saeed Ajmal showed that in the UAE recently – and Sunil Narine fits that category. He baffled the Australians during the ODIs in the West Indies earlier this year, although they managed to survive against him in the T20s that followed. Australia’s coach Mickey Arthur believes attacking Narine might be the best approach. “He’s always going to be a factor, like Ajmal for Pakistan and [Ajantha] Mendis for Sri Lanka,” Arthur said. “I think if we can put him under just a little bit of pressure, that’s something we haven’t been able to do with the spinners, we’ve always been a couple of wickets down, so we haven’t been able to attack Ajmal, or Narine in the West Indies where it turned massively.”Team news Australia had a couple of minor concerns in the lead-up to the match, with the veteran spinner Brad Hogg having missed training on Thursday due to a headache and flu-like symptoms, while Mitchell Starc also sat out due to gastro. Xavier Doherty has rejoined the squad having made a quick dash home to be at the birth of his child, while Clint McKay and Ben Hilfenhaus are the backup fast men in the squad. However, the captain George Bailey on Thursday played down the possibility of Starc and Hogg missing the match.”They’re all right,” Bailey said. “Training is quiet without Hoggy, [but] he’s pretty good and from all reports Starcy was certainly on the mend. We’ll make a call.”Australia (possible) 1 David Warner, 2 Shane Watson, 3 Michael Hussey, 4 George Bailey (capt), 5 Cameron White, 6 Glenn Maxwell, 7 Matthew Wade (wk), 8 Daniel Christian, 9 Pat Cummins, 10 Mitchell Starc, 11 Brad Hogg/Xavier Doherty.The West Indies selectors have plenty of options and their final decision will depend on how they believe the side should be balanced. Dwayne Smith and Chris Gayle appear likely to open and there is the possibility of a dual spin attack with Narine and Badree likely to enjoy working on the pitches in Sri Lanka.West Indies (squad) Chris Gayle, Dwayne Smith, Lendl Simmons, Johnson Charles, Darren Bravo, Marlon Samuels, Dwayne Bravo, Kieron Pollard, Darren Sammy (capt), Denesh Ramdin, Andre Russell, Samuel Badree, Ravi Rampaul, Sunil Narine, Fidel Edwards.Pitch and conditions The pitch at the Premadasa was hard on the opening day of matches there on Wednesday, and there were runs available for the batsmen. It is expected to remain reasonably hard for the early stages of the tournament.Stats and trivia West Indies could find themselves a little rusty if they are forced to chase in this match, for they have batted first in their past eight T20 internationals. The last time they chased was against India in Trinidad last year, the only time in the past two years West Indies have batted second Chris Gayle’s strike rate of 153.47 in the World T20 is the highest amongst players who have batted at least ten World T20 inningsQuotes “It’s good to come into the tournament and have people show us the kind of respect and admiration to rate us among the top teams.”
“They are one of the best fielding sides around in the world and that counts for a lot in T20.”

Dick Westcott, who played five Tests for South Africa in the 1950s, has died at the age of 85

ESPNcricinfo staff28-Jan-2013Dick Westcott, who played five Tests for South Africa in the 1950s, has died at the age of 85.Westcott, who was the first and to date only Test cricketer born in Portugal, was a more-than-useful allrounder who opened the innings with style rather than dourness, and was also a capable if little-used medium-pace change bowler. His achievements were all the more remarkable considering that he suffered a serious injury to his left arm in a car crash early in his career.He made his Test debut in the third Test against the touring New Zealanders in 1953-54, scoring a career-best 62 in the second innings, but failed to shine in the remaining two matches.He forced his way back into the side during the series against Australia in 195-58 with a good run of form which included two of his four career hundreds as well as an impressive half-century against the tourists for Western Province. However, he scored 18 runs in three innings against Australia and was dropped for good – all 18 runs came in the second innings of his comeback Test when he was the only South African other than Trevor Goddard to reach double figures.

KwaZulu-Natal batsman Chad Bowes will lead an experienced 15-man South Africa squad at the upcoming Under-19 World Cup in Australia

ESPNcricinfo staff06-Jul-2012KwaZulu-Natal batsman Chad Bowes will lead an experienced 15-man South Africa squad at the upcoming Under-19 World Cup in Australia. The team, which has toured England and Zimbabwe and hosted Pakistan and Sri Lanka, has undergone extensive training at the High Performance Centre in Pretoria under a team of coaches, including former South Africa senior-team coach Ray Jennings.South Africa Under-19 squad for the World Cup

Chad Bowes (capt), Quinton De Kock (wk), David Rhoda, Solo Nqweni, Shaylin Pillay, Diego Rosier, Calvin Savage, Prenelan Subrayen, Lizaad Williams, Jan Frylinck, Rabian Engelbrecht, Corné Dry, Theunis de Bruyn, Murray Coetzee, Gihahn Cloete

Bowes takes over from Gauteng wicketkeeper batsman Quinton de Kock as captain. De Kock, who was the team’s leading run-scorer in their previous assignment – a three-match ODI series against Pakistan that they lost 2-1 – is still a part of the squad but minus the extra responsibility.South Africa have been placed in Group D along with Sri Lanka, Bangladesh and Namibia. They will play Bangladesh in their opening match on August 12. The tournament runs from August 11 to August 26 in Queensland, Australia.

Thirteen CSA nominated South African domestic cricketers, eleven of whom are black, will hone their skills in a nine-day training session in Bangalore

ESPNcricinfo staff13-Aug-2012Thirteen young South African cricketers nominated by the national board will take part in a nine-day training session in Bangalore to prepare for their domestic season, which starts next month. The squad – comprising six batsmen, six spinners and a fast bowler – will to be coached by former India spinner Sunil Joshi, among others.One of the focus areas is developing a generation of black batsmen – South Africa have never had a black African batsman. “We identified some of the most talented black African batsmen in an attempt to further develop their skill set,” CSA’s General Manager Corrie van Zyl said.Another target, he said, was to help spinners develop, and to allow batsmen to learn playing spin on spin-friendly pitches.Former South Africa spinner Nicky Boje will accompany the squad in the absence of Paul Adams, who resigned as CSA’s spin consultant to take up coaching responsibilities for the domestic team Cape Cobras in June.”[Boje] is a fantastic person to mentor our next generation of spinners and we look forward to calling upon his expertise to ensure proper development of our spin bowlers,” van Zyl said.The squad:Spinners: Dane Piedt (Cape Cobras), Siya Simetu (Cape Cobras), Eddie Leie (Highveld Lions), Simon Harmer (Warriors), Shaun Von Berg (Titans), and Tabraiz Shamsi (Dolphins)Fast bowler: Ayavuya Myoli (Border)Batsmen: Khaya Zondo (Dolphins), Omphile Ramela (Highveld Lions), Grant Mokoena (Highveld Lions), Tumelo Bodibe (Titans), Mangeliso Mosehle (Titans), and Luthando Mnyanda (South Western Districts)

ESPNcricinfo previews the third ODI between India and England in Mohali

The Preview by Andrew Miller19-Oct-2011Match FactsOctober 20, Mohali
Start time 1430 (0900 GMT)There was plenty of needle between England and India in Delhi, but the final result was a trouncing for the visitors•Getty ImagesBig PictureAs Rudyard Kipling once put it: “East is East, and West is West, and never the twain shall meet.” The contemptuous dominance that England enjoyed in their home Test series against India is now being reprised in reverse in their one-day tour against the same opponents.England’s opening two ODIs in Hyderabad and Delhi resulted in two crushing defeats, and unless they can stop the rot at the third time of asking in Mohali, they will have squandered the series with two games to play. It’s hard to envisage any such transformation taking place, however. With one victory in their last 15 ODIs in India – and none since April 2006 – England have been in this position before, and have yet to work out an escape route.India are a much-changed team from the outfit that won the World Cup back in April, but in their first home campaign since that momentous achievement, they have tapped into the same well of confidence. England faced trial by spin in the first game, and trial by seam in the second, and while their batsmen faltered on each occasion, India’s have gone from strength to strength.From MS Dhoni’s blistering assault in the final 16 overs of the first match, to Virat Kohli’s crushing double-century partnership with Gautam Gambhir in the second, the defining feature of India’s performances to date has been the fluidity of their run-scoring. Whereas England’s innings have been staccato at best, with occasional boundary shots punctuated by long periods of failed strike rotation, India’s ability to create gaps in the field has been nigh on impossible to match, and even harder to stop.In that regard, the absence of Eoin Morgan has been critical for England. His nominal replacement, Jonny Bairstow, hits a long ball given half a chance, as demonstrated on debut at Cardiff last month, but he has yet to learn the versatility required to dominate on Indian pitches. He’s not alone in that regard. Craig Kieswetter has managed one boundary and seven runs in 13 balls so far, and while Alastair Cook and Jonathan Trott have looked at ease in the conditions when they’ve got in, neither man has been able to put pedal to metal in the manner of their India counterparts.England’s problems extend to their bowling attack as well. Steven Finn and Tim Bresnan have impressed in an individual capacity, even though their figures hardly reflect their efforts, but Jade Dernbach’s variations have been collared, while Samit Patel has struggled as a spin-bowling allrounder. Ravindra Jadeja, R Ashwin and even Kohli’s leg-rollers have all proven more effective. It will take a considerable swing in fortunes for England to prove greater than the sum of India’s parts in the coming contests.Form guide(completed matches, most recent first)
India WWLTL
England LLWTWIn the spotlightThere was no love lost between England’s bowlers and Virat Kohli in Delhi, but seeing as he butchered them with a sublime 89-ball hundred, there was only one winner of that particular skirmish. Whatever technical suspicions were aired on the England tour, they were nowhere to be seen as he filleted the gaps in the field with aplomb, and he further confirmed his prowess on home soil with five nagging overs of unhittable medium pace. At the age of 22, he is seizing his chance to become the flag-bearer of India’s new generation.Jade Dernbach is a remarkable bowler for England to have in their ranks – a genuinely innovative seamer with an arsenal of variation to call upon, and time on his side to fine-tune his repertoire. When he gets it right, as he did with a looping slower ball to pin Gautam Gambhir lbw in Hyderabad, he can bamboozle the best players; however, when his variations are clocked, the joke is invariably on him – and so far in this campaign, he has one wicket at 99.00 in 16 overs. As Shane Warne once said of young legspin bowlers, he needs a lot of love to build the confidence upon which his skills will be pinned, but he’s not getting it on this most torrid of tours to date.Pitch and conditionsOne of the most northerly venues in India, the Punjab Cricket Association Stadium has traditionally offered something to the seamers, although on the evidence of the second ODI, it is India’s pairing of Praveen Kumar and Vinay Kumar who are better placed to exploit whatever is on offer.Team newsNo change was necessary the hosts in Delhi despite the conditions being markedly different, and so more of the same can be expected in Mohali. It makes quite a contrast to the recent tour of England, on which casualties abounded.India (probable): 1 Parthiv Patel, 2 Ajinkya Rahane, 3 Gautam Gambhir, 4 Virat Kohli, 5 Suresh Raina, 6 MS Dhoni (capt & wk), 7 Ravindra Jadeja, 8 R Ashwin, 9 Praveen Kumar, 10 Vinay Kumar, 11 Umesh YadavPatel’s place is under scrutiny following two poor bowling performances in the opening two games. Chris Woakes, one of his likelier replacements, has been ruled out of the tour through injury. His replacement is Graham Onions, although the legspinner Scott Borthwick is arguably first in line for a call-up. Despite being at 30s and 40s in Delhi, England may yet resist the temptation to tinker with the batting, with Ian Bell once again set to wait his turn.England (probable): 1 Alastair Cook (capt), 2 Craig Kieswetter (wk), 3 Jonathan Trott, 4 Kevin Pietersen, 5 Ravi Bopara, 6 Jonny Bairstow, 7 Tim Bresnan, 8 Graeme Swann, 9 Scott Borthwick, 10 Steven Finn, 11 Jade DernbachStats and trivia India have a chequered history in ODIs at Mohali – they have won six and lost four of their ten games at the venue since 1993. However, Mohali retains a significant place in the nation’s affections, given the result of the last game it hosted in March 2011: the victorious World Cup semi-final against Pakistan.Quotes”The challenge for me is to get the players in the right frame of mind. We will have some scars when we get to Mohali, but we’ll have to deal with them.”
Alastair Cook faces up to his toughest test as England captain“The youngsters are stepping up, and coming up with the performances needed at international level – both with ball and bat.”
MS Dhoni is delighted with the development of a new-look India team