Australia pip India to go 1-0 up in the series

Praveen Kumar and Harbhajan Singh's batting heroics took India agonisingly close to a sensational win before the hosts slumped to a four-run defeat against Australia in the first match of the seven-ODI series on Sunday.


At 201 for seven in their pursuit of a 293-run victory target, India seemed heading for a comprehensive defeat before Praveen (40 not out) and Harbhajan (49) came up with a defiant 84-run stand off 57 balls for the eighth wicket that nearly took them home.

Much to the disappointment of the crowd, India eventually managed 288 for eight, put together by cameos from Gautam Gambhir (68), Virat Kohli (30), MS Dhoni (34), Praveen Kumar and Harbhajan.

Earlier, Ricky Ponting (74) led from the front and was amply supported by Mike Hussey (73), Tim Paine (50) and Cameron White (51) as the visitors rattled up 292 for eight after opting to bat first on a featherbed track.

Faced with the daunting task of scoring at 5.86 per over, the star-studded Indian line-up came a cropper against some disciplined bowling and tight fielding to be left struggling at 201 for seven with the last 10 overs remaining.

Harbhajan and Praveen brought down the target to 30 from the last 15 balls and then nine from the last six.

But once Harbhajan departed off the second ball of the final over from Peter Siddle, India lost the momentum and Australia stopped the hosts four runs short of their total.

Earlier in the innings, Gambhir played the sheet-anchor's role after the cheap dismissal of openers Virender Sehwag and Sachin Tendulkar to top-score with 68 off 85 balls with six fours and a six in it.

Dhoni and Kohli, surprisingly promoted to number four in the batting order, made starts before getting out when in their 30s.

After being 167 for three in the 35th over, the Indians lost three quick wickets - Gambhir, Suresh Raina (9) and Dhoni - while adding only 19 runs and it became 201 for seven at the fall of Ravindra Jadeja in the 40th over.

Harbhajan and Praveen kept the hosts in the hunt with some lusty hits to raise visions of a come-from-behind victory, but in the end it proved of no avail.

With this win, Australia surged to their second successive victory at this venue over the home team, having beaten the hosts by nine wickets in 2007 at this ground.

The thrilling victory put the visitors 1-0 up in the series ahead of the second day/night encounter at Nagpur on October 28.

Though India came close, their top-order batting, bowling as well as fielding were thoroughly exposed by the Australian team which is riding on a high after whipping England 6-1 and then retaining the Champions Trophy in South Africa.

In the morning, the Australia top-order took a heavy toll of the listless Indian bowling attack and raised a big total.

Australia suffered an early blow, when Watson fell off the eighth ball, before recovering superbly through a near-century stand between Ponting and Paine.

The sound beginning was built upon by half-centuries from White and Hussey as the Indian bowling, which has struggled of late, was put to the sword in merciless fashion.

India began their chase in style with Virender Sehwag hitting Lee's first two deliveries for successive boundaries. Lee eventually settled score by getting rid off Sehwag by having the batsman caught for 13 in 11 balls.

India lost another big wicket when Sachin Tendulkar drove a wide ball from Watson up into a packed off-side field and Ponting took a blinder at short cover-point.

Virat Kohli, playing in company of Delhi teammate Gambhir, steadied the rocking ship with a stand of 58 in 75 balls and the pair raised the 100 in the 19th over when Kohli fell to Adam Voges.

Gambhir and Dhoni then strung a partnership of 64 runs with diligence for the fourth wicket before Mitchell Johnson first removed the left-hander and then caught and bowled Suresh Raina to leave India at 183 for five in the 37th over.

It was left to Dhoni and Ravindra Jadeja to guide India home but the Indian skipper got out soon, trying to loft Watson and giving a tame catch to Lee at mid on.

For Australia, Johnson led the bowling with two for 59, while Watson secured 2 for 70.

Sehwag, Yuvraj take part in net session

Returning from injuries, dashing batsmen Virender Sehwag and Yuvraj Singh joined the rest of the Indian cricket team in an over two-hour long net session to prepare for the seven-match ODI series against Australia starting October 25.

Sehwag, who has recovered from a shoulder injury, and Yuvraj, still nursing a fractured finger, looked comfortable during their stay in the middle at the Mumbai Cricket Association's Bandra-Kurla complex grounds.

While Sehwag was his usual self, trying to hoick the bowlers out of the ground, Yuvraj looked at ease facing the likes of Ishant Sharma, Sudeep Tyagi, Amit Mishra and Virat Kohli.

Senior batsman Sachin Tendulkar had a half-an-hour stint against medium pacers Praveen Kumar, Munaf Patel, Ashish Nehra and off-spinner Harbhajan Singh as the team practiced ahead of the series that starts in Vadodara.

Skipper Mahendra Singh Dhoni, who warmed up by sharpening his wicketkeeping skills, was seen practising big shots.

Meanwhile, coach Gary Kirsten, who had arrived in Mumbai on Tuesday, took charge of the catching and fielding drills in the absence of fielding coach Robin Singh who, along with bowling coach Venkatesh Prasad, was sacked by the BCCI last week.

Prithvi-2 missile successfully test fired

Me and Sehwag have to steer Daredevils: Gambhir

Missing key players and off to a disastrous start, Delhi Daredevils captain Gautam Gambhir says he, along with senior batsman Virender Sehwag, will have to shoulder the entire responsibility of steering the team to Champions League Twenty20's next stage. Victoria Bushrangers put up a clinical performance last night to beat Daredevils by seven wickets in the low-scoring opening Group D match on a slow Feroz Shah Kotla wicket. And Gambhir, who took over the team's captaincy after Sehwag stepped down to focus on his batting, said in the absence of some key players, the onus is on him and his India opening partner to guide the Daredevils in the tournament. "Obviously, there is responsibility. There is huge responsibility on me and Sehwag when experienced players like (Daniel) Vettori, AB de Villiers and (Paul) Collingwood are not there and we are ready for that," Gambhir said after the defeat. Boasting of big names like Gambhir, Sehwag, Tillakaratne Dilshan, Owais Shah among other, Daredevils could only manage 98 against a disciplined Victorian bowling. Gambhir was candid enough to admit that Daredevils batsmen cut a sorry figure against Victoria. "We just didn't bat well. We were looking for a score around 130-140 and in the end we felt 30-40 runs short." "We always knew there will be low bounce in this wicket but the way we started off, we should have made 130-140 which I feel was a match-winning total in this wicket. We just didn't have any partnership," Gambhir said. He credited Victoria bowlers for their stupendous display on the tricky Kotla track. "I must say they outplayed us today. They bowled really well and we found it difficult to score runs," Gambhir said. Asked what the plan was while defending such a small total, Gambhir said, "We thought if we could get some early wickets, we are in the game but that didn't happen. "The way Quiney batted, he took the game away from us." Daredevils will next take on unpredictable Sri Lankan domestic Twenty20 champions Wayamba in their second Group D encounter and a defeat in that match will ensure the Delhi side's ouster from the tournament. "From here on every match is a must win game for us if we want to stay in the competition. The situation is also good for us as we know exactly what to do to stay alive in the tournament. If we play to our potential, we should cross the line in the next game against Wayamba. "Now we have nothing to lose and hopefully, the next time we get into the field we will put up a much better performance," Gambhir said. Gambhir also joined New South Wales skipper Simon Katich and Diamond Eagles captain Boeta Dippenaar in criticising the newly-laid Kotla wicket, saying, "It was not ideal to play a Twenty20 game." Victoria captain Cameron White, meanwhile, lauded his bowlers and fielders for setting up the platform for the win. "We did really well in bowling and fielding. We executed our plans to perfection. Our fielding, particularly, was outstanding. Sehwag's catch which Clint McKay took of his own bowling was brilliant," White said. "The wicket wasn't ideal but it wasn't that bad. It was little slow but I feel we adapted to the conditions well," he added.

India placed with South Africa, England in 2011 World Cup

India have been placed in Group B -- along with England and South Africa -- for the 2011 World Cup in the sub-continent, the International Cricket Council (ICC) announced on Wednesday after a Board meeting.

"In Group A there will be Australia, Pakistan, New Zealand, Sri Lanka, Zimbabwe, Canada and Kenya. In Group B there will be India, South Africa, England, West Indies, Bangladesh, Ireland and Netherlands," the ICC said in a statement.

The meeting also approved the schedule for next year's Under-19 World Cup scheduled in January in New Zealand.

"The full schedule will be posted on the ICC website shortly," the statement read.

Apart from this, the meeting also discussed ways to promote cricket and decided to have more research on the concept of day/night Tests.

"A competitive analysis of other sports and entertainment products will be carried out by a working group and there will be further research carried out into various proposals for product development and variation of Test cricket, such as day/night Test matches," the ICC said.

"The working group will be chaired by ICC Chief Executive Haroon Lorgat and will include a representative from each Full Member as well as the ICC General Manager - Commercial, Campbell Jamieson and ICC General Manager - Cricket, David Richardson," it added.

Group A: Australia, Pakistan, New Zealand, Sri Lanka, Zimbabwe, Canada and Kenya

Group B: India, South Africa, England, West Indies, Bangladesh, Ireland and Netherlands.

ICC Awards: Gambhir Test player of the year

Morgan, Collingwood guide England to victory

Eoin Morgan steered England to a morale-boosting six-wicket victory over Sri Lanka with a solid half-century in the Champions Trophy on Friday.

Scorecard | Points Table

England achieved a 213-run target on a lively track with five overs to spare in the day-night match, thanks to Morgan (62 not out), man-of-the-match Paul Collingwood (46) and Owais Shah (44).

South Africa and Sri Lanka now have one win apiece from two games in the four-team group, while England were playing their first match after being thrashed 6-1 by Australia in a recent home One-day series.

New Zealand have lost their opening match. The top two sides will make it to the semi-finals.

Sri Lankan spinners Muttiah Muralitharan and Ajantha Mendis, who were expected to keep the pressure on England, could not make an impact on a pitch which hardly helped slow bowlers.

England's win was set up by pacemen James Anderson (3-20), Stuart Broad (3-49) and Graham Onions (2-58) who bowled well to restrict Sri Lanka on a seamer-friendly track.

They were struggling at 19/2 when they lost openers Andrew Strauss and Joe Denly, but Collingwood put the innings on the right track with a vigorous counter-attack.

Paceman Nuwan Kulasekara did the early damage when he removed Strauss (nine) and Denly (five) in his sharp opening spell. Skipper Strauss fell pulling, with Thilina Kandamby taking a superb one-handed catch at short mid-wicket.

Collingwood then eased the pressure with his attractive cameo, advancing down the pitch to swing Kulasekara over mid-wicket for a six and then smashing the next two deliveries for boundaries.

He did not spare seamer Angelo Mathews, hitting two boundaries in an over and later swung Lasith Malinga for two sixes. His flourish ended when he inside-edged a Malinga delivery on to his stumps.

Shah was involved in two partnerships, adding 63 for the third wicket with Collingwood and 76 for the next with Morgan.

Morgan then batted steadily to see England home, hitting seven fours in his seventh half-century in one-day internationals.

Kandamby and Mathews earlier hit impressive half-centuries under pressure as Sri Lanka recovered from a horror start to post a competitive total.

Sri Lanka were struggling at 17-4 before Kandamby (53) and Mathews (52) led the fightback with an 82-run stand for the sixth wicket.

It was a rare sporting gesture by Strauss that allowed Mathews to resume his innings after he was run out.

Mathews turned Onions to square-leg and completed the first run before colliding with the bowler going for a second, with wicket-keeper Matt Prior effecting the run out after receiving the throw.

The Sri Lankan batsman stood briefly at the pitch before walking back to the pavilion, but Strauss called the batsman back.

Mathews, who was then on 51, failed to make the most of the opportunity as he added just one run more to his score before being caught behind off Luke Wright.

Kandamby added 64 for the fifth wicket with Thilan Samaraweera (30) and 82 for the next with Mathews.