Indian spin destroys Australia again

HYDERABAD: Even India wouldn’t have dreamed of an end so terse. A couple of hours into the opening session on the fourth day of the second Test, all hopes of a typical Australia fightback vaporized like acetone on warm skin. India ran away winners by an innings and 135 runs, having needed just 35 overs on Tuesday to take the eight wickets that stood between them and a 2-0 lead in the four-match series. 

The victory took MS Dhoni past Sourav Ganguly as India’s most successful Test captain: 22 wins in 45 matches, to Ganguly’s 21 in 49. For Australia, the statistics were less kind. They became the first team ever to lose by an innings after declaring their first innings closed. 

Cheteshwar Pujara was named Man of the Match for his first innings 204, his second Test double hundred. India were also served well by Murali Vijay's 167 in the first essay.

Resuming on 74/2, the visitors collapsed like a badly baked cake to 131 all out. The central figures were once again India’s spinners – although Australia’s batsmen displayed very little intent in prolonging their stays in the middle. Ravichandran Ashwin (5/63) and left-arm spinning all-rounder Ravindra Jadeja (3/33) did the most of the damage. 

Well begun
Jadeja opened the bowling with Ishant Sharma and turned in 18 overs on the trot, his haul including the prized scalp of Michael Clarke (16), done in with a delectable away turner that slipped past the Aussie captain’s defence and took out off stump. Although Clarke’s dismissal portended the shape of things to come, the going was sorry for his team right from the get-go.

Overnight batsman Shane Watson (10) became Ishant’s first victim of the match - his first, indeed, in the last three matches – in the third over of the morning. The all-rounder, playing purely as a batsman here, was out chasing easy runs, patting a delivery down the leg-side to Dhoni behind wicket.

A sequence of rued chances followed. Ed Cowan, who had also resumed overnight, was dropped on 31 by substitute Shikhar Dhawan at short leg, off the bowling of Jadeja. Clarke too survived a vociferous appeal for a catch down the leg-side against Ishant, and responded by going inside-out for six against the left-arm spinner in the next over.

Spineless batting
The writing was now on the wall. Clarke was out to a Jadeja beauty, the kind that undid Moises Henriques in the first innings and Cowan, who was dropped again (on 44) by Dhawan at forward short-leg, finally ran out of luck. The left-handed Aussie opener went for the cut against Jadeja, the resultant edge ricocheted off Dhoni’s pads and was pouched alertly by Virender Sehwag at slip. Jadeja next ran out Moises Henriques (0) with a direct hit from short cover.

IPL millionaire Glenn Maxwell (8) was trapped ‘lbw’ off an Ashwin carom ball. Peter Siddle (4) departed to a mirror image of Cowan’s dismissal, the edge taken by Sehwag after it lobbed up from Dhoni’s pads. Mathew Wade and James Pattinson became Ashwin’s fourth and fifth victims respectively, the latter wicket ending things overwhelmingly in the home team’s favour.

Sachin Tendulkar retires from ODI cricket

Poor form and selectors' ultimatum may have forced Tendulkar's hand.

Sachin Tendulkar announced his retirement from One-day Internationals today, and with it comes to an end one of the memorable eras in world cricket. 

The genius batsman from Mumbai ends his career with 49 hundreds, 18,426 runs, 463 appearances, and 96 half-centuries — all world records earned over a massive 23-year-long career — but he will value his 2011 World Cup win above all these. 

Tendulkar, who will turn 40 in April, exited the 50-over-format quietly. The Board of Cricket Control in India’s website announced that Tendulkar had conveyed his decision to president N. Srinivasan. 

“I have decided to retire from the One Day format of the game,” his statement published on BCCI.tv said. 

“I feel blessed to have fulfilled the dream of being part of a World Cup wining Indian team. The preparatory process to defend the World Cup in 2015 should begin early and in right earnest. I would like to wish the team all the very best for the future. I am eternally grateful to all my well wishers for their unconditional support and love over the years.”

The Press Trust of India quoted a source as saying that Tendulkar had gone off the radar after the Nagpur Test, where India surrendered the Test series to England. 

"Once he was back in Mumbai after the Nagpur Test, he switched off his cell phone and became incommunicado for at least three days. The only possible way to contact him was through Anjali's (wife) number as he wanted some time to himself," the source, said to be a close friend of Tendulkar said on the condition of anonymity.

"By Friday night, he had intimated his family and close group of friends that he wants to quit from ODIs. Accordingly, he informed BCCI president N Srinivasan last night about his decision to retire from ODIs making it clear that he doesn't want to play in the ODIs against Pakistan," the source added.

Tendulkar’s last ODI was against Pakistan in the Asia Cup in Mirpur, Bangladesh. He had scored a quick 52 in that game, as India chased down a massive score of 329.

The announcement of his retirement was somewhat surprising. Earlier this week, sections of the media had reported that Tendulkar had made himself available for selection for the upcoming games against Pakistan. 

Tendulkar has been going through the poorest form of his long, illustrious career and there have been many calls in the cricket press for him to announce his retirement from cricket. He finally chose to take the dignified way out. 

Speaking to CNN-IBN, former selector Krishnamachari Srikkanth reacting to Sachin's ODI retirement, said: “I am shocked. Didn't have any indication earlier about Sachin's decision to quit. He is leaving on a high.”

India’s performance since the World Cup win has been undoubtedly its poorest in many years. The period has also coincided with Tendulkar’s poorest run in a long time. In 30 Test innings, he has averaged 31.76 with a highest score of 94. In ODIs, those numbers are poorer: 333 runs in 11 innings opening the batting, averaging 30.27, with one painstakingly compiled hundred against Bangladesh. 

Those numbers pale in comparison to what Tendulkar had achieved in the years gone by, and it could be argued that Tendulkar is not leaving on a high. 

The upcoming Test series at home against Australia could possibly be his last — unless he can recreate the magic of old and prolong his playing days a little more. 

Virat Kohli India’s performer of the year

2012 saw a young turk making his presence felt, retirements galore as well as internal team controversies that saw former captains forced to sit out before making their comebacks. These are the cricket-related personalities who made the headlines this year.

Virat Kohli had proven his talent long ago. As the previous year’s highest scorer in ODIs, he had also demonstrated his capability to shine on the international stage. So just how did 2012 become the year of Virat Kohli?

For one, Kohli showed that he had the ability to focus on his game.  Till recently the brash batsman from Delhi was more in the news for his angry young man attitude and lavish lifestyle. Reacting to abusive crowds with the middle finger and to his own dismissals with a selection of expletives didn’t exactly earn him brownie points. 

Time to thank Sachin for a glorious era

England are on the rise, while Australia are treading water and India are regressing.

Over the next few months, the fate of Australia,India and England is entwined. India are currently playing England, to be followed by Australia and then there's an Ashes series. All enticing series and as the teams stand at the moment, England are on the rise, while Australia are treading water and India are regressing. Australia and India are in different stages of rebuilding and with varied reserve stocks.

India are the team with the major headaches; they need to begin a revitalisation process with a change of leadership and a fond farewell to a champion batsman. This is going to take a large dose of selection courage and so far that's been as rare in Indian cricket as sighting of the Lochness Monster. 

The big stumbling block to India beginning the renewal process is Sachin Tendulkar. While everyone waits with baited breath to see what he'll do, the team is stagnating; the issue has become “will he or won't he" instead of being “will they or won't they". 

It's time to say thanks to Tendulkar for providing a glorious era and then concentrate on forging a new group of successful players who produce an exciting brand of cricket. India are fortunate; they're not without talent in both batting and spin bowling and their major concern is bowlers of genuine pace.

England keep their date with history

NAGPUR:  England made history at the Jamtha stadium as they completed an epochal away series victory over India on Monday to lift the Anthony de Mello Trophy, the first time they had done so since David Gower’s team won in 1984-85 on the sub continent. Jonathan Trott and Ian Bellcompleted centuries to thwart India on the final day, as India failed to get the early wickets they so desperately needed to enforce a result.

The 2-1 verdict in favour of England was never in doubt once the two had added 208 runs without so much as giving a chance to the home team. Truth be told, there was a chance offered – of Bell on 75, against Chawla and dropped by Virender Sehwag - but it was too little, too late. And were it not for the series at stake, the day would have made for dreadful watching. It did now too, but the sideplots kept up the intrigue partly. India’s only chance was to take a flurry of early wickets. England’s aim was to take the lead beyond an outside chance of a successful Indian chase.  No prizes for guessing which team succeeded.

Play was called off when England declared on 352/4, leading by 356 and with just 15 overs to go in the day’s play.

Is Dhoni angry with Gambhir

 Indian skipper Mahendra Singh Dhoni has reportedly complained to the BCCI about Gautam Gambhir, saying that the batsman's approach is selfish. While it is clear that there is no bad blood between the two players, Dhoni feels that in his struggle to overcome his poor form, Gambhir is ignoring team goals and focussing only on his personal performance. The two run-outs that Gambhir has been involved with, have only brought out these differences, claims the author of the article.

"Of late Gambhir has gone into a shell and focusing on just to save his place in the team. His prolonged poor form has resulted in low self-esteem and he's cut off from other issues pertaining to the team," said the player. "But what irked Dhoni was Gambhir playing for himself and not for the team. It was evident in the way Gambhir batted in the second innings of the Mumbai Test that he was more interested in carrying his bat by remaining not out, rather than shielding the tailenders and scoring quick runs.

"What possibly could be the reason behind taking singles off the first or second ball of an over and exposing the tailenders to Graeme Swann and Monty Panesar on a rank turner? India needed some runs on the board to give something to their bowlers. Every run was crucial but Gambhir chose to be a mute spectator. The whole world saw that and everyone was taken aback. The effort to contribute to the team wasn't there. Look how well R Ashwin batted with maturity during his unbeaten 91 in the Kolkata Test and he isn't a specialist batsman. He shepherded the tailenders superbly and scored vital runs. If Ashwin can do, why couldn't Gambhir?"

While assuaging thoughts of any bad blood between Dhoni and Gambhir, the source did, however, cite the run-outs of Virender Sehwag in the first innings of the Kolkata Test and Cheteshwar Pujara in the second as moments which precipitated India's downfall and left Dhoni miffed with Gambhir's current approach.

"On both occasions, Gambhir was at fault. While there were clearly three runs in Sehwag's case which Gambhir declined, the call for a run to Pujara was ill-judged. He was having a tough time against Steven Finn and wanted to get off the strike. His desperation cost Pujara his wicket. Dhoni doesn't have doubts about his integrity or commitment," he said. "Gambhir, obviously, didn't do anything deliberately. It's just that in his struggle to overcome poor form, he is overlooking team's interest and remains oblivious of team goals. This has not gone down well with Dhoni, who is determined to win the Nagpur Test and level the series, and he conveyed his thoughts to the BCCI officials in no uncertain terms.

"Dhoni and Gambhir are cordial with each other. Gambhir has scored a couple of half-centuries in the series and seems like getting his old form back. If he could clear the unwarranted cobwebs from his head, he's a fierce competitor. He has the backing of the team. One of the BCCI officials will speak to Gambhir before the match and the matter will be sorted out. It is important that all the members take the field in the last Test with the motto of giving their best shot," he concluded. 

Novak Djokovic is buying the world’s entire supply of donkey cheese

We know that "Novak Djokovic  is buying the world's entire supply of donkey cheese" sounds like the kind of headline that would show up around April Fool's, but it's apparently legit. The world No. 1 is spending millions to purchase all of the rare cheese made from, uh, donkey milk.

The cheese, known as pule, is white, crumbly and made from donkey's milk. It runs over $500 per pound, in part because one pound of the cheese requires over three gallons of milk. It's produced in Djokovic's native Serbia, and he plans to use it in his soon-to-open chain of restaurants.  (Too much to hope that the restaurants are named "Donkey Cheese"?)

Pule recently received the distinction of the"world's most expensive cheese." Created at one farm in one town in Serbia, the cheese is derived from milk on one of Serbia's most well-known natural reserves. Djokovic purchased the farm's entire year's supply.

"It will save a lot of effort having to deal with various restaurants, with only one customer buying the lot we don't have to worry too much about salesmen," said Slobodan Simic, manager of the farm. "It is a great vote of confidence as well in what we do here." Simic recently told Reuters that the cheese could fetch as much as $2,900 a pound if it were sold on the open market, but it's sold privately at around $576 a pound to promote the farm's conservation efforts.

Congrats to Djokovic for cornering the donkey cheese market. We look forward to Donkey Cheese Sticks and Donkey Cheese Omelets showing up on his menus very soon.

Domestic cricket is not of the quality to allow players to move into international cricket, says Rahul Dravid

Former India captain Rahul Dravid was scathing in his criticism after India's abject surrender in the Kolkata Test, questioning the "skill, ability and talent" of the players who are representing the country.

"People talk about attitude and say (the players) don't care because there is too much money in the Indian Premier League. That's one side of things but the main thing is their lack of skill and ability, which is more worrying for me. It raises questions as to the talent and quality of players coming through," Dravid told 'BBC Test Match Special'.

"One of the challenges India face is that our domestic cricket is not of the quality to allow players to seamlessly move into international cricket."

There is a lot of anger among the cricket-crazy Indian fans and the veteran of 164 Tests and 13,288 runs feels that it is absolutely justified.

"A lot of people are upset not just by losing but the manner of the defeats. India won three tosses and had the wicket in their favour in Mumbai and the best of the batting conditions in Kolkata but they just haven't been able to capitalise or put up a fight," said Dravid, who had retired from international cricket last March.

Dravid along with Sachin Tendulkar, Sourav Ganguly, VVS Laxman, Anil Kumble and Virender Sehwag formed the core of a solid Indian Test team that reached the pinnacle of success winning in Australia, England, Pakistan, West Indies, New Zealand.

"England have put a mirror up to the Indian cricket team and shown them the challenges that they face. Successful teams have a group of players who come through together and peak at the same time."

The 'Wall' feels that 'A' tours are becoming increasingly more important. 

"I think having 'A' tours and the academy system is becoming more and more important and I think England have been pretty good with that in the way that the academy travels every winter to different parts of the world. I think that is something India can learn from England," Dravid said.

"It is about recognising that the Indian team is in a bit of transition and working out how to bring through young players who have the skill, technique, temperament and desire to play Test cricket."

Dravid also admitted that Ravichandran Ashwin and Pragyan Ojha didn't deliver as per expectations.

"India have been out bowled in the spin department and that's a worrying sign because spin has been our strength."

Although he is thoroughly disappointed with the Indian team's effort in the field and their general fitness standards, he was blunt in stating that it can't be used as an excuse.

"India have been poor in the field and their physical fitness is disappointing me. That's not an excuse. You can't demand runs, but you can at least demand accountability in terms of intensity and effort."

There is always a possibility that the Indian team would come back stronger and level the series in the final Test in Nagpur but the 40-year-old feels that there is a need for long-term planning.

"Irrespective of what happens in Nagpur, the lessons need to be learned from the series if India wants to be a consistently successful team and challenge again for the number one ranking," he concluded.