‘PLAN WAS TO KEEP VIRAT QUIET’

South Africa's wrecker-in-chief Vernon Philander said on Monday they had planned to keep India skipper Virat Kohli quiet and the hosts executed the plan to perfection during their 72-run win in the first Test.

"Virat is a quality player, and the key thing is to keep him quiet, and make sure that we set him up with the other one. I always knew I had the one coming back!" said Philander, who took a career-best six for 42. "It was probably two-and-a-half overs of away-swingers and then the one back at him (Kohli). It was definitely a plan to keep him quiet, and also to drag him across to make sure that when you do bowl the other one, he is on the other side of the off-stump."

Asked if he had told anything to Kohli after the dismissal, Philander said: "Nah, I never said anything to him. It was just obviously on the spur of the moment - I just tried to spur my boys on, and that's what we tend to focus on.

"We knew that Virat was a big wicket to get, and getting him right there and then, I just strived to (enjoy it with) my boys."

With 208 to defend against India, Philander said he knew he had to quickly take the responsibility of spearheading the pace battery and put his team in a good position.

"When you look at the type of score that you have to defend, 208, someone has to make the play. You can't wait for later in the game - because there might not be a 'later on in the game'," he said.

"I knew that I had to bowl overs upfront and put us in a good position, and I just wanted to bowl and make a difference."

His 12th five-wicket haul in Test cricket also included the prized wicket of Ravichandran Ashwin, who had conjured up hopes of a revival for India with a fighting 37.

The 32-year-old seamer credited his skipper Faf du Plessis for the tactics of having Quinton de Kock standing up to the stumps to get rid of Ashwin.

"You have to be open to those suggestions, but I'll have to give this one to 'Faffie'," he said.

"Ashwin, at the time, was batting quite far out of his crease, and the wicket was a touch on the slow side and the ball was a bit older. I also felt that by pushing him back we could get all three dismissals into play."

Ashwin shared a crucial 49-run eighth wicket stand with Bhuvneshwar Kumar to resurrect India's second innings after they were reduced to 82 for 7.

Philander said: "You just have to remain calm. We had it in out arsenal to get those last three wickets. The team with the calmer head was going to come out on top.”

(TOI)

BARCA’S NEW BRAZILIAN

Coutinho Must Live Up To 160m-Euro Cost, Legacy

Philippe Coutinho arrives at Barcelona bearing both his huge price tag and the legacy of the long line of Brazilian stars who have dazzled at Camp Nou. The comparisons will be constant with Neymar, whose world-record move to PSG in August provided Barcelona with the 160 million euros they needed to acquire Coutinho at a cost that would have seemed ludicrous just six months before. Only Neymar and PSG teammate Kylian Mbappe surpass it.

But while Neymar, as before him Ronaldinho, Rivaldo, Ronaldo and Romario, all became fan favourites by starring in Barcelona’s attack, Coutinho will have to measure up to the Spanish club’s long line of top-notch — and largely homegrown — midfielders. The 25-year-old Coutinho will come to Spain charged with the daunting task of one day taking over as its midfield leader with Andres Iniesta entering the twilight of his career at age 33.

Coutinho can count on the big advantage of setting up Lionel Messi for goals as he strives to justify the club-record fee Barcelona agreed to pay on Saturday, when it finally pried him away from Liverpool after the English club had refused to let him go in the summer. Even though coach Ernesto Valverde has successfully kept Barcelona winning after predictions of decline abounded following the unwanted departure of Neymar, Coutinho will greatly increase his options in a midfield that is still heavily reliant on Iniesta for its playmaking spark.

Since the exit of Xavi two and a half years ago, and those of Cesc Fabregas and Thiago Alcantara, Barca were in danger of seeing their lineage of great midfielders broken. Coutinho showed at Liverpool that he can play anywhere in the midfield. That versatility will help ensure him a place in a Barcelona midfield that has a set group of first-choice players in Iniesta on the left, Ivan Rakitic on the right, and Sergio Busquets in a defensive role, but little else.

Ousmane Dembele would likely need to play in a 4-3-3 alongside Messi and Suarez, while Coutinho could play on the right side of a midfield line with Iniesta and Busquets. But Valverde has also gotten good results with just Messi and Suarez in attack and a four-man midfield including Paulinho.

He will have to use different lineups regardless, because Coutinho is cup-tied the Champions League. He will then have five more seasons under the contract he has agreed to sign to help Barcelona win a sixth European Cup. AP

(TOI)

KANGAROOS SWEPT ASIDE

KANGAROOS SWEPT ASIDE

David Warner hit a magnificent century for Australia but could not prevent South Africa from completing a clean sweep by winning the fifth and final one-day international by 31 runs at Newlands.

Warner hit 173 off 136 balls but received scant support from his teammates as Australia, chasing South Africa's 327 for eight, were bowled out for 296.

South Africa won all five matches in the series, the first time Australia have suffered such a beating in a five-game bilateral series. Australia will retain their number one ranking in one-day internationals, however, with South Africa two points behind in second place.

"Davey was phenomenal but the rest of us didn't stand up," said Australian captain Steve Smith. "Credit to South Africa, we've been outplayed in all the games."

Rilee Rossouw hit 122 and JP Duminy made 73 as South Africa piled up the third-highest total in a one-day international at Newlands, making them firm favourites on a ground where the highest successful run chase was 258.

Warner was dropped by wicketkeeper Quinton de Kock off Kagiso Rabada when he had 11. He went on to play a thrilling innings, hitting 24 fours, and Australia remained in with a chance of victory until he was ninth out with the total on 288, run out by a throw from the point boundary by Imran Tahir, desperate for a risky second run in order to keep the strike.

Leg-spinner Tahir had earlier taken two wickets in his first over, ending an opening stand of 72 between Warner and Aaron Finch, then bowling Smith two balls later.

South African captain Faf du Plessis paid tribute to Warner for an "incredible innings" but said South Africa deserved their series triumph. "At different times different guys stood up. Whatever Australia threw at us we had the answers. I'm very proud of the team."

Mitchell Marsh and Travis Head both made 35 but Australia were not able to stage a big partnership such as the 178 off 170 balls posted by Rossouw and Duminy after South Africa had been struggling at 52 for three. 

 (The pioneer)

EASY OUTING FOR DJOKER, MURRAY

EASY OUTING FOR DJOKER, MURRAY

Both feeling refreshed and recharged, Novak Djokovic and Andy Murray each won in straight sets Thursday to reach the quarterfinals at the Shanghai Masters.

The top-ranked Djokovic was broken once in a 6-4, 6-4 victory over Vasek Pospisil, improving his record at the tournament to 26-3. Murray was even better: He won 21 of 22 points on his first serve and made only 10 errors in a 6-1, 6-3 win over 13th-seeded Lucas Pouille.

Both players have said they feel energized this week after taking time off following the US Open.

Djokovic hasn't played at all because of an elbow injury, pulling out of the China Open in Beijing last week. He said he used the time away to recover after a mentally exhausting summer, find more balance in his life, and rediscover his passion for the game.

Djokovic said the rest and mental adjustments are already helping him on the court, too. Despite dropping serve once, he said he played a nearly complete match against Pospisil.

"I was very pleased with the way I have played from the first to last point," Djokovic said. "I don't think I have dropped my level at all."

Murray has played more in recent weeks, leading Britain against Argentina in the Davis Cup semifinals and then capturing the China Open title. But he also had some downtime.

"My body felt so much better after taking like seven, eight days off of complete rest, which I hadn't had for quite a long time," Murray said. "I'm really, really happy and glad now that I did that. It's obviously working out well for me just now."

Murray hasn't dropped a set in his last eight matches, going back to his victory over Guido Pella in the Davis Cup last month.

US Open champion Stan Wawrinka didn't look nearly as fresh on Thursday. The third-seeded Swiss player had 43 unforced errors in a 6-4, 6-4 loss to Gilles Simon.

Sixth-seeded Gael Monfils was knocked out of the tournament, too. He fell to David Goffin 4-6, 6-4, 6-2.

In other matches, Jack Sock notched another breakthrough in what's been his best season on tour, rebounding to beat Milos Raonic 0-6, 6-4, 7-6 (8) and reach his first Masters-level quarterfinal.

Paes-Begemann in final

Tashkent: Leander Paes earned himself a shot at his third ATP Challenger level title of the season by reaching the final of the $125000 Tashkent event with partner Andre Begemann, on Thursday.

The third seeded Indo-German duo annihilated local pair and giant-killers Sanjar Fayziev and Jurabeck Karmov 6-2, 6-0 in the semifinals of the hard court event. Paes and Begemann needed only 42 minutes to win the match, in which they broke their rivals five times. 

 (The pioneer)

CHAMPS GET BALL ROLLING

CHAMPS GET BALL ROLLING

Defending champions Chennaiyin FC rode on first-half goals from Hans Mulder and Mehrajuddin Wadoo to beat FC Goa City 2-0 recording their first win in the third edition of Indian Super League, here on Thursday evening.

The goals were scored in the 15th and 26th minute as Marco Materazzi's side now has four points from three games while last year's finalists FC Goa now has suffered three defeats in a row. The win took Chennaiyin to 5th position in the eight-team table while Goa are languishing at the bottom of the heap.

Chennaiyin FC manager Materazzi had told his boys that he wouldn't be around to guide them next season if they do not improve and qualify for the semi-finals.

However it was FC Goa which could have gone ahead when Fulganco Cardozo's long ball was bungled by goalkeeper Karanjit Singh but Reinaldo Oliveira couldn't stay on his feet falling inside the penalty box but referee thought otherwise.

The deadlock was broken in the 15th minute as Mulder collected a ball from Raphael Augusto just outside the box, kept his calm and placed the ball past a diving Goa goalkeeper Laxmikant Kattimani even before the defenders could react.

Chennaiyin made it 2-0 in the 26th minute, this time in fortunate circumstances. Skipper Mehrajuddin was looking to cross the ball inside the goalmouth but instead managed to get a wicked deflection off Goa defender Richard Dumas, which beat Kattimani under the Goa bar again.

FC Goa had their share of chances to claw their way back into the game but lacked sharpness. Rafael Coelho was the most likely player to score in the first 45 minutes. First the Brazilian striker's header from Joffre Gonzalez's cross sailed just wide and then he tried to pick the top corner from a narrow angle but the ball went wide in the 42nd minute.

In the second session, FC Goa chief coach Zico tried to change the equation with a flurry of attacking changes but Chennaiyin FC defended in numbers.

The hosts should have won by a much bigger margin had the strikers kept their cool. Davide Succi had a golden chance to make it 3-0 when Mulder's long overhead ball saw him within touching distance of the goal, only for Kattimani to get a touch.

Then Mulder found Baljit Sahni with another well-measured cross but the Indian striker could only hit the side-netting.

Mumbai take on Kerala

Kerala Blasters FC and Mumbai City FC may have to do without their captains for their next round battle in the Hero Indian Super League at Jawaharlal Nehru Stadium, Kochi, on Friday.

Mumbai City captain Diego Forlan, who was influential in his team's first two victories, sat out of the last clash against NorthEast United FC and has not made the trip to Kerala.

"Diego hasn't travelled with the team. He is working hard on his recovery with our medical staff and we hope that we can have him back fully fit at the earliest," said Mumbai coach Alexandre Guimaraes.

Kerala Blasters have worries of their own. Cedric Hengbart, who captained the side in the last game but limped out midway through injury, has a battle on his hand to recover and declare himself fit for the crucial clash against Mumbai City.

"I don't know to be honest," Kerala Blasters coach Steve Coppell said when asked whether he can count on Hengbart's services for Friday's clash.

"We will wait till the last minute to check his fitness. After the injury (in the last game), I thought he wouldn't be available but he is such a warrior that he is working hard, rehabilitating and trying to make himself available for this match," said the Kerala Blasters manager.

Fortunately for the home side, marquee player Aaron Hughes, a sparkling presence in Northern Ireland's progress to the second round of Euro 2016, has completed his international assignments and is expected to return to the line-up.

Kerala Blasters have just a point from their first three matches and is the only team in the league to have not scored as yet, despite backing from approximately 55,000 supporters for each home game. Coppell said his players are trying hard and a change in fortunes could be just around the corner.

"The players fully understand the responsibility of trying to entertain these fabulous fans and the players went flat out to try and give them the victory that they desire. I personally feel we are very close (to winning). As a team, we are capable of winning five or six matches on the bounce," said Coppell.

Mumbai City FC have made an encouraging start to their league campaign this season. Yet unbeaten, Mumbai City have seven points from their first three matches and even though coach Guimaraes said he was targeting "nine points" from the first three matches, he has plenty to be happy about. 

 (The pioneer)

ENGLAND BEATS BANGLADESH BY 4 WICKETS, WINS ODI SERIES 2-1

England beats Bangladesh by 4 wickets, wins ODI series 2-1

Ben Duckett and Sam Billings scored half-centuries as England beat Bangladesh by four wickets in their third one-day international on Wednesday, sealing a 2-1 victory in the series.

The hosts compiled a decent 277-6 but England raced to victory with 13 balls to spare, playing methodical cricket and ending Bangladesh's unbeaten run in their six bilateral series.

Duckett scored 63, his second half-century in the series, while Billings, who replaced injured Jason Roy in the opening slot, made 62.

Those two knocks kept England on course and Ben Stokes, 47 not out, kept up the momentum to win a series which became heated following a verbal spat between players of the two teams in the second match.

Fast bowlers Mashrafe Mortaza and Shafiul Islam claimed two wickets apiece for Bangladesh.

 (the statesman)

ASHWIN REGAINS NO 1 SPOT

ASHWIN REGAINS NO 1 SPOT

 

Indian off-spinner Ravichandran Ashwin on Wednesday reclaimed the number one spot in Test rankings for bowlers following a career-best match haul of 13 for 140 in the third Test against New Zealand in Indore.

Ashwin, who was named man of the series after he finished with 27 wickets in a 3-0 sweep by India, now has 220 wickets, the most by any bowler after 39 Tests.

Ranked third before the final Test in Indore, Ashwin, who also holds the top position in rankings for all-rounders, has leapfrogged pace bowlers James Anderson and Dale Steyn to attain a career-best rating of 900 points.

Ashwin, who finished the 2015 year-end rankings as the number-one bowler and was also at the top briefly in July this year, has joined a select band to have touched a rating of 900 points since 2000, the others being Muttiah Muralitharan, Glenn McGrath, Vernon Philander, Dale Steyn and Shaun Pollock.

In the rankings for Test batsmen, India's middle-order batsman Ajinkya Rahane has attained a career-best sixth rank with scores of 188 and 23 not out.

Rahane, whose previous best was eighth in August this year, has gained five slots after starting the match at 11th position.

Prolific scorer in the New Zealand series, Cheteshwar Pujara and captain Virat Kohli also moved up the rankings.

Pujara's knocks of 41 and 101 not out have helped him move up one place to 14th while Kohli's scores of 211 and 17 at Indore helped him move up four places to 16th position.

For New Zealand, opener Martin Guptill has moved up 10 places to 58th with knocks of 72 and 29 while Jimmy Neesham has moved up 12 slots to 70th position.

In the all-rounders' list, India's Ravindra Jadeja has reached a career-best joint-third rank.

Meanwhile, Pakistan team does not have a chance to reclaim the number-one ranking from India even with a 3-0 win against the West Indies.

Ashwin stands tall

It wasn't for anything that Virat Kohli termed New Zealand's 3-0 rout as a "proper team series win" and a simple piece of statistic will reveal why his observation seems to be so apt in the bigger context.

Off-spinner Ravichandran Ashwin's 27 wickets complemented by Ravindra Jadeja's 14 accounted for 41 of the 60 New Zealand scalps.

Compared to India's rich haul, the Kiwi bowlers in all managed 42 scalps — just one more than the Indian 'spin twins'.

Mitchell Santner and Trent Boult just about managed to hit the double figures with 10 wickets apiece.

Ashwin's 27 wicket haul is the second best to Harbhajan Singh (32 wickets vs Australia in 2001) in a three-Test series and with couple of 10-wicket match hauls is only second to Anil Kumble with 6 from 39 Tests.

Ashwin also has the maximum number of Test victims (220) by any bowler after his first 39 Test matches.

The wickets weren't exactly rank turners and Ashwin at times became unplayable on 3rd and 4th day pitches purely due to his skill rather than help off the pitch.

Jadeja as Ashwin termed was an ideal foil as he got the breakthroughs and kept it tight at an economy rate of 2.34.

Among pacers Bhuvneshwar Kumar with a five-wicket haul set it up nicely in Kolkata as Mohammed Shami (8 wickets) got the ball to reverse in the second innings at the Eden Gardens.

In the batting department, Cheteshwar Pujara was in his elements, scoring 373 runs with a hundred and three half-centuries with a handsome average of 74 plus.

It seems that he has made the number three slot his own some more time.

The ever-dependable Ajinkya Rahane continued to grow in stature as a fine long-format player as he recorded his highest individual score of 188 in the Indore Test and was the second highest scorer in the series with 347 runs.

Virat Kohli's double hundred was a delight as the Indian captain joined the party late but ended with 309 runs from the series.

While 211 was a fantastic effort in which he displayed essential virtue like patience, his second innings 45 at Kolkata was a classic cameo considering the pitch became dodgier with passage of time.

Kohli, the captain also came to the fore as he backed Rohit Sharma to the hilt with the Mumbaikar doing well with three second innings half centuries. The 82 at Eden Gardens was an effort which gave India a decisive upperhand.

The other big positive was Wriddhiman Saha slowly but surely filling up the big boots left by Mahendra Singh Dhoni.

The quiet Bengal stumper has been brilliant with his glovework but time and again showed that he has the ability to bat with the tail. The two half-centuries at the Eden Gardens and the man of the match award only bolster his confidence.

In a thoroughly a one-sided series, the only minor blip could be the performance of opener Shikhar Dhawan who failed in the Kolkata Test and should be worried about his place in the side.

Murali Vijay had a couple of half-centuries while Gautam Gambhir, coming back after two and half years, scored a half-century to increase selectorial dilemma.

For New Zealand, opener Tom Latham scored three half-centuries in three matches and the only batsman to aggregate a total of 200 runs — something that Kohli scored in a single innings.

With captain Kane Williamson not managing to negotiate Ashwin well with only 135 runs — one of his disappointing series in recent times, the New Zealand batting looked brittle.

In bowling, the spinners led by Mitchell Santner (10 wickets) tried their best but against a quality batting line-up, they were expected to be found short.

Trent Boult (10 wickets) bowled his heart out but there was little help from the other end as neither Matt Henry (6 wickets) nor Neil Wagner (5 wickets) had the expertise to bowl on Indian pitches.

Boult did miss Tim Southee as his experience would have come in handy.

(the pioneer)

CONTROVERSIAL PIQUE TO END SPAIN CAREER AFTER 2018 WORLD CUP

Controversial Pique to end Spain career after 2018 World Cup

Controversial Spanish defender Gerard Pique insisted Sunday that he will end his international career after the 2018 World Cup.

The Barcelona star has come under regular fire for his performances on the field and his support off the pitch for his pro-Catalan stance.

"The World Cup in Russia is going to be my last tournament with the national team and I hope to take a lot of pleasure from these last two years," he said after Sunday's 2-0 qualifying win against Albania.

"This is not a decision that I have taken today, I have been thinking about it. But the criticisms today have added to what has happened over the last few years. There are also people who believe that it's better that I am not here," added Pique who will be 31 when the 2018 World Cup takes place.

Pique, who has often been jeered by Spanish fans, played in the Spain team which won the 2010 World Cup and 2012 European championships.

 (the statesman)

SERGIO RAMOS INJURES KNEE, OUT FOR MONTH

Sergio Ramos injures knee, out for month

Spain and Real Madrid captain Sergio Ramos suffered a knee injury in his national team’s 2-0 win over Albania on Sunday night.

The 30-year-old was stretchered off in the 80th minute with tests later confirming medial ligament damage, according to various reports.

While the exact extent of his lay-off is yet to be confirmed, the recovery time is anywhere between four-six weeks with such injuries, which would see him miss at least two Champions League games and a La Liga clash with Athletic Bilbao. 

Ramos is expected to undergo some more tests on his injured knee on Monday to ascertain the exact extent of the injury.

He has made nine appearances for Los Blancos this season, and the capital side will hope their leader is back in action sooner rather than later.

 

 (the statesman)

REDS TURN IT AROUND AT LIBERTY

REDS TURN IT AROUND AT LIBERTY

Liverpool Rally To Beat Swansea; Chelsea Stem The Rot With Hull Win

James Milner propelled Liverpool to second place in the Premier League as his late penalty secured a 2-1 win against Swansea on Saturday. Milner's spot-kick sealed an impressive comeback for Jurgen Klopp's team and enabled the Reds to move within two points of Premier League leaders Manchester City , who face Tottenham on Sunday .

Liverpool trailed to an early Leroy Fer goal at the Liberty Stadium and looked second-best before Roberto Firmino took control to inspire his side's fourth successive league victory . Brazil forward Firmino scored Liverpool's equaliser early in the second half and won the crucial penalty that Milner converted in the final minutes.

Struggling Swansea's fifth defeat in seven league games will increase the pressure on manager Francesco Guidolin, who has had to deal with speculation he is set to lose his job. Ryan Giggs and Bob Bradley are among the names reported lined up as potential replacements for Guidolin.

Second-half goals from Willian and Diego Costa helped Chelsea ease past Hull City 2-0 on Saturday and grab their first win in four EPL games. After being frustrated in the first half, Chelsea broke the deadlock in the 61st minute when Diego Costa fed Willian on the left of the penalty area and he shifted the ball to his right and curled a shot high into the corner.

Chelsea moved up to sixth in the table on 13 points while Hull are 15th on seven after a third straight defeat.

West Ham United ended a run of four consecutive Premier League defeats thanks to a superb equaliser by Dimitri Payet in a 1-1 draw with Middlesbrough.

With his side struggling the France international showed dazzling footwork to waltz across the penalty area past several Boro defenders before cutting a right-foot shot back across keeper Victor Valdes in the 57th minute.

Substitute Isaac Success scored with a header as Watford fought back twice to draw 2-2 with Bournemouth in an entertaining EPL match. While, Patrick van Aanholt grabbed an 83rd-minute equaliser as struggling Sunderland snatched a 1-1 draw against West Bromwich Albion on Saturday to lift themselves off the foot of the table with only their second point of the season.

Meanwhile, Klopp made one change to the side that thrashed Hull 5-1 at Anfield a week ago, with Dejan Lovren, a rejuvenated presence in the Liverpool defence this season, returned to the starting line-up in place of Ragnar Klavan.There was a solitary change, too, in the Swansea team following their 3-1 defeat by Manchester City as striker Borja Baston starting a Premier League game for the first time in place of the injured Fernando Llorente.

Former Atletico Madrid forward Borja was in the thick of the action, but wasted an early chance to endear himself to the locals by heading over from Wayne Routledge's fine cross.

Liverpool's defence was looking surprisingly fragile despite Lovren's return to action and Fer made the most of the instability to put the home side ahead.

Lukaku, Benteke strike in Everton-Palace draw

Everton-Palace draw Liverpool: Goals by Belgian international strikers Romelu Lukaku and Christian Benteke saw Everton and Crystal Palace draw 1-1 in their Premier League clash on Friday.

(toi)

EUROPA LEAGUE - ZLATAN SAVES THE BLUSHES

EUROPA LEAGUE - Zlatan saves the blushes

Striker Scores With Man United's First Shot On Target

Zlatan Ibrahimovic has spent the last fifteen years avoiding the Europa League, but just when he appeared set to be dragged down by the ignominy of a dalliance with the Champions League's ugly sister, he rescued Manchester United from the embarrassment of a stalemate against Zorya Luhansk.

Not since facing FC Copenhagen with Ajax in 2001 has Ibrahimovic started in the Europa League, or the Uefa Cup as it once was.

But on a night when Jose Mourinho's United threatened to send Old Trafford to sleep, Ibrahimovic delivered when it mattered with a 67th minute goal which settled a dismal Group A encounter.

There can be no denying that Europa League nights are greeted with as much enthusiasm at United as a trip to the dentists.

The official line from Mourinho and the club hierarchy is that it remains European football and that the ultimate prize is silverware with a free pass into next season's Champions League. Having invested £150m in the squad this summer, United will expect to secure a return to the Champions League through the Premier League rather than place all their chips on winning this competition, which remains the only major trophy to elude the club.

But United are in it as a result of their fifth-placed finish last season and, if Thursday nights are a necessary evil, Mourinho and his players simply have to make the best of it.

But don't let anyone kid you that United want to be contesting fixtures with the likes of Zorya Luhansk.

Sixty years after meeting Anderlecht in the club's European fixture, Zorya claimed the distinction of being United's 100th European opponents, but the fact it was in the Europa League rather than Champions League summed up United's fall from grace in recent years.

They have gone from A-Z and ended up down a dead end street.

(toi)

INDIANS UNABLE TO MATCH KIWIS’ PACE

INDIANS UNABLE TO MATCH KIWIS’ PACE

 

India's vaunted batting line-up failed to recover from the early blows dealt by New Zealand's concerted bowling effort and wobbled to 239 for 7 on the opening day of the second cricket Test here on Friday.

Barring Cheteshwar Pujara (87) and Ajinkya Rahane (77), none of the batsmen came good after skipper Virat Kohli opted to bat on the relaid pitch of the historic Eden Gardens stadium, hosting India's 250th home Test.

Ravindra Jadeja (0) and Wriddhiman Saha (14) were holding fort for the home side when stumps were drawn at the end of the 87th over due to bad light.

The Kiwis, who were dealt a blow this morning when regular skipper and top batsman Kane Williamson was ruled out of match owing to illness, showed tremendous resilience to put up a fine first day show.

Medium-pacer Matt Henry was the Black Caps top wicket-taker with a haul of 3/35 in his miserly 15 overs, while off-spinner Jeetan Patel, brought into the side due to the injury-forced exit of Mark Craig, chipped in with two wickets.

India, who will regain the top spot in ICC rankings if they seal the three-match series in this match, did not make a very good start and lost their top-three batsmen even before the score had touched 50.

Pujara and Rahane's dogged fourth-wicket stand of 141 was the high point for India today.

For the in-form Pujara, it was his third half-century from as many innings but a lapse in concentration ended his patient innings for 87 that came off 219 deliveries and was studded with 17 hits to the fence.

From being 46/3 in a jittery first session, Pujara and Rahane batted with grit and determination under the blazing afternoon heat and energy-sapping humidity. The duo's stand spanned three hours and nine minutes but the Kiwis made an impact in the final session snapping four wickets.

Pujara was set up brilliantly by left-arm pacer Neil Wagner, who put a short cover for him, and the Indian holed out to Martin Guptill.

However, it was not a good day at his favourite ground for Rohit Sharma (2), who was dismissed by Patel. The right-hander also looked to have hurt his left shoulder while attempting a single.

For the Kiwis, it was a tale of two comeback men as first 24-year-old Henry (3/35), who had replaced their pace spearhead Tim Southee created quite a flutter by removing both the openers -- Shikhar Dhawan (1) and Murali Vijay (9).

Off the second ball of his first over, Henry bowled Dhawan who tried to cut in an angled delivery only to drag the ball back to his stumps.

Replacing Lokesh Rahul, Dhawan's stint lasted just 10 balls with scorecard reading 1/1 in the second over. Vijay also perished to a beauty from the youngster playing only his fifth Test.

Continuing a rare lean patch, skipper Kohli (9) was steadying the ship with a set Pujara, but Trent Boult (1/33) dismissed the skipper.

Kohli got carried away after an exquisite cover drive that was cheered by the small turnout and went for an IPL-like shot chasing a ball way outside the off-stump to be caught brilliantly by Tom Latham.

The dismissal less than half an before the lunch break disturbed India's recovery plan before Pujara and Rahane held firm in the second session. Pujara, who played a crucial role with his 62 and 78 in the Kanpur Test, again showed the kind of application needed with his team off a bad start.

After aiding seam movement and offering variable bounce in the morning, the pitch turned slower on a sultry afternoon, offering occasional turn. However Pujara and Rahane batted sensibly to resurrect the innings. They were never in a hurry and played according to the merit of the ball, collecting timely boundaries in the process.

Giving him an able support at the other end was Rahane, who hit 11 fours in his 157-ball stay at the crease. Rahane's resolute knock came to and end when Patel trapped him LBW with India exactly at 200.

Down the order, Ravichandran Ashwin played a useful knock of 26 that was laced with four hits to the boundary. 

(the pioneer)

KOHLI, GAMBHIR SHARE LIGHT MOMENTS DURING PRACTICE

KOHLI, GAMBHIR SHARE LIGHT MOMENTS DURING PRACTICE

 

India skipper Virat Kohli and comeback man Gautam Gambhir seem to have moved on from their bitter IPL spat as the Delhi duo was seen sharing a few light moments on the eve of the second cricket Test against New Zealand.

Gambhir stood alongside Wriddhiman Saha and Ravichandran Ashwin while a padded up Kohli quickly joined them. The fans witnessed ugly spat between Kohli and Gambhir during the 2013 season during a match in Bangalore.

On Thursday they were seen in a lengthy discussion peppered with some laughs. Drafted into the Test side after more than two years, Gambhir was later seen chatting with team India coach Anil Kumble even as he did not bats long in the nets.

The 34-year-old's turn to bat at the nets came last along with R Ashiwn who did not bowl to recover from the corn — thickened skin — on his middle finger of the bowling arm.

The duo faced only a few deliveries in the fag end of the two-hour practice but skipper Kohli later clarified that no inference could be drawn from the practice session. Kohli said sometimes the batting order was followed but it is not necessary that people who have not batted for long during the nets, won't play.

Gambhir's stint at the two-hour net session also included giving some catching practice at the start to Ajinkya Rahane and Shikhar Dhawan. 

(the pioneer)

INDIA BEAT PAK 3-1 TO ENTER ASIA CUP FINAL

INDIA BEAT PAK 3-1 TO ENTER ASIA CUP FINAL

 

India defeated arch-rivals Pakistan 3-1 to storm into the summit clash of the fourth men's Under-18 Asia Cup hockey tournament here on Thursday.

India took the lead in the seventh minute through Shivam Anand's strike. India then doubled their lead through a penalty corner conversion by Dilpreet Singh. Then,  Nilam Sanjeep Xess (46th) converted another penalty corner to make it 3-0.

Pakistan managed to pull a goal back through Amjad Ali Khan but it proved to be too little too late. India will meet Bangladesh in the final.

(THE PIONEER)

(the pioneer)