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The resistance provided by Steven Smith, whose Test cred increased for the second match in a row, and Peter Siddle ensured Australia weren’t bowled out below 200

The Report by Siddarth Ravindran22-Mar-2013
Scorecard and ball-by-ball details
R Ashwin figures on the day were: 30-17-40-4•BCCI

On a Feroz Shah Kotla track that had plenty of cracks even before the game began, there was variable bounce and movement for the quicks in the morning, and TV commentators were left wondering whether this match was being played at Headingley. After lunch, it was back to an all-too familiar sight this series: Australia’s batsmen pinned by the turn and bounce of India’s spinners.That may seem a tailor-made surface for bowling first, but Australia’s stand-in captain Shane Watson, taking over from an injured Michael Clarke, decided to bat knowing that the track will become even more difficult to score on as the match progresses. India could have shot out Australia for under 200, but for the resistance provided by Steven Smith, whose Test crediblity increased for the second match in succession, and Peter Siddle, who put away the mindless swipes usually associated with tailenders, to reach a career-best 47, and defy India for three hours.Much of the threat in the first session had come from Ishant Sharma, who dismissed David Warner for a duck, and had Hughes bowled for an enterprising 45. The spinners took over after lunch, as the ball began to rip, and the numbers of appeal ratcheted up. Cowan had played his typical unflashy innings, intent on preserving his wicket in the testing conditions, before he became the third Australian top-order batsman to be bowled round the legs by R Ashwin in the series, while attempting a sweep.That wicket opened the doors to a collapse, and from a healthy 106 for 2, Australia tumbled to 136 for 7. The middle order for this Test – Hughes, Watson, Smith, Matthew Wade and Glenn Maxwell – is the weakest Australia have fielded in decades, and they were unable to cope with the accuracy of the spinners, and the ball darting around. The questions over whether Watson deserves a permanent place in the side will only grow after another failure – he was stumped off Ravindra Jadeja, who continued to torment Australia’s captain this series.

Smart stats

• The number of maidens bowled by R Ashwin (17) is the joint-highest for India (since 1990) in an innings (overs bowled between 30 and 35). The record is 22 maiden overs by Zimbabwe’s Malcolm Jarvis against Sri Lanka in Bulawayo in 1994.

• The number of balls faced during the eighth and ninth wicket stands (264) is the fourth-highest in an innings for Australia. Three of the top four such efforts have come against India.

• Peter Siddle’s 47 is his highest Test score surpassing his previous best of 43 against England in Sydney in 2011. It is also the third-highest score by an Australia No. 9 batsman against India.

• Ravindra Jadeja has now dismissed the Australian captain in six out of seven innings. He got Michael Clarke out five times and Shane Watson once.

• For the eighth time since the start of 2010 (second in this series), none of the top eight Australian batsmen passed fifty. On only one of those eight occasions (Sydney 2010 against Pakistan) did Australia manage to win the game.

A fit-again Matthew Wade, reclaiming the wicketkeeping gloves from Brad Haddin, was unlucky to be dismissed bat-pad when there was no bat involved. That brought together two players who the Australian public hardly rate as Test players, Smith and Maxwell. Both began with confident straight hits for six, but Maxwell threw it away with an against-the-turn lofted hit that only went as far as mid-on.Smith was at the non-striker’s end for the most memorable dismissal of the innings, of Mitchell Johnson who was playing his first game of the series. An Ashwin carrom ball cannoned into off stump after Johnson shouldered arms. India were celebrating, but Johnson had no idea he was bowled, thinking perhaps that MS Dhoni had broken the stumps after collecting the ball. What is usually the most direct form of dismissal in cricket needed the umpire to intervene to send the batsman on his way.With Australia losing seven wickets midway through the day, it was expected that Ashwin and Jadeja would wrap things up soon after. Smith, though, showed more of the composure that helped him so much in Mohali, knuckling down after that initial six – his next boundary came 65 deliveries later – content to block, and confident using his feet. He and Siddle had defied India for more than an hour and a half before Smith fell to a sharp catch by debutant Ajinkya Rahane at short leg.Siddle survived plenty of close lbw calls, and had to face some unplayable deliveries, somehow managing to hang in, not trying anything extravagant, and succeeding in frustrating India’s bowlers. Even after Smith’s dismissal, the no-frills batting from Siddle and James Pattinson kept out India, and ensured Australia weren’t bowled out on the first day.Australia had been more flamboyant in the morning, chiefly due to Hughes, who less than a week ago was set to go down as the new benchmark for bumbling batting after a torturous time against spin. He continued to play with the confidence gleaned from his battling 69 in Mohali. He was helped by some wayward bowling from the quicks early on, thumping three fours in a Bhuvneshwar Kumar over.Everyone was waiting for the first spinner to come on, both to see how much the ball would rip, and to see how Hughes would cope. Ashwin, India’s most successful bowler in the series, came on in the ninth over and Hughes promptly struck him for two boundaries through midwicket to gallop to 29 off 23 deliveries.The quick scoring came, though there were puffs of dust coming off the pitch when the new-ball bowlers were on. Ishant sent down a grubber early on that zipped through at ankle height. In the 21st over he bowled a snorter that sprang up from short of a length to thud into Hughes’ helmet. Hughes grinned ruefully, amazed at how much that delivery lifted, and two balls later his aggressive innings came to an end, as he tentatively poked at an Ishant delivery that crashed into the stumps.Australia will be content with how the first and third session went, but their soft middle order was exposed once more, and left them on the back foot after the first day.

Central Zone qualified for the semi-final of the Deodhar Trophy after an allround performance against South Zone in the opening game of the tournament

ESPNcricinfo staff16-Mar-2012Central Zone qualified for the semi-final of the Deodhar Trophy after an allround performance against South Zone in the opening game of the tournament at Mohali.Chasing a modest total, Central Zone maintained a brisk run-rate to overhaul the target in the 40th over. Jalaj Saxena, who made 32 runs off 26 balls, and Naman Ojha, with 26 runs from 23 balls, set-up the platform with an attacking start to the chase against a weak South Zone bowling line-up. Only India left-arm spinner Pragyan Ojha, who took 2 for 39, exercised some control over the batsmen. A half-century from Mohammad Kaif and solid contributions from Ashok Menaria (37) and a cameo by skipper Piyush Chawla (34 runs off 25 balls) knocked South Zone out of the competition.A number of South Zone batsmen squandered starts to give the Central Zone bowlers an upper hand after Bhuvneshwar Kumar had removed openers Abhinav Mukund and Srikkanth Anirudha with only 40 runs on the board. Dinesh Karthik, the South Zone skipper, steadied the innings with a half-century, but the spin duo of Chawla and Saxena accounted for five wickets between them to derail the South’s innings. Umesh Yadav, who was playing his first game after recovering from the shin injury he picked up in Australia, bowled a steady 10-over spell for 35 runs and picked up the wicket of D Ravi Teja.Central Zone now travel to Dharamsala to play North Zone in the second semi-final on March 18.

Netherlands failed to build on their strong performance against England, while West Indies flexed muscle against minnows after they were beaten by South Africa

Firdose Moonda in Delhi28-Feb-2011West Indies came sashaying back into this World Cup with a performance so calypso it was a pina colada for the eyes. It had flamboyant batting, destructive bowling, over-the-top celebrations and that essential ingredient, something orange that had been turned to pulp.The colour was provided by Netherlands, who came into this match on a high, anticipating a decent performance after their competitive showing against England. Ryan ten Doeschate’s century had propped them up comfortably, and even though they weren’t able to secure victory with the ball, they had shown a determination beyond their minnow status. They had arrived in Delhi with a real base on which to start from.They came to the capital with so much to live up to, so much promise, so much expectation and so much belief that they were going to compete in the tournament. Against West Indies, they were even spoken about as competing as equals. In a daze of hype, it looked as though the Dutch forgot that beyond the confidence and the positivity, they would actually have to turn up and play, before any of that became a reality.They had spoken about an improved performance in the field, which they were not able to execute half as well as they talked about. Even though batting has been their strength, without getting the other half of their game to work, it’s negated. Peter Borren had no answers, no excuses and by the looks of it, no motivation at the end of the match.After the game, his one statement summed up an evening that left his team gutted. “If we are going to bat and bowl and field as poorly as we did today, it actually makes no difference if we bat or field first.” With that empty statement, and the hollow expression that accompanied it, he left the room. It’s going to take a lot for Netherlands to pick themselves up from this demoralising defeat, and they only have three days to figure out how to.For West Indies, the three days between games can’t be over with soon enough. After their initial defeat to South Africa, their 12th in succession, the critics were saying the same thing: that the West Indians were not good enough and would have to battle for their place in the quarter-finals. Then, albeit against an associate side, all the big guns fired. Chris Gayle and Kieron Pollard belted out half-centuries and Kemar Roach, their premier strike bowler, ended up with 6 for 27, including the tournament’s first hat-trick.Roach said the victory buoyed the team, particularly for their next challenge in Dhaka. “We take a lot of confidence into the game against Bangladesh,” he said. “This match was good preparation for the Bangladesh game. We’ll go there on a high. Bangladesh are an improving team but we are better than them.”That kind of confidence is rare for a current West Indian bowler, especially because bowling is considered their weak link, with some suggesting that they would always need big runs because they would struggle to bowl sides out. Roach, who often operates as the lone strike bowler, said that although being a seamer in the subcontinent is challenging, he is adapting. “It’s tough coming here as a bowler to the subcontinent, you have to be very accurate and consistent, once you get that right, you get wickets.”Roach opened the bowling with spinner Sulieman Benn in the last two matches, and even though West Indies were renowned for hunting in fast-bowling pairs, he said he doesn’t miss not having another quick on the other end. “I don’t feel as though as I am left out. Benn is a very good partner of mine. To see that two guys from Barbados are opening the bowling for the West Indies is great.”Although Ravi Rampaul and Andre Russell are waiting in the wings to add to the seam contingent, Roach is happy to carry the load, with Kieron Pollard to help out, if he has to. Roach has been particularly inspired by a message the injured allrounder Dwayne Bravo gave him. “He is my big brother. He said go hard and enjoy it and be confident in whatever you do.”

Three days after he expressed reservations about flying to India due to security concerns, the England batsman arrived in Chandigarh to link up with Kings XI Punjab

Cricinfo staff04-Mar-2010Three days after he expressed reservations about flying to India due to security concerns, the
England batsman Ravi Bopara arrived in Chandigarh to link up with Kings XI Punjab. Bopara had delayed his arrival in India over concerns about the contents of security advisor Reg Dickason’s report, which had named Al Qaeda group Brigade 313 as a possible threat to the IPL, but Lalit Modi, the league’s commissioner, had been quick to say Bopara would play.While both Bopara and the franchise were tight-lipped about the sudden turnaround in Bopara’s participation, the England batsman’s presence at a promotional event in Chandigharh, the team’s headquarters, was enough to satisfy Punjab. “His arrival means he is willing to play,” said Punjab CEO Anil Srivatsa when answering a question as to whether the franchise has sought a reason for Bopara’s earlier comments to the . “We have not asked him any explanation for his comments in England as there is now no need.”Bopara, who was bought for $450,000 at the 2009 auction, is one of eight England cricketers involved in IPL 2010.Brett Lee, who is recovering from an elbow surgery, also arrived in India and bowled a few overs in the nets. “Our physio Patrick Farhat has met him and he is still doing rehab,” explained Col. Arvinder Singh, Punjab’s vice-president. “We will wait for his fitness status till March 11 and then decide.”

India will eye a series win and may not want to tinker much with their XI after a close match

Sidharth Monga02-Dec-2025

Big picture – Raipur’s second ODI ever

There is a reason why ODIs are a format after India’s heart. Why, at a time when ODIs fight for relevance outside the World Cup, do Indians still sell out stadiums to watch their team in action? It doesn’t demand as much devotion as Tests do, but still provides enough time and certainty for their heroes to showcase their skill and fitness. And when two of the greatest of all time, Virat Kohli and Rohit Sharma, find the form they did during the first ODI between against South Africa, it’s all the more reason for a three-match series to be frenzied.While ODIs are less reliant on luck than T20Is, the first ODI was also an example of how much heavy lifting the side losing the toss has to do. Despite all the pedigree they have, India came within a couple of connected full tosses of possibly losing to a side that has been chopping and changing, and has played 37 players in this year alone.Ranchi was India’s experience and skill coming up against the conditions and the incredible hitting depth in the South Africa line-up. You’d expect the same for the rest of the series if India keep losing tosses – they have now lost 19 in a row – but the only ODI Raipur has ever hosted was a bit of a dream for seam bowlers, who bowled New Zealand out for 108 in early 2023.Related

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It happened to be the match immediately after one that mirrored this series’ Ranchi ODI. Asked to bat first back then, India rode on Shubman Gill’s double-century to post 349 for 8 – exactly what India got against South Africa in Ranchi – and had New Zealand reeling at 131 for 6, but the lower order gave India a scare once the dew came in, getting to within 12 runs of the score.This time, you’d hope Raipur gives us a closer contest than the Ranchi thriller. Not least because if India are on the dealing end of a one-sided game, the series will then have to feature a dead-rubber in Visakhapatnam.

Form guide

India: WWLLW
South Africa: LLWLL

In the spotlight: Harshit Rana and Nandre Burger

India had only a brief window of movement in Ranchi before the dew turned bowling into a nightmare. But Harshit Rana took two wickets in that small window to put India ahead. He has now shown that not only can he be effective in hitting the pitch hard with the old ball, but also with the new ball. Rana’s next challenge might be taking the new ball in the afternoon, when it tends to do little.Unlucky to not be a regular part of the Test set-up just yet, Nandre Burger took on that challenge in the afternoon in Ranchi, and came out with credit. He bowled at consistent high pace, and found a way to challenge the batters. If Burger can find a way to do even better, he will be a theme in the rest of the series.

Team news: Bavuma, Maharaj should be back

India will not want to be fickle with Ruturaj Gaikwad and Washington Sundar at Nos. 4 and 5, respectively. Now that they have started the series with them there, one match against a soft ball shouldn’t be enough to push the two players out.India (probable): 1 Yashasvi Jaiswal, 2 Rohit Sharma, 3 Virat Kohli, 4 Ruturaj Gaikwad/Rishabh Pant, 5 KL Rahul (capt, wk), 6 Washington Sundar, 7 Ravindra Jadeja, 8 Harshit Rana, 9 Kuldeep Yadav, 10 Arshdeep Singh, 11 Prasidh KrishnaTemba Bavuma should be back after resting in the first ODI•ICC/Getty Images

South Africa rested regular captain Temba Bavuma and Keshav Maharaj for the first ODI, but they were both quite active. Bavuma spoke to the players during drinks breaks, and Maharaj served as a substitute fielder for a while. So they should come right back in. Maharaj is an easier swap for Prenelan Subrayen, while Bavuma should replace one out of Quinton de Kock and Ryan Rickelton, both of whom scored ducks in Ranchi.South Africa (probable): 1 Aiden Markram, 2 Quinton de Kock/Ryan Rickelton (wk), 3 Temba Bavuma (capt), 4 Matthew Breetzke, 5 Tony de Zorzi, 6 Dewald Brevis, 7 Marco Jansen, 8 Corbin Bosch, 9 Keshav Maharaj, 10 Nandre Burger, 11 Ottneil Baartman

Pitch and conditions

The India vs New Zealand match from 2023 remains Raipur’s only day-night List A game, so there isn’t much history to go by. But the endeavour generally is to not produce a pitch too loaded in favour of the bowlers. So that 108 all out of nearly three years ago will likely be an aberration more than the trend. The weather promises to be pleasant for cricket, with temperatures not likely to go higher than 27 degrees celcius or lower than 14.

Stats and trivia

• Rohit Sharma now holds the record for most ODI sixes: 352.
• The 681 runs scored in Ranchi was the highest aggregate for an India-South Africa contest.

Smith underlined his Test credentials with an unbeaten 98 but Miles’ late trio of wickets kept Surrey in check

ECB Reporters Network11-May-2024Jamie Smith’s brilliant 98 not out from only 111 balls, and a 139-run fourth wicket stand with Ben Foakes, propelled champions Surrey into a strong position at the halfway stage against Warwickshire in the Kia Oval sunshine.But three wickets in three overs with the second new ball by Craig Miles, who finished the day with superb figures of 5 for 43, pegged Surrey back to 327 for 6 in reply to Warwickshire’s 343, gave the visitors a toehold in this Vitality County Championship match themselves.Miles bowled Foakes for 52 with a ball that kept low – not for the first time in the game – and then followed that up by pinning Dan Lawrence leg-before for three and, three balls later, having nightwatchman Kemar Roach magnificently held low and left-handed by a diving Rob Yates at second slip.Smith remained unbeaten, however, with some imperious strokes so far bringing him two sixes and 14 fours, and in addition to Cameron Steel, not out on four at stumps, Surrey have all-rounders Jordan Clark and Sean Abbott still to bat as they bid to turn a slender 16-run deficit into a potentially match-defining first innings lead on day three.The late drama involving Miles also included him rolling his right ankle in celebration at Roach’s wicket, with what was his final ball at the end of the day’s penultimate over, and limping immediately from the field for treatment.Ollie Pope, meanwhile, is still searching for his first sizeable score of the season after contributing a middling 44 to Surrey’s first innings.With openers Dom Sibley and Rory Burns making 64 and 40 respectively, Surrey batted solidly throughout the day – until that late loss of three wickets – in their attempt to establish a significant lead and put pressure on their opponents in the remainder of this game.But England batsman Pope is enduring a lean run of form with only 79 runs from four innings to date in this season’s championship, and 198 from 12 first-class knocks overall since his majestic 196 at Hyderabad in last winter’s opening Test against India.Here, coming in after Burns hit Will Rhodes’ medium pace to backward point in the 28th over – and after the Surrey captain had put on 88 in two hours with Sibley – Pope initially overcame an edgy start to cruise towards what would have been a confidence-boosting half-century.But, with tea approaching, Pope aimed a loose drive at a ball from Miles that shaped away just enough to catch the edge and fly straight to Yates stationed in a solitary widish slip position.Pope thumped his bat in disappointment, yet it was further reward for paceman Miles in a controlled eight-over afternoon spell of two for 24 that had earlier also brought him Sibley’s scalp, bowled off stump by one that kept a little low to beat the opener’s back-foot defensive stroke.After tea, however, Smith and Foakes seemed like they were wrenching the match away from Warwickshire in an increasingly aggressive and well-judged 31-over partnership.Smith had off-driven the last ball of the afternoon session, from Miles, for his first boundary and there were more glorious strokes to follow from the 23-year-old as he reached his fifty from 65 balls. Foakes, meanwhile, was busy at the crease while also straight-driving Ollie Hannon-Dalby classily for one of his own fours.Warwickshire captain Rhodes, giving himself a second spell, was crashed to the offside ropes as Smith took a couple of strides down the pitch to hit the ball at the top of the bounce. Soon after, Smith took two more sweetly-struck fours off Rhodes in the same over through extra cover and mid on.Later, there was a pull for six off Jacob Bethell’s left arm spin, following a lofted four over mid on against the same bowler, a sublime extra cover four off Ed Barnard’s fast-medium and also a powerfully-driven six and four off successive Barnard deliveries.The day started with Warwickshire, on 318 for 8 overnight, seeing 28-year-old all-rounder Barnard quickly score the four runs he needed to complete a deserved sixth first-class hundred – and his first for the club since leaving Worcestershire at the start of last year.Dan Worrall, however, luckless on day one, produced an off-cutter to clip the top of Miles’ off stump as he decided to shoulder arms on 29, a creditable innings by the No 10 in a stand with Barnard of 66.And Barnard, on 108 from 179 balls and attempting to hit out for a third batting bonus point, then skewed Lawrence’s off spin to cover in the next over to end both his own superlative knock and Warwickshire’s first innings.

Spin will likely dominate again and the visitors need to keep Ashwin and Jadeja at bay much longer than they managed in Nagpur

Andrew McGlashan16-Feb-20235:01

Pitchside: Will Australia play three spinners in Delhi?

Big Picture

It was at this ground, when it was officially known as the Feroz Shah Kotla, a much more evocative name than its current moniker, that the Border-Gavaskar Trophy began. A one-off Test in October 1996, decided by Anil Kumble’s nine wickets and Nayan Mongia’s career-best 152 spanning more than eight hours, in what was Australia’s first Test in the country for 10 years.From that relatively low-key beginning, series between these two teams have grown into the dominant Test tussle alongside the Ashes. And Australia certainly don’t wait 10 years between visits now. But there are already signs this tour may be a one-sided affair. The Border-Gavaskar Trophy could be retained in this game after India’s thumping victory in Nagpur. Australia have a pile of issues to resolve if they are to compete – while they have not suddenly become a bad team, a rebound victory would be a remarkable achievement.Related

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• Australia could pick third spinner instead of Starc, if Green is fit

Given how dominant India were in the opening match, it is easy to forget that Australia did have a little foothold shortly after lunch on the opening day as Marnus Labuschagne and Steven Smith settled in. But 84 for 2 was as good as it got for the first visitors. Conjecture about whether 177 could be competitive were put into context by Rohit Sharma and then India’s lower order. Australia’s 91 looked bad – and was – but the game was lost long before then.They know what they are going to get (why would India change such a successful game plan?) so they need to find some answers. Pat Cummins and Andrew McDonald have tried to portray a sense of calm – it is one of the qualities of this Australian team – so will be reluctant for major changes to personnel or tactics. A lot rests on the fitness or otherwise of Cameron Green about how much reshuffling they can do.The last Test on this ground, in 2017, was actually a relatively high-scoring draw where Sri Lanka were able to survive more than 100 overs in the second innings. It would be a surprise if this match took a similar shape: something more akin to Australia’s previous Test here, in 2013, is perhaps likelier where R Ashwin and Ravindra Jadeja bagged a five-wicket haul apiece – they have been doing it for a long time.That was at the end of the homeworkgate tour and Australia were a bit of a mess – Shane Watson, who had been dropped in that fiasco, captained the team – but Nathan Lyon should at least have some positive memories after taking 7 for 94. Todd Murphy’s debut may just have him looking over his shoulder. Glenn Maxwell, whose potential value to this side has grown in his absence, opened the batting in the second innings. It remains to be seen how funky Australia get in their bid to stop the Indian juggernaut.5:53

Chopra: Rahul should play, but needs runs

Form guide

(last five matches, most recent first)
India WWWLW
Australia LDWWW

In the spotlight

Australia’s selectors showed their hand by leaving out Travis Head based on a poor subcontinent record, so the attention has to turn to David Warner. Not that he was the only other batter to struggle, but he has been to India plenty of times and his Test record is poor. In Nagpur he was bowled from round the wicket by Mohammed Shami then trapped lbw by Ashwin having been rendered almost strokeless. He dug deep at the MCG a couple of months ago for his double century when questions were being asked, but those conditions were much more in his favour.Test match No. 100 for Cheteshwar Pujara. He has been a thorn in Australia’s side over the last three series – most famously the back-to-back victories down under – and he will be keen to atone for the uncharacteristic shot in Nagpur when he top-edged a rarely-seen sweep. His form at home over the last two years has been ropey – he hasn’t passed fifty since making 73 against England in Chennai in 2021 – and there is considerable young batting talent around, but you can never discount someone with Pujara’s record.Shreyas Iyer is expected to return•Associated Press

Team news

Shreyas Iyer, who averages 56.72 from seven Tests, is set to return to the middle at the expense of Suryakumar Yadav. With talent in the wings, not least Shubman Gill, there is pressure on some of the senior batters to find a score.India (probable) 1 Rohit Sharma, 2 KL Rahul, 3 Cheteshwar Pujara, 4 Virat Kohli, 5 Shreyas Iyer, 6 Ravindra Jadeja, 7 KS Bharat (wk), 8 R Ashwin, 9 Axar Patel, 10 Mohammed Shami, 11 Mohammed SirajIf Green is fit then there remains a chance Australia could play three specialist spinners which brings Ashton Agar and the uncapped Matt Kuhnemann into the frame. However, it would be a big call to leave out Mitchell Starc. There may be a reluctance to backflip on the Head decision so soon.Australia (possible) 1 David Warner, 2 Usman Khawaja, 3 Marnus Labuschagne, 4 Steven Smith, 5 Peter Handscomb, 6 Matt Renshaw/Cameron Green, 7 Alex Carey (wk), 8 Pat Cummins (capt), 9 Mitchell Starc, 10 Todd Murphy, 11 Nathan Lyon

Pitch and conditions

The surface was already looking as though it had been played on but local intel says that pitches at this ground can look different to how they actually played. However, there is not expected to be much pace and it will spin – it’s just a matter of how much and how soon. The forecast is to be sunny and warm

Stats and trivia

• India have not lost a Test at this venue since 1987 when they were beaten by West Indies
• Ravindra Jadeja needs one wicket for 250 in Tests
• R Ashwin is the third-highest wicket-taker in Tests in Delhi with 27 at 20.11 in just four Tests
• Of players to have scored more than 350 runs in Tests in India, only two – Arjuna Ranatunga and Ross Taylor – have done so at a lower average than David Warner

Quotes

“You’re gonna fail over here – it’s about failing the right way. These conditions are tough. If that’s our best chance, by taking the game on, someone taking a calculated risk, if it doesn’t come off, that’s totally fine. No stress.”
keeping this in perspective

India may continue to test their bench strength having already taken an unassailable 2-0 lead in the series

Hemant Brar22-Jul-20217:24

Will more spin be used in the first ten overs? Should Chamika bat higher?

Big picture

India shut the door on Sri Lanka in the first ODI. In the second match, Sri Lanka failed to close out the game. And just like that, in a matter of three days, the fate of the series was sealed.However, in the era of the World Cup Super League, there are no dead rubbers. Teams no longer play just for the pride. So in the third ODI on Friday, Sri Lanka will be aiming for ten crucial points to get back into the race for the direct qualification for the global event in 2023.After nine losses in their last ten completed ODIs, the whole Sri Lankan team has come under scrutiny. While the defeat in the second ODI left the players and coaches “emotional”, a penalty of one point for slow over-rate has pushed them further back. With just 10.91% points (12 points from 11 games), they are placed lowest among all teams.There is more bad news. Wanindu Hasaranga, Sri Lanka’s best bowler on Tuesday, is also set to miss this match with a muscle tear in his leg (doctors are hoping he’ll be okay for the T20Is).

Sri Lanka lose one World Cup Super League point for slow over-rate

Sri Lanka were penalised one World Cup Super League point and their players were fined 20% of the match fees for maintaining a slow over-rate in the second ODI. The hosts were found to be one over short after time allowances were taken into consideration.

The sanctions were imposed as per Article 16.12.2 of the ICC Men’s Cricket World Cup Super League Playing Conditions and Article 2.22 of the ICC Code of Conduct for Players and Player Support Personnel respectively.

India, on the other hand, once again exhibited their depth. In the absence of Rohit Sharma and Virat Kohli, Prithvi Shaw and Ishan Kishan stood up. Krunal Pandya is doing an excellent job in Ravindra Jadeja’s role. And the way Deepak Chahar steered the chase in the second game was exemplary.Unlike Sri Lanka, India don’t have to worry about World Cup qualification. As the hosts of the event, they qualify automatically. That gives them the luxury of trying out what could probably be called a third-choice XI.

Form guide

Sri Lanka LLLLW (Last five completed ODIs, most recent first)
India WWWLW
Wanindu Hasaranga was the pick of the Sri Lanka bowlers in the second ODI•ISHARA S. KODIKARA/AFP/Getty Images

In the spotlight

Hardik Pandya didn’t bowl a single ball during the truncated IPL 2020. He sent down five overs in the first ODI here but on Tuesday, he was seen holding his back in his third over. Later in the innings, he bowled one more over. The final ODI may shed more light on his bowling fitness.

Team news

Sri Lanka captain Dasun Shanaka said on the eve of the match that fast bowler Kasun Rajitha is out with an injury. Sri Lanka can replace him with Lahiru Kumara. They can also bring in Akila Dananjaya for Lakshan Sandakan. In two games so far, Sandakan has combined figures of 2 for 124 from 18.4 overs at an economy of 6.64. With Hasaranga out, they may bring in offspinning allrounder Ramesh Mendis into the lower middle order.Sri Lanka (probable): 1 Avishka Fernando, 2 Minod Bhanuka (wk), 3 Bhanuka Rajapaksa, 4 Dhananjaya de Silva, 5 Charith Asalanka, 6 Dasun Shanaka (capt), 7 Ramesh Mendis, 8 Chamika Karunaratne, 9 Dushmantha Chameera, 10 Akila Dananjaya, 11 Lahiru KumaraBhuvneshwar Kumar didn’t look 100% in the last match and India could consider resting him on Friday. Navdeep Saini can come in his place. Having recovered from his knee ligament injury, Sanju Samson can replace Kishan if India want to give chances to more players.India (probable): 1 Prithvi Shaw, 2 Shikhar Dhawan (capt), 3 Ishan Kishan/Sanju Samson (wk), 4 Manish Pandey, 5 Suryakumar Yadav, 6 Hardik Pandya, 7 Krunal Pandya, 8 Deepak Chahar, 9 Navdeep Saini, 10 Kuldeep Yadav, 11 Yuzvendra Chahal

Pitch and conditions

Batters in this series have enjoyed playing their shots on the R Premadasa pitches but at the same time, there has been help for spinners too. A similar pitch is expected for the third ODI as well but the weather could play a spoilsport. It’s forecast to be cloudy with intermittent showers on the match day.

Stats and trivia

• The last time Sri Lanka won a bilateral ODI series against India was in 1997.
• Since January 2020, India’s fast bowlers have picked up just five powerplay wickets in 14 ODIs, at an average of 159 and an economy of 5.88.
• Yuzvendra Chahal has 97 wickets in 56 ODIs. Three more wickets on Friday and he will join Jasprit Bumrah as the joint-second fastest Indian to the 100-wicket landmark. Mohammed Shami (56 ODIs) holds the record for India.

Quotes

“As a team, and I as captain, we need to build confidence. And alongside that, the players need to believe in their ability to execute their skills in the game. I saw a lot of this in the last game, and so I’m confident we can build on that, and turn that into positive results. It’s true we haven’t won consistently for a while, but we haven’t forgotten how to win.”
“[MS Dhoni] has had a very big impact on me. Not just during my time at the CSK but even when I was growing up. We have all seen how he takes the match close. Every time I speak to him, he tells me it’s in your hands to take the game till the end and if you can do that, then it’s just a matter of a few overs.

England allrounder set to step in as Test captain with Root expecting birth of second child

ESPNcricinfo staff13-Jun-2020Ben Stokes has described himself as ready to be the “the Scottie Pippen to Joe Root’s Michael Jordan” if he is required to deputise as England’s Test captain against West Indies.Root’s wife is expecting their second child in July, and he could miss part of the three-match series in order to attend the birth and due to the bio-security protocols put in place to deal with Covid-19. Despite concerns being expressed about the extra workload on Stokes, England’s key allrounder, he said that it was part of his job as vice-captain to step up if required.Referencing basketball great Jordan, whose Chicago Bulls team of the late 1990s was the subject of recent ESPN documentary , and team-mate Pippen, Stokes said he would be aiming to lead England after the example set by Root.”There is a chance our skipper Joe Root may miss a Test this summer because he and his wife are expecting their second child,” Stokes wrote in his column. “I’m the Scottie Pippen to Joe’s Michael Jordan. It is his team. But what would be the point of asking me to do the job if not for this kind of situation?”I understand where Joe is taking the team and how he wants to lead it. So although I’ll make my own calls on the field and do the job as I see it as the game evolves, everything else will very much be the same as when Joe is there.”ALSO READ: Stokes would make a ‘fantastic’ captain – RootThe first Test of the English summer is now scheduled to begin on July 8, with West Indies arriving earlier this week in order to begin their preparations in Manchester. There has been major uncertainty about what cricket the ECB would be able to stage, due to the coronavirus outbreak, and Stokes admitted that maintaining motivation during lockdown had been mentally challenging.”I’ve loved the time at home with the family, of course I have, and that will be the thing I remember fondly about this period,” he said. “But I’m glad there is a Test series to get ready for and I’m so pleased the West Indies have made it over here. Even though I’ve been training hard physically and kept in good shape, lockdown hasn’t been plain sailing. Throughout this full 13 weeks I’ve gone through lots of emotions – some good, some not so good.”My motivation has gone up and down and there have been times when it has been really hard to even think about playing. I’ve had periods where I’ve gone for days without doing a thing because I’ve thought, ‘What’s the point?’ As an athlete you are so used to getting yourself ready for the next thing.”Testing yourself, competing against team-mates and opponents, improving yourself and striving to get better, but when there is nothing lined up ahead of you as was the case, then you need to find motivation somewhere else and that isn’t always easy.”England’s players have been back in training for a few weeks – initially on their own and now in small groups – and will convene at the Ageas Bowl, venue for the first Test, towards the end of June. After so much time without cricket, Stokes said he had initially felt rusty facing Durham team-mate Mark Wood in the nets, but was working towards peaking in days before returning to Test action for the first time since January.”I know that cricket is nearly there and I cannot wait to get back out there and have the first – possibly socially distanced – huddle on the field when it is just the 11 of you going into the game together.”Getting properly Test match-ready is going to take a bit of time and that is what our camp at the Ageas Bowl will be for. But I don’t want to be good to go when I rock up there. I want to have a few things still to work on to get up to full speed. I have learnt from experience that the time to peak is a day or two before a Test match, not three weeks out.”

Quetta picked up their third consecutive win after leaving Multan to play catch-up early in the match

The Report by Danyal Rasool20-Feb-2019How the game played outQuetta have a formula, and as of now, the equations are working in perfect harmony. For the third time in three matches, they won the toss, and opted to chase. Peshawar had set Sarfaraz Ahmed’s team 156, Islamabad 158, and Multan today 161. And just the way they cruised to win against their previous two opponents, Quetta put Multan to the sword thanks to a blistering start from Shane Watson, and fireworks from Rilee Rossouw at the end.Multan had posted 160; they will regret not racking up a bigger total after Shoaib Malik’s half-century had set his side a decent platform. Quetta weren’t quite as clinical with the ball as they have been in their previous two games, but in Multan they were up against a side that doesn’t possess the pure batting skill several others do. Ghulam Mudassar was the most sloppy, bowling two no-balls and conceding 44 in his allotted four, but the other four ensured they more than made up for it. Fawad Ahmed was the pick, conceding just 22, with an exquisite googly getting rid of Shan Masood.But bar a quiet first two overs, Multan were never given a chance. From the moment Shane Watson hit Nauman Ali for four fours in arrow in the fourth over, Quetta had the game in their grasp. It remained so right through till the 19th over, in which Rilee Rossouw knocked off the winning runs in what ended up being a canter.Shane Watson raises his bat after getting his fifty•Pakistan Super League

Turning point

• Multan were well placed at 137 for 3, with Shoaib Malik looking to cut loose having reached a half-century off 35 balls. He had just smashed Sohail Tanvir for six, and if he could stay on till the end, his side looked set to surpass 170. But when he holed out at cow corner, his departure also heralded the end of any momentum his side had. Only 23 were scored off the last 20 balls of the innings, with six wickets lost along the way
• After Watson had spent the first 11 overs finding one novel way after another to slice through the Multan field, he skied one off Afridi. He was gone for 61 off 40, and Quetta still needed another 66 off 53. Rossouw had struggled till then with 18 off 19, and any comeback would have had to happen then. But ordinary bowling in the next three overs allowed the South African to break free, bringing the rate down to six an over

Star of the dayRossouw has been a star for Quetta Gladiators ever since he joined in 2017, and has scored more runs than any other player who’s participated in the league in the last three seasons. While Watson’s explosiveness at the start is so habitual one may be forgiven for being blasé about it, Rossouw has finished off games when under real pressure. This was another to add to that Quetta canon as he made up for a slow start to carry his side home. With Watson there, he had the intelligence to play second fiddle to the Australian, but after his dismissal, he stepped up. He scored 48 off his last 26 deliveries to finish with 67 off 45, never really giving Multan a look-in.The big missMultan may lose the services of Andre Russell if West Indies decide to call him up, but on the evidence of today’s performance that international summoning may be a while away. At the back end of the innings, he managed 18 off 12. But he was well off the mark when handed the ball, barely able to get the requisite pace or accuracy to discomfit Quetta’s quality batsman. Watson smashed him for three successive fours in his first over, the ball sitting up for a man who doesn’t need any gifts right now. An hour later, his second over was little better as Umar Akmal and Rossouw tucked in. By then, he had conceded 29 off 12, more than neutralizing the 18 he himself managed off the same number of balls.Where the teams standQuetta break clear at the top with three wins out of three. Multan, like Islamabad and Lahore, slip into the bottom half with one win from three.