Virat Kohli's Determination and Character Impresses Sunil Gavaskar

Virat Kohli scored 115 off 184 balls against Australia in Adelaide. His innings was punctuated with 12 fours.

Former opener Sunil Gavaskar is all praise for Virat Kohli's hundred on the third day of the first Test as he led India to 369 for five at stumps on day three against Australia at Adelaide. Gavaskar believes that Kohli's character and determination came through with every shot he played. (Highlights)
"Virat Kohli's character came through in this innings. He showed a lot of determination after being hit by a bouncer. It was a tremendous innings on his part," said Gavaskar speaking exclusively to NDTV. (Match Report)
Kohli was hit by a Mitchell Johnson bouncer while facing his first ball of the series. Gavaskar admits he was worried for the batsman but said that this showed how a helmet can save a player, despite what happened in the case of Phillip Hughes.
"I was a bit worried as the first ball can leave an impression on the batsman's mind. But this shows you is that wearing a helmet can save you. What happened to Phillip Hughes was a freak accident and in this case Kohli did not suffer any serious injury due to his helmet."
Kohli joined an elite group of players by becoming only the fourth Indian to score a ton on his Test captaincy debut. Gavaskar, among the four in the list, feels that Kohli will only get better and and will make up for his failures when India tour England next time.
"He is producing hundreds for India and will go on to get more big scores. Right now the sky is the limit for Virat Kohli," said Gavaskar.

5th ODI: Joe Root's Ton Keeps England Alive in the Series

Joe Root brought up his third ODI century in the next over with a six over midwicket off Ajantha Mendis. He finished unbeaten off 117 deliveries, including seven boundaries.

Pallekele: Joe Root struck an unbeaten 104 to cap Chris Woakes' six wickets and lead England to a five-wicket win over Sri Lanka in the fifth one-day international on Thursday.
England chased down a challenging total of 239 with 240-5 from 49.1 overs.
Sri Lanka's series lead was narrowed to 3-2 with two matches to go. The next is on Sunday at the same ground, and the last on Tuesday.
Sri Lanka was all out in 49 overs on Wednesday, Woakes taking 6-47 against Kumar Sangakkara's 91, then rain intervened and forced organizers to use the reserve day Thursday for England's chase. The target was not considered easy, but the dry pitch offered little turn and, of the spinners, only the recalled Sachithra Senanayake worried the batsmen.
No. 3 James Taylor was needed in the second over after Moeen Ali was bowled by Senanayake, and he was joined by Root in the eighth when Alastair Cook was trapped by Senanayake, who had 2-14 off four overs at that stage.
Taylor, playing his fourth ODI, handled the Sri Lanka battery with ease, and he and Root ran well between the wickets.
They shared 134 from 21 overs for the third wicket.
Taylor scored his second straight half-century of the series with 68, following his 90 on Sunday. He top-edged a pull of Thisara Perera after 90 deliveries, including five fours and a six.
Ravi Bopara came in, and he and Root combined for 86 runs. Bopara was out for 28 in the 48th over.
Root brought up his third ODI century in the next over with a six over midwicket off Ajantha Mendis. He finished unbeaten off 117 deliveries, including seven boundaries.
Senanayake, in his first match following a four-month suspension for an illegal action, finished with 2-35 off 10 overs.

 

West Indies omit Ravi Rampaul from World Cup probables

New Delhi: The West Indies Cricket Board (WICB) has named its preliminary list of 30 cricketers for the 2015 ICC World Cup, and not among them is the experienced fast bowler Ravi Rampaul.

The 30-year-old has played nine ODIs in 2014, from which he has 13 wickets at an average of 31.15 and economy rate of 5.57, but in his most recent series in India he took three wickets in two matches while conceding runs at 5.93 an over. Rampaul has featured in 90 ODIs since making his debut in 2003, taking 115 wickets.

Sulieman Benn, the 33-year-old left-arm spinner, finds a place as do Narsingh Deonarine, the Guyanese allrounder who last played an ODI in January, and slow left-arm orthodox Nikita Miller. Sunil Narine has been named too, despite not having bowled since he was withdrawn from the West Indies squad for the ODI series against India after being twice reported during the CLT20 for a suspect action.

Included in the list of 30 probables are six uncapped players: left-arm seamer Kenroy Peters, legspinner Imran Khan, offspinner Ashley Nurse, 19-year-old fast bowler Marquino Mindley, left-hand opener Evin Lewis and allrounder Jonathan Carter, who turned heads with a brisk century in this year's Champions League Twenty20 for Barbados Tridents.

West Indies are in Pool B at the World Cup, along with Ireland, Pakistan, Zimbabwe, South Africa, India and UAE. They play their first match against Ireland in Nelson on February 16, 2015.

Squad: Sulieman Benn, Carlos Brathwaite, Darren Bravo, Dwayne Bravo, Jonathan Carter, Sheldon Cottrell, Miguel Cummins, Narsingh Deonarine, Andre Fletcher, Chris Gayle, Jason Holder, Imran Khan, Leon Johnson, Evin Lewis, Nikita Miller, Marquino Mindley, Sunil Narine, Ashley Nurse, Kenroy Peters, Versammy Permaul, Kieron Pollard, Denesh Ramdin, Kemar Roach, Andre Russell, Darren Sammy, Marlon Samuels, Lendl Simmons, Dwayne Smith, Devon Smith, Jerome Taylor

Warner dedicates century to Hughes

Adelaide: David Warner said 63 will remain a special score for Australian cricketers as he dedicated his century in the first Test to fallen team-mate Phillip Hughes on Tuesday. Warner's inspired 145 off 163 balls helped boost the hosts to 354 for six at the end of day one against India as Australia returned to action following Hughes' funeral.

The explosive left-hander said he found it challenging when he reached 63 - Hughes' score when he was fatally struck in the head by a short-pitched ball in Sydney on November 25. The Adelaide Oval crowd sensed it too and broke out in sustained applause, as they had before the start of play with a symbolic 63 seconds of clapping to honour Hughes.

"It was quite tough when I was on 63 to actually get that momentum and (batting partner) Michael Clarke asked me if I was okay, and I was," Warner said. "I had to step away for a couple of seconds to get the thought process back again."

Asked if 63 will now hold a special significance in Australia, Warner said: "In this generation I think 100 percent, it's going to be with us for the rest of our careers. A lot of people would have raised their bats at 63 but in the back of our minds we always are going to look up there and know he's (Hughes) going to be looking down on us. I am going to carry that for the rest of my career. It's one of those things where you just have to keep soldiering on and do your best. We know he's always going to be with us and he's always going to be in the back of our minds as well."

Warner said he was in two minds whether to celebrate with his trademark exuberant jump upon reaching his 10th Test century, and fifth hundred this year. "It was in the back of my mind whether I should celebrate or not but I know what Hughesy's like and he would always have told me to keep jumping and keep doing what I do," he said.

"I dedicate that hundred to him and Michael said to me he would be proud of us both and try to get on and win the game."

As part of his celebration Warner, one of the first to rush to Hughes when he was struck down in Sydney, embraced batting partner Clarke in a long mid-pitch hug. "It was little moment we shared out there," he said.

Warner said his pain over Hughes will not subside, and he is expecting it to be worse when the India series moves to the fourth Test at the Sydney Cricket Ground in the New Year. "For me, personally, I think the hardest thing for me is going to be the New Year's Day Test at the SCG, where it all unfolded and happened," Warner said. "I think it will be the toughest task for me and the other guys who were there as well."

Hughes died on November 27 from bleeding in the brain, two days after being knocked unconscious by a bouncer while batting for South Australia against New South Wales.

A familiar narrative for India

Overlook the jarring text and spare a moment to sift through these brief scores.

Lord's, 2011: England 127/2; Trent Bridge, 2011: England 221, India 24/1; Edgbaston, 2011: India 224, England 84/0; The Oval, 2011: England 75/0; MCG, 2011: Australia 227/6; SCG, 2012: India 191, Australia 116/3; the WACA, 2012: India 161, Australia 149/0; Adelaide Oval, 2012: Australia 335/3; The Wanderers, 2013: India 255/5; Kingsmead, December 2013: India 181/1; Eden Park, 2014: New Zealand 329/4; Basin Reserve, 2014: 192, India 100/2; Trent Bridge, 2014: India 259/4; Lord's, 2014: India 290/9; The Rose Bowl, 2014: England 247/2; Old Trafford, 2014: India 152, England 113/3; The Oval, 2014: India 148, England 62/0.

These are the end-of-play scores for the first day of each of India's overseas Test matches since they ill-fated tour of England in 2011. And two of those Test matches began with rain-curtailed days, mind you. As the scores at stumps for most of those opening days suggest, India were the team playing catch-up. It will not surprise many that India lost 13, drew three and one won of those 17 Tests.

Across this sequence, the Indian team has too often resembled the seven dwarfs from the fairy tale Snow White, whistling their way to work. Plenty of hard yards put in and some genuine good patches of success to show for it, but still far from being a side that can consistently compete overseas. And now, at the Adelaide Oval on day one of the 2014-15 tour of Australia, India are staring at another uphill task after watching Australia make 354/6, of which 145 came in 163 balls to David Warner who, until he threw it away, looked set for a double-century and 60 to Michael Clarke before he had to leave the field with a sore back.

Lose the toss, bowl insufficiently with the two new balls and an old one, allow the opposition to put up a big total and an opener score a dominating century - it was an all-too-familiar pattern for India away from home on day one in Adelaide. At least there were no dropped catches on Tuesday.

Visiting teams have had worse beginnings to series - just ask Nasser Hussain - but today's play was another hard one for India. Apart from Ishant Sharma, incidentally the least bowled Indian pacer coming into this Test, the bowlers were all under-prepared and the lack of potency, if it had not done so earlier, will have sparked terminal concerns. From the time Warner took guard, runs were donated by India's new-ball pair of Mohammed Shami and Varun Aaron and the debutant legspinner Karn Sharma, though he improved as the day went on, looked undercooked.

With the Adelaide Oval surface not offering swing or seam to the new ball, India's three-pronged pace attack needed to hit the right lengths early on but Ishant aside, could not. Shami and Aaron were given the new ball and conceded 81 in 13 overs, with Warner able to drive on the rise without worry of the ball doing much.

Warner's mood was established early in the morning when he flayed seven of his first 15 deliveries faced to the boundary, three of which came in Aaron's opening over and three in Shami's second. Shami and Aaron bowled from around the stumps to the left-handed Warner, but still he was afforded enough width to cut and drive and there were also ample opportunities to tuck and flick.

Shami had one good over in his first spell of 5-0-30-0 when he troubled left-hander Chris Rogers, while Aaron went for 23 in his first two overs and 28 in his second spell of six overs, having a casual shot from Shane Watson to owe for his only success in a what was a poor day. There was no plan B for Shami and Aaron and this meant that Virat Kohli, on his first day as Test captain, had to fall back on Ishant as much as he could.

Ishant - in his eighth Test on Australian soil - was the stand-out bowler and in truth, without his control across his first four spells, it would have been worse for India. He removed the leaden-footed Chris Rogers cheaply and probed away off a good length, getting a faint bit of movement away on occasion to keep Mitchell Marsh in check and against the free-stroking Warner, Ishant gave up 16 runs from 41 deliveries. He carried India all day long but cannot be expected to do it all on his own.

Karn Sharma, given an India cap ahead of R Ashwin (21 Tests) and Ravindra Jadeja (12), was easily lapped by Warner who took 42 runs off 56 balls faced from the 26-year-old before he deposited a tossed up delivery straight to deep midwicket during the final session. That moment of over-confidence did for Warner on 145, looking for a six off Karn Sharma after swatting consecutive fours off Murali Vijay's innocuous offspin, but normal service was restored as Steven Smith and Mitchell Marsh put on 87 in 28 overs. The pair handled Karn Sharma's leg breaks and googles with ease, Smith in particular dominating with twinkle-toed brilliance as he drove through the offside and bunted down the ground to leg.

With the new ball, India's fast bowlers, Ishant included, veered onto the pads too much to allow Smith and Marsh collect runs as the shadows stretched across the sparkling new Adelaide Oval. Aaron's liveliest delivery of the day got rid of Marsh and the wickets of the nightwatchman Nathan Lyon and Brad Haddin to Shami shortly before stumps gave India some lift at the end of a very tough day, but the fear is that they have lost too much ground already.

In the field too they were too lethargic, with too many fielders diving over the ball. There were also a couple run-out chances missed, adding to the impression of a team perennially in transition since 2012 and without much to fall back on. And that, in a nutshell, has been their failing throughout a miserable run of form away from home in the last three-and-a-half years.

Comparisons with the 2011-12 tour of Australia will become tiresome - or are they already? - but to avert another 0-4 rout, something drastic is required from India in all departments. Winning in Australia is challenging enough without conceding dangerous head-starts, and by letting the hosts get to a dominant position the tourists - Smith is 72 not out - have not done themselves too many favours.

Clarke retires hurt after injuring back

Australia captain Michael Clarke suffered a lower back injury and was forced to retire hurt before tea on the opening day of the first Test against India in Adelaide on Tuesday. The injury puts a question mark over his participation in the remaining three matches of the series as well as Clarke's ability to lead Australia into the 50-over World Cup early next year.

The 33-year-old was only playing after coming through a fitness Test on a third hamstring strain in three months, problems which are related to his long-term degenerative back injury. A Cricket Australia spokeswoman said Clarke had hurt his lower back when batting at the Adelaide Oval and it was causing him "considerable pain". She added that he had left the ground for treatment.

Clarke had made 60 not out when he twisted to avoid a short ball from Ishant Sharma. He tried to stretch out the injury with medical staff but trudged off minutes later with Australia on 206-2. Clarke had appeared in full control against India's bowlers and his retirement subdued the crowd of over 20,000. He has missed just one of Australia's 40 Tests since he assumed the captaincy in 2011 but may come in for some flak for putting sentiment ahead of team interests by playing in Adelaide.

Clarke has spent much of the last two weeks leading the nation in mourning for his friend and former team mate Phillip Hughes, who died after being struck on the back of the head by the ball in a domestic match. Hughes's memory was being honoured throughout the match at the Adelaide Oval, where the lefthanded batsman played his state cricket for South Australia for the last couple of years.

Team physiotherapist Alex Kountouris said last month that Clarke risked breaking down with another hamstring strain on his first run-out after his return from injury regardless of how long he was rested.

Tiwary's 151 guides East into Deodhar final

Skipper Manoj Tiwary continued his blazing form in domestic competitions with a magnificent 151 that powered East Zone to a comfortable 52-run win over North in the Deodhar Trophy semi-final in Mumbai.

Courtesy Manoj's career-best one day knock that came off only 121 balls, East scored 273 for eight in 50 overs.

In reply, North were never in contention as a disciplined bowling effort saw them get all out for 221 in 47.1 overs.

Fittingly, it was the East Zone captain who winded up the innings with the wicket of Sandeep Sharma. Senior Bengal off-spinner Saurashis Lahiri (3/41) bowled brilliantly with able support from Biplab Samantray (2/51), Ashok Dinda (2/59) and Shahbaz Nadeem (1/34).

However the day belonged to Manoj, who certainly staked a strong claim to be included in the 30-member preliminary squad for the World Cup as well as a berth in the team for the tri-series Down Under.

In the past one month, Manoj has scored a century each in Duleep Trophy (vs West Zone), Vijay Hazare Trophy (130 vs Vidarbha)and now Deodhar Trophy (151 vs North Zone).Tiwary, who had 15 hits to the fence and four sixes, was severe on spinners.

Rishi Dhawan (2/53) and Sandeep Sharma (2/490, who were economical in the beginning were treated with disdain during the death overs.

North Zone captain Harbhajan Singh, didn't take part in the match due to viral fever and throat infection.

Such was Manoj's dominance, the next-best score in the East innings was 43 off 61 balls from glovesman Shreevats Goswami, who helped his captain in steadying the innings after a shaky start.
Chasing the stiff target North began poorly to be 29 for 3 before being shot out for 221 in 47.1 overs to leave East comfortable winners. Gurkeerat Singh Mann (83) was the highest scorer for the losers.
In the morning, Manoj showed plenty of fortitude and determination to pull his side out of the woods after they were put in to bat by North on a track offering assistance to the bowlers early on.
Manoj's 151 is the second highest individual score in Deodhar Trophy after Vidyut Sivaramakrishnan's 158 for South Zone versus Central in Jaipur in 2004.
Manoj first upped the ante when he stepped out to offie Parveez Rasool hitting him for a six and a four off successive deliveries.
He then paced his innings to a nicety though he lost partners at regular intervals after putting on 60 for the third wicket with opener Shreevats (43 in 61 balls), to pull the stuttering innings around from 33 for two.
Manoj's 100 came off 93 balls, his third in List A cricket.
Manoj raced from 100 to 150 off just 27 balls – striking 5 fours and 3 sixes – with the last two overs bowled by Rishi Dhawan and Sandeep Sharma taken for 34 runs thanks to his belligerence.
North were never in the match save an odd-partnership between Punjab boys Mandeep Singh (40) and Gurkeerat Singh Mann (83), who added 74 runs for the fourth wicket.
Mann also added 71 for the fifth wicket with Rishi Dhawan (38) but the partnership never looked threatening.