Eye on Ranji - 2

Tamil Nadu

Tamil Nadu's emergence as a consistent domestic force has been undermined by their inability to bring home the biggest prize; the last time they won the Ranji Trophy was in 1987-88. Last year, they marched into the knockouts after topping their group, but exited the tournament after conceding a decisive first-innings lead in the quarter-final against Delhi. The outcome would have rankled, given the abundance of talent in the side. Though they operated well as a cohesive unit, the absence of stand-out performers, with bat or ball, hampered them. S Badrinath (599 runs), who topped TN's run-charts was only the ninth highest overall, while Aushik Srinivas' haul of 23 wickets was less than half of table-topper Abhimanyu Mithun's.

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Ashish Nehra ready for Test comeback

Ashish Nehra, one of India's first-choice seamers in the shorter versions of the game, has made himself available for Test cricket, six and a half years since he last turned out in whites at the highest level.

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'Happy with my fitness' - Gautam Gambhir

Gautam Gambhir, the India opening batsman, has said he is happy with his fitness and the next step in his recovery from injury is putting bat to ball again. Gambhir missed the third Test against Sri Lanka earlier this year and the second Test against Australia because of knee problems. He has been named in the side that will take on New Zealand in a three-Test series starting November 4 in Ahmedabad.

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Gambhir, Ishant and Laxman return for Tests

Gautam Gambhir, VVS Laxman and Ishant Sharma have recovered from injuries that kept them out of the second Test against Australia, and are included in India's squad for the three-Test series against New Zealand, which begins on November 4 in Ahmedabad. That Cheteshwar Pujara and M Vijay filled in superbly for Laxman and Gambhir in Bangalore made this a straightforward selection, with both of them retaining their places in the 15-member squad. Amit Mishra and Sreesanth will be the reserve spinner and seamer respectively.

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South Africa in favour of UDRS for India Tests

South Africa are in favour of using the Umpire Decision Review System (UDRS) in their upcoming Test series against India. Gerald Majola, Chief Executive Officer of Cricket South Africa (CSA), confirmed to ESPNcricinfo that the board is still negotiating with its Indian counterparts over whether the system will be used during the end-of-year tour.

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Series finale abandoned due to wet outfield

India won the three-ODI series 1-0 as the final match was abandoned without a ball being bowled in Margao. Heavy rain on the eve of the game clogged the ground and, though the weather was clear on match day, the outfield was not suitable for play.

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Death-overs bowling is a concern - Dhoni

India's bowling in the last ten overs of ODIs remains a worry, India captain MS Dhoni has said. The hosts conceded 114 runs in the last ten overs in the second ODI in Visakhapatnam, including 84 in the last five as Cameron White and Michael Clarke propelled Australia to 289. The pace trio of Ashish Nehra, Praveen Kumar and the inexperienced Vinay Kumar was singled out for treatment.

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Win shows India's bench strength - Srikkanth

Kris Srikkanth, chairman of the Indian team's selection committee, has termed the victory over Australia in the second ODI in Visakhapatnam a confidence-booster ahead of the World Cup. India went into the game without five first-choice players and their inexperienced bowling attack conceded 289, but the young batting line-up responded calmly to complete India's highest successful chase against Australia.

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BCCI agrees to send players early to South Africa

The BCCI has approved the Indian team management's request to send a group of Test players early to South Africa to get "acclimatised" to the conditions and make up for the absence of practice games before the three-Test series that begins on December 16. It is not yet clear who the concerned players are and how many will be part of the group which is expected to depart immediately after the third Test against New Zealand on November 24. India and New Zealand play a five-match ODI series that concludes on December 10, six days prior to the first Test in Centurion.

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Kohli felt under pressure to keep his place

Virat Kohli's match-winning century gave India an unbeatable lead in the series but it also came at an important time for the batsman himself. In compiling 118 against the Australians he amassed more than he had in his past seven innings combined, a run of form that had him looking over his shoulder leading in to this game.

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Virat Kohli hundred sets up Indian victory

The target of 290 appeared to be stiff, especially when India were wobbling at 35 for 2 in the ninth over, but Virat Kohli and Yuvraj Singh maintained their sangfroid to get India close before the adventurous Suresh Raina sealed the win in style. Kohli, in particular, impressed. He not only lost Yuvraj in the 34th over with India still 118 runs adrift of the target but also, by then, was suffering from severe cramps and was forced to bat with a runner. If those hurdles fazed him, he didn't show it and went on to clinch the game in the company of Raina.

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Chance for youngsters to showcase their talent

This is the series for lesser-known players to make a name for themselves and grab a permanent spot in the one-day team, that is, if the weather would allow them. The first ODI was washed out and it's very humid in Visakhapatnam, with a forecast for showers on Thursday. If the dark clouds can stay away on the match-day, however, youngsters like R Ashwin, Mitchell Starc and Ravindra Jadeja will breathe easy.

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Rain washes out first ODI

The opening match of the three-game India-Australia series was abandoned without a ball being bowled in Kochi. Heavy rain before the one-dayer saturated the ground and while the weather was clear at the scheduled start time, the clouds returned to send everyone home.

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Dhoni lauds bowlers for clean sweep

 MS Dhoni was full of praise for his bowlers, and the way his side showed character despite injuries to key players, following India's clean sweep of Australia in the two-Test series.

Both Tests in this series were heading towards draws before India's bowlers triggered Australia's second-innings collapses, setting up close finishes in each of the games. "I think the effort put in by the players, especially the bowlers, was really outstanding because by losing tosses I am not really helping them out," Dhoni said.

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Pujara sets up seven-wicket triumph for India

Cheteshwar Pujara has not been part of India's rise to the No. 1 Test ranking but he could help determine how long they stay there, after his outstanding 72 on debut set up a seven-wicket win. Guided in the end by Sachin Tendulkar, the hosts cruised to their target of 207 to confirm the 2-0 series triumph, while Australia slid to fifth of the ICC rankings for the first time, courtesy of another toothless bowling display.

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The crowd was our 12th man in Bangalore' - Dhoni

MS Dhoni has asked for Tests to be played at venues that have a history of supporting the format with big attendances, and has appreciated the support received from the Bangalore crowd during the course of India's victory against Australia. Of India's 10 Test venues - Hyderabad being the newest - Nagpur, Ahmedabad, Mohali and to an extent Delhi are known for their lukewarm response to Test cricket.

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Dhawan picked, Tendulkar rested for Australia ODIs

Shikhar Dhawan, the Delhi opener, is the only new face in a weakened 14-man squad for the three-ODI series against Australia which starts on Sunday. As many as seven first-choice players, including Sachin Tendulkar, have been omitted from the squad; while Tendulkar, Harbhajan Singh, Zaheer Khan and Pragyan Ojha have been rested, Virender Sehwag, Gautam Gambhir and Ishant Sharma have been left out with minor injuries.

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John Hastings win ODI call-up for India tour

The allrounder John Hastings could be set for an ODI debut after he was called up to replace his Victoria team-mate James Pattinson in Australia's squad in India. Pattinson, who was already on tour with the Test side, will fly home due to a back injury that has ended his immediate hopes of joining his brother Darren in the ranks of international cricketers.

"During the past week, James has complained of some back stiffness during preparation for the second Test of the VB tour of India in Bangalore," Australia's physio Kevin Sims said. "James' symptoms were consistent with a low back-bone stress injury and scans have confirmed the early stages of a low back stress fracture.

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We were wary of Laxman - Ponting

Australia's bowlers had been wary of VVS Laxman, despite his bad back, going into the fifth day at Mohali, Ricky Ponting has said. Laxman overcame his injury to play another nerveless innings against his favourite opposition and shepherd the tail to victory.

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No UDRS for New Zealand series - Srinivasan

The BCCI secretary and president-elect N Srinivasan has said that the board remains opposed to the Umpiring Decision Review System (UDRS), despite the dodgy calls that marred the closely contested Mohali Test between India and Australia.

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Injured Gambhir and Ishant out of second Test

India have omitted Gautam Gambhir and Ishant Sharma from the second Test in Bangalore following injuries to their right knees. The squad for that Test, announced hours after the win against Australia in Mohali, includes Tamil Nadu opener Abhinav Mukund and Saurashtra quick bowler Jaidev Unadkat, both of whom are uncapped, as replacements.

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Ponting defends Smith's throw of the dice

It was so typically and positively Australian. Six runs were required, an lbw appeal - which looked plumb by the way - had just been turned down, and the batsman was out of his crease. Steven Smith, not even playing the Test, on as a substitute for Doug Bollinger, let the throw rip with nobody backing up. Not many young substitutes in the world would have had the presence of the mind, or the heart to go for that throw. It narrowly missed the stumps and went for four overthrows. The Indian batsmen jumped for joy, and the crowd went delirious. Johnson then fired one down the leg side, and it was all over.

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A special innings from Laxman - Dhoni

MS Dhoni has hailed the duo of VVS Laxman andIshant Sharma for their match-winning stand of 81 that helped India fight back after being reduced to a seemingly hopeless 124 for 8. Laxman played a decisive role in guiding India to a second successive win while chasing, following up his unbeaten centuryagainst Sri Lanka at the P Sara Oval with 73, also undefeated, to seal a one-wicket win and spark off wild celebrations.

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Injured Ishant uncertain for remainder of Test

Ishant Sharma's participation in the remainder of the first Test in Mohali will be clear only on the morning of the second day, Mayank Parikh, a team official, has said. Ishant injured his knee on Friday afternoon and left the field - after a lacklustre spell of 7.4 overs in which he conceded 49 runs - for an MRI scan.

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Australia sniff victory after fluctuating day

There is one certainty at the end of the fourth day in Mohali: there will be a winner. The hard part is predicting who. That alone was a good result after a day that began with a draw as the short-priced favourite. But fine bowling from Ishant Sharma, Zaheer Khan and the Indian spinners set up a gettable chase of 216, before Ben Hilfenhaus bowled Australia to a winnable position of their own late in the day.

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Tendulkar's recent form an inspiration - Ponting

These are uncertain times for Australian cricket. After more than a decade of dominance, the No. 1 ranking has been surrendered, and the passing of a golden generation has seen losses to India and England, and an unprecedented home defeat against South Africa.Ricky Ponting's own form has been patchy, and the gap between him and Sachin Tendulkar, both in terms of runs and centuries, has widened dramatically over the past year. After a long break following the series against Pakistan in England, Ponting is hoping both he and the team will emerge stronger.

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