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Chennai Super Kings enjoyed a seamless game with Brendon McCullum slamming his third fifty in six games and their spin contingent strangling Kolkata Knight Riders by 34 runs

The Report by Alagappan Muthu02-May-2014
Scorecard and ball-by-ball details7:09

Agarkar: KKR need to decide on openers

The Chennai Super Kings playbook has one abiding formula: a top-order contribution, a blitz from the finishers and a strangle by the spinners. Brendon McCullum took care of objective one with his third half-century in six matches, MS Dhoni swung his bat around to lift the total to 148 in a rain-reduced match and Ravindra Jadeja swindled 4 for 12 to down Kolkata Knight Riders with ease.Robin Uthappa, who opened for Knight Riders, posed the greatest threat with his execution matching his intent. He crunched four fours and a six on either side of losing his partner Gautam Gambhir in the third over. He was conscious to use his feet, unafraid of going aerial and the reverse sweep was a trusted weapon as well. But his stroke-play coincided with a dreadful collapse at the other end. The introduction of spin left Knight Riders 39 for 4 at the end of the Powerplay, too deep a hole to escape from no matter how long Yusuf Pathan managed to biff the ball down the ground.The Jadeja-R Ashwin combination plucked three wickets in five balls and Knight Riders’ middle order was broken inside the first six overs. Uthappa waged his battle until he became Jadeja’s fourth victim to hand the left-arm spinner the best figures of the season.The start of the Indian leg of the IPL was delayed by an hour and 40 minutes after an unseasonal shower in Ranchi limited the game to 17 overs a side. Knight Riders utilised spin for the entirety of the Powerplay and were encouraged by some help from the pitch. But a persistence in pushing the balls through allowed McCullum to settle and shepherd Super Kings past the loss of Dwayne Smith in the third over.Piyush Chawla was particularly adamant in refusing to flight the ball. Suresh Raina and McCullum had no qualms with that as they joined hands for a brisk 70-run stand for the second wicket. The introduction of pace did little to stem the flow of runs as Vinay Kumar fed McCullum with a steady diet of short balls that ended up being thudded into the midwicket boundary. The five overs between the eighth and 12th yielded 51 runs for one wicket.Sunil Narine was his usual miserly self and Super Kings seemed to be running out of gas in the final overs, especially when McCullum was caught in the deep for 56. But some initiative and wayward bowling from Andre Russell, who was brought in for Morne Morkel, allowed the home side to finish on a high.Those extra runs ensured Yusuf’s late pummeling in the Knight Riders’ chase was inconsequential. He blazed three sixes in the penultimate over and each of them gave the fielder no chance. Knight Riders would hope the next time he wields the long handle, the equation will not read 59 off 12.

The ICC has announced that Namibia will host ICC World Cricket League Division Two from January 17-24. The host side will be joined by Canada, Kenya, Netherlands and the top two teams promoted from Division Three.

ESPNcricinfo staff25-Aug-2014The ICC has announced that Namibia has been selected to host ICC World Cricket League Division Two from January 17-24. The host side will be joined by Canada, Kenya, Netherlands and the top two teams promoted from Division Three in the six-team round-robin event. The ICC also reconfirmed that Uganda will remain host of Division Three, which is scheduled to be held from October 26-November 2, despite security concerns raised by the USA Cricket Association.Division Two represents a major opportunity for Associates to improve their status as the top teams at the event will qualify to take part in the next edition of the World Cricket League Championship 50-over competition for Associates as well as the four-day ICC Intercontinental Cup. Both competitions will begin later in 2015 and continue through 2017.In addition to the top teams from Division Two, the other teams that will feature in the next edition of the WCL Championship and Intercontinental Cup are Ireland, Afghanistan, Scotland, UAE, Hong Kong and Papua New Guinea. Ireland and Afghanistan secured qualification to the 2015 World Cup by virtue of finishing first and second in the last edition of the WCL Championship.Namibia and Kenya were the only two countries to submit bids to host Division Two with Canada and Netherlands unable to host during the northern hemisphere winter. Namibia previously hosted the inaugural WCL Division Two tournament in December 2007, which was won by Oman.

The pair delivered doubles for their respective sides and were instrumental in securing hard-fought wins

Getty Images1Danny Welbeck | ArsenalWelbeck scored twice and assisted the other goal in Arsenal's 3-2 victory against Southampton.AdvertisementGetty Images2Ayoze Perez | Newcastle UnitedThe Spaniard was directly involved in both of Newcastle's goals against Leicester, assisting one and scoring the second.Getty Images3Christian Eriksen | Tottenham HotspurEriksen netted both goals and also made two key passes in Spurs' 2-1 win against Stoke, which moved them level on points with third-placed Liverpool. ENJOYED THIS STORY?

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Getty4Paul Pogba | Manchester UnitedPogba netted twice in Manchester United's comeback win at the Etihad over their local rivals, with just 97 seconds between his two finishes.

Mushfiqur Rahim has expressed his shock at not being consulted by the chief selector Faruque Ahmed before picking the 15-man squad for the upcoming Asia Cup

Mohammad Isam23-Feb-2014Mushfiqur Rahim, the Bangladesh captain, has expressed his shock at not being consulted by the chief selector Faruque Ahmed before the 15-man squad for the upcoming Asia Cup was picked.”It [Bangladesh’s Asia Cup squad] is not a subject that I am happy about,” Mushfiqur said. “I have to play with the team I am given. It is the selectors’ duty to pick the 15-man squad. But I am unhappy that the selectors didn’t consult me before making the team. In that sense, I am shocked. I wasn’t aware of the inclusions and the exclusions.”The general practice has been for the selection committee to pick the squad and for the captain and coach to have a final say on the playing XI. In both cases, the selectors and the management have usually consulted each other whenever necessary, with varying degree.According to Mushfiqur, however, Faruque did not have a word with him regarding this particular squad, which was announced a few hours after Bangladesh’s six-wicket loss against Sri Lanka in the third ODI in Mirpur on Saturday.”This is the first time such a thing has happened. I expected him to call me ahead of squad selection for the Asia Cup,” he said. “Whether he would have taken my opinion was a different matter, I expected him to talk to me about it.”Mahmudullah, Shafiul Islam and the injured Tamim Iqbal, who were in the ODI squad against Sri Lanka, made way for Imrul Kayes, Ziaur Rahman and Abdur Razzak. Imrul scored a maiden Test century recently upon returning to the side after two years, while Ziaur has finally found form in domestic cricket. Razzak is expected to remain as one of Bangladesh’s first-choice spinners.Tamim’s neck strain has kept him out of the tournament while Mahmudullah has made just six runs in the three ODIs against Sri Lanka. However, ESPNcricinfo understands that Mushfiqur was mainly unhappy with the exclusion of the seamer Shafiul, who played the third ODI against Sri Lanka.Some directors at the BCB have already noticed a difficult relationship between Mushfiqur and the new chief selector. One of them said that rather than going public, the captain could have discussed the matter internally.”I think there is a gap between these two that needs to be reduced. Mushfiqur could have easily held an open discussion with BCB’s cricket operations chairman Akram Khan,” a BCB director requesting anonymity, said.Nonetheless, Mushfiqur said that he was looking forward to working with the team despite the way things had gone down.”He (Faruque) has returned after a long time, so his thinking might not match ours. It could also be miscommunication, Mushfiqur said. “Our bonding will be better the more we talk and work with each other.”I think any captain deserves to know about the team. I am not aware why it happened in this way. I wish the 15 players well. We will play our best cricket with these players.”

Afghanistan and Nepal’s progress to the main draw hinges on Bangladesh succumbing to an unlikely defeat against Hong Kong

The Preview by Alan Gardner in Chittagong19-Mar-2014Match FactsDawlat Zadran’s bouncer has been a handful for some batsmen•ICC/Helge SchutzMarch 20, 2014
Start time 1530 local (0930 GMT)Big PictureWhile neither side is officially out of the tournament yet, Afghanistan and Nepal are almost certainly playing only for pride in their final Group A game. Moreover, as their match is the first of the day, they won’t know what would be required in the event of Bangladesh making a colossal mess against Hong Kong (and with Afghanistan’s NRR currently -1.271, even Kabir Khan’s assessment that they have a 1% chance looks a bit generous).Nepal are like everyone’s favourite new band, winning plaudits for their style, resilience and passion for the game. They have recorded a famous win and put on a creditable display against a fired-up Bangladesh. Now, they face one of their bogey sides, the hard nuts of the Associate world who still seem a little sore from falling heavily at the first hurdle in this World T20.Mohammad Nabi knew his side’s best chance of making the Super 10 stage lay in mugging Bangladesh in their own manor for the second time in a month and he has seemed a little deflated since that plan went awry. Victory over Hong Kong was comfortable but nowhere near the crushing margin required, despite Shafiqullah’s disdainful six-hitting at the end. A win over Nepal will confirm their international status, but they are desperate for more.Victory for Nepal would keep them in contention to progress, with their position in second place buoyed by a thumping win over Hong Kong, but they will be facing an opponent who has held the whip-hand in most of their recent encounters. Given Bangladesh’s furious form so far, it is likely to be academic.Form guideAfghanistan WLLLWNepal LWWLWWatch out forDawlat Zadran has already forced Shakib Al Hasan and Mark Chapman into a tangle with his bouncer so far and he has certainly got some wheels, regularly clocking over 140kph. One of Afghanistan’s most confrontational bowlers, it will be interesting to see if he tries to engage with the normally serene Nepal batsmen.With his skip to the crease and low-slung left-arm action, energetic fielding and eye-catching celebrations, Shakti Gauchan has become one of the most recognisable of Nepal’s players. He suffered some punishment against Bangladesh but should find the more spin-wary Afghanistan batsmen an enjoyable challenge to bowl to.Team newsAshgar Stanikzai came in against Hong Kong but his anchoring innings threatened to weigh his side down. Either one of the experienced pair of Nawroz Mangal and Karim Sadiq could return. Mirwais Ashraf provides an option to beef up the seam attack.Afghanistan (possible): 1 Mohammad Shahzad (wk), 2 Najeeb Tarakai, 3 Najibullah Zadran, 4 Mohammad Nabi (capt), 5 Shafiqullah, 6 Karim Sadiq, 7 Gulbadin Naib, 8 Samiullah Shenwari, 9 Hamza Hotak, 10 Dawlat Zadran, 11 Shapoor ZadranNepal have shown faith with their top order. The openers have been asked to attack before patiently building from Nos. 3 to 5. They could not finish off either of their previous two innings in style, and Binod Bhandari could make way after scores of 1 and 0 from 4 balls so far.Nepal (possible): 1 Subash Khakurel (wk), 2 Sagar Pun, 3 Gyanendra Malla, 4 Paras Khadka (capt), 5 Sharad Vesawkar, 6 Binod Bhandari, 7 Naresh Budayair, 8 Basant Regmi, 9 Shakti Gauchan, 10 Sompal Kami, 11 Jitendra MukhiyaPitch and conditionsThere is goodly pace in the Zahur Ahmed Chowdhury surface, with a couple of different strips used so far to mitigate against wear. Dew will be less of a factor in the afternoon game.There was a spell of rain on Wednesday afternoon, after a brief period of windy weather. The showers did not affect the ground conditions as the stadium has good drainage facilities.Stats and trivia Afghanistan have won all their recent encounters with Nepal, including nine and seven-wicket wins at the World T20 Qualifier last year. Mohammad Shahzad’s 68 against Hong Kong was his fifth half-century in T20 internationals.Quotes”We have good-quality fast bowlers, we train them like that, they are aggressive and everybody knows that our fast-bowling attack is very good, especially at Associate standard.”
“The only chance for us is for Bangladesh to lose to Hong Kong. We can’t control that but we want to win and end with four points.”

ESPNcricinfo previews the second one-day international between Australia and England in Brisbane

The Preview by Andrew McGlashan16-Jan-20140:00

Ehantharajah: Challenges galore for Ashley Giles

Match FactsJanuary 17, 2014, Brisbane
Start time 1.20pm (0320GMT)Mitchell Johnson is back for the Brisbane ODI, but there will be less facial hair this time•Getty ImagesThe Big PictureA few late wickets made the final result appear a little more respectable, but the first ODI at the MCG was only one thing: another thrashing for England. In the intervening days they have at least managed a victory – their first since mid-November – but apart from avoiding further embarrassment (and the resilience of the middle order) it would be foolish to read too much into the win over the Prime Minister’s XI.Five-match series at least give a team the chance to fight back, but England can’t afford to leave it any longer to start giving Australia a run for their money. A chase of 270 in Melbourne was a decent ask but the home side made it look like a cakewalk. Aaron Finch and David Warner, albeit given a life each, cantered along at a merry rate against a thin-looking England attack and Stuart Broad will again be missing for this match.The contrast between how Australia begin their innings and how England, generally, go about their efforts at the crease in the first 10 to 20 overs is stark. Alastair Cook and Ashley Giles appear steadfast in their belief that there is still room for the building-blocks of a total to be steadily put in place over the first half of the innings, arguing, with some evidence, that the middle order is where the strength lies. Still, with a World Cup staged partly here in little over a year’s time they are going to have to force themselves out of their comfort zone sooner or later.Australia just want to keep the bandwagon rolling. Cricket is not quite dominating the back pages like it was a few weeks ago (now it’s the turn of the tennis) but the team are determined to keep England down. Glenn Maxwell has spoken of wiping them out in all formats while Mitchell Johnson and George Bailey scoffed at suggestions of any sympathy. It won’t be getting any easier for them.Form guide(Completed matches, most recent first)
AustraliaWLLWL
EnglandLLWLWWatch out forChris Jordan has made as many headlines for the friendship with Rhianna as his exploits on the field, but on a desperate tour for England his 10 overs in Melbourne were a rare bright spot. On another day he would have bagged three or four wickets. Swing, at a lively pace, is an enticing combination and in Brisbane, with the greater humidity and what should be a pitch with more bounce, he could prove a handful.Mitchell Johnson is back. But the moustache has gone. Will the powers remain? After a post-Ashes break to chill out after his urn-winning exploits it’s time to renew acquaintances with the English batsmen on the ground where it all began at the end of November. Some are new to the one-day squad, but others such as Cook, Bell and possibly Carberry will have vivid memories of what unfolded on that second day. This time Johnson only has 10 overs, although that’s still enough for some significant damage.Team newsShane Watson has now been given the next three matches off which means Shaun Marsh should get a chance at No. 3. Johnson’s return is likely to be at the expense of Nathan Coulter-Nile although the absence of Watson may make the selectors consider if they need another pace option.Australia (possible) 1 David Warner, 2 Aaron Finch, 3 Shaun Marsh, 4 Michael Clarke (capt), 5 George Bailey, 6 Glenn Maxwell, 7 Brad Haddin (wk), 8 James Faulkner, 9 Mitchell Johnson, 10 Nathan Coulter-Nile, 11 Clint McKayEngland may freshen up their top order with the likeliest change being Michael Carberry, who made 47 against the PM’s XI, replacing the struggling Joe Root. The absence of Root, though, would remove an extra bowling option.England (possible) 1 Alastair Cook (capt), 2 Ian Bell, 3 Michael Carberry, 4 Gary Ballance, 5 Eoin Morgan, 6 Ravi Bopara, 7 Jos Buttler (wk), 8 Ben Stokes, 9 Tim Bresnan, 10 Chris Jordan, 11 Boyd RankinPitch and conditionsExpect good pace and carry and some swing – so pretty much as normal for the Gabba. The forecast is set fair without a significant chance of the game being disrupted by large hailstone as it was during the Test.Stats and trivia The last two one-day internationals on this ground (both involving Australia and Sri Lanka) could barely have been more contrasting: in 2012 Australia made 321 for 6 and won, although Sri Lanka reached 306, then in 2013 Australia were shattered for 74 although the visitors lost six in reaching the target.Before that loss against Sri Lanka, Australia had won six consecutive ODIs at the Gabba Since his second-innings half-century in the Boxing Day Test, Alastair Cook has made 7, 7, 4 and 1Quotes”I feel good. I’ve spent a bit of time in the middle, got a decent score in the first game then to get another fifty was good. I’ve got a bit of confidence.”

A round-up of the Under-19 World Cup matches played on February 15, 2014

ESPNcricinfo staff15-Feb-2014Three wickets each from Chayank Gosain and Ross McLean helped Scotland Under-19s cruise to a six-wicket win against Papua New Guinea Under-19s in the opening Group A fixture at the ICC Academy in Dubai. Gosain, McLean, and two wickets from Mark Watt, made sure PNG were skittled for 108 and despite a stutter from the top order, Scotland completed the victory in the 30th over.PNG, who opted to bat, lost wickets at regular intervals, their biggest partnership being 26 for the fourth between Dogodo Bau and Hiri Hiri. Left-arm spinner Gosain dismissed the openers to reduce PNG to 10 for 2 and later 32 for 3, before Bau and Hiri took them past 50. But they were hurt by a lower-order collapse and lost the final seven wickets for 50 runs.Scotland suffered early woes too, slipping to 24 for 3, but Zander Muir and Nick Farrar put them on course. Farrar fell for a patient 26 before Muir, with an unbeaten 39, and Kyle Stirling took them home with a 33-run stand.Shadman Islam and Joyraz Sheik put on an unbroken 216-run partnership to steer Bangladesh Under-19s to a 10-wicket win over Afghanistan Under-19s in Abu Dhabi. Chasing 213, Bangladesh got home with 45 balls remaining.The left-handed Shadman was the dominant partner in the stand, finishing on an unbeaten 126 from 142 balls with 14 fours and a six. Joyraz, meanwhile, struck 11 fours in a 114-ball 81 not out. None of the six bowlers Afghanistan used was able to make a breakthrough.Sent in to bat, Afghanistan made a decent start, with Usman Ghani and Mohammad Mujtaba putting on 69 for the first wicket in 15.5 overs. But they lost wickets regularly after Ghani was run out for 27. Mujtaba, Hashmatullah Shaidi and Nasir Ahmadzai scored 40s, but none of them went on to make a substantial score. The spinners did most of the damage for Bangladesh, with offspinner Mosaddek Hossain taking three wickets and left-armer Rahatul Ferdous taking two.Matthew Short scored 96 to set up a 101-run win for Australia Under-19s over Namibia Under-19s at Sheikh Zayed Stadium. Batting first, Australia lost Kelvin Smith early, but Short, his opening partner, put on 80 with Jaron Morgan and 100 with Ben McDermott to lay the platform for a solid total. When Short was bowled by Bredell Wessells for a 138-ball 96, Australia were 185 for 4 in 41.4 overs. Alex Gregory then struck a 21-ball 25 to help push their total to 242 for 7. Wessels finished with four wickets, and fellow medium-pacer JJ Smit took three.Namibia lost wickets at regular intervals and were never in the game. At 69 for 7, they were in danger of falling short of 100, but Wessells and Smit ensured that wouldn’t happen, with a 35-run eighth-wicket partnership. Wessells was eventually last man out for a 56-ball 43, having taken Namibia’s score to 141 in the company of Nos. 10 and 11. For Australia, seamers James Bazley and Matthew Fotia took three wickets each.

Sourav Ganguly, the former India captain, believes Zaheer Khan and Virender Sehwag should be handed Test comebacks, given the overseas challenges India have lined up next year

ESPNcricinfo staff25-Oct-2013Sourav Ganguly, the former India captain, believes Zaheer Khan and Virender Sehwag should be handed Test comebacks, given the overseas challenges India have lined up next year. He also backed Rohit Sharma and Suresh Raina for the No. 4 and No. 6 spots in the line-up.”They [Sehwag and Zaheer] must immediately be brought back into the Test side,” Ganguly told the . “Don’t forget India will be playing 13 Tests overseas in the next one year or so. You need players with pedigree and experience in those conditions. And Sehwag and Zaheer have those qualities.”Zaheer still is the best pace bowler India have. He can do so many things with the ball. I assure you that both Sehwag and Zaheer are not yet finished.”Following a prolonged slump, Zaheer was dropped from the Test side late last year, and Sehwag last played a Test in March. They were ignored in subsequent A squads, but got call-ups for the West Indies A series that led into the new domestic season. While Zaheer seemed to get back in rhythm the more he bowled against West Indies A, picking up seven wickets in four innings, Sehwag failed to register any score of note. However, that should not be held against Sehwag, Ganguly said: “A player of Sehwag’s class shouldn’t be judged on his performance in domestic cricket and List A games. He should be judged by his Test record.”Following the West Indies Tests at home, India have two matches in South Africa, two in New Zealand and five in England already scheduled until next August. And with Tendulkar set to retire against West Indies, the No. 4 slot in the Test line-up will be left vacant for the first time in years. The No. 6 slot, which Ganguly vacated in 2008, is also yet to be permanently filled, with none of the younger players impressing sufficiently. Ganguly said Rohit, who has played over 100 ODIs but has underachieved, is the best man for No. 4. He has a remarkable first-class average of 60.78 in 58 games, but is yet to make his Test debut. Raina, meanwhile, could slot in at No. 6, Ganguly said.”Yes, a couple of places would be up for grabs, No. 4 and No. 6. You need a specialist batsman at No.6 in overseas conditions. And my choices are Rohit Sharma and Suresh Raina respectively. They have the game and are the best options available.”Bengal pacer Mohammed Shami, who had troubled Australia with pace and bounce in the Ranchi ODI on Wednesday and whom Ganguly had captained in domestic games, is also ready for Test cricket, he said. “Not only limited-overs cricket, Shami is ready for Tests as well. He should be there in the Test side. He has got the pace, has the ability to move the ball, can bowl yorkers and has a deceptive bouncer that troubles batsmen.”There is no doubt about Yuvraj Singh’s place in the one-day side, leading up to the 2015 World Cup, he said. “India need Yuvraj in the next World Cup. He’s a match-winner, so don’t write him off after just a couple of failures [in the Australia ODIs]. He got two good deliveries. Yuvraj must be persisted with.”

After having recovered from a “frustrating” two-month injury layoff, Rohit Sharma is “excited” to be able to return to competitive cricket

Amol Karhadkar29-Oct-2014After having recovered from a “frustrating” two-month injury layoff, Rohit Sharma is “excited” to be able to return to competitive cricket. Rohit will mark his comeback to top-flight cricket for India A against the visiting Sri Lankans in the tour game at the Brabourne Stadium in Mumbai on Thursday. He said that he has started understanding his game better during the break.”Mentally it’s very frustrating. What can you do. When you play well and get injured for the rest of the series and miss so many games, is quite frustrating,” Rohit told ESPNcricinfo after having a long stint in the nets on Wednesday. “I am excited to be back and I will be playing tomorrow.”When Rohit was sidelined with a finger injury while fielding in the first ODI in England, he was expected to be fit in four weeks. He was also diagnosed with a shoulder strain, from which he has recovered pretty quickly. But the fractured finger took longer than expected to heal, which meant Rohit missed the ODIs against West Indies and West Zone’s Duleep Trophy campaign as well.Injured Bumrah set to miss warm-up

A knee injury is set to sideline Jasprit Bumrah from India A’s match against the touring Sri Lankans, to be played at the Brabourne Stadium in Mumbai on Thursday.
According to India A coach Sanjay Bangar, the fast bowler felt the discomfort in his left knee during West Zone’s Duleep Trophy quarter-final against East Zone last week. After being examined with the physio, Bumrah was asked to get an MRI scan done. Thought the results of the tests are awaited, Bumrah is unlikely to be considered for the tour game.
Bumrah bowled a brief spell with a shorter run-up during India A’s training on Wednesday morning. It remains to be seen if the Gujarat bowler recovers in time for the West Zone one-dayers, which start on November 8.

“Doctors had told me it will take four to six weeks. It’s not their fault. They tried everything they could but my body’s healing process is not that great, so what can I do. Everyone’s body type is different. I am just excited to be back on the field.”Rohit’s injured finger is still strapped and India A coach Sanjay Bangar said his fielding “will have to be monitored” over the next week. Rohit said he started feeling better with every hit in the nets he had since resuming batting “ten days ago”. While he wasn’t satisfied with his batting initially, Rohit said a three-hour session at the Mumbai Cricket Association’s facility at Bandra-Kurla Complex on Tuesday helped him find his touch.”For the past few days I wasn’t feeling comfortable about my batting. There were a few things happening with my batting and wanted to get that feeling back of how I used to bat before the injury. It is not the same when you comeback after an injury. I am more or less very comfortable now after a real long session at BKC yesterday. When I play tomorrow, I will be able to analyse it properly.”Rohit admitted that the last year, with three overseas tours and very little cricket in India, hadn’t been great for him as well as for the Indian team. “We did not do that well outside India. But see, as a unit – it’s a young unit – I think a little more time is required for the team. I am not talking about any individual. I am talking about the whole team. When you consider the whole team’s performance, it’s important to give a little more time, a little more exposure,” Rohit said.”I understand whenever we go out and play [badly], people start talking about [poor record on] abroad tours, how we’re going to play. I understand that it’s your point of view but it was important for us to go and learn how to play outside India and the kind of mindset you need. It was a good learning experience for all of us. A couple of times we came quite close to winning a Test match. In England, we won a Test match [at Lord’s] but then lost our way.”This was Rohit’s third major injury layoff in less than five years. He was exasperated with the flurry of freak injuries. “I won’t say I am trapped, but I am very unfortunate that I have got injured at crucial period of my career. I have missed out on a lot of games after getting injured,” Rohit said.”South Africa Test match in India (in 2010), I got injured on the morning of the match and then I had to wait for four years to make my Test debut. Again in England in 2011, my finger got injured in the first one-day and missed nine one-days thereafter. Now also, it is almost nine ODIs now – three in England, three against West Indies and three against Sri Lanka now. It’s very frustrating when you have a season like that and then you miss games due to injuries.”Rohit had missed out on the 2011 World Cup by a whisker, with the selectors preferring to go for an additional bowler in the squad instead of a batsman. And the batsman said the thought of missing out on another World Cup crossed his mind when his recovery period was extended.”When I got injured, I didn’t know how long it’s going to take,” he said. “When injuries happen, you don’t know how long it is going to take. With the World Cup being so far away I wasn’t thinking about the World Cup then. But that thing of missing the World Cup will always be there because I missed the 2011 World Cup and I don’t want to miss out on this World Cup anyhow.”

While lifting India from 76 for 4 to 303 for 9, MS Dhoni had spoiled James Faulkner’s figures at the death. Faulkner took it out on Ishant Sharma at the death in Australia’s chase.

The Report by Abhishek Purohit19-Oct-2013Scorecard and ball-by-ball detailsJames Faulkner smashed a 29-ball 64 to set up the win•BCCIWhile lifting India from 76 for 4 to 303 for 9, MS Dhoni had spoiled James Faulkner’s figures at the death. Faulkner took it out on Ishant Sharma at the death in Australia’s chase. Rarely, if ever, has a bowler lost it so completely while bowling to a fellow bowler. Australia needed 44 off 18 when Ishant was given the ball. Six balls and 30 runs later off Faulkner’s bat, the game was effectively over.Australia’s chase had started strongly, but had been suffocated mid-innings, chiefly by Ravindra Jadeja’s ten overs for 31 runs. George Bailey and Adam Voges had tried to keep pace, but the asking rate continued to climb. Voges had gamely hung on amid a clutch of middle-order wickets, including his own mix-up with Glenn Maxwell, when Faulkner joined him at 213 for 6. While their partnership lasted and grew, it seemed more a belated and inadequate attempt than a threatening one.Then Ishant was brought back for the 48th over. If you can apply brevity to carnage, here is what happened. Full and wide, four. Short, six. Length, six. Short, two. Short, six. Short, six. By the time he pulled that last six into a shocked Mohali crowd, Faulkner had blasted 54 off 24, and Australia needed 14 off 12.R Ashwin conceded only five in the 49th, but the damage was irreversible. Seeing his blinder of a century being nullified by his bowler’s meltdown, Dhoni refused to give in. Seeing Faulkner was basically swinging them into the leg side, he put all the four permissible deep fielders there, including two long-ons. He needn’t have bothered. With six needed off four, Vinay Kumar delivered a full toss, and Faulkner swung it over all those deep fielders.One wonders what Dhoni feels seeing his bowlers do what they usually do – lose limited-overs games for him. More than that, one wonders how he manages to keep what he feels to himself when one of his bowlers is going through his latest meltdown. It is hard being Dhoni.When India batted, he twisted his ankle in the 14th over while turning for a second run. He hadn’t even faced a ball. He took treatment, reached 50 off 77, and then accelerated to his ninth ODI hundred in the next 30. Dhoni’s favourite territory, the final stage of the innings, was yet to arrive. The Australia captain dropped him first ball of the penultimate over, off Shane Watson. Dhoni pulverized 34 off the final 12 deliveries to end unbeaten on 139, the third-highest score by a No 6 batsman, after Kapil Dev and Andrew Symonds. Even if it was normal service coming from Dhoni, that did not make the innings any less mind-boggling.The last time Dhoni made an ODI century, in December 2012, he took India from 29 for 5 against Pakistan to 227 for 6. Helping him that day was Ashwin, who was around today as well, showing superb calm in adding 76 for the seventh wicket with his captain. Before that, Virat Kohli had been an equal partner in a fifth-wicket stand of 72, but had fallen against the run of play for his third successive score of 50-plus this series.Admirable as these twin acts were, they were supporting ones. The stage belonged to Dhoni, who once again showed the entire range of his limited-overs batsmanship – from precisely-judged singles to hustling twos, from deftly placed boundaries to the late, towering sixes. And yes, he turned down three singles in the last two overs with Vinay at the other end.Dhoni hit one four in his first 67 deliveries. He ended with 12 fours and five sixes. Faulkner’s first eight overs went for 33, including just one run off the 46th. Dhoni hung back in the crease at the end, pulling out scythes, slices, slogs, helicopter-swings. Faulker’s last two overs went for 32. Between those two overs, the threat of Dhoni made even as experienced a man as Shane Watson bowl two wides.Before all this Dhoni frenzy, India’s specialist batsmen had been roughed up for the second time in three games by Australian pace and bounce, especially by Johnson. But after the Dhoni frenzy, for the second time in the match, Australia frittered away a strong position. A start of 68 for 0 in 12.1 overs became 88 for 3 in 19.1. India’s bowlers did well, bringing their side back with tight lines and lengths that squeezed the runs and built pressure.Voges ran hard and kept hitting the odd boundary, but the game was slipping away from Australia. Queerly, Dhoni handed the ball to Kohli in the 40th over, which went for 18, courtesy Brad Haddin. The wicketkeeper’s cameo ensured Australia were not completely out of it yet, despite the big overs Dhoni had managed late in India’s innings. As it turned out, while they had Dhoni, India also had Ishant, and Faulkner was ready.