Leading Run Scorers: ICC World Twenty20 2007

ICC World Twenty20 was first held in South Africa in 2007. India entered the Twenty20 arena with not much background in the shorter format of cricket. They too went in with a new skipper Mahendra Singh Dhoni and a relatively youth team, that missed the experience of players like Sachin Tendulkar, Rahul Dravid, Sourav Ganguly, VVS Laxman and Anil Kumble. But they managed to lift the trophy beating off stiff competition from arch rivals Pakistan, who came very close twice but failed to overcome India.

In this article, I have compiled the list of best batsmen in the ICC World Twenty20 2007. The list includes the top five leading run scorers, highest individual scores in an innings, most sixes hit by batsmen, best batting strike rates and best batting averages.

Top Five Leading Run Scorers
1. Matthew Hayden, Australia - 265 runs
2. Gautam Gambhir, India - 227 runs
3. Misbah-Ul-Haq, Pakistan - 218 runs
4. Shaoib Malik, Pakistan - 195 runs
5. Kevin Pietersen, England - 178 runs

Highest Individual Scores
1. Chris Gayle, West Indies - 117 runs
2. Herschelle Gibbs, South Africa - 90 not out
3. Justin Kemp, South Africa - 89 not out
4. Sanath Jayasuriya, Sri Lanka - 88
5. Kevin Pietersen, England - 79

Best Batting Averages (Most Consistent Batsmen)
1. Brendon Taylor, Zimbabwe - 107.00
2. Matthew Hayden, Australia - 88.33
3. Justin Kemp, South Africa - 86.50
4. Zunaed Siddique, Bangladesh - 71.00
5. Chris Gayle, West Indies - 58.50

Best Batting Strike Rates (Quick Scorers)
1. Shahid Afridi, Pakistan - 197.83
2. Chris Gayle, West Indies - 195.00
3. Yuvraj Singh, India - 194.74
4. Mohammed Ashraful, Bangladesh - 181.25
5. Craig McMillan, New Zealand - 181.11

* Only Batsmen who have faced at least 25 deliveries in the tournament has been considered in the above list

Batsmen with Most Sixes (Most Aggressive Batsmen)
1. Craig McMillan, New Zealand - 13
2. Yuvraj Singh, India - 12
3. Matthew Hayden, Australia - 10
4. Justin Kemp, South Africa - 10
5. Imran Nazir, Pakistan - 10

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IPL Matches Featuring Kolkata Knight Riders

Kolkata Knight Riders, led by Sourav Ganguly, finished sixth in the previous edition of IPL held in India. The Knight Riders got off to an unbelievable start by beating Bangalore Royal Challengers by a whopping 140 runs in the opening match of IPL 2008. The first twenty overs was a perfect screen raiser for a grand event like IPL. New Zealander Brendon McCullum, who opened the innings with Sourav Ganguly, went on to score 158 runs from just 73 deliveries. The unbeaten century included 10 fours and 13 sixes.

The performance that followed might have disappointed the franchise owners Shah Rukh Khan, Juhi Chawla and Jai Mehta. The team managed only 11 points from the remaining 13 games and failed to make it to the semi-finals stage.

IPL 2009 has already started in a controversial manner for Kolkata Knight Riders. The coach John Buchanan has proposed a new theory of using multiple captains, which did not go well with Sourav Ganguly. Finally, the franchise owners have to step in to alleviate any further damage by rephrasing "multiple captains" into "strategists". We need to wait and see how well Kolkata Knight Riders perform in South Africa. The following is the list of IPL 2009 matches involving Kolkata Knight Riders:

1. April 19: Kolkata Knight Riders v Deccan Chargers


2. April 21: Kolkata Knight Riders v Kings XI Punjab


3. April 23: Kolkata Knight Riders v Rajasthan Royals


4. April 25: Kolkata Knight Riders v Chennai Super Kings


5. April 27: Kolkata Knight Riders v Mumbai Indians


6. April 29: Kolkata Knight Riders v Bangalore Royal Challengers


7. May 01: Mumbai Indians v Kolkata Knight Riders


8. May 03: Kings XI Punjab v Kolkata Knight Riders


9. May 05: Delhi Daredevils v Kolkata Knight Riders


10. May 10: Kolkata Knight Riders v Delhi Daredevils


11. May 12: Bangalore Royal Challengers vs Kolkata Knight Riders


12. May 16: Deccan Chargers v Kolkata Knight Riders


13. May 18: Chennai Super Kings v Kolkata Knight Riders


14. May 20: Rajasthan Royals v Kolkata Knight Riders

IPL 2009 Matches Featuring Other Teams

• Bangalore Royal Challengers
• Chennai Super Kings
• Delhi Daredevils
• Deccan Chargers
• Kings XI Punjab
• Mumbai Indians
• Rajasthan Royals

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England Cricket Tour: Dhoni as captain

Mahendra Singh Dhoni will be leading the Indian Test side for a full series for the first time. The doubts hanging over the England cricket tour has been cleared after Reg Dickason cleared Chennai for the first test match. The England cricket players had arrived in Chennai yesterday for the match commencing on 11 December 2008.

Full Strength England Cricket Team
It is satisfying to know that England has arrived in full strength, in spite of fears earlier that some players might opt out. You could not blame them if any of them have chosen not to visit India after the Mumbai terror attacks. But, the England cricket players have shown faith in the security arrangements by Indian authorities.

Hope all the doubts about security will be away from the minds of the cricket players and they will start to concentrate on the game of cricket. England had been outplayed in the ODI series 5-0, but they have to come back in the test match series.

Indian Cricket Team Selection
The following is the 15-member Indian squad for the test match:

Virender Sehwag,
Gautam Gambhir,
M Vijay,
Rahul Dravid,
Sachin Tendulkar,
VVS Laxman,
Yuvraj Singh,
S Badrinath,
Mahendra Singh Dhoni (captain & wicket-keeper),
Harbhajan Singh,
Amit Mishra,
Pragyan Ojha,
Zaheer Khan,
Ishant Sharma,
Munaf Patel

Gambhir comes back after serving the one-match ban. Yuvraj Singh and Pragyan Ojha take the places of Sourav Ganguly and Anil Kumble, the veterans who retired after the Australia cricket series. It is a pity that Rohit Sharma could not find a place in the test squad. No one doubts his skills. But, he needs to show consistency that has failed him consistently. Two of Tamil Nadu batsmen, M Vijay and S Badrinath, find their names in the squad. They are unlikely to play in the test match unless someone else is injured. How great it would be for Vijay and Badri to play in front of their home crowd? Zaheer Khan and Ishant Sharma will be opening the bowling with Munaf Patel as the standby seamer. Harbhajan Singh and Amit Mishra are likely to play as spinners, with Pragyan Ojha as standby spinner.

Time for Cricket
Chennai is full of police and security had been taken very seriously. The climate is the only thing that could stop an entertainer in Chennai. It is rather gloomy conditions in Chennai for the past one month or so. But, the enthusiastic Chennai crowd is already clearing the tickets for the test match. Let us hope to see an entertaining cricket match with twists and turns that are purely associated with test matches.

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England Cricket Tour to India

England cricket tour is still hanging in the balance, even though the reactions suggest the tour might go ahead. The general feeling points that the security consultant Reg Dickason is comfortable with the arrangements in Chennai. Dickason is scheduled to visit Mohali later and he will also hold meetings with Hugh Morris, the managing director of England cricket, and Sean Morris, the chief executive of England's Professional Cricketers' Association (PCA).

I personally feel that the tour must go on. While I respect the individual cricket player's decision, I think no place is in the world is safe now. Is United States of America safe? The act of terrorism on twin towers, known as 911 now, is not forgotten yet. Is London safe? The serial bombings in the underground trains will put that conclusion to doubt. Is Chennai safe? It was considered to be a "Peace Park" until the former Primer Minister of India, Rajiv Gandhi, was assasinated by a suicide bomber.

I am not concluding that safety and security should be compromised. We should not give place to complacency. But, at the same time, we should not let the terrorists achieve what they want. The terrorists want to implant the seeds of fear and insecurity among the citizens. If we allow that to happen, we are completely lost.

The Indian Government and the Indian cricket board should ensure all necessary safety precautions are taken and nothing should be left unattended. If this is going to cause some inconvenience to the general public, they will understand it is for their own good. Let us all stand united in this effort to resurrect the image of India.

I appreciate Andrew Strauss, the England opener, for showing his faith and expressing openly that the England cricket tour must go on. If other England cricket players understand his feelings, probably they too will feel comfortable.

The Indian cricket team is expected to be chosen today. Mahendra Singh Dhoni will lead a full series for the first time. Yuvraj Singh is expected to come in place of the retired Sourav Ganguly. Gambhir is also expected to return to his opener's slot after serving out the one-match ban imposed during the Australia test match series.

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Yuvraj Singh loves England

It is surprising to note that some of the cricket players like certain opponents. They choose to hog the limelight in a particular series, and then go into hiding, only to come back strongly against the same opponents. It is nothing to do with the strength of the opposition. You call it luck, coincidence or by whatever name. But, there is enough proof of such interesting occurrences in the game of cricket.

Mystery Players
Players like Sachin and Dravid have performed consistently well against almost all the countries. It is known to everyone how much VVS Laxman loves Australia. He reserves his best for the Australians. The same kind of mystery had been exhibited by Shivnarine Chanderpaul against India. In recent times, we witnessed how Misbah-ul-Haq loved playing against the Indians. Yuvraj Singh shows a similar liking for England.

Emerging Yuvraj
Nobody would forget the match-winning partnership between Yuvraj Singh and Kaif in the Natwest Series 2002 in England. India was chasing a huge target of 326 runs to win the Natwest trophy. Yuvraj Singh scored 69 runs, Kaif made 87 not out and were featured in a partnership of 121 runs. It was a day when a new team of youngsters came into the fore under the aggressive captaincy of Sourav Ganguly. The match is remembered for Sourav Ganguly’s theatrical skills, removing his shirt in celebration of the victory.

Majestic Yuvraj
Yuvraj Singh’s six sixes off Stuart Broad in the Twenty20 World cup, held in South Africa, will ever be remembered for brute force. It also landed him the Twenty20 International Performance of the Year Award.

Current Form
The two hundreds in the first two matches of the ongoing India-England series further highlight his liking for the opposition. It is no wonder he won the player of the award on both occasions. In the second match, he even topped the bowling honours.

Conquering England
His batting average of 55.78 against England stands far ahead of his overall average of 37.19 in ODIs. His bowling average of 30.17 also stands better than the overall average of 39.41.

Hope he continues his form in the series and India will clinch the series comfortably. Kevin Pietersen, skipper of England cricket team, has to find a way to stop Yuvraj Singh if they like to pose any real challenge in this series.

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Dhoni and Captaincy, Made For Each Other

Captaincy is not all about success. Captaincy is not all about technical skills. Captaincy is not all about knowledge. Yes, you need all of those in a certain mix. But, more importantly, leadership and man management takes precedence.

Good leaders have become great captains. On the contrary, great players have failed to be good captains. Sachin Tendulkar is one glaring example. Great captains lead by example, take criticism in stride and protect their team when needed. Dhoni has taken the right step in the captaincy mode. If success is the yardstick, then there is enough proof of his leadership skills; ICC Twenty20 World cup, CB series triumph in Australia and his three-out-of-three test match wins against South Africa and Australia. But, I am not going to discuss about that here. I am going to highlight simple gestures from Dhoni that would have touched many hearts.

#1: Fitting Farewell to Sourav Ganguly
During the final moments of the Nagpur test against Australia, Dhoni invited Ganguly to take over the captaincy for some time. It was an extraordinary gesture from Mahendra Singh Dhoni. With Ganguly playing his final test match, how proud he would have felt. Can any one else give a better farewell to a wonderful player and a revolutionary captain himself?

#2: Apt Reward for an Achiever
Another moment that caught my eyes happened just after India’s victory in the second test match against Australia. India has just completed a resounding win against the World Champions. It is a great moment of achievement for the team as they played absolutely attacking cricket throughout the match. Everybody rushed to grab a stump as a souvenir. Ganguly, a centurion in the first innings and playing his last test series, could not get one for himself. Dhoni gave Ganguly the stump he had taken for himself.

#3: Recognize Budding Talents
One more significant moment came during the presentation ceremony of Commonwealth Bank Series 2008. India has just outplayed Australia in the finals and defeated them 2-0 in the best of three finals. Dhoni invited Piyush Chawla, the youngest in the Indian team, to hold the trophy when the team assembled on the podium to pose with the CB Series trophy. How proud Chawla would have been?

It is very hard to believe that Dhoni made his debut just less than four years ago. These moments might be forgotten down the years. But, Sourav Ganguly and Piyush Chawla will remember those precious little moments for ages. After all, captaincy is not all about hogging the limelight yourself. It seems Dhoni has understood that clearly. Well done Dhoni.

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Dhoni in Test Match #30

India vs Australia, Australia in India, 2008 - 1st Test
Date: 9-13 October 2008

India manages draw on the final day

Australia won the toss and elected to bat on a pitch that was expected to aid spinners later on. Ricky Ponting led from the front by scoring his first century in India. Zaheer Khan removed Hayden off the very first over, thanks to an error from the umpire. In spite of good bowling spells from Zaheer and Ishant Sharma, Ricky Ponting and Simon Katich started to build a careful and controlled partnership. Ricky Ponting's century and his 166 run partnership was the highlight of the day. The Indians had come back later in the day by removing Michael Clarke cheaply. Australians ended the day on 254/4 with Michael Hussey on 46.

On the second day, Zaheer struck immediately by removing Shane Watson. But, a 91-run partnership between Hussey and Brad Haddin ensured that India could not capitalize. The Indians frustration grew further as Brett Lee combined with Hussey to post an useful 59 run partnership for the 8th wicket. The tail rallied around the brilliance of Hussey. When Hussey was last man out for 146, the score has swelled to 430. Zaheer picked 5 wickets, Ishant Sharma had 4 wickets and Harbhajan Singh accounted for one. India's captain and leading wicket-taker Kumble was disappointing, sending down 43 overs without a wicket. The Indians replied strongly and the openers were unseparated by the end of the day at 68/0.

The third day morning saw the Indians failing miserably and suddenly the scoreline read 106/4. A half-century from Dravid and 47 from Ganguly provided some respect to the total. But, the Indians had much to cheer later on when Harbhajan Singh and Zaheer Khan combined brilliantly to post an 80 run partnership for the eighth wicket. When Harbhajan was dismissed late in the day, he had already helped India to avoid the follow-on. He also scored a half century. Indians ended the day on 313/8.

If the third day had not frustrated the Australians, then certainly the fourth day would have done it. Zaheer Khan went on to score a half-century and in the company of Kumble and Ishant took the score to 360. The Indians fell short of the Australian score by a mere 70 runs. Australia looked shaky in the second innings, losing 5 wickets for the addition of 128 runs. But, Haddin and Watson have put on an unbeaten 65 runs partnership for the sixth wicket. Once again, Kumble was disappointing.

The final day was set absolutely for a stern test for the Indians. Ricky Ponting declared the innings after playing only 5 overs, during which they added another 35 runs. The target for the Indians is tempting enough, 299 runs in 83 overs. But, quick dismissals of Sehwag and Dravid stopped any such calculations to continue. It was up to the Indians to play out time and overs. The feat was achieved wonderfully by Gambhir, Sachin, Laxman and Ganguly. They played sensibly under pressure and ensured that Indians do not lose another match on the final day. Sachin fell one short of a well-deserved half century and within touching distance of Lara's all-time record.

1st Innings:
Australia 430 (Michael Hussey 146, Ricky Ponting 123, Zaheer Khan 5 for 91, Ishant Sharma 4 for 77)
India 360 (Zaheer Khan 57 not out, Harbhajan Singh 54, Johnson 4 for 70, Watson 3 for 45)

2nd Innings:
Australia 228/6 declared (Shane Watson 41, Haddin 35 not out, Ishant Sharma 3 for 40, Harbhajan Singh 2 for 76)
India 177/4 (Tendulkar 49, Laxman 42 not out, Clark 1 for 12, Johnson 1 for 23)

Match Result: Draw

Man of the match: Zaheer Khan, for his 6 wickets and 57 not out

Dhoni's performance in the 1st innings:
Catches : 2 / Stumpings : 0
Batting: 9 runs (51 balls), 4s: 0/ 6s: 0

Dhoni's performance in the 2nd innings:
Catches : 0 / Stumpings : 0
Batting: Did Not Bat

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Kings XI Punjab secures second semi-final spot

The game between Delhi Daredevils and Kolkata Knight Riders, in the Indian Premier League (IPL), was washed out yesterday due to persistent rain in Delhi. The game has to be abandoned without a ball being bowled.

Yuvi qualifies and Dada eliminated
As a result, Kings XI Punjab became the second team to progress to the semi-finals stage of IPL after the leaders Rajasthan Royals. The bad news is that Kolkata Knight Riders were knocked out of the tournament. Kolkata becomes the third team to be knocked out after Hyderabad Deccan Chargers and Bangalore Royal Challengers. Sourav Ganguly and Shah Rukh Khan should be disappointed after two of their last three games were decided by rain.

That leaves Chennai Super Kings, Delhi Daredevils and Mumbai Indians as the contenders for the remaining two semi-final slots. Interestingly, various scenarios emerge and any two of these three teams can still qualify.

Dhoni’s Chennai Super Kings
If Chennai wins any one of their matches against Rajasthan Royals and Hyderabad Deccan Chargers, they will qualify irrespective of other results. They need not worry about other games and have to just concentrate on the games in hand.

Sehwag’s Delhi Daredevils
Delhi must win their only remaining game against Mumbai. In addition to this, either Chennai should lose two games or Mumbai should lose one more game.

Tendulkar’s Mumbai Indians
The game between Mumbai and Delhi is very important for all the three teams. All they have to do is just beat Delhi Daredevils. If Mumbai beats Delhi, then Chennai and Mumbai will go through to the semi-finals. If they lose the game against Delhi, they can still qualify by winning the two remaining games against Rajasthan Royals and Bangalore Royal Challengers. They could still qualify with just one win. But, for that to happen, Chennai must lose two games and then Net Run Rate (NRR) will come into play.

As you can see, Chennai and Mumbai have the option to write their own script. All these permutations and combinations come into play only if rain does not play any further hand in this tournament.

Coming Soon
Meanwhile, the first inconsequential match comes up in the IPL tournament. Kings XI Punjab, already in the semi-final, meets Hyderabad Deccan Chargers, already eliminated from the tournament. It is a practice game for Punjab and it is some pride resurrection for Deccan Chargers.

In fact, the two most important games are up for tomorrow. Chennai meets Rajasthan Royals and Delhi clashes with Mumbai. Fine, the final two slots may well be decided tomorrow.

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Dhoni in Test Match #29: Summary

India vs South Africa, South Africa in India, 2008 - 3rd Test
Date: 11-13 April 2008

Dhoni won his first test match as captain. Well done Dhoni! His knock of 32 runs in the first innings and his 60 runs partnership with Sourav Ganguly was crucial in determining the outcome of the match. His decisions, particularly in rotating the bowlers, has to be apprciated. He seems to know the trick of throwing the ball to the right bowler at the right time. Dhoni! Do you have any magic wand with you?

Dhoni's performance in the 1st innings:
Catches : 0 / Stumpings : 1
Batting: 32 runs (54 balls), 4s: 5/ 6s: 0

Dhoni's performance in the 2nd innings:
Catches : 1 / Stumpings : 0
Batting: Did Not Bat

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Dhoni in Test Match #29: Day 2

India vs South Africa, South Africa in India, 2008 - 3rd Test
Date: 11-13 April 2008

Day 2 (12 April 2008): Ganguly helps India take the lead

India took a marginal lead in the first innings thanks to half-centuries from Sourav Ganguly and VVS Laxman. Their efforts were ably supported by useful knocks from Rahul Dravid, Yuvraj Singh and Mahendra Singh Dhoni. The Indians are ahead by 23 runs with just one wicket in hand when play ended.

India made progress mainly through a cautious 78-run partnership between Dravid and Laxman, 65 runs partnership between Ganguly and Yuvraj and a 60 run partnership betweeen Ganguly and Dhoni. The state of the pitch encouraged played who had the courage to take on the bowlers. The unplayable deliveries that cleaned Dravid and Laxman could have prompted Ganguly to score runs whenever the opportunity is there. The situation needed to take some calculated risk. Ganguly did that and came out with his head high. He lost his wicket only when he was slowly running out of partners.

Yuvraj was fluent for his 32. Dhoni too scored 32. His partnership with Ganguly seemed to take India to a comfortable lead. But, a moment of rush paved the exit of Dhoni. From 248 for 5, India lost their way to 279 for 9. Sree Santh ended the day with a fluent four off the last delivery. Will he be able to deliver few more punches?

The slender margin might not help India too much as they have to bat last in the crumbling pitch. India would be happy to add a few more runs through Sree Santh and Ishant Sharma. But, that looks unlikely. The match outcome might depend on how well the South Africans play in their second innings.

Day three, in all probability, will decide the winner of this match.

1st Innings:
South Africa 265 (Smith 69, Amla 51, Harbhajan Singh 3 for 52, Ishant Sharma 3 for 55)
India 288 for 9 (Ganguly 87, Laxman 50, Morkel 3 for 57, Steyn 3 for 60)

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Indian Cricket Team Composition for Adelaide game

There is much discussion going on about the team composition for the Adelaide game starting tomorrow. Should India retain the winning combination? Should they leave out Wasim Jaffer and opt for Harbhajan Singh? Should they pick Dinesh Karthik in place of Wasim Jaffar?

It is very difficult to answer these questions. As the pitch is expected to assist spin, there is some speculation that Harbhajan Singh will come in as the second spinner. With Irfan Pathan, Ishant Sharma and R.P.Singh bowling exceptionally well, the Indian team would not want to disturb their swinging medium pace team. So, the idea is to drop the underperforming Wasim Jaffar to make way for Harbhajan. Is that going to be a good decision?

You all might remember that India won their previous match at Adelaide about four years ago. Let us look at the successful team composition for ideas. Here is the list:

Batsmen:
Akash Chopra and Virender Sehwag (Openers)
Rahul Dravid
Sachin Tendulkar
Sourav Ganguly
VVS Laxman

Wicket-keeper:
Parthiv Patel

Bowlers:
Ajit Agarkar
Aashish Nehra
Irfan Pathan
Anil Kumble

Interestingly, 7 members from the previous victorious team are certainties for this game too. The best bowling performance came from Ajit Agarkar on the fourth day afternoon that shook the Australians. Agarkar never repeated that wonderful performance of 6 for 41, which set up the Indian victory. The best bowling performance in the first innings came from Kumble, 5 for 154. The batting heroes were Rahul Dravid (233 and 72 not out) and VVS Laxman (148 and 32). Rahul and Laxman repeated the Calcutta heroics again here, with a partnership of 303 runs, with Rahul taking the lead role this time.

So, going by that performance, I feel that India should not look into Harbhajan now. The team composition should remain the same. If Jaffar has to be replaced, then Dinesh Karthik should come in as the opener. This will help to restore the batting order as it is. India should go in with a winning mood and one batsman less will affect them.

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Dhoni in ODI #82

India vs England, NatWest Series 2007 - 5th ODI
Date: 02 Sep 2007

Catches : 5 / Stumpings : 1
Batting: 24 runs (17 balls), 4s: 3/ 6s: 0

For a change this time, Dravid lost the toss but won the match with some help from Duckworth/ Lewis. Given a chance to bat first, the Indian batsmen played good cricket to post a healthy 324 for the loss of six wickets.

Half-centuries from the top four batsmen, coupled with a century opening partnership by the veterans helped the Indian team. The hero of the last game Broad was chosen for punishment and he gave away 84 runs in his 10 overs.

England lost wickets at regular intervals, but skipper Collingwood did not lose hope. FInally, rain intervened and the Indians were declared the winners based on D/L method. When the match was called off, Collingwood was not out on 91 from just 71 deliveries.

Ganguly won the man of the match award for his all-round performance. Dhoni was excellent behind the wickets and he played a hand in the dismissal of the first five batsmen. He completed the good performance with a difficult catch to dismiss the 8th batsman. Dhoni became the first Indian wicketkeeper to record six dismissals in an ODI. He equalled the record held previously by Gilchrist, Boucher, Ridley Jacobs and Alec Stewart.

Yuvraj brought up his 30th ODI fifty, during which he surpassed the 5000 runs mark. He is only the sixth Indian batsman to do so.

Result: India 324/6 in 50 overs(Ganguly 59, Sachin 71, Gambhir 51, Yuvraj 72) beat England 242/8 in 39 overs(Collingwood 91 not out, Ganguly 2 for 26) by 38 runs (D/L method).

England leads the 7-match series 3-2

Next match to look far: 05 Sep 2007, 6th ODI between India and England

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Dhoni in ODI #80

India vs England, NatWest Series 2007 - 3rd ODI
Date: 27 Aug 2007

Catches : 0 / Stumpings : 1
Batting: 13 runs (20 balls), 4s: 0/ 6s: 0

Dravid won the toss yet again and inserted England in to bat. Is that a right decision? The England openers amassed 76 runs in less than 14 overs. Ian Bell scored a half-century and helped England post a healthy 281 for the loss of 8 wickets.

The Indians started tentatively, putting on 35 runs in the first 10 overs losing Tendulkar to the last delivery of the 10th over. Karthik came and left without disturbing the scorers. Then a good 104 runs partnership between Ganguly and Dravid kept the Indian hopes alive for the next 20 overs. The dismissal of both these set batsmen in the space of 2 overs let India down. Yuvraj played a quickfire knock of 45 from just 39 deliveries. But, that was not enough.

Result: England 281/8 (Bell 79, RP Singh 3 for 55) beat India 239 (Ganguly 72, Dravid 56, Anderson 3 for 32) by 42 runs. England leads the 7-match series 2-1

Next match to look far: 30 Aug 2007, 4th ODI between India and England

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Dhoni in Test Match #20: Day 5

India vs England, India in England, Pataudi Trophy Test Series (2007) - 3rd Test
Date: 9-13 August 2007

Day 5 (13 Aug 2007): India content with a 1-0 series triumph

The Indians have wrapped the test match series by a 1-0 margin after the England batsmen played with some character on the final day to force a draw in the final match.

The final day had its share of interesting twists, with Indian bowlers picking up wickets at regular intervals to keep the match alive until the last minute. The first session saw the departure of both openers. The match might have taken a different route if only Dravid accepted the catch from Vaughan off Kumble. Dravid spilled an easy chance just before lunch. Three wickets in the first session would have given much more confidence to the bowlers.

But, Vaughan and Pieterson played well to deny any openings for the bowlers to exploit. A short disruption to play due to bad light helped India get the next wicket. Lost his concentration after the break, Vaughan departed. Then, Pieterson and Collingwood continued. Both playing fluently, the runs started to flow. When everything seemed to be slowly meandering to a draw, the new ball created some buzz again.

Sree Santh struck with the first delivery of the new ball by getting Collingwood lbw. Pieterson continued to reach his second century of the series. A lapse in concentration just after completing his century cost his wicket. He flashed outside to a delivery from Sree Santh and was caught behind. With still about 20 overs available, the Indians hoped for a final breakthrough.

The thought would have been supported by the sight of Matt Prior walking in, who is out for nought in the first innings. But, Bell and Prior played out another 15 overs. When Bell was out, only 5 overs left in the match. Prior and Sidebottom finished the match without any further slide.

India is so near and yet left the match to meander to a draw. The fourth day's negative approach has let England to play out the match. The celebrations showed that Dravid and his men are happy with the 1-0 series win. To a certain extent, it is understandable as they have lost back-to-back matches after taking a lead.

Whatever it is, this is a happy moment for Indian cricket. A series win in England after 21 years should be memorable.

Result: The match is drawn. India won the three match series 1-0

Player of the match: Kumble
Player of the series: James Anderson (England) / Zaheer Khan (India)

1st innings:
India 664 (Kumble 110 not out, Dhoni 92, Karthik 91, Sachin 91, Dravid 55, Laxman 51, Anderson 4 for 182)
England 345 (Bell 63, Collingwood 62, Cook 61, Zaheer 3 for 32, Kumble 3 for 94)

2nd innings:
India 180/6 declared (Ganguly 57, Collingwood 2 for 24)
England 369/6 (Pietersen 101, Bell 67, Sree Santh 3 for 53)

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Dhoni in Test Match #20: Day 4

India vs England, India in England, Pataudi Trophy Test Series (2007) - 3rd Test
Date: 9-13 August 2007

Day 4 (12 Aug 2007): Dravid leads with poor strategy

A poor approach by the Indians let the game slip away from them and gave England some breath at the end of the penultimate day. This is a day that should go into the cricketing text books for wrong reasons.

After claiming the last wicket in the morning, India had a lead of 319 runs with still about 170 overs left in the game. Dravid's decision not to enforce the follow-on is understandable, but his approach later on is incomprehensible. The way Dravid batted gave a feeling that India is fighting hard to save the match. How else can you describe an innings from the captain who scores 12 runs off 96 deliveries?

The situation demanded some quick runs, but the early wickets of Jaffer, Karthik and Sachin upset Dravid's plans. Even then, if a player of Dravid's calibre is unable to rotate strike by taking singles, then this team is not deserved to win. While at the other end Ganguly was scoring almost a run a ball, Dravid was defending. Ganguly contributed 57 runs to the 4th wicket partnership of 65 runs. Finally, when Dravid declared,they have consumed 58 valuable overs. Any other international team would have cashed in on the situation to score about 200 runs in 40 to 50 overs.

With exactly 500 runs to win, England finished day 4 positively without losing any wicket in the 20 overs. England might not be able to chase down another 444 runs in 90 overs, at about 4.93 runs per over. But, they could well bat out the day. If that happens, India has to blame only themselves for losing the stronghold in the match. The approach by Dravid to safely hold the 1-0 lead is ridiculous. Stronger teams emerge when you are always on the look-out for victories.

1st innings:
India 664 (Kumble 110 not out, Dhoni 92, Karthik 91, Sachin 91, Dravid 55, Laxman 51, Anderson 4 for 182)
England 345 (Bell 63, Collingwood 62, Cook 61, Zaheer 3 for 32, Kumble 3 for 94)

2nd innings:
India 180/6 declared (Ganguly 57, Collingwood 2 for 24)
England 56/0 (Cook 27 not out)

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Dhoni in Test Match #19: Day 5

India vs England, India in England, Pataudi Trophy Test Series (2007) - 2nd Test
Date: 27-31 July 2007

Day 5 (31 July 2007): Another away test win for India

The hard work over the last four days had paid off rich dividends. The Indians won the match by seven wickets. India needed another 21 overs to complete their fifth test match win against England.

The Indians lost three wickets to knock off the remaining 63 runs. But, that did not create any concern as England did not have enough on the board to defend. The current skipper Dravid and the former skipper Ganguly finished the game.

Result: India won by seven wickets and lead the series 1-0
Player of the match: Zaheer Khan

1st innings:
England 198 (Cook 43, Zaheer 4 for 59, Kumble 3 for 32)
India 481 (Tendulkar 91, Ganguly 79, Karthik 77, Jaffer 62, Laxman 54, Panesar 4 for 101)

2nd innings:
England 355 (Vaughan 124, Collingwood 63, Zaheer 5 for 75, Kumble 3 for 104)
India 73/3 (Karthik 22, Jaffer 22)

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Dhoni in Test Match #19: Day 4

India vs England, India in England, Pataudi Trophy Test Series (2007) - 2nd Test
Date: 27-31 July 2007

Day 4 (30 July 2007): Elegant century from Vaughan in vain

Most part of the day belonged to the England captain Vaughan. His elegant century helped England to wipe off the huge 283-runs deficit. England raised hopes of a tough fight and Harsha Bhogle was discussing about the possible target that England would set for India. Thats when the new ball and Zaheer Khan came in the way of England.

Vaughan, after scoring an elegant 124, dragged back a ball that got entangled in his thigh pad. No single bowler looked like removing him, so it is destiny that he helped himself to be dismissed. He has just cleared the deficit and taken a four-runs lead, thanks to his partnership of 112-runs with Collingwood for the fourth wicket. Collingwood played a good knock of 63. Sidebottom played a quick knock of 25 runs. He was undefeated in both the innings. But, once Vaughan is gone, India is back on track. The wickets came their way in regular intervals. While Zaheer Khan completed a haul of 5 wickets, Kumble played a hand in cutting short the tail by claiming the last 3 wickets.

Finally, England were dismissed for 355 runs, setting a victory target of 73 runs for India. By the end of the day, the Indian openers had knocked off 10 runs from that.

1st innings:
England 198 (Cook 43, Zaheer 4 for 59, Kumble 3 for 32)
India 481 (Tendulkar 91, Ganguly 79, Karthik 77, Jaffer 62, Laxman 54, Panesar 4 for 101)

2nd innings:
England 355 (Vaughan 124, Collingwood 63, Zaheer 5 for 75, Kumble 3 for 104)
India 10/0 (Karthik 6 not out)

Watch the highlights of Day 4 from YouTube.com

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Dhoni in Test Match #19: Day 3

India vs England, India in England, Pataudi Trophy Test Series (2007) - 2nd Test
Date: 27-31 July 2007

Day 3 (29 July 2007): England fighting hard to save the match

The Indian batsmen posted a huge total of 481 runs, thanks to half-centuries from five of their top six batsmen. The strong batting line-up finally delivered as one would expect from them.

The England would have been facing much more deficit than the 283 runs, if not the umpire made two wrong decisions. Simon Taufel, normally very reliable, made the mistake of ruling Tendulkar out in the nineties. In the first over after lunch, Tendulkar padded up to a Paul Collingwood delivery that had pitched outside off and was clearly going through straight. Taufel ruled Tendulkar out lbw, much to the dismay of the batsman.

Another decision that went against India is the dismissal of Sourav Ganguly. He was ruled caught behind, while replays showed that there is no contact between the bat and the ball. These verdicts have slowed down the run rate. The quick dismissal of Dhoni did not help the situation either.

Laxman took time to complete his half-century with Kumble for company. Kumble scored an useful 30 runs. England commenced the second innings with a huge deficit. Their openers had done well in the 16 overs they had to face before the end of the day. But, with two more days of play left, they have lot more work to do to save the match.

1st innings:
England 198 (Cook 43, Zaheer 4 for 59, Kumble 3 for 32)
India 481 (Tendulkar 91, Ganguly 79, Karthik 77, Jaffer 62, Laxman 54, Panesar 4 for 101)

2nd innings:
England 43/0 (Strauss 21 not out)

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Dhoni in Test Match #19: Day 1

India vs England, India in England, Pataudi Trophy Test Series (2007) - 2nd Test
Date: 27-31 July 2007

Day 1 (27 July 2007): An impressive start by the Indians

The match had a delayed start. But, the Indians did not waste any more time to get on top of England in the second test match at Trent Bridge. Dravid won the toss and elected to field. With helpful conditions, the Indian bowlers nailed England down to 169 for the loss of seven wickets.

The highest score of 43 was made by Cook. There was only one 50+ partnership, between Cook and Collingwood, that showed some promise. From a precarious position of 47/3, the Cook-Collingwood partnership took England past the 100-mark. Once Collingwood is gone at the score of 101, the wickets fell in regular intervals again.

Now, it is up to the Indian bowlers to finish off what they have started. If they can bowl out England under 200 runs, then they have a edge in this match. Zaheer Khan took 3 wickets. Kumble, Sree Santh, RP Singh and Ganguly claimed one wicket each.

1st innings:
England 169/7(Cook 43, Zaheer 3 for 50)

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Dhoni in Test Match #18: Day 5

India vs England, India in England, Pataudi Trophy Test Series (2007) - 1st Test
Date: 19-23 July 2007

Day 5 (23 July 2007): Dhoni and Rain save India

If Pieterson is the hero on day 4, it is the turn of Mahendra Singh Dhoni to hog the limelight today. It may not be the best innings from Dhoni, but his commitment to stay longer has helped India to save the match on the final day. Dhoni's effort brought India closer, but bad light and intermittent rain prevented England from going on to the field to pick up the last wicket.

It started off disastrously for India in the morning. The overnight batsmen, Ganguly and Karthik, were back in the pavilion before the 7th over is completed. Then came the pair of Laxman and Dhoni, which frustrated the England bowlers. The rate at which they scored the runs even raised some hopes of an Indian victory. Laxman played a responsible innings of 39 runs (90 balls). More importantly, his partnership with Dhoni of 86 runs from close to 29 overs helped the Indians to save the match.

If Sachin's dismissal to spinners looks very familiar now, then Laxman's failure to negotiate the low bouncing incoming deliveries is becoming a replay from his earlier matches. Once Laxman is gone, England realised they can beat the light/ rain to win the game. In the next 15 overs, they removed Kumble, Zaheer and RP Singh. It is a horrible sight to see the way Zaheer and RP Singh got dismissed. With fading light and Dhoni in control at the other end, they just need to face a few deliveries and play defensive strokes. But, they chose otherwise and perished to attacking shots.

By this time, the ground is dark and only Vaughan and Panesar were able to bowl. The next five overs saw some intense fight between the bowlers and the last Indian pair. Sree Santh survived a loud appeal for lbw from Panesar. The umpires finally decided to offer the light to the batsmen, just about 5 minutes before tea break. Thats it and the play never resumed.

Dhoni played a very good innings in which he faced as much as 159 deliveries. Thats about 27 overs out of the total 96 overs Indians faced in the second innings. He had luck on his side, but his ability to play anchor innings is clearly evident. In the event, he brought up his fifth half-century. This should be a really satisfying innings for Dhoni after he just managed to sneak into the final eleven for the match ahead of Yuvraj Singh. Its been a familiar sight now to see the two wicket-keepers are instrumental in India's performance. Together, they faced 294 deliveries, which is more than 50% of the 96 overs bowled. Well done keepers!

Result: The match is drawn.
Player of the match: Pieterson

1st innings:
England 298 (Strauss 96, Vaughan 79, Sree Santh 3 for 67)
India 201 (Jaffer 58, Dhoni 0, Anderson 5 for 42)

2nd innings:
England 282 (Pieterson 134, RP Singh 5 for 59)
India 282/9 (Karthik 60, Dhoni 76 not out, Tremlett 3 for 52)

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