Cricket: England down India by 196 runs

The English bowlers took a little over two sessions to remove nine remaining Indian batsmen and score a win in the opening Test at the Lord's, on Monday by 196 runs.

Stuart Broad dismissed Ishant Sharma to claim the last wicket of the Indian innings as England win the 1st Test at the Lord's by 196 runs.With the Lord's Test victory, England lead the 4 Test series 1-0 James Anderson claimed his 11th 5- wicket haul in Tests by dismissing Suresh Raina for 78 on Day 5 of the Lord's Test.

(India 260/9) -  England's bowlers fought their way through dogged batting, the absence of DRS for lbws and some sloppy catching to avoid a repeat of Lord's 2007 and finish a comprehensive win 28.3 overs before the gruelling final-day scrap was to be called off.

India's four big hopes survived 93, 113, 56 and 68 deliveries, which meant England were made to work for the wickets, and also that they never let those batsmen feel they were in. James Anderson took out Rahul Dravid, VVS Laxman and Sachin Tendulkar, although it could be argued that his were the knockout blows after the softening up done by Stuart Broad and Chris Tremlett.

Not that any man in the England side will mind how the wickets came. Although there were two dropped catches and two controversial lbw not-outs involved, it all went down in a manner suggesting England had scripted it thus.

They wouldn't have budgeted for the strongest resistance to be coming from Suresh Raina, who told his critics he belonged with a fighting 78, but by the final session an erstwhile Anderson was in red-hot form, completing his 11th five-for by breaking through that final piece of Indian fight with a beautiful in- swinger from round the stumps. Initially Anderson fed off the immense pressure created by Tremlett and Broad, and Graeme Swann did his thing by accounting for one of the best players of spin today, Gautam Gambhir.

It was just as well that England finished India off, thus avoiding what would have become a major controversy had India hung on with one wicket in hand. The moment when Hawk-Eye and the umpire would be in disagreement was much dreaded, and showed up twice in potentially crucial circumstances. Both were off Broad, when he had comprehensive cases for lbws against Tendulkar and Raina, and would have successfully challenged the original not-out decisions on both occasions had DRS been employed for lbws.

Those two calls cost England 15.4 overs, potentially a deciding delay in such matches. Those two would have left Broad wondering what he needed to do to get a wicket. He had had two catches dropped off him in the first innings. And in the morning session, after Anderson had drawn Dravid into a rare loose shot outside off, he regularly beat Laxman's bat in a five-over spell, often proving to be too good to take the edge.

And while Andrew Strauss's catching at slip and his defensive in-and-out fields in the first session could be argued against, his bowling changes worked like a charm. About 20 minutes before lunch, he brought on Anderson, who began with a long hop, which Laxman pulled straight to short midwicket. Laxman denied England for 113 deliveries.

That brought together India's walking wounded, Gambhir and Tendulkar. Bravely they hung in, Gambhir for 56 balls with a painful elbow and Tendulkar for 68 balls coming out of a viral infection. Whatever be the debate surrounding DRS, the umpires had a great match, and it was obvious in Gambhir's lbw in the over after Laxman's dismissal. It was the Swann arm ball, and the ball had hit the pad a microsecond before it did the bat.

Asad Rauf sent him on his way. From the injured man the burden now transferred to the ill man, Tendulkar, who began positively but found himself a shell post lunch. That Raina looked more comfortable than him during their 17.4-over partnership should tell a story. While Tendulkar was solid in defence, he let the bowlers bowl to a perfect rhythm, and the odd one was bound to be too good. After surviving that Broad shout, Tendulkar played 40 balls for one run. Once again Anderson came back and struck immediately.

He had Tendulkar dropped by Strauss fourth ball, but two balls later, produced an in-swinger similar to Braod's earlier one, and Tendulkar was plumb this time. In the lead-up to tea, with England easing the pressure a bit as they built up to the new ball, Raina and Dhoni gave India hope. Raina especially showed character in how he avoided the bouncers and reached a half0century that will only do him good. With the new ball, though, England were back to the script. The ball started jagging around again, and a shaken-up Dhoni finally and fatally poked at an out-swinger from Tremlett.

A cold, ruthless demolition of the tail followed. Harbhajan Singh refused to back away, but England worked him over with precise short deliveries. Praveen Kumar didn't stand that much of a chance. Raina got a gem from Anderson, coming in from round the stumps, then leaving him, taking the edge. Broad deservedly ended it all with a plumb lbw; the last four had fallen for 18 runs. Scenes of elation followed for the England team and the biggest crowd at a Lord's Monday, but England will feel relief too at finishing off a job, and not only because they righted what happened in 2007.

Had India drawn this, they would have had positives to look at; now they have injured bodies and a series deficit. Match Summary: England 474 for 8 decl. (Pietersen 202*, Trott 71, Praveen 5-106) and 269 for 6 decl. (Prior 103*, Broad 74*, Ishant 4-59) beat India 286 (Dravid 103*, Broad 4-37, Tremlett 3-80) and 261 (Raina 78, Laxman 56, Anderson 5-65, Broad 3-57) by 196 runs

England dominate at Lord's despite Rahul Dravid century

Broad justified his selection ahead of Tim Bresnan with four wickets

Rahul Dravid succeeded where Sachin Tendulkar failed in scoring his first international century at Lord's to help India avoid the follow-on against a Stuart Broad-inspired England.

Dravid, dropped in the slips on 42, made 103 not out off 220 balls - his 33rd Test hundred - as India were bowled out for 286 in reply to England's 474-8 declared.

He surpassed Ricky Ponting to become the second-highest run-scorer in Test history behind Tendulkar, whose bid for his 100th international hundred was thwarted when he fell for 34, much to the dismay of the majority of a full house at the home of cricket.

But while Dravid took the individual honours, the day belonged to England, and especially Broad, who answered his critics with a superb exhibition of fast bowling to post figures of 4-37 from 22 overs.

England, who reached 5-0 in five overs at the close to establish a lead of 193 are now in total control of the match and will look to bat India out of the game on Sunday before leaving themselves time to bowl out the tourists once again.

Saturday of the Lord's Test is always an occasion but the prospect of seeing Tendulkar score his 100th international century seemed to intensify the air of expectation among the 28,000 spectators.

First though, it was the turn of India openers Gautam Gambhir and Abhinav Mukund to face up to the England bowling attack as they resumed on 17-0, 457 runs adrift of England's first innings total.

They were gifted a relatively comfortable start by James Anderson and Chris Tremlett, but the challenge became a much sterner one once Broad got into his groove.

Desperate to justify his selection ahead of Tim Bresnan, Broad made an inauspicious start with a no-ball and a wide in his first over, but soon found a testing line to the left-handed pair and made the breakthrough with a full, straight delivery that beat Gambhir for pace and splattered his stumps.

Mukund, a compact and capable 21-year-old, hit five attractive boundaries in his innings, but he fell one short of his half-century, dragging a ball from Broad on to his wicket from well outside off stump.

That dismissal was the cue for Tendulkar to enter the fray to a standing ovation from the Lord's faithful.

His first boundary was handed to him on a plate by four overthrows from Kevin Pietersen, but the five that followed were all gems, mini-masterpieces of timing and skill as he and Dravid added 81 either side of lunch.

The fairytale was not to be however as Tendulkar became Broad's third victim, pushing hard at a ball which moved away and nicking to Graeme Swann at second slip.

In an electric passage of play, VVS Laxman and Dravid were dropped by Andrew Strauss and Swann respectively in the same over from Broad, bowling comfortably his best England spell since the Oval Ashes Test in 2009.

Dravid hit 15 boundaries in his historic century

Laxman did not trouble the scorers for long though, hooking a Tremlett bouncer to Jonathan Trott at deep fine leg before Suresh Raina was trapped in front for nought by Swann to leave India reeling on 183-5.

Dravid and Dhoni kept England at bay until the new ball with a patient partnership of 57 until Tremlett drew an edge from the India skipper and Swann took the catch. And two balls later Harbhajan Singh swung wildly and was caught behind.

At 241-7 India were still 34 runs short of avoiding the follow-on but some muscular hitting from Praveen Kumar put paid to that possibility before he top-edged Broad to Strauss.

Running out of partners, Dravid went through the gears, reaching 98 with a push for four through the covers and bringing up his fifth hundred in England with two through mid-wicket.

Jimmy Anderson belatedly got in on the act to take the last two wickets, leaving Andrew Strauss and Alastair Cook to see out the last 20 minutes of the day.

Their eyes will be on some big runs on Sunday as England look to tighten their grip on the first Test of the series.

Injured Zaheer Khan out for Day 2 of England Test

Live Score

Indias Fast bowler Zaheer Khan, who suffered a hamstring injury halfway through his 14th over of Day 1 of India's tour of England, will miss Day 2 of the Test.

Khan is also undecided for the second innings.

Earlier, a report in the Telegraph said that Khan may miss most of the series.

The report added that "the compact nature of modern tours means there will be little time for Khan to recover, with the second Test at Trent Bridge starting next Friday."

India lose two rating points but remain No.1 in ICC Rankings

India retained the number one spot in the latest test rankings relased Monday but lost two rating points following two drawn Tests against the lower-ranked West Indies in a series that they eventually won 1-0.

The third and the final Test in Dominica ended in a draw Sunday.

India lost two ratings points as it drew matches against a side that was six places below it. The rankings during a bilateral series are calculated keeping in mind the corresponding rating of the two opponents.

Thus, the West Indies gained two points despite losing the series and remain in the seventh position. They are now just two ratings points behind Pakistan.

In the individual rankings, Harbhajan Singh is up one place to seventh in the bowlers chart. The off-spinner had a successful third Test with figures of 57-21-101-6 and in the process passed the 400-wicket mark. He pushed Man of the Series Ishant Sharma to eighth place.

West Indies fast bowler Fidel Edwards, who finished with match figures of
36.8-4-122-6 gained two places to 16th, a position he holds jointly with South African spinner Paul Harris.

The top three remain unchanged with Dale Steyn of South Africa still leading the way ahead of England's Graeme Swann in second position and James Anderson in third.

The top five Test batsmen also remain unchanged. Jacques Kallis leads the table followed by Sachin Tendulkar, Virender Sehwag, Gautam Gambhir and Alastair Cook.

There is also no change in the top five players among Test all-rounders with Kallis at the top followed by New Zealand's Daniel Vettori.

ICC Test Rankings:

RANK	Team	Rating
1	India	126
2	South Africa	117
3	England	116
4	Sri Lanka	107
5	Australia	107
6	Pakistan	88
7	West Indies	88
8	New Zealand	78
9	Bangladesh	7

Cricket: West Indies finish at 224/6 on Day 4

Kirk Edwards and Shivnarine Chanderpaul led a brilliant West Indian fightback to take the hosts to 224/6 at stumps on day four in the third and final Test against India at Dominica, Roseau on Saturday.

The hosts now lead by 81 runs with four second innings wickets in hand.

Earlier, India's ace spinner Harbhajan Singh sent back centurion Edwards, and then followed it up with the wicket of Marlon Samuels in the same over as the Indians hit back.

Edwards was caught behind by India skipper Mahendra Singh Dhoni for 110, and Samuels followed suit soon after for a duck as he was adjudged leg before wicket, though replays suggested that the ball would have gone on to miss the off stump.

Edwards put on 161 runs for the fourth wicket with Shivnarine Chanderpaul and became the 14th West Indian to score a Test century on debut.

Chanderpaul brought up his 56th half century as the home team marched on after tea.

Edwards brought up his maiden Test fifty, and was involved in an unbeaten stand of 76 runs with Chanderpaul as the West Indies went into tea at 116/3.

The hosts lost their third wicket after lunch when Darren Bravo's attempt to hit Harbhajan Singh out of the ground only went as far as Praveen Kumar at the wide mid-off region who took a comfortable catch.

Bravo made 14 and was involved in a 30 run partnership with Chanderpaul.

India's new ball bowlers, Ishant Sharma and Praveen Kumar struck early by removing the West Indian openers in their second innings as players took lunch. While Adrian Barath fell to Kumar for six, Kieron Powell was snapped up by Sharma after making just four.

Edwards on seven and Bravo on nine were at the crease after a pulsating first session which witnessed the loss of six wickets drew to a close.

West Indies pace bowler Fidel Edwards grabbed his 10th five wicket haul in the traditional form of the game as the Indian innings folded up for 347.

Carrying on from their overnight score of 308/6, the visitors added 39 more runs to take a healthy lead of 143 before being bowled out.

Harbhajan was the first man to be dismissed this morning when he top edged a pull shot only to be caught by Windies wicketkeeper Carlton Baugh who took a fine running catch. Harbhajan made no addition to his overnight score of 12.

Indian skipper Mahendra Singh Dhoni was the next batman to depart after a short rain break when he pulled a delivery from Edwards straight into the lap of Devendra Bishoo at the deep square leg boundary. Dhoni made 74 which was the highest score in the Indian innings.

India lost their ninth and tenth wickets when Praveen Kumar and Ishant Sharma fell in quick succession.

Kumar was caught by Marlon Samuels after scoring a quickfire 23 off 27 balls, hitting a six and a couple of fours on the way.

Sharma was the final Indian wicket to fall as he failed to deal with a rising ball from Edwards to be caught by Adrian Barath for two.

Edwards returned with figures of 5/103 and took three of the four wickets to fall on day four.

India stop West Indies for 204 as Ishant shines

West Indies 204 (Baugh 60, Bravo 50,
Ishant 5-77) v India
West Indies' spirited counterattack wasn't
enough to prevent India from retaining
control of the third Test that had threatened
to be a damp squip on the opening day, but
was brought to life under blue skies and
bright sunshine on the second. Carlton
Baugh batted with typical Caribbean flair to
infuse fluency in the West Indies innings
after it appeared to stagnate against a
determined Indian pace attack in good
batting conditions. His partnership with
Darren Bravo rescued the hosts from the
depths of 99 for 5, but India hit back. Ishant
Sharma removed Bravo and cleaned up the
tail to pick up another five-for to continue a
successful series. Harbhajan Singh dislodged
Baugh to become only the 11th bowler -
and the third Indian - to take 400 Test
wickets.
More to follow ...
Lunch West Indies 128 for 5 (Bravo 41*,
Baugh 19*, Praveen 2-22) v India
India's bowlers kept the pressure on West
Indies, dislodging Shivnarine Chanderpaul
and Marlon Samuels before lunch and
showing discipline and accuracy on a track
still good for batting. Bright sunshine
greeted the start of play, which was delayed
due to a drizzle, and unlike the first day
when the players left for lunch with the
threat of rain looming large, blue skies
promised a longer contest on the second.
West Indies' progress was slow - the packed
off-side fields contributed to that - and each
of India's seamers bowled determinedly to
create chances, and ensured the advantage
rested with them in this stop-start Test.
Chanderpaul and Darren Bravo had batted
solidly on the first morning to help West
Indies rebuild from 35 for 3. Today, they
were tested early during their stay with
Munaf Patel assuming a lead role with the
ball, as Ishant Sharma had done the day
before. Munaf made the batsmen play more
than his seam-bowling partners, pegging
away at the off stump and altering his
lengths well. He got Chanderpaul to sway
out of a bouncer, drew him into steering
him past gully, angled the ball across the left-
handers and eventually got his reward. In
his fourth over of the day, he dismissed
Chanderpaul by forcing him to play at a
short-of-a-length delivery that moved away
just enough to produce a tickle to birthday
boy MS Dhoni.
Bravo's innings appeared to stagnate
following Chanderpaul's dismissal, and the
7-2 and 8-1 fields employed by Dhoni didn't
help his cause as firm shots on the off side
usually found a fielder. After almost running
out Chanderpaul at one point, Bravo played
out two consecutive maidens from Praveen
Kumar and ceded floor to his partners.
At the other end, Samuels was given a
working over from Munaf, who woke him
up with a blow to the helmet and followed
up superbly with a fullish delivery that was
edged short of gully. In what was shaping
up to be a keen contest, Samuels latched on
when Munaf pitched up in his next over,
driving him through mid-off and point for
boundaries. His innings was cut short with a
lazy shot, lacking any intent, when he hung
his bat at a shortish delivery from Praveen
and dragged it back onto the stumps.
In the few overs before lunch, however,
Bravo and Carlton Baugh, and the
introduction of spin, infused the innings
with some fluency. The field opened up for
Bravo on the off side and his imperious
drive on the up against Ishant Sharma was
the highlight of West Indies' innings on the
day. The busy player that is Baugh slog-
swept Harbhajan Singh for a six and the the
pair duly dispatched part-timer Suresh
Raina's long-hops through the off side to
help West Indies cover some ground after
being kept quiet for a majority of the
session.

Cricket: West Indies v India 2nd test ends in a draw

The second test between West Indies and India ended in a draw on Saturday at Kensington Oval in Barbados. India lead the three-match series 1-0.



The man of the match award has been given to Ishant Sharma for his maiden ten wicket haul in Test matches. It was a tough call with VVS Laxman scoring two brilliant 80's but in the end, the bowler bagged the award. He had figures of 21.5-7-55-6 in the first innings and 19.3-4-53-4 in the second.

Scores:
India 201 all out (Vangipurappu Laxman 85, Suresh Raina 53; Ravi Rampaul 3-38, Devendra Bishoo 3-46, Fidel Edwards 3-56) and 269-6 declared (Laxman 87, Rahul Dravid 55; Edwards 5-76); West Indies 190 all out (Marlon Samuels 78 not out; Ishant Sharma 6-55) and 202-7 (Darren Bravo 73, Carlton Baugh 46 not out; Sharma 4-53)

Cricket-India beat West Indies by 63 runs in first test

India beat West Indies
by 63 runs to win the first test at Sabina
Park on Thursday.
Scores:
India 246 all out from 61.2 overs (Suresh
Raina 82, Harbhajan Singh 70; Fidel
Edwards 4-56) and 252 all out from 94.5
overs (Rahul Dravid 112; Darren Sammy
4-52, Devendra Bishoo 4-65); West Indies
173 all out from 67.5 overs (Adrian Barath
64) and 262 all out from 68.2 overs

5th ODI: West Indies won by 7 wickets

25 overs West Indies 93 for 2 (Sarwan 46*, Bravo 15*) need another 159 to beat India 251 (Kohli 94, Rohit 57, Russell 4-35)
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How they were out

West Indies made a sedate start to their innings, leaving themselves an asking rate of 6.36 for a length of 25 overs. Although they had wickets in hand, the intent just didn't seem to be there to try and work singles off the good balls. It was almost four or nothing with the top order, with most of the shots either timed straight to fielders or defended with hard hands. India faced 149 dot balls in their whole innings, West Indies had already failed to score off 104 deliveries by halfway mark.

While Amit Mishra, and spin generally remained a mystery for West Indies, they failed to hurt the fast bowlers at the start, but were now left relying on the fifth bowler's quota to try and turn the game around. R Vinay Kumar and Ishant Sharma had neither the pace nor the menace that Kemar Roach and Andre Russell brought, but they were accurate and provided fewer loose deliveries. Adrian Barath and Lendl Simmons got stuck, and Simmons perished trying to force the pace, caught off Vinay at third man. Vinay's first spell of 5-2-6-1 was statistically Praveen Kumaresque.

Welcoming Mishra at 25 for 1 was playing right into their tormentor's hands. Even those 25 came thanks to a couple of risky shots played by Ramnaresh Sarwan. Barath, without looking completely hapless, managed just 17 off 46, and could have been caught and run-out twice each before Mishra finally got him with a googly. Darren Bravo came out as a like-for-like replacement. Mishra and R Ashwin's variations were as incomprehensible as the D/L method, and Bravo had faced 28 deliveries before reaching 10. Sarwan had to again take risks at the first sight of part-timers, but he had reached 46 off 56 without getting close to presenting an opportunity.

50 overs India 251 (Kohli 94, Rohit 57, Russell 4-35) v West Indies
Live scorecard and ball-by-ball details
How they were out

Virat Kohli admonishes himself after his run-out

Matches: West Indies v India at Kingston

Series/Tournaments: India tour of West Indies

Teams: India | West Indies

Virat Kohli passed the test of a lively pitch and early hostile bowling to take India to a challenging total despite the late wobble of seven wickets for 62 runs. The pitch was easily the best of the whole ODI season in the West Indies. While the batsmen were tested by bounce and pace, their shots also travelled faster and made for a welcome change from the slow and low proceedings in Trinidad and Antigua. Rohit Sharma continued his good form too, ending the series with 257 runs, but Andre Russell and Anthony Martin kept West Indies alive with their work in the last 10 overs.

West Indies were charged up, both with the ball and in the field, but not always accurate, and twice paid for their eagerness in the field. That said, a special catch by Martin began the fall of wickets, and a superb Ramnaresh Sarwan throw from fine leg denied Kohli a century. Kohli's run-out also started a slow decline for India. While Kemar Roach and Russell provided the thrills, Martin too ended with figures of 10-1-39-1, the wicket being Rohit's in the first over of the batting Powerplay.

Roach and Russell took out the struggling openers with short deliveries before Manoj Tiwary hit out to score a run-a-ball 22. Tiwary had been on 1 when a short ball lobbed off his wrist band, wide of second slip, but Darren Sammy could only watch Lendl Simmons run from gully and dive in front of him. That the umpire didn't signal a leg bye meant Tiwary would have been given out for that.

While Tiwary had to look to manufacture to shots in a hit-out-or-get-out situation, Kohli didn't need to resort to any innovation. You could see he trusted his natural game to fight through the tough conditions. For a man who favours the front foot a touch, Kohli didn't show too many problems transferring the weight back, and more impressively wasn't troubled when the bowlers tried the surprise full ball.

There were edgy moments, yes. Sammy's lack of pace would have meant an opportunity for release, and Kohli was drawn into a drive away from the body. The edge flew wide of slip. Pollard, who put in extra effort on the responsive pitch, got one to bounce shoulder-high from just short of a length. Kohli was beaten, but he did the right thing, dropping the wrists and trying to move out of the line. One thick edge went past gully, another delivery nipped in but he survived the lbw because of the extra bounce. Even as late as the 22nd over, he was sold a dummy by Rohit, but Adrian Barath went for the direct-hit from mid-off as opposed to lobbing the ball to Russell by the stumps, with Kohli in the middle of the pitch. He was 44 then. Three overs later, he copped one on the finger as he looked to pull Russell.

Kohli didn't lose his composure despite all this. Nor did he play himself into a shell. While the bowling was challenging, there were quite a few loose ones on offer too. And Kohli waited for them, right from the time he flicked the eighth delivery he faced - a full one - for four through midwicket. The shot that stood out was off the rare full ball from Roach. Kohli, though, hadn't gone back instinctively, and punched it between Roach and mid-on. He ran fast between the wickets, and brought up his fifty with another exquisite drive, a wristy one past extra cover, off Martin.

The quick scoring from both ends - Rohit too liked the extra pace on offer and went to his third half-century of the series with ease - meant India were ahead of West Indies despite losing three early wickets. Their 110-run stand for the fourth wicket came in just 20 overs. When they were coasting along, though, Kohli went for an ill-judged second, and Sarwan responded beautifully.

That's when the turnaround began. Suresh Raina played his third consecutive poor shot. Rohit went for a rare slog in the first Powerplay over, and Martin was straight enough. Russell came back to get the dangerous-looking Yusuf Pathan - 30 off 29 - with extra bounce, and the rest found the pitch and the pace too tough to handle.

India beat Westindies by 3 wickets to seal the series

India beat Westindies by 3 wickets in 2nd ODI (with 22 balls remaining) SCORECARD

Superb knock from Rohit Sharma as he picks up a stump as a souvenir. He has been talked up by almost everyone, and is now starting to fulfill the enormous promise. Harbhajan Singh, he has his own methods, but he also has loads of fight. Which is what Andre Russell showed as well, with a blazing unbeaten 92, but it did not prove to be enough.

India needed 134 when Yusuf Pathan fell, with only four wickets to go. Even more remarkable than India's win is the ease with which the West Indies attack fell apart, epitomised by Kemar Roach spraying the ball around

Arnie sums up the game: "What similarity in the 2 scorecards... one of the opener getting to 40s, one batsmen getting over 80 and one lower order batsman supporting with a score around 30-40."

Krish: "A coming of age innings from Rohit, but not to forget the performance from the tail. With Ashwin knocking down the door for the off spinners spot, Harbajan is seriously added batting to the column of his strengths. And of course, pressure easing quick fire cameo from PK. Most satisfying victory from the second string Indian team."

India 228 for 7 (Rohit 86*, Harbhajan 46) beat West Indies 225 for 8 (Russell 92*, Simmons 45, Mishra 3-28, Munaf 3-60) by three wickets
Live scorecard and ball-by-ball details
How they were out

Rohit Sharma produced his best international innings since his big-stage arrival in Australia three years ago to help India chase down 226 from 92 for 6. Harbhajan Singh supported him with a seventh-wicket partnership full of sensible cricket and worth 88 runs. Rohit stayed unbeaten on 86 to outdo a similar effort from Andre Russell who blasted 92 off 64 to give West Indies a defendable target after they had been 96 for 7. With the result, India won the five-match series 3-0. West Indies last won an ODI series against a Test-playing nation in April 2008.

Without doubt this was the closest of India's tour so far. A day when West Indies showed remarkable fight after getting off to the worst start of the series. A day when Amit Mishra mesmerised them with old-fashioned legspin full of turn, drift, bounce, straighter ones and googlies. A day when two tails wagged to provide uncertainty and drama. A day when a young talent announced himself well and proper on the international stage. A day when a young talent who has fumbled with mediocrity played a comeback innings well and proper.

Full report to follow...

25 overs India 101 for 6 (Rohit 30*, Harbhajan 2*) need another 125 to beat West Indies 225 for 8 (Russell 92*, Simmons 45, Mishra 3-28, Munaf 3-60)
Live scorecard and ball-by-ball details
How they were out

The wicket-throwing virus seems to have caught on. India, often beneficiaries of West Indies' largesse on this tour, got on a spree of irresponsible shots themselves, outdoing West Indies' six wickets for 31 earlier in the day. West Indies could claim they were victims to some very good legspin bowling from Amit Mishra, but in going from 60 for 2 to 92 for 6 India had their injudicious shots to blame. And most importantly, West Indies had a special innings from Andre Russell take them to a defendable total; India were left looking at Rohit Sharma to provide similar inspiration.

It was that Russell innings that sent out a spirited West Indies team in defence. Still Parthiv Patel seemed to have the chase under the control, but his wicket to reduce India to 79 for 4 gave West Indies a distinct edge. Batsmen other than Parthiv and Rohit Sharma struggled on a two-paced pitch, and Virat Kohli didn't even get a chance to struggle as he copped a bad lbw decision first ball.

Kemar Roach and Russell both exploited the up-and-down pitch to keep the openers from scoring freely. On a surface that was difficult for horizontal shots, Parthiv employed the upper-cut and the pull well. He dominated the scoring so much that at one point he was 35 out of a team score of 42. Before that, though, one Darren Sammy over had given West Indies early advantage.

Sammy got Shikhar Dhawan with a short ball that didn't quite come on, and Kohli next ball with a delivery that was missing the stumps both on height and line. S Badrinath seemed to have put behind himself a nervous start, driving Sammy inside-out for a four. The next ball he drove beautifully too, but straight to mid-off, and in two seconds of absentmindedness he found himself half way down the pitch.

There was a sense of similarity between the run-out of Badrinath and that of Ramnaresh Sarwan in the first innings. Like Sarwan, Badrinath's bat stuck in the pitch as he dived. Like Sarwan, Badri would have struggled to make it anyway. In another similarity with the West Indies innings, Parthiv fell in the 40s just like his opening counterpart Lendl Simmons, leaving the game poised for an interesting finish. Suresh Raina spent little time in the middle before slogging at Kieron Pollard, top-edging a slower ball.

Simmons then produced an exceptional catch to send Yusuf Pathan back. At short midwicket, he was charging in to prevent the single when he saw a chip off Yusuf's bat seemingly lob him. He back-pedalled, way behind his original position, and then leapt in the air to complete the catch well behind his body.

50 overs West Indies 225 for 8 (Russell 92*, Simmons 45, Mishra 3-28, Munaf 3-60) v India
Live scorecard and ball-by-ball details
How they were out

Amit Mishra had West Indies in a spin again

Transfixed by Amit Mishra's legspin, let down by their groundsmen, lazy between the wickets, out of depth against Harbhajan Singh's spin, West Indies were left needing a big effort from the bowlers to avoid yet another series defeat, a result that has been their fate against all Test-playing teams since they beat Sri Lanka in April 2008. They will be frustrated that once again a solid platform had been laid before a familiar collapse of six wickets for 31 runs. Andre Russell's maiden international fifty from 96 for 7, a resilient 92 off 64, provided some respectability, but it will take an equally pugnacious and skilled show with the ball to give them a chance in the defence.

The West Indies team management will be wondering what it will take to stop the groundsmen from preparing square turners against teams with the spinning pedigree of India and Pakistan. Mishra will not be bothered with that sort of thing, though. Once again he showed remarkable skill in tormenting batsmen who seem like they won't be able to read his variations if he wrote them down on paper. There was a spell of play when he ran through the middle order with three wickets for one run. There was everything: the small legbreak, the big legbreak, the straighter one, the flat googly, the flighted big googly.

Before Mishra mania, though, it all began - at 65 for 1 in the 15th over - with a mix of ordinary running, good fielding and some misfortune. West Indies had got off to a decent start through Lendl Simmons and Ramnaresh Sarwan. Even though they lost Kirk Edwards for nought to a good Munaf Patel outswinger, Simmons targeted the same bowler to get the innings underway, hitting him for a four and a six in the sixth over. Sarwan, too, made a positive start to depart from his ways of late, lofting Mishra's second delivery for a straight six.

Sarwan's running, though, remained slow, and was part of the reason why the collapse began. Simmons played just wide of midwicket, called him for a single, but Sarwan was slow to leave the crease. Suresh Raina was quick in returning a one-handed throw by the stumps, and as Sarwan - struggling to make it in the first place - slid his bat in, it stuck in the pitch. All over.

After that it was all Mishra. Marlon Samuels' wicket was a piece of smart bowling. Operating on a middle and leg line, Mishra bowled legbreaks with a crossed seam. The balls turned, but not big, and Samuels defended them. And then came the orthodox big legbreak, dipping at Samuels, luring him out of the crease, and then ripping across, beating the bat. Stumped.

Debutant Danza Hyatt, in because Dwayne Bravo wanted to be rested having played four ODIs and seven IPL games since the start of May, had no clue which way Mishra was turning. Even then the swipe to a googly that bowled him was ugly. The big blow, though, came when another big legbreak kissed Simmons' glove to deny him a sixth half-century in seven innings.

Harbhajan, who had supported Mishra well with five overs for just 11, then removed Kieron Pollard, but it wasn't clear if the edge had hit Parthiv Patel's pad as he fumbled the chance before catching it. Munaf came back with probing legcutters to remove the one man most likely to arrest the slide, Darren Sammy.

Russell and Carlton Baugh then started to fight. Mishra had already bowled out. Raina soon had to bring the part-timers on. They went for 65 in their 10, including Russell's back-to-back sixes off Yusuf Pathan in the 40th over.

The two added 78 for the eighth wicket, but that alone would have been strictly consolation. To make a fight out of it, West Indies would need something special. And special Russell was in the last three overs, scoring 42 off the last 14 balls he faced. The last two overs of the innings, bowled by Raina and Praveen Kumar, went for 37.

Russell just kept clearing the front leg, kept hitting off the middle of the bat, and the ball kept clearing the ground. Three sixes and three fours were hit in those last two overs, and Russell walked back to an applause from his team-mates.

India beat West Indies by 7 wickets in 2nd ODI

India beat West Indies by seven wickets under the Duckworth/Lewis calculation in the second one-day international at Queen's Park Oval in Trinidad on Wednesday.

Scores:

West Indies: 240-9 from 50 overs (Ramnaresh Sarwan 56, Lendl Simmons 53; Amit Mishra 4-31);

India: 183-3 from 33.4 overs (Virat Kohli 81, Parthiv Patel 56)

Virat Kohli and Parthiv Patel scored half centuries after leg spinner Amit Misra took his career best figures to guide India to a seven-wicket victory over West Indies in a rain-marred second ODI here Wednesday.

Kohli (81) and Patel (56) stitched a 120-run second wicket stand as India chased a revised target of 183 from 37 overs due to rain with 20 balls to spare at the Queen's Park Oval.

The West Indies had scored 240/9 in their 50 overs with Lendl Simmons (53) and Ramnaresh Sarwan (56) scoring fifties before Misra trigerred a middle-order collapse with his 4-31.

India, playing their first ODI series after their World Cup triumph, now lead the five-match series 2-0 despite the absence of captain Mahendra Singh Dhoni and star batsman Sachin Tendulkar.

The tourist, however, had an early setback when they lost opener Shikher Dhawan (3) early in the third over but man of the match Kohli smashed six fours and a six in his 103 balls and Patel played a blistering knock off 64 deliveries to put India back on track.

Patel was caught behind off leg-spinner Anthony Martin in the 27th over, and Kohli was caught at long-off off leg-spinner Devendra Bishoo four overs later.

Rain halted India's march for 80 minutes but the visitors were never in a spot of bother with skipper Suresh Raina (26 not out) hitting the winning runs for India.

Put to bat, the West Indies had looked set for a 250 plus total when they were 192 for three at the end of the 41st over and a set Ramesh Sarwan at the crease.

But that was when the script went awry as four batsmen, including Sarwan, fell within five runs and the home team was left struggling at 197/7 with 38 balls remaining.

Mishra did the maximum damage for India, Captain Darren Sammy (22), along with Ravi Rampaul (14), added 31 valuable runs towards the end and lent respectability to the final score.

The hosts were off to a solid start with Simmons and Kirk Edwards (25) forging a 57-run opening stand. After Edwards was caught behind off Mishra, Simmons and Sarwan added another 67 runs.

India elect to bowl against West Indies in 2nd ODI

India skipper Suresh Raina won the toss and decided to field against West Indies in their second one-day international at the Queen's Park Oval on Wednesday.

Raina chose to bowl citing the fact that teams have generally done better chasing at the Oval. India retained the same team from the first one-dayer.

Windies left out Darren Bravo as part of rotation policy and brought in hard-hitting all-rounder Kieron Pollard for the match.
Having taken a morale-boosting 1-0 lead in the series, India look to press a nervy West Indies in the second one-dayer.

The four-wicket win in the first one-dayer came after a wobbly start and the second-string Indian team would be aiming to plug the loopholes as the series progresses.
Missing key players Sachin Tendulkar and regular captain Mahendra Singh Dhoni, the young team led by Suresh Raina benefited from the West Indians' follies in the lung-opener.

The Caribbeans, on the other hand, would hope to tilt the scale in their favour by picking up on the few positives they gained from the four-wicket loss on Monday night.
The hosts might have lost the first game by four wickets but they were probably 30 runs and a wicket away from walking away as winners.

Teams:
West Indies: Darren Sammy (captain), Lendl Simmons, Kirk Edwards, Marlon Samuels, Ramnaresh Sarwan, Dwayne Bravo, Kieron Pollard, Carlton Baugh (wk), Anthony Martin, Devendra Bishoo, Ravi Rampaul.

India: Suresh Raina (captain), Shikhar Dhawan, Parthiv Patel (wk), Virat Kohli, Subramaniam Badrinath, Rohit Sharma, Yusuf Pathan, Harbhajan Singh, Munaf Patel, Praveen Kumar, Amit Mishra.

IPL4 Opening Ceremony - Videos

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Spectacular show
A spectacular and vibrant opening ceremony, showcasing a huge dash of Bollywoood-style entertainment, on Friday marked the launch of the fourth edition of the IPL, the Twenty20 extravaganza which has gained immense popularity since its inception. The evening sky over the M A Chidambaram stadium lit up with dazzling fireworks as BCCI President Shashank Manohar declared the cash-rich event open amidst thunderous cheers from a capacity crowd

SRK rocks
The highlight of the show was a dance performance by Bollywood superstar Shah Rukh Khan, who is also co-owner of the Kolkata Knight Riders. He enthralled the huge gathering by dancing on some famous numbers from his flicks such as 'Chak-de India' and 'Billu'. Shah Rukh entertained the crowd by saying a few lines in local language Tamil and his dance show also included some magic.

Cheers for WC heroes
The one-hour ceremony started with all the 10 captains signing the MCC spirit of cricket banner. While all the captains were cheered as they came to the podium, the loudest applause was reserved for Indian captains Mahendra Singh Dhoni, Sachin Tendulkar and Yuvraj Singh, the Man-of-the-tournament in the World Cup.

Dance performance
The BCCI President welcomed the two new entrants to the League and expressed hope that the new edition will produce more memorable moments. His speech was followed by a performance by the famous Prince Dance Group. The groups of dancers, painted from head to toe in saffron, green and white, the colours of the Indian flag, put up a nicely co-ordinated show with sounds and lights.

Singers steal the show
It was followed by a percussion show by Taufiq Qureishi's Mumbai Stamp and then came the singing trio of Mansai, Sona and Akriti, who sang 'Aa Dekhen Zara' from yesteryears' hit movie 'Rocky'. Hit Bollywood singers Kunal Ganjawala and Sunidhi Chauhan took spotlight with some of their chartbusters and the ceremony finally concluded with Shah Rukh Khan's performance.

IPL 2011 Opening Ceremony

After the successfully winning of the ICC Cricket World Cup 2011, the cricket fever is going to continue as the Indian Premier League season 4 kicks off today. Today in the evening, the IPL owners and Champions League T20 champions will bring an equally imposing opening ceremony of the IPL 2011 that every cricket fan would expect. The IPL 2011 opening ceremony will kick off with number of breathtaking performances, a dazzling laser show, sizzling dance, and fireworks that will illuminate the evening skies.

The IPL 2011 opening ceremony will be held on Chepauk stadium, Chennai from 03:30 PM. At the Chepauk Stadium, approximately 35,000+ audiences will be anticipated to become witness of the IPL 2011 Opening Ceremony. The opening ceremony of the IPL 2011 will also be broadcasted all over the world. Wizcraft Entertainment has organized the opening ceremony and Bollywood superstar Shahrukh Khan will be featured in the IPL anthem.

Wizcraft has maintained secrecy about the official program yet it is assumed that a number of Bollywood celebrities as well as many international performers would perform in the ceremony. At the opening ceremony in Chennai, King Khan will be shaking a leg of the IPL. Along with Shah Rukh Khan, popular pop singer Sona Mahapatra, Kunal Ganjawala, Sunidhi Chauhan and Akriti Kakar will also join the opening ceremony.
The IPL opening ceremony is expected to be hosted by the Indian Bollywood legend Amitabh Bachchan. During Opening Ceremony, Aamir Khan might give a guest appearance. First appearance of “Thayn Thayn” song from the movie Dum Maaro Dum will also be unveiled on the opening ceremony of IPL 4.

Many TV channels will telecast the live opening ceremony of IPL 2011, including Set max, espn, star sports, star cricket, and Indian national TV channels. In the cricket world, IPL is one of the main events. As the India won the ICC Cricket World Cup 2011, IPL 2011 is anticipated to be watched by more cricket fans in India.

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IPL Season Four Kicks Off Today

IPL Season Four Kicks Off Today

IPL Kicks Off Today with 10 teams (Chennai Super Kings, Deccan Chargers, Delhi Daredevils, Kings XI Punjab, Kochi Tuskers, Kolkata Knight Riders, Mumbai Indians, Pune Warriors India, Rajasthan Royals and Royal Challengers Bangalore).

World Cup has infused fresh life into one-day cricket. This is perhaps the best frame of mind and scenario in which the purists can sit back, relax and have a blast as cricketainment returns in the form of Indian Premier League, season four. Only if it was accommodated at a distance further than mere five days from the World Cup final, the excitement would have nicely mushroomed.

Still, what's incontestable is that after three years, the IPL extravaganza has become among the most-awaited event of the game's calendar.

The international stars may complain of overburn with back-to-back tournaments spread over a month and the length and breadth of the subcontinent. And spare a thought for Team India; the new World Champions can't even bask in their glory.

But the sheer fact that only IPL has the capacity to rub the dust off now-proven diamonds like Yusuf Pathan and Shaun Marsh makes it a marquee tournament for future stars, for whom a delay would have been agonising.

It wasn't long ago when the cricketing corridors were abuzz with the perception that the ultra-limited form of the game – Twenty20 – may eat up the more pristine limited-over layout – the ODIs. But with all those debates settled by a smash-hit 2011 World Cup, ODIs and T20s are now two proud, united offspring of Test cricket.

Not only will the fourth season of the Indian Premier League have two new teams to make it a 10-way tussle, it will have an altogether different team make-up as well.

At the end of their three-year contracts in 2010, all the players – except a handful of those who were retained by their employers – were thrown into the auction pool. At the end of that auction earlier this year, the eight previous teams had gone through a major revamp besides welcoming the Kochi Tuskers Kerala and Sahara Pune Warriors into the IPL family.

While India's cynosure Yuvraj Singh gave up his Kings XI kit to don the Pune Warriors colours, Gautam Gambhir left his home in Delhi to lead the Shah Rukh Khan-owned Kolkata Knight Riders.

And those are just a couple of names among a long list of big players who made a move. Yusuf Pathan, who became a household name in Rajasthan with his explosive innings, will accompany Gambhir in the Kolkata camp and Adam Gilchrist will lead Kings XI Punjab instead of the Deccan Chargers, and the list goes on

This IPL will also usher in the post-Lalit Modi era, after the mastermind of the moolah-raking league was sacked by the BCCI following last year’s final on allegations of financial irregularities. In hindsight, it will also be a test of character for the Indian honchos to conduct the IPL successfully minus Modi's unparalleled management skills.

However, the BCCI – besides a controversy-ridden last year – have done their bit to smarten up the league; 74 matches played over 51 days is not only huge but also makes a statement that no one is indispensable and the game is always above individuals.

The refurbished and bigger than ever edition will kick off on Friday with defending champions Chennai Super Kings locking horns with an overhauled Kolkata Knight Riders.

But big names don't win you a Twenty20 championship and that's what the IPL has substantiated with three different winners in as many editions. Whether that continues to be the trend or not, this IPL – coming at the back of a controversial year, gruelling World Cup and new team compositions – will be a test of BCCI's administration, players' endurance and fans' fidelity, respectively.

Sangakkara quits as Sri Lanka captain

Sangakkara said on Tuesday that he was resigning from the captain after his team lost to India in the World Cup final.

Sangakkara told the national selectors that he would quit as one-day and Twenty20 captain with immediate effect, but continue as Test captain on an interim basis if required.

"After careful consideration I have concluded that it is in the best long-term interests of the team that I step down now as national captain so that a new leader can be properly groomed for the 2015 World Cup," Sangakkara, 33, wrote to Sri Lanka Cricket.

"This was a decision I made prior to the World Cup. I will be 37 by the next World Cup and I cannot therefore be sure of my place in the team.

"It is better that Sri Lanka is led now by a player who will be at the peak of their career during that tournament."

Sangakkara, a fluent left-hand batsman and wicket-keeper, said he had no plans yet to retire as a player.

"I met with the selectors on Monday and I explained my reasons for my decision and I assured them of my fullest support in helping our new captain settle into the leadership," he wrote.

"In this regard, I have offered to continue as the Test captain for the forthcoming series with England, and possibly Australia, if the selectors believe this would help the new captain and aid the transition.

"I have no plans of retirement from international cricket at this stage and, subject to form and fitness, I would like to be considered for selection in all three formats of the game for the foreseeable future."

Sangakkara has scored 8,244 runs in 94 Tests at an average of 57.25 with 24 centuries. He also has 9,164 runs in 291 one-dayers with 11 hundreds.

Sangakkara said he had enjoyed his two-year stint as captain since taking over from Mahela Jayawardene in March, 2009.

"It has been a true honour and a great privilege to serve my country as captain during the past two years," he said.

"Although bitterly disappointed that we could not win the final, I am very proud of the performances of the team.

"I would like to take this opportunity to thank my team-mates and the coaching staff for their hard work and support."

There was no immediate comment from Sri Lanka Cricket or the national selectors on Sangakkara's decision.

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World Cup slashed to 10 teams

The International Cricket Council (Icc) has confirmed a controversial decision to slash the 2015 and 2019 World Cups to just 10 teams, despite widespread objections.
The world governing body endorsed the move at an executive board meeting in Mumbai, following Saturday's thrilling World Cup final when India lifted the trophy after a tournament featuring 14 teams.
"The executive board confirmed their decision made in October 2010 that the ICC Cricket World Cup 2015 in Australia and New Zealand and the ICC Cricket World Cup in England in 2019 will be a 10-team event," a media release said.
The move comes despite support from prominent figures for "minnow" nations such as Ireland, Kenya, Canada and the Netherlands, all of whom took part in the 2011 edition.
Ireland pulled off one of the shocks of the just-concluded tournament jointly hosted by India, Bangladesh and Sri Lanka when they came from behind to beat England by three wickets in a thrilling group stage clash.
"I really enjoy seeing the minnow teams getting an opportunity to be honest," Australia captain Michael Clarke said on Monday, echoing earlier comments by England spinner Graeme Swann.
"Why would you want to take the world out of the World Cup? Shocks can happen," Swann told Wisden Cricket magazine.
Cricket Ireland set up a Facebook campaign against the decision, which the body's chief executive Warren Deutrom called "frankly outrageous".
"I cannot think of a decision which is less cognisant of the principles of sport and fair play than the one that has been taken today," he said, in comments posted on the Irish Times website.
"It absolutely flies in the face of all the evidence that has been possible to accrue over the last four years as regards Ireland's performances, not just in the World Cup in 2007 but also in this World Cup and the intervening four years."
The decision means the 2015 World Cup in Australia and New Zealand will be contested by full ICC members: India, Pakistan, Sri Lanka, Bangladesh, England, South Africa, Australia, New Zealand, West Indies and Zimbabwe.
The 2019 edition in England will also include 10 teams, but there will be a qualifying process.
The latest World Cup had been criticised for its length, after it stretched over six weeks from February 19 to April 2.

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India beat Sri Lanka to win ICC World Cup 2011

An inspired India on Saturday night regained the coveted World Cup after 28 years as they suppressed Sri Lanka with a six-wicket victory in a nerve-wrecking final to script a glorious new chapter in their cricketing history.

Scorecard

Chasing 275 for a historic win, the Indians held their nerves as they rode on Gautam Gambhir's 97 and Mahendra Singh Dhoni's unbeaten 91 to overhaul the target with 10 balls to spare and send the cricket-crazy nation into a frenzy. The vociferous, jam-packed crowd at the Wankhede stadium erupted in wild celebrations as Dhoni hit the winning six runs to give India their biggest cricketing moment and crown themselves the ODI world champions, in addition to being the number one Test team.

Sachins proudest Moment

The World Cup title triumph, coming as it did after more than two decades, was doubly special for Sachin Tendulkar since it was the only silverware missing from his collection. It was also a fitting farewell to coach Gary Kirsten, for whom it was the last day in office as the Indian coach. It was a momentous Saturday night marked by high emotion and poignant scenes as India, for long the game's financial power, stamped their supremacy on the field as well, eight years after Sourav Ganguly's team had made an abortive attempt to scale the pinnacle.

The players, many of them with tears in their eyes, rushed to the ground to hug each other as Dhoni finished it off in style by hitting a six, as fire crackers lit up the evening sky to mark the moment. The highlight of the Lankan innings was Mahela Jayawardene's rollicking 103 as Sri Lanka capitalised on the batting powerplay to post a decent 274 for six. Electing to bat after winning the toss, Jayawardene used his vast experience to good effect and anchored the Lankan innings together. The islanders, desperate to regain the coveted cup after nearly 15 years, lost wickets at regular intervals against the Indians, who were spurred on by a vociferous jam-packed crowd.

The Indian bowlers were disciplined in the first half of the innings but conceded as many as 63 runs in the batting powerplay to undo all the good work. Apart from Jayawardene's 88-ball knock, captain Kumar Sangakkara (48) Tillakaratne Dilshan (33) and Nuwan Kulasekara (32) were the other notable performers. The Indian innings began on a disastrous note as the destructive Virender Sehwag was dismissed in the very second ball of the innings with paceman Lasith Malinga scalping the prized wicket. Sehwag was hit on the pads by an incoming delivery by Malinga as he went for a flick. Umpire Aleem Dar ruled him out before he asked for review but television replays showed that the ball would have hit the stumps.

Tendulkar, playing in what probably is his last World Cup game, entertained his home crowd with a couple of delightful boundaries while Gambhir also looked for runs at the other end. The Indians suffered a huge jolt went Malinga struck again by dismissing the champion batsman as he snicked an away-going delivery and captain Sangakkara latched on to a low catch. A hushed silence descended on the Wankhede stadium as he started his walk back to the pavilion.

Gambhir drove Kulasekara for a boundary in the extra cover region to notch up 4000 ODI runs while Virat Kohli also pulled the bowler to the boundary in the same over. Gambhir was lucky to get a reprieve in spinner Suraj Randiv's first over when Kulasekara dropped him at the long off region. The third-wicket pair of Gambhir and Kohli put on 83 runs before Dilshan broke the partnership by taking a brilliant acrobatic return catch. The out-of-form Dhoni came ahead of Yuvraj to keep the left-right combination going and was immediately given two 'lives' by the Lankans -- first Sangakkara messing up a stumping chance off Muralitharan and then Dilshan dropping a return catch as he collided with non-striker Gambhir.

 Dhoni, however, made the most of the Sri Lankan lapses to rediscover his form which had deserted him in the mega event. Dhoni and Gambhir scored at a brisk pace to keep India in the hunt. The pair stitched 109 runs for the fourth wicket before Gambhir paid the price for a horrendous stroke, just three runs short of what would have been a well-deserved century. Gambhir made room to cut the ball but missed it completely to see his stumps dislodged. Earlier, both the Indian new ball bowlers bowled a tidy line and length and did not allow the Sri Lankan openers to get off to a flying start while the fielding was also sharp. Pace spearhead Zaheer's first three overs were maidens and that put some pressure on the two Lankan openers who were not being able to capitalise on the powerplay overs.

Dilshan broke the stranglehold by hitting the first boundary of the innings in the 5th over by pulling Sreesanth to the square leg fence. In the same over, he produced a delightful cut to the point for his second boundary. Tharanga looked completely out of sorts at the other end as he found it difficult to find the gaps as Zaheer bowled a searching length right through his opening spell. Zaheer drew first blood in his fourth over by evicting Tharanga with an outgoing delivery and Virender Sehwag holding on to diving catch at first slip much to the delight of a capacity crowd at the stadium. Tharanga scored just two runs off 20 balls.

The Lankans could manage just 31 runs in the first ten overs, their lowest in the tournament. That was largely because of Zaheer's excellent first spell of 5-3-6-1. Dilshan and Sangakkara put on 43 runs for the second wicket before Harbhajan Singh struck for his team by getting rid of Dilshan (33), who scored 500 runs in the tournament. Dilshan went for a sweep but the ball hit his gloves and lobbed onto his stumps to trigger off wild celebrations in the galleries. Sangakkara and Jayawardene then took upon themselves the task of rebuilding the innings and the duo scored at a decent pace to steer the team to a comfortable position.

Yuvraj Singh, who had a dream tournament with both the bat and the ball, was introduced into the attack in the 22nd over but the two experienced batsmen were not really troubled by his left arm spin. It was Yuvraj who finally broke the 62-run third wicket partnership which was assuming dangerous proportions by dismissing Sangakkara who tried to cut a wide ball outside the off stump but only succeeded in edging the ball to Dhoni behind the stump. His knock of 48 came off 67 balls and contained five boundaries. It was left to the well-settled Jayawardene to hold the innings together and he found an able ally in Thilan Samaraweera to take the Sri Lankan total close to the 180 mark. Yuvraj was again instrumental in breaking the fourth- wicket partnership by accounting for Samaraweera.

Umpire Simon Taufel turned down the leg before appeal but the Indians went for the referral and television replays showed that the ball would have hit the stumps. New batsman Chamara Kapugedera did not survive long as he offered a simple catch to Suresh Raina at extra cover off a slower delivery from Zaheer, leaving the visitors in a spot of bother at 182 for five. Jayawardene and Nuwan Kulasekara then teamed up ensure that Sri Lanka had a competitive total on the board as they went about accumulating runs in the batting powerplay, which was taken in the last five overs.

India: Mahendra Singh Dhoni (capt), Virender Sehwag, Gautam Gambhir, Sachin Tendulkar, Virat Kohli, Yuvraj Singh, Suresh Raina, Harbhajan Singh, Zaheer Khan, Shanthakumaran Sreesanth, Munaf Patel.

Sri Lanka: Kumar Sangakkara (capt), Mahela Jayawardene, Upul Tharanga, Tillakaratne Dilshan, Thilan Samaraweera, Chamara Kapugedera, Suraj Randiv, Thisara Perera, Nuwan Kulasekara, Lasith Malinga, Muttiah Muralitharan.

Umpires: Simon Taufel (AUS) and Aleem Dar (PAK)
TV umpire: Ian Gould (ENG)
Match referee: Jeff Crowe (NZL)

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