Indian women win maiden T20 series against Australia

The Indian women’s cricket team scripted history on Friday by clinching its maiden Twenty20 series win over three-time world champion Australia with a comprehensive 10-wicket triumph in the rain-truncated second game, in Melbourne.

With today’s win, the Indians thus established a 2-0 lead in the three-match series which will wind up on January 31 in Sydney.

Opting to bowl after winning the toss, the Indians had their more fancied rivals on the mat in overcast conditions.

India restricted Australia to 125 in the match which was reduced to 18-overs-a-side following rain interruption.

In reply, the Indian eves came out all guns blazing and were cruising along nicely before another round of showers forced a revision of target to 66 in 10 overs.

Skipper Mithali Raj (37 not out) struck the winning runs as India overhauled the target in 9.1 overs.

In a thoroughly dominating performance from start to finish, India cornered Australia early on by reducing them to 33 for three in just the fifth overs of the match.

It took a 70-run fourth-wicket stand between Aussie skipper Meg lanning (49) and Jess Jonassen (27) to steady the rocking boat. Lanning’s innings was crucial in propelling Australia to 103 for three in the 14th over before disaster struck yet again.

Once Lanning was run out by Harmanpreet Kaur, the wickets also tumbled in a heap.

To their credit, Indian bowlers, especially, senior pacer and player of the match Jhulan Goswami (2/16) and leg-spinner Rajeshwari Gayakwad (2/27) ensured that the hosts’ remained shackled in their scoring rate.

In reply, the Indian batters seemed in a hurry to wrap up the proceedings and raced to 52 for now loss in 7.5 overs before the heavens opened yet again.

Another round of recalculation followed and the target stood revised at 66 from 10 overs.

On resumption, Raj, who smacked half a dozen fours in her 32-ball knock, and Smriti Mandhana (22 not out) took no time in sealing the issue to give the team a historic triumph.

The Australians also made the visitors’ job a tad easy by conceding 10 extras in the match.

For records, it the third time in 11 T20 matches that Indian eves have managed to beat Australia.

Brief Scores:

Australia Women: 125/8 in 18 overs (Meg Lanning 49, Jhulan Goswami 2/16).

India Women: 69/0 in 9.1 overs (target 66 via D/L method) (Mithali Raj 37 not out).

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Smith, Finch disagree with Maxwell’s comments on Indian batsmen

Australia skipper Steve Smith and Aaron Finch on Friday begged to differ with teammate Glenn Maxwell’s comments on the Indian batsmen being “milestone-driven”, saying it was his personal opinion.

All-rounder Maxwell had criticised the Indian batsmen of being more concerned about their personal achievements than the team’s interest.

“The talk of Indian players being selfish was obviously Glenn’s view; that’s not my personal view,” Finch told reporters.

“Virat Kohli got a 100 off 80-odd balls the other day — there was nothing selfish about that innings. That was an extraordinary, extraordinary innings. Shikhar Dhawan got it off about 95 balls, I think. He took the game on at the start for India along with Rohit (Sharma) and got them off to an absolute flyer. Gee! There are some seriously good players in India. Virat — 25 ODI hundreds now. That’s an unbelievable achievement,” he added.

Smith, meanwhile, said it was only natural for a batsman to slow down when he is approaching a milestone.

“I think that can be natural for anyone around the world. When you see that sort of milestone coming, in the back of your mind you might slow down a little bit. I think Virat Kohli and Rohit Sharma are quality players and they’re batting beautifully and I don’t see any problem with any selfishness there,” said Smith.

After his match-winning knock of 96 runs in the third ODI, Maxwell had stated that the Indian batsmen were playing for personal landmarks.

“They were, probably, just making sure they got to a milestone. Some people are milestone-driven, some people aren’t,” Maxwell had said.

The all-rounder also cited the example of Kohli, saying: “I think, if you look back at it. I was sent a photo the other day. It said — Virat was 84 off 63 (factually, he was 84 off 61), and then 100 off 89 (100 off 84) or something like that. He got his last 11 runs off 22 (21) balls to get his hundred.”

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Aus vs Ind: India loses once again

Kane Richardson took five wickets, including four in his last four overs, as Australia held on to beat India by 25 runs on Wednesday and extend its lead to 4-0 with one match remaining in the limited—overs international series.

Aaron Finch made 107 and David Warner returned from paternity leave to score 93 as Australia posted a total of 348-8 after winning the toss and batting.

India was coasting at 277 for 1 in reply in the 38th over but lost its last nine wickets for 46 runs, with Richardson taking 4-16 in a match-turning spell and returning 5-68 for the innings.

Shikhar Dhawan scored 126 and Virat Kohli added 106, the pair sharing a 212-run partnership for the second wicket and seemingly setting India on course for a victory, until the dramatic late collapse ended with the visitors all out for 323 in 49.2 overs.

The pattern of the series changed slightly on Wednesday; India batted first in each of the first three matches and lost.

Finch reached his seventh ODI century from 97 balls. It was his first against India and his second at Manuka Oval in the Australian capital.

Warner was the main aggressor in a blazing beginning by the Australian openers who rushed to 40—0 after five overs.

Warner was out in the 30th over when he chopped a ball from Ishant Sharma onto his middle stump.

Finch was out when Australia was 221-2 in the 38th over after he and Mitchell Marsh had added only 34 runs in 8.4 overs. The opener reached 100 with a single from his 97th delivery, two years after his first century at Manuka Oval against South Africa.

Finch was finally caught off Umesh Yadav, skying a pull shot to Ishant Sharma at mid-on.

Finch’s power-hitting claimed one notable casualty. In the 17th over, his straight drive hit English umpire Richard Kettleborough on the right leg and Kettleborough was forced to retire from the match. He was replaced by Australia’s Paul Wilson.

Steve Smith hit the ball powerfully from the outset and reached his 50 from 27 balls.

The Australians lost 5-37 to lose momentum before Glenn Maxwell hit 41 from 20 balls with six fours and a six, falling to the last ball of the innings.

The fifth match will be played in Sydney on Saturday.

Scoreboard

Australia innings: David Warner b I Sharma 93; Aaron Finch c I Sharma b Yadav 107; Mitchell Marsh c Kohli b Yadav 33; Steven Smith c G Singh b I Sharma 51; Glenn Maxwell c M Pandey b I Sharma 41; Gorge Bailey c R Sharma b I Sharma 10; James Faulkner b Yadav 0; Mathew Wade run out 0; John Hastings not out 0. Extras (LB—7, WD—6) 13

Total (For 8 wickets in 50 overs) 348

Fall of wickets: 1—187, 2—221, 3—288, 4—298, 5—319, 6—319, 7—321, 8—348.

Bowling: Umesh Yadav 10—1—67—3, Bhuvneshwar Kumar 8—0—69—0, Ishant Sharma 10—0—77—4, Gurkeerat Singh 3—0—24—0, Rishi Dhawan 9—0—53—0, Ravindra Jadeja 10—0—51—0.

India innings: R. Sharma c Wade b Richardson 41; S. Dhawan c Bailey b Hastings 126; V. Kohli c Smith b Richardson 106; M.S. Dhoni c Wade b Hastings 0; G. Mann c sub b Lyon 5; R. Jadeja not out 24; A. Rahane c Smith b Richardson 2; R. Dhawan c Warner b Richardson 9; B. Kumar c Smith b Richardson 2; U. Yadav c Bailey b M. Marsh 2; I. Sharma c Wade b M. Marsh 0. Extras (nb-1 w-5) 6

Total (all out, 49.2 overs) 323

Fall of wickets: 1-65, 2-277, 3-277, 4-278, 5-286, 6-294, 7-308, 8-311, 9-315, 10-323

Bowling: N. Lyon 10 - 0 - 76 - 1 K. Richardson 10 - 1 - 68 - 5 J. Hastings 10 - 0 - 50 - 2(nb-1 w-1) J. Faulkner 7 - 0 - 48 - 0(w-1) M. Marsh 9.2 - 0 - 55 - 2(w-2) G. Maxwell 1 - 0 - 10 - 0(w-1) S. Smith 2 - 0 - 16 - 0

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Harsh steps need to be taken post-ODI series: Gavaskar

Former captain Sunil Gavaskar on Wednesday called for harsh steps in the setup of the struggling Indian cricket team in Australia, saying some of the players have not learnt from their past mistakes despite making the trip Down Under multiple times.

“We have to take harsh step after the series is done. I am not calling for a complete overhaul but there are players who have not learnt from their past mistakes. There are players who have made 3-4 trips to Australia but they have not learnt from their mistakes. If we are looking at building a team for the 2019 World Cup, we need to blood some youngsters in,” a disappointed Gavaskar told a television channel after an unexpected batting collapse pushed India 0-4 down in the five-match series.

Gavaskar was more critical of the bowlers who let the team down and said dropping star spinner Ravichandran Ashwin for the second game in a row made little sense.

“Not playing Ashwin for the second game in a row was not a good decision. I feel the conditions in Canberra would have suited him. Some of other bowlers seem to be the same mistake over and over again,” he said.

On the learning process the team management and captain M.S. Dhoni keeps talking about, Gavaskar said: “Well, every game is a learning experience but are the players learning from their mistakes? If not, then there is a problem. The series result is really disappointing.

“India has all lost four matches from winning position. Today I think Virat (Kohli) getting out put pressure on the batsman to follow. Ajinkya Rahane not coming out to bat number four also made a difference as he did not look hundred percent when he did come to bat at No 7.”

Dhoni himself took the blame on him for not getting the team home and Gavaskar also felt the skipper should have done more. Dhoni fell without scoring and Kohli got out soon after to allow Australia stage a dramatic comeback.

“He himself had said the he should have got the job done from that position. It is unfortunate that he lasted just two balls,” Gavaskar added.

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Life ban for Chandila; Shah gets five years

More than two and a half years since he was suspended by the Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) following his arrest in the 2013 IPL spot-fixing scandal, the Board has banned former Rajasthan Royals spinner Ajit Chandila for life.

It also expelled Mumbai batsman Hiken Shah for five years for having been found guilty of making a corrupt approach to a Mumbai teammate.

The three-member BCCI disciplinary committee, including president Shashank Manohar, former secretary Niranjan Shah and Jyotiraditya Scindia, pronounced the verdict after deliberating on the detailed responses filed by both the cricketers.

Chandila was found “guilty of misconduct and corruption” having violated seven articles of the BCCI’s anti-corruption code. Shah was punished for breaching three clauses, the BCCI said.

Chandila, along with India bowler S. Sreesanth and Mumbai spinner Ankeet Chavan, was arrested by the Delhi Police in May 2013 for allegedly indulging in spot-fixing while representing Rajasthan Royals. The other two bowlers were handed life bans in September 2013. Chandila’s disciplinary hearing was delayed.

Chandila to seek review

The criminal charges against Ajit Chandila — and two of his former Rajasthan Royals teammates S. Sreesanth and Ankeet Chavan — may have been dropped by a trial court in Delhi in July, 2015. However, it had no bearing over the BCCI disciplinary committee’s decision to impose a life ban on Chandila for his breach of the BCCI anti-corruption code.

In fact, it is understood that the order passed by the trial court in July last year had specified that the court wouldn’t interfere in BCCI’s internal process.

“The Anti Corruption Code also covers disclosing inside information to any person before the match or event where the participant might receive or know that disclosure of such information in such circumstances can be used in relation to betting,” stated the order passed by judge Neena Bansal Krishna, which was submitted to the BCCI disciplinary committee by Chandila.

“The offence of match-fixing and betting and the incidental conduct of the players/bookies in furtherance of these activities is thus, covered under the Anti Corruption Code of Board of Control for Cricket in India.”

Interestingly, despite the criminal charges being dropped, neither Sreesanth nor Chavan has appealed against his BCCI life ban.

Rakesh Kumar, Chandila’s lawyer, however, said they will be forced to seek legal recourse.

“The verdict is shocking, especially in the wake of the court dropping all the charges against Ajit,” Kumar told The Hindu. “We will request a review of its order to the Board. If it doesn’t agree, then we will have to consider legal recourse.”

Mumbai cricketer Hiken Shah, banned for five years for violating the BCCI ant-corruption code, preferred to not make any statement in haste.

Shah has been found guilty of offering a bribe to Mumbai teammate Pravin Tambe, who was also a member of Rajasthan Royals.

Meanwhile, the BCCI has extended the deadline for Pakistan umpire Asad Rauf to submit his written reply to February 9.

The date of the hearing and the final order has been scheduled for February 12, 2016 at Cricket Centre, Mumbai.

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Tendulkar, Ganguly in Warne’s greatest Indian Test XI

The iconic Sachin Tendulkar was an expected pick for the No.4 slot while Sourav Ganguly was preferred in the leadership position in Australian spin legend Shane Warne’s greatest Indian Test XI.

Warne, who has been naming his preferred XIs from different countries on his facebook page, turned his attention to India in the latest post. The criteria for selection was that Warne must have competed against the selected players.

Not surprisingly, cricket’s highest run-scorer Tendulkar was Warne’s choice for the No.4 spot in his side. The opening slots went to Virender Sehwag and Navjot Singh Sidhu followed by the ever-dependable Rahul Dravid at No.3.

Tendulkar, who scored a whopping 15,921 runs with 51 hundreds in 200 Tests, was hardly a surprise. But Warne said he was left in a dilemma on whether to go for V.V.S. Laxman or Mohammad Azharuddin for the No.6 position.

“This was the hardest team to select as I played against a few legends at the end of their careers like Vengsarkar, Sanjay Manjrekar, Ravi Shastri, Manoj Prabhakar as well as current players like Zaheer Khan too,” Warne wrote on his Facebook page.

“The Indian side I’ve selected is a very strong one & would be tough to play against. The hardest position to select for me was the number 6 spot between my great friend VVS or Azharuddin.”

The maverick bowler said it was this confusion which prompted him to name a 12-strong squad for India.

“Hence I named 12 and would choose the 12th man on the day!,” he said.

Also making the cut in Warne’s squad were legendary all-rounder Kapil Dev and current limited-overs captain Mahendra Singh Dhoni.

Dhoni has not played international cricket against Warne but made the cut owing to the IPL face-offs between the two.

Anil Kumble, Harbhajan Singh and Javagal Srinath formed the bowling attack of Warne’s line-up.

Warne’s Greatest India Test XI: Virender Sehwag, Navjot Singh Sidhu, Rahul Dravid, Sachin Tendulkar, Sourav Ganguly, Mohammad Azharuddin, Kapil Dev, M.S. Dhoni, Anil Kumble, Harbhajan Singh and Javagal Srinath (VVS Laxman 12th).

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ICC rankings: Ashwin in second spot while de Villiers slips

Riding on his stupendous performance in the ongoing home series against South Africa, Indian off-spinner Ashwin Ravichandran today rose to a career-high second in the ICC Test rankings for bowlers even as A B de Villiers lost his top spot in the batsmen standings.

Ashwin claimed 12 for 98 in the third Test in Nagpur to spin his side to a 124-run victory and India could move as high as second place in the ICC Test Championship if they win the fourth Test which starts on Friday.

Ashwin’s ascent from the fifth position means that James Anderson and Yasir Shah drop to joint third on 846 points, while Stuart Broad fell to fifth, the ICC said in a statement.

Australian pacer Josh Hazlewood, who produced man of the match figures of nine for 136 in the inaugural day/night Test, soared 10 places to 10th.

Other bowlers to head in the right direction during the Nagpur and Adelaide Tests include Amit Mishra (up two to 31st) who joins Imran Tahir (up by 14 places to 35th) in making career-high gains, while Black Caps bowler Doug Bracewell is one place and a single point further back in 36th after gaining four places.

Australia captain Steven Smith and England’s Joe Root have regained joint pole position in the rankings for Test batsmen after de Villiers has dropped two places to third. The South Africa middle-order batsman now trails the duo by nine points, but a strong showing in New Delhi could see him regain top billing.

Murali Vijay is the top ranked India batsman in 12th position, while his captain Virat Kohli has moved up one place to 16th and there were also gains for Shikhar Dhawan (up one to 32nd) and wicket-keeper Wriddhiman Saha (up 10 to a career-high 92nd). JP Duminy also moved up three places to 40th after scores of 35 and 19 in a low scoring match.

There is one change in the top five all-rounders as Mitchell Starc has moved up to a career-high fifth position. Meanwhile, in the ICC Test Championship Australia have moved into second position on 109 points following their 2-0 series win.

An India victory in the fourth and final Test in New Delhi, meanwhile, would see Kohli’s men move into second place on 110 points. In that scenario, the Proteas’ advantage at the top would be cut to just four points, with Australia dropping to third and Pakistan to fourth place.

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