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Injections, massage, exercise and no little motivation allowed Michael Clarke to fashion a remarkable hundred in the midst of a back flare-up at Adelaide Oval, but Australia’s selectors must now deliberate over how sustainable such a combination will be f

Daniel Brettig at Adelaide Oval10-Dec-20143:38

Who can replace unfit Clarke?

Injections, massage, exercise and no little motivation allowed Michael Clarke to fashion a remarkable hundred in the midst of a back flare-up at Adelaide Oval, but Australia’s selectors must now deliberate over how sustainable such a combination will be for the remainder of the Test series against India.Scarcely a ball went by without Clarke wincing in pain as he forged on to 128 on day two, more than doubling the 60 on which he had retired hurt. The hundred was believed to be the first ever by an Australian Test batsman having been forced from the field due to injury, but its courage is no substitute for the rest and strength work that Clarke has customarily leaned on whenever his back has complained in the past.Short-term salves for the issue, such as painkillers and constant movement, should be enough to ensure Australia do not go through the difficulties of being effectively a man down in this match, though it remains to be seen how much Clarke can field.Though he said it was unrelated to recent hamstring troubles on the opposite side of his body, the team physio Alex Kountouris conceded Clarke’s injury was a major one, leaving the chairman of selectors Rod Marsh and the team performance supremo Pat Howard to ponder wider plans.”As everyone knows, he has got a chronic back injury and he dived to get back into the crease when David Warner was on 99, he felt it a little bit there and then just tried to get out of the way of a bouncer and it really grabbed,” Kountouris said. “Unfortunately it is quite a significant back injury. He hasn’t had anything like this for 18 months. The last time he had this was in the Champions Trophy in England. It’s poor timing and he is struggling at the moment.”The hamstring injury is on the other side. He has been carrying a left hamstring injury and this is his right lower back. This is his old injury, it’s what he has had in the past with his back. I don’t think it is directly related to his hamstring. You don’t want to be a man down, so he is very determined to give it a go and see how he goes.”Steven Smith, who went on to an unbeaten 162 largely in Clarke’s company, said his captain had made the very best of a bad situation. “He was pretty keen to get out there this morning,” Smith said. “He had a good hit this morning and he just came out and played beautifully. A few shots hurt him but he got himself into as many good positions as he could and manipulated the field a little bit as well. He played beautifully under the circumstances.”In the breaks he was getting a bit of treatment, he was walking around, trying to stay as active as he could – sitting down’s probably the hardest thing for him with his back. He was trying to stay quite active.”Clarke has battled his back and hamstring troubles since he was a teenager, and has often worried about how long his body would allow him to play. Over the past few weeks he has shown extraordinary leadership capacity while staying close to the family of Phillip Hughes, underlining how much Australia’s players would dearly love him to be fit for the remainder of the summer.”He has done amazing over the last couple of weeks,” Smith said. “It has been tough for all of us but he spent the whole time by Hughesy’s family’s side. Just the strength and courage he has shown through those times was unbelievable. He must be mentally drained coming into this game but the way he played speaks the world of that guy. He came out here and tried to do something for Hughesy and he certainly did that.”

Several corporate governance and legal experts believe that the BCCI has abdicated its administrative responsibility in its handling of the IPL scandal

Sharda Ugra31-May-2013Several corporate governance and legal experts believe that BCCI officials’ repeated calls to “let the law take its course” in the IPL corruption scandal is an abdication of administrative responsibility masked by a falling back on the legal process.TV Mohandas Pai, former board member of Indian software giant Infosys and chairman of Manipal Global Education Services, says that in the best practices of corporate governance an organisation would “hold itself out to be transparent and well-governed and then the legal action is taken.” In the current situation, by Pai’s standard, this best practice required Srinivasan to first stand down as BCCI president and then allow the three-member commission set up by the Indian board to take its decision against his son-in-law.In professionally-run corporations, Pai – who speaks from experience as a former chief financial officer of Infosys – said in an email to ESPNcricinfo, “administration action is first taken to clear the ground for investigation so that the truth is found out.”In Srinivasan’s case, Pai said, “the basic charge here is that an insider, Gurunath, leaked confidential information to outsiders, traded on the same and benefited/lost money.” As an insider, Gurunath, was “facilitated in terms of access by the president Srinivasan.”Even if he was merely an “enthusiast,” Gurunath was seen in the dugouts and Pai said, “(had) held himself out openly in the presence of the president as being deeply associated with Chennai Super Kings and for all purposes was the face of the CSK. Without this relationship he would have no position and no access. Even if there is no direct charge against Srinivasan, by his conduct he has been compromised.”Lawyer YP Singh, a former officer with the Indian police and in the Central Bureau of Investigation (India’s federal investigative agency), said it was necessary that a clear distinction be made between legal and administration action and the level of proof required by both.Singh, who has dealt with high-profile cases of financial fraud, said legal action required “beyond reasonable doubt” before issuing a judgement and finding a person guilty. “You need beyond reasonable doubt to send someone to jail.Administrative action does not require ‘beyond reasonable doubt’. Administrative action can be taken at any time.” It required, he said, what the legal community referred to as, “the preponderance of probability.” (The “degree” or the “likelihood” of the incident taking place is a bit lower as compared to beyond reasonable doubt.)During his Kolkata press conference, Srinivasan’s defence of his refusal to stand down hinged on the fact that he had committed no offence and there was a legal process in place. Through this defence, Singh said, the BCCI was trying to take administrative action, “after the investigation is complete … that is legally impossible. A thorough legal investigation takes years.”In such a situation, the administrative action required by the BCCI should have been thorough and speedy. To redress the BCCI’s shortcomings as of now in this case, Pai said, “Srinivasan would need to resign or step down from his position or take a sabbatical, hand over power to a committee of directors who would handle the investigation and if the investigation by independent third party finds nothing against the president, then he can easily redeem his dented honour.”Corporate India rarely speaks ill of its peers, but there are suggestions that in this case Srinivasan, a successful corporate figure in Tamil Nadu, has trapped himself in an untenable situation. “As you rise in power, the standards of governance required by you have to go up,” says one leader. “The enormity of the situation is dependent on the person involved in a wrong doing.” It is why offences committed by the CEO of a firm as opposed to a junior-executive have a different impact. It is “logically impossible” for Srinivasan to “retain his authority when an investigation is on because he retains the power to subvert the process.”Srinivasan has, however, chosen to stay in power by deliberately detaching the administrative action required at a time like this from the Board and attaching it to the legal process. The BCCI has been unable to prevent him from doing so. Pai said, “By doing what he is doing Srinivasan has shown himself in poor light and BCCI has shown itself to be an institution of cronies.”Bringing out the “innocent till proven guilty” card often diverts from another vital truth. An individual remains accused until proven innocent.

There have been suggestions that all England need to do to bag a 3-0 whitewash is to turn up. While the visitors begin as clear favourites, New Zealand are far from so hopeless that England can ignore their challenge

Andrew McGlashan in Dunedin04-Mar-2013New Zealand is a country of adrenalin-fuelled adventure sports, but the expectation is that the Test series that starts in Dunedin on Wednesday will not get pulses racing in the same way. In fact, there have been plenty of suggestions that all England need to do to bag a 3-0 whitewash is to turn up. There has just been the odd hint of disquiet from the New Zealand viewpoint that this is being treated as an Ashes warm-up. The New Zealand XI victory in the tour game in Queenstown has not gone unnoticed.New Zealand’s recent Test form is leading to the low expectations but perhaps it should not be taken as so black and white. They are not the only team to have been recently bowled out for under 50 by South Africa; the match before that they beat Sri Lanka in Sri Lanka to level a series (the same result England managed). They are now back on home soil, after extensive periods touring, which should make them feel more comfortable.England begin as clear favourites. That is usually the way when they tour here but history is littered with examples of the challenge having proved harder than expected. Last time, in 2008, they lost in Hamilton by 189 runs, getting humbled on the final day by Kyle Mills and Chris Martin. In 2002 they went into the final Test, in Auckland, with a 1-0 lead and despite the match being badly hit by rain lost by 78 runs. Although Michael Atherton’s team were ultimately 2-0 winners in 1997 they had to overcome the embarrassment of being defied by Danny Morrison in the first Test.This time, led by the combative Brendon McCullum, New Zealand are far from so hopeless that England can ignore the immediate challenge. Clearly, the recent problems surrounding the shockingly handled change of captaincy have destabilised the team – rumours of differences in the dressing room persist, although New Zealand aren’t alone in that – but McCullum is a single-minded leader who faces his task head on.From England’s point of view, anything less than a 2-0 scoreline (there is a chance of rain at some point, not least in Dunedin) will be a disappointment. Having put their Test game back on track in India after a difficult 2012 they now need to redevelop that ruthless edge which characterised their play during 2011.After the upheavals of last summer – Kevin Pietersen’s problems and the retirement of Andrew Strauss – the team has been stabilised. Nine of the first-choice XI for Test cricket are set in stone; the two areas for debate are the third fast-bowling slot and the long-term opening partner for Alastair Cook.Stuart Broad looks set to return to support James Anderson and Steven Finn, but doubts remain over how much long-form cricket he will be able to play as he attempts to manage his heel problem. It seems inconceivable that he will be able to go through such a full programme this year – 14 Tests, with a 15th in January 2014 – without another break. Beyond him, too, there are now a few more questions about the depth of what follows than had previously been thought.Nick Compton will retain his position alongside Cook and he deserves the opportunity to build on his hard work in India. At 29, he still has time to forge a lengthy Test career but he needs to show he can do more than purely blunt the new ball.As odd as it may sound considering the considerable averages of most of England’s top order, New Zealand should feel they have a chance to make early inroads. Compton and Pietersen are short of time in the middle and Jonathan Trott has not been quite at his best. And in the opposite corner the home side have, amid all the problems, formed a decent pace attack.

“From England’s point of view, anything less than a 2-0 scoreline will be a disappointment. Having put their Test game back on track in India after a difficult 2012 they now need to redevelop that ruthless edge which characterised their play during 2011”

Tim Southee is back to lead the line and has matured into a consistent swing bowler. His success in Sri Lanka, where he took 12 wickets in two Tests, was the mark of someone entering his peak. Doug Bracewell, fitness permitting, can produce incisive spells while Trent Boult, as long as he doesn’t drop it short, can swing the new ball. Neil Wagner also caused England problems in Queenstown.In turn, though, New Zealand’s batting will be severely tested, especially by Anderson’s swing and Finn’s pace. They will have a new-look opening pair – likely to be Hamish Rutherford and Peter Fulton – and it has been a while since the side have been given consistent starts. Four of the last six first-wicket stands have been single figure (albeit three of them came against Dale Steyn and Vernon Philander) and the last hundred opening partnership was 12 Tests ago in January 2012 against Zimbabwe; the last against a major nation another four Tests before that.The middle order, however, offers the hope of something better. Kane Williamson, Ross Taylor, McCullum, Dean Brownlie and BJ Watling has a solid ring about it, although there is an argument that McCullum should be at No. 3 to allow Williamson to develop lower down. Watling, and to a lesser extent, Brownlie impressed for New Zealand XI in Queenstown, McCullum is in strong form and Taylor’s hundred in the Napier ODI has put him back on track.The public also need a team they are pulled into watching. Unlike with the rugby union side, there is not the expectation, or demand, that they will bring home the major prizes but neither is embarrassment accepted. New Zealand Test cricket desperately needs some good news over the next three weeks. A series win, though, would verge on miraculous.

Bangladesh opening batsman Anamul Haque will miss the one-off Twenty20 against Sri Lanka on Sunday, as he is set to return home after Thursday’s ODI to sit for his school exams

ESPNcricinfo staff28-Mar-2013Bangladesh opening batsman Anamul Haque will miss the one-off Twenty20 against Sri Lanka on Sunday, as he is set to return home after Thursday’s ODI to sit for his college exams. Anamul, 20, has informed the Bangladesh Cricket Board that he would also be unavailable for the tour of Zimbabwe, which runs from April 17 to May 12.No replacement has been named for Anamul for the Sri Lanka T20.Abul Hasan, the fast bowler who had to sit out the second and third ODIs with a side strain, will remain with the squad. Sending him home as well was discussed, but decided against as that would have left Bangladesh with a squad of just 12 for the Twenty20.Earlier, Bangladesh had already lost batsman Tamim Iqbal and fast bowler Nazmul Hossain for the limited-overs leg of the Sri Lanka tour. Tamim had played in the first ODI, scoring a century as Bangladesh were asked to bat first. Then, while fielding, he had fractured his right thumb. Uncapped right-hand batsman Shamsur Rahman was called in as a replacement.Nazmul had been ruled out of the ODI series after injuring his left knee during training in Colombo. Nazmul twisted his knee while avoiding a straight drive from Ziaur Rahman during a net session, on what would have been the fifth day of the second Test.

Jammu & Kashmir shocked domestic heavyweights Mumbai with a historic four-wicket win by chasing down 237 on the last day at the Wankhede Stadium

Devashish Fuloria at the Wankhede Stadium10-Dec-2014
Scorecard1:45

Agarkar: One of the biggest shocks for Mumbai

It would have made perfect sense had the Jammu & Kashmir players charged from the sidelines once Obaid Haroon called Hardeep Singh for the winning single. Or if they had danced in the middle like a team that had just won a World Cup. Or if loud shrieks of joy had burst in the dressing room as the team assembled for a meeting. All would have been appropriate and fitting for the scale of their achievement, for Mumbai had only lost five Ranji matches at the Wankhede in the last 15 years, all of them to major teams.Instead, the J&K group just got up on the feet, shook each other’s hands, embraced, and made a slow approach towards the pitch, as Hardeep took his light blue helmet off after completing the run and raised his bat towards them. They had been sitting by the boundary for a while, anxiously waiting and gorging on bananas, cheering every single without being overtly boisterous. Samiullah Beigh was padded up. He was there too, not inside the dressing room. Still, the muted reaction was quite a contradiction after they had brought a legendary team down on its turf.The only time it looked like the players were excited was when the news filtered that Sachin Tendulkar was in the Mumbai dressing room and the J&K players, most of whom were in Mumbai for the first time ever, could get a chance to meet him in person. Most of them ran back to the dressing room, waiting for Tendulkar to emerge and greet them. However, they were left a tad disappointed as Tendulkar left after a brief meet-up with their coach, Sunil Joshi, and their media manager. It was a minor low on a day of highs though and this team is pretty good in handling lows.Parvez Rasool on…

How their preparation was affected by floods…
“We lost a month of practice because of floods. The guys prepared themselves mentally after that and made do with practice wherever possible. The guys from Jammu played in Jammu. The guys from Srinagar also moved elsewhere. It’s good that even after such adversity, we were able to perform well. We also had a 15-day camp in Nagpur and that helped us all. Our coach’s hardwork and experience had an impact on the boys too.”
Losing out on home advantage…
“Every team gets home advantage. Last year we won three out of four of our home matches. This year we don’t have a home game, but we will have to manage with whatever we have with us.”
Beating Mumbai in Mumbai…
“We did so well here without much preparation, it’s a big thing for us. One thing this proves is that our players have a lot of potential. If they get good facilities and infrastructure, they can grow further.”

In the build-up to the season, the region was ravaged by devastating floods. When other teams were getting their pre-season preparations sorted, a J&K player was attending a funeral of a friend; when players around the country were spending time in gymnasiums, some J&K players were busy clearing up the mess the floods had left behind; when teams would have been planning of their home-match strategies, the J&K players had no clue where their home venue would be. As the water receded, J&K, among the big boys for the first time, realised they didn’t have a home advantage to exploit this year. All their games were to be away matches, against Mumbai, Tamil Nadu, Karnataka, Bengal and others. It’s one way to travel around the country, but not the one they would have chosen for sure.Playing their first match at the Wankhede would have been nerve-wracking, but the team had taken some confidence from the win against a star-studded Delhi in the Vijay Hazare Trophy earlier this season. Their players, including their impressive seamers, had also been part of the zonal teams this year. The team’s confidence was also boosted, according to one J&K player, as they saw the grass being shaved off from the pitch once the locals had seen their seam attack. That seam-bowling group did go on to make an impression, picking up 14 wickets on what Parvez Rasool thought was a “dead” pitch.Although J&K suffered a collapse in the first innings, a maiden century from Shubham Khajuria, an India Under-19, had ensured they had the lead – a lead in Mumbai. Beat that for a confidence-booster. So when they came out on the fourth morning with nine wickets in hand, 179 adrift of a historical win, they knew they had the wares to go all the way. An early wicket was lost, a 52-run partnership followed. Another wicket, then another partnership.Shardul Thakur tested Khajuria and Rasool with a bounce barrage, with his aggressive stares, with his frequent conversations, but then he sprayed it wide down the leg side for four and it signalled a change of momentum. Next over, the 46th, Khajuria whipped two superbly-timed boundaries, against the turn of Vishal Dabholkar, through midwicket. Then Rasool reverse-swept in the same over to pick up four more. But J&K have seen things are never that simple. They had lost five wickets for one run in the first innings; today they lost both set batsmen at the same score. Khajuria chipped one back to Iqbal Abdulla and Rasool was bowled round his legs by Dabholkar.Waseem Raza joined Hardeep ahead of Haroon and Beigh, a surprise move that seemed to have added hesitation among the batsmen rather than trouble the opposition. Twice, the two batsmen argued after completing ill-advised singles. There was hesitation a third time too, but Raza, going for a second, was well short of a throw from third man. However, the two had added a vital 44.There is nothing that gives as much relief to the batting team, and annoys the bowlers at the same time, as an outside edge. Hardeep got one through the vacant first slip off Thakur. Once that gap was plugged, Haroon got another through second slip off the same bowler. Those two edges had a finality to them; there were no more jitters and J&K strolled through, Hardeep playing a dogged hand of 41*.”Hardeep is a senior player. He won a game last year as well, against Goa,” Rasool said after the win. “We were expecting him to draw from his experience and deliver for us. Shubham [Khajuria] played a tremendous innings. He has played India Under-19 and scored 160-odd at that level. We brought him from that level because we needed someone at the top. He has had a good impact since his arrival.”Beating Mumbai in Mumbai is a big thing. But our graph has been going up for the last three years. People said that we will know the difference between Plate and Elite leagues this time, but this win will serve as an answer to them, and proves that we can play at this level.”There was that same calmness in Rasool’s voice that had been in his team’s body language at the win. It was an indication that J&K had not lost the perspective that this still was going to be a tough tournament for them. It was also a sign that they were not overawed by the gigantic steel and concrete structure that can, at times, be suffocating for visiting teams. But perhaps for a team hardened by tough experiences within and beyond the cricket field, a win against Mumbai in Mumbai was not an emotional big deal. It was just a matter of fact.

Australia set up a clash with their Ashes rivals in the final of the Women’s World T20 after a semi-final victory over West Indies

The Report by Alex Winter05-Oct-2012
Scorecard and ball-by-ball detailsEllyse Perry removed two of West Indies’ best players in the chase•ICC/GettyAustralia set up a clash with their Ashes rivals in the final of the Women’s World T20 after a semi-final victory over West Indies that was as one-sided as the contest England had won 24 hours previously.On a pitch that played better than the one on which England beat New Zealand in the first semi-final, Australia’s seam bowlers Ellyse Perry and Julie Hunter took seven wickets between them, as West Indies fell well short of making a contest of the chase. Perry, the 21-year-old who also plays football for Australia, took two early wickets to snuff out any ambition West Indies had of chasing 116.Having chased in all three of their group matches, and only failing in one pursuit – in eight Duckworth/Lewis overs to Sri Lanka – West Indies were eyeing going one better than their semi-final defeat in 2010. But the loss of their best players, Stafanie Taylor and Deandra Dottin, for a combined 9, left too many for the rest of the order.Perry, one of the quickest bowlers in the women’s game, operating around the 75 mph mark, was given the new ball despite the slow, low surface on which West Indies used spinners for 17 overs of the Australia innings. Immediately, there was a hint of swing and in Perry’s second over she cleaned up Taylor with a quick, straight delivery that the batsman played around and lost her middle stump.Dottin followed when Perry returned to bowl the seventh over, also playing across the line, to a length ball that struck the top of off stump. Perry also inadvertently ran out Shermaine Campbelle while the batsman was backing up, after dropping a sharp caught and bowled chance.There was further joy for Australian seam bowling as Hunter also found some swing and trapped Merissa Aguilleira lbw with a ball that moved away from middle and leg. It was the first success in Hunter’s five-wicket haul as she returned to mop up a floundering tail.Opener Juliana Nero kept West Indies in the match with a steady innings and she found Shanel Daley to settle in with. The pair added 48 in 56 balls, but they failed to find another gear, Daley eventually chipping to midwicket and Nero swinging across the line to the first ball of the 17th over. The remainder of the line-up slogged catches into the deep.It was a similar steady partnership that settled Australia’s innings after their top three were removed with only 36 scored. West Indies used spin from the outset and it worked with the new ball as flat deliveries from Daley skidded onto the stumps of Alyssa Healy and Jess Cameron, Australia’s leading run-scorer in the group stage, as both played back exposing their stumps.Meg Lanning read the spinners far better, using her feet well. She lifted Taylor over mid-off for four and went in-to-out to strike Anisa Mohammed’s second ball over extra cover. But attempting another lofted drive, she picked out extra cover as Australia found themselves struggling.But in contrast to the West Indies innings that featured only two double-figure scores, Australia were able to rebuild through the experience of Lisa Sthalekar. She and Alex Blackwell put on 32 in 35 as Australia added 62 in the second 10 overs. Captain Jodie Fields reverse-swept a large proportion of her 22-ball 19 and Rachael Haynes struck the second six of the innings over the bowler’s head in the final over, as Australia found late momentum.Aguilleira admitted the lack of consistency was a problem for West Indies. “On a given day, West Indies will show up and beat any side. It’s a mental thing. We have a good team, one that can carry us through and win World Cups,” she said. “The score that they made was gettable. We must say that we fell short in our batting. That was our downfall. It’s an area we need to look at. We have time once we get back home to get ourselves organised and focus on what we have to do.”Australia captain Fields said: “The West Indies girls bowled really well in those conditions. Their spinners slowed it right up and made it difficult to score down the ground. You had to resort to shots square of the wicket. I thought we did well to get to 115 after a pretty disastrous start.”Six Australian batsmen reached double-figures in the game but were unable to post something substantial. “I’m actually pretty happy with our batting throughout the tournament,” Fields said. “While we haven’t had anyone with big scores, we’ve always had guys come in and keep the scoreboard ticking over. We’ll see what happens in the final. Hopefully, one of those girls will click and we’ll get a big score.”

Gautam Gambhir said the team will be sticking with Rohit Sharma as dropping a quality player like him would damage his confidence

Abhishek Purohit in Colombo27-Jul-2012The change of venues from windy Hambantota to humid Colombo may not change the fortunes of Rohit Sharma and Manoj Tiwary. The team management expects much of Rohit in the 2015 World Cup and will back him “as much as possible”, according to opening batsman Gautam Gambhir. Tiwary is sure to get opportunities, but whether it comes in the next game or the next series, “no one knows,” Gambhir said. So basically, Rohit has the faith; Tiwary can keep the bench.What again came out in the press conference was how highly the team management rated Rohit. Gambhir said dropping a “talented” player like Rohit – who averages 17.33 this year – would only undermine his confidence. He might not be among the runs, but Rohit was batting “the best among all of us” in the nets, and asked for more faith as he saw him “scoring a lot of runs for India in the future.” Where is he going wrong at present, though? “Nowhere.””He’s done pretty well,” Gambhir said. “Not on this tour, not in Australia, but he’s got two Man-of-the-Series awards, in West Indies and in India. If you keep chopping and changing players like him who are so talented, you are only going to play with his confidence. He was unfortunate in the last game. You can drag the ball on [to the stumps]. It can happen to the best of players. But you have to see the bigger picture. If he is in your scheme of things for the next World Cup, obviously you have to go with him and try and give him as much confidence as possible.”Gambhir said it was a matter of time before Rohit got the runs. “Whether a person is in form or out of it, the important thing is how he is feeling about his batting. You cannot be batting well, but you can still be getting runs. If you are very comfortable with your batting, if you know that you are batting well, somewhere down the line you will score runs. We still need to show some faith in him because he is a quality player.”Getting dropped after a lean run may damage Rohit’s confidence, but Tiwary’s will sink lower when he makes a match-winning century, and is then left out for 13 straight games, and maybe more. All Gambhir said was that Tiwary should look to grab every chance he got.”It is not about individuals and I don’t want to talk about individuals, about how Manoj is feeling,” Gambhir said. “How the team is doing is all that matters. Somewhere down the line, he will get an opportunity. If he is not getting the opportunity and the team management [believes the] playing XI they pick is the best XI to do the job on that particular day, the team management does that because ultimately it is not about individuals. It is about what results you want and what combination you want to go with.”Whenever Manoj gets that opportunity, he should be looking forward to it and he should do well in that opportunity. Whether he gets it in the next game, whether he gets it in the next series, no one knows.”The third ODI on Saturday may make the fate of both the batsmen clearer.

The Indian team management has denied a report that they had pulled up the host broadcaster during the Centurion ODI for showing a clip of Virat Kohli getting injured during the first ODI with a caption that said, “Kohli – softened up”

Sidharth Monga 13-Dec-2013The Indian team management has denied a report that they had pulled up the host broadcaster during the Centurion ODI for showing a clip of Virat Kohli getting injured during the first ODI with a caption that said, “Kohli – softened up”. A report in on Thursday said, “SuperSport’s director was summoned to the Indian changing room during the innings interval and an explanation [was] demanded. His argument for ‘editorial relevance’ was countered with angry accusations of ‘inappropriate behaviour’, disrespect, and a suggestion that he ‘sticks to the cricket’ in future.”An Indian team official said he was not aware of what had happened. An official communication 10 minutes later said, “Once rain stopped play we did meet the producer of SuperSport but it was for discussing something else and not about the clip shown of Virat.”A SuperSport representative confirmed that “discussions” had taken place without going into details. A spokesperson said, “SuperSport is aware that discussions took place between a member of its production staff and members of the Indian touring party at SuperSport Park on 11 December. SuperSport will continue to produce the matches during the current tour to world-class specifications and with regard to editorial context.”During the Wanderers ODI, Kohli was hit in the rib area by a Morne Morkel short ball. While he did not flinch or show pain on the field, he later applied an ice pack on the bruise. The clip being referred to in this incident showed the whole sequence: first his getting hit, then him with an ice pack, and then practising a pull. One of the TV commentators said the clip was shown on the request of the commentary team on air at the time because they were discussing facing fast bowling and coming back from getting hit.Members of the SuperSport commentary team said they had not been informed of any developments and were not given any instructions.

A round-up of the second day’s play of Group A’s fifth round matches from the Ranji Trophy

ESPNcricinfo staff29-Nov-2013
ScorecardFile photo: Parthiv Patel hit eight fours during his unbeaten 75•ESPNcricinfoOpener Samit Gohel and Parthiv Patel ‘s half-centuries stabilised Gujarat who were closing in on Jharkhand’s first-innings total of 289 at the end of day two in Jamshedpur.Gujarat lost Priyank Panchal in the sixth over, caught off Shahbaz Nadeem, before Bhargav Merai was run-out in the 10th, leaving them at a precarious 23 for 2. However, the visitors recovered as Goel and Parthiv batted out the remaining 47.1 overs, to finish strongly at 168 for 2, heading into the third day. Gohel, who struck an unbeaten 102 in the previous game against Punjab, hit 10 fours during his 66 while Parthiv’s 75, which included eight fours, meant he has scored a fifty in all but one of his five Ranji games this season.Jharkhand began the day at 194 for 5, but were dealt an early blow when Kumar Deobrat was dismissed for 5. They rallied with a 42-run seventh-wicket partnership between Saurabh Tiwary and Nadeem. Both were dismissed within five overs of each other and though the tail did wag slightly, Jasprit Bumrah picked up a five-wicket haul for the second match running, to bundle them out for 289.
ScorecardManish Pandey’s 11th first-class century helped Karnataka to a first-innings lead and take control of their match againt Odisha in Cuttack.Pandey came in with Karnataka at 72 for 2 and nursing the loss of their openers. However, he batted out the remaining 70 overs of the day to ensure Karnataka finished strongly at 288 for 4, 62 runs more than Jharkhand’s first-innings score of 226.Pandey struck 13 fours and two sixes during his unbeaten 108, and added 114 for the third wicket with KL Rahul, who made 67. Rahul was caught behind by Subhrajit Sahoo off Biplab Samantray in the 57th over, but another solid partnership followed for the visitors- a fourth-wicket stand of 71 between Pandey and Kunal Kapoor- that took them beyond 250.The Jharkhand bowlers endured a frustrating day on the field, with Samantray, Deepak Behera and Basant Mohanty managing one wicket each.
ScorecardMumbai taught Vidarbha lesson or two at the Wankhede, taking firm control at the halfway stage of their Ranji Trophy Group A match. At stumps on day two, after bundling out Vidarbha for 113 for a first-innings lead of 148, Aditya Tare and Ajinkya Rahane’s unbroken century stand for the second wicket helped Mumbai get to 179 for 1.With Tare and Rahane at their sublime best, any of Vidarbha’s hopes of stretching Mumbai in their first-ever Ranji clash evaporated. Ending the day trailing by 327 runs, Vidarbha seem to be headed for a huge defeat, and Mumbai, their third victory in four games this season.Read the full report here.
ScorecardOn a green track at Lahli, the match between hosts Haryana and Punjab seems set for a close finish. At the end of the second day, Haryana have a 96-run lead but are also five wickets down and the Punjab pacers, particularly, Sandeep Sharma and VRV Singh will be looking to knock the side over quickly on the third morningRead the full report here.

ESPNcricinfo previews the fourth Test between India and England in Nagpur

The Preview by Andrew McGlashan12-Dec-2012Match FactsDecember 13-17, Nagpur
Start time 9.30am (0400GMT)Tim Bresnan could be recalled by England if Steven Finn is ruled out of the final Test•AFPThe Big PictureThis could be a momentous Test match. From England’s point of view, a win or a draw would secure a series victory in India for the first time since 1984-85. For a new captain, Alastair Cook, that would be a herculean achievement, especially given the various issues he has had to deal with in the early months of his leadership.Then there is India. It would be foolish to write them off despite the margins of defeat in the last two matches, but there is a feeling of significant change being on the horizon. Although a series-levelling win could buy key figures some time, (despite papering over cracks being dangerous) it is not inconceivable that a series loss will see the end of MS Dhoni as captain, the end of Sachin Tendulkar and the end of Duncan Fletcher as coach. That ‘perfect storm’ scenario is unlikely, but even the fact it warrants discussion highlights India’s predicament.As has been the case ahead of each Test in this series, the pitch has been the focus of much attention although, sadly for comedic effect, there hasn’t been the sight of a groundsman being in the middle of a row. What do India think is best? England have shown over the last two matches that they are comfortable on a variety of surfaces. It was the slowest, lowest, pitch of series, in Ahmedabad, that caused them most problems.It’s a sign of the problems England have had in 2012 that defeat in this Test would make it the most losses they have suffered in a calendar year. However, some big lessons have been learned and there is a sense that the team is back on track. Finishing with a series win in India would be substantial proof of that.Form guide (Last five matches, most recent first)
India LLWWW
England WWLLDWatch out for…Test match No. 194 for Sachin Tendulkar. Could it be his last? Nobody knows what he is thinking about the future, but his powers are waning. There is a series against Australia next year, so maybe that will be time when he goes, but sooner rather than later the day will come for India. Does it need to be dragged out to a bitter end? This is not to say he can’t score runs – he fought doggedly for his 76 in Kolkata – but this is not the Sachin Tendulkar who has entertained the world for more than two decades.James Anderson produced one his finest overseas performances in Kolkata and even three wickets in each innings did not do justice to the skill he showed. He may well need a similar return in Nagpur and it is looking as though he’ll have an even greater burden on his shoulders after the emergence of Steven Finn’s injury. There is also the opportunity for one last duel with Tendulkar. The pair will not meet again at Test level.Team newsThere will be at least two changes for India after Zaheer Khan and Yuvraj Singh were dropped, but such is the state of chaos around the team it is not clear which way they’ll go. It might be back to three frontline spinners, meaning a recall for Piyush Chawla, and Ajinkya Rahane, who averages 63.35 in first-class cricket, could debut at No. 6. The other options include Ravindra Jadeja as an allrounder at No. 6 with a balanced attack. Ashok Dinda and Parvinder Awana were both playing Ranji Trophy until yesterday so have not had much time with the squad.India (possible) 1 Gautam Gambhir, 2 Virender Sehwag, 3 Cheteshwar Pujara, 4 Sachin Tendulkar, 5 Virat Kohli, 6 Ajinkya Rahane, 7 MS Dhoni (capt & wk), 8 R Ashwin, 9 Piyush Chawla, 10 Ishant Sharma, 11 Pragyan OjhaEngland have been hit by a significant blow with Finn suffering a back injury, which makes him very doubtful. Stuart Broad is ruled out, so Tim Bresnan appears favourite to replace him, despite a poor year in Test cricket, although Graham Onions would also have a strong case. There are suggestions that Samit Patel’s spot at No. 6 could go to Jonny Bairstow. Patel has not looked out of his depth, despite not converting starts into a substantial score, and it would be a harsh omission.England (probable) 1 Alastair Cook (capt), 2 Nick Compton, 3 Jonathan Trott, 4 Kevin Pietersen, 5 Ian Bell, 6 Samit Patel, 7 Matt Prior (wk), 8 Tim Bresnan, 9 Graeme Swann, 10 James Anderson, 11 Monty PanesarPitch and conditions”White and dry,” was the basic description of the pitch on the eve of the Test. It had not been watered for two days so it will spin, the question is how much and how soon. The weather won’t be an issue with daytime temperatures in the low 30s.Stats and trivia If Alastair Cook has another successful Test he could rise to the No. 1 batsman in Test cricket. England have not had the top-ranked batsman since Michael Vaughan in 2003. Only three England batsmen have scored four hundreds in a series – Herbert Sutcliffe (twice), Wally Hammond and Denis Compton Jason Krejza, the Australia offspinner, made his memorable (for right and wrong reasons) debut on this ground in 2008 ending with match figures of 12 for 358. Two years later, Dale Steyn took 7 for 51 after finding considerable reverse swing.Quotes”We have kept it really close, and the good thing is we are enjoying cricket, which at times you don’t tend to do when you go through a rough patch. When it comes to dressing-room atmosphere, it’s looking great.”
“Everyone knows how important this game is, but as a player you’ve got to take that emotion out of it. We’ve got to continue on the same path. We know how hard we’ve worked over these last couple of games, and we’ve got to do it again.”