Sri Lanka ready to host Champions Trophy

With the International Cricket Council finding it tough to convince apprehensive cricketers on touring Pakistan for next month's Champions Trophy, Sri Lanka on Friday said it is ready to hold the tournament even at a short notice.

"We are ready to hold the Champions Trophy as we are the alternate venue for the tournament," Sri Lanka Cricket Chief Executive Duleep Mendis said.
Sri Lanka Cricket officials feel that all the grounds are in good condition as the Indian cricket tour is currently taking place.

source: www.rediff.com

Zaheer Khan helps India pull level

Dambulla: Inspired by a game-breaking spell from Zaheer Khan, India clinched a low-scoring contest here at the Rangiri Dambulla Stadium on Wednesday, evening the five-match series at 1-1 — an eventuality that had appeared remote after Sri Lanka’s overwhelming win in the first ODI.
After M.S. Dhoni won the toss, Zaheer extracted Sri Lanka’s three best batsmen — Kumar Sangakkara, Mahela Jayawardene and Sanath Jayasuriya — to help India bowl the host out for 142 in 38.3 overs.
The left-armer, who finished with four wickets for 21 runs, was well supported by his new-ball partner, Praveen Kumar, who scalped three.In trouble
The chase of 143 appeared in the brambles, when Nuwan Kulasekara removed Irfan Pathan, opening in place of Gautam Gambhir (stiff neck), and Suresh Raina before the lunch break, and again when Thilan Thushara’s double strike left India on 75 for five.
The men who stepped up were Virat Kohli, Dhoni and debutant S. Badrinath. Kohli’s 37 was a fighter’s innings, not always pretty or technically assured, but combative as a bulldog. His partnerships of 36 with Yuvraj Singh and 23 with Dhoni, while not substantial, nudged India closer.
The 19-year-old Kohli handled Mendis positively, thinking little of crashing the mystery spinner through the off-side or slog-sweeping him over mid-wicket.
But Kohli drove lazily to cover and Rohit Sharma got his front foot too far across, as left-armer Thushara — brought on to switch Mendis and Muttiah Muralitharan around — rocked India.Coming good
Dhoni, who promoted himself, and Badrinath, who has done everything asked of him — and then some — before national selection, set about chipping away at the runs needed.
The pair hared between the wickets, judging their ones and twos adeptly. Dhoni’s show of responsibility, while admirable, was expected; he has nervelessly controlled several chases in his young career.
Badrinath was a revelation: his exploits at the domestic level and on ‘A’ tours have been impressive, but never before will he have faced the intense pressure of an international razor-edge chase or the unique challenges posed by Mendis and Murali.
The sixth-wicket partnership of 60 brought India to within eight runs of victory. But Dhoni (39) was bowled off the inside edge when Dilhara Fernando found some reverse swing, and it was left to Badrinath to guide the tail through. Mendis spread panic when he trapped Harbhajan in front, but Zaheer applied himself, and capped a remarkable day.Touch of magic
India needed a touch of magic to begin things, particularly after Monday’s mauling, and Zaheer provided just that. Through a spell of controlled, first-rate seam bowling, the left-armer tore the heart out of Sri Lanka’s batting.
The ball that started it was a rip-snorter, flawless in length, and cutting into the left-handed Sangakkara at pace to hit the off-stump.
Impeccable deliveries slanted across the right-hander accounted for Jayawardene and Kapugedera, procuring edges to first slip and wicketkeeper Dhoni respectively.
Praveen chipped in with Chamara Silva’s wicket, getting one to bounce on the right-hander. Jayasuriya and Tillakaratne Dilshan attempted to steady the pitching ship — with Sri Lanka at 11 for four — but Zaheer cranked one through Jayasuriya’s defensive hop, striking the left-hander’s pad, and half the home side had been returned to the pavilion in fewer than 14 overs.
When Badrinath ran in from square-leg to complete a splendid catch diving forward, ridding India of the dangerous Dilshan, Dhoni’s men had Sri Lanka on the mat at 44 for six.Fight-back
But here occurred one of those curious things that that seem to happen often in cricket. The side on top let up just a bit, the one pinned discovered the virtue of common sense, and a fight-back was on.
Kulasekara and Thushara were the men who made the most of India’s generosity, although it must be said that the touring side had its share of ill-luck, some of it its own making. Dhoni has excellent instincts as a leader, but why he fancied Yuvraj’s left-arm slows for two overs — to open fields — one will never know.
Kulasekara, on eight, was caught plumb in front by a Munaf off-cutter, but umpire Gamini Silva turned the appeal down, leading to the seamer venting his frustration.
On 13, the right-hander edged Harbhajan to Rohit Sharma’s right at slip; the one-handed grab wasn’t sufficient.
The left-handed Thushara was impressive, lofting the quicker bowlers over the in-field and back-cutting Harbhajan for a fine 44.
Praveen broke the 74-run stand, feeding each partner a slower ball.
Thushara dragged the off-spinner to deep mid-wicket; Kulasekara shovelled the back-spun delivery to short mid-wicket.
India had some trouble shifting the last two wickets before Harbhajan, who had limped off after catching Mendis off his doosra, returned to dismiss Fernando.
SCOREBOARD

Sri Lanka: S. Jayasuriya lbw b Zaheer 13, K. Sangakkara b Zaheer 2, M. Jayawardene c Yuvraj b Zaheer 2, C. Kapugedera c Dhoni b Zaheer 0, C. Silva c Kohli b Praveen 0, T. Dilshan c Badrinath b Pathan 16, N. Kulasekara c Badrinath b Praveen 25, T. Thushara c Kohli b Praveen 44, A. Mendis c & b Harbhajan 0, D. Fernando c Kohli b Harbhajan 12, M. Muralitharan (not out) 11; Extras (lb-6, w-11): 17. Total (in 38.3 overs): 142.
Fall of wickets: 1-4 (Sangakkara), 2-10 (Jayawardene), 3-10 (Kapugedera), 4-11 (Silva), 5-33 (Jayasuriya), 6-44 (Dilshan), 7-118 (Thushara), 8-118 (Kulasekara), 9-122 (Mendis).
PP1 (1-10): 14/4; PP2 (11-15): 24/1; PP3 (16-20): 10/1.
India bowling: Praveen 10-2-34-3, Zaheer 9.5-3-21-4, Munaf 6-1-24-0, Pathan 5-0-21-1, Harbhajan 5.4-0-26-2, Yuvraj 2-0-10-0.

India: I. Pathan c Sangakkara b Kulasekara 5, V. Kohli c Kapugedera b Thushara 37, S. Raina lbw b Kulasekara 1, Yuvraj lbw b Mendis 20, M.S. Dhoni b Fernando 39, Rohit lbw b Thushara 0, S. Badrinath (not out) 27, Harbhajan lbw b Mendis 1, Zaheer (not out) 2, Extras (b-3, lb-4, nb-2, w-2): 11. Total (for seven wickets in 39.4 overs): 143.
Fall of wickets: 1-8 (Pathan), 2-16 (Raina), 3-52 (Yuvraj), 4-75 (Kohli), 5-75 (Rohit), 6-135 (Dhoni), 7-139 (Harbhajan).
PP1 (1-10): 29/2; PP2 (11-15): 25/1; PP3 (16-20): 21/2.
Sri Lanka bowling: Kulasekara 9-2-26-2, Thushara 7-1-32-2, Mendis 10-1-22-2, Fernando 5-0-25-1, Muralitharan 8.4-0-31-0.

source: http://www.hindu.com/2008/08/21/stories/2008082151152000.htm

Jamaica's Bolt gets gold, breaks record

A sprint double was all too predictable. To make the Olympics absolutely special, Usain Bolt added a world record double Wednesday by winning the gold medal in the 200 meters.Already well ahead coming off a tight bend that was supposed to be his only challenge, the Jamaican didn't coast for the first time in the games and bettered the world record of Michael Johnson one that even the track great considered still out of reach.With his time of 19.30 seconds, he sliced .02 off the mark dating to the 1996 Atlanta Games. And, incredibly, he cut his personal best by a massive .37."I'm shocked. I am still shocked," Bolt said. "I have been aspiring to the world record for so long."On the eve of his 22nd birthday, one full of historic hyperbole, Bolt won by the biggest margin since the 200 came on the Olympic scene 108 years ago. In a sport dominated by hundreds of seconds, he beat the field by two-thirds of a second."Everything came together tonight and I just blew my mind and blew the world's mind," he said.All too far behind him, defending champion Shawn Crawford went from fourth to taking silver in 19.96 after both Churandy Martina of the Netherlands Antilles, the original runner-up, and Wallace Spearmon were disqualified for running out their lane. A second American, Walter Dix, got bronze.Never letting up, Bolt dipped at the finish line and once he saw the record was gone, he fell to the track, his giant legs and arms pointing every which way."He is Superman 2," Johnson said on the BBC said after he saw his record fall.No way, said Bolt."I'm Lightning Bolt. I'm not Flash Gordon or anybody," he said. "My name is Lightning Bolt."If swimming had Michael Phelps, track has Usain Bolt and the games are so much the better for it.And on another sultry evening where nothing seems to go wrong for the overpowering Jamaicans, Melaine Walker beat Sheena Tosta of the United States in an Olympic record of 52.64 seconds to win the 400 hurdles.When the reggae blared again, it was clear it had become the theme song of the Bird's Nest."I am glad to know he is from Jamaica and that he is supernatural," Walker said of Bolt.In another final which turned into a one-man show, Bolt was his showboating best again. It turned him into the first man ever to break the world marks in both sprints at an Olympics. Not even Carl Lewis or Jesse Owens could do that.No one could blame him for the hot-dogging dances after such a performance.All from a man that was a virtual unknown outside his Caribbean island nation ahead of this season.He had coasted to a world record of 9.69 in the 100 on Saturday but had promised to keep on running this time, knowing Johnson's record was one of the most exalted in the sport.But nothing is beyond this dangly carefree Jamaican despite an Olympic diet of chicken nuggets.Less than an hour before his oversized performance, he was fooling and frolicking with his coach in the stadium tunnel, all grins and banter. While others pump themselves up with screams of encouragement, slapping their faces to get the adrenaline going, there is nothing like a joke for Bolt.Playing to crowd, he was smoothing his closely cropped pate, wiped those imaginary drops of tension from his brow before beating his yellow shirt again, and ready he was.It was unlike anything seen in the sport."He got an incredible start. I just went 'Wow,'" said Johnson, a man known for his calm composure. "It was a much more amazing start than he got in the 100 meters and then his turn was just absolutely fabulous."Starting in lane 4, he always had a good view of American rivals Walter Dix and Wallace Spearmon in the outside lanes. Crawford was just inside the towering Jamaican. It was all irrelevant.With the 4x100 relays coming up over the weekend, the Jamaican could become the most successful track athlete of the games.In the battle for sprint supremacy it was Jamaica 3, United States 0. And the Jamaican women were ready to make it worse on Thursday in the 200.Defending champion Veronica Campbell-Brown and Kerron Stewart had the fastest times in qualifying for the final, ahead of their U.S. rivals Muna Lee and two-time world champion Allyson Felix.In the absence of injured hurdler Liu Xiang, China got an unexpected chance to cheer when Zhang Wenxiu won bronze in the hammer throw behind champion Aksana Miankova of Belarus and Yipsi Moreno of Cuba.Looking for a long-distance double, 10,000 champion Kenenisa Bekele easily advanced into Saturday's final of the 5,000, letting his U.S. rival Bernard Lagat take the third heat.Surprisingly, Bahrain's Rachid Ramzi, who won the 1,500, passed on his chance for a double and was a nonstarter in the race.With Liu injured, chief rival Dayron Robles continued his smooth way toward gold, clearing the hurdles with aplomb to qualify in 13.12 seconds. He was joined by U.S. rivals David Oliver and David Payne.With Bolt the undisputed hero, Lyudmila Blonska could well become track's villain of the games if a doping violation is confirmed Thursday.The International Olympic Committee said Wednesday that the heptathlon silver medalist, who finished second to Ukrainian teammate Nataliia Dobrynska on Saturday, was under investigation.If confirmed, Blonska would become a repeat offender and kicked out of the sport forever. The 30-year-old Ukrainian served a doping suspension for the steroid Stanozolol between 2003-05.

Source: http://www.ndtv.com/convergence/ndtv/showsports.aspx?id=SPOEN20080062343&ch=8/20/2008 11:54:00 PM#

3 medals for India, at least bronze for Vijender

Boxer Vijender Singh ensured another medal for India at the Beijing Olympics when he outpunched Carlos Gongora of Ecuador in the quarterfinal of the 75kg category bout on Wednesday.With this victory, he is now assured of at least a bronze medal.The Bhiwani pugilist, one of India's best medal hopes, was ahead in all the four rounds and clinched the bout 9-4. The Ecuadorean had no answer to his rival's flurry of punches and trailed 1-4 in the second round.Vijender made the difference with his left-hand jabs and crucial uppercuts to which Carlos had no answer.With the score reading 7-2 in favour of Vijender after the penultimate round, the Ecuadorean needed to go all out in the fourth and final round. He did manage to close the gap but Vijender's evading tactics and excellent footwork won him the bout.

Source: http://www.ndtv.com/convergence/ndtv/showsports.aspx?id=SPOEN20080062328&ch=8/20/2008%207:17:00%20PM#

Ronaldo commits to Manchester United

August 07, 2008 ,Portugal winger Cristiano Ronaldo said he will stay at Manchester United next season and is not about to join Real Madrid, Portuguese media reported on Wednesday.
"[United manager Alex] Ferguson heard my arguments and I heard his and between the two of us we decided that the best thing for both parties was that I should stay at Manchester United next season," Ronaldo was quoted as saying by Portugal's LUSA news agency.
LUSA said the quotes are from an interview with the player due to be published in Portuguese daily Publico on Thursday.
The comments were welcomed by United, who said "Ronaldo remains a Red" and "Cristiano Ronaldo is going nowhere" on their website, adding Ferguson's delighted reaction.
"We always knew this was the case," Ferguson told MUTV. "He's very happy here -- he's always been happy here.
"He's never had a complaint about Manchester United. He's always been treated properly and I have a great relationship with the boy, as do all the players.
"I think we can put this to bed now. It's finished. The boy's a United player and that's what's important."
Ronaldo, who is currently recovering from ankle surgery, added that he wants to quash any speculation that he would be staying at United against his will.
"Before any rumours emerge that I'm unhappy to stay at United I want to make one thing clear and that is that anyone who says that is lying," he was quoted as saying.
BODY AND SOUL
"I will give my body and soul to Manchester United. I will be fighting to honour this shirt with the determination and dedication I have always shown."
The 23-year-old, who won a Premier League and Champions League double last season with United, blamed himself rather than Real Madrid for the speculation over his future.
"I want to make it clear that I was the one responsible for this controversy. The directors of Real Madrid are not to blame because it was me who publicly voiced my willingness to sign for Real. I also ended up involuntarily being the reason for the conflict between the two clubs."
Ronaldo, who last year signed a five-year contract with the champions, said he had been interested in the move.
"I knew Real Madrid were interested and had allegedly made a high offer to United," he said. "For a while my intention was that United should accept to transfer me to Real and to say anything else would be to deceive people and my own conscience."
Ferguson was sympathetic to Ronaldo's response to the interest from Real.
"The fans have got to understand it's very hard when a young boy's tempted by all this money," said the Scot.
"He's a young lad from Madeira and his father died a young man. Cristiano now looks after his mother, sister and his brother, so I can understand that [money may have been tempting]."
Real president Ramon Calderon hinted on Tuesday that the long-running saga had come to an end.
Calderon said the Primera Liga club's new Dutch signing Rafael van der Vaart was "the first and almost certainly the last signing we will make this season".
The saga had been partly fuelled by comments from Ronaldo, who said during Euro 2008 [Images]: "The possibilities [of going to Real] are big but it doesn't depend on me.
A hugely valuable player for United, Ronaldo scored 42 goals last season and was named England's [Images] Footballer of the Year for a second successive time.
Publico said on its website that Ronaldo had decided to stay at United and that the full interview would be published on Thursday but did not give any direct quotes.

Source: www.rediff.com

Ishant rested for Sri Lanka ODIs

Ishant Sharma has been rested for the five one-dayers against Sri Lanka to keep him fresh and fit for the Champions Trophy and the tests against Australia in October. Munaf Patel has been named as his replacement but will be replaced by Ishant Sharma for the Champions Trophy.Mahendra Singh Dhoni will return to the squad but Parthiv Patel has been included the 16-man contingent. Parthiv Patel, however will be left out of the 15-man Champions Trophy squad.Yusuf Pathan along with Robin Uthappa have been overlooked as Sachin Tendulkar, Zaheer Khan and Harbhajan Singh make their way into the squad.Sreesanth is still nursing his injury and was not considerd while U-19 captain Virat Kohli was the surprise inclusion.

India team for Sri Lanka ODIs: Mahendra Singh Dhoni (C), Yuvraj Singh (VC), Sachin Tendulkar, Virender Sehwag, Gautam Gambhir, Rohit Sharma, Suresh Raina, Parthiv Patel, Harbhajan Singh, Irfan Pathan, Zaheer Khan, Virat Kohli, Pragyan Ojha, Praveen Kumar, RP Singh and Munaf Patel.

Champions Trophy squad: Mahendra Singh Dhoni (C), Yuvraj Singh (VC), Sachin Tendulkar, Virender Sehwag, Gautam Gambhir, Rohit Sharma, Suresh Raina, Harbhajan Singh, Ishant Sharma, Irfan Pathan, Zaheer Khan, Virat Kohli, Pragyan Ojha, Praveen Kumar, RP Singh

Smith joins calls for Twenty20 to be in Olympics

South Africa captain Graeme Smith became Wednesday the latest leading cricketer to say he was in favour of Twenty20 cricket becoming an Olympic sport. Opening batsman Smith, asked his view at a press conference ahead of the fourth Test against England at the Oval, backed the call of former Australian star Adam Gilchrist for the 20-overs game to be part of the Games from 2020. "From a player's perspective it would obviously be a fantastic thing to be part of an Olympic Games," said Smith. "We've always just watched from the side and seen how special the event is. "Twenty20 offers the opportunity (for cricket) to become an Olympic event. It's not only going to grow the game around the world but it will be nice for us as players to be part of a special event." Smith's comments followed those of Pakistan captain Shoaib Malik, who said: "I myself would like to play cricket in the Olympics and join the mega event of the sports world." Sri Lanka star Kumar Sangakkara was equally enthusiastic. "The Olympic Games would provide the perfect platform to showcase the game to a larger audience, drawing in new fans and helping drive cricket development in emerging cricket countries," he said. "From a player's perspective, the privilege of competing at an Olympics would undoubtedly be a highlight of your career." Other players who have publicly supported Gilchrist's stance include former international captains Stephen Waugh (Australia), Stephen Fleming (New Zealand) and India's Sourav Ganguly. Cricket was part of the Olympics just once, in 1900, but last year it was recognised as an Olympic sport -- the first step towards full admission to the Games.

source: www.circbuzz.com

Captaincy won't change my style: Pietersen

New England captain Kevin Pietersen said Monday that he wanted to take his "instinct" approach as a batsman into his new role as leader of the team. Pietersen, 28, was announced as England's Test and one-day captain, starting with the fourth and final Test against South Africa at the Oval from Thursday. He said he did not believe the captaincy would affect the way he played. "Time will tell. I hope it won't. It's a way I've been successful with so far in my career and something I want to try and keep at a real high level." Asked what style he would bring to the captaincy, Pietersen said: "The way I play is very gut instinct orientated and I like to do things spontaneously. I like to do what I feel is right in a situation. "I think over the years I've played cricket I've gained a good cricket brain. My gut instinct when I've been batting for England has assisted me tremendously. It's a brand new challenge for me and I love challenges." He said he would captain England "with a smile on my face". Pietersen paid tribute to Michael Vaughan, who resigned Sunday, and said he had "huge boots to try and fill. Michael was a great leader and a great friend." He believed that Vaughan remained a great batsman and that after he had taken some time off he would go back to county cricket for Yorkshire and win back a place in the England team. He said the invitation to captain England had turned his life around. He said he accepted the job after speaking to his wife Jessica and his parents in South Africa. "You could see how emotional Michael was when he spoke about his family and it's an emotional decision," said Pietersen, who said he had a good meeting with coach Peter Moores on Sunday. "He likes to challenge us on a daily basis. There are a lot of strong characters in the dressing room and a lot of opinionated people. I sat down with Peter and we had a real good discussion about how we want to take this team forward. I think my position from a player to a captain is totally different and we need to unite and to get on the same hymn sheet." He said he would lean on people like Vaughan. "I will always respect what happened in the past and I will always ask for advice. I'm fresh into this and I will need some help. One of the most exciting things is that I have had text messages and phone calls from senior members in the squad who have said they are right behind me." Chairman of selectors Geoff Miller confirmed that uniting the Test and one-day captaincy was something he had wanted to achieve. Paul Collingwood resigned from the one-day captaincy Sunday. Miller announced only one change in England's 13-man squad for the final Test against South Africa, with batsman Ravi Bopara replacing Vaughan, which he said was a sign that there was no panic from the selectors with England trailing the four-match series 2-0. He said the selectors had not contemplated a change of captaincy before Vaughan's resignation. Nottinghamshire batsman Samit Patel is the only uncapped player in a 15-man squad for a Twenty20 international and five one-day internationals against South Africa. Wicketkeeper Matt Prior has been recalled. Pietersen was quoted recently as expressing doubts about travelling to Pakistan for the Champions Trophy next month. He has also been linked with the Indian Premier League Twenty20 competition. Asked how the captaincy would affect his participation, he said: "I haven't even thought that far ahead. My concern this week is about how we can salvage pride from this series." Pietersen was born and raised in South Africa and played for the Natal provincial team as an off-spin bowler and hard-hitting lower order batsman. Disenchanted with South Africa's racial quota system he joined Nottinghamshire in 2001, where he quickly established himself as a top order batsman. Entitled to a British passport through his English-born mother, he qualified for England in September 2004 and was almost immediately picked for England's one-day side for a series in Zimbabwe. He made such an impact there that he was drafted into the squad for a one-day series in South Africa and despite being jeered by the local crowds he made three centuries in seven matches to announce himself as a player of quality and big-match temperament. He made his Test debut against Australia in 2005 and played a major role in England's winning of the Ashes, notably with his innings of 158 in the final Test at the Oval. Despite being criticised for sometimes being too aggressive and impetuous he has hit 13 centuries in his 42 Test matches and has an average of 50.36, placing himself in the top bracket of international players. Pietersen holed out to long-on when he was on 94 in the third Test at Edgbaston last week. Asked whether he might have played differently if he had been captain, he said: "Hopefully I am going to bat exactly the same way. The way Colly (Paul Collingwood) and I played is exactly the way you need to play against South Africa and against Australia. You have to be positive and aggressive." England squads: Fourth Test against South Africa: Kevin Pietersen (captain), Tim Ambrose, James Anderson, Ian Bell, Ravi Bopara, Stuart Broad, Paul Collingwood, Alastair Cook, Andrew Flintoff, Steve Harmison, Monty Panesar, Ryan Sidebottom, Andrew Strauss. Twenty20 international and one-day series: Pietersen (captain), Anderson, Bell, Bopara, Broad, Collingwood, Cook, Flintoff, Samit Patel, Matt Prior, Owais Shah, Sidebottom, Graeme Swann, Chris Tremlett, Luke Wright.

Source: www.circbuzz.com

Dhoni to be conferred Khel Ratna

India's one-day and Twenty20 captain Mahendra Singh Dhoni was on Monday chosen for Rajiv Gandhi Khel Ratna award, the country's highest honour for a sportsperson. An expert committee, chaired by Milkha Singh met on Monday to discuss the nominees and decided to confer the award on Dhoni for leading India to the Twenty20 World Cup triumph. It makes him only the second cricketer after Sachin Tendulkar to get the honour. Sources in the Sports Ministry, however, informed that an official announcement will follow only after August 20. The Board of Control for Cricket in India's Chief Administrative Officer Ratnakar Shetty hailed the decision. "On two occasions we felt let down, when Rahul Dravid [Images] didn't get Khel Ratna and Yuvraj (Singh) was denied the Arjuna. "Dravid was in good form, we had won 16 ODIs on the trot and the team was on a high -- still he did not get the award. "Yuvraj too was unlucky not to get Arjuna after two years of consistent performance. We are happy Dhoni got it," he told Times Now channel. Shetty said what impressed him most about Dhoni was the way he conducted himself. "What I like most about 'Mahi', apart from his cricket, is the way he leads. He is a cool customer and never gets agitated. I'm also impressed by his clarity of thought. He speaks his mind even if it may not be seen in the right sense," he added.

Source: www.circbuzz.com

Kumble hails 'resilient' Team India for super show

Galle, Aug 3 (PTI) Having bounced back in the Test series through an all-round performance, Indian skipper Anil Kumble today said he never doubted the 'resilience ' of his teammates and asserted that his team had prepared well for the series.Indian today mauled Sri Lanka by 170-runs in the second Test to square the series 1-1, having lost the first Test in Colombo."The way we have come back after four days it is really amazing and I am really proud of the fact that we have this group of players who have shown so much of resilience. Not just once but time and time again. So there is quality. So there is absolutely no doubt," Kumble said at the post-match press conference."We have done that in the past and this team has been through ups and downs. It (team) has fair amount of experience and quality. So there is absolutely no doubt that we will regroup and come back hard and I am really proud the way we played in this test match." Kumble was extremely happy with his opening pairway India's spin-pace attack responded to the SOS call."The opening partnership in both innings (was crucial). Veeru getting 200 in the first innings and Gautam getting us off to a fantastic start in both the innings was very important. The way Harbhajan bowled in both the innings, the way Ishant and Zaheer bowled in the second innings was really amazing." PTI