Desperate Mumbai face Guyana in must-win game

Stunned by two back-to-back defeats, Sachin Tendulkar-led Mumbai Indians will be desperate to find their winning ways when they take on a low-profile Guyana in a Champions League Group B match here on Thursday.

The IPL runner-up side had a forgettable start in the show-piece event as they first went down to Lions by just nine runs in the tournament-opener and then fell prey to South Australia, who comprehensively beat them by five wickets on Tuesday.

The two consecutive defeats has put the Mumbai team on the brink of an early elimination and it will now need an inspired effort from Tendulkar and his men to bounce back.

Their performance have only showed a downward graph and although Tendulkar tried his best to lead from the front, he is yet to instill the confidence among his teammates.

After a breezy 62-ball 69 in the first match, Tendulkar failed to deliver yesterday while the so-called strong batting order of Mumbai failed to provide much resistance against the South Australia attack.

lthough Guyana bowling department does not have any big names, Mumbai batting order, including South African J P Duminy and hard-hitting West Indian Kieron Pollard, have to show more consistency tomorrow and in their coming encounters as well.

Young batsman Sourav Tiwary cracked a brilliant 44 off 36 balls on Tuesday and the team would expect another good knock from the talented Jharkhand guy on Thursday.

In bowling department Mumbai's new-ball pair of Zaheer Khan and Sri Lankan Lasith Malinga have to live upto expectation.

Zaheer scalped one wicket in the last match but was too expensive, while his India teammate and seasoned off-spinner Harbhajan Singh also proved quite ineffective against South Australia.

Guyana have also lost their campaign-opener to another IPL side Royal Challenger Bangalore by nine wickets and will find Mumbai Indians a tough nut to crack.

Skipper Ramnaresh Sarwan is the only big name in their batting line-up which somehow managed to cross 100-run mark against RCB's mighty bowling attack.

But Mumbai is unlikely to take the West Indian side lightly because the players like Christopher Barnwell, who helped Guyana to cross 100-run mark with a 54-ball 30, and Sewnarine Chattergoon are capable of changing the equation of any match just in a few overs.

But support from the lower-middle order including Esuan Crandon, Jonathan Foo and Derwin Christian will also play crucial role.

http://www.indianexpress.com

Gritty Sri Lanka leave India a mountain to climb Read more: Gritty Sri Lanka leave India a mountain to climb - Top stories - India tour of Sri Lanka

COLOMBO: India's renowned batsmen were handed a stern challenge to secure a series-levelling win in the final Test after Sri Lanka fought hard with both bat and ball on Friday.

India, set a victory target of 257, ended the rousing fourth day's play on 53/3 in their second innings, following a triple strike by lanky off-spinner Suraj Randiv.

Randiv, sharing the new ball with Lasith Malinga, had in-form Virender Sehwag caught in the slips in his first over and later bowled Rahul Dravid off the inside edge for seven.

He then dismissed opener Murali Vijay for 27 to a disputed catch at short-leg by Mahela Jayawardene, which was referred to the television umpire before the batsman was ruled out.

Sachin Tendulkar, the world's leading run-getter playing a record 169th Test match, kept India's hopes alive with a watchful unbeaten 11.

Nightwatchman Ishant Sharma was on two, with India needing 204 more runs on the final day with seven wickets in hand.

Sri Lanka made 267 in their second innings after a spectacular century partnership for the ninth wicket between Thilan Samaraweera and Ajantha Mendis.

India's spinners had sparked a dramatic collapse in the morning session as five wickets fell for 24 runs to reduce the hosts to 87/7 in an hour's play.

But the last three wickets added 180 runs to frustrate the Indians as Samaraweera followed his century in the first innings with a fighting 83 in the company of tailenders.

Samaraweera added 38 runs for the eighth wicket with Lasith Malinga (15) and Sri Lanka's record ninth-wicket stand of 118 with Mendis (78).

The duo flayed the Indian attack for two hours and 32 minutes before India broke the partnership in the first over with the second new ball.

Samaraweera attempted to pull a short ball from Abhimanyu Mithun and gloved a catch to Indian captain Mahendra Dhoni behind the stumps.

Mendis, who hit 10 boundaries and a six in his maiden half-century, scored 20 runs in the company of last man Chanaka Welegedara before being held in the covers off Amit Mishra.

India's three spinners, Pragyan Ojha, Mishra and Sehwag, claimed three wickets each on a pitch that support turn and bounce to the bowlers.

Sri Lanka added 18 runs to their overnight score of 45/2 when Ojha trapped nightwatchman Randiv leg-before for six, one ball after Dhoni dropped a simple catch behind the stumps.

Ojha then dealt two deadly blows in successive overs, getting rid of Sri Lanka's batting mainstays, Mahela Jayawardene and skipper Kumar Sangakkara.

Jayawardene edged a sharp turning ball to Rahul Dravid in the slips after making five, while Sangakkara (28) pulled a short delivery to Suresh Raina at square-leg.

It was the Sri Lankan captain's first failure in the series after making 103 in the first Test, 219 and 42 not out in the second and 75 in the first innings of this match.

Mishra, who was hammered for 1-140 in the first innings, then claimed two wickets with consecutive deliveries to reduce the hosts to 87/7.

Angelo Mathews hit a full-toss to Tendulkar at mid-wicket, while Prasanna Jayawardene was out leg-before off the next ball.

Malinga denied Mishra a hat-trick and partnered Samaraweera in the rescue act, before he was leg-before to Sehwag before lunch.
TOI

Sachin Tendulkar mounts peak 30K

NEW DELHI: After completing 17,000 runs in the 50-over format of the game, Sachin Tendulkar achieved another milestone by completing 30,000 runsSachin Tendulkar mounts peak 30K in his international career during the first Test against Sri Lanka at Sardar Patel stadium in Ahmedabad.

Master Blaster Sachin became the first batsman to complete 30,000 international runs when he scored his 35th run in the second innings against Sri Lanka on the fifth and final day of the first Test.

He has so far played 160 Tests, 436 ODIs and a lone Twenty20 scoring 87 international hundreds and 145 fifties in all.

Tendulkar touched the magical 17,000-run mark in One-Day International cricket earlier in this month. Sanath Jayasuriya is second on the list with 13,377 runs followed by Aussie captain Ricky Ponting who has a lot of catching up to do.

Sachin has scored 17178 runs in One-dayers thus far. The Indian batting legend has 45 One-day hundreds and 91 ODI fifties under his belt. The veteran batsman has scored 42 hundreds and 54 half centuries in the Test format of the game.

The diminutive Mumbaikar, who made his ODI debut Pakistan in 1989, is already way ahead of his contemporaries when it comes to accumulating runs.

TOI

Ganguly included for first two tests

The new selection committee, led by Kris Srikkanth has included Sourav Ganguly for the first two tests against Australia.Saurav Ganguly's inclusion has come as a surprise after he was left out of the Rest of India squad for the Irani Trophy.It is understood that the selectors want to give the Bengal left-hander an honourable exit from the game and that Ganguly will retire after the Australia series as part of a transition plan.Another surprise inclusion is Delhi's 25 year-old leg spinner Amit Mishra, who pipped favourites Pragyan Ojha and Murali Karthik to take the third spinner's slot.The last batsman's slot was handed to S. Badrinath, who had a remarkable domestic season, ending as the second highest run getter in the Ranji trophy.Munaf Patel and RP Singh are the other two pacemen in the squad but are likely to play if either of Ishant Sharma or Zaheer Khan gets injured.The selectors chose not to name any back-up openers or wicket-keepers.India squad: Anil Kumble (c), Virender Sehwag, Gautam Gambhir, Rahul Dravid, Sachin Tendulkar, VVS Laxman, Saurav Ganguly, MS Dhoni, Harbhajan Singh, Zaheer Khan, Ishant Sharma, S Badrinath, Amit Mishra, Munaf Patel, RP Singh.

Source: www.cricbuzz.com

Aussies plan to delay Tendulkar record bid

Australia skipper Ricky Ponting said Tuesday his team will try their best to make Indian batsman Sachin Tendulkar struggle for his world record in the upcoming Test series. Tendulkar needs just 77 runs to beat retired West Indies captain Brian Lara's landmark of 11,953 and is expected to reach the milestone in the four-Test series beginning in Bangalore on October 9. "I don't have too many great memories of him because he tends to score heavily against us," Ponting said. "I have the highest regard for him. He is a true champion, one of the all-time greats, and reaching this milestone would be a great reward for him. "But we are here to win and know pretty well that we have to dismiss him early if we are to win here. We have come here with a few plans for him and hope our plans click." Tendulkar, who has averaged 56 against Australia in 25 Tests, already holds three world records -- the highest number of runs in one-day internationals (16,361) and most centuries in Tests (39) and one-dayers (42). Key Australian paceman Brett Lee said he had been looking forward to bowling to one of the great batsmen. "He is a world-class player who has proved himself over more than a decade," said Lee. "You talk about Don Bradman, Lara, Sachin and probably Ricky. It is an honour to bowl to Sachin and getting his wicket is the ultimate prize." Australian fast bowler Mitchell Johnson said it was always a challenge to bowl to Tendulkar. "I don't want to make any prediction but I can say it is going to be a great challenge (to bowl to him)," said Johnson. Tendulkar said Monday he was not focusing on the world record but on the team's performance. "I just have to go and play my best. Records will come if you keep playing well. My mind is not on the 77 runs and it is not as if I can relax after getting these runs," he said. "For the four Tests against Australia the team has some targets and I am more focused on those." Tendulkar was recently declared fit for the Australia Tests after missing the one-day series in Sri Lanka last month due to an elbow injury. Australia play their only practice game before the series here from October 2. The Bangalore Test will be followed by back-to-back matches in Mohali, New Delhi and Nagpur.

source: www.cricbuzz.com

Tendulkar says Australia now India's major rivals

Batting superstar Sachin Tendulkar said that India's rivalry with Australia was now even more intense than with long-time arch-enemy Pakistan. Ahead of Australia's four-Test tour to India, which opens on October 9 in Bangalore, Tendulkar said he expected a fiercely competitive series between two teams who have battled for superiority over recent years. "I think it (India v Australia) has become bigger largely because of the competitiveness," Tendulkar said. "All the series between us from 2001 onwards have been very keenly fought and have been very close ones." In the ill-tempered 2007-2008 series in Australia, India lost the first two Tests but recorded a prized victory over the home team in the third Test in Perth. "We have gone to Australia and beaten them," Tendulkar stressed. "We have been able to surprise the Australian team and that's what the Australian public likes: competition and high standards of play. They love to see challenges and competitiveness. "The fan following for the India-Australia series has definitely increased as compared to say 15 years ago," he added. The "little master", now aged 35, is closing in on Brian Lara's record for the most runs ever scored in a Test career, but said statistics were not his priority. "I don't think much about records. I want to enjoy my game. If players focus on their performance, records automatically fall into place," said Tendulkar, speaking to reporters in New Delhi. "I focus on playing the game well. If it (the record) comes in doing so I will be happy," added the ace batsman, who is only 76 runs short of overtaking Lara's mark of 11,953 runs. India's last tour of Australia was marked by personal insults between teams, and allegations of racial abuse and bad sportsmanship. But Tendulkar said he did not expect a repeat of such problems during the upcoming series. "Talking on behalf of the Indian team, I can say we will play hard but fair and I feel the Australians also will do so," he said.

Source: www.circbuzz.com

Racism row will not mar tour - Tendulkar

Sachin Tendulkar is confident that the racism row that marred India's tour of Australia in January will not cast a shadow on next month's test series against the world's top-ranked team. "I don't think there is any friction between us," Tendulkar told reporters on Thursday. "As far as the Indian team is concerned, we would want to be competitive but play in the right spirit. I am very sure that the Australians would want to do the same thing." India threatened to pull out of the series in Australia after spinner Harbhajan Singh was initially found guilty of racially abusing all-rounder Andrew Symonds in the acrimonious second test in Sydney. A standoff between the teams ended after the charge was downgraded on appeal to using abusive language and the bowler let off with a fine. Australia won the series 2-1. Symonds was omitted from the touring squad named on Friday after missing a compulsory team meeting to go fishing. "I do agree they don't happen every weekend," Tendulkar said of the row. "But such things have happened in the past as well." Australia arrive this month in India ahead for the four-match series which begins on Oct. 9 with the first test in Bangalore. Tendulkar, who returns from his latest injury layoff in a premier domestic game next week, played down talk that the tourists were a weak unit. SERIOUS FORCE Australia named uncapped leg-spinner Bryce McGain, who could make his test debut at the age of 36, and offspinner Jason Krejza in the squad to replace retired Stuart MacGill. "As we all know it (Australia) is the number one team in the world. They will come here with serious force," Tendulkar said. "They still have a lot of experienced players in the team. It is not that it is a completely transformed side with no senior players in the team," he added. Tendulkar put the rivalry against Australia over the one against neighbours Pakistan. "I think it has become bigger only because of the competitiveness," he said. "All the series we have played in the recent past, taking from 2001, they have all been close ones. "Australians like good standard of play, and they enjoy healthy competition. We were able to surprise them on occasions."

Souce: www.cricbuzz.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