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Laxman puts India in total control

India v Australia, 3rd Test, Delhi, 2nd day



VVS Laxman has piled on more than 2000 Test runs against Australia over the years and finished the innings with his second Test double-century © AFP


VVS Laxman tormented Australia with his second Test double-century and Gautam Gambhir registered his first as India batted themselves into an almost unconquerable position in the third Test. On the second successive day of complete Indian domination, Australia's greatest achievement was simply getting to stumps without losing a wicket.

But Matthew Hayden and Simon Katich were given a preview of the challenge that awaits them as the legspinners Amit Mishra and Anil Kumble spun a few deliveries viciously out of the footmarks that Australia's bowlers had created over nearly 12 hours in the field. The openers batted out 15 overs after Kumble delayed his declaration to allow Laxman to reach 200.

As soon as the milestone came with a lofted on-drive off Michael Clarke, India's batsmen were called in. They had done their job. If the first day did not consign Australia to an unwinnable position, the second day must surely have managed it. Gambhir and Laxman compiled a mammoth 278-run partnership that left Australia tired, frustrated and wicketless for nearly three sessions. In spite of Gambhir's achievement at his home ground, the day belonged to Laxman.

His list of achievements was impressive: he went past 2000 Test runs against Australia; he recorded his sixth Test century against them; and he turned it into his second highest Test score, behind his 2000-01 effort of 281 at Eden Gardens, an innings that still gives a few Australians sleepless nights. If ever there was proof of his love of this opposition it's his list of top Test innings - his best four are all against Australia.

Laxman began the day in ominous touch and pulled brilliantly when Brett Lee and Mitchell Johnson dropped short. He stalled for a while on 99 before driving Cameron White comfortably through cover for four and went on to cause problems for all the bowlers. The Australians helped him by regularly straying onto his pads and it was like handing Cookie Monster control of the Arnott's factory.

Elbow 'wasn't deliberate' - Gambhir

Gautam Gambhir has said he accidentally elbowed the bowler Shane Watson in the chest during a tense exchange on the first day of the third Test in Delhi.

Gambhir, who scored an unbeaten 149 to drive India to 296 for 3 at stumps, clashed verbally with Watson during the middle session and then ran into him when trying for a second run.

"It wasn't deliberate, it just happened," Gambhir said. "I didn't need to get into this argument with Shane Watson because he had no option of getting me out. There wasn't a need for me to stick my elbow out."

Watson immediately turned around to the batsman to complain and the Australian players now expect the incident to be looked at by match referee Chris Broad. In the second Test Zaheer Khan was fined 80% of his match fee for an aggressive send-off to Matthew Hayden and the aggression between the teams was on show again.

Gambhir and part-time spinner Simon Katich argued regularly during the bowler's six overs late in the day and at one stage had to be separated by the umpire Billy Bowden. "That's part of the game," Gambhir said of the incidents. "They were really desperate to get me out because of the way I was batting and were trying to break my concentration. But the important thing was to just be there, not back out, and keep up the concentration."

The Australia vice-captain Michael Clarke quickly spoke to both Katich and Watson after the incidents. "I did see that [the elbow incident] on replay and I'm pretty sure the match referee, or whoever, will have a look at that," Clarke said. "Like the incident with Kato, it's important we all get on with the game. As vice-captain, I grabbed Watto and just said 'continue to bowl well'."

When Katich was at his most animated Clarke put his arm round the bowler. "Say what you have to say and let's get on with it," Clarke said. "I said, 'let it go, Kato, just get on and bowl, it's fine, let it go'."

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NZ clinch series after draw

Bangladesh v New Zealand, 2nd Test, Mirpur, 5th day

NZ clinch series after draw

The Bulletin by Peter Burdon

October 29, 2008

New Zealand 262 for 6 dec (Ryder 91, McCullum 66) and 79 for 1(Ryder 39*) drew with Bangladesh 169 for 9 dec (Shakib 49, Vettori 5-66, O'Brien 3-31)
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How they were out


Daniel Vettori picked up both the Man-of-the-match and Man-of-the-Series awards as New Zealand clinched the two-Test series 1-0 after the second match in Mirpur finished in a draw © AFP


It was a contrast from a gripping fourth day, as the last passage of play in the second Test proved to be the least exciting of all. The match ended in a predictable draw after rain had washed out the first three days. The result, though, allowed the visitors to clinch the two-Test series 1-0 after having won the first match at Chittagong.

New Zealand finished on 79 for 1 in their second innings, with Jesse Ryder (39) and Aaron Redmond (30) at the crease, after Jamie How was dismissed before lunch for 8. The visitors had a lead of 172, but ran out of time to give themselves any hope of a clean sweep. A dull final session saw both batsmen labouring to 79 off 31overs, before both captains agreed on a draw. It's the first time Bangladesh have managed to avert defeat in eight Tests against New Zealand.

However, when play began this morning, New Zealand gave themselves a chance of victory after Daniel Vettori had taken three wickets in one over the previous day. In response to the visitors' 262 for 6 declared, the hosts began the day on 13 for 3, needing another 150 to avoid the follow-on. But Bangladesh found themselves in trouble, quickly reduced to 44 for 6.

Spin was always going to be a threat this morning with Vettori on song, but it was Jeetan Patel who got the first breakthrough, trapping Mehrab Hossain jnr lbw off a straight delivery.

The Bangladesh batsmen focussed on defense throughout the first hour with the run rate hovering at about two runs an over. Vettori then picked up his fourth victim, getting Tamim Iqbal to push at a ball just outside the off stump and induce an edge to Ross Taylor. Not for the first time in the series, Tamim fell soon after establishing himself at the crease, for 24.

The situation worsened when Mushfiqur Rahim departed without any addition to the score. He fended a short ball from Iain O'Brien off his glove, offering a simple chance to Brendon McCullum down the leg side.

At that stage, the game swung heavily in favour of New Zealand as the follow-on target of 163 was still 119 away. But Shakib Al Hasan and Mashrafe Mortaza set about resurrecting the innings. They showed that the pitch was still good for batting. Defence was still a priority, but both managed to punish the bad balls without difficulty. They put on 78 for the seventh wicket - a partnership that looked to have saved the team.

However, as has been so common in this series, the loss of a few quick wickets once again gave New Zealand another chance of an unlikely victory. Shakib was adjudged lbw trying to sweep a straight delivery from Vettori with the score at 122, still 41 short of their initial target.

But Mortaza continued punishing the wayward deliveries, and it looked as though he would see his team through in a canter. Together with Abdur Razzak he took the score to 155, before he was caught at silly mid-off while fending off a short ball from Iain O'Brien. Mortaza finished on 48, hitting seven fours and two sixes.

This gave the New Zealanders one last chance, but Razzak and Shahadat Hossain took their team to safety. And after Shahadat became O'Brien's third victim of the innings, Bangladesh captain Mohammad Ashrufal declared at 169 for 9, still trailing by 93 runs - only the third declaration by a Bangladesh captain in Test cricket.

The pick of the bowlers were Vettori and O'Brien. The former maintained a perfect line and length, finishing with 5 for 66 off 19 overs while O'Brien troubled the batsmen with his short rising deliveries, ending up with 3 for

Gambhir century sets India on course

took Gautam Gambhir nearly four years to make his second Test century having posted his first against Bangladesh in Chittagong; within nine days he has added a third. And if scoring two hundreds against the world's No. 1 Test team within a fortnight was not enough of a thrill, Gambhir can celebrate striking his highest Test score at his home ground and giving India an excellent start to a match that could deliver them the Border-Gavaskar Trophy.

When Gambhir, who had been impressively patient throughout the day, brought up the milestone with an unexpected six slammed nonchalantly over long-on off Shane Watson, the roars around the Feroz Shah Kotla were loud and long-lasting. The fans had been denied a century from Sachin Tendulkar, who was in magnificent touch until he fell for 68, but the Gambhir hundred was ample compensation.

The only ones not cheering were the Australians, who were witnessing an opening day that bore worrying similarities to the first three sessions in Mohali. Ricky Ponting insisted at the toss that his men had identified the problems that lost them the second Test and had worked tirelessly to fix the issues.

But apart from pinching two early wickets, Australia again had few causes for optimism. Their concerns included a lack of pace in the pitch, the absence of a frontline spinner, the inability of their fast men to consistently swing the ball, and the concentration of India's batsmen. It was a very familiar list of troubles.

The day went firmly in India's favour as soon as Gambhir and Tendulkar bedded down for a patient and important 130-run partnership. For most of their time together it was Tendulkar who looked by far the more dangerous. Unburdened by questions over when he would break the Test run-scoring record, he was in superb form.

A couple of brilliantly executed back-foot drives that raced past point for boundaries off Mitchell Johnson were a hint that something special might have been coming. An exquisitely-timed cover-drive to an overpitched Brett Lee delivery was just as attractive and Tendulkar passed 50 for the 20th time in Tests against Australia with a delicate and seemingly effortless late cut for four off Stuart Clark.

A 40th Test century was looming when Tendulkar edged behind off Johnson in the final over before tea. But Australia's momentary spark was quickly extinguished after the break when Gambhir lifted his pace.

When the Australians were running through a pre-series analysis of India's batting line-up they must have assumed the major threats would be the usual suspects: Tendulkar, VVS Laxman, Virender Sehwag, Sourav Ganguly and Rahul Dravid. But the back-to-back centuries have come from Gambhir, the least experienced man in the top order.

Particularly impressive was the patience displayed by Gambhir after the early losses of Sehwag and Dravid. He comfortably saw India through a slightly nervous period, realising that there was not severe swing, seam movement or steepling bounce, and a sensible approach should work.

He did pounce at times - a pull off Watson comfortably cleared midwicket and sped away for four - but mostly Gambhir displayed his class with terrific timing and placement. A cover-driven boundary off Johnson rivalled anything Tendulkar had provided and he was quickly on to any seamers who strayed towards his pads.


Australia were celebrating early but their happiness diminished as the day wore on © Getty Images


When the platform was safely constructed, Gambhir changed gears more smoothly than Lewis Hamilton. Watson's around-the-wicket angle, which had tied down the left-hander, suddenly became a liability as Gambhir clipped balls repeatedly through the leg side. He began to cut and drive through the off-side more readily and capped off an attacking period by clubbing the six to move from 99 to 105.

The runs did not stop there. Laxman was almost unnoticed, inasmuch as that can be said of his glorious flicks through leg, in building a valuable half-century that helped stop any momentum Australia might have collected when Tendulkar departed. Laxman and Gambhir's unbeaten 139-run partnership became a major frustration for Ponting, whose troops performed admirably at times but failed to maintain the pressure.

The first hour had brought two mood-improving strikes for a team that had suffered a crushing loss in Mohali. In the third over Sehwag was beaten by Lee's speed and was struck dead in line, then as soon as Johnson came on he drew Dravid into an ill-advised drive that caught the edge and was terrifically snared by Matthew Hayden at first slip.

But the momentum eased, despite impressively tight bowling from Stuart Clark, who returned to the side having missed the second Test with an elbow injury. Australia's decision not to play the offspinner Jason Krejza meant Cameron White was again the leading slow bowler and his initial signs were not good.

Tendulkar contemptuously slog-swept a barely-turning White delivery over midwicket for four and drove him through cover, while Gambhir also attacked with delight. It took India 16 overs to take 27 runs from Clark; it took them four overs to strike the same amount off White, who was duly shelved and not seen again for the rest of the day.

Michael Clarke had a trundle and Simon Katich was given his first bowl of the series, although his major contribution was to antagonise Gambhir after comprehensively getting in the way of an attempted single. Words were exchanged and Billy Bowden inserted himself between Katich and Gambhir but the incident had no bearing on the final wash-up.

At a venue where India have won the past seven Tests a stumps total of 296 for 3 was precisely what Australia didn't want. They would hate to hear it, but it was an even worse outcome than the first day in Mohali, when India closed with 15 more runs but two fewer wickets in hand. Ponting has four more days to inspire his men.

Elbowing Watson 'wasn't deliberate' - Gambhir

autam Gambhir has said he accidentally elbowed the bowler Shane Watson in the chest during a tense exchange on the first day of the third Test in Delhi.

Gambhir, who scored an unbeaten 149 to drive India to 296 for 3 at stumps, clashed verbally with Watson during the middle session and then ran into him when trying for a second run.

"It wasn't deliberate, it just happened," Gambhir said. "I didn't need to get into this argument with Shane Watson because he had no option of getting me out. "There wasn't a need for me to stick my elbow out, it just happened."

Watson immediately turned around to the batsman to complain and the Australian players expect the incident to be looked at by match referee Chris Broad. In the second Test the India fast bowler Zaheer Khan was fined 80% of his match fee for an aggressive send-off to Matthew Hayden and the aggression between the teams was on show again.

Gambhir and part-time spinner Simon Katich argued regularly during the bowler's six overs late in the day and at one stage had to be separated by the umpire Billy Bowden. "That's part of the game," Gambhir said of the incidents. "They were really desperate to get me out because of the way I was batting and were trying to break my concentration. But the important thing was to just be there, not back out, and keep up the concentration."

The Australia vice-captain Michael Clarke quickly spoke to both Katich and Watson after the incidents. "I did see that [the Gambhir push of Watson] on replay and I'm pretty sure the match referee, or whoever, will have a look at that," Clarke said. "Like the incident with Kato, it's important we all get on with the game. As vice-captain, I grabbed Watto and just said 'continue to bowl well'."

When Katich was at his most animated Clarke put his arm round the bowler. "Say what you have to say and let's get on with it," Clarke said. "I said, 'let it go, Kato, just get on and bowl, it's fine, let it go'."

India v Australia, 3rd Test, Feroz Shah Kotla

India v Australia, 3rd Test, Feroz Shah Kotla

India 296 for 3 (Gambhir 149*, Tendulkar 68, Laxman 54*) v Australia
Scorecard and ball-by-ball details

1st day
Bulletin - Gambhir century sets India on course
Gallery - Gambhir ton gives India the upper hand

Preview package
Preview - Buoyant India look to seal series
Analysis - Kumble faces familiar burden of proof
Analysis - Australia must turn practice into performance
Quotes - Australia prepared for Delhi smog
News - Ponting tells team leaders to step up
News - 'If Kumble is fit, he will replace Mishra' - Kirsten
Quotes - Dravid happy with his batting form
Stats - A fortress for India and Kumble

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Beyond legendary

Finally Sachin Tendulkar has done it. Not only did he pass Brian Lara's record as the highest run-getter in Tests, but he went past the 12,000-run mark well. It's an enormous performance from a man who is a very humble person with a very different personality off the field to what he is on the field. He has been a dominant player and he is a player India can be very proud of. He has brought this domination of all bowlers - pace and spin - to Indian cricket and they can take great pride in the way he has played. The moment was celebrated with a fireworks display and although Tendulkar enjoyed the moment, it was almost as though he was saying: 'Come on. Let's get rid of the fireworks because I've got a much more important job to do here. I've got to get a big score for India.'

Now India got into that position through a bit of careless batting. India got off to a terrific start with Gautam Gambhir and Virender Sehwag playing extremely well on a good pitch. It was a very good wicket with not much for the bowlers. So India got off to a fast start and although Sehwag was out caught down the leg side, that seemed to start a trend. After that, Gambhir and Rahul Dravid pushed India into a position of great strength. But then, India started to squander their wickets.

First to go was Dravid who was looking to cut. He, like a lot of players, likes to cut off the front foot. That has become a bit of a modern thing and I really think that players would be much better trying to cut off the back foot. Dravid certainly could have used the extra time that would have given him. Gambhir played extremely well - he was very aggressive and his cover-driving was absolutely brilliant. He should really be very annoyed with himself because he squandered a wonderful opportunity to get a Test hundred against Australia and put India in an impregnable position. But he tossed that away with another catch to Brad Haddin, this time down the off side. VVS Laxman was caught down the leg side off Mitchell Johnson, who almost looked embarrassed to get that dismissal.

What all these wickets had done was to put Australia in a terrific position having lost the toss. With India at 163 for4, the Australians were on the top. But that position was soon pushed aside with Tendulkar and Sourav Ganguly building a terrific partnership. Tendulkar, as I said, passing the world record, passing 12,000 runs and it looked as though he was going to celebrate these great landmarks with a century. It took an excellent catch from Mathew Hayden to dismiss Tendulkar and to give Peter Siddle his first Test wicket. Siddle, who came into the side replacing Stuart Clark, got a good reward for a lot of toil. That breakthrough gave Australia a little bit of hope that with the second new ball they might get another breakthrough, but nightwatchman Ishant Sharma survived.

A lot will depend on Ganguly and Mahendra Singh Dhoni, the man who is captaining India on this occasion after Anil Kumble declared himself unfit to play the match. India have their nose in front at 311 for 5. If Ganguly, Dhoni and the lower-order players can push India over the 400-mark, it will put India in a terrific position. The selectors have chosen wisely in giving Amit Mishra his debut. It was a better move to choose him over a third seamer and India might reap some rewards from that on the fourth innings. That is only if they can get a big total in the first innings.

'I can't be running after every record ' - Tendulkar

Tendulkar becomes leading Test run-scorer


Success is a process and during that journey sometimes there are stones thrown at you and you convert them into milestones. It's a great feeling.
* On how long he thinks he can keep the record:
I don't what is going to happen in future. I started as a 16-year-old, without any such targets. There might be another 16-year-old, who might not be having any targets and who knows where he is going to go.
* On the pressure:
"To be honest, I was not under any pressure for this record. I knew that I have to go out and play my game. It will come at some stage. There was no burden as such. Today I decided just to watch the ball as closely as possibly."
* On the sparse crowd to witness the record-breaking run:
"I did not feel anything about the poor crowd attendance. It's about quality not quantity. I got a fantastic reception in a pleasing moment. I appreciate it every applaud whichever came in my way I take it wholeheartedly."
* On the missing World Cup:
"That is something I would like to have. We were close to it in 2003. It was so close yet so far. I'm not looking that far ahead [2011]. I just want go out and enjoy myself and my game and not think of any targets. If it there is in the vicinity I will focus on it. Right now I want to enjoy myself."
* On getting there in Mohali:
"I always wanted to do it in front of the home crowd and I'm quite happy that an Indian has achieved that record. It is not my record, it is India's record. I'm happy it has been done here."
* On his family not being there at the ground:
"It is not my family style to go over at the top. I know they will be extremely happy."

Bottom Curve

It was about 15 minutes into Sachin Tendulkar's press conference. He had answered wide-ranging questions, not all pertaining to the match or his record. Before the next question came his way, the media coordinator asked him if he would like to continue. Tendulkar moved away from the mike, and although he could not be heard, it seemed he said something to the effect of "Why not?" The press conference continued for the next 11 minutes, way longer than the ones at the end of a day's play.

Tendulkar was in that kind of mood. He looked animated, spoke in three languages - English, Hindi and Marathi - and looked relieved and happy, and was subtly funny. He started off by admitting that although the record was not a big distraction, the anticipation around it did mean something. "During all the talk about the record, I concentrated on how to score runs for the team, but everybody I used to meet would talk about only one thing. Now that it is done, I know I wouldn't be asked the same question again and again."

On a personal level, he doesn't have a "what next" now? "I started as a 16-year-old, and there was no targets then," he said. "I just wanted to go enjoy every moment. That is what I like to continue with - not to think of too many things and complicate my game in the process.

"I have not played for records. I can't be running after every record [answering a query about breaking Brian Lara's 400]. I would be looking after what the team needs. The team obviously needs it. If it comes my way, I will take it. If it doesn't come, there will be no regrets."

Despite that attitude there must have been moments when he would have realised he could end up the leading run-getter in both Tests and ODIs. "As the career progresses, there is sub-consciousness mind starts thinking about it," he said. "You know that people start talking about it the records. That is how you are aware of all these things.

"There have been occasions that I didn't know how many runs I needed [to get to the record]. A couple of team-mates did not believe. I was willing to swear on anyone that I don't know. That is when they believed. The beauty is just to go out and play, and while doing that the records were meant to be broken and various milestones achieved."

What was he thinking when it happened? The steer towards the third-man boundary that got him past Brian Lara? "When I looked up, obviously I had two thoughts in my mind," he said. "One was I thanked the almighty and the second, I thanked my father. Today I miss him. He would definitely be a proud man, and I just thought of him."

Sourav Ganguly was a special partner to have when the record happened. He reminded Tendulkar of the fact that he was his partner when Tendulkar got his 35th century. "If you can remember that in the middle of all that ..."

He also dedicated the record to Ramakant Achrekar, his childhood coach, his family who have been by his side "whether or not he did well", and especially "my mother".

Almost in paternal manner, he subtly put his critics in their place. "I don't need to prove anything to anyone," he said. "I have been around for 19 years, and those 19 years I did not play cricket to prove anything to anyone, whether it was first year of my cricket or 10th, or 15th, or 19th.

"I'm not here to answer to what x, y and z is writing or saying about me. It is their opinions, and I don't take all those opinions seriously ... But sometimes I don't know how they can figure out what's going on in my mind when sometimes I myself can't figure that out."

Tendulkar's mission control

The lead-up to this Test had been full of distractions - Anil Kumble's injury, the players still fighting like children over who brought forward moral victories from Bangalore, the unseasonal rains in Mohali raising doubts over the match going the distance. Around a quarter past one on the first day more distractions were about to unfold. When Rahul Dravid played Brett Lee onto his stumps, the Test sort of took a back seat and another aside started: Sachin Tendulkar's progress towards Brian Lara's record.

It was a pretty edgy hour and a quarter - so edgy it was surreal - that followed, during which Tendulkar made his way to the record and India lost two more wickets. What followed immediately after was more distraction from Test-match cricket: fire-crackers went off at the PCA Stadium and continued for three minutes. The Australians rushing to congratulate Tendulkar was expected but when it happened it felt unreal coming from a team that plays its cricket hard.

There would be other milestones to follow, too: Tendulkar would go past 12,000 runs and Sourav Ganguly past 7000. But when Tendulkar bats as he did for the next two hours, distractions don't matter. Effortlessly, he brought people back to the actual game and, with Ganguly's help, India into the match.

India had a confident, brisk start on a pitch conducive to one; the bounce was true but not big and there was no sideways movement. The immediate assessment was a total close to 500 would be par for this track. Gautam Gambhir and Dravid looked to put India on the way, but failed to score centuries - crucial for both of them, for different reasons - that appeared there for the taking. This was a pitch on which a batsman, once settled, would kick himself for not reaching three figures.

Gambhir is due a big score. He has done well since forcing his way back to the Test side following his limited-overs success, and has been a good foil to Virender Sehwag at the top. He has scored 427 runs in nine innings on comeback, against tough opposition and in trying conditions, but his best has been 72. That he gets starts points to his form - perhaps the best of his career - but he also leaves the team in a spot of bother by not converting those starts into big innings, as he did today and during the first innings at the PSS in Sri Lanka this summer. In 19 Tests Gambhir only has one century, against Bangladesh. That should be enough to rile and inspire him.

The way he batted in the first session today, it seemed certain Gambhir would end that century drought. For some reason, despite being an excellent rotator of strike in limited-overs cricket, he got bogged down when the field spread and the bowling became accurate. Having eased to 25 from 39 balls, Gambhir slowed down. He went into lunch on 53 from 90 balls and in the next hour or so he faced 50 balls for just 14 runs.

If this was uncharacteristic, so was Dravid's innings. Instead of the patchy starts he's had recently, Dravid began, instinctively speaking, the way he did when at the top of his game. But this was his 11th score between 30 and 100, to go with one century, in his last 15 Tests. When scoring was made difficult, Dravid didn't seem to show the kind of patience one associates with him. Once he went after a delivery wide outside off stump, and missed. In his prime Dravid would have left such deliveries alone for the next half hour; today, he went for the next delivery and failed to connect properly. Three overs later he went to cut another wide one, which was marginally too full, and chopped it onto his stumps.

'We actually finished off all right' - Siddle

day Australia feared at lunch would become impossible turned into something less intimidating by stumps. Not that the tourists had reason to be pleased. Just that there was relief in the camp following the earlier desperation.

Australia's mid-day fightback prevented them from being out of the game and a couple of hours later an Indian total of 311 for 5 felt like the situation was almost even. The home side is well ahead, but Australia will remain in the contest if they can dismiss the hosts quickly on the second morning. Given the pitch's current condition even that could be a tough ask.

India's batsmen showed their might on a surface made for them and Australia's attack, which was missing Stuart Clark and carried a debutant in Peter Siddle, struggled for impact at the beginning and the end. The first hour felt like the opening of a one-day game, with Virender Sehwag and Gautam Gambhir slashing at any bowling misdirection and racing to 70 in the 15th over.

Despite a brief and unexpected rally of 3 for 17 in the middle session, the day finished as it had begun - with India in control. "We actually finished off alright, five wickets for only 311 in the end," Siddle said. "When considering in the first session they were 1 for 150 at one stage, we came out of it in not a bad position."

Siddle experienced the sort of return a fast bowler playing his 13th first-class match could have expected. He showed zippy speed and flashes of hope, the same ones which have impressed the selectors who want him to be a long-term option, but was not helped by the tendency to lose his line. At this level, against these batsmen, there isn't any margin to lapse. He recognised the "massive step up" in intensity but started to relax in his second spell.

In one over in the morning to Rahul Dravid, Siddle could not believe a reasonable ball had been flicked to square leg for four. He just stared at the batsman in disbelief. Later in the over a fuller ball went to the midwicket boundary. Life at this level is tough. Bowling at Sachin Tendulkar was harder, but more rewarding.

Siddle kept sprinting in without success until he picked up Tendulkar in his first over with the second new ball. Two fours were followed by a play and a miss and an edge to Matthew Hayden at first slip. It was a satisfying note after he had been the bowler operating when Tendulkar became the game's highest run-scorer.

"It being me puts me in the record books," Siddle said. "To get him out is a great thrill, a real privilege."

Showing an old-school fast bowler's outlook, he started his Test career with a fierce, short delivery around 140kph that was perfect. Gambhir took his eyes off the ball as he ducked, providing Siddle with his first scalp.

"I went with the bouncer and it wasn't a bad first delivery," he said. "I think I broke his helmet, so that's always pleasing." Brett Lee used to speak like that too.

The Australians talk about bowling in partnerships, building the pressure in the hope that the guy at the other end can benefit from a maiden. Siddle bowled only two in 18 overs as he returned figures of 1 for 80.

However, he was able to watch the fine work of Lee and, particularly, Mitchell Johnson throughout the second and third sessions. Lee recovered from a poor opening and Johnson showed his growing maturity with three wickets and superb control. Any debutant needs to learn quickly but, faced with such a powerful batting order in foreign conditions, Siddle has to be particularly attentive in order to help his new side.

'We did not post a good total' Malik

Shoaib Malik, the Pakistan captain, has blamed his team's slow batting for the defeat against Sri Lanka in the final of the T20 Canada on Monday. Pakistan could manage only 132 for 7 after being put in and Sri Lanka coasted home by five wickets with an over to spare.

"Chasing nearly 130 to 140 runs in Twenty20 cricket is not that difficult, and had we scored another 20 runs it could have been difficult for the Lankan team to achieve the target," Malik told Associated Press of Pakistan. "Twenty20 cricket is always thrilling and minor mistakes on the part of any team can benefit the other side, and this is what happened when we did not post a good total."

Malik said the first ten overs of the innings hurt them as they could manage only 64 runs. "Things turned from bad to worse for us on a pitch on which scoring runs was always difficult," he said.

He said the bowling too wasn't up to scratch, though he didn't single out a particular player. Shoaib Akhtar, their strike bowler, had a forgettable match, leaking 40 runs in three overs. Malik raised Pakistan's hopes by dismissing Sanath Jayasuriya and Mahela Jayawardene, but Sri Lanka's remaining batsmen had no troubles in scoring at less than a run a ball.

"I do not want to blame anyone, I did my best to inspire the team and at one stage we broke through the Lankans' defence but could not maintain an upper hand as the bowling was not accurate in the final session," he said. "We won three back-to-back matches and we set a flow of victories through collective efforts but we could not sustain the pressure in the final because our batting and bowling was not of high quality."

Pakistan's next assignment is the home series against India starting in January and Malik said the team had a lot to learn from this defeat.

"Defeat does not mean the end of cricket. There is always room to improve and there is a dire need to put in resolute efforts and hard work to boost our performance."

Chennai prove too good for Ahmedabad

he Chennai Superstars won their second game in a row after Russel Arnold and G Vignesh set up a stiff target and despite Damien Martyn's 38-ball 52, the Ahmedabad Rockets slipped to their second straight loss.

The lights failed after Chennai batted for 16 overs and Ahmedabad were set an adjusted target of 143 in the same number of overs. They got off to a limp start, 15 for 2 in four overs, and that eventually proved crucial.

Martyn did quicken Chennai heartbeats with a classy counterattack but the asking rate kept rocketing upwards. Martyn's effort was uncharacteristic of a Twenty20 innings: it oozed class and was filled with conventional strokes like extra-cover drives and cuts. He on-drove Nantie Hayward for a four and when the bowler shortened the length, he twice deployed the late cut to send the ball to the third-man boundary. He lifted the left-arm spinner Syed Mohammad to the sightscreen, pulled and cover-drove Vignesh for two fours, but the 11th over ended Ahmedabad's hopes.

First Sodhi, who rotated the strike expertly in a 71-run partnership, was run out by a hard and flat throw by Hayward from wide long-on. Martyn too fell, unable to clear the midwicket fielder, and the chase ran out of steam.

Chennai's start wasn't auspicious either. Vignesh, the bowler who has found new life as a dashing opening batsman in ICL, had a horrid start. In the space of seven balls, he was involved in the run outs of Ian Harvey and J Hariesh. But he eased the pressure on himself with some big hits. He lofted length deliveries from Heath Streak, slog swept the spinner Sumit Kalia, but what stood out was a stunning six off Reetinder Singh Sodhi: a flat-batted forehand straight back over the bowler's head.

Arnold took over after Vignesh had holed out to deep cover. He played to his strengths: those late cuts and the bottom-handed swat-flick over square leg were on display. When the ball was slightly short and a touch around off, he employed the late cut and every now and then swung the full ones over the on side. Twenty20 moves at a frenetic pace and it's always interesting to see how the players adapt. To cut off those dabs, the keeper Ryan Campbell almost stood entirely outside off. Arnold started picking singles and twos down the wicket before he top-edged a swipe and Campbell ran all the way to backward square-leg to hold the catch.

The format also brings out some stunning fielding. Murray Goodwin, who had run out J Hariesh, capped it off with a stunner at backward point - the best of the tournament so far - to dismiss R Jesuraj. He dived to his left to make a one-handed stop before firing in a direct hit even as he lay sprawled on the ground. Post the fall of Jesuraj, R Sathish found the boundary few times before the light towers blanked out to end the innings. Martyn's knock lit up the arena later but couldn't eclipse Chennai's efforts.

Clark battles injury ahead of Test

Stuart Clark's elbow injury continues to be a concern for Australia ahead of the second Test, which starts in Mohali on Friday. Clark will not bowl at Wednesday's training session and Australia will make a decision on his fitness for the Test only after seeing him in action on Thursday.

The inflamed right elbow joint troubled Clark during the first Test in Bangalore, where he regularly under-armed the ball in from the boundary and was restricted to 17 overs in the first innings. Although he did bowl during the second innings, the problem was still niggling Clark and Australia are keen to give him time to recover.

"He's not going to bowl at training tomorrow, just so we can maximise his recovery and give him the best chance to be able to play on Friday," Alex Kountouris, the team physio, told the Age on Tuesday. "We will see how he pulls up and if he feels okay we will play him."

The loss of Clark would be a major setback on the Mohali pitch, which has assisted seamers in the past. Should Clark be unavailable Australia would likely hand a debut to Peter Siddle, the inexperienced Victoria fast bowler who has impressed the squad on his first tour, or Doug Bollinger, the left-arm fast man.

Kumble slams media sensationalism

Anil Kumble: "And for those who are wondering, I'm feeling good. I am hopeful the shoulder injury I picked up during the match should be fine by the second Test" © Getty Images
Anil Kumble, the India captain, has hit out at the media's "uncharitable" comments on his fitness, calls for retirement, and his performance as a player and captain following India's hard-fought draw in the first Test against Australia in Bangalore. Kumble went wicketless in a total of 51 overs and a shoulder injury restricted him to only eight overs in the second innings.

In his syndicated column, Kumble said the media attention reminded him of the tour of Australia in January when he had to deal with several off-field issues, including the controversial Sydney Test which was marred by alleged racist remarks and cheating claims. On the vexed issue of retirement, he clarified that he will quit on his own terms.

"What has also been somewhat unexpected is the way the Indian media seems to have delighted in analysing and sensationalising every little action, remark or gesture," Kumble wrote. "I didn't really expect to have to go through this all over again on my home turf.

"That time, ten months ago, saw me unfortunately having to split my time between playing cricket and handling a host of unnecessary off-the-field issues, instead of being able to concentrate on playing the game and handling my team."

Kumble said he was confident of recovering fully in time for the second Test in Mohali starting on Friday. Dilip Vengsarkar, the former selection chairman, had slammed Kumble for not declaring his injury before the Bangalore Test and said he should not have played.

"And for those who are wondering, I'm feeling good. I am hopeful the shoulder injury I picked up during the match should be fine by the second Test and that it will be business as usual thereafter," Kumble said. "When I decide to make a final bow, I'll go on my own terms."

Kumble felt the criticism of India's performance in the Test was a little too harsh. Highlighting the positives, he said the bowlers did well to restrict Australia to 430 and praised Harbhajan Singh and Zaheer Khan for scoring half-centuries after the seniors had failed in the first innings.

"Actually, I'm pretty happy with the way things panned out after we lost the toss. From the look of the pitch, this was a track on which 600 could have been made batting first. That the Australians took five sessions and more to make about 400 is a reflection on how wonderfully well our bowling unit performed.

"Harbhajan and Zaheer stood up and made sure they not only cut down the lead, but also showed everyone that our tail can handle this Australian attack with ease. It may also be noted that our four senior batsmen, Sachin and Rahul, Sourav and Laxman, all played a part in this Test."

He also singled out the bowling of Zaheer and Ishant Sharma - they shared 13 of the 16 wickets to fall - who "bowled with heart and spirit to shape the way this series might go." Looking ahead to the Mohali Test, he said the team certainly didn't lack self belief.

"I can't promise things I have no control over, but the one thing that I can guarantee is that I won't give up the fight. We won't. The belief that I have in my team, and the belief that the team has in me is what matters the most."

India Tour Of Australia Match Watch Score

Watch Match Online Score

1st Test v India at Bangalore - Oct 9-13, 2008
Match scheduled to begin at 09:30 local time (04:00 GMT)

2nd Test v India at Mohali - Oct 17-21, 2008 (09:30 local, 04:00 GMT)

3rd Test v India at Delhi - Oct 29-Nov 2, 2008 (09:30 local, 04:00 GMT)

4th Test v India at Nagpur - Nov 6-10, 2008 (09:30 local, 04:00 GMT)

Ganguly retirement stir creates echoes of Waugh

wenty-four hour news channels all over the world are prone to constant exaggeration, seemingly capable of turning a shop fire into a global terrorism threat. So when something big happens they sometimes struggle to do it justice because there is no room left for extra flexing. One place where it doesn’t seem to be a problem is India, where the coverage of Sourav Ganguly’s retirement plan quickly reached hysterical limits.

It was like a president or prime minister or rock star had died. One station had four talking heads in various parts of the country swapping back and forth as they told of the disbelieving reactions in their city to an event that wasn't exactly a shock. Even so, the news was so big it didn’t need a mumbling past player acting as on-screen expert – the presenters were able to do it themselves.

I’m not sure how much Sourav’s decision contributed to so many people being on the streets – they are always crowded – but they surrounded the reporters and offered their views, loudly and passionately. Back in the studio the best batsman/captain/person of all time was being praised – although in India they prefer felicitations.

Over the next month I am interested to learn whether these emotions are felt by people around the game, not just those involved in the game. I was slightly disappointed not to see hundreds of supporters sitting in the stands watching the teams train on Tuesday and Wednesday. In years spent reading and watching India from afar, it seemed cricket was the lingua franca and that anything would be done to spy Sachin or Sourav or MS. Maybe it was like that, and Twenty20 has changed the view. Or perhaps they get to see them so often on the television.

Steve Waugh’s pre-series announcement that he would step down at the end of the 2003-04 contest with India was a huge deal in Australia. Like Ganguly, his place had been questioned over the previous year and some lingering resentment resulted in people wondering whether he was putting himself above the team. It quickly turned into the Summer of Steve and the coach John Buchanan blamed Waugh’s farewell as a reason for the side losing focus on the way to a drawn series.

Most of Waugh’s moves that season were covered in detail and by the end of the series, with the newspaper lift-outs, the paper red hankies and television news specials, we felt we knew him better than his three brothers. It was blanket coverage. At least I thought it was. Until now.

Senior citizens who held their own

The battle for the Border-Gavaskar Trophy finally begins tomorrow after weeks of pre-series hype, most of which involved India's "seniors", their poor form in Sri Lanka, and bizarre voluntary retirement schemes. The men in question - Rahul Dravid, Sourav Ganguly, Sachin Tendulkar, VVS Laxman and Anil Kumble - are all in their 30s. This week's List looks at players who have scored the most runs and taken the most wickets after passing a certain age.

Players who are over the 35-year hill on the current circuit come under tremendous scrutiny, but it wasn't always so. As many as 102 cricketers have played Tests after turning 40: Alec Stewart, who was 40 years and 153 days old when he played South Africa at The Oval in 2003 is the most recent. Stewart is the only one to have played 100 Tests after turning 30 (107 out of a total 133 Tests). Bob Taylor, another former England wicketkeeper, played 29 Tests after 40, which is the most by anyone.

Twelve out of the top 20 leading 40-plus run-scorers are Englishmen. That's largely because 52 players out of the 102 have played for England. Jack Hobbs tops the list: he played 27 Tests after he was 40 and scored 2440 runs at an average of 58.09. His highest score, 211 against South Africa at Lord's, came when he was 42.

shane warne Australia are getting stronger

The general consensus is that Australia begin their series against India at the most vulnerable they have been for a generation. The team will include a debutant spinner, a wicketkeeper still trying to find his feet and a middle order missing the allround presence of Andrew Symonds. However, Shane Warne has said this current team can become as good as any he played in during a golden era for Australian cricket.

Warne took 14 wickets on Australia's last tour of India in 2004-05, dubbed their final frontier, as they won 2-1 largely under the leadership of Adam Gilchrist, who was standing in for an injured Ricky Ponting. Also key to that series victory were the performances of Damien Martyn, Glenn McGrath, Jason Gillespie and Michael Kasprowicz. None of them are around this time, but Warne hasn't seen anything to make him think the team is in decline.

"We are getting stronger," Warne said. "If you look at the batting line-up, [Simon] Katich and [Phil] Jaques are fighting for a spot and Michael Clarke is back at the top of his game. Shane Watson can challenge Andrew Flintoff as best allrounder in the world and Andrew Symonds isn't there. Our batting is very strong.

"In the bowling, we all know what Stuart Clark can do, Brett Lee has had a great year and Mitchell Johnson gives you variation. If we can find a spinner it can be as good a side as we have ever had."

Warne was in London for the launch of his new book, Warne's Century, where he picks out the 100 greatest cricketers he played for and against and, while the imminent series in India was a popular topic, it didn't take much for next year's Ashes series to be mentioned. For the first time since 1990-91, Warne won't be involved, but that didn't stop him from having a jibe at the sudden influx of confidence around English cricket since Kevin Pietersen took charge.

Irani Cup drop decromptision sourav Ganguly

A day after announcing his retirement from international cricket, Sourav Ganguly said the decision came at the right moment. "I just felt it was time for me to go," Ganguly said on the eve of the first Test against Australia in Bangalore.

Ganguly said he had not rushed into the decision and had arrived at it after he was ignored for the Irani Cup. "Obviously I can't deny the fact that I was disappointed after the Irani Cup selection. To be honest, I felt I'd two outstanding years except the Sri Lanka series," Ganguly said. For the record, Ganguly has scored 1667 in 21 matches at 45.05 in the last two years. Still he undercut the sense of sadness with wit.

Asked as to why he was the most scrutinised among the Fab Five, Ganguly smiled and replied, "Probably people didn't like my face."

On Tuesday, after briefing the media, Ganguly made the surprise announcement to call it a day. He said he didn't want the attention focused on him since the series was the priority. "I didn't want to make much of a fuss and that's why I announced it at the end of the press meet because the series is more important," Ganguly said.

Asked if there was a sense of relief now, Ganguly said, "The pressure of doing well will always be there and that probably brings the best out of everyone. Whether it's a relief or not, all I can say is I've not been sad."

Ganguly also rubbished all the rumours about him intending to stick around for a couple more years. "I've not said anywhere that I wanted to play for two years. It was picked from an interview a year ago after I played against Pakistan," Ganguly said.