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Stumps. Australia 214; New Zealand 7/0

Expect to see the Australians running faster between overs during the first Test against New Zealand following their costly failure to keep up with the required rate in Nagpur this month. A new series begins on Thursday and the hosts are looking at ways to be more efficient in the field after a match that ended in a team fine and contributed to the 2-0 loss to India.

Ricky Ponting remains upset by criticism that he put his own interests ahead of his side's when bowling part-timers at a crucial stage in an effort to lift the rate instead of facing a suspension for falling behind. The former captains Allan Border and Ian Chappell criticised his decision making and neither man is in Ponting's immediate plans for a chat.

"I haven't spoken to either of those two gentlemen and probably won't for a while," Ponting said during a lunch in Brisbane. "That's fine, I understand people are going to have opinions on players and my captaincy. A lot of times you totally respect that. I don't mind people questioning tactics of mine, but the thing that worried me the most was everyone thinking I put myself ahead of the team and its interests. I thought that was a little bit unfair."

If Australia had fallen six overs behind, Ponting could have been banned from the first Test, but after using Cameron White, Michael Hussey and Michael Clarke along with Jason Krejza they finished two overs below the target. Ponting was fined 20% of his match fee and the players were docked 10%.

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Shane Watson has backed Andrew Symonds to make his Test return on Thursday against New Zealand despite the fact that such a move could squeeze Watson out of the side. The two allrounders are in Australia's 13-man squad and although there is the possibility rect swap of Symonds for Watson would be a more likely scenario.

Watson was given his opportunity at No. 6 in India because Symonds was working through his rehabilitation process and was unavailable for selection. It was a reversal of the situation in the 2006-07 Ashes, when Symonds was only handed his chance because Watson, who had originally been selected, struggled with persistent hamstring injuries.

Symonds made the most of his Test status and since that Ashes campaign he has averaged 72.07 has also chipped in for 14 wickets. Watson said Symonds had earned the right to be part of Australia's starting line-up.

"If Roy gets a spot, he bloody deserves it, he's been a great player for a number of years," Watson told the Sunday Telegraph. "I wouldn't feel hard done by, no way. I'm realistic of where I'm at. I'm still only 27, so I know I've got a lot of really good cricket in front of me.

"Roy definitely deserves an opportunity whenever he's ready to go. He's performed so well in some tough times for Australia and you can't take that away from him."

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Akmal and Malik script a thriller

cricket has lost its ticker needed to look no further than the Sheikh Zayed Stadium in Abu Dhabi for a humdinger. In a throwback to the days of Sharjah classics, Pakistan overcame a sluggish start and a middle-order wobble to sneak the most thrilling of last-over wins over West Indies. Khurram Manzoor and Younis Khan helped Pakistan overcome a jittery start and gather some steam, but it was Shoaib Malik's whirlwind 66 and a stunning last-over assault from Kamran Akmal that pulled the carpet from beneath West Indies' feet.

After winning the toss and batting, West Indies settled for a below-par 294, which owed mostly to Chris Gayle's glorious 113, his 17th one-day hundred and second on the trot after an unbeaten 110 against Canada in August. Just 96 runs were scored since Gayle departed in the 35th over, and only 71 in the last ten overs, credit to Pakistan for sticking to their guns on a hard pitch. Ultimately, that made a big difference.

The last 15 minutes of the match were nerve-wracking. Akmal amazingly swept the last ball of the 48th off, by Jerome Taylor, for six, but a miserly penultimate over from Gayle seemed to have sealed it West Indies' way. Fawad Alam failed to put away a full toss, Gayle bowled Akmal with a no-ball, and Akmal then survived a stumping appeal. The over cost only six runs.

Needing 17 from the last over, Akmal slashed the second and third deliveries for six, backing away: cue hysteria in the ground. A scampered two became three with an overthrow, and Alam clipped the fifth delivery of the final over for a single to seal victory. Akmal's 24 from nine balls, however, was the clincher.

When Pakistan struggled initially under lights in the first 15 overs, this was hard to envision. In the absence of any fluency from Salman Butt, it was left to Manzoor to keep the score ticking over. Manzoor played himself in, reaching his second half-century in two ODIs played for Pakistan, one full of punchy back-foot play. Younis Khan, Pakistan's most experienced batsman after Mohammad Yousuf joined the ICL, hit consecutive boundaries in the 23rd over - one driven off the back foot, the other lapped very fine - to up the rate.

Taylor was brought back in the 28th over to do a job, and he succeeded. Taylor dropped short, Manzoor tried to run it fine, and Carlton Baugh held on to the thin outside edge (142 for 2). Younis swept his way to half-century from 50 balls, but the pressure told on Misbah-ul-Haq, way too early into a reverse-sweep against Nikita Miller's left-arm spin.

As per the new rules, the batting side can choose one Powerplay and Pakistan left the third one until the 38th over. It was a critical phase and Pakistan lost two wickets for 38. Unable to pierce the field like Malik, Younis slogged Baker into the starry night while Shahid Afridi pulled Baker to a tumbling Shivnarine Chanderpaul at deep midwicket. Malik made sure to hit the ball as straight as possible and went past 50 from 36 balls, but when Pakistan needed 33 from 18 balls, he pulled Taylor to midwicket.

Akmal's heroics, though, spoiled what should have been Gayle's party. The venue changed from Antigua to Abu Dhabi, the format from Twenty20 to 50-overs, but what did Gayle care? After five overs West Indies were 11 for 0; that's when Gayle moved up a gear, stepping outside the line of a delivery from Abdur Rauf and swinging it over midwicket for six.

Rauf, who opened the attack in the absence of an injured Shoaib Akhtar, was then taken for 17 in one over. A whip over mid-on was followed by a flick off the pads. Then Rauf pitched outside off stump and craned his neck as Gayle biffed him over his head. Shoaib Malik removed third man and Gayle smartly steered the ball past the wicketkeeper. Having hit a 33-ball half-century in the Stanford 20/20 for 20 earlier this month, Gayle enjoyed his first trip to Abu Dhabi. Sohail Tanvir was cracked past point and West Indies' fifty was up in the tenth over with consecutive pulled sixes in Umar Gul's first over. In five overs, 48 had been scored, and Gayle's half-century needed 36 balls.

Sewnarine Chattergoon contributed 33 to an opening stand of 125, the sixth-best for West Indies against Pakistan, content to play second fiddle before an attempted heave against the turn went to mid-on. Ramnaresh Sarwan partnered Gayle past his century - in a 73-run stand - and watched him get out for 113 after a series of attacking shots, the last of which went straight to midwicket (198 for 2) in an over in which he had been dropped by Gul. Sarwan used his wrists well and leapt on to anything short, hitting five boundaries before he tickled Afridi down the pads in the 38th over. But Gul came back well to take 3 for 66 and Tanvir took two in two balls during the last over as West Indies failed to build on Gayle's innings.

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ndia 441 and 0 for 0 lead Australia 355 (Katich 102, Hussey 90, Harbhajan 3-94) by 86 run

India gained a crucial 86-run lead on an extremely tactical day's cricket - one that often resembled a cat-and-mouse game - through a triple-strike in the middle session and four wickets shortly before stumps. Australia scored 166 runs in 85.4 overs, strangled by the pressure built up by defensive field placings and niggardly pace bowling in the morning, and the loss of the last seven wickets for 100 runs undid a strong platform. Mahendra Singh Dhoni changed his tactics after lunch, giving Australia the opportunity to be aggressive, but they failed to overtake India's 441.

It was clear from the first session which team had a lead to defend. India went in with eight fielders on the off side, repeatedly bowled outside the off stump, and delayed the introduction of the spinners. Australia, who had to force the pace, decided not to start the day with innovative strokeplay and as a result only 42 runs came before lunch. On a good batting strip in front of another poor crowd, Simon Katich and Michael Hussey made steady rather than spectacular process. India's method should have taken care of Katich on 94, but Rahul Dravid put down a simple catch at first slip off Ishant, grasping it easily and then spilling it.

aggressive shot Katich played - just before lunch - undid him, trapping him lbw to a late-swinging yorker from Zaheer. Katich had faced 50 deliveries since reaching a hundred, 31 on his final score of 102. It had been a strategic morning as the game - on the surface - drifted, but it was interting viewing as both teams waited for the other to blink first.

Slowly, almost unnoticeably, Hussey moved on to 90. He left the ball well and never looked like getting out. There was the odd flourish, most noticeably a brilliant reverse-sweep for four off Harbhajan Singh, collected from well outside leg stump, to go with an inside-out drive off Ishant. Shortly after Michael Clarke was undone by a peach from Ishant for a 44-ball 8, Hussey was run out. It needed something out of the blue to dislodge a man who seemed set to grind India into the dust. Hussey, on 90, punched off the back foot and M Vijay at silly point intercepted the ball and flicked it back to Dhoni, who broke the stumps with Hussey on the move for a single.

Eleven deliveries after Hussey departed, Harbhajan cleaned up Shane Watson with one that spun, clipped the forearm and rolled on to off stump. Brad Haddin and Cameron White added 52, but they were never entirely comfortable during their partnership. Haddin was troubled by Amit Mishra and survived a stumping appeal and a couple of shouts to balls that pitched just outside leg stump. Dhoni continued with the old ball and Mishra had his man when Haddin's nervous padding resulted in ball brushing bat on its way to slip.

Dhoni took the new ball and Jason Krezja quickly became Ishant's 13th victim of the series, trapped in front by a scuttling inswinger. Ishant should have had Mitchell Johnson in the same over, but VVS Laxman dropped a regulation chance at second slip. As the shadows lengthened at 4.30, White drove Ishant sumptuously through the covers for the first boundary in 20 overs and a powerful sweep raised his best score and Australia's 350. The very next ball, trying to push a sluggish run-rate, White (46) chipped Harbhajan to long-on. If White had played well enough to deserve his fifty, Harbhajan had earned his third wicket with his perseverance on an unhelpful surface. In the next over Johnson's wild slog settled in long-on's hands and India had secured an 86-run lead.

Steyn stars in comfortable victory

South Africa v Bangladesh, 1st ODI, Potchefstroom

South Africa 283 for 8 (Kallis 50, Islam 3-60) beat Bangladesh 222 (Ashraful 73, Shakib 51, Steyn 4-16) by 61 runs



Dale Steyn continued his impressive return from illness with four wickets

Dale Steyn laid down a marker for the season ahead and showed he is back to full health as he took a career-best 4 for 16 to help South Africa to a 61-run victory in the opening ODI. For a while, as Mohammad Ashraful was compiling a composed 73, the home side were being tested, but Steyn returned to claim two wickets in two balls and South Africa eased home. Their batting performance was made up of plenty of bit-part efforts and it needed a late onslaught from the lower order to boost the total to 283.

The main event for South Africa over the next few months is the home-and-away battle against Australia which starts next month. However, it is vital they use this early series, which they should be able to win comfortably, to fine-tune their game. In many ways this was a performance that showed they are still finding top gear as various batsmen gave away good starts and the bowlers, with the honourable exception of Steyn, were still trying to discover their rhythm - as 25 wides testifies.

The match turned into a more compelling contest than may have been expected as Bangladesh fought hard in the field and held some smart catches. They suffered during the final five overs, as South Africa held back the Powerplay that is now on offer for the batting team and slammed 66 runs off that block, leaving the Bangladesh batsmen with a tough challenge.

Under the floodlights there was swing for Steyn as he bent the ball back into the left handers at the top of the order. Imrul Kayes played a flat-footed drive that was well caught at mid-off by Hashim Amla, then a sharp inswinger trapped Junaid Siddique lbw. However, at the other end the pressure wasn't consistently maintained as Johann Louw proved expensive. One over to Ashraful was dispatched for 16 as he dropped too short and was pulled away.

The Morkel brothers struggled - Morne sending down four wides in his first over - as Ashraful and Tamim Iqbal added 54 in seven overs. But composure isn't one of Bangladesh's strong points, and a lazy piece of running from Iqbal handed South Africa a breakthrough. Ashraful edged the ball to third man and Iqbal jogged the first run without even looking at his captain, who had decided early he wanted two.

Morne Morkel then recovered from his early problems and produced a cracking delivery, pitching on off stump and holding its line, to remove Mushfiqur Rahim and leave the visitors on 77 for 4 before Ashraful found a solid partner in Shakib Al Hasan. Their stand of 92 in 20 overs put the pressure back on the home side with Ashraful, in particular, producing some classy boundaries when Louw returned for another expensive burst.

South Africa needed a breakthrough to settle the situation so Johan Botha turned back to Steyn with immediate results. He found Ashraful's outside edge off the first ball, then with his next delivery clipped Raqibul Hasan's off stump with a beauty that would have made better batsmen struggle. Shakib fell shortly after completing his fifty as the challenge faded away and the tail went down swinging.

The depth of South Africa's batting order proved a key factor in the outcome. At the midway mark they were comfortably placed, but Jacques Kallis and AB de Villiers both gave their wickets away against Naeem Islam's off spin. JP Duminy was shaping as the key figure in the closing overs until he missed a reverse sweep and it was left to Botha, with 23 off 15 balls, and Louw to add the late impetus. Louw slammed his first two balls onto the grass banks, while Albie Morkel finally found the middle of his bat after scratching around for much of his effort.

Amla launched the innings with a string of off-side boundaries before being run out in controversial style. Justin Ontong was taken on the thigh pad, the ball rolled into the leg side and Amla raced up the pitch for a single. Ontong didn't move and sent Amla back, but as he turned he slipped and Mashrafe Mortaza collided into him as he tried to run across to field the ball.

Amla couldn't regain his feet, or his ground, and was well short but it was within Bangladesh's power to withdraw the appeal. Once that hadn't happened the umpire had no choice but to give Amla out, in a situation reminiscent of Grant Elliott's run-out against England at The Oval in June after he'd collided with Ryan Sidebottom. That incident created some ugly scenes, but tempers were less frayed on this occasion.

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Krejza and Katich lead fight

India v Australia, 4th Test, Nagpur, 3rd day


Australia 189 for 2 (Katich 92*, Hussey 45*) trail India 441 (Tendulkar 109, Ganguly 85, Sehwag 66, Laxman 64, Dhoni 56, Krejza 8-215) by 252 runs
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Sourav Ganguly was wicket No. 5 for debutant Jason Krejza © Getty Images


A purposeful, fluent and unbeaten 92 from Simon Katich kept Australia ticking at the end of a day that saw effortless batting on either side of a dramatic bowling spell. India batted smoothly through the morning, and Katich's 115-run partnership with Michael Hussey gave Australia plenty of breathing room in the late afternoon, but the collapse of five Indian wickets for 19 runs in between was scripted by the day's unlikeliest hero, Jason Krejza.

Krezja, the offspinner, had a bittersweet first Test outing with 8 for 215 - the eighth-best figures but also the most runs conceded in an innings on debut - to help Australia dismiss India for 441. Sourav Ganguly and Mahendra Singh Dhoni had batted wonderfully together in the morning, adding 119 for the sixth wicket, but fell in Krezja's second over after lunch, setting off the drama. Krejza came into this match with a few eyebrows raised over his capabilities but, in this one innings, leapfrogged Brett Lee to become Australia's second-highest wicket-taker this series.

India had cruised through the first session and the innings of the morning belonged to Ganguly, all off-side grace and on-side elegance in his last Test. He played himself in, defending well and only collected his first four when Mitchell Johnson gave him plenty of room outside off. His shots didn't lack timing, evident by a beautiful drive off the front foot and a flick off the pads, both against pace, but the bulk of his scoring came through good running. The fluid drives and whips off the pads came after he crossed his 35th fifty with a couple driven past extra cover, and there was even a vintage six, his 57th in Tests.

Dhoni's was a controlled innings, with several neat punches on the off side and some wristy steers to leg, but the highlight was how he pushed Ganguly to hustle. Always shuffling on the crease, Dhoni worked singles into the spaces easily and constantly applied pressure on tired Australian feet. There were six triples and 13 doubles in the Ganguly-Dhoni partnership, most urged by Dhoni and reciprocated rather well by Ganguly.

In the first over after lunch, consecutive boundaries off Johnson, one driven with control, one slashed wide of slip, brought Dhoni his fifty from 88 balls. Both batsmen were well set, and what followed was out of the blue.

Krejza conceded his 200th run when Ganguly tucked a single off his pads, but picked up his fourth wicket two deliveries later when Dhoni got too far across his stumps and missed a paddle. If Krejza's reaction was energetic, the roar that emanated across the caverns of a near-empty VCA Stadium to the ball after that was palpable. Ganguly pushed at one turning away and edged to a tumbling Michael Clarke at slip, thus becoming Krezja's fifth wicket.

Zaheer Khan was the sixth, dragging a boom drive back onto his stumps, and Krejza found himself on a hat-trick when he snuck one past Amit Mishra's defence. When Simon Katich snapped up a smart catch at forward short leg to get Ishant Sharma, Krezja had taken five in 26 deliveries, and returned the fourth-best effort from an Australian bowler on debut. After being mauled for 32 in his first three overs yesterday, Krejza understandably took time to settle into his stride. Without ever looking dangerous, he plugged away and achieved some genuine spite from the flat track. Though he bled runs, Krejza's was a very satisfactory display and he could also feel thrilled with an effort that included the wickets of Rahul Dravid, Virender Sehwag, VVS Laxman, Dhoni and Ganguly, with 31,038 Test runs between them.

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Sachin Tendulkar Completed 40th century

4th Test v India at Nagpur

Stumps. India 311/5

Almost everything Sachin Tendulkar did today - from opening his account with a brush off the pads for four, to punching gloves with VVS Laxman at lunch to strutting back after tea - pointed to a batsman full of intent. His efforts paid off, despite a run-out chance on 74 and drops on 85 and 98 off the persevering debutant Jason Krejza, as he scored his 40th Test hundred to lead India's recovery, after a pre-lunch flurry of wickets, to 311 for 5 on the opening day in Nagpur.

India lost debutant M Vijay, Rahul Dravid and Virender Sehwag in 29 deliveries towards the end of the first session before the two in-form veterans shored up the innings. For nearly three and a half hours, Tendulkar and Laxman batted gracefully for 146 runs, their stand the highlight of India's day.

Tendulkar looked at ease since replacing Dravid - out for a duck - driving straight and impregnable in defence. He was the early aggressor in the partnership with Laxman, unfurling a slog-sweep over midwicket and a lofted on-drive in one Krejza over to raise India's 150. While the faster men were driven through cover, flicked to midwicket quite fluently or on-driven with laser-like precision, the spinners were tackled with excellent footwork.

Laxman, not at his most silky and sublime, collected his runs slowly and mechanically. As in Delhi, where he stroked 259 unbeaten runs, he stood firm, as has become his trademark. Even when the ball stopped on him, Laxman relied on those supple wrists and worked Krejza over the infield. The only phase when he was troubled was during Brett Lee's second spell, when the bowler obtained a bit of reverse-swing.

The scoring rate dipped with each session, from five - after Sehwag had blazed away - to four and under, but the objective rarely wavered. The pair scurried hard singles and dispatched anything loose - of which there was plenty - and almost always picking their mark whenever they went aerial.

Tendulkar slowed down as tea approached, perhaps mindful of his mistakes in Mohali and Delhi. His teatime 62 comprised eight fours, seven of which were muscularly hit on the leg side. He still outpaced Laxman on resumption, adding another 47 in the final session. A fierce sweep from outside the off stump and over wide mid-on took Tendulkar into the eighties and he should have stayed there. Tendulkar waltzed down to Krejza, didn't get to the pitch of the ball, and Mitchell Johnson dropped a comfortable chance running back from mid-off. The next delivery, Laxman coolly went past fifty with a drive wide of sweeper-cover, but a loose shot against Krejza, making room to cut, was snapped up on the second attempt by Brad Haddin.

Proximity to his century seemed to have fired up Tendulkar, who dashed out, very untypically, against Krejza on 98 and looked on as Lee spilled a running catch at mid-off. Having spent 11 deliveries on 99, Tendulkar raised his bat in the warm Nagpur air after raising his hundred - and tenth against Australia - with a spanking cut. He hardly played a shot thereafter and fell lbw to Johnson for 109 with 15 minutes to go.

A 98-run partnership between India's new opening pair occupied much of the morning session before Australia fought back, led by Krejza's double-strike. Sehwag took care of the new-ball threat from Johnson, driving and scooping him through backward of point, slashing him over third man, and whipping him delectably across the line. A genuine outside edge off Johnson, which bounced low in front of Matthew Hayden at first slip, when Vijay was on 11, was the nearest Australia came to a chance early on.

Sehwag's panache was complemented by Vijay's solidity on perhaps the easiest track to make your debut as a batsman. Allowed to drive on the up mid-way through the first session, he also tucked the straighter deliveries for singles that kept the score ticking. Vijay was shaping well, and India had the ideal platform, when Shane Watson struck. Sehwag looked set for a hundred, hitting nine fours and a six in his 66, but couldn't capitalise on his good start, and dragged a turning delivery from Krejza back onto his stumps shortly after Dravid fell.

One down in the series, with a highly creditable draw in Delhi following a drubbing in Mohali, Australia were aiming to salvage their bruised pride. Evenly split in pace and spin, but mellowed by another under-performing display from Lee, Australia relied on Krejza to handle the bulk of the bowling. He came in under a degree of pressure and showed enough stomach for a fight after he was mauled in his first three overs. The Tendulkar drops would have hurt, but Laxman's wicket was reward for an encouraging debut.

Laxman Play 100 test Match in Mohali

It's been 100 Tests now that VVS Laxman has been making batting look all too easy, whirring his wrists and persuading the ball through improbable arcs. Appearances can be deceptive, though, for behind that lackadaisical grace lie weeks and months of graft and practice. And for someone who makes it all look smooth sailing, his career has had more than its share of turbulence. It has been an eventful 12 years and the man himself is satisfied with how it has all shaped up. "I'm quite happy with the journey I have had. It has made me a better person," he tells Cricinfo.



A few years ago we did a cover story for our magazine on the top five Indian batsmen, where each one spoke about one of the others. Sachin Tendulkar spoke about you, and I still remember one sentence. He said, 'When Laxman bats you just stand at the other end and watch and tell yourself not to get carried away.' That's quite something coming from him.
That's a big compliment. But that's really true of each of the four of us, and [Virender] Sehwag and [Gautam] Gambhir too. When any of us is in peak form, when we are dominating batsmen, it is a treat to watch. And one thing you don't want to do is to try to emulate someone who is batting that well.

What Sachin really meant was that you can do some things that can't be emulated.
What he was probably referring to is the shots I play from outside the off stump towards leg. But then each of us has some truly special skills. That's why we have done so well at the international level. But that's a great compliment from Sachin, who has played international cricket for so many years and seen so many batsmen.

Not a lot of batsman make a living out of hitting balls from outside the off stump through midwicket. How did you learn to bat like this?
I have always done what has come naturally. I have not tried to change too many things. I have put in a lot of hard work, but I have followed what came naturally.

There are a couple of things that helped develop my game. One, the school ground. Actually it was not a ground but a small space between the buildings. We had a cement pitch and a tar road and we used play with a glazed ball. This meant the ball really skidded on to you, and it didn't bounce a lot. On those wickets, you knew what the ball was going to do, it didn't deviate much and the bounce was even. So all of us in school learnt to play a lot of on-the-rise shots.

The second thing is that in Hyderabad we had a lot of matting wickets with nice bounce. On those wickets even a decent fast bowler could get the ball to climb from a good length. So as a batsman you couldn't really commit to the front foot - you stay back and play late.

Both these factors helped me play fast bowling well. When you are playing international cricket, 75% of the time you are playing fast bowling, and I really enjoy playing fast bowling.

The many sides of Sourav

Gangles was fun. Every now and then a fellow feels like tearing off his shirt and waving it around like Mick Jagger with a microphone. Of all places, Sourav Ganguly responded to the urge at Lord's, holiest of cricketing holies. So much for decorum. He might as well have burped in St Paul's. Every now and then a fellow feels an insult coming on. Ganguly was rude to Steve Waugh, captain of all Australia, the mightiest foe of them all. So much for deference. Typically it started as a misjudgment and became an amusement that turned into a strategy.

Ganguly did not mind directing the fire at himself. What could they do? Bowl bumpers? Already every fast bowler worth his salt had tried to knock off his head. He had no lordly lineage but he walked and talked as he pleased, not exactly trying to provoke opponents but unwilling to deny himself. He did not give much ground to the modern game, with its fitness and diving and running between wickets and morning training and all that rot. It was brave of him to remain apart, for it left him exposed to ridicule, forced him to justify himself. But Ganguly was not scared of the pressure. Perhaps he needed the extra pressure the way a veteran car needs a crank. And, just in case, he had the populist touch. If Anil Kumble was the colossus, Sachin Tendulkar the champion, Rahul Dravid the craftsman, VVS Laxman the sorcerer, then Ganguly was the inspiration.

It has been an astonishing career. Some men prefer to follow a predictable path and their stories tell of a slow rise to the top and an equally measured decline. To that end instinct is subdued, contention avoided and risk reduced. That has been altogether too dull for Ganguly. Throughout he has toyed with his fate, tempting it to turn its back on him so that once again he could surprise the world with a stunning restoration. Something in him rebelled against the mundane and the sensible. He needed his life to be full of disasters and rescues, and comebacks and mistakes and memorable moments. To hell with the prosaic. At heart he is a cavalier, albeit of mischievous persuasion.

Taken as a whole, his contribution has been a triumph. It is no small thing for a boy from Kolkata to make it in Indian cricket. Till then local players were regarded as soft touches, and Ganguly himself was so categorised in his early days. Whereas the Mumbai-ites had risen through a rigorous system and the outstation boys had fought every inch of the way, the Bengalis seemed to lack the toughness required to make the grade. Ganguly changed all that. Indeed it was one of the many tasks he set himself. Always he has pitted himself against presumption and always he has prevailed.

Heavens, he even managed to time his departure as sweetly as ever he did any cover-drive. Before the series began he disarmingly announced that these four Tests against Australia were going to be his last. At a stroke his announcement put an end to speculation that he might lose his place. Ganguly is shrewder than he pretends. Just for a day or so it seemed that he might not get his way as reports spread of indiscreet remarks supposedly made about Robin Uthappa's hair, but Ganguly disowned the comments, even the splendid one about "every Tom, Dick and Harry" playing in the team. And so, once again, he lived to fight another day. Mind you, he let them hang in the air for 72 hours! That was typical Ganguly: at once the hero and the villain.

India v Australia, 4th Test Nagpur

India v Australia 4th Test Nagpur

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Having missed out on the last ODI series in Sri Lanka with Sachin Tendulkar is likely to return for the seven-ODI series against England starting November 14 in Rajkot. His availability will be one of the key issues of discussion when the selectors meet in Nagpur on Wednesday to announce the squad for the first three one-dayers.

Tendulkar had last featured in an ODI during the CB Series in Australia. A groin injury picked up during the tournament kept him away from the Kitply Cup held in Dhaka and the Asia Cup in Pakistan that followed.

"We haven't heard anything from him yet so we expect him to play," one of the selectors told Cricinfo. This will also be the first time the selectors, headed by Kris Srikkanth, will be appointing an ODI squad; they had picked the Test squad to face Australia.

From the squad that featured in Sri Lanka, Irfan Pathan is likely to be dropped given his lean form this season. As an allrounder, he doesn't have a strong case, scoring 105 at 17 in his last seven innings and picking up 10 wickets at almost 47 in the nine games he has played since the Kitply Cup. Though he was the third-highest wicket-taker in the Challenger Trophy, the selectors will be hard-pressed to pick him unless captain Mahendra Singh Dhoni supports his case.

S Badrinath, who was Tendulkar's replacement in Sri Lanka, is expected to retain his place in the squad. While Tendulkar is likely to partner Gautam Gambhir at the top, the others to follow include Yuvraj Singh, Rohit Sharma, Suresh Raina, Dhoni and Virender Sehwag (not necessarily in that order) which leaves a place for another batsman.

Virat Kohli, who played in Sri Lanka, is expected to fill that slot, over Robin Uthappa and Yusuf Pathan. Kohli proved his mettle when he adapted well as an opener in Sri Lanka and has impressed both Dhoni and the new selection committee.

Though Uthappa has been in solid form since the start of this season he might have to show a bit more patience. He was dropped after scoring 37 in three games during the Asia Cup but topped the run charts in the Challenger Trophy and followed that with a century on his first day as Karnataka captain in the Ranji Trophy against Railways.

In the bowling department, the selectors may rest either Zaheer Khan and Ishant Sharma considering the packed international calendar. Ishant was rested from the ODIs in Sri Lanka after he picked up an injury during the third Test. Munaf Patel will be the third seamer and Praveen Kumar's ability to swing on the Indian pitches might help him retain his position in the squad. RP Singh, who played in Sri Lanka, is likely to be left out after his disappointing figures in the last three series - 11 wickets at 30 .

Amit Mishra is favoured over Pragyan Ojha to be Harbhajan Singh's support act. The selectors' confidence might come from Mishra's decent outing during the IPL for Delhi Daredevils and, of course, his form in the current Test series.

Anil Kumble retires from cricket

nil Kumble has announced his retirement from cricket, saying the finger injury he sustained on the third day of the Test helped him make his decision. The news was made public minutes after the tea break on the final day; Kumble then bowled four overs before the match was called off as a draw.

"The body was asking questions every day," he said. "It was not easy to keep bowling the way I have been bowling the last 18 years, to keep going. The injury I had on the third day probably helped me make the decision."

The captaincy now passes on to Mahendra Singh Dhoni, who already leads India in the shorter forms of the game.

Kumble made the formal announcement at the post-match press conference, at which he received a standing ovation from the journalists crowded into the room. He doffed his cap and sat down to speak to the media one last time as an India player and captain. He stayed composed throughout the conference, which took place minutes after the emotional farewell he had received on the field.

Kumble had decided to quit last night but took his time in letting his team-mates know, lest it took their focus off the match. "I did inform my team-mates, who I have played with all these years, one by one during the day," Kumble said. "Then I informed the chairman of the selection committee just after lunch. I did inform the board as well."

It took a "nasty injury" to finally push Kumble into retirement. He has had a shoulder injury before, and has been troubled by it, but at 38, the "pretty deep" cut proved too much. "You could see the flesh. There are 11 stitches," Kumble said. "The doctor said I had to undergo the procedure under general anesthesia. I told him, 'If you give me general anesthesia I'll lose time, I'd like to go there and bowl.' He said 'Look, it's a medical decision, not a cricketing decision."

"The stitches will come out only on November 8, which is the third day of the Nagpur Test. I don't think it was easy for me to bat or field. I wouldn't have been 100% and I didn't want to let the team down. Anyway I had more or less decided this would be my last series."

Kumble has never given the team less than 100% and he said wanted to be remembered most for that. "I definitely put the team above self, right through my career," Kumble said. "I believe Indian cricket has certainly gone further from the time when I started, in terms of results, not just in India but also abroad.

"And I am confident that with this young team, with a few of the experienced senior players still being a part of the team, we have an opportunity to dominate world cricket and be No. 1 in all forms of the game. In one-day cricket we're pretty close to the top, in Twenty20 we're No. 1, I don't think we are that far behind in Tests as well and it will be great to see that happen."

An important part of that surge towards Test leadership would be a series win against Australia. Kumble said he will there in Nagpur to see whether the team can do that. "Ideally I would have liked to finish in Nagpur," Kumble said. "At this moment, I don't think I will be traveling with the team, but I will certainly go to Nagpur. I want to see Sourav's last Test match, and also wish Laxman on his 100th. And win the series. That is the ultimate goal for all of us. I would like to be a part of that."

It has been a long road for Kumble - 18 years - on which he has come across many highs and lows. "I had to go through a lot of things in the early part of my career," Kumble said. "People questioning my ability, my fitness, my form, my bowling and the effectiveness of my bowling. I had to go through that then, now right at the end of my career, and even in the middle.

In that sense, after the shoulder surgery [in 2001], I've done exceptionally well to have played eight years. To have bowled so many overs and to have got so many wickets, the second phase was certainly more satisfying. We had a lot more victories, not just in India but also abroad: especially the Australia series in 2004, the Pakistan series after that, West Indies and England where we won. All of them were a challenge and to come out triumphant was special."

The retirement decision, in the end, came easy for Kumble. "The body tells you how far you can go," he said. "I kept challenging - as a cricketer you are always competitive, always saying, 'I can do it'. Whether you can or not only time will tell. I kept getting responses from the body saying that you can't. I fought that, I took various painkillers and tried all sorts of things, but ultimately one injury to the hand said 'enough now'. I was also not bowling at my best and you want to keep performing at a level that you are satisfied with. That was not happening so I thought this was the right time to move on."

For a moment as emotional as this, Kumble ended on a humorous note. "At this moment I would like to thank my family, my parents, who gave me all the encouragement, supported me and asked me to bowl legspin. Although I am still trying to find out how I can bowl legspin.

"Thank you all for all the support I have received right through my career. I've built some great friendships and met some fantastic people along the way. You'll probably start calling me from tomorrow for quotes about somebody else. Give me a break for a couple of days and I'll certainly take all your calls." Like he has unfailingly answered the Indian team's calls for the last 18 years.

Reverse-swing is crucial - Dhoni

The winds of change are blowing through Indian cricket and the man who is in charge of directing that change is part of the process himself. Mahendra Singh Dhoni has been stop-gap captain twice before - India won both - but the final Test against Australia will be his first as Anil Kumble's successor. By leading India to victory in Mohali, Dhoni has earned the opportunity to begin his reign with a series win over the world champions but his team has to pass a multitude of Tests in order to achieve that end.

India's best batsman - and forward short-leg fielder - has been banned and his replacement is a novice who was whisked away from a domestic game. Their No. 3 has the second-lowest batting average in the team - 23.40 - and is getting out by playing uncharacteristically loose shots outside off stump. He also had flu on the eve of the match but was expected to be fit. Two of their other key batsmen face possible distraction from personal milestones: for one this Test will be his last international match and for the other it will be his 100th. The pitch and the venue are unknown quantities for not only have India not played at the VCA Stadium before, they haven't even practised there.

Of all the issues Dhoni said the most significant one was the absence of Gautam Gambhir from the starting line-up. Gambhir has made 463 runs in the series - 150 more than the next Indian - and his opening partnerships with Virender Sehwag have been paramount to India's success. Apart from the runs they have added together - 372 in six innings - it is their aggressive stroke-play against the new ball and their terrific running between the wickets that has forced Australia on the defensive.

Dhoni was certain about Gambhir's unavailability only this morning. "Before that it wasn't 100% sure [that Gambhir will miss the Test] but now it's almost sure he won't be playing.

"It is crucial because he has been the man in form. A good start really matters, after that you can really capitalise and the middle order comes into action," Dhoni said. "But as Gauti [Gambhir] is ruled out, you can't really think about what would have happened if Gauti was here. We have confidence in M Vijay as well and hopefully he will give the ideal start that's needed."

Gambhir's ban and Kumble's retirement mean that India will have had a different XI for each of the four Tests. Kumble missed the second Test after playing the first and returned for the third, replacing Harbhajan Singh who had injured his toe. Amit Mishra, who made his debut in Mohali, performed impressively, taking a five-wicket haul, and he and Harbhajan will be India's spinners in Nagpur. Dhoni said that the constant changes to the line-up made a difference.

"Mostly when a player doesn't play he is not in good rhythm but touch-wood, everything is going on well. Whoever has got the responsibility he has contributed well, taken wickets, and put pressure on the opposition. If things go this way then there is no problem.

"In a normal scenario it makes a difference because if you are not playing in a series, and if all of a sudden you are playing a match, you don't know what the batsman's strengths are, which shots he is good at. Cricket is all about studying your opponents, putting plans in place and executing them."

Dhoni said the pitch at the new VCA stadium looked like a "normal Indian track" devoid of grass. He didn't expect the fast bowlers to find much assistance with the new ball but said there was a good chance the ball will reverse-swing. India's victory in Mohali was largely due to Zaheer Khan and Ishant Sharma's ability to reverse-swing the ball. However, they were unable to generate the same degree of movement in Delhi.

"It [reverse swing] is crucial because the new ball with the shine doesn't really do much. If it's not swinging the only option is to maintain the ball and get reverse-swing. Delhi was one venue where we didn't see much of reverse-swing because there was grass on the wicket and the outfield was also lush green. I think we have maintained the ball well. You have to keep it hard and dry as well in order to get it to reverse-swing."

Dhoni said the fact that this match will be Ganguly's last and Laxman's 100th won't make "zeroing in [on the goal] a problem". He preferred to look on the positive side of those milestones, citing the vast experience of the two players to be massive advantage in such a crucial game. According to him, there was no "added pressure or responsibility on the side".

Ponting frets over bowling line-up

The toss has been so important in this series that in the lead-up to the deciding fourth Test the Australians practised their calling. It was a short, light-hearted exercise, like a game of two-up on Anzac Day, and at the end it was revealed that the coin was two-headed. After three guesses Ricky Ponting was one of two guys with a perfect record. He always calls heads, and is desperate for a change in luck on Thursday morning at the Vidarbha Cricket Association's new stadium.

Ponting has lost the past two tosses and quickly watched his team fall behind, and he does not need the bat-first-and-dominate theory to occur as they push to level the series and retain the Border-Gavaskar Trophy. "I went down and had a look at the wicket yesterday, it's rock hard like concrete and there's no grass on it," Ponting said.

"With no history to the wicket, we don't know if it's going to bounce, or stay low, or what it's going to do. One thing I know is that it is going to spin, it's so bare. Hopefully we win the toss."

While Ponting has no control over the fall of the coin, he is also uncertain as to what will happen in the morning when he walks out to the toss. Gautam Gambhir's appeal against a one-match suspension for elbowing Shane Watson in the third Test in Delhi was turned down by the ICC on Tuesday, but the Indian board has "rejected" the ruling.

"It's going to be an awkward situation for me to be put in tomorrow if I get out there for the toss and the guy that's been rubbed out has his name on the team sheet," Ponting said. "I need to be clear, and Cricket Australia needs to be clear, on that."

India, who lead the series 1-0, also have a new captain in Mahendra Singh Dhoni after the exit of the legspinner Anil Kumble on Sunday, while VVS Laxman is playing his 100th Test and Sourav Ganguly will join Kumble in retirement after the game. Ponting hoped all the off-field issues of his opponents would help his side.

"One thing it [the Gambhir decision] does do is create a bit of confusion around their team," Ponting said. "They'll obviously have a lot of distractions going on. For us, it's pretty plain sailing, we've just got to work out the best way to play in these conditions."

The decision over the final XI will be difficult, but it appears the offspinner Jason Krejza will make his debut. Australia have taken 14, 13 and 12 wickets over the first three games and it is the main reason they are in such an unfamiliar position.