Virat Kohli Performence

Time for Kohli to cash in

Watch Kohli Performence By England 2nd ODI Airtel Trophy

Has established himself in the senior team

Virat Kohli belongs to a new generation of cricketers who carry their attitude, bordering on arrogance, on their sleeves.

With proven talent, oozing tenacity and perpetually ready for any eyeball-to-eyeball confrontation, Kohli has firmed up his place in the country's squads for limited-over versions.

A good striker of the ball and an agile fielder, who tends to be too flamboyant at times, Kohli is now giving Mahendra Singh Dhoni an outside option of using his medium pace offerings in the right conditions.

His batting abilities are surely unquestionable. He has an array of strokes to unleash. He bats to dominate. On home pitches, he looks comfortable negotiating even the rising ball! With time, he is certain to add maturity and possess the right temperament. If not, it will be unfortunate should Kohli end up as an under-achiever.

Coming of age

Kohli, who turns 23 next month, is clearly showing signs of coming of age. A little under five years ago, as a teenager, Kohli made news for an unusual reason as he saved Delhi from a possible defeat at the hands of Karnataka with a fighting 90. What made this innings carry immense recall-value was the fact that Kohli's on-field heroics came after he had lost his father.

For most, Kohli's decision to bat the next morning for Delhi's sake, to enable the team avoid the follow-on, was an example of his strength of character and complete control over emotions — something teenagers are not usually associated with. Some others looked at his decision to play on, even after such a grave personal tragedy, as a reflection of his steely resolve to pursue what he deems paramount.

Influenced to a large extent by the no-nonsense approach of seniors like Virender Sehwag and Gautam Gambhir, young Kohli did not have to try too hard to chart the course to the Indian dressing room. For the youngster, making it to the Indian team was always believable, and he did.

Having done his bit to catch the eye by leading the Indian junior team to the World Cup, and later playing a stellar role in the Emerging Players tournament, Kohli got his chance to make his ODI debut against Sri Lanka after an injury ruled out Sehwag in 2009.

Since then, at regular intervals, Kohli has benefitted from the injuries to players like Sehwag and Yuvraj to be back in the team, including the Test squad; but is yet to establish himself in the classical format.

Impactful

In the shorter versions, Kohli has clearly made an impact. Two of his seven ODI centuries have come against England in the last three appearances. The one recently at Cardiff was in a losing cause. But the one at the Ferozeshah Kotla on Monday night was an emphatic statement that went a long way in enhancing the team's self-belief.

The way Kohli carries himself on and off the field there is a growing impression that this young man is “arrogant”. He is seen in social gatherings of his choice and there are times when his flamboyance gets magnified by the preying media.

 “He is aggressive on the field. But certainly not arrogant,” defended Raj Kumar Sharma, his mentor. “I like to compete hard,” was Kohli's candid reaction.

It is difficult for many people to deal with Kohli's almost overbearing sense of self-confidence, which in turn gets described as arrogance. Indeed, there have been occasions when Kohli's haughtiness or aggressiveness has backfired.

Sobering down

One hopes Kohli's gains from the sober elements of Royal Challengers, particularly from the likes of Anil Kumble. In sharp contrast to the needlessly aggressive environment of the DDCA, the KSCA may well provide a much-needed calming influence on young Kohli during the time he gets to spend there each season.

Indeed, this is time for Kohli to consolidate. He looks in good touch, his confidence is obviously high against an opposition that is in danger of losing the series at the first opportunity on Thursday.

With England grappling with questions and a not-so-formidable West Indies next on line to visit India, Kohli has chances to cash in on

Dhoni Comments On 2nd ODI

Gambhir, Kohli were brilliant: Dhoni

Indian skipper M.S. Dhoni, wearing a broad smile, praised the performance of the youngsters after the second successive win in the ODI series against England.

Dhoni was particularly happy about the unbeaten third-wicket partnership between Gautam Gambhir and Virat Kohli which ensured a smooth eight-wicket victory.

“We did not have to chase too much. It (England's 237) was a slightly under-par score. The partnership between Gautam and Virat was brilliant,” said Dhoni.

He stressed the need for century-maker Kohli to be more consistent and learn to convert his starts into big scores. “He is going through that phase. He is improving,” said the Indian captain.

Dhoni was satisfied with the team's run-chasing ability. “We have been able to chase slightly difficult targets. We are improving while chasing,” he said.

SUPER-SOPPER!

Impressed with the use of three super-soppers at the Ferozeshah Kotla to absorb the dew, Dhoni said the “wet ball” was responsible for India's plight in the rain-affected matches in England as the spinners could not grip the ball properly.

England skipper Alastair Cook admitted that it was a “concern” for his team to “lose heavily twice in a row.”

He said it was difficult for his bowlers to stop the Gambhir-Kohli onslaught.

CONDITIONS PLAY A PART

Cook added that his team was well prepared for this series, and felt that the conditions in the sub-continent played a huge part in the defeats.

“Just as India struggled in England, we are struggling here,” he said.

Watch Ghambhir,Kohli 200 Partnership Moments

Airtel Trophy 2nd ODI Scorecard With Highlyghts

India inflicts second heavy defeat on England

  

TAKING CONTROL: Virat Kohli and Gautam Gambhir shrugged off the loss of two early wickets to take India to an eventually facile win in the second ODI

Eventually, it turned out to be a no-contest in spite of England doing its bit to bounce back more than once.

Riding on Virat Kohli's unbeaten 112 and his record unfinished double-century stand with Gautam Gambhir, India scored a resounding eight-wicket win with 80 deliveries to spare to take a 2-0 lead in the five-match series.

When the Indian openers, Parthiv Patel and Ajinkya Rahane, returned to the dressing room with just 29 on the board, the Englishmen were obviously entertaining hopes of defending 237 on what is traditionally considered a pitch that does not encourage free-flowing stroke-play. But the two men who grew up as cricketers at the Ferozeshah Kotla obviously know more.

Making light of a modest run-chase, Kohli and Gambhir set the pace for each other on their home ground and turned the visitors into hapless bystanders. Together, they held centrestage for 29.5 overs, and raised a record unfinished 209 to enthral the sparsely-filled stands in the second contest of the five-match series on Monday.

Shaky start

The right-left combination made the English attack look grossly inadequate and sprayed the ball in all directions. Gambhir may have started shakily by getting a couple of lucky boundaries off the edge of his bat, but once he got into the rhythm there was no reprieve for the visiting side. If Gambhir was happy to delectably play square off the wicket, Kohli preferred to play in the ‘V'.

As the scoring picked up pace, Kohli overtook Gambhir in reaching the half-century and later pressed on the accelerator to reach his seventh century in One-Day Internationals.

He also reached the 1000-run mark this year to be third on the list of run-getters in ODIs this year, behind Jonathan Trott and Shane Watson.

Kohli, in fact, had a complete day. He bowled five overs for just 18 runs, took two catches, scored a strokeful century studded with 16 boundaries.

He was lucky to be around to put the finishing touches to the chase after being dropped soon after reaching the three-figure mark. He deservedly walked away with the Man-of-the-Match award!

Gambhir, who smashed 10 boundaries in his unbeaten 84, played his part to perfection. Earlier, Jonathan Trott, Kevin Pietersen, Ravi Bopara, Samit Patel and Jonny Bairstow raised visions of setting India a fairly challenging total. However, each of these batsmen perished, exposing the English tail. Overall, it was a below-par batting performance that made the Indian bowling look better.

If it was spin that did the damage to England's chase at Hyderabad, pace and swing combined today to keep the visiting team in check. Vinay Kumar's career-best four-wicket haul and Umesh Yadav's two crucial strikes ensured that the start given by Praveen Kumar did not go in vain.

After Praveen and Vinay sent back openers Alastair Cook and Craig Kieswetter with wicket-maidens, Trott was the first English batsman to show that neither the pitch nor the bowlers held any terrors before he played a wee bit casually to an away going delivery from Vinay.

Thereafter, Pietersen and Ravi Bopara raised 73 runs for the fourth wicket.

Samit Patel and Jonathan Bairstow raised 86 runs for the sixth wicket but it proved too little in the end.

Scoreboard

England: A. Cook c Jadeja b Praveen 0 (4b), C. Kieswetter c Kohli b Vinay 0 (5b), J. Trott c Dhoni b Vinay 34 (37b, 7x4), K. Pietersen c Dhoni b Yadav 46 (55b, 3x4, 2x6), R. Bopara lbw b Ashwin 36 (50b, 4x4), J. Bairstow c Kohli b Jadeja 35 (49b, 3x4), S. Patel lbw b Yadav 42 (53b, 2x4, 2x6), T. Bresnan c Raina b Vinay 12 (13b, 1x4), G. Swann b Vinay 7 (7b, 1x4), S. Finn (not out) 6 (13b), J. Dernbach (run out) 3 (4b); Extras (lb-5, w-11): 16; Total (in 48.2 overs): 237.

Power Plays: Overs 1-10: 48/3; Bowling (16-20): 27/0; Batting (36-40): 36/0.

Fall of wickets: 1-0 (Cook), 2-0 (Kieswetter), 3-48 (Trott), 4-121 (Bopara), 5-121 (Pietersen), 6-207 (Patel), 7-211 (Bairstow), 8-227 (Swann), 9-229 (Bresnan).

India bowling: Praveen 9-1-40-1, Vinay 9-1-30-4, Kohli 5-0-18-0, Yadav 8.2-0-50-2, Ashwin 10-0-56-1, Jadeja 7-0-38-1.

India: Parthiv c Cook b Bresnan 12 (17b, 2x4), A. Rehane c Dernbach b Bresnan 14 (15b, 1x4, 1x6), G. Gambhir (not out) 84 (90b, 10x4), V. Kohli (not out) 112 (98b, 16x4), Extras (lb-3, w-13) 16; Total (for two in 36.4 overs) 238.

Power Plays: Overs 1-10: 53/2; Bowling (18-22): 32/0; Batting (36 onwards): 13/0

Fall of wickets: 1-14 (Parthiv), 2-29 (Rehane).

England bowling: Bresnan 7-1-41-2, Finn 9-0-50-0, Dernbach 5.4-0-41-0, Swann 8-0-52-0, Bopara 3-0-21-0, Samit 2-0-17-0, Pietersen 2-0-13-0.

Man of the Match: Virat Kohli.

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Ind vs Eng 2nd ODI Kohli Comments

Our strength is spin: Kohli

 

APVirat Kohli bats during the first one-day international cricket match between India and England in Hyderabad on Friday, Oct. 14, 2011.

RELATED

It is not a secret that on home pitches India relies on its spin bowling to dominate the visiting sides.

After the morale-boosting win in the first One-Day International against England in Hyderabad, M.S. Dhoni and his men will play to their strength in order to salvage some pride against the tourist.

The Indian team was clear with its plan for the second ODI, to be played at the Ferozeshah Kotla here on Monday. “Our strength has been spinners. They know the conditions well.

“They express their skills well and it is an advantage for us,” said middle-order batsman Virat Kohli on the eve of the match.

Reflecting on the Indian players' state of mind following the washout in England recently, Kohli insisted, “We played really well (in England) in the ODI series. But we were unable to cross the line, due to the Duckworth-Lewis method and rains.” he said.

The team remained “calm and confident” as it waited for its time to bounce back.

“Everyone was keen. It was a big margin win (in Hyderabad). A convincing victory gives a lot of confidence,” Kohli said.

Motivating factor

Kohli said a good performance against a side like England would be a motivating factor for the fresh entrants into the team.

He backed pacer Umesh Yadav, who showed glimpses of his abilities in the opening match. “Umesh has pace and we encourage him to use his pace.”

Kohli said the latest rule changes in the ODIs had been “confusing” but could be “exciting” as well. “It was the first match, we will get used to the changes with time.”

England pacer Jade Dernbach said there were enough matches left for his side to stage a fightback.

“We are disappointed with the result the other night. We have got four games to rectify the situation. In a series of five games we will try to turn things around,” he said.

“It was one of those days when things did not go our way. We will try to play better cricket which we know we can, which we produced back home in summer…We have to find a way that works for us,” he added.

The Surrey bowler said England needed to improve in all three departments of the game. “There were a few areas that we spoke about that went wrong (in Hyderabad), I do not think it was just the spin department. We have to play well in general…You have to adapt as per the pitch conditions and the boundary size (which is small in Kotla),” said Dernbach.

Eng vs Ind 4th ODI Cricinfo

England aims to clinch series

AP Ravindra Jadeja (right) excelled with both bat and ball on Friday, and will hope for another good performance in the 3rd ODI.

 

On a tour devoid of good news, M.S. Dhoni has strode ahead with remarkable poise. Media inquests after lost matches can be an unnerving exercise but the Indian captain has handled the queries and the barbs with equanimity while firmly backing his team.

Robbed off his key players due to injury, Dhoni has battled ahead and it is time that the rest of the squad matches up his cool-quotient. The loss at the Oval has shattered even that tenuous dream of salvaging pride by winning the NatWest Series.

India and England will face-off again at Lord's on Sunday amidst whispers of rain. England is ahead at 2-0 and will not lose the trophy. At best, India can win the next two games starting with Lord's and draw level. Dhoni said that his team is always high on motivation though the results have been damning.

Nightmarish

The tour has turned out to be a nightmare and a distant precedent can be seen in India's visit to Australia during 1999-2000 when Sachin Tendulkar's men lost all the three Tests and won just one among the eight ODIs of the Cartlon and United Series that also featured Pakistan.

At rain-swept Chester-le-Street and in the Oval, India had those little moments but England has reigned. “We need to perform together,” Dhoni said while individual sparks emanated from Parthiv Patel, Ajinkya Rahane, Ravindra Jadeja and R. Ashwin at different points in this series. On Friday, the top-order collapsed, Dhoni and Jadeja revived and the spinners made the English batsmen nervously twitch. In the end it just did not add up.

Cook's intentions

Dhoni's counterpart Alastair Cook declared that his team wants to seal the series. England does not want to be satiated with just the Tests. The team made that mistake after winning the Ashes and Australia won the limited overs jousts at 6-1.

In the lead-up to the Oval match, the Indian players took in the sights of London ranging from the Big Ben to the House of Commons. On Saturday, the team opted for rest and England's players too put their feet up.  A change from cricket's grind is most welcome and India also needs to alter its script in matches. 

Sunday also marks Rahul Dravid's last stint at Lord's. He started his international career here in 1996 and it is a journey well lived. Wish we could say the same thing about India's current tour.

The teams (from):

India: M.S. Dhoni (captain), Rahul Dravid, Suresh Raina, Virat Kohli, Ajinkya Rahane, Parthiv Patel, Ravindra Jadeja, Praveen Kumar, Munaf Patel, Vinay Kumar, R.P. Singh, Varun Aaron, Amit Mishra, R. Ashwin, Manoj Tiwary and S. Badrinath.

 England: Alastair Cook (captain), Craig Kieswetter, Ian Bell, Jonathan Trott, Ben Stokes, Ravi Bopara, James Anderson, Stuart Broad, Tim Bresnan, Jade Dernbach, Steven Finn, Graeme Swann and Samit Patel.

 Umpires: Marais Erasmus and Richard Illingworth; Third umpire: Billy Doctrove; Match referee: Jeff Crowe.

Match starts at 2.45 p.m. IST.

Eng vs Ind ODI Series Practise session

Indians go through intense practice session

Its confidence at an all time low following the 4-0 drubbing in the Test series, the Indian cricket team on Wednesday went through intense fielding and batting drills ahead of the upcoming ODIs against England starting next month.

The entire ODI outfit, sans injured opener Gautam Gambhir and India's best player in the Test series Rahul Dravid, attended the morning's practice session here. Even though speculations over Gambhir's availability for the ODI series is all but over following a clear MRI scan report, the left-hander did not come out to practice with his fellow players.

The Indian cricketers were subjected to some intense fielding drills, including catches — high, low, sharp, spinning, at the boundary edge, running forward and backward.

Interesting

It was interesting to see the fielders attempting to catch skiers while standing near the ropes and a few of the efforts were truly breath-taking.

Indian skipper Mahendra Singh Dhoni was not part of this catching drill. However, he gave himself a good stretch with the bat in the nets and so did Suresh Raina, Rohit Sharma and Virat Kohli.

They faced some decent bowling from Munaf Patel, Vinay Kumar and Praveen Kumar, who went flat out at them.

India coach Duncan Fletcher witnessed the proceedings from behind the nets with bowling coach Eric Simmons in tow.

Rohit impresses

Among batsmen, Rohit was the most impressive while Raina was the most brittle, which is hardly surprising since he scored only 105 runs from the four-Test series at an average of 13.12.

Sharma hit massive sixes with utmost ease and one such hit, from an impossible position, drew a handsome clap from Fletcher in appreciation.

Yet to arrive

Young Ajinkya Rahane and Varun Aaron, who were chosen as replacements for injured Virender Sehwag and Ishant Sharma, were yet to arrive in England. The venue should lift the besieged Indians for it's where Kumar Ranjitsinhji spent 14 years and graced the county grounds.

Nawab Mansur Ali Khan Pataudi and Eknath Solkar are the two other prominent names who have had a long association with this county.

The county ground also boasts of a rare museum on Ranjitsinhji which has his bat, blazers and some rare photographs and score-sheeets.

The Indian high commissioner to United Kingdom is officially set to inaugurate the museum on Thursday.

Eng Vs Ind Forth Test Day4 Cricinfo With Highlights

Fight on hand despite Dravid's heroics

 

AP Rahul Dravid brought up his 35th Test hundred on the fourth morning of the fourth Test against England on Sunday.

                                            Somehow Rahul Dravid has found within himself the strength to keep

thegrim depression that has enveloped India on its tour of England from dragging him down.

Whether he has drawn from the pain, allowing the lacerating hurt to stiffen his resolve, or remained immune to its infectious influence, sequestering himself from the contagion, isn't known; he won't let oneither. But while India has crawled from batting disaster to batting disaster, Dravid has had what simply is a singularly outstanding series.

First-rate innings

Forced to open on Saturday evening, like he has been on other occasions this series, the great man completed his third century in four Tests, on Sunday afternoon. By any standard, it was a first-rate innings; given the quality of England's attack, the relative loneliness of his stand, the context of the series, and thedifficulties of the wicket, it was an epic, a masterpiece, a statement of unflinching greatness.

Dravid's 35th Test century — only Sachin Tendulkar, with 51, has more for India — enabled the touring side resist England's push for a series-sweeping win on the fourth day of the fourth Test. England eventually bowled India out for 300 and enforced the follow-on.

Dravid, who had carried his bat with 146, fell, contentiously, in the second innings. India finished on 129 for three, trailing by 162.

India began Sunday on 103 for five, needing a further 289 to avoid the follow-on. M.S. Dhoni stayed with Dravid for 45 minutes before shaving to the keeper a James Anderson out-swinger that moved half a bat's width.

Amit Mishra (43) batted most impressively, using a surprisingly-solid defensive technique and some adventurous, and on occasion skilful, strokeplay to give Dravid the support he so richly deserved.

Magnificent

Dravid was magnificent. Where his centuries at Lord's and at Trent Bridge were characterised by how swiftly and profitably his hands adjusted to the swing, allowing him to score even when out of position, his century here at The Oval was marked by how well his feet and body shifted into position. That the ball didn't swing to the same degree here as it had in the first two Tests allowed this, but it showed the versatility of his batsmanship.

Having persuaded the seamers to bowl straighter by leaving resolutely outside the off-stump, Dravid flipped off his hip and knee with a twitch of the wrist and a turn of the body. His play against GraemeSwann was masterly.

The off-spinner was getting his deliveries to drift (occasionally), establish a grip on the dry, abrasive surface, and turn sharply. Dravid was either right to the pitch, or deep in his crease: from these decisive positions, he could play with or against the break.

Dravid went from 86 to 98 with three fours off the off-spinner in four balls, a slog-sweep, a back-cut, and a worked on-drive. But even when he was gathering singles, his control and intent were just as striking. Deliveries that were exploding off the surface, disturbing the strip's loosened top soil, were calmly defused.

Stunning catch

Mishra, who had smashed Swann for six off the last ball before lunch, fell to a stunning one-handed catch by Ian Bell, metres from the bat in an unconventional position. Gautam Gambhir resisted for an hour and ten minutes before a bouncer had him fending to the slip cordon; there's some talk about Gambhir's tendency not to play unless fully fit, and a discussion isn't without merit, but concussions aren't to be trifled with.

R.P. Singh played a stroke-filled cameo, but neither he nor last-man Sreesanth could assist Dravid to 150. Dravid may as well have requested his scones and tea on the pitch, for he was back on in ten minutes, opening the second innings.

England finally got his wicket, but it wasn't clear cut. Andrew Strauss, on Swann's bidding, reviewed a bat-pad decision — there was no conclusive evidence, at least none from the replays and Hot Spot, to over-rule the ‘not out' verdict, but that's exactly what the third-umpire did.

Classic dismissal

There was no dispute about Swann's dismissal of Virender Sehwag, which was a classic off-spinner's wicket. The opener had batted with a mix of caution and daring to make 33; his repeated attempt to hit Swann through cover cost him. An off-break turned severely from well outside off-stump to steal between bat and pad.

V.V.S. Laxman played inside the line of an Anderson delivery to lose his off-stump. Unlike the leg-cutter at Trent Bridge, this was a straight ball.

It was left to Tendulkar (who survived a split-second stumping because no one appealed) and Mishra (night-watchman or promoted batsman?) to take India to stumps; the fight to save face will resume on Monday, the final day of the series.

England — 1st innings: 591 for six decl.

India — 1st innings: V. Sehwag lbw b Anderson 8 (6b, 2x4), R. Dravid (not out) 146 (266b, 20x4), V.V.S. Laxman c Prior b Broad 2 (7b), S. Tendulkar c Anderson b Swann 23 (34b, 4x4), S. Raina st. Prior b Swann 0 (29b), Ishant c Cook b Swann 1 (9b), M.S. Dhoni c Prior b Anderson 17 (50b, 2x4), A. Mishra c Bell b Bresnan 43 (77b, 6x4, 1x6), G. Gambhir c Pietersen b Broad 10 (62b, 1x4), R.P. Singh c Anderson b Bresnan 25 (23b, 5x4), S. Sreesanth c Morgan b Bresnan 0 (2b); Extras (b-8, lb-9, nb-1, w-7): 25; Total (in 94 overs): 300.

Fall of wickets: 1-8 (Sehwag), 2-13 (Laxman), 3-68 (Tendulkar), 4-93 (Raina), 5-95 (Ishant), 6-137 (Dhoni), 7-224 (Mishra), 8-264 (Gambhir), 9-300 (R.P. Singh).

England bowling: Anderson 16-7-49-2, Broad 21-3-51-2, Bresnan 17-3-54-3, Swann 31-5-102-3, Pietersen 7-1-27-0, Bopara 2-2-0-0.

India — 2nd innings: V. Sehwag b Swann 33 (67b, 5x4), R. Dravid c Cook b Swann 13 (32b, 2x4), V.V.S. Laxman b Anderson 24 (42b, 4x4), S. Tendulkar (batting) 35 (51b, 5x4), A. Mishra (batting) 8 (18b, 1x4); Extras (b-10, lb-6): 16; Total (for three wkts. in 35 overs): 129.

Fall of wickets: 1-49 (Dravid), 2-64 (Sehwag), 3-118 (Laxman).

England bowling: Anderson 9-2-39-1, Broad 6-3-8-0, Swann 15-2-51-2, Bresnan 5-0-15-0.

Eng Vs Ind Forth Test Day3 Cricinfo With Highlights

India staring down the barrel again

AP Sachin Tendulkar leaves the field after being caught by England's James Anderson in the fourth Test match, at The Oval cricket ground in London, on Saturday.

 

Cricket / Bell completes double century; Swann strikes crucial blows

There are Tests that pitch and lurch violently, the momentum switching hands like dirty money at a gold souk. The fourth Test, here at The Oval, isn't one of them.

England resumed on 457 for three on the third morning, and progressed to 591 for six before the rain intervened at lunch. There was time for Ian Bell's first Test double-hundred, England's third of the series and its seventh since the start of 2010.

The home team continued its dominance thereafter: first it declared on its lunch score, reassessing its plans because the second session was washed out; then it warmed up purposefully as the clouds lifted; finally, and most importantly, England claimed wickets (although not the one it most wanted, that of Rahul Dravid), reducing India to 103 for five.

India has its work cut out. The weather might help — the forecast, at least for Sunday, says there may be rain — but the batsmen will have to do better than they have all series. And they'll have to do it against an English attack that showed on Saturday evening that the pitch the Indian bowlers had laboured on wasn't as unresponsive as it appeared.

Although Sreesanth took two in ten balls in the morning, India couldn't create an impact. The first was night-watchman James Anderson, caught at second slip. The bowler stood still, arms crossed, a baleful stare stalking Anderson as he walked to the pavilion.

Sreesanth followed that dramatic performance — and it was a rather entertaining celebration, the contempt giving it a certain edge — with a clever bit of bowling. He leapt wide at the crease, exaggerating the delivery's angle. The length provoked the drive; the slant across the left-handed Eoin Morgan compromised it.

But the wickets made no difference to Bell, who batted with the touch and judgment of Friday, driving sweetly from balanced positions. Bell's 20th four, a leg-glance off Sreesanth, gave him his maiden double-century, and he celebrated with a crunching pull between mid-on and mid-wicket.

Suresh Raina ended Bell's 235 with a flat off-spinner slipped under the batsman's sweep-stroke. A standing ovation saluted a fine innings that had begun in circumspection — his ability to leave Ishant Sharma's in-slant particularly impressive — before reprising the glorious principles of stroke-making.

Ravi Bopara rustled together an unbeaten 44 against R.P. Singh, who again looked sub-standard, Amit Mishra, who managed no more than slow, transparent turn, and Raina. But any ambition he might have had of a half-century ended with the declaration.

Dravid was forced to open India's innings because Gautam Gambhir was being treated for a concussion suffered on the second day. Virender Sehwag took first strike, and cracked two fours through cover. But Anderson struck with one that nipped back. Sehwag's attempt to bring his bat across was impeded by the front pad. He was lbw.

Stuart Broad took V.V.S. Laxman out with a short ball that bounced, and actually began to swing as it approached the batsman — only in England does the ball, when its seam is knocked upright on pitching, swing after it passes the batsman. The previous ball had swung straight to first slip after bouncing on the pitch. This one moved less, but it did so fatally, for it gained Laxman's edge to the keeper. Dravid batted masterfully and positively. He wristed the ball off his front knee with fine skill. He punched well off the back-foot, cut adeptly, and even played a pull stroke, something he doesn't do as often these days. He used the crease magnificently to combat Graeme Swann. The more aggressive mindset also helped his defensive play: he was sharp, keen, tight.

Sachin Tendulkar had a strange time of it in the hour and even minutes he batted. He was hit by the short ball, but thought little of it and pressed forward to punch-drive when the length demanded. But his fondness for the sweep-stroke against Swann cost him. The off-spinner shortened his length; the ball held up in the wicket and bounced; Tendulkar was through his stroke. The ball lobbed off glove to Anderson, who ran around from slip.

Swann had Raina (0 off 29 balls) smartly stumped off a ripping off-break and night-watchman Ishant Sharma caught at short-leg before Dravid (57 batting) and M.S. Dhoni prevented further loss.

England — 1st innings: A. Strauss c Dhoni b Sreesanth 40 (106b, 5x4), A. Cook c Sehwag b Ishant 34 (87b, 4x4), I. Bell lbw b Raina 235 (364b, 23x4, 2x6), K. Pietersen c & b Raina 175 (232b, 27x4), J. Anderson c Laxman b Sreesanth 13 (26b, 2x4), E. Morgan c Dhoni b Sreesanth 1 (10b), R. Bopara (batting) 44 (75b, 3x4), M. Prior (batting) 18 (28b, 2x4); Extras (b-6, lb-8, nb-10, w-7): 31. Total (for six wickets decl. in 153 overs): 591.

Fall of wickets: 1-75 (Cook), 2-97 (Strauss), 3-447 (Pietersen), 4-480 (Anderson), 5-487 (Morgan), 6-548 (Bell).

India bowling: R.P. Singh 34-7-118-0, Ishant 31-7-97-1, Sreesanth 29-2-123-3, Raina 19-2-58-2, Mishra 38-3-170-0, Tendulkar 2-0-11-0.

India — 1st innings: V. Sehwag lbw b Anderson 8 (6b, 2x4), R. Dravid (batting) 57 (108b, 9x4), V.V.S. Laxman c Prior b Broad 2 (7b), S. Tendulkar c Anderson b Swann 23 (34b, 4x4), S. Raina st. Prior b Dhoni 0 (29b), Ishant c Cook b Swann 1 (9b), M.S. Dhoni (batting) 5 (5b, 1x4); Extras (lb-5, w-2): 7. Total (for five wickets in 33 overs): 103.

Fall of wickets: 1-8 (Sehwag), 2-13 (Laxman), 3-68 (Tendulkar), 4-93 (Raina), 5-95 (Ishant).

England bowling: Anderson 5-1-21-1, Broad 10-1-22-1, Bresnan 7-0-25-0, Swann 10-3-27-3, Pietersen 1-0-3-0.

Eng Vs Ind Forth Test Day3 At Lunch 591/6

Bell's double ton propels England

AP England's Ian Bell acknowledges the crowd after smashing double century during the fourth Test against India.

 

Ian Bell struck his maiden double hundred on Saturday to help England to 591-6 at lunch against India, taking the hosts toward a likely declaration in the fourth and final Test at The Oval.

Resuming on 181, Bell passed 200 with a flick to the fine-leg boundary for one of his 23 fours and was finally trapped lbw by Suresh Raina for 235 shortly before the interval.

India took three wickets for 134 runs for its most successful session of the match but is still staring the possibility of a 4-0 series defeat.

Nightwatchman James Anderson (13) and Eoin Morgan (1) both fell to the previously unthreatening Sreesanth before Bell put on 61 for the sixth-wicket with Ravi Bopara, who received a welcome chance to spend some time at the crease and was unbeaten on 44. Matthew Prior was 18 not out.

But rain began falling as the teams walked off, umbrellas opening in the crowd and ground staff bringing on the covers. Two whole sessions have already been lost to rain following a downpour on the opening day.

Play had started under bright sunshine and Sreesanth had Anderson caught off a thick edge by VVS Laxman at second slip in the fifth over. He tempted Morgan into a similar dismissal to MS Dhoni behind the stumps in his next over, finishing the session with 3-123.

But Bell and Kevin Pietersen had already put victory beyond India’s reach with a 350-run partnership on Friday - the highest third-wicket stand by any team in 131 years of Test cricket at the south London ground.

Pietersen fell for 175 late in the day but Bell continued with serene authority against the team England has deposed as Test cricket’s No. 1.

He clipped a boundary off his hip from the third ball of the morning on Saturday to set the tone and soon passed England teammate Alastair Cook as Test cricket’s leading scorer for 2011.

By the time he misjudged Raina to depart to a predictable ovation, Bell had reached 950 runs for the year - 23 more than Cook.

England has now passed 500 for the third time in six innings and has now scored 2,809 in the series to 1,461 by India, averaging 59.77 per wicket to 24.35 for the tourists.

Pietersen alone has 533 for the series - more than Indian batting stars Dhoni, Sachin Tendulkar and VVS Laxman combined.

Eng Vs Ind Forth Test Day2 Cricinfo with highlights

England sends India on a leatherhunt

AP England's Ian Bell plays a shot off the bowling of Rudra Pratap Singh in their fourth test match, at The Oval cricket ground in London. Photo: AP

 

Pietersen misses double hundred, Bell 19 away from hisIan Bell, with his 16th century (181 batting), and Kevin Pietersen, with his 19th (175), subjugated India on the second day of the fourth Test here at The Oval.

With two-thirds of the first day lost to rain, the game needed advancing. The third-wicket partnership of 350 helped do that marvellously, England finishing on 457 for three.

India started significantly better than it had on Thursday. Ishant Sharma, easily India's best bowler, struck in the morning's first over. Having beaten Alastair Cook with a slanted delivery of just short of a length, Ishant pitched it further up.

Cook was caught on the move: his front heel struck the turf as he edged the ball, a sign he hadn't had time to set himself. The length tempted the batsman. The wide line and the angle from over the wicket forced him out of a stable position.

Ishant's first spell read 6-3-7-1. He very nearly had Bell in it as well. An unexpected bouncer hurried the batsman into a pull-stroke he had very little control over. The square-leg fielder was just evaded; the delivery certainly deserved a wicket.

Heightened intensity

The ground-fielding matched the heightened intensity of the bowling. Suresh Raina was sharp and athletic as he usually is, but Gautam Gambhir and Virender Sehwag made diving stops as well, ensuring a measure of pressure was built.

Andrew Strauss was kept to two runs in the first hour. The last delivery before drinks was a sucker ball from Sreesanth: it appeared a wide half-volley pleading to be hit. Strauss saw in it the release he had been seeking; he could only reach enough of it to touch a catch to M.S. Dhoni behind the stumps.

India didn't create another chance till the last ball before lunch, but it kept England to 51 runs in the session. Pietersen glanced Ishant to leg-slip. The ball fell short, which the replays confirmed, and the players left the field for lunch.

Amit Mishra and Sreesanth were entrusted with the bowling after the break. Pietersen and Bell chose a bowler each to attack, the former taking the leg-spinner, the latter, the moody swing-bowler. The pair raised 84 in 14 overs after lunch, driving England forward and Dhoni to despair.

Pietersen intimidated Mishra, swinging him repeatedly against the break. To one delivery, his bat descended in a wide, unorthodox arc, so a straight-hit was made, but almost in the manner of a hockey drag-flick.

Mishra went wider and wider to compensate. Pietersen muscled him through the off-side, slapping the ball past cover with immense power.

Gentle and graceful

Bell took Sreesanth apart gently and gracefully. It was an absorbing contest, the full, swinging ball against the drive, and the batsman won it, playing the stroke with splendid poise, not once over-reaching himself or over-hitting the ball. When the bowler changed his length or his line, Bell pulled or glanced.

Dhoni had no choice but to recall Ishant. But by this stage, Pietersen was moving around the crease, creating havoc with everyone's radars.

India missed a trick by not stationing short-leg. It forces him to reconsider his forward, lateral movement, and a batsman like Pietersen has to be out-hustled.

Pietersen also did something Bell does rather well: instead of lunging forward all the time to take the ball on the rise, he held his stroke on occasion, delaying it to run the ball down to vacant third-man.

Neither R.P. Singh, bowling at medium-pace after a half-respectable morning spell, nor Mishra, directing his leg-breaks from around the wicket into whatever rough had been created, could stem the run-flow.

In his 80s, Pietersen mis-timed a lofted stroke off Raina's part-time slow bowling, but R.P. Singh misjudged the trajectory and didn't have the athleticism to compensate at long-off.

The centuries

Bell reached his century before tea; Pietersen brought his up immediately after the break with a smashed pull. The next ball — another bouncer from Ishant, but directed better — provoked a false-pull. Gambhir back-pedalled and side-stepped, got himself in a tangle, dropped the catch, and hit his head in falling.

Sreesanth bowled a heartening spell with the second new ball after tea, increasing his pace to the late 80s (mph) and curling the ball away from the right-handers. He picked a fight with Pietersen.

The batsman took the duel though, walking down the wicket in the last over of the bowler's spell to swat him straight before playing a contemptuous pull.

Pietersen also won the race to 150, beating his partner by three minutes. The batsmen were doing pretty much what they wanted to at this stage; they had beaten the fight out of the Indians. Raina caught Pietersen off his bowling to end the six-and-a-half-hour wait for a wicket, but it was scant consolation on a day that had begun well for India.

England — 1st innings: A. Strauss c Dhoni b Sreesanth 40 (106b, 5x4), A. Cook c Sehwag b Ishant 34 (87b, 4x4), I. Bell (batting) 181 (304b, 17x4, 2x6), K. Pietersen c & b Raina 175 (232b, 27x4), J. Anderson (batting) 3 (18b); Extras (b-2, lb-7, nb-9, w-6): 24.

Total (for three wickets in 123 overs): 457.

Fall of wickets: 1-75 (Cook), 2-97 (Strauss), 3-447 (Pietersen).

India bowling: R.P. Singh 30-7-96-0, Ishant 27-7-81-1, Sreesanth 23-2-95-1, Raina 12-1-36-1, Mishra 29-2-129-0, Tendulkar 2-0-11-0.

Eng Vs Ind Forth Test Day2 At Lunch 126/2

Spirited India pegs back England

AP India's seamers controlled the play on the second morning of the last Test against England at the Oval on Friday.

 

Indian bowlers put up a much improved show as England batsmen scored sedately to reach 126 for two at lunch on the second day of the fourth and final cricket Test here on Friday.

The Indian seamers led by Ishant Sharma bowled to a disciplined line as the home team could manage only 51 runs off 25 overs in the session losing openers Alastair Cook (34) and skipper Andrew Strauss (40).

Cook failed to add anything to his overnight total while Strauss added only two from 32 balls as both were dismissed in the slip cordon off Ishant Sharma and Sreesanth respectively.

Sharma, who set the trend of the day with a spell of 6-3-7-1, made Cook poke at his fifth delivery of the morning and was easily snapped by Virender Sehwag at first slip, fielding in place of Rahul Dravid who came on to the field only in the fourth over.

As R.P. Singh also kept it tight from the other end, the first four overs of the day produced no runs. Strauss tried to pull a short R.P. Singh delivery first up in the morning but thereafter went into his shell and found it very difficult to get going.

Bell meanwhile began briskly, steering R.P. Singh to third man and cracking Sreesanth through covers yet only 21 runs had accrued to the total from the first 10 overs.

Strauss departed at the stroke of drinks break, driving at a wide delivery from Sreesanth and edging it to wicketkeeper after couple of powerful hits in the cover region didn’t yield desired results.

Eng Vs Ind Forth Test Day1 Cricinfo

Indian bowlers disappoint on truncated day

AFP England's captain Andrew Strauss inspects his broken helmet as team-mate Alastair Cook and Australian Umpire Simon Taufel look on after Strauss was hit in the helmet by a bowled ball from India's Ishant Sharma, at the Oval in London. Photo: AFP

 

India will have hoped for many things from the first morning of the fourth Test; what happened on Thursday here at The Oval wouldn't have made the list.

Asked to bowl in overcast conditions on an easy-paced wicket that had just enough to keep the seam-and-swing bowlers interested, India struggled to discomfit England's openers. Andrew Strauss and Alastair Cook took their team to lunch on 75 without loss from 26 overs. Rain came down in thin-wet needles during the break, and held steady.

The umpires had one inspection of the ground and several looks at the grey skies overhead, at 5.10 p.m. (local time), before deciding to abandon play for the day.

Teams that are looking to halt a three-Test losing streak often attempt to set a positive tone; India's early notes were discordant. R.P. Singh, drafted into the side after Praveen Kumar was ruled out with injury, bowled like a man who hasn't been in a first-class match since January. The left-armer's first delivery slid slowly down the leg-side, exhausted of all its energy when M.S. Dhoni flapped at it on the second bounce.

R.P. Singh did improve slightly. He began to shape the ball away from the left-handers. But it was at gentle pace (late 70s to early 80smph). The disappointing thing was that he didn't look capable of elevating his pace or intensity; the brisk-liquid action he bowled with in his prime (a matter of fitness, not age) was missing — in its place was an action that still looked effortless, but also appeared bereft of real effort.

R.P. Singh had one bright moment — a delivery opened Cook up and rapped him on the pad, but it was too high to threaten the stumps. It was a sign of what he can do when fit.

Ishant Sharma was India's best bowler by a considerable distance. The pace — mid to late 80s, once very nearly 90 — was encouraging. When his run-up is carrying him to the moment of delivery as intended, when he's hitting the crease as he likes to, he bowls at these speeds.Unlike shoulder-strong bowlers — England's Tim Bresnan is one — Ishant's pace is a consequence of his action working well, his wrist behind the ball in delivery.

Ishant broke Strauss' helmet-peak with an excellent surprise bouncer, catching the batsman between ducking, swaying, and swatting. Against a man normally assured — even trigger-happy — against the short ball, it was some achievement. Ishant's angle caused plays and misses, but he couldn't the bring ball enough when he pitched it in line for an lbw decision. Despite that, Ishant came closest to breaking through.

Sreesanth got the ball to swing into the left-hander, but he started most of these deliveries from middle and leg. Both Strauss and Cook worked Sreesanth with the drift, and soon Dhoni had either a short mid-on or a short mid-wicket in place. The field-angles didn't seem right: despite the stationing of square-leg, short mid-on (or mid-wicket), and deep mid-wicket on the boundary, both the short-tapped single and the wristed four came easy.

When Sreesanth looked to slant the ball across the left-hander, he ended up too wide or too full. Strauss, in particular, showed good balance in pushing Sreesanth down the ground. Cook, who had earlier cut a half-tracker from R.P. Singh, played the stroke of the session when he cover-drove Ishant, lowering himself to the ground in so doing.

Suresh Raina was brought on before lunch, and he gave both batsmen the easiest Test runs they'll make. As Geoffrey Boycott causticallyremarked in the press-box, perhaps Raina was trying to fog the brains of the batsmen: instead of one or two areas to hit to, they now had to process the possibilities of thirteen or fourteen.