Heavy rain delays South Africa v India

CENTURION: Heavy rain delayed the start of the first test between South Africa and India at Centurion on Thursday.

The Gauteng region has been swamped by steady rain since the weekend and there has been little let-up, meaning there is no prospect of a toss in the immediate future.

The delay will give Indian pace bowler Zaheer Khan extra time to recover from his hamstring strain.

Centurion has had a sorry history of rain washing out play in previous years. AGENCIES

New Zealand opt to bat first in final test v India

NAGPUR: New Zealand captain Daniel Vettori won the toss and opted to bat first in the third and final test against India at the Vidarbha Cricket Association Stadium on Saturday.

Ishant Sharma replaced the injured paceman Zaheer Khan in the Indian team while left-arm seamer Andy McKay will debut in place of Brent Arnel for New Zealand.

A wet outfield delayed the start of play by three hours.

The series is tied at 0-0 after two drawn matches.

New Zealand – Tim McIntosh, Brendon McCullum, Martin Guptill, Ross Taylor, Jesse Ryder, Kane Williamson, Daniel Vettori (captain), Gareth Hopkins, Tim Southee, Andy McKay, Chris Martin.

India – Virender Sehwag, Gautam Gambhir, Rahul Dravid, Sachin Tendulkar, VVS Laxman, Suresh Raina, MS Dhoni (captain), Harbhajan Singh, Ishant Sharma, Pragyan Ojha, Shanthakumaran Sreesanth.

India bowlers dominate New Zealand on second morning

HYDERABAD: India’s Zaheer Khan and Harbhajan Singh picked up five wickets in the morning session on day two to trigger a New Zealand batting collapse in their first innings of the second test on Saturday.

Resuming on a strong overnight score of 258 for four built on Tim McIntosh’s opening day ton, New Zealand were 341-9 at lunch, adding just 83 runs for the loss of five batsmen in the morning session at the Rajiv Gandhi International Stadium.

In a fiery spell of left-arm swing bowling, Khan (4-66) trapped right-handers Gareth Hopkins (4) and Kane Williamson (4) leg before as he managed to get the ball to swing back from around the wicket.

Harbhajan then joined in the fun for the hosts by dismissing Daniel Vettori (11), Jesse Ryder (70) and Tim Southee (10) to foil New Zealand’s chances of setting a formidable first innings score. Ryder was the lone batsman to

New Zealand opts to bat in second test v India

HYDERABAD: New Zealand captain Daniel Vettori won the toss and chose to bat first in the second test against India at the Rajiv Gandhi International Stadium on Friday. The visitors made three changes to their side from the first test draw. Right-arm medium pacer Brent Arnel replaced injured Hamish Bennett while Martin Guptill and Tim Southee came in for BJ Watling and Jeetan Patel.

India were unchanged from the first test in Ahmedabad. The third and final test will be played in Nagpur from Nov. 20-24.

New Zealand: Tim McIntosh, Brendon McCullum, Martin Guptill, Ross Taylor, Jesse Ryder, Kane Williamson, Daniel Vettori (captain), Gareth Hopkins, Tim Southee, Chris Martin, Brent Arnel.

India: Virender Sehwag, Gautam Gambhir, Rahul Dravid, Sachin Tendulkar, VVS Laxman, Suresh Raina, MS Dhoni (captain), Harbhajan Singh, Zaheer Khan, Pragyan Ojha, Shanthakumaran

India cruise to seven-wicket win, sweep series

BANGALORE: India cruised to a seven-wicket win over Australia in the second test on Wednesday

to sweep their two-match series 2-0.

Debutant Cheteshwar Pujara (72) cracked a half-century as the hosts chased down a target of 207 runs, the highest

successful run chase at the M Chinnaswamy Stadium.

Sachin Tendulkar (53) and Rahul Dravid (21) completed the victory soon after tea.

Earlier, Zaheer Khan and fellow new ball bowler Shanthakumaran Sreesanth took less than an hour to polish off

the Australian tail after the tourists had resumed on 202 for seven wickets.

The last three Australian batsmen could add only 21 runs to their overnight score before their second innings folded on

223. AGENCIES

Australia all out for 223, India needs 207 to win

BANGALORE: Australia were all out for 223 in their second innings, setting India a 207-run target to win the second and final test on Wednesday.

Resuming on 202 for seven, the last three Australian batsmen added 21 runs to their overnight score before losing their wickets inside the opening hour.

Zaheer Khan claimed two of the last three wickets to finish with figures of three for 41, while Shanthakumaran Sreesanth got the other. India lead the series 1-0. AGENCIES

Indian spinners rock Australia after Tendulkar’s double ton

BANGALORE: The second and final test between India and Australia was heading for a gripping climax after bowlers dominated the fourth day on Tuesday.

The Indian spinners reduced Australia to 202 for seven at the close, with Mitchell Johnson and Nathan Hauritz facing the task of extending a slender lead of 185 runs for the touring side who lost the first test by one wicket.

Captain Ricky Ponting made a defiant 72 to hold the innings together before falling to Zaheer Khan in the final session.

The tourists were let down by their top order which struggled against Indian spinners Pragyan Ojha and Harbhajan Singh.

Ojha removed in-form opener Shane Watson, Michael Clarke and Mike Hussey, while Harbhajan accounted for Simon Katich and Marcus North.

“I’m not satisfied. I will be satisfied if we can get them out early tomorrow and get those runs,”

India win toss, elect to bat in Asia Cup final

DAMBULLA: India has won the toss and elected to bat against Sri Lanka in the final of Asia Cup tournament here on Thursday.

India bat against Sri Lanka in Asia Cup final

DAMBULLA: India”s captain Mahendra Singh Dhoni won the toss and elected to bat in the Asia Cup one-day final against Sri Lanka on Thursday.

Sri Lanka are seeking a hat-trick of titles, having won the last two editions in 2004 and 2008. The tournament was not held in 2006.

India: Mahendra Singh Dhoni (capt), Gautam Gambhir, Dinesh Karthik, Virat Kohli, Suresh Raina, Rohit Sharma, Ravindra Jadeja, Harbhajan Singh, Praveen Kumar, Zaheer Khan, Ashish Nehra.

Sri Lanka: Kumar Sangakkara (capt), Mahela Jayawardene, Tillakaratne Dilshan, Upul Tharanga, Chamara Kapugedara, Thilinga Kandamby, Angelo Mathews, Farveez Maharoof, Nuwan Kulasekara, Lasith Malinga, Muttiah Muralitharan.

India rest Tendulkar, drop Yuvraj for Asia Cup

NEW DELHI: India”s cricket chiefs on Monday allowed veteran Sachin Tendulkar to skip the upcoming Asia Cup in Sri Lanka, while Yuvraj Singh was dropped from the 15-man squad.

Mahendra Singh Dhoni will captain India in the four-nation limited-overs tournament against Pakistan, Sri Lanka and Bangladesh, in Dambulla from June 15 to 24.

Tendulkar, 37, has not played for India since February 24, when he hit an unprecedented double-century in a one-day international against South Africa in Gwalior.

The world”s most prolific Test and one-day batsman turned out for Mumbai Indians in the Indian Premier League in March-April, before being rested for a tri-series in Zimbabwe also featuring Sri Lanka.

“Tendulkar requested the board not to consider him for the Asia Cup as he wanted to spend time with his children in view of the hectic cricket season ahead,” BCCI secretary N. Srinivasan said in a statement.

Left-hander Yuvraj was axed after scoring just 74 runs in five matches in the World Twenty20 in the Caribbean in April-May, where India failed to make the semi-finals.

In five one-day internationals this year, Yuvraj has managed only 96 runs, 74 of them coming in one match against Sri Lanka in Dhaka.

Six players who were rested for the Zimbabwe tri-series — Dhoni, Virender Sehwag, Gautam Gambhir, Harbhajan Singh, Zaheer Khan and Ashish Nehra — are back for the Asia Cup.

The second-string Indian team did not qualify for the final in Zimbabwe after losing twice to the hosts and once to Sri Lanka.

Attacking left-hand batsman Saurabh Tiwary, 20, who plays for Mumbai Indians in the IPL, is the only new face in the squad.

Indian squad:
Mahendra Singh Dhoni (captain), Virender Sehwag (vice-captain), Gautam Gambhir, Virat Kohli, Suresh Raina, Rohit Sharma, Ravindra Jadeja, Harbhajan Singh, Praveen Kumar, Zaheer Khan, Ashish Nehra, Pragyan Ojha, Ashok Dinda, Ravichandran Ashwin, Saurabh Tiwary.

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