Dhoni, Raina star in India's big win

The Hindu CAPTAIN'S KNOCK: M.S. Dhoni led from the front, top-scoring with an unbeaten 87 to help India reach a competitive total in the first ODI aainst England on Friday. Photo: K.R. Deepak

An elusive Indian dream became a reality at the Rajiv Gandhi International Stadium here on Friday night. Since the tie in a World Cup match at Bangalore in February, M.S. Dhoni's men have found in England, an impregnable rival. The ghosts of the immediate past were finally laid to rest at least for now as India defeated England by 126 runs in the opening One-Day International to go 1-0 up in the five-match series. Chasing India's 300 for seven in 50 overs, England mustered 174 in 36.1 overs.

The force-multipliers in the England top-order — Craig Kieswetter and Kevin Pietersen — were gone within the first 10 overs. Kieswetter nibbled outside the off-stump against Praveen Kumar and Pietersen, failing to get into his stride on a two-paced pitch, failed to beat R. Ashwin's throw.

Much hinged on skipper Alastair Cook (60) and Jonathan Trott (26), and the two cemented a 71-run third-wicket partnership. Cook fell while trying to force the pace against Ravindra Jadeja and the England innings lapsed into a free-fall as the last eight wickets fell for the addition of a mere 63 runs. Trott launched into an ugly cross-batted swipe against Jadeja; Ravi Bopara and Jonathan Bairstow enriched the follow-through of R. Ashwin and Jadeja respectively and stumps were repeatedly disturbed as Umesh Yadav's deliveries stayed fast and low to trigger celebrations in the stands.

Lead roles

The Indian innings changed its traits of ‘slow-and-steady' to ‘quick-and-forceful' over the course of Friday evening while Man-of-the-Match M.S. Dhoni (87 n.o.) and Suresh Raina (61) played their lead roles to good effect.

The portents of change for the Indian skipper were evident when his wretched run with the toss thankfully ended in the afternoon.

Dhoni immediately opted to bat and watched openers Parthiv Patel and Ajinkya Rahane remain guarded against Tim Bresnan and Steven Finn. A quiet phase ensued while the fans slowly trickled in and the official broadcaster briefly lost connectivity and those outside the venue and in the rest of India, wondered about the plight of the match.

Reprieve

Rahane enjoyed a reprieve when Jonathan Trott dropped him at slip off Finn. The opener was yet to open his account but he failed to capitalise and his timing remained awry on a turgid track. Rahane inadvertently also caused Parthiv's exit shortly after his partner exuded confidence with an on-driven four off Bresnan. Parthiv backed up too far when Rahane drove Finn and the ball ricocheted off the seamer's palms and crashed into the non-striker's stumps. Parthiv was left stranded and a circumspect Rahane failed to get into his stride and fatally charged at Graeme Swann while Kieswetter whipped the bails.

Gautam Gambhir, who stepped in following Parthiv's dismissal, was quick to smash boundaries through a packed off-side though the step-and-slam routine led to a few leading edges that gave false hope to the fielders. The southpaw was a tad unlucky to be adjudged leg-before while Jade Dernbach's delivery seemed to be marginally missing leg-stump.

But, Billy Bowden raised the finger and at 79 for three with the bowling Power Play in progress, Virat Kohli and Raina had to consolidate rather than play their shots. Alastair Cook plugged point with two men and also beefed up the short mid-wicket cordon while Kohli failed to drill his strokes.

Yet Kohli and Raina (61, 55b, 5x4, 2x6) through their industrious ways added 44 runs for the fourth wicket before a piece of fielding brilliance snuffed out the alliance. Kohli, with his patience wearing thin, employed the inside-out lofted stroke against Samit Patel.

The ball was seemingly sailing over long-off when Kevin Pietersen timed his leap to perfection and cupped the ball.

Raina then allied with his skipper in a 72-run fifth-wicket partnership off 61 balls and India began its march towards a respectable total.

Raina picked his spots down the ground, taking the ball on the full and whacking it hard, but his best shot was the heft down fine-leg as Dernbach peddled a full-toss. Cook tried to rein in Dhoni's singles down the ground as the long-off fielder was brought to mid-off but the Indian captain found his way and during the batting Power Play (overs 36-40), he dug out Bresnan's yorkers and flat-batted the seamer as well as Finn.

Raina then plonked his front foot and hit through the line for mighty sixes against Bresnan and Finn. India was up and running as the batting Power Play yielded 59 runs, a statistic that was slightly marred by Raina's edged hoick against Finn.

Dhoni muscled ahead and egged Ravindra Jadeja on in a 65-run sixth-wicket partnership. Jadeja scattered Samit twice across the skies and India scored 91 runs in the last 10 overs to make England stare at an imposing target with Dhoni's helicopter shot against Finn being the pick of his meaty blows.

Later in the night, the Indian skipper snatched a stump as a cherished souvenir after the string of defeats finally ground to a halt.

India: Parthiv (run out) 9 (10b, 1x4), A. Rahane st. Kieswetter b Swann 15 (41b), G. Gambhir lbw b Dernbach 32 (33b, 4x4), V. Kohli c Pietersen b Samit 37 (63b), S. Raina c Bairstow b Finn 61 (55b, 5x4, 2x6), M.S. Dhoni (not out) 87 (70b, 10x4, 1x6), R. Jadeja (run out) 27 (22b, 1x4, 2x6), R. Ashwin (run out) 8 (6b, 1x4), Praveen Kumar (not out) 1 (1b); Extras (lb-4, nb-1, w-18): 23; Total (for seven wkts. in 50 overs): 300.

Power Plays: One (Overs 1-10): 47/1; Bowling (17-21): 20/1; Batting (36-40): 59/1.

Fall of wickets: 1-17 (Parthiv), 2-52 (Rahane), 3-79 (Gambhir), 4-123 (Kohli), 5-195 (Raina), 6-260 (Jadeja), 7-282 (Ashwin).

England bowling: Bresnan 10-0-66-0, Finn 9-0-67-1, Dernbach 10-0-58-1, Swann 10-1-35-1, Samit 8-0-49-1, Bopara 3-0-21-0.

England: A. Cook c Vinay b Jadeja 60 (63b, 7x4), C. Kieswetter c Dhoni b Praveen 7 (8b, 1x4), K. Pietersen (run out) 19 (29b, 3x4), J. Trott b Jadeja 26 (42b), R. Bopara c & b Ashwin 8 (10b), J. Bairstow c & b Jadeja 3 (7b), Samit Patel b Yadav 16 (18b, 2x4), T. Bresnan st. Dhoni b Ashwin 4 (8b, 1x4), G. Swann b Yadav 8 (9b, 1x4), S. Finn (not out) 18 (18b, 1x4, 1x6), J. Dernback b Ashwin 2 (5b); Extras (w-3): 3; Total (in 36.1 overs): 174.

Power Plays: One (Overs 1-10): 48/2; Bowling (16-20): 29/0; Batting (32-36): 36/1.

Fall of wickets: 1-7 (Kieswetter), 2-40 (Pietersen), 3-111 (Cook), 4-120 (Trott), 5-124 (Bopara), 6-126 (Bairstow), 7-134 (Bresnan), 8-148 (Swann), 9-163 (Samit Patel).

India bowling: Praveen 8-1-38-1, Vinay 5-0-24-0, Kohli 3-0-11-0, Yadav 5-0-32-2, Ashwin 8.1-0-35-3, Jadeja 7-0-34-3.

Keywords: England's tour of India, ODI series

Mumbai Indians reigns supreme

The Hindu The Mumbai Indians team celebrates its triumph against Royal Challengers in the final of the CLT20 on

Mumbai Indians spun a web of deceit around Royal Challengers Bangalore to win the Champions League T20 title at the M.A. Chidambaram Stadium, here on Sunday.

Skipper Harbhajan Singh's off-breaks and Yuzvendra Chahal's leg-spin accounted for five RCB wickets, while giving away just 29 runs in a total of seven overs, as Mumbai defended its modest 139, restricting the pursuer to 108 all out.

The winning side became the second Indian team, after Chennai Super Kings in 2010, to claim the CLT20 crown.

RCB had scored in excess of 200 in its last three matches, but found the going tough on a track that didn't quite assist shot making. Its star cast of Tillakaratne Dilshan, Chris Gayle and Virat Kohli aggregated 43 runs in 51 balls, and the remaining batsmen, smothered by accurate bowling, never got the chase on track after the marquee names departed.

RCB made the early push through Dilshan (27, 20b, 5x4) who picked boundaries off medium-pacer Abu Nechim before losing his off-stump to country man Lasith Malinga in the fifth over.

Gayle goes

RCB was 38 then, and four runs later, in the last over of the Powerplay, Harbhajan snared the first of his three wickets, trapping dangerman Gayle in front with straighter one from around the wicket.

After the first six overs, RCB was 42 for two, eerily similar to the 43 for two that Mumbai had found itself on at the same stage.

Chahal accounted for Mayank Agrawal, who lofted to long-off with unfortunate precision, and a fell blow was landed when Harbhajan picked up Kohli in the 12th over, the petulant batsman's slog-sweep coming to rest with Aiden Blizzard at mid-wicket.

Kohli's exit was an ominous portent as the batsmen that followed looked to hit out of trouble, ending only in squandering their wickets.

The noose tightened further when Arun Karthik lofted Chahal to Pollard. Mohd. Kaif was out next, slicing Pollard's slower ball to cover and leaving RCB 49 to get off the last four overs.

Skipper Vettori became his counterpart's third victim when he was stumped, and all pretences to a realistic chase were snuffed out when Saurabh Tiwari's struggling knock was cut short on 17. RCB's innings ended in the last over, when R. Sathish held Raju Bhatkal at long-on off the bowling of Abu Nechim.

Three run-outs

Earlier, Mumbai Indians elected to bat on a pitch expected to keep low and endured three run-outs and a mid-innings collapse to stutter to 139 all out in 20 overs.

The first wicket came about in farcical circumstances: Blizzard clobbered Dirk Nannes to mid-off and took off, even as his partner Sarul Kanwar refused to budge from the non-striker's end.

The throw to the ‘keeper caught both batsmen at the same end, necessitating Blizzard's long walk back to the pavilion.

By the time the Powerplay was over, Mumbai had lost its other opener — Kanwar, bowled by Nannes — with the left-right combination of James Franklin and Ambatti Rayudu taking things forward. The two constituted the most productive part of Mumbai's innings, adding 41 in 5.2 overs for the third wicket.

Rayudu got out when he tried forcing all-rounder Bhatkal through the off-side field, but found the huge clasp of Chris Gayle stationed at the edge of the circle.

New man Suryakumar Yadav joined Franklin in the middle and moved around in the crease to hit Dilshan for four and six in the 13th over.

Yadav was content thereafter to run the singles and it was one such cheeky attempt that cost him his wicket. A ball after the innings 100 came up, an alert Vettori lobbed Franklin's return shot to the stumps and caught Yadav backing up a yard too far.

The wicket initiated Mumbai's slide into mediocrity as it lost three more wickets — including Franklin (41, 29b, 2x4, 2x6) to another run-out, and the dangerous Pollard, who was pouched by Kohli at long-off — for just four runs.

The innings descended from 105 for three to 109 for seven, and it required another Malinga cameo, inclusive of two sixes, to allow the team to 139. Mumbai scored 30 runs in the last five overs and lost five wickets.

Expensive throughout the tournament, Nannes redeemed himself with match figures of 4-0-14-1, while Vettori pitched in with two wickets and a run-out.

The scores: Mumbai Indians: A. Blizzard (run out) 3 (4b), S. Kanwar b Nannes 13 (14b, 1x4, 1x6), A. Rayudu c Gayle b Bhatkal 22 (21b, 1x4, 1x6), J. Franklin (run out) 41 (29b, 2x4, 2x6), S. Yadav (run out) 24 (17b, 2x4, 1x6), K. Pollard c Kohli b Vettori 2 (5b), R. Sathish c Agarwal b Bhatkal 9 (9b, 1x6), Harbhajan lbw b Vettori 0 (2b), L. Malinga c Aravind b Bhatkal 16 (11b, 2x6), A. Nechim (not out) 2 (4b), Y. Chahal c Gayle b Aravind 2 (4b); Extras (lb-1, w-4): 5; Total (in 20 overs): 139.

Fall of wickets: 1-10, 2-24, 3-65, 4-105, 5-108, 6-109, 7-109, 8-135, 9-135.

RCB bowling: Dilshan 4-0-34-0, Nannes 4-0-14-1, Aravind 4-0-33-1, Vettori 4-0-30-2, Bhatkal 3-0-21-3, Gayle 1-0-6-0.

Royal Challengers Bangalore: T. Dilshan b Malinga 27 (20b, 5x4), C. Gayle lbw b Harbhajan 5 (12b,1x4), V. Kohli c Blizzard b Harbhajan 11 (19b, 1x4), M. Agarwal c Pollard b Chahal 14 (19b, 1x4), S. Tiwary c Harbhajan b Nechim 17 (22b, 1x6), Arun Karthik c Pollard b Chahal 0 (3b), M. Kaif c Kanwar b Pollard 3 (7b), D. Vettori st Rayudu b Harbhajan 1 (2b), R. Bhatkal c Sathish b Nechim 6 (8b), S. Aravind b Malinga 4 (4b), D. Nannes (not out) 0 (1b), Extras (b-4, lb-1, w-14, nb-1): 20; Total (in 19.2 overs): 108.

Fall of wickets: 1-38, 2-42, 3-67, 4-73, 5-74, 6-81, 7-92, 8-98, 9-108.

Mumbai Indians bowling: Malinga 4-0-23-2, Nechim 3.2-0-26-2, Harbhajan 4-0-20-3, Pollard4-0-21-1, Chahal 3-0-9-2, Franklin 1-0-4-0.

Keywords: CLT20, Champions League, Harbhajan Singh

Australia tour will be a tough challenge: Ganguly

After the forgettable tour of England in the just-concluded series, Team India will face a bigger challenge when they travel to Australia in December, according to former captain Sourav Ganguly.

He said the upcoming home series against England, that starts on October 14, will not pose a threat to the reigning world champions.

“England in India would not be a challenge. It will be a bit more than what it used to be in the past, when India played England in full strength,” he told reporters at a promotional event here on Saturday.

India had a disastrous July-September tour of England, where they lost the Test series 0-4 to meekly surrender their numero uno Test status to the Andrew Strauss-led team.

The reigning one-day international champions did no better in the shorter version of the game as they failed to win a single match in the rain-marred five-match ODI series.

“I think the biggest challenge that will identify (Mahendra Singh) Dhoni as a leader in world cricket is the tour of Australia. If India does well then Dhoni will be terrific. We have to wait and see (for that to happen),” Ganguly said.

He brushed aside the discussion on having a split captaincy for different formats of the game.

“It’s early days to talk about split captaincy after one series loss. I don’t think we should even think about it at this stage. We will have to wait and see how the team performs in Australia.”

England has Andrew Strauss leading the Test side, Alistair Cook for ODIs and Stuart Broad as the Twenty20 skipper.

Keywords: India's tour of Australia, Dhoni

Malinga does it for Mumbai Indians

The Hindu DEMOLITION MAN: Lasith Malinga of Mumbai Indians was at his fiery best, picking up four wickets and taking his team to the finals. Photo: K. Pichumani

Kieswetter's half-century in vain as Kieswetter's half-century in vain as Somerset loses by 10 runs

: Mumbai Indians' imports Lasith Malinga (four for 20) and Aiden Blizzard (54, 39b, 5x4, 3x6) made it an all-IPL final, helping their side to a 10-run win over Somerset in the semifinal of the Champions League T20 at the M.A. Chidambaram Stadium on Saturday.

Malinga picked up two wickets in his first spell and two more in the final over of the match to ensure Somerset never gained the upper hand in its chase of MI's Blizzard-propelled score of 160 for five. MI will now face fellow IPL team Royal Challengers Bangalore in the final on Sunday.

Early wickets

Somerset was always going to struggle in its pursuit after two of its top-three scorers in the tournament were sent packing within the third over. The Sri Lankan fired in a trademark yorker past a clueless Peter Trego on the second ball, and in his next over sent down a straight full-toss that landed on the base of Roelof van der Merwe's wicket.

From 17 for two at the end of the third over, Craig Kieswetter (62, 46b, 7x4, 1x6), the last of the English side's in-form trio, was first required to steady the rocking boat.

This he accomplished in the company of James Hildreth (39, 33b, 6x4), as Somerset got to a run-a-ball only in the eighth over of the chase.

Hildreth then collected two boundaries of Yuzvendra Chahal in the ninth over and when Kieswetter hit R. Sathish for two more boundaries in the eleventh, Somerset had clawed its way back.

Harbhajan hits back

Harbhajan Singh hit back with the wicket of Hildreth, but Kieswetter countered, taking Abu Nechim for 16 runs in the 17th over.

The skipper's move to give James Franklin, who has done little bowling so far this tournament, the penultimate over, proved successful, with the Kiwi picking up the wickets of both Kieswetter and Jos Buttler, conceding just seven.

With 15 needed of six deliveries, Malinga finished the job he started in his first over, knocking over Nick Compton and Murali Kartik with fuller deliveries to give Mumbai the win.

Blizzard shines

Earlier, it was left to Aiden Blizzard to shovel in the coal as Mumbai Indians chugged along in the early stages of its innings, almost entirely banking on the opener's ability to subvert the slowness of the track.

Somerset had clearly identified the short-pitched delivery (which barely climbed) as the one that would be the most difficult to put away, and operated throughout on this premise.

Blizzard resisted the temptation to slog the drooping half-trackers, waiting instead for the odd full ball, and cashed in each time one was served up.

The southpaw did most of the IPL side's boundary hitting, coming up with all but two of MI's 4s and 6s in the Power Play (at the end of which MI was 51 for one) — a stat that, incredibly, stayed the same until the last ball of the 14th over when Kieron Pollard dumped van der Merwe over mid-wicket.

Blizzard's continued presence also had the effect of delaying the onset of Somerset's premier containing option, its slow left-arm bowlers.

Murali Kartik was held back from bowling inside the field restrictions, while van der Merwe came on only after the southpaw's dismissal in the 13th over (bowled off Kartik).

The opener's exit at 92 for four set the stage for the final push, which, despite the presence of Pollard, looked like would never arrive.

The Trinidadian picked up his second six from another full ball, the first of the 16th over, but for the next 16 deliveries stretching across the 16th, 17th and 18th overs, MI went boundary-less.

For all the controversies surrounding MI's allotment of overseas cricketers, it was left to Suryakumar Yadav (23 n.o., 19b, 3x4) and R. Satish (25 n.o., 12b, 2x4, 1x6) to take MI to 160, their death-hitting proving to be the difference between the sides.

The scores:

Mumbai Indians: A. Blizzard b M. Kartik 54 (39b, 5x4, 3x6), S. Kanwar c Butler b Kirby 2 (6b), A. Rayudu c Kieswetter b Dibble 19 (19b, 2x4), J. Franklin lbw van der Merwe 6 (9b), K. Pollard b Thomas 24 (18b, 2x6), S. Yadav (not out) 23 (19b, 3x4), R. Sathish (not out) 25 (12b, 2x4, 1x6); Extras (b-1, lb-3, w-1, nb-2): 7; Total (for five wkts. in 20 overs): 160.

Fall of wickets: 1-19, 2-62, 3-86, 4-92, 5-117.

Somerset bowling: Thomas 4-0-34-1, Kirby 3-0-31-1, Dibble 4-0-20-1, M. Kartik 4-0-30-1, van der Merwe 4-0-32-1, Trego 1-0-9-0.

Somerset: P. Trego b Malinga 0 (2b), C. Kieswetter c Pollard b Franklin 62 (46b, 7x4, 1x6), R. van der Merwe b Malinga 10 (9b, 2x4), J. Hildreth b Harbhajan 39 (33b, 6x4), J. Buttler b Franklin 19 (22b, 2x4), N. Compton b Malinga 5 (3b, 1x4), A. Suppiah (not out) 0 (2b), M. Kartik b Malinga 0 (1b), A. Thomas (not out) 3 (2b); Extras (b-7, lb-2, w-3): 12; Total (for seven wkts. in 20 overs): 150.

Fall of wickets: 1-0, 2-17, 3-100, 4-141, 5-142, 6-147, 7-147.

Mumbai Indians bowling: Malinga 4-0-20-4, Nechim 4-0-31-0, Chahal 3-0-26-0, Harbhajan 3-0-25-1, Pollard 2-0-10-0, Sathish 1-0-13-0, Franklin 3-0-16-2.

Keywords: CL T20, Lasith Malinga