Flawless Tendulkar 200 gives India series

India 401 for 3 (Tendulkar 200*, Karthik 79, Dhoni 68*) beat South Africa 248 (de Villiers 114, Sreesanth 3-49, Pathan 2-37) by 153 runs
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	MS Dhoni and the other batsmen were relegated to bit roles on a day when Sachin Tendulkar lorded over all he purveyed, bringing up the first ever ODI 200 © Associated Press
Related Links Breaking the barrier News : I'd like to bat another full 50 overs - Tendulkar Analysis : The ultimate ODI innings Preview : Pressure on South Africa to level series Players/Officials: AB de Villiers | MS Dhoni | Dinesh Karthik | Sachin Tendulkar Matches: India v South Africa at Gwalior Series/Tournaments: South Africa tour of India Teams: India | South Africa

It took nearly 40 years of waiting and it was well worth it. Sachin Tendulkar chose one of the better bowling attacks doing the rounds, to eclipse the record for the highest score, before bringing up the first ever double-hundred in ODI history. The spectators at the Captain Roop Singh Stadium became the envy of Indian cricket fans as they witnessed one of the country's favourite sporting heroes play a breathtaking innings which not only set up a 153-run annihilation but also the series victory. He may have been run-out cheaply in the previous match, but nothing could deny him today - be it bowlers, fielders, mix-ups or cramps. Dinesh Karthik, Yusuf Pathan and MS Dhoni stood by and admired as the master unfurled all the shots in his repertoire.

At 36, Tendulkar hasn't shown signs of ageing, and his sparkling touch in both forms of the game has ruled out all possibilities of him checking out anytime soon. Fatigue, cramps and paucity of time have stood in the way of batsmen going that extra mile to get to the 200-mark. Tendulkar did cramp up after crossing 150, but he didn't opt for a runner. His experience of 20 years at the international level came into play in this historic innings, staying at the crease from the first ball to the last, never once losing focus. There were no chances offered, no dropped catches, making his innings absolutely flawless.

A swirl of emotions must have run through his mind as he approached one record after another but he ensured he was never lost in the moment. His running between the wickets remained just as swift as it had been at the start of the innings. The humidity in Gwalior was bound to test him but he stood above it all and played like he owned the game, toying with the bowling with a mix of nonchalance and brute power.

In the 46th over, with a flick for two past short fine-leg, Tendulkar broke the record for the highest ODI score, going past the 194 made by Zimbabwe's Charles Coventry and Pakistan's Saeed Anwar, and to say that he acknowledged his feat modestly would be an understatement. His muted celebration on going past 194, true to style, made his innings all the more endearing. He didn't raise his bat, merely shook hands with Mark Boucher and simply carried on batting amid the din. Coming from a man who is not known to showing too much emotion with the bat in hand, it wasn't surprising. He reserved his celebrations for the magic figure of 200, which he reached in the final over with a squirt off Charl Langeveldt past backward point. He raised his bat, took off his helmet and looked up at the skies and it was only fitting that one-day cricket's highest run-getter reached the landmark.

Tendulkar's innings featured strokes of the highest quality, but his true genius was exemplified by one particular shot which rendered even the best bowler in the world helpless. In the first over of the batting Powerplay - taken in the 35th over - Dale Steyn fired it in the block-hole for three deliveries outside off to keep him quiet. Tendulkar, feeling the need to improvise, walked right across his stumps and nonchalantly flicked him across the line, hopping in his crease on one leg to bisect the gap at midwicket. A helpless Steyn watched the ball speed away and merely shrugged his shoulders. There was no use searching for excuses or venting frustrations at the temerity of that shot. It was just that kind of afternoon for the bowlers.

It wasn't all just about the cheekiness of his shots. His timing and placement were the hallmarks at the start of his innings. On a road of a pitch which offered no margin of error for the bowlers, he squeezed out full deliveries past the covers and off his pads. With no seam movement on offer, Jacques Kallis took the slips off and placed them in catching positions within the 15-yard circle, hoping to induce a mistake. But Tendulkar outplayed all of them, making room to manoeuver it past a number of green shirts. There were a minimum of two runs on offer each time the ball was placed wide of them and the quick outfield did the rest.

Once he got his eye in, the short boundaries and the flat pitch were too inviting. Virender Sehwag's dismissal for 11, caught at third man, was just an aberration as Karthik, Pathan and Dhoni traded cricket bats for golf clubs. Driving and lofting through the line had never been this easy. Tendulkar could have driven them inside out in his sleep.

The two century stands, with Karthik and then with Dhoni, may well get lost in the scorecard but they were vital building blocks. Karthik rotated the strike well in their stand of 194, struck three clean sixes and helped himself to his career-best performance. That partnership sent out ominous signs to the South Africans that they were in for something massive. Add Dhoni's bludgeoning hits and scoops and you had a score in excess of 400.

Tendulkar reached his fifty off 37 balls and his century off 90. Ironically, he struck his first six - over long-on - when on 111. Pathan bashed it around at the other end, clubbing full tosses and short deliveries in his 23-ball 36, as India amassed 63 runs in the batting Powerplay. The South African seamers made the mistake of trying to bowl too fast and as a result, sent down too many full tosses and full deliveries. The unplayable yorkers remained elusive and Tendulkar, who was seeing it like a beach ball, picked the gaps, made room and improvised.

He reached his 150 by making room to Parnell and chipping him over midwicket with a simple bat twirl at the point of contact. The heartbreak of Hyderabad, when his scintillating 175 all but won India the match against Australia last year, must have lingered in his mind as he approached that score again. A towering six over long-on later, he not only eclipsed Kapil Dev's 175 but also looked set to wipe out his own record. He started clutching his thighs, indicating that cramps had set in, but even that could not stop him today.

He equalled his highest score of 186 by pulling a lollipop of a full toss off Kallis and broke his own and India's record with a single to square leg. Fortunately, he didn't have to do much running and played the spectator's role for a change as Dhoni bulldozed his way to a 35-ball 68, muscling four sixes. The Dhoni bottom-hand is the strongest in the business these days and the exhausted spectators had enough energy left in their vocal chords to cheer him on as well.

The record of 200, however, was yet to be attained and the crowd were desperate for Tendulkar to get the strike. Dhoni tore into Steyn for 17 off the 49th over and retained the strike for the 50th. After hammering the first ball of the 50th for six, he shoveled a full toss to deep midwicket where Hashim Amla made a brilliant save. Tendulkar settled for a single and the crowd were on their feet as they watched him make history. It was all the more fitting for another reason because it was on this very day, back in 1988, that he and Vinod Kambli added a mammoth 664 - then a world record - in a school match.

There was to be no repeat of the 434-chase at the Wanderers, when South Africa took guard, perhaps mentally and physically shaken after the assault, and with a partisan crowd to contend with. AB de Villiers' attacking ton got completely lost in the chase as South Africa merely went through the motions. It was all a question of how quickly India could wrap it up.

Herschelle Gibbs, Hashim Amla, Roelof van der Merwe and Jacques Kallis all got out cheaply within the first 15 overs. de Villiers motored along at more than a run-a-ball, and collected 13 fours and two sixes. South Africa had to rely on the services of nine men to muster 200 - for India one man sufficed.

Tendulkar's knock drew parallels with Brendon McCullum's frenetic 158 in the IPL opener in Bangalore two years ago. The match was all about individual brilliance but not a contest. While such games are good in small doses, for one-day cricket to survive on the whole, it needs more contests between bat and ball.

Kanishkaa Balachandran is a sub-editor at Cricinfo

Tendulkar and Sehwag rested for final ODI

Cricinfo staff

February 25, 2010

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	M Vijay is one of India's opening options on Saturday © Associated Press
Related Links Players/Officials: Abhimanyu Mithun | Virender Sehwag | Rohit Sharma | Sachin Tendulkar | Murali Vijay Series/Tournaments: South Africa tour of India Teams: India

India have made a slew of changes for the final one-dayer against South Africa in Ahmedabad on February 27. The most significant of them is that openers Sachin Tendulkar and Virender Sehwag have been rested for the dead rubber. Tamil Nadu opener M Vijay and Karnataka fast bowler Abhimanyu Mithun are among the new faces in the 14-man squad.

Tendulkar batted all 50 overs during his unbeaten 200 in Gwalior while Sehwag played that match after suffering a sore back in the first game in Jaipur.

Vijay has played a handful of Tests but is yet to make his ODI debut, and has had a decent run in the ongoing Vijay Hazare one-day tournament, making three half-centuries in five matches. This is the first call-up to a national limited-overs squad for Mithun, who is coming off a stunning debut Ranji season but has had lesser success in the shorter formats.

The home side will be short on experience as another first-choice player, fast bowler Praveen Kumar, has been rested, while offspinner Harbhajan Singh's break from international cricket has been extended. Add to that the injuries to Zaheer Khan, Gautam Gambhir and Yuvraj Singh, and India will line-up on Saturday without seven members of their preferred starting XI.

Another addition to the pool is Mumbai batsman Rohit Sharma, who was most recently part of the national squad during the tri-series in Bangladesh last month.

India have already won the three-match series 2-0.

Squad: M Vijay, Dinesh Karthik, Virat Kohli, MS Dhoni (capt & wk), Suresh Raina, Rohit Sharma, Yusuf Pathan, Ravindra Jadeja, Sudeep Tyagi, S Sreesanth, R Ashwin, Amit Mishra, Abhimanyu Mithun, Ashish Nehra

Wessels keeps faith in Duminy

	Kepler Wessels: "JP has the world's talent and I believe he can fight back" © Associated Press
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JP Duminy, South Africa's middle-order batsman, has returned home and will miss the third and final ODI against India in Ahmedabad. Duminy, who has had a torrid time with the bat in recent times, sustained a hand injury in Gwalior, where India took an unbeatable 2-0 lead in the series.

Kepler Wessels, the batting consultant of the South African team, feels that the injury-break is a blessing in disguise for Duminy, who is looking to regain confidence. "We mentioned a few technical and psychological aspects that we would like him to work on. It's a good thing that he will now go and play in the Indian Premier League where the pressure is not so intense and he will be able to regain his confidence," Wessels told Supersport.

After a dream start to his Test career, including a fifty and a hundred in his first two Tests during South Africa's successful tour of Australia, Duminy's form has dropped alarmingly. In his last eight international innings he has managed 58 runs, with only one score in double-digits and four first-ball ducks. In particular, he has struggled to counter offspinners, such as Graeme Swann and Harbhajan Singh, early in his innings.

But Wessels sees no reason why the youngster cannot regain his form. "It is not unusual for young players to start struggling after early success once opponents start making plans for them. In that case it's the young player's task to find a counter. JP has the world's talent and I believe he can fight back," Wessels said.

'Finish it, finish it'

Virender Sehwag, a man many believed would get to 200 before the master did, relives the innings of a lifetime

As told to Nagraj Gollapudi

February 25, 2010

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	"Never in a hurry" © Associated Press
Related Links Guest Column : Like The Don, in a league of his own What They Said About : Better than Lara and Ponting, Gavaskar and Border, and The Don Bulletin : Flawless Tendulkar 200 gives India series Players/Officials: Sachin Tendulkar Matches: India v South Africa at Gwalior Teams: Australia | India

I am the superstitious kind: I never praise a shot because I fear the moment I do so, the batsman gets out. Till Sachin was on 190 in Gwalior, I was rooted in my seat in the dressing room. But when he got to 190, I couldn't contain myself. I came out and started cheering every stroke till he got to 200.

When he got to 180, I knew he was going to get it, but when he was in the 190s I was concerned. If I was in his place, I would have tried to finish it quickly, because the longer I take, the greater the possibility of me getting out. I would try to wrap it up in three or four balls.

Also, he was looking really tired: he had been clutching his right side and showing signs of cramping. So when I stepped out of my seat, I was just saying, "Finish it, finish it."

But Sachin is never in a hurry. He is a different kind of batsman - one who can rotate the strike with ease and understands there is no need to take any chances. Whenever I have been on the brink of landmarks (Melbourne in 2003, Multan 2004) he has instructed me to do this and do that. But those are things only he can do.

You might say, this is 200 - a figure no batsman in the history of the game has crossed - but then we are talking about Tendulkar. He looked calm and confident even when he was at the non-striker's end in those final moments. I knew he just needed one ball, and I also knew he would get the opportunity.

He had started the innings in a confident mood. As soon as he hit his first boundary, off the third ball of the second over, he walked up to me and said the pitch was full of runs and we only needed to time the ball. He told me not to think of boundaries or going after the bowler. He was right: throughout he picked the gaps and played the ball as he saw it. He was not thinking too much and that helped.

Ten years down the line if I am asked to pick a shot or two from his innings I would love to pick many. But the ones that were special to me were the cover drives off the back foot past extra cover, and the punch, once again on the back foot, past point, off Wayne Parnell. Another incredible shot was the straight six over Roelof van der Merwe's head. The left-arm spinner is a difficult one to get away, but Sachin was able to make the room and the energy to hit it clean over the sight screen.

It is not an easy summit for a batsman to conquer because he needs to possess a variety of attributes. In the past I mentioned on four or five occasions that Sachin had the capability to score a double-hundred in ODIs. I was confident only he could achieve such a feat only because of his experience and the kind of form he is in at the moment.

	"I have seen him over the last decade and he is still improving with every match. I think he is in better form now than he was in 1998"

Importantly, he had the hunger and the patience to last for the entire 50 overs. You need to bat out the entire innings to score a double. And it is not so easy because it is not just about hitting boundaries; it is also rotating the strike. I knew if he had 150 balls, he could do it, and he did it in 147 deliveries.

I do not want to dwell here on my own batting, but in the past certain people have said I could have scored 200 in one-day cricket, because of my performances in Tests, where I have got near to a hundred before lunch. But I have had the tendency to take too many risks once I reach the 120 or 130-run mark in ODIs. That is difference between me and Sachin.

We have had chats about him scoring 200. He thought it was difficult, but I told him only he could do it. Last year in New Zealand, when he retired on 163 I told him he had missed the opportunity, but he said "Agar meri kismat mein hoga toh woh mil jayega [It will eventually happen if I am destined to do it]." He said the same when he got 175 against Australia last year. On Wednesday he said "Woh likha tha, toh mil gaya [I got what was destined]".

Back in 1998 everyone felt Sachin was in prime form. I was not in the Indian team then. But I have seen him over the last decade and he is still improving with every match, he is practising more than anybody else in the nets, working hard on his fitness. I think he is in better form now than he was in 1998.

Nagraj Gollapudi is an assistant editor at Cricinfo

Graeme Smith ruled out of ODI series

	Graeme Smith's tour is over © Getty Images
Related Links News : Injured Zaheer to miss ODI series Players/Officials: Mark Boucher | Graeme Smith Series/Tournaments: South Africa tour of India Teams: South Africa

Graeme Smith, the South African captain, will not feature in the three-match ODI series after failing to recover from a finger injury.

"I am going to assess it again when the team gets back home from India," Smith said. "It has been a bit frustrating last year-and-a-half with my two little fingers which have occasionally broken. The bone needs time to heal."

Michael Owen-Smith, South Africa's media manager, said that Smith would fly home after the Kolkata Test and that Jacques Kallis would lead in the series. An in-form Hashim Amla, originally not named in the ODI squad, will stay back as Smith's replacement.

"Doctors have advised Smith 10 days' rest to recover from the fracture in his left little finger," Owen-Smith said. "He is returning home and [Hashim] Amla will be added to the side. [Jacques] Kallis will lead the side in Smith's absence."

Smith had picked up a freakish injury to the little finger on his left hand during fielding drills two days ahead of the Kolkata Test. Subsequent MRI scans showed it was a bone fracture but Smith was passed fit for the match.

Mark Boucher, who did not play the second Test after suffering fresh back problems during the team's final practice session, will stay on as South Africa travel to Jaipur on Friday for the first ODI. The team management was hopeful he be available for Sunday's match.

"Mark Boucher is on track with his recovery, and we're confident that he'll be able to play on Sunday," Owen-Smith confirmed.

India win thriller despite heroic Amla

India 643 for 6 dec (Sehwag 165, Laxman 143*, Dhoni 132*, Tendulkar 106) beat South Africa 296 (Amla 114, Petersen 100, Zaheer 4-90, Harbhajan 3-64) and 289 (Amla 127*, Harbhajan 5-59, Mishra 3-78) by an innings and 58 runs
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Harbhajan Singh answered India's call with spin bowling aggressive and patient, smart and persistent © AFP

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They couldn't out Hashim Amla at all. So India, down to three bowlers and led by an exceptional Harbhajan Singh, found a way around him, leaving him stranded with nine mandatory balls to go and sealing a heart-stopping, series-levelling win that also meant they retained the top spot in the ICC rankings. As was fitting, it was Harbhajan who brought about the final wicket with a slider to the left-hand batsman Morne Morkel, who had put together a 76-minute last-wicket stand with Amla. The final few steps didn't come easy for India: the last three wickets batted out 53.3 overs to set up a beautiful Test-match finish.

For eight hours and 19 minutes in this innings, which took to 23 hours and 22 minutes the total time he's spent at the wicket for the series, Amla saw everything: offbreaks, topspinners, unintended doosras, big legbreaks, googlies, bouncers, full ones, a blow to the elbow, the bowlers' joy, their frustration, and Harbhajan's eruption on taking the last wicket. At every stage - when he reached fifty or his hundred, when he was hurt, when he was concentrating, when he was defending, during those final few overs of counting each delivery down, and when he was walking back after one of the biggest disappointments he has experienced on a cricket field - the calm expression on his face was unchanged.

Amla batted like the Monk who didn't need to sell a Ferrari, and it took a special bowling effort to deny his side the series win. Harbhajan answered India's call with spin bowling aggressive and patient, smart and persistent, and came up with that wicket-taking delivery when it had deserted the other bowlers.

If Amla never looked like getting out, Harbhajan never looked like letting anyone settle. India had 98 overs to get seven wickets but 52.2 of them were a write-off: they were bowled to Amla, and this man was not going to get out. Not today. They did well, though, to create enough pressure in the remaining overs - despite two dropped catches - to finish off the match with 16 minutes remaining in the day's play.

India woke up to a bright and sunny day, but were thwarted in the first session by Amla and Ashwell Prince. For about two hours, Amla kept killing their hopes, Prince kept raising them only to not edge to hand. Finally, just when the draw started to become the favoured result, Harbhajan came back for his second spell of the day, from his favoured High Court End.

In the first spell, he had tried to get Prince lbw in a fashion similar to the one in the first innings, and failed. In his second he went over the stumps and made it difficult for Prince to judge which deliveries to leave. The leg line troubled Prince, and finally he jabbed at one outside off and lobbed it to mid-off.

Amit Mishra once again produced the special delivery out of nowhere, this time a googly to take out AB de Villiers in the penultimate over before the lunch break, the third time he had taken a wicket just before a break in the innings. de Villiers' was the big wicket because he was the one batsman capable of using his feet and hitting spinners off their length.

	India couldn't dismiss Hashim Amla all day, but got all his partners instead © AFP

In the second spell, six overs each either side of lunch, Harbhajan looked menacing with almost every delivery. After lunch, Harbhajan went on to suggest JP Duminy might become his new Ponting. Offbreak, offbreak, slider. Duminy caught in front again. Dale Steyn didn't have a clue about deliveries spinning down the leg side, and kept getting beaten. Harbhajan smartly moved round the stumps, and trapped him too.

Thereafter Amla found an able partner in Parnell, who looked much more assured than Steyn, and helped by a dropped catch by Suresh Raina at a wide fourth slip, played out 24.2 overs. Amla manipulated the strike well: out of eight overs that Harbhajan bowled during that stand, Parnell got away by facing only 12 balls from the best bowler around.

A soft shot befitting a No. 9 arrived duly, after which Amla shielded Paul Harris for a while. From facing four balls of each over, he gradually let Harris face three each, and by the time Harris generated enough confidence in Amla, a soft shot befitting a No. 10 came by. Ishant got both the wickets, but 8.3 more overs had been negated.

That started the most exciting period of the match. Morkel batted solidly along with Amla, they both judged the leaves well, they both defended with soft hands, they both frustrated India more with every passing delivery. Towards the end, mind games began. Amla took a single late in a Mishra over to face Harbhajan in the next over, Dhoni removed Harbhajan and tried the part-time stuff from Sachin Tendulkar and Sehwag, and got Harbhajan to bowl at Morkel again.

Nothing gave. Amla seemed to have found a partner who was holding his nerve well. The desperation on Indian faces kept getting more and more apparent with every passing delivery. With 3.2 overs to go, Amla cut Tendulkar towards the boundary, took a single so as to face two more overs as opposed to one. Sehwag hoped it would reach the boundary as he chased, but slyly tried to kick it over when he saw it stop inches before the rope. Just to keep Morkel on strike. That's how much it mattered.

Amla duly played out the next over, Dhoni duly saved Harbhajan for the over after that. Harbhajan had six more balls left, from the High Court End. The first pitched middle, turned away. The second pitched leg, and broke towards off. The third was the killer slider, Morkel made his first mistake in 60 deliveries. Harbhajan roared, Amla's expression didn't change much.

Sidharth Monga is a staff writer at Cricinfo

Harbhajan to miss first two ODIs against South Africa

	Yusuf Pathan may return to the national fold © AFP
Related Links Players/Officials: Ravichandran Ashwin | Harbhajan Singh | Yusuf Pathan | Yuvraj Singh Series/Tournaments: South Africa tour of India Teams: India

Offspinner Harbhajan Singh is likely to miss the first two ODIs against South Africa due to family commitments. The three-match series begins on February 21 in Jaipur and Harbhajan has his sister's wedding to attend on February 22.

"He [Harbhajan] has sought permission from the BCCI to attend his sister's wedding on February 22," Harbhajan's personal manager told PTI.

Yuvraj Singh, who is missing the Test series because of a hand injury sustained in Bangladesh, is also doubtful. The selection committee will meet in Kolkata on Tuesday and a few changes are expected to be made to the squad that lost the tri-series final against Sri Lanka in Dhaka.

Yusuf Pathan, who recently guided West Zone to victory in a record chase of 536 against South Zone in the Duleep Trophy final, could make his return to the national team. He last played in an ODI during the 2009 ICC Champions Trophy. Tamil Nadu spinner R Ashwin is believed to be in contention for a maiden call-up as well.

India v South Africa, 2nd Test, Kolkata, 3rd day

Laxman and Dhoni swell lead past 250

The Bulletin by Sidharth Monga

February 16, 2010

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Tea India 548 for 6 (Laxman 97*, Dhoni 85*) lead South Africa 296 by 252 runs
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	MS Dhoni and VVS Laxman took India's lead to 252 © AFP
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VVS Laxman and MS Dhoni saw off the tricky period with the second new ball, and proceeded to nearly bat South Africa out of the Test. At any rate, with India leading by 252 and with five wickets in hand, South Africa would need a huge batting effort to make something out of this match. They didn't help themselves by continuing dropping catches: Laxman added 49 after his reprieve, Dhoni 62 after his, and nightwatchman Amit Mishra 23. They were not easy catches, but South Africa usually take eight out of 10 such.

The crucial period of play was just after Mishra had got out for an entertaining cameo, full of edges, plays and misses, and also cracking shots. The lead had reached 88, but with the second new ball Dale Steyn had found his swing back. Morne Morkel was his usual aggressive self, and had Mishra's wicket in his bag. Laxman was caught in a shell, wasn't struggling but was content to let Mishra take the ascendancy. South Africa could sense a comeback, and were giving it their best, with their best bowlers bowling in tandem.

But Laxman handled the fast bowlers well. He left well outside off, didn't let the bouncer barrage or a spell of no runs for 37 deliveries rattle him. The closest South Africa came to getting a wicket then was an inside edge that flew to the left of the keeper. Once Morkel went off - he had mild fever - runs were easier to come by, the storm had been weathered, and it was time to accumulate.

Dhoni saw Paul Harris, who could have had Mishra in the second over of the day but for the drop by Jacques Kallis at slip, and got a four and a six in his first two overs back. India's plan was clear then: Laxman was to be the solid anchorman, and the others were to score quickly around him. In the last over before lunch, Dhoni pushed forward at Harris, the ball spun and the edge flew to the left of slip. Kallis had by then taken a special overhead catch to remove Mishra, but this one didn't stick - the third such instance off Harris' bowling in a session and one delivery. Dhoni was 23 then.

In the first over after lunch, Laxman cut Wayne Parnell for four to enter his 40s, and steered him past gully for another four in his next over. A similar shot went uppishly towards JP Duminy at point the next ball. The ball fell slightly in front of him, but those are the catches South Africans take without even making them look tough.

After that, Laxman and Dhoni, untested, unquestioned, sauntered towards their centuries. If both of them were to get there, it would be Laxman's fourth in nine Eden Gardens Tests, and it will only be the second instance of four Indian batsmen would have scored centuries in the same innings.

Sidharth Monga is a staff writer at Cricinfo

India v South Africa, 2nd Test, Kolkata

I've been asked to prepare a turner - Kolkata curator

The curator at Eden Gardens, Prabir Mukherjee, has said that he received phone calls from a BCCI official instructing him to prepare a "turning track" for the second Test between India and South Africa beginning in Kolkata on February 14. However, the Indian board's chief administrative officer, Ratnakar Shetty, said he was not "aware of any such request".

India go into the second Test in danger of losing their No. 1 ranking after they were thrashed by an innings and six runs in Nagpur. That pitch had plenty of turn but the Indian spinners were ineffective, while Dale Steyn and the other South African fast bowlers rattled the batsmen with conventional and reverse swing.

"I got a call from one of the BCCI officials requesting me to prepare a turning track as per the wish of the team management," Mukherjee told the Telegraph. "However, I have clearly told him that I want an official communication, like an email, stating what should be the nature of the wicket. Also, I don't know how we can change the nature of the strip overnight."

Mukherjee said he was told to prepare a surface that would suit the "Indian brand of cricket" but said he would not risk "a repeat of the Feroz Shah Kotla pitch fiasco", where an India-Sri Lanka ODI had to be abandoned in December because the surface was deemed dangerous to play on.

"Test cricket is meant to be played on good wickets. Can anyone please define what exactly a turner is?" Mukherjee told the Indian Express. "If you want the ball to turn square from day one, why do you need a curator? The Eden Gardens wicket will have even bounce and decent carry. Spinners will come into play as the match meanders along."

When South Africa toured India last in 2008, they went into the final Test in Kanpur with a 1-0 lead and were beaten on a pitch that had variable bounce and turned sharply from the first day. The Test ended inside three days and the ICC asked the BCCI for an explanation after the match referee criticised the pitch in his report.

Laxman fit for second Test - Srikkanth

	VVS Laxman's presence will add more experience to India's middle order in Kolkata © AFP
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Kris Srikkanth, the chairman of India's selection committee, has said VVS Laxman will definitely play in the second Test against South Africa in Kolkata starting Sunday. He also said he was willing to take the blame for the mess involving the selection of India's middle-order but it was the result of a "freakish" incident.

"Laxman is going to be back in the Kolkata Test match," Srikkanth told CNN-IBN. "He has said he is 100% fit. [His] capability will bolster the Indian batting." Laxman was one of the three first-choice middle-order batsmen who missed the first Test, which India lost by an innings and six runs.

Srikkanth and his panel are under fire for not picking a reserve batsman in the original squad for the first Test, defeat in which has left India needing a win at the Eden Gardens to retain their No. 1 ranking. Rohit Sharma, who was part of a Board President's XI team that played a warm-up match against South Africa, was included in the national squad a day before the first Test but he too injured himself minutes before the start, forcing India to hand reserve wicketkeeper Wriddhiman Saha a debut as a specialist batsman.

The chief selector said he was willing to take the blame for picking a player who was not fully fit (VVS Laxman) but insisted there would have been no controversy had it not been for the unanticipated last-minute injury to Rohit. "Whatever happened on the morning of the Test match was absolutely unfortunate and freakish," he said. "That's what they have in this contract called 'force majeure situations'. Imagine if a player is unfit just 15 minutes before the toss and that too a standby player - Rohit Sharma wasn't even in the original 15 - just before the toss, I don't think anybody can be blamed for it."

Saha was dismissed for a duck in the first innings and made a dogged 36 the second time round, but has been left out of the squad for the second Test, with Dinesh Karthik returning after two big hundreds in the Duleep Trophy final. "They all [critics] feel that Wriddhiman Saha is not a genuine batsman but a wicketkeeper who can bat. But in all fairness, Saha proved that he can bat pretty decently."

The original pool for the first Test had included four fast bowlers, though India rarely pick more than two quicks in home matches. "Generally we have an opener, a middle order batsman, a spinner and a seamer in the reserves," Srikkanth said. "But in this Test match alone we thought we would encourage two more fast bowlers. But to our bad luck, you had one batsman walking out."

SA ready for any kind of pitch - van Zyl

	The one attribute that Corrie van Zyl admires the most in the South African team is the professionalism © AFP
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Corrie van Zyl, victorious in his first Test as South Africa's coach, has said that his team will not be intimidated by a probable turning track at Eden Gardens because the visitors are now mentally much stronger than they were on their last visit in 2008.

Two years ago Dale Steyn had broken the back of India's batting with a powerful burst of fast bowling in Ahmedabad to put South Africa one up going into the final Test in Kanpur a week later. India opted for a turning pitch at Green Park, which Steyn called a "bunsen burner", won the Test and levelled the series.

This time, though, Graeme Smith is leading a unit that is not just consumed by the possibility of beating India in India but is confident of doing so. That, van Zyl points out, is the difference between this squad and the previous ones. "Mentally, the South African team is better prepared," van Zyl, who was appointed the interim coach after Mickey Arthur resigned, said.

"It is still going to be a challenge to deal with turning wickets or whatever the wicket is," he said. The South African think-tank has already assumed the Indians will opt for a pitch that play to their strengths. "India have more control over the conditions," Smith had said yesterday after the innings win in Nagpur.

van Zyl echoed his captain's sentiments today. "I won't say it would be a minefield, but I do expect something that will help the Indian team."

But the South African coach said they would not be in a hurry to change their gameplans, especially after they worked so well in Nagpur. Speaking about the aggressive bowling lines adopted by Steyn, Morne Morkel and Wayne Parnell, van Zyl said it was a conscious decision. "It would be part of our gameplan going forward. We need to make sure as a bowling unit we start operating together and we don't work as individuals. That makes you a lot more effective."

Still there was an individual effort that stood out and that came from Paul Harris. The left-arm spinner had been targeted going into the series but produced a concerted effort of bowling to strict lines and lengths that clamped the movement of the specialist Indian batsmen, especially in the crucial second innings.

"Just the fact that he bowled so many overs, and his economy rate, shows he was really effective," van Zyl pointed out. Importantly Harris knows exactly what his role is within the bowling unit. He said that the decision to enforce the follow-on became viable only because Harris kept an end tight and delivered marathon spells on the fourth afternoon.

Asked whether the leg-stump line against Sachin Tendulkar was deliberate, considering the batsman's past vulnerability to such a ploy, van Zyl indirectly confirmed it. "The line of the attack is determined by the amount of the turn on offer and the line where it turns from. And we had to assess where it was more difficult to score against."

van Zyl has been part of the South African coaching set-up for the better half of the last decade and worked closely with various coaches, including Arthur. His previous assignment, before moving into the present job, was to deal with the emerging talent at the High Performance Centre in Pretoria. A fast bowler during his playing days, van Zyl said the most striking aspect about Smith's squad was its "professionalism".

"I was telling the team and the team management that I was pleasantly surprised by the level of professionalism," van Zyl said. According to van Zyl the main reason for the superior mental strength the players possess now could be the structure Arthur worked hard to create. "Credit must be given to Mickey and what he put in the place. That does make my introduction a lot easier."

Both Smith and van Zyl have no illusions about that the second Test, which begins on February 14, being just another hurdle that can be easily crossed. "If the first Test was a challenge then the second Test is a bigger challenge," van Zyl said.

Smith said an extra day's break would be welcome given the amount of preparation that went into the Nagpur Test. "The guys need a few days' rest to regain the mental energy more than anything else. This [first Test win] has taken a lot out of the guys," he said. But he is not losing any sleep yet. "There is enough in the group now and we have beaten India enough number of times. I don't think anything will surprise us going into Kolkata."

Confident Harbhajan not worried about form

	Harbhajan Singh had a tough time in Nagpur © AFP
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Harbhajan Singh, India's leading spinner, has come in for criticism after a lacklustre showing during the defeat in Nagpur, but he defended his performance in a Test where he was outbowled by South African left-arm spinner Paul Harris. After returning figures of 2 for 166, with only one maiden in 46 overs, Harbhajan praised the manner in which South Africa batted.

"You can't really take five wickets every day," he told the Hindustan Times on Wednesday. "They (the South Africans) have come here to play, they aren't here on holiday. They are among the best in the world, and have played superbly, you can't take that away from them, give them that credit."

Despite being the top wicket-taker in the home series against Sri Lanka late last year, a listless tour of Bangladesh followed by the ineffectiveness in Nagpur has put Harbhajan, India's most successful offspinner with over 300 Test wickets, under pressure. "I have the support of my team and frankly, that's what matters, not what anyone says," he said. "I know myself, I know what I need to do. I've performed very well over time and the statistics, the records reflect that, that's for everyone to see."

Anil Kumble, the senior spinner in the Indian team for much of Harbhajan's career, said he expected a much-improved performance in Kolkata. "I am confident that if he gets some early wickets, he will be a different bowler," he told the Times of India. "It's only a matter of confidence ... Kolkata has been a favourite ground for Harbhajan and I am confident he is going to get back to his old way of picking wickets."

India's hold on the No. 1 Test ranking is shaky after the embarrassing loss in Nagpur, and though the new-look batting flopped in both innings, there was plenty of concern over the bowling, which despite being at full strength allowed South Africa to pile up 558 for 6. Unless the home side win the second Test in Kolkata, starting Sunday, South Africa will win the series and reclaim top spot in the ICC rankings.

South African spinners deserve more respect - Harris

	Paul Harris: "My skill is being able to bowl over the wicket. It's something you have to learn if you're going to do well in Test cricket" © Getty Images
Related Links Bulletin : Harris and Steyn consign India to innings defeat Analysis : Harris moves from facilitator to lead artist Analysis : How Harris choked India Peter Roebuck : Return of finger spin Players/Officials: Paul Harris Matches: India v South Africa at Nagpur Series/Tournaments: South Africa tour of India Teams: South Africa

Paul Harris, South Africa's left-arm spinner, has spoken out against the criticism spinners get in his country if they don't perform to expectations. Harris, whose four wickets played an important role in the innings victory against India in Nagpur, said the negative press in the recent home series against England had upset him.

Harris began the four-Test series with a five-wicket haul in Centurion but he took only four wickets in the next two games. He was dropped for the final game at the Wanderers, which South Africa won to square the series 1-1.

"South African spinners are always under the spotlight and I thought my treatment was a little harsh," Harris told Supercricket. "I took a five-for in the first Test against England (at Centurion) and then two Tests later everyone's calling for me to be dropped. It was a bit disappointing considering what I have done for the team in the last few years, the results I have produced.

"England played me well and I lost some consistency, which irritated me. In fact, it really upset me."

In the Nagpur Test, Harris sparked India's collapse in the first innings when he foxed MS Dhoni with sharp turn from the rough from over the wicket. Dhoni shaped to leave the ball but it lobbed off his glove to the keeper. In the second innings, he got the vital wicket of Sachin Tendulkar, bowled while trying to sweep. Harris said the strategy of bowling on the rough outside the leg stump was paying off.

"It's probably not the most fashionable plan, but frustrating them out was the key. It's more a patience game, but the Indian batsmen have big egos against spin," Harris said. "They will kick it away for five overs but then try something in the sixth over. You know they're going to come at you, especially because of all the media hype.

"My strengths are consistency and patience, and I get a bit of bounce. My job is to keep the batsmen quiet, keep it as tight as possible and make it hard for them to score. My skill is being able to bowl over the wicket. It's something you have to learn if you're going to do well in Test cricket. It wouldn't be your first-choice line of attack and if the pitch is doing a lot you'd go around the wicket. But going over, they don't get runs and you get the odd wicket. Getting a batsman out caught at deep square leg is as good as having him caught at slip."

He said he wasn't aware the Indians were practicing the leg-stump line in Nagpur. Were they? That's a surprise," he told DNA. "But look, they could not score off me because of the situation. You can't bat for three days under pressure. They are known to be aggressive. I would imagine they would be a bit more aggressive in their planning."

However, the bigger matchwinner was Dale Steyn, who took ten wickets. "It was Dale Steyn's Test match. He showed how good he is and it was pretty spectacular taking 10 wickets on that deck," he said. "He makes the spinner's job easier, because I'm talking to the batsmen, telling them that if they don't come after me, Dale's going to take their heads off later on."

The tour was preceded by the drama of coach Mickey Arthur's sudden resignation and the revamping of the selection panel. Harris said that contrary to predictions that the off-field events would distract the team on tour, it only made them a closer, fighting unit.

"I hold Mickey in the very highest esteem, he was the guy who gave me a chance and backed me. He's up there with the best coaches and a champion man, he's sent me about a million text messages since we've been in India," Harris said.

"But it's probably true that a change is as good as a holiday and it's meant the players are now trying to impress the new management, you can see it in the intensity. When we are apprehensive about something, we stick together, it's a great South African trait. The boys are a lot closer, we're all real good mates and that's made the new management's job easier. I have to say Corrie van Zyl (the new coach) has been very good and Kepler Wessels (batting consultant) has been superb."

India v South Africa 2009/10

	The seriousness of Graeme Smith's finger injury is not yet certain © AFP
Related Links Players/Officials: Graeme Smith Series/Tournaments: South Africa tour of India Teams: South Africa

Graeme Smith, the South African captain, has sustained a finger injury while fielding at the Eden Gardens in the build-up to the second and final Test on Sunday. An x-ray taken at the ground cleared him of any tendon damage and Smith will go to a local hospital for an MRI scan after South Africa complete their training.

Smith was hit on his left little finger during practice and Michael Owen-Smith, South Africa's media manager, said he had strained a ligament on the outside half of the finger. "He had an x-ray on the little finger of his left hand, it shows no fracture at all. We are having MRI scan this afternoon just to be 100% certain of what the injury is. It is obviously some sort of ligament damage, so it is just to establish if it is that. At this stage it has been treated as a sprained ligament."

"I'm pretty sure he would around," said AB de Villiers. "Obviously he is one of those irreplaceable players."

Over the last 20 months Smith has had long-standing injury problems. He first suffered a tennis elbow injury during the IPL in India in April 2008 and that forced him to miss the last three ODIs against England the same year. He later broke his hand while facing Australia's Mitchell Johnson in the third Test in Sydney but bravely batted in the second innings to try and save the game. He missed the subsequent ODI series and decided to delay the surgery on on his injured tennis elbow until after the return series against the Australians at home last year.