India need to fill some gaps before 2nd Test

New Delhi: Like many other occasions in the past, India started their Caribbean odyssey in a much familiar fashion – slumping to 85/6 in their first innings of the first Test – but this time around, instead of buckling down, they came out firing, showed resilience and mettle to come victorious in the end.

The visitors were in a precarious situation when more than half of their side had gone back to the pavilion on the very first morning at the Sabina Park, but then we witnessed the 'never say die' attitude of this new-look Indian side. Suresh Raina and Harbhajan Singh played out of their skins to script what was the defining moment of the match.

Both batsmen threw caution to the wind and took the attack to the opposition bowlers from the outset. Harbhajan, whose batting has improved by leaps and bounds in the recent past, was the more attacking of the two. He swatted ten fours and a maximum in his scintillating 70-run knock and strung a 146-run stand with Raina, who too contributed with an invaluable 82, to take India to a modest score.

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Windies expose chinks in India's armour

New Delhi: Buoyed by their World Cup triumph and ecstatic after shining during the Indian Premier League the young Indian guns landed on the shores of Caribbean with thoughts of conquering the once-feared territory. And though the targets - wining the one-off Twenty20 and clinching the ODI series - set by coach Duncan Fletcher and the team management have been achieved, the way the young side wilted under pressure also exposed that there are chinks in their armour.

Barring Virat Kohli, the player who seems to have shredded his boyhood blunders in the blink of an eye, and Rohit Sharma - the man of the tournament - none of the other Indian batsmen could get going over a period of the five matches.

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Bowlers who left their mark in IPL-4

New Delhi: Although considered the batsmen's game, Twenty20 has proved to be a happy hunting ground for bowlers who use their skills and have the patience of a saint. Indian Premier League is one such arena where bowlers used the best in their armory to fox the batsmen. Here are the pick of the bowlers who either bamboozled the batsmen with their pace or outplayed them with their spin.

Lasith Malinga (Mumbai Indians): When he sends down yorkers at 150 kph, there is little that a batsman can do except saving their toes from getting crushed. Malinga has spearheaded Mumbai's bowling attack with his lethal pace and provided his outfit much-needed breakthroughs, both at the start and death. His wickets tally of 27 is by far the best that can neither be touched nor matched by any other bowler.

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The top 10 run machines of IPL 4

New Delhi: The most entertaining cricket league has reached its climax and it's a good time to look back at the run machines that lit up the cash-rich event with their willows. Here is our list of ten players who excelled in this edition of the Indian Premier League:

Chris Gayle (Royal Challengers Bangalore): The marauding RCB opener has been a revelation since he was drafted into their squad. His inclusion has turned out to be the fortune changer for the Challengers. Tottering at one stage after losing three matches on the trot, Gayle came in as a messiah for RCB, after which the team never looked back and ended the round robin phase at the top of the table. The current holder of the Orange Cap, given to the highest run-getter, Gayle has already clobbered 511 runs from his giant bat in just nine outings. As expected, his average has been phenomenal, 85.16, and makes heads turn.

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Gilchrist ton revives old memories

New Delhi: When God was expected to interrupt the proceedings in the match between the Kings XI Punjab and the Royal Challengers Bangalore at the picturesque Dharamsala stadium on Tuesday, it was the demigod named Adam Gilchrist who generated lightning with his array of strokes and showered fours and sixes.

The Kings XI skipper bludgeoned 106 runs in mere 55 deliveries, which tore the RCB bowling apart with his fierce hitting. And by the time the southpaw made his way back to the pavilion, the scoreboard read one of the highest totals (231) that have been made in the IPL history so far. And their emphatic 111-run victory also ensured that their chances of qualifying for the playoffs are still alive.

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Know your team: Royal Challengers Bangalore

With a combination of international stars together with exciting Indian talent, Royal Challengers Bangalore is one of the Indian teams that will take on the best of T20 clubs at this edition of the Champions League T20 in South Africa.

Having seen what it takes to play against the top clubs in the competition last year, Bangalore will like to put up a better showing than the last time. Challengers' skipper Anil Kumble is a man with unparalleled work ethic, and nothing short than bringing the trophy to India will be on his mind when he leads his team out on to the field on September 12 against Guyana. He would be aptly supported by his former Indian teammate and the 'wall' of Indian cricket Rahul Dravid.

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Australia outplay Pakistan

Gros Islet (St Lucia) May 2: Shane Watson once again reminded Pakistan the torrid time they had in the tour down-under late last year as his innings of 81 off 49 balls completely outplayed their opponents in their opening match of the Twenty-20 World Cup here on Sunday.
The Queenslander smashed seven fours and four sixes in the 34-run victory. He was well supported by David Hussey (53 off 29), who hit five massive sixes in his quick fire fifty and took the side to a monster-like total of 191 after Michael Clarke won the toss and chose to set the target for the opponents.
Al the Pakistan bowlers proved ineffective against the confident Australian side and went for plenty whenever they came to bowl. Their fielding was equally faulty, dropping both Watson and Hussey at the crucial juncture of the game.
Mohammad Sami, the hero with the ball in the game against Bangladesh yesterday, went for 54 in his four overs. Only Saeed Ajmal picked up three wickets with his crafty off spin.
The last over of Mohammad Aamer produced five wickets, including two run-outs, without conceding a single run.
It was mystifying that why Shahid Afridi allowed four overs of Mohammad Hafeez (47 in four over) inside the first 10 overs, especially when he proved expensive from the beginning.
In reply, the 47-run partnership of Shahid Afridi (33 off 24) and Misbah-ul-Haq (41 off 31)tried to take the match to the last few overs but once the skipper went no batsmen could show enough resistance against the disciplined Australian bowling, which was spearheaded by Dirk Nannes and Shaun Tait with three wickets each.
Earlier, David Warner and Shane Watson put on a fifty-run stand for the opening wicket.
Australia were quick to adopt with the slow and sluggish nature of Beausejour Stadium pitch and ran quick between the wickets from the start.
Shane Watson penalized Hafeez in his next over with two fours and a six and collected 17 runs with Warner in that over.
Sami drew the first blood for his side by taking the wicket of Warner at square-leg but Watson carried on, scoring on every bowler.
Hafeez, who was proving expensive till that point did his team a favor by sending Michael Clarke (2 off 3) back in the hut.
David Hussey joined the party with Watson and started clobbering Pakistan bowlers from ball one. His four sixes off Sami summed up the day for Pakistan in the field. The Victorian went passed his fifty in just 27 balls but holed out to Fawad Alam off Saeed Ajmal.
The off spinner then got the price wicket of Watson, who paid the price of hitting across the line and found himself in front of the wickets. Cameron White, Brad Haddin and Mitchell Johnson came and went quickly at the end.