Rewarded for his recent good form, all-rounder Yuvraj Singh was Monday
recalled in the Indian team for the first three One-day Internationals
of a seven-match series and a one-off Twenty20 against the touring
Australia.
The selection committee of the Board of Control for Cricket in India
(BCCI) announced the 15-man squad for the series here Monday, making
four changes in the squad that won the Champions Trophy in June.
Yuvraj, Ambati Rayudu, Mohammed Shami and Jaydev Unadkat have been
picked in place of Murali Vijay, Dinesh Karthik, Irfan Pathan and Umesh
Yadav.
Other seniors like Virender Sehwag, Gautam Gambhir and Harbhajan Singh will have to wait for their return to the national fold.
Yuvraj comes to the side after scores of 84, 52, 61, 40 and 123 in the
series against West Indies A and Challenger Trophy. His last
international match was an ODI against England in Dharamsala in January.
Fast bowlers Shami and Unadkat have been rewarded for their impressive show in the five-match series in Zimbabwe.
The axe for speedster Yadav is surprising though he proved expensive in
the Challenger Trophy. Wicket-keeper Karthik was overlooked against
Rayudu, who averaged more than 50 runs in Zimbabwe. Opener Vijay could
not retain his place while Irfan Pathan is injured.
Off-spinner Ravichandran Ashwin replaces Parvez Rasool, who misses out
after the Zimbabwe stint alongside Cheteshwar Pujara, Mohit Kumar and
Ajinkya Rahane.
India will play a T20 and seven ODIs against Australia but selectors
decided to pick the squad only for the initial three games.
The T20 will be played in Rajkot, Oct 10. The first three ODIs will be
hosted in Pune (Oct 13), Jaipur (Oct 16), and Mohali (Oct 19).
India squad: Mahendra Singh Dhoni (captain), Shikhar Dhawan, Rohit
Sharma, Virat Kohli, Yuvraj Singh, Suresh Raina, Ravindra Jadeja,
Ravichandran Ashwin, Bhuvneshwar Kumar, Ishant Sharma, Vinay Kumar, Amit
Mishra, Ambati Rayudu, Mohammed Shami, Jaydev Unadkat.
Cricket, India, Sports
This is the ninth time in recent matches that Indian bowlers have conceded in excess of 350 runs but Dhoni seemed livid about how they bowled with the new ball.
"More than the death bowling, our bowling with the new ball was not upto the mark. Shami bowled really well as he hit the right areas but rest of the bowlers didn`t. I think we need some more pace," a worried skipper said at the post-match presentation ceremony.
Dhoni was the first to admit that on the New Wanderers wicket, the bowlers shouldn`t have conceded in excess of 350.
"Bowling department let us down. If you give away more than 350 runs, batsmen will be under pressure. On wickets like these, we will find it difficult to score freely," the skipper said when asked about the batsmen`s failure to cope with the pace and bounce of the wicket.
Dhoni sustained a thumb injury while batting which required medical assistance but the skipper assured that he is "fine and ready for the next game".
Questioned on the lack of preparation for this kind of surface coming from the sib-continental featherbeds, Dhoni defended the decision to arrive late.
"We knew we had two to three days but we could have adapted slightly better."
Winning captain AB de Villiers said that it was "important to be confident" on the field. "After the game, we will have a drink and will be friends but in the field, we won`t back down especially in our own conditions. Lots of credit should go to Hashim Amla and Quinton de Kock. Especially de Kock, who at such a young age scored that big hundred as we all batted around him," the skipper said.
The South African captain was all praise for Dale Steyn who terrorized the Indian batsmen with pace and swing getting three for 25 from just 8 overs.
"He`s (Steyn) a bit of a freak with new ball. Congrats to Dale for the splendid performance."
On his own innings, De Villiers said, "This innings gave me pleasure but it is JP, who made it look easier in the end. We knew that wickets in hand with the kind of bowling attack they have, we can put them under pressure in the end".
De Villiers also expressed caution that Indians being the No 1 ODI team in the world will certainly "bounce back" but they have a "sniff" as they eye a series win in Durban.
Man of the match de Kock said, "I am very proud as well as happy for what I have done today. I hope to carry on with the good work. Getting a man of the match award is a special thing but I am happy and thanks to teammates. Hope to get a couple of more in next two games".
IPL, Sports
Earlier,
the High Court also dismissed Lalit Modi's cross-appeal against the
decision of the lower court which had declined to pass an interim order
on his petition challenging the appointment of Sanjay Patel and Jagmohan
Dalmiya in the BCCI by N Srinivasan (AP)On a day of high drama, which was marked by legal tug of war between Modi and the BCCI, a Special General Meeting of the Board took less than half an hour to unanimously impose a life ban on the controversial 49-year-old administrator. Lalit Modi: A roller-coaster of a life
"The BCCI, at its Special General Meeting today considered and discussed the report of the Disciplinary Committee of the BCCI on the Show Cause Notices issued to Mr. Lalit Kumar Modi, in accordance with Clause 32 (iv) of the Memorandum of Rules and Regulations," the Board said in a statement. Related: Lalit Modi says attempts made to kill him over spot-fixing
"...Mr. Lalit Modi is guilty of committing acts of serious misconduct and indiscipline, and therefore, in exercise of powers as per Regulation 32 of the Memorandum and Rules and Regulations of the Board, Mr. Lalit Modi be and is hereby expelled from the BCCI.
"He shall forfeit all his rights and privileges as Administrator. He shall not in future be entitled to hold any position or office, or be admitted in any Committee or any member or associate member of the Board," he added.
Modi, the brain behind the highly successful IPL, made a last-ditch effort to avert the impending sanction by writing a letter to the BCCI members requesting them to refrain from any decision till the matter was sub-judice.
"Not a single member in the meeting supported Modi and the House took a unanimous decision to impose a life ban," a top BCCI official said.
IPL, Sports
CAB is seeking to restrain N Srinivasan from contesting elections for the post of BCCI president.
"All right. We will hear it on Friday," a bench headed by Justice A K Patnaik said when the counsel for CAB sought an urgent hearing of the plea on the issue.
CAB, in its application, has sought "interim injunction retraining respondent number 2 (Srinivasan) from contesting for the post of President of respondent number 1 (BCCI) in the Annual General Meeting to be held on September 29 at Chennai."
It has also sought a direction to the Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) that Srinivasan be not inducted in any committee of the Board till the matter pending in the apex court is decided.
The court had earlier posted for October the hearing on cross appeals filed by BCCI and CAB against the Bombay High Court's verdict declaring as illegal the probe panel appointed by the Board to look into spot fixing scandal.
It had on August 30 heard the petition filed by Aditya Verma, Secretary, CAB, challenging the high court's order refusing to appoint a fresh committee to probe the scam.
The court had also issued notices to the BCCI, Srinivasan, his company India Cements which owns IPL team Chennai Super Kings, and the Rajasthan Royals on the plea.
CAB has pleaded that when the high court declared the panel of two judges as unconstitutional, it should have appointed a fresh committee to look into the issue.
The apex court had on August 7 refused to grant interim stay on high court verdict, derailing the plan of Srinivasan to return as chief of BCCI.
Srinivasan had stepped aside from discharging his duties as BCCI President in the light of spot fixing and betting scandal which allegedly involved his son-in-law and Chennai Super Kings team's former principal Gurunath Meiyappan.
The high court order had come on July 30 just two days after the panel, comprising two former judges of the Madras High Court Justices T Jayarama Chouta and R Balasubramanian, submitted its report giving a clean chit to all those against whom the probe was conducted.
The panel had gone into the charges against India Cements Ltd, Meiyappan and Raj Kundra, co-owner of Rajasthan Royals.
The panel was set up by BCCI and IPL Governing Council after the surfacing of the betting and fixing scandal.
Cricket, Sports
West Indies A beat India A by 45 runs in the third
and final unofficial ODI in Bangalore to win the 3-match series 2-1 on
Thursday. Chasing a challenging 313 to win, the Indians were restricted
to 267 for 8 in their 50 overs.
Fifties from Baba Aparajith (78) and India A skipper Yuvraj Singh (61) went in vain as West Indian left-arm spinner Veeraswamy Permaul took 3 wickets for 55. Earlier, Windies batsman Kirk Edwards (104) became the third player in the series to score a hundred. India A left-arm bowler Jaydev Unadkat took 5 for 55 after the hosts decided to insert the visitors into bat.
The two teams will now meet a lone T20 match on Saturday, September 21. Catch the highlights from the final match, as they happened:
Veeraswamy Permaul strikes to remove Siddarth Kaul (6), who is caught by Ashley Nurse at deep long off. The hosts are 8 down for 251, needing further 62 to win in 18 balls. Jaydev Unadkat is the next man in, partnering R Vinay Kumar.
Wicket No.7 for the Windies as Shabaz Nadeem is bowled by V Permaul for just 6. Indians 234 for 7 after 43 overs, needing another 79 to win from 42 balls.
India A lose their sixth wicket
with big-hitter Yusuf Pathan out bowled to Miguel Cummings for 18. R
Vinay Kumar and Shabaz Nadeem are at the crease staring at a massive
required run rate of more than 10 an over. Middle order batsman Kedar
Jadhav was the fifth player to get out, when he was caught by Nikita
Miller off Cummings. India are 228 for 6 after 42 overs, needing another
85 runs from 48 balls.
DOUBLE BLOW! The West Indians have bagged the big wickets of Yuvraj Singh and Baba Aparajith. The Indian A team skipper is bowled for 61 off 59 balls (4x4, 3x6). Ashley Nurse, who had a good shout for an LBW turned down, this time got the better of the pugnacious left-hander with a ball that drifted in and crashed into the stumps. Yuvraj was foxed as he played for the turn. Baba Aparajith is bowled by Veerasammy Permaul for 78 (6 balls). Permaul's arm ball breached Aparajith's defences. Yuvraj and Aparajith produced 112 runs for the third wicket. India are 181 for four after 33 overs. Kedar Jadhav (6) has been joined by Yusuf Pathan. India need 132 runs more and the asking rate is a challenging 7.76. (Blog: Yuvraj and the over that changed everything
Yuvraj Singh and Baba Aparajith are leading India A's run chase at Chinnaswamy by scoring fifties. India are 138 for 2 after 26 overs. The duo has produced 92 runs off 97 balls as the home team needs to score at over seven runs per over. Both batsmen are suffering from light cramps. Yuvraj was lucky to survive a close LBW shout against off-spinner Ashley Nurse when on 44. When on 40, Aparajith was caught on the long-off boundary by Andre Fletcher, but the West Indian stepped over the ropes. Aparajith was 'rewarded' with a six! Otherwise, both batsmen have looked confident. Yuvraj is batting on 55 (66th List half-century) and Aparajith is unbeaten on 50 (third List A 50).
Chasing 313 to win, India A lost two wickets in six balls to reel at 50 for two at the end of 10 overs. Robin Uthappa was run out and Naman Ojha edged to the wicket-keeper trying to cut Jonathan Carter. After a good start, a direct throw from mid-on ended Uthappa's innings (46/1). He was trying to steal a single. Uthappa scored 27 of 28 balls and hit three fours. Ojha, who was promoted up the batting order, lasted five balls and didn't score. Aparajith, batting on 17, has been joined by Yuvraj Singh, whose first scoring stroke was a boundary. This is a very special day for Yuvraj as it was on September 19 in 2007 T20 World Cup, he clubbed six sixes in a Stuart Broad over at Kingsmead, Durban. India have lot batting to come with Unmukt Chand, Kedar Jadhav and Yusuf Pathan waiting in the hut!
West Indies have scored an impressive 312 for 9 in 50 overs
after Kirk Edwards scored his second List A century. Left-arm seamer Jaydev Unadkat took a career-best five for 55 as West Indies collapsed in a heap in the last three overs of their innings. Edwards slammed a run-a-ball 104 to escort West Indies A past the 300-mark. Edwards smashed 12 fours and three sixes. West Indies A scored 34 runs in the last five overs but lost four wickets as well. Unadkat bowled a good spell and accounted for Edwards, who went for the runs in the death.
West Indies were 282 for five after 45 overs. Leon Johnson struck his sixth List A fifty as the Caribbeans scored briskly in the slog overs. Johnson was out for 54 (42 balls, 4x4, 3x6). Andre Russell was out for 1. Jaydev Unadkat got both the wickets. But Kirk Edwards is batting on 95. He has been the man of the moment. West Indies have scored 71 runs in the last five overs.
Twenty-nine-year-old Kirk Edwards struck his sixth List A half-century as West Indies A staged a turnaround after losing the in-form Jonathan Carter. Edwards is batting on 70 off 83 balls as the visitors were 212 for three wickets at the end of the 40th over. A fourth-wicket stand of 66 runs between Edwards and Leon Johnson (30 not out off 34 balls) is keeping the Indians at bay. The right-handed Edwards has played nine Tests and nine ODIs for the West Indies. He has two Test hundreds.
WICKET! India under-19 off-spinner Baba Aparajith strikes in his first over and removes the dangerous Jonathan Carter in the 29th over. Trying to sweep a ball outside the leg-stump, the left-hander drags the ball onto his stumps. Carter is out for 35 (38 balls, 3 fours and a six off Yuvraj Singh). End of a solid third-wicket 66-run stand with Kirk Edwards (33). New man is Leon Johnson. West Indies 153/3 after 30 overs.
At the end of the 25th over, West Indies A are 116 for 2. Kirk Edwards (26 off 43 balls) and Jonathan Carter (14 off 22 balls) have put on 37 runs for the third wicket. The Caribbeans are slowly rebuilding. Carter had scored a brilliant century in the second match. Yuvraj Singh continue with the spin-pace option of Shahbaz Nadeem (2/22) and Siddarth Kaul. Good contest between bat and ball.
WICKET! Nadeem gets his second! On a charge now the left-arm orthodox bowler. Removes the well set Andre Fletcher lbw for 28. West Indies A now 79/2 in 15.4 overs.
WICKET! Shahbaz Nadeem looking impressive and getting his man Kieran Powell for 40, caught in slips by Robin Uthappa. Just a while ago, replays of the previous match showed Powell's catch being dropped playing a similar shot. Nadeem though is fortunate that Utahppa hangs on this time. West Indies 74/1 in 13.1 overs.
After 12 overs: West Indies A are off to a bright start at 66/0 and once again Yuvraj's decision to field has backfired. Skipper Kieran Powell is batting on 40 off 32 balls with 4 fours and a six while Andre Fletcher is much more cautious on 19 off 40 balls. Vinay Kumar has been particularly impressive with a bit of swing in the morning at Bengaluru while Siddarth Kaul, brought in for Narwal, has gone for 19 in his two. Spinners Shahbaz Nadeem and Yusuf Pathan have been introduced early.
While the West Indies are unchanged, Indians have made a couple of changes with Unmukt Chand and Sumit Narwal being dropped and Baba Aparajith and Siddarth Kaul being brought in.
While India A, led by Yuvraj Singh, were absolutely brilliant in the first unofficial ODI, thrashing West Indies A by 77 runs, they were mediocre to say the least in second outing losing by 55 runs.
It was not just Yuvraj though in the first game, with Mandeep Singh (67 off 78) and Yusuf Pathan (70* off 32) and 4 bowlers - Sumit Narwal, Vinay Kumar, Rahul Sharma and Yusuf - taking two wickets each, as the India hopefuls completed a commanding win.
Yuvraj might have committed an error in selecting to field in the second unofficial ODI but as a skipper he might have wanted to test the calibre of his team going into the final game. Counter-argument though can be that India A could have had the series done and dusted.
All went well for a while though in the second unofficial ODI with West Indies A 2-21 and then 4-112 in 28 overs. A counter-attacking century from Jonathan Carter though gave the visitors necessary impetus as India A just faded after that. Yuvraj, Unmukt Chand and Kedar Jadhav did try hard with the bat but could not build any partnerships to trouble West Indies side.
India A: Yuvraj Singh (captain), Baba Aparajith, Robin Uthappa, Kedar Jadhav, Naman Ojha (wk), Yusuf Pathan, Vinay Kumar, Jaydev Unadkat, Siddarth Kaul, Shahbaz Nadeem, Mandeep Singh.
West Indies A: Andre Fletcher, Kieran Powell (captain), KA Edwards, JL Carter, AD Russell, LR Johnson, DC Thomas (wk), AR Nurse, NO Miller, V Permaul, ML Cummins
Fifties from Baba Aparajith (78) and India A skipper Yuvraj Singh (61) went in vain as West Indian left-arm spinner Veeraswamy Permaul took 3 wickets for 55. Earlier, Windies batsman Kirk Edwards (104) became the third player in the series to score a hundred. India A left-arm bowler Jaydev Unadkat took 5 for 55 after the hosts decided to insert the visitors into bat.
The two teams will now meet a lone T20 match on Saturday, September 21. Catch the highlights from the final match, as they happened:
Veeraswamy Permaul strikes to remove Siddarth Kaul (6), who is caught by Ashley Nurse at deep long off. The hosts are 8 down for 251, needing further 62 to win in 18 balls. Jaydev Unadkat is the next man in, partnering R Vinay Kumar.
Wicket No.7 for the Windies as Shabaz Nadeem is bowled by V Permaul for just 6. Indians 234 for 7 after 43 overs, needing another 79 to win from 42 balls.
India A lose their sixth wicket
with big-hitter Yusuf Pathan out bowled to Miguel Cummings for 18. R
Vinay Kumar and Shabaz Nadeem are at the crease staring at a massive
required run rate of more than 10 an over. Middle order batsman Kedar
Jadhav was the fifth player to get out, when he was caught by Nikita
Miller off Cummings. India are 228 for 6 after 42 overs, needing another
85 runs from 48 balls.DOUBLE BLOW! The West Indians have bagged the big wickets of Yuvraj Singh and Baba Aparajith. The Indian A team skipper is bowled for 61 off 59 balls (4x4, 3x6). Ashley Nurse, who had a good shout for an LBW turned down, this time got the better of the pugnacious left-hander with a ball that drifted in and crashed into the stumps. Yuvraj was foxed as he played for the turn. Baba Aparajith is bowled by Veerasammy Permaul for 78 (6 balls). Permaul's arm ball breached Aparajith's defences. Yuvraj and Aparajith produced 112 runs for the third wicket. India are 181 for four after 33 overs. Kedar Jadhav (6) has been joined by Yusuf Pathan. India need 132 runs more and the asking rate is a challenging 7.76. (Blog: Yuvraj and the over that changed everything
Yuvraj Singh and Baba Aparajith are leading India A's run chase at Chinnaswamy by scoring fifties. India are 138 for 2 after 26 overs. The duo has produced 92 runs off 97 balls as the home team needs to score at over seven runs per over. Both batsmen are suffering from light cramps. Yuvraj was lucky to survive a close LBW shout against off-spinner Ashley Nurse when on 44. When on 40, Aparajith was caught on the long-off boundary by Andre Fletcher, but the West Indian stepped over the ropes. Aparajith was 'rewarded' with a six! Otherwise, both batsmen have looked confident. Yuvraj is batting on 55 (66th List half-century) and Aparajith is unbeaten on 50 (third List A 50).
Chasing 313 to win, India A lost two wickets in six balls to reel at 50 for two at the end of 10 overs. Robin Uthappa was run out and Naman Ojha edged to the wicket-keeper trying to cut Jonathan Carter. After a good start, a direct throw from mid-on ended Uthappa's innings (46/1). He was trying to steal a single. Uthappa scored 27 of 28 balls and hit three fours. Ojha, who was promoted up the batting order, lasted five balls and didn't score. Aparajith, batting on 17, has been joined by Yuvraj Singh, whose first scoring stroke was a boundary. This is a very special day for Yuvraj as it was on September 19 in 2007 T20 World Cup, he clubbed six sixes in a Stuart Broad over at Kingsmead, Durban. India have lot batting to come with Unmukt Chand, Kedar Jadhav and Yusuf Pathan waiting in the hut!
West Indies have scored an impressive 312 for 9 in 50 overs after Kirk Edwards scored his second List A century. Left-arm seamer Jaydev Unadkat took a career-best five for 55 as West Indies collapsed in a heap in the last three overs of their innings. Edwards slammed a run-a-ball 104 to escort West Indies A past the 300-mark. Edwards smashed 12 fours and three sixes. West Indies A scored 34 runs in the last five overs but lost four wickets as well. Unadkat bowled a good spell and accounted for Edwards, who went for the runs in the death.
West Indies were 282 for five after 45 overs. Leon Johnson struck his sixth List A fifty as the Caribbeans scored briskly in the slog overs. Johnson was out for 54 (42 balls, 4x4, 3x6). Andre Russell was out for 1. Jaydev Unadkat got both the wickets. But Kirk Edwards is batting on 95. He has been the man of the moment. West Indies have scored 71 runs in the last five overs.
Twenty-nine-year-old Kirk Edwards struck his sixth List A half-century as West Indies A staged a turnaround after losing the in-form Jonathan Carter. Edwards is batting on 70 off 83 balls as the visitors were 212 for three wickets at the end of the 40th over. A fourth-wicket stand of 66 runs between Edwards and Leon Johnson (30 not out off 34 balls) is keeping the Indians at bay. The right-handed Edwards has played nine Tests and nine ODIs for the West Indies. He has two Test hundreds.
WICKET! India under-19 off-spinner Baba Aparajith strikes in his first over and removes the dangerous Jonathan Carter in the 29th over. Trying to sweep a ball outside the leg-stump, the left-hander drags the ball onto his stumps. Carter is out for 35 (38 balls, 3 fours and a six off Yuvraj Singh). End of a solid third-wicket 66-run stand with Kirk Edwards (33). New man is Leon Johnson. West Indies 153/3 after 30 overs.
At the end of the 25th over, West Indies A are 116 for 2. Kirk Edwards (26 off 43 balls) and Jonathan Carter (14 off 22 balls) have put on 37 runs for the third wicket. The Caribbeans are slowly rebuilding. Carter had scored a brilliant century in the second match. Yuvraj Singh continue with the spin-pace option of Shahbaz Nadeem (2/22) and Siddarth Kaul. Good contest between bat and ball.
WICKET! Nadeem gets his second! On a charge now the left-arm orthodox bowler. Removes the well set Andre Fletcher lbw for 28. West Indies A now 79/2 in 15.4 overs.
WICKET! Shahbaz Nadeem looking impressive and getting his man Kieran Powell for 40, caught in slips by Robin Uthappa. Just a while ago, replays of the previous match showed Powell's catch being dropped playing a similar shot. Nadeem though is fortunate that Utahppa hangs on this time. West Indies 74/1 in 13.1 overs.
After 12 overs: West Indies A are off to a bright start at 66/0 and once again Yuvraj's decision to field has backfired. Skipper Kieran Powell is batting on 40 off 32 balls with 4 fours and a six while Andre Fletcher is much more cautious on 19 off 40 balls. Vinay Kumar has been particularly impressive with a bit of swing in the morning at Bengaluru while Siddarth Kaul, brought in for Narwal, has gone for 19 in his two. Spinners Shahbaz Nadeem and Yusuf Pathan have been introduced early.
While the West Indies are unchanged, Indians have made a couple of changes with Unmukt Chand and Sumit Narwal being dropped and Baba Aparajith and Siddarth Kaul being brought in.
While India A, led by Yuvraj Singh, were absolutely brilliant in the first unofficial ODI, thrashing West Indies A by 77 runs, they were mediocre to say the least in second outing losing by 55 runs.
It was not just Yuvraj though in the first game, with Mandeep Singh (67 off 78) and Yusuf Pathan (70* off 32) and 4 bowlers - Sumit Narwal, Vinay Kumar, Rahul Sharma and Yusuf - taking two wickets each, as the India hopefuls completed a commanding win.
Yuvraj might have committed an error in selecting to field in the second unofficial ODI but as a skipper he might have wanted to test the calibre of his team going into the final game. Counter-argument though can be that India A could have had the series done and dusted.
All went well for a while though in the second unofficial ODI with West Indies A 2-21 and then 4-112 in 28 overs. A counter-attacking century from Jonathan Carter though gave the visitors necessary impetus as India A just faded after that. Yuvraj, Unmukt Chand and Kedar Jadhav did try hard with the bat but could not build any partnerships to trouble West Indies side.
India A: Yuvraj Singh (captain), Baba Aparajith, Robin Uthappa, Kedar Jadhav, Naman Ojha (wk), Yusuf Pathan, Vinay Kumar, Jaydev Unadkat, Siddarth Kaul, Shahbaz Nadeem, Mandeep Singh.
West Indies A: Andre Fletcher, Kieran Powell (captain), KA Edwards, JL Carter, AD Russell, LR Johnson, DC Thomas (wk), AR Nurse, NO Miller, V Permaul, ML Cummins
