KL Rahul earns maiden call-up, Raina back in India Test squad

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Suresh Raina last featured in a Test match more than two years ago against New Zealand.

KL Rahul and Karn Sharma were the two new faces in India's Test squad, while Suresh Raina and Umesh Yadav were recalled as the selectors named a 19-member squad for the tour of Australia next month. There was no place for Stuart Binny, Gautam Gambhir, Pankaj Singh and Ishwar Pandey, who were part of the tour of England in July-August.

Following the failed experiment with Gautam Gambhir in England this past summer, the selectors decided to lock in Karnataka batsman Rahul, 22, as the third opener after a prolific season with the bat, exemplified by his twin centuries for South Zone in the Duleep Trophy final played at the Feroz Shah Kotla recently. There was a case for a surprise call-up for Virender Sehwag in some closed circles, as well as Rahul's Karnataka's teammate Robin Uthappa, but the selectors chose to go with the younger option.

Rahul's excellent form has continued from last year's Ranji Trophy season, where he finished as the second-highest run-getter with 1033 runs at an average of 68.86, and was also a part of India A's tour of Australia earlier this year, where he performed reasonably well.

India's other concern during their 1-3 Test series defeat in England was the uncertainty of the No. 6 spot, where Rohit Sharma and Binny were both tried. While Binny was left out of the squad, Raina, who last played a Test match more than two years ago, was recalled following his superb run of form in the shorter formats, and his vast experience of having played in overseas conditions. Rohit, who played a solitary Test during the tour of England, was retained after recovering from a shoulder injury.

With the BCCI confirming that captain MS Dhoni would miss the first Test at Brisbane starting on December 4 owing to an injury in his right thumb, the selectors named two wicketkeeper-batsmen as back-up options, while announcing Virat Kohli as stand-in captain. Wriddhiman Saha and Naman Ojha, who were both part of the England touring party - the latter was flown in after Saha injured himself - were named in the squad. Ojha's selection follows his sizzling form for India A on the tour of Australia, where he had scored a double hundred and two centuries, and followed it up with a double century for Central Zone in the Duleep Trophy semi-final.

In the bowling department, Umesh Yadav returned to the squad after showing impressive form in the ongoing ODI series against Sri Lanka, making up a five-member pace bowling attack, but there was no place for England returnees Pankaj Singh and Ishwar Pandey. Pandey was part of the India's last two Test tours to England as well as New Zealand, but was excluded without earning a Test cap. Pankaj was left out after cutting a poor figure in the two Tests he played against England, and was ignored despite performing well in the Duleep Trophy final.

The selectors also decided to pick a third spinner - legspinner Karn Sharma - to add variety to India's bowling attack. Railways spinner Sharma, 26, impressed during India's warm-up game against the touring Sri Lankans, and was named ahead of the likes of Amit Mishra and Pragyan Ojha.

India squad for Australia tour: MS Dhoni (capt/wk), Virat Kohli, Shikhar Dhawan, Murali Vijay, KL Rahul, Cheteshwar Pujara, Ajinkya Rahane, Rohit Sharma, Suresh Raina, Wriddhiman Saha (wk), Naman Ojha (wk), Ravichandran Ashwin, Karn Sharma, Ravindra Jadeja, Bhuvneshwar Kumar, Mohammed Shami, Ishant Sharma, Umesh Yadav, Varun Aaron

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Rahul reaps the reward for consistency

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For his ability to score heavily on the big stage, KL Rahul has been rewarded with a maiden India call-up.

The Duleep Trophy final played at the Feroz Shah Kotla couple of weeks earlier was a proving ground for several players to get themselves noticed for the India selection. While all eyes were on Robin Uthappa, who had scored a brilliant 120 during the Duleep Trophy semi-final at Lahli, and Naman Ojha, who had hit two double hundreds and two centuries in his last four first-class games, it was KL Rahul who stole the limelight.

Playing in his first Duleep Trophy game on the back of a stellar Ranji season where he finished as the second-highest run-getter with 1033 at an average of 68.86, Rahul became only the eleventh player in the tournament's history to score a century in each innings of the final.

The buzz at the time was about selection and the close fight for the third opener's slot for the Australia tour had many tongues wagging. With Gautam Gambhir's failure in England, it was certain that selectors had their eyes set on the younger lot. Virender Sehwag's name sprung up quite a few times, but the young guns where clear favourites and eventually, Rahul made the cut rather emphatically.

Rahul, 22, has a knack of scoring big when it matters the most and the twin hundreds in the final (185 and 130) against Central Zone exemplified the big match temperament he possesses. And to add further, he had hit a century in last season's Ranji Trophy final and had contributed a match-winning 93 against Pakistan in the Under-23 ACC Emerging Team Cup final in Singapore.

An elegant batsman, Rahul probably played the best two knocks of his career at the Kotla in presence of the national selectors. Going up against the likes of Pankaj Singh and Ishwar Pandey, both of whom were part of India's Test squad in England, it was a fantastic statement to make.

The knock of 185, on a batting friendly day, was sublime at its best. He was free flowing and seldom was he troubled by the pacers. He took on the spinners with ease and more importantly did not lose focus after reaching the triple-figure mark, setting his eyes on the double. The 130-run knock in the second innings, on a wicket that became a bit tough to bat on, Rahul displayed his gritty temperament and toughed it out in the middle before dominating the bowling once again. The common strand in both the innings was his aggression that did not allow the bowlers to get on top of him and his ability to absorb the pressure.

In Australia, Rahul will be an understudy to both Shikhar Dhawan and Murali Vijay and the conditions there will pose a very different challenge to him. By his own admission, he has the skill set and it will be about adapting and handling the pressure of playing cricket at the highest level that will determine his success. He has already toured Australia earlier this year with India A, scoring 101 runs from two first-class games.

The other notable inclusion in the squad is legspinner Karn Sharma who has already played a Twenty20 International for India in England. An average performer in the longer format of the game, the 27-year-old has taken 66 wickets at an average of 28.87 in 37 first-class matches and even though it will be very unlikely that he will get a game Down Under, his selection hints at the fact that the selectors are willing to experiment. A wrist-spinner is always a better wicket-taking option than a finger spinner and who knows, a good practice game against Cricket Australia's Invitational XI might even prompt the management to try him out.

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Selectors look to the future with India's Test squad

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As far as the reserve opening batsman's slot goes, in blooding the talented KL Rahul the selectors are looking at the future.

They don't speak much in public and only a terse media release lists those picked by the Board of Control for Cricket in India's selection committee.

On Monday, the BCCI release on the team chosen to tour Australia for the Test series next month went a step ahead and spoke about the skipper Mahendra Singh Dhoni, recovering from a thumb injury, being rested for the first Test as a 'prophylactic' (meaning preventive or precautionary) measure to ensure optimum recovery.

But seeing an unusual complement of three wicketkeeper-batsmen in the touring party - Wriddhiman Saha and Naman Ojha are the others - is indicative that there are no guarantees about Dhoni's fitness being close to Test level during the series. It also suggests that the think tank may be unwilling to risk aggravating his injury ahead of the World Cup.

Clearly, unlike on the England trip, the tour selectors have been given a good choice of pacemen to pick from among Umesh Yadav, Varun Aaron, Ishant Sharma and Mohammed Shami to play alongside swing bowler Bhuvneshwar Kumar. The combination they choose will determine how quickly India's bowlers can claim 20 wickets in each Test.

Seam bowlers Pankaj Singh and Ishwar Pandey, who were on the tour of England, may find hard done by but that is the nature of the selection beast, especially when the belief appears to be backing the faster Umesh Yadav. Then again, this may well be a tacit admission by the selectors that they erred in their choice of seam and swing bowlers on that tour.

Karn Sharma's pace and bounce could be excitingly handy in Australia but whether the tour selectors will look to displace left-arm spinner Ravindra Jadeja and, for that matter, offspinner R Ashwin to include the Railways legspinner remains to be seen. He could be an exciting option, a bowler who the Australians have not played before, notwithstanding their stint in the IPL.

As far as the reserve opening batsman's slot goes, in blooding the talented KL Rahul the selectors are looking at the future but by recalling left-handed Suresh Raina to the Test squad they are looking for some kind of experience when it comes to the reserve middle-order batsman.

There was some talk about recalling Virender Sehwag in place of Gautam Gambhir, whose footwork in England was vertical rather than rooted to the ground. But the selectors have done well to give the talented, consistent and deserving Rahul the task of learning the job in one of the most competitive environments in world cricket.

Raina's return was a foregone conclusion after Team Director Ravi Shastri spoke openly about wanting to see the left-hander in the Test squad. Even if he does not immediately push for a slot in the middle-order where Cheteshwar Pujara, Virat Kohli, Ajinkya Rahane and Rohit Sharma are the preferred options, his being in Australia can help him in the World Cup.

But, purely from the four-Test series point of view, the selectors have done well to pick a squad of 19 from which the tour management will have to choose the best XI for each Test. That and the performances of the chosen XI will determine how combative India are in the Test matches in Australia.

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India Cements to demerge CSK into subsidiary

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The CSK subsidiary will now be able to borrow funds in its own name.

India Cements, the company owner of Chennai Super Kings, has decided demerge the CSK division into a wholly-owned subsidiary. CSK is currently controlled by the sidelined BCCI president and current ICC chairman N Srinivasan. India Cements will however, continue to own the franchise which means the authority in control will not be affected.

In a statement filed with the Bombay Stock Exchange (BSE), the company said, "Our company presently owns Chennai Super Kings (CSK) - BCCI-IPL Franchise 20/20 Cricket Tournament Team. We propose to demerge the said CSK Division to a wholly-owned subsidiary of our company. Accordingly, we have included this proposal for consideration of the Board of Directors of our Company at the ensuing meeting on September 26, 2014."

The company had successfully bid for the Chennai franchise in 2008 for $91 million. The amount will be paid over a ten year period. For the June ended quarter this fiscal, the company had posted a loss of Rs 2.96 crore on a net sales of Rs 1,226.24 crore.

CSK are not the first IPL franchise to get demerged. Mumbai Indians and Royal Challengers Bangalore are owned by subsidiaries of Reliance Industries and UB Group respectively.

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Raina: Dhoni's faith makes it easier

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Suresh Raina is yet to miss a game for the Chennai Super Kings.

After having played a key role in winning India a bilateral ODI series on England soil after a gap of 24 years, Suresh Raina is gearing up for his next assignment - the upcoming Oppo Champions League Twenty20 (CLT20) where he will don the Chennai Super Kings jersey. The left-hander spoke to TOI on his recent international performances, the preparation for the tournament, and what makes CSK such a consistent side.

You scored 160 runs, took four wickets in the ODI series against England and were named Man of the Series. What was the key to the success?

From gearing up mentally for the tour, to working on the basics and on the type of conditions one gets there, I was up for it. All I wanted to do was to go out there and express myself. I am quite happy with the way I performed, and more importantly, help India win.

You were supposed to be in Hyderabad ahead of CSK's first game, but made a surprise visit to Chennai. What's the reason for that?

The boys have been training here for the last few days, and I decided to be part of it. I wanted to spend some time with them before the start of the tournament. I batted at No 5 in England, and I wanted to have a hit since I would be batting at No. 3 for CSK.

What makes CSK such a consistent outfit over the years?

I think we not only have wonderful players who have done well over the years, but also been blessed with a great bunch of coaching and support staff. Our players share a special bond with them, and that gets reflected in our performances on the field.

One sees great on-field camaraderie between you and MS Dhoni. What's the secret to that?

Dhoni is one of the best skippers we have had across all formats. He has always supported me whether I was turning up for India or for CSK. Once your skipper shows such faith in your abilities, all you have to do is back it up with performances.

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Zaheer likely to miss CLT20

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Zaheer Khan's fitness issues have been well-documented in the past.

Zaheer Khan's plans of participating in the Champions League Twenty20 has suffered a major setback. The injury-hit veteran India fast bowler, who damaged his tendon in his bowling arm during the IPL earlier this year while playing for Mumbai Indians, said that he has just started bowling and that his recovery has been quite slow, reports ESPNcricinfo.

Zaheer is nearing 100 Tests (92 matches) and has represented India in 200 ODIs, but has come under the scanner for his repeated fitness issues. The 35-year-old, when asked about another possible comeback to the national side, said he was happy being where he is for the time being.

"I like to stay in the present. Control the controllable, it's the best you can do," Zaheer said. "I don't really think about the future and what is going to happen and I don't stress about what has already happened.

"I have to just go with how my body is responding and the important thing is for me to play again, I have to bowl at my best. First I have to satisfy myself that I am there and that I can deliver. If I am able to live up to the stress and pressures of international cricket, I'll just take a call at that time."

Zaheer's previous two assignments for India has yielded decent outings, accounting for 16 wickets on tours of South Africa and New Zealand. Although a diminishing body has taken a lot out of him, Zaheer believes he was happy with his performance.

"It is about how you are impacting the game. I was never an out and out fast bowler. I was always dependent on my skill set, how I set up a batsman and how I am making that impact in a spell. If you look at these four games, I did have spells where I got wickets in bulk. I was able to break partnerships, which is the key.

"If the opponents are having a good run, someone needs to put their hand up and break it. I was always there in that scenario and those are the checkpoints for me. I was very happy that I was able to keep up with the workload."

Reflecting his views on India's disastrous Test series of England, Zaheer said the batsmen need to get going in order for the team to win matches abroad. "I have always felt that if you score 350 runs in the first innings then you are always in the game. If you don't achieve that then you are always catching up with the game.

"The success we had overseas in the past, the key was that we put the runs on the board. Then we won that battle, and then you went and got those wickets as well."

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BCCI requests ICC to appeal Anderson verdict

New Delhi: The ICC has confirmed that it has received a request from the BCCI to appeal against Gordon Lewis' decision on the Ravindra Jadeja-James Anderson spat. The game's governing body will now consider the written report submitted by Lewis that found both the players not guilty in the hearing.

As per the ICC Code of Conduct, when the person in question has been acquitted of all charges, the right of appeal rests only with the chief executive of the ICC. That decision now falls upon Richardson, who must take a call as to whether to file an appeal or not within five days. Richardson has until August 10 to appeal to the ICC; if he does, a three-member panel will be formed within 48 hours of the said appeal, an ICC statement said.

Anderson had on Friday been ruled not guilty by retired Australian judge Lewis of the Level 3 offence the touring Indian cricket team had charged him with. In his verdict, Lewis stated that a lack of video evidence against Anderson and a biased testimony had forced him to turn down India's claim that the fast bowler had pushed Jadeja during the first Test at Trent Bridgein early July. He had also overturned the 50% match fee fine imposed on Jadeja by David Boon, the match referee, for his role in the confrontation.

BCCI secretary Sanjay Patel confirmed that the board had requested the ICC to file an appeal. "What we have done is we've written a letter to the ICC saying we are not happy with the verdict," he was quoted as saying by Reuters. "We don't have a right to appeal in this case."

Anderson and Jadeja were involved in a heated confrontation during the lunch interval of the second day's play at Trent Bridge, which led to accusations of the England bowler physically and verbally assaulting the Indian allrounder. Anderson exchanged words with both Jadeja and India captain MS Dhoni as they left the field and then the row escalated in the pavilion corridor. The touring Indian team has alleged that Anderson pushed and abused Jadeja, while England have also counter-charged the latter. India are adamant that Anderson instigated the physical clash but the home team counters that Jadeja was just as aggressive and had to be pulled away by his captain.

Although there was no official confirmation from the England and Wales Cricket Board (ECB), the Indian team management is unhappy with unconfirmed reports that there is no video evidence available of the alleged altercation between Anderson and Jadeja despite the fact that a camera had been installed outside the dressing rooms at Trent Bridge.



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ICC warns Dhoni over Anderson-Jadeja row

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ICC has urged MS Dhoni and Alastair Cook to show respect for judicial process. 

Dubai: The International Cricket Council on Sunday accused India captain Mahendra Singh Dhoni of "undermining" its disciplinary process by condemning a fine handed against team-mate Ravindra Jadeja. Dhoni said Saturday that Jadeja had been the target of "hurtful" treatment when he was fined 50 percent of his match fee for misconduct in an incident with England bowler James Anderson during the first Test in Nottingham on July 10.

England captain Alastair Cook, not long after India brought ICC charges against Anderson, accused the tourists of making a "mountain out of a molehill" in a "tactic" to try to get the paceman banned. ICC chief executive David Richardson, in a statement, urged all those involved to respect the disciplinary process.

"England captain Alastair Cook and, more recently, India captain Mahendra Singh Dhoni have made public comments relating to the alleged incident that took place during the first Test at Trent Bridge, the latter of which is critical of and undermines the ICC disciplinary process," Richardson said.

Richardson, a former South African wicketkeeper, also said the ICC endorsed match referee David Boon's decision regarding Jadeja.

"The ICC would also like to reiterate its full support of the process followed and respect for the decision made by David Boon," said Richardson.

"ICC Code of Conduct hearings of this nature are, generally speaking, difficult processes to work through, with detailed legal submissions, witness statements and oral witness testimony.

"We are satisfied that Mr Boon carefully and comprehensively considered the evidence and submissions presented to him at the hearing, which included conflicting evidence from both sides, prior to making his decision."

Richardson added: "In legal matters such as this, the ICC takes extremely seriously its duty as administrators of the game.

"Therefore, I request all stakeholders to respect the process which remains ongoing and remind them of their duties to the integrity of the process and the sport so that we can focus on the game of cricket itself."

Anderson faces a separate hearing on August 1, the day after the third Test is due to finish, before ICC code of conduct commissioner Gordon Lewis, a retired Australian judge. Jadeja and Anderson were involved in an incident as both walked off the field for the lunch break.

Dhoni said Saturday that Jadeja had been on the receiving end of "foul language" and physical assault. Following Dhoni's remarks on Saturday, the England and Wales Cricket Board (ECB) declined to comment", saying they were forbidden from doing so under ICC regulations.

The first Test was drawn. But India lead the five-match series with England 1-0 after a 95-run win in the second Test at Lord's -- a match that ended with Jadeja running out Anderson, after which the two players were photographed shaking hands.

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Exclusive: Sourav Ganguly's five tips for MS Dhoni to win

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MS Dhoni has been positive in England and must ensure the players remain hungry. 

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There are five things that MS Dhoni needs to do to keep the consistency going in the third Test match.

Number one, he needs to do is to keep his players hungry. Indian teams in the past have been in this situation and got carried away with the euphoria of a win, the accolades and slipped from there. The most important thing for Dhoni and Duncan Fletcher is to keep everyone on their toes. I hope they're practicing and training in Southampton. I know they needed a three-day break, which is absolutely fine; get your bodies fresh and come back hungry for the Southampton Test match. That's the first and foremost criteria for India at the moment.

Secondly, the pitch will be a very important one. I've always said that India have done well on pitches that help the bowlers. If you look at the wins around the world - in Perth, Durban, Headingley and Nottingham - those pitches were green and that made our bowlers capable of picking up 20 Test wickets. I think England will have no other choice but to prepare green pitches in Southampton and the next two Test matches. The reasons are, firstly, that they don't have a spinner.

Although Moeen Ali has done a good job, they know that the only way they can pick 20 wickets is to prepare pitches that will help their seamers. That's a good thing for India. For MS Dhoni, it's important to assess the pitch. I know that Dhoni over the years has stuck to his XI and I don't see him changing the team. It's the right way to go. It's a policy that helps players develop and flourish and be safe and pressure-free and perform in an environment in which they know that the captain backs them. It's important that Dhoni continues with the same side. Yes, there are questions about Stuart Binny, but looking at how Dhoni goes about his job I don't see any change in the side.

Number three: I don't consider this as something Dhoni must do, but something he can ponder. On flat pitches, Dhoni at No 6 is fine, but on pitches that are green he may just get the feeling that he's a bit higher up. So is there a case for Rohit Sharma? Make him bat at No 6 because Stuart Binny hasn't bowled enough in this Test series. Bring in Rohit Sharma at No 6, bat Dhoni at No 7 and then play four bowlers - Bhuvneshwar Kumar, Ishant Sharma, Mohammed Shami and Ravindra Jadeja. You've got Murali Vijay and Shikhar Dhawan to bowl a few overs.

When you look at this English top order, other than Ian Bell who is struggling for form, none of the batsmen, whether it's [Alastair] Cook, [Gary] Ballance, or [Sam] Robson, will take the game away from you. They are accumulators, people who bat, bat and bat to get runs in Test cricket. There's no [Kevin] Pietersen, no [Marcus] Trescothick, no [Andrew] Flintoff who can take the game away from you in a session. So Dhoni as a captain will always have control of the game. From that point of view, he can always consider bringing in Rohit Sharma to bat at No 6. India need to get ahead of this Test match, to get 450 in one of their innings.

Fourth, which is very important for MS Dhoni, is to make sure he gets Mohammed Shami back on track. Ishant Sharma has been splendid and Bhuvneshwar Kumar has been a revelation on this tour. His attitude has made the dressing room a lot stronger, gutsier. It's a very infectious thing in the dressing room, that if the players start to believe that 'if he can do it, I can too' and that helps players get better. More than Bhuvneshwar's bowling, its his batting that has made the players believe that if he at No 7 or 8 can bat against the new ball, then we can as well. And that's a big boost for the Indian batting line-up.

The last and most important thing is that Dhoni should have learnt from the Lord's Test. If you look at the Test in Johannesburg when Dhoni went out and batted first, India almost won. Here, India were forced to bat first but they would have probably bowled first on that surface, because they lost the toss. Here is a lesson for Dhoni in overseas conditions: if you take pressure early on, it goes back on the opposition when they bat fourth. So even if it's a 50-50 or a doubtful pitch where you feel that it may seam or bounce or be a bit more helpful for the bowlers - bat. That's the only way you can win Test matches. It's a risk you have to take early on, but it can bear fruits on day four or five. As it did at Lord's.



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Engineer: Dhoni's ploy of standing back to Jadeja baffling

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Mahendra Singh Dhoni later clarified that his ploy of standing back to Ravindra Jadeja was more a run-saving move than a strategic catching move. 

London: Former Indian wicket-keeping great Farokh Engineer has questioned skipperMahendra Singh Dhoni's ploy to stand back against spinner Ravindra Jadeja during the second Test at Lord's.

India won by 95 runs to take a 1-0 lead in the five-Test series against England.

"Standing back to Ravindra Jadeja didn't make sense at all," said Engineer.

"I just couldn't fathom why he was doing so. There were times when the other fielder behind the wickets, Virat Kohli, was standing next to Dhoni and it looked like there were two wicket-keepers in there. I have never seen anything like this in international cricket. It was baffling and mind boggling. He is a far better wicketkeeper than he showed at Lord's."

After the match, Dhoni had gone on to explain this particular ploy.

"Actually I wanted to have a fielder there (behind the wicket on leg-side). But according to the rules, you can't have three fielders there. So I wanted Virat to stand slightly wide from where he was standing because anything like a snick or a faint edge on the leg side would have gone between me and him. So the plan was to stand behind and cover that," he had said.

The game has really changed in the current scenario and it is more about what suits you at this point of time," he had added, when asked if this move was in sync with proper wicket-keeping.

Clearly, Engineer, one of the classic-era wicketkeepers, counted amongst one of India's best behind the stumps, didn't really appreciate it.

"I am a huge fan of Dhoni. He reminds me of my own playing days, my own cricket," said Engineer.

"But that reasoning is not valid. What would he have done if he was keeping to Bhagwath Chandrasekhar who used to give the ball a rip without too much rough on the wickets? Thank God he never kept to that legendary leg-spinner."

"Of course there was rough at Lord's pitch, have you ever seen a pitch without some rough areas on day four and five. But was it a lack of confidence that he couldn't stand up to stumps and catch them? In fact if I compare from the 2011 series, he has really improve his wicket-keeping skills.

"So this standing back to the spinner was absolutely unnecessary in what was otherwise a magnificent win," he added.

Indeed, for India won their first-ever Test at Lord's since 1986. It was only their second win ever in 17 attempts at this hallowed ground. In fact India have only won six Tests out of 54 matches played in England since they first toured in 1932.

For someone who was part of the historic 1971 side that won its first-ever Test and then the first-ever series victory in England, Engineer knows how rare Test victories are in this country for any Indian team.

"It was a really happy day for Indian cricket," said the rank old-timer about a young Indian team's triumph at Lord's.

"Dhoni has been a fantastic captain over the years. He is India's most successful captain and he is doing a wonderful job leading this young Indian team. I have been very impressed with Rahane, Bhuvneshwar Kumar and Murali Vijay so far on tour."

"All cards were in England's favour since this Test match began. Right from the time they won the toss and inserted India on a green-top wicket. And then they just failed to take advantage.

"Ajinkya Rahane played a marvellous knock at Lord's. It doesn't get better than that innings. He was supported well by the tail-enders and that was the difference between the two sides. India fought back valiantly in that first innings," he added.

Needless to say, England are in trouble. They haven't won a single Test in the last ten matches played, home or away. Their captain and leading century-maker in the longest format is struggling to score runs. Their senior batsmen aren't scoring runs either. Matt Priorhas excused himself and there is a threat of suspension hanging over James Anderson.

"England are very much in trouble. It is a total mess at the moment. They need to change their captain. They need to regroup. They need to select players who can perform in the next Test and the two after that.

"It is a long series. Soon they will be considering rest of their over-worked bowlers and Stuart Broad might need some rest as well (on account of his knee injuries). It is a total mess at the moment," he said.

"And Virat Kohli hasn't even fired yet. If he starts scoring, he will just pile up the pressure on the England team. Anyone would rather be in the Indian camp at the moment," he signed off.

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Binny and other freakish spells

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Sunil Joshi's 5/6 remains the best bowling against South Africa by any bowler in ODIs.

Stuart Binny produced a freakish spell against Bangladesh at Mirpur, where his match figures of 4.4-2-4-6 broke the 21-year old record of the best bowling figures by an Indian in ODIs. Following this sensational effort, gocricket.com looks at other freakish spells that have blown oppositions away in ODIs. Note: The criteria for the bowler in this case will be five wickets or more but less than or equal to 15 runs.

Sunil Joshi (10-6-6-5) v South Africa, Nairobi 1999

South Africa were completely confounded by Sunil Joshi's guile as he ripped through the middle order with his slow left-arm orthodox. His haul of 5/6 still remains the best bowling figures against South Africa by any bowler in ODIs as India notched up a comfortable eight-wicket win.

Courtney Walsh (4.3-3-1-5) v Sri Lanka, Sharjah 1986

It was a devastating display of bowling from Courtney Walsh as Sri Lanka were crushed in Sharjah. Chasing 249 for victory, Walsh ripped through the Sri Lankan lower-middle order as they collapsed from 45/2 to 55 all out, their lowest ever score in ODIs at that time. Out of Walsh's five wickets, four were bowled.

Shahid Afridi (9-3-12-7) v West Indies, Providence 2013

Shahid Afridi was known to be a maverick with the bat. However, on a warm July day in Providence, he put in a bowling display for the ages. He confounded the West Indies batsmen with his straight deliveries and legbreaks as he destroyed them with a haul of 7/12. West Indies were bowled out for 98, their lowest total at home in ODIs and this was the second best haul by a bowler in ODI history.

Ajantha Mendis (8-1-13-6) v India, Karachi 2008

In the final of the Asia Cup, India were confronted with a mystery spinner. They found that they would soon by mystified by Ajantha Mendis. For the first time in the modern era, the world saw the advent of the carrom ball as India were demolished by his accuracy. All Indian batsmen were confounded by his guile as his haul helped Sri Lanka retain the Asia Cup.

Glenn McGrath (7-4-15-7) v Namibia, Potchefstroom 2003

The Metronomic Master unfurled his brilliance and Namibia had no chance as they folded up for 45, which at that time was the second lowest total in World Cups. The 256-run margin of defeat was the highest ever in ODIs at that time.

Anil Kumble (6.1-2-12-6) v West Indies, Kolkata 1993

Eden Gardens witnessed a special demolition by Anil Kumble as he ripped through West Indies' batting to finish with 6/12, the best haul by an Indian bowler at that time. This gave India Hero Cup trophy as they won by 102 runs.

Imran Khan (10-2-14-6) v India, Sharjah 1985

It was a sensational display by Pakistan skipper Imran Khan as India folded up for 125. To his dismay though, the Indian bowlers came back strongly and dismissed Pakistan for 87. However, this haul remained Imran's best in ODIs.

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Smith and Faulkner steal epic heist

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Smith, along with Faulkner produced an astonishing partnership, scoring 65 runs off the last 17 balls of the match.

Chasing 191 was always going to need something special, and Rajasthan Royals got it from Steven Smith and James Faulkner, who is fast becoming the embodiment of the modern-day ice man. In a counter-attacking partnership of 85 in just 38 balls that came from the depths of 106 for 5, the Australian pair pulled RR out of the mire and completed a chase of 191 with seven deliveries remaining, leaving Royal Challengers Bangalore shell-shocked.

Smith finished not out on 48 off 21 balls and Faulkner unbeaten on 41 off 17, which included a stunning sequence of 6, 2, 4 and 6 that made a mockery of the situation. With this win, Royals moved to third on the IPL 7 leader board with 12 points.

How was it possible, you ask? That will take some answering, but after the defeat RCB captain Virat Kohli mumbled something about his bowlers not being able to hit any yorkers at the death. In truth, on a true batting surface encouraging hard-hitting and with small square boundaries the margin of error for the quicker bowlers was minimal, and RCB's trio of Mitchell Starc, Ashok Dinda and Varun Aaron bowled too many hit-me deliveries. It still required some special batting and Smith and Faulkner produced just that, finishing a match that looked out of their grasp with an astonishing partnership. The pair scored 65 runs off the last 17 balls of the match.

When the pair joined at the fall of Karun Nair for 56, the fourth wicket to fall to Yuvraj Singh, RR's asking rate had been in excess of 13. With four overs left, that jumped to past 16. No matter to Smith and Faulkner. Faulker smashed his Australia team-mate Starc for two fours and a six in the 17th, Smith hit Dinda for 23 off the 18th, and Faulkner completed a sensation five-wicket win with 17 in four balls from Aaron. It was unbelievable batting.

This amazing finish shoved into the background a memorable and pulsating all-round demonstration from Yuvraj, who had almost single-handedly left RCB on course for a win. In an all-round impact not seen since since the 2011 World Cup, Yuvraj blasted 83 off 38 balls to boost RCB to 190 for 5 and then derailed RR's chase with 4 for 35.

Joined at 40 for 3 following the wickets of Kohli (4), Chris Gayle (19) and Vijay Zol (16), Yuvraj and de Villiers put on 132 in 65 balls with the left-hander dominating. He began aggressively with three fours in first eight balls and from the offset favoured the legside heavily, sweeping and lofting with precision and power, and raised his second fifty of the season off 24 balls with a massive off Kane Richardson.

Loosening his shoulders after Yuvraj's assault on Shane Watson, AB de Villiers smashed Faulkner for successive sixes and sliced Richardson over extra cover for four, before Yuvraj slammed two sixes off the Australian quick in the same over. He fell trying to dump another over square leg for six, but de Villiers took two more sixes off Faulkner's 20th over to ensure a big target had been set. RCB scored 84 off the last five overs.

The Royals' chase was given a 54-run start from Nair and Ajinkya Rahane but unfolded with three wickets in 12 deliveries, two of them coming to Yuvraj in one over. Rahane (24) fell to the first delivery of the eighth over, cutting Yuzvendra Chahal into Parthiv Patel's gloves. Watson entered at No 3 with the asking rate inching towards 11 and departed after five balls, bowled when trying to cut Yuvraj. Three balls later, Stuart Binny's brain fade resulted in a catch out to deep extra cover with Yuvraj bellowing in celebration. From 54 for 0, RR were 63 for 3.

Yuvraj pocketed a third when Sanju Samson popped back a simple return catch, and completed his spell by bowling Nair for 56, meaning that RR had lost half their side with 106 on the board. Then came an unforgettable alliance from two outstanding Australian cricketers.

Brief scores: ​ Royal Challengers Bangalore 190 for 5 in 20 overs (Yuvraj Singh 83, AB de Villiers 58) lost to Rajasthan Royals 191 for 5 in 18.5 overs (Karun Nair 56, Steven Smith 48*, James Faulkner 21*, Yuvraj 4/35) by five wickets.

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Brilliant Jadeja helps CSK defend a modest total vs RR

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Jadeja put up an allround show guiding CSK to a close win. 

While the Indian Premier League is having a hard time in the Supreme Court having to defend itself against allegations of betting, the two most affected teams by the scandal - Chennai Super Kings and Rajasthan Royals - played out a classic with CSK coming out on top by seven runs thanks to Ravindra Jadeja's brilliant 4 for 33 at the Dubai International Cricket Stadium on Wednesday night.

When CSK posted 140 for 6 on the board, RR looked on course for their second win in three matches. However, things turned out differently for them with Abhishek Nayar's foolish run-out in the first over proving to be a big portent of defeat. Sanju Samson hit Ben Hilfenhaus for two attractive sixes, however, to put RR in the ascendancy before Ajinkya Rahane's (15) careless shot against R Ashwin opened the floodgates for CSK. It was completely Jadeja's show thereafter.

The India left-arm spinner bowled a nagging line to account for Shane Watson (7), Samson (16), Steven Smith (19) and Tim Southee (4) to put RR completely out of the contest. While Wastson and Smith picked out Hilfenhaus and Faf du Plessis at long-off, Samson gave a simple return catch. Amidst Jadeja's excellent bowling, medium pacer Mohit Sharma and Ishwar Pandey also got rid of allrounders Stuart Binny (8) and James Faulkner (4).

Rajat Bhatia (23) and Dhawal Kulkarni (28) tried to take the fight to the opposition but their efforts weren't enough as RR were bowled out for 133 in 19.5 overs. RR needed 24 runs in the last over and when Kulkarni hit Ashwin for two big sixes, it looked like the match was going the other way. With nine needed off two balls, Pravin Tambe ran himself out failing to respond to batsman Kulkarni's call for two in time, resulting in a narrow defeat.

Earlier, CSK got off to a flier largely because of Dwayne Smith whose power-hitting at the start made RR captain Watson's decision to field look bad at first. In the 35-run opening stand with Brendon McCullum, the West Indian scored the majority of the runs entertaining the spectators a great deal especially by means of two sixes, one over bowler James Faulkner's head, the other one off Southee, on debut for RR, over long-off.

After McCullum departed for six thanks to a brilliant running-backwards catch by Steven at midwicket off Faulkner, an undeterred Dwayne smacked Faulkner for four fours in the same over. Dwayne's dominance could be gauged from the fact that out of CSK's 59, fifty came off his bat. Against the run of play, however, the right-hander found Watson at mid-off off Stuart Binny's next ball after his fifty, bringing du Plessis at the crease to accompany Suresh Raina.

After Dwayne's (50 off 28 balls, 6x4s, 3x6s), CSK's innings didn't remain the same. A flurry of wickets saw them reduced from 59 for 2 to 101 for 5, thanks to some excellent bowling from Bhatia and legspinner Pravin Tambe. While Raina (4) fell to a slow cutter bowled by Bhatia, du Plessis (7) was unfortunate to be run-out at the non-striker's end as the ball deflected off bowler Bhatia's hand on to the stumps. Captain MS Dhoni (5) fell to a poor shot off Tambe as Faulkner took a simple catch at deep square leg.

Jadeja and Mithun Manhas tried to forge a partnership but all they could manage was 27 before Manhas (10) found Rahane off the bowling of fellow Delhiman Bhatia. Do what they would, Jadeja (36*) and Ashwin (8*) failed to score quick runs in the last few overs, leaving RR bowlers to defend a modest target.

Brief score: CSK 140 for 6 in 20 overs (Smith 50, Jadeja 36*; Bhatia 2/13) beat RR 133 in 19.5 overs (Kulkarni 28*, Bhatia 23; Jadeja 4/33) by seven runs

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CSK play like champions

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It was a clinical display by CSK after their loss in the first match against KXIP. 

After failing to defend 205 in the first game against Kings XI Punjab, Chennai Super Kings arrived for this game against the Delhi Daredevils with a hint of vulnerability.

At the start, the going was tough for the CSK openers. On a pitch which had a fair covering of grass and some bald patches, Dwayne Smith and Brendon McCullum found the going tough. They weathered Mohammed Shami's probing spell and were given a dose of luck with Nathan Coulter-Nile injuring himself on the field. JP Duminy had dropped McCullum on nine but the batsman did not make DD pay for that lapse and departed the very next ball. By the end of the powerplay overs, CSK were 34/1, a far cry from the match against KXIP where they were 70/0 in the Powerplay.

However, CSK's veteran and a man who has played in each one of the franchise's 101 games, played a mature knock and gave his team the platform from where they could dominate. He started out slowly and nudged it around in the outfield to get his eye in. By the end of the 10th over, Suresh Raina, the leading run-scorer in the IPL, was on 24 and CSK were 65/1.

If one looks at the dynamics of how a champion team functions, they capitalize on a blunder by the opposition or they just back themselves to get out of this situation. With respect to this match, DD gift-wrapped an opportunity to CSK when they got Murali Vijay, a part-time spinner, into the attack. With Dwayne Smith departing just before his introduction, the opportunity was there for DD to build the pressure.
Instead, Raina spanked him for three fours in an over and CSK had capitalized on this blunder. The southpaw reached his fifty off 36 balls and CSK had got the platform they wanted. By combing maturity and sensible aggression, Raina laid the platform for MS Dhoni and Faf du Plessis to hammer 58 runs in the last four overs. With the DD bowlers missing their line and length, the score of 177 was just too much on this sluggish pitch.

Champion teams put in a clinical performance in all aspects of the game and their performance with the bat galvanized the bowling and fielding. Ishwar Pandey, Ben Hilfenhaus and Mohit Sharma swung the ball and maintained the perfect line and length. Consider this stat in the match. CSK had hit 14 boundaries and five sixes while DD hit only seven boundaries. They were backed up with some fantastic catching from Raina and du Plessis. The level of intensity in the bowling and fielding was high and CSK played like a team possessed.

Dhoni was proactive as a leader as a well. He did not commit the blunder of letting DD drift away. When the opposition was 54/5 and with Jimmy Neesham on strike, Smith asked Dhoni for a slip and the captain immediately inserted one in. The combination of mature batting, confident bowling and brilliant fielding gave CSK their biggest win in the IPL ever. One can only write off a champion team at their own peril.

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