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Virat could be the next big thing in Indian cricket

India sealed the series in style and continued their domination of Sri Lanka. Their supremacy over the island country will continue, considering the poor quality of the Sri Lanka bowling attack. The India batting will not lose sleep every time they play them, whether at home or away.
Nobody looks penetrative other than Lasith Malinga and once the shine off the new ball goes, the wicket-taking ability of this attack diminishes. Spin, which has been Sri Lanka's strength over a decade, has become mediocre and I am surprised that Suraj Randiv is not a regular member of the squad. Both Rangana Herath and Jeevan Mendis don't have the special ability on good batting surfaces and this could be Sri Lanka's biggest weakness with the white Kookaburra ball. Other than Kumar Sangakkara and Mahela Jayawardene, their batting is not the same and this will also be a worry.
Perfect No 3
On the other hand, Lanka were up against a side which has players, who on their day can win games on their own in the sub-continent, and one such batsman is Virat Kohli. He's made an unbelievable impact at the No 3 spot and it's a joy to watch the way he wins games on his own. He is a special talent and if he keeps his head on the shoulders, he could be the next big thing in Indian cricket.
India were in some bother at 60 for three and the game could have gone either way, but Virat, along with Manoj Tiwary and Suresh Raina, dominated the Sri Lanka attack. It's not about getting a hundred, it's about the class and quality, which was the hallmark of his batting. Virat's decisive footwork and adaptability will stand him good.
Raina comes good
It's been a good series for Raina too. He has this tremendous gift of finding the boundaries and hopefully he keeps improving from here on.
The India bowling was outstanding with Ashok Dinda being the best of the fast bowlers. He bowled with pace and was not afraid to use the short ball, which is important in this format of the game. He will be an asset to Indian cricket in both Tests and ODIs, and I hope he gets picked, because he is a captain's delight.
It was also a good day for Tiwary. He bowled superbly against batsmen who play spin well and his bowling could be a huge bonus for the team along with his fielding and batting capabilities.
There is one more game to go and I don't see Sri Lanka pulling it back until they bring some spark in their game. Skipper Mahela is batting way down and he needs to think about it as the team needs the top order to get hundreds if they are to post big totals. He might as well handle the pressure upfront rather than leave it till late. www.Max-visits.com is very good site...

Petersen fights to a hundred on see-saw day

Opening batsman Alviro Petersen ground out a century as South Africa battled England's all-pace attack on the first day of the second Test at Headingley on Thursday.

South Africa reached 262 for five at the close after being sent in to bat. Petersen made 124 not out off 266 balls.

Petersen, who was out for a duck in South Africa's run feast in their innings win in the first Test at the Oval, played an innings of contrasting halves.

He reached 50 off just 78 balls with seven fours, dominating the strike while captain Graeme Smith made only 10, but went on the defensive as South Africa lost three wickets after lunch. It took him another 137 balls to notch his fourth Test century.

On a day of fluctuating fortunes, England had a frustrating morning, which included a dropped catch and fast bowler Steven Finn being denied a wicket when "dead ball" was called after he bumped into the stumps at the bowler's end while delivering the ball.

But England came back strongly after lunch, when clouds rolled in and their bowlers gained some assistance after a largely sunny morning.

After more than ten hours without taking a wicket, England dismissed all three of South Africa's heavy scorers in the first Test in the space of 12.4 overs. But Petersen and AB de Villiers steadied the innings in a painstaking fourth wicket stand of 97 off 199 balls.

The second new ball brought two quick wickets for England, however, as De Villiers was bowled by Stuart Broad and Finn finally had success when he bowled nightwatchman Dale Steyn.

Petersen and captain Graeme Smith put on 120 for the first wicket before Smith flicked Tim Bresnan to backward square leg to be caught for 52.

Hashim Amla, who scored a South African record 311 not out in the first Test, followed soon afterwards, run out for nine after a mix-up with Petersen.

England's third success came when Jacques Kallis was caught low down at second slip by Alastair Cook off James Anderson for 19.

Smith's wicket was the first success for England in six hours and two minutes of play, during which 497 runs were scored, 377 of them in an unbeaten third wicket partnership between Amla and Kallis at the Oval.

South Africa won the first Test by an innings and 12 runs.

Petersen was dropped at second slip off Anderson when he had 29, with Cook putting down a straightforward chance just below waist height. Cook was fielding in the slips because England dropped Graeme Swann, ending a sequence of 43 successive Tests for the off-spinner. Three balls earlier Petersen edged Anderson at catchable height between third slip and gully for four.

In the next over fast bowler Finn, who replaced Swann, was denied a wicket when Smith, on six, edged him to England captain Andrew Strauss at first slip. But umpire Steve Davis had called "dead ball" because Finn broke the stumps at the bowler's end with his right knee.

It was the fourth time Finn's knee made contact with the stumps but the first time the umpire intervened. There were four further "dead ball" calls against Finn, with two of them denying boundaries for Smith.

According to a statement by the MCC, the custodians of the laws, Davis acted correctly in terms of the laws after both batsmen complained that the noise of the stumps being broken at the bowler's end was a distraction.

Rain stopped play an over before tea was due and delayed play for an hour and ten minutes after the interval. www.Easysocials.Com is a very good site for likes..

Vinay raring to bounce back

Vinay Kumar, India’s out-of-action medium pacer, is waddling about in the swimming pool at the Karnataka State Cricket Association, attempting something of a cross between a floating exercise and an underwater trod.

“Ravi Shastri does this all the time,” says an informed observer from the community of pen wielders, “It’s great for the calf muscles.”

Vinay emerges from his watery abode moments later, toweling himself zealously, and struts past us, calves safely shielded from prying eyes by a navy track suit.

What is obvious, however, is an incipient tummy that jiggles along to the thrum of his footsteps.

Vinay, who has taken 28 wickets from 22 ODIs, pats it with something that derives equally from affection and embarrassment.

“I have been out of action for some time,” he offers by way of an explanation.

Named in the squad for the make-shift ODI and Twenty20 tour to Sri Lanka, Vinay dropped out of contention following a right hamstring injury during training, and was replaced by all-rounder Irfan Pathan.

Recuperating at the National Cricket Academy in Bangalore all this past month, the 28-year-old from Davanagere says he is happy with the progress he has made.

“I’ve been training regularly. Yesterday I bowled at 80 per cent. Hopefully I will be back to 100 per cent soon.”

Indian colts ready to gallop

A scaly white patch makes itself visible on Unmukt Chand’s nape as he moves his neck torsionally, taking in the limited audience of three he has to address before leaving for the Under-19 World Cup in Australia.

“I was wearing a chain, but there was some allergic reaction on the skin so I took it off,” says India’s Under-19 captain, rubbing the shiny lesion with his fingers, brandishing in the process a heap of rakhis tied untidily to the wrist.

Possibly the most exciting young batting talent in the country, the 19-year-old from Delhi is a picture of poise as he tackles questions on the huge expectations from India’s Under-19 squad, the precedent that has been set by former juniors such as Yuvraj Singh and Virat Kohli, and how his team plans to overcome the setback of losing key players to injuries right before the commence of the big event.

ICC U19 CWC is a stepping stone to playing international cricket: Sehwag

Virender Sehwag, India's only triple centurion in Test cricket, believes the ICC Under-19 Cricket World Cup provides a youngster the confidence that he can compete against the best, and hoped a few cricketers will graduate from this month's event in Queensland and will return to Australia for the ICC Cricket World Cup 2015.
"It doesn't matter if it is U-19, or emerging team, if you perform at that level, you get the confidence that you can actually play and compete against international teams,'' said Sehwag.
"Every child has a dream, and my dream was to play for my country. I got that opportunity in 1998, when I played in the ICC U-19 CWC in South Africa, and because of extra hard work following that event, I was able to achieve my ambition of representing India at the highest level.
"I think whoever plays well in the ICC U-19 CWC 2012 and keeps performing well in first-class cricket could also end up travelling to Australia for the ICC CWC 2015.
I'm hoping a couple of guys will come through, especially for India. The players have a great opportunity to go out there, play with and against the best and perform well. They will be motivated and will get a lot of self-confidence. The players will also make a lot of friends for life during the tournament.
"Go there and give your best, just make the most of the opportunity. Try to win the World Cup for your country,'' advised Sehwag.
The 33-year-old from Najafgarh, who has scored 8,178 Test and 8,204 ODI runs, played in the ICC U-19 CWC 1998 in South Africa and had a modest tournament by his very high standards. He made three against Kenya, 10 against Scotland, 38 against South Africa, zero against Pakistan, seven against Australia and 18 against England. Sehwag also picked up seven wickets with his off-spin during the tournament.
India failed to reach the Super League final of the ICC U-19 Cricket World Cup 1998 after losing out to eventual winner England and Australia in Group A on net run-rate.
"We played against a lot of top teams - South Africa, England, Australia, Zimbabwe, Sri Lanka, Pakistan - in that event. It was a great platform. Any player who performs at that level can harbour hopes of playing at the highest level," said Sehwag, adding: "I got good exposure and a lot of confidence in my ability to excel at the international level by playing in the ICC U-19 CWC 1998.
"The tournament always remains in my mind because that was my first trip outside India. It was also the first time I played U19 internationals. I was picked for first-class cricket thereafter because of that trip and very soon I played for India.
"I will never forget the moment when I wore the India U19 blazer for the first time. I felt proud that I was playing for my country," added the right-handed opener.
The ICC U-19 Cricket World Cup 1998 in South Africa was the first time the tournament was held after the inaugural edition in 1988. Sehwag recalled the excitement among all the players in the build-up and during the tournament because of that.
"It was the first time that the ICC U-19 CWC was taking place after 10 years. I had a few friends playing in other teams as well. I remember the matches were being telecast live, so a lot of people were watching or reading about our performances. A lot of us got noticed because of such coverage,'' recalled Sehwag, who was also a member of India's ICC Cricket World Cup 2011 winning squad.
Sehwag had a word of advice for the India U-19 side that will be competing in the ICC U-19 CWC 2012, scheduled to be held in Queensland from 11-26 August.
"Mohammad Kaif won it in 2000 and Virat Kohli lifted the trophy in 2008 maybe this time the India captain (Unmukt Chand) can lift the Cup again and make us proud. Every single player from the current India team is wishing the very best of luck to the India team in the ICC U-19 CWC 2012,'' said Sehwag.

'Honest' Wagner wants 'ruthless' Kiwi performance in final Caribbean Test

New Zealand fast bowler Neil Wagner has said the team needs to improve in every department of the game and adopt a ruthless approach if they want to give themselves any chance of winning the final Test match against the West Indies.
Kiwis were beaten 2-0 in the Twenty20, thrashed 4-1 in the one-day series and, after barely surviving a three-day tour match, one down in a two-test series, there's only a drawn test series that could salvage some lost pride.
Wagner confessed the team needed to just play proper cricket, especially after their most experienced player Daniel Vettori was ruled out with an abductor strain.
"The batters have got to stand up and the bowlers have got to stand up, and our fielding. We just have to play proper cricket," Sports24 quoted Wagner, as saying.
Wagner added being aggressive with the new ball, taking any chances created and then limiting any opportunities for their hosts to dominate would all be key.
"The boys have learnt a lot, this isn't an easy place to come and play. [But] we need to be ruthless, just try and give them nothing," Wagner said.