Sri Lanka's Tour in India - Update

[Pintu]

AFP: Muralitharan, Fernando out of India one-dayers

Muralitharan, Fernando out of India one-dayers

(AFP) – 10 hours ago

NEW DELHI — Sri Lanka suffered a double blow when Muttiah Muralitharan and Dilhara Fernando were ruled out of the one-day series in India with finger injuries, a team official said on Wednesday.

Off-spinner Muralitharan, the world bowling record holder, sat out Tuesday's first one-dayer in Rajkot in which the tourists almost chased down India's 414-7 before being restricted to 411-8 in the high-scoring thriller.

Fast bowler Fernando injured his finger during that game while trying to take a return catch off Indian captain Mahendra Singh Dhoni, team manager Brendon Kuruppu said.

"Fernando hurt his finger during that match. His replacement will be announced shortly," Kuruppu told reporters.

"Murali injured his ring and middle fingers in his right hand during the Mumbai Test earlier this month and is going back home.

"We have decided to rest Murali to allow him to recover fully and be available for future tournaments," he said.

Muralitharan, whose 792 Test and 512 one-day wickets are world records, will be replaced by two off-spinners, Muthumudalige Pushpakumara and Suraj Randiv, for the rest of the series.

The duo will join the squad ahead of Friday's second match in Nagpur, Kuruppu said.

Sri Lanka lost the Test series against India 2-0 and both teams won a Twenty20 international each ahead of the one-dayers.

Sri Lanka are due to play a tri-series with India and Bangladesh in Dhaka from January 4-13.

 

[Pintu]

http://www.ptinews.com/news/428727_We-have-given-India-a-good-scare--says-Jayawardene

We have given India a good scare, says Jayawardene

STAFF WRITER 18:31 HRS IST

Nagpur, Dec 17 (PTI) Despite losing the high-scoring humdinger by a narrow margin, Sri Lanka's middle order batsman Mahela Jayawardene feels his team has thrown the gauntlet at India by coming so close to the massive home team total in the first ODI at Rajkot.

"Yes, it?s (three-run loss) a bitter pill to swallow. But there were lots of positives. Not many teams have chased down 400-plus. We have given India a good scare and that's a good positive going into this game," Jayawardene said ahead of the second match of the best-of-five series here tomorrow.

Lanka, chasing India?s mammoth 414, fell short of the target by three runs in Rajkot on Tuesday.

Jayawardene did not feel that the absence of injured Muthiah Muralitharan and Dilhara Fernando has created a big problem for his team.

"I don?t see a problem.

 

[Pintu]

Sehwag fit for second ODI against Sri Lanka- Hindustan Times

Sehwag fit for second ODI against Sri Lanka

Reuters
Nagpur, December 17, 2009
First Published: 16:42 IST(17/12/2009)
Last Updated: 16:48 IST(17/12/2009)

Explosive opener Virender Sehwag has been declared fit for the second one-day international against Sri Lanka on Friday.

Sehwag hurt his knee in Tuesday's opening game in Rajkot after striking a magnificent 146 that helped India post their highest one-day total of 414 for seven.

India survived a thrilling Sri Lankan chase to win a dramatic game by three runs and take a 1-0 lead in the five-match series.

"Viru (Sehwag) is fit to play as of now," Indian skipper Mahendra Singh Dhoni told reporters on the eve of the day-night match in Nagpur.

However, Yuvraj Singh was a doubtfull after the middle-order batsman was diagnosed with flu, said Dhoni. The left-hander also missed the opening one-day game with a finger injury.

The tourists suffered setbacks on Wednesday with ace spinner Muttiah Muralitharan and pace bowler Dilhara Fernando ruled out of the rest of the series with finger injuries.

Sri Lanka lost the three-test series 2-0. The two-game Twenty20 series was drawn 1-1.

 

[Pintu]

Link of preview of 2nd ODI from Cricbuzz :

Preview: India vs Sri Lanka, 2nd ODI

Regards

 

[Pintu]

Statistical highlights of the second India and Sri Lanka ODI - Top Stories - Sri Lanka in India, 2009 - Series & Tournaments - Cricket - Sports - The Times of India

Statistical highlights of the second India and Sri Lanka ODI
PTI 19 December 2009, 01:10pm IST

NAGPUR: Following are the statistical highlights of the second India and Sri Lanka ODI played at VCA Stadium on Friday.

# Mahendra Singh Dhoni's outstanding innings of 107 off 111 balls is his sixth hundred - his second against Sri Lanka. Dhoni's first hundred against Sri Lanka was a career-best 183 not out at Jaipur on October 31, 2005.

# Dhoni's aforesaid innings is his third hundred as skipper in ODIs.

# Dhoni has registered five hundreds in India out of six in ODIs. He is now the only player to make hundreds in successive innings at VCAS, Jamtha, Nagpur. He had posted 124 off 107 balls against Australia in the first ever ODI at this venue on October 28, 2009.

# Dhoni has finished on the losing side despite posting a hundred in ODIs, which has happened for the first time. His earlier five centuries resulted in Indian wins.

# Ricky Ponting and Dhoni now share the record for most runs in 2009 - 1098.

# Tharanga-Dilshan pair is the first Sri Lankan opening pair to post two century partnerships against India on Indian soil - 188 at Rajkot and 102 at Nagpur. Sanath Jayasuriya and Marvan Atapattu had put on 171 against Bangladesh at Colombo SSC on July 22, 1997 and 137 against India at Colombo RPS on July 26, 1997.

# With his 43 off 52 balls, Sachin Tendulkar has taken his runs' tally against Sri Lanka to 2861 at an average of 44. 70 in 76 matches, surpassing Sanath Jayasuriya's run-aggregate of 2853 (ave 36.57) in 87 matches against India.

# Virat Kohli has posted his first fifty in India - the said innings is his third in ODIs. His previous two fifty-plus were 79 not out against West Indies at Johannesburg on September 30, 2009 and 54 against Sri Lanka at Colombo RPS on August 27, 2008.

# Suresh Raina has recorded his fifth fifty against Sri Lanka - his 13th in ODIs. Raina's brilliant innings of 68 off 55 balls is his seventh fifty in ODIs in India.

# Tillakaratne Dilshan, with 283 runs at an average of 141.50, including two hundreds, is the leading run-getter in the present series, followed by Mahendra Singh Dhoni (179) and Virender Sehwag (150).

# Dilshan is the third batsman from Sri Lanka after Roy Dias and Sanath Jayasuriya to post two hundreds in a row against India - 160 at Rajkot and 123 at Nagpur.

# Dilshan's 123 off 113 balls is his fifth century in ODIs - two against India and one each against Pakistan, South Africa and Netherlands - all on foreign soil.

# Dilshan became the first and only batsman this year to register Ten hundreds in international cricket - 6 in Tests and four in ODIs.

# Dilshan has been adjudged the Man of the Match for the third time against India (his sixth overall in ODIs).

# Sri Lanka's three-wicket triumph is their 11th in 39 ODIs against India in India - winning per ecnt 28.21. They have lost 26 while the remaining two could not produce results.

# Sri Lanka have won 12 and lost 12 out of 24 contested this year while India have won 15 and lost 10 out of 28 contested with three no-result games.

# Only Australia(23) have won more games than India in 2009.

# Sri Lanka (302 for seven) have recorded their first successful chase of 300-plus against India.

# Dilshan has been adjudged the Man of the Match four times in 2009 - two against Pakistan, one each against South Africa and India.

# Sachin Tendulkar is the first Indian and the second player after Pakistan's Javed Miandad to have played ODIs for 20 years.

 

[Pintu]

http://www.ptinews.com/news/432804_Yuvraj-likely-to-play-3rd-ODI-against-Lanka

Yuvraj likely to play 3rd ODI against Lanka

STAFF WRITER 17:48 HRS IST

Cuttack, Dec 20 (PTI) The Indian team management is tight-lipped about Yuvraj Singh's availability but chances are that explosive left-hander will play tomorrow's third one-dayer against Sri Lanka.

Yuvraj, who missed the first and second one-dayers due to injury and flu, took part in a practice session here today and looked quite comfortable in the nets.

On being asked if Yuvraj will play tomorrow, stand-in skipper Virender Sehwag said, "We will take a decision tomorrow."

In today's net session, the Punjab batsman faced seamers including gangling Ishant Sharma, Sudeep Tyagi and a few other local bowlers and hit fluent shots without any trouble.

The left-hander, who had suffered a hairline fracture in his finger, then batted against left-arm spinner Pragyan Ojha for some time.

Pace spearhead Zaheer Khan, Praveen Kumar, Ashish Nehra and Harbhajan Singh though skipped the practice session, which Sehwag said was "optional".

 

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The Telegraph - Calcutta (Kolkata) | Sports | Dilshan is India’s nemesis

Dilshan is India’s nemesis
- We need to accept the fact that we aren’t the best fielding side: Dhoni

LOKENDRA PRATAP SAHI

Nagpur: Tillekaratne Dilshan, it seems, has a one-point agenda in the ongoing ODIs: To upstage Team India’s biggest performer of the day.

Dilshan almost succeeded in Rajkot (scoring more than MoM Virender Sehwag, but Sri Lanka still lost); on Friday, he came off best in neighbouring Jamtha.

As a much deserved bonus, Dilshan took the MoM award for his tenth international hundred of the year. It’s a 12-month period he simply won’t be able to forget.

A blazing career-best 160 proved futile in the opening match of the Karbonn Cup, but a comparatively restrained 123 was enough in ODI No.2, rendering India captain Mahendra Singh Dhoni’s 107 of no use.

With Dilshan controlling the innings so beautifully, Sri Lanka, despite hiccups in the middle-order, won by three wickets to make it 1-1 in the five-match series.

The target, 302, was reached with five balls to spare. At the crease were two Knights, a hobbling Angelo Mathews and Ajantha Mendis.

Mathews was unbeaten on a most effective 37 from 25 deliveries, confirming that he’s an all-rounder who looks set for big things.

A feature of the second session was the poor fielding, with the Indians reluctant to attack the ball. It impacted big on the result.

Misfields, overthrows, a disgusting lack of effort... Everything was on view.

Clearly disappointed, Dhoni, who’d won the toss, said: “This is India’s best batting side and this is India’s best bowling unit... We need to accept the fact that we aren’t the best fielding side and, perhaps, score 20-30 more...

“You can’t just become a Jonty Rhodes... Fielding has to come naturally and one can’t change the character of an individual.”

Dhoni added: “We’d come close to a par score and the only way to defend was to get early wickets... We didn’t (Dilshan and fellow-opener Upul Tharanga put on 102)... At the end of the day, international cricket is hard and tough and (ideally) you don’t want spinners to start early...”

Asked whether he actually had a strategy for the in-amazing-form Dilshan, Dhoni replied: “It’s not that we don’t have a plan, but he’s a batsman who plays almost all the shots... It happens in cricket.”

The home team had full points in Rajkot, but the limitations of its attack on a flat wicket were there for all to see. It didn’t get any better in Jamtha.

Work, therefore, needs to be done on more than one front.

Dhoni had four let-offs (thrice by Kumar Sangakkara and, then, by Mendis), but did well to make capital of those lives. Having also collaborated the day’s highest partnership, 126 for the fifth wicket with Suresh Raina, he had reason to feel let down.

Incidentally, Dhoni registered a hundred in successive ODIs (following the superb 124 against Australia, in end-October) at the same venue.

Dhoni has, of course, been scoring heavily against Sri Lanka — two hundreds in the three-Test series, a 46 in the Mohali T20, 72 and 107 in the ODIs.

“I’ve batted in different positions and have learnt about the different pressures... It’s a credit to teammates that they’ve allowed me to play my natural game... I’ve promoted myself whenever the team has needed quick runs,” Dhoni pointed out.

Sangakkara, the winning captain, praised his team. “It was a great effort and I’m very proud of the boys... We’re still making mistakes, but want to keep improving...”

Actually, having dropped senior-most pro Sanath Jayasuriya (manager Brendon Kuruppu told The Telegraph that he’d been “available” for selection), Sangakkara couldn’t afford to finish a loser.

While the Indians have quite a bit to worry about, the visitors can take even more comfort, from the excellent performance of debutant Suraj Randiv, who came the other day as an additional spinner.

The tall 24-year-old is talented and is going to be projected as Muttiah Muralidharan’s successor.

 

[Pintu]

The Press Association: Dhoni absence a lift for Sangakkara

Dhoni absence a lift for Sangakkara

(UKPA) – 2 hours ago

Sri Lanka captain Kumar Sangakkara is hoping to take full advantage of Mahendra Singh Dhoni's absence to forge ahead in the one-day series against India.

Dhoni, who has been in excellent form with the bat, will the miss the third and fourth games of the five-match series due to a two-match ban handed down by the International Cricket Council for maintaining a slow over-rate in the second game in Nagpur.

"I hope Dhoni's absence is a factor," Sangakkara said. "He has been one of the players who has been in form, so obviously it's a blow for India. But it's a window of opportunity for us."

Sri Lanka, too, are a severely depleted side, with Angelo Mathews joining three of their frontline bowlers, including Muttiah Muralitharan, on the injury list, but Sangakkara believes it is an opportunity for the younger players.

"You can always say the bowling is depleted but I look at it differently," he said.

"It's great for the youngsters to get an opportunity to play in tough conditions.

"We can really see how their character is and how they shape up for the future."

Opener Virender Sehwag will lead India in Dhoni's absence but Sangakkara indicated the visitors had plans for the batsman.

"We would have an edge if we get him out early," Sangakkara added. "We will go all out and make sure that he is out cheaply."

 

[Pintu]

2nd ODI Scorecard update link : (willow tv)

Scorecard

Regards

 

[Pintu]

AFP: Four-wicket Jadeja sparks Sri Lanka collapse

Four-wicket Jadeja sparks Sri Lanka collapse

(AFP) – 7 hours ago

CUTTACK, India — Ravindra Jadeja led a disciplined spin attack with a career-best 4-32 as India dismissed Sri Lanka for 239 after a blazing start in the third one-day international here on Monday.

Sri Lanka were strongly placed at 165-1 in the 23rd over after electing to bat in the day-night match, but left-arm spinner Jadeja sparked the collapse which saw the visitors lose their remaining nine wickets for 74.

The spinner bowled opener Upul Tharanga (73) in his opening over before he accounted for Chamara Kapugedera (15), Nuwan Kulasekara (10) and Ajantha Mendis (six).

Off-spinner Harbhajan Singh was the other bowler to keep the batsmen silent, conceding 29 runs off nine overs for one wicket.

The five-match series is tied 1-1.

In-form opener Tillakaratne Dilshan, who smashed brisk centuries in the last two matches, helped Sri Lanka get off to an explosive start with an 18-ball 41 as the visitors raced to 65 off just 6.2 overs.

Dilshan, who survived a run-out chance on 36, was caught by wicket-keeper Dinesh Karthik off a mistimed pull off seamer Ashish Nehra after hitting 10 fours in his impressive cameo.

There was no respite for India as Tharanga and skipper Kumar Sangakkara (46) put on 100 for the second wicket to put their team on course for a big total on an easy-paced track.

Tharanga cracked one six and six fours in his 81-ball knock.

But India fought back after the dismissal of Sangakkara, stumped by Karthik off part-time spinner Virender Sehwag. They then never allowed Sri Lanka to build a partnership, striking at regular intervals.

Paceman Ishant Sharma, who conceded 46 runs in his opening three overs, came back strongly to remove Thilina Kandamby for 22 and Suraj Randiv for duck off successive deliveries.

 

[Pintu]

India takes 2-1 lead .

Zeenews link :

Cuttack ODI: India beat Sri Lanka by 7 wickets, lead series 2-1

Regards

 

[Pintu]

Congratulation, Team India and Ravindra Jadeja, Sehwag , I also salute Little Master Sachin Tendulkar for his brave performance that saw India , through.

Regards

 

[Pintu]

The Telegraph - Calcutta (Kolkata) | Sports | Sangakkara: Hope to keep our good show going

Sangakkara: Hope to keep our good show going

OUR CORRESPONDENT

Cuttack: Kumar Sangakkara doesn’t seem perturbed by the loss of key players in the course of the ODI series. Rather he is hopeful that juniors will utilise the opportunities they are getting.

The following are excerpts



Expecting another run-feast at Barabati

We have been batting quite well so we hope to keep our good show going. I had a brief look at the wicket and it looks good.

Mahendra Singh Dhoni’s absence

Obviously I hope it works to our advantage. He is an in-form player and India will definitely miss him. It is a huge blow to the home team. But we will also be handicapped by the absence of Angelo Mathews, who has played a key role for us on this tour.

On Suraj Randiv as Muttiah Muralidharan’s replacement

It’s too early to pass a judgement on Randiv. But he did bowl really well in Nagpur. He showed the right attitude and was impressive. Now he will have to show consistency at this level.

Dilshan’s dazzling form

He has got runs in two innings so far but we hope he gets big scores in all five innings.

Missing key bowlers

I don’t see it as a loss. Rather, I would like to put it differently. The absence of senior bowlers means that some of the youngsters will be getting an opportunity to showcase their talent at the international level. They will be hungry to perform and make a mark at this level.

If Sri Lanka have an edge going into Monday’s match

I only wish that there’s one edge... The one that comes from (Virender) Sehwag’s bat.

 

[Pintu]

The Telegraph - Calcutta (Kolkata) | Sports | Sangakkara: We threw it away in middle overs

Sangakkara: We threw it away in middle overs
- Liked the no-nonsense approach of Sehwag’s captaincy, says sL captain

OUR CORRESPONDENT

Indians celebrate after dismissing
Tillekaratne Dilshan during the third
one-dayer, at the Barabati Stadium
in Cuttack, on Monday. (AP)

Cuttack: Kumar Sangakkara had every reason to feel furious about his team’s woeful batting. During his post-match interaction with the media, he didn’t hide his disappointment.

“They bowled extremely well and we batted very poorly. That’s how we lost the match,” Sangakkara said.

“It was a case of scoring three to four runs per over after we had reached 165 in 22 overs. That could have taken us close to 300 or may be more. But we just threw it away in the middle overs. Ravindra (Jadeja) bowled extremely well. We were playing one batsman short and everybody needed to take that additional responsibility,” he added.

He denied that the Lankans were becoming overtly dependent on him and Dilshan to score big.

“I don’t agree that only the both of us can score everyday. We have very capable batsmen who unfortunately didn’t fire on the day.”

On keeping Sanath Jayasuriya out of his scheme of things, Sangakkara said: “Before we came to India, we had reached a general consensus that Sanath’s place was in the middle order. As you can see, our openers have put in nearly 200 in the first match, 100 in the second. Also we are playing two specialist spinners,” he said.

He did, however, admit that Angelo Mathews was badly missed during the game. “Angelo is one man whose presence has brought balance into the side.”

He praised veteran Sachin Tendulkar’s efforts. “He was brilliant today.”

He, though, kept the best compliments for his counterpart Virender Sehwag.

“Sehwag led the side really well. I liked the no-nonsense approach of his captaincy. It’s pretty much similar to the way he bats,” Sangakkara said.

 

[Pintu]

The Press Association: Yuvraj to miss one-day games

Yuvraj to miss one-day games

(UKPA) – 37 minutes ago

India all-rounder Yuvraj Singh has been ruled out of the remaining one-day internationals against Sri Lanka because of a finger injury.

The 28-year-old fractured his finger fielding in the second Twenty20 international and missed the first two ODIs, although he did play in the third match on Monday as India took a 2-1 lead in the five-match series.

Yuvraj is also rated as doubtful for the upcoming one-day series in Bangladesh.

The fourth ODI against Sri Lanka is in Kolkata on Thursday.

 

[Pintu]

http://www.ptinews.com/news/436228_India--Sri-Lanka-team-arrive-in-Kolkata-for-4th-ODI

India, Sri Lanka team arrive in Kolkata for 4th ODI

STAFF WRITER 20:20 HRS IST

Kolkata, Dec 22 (PTI) The Indian cricket team sans Yuvraj Singh, who has been ruled out of the series due to a finger injury, and the Sri Lankan side arrived here this evening for the fourth One-day International on Thursday.

The dashing left-hander has been advised rest and hence he will not play in the fourth and fifth ODIs against Sri Lanka to be played here and Delhi on December 24 and 27.

Sachin Tendulkar was also not with the team as he had flown to Kolkata in the morning for attending a program here.

Yuvraj, who hurt his finger during the Twenty20 match against Sri lanka in Mohali, skipped the first two ODIs before playing the third match yesterday at Cuttack.

The Punjab batsman, who guards the point position, was seen standing on the ropes in the Cuttack ODI yesterday.

 

[Pintu]

The Telegraph - Calcutta (Kolkata) | Sports | To Eden, with 2-1 lead

To Eden, with 2-1 lead

KUSHAN SARKAR

Virender Sehwag congratulates
Ravindra Jadeja after he dismissed
Upul Tharanga in Cuttack on Monday. (AFP)


Cuttack: India captain Virender Sehwag’s assessment of the Barabati strip on the eve of third Karbonn Cup one-day International was spot on.

He had said it would be a slow batting wicket, where fielding first would be the best option, keeping the dew factor in mind.

Ravindra Jadeja proved his captain right with a disciplined bowling effort, which was complemented by Sachin Tendulkar (96 off 104 balls). The maestro brought all his experience into play to help India win the match by seven wickets in 42.4 overs here on Monday.

He missed his 46th ODI century but this half-century (his 93rd) may prove to be a significant one in the context of the series. Yuvraj Singh’s “grandpa” showed what experience is worth in a tricky situation. On a pitch not conducive for stroke-play, Sachin played a gem of an innings.

Sehwag, Tillekaratne Dilshan, Mahendra Singh Dhoni — all have had their days in this series.

A champion like Sachin could not have waited longer to make his mark. Monday was the most difficult day for batting in this series so far, and the Little Master made the day his own. The manner in which he planned and paced the innings is a lesson for all.

At the start of India’s chase, Sehwag (44) was cautious. He gave a maiden to Chanaka Welegedara in the first over. Sachin, on the other hand, got off the blocks with a couple of boundaries off Welegedara and Nuwan Kulasekera.

But Sehwag suddenly changed gears and hit a number of boundaries as Sachin dropped anchor. Sehwag hit Lasith Malinga for three boundaries in the sixth over of the innings. Sixteen runs came off that over, and the floodgates suddenly seemed to have opened. Sehwag’s end, too, came suddenly as Dilshan held onto a hard slash at backward point.

Gautam Gambhir (32), Yuvraj Singh (23) and Dinesh Karthik (36 ..) played their parts well, but Sachin was the star. He wrote the script, directed the other characters and played the protagonist’s role with perfection.

Sri Lankan bowling lacked sting. Their spin department, in particular, looked toothless.

There was no mystery in Ajantha Mendis’ bowling; Suraj Randiv tried his best but his inexperience showed. He rarely gave the ball air, and was mostly busy trying to restrict the batsmen. With no Muttiah Muralidharan in the middle-overs, the Indian batsmen only needed to apply themselves properly.

Earlier, Dilshan started from where he had finished in Nagpur, hitting Zaheer Khan and Ishant Sharma all over the park. However, the whirlwind did not last long. From 165 for one in 22.2 overs, the visitors slumped to 239 all out in 44.2 overs. They lost nine wickets for only 74 runs.

Jadeja’s left-arm spin was superbly effective on the slow track. He returned career-best figures. Harbhajan Singh and Sehwag also bowled well in the middle-overs to bring the run-rate down. It had skyrocketed, thanks to Dilshan’s onslaught.

The opener slammed an 18-ball 41 (10x4), before Ashish Nehra banged one short, resulting in a simple catch for Karthik behind the stumps. Sangakkara and Upul Tharanga (73) added 100, but a moment of madness by the Lankan captain became the turning point of the match.

He stepped out to a flighted delivery from counterpart Sehwag. Sangakkara got beaten in the air, the ball kept low as Karthik failed to take off the bails on the first attempt but recovered in time to get rid of the graceful left-hander. Then Jadeja, Harbhajan, and Ishant, back for his second spell, triggered a collapse.

With India leading 2-1, Sehwag and his men will get a chance to wrap up the series in Calcutta. Over to Eden Gardens.

 

[Pintu]

http://www.ptinews.com/news/437801_Tight-security-at-Eden-Gardens-for-tomorrow-s-ODI

Tight security at Eden Gardens for tomorrow's ODI

STAFF WRITER 18:54 HRS IST

Kolkata, Dec 23 (PTI) In view of the terror attack on the Sri Lankan cricket team in Pakistan in March this year, an unprecedented security cover has been put in place for their fourth ODI against India at the Eden Gardens here tomorrow.

Jawans of the Rapid Action Force (RAF), armed police personnel and commandos have been positioned around the Eden Gardens as a three-tier security ring has been thrown for both the teams lodged in a five-star hotel in the city.

"Security has been arranged in such a way that none will be able to barge into the ground and approach the players," Joint Commissioner of Police(HQ), Jawed Shamim said.

With Police Commissioner Gautam Mohan Chakraborty supervising the security arrangements, even mediapersons have been barred inside the hotel lobby under control of the security personnel.

 

[Pintu]

Congratulation Team India , for taking the unassailable lead of 3-1, congratulation to Gambhir and Virat and rest of the team , it has shown that team performance wins the day, Change of Captain and loss of the vital player like Yuvraaj in the mid way of the series has no effect on the team , legend Anil Kumble rightly pointed out.


Scorecard update :

http://live1.cricbuzz.com/livecricketscore/2009/2009_IND_SL/IND_SL_DEC24/scorecard_frame.html

Regards

 

[Pintu]

Was never under pressure: Virat Kohli - Top Stories - Sri Lanka in India, 2009 - Series & Tournaments - Cricket - Sports - The Times of India

Was never under pressure: Virat Kohli
IANS 25 December 2009, 04:08am IST

KOLKATA: On a high after scripting a series-win with a century knock in the fourth One-Day International against Sri Lanka, Virat Kohli on Thursday night said he was never under any pressure in the crucial tie.

"I am happy that the team won. I was never under any pressure," Kohli said after propelling India to a seven-wicket victory with an impressive 107 runs stint at the crease at the Eden Gardens.

The 21-year-old reached his maiden ODI ton showing oodles of maturity and also added 224 runs for the third wicket with man-of-the-match Gautam Gambhir. It was the record third-wicket partnership at the sprawling Eden.

The Delhi duo came together when India were in a spot at 23 for two, with big-guns Virender Sehwag and Sachin Tendulkar back in the pavilion.

"Our partnership was crucial. We complemented each other," he said.

"As our understanding was perfect, we never erred in calling," Kohli said.

In a nice gesture, Gambhir called Kohli after being declared man of the match at the prize distribution ceremony.

"Gambhir wants to share the award with Kolhi," Shastri announced to cheers from the crowd.

Kohli said he played his natural game. "And I am indeed really happy that it worked".