Brimming with confidence after the massive 224-run win in the penultimate game, India will be eyeing to register their eighth straight series win over the West Indies when they face off in the fifth and final contest of the rubber at the Greenfield international stadium here on Thursday.

After the resounding victory in the fourth One-day International (ODI) at the Brabourne Stadium in Mumbai, the Virat Kohli-led hosts lead the series 2-1, with the second match being tied.

The last time the Carribean side won a bilateral series against India was way back in 2006.

With the northeastern monsoon in full cry, the match could well end up shortened as the the weatherman has predicted a brief thunderstorm in the afternoon and late evening.

This is only the second international cricket match to be staged at the Greenfield Stadium. The first was on November 7 last year when the hosts defeated New Zealand in a T20 match that was shortened to inclement weather and saw just saw an eight over per side match. India won by six runs.

The organisers, the Kerala Cricket Association, are in an upbeat mood as the ground boasts of one of the best drainage systems in the business and even if the rain comes crashing down, they will be able to get it back into shape quickly once the rain stops.

Going into the final ODI, with opener Rohit Sharma, Ambati Rayudu and skipper Kohli in top form, India will like to keep the momentum into the series decider. Rayudu also took a step ahead in cementing his place at No. 4 slot with a fine century in the previous game.

Rohit also smashed an impressive 162 off 137 balls in the fourth ODI while the skipper has three tons from four games. The Indian batting will once again mostly rely on the shoulders of these two on Thursday.

Despite impressive performances by the top order, the cause of concern for the team management will be the flop show of stumper Mahendra Singh Dhoni.

The former skipper has failed to live up to the expectations, which also resulted in his exclusion from the Twenty20 international (T20I) series against the Windies and Australia.

It will be the litmus test for Dhoni, who has been under fire for his continous poor performances.

In the bowling department, chinaman Kuldeep Yadav has been impressive in this series so far after scalping eight wickets from three games and Kohli will like him to replicate his past, specially in the middle overs.

Pacer Jasprit Bumrah and Bhuvneshwar Kumar are expected to dismantle the Windies top order in the initial overs, while Khaleel Ahmad, who was a surprise package in Mumbai with figures of 3/13, could be a crucial support for his seniors.

Coming to the West Indies squad, batsmen Shimron Hetmyer and Shai Hope are the only two batsmen who have shown some fight against the home side.

They both have hit a century each and would like to repeat it for one final time to help their side tie the series.

Captain Jason Holder has shown he can be fruitful with the bat down the order.

However, the visitors could possibly miss the services of off-spinner Ashley Nurse, who has been a consistent performer with five wickets from the series.

Nurse is doubtful for the series decider after suffering an injury during the last game. His absence could affect the hopes of the visitors in a crucial contest.

Squads:

India – Rohit Sharma, Shikhar Dhawan, Virat Kohli (Captain), Ambati Rayudu, MS Dhoni(Wicket-keeper), Kedar Jadhav, Ravindra Jadeja, Bhuvneshwar Kumar, Kuldeep Yadav, K Khaleel Ahmed, Jasprit Bumrah, Lokesh Rahul, Yuzvendra Chahal, Rishabh Pant, Umesh Yadav, Manish Pandey.

West Indies – Chandrapaul Hemraj, Kieran Powell, Shai Hope (Wicket-keeper), Marlon Samuels, Shimron Hetmyer, Rovman Powell, Jason Holder (Captain), Fabian Allen, Ashley Nurse, Keemo Paul, Kemar Roach, Sunil Ambris, Devendra Bishoo, Obed McCoy, Oshane Thomas.

IANS

India dished out a clinical performance to outclass the West Indies by 224 runs, their biggest margin of victory against the Caribbean side, in the fourth One-day International (ODI) on their return to the Brabourne Stadium here on Monday.

The victory is India’s third biggest by margin of runs against any side. With the win, India also took a 2-1 lead in the five-match rubber with one match having been drawn.

After posting a massive 377/5, thanks to centuries from Rohit Sharma (162) and Ambati Rayudu (100), the home side relied on a disciplined bowling effort led by the rookie left-arm quick Khaleel Ahmed (3/13) and chinaman Kuleep Yadav (3/42) sharing six wickets between them, to skittle the tourists for a meagre 153 in 36.2 overs.

Facing a daunting target, the Windies never looked in the hunt with Khaleel ripping through the middle order, comprising Marlon Samuels (18), Shimron Hetmyer (13) and Rovman Powell (1) after the top three departed with mere 20 runs on the board.

Earlier, Bhuvneshwar drew first blood for the hosts with the wicket of opener Chandrapaul Hemraj (14), before a couple of run-outs of Kieran Powell (4) and the in-form Shai Hope (0) further derailed the chase.

Skipper Jason Holder (54 not out off 70 balls; 4X1, 6X2) raged a lone battle but with wickets falling at regular intervals, it was only a matter of time for the Indian bowlers, especially Kuldeep, whose figures of 3/42 was instrumental in cleaning up the tail.

Earlier, Rohit belted an explosive 137-ball 162, laced with 20 boundaries and four sixes, but importantly crucial from the team’s point of view, forged a 211-run third wicket stand with the other centurion Rayudu (100 off 81 balls; 4X8, 6X4) to propel the hosts to a mammoth 377/5.

Electing to bat, India raced to a brisk 71-run opening stand between Shikhar Dhawan (38) and Rohit, but were jolted once again with the second wicket of skipper Virat Kohli (16) falling in the span of 30 runs.

A rare failure after three consecutive tons, Kohli’s early departure gave Rayudu, the newly-anointed No.4 the perfect platform to not only stamp his authority but also cement his place in the build up to the ICC World Cup in 2019.

With Rohit in full flow, Rayudu took the back seat playing the perfect second fiddle and quietly watched the Mumbaikar racing to his 21st ODI ton off 98 deliveries when he chopped left-arm spinner Fabian Allen for a boundary to the point boundary.

The 33-year-old Rayudu steadily brought up his half century before matching his partner shot by shot until off-spinner Ashley Nurse got the back of the opener caught at third man by Hemraj.

The Hyderabadi right-hander continued milking the tourists and in the company of an off-colour Mahendra Singh Dhoni (23), reached his third ODI century off 80 deliveries before eventually being run out.

Towards the end, Kedar Jadhav (16 not out) and Ravindra Jadeja (7 not out) got a few lusty blows to swell the total past the 370-run mark.

Brief Scores: India 377/5 (Rohit Sharma 162, Ambati Rayudu 100; Kemar Roach 2/74) beat West Indies 153 (Jason Holder 54 not out, Keemo Paul 19; Khaleel Ahmed 3/13, Kuldeep Yadav 3/42) by 224 runs.

IANS

India’s rookie left-arm quick Khaleel Ahmed has received an official warning and a demerit point for breaching Level 1 of the ICC Code of Conduct for Players and Player Support Personnel during India’s 224-run win over the West Indies in the fourth ODI in Mumbai.

“India’s Khaleel Ahmed received an official warning and one demerit point for advancing aggressively towards Marlon Samuels after dismissing the batsman during the fourth one-day international between India and the Windies on Monday,” the International Cricket Council (ICC) said in a statement.

“The India fast bowler, who returned figures of 3/13, was found to have violated Article 2.5 of the Code, which relates to ‘using language, actions or gestures which disparage or which could provoke an aggressive reaction from a batter upon his/her dismissal during an international match,” it added.

The incident happened in the 14th over, when the left-armer, after having Samuels caught in the slips by Rohit Sharma, advanced aggressively towards the departing batsman, which, in the view of the on-field umpires, could have provoked a reaction from the Windies player.

After the match, Ahmed admitted to the offence and accepted the sanction proposed by match referee Chris Broad and as such, there was no need for a formal hearing.

The charge was levelled by on-field umpires Ian Gould and Anil Chaudhary, third umpire Paul Wilson, as well as fourth umpire Chettithody Shamshuddin.

Level 1 breaches carry a minimum penalty of an official reprimand, a maximum penalty of 50 percent of a player’s match fee, and one or two demerit points.

IANS

Hosts ATK will look to stretch their winning run when they take on last year’s runners up Bengaluru FC in an Indian Super League (ISL) clash at the Vivekananda Yuba Bharati Krirangan here Wednesday.

ATK have managed to bounce back with two wins and draw after succumbing to back-to-back defeats at home in the first two games.

In their last match, ATK upset defending champions Chennaiyin FC 2-1, where their key attacking duo of Manuel Lanzarote and Kalu Uche showed good coordination, falling into coach Steve Coppell’s scheme of things.

While Uche struck the first goal, the ATK captain set up John Johnson for the second.

ATK, on Wednesday, will look to secure their maiden win against the Sunil Chhetri-led side.

Bengaluru FC will also be up against a player who had been a key member of the side since the club’s fairy-tale journey from 2013.

Having switched allegiance to ATK, English defender John Johnson will now be seen thwarting the duo of Miku and Chhetri.

“The strategy is just to try and win every game. Bengaluru are a top side and they’ve proved it so far this season. They proved it last season. We look forward to it. We want to play the best teams and see how we cope. So, we are looking forward to that game now,” Coppell said.

Speaking about the turnaround, the veteran Englishman said: “Obviously, the first two games we lost and so it was a big win for us. The team is still evolving. You know, it’s still taking shape.”

“The more we play, the more players are put under the microscope. The more you see who responds well and who doesn’t respond well, you can shape the team, even more, going forward. It’s happening to me,” he said.

For Bengaluru, Chhetri and Miku have been at their sublime best scoring five of the six goals in their unbeaten run from three matches this season.

In their last fixture against FC Pune City, the duo were heavily involved as Bengaluru struck three past their opponents to begin their three-match away sojourn.

Last season, Bengaluru won seven out of their nine matches in the league stage — the most by any team.

Having won their first away match of the season, Bengaluru FC have now five away wins on the trot.

The Blues will further be boosted by Dimas Delgado’s return to full fitness as the Spaniard midfielder has the ability to pierce resolute defences.

Bengaluru FC also have consisted the least number of goals, only two this season, with Albert Serran and Juanan at the heart of their defence as Coppell will have a tough task ahead.

IANS

Tennis star Sania Mirza and her Pakistani cricketer husband Shoaib Malik were blessed with a baby boy on Tuesday.

Sania delivered the child early Tuesday morning, here and both mother and child were well.

Shoaib tweeted: “Excited to announce: Its a boy, and my girl is doing great and keeping strong as usual #Alhumdulilah. Thank you for the wishes and Duas, we are humbled #BabyMirzaMalik.”

Sania married Shoaib in a traditional Hyderabadi Muslim wedding ceremony on April 12, 2010.

IANS

Indian and Pakistan were declared as the joint winners of the 5th Men’s Hero Asian Champions Trophy Muscat 2018 hockey tournament after the final was abandoned due to bad weather conditions here on Sunday.

India were looking to defend their title which they won back in Kuantan, Malaysia in 2016 when they beat arch-rivals Pakistan 3-2 in the Final.

However, the weather conditions here played spoilsport as heavy rainfall made it difficult for both the teams to start the Final here at the Sultan Qaboos Sports Complex.

World No. 5 India had earlier secured their passage through to the Final of the 5th Men’s Hero Asian Champions Trophy Muscat 2018 after remaining undefeated in the competition with five wins and a draw in their six matches; defeating hosts Oman 11-0, Pakistan 3-1, Japan 9-0, drawing 0-0 against Malaysia, and South Korea 4-1 in the round robin stages; whereas beating Japan again with a margin of 3-2 in the Semi-Final.

The Indian team were also the highest scoring team in the competition as they scored a total of 30 goals in six matches.

The tally consists of 11 different goal-scorers. India’s Harmanpreet Singh scored the most goals for his team with six goals, while forwards Mandeep Singh and Dilpreet Singh scored five each.

Earlier on Sunday, it was Malaysia who finished at the third place as they defeated Japan 3-2 in Penalty Shootout after the scores remained 2-2 at the end of regulation time in the bronze medal match.

IANS

Steel manufacturing giant Tata Steel was on Monday announced as an official partner of the men’s hockey World Cup, to be staged at the Kalinga Stadium here from November 28 to December 16.

Tata Steel, the 10th-largest steel producer in the world, signed the agreement with the quadrennial event to continue their efforts of promoting development through sports across the country.

Welcoming Tata Steel as an official partner, Hockey India CEO Elena Norman said: “We are thrilled to announce Tata Steel as an official partner for the prestigious World Cup. It is an important tournament for everyone involved with the sport of hockey, and we are delighted to have the support of the steel-making giant.”

Reiterating the organisation’s commitment towards the sport, Sunil Bhaskaran, Vice President, Corporate Services, Tata Steel said, “Over the years, we have created infrastructure for every sports discipline, including hockey, that is popular in and around our areas of operation. Tata Steel is the first private sector company in India to start a hockey academy.”

The upcoming 14th edition of the FIH World Cup will be the third time that India will be hosting the prestigious competition after having played hosts in 1982 in Mumbai and in 2010 in New Delhi.

A total of 16 nations will take part in the tournament which will see each team play three matches during the league stage over a span of 12 days before four cross-over matches take place on December 10 and 11.

The knockout matches will take place on December 12, 13, 15 and 16 as the teams will look to become the Champions of the prestigious quadrennial event which was won by Australia in 2014.

 Vishal Rajveer Shah won the mini cadet boys singles’ title at the Egypt Junior and Cadet Open table tennis tournament after he outclassed local boy Badr Mostafa in straight games.

Vishal dominated the match from the very beginning as he defeated Mostafa 11-6, 11-6, 11-7 to clinch the yellow metal.

However, another Indian Raegan Alburquerque, the No.4 seed, failed to go past the final hurdle as China’s Ding Shixian defeated the Indian 11-8, 10-12, 13-11, 11-9, 13-11 in the Junior Boys singles.

The unseeded Chinese, making his maiden international appearance, conceded the second game before wrapping it up for an excellent career beginning and forcing the Indian to settle with a silver medal and a cash prize of $150 on Sunday night.

After beating host nation’s Marwan Abdelwahab 11-7, 14-12, 7-11, 11-3, 14-12 in the semifinals on Sunday afternoon, Raegan was expected to make use of the opportunity later in the evening.

Though his start was not as good as he would have wanted, but he did manage to take the second game. However, the 14-year-old Chinese, playing cautiously and maintaining his form, won several crucial points to upset the Indian’s attacking style of game.

India won the toss and elected to bat against West Indies in the fourth One-Day International match at the Brabourne Stadium here on Monday.

India made two changes to their team. Skipper Virat Kohli brought back Ravindra Jadeja and Kedar Jadhav in place of leg spinner Yuzvendra Chahal and Rishabh Pant.

The West Indies, on the other hand made only one change, bringing in Keemo Paul for Obed McCoy.

Teams:
West Indies: Kieran Powell, Chandrapaul Hemraj, Shai Hope (w), Marlon Samuels, Shimron Hetmyer, Rovman Powell, Jason Holder (c), Fabian Allen, Ashley Nurse, Kemar Roach, Keemo Paul

India: Rohit Sharma, Shikhar Dhawan, Virat Kohli (c), Ambati Rayudu, MS Dhoni (w), Kedar Jadhav, Ravindra Jadeja, Bhuvneshwar Kumar, Kuldeep Yadav, K. Khaleel Ahmed, Jasprit Bumrah

IANS

India advanced to the semi-finals of the SAFF U-15 Championship as they blanked Bhutan 4-0 in their last Group league match played at the ANFA Complex in Kathmandu on Monday.

For India, Shubho Paul scored a brace while Subba Kushang and Xalxo Aman scored one apiece. India led 1-0 at half-time.

The Indians got off to a perfect start as the first goal came as early as the 4th minute when Shubho converted from the spot – placing it to the right of the rival goalkeeper Gyeltshen Dorji.

The rivals did manage to sneak into the Indian box on a couple of occasions, especially immediately after resumption.

The Indians’ perseverance soon paid dividends as the second goal came in the 66th minute, and it was all wrapped in individual brilliance. Receiving a loose ball in his own half, the irrepressible Subba ran past the entire rival defence, dribbled past three, entered the box and placed into the far corner.

The third goal came in the 83rd minute as Shubho completed his brace. It was a build-up which started in India’s half and after some casual exchanges, Shubho followed up a vicious long ball, sped past all and put it in.

Aman completed the rout in the 89th minute when he tapped into an empty net after the rival goalkeeper misread a Harsh Patre free kick.