New Delhi: Batsman Suresh Raina on Thursday staged a comeback while Haryana off-spinner Jayant Yadav was the lone new face in India’s 15-member ODI squad for the first three games of a five-match series against New Zealand starting October 16.

Raina, who had been rested from the ODI series against Zimbabwe in June, returns to the fold even as senior off-spinner R Ashwin, pacer Mohammed Shami and all-rounder Ravindra Jadeja were given a break.

Medium pacer Jasprit Bumrah, batsman Mandeep Singh and Kedar Jadhav were included in the squad announced by new Chairman of selectors MSK Prasad after a meeting of the committee here.

The team, to be captained by Mahendra Singh Dhoni, retained batsman Manish Pandey, while paceman Umesh Yadav was brought back into the team after missing the Zimbabwe tour.

The team had no place for left-handed opener Gautam Gambhir, who had forced his way back into the Test team after some solid knocks in the domestic circuit.

Prasad said Gambhir’s name was discussed but “we needed continuity and we groomed Mandeep as an opener. He did extremely well against Australia A Down Under”.

The selection committee chief said that the trio of Ashwin, Shami and Jadeja was rested keeping in mind the long home season that awaits India, during the side is scheduled to play 13 Test matches. All three are regulars in India’s Test squad.

The first match of the series will be held at Dharamsala (October 16), followed by games in Delhi (October 20), Mohali (October 23), Ranchi (October 26), and Visakhapatnam (October 29).

Indian ODI squad

Mahendra Singh Dhoni (Capt)

Rohit Sharma

Ajinkya Rahane

Virat Kohli

Manish Pandey

Suresh Raina

Hardik Pandya

Axar Patel

Jayant Yadav

Amit Mishra

Jasprit Bumrah

Dhawal Kulkarni

Umesh Yadav

Mandeep Singh

Kedar Jadhav.

(PTI)

Kolkata: Ravichandran Ashwin and Ravindra Jadeja spun India to an unassailable 2-0 lead and the No.1 ranking in Tests, pinning New Zealand down in a riveting see-saw four-day affair, to win the second cricket Test by 178 runs here on Monday.

Local boy Wriddhiman Saha was adjudged Man of the Match for his unconquered 54 and 58 in the two Indian innings at the Eden Gardens.

Besides Saha, contributions with the bat by captain Virat Kohli (45) and Rohit Sharma (82) in the second innings helped India post 263 after a top-order collapse threatened to take the match away from them.

But despite the visitors’ grit early on in their 376-run chase, they fell to the guile of Indian tweakers once again — similar to the first Test at Kanpur that they lost by 197 runs — managing a meagre 197 in their seconds outing.

The tourists started their run chase well, riding on opener Tom Latham’s (74 not out; 144 balls, 8×4) ninth half-century and contributions from Martin Guptill (24) and Henry Nicolls (24) at the top order.

But post-lunch, the in-form Indian spinners ran through the Kiwi batting. Both Ashwin (3/82) and Jadeja (3/41) made mischief in tandem, joining in the party was the raw pace and swing of Mohammed Shami (3/46), who shaved off the lower order. Bhuvneshwar Kumar (1/28) claimed the remaining wicket.

Latham departed soon after tea, starting the slide. Ashwin’s mastery over his craft was on show as he floated an inviting delivery which forced the opener to drive away from his body giving a nick to wicketkeeper Saha.

Mitchell Santner (9) and B.J. Watling (1) followed suit in quick succession, Shami accounting for both the scalps.

Luke Ronchi (32; 60 balls, 4×4) fought briefly before Jadeja accounted for him, castling the 35-year old. Jeetan Patel (2) failed to replicate his first innings form, when he scored a gutsy 47, failing to comprehend the reverse swing generated from a good length ball by Buvneshwar.

Matt Henry (18) and Trent Boult (4) were cleaned up by Jadeja and Shami, respectively.

Earlier, India wrested back the second session from New Zealand as Ashwin and Jadeja took three wickets to deny the tourists any hope of a fightback at tea.

Latham staged a lone battle as top-order batsmen fell around him.

The hosts took 16 overs in the innings to get the first breakthrough. Ashwin pitched the ball fuller and it turned in from outside the off stump to catch Martin Guptill (24; 49 b, 3×4) off guard.

It was an important wicket just when the opening stand had started to look steady, engineering a partnership of 55 runs. The second-wicket stand between Latham and Henry Nicolls (24) was of 49 runs, helping the Kiwis reach 104 when Nicolls fell.

With the wicket offering a lot of turn, Jadeja made the most of it. Changing his angle to outfox Nicolls, who failed to come fully forward to cover the turn, the left-arm tweaker got the outside edge of Nicolls’ bat with Rahane taking the catch at first slip.

Ross Taylor, who is standing in for indisposed captain Kane Williamson, lasted only 26 minutes in which the right-hander scored just eight runs before falling to Ashwin’s guile, dismissed leg before wicket. Taylor played the wrong line leaving umpire Richard Kettleborough with an easy decision to make as the ball hit Taylor’s front pad.

Earlier, resuming at 227 for eight, India were all out for 263 in their second innings.

Wriddhiman Saha, who had run out of partners in the first innings after scoring 54, once again anchored the lower order, remaining not out at 58 (120 balls, 6×4) — his fourth Test half century.

The two overnight batsmen, Saha and Bhuvneshwar Kumar (23; 51 balls, 2×4, 1×6) were involved in a 56-run partnership that helped India cross the 250-mark and set New Zealand a target which no team has ever achieved in the fourth innings at the famed ground.

The stand was broken in the 10th over of the morning session when Bhuvneshwar misjudged the bounce of Neil Wagner’s delivery and offered an easy catch to short leg. It was Wagner’s 99th wicket in 25 Tests.

(IANS)

Dhaka: A last minute strike gave India a 5-4 victory in their final game against hosts Bangladesh and helped them lift the U-18 Men’s Asia Cup here today.

In what was almost a replay of the opening game, the two teams treated the fans to a thrilling nine-goal encounter with India emerging triumphant in the end to be crowned the champions.

India got off to a quick start and kept the ball in their possession as they searched for an opening to penetrate the rival circle.

Their approach paid off as they won their first Penalty Corner in the 6th minute itself. After an initial error, India recovered and improvised to take a shot on goal, but the attempt went in vain.

While India held the possession, Bangladesh waited for the counter. From a counter, the home team won a PC, and after the initial save by Pankaj Kumar Rajak, M Roman Sarkar netted the ball to give the hosts the lead.

India were quick to score the equaliser through Shivam Anand, who picked up a pass on the edge of the circle and cut back in, running past two Bangladesh defenders to execute a perfect reverse flick into the net.

India earned one more PC but yet another error denied them a goal.

From a counter Bangladesh ran through the midfield, before a cross from the left found Mohammad Mohsin, who deflected the ball to give the hosts a lead again to go into the break 2-1 up.

After the break, India levelled the scores via Hardik Singh’s PC before Dilpreet Singh netted the ball to hand the visiting team a 3-1 lead.

In a topsy turvy game, almost a replay of their opening encounter, Bangladesh equalised with Mohammed Ashraful Islam scoring a goal in the 60th minute.

But Ibungo Singh Konjengbam fired India back in the front again.

Bangladesh also fought back and Mahabub Hossain levelled the scores after a quick counter in the 64th minute.

With the scores tied 4-4 and the threat of a shootout looming, a quick counter saw Abhishek in the box and his deflection guided India to the title with just seconds to the hooter.

Hardik Singh was named the Man of the Match, while Pankaj Kumar Rajak was named the Best Goalkeeper of the tournament.

(PTI)

Dhaka: India outplayed Pakistan 3-1 to set up a title showdown with hosts Bangladesh in the Under-18 Asia Cup hockey tournament here on Thursday.

Forward Shivam Anand (7th minute), striker Dilpreet Singh (32nd) and captain Nilam Sanjeep Xess (46th) scored for India to make it 3-0 before Amjad Ali Khan pulled one back for Pakistan in the 63rd minute.

Both teams had scored a high number of goals in the group stage so an attacking encounter was expected. Both the team showcased their traditional counter-attacking game but India’s attack was more accurate, as was its timing.

India’s link-up play between the midfield and attack proved to be the difference in their strong start to the match. India drew first blood when Shivam Anand scored a field goal in the seventh minute.

Throughout the first half India and Pakistan attacked each other furiously, making several circle incursions. It was India who were more clinical in front of the goal, and three minutes from the end of the half they doubled their lead with a penalty corner goal by Dilpreet.

The second half had a similar start to the first, India on the ascendancy, controlling possession and applying the pressure.

Soon enough they won a penalty corner, and from the flick, a foul gave them a stroke. Waqar in Pakistan’s goal saved the stroke to keep his side in the game. Within minutes though, the third goal arrived, Sanjeep converting another penalty corner to give India a comfortable 3-0 lead.

At this point, it was a stroll in the park for the Indians who enjoyed their 3-0 lead. And Pakistan soon started capitulating under pressure, and two of their players were penalised for technical fouls in the latter stages of the game.

They managed to grab a goal back in the 63rd minute via Amjad, but it proved to be too little too late as India held on to take a 3-1 victory.

Indian midfielder Kunwardilraj Singh received the Man-of-the-Match award.

(IANS)

Tokyo: Indian tennis ace Sania Mirza and her Czech partner Barbora Strycova thrashed Chinas Chen Liang and Zhaoxuan Yang in straight sets to clinch the Pan Pacific womens doubles title here on Saturday.

In a lop-sided affair, the Indo-Czech pair defeated the Chinese 6-1, 6-1.

This is Sania’s 40th doubles title. She had earlier won the same title with Zimbabwe player Cara Black twice.

(IANS)

Kanpur: Tom Latham and Kane Williamson struck half-centuries to take New Zealand to a comfortable position before heavy rain forced match officials to call off the final session’s play on the second day of the first cricket Test against India here on Friday.

Latham (56 batting) and Williamson (66 batting) were the two New Zealand batsmen holding fort in the middle at the Green Park Stadium with the visitors on 152/1 in their first innings in response to India’s first innings total of 318 runs.

The duo held the Indian bowlers at bay and steadied the visitors’ innings following the early departure of the dangerous Martin Guptill (21).

New Zealand now trail the hosts by 166 runs with nine wickets remaining.

Latham had hit five boundaries so far during his patient 137-ball stay in the middle while Williamson had managed to find the ropes seven times in his 115-ball knock.

Fast bowler Umesh Yadav (1/22) was the only Indian to bag a wicket, trapping Guptill leg before.

Rain played spoilsport just as the players were about to leave the field for tea with a steady drizzle forcing the groundsmen to bring the covers out.

Resumption of play was subsequently postponed for an indefinite period.

With the rain continuing to lash the ground more than an hour after the tea interval, the match officials eventually decided to call it a day.

The ongoing Test is the 500th for India and the hosts will be eager for a win in order to make the occasion even more special.

India, who made their debut as a Test cricket playing nation against England in 1932, are also be targeting the top spot in the International Cricket Council’s (ICC) Test rankings by clinching the three-Test series.

A 1-0 or 2-1 win will take India to 111 points, similar to current top spot holder Pakistan but ahead of them on decimal points while a 2-0 win margin will see India surge ahead at 113 points.

A 3-0 win will move India to 115 points. New Zealand, which is currently on 95 points, will remain at the seventh position with any of these margins with the maximum drop to 91 points in case they lose all the three matches.

A 1-1 series draw will result in India dropping to the fourth position on 108 points and New Zealand rising to fifth on 97 points.

If New Zealand is able to beat India by 1-0 or 2-1, they will move to the fifth position at 100 points with India one slot ahead on fourth with 104 points. New Zealand can overtake India to take the fourth position only with an improbable 3-0 win.

Should India go to the top of the rankings, it would be the third time this year and fourth overall.

Earlier on Friday, with the pitch beginning to show signs of wear and tear, the Indian bowlers got a fair amount of turn and movement off the wicket.

But despite the challenging conditions, the New Zealand batsmen still managed to maintain a decent scoring rate.

Except for Yadav, the rest of the Indian bowlers — Mohammed Shami (0/26), Ravindra Jadeja (0/47), Ravichandran Ashwin (0/44) and Murali Vijay (0/5) — were unable to bag any wicket although there were quite a few close calls.

The visitors suffered their first blow in the 10th over with Guptill, who seemed to be in good form, beaten by an in-swinger from Yadav.

The ball moved very slightly after pitching around the off-stump before hitting Guptill’s pads plumb in front of the middle stump.

Guptill smashed three boundaries during his 31-ball knock.

Williamson then joined Latham in the middle and the duo ensured that the visitors lost no more wickets before lunch.

The duo continued to bat on steadily after lunch, finding the boundaries at regular intervals.

Ashwin bowled quite well, getting the ball to loop and dip in the air. He came close to bagging a wicket on a few occasions, most notably when Williamson was beaten by the vicious turn and the ball hit the back of his helmet. One of the helmet flaps came off and hit the stumps, but did not have enough force to disturb the bails.

Jadeja too beat the batsmen on several occasions and there were quite a few loud appeals for leg before.

The left-arm spinner will consider himself unlucky not to have got Latham’s wicket when the ball got the inside edge, hit the Kiwi’s boot and went to Lokesh Rahul at short leg.

Rahul managed to hold onto the ball after some initial fumble, but the third umpire ruled Latham not out as the ball had hit the grill of the fielder’s helmet.

During the morning session, the hosts were bowled out for 318 runs early on Day Two.

The Men in Blue scored 27 runs in seven overs to get past the 300-run mark in their historic 500th Test.

Resuming the day on 291/9, Ravindra Jadeja scored an unbeaten 42 from 44 balls with seven boundaries and a six, putting on an invaluable stand of 41 runs for the final wicket with Yadav, who survived 15 balls before gloving a short ball from pacer Wagner to New Zealand wicketkeeper Bradley-John Watling for nine runs.

For New Zealand, spinner Mitchell Santner (3/94) and fast bowler Trent Boult (3/67) claimed three wickets each, while Wagner (2/42) bagged a couple. Inderbir Singh Sodhi (1/50) and Mark Craig (1/59) got one wicket each.

(IANS)

Kanpur: India faltered after a sound start to their first innings as New Zealand banked on a strong bowling performance to grab the upper hand on the opening day of their first cricket Test here on Thursday.

Electing to bat after winning the toss, the Indians had a promising start to their innings, doing well in the pre-lunch session. But the Kiwi bowlers hit back, claiming eight wickets in the next two sessions for the hosts to finish the day at 291/9.

In the historic 500th Test match for India, Ravindra Jadeja and Umesh Yadav were at the crease at the close of play on 16 and eight runs, respectively.

For New Zealand, pacer Trent Boult (3/57) and left-arm spinner Mitchell Santner (3/77) picked up three wickets each while Neil Wagner (1/42), Mark Craig (1/59) and Indian-origin leg-spinner Inderbir Singh Sodhi (1/50) chipped in with a wicket apiece.

Most of the Indian batsmen fell to poor shots after misreading the turn or bounce of the ball rather than any top quality bowling by the visitors.

The Indians started off on a positive note with opener Lokesh Rahul hitting Boult for a couple of boundaries in the very first over of the series.

The New Zealand pacers recovered thereafter to restrict the flow of runs to some extent.

Rahul, however, continued to target Boult, hitting a couple of consecutive boundaries off the pacer in the seventh over.

The opener swept Santner for a six in the 11th over, but the spinner had his revenge off the very next ball when Rahul misread an outgoing delivery.

Rahul scored at a decent rate, posting 32 runs off 39 deliveries. His innings was studded with four boundaries and a six.

Cheteshwar Pujara then joined Murali Vijay in the middle and the duo negotiated the New Zealand bowling with skill and patience to ensure that the hosts went into the lunch break at a decent 105/1.

Santner was the only Kiwi bowler to bag a wicket in the morning session.

The rest of the Kiwi bowlers toiled away without reward under hot and humid conditions.

But whatever advantage the hosts had managed to claim was fritterred away in the post-lunch session as the Kiwi bowlers struck back to claim the crucial wickets of Vijay, Pujara and Indian skipper Virat Kohli.

Boult outfoxed Vijay in the very first over after lunch with a cross-seam short pitched delivery. The Indian opener was surprised by the extra bounce as the ball took the outer edge of his bat and travelled to where first slip should have been.

But the lack of a fielder at that position saved Vijay and the Kiwis could only watch as the ball raced to the boundary.

Santner bagged his second wicket when Pujara misread the spin on a slightly overpitched delivery which did not turn much after pitching. Pujara played for the spin, expecting it to turn towards the off-stump but only managed to offer a tame caught and bowled chance to Santner.

Kohli (9) seemed to be in good touch, hitting two boundaries during his short stay at the crease. But he fell to a rash shot, attempting to pull Wagner for a six. The Indian captain misjudged the bounce and the ball flew off the top edge for a relatively easy catch for Sodhi.

The Kiwis continued their resurgence after tea, clinching five wickets in the final session.

Craig sent back Ajinkya Rahane (18) shortly after the resumption when the batsman edged one to Tom Latham at short leg.

Rohit Sharma (35) and Ravichandran Ashwin (40) then tried to stitch together a partnership before the former attempted a rash shot off Santner, only to see Sodhi palm the catch at long on.

Wriddhiman Saha (0) and Ashwin soon went back in quick succession while Mohammed Shami’s (0) off-stump was uprooted by a beautiful delivery from Boult.

Earlier, Indian skipper Kohli won the toss and elected to bat in the first Test of the three-match series against New Zealand at the Green Park Stadium here.

India are playing their historic 500th Test. The hosts are playing with six batsmen, two fast bowlers and two spinners while the visiting New Zealand are playing with three spinners and two fast bowlers.

India have played 14 Tests under Kohli’s captaincy so far, winning 10 of them. The hosts will be eager to register their 11th win under Kohli and make the historic 500th Test a memorable one for cricket lovers in the country.

(IANS)