Shrivastava scores daddy hundred

Vidarbha captain unbeaten on 187, Ruikar batting 48; hosts 457-6 in first innings against Karnataka

 By Paritosh Pramanik

RESPONSIBILITY brings the best out of those who crave to excel. There are few who love performing under pressure. Vidarbha captain Shalabh Shrivastava belongs to that breed. He had done the same last year while scoring 97 against the same opposition at Mysore and on Friday, too, he continued his love affair with Karnataka, this time at VCA’s Jamtha Stadium.
What Vidarbha needed was big innings from overnight batsmen Faiz Fazal and Shrivastava. But where Fazal failed to convert his century into a big innings, Shrivastava dug deep to score his career’s second century on the second day of their Group A Ranji Trophy match.
Though Vidarbha scored only 213 runs in 89 overs on the day, it was a change in gameplan once they lost two middle-order batsmen in quick succession.
At stumps, the hosts were 457 for 6 from 189 overs. Shrivastava was still unbeaten on 187 with Sumit Ruikar giving him company on 48.
If the opening day belonged to Fazal, the second day was all about Shrivastava’s innings which revolved around one unfortunate and one silly run out decision.
A lot was expected from Fazal (147) but he could add only eight runs to his overnight tally as he nicked one to captain and keeper CM Gautam off HS Sharath.
Karnataka took the new ball on the second morning and the red cherry did the trick as Sharath managed to move it slightly away from Fazal. It kissed his bat and landed in keeper’s gloves.
Shrivastava, 75 overnight, negotiated the seam well in the first hour. He hit a straight boundary off Sharath to move into 90s. The carpet driven shot had both, power and timing. Shrivastava completed his century with a nudge to legside. His open arms celebrations showed how important this innings was for him as well as for the team. The Vidarbha captain did not stop there. He continued his dream innings and scored some beautiful boundaries, straight down, through covers and a couple to third man with deliberate nudges.
When it looked that Vidarbha would consolidate their position they suffered a blow in Rashmi Ranjan Parida (2) getting run out. Parida drove towards covers and immediately set off for a run only to be send back by Shrivastava. Abrar Kazi threw the ball to Gautam for a simple run out.
Former skipper Ranjit Paradkar and Shrivastava added another 54 runs for the sixth wicket and when it looked that the scoring rate would increase Paradkar was unfortunate to get run out. 
Shrivastava’s powerful straight drive got deflected off Kazi’s fingers into the stumps with Paradkar stranded outside the crease.
Shrikant Wagh, known for his flashy and hard hitting batting, failed to score as he managed only four from 37 deliveries before being caught at slips by Manish Pandey from a Sharath delivery. 
That forced Vidarbha to change their gameplan.
In between, Shrivastava completed his 150 from 367 deliveries as his partners changed at other end.
With Ruikar, Shrivastava managed to add unbeatable 88 runs for the eighth wicket.
Karnataka toiled for two days and looked mentally and physically tired. With no assist from pitch, Gautam used as many as eight bowlers. Frustration was writ large on their faces as they indulged in negative bowling after tea. 

The umpires even warned the Karnataka skipper but to no avail. Debutant Kazi bowled well giving 90 runs from 53 overs which included 18 maidens.
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We can take ten wickets on this pitch: Shalabh
n Principal Correspondent

VIDARBHA might have crawled to 457 for six on the second day and have lost the initiative of at least taking first innings lead against Karnataka but skipper Shalabh Shrivastava enthused confidence in his bowlers saying they were capable of taking ten wickets.
“Definitely, I would look for a double ton tomorrow. It is not yet decided when to declare innings but I have faith in my bowlers. We have Umesh Yadav who can bowl at a speed of more than 140 kmph. After fielding for two days Karnataka batsmen are tired and I am confident that our bowlers would trouble them,” Shrivastava said after the day’s play.
Shrivastava is on way to his maiden double hundred ending the day at 187. “I am happy with my performance. But I would rate by innings of 97 against the same opponents last year at Mysore higher because that team had better bowlers. They had R Vinay Kumar, Stuart Binny, Abhimanyu Mithun, Sharath. That innings was more satisfying,” said the Vidarbha skipper.

Shrivastava said they had to change their plan after losing quick wickets. “We lost Faiz early and then the two big wickets in Parida and Paradkar forced us to change our gameplan. Their departure forced me to play more responsibly and take the total past 450 without any further damage,” he mentioned.

Karnataka take three points from drawn tie

By Paritosh Pramanik

NOBODY had thought of such an exciting draw to this Ranji Trophy Group ‘A’ game between Vidarbha and Karnataka after first three days saw Vidarbha crawling to 542 and Karnataka responding solidly. Till the stroke of tea Karnataka had the three points for first innings lead in their sight till the game changed. Three wickets in 13 deliveries brought the hosts back in contention but in the end Karnataka’s tail proved more gritty than Vidarbha.
After a tense battle for almost 15 overs at the fag end of Sunday, Karnataka managed to take the first innings lead dashing Vidarbha’s hopes.
Karnataka were going strong till Umesh Yadav produced a breakthrough from nowhere at the stroke of tea. The rock-solid Lokesh Rahul, with a superb 158 in his bag, played on an incutter to his stumps and Vidarbha barged in soon.
This was the opening the tired Vidarbha team were waiting for. They pounced on the chance when off-spinner Akshay Wakhare got into the wicket-taking act removing Abhimanyu Mithun. With two wickets in space of eight balls there was sudden life in Vidarbha camp.
The hosts had toiled for whole afternoon with Rahul (158), Manish Pandey (69) and Ganesh Satish (42) piling on the agony.
Yadav added more drama with his reverse-swing when he trapped Satish plumb in front. Three wickets for three runs put Vidarbha in firm control. They needed another two wickets to earn three points, which was no where in their sight till tea break. 
But the Karnataka tail wagged as debutant Abrar Kazi (25*) and KP Appanna (32) added 92 runs for the ninth wicket to cross Mount 542 and take the honours.
With 291 runs still to score for lead, Rahul and Manish Pandey started the cloudy morning with flurry of boundaries as Vidarbha bowlers failed to take advantage of the overcast conditions. As the day progressed, the pair continued their demolition act, decorating their wagon wheels with fours to all parts of the field.
Barring Kunal Kapoor, who managed only five runs, every Karnataka batsman had boundaries against their name. That aggressive batting helped Karnataka ease pressure. Vidarbha bowlers looked clueless as they allowed Karnataka build partnerships one after another.
Two partnerships of over 100 runs and four partnerships of over 50 showed how strong the Karnataka batting line-up was. 
As for the hosts, their snail’s pace progress on the second day was the main reason for ‘losing’ this battle. Add to that, the club-level bowling, despite having one of India’s fastest bowlers in Yadav, did no good for them. Yadav bowled 34 overs, maximum by the three seamers Vidarbha used, but came into his rhythm pretty late. He finished with three wickets.
Left-arm seamer Shrikant Wagh was the most impressive bowler for the hosts. He created chances but the butter-fingered Vidarbha fielders dropped it. On the fourth day too, skipper Shalabh Shrivastava dropped his opposite number CM Gautam at slips off Wagh.
Shrivastava’s tactics, too, were surprising. When Karnataka were eight down he chose to employ a defensive field. That allowed the Number 9 and 10 gain confidence.
With this draw, Vidarbha have lost the initiative of climbing on the points table. It will get more difficult from here on as they would now play all their matches away. The first big test is coming in four days’ time against champions Mumbai at Wankhede. Vidarbha will have to immediately arrest their problems if they want to put some decent fight in next 30 days.
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Vid skipper Shalabh lashes out at indisciplined bowlers
Principal Correspondent

NO CAPTAIN would be happy if his bowlers concede 61 boundaries and seven sixes from 149 overs. Vidarbha skipper Shalabh Shrivastava was no different in putting the blame on his bowlers, which included one of the fastest bowlers Umesh Yadav.
Karnataka scored 286 runs from boundaries and sixes to take three points from first innings lead after the hosts had posted 542 in their innings.
“Our bowlers did not bowl according to plan. They were indisciplined. While Karnataka bowlers bowled tight line and length, our bowlers failed to stick to it,” said Shrivastava after game.
“Karnataka have a strong batting line-up. You have to be very tight while bowling which our bowlers failed to do. We gave too much of width and there were short deliveries too.”
Karnataka centurion KL Rahul said his side was confident of crossing 542. “We were confident of crossing that target. We have a very strong batting line-up and today the way we batted showed how close we are as a team,” said Rahul about the partnerships they made in the match. But the way he got out irked the right-hander. “I was disappointed with the way I got out. It has happened to me earlier also. But overall, I am satisfied with my innings,” he said. Rahul said their plan was the see off Umesh Yadav and target others. “We wanted to see off his (Yadav’s) overs and target others. But we managed to pick runs from him also which helped us. We all played with a positive mindset,” he said.

Karnataka go full throttle

Visitors score quick runs on Day Three as Vidarbha bowlers disappoint

n By Paritosh Pramanik

THE two days’ toil in the middle seemed nothing for Karnataka. Openers Robin Uthappa and Mayank Agarwal clobbered a hapless Vidarbha bowling in their pursuit of taking first innings lead on the third day of their Ranji Trophy Group A match at VCA’s Jamtha Stadium on Saturday.
At stumps on Day Three, Karnataka were 252 for 2, needing another 291 runs to take crucial first innings lead. The manner in which they scored those runs in 62 overs gives a belief to Karnataka to earn three points.
Vidarbha skipper Shalabh Shrivastava had enthused confidence of taking ten Karnataka wickets. But the way things panned out on Saturday it will take a real special effort from his bowlers to prove Shrivastava right.
Vidarbha were banking on tearaway pacer Umesh Yadav. What was on offer was his pale shadow. He failed to intimidate Karnataka openers with his pace even once. He was wayward, spraying deliveries down leg stump and never came close to taking a wicket.
The flat wicket was definitely an added advantage to Karnataka. But what stood out was the way they started the chase despite facing a mountain of 542.
Karnataka openers wasted no time in reducing the gap, scoring at a rate of over five. Uthappa, who missed two matches due to injury, used this game as the best platform to gain his confidence and form.
Uthappa and Mayank Agarwal played with intent as they knocked off 50 runs from just 14.2 overs. There were boundaries hit all over the field as both batsmen clobbered the pedestrian attack.
The openers added 137 runs and Uthappa hit a brutal 86 from just 96 balls before being brilliantly caught by Shrivastava at short covers. He tried to hit Akshay Wakhare over covers but Shrivastava timed his leap to pouch a brilliant catch. The India discard hit 13 boundaries and a six in his short but entertaining stay.
Other seamers Amol Junghade and Shrikant Wagh also failed to trouble the batsmen. Wagh, though gave Vidarbha three chances. But all went in vain. Two came in one over, first when Faiz Fazal dropped Uthappa at point and then the opener’s edge went between wicketkeeper Amol Ubarhande and Rashmi Ranjan Parida at slip.
The strike rate fell marginally after Uthappa’s departure but after tea Agarwal took charge. He hit spinner Sumit Ruikar for two successive sixes and raced to 48 with an exquisite cover drive off Wagh. A pull to fine leg gave him a well deserved half century.
Fortune had favoured Agarwal when on 58 when Ubarhande dropped a sitter off Wagh. The frustrated bowler sent down the next ball down the leg for four byes.
Agarwal missed out on century after being caught at long-on by Wakhare off Ruikar.
KL Rahul and Manish Pandey continued to pile runs. Rahul scored seven sweetly-timed boundaries as he raced to his half century in 94 balls.
Earlier in the morning, Shrivastava could add only six runs to his overnight 187. After surviving a drop in the slip, he edged one again in the same over to CM Gautam. Later Yadav hit three sixes as the tail went for slog. 

The last day promises an interesting battle for three valuable points.

Fazal unconquered, Vidarbha solid

By Paritosh Pramanik

IMMEDIATELY after completing his century Vidarbha opener Faiz Fazal took a fresh guard and continued the way he started in the morning. There was hardly any animated celebration after his well-timed shot through mid-wicket raced to the fence assisting him complete a commanding century. It helped the hosts score 244 for two on the opening day of their Ranji Trophy match against Karnataka.
A punch from his left fist followed by acknowledgment towards the pavilion, a handshake with partner and captain Shalabh Shrivastava (75*) and Fazal was back at crease.
Fazal, unbeaten on 139, became the first and only Vidarbha batsman to score two centuries in one Ranji season.
As the shadows lengthened, the opener suffered cramps which forced him play a bit defensive. That was bound to happen as the southpaw ran hard and picked runs from every Karnataka bowler. His well crafted unbeaten century gave Vidarbha a good start but they still need more to test the strong Karnataka batting line-up.
The 28-year-old left-handed Vidarbha opener was concentration personified. Hardly anything bothered him. Amidst the eerie silence in an empty 42,000 capacity Jamtha stadium, the only buzz was around Fazal with Karnataka players cheering their bowlers and fielders. However, that failed to disturb Fazal’s focus. He created his own surrounding where nothing mattered. Faiz had scored 44 runs when he saw his opening partner Akshay Kolhar (0) and Amol Ubarhande (18) back in hut cheaply. Still, Fazal continued with his sublime form. The century in the last game against Odisha helped him in building confidence, which the Karnataka bowlers failed to deter.
There were gentle flicks to the fine-leg boundary, a couple of backfoot punches through covers and square of the wicket, a dab between slips to frustrate Karnataka pacers. All of his boundaries, 21 so far in an unconquered innings, were gems and a treat to watch.
Karnataka bowlers, Abhimanyu Mithun and S Sharath hardly troubled Fazal as he picked runs quite easily from the seamers. An excellent wrist work off Mithun saw Fazal score his first boundary. As the game progressed, he hit some audacious cover drives too to pile agony on Karnataka.
With nothing to offer from wicket, even Karnataka spinners failed to get any assist. The ball came quite easily on bat and Fazal had ample time to go on backfoot and gather runs. He completed his half century off a backfoot punch through covers from a Mayank Agrawal delivery that raced to boundary. Fazal got an able ally in skipper Shrivastava who rotated the strike and helped the opener reduce pressure.
Shrivastava too showed his class with some exquisite cover drives after a shaky start. 
He did not waste time and drove one from spinner Abrar Kazi to cover to mark his arrival. At the stroke of tea, the Vidarbha captain completed his half century from 137 balls with six fours.
The last session of the day again belonged to the hosts. Fazal and Shrivastava ruled the 22-yard strip demoralising Karnataka bowlers with their chanceless innings. They have added unbeaten 181 runs for the third wicket.
With both well settled and the wicket failing to help bowlers, Vidarbha would have to put up a mammoth total before they ask Karnataka
to bat.

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‘Need to bat throughout the day tomorrow’
n Principal Correspondent 

VIDARBHA opener Faiz Fazal, who re-wrote a few records on the first day of their Ranji Trophy match against Karnataka, said their plan is now to bat whole day on Friday and put up a huge total.
Fazal became the first Vidarbha batsman to score seven centuries in Ranji Trophy overtaking the record from Yogesh Ghare who had five to his name. He also became the first Vidarbha batsman to score two centuries in one Ranji season. To add icing to the cake, Fazal also became the top scorer in this Ranji season with a total of 442 runs so far leaving behind Kerala’s Sanju Samson (420 runs) and Maharashtra’s Kedar Jadhav (415 runs). Talking after the day’s play, the opener said, “We would like to bat whole day tomorrow and put up a big score. The wicket is helping batsmen and there won’t be an outright result so we would like to bat whole day and score big.”
On his own form, the southpaw said that he was more determined this time than earlier. “Last year I squandered some great opportunities. But this time I was more determined to perform well. Playing in ‘V’ was very crucial for me and I tried to do the same today,” said Fazal who is unbeaten on 139.
The opener also praised his captain Shrivastava with whom he added unbeaten 181 runs for the third wicket. “It was because of Shalabh I managed to score century. He supported me very well and himself played brilliantly,” added Fazal. 

Vidarbha take on mighty Karnataka

By Paritosh Pramanik

THIS is the crucial stage before ‘half-time’ for Vidarbha. A demoralising defeat in their opener at the hands of Gujarat followed by a morale-boosting victory over Haryana and a tame draw against Odisha, Vidarbha Ranji Trophy team has tasted everything that could be served on platter, that too in their own den.
After the three mixed results, Vidarbha face a mighty Karnataka in their last outing at home from November 21 at Jamtha Stadium and they would love to make most of the home conditions.
It would be an interesting battle between the two sides as both have gained strength with arrival of their respective India players. Karnataka got a Robin Uthappa boost, who missed the first two games due to hamstring strain while India pacer Umesh Yadav is back after being a bench warmer during the two-Test Sachin Tendulkar’s farewell series against the West Indies.
Uthappa showed no signs of discomfort in the nets on Wednesday as he batted for more than 25 minutes under the watchful eyes of coach J Arun Kumar.
For the hosts, Yadav’s return will give more power to their bowling attack. Yadav would be supported by in-form seamer Shrikant Wagh. The southpaw has so far taken 12 wickets from three games. Looking at the 22-yard strip, which hardly has any green on it, it seems Vidarbha would opt for an extra batsman. Yadav and Wagh would be the opening bowlers for sure with Amol Junghade likely to be the third 
seamer.
Azhar Sheikh, who failed with both bat and ball against Odisha, in all probability, would lose his place.
Lanky spinner Akshay Wakhare, who took eight wickets against Haryana, is likely to be the specialist spinner along with Sumit Ruikar.
Opener Faiz Fazal, with a century under his belt against Odisha, is the highest scorer for Vidarbha in three matches with 303 runs. He will have a new opening partner in wicket-keeper Amol Ubarhande who, too, looked confident in the last two matches.
“Amol has done well and we would stick to the same opening pair,” said coach Sairaj Bahutule.
A lot would depend on professionals Hemang Badani and Rashmi Ranjan Parida. They had a forgettable start to their season but have shown what they are capable of in the next two games. Both scored half centuries in both innings against Haryana and Odisha.
“It’s good to have seniors like them (Badani and Parida). We three are experienced and are trying to give as much as we can to these youngsters,” remarked Bahutule.
As for Karnataka, it’s a big boost with India discard Uthappa coming back. But they would miss last game’s centurion Stuart Binny who has an injured right knee. With R Vinay Kumar doing India duties, Karnataka would be led by 27-year-old wicketkeeper Chidhambaram Muralidharen Gautam.
In first two matches, Mayank Agrawal impressed with a composed 90 in his debut game against Jharkhand.
They have a strong middle-order with Manish Pandey, Kunal Kapoor and Gautam himself in fine touch. The bowling department would be spearheaded by medium pacers Kotarangada Prabhu Appanna and S Aravind.
For Vidarbha, it all depends on how they take advantage of home conditions. The result of this game would evaluate where they stand at ‘half-time’.
Teams (from): Vidarbha: Shalabh Shrivastava (Captain), Amol Ubarhande (wk), Hemang Badani, Faiz Fazal, Rashmi Ranjan Parida, Akshay Wakhare, Ranjit Paradkar, Sumit Ruikar, Umesh Yadav, Amol Junghade, Akshay Kolhar, Urvesh Patel, Azhar Sheikh, Ravi Thakur. Coach: Sairaj Bahutule.
Karnataka: CM Gautam (capt & wk), Mayank Agarwal, Robin Uthappa, Lokesh Rahul, Kunal Kapoor, Manish Pandey, Ganesh Satish, Abhimanyu Mithun, Hosagivappa Shivalingaiah Sharath, Sreenath Aravind, Kotarangada Prabhu Appanna, Karun Nair, Ravikumar Samarth, Abrar Kazi, Ronit More. Coach: J Arun Kumar.
Umpires: Rohan Pandit, Rajesh Deshpande. Third Umpire: Sanjay Hazare.

Cracker of a contest explodes in celebrations

BY PARITOSH PRAMANIK, ANUPAM SONI, RAHUL DIXIT

ALL eager to soak up the atmosphere that a One-Day International brings with it, cricket fans in the city did not miss even a single opportunity on Wednesday. After all they were witnessing a live game after over two years. The last ODI was played in March 2011 when India lost to South Africa in a World Cup game.
Charged-up fans were entertained by some big hitters from both sides during the run riot. And they entertained themselves too in the stands. All the fun associated with a One-Dayer was back at Jamtha. There was noise, there were slogans, there were screams and there were those Mexican waves. Even as the Aussies plundered the Indian bowlers, the fans were indulged in their own match, coming up with new slogans and tricks, to keep the Indian team going.
When the Indians began to return the compliment it was mayhem. Over 43,000 cheered on the Men in Blue bringing the place alive.

FALSE ALARMS
There were some false alarms, too, when the crowd used all their high-fives twice on the fall of Aussie wicket but later realised it was a no-ball. The decibel level touched the roof when Shane Watson was caught by Rohit Sharma off Ravindra Jadeja. However, a hush followed when the umpire called back the batsman ruling it a no-ball after checking with the third umpire. The free-hit that followed had George Bailey caught. It only evoked a sarcastic laugh.
Towards the end of the innings Adam Voges holed out off the same bowler but the celebrations were cut short as Jadeja was the culprit of bowling a no-ball yet again.

ONE-DAY OF 
QUICK BUCKS

It was also the day for making a few quick bucks for the petty vendors. By selling Indian flags at pretty high rates they, too, went home a happy lot. They were not only near the stadium but were seen in the city too. There were many with flags and paints in their hands around 6 kms away from Jamtha selling the tricolor to Indian supporters at a price of Rs 200 and above. The rates went northwards and as one neared the stadium. Interestingly, fans were ready to shell out money and there was hardly any bargaining.

‘JAM’ SESSION

Vehicles moved at snail’s pace on the Nagpur-Hyderabad Highway, the main approach road to Jamtha Stadium. Two-wheelers and four-wheelers made a bee-line that stretched to as long as four kms. Those failing to reach the stadium well ahead of time failed to witness the fine century made by Shane Watson. But with India batting second, footfalls continued till the 40th overs of the Australian innings.

COPPING IT UP!

The security was too tight at the Jamtha stadium and none of the spectators was allowed to carry any ‘banned’ substance. But lack of proper briefing to the policemen made it difficult for the official scorers as well as a few journalists.
Cops deployed at the gate did not allow scorers to take laptop, calculators and other equipment inside the stadium. They had only one answer: “We were ordered not to allow anybody to carry anything with them.”
Similarly, scribes too were asked not to take laptops inside. After several minutes of heated arguments, the cops relented and scorers and journos were permitted to carry their ‘valuables’. Hope they are properly briefed next time.

CRICKET SCORES A GOAL

The cricket fever was so high in the city that it also had an impact on other sports. The local football matches for the day had to be cancelled in view of the One-Dayer. Giving in to the love for cricket the organizers decided to put off the game for Wednesday in an afternoon decision.

ISHANT STILL
THE VILLIAN

People are just in no mood to forgive Ishant Sharma for his infamous 30-run over in Mohali that sealed India’s fate. The cyberspace was agog with jokes on the lanky pacer for days together. He was not picked in the playing XI for the next game at Ranchi and not even here. But people still had taunts for him whenever he was out for practice.
However, things took a bad turn when a spectator hurled a pouch at Ishant during the innings break when the bowler was practicing along with fellow pacer Jaydev Unadkat near one stand. Nothing serious was reported though.

Ready for a swap!

Bored in the glass confines, a few cricket enthusiasts, who purchased higher denomination tickets, were ready to swap their costly tickets for the stands. “Mahual ka kuch maza hi nahi aa raha,” they said. Whether they succeeded in their attempt could not be ascertained.

Jam helps cops relax

When Bhuvneshwar Kumar bowled first over of the match, Jamtha was not house full. Spectators were queued up for about two kilometres outside the stadium. With seats empty, police personnel, security men and even MIDC Fire Service team members, who made their debut at Jamtha, occupied the chairs and relaxed.
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Virat, the 
next big thing
Virat Kohli seems to be the most popular Indian cricketer theses days. It was confirmed at Jamtha. The young player, a certain future Indian skipper, attracted maximum crowd attention. There would be chants of Veeeeeeeeeeeerat.... Veeeeeeeeeeeerat....whenever he fielded a ball or came to man the boundary ropes. The Delhi player responded to the chants by either waving, clapping or a namaste.
His respect for good performance too was on the view. Virat kept clapping till Bailey disappeared in the pavilion after getting out at 156 even as Nagpurians gave the batsman a standing ovation.
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It’s action time!

By Paritosh Pramanik

THERE was a serene calmness with just a few policemen standing at a paan kiosk at the turning of the Jamtha cricket stadium on Nagpur-Hyderabad Highway. But as one moved towards the stadium the men in ‘khakhi’ multiplied into hundreds. The 45,000 capacity stadium was readying to take shape of a fortress. It will resemble one when the much-hyped One-Dayer between India and Australia will begin on Wednesday at 1.30 pm.
As the teams slugged out a day prior to the match in the nets the policemen deployed at the stadium took the opportunity to capture the cricketing heroes from close distance in their smartphones.
More than 500 policemen were enjoying Indian team’s nets session. Most of them, laced with smartphones, were busy capturing their favourite cricketer in their mobiles. There was no public to guard and the men in ‘khakhi’ used the opportunity to savour the moment.
However, the situation would be exactly different on Wednesday when India and Australia square up in what is called a do-or-die game for India.
Indian team is trailing the seven-match series 1-2 and a win here at Nagpur would keep them alive in the series. 
The tranquillity of the area would be replaced by boisterous fans who would descend at the venue to cheer Team India. To support Men in Blue, spectators from Nagpur and nearby areas and states would occupy their seats well in advance, hours before the start.
The stage is set for the all-important game.
After clearing all the hurdles which came in the way of hosting this ODI, VCA officials are more than satisfied with the huge response from the spectators.
It’s a sold-out game and it would be deafening on Wednesday when Mahendra Singh Dhoni’s men walk out in the middle.
Both the teams had their last practice sessions on Tuesday with India occupying the field first. 
Unlike Monday, the nets session was not that rigorous.
While the batsmen batted in the nets spinner Ravichandran Ashwin and seamers Mohd Shami and R Vinay Kumar had an extended session at the 22-yard strip adjacent to the main wicket. 
All the bowlers were seen targeting single stump under the watchful eyes of bowling coach Joe Dawes.
Ashwin later said it was not any special session for the bowlers. “It is not about any special session. We needed to do something specific for our own self rather than just go in there and keep bowling to the batter. We thought that we needed a bit of a break, needed a change in the way we are practising,” he said adding, “So we thought that we will try and do some spot bowling, try and take the onus away from what the batsman is doing. We were trying to work on more mental space, a good space to be in before a game.”
Later in the afternoon session, it was Australians who did their nets. 
Hard-hitting batsman Shane Watson and others were given throw downs and they clobbered balls into the stands on numerous occasion.
The same might be seen on Wednesday from batsmen from both the side as the track looks like a batsmen’s paradise.
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ROHIT’S DILEMMA
After the net session in the morning Rohit Sharma was all eager to catch the action between Mumbai and Haryana in the Ranji Trophy. The match, under way at Lahli in Haryana, is being telecast live. Rohit, a key Mumbai player, wanted to follow his team’s fortunes but the television set in the dressing room had only one channel that was re-running an old game.
Rohit tried his best himself, changing the channels, and then requesting the officials at the dressing room but to no avail. He could catch up the action live only after returning to the team hotel.
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60 buses to Jamtha
FOR the convenience of spectators, 60 star buses would ply on match day from Sitabuldi to Jamtha and back on Wednesday starting from 11 am. The one way fare will be Rs 20 per person. Two buses would start from VCA Civil Lines Stadium at 11 am while 30 buses would start from Bhagini Mandal, Variety Square from 11 00 am onwards.
All the buses will start returning from Jamtha to Sitabuldi after completion of the match.

Don’t know what is a bad performance: Skipper Dhoni

By Paritosh Pramanik
NAGPUR, Oct 30

THE massive chase of 350 plus runs for the second time in the series has confused Indian captain Mahendra Singh Dhoni whether his bowlers have bowled poorly or their performance was good.
India, after chasing 359 at Jaipur, overwhelmed another 350-run target with six wickets in hand to level the series 2-2 against Australia at VCA Jamtha. “I am confused whether 80 runs in 10 overs or 60 runs in 10 overs is good or bad performance. I don’t know whether the bowle

rs bowled badly or not. Because we also chased the same target in same number of overs,” said Dhoni after the victory.
“The new rules are really hard on the bowlers. We are yet to figure out how to use our bowlers. But in last 20-40 years we have seen that bowlers are the ones who adapt quickly. So the bowlers will learn quickly,” he added.
Virat Kohli scored an unbeaten 115 runs to make the chase look easy and the Indian captain rightly praised the Delhi batsman’s innings.
“Virat’s innings was excellent. He has grown up as a player. He has grabbed the opportunity with both hands and he loves to perform. The chase was very difficult but he made it look so easy,” said the Indian captain.
“Virat’s got aggression and he is channelising it very beautifully. He is an outstanding player and eager to perform every time,” Dhoni added.
Though Kohli played an outstanding innings, Dhoni did not fail to laud opener Rohit Sharma’s innings.
“We are talking about only Virat but Rohit played really well. He and Shikhar (Dhawan) laid the platform for the chase. The way they started nobody thought that we would chase that target but they played a big role in this win. The most important was they kept the wickets intact,” said Dhoni.
BAILEY STANDS BY 
HIS BOWLERS
Australian captain George Bailey was lost for words but said Australia gave a tough fight and he was happy with the performance of his bowlers.
“I don’t know what to say. All credits to Virat Kohli. He snatched the game away from us. But I am not disappointed with my bowlers. They bowled really well,” said Bailey.
With the new rules Bailey said chasing big totals was becoming quite easy.
“With new rules, chasing 350 plus scores is now like chasing 290-300s. But Mitch (Johnson) and other bowlers really bowled well. You can’t do much in such a situation (only four fielders outside circle).
He even praised Indian bowlers who were clobbered by himself and Watson. “I don’t think India’s bowling is too weak. They are world class bowlers and even they can’t do much in such conditions. It’s really hard on the bowlers,” said Bailey.

Bailey banks on high confidence

By Paritosh Pramanik
NAGPUR, Oct 29

THE smile on the face of Australian captain George Bailey said it all. Any team, coming to India and giving a tough fight to the hosts, would feel proud of their efforts. Australians are no different. Leading the seven-match series 2-1, Australian skipper looked relaxed and replied all the queries with a bright smile.
A satisfied-looking Bailey said the team’s confidence was high after their two wins at Pune and Mohali and they were looking to another good fight on Wednesday.
“We are very happy to be 2-1 up. We have played some very good cricket. We look forward to tomorrow’s game. The three (finished) games have been outstanding. We are finding a lot of confidence at the moment. That stems from the way the tour has gone so far,” Bailey said.
Bailey, who was named captain after Michael Clarke was ruled out due to injury, said he tends to be happy most of the time. “I am quite happy most of the time. I am enjoying the tour. We are playing some good cricket.”.
With over 100-plus average in the current series, the Australian captain was all praise for his other team-mates because of whom they managed to post 300-plus totals in almost all the matches. “We have been pretty consistent with our batting and probably most important is, we are clear about our roles over the last 6-7 games (going back to series v England),” he said.
The 31-year-old hinted that there won’t be any changes in his playing eleven since the team was performing exceedingly well. Seldom a team gets a chance to stick with the same eleven in such a big series, he said. “You will not have the opportunity to do it every time. It’s no surprise to pick players who have been doing well and not make many changes.”
Like any other player Bailey sympathised with the bowlers who are at the receiving end due to the change in the ODI rule.
“The way the rules are, they are certainly challenging for the bowlers. They have to keep a plan every time they are bowling and still some balls will travel the distance. That’s the nature of the game. The challenge is to be consistent with their approach mentally, make sure they have a plan and execute it to the best of their ability,” Bailey concluded.

‘India under no pressure’

By Paritosh Pramanik
NAGPUR, Oct 29 

THE sixth One-Day International between India and Australia might be crucial and important for the hosts, who are trailing 1-2, but spinner Ravichandran Ashwin said that team-mates were relaxed and under no pressure.
“It’s been a good tight series so far. It has been pretty relaxed inside the Indian dressing room. There’s no pressure as such. We are just going to enjoy the game. This game is going to be crucial so we just want to enjoy it and see where we can take it,” said Ashwin on the eve of the must-win game for India.
Indian bowlers are at the receiving end in the series so far. The Australians have plundered almost all bowlers. Ashwin stressed that all bowlers were working hard on certain areas to improve.
“There are always areas on which you can work upon on, so constantly looking to improve on that...Bowling more and more because that’s the only way you can get better. Name of the game is to keep improving so just doing that,” he explained.
Ashwin admitted that the Australians are very strong in batting and have scored big runs with some risky shots. However, he assured that Indian bowlers would try to counter them in the next two games.
“It is the trend of the series. We have been chasing down big scores. We have chased down 360. The score has predominately been around 300. Any team that has batted first has predominately got around 300-run mark. It’s definitely challenging in terms of what the batsmen are doing. They are going for their shots. They are playing the high risk shots, the credit needs to be given,” said the lanky spinner.
On the new ODI rules Ashwin said, “The demands of the games are such that you have to keep evolving as a player. Till the decision-making is not in my court I cannot do much about it. So whatever decisions have been made I have to try to cope up with it. I’m sure all the cricketers are doing the same and there’s not much you can do about it.”
Indians have been poor fielders and have dropped catches at crucial times in the series. But Ashwin said it is part and parcel of the game.
“These things do happen in the game. A couple of catches go down and it catches with other fielders and soon it becomes the trend of the day. But you don’t have to worry too much about it as long as you are putting in the hard yards,” he said.

We want to wrap up the series here itself: Doherty

By Paritosh Pramanik
NAGPUR, Oct 28

WITH their nose ahead in the seven-match series, Australia want to seal the issue on Wednesday itself and do not want to leave it for the last game at Bangalore.
After last two games were marred by rains at Ranchi and Cuttack, Australia and India will fight it out in the sixth match of the series here at VCA Jamtha on October 30. The day-night encounter holds more significance for India as a win here for would make it Even Stevens and both the teams would move to the Bangalore for the ‘final’.
But Australian spinner Xavier Doherty wants his side to wrap up the series here itself and not wait till the Bangalore game.
“We want to wrap it here. We want to win this game in Nagpur itself,” said the Australian after the visitors had a strenuous practice session at Jamtha on Monday 
morning.
Doherty said they were not thinking about Bangalore game and fully concentrating on the game at hand. “Bangalore is not in our mind. We have come here to win. We have been playing good cricket so far and as I said we will be looking to wrap it up here. Being 2-1 up is pretty good position than being 1-2 down,” he said.
The 30-year-old spinner was happy with the way he has bowled in the series so far, especially to Mahendra Singh Dhoni.
The Indian captain has failed to score a single boundary off Doherty from 80 deliveries from four matches. Apart from that Doherty’s average of 5.63 too is commendable in this high-scoring series.
But the left-armer does not want to get carried away by the stats. “Well, stats do lie sometimes. I think I haven’t bowled to MSD in last five overs that’s why the stat (favour me). We all know that MSD is one of the best power-hitters of the world,” replied Doherty with a smile.
The Australian said with 1-2 down in the series, India were definitely under pressure.
“It’s obviously a very crucial game for India. We don’t want to take it to the last game. They are under pressure and we would like to maintain it,” he said.
Doherty was surprised with the wickets which do not assist spinners as they did when the Australians travelled here for Test series.
“When flying out of Australia I was expecting some turning tracks. Like the ones we faced during the Test series here… the pitch here (in Nagpur) looks like it will turn, so looking forward to it,” he said.