Ind vs SA: Tendulkar's ton goes in vain as India lose by three wickets

Sachin Tendulkar scored his sixth World Cup century, but India ended on the losing side. South Africa chased down 297 with three wickets and two balls to spare during their World Cup Group B match at the Vidarbha Cricket Association Ground in Nagpur on Saturday. Score | Photos | Video

The match went down to the wire with South Africa needing 13 runs in the last over with Robin Peterson and Faf du Plessis at the crease.

The first ball was swept for four by Robin Peterson off Ashish Nehra even as skipper MS Dhoni scrambled behind the stumps.

The second took the aerial route off Peterson's bat and ended up past the fence with a six on board. In came a Yorker that was sent for a couple and finally a four by Peterson saw South Africa put 300/7 on board.

This despite the fact that paceman Zaheer Khan scalped South Africa skipper Graeme Smith in the 9th over of the innings. Smith wanted to play a big won but ended up giving an easy catch to Sachin Tendulkar at mid-off. He fell to 16 and South Africa fell to 41/1.

Post Smith's wicket, Hashim Amla and Jacques Kallis batted on to frustrate the India bowlers. Their partnership helped South Africa cross 100-run mark. Clearly the two didn't want to give India any room.

Amla even got a life when Yuvraj Singh dropped him off Harbhajan Singh at mid-wicket. Luckily for Harbhajan Singh Amla fell in his next over. He was deceived by Harbhajan's Shing's extra bounce that took the edge of his bat to bat in skipper M.S. Dhoni's gloves behind the stumps. He scored 61 and South Africa at the stage was 127/2 in 28 overs.

Soon Kallis and AB de Villiers got on with another partnership. But, the two had put 46 runs together on board that Kallis got run out in Zaheer Khan's over. Skipper MS Dhoni collected the ball from Harbhajan Singh and removed the bails even as TV replays showed that he was clearly short. Kallis fell for 69 and South Africa fell to 173/3.

It seemed that partnerships had become the norm for the day with every batsman aiming for that. And AB de Villiers and J.P. Duminy too aimed for that. He two put on 50 runs for the fourth wicket. But, just when de Villiers was beginning to look dangerous Harbhajan Singh got the better of him. De Villiers wanted the ball to cross the boundary, but it ended up getting lodged in the safe hands of Virat Kohli in the deep for 52. And South Africa lost their fourth wicket at the score of 223 in the 41st over.

India offie Harbhajan Singh was gradually getting in the groove. He had already calimed two wickets and added another one to his tally by claiming Duminy in the 43rd over. Skipper Dhoni performed the final rites by stumping him on 23. South Africa were 238/5 at the stage.

The pacers too displayed their ware. And it was Munaf Patel, who got the opportunity to do that by trapping Morne van Wyk leg-before on 5 and reduce the Proteas to 274/6 on the last ball of the 44th over.

But Harbhajan got to keep the accolades to himself. Just when Johan Botha was charging away at his balls scoring a four and six off his bowling in the 48th over, a short fell short of the boundary and Suresh Raina came under it and soon Botha was walking back on 23. South Africa were 279/7 at the stage.

Finally, Robin Peterson and Faf du Plessis helped their team home without loosing another wicket. And South Africa won by three wickets.

India innings

Earlier, Sachin Tendulkar scored a ton, but post his dismissal India batting line-up folded within a span of 36 runs as South African paceman Dale Steyn claimed five wickets to restrict India to 296 all out.

Master Blaster Sachin Tendulkar and Virender Sehwag charged down at the South African bowlers from the word go after India skipper Mahendra Singh Dhoni won the toss. The two helped India cross 100-run mark and in the process completed their half-centuries.

But, there was more to come as clearly the two were enjoying their stay in the middle and scoring at a brisk rate. The do put on 142 runs for the first wicket before Sehwag fell. He scored an impressive 73 off just 66 balls hitting 12 fours on the way.

In the 18th over a Faf du Plessis' ball finally broke their partnership. Sehwag wanted to cut Faf for a boundary but the ball didn't have enough turn and a thin edge got carried towards his stumps. Finally there was uproar in the South African camp.

Post Sehwag's dismissal, Sachin Tendulkar and Gautam Gambhir got on with another partnership. Tendulkar went on to complete his 48th ODI ton, which is also his 99th international century. This was his sixth World Cup century - the highest by any batsman.

After posting his century Tendulkar too walked back with his head held high. He scored 111 off just 101 balls hitting eight fours and three sixes on the way. First he completed a 142 runs partnership with Sehwag by his side and then went on score 125 runs for the second wicket with Gautam Gambhir, before falling to Morne Morkel.

He was on charge and went for a big hit off Morkel in the 40th over, but ended up hooling a catch at point to J.P. Duminy. India were 267/2 at the stage.

Post his wicket, the South African bowlers pressed further and claimed two quick wickets in the form of Gautam Gambhir and Yusuf Pathan. Dale Steyn had them both in the 41st over of the innings.

But that wasn't the end of the tale as soon South African pacers got busy counting scalps. It seemed as if they were just waiting for Sachin Tendulkar to complete his ton before tightening the noose. For when the Master Blaster was at the crease it seemed that India would go on to post a 320-plus figure, but post his dismissal India's fortunes took a U-turn.

After Styen scalped Gambhir and Pathan. He got on with more devastation claiming Harbhajan Singh and Ashish Nehra and Munaf Patel to finish off with a five wicket haul.

And as things would have it India could not even cross the 300-run mark and were all out for 296. Skipper Mahendra Singh remained unbeaten on 12.

Source: http://indiatoday.intoday.in/site/Story/132111/sports/ind-vs-sa-match-report.html

World Cup: India defeat Ireland by 5 wickets

BANGALORE: An Indian victory at theChinnaswamy Stadium on Sunday was never in doubt and so their five-wicket win did not come as a surprise to anyone. But the fact is that Irelandran India somewhat close, far closer than they should have been allowed to. Too many wickets were lost, too many overs were used up while chasing 208 for victory against an attack that was honest at best. 

Scorecard | Match in Pics 

Yes, the Indians did collect full points in the end but then these matches against the qualifiers should be more about making a point or two. And who knows, had the big Trent Johnston, who picked up two early wickets, not gone off injured after five overs, it could have been even closer. 

Yuvraj Singh, though, will take such a match everyday. The left-hander starred with the ball and his showing with the bat later justified his skipper Mahendra Singh Dhoni's call to chase after he had won the toss. 

That Yuvraj was India's unlikely bowling hero goes without saying. It was his maiden five-wicket haul that pushed back the Irish cause a long way. The visitors were dismissed for a paltry 207, barely three days after they had chased down more than 300 against England. 

The Indians in turn stuttered a bit, losing Virender Sehwag and Gautam Gambhir cheaply and thenSachin Tendulkar, Virat Kohli and Dhoni all in their 30s but then were well served by Yuvraj the batsman as the target was reached with four overs to spare, setting off wild celebrations in the packed stadium. 

That little cushion in the end was chiefly because of Yusuf Pathan, the only Indian batsman, apart from the composed Yuvraj (50 not out, 75b, 3x4), to make a statement. Pathan (30 not out, 24b, 2x4, 3x6) walked in and straightaway got going with the big hits to ensure that Ireland didn't come too close to causing a second upset in this edition of the World Cup. 

In the afternoon, the pitch afforded some turn early on but it was a factor neither Piyush Chawlanor Harbhajan Singh, India's frontline spinners, could exploit. Yuvraj, with his part-time left-arm spin was easily the best on view, as his figures (0-0-31-5) reflect. He bowled all ten in one go. 

The early damage was done by Zaheer Khan, who should have had Ireland skipper William Porterfield before he had got off the mark had Pathan held on to the edge at second slip of just the third ball of the innings. Porterfield (75, 104b, 6x4, 1x6) went on to anchor the innings and give it some respectability before that man Yuvraj struck. 

Following the twin strikes by Zaheer, it was a sensible, 148-ball 113-run third wicket stand between the left-handed pair of Porterfield and Niall O-Brien that shored up the Ireland innings. The duo was also helped by some terrible bowling by leg-spinner Chawla, who even sent down two no-balls, the resultant free hit off the first handing the momentum to the Irish innings.

Source:-http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/sports/cricket/cricket-world-cup-2011/news/World-Cup-India-defeat-Ireland-by-5-wickets/articleshow/7639191.cms

India vs England: Going down memory lane

The very first game of the World Cup was played between India and England, back in 1975 at Lord's. Since then, this rivalry has grown into a fascinating duel, with India enjoying a upper hand in recent times. We look at four games between the two sides that are worth remembering for years to come.. 

When Freddie took off his shirt... 

The teams went into the final game with India leading 3-2. This match, at the Wankhede in Mumbai, provided the fitting climax as England eked out a thrilling five-run win to draw the series 3-3. England made 255 based on opener Marcus Trescothick's 95. They looked like making much more at 153-2, but collapsed, with Harbhajan Singhpicking up a five-for. Sourav Ganguly (80) led India's chase, but Andrew Flintoff (3-380 won it for England. To rub salt into India's wounds, Flintoff took off his shirt and ran around the ground with his teammates in jubilation. 

Feb 3, 2002 at Wankhede Stadium, Mumbai

Brief scores: England 255 in 49.1 overs (M Trescothick 95, N Hussain 41, A Flintoff 40; Harbhajan 5-43) beat India 250 in 49.5 overs (S Ganguly 80; A Flintoff 3-38) by five runs. 

When Aleem Dar did India in 

It was the decider of the NatWest series, which had gone right down to the wire at 3-3 till that point. At Lord's, however, everything went wrong for India. England, expectedly, prepared a fast and bouncy wicket and bowled out India for 187. The game, unfortunately, was spoiled by Pakistani umpire Aleem Dar's folly in judging Sachin Tendulkarout caught behind off Flintoff when television replays showed that the ball had brushed the batsman's shoulder. 

Sept 8, 2007 at Lord's 

Brief Scores: India 187 in 47.3 overs (MS Dhoni 50; A Flintoff 3-45, A Mascarenhas 3-23) lost to England 188-3 in 36.2 overs (K Pietersen 71 not out, P Collingwood 64). 

The Lord at Lord's 

It was probably the second most impactful win for India after the 1983 World Cup triumph. The Natwest tri-series final looked like England's for the taking after Nasser Hussain & Co made 325 for five. With the top order in the hut, all hope looked lost at 146-5, before Yuvraj Singh and Mohammad Kaif scripted a sensational turnaround with a 121-run partnership. The most abiding memory though was Sourav Ganguly twirling his shirt on the Lord's balcony. 

July 13, 2002 at Lord's 

Brief scores: England 325-5 in 50 overs (M Trescothick 109, N Hussain 115; Z Khan 3-62) lost to India 326-8 in 49.3 overs (M Kaif 87, Yuvraj 69, S Ganguly 60, V Sehwag 45) by two wickets. 

The Nehra sixer 

In a must-win game for India, Ashish Nehra produced perhaps the best-ever spell delivered by an Indian fast bowler. Playing with a badly damaged knee, Nehra ran through the English batting line-up on a seaming Durban pitch. In between, the charged up pacer had a banana and threw up instantly! The other thing worth remembering from this game is Sachin Tendulkar's pulled six off seamer Andy Caddick.

Source-http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/sports/cricket/cricket-world-cup-2011/news/India-vs-England-Going-down-memory-lane/articleshow/7577665.cms

SA beat India by 48 runs (D/L method)

 South Africa beat India by 48 runs (D/L method) in the rain-reduced fourth ODI at St George's Park in Port Elizabeth on Friday. SCORE

India were batting 137/6 in the 31st over with Virat Kohli and Harbhajan Singh at the crease when rain halted play.

 South Africa's Jean-Paul Duminy en route to his unbeaten 71 against India. AP
The game resumed only to end within minutes as rain again stopped play - this time for ever as India score read 142 for 6 in 32.5 overs. Virat Kohli (87) and Harbhajan Singh (3) remained unbeaten.


Earlier, the duo got busy chipping away from the 266-run target even as the South Africa pacers were busy tightening the noose around India.

First South Africa pacer Lonwabo Tsotsobe, who has been in good from throughout the series struck early to claim both openers Rohit Sharma and Pathiv Patel. India were 32/2 post Pathiv's dismissal.

New man Yuvraj Singh had only stayed in the middle for twenty minutes before offie Johan Botha scalped him.

He followed the unwritten rule - if you don't understand which way the ball is turning just sweep it. But the sweep proved costly, the timing was entirely wrong and the ball took the aerial route only to come down at skipper Graeme Smith's throat. He fell for 12 and India to 49/3.

Then Suresh Raina and Virat Kohli formed a 64-run partnership for the fourth wicket before Raina fell to left-arm spinner Robin Peterson on 20. India were 112/4 at the stage.

Skipper Mahendra Singh Dhoni (2) dropped by for a visit before Peterson thought he looked better on the benches. And India slumped to 123/5.

In came Yusuf Pathan, famous for his heavy heaves, and up went India's hopes only to crash land with a big thud.

A fatal edge off paceman Morne Morkel and Pathan was walking back on 2 with India score reading a poor 128/6.

Finally Virat Kohli and Harbhajan Singh decided to do the unthinkable before rain and Messrs Duckworth and Lewis dampened their spirits.

Earlier, the hosts treated their Indian visitors to some fine stitching exercise with Jean-Paul Duminy and Johan Botha showcasing their craftsmanship with the bat.

India bowlers were left awestruck as the duo put 70 runs on board for the sixth wicket. The end result was a fine 265/7 in 50 overs.

India didn't fall far behind. They too displayed their wares. In fact the South Africa total could have stretched on had India not used the scissors at the right time.

South Africa opener Hashim Amla en route to his 64. AP
Four quick wickets and South Africa were reeling on 118/5. The figure in the runs column could have been even lesser had opener Hashim Amla not posted 64 before being run out.

Yuvraj Singh, who finished with three wickets in the bag, started the snipping job with Morne van Wyk's dismissal on 15. Wyk departed edging an away moving ball to Virat Kohli in the slips.

At the stage the hosts were batting on 106 - not a bad figure considering that they had lost just one wicket (Graeme Smith) before.

Amidst all this cutting and snipping, Amla decided to display his running skills. But he was too greedy and paid heavily for it, falling short on the second run and South Africa fell to 111/3. Still his 64 proved to the central piece in South Africa's design.

AB de Villiers showed how good he is at marching. He marched back on 3 with Yuvraj claiming his wicket and the Protea score was 115/4.

Young Faf du Plessis knew he was good at running and he has proved it before with a half-ton in the last ODI. But today he ran out of steam and got out run out on 1. By now the hosts had slumped to 118/5.

But Duminy with his unbeaten on 71 and Botha, who scored 44 before being sent back by Yuvraj, turned out to be their team lifeguards. Duminy earned a Man-of-the-Match award for his efforts.

With this win, South Africa have levelled the series 2-2 against India. The two now meet on Sunday for the final ODI in Centurion.


Sorce:-http://indiatoday.intoday.in/site/Story/127138/latest-headlines/india-vs-south-africa-odi-live-update.html