Plc training in india

India enter final with crushing win

ndia 182 for 2 (Dhawan 68, Kohli 58*) beat Sri Lanka 181 for 8 (Mathews 51, Ishant 3-33, Ashwin 3-48) by 8 wicketsScorecard and ball-by-ball details

	Ishant Sharma exploited the steep bounce and seam movement well © AFP Enlarge
Related Links Features : Fair result for a middling ODI team Features : Ishant, Kumar, Yadav find pack mentality News : Security breaches disrupt semi-final Matches: India v Sri Lanka at Cardiff Series/Tournaments: ICC Champions Trophy Teams: India | Sri Lanka

The only glitches in India's march into the final were two sets of pitch invaders running on to the field on two separate occasions. On a Cardiff surface with a lot of moisture, the ball seamed, bounced steeply and turned appreciably, and the Indian bowlers were all over Sri Lanka after winning the toss. In the afternoon, the Indian openers continued their run of impressive stands, adding 77 through some luck and some attractive shots, and India cruised home with 15 overs to spare.

It would have reminded India of their first day of international cricket in South Africa on the 2010-11 tour, when they were inserted on a pitch that had absorbed a lot of rain and were bowled out for 136. Watching the first innings of this match, it seemed Sri Lanka had done well to not be rolled over for 136 themselves. The conditions were so juicy India's three frontline quicks bowled the first 22 overs - even MS Dhoni had a bowl later - and India either beat the bat or hit edge on 68 occasions.

The Sri Lankan batsmen couldn't be blamed much, except for probably Kusal Perera. They had to dig in hard just to survive. They strived to - Kumar Sangakkara had left alone 12 out of his first 32 balls - but eventually the ball with your name arrived. However, what really foiled Sri Lanka's plans was the assistance the pitch provided to spin, which they hadn't budgeted for when they were batting out the quicks like it was a Test. The quicks went for 98 for four wickets in their 30 overs; the spinners took four wickets for 81 in their 20.

The pitch might have been great help, but India exploited the toss advantage with impressive accuracy. The first extra came in the 20th over. Angelo Mathews, among others, fought the conditions, but like others he too fell the moment he became adventurous.

It didn't help that Sri Lanka had lost Dinesh Chandimal to injury before the match began and Tillakaratne Dilshan retired hurt in the fifth over. Kusal showed again that his game is not suited for these conditions as he followed a full and wide delivery to edge it for Suresh Raina to take one of his three catches at second slip. It was the seventh time in 12 matches that Buvneshwar Kumar had taken a wicket in his first spell, including five openers dismissed in single figures.

Jadeja, Dhawan take India into semi-final

India 236 for 2 (Dhawan 102*, Karthik 51*, Rohit 52) beat West Indies 233 for 9 (Charles 60, Sammy 56*, Jadeja 5-36) by 8 wickets
Scorecard and ball-by-ball details

	I'll take five: Ravindra Jadeja could do no wrong © AFP Enlarge
Related Links Matches: India v West Indies at The Oval Series/Tournaments: ICC Champions Trophy Teams: India | West Indies

Four years ago, almost to the day, in the same city of London, Ravindra Jadeja was a hare caught in the headlights. He could neither get out nor hit out, and his 25 off 35 in that Twenty20 match against England - India were knocked out of that World T20 - earned him what seemed like a lifetime of ridicule. He wasn't supposed to succeed at international cricket. He did. He wasn't supposed to succeed outside Asia at least. He has, for now.

When Jadeja was introduced in this Champions Trophy match, West Indies had marched to 92 for 1 in 17 overs, and Johnson Charles, an awkward batsman to deal with, was timing everything he hit. He had carted Bhuvneshwar Kumar, deflected Umesh Yadav and lofted Virat Kohli and even R Ashwin. India were staring at a big total, but Jadeja twirled that ball like he does his new 'tache. Some turned and some didn't; most of them were headed for the stumps, but at different speeds; five of them got wickets, two lbws and one bowled; West Indies went from 102 for 1 to 182 for 9, and India into the semi-final of the Champions Trophy. West Indies now need to beat South Africa to progress; Pakistan were knocked out.

The target of 234 - thanks to Jadeja and despite Darren Sammy's 56 off 35 towards the end, proved no inconvenience for India - whose openers were almost in a contest to outdo each other's attractive shots. Their 101-run stand was the first time since 2007 that India had put up back-to-back hundred openings outside Asia. Rohit Sharma might have fallen for 52 off 56, but Shikhar Dhawan went on to score his third century in his last three international innings, all reached at a strike rate of 100 or more

Fletcher departs for mother's funeral India coach Duncan Fletcher will fly home to South Africa on Tuesday evening to attend to the funeral of his mother, who passed away on Sunday. She was 93 and had suffered from a long-term illness. According to India's media manager, Fletcher had opted to stay back for the match against West Indies. The funeral will be held in Cape Town on Wednesday and Fletcher will rejoin the India squad in Birmingham on Friday, on the eve of their final group match against Pakistan at Edgbaston.

India won with 10.5 overs to spare. It didn't start off that easy after they put West Indies in. Johnson Charles, who scored 60 off 55, was an irritant for India, who had managed to get past Chris Gayle before he could do any real damage. Charles is not a pretty batsman. Nor is he a rhythm player. Form and run of play don't matter much to him. Once he starts hitting them sweetly, though, he can find unusual spaces on a field of play. He is a man you want out early, and as his stats suggest it hasn't been difficult to get him out early. However, until today whenever he had reached 50, he had crossed 100.

Charles was already 50 when Jadeja came on to bowl. That included a burst from 6 off 17 to 30 off 26 in six boundaries in the ninth, 10th and 11th over. After that, he didn't let Ashwin and Kohli - the latter bowled before Jadeja - settle at all. On came Jadeja, and bowled a maiden to Darren Bravo. On the face of it, there was nothing special about that over: just accurate and quick spin bowling.

In Jadeja's next, Charles tried to sweep him hard. He connected, but Jadeja had square leg positioned at the right spot. The next ball was quick, went with the arm, and Charles played all across it. Gone. Trademark Jadeja dismissal. Charles should have known better. Now Jadeja began to employ the vice grip, bowling quick, at the stumps, not knowing himself which will turn and which won't.

Ishant Sharma - match figures of 10-1-43-1 was an able ally at the other end. He bowled short of a length on a dry pitch, and slipped in a maiden with the unsure Marlon Samuels. In the next over, Jadeja got another dart on target, but the umpire saw an inside edge. Jadeja insisted on a review, convinced MS Dhoni, and found out that the ball had hit the pad first, and plumb in front.

Dhoni returned the favour in Jadeja's next over when he went down the leg side to superbly catch a deflection from Ramnaresh Sarwan. It wasn't the best delivery Jadeja had bowled, but West Indies had nonetheless gone from 102 for 1 to 109 for 4. Darren Bravo now got stuck even as Dwayne Bravo batted industriously leading up to the Powerplay. Darren Bravo finally threw it away just before the Powerplay as he danced down to Ashwin and was stumped for 35 off 83.

After India got lucky with Dwayne Barvo's wicket, others lost their heads and their wickets. Not Sammy. He lifted that bat high, and began to swing. He had to do a fair bit of farming of the strike because Kemar Roach had joined him with 4.3 overs still to go. He rearranged some analyses, hit four sixes and five fours, and without any tangible contribution from Roach, added 51 for the last wicket.

This total was supposed to give West Indies hope. Dhawan and Rohit were to dash that hope soon. From the moment Rohit cut Roach for four in the first over and Dhawan drive Ravi Rampaul through cover for another in the fourth, the match was going only one way. West Indies were either too short or too full, the openers matched each other stroke for stroke, and the only matter of uncertainty towards the end was whether Dhawan and Dinesh Karthik would get to their personal milestones.

Dhawan was 96, Karthik was 47, and India needed six when Bravo bowled short. Dhawan upper-cut it over third man, took off the helmet, stood with his arms aloft, and then played out five dots to let Karthik get to fifty in the next over. Karthik did so with a drive over extra cover.

Chennai Suer Kings Whistle Poudieee

The man with the Midas touch. He led India to glory in the inaugural World Twenty20, raised a toast to the nation by winning the cricket world cup, lead the most consistent franchise - Chennai Super Kings to title twice and also won the champions league - all in a span of 3 years.

An Adam Gilchrist-inspired Dhoni’s incredible rise through the ranks was triggered by a match winning 148 against Pakistan and later in the year, he smashed 183 against Sri Lanka. Just 2 years after his record breaking innings, he was made the captain of the Indian team that was going through major transitions. In the years to follow, his ability to excel in leadership was quickly recognized and within a year, he was appointed Indian skipper in all forms of game.

Off the field, his fondness for fast bikes marked him as Mr.Cool, and with a haircut that made news across the country, the cool quotient never waived. In tune with the name, he was hardly seen flustered on the field either. For a cricket frenzy nation, Dhoni will forever be the man who led from the front and fulfilled a billion dreams of seeing the cup return after 28 long years.

Great to hit winning six off Gayle: David Miller

KXIP hero now looking forward to away clash with RCB

David Miller’s 101* off just 38 balls is bound to go down in cricket annals as one of the best Twenty20 knocks. Given that this innings – which unlike most other dominating 20-over tons – came during what was by all accounts a failing run-chase, very few words can conjure up a compliment suitable enough to describe the Kings XI Punjab batter’s heroics.

Phrases like ‘Miller Time,’ ‘Miller the Killer,’ ‘Millerific,’ and the like seem all but vapid. However, a simple “You remind me of my young days” by Chris Gayle comes closest when it comes to making sense of what one saw at Mohali on Monday. Gayle, who happened to pass Miller by during his exclusive chat with IPLT20.com, followed up this compliment with an appreciative fist bump.

The respect is, of course, mutual. And even a clean hitter like Miller rates Gayle above the rest in Twenty20 cricket. “Gayle is by far the biggest hitter ever and a great batsman as well. He is good to watch,” he said. “We have got another game in Bangalore and that should be interesting.”
However, the 23-year-old batter did say that hitting the winning six off Gayle was special. “It was really enjoyable for me. It was a great feeling to hit that six,” Miller said.

This “great feeling” was shared by thousands of KXIP supporters at the Punjab Cricket Association stadium. At one point their beloved Lions were tottering at 64 for four, and the 191-run target seemed improbable. It was then that Miller took complete charge of proceedings and produced a gem of an innings.

“Nothing much was really going through my mind when I came in to bat,” said Miller. “We still needed 12 runs an over, and it was quite a lot of runs to get. And I suppose it allowed me the freedom to do what I did, which is just clear the ropes and not have too much pressure. So, it was really enjoyable.”

Miller, who currently averages an astounding 117.33 in IPL 2013, has come a long way in sealing his reputation as a clutch player since his tournament debut last season. Back in 2012, he featured in a handful of matches and sported a modest average of 32.66 while scoring a total of 98 runs.

However, he insists that while the statistics have changed, his batting approach has remained constant. But getting more playing time this season has certainly worked for the South African.

“Nothing much really has changed with my batting (compared to last IPL). In 2012, I came in for only six games and then was off. I think now getting the freedom of playing a few more games is really nice to know, mentally. And it is just one of those things where I am actually loving my cricket at the moment,” he said.

Miller is certainly making the most of the increased opportunities he has got this year. He has been KXIP’s go-to guy in clutch situations – especially during herculean chases. Prior to the RCB game, Miller played similar knocks against powerhouses like Mumbai Indians and Chennai Super Kings. But the innings in Mohali was admittedly different, given that it came in a winning cause.

“Probably, it is the best innings I have played. It is the fastest I have ever played, and definitely the most enjoyable one.” He added, “There wasn’t a different approach in today’s innings. The pitch was a little bit different in Chennai. But I think we left ourselves a little bit too much to get in the Chennai game. Basically, nothing has really changed. I have stuck to what I have been doing and my game plan; and it is just consistent throughout.”

With Miller firing on all cylinders, KXIP are now well and truly back in the hunt for a playoffs spot. “We have got to win, I think, four out of five games. So, there is obviously still a lot of games to play. We have just got to try and win it all,” he said.

CSK bring out the best in us: Rohit

MI captain says leading has its positive impact on his batting

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The IPL has always brought out the best in Rohit Sharma the batsman – he is the second most prolific run-scorer in the tournament after Suresh Raina. In IPL 2013, we are getting to see a different aspect of Rohit’s game – his leadership.

Leading the high-profile and most passionately followed IPL team, Mumbai Indians, Rohit has displayed tremendous calmness and maturity. It’s a tricky job to captain a team with the likes of Sachin Tendulkar and Harbhajan Singh, among an array of experienced overseas players. It’s even trickier to take over from one of the most successful international captains of all times – Ricky Ponting.

But the 26-year-old Indian batsman has not disappointed. In what Rohit rates as one of his more satisfying wins as captain, the Mumbai Indians defeated Chennai Super Kings by a whopping 60 runs in front of their adoring home crowd. After the match a pleased Rohit spoke to iplt20.com about the magnitude of the win, experience of captaining the team and its effect on his batting.

How big is this win, breaking CSK’s seven-match winning streak?

This was a big game for us and we really wanted to win it. But before the game we discussed that we need to be relaxed and not think of it as a big game. We knew that if we stayed cool, expressed ourselves and played to our potential, we would win easily. That’s what happened.

Do you think MI vs CSK is turning out to be the biggest rivalry of IPL?

It’s good for the spectators to watch. Chennai Super Kings have been playing extremely consistent cricket since the first season and it’s always a challenge to play them. They do bring out the best in us and it’s always very sweet to beat them.

Captaincy is doing wonders to you in this IPL, isn’t it?

Yes, it actually is. It’s a very good start that I have got. Out of five games I have won four and lost one. I would take that result as a captain. But I am not going to relax. We still need to play good cricket for the next five games and get to the Play-Offs comfortably.

What kind of a captain would you say you are?

I try not to over-think and keep it simple. I’ve realised that you’ve got to be calm on the field, to be able to take the right decisions. As a captain you don’t get much time in this format. You have to be quick in shuffling your plans and rotating your bowlers, at the same time, give your players the space they want.

This maturity and calmness that you require in captaining the team in such a fast-paced format, is it helping you as a batsman in any way?

It is. As captain I have an additional responsibility to lead from the front with the bat and I have to be calm. Having said that, I try not to put pressure on myself thinking I have too much on my plate. I just want to keep enjoying myself in both aspects of my responsibility and ensure that Mumbai Indians do well.

How do you approach a T20 innings as a batsman?

I understand one very important thing that in this format you have a lot more time as a batsman than you think you do. People say it’s a short format but if you think deeply and look at it closely, you will realise that you still have a lot of time as a batsman. So, I take my time and when I am required to go after the bowlers, I do that. In a T20 game it’s very important to analyse the match situation.

IPL T20 What Does Bowlers feel while Bowling To Gayle (Gayle Strom)

Johnson prefers Mike Hussey over Gayle

Reveals the sorting out of Gayle; enjoys bowling to Hussey

 

into his first season of the IPL and Mitchell Johnson has quietly made his mark. Although not rampaging into sides and storming into the competition for the Purple Cap, Johnson has been the most effective pacer for the Mumbai Indians – a big achievement when your fellow fast bowler is one named Lasith Malinga.

The Australian left-arm pacer has shown his class and control consistently in the tournament, not least when bowling to Chris Gayle immediately after the West Indian had blasted 175 against PWI. Johnson bowled 11 balls to him for 16 runs. The pressure led to Gayle’s cheap dismissal and MI’s win over RCB.

We, at iplt20.com caught up with Johnson to find answers that bowlers over the world are looking for – how to get Gayle out. Johnson also spoke about the technicalities that have helped him succeed this IPL.

This is your first IPL and you seemed to have adapted quite smoothly?

This being my first IPL season, the excitement and enjoyment that I am getting out of it has been great. Shane Watson always talked it up and I often chat with him about how it is like to play in the IPL. Now to get the opportunity and that too in Mumbai, which has the best of conditions for a pacer, has been brilliant.

Technically, what has been the key for you to bowl here?

I like to use the cutters but I also use the short ball quite often. Using the short ball on wickets like this (the Wankhede Stadium) at a quicker pace is very important and so are the change-ups. But in saying that, you have to vary the ploy depending on each batsman.

Are you also bowling with a slightly higher arm than normal?

Yes, probably a little bit. I’m always going to be a slingy bowler; I’m never going to be quite as tall as a Glenn McGrath. I had seven months away from the game and I just missed out coming to the IPL in the last season because of my toe injury. Post injury, I was able to work a bit on the technical things. I’ve had a bit of time in India during the Test series as well. The arm has been slightly higher but in the end my action will always be a bit slingy, which is the way I like it.

Is one of the perks of playing for MI the fact that in most games you bowl on a wicket that offers a bit of swing early on and bounce?

Yes, there has been a bit of swing around for me in most games here. That definitely helps in creating doubt in the batsman’s mind. Anyone who can swing the ball at 140-kph mark is difficult to deal with. It’s nice to get bowling friendly conditions. I know it’s not always going to be like that but at home it’s been very good.

That spell you bowled to Chris Gayle in the home game against RCB was one of the better contests we’ve seen this season. What was the plan bowling to him?

He was coming after a top score (175 against Pune Warriors India). We planned on bowling short to him, especially on a nice, quick wicket like this one. We wanted to unsettle him and it seemed to work. We got him moving around in the crease which he doesn’t like to do. You never know if a ploy would work on a day in T20 cricket but it worked at that time. We did it as a team. (Lasith) Malinga bowled very well to him as well and we tied him up early on.

Who would you rather bowl to – Gayle or Mike Hussey?

That’s a very tough question. Mike Hussey plays very classical and correct cricket shots whereas Chris goes for power and hits it a very long way. I’d rather not bowl to any of them at their best. But it’s always good bowling to old team mates. Having played with Mike, it was a little bit strange playing against him in Chennai but I really enjoyed bowling to him. He’s such a world-class player in every format and just for the challenge of bowling to a former team mate, I’d love to bowl to him again, and hopefully get his wicket too.

What do you think is a more effective tool in the death overs – a yorker or a wide full-toss?

It depends on individual batsmen. You’ve really got to do your homework on players. I think if you can bowl a very good yorker, it’s pretty hard to hit. On our Mumbai ground, the square is quite long and so it’s quite hard to hit a good short ball there. It really does come down to the conditions, grounds and players. But if you can bowl the Malinga yorkers, you’ll do pretty well to stick to them.

How’s it been bowling with Malinga?

I first bowled with him at the 2012 CLT20 but we didn’t get much time together then. So, bowling with him in this IPL has been really exciting for me. He’s one of the best T20 bowlers going around, using his yorkers and slower ones. It’s actually been very good playing with him and not worrying about him bowling to me. We have been able to learn from each other and give advice to each other. I was excited at the prospect of bowling with him when I got signed up by MI. We have been bowling really well as a pair and hopefully we can continue throughout the tournament.