Shoaib in Chucking Controversy again

Pakistan's fast bowler Shoaib Akhtar yet again found himself in chucking controversy during the second test match in Kolkata. The doubts were raised by Indian team when Shoaib bowled a 150 kmh delivery to shatter Dravid's stumps during the first test match in Delhi. It is learnt that the team has officially complained to BCCI and the latter will take up the issue with the BCCI.

In a significant development, BCCI secretary Niranjan Shah called for a periodic review of all bowlers who were suspected on chucking in the past. However, PCB strongly backed Shoaib, saying he has been cleared by the ICC and has a clean bowling action.

India in Command in Kolkata Test

An injury-hit Pakistani team struggled to make any impact in the second test match in Kolkata, as Indian batsmen made merry of a mediocre Pakistani bowling attack. Nothing went well for Pakistan from the very beginning, while fortune smiled on India throughout the first day. Pakistan went to Kolkata test without injured skipper Shoaib Malik and with unfit Shoaib Akhtar, who could bowl only 9 overs in the day. Sami too did not look fit enough.

India won the toss and elected to bat first. Pakistan removed Dinish Karthik in the very first over. However, that was the last time they could laugh. Wasim Jaffer, Rahul Dravid and Sachin Tendulkar produced great knocks to build the Indian innings. Wasim Jaffer played a majestic knock. He remained unbeaten on 192 at the end of the day. Rahul Dravid and Sachin Tendulkar scored 50 and 82 respectively. India finished the day at 352/3.

Gary Kirsten front-runner for the Coach Job

The BCCI has sprung a surprise with the announcement of former South African batsman Gary Kirsten as the front-runner to become the Coach of Indian cricket team. He was interviewed by the Coach Selection Committee on Monday. The committee included Sunil Gavaskar, Ravi Shastri and S Venkataraghavan, BCCI Joint Secretary M P Pandove, Treasurer N Srinivasan and secretary Niranjan Shah.

According to sources, BCCI President Sharad Pawar and skipper Anil Kumble too met Gary Kirsten. Kirsten has in principle agreed to take up the high-profile job. However, final announcement will be made within a week.

India wins Delhi Test

India won the first test match in Delhi by 6 wickets. Chasing a victory target of 203, India achieved the target losing 4 wickets. Saurav Ganguly failed to add any more runs to his total and perished on 48 to Shoaib Akhtar who claimed all four wickets in Indian innings. However, Sachin Tendulkar scored another half century to take India to an easy victory. Sachin remained unbeaten on 56. Anil Kumble was declared "Man of the Match" for a match haul of 7 wickets.

India on the verge of Victory in Delhi Test

Wasim Jaffer, Sachin Tendulkar and Saurav Ganguly produced yet another good batting display to prevent India from doing any harakiri and took close to the door of a famous victory in the Delhi test. Chasing a victory target of 203, India were 171/3 at stumps of the third day's play.

Saurav Ganguly remains unbeaten on 48, while Sachin Tendulkar is unbeaten on 32. Jaffer made 53, while Dravid contributed 34 to the team total. For Pakistan, Shoaib Akhtar bagged all three wickets. India needs 32 more runs to win the Delhi test.

Sachin Tendulkar achived another milestone, when he surpassed Alan Border's record of 11,174 runs in test cricket. Only Brian Lara has scored more runs than Tendulkar.

Twist and Turn in Delhi Test, India chases 203 to Win

When Pakistan ended the Day 3 at 212/5 with a total lead of 167 runs, it was believed that visitors had an edge over India in Delhi test. However, the test match continued to throw twists and turns. The day brought no cheer to the Pakistani camp, as their five remaining batsmen could add only 35 runs. The Pakistani team was bowled out for 247. Misbah scored 45. For India, Zaheer and Ganguly took 2 wickets each this morning.

India now needs only 203 runs to win the match and take a lead in the series. The target looked easy for India. However, Shoaib Akhtar drew the first blood by removing Dinesh Karthik for 1. At lunch, India were 3/1 with Jaffer and Dravid batting to build a strong foundation for India's win.

Pakistan has an edge in Delhi Test

Despite Kumble and Harbhan's heroics, India squandered the advantage and let Pakistan off the hook in the 1st test match in Delhi. Jaffer put down an easy catch of dangerman Misbah-ul-Haq, who was then on 1. Misbah then added an unbeaten 51 rus with Kamran Akmal for the 6th wicket.

For Pakistan, Salman Butt scored 67, while Hamid made 36. Misbah remained unbeaten on 29. Kumble took 3 wickets, while Harbhajan bagged 2 wickets. At the end of third day's play, Pakistan scored 212/5, a lead of 167 runs with 5 wickets in hand. If Pakistan adds another 100 runs to its total, then the match will be well out of India's reach.

Delhi Test evenly balanced, India bowled out for 276

Indian tailenders failed to show any resistance, as India bowled out for 276 in the first innings of the Delhi test match. VVS Laxman was left stranded on 72. Only Kumble offered some sort of resistance with a fighting knock of 24. Pakistani spinner Danish Kaneria took 4 wickets.

With India leading Pakistan by a meagre 45 runs, the match is evenly poised. If Pakistan put up a good batting display in the second innings, India will find it difficult to chase even a score of 250 in fourth innings on a fragile Kotla pitch.

Delhi Test: India finished the day at 228/6

VVS Laxman and M S Dhoni led India's fight back against Pakistan in the Delhi test, after being pushed to wall at one point of time. Indian top order yet again failed to live up to expectations and surrendered meekly before a disciplined Pakistani bowling attack.

At one stage, India were 92/5. However, Dhoni and Laxman averted a complete batting collapse and scored half centuries. Dhoni was out for 57, while Laxman remained unbeaten on 57. India finished the day at 228/6.

Vengsarkar bows down, not to write columns

The stand-off between BCCI and Chief Selector Dilip Vengsarkar seems to be resolved with Vengsarkar giving an assurance to the board that he would no long er write columns in newspapers. Vengsarkar had a long meeting with BCCI President Sharad Pawar and other top officials to resolve the issue.

After the latest development, the BCCI decided not to send any show-cause notice to Vengsarkar. According to BCCI sources, Vengsarkar would be compensated for the loss of money he was getting from writing those columns.

Pakistan bowled out for 231, Indian batsmen Struggle

Indian bowlers failed to take Misbah's wicket, but a brilliant throw by Dinesh Karthik ended his valiant innings at 82. Pakistan was bowled out for 231 soon after his departure. Kumble was the most successful bowler for India with a haul of 4/38.

India made a bad start in its first innings by losing 5 wickets for just 93 runs on board. There was no devil in the pitch. Indian batsmen made a harakiri and kept losing wickets on regular intervals. Sachin Tendulkar tried to take an impossible second run and threw his wicket in the process. When reports last came in, Laxman and Dhoni were at the crease. For India, Dravid scored 38, while Jaffer made 32.

Delhi Test: Misbah leads Pakistan Fightback

The first two sessions of the Delhi test clearly belonged to India, as Indian bowlers have kept the Pakistani batsmen on their toes. However, things went different way in the post-launch session. At one stage, Pakistan was tottering at 142/8. However, the team went on to finish at 210/8 at stumps.

Pakistan's latest sensation Misbah-ul-Haq led from the front with the support of pacer Mohammad Sami. Misbah remained unbeaten at 71, while Sami scored an unbeaten 20. Mohammad Yousuf scored 27 for Pakistan. Kumble took 3 wickets, while Zaheer bagged two.

BCCI issues show cause notice to Vengsarkar

The ongoing tussle between the BCCI and selectors took an ugly turn with BCCI issuing a show cause notice to Chief Selector Dilip Vengsarkar for defying its gag order. The BCCI made it clear to Vengsarkar that he could quit the job if he wanted to continue as a columnist.

Earlier, it was believed that Vengsarkar bowed under pressure from the BCCI and stopped writing on newspaper columns. However, his columns appeared in a Hindi daily 'Amar Ujala' and Marathi paper 'Sakal' on Thursday. That prompted the BCCI to take a tough stand on this issue.

First test match between India and Pakistan begins

The first test match between India and Pakistan begins at Ferozeshah Kotla ground in Delhi. Anil Kumble lost his first toss as a captain. Shoaib Malik won the toss and elected to bat first. India missed the service of R P Singh and S Sreesanth due to injury, while Yuvraj Singh had to sit out.

Pakistan's Umar Gul was also ruled out because of an injury. Munaf Patel and Ishant Sharma found their place in the playing eleven. Pakistan were tottering at 59/3 when the last report was received.

Sreesanth, R P Singh ruled out of First Test

Indian cricket team received a jolt ahead of the test series against Pakistan, as pacers R P Singh and S Sreesanth have been ruled out of the first test match due to injury. Munaf Patel has been recalled as a cover-up for the injured bowlers.

The only relief for India came when wicketkeeper-batsman M S Dhoni has been declared fit for the first test match to be held in Delhi. It could be recalled that he injured his ankle during the final ODI against Pakistan at Jaipur.

Indian Selectors take on BCCI

The BCCI's gag on Vengsarkar resulted in a deep crisis, as three other selectors have threatened to resign if BCCI continues to dictate its terms on matters related to the personal affairs of the selectors. The selectors believe that they have every rights to write personal columns on newspapers as long as they don't divulge any secret information to the press.

According to sources, the BCCI is preparing a new set of guidelines that prevents the selectors from talking to the media and from traveling with the team overseas. The email sent to the selectors was so harsh that some of them threatened to quit. It could be recalled that Vengsarkar has been writing a column 'Cover Drive' for some newspapers including the Marathi newspaper 'Sakal', owned by BCCI Chief Sharad Pawar's brother.

Yuvraj fined for showing Dissent

Yuvraj Singh was fined 20 per cent of his match fee for showing dissent at the umpire's decision after being given out during the fifth and final ODI against Pakistan at Jaipur. The punishment was meted out by ICC match referee Roshan Mahanama following a hearing after the match.

It was Yuvraj's first appearance in disciplinary hearing. According to sources, Yuvraj pleaded not guilty, but apologized for his dissent.

Pakistan wins the fifth ODI at Jaipur, Salvages Pride

A complacent Indian side went down to Pakistan by 31 runs in the fifth ODI at Jaipur on Sunday. However, India still won the series 3-2. India had rested its key bowlers Zaheer, R P Singh and Harbhajan, while Pakistan took the field without the service of Shoaib Akhtar and Younus Khan.

India won the toss and put Pakistan into bat. Pakistan scored 306/6 in 50 overs. Skipper Shoaib Malik led by example with a solid knock of 89 and then took 3 wickets. Mohammad Yousuf too scored 74. India started badly from the very beginning by losing Gambhir and Sehwag cheaply. The team failed to recover from the early blow and finally ended at 275 in 49.5 overs. Yuvraj Singh scored 50, while Rohit Sharma made 52. Pathan and Tendulkar contributed 44 and 30 respectively.

India won the series 3-2. The win came as a moral booster for Pakistan ahead of the test series. Shoaib Malik was declared "Man of the Match". Yuvraj Singh was adjudged "Man of the Series" for his all round performance

Sachin out on 97, India wins the Match and Series

The jinx continues for Sachin Tendulkar, as he again got out on nervous 90's. However, India won the match by a comfortable margin to take an unassailable lead in the five-match series. India leads the series 3-1 with one match to go. This is India's first home series win against Pakistan in 24 years.

Pakistan won the toss and elected to bat first. Pakistan batsmen faltered at regular intervals to capitalize on a good batting track and finally managed to score 255/6 in 50 overs. Shoaib Mail scored 31. Younus Khan played yet another good innings of 68. However, it was Mohammad Yousuf, who helped Pakistan to get past 250. He remained unbeaten on 99. Misbah contributed a quick-fire 40.

Despite losing Ganguly and Gambhir early, India never looked in danger of losing the match. Sachin Tendulkar led from the front, but ultimately got out on 97. It was a wide delivery and he dragged it to the stumps. It was Sachin's 6th dissmissal in nervous 90's this season and 16th dismissal in his career. Sehwag scored 43. Later, Dhoni and Yuvraj added an unbeaten 101-runs for the fifth wicket to see India through. Yuvraj remained unbeaten on 53, while Dhoni made an unbeaten 45. India scored 260/4 in 46.3 overs.

The match was memorable for Zaheer and Ganguly. Zaheer took his 200th ODI wicket by dismissing Shoaib Malik. Saurav Ganguly got his 100th ODI wicket after dismissing Shahid Afridi. Sachin Tendulkar was declared "Man of the Match".

Afridi, Gambhir fined

The verbal duel proved costly for Gautam Gambhir and Shahid Afridi, as they were heavily penalized by the Match Referee Ranjan Madhugale. Shahid Afridi was fined 95 per cent of his match fee, while Gambhir was filed 65 per cent of his match fee. The duo went into an heated altercation and even came in physical collission during the 3rd ODI in Kanpur.

The verbal exchange erupted after Gambhir hit Afridi for a boundary. In the next ball, Gambhir took a single and they collided in that process. That followed by a heated altercation, which forced umpire Ian Gould to intervene. Gambhir was fined 50 per cent of his match fee for being found guilty of the offence of inappropriate and deliberate physical contact and 15 per cent of the match fee for the disrepute charge. Afridi was fined 75 per cent of his match fee for the offence of inappropriate and deliberate physical contact and 20 per cent of the match fee for the disrepute charge.

Harbhajan and Murali Kartik back in Test Squad

The selectors picked up the test squad for forthcoming test series against Pakistan. As expected, spinners Harbhajan Singh and Murali Kartik made a come back. However, in-form batsman Gautam Gambhir and pacer Irfan Pathan were left out. Virender Sehwag failed to impress the selectors and was dropped from the squad despite having good record against Pakistan.

The Team: Anil Kumble, Rahul Dravid, Sachin Tendulkar, Sourav Ganguly, V V S Laxman, M S Dhoni, Yuvraj Singh, Harbhajan Singh, Zaheer Khan, Wasim Jaffer, R P Singh, S Sreesanth, Murali Kartik and Dinesh Karthik.

Greg Chappell accuses BCCI of cover-up

Former Indian coach Greg Chappell accused the BCCI of racist attitude, citing the example of the attack on him at Bhuabneswar Airport. He believes he was the victim of a racist attack. Chappell hit out at the Indian board and police for playing down a serious breach of security in January 2007, when he was attacked by a guy called Biranchi Moharana.

Chappell said, "I got hit on the side of the head and my immediate reaction was 'he's broken my jaw'." Chappell's interview would be screened in a documentary on ABC Channel. He added, "had it been one of the players who was attacked there would have been an outcry, but because it was me no-one seemed to care." He also felt hurt when someone from the BCCI called him up and asked whether it really happened. Chappell was quite sure everyone went in a cover-up mood and to bury the issue.

India beat Pakistan to take 2-1 lead

Salman Butt's heroic century went in vain, as Pakistan crashed to a 46-run defeat against India in the 3rd ODI in Kanpur. Pakistan won the toss and put India into bat. Indian batsmen lived up to expectations and managed to score 294/6 in 50 overs. Sachin Tendulkar made 29, while Ganguly contributed 39. Dhoni and Yuvraj played fine knocks of 49 and 77 respectively.

Pakistan began their run chase on a bright note, however, Indian bowlers and fielders took control of the game after the first 10 overs. Salman Butt continued to show resistance, but later fell at 129 to Harbhajan Singh. The other Pakistani batsmen who contributed were Misbah-ul Haq 38 and Younus Khan 21. Pakistan were bowled out for 248 in 47.2 overs. Yuvraj Singh was declared man of the match for his all round display.

Anil Kumble named Test Captain

The long wait is finally over. Putting speculations into rest, the selectors appointed veteran spinner Anil Kumble as the captain of Indian test squad. Anil Kumble will lead India in the test series against Pakistan.

Kumble has taken 556 wickets in 118 test matches so far. He expressed happiness on being appointed as captain of Indian cricket team. Kumble admitted that series against Pakistan would be tough. However, he expressed hope that his team would emerge victorious at the end. Kumble will become the 30th test captain of India. He will be the 3rd spinner to lead India.

Pakistan spoils India's Diwali Party

Pakistan clinched the cliffhanger at Mohali just one ball to spare and levelled the series. The team played brilliantly from the very beginning and made the light of India's mammoth total of 321. Seasoned campaigner Younus Khan scored a fine 117 runs to set the foundation of Pakistan innings. Opener Salman Butt contributed 37. However, it was young Misbah-ul-Haq, who gave great support to Younus Khan. Misbah scored 49.

After Misbah's departure, Afridi took control the game by producing a smashing knock of 29* off just 14 balls. Pakistan reached the target in 49.5 overs. Indian bowlers failed miserably with Zaheer and Harbhajan conceding 70 and 65 runs respectively in their 10 over quota. Pakistan won the match despite being pushed into the wall at one stage. Younus Khan was declared "Man of the Match".

India piles up 321/9, Sachin dismissed at 99 again

The Indian batsmen made a run feast in Mohali, when they scored 321/9 in 50 overs in the second ODI against Pakistan. The biggest disappointment of the day was Sachin's dismissal at 99. This is the 15th time Sachin got dismissed in nervous nineties in ODI and 5th in the current season. In addition, he was out in nervous nineties at least a couple of times in test matches.

India won the toss and elected to bat. Ganguly was dismissed cheaply, but then after Sachin and Gambhir put up a solid partnership of 173 runs for the second wicket. Sachin scored 99 off 91 balls, while Gambhir played a brilliant innings of 57. Indian batsmen faltered between 35th and 45th over and failed to score much. However, a late strike of 38* (20 balls) by Harbhajan Singh helped India to set a huge target before Pakistan. For Pakistan, Shoaib Akhtar took 3 wickets.

Rahul Dravid slams Double Century in Ranji Trophy

Rahul Dravid gave a befitting reply to his critics by slamming a timely double century against Mumbai in a Ranji Tophy match. Interstingly, he achieved this feat in Mumbai, home to BCCI President Sharad Pawar and Chief Selector Dilip Vengsarkar. The former Indian captain scored 214 that helped Karnataka declare their second innings on 397/6. Mumbai needed 255 runs in 32 overs to win the match. The match finally ended in a draw.

Dravid was dropped from Indian ODI squad after his poor performance against Australia. That controversial decision sparked off protests and debates both in media and cricket circle with former Indian cricketers openly speaking against Chief Selector Dilip Vengsarkar.

Sachin turns down Test Captaincy offer

Sachin Tendulkar finally turned down the offer to become the captain of India's Test side. His decision came as a big blow for the selectors who were to announce his appointment at Mohali on Thursday. According to sources, Sachin had initially agreed to take over the job after Rahul Dravid stepped down. However, he surprised everyone by suddenly changing the decision.

The selectors now have a daunting task of choosing a better candidate for the top job, as the test series against Pakistan no so far. If the media reports are to be believed, Mahendra Singh Dhoni is all set to become the new captain of the test side too. He is currently holding the top job for India's ODI side.

India beat Pakistan in 1st ODI at Guwahati

Pakistan missed the services of its star bowler Mohammad Asif, when they went down to India in the first ODI at Guwahati. Pakistan won the toss and elected to bat. The team scored 239/7 in 50 overs. The in-form Mohammad Yousuf scored an unbeaten 83. Opener Salman Butt made 50, while Shahid Afridi contributed a quick-fire 31. Harbhajan, Murali Kartik and Sachin Tendulkar bowled well. Tendulkar took 2 wickets.

In reply, India lost Tendulkar cheaply. However, Gambhir and Ganguly added 82 runs for the second wicket. Sourav Ganguly scored 39, while Gautam Gambhir played a good innings of 44. Later, Dhoni and Yuvraj came up with good knocks to see India through. Dhoni made 77 off 63 balls. Yuvraj scored 58. Skipper M S Dhoni was adjudged "Man of the Match". India took a 1-0 lead in the five-match series.

Pakistan Cricket team arrives in India

Pakistan's cricket team landed in India on a 44-day tour that would involve three test matches and five one-day matches. Captain Shoaib Malik and his team mates were taken to the hotel amidst tight security. Later' Malik and coach Geoff Lawson addressed a press conference. While Malik expressed confidence over his team's performance, Lawson termed India-Pakistan series better than the Ashes. Lawson also added that Pakistan wants to settle a few scores with India.

Pakistan cricket team suffered a jolt, as their main stream bowler Mohammad Asif opted out of the tour due to elbow injury. However, the bowling attack was bolstered with the return of Shoaib Akhtar. The visitors will play Delhi in a warm-up game on Friday.

President honored Twenty20 Team

The victorious Indian Twenty20 cricket team that won the T20 World Cup more than a month ago, was awarded a rare honor of being felicitated by the President and the Prime Minister. Although the Indian hockey team that won the Asia cup, were felicitated along with the cricket team, it was Dhoni's team that stole the show. Unfortunate, but was a hard reality.

The ceremony lasted for half an hour. The president also hosted a high tea at the Banquet Hall for the two teams, who were dressed in formal navy blue blazers. Virender Sewhag could attend the function because of the sudden demise of his father.

Ironically, PM Manmohan Singh and UPA President Sonia Gandhi gave the hockey players a slip and met only the cricketers. The PM personally congratulated each member of the team and presented them with mementos for their remarkable achievement. He later realized his mistake and invited the hockey team next day.

At the President house, it was heartening to see Dhoni greeting his hockey counterpart Prabodh Tirkey. the duo together posed for photographs. Dhoni also presented a bat to President Pratibha Patil. It was signed by all the players of the World Champion team. Hockey captain Prabodh Tirkey presented Patil a replica of the Asia Cup.

The president also appreciated the football team’s feat of winning the Nehru Cup. Baichung Bhutia’s men had to miss the ceremony because of their World Cup qualifier against Lebanon in Goa. Patil also made a special mention of chess ace Viswanathan Anand’s World Championship triumph. She had already felicitated Anand on his return to India.