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Sachin Tendulkar and Vangipurappu Laxman struck half centuries as India continued to torment Sri Lanka in the third and final test on Friday after Virender Sehwag fell seven runs short of a record-breaking third triple century.

Sehwag resumed on his overnight score of 284 but was caught and bowled by Muttiah Muralitharan for 293, before Tendulkar (53) and Laxman (62) helped India carve out a commanding first innings lead of 236 by tea on the third day.

Sri Lanka struck back by claiming four wickets after lunch before skipper Mahendra Dhoni (21) and Zaheer Khan (3) guided India to 629 for seven in their pursuit of a victory that would secure their spot at the top of the test rankings.
Starting the day on 443-1 in reply to Sri Lanka’s first-innings 393, India lost Sehwag in the fourth over, much to the disappointment of an expectant and packed Brabourne Stadium.

Left-arm paceman Chanaka Welegedara struck in his first over of the day when he had overnight batsman Rahul Dravid caught behind for 74 to briefly raise Sri Lankan hopes of a revival.
However, Laxman, who hit eight fours, and Tendulkar shared in a 71-run stand for the fourth wicket to pile on the agony before Nuwan Kulasekara broke the stand after lunch when Tendulkar played on to the stumps.

Muralitharan, playing in his last overseas test, had Laxman caught at mid-on before Rangana Herath forced a chancy Yuvraj Singh to be caught at mid off for 23.
Muralitharan then bowled Harbhajan Singh, who bottom edged a reserve sweep onto the stumps, for one before Dhoni and Zaheer guided the hosts to the break.

Sehwag, only the third batsman to score two triple centuries after Australia’s Don Bradman and West Indian Brian Lara, had shared in double century stands with opener Murali Vijay (87) and Dravid on the second day to put India in command.
India hold a 1-0 after they won the second test by an innings and 144 runs. The first test ended in a draw.

After two years, Rahul Dravid is back in Indias Oneday team. The selectors wanted him back for the Champions Trophy in South Africa, so did the Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) mandarins . Even if there was a hint of opposition from the team management , by 1 pm on Sunday it was evident that Dravid would once again take guard for India in ODIs.
If BCCIs backing was one of the reasons, the non-availability of Virender Sehwag for the Sri Lanka tri-series and the Champions Trophy also paved the way for the exskippers comeback. Even if there was a whiff of a chance of Sehwag getting fit for the Champions Trophy, the selectors made it clear that they would go for the same squad for both the Sri Lanka tri-series and the Champions Trophy.
There was a grey area about Sehwags fitness for the Champions Trophy and no one was inclined to take a chance, a well-placed source pointed out, adding that the basic idea was to ensure that the team didnt go to South Africa underprepared.
It was middle-order solidity the selectors were looking for and Dravid fitted the bill perfectly. Even though Rohit Sharmas name came up for some serious consideration (courtesy Dhoni), Srikkanth & Co felt that the Mumbai batsman was woefully out of form.
Our batting looked suspect during the T20 World Cup and the West Indies series. So we thought Dravid was the right man to add some spunk to the lineup, especially on the fast and bouncy tracks of South Africa, the source said, adding there were India A trips coming up to enable Rohit to rediscover form.
But wasnt Dravids recall a retrogade step Its a matter of horses-forcourses when it comes to a tournament like the Champions Trophy and we have done precisely that, a selector said, echoing chairman Krishnamachari Srikkanths words that this is the best team we could have sent .
But one selection that raised a few eyebrows was that of Amit Mishra ahead of Pragyan Ojha. Even though he had made his ODI debut way back in 2003, the leggie is considered more of a Test bowler. However, the selection committee insisted that Mishra was brilliant in the Emerging Players tournament in Australia and that he should get his chance in ODIs. Not that they are too displeased with Ojha, but the five wise men felt that the wrist-spinners experience would come in handy.
With Zaheer (Khan) and (Virender ) Sehwag not there, were short of two genuine matchwinners. Basically, we were looking at more impact players , the selector added. Mishra, along with Harbhajan Singh, will be the two spinners while RP Singh, Ishant Sharma, Ashish Nehra and Praveen Kumar fill the pacers slot.
Its understood that Munaf Patels name was also discussed, but Praveen got the nod because of his fielder.
Abhishek Nayar is the only allrounder in the squad while wicketkeeper Dinesh Karthik will be considered as the third opener in case of a crisis. He did the job successfully in the West Indies and is a multi-utility cricketer, a selector added.

SQUAD:

Mahendra Singh Dhoni (capt/wicketkepper ), Sachin Tendulkar, Gautam Gambhir , Rahul Dravid, Yuvraj Singh (vice-capt ), Suresh Raina, Yusuf Pathan, Harbhajan Singh, RP Singh, Ishant Sharma, Ashish Nehra, Amit Mishra, Dinesh Karthik, Praveen Kumar, Abhishek Nayar.

Zaheer Khan may be out of action due to shoulder injury for at least five months, but Indian coach Gary Kirsten insisted here on Monday that he is not losing sleep over it. For the upcoming series of matches, the former South African opening batsman is banking on Ishant Sharma, RP Singh, Ashish Nehra and Praveen Kumar to make up for Zaheers absence.
The kind of performance Zaheer has shown in last couple of years is truly remarkable. His absence is a huge blow but we have pacers in the team who can also do the job and I have high hopes on them, Kirsten told TOI here on Monday.
Echoing Kirstens thoughts, chairman of the selection committee Krish Srikkanth said: Zaheer has been our main bowler in recent times and his record speaks for itself. We are certainly going to miss him. We dont have any other option if a bowler like him is injured. We have to accept this and move on.
Both Kirsten and Srikkanth however agreed that India has enough bench-strength to tackle this crisis. Bowlers like RP, Ishant, Nehra and Praveen are capable bowlers and can face any challenge. The Indian team is going to have a four-day camp from August 27 and we hope to sort out everything before the season starts in September, Kirsten said.
When asked if Ishant can carry the burden of expectations, more so in the absence of Zaheer , Kirsten said: We expected a lot from Ishant and he did produce some extraordinary performances in the last season. He is extremely talented and he is going to get better with every series. I am confident he is going to play a crucial role again.
Kirsten, who was here in the Capital with mental conditioning coach Paddy Upton to monitor the fitness regimen of eight Indian cricketers, went about his job in a professional manner. Both he and Upton kept updating their notebooks with the latest readings of players bip test.
Expectedly, these fitness reports will be tabled next week when the selectors meet to pick the teams for the Sri Lankan tri-series and Champions Trophy. Probably, this is the first time that the entire team will undergo fitness tests before a conditioning camp, that too at the start of the cricket season. Earlier, such fitness tests were conducted at the conditioning camp.
The second round of tests will be conducted on the remaining cricketers in Mumbai on Tuesday . We have to keep a track record of the fitness standards of the team. All the players are in good shape and we hope to start the season with a bang, Kirsten said.
The eight cricketers who attended the fitness test: Indian skipper MS Dhoni, Harbhajan Singh, Ashish Nehra, RP Singh, Parveen Kumar, Ishant Sharma, Gautam Gambhir and Suresh Raina.

Having decided to support its players on the World Anti-Doping Agencys contentious whereabouts clause, the BCCI has now told the ICC that any negotiations on the issue would be between ICC and WADA, and not with BCCI. Indias top cricketers have refused to accept the international clause requiring sportspersons to disclose their whereabouts in advance.
Board president Shashank Manohar refused to be drawn into stating whether India was once again gearing up for a clash with the sports parent body. However, as much as Manohar sought to bring peaceful negotiations to the table, it remains clear that BCCI is treading a path which no other member board of ICC was openly willing to take.
It is not just the Indian players who are apprehensive about WADAs out-of-competition testing clause. Players from other countries too felt equally insecure before signing up. However , it is only the Indian cricketers who have openly spoken about the subject.
We believe the clause with regard to whereabouts of cricketers is unreasonable for three reasons. First, some (Indian) cricketers have security cover, and when you have such cover, you cannot disclose your whereabouts to a third person. Second, the privacy of individuals cannot be invaded. Third, the Indian constitution guarantees every citizen his privacy, Manohar said after BCCIs working committee meeting on Sunday where five senior cricketers Sachin Tendulkar, Virender Sehwag, Mahendra Singh Dhoni, Harbhajan Singh and Yuvraj Singh were present along with ICC officials.
Manohar subsequently also provided a solution to the deadlock in the meeting, certainly the players point of view, when he added: We can appreciate players being tested even when they are not playing. But if ICC or WADA want to test the players, they can inform the board which will get the players at the required location within 24 hours. This is our suggestion.
A couple of things Manohar said might not find many takers in the international sporting community. He referred to some Indian cricketers having security cover because of which their whereabouts were difficult to divulge. But the biggest names in world sport, like Rafael Nadal, Roger Federer and Lance Armstrong, too have agreed to the same WADA norms. They have done so despite being as apprehensive about it as Indias superstar cricketers.

The 30-member Indian pre-squad for the Champions Trophy has been announced and there have been a couple of surprises in the same. Rahul Dravid, who has not played a single ODI since October 2007 makes a reappearance while all-rounder Irfan Pathan is conspicuous by his absence.

Dravid had been out of the selection radar ever since the former chief selector, Dilip Vengsarkar had dropped him from the ODI squad in 2007 after he had had a rather low-scoring series against the Aussies.

Also in the squad is the presence of Sachin Tendulkar, Virender Sehwag, Zaheer Khan, Suresh Raina, and Munaf Patel, all of whom had been left out of the team to West Indies due to various reasons.

Some of the other players include Abhishek Nayar, M Vijay, S Badrinath, Ashish Nehra, and Ravindra Jadeja, who were also a part of the team to the West Indies, and some others like R Ashwin, Ajinkya Rahane, Dhawal Kulkarni, Virat Kohli, Bhuvneshwar Kumar Singh, Wriddhiman Saha, Pankaj Singh.

Irfan Pathan’s bad run of form means that he will need to get back his swing that he seemed to have lost after the initial burst which had seen him become only the second Indian to bag a hat-trick in a test match.

S.Sreesanth also loses out due to his troublesome back which has seen him being out of the squad ever since the previous year’s IPL.

30-member squad: MS Dhoni, Virender Sehwag, Gautam Gambhir, Yuvraj Singh, Rohit Sharma, Rahul Dravid, Sachin Tendulkar, Suresh Raina, Yusuf Pathan, Abhishek Nayar, Zaheer Khan, Ishant Sharma, Praveen Kumar, RP Singh, Harbhajan Singh, Pragyan Ojha, Ravindra Jadeja, Dinesh Karthik, Munaf Patel, R Ashwin, M Vijay, Amit Mishra, Ajinkya Rahane, Dhawal Kulkarni, S Badrinath, Ashish Nehra, Virat Kohli, Bhuvneshwar Kumar Singh, Wriddhiman Saha, Pankaj Singh.

John Buchanan, the former Australia coach,has said India’s ‘Fab Four” batsmen – Sachin Tendulkar, Rahul Dravid, Sourav Ganguly and VVS Laxman – are not suited to Twenty20 cricket. Buchanan, who worked closely with several Indian players during his stint with the Kolkata Knight Riders in the IPL, made these and other observations in his new book, The Future of Cricket: The Rise of Twenty20.

Buchanan was otherwise in praise of Tendulkar – who has opted out of Twenty20 internationals but not the IPL. “Tendulkar has been lauded, and rightly so, as one of the very top batsmen in the history of cricket,” he wrote. “But is he an effective T20 player at this stage of his career?

“In the position he plays – as an opener or No. 3 – the T20 game requires not only the finesse and skills he has, but also the power and domination, an ability to take the bowlers on while being creative. You have to be inventive and fearless. And I don’t see those qualities as part of Sachin’s makeup at this stage of his career. Sachin Tendulkar is still a great player but not in this arena of T20.”

Buchanan had similar views on Tendulkar’s contemporaries, none of whom featured in the ICC World Twenty20 in England.

“Homegrown heroes such as Sachin Tendulkar, Rahul Dravid, Harbhajan Singh and VVS Laxman, were expected to influence, and on some occasions single-handedly win IPL matches,” Buchanan said. “Yet their subdued performances highlight that Test match temperament does not necessarily ensure prolonged success in the T20 game.

“The same could be said about Rahul Dravid. Dravid is a great representative of Indian cricket, a team man, humble, a well-spoken gentleman. But unfortunately he could not score a single run in the early rounds of the IPL, and in my opinion, is not suited to this form of the game. I am certain Dravid’s performances were also affected by the off-field drama created by his franchise owner Vijay Mallya.”

His opinions weren’t restricted to India’s ageing stars. He went on to question Yuvraj Singh’s attitude, though he later clarified that there was no malice involved in his comments.

“Yuvraj Singh in a sense tries to be a modern-day Sourav Ganguly, but I don’t think he has the charisma or the dignity with which Ganguly carries himself,” he said.

However, Buchanan was full of praise for Ganguly, though the pair didn’t have the best of times with Kolkata during the IPL. Buchanan’s multiple-captain theory didn’t go down well with the team at the start of the tournament and a host of off-field and selection issues saw the team finish at the bottom. It also cost Buchanan his job as coach.

THE Indian cricket fraternity, at least most of it, is miffed with John Buchanan for airing his views in his new book titled Future of cricket: Rise of Twenty20. From Sunil Gavaskar to Sourav Ganguly, Harbhajan Singh and Yuvraj Singh, even Sachin Tendulkar, Buchanan has had something to say about all, and most of it has been in poor taste.
Buchanan writing, or rather washing the Indian linen in public, isn’t the first instance among former players or coaches taking such swipes. There have been others too who, either by way of writing a book, biography, diary or even regular columns, have had something controversial to talk about.
Adam Gilchrist’s book, True Colours of My Life, created a stir last year when it criticised the Indian team’s stint during and after the Sydney Test and Sachin Tendulkar’s role as a senior statesman. Former South African cricketers (and current Indian coach) Gary Kirsten and Fannie de Villiers have written diaries and biographies that talk of how difficult it was for them to tour India and bear with the ‘filth’ in this country.
In Out of My Comfort Zone, former Australia captain Steve Waugh slammed Sourav Ganguly for his constant bickering over the nature of pitches and trying to influence groundsmen. “To me, this wasn’t too different to match-fixing,’’ he wrote.
The instances are many and of late, growing at a very rapid pace. When a player or a coach is making his way out of the circuit, there is often an urge to present his point of view that he never could do while being part of the system. It can be spiteful, redeeming, presenting the big picture, players’ point of view, controversial — just about anything.
“It is fair as long as you are not hitting under the belt. As long as you are not getting personal,’’ says former India cricketer Akash Chopra, who authored Beyond the Blues: A Cricket Season Like No Other.
The book was Chopra’s take on the Indian domestic circuit, his struggle at a personal level but largely also an attempt to point out the follies in the domestic circuit with a myopic view of the administration. “There may have been things you felt were wrong or there’s a strong need to raise the point. But it shouldn’t be personal,’’ he stresses.
Former India all-rounder Manoj Prabhakar, whose match-fixing investigation created Indian cricket’s biggest ever controversy, is convinced that “these days books are written with the market in mind’’. He says: “Cricketers like Sachin, Sourav, Rahul, Harbhajan, Yuvraj have a huge following. You write something juicy on them and it is bound to raise a lot of hue and cry. Gilchrist writing on Sachin (2008 Sydney Test) was in absolute poor taste.’’
He further points out why these writers never point out the positives to come out from such greats. It is easy to rile Gavaskar for a couple of things that happened during his playing days, but who is willing to
write on the batsman that he was, wonders Prabhakar. They will not simply because, “that won’t sell’’. Ganguly has maintained his calm over Buchanan’s book saying, “there was no need for him (Buchanan) to do that.’’ Tendulkar did the same, by keeping silent, when Gilchrist’s autobiography came out. Harbhajan has been a little more aggressive on his blog when he writes: “I am not surprised. Anything coming out of Australia does not surprise me anymore. What offends me are the comments on legends like Gavaskar and Tendulkar.’’
However, by and large it is clear that most foreign cricketers or coaches turning writers are looking more at the market than cricket itself while using the pen. Silently, many an Indian stalwart believe that the BCCI is responsible (also IPL now) for giving these foreigners too much rope. “They come here, earn from Indian cricket, and badmouth us,’’ confides one.
One has to still wait and watch when an Indian would find the need to do something similar to sell his product. Until now, nothing of the sort has hit the stands.

India Off-spinner Harbhajan Singh has hit back at John Buchanan for taking a filch at some of the Indian cricketing greats, saying he was oriented to being criticised by Australians but surprised at the pan shots Buchanan took at the likes of Sunil Gavaskar.
   In his new book The Future of Cricket: The Rise of Twenty20,
Buchanan has taken filch at some of the big names of Indian cricket including Sourav Ganguly, Rahul Dravid, VVS Laxman, Yuvraj Singh, and also industrialist Vijay Mallya.
 Harbhajan, who has a unconvinced record of run-ins with Australians, went on to suggest that it might be a scheme on Buchanan’s part to publicized the book. ‘‘There used to be a time when actions used to speak louder than words but now it’s viceversa. Words draw more awareness that action. At times, I wonder why all these things appear just before the launch of the book. Good luck to them,’’ Harbhajan said.
   ‘‘I read through the comments on an online news portal. The great coach indeed had some great comments to make, just like his great coaching methods,’’ Harbhajan wrote in his blog from UK, where is holidaying with his family. ‘‘I am not surprised at this. In fact, anything coming out of Australia does not surprise me anymore. It just shows how much they love me and keep thinking about me in their minds and hearts.
   ‘‘What surprises me are the well-crafted and framed comments on demonstrated legends like Mr Gavaskar by someone whose coaching credentials were doubted by the approvaled and most respected Aussie legend leg spinner Shane Warne. The coaching credentials were tested again during the IPL this year,” he added.

John Buchanan has countered allegations that he slammed some Indian players in his new book. Buchanan said that the comments were taken “out of context” by the media and that people would have to “read the entire book”. The coach said that he had no hard feelings towards Gavaskar, Yuvraj or Harbhajan. In his book, Buchanan refers to Gavaskar as a person who is blinkered by ‘bias and tradition’.

Kings XI Punjab coach Tom Moody hit back at John Buchanan, saying he has been wrongly quoted by the latter in his recent book.
   “I was surprised to hear that I have been quoted in John Buchanan’s most recent book. I have neither read the book nor been cherished by John about its release with my supposed quotes,’’ Moody said.
   The former Sri Lanka national coach further added that he was rather taken aback by Buchanan’s reference to Kings XI captain Yuvraj Singh. ‘‘I certainly cannot recall any such conversation.
   “I am not in the habit of airing team laundry on such trivial matter,’’ Moody shot back.
   The book has Buchanan saying that Moody told him ‘‘Yuvraj would just walk off after training, leaving all his gear and rubbish behind because he was in the habit of someone else picking up after him.”

MUMBAI -Rahul Dravid stands to make it to the one-day squad after two years as the cricket selectors Monday included him among the 30 probables for September’s Champions Trophy in South Africa.

Dravid, whose last ODI was in October 2007 against Australia in Nagpur, was out of the one-day squad after his form hunch but saved his place in the Test side.

Rahul Dravid

 The selection committee that met in Chennai felt that Dravid’s presence will strengthen the middle-order that is exposed to short-pitched delivery as it was proved in the World Twenty20 and the ODI series in the West Indies.

His selection among the probables for the Champions Trophy comes after he performed well during the Indian Premier League (IPL) also in South Africa, where he scored 271 runs from 13 matches at a strike rate of 115.81 for runners-up Bangalore Royal Challengers.

Virender Sehwag and Suresh Raina, who are convalescing from injuries, were selected alongside Sachin Tendulkar and Zaheer Khan, who were rested for the ODI series in the West Indies.

Youngters like Ajinkya Rahane, Bhuvaneshwar Kumar Singh, Dhawal Kulkarni and Wriddhiman Saha were also selected amnong the probables.

Probables squad: Mahendra Singh Dhoni, Virender Sehwag, Gautam Gambhir, Yuvraj Singh, Rohit Sharma, Sachin Tendulkar, Rahul Dravid, Suresh Raina, Yusuf Pathan, Abhishek Nayar, Ishant Sharma, Zaheer Khan, Rudra Pratap Singh, Praveen Kumar, Harbhajan Singh, Pragyan Ojha, Ravindra Jadeja, Dinesh Karthik, Munaf Patel, R Ashwin, M Vijay, Amit Mishra, Ajinkya Rahane, Dhawal Kulkarni, Subramaniam Badrinath, Ashish Nehra, Virat Kohli, Bhuvneshwar Kumar Singh, Wridhiman Saha, and Pankaj Singh.