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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 many hurdles the much awaited ICC Champions Trophy 2009 will begin in South Africa, Initialy the Tournament was supposed to be held in Pakistan last year, but since the situation in Pakistan and the recent terrorist attack on the Sri Lankan Team forced the  ICC to shift the venue to South Africa.

The South Africans start favourites to win the Champions trophy however its interesting to note that they have lost two World Cup semi-finals, one World Twenty20 semi-final, and three Champions Trophy semi-finals so far. They have been so near yet so far from winning a major ICC Event

Head to Head:

South Africa lead 5-1  on Sri Lanka in ICC events.
SriLankan Murali, with 23 wickets, is the highest wicket-taker in Champions Trophy history.

South Africa and Sri Lanka have faced each other only two times in the  Champions Trophy.Both the matches have been won by South Africa.

Pitch and conditions

SuperSport Park at the Centurian has  a seating capacity of 20,000, is known to have the best ‘Player facilities’. Indian legend Kapil Dev rates this ground as one of the 10 best grounds in the world.

South Africa (probable) 1 Graeme Smith (capt), 2 Hashim Amla, 3 Jacques Kallis, 4 AB de Villiers, 5 JP Duminy, 6 Mark Boucher (wk), 7 Albie Morkel, 8 Roelof van der Merwe/Wayne Parnell, 9 Johan Botha, 10 Makhaya Ntini, 11 Dale Steyn.

Sri Lanka (probable) 1 Sanath Jayasuriya, 2 Tillakaratne Dilshan, 3 Kumar Sangakkara (capt/wk), 4 Mahela Jayawardene, 5 Thilina Kandamby, 6 Chamara Kapugedera, 7 Angelo Mathews, 8 Thilan Thushara, 9 Nuwan Kulasekara, 10 Muttiah Muralitharan, 11 Lasith Malinga.

With the rain clouds staying away and the Galle sky clear, Sri Lanka romped to victory in the first Test, finishing off proceedings mid-afternoon. The New Zealand tail offered far more resistance than the top order – Daniel Vettori led the way with a brave 67 – but with the spinners coming into their own after early breakthroughs from Thilan Thushara, Sri Lanka eased to a 202-run win. Fittingly Muttiah Muralitharan, who had taken his 100th wicket in Galle earlier in the match, had the final say, running out Brendon McCullum with a superb throw from mid-off to finish off proceedings.

 Any realistic hopes that New Zealand had of survival had disappeared soon after lunch, when Jesse Ryder edged Murali behind. McCullum and Vettori staved off the inevitable for a while, and there was polite applause for Vettori when he reached his half-century. Two neat pulls for four off Thushara followed, but by then both Murali and Ajantha Mendis were turning the ball at wicked angles.

 And it was Mendis who delivered, coming round the wicket and turning one sharply away to take the edge of Vettori’s bat. Once again Prasanna Jayawardene’s glovework was smooth, and as Vettori walked back, it was only a matter of when Sri Lanka would wrap things up. McCullum swung Murali for a six, and then swept him for four to rage against dying light, and there were a couple of lovely drives too from Jeetan Patel. But after Mendis had seen him dropped by Malinda Warnapura, substituting for Angelo Mathews, at short leg, Murali struck, with the doosra luring him forward and Prasanna doing the rest.

 Iain O’Brien went caught at silly point off the inside edge, and McCullum then made the mistake of taking on Murali’s throwing arm to end the contest. The damage, though, had been done much earlier, as Sri Lanka started the morning with some exceptionally tidy overs. The pressure eventually told once Thushara switched the angle of attack to round the wicket. Martin Guptill was clueless against one that came in with the arm and then darted away to clip the top of off stump. Soon after, Tim McIntosh, perhaps still suffering the after-effects of illness, was squared up, and Thilan Samaraweera took a fine low catch at third slip. McIntosh waited for the third umpire’s decision, but had to walk off eventually.

 An even heftier blow came soon after. Kumar Sangakkara threw the ball to his predecessor as captain, and when Mahela Jayawardene got Ross Taylor to tickle on into Prasanna’s hands down the leg side, the Lankan celebrations were raucous. Up in the dressing room, Trevor Bayliss, the coach, held his head in his hands in disbelief.

 With the fields more attacking, both Vettori and Jacob Oram had the opportunity to play some strokes. Vettori played a couple of lovely drives, and the sweep and pull were also employed by both as the scoreboard ticked along. But just when it seemed that they might get to lunch without further damage, Oram tried to sweep a straighter one from Mendis, and missed.

Both Vettori and Ryder saw edges off Murali evade wicketkeeper and slip and go for four, but there was to be no great escape for New Zealand. Sri Lanka, whose home form is the envy of so many, chipped away relentlessly and with Thushara adding a cutting edge to the wiles of Murali and Mendis, victory was as inevitable as it was emphatic.

Pakistan’s strategy was clear from the outset – step out and whack. The difficulties the home batsmen faced under lights in the two ODIs didn’t deter Pakistan’s top order as they regularly went down the track to smother the slightest hint of seam movement. Kamran Akmal’s first-ball dismissal turned out to be no more than a scare as Pakistan stuck to their gameplan.

Afridi wasn’t very convincing at the start of his innings, slashing and swishing at deliveries far too early. He also survived a very confident shout for lbw off Muttiah Muralitharan, with the ball appearing to turn enough to clip the leg stump. As he got his eye in, though, the shots flew off his bat. He chipped down the track to Murali and carved them inside out over extra cover but the shot of the evening was a stylish one-legged whip off Malinga that cleared the deep midwicket boundary.

There was a bit of drama in between when he claimed an overthrow after the throw from Mahela Jayawardene deflected off his body. Tempers flared for a few seconds but, unlike what happened between Younis Khan and Kumar Sangakkara in the fifth ODI, the issue was quickly settled.

Umar too carried on from where he left off in the one-dayers, using his feet to clear the infield. His stand with Afridi yielded 66 in a little more than seven overs but he fell off a tame top edge while attempting a cheeky paddle off Angelo Mathews.

Afridi fell shortly after getting to his third consecutive fifty in Twenty20s, failing to clear Kulasekara at long-off. Abdul Razzaq then finished the innings with a cameo and Pakistan appeared at that stage that they had enough to push the Sri Lankans once more.

Sanath Jayasuriya and Mahela Udawatte began the chase at a rate of nearly ten an over. Jayasuriya entertained in typical fashion with his trademark flicks but failed to put away a short delivery off Mohammad Aamer, miscuing him to fine leg. Udawatte failed to make the most of his recall, trapped lbw off Naved-ul-Hasan though he was a trifle unlucky as the ball pitched fractionally outside leg.

The middle order’s failure to contribute hurt them once more. Sangakkara and Jayawardene entertained, albeit briefly, with almost nonchalant shots over the ropes but they failed to put together that one big partnership to nail the chase. The pressure was on because the boundaries were few and far between. Sri Lanka managed just six fours, while Pakistan hit 19.

Afridi rushed through his overs, denying the batsmen too much room. When Jayawardene backed away to push the ball into the gaps, Afridi slipped in the googly and cramped him up. He conceded 21 runs and bagged the wicket of Chamara Kapugedera, well caught at midwicket by Naved.

The most incisive bowler was Ajmal, who bagged three wickets. In contrast to Afridi, he was much slower through the air, making the batsmen reach out for their strokes. Their attempts to take out their frustrations on him led to tame dismissals, like Sangakkara’s, sweeping against the turn.

With the specialists gone, Sri Lanka’s last hopes rested on Angelo Mathews but he too was sent scampering back by a direct hit from Afridi.

In the end, Sri Lanka’s defeat will be analysed through one critical statistic. While Pakistan’s fourth wicket added 66, Sri Lanka’s last eight managed only 49.

Sri Lankan spin wizard Muttiah Muralitharan said on Thursday that he is planning to quit Test cricket after next year’s series against the West Indies.

The 37-year-old off-spinner said he is eyeing the two Test matches against the West Indies in November next year as his farewell series because he feels his body cannot bear the rigours of five-day games for much longer.

“We don’t have many Test matches next year but I am thinking that next year’s Test series against West Indies in November will be my last two Test matches,” Muralitharan said after Sri Lanka registered a 36-run victory over Pakistan in the first ODI in Dambulla .

Muralitharan has been struggling with a knee injury for quite sometime, which forced him to stay out of Sri Lanka’s recent Test series win over Pakistan.

His decision came after doctors warned him against surgery at this moment as it could virtually see the end of his career.

After Angelo Mathews and Muttiah Muralitharan had combined to devastating effect with the bat, Sri Lanka’s pace bowlers scythed through Pakistan’s top order to lead them to a 36-run victory on a blustery day in Dambulla. Sri Lanka seemingly had the game in the bag at 134 for 8, but a gritty and stroke-filled 62-run stand between Umar Gul and Mohammad Aamer so nearly spoilt their day. Pakistan had bossed the opening exchanges after electing to field on a green-tinged pitch, but they never quite recovered from a batting Powerplay in which 54 runs were conceded. With none of the frontline batsmen able to build on starts, it was left to the tail to try and pull off a miracle.

 Sri Lanka had scripted a stirring revival of their own in the morning. After 44 overs, they were an underwhelming 169 for 6. But once Nuwan Kulasekara fell, having added 42 with Mathews, Murali whirled his bat like a dervish. Gul was top-edged for four and then straight-driven for six in an over that cost 15, and Shahid Afridi then clobbered through the off side for fours before Aamer put the sheen on a superb debut display by bowling him for 32. It had taken just 15 balls though, and by then, on a surface where run-making was not easy, Sri Lanka had enough of a total to defend.

 Pakistan appeared deflated by that revival, and their batting effort never left the ground. Kulasekara started things off, tormenting Shoaib Malik outside his off stump. The odd ball would move away, while others would nip back and force him into the most awkward contortions. The scoreboard was moving thanks to a couple of lovely drives from Kamran Akmal but there was an air of inevitability about Malik’s dismissal, bowled playing down the wrong line to a straighter one.

 After Lasith Malinga’s slingshot pace and slower balls had failed to provide a breakthrough, Kumar Sangakkara turned to Thilan Thushara, and he struck with his very first delivery. Akmal also played down the wrong line to one that deviated little, and saw his stumps pegged back. When Mohammad Yousuf then chased a wide one from Kulasekara, Pakistan had slumped to 48 for 3.

 Afridi injected some energy into proceedings, clubbing Malinga over midwicket for six, but there was nothing distinguished about the lazy slice to Thushara that ended his innings at 27. Once Younis Khan flayed Thushara down to Mathews at third man, and Misbah-ul-Haq popped one back to Murali off the leading edge, the cause was hopelessly lost.

 Fawad Alam and Abdul Razzaq delayed the inevitable while making no dent on the asking-rate, but it was left to Gul and Mohammad Aamer to send some frissons of worry through the Lankan camp with some cavalier hitting in their own Powerplay. Some sloppy bowling from Malinga helped their cause and it was left to Mahela Jayawardene to seal the deal late on with a direct hit from point to run out Aamer. With Malinga yorking Gul next ball, it was all over.

 It could have been so very different for Pakistan, who had seen Razzaq and Aamer bowl really well with the new ball in the morning. The initial breakthrough was delayed only because of indifferent fielding. Akmal put down a sharp chance off Sanath Jayasuriya down the leg side, denying Razzaq a fairytale return after two years in the wilderness. And Razzaq himself could have had Jayasuriya a couple of overs later, but a miscue straight back down the pitch was embarrassingly dropped right in front of the batsman’s face.

 At the other end, Upul Tharanga was in poor touch, beaten repeatedly outside his off stump with feet scarcely moving. It was Jayasuriya who went first though, slashing the second ball he faced from Gul down to Aamer at third man. Aamer had impressed with the new ball, bowling with pace and beating the bat often. And after Tharanga was put out of his misery, nicking one behind, it needed a 48-run stand between Sangakkara and Jayawardene to resurrect the innings.

 As in the Test series, Sangakkara seldom failed to cash in on the bad ball, stroking Gul through mid-on and cover, and clipping Younis’ part-time medium-pace through midwicket for fours. But just as it seemed that the time was ripe to accelerate, he was undone by a Saeed Ajmal delivery that dipped and turned, and the attempt to cut merely looped to point.

 Then came an almighty stutter. Chamara Kapugedera edged Afridi behind, and the onus was on Jayawardene to up the ante. Thilan Samaraweera couldn’t do much on his return to the side, miscuing a pull to mid-on, and when Jayawardene was caught short going for a non-existent second run by Younis’ flat throw from midwicket, the wheels were off and the axle nearly broken.

 But Mathews and Kulasekara didn’t panic, scoring in singles and twos before the Powerplay was taken. The final flourish did the rest, as the previously economical Afridi and Gul were taken apart. Gul tried to return the favour when Pakistan took their own Powerplay late in the game, but by then, it was far too late to be anything more than a consolation.

On a green-tinged pitch that was slow as well, Pakistan made best use of winning the toss, but doughty tailend resistance led by Angelo Mathews took Sri Lanka to a competitive total on a blustery day in Dambulla. Mathews made 43 from 50 balls, and added 42 with Nuwan Kulasekara before a typically entertaining cameo from Muttiah Muralitharan, back after missing the Test series, took Sri Lanka past 200. Sri Lanka took the batting Powerplay only in the 45th over, but 54 came from it as Murali whirled his bat like a dervish.

 Umar Gul was top-edged for four and then straight-driven for six in an over that cost 15, and Shahid Afridi was clobbered through the off side for fours before Mohammad Aamer put the sheen on a superb debut display by bowling him for 32. By then though, on a surface where run-making was nothing like as easy as Murali made it seem, Sri Lanka had enough of a total to defend.

 They had stuttered badly in mid-innings, with only Kumar Sangakkara and Mahela Jayawardene showing signs of coming to grips with the conditions. They had limped to 105 for 3 by the halfway stage, and when Chamara Kapugedera edged Afridi behind soon after, the onus was on Jayawardene to up the ante. Thilan Samaraweera couldn’t do much on his return to the side, miscuing a pull to mid-on, and when Jayawardene was caught short going for a non-existent second run by Younis Khan’s flat throw from midwicket, the wheels were off and the axle nearly broken.

 But Mathews and Kulasekara didn’t panic, scoring in singles and twos before the Powerplay was taken. The final flourish did the rest, as the previously economical Afridi and Gul were taken apart. Pakistan would have been encouraged though by Abdul Razzaq’s performance. On his return after two years out of the side, he bowled with great control and canniness for 2 for 33.

 Sangakkara and Jayawardene had added 48 in quick time after a sedate start to the innings. As in the Test series, Sangakkara seldom failed to cash in on the bad ball, stroking Gul through mid-on and cover, and clipping Younis’ part-time medium-pace through midwicket for fours. But just as it seemed that the time was ripe to accelerate, he was undone by a Saeed Ajmal delivery that dipped and turned, and the attempt to cut merely looped to point.

 Pakistan hadn’t started well, with Kamran Akmal putting down a sharp chance off Sanath Jayasuriya in the second over. It was down the leg side, and it denied Razzaq a fairytale return. Razzaq could have had him again a couple of overs later as well, but a terrible miscue straight back down the pitch was embarrassingly dropped right in front of the batsman’s face.

 At the other end, Upul Tharanga was in poor touch, beaten repeatedly outside his off stump with feet scarcely moving. It was Jayasuriya who went first though, slashing the second ball he faced from Gul down to Aamer at third man. Aamer had impressed with the new ball, bowling with pace and beating the bat often.

Pakistan had sprung a few surprises in the team selection, with neither Nasir Jamshed or Imran Nazir picked to open. Sri Lanka had gone back to Jayasuriya and Tharanga, who played no part in the Test series, but it was the return of Murali and Lasith Malinga that promised to have the biggest bearing on a sluggish surface.

The Tests delivered the promise of riveting cricket, at a time when the game’s traditional format was under threat. Now save your appetite for the one-dayers. The selling point of the series comes from the visitor’s camp. It marks the return of two exciting players from the ICL, who have been in heavy demand from loyal Pakistan followers to give the team a facelift – Imran Nazir and Naved-ul-Hasan. The other player from the ICL, Abdul Razzaq, had already started his rebirth as an international player in the World Twenty20 but was kept out of the Tests and Mohammad Yousuf too made a stirring comeback in the Tests.

Both teams are at a rebuilding stage, with the 2011 World Cup in mind. The Sri Lankan captain, Kumar Sangakkara, highlighted that on the eve of the opening ODI in Dambulla, as it gives a chance for his team to experiment before arriving at the right combination. Instead of trying out new blood, both teams have handed comebacks to old faces, Thilan Samaraweera being a prime example from the home team. Tillakaratne Dilshan’s temporary absence may come as a blessing in disguise for them as it’s an opportunity for another attacking opener to fill the breach. After all, Sri Lanka cannot depend on Sanath Jayasuriya forever.

They will be up against the team which thumped them fairly convincingly the last time they met in the limited-overs format – the ICC World Twenty20. Where will the pendulum swing this time?

Watch out for…

Upul Tharanga: With Dilshan bandaged and ruled out for the first couple of ODIs at least, Tharanga’s spot at the top is more or less guaranteed. Holding his place once Dilshan returns will be his challenge. He last played an ODI during the tour of Bangladesh earlier this year but was overlooked for the series against Pakistan and India. His performance in the warm-up game in Kurunegala on Monday was inauspicious – he was out for a first-ball duck. Tharanga is a tried and tested player who’s had success in the past and if he backs himself, he should manage some substantial scores, focus on building an innings and leave the power hitting to Jayasuriya.

Imran Nazir: He was the people’s favourite not too long ago and still is. Trawl through the comments from readers in Cricinfo’s recent stories and blogs on Pakistan and Nazir features almost everywhere. He was the most-wanted player from the ICL and for a good reason too. He smacked an unbeaten 111 off 44 balls to guide Lahore Badshahs to the ICL title last November and fans realised just how much they missed him. Pakistan can look forward to the exciting opening duo of Nazir and Kamran Akmal.

Sri Lanka’s new one-day kit: Hopefully the dawn of a new era, after three consecutive series defeats at home.

Team news

Dilhara Fernando was added at the last minute as cover for the injury-prone Lasith Malinga. Sangakkara didn’t reveal the exact combination and said that Samaraweera and Thilina Kandamby were in the mix.

Sri Lanka: (likely)  Upul Tharanga,  Sanath Jayasuriya,Kumar Sangakkara (capt and wk), Mahela Jayawardene,  Thilina Kandamdy/Thilan Samaraweera, Angelo Mathews, Chamara Kapugedera,  Thilan Thushara,  Nuwan Kulasekara,  Lasith Malinga/Dilhara Fernando,  Muttiah Muralitharan

Pakistan have an embarrassment of riches and the competition for places has shot up. Will Yousuf walk in, and if he does, at whose expense? There was no word on a possible debut for Umar Akmal, who smashed an unbeaten 103 off 76 balls in Kurunegala.

Pakistan: (likely)  Kamran Akmal (wk) Imran Nazir,  Younis Khan,  Fawad Alam, Shahid Afridi, Shoaib Malik,  Misbah-ul-Haq/ Mohammad Yousuf,  Abdul Razzaq,  Umar Gul,  Naved-ul-Hasan,  Saeed Ajmal/ Mohammad Aamer

Stats and trivia

• Pakistan is the only team with a positive win-loss record against Sri Lanka in Sri Lanka: in 21 ODIs they have won ten and lost nine. Since 2000, though, they have lost five and won three against Sri Lanka in Sri Lanka.
• Teams batting first have won only five out of 13 day games in Dambula. The last four day matches here have all been won by the team batting second.
• Sri Lanka’s main batsmen have had a tough time in Dambulla. Sangakkara averages less than 29 in 20 innings, while Jayasuriya has only two 50-plus scores in 18 innings.
• Both Sangakkara and Jayawardene haven’t managed a half-century at home against Pakistan in 15 ODI innings. Sangakkara’s highest in eight innings is an unbeaten 36, while Jayawardene’s best in seven innings is 49.
• Muralitharan has enjoyed the conditions in Dambulla, taking 33 wickets in 15 matches at an average of 15.36 at an economy rate of 3.46 runs per over.

Quotes

“You are never sure as to whether they will be explosive or be destructive. Sometimes they are a hard side to play, all the more so we should be thinking about our game a lot more that we should about theirs.”
Kumar Sangakkara on Pakistan

“We are aware of Sri Lanka’s strength we must stick to our basics every day and in every game. Sri Lanka’s fielding is fantastic and they have the upper hand in fielding. If we field like we did in the Twenty20 we can provide good competition.”

Sri Lankan fast bowler Chaminda Vaas will retire from Test cricket after the third match against Pakistan in Colombo starting Monday.

Vaas announced his retirement plan here Sunday, but said he will continue to play One-day Internationals and Twenty20
cricket till the 2011 World Cup.

“I am officially retiring from Test
cricket after the third Test against Pakistan, but will continue playing one-day and Twenty20 matches till the 2011 World Cup,” Vaas said.

Vaas has been a successful
bowler for Sri Lanka in a career spanning 15-years. He made his debut against Pakistan in 1994 and went on to take 354 wickets in 110 Tests, the sceond highest wicket taker for the island country after Muttiah Muralitharan, who has claimed 770 wickets in 127 Tests.

He also scored 3085 Test runs at 24.48, which includes a century against Bangladesh.

Sri Lankan captain Kumar Sangakkara lauded the pacer’s achievements, calling him a “legend”.

“He is a true champion and probably the only Sri Lankan fast
bowler who can be called a true legend of the game,” he said.

“No matter who replaces Vaas in the bowling attack, they will take years to reach the standards he has set.”

Vaas was dropped from the Test side after the Karachi Test match earlier this year.

Sri Lanka’s chief selector Ashantha de Mel had said this month that Vaas retired from Test
cricket but the fast
bowler denied.

Having reclaimed his position for the final Test against Pakistan, the 36-year-old Vaas chose to call it a day.

The last one year has been all about Gautam Gambhir proving everyone wrong. TOI checks the rise and rise of the gutsy Indian opener, after the early bumps…

THE EARLY YEARS

From the time he made his Test debut, at Mumbai against Australia in 2004, Gambhir didnt look like he could translate his domestic highs on the international stage. He was in and out of the squad until the Lankan tour last July. 2004-July 2008: 14 Tests, Runs: 692, Avg: 32.95, 100s: 1 July 2008-April 2009: 11 Tests, Runs: 1579, Avg: 75.19, 100s: 5

IN SRI LANKA, JULY 2008

3 Tests, 6 innings, 310 runs, 3 50s, HS: 74, Avg: 51.66

IMPACT ON THE SERIES:

Along with Sehwag , Gambhir was the only batsman to come out with flying colours. Both were in cracking form, but couldnt help India from losing the series 1-2 . Gambhir finally showed he belonged at this level.

QUALITY OF THE ATTACK:

Spin twins Muttiah Muralitharan and Ajantha Mendis, destroyed India. Except Sehwag and Gambhir no batsman was able to handle the duo, particularly Mendis, whose unpredictabilty left Indias Fab Four in a spin.

AGAINST AUSTRALIA AT HOME, OCT-NOV 2008

3 Tests, 6 innings, 463 runs, 1 50, 2 100s, HS: 206, Avg: 77.16

IMPACT ON THE SERIES:

This series saw Gambhir coming into his own. The Australians struggled to get the Delhi left-handers number throughout their Indian sojourn. Strokes flowed freely from the 27-year-olds blade, with a 206 at Delhi being the standout knock. Gambhirs batting display was a factor in India pocketing the home series 2-0 .

QUALITY OF THE ATTACK:

The Aussies had a more-than-decent pace attack in Brett Lee, Mitchell Johnson, Shane Watson and Peter Siddle. Cameron White and off-spinner Jason Krejza manned the spin department. Though Krejza enjoyed a dream debut at Nagpur, taking 12 wickets, he didnt have to bowl to Gambhir!

AGAINST ENGLAND AT HOME, DECEMBER 2008

2 Tests, 4 innings, 361 runs, 2 50s, 1 100s, HS: 179, Avg: 90.25

IMPACT ON THE SERIES:

If his 67 in Indias fabulous fourth-innings chase at Chennai was valuable, the second Test saw Gambhir conjure up scores of 179 and 97 in a drawn affair. India won 1-0 and once again Gambhir had essayed a central role.

QUALITY OF THE ATTACK:

Slightly better than the Aussies. Pacer Steve Harmison flopped, but Andrew Flintoff and James Anderson were difficult to negotiate . The spin attack was respectable, with Monty Pa n e s a r and Graeme Swann not that easy to get away.

IN NEW ZEALAND, MARCH-APRIL 2009

3 Tests, 6 innings, 445 runs, 1 50, 2 100s, HS: 167, Avg: 89

IMPACT ON THE SERIES:

Cynics may have predicted his end on the seaming wickets and cold conditions of New Zealand, but the Delhi lad pleasantly surprised everyone. It was perhaps one of the finest performances by an Indian outside the subcontinent. The most amazing effort came at Napier, a solid 137 in 643 minutes, that saved the Test. This was followed by a free-flowing 167 at Wellington. The Gambhir Wagon wheel was thus complete.

QUALITY OF THE ATTACK:

The only bowler who could have caused any concern was New Zealand skipper Daniel Vettori, but the slow left-armer was dealt with easily. The rest of the pack Tim Southee, Chris Martin, James Franklin and Ian OBrien was anything but lethal.