Honours even after 13 wickets on first day

West Indies 30 for 3 (Ishant 1-8, Praveen 1-15, Mithun 1-7) trail India 201 (Laxman 85, Raina 53, Rampaul 3-38, Bishoo 3-46, Edwards 3-56) by 171 runs

	VVS Laxman produced yet another firefighting innings© Associated Press

The first day of the first Test nearly replayed itself on the first day of the second Test, albeit on a much truer and bouncier pitch. Ravi Rampaul ran through the top order again, with figures of 8-5-4-3 at lunch. Suresh Raina was again involved in a middle-session comeback, only this time the dominating partner in that partnership was the soothing VVS Laxman. It would have been too much to keep him from runs on difficult tracks for the third time in a row. Once again West Indies roared back in the final session through Devendra Bishoo's big wickets and Fidel Edward's sharp pace. To add more to an eventful day, Indian bowlers got rid of the openers for next to nothing in the last hour.

There was a lot of pace, a lot of bounce, bouncers, yorkers, some turn, there were lovely wristy flicks and whips, there were cover-drives. It went 38 for 4 to 155 for 4 to 201 all out, and then 30 for 3. You'll have trouble fitting in more twists and action in one day of cricket.

This was without doubt the closest pitch to what West Indies would have desired. True and high bounce, some moisture, and they won the toss and asked India to face the music. Rampaul's tune wasn't quite music for India, though. For the fourth time out of seven this season, he began an innings with a wicket in his first over. Abhinav Mukund was the unlucky one this time, falling to one that jumped off a length and took the shoulder of his bat. Once he committed to playing a delivery just outside off and angling away, that extra bounce was always going to get him.

Edwards was almost like a kid in a toy store, bowling bouncer after bouncer, getting carried away, making the batsmen play only 10 times in his first four overs. Captain Darren Sammy brought himself on early, and with his seventh delivery removed the man he had famously dropped in Jamaica. This was also perhaps the ball of the session: pitching on off, kicking at Rahul Dravid, leaving him, taking the glove.

M Vijay showed a mix of restraint and indiscipline in his 75-ball stay for 11, and with Edwards being ineffective even in his second spell India seemed on their way to recovery. Around 15 minutes before lunch, though, Rampaul came back with telling impact. With the first ball he got Vijay caught down the leg side, with the third he made Kohli look worse than he has in his young and promising international career. The ball angled in to him, left him after pitching, bounced high, and even as Kohli was preparing to play it, the ball hit the glove and lobbed off. As Jeff Dujon said, "The ball played him."

Laxman, no stranger to scores such as 38 for 4, showed up after having gone AWOL in Jamaica. It was business as usual for him. With others around him in shackles, Laxman scored fluently and yet non-violently. First he pulled the bouncers for boundaries to put an end to the short-pitched stuff. In the last over before lunch, he smacked Bishoo through midwicket.

He feasted on Rampaul immediately after the break. He whipped the first ball he faced in the second session past mid-on for two. The next he punched past point for four, and then glanced another for four more. If West Indies were not worried yet, Raina pulled out a couple of unorthodox shots, and we now had a sweeper-cover to allow them the singles.

When Edwards worked up some pace in the afternoon, Laxman was good at dropping his wrists under a 92mph bouncer. The sucker ball he flicked away fine of fine leg to reach his fifty out of a score for 93 for 4. There were signs that West Indies backed off too soon, as displayed by the presence of the sweeper-cover early on in the partnerships. Singles came, Raina's fifty came, the partnership's 100 came, tea came, but West Indies search for inspiration bore no result.

And then Bishoo found extra bounce, into Raina's thigh pad, getting him caught bat-pad. Raina's reaction suggested he hadn't hit it. Front-on replays backed Raina's claims, but one of the angles didn't entirely rule out a touch of the glove. Had the DRS been employed in this series without the Hot Spot, it would have proved useless.

Be that as it may, nothing should take away from an entertaining Edwards spell. There were two sets of five wides over the head, there were no-balls, and there was serious pace and bounce. MS Dhoni fell to one that stopped, Harbhajan Singh found out he would need to fend at a bouncer to protect his face, Abhimanyu Mithun lost his leg stump while trying to save his legs.

At the other end, Laxman became the fourth Indian to 8000 Test runs overall and 1000 in the West Indies, but with wickets falling at the other end, runs dried up. Having scored just 12 off the previous 32 deliveries, Laxman went for the cut, the Bishoo legbreak got big on him, and was caught at cover-point.

With the ball swinging and bouncing, India added the final touches of evenness to the day's proceedings by taking three wickets before stumps. Adrian Barath played a strange shot, guiding a rising Ishant Sharma delivery to gully, right off the middle of the bat. Lendl Simmons fell to Praveen Kumar's late away swing. In the last over of the day, Mithun produced a caught-behind verdict against Darren Bravo, who wasn't impressed, but again he would have struggled to prove the umpire wrong, so inconclusive were the replays.

Another four-day finish was on the cards. © ESPN EMEA Ltd.

Laxman, Zaheer achieve career-best rankings after Durban win

The match-winning 96-run knock in the Durban Test today catapulted VVS Laxman to a career-best ninth in the batting chart while paceman Zaheer Khan's good show also helped him touch his career-best mark of number four in the bowling list of latest ICC rankings. Laxman's effort in the second innings played a pivotal role in India's 87-run win, which helped India level the three-match series 1-1, and also pushed him six places up.



It is for the first time that Laxman has entered into the top-10 zone. The wristy Hyderabadi is now the third Indian batsman inside the top-10 with Sachin Tendulkar sitting in the second position and Virender Sehwag occupying the fourth spot. Zaheer Khan recorded figures of 3-36 and 3-57 in India's win at Durban and has been rewarded with a jump of three places which puts him along side James Anderson of England. Off-spinner Harbhajan Singh has also improved his ranking by two places and is now in eighth position after match figures of 6-80.

Paceman S Sreesanth jumped lifted six places to 27th position after match figures of 4-86. In contrast, South Africa's top four batsmen failed to retain their places. Jacques Kallis slipped to fifth (down by two places), AB de Villiers to sixth (down by one place), Hashim Amla to 12th (down by three places) and Graeme Smith to 14th (down by three places). For South Africa, the only consolation is that Dale Steyn has strengthened his number-one ranking by opening up 83 points advantage over his closest rival, Graeme Swann of England. Steyn is now just three ratings points away from reaching the 900-point mark. Steyn took 6-50 and 2-60, for which he earned 21 ratings points giving him a career-best rating of 897.

If Steyn manages to earn three more ratings points in Cape Town, he will become only the second South Africa bowler after Shaun Pollock (November 1999) and 20th overall to reach the 900-point mark which, in rankings terms, is the benchmark for top bowlers. Meanwhile England's Jonathan Trott, whose undefeated 168 helped England to take a 415-run first innings lead which eventually resulted in an innings and 157 runs victory over Australia, has climbed seven places to claim third position.

Trott is now just nine ratings points behind Tendulkar. The two can swap places depending on how they perform in the final Tests of the series which start in Sydney and Cape Town, respectively next week. The other England batsmen moving in the right direction are Alastair Cook in 13th position (up by one place) and Kevin Pietersen in 21st spot (up by four places). The news is not very good for Australia whose top-order batsmen have taken a dive in the rankings.

Mike Hussey has dropped four places to share 10th position with Sri Lanka's Thilan Samaraweera, Shane Watson has fallen two places to 15th spot. Michael Clarke has slipped three places to 24th position and Ricky Ponting has dropped to 29th place, one behind England captain Andrew Strauss. -PTI

Now we can say we've done well in most places: Dhoni

DURBAN: Relieved after notching up a series-equalising win against South Africa in the second Test, Indian captain Mahendra Singh Dhoni said today's triumph and performance of the past couple of years has shown that the team can do well anywhere in the world. "More often than not you are one-down in a series. I said in the first press conference that we don't start well. We're more used to batting under pressure," he said after the 87-run win in the second Test here. "We started this process around September 2008 and two years hence we're in a position where we can say we have done well in most places," he added.

Speaking about the match, Dhoni said getting prolific all-rounder Jacques Kallis' wicket was the key in a game which had fortunes swinging everyday. "Most of their batsmen have done well in the last few series. What was important for us was to put the line-up under pressure. This meant that we had to take early wickets and keep on taking wickets. The timing of getting Kallis, and AB (de Villiers) was important," he said.

With this win, Dhoni equalled Mohammad Azharuddin's winning record as captain and said the results show that he has a good side under him. "What it means is that we've played consistent cricket over a period of time. Of course it's a proud moment. As a team whether it's batting, bowling or fielding we've done consistently well. "We've taken some good catches despite not being a brilliant ground fielding side. It feels really good that we've done well together," he said.

India won the match despite big guns such as Sachin Tendulkar and Rahul Dravid failing to score and Dhoni said it goes to show the depth in the side. "It's not about being proud if someone is not performing. What's important is how you back each other, and the way you enjoy each others' success. Of course (Cheteshwar) Pujara got a chance, his intent was very good, he was positive," he said. "Our batting line-up is one of the most experienced around. If you see, in some matches some individuals will perform and others will perform in different games. What is important is doing well as a batting and bowling department," he added.

Dhoni conceded that conditions are a challenge in South Africa but said the team has the ability to conquer them. "Some of the conditions may not suit your batting side. We're not born in South Africa so we don't have the experience of these conditions. 70-80 per cent of our cricket we play in the subcontinent, so when we come to these conditions it's challenging for our side. "As a side and as individuals you want to do well but it doesn't always go your way. If you see the touring schedule we last came here in 2006. There's a long gap in the middle. Everybody wants to perform, but every challenge is a new challenge," he said.

Dhoni played down the on-field antics of flamboyant pacer S Sreesanth, who grabbed three wickets in the second innings, and said he is fine with it as long as the bowler doesn't violate the disciplinary code. "There's nothing called over-aggression till you don't cross the limit. There are some guidelines that needed to be followed and there are no other lines saying over aggression or under aggression. You need to be yourself but still not get into someone else's space. You should go beyond what the guidelines say," he said.

Dhoni made light of his losing streak at the toss, saying that he has no complaints as long as the team goes on to win the match. "One thing for sure I'm very consistent at losing tosses. In some places, like Centurion, it becomes really tough. The first day was the toughest that we faced. When we batted in the second innings we got a huge score but the deficit was so huge we couldn't really come back," he said. "Toss at times can be really crucial. In this game it didn't really matter but it's always good to win the toss and put the opposition in when there's some help for the bowlers," he added.

With one more Test to go in the series, Dhoni parried questions on whether today's win has silenced critics of the team. "As I always say we never play under less pressure. When we play Bangladesh we have the same pressure as when playing Australia or South Africa. It doesn't matter where we play. Our batsmen have batted in difficult situations more than the batting line-ups of other teams," he said. "Of course our Test line-up has guys with a lot of experience and that counts. We also have a few youngsters who are part of the side, who can be groomed under them. Hopefully they will become as good when the time comes for them to take the place of the seniors," he added. -PTI

"Anyone is free to express their mind and they may have a certain opinion on a certain individual. It's up to that individual to change those mindsets. You have to go back to the nets, work on your basics, do well and wait for your chance. When you get your chance you can always prove them wrong. I feel it's basically upto the individual's mindset, not about criticism or appreciation."

The captain of the world's number one Test side also refused to compare the triumph with any past win. "I don't believe in rating wins. Every win is special in its own way, whether you win at Kanpur, Eden Gardens or somewhere else in the world, it means a lot," he said. "It's not just about one victory. Then what about we have been doing in the last few years? All those wins have an impact on the confidence and morale of the side. As a cricketer it's important to see what you have control over. on winning percentage," he added.

Dhoni lavished praise on pace spearhead Zaheer Khan, saying the bowler's sheer presence takes off a lot of pressure. "If you look at the positives the youngsters are getting groomed under Zaheer. Of course, it's the coach's job to groom all the players but when you have someone like Zaheer it reduces the coach's workload by 50 per cent. "Also Zaheer is very good under pressure. He doesn't panic in tough situations and he convinces bowlers about the fields they should set and the lines and lengths they should bowl," he said.

The match has also given India a bit of an injury scare to deal with in VVS Laxman, who is nursing a bad back. Dhoni refused to comment on the exact state of Laxman's injury. "That's one thing that's beyond my control, it's between the physio and Laxman. Hopefully it will be ok for the next few years. He played a very special innings. We always count on Laxman. Whenever you see him not scoring in a couple of innings you know something very special is coming," he said. "It was one of those wickets where it was quite tough to convince yourself that you're set because one odd ball may do something and get you out. At the end of the day the 96-odd runs that he made mattered. It would have been lovely if he got to a hundred, but you don't always get what you want," he added.

Laxman's knock "remarkable", "outstanding": captains

Mohali, Oct 5 (PTI)

India captain Mahendra Singh Dhoni today heaped praise on senior batsman V V S Laxman for single-handedly guiding the country to a memorable one-wicket win over Australia in the first Test here today. "VVS was really remarkable in this match. He helped the team overcome a batting collapse. Laxman remained on crease, hit boundaries, rotated strike and kept the scoreboard moving all the time," Dhoni said after the match. "For me, it was a very special innings by Laxman," he added.

Laxman battled severe back-pain to play a gritty unbeaten 73 off 79 balls and produced an 81-run partnership with Ishant Sharma to script the win, which sent the hosts one-up in the two-match series. Dhoni also made a special mention of Ishant, who contributed 31 crucial runs. "Ishant showed good character when the batting collapse took place. It was no doubt a big task. Only two-three batsmen remained and Laxman was on the other end. But they supported Laxman well and that worked for us," he said. "Our heart rate went up. Nobody could imagine such an ending in four-and-a-half days when the match started," he added. Dhoni also praised his bowlers, saying, "Bowlers also played their roles and brought us back into the game."

Australian captain Ricky Ponting admitted that Laxman made the difference. "Laxman's unbeaten innings was outstanding. But our performance was also satisfying, boys played well. We failed to take a couple of wickets quickly," he said. "Now we will prepare for the next match. We will take rest tomorrow and then start the preparation," he added. Man-of-the-Match, paceman Zaheer Khan who scalped eight wickets in the match and also completed 250 Test wickets, was yet to recover from the hangover. "Everyone was trying to keep their calm during those close moments, trying to remain composed. Everybody in the dressing room was nervous and was behaving in their won ways," Zaheer said. Asked about his personal achievement, the left-arm pacer said, "It is the result of a lot of hardworks. Few days back I was struggling with shoulder problems. I am happy that the struggles have paid off."