Gambhir stars as India start strongly

Gautam Gambhir hammered an unbeaten half-century as India got off to a flying start in the second Test against Australia on Friday.

Gambhir and opening partner Virender Sehwag belted Australia's bowlers around the park before the tourists stemmed the run flow with the wicket of Sehwag (35) just after the first drinks break.

India went into lunch on 104 for one.

Gambhir was on 53 and Rahul Dravid 11 at the interval with both men looking well set on a flat pitch.

Sehwag and Gambhir added 70 runs for the first wicket before Sehwag, scoring at a near run-a-ball, fell to Mitchell Johnson.

The left-arm paceman tempted the batsman with a short delivery down the leg side and Sehwag fell for it, edging to wicketkeeper Brad Haddin.

Sehwag, who had hit consecutive boundaries in debutant paceman Peter Siddle's fourth over, stroked a total of six fours during his 36-delivery stay at the crease.

Gambhir had brought up his half-century with consecutive boundaries off Michael Clarke.

India's regular skipper Anil Kumble was ruled out of the match due to a shoulder injury and stand-in skipper Mahendra Singh Dhoni decided to bat first. Amit Mishra was handed his first Test cap, replacing Kumble.

On the Australian side, Siddle came in for Stuart Clark, the paceman ruled out due to an elbow injury.

Talks between India's rival Leagues fail

NEW DELHI (AFP) — Moves by the unauthorized Indian Cricket League (ICL) to gain recognition from the world governing body have been shot down by the Indian board, officials said on Friday.

The International Cricket Council had this month asked the Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) to hold talks with ICL officials before any decision on accepting the 'rebel' Twenty20 League was taken.

But talks between the BCCI and the ICL in New Delhi broke down late Thursday, with senior officials saying no further meetings were planned.

"There was a meeting at Delhi between officials of BCCI and ICL to see if there was any common ground," BCCI secretary N. Srinivasan said in a terse one-line statement.

"The talks failed and there are no plans for any further meeting."

The ICL, started by Indian media magnate Subhash Chandra last year, runs parallel to the commercially successful Indian Premier League, which is owned by the BCCI.

The ICL has not been sanctioned by the ICC, and most players participating in the tournament have been handed lengthy bans from international cricket by their respective boards, barring England.

ICL chairman Kapil Dev, who did not attend the meeting with the BCCI, said he was "unhappy" at the development.

"I don't know all the specifics, but I understand the BCCI wants the ICL to be a closed chapter," the legendary all-rounder and India's lone World Cup-winning captain told reporters.

"That, let me reiterate, is not possible. Right now, I would not like to say anything more. Of course, I'm unhappy at what happened."

The second edition of the ICL, featuring former Test captains like Inzamam-ul Haq of Pakistan, Marvan Atapattu of Sri Lanka and Habibur Bashar of Bangladesh, is currently being played in four venues across India.

Among other international stars in the fray, along with Indian domestic players, are New Zealand fast bowler Shane Bond, Australian batsman Damien Martyn and Kiwi all-rounders Chris Cairns and Nathan Astle.

Ponting: The best since Bradman

Questions were being asked of the Australia captain, Ricky Ponting, as he led his team into the series with India. His brilliant century in the first Test suggests he remains one of the great batsmen of this, or any other, era. Stephen Brenkley on an underappreciated genius

All the fuss in Mohali over the next few days will surround a man who has been treated as a god for most of his adult life. Sachin Tendulkar, of India, needs a paltry 15 runs to become the highest overall scorer in Test history, an achievement entirely befitting his status in the eyes and minds of his countrymen.

But events in the second Test between India and Australia, starting tomorrow, may well be driven by a cricketer who far, from attaining deification, has regularly shown defects that are all too human. Ricky Ponting, the captain of Australia, will probably one day annex the runs record himself and take it beyond Tendulkar and anybody else for a generation.

The careers of both have been remarkable, batsmen not only for their own but for any era. As it stands at present, Tendulkar has scored 11,939 runs, tucked in just behind Brian Lara. Ponting's century in the first Test of this series for the Border-Gavaskar Trophy took him to 10,239, in sixth place.

At the age of 33 (34 in December) Ponting is 20 months younger than Tendulkar and so far his body, unlike that of the "Master Blaster from Mumbai", has shown few signs of rebelling against the constant demands put on it. Nobody ever can become the new Don Bradman – the man scored a century on every 2.75 visits to the Test crease, for goodness sake – but another Australian is building a sound case for being the Best Since Bradman. And as a captain Ponting is creating a record of similar magnitude. Under him, Australia have won 73.3 per cent of their matches, greater than anybody who has led in more than 10 matches: better than Bradman, and better than Ponting's immediate predecessor, Steve Waugh.

It is the ultimate stamp of a great batsman that he makes big runs on big occasions. Since Tendulkar is one of only five players to have made nine Test hundreds against Australia – one more would make him second behind the 12 scored by England's Jack Hobbs – it would be a stretch to accuse him of failing to make the most of himself. But there is a quality in Ponting, a mixture of talent, desire, will and doggedness, that sets him apart.

This has failed singularly to make him popular among the majority of Australians, who seem grudgingly to respect rather than admire him. Nor, despite his frequently articulated intentions, have the Australian team become conspicuously less swaggering. They might be quieter, slightly, but they still play it hard, pushing the regulations to the limit. Ponting has been complicit in this; indeed, has propelled it up to a point.

The spat between India and Australia this year during and after the Sydney Test did not reflect well on him. By word, he has seemed to resist a win-at-all-costs approach, but by deed during that match he all but signed a contract to adopt it. It was not so much that he reported Harbhajan Singh, his old bowling nemesis, for an alleged racial comment directed towards the Australian all-rounder Andrew Symonds, but that he informed the umpires that a catch taken at slip by Michael Clarke was good when replays were to show otherwise.

Australia went on to win a contentious match with eight minutes left. Eight minutes in which Ponting might have lost the Australian public's backing. There were calls for him to be sacked. He rode out the storm and, though his form was distinctly patchy for a while he seems not only to have retrieved it but to have ensured that this team is as much his as ever.

Ponting's record in India had been woeful until last week. His hard-handed, front-foot style had contrived to make him a walking wicket: 189 runs in 15 Test innings, out 13 times to spin. Harbhajan snaffled him for the ninth time in Bangalore but by then Ponting had made 123.

Perhaps a player of his indubitable gifts was bound to make a hundred sooner or later somewhere in India, but it was characteristic that he should do it when he did. As the team left Australia, it was the burning issue. Only four of the party had played in India before and if Ponting did not make runs, ran the argument, they would probably be sunk.

It merely fuelled the captain's craving and if he needed any more incentive it arrived in the first over of the series when Matthew Hayden nicked one behind. Ponting was imperious thereafter and his 36th Test hundred should, and normally would, have established a platform from which Australia would take a lead in the series. In matches where he has scored a century, the team have won 27 times; India have won on only 13 of the 39 occasions when Tendulkar has made a hundred.

There is a steel in Ponting which is impossible not to notice. He may try to disguise it, but it is ever present. There have been times during interviews, especially the interminable round of press conferences that cricket captains have to perform, when it is not so much disguised as controlled. The strength of his ambition to do well can almost be felt across a crowded room but he seems anxious not to make too much of it.

This trait was at its plainest during England's last tour of Australia two years ago. Ponting had been chastened by the Ashes defeat away 14 months previously and although he never quite admitted as much, it became pretty clear pretty early that he had vengeance in mind. Not only that but he had been plotting it, nurturing it since 2005

When he scored 196 in the first Test at Brisbane it was as predictable as a bank collapse. Immediately, the Australian papers unveiled their Bradman comparisons and, bearing in mind this had been his 10th hundred in 30 innings, it was truly Bradmanesque. He made it 11 in 32 at Adelaide and when he was dropped on 35 English hearts could have sunk no lower had Bradman been reprieved. Throughout that winter the feeling was that Ponting would achieve redemption only if Australia could win 5-0. It drove him and he drove his team.

The captaincy has in its way been the making of him, not only because he averages above 60 leading the side. He and his law graduate wife Rianna had their first child, a daughter, Emily, earlier this year. Ricky is the highest-earning Australian sportsman, making, according to estimates A$4m (£1.6m) a year. He has acquired a Sydney mansion.

Thus he has left behind the rough diamond from Launceston, Tasmania whose passions were greyhounds, drinking and betting. From his early days he was "Punter" but at one point he might have been "Boozer" as well. The night in 1999 he received a black eye outside a Sydney night-spot marked a turning point. That would not happen now but there is a sense that taking the boy out of Launceston is not quite the same as taking Launceston out of the boy.

He had a modest season at home last year, though it was noticeable that after the Sydney rumpus he dusted himself down and hit back with a century in the last match of the series. The innings in Bangalore may allay for longer the whispers that the reflexes and the eyes are waning enough to make a difference.

Like Bradman, Ponting is not especially easy on the eye. He is neither languid nor elegant, neither graceful nor flamboyant. But when he is in he does not look like getting out. He hits the ball hard and often. That hundred last week may be another turning point. Whatever Tendulkar does in Mohali, it is now Ponting who is BSB – Best Since Bradman.

Measure of the man: How Ponting stacks up

Top 10 Test run-scoring batsmen

Span/Matches/Inns/Runs/HS/Ave/100/50

1. Brian Lara WI 1990-2006/131/232/11,953/400*/52.88/34/48

2. Sachin Tendulkar I 1989-present/151/246/11,939/248*/54.02/39/49

3. Allan Border AUS 1978-1994/156/265/11,174/205/50.56/27/63

4. Steve Waugh AUS 1985-2004/168/260/10,927/200/51.06/32/50

5. Rahul Dravid I 1996-present/126/218/10,302/270/53.65/25/53

6. Ricky Ponting AUS 1995-present/120/201/10,239/257/58.50/36/40

7. Sunil Gavaskar I 1971-1987/125/214/10,122/236*/51.12/34/45

8. Jacques Kallis SA 1995-present/123/209/9,761/189*/55.46/30/48

9. Graham Gooch ENG 1975-1995/118/215/8,900/333/42.58/20/46

10. Javed Miandad I 1976-1993/124/189/8,832/280*/52.57/23/43

Top 10 Test century-scoring batsmen

Span/Innings/Centuries

1. Sachin Tendulkar 1989-present/246/39

2. Ricky Ponting AUS 1995-present/201/36

3. Sunil Gavaskar I 1971-1987/214/34

4. Brian Lara WI 1990-2006/232/34

5. Steve Waugh AUS 1985-2004/260/32

6. Matthew Hayden AUS 1994-2008/169/30

7. Jacques Kallis SA 1995-present/209/30

8. Don Bradman AUS 1928-1948/80/29

9. Allan Border AUS 1978-1994/265/27

10. Garry Sobers WI 1954-1974/160/26

(WI=West Indies, I=India, AUS=Australia, SA=South Africa, ENG=England)

Other Ponting landmarks

* The only cricketer to have scored over 1,500 Test runs in a calendar year on two occasions. The first time was in 2003, averaging 100.2 in 18 innings, with a highest score of 257.

* Most Test runs in a calendar year by an Australian (1,544 in 2005).

* Most Test centuries in a calendar year by an Australian (7 in 2006).

* Joint most consecutive Test wins as captain, 16 (shared with Steve Waugh).

* Only Ricky Ponting and Sunil Gavaskar have scored a hundred in each innings of a Test match on three occasions.

* Most Test runs on Australian soil, passing Allan Border against India this year, including:

Highest run scorer at Sydney:

Matches/Innings/Total/Ave

1. Ricky Ponting 13/22/1,282/75.41

2. Allan Border 17/29/1,177/56.04

3. Greg Chappell 12/22/1,150/63.88

Highest run scorer at Brisbane:

1. Ricky Ponting 12/19/1,120/74.66

2. Greg Chappell 7/11/1,006/111.77

ICC finalises dates for 2009 Champions Trophy

The ICC will hold the postponed Champions Trophy between September 24 and October 5, 2009, it was decided during the second day of its board meeting in Dubai. The announcement ends months of uncertainty about the event which was originally scheduled for September this year in Pakistan but was postponed after several participating countries refused to travel over security fears in the country.

The new dates were formalised after detailed discussions between Haroon Lorgat, the ICC chief executive, and officials of various national boards, many of whom will have now have to adjust their international programme to accommodate the event. The ICC, too, has had to make an adjustment of its own to accommodate the event, shortening its duration from the original 17 days to 12, including a reserve day for the final.

The ICC also said the event will be held in one city, possibly to ensure foolproof security arrangements, though Pakistan's fate as host will be decided only after a review following India's tour of the country in early 2009. Lahore and Karachi were the original venues. David Morgan, the ICC president, welcomed the decision to find a place for the tournament despite an increasingly packed Future Tours Program (FTP) and Lorgat thanked the participating countries for their cooperation. "I'm hugely encouraged by the spirit of togetherness and teamwork shown by our members in ensuring we have found a place for the Champions Trophy in next year's calendar," Lorgat said.

The ICC board's decision means the BCCI, which had originally refused to adjust its international programme to allow the postponed event, will have to reschedule the second edition of the Twenty20 Champions League, which had originally been slotted for September 25-October 10. India has also tentatively scheduled a seven-ODI home series against Australia to start from October 13 next year.

N Srinivasan, the BCCI secretary, said that "there will be no clash of dates". "The new programme takes into account a provision for the Champions League also," Srinivasan told Cricinfo.

According to Lorgat, for whom the result of today's decision is an achievement of sorts considering the initial opposition to the new window, the tournament needed to be held as it is "vitally important for the world game".

The Champions Trophy is expected to rake in around USD 40 million, most of which will be redeployed for the development of the game. "The tournament, with its new format of the top eight teams playing in a short, sharp event, is vitally important for the world game because it allows those members, as well as the developing cricket world, to grow the sport," Lorgat said.

I will take final call on my availability Friday: Kumble

Mohali (Punjab) (IANS): Indian captain Anil Kumble Thursday kept everyone guessing on his availability for the second Test match against Australia at the Punjab Cricket Association (PCA) Stadium starting here Friday.

"I am feeling much better now. I will take a final call (on the shoulder injury) tomorrow morning on how I feel," Kumble told reporters here on the eve of the match.

The Indian captain refused to commit himself on who would lead the side if he was not fit to play Friday.

"We still have time (to decide the captain). There are still 24 hours for that," a stern Kumble said when asked who would replace him as captain.

In his absence, ODI team captain Mahendra Singh Dhoni is likely to lead the side.

Kumble had a shoulder injury on his bowling arm side during the drawn first Test match at Bangalore.

The India captain said that fitness concerns were there in both teams. The obvious reference was to the injury to Australian fast bowler Stuart Clark who is a doubtful starter Friday.

Kumble, who is the third highest wicket-taker in Test cricket, said that he had a good record at the PCA ground. Kumble has 36 wickets from seven test matches played here.

"My record here has been good so far," he said.

Sachin falls short of Lara's record

NEW DELHI: Sachin Tendulkar failed to break legendary Brian Lara's record of maximum runs in Test cricket. He fell just 15 runs short of Brian L
ara's record of 11,953 runs in Tests. ( Watch )

Sachin hit a flighted delivery by Cameron White straight to Michael Clarke in the extra cover region. What was interesting in the dismissal was that just prior to that over, both Sachin and Laxman complained to the umpires about the light and that forced Australian captain Ricky Ponting to bring on debutant spinner White in the attack.

Sachin was battling to save the Test match after Australia set a victory target of 299 runs on the final day of the first Test.

Earlier, Australia grabbed two quick wickets when seamer Stuart Clark sent back opener Virender Sehwag (6) and Brett Lee dismissed Rahul Dravid for mere five to leave India tottering on 41 for two at lunch.

Clark had Sehwag caught at slip by Matthew Hayden in the sixth over. The opener had been dropped by wicketkeeper Haddin off Lee in the previous over.

Dravid, who scored a dogged fifty in the first innings, fell three overs later, flicking uppishly for Ricky Ponting to take a magnificent diving catch at mid-wicket.

Opener Gautam Gambhir was the lone batsman dismissed in the post-lunch session, bowled for 29 by left-arm seamer Mitchell Johnson. Gambhir, who added 53 runs with Sachin, failed to take advantage of surviving two close appeals off a single delivery.

Better luck next time!

BANGALORE: Sachin Tendulkar scored a match-saving 49 to help India avert defeat in the first Test against Australia on Monday, but himself fell short of a world record.

India, set a victory target of 299 runs in 83 overs, finished with 177/4 before bad light forced the match to be abandoned as a draw after tea on the fifth day at the Chinnaswamy stadium.

Tendulkar was caught in the covers off debutant spinner Cameron White just 15 short of surpassing retired West Indian Brian Lara's tally of 11,953 runs as Test cricket's leading run-getter.

Even as he neared the record, the 35-year-old vehemently protested to the umpires about allowing play to continue in fading light and walked away in disgust after becoming White's first Test victim.