The Freedom Series 2015

The Freedom series aka the Gandhi-Mandela series saw the South African Cricket Team touring India. The tour started on Mahatma Gandhi's birth anniversary and the last test was played during Nelson Mandela's death anniversary. The tour lasted more than 2 months. The tour included 3 t20s, 5 ODIs and 4 Tests.
Here's a synopsis of what happened during the tour.

1st t20, Dharmasala.
South Africa won the toss and chose to field first. India got off to a good start scoring 46 runs in the Powerplay losing Dhawan to runout. Rohit Sharma mixed aggression with elegance. Yeah, you read it right. His strokeplay was amazing and a visual treat. No wonder he scored a blistering and a classy ton which was his maiden t20 International ton. He became the second Indian to score a century in all the three formats. Virat Kohli played the second fiddle and yet he scored 43 off 27 which included 3 huge sixes, two coming consecutive of in-form Imran Tahir. India finished with 199/5 on board with MS Dhoni and Suresh Raina giving the finishing touches.
Hashim Amla and AB de Villiers unleashed a fury of shots and raced to 67 in just 6 overs. Bhuvneshwar Kumar, debutant S Aravind and Mohit Sharma looked clueless. A needless second run proved to be too costly for Hashim Amla as he fell well short. Ashwin then cleaned up AB de Villiers and S.Aravind took out du Plessis. India were going well at one stage and were on course to win the match. But Jean Paul Duminy had other ideas and hit 3 consecutive sixes of Axar Patel, who bowled short to the left hander. If that had not turned the match on its head, a plumb LBW was not given in the favor of Bhuvneshwar Kumar, the batsman on the other end being Duminy. He along with Behariden clobbered the Indian bowlers and chased down the target with 2 balls to spare. Duminy was adjudged the MoM for his 68* off 34.

2nd t20 , Cuttack.
South Africa won the toss and chose to field first. Again. Talk about miscommunication while running between the wickets, Virat Kohli's dismissal would be in that list and to make matters worse, Rohit Sharma who was on the other end while Kohli got out, was dismissed in a similar fashion, thanks to a brilliant throw from David Miller at point throwing it on target at the bowlers' end. India never got going after Rohit was dismissed. They lost wickets at regular intervals to be eventually bowled out for 92. Getting bowled out in t20 is very rare. Albie Morkel who made a comeback picked up 3 crucial wickets. Raina and Rohit topscored for India scoring 22 each.
There was a glimmer of hope when Amla was dismissed very cheaply but Francois du Plessis and AB de Villiers played some attacking cricket before the former trying to up the ante in the last over of powerplay got out. Ashwin bowled exceedingly well and took out AB de Villiers with a beauty. 3 wickets had fallen and all three were claimed by Ashwin, but it was too late as Duminy and Miller finished it off with 17 balls to spare. There was a commotion in between as some immature fans threw bottles in the ground. Albie Morkel was awarded the MoM for his 3-12 in 4 overs.

3rd t20, Kolkata.
India wanted to avoid a whitewash. And thanks to the rain, India did. Not a single ball was bowled.

1st ODI, Kanpur.
South Africa won the toss and chose to bat. Quinton de Kock who has a brilliant record against India, started off in a very good manner as he pierced the gap between the Indian fielders.Amla anchored the SA innings along with de Kock before Ashwin got the latter, courtesy a peach of a delivery which pitched on middle and off, took the edge and was caught comfortably at the first slip. du Plessis along with Amla stitched a 59 run partnership before Amla was cleaned up by Mishra. Came in Abraham Benjamin de Villiers. He started off very cautiously and scored his first boundary, a six only in the 33rd ball of his innings. He got his 50 off the 54th ball he faced. Then started the carnage. What followed was a knock which had shots all around the ground and over the boundary ropes. He was on 98 when the last ball of the innings was bowled by Yaadav. Boom! Over the long on boundary for a huge six. South Africa finished their quota of 50 overs with 303/5 on the board. Ravi Ashwin was taken off the attack as he injured himself while fielding off his own bowling.
Rohit Sharma. First Match of the t20I series, he scored a century. First match of the ODI series and guess what? Yeah, he did score a magnificent century. I don't get why this man , having so much talent would go for some needless shots at the start of the innings and get out( has happened in a lot of matches, the worst being against Pakistan in the 2015 WC). He produced a gem of an innings plundering the South African bowlers with his elegance. He along with fellow Mumbaikar Ajinkya Rahane, who was promoted to No.3 ahead of Virat stitched up a 149 run partnership for the 2nd wicket before the latter was dismissed. Just when India were about to snatch the victory, what followed was a brilliant death over spell from Imran Tahir and Rabada. The former accounted for Rohit Sharma, who got out after scoring 150. Rabada bowled the last over, with Dhoni on the other end with 11 runs required. But Rabada had other ideas as he accounted for the Indian skipper leaving India needing 7 to win off the last two deliveries. All Bhuvi could do was steal a single off the last delivery giving SA a 5 run victory. Rohit Sharmas' heroics were in vain. AB was awarded the MoM for his 104.

2nd ODI, Indore.
India won the toss and chose to bat and were reeling at 104-5 at the end of 24th over. Talk about innings of character, an innings under pressure, a Captain's innings, the innings from MS Dhoni were all about it.Cometh the man, cometh the Hour. He might've not won the match for India in the first ODI. But he's man of steel. He started off cautiously. It all started when he struck a six off Duminys' bowling in the 37th over. He rotated the strike, drove the ball hard, lofted the ball over the boundary line 3 times after the first six. India managed 247 runs. 247 might be a small number after all the exaggeration I gave about the skippers' innings, but he drove India to safety. He scored 92 off 86 balls and he found good support from Harbhajan Singh who came in for the injured Ravi Ashwin. Bhajji plundered the ball as well and shared a crucial 56 run stand with the skipper which came off 42 balls.
In reply, South Africa lost both their openers at the end of the 10th over. Faf du Plessis along with JP Duminy shared a 82 run stand before the latter was adjudged LBW off Patel's bowling. Virat mightn't have scored with the bat in the two matches. But he made sure that his fielding would have some impact. And boy, yes, it did. He took a stunner to dismiss ABD. He took a good catch to send du Plessis back to the hut. SA were bundled out for 225. Bhuvi and Axar Patel picked up 3 wickets each. MS Dhoni did pull off a good catch as well to dismiss Miller, off Bhuvi's ball, which was a ripper.
MS Dhoni was adjudged the MoM for his 92*.

3rd ODI, Rajkot.
South Africa won the toss and chose to bat. Quinton de Kock who scored 3 centuries against India in as many matches didn't have a good time in the first two ODIs, throwing his wicket away to poor shots. But he made sure that his mistakes were not repeated once again. His innings was all about class. He is very strong on the offside. Give him some width, and he'll spank ya! That was the mistake that Indian pacers committed. Too much width offered and QdK gleefully accepted it, dispatching them for boundaries. He got to his 4th ODI ton in 7 innings against India in a similar fashion. One could've noticed that he wasn't as much comfortable as he was facing the Indian spinners. He was run out, courtesy a good effort from Dhawan who had earlier dropped Faf du Plessis who went on to make 60. QdK and ABD were sent back in consecutive deliveries. Behardien ran hard and made sure that SA cross 260 mark. SA scored 270 for the loss of 7 wickets.
In reply, India got off to a decent start but lost Dhawan, thanks to Morne Morkel's menacing delivery.
Kohli who was promoted to No.3, stitched up a good partnership along with Sharma, before the latter got out for 65. He was once again sublime. SUCH ELEGANCE! MS Dhoni promoted himself up the order and joined hands with Virat. Both are hard hitters and could give bowlers nightmares when they're on top of their game. While Kohli didn't get to score big in the first two matches, he made sure that he'd at least rotate the strike. MS Dhoni did the same too. But, guess what? India played 35 dots between overs 30 and 39 at 3.6 runs per over. India's winning streak in the WC campaign was largely due to the way they played in the middle overs. When one of your strongest aspect becomes the weakest link for you, it'd all go in shambles. India required 86 off the last 10. But couldn't keep the runs coming. Dhoni tried to play a upper cut and got out, Kohli holed out to deep mid-wicket and the rest couldn't make sure India cross the line. India fell 18 runs short. MOrne Morkel was adjudged the MOM for his spell which turned the match on its head.

4th ODI, Chennai.
Believe me, I tried my best to watch this match live. But no, I couldn't. To watch superstars playing on your homeground and you ain't being there to witness it would make you sad. Nevertheless. India won the toss and chose to bat. India were stuttering at 35-2 at the end of the 8th over. Virat hadn't scored much in the series baring the 77 he scored in the 3rd ODI which wasn't an innings of his capability and was for a losing cause as well. But as they say, Class is Permanent and Form is Temporary. Virat plundered the ball to all parts of the ground. His head was in the perfect position while playing those five lofted shots which went over the ropes. My favorite was when he took on Dale Steyn who was stationed at long on and yet he cleared him comfortably to get to his century. What followed was an amazing celebration as he showed off his arms. Afterall he wanted this century so bad. Raina , who knew the Chennai conditions perfectly well, applied himself as well and got to a well compiled half century. India finished with 299 on board for the loss of 8 wickets.
South Africa got to a brisk start courtesy, Quinton de Kock, but they lost Hashim Amla on the other end. Wickets fell at regular intervals. On the other end was ABD watching his teammates walk in and go out. But, he was defiant. He scored an amazing century. I thought, that his record of scoring centuries at a SR of 100+ was finally over, but the man continues to surprise everyone, including the bowlers. He battled cramps, didn't give up and almost single handedly took SA to the brink of victory, but unfortunately couldn't as they were all out for 264. Virat was adjudged the MoM for his 138.

5th ODI , Mumbai.
Series tied at 2-2. Winner of this match takes the series home. South Africa won the toss and chose to bat first. One word that'd describe the entire SA innings : C-A-R-N-A-G-E. Wankhede was stunned. It all started with Hashim Amla who played a cameo, 23(13). In walked du Plessis, who hadn't converted his knocks into a big century. And that's what he precisely did along with Quniton de Kock, the child faced assassin. Both of them literally plundered the ball to the boundary ropes. Not only was it all about power, some shots defined class and timing and some, both. They shared a 154 run partnership before the latter was dismissed for a 104. Just when India thought of making inroads into the South African batting lineup, in walked ABD amongst cheers from the Wankhede crowd. Do I need to say about the capabilities, this man possesses? I'm running out of words to describe what I had witnessed. There usually is a weak zone for a batsman. While watching that innings, I realized ABD doesn't have any sorta weak zone. You bowl it wide outside off, the man will hit you over the fine leg boundary for a six. Anywhere you bowl, he'll still find some way to score. 164 run partnership between du Plessis and ABD. And how many balls did that come off? Just a 103. The former after getting to a century unleashed a fury of sixes. Power and timing were written all over it. He couldn't sustain the cramps and was retired out. ABD was still on the other end, pulverising the Indian bowlers. He got to his century with a double and followed it with a roar. He got out caught behind off Bhuvi's bowling who conceded 106 runs in his 10 over spell. AB scored 119 off 61. And SA's total was a massive 438 runs.
Chasing 439 for a series victory. SA chased Australia's 434. Gibbs with an amazing 175 and Smith scoring 90 and Boucher with a quickfire 50 and the winning runs in that match. But that was a decade ago and India needed some innings like that. Nah! None could do that. After Virat hooked one to the second tier off Rabada, I thought that 175 kinda innings is from Virat. Two balls later, Virat chased a wide delivery and de Kock pulled off a stunner. No party for both Rohit and Kohli. Game Over India was the feeling inside every Indian. Yeah. And that was it. Rahane batted his skins out and played the 90 kinda innings, scoring 87 off 58, but someone had to do a Herschelle Gibbs and Boucher. No one could and India eventually fell short by a humongous margin of 214 runs. Rabada picked up 4 wickets. de Kock was adjudged the MoM and ABD was adjudged the Man of the Series.

Noted the similarity in all the results? It was a Bat-first-to-win-the-match series. 5 matches. 5 instances where the team that batted first, won the match.  

1st Test, Mohali.
Virat Kohli, taking charge of the Indian Test team for the first time in India, won the toss and chose to bat. India started off poorly, losing Dhawan to a needless shot without even scoring a run. Vijay and Pujara stabilized the Indian innings, before the latter was trapped in front. India's Mr.Dependable(right now!),Murali Vijay, scored a patient half century. But no one could support him at the other end as India eventually were bundled out for a mere 201, with part time spinner, Dean Elgar picking up 4 wickets.
Ravi Ashwin, who was making a comeback after he was sidelined due to an injury bowled a dream spell with the new ball. Yeah, you read it right. A spinner opening the spell with a new ball. In fact Ashwin was actually used to it and he was up for the task. South Africa were on 85 when the wicket of Dean Elgar fell. What happened next wasn't on the cards. Something unexpected. Wickets fell like nine pins as no one was able to pick up Ashwin. ABD who was on the other end, played aggressively though and if not for him, South Africa could've been in a much more worse condition. Ashwin was ably supported by another comeback man, Ravi Jadeja who was accurate as he usually is. If not for ABD's 63, South Africa would've been all out for a score less than 130, as they were eventually all out for 184 with Ashwin picking up a fifer. Jadeja picked up 3 and Mishra picked up 2 including that of ABD.
In India's second innings, except for Pujara(77) and Vijay(47) everyone else struggled. Virat played some beautiful looking shots but wasn't able to convert his innings to even a 50. Simon Harmer was the pick of the bowlers as he picked up 4 wickets along with Imran Tahir who had the same number of wickets in the wickets column as India lost all their wickets for 200, setting South Africa a target of 218.
South Africa surprised everyone as they opened with Vernon Philander. But the move was of no use as he fell plumb in front, courtesy Jadeja's amazing bowling. He continued to bowl rippers and every South African batsman struggled to pick him up. If they were facing a tough time against Jadeja, they were not spared at the other end. South Africa was in shambles as they were reduced to 56/5 at Tea on Day 3. India looked to finish off the match on Day 3 itself, and courtesy the spin trio of Jadeja, Mishra and Ashwin, they were able to as India recorded a 109 run win. Jadeja was awarded the MoM for his all round performance. A MoM award on a comeback. Talk about dream comebacks!

2nd Test, Bengaluru.
It was ABD's 100th Test match for South Africa in front of the Bengaluru crowd, who absolutely love him for what he has done for the state's IPL franchise. In fact, not only in Bengaluru was he cheered, wherever he went, the chants echoed, 'ABD, ABD'. His family was present at Bengaluru.
India won the toss and chose to field. The openers along with the top order failed and they were reduced to 78-4. It was ABD once again who batted with only one mind : ATTACK. The audacity this man possesses is simply outrageous. He almost scored a boundary of each over he faced. There was once instance where Ashwin bowled a peach of a delivery and yet he negotiated that. I bet, if there was some other batsman, he would've just give up. There needed some special effort to get this man out, and Saha said, Yeah, Here I am to do that, as he pulled off a stunner, few inches from the ground, diving in front. Ravi Ashwin and Jadeja were the pick of the bowlers as they picked up 4 wickets each.
In reply, India got off to a good start. Dhawan who got a pair in the first test match looked in good touch as he scored at a brisk pace, dispatching the lose balls to the ropes. India were 80/0 at the end of Day 1. Unfortunately, rain played spoilsport as not a single ball was bowled in the rest of the match. Really a sad way to see your 100th Test Match getting to a tame draw after just a day's play.

3rd Test, Nagpur.
India won the toss and chose to bat. Each and every Indian batsman except for Rohit Sharma(2) got off to a good start reaching double figures with ease, but none of them were able to convert it to a 50. Vijay was the top scorer with 40 runs to his name as India were all out for 215 as Harmer picked up 4 wickets and Morne Morkel picked up 3 wickets. Yes, the pitch was a nightmare for the batsmen as the ball spun viciously. And when you've got the best spinner in your team, you needn't worry as a skipper, Just place the right fielders at the right positions and just watch the opposition crumble. Yeah! That's what happened. Ashwin and Jadeja were just too good for the South African batsmen. Rippers, peaches, SA batsmen looked clueless. They were bundled out for a mere 79. Ashwin picked up a fifer yet again and Jadeja picked up 4. Memories floated in my head when I saw India getting all out for 76, 8 years back and now, watching India returning the favor was just amazing.
India in the second innings were quite bad as well. India's batting prowess is their ability to play spin. And on a spinning track they failed. Once again all the Indian batsmen got off to good starts. But none of them were able to capitalise it. Imran Tahir who was waiting for an opportunity to bowl, picked up a fifer as India were all out for 173, with Dhawan top-scoring for India with 39 runs to his name.
Set a target of 310 runs which was a minefield according to Australia's Glenn Maxwell, the visitors were never in contention. Barring their skipper, Hashim Amla who was defiant, along with Faf du Plessis no one could pick up the spin trio. In fact, I just loved the way Ashwin setup the downfall of ABD. A series of off spinners followed up with a carrom ball, trapped the South African talisman plumb in front. Though, du Plessis and Amla offered resistance, none of the other batsmen were able to support them at the other end. Once both of them were dismissed, India had lesser work to do as they cleaned up the lower order in quick time. Ashwin picked up 7 wickets and 12 in the match and was deservedly awarded the MoM. This was the first time I witnessed a Test match where a single batsman couldn't get to a socre of 50. The highest was by Murali Vijay: 40. 39 was the next highest.  There were talks about the pitch used. But I felt it was just home advantage and SA's inability to pick up spin. They did the same back their backyard bowling out Australia for 47 and Pakistan for 49. What goes around, comes around!

4th Test, Delhi.
India won the toss and opted to bat first. Virat Kohli was leading his side for the first time in front of his home crowd. India had already won the series, no matter what this match's result was. Ajinkya Rahane who was quiet throughout the series, played a fantastic knock. His patience has to be appreciated. He waited for this a long time. He had scored a century in all the countries he has played at but not in India and desperately wanted one. He scored a magnificent 127 which was studded with 11 fours and 4 sixes. He was well supported by Ashwin who scored a patient 56 as well. He was a worried man as he wasn't able to contact his parents who were affected in the Chennai floods. India were all out for 334.
Similar to what had happened in the last 3 tests, SA were unable to pick up both the Ravis. Ravi Jadeja went on to pick up a fifer as South Africa were all out for 121 with ABD topscoring for the visitors with 42 runs to his name.
Virat Kohli didn't enforce the follow on and India were tottering at 57/4 before Ajinkya Rahane and Virat joined hands. Virat was classy in his innings of 88 and Rahane went on to score another century becoming the 5th India to score a century in both innings of a test match.
Set a target of 481, the South African batsmen had only one intention: to block the ball. Tuk-Tuk cricket was what they adopted to save the Test. They did considerably well till Lunch on day 5 as the Indian bowlers tried to break the South African defence. They went at less than 1 run per over. They were 94/3 in 107 overs at Lunch on day 5. India needed one dismissal to break the shackles. Jadeja provided it as he bowled a ripper to du Plessis who was trapped in front. The rest of the batsmen couldn't do what ABD, du Plessis and skipper Amla were doing so well. Lemme tell you, even though that was a tad boring, that was their determination to save the test match. Scores of Amla, du Plessis and ABD read 25,10 and 43 respectively. But they came off 244,97 and 297 deliveries, respectively. Yeah, y'all read that right. Yet SA went on to lose the match as they were all out for 143, in 143.1 overs, thanks to Ashwin's fifer. Rahane was awarded the MoM and Ashwin was awarded the Man of the Series for the 31 wickets he picked up. He levelled Sachin Tendulkar and Virender Sehwag in terms of Man of Series awards won(5).

That was one incredible tour. Ashwin proved his worth as a bowler. India did lose the ODI and t20I series but made it up by winning the Test Series. ABD was classy throughout the tour and no wonder he's loved by the Indian crowds.

Next Assignment : Against Australia in Australia. Tour starts on Jan 12,2016.

India's Tour of Sri Lanka 2015

After a dismal tour to Bangladesh, which saw the hosts winning the ODI series 2-1, flummoxed by 19-year old Mustafizur Rahman,and a good tour against Zimbabwe , winning the ODI Series 3-0 and levelling the t20i series at 1-1 captained by Ajinkya Rahane, the young Indian brigade travelled to Sri Lanka for a 3 match Test series. It was also Kumar Sangakkara's last test series as a Sri Lanka player. The classy left-hander was all set to retire from all forms of cricket, after losing in the Quarter-finals against Australia in the 2015 World Cup, before the Sri Lankan Cricket Board requested him to re-consider his decision. He decided to play 2 Test Matches against Pakistan and 2 against India, and then call it quits.

1st Test : Galle.
Sri Lanka after losing to Pakistan 2-1 at home, hoped for a better show in the first match. Sri Lanka won the toss and chose to bat. Sri Lanka got off to a poor start. They lost half their side with just 60 on the board. Sangakkara, Sri Lanka's talisman, fell for just 5 runs, in the first innings of his penultimate test. Skipper Matthews and Chandimal stitched a 79 run partnership, before the former got out. Eventually Sri Lanka, were bowled out for 183, with Ashwin wrecking havoc, picking up 6 wickets. In reply, India also got off to a poor start , losing KL Rahul in the third over. Rohit Sharma , promoted to number 3, failed to get going and soon fell. Delhi boys, Dhawan and Kohli stitched a magnificent partnership. Both of them survived a few close calls and batted sensibly. There were a few mixups, but both of them batted with patience. Dhawan got to his hundred, and Kohli followed him soon, before, Kohli fell to Kaushal. His wicket brought an end to a 227 run stand. 255-3 became 302-6. India lost wickets at regular intervals. Had it not been for Saha's 60, India would've struggled to reach the 330 mark. India were eventually bundled out for 375. Kaushal picked up 5 wickets.
Sri Lanka trailing by  192, were reeling at 5-3. Sangakkara and Matthews batted patiently, before Ashwin prised out Sangakkara for 40, thanks to a blinder from Rahane at slip. Sangakkara walked off to a standing ovation from the Galle crowd. Matthews got out in the very next over. The two new batsmen Chandimal and Thirimanne, survived two rather easy calls, thanks to the umpire who did not notice the huge sound coming from the splice of the bat. Virat Kohli, was stunned as he saw two appeals, stand down, which were easy decisions. Worst part was that, both of them came in back to back overs. Chandimal attacked while Thirimanne, slowly rotated the strike. Thirimanne fell to Ashwin after adding 125 runs for the sixth wicket. Jehan Mubarak, also batted aggressively along with Dinesh Chandimal, who reached his first century against India. Mubarak fell for 49. There was a 41 run stand for the 9th wicket. Sri Lanka were bowled out for 367. Chandimal was unbeaten on 162. Ashwin picked up 4 wickets.
A target of 150+ is always daunting on a 4th day pitch. Rahul was sent back to the hut by Herath. Ishant Sharma, who came in as the night-watchman, showed some resistance, but was soon back at the pavilion. India kept on losing wickets at regular intervals. Rahane showed a great deal of resistance and batted patiently but was caught at slip, thanks to a ripper of a delivery from Herath. 45-3 at one stage, India lost 7 wickets for just 67 runs in 28 overs. It was all Herath show as he ran through India's batting line-up picking up for 7 wickets as India were bundled out for 112. Dinesh Chandimal was adjudged the Man of the Match for his match-saving and match-winning knock of 162*.

2nd Match : Colombo(PSS).
The stage was set for Sangakkara's last match. Matthews had promised the legendary batsman that the team would play their skins out to win the match, thereby giving him a fitting farewell. India won the toss and chose to bat. Murali Vijay , who missed the first match , replaced an injured Shikhar Dhawan, but was trapped in front in the 4th ball of the match. Ajinkya Rahane who was sent in at 3 after Rohit Sharma failed to perform at the same position, fell to Chameera. Rahul and skipper Kohli , batted sensibly.Both of them rotated the strike well and dispatched the lose balls to the boundary. Skipper Kohli got out for 78 after adding 164 for the 3rd wicket. Rahul soon reached his century, his second test century. He was so desperate waiting for it , that he had to put in the big dive while completing the second run which brought up his century. One had to admit that Herath was bowling splendidly well, though he was hit for 10 runs in 3 balls by Rohit Sharma in an over. The flight and the turn he generated made life difficult for the Indian batsmen. After Rahul fell, Rohit Sharma managed to stay in the middle for some overs before getting out for a well made 79. Saha, who was undone by a beauty in the send innings of the first match, played well and contributed 56. Mishra chipped in with 24 runs as well, as India were all out for 393, with Herath yet again being the star of the Sri Lankan Bowwling attack as he picked up 4 wickets. Sri Lanka after being 1-1 a one stage, recovered well in the form of Silva and Sangakkara, the latter playing his penultimate innings as a Sri Lankan player after  he was welcomed with a guard of honour by the Indian players. Sangakkara nicked one to slip, which left the crowd and his wife , stunned. Silva fell after showing some resistance. Skipper Matthews joined Thirimanne in the middle. Both of them played cautiously and both of them brought their individual half centuries before Thirimanne was caught behind off Ishant Sharma. Hero of the first match, Chandimal couldn't give skipper Matthews support as he fell and was followed by Mubarak. Matthews did reach his century , but the lower order didn't show much resistance as Sri Lanka were eventually bowled out for 306 with leggie, Amit Sharma picking up 4 wickets. He was also instrumental, as he bowled with vigour.
India,87 runs ahead, lost centurion, Rahul very early. Rahane, who was dismissed for a single digit in the first match, batted sensibly along with Murali Vijay as the pair added a 140 runs for the second wicket before the opener was trapped in front for 82. Kohli was also trapped in front by the same bowler, Kaushal for 10. Rahane brought his first century in Sri Lanka and was supported well by his Ranji teammate Rohit Sharma as the pair added 85 runs for the 4th wicket before the latter was dismissed, only to be followed by Rahane in the space of 2 overs. Saha, Ashwin and Mishra got starts but couldn't convert it into big ones. India declared with 325 runs on the board with a healthy lead of 412 runs. Virat wanted the Sri Lankans to survive a few overs and his plan worked out well as Sri Lanka lost Silva and Sangakkara. Sangakkara's dismissal was similar to the one in the first innings. He got out to Ashwin 4 times in as many innings. His dismissal left the crowd stunned, yet again but they soon came out of it and he walked into the pavilion with a standing ovation. All the Indian players congratulated the legendary batsman for his prolific career. Matthews was dismissed in the very first ball of the fifth day of the test match. That initiated the Sri Lankan collapse as the middle order and the lower order batsman failed to show resistance as Ashwin rattled through the Sri Lankan batting line up as they were eventually bundled out for 134 runs, giving India a 278 run victory, the first win for Virat Kohli as a captain. It was also India's first win after 399 days. Rahul was adjudged the Man of the Match for his century in the first innings. Sangakkara got emotional during his farewell speech in the presentation ceremony. Virat Kohli heaped praise on Sri Lanka's talisman both on the social media and during the presentation ceremony.

3rd Test Match : Colombo (SSC)
Murali Vijay and Saha were ruled out with injuries. Pujara and debutant Naman Ojha, came in at their place. Sri Lanka won the toss and chose to field. The pitch had grass on it and it was an ideal track for pacers. Centurions of the second test match, Rahul and Rahane , were dismissed cheaply as India were in all sorts of trouble. Kohli , Rohit and Naman Ojha, all got starts.But it was Pujara, who converted his start into a big one. He opened the innings for India, which is not his position in the batting order. Yet, he played patiently. He also had a good county season at England. He was India's only hope as wickets kept on tumbling at the other end. Dammika Prasad was instrumental, as he bowled with pace and swing. He bowled in the right areas and had the Indian batsmen in all sorts. Amit Mishra contributed with 59 vital runs. Pujara carried his bat as he scored a 145 as India were bowled out for 312 runs. Prasad picked up 4 wickets and Herath, was among the wickets as well. Sri Lanka replaced Kumar Sangakkara with Upul Tharanga who opened the innings. Karunarathne who opened the innings in the first two test matches came at 3. Sri Lanka were reeling at 47-6. Kusal Perera, who is often called as Sri Lanka's next Sanath Jayasuriya, scored 55 off 56 in his first test innings. Herath offered resistance but it was too much for the left arm spinner as Sri Lanka were bundled out for 201 runs, with lanky Ishant Sharma who tormented Sri Lankan batsmen with short stuff, picking up 5 wickets. It was almost a recap of what he had done at Lord's last year, though his figures (7-74) were different.
India having a lead of 111 runs, were off to a dreadful start as Prasad cleaned up Pujara with a peach of a delivery. Rahul shouldered his arms, only to hear the sound of the stumps getting rattled, for the second tie in as many innings. His stats, show that , he either fails, or scores centuries. India lost 4 wickets for 64 runs before a 54 run partnership between Rohit Sharma and Stuart Binny saved India from the blues before the former got out for 50. Naman Ojha got out trying for the big shot, a replay of his first innings dismissal. Ashwin and Mishra played extremely well and scored 58 and 39 respectively. There was an on field spat between Ishant Sharma and Prasad. Ishant Sharma kept on banging his helmet, indicating Prasad to direct his bouncers to his head rather than targeting to his chest. Chandimal also had a few words to exchange, which angered Ashwin. The umpires had to sort out this situation. India were bundled out for 274 runs, setting Sri Lanka a target of 386 runs. Apart from Angelo Matthews and Kusal Perera , none of them kept going. There were a few starts from Silva, Chandimal and Thirimanne, but only Matthews played responsibly , scoring a 110. Kusal played his part and scored 70, also put up a 135 run stand with the skipper. Ishant Sharma and Ashwin ran through the Sri Lankan order picking up 3 and 4 wickets respectively as India went on to win the match by 117 runs thereby clinching the series 2-1. Pujara was adjudged the Man of the Match for his century on a tough pitch and Ravi Ashwin was awarded the Man of the Series for picking up 21 wickets.

It was an emotional series for the Sri Lankan fans as Sangakkara bid farewell. Ravi Ashwin was the part pooper picking up the talisman's wicket 4 times in as many innings. Stuart Binny seems to be the lucky mascot for the Indian team as , they won all the matches in which he has played. One at Lords and two at Colombo. He replaced Harbhajan Singh, who tried to make a comeback, but failed miserably as he could pick up only 1 wicket in the first match in which India went on to lose. Overall it was an amazing team effort from the young lads who were fired up and they played under a new captain in the form of Virat Kohli who now holds the record of the first Indian captain to win a test series after 22 years. It is also his first series win as a captain. I am hoping for more from the young Delhi lad. And I do hope that , he'll keep our heads high.

Our Next Assignment : South Africa. Well, that's a very very long tour! 

The Knockout Stages of the ICC Cricket World Cup 2015

Here is a brief summary , how India fared in the knockout stages of the ICC Cricket World Cup 2015.

Quarter Final : India vs Bangladesh , 19th March 2015 at Melbourne

Both the captains , were welcomed with a huge roar from their contingent at the Melbourne Cricket Ground. India won the toss and chose to bat . India went into the game with the same XI. Both Rohit Sharma and Shikhar Dhawan , were at their fluent best and raced off to 75 in 16.2 overs, when the latter misread Shakib al Hasan , only to get stumped, some good work from Bangladesh's ex-captain , Mushfiqur Rahim. Virat Kohli and Ajinkya Rahane , both fell to lose shots , to leave India reeling at 115-3 at the end of the 28th over. In walked Suresh Raina , fresh from his magnificent century against Zimbabwe, which proved to be a mach winning knock. Meanwhile , Rohit Sharma raced to a fifty, his first in a knockout game. Raina started cautiously , rotating singles. He unleashed his army of shots in the end overs of the batting power play , getting to his fifty. The two had shared a 122 runs stand , before Raina , top edged one off Mortaza , the skier pouched by Rahim. Rohit Sharma, began to unleash his shots as well . He brought up his century with a push through covers. It was his first World Cup Century. After getting to the landmark , he played flamboyantly. One shot which I loved was the loft over long off , which went for a huge six. It was so effortless. Eventually he was bowled by an inswinging yorker. Ravindra Jadeja , blazed his way to 23 off 10 deliveries to give India the finishing touch. India finished with 302 for the loss of 6 wickets.

303 was always a tough ask , that too in a high pressure game. But Tamim Iqbal started positively , hitting 3 boundaries of Mohammed Shami in the 4th over. But he got out to Umesh Yadav , thanks to a good low catch from MS Dhoni. Imrul Kayes was the next man to go , in the very next ball , thanks to a brilliant fielding effort from Jadeja. All the middle order batsmen got starts , but none could convert it to a big knock or a fifty. Bangladesh were tottering at 139 for 6 , with their star players Mushfiqur Rahim and all rounder Shakib al Hasan back in the hut. Nasir Hossain and big hitter Sabir Rahman shared a 50 run stand. Bangladesh were eventually bowled out for 193.Yadav was the pick of the bowlers, picking up 4 wickets , bowling with good pace and bowling some absolutely unplayable deliveries.
Rohit Sharma was adjudged the Man of the Match for his magnificent 137. There was some controversy when he was caught at the fence , when he was on 91, but it was adjudged a no-ball. It was a full toss , around waist height which got the Bangladeshi fans , expressing their dismay , both in the ground and on social networking websites , but little did they realise that , Imrul Kayes also got a nick , which wasn't adjudged out.

Semifinal : India was Australia , March 26th 2015 at Sydney

Many Indians , bunked school and colleges , took a day off from work , only to watch the high octane clash at the Sydney Cricket Ground , where India have a very poor record , managing only one win out of the 14 games played. About 70% of the crowd were Indian supporters. Australia qualified for the semifinals , after surviving an intimidating spell from Wahab Riaz against Pakistan. Australia won the toss and elected to bat. Any captain , on such a high pressure match would've opted to bat. MS Dhoni also added that he would've chosen to bat as well. In came David Warner and Aaron Finch. Mohammed Shami bowled a brilliant first over. Umesh Yaadav gave a few runs in his first over but got the wicket of David Warner in his next over. In came Steven Smith who had a good summer against India , in the test series. Both Finch and Smith started off rotating singles , and managing a boundary in every 3-4 overs thereby keeping the scoreboard ticking . Smith got to his half century , so did Aaron Finch. Smith started playing freely and his shots were graceful to watch, not for an Indian cricket fan though , as he got to his first World Cup Century against India. He got out to Yadav , trying to up the ante after adding 182 for the second wicket in 31 overs. Maxwell , who had earlier asked India to remember what Australia did them to in the triangular series , started off well , but got out to Ashwin , some brilliant captaincy from MS Dhoni having all his fielders on the leg side. It was a dismissal which was well planned. His captaincy was lauded by the commentators as well. Finch followed Maxwell in quick succession. India had come back in to the game. India also got the wicket of skipper Michael Clarke. But India failed to capitalise on Australia's collapse as Faulkner , Johnson and Haddin gave the finishing touch to Australia's innings as they scored  70 runs in their last 6 overs.

India got off to a very good start. Yes , there was an opportunity , for Haddin , but he failed to pouch it. Dhawan started to play his shots as Rohit played the anchor role. Dhawan flicked a six over mid-wicket off Faulkner. It pitched on middle and off , and he flicked it over mid-wicket. I just loved that shot. He did the same against South Africa too , but it went over fine leg. India blazed its way to 76 in the 13th over before Dhawan got out to a needless shot , only to get caught at deep covers. Virat Kohli was the next one to follow , as he got a snorter . He miscued his pull shot. It was a needless shot from India's talisman who has scored as many as 14 centuries in a successful chase. Rohit smacked Johnson for a six , but got out to Johnson in the very next ball, nicking it on to the stumps. Raina in his brief stay scored a boundary but got out , to Faulkner trying to guide the ball to third man , only to find Haddin pouching a simple catch. In came India's captain , MS Dhoni . Indian hopes rested on him. Rahane and MS Dhoni , rotated singles even as Run Rate rose up to 9 an over. They kept calm and scored boundaries very occasionally. Rahane was adjudged out caught behind , thanks to DRS as no one appealed except Smith and Maxwell who were stationed at Mid On and point respectively. It was faintest of edges. Ravindra Jadeja was the next man to go as he was run out , thanks to a brilliant direct hit from Smith who was at point. MS Dhoni smacked two consecutive huge sixes of Watson , as he got to his fifty , but it was too much to ask for from the Indian skipper as he was run out , courtesy, Maxwell's powerful direct hit. India's lower order couldn't offer resistance as India were eventually bowled out for 233 in 46.5 overs. Faulkner picked up 3 and Hazlewood was brilliant at the start.
Steven Smith won the Man of the Match award for his 105.

Australia will face New Zealand in the finals after New Zealand won a cliffhanger against South Africa leaving AB de Villiers , Faf du Plessis , Dale Steyn and Morne Morkel devastated and in tears.

It was a very good World Cup for India as one couldn't have imagined 7 wins on the trot after not managing even a single win under the belt in the triangular series just before the World Cup. Indian bowlers , who were scrutinised  and criticised showed their skills and armoury as they picked up 77 wickets in 8 matches. Captaincy was top class from MS Dhoni, who 'might' have played his last World Cup innings. Well , I just can't imagine how Indian cricket would move on after he retires from all forms of international cricket. 11 consecutive wins for India in World Cup matches. Yes , we couldn't defend our World Cup , Yes , we gave it back, but I am proud of my lads. Keep your heads held high!

India's Route to the Quarter Finals !

Hey People! Its exactly a month since the epic clash against Pakistan. India have all but qualified for the Quarterfinals of the cricketing extravaganza, the ICC Cricket World Cup. India have showed their mettle and class , and the players have risen to the occasion . Not to forget , the excellent captaincy by MS Dhoni! Here's how we reached the Quarter Finals!

First Match : 15th February 2015. India vs Pakistan , at Adelaide.
The most anticipated clash of the World Cup , started off in India's favour. MS Dhoni won the toss and chose to bat. Bhuvneshwar Kumar , who was supposedly fit , did not make it to the XI. The pace attack comprised of Mohit Sharma , Mohammed Shami and Umesh Yadav. India got off to a good start , scoring 33 in the first 7 overs , before Rohot Sharma miscued a pull. In came , Virat Kohli , India's talisman. He along with Shikhar Dhawan , stabilised the innings. Dhawan notched up his fifty off 54 balls before being run out for 73. Kohli went on to score a century, thereby becoming the first Indian to score a century against Pakistan in World Cup encounter. Suresh Raina also smashed the Pakistan bowling attack , before both of them getting out in quick succession trying to accelerate the run rate in the final overs. India finished with a score of 300/7 in their 50 overs. Sohail Khan was the star performer for Pakistan , picking up 5 wickets.
Pakistan , opened with Ahmed Shehzad and Younis Khan , as they didn't play a specialist opener.They got off to a very bad start , losing Younis Khan in the fourth over. Haris Sohail and Shehzad stitched up a 68 run partnership before the former got out to Ashwin. 5 overs later , Shehzad and Maqsood went in quick succession , falling prey to Umesh Yaadav. Pakistan's middle order collapsed and they were stuttering at 154/7 at the end of the 35th over. Misbah ul Haq tried hard , but couldn't do enough as Pakistan lost by 76 runs, thereby keeping the record clean. The record being,  all wins for India against Pakistan in all World Cup Matches. Virat Kohli was awarded the Man of the Match.

Second Match : 22nd February 2015, India vs South Africa at Melbourne.
In the battle of the favourites, India won the toss and chose to bat. India got off to a bad start losing Rohit Sharma for a duck , courtesy , brilliant fielding from the captain, AB de Villiers. Virat Kohli and Dhawan , stabilised the innings , just like they did against Pakistan. Virat Kohli miscued a pull off Imran Tahir , only to find du Plessis at short mid wicket. Ajinkya Rahane , who got out for a golden duck against Pakistan in the last over of the Indian innings , started to play his shots. Meanwhile , Shikhar Dhawan scored his maiden World Cup Century. Rahane got to his fifty in quick time and both of them started playing freely . One of the best moments , was , Shikhar Dhawan flicking Morne Morkel for a six , over fine leg , picking up the ball from off stump. That was something special .India were kept in check after the duo got out and could manage 307, after being 271/4 at the end of the 45th over.
South Africa's Quentin de Kock , got out to Mohammad Shami , for a nothing shot , only to see himself getting aught by Virat Kohli at mid off. Amla and du Plessis put 28 runs for the second wicket before the former got out. The 68 run stand between du Plessis and AB de Villiers looked threatening. Thanks to Mohit Sharma's brilliance in the field , AB de Villiers was run out for 30. du Plessis scored slowly and got to his 50 before getting out to Mohit Sharma. The duo of Miller and Duminy who saved South Africa against Zimbabwe from a humiliation , failed to fire. South Africa were bundled out for 177 , giving India their first victory against South Africa in all World Cup encounters. Dhawan was adjudged the Man Of the Match for his brilliant 137.

Third Match : 28th February 2015 , India vs UAE at Perth
The associate Nation , UAE , won the toss and chose to bat. Bhuvneshwar Kumar , replaced Mohammed Shami , after the latter suffered some niggles. He started off the proceedings quite well. Umesh Yadav prized out UAE's Berenger for 4. It was an almost unplayable bouncer. Bhuvneshwar Kumar , removed the other opener. Ravichandran Ashwin , ripped UAE's middle order , picking up 4 wickets. UAE did not have any clue against Ashwin , Jadeja and Yaadav. Anwar, UAE's top run scorer in the World Cup , was the standout performer scoring 35 before getting out to a peach from Yaadav.
India , finished off the chase quite easily , with Rohit Sharma scoring 57* and Virat Kohli scoring 33*. India won by 9 wickets and 187 balls to spare. Ravichandran Ashwin was adjudged the Man of the Match for his 4-25.

Fourth Match : March 6th 2015, India vs West Indies at Perth.
West Indies won the toss and chose to bat. Mohammed Shami was fit and he replaced Bhuvneshwar Kumar. Chris Gayle who scored 215 against Zimbabwe failed to fire as he got out only for 21. West Indies saw their top order and middle order skittle out. They were 85-7 at one stage, when Sammy and captain Jason Holder stitched a 39 run partnership before the former got out. Jason Holder blazed his way to a second consecutive half century . Courtesy , Jason Holder , West Indies managed a mere 182. Shami who made his comeback , scalped 3 . Yadav and Jadeja took 2 apiece
India's start got off to a bad start , yet again with both the batsmen in the pavilion with just 20 runs on the board. Kohli and Rahane stitched a 43 run partnership , before Kohli top edged to long leg , to find Samuels. Rahane followed the dian vice captain quickly. Raina and MS Dhoni tried to stabilise the proceedings , but Raina nicked one. Jadeja tried to be aggressive , instead of giving MS Dhoni some hope of building a partnership. He miscued a pull , only to find Samuels ,who pouched after juggling with the ball twice. India needed 49 runs with MS Dhoni and Ashwin out in the middle. MS Dhoni batted sensibly , so did ,Ashwin. A six over third man , from MS Dhoni broke the shackles .
India cruised to victory after that. Mohammed Shami was adjudged the Man of the Match , though I felt , MS Dhoni deserved it because it wasn't as easy track to bat on with the likes of Jerome Taylor and Kemar Roach firing all the cylinders.

Fifth Match : March 10th 2015, India vs Ireland at Hamilton
India's first match at New Zealand , got off to a shaky start after Ireland won the toss and chose to bat. Openers Porterfield and Stirling spanked the Indian bowling attack in the first 8 overs. The openers stitched an 89 run partnership with the captain, Porterfield getting to his half century . Niall O'Brien and captain , Porterfield , rotated and scored off lose balls , before the latter got out to Mohit Sharma for 67. The duo had added 53 runs in 84 balls. Ireland started batting aggressively . They raced to 208-5 in the 40th over losing the elder one of the Brien brothers in the 40th over. Ireland managed to score 259 runs. Shami and Ashwin were the star performers with the ball picking up 3 and 2 wickets respectively.
India got off to a flyer . Rohit Sharma and Shikhar Dhawan capitalised and played freely. One could see the inexperience of the Irish bowling attack. Both the openers got to their fifties , the first time in this World Cup and they played more freely once they got to their personal landmarks , before Rohit Sharma chopped one off Thompson , after scoring 64 , adding a 174 for the first wicket. The highest opening stand for India in World Cup History. Shikhar played sensibly along with the new man Virat and got to his hundred , his second of the tournament before perishing to Thompson. Virat and Ajinkya , came together and spanked the Irish bowling attack , finishing off the match with more than 13 overs to spare. The winning shot off Kohli was a special one. That crack it made from the bat , was an awesome one to watch. Shikhar Dhawan won the man of the match!

Sixth Match : March 14th 2015 , India vs Zimbabwe at Auckland.
India won the toss , and asked Zimbabwe to bat. Shami , Yadav and Mohit Sharma , accounted fir the first three wickets. Zimbabwe were struggling at 33-3 at the end of 11 overs , when Sean Williams came in hands with Brendan Taylor , the captain , who was playing his last match for Zimbabwe. Both the players were severe on Ashwin . Williams hocked Ashwin for two consecutive sixes over mid wicket and Brendan Taylor , did a Maxwell , reverse sweeping him . Ashwin , had the last laugh though , pouching an excellent catch of his own bowling accounting Sean Williams for 50. Brendan continued and was belligerent. He hoisted Jadeja for two humongous sixes and brought up his century with a brilliant upper cut. He was severe with his batting but got out for 138. He received a standing ovation from the crowd and as well as his team. It was a brilliant innings to sign off his career as a Zimbabwe cricketer. Raza and the other players tried hard , but couldn't touch the 300 mark. They were bowled out for 287 with Shami and Yadav picking up 3 wickets apiece.
Indian openers were back in the hut with only 21 runs on the board. Virat and Rahane stitched a 50 run partnership , before the latter was run out. In came Suresh Raina , who couldn't get much opportunity after the first match. He started cautiously. Just when things were starting to fall in India's place, Virat Kohli was bowled around his legs. India were 92-4 in the 23rdover needing another 196 runs. In walked MS Dhoni , who didn't get much time in the middle , except for the previous match. Raina was the aggressor and went on to score his fifty , after Hamilton Masakadza dropped him when he was on 48. Raina continued to bat with freedom and spanked the Zimbabwean attack. Meanwhile ,Dhoni who was playing the second fiddle , got to his 57th half century. Both of them batted extremely well after the batting power play and not to forget that India didn't lose any wicket during the power play. Raia blasted his way to 5th ODI century , first in 50 over World Cup becoming the only Indian to score a century in both t20 WC and 50 over WC. Dhoni finished off the chase with a six over square leg , finishing off with 85* off 76 balls , with 8 4s and 2 6s. Suresh Raina was adjudged the Man of the Match for his brilliant 110* which was studded with 9 4s and 4 6s.

It was a complete team performance from India in all the 6 matches. The bowling attack , which was under the scanner , before the World Cup began , fired all the cylinders , picking up all 60 wickets in 6 matches and didn't concede a score above 300 runs , a feat which no team could achieve , in this World Cup. Batting was also excellent and fielding was top class. Not to forget MS Dhoni's captaincy as mentioned above. All the batsmen are in quite good form and the bowlers are all fired up. India face Bangladesh in the quarterfinals on 19th March 2015 , Thursday at Melbourne.
We are defending the World Cup.
#WontGiveItBack. :D