Team India's 2011 Season

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Team India's 2011 Season

India in West Indies, 2011

The teams announce the squads
March 24, 2011

This is the first tournament for Team India and Team West Indies in the 2011 Season. Both the teams have looked in pretty good form off late, and their fans would hope that they continue it.
Team India's test squad, as always looks very solid. With batting guns like Tendulkar and Dravid and experienced bowlers like Zaheer and Harbhajan, India certainly looks as one of the most strongest test side in the world.

The selection committee didn't have much confusion to decide on the 15 man squad and that was expected.

Pragyan Ojha and Abhimany Mithun won the battle against Amit Mishra and Vinay Kumar respectively to get a chance in the test side. The surprise inclusion proved to be of Virat Kohli, who came in for the out of form Murli Vijay.

This is the last test series of Rahul Dravid in India, as he has announced retirement after the test series scheduled to take place in England after this one.
He said,
"I have probably made up my mind now and I have decided to retire from all forms of cricket after the test series to be held in England. Although, I will continue to play in the IPL."

The Squads (Test Matches):

India

MS Dhoni *?
Virender Sehwag
Gautam Gambhir
Virat Kohli
Sachin Tendulkar
VVS Laxman
Yuvraj Singh
Rahul Dravid
Suresh Raina
Harbhajan Singh
Praveen Kumar
Zaheer Khan
Abhimany Mithun
Pragyan Ojha
Ishant Sharma


West Indies:

Chris Gayle *
Omar Philips
Shivnarine Chanderpaul
Ramnaresh Sarwan
Kirk Edwards
Denesh Ramdin ?
Narsingh Deonarine
Ryan Hinds
Dwayne Bravo
Kevin Stoute
Darren Sammy
Nikita Miller
Ravi Rampaul
Jerome Taylor
Amit Jaggernauth


The Matches:

Test Matches:
1st Test Match at Wankhede Stadium, Mumbai
2nd Test Match at Rajiv Gandhi International Stadium, Hyderabd
3rd Test Match at The Chepauk, Chennai

One Day Internationals:
1st ODI at The Chepauk, Chennai
2nd ODI at The PCA Stadium, Mohali
3rd ODI at Eden Gardens, Kolkata
4th ODI at Madhavrao Scindia Cricket Ground, Rajkot
5th ODI at The HPCA Stadium, Dharamsala

Twenty20 Internationals:
1st and the only Twenty20 at Sawai Mansingh Stadium, Jaipur

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West Indies in India, 2011



First Test Match at Wankhede Stadium, Mumbai

Its show time here at the Wankhede Stadium in Mumbai as the nation witnesses its first test match after the WC 2011. The weather looks perfect for a good game of cricket, bright and sunny. There is always some amount of humidity in Mumbai, being a coastal region. No chances of rain.

The pitch looks fantastic, a complete "test match" wicket it is. Will support the pacers at the start and then gradually the spinners. Will be good to bat on as well.

MS Dhoni wins the toss and elects to field first.

THE TEAMS:

India:

Gautam Gambhir
Virender Sehwag
Rahul Dravid
Sachin Tendulkar
VVS Laxman
Virat Kohli
MS Dhoni *†
Harbhajan Singh
Praveen Kumar
Zaheer Khan
Pragyan Ojha


West Indies:

Chris Gayle *
Omar Philips
Shivnarine Chanderpaul
Ramnaresh Sarwan
Narsingh Deonarine
Ryan Hinds
Denesh Ramdin †
Darren Sammy
Nikita Miller
Jerome Taylor
Amit Jaggernauth

Its a big surprise to see Virat Kohli in the Playing XI over Suresh Raina. Raina has been out of touch for quite some time now, but he surely did deserve some more chances at the test level. It will be interesting to see how Kohli faces the challenge in his first test match. On the other hand, Raina would be hoping to bounce back in the team as soon as possible.

So now, it seems like a three-way battle between Virat Kohli, Suresh Raina and Yuvraj Singh for a spot in the Playing XI of team India at the test level. One would be up for grabs after the retirement of Rahul Dravid.

[Stumped]

The presentation is excellent mate

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West Indies in India, 2011


First Test Match at Wankhede Stadium, Mumbai

Zaheer Khan celebrates the wicket of Omar Philips early during the day

Team India won the toss and came out to field at the Wankhede Stadium. The Indian bowling attack looked extremely strong with pacers like Zaheer Khan and Praveen Kumar and spinners like Harbhajan Singh and Pragyan Ojha. The combination looks perfect and has the capability to destroy any batting line-up, however strong it may be. Guys like Virat Kohli, Virender Sehwag and Sachin Tendulkar can chip in to bowl as well.

The West Indian opening duo, Chris Gayle and Omar Philips came out to bat. Gayle, who has the ability to smack any ball out of the park begun slow. Philips, with lack of experience at the Test level, threw his wicket as Zaheer Khan managed to get an edge out of his willow towards the point region. It was a good catch by the Delhi lad, Gautam Gambhir.

Next to join in Gayle was the veteran, Shivnarine Chanderpaul. Being one of the bests in Test cricket today, it was expected that Chanderpaul would perform well under the given circumstances. Zaheer and Praveen Kumar continued their long spells but couldn't manage to get a wicket. Harbhajan Singh was introduced in the attack. The turbanator striked on his first delivery of the match. Gayle was dismissed as the scorecard read 59, for the loss of two wickets. Both the openers were sent back to the pavilion.

Then it was the opportunity for the controversial, Ramnaresh Sarwan to arrive at the center. He, along with Chanderpaul got into a nice partenrship of 60 odd runs. Both looked in good touch and were terrific in attacking the spinners. Unfortunately for the West Indians, Sarwan was given out by yet another wrong decisions by the umpire. He was adjudged LBW off a delivery which clearly pitched outside leg stump. The young lad, Pragyan Ojha was lucky to get his first wicket of the match.

Narsingh Deonarine, the silent horse walked in. No India player knew much about his talent and temperament. He looked calm throughout his inning and faced the experienced bowling line-up of the Indians with easy and grace. Chanderpaul on the other hand looked well settled and continued with his shots. It was yet another strong partnership for the West Indians, comprising of around 70 runs. However, Chanderpaul missed out on a century he deserved, getting caught out at slip off Zaheer Khan, who was bowling his third impressive spell.

Ryan Hinds and Denesh Ramdin continued their bad run of form, falling cheaply off Praveen Kumar and Harbhajan Singh respectively.

Darren Sammy's inning of 60 odd runs proved to be the surprise package as he got them in quick time as well. A strike rate of more than 100 in a test match certainly has to be appreciated. Along with Deonarine, he got along well in a partnership which probably helped the Windies to reach a respectable score in the first innings.

No batsmen of the tail could contribute much to total as they fell cheaply. Narsingh Deonarine remained not-out till the end, helping the West Indians get pass a total of 300, and eventually, 350. His inning of 130* was marked with elegance and grace.

Deonarine and Chanderpaul during their partnership of 70 odd runs

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Originally Posted by Stumped

The presentation is excellent mate

Thanks brother...

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West Indies in India, 2011


First Test Match at Wankhede Stadium, Mumbai

Sehwag and Gambhir during their partnership of 197 runs

After putting on a huge score on the board, the West Indian came out to bowl with complete confidence. Giving a follow on to team India would have been their primary aim. But the Indian openers, Gautam Gambhir and Virender Sehwag had some other plans.

Chris Gayle, surprisingly made Omar Philips to bowl the first spell for the Windies along with Jerome Taylor. The idea seemed to back-fire at them as the dangerous batting pair of Sehwag-Gambhir got off to a flier. There were no signs of looking back. Virender Sehwag started in the typical "Sehwag" style, smashing the West Indian bowlers all around the park. Gambhir on the other hand was calm as a cucumber and was in for a big inning.

The duo was involved in a huge partnership which almost sealed the fact that India would be in the lead after this inning. Unfortunately, a 200 run partnership could not be completed as Sehwag was dismissed by Ryan Hinds.

Rahul Dravid came out at the crease to join Gambhir. No sooner did Sehwag walk back to the pavilion, Dravid followed him. He was complete bamboozled by a yorker from Ryan Hinds. The veteran had to depart for a duck. Two wickets in an over, was the match turning up alive?

Two wickets fell in quick succession and it wasn't a surprise to see a third one. The master, Sachin Tendulkar couldn't last long as he too threw his wicket off cheaply to Hinds. India from being 197 for no loss at one stage had suddenly fallen to 205 for 3 wickets.

VVS Laxman joined Gambhir to stabilize the innings. The duo batted sensibly. Just when it look that finally India was re-building a partnership, the opener, Gautam Gambhir was dismissed by Darren Sammy, giving Sammy his first wicket of the match. The top 4 from India's batting line-up were sent back to the pavilion.

Despite a good start from the openers, India failed to capitalize. VVS Laxman along with the deubatant Virat Kohli were dismissed cheaply. MS Dhoni came to provide some resistance.

Dhoni along with Harbhajan Singh managed to get along in a good looking partnership. Both managed to score 30 odd runs, helping team India to get past 300. After their dismissal, nobody from the experienced Indian tail could contribute much to the total.

The wickets fell quickly at the end, restricting India from getting a lead. India got all out for 341 runs. The fans would surely have expected a lot more from the batsmen, after the start provided by the openers.

Darren Sammy celebrates after dismissing Gambhir



West Indies lead by 45 runs.

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West Indies in India, 2011


First Test Match at Wankhede Stadium, Mumbai

Omar Phillips powered the West Indian inning

The West Indians came out confidently in their 2nd inning, leading by 45 runs. The Indian bowlers were under severe pressure, considering their bad run of form in recent times. The West Indian skipper, Chris Gayle came out to open along with Omar Phillips. Zaheer Khan and Praveen Kumar begun the proceedings for India.

The only Indian bowler going well was Praveen Kumar. Apart for performing well in the previous tournaments, he managed to get Gayle out in his first over. The swashbuckling opener had to depart for just 1 run under his name.

Shivnarine Chanderpaul, the most dependable batsmen from West Indies joined Phillips. One would have thought that Chanderpaul would play a big role in the 2nd inning whereas Phillips would get out cheaply, but it was quite the opposite. Chanderpaul was cleaned up by an in-swinging delivery from Zaheer Khan for just 9. The West Indians started off poorly with the scorecard reading 10 for 2.

Ramnaresh Sarwan came out at the pitch. He along with Phillips manged to stabilize the West Indian innings. Sarwan looked pretty comfortable facing the new ball, whereas Phillips was having some problems. However, both of them survived the difficult first hour of the day and go the inning back on track. The spinners, Harbhajan Singh and Pragyan Ojha were looking very poor while the partnership was on. Eventually, Zaheer Khan came to the party yet again to dismiss Sarwan for a well made 61. The West Indians were finally looking good with 131 on the board, with the loss of 3 wickets.

Narsingh Deonarine, the West Indian hero for the first inning too chipped in well with his inning of 30 odd runs. On the other hand, Omar Phillips managed to complete his half century and was looking strong. The turbanator, Harbhajan Singh finally grabbed a wicket, sending back Deonarine. He managed to dismiss Ryan Hinds for a first ball duck, just the next delivery.

Omar Phillips continued to dominate. He reached his century with a glorious boundary off the back foot, bisecting the positions of the point and the third man fielders. But he had to walk back to the pavilion soon as Pragyan Ojha too picked up a wicket. He trapped Phillips for an LBW. Although the ball pitched outside leg, the umpire gave it out. "Spot-fixing?"

Denesh Ramdin and Darren Sammy contributed well at the bottom. No batsmen from the tail could even manage to reach the double figures as the West Indians perished for just 288 on the board. Having a lead of 45 runs, this meant that the Indians would require 334 runs in the last inning, with 11 overs remaining in the fourth days play along with an entire fifth day. The match is evenly poised and can go either way. It'll be interesting to see how the Indians respond to this.

The spinning duo had a bad start but were crucial in restricting West Indies to a score less than 300



India needs 334 runs to win

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West Indies in India, 2011


First Test Match at Wankhede Stadium, Mumbai

Sachin and Sehwag stabilized the Indian inning

The Indians came out to chase a total of 334 with 110 overs of play remaining in the test match. Surprisingly, Virender Sehwag did not come out to open along with Gautam Gambhir. The Indian skipper, MS Dhoni decided to send Virat Kohli to open, with a plan of not losing any wicket in the 4th day of play, with just about 20 official overs remaining. Indian certainly didn't wish to lose Sehwag early, and it would have been quite easy to get him out for the Windies, considering what his batting style is.

The unusual batting pair of Kohli and Gambhir came out to open this inning, chasing 334 runs. It was a slow start for the Indians, with Gambhir getting off the mark on his 11th delivery and Kohli on his 23rd delivery. Sadly for India, West Indies managed to produce the wicket, and it was Virat Kohli who was dismissed. India lost their first wicket for 23 with just around 5-6 overs remaining.

The Indian skipper went for the unusual way yet again, sending out a night watchman in the form of Pragyan Ojha. Luckily, Gambhir and Ojha managed to protect their wickets, as India was on 38 for the loss of 1 wicket after the fourth day's play.

Unfortunately, Dhoni's gamble failed yet again as Pragyan Ojha got dismissed on the same day. A frustrated Dhoni finally decided to send a batsman out, but it was the wall, Rahul Dravid. Dravid and Gambhir managed to survive the little amount of overs remaining in the fourth day's play.

Rahul Dravid and Gautam Gambhir, the two most reliable players of the Indian XI came out to resume the day for Team India. Following the footsteps of Dhoni, Chris Gayle tried to experiment too. He gave the bowl to the part-timer, Omar Phillips. The gamble worked for Gayle as Gambhir had to take the long walk back to the pavilion, giving a simple catch to the keeper Denesh Ramdin off Phillips. Indian now was in a bit of hassle with the scorecard reading 48 for the loss of 3 wickets.

Virender Sehwag came out to join Rahul Dravid. The experienced duo provided some stability to the Indian inning, and gave the much required hope to chase the total. Sehwag continued his good form of the previous inning, whereas Dravid, looked comfortable, after being dismissed on a duck the last time. These two managed to add 86 runs to the board, before Rahul Dravid was dismissed by Nikita Miller.

The little master, Sachin Tendulkar came out to the pitch as the Mumbai crowd gave a loud cheer to him. The partnership of Sachin-Sehwag, like always, troubled the opposition. Sehwag was batting aggressively, while Tendulkar was playing perfect cricketing shots. The duo thrashed the Windies to all corners of the park. These two were involved in a huge partnership of 140 odd runs. Sehwag completed his century yet again, whereas the Master looked good in his knock of 74. He was dismissed by Jerome Taylor. The score now was 280 for the loss of 5 wickets. 54 more runs needed with 5 wickets in hand, wasn't really a difficult task for the Indians.

VVS Laxman and MS Dhoni failed to contribute much to the Indian scorecard. Making things worse for India, Sehwag too departed after a well deserved century. Praveen Kumar, the tail-ender too failed to contribute much as he departed for just 7 runs.

India were looking in a state of border but it was the turbanator, Harbhajan Singh who played a fighting inning of 16 runs, making sure India just clinched the victory by 1 wicket, with 5 overs left for the end of the day.

It was a close match and could have shifted either way until the very last delivery. Congratulations to team India on winning the first test against West Indies.

It'll be interesting to see how the two teams approach the second test at Hyderabad.

Jeromey Taylor was the pick of the bowlers for the West Indies, taking 3 important wickets



India won by 1 wicket

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Man of the Match

Virender Sehwag
227 runs and 2 wickets

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West Indies in India, 2011



Second Test Match at Rajiv Gandhi International Stadium, Hyderabad

The second test match is at Hyderabad, one of the flattest wickets in India. We can hope to see a high scoring match. The batsmen just need to be there at the crease and the runs shall flow.

The pitch looks good, flat and will have even bounce and good carry to the keeper. It looks as if the spinners won't be too effective this time, as the pitch won't allow much spin, until the 3rd or even the 4th day. The outfield here is fast, extremely quick. In all, its a batsmen's paradise!

Chris Gayle wins the toss and elects to bat first.

THE TEAMS:

India:

Gautam Gambhir
Virender Sehwag
Rahul Dravid
Sachin Tendulkar
Suresh Raina
VVS Laxman
MS Dhoni *†
Harbhajan Singh
Praveen Kumar
Pragyan Ojha
Zaheer Khan


West Indies:

Chris Gayle *
Omar Philips
Shivnarine Chanderpaul
Ramnaresh Sarwan
Narsingh Deonarine
Ryan Hinds
Denesh Ramdin †
Darren Sammy
Nikita Miller
Ravi Rampaul
Jerome Taylor

India won the previous match by just 1 wicket. The match was evenly balanced and could have shifted either way. Keeping that in mind, both the teams have made just 1 change each in the Playing XI.

India:
In: Suresh Raina
Out: Virat Kohli

West Indies:
In: Ravi Rampaul
Out: Amit Jaggernauth

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West Indies in India, 2011


Second Test Match at Rajiv Gandhi International Stadium, Hyderabad

Chris Gayle powered the West Indian inning

After winning the toss, Chris Gayle came out confident with his opening partner, Omar Phillips. For India, Zaheer Khan begun the proceedings along with Praveen Kumar. It was a slow start for the Windies, quite unusual when Gayle's there at the crease.


The spinning duo had a bad start but were crucial in restricting West Indies to a score less than 300. The Gayle-Phillips could add just 47 runs to the total, before Phillips was trapped by the spinner, Pragyan Ojha.

Then came in Shivnarine Chanderpaul to join Gayle. Both of them brought the West Indian inning back on track with some promising shots and matured approach. The pair managed to put up a century stand, filled with shots all round the park. Gayle and Chanderpaul, both had gone passed the 50 run mark. Unfortunately for the West Indians, Chanderpaul threw his wicket by giving a catch to Gautam Gambhir at long on off Praveen Kumar.

Ramnaresh Sarwan joined Gayle, but before making an impact, walked back to the pavilion. The West Indian inning suddenly begun looking in trouble. Harbhajan Singh picked up his first wicket of the match.

Next to come in for the centurion of the previous match, Narsingh Deonarine. The pair of Gayle-Deonarine was looking good as they both put up a good show. It was then that Praveen Kumar was brought back into the attack by MS Dhoni. The bowling change paid off as Kumar managed to find the edge from Gayle's willow which went straight into the safe hands of VVS Laxman. Chris Gayle finally departed and missed out on a century.

Ryan Hinds came out in the middle and wanted to make an impact here, after being dismissed for a first ball duck in the previous match. Once again, Windies suffered two quick blows. This time, it was Deonarine who departed on 30. Denesh Ramdin was the next to come in but he too got out cheaply. With just 1 run next to his name, Ramdin walked back to the pavilion.

Darren Sammy joined Hinds. Finally, the Windies got the pair they were looking for. Sammy and Hinds once again brought back life to the West Indian inning. Both scored runs at quick pace, and reached the half centuries. Looked like it was the day of the nervous 90s and Ryan Hinds too had to go back at a score in the nineties. Hinds was dismissed bowled by Ojha and just like Gayle, was unfortunate to reach the three figures.

Soon after Hind's dismissal, Darren Sammy got out. He played a superb knock of 81, comprising of 11 boundaries. No batsmen from the tail could contribute much to the total, though Nikita Miller played his part, scoring 19 runs.

The West Indians finally finished at a total of 411 for 10 after 135.1 overs. Zaheer Khan was the pick of the bowlers, taking four West Indian wickets. Kumar, Ojha and Harbhajan picked up 2 wickets each as the part-timers, Raina and Sehwag went wicket-less.

Zaheer Khan once again made his experience count



India trails by 411 runs

Period of the match: Day 2 - Session 2