MS Dhoni wants top order to fire

MS Dhoni wants top order to fire

Indian captain MS Dhoni has asked his top order batsmen to fire if India are to take a lead in the ODI series, which now stands at 2-2 with three matches to play. Dhoni blamed the defeat in the third ODI in Mohali on a collective failure of the top order after the bowlers did well to restrict Australia to 250 on a good batting track.

India began briskly in their chase and were in the game till the 24th over at 113 for 3, before Yuvraj Singh was run out off a direct hit by Ricky Ponting. Dhoni was the fifth wicket to fall, for 26, and his dismissal left a lot of responsibility on the lower order.

"Top order batsmen need to bat well and not rely on the lower order," Dhoni said on the eve of the fifth game in Hyderabad. "If you are playing with seven batsmen, it's better to get a big score from six of them rather than use the seventh, who we call as a backup batsman, especially when you are chasing.

"If one among the top order gets a big score it becomes easy for us as the others can rotate around him. If we have a good start we can get on to a big score so as to dictate terms and play according to your pace."

Dhoni justified Ravindra Jadeja's position at No.7 and insisted that he was in the team as a bowling allrounder. Jadeja bowled seven overs for 27 but scored only 7 as the pressure mounted in the chase.

"He's (Jadeja) filling in the space of bowling allrounder. He's bowling really well," Dhoni said. "His batting is also important. Batting at No.7 is not about getting big fifties or 70s. It's about scoring quickly. And if we are batting second and if we lose wickets every batsman is needed to score extra runs on the board."

Dhoni, however, was happy with the way his bowlers had performed. They conceded only 27 runs and took four wickets in the batting Powerplay, which Australia took in the 44th over. They also didn't allow Australia to get off to a flier in the chase of 355 in Nagpur.

"The last couple of games Harbhajan [Singh] had bowled really well," Dhoni said. "I can't complain much. The (new ball) bowlers have always gotten off to a good start.

"Ashish Nehra has been the pick. Praveen [Kumar] has also done well. Ishant Sharma had a couple of off games for him. He's done well in a couple of them. Last game, he got targeted a bit. I'm quite happy with the performance of the bowlers overall."

With the business end of the series virtually reduced to a three-match contest, Dhoni warned his team against taking their foot off the pedal.

"Now we can see it as a three-game series. Every game is important now. It's important not to have an off day. As the number of games gets reduced there's no time to recover."

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Australia survive for tense victory

Australia survive for tense victory

If the best way to spark interest in a seven-match ODI series is to stage a brilliantly tense opener, then Australia and India achieved their goal in Vadodara. Ricky Ponting and Michael Hussey set up what looked like being a comfortable Australian win until a lively, crowd-lifting partnership from Harbhajan Singh and Praveen Kumar threatened to snatch victory for India.

In the end, nine were required from the final over and Peter Siddle held his nerve to confirm a four-run margin in Australia's favour. The key moment came when Harbhajan (49) was bowled from the second ball of the 50th, trying to launch a boundary off Siddle. Six from the last ball was too much for Ashish Nehra to produce.

The feisty 84-run stand from Harbhajan and Praveen was unexpected after India fell to 201 for 7 with ten overs remaining, when they needed more than nine an over. Shane Watson won't want to watch the replay of his final overs; he became predictable with his full tosses outside off and when he sent down the 49th of the innings it cost Australia 20 runs.

Ultimately, Australia got off the hook, largely because India had let themselves down in the field and through the middle overs of their own innings. Although Praveen, with his unbeaten 40 from 32 balls nearly got them home, his ten overs earlier in the day had cost 77 and Australia's batting contributions were even and widespread.

Ricky Ponting thinks a seven-match one-day series is too long; Michael Hussey would play cricket 365 days a year if he could. Both men looked sharp at the start of this tour in setting up the challenging total of 292 for 8. Ponting and Tim Paine built the platform before Cameron White and Hussey drove the total higher, and all four men posted half-centuries.

Australia took their batting Powerplay from the 43rd over and it brought 3 for 33 (India's would later result in 3 for 32) after the powerful White skied a catch for 51 from the second delivery. It was important that Hussey bat until the end and he did survive to the final few balls, accumulating his runs in typically anonymous and understated fashion.

One exception came in the penultimate over when he launched Praveen for a monstrous straight six that left the ground and was so impressive that Hussey was even caught by the TV cameras raising his eyebrows and mouthing "that's big" to his partner. But for the most part, Hussey pierced the field along the ground and ticked the score over with hard, tireless running between the wickets.

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Ponting upset by disrupted ODI lead-up

Ponting upset by disrupted ODI lead-up

A frustrated Ricky Ponting admitted Australia's preparations for the opening ODI against India were unsettled by New South Wales' success in the Champions League Twenty20. Brett Lee, Nathan Hauritz and Doug Bollinger arrived on the eve of Sunday's match following their state side's million dollar payday on Friday.

The trio flew from Hyderabad to Vadodara and landed after Australia's team meeting for the series opener. "There's no doubt those guys playing in the final hindered our preparation," Ponting told AAP. "We had three players fly in and get to the hotel at 8.30pm Saturday night and we're leaving the hotel at 7am on match morning. There was not much time for us to get our team tactics in order - we had a team meeting after training and those blokes were not even here. It hindered our preparation and theirs."

Lee was able to deliver only six overs in the first-up win before complaining of an elbow injury while Hauritz picked up 1 for 34 off nine overs and Bollinger didn't play. Lee's problem will be examined before Wednesday's second ODI in Nagpur.

"He got a little bit sore in his elbow towards the end of his second bowling spell," Ponting said. "He came off and had it looked at then came back on and fielded for the rest of the game but right at the moment we are not sure."

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Once fit, I knew I'd return - Nehra

Once fit, I knew I'd return - Nehra

Two operations each on his right and left ankles. Stress fractures of the back. "And other freak injuries. And some other injuries that had nothing to do with fitness." Ashish Nehra has been to hell and back. For two years between his comeback and the last time he played for India, a period almost four years long, he says he didn't even watch cricket on TV.

"Half the time I was in South Africa, some time in England, some time in Australia. When India were winning the World Twenty20, I was in Munich," Nehra said. South Africa for ankle surgery, Munich for a back fracture, Australia for other treatment. "At some level it was a conscious decision too, it can get frustrating."
Nehra doesn't seem to be as temperamental now as he used to be. Peace with his body seems to have helped make peace with his mind. He has also been a godsend for MS Dhoni, who has lost the services of Zaheer Khan watched Ishant Sharma's form dip considerably. Ironically it was Zaheer, out because of injury, who used to tell Nehra, along with Virender Sehwag and Harbhajan, that he was not out on form but because of fitness.

Dhoni now has at least one go-to man in the opening overs, the batting Powerplay, and at the death. "Slowly, day by day, I have grown in confidence," said Nehra. "I am feeling good, and enjoying it more every passing day. I am enjoying the responsibility too. It's tough to bowl in the Powerplays, but I have been bowling three-three overs then. I feel good that the team is giving me responsibility, and thinks I am good enough."

Nehra has got a taste of what he had missed in the last four years, and is enjoying it fully. He doesn't want to get too excited and start thinking of Tests already. "I want to take it series by series. I could get injured tomorrow also. It's also possible I play the next eight months without any injury."

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Manou gloves up to replace hurt Paine

Manou gloves up to replace hurt Paine

Graham Manou will add some one-day international appearances to his Ashes Test after winning a promotion to Australia's team in India following Tim Paine's broken finger. Manou was due to fly to Delhi on Thursday night and will land in time for the third match of the seven-game series on Saturday.

He was watching movies instead of the cricket on Wednesday and woke up to text messages from friends hoping he would be picked. He went to state training as usual and ran into Jamie Cox, a national selector, who told him to head home and pack for his first visit to India.

"It's straight into the cauldron of one of the toughest environments in world cricket," he said. "It's going to be a fantastic challenge and hopefully I can learn from it and bring the experience back to our group." He will also be able to pass on some tips to his partner Tamsyn Lewis, the middle-distance runner, who is looking towards the Commonwealth Games in Delhi next year.

"After this experience and the Ashes, you could say you could be pretty happy, but I'll certainly be wanting more," he said. "Fingers crossed this part of the tour goes well."

Hartley has started at the top of the order in Queensland's past two FR Cup matches and posted half-centuries, but the selectors have kept faith in their original pecking order. Manou, the South Australia captain, has elevated himself to No. 4 in their limited-overs contests this summer, falling for 2 and 34.

Haddin is not quite ready for international responsibilities after finger surgery following the injury he picked up in England and will play instead in a one-day match for New South Wales on Sunday. "It is premature for Brad to resume cricket for Australia," Hilditch said, "having not played first-class cricket since The Oval Ashes Test." Paine's injury adds to a horror run for the Australians, who have concerns over Brett Lee and James Hopes, and had Michael Clarke, Nathan Bracken and Callum Ferguson unavailable for the tour.

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Big-hitting Dhoni helps level series

Big-hitting Dhoni helps level series

First, he consolidated the innings with Gautam Gambhir. Then, in tandem with Suresh Raina, he ripped the bowling to shreds. MS Dhoni's superb 107-ball 124 was the foundation for India's highest-ever total against Australia, a mammoth 354 for 7, and once Praveen Kumar and Ishant Sharma winkled out Australia's top three for just 45, the match was effectively over. Michael Hussey's 53 provided a lone note of defiance as India romped home by 99 runs, to leave the series all square as the teams packed their bags and headed to Delhi.
Praveen didn't start too well with the new ball, and it seemed that the mistakes of Vadodara were being repeated. But then he got a full delivery to swing and take the inside edge of Paine's bat. The leg stump went cartwheeling and India were on their way. Conscious of the asking rate, Ponting got going with a lovely off-drive off Ashish Nehra, prompting Dhoni to bring Ishant on in the 10th over.

The very first ball he bowled reared up at Watson, and was fended off the face to Tendulkar at slip. As Watson walked off, angry words were exchanged. The potentially decisive blow came from the other end, as Praveen nipped one back to strike Ponting right in front. At 45 for 3, Australia were on the ropes.

Hussey revived the innings somewhat with three consecutive fours through the off side when Harbhajan was introduced, but when Cameron White's stop-start innings ended with a tame clip to midwicket, the asking rate was on its way towards 10 an over. Ravindra Jadeja then bowled Hussey through the gate, bringing the curtain down on the contest long before the last ball was bowled.

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Lee desperate for quick recovery

Lee desperate for quick recovery

Brett Lee has set his sights on playing in the first Test against West Indies despite being sent home from India with an elbow injury. Lee has had ankle and side problems before the latest setback, but he intends to fight for his spot.

"I will be doing everything I possibly can to make sure I'm back on the cricket field ASAP," Lee said after arriving back in Sydney. "I still enjoy my cricket and I still think the way that I've been bowling, I've been really happy with my personal form. I have to make sure I stay nice and fit."

Now 32, Lee must edge ahead of Mitchell Johnson, Peter Siddle, Ben Hilfenhaus and Stuart Clark to add to his 76 Tests. Tim Nielsen, the Australia coach, said Lee was sent home to give him the best chance of recovering.

"It is not a case of writing him off at all," Nielsen said in the Sunday Mail. "We are just being careful and prudent. It is only three weeks before the first Test so we want to get to the source of the problem the best way we can and get the best diagnosis."

Lee hurt himself in the opening ODI against India last Sunday after bowling six overs. He insisted the problem was not related to his appearances in the Champions League Twenty20, and he is not the only player with a recent heavy workload. Australia have been hit by a series of injuries since the Ashes tour and have less than a month before the Test series against West Indies begins in Brisbane on November 26.

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