Yuvraj dropped for 3rd Test as Rohit makes comeback

Middle-order batsman Yuvraj Singh was today dropped with Rohit Sharma replacing him in India's squad for the third and final cricket Test against West Indies beginning in Mumbai from November 22.

Sharma was rewarded for his consistent performance in domestic circuit with the selectors drafting him in place of the Punjab batsman who could manage only 66 runs in the three innings he played against the West Indies.

With spinners Ravichandran Ashwin and Pragyan Ojha doing well, Harbhajan Singh was again overlooked for a place in the squad, which barring Yuvraj's exclusion, remained the same. Yuvraj scored 23 and 18 in the first Test at Feroz Shah Kotla while he could manage only 25 on a batting paradise at the Eden Gardens.

The exclusion could well mean curtains for the soon-to-be 30 southpaw who had won the Player of the Tournament award in the last World Cup. Rohit on the otherhand has been rewarded for his back to back centuries against Railways and Rajasthan. While the elegant batsman scored 175 on a turner at the Karnail Singh Stadium in New Delhi, he smashed a quickfire 100 against Rajasthan in the last Ranji Trophy match.

Rohit was unlucky when he missed out on a Test cap after a freak injury while playing football at the VCA ground in Jamtha only an hour before the Test match against South Africa would have begun. With the No 6 slot vacant, it will be a tussle between Virat Kohli, Ajinkya Rahane and Rohit to grab that spot vacated by Yuvraj.

Squad: Mahendra Singh Dhoni (Captain), Virender Sehwag, Gautam Gambhir, Rahul Dravid, Sachin Tendulkar, VVS Laxman, Rohit Sharma, Ishant Sharma, R Ashwin, Pragyan Ojha, Umesh Yadav, Virat Kohli, Ajinkya Rahane, Rahul Sharma, Varun Aaron.

'Pressure getting the better of Sachin'

Kolkata: West Indies coach Ottis Gibson said they were not doing anything special to prevent Sachin Tendulkar from reaching his 100th international century and maybe it was the expectations of the fans that was getting the better of him.

Tendulkar scored 38 on Monday in India's first innings and Gibson hoped that the he will not get to the landmark figure in this series against them.

"We did not have any special plan but just to bowl line and length. Looking at Sachin, it makes me feel that the expectations on the Indian people is creating too much pressure on him," Gibson said after the opening day's play.

"Everytime he walks out people start cheering. For him to cope with the pressure is remarkable. The pressure on him is enormous. We just bowl in the right areas and be patient.

Something always seems to happen," Gibson said.

Tendulkar pulled a short ball from leg-spinner Devendra Bishoo but was called by Marlon Samuels at short midwicket.

Bishoo had dismissed Tendulkar in the second innings of the opening Test in New Delhi as well.

"They were not probably great balls. It was a short ball today. There is a lot of pressure on him. Obviously he is coping with the pressure over the last 20 years. I am sure he will get that hundred. We are just hoping that it's not against us," Gibson said.

"Hope when he goes to Australia there would be many more people in the stands. It would mean a lot more for him."

Rahul Dravid, who slammed a century in India's 346/5 in the first day's play, said Tendulkar will surely achieve the feat.

"He is going to do it one day. It was just a short ball and he was unfortunate to find a fielder. There was one fielder on the leg side and he found him. He was batting beautifully. He was timing it well.

"He was really under great pressure. It's really just a matter of time. Sometimes you get out and he is just getting out. But he is batting really well. Sooner or later he will get that mark. I really don't think he is bothered too much about it," Dravid said.

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Dhoni does not want Tendulkar milestone to be distraction

(Reuters) - The anticipation of Sachin Tendulkar's 100th international century is the expected highlight of the team's three-test series against West Indies but India captain Mahendra Singh Dhoni is not willing to let it become a distraction.

Tendulkar has been stuck on 99 tons (51 in tests and 48 in one dayers) since the 50-over World Cup earlier this year and fans expect him to reach the milestone on home soil against a West Indies attack not without its limitations.

"We will let him get the century and then we will speak about it. Hopefully he gets it in this (the first) game and we will speak about it on the fifth day," Dhoni told reporters after Saturday's practice session at the Feroz Shah Kotla Stadium.

"It's a milestone Sachin will achieve, whether in this game, the next game or some other game. It's bound to happen.

"So rather than discussing too much ahead of the milestone coming in, what we are doing is we said 'okay, let him get the ton and then we'll talk about it'. We are thinking about how we need to prepare for the series.

"Of course one he gets his ton, we all will celebrate with him. It will be a big moment for Indian cricket."

Dhoni's seriousness stems from his determination to guide India back to the top of test rankings after England dethroned them with a 4-0 whitewash in August.

"We want to be the best in the world but it's not something that belongs to you. You have to maintain it, you have to keep doing well.

"We did not do too well in England and that's why we are not the number one team right now. Again it becomes a process and to reach to the top of the world, you have to follow the process.

"It's the start of another process for us and hopefully we will be focussed enough to do well, get there again and try to sustain it."

With pace spearhead Zaheer Khan recovering from ankle surgery and senior spinner Harbhajan Singh dropped, India will have to rely on a relatively inexperienced attack to get those 20 wickets in each match.

Dhoni said at least two players, most likely off-spinner Ravichandran Ashwin and either Umesh Yadav or fellow pace bowler Varun Aaron, will make their test debuts on Sunday.

And the team would make sure they did not get too excited, Dhoni said.

"It is not a difficult thing because if you see the bowlers who have been selected, most of them have played the ODI format which means they have fair amount of exposure when it comes to international cricket.

"So I don't think they will really get excited.

"Of course, if we see something happening there are senior players who will come to their rescue and help them out."

Pakistan spot-fixing scandal: International Cricket Council failed to follow tip-off due to lack of resources

The International Cricket Council were unable to follow up a tip-off from the same whistle-blower who exposed the Pakistan spot-fixing due to a lack of manpower and investigatory powers, Telegraph Sport can reveal. 

 

Guilty: Mohammad Amir (left), Salman Butt (centre) and Mohammad Asif (right)

 

Full-strength Indian team sweats out at Kotla nets

A full-strength Indian cricket team today underwent a strenuous training session under the watchful eyes of coach Duncan Fletcher ahead of their first cricket Test against the West Indies on Sunday.

All the 15 players, led by captain Mahendra Singh Dhoni, hit the nets at the Ferozeshah Kotla Stadium after a light workout at the ground.

The net session, which lasted for two and a half hours, started around 2:30pm with opening batsmen Virender Sehwag and Gautam Gambhir being the first to take strike.

The duo first faced the local seamers as well as the pace trio of Ishant Sharma, Umesh Yadav and Varun Aaron before taking on the spin trio of Ravichandran Ashwin, Pragyan Ojha and Rahul Kumar.

Aaron, who made his India debut in the one-dayers in the just-concluded home series against England, worked up good pace and beat the likes of Sachin Tendulkar and Rahul Dravid a few times.

Ishant, who missed the home ODI series against England due to an injury, was also looking good, bowling at rhythm and at good pace. The seniormost trio of Tendulkar, Dravid and VVS Laxman, padded up after the two openers, first facing pacers and then the slow bowlers.

Yuvraj Singh, Virat Kohli and Ajinkya Rahane were the last to bat at the nets. After a long batting stint at the nets, Tendulkar was seen immersed in an animated discussion with Fletcher which lasted for nearly half an hour.

Bowling coach Eric Simmons also joined Tendulkar and Fletcher after some time. Newly-married Gautam Gambhir came out to bat for a second time after some rest while Kohli, the last batsman to hit the nets, was seen taking batting tips from Fletcher.