Indian Board President's XI v Australia at Hyderabad (Decc) - Oct 2-5, 2008

[Kohum]

SreeSanthi is India's Akthar..

What an insult -- ..... to Sreesanth

[Dark Warrior]

ok then we'll compare him to a bat smacking druggie! Any idea who i'm referring to?

well said

[Dark Warrior]

What an insult -- ..... to Sreesanth

true!! :-D

[Cricketics]

Sreesanth should collect some Champak comics and read those all night long and just don't think about cricket for a while. hell damn it. Turns up fine on dance stage shows and for Cricket, he is ever ready to make it to headlines chart with Injury tag. looks like he is enjoying his new clothes which he is getting from his show sponsors, new jackets and stuff rather then Enjoying the Indian jersey

[Ram]

plz dont compare sh!tty Shant with Akhtar.

As far as role-models go, Shoaib Akhtar is far and away the worst one to have. Its actually a scary thought someone idolizes that maniac so much, to the extent of putting his photo as his avtar.

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BP XI vs Australians : Squad members chance to impress AUSTRALIA'S fringe cricketers are in a squeeze to make the side for the final warm-up fixture against the Board President's XI, ahead of the first Test with India. More... Squad members chance to impress October 01, 2008 AUSTRALIA'S fringe cricketers are in a squeeze to make the side for the final warm-up fixture against the Board President's XI, ahead of the first Test with India. Australian coach Tim Nielsen has said the team will be as close as possible to the first choice line-up for the Tests, but at the same time there are several players who need to be included for reasons of fitness, form or quite simply confidence. Chief among these are legspinner Bryce McGain (shoulder) and opener Phil Jaques (back), both of whom were restricted by niggles over the weekend. Captain Ricky Ponting, Matthew Hayden, Mitchell Johnson and Shane Watson will all be looking for time in the middle, while the likes of Simon Katich, Doug Bollinger, Jason Krejza and even young Victorian Peter Siddle are all more than keen to press their claims. Then there are the seemingly automatic selections - Michael Clarke, Mike Hussey and wicketkeeper Brad Haddin - who would argue strongly that they need a serious bat. Whoever plays they will be up against strong opposition, as the Indian conglomerate will include a fair selection of internationals past and present. "The great thing is it's such a strong side, I wouldn't be surprised if they had a couple of players in that team who actually play in the Test," Nielsen said. "It'll be interesting to see how (Irfan) Pathan goes, (Piyush) Chawla may be in the squad, but most importantly it'll mean we need to get switched on pretty quickly and get in the habit of playing good hard cricket or find we're behind the eight ball. "They're quality players, (Aakash) Chopra played out here (in 2003-04) and Yuvraj (Singh)has made a lot of runs in one-day cricket against us." Agence France-Presse

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Krejza, the lone fit spinner in Aussie squad, to be tested out by Yuvraj JASON Krejza's first outing as the frontline spinner for Australia will take place in a concrete cauldron against a side stacked with players who'll fancy their chances of denting his confidence before the Test series even starts. More... Krejza to be tested out by Yuvraj By Daniel Brettig October 01, 2008 JASON Krejza's first outing as the frontline spinner for Australia will take place in a concrete cauldron against a side stacked with players who'll fancy their chances of denting his confidence before the Test series even starts. A Board President's XI, captained by aristocratic left-hander Yuvraj Singh, is intent on making life difficult for the Australians in their final warm-up fixture of the tour. In terms of inflicting damage, the likely option is to hit out against Krejza, particularly he is now the only tweaker the tourists have to choose from for next week's first Test in Bangalore. There is a precedent for local batsmen setting about undermining the preparations of Australian spinners in India, with Sachin Tendulkar famously tearing Shane Warne (16-1-111-0) apart for Mumbai in the opening match of the 1998 tour, an encounter that coloured all their subsequent battles during the series. Yuvraj, himself on the fringes of the Test side after a poor return in Australia last summer, said he and his teammates were keen to “prove a point” in the match. “I'll be proving a point to myself as well as other people, every time you go out there you want to show you belong,” he said. “It is a really big series for India, and everybody wants to help out to win the series and tomorrow the guys will all be geared up for the game.” Knocking the confidence out of Krejza, on what looks likely to be a pitch possessing more bounce and carry than the one the Australians battled on in Jaipur last week, may not be the easiest task, for the 25-year-old has possessed an impressively self-assured visage on the trip so far. He said the Jaipur match, where he claimed three wickets but most importantly looked suited to the slower Indian surfaces, had helped his momentum. “That (Jaipur game) was definitely good, something you've got in the back of your mind, you've got to perform heading into the first Test if you're going to play, so to do well there was an advantage for myself,” Krejza said. “I've been working on it (spin in India), I've been talking to Greg Chappell about pace and the angles that you bowl and using a lot of variation on the crease and stuff like that - you definitely do need to give it a rip and you need to land it in the right areas too.” Hyderabad's Rajiv Gandhi International Stadium was constructed in 2004-05, and generated a memorable atmosphere during this year's Indian Premier League. The crowd will only be allowed to sit in two portions of the ground, in keeping with the tight security demanded by the tourists.

[zubinpepsi]

lmao.. i liike the title.... lone spinner tested out by yuvraj.. :hysterical::hysterical:

[diegovegaz]

Indian Board President's XI v Australia at Hyderabad (Decc) - Oct 2-5, 2008 it is a very well balanced side this side is capable of challenging the australians to quite some extent

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Warm up : India hopefuls hoping to dent Aussie pride With nothing really to lose and a lot to gain, Team India hopefuls, under the leadership of Yuvraj Singh, will try every trick in the book to pull off an upset when Board President's XI take on Australia in a four-day warm-up match, starting in Hyderabad, on Thursday. More... India hopefuls hoping to dent Aussie pride October 01, 2008 19:46 IST With nothing really to lose and a lot to gain, Team India hopefuls, under the leadership of Yuvraj Singh [images], will try every trick in the book to pull off an upset when Board President's XI take on Australia [images] in a four-day warm-up match, starting in Hyderabad, on Thursday. If motivation is the issue, the Indians need not look beyond. Vice-captain S Badrinath has already made the cut and his teammates, including captain Yuvraj Singh, are hoping to give a good account of themselves over the next four days to stake claim for the second half of the Test series against the same opponents. Australia are already on the backfoot, with 36-year-old leg-spinner Bryce McGain ruled out of the warm-up match because of a shoulder injury, while all-rounder Shane Watson is also a doubtful starter after waking up with temperature on Wednesday morning. Australia coach Tim Nielsen did not gloss over his batsmen's apparent weakness against quality spin bowling and hopes playing against Piyush Chawla [images] and Pragyan Ojha will be the perfect rehearsal before they go on to face Anil Kumble [images] and Harbhajan Singh [images] when the actual Test series begins on October 9 in Bangalore. "I hope our batsmen get enough practice of playing quality spin to go into the first Test fully ready to face Harbhajan Singh and Anil Kumble. There is no better place than India to learn how to play India. Over the next four days, we have to give ourselves the best chance to come to terms with the Indian spinners," he explained. It holds true for someone like Badrinath as well, who was picked for the first two Test matches against Australia. "The match now becomes even more important for me, because it allows me to play against the same Australian players whom I might face again in the Test series," Badrinath said. For captain Yuvraj, who believes he is back to his best, it's time to lead from the front and prove that he is good enough to make the cut for the Test squad. One of the most gifted players around for quite a while, Yuvraj is yet to do justice to his abundant talent in the longer version of the game and silence those who question his commitment and temperament. Among his teammates, both Wasim Jaffer [images] and Aakash Chopra will love to make a statement with the bat over the next four days. With Virender Sehwag [images] and Gautam Gambhir [images] in prime form, a 'no vacancy' sign greets both Jaffer and Chopra for the national team's opening slot. But they at least can reassure the selectors that though their grafting is no comparison to the Delhi [images] duo's pyrotechnics, they can do a decent job against the Aussies. There was a time when Irfan Pathan [images] was one of the automatic choices but that seems a distant dream for the left-arm seamer who has to prove his mettle again and could not have asked for a better opposition. Chawla and Ojha have been hailed as the future of Indian spin bowling and the duo will have to tie the Aussies in tangles to sow the seed of doubt in the minds of Aussies, something Harbhajan and Kumble can exploit in the subsequent Test series. Squads (from): Board President's XI: Yuvraj Singh (captain), S Badrinath (vice-captain), Piyush Chawla, Aakash Chopra, Rakesh Dhurv, Manpreet Gony, Wasim Jaffer, Virat Kohli, Pragyan Ojha, Pankaj Singh, Parthiv Patel (wicket-keeper), Irfan Pathan, Rohit Sharma, S Sreesanth [images] and Yogesh Takawale. Australia: Ricky Ponting [images] (captain), Doug Bollinger, Stuart Clark, Michael Clarke [images] (vice-captain), Brad Haddin (wicketkeeper), Matthew Hayden [images], Michael Hussey, Phil Jaques, Mitchell Johnson, Simon Katich, Jason Krejza, Brett Lee [images], Peter Siddle and Shane Watson.

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Watson doubtful for tour match The moods in the two camps couldn't have presented a starker contrast. The Australians were looking to absorb as much as possible from a net session in preparation for the Test series. The India-hopefuls in the Board President's XI, on the other hand, had a nail-biting wait that ended in disappointment for everyone except S Badrinath, who made the 15-member squad for the first two Tests. More... The mood in the two camps couldn't have presented a starker contrast. The Australians were looking to absorb as much as possible from a net session in preparation for the Test series. The India hopefuls in the Board President's XI, on the other hand, endured a nail-biting wait for news of the Test squad that ended in disappointment for everyone except S Badrinath. Strategic planning The sun was harsh while the Australians practised and two batsmen stood out for their perseverance: Matthew Hayden and Ricky Ponting. They occupied adjacent nets after their team-mates left and went about their routine with fervour. Ponting repeatedly came out to the spinners, trying to reach the pitch of the ball. He took an off-stump guard against Jason Krejza, placing his back foot in line with middle. Ponting had succeeded against Muttiah Muralitharan by getting outside the line of off stump and playing with the turn on the leg side. However, against Harbhajan Singh, he has repeatedly lunged forward and perished. Perhaps today's method is an indication of the tactics he is likely to employ against Harbhajan. Hayden had Nielsen throw balls at him from various angles. "Mate, round the wickets please, now pitch it on this length, a touch fuller, more bounce." Once, when he missed three sweeps in a row, he uttered an unprintable word and was cross with himself, "What sort of practice you are doing? Come on now." He took guard again and allowed himself a smile after connecting. Ponting and Nielsen left after 30 minutes but Hayden faced the bowling machine. He simulated deliveries from different angles by right-arm and left-arm bowlers. Twenty minutes later, the human machine left the nets. Yuvraj Singh, the captain, tried to say the right things in the pre-match press conference in Hyderabad. "There can be changes any time in the team," he said. "I am sure if anybody performs in this game it won't go unnoticed. Everyone is aware of that. Even if you're not selected, you still have to go there and give 100 percent." No such ambiguity for the Australian machine, which rolled on in Hyderabad with another intense session to keep the momentum going from Jaipur. Their coach Tim Nielsen considered it perfect fine-tuning for the series ahead. "It's winter in Australia. It's cold and we don't have turf wickets of the same quality and soil as we have here," he said. "Jaipur was perfect. We have this game in Hyderabad and then another couple of days of training before the first Test. We should be as ready as we can be for the Indian spinners come the first Test." Australia do have a couple of worries, though. Bryce McGain, their frontline spinner, has already been ruled out of the first Test with a shoulder injury and might be on the flight back home soon. Allrounder Shane Watson has been laid up for the past 24 hours with viral fever. "At the moment we are making sure he [Watson] gets fit. We also wanted to keep him away from the rest of the group so that no one else is affected," Nielsen said. "We will know tomorrow morning whether he is fit to play." However, they don't have any concerns about the pitch. "It should be a good batting wicket for the first two days before it starts spinning," Nielsen said. "That's the whole point; to expose our players to more of the Indian conditions over the next four days." Nielsen said the selection for the Bangalore Test is still wide open. "We will get a better idea of who has best adjusted to the conditions once this game is over and also see what mix of left-handers and right-handers the Indian team will have. That will also affect the selection of our bowling attack." Mitchell Johnson is under the most pressure. He had a poor series in the Caribbean that accentuated an inability to bring the ball back into the right-hander. His competition is Doug Bollinger, the left-arm swing bowler, and Peter Siddle, the right-arm medium-pacer. Bollinger is currently the frontrunner and appeared bullish on his chances. "I bowled well for Australia A in the last series. I am getting the ball to swing in and I'm confident of pushing my case for selection with another good performance here," he told Cricinfo. The circumstances have made the game a mouth-watering prospect. The Australians are gathering steam ahead of Bangalore while several in the Board President's line-up, like Yuvraj Singh, have a point to prove to themselves, and to the selectors.

[Sooda]

Jaffer and Chopra. Hm Is Shikar Dhawan still injured? What about the Karnatak pacer Vinay Kumar? Why Gony and Dinda- really 20/20 perfromaces show frak-all. Ah so many questions...

[Ram]

This match will go in a long way in deciding if Yuvraj Singh has a test future or not.

[SachDan]

wat if Badri does exceptionally well in this match?? will they give him a spot in the 1st test?

[h4te]

wat if Badri does exceptionally well in this match??

and ganguly FAILS miserably against NZ A.....................hm

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Rohit and Kohli frustrate Australians Rohit Sharma, dropped from India's squad for the Tests, and Virat Kohli proved they have the patience to play long innings on the first day of the tour match in Hyderabad. More... Indian Board President's XI v Australians, Hyderabad, 1st day Rohit and Kohli frustrate Australians The Bulletin by Sriram Veera in Hyderabad October 2, 2008 Indian Board President's XI (Rohit 105, Kohli 105, Parthiv 49*, Johnson 3-62) v Australians Scorecard and ball-by-ball details How they were out Virat Kohli's fourth first-class hundred came against Australia's preferred Test attack for the series opener in Bangalore © AFP Rohit Sharma, dropped from India's squad for the Tests, and Virat Kohli proved they have the patience to play long innings, scoring 105 each to give their team the honours on the first day of the tour match in Hyderabad. Facing their first stern test of the tour, and a flat track, the Australian spinners suffered heavy punishment after the fast bowlers had reduced the Board President's XI to 59 for 3. Rohit was, without doubt, the star of the day. Two shots showcased his intent. The first came when he was on 67; a long-on had materialised for the offspinner Jason Krejza after Rohit had lofted him over the infield a couple of times. Rohit responded by waltzing down the track to swing the ball right over the fielder's head. The second challenge came on 99. Michael Clarke squeezed the pressure by firing a few dot balls outside leg stump from over the wicket. Rohit shuffled outside leg and punched it sweetly to the right of mid-off. No violence, just a confident move to get outside the line and find the gap. Rohit took 13 balls before choosing a wide full toss from Krejza to get off the mark and took a further 33 balls to unfurl his signature cover drive off Peter Siddle. He rushed past his fifty in a Stuart Clark over where he picked up 14 runs with two square cuts and a nonchalant six over long-on. Ricky Ponting immediately attacked with Brett Lee and Rohit defended. Lee almost broke the stalemate with a lovely slower one that induced a checked drive from Rohit but the bowler couldn't hold on despite a lunging effort. When Lee was taken off, Rohit indulged himself against Krejza and Clarke. At the other end, Kohli moved along almost unnoticed. In his last game, the Irani Cup, Zaheer Khan had harassed him by bending back full-length deliveries in the second innings after troubling him with bouncers in the first. In that sense, he had it relatively easy today. He crept to 14 from 36 balls against the seamers before hitting his stride against Krejza and Clarke. He created his own length against the slow men - 68 of his runs came against them - by using his feet and feasted whenever any bowler, seam or spin, erred in line. He played his trademark whips through midwicket - 36 runs came in that region - and he picked up 35 off cut shots. The wagon wheel also revealed the tale of Australia's bowling. Krejza and Clarke were, unsurprisingly, without guile, turn or bite and erred in line and length as well. Krejza was initially guilty of bowling too full and lost his plot after getting the stick from Rohit and Kohli. The seamers were used in a manner that confirmed Ponting's stated intent of using the game as preparation for the sterner test ahead. Lee bowled only 33 balls against Rohit and Kohli, Clarke had three balls more at them while Mitchell Johnson, the man under the most pressure to stake his Test claim, fired 62 balls against the rampaging pair. Lee was his typical self, bowling with pace in the right areas, and terminated Kohli's stay with a toe-crushing yorker though it would probably have missed the leg stump. Clark, though, didn't perform at his optimum level. Admittedly the pitch was not conducive to seam bowling but he didn't use the old ball well. While Lee mixed pace with slower ones - even Johnson bowled a slow lifting delivery to get rid of Yuvraj Singh, Clark didn't revel once the shine went of the ball. The other seamer, Siddle, did what was expected of him. Barring a few times when he was guilty of bowling short - Yuvraj and Rohit cut them away - Siddle tried to hit the length. And he picked up S Badrinath's wicket with a marginal decision, as the ball appeared to be missing leg stump. Johnson had already gone on record with his intent to forget the conventional swing and just stick to "trying to get it through to the keeper." Unable to bend the ball back in to the right-handers, he bowled fast and straight and punctuated it with short ones. He was perhaps a touch lucky to end up with three wickets. Aakash Chopra was given out lbw when the ball appeared to be missing off stump, Yuvraj was caught in two minds to pull or not to pull and Rohit pulled weakly to square leg. But it was a reward for sticking to his original plan of bowling within his limitations. A few Australian plans did emerge by the end of the day. The stated ploy of setting defensive fields for the Test series was put in operation today. A deep point was in place for the seamers for the most part and a long-on and sweeper cover were stationed for the spinners. And they showed they had done their homework as well. Two men stood in the deep behind square leg for Wasim Jaffer, who eventually top-edged a hook, and a leg slip materialised for Chopra, who has a penchant to shuffle and tickle short deliveries to fine leg. It worked like a charm in the pre-lunch session before two young batsmen decided to stamp their presence on the proceedings. And how.

[Sachinism]

Talent finally tempered A day after he was dropped from the Test squad, Rohit Sharma underwent a personal journey back to redemption. Last night he had a surprise visitor in his hotel. Kris Srikkanth, the chairman of selectors who replaced him with S Badrinath, dropped in for a chat. Srikkanth was himself in attendance today to watch what he termed as a "brilliant innings". Rohit's ejection from the squad was not without reason, though. While no one doubted his talent, a question mark over his temperament for the longer version of the game remained. Some times stats don't lie: Rohit only lasted 294 balls in the entire 2007-08 Ranji season. His knocks had a sad déjà vu pasted over them. A gorgeous cover drive, a punch through the off side before a "lazy dismissal" would leave you gawking in awe at the talent and sighing at its atrophy. So it was with a touch of apprehension that one saw his innings against the Australians unfold. A cautious start, an even more uncharacteristically patient settling-in period - he took 46 balls to unfurl his favourite cover drive - offered hope. Soon, he was into his elements. Stuart Clark was creamed for two consecutive boundaries before Rohit effortlessly lofted the third ball for six over long-on to raise his fifty. Ricky Ponting introduced Brett Lee into the attack and it was then that his past made you crane your neck forward to look out for that error in concentration. What's it going to be? A weak cover drive where he doesn't lean forward fully into the shot, or the urge to punch on the up? Surprisingly, neither came. He picked only four runs - two singles and a couple - off the next 22 deliveries. The non-selection seemed to have had the desired effect. Then it happened. Lee sent one full and just outside off stump and Rohit had a waft. Luckily, for him, the inside edge took the ball well to the left of the diving wicketkeeper. Next ball, Lee slipped in a slower one and Rohit checked his drive, rolling his wrists desperately in an effort to keep it down but the ball had escaped his intent and flew to the off side. Lee lunged but couldn't hold on. Lee had another eight deliveries at Rohit but the moment had passed. Rohit had broken out of jail. Rohit later spoke about how his inclusion in the Test squad against Sri Lanka played a part. "I spent lots of time with Gary Kirsten who helped me tighten up my technique, which I think is very important to succeed in Test cricket," he said. He would spend the lunch and tea breaks during the Tests putting into practice what he learnt from his coach. The repair work started after the Ranji debacle. Praveen Amre, who coached Rohit with Mumbai and here with the Board President's XI, remembers him sweating it out in the nets with a two-inch blade bat. "His body weight was behind and he wouldn't lean into the shots completely. And more importantly, a player of his class needs to spend 200 balls in the middle. If that happens, more often than not, he would get a big one." Another man, a teenager from Delhi, rode on the momentum laid by Rohit to script his own show. If Rohit had undergone a one-year probation period, fellow centurion Virat Kohli had a successful internship with the national side in the Sri Lanka ODI series. However, Zaheer Khan had put him on notice in an enthralling contest in the Irani Cup. Zaheer exposed him by slanting back-of-a-length deliveries and generally raised hell and quite a few lbw shouts before the umpire finally raised his finger. Like Rohit, Kohli too started off slowly, picking singles and defending against the seamers before offspinner Jason Krejza offered a helping hand with one that was slipping down leg side. Kohli simple tickled it to the fine-leg boundary. Two balls later, Krejza flighted across another lollypop, which was sucked by the crowd behind the long-on boundary. From there Kohli simply went on from strength to strength, hitting nine boundaries against the spinners. Ponting went back to his talisman Lee to help him out. Kohli fisted him on the up through the off side to bring up his hundred in style but Lee responded, with a little bit of help from the umpire, with a toe-crusher to terminate Kohli's stay. At the end of the day, Australia's coach Tim Nielsen couldn't quite remember Kohli's name but without doubt, Rohit and "the other boy" would have left him with a restless night.

[panesarv]

Virat Kohli's 105, Rohit Sharma's 105 & Rohit Sharma's 4 Sixes Against the Aussies Edit: Got the full highlights as well [ame=http://www.dailymotion.com/eCricTV/video/x6y4yp_p1-day-1-indian-xi-v-australians-20_sport]Dailymotion - P1 Day 1 - Indian XI v Australians 2008 Highlights, a video from eCricTV. day, indian, australians, 2008, [www.ecric.net][/ame] [ame=http://www.dailymotion.com/eCricTV/video/x6y51p_p2-day-1-indian-xi-v-australians-20_sport]Dailymotion - P2 Day 1 - Indian XI v Australians 2008 Highlights, a video from eCricTV. day, indian, australians, 2008, highlights[/ame] [ame=http://www.dailymotion.com/eCricTV/video/x6y5ar_p3-day-1-indian-xi-v-australians-20_sport]Dailymotion - P3 Day 1 - Indian XI v Australians 2008 Highlights, a video from eCricTV. day, indian, australians, 2008, highlights[/ame] Thanks to muthoo for the highlights. Virat Kohli's 105>> [ame=http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QTdq9jZMu1E]YouTube - Virat Kohli's 105* Indian Board President's XI v Australians[/ame] Rohit Sharma's 105>> [ame=http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pY9Enb0Ox9k]YouTube - Rohit Sharma's 105* Indian Board President's XI v Australia[/ame] Rohit Sharma's 4 Sixes Against the Aussies [ame=http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZXeLa3hqLYU]YouTube - Rohit Sharma's 4 Sixes Indian Board President's v Australia[/ame] A day after he was dropped from the Test squad, Rohit Sharma underwent a personal journey back to redemption. Last night he had a surprise visitor in his hotel. Kris Srikkanth, the chairman of selectors who replaced him with S Badrinath, dropped in for a chat. Srikkanth was himself in attendance today to watch what he termed as a "brilliant innings". Rohit's ejection from the squad was not without reason, though. While no one doubted his talent, a question mark remained over his temperament for the longer version of the game. Sometimes the stats don't lie: Rohit lasted 294 balls in the entire 2007-08 Ranji season. His knocks had a sad familiarity to them. A gorgeous cover drive, a punch through the off side before a "lazy dismissal" left you gawking in awe at the talent and sighing at its atrophy. So it was with a touch of apprehension that one saw his innings against the Australians unfold. A cautious start, an even more uncharacteristically patient settling-in period - his favourite cover drive took 46 balls - offered hope. Soon, he was in his element. Stuart Clark was hit for two consecutive boundaries before Rohit effortlessly lofted the third ball for six over long-on to raise his fifty. Ricky Ponting then introduced Brett Lee into the attack, and those watching went on the alert for that error in concentration. What would it be? A weak cover drive where he doesn't lean forward fully into the shot, or the urge to punch on the up? Surprisingly, neither. He picked only four runs - two singles and a couple - off the next 22 deliveries. The non-selection seemed to have had the desired effect. Then it happened. Lee sent one full and just outside off stump and Rohit had a waft. Luckily, for him, the inside edge took the ball well to the left of the diving wicketkeeper. Next ball, Lee slipped in a slower one and Rohit checked his drive, rolling his wrists desperately in an effort to keep it down but the ball had escaped his intent and flew to the off side. Lee lunged but couldn't hold on. Lee had another eight deliveries at Rohit but the moment had passed. Rohit had broken out of jail. Rohit later spoke about how his inclusion in the Test squad against Sri Lanka influenced him. "I spent lots of time with Gary Kirsten who helped me tighten up my technique, which I think is very important to succeed in Test cricket," he said. He would spend the lunch and tea breaks during the Tests putting into practice what he learnt from his coach. The repair work started after the Ranji debacle. Praveen Amre, who coached Rohit with Mumbai and here with the Board President's XI, remembers him sweating it out in the nets with a two-inch blade bat. "His bodyweight was behind and he wouldn't lean into the shots completely. And more importantly, a player of his class needs to spend 200 balls in the middle. If that happens, more often than not, he would get a big one." Another man - rather, a boy, a teenager from Delhi - rode on the momentum laid by Rohit to script his own show. If Rohit had undergone a one-year probation period, fellow centurion Virat Kohli had a successful internship with the national side in the Sri Lanka ODI series. However, Zaheer Khan had put him on notice in an enthralling contest in the Irani Cup. Zaheer exposed him by slanting back-of-a-length deliveries and generally raised hell and quite a few lbw shouts before the umpire finally raised his finger. Like Rohit, Kohli too started off slowly, picking singles and defending against the seamers before offspinner Jason Krejza offered a helping hand with one that was slipping down leg side. Kohli simple tickled it to the fine-leg boundary. Two balls later, Krejza flighted across another lollypop, which was sucked by the crowd behind the long-on boundary. From there Kohli simply went on from strength to strength, hitting nine boundaries against the spinners. Ponting went back to his talisman Lee to help him out. Kohli fisted him on the up through the off side to bring up his hundred in style but Lee responded, with a little bit of help from the umpire, with a toe-crusher to terminate Kohli's stay. At the end of the day, Australia's coach Tim Nielsen couldn't quite remember Kohli's name but without doubt, Rohit and "the other boy" would have given him a restless night.

[ludhianvi]

thanks, missed the match :thumbs_up: btw, maybe this goes in video section?:tounge_smile:

[Kohum]

Thanks Panesarv - thanks for posting it here.