ODI 3 vs SL at Cuttack : news and discussion

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Indian captain Mahendra Singh Dhoni was on Saturday slapped with a two ODI ban for slow over-rate during the second cricket one-dayer against Sri Lanka in Nagpur, dealing a huge blow to the home team's prospects in the ongoing five-match series. More...

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Ishant recalled in place of Sreesanth Tamil Nadu wicket-keeper batsman Dinesh Karthik was today included in the Indian team for next two cricket one-dayers against Sri Lanka as a replacement for captain Mahendra Singh Dhoni, who has been forced to sit out because of a two-match ODI ban. More...

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Injured Mathews to return home Sri Lanka all-rounder Angelo Mathews has been ruled out of the remainder of the ODI series against India and will return home. More...

[Andy]

Now this side is seriously as gud as the last Visited Aus team!! We sudnt get pawned by them atleast!!:haha:

[ranjitsabari]

Happy news for team india:yay:

[ranjitsabari]

Ishant can play better against srilanka

[S.Bond]

sad, finally a srilankanwas growing .... this guy is good... plus he gave team balance to sri lanka...

[diegovegaz]

he has had the better of india SL will miss him but it won't matter to us, we'll still leak runs and throw wickets

[SriLion]

he has had the better of india SL will miss him but it won't matter to us, we'll still leak runs and throw wickets

yep , we'll mis him :sniffle:

[rahulrulezz]

Mathews has impressed a lot in such a young age... A great batsman at#7 and good bowler who bowls at a descent(at par with our P.Kumar) pace..Slanka will miss him badly

[Indianfan_Hyd]

Not Sehwag....he has no clue about captaincy... more over we need his uncluttered mind for the batting... How about ZAK as captain for the next 2 games.

[Ram]

Thank you God. Good riddance. Now, if only that serial-killer Dilshan suffers from Diarrhea on the morning of match-day... :D

[Ram]

ODI 3 vs SL at Cuttack : news and discussion Its quite clear the team management intends to replace Nehra with Ishant. Ishant bowled with good purpose and intent in the two T20s and that hasnt escaped the attention of the team management.

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3rd ODI : Barabati pitch set to restore parity No matter which team has the last laugh, the pitch here doesn’t quite promise a run feast similar to that of Rajkot and Nagpur. Although there appears to be a greenish tinge in the surface, bounce is likely to vary throughout the game. Incidentally, the pitch was watered further immediately after match referee Alan Hurst’s visit. More... Barabati pitch set to restore parity Sayak Banerjee CUTTACK Dec. 19: The news of skipper Mahendra Singh Dhoni’s two-match ban may just have come at the wrong time for Team India although it hasn’t quite led to panic buttons being pressed. However, his absence in this crucial juncture especially with the teams tied at 1-1 in the five-match series may just allow more breathing space to Sri Lanka who have regained some sort of momentum after Friday’s three-wicket win in Nagpur. Nonetheless, if India win here at the Barabati Stadium, Dhoni’s absence may slowly die down into a no-issue before the Kolkata ODI on December 24. No matter which team has the last laugh, the pitch here doesn’t quite promise a run feast similar to that of Rajkot and Nagpur. Although there appears to be a greenish tinge in the surface, bounce is likely to vary throughout the game. Incidentally, the pitch was watered further immediately after match referee Alan Hurst’s visit. By its very look, the 22-yard strip seems a score of somewhere around 270-280 may well turn out to be a competitive one. However, curator Pankaj Pattanayak says that the pitch is "truly sporting" with equal assistance to both batsmen and bowlers. "It’s not a surface where a team can put up totals around 350 or more at will. Nevertheless, a good batting side could well chase down 300. Also, the dew factor may make some difference." MEDIA POUNCES ON HURST Match referee Alan Hurst may never have expected to be surrounded by the media during his visit to the venue. After a look at the pitch and other facilities at Barabati, journalists from the print and electronic media pounced on Hurst, hungry for quotes on Dhoni’s two-match ban. The smile already having disappeared from his face, Hurst literally doubled his speed while leaving the venue before coming up with, "My visit here was not an official one." Meanwhile, the Indian cricket team sans Dhoni, his replacement Dinesh Karthik and Ishant Sharma and and the full Sri Lankan squad arrived here on Saturday afternoon. Tamil Nadu wicketkeeper-batsman Karthik and Sharma are expected on Sunday

[flamy]

Ya, Ishant did look fired up.

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Our pacers can trap Tillakaratne Dilshan early - Virender Sehwag Virender Sehwag, India's stand-in captain, is confident his fast bowlers will come up with a plan to restrict Tillakaratne Dilshan , who has been Sri Lanka's leading batsman this series with back-to-back centuries. Dilshan is currently in the form of his life, scoring a combined ten centuries and eight fifties in Tests, ODIs and Twenty20 internationals since the start of the year. "It's very difficult to stop somebody who is in such good form," Sehwag said on the eve of the third ODI in Cuttack. "We must think of how to get him out instead of thinking of stopping him. I am sure Zaheer (Khan), Ishant (Sharma), PK (Praveen Kumar) will work it out." Dilshan's 160 gave Sri Lanka a very realistic chance of chasing a mammoth 415 in Rajkot - they fell short by three runs - but his 123 in the second game in Nagpur set up their successful chase of 302. His strike-rate of 118.93 is indicative of how destructive he has been. Sehwag will lead the side for the next two ODIs in MS Dhoni's absence, following the ban handed to Dhoni by the match referee for a slow over-rate in the second game in Nagpur. Sehwag said the team will miss Dhoni, who has been in good touch with the bat. "He is our match-winner. If we look at the last game, he got us back (with a century)," Sehwag said. "Without him, we would have been got out for 40-45 overs. He is our best player in our middle order line-up and also a very good captain. But there is no extra pressure as a captain with everybody contributing for the team." Sehwag was also confident of settling quickly into his makeshift role. "It's (captaincy) not difficult. I am part of the team and I know who is playing, who is not playing," he said. "I know of our strategy and planning. I don't think it's any kind of a problem." One of India's biggest problems in this series has been their woeful fielding and catching. India hired Mike Young, formerly with the Australian team, as their fielding consultant before the limited-overs leg of the tour to counter this problem. However, Sehwag urged for patience and was confident Young's training methods would eventually work. "He just joined the time and he needs sometime," he said. "He is a very good at it. He just taught us few drills, some new fielding session. He is very keen on what he is doing. I'm sure it will help. "It's very difficult for pacers after bowling 7-8 overs to do well in the fielding. It is a concern and we are working towards it."

[Andy]

Lal @ our pacers!!

[champ]

will a mouse trap work ? :headscratch:

[akshayxyz]

Lets start collecting donations for a paid streaker - that can actually distract him ;)

[vvvslaxman]

Yes they can surely trouble him like they cheaply dismissed him for 160, 121 in the first 2 ODIs.