AUSSIE PLAYERS INJURIES -WORRIES RICKY PONTING

World champions Australia said on Thursday they were struggling to focus on the ongoing one-day series in India because the team had been decimated by a string of injuries to key players.


With the seven-match series tied at 1-1, the injury-plagued tourists are down to the bare bones for the third international at the Ferozeshah Kotla here on Saturday.


"With a few little niggles around, the focuses do tend to go towards that," said left-arm fast bowler Mitchell Johnson, himself battling an ankle injury."But we have got to regroup, sit in our team meetings and talk about what went wrong in Nagpur and what we thought we did right out there."


Australia won the first match, in Vadodara on Sunday, by four runs, before crashing to a heavy defeat in Nagpur on Wednesday after India piled up a mammoth 354-7 and bowled out the tourists for 255.


Ricky Ponting's men came to India depleted by the absence of four one-day regulars, vice-captain Michael Clarke, Brad Haddin, Nathan Bracken and Callum Ferguson.


Pace spearhead Brett Lee (elbow) and all-rounder James Hopes (hamstring) missed Nagpur, while Johnson only just made it.


In a further blow, wicket-keeper Tim Paine -- a replacement for Haddin -- broke a finger during the demolition in Nagpur and has been asked to return home.


The selectors, who flew in young all-rounder Moises Henriques to reinforce the injury-stricken squad, have now called up Graham Manou to replace Paine.


If Manou arrives in New Delhi by Friday, he is certain to play a day later, but it is unclear if Lee and Hopes will be available for selection on Saturday.


India need to win the series to overtake Ponting's men as the top-ranked one-day team in the world.

IND VS AUS 2nd ODI:DHONI BLASTED THE AUSSIES WITH HIS BLISTERING KNOCK

India’s total of 354-7 is their highest ever total against Australia surpassing the previous best of 315 at Bangalore on March 25, 2001.


India’s 354-7 provides the 54th occasion of India’s 300 plus totals in 723 one day internationals.


India’s 354-7 is the fifth occasion in which India has scored over 300 plus runs against Australia.


India’s 354-7 is the highest total ever recorded against Australia by any team batting first. In fact it is the second highest total recorded by an opponent against Australia next only to South Africa’s 438-9 at Wanderers on March 12, 2006.


India’s 354-7 provides the 12th occasion on which India has scored 350 plus runs; this is the most by any team.


India’s 354-7 is the 40th occasion in which a total of 350 plus runs have been scored in all the one day internationals played till this date. The highest ever recorded in a one day international is 443-9 by Sri Lanka against Netherlands at Amstelveen on 04-07-2006.


MS Dhoni became the first Indian captain to record a century against Australia in a one day international. The previous highest score by an Indian captain against Australia was 93 by Mohammad Azharuddin at Brisbane on 01-03-1992.


124 by Dhoni is his highest individual score recorded against Australia, sidelining his modest 58 at Kochi on October 2, 2007.


Dhoni’s 124 is also the highest score by any captain against Australia – leaving behind Sri Lanka’s Sanath Jayasuriya’s 122 at Sydney on January 9, 2003.


Dhoni’s hundred provides the 28th three-figure mark by Indian captains against Australia. This is Dhoni’s second century as a captain – the earlier one had come against Hong Kong (109* at Karachi on 25-06-2008)


Dhoni is the fifth Indian captain to score two or more centuries after Sourav Ganguly (11), Sachin Tendulkar (6), Mohammad Azharuddin (4) and Rahul Dravid (2).


Dhoni’s hundred is his fifth hundred in his 147th one day international.


Gautam Gambhir scored his 18th fifty in his 83rd one day international and his second fifty against Australia in his 12th match. His highest score against Australia remains 113 at Sydney on February 24, 2008.Suresh Raina’s 62 is his 11th fifty in his 73rd one day international. This is his first fifty against Australia in six matches – In his previous five matches against Australia he had aggregated only 49 runs with 26 as his highest score at Kuala Lumpur on 22-09-2006 He had scored a duck in his only innings at Nagpur earlier against West Indies on 21-01-2007.


The 119 runs partnership between Dhoni and Gambhir is India’s best partnership for the fourth wicket against Australia in India,eclipsing the 110-run partnership between Mohammad Azharuddin and Rahul Dravid at Mohali on 03-11-1996.


The 136 runs partnership between Dhoni and Suresh Raina for the fifth wicket is also India’s best against Australia in India, bettering the 121-run partnership between Ajay Jadeja and Hrishikesh Kanitkar at Kochi on 01-04-1998.


Ben Hilfenhaus became the sixth Australian bowler after Michael Lewis, Shane Watson, Stuart Clark, Brett Lee (thrice) and Mitchell Johnson (twice), to concede 80 or more runs in an innings. Lewis is on top of the list conceding 113 runs.


By conceding 83 runs in his 10 over spell, Hilfenhaus equalled Brett Lee’s Australian record of conceding most runs against India (at Brisbane on 18-01-2004).


Michael Hussey scored his second successive fifty (53 off 60 balls). This was his 26th fifty in his 122nd one day international.


Ravindra Jadeja, playing in his fifth match, achieved the best bowling performance of his career by taking 3-35. His previous best was 1-39 in his earlier match at Baroda on 25-10-2009.


India achieved their 350th win in 723 one day internationals. Only Pakistan (381) and Australia (445) have registered more victories than India.


The Vidarbha Cricket Association (VCA) Stadium in Nagpur became India’s 40th ground (and 174th in the world) to host a ODI.


Nagpur also became seventh Indian city to have used TWO different grounds for ODIs after Ahmedabad, Delhi, Hyderabad, Mumbai, Vadodara and Visakhapatnam.


The match was the 91st day-night match on Indian soil.


The playing record of two teams after the match:

India: Played- 723, Won-350, Lost 337, Tied-3, NR-33.

Australia: 722, Won-445, Lost-246, Tied-8, NR-23

Between India and Australia: Played – 99, India -33, Australia -58, NR-8.

IND VS AUS 1st ODI:BHAJI & PRAVEEN SCARED THE AUSSIES

Praveen Kumar and Harbhajan Singh's batting heroics took India agonisingly close to a sensational win before the hosts slumped to a four-run defeat against Australia in the first match of the seven-ODI series here on Sunday.


At 201 for seven in their pursuit of a 293-run victory target, India seemed heading for a comprehensive defeat before Praveen (40 not out) and Harbhajan (49) came up with a defiant 84-run stand off 57 balls for the eighth wicket that nearly took them home.


Much to the disappointment of the crowd, India eventually managed 288 for eight, put together by cameos from Gautam Gambhir (68), Virat Kohli (30), MS Dhoni (34), Praveen Kumar and Harbhajan.Earlier, Ricky Ponting (74) led from the front and was amply supported by Mike Hussey (73), Tim Paine (50) and Cameron White (51) as the visitors rattled up 292 for eight after opting to bat first on a featherbed track.


Faced with the daunting task of scoring at 5.86 per over, the star-studded Indian line-up came a cropper against some disciplined bowling and tight fielding to be left struggling at 201 for seven with the last 10 overs remaining.


Harbhajan and Praveen brought down the target to 30 from the last 15 balls and then nine from the last six. But once Harbhajan departed off the second ball of the final over from Peter Siddle, India lost the momentum and Australia stopped the hosts four runs short of their total.


Earlier in the innings, Gambhir played the sheet-anchor's role after the cheap dismissal of openers Virender Sehwag and Sachin Tendulkar to top score with 68 off 85 balls with six fours and a six in it.


Dhoni and Kohli, surprisingly promoted to number four in the batting order, made starts before getting out when in their 30s.


After being 167 for three in the 35th over, the Indians lost three quick wickets - Gambhir, Suresh Raina (9) and Dhoni - while adding only 19 runs and it became 201 for seven at the fall of Ravindra Jadeja in the 40th over.


Harbhajan and Praveen kept the hosts in the hunt with some lusty hits to raise visions of a come-from-behind victory, but in the end it proved of no avail.


With this win, Australia surged to their second successive victory at this venue over the home team, having beaten the hosts by nine wickets in 2007 at this ground.


The thrilling victory put the visitors 1-0 up in the series ahead of the second day/night encounter at Nagpur on October 28.


Though India came close, their top-order batting, bowling as well as fielding were thoroughly exposed by the Australian team which is riding on a high after whipping England 6-1 and then retaining the Champions Trophy in South Africa.

POINTING EYES FOR SACHINS RECORD

Only the third batsman to amass 12,000 runs in one-day cricket, Australian skipper Ricky Ponting says he is chasing the benchmarks set by veteran Indian Sachin Tendulkar.


Ponting, after scoring a match-winning unbeaten 111-run knock against England last night to take Australia to their second successive Champions Trophy final, paid tribute to Tendulkar, who is completing 20 years in international cricket this November.


"The number of innings of his I have been able to sit back and watch, I think he is an amazing player. Look at his stats and records and it's quite incredible for someone to have stayed in the game for 20 years," Ponting said."He has set benchmarks for guys like me to chase him and get as close as we can. If I had to last 20 years, I would probably be batting in a wheelchair," he quipped.


Ponting is the first Australian and the third overall, after Tendulkar and Sri Lanka's Sanath Jayasuriya, to score 12,000 runs in one-dayers.


Tendulkar and Ponting, in fact, are the two biggest achievers in batting in contemporary cricket.


Tendulkar has played 159 Tests and scored 12773 runs with 42 centuries and 53 half centuries at an average of 54.58 runs. In one-dayers, he has turned out in 430 matches and scored 16903 runs with 44 hundreds and 91 fifties, averaging 44.48.


Ponting, on the other hand has played 136 Tests and scored 11345 runs with 38 centuries and 48 half centuries, averaging 55.88. In one-dayers, he has turned out in 323 matches, scored 12043 runs and hit 28 centuries and 70 fifties, averaging 43.32.


Both Tendulkar and Ponting no longer play Twenty20 internationals for their countries.


"It is a nice achievement but I had no idea before the game how many runs I had scored. I hit runs for my country and when my career is over I can reflect on the successes," Ponting said.


After Friday's win, Ponting lauded the younger members of his team for contributing to side's unbeaten run in the ongoing event.

"We have made it to the finals with relatively young guys. Michael Clarke is missing and so is Nathan Bracken. We are peaking at the right time for the finals," Ponting, shared a 252-run stand with Shane Watson (136) last night, said.


For the last five years, Australia has won everything the ICC has put on stake except for the Twenty20 World Cup. Ponting said he takes pride in the side's performance.


"The key I think is the mix we bring of youth and experience. When senior guys take responsibility, it allows younger guys to learn and find feet at international level," he said.


"We are playing at a level which would win us the big games. We look to play best cricket when it matters," Ponting added.


Ponting's own form has won him all-around admiration and the right-hander credited it to the brief break he took after the Ashes debacle this summer.


"I took 10-12 days break after the England tour and since I have returned, I feel I am batting really well. I am able to achieve a lot of control in the middle."


Ponting rated the wicket used in Friday's game as the best by far in this tournament.


Man of the match Watson, meanwhile, praised his skipper for the role he played in the middle.


"Ricky helped me a lot. In the middle period, when I was finding my feet against slower bowlers, his presence was very useful," he said.


"Previously I used to get overawed in big games. I am happy now that I was able to put together a big effort today, especially with the bat," he added.

SACHIN INJURED ,NOTHING SERIOUS SAID TEAM MANAGER

Sachin Tendulkar cut his cheek and nearly broke his nose after falling on his face in a Johannesburg hotel during the Champions Trophy, Indian team manager Anurag Thakur said here on Friday.


Tendulkar, along with all-rounders Yusuf Pathan and Abhishek Nayar, returned home after India's doomed Champions Trophy campaign in South Africa and his left eye looked swollen as the star player left the the Chhatrapati Shivaji International Airport.


Thakur, who arrived by the same flight, told PTI that Tendulkar had food poisoning on the eve of India's last league match against the West Indies and he collapsed in his hotel room."He had food poisoning and was possibly dehydrated. He was feeling weak and that was the reason why he felt giddy and hurt himself in the hotel room. But the injury to his cheek is not serious. He is perfectly fine now," Thakur said.


Even though Tendulkar did not play against the West Indies, he was present in the ground when India played their last league match on September 30, Thakur pointed out.


"He was present in the ground and he's perfectly fine now. He was not well that day," Thakur said.


Tendulkar reportedly fell on his face and was in fact lucky not to have broken his nose even though the collapse left him with a cut mark and a black spot on his nose.


On their arrival, Tendulkar and Nayar left for their respective homes in Mumbai, while Yusuf took a connecting flight to Baroda.


Skipper Mahendra Singh Dhoni, R P Singh, Harbhajan Singh, Suresh Raina and Praveen Kumar are expected to land in Mumbai by a later flight, sources said, adding the others would have taken the connecting flights to their respective destinations from Dubai.


India were knocked out of the Champions Trophy before the semifinal stage of the tournament after they finished third in the four-team group, behind Pakistan and Australia and ahead of the West Indies.


Dhoni and his men lost the opening match to Pakistan, shared points with Australia when the match got washed out because of rains and won the tie against the West Indies.


The next assignment for the Indians is the seven-ODI home series against Australia commencing at Baroda on October 25.

AUSSIES ROCK TO THE FINALS

Relishing every single bit of their superb victory over England in the Champions Trophy semifinal, Australian skipper Ricky Ponting said the win means a lot to his young teammates.


Defending champions Australia trounced England by nine wickets to cruise to the final of the elite ICC event.


"There is lot of energy in the group and guys are looking forward. They were waiting for this moment for a long time," Ponting, said after the match.Ponting led from front with a magnificent unbeaten 111 and also became the first Australian to get past the 12,000 run-mark in one-day cricket.


Ponting said he was not aware that he was approaching the milestone.


"They are nice achievements. I will look at it when I finish my career. David Hussey came to me and said you are close to 12,000 runs, I said 'I have no idea'."


The Australian skipper lauded his bowlers for providing the side a good start on a batting friendly track though he admitted that they let England loose in the middle-overs.


"The bowing was pretty good. We took wickets when we needed upfront. I thought in the middle we got carried away in that situation of the game. (Tim) Bresnan and (Luke) Wright played well. The wicket was exceptional and ground was fast," he said.


Bresnan hit a career best 80 and along with Wright, who missed his fifty by two runs, had resuscitated the England innings from a dismal 101 for six.


Shane Watson, chosen Man-of-the-Match for his powerful 136 run knock, was happy to get a hundred under his belt after a very poor show so far.


Watson was out for nought in the first two matches and managed 24 against Pakistan in the last groups-stage match.


"It was nice to get that (hundred). To bat with Ricky really helped me. We played well. We took wickets on a beautiful wicket. I have learnt a lot from the greats in the side and now that they have retired, it's our turn to raise our hands (to do job)," he said.

INDIANS HAVE SOMETHING TO CHEER AFTER AN EARLY EXIT FROM CHAMPIONS TROPHY-DHONI GAMBHIR WIN HONOURS

After an early exit from the Champions Trophy in South Africa, there was something to cheer for the Indian fans as skipper MS Dhoni was named captain of both the ICC Test and ODI Team of the Year in a glittering ceremony at the Sandton Convention Centre on Thursday evening.


Gautam Gambhir won the ICC Test Player of the Year award while Dhoni also retained the trophy for the ICC ODI Player of the Year.


Sachin Tendulkar along with Gambhir and Dhoni also made it to the Test team of 2009.The ODI team of the year included Virender Sehwag and Yuvraj Singh (India) along with Kevin Pietersen and Andrew Flintoff (England), Martin Guptill (New Zealand), Chris Gayle (West Indies), Umar Gul (Pakistan), Tillekaratne Dilshan, Nuwan Kulasekera and Ajantha Mendis (Sri Lanka.)


Sri Lankan batsman Dilshan also won the Twenty20 International Performance of the Year award.


The New Zealand team received the ICC spirit of the cricket year.


Australia pacer Peter Siddle won the Emerging Player of the Year award while Ireland's William Porterfield bagged the Associate and Affliate player award.


Aleem Dar of Pakistan won of the Umpire of the year award.


The nominations were made by a five-member selection panel headed by former West Indies captain Clive Lloyd. The panel also included former players Anil Kumble (India), Mudassar Nazar (Pakistan), Bob Taylor (England) and Stephen Fleming (New Zealand).