Team India loose the No. 1 tag

If there is one team which has always made India bite the dust at home, it has to be South Africa. And the Proteas did it once again at the first test at the Vidarbha Cricket Association Ground in Nagpur. They thrashed India by an innings and six runs. This defeat not only serves as a blow to MS Dhoni and his men but also took away the tag of being the No. 1 tag Test Side in the world from India which they had achieved just only a few weeks back.

Resuming at an overnight score of 66 for 2, Indian team bundled out for 319 in their second innings despite a spirited 100 by Master Blaster Sachin Tendulkar. This after the home side was asked to follow on after getting bowled out for a mere 233 in their first innings. South Africa has scored a massive 558 for 6 in their first innings riding on the double hundred if Hashim Amla and a spirited century by Jacques Kallis.

India vs South Africa, 1st Test - Scorecard

What will hurt the Indians more than the loss is the manner in which they lost the test at home within four days. In the first innings they were bowled out for less than what Hashim Amla had scored individually in the first innings. If Dayle Steyn ran through the batting order in the first innings, Team India found Ray Price too hard to handle in the second.

This was South Africa's fifth Test win in India in 11 attempts which converts into an impressive winning percentage in India. Indian fans might take some solace from the fact that this was first defeat for Team India in one and half year with the last one coming way back in August 2008 in Colombo versus Sri Lanka. This was also the first time Mahendra Singh Dhoni has tasted defeat after taking over the reins over Indian cricket.

Team India will be in a state of dilemma ahead of the second test in Eden Gardens, Kolkata. With neither the spinners nor the pacers having troubled South African batsman, it will be difficult for Dhoni to take a call on the pitch in Kolkata. Eden has traditionally provided turn and bounce to the spinners but Harbhajan Singh and Amit Mishra looked far from impressive in Nagpur. If India level the series in Kolkata they will retain the No. 1 tag or else Graeme Smith and his men will have the honours.

Sreesanth likely to return for Kolkata Test

Nagpur: Kerala pacer S Sreesanth is likely to play in the second Test match of the ongoing series between India and South Africa.

Sreesanth is expected to undergo a fitness test on February 10.

He was left out of the squad for the Nagpur Test due to a hamstring injury that he got during the series against Bangladesh.

Hashim Amla played spin the Indian way

South African batsman Hashim Amla has his roots in India and if his first innings performance

in the Nagpur test is anything to go by Amla seems to have Indian genes of playing the spin bowling. He is one of the few good players of spin bowling in the South African but his double hundred in the first innings might make cricket pundits rate him as one of the best players of spin bowling. What's more special about the innings was that he never seemed to play a false stroke.

Representing a side which has anything but good record against spin bowling, Amla not only played Harbhajan Singh and Amit Mishra with full control but made them sweat and bite dust at the Vidharba Cricket Association Ground. The manner in which he dominated Harbhajan who is one of the best off spinners in world cricket right now needs to be lauded. This on a pitch which was offering both turn and bounce to both the Indian spinners.

Hashim Amla's style of taking spin resembled more of Indian batting that South African as he used his wrists to perfection and never tried pushing hard at the ball which most of the tourists do in the sub-continent. The 26-year old Amla almost meditated at the wicket in a marathon innings pf more than 11 hours facing 473 balls and sending the ball 22 times over behind the fence. The icing on the cake, Indian bowlers could not get him out as Grahme Smith declared with Amla unbeaten on 253. Along with the seasoned Jacques Kallis, Amla added 340 runs for the third wicket which is the record third wicket stand by any visiting side against India. If on Day 1 he played under the shadow of Kallis on Day 2 he took the lead once Kallis departed. During his double century Amla was completely at home, tackling the spinners, the turning track and the conditions with a command normally associated with sub-continent batsmen.

Steyn sails Proteas to an innings victory

Nagpur: South Africa take a 1-0 lead in the series as India losses by an innings and 6 runs. Dale Steyn took 10 wickets in the match as he cleaned up the tail for India to fold for 319 on the fourth day of the Nagpur Test on Tuesday.

Buzz up!

Trailing by 325 runs, Sachin Tendulkar’s masterly 46th Test century could not stop South Africa from bowling India out for 319.

Steyn’s seven-wicket haul in the first innings had forced India to follow-on, after his piercing line and length made sure that the home team was at some distance from the imposing South African total of 558-6 declared.

India vs South Africa, 1st Test - Scorecard

Steyn took seven for 51 runs and three for 57 in the match.

Resuming the day at 66-2, Team India lost overnight batsman Murali Vijay (32) inside the first hour of play.

Tendulkar, who hit two successive centuries during India''s 2-0 Test win against Bangladesh, defied the South African attack for close to four and a half hours before being bowled off the pad by left-arm spinner Paul Harris. Harris took three wickets for 76.

The two teams now move to Kolkata for the second and final Test of the series to be played from February 14.

India’s number one Test ranking is in danger of being handed over to South Africa if they lose the series while a draw will see them retain the top spot.

Brief Scorecard:

South Africa: First Innings 558 for six declared (Amla 253 not out, Kallis 173, de Villiers 53).

India: First Innings 233 (Sehwag 109, Badrinath 56, Steyn 7-51)
Second Innings (follow-on) 319 (Tendulkar 100, Steyn 3-57, Harris 3-76)

Australia aim to keep that winning feeling

The series opener wasn't the close contest that many people expected from a West Indies outfit that challenged Australia during the Tests. The absence of Dwayne Bravo, Ramnaresh Sarwan, Shivnarine Chanderpaul and others was noticeable although there were some positive signs from the young allrounder Kieron Pollard. It's worth remembering that West Indies began their Test tour with a dismal performance at the Gabba, where they were beaten inside three days, before they lifted significantly for the rest of the series. For that to happen in the one-dayers, they need not only their captain Chris Gayle to lead from the front but also several of the newer players like Pollard, Kemar Roach and Lendl Simmons to play important roles.

For Australia, the 113-run victory in Melbourne has heightened their resolve to go through the summer undefeated, an aim that Shane Watson said was laid out by Ricky Ponting at the start of the season. They believe they have worked out Gayle's weakness - cramping him and giving him no width early in his innings - and they know he is the key to a successful West Indies. Like the visitors, Australia are without some of their best one-day players including Brett Lee and Nathan Bracken but the depth in their fast-bowling ranks has been very impressive. Ryan Harris has taken 16 wickets in four ODIs this season, Doug Bollinger has troubled Gayle and Clint McKay couldn't even squeeze into the XI in Melbourne having been Man of the Match in the previous game.

Form guide (most recent first)

Australia WWWWW

West Indies LLLLL

Watch out for...

Kieron Pollard knows the Adelaide Oval well. It was his home ground during December and January when he played with South Australia in the Big Bash. Pollard was the tournament's leading run scorer and two of his best three scores came in Adelaide. He can also bowl a bit, as he showed at the MCG with 3 for 45, and his maturity impressed his captain Gayle. The more Pollard can resemble Bravo, the better the chance of a West Indies win.

Questions have been raised over Michael Clarke's value as a Twenty20 batsman but his importance to Australia's one-day international setup is not in doubt. He may not provide Shane Watson- or Cameron White-like thrills but his anchoring role in the middle order has been one of the reasons Australia have won 21 of their past 25 ODIs. The long straight boundaries at Adelaide Oval allow him to tick the score over relatively risk-free, as he did with 80 including only three boundaries against Pakistan on Australia Day. Of the current crop of Australians, none has scored more ODI runs in Adelaide than Clarke.

Team news

Deciding which bowler to leave out was more troubling for Australia's selectors than worrying about who to include at the MCG, such has been the success of the attack this summer. McKay was desperately unlucky not to play and might miss out again given the usual reluctance to change a winning line-up, especially one that won so easily.

Australia (possible) 1 Shane Watson, 2 Shaun Marsh, 3 Ricky Ponting (capt), 4 Michael Clarke, 5 Cameron White, 6 Michael Hussey, 7 Brad Haddin (wk), 8 Mitchell Johnson, 9 Nathan Hauritz, 10 Ryan Harris, 11 Doug Bollinger.

Gayle was happy with his bowlers at the MCG but he was concerned by the batting. If West Indies wish to make any changes to the top order, Wavell Hinds and Brendan Nash are the two men who could come in. Nash's game isn't especially suited to limited-overs, so the most likely scenario would be including Hinds for his first international match since 2006, having been ineligible for the past couple of years due to signing as a Kolpak player in county cricket. Runako Morton could be vulnerable after he looked very rusty at the MCG, struggling to react quickly enough against bowling that was only mid-130kph and scratching his way to 3 from 15 balls.

West Indies (possible) 1 Chris Gayle (capt), 2 Wavell Hinds, 3 Travis Dowlin, 4 Lendl Simmons, 5 Narsingh Deonarine, 6 Kieron Pollard, 7 Dwayne Smith, 8 Denesh Ramdin (wk), 9 Nikita Miller, 10 Ravi Rampaul, 11 Kemar Roach.

Pitch and conditions

Australia had no trouble posting nearly 300 in Adelaide on Australia Day and there is no reason to expect a low-scoring encounter this time. The forecast for Tuesday is for a hot and humid day with temperatures reaching 36C.

Stats and trivia

* West Indies haven't beaten Australia in an Adelaide ODI since 1986-87. Australia have won the three games since then

* When Denesh Ramdin caught Michael Hussey at the MCG he became the third West Indies wicketkeeper to take 100 ODI dismissals. He got there in his 68th match, much quicker than Jeff Dujon (80 games) but slower than Ridley Jacobs (61)

* The Australians who triumphed at the MCG have played a combined tally of 1007 one-day internationals, nearly double the West Indies' mark of 511 games

Quotes

"We'll take Adelaide as Adelaide and then we'll go from there but an unbeaten summer, that would be great."

Doug Bollinger

"We did well with the ball [in Melbourne] but my worry is always with our batting."

Chris Gayle

Australia aim to keep that winning feeling

The series opener wasn't the close contest that many people expected from a West Indies outfit that challenged Australia during the Tests. The absence of Dwayne Bravo, Ramnaresh Sarwan, Shivnarine Chanderpaul and others was noticeable although there were some positive signs from the young allrounder Kieron Pollard. It's worth remembering that West Indies began their Test tour with a dismal performance at the Gabba, where they were beaten inside three days, before they lifted significantly for the rest of the series. For that to happen in the one-dayers, they need not only their captain Chris Gayle to lead from the front but also several of the newer players like Pollard, Kemar Roach and Lendl Simmons to play important roles.

For Australia, the 113-run victory in Melbourne has heightened their resolve to go through the summer undefeated, an aim that Shane Watson said was laid out by Ricky Ponting at the start of the season. They believe they have worked out Gayle's weakness - cramping him and giving him no width early in his innings - and they know he is the key to a successful West Indies. Like the visitors, Australia are without some of their best one-day players including Brett Lee and Nathan Bracken but the depth in their fast-bowling ranks has been very impressive. Ryan Harris has taken 16 wickets in four ODIs this season, Doug Bollinger has troubled Gayle and Clint McKay couldn't even squeeze into the XI in Melbourne having been Man of the Match in the previous game.

Form guide (most recent first)

Australia WWWWW

West Indies LLLLL

Watch out for...

Kieron Pollard knows the Adelaide Oval well. It was his home ground during December and January when he played with South Australia in the Big Bash. Pollard was the tournament's leading run scorer and two of his best three scores came in Adelaide. He can also bowl a bit, as he showed at the MCG with 3 for 45, and his maturity impressed his captain Gayle. The more Pollard can resemble Bravo, the better the chance of a West Indies win.

Questions have been raised over Michael Clarke's value as a Twenty20 batsman but his importance to Australia's one-day international setup is not in doubt. He may not provide Shane Watson- or Cameron White-like thrills but his anchoring role in the middle order has been one of the reasons Australia have won 21 of their past 25 ODIs. The long straight boundaries at Adelaide Oval allow him to tick the score over relatively risk-free, as he did with 80 including only three boundaries against Pakistan on Australia Day. Of the current crop of Australians, none has scored more ODI runs in Adelaide than Clarke.

Team news

Deciding which bowler to leave out was more troubling for Australia's selectors than worrying about who to include at the MCG, such has been the success of the attack this summer. McKay was desperately unlucky not to play and might miss out again given the usual reluctance to change a winning line-up, especially one that won so easily.

Australia (possible) 1 Shane Watson, 2 Shaun Marsh, 3 Ricky Ponting (capt), 4 Michael Clarke, 5 Cameron White, 6 Michael Hussey, 7 Brad Haddin (wk), 8 Mitchell Johnson, 9 Nathan Hauritz, 10 Ryan Harris, 11 Doug Bollinger.

Gayle was happy with his bowlers at the MCG but he was concerned by the batting. If West Indies wish to make any changes to the top order, Wavell Hinds and Brendan Nash are the two men who could come in. Nash's game isn't especially suited to limited-overs, so the most likely scenario would be including Hinds for his first international match since 2006, having been ineligible for the past couple of years due to signing as a Kolpak player in county cricket. Runako Morton could be vulnerable after he looked very rusty at the MCG, struggling to react quickly enough against bowling that was only mid-130kph and scratching his way to 3 from 15 balls.

West Indies (possible) 1 Chris Gayle (capt), 2 Wavell Hinds, 3 Travis Dowlin, 4 Lendl Simmons, 5 Narsingh Deonarine, 6 Kieron Pollard, 7 Dwayne Smith, 8 Denesh Ramdin (wk), 9 Nikita Miller, 10 Ravi Rampaul, 11 Kemar Roach.

Pitch and conditions

Australia had no trouble posting nearly 300 in Adelaide on Australia Day and there is no reason to expect a low-scoring encounter this time. The forecast for Tuesday is for a hot and humid day with temperatures reaching 36C.

Stats and trivia

* West Indies haven't beaten Australia in an Adelaide ODI since 1986-87. Australia have won the three games since then

* When Denesh Ramdin caught Michael Hussey at the MCG he became the third West Indies wicketkeeper to take 100 ODI dismissals. He got there in his 68th match, much quicker than Jeff Dujon (80 games) but slower than Ridley Jacobs (61)

* The Australians who triumphed at the MCG have played a combined tally of 1007 one-day internationals, nearly double the West Indies' mark of 511 games

Quotes

"We'll take Adelaide as Adelaide and then we'll go from there but an unbeaten summer, that would be great."

Doug Bollinger

"We did well with the ball [in Melbourne] but my worry is always with our batting."

Chris Gayle

Donald keen on England role

Allan Donald is set to put himself forward as England's new bowling coach following the departure of Ottis Gibson to West Indies. Donald previously held the role briefly in 2007 before his family situation forced him to turn down the full-time position, but he is now ready to return to the international scene.

"If I make contact with the ECB I would be throwing my name in the hat. I've not had any official contact with the ECB." Donald told Sky Sports News. "In 2007 I really enjoyed the time I spent with the team. It was an environment I enjoyed being in, working with elite cricketers, and obviously I would be silly not to consider the position. I would think it over, it's a great challenge for any coach at this level."

After declining the England job in 2007, which led the ECB to Gibson, Donald returned to Warwickshire as their bowling coach but at the end of the 2009 season went home to South Africa after his young son suffered health problems. Donald has worked in the media in recent months, but is clearly eager to return to hands-on duties.

"My young boy went through a tough time and I had to abort that immediately," he said. "At the moment he's fine and I'm just about ready to get back into it full time."

Last month Donald was linked with the bowling coach position for India but the role went to the former South Africa coach Eric Simons. With the recent upheaval in South African cricket, following the departure of Mickey Arthur, there could be an opening for Donald on home soil in the coming months.

Vincent Barnes, the current South Africa bowling coach, is rumoured to be set to leave after the current India tour, however a role with England would come with greater financial reward and Donald is excited by the potential of a developing side.

"You can see that Ottis has worked very hard," he said. "There's a lot of discipline and hardness in the attack and you can see the skills he has implemented. [James] Anderson has become a quality bowler so has [Stuart] Broad and they are set for some big things. Not only the bowling unit, but the team itself is also becoming a solid one."

Source:cricinfo