Injury-prone Pattinson Could Be Rested For Hyderabad Test

Sydney, Feb 27: Australia's leading pace gentleman James Pattinson, who performed brilliantly in the first Test against India in Chennai, could be rested for the next Test in Hyderabad by means of team pecking order desperate not to risk the fast bowler breaking down again.

There is only a three-day rotate until the second Test begins on Saturday, and Australia will consider what effect the rigours of the Chennai defeat had on the 22-year-old Victorian, who was creation his international return from a lower rib injury suffered next to South Africa in November, the Sydney Morning Herald reports.

India completed an eight-wicket come first here on Tuesday morning, successfully managing a 50-run chase after Australian debutant Moises Henriques was left stranded on 81 not out. The house side leads the four-Test Border-Gavaskar Trophy series 1-0.

Pattinson, along with NSW all-rounder Henriques, was a leading light for Australia, claiming 5-96 in the first innings including five of India's top seven batsmen, and adding another in their brief second dig.

Pattinson is coming off what the team's high-performance staff regard as a low base, entering the first Test by means of only a Sheffield Shield appearance in January and a two-day tour game in Chennai, as well as a cameo in club cricket last month, the paper said.

After being used carefully by captain Michael Clarke earlier in the match Pattinson bowled only six overs in two full session on Saturday, but devastated the India top arrange in the process, the paper added.

The concern with Pattinson's workload is due to his previous breakdown, as after starring next to South Africa in Brisbane, he went down during the second Test in Adelaide, wiping him out for the relax of the international summer, the paper reported.

Selectors receive advice from the high-performance team on players' workloads and fitness before each match, and then make a decision, and therefore there is a probability the rapid could be rested in the next Test. 

Sachin's Super Sixes

And other sidelights from the Chepauk Test.

Super sixes

Only once had Sachin Tendulkar begun a Test innings with a six: when he crunched Muttiah Muralitharan rear over his head and out of the stadium first ball at Nagpur in 1997. On Tuesday, the genius went one better, wading into Nathan Lyon’s off-spin for two huge strikes over long-on on the first two deliveries. Another hit for utmost would have won the match in style, but that wasn’t to be and it was absent to Cheteshwar Pujara to stroke the charming run. Tendulkar though made what is possibly his last Test appearance at Chepauk a memorable single for those who turned up.

Numbers game

Match-by-match statistical upheaval are now commonplace. The last day of the Chepauk Test too contributed to a budge in numbers. MS Dhoni equaled Sourav Ganguly as India’s most successful captain on 21 Test wins. Dhoni has now won all the five Tests so as to he has captained against Australia at home, but lost all three to them away. When Ravindra Jadeja removed Nathan Lyon to finish Australia's second innigs, it was the 20th wicket taken by an Indian spinner. This is the third example of Indian spinners picking up all 20 wickets in the match. The previous occasion were against Australia in 1972/73 and New Zealand in 1975/76.

Opening trouble

In a match with several positives, there was still a rotten concern for India. The state of their openers. Virender Sehwag and Murali Vijay did very little to redeem their places in the side. Sehwag’s spectacles didn't appear to have helped his bat as he failed in either inning. Both openers were out to James Pattinson in the first essay. Their dismissals as India chased a modest 50 to win were embarrassing. Vijay spoon a catch to mid-off trying to drive; Sehwag was out defending to a spinner. There is bound to be fair discussion for Shikhar Dhawan to be draft in for the second Test, after which a back-in-form Gautam Gambhir would be eager to get back in the thick of it.

Winning spin

Another issue that is likely to eggs debate is the number of spinners in the eleven. Dhoni used his pace bowlers for just three of the 93 in the second innings. All twenty wickets falling to spin hinted that the inclusion of another tweaker wouldn’t have impair India’s chances, rather it would have lent another facet to the assault. Harbhajan Singh bowled better in the second innings than he did in the first; still his failure to hit the right line an outright helpful track made for no special performance. Ravindra Jadeja did his bit with the ball; his batting a scornful shadow of his domestic domination. Another expected turned at Hyderabad – the venue of the second test – just may allow Pragyan Ojha a pastime at the expense of a pacer.

Good show

After struggling against England, Ashwin return to form with 12 wickets on a minefield of a pitch and against an inexperienced batting line up. For a while in the first innings, when he have scooped out the top six, Ashwin raised hopes of another 10-wicket haul – a-la Anil Kumble next to Pakistan in 1999. But Ravindra Jadeja destroyed that dream by shattering Mitchell Starc’s stumps. The Chennai off-spinner however did turn out to be the first Indian bowler to take 10 in a match alongside Australia, since Kumble at the same venue in 2004. Ashwin also become the fastest to 500 runs and 75 wickets in Tests. He got there in his 13th match, displacing Ian Botham (14 Tests) to second place.

Testing times

It was a match of contrast for Australia. In Moises Henriques they found a valiant debutant who ground out two fighting half-centuries in nerve-wracking conditions. And in Nathan Lyon they exposed, to their misfortune, an off-spinner totally out of his league. While Henriques contributed 149 runs on debut, Lyon was taken for 215 in his 47 laborious first innings overs. India’s captain MS Dhoni was chiefly severe on Lyon, taking 104 from 85 balls, including five sneering sixes. His only high point was bowling Sachin Tendulkar before a century-expectant crowd, but really Xavier Doherty, Glenn Maxwell and Steve Smith couldn't have perhaps done a worse job.

India v Australia: The Five Highest Impact Indian Test Batting Performances

The 5 highest impact batting performances by an Indian against Australia since 1947-48. For the first time - in a match/ series context.

Most batting performances are seen in an innings context, which is highly inadequate as that is such an incomplete picture. Since the DNA of Test cricket is Test matches made up of two innings, and those matches are in turn part of a series, the big picture is the series – that is the war, as it were. Test matches are battles, an innings merely a phase in a battle.

To provide this context to cricket performances, we bring you the five best Test batting performances in a match/series context, in the history of India-Australia Test cricket. Most of these will perhaps not be a surprise but their order may be.

All of them are Series-Defining performances, which gives them values higher than what their Match IMPACT numbers say.

1. VVS Laxman – 59 & 281 v Australia, Kolkata 2001

Match Batting IMPACT: 11.92

Brief Scores: Aus 445 & 212, Ind 171 & 657/7 – India won by 171 runs

It is hard to imagine any batting performance having a higher impact in Test cricket history. The facts around this performance are as legendary as the performance itself. 16 consecutive world-record wins for Australia who are 1-0 up in the 3-Test series, Australia make 445, India 171. VVS Laxman coming in at 88 for 4 in the first innings, which soon becomes 129 for 9, playing the only substantial innings – a fluent 59 off 83 balls, with an unbelievable twelve boundaries (in the context of the game, where run-scoring seems so difficult). India follow on, Laxman promoted up the order comes in at 52 for 1. 556 more runs would be scored, bowlers like McGrath, Gillespie, Warne and Kasprowicz would be thwarted like never before, or since, more than ten hours of play would transpire - before Laxman finally would get out for 281 off 452 balls – 44 boundaries in them. We’re keeping the romance out of this (enough has been written on this in that vein) – the facts are spine-tingling enough – from being 222 behind when Laxman walked in, to being 384 ahead when he got out -  no one has traversed a journey this long, and this deep, in Indian cricket history. It’s a rags-to-riches cricket story – as his team went on to win the next Test and the series. And changed the course of Indian cricket history.

2. R Dravid – 25 & 180 v Australia, Kolkata 2001

Match Batting IMPACT – 7.87

Brief Scores: Aus 445 & 212, Ind 171 & 657/7 – India won by 171 runs

For too long, Dravid’s performance in the same match has been seen as a supporting role. If Dravid had got 20 runs more, the romance around his performance would increase considerably and maybe history would remember this differently. But the facts are – coming in to bat at 232 for 4 (as the last recognized batsman) a demotion for the first time in his career from no. 3 to no. 6 (after a laboured 25 in the first innings) – an international cricket life on the line. 42 runs from making Australia bat again, on a good pitch that shows no sign of breaking up. With just one ball separating two highly disparate destinies – through this fragile reality Dravid resumes his innings on 14th March 2001, on his overnight score of 7, hoping his partner, though well-set on 109, is not satiated yet (a quintessential Indian shortcoming). About 7 hours and 335 runs later, the duo is still not separated – India 315 runs ahead, and visions of victory entering incredulous Indian consciousness. India would go on to win (thanks to Harbhajan Singh) in the last day – which, of course, gave the match its legendary status and these two batting performances their high impact. How could it have been otherwise – can life, even in all its indifference, deny any moment such a high degree of poetry?

3. R Dravid – 233 & 72 not out  v Australia, Adelaide 2003

Match Batting IMPACT – 7.67

Brief Scores: Aus 556 & 196, Ind 523 & 233/6 – India won by 4 wickets

A rare momentum-changing performance that changed the way the series would be fought .

The most interesting thing about this performance is that Dravid’s 233 actually had a slightly lower impact than his fourth innings unbeaten knock of 72. It seems staggering at first, when you look at the circumstances of the first innings – handling a mini-collapse when it had become 85 for 4 at one point (thus handling considerable pressure). Adding 303 runs with Laxman, then 135 more runs with the rest. Making the highest individual score overseas by an India – yes, he did all that, but the context of the match tells the full story. The first half of the match yielded 1079 runs (of which he scored 233; Ponting made 242; Laxman 148; Katich 75; even Gillespie made 48), the second half yielded 429 (of which he scored 72; no-one crossed 50) – just 6% more proportionately in the first innings. This was overtaken by the value of making the 72 in a substantial fourth innings chase (the rare occurrence that often defines legacies), even though no pressure came through the falling of quick wickets (though they kept falling on-and-off) - Dravid himself played a big part with his calm presence – there was no panic; he kept the innings together. He would later say his fierce motivation was the desperation to avoid the so-near-yet-so-far heartbreak he and his team had experienced a few times in the recent past. Fact is – that unbeaten 72 would have had a classic status in Indian cricket history, even if he’d scored a duck in the first innings. The reverse may not have been true because India probably wouldn’t have won the Test otherwise. A good example of how circumstances and context have a big say in the calculation of impact.

4. Nawab of Pataudi jnr 86 & 53 v Australia, Bombay 1964

Match Batting IMPACT – 5.80

Brief Scores: Aus 320 & 274, Ind 341 & 256/8 – India won by 4 wickets

A classic from the 1960s – when a 23-year-old prince (and India’s youngest-ever captain till date) led India, in every sense of the word, to a memorable win after being 0-1 down in the series. India was lucky that, shortly after the start of the match, Australian batsman Norman O’Neil withdrew with stomach problems and took no further part in the match. But even then, Australia put up 320 and had India at 149 for 4 when the one-eyed prince walked out. There wasn’t much batting to follow but high class Test batting for over three and a half hours took the score to 293 until Pataudi Jr was out for a heroic 86. A rejuvenated India added almost 40 more but Australia came back strongly in the second innings and set India 254 to win – a very high ask in that era. Thanks to night-watchman Surti, the Nawab came out even later than the first innings (many experts feel he should have batted at no. 4 all his life), at 113 for 5, which shortly became 122 for 6. For the second time in the match, Pataudi took charge (this time with Vijay Manjrekar, who also came out late) and brought stability that seemed occidental in its assuredness – which would eventually be Pataudi Jr’s greatest contribution to Indian cricket. He was out 30 runs from the target though; Chandu Borde’s unbeaten 30 ensured none of this was in vain. 42,000 people watched the match, which ended half-an-hour before close – and gave India its most memorable Test win of that era. It was 

India vs Australia Test Series 2013 Schedule

India vs Australia Test Series 2013 will begin on Friday, February 22, 2013 in India as per cricket schedule announced. India vs Australia 2013 is an international bilateral series to be organized by India. India vs Australia Test Series 2013 will consist of 4 Test matches to be hosted by India in Feb-Mar 2013. The India vs Australia 2013 bilateral series will comes to end on Mar 26, 2013.

The India vs Australia Test Series 2013 bilateral series is a part of Future Cricket Tour Programs (FTP) prepared by International Cricket Council (ICC). India will host the India vs Australia Test Series 2013 bilateral series, beginning on February 22, 2013. In India vs Australia TestSeries 2013 bilateral series, first Test match would be between India - Australia on Feb 22, 2013 at 09:30 local time to be played at MA Chidambaram Stadium - Chepauk, Chennai.

India vs Australia Test Series 2013 Schedule is available with full fixtures and time table for India vs Australia 2013. India vs Australia Test Series 2013 is available in PDF Format for download. India vs Australia 2013 is also available in Excel (CSV) format. You must open this file in excel only.

Date and Time                      

Fri Feb 22 - Tue Feb 26     1st Test - India vs Australia

09:30 local | 04:00 GMT     MA Chidambaram Stadium - Chepauk, Chennai

Sat Mar 2 - Wed Mar 6      2nd Test - India vs Australia

09:30 local | 04:00 GMT    Rajiv Gandhi Int. Stadium, Hyderabad

Thu Mar 14 - Mon Mar 18 3rd Test - India vs Australia

09:30 local | 04:00 GMT    Punjab C.A. Stadium, Mohali

Fri Mar 22 - Tue Mar 26   4th Test - India vs Australia

09:30 local | 04:00 GMT   Feroz Shah Kotla, Delhi

Australia women claim sixth World Cup 2013

FINAL:West Indies' great run ends in a 114-run defeat at Mumbai's Brabourne Stadium.

Australia team after winning the ICC Women's World Cup 2013 at the Brabourne Stadium in Mumbai on February 17.

MUMBAI: Ellyse Perry took three wickets and Jess Cameron scored a half-century to help Australia clinch the women's World Cup for the sixth time with a 114-run win over the West Indies in the final on Sunday.

Cameron smashed two sixes and eight fours in her 76-ball 75 as Australia posted 259-7, the highest total in the final, before dismissing the West Indies for 145 in the day-night match in Mumbai.

Merissa Aguilleira (23), Deandra Dottin (22) and Kyshona Knight (21 not out) were the main scorers in a below-par batting performance by the West Indies, making their maiden appearance in the final.

Seamer Perry, who also represented her country in the women's World Cup football, got three wickets in her opening three overs, including that of prolific run-getter Stafanie Taylor, to reduce the West Indies to 41-3.

The 22-year-old Perry, returning to the side after missing the Super Sixes round due to an injury, finished with 3-19 off 10 overs.

Off-spinners Lisa Sthalekar and Erin Osborne, and seamer Megan Schutt took two wickets each for Australia, who had lost to the West Indies in the Super Sixes round.

Cameron and Rachael Haynes (52) scored half-centuries before Australia slipped from 181-3 to 209-7, but skipper Jodie Fields (36 not out) and Perry (25 not out) added a brisk 50 to help their team cross the 250-mark.

WestIndies leg-spinner Shaquana Quintyne, 17, was the most impressive bowler with 3-27 off 10 overs.

Cameron cracked the first six of the innings when she pulled seamer Tremayne Smartt and then completed her half-century with a second six in the same over.

Australia made a solid start after electing to bat as Haynes and Meg Lanning (31) put on 52 for the opening wicket. Haynes also added 64 for the second wicket with Cameron.

Australia Vs West Indies, 2013 Women's World Cup Final

The ICCWomen's World Cup has reach its final stage where the West Indies women will take on the Australia Women in the former's first-ever World Cup finale. The Windies had a topsy-turvy tournament, losing the first few games, but bounced back in impressive fashion to win the remaining ones. Australia, on the other hand, came into this year's World Cup as the strongest contenders for the title. They were unbeaten throughout the contest, with their only loss coming against the West Indies in their last Super Six pastime. Both teams look extremely strong on paper and its leaving to be a gruelling battle of heavyweights to determine which team determination emerge as world champion. We're in for a cracker of a contest for sure!

The Women's World Cup is up for grab as West Indies take on Australia in the final of the contest at the Brabourne Stadium. What a tournament it has been so far, nobody would have predicted that West Indies would come in to the final. It's their first time while Australia contain been there before and won it five times.

West Indies are the only side that have beaten the Southern Stars in this tournament. No other team could achieve to do so. The nerves will be up there for them and there is a lot of hope from the Caribbean along with the support.

Pitch - It's a belting outside and is pretty dry. There are a few superficial cracks on the good length areas and the ball good hold up if the fuller length are opted for. Hitting through the line shouldn't be a problem.

Toss- Australia have win the toss in addition to chose to bat. They will look to post a total that would be further than the reach of the dangerous batters in the West Indian line up. Perry and Coyte come in today for Chappell and Ferling. Knight, the opener comes in for West Indies.

West Indies (Playing XI( - Kycia Knight, Natasha McLean, Stafanie Taylor, Kyshona Knight, Deandra Dottin, Merissa Aguilleira(c/wk), Shanel Daley, Shemaine Campbelle, Shaquana Quintyne, Anisa Mohammed, Tremayne Smartt

Australia (Playing XI) - Rachael Haynes, Meg Lanning, Jess Cameron, Alex Blackwell, Lisa Sthalekar, Jodie Fields(c/wk), Sarah Coyte, Erin Osborne, Ellyse Perry, Julie Hunter, Megan Schutt

The national anthem of both the sides are being play and the passion is absolutely flushing on the face of the players. What a instant this will be for most of them, representing their own nations in a World Cup final.

West Indies Head For Maiden Women's World Cup Final

A spirited West Indies women's side claim an eight-run victory over Australia at the ICC Women's World Cup India 2013 today to safe itself a spot in the final of the event for the first time in its 40-year history, it is also the first time West Indies has beaten Australia in an ODI. The two team will face-off again at the Brabourne Stadium on 17 February in a day-night match that will be broadcast round the globe in High meaning by the ICC's Broadcast Partner Star Sports.

The victory by West Indies income that New Zealand and current champion England, currently playing in a day/night fixture at CCI, are not able to make the final and the two sides will get together again on 15 February to fight it out in the third-place play-off and a new universal ranking.

Meanwhile in Cuttack, Dane van Niekerk starred with the bat and ball to ensure South Africa finished the Super Six stage with a 110-run win over Sri Lanka. The two sides will meet once more on Friday in the fifth-place play-off which, no matter the result, will see both sides finish the contest ranked higher than they entered the event.

At the MIG Ground, have won the toss Merissa Aguilleira elected to bat against Australia and the side was dismiss for 164 before squeezing the Australian batting with some tight bowling to send away the finalists for 156 to complete a historic win. It was West Indies' first ever win over Australia in an ODI fixture and in return Australia's first loss of the ICC Women's World Cup 2013.

West Indies batting proved to be inconsistent, at one point, the side was reeling at 7-92 in the 25th over, previous to all-rounder Deandra Dottin, demoted to number seven for today's game, propped up the bat attack with a dazzling 60 runs, including ten fours and a six to help West Indies reach 164.

The Australian bowling attack once again proved disciplined, bowling good line and lengths to keep the side in make sure and star bowlers, Holly Ferling (3-27) and Megan Schutt (3-50) were the pick of the Southern Stars team.

Australia looked likely to secure victory, when in the 39th over it was 130-4 but all went wrong for the current ICC Women's World Twenty champions when it lost its last six wickets for just 26 runs. Australia was in problem early, losing stylish opener Meg Lanning, bowled by left-arm spinner Shanel Daley. Lanning's opening partner Rachael Haynes was next out by means of the score at 32. Jess Cameron and Lisa Sthalekar attempted to stabalise the innings but it was up to captain and vice-captain, Jodie Fields and Alex Blackwell, to try and resurrect the innings with a 41-run partnership.

But Blackwell's dismissal for 45 triggered a mini collapse as the side lost three wickets for one run. The lower order unsuccessful to provide the required runs, with two run-outs and thus helping the West Indies secure itself a place in the ICC Women's World Cup final for the first time.

Aguillera was elated after the win: "Words cannot express what I am feeling right now. I am completely overwhelmed. We have been from side to side a lot as a team. Our bowlers did a unbelievable job today. I felt some panic happening in their camp and I think that's the time we started to assault them more. We realised that as long as we were bowling in correct areas, we will get wickets and that's exactly what happened."

While all the batters generally struggled on the slow wicket, Player of the Match Dottin was the only one who was able to break the shackles and play freely. "Deandra has a natural ability to caress the ball well. It's a God-given talent. She is using it well, but she is not using it enough though," admitted Aguillera.

Australia captain Fields was disappointed with the first loss of the tournament. "I don't think it's ever good to have a loss. We came out today to win the match. We wanted to go through the contest undefeated, but credit to the West Indies. They played well today. We have to go away now and focus on training. We are going to play them in the final. At least we got a chance to look at what they are doing in their game and hopefully it be supposed to help us in the final," said Fields.

Australia lost three wickets to run-outs in the chase, but Fields did not think it was something to be concerned about going into the final. "We lost couple of wickets to

running between the wickets. But I am happy to see the girls be optimistic. We had to score runs and a little bit you have to take risks and to West Indies' credit, they got some run outs. It is something we determination go away and work on before the finals."

In Cuttack, Dane van Niekerk's all-round performance helped South Africa beat Sri Lanka by a massive 110-runs margin in its final Super Six match at the Barabati Stadium on Wednesday.

This match was a dress practice to the fifth place play-off match between the two sides, which will be played at the same earth on Friday, 15 February.

Sri Lanka's regular captain, Shashikala Siriwardena, did not feature in the game owing to illness and Sandamali Dolawatta led the side in her absence.

Asked to bat, South Africa posted 227 for eight in its 50 overs and in its reply Sri Lanka was shot out for just 117 in 36.4 overs.

Earlier, former captain Cri-Zelda Brits (52: 69b, 4x4, 3x6) and Shandre Fritz (64: 71b, 10x4) added 70 runs for the fourth wicket to guide South Africa to a strong position. Some late-order thrive from van Niekerk (40 off 38 balls) helped South Africa to finish on a high.

For Sri Lanka, Chamani Seneviratna was the most excellent bowler on view with figures of three for 44.

In its response, Sri Lanka lost wickets at regular intervals. Except for Chamari Atapattu (63: 74, 9x4) and captain Dolawatta (21) none of the other batters made any contributions. Atapattu and Dolawatta added 61 runs for the fourth wicket, which was the only highlight of the innings.

For South Africa, van Niekerk was the best wicket-taker with four for 18 which also fetched herthe player of the match award. Pace bowler, Shabnim Ismail who has had a good contest for the Protea ladies picked up two for 22 to help the side to victory.

"I think the bowlers conceded a little too many, 230 was a toughscore and while we batted except for Atapattu no one contributed, that is where we lost it. I think it was important for the openers to play at smallest amount 15 overs and set the platform, but once that didn't occur we just lost our way completely.

"We didn't adjust quickly to this wicket here in Cuttack because it was the first time we were playing here, but I am confident we can bounce back in the play-off. There was nothing wrong with the pitch truthfully, we played some poor strokes," said a disappointed Dolawatta.

South Africa captain du Preez was delighted with her squad's performance. "I think if we could have come up with this kind of presentation earlier, we could have fought for the third/fourth final tournament, but then the girls played brilliantly today. Hats off to them," said du Preez.

Despite the win, du Preez felt the gap partnership was a cause for concern for her side and wished for better income on Friday.

"I think our problem has been that we've been struggling to obtain a foundation upfront and that happen once again, so we had to consolidate (mid-way). Today it was a little damp because of the overcast conditions, so we wanted to just give ourselves a chance to use time in the middle. We knew if we did that we could catch up towards the end and we did," added du Preez.

Player of the match van Niekerk explained how she has been able to grow as a player. "Initially I began as a bowler, but now my position is that of an all-rounder and I see myself as someone who can bat anywhere required.

"The team needed me to bat at six today and I was prepared for it and it came off well. I'm a naturally aggressive batter, obviously with short boundaries on one end, I just tried to pick that side of the ground and it came off superbly,"' said van Niekerk.

A round-up of the current match sandwiched between New Zealand and England will be released later this evening, once the match has concluded.

Tendulkar Ton Helps Mumbai Recover

Mumbai: A Sachin Tendulkar century, in the eye of his fans, surpasses almost every other experience the world has to offer. The effect is rather more pronounced when it’s scored before his home crowd at the Wankhede Stadium. And at what time the manner of its achievement is as exquisite and chanceless as it was on Friday, it’s time to start thanking one’s stars for being in the surrounding area of the maestro while he’s at work in the middle.

Tendulkar’s unconquered 140 against Rest of India failed to give Mumbai the all-important first innings lead in the Irani Cup, but it showcased the best of his batting, skills upon which repeated, recent failures had cast a miasma of doubt. Was he too old? Had the predictable drag of time arrested his apparently ceaseless flight into an even grander greatness? Agreed the bowling on display – although consisting of four players with Test experience – be not of the highest quality. That took little away from Tendulkar, who batted like he hadn’t in a long time, claiming ownership of two additional records on the way.

Super show

He joined Sunil Gavaskar on 81 first class centuries – the most by an Indian – and crossed 25,000 first class runs. It was a knock of special radiance, studded with all that he has come to be known for: off-side punches; the cheeky row sweep; the adventurous upper cut; a pair of dead-straight drives; the freedom that marked the first half of his long career.

Alongside this exhilarating performance, Rest of India went diligently about their business: removing batsmen from the other end in addition to dismissing the hosts for 409 as Tendulkar remained intractable. The visitors lost a careless Shikhar Dhawan in the five overs they had to contend with before close, at which point they stood 144 ahead, nine wickets in hand, two more days to go. Mumbai’s tardiness allowed for just 79 overs to be bowled on Friday, in spite of play being extended by thirty minutes.

Well begun

Mumbai resumed on 155/2 in the dawn and night watchman Shardul Thakur edged Ishwar Pandey to gully on the first ball he faced. Tendulkar walked in and drove Pandey - second ball - crisply through cover for four. S. Sreesanth, balanced in the vicinity of 130 kmph, seamed into Tendulkar’s pads, beating him, peppering him with short balls, eliciting an expected response from the local hero: a backfoot drive on the up, all the way through wrap andto the fence.

My focus is always on cricket: Sreesanth

Mumbai raced in the first session, adding 155 for the loss of Thakur, Ajinkya Rahane and Rohit Sharma for a duck. Rahane was unlucky. He had be untroubled all his innings, slog-sweeping Pragyan Ojha for six to enter the 80s, before an umpiring error broken his stay. Rahane tried sweeping Harbhajan Singh from outside off stump, inside-edged on to his pad and was adjudged leg-before intended for a well-made 83, having added 73 with his senior partner.

More records

Tendulkar was severe on Ojha. He loft him inside out for a six and followed it with a four on the leg side. Another six, this time a slog-sweep next to the turbaned off-spinner, bring him his fifty. Harbhajan picked up his second scalp – Rohit for a 12-ball blob – when the batsman botched a sweep into Ojha’s hands at bottomless mid wicket.

Abhishek Nayar (1) edged Abhimanyu Mithun to slip immediately after lunch allowing another southpaw, Ankeet Chavan, to spend time with Tendulkar. The two added 103 for the seventh wicket – Chavan drawing on the imposing presence of his ally to help himself to 49.

The holder of several world records then came into his own. He paddle-swept Harbhajan, laced Ojha through cover, before successive fours rotten the latter took him into the nineties. Tendulkar survived a third-umpire mediated stumping call on the next liberation and yet another screaming off-drive against Sreesanth saw him on 99.

Beginning of the end

The entire gathering – now number at least a couple of thousand - rose collectively as Tendulkar reached his 81st first class century with a solitary and crossed 25,000 runs with a masterly off-drive to a Sreesanth half-volley. The marker netted, Tendulkar cut loose with a skin complaint of hits, his disdain equally distributed crossways Rest's bowling spectrum.

The end began with Chavan’s dismissal - caught behind off Mithun – and the remaining were swept away in a hurry, Mumbai conceding a deficit of 117. This still left time for Rest of India to face five overs, in the first of which icebreaker Shikhar Dhawan’s pull was plucked out of nowhere by a diving Nayar at shord mid-wicket. Rest ended on 27/1, 144 runs ahead, and with the reassuring thought that, come what may, they already have first innings lead – an almost invincible deal in Indian domestic cricket.

Day 3: IRANI CUP 2013 — SCOREBOARD

Rest of India: 526 (1st Innings)

Mumbai: 409 (1st Innings)

Wasim Jaffer c Ambati Rayudu b S Sreesanth 80 (126)

Aditya Tare c Manoj Tiwary b Ishwar Pandey 6 (9)

Ajinkya Rahane lbw b Harbhajan Singh 83 (183)

Shardul Thakur c Manoj Tiwary b Ishwar Pandey 4 (16)

Sachin Tendulkar not out 140 (197)

Rohit Sharma c Pragyan Ojha b H Singh 0 (12)

Abhishek Nayar c Murali Vijay b Abhimanyu Mithun 1 (12)

Ankeet Chavan c Wriddhiman Saha b Abhimanyu Mithun 49 (89)

Dhawal Kulkarni c Murali Vijay b Pragyan Ojha 10 (38)

Javed Khan c Abhimanyu Mithun b Harbhajan Singh 8 (15)

Vishal Vishwas Dabholkar lbw b Pragyan Ojha 0 (1)

India begin women's World Cup in style

Fine all-round performance give Mithali's girls a 105-run win in excess of West Indies.

MUMBAI — India may not be one of the top contender, but they began the 2013 ICC Women’s World Cup on an imposing not by defeat the West Indies at the Brabourne Stadium.

Indian openers Thirush Kamini and Poonam Raut capitalised on Merissa Aguilleira’s strange choice to bowl in great circumstances for batting in the first game of the tournament. India back that up with spirited fielding and some miserly bowling to seal a 105-run win.

Kamini scored 100 off 142 balls, flattering the first Indian woman to score a World Cup hundred while Raut was the attacker with a nicely-paced 72 off 94 balls.

Their opening partnership of 175 provide the launching pad for big-hitters Jhulan Goswami and Harmanpreet Kaur, who blitz 36 quick runs each to boost India to a match-winning score of 284-6.

While Kamini anchor the innings, Goswami, the previous India captain, was promoted up the arrange to quicken up the score.

The six-footer from Bengal swing six fours in 21 balls, while Harmanpreet kept the accelerator pressed by drumming four fours and two sixes.

The boundary ropes at the Brabourne Stadium have been bring in to about 60-odd metres on each side. But this didn’t seem to substance since the hits cleared the ropes contentedly. India were also aided by a number of sloppy West Indian field. 

LOOK OUT FOR DOTTIN

West Indies never got leaving, losing wickets regularly. They lost Kycia Knight second ball when she tried to take a single and Harman prêt threw down the stumps straight at the bowler’s end.

While Nagarajan Niranjana ended by means of three wickets, Goswami and seamer Amita Sharma were imposing with the new ball, bowling straight lines and getting some swing as well. With their joint spell, India seized the plan and kept West Indies on the mat.

A couple of umpiring decision went West Indies’ way when Shaun George and Mark Hawthorne didn’t uphold India’s appeal for what seemed like a simple caught-behind and an LBW.

The entertainment of the innings was provide by Deandra Dottin, who scored 39 off 16 balls. The fearsome hitter from Barbados hold the record for the fastest women’s hundred – a 38-baller against South Africa in 2010 in a T20.

She’d already bowled well to take 3-32 have come on to bowl in the 43rd over. Then she started hitting out next to the Indian bowlers operating with an attacking field.

Niranjana was hit for two fours off the primary balls Dottin faced. Next over, Dottin hit left-arm spinner Gouher Sultana for two sixes down the ground.

Niranjana took some more sentence – six, four and six – before she trapped Dottin plumb LBW to finish the competition.

Tougher challenges lay in front for Mithali Raj's side when they get on England after that on Sunday.