SMITH PUSHES SHEWAG TO FOURTH IN ICC TEST RANKINGS

SMITH PUSHES SHEWAG TO FOURTH IN ICC TEST RANKINGS

World Fastest Batsman Virender Sehwag slipped to fifth position in the ICC ranking for the Test batsmen while Gautam Gambhir held on to his top position.

South African skipper Graeme Smith, who hammered a brilliant 183 in the second innings of the third Test against England, jumped seven places to replace Sehwag in the fourth place.

Seasoned Rahul Dravid gained a place to reach 12th slot with Sachin Tendulkar following him. VVS Laxman also improved his ranking, going to number 17 from 18.

In the bowlers' list Harbhajan Singh (6) and Zaheer Khan had their rankings unchanged.

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INDIA OPENS VICTORY IN TRISERIES

INDIA OPENS VICTORY IN TRISERIES

jarkandh dyanamite Mahendra Singh Dhoni’s controlled aggression and Virat Kohli’s keen understanding of the situation saved India from major embarrassment against Bangladesh here on Thursday. Chasing a stiff target of 297, India lost three quick wickets before Dhoni (101 not out) and Kohli (91) strung a 152-run stand for the fourth wicket that stemmed the rot and paved the way for a six-wicket win as India cruised to 297/4 with 15 deliveries to spare. Dhoni guiding run chases has become second nature. It was another example of the senior batsman shepherding the team through crisis during the course of his seventh One-Day International hundred. The heartening feature of his batting was the swiftness he showed in running between the wickets. Even when the boundaries dried up, five to six runs were available easily, thanks to Dhoni and Kohli using the bowlers’ pace and angle to perfection. There was nothing much in the bowling or in the wicket to probe the batsmen. Virender Sehwag made the elementary error of running on a misfield and Abdur Razzak’s direct hit caught him napping. Gautam Gambhir dragged one on to his stumps while Syed Rasel got the ball to move just enough to beat the outside edge of Yuvraj Singh and clip the off-stump. At 51/3 there was no fault if the near full house believed their team was in with a realistic chance. Kohli, forced to bat with a runner tapped a catch back to Shakib Al Hasan, when he was nine short of a well-deserved hundred. Suresh Raina then completed the formalities with a tireless Dhoni for company. The batting powerplay was taken only in the 46th over with 25 required for a win. It stated the confidence with which Dhoni approached the target. Earlier, the visitors were left bleeding for their lethargy as Bangladesh ran up their highest total against India in ODIs. The fielders erring constantly and the bowlers throwing up their hands in exasperation was a common sight throughout the innings. Bangladesh appeared to lose momentum every time they looked like gaining one but the good finisher by R. Mahmudullah (60, 4b5, 8x4) ensured a good score was posted. The hosts took their powerplay in the last five overs. It produced 54 runs as the Indian medium pacers looked clueless. They did not even have the dew as a reason this time around and Mahmudullah treated them with contempt. scoreboard

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