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Murali Kartik was a complete bowler for every format and should have ended up with more than 300 Test wickets

VVS Laxman14-Jun-2014One of my favourite stories about Murali Kartik concerns his name. My wife would always address him as Murali. His response, delivered in that soft yet firm tone, would be: “Murali is my father’s name. My name is Kartik.”Kartik has this knack of getting close to certain people. I do not really know when and how we became such close friends. I guess a lot has to do with the common interests we share. Both of us are spiritual and religious. Both are devotees of Satya Sai Baba; Kartik’s father, in fact, does voluntary service at the Satya Sai Baba Trust in Puttaparthi. Over the years, from the time he made his Test debut in 2000, we have shared a good rapport.One big reason for me to open up to him and like him was that Kartik is a genuine person. He speaks his mind, not only on the cricket field but off it also. When that happens, you feel comfortable with a person. This feeling was mutual, as evidenced by this lovely tribute from him when I retired.Over the years, as we started getting closer, I saw that Kartik was a very likeable character who would do anything for his friends. He was one of the few people I would call for his opinion on various issues. He is a knowledgeable guy – not only about cricket – and that is why I always pick his brains to get inputs or a different perspective.Considering our relationship extends to over 15 years now, it is inevitable that we have shared several ups and downs. I remember the time in 2002-03 he was dropped for the ODI series in New Zealand. I cajoled him and asked him not to get disappointed. Soon afterwards, I found myself not picked for the 2003 World Cup!Both of us were obviously disappointed when we found ourselves on the India A tour to the Caribbean. I was the captain and we had a nightmare of a series. I told him I was never going to cajole him any more, since it was landing me in trouble too!As a player, my first impression of Kartik was how talented and skilful he was. This was in 1997, when we played against each other in successive tournaments – the Karnataka State Cricket Association tournament in Bangalore and then the Buchi Babu Memorial tournament in Chennai, with Kartik playing for India Cements and me representing Indian Airlines.His most outstanding characteristic is his confidence. From the first day I saw him till his last match his body language and his never-say-die attitude never changed. That is a great quality to have for any cricketer to succeed at any level. It becomes much more important for a spinner because the way the modern game has progressed, it is getting tougher for a slow bowler to leave his mark. There are not many orthodox spinners left in the game – people who are willing to flight the ball, deceive the batsmen in the air, don’t mind getting hit for a boundary, are always on the prowl, looking for a wicket. Kartik always possessed those characteristics and never compromised on them.He is an intelligent person, a quality he brought to his cricket too. He is a good student of cricket and read the game, batsmen and situations well. He is a complete bowler for every level and all formats.His primary strength is his skill. In my book, a spinner is dangerous when he is not defensive but always attacking and eyeing wickets. Kartik always had the desire to take wickets. And even if there were occasions when the batsman was on top, Kartik would never admit it. I never saw him bowl a bad spell. He might not have got wickets but he always had control; that and his variations allowed him to stay on top.

He is a good student of cricket and read the game, batsmen and situations well. He is a complete bowler for every level and all formats

In my eyes, the best spell Kartik bowled came during the Irani Cup against Mumbai in 2000, when he grabbed nine wickets in the second innings to win us the match. I was leading Rest of India and allowed Kartik to bowl unchanged on the fourth morning from the Tata End. It was unfortunate that he did not become the fifth bowler in Indian first-class cricket to achieve the feat of taking ten wickets in an innings. Kartik was always a wicket-taking bowler, someone a captain could rely on, and to me he was always a match-winner.While Kartik had the potential to become a match-winner, unfortunately during his heyday he underwent a lot of disappointments. In 2007 he had a very good ODI series against Australia in India. He finished as the second-best Indian bowler, including taking the Man-of-the-Match award in the final match of the series, in Mumbai. On the back of such a good performance he was looking forward to travel to Australia to play in CB Series. To his utter disappointment he was not even picked in the squad. I know for a fact that he was devastated by that experience.On the outside Kartik can come across as a bold and aggressive man. But he is very sensitive. And so it is just brilliant the way he has handled various tough experiences throughout his career. He always put up a brave face.Kartik has endured a lot, all through his career. Until you experience it, you cannot understand how tough it is to always carry on fighting. On the inside you are disappointed, you are frustrated, the pain is deep. And you think: Why does it always happen to me? I thought Kartik might occasionally feel bad, angry at the injustice; but he never showed it. Only to a select few did he reveal he could have been treated better. He never let the disappointments affect his game and the way he carried himself on the field. And that was the hallmark of his career.Kartik is a philosophical man. He learned through his experience that whatever happens does so for a reason. And he always took the positives – at least he played for India, played for Railways, played in county cricket, had the respect of his team-mates and opponents.One has to also understand that Kartik played for a team like Railways in the Indian domestic circuit where the facilities have always been sparse. But though he did not get his due at the international level, he always went back to domestic or county cricket without ever letting the disappointment discourage him from performing.He took a lot of pride in performance, no matter who he was playing for, or whether it was a competitive match or just a net session. He never let the batsman play with freedom.Once he realised that his chances of playing again for India had evaporated, he turned his focus to giving back what he had learned to his Railways team-mates. He fought for their rights with the authorities. He always had a soft corner for the team; last year, he took up the captaincy just so he could mentor the youngsters.I have relied a lot on Kartik to get inputs on domestic players when picking players at Sunrisers Hyderabad in the IPL. It was he who suggested that I pick Karn Sharma and Amit Paunikar.Despite his disappointments, Kartik has remained selfless and has been open to sharing with youngsters his inputs and insights. Recently, Akshar Patel excelled during Kings XI Punjab’s run to their maiden IPL final. I am certain Kartik must have played some role in Patel doing well. It did not matter to Kartik that he was sitting on the bench despite being the more experienced spinner.When he called me earlier this week to tell me that his time was up, it was a sad moment. But I can understand his decision. Kartik was unfortunate that he played when Anil Kumble and Bhajji [Harbhajan Singh] were in their prime. But maybe when Anil retired, Kartik could have been given more opportunities. He is a bowler who should have taken more than 300 Test wickets. Indian cricket has missed out on a match-winner.

The controversy surrounding the IPL has done little to deter fans in UAE from flocking the stadiums, as they gear up to watch the Indian stars in action for the first time since 2006

Karthik Krishnaswamy in Sharjah15-Apr-2014On Monday afternoon, the Sharjah Cricket Stadium looked like it had been airlifted out of India. This impression came partly from the lightweight tent-like roofs covering the stands at the other end, the sort of roof that has sprung up over pretty much every new stadium in India.Mostly, though, it was all the branding, all those blue vinyl strips that covered every available surface with the IPL logo and the crests of its eight franchises. Tony Greig would have struggled to identify exactly which aisles all that dancing had taken place in, all those years ago.Back then, back in the boom years of 50-over cricket, Sharjah had hosted the IPL of its time. There was money, there was Bollywood, there was even a tantalising whiff of impropriety. When it all became too much, India stopped playing there. For close to 14 years, the people of the UAE didn’t get to watch India play, except when they came over for two matches in Abu Dhabi in 2006.It seems weirdly appropriate that the IPL has come to the UAE precisely when – though not for that reason – the whiff of impropriety surrounding it is at its most pungent.Not that anyone is staying away. Tickets for most of the first week of the tournament have already sold out.”IPL is IPL,” said an Emirates Cricket Board official. “There is so much enthusiasm that such things will not cause public interest to wane.”You could feel this at the ground, where crews of workers were putting things in place for the start of the tournament. Even the Pakistani expatriates among them were looking forward to the IPL, never mind their players missing out, never mind them missing out even when the tournament had pitched its tent at what has been their cricketing home for the last five years.”We are feeling very bad,” said Mohammad Arshad, a member of the stadium workstaff, speaking for himself and for his colleague Wasim. They occupied the two top-most rungs of a 20-foot stepladder, and were hoisting a cable up to the roof. “But we are supporting Chennai Super Kings. We like MS Dhoni’s captaincy.”Leaning against the fence of a neighbouring stand, a man watched over a crew of maintenance workers hosing down the seats. This man, Mohammad Ali, turned out to be their supervisor. He has been in Sharjah for 11 years, and visits his family in Madurai once every one-and-a-half years.”I like all the players in the Indian team,” he said. “So I’m definitely excited about the IPL. I’ve watched Sri Lanka, West Indies, South Africa, Pakistan obviously, and even Afghanistan. Almost all the teams except India.”The official had said pretty much the same thing. “The Indian players were missed,” he said. “No one expected the IPL to come here, so after it happened, suddenly, there has definitely been a buzz. It is a good break, and it’s good to have India here, and to have the BCCI here.”The Emirates Cricket Board, he said, looked forward to the BCCI’s support in helping the growth of cricket in the UAE. “We will seek their guidance towards developing cricket in this part of the world,” he said. “They are like our elder brothers.”

Back then, back in the boom years of 50-over cricket, Sharjah had hosted the IPL of its time. There was money, there was Bollywood, there was even a tantalising whiff of impropriety. When it all became too much, India stopped playing there

At times, though, they can get a bit Big Brother. Back in 2009, when the IPL was first moved out of India, the management at the Wanderers in Johannesburg weren’t too pleased with what they saw as an attempt by the IPL to “take control of the entire Stadium operation, regardless of the cost or disruption.”Back in the old days, the members’ stand in Sharjah had a clear view of the players’ comings and goings, and the only thing separating the media and the players’ dressing room was a four-foot long fence. But much has changed in the years since India last played there, and the public and the media definitely won’t get the same kind of access any more, for better or worse.On Monday, though, some vestiges of the stadium’s old-world atmosphere still remained. A man with a camera seemed to have wandered in without too much of a hassle, and was clearly enjoying himself, taking photographs of the last-minute preparations at the ground, and even of the office walls, covered with action shots from the 90s.At some point, though, his luck ran out, and he ran into a venue manager, who made him delete all his photographs. He had crossed the invisible line separating Sharjah Cricket Stadium and Sharjah, the IPL venue.

Also, best post-war win/loss record, most runs in two calendar years, most ducks in a Test, and brothers with similar numbers

Steven Lynch08-Jul-2014I read somewhere that the forthcoming Indian series was the most time-intensive ever, with five Tests in six weeks. Is that true? asked Tom Merrick from England

It’s not quite true, no. This year’s England-India series is scheduled to last 42 days (if the final Test at The Oval goes all the way). The shortest time span for any series involving five Tests is actually 35 days, for the one between West Indies and England in 2009-10 – but that’s cheating a bit, as that involved the match in Antigua, which was abandoned early on the first day, because the ground was unfit, and replaced by another game played elsewhere on the island shortly afterwards. A more genuine case is the Basil D’Oliveira Trophy series between South Africa and England in 2004-05, which spanned only 40 days. Rather surprisingly for what we think of as more leisurely times, the 1963-64 India-England series lasted only 42 days, while the five Tests between West Indies and India in the Caribbean early in 2002 were also shoehorned into 42 days. The Ashes record is 44 days, for the 2006-07 and 2010-11 series in Australia.Since the Second World War which country has the best win/loss record? I would guess Australia … asked Charles Silverstone from Israel

That’s a pretty safe guess! Australia have played 595 Tests since 1945, winning 281 and losing 146, with two ties and 166 draws. That’s a win/loss ratio of 1.92. Next come South Africa (1.52), England (1.16) and Pakistan (1.10), with West Indies on a level 1.00 (157 wins v 156 defeats plus a tie). Bangladesh, with just four wins to set against 68 defeats, languish bottom with a ratio of 0.05, assuming you ignore the World XI’s one unsuccessful outing in 2005-06. For the full table, click here.After 266 innings, Shivnarine Chanderpaul was stumped for the very first time! Has anyone gone longer before finally being out stumped? asked Ashley Barnes from New Zealand

Shivnarine Chanderpaul’s dismissal on the final day of the third Test against New Zealand in Bridgetown last week was indeed the first time he had been stumped in a Test, in his 266th innings. That is a record: Graeme Smith was not stumped until his 194th innings, in his 111th Test, against Pakistan in Abu Dhabi last October. Daniel Vettori (166th innings), Alec Stewart and Sanath Jayasuriya (both 156th) all went a long time before being stumped as well. Mahela Jayawardene may yet beat Chanderpaul’s mark: he’s had 244 Test innings so far, and hasn’t been stumped yet.Is Ricky Ponting the only player to score more than 2500 international runs in two separate calendar years? asked Keith D’Souza from Saudi Arabia

Ricky Ponting occupies the top two positions in this particular table, having scored 2833 runs in all internationals in 2005, and 2657 in 2003. The only other batsmen to exceed 2500 in all forms of the game are Rahul Dravid (2626 in 1999), Kumar Sangakkara (2609 in 2006), Sourav Ganguly (2580 in 1999), Tillakaratne Dilshan (2568 in 2009) and Sachin Tendulkar (2541 in 1998). Of those, Tendulkar had the best average (68.67 to Ponting’s 66.42 in 2003). Sangakkara and Tendulkar both passed 2000 runs in five separate calendar years; most neatly, Mohammad Yousuf scored exactly 2000 international runs in 2000.There were 11 ducks in the Headingley Test. Is this a record? asked David Harrier from Germany

The 11 ducks in the nail-biting Headingley Test – which included pairs for Lahiru Thirimanne, Dhammika Prasad and a long-drawn-out one for Jimmy Anderson – equalled the record for any Test, set in a low-scoring Ashes Test at Old Trafford in 1888, and equalled nine more times since, most recently (before Headingley) in the match between Sri Lanka and West Indies in Kandy in November 2001. For the full list, click here.Wasim and Ramiz Raja both played 57 Tests for Pakistan. Is this the only instance of brothers figuring in the same number of Tests? asked Joel Pojas from the Philippines

Not only did Ramiz and Wasim Raja win the same number of Test caps, their overall records were strikingly similar: Ramiz scored 2833 runs at 31.83, while Wasim made 2821 (36.16). There are two other sets of brothers who played the same amount of Tests – but they are all one-cap wonders. EM and GF Grace both played once for England in 1880 (their rather more celebrated brother WG won 22 caps), while Alec and George Hearne also played one Test apiece for England, in 1891-92. The biggest discrepancy between fraternal caps is 89, between South Africa’s Gary Kirsten (101) and his half-brother Peter (12). Greg Chappell won 87 caps to his brother Trevor’s three. Turning to fathers and sons, Hemant and Hrishikesh Kanitkar both played two Tests for India.

Touted as the explosive finisher Bangladesh have always lacked, Sabbir Rahman struggled during the World T20, but has repaid the selectors’ faith in him with a sparkling cameo on his ODI debut against Zimbabwe

Mohammad Isam in Chittagong22-Nov-2014For a birthday party, Sabbir Rahman’s was a quiet one. He cut a vanilla cake with some of his team-mates at a restaurant near the team hotel, after which they sat for lunch. Mahmudullah, Rubel Hossain, Imrul Kayes, Anamul Haque, Jubair Hossain and Arafat Sunny were with him.”Normally every year I speak to my parents on my birthday,” Sabbir said. “I haven’t talked to them yet but the big difference this year is that I am spending my birthday while in the senior team, with the cricketers. Everything feels good. I did well on my ODI debut, the team won and it is my birthday today. It is exciting. Maybe it would have been great if the match was today.”Sabbir, whose international career had nearly been buried after the World T20 debacle in March, might have counted himself lucky to be there.Having made his T20 debut the previous month against Sri Lanka, Sabbir had been touted as the next big thing in a Bangladesh T20 side lacking in a genuine big hitter. His past and recent successes in the format had helped him build this reputation but he made only 50 runs in four innings, his failure against Hong Kong the lowest point as Bangladesh were shocked by the minnows. He was picked for one more game, against West Indies, against whom he only scored 1, and hardly featured in conversations relating to selection thereafter.He also fell into poor form, having not done too well for Bangladesh A on their tour of the West Indies or for the full-strength side in the Asian Games. His Dhaka Premier League form hadn’t been too impressive either but the Faruque Ahmed-led selection committee kept faith in Sabbir. They must be quite happy with their decision at the moment, having watched Sabbir make a promising ODI debut against Zimbabwe.Sabbir crunched three sixes and three fours in his 25-ball 44, and provided a final flourish often missing in Bangladesh’s ODI innings. He started poorly, missing a few and looking a little frustrated, and Mushfiqur Rahim helped him through this little phase. Coach Chandika Hathurusingha had earlier told him to stay not out till the end, and support the set batsmen in the middle since Shakib Al Hasan and Mushfiqur were going great guns.”Mushfiq bhai gave me a lot of encouragement when I wasn’t timing the ball or missing a few,” Sabbir said. “I thought I wasn’t able to do anything, felt guilty for wasting deliveries at that stage. I was confident that if I could stick through it, I could cover it up later. There were nerves when I was waiting to go in to bat. But it went away as soon as I went inside. Seeing such a big crowd made me feel big at heart. I always like playing in front of a crowd, it inspires me.”The coach told me to finish the innings, stay not out and support whoever is out there with me. And I like batting in these situations. I can bat freely. It is difficult but also quite simple. The bowlers are on the back foot. It is easy to find singles and hitting four or five big ones can increase the scoring rate.”For all the fun, it was only Sabbir’s first ODI, and many Bangladeshi cricketers have done well at the start of their careers, in different formats. The man Sabbir has replaced, Nasir Hossain, is among two batsmen to have made a fifty on ODI debut for Bangladesh. Sabbir is aware of the cautionary tales, but also said that starting well was important to create a good first impression.”Some have a good debut, some don’t,” he said. “I will try to play as well as I did on my debut or do better. I am taking it positively. Some did well in their debut and are now out of the picture while some survived.”Starting well is also important. It gives you confidence and makes playing for the national team normal. I am thankful to Allah for getting what I wanted. I was thinking of giving up any hope of playing for Bangladesh if I couldn’t make it this season.”

Just outside Dublin is eight-decade-old Rush CC, which honed the skills of Eoin Morgan and William Porterfield

Tim Wigmore23-Jan-2015Surrounded by concrete walls on three sides, the ground has 50-foot-high netting to prevent sixes flying over the short boundary into the houses along the fourth. Straight hits head towards a doctor’s house and grounds on one side and a bare field on the other, and there is a church across the road from the main entrance. There are also vicious northeasterly winds and the threat of “fog stopped play” during the summer months.Situated 30km north of Dublin, there seems little remarkable about Rush Cricket Club, a Division Two team in the Leinster league. It is a world away from the World Cup venues that can house many times this seaside village’s population of 10,000.
Yet Rush has a unique role to play in the 2015 World Cup. It is a club that can claim to have developed two captains in the tournament. The new England captain, Eoin Morgan, grew up playing for Rush, his local club. Ireland skipper William Porterfield would later hone his game at the club in 2006 and 2007.In their different ways, Morgan and Porterfield are examples of the resurgence in Irish cricket. It is apt that Rush can claim a part in their success because, during Irish cricket’s dark ages in the 20th century, it was clubs like these that kept the flame alive. Despite the stigma of being seen as an English sport, and the difficulty caused by the Gaelic Athletic Association banning its members from playing or even watching the sport until 1971, cricket stubbornly remained an important part of sporting life in North County Dublin. Cricket clubs were maintained in areas that had once hosted the game on great landed estates. Rush was formed in 1931. It has played on its current ground since 1969, when the Kenure landed estate was broken up.Rush has largely been sustained by the commitment of a few cricketing families, of whom the Morgans are among the most prominent. “Eoin was very wise in cricket – I think he got that from his family,” recalled Niall Mullen, a team-mate in Rush’s youth teams. “He would have learned a lot from his father and his brothers. He had no option but to play cricket.”While Morgan has become renowned as a tricksy 360-degree batsman, growing up he was very different. “He was very orthodox – especially for his age,” said Mullen, who did not remember Morgan playing any reverse sweeps or switch hits. “I would never really have seen him play shots like that. They say it’s from hurling. I think he’s just developed the shots himself.”His unorthodoxy may have come later, but Morgan’s talent and zest for the game were always palpable. “There was something different about him growing up,” Mullen recalled. “The ambition with him – it was obvious he was going to go far. He’d never miss a training session. He’d be offering to play at all levels.”A seven-year-old Morgan even played in an All-Ireland Senior Cup game in the north. “It was never a big ask for him. He fit in everywhere.” In Rush’s third XI, Morgan was often captained by his father, Jody.This slight boy had tenacity to match his talent. Fintan McAllister, a team-mate of Morgan’s and a long-time family friend, recalled: “It didn’t matter what pace anyone was bowling at him – even adults and overseas professionals – nothing ever fazed him.” The young Morgan made up for his lack of height with a destructive pull shot.But just as Ireland would be denied the full fruits of Morgan’s talents, so would Rush. He played his last game for the club at the age of 11. “From a young age he just wanted to play at the highest standard – that’s just who Eoin was,” McAllister said.So while his brother Gavin continued to play for Rush, Eoin moved to Malahide Cricket Club, which plays at the idyllic ground that Ireland packed 10,000 into against England in September 2013. The two brothers faced each other in the 2002 All-Ireland final. While Malahide won, Gavin won the fraternal battle: he scored 26 to Eoin’s 9, and dismissed his younger brother to boot. “I just remember Gavin when he got Eoin out did a little jump over the stumps,” McAllister remembered.Rush was to play a very different role in the development of Eoin’s friend William Porterfield. In 2006, Porterfield was just completing a degree at Leeds Metropolitan University, and after several years playing county 2nd XI cricket and for the MCC Young Cricketers, was on the periphery of the Ireland squad. Ireland coach Adi Birrell suggested that Porterfield move from Derry to play club cricket for Rush, which is said to have one of the finest batting wickets in Leinster. And though two years older than Morgan, Porterfield was regarded as one of the finest batting talents in Ireland. “Growing up we would have heard about William – they were compared to each other,” reflected Mullen. “But Eoin stood out a lot more than William.”Porterfield came to the club on the recommendation of the Ireland coach•Getty ImagesWhile Porterfield’s run-scoring perhaps fell a little short of expectations – “I think that was just getting to know a new team,” Mullen said – he still displayed hints of the leadership qualities he would later exhibit for the national side. McAllister remembers Porterfield as “a natural leader” with “a real good cricketing brain” and “someone that the whole team gets on with and everyone in the team respects”.And then there was his fielding. Inspired by Porterfield, Ireland’s fielding was a hallmark in the last two World Cups. “He just seemed to pull off some unbelievable stops and catches at backward point,” recalled McAllister. “It was always like, ‘You have to see Porterfield fielding.'”As England and Ireland have been drawn in different groups, it is unlikely that Morgan and Porterfield will face each other on the field, but Rush will still be proud of the part it has played in developing two captains at the Word Cup. “That’s what we’re hoping to advertise this year. It’s probably not known too much now and it’ll be nice to get Rush on the map,” said Mullen, now the club treasurer.Reflecting the wider transformation of the game in Ireland, Rush’s youth set-up has boomed since Morgan’s days there. It now has three Under-11 sides compared to one when Morgan played. “We’ve an awful lot of youth coming through,” said Mullen. “We’re a small club but we’re hoping to achieve big things in the future.”

Stats highlights from South Africa’s historic victory at the SCG

Bishen Jeswant18-Mar-20154:54

Insights: Is Tahir one of SA’s best bowlers at World Cups?

9 Number of wickets by which South Africa won this game, their largest margin of victory against Sri Lanka. It was also the first instance of South Africa beating Sri Lanka by a margin of more than eight wickets.7 Wickets taken by South Africa’s spinners, the most ever in an ODI for them. Imran Tahir took four wickets while JP Duminy took three. It was the fourth instance of South Africa’s spinners sharing seven wickets between themselves in an ODI.Imran Tahir has taken 15 wickets this World Cup, the third most by a South African bowler in a single edition of the tournament•ICC15 Wickets taken by Tahir this World Cup, the third most by a South African bowler in a single edition of the World Cup. The only bowlers to take more wickets than him are Lance Klusner (17 in 1999) and Alan Donald (16 in 1999).2 Players who have made their ODI debut in a World Cup knockout game. Wayne Larkins made his England debut during the semi-final of the 1979 World Cup, and Sri Lanka’s Tharindu Kaushal became the second player when he made his debut today.2 Number of spinners who have taken a World Cup hat-trick; Saqlain Mushtaq and JP Duminy. Prior to Duminy in this game, Saqlain had taken a hat-trick against Zimbabwe during the 1999 World Cup.4 Number of times Tahir has dismissed Mahela Jayawaredene in ODIs, more than he has dismissed any other batsman. Tahir has not dismissed any other batsman more than twice in ODIs.332 Number of balls bowled in this match, making it the shortest ever knockout match in a World Cup. The previous shortest was the 1999 World Cup Final between Australia and Pakistan that lasted only 355 balls.150 ODIs hosted at the Sydney Cricket Ground. The only venue to host more ODIs is the Sharjah Cricket Stadium in UAE (218).0 Sixes hit during this match, the first such instance in this World Cup1 Knockout games that South Africa have won in World Cups; this is the first. The only other time they came close was during the 1999 World Cup semi-final when they famously tied against Australia.

First through Harbhajan Singh’s miserly spell, and then through the Ambati Rayudu and his colleagues, Mumbai Indians broke into the top four for the first time this year.

Amol Karhadkar06-May-2015At the end of the sixth over of Mumbai Indians chase, a reserve player sprinted to the middle and handed over a Duckworth-Lewis sheet to Rohit Sharma and Ambati Rayudu in the middle. This was the second instance of Rohit being handed over a D/L sheet in three overs – spread over an hour and two rain interruptions.While Rohit had asked for the sheet that some of the international team coaches have misread in the past, this time around it was the Mumbai dugout that had sent the paper across to the middle. Precariously placed at 41 for 4 after the Powerplay overs, the Mumbai Indians captain had a brief chat with Rayudu and folded up the piece of paper without even looking at it. Rohit slipped the paper in his pocket, and had a fist pump with Rayudu.One could make out Rohit would have told Rayudu something like “let’s take it as a 20-over game”. Their quest to match the complex Duckworth-Lewis equations had seen them lose two wickets in eight balls in the brief session between the two breaks. Opener Parthiv Patel had holed out to covers, which led to Harbhajan Singh being promoted to No.5 only to see him falling on the stroke of the second interval.Once Rohit and Rayudu started playing percentage cricket and Kieron Pollard’s calculated risks came off to perfection, a target of 153 turned out to be far from excessive. That too after losing four wickets in less than six overs.As much as the triumvirate of Rohit, Rayudu and Pollard – all of whom continued to bat lower by at least one position – was responsible for getting the Mumbai juggernaut rolling, their fourth successive victory wouldn’t have been possible without Harbhajan’s exceptional four-over spell.The veteran offspinner had got off to an excellent start to the IPL, picking up eight scalps in Mumbai’s first four games. But he had been going through a rough patch of late, claiming just one wicket in the last four games. But Harbhajan turned the tide in his favour with an immaculate spell of spin bowling.With Delhi Daredevils having raced to 43 for 1, thanks to Shreyas Iyer and JP Duminy’s clean hitting, the signs were ominous for Mumbai. Less than two weeks earlier, Iyer and Duminy had taken the game away from Mumbai with a 154-run association at the Kotla.In a bid to at least put the brakes on, if not break the partnership, Rohit threw the ball to Harbhajan for the last over with fielding restrictions. And Harbhajan struck, fooling promising Iyer in flight off the first ball he bowled. The next five balls saw Duminy managing to get to the other end courtesy of a leg-bye. Once he had started with a maiden, Harbhjajan continued to bowl with a loop, something that has been missing from his armoury over the last few years.When Yuvraj Singh replaced Duminy before Harbhajan’s second over, he maintained his trajectory at slower speeds. Yuvraj also found it going tough against him, managing just five runs off the 12 balls he faced by his Punjab team-mate.With Jadhav having grown in confidence, connecting a trademark slog off J Suchith at the other end, Harbhajan then trapped him with a quicker one. Jadhav isn’t afraid to charge down the track off spinners and knowing that Daredevils had to get a move on, he went after Harbhajan in his last over. Since the batsman had made his move a fraction of a second too early, Harbhajan was smart enough to slide the ball outside off to leave Jadhav stranded and for Patel to do the rest behind the wickets.Harbhajan’s four overs had cost just 11 runs. The fact that he didn’t concede a single boundary, bowling 16 dot balls, in his spell meant Daredevils just couldn’t get the momentum in the middle overs. Despite Yuvraj’s antics at the death, Harbhajan’s miserly spell had ensured that Mumbai Indians will have to chase a moderate, and not mammoth, target.Rayudu and Co then ensured that Harbhajan’s good work wasn’t wasted to see Mumbai Indians break into the top four for the first time in IPL 2015.

Stats highlights from the third ODI between India and Bangladesh in Mirpur

Bishen Jeswant24-Jun-20151:20

Insights – Dhoni averages 68.40 at No. 4

68.4 MS Dhoni’s average in ODIs at No. 4, the best for any batsman in ODI history (minimum 1000 runs). Dhoni has scored 1026 runs from 20 innings at a strike rate of 99.41, including one century and 10 fifties. He scored 69 runs in the third ODI.13 Wickets taken by Mustafizur Rahman in the series, the joint-most by any bowler playing three or fewer matches in an ODI series. Ryan Harris also took 13 wickets from the three games he played during a five-match series against Pakistan in 2010.86 Number of times India have scored 300-plus runs in an ODI innings, the most for any team, just ahead of Australia (84). However, India have only done this 64 times batting first, while Australia have done it 76 times.20 Wickets taken by Mashrafe Mortaza in ODIs against India, the most for any Bangladesh bowler. He went past Mohammad Rafique (18) during his three-wicket haul in the third ODI.3 Number of times each of India’s top-six batsmen have scored 25 or more in the same ODI – twice against Bangladesh and once against England. India’s top six in this game were Rohit Sharma (29), Shikhar Dhawan (75), Virat Kohli (25), Dhoni (69), Ambati Rayudu (44) and Suresh Raina (38). The other such instance against Bangladesh was in Dhaka in 2004.40.6 Soumya Sarkar’s batting average in ODIs, the highest for any Bangladesh batsman who has played at least 10 innings. Second on the list is Shakib Al Hasan (35.2). Sarkar opened the batting and scored 40 off 34 in this ODI.3 Number of times Rohit and Raina were dismissed by Mustafizur during the series.Rohit was out caught in all three ODIs, while Raina was bowled twice and caught once.158 Runs scored by Dhawan during the series, the most for any batsman. He scored two fifties and had a strike rate of 92.4. Second and third on the list were Sarkar (128) and Shakib (123).20 Overs bowled by Raina in this series, the second-most for him in an ODI series of three or fewer matches. He bowled 22 overs during a three-match ODI series against West Indies in 2013. He also finished with figures of 3 for 45 in the last ODI, the second three-wicket haul of his ODI career.