IPL 5: Deccan end Rajasthan hopes of playoff spot

An all-round performance helped the bottom-ranked Deccan Chargers to thrash Rajasthan Royals by five wickets and put them out of contention for the playoffs on Friday.

For Deccan Akshath Reddy top scored with 42 runs and with some valuable contributions from JP Duminy (24) and Shikhar Dhawan (26) in the middle overs. Although Rajasthan had some hope of defending their modest total of 126 after some quick wickets but Parthiv Patel and Ashish Reddy saw Deccan through without any further hiccups. Rajasthan’s Siddharth Trivedi took two wickets, while Johan Botha, Ajit Chandila and Stuart Binny chipped in with a wicket each.

Coming on for the chase, Deccan openers Dhawan and Reddy gave their team a great start from the first over itself. Going by the slow nature of the track, Dravid decided to start the proceedings with Chandila but the tall legspinner went for 11 runs which included a six and a four.

The runs kept coming thick and fast for Deccan as Rajasthan looked for their first breakthrough and that time came in the 9th over when Dhawan was dismissed by Botha for 26. But the wicket came tad too late for Rajasthan when Deccan were on course to an easy win with wickets in hand. But two quick wickets in the form of Reddy (42) and Cameron White (1) in successive overs brought Rajasthan back into the game.

These two wickets somehow applied brakes on their scoring rate and the wicket of Chris Lynn in the 16th over brightened Rajasthan’s chance of sneaking in a win with Deccan requiring 23 runs off 24 balls.

Earlier, Rajasthan skipper Rahul Dravid won the toss and opted to bat and this decision of his backfired as his team managed to put up a modest score of 126 for 8. The pitch had purchase for both spinners and the seamers and they made good use of the conditions.

In a crucial match like this where Rajasthan are fighting to stay alive for the playoff failed to read the pitch and kept losing wickets at regular intervals that hampered their chance of putting up a decent total on the board.

Dravid was the leading scorer with 39 off 36 balls, which included five hits to the fence while Owais Shah (28) and Ashok Menaria (20) made useful contribution. The Deccan spinners were getting grip and turn from the track, especially Amit Mishra (2 for 20) who scalped Shane Watson (13) in his first ball and returned to get rid of Stuart Binny (7) off two ripper of deliveries.

After getting a reprieve, Ajinkya Rahane (6) failed to capitalise as Dale Steyn (2 for 16) got the ball to swing away a bit to induce an edge of Rahane to the wicketkeeper. With regular wickets Deccan managed to keep Rajasthan under check and the visiting team was happy with singles and twos. With Dravid and Shah at the crease, Rajasthan still had hope but Dravid charged Manpreet Gony and slashed hard over point to hand an easy catch to the fielder.

IPL 5: Rajasthan thump Punjab to stay alive

Rajasthan Royals produced an all-round show as they thumped Kings XI Punjab by 43 runs to end their four-match losing streak in the Indian Premier League here on Saturday. Chasing 178 for a win, KXIP were in the game only for a brief while when opener Shaun Marsh (34) was going great guns with some lusty hits but once he was out in the ninth over it was all over for the home side as they lost wickets at regular intervals.

Chasing a competitive 178, Punjab got off to shaky start losing opener Mandeep Singh in the second over to Shane Watson. Marsh then up the ante with some big shots but soon Punjab lost their skipper David Hussey and Punjab were reduced to 55 for 3 in eight overs. But just when Marsh looked settled, Johan Botha unleashed a peach of a delivery to clean bowled the left-hander. 

Azhar Mahmood and Gurkeerat Singh tried to stabilise the innings but with the run-rate rising with every passing over, Punjab's defeat looked inevitable and the home team managed 134 for 8 in their allotted overs.

Earlier, the Rajasthan Royals compiled a challenging 177 for 6 in their IPL encounter with the Punjab. Skipper Rahul Dravid crafted a classy 46 and was ably complimented by Shane Watson, Ashok Menaria and Brad Hodge. Having won the toss and elected to bat first, Dravid lost his opening partner Ajinkya Rahane (5) in the second over, as he was caught behind off Ryan Harris' second ball.

Dravid and the powerful Shane Watson then shared a 71-run stand, with Watson scoring 36 off just 17 balls, including two massive sixes. But the legspinner scalped him, as he was caught in the deep by Harris. Dravid then follwed back to the pavilion in the fourteenth over. Dravid hit eight four in his 39-ball innings. He had added 41 with Menaria (34) for the third wicket before he took long walk back. Maneria carried on the tempo with some lusty hits. He was though lucky as he was dropped near the boundary by Mandeep Singh. He was eventually in the 16th over and became Chawla's second victim.

Brad Hodge then played a cameo of 36 off 23 balls, with a pair of sixes and fours. Johan Botha chipped in with a couple of fours himself, as Rajasthan set a testing target. Harris, however, had the last laugh as he claimed Hodge's wicket in the final over. For Punjab, Ryan Harris and Piyush Chawla picked up two wickets apiece. Praveen Kumar once again remained wicketless and went for 32 runs. Awana gave away 34 runs and Mahmood proved expensive giving away 37 in the four overs he bowled.

Rahul Dravid retires from international cricket

Bangalore: After 164 Tests spanning nearly 17 years, Rahul Dravid has announced his retirement from all forms of international cricket.

Dravid, India's best Test No. 3 and the second-highest run-scorer in Test cricket, informed the media of his decision during a press conference at the M Chinnaswamy Stadium in his home city of Bangalore, with the BCCI president N Srinivasan and former India captain Anil Kumble at his side.

"I never thought I would play for India that long. I want to thank all my junior coaches, international coaches for supporting me," said Dravid. "I have failed at times but I have never stopped trying, which is why I leave with sadness but also with pride.

"I hope the youngsters in the team do even better than I did. It's been a wonderful journey. I thank the selectors, who rarely get thanked for what they do.

I thank all the captains I played under, all the teams I was part of. It's time for me to move on. I retire with sadness and pride."

Dravid's announcement was expected after a poor final tour of Australia, in which he scored 194 runs in eight innings. Prior to that, however, he was the highest run scorer in Test cricket for 2011 at the age of 38, making him the oldest active cricketer.

In 164 Tests Dravid scored 13,288 runs at an average of 52.31, with 36 centuries and 63 fifties. In 344 one-day internationals he amassed 10,889 runs – the seventh highest of all time - at 39.16, with 12 hundreds and 83 fifties. Dravid captained India in 25 Tests, winning eight, losing six and drawing 11.

Dravid, 39, made his Test debut at Lord's in June 1996 – five years after his first-class debut for Karnataka - scoring 95 in his first Test innings. His first century (148) came in his ninth Test, against South Africa in Johannesburg in January 1997. He finished his career with 36 Test centuries, the fourth most for any batsman in history, and his 164 Test caps are the third most of all time behind Sachin Tendulkar (188) and Steve Waugh (168).

Among Dravid's career highlights in Test cricket are his four successive centuries in four innings in 2002 – including 148 in India's victory at Headlingley - and his double-centuries to delivery India famous overseas victories in Adelaide and Rawalpinde. On a minefield of a Kingston pitch in 2006, Dravid's twin fifties (81 and 68) delivered India their second series victory in the West Indies, 25 years after Ajit Wadekar's team triumphed.

At home, Dravid will be best remembered for his 180 in an epic partnership with VVS Laxman in Kolkata in 2001, in which he joined Laxman with India 42 runs from an innings defeat and lifted them from ignominy to incredible triumph, as well as his twin centuries at the same venue in 2005 to beat Pakistan.

In one-day cricket, Dravid's highlights include 145 in a record stand of 318 in 45 overs with Sourav Ganguly at Taunton during the 1999 World Cup - in which he was the leading run-scorer - and a run-a-ball 153 in the company of Tendulkar to break that record with 331 in 46 overs against New Zealand in Hyderabad. Labeled a Test player in the early stages of his career, Dravid worked hard on his game to become an integral part of India's ODI team and finished with over 10,000 runs at a more than respectable average of 39.16.

Over the course of his 17-year international career, Dravid set a host of milestones. He was the first batsman to score a century in all Test-playing countries, the first batsman to score 10,000 runs at No. 3, the batsman to face the most deliveries in Test cricket, the longest in ODI cricket to not score a duck (120 innings) and finished as the man with the most catches in Test cricket.

Dravid makes surprise one-day cricket comeback

Rahul Dravid was Saturday recalled to the Indian squad for next month's one-day series against England, but the injured Harbhajan Singh and Yuvraj Singh were left out.

Middle-order batsman Dravid played his last one-dayer in September 2009, but got the selectors' nod following his impressive performances in the ongoing four-Test series in England.

The 38-year-old, who has scored 10,765 runs in 339 one-day internationals including 12 centuries, is the most successful Indian batsman on the tour with two hundreds in the opening two Tests.

India will play a one-off Twenty20 match against England at Old Trafford on August 31 before the five-match one-day series starts at Chester-le-Street on September 3.

"We have selected the team on basis of the conditions in England. We have selected the team after a lot of deliberation and I am sure it is a very good side," chief selector Krishnamachari Srikkanth said.

"Yuvraj is one of our main players but unfortunately when you have a fracture in the finger, you cannot do anything about it."

Off-spinner Harbhajan (abdominal strain) and all-rounder Yuvraj (finger injury) were not part of the limited-overs squad, to be led by World Cup-winning captain Mahendra Singh Dhoni.

The duo have already been ruled out of the remaining two Tests of the four-match series due to injuries, suffered during the second Test at Trent Bridge.

The Indian cricket board on Wednesday said in a statement that Yuvraj's injury could take around four weeks to mend, while Harbhajan was likely to recover in three weeks' time.

They were replaced by left-arm spinner Pragyan Ojha and middle-order batsman Virat Kohli. India currently trail 2-0 in the Test series.

Middle-order batsman Rohit Sharma, off-spinner Ravichandran Ashwin, paceman Vinay Kumar and wicket-keeper Parthiv Patel, who are not part of the Test squad, returned for one-dayers.

India twenty20 and one-day squad: Mahendra Singh Dhoni (capt), Virender Sehwag (vice-capt), Gautam Gambhir, Rahul Dravid, Sachin Tendulkar, Virat Kohli, Suresh Raina, Rohit Sharma, Zaheer Khan, Ravichandran Ashwin, Praveen Kumar, Munaf Patel, Ishant Sharma, Vinay Kumar, Amit Mishra, Parthiv Patel.

England on top despite Dravid ton

LONDON  - England remained in charge of their series opener with India despite Rahul Dravid finally achieving the coveted dream of a Test century at Lord's on Saturday -- 15 years after falling agonisingly short.

At the close of the third day, England were five without loss in their second innings, a lead of 193 runs after bowling India out for 286 in reply to their first innings 474 for eight declared.

The 38-year-old Dravid, dropped on 42, made 103 not out, finally getting his name on the Lord's honours board 15 years after he was dismissed for 95 on his debut in 1996.

His 33rd hundred in 154 Tests and fifth against England was key to India avoiding the follow-on.

It also went some way to compensating India fans who saw Sachin Tendulkar fall for 34 when what they wanted was for the 'Little Master' to score his 100th international hundred.

Dravid has struggled in recent times and during India's tour of South Africa at the turn of the year managed just 120 runs in six Test innings.

"There have been stages when I?ve doubted myself but that?s just natural being a professional sportsman when you go through some tough times," Dravid said. "You just have to enjoy what you do and keep trying to get better.

Tendulkar fell to Stuart Broad who, in increasingly overcast, seam-friendly conditions, led England's attack with a miserly four for 37 in 22 overs.

"Of course it was lovely to get Sachin but I'd say the same about any leader of any batting line-up," Broad said. "He played fantastically well for his 30-odd but we were delighted to see the back of him."

India had hoped to have Zaheer Khan, their strike bowler, back for England's second innings after the left-arm quick spent most of the first innings off the field with a hamstring strain.

But, worryingly for India, he did not take the field for the five overs England batted on Saturday.

England captain Andrew Strauss was three not out and Alastair Cook unbeaten on nought at stumps.

The 38-year-old Tendulkar was given the unusual honour of a standing ovation by a capacity 28,500 crowd as he walked out to bat in what could be his last Test at Lord's, with India 77 for two.

Tendulkar's first boundary, a backfoot puched cover-drive off fast bowler Chris Tremlett, was a classic.

But a 58-ball innings, featuring six fours, ended when Tendulkar edged a good length ball from Broad low to Graeme Swann at second slip and that meant his Test-best score at Lord's remained the 37 he made in 2007.

Broad, who bowled India's openers before lunch, might have dismissed all the trio of Tendulkar, Dravid and Venkatsai Laxman -- who now have 100 Test hundreds between them -- but for dropped catches.

Laxman was on nought when Strauss put down a sitter at first slip and the same over saw Swann, diving to his right, fail to hold a more difficult chance offered by Dravid.

Laxman, though, fell for 10 when he timed a flick off Tremlett so well, the ball flew straight to Jonathan Trott at long leg.

England took the new ball as soon as they could with India 235 for five off 80 overs.

After India captain Mahendra Singh Dhoni and Harbhajan Singh were caught behind the wicket off Tremlett, India were 241 for seven -- still needing 34 to avoid the follow-on.

But Praveen Kumar, who had taken a Test-best five for 106 with his medium-pacers on Friday, proved a thorn in England's side with the bat.

Dravid, 80 when Kumar came in, went into the 90s with a typically stylish on-driven four off Tremlett before Kumar's single off Broad saved the follow-on.

However, Kumar was out for 17 when he skied a Broad bouncer and Strauss, running back from first slip, held the catch.

Dravid was now on 94 and batting with Zaheer, who had Kumar as his runner.

But Dravid then struck a magnificent cover-drive for four off the backfoot against Tremlett to go to 98.

And two off the paceman took him to a hundred completed in 202 balls with 15 boundaries in just over five hours at the crease.