Bishoo puts Windes ahead on bowlers' day

Immediate impact: Devendra Bishoo is finding international cricket easy

Thirteen wickets went down on an action-packed second day at Providence which ended with West Indies ahead on a crumbling track. Legspinner Devendra Bishoo added to his burgeoning reputation with a probing debut spell that befuddled Pakistan's batsmen, giving West Indies a handy, and unexpected, first-innings lead.

If anyone was wondering whether the testing track had eased up since the first day, the answer was provided as early as the second over of the morning, when Saeed Ajmal's delivery barely reached ankle height, fizzing through the wicketkeeper's legs. That set the tone for a frenetic day when spin and bounce conspired to make life difficult for batsmen.

Pakistan were a happy side at lunch, having wrapped up the West Indies innings for 226, before creeping to 45 for 1 with some safety-first batting. Bishoo, though, showed what a threat he was going to be right after the break by getting his second ball to spit off the pitch and fly off Azhar Ali's edge past slip. In his next over, he got one to zip through low and Ali couldn't get close to it as he thought of a cut.

It was the more amiable bowling of Darren Sammy, though, that got the breakthrough, ending the dogged 52-run stand between Taufeeq and Ali. Sammy was getting the ball to dip in on occasion, but the wicket came off a delivery that went straight on; Taufeeq played around it and was struck in front of middle and leg. That ended Pakistan's largest partnership and signalled the start of the slump.

Misbah-ul-Haq survived a lbw call on 0 off an indipper from Sammy, but two overs later he became Bishoo's first Test victim. Bishoo slipped in a straighter one, which Misbah looked to play off the back foot - he missed and was so plumb that he contemplated walking off even before the umpire raised the finger. In the next over, Ali inexplicably left a delivery from Sammy that ducked in sharply from outside off, and was mortified to see it take off stump. The two wickets will provide the under-fire Sammy some respite from his many critics.

Asad Shafiq, another promising youngster from Pakistan, also didn't last long, trapped on the back foot by a flat legbreak from Bishoo, who got the lbw decision after referring it to the third umpire. 57 for 1 had become 66 for 5.

Pakistan's hopes of getting close to West Indies' score now depended on Umar Akmal, who began with a confident punch through cover for four. He had an entertaining battle with Bishoo, highlighted by the 32nd over. Even with the wickets tumbling, Akmal didn't shelve his strokes, shuffling down the track and thumping over long-on for four, and backing that up with a powerful cut past point for another boundary. An unfazed Bishoo responded by sliding in a quicker legbreak that easily beat Akmal.

Bishoo, bowling accurately with five fielders lying in wait for the edge, soon got his third wicket, with Mohammad Salman using up another referral after being adjudged lbw. Bishoo continued to produce the odd unplayable ball - combining turn and bounce to baffle the batsmen - but Abdur Rehman and Akmal survived till tea, putting on 33 to take Pakistan to 113 for 6. The final session began with several French cuts from Rehman, interspersed with some forceful hits, and despite the close calls, the pair put on 50 runs.

That was when Akmal had his seemingly mandatory brainfade. Looking to swipe a short ball, he top-egded it high and only as far as the wicketkeeper. Rehman picked up a few more boundaries to finish as the top-scorer, though the Pakistan tail couldn't put up the sort of fight West Indies' had. The home side's last-wicket pair battled gamely for eight overs on the morning, before Ajmal induced the inside-edge that brought him his five-for and best bowling figures in a Test.

Bishoo's control and subtle variations meant West Indies took the first-innings lead despite picking only one specialist spinner in the line-up. They still can't rest easy though, as they have already lost two early wickets. Devon Smith confirmed he is Mohammad Hafeez's bunny by being trapped lbw - the sixth successive innings that he has been dismissed by Hafeez - and Darren Bravo was caught on the crease by a straighter one from Ajmal.

There is still the small matter of negotiating the dreaded Ajmal doosra, which none of the West Indies batsmen pick consistently. After all the controversy over the past month, tomorrow will be the day for Shivnarine Chanderpaul and Ramnaresh Sarwan to prove the worth of all that experience.

Chance for Mumbai to iron out flaws

Match facts

Saturday, May 14, Mumbai
Start time 2000 (1430 GMT)

	Mumbai, who seem uncomfortable chasing, could use the match as preparation for the play-offs

Big Picture

It's not quite a case of top versus bottom, but its close enough. Mumbai Indians have been table-toppers for most of this IPL season while Deccan Chargers are the basement dwellers, and were the first to be knocked out of contention for the play-offs. Expectations of a mismatch are not unfounded and it will take a particularly poor performance from Mumbai or a supreme effort from Deccan for an upset to take place.

Both situations have become reality once before in this edition of the tournament. Mumbai were bundled out for 87 to lose by 76 runs to Kings XI Punjab and Deccan were able to defend 129 against Kochi Tuskers Kerala. Nonetheless performances like these have been rare for either side and the difference in their form is as stark as this fact - Deccan have won as many matches as Mumbai have lost: three.

More victories will do nothing for their cause but Deccan will want to go out having fought as much as they can. They will need their batting to improve significantly to achieve that. Their highest run-scorer is Kumar Sangakkara with 306 runs, and they don't have a single batsman with an average over 28. It's time for the likes of JP Duminy, Shikhar Dhawan and Bharat Chipli to step up. Against the dangerous Mumbai attack, which boasts Lasith Malinga, Munaf Patel and Harbhajan Singh, that will be a tough task.

Mumbai have batting worries of their own, seeming to have problems with chasing targets. They will be expecting more from Kieron Pollard, who has been nothing more than a gentle giant. Even so, Ambati Rayudu's continued and promising form will be pleasing and Mumbai will hope that with Sachin Tendulkar and Rohit Sharma, he can carry the line-up. The Deccan bowlers, while not as menacing as Mumbai's, have put in a decent performance throughout the tournament, with Dale Steyn and Ishant Sharma leading the attack.

Form guide (most recent first)

Mumbai LWWWL (second in table)
Deccan LLLLW (tenth in table)

Team talk

It's unlikely that Mumbai will fiddle with their combination too much after the success they have enjoyed this season. The only area of concern may be at the top, but with Davy Jacobs still nursing an injured thumb, Aiden Blizzard will probably keep his place.

Deccan have the luxury of being able to experiment and may want to bring Cameron White back in as he is one of the names being mentioned as a possible captain when Sangakkara leaves. Daniel Christian has failed to impress and may get the chop.

In the spotlight

Ambati Rayudu is only nine runs behind Sachin Tendulkar on the run-getters' chart and has shown his desire to stay at the crease for as long as possible. His 59 off 39 balls against Delhi was his most convincing knock and he will want to prove his worth marshalling the middle order, especially after being ignored by the selectors for the West Indies tour.

Pragyan Ojha was a purple cap holder in previous editions of the tournament and has 57 IPL wickets. He has only taken seven this season, but his hunger has not lessened. He enjoys a big stage and the match against Mumbai may just prove the occasion for him to excel.

Prime numbers

• Mumbai's best scoring batsmen have been Tendulkar, Rayudu and Rohit Sharma. Andrew Symonds, who has scored the fourth-most number of runs for Mumbai, 127, is 160 runs behind Rohit
• Deccan have bowled out their opposition only once in 11 matches, but all three of their wins have come defending totals

The chatter

"We don't mind losing from time to time. But the manner in which we lost the last game to King's XI was disappointing. I think that has motivated the team. They are very keen to get that right and play better tomorrow."
Mumbai's bowling coach Shaun Pollock says his team's collapse against Punjab has a positive side too

Scramble for top two spots begins

Match facts

Saturday, May 14, Bangalore
Start time 1600 (1030 GMT)

	You don't mess with Chris Gayle

Big Picture

The IPL's glut of games makes it tough to remember what happened yesterday or last week. In that context, not many will recall that the now invincible Royal Challengers Bangalore endured a three-match losing streak in the first fortnight of the tournament. It took a Jamaican opening batsman to spark Bangalore's turnaround, and since his arrival they have run up six wins without breaking a sweat. Chris Gayle has obliterated all attacks that have come before him, and threatens to win the tournament single-handedly. Can someone find a way to stop him, or strand him at the non-striker's end?

The Gayle show began when he took guard against Kolkata Knight Riders on April 22. On that day, Gayle took out his travel-weariness - and his anger at the WICB - on his former IPL franchise. It was the only time in this season when Kolkata's 'rebuild from scratch' auction strategy backfired on them. They have otherwise been quietly efficient, and remained at the top end of the points table through the course of the season.

The format of the tournament's play-offs incentivises teams that finish first and second in the league phase. Kolkata are currently fourth, and Gautam Gambhir will be eager to find a way into the top two. 'Operation Gayle' will be the first step on the agenda for Gambhir, who is set to lead India's ODI side to Gayle's part of the world after the IPL.

Form guide (most recent first)

Bangalore: WWWWW (third in points table)
Kolkata: WLWWW (fourth in points table)

Team talk

Tillakaratne Dilshan's role in the IPL is over, and Bangalore have a bunch of options to replace him at the top. Rilee Rossouw, Jonathan Vandiar and Luke Pomersbach are the contenders to replace him, and whoever comes in, is likely to open with Gayle. If Daniel Vettori is fit, Charl Langeveldt might get relegated to the bench again.

Kolkata haven't played for a week, since beating Chennai Super Kings at home. They might not want to fiddle with the XI, though the temptation to push Eoin Morgan into the middle order must be high.

In the spotlight

Brett Lee has been one of Kolkata's unnoticed heroes. Barring one shoddy over against Kochi, when Brad Hodge went after him, he has been reliable with the ball. His four-over spell against Chennai yielded a paltry eight runs. Can he exhibit the same miserliness against Gayle?

Saurabh Tiwary has had an interesting second season after grabbing the headlines last year, with Mumbai Indians. There he was the prime-mover of the middle-order, setting up Mumbai's innings along with Ambati Rayudu. Bangalore have used him partly as a back-up to the big guns, and partly as a finisher. The top order's good form has meant Tiwary hasn't had much to do, but his time is bound to come soon.

Prime numbers

• Chris Gayle has hit the most sixes so far in IPL 2011 - 30 in six innings. Virender Sehwag is second, with 18 from eleven outings
• Kolkata have four bowlers who have conceded under seven runs per over. Yusuf Pathan has been the best of the lot, going at 5.93 in 32 overs this season

The chatter

"Now I'm watching 'You don't mess with Chris Gayle'… O shocks, I meant 'You don't mess with the Zohan'. We kick Bad Minds. Lol."
Chris Gayle's delightful Twitter feed sends out a veiled warning to the Kolkata attack

Karthik blitz keeps Punjab in race

Dinesh Karthik's 69 off 33 balls kept Kings XI Punjab's play-off hopes alive

Kings XI Punjab beat the Kochi Tuskers Kerala by six wickets in a boundary-rich encounter at the IPL's newest venue, Indore, keeping their hopes of making the play-offs alive. Emphatic batting from Dinesh Karthik and Shaun Marsh, who put on a 111-run stand for the third-wicket, made the difference on a surface that was good for batting, in a stadium with short boundaries and a quick outfield.

Karthik and Marsh's bruising combination nullified the earlier efforts of Mahela Jayawardene. The Kochi captain had played a classy innings of 76 in which he alternated effortlessly between elegant flicks, casual lofted strokes and crunching blows to propel the Kochi ship to 178.

Adam Gilchrist and Paul Valthathy started the chase in measured fashion against RP Singh and Sreesanth but with the target they had to chase, they could not afford to hang around for too long. Valthaty began the assault, smashing RP for two sixes off short balls before being bowled with the full one.

Gilchrist continued watchfully and was out in RP's next over, trying to pull over midwicket but only succeeding in getting an edge through to Parthiv Patel, leaving Punjab in trouble.

Karthik and Marsh weren't pushed into a shell by that though. They took on the bowling and managed at least one boundary off every over they faced together. Some overs were more profitable than others. Marsh was feeding off the full delivery, getting under them and driving aerially, while Karthik cashed in on the short balls. He hit the balls particularly furiously and brought up his 50 with a blistering swipe through midwicket.

As he and Marsh had Punjab needing about a run-a-ball for victory, when RP returned and struck twice again. Karthik drove in the air to extra cover and Mahela Jayawardene timed his leap to perfection, snatching it out of the sky. He stuck again in that over, removing Marsh with a spectacular reflex catch off his own bowling.

It slowed Punjab down a touch, but not enough as David Hussey and Mandeep Singh took them across the finish line. In the end Punjab got away with the 19 wides they sent down while bowling and the blistering start they allowed Jayawardene and Brendon McCullum to get off to.

The Kochi pair were offered a healthy amount of short ball and flighted deliveries from Ryan Harris and Bipul Sharma and took full advantage. The nature of the track allowed them to punish even decent balls and they put on 93 for the first wicket. McCullum fell to Sharma after being trapped lbw while attempting the sweep shot but Jayawardene was unmoved by the loss of his partner.

With Ravindra Jadeja, he took Kochi to 103 for 1 at the halfway stage. Jadeja smacked one gorgeous six off Piyush Chawla before the lespinner had him out lbw. The runs slowed a little after that. The third fifty took 44 balls to come, during which Jadeja and Brad Hodge were out, and Jayawardene had to rein himself in a little.

He formed another damaging partnership with Owais Shah, who had his first outing in the IPL this season. Shah hit an entertaining 23 off 11 balls before being run-out after struggling to hear the call from Jayawardene, who was himself run out off the last ball. A flurry of wickets at the end pegged Kochi back and kept them from striding over the 200 mark.

Badrinath was expecting the India call-up

S Badrinath: "I just had that fire in me."

S Badrinath has said that he was expecting his selection for the ODI series against West Indies after three years in the wilderness. Badrinath was disappointed after losing his central contract last season but that inspired him to regroup and reset his targets.

"I was expecting it [the selection call] to be honest. I have been really playing well in recent times and there was news floating around that I would be selected," Badrinath said. "Since I was out for three years in ODIs, it really feels good to be back."

Though he lost his place in ODIs, he last played for India in February 2010 in the Test series against South Africa. He was soon dropped from the side and lost his central contract later.

"I was disappointed losing the contract as it meant I wasn't part of the whole system. I was out of sight. It was a tough phase. I sat down after that and charted out where I wanted to go. I set my goals and wanted to come back. They say you learn more from your failures than your success and it's true for me."

Badrinath had a stellar domestic season and that form continued into this year's IPL. He said he never had any doubt that he would be unable to make a comeback to the national team. "There wasn't one day I thought I will never get back. I just had that fire in me. I have been always striving to be a better player and concentrated on the process. IPL was a huge help; you learn from big cricketers who constantly strive to keep improving. Once you do that, you are going to get just better."

His critics have cited his age - 30 years - as a deterring factor but Badrinath said it made him work that much harder on his fitness. "Why do they say one is old - it's just about fitness. I have really worked very hard to be fit. I always pride on my fitness."

Australia maintain DRS resolve

Andrew Symonds' escape in the 2008 Sydney Test hastened the introduction of DRS, but India now oppose its use.© AFP

Australia will push for the right to enforce umpire decision reviews in its home matches at the ICC's executive board meeting in June, despite continued Indian opposition to the system.

India's scheduled visit to Australia during the 2011-12 summer, their first tour down under since the contentious 2008 Sydney Test match that led indirectly to the adoption of the DRS, adds plenty of currency to an issue that remains divisive even after the system's use during the World Cup.

The ICC cricket committee recommended in its meeting at Lord's that home boards be granted the right to choose whether to employ the system or not, a state of affairs that would prevent the repeat of a situation when India and hosts Sri Lanka disagreedover its use last year.

James Sutherland, the Cricket Australia chief executive, showed no public sign of deferring to India's judgment following his board's two-day meeting in Melbourne. "My personal view is strongly in support of DRS, as we know the current understanding is basically the DRS can be used by bilateral agreement of the two competing teams," said Sutherland.

"At this stage in spite of the recommendation of the cricket committee it does need to go through other bodies within the ICC in order for that to become an absolute requirement. I'm conscious of that, but certainly from a CA perspective we would be very keen for DRS to be in place for all international cricket."

An ICC plan to have BCCI officials observe the use of the DRS in Australia, during the Ashes last summer, fell through due to scheduling conflicts, but the World Cup provided a closer look for subcontinental administrators and players. There was consternation about the lbw reprieve won on a technicality by Ian Bell during India's group match against England, but it must also be observed that Sachin Tendulkar was saved from an early dismissal in the semi-final against Pakistan by a similarly narrow DRS margin.

"Obviously we all got a fair insight into that during the World Cup where the DRS system was in place for the World Cup, and that was in India," said Sutherland.

Tendulkar and the Indian captain MS Dhoni are thought to be the bulwark of Indian opposition to the system, a position that has been unchanged since Sri Lanka had much the better of the DRS during a series in Sri Lanka in late 2008.

Fletcher to avoid dictatorial approach

Duncan Fletcher: "You have to gain their respect and they have to gain my respect"

Duncan Fletcher, the new Indian coach, has said that his coaching philosophy will not be dictatorial in approach but will be about offering advice to the players. Fletcher also pointed out that he had mentored Gary Kirsten and that was one of the main reasons that influenced Kirsten to recommend him for the post and for the BCCI to appoint him.

"It's not about dictating to the Indian players how I want them to play - sure to some degree you have to try influencing them - but it's about offering advice to the players and it's up to them to take it on board," Fletcher said in his first news conference as India's coach in Chennai. "Gary Kirsten followed my philosophy. He came and spoke to me before he took up the Indian job. I offered him advice on how to handle situations and he took that on board. And now, by Gary sort of pushing me for this job by taking my credentials to BCCI, he realised that my philosophy of coaching is right for India. Hopefully it's right."

Fletcher said that he has been observing the Indian players over the last few months during his role as batting consultant to South Africa and New Zealand and reiterated that he was not going to make any wholesale changes. According to him, the most important thing would be to gain the respect of the players and he said that works both ways. "You have to gain their respect and they have to gain my respect. And that's what this is about. Once you have that then it makes your job easier. It's something you just have to work on as time progresses. I have worked with some big players elsewhere as well and you just got to develop this man-management process.

"During the stint with South Africa and New Zealand I watched the Indian players. Sometimes I find more interest in quietly watching these players off the field and just observe because it interests me. "

A coach's relationship with the captain is the most crucial aspect of the job and Fletcher said he wouldn't have taken up the role if he didn't respect [MS] Dhoni as a captain. "It's quite important that even before I was offered this job I had high regard for Dhoni. In fact I wrote a few articles which showed how I rated him as a very very good captain - not only on the field but how he handles the players off it."

India's bowling is considered the team's weak link and Fletcher said he has had an extensive chat with Eric Simons, the bowling coach, on May 12 about the bowlers and also met with Dhoni. "Having chatted with Eric Simons - he is a very good bowling coach and one I have lot of faith in - you must understand that I don't want to come in and make lots of changes. I have the players during India's last tour of South Africa and the series against New Zealand; so I have some idea about the bowlers but I would want to observe a little bit and then make some decisions."

Fletcher said he was very excited taking up the coaching role and said he arrived at the decision after giving it a lot of thought and speaking to the likes of Kirsten. "I asked for four-five- days time from the board. It was just to make sure you settle down as there are some areas you have to be careful about because it's a high-profile role. I made a few calls, in particular to Gary Kirsten and I then accepted it."

India are the No.1 ranked Test team and ODI world champions and Fletcher admitted that it would be a challenge to maintain that momentum. "Yes, it will be difficult and that's one of the things you consider before taking up the job. Hopefully I can add value somewhere down the line. First West Indies, then we are going to England where there will be lots of swing and seam. Then Australia where there will be bounce. Hopefully, the knowledge I pass on will be effective."

Fletcher also had a brief taste of the Indian media and the Indian's board's iron-hand approach. Suddenly, out of the blue, he was asked about his views on DRS, a system that the Indian board has steadfastly opposed. "I think it's a system that will come in place. Obviously there are imperfections but once those imperfections are sorted out, it will play a role."

N Srinivasan, the board secretary, then leaned across and muttered something to Fletcher. Srinivasan, then, addressed the journalist who asked that question and said, "That was a loaded question. Mr Fletcher doesn't know BCCI's stance on DRS. You should have prefaced your question properly."

There was another instance of Srinivasan's interjection. When Fletcher was asked about his views on rotation policy, Srinivasan chose to answer: "It's a selection matter, no? He can give advice but ultimately it will come down to selectors. But I am sure when the coach sits in those meetings; his take will be taken on board by the selectors."

There was also a delightful faux pas from Fletcher. "Hopefully, my observations on these players will prove useful when I coach the England team. I mean the Indian team."

Gambhir to lead, Badrinath in for WI limited-overs leg

Gautam Gambhir will lead a depleted Indian side to the limited-overs leg of the West Indies tour, with five first-choice players including Sachin Tendulkar and MS Dhoni either rested or injured. As expected, the national selectors haven't given much weightage to performances in the IPL, instead rewarding results in the more traditional domestic competitions. S Badrinath, Rohit Sharma and Parthiv Patel muscled their way in helped by the weight of runs in both formats of the Ranji Trophy.

R Vinay Kumar, Ishant Sharma and Amit Mishra made their way back, replacing Ashish Nehra (injured), Sreesanth and Piyush Chawla (both dropped). Praveen Kumar duly took his place back, having recovered from the elbow injury that had kept him out of the World Cup. He replaces Zaheer Khan, who has been rested.

With five vacancies created - Virender Sehwag being the other - there had been some hype created around the IPL performers in the week leading to the selection meeting. The selectors seem to have learned from the debuts handed to Manpreet Gony and Ashok Dinda based on the first IPL, and also from RP Singh's comeback based on the second IPL. As it turned out, the likes of Ambati Rayudu and Rahul Sharma missed out this time. Badrinath and Rohit were the two top run-getters in the Ranji Trophy first-class competition while Parthiv was the second-highest in the Ranji one-dayers. The exclusion of M Vijay - who has a highest of 33 in 11 ODI innings - makes Parthiv the likeliest candidate to open the innings with the captain, Gambhir.

"I am confident that we will do well and win the series in the West Indies. The team is well balanced," said Kris Srikkanth, India's chairman of selectors. "Everything is on merit. It's a great opportunity for a lot of players.

"On tours, we always take two wicketkeepers. It's a 16-member team and in case of a wicketkeeper getting injured, you have to understand the logistics [of getting a replacement to] in the West Indies [are complicated]."

This is not Gambhir's first shot at leading India - he was the captain when India beat New Zealand 5-0 in ODIs last year. The selectors are believed to be impressed with his leadership skills, and are likely to make him full-time vice-captain ahead of the slightly reluctant Sehwag, although they haven't yet made any formal announcement to that effect.

There was a minor surprise thrown up in the bowling department with Mishra getting in ahead of Pragyan Ojha as the third spinner. In his 16 ODIs - all but three of them against Sri Lanka, who are good players of spin - Ojha has given away runs at only 4.31 an over. However, he was injured before the World Cup and missed the first-class season as well. In the domestic one-dayers, Mishra, with 18 wickets from six games, outperformed Ojha, who managed five in five.

Vinay and Ishant, who have been there or thereabouts, are the only ones to have benefited from good showings in the IPL. It can be argued, though, that they are not unknown commodities and their performances in the IPL have been more of reassurance than first notice. India also picked wicketkeeping cover for Parthiv, making Wriddhiman Saha the 16th member of the squad.

India play one Twenty20 and five ODIs against the hosts beginning with the Twenty20 game on June 4.

Squad: Gautam Gambhir (captain), Suresh Raina, Parthiv Patel (wk), Virat Kohli, Yuvraj Singh, S Badrinath, Rohit Sharma, Harbhajan Singh, R Ashwin, Praveen Kumar, Ishant Sharma, Munaf Patel, Vinay Kumar, Yusuf Pathan, Amit Mishra, Wriddhiman Saha (wk).