Australia in India 2001: News and Articles

Mumbai, March 6: Indian pace bowler Ajit Agarkar has been ruled out of the second Test against Australia at Kolkata following a spell of viral fever.

“Agarkar's father came to me today with a medical certificate that he needs one week's rest after having recovered from the viral fever which he contracted on the last day of the Mumbai Test,” said Indian cricket board's executive secretary Sharad.

"As such he will be unable to take part in the second Test at Kolkata", he added

He took two wickets in the match, both in the first innings in which he had figures of 2 for 50.

Agarkar's absence leaves the spot open for left-arm paceman Zaheer Khan, in the 14 for the Mumbai Test but not in the playing eleven, to be included in the Kolkata Test.

New Delhi, March 6: Australia skipper Steve Waugh won the toss and decided to bat first in the three-day tour match against Indian Board Presidents XI at the Feroz Shah Kotla. Brad Haddin replaces injured Adam Gilchrist, while Jason Gillespie and Glenn McGrath make way for Colin Miller and Michael Kasprowicz.

Teams:
Australia: M Slater, M Hayden, J Langer, R Ponting, D Martyn, B Haddin, S Waugh, M Waugh, C Miller, M Kasprowicz, D Fleming.

Board President's XI: S Ganguly, V Dahiya, S Sriram, J Martin, D Mongia, H Kanitkar, N Hirwani, R Patel, Surendra Singh, Sarandeep Singh, M Kaif.

Mumbai, February 24: The second warm-up game played at the CCI in Mumbai ended in a draw with Mumbai having an upper edge on the so-called invincible Aussies. Mumbai set the visitors a target of 317 runs off 48 overs for a win on the third and final day of the three-day cricket match.

Mumbai, resuming at the overnight score of 83 for no loss, went for quick runs this morning with both openers registering their half-centuries.

Mane, the more aggressive of the two, scored a stylish 57 off 108 balls, including nine fours before he was caught by wicket-keeper Adam Gilchrist off Glenn McGrath, while Jaffer, after scoring a respectable 52 off 122 balls with seven fours, was caught at point by Ricky Ponting off Warne.

Warne went on a rampage today and sent Jatin Paranjpe (35 off 62), Vinod Kambli (2), Robin Morris (0), Ramesh Powar (13), Amol Mazumdar (17) and Samir Dighe (5), packing to reduce the home team to 191 for 8 after the openers had added 103 runs for the first wicket.

Shane Warne has at last resumed his form with a seven-wicket haul in this match.

Soon after Mazumdar was caught by substitute Damien Martyn off Warne, Mumbai skipper Samir Dighe declared the innings at 191, 28 minutes after lunch.

Three overs after the interval, disaster struck for the Australians as Adam Gilchrist tried to pull a short ball down the mid-wicket fence but only succeeded in getting an inside edge onto his stumps. He scored four runs off 18 balls.

Justin Langer who stood at the other end watching the damage lost his patience when he tried to loft Bahutule over the mid-wicket but only succeeded in offering a simple catch to Vinayak Mane. Langer hung around for 49 balls scoring 18, with one boundary.

Shane Warne played a brief knock and was willing to stay at the wicket with his skipper at the other end but an unfortunate misunderstanding between the two led to the former being run out. Waugh struck a straight drive off Nilesh Kulkarni, which deflected off the bowler's hand towards mid-off. Waugh called for the single and Warne responded, but halfway through Waugh stopped in his tracks realising it was a wrong call. It was too late though as Robin Morris at mid-off had dislodged the bails with a direct hit.

Warne made his way back to the pavilion with eight runs, both off well-struck boundaries. At his dismissal, Damien Fleming came in to join the skipper.

Fleming stuck around with his skipper adding 61 runs for the seventh wicket off 23.2 overs. Fleming was unbeaten on 22 and Steve Waugh on 34. Sairaj Bahutule was the most successful bowler bagging four for 38.

Mumbai, February 24: Mumbai reached 171 for six off 59 overs at lunch in their second innings on the third and final day of the three-day cricket match against Australia here on Saturday.

The Australians, preparing for next week's first Test against India, slumped to an embarrassing 133-8 against Ranji Trophy champions Mumbai soon after lunch on the second day of the three-day match.

With Mumbai team still on the stumps with just half a day play left, the match is surely heading for a draw.

Mumbai, February 23: Mumbai were 83 for no loss off 28 overs at close of play on the second day of their three-day game against Australia at the CCI on Friday. Vinayak Mane (45 not out) and Wasim Jaffer (36 not out) were at the crease when stumps were drawn.

Australia folded up in their first innings nine balls after the tea interval. Glenn McGrath was trapped leg before wicket by Paras Mhambrey to ended a 70 run partnership off 15.3 overs for the ninth wicket with Steve Waugh. Waugh was unbeaten at the other end on 106. The innings had to close, as Mark Waugh was unable to bat owing to a finger injury.

Nilesh Kulkarni bagged four for 39 and Paras Mhambrey picked up four for 59 as Mumbai took a first innings lead of 125 runs.

Coming out to negotiate the new ball in the last session of the day, Mumbai openers Vinayak Mane and Wasim Jaffer got stuck into the Australian new ball attack of Glenn McGrath and Damien Fleming with a flurry of boundaries. Mane was the most aggressive hitting seven boundaries in his unbeaten 45. Jaffer at the other end hit two boundaries off Shane Warne to supplement his partner's efforts.

Shane Warne was introduced into the attack in the 13th over. He bowled much better than the first innings as his figures of seven overs for 18 runs reflected.

Mumbai, February 23: Mumbai medium pacer Paras Mhambrey and left-arm spinner Nilesh Kulkarni struck early to reduce the Australians to 87 for four off 41 overs at lunch in their first innings on the second day of the three-day cricket match here on Friday.

Earlier, Ranji champions Mumbai declared their first innings close at their overnight score of 328 for nine after they won the toss and elected to bat on Thursday.

Aussie opening batsman Michael Slater's poor form continued to plague the visitors. After hanging around for 21 minutes and facing 24 balls, Slater was caught by Amol Mazumdar at first slip off Mhambrey for 11.

Left-handed batsman Matthew Hayden did not fare better as Kulkarni trapped him plumb in front of the wicket for 11.

Justin Langer, who got a century at Nagpur against India A, hung around for some time after Ricky Ponting was caught behind stumps by Samir Dighe off Mhambrey for one run.

Langer and skipper Steve Waugh (batting on 30 off 62 balls) added 42 runs for the fourth wicket and looked set for a big partnership before Langer gifted a return catch to Kulkarni after scoring 25 off 67 balls with three fours.

At lunch, Waugh and his deputy Adam Gilchrist (batting on 8) were at the crease.

Among the bowlers, Kulkarni impressed the most with figures of 2/14 from his spell of 11 overs, while Mhambrey bowled intelligently to grab 2/30 off 7 overs.

Mumbai, February 22: Fast bowler Glenn McGrath made a striking start on the Indian tour on Thursday, bagging 3-46 before Australia let Ranji Trophy champions Mumbai off the hook in the three-day match here.

Mumbai, electing to bat first, recovered from 57-4 before lunch to post an admirable 328 for nine by stumps on the first day at the Brabourne stadium here.

To add to the tourists' woes, Mark Waugh received five stitches on his left hand when he split the webbing while fielding in his first match on the tour.

Team officials, however, said the injury was not serious and Waugh will be able to bat in the match.

McGrath, who missed his team's previous tour three years ago, made light of a slow wicket to grab two wickets before lunch in his first outing on the current trip.

McGrath had former Indian opener Wasim Jaffer caught at second slip by Mark Waugh for 16 and then removed another Test batsman Vinod Kambli for no score to make early dents in Mumbai's batting.

However, captain Sameer Dighe made up for the absence of star batsman Sachin Tendulkar, to rescue Mumbai with a dazzling knock of 84.

Dighe added 117 for the sixth wicket with Sairaj Bahutule (51) and 63 for the eighth with Romesh Power as the Australians sweated in the heat to make an impression on the unresponsive wicket.

Dighe and Bahutule batted through most of the afternoon session before part-timer Ricky Ponting set Mumbai back with two wickets in successive overs after tea.

Ponting trapped left-hander Bahutule leg-before and then had Robin Morris caught behind to make Mumbai 202-7, but Dighe and Power hit out to add valuable runs for their team.

Power, a compact right-hander, struck 13 boundaries before returning unbeaten at close on 65 off 67 balls.

McGrath, who conceded just 19 runs from 14 overs in his first two spells, returned with the second new ball after tea to remove Paras Mhambrey.

Leg-spinner Shane Warne, also playing his first match on the tour, went for 1-57 in his first spell of 14 overs before finishing the day with one for 81.

Mumbai, February 22: The visiting Australian cricket team suffered a major blow on Thursday as its top batsmen Mark Waugh injured his finger while fielding on the first day of the three-day tie against Ranji champions Mumbai. Waugh injured his left hand trying to stop a Sairaj Bahutule stroke while fielding at slips.

"Waugh has got stitches on his finger and probably will not be allowed to bat tomorrow as we can't afford such injuries leading up to the first Test," Australian coach John Buchanan said. The physiotherapist for Australian team has also advised rest for Waugh.

"There are five more days to go before the start of the first Test and I hope he will fully recover before that," Buchanan said.

On the team's plans for the remaining two days, Buchanan said, "We'll bat for as long as we can as it is a nice wicket to bat on."

Commenting on ace leg-spinner Shane Warne's poor show on Thursday, the Aussie coach said he was unfortunate and added, "I don't want to make any excuses. The home team batted very well and they deserve the day's honours".

Mumbai coach Ashok Mankad expressed satisfaction with the performance of his side. "I am very proud of my boys as they batted wonderfully against the mighty visitors, who have the most formidable bowling attack in the world," he said.

"We were struggling at 80 for five but thanks to captain Sameer Dighe's knock of 84 and useful contributions from Ramesh Powar and Sairaj Bahutule helped us cross the 300-run mark. Now, we have an option to declare which is most satisfying," Mankad, said.

Asked whether Mumbai top-order is not scoring as much as it can, Mankad said, "It is a matter of great concern and being a champion side one of our top six batsmen should score a century in every match."

Mankad praised Powar's efforts, who despite batting at number eight, played a magnificent innings and is unbeaten on 64. About Friday's game plan, the Mumbai coach said, "We will try and get them out at as low score as we can. Our bowlers have a good opportunity to perform against the world champions. I'm confident they will give a good show."

Asked to comment on poor bowling of the visitors, Mankad said the Aussies have a very good bowling attack but the wicket didn't give any support to them on Thursday.

"In my opinion, they are short of one bowler, whether it is spinner or medium-pacer. But no doubt they are best in the world," he added.

New Delhi, February 21: India’s Batting Supremo Sachin Tendulkar's absence has though dampened the spirits of Glenn McGrath and Shane Warne but still they will not be taking today’s match against Mumbai lightly as the ghost of 1998 is still very much present and the Aussies will have that at the back of their mind when they take the field.

On the coming Test match Sachin is confident of not being over-confident Sachin too is disappointed on having to sit out but he has a message for his Mumbai mates: "Don't forget what we did in 1998. It was a tremendous performance. Don't lose out on this opportunity." This message from the batting supremo should surely pep up the Bombay Boys.

While giving due respect to the Australian attack he is confident to face Australia’s front-line bowlers. "I will concentrate hard on my batting and as a player I want to deliver more than what my skipper expects." The Australians, as always will have to be wary as Sachin is never satisfied of his performance. "The moment you get satisfied, your performance stagnates and that's what I don't want." Who should know this better than the Aussies.

Mumbai, February 21: "Hirwani has good experience in Test cricket and at the same time none of us have played him and the selectors have done no harm by picking him as he could be a surprise packet." These were the comments of Australian captain Steve Waugh at a practice session at the Brabourne Stadium.

Waugh said his team's playing eleven for Thursday's three-dayer against Ranji champions Mumbai had not yet been finalised. "However, we might field just four bowlers as both Mark Waugh and Ricky Ponting can bowl a bit and we are more interested in preparing for the Test series," he added.

The Aussies are likely to leave out off spinner Colin Miller, Michael Kasprowicz and Jason Gillespie to accommodate Mark Waugh, Shane Warne and Glenn McGrath in the final eleven for Thursday's match.

Meanwhile, former Aussie skipper Kim Hughes said on Wednesday the India-Australia cricket series would be very close and the visitors would be happy to win 1-0.

Hughes said, "Without leg spinner Anil Kumble the Indian side looks a bit weak. Who will bowl out the Australians twice is a big question and no other name comes to my mind."

"The Aussies have a very balanced attack. They have two good spinners in Shane Warne and Colin Miller added to this they have a world-class fast bowler in Glenn McGrath. Then there is Damien Fleming, Michael Kasprowicz and Jason Gillespie who will keep coming at you all day," Hughes said.

"Except for a couple of Indian batsmen I don't see others face the battery of Aussie fast bowlers," he added.

Mumbai, February 21: Australian bowling spearhead Glenn McGrath while speaking to reporters said, "At this juncture of my career, I would not want to bowl long spells and it is very tough for a fast bowler to bowl long spells in humid conditions on batsmen friendly pitches."

He added, "I feel it is better if the fast bowlers get short spells, though it would be a big challenge for me to bowl to Indian batsmen like Sachin (Tendulkar), Dravid (Rahul) and Ganguly (Saurav)."

Queried whether he had any specific plans to bowl to Tendulkar, McGrath said, "Why only Sachin (Tendulkar), I have chalked out different plans to bowl to all the top order batsmen in the Indian team.

"It is a challenge for any bowler to come good on Indian pitches and I am looking forward to that kind of challenge all the time."

McGrath did not play in his team's tour opener at Nagpur and is expected to play against the Ranji champions Mumbai in the second three-day tie at the Brabourne Stadium.

Asked what he felt about Tendulkar's absence from the Mumbai team, McGrath said, "Tendulkar or no Tendulkar, I am looking forward to our next game".

Mumbai, February 21: Australian leg spinner Shane Warne says his duel with Indian batsman Sachin Tendulkar in the Test series starting next week would be one of the "little battles" that made cricket exciting.

"There are a lot of battles in a series - like (Glenn) McGrath bowling to the openers or me bowling to Sachin. It's good, exciting cricket. Good fun for everyone," said Warne ahead of a three-day match against national champions Mumbai which begins on Thursday.

Tendulkar won the duel with Warne in the 1998 series in India, scoring 446 runs in five innings including two centuries for a series average of 111.5. Warne took only 10 wickets in the three Tests at an average of 54.

But the leg spinner said he had changed a lot since then. "I'm a better bowler now than I was three years ago. "Last time I had a shoulder injury. This time I'm in good shape," added Warne, who missed Australia's recent 5-0 sweep of the West Indies with a finger injury.

Besides Tendulkar, Warne said Rahul Dravid and Indian captain Saurav Ganguly would be the batsmen to watch out for in the series of three Tests and five one-day internationals.

Warne said he had drawn up a separate plan to tackle each batsman. "We know the way they bat and they know the way we bowl. So it's a matter of coming up with some different plans. I have a few different ones for this trip."

Warne said his team, which has notched up a record 15 consecutive Test victories, would concentrate on their own game rather than worry about India. "That's what we've been doing recently. It has paid rich dividends."

Australia has not won a Test series in India since Bill Lawry led his team to a 3-1 win in 1969. The first Test begins in Mumbai on February 27.

Mumbai, February 21: Steve Waugh's world-beating team was surprised to learn that India's master batsman has pulled out of a tour match against Australia starting here on Thursday.

Sachin Tendulkar has pulled out because of a strained calf muscle, but he still continues to make his presence felt off the field.

McGrath, who missed the previous tour, excused himself from the first warm-up match at Nagpur over the weekend so that he could tackle India's main batsman before the series began.

"What is he doing? Playing golf?" a bemused Mark Waugh asked a reporter about Tendulkar.

Skipper Steve Waugh was more guarded. "If Sachin is not playing, it is his prerogative," he said. "But I am a bit surprised, because the last time round, he had got a lot of runs."

In a similar match three years ago, Tendulkar blasted an unbeaten 204 to fashion his Ranji team's 10-wicket victory inside three days against the shell-shocked Australians. That knock set the tone for the series as Tendulkar clobbered Shane Warne and company to give India a 2-1 win in the three-Test series.

Warne returned home a chastened man, saying he was "having nightmares" of Tendulkar's assault. The current Australians, notably champion fast bowler Glenn McGrath and Warne were hoping to have a go at Tendulkar ahead of the first Test starting at the nearby Wankhede stadium next Tuesday.

Both Tendulkar and Mumbai team-mate Ajit Agarkar, who also opted out of the match with an ankle injury, have been ruled fit for the first Test. This has led to speculation that the Indians are keeping the two stars under wraps till the series starts, but Mumbai captain Sameer Dighe said both would be severely missed.

"Sachin is an inspiration for us. Moreover, we wanted to be at full-strength to face the formidable Aussies," Dighe said.

Dighe and Mumbai coach Ashok Mankad said they had received no instructions from the Indian team management on what strategy to adopt for the match. "No one has spoken to me, but I know they would want us to attack the Aussies," said Mankad, a former Test batsman.

The Australians, meanwhile, will persist with their successful strategy of playing just four bowlers in the first Test despite the heat and humidity in this coastal metropolis.

"I know other teams have gone with five bowlers in India...but I am not sure. We've done well with four bowlers in the past, a fifth bowler usually gets under bowled," said Steve Waugh, whose team has won a record 15 Tests-in-a-row.

Mumbai, February 20: Discarded wicketkeeper Nayan Mongia and leg spinner Narendra Hirwani are among the 14 named by the selectors for the first Test against Australia, at Bombay, from February 27 to March 3. Also finding a place in the Indian team are youngsters Harbhajan Singh, Hemang Badani and Rahul Sanghvi.

Sourav Ganguly (captain), Sachin Tendulkar, Rahul Dravid, Sadagoppan Ramesh, Shiv Sundar Das, V V S Laxman, Hemang Badani, Nayan Mongia, Zaheer Khan, Ajit Agarkar, Rahul Sanghvi, Narendra Hirwani, Harbhajan Singh, Javagal Srinath.

Nagpur, February 20: After giving a fright to the mighty Australians, India-A skipper V V S Laxman today said more pressure could have been applied on the visitors if his team's fielding had been sharper.

"I am happy with the way India-A played against the visiting Aussies. I wanted to take the first innings lead against them so that their morale would not be very high when they play the first Test at Mumbai", Laxman said.

"I think the boys gave 100 per cent and S Ramesh's century came at the right time and I am happy for it. I am also satisfied with the way I played, though I very badly wanted to get to the hundred mark", he added.

Laxman was confident of making it to the Indian one-day squad too and stabilizing himself in near future.

He said, "I could be going in at number six in the Test matches. After I establish myself in the longer version, I will not only try to stabilize myself in the one-dayers but also try to score heavily".

"The spinners, particularly Harbhajan Singh and Rahul Sanghvi, bowled a fine line and length and if our fielding had been a little sharper than it was, I think we could have put more pressure on the Australians. All in all, I think it was a satisfying performance in the tour opener", Laxman added.

Mumbai, February 20: Australian ace Shane Warne says playing India in India is the toughest assignment in world cricket and the fit leg-spinner is looking forward to the Test series here.

Warne said on Tuesday it was always tough for any country to perform well in India with the massive crowds rooting for the home team.

"I always enjoy bowling to the Indian batsmen, who I think play spin bowling better than any others," he added.

Asked what he thought about the eagerly looked forward to tussle between him and batting maestro Sachin Tendulkar, Warne said, "I don't think you should be terming the forthcoming clash as Warne versus Sachin or McGrath versus Sachin or anything other than, India vs. Australia."

"In fact, the last time around when India played us it was Navjot Singh Sidhu who set the tone by going after my bowling and it was not Tendulkar as most people believe," he added.

"According to me, Sidhu is the best player of spin bowling and India will definitely miss his services. However, India has some very exciting players like Rahul Dravid and Saurav Ganguly and it will be a real challenge for me to bowl to them," he said.

"After a long time, I'm feeling totally fit and that was proved when I took wickets in the limited over games against the West Indies and my immediate target would be to get to 400 test wickets," Warne added.

Nagpur, February 20: Australian coach John Buchanan on Monday articulated his disappointment over his team's batting in the first innings of the drawn three-day match against India A but was pleased with his bowlers.

Expressing satisfaction with the bowlers' performance Buchanan said, "I think our bowlers particularly off-spinner Colin Miller and Jason Gillespie (medium pacer) bowled quite well when India A batted."

"We wanted to have a look at the top order batting of India A, particularly V V S Laxman before the first Test at Mumbai,'' the Aussie coach said.

"We have one more side game in Mumbai against Ranji champions Mumbai and it will be a good exposure for our players to get used to the heat and bounce and turn of the wicket. The sooner our boys get become accustomed to the climate here the better," he added.

Nagpur, February 19: The first three-day match between hosts India and tourists Australia ended in a draw played at Nagpur. Australians made 365/9 in their second innings with the help of a maiden century from Justin Langer.

Justin Langer hit a magnificent 115 in 158 balls. His hundred included 17 fours and two sixes. He also, shared in a 149-run fourth wicket stand with Ricky Ponting who made 68 runs in 95 balls.

Langer was dropped by left-arm spinner Rahul Sanghvi off his own bowling before lunch after lifting him for a giant six over long on. He was finally caught in the slips by V. Laxman off Harbhajan Singh.

For India A, off-spinner Harbhajan Singh was the most successful bowler, claiming three for 83. His priced wicket definitely was that of Langer.

New Delhi, February 18: Sachin Tendulkar will miss a much-awaited confrontation with Australian fast bowler Glenn McGrath next week because of a calf muscle injury.

Tendulkar and teammate Ajit Agarkar will not play for Mumbai in a three-day match against Australia at the Brabourne stadium in Bombay from February 22.

However, it was clarified by the board officials that Tendulkar will be fit by the time the first Test that starts on 27^th here at the Wankhede stadium.

Indian team coach John Wright confirmed the injuries were not serious, but he wanted both to rest before the Test match. Tendulkar's absence from the warm-up match will surely disappoint McGrath, who opted out of the ongoing tour opener at Nagpur to have a go at the champion batsman in the next game.

McGrath, whose duels with Tendulkar could be the highlight of the three-Test series, had told the team management he would rather play his first match at Bombay.

McGrath, who missed the previous tour with injury, wanted to have a go at Tendulkar before the series begins. "The game against Mumbai is an excellent chance to tackle Sachin", said McGrath, one of the finest fast bowlers in contemporary cricket with 309 wickets in 67 Tests. "He can always get the dominance by scoring a big knock. But if I can knock him over a couple of times, it can set the tone for the series." Australia, who comes off record 15 consecutive Test victories, are looking to win their first series on Indian soil in 31 years.

Nagpur, February 18: Australia's world-beating cricketers suffered another harrowing day at the start of their Indian tour as the bowlers struggled to cope with a lifeless wicket on Sunday.

After the seasoned batting line-up had been reduced to 133-7 on Saturday, it was the turn of the bowlers to face the music on the second day of the three-day tour opener against India A here.

Defending a meagre score of 291, the Australians let India's second string off the hook to allow the hosts pile up 368, a first innings lead of 77.

The tourists, closing the second day at 38-1 in their second knock, hope to gain useful batting practice on Monday ahead of the three-Test series starting later this month. Off-spinner Colin Miller toiled manfully to pick up six for 91 even as the rest of the attack sweated under the hot sun.

Captain Steve Waugh could do little to contain the flow of runs as Indian Test stars Sadagopan Ramesh and V. Laxman hammered 195 for the second wicket. Left-handed Ramesh, certain to open for India in the first Test starting at Bombay on February 27, shrugged off a lean season to score an attractive 101 with 20 hits to the fence.

Laxman, the likely number six in the Tests, enhanced his claims with a fluent 94 as the hosts raced to 231-1 after resuming at the overnight score of 71-1.

Even an untimely collapse in the afternoon session, in which seven wickets fell for 56 runs, failed to daunt the Indian morale as wicket keeper Nayan Mongia hit back with an unbeaten 71.

Mongia, hoping for a Test recall after being cleared of match-fixing charges by federal investigators, cracked 11 boundaries while adding 75 for the ninth wicket with Debashish Mohanty (28).

The tourists have another warm-up match against Mumbai before the test series gets underway. Australia, who have secured a record 15 consecutive Test wins, are looking to win their first series on Indian soil in 31 years.

Chennai, February 17: Indian cricket captain Saurav Ganguly on Saturday expressed unhappiness over him being 'misquoted' by the media regarding the game, the ongoing camp and his comments about the three-Test series against Australia.

Refusing to talk to the Media at the end of the camp at the IIT Chemplast grounds here, Ganguly said, "I have been advised by Coach John Wright not to talk to the media on daily basis. I do not want to talk today."

He said, "I am being misquoted by the Media and they have written something today also."

Though Ganguly did not explain on what the media had written on Saturday, it was assumed that he was referring to his visit (private affair) to Srikalahasti (Shiva Temple) in Chittor District in Andhra Pradesh, accompanied by film actress Naghma to perform 'Sarpadosha' puja on Friday.

According to official sources, Ganguly's wife Dona Ganguly left here for Kolkata on Thursday night only.

Meanwhile, persuaded by the media to talk, Ganguly said he would reply to questions on the ongoing Camp only.

"I am happy about the fitness level of players in the Camp. We are working for positive results in the series ahead against the Australians," he said.

Chennai, February 17: Indian Coach John Wright tested the Indian spinners at the ongoing cricket camp on the penultimate day of the preparatory camp for the Three- test Australian series, the first starting in Mumbai on Feb 27.

The six spinners-- Sunil Joshi, Murali Karthik, Sairaj Bahatule, Narendra Hirwani, Venkatapathy Raju, Sharandeep Singh -- bowled to five fielders on the off-side and one on the leg side and were told to bowl to this set field. Wright was the lone slip with Vijay Dahiya, behind the wickets.

Saurav Ganguly (Captain), Rahul Dravid and Sachin Tendulkar, Javgal Srinath and Ajit Agarkar batted in turns for 40 overs. Tendulkar also bowled 1.2 overs and gave away eight runs.

Raju and Sharandeep were the only two bowlers to take a wicket each during the play when International Umpire, K.Murali officiated.

Later in the evening, the spinners repeated the same format of test and practice.

Apart from the routine stint at the nets and fielding practices Physio Andrew Leipus gave extra load of physical exercises to the campers in turns.

New Delhi, February 18: Master blaster Sachin Tendulkar today pulled out of the Mumbai team that meets the Australians at Brabourne Stadium in the visitors' final tune-up ahead of the first Test.

With India A already having pushed Steve Waugh's team on to the back foot at Nagpur thanks to sterling performances from Rahul Sanghvi, Ashish Nehra, Harbhajan Singh, Sadagopan Ramesh and VVS Laxman, Tendulkar's decision to opt out of the only game available to Glenn McGrath and Shane Warne ahead of the Mumbai Test is certain to pour cold water over Australia's long-term plans for the series.

Two years ago, Tendulkar had destroyed Australian team from which they never recovered. The master batsman earned his maiden first-class double hundred in that game and so smashed Warne's confidence that the leg-spinner was a shadow of his attacking self for the three Test matches that followed.

McGrath and the rest of his fellow fast men have been making much of how important Tendulkar's wicket is and have received acres of space in the media here to that effect. Yet, the fact that the master has chosen his battleground will go a long way in nullifying whatever perceived advantage they may have gained. And with at least half his first Test attack put to the sword at Nagpur, Waugh and coach John Buchanan will now have to return to the drawing board to rethink their strategies.

Clearly, the Australian ploy here, as it was back home in the 1999-2000 series was to highlight Tendulkar's central role in Indian plans and then go after him. A key part of that plan included attacking him in the tour game against Mumbai, which Tendulkar's step today has defanged, leaving the Australians in doubt about his form and fitness till the very last moment.

Nagpur, February 17: The team for the first Test starting February 17 at Mumbai, which was to be selected at Nagpur on February 19, will now be chosen on February 20 in Mumbai.

Chairman of the selection committee Chandu Borde said here on Saturday evening that since the preparatory camp for the first Test is also beginning in Mumbai on February 20, Saurav Ganguly suggested that the team also be selected on the same day. As per him this suggestion was forwarded to the board secretary, who has accepted it.

India A take a lead of 77 runs against Australia

Nagpur, February18: India A managed to take a lead of 77 runs before they were all out for 368 runs here on the second day of First three day match against Australia. Australia after winning the toss had elected to bat first and had scored 291 runs in their first innings.

Collin miller produced excellent figures of 6 wickets, 10 maidens, 91 runs in his spell of 32 overs.

From India’s side the players who left an impact were S Ramesh, V.V.S. Laxman and N.R. Mongia. Ramesh was the highest scorer with101 runs, Laxman managed to hit 94 runs and Mongia was not on 71 runs.

Nagpur, Feb 17:Australian skipper Steve Waugh won the toss and elected to bat on the first day of the opening three day game between Australia and India A at the Vidharba Cricket Association stadium in Nagpur.

Australia were all out for 291 off 69.1 overs with Micheal Kasprowicz being the top scorer (92).

Rahul Sanghvi was the wrecker-in-chief for India A bagging five for 40. Paceman Ashish Nehra took 3 wickets for 78.

The India A openers S Ramesh and SS Das raced to 23 runs off five overs. Das was out on 12. Laxman and Ramesh played safely and ended the day on 71 for one off 18 overs. Ramesh was on 43 off 61 balls with nine hits to the fence, Laxman was on six off 22 balls with one hit to the fence.

Nagpur, Feb 17: Paceman Ashish Nehra rattled Australia's top order as they struggled to 63 for three wickets after captain Steve Waugh elected to bat in their tour-opening three-day game against India "A" on Saturday.

Nehra, a left-arm paceman from Delhi, staked his claim for a test position when he picked up all three wickets in the first hour of play by making use of moist early morning conditions on an otherwise placid wicket.

He bowled opener Michael Slater for five in his very first over with the Australian total on six. Left-hander Justin Langer cracked two fours before being trapped leg before wicket for eight.

Nehra struck again when Waugh chased a ball outside the off stump and the edge flew straight to wicketkeeper Nayan Mongia.

Waugh was out for a duck and Australia were reeling at 25 for three, before opener Matthew Hayden (20) and Ricky Ponting (27) steadied the innings, guiding the visitors to the first drinks break without losing another wicket.

Australia rested batsman Mark Waugh and strike bowlers Glenn McGrath and Shane Warne for the match.

Australia play another three-day game next week before the first test starts in Bombay on February 27.

Teams:
Australia: Steve Waugh (captain) Adam Gilchrist, Michael Slater, Justin Langer, Damien Fleming, Jason Gillespie, Matthew Hayden, Michael Kasprowicz, Damien Martyn, Colin Miller and Ricky Ponting.

India A: Vangipurappu Laxman (captain), Sadagopan Ramesh, Shiv Sunder Das, Dinesh Mongia, Hemang Badani, Nayan Mongia, Debasish Mohanty, Rahul Sanghvi, Harbhajan Singh, Ashish Nehra and W.D.Balaji Rao.

Chennai, February 16: Indian coach John Wright on Friday expressed happiness over the performance of leg spinners Narendra Hirwani and Sairaj Bahutule who were summoned to join the ongoing camp for cricket probables in preparation for the coming three Test series against Australia.

"Both have worked hard at the nets bowling to different batsmen for two hours on the trot," Wright told reporters here.

Wright said he will give his observations to the selectors, who are presently in Nagpur to watch the India A team take on the Australians in a three-day fixture starting there Saturday.

"I will inform them about my assessment and the selectors will take the final decision," Wright said.

Hirwani said: "I have been working on my bowling even before I was called for the camp. I am working hard and the rest, I leave to God."

Referring to Iqbal Siddique and Reetinder Singh Sodhi, who stayed back at the camp, Wright said: "I appreciate them for having decided to work at the nets despite being told to get back home. They are here on their own."

The players had a three-hour work out at the nets today and would have two sessions for the remaining two days.

The selectors not being impressed with the spinners at the camp, which started on February 6, had summoned Bahutule of Mumbai and Hirwani to have a "look at them'"

Betting shops open business as Australia tours India

Sydney, February 16: With just two weeks to go for the start of the first Test of the Australian tour of India, betting shops in Australia have started accepting wagers with many Indian bookies favoring the visiting side.

"The draw (of bets) has already been a big go with news that the pitch will be a flat deck to try and stop the Aussie pace attack," said Gerard Daffy of CentreBet, one of the largest and oldest licensed sports betting companies of the country.

"We have laid the drawn series at 2/1 with a bet of $7500 from India. The Aussies are 4/5 and India 9/2 to win the best of three series," Daffy said.

The bets on individual performances are wide open which is reflected in the odds and also the spread of early money.

Master batsman Sachin Tendulkar is 7/2 favorite to become the top-scorer. Bets on Steve Waugh (8/1) and Ricky Ponting (5/1) have attracted in excess of $8000 each while Mark Waugh (9/2) is also starting to attract money now, he said.

Glenn McGrath and Shane Warne head the bets to emerge the highest wicket-taker in the series.

Gavaskar was reportedly out of town when the locker was broken after repeated reminders by the club management to clear the locker went unheeded.

Gavaskar, Test cricket's first batsman to score 10,000 runs, has not been probed into the ongoing investigations into match fixing and corruption in cricket.

Gaekwad to fill the post of NCA director

Jaipur, February 16: Former Indian coach Anshuman Gaekwad is likely to be the new director of the National Cricket Acadmey (NCA). NCA chairman Raj Singh Dungarpur on Friday hinted that Gaekwad may fill the post in the Banglore-based academy which fell vacant after the resignation of Hanumant Singh.

"Gaekwad is the most suitable candidate for the coveted post. He came to help Board when Kapil Dev had resigned as Indian coach and many noted personalities had refused to accept the post of coach as there were lot of talk about bringing in a foreign coach.

"But Gaekwad came in to shoulder the responsibility for a few months and saved Board from an embarassing position. BCCI then had thought of giving back something to Gaekwad and I think that the NCA director's post will be a just reward for him", Dungarpur said.

Asked about other changes in NCA, he said as Roger Binny expressed disinterest, former Mumbai coach Balwinder Singh Sandhu was likely to be the new bowling coach at the NCA but hunt was still on for a batting coach.

Dungarpur places Steve above Lara and Sachin

Jaipur, February 16: Former cricket board chief Raj Singh Dungarpur said Australian captain Steve Waugh is the best batsman in the world, placing him above West Indies' Brian Lara and India's Sachin Tendulkar, as he scored runs when needed.

"As a batsman I think not Brian Lara, not Sachin Tendulkar, but Steve Waugh is the best in the world as he scores runs when they are required the most," Dungarpur said.

Further adding, he said "No other batsman, not even Don Bradman or Vijay Hazare, have scored more runs when required than Steve Waugh.”

He said India would miss Anil Kumble during the home series against Australia and hoped experienced left-arm spinner Venkatpathy Raju would seize the opportunity provided to him once again and perform well.

"Australia have a fine record recently but it is also true most of their triumphs were against weaker sides like New Zealand, Zimbabwe and a much feeble Indian team on Australian wickets," he said.

New Delhi, February 16: Board of Control for Cricket in India secretary J Y Lele admitted India were offered to host the 3rd ICC Knockout tournament but turned it down for various reasons.

The offer was made to BCCI at the ICC's executive committee meeting in Melbourne last week. In case of an Indian refusal, Pakistan would be an alternative venue, it was learnt.

Lele quashed suggestions that India did not have the strength to host a tournament of this magnitude. "India can very well host a tournament of this nature. After all, we hosted a World Cup in 1996. This is just a Mini World Cup," said he.

When asked about the reasons for the BCCI to decline the offer, Lele said, "We still remember the way the income tax authorities hounded the Pilcom (the joint India-Pakistan organizing committee) after the 1996 World Cup. We don't want a repeat of that."

Hosting the 11-nation meet would have effectively meant hosting Pakistan as well. "Yes, we didn't want to get into that tangle all over again. What if we had accepted and the government threw a spanner in the works? This was one of the reasons but I can assure you that was not the only one," said Lele.

The inaugural ICC Knockout tournament was played in Dhaka in 1998. Nairobi hosted the second edition in October last year.

It is peculiar to note that a tournament meant to be hosted by developing cricket nations was offered to a senior Test-playing country like India.

ICC president Malcolm Gray said from Melbourne on Saturday, "It was by no means an ICC policy decision to hold the Knockout Cup in developing cricket nations. It is one of ICC's prestigious ventures which has generated a lot of interest all over and can be hosted at any suitable venue."

Gray said India were still a possible venue. He said a final decision would be made in another couple of months.

New Delhi, February 16: International Cricket Council president Malcolm Gray said the newly coined 10-year Test and one-day fixtures "could be in a bit of a soup" if India and Pakistan did not play each other as listed.

"A 10-year schedule is an excellent proposition. But it would be a pity if Indo-Pak cricketing ties stayed deadlocked. The schedule will then be a useless exercise," Gray said.

According to the schedule, adopted at the ICC executive committee meeting in Melbourne last week, India are slated to tour Pakistan in April 2003 and host them the following year.

"We're well aware of the situation. We also discussed that India-Pakistan ties might not take off at all," said Gray. He added that ICC can only request governments and can't dictate them.

In the backdrop of Pakistan's incessant cross-border terrorism, the Indian government has repeatedly declined the Board of Control for Cricket in India's request to renew cricketing ties with Pakistan.

As a result, India withdrew from the annual Sahara Cup series in Toronto and also cancelled the full tour of Pakistan scheduled in December-January. Indian authorities also turned down an invitation to play in a tri-nation involving Pakistan and Malaysia in Kuala Lumpur.

More recently, an invitation to play in a fun-raising triangular involving Pakistan and Bangladesh in Sharjah for earthquake victims in Gujarat was also rejected.

Jaipur, February 16 : Former Cricket Board president Raj Singh Dungarpur on Friday cautioned that India might face isolation in cricketing world if it continues with its policy of not playing against Pakistan.

Terming the cancellation of the proposed Sharjah tri-series in aid of Gujarat quake victims as a 'wrong decision', Dungarpur told here on Friday that during a visit to Pakistan in connection with a meeting of marketing committee of International Cricket Council, he had a feeling that India was being isolated on the issue.

"I was personally very disappointed when the proposed tour of Sharjah did not materialise. This was a wrong decision by the politicians. When we can have Pakistan aid for the earthquake victims, why cannot we play against Pakistan?" Dungarpur asked.

"Many Arab concerns were ready to provide crores of Rupees for the earthquake victims. India or Pakistan may have won or lost but it would have been a victory for the game of cricket in any case," he added.

"We have laid the drawn series at 2/1 with a bet of $7500 from India. The Aussies are 4/5 and India 9/2 to win the best of three series," Daffy said.

The bets on individual performances are wide open which is reflected in the odds and also the spread of early money.

Glenn McGrath and Shane Warne head the bets to emerge the highest wicket-taker in the series.

Kolkata, February 16: The historic Eden Gardens will hold a few hundred less people than its earlier capacity as India and Australia square up for the second Test in March.

Giving details of this reduction in capacity, the former Cricket Association of Bengal (CAB) secretary, Chitrak Mitra, said, "Immediately after the fiasco that took place during the India-Sri Lanka 1996 World Cup semi-final, the state public works department had commissioned an enquiry committee. In keeping with the findings and recommendations of the commission of enquiry, CAB decided to increase the aisle space in the stands.''

“Previously, there used to be one aisle for every 35-37 seats, but we were advised to have one aisle for every 25 seats. This time around, we have increased the aisle space and that has reduced the capacity by some 500 odd seats."

He added that repair and renovation work of the stadiums was well on course and everything should be in place well before the February 28 deadline.

Nagpur, February 16: Australia's champion fast bowler Glenn McGrath, champion spinner, Shane Warne and the batting maestro Mark Waugh will miss the opening match of the Indian tour from Saturday.

The Aussies, who open the seven-week tour with a three-day game against India ‘A’ here, are scheduled to play Tendulkar's Mumbai in the next warm-up match in Mumbai from February 22.

McGrath, whose duels with the master batsman could be the highlight of the three-Test series, told the team management he would rather bowl to Tendulkar in Mumbai.

"Glenn is keen to look at Tendulkar close up - that'll happen in the next game," Australian coach John Buchanan said, adding that star spinner Shane Warne and batsman Mark Waugh will also miss the first match.

Tendulkar has been included in the Mumbai team, the current Ranji Trophy champions, to play the tourists even though the first Test begins a few days later on February 27.

McGrath, who missed the previous tour with injury, said he was raring to have a go at Tendulkar before the series begins.

"The game against Mumbai is an excellent chance to tackle Sachin", said McGrath, one of the finest fast bowlers in contemporary cricket with 309 wickets in 67 Tests.

"He can always get the ascendancy by scoring a big knock. But if I can knock him over a couple of times, it can set the tone for the series."

Skipper Steve Waugh said he hoped to use the two warm-up matches before the first Test to give all 14 players a chance to establish their claims.

"We will be taking both these games very seriously," Waugh said. "A few wins under our belt will serve us well in the Tests."

Australia, who come off a record 15 consecutive Test victories, are looking to win their first series on Indian soil in 31 years. The tour opener will pit the Aussies against a strong Indian second-string, captained by batsman Venkatsai Laxman and including the current Test openers Shiv Das and Sadagopan Ramesh.

The 14-man home team has 11 players who have played for India at the senior level and remain in contention for the Tests and five one-day Internationals against the Australians.

A key selection is that of wicket-keeper Nayan Mongia, aiming to return to the Test squad after being cleared of match-fixing allegations by federal investigators. The team also includes 23-year-old leg-spinner Balaji Rao, regarded by the Indian captain as the man to watch in the absence of injured Anil Kumble.

Rao, left-hand batsman Dinesh Mongia and fast bowler Javed Zaman are the only players in the squad not to have played for India before.

Teams:
Australia: Steve Waugh (capt), Matthew Hayden, Michael Slater, Justin Langer, Ricky Ponting, Damien Martyn, Adam Gilchrist, Colin Miller, Jason Gillespie, Damien Fleming, Michael Kasprowicz.
India A : Venkatsai Laxman (capt), Sadagopan Ramesh, Shiv DAs, Dinesh Mongia, Hemang Badani, Mohammad Kaif, Nayan Mongia, Debashish Mohanty, Ashish Nehra, Rahul Sanghvi, Harbhajan Singh, Balaji Rao, Gagan Khoda and Javed Zaman.

Nagpur, February 15: The visiting Australian cricket team led by Steve Waugh, which will play its tour opener in the city from February 17 to 19 against India 'A', arrived here on Thursday from Mumbai.

The team was accorded warm welcome by the officials of the hosts, Vidarbha Cricket Association. The team will have nets tomorrow morning at the VCA ground, the officials said and added the India 'A' team will be reaching here tomorrow night from Mumbai.

Mumbai, February 15: The visiting Australians began their second day in India on Thursday with vice-captain Adam Gilchrist declaring his team would play aggressive cricket during its 52-day tour.

"We have to bat, bowl and field aggressively to beat the Indians on their home soil and if we play to a plan I don't see why we can't win both the Test series and the one-dayers here," he said.

"Last time around we won the one-day series but could not win the Test series and we were a little disappointed but this time we have come well prepared to win both," Gilchrist said.

Gilchrist and fast bowler Damien Fleming represented the Australian team at the function while the others decided to take much-needed rest in their hotel.

On being questioned about CBI's decision not to question Mark Waugh about his suspected involvement in the match-fixing scandal, Gilchrist said: "As our skipper Steve Waugh said soon after the team's arrival on Wednesday we are all relieved. Mark is a key member of the team and obviously we don't want him to be in any sort of pressure before an important series."

On West Indies batsman Brian Lara's statement that he was the target of Aussie sledging during the recent series, which the Australians won handsomely, Gilchrist said it was all in good spirit and there was no ill feeling.

Asked how he felt to be part of a team with a record breaking 15 Test wins in a row, Gilchrist said: "Great. It always feels good to have 15 wins under your belt but you we would like to win many more in future as well."

On arrival here last night, skipper Steve Waugh had admitted that it would be a tough tour as the Indians are hard to beat on their home soil. "This is a major tour for us and a vital series for both countries. It is a tough tour for us because the conditions are different and it will be very hot with the huge crowds solidly behind the home team," he had added.

Waugh, who is one of the best sporting ambassadors of his country, had said winning had become a habit with them and the key for further success on this tour was to simply enjoy playing. "If we really enjoy ourselves, I think we will play good cricket. A lot of players in the current team have not been here before and they don't know what to expect," he had added.

"They should go out of the hotel, meet lot of people and try and enjoy the country so that it will be a great learning experience for all the players," Waugh had said. The Australians will fly to Nagpur later on Thursday and have net practice at the Vidarbha Cricket Association (VCA) on Friday morning.

Mumbai, February 15: The Australian teams lead by its skipper Steve Waugh arrived in Mumbai on Wednesday night. The Mighty Aussies with a record of 15-Test wins in a row under their belt are to play their first match against India A on 17^th February.

During their 52-day tour of India, the World Cup champions will be playing three Test matches - Mumbai (February 27-March 3), Calcutta (March 11-15) and Chennai (March 18-22).

The Australians will also be playing five one-dayers - Bangalore (March 25), Pune (March 28), Indore (March 31), Vishakapatnam (April 3) and Goa (April 6), apart from three side games.

Mumbai, February 14: Australian skipper Steve Waugh on Wednesday said he was not concerned about pitches in India as "we have made winning a habit".

"We are geared up to play on any sort of pitches," Waugh said at a press conference after the 15-member team arrived here from Melbourne On Wednesday night.

"We have thought of a plan and we can play according to it. There is no reason why we cannot win here," he said.

On the CBI decision not to question his brother Mark in the match-fixing controversy, Steve said, "we are all relieved. We have come here to play good cricket and we can put all the controversies behind us and concentrate on the game."

"We have two warm-up matches before the first Test and we will like to be acclimatized to the Indian conditions as seven of our teammates have not played in India, though all of us have played against India in Australia," he said.

Steve Waugh described Anil Kumble's absence following corrective shoulder surgery as unfortunate.

"It is very unfortunate that he will be missing a big series and I only hope other youngsters will fill up his place," he said.

"In the very first Test, we will like to stick to our plans and try to wrest the initiative. I will be happy if we can win the series 1-0 or 2-1," Steve said.

The Australians during their 52-day tour will play three Tests and five one-dayers besides three three-day matches.

"It will definitely be a tough series because the conditions are different and Australia has not won a series in India for the past 30-odd years," said the Australian vice-captain and wicketkeeper Adam Gilchrist.

Gilchrist said winning 15 Test matches in a row was a good feeling and, "we want to make this a habit and our main aim was to win the series in India".

Asked about Brett Lee's absence, Steve said, "it is unfortunate that he got injured at the wrong time. However, it is a great opportunity for the other fast bowlers.

"Leg spinner Shane Warne was not fully fit when we toured last time around. But now he has recovered completely and is totally fit. This could make a big difference to the outcome of the series."

"Some of us have played in India during the World Cup and the last tour and that helped us a little bit. I am looking forward to this tour and hopefully we will be able to play to our full potential in front of the Indian crowd," Steve said.

Team: Steve Waugh (captain), Adam Gilchrist (vice-captain, wk), Damien Fleming, Jason Gillespie, Matthew Hayden, Michael Kasprowicz, Justin Langer, Damien Martyn, Glenn McGrath, Colin Miller, Ricky Ponting, Michael Slater, Shane Warne, Mark Waugh.

Manager: Steve Bernard. Coach: John Buchanan. Physiotherapist: Errol Alcott. Fitness Advisor: Jock Campbell. Cricket Analyst: Mike Walsh.

New Delhi, February 13: Media reports suggest that chairman of selectors Chandu Borde and former Test off-spinner Srinivas Venkatraghvan were unimpressed by the spin talent on view in Madras. "None of the spinners are giving air to the ball and are bowling very flat," Borde was quoted as saying.

Venkataraghvan, now a respected Test umpire, said his visit to the Indian team's camp left him disillusioned. "I am not happy with the way our spinners are bowling," said Venkatraghvan, who worked with both Sarandeep and Harbhajan.

Therefore leg-spinner Narendra Hirwani, 32, and fellow leggie Sairaj Bahutule, 28, were summoned to join the camp for Indian probables in Madras as the worried selectors want to unearth a suitable replacement for the injured Anil Kumble.

Kumble is out of squad for the long-awaited series against the world champions because of surgery of his right shoulder.

The selectors picked seven spinners for the ongoing camp, but added Hirwani and Bahutule to the list amid speculation the current crop of slow bowlers was not good enough to test the mighty Australians.

Australia, who have won a record 15 successive Test matches, arrive in India on Wednesday for a seven-week tour that includes three Test matches and five one-day Internationals. Steve Waugh's world-beating team regards India as the final frontier, hoping to secure their first series win here in 31 years.

Veteran Venkatapathy Raju, who last played for India in 1998, leads the pack of left-armers at the camp that includes Sunil Joshi, Rahul Sanghvi and Murali Kartik.

Punjab's off-spin duo Harbhajan Singh and Sarandeep Singh, exciting leg-spinner Balaji Rao along with Hirwani and Bahutule complete the spin department.

The 14-man Indian squad for the first Test, which will be named on February 19, is expected to include at least three spinners.

Melbourne, February 13: Australian captain Steve Waugh expects the Test series against India to be more confrontational than ever and he went on the extent of criticising Indian captain Saurav Ganguly.

"I find some of his comments a bit strange, saying we've only played weak sides to win our 15 Test matches in a row," Waugh said.

"He forgot they were one of those sides, so as a leader of a side, it's not a real good thing to say about your own side.

"I don't think there'll be verbal stuff but there'll be two teams out there giving it their best shot. We'll be happy to accommodate them if they want to do it that (verbal) way."

Waugh proposed at a meeting of Test captains here that such influence should be officially prohibited.

"There wasn't any dissent about it, I brought it up and they (the captains) thought it was a pretty good idea," Waugh said.

"It will stop that temptation to say to the groundsman 'I'd like a turning pitch' or 'a bouncy wicket'.

"The groundsman's job is to produce the best wicket he can and then the players go out there and play on it.

"If you're not good enough to cope with different conditions then you shouldn't be there."

Waugh said the Australians would try to get on top of the Indians on the first day of the Tests to deflate the opposition and silence the potentially rowdy crowd.

"They're a very confident side when they get on a roll, the crowd gets behind them and they can get motivated by crowd support," Waugh said.

"We've got to stay calm and relaxed in pressure situations, last time we got rushed into it.” He said he'd be satisfied with a 1-0 or 2-1 series win and was not fussed with trying to extend the winning streak.

"I really believe we're going to play our best cricket in India and following that in England - we've done really well but the best part is about to come."

Attack on Ganguly is Waugh warfare: Psychologist

Sydney, February 14: Every word in Steve Waugh's verbal assault on the Indian cricket team was a carefully-crafted weapon to out-psyche them, a leading Australian sport psychologist said on Wednesday.

Australian Institute of Sport psychologist Jeff Bond said the Aussie skipper was a master at mental warfare and Waugh's verbal jousting with his Indian counterpart Sourav Ganguly could decide who won the February-March series.

These tactics, as well as sledging, are what Waugh in the past has called "mental disintegration".

Australia are bidding to win their first Test series in India in 30 years and Bond thinks mind games could be the way to do it. And he agreed with Waugh that putting the boot into the Indian team in the first of the three Tests could do untold damage to the home side.

"The Australians are going in there with a sort of proactive front foot," he said. "The Indians are going to be a bit hesitant as to how good the Australians are and if the Australians nail them first-off, their confidence gets dented, and the thing cycles itself. They get into a negative spiral which is exactly what happened to the West Indies.

"It'd be the first thing you'd want to do — sink the boot in," Bond said.

He also said Waugh had an exceptional ability to prevent overconfidence in his charges. Part of that meant keeping the team fresh and not being afraid to drop even high performing players, such as leg-spinner Stuart MacGill, who was a notable omission from the India tour.

"That's where I think Steve Waugh might be a master strategist because I think he's shown the ability to get them to keep going, to keep resetting the goals, keep setting the bar a little bit higher so there hasn't been a great deal of evidence of complacency," he said.

"He's certainly very very strong in (psyching out opponents) and I think that's one of the reasons the team's doing as well as it is. He strikes me as the sort of person who doesn't say or do anything unless he's really thought about it and he's doing it for a reason."

Bond said under Waugh's leadership the whole Australian team had a huge psychological edge.

"During the big performance it's what's between the ears that's the most important thing and Australia seems to have a pretty good bunch of things going on between their ears," he said.

"There's a culture of professionalism and consistency and keeping the pressure on and making people crack and they've become pretty good at it."

Hongkong, February 14: As Steve Waugh's men rested overnight in Hong Kong en route to Mumbai, they learned about the inclusion of veteran Narendra Hirwani and Sairaj Bahutule in the Indian probables' squad — now 27-players strong, with a third of those specialist spinners.

Australian coach John Buchanan regarded it as an indication India were having trouble determining a suitable spin attack to trouble the record-breaking tourists in the upcoming three Test series.

"I think there's some real concern as to who will be their frontline spinners,'' Buchanan said on Wednesday.

''(Indian captain) Sourav Ganguly would like to be able to dictate with his spinners but without Anil Kumble there's real uncertainty as to which spinners might be able to do that.'' Buchanan added.

The Indians' problems follow the surgery-enforced absence of leg-spinner Kumble, who troubled Australia on their last two tours to the sub-continent.

Buchanan however admitted India may yet come up with a relatively unknown player who could take the Australians by surprise.

Backing his team Buchanan said, “I think our players are very good players of spin and will cope with whatever range of spinners we see.''

While the Aussies pondered the Indian spin puzzle, Buchanan was content the team had most other issues under control; especially following the news that Indian police had indicated they did not intend to speak to Mark Waugh over the bookie allegations against him.

It's a relief for the Australians who still fear the match-fixing scandals could yet turn into a major off-field problem. As they've done in the past, the team has employed the services of Reg Dickason a former Brisbane policeman turned private detective to make sure nothing untoward happens to any the players.

Dickason was with the team in Pakistan two and a half years ago and Buchanan said his presence in India was purely precautionary.

"That's been the situation on previous tours and this is no different really,'' Buchanan said.

The Australian team, Buchanan said, had been briefed to expect a throng of Indian media and fans to greet them at the airport in Mumbai.

SYDNEY: As the Australian cricket team left on a tour of India on Tuesday, media commentators and fans were wondering whether any other previous overseas tour has aroused so much interest and speculation as the team's current foray into cricket-crazy India.

Almost all newspapers and periodicals are full of speculation about how world champions
Australia would fare against Sourav Ganguly's team and what the home team would be encountering during the three Test and five match one-day series.

Experts feel some of the hysteria being generated about conditions in India is justified but most of the scare campaign is said to be driven by certain quarters that want to prepare cricket followers in Australia about the fact that it is almost impossible to win a Test series in India.

Cricket pundits here also feel the unprecedented winning streak being enjoyed by the Australians is attributed not only to their unquestionable on-field high standards but also to the army of spin doctors which works behind the scene to formulate psychological warfare strategies.

They point out some recent statements issued by Australian captain Steve Waugh that has already put Ganguly and Indian cricket administrators on the defensive.

Waugh had alleged that the Indians are trying to "doctor" Test pitches to suit their needs. He had further elaborated the allegations by saying that the Indian captain has been busy giving instructions to ground curators to make pitches to suit batsmen so that the Australian pace battery is frustrated in its designs. He had labelled such "instructions" as an unfair practice.

Cricket experts feel the timing of a code of conduct preventing captains of international cricket sides from influencing pitch preparation mooted by Steve Waugh in Melbourne on Monday could not have been more precise. He did so amid prevailing concerns about the tour of India.

Waugh stressed the point once before taking the flight to India that he expected traditional flat, slow pitches there. But Waugh, who was awarded the Allan Border medal for being the Australian 'cricketer of the year' Monday night in Melbourne, also admitted the team's aim was to get on top of India early in the series to deflate the opponent's spirit and reduce the home-crowd support factor.

Ganguly has refuted "doctoring" allegations by saying the Indian Test ground curators act according to their own plans and do not take into account the needs or wishes of the players.

Besides starting the "doctored pitches" controversy, cricket psychologists also seem to be preparing the Australian public to expect an adverse outcome from the tour. They are busy pointing out to any willing listener that a daunting obstacle in the path of the Australians is the "stifling" heat and, also, the humidity in India. These two conditions were mentioned in almost all media conferences involving Australian cricketers.

The introduction of ice vests in the second last game of the Carlton limited-over series is also been seen in this light. The Australians are likely to wear this gadget, which would match the uniforms, for brief periods during the games to fight the heat.

"The heat and humidity in some areas of India are best described simply as distressing," Australian vice-captain Adam Gilchrist wrote in his column in The Australian newspaper Tuesday.

The difficulty faced by Australians regarding Indian cuisine has already been well documented. The chief perpetrator of one such controversy during Australians' last tour to India, Shane Warne, has already been promised a continuous supply of his favorite tinned baked beans by an Australian company.

Warne's distress calls for Australian baked beans had received the same publicity as his clobbering by batting maestro Sachin Tendulkar.

Chennai, February12: Indian captain Sourav Ganguly on Monday warned Steve Waugh's all-conquering Australia to expect a tough Test series, saying his team will not be bowled over easily.

"They've had it easy at home, but India will be a different proposition altogether," an unusually aggressive Ganguly said after a week-long training camp for 25 probables.

Australia, who have not won a Test rubber on Indian soil since 1970, go into the long-awaited series riding high on a record 15 successive Test wins capped by a recent 5-0 rout of the West Indies.

Waugh's men, who consider India as the last frontier for their world-beating side, arrive on Wednesday for a seven-week tour that includes three Tests and five one-day internationals.

Ganguly stressed all the pressure will be on the tourists as they attempt to continue their golden streak.

"We beat them in India twice in 1996 and 1998, so it is the Australians who will be wary of playing us," the elegant left-hander said.

"They will have to make all the moves if they want to win. As far as I am concerned the Indian team is very capable of dealing with the challenge."

Ganguly said the absence of spin spearhead Anil Kumble through injury was a blow, but insisted others were ready step into the leg-spinner's shoes.

The selectors picked seven spinners for the Madras camp, giving Ganguly and coach John Wright of New Zealand a variety to choose from.

Veteran Venkatapathy Raju, who last played for India in 1998, leads the pack of left-armers that includes Sunil Joshi, Rahul Sanghvi and Murali Kartik.

Punjab's off-spin duo of Harbhajan Singh and Sarandeep Singh and exciting leg-spinner Balaji Rao complete the spin department.

Ganguly said all seven were capable of making the Test squad, but said he had not made up his mind on the likely line-up.

With seven new ball bowlers also in the camp, Ganguly said predictions of spin-friendly wickets were wide off the mark.

"I don't know where that came from," the Indian captain said, referring to reports that Wright and chairman of selectors Chandu Borde had ordered groundsmen to prepare lifeless tracks to thwart the Aussies.

Both Wright and Borde vehemently denied they had given any such instructions and Ganguly scoffed at suggestions India will play defensively to prevent losing to the world champions.

"It will be a close series. The team which handles the pressure better will win," he said.

"I am not worried because I have confidence in my boys. Don't write us off because we could surprise many."

Ganguly also took a swipe at Waugh, saying the Australian captain should have checked facts before saying it was unfair on the part of India to doctor wickets.

The Indian team, which will be picked on February 19, will assemble in Bombay a few days before the first Test starts at the Wankhede stadium on February 27.

Melbourne, February 12: Senior Australian batsman Mark Waugh leaves for India this Tuesday unsure of what awaits him from Indian cricket officials, fans, and possibly even the local police.

Waugh departs with the Australian team aware of a report that foreign affairs officials are on alert to help if Indian police seek to interview him in connection with allegations that he had accepted money from local bookmaker Mukesh Gupta.

Waugh's manager Leo Karis confirmed Monday the Australian Cricket Board had kept his client informed on whether he could face any inquiries about the allegations contained in an Indian police report.

Australian captain Steve Waugh said Monday his brother Mark would be "a little apprehensive" but he expected him to be well informed on what he could face before the tour.

"He would have spoken to his lawyers and the cricket board and I'm sure they'll sort something out before he goes so he knows exactly what's going to happen and what will confront him over there to put his mind at ease," said Steve Waugh.

ACB chief executive Malcolm Speed said the Department of Foreign Affairs believed it was unlikely Waugh would be sought for an interview by Indian police but the department was available to help if needed.

Waugh again refuted Gupta's allegations that he took money in return for team, pitch and weather information when he was interviewed by ACB anti-corruption investigator Greg Melick here at the weekend.

Waugh has enjoyed a brilliant summer in the home Test and one-day series, despite unrelenting pressure over Gupta's allegations, but he may get a more hostile reception from cricket-mad Indian crowds who have already turned on their own players caught up in cricket's match-fixing scandals.

Aside from the issues with Mark, Steve Waugh said there was no particular concern about security on the Indian tour beyond those in previous trips to the country.

"Every tour we go on now we generally have security people with us so that'll probably be the same in this tour," Steve Waugh said.

"Indian authorities I'm sure are going to look after us as well, but you can't guarantee everything.”

"I'm sure they'll do the best they can and I hope there aren't any incidents on tour." He added.

Sydney, February 12 : As the Australian cricket team is all set to leave for India, its team manager Steve Bernard is looking at it as "the toughest of all, the toughest as, by far, Pakistan is a doodle by comparison."

Not just the players, even coach John Buchanan told a newspaper in Sydney,” We want to go over there, want to win the series 3-0 and we go confident enough to believe we can do it. It is just how well we harness the tremendous amount of raw material at our disposal."

A dossier on Indian players and playing conditions has been prepared with statistics and summations on individual strengths and weaknesses reinforced by information from the Zimbabweans, who toured India before coming to Australia.

This will be Buchanan's second visit to India. The last time he only had a stopover at the Calcutta airport. He told the media here, "It (the team) is a very unified and harmonious group, a very important factor while we are there and the undoubted talent through the line."

"In a technical sense, I think we need to solidify No 1, 2 and 3 in the batting order. Michael Slater and Mathew Hayden began together as an opening combination last year and produced some good starts," Buchanan said, adding: "We need more from them and we need Justin Langer to rekindle the flame and what he exemplified from the Hobart Test onwards into the tour of New Zealand last season."

"The other facto," Buchanan explained, "will be how well our quick bowlers adapt to the conditions. That way, I think we can expose the Indian batting with the new ball, which would allow the spinners, Shane Warne and Colin Miller to come into their own."

He said the obvious other weakness was to adapt to the Indian environment. "While most of the players have been there, what I understand it is still overwhelming: the culture, the people, the heat just everything about cricket is quite overwhelming... It's how well in the end we adapt to those conditions which will be a telling factor."

Australian players had begun discussing India in New Zealand last year. Ice baths, ice vests, nutrition aspects, type of training and so on. Even while playing against the West Indies and Zimbabwe, their one eye was on India. "It seems the players just can't wait to be on Indian soil whatever be the distractions and conditions," he said.

Sydney, February 12: India have some important factors in their favour to extend 30 years of home dominance over the touring Australian cricket team. A key reason for Australia's record-breaking success under Steve Waugh and coach John Buchanan has been its careful scrutiny of an opponent's strengths and weaknesses and planning to counter or exploit them.

But on this month's Indian tour the Aussies will go in against a well-prepared Indian team bolstered by new coach John Wright and consultant Geoff Marsh. Wright has already been lauded by captain Sourav Ganguly for his input at a pre-series training camp for India's top 25 players: "If anyone can teach the Indians to cope with Australia's new-ball attack it will be the former New Zealand Test opener."

Being predecessor to Buchanan as Australian coach, Marsh knows more about this Australian team than anyone else. He will be able to deliver valuable input, which will only embellish the marked home advantage.

Of 29 Tests in India, Australia have won 9, drawn 11, lost 8 and tied 1. And home advantage means so much to the Indians. Forget their tour here last summer when Australia scored a 3-0 series win built on the ability of the pacemen to rip through the batting line-up.

Waugh maintains the Indians don't like - and have little experience - of fast bowling. But batting on Australia's hard, bouncy pitches is one thing - the batsmen so terrified of Glenn McGrath and company when in Australia. But they will be far more comfortable on the featherbed pitches expected in Mumbai, Kolkata and Chennai.

However, one Indian strength has been removed - mesmerising spinner Anil Kumble. The legspinner has a great record against Australia in India, where he has taken 32 wickets in four tests at an average of 17.06. On the other hand, whole-hearted Queensland fast bowler Michael Kasprowicz was the surprise selection in the 14-man Australian touring team announced last week. The Queenslander was rewarded for his heroic performances on Australia's last tour to India in 1998 when he bowled to the point of exhaustion as a badly-undermanned side went down 2-1 in the series.

Kasprowicz won the final place in the squad, edging out legspinner Stuart Macgill and pacemen Andy Bichel, Don Nash and Nathan Bracken as the replacement for injured Brett Lee.

On the 1998 tour Australia was without the three fast bowlers that will partner Kasprowicz on this tour - Glenn Mcgrath, Jason Gillespie and Damien Fleming - while Paul Wilson and Paul Reiffel both broke down mid-tour and Shane Warne was hampered by a shoulder injury. On that occasion he took 5-28 as Australia won its first Test in India since its last series win there in 1969-70.

Waugh said those efforts were not forgotten when it came to picking the squad, even though Kasprowicz has played only one first-class match since returning from a shoulder reconstruction.

"You need strong characters on a tour to India," Waugh said of Kasprowicz. "What we are looking for in the Australian side is a strong unit with guys who are tough and resilient."

Veteran off-spinner Colin Miller will partner Warne, who proved his recovery from a broken finger throughout the one-day series against the West Indies and Zimbabwe. Three years ago Tendulkar humiliated Warne but at that stage the champion leggie's bowling shoulder was virtually ruined.

Waugh believes Warne will relish a return meeting with his greatest tormentor. "He's a great bowler Warnie," Waugh said. "You always back him in a tough situation and Shane is keen for the challenge."

Waugh said the key to success in India was how they coped as a team with the difficult conditions saying the team had the individual talent to be successful. "It's more important how we act as a team over there and enjoy the country and the culture rather than complaining about it as some teams have in the past. We've got the players so our attitude will be the key."

New Delhi, Feb 12: Only spinner-friendly pitches can help India face Australia on equal terms in their home test series starting later this month, says the former Indian opener Navjot Singh Sidhu.

Sidhu, who played 51 tests in his 15-year career that ended two years ago, said Australia's batsmen could be contained only on turning tracks, despite the absence of Anil Kumble from the series following shoulder surgery.

"Tracks are going to play a very important role. And there is only one way, play on turning tracks," said the cricketer-turned-commentator, adding India should play attacking cricket.

Australia will arrive in India determined to extend their world record of 15 consecutive test victories and captain Steve Waugh has declared his team can claim to be the best in history only if they win the Indian series.

Sidhu, whose attacking batting was crucial in India's 2-1 home test series win over Australia in 1997-98, also said Australian leg-spinner Shane Warne would be a tougher prospect for the Indian batsmen this time.

"He (Warne) didn't settle down well last time," said Sidhu, who played his part in the attack on the wrist-spinner by scoring 341 runs from five innings for a series average of 68.20.

"But this time they have done their homework. They are likely to bowl a leg-stump line. Indians are not very good at the sweep shot and playing against the spin, they are bound to give more chances," Sidhu said.

Sidhu said the fact that Australia had not won a test series in India since 1969 could not be ignored.

However, he said the absence of Kumble, India's second highest test wicket-taker after Kapil Dev, was a big blow.

"For the last five-six years, he is the only match-winning spinner we had. He not only used to take wickets economically, he used to put pressure on the batsmen to score from the other end," he added.

Kumble is expected to be out of action at least for the next four months. He has been sidelined since last October with a shoulder injury but is on the road to recovery after an operation in Johannesburg last month.

New Delhi, February 11: Disgraced banned cricketer Ajay Jadeja, who has moved to the Delhi high court against the cricket board's decision to ban him for five years, has expressed his keenness to play against Australians in the coming series and also said that the ban should be kept in suspended animation.

Seeking a stay on BCCI's ban for his alleged involvement in the match-fixing scandal, Jadeja, in his interim application, pleaded that the ban order should be kept in suspended animation till the final outcome on his main writ.

He said "irreparable loss and injury" would be caused to him if the banorder of December 12 last year was not stayed and on the other hand "no harm or loss will be caused to the respondents (BCCI) and the government or anybody else if the order of December 12 is suspended and he is allowed to play.''

The court has fixed hearing on his plea for interim stay on BCCI order along with his main writ on March 29. Jadeja said he was ready to "undertake to give his best to the game of cricket which he has always done."

Making a strong plea for an interim injunction in this regard, the middle order batsman said if the court after hearing his main writ came to a conclusion that the ban order was not "correct, he would have lost an important period of his life to play cricket, which could never be returned."

Describing the ban order "wholly arbitrary, illegal, perverse and passed in gross violation of the principle of natural justice," Jadeja said the balance of convenience was also in his favour.

Claiming that he was certain to be selected to play for India against Australia on the basis of his past performance, he said he had scored 93 runs in his last international match and a century in the Ranji trophy match just before the ban was imposed.

Jadeja in his writ said he had submitted a detailed representation "refuting and denying each and every allegation made against him in the CBI report" to BCCI commissioner K Madhavan who, he said, did not take any notice of the same.

He had given Madhavan his telephone bill and requested him to provide him the telephone numbers of the "so-called bookies/punters with whom he allegedly had contacts" so that he could effectively defend himself, but the BCCI commissioner "refused" to give the relevant details and documents, Jadeja claimed.

"Madhavan presumed the statements (against him) made before CBI to be true without himself examining those persons who made the statements," he alleged adding the BCCI commissioner should have given him a chance to confront those people who deposed against him before the agency.

The conduct of BCCI and its commissioner "demonstrated" that they not only had "pre-judged" him but were "pre-determined" to take a decision and the hearing by Madhavan was a mere formality "for the sake of superficial compliance with the rules," Jadeja alleged.

Chennai, February 11: Indian skipper Sourav Ganguly on Sunday hinted that Vijay Dahiya might keep the wickets in the first Test against Australia in Mumbai, starting on February 27.

Ganguly after attending a five day camp in Chennai said, "Dahiya is doing fine here. He suffered an injury on the little finger on his left hand. But an x-ray yesterday proved there was no fracture and only a bruise."

He thus, singled out Dahiya from Nayan Mongia, who has been exonerated by the CBI, for the first Test at Mumbai.

"The spinners are doing well, but we have not decided which of the three will be selected. The seamers also showing good form. All are good and hungry to do well but the best three will be in the squad," he said.

About selection committee chairman Chandu Borde's remarks on Saturday that none of the spinners in the camp had impressed him as they were bowling flat and not giving much air to the ball, Ganguly said, "it is his personal opinion. They are bowling well and looking good. They are not bad."

Drawn into comment on Australian captain Steve Waugh's remark that the Aussies had a better spin attack than India, Ganguly said, "I do not know about his remarks.''

On Waugh's remarks that the pressure would be on the Indians, Ganguly said, "I think the pressure is on them (Australians) as they hold the tag of world champions. Anyway, the pressure is to be handled by either side."

Ganguly said conditions at the camp were tough and had made each player mentally stronger. "We are working on our plan and strategy. We have another 16 days to go for the first Test."

Brushing aside suggestions about fitness troubles, as he was seen holding his back after bowling at the nets today, Ganguly said, "I am perfectly all right. There is nothing wrong with me. In fact, I had bowled 50 overs in a Ranji trophy match."

He refused to draw any comparisons when asked to comment on the coaching of John Wright.

"I am not here to draw any comparison. Wright has shown professionalism in his coaching, which is terrific. I am amazed at the way he is keen on the team performing well."

The Indian skipper felt the probables were working hard to get into the final team.

"However, the final composition will depend on the surface that we are going to play," he added.

Chennai, February 11: As the 25 probables of the Indian team sweated it out with coach John Wright on the penultimate day of the five-day preparatory camp here for the home series against Australia, physio Andrew Leipus said the players were in good shape.

"There are no injuries," Leipus said. "I hope the boys will translate their potential into performance against the Aussies."

Leipus said he was satisfied with the players' training, fitness and flexibility.

"They are all in good shape and most of the boys are responding well to the grinding routine", he said, and singled out young batsmen S S Das and Mohammed Kaif as particularly impressive in terms of agility.

Asked about Karnataka leg spinner Anil Kumble's injury to his bowling arm, Leipus said Kumble would be fit in about four to six months. "His shoulder was being given hydro therapy and some massage treatment," he informed.

The camp, being held at the Chemplast ground in the IIT campus, away from the dust and noise of the city, will conclude on Sunday.

The probables, who will be seen in action in the Hero Honda N K P Salve Challenger Trophy day and night limited overs competition from February 12 to 15, will later assemble in Mumbai for another short preparatory camp before the first Test there.

Mumbai, February 10: Mumbai skipper Sameer Dighe will once again have the honours of leading the star-studded Ranji team, this time against the formidable visitors Australia, in the three-day warm-up match to be played at the Brabourne Stadium from February 22.

The Team: Sameer Dighe (C), Amol Muzumdar (VC), Wasim Jaffer, Vinayak Mane, Sachin Tendulkar, Vinod Kambli, Ajit Agarkar, Sairaj Bahutule, Paras Mhambrey, Nilesh Kulkarni, Ramesh Powar, Rajesh Pawar, Sriram Kannan, Swapnil Hazare, Kunal More. Coach: Ashok Mankad Physiotherapist: Dr Mahendra Samtani.

Chennai, February 9: Cricket Selection Committee Chairman Chandu Borde on Saturday refuted Australian captain Steve Waugh's charge that tailor-made wickets had been prepared by India for the upcoming three Test series against his team.

Neither coach John Wright nor captain Sourav Ganguly had given any instructions to prepare turning wickets, said Borde, a former vice-captain.

He, however, added that preparation of wickets suiting to the needs of the home team had been a common factor with every country in international cricket. Borde, who spent time at the camp for the probables here along with co-selectors T A Sekar and Ashok Malhotra, expressed confidence that India would break Australia's record of 15 straight Test wins during the coming tour.

Borde indicated that Vikram Rathore may lead India 'B', replacing Sachin Tendulkar in the Challenger Series slated here from February 12 to 15.

Tendulkar had expressed his desire not to captain any team since his stepping down from the leadership role after South Africa's Test series in India last year.

Agreeing that Anil Kumble's absence would be a blow, Borde said "We have lot of potential youngsters in the camp and the selection committee had a open mind."

On Wicket Keeper Nayan Mongia, he was of the view that the Baroda stumper was in the reckoning along with Vijay Dahiya.

It’s going to be a tough ball game for both the teams: Ganguly

Chennai, February 8: "The Australians are on a winning streak but it is going to be a different ball game in the coming series, as both teams have an even chance of winning," a confident India captain Sourav Ganguly said on Thursday.

"It is true they are on a high for the last 12 months winning 15 Tests in a row. But it's going to be a different ball game when they come here. We have also been playing well for the last over six months with these young boys," he said after the end of the second day practice session.

Ganguly said he was not worried about the Aussies' strength and weaknesses. "We are going to play according to our strength. Test or one day cricket is more of a mind game than anything else. It is going to be a good series.

Asked if the series was going to be a mentally demanding one, Ganguly said, "the Australians have won 11 games at home beating the West Indies squarely, defeating India and Pakistan. They also won against Zimbabwe and New Zealand on away tours. But when they toured here in 1996 and 1998, they had lost the series. And, this is going to be in the back of their minds".

On the absence of Anil Kumble, considered a match winner in home conditions, he said, "none can fill the gap that has been created due to his injury. He has taken 600 international wickets and you cannot have a Kumble overnight. We will miss him but we have got some youngsters who could be moulded for the future. We are yet to decide who is good among these youngsters".

On Aussie paceman Brett Lee not visiting India due to injury, Ganguly said "we are not bothered about who is in the Australian team. We are all here to be together and work hard to prepare ourselves for winning matches."

On Australian captain Steve Waugh's allegations that the Indian cricket management had asked for ‘turning wickets', The Indian skipper said "we have not given any instructions regarding this to any curator. The fact is that I will know the type of wicket that is going to be given to us only after playing on it".

He revealed that he had not read Steve Waugh's remarks but wondered how he could make such comments from Australia "as to what is happening in India."

On India's traditional banking on spinners and whether he would be dependent on pace attack, Ganguly reiterated that India should play to its strength.

"Let us see, how the boys shape up at the end of the camp and whether they are in good form. It is too early to come out with predictions as we have almost three more weeks for the first Test to start in Mumbai (on February 27)," he said.

On working with coach John Wright and the difference in the conduct of the camp to previous ones, Ganguly said "he has been with us for the last two months and I cannot pass any judgment on camps as I am here only for the last 24 hours. It is a long way to go. Neither of us can pass judgments on either of us at this early stage".

"We are not looking at only the Australian series. We are concentrating on one full year of international cricket. Wright has been of immense help to us," Ganguly said.

Wright also said they were working together and enjoying their respective roles. "Any leader must enjoy his role. Ganguly seems to be enjoying his captaincy and he is batting well too. It is a great sign being in the role of a captain and doing well with the bat, which is difficult," he said.

On Anil Kumble's role in the camp, Wright said "he needs to take help from the physio daily. Board gave him permission for that and we are making use of his expertise in spin bowling. He is in a management role now like Venkat and Sekar (former India captain and currently international umpire S Venkatraghavan and MRF Pace Foundation's director T A Sekar). They are passing on their experience to the boys here".

On the dominant role of spinners, Wright said, "we are putting together everything to have a balanced and disciplined attack. Discipline is the most important factor, be it a bowler or a batsman."

"We are trying to weave discipline, accuracy in fielding (ground fielding and catching) and achieve the best results. In fact, I am still on trial at the first camp," he added.

Accused Match-fixers have no place in Australia in India Series: BCCI official

February, 8: Mohammad Azharuddin and Ajay Jadeja will not be picked for the upcoming home series against Australia even if their appeal to play is upheld by the courts, a BCCI official said on Thursday.

Azharuddin and Jadeja, banned from the game after being accused of match-fixing and links with bookmakers, have both urged courts to set aside the verdict of the Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI).

Jadeja's plea for a temporary suspension of the ban will be heard in the Delhi High Court on Friday.

A similar appeal by Azharuddin will come up before a civil court in the cricketer's home city of Hyderabad next Wednesday.

If the respective courts uphold the appeals, both Azharuddin and Jadeja will, in theory, be eligible to play against Australia in the three-Test series starting later this month.

But a senior BCCI official, speaking on condition of anonymity, shot down the players' chances of appearing for India in the home series.

"I can say with some certainty that Azharuddin and Jadeja will not play against Australia," the official said.

"Picking national teams is the prerogative of the selectors. None of these players is on their short-list for the series."

Azharuddin, 38, a former Indian captain, is one match away from joining the select 100-Test club. He has also played more one-day internationals (334) than any player in the world.

Jadeja, 30, was one of India's leading limited-overs players till the Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) charged him with associating with bookmakers.

Following the CBI report and the BCCI's own internal inquiry, Azharuddin and former Test player Ajay Sharma were banned for life, while Jadeja and Manoj Prabhakar were handed a five-year suspension.

Azharuddin and Jadeja have both gone to court to challenge the decision, and asked for a temporary suspension of the bans till the cases were decided.

Jadeja's lawyer, Vineet Malhotra, said he hoped the courts will reverse the decisions.

"We have said that no opportunity was given to Jadeja to prove his innocence," Malhotra stated.

"Action was taken in a pre-determined manner, without any rules and against the principles of natural justice."

Malhotra said the petition argued that the five-year ban had robbed Jadeja of his livelihood.

Azharuddin initiated legal proceedings on January 30 against the BCCI, its president A.C. Mutthiah and special investigator K. Madhavan for banning him for life.

"We will answer the allegations levelled by Azharuddin in court. We will defend our actions," he said.

On Azharuddin's charge that the probe against him was not fair and transparent, Muthiah said, "He might say what he wants to say. We will answer it in court.”

"He is at liberty to go to court. He has gone to court as a citizen of this country."

Sydney, February 8: Australian captain Steve Waugh on Thursday hailed Michael Kasprowicz's return for this month's cricket tour of India saying he was the strong character needed to succeed on the sub-continent.

Kasprowicz won the final place in Australia's 14-man Test squad on Thursday, edging out leg-spinner Stuart MacGill and pacemen Andy Bichel, Don Nash and Nathan Bracken as the replacement for the injured Brett Lee.

The Queenslander was rewarded for his heroic performances on Australia's last tour to India in 1998 when he bowled to the point of exhaustion as a badly-undermanned side went down 2-1 in the series.

On that tour Australia was without the three fast bowlers that will partner Kasprowicz on this tour - Glenn McGrath, Jason Gillespie and Damien Fleming - while Paul Wilson and Paul Reiffel both broke down mid-tour and Shane Warne was hampered by a shoulder injury.

That left Kasprowicz to carry the fight to Indian master Sachin Tendulkar in searing heat and sapping humidity but he still managed to single-handedly win Australia the third Test in Bangalore.

On that occasion he took 5-28 as Australia won its first Test in India since its last series win there in 1969-70.

Waugh said those efforts were not forgotten when it came to picking the squad to depart on Tuesday, even though Kasprowicz has played only one first-class match since returning from a shoulder reconstruction.

"What we are looking for in the Australian side is a strong unit with guys who are tough and resilient."

Despite losing eight kilograms in India last time, Kasprowicz can hardly wait to return.

"At one stage I thought 'if you're going to keel over, it may as well be out there playing for your country'," he said of his previous Indian experience.”

While Kasprowicz was delighted at his call-up, there was disappointment for MacGill.

Despite performing well in this summer's 5-0 whitewash of the West Indies in the absence of the injured Warne, MacGill was overlooked.

Veteran off-spinner Colin Miller will partner Warne, who proved his recovery from a broken finger throughout the one-day series against the West Indies and Zimbabwe.

MacGill, who has taken 75 Test wickets in 16 matches compared to Warne's 66 in 21 matches since making his debut in January 1998, refused to discuss his non-selection.

However Waugh said MacGill was no unluckier to miss out than in-form batsmen Darren Lehmann and Simon Katich.

"It's tough, he is a tremendous bowler who loves the big match occasion," he said of MacGill.

"But it's the luck of the draw. There are always going to be unlucky players when you have got a strong side and a strong squad."

Warne's ability to bowl far more tidily than MacGill won him the nod with the selectors knowing full well what a toll Tendulkar takes on any loose deliveries on the flat batting wickets in India.

Three years ago Tendulkar humiliated Warne but at that stage the champion leggie's bowling shoulder was virtually ruined.

"He's a great bowler Warnie," Waugh said. "You always back him in a tough situation and Shane is keen for the challenge."

Waugh said the key to success in India was how they coped as a team with the difficult conditions saying the team had the individual talent to be successful.

"It's more important how we act as a team over there and enjoy the country and the culture rather than complaining about it as some teams have in the past.

Australia: Steve Waugh (Capt.), Adam Gilchrist (vice-Capt.), Damien Fleming, Jason Gillespie, Matthew Hayden, Michael Kasprowicz, Justin Langer, Damien Martyn, Glenn McGrath, Colin Miller, Ricky Ponting, Michael Slater, Shane Warne, Mark Waugh.

Nagpur, Feb 8: The Vidarbha Cricket Association (VCA), which is hosting visiting Australians' tour opener against India A, to be played here from February 17 to 19, was expecting a fair turnout of local cricket enthusiasts.

Addressing a press conference here today, VCA secretary Rajeev Madkholkar said though exams were round the corner, weekend holidays and another holiday on February 19 on account of Shivaji Jayanti, VCA was expecting a sizeable crowd.

VCA is fully geared up to host the match at a short notice, he said and added that all the five selectors will be watching the match to pick the Indian team for the first test, to be announced on last day of the match.

Sydney, February 8: Australia opted for speed when they picked just two spinners for a three Test tour of India starting next week.

The selectors decided on Thursday against including leg-spinner Stuart MacGill and limited themselves to leg-spinner Shane Warne and off-spinner Colin Miller.

Jason Gillespie, who suffered a strained hamstring tendon a month ago in the fifth Test against the West Indies in Sydney, was recalled and Queenslander Michael Kasprowicz replaced the injured Brett Lee.

Lee, the fastest bowler in Australia if not the world, underwent an operation for an elbow injury on Tuesday.

Captain Steve Waugh opted for a speed assault of Glenn McGrath, Gillespie, Kasprowicz and Damien Fleming, who has bounced back from last season's injury problems, despite the prospect of dull and lifeless pitches in Mumbai, Calcutta and Madras.

The current top six batsman all keep their places while Damien Martyn maintains his spot as the reserve batsman.

Vice-captain Adam Gilchrist was the only wicketkeeper named as Australia resisted the temptation to name two keepers on what is the most punishing of cricket tours.

That is a fact that Kasprowicz knows only too well after he bowled himself to the point of exhaustion on the 1997-98 tour.

Kasprowicz was forced to carry the attack after McGrath and Gillespie did not tour due to injury, Paul Wilson and Paul Reiffel broke down during the tour and Warne was bowling with a wrecked shoulder.

He lost eight kilogrammes (17 pounds) from bowling continual long spells in the 40-degree heat and 90 percent humidity, but heroically bowled Australia to victory in the final Test in Bangalore after India had already clinched the series with wins in Chennai and Calcutta.

In that match he took 5-28 as he finally mastered the art of reverse swing after struggling to produce that crucial quality needed to take wickets on the slow Indian wickets earlier in the series.

Despite his difficulties in India last time, Kasprowicz has no qualms about another tour to the sub-continent.

"At one stage I thought 'if you're going to keel over, it may as well be out there playing for your country'," Kasprowicz said.

"Your health is the big thing over there as far as being able to get on the park and do your best.

Australia: Steve Waugh (capt), Adam Gilchrist (vice-capt), Damien Fleming, Jason Gillespie, Matthew Hayden, Michael Kasprowicz, Justin Langer, Damien Martyn, Glenn McGrath, Colin Miller, Ricky Ponting, Michael Slater, Shane Warne, Mark Waugh. [ Australia in India ]

Chennai, Feb 7: The five-day conditioning camp for cricket probables for the upcoming series against Australia (Gavaskar Border Trophy), commenced here on Wednesday with coach John Wright putting the boys through a 120-minute strenuous workout at the Chemplast grounds here. Seventeen of the 25 probables were put through their paces by Wright, and former Australian coach Geoff Marsh.

India spin spearhead Anil Kumble, former India Captain and off spinner, S Venkataraghavan and MRF Pace Foundation director and coach T A Sekar and physio Andrew Leipus of South Africa were present at the camp.

Deviating from the previous camps - where the emphasis initially was batting and bowling at the nets and then fielding - Marsh asked Leipus to put the players through a 15-minute physical conditioning session.

Following the session, Wright and Marsh grouped the 17 in bunches and observed them at the nets. Kumble, with his right arm in a sling, was giving tips to left arm spinner Murali Kartik, while Venkataraghavan was coaching off spinner Sharandeep Singh. Batting maestro Sachin Tendulkar was also seen at the nets.

"The other eight players, including captain Sourav Ganguly, will be joining us later in the day as they have to come from Bangalore after taking part in a benefit match, cleared by BCCI," Wright revealed.

"The idea of this camp is to make the boys tough mentally and physically before the tough series ahead. The accent will be more on cricketing skills." He added.

Chennai, Feb 7: Indian spin spearhead Anil Kumble, who is recuperating after an operation on his right shoulder, on Wednesday expressed disappointment at missing out on the Australian Test series.

"Missing out this important Australian series is a total disappointment. But that's how things stand. I will be completely fit after four or five months," Kumble, who returned home last week after a successful surgery in South Africa, revealed at the conditioning camp.

Kumble, with his right arm in a sling, said he had been asked by coach John Wright to help the leg spinners at the nets. "But I am here mainly to get help from Andrew Leipus, the physio," he said.

Asked if Australian paceman Brett Lee's absence would be a relief for the Indian team, Kumble replied in the negative. "We are geared up for the series. What we require is a good total, which our batsmen are capable of, and the bowlers have to do the rest." About legspinner Balaji Rao, Kumble said "many people have been praising Balaji and I hope he finds success."

The Australian team, arriving in Mumbai on February 14, will play three Test matches - Mumbai (February 27-March 3), Kolkata (March 11-15) and Chennai (March 18-22) and five one dayers at Bangalore (March 25), Pune (March 28), Indore (March 31), Visakhapatnam (April 3) and Goa (April 6), besides three three-day fixtures. In the tour opener, the Aussies take on India-A at Nagpur from February 17 to 19. (PTI)

New Delhi, Feb 7: Cricketer-turned-politician Chetan Chauhan has been appointed manager of the Indian cricket team for the forthcoming home series against Australia.

Cricket board vice-president C K Khanna said here on Wednesday this information was conveyed to him by board secretary Jaywant Lele who left for Australia on Tuesday to attend the International Cricket Council's meeting to be held in Melbourne later this week.

Chauhan, the most successful opening partner of legendary Sunil Gavaskar, is currently one of the vice-presidents of the Delhi and Districts Cricket Association.

While coach John Wright will look after all the cricketing matters concerning the Indian team, Chauhan will be responsible for the administrative matters, Khanna said.

Chennai, February 6: The stage is set for the five-day conditioning camp for the 25 probables beginning here on Wednesday, in preparation of the team to play against the visiting Australians.

"The camp will be held here in two sessions with 17 of the 25 probables at the Chemplast grounds. The rest of the eight players would join the others by noon on Wednesday," coach John Wright said.

"The accent will be on cricketing skills. We are aware of the tough series ahead and are geared up for the challenge."

The first session in the camp would be confined to net practice and fielding. The second session would be held at the MRF Pace Foundation where four different pitches are available at the nets. A gymnasium and swimming pool would also be available for players to use.

Former Australian coach Geoff Marsh would be assisting Wright on cricketing matters during the camp, Tamil Nadu Cricket Association.

Sachin Tendulkar and Ajit Agarkar are expected to arrive here on Tuesday night from Mumbai.

Ten others, V Prasad and Sunil Joshi from Bangalore, captain Saurav Ganguly, Rahul Dravid, S S Das, V V S Laxman, Javgal Srinath, Debasish Mohanty, Balaji Rao and V Raju are expected to reach here on Wednesday from Raichur (where they are playing a benefit match) via Bangalore.

S Ramesh, Dinesh Mongia, Hemang Badani, Mohd Kaif, Zaheer Khan, Ashish Nehra, Surinder Singh Bagal, Nayan Mongia, Vijay Dahiya, Rahul Sanghvi, Murali Kartik, Sharandeep Singh and Harbhajan Singh are already here.

Mumbai, February 6: Former Aussie coach Geoff Marsh, now a BCCI consultant, said inspite of Brett Lee being ruled out of the Indian tour, Australia could yet provide a tough challenge.

Marsh was speaking on eve of his departure for Chennai to assist coach John Wright at the conditioning camp. “Australia won't be lacking in intensity. And their consistency is amazing,'' said Marsh.

Asked if the lethal yorkers of Lee would be missed by the touring side, Marsh said it could make things a bit tougher for the bowlers.

Asked what inputs he had for the Indians, he said, “ask John, that's his area'', pointing to the Indian coach, John Wright who was preparing to leave for Chennai.

Also leaving with him was physio Andrew Leipus. The Adelaide-born Aussie had returned home for Christmas with the family after the series against Zimbabwe.

Sydney, February 6: Brett Lee's injury withdrawal has forced selectors into a rethink on the makeup of the Australian cricket squad for its tour to India this month.

Australian skipper Steve Waugh spent over an hour with selectors on Tuesday debating the composition of the squad focusing mostly on how to fill the void left by Lee.

Brett Lee underwent an operation on Tuesday for an injured elbow and will miss the eight-week tour.

Waugh said his absence has "thrown a spanner in the works" denting Australia's plan to blast India with a barrage of pace.

"Brett would have been an automatic selection and his injury has changed things quite a bit -- there've been a lot of names tossed up in the last hour or so," Waugh said.

"It has changed our way of thinking a little bit." The final squad will be named on Thursday. The selectors must decide whether to press on with their pace theory or add another spinner to take advantage of the slow, turning pitches the team is likely to encounter.

"I still think (pace) is the way to go but there's also a possibility of us using spin," Waugh said. "Pace is something the Indians don't like too much and aren't all that used to but if you've got two excellent spinners it doesn't mean you can't use them either."

The other factor determining the make-up of the squad was whether 14 or 15 players make the tour. The argument for 15 was based on the fact Jason Gillespie was again working his way back from injury while Damien Fleming and Shane Warne have played little cricket outside the one-day arena where they bowl only 10 overs a time.

But with an expanded squad, Waugh said one or two players could be left with little to do, as there are only two lead-up matches outside the three Tests.

Gillespie will make his return to first-class cricket for South Australia on Friday and Waugh said the injury-prone quick would have to prove himself.

Most of the squad pick themselves with Michael Slater and Matthew Hayden likely to continue as the opening pair, with Steve Waugh, Mark Waugh and Ricky Ponting assured of middle order berths.

The batting query lies with Justin Langer, who battled through the Test series for an average of 25.37 against the West Indies and has been out of form for Western Australia this summer, scoring 60 runs in three innings.

Damien Martyn has been in such good form he will almost certainly tour India and could almost claim Langer's place in the team. Waugh has been an outspoken fan of Martyn and said earlier this year that the WA batsman was on track to play a lot more Test cricket.

Wicketkeeper Adam Gilchrist, spinners Shane Warne and Colin Miller, and pace bowlers Glenn McGrath, Gillespie and Fleming are others expected to be in the team that departs next on Tuesday from Melbourne.

If another spinner was picked it would be Stuart MacGill, but if the team took another quick a case can be made for Andy Bichel who performed well when called up against the West Indies this summer.

Fellow Queenslander Michael Kasprowicz has performed superbly in India in the past but may be shy of the necessary match fitness after making a comeback from a shoulder injury.

Others in the fray are New South Wales rising star Nathan Bracken, whose leftarmers would give the team a different look, and his teammate Don Nash, who continues to impress with his ability to bowl and bat with explosive force.

Sydney, February 6: Australian paceman Jason Gillespie will have to prove his fitness before national cricket selectors announce a squad for this month's tour of India.

Gillespie will fly from Adelaide to Sydney on Wednesday to meet with national team physiotherapist Errol Alcott. The pair will assess the injury-prone quick bowler's progress and review the recovery program he has undertaken since straining a hamstring tendon a month ago.

Gillespie said it was important that he was fit to play in India after an elbow injury ruled fellow paceman Brett Lee out of the eight-week tour starting this month. "There's probably a little bit more urgency to get me right," Gillespie said Tuesday.

"I'm hoping I'll be fine. I've got a training session tonight, tomorrow in Sydney I'm going to have a bowl in front of the selectors and hopefully I can come through that alright and be on the plane."

Mumbai, February 5 : The India team for the first cricket Test against Australia, to be played at Wankhede stadium here from February 27 to March 3, will be picked on February 19 - the third and final day of the India-A and Australia match at Nagpur.

Cricket board secretary Jaywant Lele and selection committee chairman Chandu Borde announced here on Monday that the Board President XI team for a three-day tour match against Australia in Delhi from March 6 to 8, will also be announced along with the Indian team.

"With the cancellation of the tri-nation Sharjah tourney (in aid of the Gujarat earthquake victims) the conditioning camp for the 25 probables for the Indian team would be held at Chennai from February 7 to 11 followed by the Challenger trophy tournament at the same venue from February 12 to 15," Lele said after the selection committee met here on Monday.

"The conditioning camp will resume after the Challenger trophy while the players selected to represent the India-A squad for the three-day match would proceed to Nagpur," Lele added.

"The players selected for first Test will then assemble in Mumbai on February 20 and practice at Wankhede stadium till February 25," he added.

Borde said the Mumbai players (none in the present team) will get a chance to show their mettle during the Ranji Champions (Mumbai) vs Australia three-day match at Brabourne stadium here from February 22 to 24.

"Players like Sairaj Bahutule (the leg spinner who got six wickets including a hat-trick in the West vs East Duleep trophy match at Pune on Saturday), veteran spinner Narendra Hirwani and S Balaji Rao of Tamil Nadu and others could be considered for the Delhi tie," he added.

"Our main idea is to try out as many players as possible before the three-Test home series," Borde said.

Queried as to who would lead the India-B team in the Challenger trophy, as Sachin Tendulkar (the original choice) was not interested in leading, Borde said, "I have conveyed the message to the four selectors and a new captain would be selected during the camp at Chennai."

Borde also denied instructing the associations hosting the three Tests to prepare flat pitches to neutralise the Aussies' superiority in both pace and spin while Lele said the board had asked the Vidarbha Cricket Association to prepare a sporting wicket for the tour opener at Nagpur.

India-A team announced; Laxman to lead

Mumbai, February 5: Hyderabad's middle order batsman V V S Laxman will lead the India-A team against the visiting Australians in the three-day tour opener at Nagpur from February 17 to 19.

Cricket board secretary Jaywant Lele told reporters here on Monday that wicketkeeper Nayan Mongia, recently exonerated of betting and match-fixing charges, and in-form new ball bowler Debasish Mohanty have been included in the 14-member squad.

Besides, two triple centurions of this season find a place in the India `A' side: Punjab left-hand middle order batsman Dinesh Mongia and Rajasthan opener Gagan Khoda. Mongia scored 308 against Jammu and Kashmir, while Khoda got 300 not out for Central against South last week in Goa.

Laxman will be considered for the middle-order as three openers have been picked. They are: India's opening pair in the Zimbabwe series, S Ramesh and Shiv Sunder Das and Gagan Khoda. The mid-order batsmen, apart from Dinesh Mongia and Laxman are Hemang Badani and Mohammed Kaif. The medium-pacers picked are Debashis Mohanty and Ashish Nehra, two top wicket-takers this season and East Zone's Javed Zaman. The latter came through as a persevering medium-pacer in the recent Duleep trophy final.

The spinners are offspinner Harbhajan Singh, left-arm spinner Rahul Sanghavi and legspinner W. Balaji Rao. Harbhajan had also been picked for the tour opener against South Africa last season. Balaji of Tamil Nadu, is the legspinner with the best tally this season. Delhi's Sanghavi has impressed the selectors because he is the only one of the current crop giving the ball a loop. Nayan Mongia is an option for the opener's place for the Tests.

Chairman of the selection committee Chandu Borde said Zaman had impressed the selectors during the Duleep game at Guwahati, but could not be accommodated for the Challengers. He said those not picked in this side would get a look-in in the Board President's XI to play the Aussies at Delhi from February 6-8. He mentioned names of Jacob Martin, Hrishikesh Kanitkar, Sairaj Bahutule and veteran Narendra Hirwani.

Borde said the Mumbai players (none in the present team) will get a chance to show their mettle during the Ranji champions (Mumbai) vs Australia three-day match at Brabourne stadium here from February 22 to 24 while players like Sairaj Bahutule and Hirwani can be considered for the Delhi tie.

Borde also said, "I have conveyed the message to the four selectors and a new captain would be selected during the camp at Chennai." as Sachin Tendulkar (the original choice) is not interested in leading the team in Challenger’s Trophy.

Borde denied giving any instructions to the associations hosting the three Tests about pitch preparation. Board secretary Lele said: "The report said Borde and coach John Wright had left the instructions. The fact is that they have never come on one platform to give such instructions."

He said the board had asked the Vidarbha Cricket Association to prepare a sporting pitch for the tour opener at Nagpur.

The team: V V S Laxman (capt), Sadagopan Ramesh, Shiv Sunder Das, Dinesh Mongia, Hemang Badani, Mohammed Kaif, Nayan Mongia (wk), Debasish Mohanty, Ashish Nehra, Rahul Sanghvi, Harbhajan Singh, S Balaji Rao, Gagan Khoda and Javid Zaman.

Nagpur, February 5: Former Indian skipper Dilip Vengsarkar has said, "It is going to be a close series for visiting Australia against India."

Indians are "hard nut to crack on their home pitch", hence the forthcoming series would be an exciting one, Vengsarkar added. "They are fantastic and can bowl well on any wicket," he said.

Spinners Sairaj Bahutule and off spinning all-rounder Ramesh Powar should be included in the team, he opined.

In the wake of Anil Kumble's absence due to shoulder injury, India would have to search for an alternative, he said.

Expressing surprise at non-inclusion of Yuvraj Singh in the team, Vengsarkar said "he is not just good for one-dayers but is certainly a Test material. Yuvraj did extremely well in Nairobi and he can play well the fast bowlers. It is unjust to brand him one-day stuff."

Vengsarkar favoured a three-man selection panel instead of the present five-member panel.

Melbourne, February 5: Australia’s fast bowler Brett Lee will miss Australia's cricket tour of India after straining a ligament and tendon of his right elbow during Sunday's tri-series one-day match in Perth. Lee sustained the injury while throwing the ball in from the boundary after taking a tumble.

He will undergo a surgery in Melbourne on Tuesday and is expected to get recovered in three to six month’s time.

"This is bitterly disappointing especially as I've only just come back from the back injury that kept me out of three Tests," Lee said.

"It's obviously a set-back but I will try to be as positive as possible and I'll be looking forward to the series that follow the tour of India. I'm already targeting the (Ashes) tour of UK for my comeback." he added.

Perth, February 5: Designed to beat the extreme heat and humidity on the sub-continent, Australian cricketers are set to wear ice vests during their forthcoming three-Test tour of India. These vests are designed to match the Australian uniforms.

Australian players want to prevent a repetition of the Test in Chennai during the 1986-87 tour to India, when batsman Dean Jones became so dehydrated during an innings of 210 that he was rushed to hospital with severe dehydration and exhaustion.

Steve Waugh said coach John Buchanan has had the vests — which have frozen liquid in strips of tubing that cover the torso — developed from similar ones worn by Australian Football League footballers during pre-season tournaments when weather conditions can be dangerously hot.

Australian fast bowlers Glenn McGrath and Brett Lee wore the vests in a trial run during Sunday's nail-biting one-run win in the tri-nations series one-day match against Zimbabawe. The temperature in Perth had soared to 35 degrees Celsius during the game. McGrath, who promises to be one of Australia's trump cards in India, said the vests were a great help, especially during long bowling spells.

Waugh said the vests would also be used if the side encountered any hot days during this week's tri-nations finals against the West Indies. "We've got two lead-up matches and if they make the guys cool down and feel better about themselves we'll probably use them," he said.

McGrath said Waugh's plan to blitz the Indians with pace meant the new ball bowlers would have a heavy workload. McGrath said he welcomed the opportunity to become accustomed to the vests before the tour to India, which begins later this month.

"I am used to a dry heat in Australia. India has a humid heat, and the vests will really help if you can wear them for an over or two to cool down, " he said.

Sydney, February 5: Leg-spinner Shane Warne and off-spinner Colin Miller are likely to be the only two slow bowlers that Australia will take on in the three-Test series of India starting in Mumbai on February 27.

Chairman of selectors Trevor Hohns said Australia would probably take a 14-man squad, which would mean leg-spinner Stuart MacGill misses out. "If we can it will be 14, but we have the option of 15," Hohns said on Monday.

"I guess it's a matter of whether we take an extra bowler but we'll confer with the captain and coach."

MacGill has taken 75 wickets in 16 Tests, including 16 in four matches during Australia's recent 5-0 whitewash of the West Indies while Warne was recovering from a broken finger.

Mumbai, February 3: Englishmen David Shepherd, Peter Willey and South African Rudi Koertzen are the three International Cricket Council panel umpires for the India-Australia three-Test series to be held in Mumbai, Calcutta and Chennai from February 27 to March 22.

Cricket board secretary Sharad Diwadkar, said here on Saturday that Shepherd would partner former Indian skipper S Venkatraghavan in the first Test while Willey would team-up with former Karnataka all-rounder A V Jayaprakash in the second Test and Koertzen and S K Bansal will be the umpires for the third Test.

The Australians would play five one-dayers and three three-day games apart from the three Test matches on their 52-day tour of India.

Perth, February 3: Australian cricket captain Steve Waugh declared here Saturday he was confident his Test side could beat India on any type of wicket in the three-Test series starting in Mumbai on February 27.

But at the same time he expressed concern over reports Indian cricket chiefs had instructed grounds men across the country to produce lifeless wickets to thwart his team of unofficial world Test champions, who have won their past 15 Tests.

Waugh said he understood that under the ICC regulations cricket bodies were not supposed to talk to grounds men or influence the state of wickets. "So I am pretty surprised the spokesman has been quoted as saying that this is what the wickets are like, because you are not supposed to do that.

"I expect the wickets will be slow, with not a lot of life in them, but I think we can beat them on any wicket, so it doesn't concern me what sort of wickets they produce. "It just concerns me if someone is influencing the type of wickets they are producing, because that is not in the game of cricket.

You are not supposed to be doing that." Waugh said he was not concerned that given Australia had walked all over their opponents in this summer's international fixtures, they had not undertaken a demanding enough preparation for the Indian tour.

Waugh said. "We are professional players. Sometimes, with less intense cricket, you can relax a bit. We are going to be right come that first Test match. No excuses. "I am looking forward to the tour. I think it is going to be a great tour. It will be excellent cricket, and for us it will be a really good challenge. We have not won there for 31 years. All the guys are looking forward to playing there.

”There are going to be pressures there, and that's all part of it. We enjoy having pressure put on us, because that makes you play to your best."

Australian coach John Buchanan said the reported move to have groundsmen produce a particular type of wicket was unfortunate if it was correct. "This kind of thing is usually left to individual curators," he said. "It would be unusual that any pressure would be placed on a curator by a captain, coach or board. "I would have thought that from a cricketer's point of view, you would want pitches for the good of batsmen and bowlers."

Sydney, February 1: Australian Cricket Board has ruled out chances of a charity cricket match between India and Australia to raise funds for the quake victims of Gujarat, but said it would find another alternative which could "genuinely assist" the affected people.

ACB public relations manager Brendan McClements revealed, "we would find a way that we can genuinely assist, We would like to help."

He said ACB and the Australian Cricketers' Association (ACA) were exploring various ways and examining proposals from a range of international charity organisations on how the Aussies, who reach India on February 14, can help the victims.

The ACB statement has thus scotched earlier reports of possibility of an additional match between the two teams.

Earlier, on Wednesday, the BCCI had received a proposal for organising an additional one-dayer, the proceeds of which would have been donated for relief fund.

There was speculation that Steve Waugh, long-time supporter of an Indian charity, would not be averse to a noble cause.

Also, in the wake of the quake, the tour-opener scheduled for February 17, to be played in Baroda, has been moved to Nagpur.

ACB was also not worried about the health and safety of its players during the Indian tour as ACA chief executive Tim May had inspected all venues for the series and was satisfied with the level of comfort and security for the team, he said.

Mumbai, February 1: The cricket board's pitch committee has asked the Mumbai Cricket Association (MCA) to prepare a batsman-friendly pitch for the first Test between India and Australia to be held at Wankhede Stadium here from February 27 to March 3.

The decision to prepare a flat pitch was taken after pitch committee members Kasturi Rangan and Dhiraj Parsana discussed the issue with selection committee chairman Chandu Borde and coach John Wright of New Zealand last week, according to an MCA official here on Thursday.

Though skipper Sourav Ganguly has asked for turning tracks, the board is bent upon preparing flat pitches for the three Test matches with a view to counter the visitors' supremacy in both pace and spin departments, the official added.

The board has also decided not to involve Ganguly while selecting the type of pitches and only Wright and Borde will decide and convey to the curators as to what kind of wickets should be prepared.

Sydney, January 31: Leg spinner Stuart MacGill was in doubt for the India tour with his finger injury been diagnosed as chronic. MacGill has been unable to bowl properly due to pain and swelling, but his real test will come on Sunday when Australian selectors may give him a chance to bowl in the one-dayer against Zimbabwe. His medical examination result is expected on Thursday.

Chennai, January 31: Nagpur will be the venue for the Australian team's opening match against Ranji Trophy champions Mumbai from February 17 to 19. The match was originally scheduled to be held in Baroda.

The Australians will arrive in Mumbai on February 15. Cricket board secretary Jaywant Lele told PTI on phone from Baroda that the change had been necessitated due to the earthquake in Gujarat.

“Board president A C Muthiah had cleared the venue this evening,” Lele said.

Asked whether Hyderabad had been in the reckoning for hosting the match, Lele said, "Hyderabad was never in the reckoning."

Lele had told reporters in Bangalore on Tuesday that Nagpur could be the likely venue.

Chennai, January 31: Players who perform well in the Challenger cricket series and the two three-day fixtures against the visiting Australians too have a chance of making it to the Indian Test team, coach John Wright said on Wednesday.

"We all know that Anil Kumble will not be fit for the series. Now we have to think of the talents available and pick the best for the coming matches, as the series against the Australians is a challenging one," he said.

"Myself and captain Saurav Ganguly held discussions with Chandu Borde, chairman, selection committee, on this subject (on Kumble being not available). Seven spinners have been given to us and the best ones will be in the final team," he said.

On the duration of the camp, Wright said "even camps of shorter durataion help players to be together and work out plans and strategies. In fact, we might have another camp after the challenger series is over, before we play the Aussies in the first Test in Mumbai from March 6."

Asked to comment on the presence of a leg spinner among the probables, Wright said, ``it is the job of the selection committee to decide as to who should be in the team.''

Wright, who had watched Indians during the Zimbabwe tour to India last November, said "there has been a lot of improvement in fielding. But, they have to show accuracy and consistency in that department, especially against the strong Australian team.''

He said the accent during the camp would be on fielding and sharpening the players skills to achieve the best results.

Bangalore, January 30: Coach of the Indian cricket team John Wright feels that leggie Anil Kumble's absence will affect the Indian team a lot against Australia in the home series beginning next month. Speaking to the media persons he said, "Kumble's absence would affect a lot".

Kumble was operated upon recently for his shoulder problem and has been advised rest for six months. He will not only skip the matches against Australia but will also miss the Triangular Series in Sharjah.

Wright sensed that though India enjoys a home advantage and has a better record against the Aussies at home, the Steve Waugh-led Aussies, would be a formidable opposition. He said, "Tough cricket is ahead of Indians. We've to work and fight hard. It all depends on how well we take catches."

Sydney, January 30: Australian cricket team may play in an exhibition cricket match to raise money for the survivors of the worst earthquake to hit India.

Steve Waugh, the captain of the national Australian cricket team, is believed to have given his tentative consent for this game that may be organized either in Australia or India, by expatriate Indians in Sydney and other parts of Australia who swung into action to collect donations for the victims of the earthquake, which hit Gujarat Friday killing more than 20,000 people.

More than 2,000 strong expatriate Gujarati community in Sydney has also joined in the efforts to provide relief to the survivors of the earthquake. "We have issued appeals to the Australian community through television and print media to donate the maximum money into the "Gujarat Earthquake Relief Fund." Our first priority is to collect maximum money at the earliest as it can be converted to suit the needs of the earthquake survivors," Hari Gohil, president of the Gujarati Samaj of Australia, said.

Anil Kumble will be missed: Ravi Shastri

Kolkata, January 30: India's chances against Australia in the forthcoming series at home have certainly suffered a major blow in the absence of Anil Kumble, feels Ravi Shastri. "He is the kind of bowler whom many a side would even prefer to Shane Warne, more so under the Indian conditions," said the former Test star.

Speaking on the occasion of a book release in the city, Shastri harped on the effectiveness of a bowler like Kumble on the under-prepared wickets of this sub-continent. The shoulder surgery, recently performed on him at Johannesburg, has ruled the former Indian vice-captain out of the forthcoming series.

Kumble, nevertheless, is expected to be present at the Indian probables' nets in Chennai from January 6-10 to be close to physio Andrew Leipus who would monitor his progress.

"The Australians may be the best team in the world, but then we have got nothing to lose. The young Indian team under Sourav Ganguly has received enough support from all quarters, and I'm sure they would give it a best shot," said Shastri.

The topic of last year being a turbulent one for Indian cricket cropped inevitably, but the former star asked the average Indian fan to keep his chin up. "No individual is bigger than the game, and cricket will only emerge stronger out of this crisis. The last home series against Zimbabwe saw that interest in the game was returning once again, and it was heartening to see so many young fans thronging the stadiums."

However, the scar left will certainly take time to heal, not to speak of the unpleasant fallouts. Otherwise, how does one explain the government's decision of keeping cricketers out of it's official awards like the Padmashree or Arjuna this year?

When pointed out that Sourav Ganguly's name was struck off the list of Padmashree awardees, Shastri minced no words: "It's unfortunate... However, I am sure his turn will come next year again.

Mumbai, January 29: The national selectors today roped in seven spinners, including India discards Venkatapathy Raju and Rahul Sanghvi, and six pacemen in the 25-strong probables list for the conditioning camp at Chennai ahead of the tough three-Test home series against the Australians here on Monday.

The list contains the name of four left-arm spinners - Sunil Joshi, Murali Kartik, Raju and Sanghvi. Off-spinners Sarandeep Singh and Harbhajan Singh have been included as well, along with Tamil Nadu's promising leg spinner D Balaji Rao who has obviously been given a

chance in the absence of Anil Kumble who has been ruled out of action for four months.

Among the seven pacemen who have been chosen are Debashish Mohanty, who took all ten wickets in the South Zone first innings for East Zone recently at Agartala in the Duleep Trophy, Delhi's left-arm paceman, Ashish Nehra who too performed well in the inter-zonal tournament which concluded recently and new face Surinder Singh of Jammu and Kashmir, also a left-arm bowler. Javagal Srinath, Ajit Agarkar, Zaheer Khan and Venkatesh Prasad complete the pace bowlers' list.

Punjab left-handed batsman Dinesh Mongia who was in superb form during the Duleep Trophy event and scored double hundreds against South Zone (201) and Central Zone (208) for North Zone has been a new addition in the batsmen's list.

Nayan Mongia, who has been cleared by the CBI from the match-fixing report, has been recalled to do the wicket-keeper's job and his only other contender for the post is Delhi's Vijay Dahiya who kept wickets during the entire home series of Tests against Zimbabwe recently.

The five selectors, with chairman Chandu Borde heading the team, along with India captain Sourav Ganguly and coach John Wright held a four-hour deliberation at the Mumbai Cricket Association's premises before choosing the camp probables and the 36 players for the Hero Honda N K P Salve Challenger Trophy day/night limited overs tournament to be held at Chennai in between the camp.

The tournament, to be held among India seniors, India A and India B teams which will be led by Ganguly, Rahul Dravid and Sachin Tendulkar respectively, is scheduled from February 12 to15 and the camp is to be conducted from February 6-11 and from 16 to 20 at Chennai itself.

Chandu Borde heading the team, cautioned that the selectors had to cast the net far and wide keeping in mind the tough series against the all-conquering Australians.

"It's going to be a challenging series. We are looking out for good spinners. We will be experimenting on the types of wickets to be prepared for the series during the camp and the challenger series. What sort of wickets will have to be prepared will be decided in Chennai in consultation with Ganguly and Wright. The matches will be watched by the selectors", he said.

Asked about the selection of Srinath, who has stopped playing the limited overs game at the international level, Borde said "we thought he should be there in the challenger series. Let's see (whether he will play or not)".

Board secretary Jaywant Lele said that the India A team to take on the Aussies in the tour opener which is scheduled from February 17-19 will be selected on the first or second day of the camp and the squad for the first Test (at Mumbai from February 27) will be picked during the tourists' tour opener. "The venue of the match has been shifted away from Baroda because of the severe earthquake which hit the entire Gujarat state. The venue of the tie will be either Nagpur or Hyderabad", he added.

The camp probables are as follows: Saurav Ganguly, Sachin Tendulkar, Rahul Dravid, Shib Sunder Das, Sadagopan Ramesh, V V S Laxman, Dinesh Mongia, Hemang Badani, Javagal Srinath, Zaheer Khan, Ajit Agarkar, Debashish Mohanty, Ashish Nehra, Venkatesh Prasad, Surinder Singh, Nayan Mongia, Vijay Dahiya, Rahul Sanghvi, Murali Kartik, D Balaji Rao, Sarandeep Singh, Harbhajan Singh, Venkatapathy Raju, Sunil Joshi and Mohd Kaif.

India seniors: S Ganguly (capt.), S S Das, Yuvraj Singh, H Badani, V V S Laxman, V Sehwag, V Dahiya (wk), A Kapoor, D Mohanty, J Srinath, Zaheer Khan and S Joshi.

India A: R Dravid (capt.), S Ramesh, S Sriram, J Martin, R S Sodhi, H Kanitkar, N Mongia (wk), B K V Prasad, A Agarkar, I Siddiqui, R Sanghvi and D Balaji Rao.

India B: S R Tendulkar (capt.), J P Yadav, M Kaif, D Mongia, Robin Singh, A Khurasia, Sukhwinder Singh, N Chopra, Rakesh Patel, Surider Singh, D Ganesh and V Rathour (wk).

BCCI revises itinerary for Australia tour

Kolkata, January, 29: - India's cricket board has swapped the venues for the second and third cricket tests in an India-Australia series scheduled to take place in March, officials said on Sunday.

Calcutta, which was scheduled to host the third test, will now be the venue for the second test from March 11 to 15, an official at the Cricket Association of Bengal said. He said the Board of Control for Cricket in India agreed to a CAB request for the unexplained change.

The third test on March 18-22 will be held in Chennai, which was to host the second test, said the official, speaking on customary condition of anonymity.

The CAB official said authorities are preparing stringent security measures inside and outside the venue of the Calcutta test, which had witnessed widespread violence in the stands during the 1996 World Cup semifinal match between India and Pakistan.

Chennai, January 26: Former Australian great Dennis Lillee on Friday cautioned India to bear in mind the absence of Anil Kumble while preparing pitches for the coming three Tests series against Australia as they could fall victims to Shane Warne instead.

The Australians are on high, said Lille who watched them walk out on the field, and their approach to bowling, batting and fielding. “The Australians are on a high.”

“It is hard to beat them and they are coming at full steam to win the series in India". Lille added.

Explaining how the absence of Kumble, recovering from a shoulder surgery, would be felt by the Indians, Lillee said Sharne Warne was back in his element after a lay-off due to injury, and with Colin Miller and Stuart MacGill, they would form the spin attack.

If the BCCI is going to prepare turning wickets, they should remember Kumble's absence, he said, adding in the case of flat wickets "the Australians will be more successful than the Indians".

The Australians arrive in Mumbai on February 14 and play a three-day match against the Board President's XI in Baroda, before taking on the Indians in the first Test in Mumbai from February 18

Melbourne, January 25: Mark Waugh will be available to play for Australia tomorrow against the West Indies after he agreed today to meet with anti-corruption investigators next month.

Australian Cricket Board investigator Greg Melick and the International Cricket Council's Anti Corruption Unit want to talk to Waugh about allegations by illegal Indian bookmaker Mukesh Gupta, including one that he paid the Test batsman $US20, 000 for information during a 1993 tournament in Hong Kong.

ACB chief executive Malcolm Speed said a meeting would be held next week to set out the protocol for the interview.

"We can't dictate to the investigators how they go about their business," said Speed.

"They are independent and have a job to do and the fewer fences around them the better."

After his manager issued a statement on Monday saying he would not talk, Waugh backed down today following Speed's ultimatum yesterday that he would be dropped from the Australian team if he didn't agree to be interviewed.

Speed said the ACB had gone beyond its duty by complying with Waugh's request for information on what the investigators would ask him.

Waugh's manager Leo Karis said Waugh had always been willing to talk to the investigators if he was supplied with information on what they wanted to discuss.

However, on Thursday morning, Mark Waugh’s manager Leo Karis said that Mark Waugh will talk to investigators probing cricket's match fixing and illegal betting scandal.

A letter was faxed to Australian Cricket Board (ACB) chief executive Malcolm Speed on Thursday morning confirming Waugh’s reconsideration to be interviewed.

Karis said Waugh's lawyer, Raff Pisano, would discuss the timing of the interview with ACB officials to set a time and place for the interview.

He also said Waugh had always been willing to talk to the investigative team, headed by Britain's Sir Paul Condon, if he was supplied with an agenda for the interview.

Speed said he received a call from Waugh's solicitor early this morning giving an undertaking that he would attend an interview with the investigators next month.

Waugh, who has denied the allegations, trained with the team in Adelaide this morning for tomorrow's one-dayer after missing yesterday's session to hold meetings with his solicitors.

Melbourne, January 24: The Australian Cricket Board said on Wednesday that Mark Waugh will be omitted from the Australian team if he does not reconsider within 24 hours his decision to refuse to be interviewed by anti-corruption investigators.

ACB chief executive Malcolm Speed announced the board of directors had met via telephone hookup to discuss the Waugh issue.

Mark Waugh's lawyer’s announced two days ago he would refuse to meet with ACB special investigator Greg Melick and the International Cricket Council anti-corruption unit following an Indian police report last October which looked into allegations of match-fixing.

Waugh was named in that report and was alleged to have received $20,000 from an Indian bookmaker in return for team information.

"I have written to Mark on behalf of the directors, asking him to reconsider his position," Speed said. "The board implores Mark Waugh to change his view and submit to the interview process."

"It's disappointing that we've got to this stage and weren't able to resolve another way. There has been no suggestion of court action, but it's not something that phases us." Speed said.

Waugh has Thursday as a deadline to give a written undertaking to the ACB that he would submit to the interview, planned for early next month in Sydney.

Speed said the board's primary responsibility was to preserve the integrity of the game.

Steve Waugh, Mark’s twin brother and the Australian captain, said he had not spoken to his brother since Mark made the announcement but he left a message on Mark’s phone.

"We haven't had a chance to talk," Steve Waugh said. "At some stage we will, but he probably feels like keeping to himself at this stage."

"No one else knows what's going on behind the scenes or what's occurring," Steve Waugh said.

"People have all got opinions about it but I think I'll keep mine to myself.” He added.

"It's a tough situation at the moment and Mark's obviously being guided by his lawyers and hoping he's going in the right direction."

Steve Waugh said it was up to Mark to make a decision on whether to speak to the investigators.

Mumbai, January 25: BCCI on Wednesday clarified that Mumbai would play the touring Australians at the Brabourne stadium and not Baroda as was reported earlier.

Australians, who arrive in Mumbai on February 14, will travel to Baroda to play their opener against India ‘A' from February 17-19. They play Mumbai from Feb. 22-24 and then play the first Test from February 28 at the Wankhede Stadium.

Former West Indian Test star Cammie Smith is the International Cricket Council (ICC) match referee for the series.

Meanwhile, the list of umpires for the tour games has been finalized and it is as follows

February 17-19:	Aussies vs. Baroda - Dr B.K.Sadashiv and S.V.Ramani.
February 22-24 :	Aussies vs. Mumbai at Brabourne - Ashok Saheba and Dr M.S.Mahal.
February 28- March 3:	First Test S.Venkatraghavan and ICC umpire Third umpire(III) Narendra Menon Fourth umpire (IV) Vinit Gupte
March 6-8:	Aussies vs. Board President's XI Delhi--Sanjeeva Rao and Subroto Banerjee.
March 11-15:	Second Test Chennai: A.V. Jayaprakash and ICC umpire.(III)C.R. Vijayaraghavan, (IV) T.R. Kashyappan.
March 18-22:	Third Test Kolkatta- S.K. Bansal and ICC umpire. (III) C.R.Vijayaraghavan and T.R.Kashyappan.

First ODI:	March 25, Bangalore: S.K. Sharma and Devendra Sharma (III) K.G. Lakshminarayan, (IV) Ravi Subramanian.
Second ODI:	March 28, Pune: I. Sivaram and S.C. Gupta. (III) C.R.Mohite, (IV) R.Y. Deshmukh.
Third ODI:	March 31, Indore: Vijay Chopra and K.Hariharan (III) Suhas Phadkar (IV) K.S. Giridharan.
Fourth ODI:	April 3, Vizag: G.A. Pratapkumar and Shavir Tarapore. (III) A. Bhattacharjee, (IV) Dr K.N. Raghavan.
Fifth ODI:	April 6, Goa: S.K. Porel and Francis Gomes (III), K.Murali (IV) K.R. Shankar.

Chennai, January 23: The National Selection Committee will meet in Mumbai on January 29 to pick the three teams for the Challenger Trophy series -India Senior, India A and India B, to be played in Chennai from February 12 to 15 and also the probables for the training camp for the Indian team to play against Australia.

BCCI Secretary Jaywant Lele said from Baroda that the camp would be held in Chennai from February 6 instead of February 5 since the South Zone players may stop over for a day in Bangalore on the way from the Duleep Trophy match in Margao.

Asked as to how a five-day camp would help the players, he said "It is more to study the fitness of the players and giving them a chance to be together before they plunge into a difficult series against the Australians, who will try to win their first series on Indian soil in more than three decades."

The team to play against the Australians would be chosen after the Challenger Series is complete on February 15. The selected players may undergo a three-day camp and also play a match before they regroup in Mumbai on February 24 for the First Test against the Australians.

Karachi, January 22: Former Pakistan captain Imran Khan said on Monday Australia's overall talent made them favourites in the upcoming Test series against India.

"Australians play with an attacking mindset and have all-round abilities which make them favourites in India," Khan said.

"They have an all-round bowling attack; their fast bowlers are excellent backed up with spin bowlers."

However, Khan further stated that Steve Waugh's all-conquering side could not be compared to the greatest Test teams ever.

"I don't agree they are the all-time greatest side. My all-time great side was the West Indies under Clive Lloyd who had a battery of match winning bowlers," he said.

Australia plays three Tests and five one-day internationals in India starting from February 17. (Gavaskar Border Trophy).

“Australia have won a record 15 Tests in a row, mostly against weaker sides at home, and Waugh has said he is willing to put the team's reputation on the line in India. “ he said.

"Pakistan and South Africa are two teams who can catch them anytime," Khan added.

Cricketer turned politician Khan further stated: ” Steve Waugh has instilled a confidence in the team and any new player breaking into the Aussie side is brimming with confidence and knows he is playing for world champions,”

New Delhi, January 21: BCCI has finally decided on the venues to host the five one-day Internationals and three Tests for the Australia's tour to India next month.

The five one-day Internationals will be held in Bangalore (March 25), Pune (March 28), Indore (March 31), Vishakapatnam (April 3) and Goa (April 6), while the Test matches will be played in Mumbai, Chennai and Kolkata. The three tour matches will be held at Baroda, Mumbai and Delhi.

The panel of umpires for the forthcoming series have also been announced by the joint secretary Jyoti Bajpai after the umpires committee meeting.

Bajpai announced that S Venkatraghavan, AV Jayaprakash and SK Bansal will be the three home umpires for the Test series and will stand in the three Test matches in that order with a colleague from the National Grid panel of umpires.

The new rotation policy of the board has annoyed some of the cricket associations of the country. Like the Assam Cricket Association was suppose to host a match as per the earlier rotation schedule, but after being left out, they have lodged a complain for being robbed on an International.

The following is the detailed schedule of the Aussies' tour to India starting next month:

Australians arrive at Mumbai on February 14 and play their first game, against India A at Baroda from February 17 to 19.

The second tour game follows, against Ranji Trophy champions Mumbai at the Cricket Club of India (CCI) from February 22 to 24.

The third and final first-class game, against Board President's XI will be played at Feroz Shah Kotla in Delhi from March 6 to 8.

Test venues and umpires:

Ricky Ponting says Australia has full focus on India’s tour

Melbourne, January 20: Australia might have three weeks of a limited overs series to negotiate but their focus was already on next month's Indian tour, vice-captain Ricky Ponting said at a fitness training session in Melbourne on Friday.

"It's a really big tour, something we've spoken about right through this summer is making sure we get ourselves prepared for India," Ponting said of the three-test tour.

"We know how big a series it's going to be and we know how big a series the Ashes in England is going to be as well."

Star leg-spinner Shane Warne left the training session early with a knee complaint but is expected to play in Sunday's match against Zimbabwe.

During the session coaching staff videotaped the running styles of the Australian squad to help with developing their speed and power.

The first test against India starts on February 27 in Mumbai and the tour finishes in early April. Australia have not won a series in India since Bill Lawry's side scored a 3-1 victory in 1969.

Johannesburg, Jan 18: Recovering from a successful shoulder surgery that will keep him out of cricket for at least four months, ace leg-spinner Anil Kumble on Thursday regretted that he would be missing the important series against Australia.

"The problem has come at a bad time," Kumble said referring to the Australian cricket team's tour of India beginning next month.

He said recovery would be a gradual process and it would take him four to six months to be fully fit. He would be in South Africa for two weeks.

Asked when the shoulder trouble started, Kumble said the niggling problem had been there for a long time but it had flared up during the ICC Knock-out tournament in Nairobi and then at Sharjah during the tri-nation series.

Expressing his satisfaction over the surgery Kumble said that he was very keen and raring to get back on the cricket field.

Mumbai, January 16: Indian cricket coach John Wright on Tuesday said the team would sourly miss the services of leg-spinner Anil Kumble, who is to undergo shoulder surgery in Johannesburg on Wednesday.

"It's a pity that leg spinner Anil Kumble will not be available for the home series against Australia, starting in February," Wright said.

After a meeting with the cricket board officials, Wright said that he had been informed about the operation to be conducted on Kumble's right shoulder.

"It would have been nice to have everyone fit against the Australians and my first priority during the one-week camp to be held at Chennai from February 5 to 10 would be towards physical fitness," he added.

Predicting a tough series for India, Wright said he would also give importance to catching, fielding and running between the wickets.

"We (Indians) have enormous talent and with a little more discipline the team can be moulded into a winning combination," he added.

Sydney, January 14: - Australia is considering fielding only one spinner in the forthcoming three-Test series in India, despite the sub-continental wickets having a tradition of favoring spin. This may happen if skipper Steve Waugh remains convinced that he can beat the Indians with his pace trio of Glenn McGrath, Brett Lee and Jason Gillespie.

"If Steve Waugh is convinced that he can beat the Indians with his trident of paceman McGrath, Lee and Gillespie, Australia might opt for only one spinner," national selector Allan Border has said.

The coming series is crucial for Australia on two counts - first they have not beaten India in the sub-continent since 1969 and secondly Waugh feels that the all-conquering Aussies could claim to be the all-time great team only if they win against India in India.

But according to media reports, Border feels there is a good chance of beating the Indians in India this time. "We have firepower across the board with spin bowlers and quickies. Our batsmen have all been to the Indian sub-continent quite a few times in recent years so they are a little more au fait with living conditions, the lifestyle and the culture shock and then the cricket conditions as well. I reckon this is a real big chance for us," Border said.

As the selection process gets underway, Border said: "Depending on what Steve Waugh reckons, we might get down to taking only one spinner in the Tests if he thinks we are better off attacking them with pace.

"However, logic says we will take three spinners to the haven of spinners that is India". Leg-spinner Stuart MacGill, spin wizard Shane Warne and off-spinner Colin Miller, are the front runners for the spin bowling slot in the Australian team.

Waugh's confidence in his fast bowlers is propelled by Clive Lloyd's West Indian victory in the sub-continent. The Aussies are expecting turning wickets in India.

Border said: "If need be we will take 15 players. As far as the balance is concerned, if we looked at 14 and it meant a very good player would miss out, we would send 15. Let's have the right players there". It is going to be a tough selection meeting, Border contended.

Indore, January 14: -ICC match referee and former Sri Lankan cricket captain, Ranjan Madugalle, will visit Indore on Monday to inspect the local Nehru Stadium, according to the Madhya Pradesh Cricket Association.

The visit would be important in view of the fact that on January 22 a detailed itinerary of Australia's tour of India would be announced by the BCCI, the MPCA said.

If Madugalle submits a favourable report, then Indore might get a chance to host one of the matches to be played between India and Australia. Along with Madugalle, Board observer and former India skipper Polly Umrigar too will visit Indore.

Sources said that during his last visit, Umrigar was satisfied with the pitch condition at the Nehru Stadium. MPCA president Madhavrao Scindia is also arriving here Sunday to chair the meeting of MPCA in this regard, sources added.

It may be recalled that it was the same ground and pitch where a one-day international between India and Lanka was abandoned here on Christmas Day in 1997.

New Delhi, January 9: Australia's cricket tour of India will go ahead as scheduled next month after the hosts agreed to revert to the original itinerary. The Australians were upset that India wanted to cancel a three-day match so that the tour did not clash with the Sharjah tri-series between India, Pakistan and Sri Lanka from April 4.

Sharjah organisers have now agreed to postpone the tri-series by four days, making way for the Australians to complete the Indian tour by the originally agreed date of April 6.

Jayawant Lele, secretary of the BCCI announced that the Australian tour program would be formally unveiled in New Delhi on January 22. However, it is believed that the tourists, who arrive on February 14, will play two three-day matches at Baroda (Feb 17-19) and Bombay (Feb 22-24) before the first Test starts in Bombay on February 27.

Another three-day match at New Delhi from March 6-8 will be followed by back-to-back Tests at Madras (March 11-15) and Calcutta (March 18-22).

There will also be five one-day internationals at various canters across India before the tour ends on April 6.

Lele has asked ACB to send its chief executive Malcolm Speed to India this week to sort out the itinerary.

New Delhi, January 8: The Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) has changed the itinerary (relating to the much awaited Australian tour) drawn up six months ago to accommodate a limited-overs tri-series to be played at Sharjah in the first week of April by canceling a three-day match ahead of the first Test (against Australia) to ensure that the Australian tour ends by April 2.

India agreed to take part in the Sharjah tournament from April 4 even though the Australian tour was due to end only on April 6 with the fifth one-day international at Bangalore.

Caught in a puddle, the BCCI decided to reschedule the whole itinerary but this move has drawn loud protests from the Australian Cricket Board (ACB). "After agreeing to the tour six months ago, the Indian board has changed it unilaterally," the Hindu newspaper quoted ACB chief executive Malcolm Speed as saying.

"It's not acceptable to the Australian Board," Speed said, adding he was willing to fly to India this week to sort the problem.

BCCI secretary Jayawant Lele said a final itinerary would be announced on January 22, just three weeks before the Australians land on February 14.

"There is no problem, everything will be sorted out," Lele said, refusing to concede the BCCI erred in agreeing to play the Sharjah tournament before the Australian tour ended.

BCCI sources said Sharjah organisers might be persuaded to postpone the tri-series against Pakistan and Sri Lanka by a few days if the Australians refused to accept a changed itinerary.

Australia is due to play three Tests and five one-dayers during the Indian tour, which captain Waugh considers the ultimate test of his world-beating team as Australia have not won a Test series in India since last 31 years.

Perth, January 8: Recovered from a finger injury, Australia’s best leg-spinner revealed that he aimed to snap 34 wickets during the three Tests against India and five in England later in the year to add to his 366 (average 25.97) which makes him Australia's biggest wicket-taker.

Shane Warne, who is back to his best after two months, has set himself two targets -- a bagful of wickets during the India tour starting next month and an aggregate of 400 Test victims by the start of next Australian summer.

In a headline-making return to first-class ranks he captured 9-102, kicking Victoria home to an outright win by 77 runs. "My bowling is back to its best," said Warne.

"In the three one-day matches against South Africa in Melbourne in August, I bowled as well as I have done for a long, long time. That's why I was so disappointed to get the finger injury.

"My comeback game has been encouraging, and I think the future is going to hold some good stuff. I'm on the verge of maybe getting some of the golden years back because I've been working on the basics.

Warne is yet to be named in the Australian side for India, but he can make himself certain of leaving Australia February 13 with Steve Waugh's all-conquering side by performing well in a triangular one-day series with the West Indies and Zimbabwe starting Thursday.

Only five bowlers have topped 400 Test wickets in the 124 years since Tests began and West Indies fast-medium veteran Courtney Walsh heads the honor board, with 494.

The 38-year-old is followed by India's Kapil Dev (434), New Zealand’s Richard Hadlee (431), Pakistan's Wasim Akram and West Indies Curtly Ambrose (405).

Sydney, January 9: In regard to the forth-coming tour of India next month, the Aussie skipper, Steve Waugh has advised his teammates to stay calm and composed and appreciate India's 'idiosyncrasies'.

Waugh warned that India had some quality players and if they (Indians) were to be beaten, they would have to play real good cricket. He also spoke about the noisy crowds of India and the wickets being different, adding that the conditions would be tough for fast bowlers on the slow wickets there.

He expressed his confidence with McGrath and Gillespie representing potentially the most lethal Aussie pace attack to tour the sub-continent, "If we can get a lot of reverse swing, it should work in our favour", Waugh said.

"If we don't perform well in India, possibly we are not as good as these other sides that have won in the other eras," he added.

Australia, who haven't won a series in India since the 3-1 triumph by Bill Lawry's side in 1969-70, are to play three Test and five one-dayer series beginning next month.

Sydney, January 7: Steve Waugh wants to put Australia's record 15 Test wins on the line when the team undertakes the great challenge of winning in India from next month.

The Australians, unofficial world champions, have not won a series in India since Bill Lawry's tourists' 3-1 success in 1969-70 in four subsequent tours and Waugh sees success in India as the final part of the jigsaw.

Australia have beaten Zimbabwe (away), Pakistan (home), India (home), New Zealand (away) and the West Indies (home), but view India and their sapping dry pitches as one of cricket's ultimate tests.

"We haven't won there for a long time and I know we have the side to win there, it's just a matter of attitude and enjoying the culture, the people and the surroundings over there," Waugh said in the wake of Australia's 5-0 series clean sweep over the West Indies here Saturday.

"That will be crucial to how we perform over there, whether we enjoy ourselves and open up to the things around us, obviously it's different to Australia, but I believe we're going to do that”.

"We're a pretty mature side, we have of a lot of experience and there are a lot of level heads in the side, so we're going over there to give it our best shot."

Waugh said with Australia's battery of pace bowlers and spinners, the tourists will have options against the Indians.

"I'm not too worried if the wicket's going to turn or whatever they do, we have to go over there and play positive cricket and believe we can win on any surface, in any conditions, whether it's hot, humid, and uncomfortable and block it out of our minds, this is a great challenge for us.

"I think we're good enough and I think it's fair enough for people to judge us on the next tour.

"I am willing to put that on the line. If we're don't perform over there, then possibly we're not as good as these other sides that have won in eras."

Dubai, January 7: The Indian cricket team will reach Sharjah on schedule before April 4 for the tri-nation series involving Pakistan and Sri Lanka and to make that possible Board President's XI match against Australia in Kochi may be cancelled.

India is to play against the visiting Australians till April 6, which will clash with the dates of the Sharjah match that begins on April 4.

As the Aussies are not willing to cancel the warm up matches, the Kochi tie may be given up, the source said.

It is believed that efforts are on to cancel this match, which was scheduled from March 6 to 8 after the first Test (against Australia). Suggestions to reduce the number of one-day matches have been rejected by some of the hosting states.

New Delhi, January 4: India's leading spinner Anil Kumble could miss the upcoming home series against Australia because of a troublesome shoulder injury.

Kumble, who has been out of International cricket since April, said he was leaving for South Africa this week to consult noted orthopedic surgeon Mark Fergusson in Johannesburg.

"I am going there to undergo physiotherapy," he said. "But if the doctor suggests orthoscopic surgery, so be it. I will know my situation by January 15 and will keep the Indian board informed."

If Kumble undergoes surgery, he could be out of action for at least three months, ruling him out of the Australian series, which starts in the last week of February.

Australia are scheduled to play three Tests and a limited overs series during the seven-week tour.

Kumble, who developed pain in his right shoulder during the Sharjah tri-series in April, missed the Asia Cup in Bangladesh, the ICC Knockout series in Kenya and the recent home Tests against Zimbabwe.

Sydney, January 1: Shane Warne faces a tough fight to win a place in Australia's squad for next month's tour of India after his spinning rivals were lined up for another crack at the West Indies in the fifth and final Test, which starts here on Tuesday.

Colin Miller and Stuart MacGill were both included in the Australian team that will attempt to clinch an unprecedented 5-0 series clean sweep.

After inspecting a grassless wicket at the Sydney Cricket Ground, the selectors relegated paceman Andrew Bichel to 12th man even though he took a five-wicket haul in last week's fourth Test in Melbourne.

While Miller and MacGill were preparing to present their final case for selection for India, Warne was told he would not walk back into the Test team when he recovered from a broken finger.

Warne takes his first step back from injury Tuesday when he plays a one-day match for Victoria against Western Australia at the WACA Ground in Perth.

"It's up to him," Australian skipper Steve Waugh said. "He's got to get in there and do the hard work, take some wickets and get some bowling under his belt.

"The guys in the side are playing well and it's up to Warney to get his form and wickets in order and get ready for selection.

"Shane Warne has got 360-odd wickets under his belt, so that's got to help him, but he's got to get in there and put the form on the board as well”, he added.

"He hasn't played a lot recently, so it's given the other guys an opportunity to show what they can do and it really will depend on who wants the spot the most."

Miller has cashed in on Warne's absence, becoming Australia's first-choice spinner when he kept MacGill out of the fourth Test.

But MacGill has the chance to fight back on his home track this week after selectors made the difficult decision to omit Bichel after his great form at the MCG.

MacGill took 12-107 in his last Test in Sydney two years ago and a similar return would make it hard for selectors to overlook him on the turning tracks in India.

The battle between the slow men looms as one of the most intriguing in Australian cricket in recent years. But Australian selectors have not shied away from tough decisions, tinkering with the bowling attack this summer despite watching Waugh's team build a world-record winning streak which is expected to stretch to 15 matches in Sydney.

"It doesn't matter what team we put on the park - we've shown that in the last couple of Tests when we've had injuries," Waugh said.

The West Indies have had just three days to get over the 352-run thrashing in Melbourne but captain Jimmy Adams believes his team could win in Sydney.

The tourists will have the extra motivation to play well for veteran Courtney Walsh, who will play the last of his 25 Test matches in Australia.

"It's been a tough month I will admit. But you keep moving forward and looking forward," Adams said Monday.

"Tomorrow is another tough day of international cricket. I haven't had that much to smile about but there's still a smile there. Don't worry."

Melbourne, December 31: Australia's Shane Warne will make his long-awaited return to first class cricket on Tuesday when Victoria meet Western Australia in a Mercantile Mutual Cup match in Perth. Warne, who has been sidelined since breaking the spinning finger on his right hand against New South Wales in late October, was given the all-clear to resume following a training session in Melbourne on Saturday.

And he will be joined in the Vics' one-day line-up by Test paceman Damien Fleming, who has been sidelined for five weeks with a neck injury. However, both of them are still far from certain of playing in the four-day Pura Cup match against Western Australia, which begins in Perth on Thursday.

Victorian chairman of selectors Shaun Graf said a decision on a return to first-class cricket for Warne and Fleming would depend on how they recover from the one-day match. "If they have no soreness and they feel as if they are strong enough to get through a four-day game, then we will make a decision from there," Graf said.

"They are both in good nick. Damien Fleming is feeling really good and Warne is as confident as I've seen him for a long time.

"He's really happy with the way his finger has pulled up and he hasn't got any soreness at this stage." Warne, who has taken 366 wickets in 84 Tests, is keen to play before the Australian squad to tour India in February-March is named.

Sydney, December 31: There will be a battle within a battle in Tuesday's fifth Test as Stuart MacGill tries to cement his Test position before the impending return of leg spinning rival Shane Warne.

MacGill has to perform against the West Indies in the fifth Sydney Test to prove his credentials when the Australian touring team heads to the turning wickets of India on February 13.

Selectors haven't yet decided whether to take two or three spinners to India but off spinner Colin Miller appears the only certain selection at this stage following his outstanding summer, culminating with his 10 wickets in the third Adelaide Test.

That could leave MacGill and Warne in a race for selection, with Warne set to return to state cricket with Victoria on Tuesday after recovering from a broken finger, which kept him out of the current Test series against the West Indies.

From next week, Australian players will not have any first-class cricket available to them before the touring squad is selected for India. They will have to push their claims in one-day matches, with Warne hoping to squeeze back into the Australian squad for the triangular series against the West Indies and Zimbabwe.

But MacGill could have the golden chance to perform in the Sydney Test against the tourists who have yet to prove they can handle Australia's spinners. MacGill was relegated to 12th man in the fourth Test but he shapes as a likely starter in Sydney at the expense of paceman Andrew Bichel if the SCG wicket lives up to its early promise to assist spinners.

MacGill took 12-107 in his last Test appearance in Sydney against England two years ago and another hefty haul would certainly help his cause to push ahead of Warne for India and the prized 2001 Ashes tour to England.

But national chairman of selectors Trevor Hohns said it was too early to speculate on the tours until Warne - Australia's greatest Test wicket-taker - returned from injury. "That's all in the future because Shane has to get some cricket under his belt," Hohns said Sunday.

"We're obviously going to take more than 12 (players) to India for the Tests and it's fair to say there will be a couple of spots up for grabs.

"We've got a fair idea of the type of player required for India and the type of player who can perform there."

MacGill and Warne both made the last Indian tour along with off spinner Gavin Robertson, who played in all three Tests.

Selectors will have plenty to consider this summer with Indian captain Sourav Ganguly already declaring the Test wickets will take plenty of spin when the Indians try to end Australia's remarkable winning streak, now at 14 Tests.

The world-record streak should extend to 15 when Australia administers the last rites in the Sydney Test to the hapless West Indies after thrashing them by 352 runs in Melbourne.

Mumbai, December 20: Former Aussie opening batsman Geoff Marsh who is the newly appointed cricket consultant would be assisting India's first foreign coach John Wright during the conditioning camp before the Australian tour of India in February next.

"Right now I am gathering information about domestic cricket in India and I would be assisting John (Wright) during the conditioning camp prior to the Australian series as well," Marsh said.

"My immediate plan is to watch some more junior cricket and submit a report to the Indian cricket board on December 22 before I go home for Christmas. However, I will be back here to assist the Indian coach and prepare the hosts for the big Test against the formidable Aussies," he said.

"Some coaches feel that they have to say something when they see their trainees playing which at times upsets the mind frame of a boy and demoralize him. The coach should be able to make minor adjustments to the existing style and technique," he added.

Marsh, who is in touch with former Test cricketers like Dilip Vengsarkar and Hanumant Singh, was all praise for the National Cricket Academy at Bangalore. "The NCA is an 'A' grade one and it is good to know that BCCI is planning to start four more," he added.

Marsh, who resigned as the Australian team coach recently to take up the consultant job with BCCI, said the essence of coaching was to let the wards play their natural game and not kill the talent by changing their style and technique.