Kohli gets 50

"I played with a clear mind" said Kohli, who got his maiden Test fifty. He had struggled in the Carribean, but this time he got 52 off 111 balls and he put on a 97 run partnership with Ashwin, to help India avoid following on.

"I was tagged as someone who cannot play the short ball after the West Indies tour. When I went in today, I knew they will throw the short balls at me. I had a blank mind before playing every ball, which helped," said Kohli on Friday. "Test matches are mental mind games and the more clear I leave my mind, the better decision I can make."

"To a certain extent I thought I got the West Indies call because so many people took rest. Not having done well there, scoring runs again in a calendar year and getting back into the team was satisfying."

"It was a better feeling that you are included as that way you know the selectors and the team management are showing faith in you in doing well in that format. It's a confidence-booster."

It was Sachin who instructed Virat to play normally.

"It's all about having a good mindset. Being in good form is fine, but I needed to be in the right frame of mind to go and perform. It was one of those days today when I thought 'I am going to get my full stride out and if I can leave from the front foot, nothing better.' I left them quite well. Sachin told me to prepare normally and I did so. It helped," said Kohli.

Kohli felt that Sachin was unnecessarily pressurised by the formidable media and that is how he missed out of his epic century of centuries.

"A lot of people have put unnecessary pressure on him. I don't know why. He has achieved so much and people are making such a fuss about it," said Kohli.

Sachin, he said, was relaxed in the dressing room, after missing out the most wanted hundred.

"I was still batting when he came back so I don't know instantly what happened. He was pretty relaxed afterwards. It has happened to him a lot of times. Obviously, he will be disappointed on missing out on a ton, but he has been around long enough not to get bothered by it. He was pretty relaxed in the dressing room."

Kohli was all praise for Ashwin, who took five for and scored a brilliant hundred.

"He batted brilliantly, timed the ball well. I could see standing at the other end, his mind was totally free. He was totally relaxed and pretty much sure of what he wanted to do and reacting to the ball," said Kohli. "The confidence from his bowling rubbed off. He just came out and started timing the ball very well."

"We all knew he has batting abilities. He has two first-class tons. He is in a good space as he has taken wickets (18) in this series. Getting a hundred is always special for a bowler. It was a brilliant innings."

Ashwin at the other end allowed Kohli to settle down and that he is how he played well for his fifty.

"It was good to have Ashwin scoring from the other end. I could also take my time and just get myself to spend more time in the middle. It was a very good innings from him."

India may very well win this Test on Sunday, feels the formidable batsman.

"Our aim was to get early breakthroughs, which we got. We would have loved to have them four wickets down, but that did not happen unfortunately. Tomorrow could be interesting if we could get early wickets. We will try and put pressure on them. The game is still very much alive," he insisted.

WI were 81/2 and India have to get eight wickets and score the necessary runs on the fourth innings to wrap up this Test, a possibility echoed by Kohli.

Ashwin, not Sachin, scores hundred !

Ashwin scored a brilliant 103 and along with Virat Kohli (52) saved India from the ignominy of following on.

Unfortunately Sachin's jinx of falling in the nineties manifested again. He was out for 94.

India scored 482, leaving a 108 run lead to the West Indies. Laxman was taken for 32, Sachin for 94, Kohli for 52 and Ashwin was the last to go for 103 and India had saved the follow on !

All set for the century of centuries by Sachin !

India did make a comeback in the last session, but WI piled up a mammoth 575/9 at stumps on the second day. Aaron struck thrice and Ashwin scalped two to reduce WI below the 600 mark, after they wre 494/4 at tea.

Darren Bravo scored 166 in 284 balls. Kirk Edwards was out to Ishant for 86. Powell blasted 81 and Samuels 61.

Bravo hit Aaron for two consecutive fours, thus revealing his aggressive mindset. Breakthrough came when Edwards nicked Ishant and WI had lost their third wicket.

Powell, who replaced Edwards, believed that attack is the best form of defence. Bravo played the sheet anchor role and proved to be the backbone of WI batting.

Powell too fell in the eighties. The elegant left hander played a loose cut against Ojha and it was taken brilliantly by Dhoni.

Bravo hit the century mark, his third in Tests four - in 153 deliveries.

Both Bravo and Powell were in belligerent mood, as WI inched closer to the 500 mark.

After hours of toil, Aaron got his first wicket, when he had the dangerous Bravo caught behind. In the next over he had Baugh bowled. Aaron struck for the third time, when he drew the WI captain, Sammy, forward, inducing an outside edge to be caught by India's formidable wicket keeper.

After Aaron, Ashwin struck twice to create confusion in the West Indian ranks, which was on their way to the 650 mark. Ravi Rampual was taken and Samuels was consumed in the slips by the greatest catcher in Test cricket, Dravid !

Meanwhile, there is criticism that the Indian attack lacked venom. What was the necessity of resting the latest pace success, Yadav ? Indian cricket, critics say, have gone to pre-KIrstenian days. It was Gary Kirsten who transformed Indian cricket, making the team more professional !

Aaron hopeful, as he bags three wickets

Yadav relaxed deep into the chair he had positioned near the ropes. On the contary, Aaron, was a bundle of wicketless nerves, as he walked in to bowl, when the shadows were creeping in to the field. Suddenly Aaron had some inspiration. "I will pitch it up, I will make the ball talk," he told himself, as he began to run with the ball in hand. The first five balls were well pitched up and the sixth ball took the edge of the formidable Bravo's bat and flew to Dhoni. That wicket seemed to have inspired the youngster. In the next over, he had Baugh clean bowled and Aaron had taken two wickets in two overs ! Spurred by these success after 22 wicketless overs, Aaron continued his strategy of inspired, accurate bowling. He found the edge of Sammy's bat and he had picked up three ! He could have picked up four, if Dhoni had not floored a half chance, off Samuels !

This three wicket burst seems to have increased Aaron's chances Down Under !

West Indies bat well at last !

All WI batsmen were successful yesterday as WI piled up 267/2.

Four half centuries by the West Indies batsmen - Barath 62, Brathwaite 68, Edwards 65* and Bravo 57* - saw a successful WI batting day.

If win this Test match, she will come to the No 1 position. But the Test appears to be moving towards a draw.

Even though the Indian pacers bowled at more than 140 kph, both Aaron and Ishant, many catches were not held, but that happens in cricket !.

After a 137 partnership between between Barath and Brathwaite, an unfinished 117 run partnership evolved between the 'new Lara", Bravo and Kirk Edwards. Ashwin picked up both wickets.

Australia win thriller !

Glorious batting by Khawaja, Ponting, Haddin, Johnson and Cummins saw the Kangaroos win the second Test.

At 215/6, Australia seemed to be against all odds. Then Haddin scored a brilliant 55, Khwaja 65, Ponting 62 and Mitchell Johnson 40 not out, in a great score of 310/8.

This was the largest chase at the Wanderers. Cummins cornered glory, as he got seven wickets and hit the winning four to the amazement of the South Africans ! Cummins hard hit was floored by Dale Steyn. If Steyn had taken that catch, history would have been different. But that was not to be.

Haddin and Johnson took Australia from 215 to 287, when Haddin was out. Johnson used all his experience to weather the South African speedsters.

Rightly, Cummins was adjudged Man of the Match. Philander, with his penchant for both out and in swing was named Man of the Series.

This match was providential to Ponting, Haddin and Johnson, who are all at the mercy of the Australian selection panel. But experience proved to be the major factor for Australia's win !

Bajji out of Aussie tour ?

The Indian selectors are on the horns of a dilemma. To select Bajji or not ? Now that Ashwin and Ojha have established themselves as front line spinners, they automatically select themselves.

Bajji's plus points are playing in 96 Tests and the favour of the Indian skipper. But Sreekant & Co are now harping on performance, with their dictum "Perform or Perish".

The other spinner's choice falls on Piyush Chawla or Rahul Sharma. Rahul Sharma with his height can extract bounce from the pitches Down Under. Chawla has the support of the skipper Dhoni.

In the last two Ranji Trophy matches, Bajji's performance was below par. In the match against UP he went wicketless and managed 1-44 against Orissa. Time is also running out for him, as he has only one chance to make his case stronger.

Rahul Sharma is in the good books of the selectors for his ability to extract bounce from any surface. "Sharma's bounce may come handy on Australian
pitches" said one of the selectors. Sreekant, M Amarnath, Bhave and Venkat are in the team of the selectors.

Meanwhile, Australia are 142/3 in the match against formidable SA, needing 168 for victory with seven wickets in hand. Can they do it ? No wonder cricket has been defined as a glorious game of dire vicissitudes !

Indian bowlers click !

Dhoni was happy about the Indian bowling performance.

"The bowlers are hunting as a pack, it doesn't matter who is taking the wickets," said the whirlwind wicket keeper batsman.

"Umesh can really bowl over 140kph. Ishant also bowled well," he added. "The bowlers are taking the responsibility. The first innings was perfect. We got off to a good start and the middle order capitalized and we put up a par-plus score. It was a lot of runs to defend. The fast bowlers gave us breakthrough and the spinners capitalized."

Yuvraj has been axed and Rohit Sharma is in for the next Test starting on 22nd. India hope to continue their winning streak.

People may have dismissed Ojha's and Ashwin's success in the First Test as a flash in the pan, but they proved otherwise. Yadav bowled regularly above 140 kph and clean bowled many a set batsman. He took seven wickets in this Test, most of them clean bowled. Ishant Sharma also bowled well and the Indian bowling clicked as a unit.

In Yadav and Aaron, India has some genuine speedsters or demon fast bowlers, who can bowl about 140 kph and remove well set batsmen. These pacers are needed to skittle out the lower order. So these two are a boon to India. They have to be groomed well for the future. Hope the Indian administrators will do the needful.