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Openers Steve Titchard and Steve Stubbings have recorded the second highestpartnership in Derbyshire’s history but their feat carried little relevancebeyond the statistical as their team’s Championship fixture with Kent endedin a tame draw at Canterbury today. Titchard and Stubbings battedundisturbed through the fourth and final day of the match to take thevisitors to a second innings score of 293/0 before play was called off inlate afternoon.Titchard’s unconquered 141 represented his highest score for his new teamsince his transfer from Lancashire at the start of 1999, while Stubbings’135 snared him a morale-boosting maiden hundred for the county. Bothplayed very straight – on and off drives were in abundance – but neitherthe pitch nor the attack posed too many terrors. It was a measure of theextent to which the match had lost any genuine meaning that Kent captainMatthew Fleming even found time toward the end to ensure that all eleven ofhis players received a chance to bowl at some stage of the day. The hometeam also took the opportunity of resting Rahul Dravid and Min Patel justafter tea, sending on substitute Ben Trott and physio Martin Sigley intheir places as the inevitable early finish loomed.By the time that the match was finally brought to a merciful halt at5:20pm, the teams had each taken nine points away from it. This a resultwhich leaves Kent entrenched in sixth place on the Division One table butwhich has seen Derbyshire relegate Hampshire to bottom position. It isHampshire which Derbyshire meets in its next match (beginning on Wednesdayat Derby). Kent’s players, meanwhile, stay at home to ready themselves fora clash with Leicestershire which starts the same day.

Shane Warne has said he would be keen to spend time bowling with Yasir Shah in the nets while he is on a brief visit to Dubai this week.There is a vast amount of mutual respect between the two legspinners – Yasir, who has climbed to No.2 in the world Test rankings, counts Warne as a hero and he in turns says Yasir is a “fantastic, wonderful bowler” – and Warne, who is due to leave on Friday, suggested he would try to join a Pakistan net session ahead of the final Test in Sharjah.Warne has previously met Yasir in Adelaide during the World Cup and has chatted with him again since – although admitted a few language issues – and as he prepares for a return to cricket in his All Stars venture in the USA he was enthused about forming a legspin pairing, however briefly.”I would love to have another session with him,” he said. “If I can find some time this week I’d love to go down and have a bowl with him. I’m looking to get as much practice as I can.”Warne, who was in Dubai to launch the Icons of Cricket golf event, was flying as Yasir took four wickets, including the last one of Adil Rashid with just 6.3 overs remaining, to clinch the second Test but had seen enough to be further impressed, although he did have some words of advice.”I think he’s a fantastic, wonderful bowler,” Warne said. “Sometimes, from what I’ve seen, he looks a bit impatient – he has all the toys, he just needs to slow down a little bit, take a breath. Just chill out and set a batsman up a little bit more rather than just ripping legbreaks, wrong ‘uns, straight ones, going around the wicket, over the wicket. He just needs to toil away a little more.”Warne also had further words of encouragement for Rashid who claimed just 2 for 191 in Dubai after almost conjuring a remarkable victory for England in Abu Dhabi with 5 for 64 in the second innings.”They are completely different bowlers, Yasir is a real hustle-and-bustle legspinner, to me he’s the best in international cricket at the moment, and Rashid will hopefully get better. He’s not as fluent as someone like Yasir, but that doesn’t mean he’s not as effective. If he gets his confidence up I think he can be a real handful.”Rashid has twice been thrust into bowling first with Alastair Cook losing both tosses so far and Warne said that the role was something even he had to learn during his career.”I ended up doing it a lot,” he said. “I had to learn, it’s all the subtleties of a legspinner, patience, changing position on the crease, not bowling the same ball twice, don’t attack too much with the field, basically try to tie up an end – especially here where it’s so hot, so the quicks can rotate.”It’s about trying to beat them in flight, get them driving. My line would change a bit, you’d go a bit wider, then you’d use the faster, straighter one as a major weapon. But the hard spun legbreak is the real key and you just had to try that as much as you could. That was basically it for the first two days.”

The Indian board (BCCI) has begun its formal search for a candidate to coach the national team, issuing an advertisement listing their requirements on several top cricket board websites. The BCCI has fixed September 15 as the last date for receipt of applications. The prospective coach will have a two-year term starting from October 1.The applicant must have played first-class cricket, will require Level III coaching accreditation obtained from Australia, England or India, and must have previous coaching experience with a national side or an elite coaching centre, among other pre-requisites.The successful candidate will be required to work closely with the selection committee and interact with a review committee to be set up by the board and be capable of building positive relations with the public and media.Communication and organisational skills have been emphasised, along with basic knowledge of Indian cricket and “Indian culture and ethos”. Basic IT skills will be required, while being familiar with performance analysis software.I KEY RESPONSIBILITIES
a) Working closely with the selection committee and interacting periodically with the review committee to be set up by the Board
b) Should have the ability to plan and manage programs for the elite cricketers
c) Should be capable of building positive relations with the public and media
d) Should be capable of motivating players and thus helping them to optimise their performances at all times
e) Should be familiar with the use of performance analysis software packages
f) Should be available to conduct clinics and workshops for the local coaches
g) Should have excellent communicating skills as he is required to communicate at different levels like players, team management, selectors and the board
h) Should be capable of providing the team with tactical expertise
II KNOWLEDGE, SKILLS AND EXPERTISE
a) Should be a qualified coach with minimum level III coaching accreditation from Cricket Australia, England or India
b) Should have played at least level of first-class cricket
c) Extensive coaching experience and expertise in working with elite cricketers
d) Should possess basic IT skills to be able to operate the match analysis program
e) Should have been a coach of an international or national team or a coach at an elite coaching centre of international repute
f) Should have basic knowledge of Indian cricket, Indian player pathway and Indian culture and ethos
g) Should have basic knowledge of Sports Science and Sports Medicine
h) Should be capable of handling the team under high pressure situations
i) Should possess outstanding organizational skills
j) Should have knowledge of international coaching trends
k) Should have experience in using video technology
III GENERAL INFORMATION
a) The appointment as coach shall be for a period of two years, starting from October 1, 2007
b) The job requires a great deal of time away from home traveling with the Indian team both in India and abroad
c) Terms and conditions are negotiable

1991-92 in India
Wisden report | Cricinfo site
Nearly 22 years after being isolated from the international fold due to apartheid, South Africa arrived in India for a three-match one-day series. Thousands of fans lined the streets of Calcutta to greet the team and Eden Gardens – which hosted the first match – reportedly exceeded its capacity. India prevailed in a low-scoring game, but significantly for South Africa, it was their discovery of a world-class fast bowler in Allan Donald who took 5 for 29. India won the next game at Gwalior, and with it, the series. South Africa earned a consolation win in the final match in New Delhi, as Kepler Wessels and Peter Kirsten guided the side home in a high-scoring encounter under lights. Even in defeat, the South Africans returned home with indelible memories over the response from the Indian public, and an emotional captain Clive Rice was quoted in as saying, “I know how Neil Armstrong felt when he stood on the moon.”
India 2 South Africa 11992-93 in South Africa
Wisden report | Cricinfo site
India had the privilege of being the first international side to play a Test in South Africa since 1970 and the series got off to a cracking start in Durban, when Kapil Dev dismissed Jimmy Cook from the first ball. Praveen Amre’s dogged century on debut on a bouncy track, kept India afloat in a drawn match. The start of the second Test at Johannesburg followed a similar script, and it was Brian McMillan’s sound allround performance which helped his side hold the upper hand in another draw. The third Test at Port Elizabeth finally yielded a result, as India were blown away by Allan Donald, who finished with match figures of 12 for 139. The only bright spark for India was Kapil’s scintillating knock of 129 amidst the ruins. Both teams went on the defensive in the fourth and final Test in Cape Town which was also drawn. Batsmen from both sides showed no urgency and India’s sloppy catching wrecked their hopes of squaring the series. The seven-match one-day series was hardly a contest, as the Indians were outclassed in all departments, save for two victories.
Tests South Africa 1 India 0
ODIs South Africa 5 India 21996-97 in India
Wisden report | Cricinfo site
A strong South African side led by Hansie Cronje arrived in India for their first full Test tour. The tour began with a tri-series also featuring Australia, as South Africa – after winning all their league games – choked in the final against India. The pitch for the first Test at Ahmedabad came under intense scrutiny, as the batsmen succumbed to the inconsistent bounce. South Africa fancied their chances with a target of 170, but weren’t prepared for Javagal Srinath, who gnawed through the batting with 6 for 21 to seal a surprise win. The second Test at Calcutta witnessed a strong comeback by South Africa, though it was an unforgettable game for individual performances – Azharuddin’s blistering century off 74 balls, Lance Klusener’s dream debut with innings figures of 8 for 64, and Gary Kirsten’s twin centuries. The teams then headed to Kanpur for the decider and South Africa were exposed in a Kanpur pitch where the ball barely rose above the knee level. Azharuddin’s piled on the agony with 163 to set South Africa an improbable target. The win was a fitting end to the home season for India and was a rosy start for Tendulkar as captain.
Tests India 2 South Africa 11996-97 in South Africa
Wisden report | Cricinfo site
Flying stumps and chin music greeted the Indians in the first Test of the return series in Durban, as South Africa earned sweet revenge for their loss in India, bundling out India for 100 and 66 in either innings. The lack of exposure to fierce pace and bounce was evident as India – both innings combined – failed to last an entire length of a day’s play (72.3 overs). In Cape Town, the gulf between the two sides widened as South Africa piled on three centuries in their first innings. With half the side back in the pavilion and a massive deficit of 471, Sachin Tendulkar (116) and Mohammad Azharuddin (105) displayed one of the more remarkable rearguard actions seen in Test cricket, both flaying the bowlers at will, at a frenetic pace. Unfortunately, it was a case of ‘good while it lasted’ as India folded up in the second innings to concede the series. Bad light dashed India’s hopes of winning the Johannesburg Test, which marked the emergence of Rahul Dravid as a world-class Test batsman. In the one-dayers, South Africa took the tri-series also featuring Zimbabwe, beating India in a closely-contested final.
Tests South Africa 2 India 01999-00 in India
Wisden report | Cricinfo site
Wounded after an embarrassing 0-3 whitewash in Australia, India – in a vulnerable state – were caught off guard by South Africa in home conditions. Failure of the Indian top order was one of the main reasons, especially in the first Test in Mumbai, barring Sachin Tendulkar. South Africa made heavy weather of a modest target, rescued by Mark Boucher’s crucial 27. South Africa rubbed it in further in the second Test in Bangalore, batting India out of the match and their 0-2 defeat ended one of their most miserable seasons. Importantly, South Africa’s series victory ended a 13-year jinx by visiting teams in India. Tendulkar quit the captaincy, and India rebounded in the one-dayers, under Sourav Ganguly. The final ODI in Nagpur was famous for the match-fixing allegations against Hansie Cronje, Nicky Boje and Henry Williams, which came to light shortly after the tour.
Tests South Africa 2 India 0
ODIs India 3 South Africa 2

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–>2001-02 in South Africa
Wisden report | Cricinfo site
Another tour tarnished by controversy, this time the ‘Mike Denness affair’ taking centre stage. The first Test at Bloemfontein went without incident, notable for Virender Sehwag’s debut century, as South Africa romped to an easy win. The second at Port Elizabeth was overshadowed by match referee Denness’s ruling, in which he found Sachin Tendulkar guilty of ball-tampering and handed out one-Test bans for five other Indians for excessive appealing. The Indian board protested, stating that there may have been racial connotations in the ruling and after much pleading agreed to play the third Test. India drew the second match, lost the third by an innings, though the match was unofficial. South Africa won the Standard Bank tri-series also featuring Kenya.
Tests South Africa 1 India 02004-05 in India
Wisden report | Cricinfo site
South Africa’s third Test tour of India was almost a non-starter, as South Africa threatened to pull out if they failed to get any assurances that Herschelle Gibbs and Nicky Boje will not be prosecuted by the Indian police in the match-fixing scandal. However, both players pulled out and the tour went ahead as scheduled. India were expected to wrap up the series comprehensively, against a South African side struggling for form, but things didn’t quite go to plan at the start. The first Test at Kanpur was played on a featherbed of a pitch, with Andrew Hall frustrating India no end with an obdurate 163. After a dull draw, a relieved India took the second Test and the series in Kolkata, with the old firm of Anil Kumble and Harbhajan Singh sharing all ten second innings wickets. Scheduling problems meant that the one-dayers had to be played at a later date.
Tests India 1 South Africa 02005-06 in India
Cricinfo site
A year later, South Africa returned for a five-match one-day series to fulfil their obligations from the previous visit. One couldn’t have asked for a better contest, with South Africa undefeated in 19 matches, and a resurgent India with a 6-1 victory against Sri Lanka behind them. South Africa drew first blood in Hyderabad, as India – barring Yuvraj Singh who scored an incredible century – stumbled on a seaming pitch. The pitch dictated the result of the second match as India pulled things back comprehensively on a slow turner in Bangalore. Seasonal rain in Chennai washed out an eagerly-awaited contest. Protests in Kolkata following Sourav Ganguly’s exclusion and Greg Chappell’s alleged ‘finger gesture’ to the protestors took the sheen out of the fourth one-dayer, and Graeme Smith helped South Africa blaze to a ten-wicket win on another seaming track. With only two possible outcomes, India squared the series in the fifth match in Mumbai, as Dravid steered India home in a pulsating contest between bat and ball.
ODIs India 2 South Africa 22006-07 in South Africa
Cricinfo site
A rollercoaster of a series had several moments of cricketing excellence and was thankfully shorn of the controversies of India’s previous tours of South Africa. India were thrashed 4-0 in the one-dayers, which made what followed in the first Test at the Wanderers all the more remarkable. India, led by Sreesanth’s five-wicket haul, sliced through South Africa to bundle them out for a paltry 84. For a change, India’s batsmen demonstrated sound application and patience to bat South Africa out of the match and Ashwell Prince’s 97 wasn’t enough to deny India their first Test win in South Africa. Prince was one of the architects of South Africa’s comeback win at Kingsmead, scoring a hundred before Makhaya Ntini added the finishing blows with five wickets as India fell chasing a challenging 354. The third Test at Newlands was evenly contested for the most part, with India’s new-look opening pair of Wasim Jaffer and Dinesh Karthik dictating terms on the first day. However, the momentum shifted to South Africa, with Graeme Smith finding form with the bat. India contributed to their own downfall with their go-slow tactics, followed by an inexplicable collapse and shabby fielding display on the final day, all of which pointed to South Africa’s remarkable series win after conceding the first Test.
Tests South Africa 2 India 1
ODIs South Africa 4 India 0
Only Twenty20 international was won by India2007-08 in India
Cricinfo site
Sehwag scored his, and India’s, second triple-hundred in Tests to join Sir Don Bradman and Brian Lara in one of cricket’s most elite lists, and lit up a match that was a statistician’s delight but destined to be a draw before a ball was bowled. The Chennai pitch, once firm and sporting, had played slow and low in recent years, and this one proved no different. In sweltering heat, India were not tempted to play an extra fast bowler, and South Africa, lacking quality spin options, turned to the slow left-armer Paul Harris. It consigned the game to be dominated by batsmen.Contrasting scenes in Ahmedabad, where South Africa beat India inside three days. Dale Steyn and Ntini relished the extra bounce and lateral movement the pitch offered, bowling India out for 76, just one run more than their lowest total at home. The innings lasted only 20 overs in all, the shortest ever in a Test on the subcontinent, and India had given up the game on a platter. When South Africa replied – on a pitch that was easing up, against fast bowlers who did not have the same bite – the runs came easily. While India’s middle order applied themselves in a much-improved show, the pressure of being so far behind told, and South Africa chipped away at the wickets.Another three-day Test in Kanpur and India had squared the series. South Africa did well to get to 265 in their first dig, with the wickets shared around in Kumble’s absence. When India’s turn came, the going was not easy, but Ganguly and Laxman found ways to score where others had failed. India batted throughout the second day to secure a slender lead, and on the third morning a spirited last-wicket stand of 46 between Sreesanth and Ishant Sharma put India 60 ahead. Dhoni gave a sign of things to come, opening the bowling with Harbhajan Singh, who had bowled intelligently and creatively in the first innings. South Africa’s batsmen responded strangely, almost in protest at having to play on such a surface, attempting to block their way out of trouble rather than trying to put some runs on the board. The approach was never going to succeed with almost three days of play left, and merely hastened the end.
Tests South Africa 1 India 1

The England and Wales Cricket Board (ECB) has expressed its disappointment at the comments made by Jack Simmons, chairman at Lancashire, and Robin Smith, Yorkshire’s chairman, who both expressed their disapproval at Duncan Fletcher’s decision to rest the national players by making them unavailable for the C&G Trophy semi-finals.The ECB had announced their intent to rest the England players through a press release titled: `Counties and sponsors rally behind England team’. The national players and the administrative officials were taken aback at the protest by the counties, and felt that the protest portrayed a lack of concern, especially since the Ashes is in the balance.Simmons was upset that the ECB had not spoken to him first about their decision and felt that the issue could have been handled better by the board. Lancashire will be without Andrew Flintoff for their semi-final against Warwickshire on August 20. Simmons said that he was not informed of Flintoff’s ankle injury until he called up a board official. The ECB’s medical staff said that Flintoff sustained a minor ankle problem while bowling during the last day of the Old Trafford Test. However, Jim Cumbes, Lancashire’s chief executive, has taken a different stand by supporting the ECB’s decision. “Having witnessed the intensity with which the last Test was played I can fully appreciate why Duncan needs these players ready for the Trent Bridge Test match,” Cumbes was quoted as saying in the board’s press release.Robin Smith, chairman at Yorkshire, said that if Yorkshire beat Hampshire in the C&G Trophy semi-final, he would oppose any moves to withdraw Michael Vaughan and Matthew Hoggard from the final. “I accept that the circumstances in this case are exceptional,” Smith was quoted as saying in , “but in my view both counties appearing in the final can rightly expect to field their best team, which means a team including the England players.” With the C&G Trophy final scheduled for September 3, five days before the fifth Test at The Oval, The ECB might have to step in again.

Players and board officials on both sides of the border have expressed happiness at the Indian government’s decision to let the tour to Pakistan go ahead, and though security remains an issue, the Indian board insisted it would not pressurise reluctant players to tour.”India would be touring Pakistan after 14 years,” said Jagmohan Dalmiya, BCCI’s chief, “and not only do I envisage an excellent tour from the cricketing stand point but it would also help in strengthening the bond of friendship between the people of the two nations.”Speaking to Mid Day, Shaharyar Khan, chairman of the PCB, said that the move was a step forward, and would give peace talks a fillip. “I have been emphasizing the fact that if India played in Pakistan it would have a very positive effect on relations. Despite reservations and fears of some people I am confident the series would give the peace process a big push.”Pakistan’s captain, Inzamam-ul-Haq, added that tensions associated with Pakistan-India matches would gradually dissipate if the teams played more often.On Monday, a three-man BCCI delegation will brief the board and the government about security issues on its return from Pakistan. But with security concerns still playing heavily on the players’ mind, Sourav Ganguly, the Indian captain, said he would not force anyone to tour.Dalmiya took a similar stance and emphasized that players reluctant to tour would not be under pressure.”Since the government has cleared the tour, the major concern of safety and security is now put to rest,” Dalmiya said. “They are not going for war, but to play cricket. If somebody is not comfortable, he will not be forced to go. Someone else will go. These are the trusted lieutenants of the country.”

Western Province and Griqualand West will make their way to Newlands on 15 January to contest the Standard Bank Cup limited overs final after winning their respective semi-finals against Border and Boland.In East London the Border Bears made the perfect start, after losing the toss, when they had Graeme Smith and Herschelle Gibbs back in the pavilion inside three overs. Gibbs giving Makhaya Ntini a return catch without scoring and Smith mistiming a pull to midwicket off Monde Zondeki for three.Jacques Kallis and Gary Kirsten, on a difficult pitch, set about the bowling bringing up the 50 partnership in 81 balls and 56 minutes. Increasing the run rate the 100 came in 144 balls and 102 minutes, while the 150 appeared in 190 balls and 128 minutes.Kallis, having accepted a live from Mark Boucher standing up to Liam Graham when on 24, went on make 88 with Gary Kirsten getting another brilliant 103. Their partnership of 187, in nearly 37 overs, had brought Western Province back into the game.In the chase for runs a collapse followed with Western Province finishing on 228/7 after being 203/2 with four overs remaining. Only Kirsten and Kallis able to get into double figures.The wickets were shared with Zondeki ending with 2/37.Border made an even worse start than Western Province did. Five wickets down with only 35 runs on the scoreboard signalled their doom. Burton de Wett (13), Mark Bruyns (0), Stephen Pope (9), Mark Boucher (2) and Pieter Strydom (0) all failed as Charl Willoughby and Kallis took two wickets each.Tyron Henderson (39) and Craig Sugden put on 49 for the sixth wicket before Sugden and Laden Gamiet brought Border right back into the game putting on 64 runs for the seventh wicket.Once Sugden was out for a well played 50 in 63 balls and 92 minutes, Gamiet (33) and Graham (32*) fought hard but with the overs running out Border was bowled out for 205, 23 runs short.Kallis took the man-of-the-match award after his 88 and three wickets.In Paarl, Griqualand West decided to bat first and almost immediately was in trouble with Loots Bosman dropped off the first ball of the innings by Con de Lange fielding at first slip from the bowling of Henry Williams.The drop turned out to be expensive for the home team with Bosman going to score at better than a run a ball, going to his 50 in 43 balls including six fours and two sixes.Bosman went to 70 before he was run out with Griqualand West losing their first wicket on 125.Having just gone to his 50 in 81 balls Gidley had a big swing at de Lange only to succeed in lofting it to a delighted Williams at backward square leg taking a good catch with the visitors now two down for 140 in the 27th over.Building on the foundation that had been laid, Griqualand West found them in a very strong position at 243/6 when the 45 overs were completed.Pieter Koortzen (29), Brett Tucker (20) and Johann Louw (27) all contributed to the winning score.Charl Langeveldt with 2/36 was the leading Boland wicket taker.Boland, thanks to an ever-improving Chad Baxter (85) and veteran Steve Palframan (30), managed to cling onto a hope of winning, but with no other batsman able to get into double figures their hopes of reaching the final died a slow death, losing by 66 runs, after being bowled out for 178.Griqualand West had pulled off another match winning performance with the bowlers all sharing in the wickets. The only negative for the men from Kimberley was giving away 31 extras, something they will have to improve on before meeting Western Province in the final at Newlands.

An exhilarating century by England Under-19 batsman Nicky Peng carried Durham to a seven-wicket victory against Hampshire in the C and G Trophy third round at Chester-le-Street.They surged past Hampshire’s 50-over total of 262 for five with 9.4 overs to spare to register their first win against first-class opposition since 1992 in the premier knockout event.Hampshire thrashed 48 off the last three overs of their innings, with opener Neil Johnson making 113 not out.But Peng made 119 off 128 balls to win the Man of the Match award and with Martin Love and Paul Collingwood both passing 50 at better than a run-a-ball, Durham made light of their task.Peng played a series of glorious cover drives but also worked the ball through the leg side with effortless timing. He went to his hundred off 110 balls with a swept six off Mascarenhas and also hit 15 fours before he was bowled by Alan Mullally with 23 needed.After initial help from Love, whose 50 came off only 45 balls, Peng was able to relax towards the end of his innings as Collingwood unleashed all the frustration of his spell with the England one-day squad.He drove successive balls from Mullally for four and six to long-on in reaching 50 off 39 balls and finished on 59 not out.Hampshire left their charge too late, never developing a worthwhile stand as two batsmen suffered self-inflicted run-outs in slipping to 172 for five.At that point Dimitri Mascarenhas joined Johnson with 9.5 overs left and they added 90 runs, with Mascarenhas’s unbeaten 35 coming off 27 balls.

Sanjay Bangar, the India batting coach, has hit back at Rohit Sharma’s critics, saying that the batsman has “definitely contributed to the team’s cause”. Bangar also praised Cheteshwar Pujara but backed the decision to prefer Rohit over him.”If you look at the numbers, he has played 13 [14] Test matches and scored 800-900 [870] runs at an average of 40 [37.82] with two centuries, four half-centuries. I think if his critics can go back and compare the first 13 Test matches of any other cricketer who has played for a while, I think they would probably be less harsh on Rohit,” Bangar told ESPNcricinfo in an interview after completing a year as India batting coach. “I believe that in the matches he has played so far – obviously everybody wants to contribute more – he has definitely contributed to the team’s cause.”Bangar insisted that the team management decided to play Rohit at No. 3 in the fourth and final Test in Australia since “Pujara was having a tough time”. Bangar, however, admitted that once Rohit was brought lower down the order, the move worked better for the batsman and the team.”We are clear in our mind that we need to give enough time and opportunity for a player if we put him at a particular position before making the change. Pujara was having a tough time, so he [Rohit] was given a fair run at No. 3. He batted very well in Sydney (53 & 39). He got starts in both the innings but could not convert it into a big one.”Bangladesh was just one innings. But you could see that just three innings prior to P Sara (second Test against Sri Lanka), he was scoring runs at No. 3. After those five opportunities, we felt that moving him down the order would benefit the team more. And it also made sure that he got some time because he also had put a lot of pressure on himself to perform. Somebody who constantly wants to contribute to the team’s cause. And it worked out beautifully. In both the Test matches (P Sara and SSC), he played vital innings for the team.”With the new Test captain Virat Kohli stressing on playing five bowlers, Pujara has had to sit out. But Bangar was delighted with the way Pujara played a match-winning innings as a stopgap opener in India’s series-decider at the SSC.”Pujara has tremendous hunger, tremendous temperament. Again somebody who had a dip in his career but who is right up there. This is the batting group which is going to be the core of India’s batting for the next five years. Obviously there are going to be players who are going to miss out because of injuries but every new player who has come in has scored runs.”Pujara appears to get bogged down, especially at the start of his innings. His inability to take singles consistently tends to put pressure on the batsman at the other end. Bangar, however, didn’t single him out for failing to rotate strike.”Strike rotation is something we are all making our batsmen (aware) of. We are working on it. It is not only for one individual batsman but it is for the entire batting group. How you can achieve it is you need to know the fields, you need to know the bowling plans, you need to play with softer hands closer to the body. That is an awareness the batting group is working on and there has been a marked improvement in that area.”Bangar, along with bowling coach B Arun and fielding coach R Sridhar, is the first Indian member of the team’s support staff in five years. According to Bangar, the trio has made a strong case for the Indian coaches’ fraternity.”Being a group of Indian coaches, there was a bit of pressure to justify that Indian coaches can handle the national team effectively. There also was an additional sense of responsibility towards the Indian coaching fraternity. And I think we have been able to maintain the standards. That is something that I think we have been able to achieve.”The assistant coaches, along with team director Ravi Shastri, have been working on a series-by-series basis. With the BCCI still not sure about the structure of the support staff, none of the coaches has been appointed for a longer term. While Bangar admitted that “ideally” it would be better if coaches are assured of a longer tenure, he said it wasn’t a concern.”It’s a massive privilege to be able to discharge the duties of batting coach of the Indian team. Ideally, a longer stint is better for the individual concerned but again even if it’s just for a series, it’s a huge opportunity and accomplishment.”

Resuming the innings on 219-2 after the tea interval, Lancashire lookedintent on building a big score quickly.Flintoff smashed his way to a half century off only 59 balls whilst Crawleywas playing the anchor role at the other end. Flintoff’s ability to hit hardand straight lofted drives featured strongly in his innings which was fullyappreciated by the spectators.His innings came to an end when he was caught at silly mid-off off a thininside edge. A wicket was desperately needed by Leicestershire at this point and once again their leading wicket taker this season, Anil Kumble, duly obliged.This brought Ganguly to the crease and he did not find life easy at thebeginning. Infact, he faced 17 balls before scoring.Leicestershires troubles seem to be mounting as not only were they missingtheir opening bowler Jimmy Ormond for most of the day through injury, butPhil Defreitas then pulled up in a delivery stride and did not bowl for therest of the day.With Lancashire now only a few runs behind it will be interesting to see howthey will play this game tomorrow. Their overall run rate per overthroughout the day was 3.6 and they should look to maintain and improve onthis from the start tomorrow.