Hobart: They didn't seem aware of it, but India's one-day team has a slim chance of reaching the best-of-three-finals of the CB Series going into their final leage match at Bellerive Oval on Tuesday.
Indian skipper MS Dhoni's candid but alarming remark on Sunday, following a third straight loss, that his team was out of the tournament due to a lower net run rate than Australia and Sri Lanka highlighted not just his and the team management's own disregard of what the scenario was, but also how flat India have become. Perhaps they really just want to leave Australia and get a few extra days off before the Asia Cup starts on March 12. Maybe it is not such a bad idea.
But the reality is that they have one more match to play, and it does not just have to be a formality. Should India beat Sri Lanka handsomely to gain a bonus point, they will then hope that Australia beat Sri Lanka on Friday. If both of those results pan out, India will be level with Sri Lanka on 15 points with both teams having won thrice. In such a scenario, the net run rate will take a back seat to the head-to-head results. India will have beaten Sri Lanka twice while losing just once, thereby ensuring their progression into the finals.
It won't be easy. Dhoni cut a fatigued figure after Sunday's defeat, even hobbling out of the post-match press conference.
03:33 PM, Apr 28, 2008
Mumbai: Maharashtra ensured their berth in the knock-out rounds of the Vijay Hazare Trophy along with Mumbai, after defeating the hosts by 15 runs to notch their third straight win in the five-team West Zone one-day league, at the Wankhede Stadium, here on Sunday. Maharashtra, asked to bat first, recovered from a poor start to rake up a challenging total of 254 for 8 riding on Ankit Bawne's unbeaten 93...
01:34 PM, Apr 28, 2008
