India will play 2 Tests in 11 months is ridiculous

For a side which has just been coroneted world No.1 in Test cricket, it is ridiculous that India would be playing just 2 test matches in the next 11 months, feels Former England batsman Geoffrey Boycott.

"I read somewhere that in the next 11 months or so India will play only about two-odd Tests. How ridiculous is that? How can you judge India's performance over the next 11 months? You can judge them over the past few months - they have played very well and I have no problem with them being number one," said Geoffrey Boycott.

He said the ICC ranking system should not be believed precise unless all the Test playing nations play each other home and away equal number of times.

"Ranking system can never be taken literally or accurately. Doesn't matter which country is at the top, because there is no fair way at the moment of all the countries playing each other the same number of times. So don't get sucked into believing that the ranking holds true for whoever is number one," he said.

The cricketer-turned-commentator feels the top Test playing nations, including India, play each other more frequently only to make more money.

"Top sides want to play each other because they want to make more money out of it. India, England, Australia and South Africa are going to play each other more than they do some of the other lesser nations," Boycott said.

India in Bangladesh tour 2010 Schedule

Date	Match Details	Time	Venue
Jan 17 - 21	India v Bangladesh, 1st Test	-	Chittagong
Jan 24 - 28	India v Bangladesh, 2nd Test	-	Dhaka

India, Sri Lanka and Bangladesh Tri-Series 2010 Schedule

Pakistan in Australia Tour Schedule, 2009-10

Date	Match Details	Time	Venue
Dec 26 - 30	Australia v Pakistan, 1st Test Aus won by 170 runs	00:01	Melbourne
Jan 03 - 07	Australia v Pakistan, 2nd Test Aus won by 36 runs	00:01	Sydney
Jan 14 - 18	Australia v Pakistan, 3rd Test	00:01	Hobart
Jan 22 - Fri	Australia v Pakistan, 1st ODI	03:15	Brisbane
Jan 24 - Sun	Australia v Pakistan, 2nd ODI	03:15	Sydney
Jan 26 - Tue	Australia v Pakistan, 3rd ODI	03:15	Adelaide
Jan 29 - Fri	Australia v Pakistan, 4th ODI	04:30	Perth
Jan 31 - Sun	Australia v Pakistan, 5th ODI	04:30	Perth
Feb 05 - Fri	Australia v Pakistan, Only T20I	08:35	Melbourne

MS Dhoni takes India to No.1 in Test

India stormed to the peak of the ICC test rankings with a booming 2-0 series victory against Sri Lanka. This is the 1st time India are ranked No.1 in ICC Test cricket.

This win is India's 13th against Sri Lanka in Tests. In the 32 Tests they have played against Sri Lanka, India has 13 victories under their belt while ending up on the losing side only 5 times. 14 matches draw. This is also India's sixth series victory against Sri Lanka.

Gautam Gambhir unavailable for 3rd Test

India will be without the services of Gautam Gambhir for the 3rd cricket Test against Sri Lanka at Mumbai as the left-handed opening batsman will be attending his sister's wedding on December 3.

December is usually the wedding season in North India.

Gautam Gambhir's unavailability means a spot will be open in the team for an opener. The man expected to benefit is Murali Vijay who is part of the team and has played for India before when Gambhir was unavailable.

Murali Vijay had previous filled in for a suspended Gambhir against Australia, and looked solid in his debut match.

The Senior Selection Committee maintained the same side for the 3rd Test to be played from December 2-6 but said because of Gautam Gambhir's unavailability, the strength of the team will be fourteen.

"The All-India Senior Selection Committee has retained the same side for the 3rd Test of the ongoing series against Sri Lanka, to be played at Mumbai from 2 December 2009 to 6 December 2009," said BCCI secretary N Srinivasan.

"Gambhir will not be available for the Test, on account of his sister's wedding on 3 December. The strength of the team for the Mumbai Test will thus be fourteen," he added.

Indian Team: Mahendra Singh Dhoni (capt), Virender Sehwag, Sachin Tendulkar, Rahul Dravid, VVS Laxman, Yuvraj Singh, S Badrinath, Harbhajan Singh, Amit Mishra, Zaheer Khan, Ishant Sharma, M Vijay, Pragyan Ojha and S Sreesanth.

India won by an innings and 144 runs

India produced a command show to win the 2nd Test against Sri Lanka by an innings and 144 runs - their 3rd largest margin of victory ever. It was India's 100th Test match win. It was fitting that the final moment belonged to India's newest participant into the Test arena - Pragyan Ojha.

India pretty much leaded throughout the test. India won the toss and batting first, India's top three scored big hundreds as India posted a very big 642. S. Sreesanth was the wrecker-in-chief yesterday, getting 5 wickets to give India a massive lead. Following-on, Sri Lanka started dreadfully losing their first four batsmen in one session. Samaraweera and Mendis delayed the predictable with a 73-run dogged stand for the ninth wicket. As far as Sri Lanka are concerned, their 1st win on Indian soil still remains exclusive and they want to pull up their socks before the final test.

Margin of Victory	Opposition	Venue	Date
inns & 239 runs	v Bangladesh	Dhaka	25 May 2007
inns & 219 runs	v Australia	Kolkata	18 Mar 1998
inns & 144 runs	v Sri Lanka	Kanpur	24 Nov 2009
inns & 140 runs	v Bangladesh	Dhaka	10 Dec 2004
inns & 131 runs	v Pakistan	Rawalpindi	13 Apr 2004
inns & 119 runs	v Sri Lanka	Lucknow	18 Jan 1994
inns & 112 runs	v West Indies	Mumbai	09 Oct 2002
inns & 109 runs	v New Zealand	Chennai	06 Jan 1956
inns & 106 runs	v Sri Lanka	Nagpur	27 Dec 1986
inns & 101 runs	v Zimbabwe	Nagpur	21 Feb 2002

The win here ensured that India couldn't lose the Test series, with only one Test left and left the team with many positives. The big one was the return of S. Sreesanth, giving India a strong new ball pair once again. Sreesanth's good show should also inspire Ishant Sharma to find again his form, rhythm and pace, and give India a very good seam attack. Pragyan Ojha also had a good debut, and exhibited wonderful control. He had the cushion of a vast total to bowl to, and there will be more challenging situations in the future, but the starting signs were tremendously encouraging. The batting has been in good hands for a while now, and when the team has wanted it, one or more batsmen have put their hands up and performed. Last, but not least, it was cheering to see Rahul Dravid back to his free-flowing best. He looked to have find again his touch in New Zealand, but now he was back to his best self, converting starts to massive scores and looking steady at the crease.

Man of the Match : Sreesanth

India has drawn the 1st test against Sri Lanka

India has drawn the 1st test match against Sri Lanka as Sachin Tendulkar celebrated his 20th year in test cricket with his 43rd Test Century.

A patient unbeaten 100 by Sachin Tendulkar helped India wipe out a huge first-innings deficit of 334 runs to finish at 412-4 in its 2nd innings on Friday.

Left-hander Gautam Gambhir hit 114 and shared a decisive 66-run stand with Tendulkar

Sri Lanka had racked up the highest innings total in India before declaring at 760-7. That was in reply to India's 1st innings effort of 426.

MS Dhoni: "We had to handle our nerves and that's what showed. We're proud of this achievement. The series will go close. We can bowl more disciplined lines, but apart from that the bowlers bowled their hearts out. It wasn't easy. We're not worried about the batting. We expected the track to have a bit more bounce for the spinners, but it favored the batsmen."

Kumara Sangakkara: "A bit disappointed but a few surprises. The Jayawardenes, Dilshan and Samaraweera played well. We showed a lot of fight and spunk. It was a pretty flat track. We were thinking positive and needed something to go our way today but that didn't happen. But we're not too disappointed. Welegedara having to step in on the morning of the match, did fantastically. Prasad showed a lot heart to bowl at 140 plus with a hamstring. It's nice to see people put their hands up."

Man of the Match: Mahela Jayawardene, for his 275, his 27th Test century