Ubarhande leads Vidarbha's strong reply

Vidarbha 302 for 2 (Ubarhande 129*, S Shrivastava 84*, SS Das 53) trail Karnataka 619 for 8 dec by 317 runs
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Amol Ubarhande hit his maiden first-class hundred to lead Vidarbha's strong reply to Karnataka's huge total. The Vidarbha openers Faiz Fazal (22) and Shiv Sunder Das (53) could not go on to make big scores but Ubarhande and Shalabh Shrivastava had put on 209 runs by stumps. Ubarhande was more aggressive of the two, hitting 18 fours in his 129 while Shrivastava was unbeaten on 84 off 218 deliveries. The visitors had chosen to field on a grassy Mysore pitch and Karnataka's KL Rahul had said the hosts would have done the same, but so far, there have been a double hundred, two centuries and four fifties in the game.

Baroda 208 and 116 for 4 (Kaushik 3-23) lead Tamil Nadu 230 (Prasanna 75, Aparajith 62, Vahora 4-36) by 94 runs
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Things slowed down at the Moti Bagh ground after Tamil Nadu gained a 22-run lead, but there had been plenty of excitement before that. Resuming the day on 166 for 6 in pursuit of Baroda's 208, Tamil Nadu slipped to 182 for 8, before R Prasanna and No 10 M Rangarajan steered them past the hosts' score. Tamil Nadu eventually made 230, Murtuja Vahora ending with 4 for 36. J Kaushik probed away when Baroda came out to bat, and dismissed the first three Baroda batsmen after each of them had got starts, the highest being Aditya Waghmode's 39. None of those batsmen had a strike-rate above 40 and Ketan Panchal's 38-ball duck summed up Baroda's approach. The captain Ambati Rayudu was battling it out on 18 off 57 deliveries at stumps.

Uttar Pradesh 227 and 217 for 4 (T Srivastava 73) lead Haryana 276 (Dewan 93, Joginder 65, Rajpoot 6-68) by 168 runs
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Uttar Pradesh recovered from an iffy 121 for 4 in their second innings through the efforts of Parvinder Singh and Eklavya Dwivedi in Lucknow. UP had already conceded a 49-run lead to Haryana, who could add just five runs to their overnight 271 for 8 before being dismissed. The fast bowler Ankit Rajpoot took his best figures of 6 for 68, his maiden first-class five-for. Tanmay Srivastava made 73 upfront for UP, but Mukul Dagar, Mohammad Kaif and Suresh Raina went cheaply, with Mohit Sharma and Amit Mishra sharing the wickets. Parvinder and Dwivedi, though, added an unbeaten 96 for the fifth wicket to ease the hosts' nerves.

Maharashtra 196 and 266 (Khadiwale 96, Bawne 55, Narwal 3-48) lead Delhi 193 by 269 runs
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Delhi have a daunting 270-run target to chase on a lively Roshanara Club pitch against Maharashtra on the fourth day. The Delhi team was guilty of allowing Maharashtra to surge to 266 in the second innings with major contributions from Harshad Khadiwale (96) and Ankit Bawne (55).

For the full match-report, click here.

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Kohli ready for Test captaincy - Gavaskar

Virat Kohli, the 24-year-old batsman, is ready to take over the India Test captaincy from MS Dhoni, according to former India captain Sunil Gavaskar. Gavaskar's comments came in wake of India's 2-1 Test series loss to England, their first at home in eight years.

Kohli's dogged century in Nagpur, which helped lift a wobbling India to within four runs of England's first-innings total, showed he was ready for the added responsibility, Gavaskar told NDTV. "Till the fourth day of the Nagpur Test, I would have backed Dhoni. Now that Virat has come up with a hundred under trying circumstances where he curbed his natural game, he discovered a good part about himself.

"He is ready to take on the mantle of Test cricket [captain]. That needs to be looked at in a positive manner by everyone concerned, as that is where the future lies."

India were looking to win in Nagpur to deny England their first Test series win in India in 28 years. Instead, England finished on a comfortable 352 for 4 on the final day and the Test ended in a draw. It was an impressive comeback from England: India had won the first Test of the series in Ahmedabad by nine wickets, before the visitors rallied and completely outplayed them in the next two. This series loss rounds off a poor 18 months in Test cricket for India, during which they were whitewashed in England and Australia.

In this must-win Test, after India's lower-order inexplicably batted at a slow pace on the fourth morning, they could take only three England wickets in 79 overs on the day. England went to stumps 165 ahead, and could still have been under pressure had India struck early on the final day. However, India managed only one wicket in the day, that too in the final session.

In view of their dire need to win, Gavaskar said, India should have been proactive. "India could not get enough wickets on day four. Also, they doodled around in the first hour on day four. If India had wanted to win the Test, they could have shown some intent by declaring on the overnight total [on day three] or by asking the tailenders to play slam-bang cricket.

"Yes, England batted well. But you do not position a forward-short leg or silly point to get a catch there; you do that to force a batsman to give a catch some place else. Trott or Bell might have done something stupid then. India could have attacked more. But that's not the only reason India lost. Our bowlers were by and large ineffective."

Gavaskar also hinted at some of the senior India players not valuing Test cricket enough. "Looking at the Jadeja's, the Kohli's … you can easily see there is recognition, an appreciation there for Test cricket. It is some of the guys who have been around, who have done well in the past that are being a bit casual about it over the last couple of years."

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Sangakkara fights with half-century

Lunch Sri Lanka 336 and 3 for 144 (Sangakkara 58*, Samaraweera 17*) need another 249 runs to beat Australia 5 for 450 dec and 278
Live scorecard and ball-by-ball details

Just as he did at the same ground five years ago, Kumar Sangakkara was frustrating the Australians in their push for victory on the final day. At lunch, Sri Lanka were 3 for 144 in their chase of 393 and having lost only one wicket in the first session, that of the captain Mahela Jayawardene to the bowling of Peter Siddle, they were relying on Sangakkara, who was unbeaten on 58, and Thilan Samaraweera, who had 17.

Although victory was extremely unlikely for the Sri Lankans, Sangakkara had at least given them hope of batting out a draw by surviving until lunch with his wicket intact. However, the pitch continued to provide severe challenges for the batsmen, the occasional ball rising sharply while others stayed low, including one that drew a positive lbw decision from the umpire Nigel Llong shortly before the break.

Sangakkara was on 54 when he tried to pull a Shane Watson delivery that kept low and after being given out lbw, he asked for a review of Llong's decision. The replays showed Watson, who was coming around the wicket, had struck Sangakkara just outside the line of off stump and the batsman was reprieved. It was a potentially pivotal moment in the match, with Angleo Mathews, Prasanna Jayawardene and the bowlers the only batsmen still to come.

By lunch, Sangakkara had occupied the crease for 206 deliveries in a cautious innings that had also included five boundaries. He brought up his half-century from his 165th ball with a pull to the midwicket boundary off a generous full toss from David Warner. Samaraweera was also watchful, although he showed a willingness to mix things up when he advanced to Nathan Lyon and lofted a boundary to long-on.

Samaraweera had come to the crease after the departure of Jayawardene, who pushed tentatively at a Siddle delivery outside off stump and was caught at slip for 19 from 77 deliveries. By lunch, the Sri Lankans had added 79 to their overnight total for the loss of one wicket.

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Sri Lanka raise ball-tampering question

Sri Lanka's team management has expressed concerns over footage that it believes shows Peter Siddle tampering with the ball in Sri Lanka's first innings.

Management believes broadcast cameras may have captured Siddle using his fingernails to raise the seam of the ball in the 88th over of Sri Lanka's innings, while bowling to Prasanna Jayawardene.

Sri Lanka team manager Charith Senanayake said their suspicions had been raised in the dressing room as they received the video-feed in real time, in the second session on day three.

"We have the footage with us," Senanayake said. "We recorded the game and it's there for everybody to see. We saw something illegal and have reacted to that."

Sri Lanka are yet to make an official complaint to match referee Chris Broad but Senanayake says he has flagged the issue with Broad.

"I have spoke to the match referee informally," he said. "It's up to them to act now, but we will have to pursue it further if nothing happens."

The ICC has since issued a statement acknowledging Broad is aware of the situation.

"ICC match referee Chris Broad is aware of the media reports coming out of Sri Lanka on the ball issue," an official release said. "The Sri Lanka team has made no official complaint about the ball."

Siddle took 5 for 54 runs in Sri Lanka's first innings, helping secure a 114-run first-innings lead for Australia.

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Kohli takes pride in 'learning innings'

Early this year, Virat Kohli scored a scarcely believable 133 off 86 to help India chase 321 in 36.4 overs. In his last Test innings of the year, Kohli showed the other side of his batting by scoring 103 off 295 balls. These two completely different innings have proved he is India's player of the year and their impact has been similar.

The first innings - a blazing century in Hobart which kept India alive in the CB Series only for Sri Lanka to crush their hopes two days later - showed Kolhi the power of a free mind with nothing to lose.

This latest hundred has emphasised what can be achieved through patience, an innings which has kept India alive in the series, even if the state of a slow and low pitch suggests that England are likely to crush India's hopes again.

Kohli, though, is wiser after the effort. "I didn't think about the runs, I didn't think about the number of balls I was playing, I was just batting," he said. "You just keep batting, you just keep watching the ball and eventually you get the right results. I was pretty pleased to bat for long hours in this game and that is something you will need to do in future in Test matches. It was a learning innings for me."

What had been going wrong earlier in the series then? "Three times I got 20," he said. "I probably got a good ball in Ahmedabad in the first innings, and I made a few mistakes after that. Sometimes you need that bit of luck, you get beaten and then sometimes you know today is the right day and you put your foot down and concentrate for long hours.

"I was waiting for this one innings, I was not doubting myself at all. I was working hard for the last one month and eventually if you keep working hard these little things happen in cricket."

Kohli said he and MS Dhoni, who scored 99, had to stay patient. "It was challenging for both of us," he said. "It was a slowish wicket, not that easy to get the ball away. I had to show some patience and I just thought of applying myself and not think of anything else. It was all about showing patience and just watching the ball and reacting to it rather than thinking about what we are going to be at the end of the day or the end of the session."

Not thinking about where they will be at the end of the day actually put them on the path to a strong position, but a mix of slow run rate - that can't be helped because of the slow pitch - and late wickets relinquished that position. India still see a way to win, though, said Kohli.

"You get some runs' lead and you put the opposition under pressure," he said. "It won't be easy to defend all day. That is not something you can do every Test match. We will just be looking for the one opening and probably get two-three wickets and you never know where the game goes from there."

India, 2-1 down in the series, still trail by 33, and will need all the help from the pitch and England to bowl the opposition out in four sessions at most, and then chase the total down. The pitch has given the bowlers nothing at all. Kohli said that can change.

"The wicket hasn't changed much," he said, "but I think the cracks are opening up slowly so you might see a completely different wicket tomorrow. The spinners might come into play a bit more. This is kind of wicket where you need to apply yourself the whole time, you just can't relax."

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Pakistan must play aggressively against India - Inzamam

Inzamam-ul-Haq, Pakistan's former captain and newly-appointed batting consultant, has advised his batsmen to be 'aggressive' against India. The team that handles pressure better, he said, could control how the matches go in the upcoming limited-overs series'.

Pakistan are preparing for the India series with a conditioning camp at the Gaddafi Stadium in Lahore, and Inzamam will spend the week with the batsmen to assist them. Since his retirement in 2007, Inzamam had not been associated with Pakistan cricket in any form, running a business instead; this is the first in five years that he has taken up a role with the team.

"My job will be to pass on my playing experience to the players, rather than working on batsmen's techniques," Inzamam told reporters at the end of the day's training. "I will be discussing with them how to chase, how to set a target and what's required while batting."

Pakistan will kick-off their tour of India with a two-match T20 series, followed by three ODIs. Inzamam, who led Pakistan in 22 ODIs against India and has a win-loss ratio of 12-10, said Pakistan have plenty of matchwinners in the squad but they need 'collective' effort.

"Pakistan have a lot of players who could individually win matches for us, it's a good sign,'' he said. "But cricket is a team game, we lack in collective effort from the batsmen. Our bowling is very strong and we have to have confidence in ourselves. We have to make up our minds that we can win.

"Playing in Indian conditions isn't different; we have been winning [there] and can win again. It's only about pressure and how to handle it. What we need is to play aggressively and whoever copes with it [pressure] well, will play better."

Pakistan have played 16 completed ODIs in 2012, losing four out of eight while chasing and failing to defend their target on six instances out of eight. Batting first this year, they have crossed the 200-run mark seven times, winning only twice. When chasing a target of more than 200, they have won only on one occasion out of five.

"It's not a new problem, it's been going on for a long time now," Inzamam said of their batting issues, citing the lack of quality cricket in Pakistan, which has been a no-go zone for major international cricket teams. "For the last two years we have not played a lot of cricket and the batsmen are lacking in temperament due to T20 cricket.

"Flaws in our players are down to us not playing on a regular basis. If we start playing 10-12 Test matches every year, you will obviously see an improvement in our batting. As more we play cricket, the more players will learn from it."

Inzamam said it will be important for the players to put aside distractions in India and focus on the cricket: "Against India, one should be focused on the game instead of other activities. We have to focus on our game and don't worry about what others are doing. If we keep focus on ourselves, we will perform better.

"India will play with passion, so must Pakistan. I think the way this Pakistan team lines-up, we can put pressure on India. But they're a big team too and could make a comeback [after faltering in the Test series against England], so we have to focus ourselves."

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Dilshan ton drives Sri Lanka

Lunch Sri Lanka 4 for 187 (Dilshan 103*, Mathews 45*) trail Australia 5 for 450 dec by 263 runs
Live scorecard and ball-by-ball details

Tillakaratne Dilshan's third century from his past four Tests steered Sri Lanka safely through until lunch on the third day in Hobart as Australia's bowlers failed to make a breakthrough in the morning session. Rain arrived half an hour before the scheduled lunch break and an early interval was declared at 12.20pm, with Dilshan on 103, Angelo Mathews on 45 and the total on 4 for 187.

It meant the Sri Lankans needed only another 64 runs to avoid the follow-on, although even if the opportunity arose for Michael Clarke, he would be unlikely to make Sri Lanka bat again due to the loss of one of his key bowlers. Ben Hilfenhaus left the field after delivering two balls of his fourth over of the morning and was sent for scans on what was suspected to be a side strain, and he was unlikely to take any further part in Australia's bowling effort.

His departure meant a greater bowling workload for the rest of the Australians, including Shane Watson, whose accuracy helped keep Dilshan in the nineties for half an hour. Dilshan eventually brought up his hundred from his 148th delivery by steering a delivery from Peter Siddle behind point for a boundary and his vocal celebration showed how important the innings was to him and his team, after the Sri Lankans went to stumps last night at 4 for 87.

Dilshan and Mathews denied the Australians any real opportunities on the third morning, but at the same time they were able to move the score along briskly for most of the session. Dilshan was very strong through the off side, cutting and driving with power and he struck 16 boundaries in his century, largely in the region from backward point to extra cover.

Mathews picked up a couple of early boundaries by pulling short deliveries and was very impressive down the ground to the spinner Nathan Lyon, using his feet well and taking few risks. By the time lunch was called, the Dilshan-Mathews partnership had reached exactly 100 at a run rate of 3.72, and Clarke was left wondering who could break the stand, with none of his bowlers having proven much of a danger in the morning.

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Hilfenhaus side injury exposes Australia again

Australia face the grim prospect of trying to win a Test with only three specialist bowlers for the second time in three matches after Ben Hilfenhaus shuffled off Bellerive Oval with a suspected left side strain.

After bowling the second ball of his 13th over to Sri Lanka's vice-captain Angelo Mathews, Hilfenhaus grimaced, felt for his hip or side, spoke briefly to his captain Michael Clarke and left the field, leaving Shane Watson to complete the over. He later left the ground for further medical examination. "Ben Hilfenhaus has some sort of left side injury, which is being investigated," a team spokesperson said. "He is going for scans to give further clarity on the injury."

The injury is a serious blow to the hosts, as Hilfenhaus had been considered alongside Peter Siddle one of the two durable, senior bowlers to be relied upon across the summer. They were outlined as critical to Australia's planning as the youthful group including Mitchell Starc, James Pattinson, Pat Cummins and Josh Hazlewood could be rotated around them.

Of that quartet, only Starc has reached this point of the summer without being sidelined, while John Hastings, called up when both Siddle and Hilfenhaus missed the Perth Test against South Africa, is recovering from a back injury.

Siddle and Hilfenhaus were unable to be considered for the WACA match as a direct result of Pattinson's withdrawal midway through the draining Adelaide Test due to a side/rib injury, which left the older duo with a heavy workload across the second innings.

Nathan Lyon was also leaned on heavily in Pattinson's absence, and he can now expect another hefty shift while Hilfenhaus convalesces. Watson's return to the team in the interim as an allrounder will be of some help to Clarke's bowling options, but Australia's captain is reluctant to overbowl his deputy out of fear it will both detract from his batting and also cause another round of injury.

Hilfenhaus' bowling has been the subject of considerable scrutiny so far this summer, as he appeared to lapse into the bad habits that bedevilled him during the 2010-11 Ashes series following a year punctuated by lots of Twenty20 assignments and precious little first-class cricket.

When Hilfenhaus was recalled after missing the Perth Test, having picked up a slight knee niggle in Adelaide while wrestling with his bowling action, the national selector John Inverarity described his halting progress, which has required plenty of time with Australia's bowling coach Ali de Winter.

"The history with Ben, he was doing well then the last series against England in Australia [in 2010-11] he didn't bowl to his highest level," Inverarity said. "He got things sorted out, a few niggles were sorted out and he got his bowling action right, and his bowling last summer was superb. He bowled at good pace and very well.

"His bowling in the first Test was a bit like against England, it wasn't as good as he'd hoped. So he needs to get 100% fit to perform, and his action so that he bowls like he did against India last summer, and we're hopefully that during this little break he'll be back to that sort of form."

In Hobart, Hilfenhaus did not generate his customary outswing, and struggled early on for his line as he drifted too often into the pads of Tillakaratne Dilshan. This angle proved more profitable against Dimuth Karunaratne, as a ball running across the left-hander caught an outside edge on the way through to Matthew Wade. As things stand, it will be his last major contribution to this match.

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India series a 'tough one' - Whatmore

With India and Pakistan set to face-off in a bilateral series for the first time in five years, Pakistan coach Dav Whatmore is excited. On the opening day of Pakistan's preparatory camp in Lahore, he said he is 'very keen to play the series' and take on the challenge of playing India in India.

"India v Pakistan in India is not going to be an easy one, particularly with the added interest of the neighbours playing each other [for the first time in a while]," Whatmore said at the Gaddafi Stadium. "But it's fantastic. I can tell you players from both sides respect each other, we are fellow professionals. We understand the pressures that exist but sadly there are a number other people who build it up as something different … But that's the way it is. We are very keen to play our neighbours and we are looking forward to it very much."

The series, which begins with a Twenty20 in Bangalore on December 25, will be the first bilateral series between the two sides since Pakistan toured India in late 2007. They have since met in multinational tournaments, but bilateral ties between the two were put on hold following the 2008 terror attacks in Mumbai. India had withdrawn from their planned tour of Pakistan in 2009 and, after the attack on the Sri Lanka team bus in Lahore that stalled international cricket in Pakistan, have not agreed to play a series at a neutral venue as has been the case with all Pakistan's 'home' series.

"It's a privilege to be involved in series like this," Whatmore said. "I've been involved in the odd match at ICC events and Asian Cricket Council events, but this will be first time we'll play more that two or three times in a small series.

"It will be an experience, particularly playing in India, where the fans are also very keen to come out and have a look and support their team."

Saeed Ajmal will be Pakistan's trump card, Whatmore said. "We will pick our group of bowlers depending on the conditions. You can't do that until you've had a look [at the conditions]. We feel we've enough boys in the group to satisfy the requirements of any conditions. But Saeed Ajmal will always remain a trump card for us, he will always remain a threat [for the opposition]."

Despite India's struggles during the ongoing England Test series, Whatmore refused to be complacent. "England are playing very well at the moment and India have a big job to square the series. But one Test series [results] doesn't necessarily mean that they are weak, we all know how good they have been over many years. I wouldn't read much into that."

Fifteen players of the 22 who will travel to India for the three Twenty20s and three ODIs attended the inaugural day of the camp; Shahid Afridi, Younis Khan, Anwar Ali, Mohammad Hafeez and Misbah-ul-Haq were absent due to various reasons.

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MCC Royal Charter eases financial fears

MCC has been granted a Royal Charter, so easing the fears of its members that they could become liable should the club's redevelopment plans ever run into financial difficulties.

The charter, which comes into effect in July next year, is awarded by the Queen on the advice of the Privy Council and alters MCC's status from that of unincorporated association to become a body incorporated by royal charter.

Royal Charters are reserved for eminent professional bodies or charities with a proven record of achievement and which can show that they operate in the public interest.

MCC established a working party last year under the chairmanship of Peter Leaver, a London-based barrister, to consider the status and governance of the club. MCC's 18,000-strong membership overwhelmingly approved a recommendation to apply for a Royal Charter with 97.4% voting in favour at a special general meeting in June this year.

The club accordingly sent a petition to the Privy Council, together with a draft charter. It was considered and approved by The Queen at a meeting of the Privy Council on Wednesday.

Incorporation will enable MCC to hold assets - not least Lord's itself - in its own name, rather than through a custodian trustee. It will also remove any potential liability of individual members - as owners of the club - in the event of MCC finding itself in great financial difficulty.

Royal Charters are far from automatic - even for such an august body as MCC. The club has applied unsuccessfully twice before, in 1864 and 1929.

MCC's president, Mike Griffith, said: "After two previously unsuccessful attempts, it is a great honour to be incorporated by Royal Charter - and one of which the club is immensely proud. "MCC plays an important role in the promotion, protection and development of cricket - it is a private members' club with a very public responsibility. This charter means we can better protect our members' rights and assets, and strengthens our ability to work for the good of game in the UK and abroad."

At one time a Royal Charter was the sole means by which an incorporated body could be formed, but other means, such as forming a limited company, are normally used nowadays.

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