'I don't think we're mentally sharp enough' - Brendan Taylor

It's an old adage that cricket is a game played mostly in the mind. With India having cruised to an unassailable 3-0 series lead, Zimbabwe captain Brendan Taylor identified his team's major weakness as their mental frailty under pressure.

"I think [the problem is] mental toughness," Taylor said. "I don't think we're mentally sharp enough. We're just not making the precise decisions at the right time and not putting a real price on our wickets. Too many soft dismissals.

"We all know in the mornings it's a little tricky [to bat] but technically we haven't been good enough. The Indian bowlers, they just keep it nice and simple. They don't give you too much to hit, but if we can get through that initial period and keep wickets in hand there's no reason why we can't catch up and post a decent total."

Taylor is Zimbabwe's most accomplished batsman and part of the reason for their collective failure has been his personal one. In his last eight innings, Taylor has a top score of just 40 and in this series has had to juggle batting, captaining and keeping wicket. He is not panicking yet, though. "I'm a player who hits an extremely large amount of balls when I practice," he said. "It's just [about] continuing to do those things and try to prepare well every game and I'm a believer that if you do that a big score's not too far away."

In all three games so far, Zimbabwe's batting has faltered at crucial moments. In the first match, they lost regular wickets while they should have been accumulating in the middle of their innings, while in the second the middle order frittered away a good start to the chase. Sunday's defeat was the heaviest, but Taylor identified the second defeat as the hardest to stomach.

"The most difficult one for me was the second game when we had an opportunity to win that game, and we dropped Dhawan and we dropped plenty of chances and allowed them to get to 290," he said. "It would have been a different story if we'd caught our catches and probably chased 230-240, we would have gone about our chase a lot differently. It's very frustrating to see, knowing our batting ability and not getting the runs that we know we can get."

Sunday's defeat was also played out in front of the largest crowd of the series. Though the grandstands weren't full, almost all of the smaller stands and the grass banks were. A boisterous crowd weren't given too much to applaud - though they did enjoy the obdurate efforts of Tendai Chatara and Brian Vitori with the bat.

"It hurts," Taylor admitted. "It does hurt because they are passionate and they want us to do well, and today it was a bit disheartening to play the way we have played. But fortunately there's more cricket coming up and we haven't played our best cricket here but hopefully we can give the people of Bulawayo something to smile about.

"There's always pride [to play for]. We use that word a lot, because it's a privilege to represent your country. Just to be playing against the best team in the world, that's an honour in itself."

The series now moves to Bulawayo for the final two matches. While conditions will be similar to Harare and the games will start just as early, the Queens Sports Club pitch has a reputation of being easier to bat on.

"Bulawayo is a bit more friendly in the morning to the batters, though there was a bit there against Bangladesh not too long ago so each side may have to be up against the ball nipping around a little bit," Taylor said. "But that generally burns off pretty quickly and then it gets really good to bat on."

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Starc keen for Taylor second look

Mitchell Starc has said Australia's attack would like another chance to bowl at James Taylor in the Old Trafford Test, despite Taylor's unbeaten century against them during the tour match in Hove.

Taylor finished on 121 not out when the Sussex innings ended on the final day of the game but he was dropped twice along the way, once at slip on 23 and again when he miscued a lofted drive on 90, and he conceded that it wasn't his most fluent innings. Still, Taylor will head to Old Trafford with some confidence after the innings against an attack made up of Starc, Jackson Bird, James Faulkner, Nathan Lyon and Ashton Agar.

"Probably, yes," Starc said when asked if he would like to bowl at Taylor in Manchester. "He's a good player. He's scored a few runs and has played Test cricket before. He's another player who, if he does get the chance to play, we'll assess again, but it's nice to have a look at him and how he's going at the moment in this game.

"I've played against him before. He's someone who likes to cut and pull. He's only a very small guy so we want to make sure we've got him driving. He played well. It's a good batting wicket, but he did play well."

Starc took 2 for 43 in Sussex's only innings and although his economy was good, he was occasionally wayward and appeared at times to struggle to control the swing of the ball. Jackson Bird also collected two wickets and was the pick of the bowlers, while Faulkner battled to find the right line to challenge the batsmen. One of the three fast men might be called up for Old Trafford to replace the injured James Pattinson, although a dual spin attack is also a possibility if the pitch is dry.

"We certainly weren't taking it as a bowl-off; it was just to go out there and perform, and take thought of pushing for selection out of the picture and just try to take wickets," Starc said. "We were actually surprised with how much it did swing here for Birdy and myself, and even for James Faulkner.

"It definitely swung more here than the last few times we've had the Dukes. It was a little bit tougher to control but once you get a few overs of that under your belts and adjust your lines, you should be hitting that target. It was nice to have that ball swinging for the hundred overs and keeping the ball in nice condition. That's a positive for us."

Starc said he was pleased with his efforts against Sussex and felt he had bowled well on the whole tour so far, despite being dropped for the Lord's Test to make room for Ryan Harris. It was the second time in seven months Starc had been left out of a marquee Test, having been rested for the Boxing Day Test against Sri Lanka last summer.

"You never want to miss a game at all," he said. "It's always a little bit disappointing to miss out on any game of cricket but it was my turn to miss out I guess. I just have to do everything I can to get myself ready."

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Mishra makes most of opportunities

Amit Mishra must feel the pressure to establish himself in the Indian team more than the other untested hopefuls on this tour to Zimbabwe. The wrong side of 30, it had been two years before this tour since Mishra last played an ODI and his tally of 18 ODIs in the ten years since his international debut suggests underuse of his talent.

Yet without the long-term confidence of the selectors on his side, he has little choice but to keep plugging away and make the most of whatever opportunities come his way. With nine wickets in three games in Zimbabwe, including a Man of the Match-winning 4 for 47 on Sunday, he's done just that on this tour.

But while Mishra's performances can't have hurt his chances, when India A head to South Africa in August he'll be heading in the opposite direction. He isn't part of the Cheteshwar Pujara-led group which is staking a claim for India's Test tour of South Africa later this year.

"I'm not in the Test side," Mishra conceded. "I'll try and do my job in the next two matches, and then it's up to the selectors. I've been waiting a long time for this and I'm doing my best and it's working for me now."

Mishra has found particular success with his variations on the traditional legspinner's delivery against Zimbabwe. His front-of-the-hand quicker delivery has helped to tie the Zimbabwe batsmen down, while his googly has brought about six of his nine dismissals .

"I've done lots of hard work on my googlies and variations and it's paying off," he said. "When I came here I was just thinking about the conditions and how to bowl on these kinds of tracks. I've spoken a lot with TP [Trevor Penney] and Duncan [Fletcher] who have given me a few tips, which I've been working hard on."

With so many of the touring Indians hoping to use this trip to win further honours with the national side, Mishra suggested that their was a positive competitive streak among his team-mates. "All the players have done so well in domestic cricket, so they came here with the confidence," he said.

"There's a lot of healthy competition going on - everyone wants to do well for India, so it's working for the Indian team."

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New routine brings Dilshan relief

There is unbridled joy in each of Tillakaratne Dilshan's hundred celebrations, but this one was tinged with some relief too. He is arriving at a period in his career where he must prove even to himself that his skill remains undimmed

Like every great entertainer, Tillakaratne Dilshan likes to adorn his grand performances with a moment the audience will not soon forget. Many times it is a fierce blow through the covers early in the innings - an act that is routinely his statement of unyielding intent, wrists and blade whipping manically toward ball that rarely deserves to be fetched from the fence. Other times it's his shot over the keeper, leaving the bowler wondering if he has a ball that might subdue a batsman who makes such cruel mockery of cricket's basic tenets.

Then on his best days, Dilshan plays a stroke that outstrips even the dilscoop for gall. Two years ago in a Twenty20 in Pallekele, he dropped to one knee and swept a low Shane Watson full-toss on off stump, flat and hard over the deep midwicket boundary.


Against South Africa in the fourth ODI, Dilshan's 17th hundred was notably short on thrills. His go-to shot through the covers was shelved entirely, balls were largely regarded on conventional merit and for much of their 184-run stand, Kumar Sangakkara outscored him blow-for-blow.

As Dilshan found his way back from a lean trot and from injury, he caged the abandon that founded his success and ground out a ton he knew he needed to make. It had been seven innings since he last crossed 50, and though he continues to make big breakthroughs with the ball, any team's oldest player can only go so long without a major contribution in his foremost suit. There is unbridled joy in each of Dilshan's hundred celebrations, but this one was tinged with some relief too. He is arriving at a period in his career where he must prove even to himself that his skill remains undimmed.

He had attempted a similar innings two matches ago, on a slower surface in Colombo. His 43 from 64 then featured just one four; a glide to the third-man boundary. But having sat out the tri-series against West Indies through injury, perhaps body had not yet begun to fully cooperate with will. A wide delivery he would normally pummel through point took a top edge and finished in the wicketkeeper's gloves. 


He has also had a major technical flaw re-exposed in this series. On Boxing Day last year, in a moment that epitomised Sri Lanka's ineptness in that match, Dilshan swiped across the line at a full, seaming Mitchell Johnson ball and had his stumps rattled. He spoke of having fixed the flaw when he hit two hundreds in three matches against Bangladesh in March, but departed in almost identical fashion in the Champions Trophy, when Mitchell McLenaghan bowled him in Cardiff. Against South Africa in the first ODI, Dilshan allowed Chris Morris' first straight ball following a spate of wides through his defences, as he aimed a shot through mid-on once again.

	I'm not going to change how I play. If the ball is there to hit - even if it is the first ball - I'm going to hit it Tillakaratne Dilshan


Both Lonwabo Tsotsobe and Morne Morkel honed in on Dilshan's stumps early in the innings, hoping he would oblige once more. But like with his cover drive, Dilshan remained untempted. The only expansive stroke he played off the seam bowlers in the arc from square leg to mid-off was a slog off a Tsotsobe free-hit. The straight balls were defused defensively instead, as he endeavoured to establish himself. It is an unusual ploy Dilshan said he may now use more often, if it brings him such success.

"Now with the new rule, run scoring has completely changed. If you take the last six or seven months, you can get a lot more runs in the last 15 overs than you can in the first 10. With the two new balls, it's better not to take a chance in those first 10 overs. There are also only four fielders on the boundary later on, when the ball is older and not doing much. When the rules change, we have to adjust as well."



He could not bring himself to admit he had embraced reticence though. Despite advocating a more thoughtful approach than he is used to, Dilshan remains a creature of instinct and an ardent opportunist. Once the game was secure in Pallekele, he strummed his steady piece into a crescendo, hitting nine late fours to plunder 44 from 21 deliveries. His first 50 runs had come in 83 balls.

"Still, given all that, I'm not going to change how I play. If the ball is there to hit - even if it is the first ball - I'm going to hit it."

By his own admission Dilshan does not train hard, even in a poor patch, and his method is perhaps no great exemplar for the young men finding their feet in the side. But there was no doubting his thirst for victory in Pallekele, as he strayed from the familiar to regain the confidence his cricket is founded on, and that is worth trading a few memorable shots for.

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Russell puts spanner in Somerset's works

Worcestershire 191 for 5 (Russell 77*) beat Somerset 188 for 4 (Kieswetter 80, Trego 62) by five wickets
Scorecard

A whirlwind half-century by West Indian Andre Russell delayed Somerset's march towards the Friends Life t20 quarter-finals as Worcestershire registered a surprise five-wicket win at New Road.

Worcestershire ended a run of three defeats and climbed off the bottom of the Midlands/Wales/West group by overhauling Somerset's formidable total of 188 for 4 with two balls to spare.

Russell led the charge to victory with six sixes in an unbeaten 77 from 42 balls - his highest score on a T20 contract for the county - and Ross Whiteley, newly signed from Derbyshire, was the perfect foil with 43 on his debut.

The tall left hander cleared the rope twice in stand of 88 in nine overs before a top edge off Yasir Arafat was well taken by Chris Jones at deep midwicket.

The momentum was then so much with Worcestershire that two fours by Russell in the last over from Craig Meschede completed a double over Somerset in the group.

Worcestershire lost early wickets but with rain threatening they made brisk progress through Alexei Kervezee, with 32 on stepping up to open, and Daryl Mitchell with 23 until he was leg-before to George Dockrell's first ball.

Somerset had made a bad start when Jones popped up a return chance to Jack Shantry but Worcestershire subsequently conceded eight sixes and 14 fours on a good batting surface.

Peter Trego led the way with 62 from only 31 balls and Craig Kieswetter was close to batting through the innings, cruising to 80 from 56 deliveries, before he was caught at wide long on in the 19th over. The pressure exerted by two batsmen targeting the shorter boundaries led to a number of fielding errors as Somerset romped to 61 in the six-over power play.

Trego was the chief enforcer, bludgeoning three sixes and eight fours until Worcestershire captain Mitchell appeared as the sixth bowler and beat the allrounder's attempt to drive his fourth delivery.

Jos Buttler briefly showed his flair for the shorter format until he was also bowled, making a complete mess of the scoop shot, but Kieswetter continued on his trouble-free course. Selective hitting brought four sixes and five fours before falling to Shantry with a neat catch by Whiteley.

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Bird's numbers proving hard to ignore

Jackson Bird just keeps taking wickets. Eleven at 16.18 in his only two Tests. Nine at 24.00 for Australia A and the Australians in England this year. His first-class tally now stands at 107 victims at 19.71. Statistics don't always tell the whole truth but such figures are hard to ignore, and Bird continued to build a strong case to replace the injured James Pattinson for the Old Trafford Test with a couple of searching spells against Sussex on the second day in Hove.

More than any other member of Australia's attack, Bird made the batsmen play again and again, giving them precious few loose balls to release the pressure. He swung it away from the right-handers early and kept his lines tight, collecting 2 for 33 that should have been three-for when a catch at slip was spilled. Without question he outbowled Mitchell Starc and James Faulkner and after being overlooked for Ryan Harris at Lord's, placed himself at the front of the queue to replace Pattinson in Manchester.

"They went with Ryan and Ryan did very well," Bird said. "It was probably the right selection. I'm not bitter or anything like that. Ryan is a world-class bowler and he showed that at Lord's. But if you're in the squad you're definitely a chance and you have to prepare before each Test match as if you're going to play.

"I feel like I've been bowling pretty well the last couple of weeks. I've been bowling well in the nets and I feel like I'm pretty close to being at 100%. And I suppose if selected next week in Manchester, I feel like I'm ready to do a good job but that's still a week or so away and we've still got a day of cricket tomorrow to concentrate on.

"I suppose there is always the motivation if you're outside the squad to do well, to make the final XI, but I can't control selection. It's not something that I think about all the time. All I can control is taking wickets for Australia and I took a couple today but there's still a bit of work to do tomorrow."

Bird, 26, has been a first-class cricketer for less than two years but has a mature approach, and knows his game well. Last year's Australia A tour of England was a significant learning experience for Bird, who struggled in the unfamiliar conditions and managed only seven wickets at 44.71. His success in three appearances on this Ashes tour are a strong indication that he had accurately assessed his deficiencies on that trip.

"I was probably a bit impatient when I came here last year," Bird said. "Everyone talks about how much the Dukes ball moves around and when I got here last year it didn't really do that. I was trying to swing the ball too much and trying to get too much sideways movement. When the wickets are flat over here the English batters punish bad bowling.

"I just came over here this year knowing that I had to really be diligent on my lines and lengths, especially when the sun is out I really have to build pressure. I feel like I've done that. And when it is cloudy and the conditions suit you, not to get too carried away. You've still got to hit your lines and lengths and that's probably the main thing I've noticed."

Line and length might sound straightforward but the value of Bird's control quickly became apparent when Starc and Faulkner both sent down some wayward deliveries in Hove. His consistent, accurate bowling brought him success in his first two Tests against Sri Lanka last summer in Australia and after nearly four months on the sidelines with a back injury that forced him home from the Test tour of India in February, Bird has moved closer and closer to another opportunity.

"I didn't think I was going to be fit enough in time for the tour," he said. "It's a bonus being here on the Ashes tour and if I play well it's just a bonus. I am definitely enjoying being over here."

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Committee to oversee IPL affairs likely

With no one currently heading the IPL, an influential section of the BCCI is likely to propose a special committee, to be led by interim president Jagmohan Dalmiya, to look into and review the daily affairs of the league. After Rajiv Shukla resigned as chairman of the IPL, no replacement was appointed as the BCCI was busy sorting out the mess created by the alleged corruption scandals. The proposal is likely to come up for discussion at the BCCI working committee meeting to be held in Kolkata on Sunday.

Although the IPL governing council, a BCCI sub-committee, still remains the body to look after the league, some board members feel there is room to accommodate a separate committee that could review the IPL. It is understood that Dalmiya has consulted Arun Jaitley, one of the the BCCI vice-presidents, on the matter and has got the nod. It is also learned that Dalmiya has spoken to a few former Indian cricketers, seeking their opinion about how best to run the IPL.

Immediately after he took over as the interim BCCI president, Dalmiya had initiated "operation clean up" for the IPL, wherein he announced proposals to enforce a "stricter code of conduct" for players and match officials, as well as putting an end to the "sleaze" element in the form of entertainment and after-hours parties.

Dalmiya took charge on June 2 after N Srinivasan "temporarily" stepped aside pending inquiry into allegations of corruption and spot-fixing during the sixth season of the IPL. Dalmiya recently attended the ICC annual conference as the Indian representative, even though Srinivasan participated in influential meetings such finance and commercial affairs via video conference.

It is understood that Srinivasan will not attend Sunday's meeting, which is also likely to discuss the tour itineraries for India's tour of South Africa, and their scheduled visit to New Zealand early next year.

It is also learned that the working committee will not discuss the findings of the two probe panels investigating the corruption scandals of IPL 2013. Ravi Sawani, the BCCI's anti-corruption head, has not yet concluded his probe into the alleged spot-fixing by three Rajasthan Royals players. Although Sawani has finished speaking to Sreesanth and Ankeet Chavan, he has yet to meet Ajit Chandila, who is still in judicial custody.

The inquiry commission appointed by the BCCI, made up of two retired judges, has not yet finished its work. The commission was appointed to investigate charges against Gurunath Meiyappan and Raj Kundra, respectively part of Chennai Super Kings and Royals, who according to Mumbai and Delhi Police, had admitted to betting during IPL matches.

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Babar takes Pakistan home off last ball

Pakistan 158 for 8 (Amin 47, Afridi 46) beat West Indies 152 for 7 (Pollard 49*, Babar 3-23, Hafeez 2-4) by two wickets
Scorecard and ball-by-ball details

You get a chance to play international cricket at 34, becoming the second-oldest debutant for your country. You are hit for six second ball. What do you do? You dismiss three key batsmen for just 23 runs. You are then called on to finish the game. With the bat. Understandably, you are tied down. But with six needed off six, you loft over extra cover for four. You think you have more than pulled your weight as a debutant. You have, but it is not over yet. It comes down to the last ball. One run needed. Everyone is in the circle. No sweat. You go big over mid-off, so big that you clear the rope. Zulfiqar Babar, welcome to international cricket.

It should not have come down to the last ball the way Shahid Afridi sensibly steered the chase from 86 for 5. After that became 116 for 6, he did it with the tail for company. He made 46 off 27, but barring the 27th delivery, he hardly hit a desperate, reckless stroke. With eight needed off 11 though, he tried to seal it with a straight six, and mishit to long-on.

West Indies sensed a chance. Babar played out a few dots. Despite that early boundary in the last over, Saeed Ajmal was run out off the fifth with the scores tied, before Babar roared one final time.

The way they bowled and fielded, West Indies were lucky to have taken it down to the last ball. Shannon Gabriel took three wickets, but he crumbled under pressure each time he was called upon to deliver. Umar Amin, who played a blinder on T20 debut, took three fours off Gabriel's first over, with a flick and two pulls.

Amin then took Samuel Badree apart on a turning pitch. Never giving the ball a chance to spin, he repeatedly stepped out to loft Badree down the ground. When the bowler dropped it short, Amin pulled. When he overpitched, Amin drove. Even as Amin was toying with West Indies, the hosts were striking at the other end.

The Pakistan top order fell to miscalculated hits, but Amin's brilliance meant the asking-rate was always under control. That still didn't stop Amin from walking out to Samuels and getting stumped to make it 86 for 5.

Afridi took over now, striking Samuels first ball for six over long-off and drilling the third to the extra cover rope. Thereafter, he settled down into cruise mode, rotating the strike, picking the odd boundary and also lofting Sunil Narine to become the first man to reach 400 international sixes. He did everything right except the stroke on the ball he got out to, but then, it was to be the debutant's day in the end.

Babar, and the other Pakistan spinners, had shocked West Indies initially on the turner but the hosts recovered and then took apart the fast bowlers to post a challenging total. Dwayne Bravo and Kieron Pollard came together at 42 for 4 and put on 56 before Darren Sammy cracked 30 off 14. Pakistan's slow bowlers did their job, taking 5 for 74 in 14 overs but the fast bowlers, missing the yorkers too often, disappeared for 1 for 73 in six. Mohammad Hafeez, who opened the bowling and dismissed the openers, gave himself just two overs.

Babar squared up and bowled Lendl Simmons with his fourth delivery and in his next over, found himself in the way of a powerful hit from Samuels, but managed to hold on. Samuels had been cutting Mohammad Irfan for boundaries amid all the wickets.

Bravo and Pollard, although not always in control, rotated the strike, a refreshing thing coming from a West Indies pair. Bravo was quick to hit with the turn through the off side, and Pollard made sure he put away the rare half-volleys for boundaries. Sammy went after the fast bowlers as he and Pollard looted 53 in four overs. As Sammy said after the game, 152 should have been defended on that pitch, but Babar was to have the perfect debut.

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Changing roles 'mentally frustrating' - Hughes

Phillip Hughes doesn't bowl but he's rapidly becoming a different type of allrounder in this Australia line-up. After all, how many players can say they have batted in every position from opener to No. 6 in the space of five games? More than that, how many players could say they have done it with the success of Hughes, who has scored half-centuries everywhere except No. 4 on this Ashes tour?

It was not surprising that after his 84 as a reinstated opener on the first day against Sussex, Hughes used the word "frustrating" to describe his constant shimmying up and down the order. But if the tour seems like one long game of snakes and ladders to Hughes, he also knows that he has in his power the ability to make one of these positions his own. Instead, two scores of 1 batting at second drop at Lord's have potentially made him vulnerable ahead of the Old Trafford Test.

David Warner's 193 for Australia A in South Africa and Steven Smith's potential century at Hove could have the selectors considering Hughes' place in the lead-up to the third Test. That would be a strange scenario for the man who has scored more runs in the first-class matches on this tour than any other Australian, and the man who made a mature, patient unbeaten 81 at Trent Bridge, while his partner Ashton Agar was stealing the attention.

"I feel like I'm very comfortable at the crease at the moment," Hughes said. "The last Test match obviously didn't go to plan personally but it's only one game. I felt like the first Test match, the 80 I scored was probably one of the better innings I've scored in the international arena. Overall I feel confident and hopefully I'll be in that third Test side when it's selected. But you never know ... we'll have to just wait and see.

"It's quite bizarre [moving up and down the order] ... At times it can be tough to get your head around the different positions but you've just got to get on with it and that's the bottom line ... I don't mind where I bat but when you do bat one to six, mentally it can be frustrating. It is about opportunity as well. If you do get one position you do want to nail it down. I haven't nailed it down and that is why they have mixed it up and given people an opportunity."

Hughes started the tour with an unbeaten 76 batting at No. 5 against Somerset and was promoted to No.3 in the second innings of that match, when he made 50. In the second warm-up match against Worcestershire he made 19 not out at No. 6 and 86 at first drop. But since his 81 not out at No.6 in the first innings at Trent Bridge, he has followed up with 0, 1 and 1, and he knows that Test runs will count for vastly more than those against county attacks.

"When you lose Test matches there are obviously changes," he said. "When you lose it is not a good thing. It is about finding the right balance. You dont know what they are going to do. It is about improving day in and day out and doing the best you can in these games.

"I think there's always competition and that's a good thing. It's great to see Davey score a big 190 for Australia A and I thought we all batted quite well today. Ed Cowan up front, then Steve Smith and myself. It's always been competition from the word go. That's a good thing."

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'I was fortunate they dropped my catches' - Dhawan

After his startling reincarnation as an international opener, it's easy to forget that Shikhar Dhawan was once written off by many observers as being unfit for national service. Since his return to ODIs at the Champions Trophy, he has scored 631 runs at 57.36, relying mainly on his silken touch through the off side. In the course of his third ODI century, however, he relied as much on luck as anything else.

"The wicket wasn't easy to bat on," he said after his Man-of-the-Match performance against Zimbabwe. "The ball was swinging and cutting, and they bowled really well in the first 25 overs. I was just fortunate enough that they dropped my catches today."

Despite their lapses in the field, Zimbabwe had reduced India to 65 for 4 before Dhawan found an able partner in Dinesh Karthik - incidentally, another cricketer who has, more than once, been discarded by the national side. "The team really needed a big partnership when we were four or five down, and myself and Dinesk Karthik played really well and made a big score for our team," Dhawan said.

"We're really happy. It was a very important partnership which brought us back into the game. We knew that we had to score big runs on this wicket because it gets much better in the second innings. Then things went our way."

Cricket was a slightly different game when Dhawan was first picked for India, and as an opener one of the rule-changes that he has had to pay particular attention to is that which stipulates that a new ball will be used from each end in ODIs. The rule means that batsmen have to deal with a hard, moving ball for longer than they used to.

"It's more difficult nowadays because you've got new balls from both ends," Dhawan explained. "When the ball is swinging you really need to play close to your body. You'll see that in the first 10 overs, openers are not scoring that many nowadays because the ball is new and it swings a lot and you have to be more careful. Shot selection is very important, because you don't want to lose wickets at the start and put pressure on the rest of the side."

Dhawan's international resurrection has occurred during a transitional phase for Indian cricket, and he has been given another chance thanks partly to the fading fortunes of long-time opening pair Virender Sehwag and Gautam Gambhir. Such periods of upheaval present myriad challenges, but India have so far largely weathered them, recently winning the Champions Trophy and scrapping their way to success in the Caribbean tri-series.

Dhawan said he was pleased with what he saw from the team. "Our team is gelling really nicely. All the young boys are very fit and really good in the field. Fielding-wise, we have really improved a lot. I feel like everything is working our way."

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