VIVN RICHARDS OF MODREN CRICKET, VIRENDER SEHWAG.

I was fascinated by Russel Crowe in Gladiator and Mel Gibson in Braveheart. They left an everlasting image - of a warrior whose first line of defence was attack, where aggression was met by aggression, a tooth for a tooth, an eye for an eye, sheer ruthlessness, havoc and devastation. Where the motive was not to defeat but to humiliate and annihilate your enemy!

Such intimidation, ferocity, fearlessness and arrogance coupled with exceptionally gifted ability and talent describes modern era's 2 most destructive batsmen - Sir Vivian Richards and Virender Sehwag.

Greg Thomas, a former English player was bowling to Viv Richards in a county game. Viv missed a superb outswinger and Thomas said "It's red, round and weighs about 5 ounces." Next ball Viv hits Greg Thomas out of the ground and replies, "Greg, you know what it looks like. Go ahead and find it." That pretty much sums it up for the man who redefined the meaning of swagger!

They were calling for his removal - from former players to partisan journalists, from leading experts to the 'breaking news' channels. He silenced them all and did he do it in style! A magnificent century under pressure off just 90 balls with some breathtaking hits to the fence coupled with a solid technique and defense - Virender Sehwag is back and back with a bang!

His 117 off 117 deliveries against England on Day 1 at the Motera laid the basis for a huge Indian total and gave other copybook and classical batsman like Cheteshwar Pujara time to build their innings, leading to a memorable Indian win. The knock epitomises what Vivian Richards once said of Tendulkar "Form is temporary, Class is permanent!". This innings was indeed a very special one as it not only has the potential to mark a renaissance change to Sehwag's career, which had been a patch (especially in the last 2 yrs) of his glorious past but also tells the world of the special talent this man possesses. On a pitch, where scoring was difficult and where every Indian batsmen including the double centurion Cheteshwar Pujara struggled to keep the scoring rate above 3 per over, Sehwag batted with ease and treated the bowling with disdain. Such is the ability of this enigmatic batsman who would be playing in his 100th Test when he takes the field against England in Mumbai from the 23rd of November.

Comparison in Tests

Sehwag in Tests

Mat	Inns	NO	Runs	HS	Ave	BF	SR	100	50	0
99	172	6	8448	319	50.89	10246	82.45	23	32	15

Sehwag's Test record is astonishing, with a great average and an unbelievable strike rate - the best in the list below, much higher than even the likes of Don Bradman, Gary Sobers and Viv Richards and even eclipsing the great Australian keeper batsman Adam Gilchrist. In fact, he has the best average*strike rate statistic amongst all batsmen (except the Don for whom the average is the dominating statistic) and though strike-rates can't be given the same weightage as their significance in the shorter formats, their increasing relevance to how modern day Test cricket is played is paramount.

Player	Runs	Average	Strike Rate	Average*StrikeRate/100
Adam Gilchrist	5570	47.6	81.95	39
Virender Sehwag	8448	50.89	82.45	41.96
IVA Richards	8540	50.23	69.28	34.79
Kevin Pietersen	7095	48.93	63.17	30.91
Brian Lara	11953	52.88	60.51	31.99
Mathew Hayden	8625	50.73	60.1	30.48
Ricky Ponting	13346	52.54	58.75	31.76
Don Bradman	6996	99.94	58.61	58.57
Sachin Tendulkar	15546	54.93	54.04	30.79
Inzamam-Ul-Haq	8830	49.6	54.02	26.79
Garry Sobers	8032	57.78	53.91	31.14

A lot of people classify Chris Gayle's destructive abilities in the same league as Sehwag's. The table below clearly shows that Sehwag has even left the swashbuckling West-Indian far behind:

	Tests	ODIs	T20s
Sehwag	82.45	104.6	145.38
Gayle	59.47	84.45	145.25

Sehwag has re-defined Test match opening and completely revolutionized the way the game is approached. The opposition fears his presence at the crease. He commands respect amongst one and all. He has done brilliantly against most teams and in particular, been very severe on Pakistan with an average of 91.14 and strike rate of 80.20 with 4 centuries.

He is widely regarded as the best and the most dominating batsmen of spin bowling to have ever played the game (along with Lara). He averages 72.88 against the Lankans with a mind boggling strike rate of 99.83 including 5 centuries.

He made his Test debut in 2001 against South Africa at Bloemfontein, though not as an opener. Batting at No. 6, he scored a fantastic 105 and never looked back since then. He was essentially a middle-order batsman who was asked to open the innings - a fact which makes his Test record even more special.

His 195 against Australia in Melbourne in 2003/04 is regarded as one of his finest knocks.

He scored 3 centuries in 2004 including his maiden triple ton against Pakistan at Multan against the trio of Akhtar, Sami and Saqlain. He was on 295 and Tendulkar had warned him against attempting a risky shot or he would smack him on his back, but as the little master himself admitted-'Sehwag hears but never listens!' He heaved Saqlain Mushtaq, arguably the greatest spinner of that time for a six - what guts, what bravado! He earned himself the nickname- Sultan of Multan (much to Inzi's displeasure). Of course, Viru had a sore bottom the next morning! He massacred them again on the 2006 tour with a double century at Lahore scored at quicker than a run a ball.

Leading cricket stalwarts have been intrigued by the mystery behind this man's 'casual' and 'lazy' technique. He himself is not too fussy about it. He has the ability to switch himself off completely from the moment, has excellent hand-eye coordination and incredible ball sense. Coupled with that a good head on the shoulders, a cool, calm and collected disposition and he has mesmerized top attacks all over the world. He is one of the most feared and ruthless batsmen in Test cricket history.

The freedom with which he plays, the uncomplicated style make him a marvel to watch and admire. His open side-on stance enables him to play his favourite shot - the square cut above point and gully. He does not fear hitting the ball in the air, but the risks are calculated and methodical. Captains have often tried to set defensive fields against him by placing a sweeper at the point boundary and at third man from the very first ball of the match. Viru's reply - he square cuts over their heads into the stands. Such is his paranormal ability. For someone who is considered unorthodox and a bit of a maverick, who scores at such a high rate with that average, his consistency is absolutely remarkable and this makes him perhaps the greatest Test opener to have ever played the game (over Sunil Gavaskar, Gordon Greenidge, Jack Hobbs, Matthew Hayden and Len Hutton). Sehwag is the amongst the 4 players in the Test cricket history to have scaled 300 or more twice (along with Lara, Bradman and Gayle).

His second triple ton-319 off 278 balls against South Africa against the likes of Dale Steyn and Morne Morkel at Chennai in 2008 is the fastest (in terms of deliveries) triple century recorded.

He scored a brilliant and fierce 83 off just 68 balls in the last session of the fourth day in the 2008 Chennai Test against England to set up an emphatic run-chase of 387/4, the highest successful chase on Indian soil.

The Nawab of Najafgarh had a brilliant 2 years till 2009. He averaged an astonishing 70.11 in 2009 with a strike rate of 108.98, including a mesmerising 293 off 254 balls against Sri Lanka in Mumbai (the 2nd fastest double century after Nathan Astle) and in 2011 he hit a scorching 165 off 174 balls against the Proteas at Eden Gardens. Both resulted in an innings victory for the home team. He was rewarded with the coveted Wisden Leading Cricketer in the World award, twice, consecutively in 2008 and 2009 - the only player to have received the honour more than once since its inception in 2003.

Player	Runs	Start	Finish	Team	Opposition	Ground	Match Date
DG Bradman	309	0	309*	Australia	v England	Leeds	07/11/30
WR Hammond	295	41*	336	England	v New Zealand	Auckland	03/31/33
V Sehwag	284	0	284*	India	v Sri Lanka	Mumbai (BS)	12/02/09
DCS Compton	273	5*	278	England	v Pakistan	Nottingham	07/01/54
DG Bradman	271	0	271*	Australia	v England	Leeds	07/20/34
V Sehwag	257	52*	309*	India	v South Africa	Chennai	03/26/08
DG Bradman	244	0	244	Australia	v England	The Oval	08/18/34
FMM Worrell	239	0	239*	West Indies	v England	Nottingham	07/20/50
HH Gibbs	228	0	228	South Africa	v Pakistan	Cape Town	01/02/03
V Sehwag	228	0	228*	India	v Pakistan	Multan	03/28/04

His devastation on all bowling attacks can be seen from the figures in the above table where he features 3 times (only tied with the Don) in the top 10 innings for the most number of runs scored in a day. Also, he has scored more than 100 runs in a session on 3 occasions.

Ian Chappell sums it up nicely when he says 'Sehwag can change the course of a match with the ease of Moses parting the Red Sea', predicting an assault of Biblical proportions before the start of a Sehwag innings.

Richards in Tests

Mat	Inns	NO	Runs	HS	Ave	100	50	O
121	182	12	8540	291	50.23	24	45	10

Richards is undoubtedly the most aggressive and successful player against fast bowling to have ever played the game. Charismatic, flamboyant, controversial and brutal, he had a particular liking for their colonial rulers and scored 8 centuries at an average of 62.36 against England.

His favourite shot was to move to the off-side and then half-flick and half-pull the ball over mid wicket and deep square leg. He never wore a helmet or any sort of protection on the head throughout his career, during an era when the best fast bowlers were in their prime - sheer arrogance and a mark of defiance against tradition! He also fancied playing against the Indian spinners and averaged 50.71 with 8 centuries against India.

1976 was Richards' finest year - he scored 1710 runs, at an astonishing average of 90.00, with seven centuries in 11 Tests. This achievement is truly remarkable considering he missed the second Test at Lords after contracting glandular fever; yet he returned to score his career-best 291 at The Oval against the likes of Willis and Underwood, later in the summer. This tally stood as the world record for most Test runs by a batsman in a single calendar year for 30 years until broken by Mohammad Yousuf on November 30, 2006.

David Acfield, a first class cricketer who played for Essex sums it up when he says, 'If I glared at Viv Richards, he'd just hit me even further.'

No innings epitomizes this statement better than the blitzkrieg century he scored against England in just 56 balls at his home ground at St Johns in Antigua in 1986. This remains the fastest Test century (with respect to the no. of balls faced) ever recorded.

One of his most outstanding knocks was against India in the 1st Test in Delhi on the 1987 tour. After folding for 75 by Patterson and Davis, India fought back with good performances from Kapil Dev and Chetan Sharma to restrict West-Indies to 127. A resounding century by the Colonel, Vengsarkar, helped India to post a very healthy 327 in the 2nd innings setting a stiff target of 276. West-Indies were precariously placed at 91 for 3 and were then reeling at 111 for 4. Richards smashed a brutal 109 of 111 deliveries and along with Gus Logie took West Indies home by 5 wickets.

He was also a great leader having won 27 of 50 matches as Test captain, losing only 8. He is the only West Indies captain never to lose a Test series.

Sehwag	Richards
Home Ground	Ferozshah Kotla, Delhi	St.Johns, Antigua
Average in matches won	56.9	52.4
Average in matches lost	34.86	31.5
Average in 1st innings	65.07	50.7
Average in 2nd innings	30.45	48.9
Centuries in 1st innings	22	18
Centuries in 2nd innings	1	6
Number of Sixes	90	84
Man of the Match Awards	8	10
Highest Score	319 vs South Africa at Chennai, 2008	291 vs England at The Oval in 1976
Highest partnership	410 with Rahul Dravid vs Pakistan at Lahore	308 with Richie Richardson vs Australia at St. Johns
Favourite Grounds	Galle,Mumbai,Mohali,Chennai,Multan,Kanpur (2 centuries each)	St. Johns and Port of Spain (3 centuries each)
Aggregate runs in a year	2nd to Smith and Tendulkar in 2008 and 2010 resp.	Leading run getter in 1976
No. of double centuries	4 (plus 2 triple tons)	3
Other Records	2nd fastest to 7000 runs after W Hammond	Fastest to reach 1000, 3000, 4000, 5000 and 6000

It is interesting to note that Richards and Sehwag, both average significantly less when their team has lost, clearly indicating the impact players and match-winners they have been for their respective sides and the dependance of their teams on them.

Sehwag's average in the 2nd innings is less than half of his average in the 1st innings (which is very high itself at 65.07). The only explanation which can be given is that while Viru has been an outright match-winner and has set up innumerable victories for India, his ability to focus and concentrate goes down as the match progresses and as the wear and tear on the pitch increases. His solitary century in the 2nd innings had come against Australia in Adelaide in 2008 helping India to a fighting draw and spoiling the Kangaroos' party as they hoped for a win for Gilchrist in his farewell match.

It may also be mentioned that while the fast bowling attack was at its peak in Richard's era with the likes of Thompson, Lillee, Holding, Garner, Roberts, Marshall, Botham, Imran Khan, Wasim Akram, Hadlee and Willis to name a few, Sehwag has played his cricket with the 3 greatest spinners to have ever played the game - Shane Warne, Muttaih Muralitharan and Saqlain.

The % of matches won when Sehwag scored a century is 34.78 whereas it rises to 50 in case of Richards. To be fair on Sehwag, Viv was a part of a world beating team with the best fast bowling attack to have ever played the game. India's victory % rises to 50 when Viru scores a half century (but falls short of the 3 figure mark) whereas the same statistic for West Indies in the case of Richards is 48.8%.

Richards had an average of 49.77 at Home and 50.50 Away. Sehwag has a far better record at Home scoring approximately 58 runs in every innings. This average drops to 44.65 outside India. Experts have been very critical of Sehwag for his performances on the faster and bouncier tracks around the world. Although he averages a modest 35.97 against Australia, South Africa and England when on tour with a total of only 4 centuries, he still gets these runs at an alarming strike-rate of 71.17. Even though he hasn't got the numbers and performed even close to his formidable outings in the sub-continent, it is these very so called 'tiny', 'bits and pieces' and 'low' score innings (cameos) that have given India the impetus and the momentum at the start, taken the opposition unaware and put them on the backfoot, forcing the rival skipper to set defensive fields and consequently helped the other more classical batsmen like Rahul Dravid and Sachin Tendulkar to take their time and build an innings.

Summary

Both are astute thinkers and have a very sharp cricketing brain. When talking about these 2 giants of the game, one must keep in mind the different roles they play in their respective teams. Richards batted mostly at 3 or 4 and often came in when the team had already been provided a rampaging start by one of the greatest opening pairs of all times, Greenidge and Desmond Haynes. Viv's job was to keep the momentum going and he did it in great style!

In the case of Sehwag, it has been upto him to provide the impetus at the start of the innings and it was only later that he found an able opener in Gautam Gambhir. This makes his Test record all the more special. No team dares to declare in the 3rd innings till they completely feel safe with the target they set - still there is that ever lurking danger of a little cameo or a hurricane innings from Sehwag that would sweep the match away from them!

As it is well known, Viru modelled himself on Sachin Tendulkar, and the similarity in their styles is quite evident. When they come out to bat for India, it is like Krishna riding Arjuna in his chariot in the battle field of Kurukshetra in the Hindu mythological epic 'Mahabharata', guiding him after having imparted all his knowledge and wisdom to his favourite disciple. It is interesting to note that Tendulkar himself had 2 role models while growing up - Gavaskar and Richards!

Both these enigmatic men redefine the very basics of cricket - the way the game is meant to be played. They have put to rest many cricket experts and pundits and their traditional theories. If ever there could be Romance in Aggression - they have all the orthodox shots in their repertoire and many more which you won't find in any coaching manual and they execute these with perfection in the most unusual and unorthodox of styles. They have been controversial, been frowned upon, knocked down by peers and critics but have come roaring back with counter attacks of gigantic proportions.

They don't give a damn for any bowler's reputation or record. The only reputation which matters, is theirs! Bowlers tremble with the prospect of having to bowl at them - their daunting image and stroke-play making them shiver, giving them nightmares in broad daylight! They command the respect of one and all and let their bat do most of the talking, chipping in with the occasional banter. They have bones of steel and are determined in their resolve to bring the ultimate glory to their people and nation who in turn would pay a fortune to watch their heroes bat.

Fear and intimidation lay the foundations on which the original Godfather, Don Vito Corleone's built his empire, and after ruling New York like no one did or dared to before, spent the rest of his days in peace with his family and handed over the reign to his son, Michael Corleone.

As Sehwag decimates bowling attacks all over the world, a man similar in height and stature enjoys a few glasses of his favourite rum in the Spinnakers Beach Bar and Restaurant in Dickenson Bay in Antigua. 'Been there, done that', he says with his typical swagger.

If intimidation could ever intimidate then the Oxford Dictionary should have already incorporated 'Viviantimidation', and I don't know what Sehwag is made of, but there is definitely a 'Vir-in-there'

They are men of honour who led and inspired by example and superseded all our expectations. They don't have an ounce of negativity in their blood, are eternal optimists and even when they are beaten by a good delivery, they don't have an iota of remorse for the shot they attempted and immediately forget about it and thwack the next ball to the fence, their eyes telling the bowler to go and fetch it. The expression on the bowler's face is of extreme sorrow and grief. The rival captain bewildered and clueless. They have captured our imagination like no one before and their conquests are reminiscent of the great conquerors of the world - Alexander and Napoleon. The benchmark and the standards they have set are very high, yet they have outdone themselves time and again. They are legends who brought the crowds back to Test Cricket, who brought a smile to their million crazy fans. They are rebels who challenged the authority again and again, never gave up and were finally successful. They are inspirations of courage, valour and resolve to the common man. Such men will go down in history as revolutionaries because they had the courage to dream, the dream to dare, and then the will and the talent to succeed!

SMITH ON RESCUE OPERATION

If the stage belonged to Australian captain Michael Clarke on Day 1, South Africa skipper Graeme Smith hogged the lime-light on Day 2 as the visitors made a solid reply to Australia's 1st innings total. Morke Morkel bowled well at the start of the day, picking up 5/146 to bowl out Australia for 550. In reply, South Africa were 217/2 at stumps with Graeme Smith, who was involved in a 138 run opening stand with Alviro Peterseon (54), unbeaten on 111.

Morkel shines in the first session:

Australia, at the start of Day 2, would have hoped to post a total in excess of 600. But their hopes took a beating as Morkel came up with a fine spell and which led to Australia losing their last five wickets for 68 runs. Clarke, who resumed at 224, added only 6 runs to his overnight score before Morkel got through his defence to end a splendid innings. Clarke's knock of 230 came off just 257 balls and included 40 boundaries. Matthew Wade, who started the day with Clarke, struck a confident drive off Dale Steyn to the cover boundary to get off the mark. However, when he tried to repeat that off Morkel he ended up edging the ball to AB de Villiers behind the stumps and departed on 6. Rory Kleinveld performance in the series so far left a lot to be desired and the bowler was still in search of his first wicket in Test cricket. He finally got that when Peter Siddle (6) nicked him to Smith first slip even as Australia crossed the 500 run mark. Australia were soon left nine down when Ben Hilfenhaus (0) tried to hook Morkel but top-edged it to Dale Steyn at deep backward square leg to give the lanky pacer his maiden five wicket haul against Australia.

While four wickets went down in quick succession, South Africa had to wait a bit for the final wicket as James Pattinson decided to take the attack to the Proteas. The left-handed number 9 dealt in boundaries at a regular rate, flaying a quick-fire 42 off 35 which included 4 fours and 2 sixes. His knock finally came to an end when he edged Steyn to Smith at first slip who took the catch on the second attempt as Australia ended their first essay 25 minutes before the lunch break. The South African openers Smith and Alviro Petersen kept the Aussie bowlers at bay to take the score to 3/0 at the first interval.

South African openers find the going easy:

Smith and Petersen, on resumption of play, started building a partnership to help South Africa forward. The runs came at a good rate for the pair as they kept the boundaries coming regularly. The openers to a liking to Pattinson, who went for quite a few in his first spell after lunch. Smith started off with three fours off the left-handed pacer in the 6th over - one included a edge to third man. Petersen then hit Hilfenhaus for a four through cover and followed it up with a couple of boundaries off Pattinson. The introduction of Nathan Lyon slowed things down a bit, but the opening pair ensured that no wickets were lost as they took South Africa past 50 before the drinks break.

Smith and Petersen continued adding runs on a wicket that was not providing the bowlers any assistance. With a couple of fours off Hilfenhaus, the South African skipper entered the forties when he given a reprieve as Wade missed a stumping chance off Clarke's bowling. Smith made use of the opportunity to go past fifty and stayed unbeaten with Petersen to take South Africa to 117/0 at tea.

Smith firm as South Africa reply strongly:

Petersen, who had hit a well-compiled 64 in the first innings of the first Test at Brisbane, went on to bring up his second half-century of the series in the post tea session. Smith and Petersen, who had registered the first century stand for the opening wicket, extended their partnership and looked good to add more until Petersen's abrupt departure. Lazy running resulted in the run-out of Petersen, after a direct hit from Michael Hussey found him short of the crease at the bowler's end. There was more action in the post tea session as the Aussies went up in unison when Pattinson thought Smith had nicked him to the keeper. The umpire Richard Kettleborough too thought there was an edge and ruled it in Pattinson's favour. However, Smith decided to opt for the DRS immediately and the hot-spot suggested that there was no contact between the bat and the ball and the umpire had to reverse his decision.

Seeing that the regular bowlers were not making any impact, Clarke decided to introduce David Warner into the attack. The move paid off immediately as the bowler got the important wicket of Hashim Amla. The right-hander skipped down the track and playing down the wrong line, ended up missing the ball. Wade fumbled again, but managed to whip the bails off in time to send back Amla on 11. Warner then rapped Smith on the pads and appealed for leg-before. The ball appeared to have struck the batsman outside off and umpire Kettleborough also thought the same and turned down the appeal. Australia though decided to review the decision and ended up disappointed as replays proved that the on-field umpire was right. Meanwhile, Smith made steady progress as he entered the nineties and was given good company by Jacques Rudolph, who was promoted to number 4. The skipper went on to bring up his 26th hundred with a cut to deep backward point for a four. Smith and Rudolph ensured there were no further wickets lost in the day as they took their partnership to 48.

THE NEW WALL PUJARA

Cheteshwar Pujara was the hero once again as he stroked a brilliant century and was part of 2 vital partnerships after the top order was cleaned up by the English pacers to help India to a position of safety. Pujara's unbeaten knock of 114 which took 279 balls included 10 hits to the fence while Ashwin gave him good company with an attacking fifty to ensure India did not fall too far behind. For England, Monty Panesar, who was included for this Test made full use of the conditions, picked up 4 big wickets to help his team gain the upper-hand early on before Pujara and Ashwin fought back.

India came into the match high on confidence, they were already 1-0 in the series, most of their players were in good form and they looked good to go 2-0 up. Their chances of doing that went up a notch when MS Dhoni won the toss and elected to bat first on a good track that offered bounce for the pacers and turn for the slower bowlers.

India were forced to make one change with Umesh Yadav missing out due to injury and Dhoni sprung a surprise by including a third spinner, Harbhajan Singh, in his place. England too were forced to make changes with Jonny Bairstow coming in for Ian Bell and Monty Panesar replacing Tim Bresnan.

England ensured that they cashed in on what was on offer from the track as they had India in trouble in the first session. Jimmy Anderson made sure Gautam Gambhir's woeful run of form continued as he trapped the left-hander plumb in front off the 2nd ball of the day. Virender Sehwag was uncharacteristically sedate but still kept the run-rate steady. He chose to put pressure on Monty Panesar as he greeted him with 2 fours in his first over. India did well to keep England at bay and put their innings back on track with a fifty run stand between the Delhi batsman and Cheteshwar Pujara. Panesar however came into his own soon, showing why it was a mistake not to pick him in the last test as he had Sehwag and then Sachin Tendulkar out bowled in quick succession. Sehwag missed a full ball to find his off stump uprooted while Sachin was castled by an absolute beauty, which turned from leg-stump to hit the top of off.

Pujara at the other end continued without being troubled much. The right-hander looked untroubled for the major part of his knock as he and Virat Kohli tried to steady the ship. The pitch started to show its true colours as the day wore on as Graeme Swann and Panesar started to extract a lot more turn and bounce to consistently trouble the batsmen. Panesar was soon rewarded for his hardwork as an uppish drive from Kohli found Nick Compton at short extra cover. Swann then needed just 1 ball to send back left-hander Yuvraj Singh for a duck to leave India in a spot of bother.

Pujara looked as solid as ever as he brought up his fifty and with skipper MS Dhoni for company helped India stage a fightback and get to Tea at a relatively safe position.

England however pegged India back immediately after Tea, with that man, Monty Panesar again popping up to claim the vital wicket of MS Dhoni. The Indian skipper lunged forward to a good length delivery and edged it to 2nd slip where Swann held on to a good low catch. Luckily for India, Pujara found an able partner in R Ashwin, who has showed so far that he is a good bet with the bat, to help India past the 200 run mark and himself into the nineties.

Ashwin adopted a more attacking approach hitting Stuart Broad for 2 consecutive boundaries before stepping out to hit Panesar through mid-wicket. Pujara survived a close call when a pull shot hit the man at short leg and lobbed to mid-wicket, but the umpires ruled not-out after replays suggested that the ball had bounced centimeters before hitting Cook at short-leg. Pujara offered no other chances after that as he went on to reach a fantastic century, his 3rd in Tests. It was a fantastic effort from the batsman who is gaining in confidence and looks likely to cement the No. 3 spot for sometime to come.

The top-order batsman reaching his landmark also seemed to boost Ashwin as the offie smashed 3 fours off an Anderson over before getting to his fifty. Ashwin's counter-attacking knock provided just the kind of support Pujara and India needed as the stand kept England from celebrating again while also helping India add vital runs to their total.

The duo continued to hold fort till stumps and India ended the day in a relatively safe position at 266/6.

MICHAEL CLARKE ON HIS BEST

Michael Clarke propelled his extraordinary year to new heights on Thursday, his second double century in consecutive innings against South Africa charged by his desire to "cash in" during the good times, the Australia captain told reporters.

Clarke's unbeaten 224, which drove Australia to a mammoth first-day total of 482 for five in the second test, followed his 259 not out in the drawn first test in Brisbane and made him the first player to grab four double-tons in a calendar year.

"Look, it's really nice to be making runs and I guess the downside to this great game is when you're not, you find it really hard to find your next run," the 31-year-old told reporters.

"And that's happened a lot for me, I guess, through my career and I got dropped. And I remember when I came back from getting dropped that I said I wanted to make the most of the good days.

"And that's all I really feel I'm doing. I feel like when I'm getting in, I'm trying to cash in because I know there will be some tough days around the corner again."

Kicking off the year with a sublime unbeaten 329 against India in Sydney, Clarke blasted 210 against the same opponents in Adelaide and has gone on to plunder 1,265 runs for the year for an average of 140.65, raising comparisons in Australia with the great Don Bradman.

Despite his imperious form, Clarke's 224, punctured with 39 fours and a six, was not without a few false shots as he nicked a few just wide of fielders and survived a confident caught behind appeal when on 73.

"When you look at the innings I've made big scores, it's the counter-attack, it's the being positive, its playing my natural game and there's risk there," Clarke said.

"I remember playing England through the Australian summer a couple of years ago and I couldn't make a run."

Ever the team man, Clarke praised fellow century makers David Warner (119) and Mike Hussey (103) for providing him with good support and said he was more focused on winning the test than his own heroics.

"When you grab momentum you've got to hang on to it for as long as possible. And that's the hardest challenge in test cricket," Clarke said.

"It's a really positive day for the batting group but we've got a lot of work to do over the next four days to have a crack at winning this test match, that's for sure."

ASHES SERIES SCHEDULE 2013-14

England will play five Tests, five one-day internationals and three Twenty20 internationals in their 2013-14 Ashes campaign in Australia, Cricket Australia said.

The Test series begins at Brisbane's Gabba ground on November 21-25 and finishes in Sydney from January 3-7 in 2014.

The other Test matches will take place in Adelaide (December 5-9), Perth (December 13-17) and Melbourne (December 26-30).

A schedule of five ODIs and three T20 internationals to complement the Tests will be confirmed in the New Year, officials said.

"We are delighted to be able to confirm the Ashes fixtures so far in advance of the series," Cricket Australia chief executive James Sutherland said.

"It means fans will be able to plan their trips around the country to follow all the action.

"I am sure there will be a lot of fans from the UK who will want to make the trip over and we look forward to hosting them here."

Cricket Australia also announced four other tour games against a Western Australia XI, Australia A, NSW XI and a Chairman's XI.

Ashes Tests

1st Test - November 21-25 - Brisbane

2nd Test - December 5-9 - Adelaide

3rd Test - December 13-17 - Perth

4th Test - December 26-30 - Melbourne

5th Test - January 3-7 - Sydney

Virat Kohli      

India

Full name Virat Kohli

Born November 5, 1988, Delhi

Current age 24 years 15 days

Major teams India, Delhi, India Red, India Under-19s, Royal Challengers Bangalore

Playing role Middle-order batsman

Batting style Right-hand bat

Bowling style Right-arm medium

Batting and fielding averages

Adnan Akmal      

Pakistan

Full name Adnan Akmal

Born March 13, 1985, Lahore, Punjab

Current age 27 years 252 days

Major teams Pakistan, Agriculture Development Bank of Pakistan, Lahore Lions, Multan, North of Pakistan, Pakistan Cricket Board Blues, Pakistan Under-17s, Sui Northern Gas Pipelines Limited, Zarai Taraqiati Bank Limited

Batting style Right-hand bat

Fielding position Wicketkeeper

Relation Brother - Kamran Akmal, Brother - Umar Akmal

Batting and fielding average

WATSON APPERANCE ON RISK IN 2ND TEST

Former skipper Ricky Ponting weighed into the Shane Watson fitness debate on Tuesday by saying that the Australian vice-captain cannot play in the second Test against South Africa if he's not fully fit.

Ponting said the injury-prone all-rounder would put too much pressure on his teammates if he played against the Proteas carrying a calf muscle strain.

A decision is expected to be made on Wednesday or the morning of Thursday's match with Test rookie Rob Quiney on standby to retain his number three spot.

Watson, 31, took a fitness test on Tuesday as he pushed for a recall as a specialist batsman for Thursday's Adelaide Test.

Watson completed a number of running exercises but was not at full stretch in his workout at the Adelaide Oval.

Ponting said that Watson was looking good in the nets but was restricted from doing anything else in the field except slips catching.

"It doesn't matter what we think as teammates -- he will have a certain lot of criteria he will have to pass," Ponting told reporters.

"There will be a certain amount of running he will have to do to prove that he's right to play a Test match."

"No one can go into a Test match 70 percent fit. I don't care if you're a batsman and a slip fielder. If you can't bat at 100 percent, then you are putting pressure on the other blokes as well."

Ponting, who will turn 38 next month and is set to play in his 167th Test match this week, said Watson would have to run freely between the wickets when batting.

"Someone has got to run with him between wickets and I'm sure that will be in the back of his mind and it will certainly be in the back of the mind of our physio and doctors that are looking after him," he said.

The first Test ended in a tame draw at the Gabba with Australia taking the plaudits for their fighting comeback.

Pujara, Ojha climb up in ICC charts

Fresh from his match winning unbeaten knocks of 206 and 41 in the first Test win against England in Ahmedabad, Indian middle order batsman, Cheteshwar Pujara has more things to smile about as the ICC released the updated ranking list. Pujara, who was placed at 59th in the batting chart prior to the game has now sky-rocketed to 24th, a gain of 35 places.

Pujara is not the sole Indian to have made big strides. Pragyan Ojha has entered the top-5 for the first time in his career after reaping a match haul of 9/165 in the recently concluded Test. He is now placed at No. 5 in the bowling chart with 764 points.

Virender Sehwag, who made 117 in the first innings also moved up by a rung to be placed in the 22nd position.

Elsewhere, Rangana Herath, who took match figures of 11/102 in the Galle Test against New Zealand also made impressive progress as he reached a career high 828 points to be placed 4th in the bowling chart. Alastair Cook, who made a gallant 176 in a losing effort in the Ahmedabad Test also returned to the top 10 of the batting chart. He gained 4 places to be placed at No. 7 in the list.

Kieran Powell, who scored centuries in both innings of the Test match against Bangladesh at Mirpur has jumped up by 19 spots and is now raked 51st in the batting list.

Meanwhile, Jacques Kallis has replaced Bangladesh all-rounder, Shakib Al Hasan as the No. 1 in the all-rounder chart. Despite a poor outing in Galle, Kumar Sangakkar heads the batting chart in Test cricket while Dale Steyn remains the man to beat in the bowling department.

However, Hasim Amla who trails Kumar Sangakkara by just 4 points in the Test table has a chance to be the No. 1 ranked player in both Tests and ODIs with a good show during the Adelaide Test.