Yuvraj returns for Windies clash

One-day international, Madras (Chennai): India v West Indies
Match starts 0900 GMT or 0230IST
The Live Scores of the match will be available here

India have shaken up their team for the third game of their series against West Indies in Madras (Chennai).

Yuvraj Singh returns after recovering from a knee injury along with Anil Kumble, Robin Uthappa and Suresh Raina.

"Positive results matter a lot. But we must also give a chance to more players to get on the flight for the World Cup," explained captain Rahul Dravid.

Former skipper Sourav Ganguly is among the players rested by India, who lead 2-0 with two games to play.

The others given a break are pace bowler Zaheer Khan, spinner Harbhajan Singh and wicket-keeper Mahendra Dhoni, who will be replaced behind the stumps by Dinesh Karthik.

"We're playing good cricket, we've won a couple of close games and the mood in the team is good," Dravid commented.

"There's no magic formula for victory. It's just that key players are doing well in crucial situations."

The selectors are looking closely at the performances of the batsmen ahead of the World Cup and Dravid said having Yuvraj available again was very important.

"Yuvraj has been declared medically fit, now it's just a matter of him playing a couple of games. He's too important a player not to be given a chance."

West Indies, meanwhile, will make a late decision on the fitness of skipper Brian Lara, who missed Wednesday's 20-run defeat at Cuttack because of a persistent knee problem.

They want to finish the tour on a high note so they will go into the World Cup, which they are hosting for the first time, in a positive frame of mind.

"It's very important for us not to lose confidence after a couple of defeats," said Lara.

"Encountering different types of pitches at Indian venues has made for some good experience.

"We're not just looking at the results, but at the bigger picture as this is our build-up series for the World Cup," he added.

Live Scores-Honours even as Pakistan hit back

Third Test, Cape Town, day one (stumps): South Africa 131-5 v Pakistan 157
Here are the Live scores


South Africa ended a wicket-laden first day of the deciding third Test on 131-5 after skittling Pakistan for only 157.

Makhaya Ntini and Jacques Kallis took four wickets each on a greenish pitch and the tourists would have fared even worse but for Mohammad Yousuf's 83.

He hit 10 fours and a six in a 90-ball knock before Mohammad Asif took two wickets as the Proteas also struggled.

Skipper Graeme Smith hit a fluent 64 but was well caught off Shahid Nazir by opposite number Inzamam-ul-Haq.

Yousuf and Smith deserved the most plaudits for surviving where plenty of others failed on a surface offering plenty of bounce and movement off the seam.

Mohammad Hafeez and Yasir Hameed soon edged Ntini to slip, while Imran Farhat was dropped by AB de Villiers off Ntini before fending Kallis to the same region.
When Younis Khan chased a wide one from Kallis to de Villiers to make it 54-4, Yousuf decided he had seen enough and launched a succession of glorious drives.

The prolific right-hander also cracked Kallis over fine-leg for six but, with wickets tumbling at the other end, he was forced into desperate strokes in the afternoon and was last man out trying to heave Ntini away on the off-side.

South Africa's reply also got off to a poor start when Asif jagged his third ball in to trap Boeta Dippenaar lbw before Hashim Amla nicked behind in his next over.

Smith, like Yousuf, realised attack was the best way out and crashed a succession of boundaries off Mohammad Sami and Nazir.

He had put on 80 with Kallis when the latter drove lazily at Mohammad Sami to inside-edge behind and Smith was also on his way when Inzamam stuck out his left hand to pluck a stunner at slip.

That looked to be the end of the day's drama until leg-spinner Danish Kaneria produced a fantastic googly to comprehensively bowl de Villiers.

Confident India rest key players

Favourite is a position the Indian cricket team does not like being in, but by resting four key players for the third ODI against West Indies at Chennai tomorrow, the management has sent the message across that they're confident of clinching the series. Sourav Ganguly, Zaheer Khan, Mahendra Singh Dhoni and Harbhajan Singh will not play - Gautam Gambhir and Robin Uthappa will open - and there is the likelihood that Yuvraj Singh will return after a lengthy injury lay-off.
Note:Live Cricket Scores of the match will be as usuall Available here.
Early last year, India were nearing the point where their World cup aspirations seemed quite grounded. As it stands now, matters have changed a little. Both Greg Chappell and Rahul Dravid have clearly identified batting as the area of concern.

Tomorrow's match holds plenty for India's young guns, namely Gambhir, Uthappa, and Suresh Raina, back in the side after a disastrous past few months that have yielded just 183 runs at 15.25 from 15 games. In recent times, Gambhir has shown few signs of being 25 and saddled with the pressure of filling Sachin Tendulkar's shoes, and his innings at Nagpur was one to derive positives from. With Virender Sehwag struggling, India needs a leadoff man with unmistakable aggressive intent, and Gambhir and Uthappa - riding on a successful Ranji Trophy season - must prove that they can do the job. Dinesh Karthik gets the chance to impress behind the stumps, and his batting performances recently have shown he's got the stomach for a fight. Yuvraj had a lengthy stint in the nets, and looked good. He's been analysed by the medical staff, and Dravid sounded confident when talking of his chances. His form is crucial to India's World Cup chances, and flexibility in the field here will be a boon.

Every team has its flaws - just ask the English - but India's bowling, for so long the flaw, has been its biggest success recently. Though it took a hiding at Nagpur, the bowling came up trumps defending a low total at Cuttack, and the composition at Chennai will include the spin combo of the wily veteran, Anil Kumble, and Ramesh Powar, who marked his return to the side with three wickets in the last game. Ajit Agarkar seems to have found himself a nice groove in which to bowl, but to say that he is the leader of the pack is premature. That leaves Sreesanth as the potential front man, but he will first need to up his tally in the shorter version of the game before assuming that responsibility. Though he was not present today, Irfan Pathan, in the wickets during Baroda's Ranji Trophy semi-final loss to Mumbai, may join the side in time for the match. If he plays, Pathan will fill the vital allrounder slot and add balance to the team.

Brian Lara didn't offer any hint of a change to the West Indies composition, but if he does return, then Devon Smith will be the man to make room at No.3. Smith looked uneasy at Cuttack, and its not all that hard to envision Lendl Simmons, who impressed with a responsible 70 against Pakistan late last year, getting a game in his place. Jerome Taylor, so deadly in the ICC Champions Trophy and at home against India in the summer, has yet to hit his straps on this tour but will retain his place.

The pitch at the MA Chidambaram Stadium looks a batting paradise. It's hard, baked, and there is but a smattering of green on the edges. As Dravid himself put it, with a smile, "It's a good wicket for batting. I wouldn't want to bowl too much spin out there, it's that kind of track. We should have a good-scoring game." Both India and West Indies have had to adjust to two very contrasting pitches in the series. Where Nagpur hosted a record-breaking run feast, Cuttack was a low-scoring affair on a dust bowl with variable bounce. To Lara, however, this was not a deterrent. "Its tough, but it's what you want. You don't want to be able to walk out there, close your eyes, and just bat, or go out and see a minefield," he said.

Moreover, Lara saw an opportunity to employ spin in the middle overs. "We have the likes of Chris Gayle and Marlon Samuels, two guys who've done a very good job over the years for us in the middle overs. We are going to be depending on them a lot. We also have a few medium pacers, guys who get the ball to move about, roll their fingers over the seam, so I think we have what's necessary to perform well and we have what's necessary to ensure we get back into the series," he said.

Will inexperience matter? That remains to be seen, but given the confident nature exuded by Dravid and Lara when assessing their respective sides, you can be certain of one heck of a fight tomorrow.

Teams(likely):
India 1 Robin Uthappa, 2 Gautam Gambhir, 3 Sachin Tendulkar, 4 Rahul Dravid, 5 Yuvraj Singh, 6 Dinesh Karthik, 7 Suresh Raina, 8 Ajit Agarkar, 9 Ramesh Powar, 10 Anil Kumble, 11 Sreesanth.

West Indies 1 Chris Gayle, 2 Shivnarine Chanderpaul, 3 Brian Lara (if fit), 4 Marlon Samuels, 5 Dwayne Bravo, 6 Runako Morton, 7 Dwayne Smith, 8 Dinesh Ramdin (wk), 9 Ian Bradshaw, 10 Daren Powell, 11 Jerome Taylor.

Jamie Alter is editorial assistant of Cricinfo

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