Briefly Cricket

Sachin played crucial role in Bells recall?

MS Dhoni is getting the applause but it was actually Sachin Tendulkars intervention that led to Ian Bells reinstatement after his bizarre run out in the second Test,claims a report in Daily Mail. According to the report,Dhoni refused to entertain England skipper Andrew Strauss and coach Andy Flowers request for reinstating Bell,who was run out after leaving his crease claiming to be under the impression that tea break had been taken on the third day. Sachin Tendulkar has emerged as the key figure behind Indias dramatic change of heart that led to them recalling Ian Bell after controversially running him out, the newspaper reported. Dhoni was asked three times on the field whether he was appealing and each time he said yes. Then when Flower and Strauss went to see Dhoni and Fletcher they said their captain insisted the decision would stand. Tendulkar was the voice in the dressing room that got Bell reinstated, the daily quoted a source as saying.

Dont know if India is No.1 side: Ganguly

Sourav Ganguly has said that Indias disastrous showing in the first two Tests against England was due to lack of preparation and hoped that the visitors can turn the tables around in the remaining two matches of the series.I am a firm believer that every time you tour you need at least two warm-up games,and they absolutely could have played an extra game, he said. They have been very ordinary. I expected a lot more from this team,especially they way they performed here in 2002 and 2007, Ganguly told BBC Sport.There are two Test matches to go and hopefully they can turn it around. I believe they can. But they need to be determined,bat better and put their bodies on the line, he said. Sachin Tendulkar hasnt really got going yet,VVS Laxman has been on and off,the openers have struggled. Rahul Dravid is the only player who has really batted well, Ganguly said. When you see 500 runs on the board and a game slipping away you need characters to stand up. They havent done that yet. Ganguly said Dhonis men did very little to prove their numero uno status. Im not a big believer in the rankings but I honestly dont know if India is the number one team in the world to be number one you have to win in England and in Australia.

Vaseline cannot affect Hot Spot technology

BBG Sports,the company behind Hot Spot,has said the application of Vaseline on the edge of a cricket bat cannot affect the technology. The company said in an official statement that a batsman would have to apply a whole centimetre of Vaseline to the edge of a bat for it to have any impact on the technology. We have done testing over the past two days in our office and can conclude that putting Vaseline on the side of a cricket bat has no discernible effect on our Hot Spot system,The technology got drawn into controversy after former England captain Michael Vaughan tweeted that VVS Laxman may have applied Vaseline,which helped him escape a caught-behind appeal.