Ponting does a Dada on Dhoni

Ricky Pontings bid to overtake Aravinda de Silva as the foreign cricketer with most runs on Indian soil may have been put on hold when...

Ricky Pontings bid to overtake Aravinda de Silva as the foreign cricketer with most runs on Indian soil may have been put on hold when he was dismissed for 59 19 runs short of the mark but the Australian skipper won his third successive toss in the series after doing a Sourav Ganguly. With the officials and Indian captain Mahendra Singh Dhoni standing in the middle,Ponting made them wait for a while before stepping out for the toss. Apparently there were no mind games involved,Ponting was just waiting for the final team sheet to be prepared.

Well protected

A short-leg fielder is seldom seen in an ODI,but the slow,turning track at the Kotla tempted Dhoni to put Gautam Gambhir as a close catcher. Getting a helmet from the dressing room took some time,but Gambhirs decision to wait for it proved to be a good one almost immediately,as the fielder survived a powerful pull shot from Ricky Ponting off the bowling of Harbhajan Singh.

No serious damage was incurred. In the old DDCA pavilion,the photograph of Raman Lamba who had passed away after being struck on the head in Dhaka in 1998 is a chilling reminder of the dangers of fielding close-in without protection.

Switching umps

Confusion reigned at the start of the match,and not just because Ponting walked in to open the Australian innings. Sanjay Hazare,and not Shahvir Tarapore as had been announced on Friday,stepped out alongside Amish Saheba to officiate as the second on-field umpire.

Interestingly,Hazare is a designated third umpire who has been recommended by the BCCI to the ICCs international panel. Two Indian umpires have been standing in the series because Englishman Mark Benson is suffering from a viral infection.

Sehwags woes

Virender Sehwags bad patch at the Ferozeshah Kotla continued as he was bowled for 11. Worse,there was an injury scare after the opener was hit on the ankle by a Peter Siddle yorker. He received on-field treatment and strapping and even though he resumed batting,Sehwag was limping. It puts him in doubt for the fourth ODI in Mohali,which starts in less than 48 hours.