Team India Win's Asia Cup After 15 Years

Indian captain Mahendra Singh Dhoni hailed victory over Sri Lanka in the Asia Cup final at Dambulla as an "ideal reflection" of his side's efforts in the tournament.

Indian captain Mahendra Singh Dhoni hailed victory over Sri Lanka in the Asia Cup final at Dambulla as an "ideal reflection" of his side's efforts in the tournament.

India's bowlers capitalised on an impressive batting performance - that saw them post a total of 268 for six - to record an emphatic 81-run win and secure the nation's first Asia Cup trophy in 15 years.

"Its an ideal reflection," Dhoni said. "The guys were putting in a lot of effort, not only in terms of fitness but skills as well and its good that we've won the Asia Cup after a long time. I'm really happy with the performance over here.

"I think we got the start that was needed. The batsmen got the start, but couldn't really convert that into big innings, but still we were happy to get 268."

And their batting was just a prelude to a scintillating show in the field, with the Indian pacemen Praveen Kumar, Ashish Nehra and Zaheer Khan shredding the Sri Lankan top order within the first 16 overs as they eventually fell to 187 all out.

"I know my bowlers very well," Dhoni added. "The fast bowlers really bowled well. I knew if we could get a few early wickets then we could put pressure on the Sri Lankan batting.

"We wanted to get (Tillakaratne) Dilshan out early because even if he stays for two or three overs he can just take 30-40 runs off you, so it was really good that we got him in the first over. The kind of bowling shown by Zaheer and Ashish was one of the best spells I have seen in these conditions."

Despite a disappointing loss in the dead-rubber tie two days ago against Sri Lanka, Dhoni insisted the final was all that mattered to his side.

He said: "It is a big game, and whatever you have done to get to the final, it doesn't make a difference anymore. Because if you don't win that final you're always talked about as the team that did not really do well, so it was an important win for us."

Sri Lankan skipper Kumar Sangakkara admitted the difference lay in kind of openings both sides had to their respective innings.

He said: "The difference was in the first 15 overs, the way we bowled and the way they did, and also the helpful conditions. I think losing four wickets in the top order was not a great way to start."

The Sri Lankan keeper also underlined the lack of aggression during their run chase, saying : "I think 269 was probably a chaseable total. I think a bit more application and being a bit more tight in our batting and having a little more of an attacking mindset would have seen us through."

He added: "The Indian bowlers hit the areas pretty well with some good lines and lengths and they let the ball do the rest. We weren't really up to the mark from the start and unfortunately succumbed."

Tight Schedule For South African Team

Cricket South Africa have announced a bumper international programme of matches in all three formats of the game against Zimbabwe, Pakistan and India ahead of the 2011 WC.

The season consists of three Tests against India, five home one-day internationals against India and a further three against Zimbabwe plus a five-match ODI series against Pakistan at the neutral venue of the United Arab Emirates.

There will also be three home Twenty20 matches against Zimbabwe and India plus an away match against Pakistan.

Captain Graeme Smith is hoping the encounters will stand the Proteas in good stead for the World Cup, to be held on the Asian sub-continent in February and March.

He said: "We only have 13 ODIs left to prepare for the ICC World Cup and we must make the maximum use of all of them.

"The number-one Test match ranking is also a massive honour in our great game. We have had a very good run in this format over the past two years with away series wins in England and Australia and two drawn series in India.

"We can reward all the hard work put in by the playing and support staff by winning the Castle Test series. This is one of our priority targets for the summer.

"We also owe our supporters some good Standard Bank Pro20 results after the disappointment of the ICC World Twenty20."

Indian Team for Asia Cup : Sachin rested and Yuvi Dropped

Cracking the whip on non-performers, national selectors on Monday axed the struggling duo of Yuvraj Singh and Yusuf Pathan and rested veteran Sachin Tendulkar from India's 15-member squad for this month's Asia Cup cricket tournament in Sri Lanka.

Tendulkar had sought a break to spend time with his children, while Yuvraj and Yusuf's ouster was on the cards after a series of disappointing performances in recent times as the selectors laid stress on form and fitness.

Flamboyant opener Virender Sehwag, who was laid low with a shoulder injury and missed the Twenty20 World Cup, returned to the squad while wicket-keeper-batsman Dinesh Karthik and leg-spinner Amit Mishra were axed.

"Sachin Tendulkar requested the Board not to consider him for the Asia Cup, as he wanted to spend time with his children, in view of the hectic cricket season ahead," BCCI Secretary N Srinivasan said in a statement after the selection meeting which lasted close to two hours.

20-year-old Jharkhand batsman Saurabh Tiwary, who was quite impressive in the third edition of the Indian Premier League, was rewarded with a berth in the Mahendra Singh Dhoni-led squad along with Bengal pacer Ashok Dinda.

"A lot of stress was given on the fitness of the players. Fitness and fielding are very important. We have gone through the record of last one year and put lot of stress on it. In recent past, we lost some matches or struggled in some matches because of poor fielding," chairman of selectors Kris Srikkanth told reporters.

"We also put stress on consistent performance. Lot of players have done consistently well and apart from the seniors, we have blooded some youngsters as well so that they know what international cricket is all about," he explained.

Srikkanth said skipper Mahendra Singh Dhoni, who attended the meeting, also gave his inputs.

"It was a happy meeting with captain (MS Dhoni) and secretary (N Srinivasan) and I think the captain is also convinced. This is the best possible side. I'm not going to speak about any individual player," Srikkanth said.

The selectors, who had opted to rest most of the seniors for the tri-series in Zimbabwe, chose a full-strength team which included seniors like pacer Zaheer Khan, opener Gautam Gambhir and spin spearhead Harbhajan Singh.

Tamil Nadu off-spinner R Ashwin, who is also a decent batsman, has been retained in the squad. Left-arm spinner Pragyan Ojha returned to the team at the expense of leg-spinner Amit Mishra, who failed to make much of an impact in the disastrous tour of Zimbabwe.

The team in Zimbabwe, which was led by Suresh Raina, couldn't make the finals of and suffered consecutive humiliating losses to the African minnows.

Although Raina has retained his place, other flops like Yusuf and Mishra have been shown the door.

The pace duo of Abhishek Nayar and Sudeep Tyagi who had featured in India's squad during the home series against South Africa in February have not found favour this time around.

The squad, a fine blend of youth and experience, has six specialist batsmen, four pacers, three spinners and an all-rounder in Ravindra Jadeja.

Captain Dhoni is the lone specialist wicket-keeper in the squad.

Squad: Mahendra Singh Dhoni (Captain), Virender Sehwag (Vice-Captain), Gautam Gambhir, Virat Kohli, Suresh Raina, Rohit Sharma, Ravindra Jadeja, Harbhajan Singh, Praveen Kumar, Zaheer Khan, Ashish Nehra, Pragyan Ojha, Ashok Dinda, R Ashwin, Saurabh Tiwary.

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Indian team Squad for T20 World Cup

Karnataka speedster R Vinay Kumar was today rewarded for his consistent performance in domestic cricket while leg-spinner Piyush Chawla staged a surprise comeback into India's 15-member squad for next month's Twenty20 World Cup in the West Indies.

The 26-year-old Vinay Kumar, who has been impressive in the ongoing IPL, was the only new face in the squad to be led by Mahendra Singh Dhoni.

Barring Vinay's inclusion and the recall of Uttar Pradesh leg-spinner Chawla, there were no major surprises in the squad announced by the BCCI secretary N Srinivasan after a selection panel meeting in Mumbai.

Pacers Ishant Sharma, S Sreesanth and RP Singh, who were in the provisional 30-member list, failed to figure in the squad while spinners Pragyan Ojha and Amit Mishra also missed the bus.

Delhi batsman Virat Kohli, who was in the ODI squad against South Africa last month, was also left out of the squad for the event to be held in the Caribbean from April 30 to May 16.

"We have selected the best team for the Twenty20 World Cup. We are happy with the performance of every member of the team. They have shown consistency," chairman of selectors Krishnamachari Srikkanth said after picking the squad.

"The Twenty20 World Cup is still one month away and we hope that this team will do well in the event," he said.

Srikkanth also said as of now there is no worry.

"Everyone is hundred per cent fit and all the fitness certificates have been submitted to the Board. All the members are fit and fine," he said.

Ashish Nehra, who has not played a single match in the ongoing IPL because of a rib cage injury, has been included in the squad with the selectors expecting the gangling paceman to be fully fit for the mega event.

Vinay has forced his way into the team on the back of his consistent performance in domestic cricket, claiming 46 wickets in the Ranji Trophy. He has so far captured 202 wickets in 54 first class matches with eight for 32 his best figures.

The diminutive Chawla pipped Ojha and Mishra for the second spinner's berth in the squad which has Harbhajan Singh as the spin spearhead.

Chawla returns to the Indian team after a gap of nearly two years, the 2008 Asia Cup in Pakistan being his last appearance.

Chawla, who plays for Kings XI Punjab in the IPL, has done a decent job with the ball so far, which prompted the selectors to include him in the squad.

Gambhir, who is also carrying an injury, has been included in the squad and will partner his Delhi team-mate and vice-captain Virender Sehwag at the top of the order.

Wicketkeeper-batsman Dinesh Karthik has also been named in the squad with the selectors preferring to have a cover for captain Dhoni who has just recovered from an injury.

In the run-up to the selection meeting, several former cricketers wanted Sachin Tendulkar, who has been in red hot form, to be part of the Twenty20 squad, but the champion batsman had made it clear that he had no intentions of playing the shortest format of the game for the country.

The squad has five specialist batsmen in vice-captain Virender Sehwag, Suresh Raina, Yuvraj Singh, Gautam Gambhir and Rohit Sharma, two all-rounders in Yusuf Pathan and Ravindra Jadeja.

Jadeja had been banned from this year's IPL and the all-rounder has appealed against the decision. A verdict on the appeal is expected soon.

Besides Vinay Kumar, Zaheer Khan, Ashish Nehra, Praveen Kumar were the pacers in the squad.

Zaheer and Harbhajan were making a return after missing India's last Twenty20 International against Sri Lanka in December last.

Others who were dropped from the 30-member provisional list announced earlier for the April 30-May 16 mega-event were Sudeep Tyagi, Abhishek Nayar, Wriddhiman Saha, Naman Ojha, Abhimanyu Mithun, Manish Pandey, Munaf Patel, Murali Vijay and Ravichandran Ashwin.

The Squad:

Mahendra Singh Dhoni (capt), Virender Sehwag (v-c), Suresh Raina, Yuvraj Singh, Gautam Gambhir, Yusuf Pathan, Rohit Sharma, Ravindra Jadeja, R Vinay Kumar, Zaheer Khan, Ashish Nehra, Praveen Kumar, Harbhajan Singh, Piyush Chawla, Dinesh Karthik.