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This was a big season for Ricky Ponting’s men

Brydon Coverdale at Bellerive Oval18-Jan-2010Australia’s 2009-10 won’t go down in history as one of the great summers. It didn’t have the hype of an Ashes series, nor the tension of a contest against India, nor the raw combat of a series against South Africa. But don’t be fooled, this was a big season for Ricky Ponting’s men. It was an important two months during which Ponting’s hard work to mould a new-look outfit could have unravelled if the side had sunk into a post-Ashes-loss depression.Instead, his team won five of six Tests, enjoyed a whitewash against Pakistan and most importantly almost all the players made significant personal progress. In a bridging summer in the 18 months between Ashes battles, it was the best Ponting could have hoped for.His eyes are firmly fixed on England’s trip to Australia later this year, so much so that he stayed up on Sunday night to watch their defeat in Johannesburg. Following Australia’s victory against Pakistan in Hobart, he said there were no boxes yet to be ticked ahead of the Ashes in November.”I don’t think there are, to tell you the truth,” Ponting said. “I’m really comfortable with the way a lot of the guys have come on through the summer. If you look at Shane Watson in the opening role, it was probably something that we weren’t entirely sure about, coming in to the summer, but I think he’s put his own stamp on that role particularly well, as he has with his bowling as well.”Nathan Hauritz has certainly stepped up in this series alone to take 18 wickets in this series on two wickets, particularly in Melbourne and Hobart, that didn’t really offer much for him at all. That sort of return for a finger-spinner is a great effort. Those two guys in particular have really stood up and started to learn a lot more about themselves and about the game.”Watson was comfortably Australia’s best and most consistent batsman for the season, with 609 runs at 60.90. The ease with which he adjusted to the Test opening role was a surprise to everyone but the Australian selectors, and 13 wickets at 25.84 with a handy knack for reverse-swing was an added bonus.Hauritz and Mitchell Johnson shared the top bowling honours with 29 victims each but just as impressive was Doug Bollinger, who entered the summer with only one Test to his name and collected 25 at 20.80, bringing extra intensity to Australia’s new-ball efforts. Peter Siddle performed a workhorse role and finally gained some reward with five wickets at Bellerive Oval, which confirmed the attack is on track with Ben Hilfenhaus still to return.In the batting line-up, Ponting atoned for a quiet couple of months with nearly 300 runs for the Hobart Test, Simon Katich provided reliable starts, Michael Clarke built his highest Test score and Michael Hussey saved his career with a summer average of 55.77. Brad Haddin was very good behind the stumps and the only man to struggle was Marcus North, although Ponting defended his No. 6 and hoped he would bounce back on the tour of New Zealand in March.”He’s not a weak link at all,” Ponting said. “It was only a couple of Tests ago that we were saying he was probably our best and most in-form player. Coming in to this week I was in the same boat [out of form] and things change pretty quickly. I don’t see a weak link in our side at the moment. Hopefully everything turns out the way we want it for Marcus and he can go to New Zealand and have a good series there and then there won’t be any speculation about anyone in our line-up.”What has impressed Ponting most about the summer has been the clinical nature of his team’s victories. It began with a three-day mauling of West Indies at the Gabba and finished with a 231-run demolition of Pakistan. In all six Tests, even the draw against West Indies in Adelaide, Australia’s attack took 20 wickets, which was a major achievement given the struggles they had endured trying to knock sides over during the past year.”It’s been a great series for us, it’s been a great summer for us to tell you the truth,” Ponting said. “There was a fair bit of conjecture coming into the summer after the end of the Ashes about where we were going with our Test cricket and I spelled things out pretty clearly to the team about where I thought we were going and I think we have improved a lot through the summer.”You just can’t afford to have half an hour or an hour’s play where the game’s not going anywhere. You can’t afford to let that happen. Someone has continually got to put their hand up and make sure the game is going forward and that’s the way I will keep challenging the team. We certainly can’t be happy with just sitting back and accepting what we’ve done through the summer.”Australia have four Tests, two in New Zealand and two in England against Pakistan, before they set out to regain the urn at home. After their success over the past two months, those four games will be about fine-tuning rather than remodelling.

Many Glasgow Rangers fans have been left reacting to some manager news involving Giovanni van Bronckhorst.

As per The 4th Official, sources close to the Dutchman have now confirmed that talks over potentially becoming the new manager at Ibrox have gone ‘very well’, and that the expectation is that those talks will continue.

This comes after The 4th Official revealed that ‘really really positive’ initial talks were held on Saturday, and that an announcement could be made soon, suggesting that GvB is highly likely to become the next Light Blues coach – some fans praised the outlet’s coverage of the saga so far down below.

Van Bronckhorst is loved by many Teddy Bears supporters, and also has an impressive managerial CV, guiding Feyenoord to their first Eredivisie title in 18 years back in the 2016/17 season (BBC), in addition winning four other major trophies with the Rotterdam club.

Thus, it is no surprise to see so many Gers eager to get a deal done.

Rangers fans on van Bronckhorst manager news

These RFC fans gave their reactions to the manager news as it was shared on Twitter:

“Get it done.”

Credit: @VaticanRSC

“ANNOUNCE GIO”

Credit: @shanewatson95

“Very good source throughout the manager search and it looks like Gio is nearly here”

Credit: @EveryOtherSatu1

“Much as we all seem to want the same man, and it looks highly likely it will be him, I’m glad the club are still doing it all properly.”

Credit: @let55go

“56 with ease”

Credit: @IbroxLive

“Just hire the man already”

Credit: @38821090G

In other news, find out what international footage has Gers gushing here!

Aston Villa are prepared to cash in on Bertrand Traore during the January transfer window.

What’s the talk?

That’s according to a report by Football Insider, who claim that Steven Gerrard has given Aston Villa the green light to accept offers for the 26-year-old winger in the upcoming winter market, as the 41-year-old believes his current squad features too many wide attacking options.

The report goes on to state that, in order to give themselves the best possible chance of parting with the Burkina Faso international, the club would be willing to sanction the forward’s departure on either a temporary or permanent basis in January.

Gerrard must axe Traore

Having joined Aston Villa from Olympique Lyon in what was an initial £17m deal – plus £2m in add-ons – back in the summer of 2020, with the winger being handed a four-year deal on £63k-per-week, it would appear to be a fair statement to make that Traore has not quite lived up to his price tag so far in his career at Villa Park.

Indeed, despite scoring seven goals, providing six assists and averaging a seasonal SofaScore match rating of 6.95 over his 36 Premier League appearances last season, the £18m-rated man struggled to maintain a consistent level of performance throughout the campaign, something which Dan Bardell took aim at the 26-year-old for.

Speaking on The Villa View Podcast (via This Is Futbol), the journalist said: “There was a period where I thought, ‘this guy’s brilliant, what a signing, he looks great,’ but he’s suddenly just become so inconsistent.

“He got his assist against Fulham and I thought right here we go, that might give him a little bit of a lift-off again, but [he was] just completely ordinary [against Liverpool] and just not really offering us anything at times on the flanks.”

Unfortunately for Traore, this has proven to be the case more often than not over his four Premier League appearances so far this season, with the forward scoring no goals, registering no assists and averaging an extremely disappointing SofaScore match rating of 6.67 – ranking him as Villa’s 11th-worst performer in the top flight.

As such, considering that Gerrard has a wealth of options on the wing, coupled with the fact that Traore’s returns thus far have not exactly reflected the near £23m figure Villa have shelled out on his transfer fee and wages since joining the club, the 41-year-old manager simply must axe the Burkinabe winger this January, as he is somewhat stealing a living at Villa Park.

In other news: Lange can seal dream AVFC deal for £54k-p/w beast with “no limits”, Gerrard is in love

Celtic have been handed a significant boost ahead of their upcoming Scottish League Cup semi-final.

What’s the latest?

That’s according to a report by BT Sport, who claim that St. Johnstone look set to be without key attacking duo Glenn Middleton and Stevie May for Saturday’s Premier Sports Cup semi-final against Celtic.

The report goes on to state that May will be sidelined for around six weeks due to a knee injury, while on-loan Rangers winger Middleton suffered a hamstring injury in Scotland U21’s 2-0 loss to Belgium in midweek.

Speaking about the injuries, St. Johnstone manager Callum Davidson said: “Stevie suffered a knee injury in training so he’s going to be out for a while, probably up until Christmas.

“That’s a blow for us because we want good competition for places and he’s someone who either plays with energy or comes off the bench with energy. He’s going to be sorely missed. I’m gutted to lose him because he was just coming into a bit of form.

“Glenn is struggling. I was cursing at the television when I saw him limp off. It’s a slight hamstring injury. He’s been in getting assessed today and hopefully it’s not as bad as first feared, but I think Saturday will come too soon for him, which, again, is a blow.”

Postecoglou will be delighted

Considering just how important both May and Middleton have been to St. Johnstone so far this season, the news that neither player looks set to feature in the League Cup semi-final is sure to have left Ange Postecoglou delighted.

Indeed, over May’s 13 Scottish Premiership appearances this term, the centre-forward has scored two goals, registered one assist and created one big chance for his teammates, as well as taking an average of 1.3 shots and making 0.6 key passes per game.

With Celtic’s defence looking rather depleted with Carl Starfelt a doubt, and Stephen Welsh nursing his own issues, this should come as a huge relief to the Bhoys manager.

Meanwhile, over Middleton’s own 13 league fixtures this season, the on-loan winger has taken an average of 1.2 shots and made 0.6 key passes per game. His absence will certainly make it an easier afternoon for the likes of Anthony Ralston and Josip Juranovic.

As such, the fact that St. Johnstone will be without the duo for Saturday’s fixture will undoubtedly come as a substantial boost for Celtic, who will very much fancy their chances of making the final following their opponents’ injury blow.

In other news: Ange may be heading for Celtic nightmare over 20 y/o sensation who’s a “real presence”

New Zealand have recalled batsman Peter Fulton for the first two Tests against Pakistan starting November 24

Cricinfo staff20-Nov-2009New Zealand have recalled batsman Peter Fulton in the 13-member squad for the first two Tests against Pakistan starting November 24 in Dunedin. Allrounder Grant Elliott comes back from injury while Shane Bond returns to the longer version of the game for the first time since quitting the unauthorised ICL.The two exclusions from the Test squad that toured Sri Lanka are Jesse Ryder and Craig Cumming. Ryder pulled his left abductor muscle during the Champions Trophy match against Sri Lanka in September and was eventually ruled out of the series against Pakistan in the UAE. Fulton, who toured Australia earlier this year, has made a fine start to the domestic season, scoring 320 runs in two games for Canterbury in the Plunket Shield.”Fulton makes his comeback based on excellent performances on winter tours with the Emerging Players and New Zealand A teams – as well as an outstanding start to the Plunket Shield,” Mark Greatbatch, one of the selectors, said.Elliott feared the thumb injury he suffered during the Champions Trophy would rule him out for the entire series against Pakistan but Greatbatch said his limited-overs form helped his case for inclusion in the Test team.Greatbatch said he was happy with the way Bond had progressed with his fitness since making a comeback to the national squad during the tour of Sri Lanka. Bond was then picked only for the limited-overs games because the selectors didn’t want to fast-track him into Test cricket straightaway.”Shane has shown a lot of energy in the UAE and in domestic cricket, and has bowled a good number of overs,” Greatbach said. “It will be exciting to have him back,”Another former ICL player who will have a chance to revive to his Test career is the seamer Daryl Tuffey. He didn’t play the Sri Lanka Tests and suffered a hand injury which forced him to return home from South Africa during the Champions Trophy.”Significantly, of the 66 Test wickets he’s (Tuffey) taken, 24 have been against Pakistan – it’s a team he’s done very well against,” Greatbatch said.Squad: Daniel Vettori (capt), Shane Bond, Grant Elliott, Daniel Flynn, Peter Fulton, Martin Guptill, Chris Martin, Brendon McCullum (wk), Tim McIntosh, Iain O’Brien, Jeetan Patel, Ross Taylor, Daryl Tuffey

The Indian government has informed the World Anti-Doping Agency (WADA) that it backs the agency’s anti-doping code, including the controversial ‘whereabouts’ clause

Cricinfo staff19-Sep-2009The Indian government has informed the World Anti-Doping Agency (WADA) that it backs the agency’s anti-doping code, including the controversial ‘whereabouts’ clause, a senior Indian official has claimed.WADA had earlier written to the Indian government asking whether it supported the Indian cricketers, who had rejected the anti-doping code in its present form.Rahul Bhatnagar, director-general of India’s National Anti-Doping Agency (NADA), said WADA had already been told of the government’s stand in a letter. “The Government and National Anti-Doping Agency stand fully committed to WADA Code including the provisions related to International Standards of Testing and ‘whereabouts’ clause,” Bhatnagar, who is also joint secretary in the sports ministry, said. “We have informed WADA that there is no change in the position of Government of India in so far as implementation of anti-doping rules adopted by NADA.”India’s stand now and before has been the same. There is no compromise when it comes to doping in sport,” he said. “In respect to the issue raised by BCCI regarding ‘whereabouts’ clause we have repeatedly been asking BCCI about the advice they have sought in this matter. But we have not got any response either from BCCI nor from elsewhere as to what exactly was that opinion.”He also said that the ‘whereabouts’ clause had been accepted by NADA and that it had been approved by the Indian government.The ICC implemented the new WADA code from January 1 and that included a clause which mandated cricketers nominated to an international testing pool to reveal to an ICC-nominated officer before every quarter details of their location for an hour every day for the next three months to facilitate out-of-competition testing.This whereabouts system was to start from August 1 but was stalled after the 11 Indian cricketers in the pool, including Sachin Tendulkar, refused to reveal the required information citing security and privacy concerns. The BCCI has backed the players in this issue and even sought the opinion of two top legal authorities in the country to firm up its stand. It is believed that the BCCI now has significant support from other ICC full members on this issue.

With Dean Smith’s Aston Villa side heading into Sunday’s Premier League clash on a run of three consecutive defeats, the 50-year-old would have undoubtedly been hoping for a much better result and performance when West Ham United visited Villa Park this weekend.

However, first-half strikes from Ben Johnson and Declan Rice, in addition to an Ollie Watkins goal for Villa, saw the Hammers take a 2-1 lead into the break, before Ezri Konsa’s 50th-minute red card all but ended Smith’s chances of getting anything out of the game – with goals from Pablo Fornals and Jarrod Bowen completing the 4-1 rout late on.

As is perhaps to be expected after such a result, a number of Villa players did not fare well in terms of match ratings, with Emiliano Buendia and goalscorer Watkins being the only two players to receive a SofaScore match rating of 7.0 or above on the losing side.

Although, it will undoubtedly be Konsa most disappointed with his display on Sunday, as the centre-back cost his side dearly.

Marching orders

While the 24-year-old’s biggest fault on Sunday was quite obviously his sending off for denying Bowen a clear goalscoring opportunity early in the second half – even if this decision has caused some level of controversy in the aftermath of the fixture – the defender’s display during his 50 minutes on the pitch was far from his best performance in a Villa shirt.

Indeed, the £22.5m-rated man failed to make any tackles, any interceptions or any clearances – three of the metrics which generally determine how effective a defender has been during a match.

The former England U21 international also lost four of his eight duels, completed just 17 passes and touched the ball a grand total of 25 times – 14 times less than Aston Villa shot-stopper Emiliano Martinez.

Finally, it would be difficult to comment on the £72k-per-week centre-back’s performance without mentioning the red card properly, as, regardless of whether or not Chris Kavanagh’s call was harsh, Konsa gave the referee and VAR a decision to make – one that ultimately ended up costing his side dearly.

Indeed, this is reflected in the SofaScore match rating of the player who Thomas Frank dubbed “like a Rolls-Royce”, with the 24-year-old’s 5.8 ranking him as the worst player on the pitch on Sunday.

As such, while any Aston Villa fan will know that Konsa is a much better player than his performance against West Ham would have you believe, the fact nevertheless remains that the defender was a major factor in Villa’s breakdown against the Hammers.

In other news: Signed for £17m, now worth “quadruple”: Lange struck oil on “unreal” £47k-p/w AVFC ace

For Durham, it was a day where they moved inextricably towards the retaining the main prize. Their opening batsmen, led by Michael Di Venuto’s outstanding double century, added 314 and put the Nottinghamshire bowlers to the sword

John Ward at Chester-le-Street09-Sep-2009
ScorecardMichael Di Venuto picks off another boundary as his double century led a remorseless display from Durham•Getty ImagesFor Nottinghamshire, one of two outside challengers to Durham for the title, it was one of those days where everything goes wrong from start to finish. First, they were unable to play Andre Adams through illness. Then they lost the toss and had to take the field on a fine batting wicket under a largely blue sky on a mild day. For Durham, it was a day where they moved inextricably towards the retaining the main prize. Their opening batsmen, led by Michael Di Venuto’s outstanding double century, added 314 and put the Nottinghamshire bowlers to the sword, while the visitors also lost two of their top players through injury.Durham for their part were without Callum Thorp, due to a back injury, but they do have Steve Harmison in their side. Kyle Coetzer, newly promoted to opening batsman, went in first with the regular, Di Venuto and was the only man to fall – for the small matter of 107. At the start, Charlie Shreck and Darrin Pattinson bowled well for Nottinghamshire, and they began with three maiden overs. When runs did come, they came painfully for a while until Coetzer broke the shackles with a fine off-drive for four off Pattinson, and then he took two off-side boundaries from drives off Shreck.Di Venuto was so long settling in that he scored just 3 off his first 32 balls, but then began to open up. Coetzer still favoured the covers, but Nottinghamshire eventually wised up and changed their line and length to him. Di Venuto caught and overtook him in the thirties, and at lunch the score was 90, both batsmen in the forties. By now the visitors had lost their captain and wicketkeeper, Chris Read, who dislocated a thumb. Mark Ealham had to take over the leadership, while Bilal Shafayat went behind the stumps.Di Venuto went to his 50 fifteen minutes after the break off 96 balls and then hammered a ball through the covers to bring up the team and partnership hundred. His favourite stroke was the slash off the back foot through the covers, and he had plenty of opportunity to play it, as the Nottinghamshire bowling began to crumble. It took Coetzer 115 balls and until 45 minutes after lunch to reach his own 50, which included as many as 11 fours.Nottinghamshire began to wilt under the onslaught; there were some lapses in the field and Shreck injured his leg while chasing a ball and had to limp off the ground. Luke Fletcher looked rusty after a long lay-off through injury, and Di Venuto hit him out of the attack with three fours in an over. Pattinson, economical early on, was very expensive in his second spell, while Samit Patel, although finding some turn at times, was far from thrifty. The one man able to contain the flow of runs to any extent was Ealham with his accurate medium-pacers, and he occasionally beat the batsmen but without luck.A cover drive off Pattinson took Di Venuto to his century off 140 balls, and the team’s 200 came up in the fiftieth over. The pair now overtook the county’s previous highest opening partnership in Championship cricket, and kept going. The first chance of the day came when Di Venuto edged a ball from Patel to slip, who was either asleep or else just did not see it until too late, as he failed to get a hand to it. At tea the total was 263, the batsmen 149 and 94 respectively.After the break a cut from Coetzer off Patel brought up his century, which took him 215 balls and contained 20 fours, a tribute to his ability to dispatch the bad ball with brutal efficiency. The 300 came up with a similar shot from Di Venuto off the occasional bowler Alex Hales. Then the old saying about the only way a wicket could fall would be through a run-out came true. At 314, Di Venuto drove firmly to mid-off, where Ealham made a fine stop. Coetzer incorrectly anticipated a run, but Di Venuto sent him back. However, he was just unable to make his ground and was run out for 107.For the captain Will Smith it was a case of after the Lord Mayor’s show. He struggled for 28 balls before getting off the mark with a risky single – which brought him another four runs thanks to an overthrow – and he had already been dropped off a simple leg-side catch to the keeper off Pattinson. But Di Venuto powered relentlessly on, reaching 200 off 258 balls, and Smith battled his way onward with a little more confidence.Both were still there at the close, the players walking off the field to the unusual accompaniment of bright sunshine. On 219, Di Venuto must be entertaining visions of a maiden triple-century; his highest score is currently 254 not out. More importantly, though, for Durham is that the title is getting ever closer.

Crystal Palace will be aiming to extend their three-game unbeaten run when they host Newcastle United in the Premier League this afternoon.

The Eagles conceded a hugely disappointing last-minute equaliser against Arsenal last time out, condemning Patrick Vieira’s charges to a third consecutive draw.

However, there are plenty of positives to take from their recent displays, and the return of star man Wilfried Zaha following a short illness will be a huge boost to their chances of securing a much-needed victory.

Vieira may be tempted to make a few alterations to his starting XI for the visit of Newcastle given their recent woes, with the Magpies currently 19th in the top flight table.

A run of eight games without a victory to begin 2021/22 cost Steve Bruce his job this week, and Palace will be desperate to take advantage of the situation in which their managerless opponents currently find themselves.

With that in mind, here’s how Football FanCast expects Vieira to line up at Selhurst Park, with three changes from the side which started against the Gunners…

In goal, the ever-dependable Vicente Guaita is set to start between the sticks once again as he goes in search of his first clean sheet in five games.

Ahead of the Spanish shot-stopper will be an unchanged back four consisting of Tyrick Mitchell, Marc Guehi, Joachim Andersen and Joel Ward after a string of promising displays from the defensive unit at the start of the season.

However, Vieira could opt for a more attack-minded trio in midfield. Jeffrey Schlupp may get a rare opportunity to impress from the off as Palace go in search of three points, relegating Luka Milivojevic to the bench.

Completing the engine room will be the dependable duo of James McArthur and Conor Gallagher due to their impressive recent form in the middle of the pitch.

In attack, the return of Zaha will be a big relief to Vieira, and it’s likely to see the £8.1m-rated Christian Benteke forced to watch from the sidelines despite bagging his first goal of the season on Monday night.

Summer signings Odsonne Edouard and Michael Olise are likely to complete the starting XI after their outstanding contributions in front of goal in recent weeks, giving Palace a very threatening forward line.

In other news… Parish must sanction bargain Palace swoop for 6 ft 2 colossus, Vieira needs him 

India tucked the first win of their South African tour into their kit coffins when they beat the Nicky Oppenheimer XI by five wickets in a gentle stroll at Randjesfontein on Monday.The Indians moved comfortably to victory after the home team had

Peter Robinson22-Jul-2009India tucked the first win of their South African tour into their kit coffins when they beat the Nicky Oppenheimer XI by five wickets in a gentle stroll at Randjesfontein on Monday.The Indians moved comfortably to victory after the home team had declared at 244 for three with the winning margin slightly misleading. Two of the Indian batsmen retired in a match in which the bat unquestionably held sway over the ball.and, if nothing else, Sachin Tendulkar’s form suggested he is well over the foot injury that sidelined him recently.It was, said Sourav Ganguly, “a lovely ground, a lovely wicket, a nice relaxed way to start the tour”.Ganguly was reluctant to read too much into what was, effectively, a practice outing, but coach John Wright said the two big pluses for the Indians were the bowling of Anil Kumble – “He looked good, he was pleased with the way he bowled” – and the batting of Tendulkar – “He looked good, too. It’s very much a confidence thing”.The NFO innings, which demonstrated the depth of young talent available to South Africa, was built around two century partnerships and a gem of a hundred from Jacques Rudolph, the 20-year-old Northerns opener who is tipped by many for higher honours.Rudolph and Loots Bosman put on exactly 100 for the first wicket after the home team batted first by mutual agreement between the captains. Bosman was the aggressor, spraying four sixes and four fours around the picturesque ground owned by the Oppenheimer family.Bosman carved out 62 off 77 balls before he tried to cut Anil Kumble and chopped it on at 100 for one.Rudolph, meanwhile, once again emphasised that among his considerable talents is the ability to pace an innings and in harness with Graeme Smith 117 was put on for the second wicket.In the process Rudolph moved to his hundred, a landmark he celebrated by heaving Kumble over mid-wicket for a huge six before holing out to mid on in the same over for 109. Smith went on to record the third half-century of the innings, reaching 54 before he was run out.The declaration came after a first session that lasted 187 minutes and 52 overs and was followed by a second session during which just 21 overs were bowled, the players coming back in for tea as the lunchtime crockery was still being gathered up.India managed 109 for two in this period, Tendulkar crunching 45 off 36 balls before falling leg before in Nantie Hayward’s first over, a decision which disappointed the crowd as much as it pleased Hayward.Sourav Ganguly compiled a more measured 34 before holing out to midwicket off the left-arm wrist spinner Goolam Bodi while SS Das breezed his way to 59 before retiring to let someone else have a go.As was the case in the NFO innings, the bowling lacked bite (with the possible exception of Hayward who might yet force his way back into the South African Test side this summer). The Indians, then, were seldom under any pressure against NFO part-timers and Dale Benkenstain and Rahul Dravid also retired himself out for 48.Virender Sehwag was the last wicket to fall, run out for 44, before Reetinder Singh Sodhi and Deep Dasgupta saw India home.