Bravo only delays it - 2011

Darren Bravo raises his arms after reaching his hundred at the Eden Gardens yesterday.

Pragyan Ojha and Ravichandran Ashwin shared four wickets as India beat a resilient West Indies by an innings and 15 runs in the second Test to clinch the series at Eden Gardens in Kolkata on Thursday.

The West Indies were bowled out for 463 in their second innings just before tea on the penultimate day after being asked to follow on with 478 runs in arrears, with Darren Bravo smashing a sparkling 136.

Left-arm spinner Ojha dismissed free-scoring Bravo and off-spinner Ashwin removed Marlon Samuels for an impressive 84 before seamer Umesh Yadav ended the innings with the last two wickets off successive balls.

The West Indies, beaten by five wickets in the opening Test of the three-match series in New Delhi, lost their last six wickets for 62 runs in the afternoon session.

The tourists, dismissed for 153 in their first innings in reply to India's mammoth 631-7 declared, put in a much-improved batting performance in the second innings as they made the hosts struggle for wickets on a good pitch.

"It was a long fielding session. We got them out comfortably in the first innings but saw that the track was getting flatter and there was nothing in it for the bowlers," said India skipper Mahendra Singh Dhoni."I think the first innings was perfect and after that it was a game of patience. Bravo batted superbly."

There was no hint of a late collapse when Bravo and Samuels were dominating the Indian attack with exciting strokeplay during their 132-run stand for the fifth wicket.

Bravo smashed 4 sixes and 16 fours in his brilliant 230-ball knock for his second Test hundred in three matches, having hammered 195 in the second and final Test against Bangladesh in Dhaka before the India tour.He made India wait for the victory with his defiant stand with Samuels before being caught by Rahul Dravid at lone slip in the afternoon.

Ashwin, who got married a day before the Test started, then removed Samuels as he got trapped leg-before after cracking one six and 13 fours in his brisk 111-ball knock."I'd like to commend the guys in the second innings and if we put two innings together we can pose a challenge to other teams," said West Indies captain Darren Sammy, who made 32.

The third and final Test starts in Mumbai from Tuesday.

Dravid bids bye to ODI-2011

Indian batting superstar Rahul Dravid drives down the ground on his way to scoring 69 during the fifth ODI against England in Cardiff yesterday. India finished on 304-6 in Dravid's final appearance in ODIs.

He may not have been among the flamboyant ones in ODI cricket, but Rahul Dravid's determination and penchant to thrive under extremities made him a man for all seasons in the Indian team.

Having announced his retirement from the 50-over format following his surprise inclusion into the team for the ongoing disaster tour of England after a hiatus of nearly four years, 'The Wall' stands tall with an aggregate of 10,820 runs in 343 matches. His Test records are equally phenomenal scoring 12775 runs from 157 matches with an impressive average of 53.00.

As Dravid donned the Indian colours for the last time at the Sophia Gardens here, he left a legacy that will inspire the youngsters and will be cherished for years to come.He may not have had an auspicious debut scoring just three runs against Sri Lanka during the Singer Cup in Singapore on April 3, 1996, but to his credit he scored at a healthy average of just over 39 runs in a career spanning over 15 years -- a success story in itself.

Initially seen as a liability in the one-day arena, Dravid retooled his game over the years to become an adept middle-order finisher, a high coming in during the 1999 World Cup in England where he finished as the top run-getter with an aggregate of 461 runs.

During the tournament Dravid also etched his name into the record books becoming the only Indian to have scored back to back centuries during the World Cup, scoring an unbeaten 104 against Kenya at Bristol before knocking a masterly 145 against Sri Lanka in the following match at Taunton.

Dravid, who became a synonymous to consistency in Indian cricket, has often been forced to live under the shadow of the likes of Sachin Tendulkar.

Whether it be a record 331 run partnership with Tendulkar himself against New Zealand at Hyderabad in 1999, where he scored a brilliant 155 or be it the breathtaking knock of 180 against Australia at Eden Gardens in 2001 to see India register one of the historic Test victories, Dravid has seen his doings being eclipsed, first by an unbeaten 186 by the master and then by a superb 281 by VVS Laxman.

His wicketkeeping skills allowed the team to accommodate an additional batsman, a move that paid huge dividends for India particularly during the 2003 World Cup which saw the side finish runners-up, but even that seems to go under the radar in final analysis.

Often criticised for a low strike rate, Dravid ironically scored a 22-ball half-century against New Zealand at Hyderabad in 2003 to register the second fastest fifty by an Indian in ODI cricket.Dravid also has to his credit 82 fifties, a feat that is only superceded by Tendulkar (95) and Pakistan`s Inzimam-ul-Haq (83). He also has 12 centuries to his name.Though being a pivot of the Indian batting in both forms of the game, life has not been a bed of roses for `Mr. Dependable`.

Replacing Sourav Ganguly at the helm in 2005, Dravid along with the then coach, Greg Chappell had a not so good time in the office as far as one-day cricket was concerned.Dravid began on a winning note with Team India recording 16 consecutive successful chases but the side hit an all time low after making an unceremonious first-round exit from the 2007 World Cup in the Caribbean and following it up with a loss to England in the Natwest series.

He subsequently drew criticism for not being assertive enough and let Chappell make too many decisions. The loss also saw him relinquish the captaincy with Dravid terming it a right time to step aside."I enjoyed the captaincy, I loved it, but it can get tough after a while and some of the enjoyment can go away. So I thought it was the right time to step aside," never the one to complain, Dravid had said after tendering his resignation.