Kevin Pietersen Left Out for India Test

Kevin Pietersen has been left out of England's Test squad for the tour of India as the controversial batsman pays the price for the text message scandal that has left his international career in tatters.

Pietersen was dropped for the final Test against South Africa after sending texts to opposition players that contained criticism of then England captain Andrew Strauss.

The South Africa-born star has since met England coach Andy Flower for clear-the-air talks, but there are still issues to be resolved and that meant there was no place for Pietersen on the plane to India.

While Pietersen remains in exile at present, England cricket managing director Hugh Morris left the door open for the 32-year-old to return to the fold in the future.

Strauss retired from all cricket in the immediate aftermath of the Pietersen row and the fall-out from a stormy few months for English cricket continues to be felt.

Pietersen's omission and the selectors' decision to drop Essex batsman Ravi Bopara after poor run of form this year paved the way for two uncapped batsmen to be included in Alastair Cook's 16-man squad for the four-match Test series.

Somerset's Nick Compton and Yorkshire's Joe Root have been called up after both enjoyed impressive seasons in English county cricket.

Compton, the 29-year-old grandson of England great Denis Compton, was the top English batsman in the county championship with an average of 99.

Root opened the batting for Yorkshire, averaging 43.41 and winning the Cricket Writers Club Young Cricketer of the Year award on Monday.

The 21-year-old is being lined up to fill the gap left by Strauss's shock retirement.

The squad includes three spin bowlers, Samit Patel, Monty Panesar and Graeme Swann, as England adapt to the demands of playing on the slow pitches in India.

England Test squad for India tour:

• Alastair Cook (Essex, capt)
• James Anderson (Lancashire)
• Jonny Bairstow (Yorkshire)
• Ian Bell (Warwickshire)
• Tim Bresnan (Yorkshire)
• Stuart Broad (Nottinghamshire)
• Nick Compton (Somerset)
• Steven Finn (Middlesex)
• Graham Onions (Durham)
• Eoin Morgan (Middlesex)
• Monty Panesar (Sussex)
• Samit Patel (Nottinghamshire)
• Matt Prior (Sussex, wk)
• Joe Root (Yorkshire)
• Graeme Swann (Nottinghamshire)
• Jonathan Trott (Warwickshire)

England's 2nd Tour Game Venue Shifted

The second warm-up game of the England on their forthcoming tour to India has been shifted from the Mumbai Cricket Association's Bandra Kurla Complex (BKC) ground to D Y Patil stadium in Navi Mumbai.
Announcing this at a media conference, MCA president Ravi Savant said, "We met BCCI president N Srinivasan this morning and he has agreed to our request to shift the second warm-up game of England from BKC to DY Patil stadium."
The shifting of the match scheduled from November 3-5 was necessitated as there were a lot of security issues relating to MCA's BKC ground, said Savant.
This is one area where lot of people from the suburbs and from in and around Navi Mumbai can come and see the England team in action which otherwise they won't be able to do, he said.
The BCCI president was magnanimous enough to accede to our request, Savant added.
England are to reach Mumbai on October 29 and will prepare for the four-Test series -- considered a grudge rubber by India after their 0-4 rout in the last away series -- by playing three warm-up tour games -- two in Mumbai and the third in Ahmedabad, venue of the opening match of the rubber.
England's tour opener is scheduled from October 30 to November 1 at Brabourne Stadium and the third game is to be held on a ground, just outside the Sardar Patel Stadium at Motera from November 8-11.
The opening Test is scheduled at the Motera main stadium from November 15-19 with the subsequent Tests scheduled in Mumbai (November 23-27), Kolkata (December 5-9) and Nagpur (December 13-17).
England would play two T20 Internationals against India on December 20 (Pune) and December 22 (Mumbai) prior to departing home for the Christmas and New Year break, before returning to play in a five-match ODI series begins from 11 January 2013 at Rajkot.

Bhajji-Zaheer May be Rested for England ODIs

Off-colour Harbhajan Singh may not be considered for selection while pace spearhead Zaheer Khan may be rested when the national selectors meet on Saturday to pick India's squad for next month's ODI series against England.
Harbhajan who sustained a Grade-I abdominal tear has been advised four weeks' rest and is unlikely to get fit in time for the shorter formats beginning with a lone Twenty20 game on August 31 and followed by the five one-dayers from September 3.
According to Board sources, senior pacer Zaheer Khan may be rested for the ODI series keeping in mind the tight schedule of the national team that includes Test series against the West Indies and Australia.
Yuvraj Singh who fractured his left index finger is another doubtful case as it is still not clear as to how much time it would take for him to regain full fitness.
While veteran Sachin Tendulkar, Gautam Gambhir and Virender Sehwag are likely to be available, Parthiv Patel is likely to replace Wriddhiman Saha as the second keeper as he is considered a better batsman.
Mumbai youngster Rohit Sharma who was awarded the man-of-the-series in West Indies is another certaintyalong with Tamil Nadu off-spinner Ravichandran Ashwin.
Praveen Kumar, Ishant Sharma and Munaf Patel have also sealed their places in the squad. Left-arm seamer Ashish Nehra who had recently bowled at the India nets before Lord's Test will certainly be an option for the selectors as he has submitted his fitness certificate to the Board.
Paceman Ranganath Vinay Kumar was also in the reckoning for a place in the squad considering that conditions in England will favour the quick bowlers.
However there is certainly going to be some debate as to who will be the reserve batsman in the squad. Yusuf Pathan, Manoj Tiwary and Ajinkya Rahane are fighting for that particular slot.

Harbhajan, Yuvraj Out of England Test, Ojha, Kohli Called Up

Indian cricket team on Wednesday named Virat Kohli and Pragyan Ojha as replacement of the injured Harbhajan Singh and Yuvraj Singh for the remaining matches against England on Wednesday.
Harbhajan and Yuvraj were ruled out of the entire series due to injuries. Bhajji had an abdominal strain while Yuvi had a hand injury.
"Yuvraj Singh has fractured his left index finger, and Harbhajan Singh has a Grade I Abdominal Muscle strain," N Srinivasan, BCCI secretary, said in a statement.
"While Yuvraj's injury may take around 4 weeks to recover, Harbhajan is likely to recover in 3 weeks' time," he added.
Pragyan Ojha and Virat Kohli will join the Indian team as their replacements. "Both players will join the Indian team at the earliest," Srinivasan said.

India and England play the third Test from August 10 in Birmingham.

Harbhajan Singh Ruled Out of Third Test

 Down 0-2 in the series, India's injury woes increased on Wednesday with off-spinner Harbhajan Singh being ruled out of the third Test against England due to an abdominal strain.
Harbhajan, who has really struggled to find form in the series so far, picked up the injury during the second Test at Trent Bridge which India lost by a massive 319 runs on Monday.
"Harbhajan has a grade one lower abdominal tear and is expected to be out of action for 10-12 days," as reported.
The off-spinner bowled just 13.4 overs in the second Test and has been woefully out of form in the series. The feisty tweaker grabbed 1 for 69 in the second Test after his 1 for 218 in the first at Lord's.
In his absence, leg-spinner Amit Mishra might get a chance.
On what has turned out to be a disastrous tour so far for the world's number one Test side, India's dressing room resembles a hospital ward with key players such as pace spearhead Zaheer Khan battling injuries.
Zaheer, who sat out of the second Test, is still not confirmed for the third starting August 10 because of a hamstring strain he sustained during the series-opener at the Lord's.
But opener Gautam Gambhir, who picked up an elbow injury during the opening Test, is set to return for the Edgbaston Test.
Gambhir's swashbuckling opening partner Virender Sehwag will also bolster the line-up in the third Test. Sehwag joined the team on Wednesday after missing the first two Tests to recuperate from a shoulder surgery.
Middle-order batsman Yuvraj Singh, who came in the side in place of Gambhir, ended up injuring himself during the match after getting hit on his left hand by Tim Bresnan delivery.

India play a two-day tour game against Northamptonshire on August 5 and 6 before the third Test.

Mahendra Singh Dhoni's men would lose their number one position in the ICC rankings if they go down by a margin of two Tests or more in this series.

Sehwag to Join India on Wednesday in England

Dashing opener Virender Sehwag will fly to England to reinforce the embattled Indian team for the last two Tests, the Indian cricket board said on Tuesday.
Sehwag, 32, whose brilliant strokeplay has propelled India's batting in the past, missed the previous series in the West Indies and the first two Tests in England because of shoulder surgery in May.
He was selected as the 17th member of the touring squad for England, but was allowed to join his teammates a fortnight late.
Sehwag's fitness will be tested during a two-day match against Northamptonshire from August 5 which precedes the remaining back-to-back Tests at Edgbaston and The Oval.
Sehwag's return will boost India, who crashed to a humiliating 319-run defeat with a day to spare in the second Test at Trent Bridge on Monday to hand England a 2-0 lead in the four-match series.
The tourists, who lost the first Test by 196 runs, must now win at least one of the remaining two Tests and avoid defeat in the other to prevent England from taking over as the number one-ranked team.
Sehwag's regular opening partner Gautam Gambhir, who missed the second Test with an elbow injury, is also expected to be fit for the third Test.
Sehwag has scored 7,694 runs in 87 Tests at an average of 53.43 with 22 three-figure knocks, including two triple centuries.

England Eye Repeat as India Sweat on Zaheer

England will look for more of the same against India in the second Test at Trent Bridge starting on Friday.
They thrashed the tourists by 196 runs on Monday, with James Anderson taking five for 65 in front of a full house at Lord's in the 2,000th Test of all-time.
England, who will replace India at the top of the ICC's Test table if they win this four-match series 2-0 or better, had things pretty much their own way at Lord's, with Kevin Pietersen making a double century, Matt Prior a reviving second innings hundred and Stuart Broad returning to his best bowling form.
And even when dropped catches or contentious lbw decisions, for which there are no reviews this series because of Indian objections to ball-tracking technology, went against England, it made little difference.
"We know we're playing really, really good cricket at the moment," said Anderson. "Everyone's chipping in and if we need someone to step up, generally someone is.
"We're trying to improve each day, as individuals and as a team. If we can do that, we know we can do great things."
Anderson, often a beneficiary of the swing friendly conditions on offer at Trent Bridge, has dismissed Sachin Tendulkar six times in seven Tests, including lbw for 12 in the second innings at Lord's to leave the India great stranded on 99 international hundreds.
"When you get him out you know it's a key dismissal, so we know we've got to be on top of our game to do that," Anderson said.
England had a huge break at Lord's when Zaheer Khan broke down early with a hamstring injury and then didn't bowl at all in the second innings.
An India spokesman said on Wednesday that Zaheer's fitness was "improving considerably".
But if the left-arm quick, who four years ago at Trent Bridge took nine wickets in what turned out to be a series-clinching win, is ruled out, India will have to decide between erratic fast bowler Shanthakurman Sreesanth and the steadier Munaf Patel.
"Ishant Sharma has been doing really well he was the man of the series in the West Indies and Praveen Kumar has taken five wickets at Lord's," said India batsman Abhinav Mukund.
Sreesanth is waiting in the wings as well, so it's not that we have a depleted attack.
England have a doubt over fast bowler Chris Tremlett, unable to train on Wednesday because of a tight hamstring.
If Tremlett is sidelined, fellow Ashes-winner Tim Bresnan will be recalled.
Rahul Dravid was the only member of India's celebrated top order to make a century at Lord's but the likes of Tendulkar and Venkatsai Laxman will be keen to post a significant score.
So too will 21-year-old left-hander Mukund, opening while Virender Sehwag recovers from a shoulder injury.
Sehwag has an unrivalled ability to attack the new ball whereas Mukund, who made 49 and 12 at Lord's, is a far more orthodox opener.
"I don't want to replace Sehwag or play like he does, because it's not possible," Mukund said. "I just want to go out and play how I know. If it comes off it will help the team."
And he insisted India were well-capable of demonstrating the resilience that had taken them to the summit of Test cricket during the rest of this series.

Teams from

England: Andrew Strauss (capt), Alastair Cook, Jonathan Trott, Kevin Pietersen, Ian Bell, Eoin Morgan, Matt Prior (wk), Stuart Broad, Graeme Swann, Chris Tremlett, James Anderson, Tim Bresnan.

India: MS Dhoni (capt & wk), Abhinav Mukund, Gautam Gambhir, Rahul Dravid, Sachin Tendulkar, Suresh Raina, Venkatsai Laxman, Harbhajan Singh, Praveen Kumar, Ishant Sharma, Zaheer Khan, Shanthakumaran Sreesanth, Amit Mishra, Yuvraj Singh, Munaf Patel, Wriddihiman Saha

Match facts
July 29-Aug 02, 2011
Start time 11:00 local (10:00 GMT), 03:30pm IST

Dravid-Laxman Keep Hold as India Chase 458 to Win

India need 378 more runs to register a miraculous victory in the 1st Test as they finished Day 4 at 80/1 after hosts England set 458-run target at Lord's.
Rahul Dravid and Venkatsai Laxman held firm as India eyed a record-breaking chase in the first Test after Matt Prior's unbeaten century had swung the match back England's way at Lord's on Sunday.
India, at the close of the fourth day, were 80 for one in their second innings. They needed a further 378 runs in a minimum of 98 overs on Monday's final day to reach their victory target of 458 - a run-rate of 3.85 an over.
This is the 2,000th Test of all-time and no side has ever scored more in the fourth innings to win such a match than the West Indies' 418 for seven against Australia in Antigua in 2002/03.
Dravid, who made an unbeaten century in India's first innings, was 34 not out, having opened in place of Gautam Gambhir who was njured fielding at short leg earlier in the day, and Laxman 32 not out at stumps. The two experienced batsmen's stand was so far worth 61.
It didn't look as if India would have to make fourth innings history when Prior came in with England having collapsed to 62 for five. But the wicketkeeper stuck with his natural game and made 103 not out off 120 balls, including a six and five fours.
It was Prior's sixth century in 44 Tests and second in as many at Lord's following his 126 against Sri Lanka last month. Stuart Broad, who'd led England's attack with four for 37 in India's first innings, gave Prior excellent support in an unbroken seventh-wicket stand of 162 at nearly a run-a-ball as India's depleted attack toiled on a sunny day.
Broad, who bats left-handed but bowls right, demonstrated his all-round ability with a fluent 74 not out off 90 balls including nine fours. Prior pulled Suresh Raina for six to go into the 90s before a cover-driven four off the part-time spinner took him to his third Test century at Lord's - he also made 126 not out at the ground on debut against the West Indies in 2007.
As soon as Prior got to his century, England captain Andrew Strauss declared on 269 for six and with 30 overs left in the day's play. Broad's joy continued when he struck third ball to bowl Abhinav Mukund for 12, the left-hander playing on to him for the second time in the match.
India were again down to just three frontline bowlers as left-arm quick Zaheer Khan remained sidelined with a hamstring strain. Fellow seamer Ishant Sharma still rocked England with three wickets for one run in 16 balls before lunch on his way to four for 59 in 22 overs.
Kevin Pietersen had made a superb 202 not out in England's first innings 474 for eight declared. But on Sunday he was out for one when he feathered a steepling Sharma delivery to India captain and wicketkeeper Mahendra Singh Dhoni. Five balls later Ian Bell fell in similar fashion for nought.

Brief scores
England 474 for 8 dec and 269 for 6 dec (Prior 103*, Broad 74*, Ishant 4-59)
India 286 and 80 for 1 (Dravid 34*, Laxman 32*, Broad 1-12)
Status India need 378 to win

Live Cricket Score Eng Vs India first Test Match - Live from Lords

After the success tour of West Indies, India will take on English team.

India will play 4 Test Match, first Test will played at Lords.

Thu Jul 21 - Mon Jul 25 
15:30 IST 
1st Test - England Vs India
Lord's, 
London

Squad for England against India for 1st Test

Andrew Strauss (c),Alastair Cook (vc),James Anderson,Ian Bell,Tim Bresnan,Stuart Broad,Eoin Morgan,Kevin Pietersen,Matt Prior (wk),Graeme Swann,Chris Tremlett Jonathan Trott

Squad for India against England for 1st Test

MS Dhoni (c/wk),Gautam Gambhir (vc),Rahul Dravid,Harbhajan Singh,Zaheer Khan,Praveen Kumar,VVS Laxman,Amit Mishra,Abhinav Mukund,Munaf Patel,Suresh Raina,Ishant Sharma,Sreesanth,Sachin Tendulkar,Yuvraj Singh