Champions Trophy: India vs South Africa- Live score 2013

The fall of Rohit’s wicket has not made any difference to Dhawan as he carries on playing flamboyantly. He is batting on 84* with 9 boundaries and a huge six. Kohli has also looked good in the middle. South African bowlers continue to toil away but have not been able to put any pressure on the batsmen. INDIA Over: 21.2 II Score: 127/1

Rohit Sharma, who was looking so good has been dismissed. He was trying to flick a length ball over deep square leg but ended up hitting it straight to the man placed there.First success for South Africa. Virat Kohli is the new man in the middle.

Rohit Sharma c Peterson b McLaren 65(81)INDIA Over: 20 II Score: 123/0

JP Duminy comes into the attack now. Rohit Sharma gets to his fifty with a single to long on. He has scored 6 boundaries. Dhawan is hit hard on the helmet with a rising delivery from McLaren. Indian batsmen are doing it really well now. They are not taking any undue risks. Singles are coming all too easily for them and the occasional boundaries are also being scored. All bowlers have looked ordinary. Shikhar Dhawan has got to his fifty as well. India comfortably placed and definitely on top.
INDIA Over: 3 II Score: 7/0

Dhawan defends the first ball from Morkel, no run taken. The South Africans have been bowling a good line and length and the batsmen are also leaving most of the deliveries. Dhawan pushes the last one to mid wicket for two runs.
INDIA Over: 2 II Score: 5/0

Tsotsobe to bowl the second over. Rohit leaves the first ball. Rohit tries to guide this one past slips but the ball falls short of slip and he takes a quick single. Dhawan pushes the next one to point, no run taken. Dhawan punches the next one past mid on for three runs. Rohit is wrapped on the pads this time, huge appeal, but the umpire says not out. Four runs off the over.
INDIA Over: 1 II Score: 1/0

Rohit Sharma and Shikhar Dhawan are in the middle for India. Morne Morkel to start proceedings for South Africa. First ball is left alone by Rohit Sharma. Morkel is extracting good bounce here as Rohit leaves the second ball as well. The ball is carrying well to the keeper. He gets off the mark with a push to square leg. Shikhar Dhawan on strike now. He leaves this one outside off stump. Just a single off the first over.Cardiff: South African captain AB de Villiers won the toss and decided to bowl first in the opening match of the Champions Trophy 2013 on Thursday.

India have left out M Vijay from the side which beat Australia in the second warm-up match. Dhoni confirmed after the toss that Rohit Sharma would open the innings with Shikhar Dhawan while in-form Dinesh Kathik would bat in the middle-order.

Fast bowler Dale Styne would be missing out due to injury while Colin Ingram would open the innings for the Proteas.

Preview: Drawn in what is being dubbed as the Group of Death, India will look to carry forward the form they exhibited in the tournament`s warm-up games as they lock horns with South Africa in the Champions Trophy opener, which will be their first match outside the sub-continent in 15 months.

With every game a virtual shootout, both the former winners will be eager to make a head start in the tournament which is being held for the last time.

As World Cup champions, India will have more than reputation to defend in the 50-over format contest. They have not played a limited over international outside the sub-continent in the last 15 months but the two big wins in their practice matches against Sri Lanka in Birmingham and Australia in Cardiff will give the Indian team management a fair idea of the conditions to confront.

India will also look to put behind them the recent spot-fixing scandal surrounding the IPL.

India Squad: MS Dhoni (c & wk), Shikhar Dhawan, Dinesh Karthik, Bhuvneshwar Kumar, Irfan Pathan, Ishant Sharma, Murali Vijay, Umesh Yadav, Ravichandran Ashwin, Ravindra Jadeja, Virat Kohli, Amit Mishra, Suresh Raina, Rohit Sharma, Vinay Kumar

South Africa Squad: AB de Villiers (c & wk), Farhaan Behardien, Faf du Plessis, Rory Kleinveldt, David Miller, Robin Peterson, Lonwabo Tsotsobe, Hashim Amla, Jean-Paul Duminy, Colin Ingram, Ryan McLaren, Morne Morkel, Aaron Phangiso, Dale Steyn, Alviro Petersen 

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Spot-fixing scandal: Raj Kundra quizzed

New Delhi: Rajasthan Royals owner Raj Kundra and his business partner-friend Umesh Goenka were questioned for several hours on Wednesday in connection with the IPL spot-fixing scandal and allegations that Kundra was into betting.

The questioning also came following the claims made by a cricketer Sidharth Tiwari and to know about the ownership pattern of the team.

A senior Delhi Police official refused to clear the air on Kundra, who said he owns 11.7 per cent stake in Rajasthan Royals, whether he is a "suspect or complainant", stating he was an "important person" needed for questioning.

Police sources claimed that Kundra was into betting but not into fixing. Their questioning was basicly into betting, police sources said.

The questioning of both Kundra and Goenka began around 10 am and continued till late in the evening.

Sources said the name of Goenka, with whom Kundra owns a company dealing in steel business, came during the recording of statement of Rajasthan Royal player Sidharth Trivedi, a prosecution witness in the case.

In his statement recorded before a magistrate, sources said, Trivedi claimed that Goenka approached him and sought details about the cricket pitch in Ahmedabad and details about team formations.

According to police sources, Kundra was called over phone to appear before investigators who wanted to ask about the ownership details of Rajasthan Royals.

"Kundra told police that he owned 11.7 per cent while Suresh Chelaram, co-brother of Lalit Modi owned 43 per cent and Manoj Badale has 34 per cent. Rupert Murdoch`s son Lalchan Murdoch also has stake in the team," a senior police official said.

Kundra, a British national, has 42 per cent stake in the steel business with Goenka who has 16 per cent shares in the firm, they said.

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Dhoni silent on conflict of interest controversy

New Delhi: India captain Mahendra Singh Dhoni has maintained his silence on the issue of conflict of interest controversy.

He was addressing a press conference today before India take on South Africa in the opening match of the 2013 ICC Champions Trophy on Thursday

Dhoni said that the team is focused on the game.

In a startling revelation on Monday, a leading Indian business daily reported that Mahendra Singh Dhoni has 15 percent stake in a sports marketing firm that manages him and three other Indian cricketers.

Rhiti Sports is owned by Arun Pandey, a close friend of Dhoni. In 2010, Dhoni signed up with Rhiti reportedly for Rs 210 crore, an average of Rs 70 crore a year, the costliest deal in Indian cricket.

Even last week the Indian skipper had refused to answer questions related to the IPL spot-fixing scandal saying he’ll talk when the right time comes.

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Champions Trophy: India vs South Africa live

Cardiff: Drawn in what is being dubbed as the Group of Death, India will look to carry forward the form they exhibited in the tournament`s warm-up games as they lock horns with South Africa in the Champions Trophy opener, which will be their first match outside the sub-continent in 15 months.

With every game a virtual shootout, both the former winners will be eager to make a head start in the tournament which is being held for the last time.

As World Cup champions, India will have more than reputation to defend in the 50-over format contest. They have not played a limited over international outside the sub-continent in the last 15 months but the two big wins in their practice matches against Sri Lanka in Birmingham and Australia in Cardiff will give the Indian team management a fair idea of the conditions to confront.

India will also look to put behind them the recent spot-fixing scandal surrounding the IPL.

Although history never counts in international cricket, India have a good record against South Africa in the Champions Trophy. India lead 2-0 in head-to-head having won by 95 runs at Nairobi`s Gymkhana ground on October 13, 2000 and by 10 runs at Colombo`s Premadasa Stadium on September 25, 2002.

With two out of the four battle-hardened teams qualifying for the semifinals, all matches in group B are expected to be closely-fought affairs.

Except Pakistan, India, South Africa and the West Indies have won the Champions Trophy at least once each and hence more than just pride will be at stake in the last edition of the tournament that began as the Mini World Cup in Dhaka in 1998.

South Africa also arrive with a lot of reputation to protect. They are the world`s No. 1 Test team but their ODI fortunes have been scratchy and it showed during the one-off warm-up game they played against a talented Pakistani attack on Monday.

At The Oval, South Africa lost by six wickets and the defeat exposed the chinks in a batting line-up without two solid customers, Jacques Kallis and Graeme Smith.

Most captains have pooh-poohed their defeats in the practice games. The 15-a-side, bat and field 11 hybrid concept may be good for practice but considerably waters down the competitive edge of a real contest.

South African skipper AB De Villiers dismissed the Oval defeat saying: "It`s not about the result, it`s about what you get out of it. I am sure each guy will stand up when the time is right."

That time will come tomorrow and India will be the first big hurdle. Fresh from the T20 Indian Premier League, most Indian players are quickly trying to adjust to the 50-over variety. It`s been a test for application and temperament and if the results in the two warm-up games are anything to go by, the feedback is mixed.

When Mahendra Singh Dhoni stepped out of Indian shores he said this Champions Trophy will be a test for the team`s junior boys. While a few players automatically select themselves, Dhoni indicated there were berths up for grabs. So far, one man has guaranteed himself a slot in the playing XI and that is Dinesh Karthik.

With back-to-back hundreds under pressure against Lanka and Australia, Karthik is a virtual certainty but his batting position is a matter of conjecture. Dhoni is reluctant to play him as an opener, but it is almost certain that Karthik will gain a small promotion from his customary No. 6 position.

"I am happy to bat at any position. It`s up to the team to decide where I fit in," he had said after his unbeaten 106 against Lanka at Birmingham on Saturday. On Tuesday, Karthik scored a 140-ball 146 not out against a quality Australian pace attack after coming in at a time when the Indian top order was back in the pavilion for as less as 55 for five.

Dhoni was full of praise for Karthik, who paced his innings very well in both practice games. "I think he has earned his place in the side and we`ll just have to see who misses out when we play against South Africa. I`d like him to play at the top of the order but we`ll see," Dhoni said, probably hinting Rohit Sharma may not be able to hold on to his No. 4 position after scores of 5 and 10.

It is unlikely that India will disturb the opening combination of Murali Vijay and Shikhar Dhawan. Dhoni has been insisting on this right-left duo ever since he flew out of India because both have `Test` experience and thus the capability of playing long innings, a must to give the middle-order the bandwidth to free their arms in the middle and closing stages of the innings. Holding wickets at the top will be vital.

Given the conditions at the Swalec Stadium here, India will surely opt for five specialist bowlers. That`s been Dhoni`s time-tested formula and with Umesh Yadav and Ishant Sharma both making an impression against Australia, the pair should make the cut. Bhuvneshwar Kumar`s ability to bat and also move the new ball both ways should complete the three-man pace attack. Ravichandran Ashwin and Ravindra Jadeja should be the two spinners.

South Africa are sweating over Dale Steyn`s fitness. Against Pakistan at the Oval warm-up, the world`s leading pacer sent down five lacklustre overs before leaving the field holding his left side.

Although the regulations of the warm-up games allow for players to leave the field and return at a later stage, Steyn was not seen in action again.

Proteas media liaison Lerato Malekutu said: "Steyn experienced some tightness in his back, and is currently receiving treatment from the physio. He did not bowl any further in the match as a precautionary measure."

South Africa have to wake up to life with a Kallis and Smith. This pair have been such rock-like figures within the Proteas batting unit for such a long time that there are always fears that it could all come crumbling down in their absence.

Much will depend on a Hashim Amla and J P Duminy and of course, their young and inspirational captain, A B De Villiers.

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