Kohli, Gambhir power India to an forceful 8-wkt win

India 238 for 2 (Kohli 112*, Gambhir 84*) strike England 237 (Pietersen 46, Vinay 4-30) by eight wickets

World champions India worked up England once once more with bat and ball to win the second one-dayer by eight wickets on Monday and get a 2-0 lead in the five-match series.

Seamer Vinay Kumar return with his best international figures of four for 30 as a lackluster England were shot out for 237 in good batting circumstances at the Ferozeshah Kotla ground in New Delhi.

Virat Kohli then shattered a winning 112, his seventh one-day century, and Gautam Gambhir made 84 not out as the under-strength hosts surpass the unassuming target under lights in the 37th over.

Tempers flare in the second session between England's fielders and India's batsmen, forcing the umpires to interfere on at least three occasions.

India, exhausted by the nonattendance of seven World Cup-winning stars due to injury or poor form, will enfold up the series if they win the third match in Mohali on Thursday.

The hosts had won the first game in Hyderabad by 126 runs last Friday. A series win will help Mahendra Singh Dhoni's men make compensation for the unsuccessful tour of England newly where they were blanked 4-0 in the Test series before losing the one-dayers 3-0.

"I'm happy we're back to our winning ways, it's actually good," said Dhoni. "Of course the tour of England was not a good one for us, but the team show character to bounce back.

"We wanted a good start and Vinay and the other bowlers gave us that with usual wickets. Virat batted very well and Gautam played luminously.

"This was a good one-day wicket but I would have favored a bit more turn. I think a turning wicket is a sporting track in India."

Dhoni, ask if he was looking for a 5-0 sweep, said: "For us it's all about winning one game at a time and humanizing ourselves as cricketers, particularly with so many youngsters in the side."

Kevin Pietersen's 46 was the top score for England as wickets tumble at normal intervals after captain Alastair Cook won the toss and elected to bat on an easy-paced pitch.

Fast bowler Tim Bresnan gave England a lifeline when he detached both openers, Parthiv Patel and Ajinkya Rahane, by the seventh over to make India 29-2.

But Delhi team-mates Kohli and Gambhir delighted some 30,000 home fans with and 209-run attractive partnership that took India home.

England had made a catastrophic start, losing openers Cook and Craig Kieswetter before a run had been scored.

Cook admit the bad start exaggerated his team. "It's a long way back from zero for two," he said. "We got a lot of 30s and 40s but we know that does not win a game.

"Virat and Gambhir showed us how it's done. Credit to the way they played. There was one half-chance, but apart from that they gave us nothing.

"We prepared well in the practice games, but we have not translated that to the main games. We need to score more runs, and our fielding was not quite to standard."

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Gambhir make a decision on NCLT20

Gautam Gambhir will take a final call on his contribution latest by next Sunday, according to sources.

Gambhir, had to return from England as he has been pain from concussions due to a nasty fall while running backwards to take a catch and has been advised complete rest by the doctors as of now.

Gambhir captained Kolkata Knight Riders to the last four phases in the fourth edition of IPL and was probable to lead the side.

"Gautam will be consulting his doctor (neurologist) on September 9 or 10 and decide on his participation in the tournament," a senior KKR official told journalists.

Since Gambhir has had complicatedness in sighting the ball of late and even threw up during his return flight to India, KKR management won`t push the star opener for the event.

"It will totally be Gautam and his doctor`s call. We can`t say anything at the moment," the official added.

If sources in the KKR organization are to be supposed, the franchise won`t push the cricketer into playing even if he recovers in time as it might invite sharp disapproval from all quarters especially after so many Indian players return home from tour of England.

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India rock by Gambhir return to home

Gautam Gambhir will miss India's limited-overs games against England due to concussion.

The left-handed opening batsman has made a slower than expected recovery since knocking his head on The Oval turf while attempt - and failing - to take a catch offered by Kevin Pietersen during the final match of the four-Test npower series.

The 29-year-old bat down the order in both innings during the Test but was still concerned by indistinct vision when he took to the nets on Monday.

A spokesman for the Indian team said: "Gautam Gambhir is flying home to India as soon as possible after he was diagnosed with concussion on Tuesday.

"He went to see a specialist in Manchester who advised Gautam to have complete rest. "It was therefore determined he would be sent home and will miss the incomplete overs series with England."

His nonattendances adds to India’s long wound list and further deplete a batting order already without Virender Sehwag and Yuvraj Singh ahead of Thursday's one-off Twenty20 at Old Trafford.

Earlier on Tuesday, India skipper Mahendra Singh Dhoni exposed he did not expect Gambhir to be passed fit before admitting his absence would be a "big loss".

With star man Sachin Tendulkar retired from from Twenty20 internationals the tourists are set to turn to the more stoic presence of veteran Rahul Dravid for Wednesday's game under the new Old Trafford lights.

It would, extraordinarily, be the 38-year-old's first, and last, Twenty20 international after he announces his limited-overs departure after being selected in the squad.

"Losing Gambhir will be a big loss for us but you can't control injuries," Dhoni said. "Hopefully someone will stand up and take the responsibility." He added: "It looks like Rahul will play.

"You don't want to be a batter light; in this format you want your top seven batsmen. "So Rahul will most probable get a chance."

India's wound crisis has not been consigned to their batsmen only, with quicks Zaheer Khan and Ishant Sharma also strike down as well as spinner Harbhajan Singh.

The long list of wounded has served to weaken India's performances on a forgettable tour that has seen them already surrender the Test series, and the world's top ranking, to England following a 4-0 whitewash.

That has twisted the focus on the amount of cricket being played. The tourists' best players - most of who are concerned in the Indian Premier League.

While Dhoni believes Indian cricket almost certainly needs to employ the type of rotational policy England have used in recent times - something they did do on the tour of the Caribbean - he thinks the IPL has become the easy answer to explanation away any ills in the national team.

"Whenever anything bad happens in Indian cricket it is put down to the IPL," he said. "Irrespective of the fact we play in April and we lose a series in August. "That's one thing that will always be answerable on IPL."

He added: "I think we'll have to (look at resting players) because the timetable looks quite cramped. "It's significant to give players rest. Someone like a Suresh Raina has been playing all the formats for a long time now.

"It's more to deal with the mental aspect than the physical aspect. A bit of good rest in between also helps keep the injuries away."

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Injured Gambhir probable to return home

With his indistinct vision deteriorating to improve, Indian opener Gautam Gambhir could be stuffing his bags to return home.

In what might be a big blow to the movement of the world champions in the approaching one-day series next to England, Gambhir looks set to undergo the same fate as Zaheer Khan, Yuvraj Singh, Harbhajan Singh and Virender Sehwag who either came or joined the Indian squad only to leave upset having contributed little to the team's cause.

India were whitewashed 4-0 in the Test series; lost their number one Test rankings and are in danger of suffering a similar incapacitating fate in the one-day series, starting with the first game in Chester-le-Street on September 3.

Gambhir had backpedalled to catch a pull by Kevin Pietersen at mid-on on the second day of the final Test at the Oval on August 19, but trip and fell on his head, a fall which resulted in blurred vision.

He didn't open either innings of the Oval Test and came in down the order, causal little by way of runs.

Since then, he has visit doctors and had MRI scans which have given him a clean bill of health. However, Gambhir is still far from well.

Gambhir's case is similar to the one suffer by South African fast bowler Dale Steyn during the Champions League T20 last year when he too fell on his head as he backpedalled to try and catch Michael Hussey in a semi-final clash between Chennai Super Kings and Royal Challengers Bangalore.

Steyn's MRI scans also show little, but the pace man took 3-4 weeks to regain full fitness. With Gambhir potentially out for a similar length of time, he is also now a doubt for when England pay a return visit to India in early October.

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England chase whitewash, India need arrogance

England celebrated accomplishment No. 1 in the world with a good night in Birmingham on Sunday but it was soon backing to the day job and, four days later, they previously face the first test of their new status. The 'dead rubber syndrome' is always a risk when a team has scaled such heights to secure a major goal and Andrew Strauss will be anxious that nothing takes the gloss off the achievement of the last month.

In truth it will take a lot to remove the after-glow of three commanding performance, but this England team is never satisfied. They'll see this final Test at The Oval as a chance to lay down one more markers with a show of hunger and desire. Even the great Australian sides under Mark Taylor and Steve Waugh had issue with keeping strength high when a series was decided. England benefit with a number of one-off Test victories and won't want to offer India a similar opportunity.

It's difficult to see India lively back to save face over the next five days. They have been so far off the pace that this is a series they'll want to relegate to history as quickly as likely. That, although, will be easier said than done with the fall-out well under way back at home and serious questions being asked of the team. Some of those questions are more sensible than others, but a number of players will be heading back with damaged reputation.

The much-vaunted batting line-up has one more chance to live up to their billing having not reached 300 in the series. The wait goes on for Sachin Tendulkar's 100th hundred, while Gautam Gambhir has dissatisfied and VVS Laxman hasn't made the most of some decent form. Then there's the challenge of taking 20 wickets. The pace bowlers have all had their moments but, collectively, have not been able to maintain pressure on England.

Praveen Kumar has been a tireless workhorse and Ishant Sharma has kept running in, but they have suffered from not having an inexpensive spinner to tie up an end. If Oval history is anything to go by they could be in for more hard toil.

England (probable) 1 Andrew Strauss (capt), 2 Alastair Cook, 3 Ian Bell, 4 Kevin Pietersen, 5 Eoin Morgan, 6 Ravi Bopara, 7 Matt Prior (wk), 8 Tim Bresnan, 9 Stuart Broad, 10 Graeme Swann, 11 James Anderson

India (possible) 1 Virender Sehwag, 2 Gautam Gambhir, 3 Rahul Dravid, 4 Sachin Tendulkar, 5 VVS Laxman, 6 Suresh Raina, 7 MS Dhoni (c) (wk), 8 Amit Mishra, 9 Praveen Kumar/RP Singh, 10 Ishant Sharma, 11 Sreesanth

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Gambhir will be drop if he is unfit: BCCI

The BCCI is in the procedure of analyzing Gautam Gambhir’s medical reports and will fall the stand-in captain from the tour of the West Indies if he is establish to be unfit.

BCCI Secretary N Srinivasan said the Board had established the reports submit by Kolkata Knight Riders’ physio Andrew Leipus on Gambhir’s shoulder damage and a decision will be taken very quickly.

“We have established the statement from Leipus and we are analyzing it. We will take into account all aspect of the damage”, Srinivasan told PTI.

“We are taking store of the report and we will take a final conclusion once we are throughout with it. If we find that he is not fit, he will not go on the tour. We will then make a choice on a substitute”, he said.

Gambhir, named skipper of the team for next month’s West Indies tour, continued the injury to his right shoulder during the World Cup final next to Sri Lanka last month while taking a catch.

The injury got further motivated when Gambhir made a descending stop during their IPL match next to Mumbai Indians on May 22.

Gambhir is still not sure how bad his shoulder damage is as he is still pending the result of MRI scan, done to calculate the amount of damage. KKR’s physio Leipus, in his report to the BCCI, said Gambhir wants four to six weeks’ relax to get well fully, which means that the Indian opener could even miss the following tour of England.

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