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Ashwin, Jadeja trample Proteas; is Nagpur pitch that bad?

Taking full advantage of a turning track, spinners Ravichandran Ashwin and Ravindra Jadeja ripped apart the South Africa batting line up as India bundled out the Proteas for just 79 runs, their lowest-ever score against the hosts in the third Test at Jamtha, Nagpur. 

Off-spinner Ashwin grabbed 5 for 32 and left-arm spinner Jadeja snapped up 4 for 33 on day two of the match. Leg- spinner Amit Mishra, brought late into the attack, finished with 1 for 9.

The visitors lost eight wickets this morning after resuming at the 11 for 2, in one and a half hours batting, to be bowled out for their lowest score against India at home or overseas beating the earlier ignominy of 84 all out in Johannesburg in December, 1996.

South Africa s previous lowest score in a Test in India was 105 in 1996 at Ahmedabad s Motera Stadium.

Jean-Paul Duminy, let off twice off Ashwin, top-scored with 35 in 65 balls before being dismissed taken out by Mishra for his only wicket.

Off-spinner Simon Harmer came up with the next best score of 13 in a pathetic and clueless batting display that also saw their main hope AB de Villiers and captain Hashim Amla dismissed for a duck and 1 run, respectively.

The pitch was a spinners' paradise with the occasional variable bounce and the South Africans struggled to come to grips with the surface.  

In the morning the visitors plunged headlong into trouble on viciously turning track by losing three wickets inside five overs to be at a pathetic 12 for 5.​

Ashwin sent back overnight unbeaten batsmen Dean Elgar, who chopped the ball on to his stumps, and rival skipper Hashim Amla in the space of three balls in successive overs as the score advanced by just one run.
Elgar was packed off without any addition to his score off the fifth ball of the morning. 

Strong future ahead...

Seven natural ways to get sound sleep!

If you feel restless and end up lying awake in bed, try natural tips like inhaling through your left nostril and rolling your eyes to get instant sleep.

A survey by Crampex tablet makers has found that 86 percent of the population suffer from sleep disturbance.

But one can trick oneself to sleep by trying these expert natural tips, reports mirror.co.uk.

* Inhale through your left nostril: This yoga method is thought to reduce blood pressure and calm you. Holistic sleep therapist Peter Smith says: “Lie on your left side, resting a finger on your right nostril to close it. Start slow, deep breathing in the left nostril.” The expert says this technique is particularly good when overheating or menopausal hot flushes are preventing sleep.


* Squeeze and relax: Relaxing all your muscles can prepare your body for sleep. Anxiety expert Charles Linden says: “Lying on your back, take a deep, slow breath in through your nose and, at the same time, squeeze your toes tightly as if you are trying to curl them under your foot, then release the squeeze.”

* Try to stay awake: Challenge yourself to stay awake – your mind will rebel! It’s called the sleep paradox, says psychotherapist Julie Hirst. She explains: “Keep your eyes wide open, repeat to yourself ‘I will not sleep’. The brain doesn’t process negatives well, so interprets this as an instruction to sleep and eye muscles tire quickly as sleep creeps up.”

* Rewind your day: Remembering the mundane details in reverse order clears your mind of worries. Sammy Margo, author of The Good Sleep Guide, says: “Recall conversations, sights and sounds as you go. It helps you to reach a mental state that’s ready for sleep.”

* Roll your eyes: Margo says that closing your eyes and rolling the balls up three times can do the job. She says: “It simulates what you do naturally when you fall asleep and may help trigger the release of your sleepy hormone, melatonin.”

* Find your trigger: The key to this trick is to start the habit as you drift off during a period when you are sleeping well, then you can use it when you have difficulty. Do something unusual, such as stroking your own cheek, as you nod off, says hypnotherapist Sharon Stiles.

* Make a worry list: Going over a to-do list in bed is a major cause of insomnia. Sharon Stiles says: “Often it’s because you’re frightened of forgetting what needs doing. So before bed, write your list on paper so you can forget it until next day. You could also imagine filing your thoughts in a cabinet. You’ll be calmer and more likely to sleep.”

Great news for sports fans!

Djokovic has the last laugh against Federer!

Novak Djokovic put the finishing touch to a magnificent season by beating Roger Federer 6-3 6-4 to win the ATP World Tour Finals on Sunday for the fifth time in his career.

The Serbian underlined his complete dominance of men's tennis with another immaculate display to become the first player in the year-ending tournament's 46-year history to triumph four times in a row. ​As usual this season, Novak Djokovic was the best player on the court.

The top-ranked Serb won his fourth straight title at the season-ending ATP finals on Sunday by beating six-time champion Roger Federer 6-3, 6-4.

Federer brought the tournament to a close in anti-climactic fashion with a double-fault, although not as much as a year ago when he pulled out of the final with back injury.

With the stakes raised, though, the 34-year-old Federer made far too many errors on Sunday while Djokovic's defences proved largely impenetrable, but for the odd flash of Swiss magic that had his large red and white fan club chanting their approval.

Federer's chances were fleeting. He had the first break point in the second game but fluffed a forehand into the net. 

In the next game a near-identical forehand found the net to give Djokovic the break and from there the world number one never looked back.

The clinical Djokovic teased Federer into a volley error on set point in the ninth game to move ahead.

Federer beat Djokovic on Tuesday in the group stage, but the 17-time Grand Slam champion made too many mistakes in the final on Sunday. Federer ended up with 31 unforced errors, including 15 from his usually reliable forehand.

He even gave away the final point with his second double-fault of the match.

'It would have been nice to serve a little bit better early on in the match, play better overall on his second serve, because he does allow you to play on his second serve,' said Federer, who lost to Djokovic in the 2012 final and pulled out of last year's championship match against the Serb with a back injury. 'Maybe at times I went for too much.'

Federer, bidding for a record-extending seventh title at the year-ender, was staring at the abyss when he trailed 3-4 0-40 in the second set but escaped with five straight points.

Djokovic was unrelenting though and wore his opponent down with one brutal rally two games later, sealing victory when a Federer second serve sailed long.

Djokovic, who won three Grand Slam titles this year and reached the final in the other, capped the best season of his career with another superb display, including winning 16 of the 19 points on his second serve and saving both break points he faced. 

'I couldn't ask for a better finish of the season,' Djokovic said. 'For some reason or another, I've been playing some of my best tennis after the U.S. Open, in Asia and also indoors, both Paris and London.'

After a modest celebration, Djokovic walked back to his chair and wrote 'And now for vacation' in Serbian on a camera lens. How he deserves one. 

The 28-year-old has stomped through the season to leave his rivals trailing in his wake -- securing the year-end world number one ranking weeks before the London finale.

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