Laxman, Mongia notch up fifties With the leading lights rested, the tour match against the West Indies A at Arundel was the perfect chance for other batsmen to get some decent runs under their belt. Dinesh Mongia and VVS Laxman, the latter back in the middle after sitting out most of the NatWest series, grabbed the opportunity with both hands. Mongia made 87, and Laxman struck an elegant 85 as India reached a mildly shaky 253 for seven at the end of the first day. The pair shared an 85-run stand for the third wicket. Chris Gayle (2-30), Marlon Black (2-35) and Ryan Hinds (2-60) were the pick of the West Indies bowlers, preventing the Indian run-rate from even reaching three per over. After Sanjay Bangar departed for nought, young wicket-keeper Ajay Ratra occupied the crease for an hour and a half before being trapped palpably leg-before by King for 15. Seventeen-year-old Parthiv Patel hit three boundaries before he was clean bowled by Black from the final ball of the day.

Kaif, Mongia retained for Test series India's one-day batsmen Mohammad Kaif and Dinesh Mongia have been added to the squad for this month's Test series against England. Kaif, whose superb batting helped India clinch a one-day tri-series on Saturday, and Mongia will join the 16-player Test squad for the four-game series starting on July 25, Jagmohan Dalmiya, president of the Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI), told reporters on Tuesday. A special meeting of national selectors decided that the two will not be considered for the Tests but can gain useful exposure by playing in the other first-class games on the tour. The idea is to help them remain in top shape for September's ICC Champions Cup tournament in Colombo, Dalmiya said. Kaif, 21, top-scored with 87 not out to lead India to victory at Lord's against England, chasing a target of 326 - the second highest successful run-chase in one-day history. He has played four Tests, including all three games during India's 2-1 series defeat in Sri Lanka last year, while Mongia is yet to appear in Tests. Young left-hander Yuvraj Singh lost his chance to be considered as an addition to the Test squad after fracturing his finger while fielding in the final. Yuvraj, 20, piled on 254 runs in seven innings and was praised for his aggressive strokeplay that played a big role in India shaking off the tag of "chokers" when chasing big targets. "He will need a minimum of three weeks for his fracture to heal and some more time for physiotherapy," said Dalmiya, who expects him to be fit for the September 12-29 Champions Cup.

Ah well, there's always the highlights package Admittedly, choosing between a NatWest final and Aishwarya Rai on the big screen is a supremely difficult task. One would think it would be made easier if your son were playing in the cricket match, but Mr and Mrs Kaif smashed that theory to bits. Having seen Sachin Tendulkar dismissed for next to nothing, the Kaifs left their home in Uttar Pradesh for the cinema to watch "Devdas" and so missed the incredible show of heroics put on by Mohammad Kaif and Yuvraj Singh. Only towards the latter half of the film did somebody rush in and whisper that their son was going berserk at Lord's, upon which the Kaifs rushed home to catch the presentation ceremony. One can only hope, for the Kaifs' sake, that La Rai looked dazzling enough to make up for the loss of seeing their son script one of the more improbable victories in one-day history.

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