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England agree to play after 26/11, and the big fourth-innings chaseIndia v England, Chennai, 2008It isnt often that cricket becomes a distraction in India. Kids watch it with hours to go for exams. Adults peek at the score in spite of deadlines at work. But after the Mumbai attacks in November 2008, the nation was in mourning. A bombing took place at the hotel the England team was supposed to stay at for the first Test.Kevin Pietersen and his men left for home to be with their families. Backroom talks began. Assurances were given. The BCCI shifted the match to Chennai, with 5,000 policemen for protection. England came back. That mere fact made this series noteworthy. The five days of play at the MA Chidambaram stadium were the encore. India chased down 387, then the fourth-highest chase in Test history. Yuvraj Singh produced his best innings in a year, and Mumbais own Sachin Tendulkar hit the winning runs, securing a 41st Test hundred in the process.It was the fourth hundred of the match. Andrew Strauss had two against his name. There was an important one for Paul Collingwood in the second innings. England gained the advantage of scoreboard pressure and a pitch with footmarks the size of large pizzas. That was fine for Virender Sehwag. He came in and dined out. Without his 83 off 68 balls, India may never have believed they could win. When the chase began, I didnt give Dhoni and Co. more than a 10% chance. Sehwag, however, changed everything, Kapil Dev said.Before the series Tendulkar had appeared in an advertisement. I play for India, now more than ever, he said. He wore blue. He was solemn. But he was also reading from a script. It was make-believe. What he did in Chennai though was very real and the pain of Mumbai eased, if only a little.By Alagappan MuthuVVS overcomes back pain and the LankansSri Lanka v India, Colombo, 2010In the previous match between India and Sri Lanka, a run-fest on a featherbed at the Sinhalese Sports Club, there were five centuries, including two double-centuries. VVS Laxman made 29. But at the P Sara Oval, with India 62 for 4 chasing 257 to draw the series, Laxman showed yet again why he was such a highly valued member of Indias middle order.On a tricky fifth-day pitch, against the biting offspin of Suraj Randiv, and battling back spasms to boot, Laxman made a treacherous run chase look routine. He stroked 12 fours in his unbeaten 103 to steer India past the target with five wickets in hand.With him, at the moment of victory, was Virender Sehwag -- not as a batting partner, but as a runner. That, too, was fitting given Sehwags contribution to the victory in the form of a hard-hitting century in Indias first innings and three wickets in Sri Lankas second.But the moment belonged to Indias long-time middle-order saviour. The match situation, Laxman explained later, had superseded his back pain. And he, in turn, had superseded the match situation to come up trumps once again.By Sirish RaghavanNear-perfect Test in Mohali -- and in October, tooIndia v Australia, Mohali, 2010Octobers in north India used to be a great place to be once upon a time, with festivities and a slight chill in the air. Now they are just part of an extended seemingly never-ending summer. In 2010 though, over in Mohali we had a Test so perfect it belonged to the perfect Octobers of old. Australia won the toss, had to be watchful against the new ball, and Shane Watson played an innings close to perfection. India replied to Australias 428 with 405, leaving the Test ripe for explosion once the pitch started to break up.When the pitch obliged, Ishant Sharma fashioned a top-order collapse, the spinners chipped away at the middle and Zaheer Khan ran through the lower order, giving India 216 to win. At 76 for 5 an injured VVS Laxman walked out, played some of the most beautiful shots that can be imagined under duress, drew every ounce of support from the lower order and his runner, and on his injured back carried India to a one-wicket win. In the process he shielded Ishant Sharma once Mitchell Johnsons bouncers got too much, and even swore at Pragyan Ojha for not being alert to a run.By Sidharth MongaA slice of Laxman magic -- in Durban this timeSouth Africa v India, Durban, 2010Having suffered an innings defeat in the first Test, India did not begin the second encouragingly, as a Dale Steyn six-for rolled them over for 205 on a green Kingsmead pitch. But their bowling attack, so lacklustre in Centurion, had teeth and direction with its leader Zaheer Khan back after recovering from a hamstring strain. Zaheer took three wickets, including those of both openers, and Harbhajan Singh ran through the lower order, as South Africa folded for 131.A lead of 74 was crucial but not quite match-winning, and South Africa had India on the mat again when Steyn, Morne Morkel and Lonwabo Tsotsobe reduced them to 56 for 4 in their second innings. It was a situation made for VVS Laxman, and his 96 was the decisive innings of a match in which no other batsman made more than 39. Set 303 to win, South Africa only managed 215, with Zaheer and Sreesanth picking up three wickets each. Sreesanth also produced the ball of the match, a brute of a lifter that an airborne Jacques Kallis could only fend to point.By Karthik Krishnaswamy Darryl Dawkins Jersey . - Raiders general manager Reggie McKenzie never doubted he would bring back coach Dennis Allen for a third year despite back-to-back 4-12 records. Charles Barkley Jersey . The recently retired Stern was elected Friday to the Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Fame and will be enshrined with the class of 2014 on Aug. http://www.cheap76ersjerseys.com/ . -- Catcher Brett Hayes has agreed to a $630,000, one-year contract with the Kansas City Royals, avoiding salary arbitration. Demetrius Jackson Jersey . -- Ohio States Urban Meyer has never had any issue acclimating to the biggest stages in college football. Joel Embiid Jersey . Robinson finished with 17 points, all but two in the second half, and Lawson had 14 after halftime and finished with a game-high 11 assists as the Nuggets handed Dallas its first home loss in eight games this season. J.J. Hickson led Denver with 22, and Kenneth Faried added 10 points and 10 rebounds. A look at whats happening all around the majors today:---SEE YOU IN OCTOBER?AL Central-leading Cleveland plays its final regular-season game against AL East-leading Baltimore. Indians right-hander Corey Kluber (9-8, 3.42) threw seven scoreless innings in a 7-3 loss to Kansas City his last time out. Baltimore counters with Vance Worley (2-1, 3.16), who is making his second start since returning to the rotation for the first time since April. He allowed three runs over 4 1/3 innings on Tuesday against the Yankees.WELCOME ABOARDCardinals right-hander Mike Mayers makes his major league debut in primetime against the Dodgers. Mayers was a third-round pick in 2013 and is not considered among the teams top prospects, but the 24-year-old has a 2.94 ERA with Triple-A Memphis this season. Los Angeles will pitch Scott Kazmir (8-3, 4.30), who threw seven innings of one-run ball in an 8-4 win over Washington in his last start.QUIET IN MOTOWNThe Aug. 1 deadline for non-waiver trades is approaching, but dont expect much action coming from Detroit. Tigers general manager Al Avila said Saturday that his squad will likely stand pat because this is a team that can get us into the playoffs. He also praised manager Brad Ausmus, but said hell wait until the end of the season to address Ausmus 2017 contract option or a possible extension.LOOKING GOOD AT FENWAYRed Sox right-hander Rick Porcello (12-2, 3.47 ERA) looks to increase his record to 10-0 in starts at Fenway Park this season when Boston hosts the Twins in the finale of a four-game sseries.dddddddddddd Porcello would be the first Red Sox pitcher in 55 years to begin a season 10-0 in Fenway starts. Don Schwall was the last, and he pitched only two seasons with the Red Sox and had just 15 career wins in the ballpark. Lefty Tommy Milone (3-2, 4.71) is slated to start for Minnesota.GETTING ESABLISHEDTop Rays prospect Blake Snell (2-4, 3.11) looks to build off his best big-league start yet when Tampa Bay faces Oakland. The 23-year-old left-hander held Colorado to one hit and no runs over six innings at Coors Field on Tuesday for his second straight quality start. Oakland counters with another former Rays prospect, right-hander Jesse Hahn (2-4, 6.49).HAPP GOES FOR 13Blue Jays left-hander J.A. Happ (12-4, 3.43) tries to stay hot in a matinee against Seattle. Happ is 6-0 in seven starts since his most recent loss, June 6 at Detroit, and his next victory will be his career-high 13th. Lefty Wade Miley (6-7, 5.36) throws for the Mariners.RUN BILLY RUNReds center fielder Billy Hamilton tries to add to his stretch of hits and steals. He singled in his first at-bat on Saturday night against the Diamondbacks and stole second, his 31st steal of the season. Hamilton has hit safely in his last six games, stealing at least one base in four of them.SUZUKI UPDATEMiamis Ichiro Suzuki grounded out as a pinch hitter to end the eighth inning Saturday night and remained four hits shy of 3,000. ' ' '