BENGALURU-- AB de Villiers' 100th test fizzled out into a tame draw on Wednesday with cyclonic rains and a wet outfield wiping out a fourth successive day in the second test between India and South Africa at Bengaluru's M Chinnaswamy Stadium.
The match had already seen three rained-out days on the trot and the morning drizzle prompted the match officials to call off play around lunch time, with only 81 overs of the test bowled.
India dominated what little play was possible on day one, bowling out South Africa for 214 before openers Shikhar Dhawan (45) and Murali Vijay (28) raised 80 runs without being separated.
"It's a pity that we lost four days of the test match after being in such a strong position," rued home captain Virat Kohli whose team will go into the third test at Nagpur from Nov. 25 with a 1-0 lead in the four-match series.
"Other than that, we have a lot of positives that we can take from day one, the biggest being Shikhar's knock of 45-odd, him getting back into the flow and among the runs.
"He is an impact player, he has done the job for us in the past and he is a very dangerous player. To have him back in confidence is always a boost for the team," said Kohli who is leading India in his first home series.
Counterpart Hashim Amla was happy for De Villiers whose fluent 85 was the lone bright spot in the visitors' poor batting display even though the Proteas skipper felt the match could have gone either way.
"We did not do that very well but I think the game was poised. You just never know on day two or three how the game would have panned out," Amla said.
Beaten inside three days on a turning track in the series opener in Mohali, South Africa betrayed spin vulnerability in Bangalore as well with eight of them succumbing to the Indian spinners in their first innings.
Amla said the team would strive to play better cricket in Nagpur.
"We got a long layoff for these rained-out days, everybody's very keen to get back on the park. We are looking forward to Nagpur and hopefully play some better cricket."
LONDON-- Rafael Nadal cut world number two Andy Murray down to size with an impressive 6-4 6-1 victory at the ATP World Tour Finals on Wednesday which provided further evidence of the Spaniard's return to his former powers.
A distracted Murray, who bizarrely clipped his fringe with a pair of scissors during one changeover early on, capitulated, but only after Nadal had softened him up with the kind of ferocious hitting that earned him 14 grand slam titles.
Ripping forehands to all corners of the court and moving smoothly, the 29-year-old dominated throughout to qualify for the semi-finals with a match to spare and leave Murray facing a Friday decider against Stanislas Wawrinka.
Nadal's progress could have been held up had compatriot David Ferrer beaten Wawrinka in the evening session, but having led 5-2 in the first set and having a set point, Ferrer succumbed, losing 7-5 6-2 to the Swiss world number four.
Having failed to win a grand slam title for the first year since 2004, and temporarily sliding to 10th in the world rankings, the naysayers have been out in force predicting Nadal's demise but the former world number one continued his recent renaissance against Murray.
It was a powerful performance that would have had his worldwide army of fans purring.
"For me to be able to play at that level against such a great player is good news," Nadal, who will top the group whatever happens against Ferrer on Friday, told reporters.
"Happy for that. I just want to try to keep working the same way to keep confirming that I am in the completely right direction. Today I felt free. I was enjoying on court."
For British world number two Murray, his thoughts may already be drifting towards next week's Davis Cup final against Belgium on a claycourt in Ghent, although victory over Wawrinka on Friday will earn him a place in the semi-finals.
"I think he was hitting the ball extremely well today from the back of the court," Murray told reporters.
"From the middle till the end of the second set he played extremely well. But I didn't really help myself. I served poorly at the end of the first set and all through the second.
"Obviously I lost comfortably to Rafa today and I could play him in a couple days' time and it could be a different story."
Murray won only 10 percent of points on his second serve in the second set, and a nine-point losing streak virtually sealed his fate and left him waiting for a first win over Nadal in London, having lost three times to him at Wimbledon and once before at the O2 Arena in 2010.
He became slightly irritated when asked about his mid-match haircut, saying: "I don't know why such minor things make such a big deal to you guys.
"I had some hair in my eye, and I just wanted to get rid of it. That literally took two seconds."
The 28-year-old's vision had looked clear enough at the start of the match, breaking serve in the opening game, only to drop his own serve immediately as Nadal worked the angles.
Trailing 2-3, Murray did well to fend off three break points, but he found himself 15-40 down again two games later, and once more wriggled out of danger.
His luck ran out though. Nadal creamed a forehand winner to bring up three set points at 4-5 and needed just one as he ran Murray ragged before winning the point with a deft volley.
An awful service game from Murray allowed Nadal a quick break in the second set and the Mallorcan needed no second invitation to stomp towards victory.
LONDON-- Novak Djokovic has left the chasing pack breathing in his fumes this season but he spluttered at the ATP World Tour Finals on Tuesday as Roger Federer ended his 23-match winning streak with a 7-5 6-2 group stage victory.
The world number one would probably have beaten most players, even with the errors piling up and his serve out of sync, but not Swiss great Federer who sealed a semi-final spot with a match to spare.
Federer has now been responsible for three of Djokovic's six defeats this season, edging ahead 22-21 in their career rivalry.
Djokovic's first indoor loss since 2012, in which time he has won three consecutive London year-enders, means he needs to beat Czech Tomas Berdych on Thursday to be sure of joining Federer in the semi-finals.
Japan's Kei Nishikori beat Berdych 7-5 3-6 6-3 in the day's early offering, the first three-set match so far.
While it earned world number eight Nishikori another $167,000, the reward for a group win, it is likely to prove in vain unless he beats Federer in his final match and Berdych defeats Djokovic.
Djokovic could even scramble through with a three-set defeat, providing Nishikori does not win.
"These kind of things happen. I have to accept it and hopefully work on it tomorrow and get better in the next one," Djokovic, winner of three of the year's grand slams and a record six Masters Series titles, told reporters.
"Credit to Roger for mixing up the pace ... I made a lot of unforced errors and just handed him the win in the second set," added the 28-year-old who managed to win only a quarter of points on his first serve in the second set.
Djokovic had been untroubled until the 12th game when Federer earned a couple of set points, converting the second with a sublime half-volley dink off a dipping Djokovic backhand.
A tired-looking Djokovic backhand slice into the net gave Federer a 2-0 lead in the second set, and although the Swiss six-times champion gifted back the break, he raced away to a 5-2 lead and claimed victory on his second match point.
"I had focused more on beating Berdych and Nishikori and let's see what happens against Novak," 34-year-old Federer told reporters. "That shows me that I didn't expect this victory."
Reacting to Djokovic's claim that he handed him the win, Federer said: "It's not like he played terrible. I know he can play better. Why did he play that way? I'd like to give myself credit for that, quite honestly, yeah."
Nishikori and Berdych provided the match of the tournament so far -- an absorbing duel full of eye-catching rallies.
World number eight Nishikori was in trouble when he faced a break point at 3-3 in the deciding set but he weathered a barrage of Berdych power to fend it off before going on to claim his first win in Stan Smith Group.
"That was a really big point. He had three, four shots that he went really aggressive. I was defending all the time. I mean, last shot, I kind of went for it, closed my eyes."
"Was a little bit lucky I made that shot."
World number six Berdych, beaten by Federer in his opening match, squandered a great chance in the first set when Nishikori was serving at 4-5 15-30, missing a wide-open court with a backhand at the end of a brilliant rally.
It proved costly as Berdych dropped serve in the next game and Nishikori clinched the set with a pinpoint forehand.
The 30-year-old Berdych reeled off five successive games on his way to win the second set and the decider was toe-to-toe, before the Czech flinched first.
LONDON-- England beat France 2-0 in an emotional friendly at Wembley on Tuesday when more than 70,000 fans paid tribute to the victims of the Paris attacks with English fans roaring out a spine-tingling rendition of the visitors' national anthem.
The supporters of both teams also impeccably observed a minute's silence to honour the victims ahead of a match that will be remembered more for the symbolic nature of the occasion than for most of the action on the pitch.
Played just four days after the Islamic State's assault in Paris left 129 people dead, the English fans, along with the away supporters, showed remarkable dignity and respect.
The players were led on to the field by Prince William and the team managers -- England's Roy Hodgson and France's Didier Deschamps -- who carried wreaths while fans waved the tricolour.
"It was a very poignant occasion and we achieved all the things we wanted to achieve in the rememberance. An act of defiance was better than the other alternative," said Hodgson.
France defender Laurent Koscielny, who plays for Arsenal, added: "It was important for everybody that we played, for those who were watching us and for the victims. I know the English, they have a lot of respect for the French, we saw that tonight."
After kickoff, although France appeared to settle first, almost relieved the pre-match observations were over, England held the upper hand and took a grip with goals from man of the match Dele Alli and Wayne Rooney either side of halftime.
Understandably, after a traumatic few days, France found the going tough on the Wembley turf. "The performance was not easy for us. We had a lack of aggression and concentration but I think maybe it's a bit normal," Lloris said.
England midfielder Alli, 19, blasted the ball past his Tottenham Hotspur club goalkeeper Lloris into the top corner for his first international goal after 39 minutes.
"He was almost faultless, he was outstanding," Hodgson said of Alli, who was winning his fourth cap on his first start."
Rooney, playing in what is becoming a more usual deep-lying role, doubled England's lead in the 48th minute after Alli, who started the move, found Raheem Sterling who crossed for Rooney to volley home his 51st international goal.
England striker Harry Kane twice went close to scoring, including a searing long-range drive in the second half which flew just wide.
England, who played poorly in a 2-0 friendly defeat away to Spain on Friday, had not beaten France in six meetings since 1997, but the visitors never made it easy for the home side on what was obviously a difficult evening for their players.
The visitors' best chance fell to midfielder Yohan Cabaye of Crystal Palace, one of 13 players in the 23-man France squad who are playing, or have played, their club football in England. His seventh minute shot flew just over Joe Hart's crossbar.
The unusual nature of the occasion was clear during the game with the crowd applauding France substitutes Lassana Diarra and Antoine Griezmann when they came on in the second half.
A cousin of Diarra's was killed in Friday's attacks, while Griezmann's sister escaped unhurt from the Bataclan concert venue where 89 people lost their lives.
There was hardly a foul during the game and afterwards the fans and the England team roundly applauded the France players.
"It was a difficult night for everyone, especially for the French players and staff," Rooney said.
"I thought both teams handled it really well. I'm sure this will get shown round the world and show the togetherness and unity in ourselves and France and in football.
"As Didier Deschamps said, it's not about religion, it's not about race, it's about togetherness.
"Anyone can play the game of football and hopefully tonight shows whoever you are around the world, you can come together. We need to stand tall and stand together at this tough time."
Houston Texans quarterback Brian Hoyer (7) is pursued by Cincinnati Bengals defensive end Michael Johnson (90) in a NFL football game at Paul Brown Stadiumin Cincinnati. Texans won 10-6. (Kirby Lee-USA TODAY Sports.)
