India set 273-run target for Sussex

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The Indians declared their second innings on 184 for 8, setting Sussex a target of 273 with a minimum of 40 overs remaining on the final day of the warm-up match at Hove. The match was intriguingly poised at lunch, with the Indians on 116 for 6.
Michael Yardy struck twice in the first over after the break, but RP Singh, with a blustery 41, thwarted Sussex's hopes of dismissing the Indians.
RP Singh and Dravid added 64 runs for the ninth wicket before Dravid decided it was time to let his bowlers have a shot at Sussex.
Sussex's fast bowlers made inroads into the Indian top order and ensured that the match was on level terms on the final day of the warm-up match at Hove. The Indians lost four wickets for 95 runs during the morning session and went into lunch with an overall lead of 204.
The Indian top order had batted with caution in the first innings, determined to spend valuable time in the middle. In the second innings, however, that application was not present for both Yuvraj Singh and Dinesh Karthik gave it away after settling down, and Gautam Gambhir fell to a half-hearted shot before getting his eye in.
The Indians began the day on 21 for 2, with Karthik on 4 and Yuvraj on 2. James Kirtley and Jason Lewry had bowled testing spells just before stumps on the third day but this morning they were not as disciplined. Kirtley struggled to adjust to the right- and left-hand combination and bowled a leg-stump line, allowing Yuvraj to get going with a couple of easy boundaries behind square on the leg side. Yuvraj scored predominantly on the on side, barring one cover drive for four, but Kirtley eventually got him to nick an attempted flick to wicketkeeper Andy Hodd.
Karthik, who had batted cautiously last evening, was fluent this morning. He latched on to anything short from Lewry, cutting through point and pulling him in front of midwicket early in the day. Kirtley bowled a couple of over-pitched deliveries to Karthik and were driven through cover point for boundaris.
It was Robin Martin-Jenkins who first unsettled Karthik with a short ball that caught him off guard and kissed the gloves before flying over Hodd's head for four. A little later, Martin-Jenkins pitched one on leg and middle and got it to straighten; Karthik tried to flick across the line and was struck plumb in front to leave India on 76 for 4. Gambhir, usually proficient at dispatching wide deliveries through point, decided to play at a Martin-Jenkins delivery very late; it climbed on him and he spooned an easy catch to Carl Hopkinson at point.
Rahul Dravid, batting with Karthik as a runner because of his calf strain, and VVS Laxman looked solid against both pace and spin. Laxman laced a couple of classy drives through cover before he was dismissed by a stroke of bad luck. He went on to the back foot to hit a long hop from Saqlain Mushtaq through covers, Michael Thornley was in the way at silly point and the ball bounced off his shin pad straight to Hodd behind the stumps.
Having taken six wickets, Sussex attacked with Saqlain and Olli Rayner, the other offspinner, bowling with men crowding the bat. The ball gripped the fourth-day pitch and bounced and turned sharply and Anil Kumble survived several tense moments before the break. With two sessions to go, the match was intriguingly poised. India could either declare after lunch and have a shot at Sussex, or they could be bowled out early and Sussex could make a dash for the target. -Cricinfo