“Mankatha Master CD is Ready guys” - Director Venkat Prabhu

Finally, everybody can keep their fingers crossed as the final master copy of Thala’s ‘Mankatha’ has reached the Sony BMG now. Yes, it was earlier mentioned by Yuvan Shankar Raja that he is working on the promo song that is taking more time. It is because they were not impressed with the track and they wanted to work from the scratch.
However on the spur of moment, the makers of the film have decided to keep away the song and have now made it sure that it has only 8 tracks.

Venkat Prabhu has said that they are all happy with the entire album and soon will get ready to ‘Open the Bottles’.

INDIA Vs ENGLAND(Dhoni bullish on 2000 more Tests )

Related Links Audio/Video: 'Honour to lead in the 100th Test' - MS Dhoni Matches: England v India at Lord's Series/Tournaments: India tour of England Teams: England | India

The world is changing but there's no reason Test cricket won't survive another 2000 matches, India's captain MS Dhoni has said. Dhoni was speaking on the eve of the Lord's Test between England and India, which has the distinction of being the 2000th Test, as well as the 100th between the countries and the first of what is expected to be a closely fought series.

The milestone comes at a time when Test cricket is under threat from the shorter forms of the game - Twenty20, the newest format, and the revival in popularity of the ODI following the World Cup earlier this year. Asked whether he thought Test cricket would survive another 2000 matches, Dhoni offered a nuanced response. "What's important is to see where it's going and there's no reason why we should doubt it because wherever I've gone I've seen a good response on the field. Of course you'll have games where there won't be a full house compared to some of the ODIs or the T20 format but yes, people are still following Test cricket."

The challenge, as he pointed out, also comes from the changes in contemporary lifestyles. "The world has changed. It means you have to go to your job, with the privatisation and everything that is happening, the bosses want you to spend more time at your desk and look less at the television so all of these things play a big role in it. But there's no good reason why Test cricket can't survive or won't survive for the next 2000 games."

	MS Dhoni believes Test cricket can survive to the modern lifestyle © AFP Enlarge

The figure lent an already-special match an extra sheen, he said. "You can look at the number and feel good about it, because 2000 is a big number which means the game has survived for a long time, and 100 between India and England means we have a long-term relation with the English side. It's a special game - playing at Lord's is always special - but overall, rather than thinking too much about the numbers, we can just look at the number and be proud. You can't play 100 games against one nation but when you have left cricket you can look back and say you played in the 100th Test between India and England, and 2000 when it comes to the history. We can be proud we are playing but at the same time we need to stick to the basics and enjoy the game."

His counterpart Andrew Strauss, while appreciating the occasion, spoke of the importance of the bottom-line. "It helps in hyping up the series, although I don't think this series needs any hyping because India versus England is two very good sides with some high quality players. The recipe is there for it to be a very entertaining series. The wider context is not something we are focusing on. In any Test series every side is hoping to get a fast start, get ahead and then earn the right over four Tests to win the series. All that other stuff is not for us to concentrate on and will look after itself."

Ashes at stake in WACA battle

Match Facts

	Mitchell Johnson is back in the Australia reckoning © Getty Images Enlarge
Related Links News : 'I need to get my head straight' - Johnson Players/Officials: Tim Bresnan | Mitchell Johnson | Chris Tremlett Matches: Australia v England at Perth Series/Tournaments: England tour of Australia Teams: Australia | England

December 16-20, Perth
Start time 10:30 (02:30 GMT)

The Big Picture

All both teams want for Christmas is a win, but Australia would settle for a draw as a way of stopping the damage from an opponent showing few weaknesses. England lead the five-match contest 1-0 and will retain the Ashes with a victory, which is the most likely result on the form of the opening two encounters. England have never secured the urn before Christmas in their 133-year history of visits Down Under, and they may never have a better chance.

The series is only 10 days old but already it has taken a toll on both sides. Stuart Broad has been ruled out with a stomach tear and will spend his week in the Test Match Special commentary box instead of the dressing room. Simon Katich's heel problem has forced him out of the side and Australia have called for the type of wholesale changes England teams were mocked for making between 1989 and 2002-03. It's young talent time for the hosts, with Steven Smith (21), Phillip Hughes (22) and Michael Beer (26) coming in, and Mitchell Johnson in favour again after a week spent in the WACA nets.

Apart from which fast bowler to pick to replace Broad, England's main worry is their recent history of giving away hard-won series leads. They allowed Australia to level the 2009 Ashes after four games - but recovered to take the trophy - and also drew in South Africa after earning an early advantage. Australia are praying for more generosity this time.

Form guide

(most recent first)

Australia LDLLL
England WDWLW

Watch out for...

Mitchell Johnson is back. That would have been a scary line once, but over the past two years he has become a man of mystery. Dropped for the first time in his Test career after going wicket-less in Brisbane, Johnson has trained his way back after an intense week working with Troy Cooley, the bowling coach. The WACA is a great venue for Johnson, who has 21 wickets in three Tests, including a career-best match haul of 11 for 159. Australia need that version of Johnson in this fixture, not the ineffective model that appeared at the Gabba.

The new dad James Anderson has been to Lancashire and back over the past week to be at the birth of his second child. Over the next five days he will have to battle jet-lag and an Australia batting line-up that is determined not to be overwhelmed by England's remodelled attack. Anderson's control and swing will be vital, especially when he's running into the breeze of the Fremantle Doctor. He was dropped for the Perth Test on the previous tour, but is such a better bowler than he was four years ago..

Team news

Australia's big question surrounds whether to play Peter Siddle, the bowler who started the series with six wickets on the opening day in Brisbane. Siddle hasn't claimed a victim in Australia's past two innings and Ryan Harris jumped ahead of him in Adelaide. If both Johnson and Ben Hilfenhaus, the in-to-the-wind man, come back in, then Siddle will probably miss out. He may get a reprieve if Beer is left out, but that will depend on the wicket on Thursday morning. Ponting is delaying naming the side until he takes one final look at the surface.

Australia (probable) 1 Shane Watson, 2 Phillip Hughes, 3 Ricky Ponting (capt), 4 Michael Clarke, 5 Michael Hussey, 6 Steven Smith, 7 Brad Haddin (wk), 8 Mitchell Johnson, 9 Michael Beer, 10 Ryan Harris, 11 Ben Hilfenhaus.

Broad's replacement has come down to a two-man race between Chris Tremlett and Tim Bresnan. Tremlett offers extra bounce with his height while the powerful Bresnan provides greater nous on flat pitches. Whoever gets the nod will have a crucial role to play alongside Anderson, Steven Finn and Graeme Swann.

England (probable) 1 Andrew Strauss (capt), 2 Alastair Cook, 3 Jonathan Trott, 4 Kevin Pietersen, 5 Paul Collingwood, 6 Ian Bell, 7 Matt Prior (wk), 8 Graeme Swann, 9 James Anderson, 10 Chris Tremlett, 11 Steven Finn.

Pitch and conditions

Perth is always talked up as a fast man's favourite but over the past decade it has disappointed. Every year there is excited chatter from the locals that this time it will recapture its past glories. Maybe it will really happen this time. The pitch is expected to start with a tinge of green, but the cracking late in the match is expected to be a far greater concern to the batsmen than early seam movement. Sunny conditions are forecast throughout the game, with maximum temperatures above 30C.

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INDIA TEAM PREPARING TO FACE SA

Top-of-table clash too tight to call(IND Vs SA)

It's there in the rarefied air of the Highveld. It's on the radio, it's being talked about in pubs even during a Manchester United-Arsenal game, it's on the streets, it will soon be seen from the grass banks. The No. 1 Test side in the world is here for a three-Test series, no longer the miserable tourists of the past, still with history against them. South Africa are ready, they are going to spice the pitches up a bit, they are going to try and make a move towards the ranking that was theirs before India took it away. It is a series that could define both the teams, but with two days to go the prudent thing to do is to sit on the fence and not call any favourites, as the following breakdown shows.

Top orders
Virender Sehwag and Gautam Gambhir are arguably the best opening combination going around today, but they haven't been tested in seamer-friendly conditions consistently by bowlers of the calibre of Dale Steyn and Morne Morkel. Still it would need a very good combination to hold an edge over Sehwag and Gambhir. Graeme Smith is as tough as they come, and Alviro Petersen scored a century on debut against India. However, if Sehwag and Gambhir have to face a test of conditions, Zaheer Khan holds a mental edge over Smith. As it often happens, and as it might happen for the series overall, this one might just come down to Sehwag.

Following the openers we have one of the best Nos 3 ever, and another who is in the form of his life. Rahul Dravid is usually just the man for overcast and seamer-friendly conditions, but he last faced such a test in Australia in 2007-08. Since then he has had dips in form, he has been hit by a bouncer that made him miss a Test for only the second time in his career, and there have been calls for younger blood. That there was no question about his selection is testimony to his value to the team, and he is coming off a 191 against New Zealand. Hashim Amla is the most Indian of batsmen you will get to see out of India, and he has serenely and surely been scoring runs by the truckloads. Since he came to India earlier this year, he has averaged 88 in Tests and 76 in ODIs. It is tough to argue against such a No. 3.

Between awe and toughness, reputation and form, it is difficult to stick a neck out here.

Middle orders The Nos 4 of the two teams are absolute legends and have been around forever. In the last series, both of them scored centuries, and nothing much is expected to change there. Sachin Tendulkar is having one of his best years with the bat, Jacques Kallis is not out of form either. Has he ever been? Tendulkar knows the conditions as well as any batsman not South African. You wouldn't bet against Kallis either, who has already scored four centuries this year, and can also bowl pretty mean bouncers and outswingers if needed.

VVS Laxman at No. 5 carries bundles of class and a first-class degree in crisis management with him, AB de Villiers the confidence from having just scored the highest individual score for a South African. However, like Dravid, Laxman hasn't put his fire-fighting skills to test on spicy pitches under overcast skies for a long time. Does that make de Villiers more reliable? Still hard to tell.

Ashwell Prince and Suresh Raina are relative weak links, but Prince's experience and knowledge of home conditions edge out Raina. South Africa might hold a slight edge here, but Tendulkar and Laxman are not batsmen to be written off.

Wicketkeepers
Mark Boucher is more likely to score important lower-order runs than MS Dhoni, if only because the conditions suit his game better. Behind the stumps, there isn't much between them. If Dhoni is flashy with stumpings, he has been a touch slow going for the catches to his right. South Africa hold a slight advantage here, but in the final equation it might not count for a lot.

Spinners
India hold an edge here, but the conditions might negate the spinners as attacking options. Harbhajan, though, will love the bounce on offer after a long season on slow Indian tracks. Don't forget what Lord Harris did to India in the deciding Test on the last tour.

Fast bowlers
Tight. Very tight. You would want to back South Africa with Steyn and Morkel arguably being the most dangerous opening bowling combination. It's the third seamer's slot where India level the scales. Zaheer, Ishant Sharma and Sreesanth are all aggressive bowlers, all three capable of utilising helpful conditions. There is a rider, though. Except for Zaheer, you are never quite sure what you will get from the Indian seamers. Ishant and Sreesanth can be very good on their days, but on an off day they can be very bad. With Steyn and Morkel, you are assured of a degree of control.

Zaheer's fitness remains dodgy. He did bowl in the nets today, making the Indian camp feel better, but they were still not completely certain that Zaheer will make it for the first Test. If he doesn't, South Africa will have a clear advantage.

Slip catching
In seaming conditions, there will be quite a few coming the slippers way. If there is such a thing called catching form, Dravid hasn't been in it. He also injured his finger while dropping one against New Zealand, and is not even sure if he will be standing in the slips. Tendulkar has been out of slips for some time now, with an injured finger, and Laxman's back doesn't let him stay there for long durations. Expect to see a lot of Sehwag and Raina there.

South Africa are not sure of Smith's presence there he recently fractured a finger but Kallis and de Villiers provide their cordon a more stable look.

Final equation
On paper, nothing gives. It could come down to what kind of mental state the Indian batsmen are in. Collectively and individually, South Africa is the only country where they have failed to compete consistently. Tendulkar's average falls from 57 overall to 40 in South Africa, Dravid's from 53 to 34, Sehwag's from 55 to 26, and Laxman's from 48 to 41. Consequently, just one win in 12 attempts. They all know they need to correct it, but how much does that play on their minds? It might not matter much if India get off to a good start, but history which says something about India's dislike for the conditions here gives South Africa the slight advantage.

Equally South Africa have a relatively modern history to correct after having failed to close out two Tests against England last season. They have not won either of their last two home series, both against top opposition. That just makes their advantage even slighter. If this is not dead even, it is the closest thing to it.