September is an unusual time to play cricket in Kolkata. The monsoon is only just winding down and grand Puja festivities are around the corner. Eden Gardens has never hosted a Test in this month. Add the freshly relaid square and the overcast, muggy weather to the mix and there is an uncertainty about what to expect from the conditions.There is less doubt about Indias combination for the second Test against New Zealand, but they have added offspinner Jayant Yadav to the squad just in case.Jayants inclusion as a replacement for the ill Ishant Sharma might seem odd, but it makes sense given the occasional discomfort R Ashwin bowled with in the first Test in Kanpur. Ashwin said he had gone into the match without having bowled a lot in the previous 25 days because of a corn, a painful area of thickened skin, on the middle finger of his bowling hand.This game especially, I have a corn on my finger and I havent bowled a lot in the last 25 days, Ashwin had said after the third day in Kanpur. Im not very happy with the way it has come out so far. I just hope that I can do better in the series.Jayant is likely to be on stand-by if the corn proves too painful for Ashwin to play in Kolkata, but Indias coach Anil Kumble said all 15 players were available for selection. Even if Jayant doesnt play, bowling alongside Test spinners to Test batsmen in the nets is valuable experience. Ashwin did not bowl at practice two days before the Test, but that is no indication of his fitness because others had also opted out of the optional training session.Among those who turned up, Virat Kohli practised batting against a rubber ball, presumably to get used to a bit of spongy or uneven bounce. He had failed to control a slog sweep in the second innings in Kanpur, top-edging for a catch.Shikhar Dhawan had a long net, which is indication that he will open in KL Rahuls absence though Gautam Gambhir was brought into the squad. That much was clear because as soon as the first Test finished in Kanpur, batting coach Sanjay Bangar and Kumble arranged a practice session for Dhawan on the fifth-day pitch at Green Park.Kumble, though, welcomed Gambhir back into the squad. I think its really nice to have Gautam back, Kumble said in Kolkata. Unfortunately Rahul got injured in the last Test match. I think for some reason something has been happening with the openers. Vijay got injured in West Indies. Now Rahul. Its unfortunate because Rahul was batting brilliantly. Having said that, Gautam has done really well in domestic cricket. Hes part of the 15. I dont want to give away anything with regard to team combinations.Rohit Sharma, whose place in the side is always debated, might have earned breathing space with a half-century in the second innings in Kanpur, but Kumble has not forgotten the shot he played in the first innings to throw away a start of 35.Generally over the last one year, we have constantly gone with five bowlers but in the last Test match we felt that four bowlers and the additional batsman was important, and thats why Rohit came into the team at No. 6, Kumble said. Him batting well certainly augurs well for us. In the first innings, obviously he was disappointed with the way he got out. Thats something which he is aware of and when he played in the second innings, it was a brilliant innings.That knock, with Jadeja in that partnership of 100-plus, was crucial as well for us to take the game away from the New Zealanders and ensure that we dominate that session. That momentum got carried over when we went on to bowl as well. So in that sense, Rohit contributing was a huge boost for not just the team, but Im sure it would have done a lot of good for his confidence.Whether India play five bowlers or four, and how comfortable Ashwin feels, will only be known during and after their final training session before the Test. The conditions on the eve of the match will also play an important role, though Kumble said he wasnt worried about them.I still havent had a look at the pitch, he said. Yes its early in the season, theres been a lot of rain in the air and I hope rain doesnt play spoilsport during the Test match. It will be a good wicket. 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NEW YORK -- Floyd Mayweather and Saul "Canelo" Alvarez stared each other down for nearly a minute and the cheers from the fans packed into Times Square grew louder by the second. This is the matchup theyve been waiting to see: Four belts, two undefeated fan favourites -- and a title fight simply billed as "The One." "Canelo, I appreciate you for taking the fight," Mayweather said on a steamy Monday in the heart of Manhattan in front of a few thousand fans standing behind metal barriers or sitting in temporary bleachers with Broadway marquees serving as a colorful backdrop. "Now," Mayweather said, "lets give the fans what they want to see." The fighters kicked off an 11-city tour to officially announce and promote their title fight at the MGM Grand in Las Vegas on Sept. 14. The promotional tour includes stops in cities such as Washington D.C., Chicago, Miami and Mexico City, and is jumpstarting the hype ahead of one of boxings most anticipated bouts in recent memory. Mayweather, 36, is unbeaten in 44 fights with the last a unanimous 12-round decision over Robert Guerrero on May 4 in defence of his 147-pound title. "The Earth is my turf," Mayweather said. "You can put me in any ring and I will always come out victorious." Alvarez, a 22-year-old star from Mexico, is 42-0-1 and unified the 154-pound titles in April with a unanimous victory over Austin Trout on April 20. "In the sport of boxing, its everybodys time, and this is my time," Alvarez said through a translator as fans chanted "Mex-i-co!" "Im going to win." The 12-round fight will be contested at 152 pounds with both mens super welterweight/junior middleweight titles on the line -- Mayweathers WBA super welterweight "super" championship, and Alvarezs WBC, WBA and Ring Magazine super welterweight championships. The bout, expected to be a monstrous draw on pay-per-view for Showtime, also just might satisfy many fans who had been wishing during the last several years for Mayweather to take on Manny Pacquiao. "In every sport, there are certain rare occasions when you have the best fighting the best," said Stephen Espinoza, executive vice-president and general manager of Showtime Sports. "The Super Bowl, Final Four, the college football national championship. Sept. 14 will be one of those occasions -- the two biggest stars in the sport, the two biggest fan bases. "We have Americas No. 1 fighter versus Mexicos No. 1 fighter. We have the No. 1 pound-for-pound fighter in the sport versus the No. 1 new star in the sport." There remains some dispute over who set the 152-pound catch weight, with Mayweathers camp saying Alvarezs people brought it up first. Alvarez, however, insisted it was Mayweather who decided on having both fight at 152 pounds instead of 154. "It wasnt me," Alvarez told reporters before the news conference. "I dont want to fight 2 pounds below my weight class." There was also some contention between the two because Alvarez chose to headline his own fight card against Trout rather than be included on the undercard of Mayweather-Guerrero card. But both fighters agreed that this is a matchup that needed to happen.dddddddddddd "Ive visualized this fight for years," Alvarez said, "and I feel Im going to win." The fighters each announced on Twitter last month that they would face each other, exciting boxing fans around the world. Mondays event marked perhaps the sports most ambitious promotional tour since Mayweather and Oscar De La Hoya also stopped in 11 cities before their 2007 bout -- won by Mayweather. Alvarez has been picking De La Hoyas brain about fighting Mayweather, and the former champion believes the young star has a few advantages -- including youth -- he didnt have. "I used reckless pressure and hes going to use smart pressure," De La Hoya said. "Thats what going to be the difference. ... And I have three letters for (Alvarez): jab." Each fighter took a stroll down a makeshift red carpet leading to the dais with pops of confetti marking their entrances. Mayweather received a noticeable amount of boos with the crowd appearing to slightly favour Alvarez. One fan, though, got Mayweather to crack up when he held up a Chucky doll from the "Childs Play" movie franchise, taking a clear shot at Alvarezs hair colour. The two took their seats after their stare-down -- Mayweather next to Leonard Ellerbe, the CEO Mayweather Promotions, and Alvarez next to De la Hoya, the president of Golden Boy Promotions. It was a mostly tame news conference with the banter between sides at a minimum. Before the news conference, Mayweather talked about shooting a commercial with the Spanish-speaking Alvarez and someone asked why he isnt doing his usual trash talking with his opponent. "He wouldnt understand me anyway," Mayweather said, laughing. It is the second in Mayweathers six-bout, 30-month contract with Showtime that could pay him more than $200 million. After Mayweather beat Guerrero, he said he wanted to fight again in September -- marking the first time since 2007 he will be in the ring twice in a calendar year. "I said I was going to be very active so I could stay sharp and be at the top of my game," Mayweather said. Mayweather showed little rust while dominating Guerrero by using superior defensive skills in his first ring appearance since serving a jail term for assaulting the mother of his children. Alvarez is a confident and rapidly rising fighter who should provide a huge test for Mayweather. Alvarez was dominant against the previously unbeaten Trout, showing up some fans and media who speculated that perhaps he wasnt ready to face such an experienced opponent. "To be the best," Alvarez said when asked before the news conference what his motivation is to fight Mayweather now. "(I want) to go down in history as the guy who beat the guy people consider the best." When the news conference was over, both fighters got up and stared each other down one more time. And again, the crowd went wild. "Its always been one of my ultimate goals to get to the pinnacle of the sport and push myself to the limit by facing the best," Mayweather said. "Hes a young champion. What else can I say?" ' ' '