India are slowly but steadily becoming like the coolest things in the world: Batmans gadgets.The comics, cartoons, graphic novels and movies take a unanimous stand in depicting them as some of the most resourceful tools ever imagined. It may be too soon to confirm that Virat Kohli and his men could be seen in much the same way. Just as it would be improper not to give them credit for the tough Test cricket they have played since their tour of Australia in 2014-15. Four multi-match Test series played, four series won. And, now, an unassailable lead in the fifth.The way India have gone 2-0 up after three of the five matches against England bears repeating. They lost the toss, their first-choice opener, and the first hour of play in Mohali. They rallied to keep the opposition well under par - Alastair Cook wanted 400, he was stuck with 283. They were patient against high-class bowling. They showed the wherewithal to fight back from a bad situation - 156 for 5 - and finish in a position of dominance - 417. The spinners excelled. The fast bowlers made an impact. And all of this was done on a pitch which wasnt a rank turner. India becoming capable of such performances is the result of the depth in their side.R Ashwin has found a way to make ordinary cricket balls behave like batarangs: going one way for a distance, lulling the enemy into a false sense of security and then taking him out. Mohammed Shami and Umesh Yadav have been fast. Theyve been mean, bouncing batsmen out and harnessing both conventional and reverse swing. They have even stolen the show. Just like a couple of Batmobiles. And then there is Kohli himself. Larger than life. Doing unexplainable things. Always up for a fight. He is this teams Batman. Anil Kumble, of course, is Alfred.An important factor in Indias success is how they have been capable of having and executing plans - and more pertinently, theyve only had to go as far as plans A and B.For example, all the bowlers have tried to probe for Cooks outside edge. The England captain has reacquainted himself with the off stump since his slump in form a few years ago, and so may not be the most forthcoming to nick off to the slips. However, by setting up a routine where Cook keeps dragging his front foot across, he has ended up vulnerable to the ball coming back in. In these cases, the bat would have to come around the pad a little bit, which creates a gap that Shami and Ashwin have both exploited in this series. India are trying not to be desperate for wickets. They work for them, intelligently and relentlessly. The spinners keep the runs down and the pressure up. The quicks make it a point to be as hostile as possible. All of it culminates in the batsman feeling he has nowhere to go but back to the pavilion.Its great to have the seamers bowl in short bursts, Kohli said. You know, bowl with pace, rather than long spells in the heat. Having quality spinners obviously helps the fast bowlers to stay fresh and come in for those quick spells of three-four overs and try to create opportunities. It has to be done in partnerships, and I think they are combining really well.The batsmen, especially the lower order, have profited by the simplest of methods as well: making sure they stay at the crease.There is no magic as such, Ravindra Jadeja, who comes in at No. 7 or 8, said. The simple thing is that we are focussing more. In the nets, we give ourselves more batting time. We speak to the batting coach a lot and, mentally, we are prepared to take responsibility and try to bat well in difficult situations.That India have not been harassed into digging into their contingencies shows an increase in their skills level. They havent let England get on a roll since the Rajkot draw. They havent panicked. Jos Buttler tried to instigate some panic in the second innings in Mohali, but, sensing his aggression, India made a bowling change - Jayant Yadav - and installed a man on the wide long-on boundary - Jadeja, one of their best fielders - and piggy-backed on Buttlers aggression towards victory.India have met many challenges over the last two years, barring, of course, the dreaded overseas tour where the pitches aid fast bowling. Good stories, though, build up to a clash with the arch enemy.While it seems imprudent to pitch a 13-Test home season, or for that matter the series wins over South Africa, Sri Lanka and West Indies, as fillers for the climax, it is also impossible not to. Success away from their own shores is what the fans are demanding; it is the caveat that has tagged along with every praise India have earned. This squad, though, gives Kohli plenty of options, and he has shown an ability as captain to enhance their threat. It doesnt seem too outlandish to think that things will change come the next tour. Wholesale Air Max 97 . They were putting most of their energy into a record-setting offensive display. Cheap Air Max 97 Wholesale . On Tuesday, Ottawa placed forward Cory Conacher and defenceman Joe Corvo on waivers as trade rumours swirl around the Senators. http://www.cheapairmax97china.com/ .C. -- After a listless first half, the Washington Wizards used a big third quarter run to beat the Charlotte Bobcats Bradley Beal scored 21 points and the Wizards used a 17-0 run in the third quarter to take control of what had been a close game and beat the Bobcats 97-83 on Tuesday night. Air Max 97 Clearance .B. - Sebastien Auger made 44 saves as the Saint John Sea Dogs edged the visiting Acadie-Bathurst Titan 2-1 on Saturday in Quebec Major Junior Hockey League action. Cheap Air Max 97 .Y. -- Paul Byron and Matt Stajan scored as the Calgary Flames started a five-game road trip with a 2-1 overtime win over the Buffalo Sabres on Saturday afternoon. The bottom two clubs in the Premier League meet on Saturday in a clash that already has the hallmark of a game that could define the season.Stoke City (0-3-4) and Sunderland (0-2-5) are both winless and separated by just a point at the foot of the table, while no other clubs in the English top-flight are yet to record a victory this season.And although its too early to describe any game in the division as a relegation tussle, the performances shown by both the Potters and the Black Cats in the opening two months of the campaign suggest that defeat in this game would leave either side with a lot of soul-searching to do before being able to find enough form to pull clear of danger.However, despite the pressure on the result, Stoke City boss Mark Hughes is arriving into Saturdays encounter with a surprisingly high level of confidence, with the coach looking to project as many positives as possible from his teams draw with Manchester United last time outWere the home side and if we play as well as weve done in recent weeks then we should (win), Hughes told reporters in his Thursday media conference. I think weve seen good signs in recent weeks -- we played really, really well at Old Trafford and deservedly got the point.Everybody can see weve been working hard and were trying to get that first win on the board. When we do I think that everybody believes that were going to go on from that point. It needs to happen at the weekend and Im fully confident that well be in good shape to look to make it happen.Sunderland also picked up a positive result last timme out, drawing 1-1 with West Bromwich Albion to double their points tally from the previous six matches.ddddddddddddowever, manager David Moyes has yet to settle on an effective starting lineup since taking over at the club in the summer, and he hasnt been helped by a growing injury list.Jan Kirchhoff, Jason Denayer, Adnan Januzaj, Fabio Borini and Vito Mannone are all absent, while Victor Anichebe, Lee Cattermole and Steven Pienaar are also doubts for this contest.The pile up of fitness concerns is particularly damaging given the lack of depth in the Black Cats squad, and midfielder Sebastien Larsson -- who remains out with a long-term ligament injury -- says that lack of wins from the team makes being stuck on the treatment table doubly frustrating.The start to the season weve had makes it worse, the Swede said. Its hard enough being on the sidelines and getting your head around that, going to the games and supporting the boys when you know you arent going to be involved for a while.When weve scored Ive been jumping up and down… as best I could!I am fully focused on my recovery and my rehab, but at the same time I try to get myself as much involved as I can with the lads and help out and push them on and use my experience.Stoke arent short of their own injury problems, with Jack Butland, Stephen Ireland and Ibrahim Afellay all out and Glen Johnson and Joe Allen both doubts after picking up knocks on international duty. ' ' '