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Sun, 27 Jan 2008 06:34:00 +0100  Adelaide (PTI): Sachin Tendulkar may have won countless awards but the master batsman on Saturday said all those trophies pale in comparison to India's second highest civilian honour, the Padma Vibhushan. "I have won many awards and trophies but this is right at the top," Tendulkar said after the third day's play in the ongoing fourth and final Test against Australia. "... I came to know about it through my wife. I was extremely excited by it but since I was in the middle of the match, it was important to keep my focus on the game," he added. Tendulkar said being conferred the second highest civilian honour was like a dream realised for him. "It's truly a great honour to accept this award as this is recognized by the government of India. I have played for so many years and when government of India recognises your effort, gives you the second highest civilian award in the country, it's very, very special," he gushed. "It means a lot to me to get this award alongside such great personalities. It's truly something which I can only dream of," he said. The champion batsman also congratulated the other awardees. "I want to take this opportunity to congratulate other awardees. It's fantastic to be in the same list," he said. Tendulkar was among five other top sportspersons, including chess Grandmaster Viswanathan Anand, to have been selected for the Padma awards on Friday. Source : hindu.com Thu, 15 Nov 2007 18:07:00 +0100 At Gwalior Pakistan choose to bat first and set target of 256 for India. India win the day night match with 6 wicket in hand.
After won the toss Pakistan Set the score of 255/6 in 50 overs with contribution of Mohammad Yousuf 99 of 104 balls not out and Younis Khan 68 of 89 balls. India lose their 1st and 2nd wicket early in mode of Sourav Ganguly and Gautam Gambhir but after that Virendra Sehwag and Sachin Tendulkar held the inning to gether and set the winning road for India. Virendra Sehwag run our on 43 and Sachin Tendulkar yet bowled on 97 Captain Dhoni and Vice Captain Yuvraj Singh got India an easy win over Pakistan. India leads series by 3-1 in 5 one day match series. Last Score: Pakistan : 255/6 (50 Overs) India : 260/4 (46.3 over) Thu, 15 Nov 2007 18:05:00 +0100
The first match of the Test series is to be held at Delhi starting from November 22 -26 and the other in Kolkata from November 30-December 4. The Indian side will visit Australia for a four Test match series beginning from December 26. For the Australia tour the team will be selected at the end of the second Test against Pakistan and the start of third and concluding Test on December 8- 12. Tue, 13 Nov 2007 16:51:00 +0100 Kanpur (PTI): After the relative lull in the first two matches, the third India-Pakistan ODI saw some sparks flying in the Green Park Stadium with Gautam Gambhir and Shahid Afridi being the main protagonists.
It all started with a mid-pitch collision with both the players holding each other responsible for the run-in. Gambhir straight drove Shahid Afridi for a boundary after which the duo were seen engaged in a war of words. As could be made out from reading their lips, expletives were exchanges between the batsman and the bowler. Gambhir took a single to change ends but there was no let up in the verbal duel. In fact it got worse as a furious Gambhir headed straight to Afridi to give him a piece of his mind, resulting in a eyeball-to-eyeball encounter, which was eventually snapped by umpire Ian Gould's intervention. Gould took Gambhir aside and told him to control his emotion, while Afridi too was told to mind his business by the umpire at the end of the over. Incidentally, Gambhir also had a brief altercation with Sohail Tanvir who made a gesture at the left-hander after a fluffed shot. In the post-match press conference, both the captains, however, sought to play down the incident. Mahendra Singh Dhoni said people should not read much into it and added, "I think people love to see little aggression of this kind in one day cricket, isn't it?" His counterpart Shoaib Malik too sought to put a lid on the incident. "I think at times, aggression spills out. After the incident, I said sorry to Gambhir but these incidents do take place. There was nothing serious about it." Interestingly, though Shoaib Akhtar's volatile temperament makes him am unpredictable customer in the middle, the 'Rawalpindi Express' was away from the action. The only time he seemed upset was when Sourav Ganguly delayed taking guard, insisting on the right position of the sight-screen. After his barren first spell of four overs, Shoaib in fact looked out of breath and needed inhaler. Later on, he seemed to have picked up a left foot injury and came off the field to get it treated. Fawad Alam substituted him in the field. Shoaib took off his boots and got some massages done as well before eventually returning to the field to claim his lone wicket in Mahendra Singh Dhoni, who dragged a slower onto his stumps to be out on 49. Source : hindu.com Tue, 13 Nov 2007 16:48:00 +0100 India's batsmen fashioned yet another sizzling batting performance to set up a victory for India after being put in on a difficult pitch in the 3rd ODI at Kanpur. Given variable bounce and some early moisture thanks to heavy overnight rain, Shoaib Malik must have fancied his team's chances of an easy run chase in the afternoon, once the demons in the wicket had satiated themselves with Indian scalps. Instead, Kamran Akmal dropped Sourav Ganguly first ball, and from then on it was a matter of an experienced Indian opening pair weathering the early storm (albeit a somewhat wayward one - Umar Gul was particularly inconsistent), and the rest of the Indian batting chipping in with a lot of class. Yuvraj Singh's was a terrific innings on a wicket which he may not have liked very much, while Dhoni came just at the right time and provided crucial impetus. Every plan the batsmen made came off. The turning point in the Indian innings in my view was the fact the Shahid Afridi went for plenty. On this wicket with unpredictable turn and bounce, he might have proved to be a handful, but he wasn't allowed to settle into a line and length. The left handers in Indian line up made it difficult for him. Even though Sohail Tanvir was demonstrating the virtues of good old fashioned line, length and consistency from the other end, India could afford to play him out because Afridi and then Malik leaked runs. Shoaib Malik's decision to hold Abdur Rehman back was sound - there were two left handers at the wicket. What he chose to ignore however is that the specialist spinner would probably turn it more than the part time batting all-rounders (this is not always true, but given that neither Malik nor Afridi are great turners of the ball, in this case it was probably significant). Rehman got a wicket in his first over, but by then it was probably too late. Tanvir had been taken out of the attack at the other end, and there was no pressure being built on Dhoni and Yuvraj. Dhoni is much underrated as an ODI batsman. He averages 43 in ODI's, while Yuvraj, since Jan 1 2005, averages 45.57 over 79 games. He's reached 50 21 times in 74 innings. Considering the 13 not outs it means that he has reached atleast 50 in ODI's once for every third dismissal. Compare that with Tendulkar's record as opener, which remains the gold standard in ODI cricket - Tendulkar has reached 50 102 times as opener in 283 innings. Considering 19 not outs, it means he's reached at least 50 once for every 2.6 dismissals. Yuvraj is not far behind over the past few years. Fri, 09 Nov 2007 17:38:00 +0100  By Andy Hooper and ReutersLeg-spinner Anil Kumble has been appointed as India's Test captain for the three-match series against Pakistan. Kumble, 37, was chosen ahead of one-day and Twenty20 captain Mahendra Dhoni after Sachin Tendulkar declined a third term as captain. 'Fag end': Test captaincy has come late to Anil Kumble "I guess it has come at a stage when the next guy takes over and I have to make sure there is a smooth transition," Kumble said. "It has come at the fag end of my career. But it has given me additional motivation to carry on and perform." Dhoni, 26, who led a young team to success in the Twenty20 World Cup, is widely acknowledged as the next generation leader. However, there were fears that giving him the Test captaincy would be too much, too soon. After the Pakistan series, India face a Test tour of Australia before South Africa visit next year. Commentators have claimed the short-term nature of Kumble's appointment could undermine his captaincy and the team. Former chairman of selectors Kiran More said: "Dhoni's an excellent captain, but he should play another year of Test cricket before being handed the Test reins. "Given the situation, Anil was the best choice. He's experienced and hightly respected. But they should have named him for the next three series, which would have given the team surety and direction." Source : telegraph.co.uk Fri, 09 Nov 2007 17:31:00 +0100 MOHALI, India (AFP) — Younis Khan hit a blazing century as Pakistan scripted an unlikely four-wicket win against India in the second one-day international here on Thursday.
Younis anchored the Pakistani innings with a 117-run knock off 110 balls to help his side surpass India's total of 321-9 and register their most successful run chase ever in one-day internationals. The thrilling win helped the visitors draw level 1-1 in the five-match series after India won the opener in Guwahati by five wickets. Man-of-the-match Younis, dropped on 72, shared a crucial 102-run stand for the fifth wicket with Misbah-ul-Haq (49) before being dismissed in the 46th over. He slammed nine fours and two sixes to overshadow the effort of Sachin Tendulkar, who hit a masterly 99 studded with 14 fours and a six to prop up the Indian innings. A Pakistan victory looked in doubt after the dismissal of Younis but Shahid Afridi hit a quickfire 29 off 14 balls to seal the fate of the hosts. "It was a real team effort. Younis, Misbah and Afridi batted really well under pressure," Pakistan skipper Shoaib Malik said. "We have gained a lot of encouragement from the win and our morale will be high as we go into the next match. The wicket was excellent, it was good for the batsmen and also had something for the bowlers." Pakistan were off to a shaky start, losing opener Kamran Akmal to Rudra Pratap Singh in the sixth over and his in-form partner Salman Butt to Irfan Pathan. Mohammad Yousuf (12) was stumped by Mahendra Singh Dhoni off Harbhajan Singh before Younis steadied the innings with his third one-day century. "We could have bowled a bit better. We got a start with the ball but failed to capitalise on it," Indian skipper Mahendra Singh Dhoni said. Earlier, Tendulkar, 34, fell just one run short of his century. It was also Tendulkar's fifth dismissal in the nervous 90s this season following scores of 99, 93, 99 and 94 on the tour of Ireland and England earlier this year. Tendulkar, playing in his record 404th one-dayer, shared a 173-run stand with Gautam Gambhir, who hit seven fours in his 57-ball knock. Both Tendulkar and Gambhir were dismissed by pacer Umar Gul (2-56) in the space of two overs to peg back the Indian innings after Dhoni had elected to bat on a sporting track. Tendulkar, in the news recently for refusing India's Test captaincy, was caught behind the wicket by Akmal diving to his right. The wayward Pakistani bowlers gave away a whopping 41 extras, including 31 wides. Shoaib Akhtar picked up 3-42 but mostly bowled from a shortened run-up and was sloppy in the field, raising doubts about his fitness. Pakistan's previous best one-day run chase was 319-7, also against India, in Ahmedabad in 2005. Following the match, both sides were fined for slow over-rates, the International Cricket Council said. ICC match referee Roshan Mahanama imposed the fines after the teams were ruled to be one over short of their targets when time allowances were taken into consideration. Both captains were fined 10 percent of their match fees while the players each received five per cent fines. Scoreboard: India Fall of wkts 1-6, 2-179, 3-186, 4-239, 5-259, 6-260, 7-266, 8-278, 9-311 Overs: 50 Pakistan: Fall of wickets: 1-38 (Akmal), 2-81 (Butt), 3-105 (Yousuf), 4-174 (Malik), 5-276 (Younis), 6-283 (Misbah) Overs: 49.5 Pakistan won by four wickets Toss: India Umpires: Ian Gould (ENG) and Suresh Shastri (IND) TV umpire: Amish Saheba (IND) Match referee: Roshan Mahanama (SRI) Third one-dayer: At Kanpur (Sunday) Source : afp.google.com Mon, 05 Nov 2007 15:54:00 +0100 GUWAHATI, India (AFP) — Mahendra Singh Dhoni and Yuvraj Singh slammed solid half-centuries to guide India to an emphatic five-wicket victory over Pakistan in the first one-day international here on Monday.
Skipper Dhoni top-scored with 63 and Yuvraj made 58 as India surpassed Pakistan's total of 239-7 with 18 balls to spare for a 1-0 lead in the five-match series. Left-handed Yuvraj and Dhoni applied themselves remarkably well on a low, slow pitch as they took no risks during their 105-run stand for the fourth wicket to ensure a comfortable win. Yuvraj hit one six and six fours in his 31st half-century and Dhoni eight fours in his 17th. When Dhoni was caught behind off paceman Shoaib Akhtar, India were just 15 short of win with five wickets in hand. "The start we got was excellent. Our bowlers bowled according to the field. Murali Kartik and Harbhajan Singh have been doing well consistently and the conditions favoured the spinners," said Dhoni, named man of the match. "The pitch was doing a bit and we knew if we got settled down we could go after the bowlers later." Pakistan earlier rode on impressive half-centuries from middle-order batsman Mohammad Yousuf (83 not out) and left-handed opener Salman Butt (50) to reach a respectable total after winning the toss. Akhtar briefly raised Pakistan's hopes of defending the total when he troubled the Indian top order in a sharp four-over opening spell, but was unlucky not to get more than one wicket. His eagerly-awaited duel with record-breaking Sachin Tendulkar (four) ended early as he trapped the Indian leg-before in his second over with a slower delivery that kept a bit low. Akhtar then came close to removing Gambhir early in the batsman's innings, the ball going between wicket-keeper Kamran Akmal and first-slip Younis Khan and then eluding the outstretched right hand of the slip fielder for fours. The lapses proved costly as Gambhir (44) went on to add 82 for the second wicket with Sourav Ganguly (39). "I think a target of 240 was defendable on this surface, but we dropped two-three catches," said Pakistan captain Shoaib Malik. "We were struggling a bit in the field. We learnt a lot from today's game. There are still four more matches to go and we hope to do better." Indian spinners Harbhajan, Kartik and Tendulkar earlier played major roles in restricting Pakistan. Part-timer Tendulkar grabbed two crucial wickets, while off-spinner Harbhajan and left-arm spinner Kartik conceded just 65 off their combined 20 overs. Tendulkar dismissed hard-hitting Afridi (31) and Malik (two) just when Pakistan threatened to go for big shots. India looked in command after tight spells from the spin trio, but Yousuf kept his end intact and helped his side score 74 in the closing 10 overs. Butt, dropped for the recent home one-day series against South Africa, did the bulk of scoring in the initial overs and executed some handsome strokes against new-ball bowlers Zaheer Khan and Rudra Pratap Singh. Yousuf initially struggled to score freely against spin and offered a chance on 10 when he mistimed a shot off Kartik, but Ganguly was a bit late to reach the ball running to his right in the covers. The Pakistani batsman made the most of the chance and went on to complete his 58th half-century. He hit seven fours in his 88-ball knock. Source : afp.google.com Sun, 04 Nov 2007 13:43:00 +0100 NEW DELHI (AFP) — If controversial Pakistani fast bowler Shoaib Akhtar hopes to redeem his image on the current Indian tour, he will first have to conquer Sachin Tendulkar.
Chucking allegations, a drug-ban, indiscipline and injuries have dogged the mercurial paceman ever since his international debut in 1997. But when he is battle-ready, he can make life miserable for batsmen. Akhtar's duels with Tendulkar have caught the fancy of fans on both sides of the border ever since his first-ball dismissal of the master batsman in a Test match in Kolkata in 1999. Their duel was the talking point during the 2003 World Cup in South Africa. Tendulkar won that battle with a bold 98 off 75 balls to set up his team's victory at Centurion. Tendulkar later described the innings as one of the highlights of his record-breaking one-day career. But Akhtar has not always been a punchbag for the Indians. His 34 wickets in 23 one-dayers against the arch-rivals means he remains a constant threat. He has also grabbed 19 wickets in seven Tests against India. Tendulkar has often dominated the Pakistani attack with rich strokeplay, having scored 2,122 runs in 61 one-dayers with five centuries and 918 runs in 16 Tests with two hundreds. Pakistan will play five one-dayers on the current tour, with the first starting in Guwahati on Monday. The teams will then clash in a three-Test series beginning on November 22. Akhtar is known as much for his mood swings as for hurling down thunderbolts and they have often proved his undoing in a career spanning nearly a decade. He recently served a 13-match ban, primarily for striking team-mate Mohammad Asif with a bat ahead of the inaugural Twenty20 world championships in South Africa in September. Akhtar has been placed on probation for two years, meaning he could be suspended for life if he again breaches the players' code of conduct. He returned to international cricket in the decisive fifth and final one-dayer against South Africa at home last month, only to prove he could be a batsmen's nightmare when on song. His four-wicket burst nearly set up his team's win before the batsmen messed it up chasing a 234-run target at Lahore. Pakistan lost the series 3-2, but Akhtar won many a heart on his comeback. He is now on a mission. "I promise I will do my best and give my full effort on the tour of India to help my team win both the one-day and Test series," said Akhtar. "I have missed a lot of cricket due to injuries and other reasons but now I want to focus on my game. This may be my last tour so I must do something special for the fans in India so that they remember me in a good way." He needs to keep Tendulkar silent first if he wants to make this tour a memorable one for him. India have found talented youngsters in Robin Uthappa, Mahendra Singh Dhoni and Yuvraj Singh, but still depend on Tendulkar for setting or successfully chasing a stiff target. Tendulkar may not be as explosive a batsman as he was a decade ago, but he still has the shots to test any attack. He also has an uncanny knack of finding gaps where none appears to exist. The Indian is the world's leading scorer in one-dayers with 15,703 runs in 402 matches and a record 41 centuries. It promises to be an engrossing contest when he faces Akhtar, one of the fastest pacemen in the world. Source : afp.google.com Sun, 04 Nov 2007 13:41:00 +0100 Guwahati: With a fine record against India in Test cricket, Pakistan vice-captain Younis Khan would like to do the same in One-Day Internationals as well and improve his average to match his whopping Test average of 106.10 against the neighbours when the series starts here Monday.
In six Tests against India, the smiling assassin has amassed an amazing 1,061 runs at 106.10 against India, with four centuries and three half-centuries. His highest score against India is 261, on which Pakistan rode to win the third Test in Bangalore in 2005. Tendulkar, Afridi will be the key players, says Inzy Now, Younis would like to rectify his modest ODI record against the same opponents, though the right-hander from the North West Frontier Province says he does not play for records. "I don't go by past records. In fact, I have never played for records," he said. Younis, however, pointed to the early start of day matches as one of the reasons for his not-so-good ODI record against India. He has scored only 81 in 22 ODIs innings with three half-centuries. "You people start the day matches so early here in India that even before one could open his sleepy eyes, he finds himself on the ground," the friendly player said with a big smile. He would gain confidence from the fact that he had some good scores in the recent home series against South Africa. He finished off with 82 and 58 in the last two ODIs before heading for India. Pakistan in India – Tour Itinerary Younis would also like to score runs in a dignified manner, the spirit for which cricket is known. He would not be drawn into unnecessary aggression. "It is going to be a contest between bat and ball. In my seven-year career I have never abused any opponent," he said. Younis was also quick to jump to the defence of Indian medium pacer S. Sreesanth, who at times hogs headlines more for his on-field aggression than his bowling. "Sreesanth has never done anything against us. Even in the last series he did not do anything like that," he said. He, however, pointed out that the line should never be crossed. He believed that the India-Pakistan series would be fought on a level playing field despite Pakistan's two losses to India in the Twenty20 World Championship in South Africa last September. Younis said his team would not play with an aim to avenge those setbacks. "It will be a level contest," he said, while trying to play down his own role in the batting line-up that comprises the likes of Mohammad Yousuf and Misbah-ul-Haq. Source : sify.com Fri, 02 Nov 2007 16:49:00 +0100 The President of India felicitated the Indian cricket and hockey players together. It was wonderful when the captains of the two teams posed with the President, putting to rest the animosity of a step-motherly treatment to hockey players.
OCTOBER 30 was a memorable day for our country, as the President Pratibha Patil felicitated the Indian cricket and hockey players. Before that, the Prime Minister Manmohan Singh felicitated the Indian cricket players. In fact, this was a rare opportunity when players from two different forms of games were honoured together. Mahendra Singh Dhoni and his cordon first met with Prime Minister Manmohan Singh and his wife Gursharan Kaur. Indian team, which had won the ICC World Twenty20 Cup after beating Pakistan in the finals by five runs, was looking highly excited. Dr. Singh congratulated members of the Indian cricket team and felicitated them with the mementos for their achievement. After meeting with the Prime Minister, the Indian cricket players headed towards the Darbar Hall of the Rasthrapati Bhawan. The Indian hockey team that has won the Asia Cup last month was also present in the interaction session with the President. Mahendra Singh Dhoni greeted the hockey captain Prabodh Tirkey and the duo together posed for the cameras. Later Dhoni presented a bat to the President signed by all the players of the winning team. The President also interacted with the players of the hockey team and Prabodh Tirkey presented her a replica of the Asia Cup. "It is heartening to know that it has been a successful year for Indian sports. I congratulate the victorious teams for their hard work. As a sports loving nation we should see that achievements of sports persons do not go unappreciated," the President said in a brief speech before coming down from the dais to meet the players. "You deserve all the compliments for that. Not only me, the entire nation is proud of your achievements. I have called you to appreciate your triumph so that the younger generation can derive inspiration from you," she added. Meanwhile Patil also appreciated the feat of Indian football team of winning the Nehru Cup and made a special mention of chess player Viswanathan Anand’s World Championship triumph. Yesterday’s meeting with the President has not only increased the moral of the players, but it has also pleased the people who always complain about the government’s step attitude about hockey. It is a fact that all greet the rising sun, if the players will give their good performance, every citizen of the country will appreciate it. Of course, cricket is more glamorous and much popular among young generation, but hockey also has it distinct fervour. It would be illogical to say that the national game of India is not getting proper attention, whenever the team has got a big success all have praised that. Recent example is the triumph of the hockey team in Asia Cup when the whole national celebrated. If the team will give good performance consistently than hockey will also get popularity like game like cricket. Here we can’t deny that from financial point of view, the hockey players are getting less add than cricket players and the government should think about that. Source : merinews.com Fri, 02 Nov 2007 16:46:00 +0100 Kolkata: The Indian cricket team's outdoor net sessions at the two-day camp, beginning here tomorrow, could be a casualty to rains with the Met office's forecast of light rains or thundershowers for the next 24 hours. The practice facilities at the Pankaj Gupta Indoor Coaching Centre housed within the Eden Gardens could become the hub of activity if the weatherman's predictions come true. Mohammad Asif pulls out of ODI series The players are unlikely to risk injury by tuning up on the lush-green ground if the field is rendered soggy and slippery. The sky remained cloudy during the day with the sun making intermittent appearances, amidst sporadic drizzles since morning. Samar Pal, joint secretary of Cricket Association of Bengal, however, expressed confidence that the Indian team would get perfect practice conditions at the camp. "Nobody has a control over the elements. As of now, the ground is in perfect shape," he said. Indian team’s coaching staff who were originally scheduled to arrive in the city this afternoon to chalk out the plans and programmes for the camp, will now reach here tomorrow morning. "The players have to report by 1 pm. The nets will begin from 3 pm," cricket manager Lalchand Rajput said from Mumbai. Bowling coach Venkatesh Prasad, fielding coach Robin Singh and Rajput would supervise the camp. The session is likely to stretch into the evening to allow the players practice opportunities under lights. Pakistan in India – Tour Itinerary Meanwhile, the Board today dispelled doubts expressed in some sections of the media about the camp to be held in Kolkata because of the rains. "There is no shift in the camp venue. It will be held at Kolkata," Cricket Board's Chief Administrative Officer Ratnakar Shetty said. >> More News Source : sify.com Fri, 02 Nov 2007 16:44:00 +0100 Pakistan captain Shoaib Malik promised Thursday to play exciting cricket during a six-week tour of India.
"Playing India is always exciting, we all love to play India," Malik told reporters after the Pakistan team arrived in India for the tour comprising five limited-overs internationals and three Tests matches. "We're eager to play exciting and competitive cricket," added Malik, whose team was escorted out of New Delhi's international airport by security staff that blocked a crowd of fans from approaching the players. Pakistan's coach, former Australian Test player Geoff Lawson, said he was anxious to experience the atmosphere of an India-Pakistan series, which he termed the biggest rivalry in world cricket. "I think an India-Pakistan contest is bigger than the Ashes," said Lawson. "I understand a fair bit what happens here when India plays Pakistan. It's more than a cricket contest, it becomes a national rivalry." The Pakistan team is without paceman Mohammad Asif who dropped out of the limited-overs internationals due to an elbow injury just before the team embarked on the tour. "Asif's a quality player. We'll always miss him, but we have quality replacements," said Lawson. The Pakistan team still features four pace bowlers in Shoaib Akhtar, Umar Gul, Rao Iftikhar and Sohail Tanveer. Lawson said the Pakistan team had learnt a lot from its mistakes during the recent series against South Africa that Graeme Smith's team won 3-2. Lawson said he was not bothered by that fact that India has been dubbed the stronger side for the upcoming one-day series that begins Nov. 5 in the northeastern city of Gauhati. "Whether we start as the favourites or not, what matters is how players handle the pressure," he said. "There's very little difference between the two sides." Malik said the Pakistan team was determined to repeat its one-day series triumph during the last tour of India in 2005. "The recent matches against South Africa were very close contests, showing us that small mistakes can prove expensive," said Malik. Pakistan will open the tour with a one-day practice match against a Delhi XI on Friday. The Delhi team will be led by Test opener Gautam Gambhir, but will miss star batsman Virender Sehwag, whose father died this week. The Delhi XI will also be without the injured pace pair of Ashish Nehra and Ishant Sharma. Nehra has pulled out of the match due to an ankle problem, while Sharma is recuperating from a shoulder injury. Meanwhile, the Indian cricket board said it would ask its government to loosen a restriction that will see just 250 tickets per match sold to Pakistani fans. Niranjan Shah, secretary of the Board of Control for Cricket in India, said Thursday that the allocation was too small and that the board would ask for more tickets for travelling Pakistani fans. "Our president will also meet with the (Indian) foreign minister," Shah said. Source : canadianpress.google.com Fri, 02 Nov 2007 16:39:00 +0100  There are two things Indians are crazy about -- cricket and Bollywood.And when the two meet, fireworks are bound to happen. Just look at what followed after Om Shanti Om's Deepika Padukone cheered for the Indian cricket team at the recent Twenty-20 match against Australia held in Mumbai. Speculation was rife that she was there to cheer the captain, Mahendra Singh Dhoni. Though Deepika claims to be just friends with the Indian captain, reports say the actress was invited by Dhoni after she asked him for a special Om Shanti Om preview. Whether there is any truth to that is debatable, but there is always been a strong romantic link between cricket and Bollywood. While some have 'run out' of steam, others are hoping to last at least half a century. rediff.com takes a look at some of these partnerships. Also read: Making beautiful music together Source : specials.rediff.com Thu, 01 Nov 2007 03:15:00 +0100  Master blaster Sachin Tendulkar has moved back into the top 10 of the International Cricket Council (ICC) rankings for One-Day International (ODI) batsmen. In the latest rankings issued on Monday, Sachin moved up three places to sit at joint 9th, alongside Chris Gayle of the West Indies. He is the only Indian batsman in the top 10. Vice-captain Yuvraj Singh is at 15th place, while captain Mahendra Singh Dhoni occupies the 16th position. On the debit side of the ledger, however, former captain Rahul Dravid has slipped seven places and is now lies in 22nd place. India's highest-placed bowler in the relevant table is Harbhajan Singh, down in 29th position. Australia's Andrew Symonds is within touching distance of top spot in the ODI batsmen rankings. The powerful right-hander, who bludgeoned a brutal 107 from just 88 balls against India in Nagpur on Sunday, has rocketed up six spots to second place and is now just eight rating points behind his captain and team-mate Ricky Ponting. That rise is a reflection of his outstanding form during the ongoing series as he is the leading run-scorer from either side with 365 runs at an average of 91.25 and a strike-rate of 110.94 runs per hundred balls. Symonds, who has reached a career-high tally of rating points, forms an impressive Australian 1-2-3 at the top of the batting table, behind Ponting but ahead of Matthew Hayden, the winner of the ODI Player of the Year award at the ICC Awards in September and the second highest run-getter in the current series. Three other Australians are in the top 11 - Michael Hussey (5th), Michael Clarke (8th) and Adam Gilchrist (11th). The news is just as good for Ponting's men in the bowling list with left-arm wrist spinner Brad Hogg breaking into the top 10 on the back of being joint leading wicket-taker (alongside team-mate Mitchell Johnson) in the India series with 11 victims. Hogg is one of three Australia bowlers in that top 10 with Nathan Bracken (3rd) and Brett Lee (9th) also featuring. Source : cricket.indiatimes.com Thu, 01 Nov 2007 03:07:00 +0100  A big debate is going on Dravid. While the debate is on, young Indian team equipped with the T20 triumph and a respectable show against the Aussies are ready to take on the Pakistan team that looks weaker than normal.Sandeep is seeking Pawar's intervention in bringing Dravid back. But BCCI is adamant. They want to rest Dravid for now. A message is being sent all Indian crickets. It is simple and clear – ‘perform or quit.’ Indian team is not affected by these controversial political maneuvers. They are determined to take on the Pak Team. The team got further excited as they were greeted by the PM Manmohan Singh and Indian President. It is a young team with a young outgoing dashing captain that resembles Kapil Dev in the past. India performs the best when such non-conventional non text book style cricketers dominate the scenes. This team will be aided by the experience and guidance of Sachin Tendulkar and Saurav Ganguly. Very soon, trust me, Dravid will be back after resting a little bit and getting things together for him. Source : indiadaily.com Wed, 26 Sep 2007 10:23:00 +0200                     Thu, 30 Aug 2007 13:39:00 +0200 Team India captain Rahul Dravid has made it to the top five ODI batsmen list in the latest LG ICC Player Rankings following his good form in the ongoing seven match series against England.
Dravid, who hit 46, 92 not out and 56 in the three matches, is at the fifth position with 738 points. However, Mahendra Singh Dhoni who will be captaining India in the inaugural Twenty20 World Cup in South Africa next month has dropped down ten places to 15th position following his dismal form in the first three matches of the series. Australian captain Ricky Ponting continues his dominance on the batting chart with 799 points with Englishman Kevin Pieterson following him at 782 points. Australia's Mike Hussey 766 points and fellow Aussie Matthew Hayden 746 points are at the third and fourth positions respectively. The LG ICC Player Rankings for ODI bowlers chart shows England's Andrew Flintoff, who took five wickets in the second ODI at Bristol, breaking into the top ten with 658 points. Leading the chart is South Africa's Shaun Pollock, who is way ahead with 874 points, with a gap of 80 points between him and the next in line Nathan Bracken 794 points. New Zealand's Shane Bond is at the third place with 790 points while Sri Lanka's Chaminda Vaas and M.Muralidaran are at the fourth and fifth places with 741 and 730 points respectively. In the team rankings, India remains at the fifth place with 110 points, only one point behind Sri Lanka at the fourth. However, Australia's dominance 129 points is continously under threat by South Africa 124 points who won the series against Zimbabwe 3-0. New Zealand 114 points is at the fourth place while England is at the eighth position following their two wins in three matches against India. Source : http://www.newindpress.com Related Stories 8/30/2007 -Earthquake hits Manchester hours before cricket match 8/30/2007 -India still in fifth spot in One-Day rankings 8/30/2007 -Butter-fingered Indians need to pull up socks 8/30/2007 -Fourth ODI: Flintoff may lead England 8/22/2007 -Aussies researching on Zaheer, reveals Lee 8/22/2007 -Flintoff key to ODI revival: Vaughan 8/21/2007 -Sidebottom out of first one-day match against India 8/21/2007 -Collingwood buoyant after Flintoff return, defends Prior 8/21/2007 -After Tests, India look for a positive start in ODIs 8/21/2007 -Sachin's 'fan club' in English team 8/21/2007 -Yuvraj will play at No.4 8/20/2007 -We can all learn from Zaheer's out of the box ideas: Vaughan 8/20/2007 -Indian bowlers need to get their act right for ODIs 8/20/2007 -Sachin's fan club, in the England team! Wed, 29 Aug 2007 15:18:00 +0200 01. M. S. Dhoni (C/WK) - Wicket Keeper/Batsman
02. Yuvraj Singh - Batsman All-rounder 03. Virender Sehwag - Batsman All-rounder 04. Harbhajan Singh - Bowler 05. Ajit Agarkar - Bowling All-rounder 06. Dinesh Karthik (WK) - Wicket Keeper/Batsman 07. Gautam Gambhir - Batsman 08. Robin Uthappa - Batsman 09. Joginder Sharma - All-rounder 10. Yusuf Pathan - Bowliing All-rounder 11. Piyush Chawla - Bowler 12. Sreesanth - Bowler 13. Irfan Pathan - Bowling All-rounder 14. RP Singh - Bolwer 15. Rohit Sharma - Batsman Mon, 09 Apr 2007 14:32:00 +0200 By Ashis Ray Not surprisingly, Rahul Dravid, speaking on behalf of his colleagues, has voiced concern about the payment system and restrictions on players' endorsement incomes arbitrarily and unilaterally declared by the Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) after its two-day conclave. Clearly, the emerging theme of the meet was to make the unsuccessful representatives on the field scapegoats for India's unexpected early exit from the World Cup, and raise a red herring of cricketers' remunerations being the cause of it. Some members of the Indian squad that went to the West Indies are unquestionably responsible for the abysmal failure and must pay for such non-performance. Given the suspicions that have been raised, their commercial contracts also need to be closely scrutinised. But a blanket dilution of fees and restraint on extraneous earnings would be unfair and unjust. Reading between the lines, the BCCI's working committee attempted to attribute their decision to recommendations received from seven former captains invited to the conference, who have apparently distanced themselves from such advice since. Now BCCI officials seem to be divided on whether to insist on their proposal or listen to the players' point of view. A productivity-based disbursement structure is propitious. But to dispense with retainers is debatable and may create insecurity. Also, rigid restrictions on cricketers' general proceeds could be unworkable under Indian law, if the players refuse to sign such an agreement with the BCCI. At the end of the day, it's the players' presence on the green that lays the golden egg. A potential biting of the hand that feeds the BCCI is yet another instance of this organisation being incapable of thinking through important decisions. The wholesale gag on players also militates against freedom of speech as granted by the Indian constitution. It is common sense that if a player makes unacceptable statements, disciplinary action can be taken against him. As expected, the BCCI's introspection has proved to be essentially an exercise in futility. It failed to address fundamental issues, such as the transfer of executive powers in the board and its affiliated associations to fulltime, caring, knowledgeable and professional persons. Instead, in a typically populist style of fooling the Indian people, it papered over cracks, that, too, clumsily. Akin to Rip Van Winkle, the officials have woken up to the fact that international players should compulsorily be playing domestic tournaments, that subsidiary associations should 'prepare fast and lively wickets' for such competitions and India under-19 and 'A' teams should be touring overseas more frequently to gain experience of foreign conditions. That the world's richest cricket board had not been implementing the last mentioned is a tragic reflection of its ineffectiveness. The BCCI wildly stated that all associated units should start their own academies linked to the National Cricket Academy (NCA). Would it not have been more sensible to initially have zonal institutes, while sourcing talent from the innumerable privately owned coaching camps that exist in most provinces? It emphasises the medieval state of the BCCI that it will take six months to ratify a change in its constitution before selectors can be appointed on a fulltime, remunerated basis. Besides, it's shocking that the working committee has 'directed' the selection committee to send a 'young team' for next month's tour of Bangladesh. This is naked interference in the remit of selectors, who are supposed to pick a side purely on merit. Youth for the sake of it is a ludicrous policy. While it's wise to encourage younger players, they must deserve inclusion. It makes sense to prepare for next year's Champions Trophy tournament with younger legs, but it could unduly jeopardise India's prospects if replacement of senior exponents is not undertaken in a phased manner. The same should also apply in test matches, but even more judiciously. What's welcome though is the retention of Dravid as captain and the appointment of Ravi Shastri as interim cricket manager, Venkatesh Prasad as bowling coach and Robin Singh as fielding trainer. It will also be a boon for Indian cricket if Greg Chappell is recruited for an authoritative and meaningful role at the NCA. But more critical is the choice of long-term coach and the assistants around him. (Ashis Ray is the author of the recently launched 'One-Day Cricket: The Indian Challenge' - Harper Collins - which can be bought online on www.ians.in) Source : news.monstersandcritics.com Mon, 26 Mar 2007 10:38:00 +0200 NEW DELHI (AP) – Life as a lookalike of an Indian cricket star can have its perks, but lately it’s had a nasty downside, with some hiding from irate fans after India’s loss to Sri Lanka, a news report said Sunday. India’s defeat to Sri Lanka on Friday disappointed millions of Indians with the team facing its ouster from the World Cup in the Caribbean. Fans vented their anger by burning effigies and posters of the players in several Indian cities and towns. The team’s participation in the tournament has also resulted in the deaths of two Indians, one who hanged himself and another who died of a heart attack. Lookalikes of Sachin Tendulkar, Virender Sehwag and Mohinder Dhoni – popular among cricket–mad Indians during better performances – have been watching their backs in recent days. In the past, they made frequent appearances on television and were cheered by spectators during cricket matches. "When Sehwag plays well, I am treated well by people. But when he scores badly, even the lives of my wife and child are in jeopardy as people threaten to beat me up for Sehwag’s bad performance," The Times Of India newspaper quoted Yogendra Shah as saying. He has temporarily moved out of Mehsana, his home town in western Indian state of Gujarat, to escape the wrath of cricket fans, the daily said. Police have been drafted to protect the homes of some players and prevent a recurrence of the vandalism that followed a five–wicket upset loss to Bangladesh on March 17. Suresh Rathod said he was treated like a very important person by cricket fans because he resembled India’s star batsman Tendulkar. He said people’s extreme reactions were understandable as they felt let down by their heroes. "The Indian players have betrayed the trust of millions of people who worship them." He said he had joined thousands of people in praying for the Indian team’s success in the World Cup. However, Mukesh Patel, a clone of wicket–keeper Dhoni, has refused to go into hiding or shorten his long hair just because his idol got out without scoring in Friday’s match against Sri Lanka. "I had long hair before Dhoni burst on to the cricket scene," the daily quoted him as saying. Meanwhile, cricket fan Mahadeb Swarnakar, 28, allegedly hanged himself Friday after an argument with his wife because he wanted to watch the India–Sri Lanka match on a neighbor’s color television, while his wife wanted him to watch it with her at home on their monochrome set, said police superintendent Hari Kishore Kusumakar. The poor farmer’s wife, Sadhana Swarnakar, panicked and also tried to hang herself, but survived when the rope broke. The incident took place in Shaktinagar, a village 60 kilometers north of Calcutta, the capital of West Bengal state, Kusumakar said. Also Friday, P. Raju, a 28–year–old cricket enthusiast, died after he suffered a heart attack in Hyderabad, the capital of southern Indian state of Andhra Pradesh, while watching India losing badly to Sri Lanka, said his wife, P. Kavita. He died on arrival at a hospital. Kavita told The Associated Press that her husband was shocked by India’s poor performance. Source : http://www.caycompass.com Mon, 26 Mar 2007 10:37:00 +0200 Was Greg Chappell the right choice to coach India coach after New Zealander John Wright made way for him in 2005? In retrospect one believes that the BCCI did not make a right choice, considering that he produced more victories in India than abroad. As a player, Greg, was supposed to be one of the finest batsman Australia ever produced. But it seemed that coaching was not his forte. After all, he never had the experience of coaching an international team once he had hung his boots as a cricketer. The biggest drawback of Greg’s coaching tenure with the Indian team was his insatiable hunger for experimentation, which met with a disaster. His ploy to juggle and shuffle the batting order by playing around with cricketers’ fortunes seemed to shake their confidence right till the onset of the World Cup and through the tournament as well. And, the results were there for everyone to see as he messed up the entire dynamics of Indian cricket in association with captain Rahul Dravid, who never seemed to be bold and forthright like his predecessor Sourav Ganguly. The Dravid-Chappell combo seemed to push India deep into a hole rather than lift the team out of it from time to time. The batting positions of players of the caliber of Sachin Tendulkar, Virender Sehwag, Yuvraj Singh, Mahendra Singh Dhoni and Irfan Pathan, including that of Dravid himself were relentlessly toyed with during Chappell’s tenure. His first few months or in fact days with Indian cricket brought about the exit of one of India’s most successful captains – Sourav Ganguly. It was a pity then that Ganguly did not find any supporters in Indian cricket to help him hold on to his position in the team, which had become a world beater under his astute leadership. Once Greg arrived he played his cards well, sought the ouster of Ganguly first and then rallied for Dravid to be roped in as captain at the expense of Ganguly’s exit from Indian cricket for a while. Unfortunately, even Dravid seemed to have kept mum when Ganguly needed total support from his pro with whom he debuted at Lord’s in 1996 while scoring his maiden hundred at the Mecca of world cricket. It was a pity that Dravid, who fought tooth and nail to retain a terribly out of form Virender Sehwag for a place in the World Cup squad, never batted in favour of Ganguly then. Kudos to Ganguly, who gave himself time until World Cup, to make a comeback into the Indian team and did it in great style once he was selected for the South Africa tour. He made his bat do the talking and the rest is history. Coming to Greg, his lunacy to play around with key batting positions cost India the World Cup. A team as talented as India was thrown into shambles by one man’s single-minded desire to prove his point and that was to keep experimenting. Had Greg given the team the stability it needed in terms of secured batting positions for senior pros, India would have done much better than enduring a first round exit. Dravid’s captaincy was a total failure, as he never seemed to motivate his players on the big stage and instead of him taking the lead role by stepping up the order, the “Wall” simple crumbled when it mattered the most. At times his decisions seemed dreadful. It is an after thought that Dravid now wants to own total responsibility for India’s shock exit from the World Cup, but can he undo what has already transpired. He isn’t God any way. Source : http://www.cricketworldcuplatest.com Mon, 26 Mar 2007 10:36:00 +0200 The battered Indian cricket team, out of contention in the World Cup, has found a supporter in Bollywood star Abhishek Bachchan who said the players had given it their best. "I was very disappointed last night. But what we should understand is that it is difficult to perform under the kind of pressure they were in. They gave it their best," Bachchan said at the India Today Conclave in New Delhi on Saturday. Abhishek said just because the players endorsed products and appeared in advertisements did not mean they were compromising with the game. "It would be unfair to come down on them for doing too many endorsements and call for replacing them," Abhishek said. Empathising with the Indian team Abhishek said, "I have faced failure. And I know it is difficult to go out there and perform." Abhishek was responding to a question on whether corporate sector interest in films would lead to a decline in their quality, as was the case with cricket. Source : http://www.apunkachoice.com Mon, 26 Mar 2007 10:34:00 +0200 PORT OF SPAIN, Trinidad (Reuters) -- Bangladesh coach Dav Whatmore praised his team for holding their nerve to clinch a maiden World Cup second round berth with victory over debutants Bermuda on Sunday. Bangladesh chased a revised target of 96 in gathering gloom after Bermuda scored a challenging 94 for nine in the rain-affected final Group B match that was restricted to 21 overs. "This is very significant for us," Whatmore told a news conference. "It was something that I personally knew we had the potential to do. It is reality now." Bangladesh, who needed only to avoid defeat, joined group winners Sri Lanka in the Super Eights, their victory pushing India out of the competition. "This game was the most difficult you could be in to qualify," the Australian said. "Chasing that total was never easy. The ball was doing all sorts of things in the first 10 overs." Bermuda seamer Saleem Mukuddem took three early wickets to leave Bangladesh struggling on 37-3. "Yes, my heart was pumping a little bit," Whatmore added. "The boys haven't been in this situation before. They have done very, very well." Source : http://edition.cnn.com Mon, 26 Mar 2007 10:29:00 +0200 PORT-OF-SPAIN, Trinidad - Sri Lanka clinched an emphatic 69-run victory yesterday that pushed India to the brink of a humiliating first-round elimination from the World Cup. Registered 7-day subscribers to the Ottawa Citizen newspaper or electronic edition will enjoy full access to all OttawaCitizen.com content. Plus as an added value, you will also have full access to the subscriber exclusive content at all of our newspaper websites. For a complete listing see "Newspapers" below. Source : http://www.canada.com |
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