The Indian Panorama

Tag: Cricket

  • KARTHIK IN FOR INJURED PANDEY IN CT SQUAD

    KARTHIK IN FOR INJURED PANDEY IN CT SQUAD

    NEW DELHI (TIP): Senior Tamil Nadu wicketkeeper-batsman Dinesh Karthik on May 18 earned a recall to the Indian team for the upcoming Champions Trophy after Manish Pandey was ruled out due to a side strain.

    Karthik was one of the five stand-byes for the Champions Trophy and has been rewarded for his stupendous form in domestic cricket last season.

    Karthik, who will soon be celebrating his 32nd birthday, scored 607 runs during Tamil Nadu’s victorious Vijay Hazare Trophy campaign, including a century in the final. His average was 86-plus and scored his runs at a strike rate of over 100.

    He also scored 704 runs in the Ranji Trophy and another 361 runs in IPL-10, capping off a consistent domestic season. He last played for India against Afghanistan in the 2014 Asia Cup in Bangladesh.

    Having played 23 Tests and 71 ODIs for India, Karthik pipped another glovesman, Rishabh Pant, who was also among the reserves.

    Incidentally, Karthik was a part of the Indian team which won the Champions Trophy in 2013. Pandey had suffered a side strain during one of Kolkata Knight Riders’ training sessions and was replaced by Ishank Jaggi for their Eliminator against Sunrisers Hyderabad on Wednesday.

    Source: PTI

  • A reprieve for Jadhav

    A reprieve for Jadhav

    Time to activate other channels

    India has collectively heaved a sigh of relief after the International Court of Justice (ICJ) provisionally stayed the death sentence on Kulbhushan Jadhav till its final verdict in August. This `victory’ should not waterproof India against the harsh reality that even if Jadhav escapes the noose, he would spend his lifetime in Pakistani prisons. The Indian appeal was limited to ensuring Jadhav gets all due courtesies enshrined in the Vienna Convention. At some stage, New Delhi will have to consider the staple recourse in such situations – backchannel diplomacy – to get our man back. That option suffered a setback when two Indian security personnel were beheaded on the border with Pakistan. The general wisdom is that the calculated mutilation was its army’s response to sabotage Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s attempt to open back-channel negotiations with his Pakistani counterpart, Nawaz Sharif, via an industrialist.

    Prime Minister Modi will reap the benefits of popular adulation because the Indian media treated the entire process at the ICJ like a 20:20 cricket match. In sports parlance, India is leading at half time. Foreign Minister Sushma Swaraj has indicated that much when she said while the verdict has brought relief to Jadhav’s family, India will leave no stone unturned to save him. Pakistani prisons are notorious for their rough treatment of Indians. Jadhav’s wellbeing could be in danger because Pakistan has labelled him a spy and tried to hang a number of numbing terrorist incidents around his neck even though the Tehrike Taliban Pakistan had earlier taken responsibility for them.

    Sooner or later, India may want to try its hand at exploring creative possibilities of diplomacy to resolve a number of issues, including the Jadhav case. After the legal arguments are over, its soft power will have to take charge. It is hard to predict when this will take place because Union Home Minister Rajnath Singh has indicated that India is yet to settle the scores for the beheading of its two security personnel. Time is always a great healer. Once Jadhav is let off the death row, as it seems he might well be, a quid pro quo may become a workable proposition.

    (The Tribune)

     

  • OZ TRIES TO LURE ITS STAR PLAYERS OUT OF IPL

    OZ TRIES TO LURE ITS STAR PLAYERS OUT OF IPL

    OZ TRIES TO LURE ITS STAR PLAYERS

    OUT OF IPL

    SYDNEY: (TIP): Cricket Australia (CA) has made an attempt to lure away its key players from the lucrative Indian Premier League (IPL) by offering them multi-year central contracts. The Australian players normally get a one-year contract.

    The offer, made to Test captain Steve Smith, vicecaptain
    David Warner and fast bowlers Mitchell
    Starc, Josh Hazlewood and Pat Cummins, however,
    got a lukewarm response from the players.

    Howard, CA’s executive general manager of team performance, made the approaches at a time when the governing body and the Australian Cricketers’ Association are in the midst of a dispute over new pay deals for the players.

    The offer, made to Test captain Steve Smith, vice captain David Warner and fast bowlers Mitchell Starc, Josh Hazlewood and Pat Cummins, however, got a lukewarm response from the players. The report said the terms of the multi-year deals, discussed informally with Howard, were regarded as underwhelming by the players — the only incentive for missing IPL being the security of a three-year contract.

    It is believed if CA has to succeed in its move, it has to come up with big cash incentives since Smith and Warner, who captain their IPL franchises, collect more than $1 million a year from the T20 league. Besides, their earning capacity is set to rise sharply following the new IPL broadcast deal. Warner’s retainer with CA is estimated to be worth $2 million but he could earn as much as $10 million in IPL alone over the next three years.

    In view of the hectic international schedule in 2019, which includes an Ashes series and the World Cup, CA apparently want to ensure their players remain fit and have sufficient break to recover before the gruelling international season starts after April and May.

    Source: Agencies

     

  • ‘NEGATIVE’ BCCI ORDERED TO SELECT INDIA TEAM

    ‘NEGATIVE’ BCCI ORDERED TO SELECT INDIA TEAM

    NEW DELHI (TIP): The Supreme Court-appointed Committee of Administrators has rebuked the Board of Control for Cricket in India officials for delaying the naming of the Indian cricket team for next month’s ICC Champions Trophy in UK.

    In a strongly-worded letter to acting BCCI secretary Amitabh Choudhary on Thursday, the CoA, led by former auditor general of India Vinod Rai, took exception to the Board’s stance to use the players as pawns in their revenue-share battle with the ICC bosses. “The BCCI appears to have lost sight of the fact that it attained a pre-eminent position in the ICC not by a combative approach but by building consensus and ensuring a positive image including by helping other cricket boards in their time of need,” the CoA said in its letter.

    India, led by MS Dhoni, had won the ICC Champions Trophy in UK in 2013. India beat hosts England in a rain-hit final at Edgbaston. India start their 2017 ICC Champions Trophy campaign against Pakistan in Birmingham on June 4. “There has been more than enough negativity surrounding Team India’s participation in the ICC Champions Trophy and the sooner the same is put to rest the better. The players’ interests are paramount and they must be given the best chance to prepare for, defend and retain the ICC Champions Trophy,” the administrators said.

    According to the ICC’s revised financial model based on equity and good conscience, BCCI will receive $293 million across the eight year cycle, England $143m, Zimbabwe $94m and the remaining seven Full Members $132m each. Associate Members will receive funding of $280m. This model was passed 13 votes to one.

    Unhappy with this model, India threatened to withdraw from the ICC Champions Trophy as a mark of protest. The CoA has rejected such an approach from the BCCI. India also failed to name their squad by April 25.

  • AFRIDI: EXCEPT GAUTI, MOST INDIA PLAYERS ARE MY FRIENDS

    AFRIDI: EXCEPT GAUTI, MOST INDIA PLAYERS ARE MY FRIENDS

    DUBAI (TIP): Recalling fond memories of his friendship with several Indian cricketers, former Pakistan skipper Shahid Afridi on Thursday said that, contrary to popular perception, players from both the nations get along really well. Afridi, however, singled out veteran India opener Gautam Gambhir as the one with whom he doesn’t share a friendly equation.

    For the record, the duo had a heated exchange on the field a few years back. In a column he wrote for the International Cricket Council as part of the build-up to the marquee clash between India and Pakistan in the Champions Trophy on June 4, Afridi fondly recalled his experiences of playing against the archrivals.

    “Contrary to popular belief, India and Pakistan players get along very well. Of course, there are exceptions like Gautam Gambhir, who dare I say isn’t the friendliest,” Afridi wrote.

    “We are unlikely to be found together at a coffee shop anytime soon. We had a heated exchange on the field some years ago and it made headlines all over the world. While I have moved on as I feel these things are part and parcel of the game, Gautam for some reason can’t get over it. Good luck to him!”

    Afridi said he cherishes the time he spent with the likes of Harbhajan Singh, Yuvraj Singh and Zaheer Khan. “The three are my good mates and we have some wonderful memories together from the times when both the sides used to play and tour each other on a regular basis. “In the early days of our careers, we used to hang out together quite a lot and spend time at each other’s homes. Now, all of us are married and, as such, responsibilities and priorities have changed. But whenever we catch-up, we meet with warmth and love, and remember our good times together,” he recollected.

  • JOS BUTTLER’S BRUTAL 77 NEGATES HASHIM AMLA’S CLASSY CENTURY

    JOS BUTTLER’S BRUTAL 77 NEGATES HASHIM AMLA’S CLASSY CENTURY

    INDORE (TIP): Jos Buttler scored his maiden Indian Premier League (IPL) half-century to provide the perfect start to Mumbai Indians’ run chase against Kings XI Punjab at the Holkar Stadium in Indore on Thursday.

    The England international reached the milestone in 24 balls with the help of seven fours and two sixes. He ultimately stopped at 77 off 37 balls, with the help of three more sixes.

    Buttler’s brutal knock meant that Hashim?Amla’s maiden IPL century for Kings XI Punjab went in vain, as Mumbai Indians won the match by eight wickets. Buttler was involved in a 85-run second wicket stand with Nitish Rana (62*). The latter stayed unbeaten as MI chased won KXIP’s 199-run target in just 15.3 overs.

    Chasing a mammoth total, Mumbai Indians needed a good start and Buttler was well up to the task. He slammed a massive six over mid-wicket in the very first over and then, scored a boundary off a defensive push in the next over.

    The onslaught did not stop as the 26-year-old English player looked extremely comfortable against the Kings XI Punjab pacers and in the third over, he pummeled Sandeep Singh for a four and a six. His innings, however, was not perfect as he miscued a shot in the next over but substitute fielder David Miller was unable to hold on to the catch and the ball went for yet another boundary.

    It proved to be a costly miss for the hosts as Buttler made them pay with three boundaries in the fifth over. He hit the first two balls through the mid-off region and then adjusted brilliantly to a slower delivery from Mohit Sharma to smear it through extra cover.

    Buttler continued to play his natural game even after losing his partner – Parthiv Patel -and he finally brought up his half century with a single off Axar Patel.

  • ONCE THE LEADER, MS DHONI FEELS BATTING BLUES

    ONCE THE LEADER, MS DHONI FEELS BATTING BLUES

    Mahendra Singh Dhoni has been more in focus than his team Rising Pune Supergiant in this Indian Premier League. And that should be the case ahead of the clash against Gujarat Lions at the SCA Stadium on Friday too.

    Dhoni was stripped of captaincy by RPS and is struggling with the bat as he faces Gujarat Lions in the next match

    Nothing seems to be going right for the champion cricketer at the moment. While it all started with RPS owners replacing India’s greatest captain with Steven Smith for the 10thedition of the T20 tournament, the spotlight is on the Ranchi superstar’s poor run with the bat.

    One hoped with the burden of captaincy off his shoulders, a vintage Dhoni would take IPL by storm. However, that hasn’t been the case so far. With scores of 12 not out, 5 and 11 in his first three games, Dhoni, 35, seems nowhere close to his best. Although Dhoni has been active with field placements from behind the wicket, it’s his power-hitting that Smith would have banked on.

    In the first match against Mumbai Indians, the situation was tailor-made for Dhoni, with 13 runs required off the final over. The job was ultimately done by Smith, who hit two sixes to finish off the game, as Dhoni found it difficult to even connect.

    In Pune’s last match against Delhi Daredevils, which Smith missed due to an upset stomach, Dhoni was expected to take on more batting responsibility. The opportunity was lost again.

    It isn’t Dhoni’s form alone that is a concern. It has also a lot to do with building the right environment to bring the best out of the players.

    The build up to IPL 10 hasn’t been ideal for Dhoni. Controversy erupted when RPS owner Sanjiv Goenka declared that he was sacked as skipper of his team.

    After the emphatic win in the opener against Mumbai Indians, tweets by Goenka’s brother Harsh seemed to pit Dhoni against Smith, upsetting fans of the double World Cup-winning skipper.

    Dhoni’s wife Sakshi posted a photograph sporting a Chennai Super Kings helmet and jersey and came out in support of her beleaguered husband with a strong response to Harsh Goenka’s tweets.

    One major reason Chennai Super Kings under Dhoni enjoyed great IPL success, before it was suspended for two years, was because the skipper was a master finisher.

    It is often said write off a champion at your peril. With Dhoni’s finishing abilities on the wane, his task has become more challenging than ever at No 5. Pune could consider promoting Dhoni ahead of England allrounder Ben Stokes, who can still finish matches by batting at No 5.

    The dip in form in IPL 10 seems sudden. Before the league, Dhoni scored 330 runs in eight matches for Jharkhand in the 50-over Vijay Hazare Trophy.

     

  • DHONI, JHARKHAND TEAM RESCUED AS FIRE BREAKS OUT AT DELHI HOTEL; MATCH POSTPONED

    DHONI, JHARKHAND TEAM RESCUED AS FIRE BREAKS OUT AT DELHI HOTEL; MATCH POSTPONED

    NEW DELHI (TIP): The Jharkhand cricket team, including their skipper Mahendra Singh Dhoni, on March 17 (Friday) escaped unhurt after a fire broke out at a five star hotel in Dwarka here leading to postponement of the Vijay Hazare Trophy semifinal against Bengal.

    The match that was supposed to be held at the Airforce ground in Palam has been rescheduled at Feroz Shah Kotla on Saturday after match referee Sanjay Verma announced the postponement.

    Dhoni along with his teammates was having breakfast at the team hotel, ITC Welcome, when they were evacuated on a SOS basis. Around 540 guests were staying at the hotel, according to police sources.

    “Yes, it was scary as a fire broke out early in the morning. We were evacuated and brought to the ground,” Jharkhand coach Rajeev Kumar said.

    The match referee’s decision to postpone the game was taken as the kits of the team were at the hotel and there was no way that the match could have started.

    Both teams were at the ground but since the Jharkhand players were also mentally disturbed, the BCCI had to give them a day’s time to get into a proper frame of mind.

    “When we were having breakfast at the restaurant…suffocating smell of the smoke alarmed us. We ran for our lives,” a Jharkhand player told PTI.

    “A call was received around 6.30 AM about a fire breaking out at Welcome Hotel. Thirty fire tenders were rushed to the spot and the fire was doused by 9.45 AM. Cooling operations are on,” said a senior official from Delhi Fire Services.

    Police said that the fire broke out in a Reliance showroom. Further investigation is underway to ascertain the cause of the fire. Source: PTI

     

  • India v Australia: Recovering Virat Kohli does not take field on day two

    India v Australia: Recovering Virat Kohli does not take field on day two

    RANCHI (TIP): Injured India captain Virat Kohli did not come out to field when the second day’s play in the third Test against Australia began on March 17.

    The penultimate contest of the four-Test series was into its 40th over on March 16 when a tumbling Kohli hurt his right shoulder trying to save a boundary.

    The hosts were left to wonder if it was worth the effort as Kohli immediately left the ground, with deputy Ajinkya Rahane leading the side in his absence.

    The Indian board (BCCI) said in a statement there were “no serious concerns” and that India’s batting mainstay would be able to participate in the ongoing contest which marks Ranchi’s debut as a Test venue.

    Kohli did come out before Friday’s warm-up, with the BCCI sharing the footage and tweeting “Captain returns. Game on!” (Reuters)

     

  • BCCI withdraws complaint against Steve Smith and Peter Handscomb

    BCCI withdraws complaint against Steve Smith and Peter Handscomb

    The BCCI on March 8 decided to withdraw the complaint against Steve Smith and Peter Handscomb on the controversial Decision Review System (DRS) call issue that led to war of words between the rival teams.

    The BCCI had lodged an official complaint trying to press Level 2 charge against Smith and Handscomb for violating spirit of the game.

    However Cricket Australia (CA) chief executive James Sutherland on Thursday met his opposite number Rahul Johri at the BCCI headquarters in Mumbai to resolve the issue. It was decided that the two captains would meet in Ranchi to solve the crisis.

    “BCCI and CA have resolved to restore focus on the ongoing series amidst the increased attention towards issues which have emanated during the course of the 2nd Test match in Bangalore,” a press release stated.

    Johri and Sutherland discussed the matters at length, agreed the importance of bringing back the focus to the game and the much anticipated next Test match in Ranchi.

    Sutherland said, “A series between India and Australia is bound to generate considerable excitement for fans in both the countries. On the field the two teams are fierce competitors who represent their countries with pride. As we have seen this week in Bangalore, with so much at stake, tensions can bubble over.

    “We are half way through what has already been a riveting series – and there is still much to look forward to. In discussing the relevant issues in depth, we have agreed that it is in the best interests of the game to put these differences aside and clear the way for the focus to be on the cricket, and the remaining matches of the series.”

    Johri on his part said “India has always cherished a contest with Australia and over the years, the performances of both, the teams and the players, are testimony to the level of competitiveness that exists between these two teams.

    “While having responded officially to one such incident which happened in the last Test, together, we believe that the focus of the teams and the joy they provide to the fans, should not be diluted and it is imperative to ensure that the rest of the series, which promises a great cricketing contest, not be compromised,” he concluded. (PTI)

  • IPL 2017 Player Auction Complete List

    IPL 2017 Player Auction Complete List

    Ben Stokes most expensive buy at Rs 14.5 crore, Karn Sharma most expensive Indian for Rs 3.2 crore

    IPL 2017 Player Auction just got over today in Bengaluru inside the plush hotel rooms for the tenth edition. With the league starting on April 5, teams had the auction as a launchpad to decide their strategy for the season in terms of players required and areas they need to improve upon.

    Englishmen did really well in India this time with all big players including, Eoin Morgan, Jason Roy, Ben Stokes and Tymal Mills getting big money.

    Moreover, Ben Stokes and Tymal Mills were sold for more than INR 10 Crore!

    Now, the squads are ready for the tournament which is scheduled to start from April 5.

    Here are the full squads of all teams:

    Delhi Daredevils

    Captain – Zaheer Khan

    Indian Players

    Zaheer Khan, Mohammad Shami, Shahbaz Nadeem, Jayant Yadav, Amit Mishra, Shreyas Iyer, Sanju Samson, Karun Nair, Rishabh Pant, CV Milind, Khaleel Ahmed, Pratyush Singh, Murugan Ashwin, Aditya Tare, Shashank Singh, Ankit Bawane, Navdeep Saini

    Overseas Players

    Corey Anderson (New Zealand)

    Angelo Mathews (Sri Lanka)

    Pat Cummins (Australia)

    Kagiso Rabada, Chris Morris, Quinton De Cock, JP Duminy (South Africa)

    Carlos Brathwaite (West Indies)

    Sam Billings (England)

    Gujarat Lions

    Captain – Suresh Raina

    Indian Players

    Suresh Raina, Ravindra Jadeja, Dinesh Karthik, Dhawal Kulkarni, Praveen Kumar, Ishan Kishan, Pradeep Sangwan, Shivil Kaushik, Shadab Jakati, Jaydev Shah, Manpreet Gony, Nathu Singh, Munaf Patel, Akshdeep Nath, Basil Thampi, Shubham Agarwal, Tejas Baroka, Pratham Singh, Shelley Shaurya

    Overseas Players  

    James Faulkner, Aaron Finch, Andrew Tye (Australia)

    Brendon MacCullam  (New Zealand)

    Dwayne Bravo, Dwayne Smith (West Indies)

    Chirag Suri (UAE)

    Kings XI Punjab

    Captain – David Miller

    Indian Players

    Manan Vohra, Axar Patel, Gurkeerat Mann Singh, Anureet Singh, Sandeep Sharma, Shardul Thakur, Wriddhiman Saha, Murali Vijay, Nikhil Naik, Mohit Sharma, KC Cariappa, Armaan Jaffer, Pradeep Sahu,  Vraun Aaron, Rahul Tewatia, Rinku Singh, T Natarajan

    Overseas Players

    Martin Guptill, Matt Henry (New Zealand)

    Darren Sammy (West Indies)

    Eoin Morgan (England)

    Hashim Amla, David Miller (South Africa)

    Marcus Stoinis, Shaun Marsh, Glenn Maxwell (Australia)

    Kolkata Knight Riders

    Captain – Gautam Gambhir

    Indian Players

    Gautam Gambhir, Kuldeep Yadav, Manish Pandey, Suryakumar Yadav, Piyush Chawla, Robin Uthappa, Umesh Yadav, Yusuf Pathan, Sheldn Jackson, Ankit Rajpoot, Rishi Dhawan, Ishank Jaggi, Sayan Gosh, R Sanjay Yadav

    Overseas Players

    Darren Bravo, Rovman Powell, Andre Russell, Sunil Narine (West Indies)

    Chris Woakes (England)

    Nathan Coulter-Nile, Chris Lynn (Australia)

    Trent Boult (New Zealand)

    Shakib Al Hasan (Bangladesh)

    Mumbai Indians

    Captain – Rohit Sharma

    Indian Players

    Rohit Sharma, Harbhajan Singh, Ambati Rayudu, Jasprit Bumrah, Shreyas Gopal, Vinay Kumar, Parthiv Patel, Nitish Rana, Siddhesh Lad, Jagadeesha Suchith, Hardik Pandya, Jitesh Sharma, Krunal Pandya, Deepak Punia, Saurabh Tiwary, Karn Sharma, Krishnappa Gowtham Kulwant Kejroliya

    Overseas Players

    Asela Gunaratne, Lasith Malinga (Sri Lanka)

    Mitchell Johnson (Australia)

    Nicholas Pooran, Lendl Simmons, Kieron Pollard (West Indies)

    Tim Southee, Mitchell McClenaghan (New Zealand)

    Jos Buttler (England)

    Rising Pune Supergiants

    Captain – Steven Smith

    Indian Players

    MS Dhoni, Ajinkya Rahane, Ravichandran Ashwin, Ashok Dinda, Ankush Bains, Rajat Bhatia, Ankit Sharma, Ishwar Pandey, Jaskaran Singh, Baba Aparajith, Deepak Chahar, Mayank Agarwal, Manoj Tiwary, Jaydev Unadkat, Rahul Chahar, Saurabh Kumar, Milind Tandon, Rahul Tripathi

    Overseas Players

    Lockie Ferguson (New Zealand)

    Daniel Christian, Usman Khawaja, Adam Zampa, Mitchell Marsh, Steven Smith (Australia)

    Ben Stokes (England)

    Francois Du Plessis (South Africa)

    Royal Challengers Bengaluru

    Captain – Virat Kohli

    Indian Players

    Virat Kohli, Yuzvendra Chahal, Harshal Patel, Mandeep Singh, Sarfaraz Khan, Sreenath Arvind, Kedar Jadhav, Stuart Binny, Sachin Baby, Iqbal Abdulla, Lokesh Rahul, Avesh Khan, Pawan Negi, Praveen Dubey, Aniket Choudhary

    Overseas Players

    Tymal Mills (England)

    Billy Stanlake, Travis Head, Shane Watson (Australia)

    Tabraiz Shamsi, AB de Villiers (South Africa)

    Samuel Badree, Chris Gayle (West Indies)

    Adam Milne (New Zealand)

    Sunrisers Hyderabad

    Captain – David Warner

    Indian Players

    Shikhar Dhawan, Bhuvneshwar Kumar, Namaj Ojha, Ricky Bhui, Siddarth Kaul, Bipul Sharma, Ashish Sharma, Yuvraj Singh, Abhimanyu Mithun, Barinder Sran, Deepak Hooda, Vijay Shankar, Eklavya Dwivedi, Pravin Tambe, Tanmay Agarwal, Mohammed Siraj

    Overseas Players

    Ben Laughlin, Ben Cutting, David Warner, Moises Henriques (Australia)

    Rashid Khan Arman, Mohammad Nabi (Afghanistan)

    Chris Jordan (England)

    Mustafizur Rahman (Bangladesh)

    Kane Williamson (New Zealand)

  • ICC should know what happens if they try to kill Indian cricket, the golden goose: Shastri

    ICC should know what happens if they try to kill Indian cricket, the golden goose: Shastri

    NEW DELHI (TIP): Indian cricket has rarely been in the pink of health, on the field, as it is now. The team, under the unified captaincy of Virat Kohli across formats, has begun to produce results consistently and Anil Kumble has put in place practices in the background that are ensuring steady growth. Off the field, however, turmoil has been the order of the day, with the Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI), at large, and certain administrators in particular, coming to grips with the sweeping changes laid down via the courts

    Because of the string of performances overseas, about two years of playing in different conditions, the team developed at pace. The turning point was the tour of Australia, where they held their own and then beat Sri Lanka in Sri Lanka to become the No. 1 side in the world. To become the No. 1 side even before the long season at home was an achievement. Beating South Africa 3-0, and then the home season helped stretch the lead at the top to a strong position. The run of Tests at home helped balance the side, which will help them overseas as well. The challenge now will be Australia at home. With due respect to England and New Zealand, Australia will be the toughest of India’s home assignments. To beat Australia, India will have to play their best game

    The turning point from the batting aspect was quite clear -KL Rahul got a hundred, [Ajinkya] Rahane made a strong century, Virat got four centuries. Then, having a very good World Cup gave the fast bowlers the confidence, the feeling that they could make teams hop, when [Mohammed] Shami, Umesh Yadav were on fire. It was very exciting. What is especially heartening to see is that all the good work the team put in behind the scenes has not gone to waste. The results are coming now.

    Their last two visits to India, in their minds, are probably best forgotten. The one thing is that they will come out and play hard. Most of their players would’ve learnt a lot of Indian conditions and (there are also) players from the IPL: there will be caution and aggression. With the likes of [Steve] Smith and Warner in the ranks, and [Mitchell] Starc, [Nathan] Lyon and [Josh] Hazlewood in the bowling, makes for a very interesting series. It is the committee appointed by the courts that is in charge now. When transparency in administration and the electoral process are in place, BCCI, the institution, will be back to where it should be. (PTI)

  • 2017 IPL Players auction guide

    2017 IPL Players auction guide

    The 2017 IPL players auction in Bangalore on Monday has created a buzz ahead of the tenth season of the T20 league. Here’s a rundown on the big event.

    Player for sale

    From an original pool of 799, there will be 351 cricketers up for auction; of these, 226 are Indian and the rest overseas players. The list of 351 includes 122 capped, 223 uncapped and six Associates players. A total of 76 players can be purchased, however.

    Franchise purses

    • Kings XI Punjab – Rs 23.35 crore
    • Delhi Daredevils – Rs 21.5 crore
    • Sunrisers Hyderabad – Rs 20.9 crore Kolkata Knight Riders – Rs 19.75 crore
    • Rising Pune Supergiants – Rs 19.1 crore Gujarat Lions – Rs 14.35 crore
    • Royal Challengers Bangalore – Rs 12.825 cror Mumbai Indians – Rs 11.555 crore

    The most expensive players (base price INR 2 crore)

    • Angelo Mathews
    • Ben Stokes
    • Chris Woakes
    • Eoin Morgan
    • Ishant Sharma
    • Mitchell Johnson
    • Pat Cummins

     

    Five potential jackpot winners (overseas)

    • Jason Roy – (recent T20 form: 157 runs @ 31.40, SR 135)
    • Ben Stokes – (recent T20 form: 46 runs @ 23, SR 117.94, 2 wickets @ 45, Econ 8.18)
    • Mitchell Santner – (recent T20 form: 3 wickets @ 23.66, Econ 6.45, SR 23.66)
    • Mohammad Nabi – (recent T20 form: 83 runs @ 41.50, SR 123.88, 9 wickets @ 19.88, Econ 7.35)
    • Evin Lewis – (recent T20 form: 131 runs @ 43.66, SR 179.45)

    Five uncapped Indians to watch for

    • Umar Nazir
    • Puneet Datey
    • Tanmay Agarwal
    • Ankit Bawne
    • Vishnu Vinod
  • Cricket expands in USA with $2.4 Billion Infrastructure and 17,000 New Jobs

    Cricket expands in USA with $2.4 Billion Infrastructure and 17,000 New Jobs

    WASHINGTON (TIP): Global Sports Ventures, a sports development company, recently announced plans to build an estimated $2.4 Billion in infrastructure and business development to drive economic growth across eight states.

    This announcement comes on the heels of GSV’s recent $70 million licensing agreement of T20 rights from the United States of America Cricket Association (USACA). The T20 format is much shorter than the previously-existing form of cricket, and is closer to the time span of other popular team sports in the United States.

    GSV plans to professionalize cricket in the United States by creating a league that allows athletes to compete at the highest level while providing fans and audiences the ability to enjoy the game at GSV’s world-class facilities. This will be a strong foundation when the International Cricket Council (ICC) hosts any tournaments in line with its strategic framework for U.S.A. cricket, potentially hosting the ICC World Twenty20 in 2024.

    GSV is actively working with legislators to develop 26,000+/- seat stadiums in New York, New Jersey, Washington DC, Georgia, Florida, Texas, Illinois and California.

    Dennis Conaghan, the Executive Director of San Francisco Center for Economic Development added, “We are excited to welcome this opportunity that Global Sports Ventures have brought to us, as it will be a great addition to the professional sports network that we already have in San Francisco. It also reinforces our city’s reputation as not just the capital of innovation and technology, but as an exciting and diverse global hub for culture, arts and sport.”

    The cricket-centric, multi-purpose entertainment stadiums and lifestyle centers will create approximately 17,800 new jobs (1,500 construction and 725 permanent jobs per location) with opportunities in medical and rehab services; merchandising and procurement; media and broadcasting; tourism development; security; logistics and transportation; and, player, coaches and support staff.

    Each of these locations will cost an estimated $300 million and will generate approximately $8 billion in direct and indirect salaries over the next 20 years.

    “We are delighted to receive so much positive feedback and commitment from officials on a state level, and we’re dedicated to working with local communities and businesses to provide an estimated economic output upwards of$100 million per city,” said Jignesh (Jay) Pandya, Chairman of Global Sports Ventures.

  • England demolished, India makes a clean sweep of Test, ODI and T20 Series

    England demolished, India makes a clean sweep of Test, ODI and T20 Series

    England collapse hands India a clean sweep of Test, ODI and T20 series

    England’s cricketers will leave India defeated on every front after collapsing spectacularly in the balmy Bengaluru air, losing eight wickets for eight runs from a position of strength to go down by 75 runs in the final T20 international. The result means India win the series 2-1 to go alongside victories in the one-day and Test series across a trying two-legged winter tour.

    The collapse at the end will live long in the memory, a collective spasm of panic that turned a tight chase into a thrashing. But England’s late middle order had been left with no choice but to hit wildly as the innings stagnated as they sought 203 to win. The leg-spinner Yuzvendra Chahal, playing on his home IPL ground, finished with the astonishing figures of six for 25 as England flailed, unable to pick his googly, unable to find any other way to respond to the pressure of the occasion.

    In reality the game turned in the guts of their innings as Joe Root batted too slowly, chewing up 37 balls for his 42 as wickets were lost around him to some careless shots and the weight of the chase simply became too much.

    The key over was bowled by Amit Mishra, who completed a four-over spell of skill and accuracy to keep England to three runs off the 13th over. From there India had the best “death” bowler on either team, Jasprit Bumrah, with three overs left to bowl. It was hit or bust for the last knockings of this tour; and bust it was, the end coming in a dizzying rush.

    For much of the night this had been a wild bare-knuckle brawl of a match that kept barrelling on without taking a breath. The promised high-scoring contest did, indeed, materialise on this tight ground and India’s 202, an inning of 12 sixes and not a lot of quick singles, left England needing their third highest total batting second in T20s to win the series, though all stats in this form of the game are a mutable, infant science.

    They began with some intent. Jason Roy got things under way with an astonishing reverse slogged six off Chahal’s first ball. Sam Billings was out caught ballooning one up off his boot bringing Root to the crease. It was angsty cricket for a while as England thrashed and the Chinnaswamy roared and wailed at the hilarity of it all.

    With England 55 for one at the end of the powerplay the game was still wide open. Roy threw his wicket away with a horrendous, static swipe against the spin. It might have been a good moment to send in Jos Buttler, England’s most explosive player, with something to play for but Eoin Morgan batted with energy and, with 10 overs gone, England were only a little behind at 86 for two.

    Morgan began to open up, lifting Suresh Raina for two lofted sixes to bring up the hundred, then flipping another over square-leg as 22 came from the 12th over. After Mishra had tightened the screw Morgan holed out a little desperately to deep square-leg. Root went lbw to Chahal. It felt like a moment of do-or-die and so it proved, five of the last six wickets coming from mistimed airborne swipes.

    Earlier England had won the toss as dusk fell and decided to chase. Liam Plunkett came in for Liam Dawson and the prodigy Rishabh Pant made his debut for India.

    The Chinnaswamy is a claustrophobic, steeply-tiered circular noise funnel but it fell silent seven balls into the match as Virat Kohli was run out in extraordinary circumstances, dropping the ball at his feet and finding himself undone as he dithered by some wonderfully decisive athleticism from Chris Jordan.

    Raina skied a Plunkett slower ball, bringing Yuvraj Singh to the crease, a man who likes a flat pitch and a short boundary. MS Dhoni’s fifty came up off 32 balls, his first in 76 T20 internationals, at which point Yuvraj began to move. Jordan was glided for three effortless straight sixes over mid-on in an over that went for 24, the last an extraordinary flat bunted hit off a yorker length. Yuvraj was out for 27 off nine balls, expertly deceived by a 61mph slower ball from Mills, and India closed on a breathless, never quite full-throttle 201 for six. It felt like a par score. England made it into a great deal more.

    Haryanavi Hero: Chahal steals the show

    Opportunities have been far and few at the first-class level, but becoming an IPL regular has breathed life into Yuzvendra Chahal’s yet flourishing limited-overs career

    Haryanavi Hero Chahal
    Haryanavi Hero Chahal

    While India’s captain Virat Kohli was beaming ear to ear at the post-match press conference after his team secured the T20 series, Yuzvendra Chahal looked like a nervous kid told about a surprise test. On the field, though, he had delivered a nerveless performance, posing question after question to England’s batsmen. Chahal ultimately came away with incredible figures of 6 for 25 in four overs – the best by an Indian bowler in T20I history and the third best overall.

    He was chiefly responsible for England’s blink-and-you-miss-it collapse: they lost 8 for 8 in 18 balls. Chahal might not have been in the XI in the first place had R Ashwin and Ravindra Jadeja not been rested from the T20I series. Chahal’s sidekick in the match was Amit Mishra, his state captain at Haryana, who claimed 1 for 23 off four overs.

    Wednesday was just Chahal’s ninth match in India colours. He’s been an IPL regular now for Royal Challengers Bangalore for three seasons, and has been around in the first-class scene since 2009. However, opportunities have remained elusive – he has played just 27 matches in eight years. Seven of those games came in the Ranji Trophy season gone by, when Mishra was working his way into becoming a Test regular. When Mishra was released from the Test squad for the Ranji game against Goa last November, Chahal had to sit out. He has had to operate in Mishra’s shadows for a bulk of his career. More recently, he has had to also contend with Jayant Yadav.

    At the IPL, he was first snapped up by Mumbai Indians in 2011. He played understudy to Harbhajan Singh there, although he picked up 2 for 9 in Mumbai’s title triumph in the Champions League T20 the same year. Overall, he got only seven games for Mumbai between 2011 and 2013. In 2014, he was bought by Royal Challengers at the auction, and he made a mark immediately.

    He isn’t intimidated by the short boundaries at the M Chinnaswamy Stadium. He loops the ball up and doesn’t lose heart even if he is launched out of the park. He managed 12 wickets in his first season with the Bangalore franchise and nearly doubled it in the next season. In Royal Challengers’ run to the final in 2016, he collected 21 wickets and finished as the second-highest wicket-taker in that season, but was overshadowed by Kohli and AB de Villiers.

    Chahal’s efforts, though, caught the eyeballs of the national selectors, who picked him in India’s second-string squad for the Zimbabwe trip in 2016. Chahal gave a good account of himself in Zimbabwe; none quite like his efforts in Bangalore though.

     

  • Overseas Indian sportsmen have done their homeland proud

    Overseas Indian sportsmen have done their homeland proud

    By Prabhjot Singh

    The year 1984 may have been a tumultuous year for the Punjabi community in general and Sikh community. It may not be easy for anyone to put behind the dastardly and tragic events that rocked not only Punjab but also the Punjabi community elsewhere. As the community was drowning in gloom, two overseas Punjabis  -Alexi Singh Grewal and Kulbir Singh Bhaura – provided the silver lining by telling the world how enterprising the community was. Not only they entered the history annals as first overseas Indians to win Olympic medals but they also set a new trend in motion that has been kept afloat by enterprising overseas Indian community ever since.

    At the overall overseas Indian community has done exceedingly well in the world of sports, including Olympic games, Commonwealth games and cricket.

    Their heroic deeds scripted a new chapter describing it as the launch of “Brand India”. Before 2016 ended, yet another overseas Indian – Rajeev Ram – kept the “Brand India” flame alive by winning an Olympic medal, a Silver in Rio Olympic games.

    Contribution by overseas Indian community cannot by undermined for it has won cockles of many a heart in the contemporary sports world. In December when a field hockey team from Canada went to play in the 2016 Junior World Cup Hockey Tournament in Lucknow, 11 of its 16 members were of Indian origin.

    Alexi Singh Grewal became the first American to win an Olympic gold medal in cycling, at the 1984 Games in Los Angeles. Photo: Todd Buchanan
    Alexi Singh Grewal became the first American to win an Olympic gold medal in cycling, at the 1984 Games in Los Angeles. Photo: Todd Buchanan

    These players -Brandon Pereira, Harbir Sidhu,Parmeet Gill, Rohan Chopra, Rajan Kahlon, Kabir Aujla, Balraj Panesar (captain), Ganga Singh, Gavin Bains, Arshjit Sidhu and Iqwwinder Gill – need to be complemented as they self-financed their participation in the prestigious Lucknow tournament.

    And the Australian team, too, had one player of Indian origin, Kiran Arunasalam. It is after a long time that any player of Indian origin is playing for Australia in hockey.

    At the overall overseas Indian community has done exceedingly well in the world of sports, including Olympic games, Commonwealth games and cricket.

    You name any sport in which the overseas Indian community has not won laurels for the countries of its present abode. Needless to say, that 17 countries, including Canada, the US, Australia, Malaysia, England, Kenya, Uganda and Hong Kong, have been represented by overseas Indians in Olympic games.

    Kulbir Bhaura, who represented Great Britain in field hockey, is the only overseas Indian to have two Olympic medals to his credit, a bronze in Los Angeles and a gold in Seoul.

    Then there is Shiv Jagday, a former Indian Universities colour holder; he had the distinction of working as National Coach of Field Hockey Canada. He also coached the US national team besides being on the panel of the select FIH coaches. His son Ronnie Jagday also played for Canada in Sydney Olympic games. One must not forget the contribution of Malkiat Singh Saund who was one of the best forwards of the 1972 Munich Olympic games. Malkiat represented Uganda. Now he is settled in England.

    Sutinder had the distinction of leading England in one match in the Mumbai World Cup Hockey Tournament in 1981-82. He played for England and Great Britain for a number of years.

    If Australia is a world power in field hockey, it is all because of efforts of Pearce brothers who immigrated to Australia from India and represented their new country of abode in Olympic games.

    Hardial Singh Kular, besides playing for Kenya, also rose to be the Vice-President of the International Hockey Federation (FIH). He was one of many Indian expatriates who represented Kenya in 60s and 70s of the last centenary.

    He stands tall with Alexi Grewal, the first overseas Indian, to win an individual Olympic gold medal. In the 1984 Olympic games, he won the road race event in cycling in style. His father, a Sikh, had migrated to the US.

    Interestingly, Alexi Grewal’s individual gold, though for the US, came 24 years before Abhinav Bindra won the country’s first ever-individual gold medal in Olympic games.

    The latest from the overseas Indian community to get on to the Olympic medallist list is tennis player Rajeev Ram who won a silver medal in mixed doubles in the 2016 Olympic games in Rio.

    While the overseas Indians have done the country and the overseas Indian community proud, the Indian government is yet to reciprocate. Though it started organizing #PravasiBharatiyaDivas (PBD) where outstanding members of the overseas Indian community are felicitated, sportsmen and women are yet to get their due.

    Besides Alexi Singh Grewal, Kulbir Singh Bhaura and Rajeev Ram, there are a large number of other sportsmen and women, who have done the overseas community and India proud.

    Rajeev Ram has to his credit a silver medal. In partnership with Venus Williams,

    Rajeev Ram, finished runners-up in mixed doubles event in Tennis. Thirty-two- year-old Rajeev is first generation American. His parents moved to States in 1981 and Rajeev was born in 1984.

    Rajeev won his first major Tennis title in Chennai in 2009. Rated as one of the top doubles players in tennis, silver in Olympics has been his highest achievement. In the semi-finals, Rajeev and Venus had defeated Sania Mirza and Rohan Bopanna.

    After Rajeev Ram, another athlete of Indian origin doing well for a country other than India is shutter Rajiv Ousef. Born in Indians dominated Hounslow area in England, Rajiv has already qualified for quarterfinals of men’s singles in Rio. On his way to last eight Rajiv have beaten Tommy Sugiarto of Indonesia, Sasaki Sho of Japan and Koukel Petr of Czech. At 30, this has been perhaps best ever performance by him in a major sporting event. He had won a silver medal in the 2010 Commonwealth games in New Delhi.

    Cricket is a game that every person of Indian origin follows. Monty Panesar scripted a new chapter when he became the first turban-wearing player to represent a country other than India in Test cricket. Monty played for England. Ravi Bopara followed him.

    Since I have been following the overseas community closely, I wrote the following piece in The Tribune in November 2010 talking about emerging  “Icons” of the Indian community. My piece was re-read by many as the President-elect, Donald Trump, named Nikki Haley, as the US Ambassador to the United Nations,

    My piece read:

    “What do Nikki Haley Randhawa, Bobby Jindal and Arjan Bhullar have in common?They all belong to the second-generation Punjabi Diaspora of North America.

    While Randhawa and Jindal share the rare distinction of being the first Indian Americans to be Governors in the US, Bhullar has become the first Indo-Canadian to win a gold medal for his adopted homeland in the just- concluded Commonwealth Games in New Delhi.

    They all are now icons of successful second generation young overseas Punjabis — 20-40 age group– who have brought laurels to the motherland of their parents after scripting extraordinary success stories in their chosen fields.

    Interestingly, both Randhawa and Jindal are almost of the same age group — both succeeding in their race for gubernatorial posts even before they turned 40.

    Though Piyush Subhas Chandra Amrit Bobby Jindal created history in 2008 by getting elected as Governor of Louisiana at the age of 37, Nimrata Nikki Haley Randhawa, will be almost 39 when she assumes charge as Governor of Carolina in the New Year.

    Similarities are not only limited to the age group but also extend to other areas. Parents of both Jindal and Randhawa migrated to the US in the early 70s. And fathers of both Jindal and Randhawa were university teachers before they decided to leave India for good.

    While the Jindals belonged to the Malerkotla area in Punjab, Rancheria’s family moved from Amritsar to the United States.

    Mothers of both Jindal and Randhawa have the same first name — Raj. If similarities can be taken a step further, “A” is the initial of their fathers’ first name, Amar Jindal and Ajit Randhawa. Both belonged to the middle-class families before getting lured by the greener pastures of the US.

    Interestingly, Jindal married Supriya Jolly, also an Indian-American, Randhawa married an American, Michael Haley.

    Like their parents, both Bobby and Nikki charted out their own ways to success and glory with their sheer hard work, determination and commitment.

    Bhullar has been on a different turf. Born in a family of wrestlers — his father Avtar Singh Bhullar was a known wrestler of his times who contested against Asian games champion Kartar Singh – in Vancouver in British Columbia, Arjan had to choose between soccer and wrestling in his school days. Now while pursuing higher studies at Simon Fraser University in British Columbia, he is focused on wrestling and wants to make it to the podium at the 2012 Olympic games in London.

    Never before any Indo-Canadian had won a gold medal for his or her adopted homeland in any international meet of the level of Commonwealth Games, Pan American games or the Olympic Games.”

    Now coming to many other sports personalities who also deserve appreciation and honour for flying the Indian flag flying overseas.

    Hockey Olympian Avtar Singh Sohal played for Kenya in 1960, 1964, 1968 and 1972 Olympics, captaining Kenya in the last three editions of the Olympic games. He went to 1984 Olympics as Chief Coach of Kenya Besides Avtar also played for Kenya in the inaugural 1971 World Cup as Captain. In the second World Cup (1973) in Amsterdam, he went as Assistant Coach. Avtar is also the FIH Coach and also a member of the FIH Development and Coaching Committee. No one in the history of Olympic hockey has captained a national team for three consecutive times. In India, Pargat Singh has the distinction of leading India in two Olympic games.

    Avtar Singh was in Rio Olympic games on his own to watch the hockey competition and other events.

    Naaz Shah belongs to select band of Indian women hockey players who played for India in the Olympic games. When India was represented in women’s hockey competition in the Moscow Olympics, she was a member of the team. She was also a member of the gold medal winning Indian team in the 1982 Asian Games. Now settled in Hamilton, NZ she continues to be passionate about hockey.

    Four of her trainees represented New Zealand in the New Delhi Junior World Cup Hockey Tournament. In the 2016 Junior World Cup Hockey Tournament in Lucknow, another batch of her trainees also represented New Zealand. Naaz also went to Rio as a Volunteer where she had the distinction of becoming flag-bearer of Indian hockey team in one of its pool matches. Now she has been a coaching youngster, both boys and girls in Hamilton where she works as a teacher. While she won laurels for India, her contribution to hockey and sports have remained unrecognised.

    Let us talk about the World’s richest league, NBA. It is in this league that members of the overseas Indian community have made dents.

    Gursimran “Sim” Bhullar, Canada born Punjabi boy, has the distinction of becoming the first ever player of Indian origin to play in NBA. Though Satnam Singh Bhamara and Palpreet Singh, both Punjab born basketball players have been subsequently drafted into NBA, they too have brought good name to Indian sports worldwide.

  • Ashwin rewarded with wages of spin

    Ashwin rewarded with wages of spin

    CHENNAI (TIP): It was late August and R Ashwin was playing a T20 game against West Indies in Florida. On a small ground, the Indian bowlers had conceded 245, with Ashwin finishing with 2-39 off three overs.

    A commentator asked him at the end of the innings if he was worried about his recent “indifferent form” in the shortest version of the game. Ashwin looked straight at the commentator with the smile still intact and said: “It’s surprising to hear about my indifferent form. As far as I am concerned, I feel I have been the No. 1 strike bowler for my team in the shorter version.”

    That’s Ashwin for you – a man with extreme self-belief who never stops backing himself at difficult times. A cricketer’s life is a topsy-turvy ride with a bad day in office lurking round every corner. In an age of extreme scrutiny, anything that is not top drawer gets magnified, but Ashwin’s biggest strength is that he never loses faith in himself. Forget the numbers, it has been spoken of time and again -it’s the man of steel behind the smiling face that makes Ashwin the No. 1 cricketer.

    The first half of 2016 didn’t indicate that he would end up with the Sir Garfield Sobers Trophy. Ashwin had bowled a crucial no-ball in the semi-final of the T20 World Cup against West Indies that fetched a wicket. Lendl Simmons stayed on and ensured India’s ouster from the tournament where they were overwhelming favourites. By the offspinner’s own admission, he felt that the entire nation was pointing finger at him for the defeat. It can break many careers, but not Ashwin’s.

    He let the storm die down -he knew there was a West Indies tour followed by a couple of home series coming up. And what he has done since then will probably become Indian cricket folklore. He has smashed one record after another, scored runs at crucial junctures and even making Kapil Dev say, “Ashwin is better than me as an all-rounder.”

    But that’s only part of the story. The Ashwin saga of 2016 is of a man who is at the peak of his creative powers. India have produced many offspinners in recent times. There have been quite a few who have been successful as well, but hardly anyone who makes the art of spin bowling look beautiful. No wonder, L Sivaramakrishnan says, “Ashwin purely deserves the award for reviving the art of spin bowling at the highest level.”

    Take the recently-concluded Chepauk Test against England for example. He was closing in on a record -that of the fastest to 250 wickets in Tests – ahead of Dennis Lillee.

    But the record didn’t happen and Ashwin went for 217 runs with one wicket to show. But anyone who has followed the Test would know how well the Chennai boy bowled.

    The flight, the loop, the subtle changes of pace -it was an exhibition of an artist at work on a dead pitch. A catch was dropped off him in the first over of the fifth day, but it was Ashwin who created the pressure at one end as Ravindra Jadeja ran away with the rewards.

    The Ashwin-Jadeja combo is a crucial cog in the Chennai man’s success story. They are vastly different characters -one is the erudite intellectual, the other a bit of a maverick. But when it comes to performing on the field, the way they complement each other is a treat. “Ask Ashwin and he will tell you how big a role Jadeja plays in Ashwin taking the wickets,” Virat Kohli said the other day after India won at Chepauk. While Jadeja stifles at one end with his nagging line and length, it’s Ashwin who expresses himself with his subtle variations which makes life difficult for batsmen. “You know, I won’t mind captaining these two together,” Alastair Cook explained how difficult it is to play the two together.

    While Jadeja isn’t much of a thinker, Ashwin’s mind seems to be a laboratory of ideas. Talk to him during a break in international cricket and he will invariably tell you he is working on some new idea. It can be a new delivery or a new method to get the star opposition batsman out. He will never say it before the series, but Ashwin invariably targets the No. 1 batsman in the opposition ranks.

    That’s why it’s Kumar Sangakkara who falls to him time and again when India play Sri Lanka, Kane Williamson when it’s New Zealand or Joe Root when it’s England. Unlike many in his profession, Ashwin loves watching the game even when he is not playing it -at times he is an enthusiast and a cricketer rolled into one.

    The other crucial element that has worked wonders in favour of Ashwin is Kohli’s rise to Test captaincy. Just after a Test match against Bangladesh in Dhaka, Ashwin had said: “Even if Kohli errs, it will be on the attacking side.”

    The statement showed that the two are on the same page and Kohli has given him the freedom to express himself. The fact that the skipper promoted him to bat at No.6 in Tests was also a boost, not just in his batting but to his entire approach as a cricketer.

    Ashwin started believing that he could realize his own potential. And how well he has done it in 2016!

  • Ashwin named ICC Cricketer of the Year, Test Player of the Year

    Ashwin named ICC Cricketer of the Year, Test Player of the Year

    NEW DELHI (TIP): India off-spinner R Ashwin has claimed the top ICC awards for 2015-16, having been named the ICC Cricketer of the Year and the Test Cricketer of the Year. Ashwin is the third Indian, after Sachin Tendulkar and Rahul Dravid, to win the Sir Garfield Sobers Trophy for Cricketer of the Year.

    Ashwin, currently the top-ranked Test bowler, had picked up 48 wickets and scored 336 runs in eight Tests during the ICC’s voting period from September 2015 to 2016, in addition to 27 wickets in 19 T20Is. In 2016 alone, he picked up 72 wickets in 12 Tests and became the second-fastest bowler to 200 wickets during the Kanpur match against New Zealand.

    Ashwin said he was overwhelmed by the recognition. “It’s a bit overwhelming and it is yet to sink in completely. At the same time, I was expecting to land one but to end up with two awards was extremely special,” he said. “To be bracketed alongside Rahul Dravid and Sachin Tendulkar is indeed a matter of great pride.

    “I want to dedicate this award to my family who have been a pillar of strength. And not to forget all my teammates and coach Anil Kumble who push me to give my best with their support and guidance.” The off-spinner rated his 7 for 83 in the Antigua Test against West Indies as the performance he enjoyed the most. That haul helped India to an innings-and-92-run win, and he finished the series as the leading wicket-taker with 17 dismissals. Another performance Ashwin rated highly was his knock of 118 in the first innings in St Lucia, which helped rescue India from 126 for 5 to 353. They went on to win the match by 237 runs. It was also Ashwin’s fourth Test hundred.

    South Africa wicketkeeper-batsman Quinton de Kock was named ODI Player of the Year. De Kock has been South Africa’s leading run-getter in ODIs since September last year, and tallied 793 runs in 16 ODIs during the voting period. Overall, since September 2015, he has scored 1175 runs in 22 matches in the format, with five centuries and three fifties, ahead of senior batsmen like Faf du Plessis, AB de Villiers and Hashim Amla. One of de Kock’s most prolific phases came between October 2015 and February 2016, when he scored four centuries in six innings during the tour of India and the home series against England. He enjoyed the same form in the longest format, with five successive fifty-plus scores between August and November 2016. De Kock is the second South Africa player after AB de Villiers to win the award.

    West Indies all-rounder Carlos Brathwaite’s match-defining 34 not out off 10 balls in the World T20 final against England earlier this year was named the T20 Performance of the Year. The all-rounder, who took over as the T20 captain in August, sealed a second World T20 title for West Indies by slamming four successive sixes to end a chase of 156 in Kolkata. Bangladesh seamer Mustafizur Rahman was named Emerging Cricketer of the Year, having notched up impressive performances since his international debut in April 2015. The first Bangladesh cricketer to win an annual ICC award, Mustafizur picked up eight ODI wickets and 19 T20I wickets in the voting period.

  • Play cricket or compensate for damages: Najam Sethi

    Play cricket or compensate for damages: Najam Sethi

    LAHORE (TIP): Pakistan have demanded financial compensation from both the Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) and the International Cricket Council (ICC) for the losses incurred following India’s refusal to play the neighbouring country, Najam Sethi, the Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB) executive committee chairman, confirmed on November 9.

    “We have mentioned it clearly to BCCI and ICC in recent meeting that either India should play cricket with Pakistan or compensate us for damages,” Sethi was quoted as saying by the Dawn. “We have also demand compensation from ICC as the PCB is suffering financially because of non-fulfilment of the BCCI’s commitment to play cricket series with Pakistan,” he added.

    BCCI had signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) with the PCB in 2014 in which both involved had agreed to play six bilateral series between 2015 and 2023. However, the political turmoil between the countries played its part in the countries not wanting to play each other. So much so, Anurag Thakur, the BCCI president, even requested the ICC not to place the two sides in the same group during global tournaments.

    The India board had sought consent for a limited-overs series against Pakistan in Sri Lanka last December, however, the Indian government did not grant the same, due to which it was eventually canned.

    The last time India and Pakistan played a full Test series was before the terror attacks in Mumbai in 2008. (PTI)

  • India v New Zealand, 5th ODI, Vizag: Under-fire Dhoni faces tricky Kiwis test in series-decider

    India v New Zealand, 5th ODI, Vizag: Under-fire Dhoni faces tricky Kiwis test in series-decider

    VISAKHAPATNAM (TIP): Mahendra Singh Dhoni’s leadership as well as finishing skills will be put through a stern test when an inconsistent India take on a rejuvenated New Zealand in the series-deciding fifth and final cricket ODI, here on Saturday.

    With the series locked at 2-2, Dhoni and his men will be eager to clinch the issue while history beckons Kane Williamson’s men as they have a glorious opportunity to taste their maiden success in a bilateral ODI rubber.

    The only thing that can play spoilsport is the cyclone threat which can lead to complete washout.

    While Dhoni’s captaincy may not be under immediate threat but a series loss against New Zealand will certainly raise questions about ‘Captain Cool’s’ ability to marshall his resources after his much publicised admission of being unable to rotate strike lower down the order.

    Under Dhoni, India lost three ODI series – 1-2 against Bangladesh in Bangladesh, 1-4 against Australia Down Under and 2-3 at home against South Africa. The only ODI series victory in the last 18 months has been against a lowly Zimbabwe.

    Away from home for four months spanning two continents, New Zealand’s only success was a 2-0 win against a lowly Zimbabwe, following which they drew South Africa 1-1 before being whitewashed 0-3 by India in the Tests.

    Their ODI campaign started off on a sour note in Dharamasala but some strong batting performances by skipper Kane Williamson and Martin Guptill in Delhi and Ranchi respectively have managed to catch India off guard and level the five-match series 2-2.

    That they have never won against India in four bilateral contests since 1988 will be a big motivation for the Black Caps to buck the trend and return home with an act of redemption.

    Weather permitting, a tantalising finish is on the cards as India would be equally hungry for success at the Dr YS Rajasekhara Reddy ACA-VDCA Cricket Stadium, a venue where they boast of a 4-1 record. Their last win has been against Sri Lanka, a 5-0 whitewash way back in November-2014 and an under-fire Dhoni would not want another series loss at the fag end of his career.

    The world No.4 India have just three more ODIs, against England, ahead of the coveted Champions Trophy in June next year and it would be an opportunity for Dhoni to give them a boost against a team which is ranked a notch higher.

    The over-reliance on Virat Kohli has also been evident during the series as Indian Test captain was the prime performer in both victories during the first four matches so far.

    With their opening pair of Rohit Sharma and Ajinkya Rahane yet to provide a much-needed solid start, India’s batting is centred around their no 1 batsman Kohli.

    Consider this, India’s both the wins of the series had Kohli anchor the chase be it the 85 not out in a low-scoring chase in Dharamsala, or his majestic unbeaten 154 that hunted down New Zealand’s challenging 285 in Mohali.

    Chasing a modest 261 in the fourth ODI in Ranchi, Rahane returned to form with a half-century while Kohli looked in full flow on a slow wicket but both failed to convert their starts, and it was a familiar story for the inexperienced middle-order.

    Failure or not, Indian fabled opener Sharma has been a permanent member of the line-up with Dhoni seeming to be in no mood to give youngsters the chance and Mandeep Singh is seen warming the bench.

    Sharma’s last big knock came in Australia, and it’s been more than nine months he’s yet to score a century in either longer or shorter format. His scores in the ongoing series read 14, 15, 13 and 11, something that is hurting India’s cause more than anything else.

  • LODHA PANEL REFORMS: SC BARS BCCI FROM GIVING FUNDS TO STATE ASSOCIATIONS

    LODHA PANEL REFORMS: SC BARS BCCI FROM GIVING FUNDS TO STATE ASSOCIATIONS

    NEW DELHI (TIP): India’s cricket board cannot release funds to state affiliates until they implement sweeping reforms backed by the Supreme Court, the top court ruled on Friday, a decision that may disrupt the sport at the domestic level.

    The top court also ordered the setting up of an independent auditor to scrutinize the accounts of the Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI), which is accused of flouting suggestions made by the SC-appointed Lodha panel.

    “Not a single penny will be given to state associations until they comply with the Lodha panel,” the court said, ordering the board to file a compliance report in two weeks.

    The SC asked BCCI chief Anurag thakur to be present before the Lodha panel and comply with the recommendations, and imposed a ceiling on the tender and contracts that BCCI could enter.

    The BCCI says it wants to implement the Lodha panel reforms but many of the state associations are opposed to it.

    Friday’s order is the latest in the face-off between the judiciary and the world’s richest sports body that has been accused of cherry-picking directives made by the Supreme Court-appointed panel.

    However, the fund freeze is unlikely to affect the state units’ functioning immediately as they are believed to have substantial money in their accounts with the BCCI having released huge sums in August. But the ongoing Ranji Trophy tournament could be disrupted if they plead a financial crunch.

  • India ODI team picked by new selection committee likely to escape SC action

    India ODI team picked by new selection committee likely to escape SC action

    NEW DELHI (TIP): “If it aint broke dont fix it” goes the saying, and one area the Justice RM Lodha Committee has left alone is that regarding the players.

    The Supreme Court-appointed panel though suggested a three-man selection committee, which the Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) has not accepted.

    As the board administration faces uncertainty with the Apex court due to pronounce its interim order on the Lodha panel’s status report demanding the removal of the BCCI top brass, the interesting question is whether the court will touch the squad chosen for the first three ODIs against New Zealand.

    Had the court passed its interim order on Thursday, and ruled the selection committee illegal because it includes two players who have not played Tests as recommended by the Lodha panel, the team selection would have been in trouble.

    However, that was not the case and it allowed the panel headed by former India stumper MSK Prasad to name the squad to be led by MS Dhoni for the first three ODIs of the series starting on October 16.

    The selection committee was one of the major areas where the BCCI chose to ignore the Lodha panel’s recommendation. The board picked the new committee on September 21 with only Prasad, Debang Gandhi and Sarandeep Singh ex-Test players. Jatin Paranjpe and Gagan Khoda have only played ODIs.

    The BCCI, which had invited applications for the job, argued that the Lodha panel’s conditions forced bigger names to keep away.

    So, will the Supreme Court order dissolve the selection panel, and by extension, the 15-member side picked?

    Sports lawyer, Vidushpat Singhania, said the squad may escape the court’s axe though it had flouted directives by the Lodha panel.

    “It is unlikely they will invalidate the team selection if it has taken place in the correct manner, but (I’m) not putting it out of the realm (of possibility),” he told HT.

    A mitigating factor could be that the new panel was chosen nine days before the initial compliance deadline of September 30 given by the Lodha Committee. But Singhania pointed out that the panel had given the cricket board enough time to implement directives.

    As the BCCI ignored the recommendation to select a three-member panel , “they (Supreme Court bench) could actually invalidate it – the chosen team,” Singhania said.

  • KOLKATA TEST: INDIA DEFEAT NZ, CLAIM NO.1 RANKING

    KOLKATA TEST: INDIA DEFEAT NZ, CLAIM NO.1 RANKING

    KOLKATA (TIP): India regained their No.1 position in Tests with a massive 178-run victory against New Zealand on a tricky pitch that gave them an unassailable 2-0 lead in the series.

    A confident innings from Tom Latham saw New Zealand start strong but without their best batsman and captain Kane Williamson, saving the Test was always going to be tough. India’s bowling craft was its best too.

    As expected from a fourth day pitch, the spinners finally came into play but pacers played a vital part as well. Add to that Wridhhiman Saha’s gritty unbeaten knocks before an outstanding stint with the gloves and India never looked in danger of losing their way despite the visitors being 104/1 at one time. And then there was Virat Kohli’s instinct that is making him slowly look the captain India long needed to harness their talent.

    This win has come off a combined effort but for Saha, it will be special. Two unbeaten fifties have firmly established his credentials as a No.7 who can buttress the innings when needed. He isn’t the most graceful batsman, especially against pacers who have often jarred his hands and other parts of his body, but Saha has shown the courage to ride out the initial attacks and slowly make his presence felt. And when he backs his batting with the kind of catching that got Tom Latham out after a stubborn innings, India know they have the right person at the right position.

    Only after the dismissal of Latham — in the first over after tea — did India look likely to repeat their Eden feat of 2001 where they got the last seven wickets in the last session on Day 5. Here, another grueling day awaited New Zealand if they could get past the fourth.

    Still they showed some fight with the bat in a series that hasn’t been dominated by batsmen. Both teams are yet to score 400. And it took four innings for a team to put up a 50-run opening partnership in this Test. It could have been broken earlier though. Mohammed Shami hit Martin Guptill plumb on his pad but his appeal was turned down. Next time he appealed again, against Mitchell Santner, there was no ambiguity.

    Guptill however couldn’t utilise his second life. First over after lunch, he was done in by the dip of R Ashwin and ended leg-before. Henry Nicholls stitched a good 49-run partnership before edging Ravindra Jadeja to Ajinkya Rahane at slip. By the time Ross Taylor was snared by Ashwin, hopes of an early finish to the Test were on the rise.

    After the close of play, Kohli said he didn’t want to wake up 6.30 am on Tuesday. Home boy Saha made his wish come true and also ensured Kolkata wasn’t distracted from another day of Puja buildup. Despite producing one of the best innings of the series, Latham was bound to run out of patience one time. Ashwin’s drift was an entrapment, inviting him to drive but spinning viciously in the last second to take a faintest edge that Saha pouched superbly.

    Another home boy Shami kept his end of the deal too. With the pitch showing signs of slowing down, Jadeja and Ashwin were primed for long spells. But Kohli hardly adheres to convention. He brought Shami from the clubhouse end for a six-over spell. Santner already sent home, Shami beat BJ Watling’s outer edge to shatter his off-stump.

    Visibly tired, Shami was given a break by Kohli who put Jadeja and Bhuvneshwar Kumar in charge of the bowling. That too worked like a charm with Luke Ronchi and Jeetan Patel being dismissed in consecutive overs. The next two wickets took some time to come but with the right bowlers at their disposal, India were never short on patience.

  • Indian Paralympics medal winners felicitated

    Indian Paralympics medal winners felicitated

    Mumbai, Oct 3 (PTI) Four Indian Rio Paralympics medal winners — Devendra Jhajharia, Mariyappan Thangavelu, Deepa Malik and Varun Singh Bhati — were today felicitated here today by a host of personalities, including cricket legend Sachin Tendulkar.

    Jhajharia had won the gold medal in mens javelin throw F46 and is the only Indian to have clinched two gold medals in Paralympics.

    Thangavelu also clinched a gold medal in mens high jump T42 while Bhati won a bronze in the same event.

    Malik became the first Indian woman to bag a medal in Paralympics by clinching a silver in womens F53 shot put.

    Each of the medal winners received a cheque of Rs 15 lakh. It was also announced that medal winners in earlier editions of Paralympics will also be presented Rs 15 lakh each.

    These include Murlikant Petkar (1972), Bhimrao Keskar, Joginder Singh Bedi (both 1984), Rajinder Singh Rahelu (2014) and H N Girisha (2012).

    The GoSports Foundation would also receive Rs 35 lakh to continue its endeavour in supporting and developing future Paralympic champions.

    The contributors to the corpus of fund include Tendulkar, V Chamundeshwarnath (President Hyderabad District Badminton Association), Nimmagadda Prasad (Industrialist and Co-owner Kerala Blasters), Dr Azad Moopen (Chairman and Managing Director, Aster DM Healthcare), Sanjay Ghodawat (Chairman, Sanjay Ghodawat Group) and Abhay Gadgil (Director, Abhay Gadgil Constructions).

    Speaking on the occasion, Malik said, “It is sad that every time we say Paralympics, we have to add it is Olympics Paralymics. It is still not understood that Paralympics also means Olympic-level competition (for the differently abled). I am grateful to Sachin Sir (for the initiative).”

    “My world record was broken after 12 years in Rio. Before this, I held the world record in 2004, which no one was able to break. I went to Finland for training and used to train for 8 hours which is the longest training of my life,” said Jhajharia.

    “I was the flag-bearer of the country in Rio, so the responsibility was more on me for India. People discussed that Devendra is 35 years-old and will not be able to do. But age is not a factor, your efforts (matter). “I consider Sachin Sir as my role model. I am happy I could meet him,” he added.

  • FOR INDIA, IT WILL BE 500 NOT OUT AT GREEN PARK

    FOR INDIA, IT WILL BE 500 NOT OUT AT GREEN PARK

    KANPUR (TIP): The Green Park stadium – which has not hosted a Test match in seven years – will become part of cricketing history when it hosts the opening Test against New Zealand from September 22. The Test will be India’s 500th since the journey began at Lord’s against England on June 25, 1932. The Green Park last hosted a Test in 2009, when India played Sri Lanka. To mark the occasion, the Uttar Pradesh Cricket Association (UPCA) has decided to honour some former Indian captains during the game.

    The Green Park – although not in the same league as some other illustrious Test venues in India – has scripted its own memorable story over the years. Among the many games it has hosted are the 1959 Test against Richie Benaud’s Australia – when off-spinner Jasu Patel bagged 14 wickets to fashion a 119-win run for the hosts – and the 1983 Test against West Indies. After India had snatched the World Cup away from the West Indies, Clive Lloyd and his boys were on a revenge mission. A little bit of grass on the pitch was enough for the dangerous duo of Malcolm Marshall and Michael Holding to blast the Indians away and register an innings-and-83-run win. Old-timers will remember Sunil Gavaskar losing his bat while defending a Marshall snorter in this game.

    Hosting its maiden Test against England way back in 1945, the ground has had a roller-coaster ride over the years. Once in the big leagues one of the five permanent Test centres of the country, the stadium has steadily fallen off the radar since 1974-75, when Chinnaswamy stadium, Bangalore was chosen to host West Indies instead of Green Park.

    GREEN PARK BY NUMBERS

    21 Test matches played India won 6, lost 3, drawn 12
    1st Test: India vs England; January 12-14, 1952
    1st ball faced: Pankaj Roy
    1st ball bowled: Brian Statham
    1st wicket to fall: Vinoo Mankad
    Last Test played: India vs Sri Lanka from Nov 24-27, 2009