Hindustan Times

Tuesday, September 30, 2008

Goodbye Ganguly?

His week could see the end of an unforgettable era, with Sourav Ganguly “set to quit” international cricket if not selected for the Australia series. The team for the first two tests will be chosen on Wednesday.

If Ganguly, 112 short of 7,000 Test runs, does retire, he would be the first of India's ‘Fab Five’ — the others being Sachin Tendulkar, Anil Kumble, Rahul Dravid and VVS Laxman — to call it a day, bringing to a close what has been Indian cricket’s most dramatic chapter.

Sources close to the former India skipper told HT Ganguly’s mind was made up. “He said there is no point in trying to make yet another comeback after this,” said the source. “He has nothing to prove to anyone anymore.” Ganguly, who had not spoken to (or been spoken to) by any selector in the recent fortnight since his axing from the Irani Cup squad, was philosophical.

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Labels: Anil Kumble, Australia series, Fab Five, former India skipper, Indian Cricket Player, Indian cricket team, international cricket, Irani Cup squad, Rahul Dravid, sachin tendulkar, Sourav Ganguly

Friday, August 8, 2008

Delhi boy is surprise face in squad

Leading India to victory in the under 19 World Cup has worked well for Delhi's 19-year-old all rounder Virat Kohli.

Not many expected the middle order batsman to make the senior grade so soon.

But that is the talent he has and the confidence the selectors have in him. Earlier the National Cricket Academy selected him to train in Brisbane for six weeks for the Gavaskar-Border Scholarship.

Kohli was expected to play a vital role in the Bangalore team's IPL campaign. In his teens, he was pitchforked to limited overs for his stroke play. But he could not translate the expectations into on-field performances. "I was over-ambitious and that was why I did not succeed," Kohli admitted to Hindustan Times on Thursday IPL skipper Rahul Dravid had already anointed him as a bright prospect. "You have got to be patient with Virat. He has got lots of talent and hits the ball cleanly," Dravid had said then.

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Labels: Bangalore team's IPL campaign, delhi, Delhi Boy, Indian cricket team, IPL, National Cricket Academy, player, Rahul Dravid, stroke play, Under 19 World Cup, Virat Kohli

Tuesday, July 8, 2008

Skipper Dhoni may skip Lanka Test

Mahendra Singh Dhoni could be the first Indian cricketer to pull out of a tour citing fatigue. The India ODI skipper, it was learnt late on Monday, had conveyed this to the BCCI.

Earlier, asked whether he would opt out of the Sri Lanka tour, where the first of the three-Test series begins on July 23, Dhoni said: "You will get to know it in the next couple of days."

Make what you will of that but remember Dhoni had a similar answer to the question after India were annihilated by Sri Lanka in Sunday's Asia Cup final in Karachi. Also remember that he had, during the Asia Cup, raised the issue of international cricket's gruelling schedule.

On Monday, he also appreciated an earlier statement from the BCCI that a player could rest when he felt the need for it. "In the sub-continent we have a full year of cricket and there's no off-season. It's tough for cricketers. When we want rest we should get it," he said. "The BCCI has said we can take rest whenever we want which, I think, is a very good policy" he said.

The birthday boy - he turned 27 on Monday said he was "100 per cent ht". Playing non-stop since India's ODI series against South Africa in June 2007, it is possible that Dhoni would opt out of the Tests and take over for the five ODIs, beginning August 18.

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Labels: Asian Cup, BCCI, Birthday, cricketer, Indian cricket team, Mahendra Singh Dhoni, ODi, South Africa, Sri Lanka

Monday, June 23, 2008

Remembering the men who simply did it

Memories of Mohinder Amarnath jogging up to the wicket and bowling a sharp in swinger, Michael Holding being caught in front and umpire Dicky Bird raising his finger towards the heavens on that fateful day of June 25, 1983 were revisited, as the Silver Jubilee celebrations of that triumph moment were kicked off with the unveiling of a 25-carat diamond-studded bat by the victorious 15-member team here on Sunday.

The bat will be auctioned at Lord's on June 25 and the proceeds will be equally distributed among the victorious heroes.

The team will be travelling to Lord's on the 25th for the auction and to revisit those magical moments.

"It is the greatest cricketing memory of my lift. The sight of Kapil Dev hoisting the World Cup, still brings tears in my eyes," said Sunil Gavaskar, who was praised by his fellow mates for initiating these celebrations.

"We only wanted to have a re-union, as we hadn't met for quite some time. So I thought this would be the perfect platform," added Gavaskar.

The nostalgia and emotions ran high as the members recalled those moments, their time spent in the dressing room and the day India became champions.

"I still feel surprised that we actually won the Cup. We had no pressure to perform and no one had any expectations from us. We just went for a good holiday, but it ended with the World Cup," said Krish Srikanth. "

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Labels: 1983 World Cup, CCI club membership, champions, emotions, Indian cricket team, Kapil Dev, Krish Srikanth, Memories, Mohinder Amarnath, P.K. Man Singh, Sunil Gavaskar

Thursday, March 27, 2008

BCCI invokes spirit of Cricket at Indian Premier League

Don't be surprised if you see Harbhajan Singh and Andrew Symonds being far more respectful to each other during the forthcoming Indian Premier League (IPL) than they were in Australia.

Bhajji and Symmo haven't struck up a sudden friendship. But they will have no choice but to behave because the BCCI has taken the business of sledging to heart. It has invoked the Spirit of Cricket for the IPL.

The Spirit of Cricket is the doctrine enshrined by Sir Colin Cowdrey and Lord Ted Dextel: ex-England skippers and MCC (Marylebone Cricket Club) members, in the 1990s in the laws of the game.

The Indian cricket board, campaigning for the eradication of sledging and abusive player behaviour, will ask the players to take a spoken oath that will bind them to playing by the spirit of the game and not just its laws.

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Labels: Andrew symonds, BCCI, cricket, harbhajan singh, Indian cricket team, IPL player auction, Marylebone Cricket Club

Saturday, January 5, 2008

Racism dir t on Bhajji

A day that India's batsmen dominated thoroughly ended in shock and disbelief for the visitors after the Australians lodged an official complaint saying Harbhajan Singh had abused one of their players racially Sources said the player is Andrew Symonds, with whom the offspinner had a verbal exchange on the field. Harbhajan is bewildered and upset. The Indian team is furious; they say the charges are utter rubbish, and will back Bhajji to the end. And there is a strong feeling here that the Australians, suddenly finding themselves in what may turn out to be a tight corner, have thrown a low blow The Australians would in fact, appear to have enough reasons to target Harbhajan. He was a thorn in their side for nearly 30 overs after lunch.

He smashed a feisty 63 that dashed India into an unlikely lead, allowed Sachin Tendulkar to reach century number 38, and took his side to a situation from where they can make a fight of this Test. And when Australia bat on a spinning track on..

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Image and Article source: Hindustan Times
Article taken from the issue: 5 Jan 2008

Labels: Andrew symonds, astralian cricket team, australian, cricket, harbhajan singh, Indian cricket team

Wednesday, November 28, 2007

Kirsten set to be next coach

FORMER South Africa opener Gary Kirsten is set to take over as India's next coach later this winter, over seven months after Greg Chappell left the post.

Kirsten, who secretly met top BCCI officials, the coach selection panel (comprising former cap tains Sunil Gavaskar, Ravi Shastri and S. Venkataraghavan) and Test skipper Anil Kumble on Monday night in New Delhi, has been offered a two-year contract. "We have offered him a copy of the contract," said BCCI Chief Administrative Officer Ratnakar Shetty "He . will let us know whether he's joining us or not latest by December 3." The South African seemed quite comfortable with the way things had worked out. "The inter view went well, but I haven't signed anything yet," said Kirsten.

HIS SCORECARD ¦ The former South African opener has played 101 Tests and 185 ODIs. He made his debut against Australia in Melbourne in 1993. He has a Test average of 45.27 and an aggregate of 7,289 runs. ¦ He was South Africa's batting coach after his retirement in 2004...

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Image and article source: Hindustan Times
Article taken from the issue:28 November, 2007

Labels: BCCI, coach, cricket, gary Kirsten, India, Indian cricket team, South Africa

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