Abhishek Nayar & Ajinkya Rahane to play in Champions Trophy

Mumbai, July 8: In a move consistent with their recent policy for limited overs matches, the national selectors on Tuesday ignored former captains Rahul Dravid and Sourav Ganguly while naming 30 Indian probables for the ICC Champions Trophy in September.

Sachin Tendulkar was the only player from among the Fab Four who found a place in the list announced by Cricket Board secretary Niranjan Shah after the selection panel's meeting in Mumbai.

Yuvraj Singh and Irfan Pathan, axed from the 16-strong Test squad for the Sri Lanka tour, expectedly found berths in the probables list.

Also included were national under-19 captain Virat Kohli of Delhi, Saurashtra all-rounder Ravindra Jadeja and Mumbai youngsters’ all-rounder Abhishek Nayar and batsman Ajinkya Rahane.

Both Dravid, who is 35, and Ganguly - celebrating his 36th birthday on Tuesday, have failed to secure places in the ODI squads after the home series against Australia and Pakistan respectively held late in 2007.

The duos, with a combined experience of over 600 ODIs, were left out of the triangular series won by India for the first time in Australia.

The pair then failed to find a place in the last two one-day tournaments played by India - the tri-series in Bangladesh last month and the Asia Cup that concluded in Pakistan last Sunday - after playing in the T20 Indian Premier League as iconic players for their respective outfits.

The decision of the selectors to ignore the claims of this vastly experienced pair of batsmen, each of whom has scored over 10000 runs in ODIs, has virtually ended their glittering careers in the shorter forms of the international game.

Tendulkar, who masterminded India's historic victory Down Under, was expectedly named in the probables list which has to be pruned at least a month before the start of the tournament which is scheduled for September 11 as per the International Cricket Council's rules and regulations.

The probables: Mahendra Singh Dhoni, Virender Sehwag, Gautam Gambhir, Yuvraj Singh, Sachin Tendulkar, Zaheer Khan, Rohit Sharma, Harbhajan Singh, Robin Uthappa, Suresh Raina, Piyush Chawla, R P Singh, Irfan Pathan, Ishant Sharma, Praveen Kumar, Manpreet Singh Gony, Pragyan Ojha, Parthiv Patel, Dinesh Kaarthick, S Badrinath, Mohammed Kaif, Manoj Tiwary, Abhishek Nayar, Pankaj Singh, Murali Kartik, Virat Kohli, Ravindra Jadeja, Ajinkya Rahane, Yusuf Pathan and S Sreesanth.

Indian Express.

1st Exclusive Interview: Ishant Sharma and Aakash Sharma

Mumbai crowd is probably the worst crowd in the world: Ishant Sharma and Aakash Chopra:

I had the good fortune of meeting Ishant Sharma and Aakash Sharma for an interview with OK! magazine and they said that the Mumbai crowd was probably the worst crowd in the world. I suppose that maybe that’s a complement because when they play for the Knight Riders and come down to the city to compete against our team it goes to show that we, as fans, can put the opposition off track.

I tried explaining to them that it was nothing personal and that we would still support them during their international performances, it’s just that when they are against a team we are supporting how can they expect us to be amicable and shout “Come on Aakash!” or “Bowl Sachin out Ishant”? and even that they got a little bit of. Of all the away teams, the Knight Riders had a largest fan following in Mumbai. It was different that their shoddy performance left their support sitting silently in utter disbelief.

Aakash went on to say that the crowd has been so rowdy at times that during a test match against Australia in the 2003-04 season they even booed Sachin. I was a little short of words. I remember that game. I stuttered and replied saying “very few people can actually go up to the man and say, “Listen Sachin, I think your initial movement, with your front foot, towards the pitch of the ball is a little hesitant and thus catches you playing late.” No one has the right to tell him that- He is a God.

The reason the home crowd did that, was because he had failed the entire test series and the high expectation of him performing at home left the mob frustrated. We never did stop supporting him, only letting him know that no matter how great he is, he must show a power to overcome failure, because that’s what champions do. It appeared that he had lost his appetite to succeed and needed a new challenge. We gave him one.

I reminded the opener that even through the IPL when Sachin failed, he got a standing ovation every time.

I felt my opinion though was probably just something I needed to say to defend the Mumbaikars, we have booed our God and there is no excuse for that, unless someone has a better outlook than mine as to why it happened.

Comment.

Read the July edition of OK! India for the entire interview.

‘Thanks to IPL I could plot Aussies’

SYDNEY, June 22: Dwayne Bravo says his short stint with the Mumbai Indians in the inaugural Indian Premier League has helped West Indies to beat Australia in the Twenty20 International at Kensington Oval, Bridgetown, Barbados last Friday.
Bravo, who led the West Indies in the absence of injured skipper Chris Gayle and his deputy Ramnaresh Sarwan, felt the same IPL has also worked to the Australians' disadvantage. With the Caribbean's first Twenty20 International reduced to an 11-over-a-side slug-fest due to rain, Bravo was adamant his reconnaissance work on several key Australian players during the IPL was a factor behind the Windies' seven-wicket victory, reports The Sydney Morning Herald.

Jayasuria recalled to national squad after fantastic performance with Indians

Jayasuriya, recalled for the tournament after his superb form in the Indian Premier League, reeled off 72 quick runs from only 47 balls, hitting 10 fours and three sixes.

Cricketers ready to sacrifice careers for IPL

MELBOURNE: The Indian Premier League's (IPL) outstanding success is threatening to rock international cricket. A survey shows that more than half the players from the seven Test playing nations are ready to quit other two forms of the game for the huge money on offer in the Twenty20 format.

The Federation of International Players' Associations (FICA) surveyed seven of the 10 Test nations, with India, Pakistan and Zimbabwe not being members of FICA. Of the 64 players who responded, including a number of Australians, 33 claimed they were willing to sacrifice the end of their international career for IPL money.

The survey also showed that there is a strong call by players for an IPL window, which continues to be resisted by the International Cricket Council (ICC), with 62 of the 64 players polled supporting such a move, reports The Australian

In a major challenge to the Test cricket, two thirds believe the massive rewards of the IPL, which can be upwards of $1million a year for a six-week tournament, will one day make the Twenty20 tournament more important than playing for their country.

The avalanche of money for the Twenty20 format, which includes millions from Texas billionaire Allen Stanford will force the ICC to have a reality check at its next week's annual executive board meeting in Dubai.

Another worrying factor for the ICC, which emerged in the survey, is that out of the 10 Test nations, 86 per cent said they also consider the rebel Indian Cricket League (ICL) an attractive option, even though ICL players are effectively banned from international cricket.

The grind of international cricket is also seen as a reason which would help hasten their premature retirement.

FICA chief executive Tim May claimed that with the advent of wealthy Twenty20 competitions, players were no longer simply tied to their countries.

"It is evident that today's player is less likely to be loyal to commitments to his home board, as cricket's employment market is freed from the power of governing bodies, who previously enjoyed an inequitable power base by virtue of being the only employer in the market," May said.

"Simply, the freeing up of the market and the lifting of the citizenship barriers has resulted in more market-driven values for players, and the players not surprisingly are gravitating to that market."

"The players and FICA feel very strongly that to preserve a healthy balance between club or franchise cricket (such as IPL and ICL) and international cricket, that the ICC needs to create a window in its international programming, or risk losing players permanently from the international cricket scene."

The survey found that all but one player wanted Test cricket to maintain its elite status, but believed that one-day cricket would suffer significantly in both player and spectator interest as a result of Twenty20.

More than half believe that Twenty20 will make one-day cricket less attractive to play and 70 per cent feel Twenty20 will reduce the popularity of one-day cricket for fans.

To help raise the profile of Test matches in cricket's fast food age, the players have called for a championship of Test nations to be contested by the leading countries on a regular basis.

International Indian Premier League!

The season is over, but the fun and games have just begun. In order to leverage the T20 craze and create new revenue streams, event managers and IPL franchisee teams are planning to play independent matches that will be outside the purview of the Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) and the IPL.

Shane Warne is reported to have said that his Rajasthan Royals will play Victoria (his former Australian state team). Other teams such as Mumbai Indians and Kings X1 Punjab may also consider these options. The idea is to create property on the lines of the Manchester United programme whereby Man United plays matches in Asia and the US.

Dhawal Kulkarni Gets Sardesai Scholarship

The cash-rich Indian Premier League was not only about big money and superstars, but it also threw up some exciting and young talent with the potential to enter the big league. Nineteen-year-old Dhawal Kulkarni is one of the talented youngsters that IPL unearthed.

His performances in the Twenty20 format have impressed everyone. The Mumbai Indians bowler has been given an opportunity by Mumbai Cricket Association to train at the Centre of Excellence in Brisbane, Australia.

Kulkarni is the first cricketer of Mumbai to get the Dilip Sardesai Scholarship. Under-19 World Cup winning skipper Virat Kohli, Delhi’s Pradeep Sangwan and Uttar Pradesh’s Tanmay Srivastava will also be going Down Under. However, they have got the Border-Gavaskar Trophy.

The 12th standard student of Rizvi College said he learnt many things from IPL and also the legendary all-rounder Shaun Pollock. “It has been a great experience. I got an opportunity and I wanted to prove that I can perform at the T20 level in such a big tournament,” It was a great learning experience to play with Sachin sir, Shaun Pollock and all,” he added.

Kulkarni was amazed with the way his seniors used to prepare before the match. “The way they prepare before the game is different from how we do. Their attitude was different in the sense that they were relaxed,” he added. The youngster, who also did a decent job in the Ranji Trophy one-dayers said he learnt many things from Pollock. “He told me to bowl with rhythm.

Courtesy:DNA

Charge!

Deccan Chargers will host Chennai Super Kings today.

After Mumbai Indians defeat yesterday, Delhi Dare Devils have progressed to the semi-finals. With both Mumbai Indians and the Chennai Super Kings vying for the last semi- final spot. Mumbai will be relying on the Super Kings losing this game against the bottom placed Deccan Chargers along with defeating Bangalore to ensure they end on a higher run rate.

The irony of tonight's game is that a side not playing has more to lose than a team that is. Deccan, that has one of the strongest sides on paper have been firing duds through the length of the IPL. If Chennai Super Kings win this game, they earn the last semi-final spot.
Mumbai can only hope that the Deccan's "charge" today under Captain Adam Gilchrist will be a strong one and find them victorious.


Deccan Chargers Team (Likely):
Adam Gilchrist (capt & wk), Shahid Afridi, Herschelle Gibbs, Rohit Sharma, Venugopal Rao, Ravi Teja, Scott Styris, PM Sarvesh Kumar, Pragyan Ojha, RP Singh, P Vijaykumar.

Chennai Super Kings Team (Likely):
Parthiv Patel, Stephen Fleming, Suresh Raina, Mahendra Singh Dhoni (capt/wk), S Badrinath, Albie Morkel, S Vidyut, Joginder Sharma, Muttiah Muralitharan, Manpreet Gony, Makhaya Ntini.

Deccan Chargers will host Chennai Super Kings today.

After Mumbai Indians defeat yesterday, Delhi Dare Devils have progressed to the semi-finals. Mumbai Indians will have to rely on Chennai Super Kings losing this game against the bottom placed Deccan Chargers along with defeating Bangalore to ensure they end on a higher run rate.

The irony of tonight's game is that a side not playing has more to lose than a team that's playing.
Deccan, that has one of the strongest sides on paper have been firing duds through the length of the IPL. If Chennai Super Kings win this game, they earn the last semi-final spot.
Mumbai can only hope that the Deccan's "charge" today under Captain Adam Gilchrist will be a strong one and find them victorious.


Deccan Chargers Team (Likely):
Adam Gilchrist (capt & wk), Shahid Afridi, Herschelle Gibbs, Rohit Sharma, Venugopal Rao, Ravi Teja, Scott Styris, PM Sarvesh Kumar, Pragyan Ojha, RP Singh, P Vijaykumar.

Chennai Super Kings Team (Likely):
Parthiv Patel, Stephen Fleming, Suresh Raina, Mahendra Singh Dhoni (capt/wk), S Badrinath, Albie Morkel, S Vidyut, Joginder Sharma, Muttiah Muralitharan, Manpreet Gony, Makhaya Ntini.

Kolkata Extinguished

What is Shahrukh Khan going to do with 17,000 helmets now that the Knight Riders are out?

Mumbai looking good to enter semis

Delhi Daredevils v Kolkata Knight Riders
Match abandoned without a ball bowled

The Kolkata Knight Riders became the third team to be eliminated from the race for a semi-final spot after persistent rain caused their match against the Delhi Daredevils to be abandoned without a ball being bowled. The result was good news for the Kings XI Punjab, though, as it guarantees them a berth in the final four.

The washout leaves Delhi with a must-win situation in their remaining fixture against the Mumbai Indians at the Feroz Shah Kotla - a fixture that is threatened, though, by the forecast of thunderstorms for the next three days. A victory in that game will take them to 15 points, three above Mumbai - who will then have to win their remaining two games to reach the semi-finals. If that game is washed out as well, then one win for Mumbai will suffice.

Though the rain let up around 75 minutes after the scheduled start, the ground staff reckoned they needed about two hours to ensure the ground was fit for play which was beyond the cut-off time for the match to begin. Earlier, curator Radhey Shyam had said two Super Soppers were pressed into service and called the Kotla "one of the best grounds in the country in terms of drainage".

Delhi had been lashed with unseasonal rains over the past three days and though the pitch and surrounding areas had been covered, the wet outfield posed a problem. This is Delhi's second straight home game to be affected by rain. Last Saturday, they lost after Punjab blasted 94 in eight overs to win on the Duckworth/Lewis method.

After starting off with a bang, things have gone downhill for Kolkata. Their batting struggled to cope with the loss of several big-name signings, who left for national duties, and managed only four totals above 150 in their 12 innings, leaving their bowlers too much to do. Another crippling drawback was their inability to triumph against the top teams: Four of their five victories came against the bottom two teams - Bangalore Royal Challengers and Deccan Chargers.

Courtesy: Cricinfo

So near...

Looking back, there was something wrong yesterday, even before the game had begun. The crowd just didn’t seem to hit the right decibels. I said to myself, perhaps it’s because it’s an afternoon game, but then I remembered the game against the Daredevils and how my heart was beating along with drums. “No, no”, I consoled myself saying, “that was a Sunday, today the stadium is almost packed and its bang in the middle of the week.” But still something just seemed of the mark. It’s not everyday at Wankhede that the “Sachin! Sachin!” chant doesn’t quite sound like the chorus of fifty five thousand people. Even the Mexican wave didn’t get going.

I am truly devastated and still in a state of bewilderment about what happened against the Kings XI. I don’t mean to be one of those fans who criticize with the power of hindsight but even before the game it was easy to make out that there was an error in tactics.

What was the need to change a winning combination in such a crucial game?

I say crucial because if we had won we would have moved into second place and practically cemented our place in the semi-finals. Besides, it was our last home game in the league stages and possibly in the competition, if things take a drastic turn for the worse. With the crowd behind you, a familiar wicket and a strong opposion, doesn’t it make sense to play the best squad you can muster?

I feel sympathetic for inexperienced Yeligati and Chitnis who were brought in for the match knowing that the pitch had eased out over the past couple of games and was looking a beautiful batting wicket. I have never seen them before but I’m certain if they are in such a great side, they are destined for great things. These are young players who have never been on such a large stage before. I’m certain their confidence must have taken a beating as Yeligati went for 43 runs and Chitnis took 2 for 40 in each of their four overs. What I’m trying to say here is, what was the need to play two new spinners when Jayasuria is quite effective with the ball in this version of the game and why was Dominic Thornely, who has been so effective with bat and ball, left out of the squad?

Strangely neither Pollock nor Nehra finish their spells? And surely, with figures of 3 overs 12 for 1 Pollock should have been bowling that last over where Nehra gave away 18 runs. Talking about bad decisions, don’t get me started on the running between the wickets and the pro-pink jersey umpires’.

“It’s over!” that’s all I have to tell myself now and stop complaining.

In the end it was a great game and ‘ah!’ the beauty of watching the great man score a marvellous fifty, right before your eyes. There was something different yesterday when he walked out to bat. You could sense it. His walk seemed altered; a little more determined, the way he’d look at the field settings after each ball and plot and plan his innings. It was easy to predict that it was going to be his turn with the bat and today and Surya was going to be the onlooker.

I was lucky to watch the game yesterday, unfortunately for me, it has left me looking a little strange, the nails on my fingers have disappeared!

The Long Ride Home.

Sorry dada, for our bad behaviour after the Kolkata vs Mumbai game, for those who don't know what we're talking about let me brief you. Most of us were jubilant about the double (beat them at home and away) and were not conducting ourselves in the best manner. It was at that time that the Kolkata Knight Riders players bus faltered past us Mumbaikars as it exited the Wankhede Stadium. It was but necessary to give them a sign of our love and affection for the team by showing them the finger. Unfortunately, our ex-captain was sitting in the front and was the first to bare the brunt of it. He responded only in acknowledgment, knowing it was his second defeat at the hands of the Indians. The benched Murali Kartik, on the other hand, didn't respond so gracefully, as he had his third finger raised in reply.

Once again our apologies to Souravji. Had we known you were sitting there, we wouldn't be so unkind, it was just meant for the rest of the team.

All Up In Smoke

It was outlandish to see so many people in black and gold jerseys lining up outside the gates of the Wankhede stadium, when The Mumbai Indians were to take on the Knight Riders.

I frankly don’t see the reason why most people are supporting the KKR just because King Khan owns the team. I mean if you love Sharukh so much, go to the movies and save yourself a good 450 bucks. Then take that money and spend it on chilled beers to beat the heat and take my word for it, that, that's enough beer to make you believe you're on a date with the Bollywood superstar better than spotting him from one end of North stand.

It troubles me to see people who have their binoculars glued to their face, not to see Surya or Sachin dismiss the Kolkata bowlers around the park, but rather stare at the stands in a hope to catch a glimpse of Shahrukh. Trust me for those who didn’t get a sight of him, you didn’t miss much. King Khan seemed a lot like Sylvester Stallone for the entirety of the game, that is, with just one expression on his face i.e. PISSED OFF! The only time he moved was when he was lighting up his Classic Milds to deal with his team’s dismal performance. To add insult to injury, he now has to deal with Mumbai Mirror’s front page exclusive of him smoking his lungs out and NGO’s saying he’s setting a bad example for children… Aryan are you listening?

Kings, Calypso, Poker & Nel

Dwayne Bravo's outstanding performance earned him the man of the match ("Bravo!!!") in last night’s game but by now he will be onboard Mr. Mukesh Ambani's private jet to Jamaica for a West Indian practice session before the Aussies arrive for the first test. As disappointing as his exit may be, another player comes to the table, South African pace man, Andre Nel.

As interesting as Nel’s entry to the team sounds, the Indians’ bowling attack looks well rounded, with eight out of the first 11 squad being able to turn their arms. Nel may have to sit out the next game and Loots Bosman, his South African comrade, may be given a try. Bosman, a hard hitting T20 specialist may turn out to be a wild card in the Mumbai Indians' batting line up, something we will need, to defeat a confident looking Kings XI and book a place at the semi-finals.

But after six straight wins, will the odds catch up on us or will our visit to Mohali find us in second place and sealed with a semi-final spot? It’s clear though, that if Mumbai plays its cards right, it is all but a game of poker. A victory against the Kings XI would mean with the second-last stage and the finals being at home in Mumbai, every one of us knows that “the house always wins!”

That's Six!

HYDERABAD: It was yet another dismal performance from the Deccan Chargers. It suffered its fifth straight defeat at home as Mumbai Indians notched up it’s sixth straight win with a 25-run verdict in the DFL-Indian Premier League at the Rajiv Gandhi Stadium here on Sunday.

Sri Lankan pace bowler Dilhara Fernando’s double strike in the fifth over of the innings — forcing the dangerous Adam Gilchrist to slash to third man and trapping Rohit Sharma leg before — effectively short-circuited whatever hopes the host had entertained.

Bravo strikes

Before this eventful over, Dwayne Bravo helped the momentum shift sending back Shahid Afridi for a duck — mistiming a big hit to send the crowd into stunned silence.

Then, it was a question of the inevitable being only delayed by the fighting knocks from Venugopala Rao (57, 38b, 4x4, 3x6) and D.B. Ravi Teja (37, 27b, 2x4, 3x6).

Earlier, when Sanath Jayasuriya (36, 6x4, 2x6) was on fire Gilchrist may have pondered the advisability of his decision to insert the opposition.

Hitting back

But, to his captain’s delight, Venugopal, who was brought on in the third over, fought back well after being swept twice by Jayasuriya to lure him into a third one and see the star striker give the deep square-leg a simple catch.

Shahid Afridi sent back Sachin Tendulkar when he had to go for a big stroke.

Then, southpaw Abhishek Nayar (38, 3x4, 2x6) took charge with some authentic strokes — two huge sixes off Afridi and R.P. Singh being the pick. In the company of the more elegant Dwayne Bravo (30, 17b, 2x4, 2x6) Nayar ensured that Mumbai put up a challenging total.

The scores:

Mumbai Indians:

S. Jayasuriya c R.P. Singh b Venugopala Rao 36,

S. Tendulkar c Silva b Afridi 23,

D. Thornely lbw b Afridi 8,

A. Nayar c Sharma b R.P. Singh 38,

R. Uthappa c Afridi b Venugopala 7,

D. Bravo b R.P. Singh 30,

P. Shah b R.P. Singh 10,

Y. Takawale (not out) 5,

R. Raje (not out) 1;

Extras (lb-11, w-7, nb-2): 20.

Total (for seven wkts in 20 overs): 178.

Fall of wickets: 1-39, 2-72, 3-72, 4-96, 5-150, 6-156, 7-175.

Deccan Chargers bowling:

Vijaykumar 2-0-24-0,

Zoysa 3-0-37-0,

Venugopala Rao 3-0-25-2,

R.P. Singh 4-0-35-3,

Afridi 4-0-23-2,

Ojha 4-0-23-0.

Deccan Chargers:

A. Gilchrist c Shah b Fernando 13,

S. Afridi c Thornely b Bravo 0,

R. Sharma lbw b Fernando 6,

C. Silva c Takawale b Nayar 17,

Y. Venugopala Rao c Shah b Bravo 57,

D. Ravi Teja b Bravo 37,

N. Zoysa (not out) 10,

H. Das (run out) 2,

R.P. Singh (not out) 3;

Extras (b-1, lb-3, w-3, nb-1): 8.

Total (for seven wkts in 20 overs): 153.

Fall of wickets: 1-7, 2-20, 3-20, 4-56, 5-130, 6-136, 7-145.

Mumbai Indians bowling:

Nehra 4-0-29-0,

Bravo 4-0-24-3,

Fernando 4-0-38-2,

Raje 2-0-19-0,

Nayar 3-0-18-1,

Thornely 1-0-8-0,

Jayasuriya 2-0-13-0.

Courtesy: The Hindu.