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Number one Test tag at stake
Royals ban Ravindra Jadeja for one year
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Despite luge death, opening ceremony goes on
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Number one Test tag at stake
Kolkata, February 13 In the absence of Rahul Dravid and Yuvraj Singh due to injuries, Laxman, who is back after recovering from a finger injury, will form Indian batting's backbone along with the ever-reliable trio of Sachin Tendulkar, Virender Sehwag and Gautam Gambhir. Not wrong to exploit home conditions: MSD
Amid brouhaha over the Eden Gardens pitch, India skipper Mahendra Singh Dhoni today said there was nothing wrong in exploiting the home advantage by preparing spin-friendly tracks. A controversy erupted after India lost the first Test and BCCI reportedly sent an SOS to CAB for preparing a turning track for the second Test. The Cricket Association Bengal though said they have prepared a sporting track for the crucial game, the outcome of which will have a bearing on India's status as number team. Dhoni is of the view that a turning pitch could also be called a sporting track as it gives both bowlers and batsmen equal chances to excel. "I think a big emphasis is being given on the sporting wicket. Nowhere it's written that there should not be any grass for a sporting wicket or bounce for fast bowlers. "Sporting wicket according to me is where you challenge the batsmen and at the same time there is something for the batters. I think when there is a turning track it is challenging," Dhoni said after team practice. The India skipper also said that every country has a unique element to exploit and for India it was spin. "Every country specialises in something. When you go to South Africa you see bouncy and seam movement. You go New Zealand and you would see a lot of swing. And we are special because the ball turns and there is bounce for the spinners. Of course, skills are required to play spin," he said. Smith to play with
fractured finger
Despite fracturing his little finger, South African captain Graeme Smith will play in the second and final Test against India starting at the Eden Gardens here tomorrow, the visiting team management said here today. South Africa's think tank decided to include Smith in the playing XI of the second Test after the left-hander had two net sessions today, where he seemed to be at ease while batting. "The injury will not stop him (Smith) from playing. We never ruled him out," South Africa's media manager Michael Owen-Smith told PTI. Earlier in the day Smith, however, didn't rule himself out completely and said he would take a final call after the training and practice sessions. —
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Royals ban Ravindra Jadeja for one year
Jaipur, February 13 Jadeja made his debut in the IPL in its first edition when Rajasthan Royals bought him for Rs 20 lakh as an under-19 recruit. In IPL 2, Jadeja was offered to sign up with the team for a period of two years, but he agreed to play for it only for a year. He then started looking for a better bargain after his contract with Rajasthan Royals came to an end on December 31 last year. As per the norms, he could talk to other IPL teams only after he was relieved by Rajasthan Royals. Sources said he could be pardoned only if the IPL decides to consider his case. IPL Commissioner Lalit Modi confirmed that Jadeja had been penalized for “trying to negotiate terms with another franchise”. “The IPL governing council has arrived at this decision after due deliberations done after taking into account Jadeja's representation to the president of the BCCI and a further representation by the Rajasthan Royals,” he said in a statement. “The player guidelines laid out by the governing council of the IPL are sacrosanct and all players will need to strictly adhere to the same. We will not tolerate any player playing games or blackmailing any teams or the IPL/BCCI in any manner.” Friday was the last day for the IPL teams to submit their final squads for the third season of the cash-rich IPL and Jadeja’s name didn’t figure in the list of Rajasthan Royals players. Jadeja has played 19 ODIs and five T-20 matches in his international career. He first hogged the limelight as a key member of the under-19 team that won the World Cup in Malaysia in 2008. Later, he played a crucial role in the victory of Rajasthan Royals in the inaugural edition of the
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GET READY FOR LIFE, KING SIZE
Mohali, February 13 Q: A new IPL season is almost upon us. How is Kings XI gearing up for it? A: Kings XI have always kept the ticket-holder in mind. This time we have gone a step further and tried to bring alive a true stadium experience. That T20 is an ideal family outing chance is known, but we have ensured that it becomes worth every rupee spent. Q: But the stadiums in India are not really known to be crowd friendly. A: We realized the task at hand and started doing our ground-work at the end of last season. We looked at every aspect of a match, from the crowd's point of view, and then revamped it. For example we have installed full-body turnstiles, on the lines of the Delhi Metro, which will ensure that only the genuine ticket-holder gets through. The tickets too will be tamper-proof and the police, apart from our own security agency, will ensure that the entry to the stadium is smooth. Q: But the parking menace is one of the bigger headaches. A: Of course. As I said, we looked at things from a ticket-holder's view point, and then we realized that parking space around the stadium is limited. So we will have parking stations close to the stadium, from where, after you park your vehicle, you will be brought to the stadium gate via a shuttle service. We will also run buses from some prominent spots in the city. Q: What about inside the stadium? Is that aspect also being looked into? A: The biggest thing to be streamlined inside will be the catering. There will be a phone number put up inside the stadium close to every eating spot, and in case you are charged more than the item's MRP, just call and we will take necessary action. There will also be proper set up for entertaining the people, like we have planned a pre-match rock concert on the 13th and 24th while, other matches too will have RJs, DJs and VJs. Q: Yuvraj has been replaced as captain, and everybody smells a conspiracy theory. A: Not at all. Yuvi was, is and will be the heart and soul of our team. He is our icon player and he was replaced as captain so that he can contribute even more to the team's cause. He has been wonderful in the past two seasons and this year we are expecting him to hit it really big time. Q: Your team has brought in eight new faces. What are your thoughts on that? A: We had a plan in place and every acquisition has been made as part of that plan. We needed cover at number 6, so Mohd Kaif comes in. And Yusuf Abdullah was impressive last year and so he was also bought again. Q: But does it mean that the fringe players will not make the playing eleven? A: There is nothing like a fringe player with us. Every position is up for grabs, and the boys know it. We have brought in two really exciting players in Reetinder Sodhi and Bipul Sharma. Sodhi, we know is a pedigreed player, and I have really big hopes from him. He has been fantastic in training and we are really looking at some big contributions from him. Bipul too is an exciting prospect and they will be surely playing their part.
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Despite luge death, opening ceremony goes on
Vancouver, February 13 "This is a very sad day," said a visibly shaken Jacques Rogge, president of the International Olympic Committee. "The IOC is in deep mourning." While protesters and rain clouds gathered outside, more than 50,000 ticketholders packed into the stadium for the evening extravaganza, the first Olympic opening or closing ceremony ever held indoors. Rain was forecast through the weekend in the city. The ceremony was dedicated to Kumaritashvili - a somber addition to a show that was to feature big-name talent and an exultant roar for the Canadian team, whose not-so-impossible dream is to win the medals race. According to program, the show was to climax with the Olympic cauldron being lit jointly by four Canadian sports heroes - all-time hockey great Wayne Gretzky, skier Nancy Greene, speedskater Katrina LeMay Doan, and basketball All-Star Steve Nash. —
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Their number one ranking under threat, a desperate India cannot settle for anything less than a win when they go into the second and final cricket Test against South
Africa.
Mohali, February 13
IIn time-honored tradition, the show went on. Despite the training-run death earlier in the day of a luger from the country of Georgia, the Vancouver Olympics' opening ceremonies were launched last night with a jubilant countdown by the crowd filling BC Place Stadium.
The festive mood, and the opening rain of confetti, contrasted sharply with the grief that befell the games earlier in the day when luger Nodar Kumaritashvili died in a horrific crash on the sliding track at Whistler.
Having crushed India by an innings and six runs in the first Test in Nagpur, South Africa lead the two-match series 1-0 and they just need a draw at the Eden Gardens to snatch the top spot in the ICC rankings from the hosts. With both the series and their Test ranking at stake, India have been bolstered by the return of VVS Laxman, who is all set to make a comeback at his happy-hunting ground where he scored a 281 in the second innings to script an epochal turn-around in their Test against Australia in March 2001.
