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Team effort gave us title: Dhoni
Little time for IPL returnees to adapt: SA coach
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Anand strikes to level scores with Topalov
Chelsea in seventh heaven, return to summit
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Team effort gave us title: Dhoni
Mumbai, April 26 “We booked a semifinal berth only in the last league match but after that owner N Srinivasan gave a brief talk with the players. He said we have been playing well and we would do well in the knock-out stage. That has boosted our confidence,” Dhoni said at the post-match press conference after his side beat Mumbai Indians by 22 runs in the grand finale here. Dhoni said his players were together only 10 days before the tournament but everybody gelled in well quickly which helped in winning the title. “We got together 10 days before the tournament and that too without some top players including Andrew Flintoff. But we worked out well and it was a team effort which gave us the title. Still I feel that we have played just 60-70 per cent of what we can actually play,” he said. Asked why Chennai fielded three spinners, Dhoni said it was due to lack of success by domestic seamers in the tournament and most of pitches becoming slow as the tournament progresses. “Domestic seamers have not been performing that well. Then the wickets have been becoming slow as the IPL progresses due to wear and tear as most venues were using only one or two pitches,” explained Dhoni. On why opening the innings with off-spinner Ravichandran Ashwin and pacer Doug Bollinger, he said, “The combination may look strange but it had been successful. We had to try it it out as the domestic seamers had not been successful also. Ashwin has been very successful he has the carrom ball bowling also.” Asked who have been the find of the tournament, he said, “Many players including Indian Cricket League returnees like Ambati Rayudu. But you have to be careful while choosing them in longer formats.” Dhoni said he was 100 per cent sure that Sachin Tendulkar would play despite injuring his right hand webbing in the first semifinal. “I was 100 per cent sure that he would play. It was the final match. He had come back from much more severe injuries in the past,” Dhoni said. Dhoni also said that all the Indian players are fit for the Twenty20 World Cup beginning on April 30 in the West Indies. “I can’t predict whether we will win the Twenty20 World Cup but we are very good side. The important thing is we have to adapt quickly to the conditions. I am happy that all the players are and that is the positive sign.” Mumbai Indians coach Robin Singh did not agree that his side faltered in the run chase by sending big-hitting Kieron Pollard late in the order. “Pollard is not a good player of spin and he plays pace better. We thought he can score heavily towards the close so we sent him late. JP Duminy also can score quickly and so we sent him ahead of Pollard,” Robin explained. Robin agreed that his side’s slow start in the run chase and dropped catches of Raina cost them the match. “We could have scored at least 15 runs more in the initial overs. We did not score at a decent run rate in the first 10 or 12 overs. Also we dropped crucial catches,” he said. — PTI
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Little time for IPL returnees to adapt: SA coach
Johannesburg, April 26 “(At the IPL), they played for different franchises and each one of them had its own approach. Now, we don’t not have much time to get them accustomed again to the manner in which we want them to play (in the Twenty20 World Cup),” Van Zyl told the Afrikaans daily Beeld. However, one good thing for the South African coach was that captain Graeme Smith was available for planning as he had returned home midway through the IPL with a broken finger. Van Zyl said he and Smith had done lot of planning on the team's approach in the upcoming tournament. “Although it’s a short and very intense tournament, it does not mean that there will be less preparation than for other series and tournaments,” he said. ‘Won’t be easy for Pak’LAHORE: Pakistan’s former players feel it would not be easy for Shahid Afridi and his men to defend their title at the World Twenty20 Championships as the team is not as strong as it was the last time around. “Pakistan is really going to have to work hard to defend their title successfully in the World Cup because this team is not as strong as the one that won the World Cup last year in England,” former Test captain Zaheer Abbas said. Zaheer, known as the "Asian Bradman" for his batting feats, said with a new-look team, the defending champions would be under tremendous pressure. “The team will have to really gel together and play as a unit to do well this time. They have the capability to win the World Cup but it will only be possible through really hard work,” he said. He said the last minute injury to pacer Umar Gul was a setback for the team’s preparations. Zaheer hoped the recent disciplinary action taken against players by the board would set off a more disciplined culture in the team. Former captain Aamir Sohail pointed out that Pakistan had an excellent track record in Twenty20 cricket but had lost to Australia and England in recent matches in which Shahid Afridi didn’t play. “Afridi’s role as captain and all-rounder would be vital to the team which has a revised combination. The batsmen will have to click if the team is to do well in the tournament,” he said. Former pacer Sarfaraz Nawaz said fielding is a major worry for the team. “It is a good balanced side but I am only worried about the fielding standards. Our fielding has to be really good if we want to play in the final.” — PTI
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Anand strikes to level scores with Topalov
Sofia (Bulgaria), April 26 While most of the chess fans were wondering whether Anand will go all out to level score with White pieces, or adopt a more cautious strategy and wait for the rest day today to recollect his confidence, Anand showed everyone the way. Playing Topalov faced the popular Catalan opening, in which White aims for the initiative and long-term pressure. This was clearly the special opening that Anand had prepared for the match. The pace of the game was considerably slower compared to the first game when the players almost blitzed out the opening moves. Anand sacrificed a pawn in the opening in exchange for the quick development and positional pressure. On the 15th move the world champion offered the trade of queens despite being a pawn less and this was the turning point of the game. Even though Anand was saddled with doubled pawns on the queen side, the activity of pieces more than compensated for the structural weakness. Both pairs of Knights were firmly entrenched in the central positions and the play revolved around the c-file and queenside. The decisive moment of the game came on the 27th move when Topalov decisively erred by going for the exchange of knights. Anand was already sensing victory after 27th move and his hard paid off after 43 moves and nearly four hours. “I thought I had compensation for the pawn, maybe. But after Rc4 I don’t know about Ne3; somewhere there it began to slip away for Black. I think Black is still sort of OK but after I take on b6 and come back, then I'm just much better already. I was quite happy to find this resource that wins the pawn back and I keep all my pieces. And then it's fairly straightforward,” Anand said in the post match conference. Naturally Topalov had less to say: “It was a very complicated game and at some point I started to make mistakes. Of course after some time it was simply already much better for White.” — PTI
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Chelsea in seventh heaven, return to summit
London, April 26 Ivory Coast international Kalou stooped to head the Blues in front from a Didier Drogba cross in the 24th minute. And seven minutes later, he doubled the Londoners' lead with a driven strike. Before half-time, he was involved in the build up to Chelsea's third which came after visitors Stoke had seen goalkeeper Thomas Sorensen go off with a shoulder injury. Kalou went down under a challenge from former Chelsea defender Robert Huth which began outside the box but a penalty was awarded and England midfielder Frank Lampard scored from the spot. Kalou’s grand day got even better in the 68th minute when he completed his treble on the follow-up after Stoke substitute keeper Asmir Begovic had blocked his initial shot. Lampard added a fifth and further goals from Daniel Sturridge and Florent Malouda gave Chelsea a plus eight goal difference advantage over United, which could yet prove crucial in deciding the title race. But, having seen his side lose to Tottenham last weekend, goal difference was the last thing on Chelsea boss Carlo Ancelotti's mind. Chelsea’s win was all the more impressive as they were without suspended captain and England defender John Terry. Earlier, James Milner kept Aston Villa's hopes of qualifying for next season's Champions League alive by scoring a contentious penalty in a 1-0 derby win over Birmingham City. But at the other end of the table, Burnley’s relegation from the English Premier League was confirmed with a 4-0 loss to Liverpool that saw the Clarets go straight back down to the Championship where they will be joined by previously relegated Portsmouth. However, Liverpool's win reignited their own bid for a Champions League place next term. Victory was secured by four second half goals with England midfielder Steven Gerrard netting twice and Maxi Rodriguez and Ryan Babel weighing in with one apiece. Meanwhile, Mikel Arteta’s late penalty saw Everton to a 2-1 win at home to Fulham after they equalised through a Chris Smalling own-goal in a match where the Cottagers had gone ahead through Erik Nevland. England midfielder Milner scored from the spot seven minutes from time after City's Roger Johnson was ruled to have brought down Villa striker Gabriel Agbonlahor in the box. However, Birmingham were incensed by referee Martin Atkinson's decision, with replays indicating Johnson had won the ball. Villa are now level on points with fourth-placed Tottenham Hotspur, who currently occupy the last Champions League place on offer to English clubs, although thy have played one game more and have an inferior goal difference. “There’s no dispute about it because it’s a penalty kick,” said Villa boss Martin O’Neill. — AFP
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Mumbai, April 26
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