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Getting battle ready
Fight among India, Pak and SL: Raina
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WC: Gurcharan hails Chawla’s selection
Tanvir out of Pak squad
Miandad: Expose people behind illegal betting
Corporate Games to make India debut
Bhutia's team to play in I-League second division
Rashid on a roll, takes three-stroke lead
Mumbai FC's Nishant fails dope test
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Getting battle ready
Bangalore, February 9 Both Sehwag and Gambhir didn't take part in the ODI series in South Africa keeping the World Cup in mind. Sehwag was the first to hit the nets today and knocked for about 30 minutes, followed by Gambhir and then Yuvraj Singh. Kirsten, who according to Indian team members never gets tired by giving throw downs did the same for the trio. After a much-needed 16-day break, the members of the squad seemed to have refreshed as one saw the players upbeat and happy during their two-hour session. The session started with a 30-minute football match between two groups in which coach Kirsten also participated and then most of the top-order batsmen save senior-most pro Sachin Tendulkar had a knock at the nets. The meastro preferred spending some quality time at the NCA gymnasium. The other Indian batsmen, including captain Mahendra Singh Dhoni, Suresh Raina, Virat Kohli and Yusuf Pathan were also seen knocking at the adjacent nets. Barring Harbhajan Singh, all the bowlers, including part-time spinners Yusuf Pathan and Yuvraj, rolled their arms in the presence of bowling coach Simmons. Simmons also paid special attention to the fringe bowlers like Piyush Chawla, Ravichandran Ashwin and S Sreesanth. Harbhajan, preferred to stay away from the net session today and was seen doing some light stretching exercises during the fag end of the session. The serious business, however, is expected to start from tomorrow as India play their first warm-up match against Australia at the Chinnaswamy Stadium here on Sunday before leaving for Chennai where they will round off the preparation with the second and the last practice match against New Zealand on February 16. — PTI |
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Fight among India, Pak and SL: Raina
New Delhi, February 9
"I see this World Cup as a fight among the sub continental teams — Pakistan, Sri Lanka and India. England can also be the real challengers. They are doing well, especially after their success in the Ashes," Raina told PTI in an interview from Bangalore. "This is a fresh World Cup and in the last four years other teams have also improved a lot as compared to the Aussies. It's important to get a good start in the tournament," he added. The Uttar Pradesh player also said this was the best Indian side ever and if it could make it to the last four stage, it would be the firm favourite to win the title. "It's all about making it to the semis. I hope if we can make it to the last four stage, then we will definitely be in the final. We have some very good players now. It's very important to reach the semis". "I think this is the best ever Indian side...we have the best batsman in Sachin Tendulkar and with Virender Sehwag, Gautam Gambhir there as well at the top, the batting is very strong," said Raina. Raina said coach Gary Kirsten and captain Mahendra Singh Dhoni have done a great job with the team and success has given them confidence. "Gary Kirsten and Dhoni have been doing great with the side. He (Kirsten) is the best coach and 'captain cool' Dhoni is the best skipper. "With Sreesanth back in the side, the pace attack looks very good, while in Harbhajan (Singh) leading the spin armoury along with (Ravichandran) Ashwin and (Piyush) Chawla, it looks a fully balanced line-up." The 24-year-old batsman, who may have to compete with the likes of Virat Kohli and Yusuf Pathan for a place in the final XI, is however confident of batting at any position and sees himself in a role of a finisher. "It's (finishing a game) not easy. You have to read the situation well. Any miscalculation can go horribly wrong. You have to rotate the strike and at the same time it's very important to play your natural game", he said. — PTI
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WC: Gurcharan hails Chawla’s selection
New Delhi, February 9 Most critics have panned Chawla’s selection by the K Srikkanth-led selection committee, but Gurcharan felt that Chawla’s leg-breaks could play havoc on his day, and he would certainly emerge as a match-winner for the country. The Dronacharya Awardee, whose two pupils were members of the 1983 World Cup winning team of Kapil’s Devils -- Kirti Azad and Sunil Walson, and another of his trainees, Surinder Khanna, had played in the 1979 World Cup -- said the selection of two off-break bowlers in Harbhajan Singh and R. Ashwin was a luxury the team could least afford as Virender Sehwag, Sachin Tendulkar, Suresh Raina and Yusuf Pathan too could deliver off-breaks when called upon to do so. He said the foreign players were suspect to leg-break bowling in the Indian conditions while they were better in negotiating the off-spin of Harbhajan and others. “From a coach’s perspective, I feel you need very good batting techniques to negotiate a leg-break bowler in Indian conditions, and here Piyush’s contribution would be very vital”, Gurcharan opined. Gurcharan noted that even four medium-pacers in the team -- Zaheer Khan, Munaf Patel, Ashish Nehra and S Sreesanth -- were something of an avoidable luxury as the home quickies were not fast enough, compared to their counterparts from abroad, who could strike a speed of 140-145kms, and sometimes even hit the deck at 150km per hour. The coach said only Zaheer had the craft and cunningness essential for a fast bowler to snare batsmen often, as he was moulded in the manner of former Pakistan captain Wasim Akram. Gurcharan said if the number of medium-pacers had been limited to three, one more batsman could have been accommodated in the team. However, he felt that the induction of Sreesanth in the team in place of the injured Praveen Kumar was the right choice. “Sreesanth’s aggression is his greatest asset, and he also bowls with the right line and length, with swing to match,” noted the coach.
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Karachi, February 9 Pakistan is replacing Tanvir with left-arm paceman Junaid Khan, 21, who started with the Under-19s alongside promising teenage quick Mohammad Aamer who has been banned by ICC for five years due to involvement in spot-fixing. It will be Khan's debut for the senior national team although he has impressed selectors by amassing 167 wickets in just 35 first-class matches. Tanvir, meanwhile, protested the decision, saying he is fully fit and prepared for cricket's showpiece event. He returned to the Pakistan squad for the tour of New Zealand after recovering from a chronic knee injury, which kept him in out of the national side for two years. Pakistan play their first match of the World Cup on February 23, against Kenya, while they face Bangladesh on February 15 in a warm-up match in Mirpur. Tremlett as England’s travelling reserve
London: Pacer Chris Tremlett has been named in England's World Cup squad as a travelling reserve to provide cover for possible injuries to their bowlers. The right-arm seamer, who has recently recovered from his side strain, will only come in the England squad if there is any more injury to a bowler. "Whilst the injured bowlers in the 15-man squad are all progressing well, the selectors have decided it would be prudent to have an additional player on hand who is acclimatised in case we need to apply to the Event Technical Committee for a replacement due to injury," said national selector Geoff Miller. Tremlett claimed 17 wickets at an average of 23.35 during the Ashes in Australia and then took another six wickets in four ODIs. England suffered a number of injury blows during their seven-match ODI series against Australia. — PTI |
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Melbourne, February 9 The national selectors did not wait for Hussey to regain fitness ahead of the World Cup and called in for Callum Ferguson yesterday as the former's replacement in the 15-member squad. The left-handed batsman, who tore his hamstring during one of the games of the seven-match ODI series against England, said he was disappointed by the decision. "I'm really disappointed and a bit shocked by the news," Hussey told Fox Sports. "I tried to push my case forward. I said I would really push (to be fit) by the second game and definitely right by the third game but it's not a risk the selectors wanted to take. It's a pretty hard pill to swallow, that's for sure," added the top run-scorer for Australia in the Ashes series. The 35-year-old also cited the example of Andrew Symonds' selection in 2007, who went into the tournament despite being injured. "The precedent had sort of been set at the last one with Andrew Symonds. He came in for the third or fourth game and played a really big part in our team. I was hoping that it would be the same sort of thing for me, they'd give me every chance to have a crack at it at least," said Hussey, who averages 51.96 in One-dayers. — PTI
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Miandad: Expose people behind illegal betting
Karachi, February 9 "I am hurt by the damage caused to our cricket and our image by the sanctions imposed on Salman, Asif and Aamir, but it is not possible they were working alone with Mazhar Majeed," Miandad said in an interview. "I am convinced that there is a entire mafia working behind spreading the menace of spot-fixing in our sport," Miandad, a veteran of 124 Tests, said. "I don't believe that only three players can do spot-fixing. I suspect that a lot of other people are involved in this racket," he added. Miandad urged the three players, who have faced sanctions from the International Cricket Council anti-corruption tribunal, to co-operate with the authorities in exposing the mafia. "These three should expose this mafia and help the PCB as because of them, Pakistan cricket has got a bad name." The former national coach said that he would soon meet with the PCB Chairman Ijaz Butt to discuss some proposals that would ensure such incidents didn't take place in future. Miandad also noted that in order to stop the spot-fixing menace, authorities needed to carry out a widespread operation in the cricket world and expose the players who are corrupt. Butt was last week banned for 10 years by the anti-corruption tribunal on charges of spot-fixing, while pacers Muhammad Asif was banned for seven years and Muhammad Aamir for five years by the tribunal. Miandad had no doubt that the three players had let Pakistan cricket and the PCB down by not admitting their guilt early on when they were accused of spot-fixing by the 'News of the World' newspaper. "These players should have told the PCB the entire truth instead of continuing to insist they were innocent," he said. — PTI
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Corporate Games to make India debut
New Delhi, February 9 Twelve sports disciplines will feature in the inaugural edition. Maj. O.P. Bhatia, a former Executive Director of the Sports Authority of India, who is the CEO of Corporate Games in India, said though the event made its world debut in 1985, India had to wait this long to get franchise accreditation. He said competitions would be held in athletics (only track events), badminton, basketball, billiards, cricket, football, hockey, nine-hole golf, squash and swimming. He said leading coaches and players of the country have been named as the brand ambassadors of their respective events, namely Gurcharan Singh (cricket), P.T. Usha (athletics), Baichung Bhutia (football), Zafar Iqbal (hockey), Dinesh Khanna (badminton) and Indu Puri (table tennis). Bhatia said there would not be any limit for the number of participants, who would be divided into four age-groups — 25-35, 36-45, 46-55 and above 55. Ratan Tata, chairman of the Tata Group, appreciated the "efforts in introducing Corporate Games in India". Bhatia said all the disciplines would be staged as per the rules and regulations of international sports federations. The World Corporate Games have given licence to hold the Games in Delhi to Xtreme Martial Arts Pvt. Ltd.
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Bhutia's team to play in I-League second division
New Delhi, February 9 Mohammedan Sporting, Southern Samity and Techno Aryan are the three sides from West Bengal. Goa has two other teams, apart from relegated Sporting Clube-de-Goa. Sikkim also has another team in Denzong Boys while Manipur and Assam will be represented by NISA and Gauhati Town Club respectively. Bhutia is unlikely to play for United Sikkim FC as he is yet to fully recover from his hamstring injury, but teammate Renedy Singh has confirmed playing for the side. — PTI
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Rashid on a roll, takes three-stroke lead
Kolkata, February 9 Local lad Rahil Gangjee is currently in second position as he signed a card of even par 70 to take his total to nine under 131 at the Tollygunge Club. The cut was declared at three over 143 and fifty-three professionals made the cut. Rashid, playing only his second event as a professional, was on a roll as he drained eight birdies while dropping only two bogeys. The 19-year-old from the Delhi Golf Club got off to a brilliant start when he landed his approach shot within three feet to set up a birdie on the first hole. He added another birdie on the second and then dropped his first bogey of the day on the sixth. — PTI
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Mumbai FC's Nishant fails dope test
New Delhi, February 9 Mehra's 'A' sample tested positive in the dope test that was conducted in Pune. Now the midfielder will appear before the NADA (National Anti-Doping Agency) Panel tomorrow. The footballer's 'B' sample would also be tested in his presence before an appropriate action is taken against the player. — PTI |
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After Praveen Kumar's elbow injury ruled him out of the World Cup, the Indian team management seemed to be extra cautious and careful about the players who are coming back from injuries. No wonder that coach Gary Kirsten paid special attention to the Delhi duo of Virender Sehwag and Gautam Gambhir who have recently recuperated from shoulder and elbow injuries respectively, during the first day of India's short pre-World Cup camp that got underway at the National Cricket Academy here today.
Former Pakistan Test captain Javed Miandad urged the banned trio of Salman Butt, Muhammad Asif and Muhammad Aamir to expose the people involved in illegal betting and corruption in international cricket. Miandad, who is the Director-General cricket in the Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB), said he felt saddened by the damage the spot-fixing scandal had done to the image of Pakistan cricket.
Dubai: