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Dew still a big factor
Pune FC shock JCT, win 2-1
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Kings XI Cup
Age is just a number
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Dew still a big factor
SL-b’desh-india
The India-Sri Lanka game on Sunday will be more like a dress rehearsal for the finals of the tri-nation tournament. Bangladesh will have to play out of its skin to beat India by a big margin on Monday and qualify for the finals that is of course if Sri Lanka beat India again on Sunday. That looks bit tough looking at the inexperienced bowling attack that the home team has.
Mahela Jaywardene’s return not only adds class to the batting but also brings with it loads of experience which any skipper would be happy to utilise. The pitches here have been a graveyard for the bowlers and there is neither lateral movement nor turn off the pitch and with the ball barely bouncing above the waist the batsmen can just play down the line without any fears of the ball doing something. In the Bangladesh-Lanka game the odd ball was keeping low, which is what batsmen may have to watch out for otherwise it is simply close your eyes and go bang bang. The change in timings by just half an hour is a purely cosmetic one and makes no cricketing sense at all. If the timing had to be changed it should have been by a couple of hours at least for that would have meant the bowlers would have had to bowl only a dozen overs or so with the dew affected ball. So far in the tournament the team that has fielded second has lost the game because its bowlers are severely handicapped by the wet ball and so winning the toss becomes crucial. Only if the team batting first puts up a huge 350 plus score will they have a chance of winning the match and that too is not certain. India have problems with its bowling with all the bowlers getting a pasting. They should have given Tyagi an opportunity earlier so as to see how he bowls and an unknown bowler always gets a few overs in quietly as batsmen try and assess him and those overs could well make the difference. The big plus is the temperament shown by Virat Kohli. He looks a good reader of the situation and adjusts his batting according to the needs of the team. Plus, his quicksilver fielding makes him a huge asset. What a change one year has made as the young lad is now showing that he is prepared to learn and not that he knows everything, which was the impression created in his first year. If he continues in the same manner he will not only go on to become one of India’s top players but also a winning skipper. India must win the Sunday game to wrest back the psychological advantage from Sri Lanka.
— PMG |
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Pune FC shock JCT, win 2-1
Ludhiana, January 9 Pune FC striker S. Venkatesh took full advantage of JCT’s fragile defence and opened the scoring with a deflected shot in the 6th minute. The 40-yard kick from the midfielder deflected off Jaspal Singh's jersey and caught goalie Karanjit Singh on the wrong foot and went into straight into the net. But the Nigerian attacking mid- fielder Orji Penn, who is playing his first season with the JCT, equalised in the 36th minute (1-1). The skills of former Mahindra United striker Izumy Arata, who shifted loyalties to Pune this season, came into play as he dodged three JCT defenders before gifting the ball to Brazilian Edmar Figuira who further nudged it into the goal to stretch the lead to 2-1 just before the finish of first half at 44th minute. The second half ended goalless, but there were some good chances, particularly for JCT, as both Balwant Singh and Pawan Kumar went close, but Subrata Paul was at his best to deny the opposition to making an equalizer. JCTs big four Baljit Sahni, Amandeep Singh, Jagpreet Singh and Sunil Kumar were not part of the playing eleven and it showed in their dull display.
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Hockey players end revolt
New Delhi, January 9 Six senior players including captain Rajpal Singh flew down from Pune to hold discussion with the top officials of Hockey India before an amicable solution was reached with both parties “promising to move forward”. Hockey President A K Mattoo told reporters that the dispute is over but declined to elaborate on the financial details of the agreement with the revolting players. “The issue has been resolved. Hockey India is for the development of hockey in the country. We had a meaningful dialogue and discussion with the players in free and fearless atmosphere,” Mattoo said. “We have understood their issues. They have also understood our problems. We both the parties have decided to move forward because right now World Cup is our first priority. I am confident of a podium finish in the World Cup.” Rajpal also addressed the media and said they are ready to resume practice since all the issues have been resolved. “We are going in for practice tomorrow. Whatever the problem was, has been solved. Our job is to play on the ground and the administrators’ job is to look after all other issues,” Rajpal said.
— PTI |
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Cilic in final Chennai open
Chennai, January 9 Second-seeded Cilic, favoured to retain the title after top seed Robin Soderling crashed out in the first round, plays either Stanislas Wawrinka of Switzerland or Dudi Sela of Israel in Sunday's final. Cilic, who beat Tipsarevic in the quarter-final last year, ran away with the first set in just 27 minutes after the Serb failed to hold his serve even once. Tipsarevic, seeded fourth, was broken again in the first game of the second set, allowing Cilic to dominate in front of 1,000 Indian fans at the Nungambakkam Tennis Stadium. "I know the crowd was with Janko, but I played to my potential and won," Cilic said on courtside after the match. "It is great to be in the final here again, a very good way to start the year. I look forward to returning to the court tomorrow." Cilic had defeated Indian wildcard Somdev Devvarman in last year's final.
— AFP |
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Kings XI Cup
Chandigarh, January 9 In the second encounter played out at the Sector 16 stadium, Blues seemed on course for the most part, but finally managed to end on the loosing side. Skipper Sodhi called right and asked Red team to bat first in the bowler friendly conditions. Riding on a superb batting display by Arjit Gupta (65) they set up 144 for the Blues to win. Blues started well with Goel and Sidana batting aggressively to take them within striking distance. They needed only 32 from the last four overs with skipper Sodhi on crease. Sodhi’s run-out against the run of play proved fatal for the Blue team and they fell short by 8 runs. Arjit, for his sizzling 65, won the Man of the Match award.
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Age is just a number
Bangalore, January 9 While the 1989 born Pandey is yet to get his break in the national squad, he already has one feat under his belt that the batsmen playing for the Indian eleven are yet to achieve. Pandey is the only batsman from India to have scored a century in the IPL. Adjudged Man of the Match in the clash between Bangalore Royal Challengers and Deccan Chargers in the 2009 season of the IPL, Pandey scored an unbeaten 114 from 73 balls (10 fours and four sixes). His knock helped the Bangalore Royal Challengers to enter IPL-2 Semifinals. He also made 48 runs from 35 balls in the semifinal against Chennai Superkings and was again adjudged the Man of the Match. Prior to his blazing display of slam bang version of the game against the Deccan Chargers, Manish Pandey was better known as one of the members of India’s Under-19 cricket team, which won the World Cup in Kuala Lumpur last year. The achievement not only got him instant recognition, but also ensured his name for the inaugural season of the Indian Premier League in 2008. Pandey was then inducted in the Mumbai Indians team where he got a chance to play alongside Sachin Tendulkar and Jayasurya. He was picked by Bangalore Royal Challengers for the IPL tourney in 2009. Watching Pandey smash the Deccan Charger bowling attack to all corners of the park in the IPL match would have given one the impression that he was one of those young breed of players who with their huge repertoire of unorthodox shots are only fit for the T20 version of the game. However, it is his solid defence that has prompted critics to label Pandey as the next big thing in Karnataka cricket. The youngster is also an agile fielder, which adds up with the batting to make him a complete cricketer. Originally hailing from Nainital in Uttarakhand, where he played most of his early cricket, Pandey shifted base to Bangalore at the age of 15 to get more exposure and better opportunities. His father, G S Pandey, an Armyman, always encouraged him to follow his passion. Pandey’s first class career began in 2007 when he debuted for Karnataka. The victory of the U-19 team in Malaysia and Pandey’s subsequent performance in the IPL-2 made the cricket fraternity to sit up and take note. Apart from playing cricket, Pandey enjoys listening to music and reading books. Had it not been cricket, he would have followed the footsteps of his father to serve the Indian army.
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Ludhiana, January 9
20-years
old, Manish Pandey, the only Indian centurion in IPL, has impressed one and all
That’s why it is baffling how Shakib ul Hassan opted to bat first against India when he knew that dew was going to hamper his bowlers in gripping the ball. Being a spinner himself he should have realised that a wet ball is hardly conducive to spin and so should have fielded first. Be that as it may, India too will have to play very well against a Sri Lankan side that seems determined to erase the memory of their recent tour to India where they lost both the Test and one-day series.
