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ranji trophy
Sunil Gavaskar
Writes...
‘Will quit tennis after marriage’
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Kings XI Cup
Would love to lead Kings XI: Irfan
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Mumbai clinch thriller, defend title
Mysore, January 14 The duo, who had come together when Karnataka were in dire straits at 46 for three, batted with gusto, assurance and caution to take the fight into the enemy camp, raising 209 runs for the fourth wicket. As long as Pandey, who made a magnificent 144 (18 fours, one six) in trying circumstances, was at the square Karnataka were in the reckoning of winning their seventh Ranji title. But once he departed, caught at slip by Mumbai skipper Wasim Jaffer off left-arm spinner Iqbal Abdulla minutes before lunch, Mumbai slowly but assuredly started taking control of the game. While Pandey, who amassed a whopping 882 runs in the season, carted the cherry around the park with impunity, Satish batted with circumspection. Satish made 75 before being adjudged leg before wicket to Dhawal Kulkarni. Stuart Binny (17), Sunil Joshi (16) and R Vinay Kumar (15) batted with resolve to take Karnataka closer to the target. But quick strikes by Kulkarni and Ajit Agarkar (5 for 81) ensured that Mumbai emerged triumphant. This closely contested final would remembered for the outstanding performances of Vinayak Samant (67), Avishkar Salvi (5 for 31), Daval Kulkarni (87 and 3 for 80), Ajit Agarkar (5 for 81), Manish Pandey (144), Abhimanyu Mithun (3 for 56 and 6 for 71) and R Vinay Kumar (4 for 61 and 3 for 78). The sporting wicket was prepared by a tennis court curator from Mysore. — PTI
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Lanka deserved to win
India’s record in the finals of tournaments especially overseas has not been great and the tri-nation defeat did not help in making it any better. The manner in which they had lifted their game after losing to Sri Lanka in their first round robin game gave hope that this time around they would be able to turn around that record and win the trophy. The win by the Lankans in the finals meant that in every single match of this tournament the team that batted second won the game. The dew factor was a huge one and that is something the organisers will have to take into account when fixing the timings of the match. It simply is not fair to the team bowling second if they have to wipe the ball dry after every ball. A bowler needs to use the few seconds between deliveries to think and plan his next ball and if he is going to spend those microseconds wiping the ball and the seam dry and even then is not sure if he is going to get a proper grip on the ball then he will not be able to bowl as he wants to. The limited overs format is heavily loaded in favour of the batsman and bowling second with dew around does not make it any better for the bowlers. What the dew factor does is that it makes the team batting first try and get the extra runs that they feel are needed because of the effect the wet ball will have on their bowlers when trying to defend the total. India did just that as they tried to play the big shots even before the batsmen were well set. The shot selection was to a great extent influenced by the knowledge that they were going to bowl second and so needed to score more and faster. Having said that no praise is too high for Kulasekara and Welegedara as they cleverly varied their pace and bent their backs just that little bit more to extract a little more bounce that defeated the Indian batsmen’s attempts to play the horizontal bat shots. Welegedara has been the find of the last two months and if he can spend a bit of time with Chaminda Vaas and learn to swing the ball into the right hander then he will be taking lots more wickets and prove a handful in any format of the game. Sri Lanka deserved to win for don’t forget the injuries that they had which meant that three of their players had to go back home in the early stages of the tournament and that’s never easy for a team. They had just finished an unsuccessful tour of India and this tournament provided the perfect opportunity for them to show their supporters that they are a very good team which lost to a team that played in familiar conditions. India did not get the start that they were used to and Yuvraj’s loss of form meant that the middle order had a big hole in it. The skipper Dhoni bravely tried to fill that gap and was successful too but in the final it got a bit too much even for him. The big plus for India was the form shown by Virat Kohli who has a bright future ahead of him if he continues to show the desire to learn and improve. The century in trying situation by Raina also was pleasing to see for he lost his batting position to Kohli and needed to show that he wants it back. The Sri Lankan fielding was top class and their commitment too was tremendous. India have not begun the new year well and they will have to work harder to make it better. — PMG
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‘Will quit tennis after marriage’
New Delhi, January 14 Before getting engaged to the Indian tennis diva, Sohrab had said that Sania will have complete freedom in making her career decisions. “She has my complete support and backing in whatever she wishes. It is completely her decision for how long she wishes to play,” Sohrab had said in June. So when asked if it was purely her decision to quit the game after marriage, Sania’s father Imran Mirza said, “It’s her decision for now. If later she decides to play after marriage, its her choice.” Ever since turning pro in 2003, Sania has been the face of Indian tennis on the WTA circuit. She also became India’s first female Grand Slam winner when she won the Australian Open mixed doubles title with compatriot Mahesh Bhupathi last year. Sania’s start to the 2010 season though was far from impressive as she lost in the second round of the Auckland event, followed by a first round defeat at the Hobart event but the Hyderabadi is hardly perturbed. “I think after competing for seven years as a professional and ranked five years in the singles top-100, I’ve reached a stage in my career where my performance cannot be judged on the basis of one or a few tournaments,” she said. “Wins and losses are part of the game and in a truly global sport like tennis where more than 220 countries compete seriously, except for the top-10 players, nobody wins too consistently,” Sania added. All that the Indian wants now is to stay away from injuries in the new season. Her wrist injury in 2008 had forced her to spend half the year out of court. “I am approaching 2010 like any other year. I expect to continue to work hard, try my very best and leave the rest to God. I would like to stay away from any serious injuries during 2010,” she said. Talking about the year gone by, Sania says she is happy with the way she performed in 2009 although there were only a few moments of glory for her. —
PTI |
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Green win title
Tribune News Service
Chandigarh, January 14 He scored 50 to take Green to 150 in their allotted overs. Punjab pacer Love Ablish claimed 2 for 44. In reply, Red though kept on losing wickets at regular interval, for the most part had things under control. Kanwar batted diligently for his 60. Needing just 31 off last five overs with three wickets in hand and Kanwar on crease, Green was in a spot of bother for some time. But after Kanwar’s departure Red fell apart and lost the last two wickets at the score of 140. Sangram was adjudged Man-of-the-Match, while Sumit Dhiman was given Man of the Tournament award. Mani Kantan of Silver bagged best batsman trophy and Green’s Gaurav Gambhir claimed Best Bowler. Meanwhile, Kings XI Punjab shortlisted 22 players for the a two day camp to be held on 15 and 16 January. The players are: Reetinder Sodhi, Love Ablish, K K Upadhyay, B Loomba, S Srivastava, R Choudhary, Sumit, Amanpreet, Sangram, M Bisla, S Dhiman, A Sonkar, S Kanwar, Manikantam, Arjit, Paras, M Bhatia, M Sharma, R Golu, Karanveer, G Gambhir, Bipul. Brief Scores: Green 150 for 6 in 20 overs, Red 140 all out in 19.4 overs.
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Would love to lead Kings XI: Irfan
Chandigarh, January 14 Q: The year 2008 was not much productive for you? What are your plans for the new year? A: The plan is to keep on performing and stage a strong comeback into the Indian side. I know the previous year has not been as great in terms of International cricket, but I am satisfied with my form as far as my batting and bowling in the domestic tournaments is concerned. There are a lot of matches coming up and I intend to keep it going and I know I will be there in the team sooner than later. Q: How difficult is it to stay out? A: Oh it is very difficult, and it teaches you a lot. But you have to understand that you will not be selected till you are selected. And the only way to keep your place is to be counted in any opportunity you get. Q: Do you regret you were not given enough chances when you were dropped? A: I know I could have been given more chances as it takes some time to settle. It took some time even for Brett Lee to be among the wickets when he was recalled against England. But I do not regret it because I understand that it is going to happen because of the competition. Q: What has changed from your last comeback two and half years ago? A: Oh so much, then we were going too much into detail about my action and other things and I think it hurried the process (the comeback) a bit. Now I am concentrating on my bowling so that I get the feeling that I am at my best. I am very close to it and it is just a matter of playing few games now. Q: Indian bowlers came under fire during the just concluded Tri-series. Does it strengthen your case? A: It all depends on the selectors, but I am ready to play anywhere and bowl anytime, be it first change or opening the attack. I will wait for my turn and whenever it comes I will do my best. Q: Simmons has been appointed bowling consultant? Do you thing specialist coaches help? A: I got to know about it through media but I am not sure if it is confirmed. But yes specialist batting and bowling coaches do help as they pinpoint your strengths and weaknesses so that you can work on both in detail. It is always about getting one step ahead and if you are not going to work on your weaknesses, you are actually going backwards while others grow. Q: What about Kings XI’s chances this year in the IPL 3? A: We know that last year was not a great time for us, but we have put in a lot of effort this time and boys are hell-bent on proving it to the world. Moreover, with Yuvraj, Piyush and myself in a good nick, we will comeback stronger. Q: With all the talk about the captaincy of Kings XI, do you think will it make any difference if Yuvraj is replaced? A: It does not make much difference who leads, because it is how we perform as a group. If we keep performing well as a unit and produce results, nothing else makes much difference. Q: You led Baroda in the Ranji Trophy this season, for the first time? What about leading Kings XI? A: I ended up as the highest wicket-taker for my team, and scored close to 400 runs. So I think it speaks for itself. Leading the side was an honor and the experience taught me a lot. Now I know more about the game, i guess now. Well it is up for the franchisee to decide, but given an option I would love to take up the responsibility. Q: Yousuf is also out of favour with the selectors right now. Who do you think will make it back first? A: It will be great if we both do it. But yes, the opening has to be there in the sense that if selectors need a spinner all-rounder, Yousuf will make it first and if theu need a pacer, may be I will make it before him. Q: Your thoughts about Hockey crisis? A: It feels bad that players had to ask for payments. But witht he crisis beoing resolved, players should concentrate on their preparation. Q: How do you pass your free-time? A: Yousuf has kept some animals at home and I keep myself busy looking after them. Otherwise I do catch up with movies wherever I go. |
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Defending champions Mumbai pulled off a thrilling six-run win over a fighting Karnataka to clinch the coveted Ranji Trophy title for the 39th time here today.
India’s record in the finals of tournaments especially overseas has not been great and the tri-nation defeat did not help in making it any better. The manner in which they had lifted their game after losing to Sri Lanka in their first round robin game gave hope that this time around they would be able to turn around that record and win the trophy.
New Delhi, January 14
Chandigarh, January 14
