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Concentrating on batting, lost confidence in bowling, says White
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With fielding improved, India are favourites: Viv
Onus is on Afridi: Abbas
Brazil’s Ronaldo to retire
Cavalry-Team Jindal win
Services win gold in equesterian
Punjab beat J&K
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Schedule taking a toll: Dhoni
But Dhoni warned that the team's mental preparation had been hit by the rigors of constantly switching between tests, one-day internationals and Twenty20 matches in the run-up to the World Cup. “The mindset was not really there. Mentally we were not ready, that's one of the reasons why we couldn't bat well,” Dhoni told reporters after India defeated World Cup holders Australia by 38 runs in a warm-up match in Bangalore on Sunday. “Of course for the warm-up game mentally it was very difficulty to prepare yourself. If you play 35 odd ODIs in a year and 10 Test matches and 45 days of IPL and Champions League, then all of a sudden you hear there's a warm-up game, it's a very difficult scenario to mentally prepare yourself for the game which really reflected on the field.” India's much-hyped middle order, which included big hitters Yuvraj Singh and Dhoni, failed to get going on Sunday and the only meaningful contributions were a half-century from opener Virender Sehwag and an uncharacteristically slow 32 from Yusuf Pathan. Only a special effort from the spinners and an Australian batting collapse turned the game in India's favour. In the absence of Sachin Tendulkar, who was rested due to a hamstring niggle, the procession of India's specialist batsmen came and went without troubling the scorers too much. This is proving to be a cause for concern. Although the likes of Pathan, Gautam Gambhir, Virat Kohli and Suresh Raina are vastly experienced in ODIs, they are all making their World Cup debuts - a tournament that is gruelling enough mentally without the added pressure of playing at home. With the old rearguards such as Rahul Dravid and Saurav Ganguly gone, Dhoni will be looking to Sehwag and Yuvraj to draw on their experience in guiding the new crop of players through the tournament. “You know the kind of talent we have got, we just need to get off to a good start and the middle order needs to contribute," said Dhoni. Dhoni himself is a key player and will look to draw on his own experience of the 2007 World Cup, where India were eliminated in the group stages. “I am talking about my experience to mentally play in a game like this especially after what we saw in the 2007 World Cup. The first two games were really good for us. After that I don't know where we lost," he added referring to India's unexpected defeat by Bangladesh. With the Indian team boasting the sport's most prolific run scorer in Tendulkar, the joint second-ranked ODI batsman in the world in Kohli and an explosive hitter of the ball in Sehwag, besides others, it is a safe assumption that over the next seven weeks, all eyes will be on India's batting. India play their final warm-up match against New Zealand on Wednesday, and then take on co-hosts Bangladesh in the opening match of the tournament in Dhaka on Feb. 19.
— Reuters |
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Concentrating on batting, lost confidence in bowling, says White
"I am not bowling much to be honest. I am just concentrating on my batting and enjoying that role. I will get back to bowling at some stage but at the moment just concentrating on my batting," White said. The 27-year-old Victorian last bowled in one-day internationals in a one-off match against Scotland in August 2009. "Just lost a bit of confidence as a bowler to be honest. I didn't feel as confident as probably what I should have. I haven't bowled for a while in international cricket, that's for sure," he said. White, however, has no doubts about his batting ability. "I can bat anywhere from number three to number six or seven, which is what I have done in the past. If Ricky (Ponting) and Michael (Clarke) were resting, I am required to bat up the order and do well. At the same time when they are in the side, my role is to bat at five, bat through the middle overs and finish up the innings. I just depend on the situation of the game," White said. White has recently been appointed Australia's Twenty20 captain and also been a vital member of the team's think-tank. "It's something I enjoy doing. Even when I am not the captain I have little bit to do with Ricky (Ponting) and Michael (Clarke) in just playing a support role with them and sometimes with the bowlers. "I enjoy that role and I guess it's just about helping out the team and at the end of the day getting the best result and wining. If I can help out, whether it's batting, bowling or fielding or a bit a cricket knowledge into getting the right result," he said. With the World Cup being held in the sub-continent, India are one of the favourites for the title and White said he was not surprised by the huge expectations of the Indian fans. "It makes sense that Indians are favourites in their own conditions. They've got very good players, got a balanced attack, couple of very good fast bowlers, some very good spinners. They are a good side, so it makes sense that they are favourites. But there are some other good teams who are playing very well," he said.
— PTI |
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With fielding improved, India are favourites: Viv
Kolkata, February 14 Today the players are more committed on the field. People like (coach) Gary Kirsten should be given credit for that," Richards said while participating at a cricket programme "Power Play" here last night. "I think a good fielding unit will win this World Cup," said Richards, considered the most destructive batsman of modern cricket. Richards praised Dhoni for leading from the front. "If you are a leader, you have to perform. And Dhoni is leading the side from the front." Former Australian captain Steve Waugh also agreed with Richards on the best fielding side having the highest chance of winning the February 19-April 2 event. "Fielding is going to be an important factor in this World Cup. Catching, run-outs will play important roles. The best fielding side has the most chance of winning," said Waugh. "India has a good chance to win the World Cup. Another favourite is Australia. Brett Lee brings a lot of aggression to the Australian attack," he said. Waugh said he is "sad" that Eden Gardens will not be hosting an India match during the World Cup. "I've special feelings for Eden Gardens ... some great memories about this ground. We won the 1987 World Cup here and there is that 2001 Test," he said. Former India captain Sourav Ganguly, who was also present on the occasion along with 1983 World Cup winning skipper Kapil Dev, talked about this World Cup being an open one and said it is unlikely a rank outsider can make it to the quarterfinals. "I am not a believer of the term, favourite in any sport. I think the sides led by Clive Lloyd (West Indies of 1975 and 1979) and Steve Waugh (1999) could have been favourites but there was none after that. I think all the good teams will reach the quarterfinal."
— PTI |
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We can win World Cup: Kiwi players
Chennai, February 14 Key players Brandon McCullum, Ross Taylor, Scott Styris and Martin Guptill admitted their side's dismal performance - bilateral ODI series whitewashes in Bangladesh (0-4) and India (0-5) and 2-3 loss to Pakistan at home - but said they are ready for the World Cup challenge. They said New Zealand have done better under new coach John Wright who took over the reigns nearly two months ago and his experience in the subcontinental conditions will come handy for them. "It doesn't get any bigger than this, a World Cup in the sub-continent. The atmosphere will be electrifying. It's my favourite place to tour and I have performed well in these conditions. We have been struggling of late but have beaten all the teams before. And we believe we are up to the challenge of doing it again," all-rounder Scott Styris said at an open media session here. "Wright's experience and expertise in India will be valuable for us," he said. "John talks a lot about India, and has a lot of friends, especially the groundsmen. He might tell some of them to prepare pitches that might suit us," Styris said in a lighter vein. Top-order batsman Ross Taylor said the team had learnt a lot from their twin tours to Bangladesh and India recently and his side has the wherewithal to lay hands on the World Cup trophy. "We had some tough six months. But we have learnt a lot from it, and will try as hard as we can to win the World Cup. When you reach the quarterfinals, it's just three matches away from winning the World Cup. Personally, the World Cup is big for me. In 2007, my World Cup was cut short by an injury," Taylor said ahead of their warm-up game against India here on Wednesday. Explosive batsman Brendon McCullum said his side's first target is to reach the quarterfinals and from there on anything can happen," Taylor said.
— PTI |
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Onus is on Afridi: Abbas
Reviewing Pakistan's batting line-up, Abbas said that Afridi needs to shed his "boom boom" tag and bat more consistently and sensibly. "The World Cup is taking place in the sub-continent, so batting will play a key part in how Pakistan fare in this event," Abbas said. Asked about Afridi, Abbas, without any hesitation, said that he has never regarded the pathan as a specialist batsman. "He's a hitter. Some have opined that if he's pushed up the order, with the added responsibility of captaincy, Afridi would do better. However, I'm averse to this idea," he said. "He can't control his natural instincts. He has never been able to do that in his career. Moreover, Afridi was a failure with the bat in all his three previous World Cup appearances. He did hit a wonderful century in Sri Lanka against the hosts in last year's Asia Cup but remains inconsistent as ever.
— PTI |
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"I wanted to continue, but I can't do it any more. I think of an action, but I can't do it the way I want to. It's time. It's the body that's hurting me," he told Globo television. "The head wants to go on, but the body can't take any more." Ronaldo had already spoken in terms of retiring at the end of the year. But a succession of injuries and the elimination of his club, Corinthians, from the Copa Libertadores, South America's most prestigious club tournament, appears to have pushed the date forward. The Copa trophy, the equivalent of Europe's Champions League trophy, was the only one Ronaldo had not won in what has been a spectacular career. Widely regarded as one of the greatest players of all time, the player known as 'El Fenomeno' during his prime had held out hopes of one last World Cup in South Africa last year. He had, after all, shrugged off injury in the 2002 tournament to help Brazil to the trophy, ending the tournament as top scorer on 15 goals, a total that has not yet been bettered. — AFP
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New Delhi, February 14 Samir Suhag scored three goals for Cavalry-Team Jindal Polo in the 1st chukker while Vishal Singh converted two penalties for Sahgal Stud, who started with a ½-goal handicap. In the 2nd chukker, Ravi Rathore and Vishal Chauhan scored once each for Cavalry while Vishal Singh again converted a 30 yard penalty. The score was 5 goals to 3 ½ at the half time. In the 3rd chukker, Vishal scored for Sahgal Stud and reduced the margin.
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Services win gold in equesterian
Jamshedpur, February 14 The Bihar team, comprising of J Singh, S Khan, Y Yadav and Trilok Prasad had to be content with a bronze after they accummulated 99.5 points. Maj. K Yadav, M Patil, P J Sakpal and R N Shinde of Services exhibited good control and gathered 112 points to clinch the top prize, followed by Haryana's N Singh, R Bhagat and R Das, who scored 109 points. — PTI
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Punjab beat J&K
Mohali, February 14 Electing to field first, Punjab restricted the visitors on the score of 220 runs. Punjab achieved their target with 15 overs to spare. After a shaky start, J&K team continued to loose wickets at regular intervals.
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