Chandigarh, April 5
It has been an unbelievable past week for the entire nation. The frenzy that has engulfed the country is hard to get away from. In walks Praveen Kumar, the man from Meerut who had his date with destiny cut short by injury. He was part of the initial 15-man World Cup squad, but an elbow injury ruled him out. Now, the man is back in action and all ready to play for the Kings XI Punjab in the fourth edition of the Indian Premier League.

Speak to him about India winning the World Cup, and instantly you see mixed emotions rush all over his face. But the sportsman inside never gets the better of his personal feelings as Praveen says, “It happens and it is all right. You have to accept injuries and move on. It is a part of life. I was really happy to see India lift the Cup, and all through that was the only thing I was praying for.”

Praveen is also not a man rushing onto emotions or conclusions. Ask him about his plans for a comeback to the Indian side, and he clearly words out his priorities. “As of now, I am just focusing on where I need to play. All I want is to give my all while playing for Kings XI Punjab, and that is the only thing I am looking at right now. I will give my best to help the team win.”

He is also unfazed by the prospect of playing for a different franchise, after having spent three seasons with Royal Challengers Bangalore. “It doesn’t matter where I play, I just have to give it my all. I have been working on my batting as well. I have had a couple of sessions with Michael Bevan too.”

Speaking about his new team and captain, Australian legend Adam Gilchrist, Praveen said, “I think we have a very good side, a formidable fast-bowling combination as well as good spinners. I have not interacted much with Gilchrist, but all of us know about him as a batsman. He should be a good captain as well.”

Praveen also praised outgoing Indian coach Gary Kirsten and described the South African as “superb”. When asked who he would want as coach in place of Kirsten, Praveen simply answered, “Let's hope it is just someone like him.” 

Karachi, April 5
Pakistani cricket captain Shahid Afridi went on the backfoot Tuesday, saying his comments on Indians not being as large hearted as their neighbours were misquoted by sections of the media.

"First of all, I want to congratulate the Indian team and the people for winning the World Cup. I have been playing cricket for a while. It is a shame that media has hyped up the issue. I have never discriminated between a Hindu or a Muslim. It is all equal in our religion. My comments were misquoted by the media," Afridi said.

The skipper sparked a controversy saying "Indians are not as large hearted as Pakistanis or Muslims and it is very difficult to improve the relations between the two countries". After a furore, Afridi sought to play down the issue.

"What I really meant was when the Indian team came to Pakistan last time, the people here showed a big heart. So the same way it should happen in India whenever we go there. That is all I meant. It is important to have good relations with our neighbours," he said.

Afridi went on to add that playing in India is something he has enjoyed the most in his career. "Whenever we go to India, we participate in the charity programmes. I have a played a lot in India. We get a lot of love there. The cricketers there are valued even more than Pakistan. Playing in India is something I have enjoyed the most in my 14-year-old career," he said.

The dashing all-rounder, however, slammed the media on both sides of the border. "The media was disappointing when I came to Mohali. The media should talk about peace. We can't have much expectations from the politicians. People to people contact can only improve the relations.

"I will listen to the interview again. Suddenly I am asked this question. I am not scared of anyone. I like India, its people, I want to play there and I don't want to hype the issue." Afridi's comments were criticised by several former Pakistani players including ex-captain Aamer Sohail. — IANS 

New Delhi, April 5
Dashing Indian opener Virender Sehwag today said that his assault on Pakistan paceman Umar Gul during the high-voltage World Cup semifinal clash was pre-planned with a view to send their arch-rivals on the backfoot. Gul, Pakistan's best bowler till the Indo-Pak clash, was sent to the cleaners by Sehwag as he plundered him for 21 runs in his second over.

Virender Sehwag

That assault demoralised the pacer, who conceded 69 runs from eight overs in the match and India posted 260 for nine which turned out to be match-winning score. "We were really charged up against the match in Pakistan.

I said I will take on Umar Gul. If I score a couple of boundaries off him, Pakistan will be on the backfoot and that exactly happened in the match," Sehwag said. He said the players took the Pakistan match at Mohali just like a final.

"The match against Pakistan was the final for us. We thought that if we win this one, it will be easier to beat Sri Lanka in the final as we had beaten them many times recently in India and Sri Lanka," he said. Sehwag said he was happy that Sachin Tendulkar has now become a World Cup-winner, a trophy which had eluded him for long in his illustrious career.

"We wanted to win the World Cup for the people of India. It was a also a gift for Sachin Tendulkar and he is emotionally very attached to all the players. I am very happy for that," said Sehwag who scored 380 runs from eight matches in the World Cup. The Delhi dasher said that the team had raised the bar and they will have to maintain it now by working even harder. — PTI

London, April 5
Enraged by the ICC’s decision to cut the number of teams in the 2015 World Cup to 10, the Irish cricket authorities and captain William Porterfield said the move is an “absolute disgrace” and damaging to the game. The ICC cut the number of teams at the 2015 World Cup from 14 to 10 yesterday, dealing a blow to teams such as Ireland, Holland and Canada as they would not have a chance to qualify for the event. A qualification process will, however, be held for the 2019 edition.

“It’s an absolute disgrace and I don’t know how they can even comprehend doing this. We have done everything they asked of us over the last few years in terms of restructuring Irish cricket and I can’t come to terms with how they can just shut us out, do away with the qualification period and then try and call this a World Cup,” Porterfield was quoted as saying in the media here.

“We are currently ranked 10th, ahead of Zimbabwe, and there is no reason why we can’t move up another position, if not two, by the next World Cup. Instead, the door has been closed in our face. It is an embarrassment. I don’t know what else we had to do in the World Cup, we held our own against the full members, we beat England, we got the fastest ever hundred. For them to turn around and throw that back in our face a few weeks later is an absolute joke,” he fumed.

Porterfield also ridiculed the logic that expanding the World Twenty20 Championships to 16 teams would be of any consolation to the associates. “To come out and try to cover things up by saying there are going to be 16 teams at the World Twenty20 is ridiculous,” Porterfield said.

“They say it’s a compensation but I can’t agree with that because it is every player’s dream to play at and win a World Cup. Everyone in the cricketing world can see they are shutting the door on not only a lot of players, but also on the development of world cricket. It’s not just about Ireland. This could mean the death of cricket in a lot of countries...and all because a few full members are looking to make a few extra quid from the competitions,” he added.

Cricket Ireland chief executive Warren Deutrom said he was left outraged by the ICC’s decision. “We’re outraged by the decision today. We’re not taking it lying down. It’s a betrayal of sporting principles and it flies in the face of all the evidence we saw at the World Cup, which was that an associate nation could compete with the best teams in the world,” he said.

“It’s baffling, but am I surprised? Not really, because clearly there are instances where protection of existing privileges is considered more important than any other principle - including those of sport, fairness and equality,” he added. — PTI 

Jalandhar, April 5
Still enveloped in the ecstasy of the World Cup victory, off-spinner Harbhajan Singh today emphasised that ace cricketer Sachin Tendulkar should be awarded with the ‘Bharat Ratna’. Bhajji said that not only he but the entire country wanted Tendulkar to get this honour.

“This is the time to award the ‘Bharat Ratna’ to the God of cricket Sachin Tendulkar, who has put in 21 years in his career in cricket. All Indians love him for his superb contribution and it is everybody’s wish that he gets this award,” Bhajji said while interacting with the media here today.

Talking about Kirsten, he said, “He was not only a good coach but a fine friend too. When he joined us we were just players, he made us champions. It is sad that he is going but we wish him to continue with Team India. Gary has his personal commitments owing to which he had to leave.”

Bhajji thanked the coach for helping India win their second World Cup after 28 years. “Hopefully we will continue with our winning spree. But who knows Gary might join us again within a year or two.”

Answering a query pertaining to his becoming a captain of the Indian team some day, Harbhajan said, “I cannot say anything about captaincy. The Almighty has blessed me with everything that I could have asked for. This is God’s wish and only time will tell.”

He added that current skipper Mahendra Singh Dhoni was one of the finest that Team India ever had. “Apart from being a powerful leader, he is a great guy. His leadership qualities are simply amazing and so are his captaincy skills,” he added.

New Delhi, April 5
Golfer Shiv Kapur has withdrawn from the inaugural Panasonic Open, part of the Asian Tour, which will be held at the Delhi Golf Course from April 6 to 9. Kapur finished in third place at the Indian Open which was held at the Delhi Golf Course in December 2010. Kapur, a regular on the European Tour, had been tied in third position at the recently concluded Trophée Hassan II in Morocco, before slipping back on the final day.

“The last couple of weeks have been good but absolutely draining at the same time,” Kapur said. “I am disappointed to say that I will not be able to participate in the Panasonic Open in my hometown but I feel this is the only option I have with a tough summer ahead. I do feel this will help me to further improve my game in the next couple of tournaments.”

Bangalore, April 5
New Zealand's Daniel Vettori was today named captain of Royal Challengers Bangalore (RCB) for the fourth edition of the Indian Premier League, starting April 8 in Chennai. Vettori, who led New Zealand to a record sixth semi-final apperance in the just-concluded World Cup, will replace spin legend Anil Kumble who captained the team in the last two seasons of the Twenty20 league. Kumble will also be a part of the Bangalore franchise as a chief mentor.

"We are very excited for the upcoming season. Vettori is a highly experienced and respected leader and we hope to ride to the pinnacle of success this IPL under his leadership," RCB chairman Vijay Mallya said in a statement.

Director, Royal Challengers Sports Pvt. Ltd, Sidhartha Mallya added, "It is wonderful that we have somebody of his (Vettori) stature to lead our team this year. He is the ideal person to fill Anil's shoes." — PTI

New Delhi, April 5
Winners of the inaugural season of IPL, today in Jaipur launched their team’s new jersey and welcomed Floriana Group as team sponsor and HDFC Life as the principal associate team sponsor for IPL4. Shilpa Shetty Kundra, the co-owner of Rajasthan Royals, unveiled the jersey and presented it to the sponsors Sanjay Jain, Chairman, Floriana and Sanjay Tripathi, EVP and head - Marketing and Direct Sales, HDFC life.

The Rajasthan Royals will play their first IPL match on Saturday, April 9 in Hyderabad and the first home game in Jaipur on 12th, April against Delhi Daredevils. Designed by PUMA, Royals’ official kitting partner, this year’s jersey is the lightest among the ones used earlier. — TNS