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India geared up for New Zealand test
Dhoni seeks a fresh start
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India geared up for New Zealand test
Sachin Tendulkar is the only player left of the 'Fabulous Five' brigade after Sourav Ganguly, Anil Kumble, Rahul Dravid and, most recently, VVS Laxman bid adieu to international cricket. Now the challenge for India is to overcome the transition phase in the upcoming home season, in which the team would play 10 Tests, 13 ODIs and three Twenty20 Internationals, apart from the ICC World T20 in Sri Lanka in September. It is no secret that the mighty Australians are still struggling after the fading away of their cricketing greats. Thus, India's young brigade would be keen to overcome this tough phase with the help of Tendulkar's experience before their real test starts in 2013 when they take on the current No. 1 Test side, South Africa. Moreover, the Indian team is returning to Test action after a gap of seven months, which was preceded by two disastrous Test series. After being drubbed 0-4 in England that stripped India of their No. 1 Test status, an identical rout followed in Australia. The aftermath of the debacle was even more disturbing as Dravid and Laxman, the two important pillars of Indian cricket, retired ahead of the new season. Their absence would mean that India would miss the two prolific scorers, who had a total tally of 22,069 Test runs in 298 matches, almost after 16 years. While Dravid quit in March, Laxman, who geared up for the season with rigorous training at the NCA and with two centuries in local matches, surprised everybody by announcing his retirement with immediate effect, withdrawing himself from the Test squad against New Zealand just days before the start of the first match at his home ground here. It highlighted communication loopholes in the team's think-tank, and Laxman's open admission that he could not reach his skipper Mahendra Singh Dhoni, only fuelled speculation. Without the local hero, the interest in the firest Test is at an all time low and it remains to be seen how Dhoni's men would wriggle out of this situation. Having slipped to No. 5 in less than a year's time in Test rankings, the youngsters would be keen bring the team back on track during the home stretch before next year's South Africa tour. With stunning performances over the last few years, Virat Kohli looks set to fill in the No. 3 void, but filling No. 5 and 6 slots remains a challenge for the team, even as Suresh Raina, Cheteshwar Pujara and Subramaniam Badrinath are in contention. Pujara, who has been included in the squad after a knee surgery, looks to make the grade while Raina, after a fine performance in the limited-overs series in Sri Lanka, may retain the captain's faith one more time to prove himself in Test cricket. The opening slot looks all set, with the left-right combination of Gautam Gambhir and Virender Sehwag. Young batsman Ajinkya Rahane, who is yet to play a Test, may have to wait for his turn. On the field, the absence of Dravid (a record 210 catches from 164 matches) and Laxman (135 from 134) would mean India would have to fill in the void in the slip position. It was also evident during the net sessions of the team as special attention was given to slip catching. onwards.
— PTI |
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Dhoni seeks a fresh start
India's suffered eight successive Test defeats - four each in England and Australia - last season but Dhoni sought to dwell on the positives, saying that his side cannot get worse. "Yes, we had a disappointing eight last Test matches (abroad), but if you look at the positive side of it, there is only one way and that's going up," Dhoni told reporters ahead of the first Test. "We're expected to win the series and if you talk about starting well it means winning the series, which means looking ahead for the next 15 days. For us, it will be to start the Test match on a positive note," he said. Dhoni said his side would have to first get into the groove and do the basics right to build the momentum. "We have not played a Test match in the last six to seven months, so it will be important to turn up on the field and look to do small things right. So it's important to get into the groove, give a bit more respect to the bowlers,” he added. "This is one format where you can afford to do that and we have to do that. By starting well means winning small sessions and if you win a majority of them, you win Test matches and get into the next zone. We are looking to do that," said Dhoni. "We never get desperate because that puts extra burden on the team. As I said we think and prepare well for a game. We are concerned more about the process than the results," he added. The venue of the first Test, Rajiv Gandhi International Stadium, last time saw a batting paradise in a drab draw against the same opposition but Dhoni hoped the pitch would help spinners this time. Dhoni said there's nothing wrong in preparing a wicket that is best suited to India’s spin-oriented attack. "Definitely, there is nothing wrong in that. I've always said that when you go to different parts of the world you expect something different,” the captain said. "The same way when you come to the subcontinent - it's not like I'm talking about India, it could be Sri Lanka, Pakistan or Bangladesh - you need to have wickets that turn and assist the spinners. That's why they are special." "We are hoping there would be something for the spinners from this wicket. The red soil content is more, which means the fast bowlers will get a bit of bounce. But overall it seems the spinners will get a bit of turn as the game progresses," he said. Dhoni refused to reveal his line-up for the Test but said that the entire team is fit. "I asked the physio and he said apart from him, all the players are fit! By him he actually meant himself. All the players are fit and available for selection," said the captain. In the last series against New Zealand, two seasons ago, India drew two Tests before finally tasting success in the third Test for a 1-0 win. Dhoni said he had happy memories of the series.
— PTI |
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Kiwis aim to unsettle India’s batting lineup
Hyderabad, August 22 While admitting that India would be a tough nut to crack at home, Taylor said it would not be easy for the hosts to overcome the double loss of Dravid and Laxman. "I won't say it is going to be easy (for New Zealand) but the confidence of the team goes up when you don't have quality players like Rahul and Laxman (in the opposition team)," the Kiwi skipper said on the eve of the first Test which begins here tomorrow. "That gives an opportunity to youngsters. But whoever India decide to go with, we will be attacking them. We will try and put them under as much pressure as possible," Taylor said. "I am not sure about our batsmen but it will be a bit of a surprise (for India) to see some of our bowlers," he added. He admitted that New Zealand will have to play out of their skin to beat India at the own backyard, which has never happened before. "Playing India in India is always tough. Something that New Zealand team have always thrive on is playing out of our comfort zone," Taylor said. Still smarting over the 0-2 series defeat at the hands of the West Indies, Taylor is eyeing a much-improved performance his side against India. "But we know we have to play and perform a lot better than we did in the West Indies. We are looking to the series (against India) as positive as possible. We did not play as well as we should have in the West Indies. We had great expectations in the West Indies, but we didn't play to our potential," he said. "This is a new era of New Zealand cricket under (coach Mike) Hesson. There is a nice buzz going around the team as well," Taylor said. "Mike has been great for the group. He has brought in a new energy. Any new coach is going to have different philosophies and theories and the team is responding well to those at the moment." Having played mystery spinner Sunil Narine in the West Indies, the Kiwi batsmen are confident of tackling Indian offie Ravichandran Ashwin in the upcoming series. "We just spent a month playing Narine and I think they are very similar bowlers. But he (Ashwin) is obviously a very key bowling weapon for the Indian team. We have got plans in place for him. We need to combat him, need to score off him and deny him wickets," Taylor said. Hinting that New Zealand will field a three-seam and one spin attack in the first Test, Taylor said the team will miss the services of veteran Daniel Vettori, their highest wicket taker in the last tour to India, on the spin-friendly sub-continent pitches.
— PTI |
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Playing Oz brought out VVS’ best: Lee
Mumbai, August 22 "VVS Laxman's retirement from international cricket is a big decision. He was one of India's best batsmen and certainly one of the toughest opponents I have faced. Whenever Laxman played against Australia, it brought out the best in him. "We have seen some exceptional innings over the years from him and he seemed to get a hundred every time he played against Australia," Lee wrote in a column. Lee is full of praise for the counter-attacking 150-plus knock that Laxman notched up in Sydney in 2004. "One innings I particularly recall is the hundred he got against Australia in 2004 at the Sydney Cricket Ground. The match ended in a draw but his innings of 178 was world class," Lee wrote. Though he was not part of the tourists' line-up in Laxman's magnum opus at the Eden Gardens in Kolkata three years earlier, Lee wrote that he had heard about the innings from his teammates and had watched that epic on TV. "Another spectacular innings from him was the one in 2001 (281) versus Australia at the Eden Gardens, Kolkata. He and Rahul Dravid batted all day and helped India win that game," Lee wrote. "I missed the tour with a broken elbow, but from what I watched on television and what I heard from the guys who played against him, they told me that it was impossible to get him out that day," according to the former Aussie pacer.
— PTI |
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Nehru
Cup: India survive late Syrian surge in opening game New Delhi, August 22 Rain almost played a spoilsport when a 20-minute hold-up delayed the first half, but Sunil Chhetri made up for the halt with an immaculate header, off a Clifford Miranda lob from the left, just a minute before the interval. Late in the second half, Anthony Pereira chipped in a curling left-footer in the 84th minute to pierce the Syrian goal as India sealed a dream 2-1 victory. Though the Syrians pulled one back two minute before close, through Alaa Alshbbli from a set-piece, the hosts held out manfully to come out unscathed. India, the defending champions and chasing their third straight Nehru Cup triumph, are 168 on the FIFA ranking compared to Syria's 147th position. The Syrian team was composed mostly of club players, and it would be a travesty to call them a national team. But still, the tall and skilled Syrians were a handful for the hosts. The 20-minute rain hold-up really came as a godsend for the hosts to get out of the tightening grip of the visitors as their attacks were getting more and more as the game progressed. Subrata Paul under the bar had a busy day, and he came out with many remarkable saves. The rain, coming after 24 minutes of play, broke the momentum of the Syrians, allowing Chhetri, standing unmarked inside the box, to head the ball in for the first goal. In the second half, India defended doggedly to protect their lead. They went 2-0 up when Anthony Pereira gave the slip to an out of position Syrian custodian and angled the ball in with a perfectly executed left-footer which brooked no denial. Syria got a consolation goal as the clock was ticking away, and the Indian players committed many a blunder to keep the few hundred fans on the edge of their seats. When the referee blew the long whistle to signal the end of the match, the Syrians seemed unhappy as they felt that the match was called off a couple of minutes early, without accounting for the injury time. Overall, the Indian display was not up to the mark. But the two Dempo players, Clifford Mirands and Anthony Pereira, along with the incomparable Chhetri, made it an outing worth watching. Coach Kim Kovermans' strategy worked in the second half when the Syrian game came apart, and they played disjoined football to give the edge to the hosts.
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I was cheated in London: Manoj
Karnal, August 22 The Kaithal-based boxer said that the Boxing federation of India, Indian Olympic Association and Sports Ministry should forcefully take up the matter with concerned authorities to ensure that the referees and judges in international competitions were free from bias or prejudice, especially against Indian sportspersons. His elder brother and coach Rajesh alleged that bias against Manoj was quite clear in the bout against Stalker. "Our boxers had done very well in the Commonwealth Games and Beijing Olympics and were expected to do better in London but the judges played spoilsport,” he said. “Besides Manoj, four boxers -- Shiva Thapa, Jai Bhagwan, Vikas Krishan and Sumit Sangwan -- crashed out of the Games in spite of a good performance."0 According to him, Sumit was the first to fall prey to this "cheating" and later Vikas from Hisar and Manoj met the same fate. "Thus our hopes of winning at least four medals in boxing were dashed," said Rajesh, looking extremely upset. "At London we were shown as defeated but the fact was that we had won," he said. He added that this was bad for the sport, for the Olympic Games and for the boxers, as it lowered their morale. "It is for the first time that such allegations have been levelled on a large scale in the Olympics, the highest International games competition," he lamented. |
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Hyderabad, August 22
Hyderabad, August 22