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Captaincy? Let’s not talk about it now: Dhoni
For T20s, India need to regroup
KP likely to get full contract
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Afridi may be reconsidered for India ODIs: Misbah
Team tournaments tougher than playing singles: Jeev
Aussies in ‘quarantine’ to avoid injuries before Test
Punjab cops beat N. Railways 4-2
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Captaincy? Let’s not talk about it now: Dhoni
Pune, December 19 “Your question on my view about split captaincy is good but let’s stick to T20 format as we have a T20 game tomorrow,” was Dhoni’s reply when a reporter asked him about the hotly debated topic. That Dhoni was trying to sidestep the issue became evident when he gave the same answer in a roundabout manner to a British journalist. “Before the start of an important series, I don’t want to comment on that. Because when it comes to Indian cricket, if it’s not going the right way, questions pop up about captaincy, senior players, junior players, the kind of talent we have got, the bench strength we have got. Everything will pop up and if you keep answering, I think we will be short of time,” was the Indian captain’s reply to his query. He was trying to repeatedly evade tough questions on India’s failure. “No point looking too much into the past. That I have always said, whether you do well or do badly, it is important to stick to the present and the coming format is very different. Let’s stick to it.” “It’s a completely different format, so I don’t think there’s any point carrying anything from the Test series. It’s a very different format altogether,” the Indian skipper said, presenting a dead bat to everything asked about Tests. “It was disappointing that we did not win the series and also after a long period at home. But in the last Test match (at Nagpur) we did pretty well. The wicket was quite flat. Still there were plenty of positives (from the series),” he said. “Youngsters like Cheteshwar Pujara, who I think is the future for us along with Virat Kohli, did well. You saw the bowlers did well, especially the spinners, when there was not much assistance from the wicket.” Dhoni said there have been no indications from senior batsman Sachin Tendulkar after the drawn game at Nagpur about his future. “No, nothing at all,” he said to an English scribe. Dhoni said though it was demanding to switch over so fast from the longest to the shortest format of the game, the professionals that they are will have to make the shift. “It’s demanding to switch formats as Test cricket is totally different from T20 matches, but as international cricketers we are supposed to stand up to the demands of the game. Maybe one more practice session would have helped but this is the only one we have. So we have to make the most out of it.” The dew factor may come in, said Dhoni, which may negate the effectiveness of the spinners as the ball tends to skid and not grip the dew-laded surface. “England are a balanced side irrespective of the format. It (condition) may be slightly different this time of the year with a bit of dew which may mean the spinners may not be that effective, but these are all speculations.” Dhoni said that after last season’s IPL ties at this venue, a lot more matches had been held in the domestic tournaments and the wicket, that sported some uneven bounce when it was newly laid, must have settled down now. “The stadium is fantastic with excellent facilities. A fair amount of cricket has been going on and the wicket must have settled down. It will be a good track for the batsmen to score runs. Not a big outfield (boundaries) and the big shots will come into contention.” “The last time we played in IPL, there was variable bounce. If the wicket has settled, that shouldn’t be the case,” he remarked. Dhoni said the fact that India have won both their T20 games against the visitors in World Twenty20 Championships and lost the other three bilateral games did not point out to any specific pattern. “We have won a few games and lost a few. In this format, it’s just about a couple of players really changing the game. It’s about enjoying the game, just getting that one run or making that one run-out which changes the game. I don’t think it’s proper to analyse the patterns in this format,” he said. He was also not bothered by the fact that India can go to the top of the ICC T20 rankings for the first time since it was introduced in 2011 if they win both their T20 games against England, here and in Mumbai on December 22, and the upcoming two games against Pakistan later this month. “We are never bothered about the rankings. If we do well on the field the rankings take care of themselves. It’s like I am repeating myself but that’s what I have always said.” Asked about absence of many England players from IPL, Dhoni said the visitors had many talented players for the format but the issue was their availability for the entire duration of the tournament lasting 45-55 days. — PTI
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For T20s, India need to regroup
Pune, December 19 Under-fire for the first Test series loss to England in 28 years and with his captaincy under the scanner, skipper MS Dhoni will have to put these issues on the back burner and motivate his teammates for the shortest format of the game. To the home team's advantage, a younger lot of players — some of who were not part of the Test series like flamboyant all-rounder Suresh Raina, Rohit Sharma and Ambati Rayudu — would give India the much-needed edge and enthusiasm. All three are very good T20 players and would also bring the extra zip and verve in the fielding department which was absent in the Tests. They have all been busy playing in the Ranji Trophy for their respective units and will be match fit too. Sharma had top-scored with an unbeaten 55 when the two teams last met in a T20 game, won by India by of 90 runs in Sri Lanka earlier this year during the ICC T20 World Cup. — PTI Teams (from) India: MS Dhoni (Capt.), Gautam Gambhir, Ajinkya Rahane, Virat Kohli, Rohit Sharma, Suresh Raina, Yuvraj Singh, Ambati Rayudu, Ravichandran Ashwin, Ravindra Jadeja, Piyush Chawla, Ashok Dinda, Bhuvneshwar Kumar, Abhimanyu Mithun and Parvinder Awana. England: Eoin Morgan (Capt.), James Harris, Jonny Bairstow, Tim Bresnan, Danny Briggs, Jos Butler, Jade Dernbach, Alex Hales, Michael Lumb, Stuart Meaker, Samit Patel, Joe Root, James Tredwell and Luke Wright. LIVE ON STAR CRICKET |
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KP likely to get full contract
London, December 19 Pietersen’s successful reintegration into England’s dressing room will be officially acknowledged with the award of his full contract at the end of ongoing tour of India. Flower confirmed that the extension of Pietersen’s four-month contract is all but a formality. “The contract won’t be a problem, Kevin has been excellent in every way,” Flower said after England defeated India 2-1 in the just-concluded four-Test away series. “We don’t all always get on with people all of the time, in any walk of life, and everyone has made an effort to make it work. It’s been really good fun and he should be very proud of the way he’s operated out here both as an individual and as a player,” the former Zimbabwe Captain added. Flower knows the value of Pietersen’s 186 in the second Test in Mumbai, and said his innings played a big role in England’s turnaround in the series after the defeat in the first Test in Ahmedabad. “In that Test he showed real skill in Indian conditions on a pitch that turned on the first day,” Flower said. “For him to score as quickly as he did there and put such pressure on the opposition bowlers really helped us turn the series around,” Flower said. “He also scored a 73 and a 54 in the series, important innings, and he’s been excellent in the field and in the dressing room.” Pietersen was on a four-month trial after being welcomed back into the team following his banishment last summer for sending provocative texts about team-mates to South African players. — PTI |
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Afridi may be reconsidered for India ODIs: Misbah
Islamabad, December 19 Afridi was picked only for the two Twenty20s against India this month, but left out of the three one-dayers because he’s scored only 182 runs in his last 16 ODIs with only one half century. But Afridi has scored two half centuries in 50-over practice matches in the last three days, including 90 off 64 balls on Wednesday to catch the eyes of his captain. “If his form remains like this and we needed him, we will definitely consider him,” Misbah said in Lahore at Pakistan’s training camp for the tour. “The form of senior players, who are experienced enough, is very important.” Afridi has played 349 one-dayers, the third most for a Pakistani, but has struggled for runs in ODIs this year. Former captain Wasim Akram reportedly criticized Afridi’s exclusion from the ODIs and said the enigmatic all-rounder could have been picked in any team as a bowler. “Indian players are afraid of Afridi and I fail to understand why he was dropped,” Daily Jang quoted Akram as saying. “If the selectors were thinking that Afridi was out of form then they should have also dropped him from the Twenty20 team.” Pakistan leaves for India on Dec. 22, and the series begins with a Twenty20 at Bangalore on Dec. 25. The Pakistan Cricket Board appointed another former captain, Inzamam-ul-Haq, as the batting consultant for the short tour of India which ends on Jan. 6 after the third ODI at New Delhi. Misbah said Inzamam has helped the batsmen how to be mentally strong while playing against India, and be aggressive against their archrivals. “He is teaching us what types of hurdles we are going to face and how to get over them,” Misbah said. “No doubt in India vs. Pakistan cricket you have to play aggressive cricket and we will try to apply it over there.” Pakistan coach Dav Whatmore believes off-spinner Saeed Ajmal will be their trump card against India, but Misbah said the rest of the bowlers also have to take responsibility. “India has depth in their batting lineup and you can’t catch them with one bowler,” Misbah said. “As always, Saeed Ajmal is our trump card, but as a team if we bowl well then we do have a chance and I think it’s not a right thing to depend only on Saeed Ajmal.” Misbah said the first tour between the neighbours in five years will ramp up the pressure and expectations, but he insists they must try to treat the series as a regular event. — Agencies
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Team tournaments tougher than playing singles: Jeev
Noida, December 19 “I just feel there is more pressure in team tournament as compared to singles. You feel that you can’t let anybody else down. Whereas in a singles tournament if you get a bad short, thats about it. But in this (team) format you feel guilty for your mistake and feel you have let your team down,” Jeev, who was recently honoured with the Asia Pacific Lifetime Achievement Award, said. Jeev will be hosting a 30-men invitational tournament — Shubkamna Champions — for the Indian golfers from December 21-23 at the Noida golf course where the likes of Arjun Atwal, Ganganjeet Bhullar, Anirban Lahiri, Shiv Kapur, Shamin Khan, Rashid Khan and Indian-origin Swede golfer Daniel Chopra. “We are hoping to make this into an Asian Tour event in the future. This is a trial run this year. Hopefully things are going to go well. Till now response has been fantastic,” Jeev said. “We have seen Jack Nichlaus and Tiger Woods hosting such events ....on that concept I thought let’s get started something in India and it’s time to give back. The country needs it. Hopefully in future other people would come and host their events,” he added. Jeev feels India has a bright future in this sport as youngsters are learning fast and are fully committed to their game. “Indian guys are doing an excellent job. The likes of Ganganjeet and Anirban are learning quickly and moving in the right direction. I’m happy with the way they are conducting themselves and their work ethics are fantastic,” he said. Atwal feels the fearless attitude of the youngsters would help Indian golf go a long distance. “Nowadays, it is unbelievable to see how professional everybody is. We already have seen Gaganjeet and Anirban, they are not scared to win anywhere. That says a lot about the future,” Atwal said. Chopra had some advice for the country’s golfers. He believes Indians can learn a lot from the Koreans about the mental strength. “We have to look at Korea, which is producing a battery of golfers. These kids come up with literally flawless and perfect technique,” he said. “The mental discipline they practice in their golf is what you need. They hit every shot without fear. Indian golfers need to learn from them,” said Chopra. — PTI
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Aussies in ‘quarantine’ to avoid injuries before Test
Hobart, December 19 Captain Michael Clarke and pace bowler Ben Hilfenhaus were injured in the first of the three matches against the tourists, which Australia won by 137 runs in a dramatic climax at the Bellerive Oval on Tuesday. Clarke and Arthur are confident the captain will recover from his hamstring injury for the Melbourne Test, which begins on December 26, but Tasmanian Hilfenhaus’s side strain means he will miss out. Mitchell Johnson, who should replace Hilfenhaus in the starting line-up, and Usman Khawaja, brought in as backup for Clarke, were withdrawn from matches in the domestic Twenty20 league when they were called up to the test squad. “That’s always going to be a conundrum for us, who do we play? Who don’t we play?” Arthur told reporters. “We feel the test match on Boxing Day is massively important, we want to quarantine the 13 players. We’re sitting with enough injuries as it is. We just think it’s in the best interests of those 13 players to get ready for Boxing Day.” Hilfenhaus joins young quick bowlers Pat Cummins, James Pattinson and John Hazlewood in the treatment room, resulting in Tasmanian paceman Jackson Bird getting his first call-up to the Australia squad. “All I can say is we’ve had a list of bowlers leading into our summer, and we’re well down the list at the moment,” Arthur said when Hilfenhaus was first injured. Bird is the highest wicket-taker in Sheffield Shield cricket this season but Arthur indicated he was likely to be the fast bowler to miss out, with Michell Starc and Peter Siddle certain starters after taking five-wicket hauls in the opener. “We’ve got a week to freshen up, which is important,” he said. “And then to have the quality of Mitchell Johnson back. He was perhaps unfortunate to miss out here, it was touch and go whether he played or not. “And then we get an opportunity to have a look at a new face, and that’s always exciting,” he added. — Reuters
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Lucknow, December 19 The 22-year-old was on match-point (21-17, 20-18) against Russian Ksenia Polikarpova when surprisingly she held her knee and told the referee she could not continue. Badminton Association of India (BAI) officials were not impressed with Saina’s act. A top BAI official, on the condition of anonymity, told IANS that Saina had already booked her return tickets for Wednesday afternoon at 3.30 pm. Saina, who had skipped the last edition citing fatigue, was not keen on participating this time as well. But she decided to participate only in the morning session. Saina, however, said that she pulled out because she didn’t want to put pressure on her knee. “My physio had told me that I should not put much pressure on my knee. I was playing well but suddenly I felt some problem in my knee, so I decided to quit,” said the top seed later. Saina, a champion here in 2009 and 2010, said she was carrying the injury from the Super Series final. Saina lost the semi-finals of the BWF World Super Series Finals Saturday in Shenzhen, China. “Even when I was playing at the Super Series Finals, I was playing with a taped knee. I have been facing this problem since then. This could have aggravated if I had continued. So, I decided to back out,” added the Hyderabadi. The BAI official said Sain’s pull-out was a big blow for the tournament. “Someone had booked her tickets from Hyderabad Tuesday for Wednesday afternoon. If she did not want to play due to whatever reason, why did she come to Lucknow at all? It is a disaster for the tournament that the top seed and star attraction goes out on the first day,” the official said. Saina’s match was scheduled for 2.30 pm but she persuaded the organisers to advance it to 12.30 pm. “Yesterday Saina requested us if her match could take place a little earlier. So we scheduled it earlier. We had no qualms with that. How would we know she would do this?” added the official. Sources said that it was pressure from Lucknow-based Sahara India Pariwar, who roped in Saina as the brand ambassador Tuesday, that prompted Saina to take part in the tournament. In more bad news for the organisers, men’s singles top seed Taufik Hidayat of Indonesia also lost in the first round, going down 17-21, 12-17 to India’s Pratul Joshi. — IANS
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Punjab cops beat N. Railways 4-2
Patiala, December 19 In the first match played today Punjab Police Jalandhar overcame Northern Railways, N. Delhi 4-2, BSF Jalandhar drew 1-1 against W.C. Railway, Jabalpur, Air Force, New Delhi won 2-0 against W. Railway, Mumbai and EME, Jalandhar edged out CISF, N. Delhi 1-0 Defending champions and 11 time winners of the tournament, Punjab Police, Jalandhar subdued formidable opponents Northern Railway, New Delhi 4-2 after the two teams played on equal terms with policemen having slight edge in their attack. The Punjab Police were the first to strike in the 2ndminute to force a penalty corner which was ably converted by right back Avtar Singh. Exhibiting clean stickwork and combining well, the policemen increased the lead 2-0 in 23rd minute when their international forward Satwinder scored from close range in a melee in front of the goal. The policemen scored another goal in 39th minute by Manjinder Singh who dodged past a couple of defenders before beating the goalkeeper. The lead was consolidated in 50th minute (4-0) with Ajay Kumar putting the ball into the net after the goalkeeper Sukhsagar stopped a penalty corner shot near the goal line. Northern Railway scored from a penalty corner in 53rd minute by Ram Parkash and in the last minute of the game by Deepak. In the second match, strong contenders BSF drew 1-1 against W.C. Railway in a well contested encounter. The security men carried out a number of sorties into the railway territory and earned a short corner in the 3rd minute which was converted by Parveen Kumar with a stinging shot to take 1-0 lead. Inside left M. Rehman restored parity (1-1) in 15th minute when he pounced on a penalty corner rebound taken by A. Ahmed and did not give a chance to goalkeeper Munish Kumar. BSF held the upper hand in the second half and could have scored atleast a couple of goals but fine defence by railway defenders prevented any further damage to their fortress. With 1-1 draw, the two teams shared one point each in their first league encounter. Air Force opened their campaign with an emphatic 2-0 win over a strong outfit W. Railway, Mumbai. The evenly matched teams played brisk hockey and got many chances to score but failed to get any result till 36th minute when Air Force inside right Harish sprinted down the right flank and sent in an accurate centre which was trapped and put into the net for 1-0 lead. Railways also missed an easy scoring chance in 52nd minute when Amit Gowda hit inches off the target. Air force added another goal (2-0) in their kitty when right half Devinder pushed the ball home after being put in possession by inside left Harpreet. In the last match of the day, runners up EME Jalandhar just managed to edge out CISF, N. Delhi 1-0.
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refused to be drawn into a debate over split-captaincy theory as suggested by former greats after his team’s humiliating 1-2 Test series defeat against England.
Dropped all-rounder Shahid Afridi might be reconsidered for Pakistan’s one-day international series against India, limited-overs captain Misbah-ul-Haq said on Wednesday.
Afridi was picked only for the two Twenty20s against India this month, but left out of the three
one-dayers because he’s scored only 182 runs in his last 16 ODIs with only one half century.
