|
|
|
|
|
India or South Africa India, we don’t care: Cook
|
|
|||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
|
Australia down in the dumps
Corporate houses keen to cash in on ‘brand’ Dhawan
|
||||||||||||||||||
|
champions trophy The first sighting of Rohit Sharma, six years ago, brought with it a moment of epiphany. The boy was 20, the boy was a genius. He was wristy, classy, something really special. The talent of Rohit Sharma demanded fulfilment. Over the past six years, though, it’s been a largely disappointing journey. It almost defies belief that Rohit has played as many as 91 One-day Internationals but not a single Test match — while several lesser players, by luck or design, have played a few. It also defies belief that Rohit averages only 31.42 in the 91 ODIs he’s played. Or that his only two ODI centuries have come — in a matter of three days in 2010, oddly enough —against the lesser bowling attacks of Zimbabwe and Sri Lanka. He averages 21.44 against Australia, 21.25 against South Africa; 34.25 against England, 31.87 against Pakistan; against the humbler teams, his average is 62.90 vs West Indies and 63.50 against Zimbabwe. Is it possible that the initial appraisal of the young genius, six years ago, was erroneous? Not really. The eye didn’t lie — Rohit remains a genius as a stroke-maker. It’s the invisible part of his batsmanship, his mind, that seems to have not complemented his work with the bat. The other day, cricketer/media professional Sanjay Manjrekar was musing on this problem. Just look at Shikhar Dhawan and Rohit Sharma, Manjrekar said. “Both got good starts in the first two matches,” he said. “Rohit got 65 and 52. Shikhar got two centuries. There is a lesson in this for Rohit to learn from the Delhi batsman.” Good move? Indeed there is, and maybe Rohit is learning. Maybe the move to the top of the batting order — in the absence of a place for him in the middle-order — would help him, as a similar move way back in 1994 helped another Mumbaikar, Sachin Tendulkar. Rohit seems to prefer the No. 5 position; his batting average at that spot is 45.36, nearly 1.5 times his overall average. He first opened for India in 2011, and has now batted at No. 1 or No. 2 in eight matches, and averages a shade above 31.37 there. Apart from those two centuries in 2010, Rohit has crossed 50 twice in a row on only two occasions; one was in 2011, when he made 72, 90* and 95. Needs consistency But it was only against West Indies, and it was at home. The other occasion came here at the Champions Trophy, when he made 65 against South Africa and 52 against West Indies.
As Manjrekar notes, Rohit must become more consistent; for that, he perhaps needs to review his shot selection. It seems that he’s still prone to sudden rushes of blood. Rohit, perhaps, did lose his way a bit right at the start of his international career —remember, the big money and the glitz and glamour of the Indian Premier League hit Indian cricket in 2008, just at the time he was trying to make his place in the Indian team. By all accounts, Rohit was not able to deal with it in the ideal manner. But, having frittered away the initial opportunity, he did work hard in the nets to come back into the Indian team. Rahul Dravid is among Rohit’s admirers — well, who isn’t? Dravid also seems to think that for Rohit, it’s a matter of wanting to do well, for there’s no doubt over his ability. “It is a question of him now converting it and having the hunger and desire when he has in good form to actually stack them up," Dravid said last Saturday. Talent such as his must not be allowed to waste. It’s as if he owes it to his team and his fans — more than he owes to perhaps even himself — to ensure that he realised his potential.
|
|
India or South Africa India, we don’t care: Cook
England beat New Zealand by 10 runs in their rain-curtailed and tense final group match on Sunday. If the hosts finish top of the group, they would face South Africa, while a second place would have them square off against India. “We don't mind who we play. We are just glad we are in there. We look forward to the semifinal against whoever that might be,” said Cook, who was adjudged man of the match for his 64. “It was quite a stressful day, especially with those last few overs. We thought we were above the rate but Anderson and Williamson took it on, luckily we got over the line,” he added. Reflecting on the performance, Cook lauded his bowlers. “It was a very fine bowling performance. We were very good in the field today and I thought we were good with the bat, maybe 10 runs short. We're happy to be in the semifinal, that was a good performance.” ‘England bowlers pushed us back’ New Zealand captain, Brendon McCullum said it was good spells by English pacers early on which put them on the backfoot. “England bowled outstandingly well at the start of our innings and set us back,” he said. “Kane and Corey gave us a chance but it wasn't until they got going and in the end we were short. It's one of those things (dropping catches), Nathan is normally very good. India retain same squad for WI tour
The selectors decided to retain the Indian squad that is currently taking part in the Champions Trophy for the tri-series in West Indies starting June 28.
— PTI
|
|
Australia down in the dumps London, June 17 In the wake of the Homeworkgate during the disastrous tour of India, Australia banned four players for a Test. This included the vice-captain, Shane Watson, who gave back as good as he got when he was criticised publicly by an Australian official. Insiders describe captain Michael Clarke as authoritarian and a “control freak”. Coach Mickey Arthur talks about bringing a “culture” into the team. Meanwhile, the team meanders along, having lost some wonderful players to retirement, struggling to find players have as good. Then came David Warner’s attack on Joe Root at 2 am in the night, in a Birmingham pub. That let the team down, says Clarke. “The feeling in the camp has obviously been a little bit different over the past few days because there's been a little bit of disappointment in one of our players with what's happened over the past week,” Clarke said. Clarke added that that incident was dead and buried. But he should know that it’s not. It’s live, for it is part of the contemporary story of the crumbling away of the Australian cricket team and its ethos.
|
|
|
Corporate houses keen to cash in on ‘brand’ Dhawan
New Delhi, June 17 For the company that manages the enormously talented left-hander, Dhawan is certainly a "brand in the making". “Shikhar has grabbed whatever opportunities he has got with splendid performances. Since he is at a nascent stage in his international career, I would call him a brand-in-making at this juncture. But certainly, he has a huge potential as far as his commercial viability is concerned," Bunty Sajdeh, CEO of Cornerstone said. To a query about Shikhar`s brand value since his stunning Test debut in Mohali and his back to back hundreds in the Champions Trophy, Sajdeh said, "we are in talks with some of the leading business houses. I can tell you that atleast 3-4 Corporate Houses have shown keen interest in roping in Shikhar.”
— Agencies |
|
Jaya frustrates Oz bowlers
London, June 17 He was involved in 65-run partnership for the sixth wicket with Dinesh Chandimal, who contributed 31. Australia will need to chase down the target in 29.1 overs to ensure a place in semifinals from group A alongside England.
— TNS
|
|
At 40, Paes sets his sight on seventh Olympics
New Delhi, June 17 He is the only tennis player in the world who has featured in six consecutive Olympics. But the Indian says he still has a lot of fire in his belly to improve his game and play in the 2016 Olympics in Rio de Janeiro. "At this stage my showcase is full, I have earned enough o support my family. I have got to a stage, where I have a career Slam, that is epitome of my career. At this stage why I still want to play is that I want to keep getting better. Fitness wise I want to push myself to get to seventh Olympics, which is three years down the line," Paes said. Paes said he will reunite with his Czech partner Radek Stepanek, with whom he won the Australian Open last year to complete his career Slam. An injury to Stepanek followed by surgery forced Paes to look for other partners and no partnership succeeded.Paes, whose has dropped out of top-10, said he was looking forward to play with Stepanek again. They will start with a tournament in England, which will be a warm up for the Wimbledon. Paes said today's birthday was special since his daughter prepared a chocolate cake for him.
— PTI |
|
Russian judoka commits suicide
Moscow, June 17 “Her depression started after her defeat at the Olympics. She really punished herself for it. She had beaten several times before those athletes she lost to (in London),” director of the Tyumen Judo Olympic training centre Vyacheslav Yurlov said. Last summer, Cuban judoka Idalys Ortiz dumped Ivashchenko out of the competition and subsequently won the gold. Ivashchenko finished seventh in London. “It seems that she couldn’t cope with the emotional pressure of it all, so opted for suicide,” Yurlov said. The European Judo Union called her “one of the strong pillars of the Russian women’s team and in her category”. “Her performances and her personality will be forever in our minds,” the union said in a statement Sunday.
— Agencies |
|
Justin Rose wins US Open
The 32-year-old held back tears as he looked up to the sky just before holing his final putt. “The significance of the day was not lost on me. I was looking up to dedicate this win to my dad,” said Justin, whose father was his first coach. A level-par 70 in the final round was good enough to earn him his first major championship victory with a total of one-over-par for the week. It has been a tough journey for Rose who grabbed the limelight when he holed his chip on the final hole of the 1998 Open Championship at Royal Birkdale to finish fourth. However he missed 21 cuts after turning pro that very day at Royal Birkdale and did not win his first European Tour event till 2002. Meanwhile, Phil Mickleson, who was clearly the local favorite carded his sixth runner-up finish at the US Open. “It’s heartbreaking,” he said, as he has been close to winning so many times. Having won the US Masters three times and the PGA Championship once, this is the only major played on American soil that continues to elude him. It was an inspirational week all around. The Web.com Tour saw 48-year-old Scott Parel, who has played over 160 events on tour, win the Air Capital Classic. Indian professional Arjun Atwal missed the cut while Daniel Chopra finished tied 36th with a four day total of five-under-par. Meanwhile, Craig Hocknull won the Arizona Open on the mini-tour, carding a total of 16-under-par. On the European Tour, Irishman Simon Thornton holed a ten-footer for par on the last to get into a playoff that he eventually won to card his maiden European Tour victory at the Najeti Hotels et Golfs Open at the St. Omer Golf Club in France. The only Indian here in the field Shiv Kapur, missed the cut. On the Asian Tour Thailand’s Prayad Marksaeng won the Queens Cup. India’s Anirban Lahiri finished tied tenth at four-under-par while Rahil Gangjee tied for 47th place. Jeev Milkha Singh, who has recovered and is looking forward to being back in contention will play the BMW Open in Munich this week. Gaganjeet Bhullar and Shiv Kapur will also participate in the
tournament. JUSTIN ROSE- FACTS FILE: Full Name: Justin Peter Rose Date of Birth: July 30, 1980 (age 32) Place of Birth: Johannesburg Nationality: England Turned professional: 1998 Professional titles: 14 PGA tour titles: 5 Major title: One (US Open in 2013) Prize Money: $24,052,907 World Rankings: Third |
|
Italy, Spain win Confed cup openers
Rio de Janeiro, June 17 Pirlo’s goal was entirely worthy of the hallowed Maracana, which provided the perfect stage as he became the fifth Italian to reach a century of full internationals. The 34-year-old brought the fickle and notoriously difficult-to-please Maracana crowd to its feet as he curled the ball over the wall and into the top corner in the 27th minute from distance. The crowd chanted Pirlo’s name before and after the goal, the rarest honour for a foreign player on a stage previously graced by the likes of Garrincha, Pele, Zico and Romario. Balotelli’s goal was more about power as he latched on to Emanuele Giaccherini’s flicked pass, barged past defender Francisco Rodriguez and fired the ball past Jose Corona with 12 minutes to go. Javier Hernandez had replied for Mexico with a penalty seven minutes after Pirlo’s masterpiece. The match was again played against the backdrop of teargas and rubber bullets as riot police confronted protesters outside the stadium. A similar demonstration had marred the match between Brazil and Japan in Brasilia. The protests are against the amount of public money being spent on staging the event and next year’s World Cup. World champions ease past Uruguay Recife: Goals from Pedro and Roberto Soldado helped Spain cruise to a 2-1 victory over Uruguay, and reinforced their position as tournament favourites. Luiz Suarez scored a late consolation for Uruguay but Spain dominated the game from start to finish and could easily have won by more.
Fabregas, Pedro and Andres Iniesta all came close in the first quarter of an hour before a 20th minute corner was knocked out of the Uruguay box as far as Pedro whose fierce shot was deflected by Diego Lugano past a helpless Fernando Muslera.
|
|
|
Spurs stun Heat to close in on title
San Antonia, June 17 Parker scored a team-high 26 points as the Spurs rolled to a 3-2 lead in the best-of-seven series. “It was a physical game. Great game. I was just trying to pace myself better, if I can say that, during the game,” Parker said. Ginobli, who had been the target of criticism for his recent lack of production, gave the Spurs a much-needed spark with 24 points and 10 assists for his best game of the Finals as the Spurs closed in on their first NBA title since 2007. LeBron James and Dwyane Wade each scored 25 points for the top-seeded Heat, who have alternated wins and losses over their last 12 playoff games and head home needing two consecutive wins to retain their title. Game Six is on Tuesday in Miami.
— Reuters |
| HOME PAGE | |
Punjab | Haryana | Jammu & Kashmir |
Himachal Pradesh | Regional Briefs |
Nation | Opinions | | Business | Sports | World | Letters | Chandigarh | Ludhiana | Delhi | | Calendar | Weather | Archive | Subscribe | E-mail | |
Chandigarh, June 17
