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Dhoni needs a break before Aus tour: Ganguly



Former Indian cricket captain Sourav Ganguly says incumbent Mahendra Singh Dhoni should get adequate rest before the upcoming tour of Australia as he has to be fresh for the team's long series Down Under.

"The true test of captaincy is outside India. But I think the time has come to give a rest to Dhoni. He played a lot of cricket. He plays all versions of the game. He deserves a rest," Ganguly said in an interview to Bengali channel Star Ananda here.

"I think he has to be given rest in the West Indies series so that he can go to Australia very fresh. Because in Australia the Indian captain has to be fresh, otherwise there will be a repetition of the England tour," he said. India tour Australia later this year for a Test series starting in Melbourne on December 26. The team lost the Tests 0-4 and ODIs 0-3 on the recently-concluded tour of England.
Newspaper: The Mid Day, 8th Oct

 

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Dernbach, Bopana, Kieswetter earn England contracts



London: Jade Dernbach, Craig Kieswetter and Ravi Bopara have been given 12-month contracts by England after playing key roles in the one-day series victories against India and Sri Lanka this summer.

The England and Wales Cricket Board named South Africa-born Dernbach on Friday after he established himself as a permanent fixture in England's limited-overs teams.

Kieswetter, a wicketkeeper-batsman, has combined well with Alastair Cook at the top of the order while Bopara made important contributions with the bat in the 3-0 series win over India, hitting 96 in the tied match at Lord's.

Rather than 12-month central contracts, the trio have been given increment contracts, which involve playing a set number of matches during a given period.

 

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Fast bowling doesn't come naturally to us: Zaheer Khan



BANGALORE: When birthday boy Zaheer Khan walked into the hotel lobby on Friday after taking his initial steps towards rehabilitation at the National Cricket Academy, he immediately set the hearts of a few pretty faces aflutter.

India, too, are hoping their injured pace spearhead will send shivers down the spines of opposition batsmen sooner than later. The 33-year-old spoke to TOI on a range of issues.

What does it take to be a fast bowler in India?
It's not a natural thing. Indian bodies are not designed to bowl fast but that said, it's not very different from bowling outside India. Basically you have to spend a lot of time understanding yourself, your art, and then find out what works for you and what doesn't. It also involves a lot of hard work.

How hard is it to lead an Indian attack?
I enjoy playing at the highest level. That's my biggest motivation. The additional responsibility that I have only makes me more motivated to think not just about my game only but also the other bowlers. I like to give them the right advice, talk about what works at the highest level, how you can plan to get batsmen out. There are various components to this which I share with my colleagues.
What do you think of the fast bowling talent in India?
We've got plenty of talent coming. We've produced good bowlers in the past and I see a lot of youngsters coming, which is promising. You see someone like Ishant (Sharma), who came in so early, and he's now taking responsibility, that's great.
Newspaper: Times Of India, 9th Oct

 

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Ganguly makes light of Shoaib's claim about Tendulkar



Former Indian skipper Sourav Ganguly today made light of former Pakistani speedster Shoaib Akhtar's claim in his autobiography that Sachin Tendulkar was uncomfortable against his pace in the Faisalabad Test in 2006.

"I don't think even my daughter will believe that Sachin was scared of fast bowlers. You don't get 100 centuries, he is almost there (99 international centuries), and play for 20 years being scared of fast bowlers. You have good form and bad form, but that does not signify you cannot play fast bowlers," Ganguly told reporters here at a promotional event.

He said the controversy surrounding Shoaib's autobiography "Controversially Yours" has not come as a surprise as it has happened before with ex-cricketers penning their books with misleading anecdotes.

"I have experienced all this before. It is not just Shoaib Akhtar or Shahid Afridi. There were also Andrew Flintoff, Matthew Hayden and Adam Gilchrist. You find all these things appearing in a book. That is why I have not written a book yet," Ganguly quipped.
Newspaper: Indian Express

 

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IPL auction: English cricketers to be most sought after



The English cricketers' dominating performance against India is going to raise their profiles in the next seasons' Indian Premier League (IPL) auction with at least five expected to be in line for million-dollar deals.

Kevin Pietersen, Graeme Swann, Eoin Morgan, James Anderson and Stuart Broad are primary targets following England's success this year, where they wrestled back the Ashes trophy on Australian soil for the first time in 24 years and later blanked India in the Test series at home to become the No.1 side.

New Indian Premier League (IPL) chief Rajeev Shukla told the Sunday Mirror that England's cricketers will indeed be the hottest properties when the auction for the 2012 tournament takes place in December.

"I'll try my level best to get them. There is no doubt the England team are doing very well. They have improved a lot, and possess a number of outstanding players. Of course, we would like that talent to be in the IPL," Shukla said.

The Twenty20 league's fifth season runs from April 4 to May 27, 2012. The final stages of the tournament will clash with the start of England's home international summer with the first Test against West Indies beginning May 17.

"The main thing for franchises is the availability of these players. If they are available, up to what time are they available? This is the issue that will need to be sorted out," Shukla said.

"The fixture list is always a problem when it comes to signing the best players from England - we will have to see how we can deal with that."

Swann, who heads the bowling rankings in one-day internationals, and Anderson - the world's leading wicket-taker in Test cricket over the past 18 months - were among those unsold after setting base prices of $400,000.

Neither 32-year-old Swann, nor Anderson, 29, have featured in the IPL to date, but both have expressed a desire to do so.

England chief coach Andy Flower has admitted he didn't know if an English exodus to the tournament was 'stoppable' given the riches on offer.

A $1m player would earn more than 400,000 pounds for four weeks' work on a pro rata basis, outstripping what they pick up annually through a central contract.
Newspaper: Deccan Chronicle,9th Oct

 

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India hopefuls will be eager to perform in Challenger

The International Cricket Council's revised rules governing Power Plays and one ball from each end will be employed in the 2011 Challenger Series for the N.K.P. Salve Trophy which begins at the Vidarbha CA stadium here on Monday.

Gautam Gambhir and S. Badrinath, captains of India Red and India Blue which will battle it out on Monday, need to factor in these changes when devising their strategy. The India Red skipper, who is yet to arrive in the city, is expected to reach in time for the opening day-night game.

For Badrinath, the implications of the revised rules have just started to sink in.

“There are so many aspects to the rules that I will come to grips with it as the match progresses,” he said, referring to Power Play calculations the team leaders will have to keep track of, amongst other multiple responsibilities.

As per the revised rules governing ODIs, after the mandatory Power Play in the first 10 overs, the teams have to take the bowling and batting Power Plays (five overs each) after the 15th over and complete them by the 40th over. Earlier, the sides were allowed to take the bowling and batting Power Plays after the completion of the 10th over.
Decisive role

Shikhar Dhawan, Gambhir's deputy, was positive about the rule changes benefiting the game. “The rule changes will bring in a sense of fairplay, help the bowler play a more decisive role in ODIs.

“With Power Play not in force from the 41st over, bowlers can perform a lot more freely. Cricket is supposed to be loaded in favour of the batsmen, but the bowlers will also have a say now,” Dhawan said.

The other change — using one ball from each end — will mean that the opening batsmen hoping to get cracking against the hard ball need to rethink, pointed out Dhawan.

The India Blue player, a free-stroking batsman who likes to dominate the bowling, said: “The quality bowlers who are able to move the ball will be effective as the ball will retain its sheen.”

Irfan Pathan, one of the most experienced hands in the India Blue attack, was eager to play under the revised rules.
More entertaining

“It will be like a 25-over game with the new ball. The art of reverse swing with the old ball will reduce. As a bowler, I should not be saying it, but I am looking forward to the challenge.

“Limited-overs cricket will be more entertaining for the crowd with the batsmen likely to hit more boundaries and targets getting re-arranged,” said Irfan, who is on the comeback trail.

He is fortunate to have an able leader like Badrinath, who gets the best out of his players. “Past performances in Challengers have been recognised. I am up for it and hope to take my team through,” said the India Blue skipper.

The teams:

India Blue: S. Badrinath (capt.), M. Vijay, Paul Valthaty, Manish Pandey, Dinesh Karthik, Mandeep Singh, Saurabh Tiwary, Irfan Pathan, Amit Mishra, Pragyan Ojha, Y.V. Krishanatry, Prashant Parameshwaran, Pradeep Sangwan and Tanmay Srivastava.

India Red: Gautam Gambhir (capt.), Shikhar Dhawan, Abhinav Mukund, Ambati Rayudu, Ashok Menaria, Wriddhiman Saha, Jalaj Saxena, Piyush Chawla, Bhargav Bhatt, Pankaj Singh, Jaydev Unadkat, T.P. Sudhindra, Yusuf Pathan and R.P. Singh.

India Green: Harbhajan Singh (capt.), Robin Uthappa, S. Anirudha, T. Suman, Mohnish Mishra, Ishank Jaggi, Mohd. Kaif, C. Gautham, Sarabjit Ladda, Iqbal Abdulla, Abhimanyu Mithun, Samad Fallah, Ishwar Choudhary and Sumit Narwal.

The schedule:

Oct. 10: India Blue vs India Red; Oct. 11: India Red vs India Green; Oct. 12: India Green vs India Blue; Oct. 13: Final.

All matches begin at 2.30 p.m.

 

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Winning CLT20 without Sachin is a great achievement: Harbhajan

CHENNAI: Mumbai Indians' stand-in captain Harbhajan Singh termed his team's Champions League T20 triumph as a "great achievement" considering the fact they didn't have lot of top players including master batsman Sachin Tendulkar.

"Not many people gave us a chance at the start of the tournament. If we can achieve so much without having players like Sachin Tendulkar, Rohit Sharma and Munaf Patel, just think about what we can do if we have them," an elated Harbhajan said at the post-match presentation ceremony.

He believed that it was a matter of getting the top three - Tillakaratne Dilshan, Chris Gayle and Virat Kohli.

"We knew that of we could get Gayle, Virat and Dilshan, we will be right in the game. Shaun Pollock told us during the interval that if we try we could defend any total. We wanted to give our best shot. The body language of the boys was great and by the grace of God we got the desired result."

He was all praise for man of the tournament Lasith Malinga for his all-round show.

"His record shows what a phenomenal cricketer he has been. It's great pleasure to have a guy who can win matches for you. Another of our bowling hero has been Abu Nechim Ahmed."

Malinga on his part said that it was a great feeling to get a batsman like Tillakaratne Dilshan out.

"He is a good player so it was great that I got him out. When we started the tournament, we were not in a very good situation but I am very happy that we have won the tournament in the end."

About his couple of crucial knocks, he said, "I am happy to have contributed with the bat but I would like to concentrate on my bowling."

RCB skipper Daniel Vettori was a disappointed as he felt that 140 was a "gettable target."

"We were aware that the wicket will be vastly different from the one we played on at the Chinnaswamy. It was on the slower side. On two occasions now, we have got stuck on this track."
Newspaper: Times Of India, 10th Oct

 

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More to my batting than just hitting: Yusuf Pathan

NAGPUR: Aggression is an attitude that Yusuf Pathan carries in his kit bag. He cares little about reputations and loves to take on bowlers, no matter what. The boldness of his strokes often dents the opposition's psyche.

He has had to pay heavily at times for his overtly aggressive approach, but Yusuf certainly remains one of the biggest match-winners in the shorter format of the game. He may have had a forgettable tour of the West Indies, but Yusuf is now ready to bounce back.

"At present, I'm focusing on getting back in the team and for that I have to score consistently. I am working very hard. Ever since I started playing the game, I have dreamt of representing the country. It's an honour to play for India. If I keep on working hard nothing is impossible. Hopefully, I will win more matches for my country. Of late, I have been playing a lot of Twenty20 cricket so it's good to play in the Challenger Trophy where I have done well in the past. I hope to do well this time, too," Yusuf, who will play for India Red, told TOI.

Experts have often criticized him for not being consistent, but Yusuf maintains that he has always played for the team's cause.

"We have a very talented batting line-up. More often than not, one of the top-order batsmen scores big. The likes of Sachin Tendulkar, Virender Sehwag, Gautam Gambhir and Yuvraj Singh love to bat long. When I go in to bat, I normally get five to eight overs in which I have to score as many runs as possible. You can't do that without taking risks. Sometimes it pays off, sometimes not. It can go either way. But I always try to give it my best shot. I won't be making hundreds everyday, but if my quick 30s or 40s can make a difference, I will be a happy man," he said.
Newspaper: Times of India, 10th Oct

 

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Warner credits Greg Chappell for success

David Warner has credited former chairman of selectors Greg Chappell for his recent success in CLT20 and said he is now targeting a Test debut next year.

"Chappell has been wonderful in the way he has guided me through with my batting in the last few months. I think he is a great cricketer and I've learnt a lot from him," Warner was quoted as saying in the Daily Telegraph.
Newspaper: Mid Day

 

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I had access to Yuvraj and Bhajji, claims Mazhar Majeed

LONDON: Mazhar Majeed, the Pakistani players' agent at the heart of the spot-fixing scandal, bragged to the undercover reporter, Mazhar Mahmood of the now defunct tabloid News of the World, that he "had access" to Harbhajan Singh and Yuvraj Singh.

Majeed also dropped the names of West Indies' Chris Gayle and Australia's Ricky Ponting and Brett Lee. He did not elaborate on what he meant by this.

Mahmood had recorded this conversation, which was re-played on the fourth day of the trial of Pakistani cricketers in the Southwark Crown Court.

Majeed was also heard describing the former IPL commissioner, Lalit Modi, as a "good" friend. In the tapes heard in the court on Monday, Majeed has described Mike Gatting, Phil Tufnell, Geoffrey Boycott and Imran Khan as "good friends".

In this series of name-dropping, Majeed has also mentioned a discussion with Pakistan Cricket Board chairman Ijaz Butt about setting up a Twenty20 tournament in Pakistan.

Mahmood, the undercover journalist who carried out the sting operation that resulted in spot-fixing charges being levelled at three Pakistani cricketers Salman Butt, Mohammad Asif and Mohammad Aamer, gave evidence as a prosecution witness. He described in detail and played tapes of his encounters with Majeed.
Newspaper: Times Of India, 11th Oct