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No longer looking over his shoulder

Yuvraj Singh seemed to be counting ‘1 to 10’ under his breath after he was asked if players like Virat Kohli and Rohit Sharma were his potential contenders as he tries to make the No. 6 spot in Tests his own. Before dealing with the question, Yuvraj got a bit sarcastic. He said that he had heard the same query some days back but then he was pitted against another youngster in Ajinkya Rahane.

“When I am batting well, there is no competition for my spot (read No.6) in the Test squad,” said Yuvraj, adding that it was unjust for people to bracket him with greenhorns. For Yuvraj’s Test career has had its peaks (85 n.o vs England, Chennai, November 2008; 169 vs Pakistan, Bangalore, December 2007) but the body of work hasn’t been magnificent (35 Test, 1709 runs, 35.06 average).

Doubts about his status as a Test player have repeatedly been expressed during his decade-long international career. But 2011 has shown signs that the tide is gradually turning in the gifted left-hander’s favour. The intense focus that he showed during India’s journey to the World Cup made many feel that Yuvraj was now ready to wear the flannels. Those predictions were proving prophetic.
Newspaper:Indian Express, 1st Nov

 

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Good to have class batsman Tendulkar in the team: Dhoni

NEW DELHI: India skipper Mahendra Singh Dhoni did not have much to say about Sachin Tendulkar's captaincy but said it's good to have a "genius" like him in the side.

Dhoni was asked to react on former BCCI secretary JY Lele's book, in which he wrote that Tendulkar could not prove himself as a successful captain as he paid heed to too many advices.

"I have not played under his (Sachin's) captaincy. It's always good to have him in the side, he is a genius and comes up with his own ideas. It's good to have him on the field as he is a class batsman," Dhoni told reporters at an Army function, where he was bestowed the honorary rank of Lt Colonel in Territorial Army.

Lele wrote in his book that,"Sachin could not exactly prove himself as a successful captain, though as a player he is a legend, the greatest. His biggest problem was that he used to listen to too many people. Basically a very soft, rather shy, cultured gentleman, Sachin formed the habit of respecting elders.
Newspaper:Times Of India, 2nd Nov

 

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Butt, Asif convicted for spot-fixing, face jail term

LONDON: As one of cricket's ugliest scandals threatened to bring more players under the fixing cloud, former Pakistan captain Salman Butt and pace bowler Mohammad Asif became the first cricketers ever to be convicted for fixing a part of a match.

A 12-man jury at London's Southwark Crown Court found the duo guilty of conspiracy to cheat and conspiring to accept corrupt payments during a Pakistan-England Test match at Lord's last year. The verdict came on a day when Butt's wife Gul gave birth to a son in Lahore.

Meanwhile, reports said the ICC's anti-corruption unit was launching a fresh investigation into Pakistan's tour of England last year. It is suspected that spot-fixing took place in other matches of the tour and that more players could come under scrutiny.

It was also revealed that Mohammad Aamer, the third cricketer named in the episode that involved delivering no-balls on demand during the match, had pleaded guilty to both the charges on September 16. Reporting restrictions under the Britain's laws meant Aamer's plea was not made public so as not to influence the jury ruling on the other two players.

While the jury unanimously convicted Butt and Asif for cheating, on the second charge of accepting illegal payments, both were separately found guilty by a 10-2 majority. The two players, along with Aamer, face up to seven years in prison or a fine.
Newspaper: Times Of India, 2nd Nov

 

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If you do worse, be prepared for worse: Dhoni

NEW DELHI: India skipper Mahendra Singh Dhoni did not seem surprise at the verdict handed out to Pakistani cricketers Salman Butt and Mohammed Asif, saying worse is bound to happen when you do worse.

Butt and Asif were on Tuesday found guilty of spot-fixing charges in a London court.

The two cricketers are out on bail till the quantum of their punishment is announced.

"It's worst thing, you can do while representing your country. If you do worse then be ready for worse to happen to you," Dhoni said at an Army function, where he was bestowed with the honorary rank of Lt Colonel.

Meanwhile, former India cricketer Arun Lal said the verdict is an opportunity to cleanse the game.

"This is the time to cleanse the game. It's fantastic that this was a criminal case. People have to be made accountable. It is an opportunity for the ICC, Pakistan Cricket Board, Indian Cricket Board and to all others to put an end to this menace. It's the game which suffers in the end," Arun said.
Newspaper:Times Of India, 2nd Nov

 

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Yuvraj looking forward to home series against Windies

Yuvraj Singh enjoys being in the thick of action, so competitive juices are flowing in anticipation of the forthcoming home series against the West Indies. The India all-rounder expressed his appreciation of the team's fielding ability. “Indian teams have been a great fielding side since 2003. Guys like (Suresh) Raina, Rohit (Sharma), and Virat (Kohli) are extremely talented fielders. I'm sure the old horse (referring to himself) is also capable of saving a few runs.”

Suresh Raina and Rohit Sharma do not figure in the Test series against the West Indies, but with Kohli and uncapped youngsters like Ajinkya Rahane, India will not be short of fielding options.

Yuvraj was talking on the lines of an event by Puma, which named him as brand ambassador. “I had a long time off the field and am recovering now. For the last 10-15 days I have been pushing really hard.” He is back in the Test squad after a three-month break.

With VVS Laxman, Rahul Dravid, Sachin Tendulkar and Kohli in the middle-order, Yuvraj will have to fight for his place in the squad. “I'm sure the more we play, the better we become. It is unfortunate, every time I have done well, I got injured. It is part of life and you have got to move on.”
Newspaper:The Hindu, 2nd Nov

 

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Court verdicts are clear warning to players: ICC

The International Cricket Council on Tuesday said the guilty verdicts handed down to two Pakistani cricketers in the spot-fixing case in England is a further warning to players who might be tempted to engage in corrupt activity within the sport.

"ICC takes no pleasure from the fact that these players stepped outside not only the laws of the game but also of the country in which they were participating," ICC chief executive Haroon Lorgat said at a press conference.

Former Pakistan Test captain Salman Butt and fast bowler Mohammad Asif were found guilty earlier on Tuesday of involvement in a "spot-fixing" betting scam during a match against England last year.

While they had pleaded not guilty another pace bowler Mohammad Aamer had admitted the charges of conspiracy to cheat and to accept corrupt payments,
Newspaper: The Asian Age, 2nd Nov

 

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Katich does not regret comments made about Clarke

Former Australian opener Simon Katich has not backed away from comments made about Australian captain Michael Clarke.

Katich says that he does not regret his explosive comments, which have now left him in hot waters with Cricket Australia.

As former players praised Katich for speaking his mind, the snubbed Test star stood by Friday''s outburst that has divided the Australian cricket fraternity, the Sydney Morning Herald reports.

An angry Katich claimed his 2009 dressing room blow-up with Clarke after the Sydney Test had led to his contract being torn up this year.

Clarke and CA were not impressed with Katich, the ruling body slapping him with a detrimental public comment charge late on Saturday.

Katich and his manager Robert Joske will meet a lawyer before they decide whether to plead guilty or fight the charge.

Cricket Australia will meet later this week to set a hearing date.
Newspaper:Mid Day, 2nd Nov

 

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After his name figured in the match-fixing scandal, former Indian wicket-keeper Nayan Mongia got alienated in the Indian dressing room. According to former BCCI secretary Jaywant Lele in his book ‘I Was There-Memoirs of a Cricket Administrator’, which was released in the city on Wednesday, Mongia got a cold shoulder from Sachin Tendulkar, Rahul Dravid and others. “They firmly believed that Nayan was somehow involved somewhere,” writes Lele referring to three incidents that might have roused the suspicions of the former Indian wicket-keeper’s teammates.

Speaking to The Indian Express, Mongia, however, refuted every single claim that Lele has made in his book. “I have no idea why he has written all this. These claims are completely baseless. I still share a great rapport with all my teammates, including Sachin and Rahul, who paid me a visit the last time he played a match in Baroda. They always treated me with respect and it is completely false to say that I lost their ‘love’ (as is mentioned in the book),” said Mongia, who insisted on not having read ‘I Was There’.
Newspaper:Indian Express, 3rd Nov

 

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PCB did not educate me enough about corruption: Amir

A regretful Mohammad Amir has blamed PCB for not educating him enough against corruption and vowed to reveal “more” about the case, in which co-accused Salman Butt and Mohammaed Asif “tried to damage his reputation” further.

Amir was sent to young offenders’ detention centre for six months while Butt and Asif were sent to jail for 30 months and 12 months respectively after being found guilty of spot-fixing during last year’s Lord’s Test against England.

The young bowler held the Pakistan cricket authorities for not doing enough to create awareness among players about the pitfalls of getting into corruption.

“The PCB never told me just how serious a offence it was to get into these sort of things. They didn’t educate me enough about anti-corruption laws,” he added.

He also expressed disappointment at the way Butt and Asif slandered him during the trial in a London court.

“They tried to rubbish my reputation and name during the trial and when the time comes I will reveal everything about this case,” said Amir, who picked up 51 wickets in his short career of 14 Tests.

Amir apologised for his role in the scandal.

“I really regret what I have done. I am really sorry for what has happened. I can only now apologize to my countrymen and all cricket lovers for my actions,” Amir.

The 19-year-old left-arm pacer, who was compared to Wasim Akram and other greats at his tender age, said the realisation of what he had done and how he had harmed his countrymen and the sport came very late.

“If I had known this would all end this way I would have stayed clear from such things. I got misled and was misguided and today I have paid the price for it,” Amir told Geo News, shortly after the judge announced his sentence.

“I got carried away and it was the biggest mistake of my life.”
Newspaper:The Hindu, 4th Nov

 

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Ravindra Jadeja keeps rocking on his comeback trail

AHMEDABAD: Rajasthan Royals skipper Shane Warne had a nick-name for all his players. For the young Ravindra Jadeja it was 'Rock Star' with Warne marking him out as a talent for the future three years back.

Since then the Saurashtra all-rounder has seen plenty of ups-and-downs in both his life and cricketing career. He surprised everybody by coming out very strongly in the IPL last year, playing for the now disbanded Kochi Tuskers.

That paved the way for his return to the Indian squad as well. And now, he is one of skipper MS Dhoni's most trusted lieutenant in the limited-over matches.

But not just the slam bang variety Jadeja showed that he is man of all seasons by scoring a marathon 314 in Saurashtra's first innings against Orissa in their Ranji Trophy tie in Cuttack on Friday.

"It was a chanceless innings," said his coach Debu Mitra and added: "In a total of 545, Ravindra has scored 314, so you can well imagine how well he batted - and that too in a four-dayer soon after coming from an ODI series. How many cricketers have scored a triple in an away-game in Ranji Trophy? He is undoubtedly one of the finest allrounder India have at the moment. And by all-rounder, I mean bowling, batting and fielding - a natural in all the three departments."
Newspaper:Times Of India, 5th Nov