M S DHONI
(Captain), SHIKHAR
DHAWAN, VIRAT KOHLI, SURESH RAINA, DINESH KARTHIK, MURALI VIJAY, ROHIT SHARMA,
RAVINDER JADEJA, RAVICHANDRAN ASHWIN, IRFAN PATHAN, BHUVNESHWAR KUMAR, UMESH
YADAV, AMIT MISHRA, VINAY KUMAR
The Indian Cricket squad for Champions Trophy 2013 in
England was declared by the selectors last week. While there were few surprise
exclusions of Gautam Gambhir and Yuvraj Singh, the 15 member squad looks more
than secured. In seaming friendly conditions the Sandeep Patil headed committee
went for quick bowlers with as many as seven bowlers in the squad.
Bowlers who found a place due to their
consistent and excellent performance are Amit Mishra, Vinay Kumar and Umesh
Yadav.
The other names like Ravi Ashwin, Ishant Sharma and Bhuvneshwar Kumar
were assured of their place in the side.
Though Mishra has been rewarded for his superb performance but I don’t
think he’ll get a game. Given the conditions Dhoni would go with Ashwin,
Ishant/Umesh, Irfan and Bhuvi.
On the other hand batting looks solid with Dhawan and Vijay as openers.
Dinesh Karthik, though very unlikely could play and open the innings for the
Men in Blue. 1 down is Virat Kohli followed by Rohit Sharma. Suresh Raina or
Dhoni could come in next followed by Jadeja and Pathan.
This is the most likely playing eleven but MS DHONI in the past has
surprised us with his decisions and it would be interesting to see as to what
he does with the bunch of 14 players he has excluding himself.
The only surprise exclusion I find in this team is that of Yuvraj
Singh. The lion of Punjab though may not be in prime form but he has a good
record in England and can handle the short ball well. He has always proved his
mettle on the big stage and he can also chip in with a few important overs.
Leaving this I don’t find anything wrong with the squad. Another thing is that I
would open with Dhawan and Karthik instead of Vijay as Karthik can handle the
short ball well and is playing much better than Vijay at the moment. India also
have to find a waay to fit in Irfan Pathan as he can prove to be a mich winner
in foreign conditions. He has got his swing back and he can also hit a few out
of the park. Irfan Pathan is a must in the playing eleven. The spin department
will not see any surprises as Ashwin will play and Mishra may not even get a
game.
We can only hope for India to win this CT13. Tune in on 6 June as the
BLUE BRIGADE takes on the MIGHTY PROTEAS.
Usually a lot of people in cricket follow various
superstitions. One of the many superstitions in the game is changing the entire
uniform and support staff. Well, I am not an ardent fan of such beliefs but the
story of SUNRISERS HYDERBAD aka DECCAN CHARGERS made me think about my belief.
The team that won the second season of the Indian T20 League in South Africa in
2009 had been performing shabbily and were at the bottom of the table for next
three seasons. But in the current season i.e., Pepsi IPL 6 they have played
astonishingly well without too many big names in their side.
Who or what has brought this major transformation?
We can start with the change in owners to the support staff.
They are being coached by Tom Moody and Waqar Younis both of whom were
excellent players in their era and have a lot of experience in coaching teams.
Their mentors, the great VVS Laxman and the aggressive Kris Srikkanth have
helped the team a lot. The team looks very relaxed and confident, even with the
absence of big guns in their team. They have caused some major upsets this
season by defeating seasoned campaigners like Mumbai Indians and Delhi
Daredevils.
Amit Mishra's Hattrick against Pune
The major reason for their success can be attributed to the
performance of their Indian players. Ishant Sharma has been complimenting Dale
Steyn well with tight spells at the start of the innings. But what really has
made the difference is their bowling from the 7TH to the 15th
over. Amit Mishra who is in form of his life has been the primary wrecker. He
is well supported by the uncapped and unknown Karan Sharma. The two leggies
have been phenomenal in Hyderabad’s success. Full points to Mishra who picked
up his third hat trick this season and has won them lost matches. Thisara
Perera has troubled the batsmen with his tight lines and inclusion of Darren
Sammy is just icing on the cake for them.
What Sunrisers lacked at the top of the innings was stability
in their batting order. With Shikhar Dhawan coming in they have got the
necessary boost and Parthiv Patel is also batting well.
The only thing they lack is a good middle order player.
Since Cameron White or Sangakkara are not in form it’s a big headache for them
and this is the only reason that may stop them from qualifying for the Play Offs.
So far they have backed their bowling to win them matches but in the shortes
format of the game you never know so they must get some stability in the middle
order so they can have the confidence of chasing or posting big totals if their
bowlers have an off day.
Otherwise this team is looking a champion team and only they
can stop themselves from booking a Play Off berth.
They say even a journey of thousand miles begins with one small step. To fly one doesn't need wings, instead they need strong will power determination and more importantly a firm character.
This is a fairy tale about a young Kashmiri named "Parvez Rasool" who has recently steeped up into the glamorous world of cricket viz the IPL.
Born in Kashmir, it was obvious he didn't have the exposure to cricket as in the other Indian states.
Having being brought up among bullets, bloodshed, wars, turbulence and many other tormenting circumstances; Rasool didn't have any easy way to be introduced to the cricketing world.
But what has to happen somehow and anyhow finds a way. Rasool was selected to play for Haryana in the 2012 Ranji Season where he performed above average.
To add a cherry to the cake, Rasool was also selected in the India-A team for the practice match against the Aussies on their tour to India in early 2013.
What next for this lucky son of a gun? The answer is a magnificent 7 wicket haul against one of the worlds beat team Australia (though in a practice match).
As a reward, Rasool soon became a part of the IPL-6 after being sold to the Pune Warriors India. And boy didn't he impress one and all in his very 1st match itself.
From being in horrifying situations back in Kashmir, Rasool now found himself sharing the dressing room with legends such as Yuvraj Singh, Alan Donald and also to add being in the field with all time greats such as Kallis, SACHIN and many more.
One couldn't have asked for a better kick start to his cricketing career.
All i hope for as of now is that the young Kashmiri stays away from the distractive media and advertisement and instead focuses only on cricket for he surely has a bright future ahead.
When I opened the newspaper on 24 December 2012 and read the large print, all I could think was –No. That was all going round and round in my head buzzing like angry bees, torturing me, tormenting me. Sachin was retiring? This was not how it was supposed to be. There was supposed to be advanced notice and at least one last match. I tried to remember the last ODI Sachin had played. My brain went into overdrive and my heart skipped a beat as I realized that the last time was the Asia Cup. He scored a 52. How was this fair, this sudden ending to an epic saga? No last match. No chance to savor every run, every smile, every humble bow, every punched straight drive. No chance to say goodbye to my hero dressed in blue. I knew I had to write an article for him. But how do I write an article for a man whose cricketing career itself is 6 years older than myself and still counting (test matches)? That’s the odd thing about love – it’s hard to capture the feeling and put it down in words. And if I find it so hard to describe what Sachin means to me, how do I put down what he means to billions of other people, in the subcontinent and outside?My relation with Sachin is according to me not just an ordinary "fan-celebrity relation", instead its a love story with no sad moments.. an absolute love affair.Sachin has been everything to me. He’s a blanket of assurance – I always felt safe knowing that he would come in to bat. All the best moments of my life have been some of his – him scoring hundreds and two hundreds, him hitting sixes, watching his straight drives, him hitting a century of centuries, the pride in his eyes as he held that world cup, the humble smile when he reached a century of centuries. Exquisite memories for an exceptional man.
I can’t say I’ve needed Sachin for 23 years, I wasn’t even born then. But ever since I was about 8, I remember adoring Sachin and always being in awe of him. Everything this wonderful man does has never failed to amaze me. Sachin was my idol and I was his fan long before I knew the ABC of cricket. I’ve never been the one for letting go easily. But I will, one day, let go. However, I remember always needing Sachin Tendulkar to re-assure me, to inspire me and to provide me with something supernatural – magic. Because that’s what these past 10 years with Sachin have been for me – magical. For a young boy who was driven with logic and reasoning every step of the way, the existence of something as magical and enigmatic as Sachin Tendulkar just gave me the faith to believe that I could achieve anything. Like Sachin had. Sachin has always been there to rescue India.
P.S : This post just the love of Ayush Bansal for Sachin Tendulkar and does not intend to harm any one intentionally or coincidentally.
He’s 40 years old. His recent lean
patch is going on for a tad too long. His critics are as vocal as they ever
have been. Even some of his fans have deserted him and joined the critics. But
some fans will always be by his side. Sachin Tendulkar will always have my
support, come what may. You see I have partied and had a great time each time
he has scored all of his 100 tons, so it’s but my moral duty to support him in
a rare lean patch. Whenever he raises his helmet, I raise my hands and worship
his brilliance. If I have my way, Tendulkar will never retire.
It all started about 10 years ago. I
was 7 years old and had just been introduced to the game of cricket. And
somehow, I instantly fell in love with it. Ironically, it was an Indo-Pak match
which I first saw... It was India batting first with the openers being the gr8
Sachin and the then captain Ganguly. I had very little or almost no knowledge
of what the perfect technique was or how a shot should be played, but
Tendulkar’s batting immediately looked good to the eye. I just couldn’t take my
eyes off him. Everything seemed to be in place. And as I learned over the
years, that’s how it should be. Sachin had left his mark, an unforgettable one
too on my mind. So much so that now I hate to see the dreadful dawn of the day
when the Indian scorecard shows no SACHIN in it...
I found out from elders who were
cricket followers that from the 1996 world cup and as well for the next few
years, Indian cricket was and will be pretty much all about Tendulkar. They kept
talking good about his magic with the willow and I used to take a lot of
interest in their talks and kept my ears stick to them...
I always pleaded to my mom for allowing
me to take a holiday the next day if India had a match as school on match days
was nothing but torturous. If it were a day match, prayers were said in school,
asking God to ensure that India batted second. If it were a day-night match, a
huge mad rush followed after school to reach home as soon as possible to watch
our hero Tendulkar do what no one else did and will ever do better than him;
that has destroy the opposition attack to all possible corners of the
cricketing arena... There are too many memories of Tendulkar from the years
that have passed by, some which still bring a smile and some which make the
eyes moist. I leapt in joy (shock & amusement too) when I watched him take
on Shane Warne and co in Sharjah during the twin centuries – dancing down the
wicket to Warne and depositing him over the fence, lofting Damien Fleming and
Michael Kasprowicz straight over their head into the sightscreen for many half
a dozens. I watched with awe when he took the attack to Donald and Pollock
during the 169 at Cape Town, and when he thrashed Henry Olonga all over the
park in Sharjah; and when he again took out Warne, this time in India, and when
he notched up a flawless 111 at Melbourne, and when he scored a century in the
decider of the famous 2001 India-Aus test series; and when he unleashed a
series of upper-cuts and pulls during a 155 at Bloemfontein. The list of his
superb knocks doesn’t end here. I was nothing but disappointed about the fact
that why wasn’t I introduced to cricket a lot earlier so that I could have
watched all these magical knocks of his not in highlights but live when those respective
matches were telecasted.
The SHARJAH INNINGS CAN BE SEEN BELOW
I pumped my fist with utmost joy and
pride when he took on Wasim, Waqar and Akhtar at Centurion in 2003, and when he
announced his return to form with a 241 at Sydney; and when he took India home
in both the finals of the CB series in 200-08.
I stood up and applauded and threw a
party in the canteen for friends when he became the first man to reach 200 in
an ODI and when he kept rampaging Dale Steyn at bay during a masterful 146 at
Centurion.
THE MASTER SCORES FIRST ODI DOUBLE TON
"First man on the planet to reach
200 and its the superman from India" were the 1st spoken words on
commentary by Ravi Shastri when d Master Blaster broke the 200 run barrier. I
shed a tear when his 136 at a fourth day track in Chennai against Wasim, Waqar
and Saqlain fell tragically short of securing a victory, when he couldn’t do
much in the 2003 World Cup final and India fell just short of the ultimate
cricketing glory; and also when at Hyderabad in 2009, a repeat of Chennai 1999
happened with the team collapsing after Sachin’s exit for a classic 175. I shed
a tear on the 2nd of April 2011 too, but this time there was joy, there was
fulfilment. His more than two decade long dream had come true, and a billion
celebrated with him.
16 march 2012, the day edged in the
cricketing history forever was done when TENDULKAR scored his 100th
international century against Bangladesh, unfittingly though in a losing
cause...
The childhood desire to see Sachin take
on opposition attacks is there still today. He is the sole reason that despite
being from Delhi, I support the Mumbai Indians in the IPL.
Today, as I write this article, my eyes
have become a bit moist. There are way too many memories associated with this
(super) man. I used to stand with a bat in front of a mirror
as a child trying to match my stance with his, if only I knew that it
was not possible for even the greatest of great like "the Ponting’s"
or "the Lara’s" and as per me even "the Bradman’s" to
replicate what the MASTER BLASTER had achieved... I was thus but not even the
merest of the mortal in front of the genius, impeccable and the god gifted
(rather god himself)...Every child in the locality wanted to be a cricketer,
everyone wanted to be Tendulkar. It’s not that the other stalwarts like Dravid,
Ganguly or Laxman have done any less for Indian cricket. But Tendulkar has been
around since the day I took to cricket and even long before I was born and he
has been there ever since. They say Sachin has reduced the no of atheists since
1989, well it’s more than cent percent true in my case. He still brings out the
child in me. He’s the first on d list of a host of treasured childhood
memories... The day Sachin Tendulkar retires, I’ll know that my childhood is
finally over. Presently I switch off my TV for a while when he gets out, I
wonder if I will ever switch on my TV set again once he is no more left playing
what has been made for him (or not what he has been made to do but what
has been made for him to do)..Cricket will lose substantial no of followers all
over the globe and will never be the same again...:((((
P.S.- This post has been written on a self implication by Ayush Bansal and reviewed by Aditya Goel.
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