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Mumbai thrash KKR in a Nail Biting Match

2011-05-25T11:05:00.001-07:00

Wednesday, May 25 2011

Mumbai got success at start when KKR's wicket fell in quick succession. But KKR played well in final overs and were able to set a defendable target of 148.

Mumbai Indians at first looked firm and with good confidence but as wickets started falling, MI looked crawling slowly towards win. In the last over, MI wanted 7 runs of 6 balls when Shakib ul Hasan started bowling and Bhajji hit a 6 to bring MI towards victory.

Mumbai will play its 2nd qualifying match on May 27 against RCB. This match will decide who will play with CSK in final on May 28.

Ganguly goes up against Kolkata

2008-06-22T03:13:00.000-07:00

Big Picture

Kolkata Knight Riders need to win one of their two remaining games to be guaranteed a place in the play-offs, mathematical miracles notwithstanding. Sourav Ganguly - the biggest player to emerge from their city and a name that was synonymous with their franchise until the most recent player auction - has a chance to stop them. It happens only in the IPL.

Yet, both Ganguly and his team-mates at Pune Warriors will know that they go in as rank outsiders. Kolkata have been consistent through the season, with their big-ticket players pulling their weight at different stages. The domestic Indian players have played their part too, especially Iqbal Abdulla and Manoj Tiwary. Pune, on the other hand, are out of contention after suffering an early-season slump that spanned seven successive losses. Ganguly looked like a batsman who hadn't held a bat in 12 months in his first outing, and fell for a duck in his second. Does Pune's campaign have a sting in its tail? Kings XI Punjab will be hoping it does, since a Kolkata defeat will keep their chances alive.

Source: CricInfo

AUS vs IND: Best chance to win in Australia, says Tendulkar

2007-12-22T09:00:00.000-08:00

MELBOURNE (AFP) - Sachin Tendulkar said on Saturday that India have their best chance of beating Australia on home ground for the first time in the four-Test series beginning with the Boxing Day Test match.

The phenomenal Indian run-machine, second all-time in Test runs to West Indian Brian Lara, said a victory over Ricky Ponting's champion team would be the crowning glory of his magnificent 18-year career.

The 34-year-old superstar, who is making his fourth and likely last tour of Australia, also ruled out any immediate thoughts of retiring.

Tendulkar, who has scored four centuries from 12 Test matches in Australia, says he is keen to beat the top-ranked Aussies on their home ground for the first time.

India have won just four Tests in eight Australian tours, but pushed Steve Waugh's Australians all the way in the drawn 1-1 last series tour here in 2003-04.

"I think it would be the most important tour (ever) if we can pull it off," Tendulkar told a press conference here Saturday.

"Beating Australia is obviously the ultimate thing because of the way they have played for so many years, so it makes it a special tour.

"And having come here for the fourth time, it would be a wonderful occasion (if we could win the series)."

Australia's last home series loss was 14 years ago to the West Indies 2-1 and they have been unbeaten in 26 subsequent home series.

The Indians' only lead-up game to the Boxing Day Test was abandoned after three rain-hit days, offering the tourists only 48 overs' batting practice, but Tendulkar believes India have never been better prepared to beat Australia.

He said India have just come off Test series victories against England in England and against Pakistan in India.

"We have come here properly prepared because, although the practice match was rained off, we have come here having played Test cricket, which is extremely important,' Tendulkar said.

"So yes, I would say we are geared up (to win) and as far as I am concerned we are ready to go out there and put on a good show."

Tendulkar, who averages 54.16 in 12 Tests in Australia including a memorable unbeaten 241 in the fourth Sydney Test of the 2003-2004 series, said he was feeling fit despite missing the last Test against Pakistan with knee trouble.

Tendulkar, who has amassed 11,289 runs in 142 Tests at 55.07, said he had not contemplated retiring.

"For the past 18 years I have been living my dream and every day is a special one and when we walk out on December 26 (for the start of the first Test against Australia) it will be a terrific occasion," he said.

"I have not (thought about retiring) and I just want to enjoy this tour and if I enjoy it I should do a good job (batting) and that is my focus."

Tendulkar still believes the Australian bowling attack will be formidable even without retired greats Shane Warne and Glenn McGrath.

SOURCE: ESPNSTAR

India won Indian Oil Cup 2007

2007-11-19T02:30:00.001-08:00

India won the five-match One-Day series against Pakistan 3-2 despite losing the last ODI at Jaipur by 31 runs and rose to the fourth position in the LG ICC ODI Championship table. The hosts were at the fifth spot before the series while Pakistan occupied the fourth spot.
Pakistan are sixth with the fifth place going to Sri Lanka.
India have a chance to improve their rankings further and become the third-ranked team replacing New Zealand if the Black Caps are swept clean by South Africa in the three-match series.
Mahendra Singh Dhoni’s side is just four rating points behind New Zealand.
Pakistan’s victory by 31 runs in Jaipur prevented them from dropping behind seventh-placed England but even now they remains ahead of Paul Collingwood’s side only when the ratings are calculated to three decimal places.
The top spot is still occupied by Australia who maintain a five rating points lead over second-placed South Africa.

2007-11-14T07:09:00.000-08:00

Off-spinner Harbhajan Singh was on Wednesday included in India's 14-man squad for the first two Test matches against Pakistan starting later this month.
The first Test will be played in New Delhi from November 22-26 and the second in Kolkata from November 30-December 4. The squad for the final Test in Bangalore from December 8-12 will be named later.
India's Test squad:
Anil Kumble (captain), Wasim Jaffer, Dinesh Karthik, Sachin Tendulkar, Sourav Ganguly, Rahul Dravid, Venkatsai Laxman, Yuvraj Singh, Mahendra Singh Dhoni, Harbhajan Singh, Zaheer Khan, Rudra Pratap Singh, Shanthakumaran Sreesanth, Murali Kartik.
Manager: Lalchand Rajput

Source: EspnStar

India Won the 1st ODI in Guwhati with 5 wickets.

2007-11-05T03:13:00.000-08:00

Monday November 05, 2007:

A 100-plus partnership between MS Dhoni and Yuvraj Singh helped India beat Pakistan by five wickets in the first ODI at Guwahati on Monday.
Chasing 240 to win, India scored 242 for five with three overs to spare.
Earlier, Pakistan won the toss and guided by a well-complied 83 by Mohammad Yousuf, they scored 239 for seven. The Indian spinners dominated the Pakistan batsmen and gave them no chance to set up a daunting total.
India lost the early wicket of Sachin Tendulkar, but good partnerships saw them overhaul the target with ease even as they lost two wickets towards the end.
With this win, India have taken an important 1-0 lead in the five-match series. The next match will be played at Mohali on Thursday, November 8. That will be a day-night affair.

2007-10-31T08:32:00.001-07:00

Rahul Dravid replaced by Sehwag in forthcoming series.

2007-10-29T02:21:00.000-07:00

Rahul Dravid and Dinesh Karthik have been left out of the Indian squad for the first two one-dayers against Pakistan. Virender Sehwag makes a comeback, as does Gautam Gambhir, who recently recovered from a groin strain, while Uttar Pradesh allrounder Praveen Kumar is the only new face. The series kicks off on November 5, with the first ODI in Guwahati.

Niranjan Shah, the BCCI sercretary, annoucing the squad and said the 15 were picked in consultation with Mahendra Singh Dhoni, the Indian captain, who couldn't be present at the selection committee meeting, which took place at Motera in Ahmedabad where the Challenger Trophy is being played.

Dravid missed out on the final one-dayer against Australia in Mumbai recently and there has been speculation about his spot being under threat. Dilip Vengsarkar, the chairman of the selection committee, said Dravid was "rested". "We decided to give him a break. He's a great player and he will be back soon." Vengsarkar insisted the squad had been only been picked for the first two ODIs, thereby clarifying that Dravid would be considered for the matches ahead.

But Vengsarkar said Dravid, whose position has become uncertain for the first time in a decade, needs to prove his form and fitness. "Fitness and fielding have become very important in the one-day game so he will have to show it playing for his state [Karnataka].

Karthik, despite his fine Test form, has struggled in his last ten one-dayers, averaging 19.33 with a highest score of 44 not out. He replaced Dravid for the final ODI against Australia in Mumbai but ended the game with a duck.

Sehwag returns to the squad after a five-month break. He cracked a fiery 75 in the Challenger Trophy match today and played a part in India's recent triumph in the ICC World Twenty20. "He has been among runs recently and even today he showed he was in good form," Vengsarkar said. The squad now has five openers, including Gambhir, taking his spot ahead of S Badrinath, who had replaced him for the final leg of the Australia series Vengsarkar did not say what position Sehwag would bat at.

Kumar has been one of the most consistent bowling allrounders in the domestic circuit in the past few years. He ended with 30 wickets in seven Ranji Trophy games last season, which placed him eighth on the run-charts, and backed it up with some handy cameos as well. "Kumar gives us an [all-round] option. He has also played a crucial role for India A recently. Badrinath was brought in for Gambhir earlier, but he'll get his chances, too," Vengsarkar said.

Kumar was picked for the allrounder's slot ahead of Joginder Sharma, who was part of India's winning team at the ICC World Twenty20. Vengsarkar said Kumar was preferred considering current form.

Squad for first two one-dayers Sachin Tendulkar, Sourav Ganguly, Gautam Gambhir, Virender Sehwag, Robin Uthappa, Rohit Sharma, Yuvraj Singh, Mahendra Singh Dhoni (capt & wk), Irfan Pathan, Praveen Kumar, Zaheer Khan, RP Singh, Sreesanth, Harbhajan Singh, Murali Kartik.

© Cricinfo

T20 Ind vs Aus - Presentation

2007-10-21T05:48:00.001-07:00

Only Twenty20 - Aus in India 2007 -Review + Presentation
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IND-AUS TWENTY20

2007-10-21T05:46:00.002-07:00

IND-AUS TWENTY20 - MUMBAI 4 OF 7
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IND-AUS TWENTY20 - MUMBAI

2007-10-21T05:46:00.001-07:00

IND-AUS TWENTY20 - MUMBAI 7 OF 7
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Ind vs Aus - 7th ODI - Murali's 6 wickets

2007-10-21T05:40:00.000-07:00

T20 Ind vs Aus 17 - 18 over India

2007-10-21T05:39:00.000-07:00

Ind vs Aus - T20

2007-10-21T05:38:00.000-07:00

T20 World Champions Win Again.

2007-10-20T09:42:00.000-07:00

India keep the trend of winning T20 matches. Today when Australia won the toss and elected to bat, some people thought Australia will get a good start and India won't be able to defeat Australia. But India (T20 World Champions) continued winning T20 matches after the World Cup.

Gautam Ghambir awarded the Man of the Event. He was awarded with stylish Maruti Suzuki SX4.

CONGRAGULATIONS INDIA ONCE AGAIN.

Cricket: India, Australia renew rivalry in Twenty20

2007-10-19T06:16:00.000-07:00

MUMBAI (AFP) - Holders India will renew their rivalry with Australia in the shortest form of the game when they square up here on Saturday in their first Twenty20 international after the world championship.
The Indians upset 50-over champions Australia in the semi-final before winning the inaugural competition in South Africa last month with a victory over arch-rivals Pakistan.
But a rude shock was in store for India as they were thrashed 4-2 by Ricky Ponting's men at home in the seven-match series, the last game of which the hosts won here on Wednesday.
Captain Ponting said the series had provided a good build-up to the Twenty20 outing but the thought of avenging their defeat in South Africa was not a motivation.
"We are looking forward to the game against a team that has just won a World Cup," Ponting told reporters here on Friday.
"There's nothing about trying to get even. We lost to the Indians in the T20 World Championship. We also lost the last game of the ODI series after being in a strong situation here. You lose some and win some.
"There would not be any sort of revenge, what is important is enjoying the game. It's an entertaining format."
Ponting also played down the talk around racial abuse of hard-hitting all-rounder Andrew Symonds - Australia's only black player - by sections of the crowd during the one-dayers.
"We are not concerned about crowd behaviour. The talk has been going around for the last one-and-a-half weeks for no fault of his (Symonds). We will just focus on playing good cricket and hope the crowds will enjoy it."
The Indian cricket board has promised stricter crowd-control measures for the game in the wake of the incidents in the last one-dayer where a photograph captured some fans making monkey gestures at Symonds.
Ponting also said that opener Matthew Hayden would most likely play after missing out on the last two matches because of a hip injury.
The Indians are without three celebrated seniors - Sachin Tendulkar, Sourav Ganguly and Rahul Dravid - who were also not part of the winning squad at the world championship.
Left-arm spinner Murali Kartik and paceman Zaheer Khan, the two bowlers who impressed against Australia in the one-dayers, are also not part of the Twenty20 side.
Coming into the squad are aggressive openers Virender Sehwag and Gautam Gambhir, who was the top scorer for India with 227 runs in seven matches in South Africa.
Teams:
India: Mahendra Singh Dhoni (captain), Yuvraj Singh, Virender Sehwag, Dinesh Karthik, Gautam Gambhir, Robin Uthappa, Joginder Sharma, Yusuf Pathan, Harbhajan Singh, Ajit Agarkar, Shanthakumaran Sreesanth, Irfan Pathan, Rudra Pratap Singh, Rohit Sharma.
Australia: Ricky Ponting (captain), Adam Gilchrist, Andrew Symonds, Matthew Hayden, Michael Clarke, Nathan Bracken, Stuart Clark, Brad Haddin, Ben Hilfenhaus, Brad Hodge, Brad Hogg, James Hopes, Mitchell Johnson, Brett Lee.

2007-10-19T06:15:00.001-07:00

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Murali Karthik rocks Mumbai with 6 wickets.

2007-10-17T22:04:00.001-07:00

Indian spinner Murali Kartik put in an exceptional all-round performance to fashion India's two-wicket win in the seventh and final one-day international against Australia here on Wednesday.
The 31-year-old picked a career-best 6-27 before scoring a cameo 21 under pressure to gift India a consolatory win in the seven-match series which Australia clinched 4-2. The opener was abandoned due to rain.
Coming in at 143-8, Kartik shared an unbeaten 52-run stand with Zaheer Khan (31 not out) as India overhauled Australia's modest total of 193 with 24 balls to spare in the day-night game.
Mitchell Johnson picked best figures of 3-46 for the visitors while Nathan Bracken took 2-30.
"We did not have a good series so we wanted to end with a win. Our batsmen failed to shoulder responsibility but credit to the tailenders for batting superbly today," Indian skipper Mahendra Singh Dhoni said.
"It was a gamble I took by having (Murali) Kartik included in the squad. I would have been at the receiving end if he had not delivered."
Indians fumbled in their chase, losing six wickets with just 64 on the board. Sourav Ganguly was out for a duck off the fourth ball of the innings while Sachin Tendulkar played onto his stumps for 21 on his home ground.
The other senior player of the team -- Rahul Dravid -- was benched, for only the second time in his career, following his prolonged form slump. In the last nine innings, the batsman averaged 8.8 with three ducks.
His replacement Dinesh Karthik failed to do much, being dismissed for a duck by Johnson who also accounted for Ganguly.
But Robin Uthappa salvaged the innings with a 59-ball 47 inclusive of four fours and two sixes while also adding 65 runs with Harbhajan Singh for the seventh wicket.
Adam Gilchrist took four catches, the last of which took him to a record 400-mark.
"We fought really hard but Kartik bowled beautifully. I thought 193 was defendable but it was a great effort from India in the end," Australian skipper Ricky Ponting said.
Earlier, man of the match Kartik flummoxed the Australians in a sensational spell of slow bowling which saw him miss out on hat-tricks twice.
He dismissed Brad Hodge (16) and Andrew Symonds off the last two balls of the 20th over before returning to send back Brad Haddin (19), Brad Hogg and Brett Lee in the 32nd.
James Hopes (22) became the sixth victim of the bowler who was picked midway through the series after 20 months in wilderness.
Kartik's figures just fell short of the best-ever by an Indian spinner, a record held by Anil Kumble who took 6 for 12 against West Indies in Kolkata in 1993.
Ponting top-scored with 57 off 78 balls with nine fours and shared two half-century stands with Gilchrist (19) and Hodge to lend respectability to the total after electing to bat on a lively wicket.
Ponting raced to his half-century with the help of nine fours to become the first one-day captain to score 50 fifties. New Zealand's former captain Stephen Fleming is second in the list with 45.
Symonds, in the news for his run-ins with Indian players and allegedly being the target of racial abuse during the fifth game at Vadodara, was booed by a section of the 40,000-strong crowd as he made his ground.
The two teams will square off in a Twenty20 game here on Saturday, their last encounter in an eventful series

Australia Wins Future Cup in 6th Match.

2007-10-14T11:07:00.000-07:00

NAGPUR, India (AFP) - Andrew Symonds hit a blistering unbeaten century to set up Australia's thrilling 18-run win over India in the sixth one-day international at Nagpur on Sunday.
The victory helped Australia clinch the seven-match series 4-1, with one more game to go in Mumbai on Wednesday. The opener was abandoned due to rain.
The 32-year-old Symonds smashed an unbeaten 88-ball 107 to prop up Australia to an imposing 317-8 before left-arm spinner Brad Hogg picked a haul of 4-49 to restrict India to 299-7.
The Indians put up a valiant fight, riding on blazing knocks by Sourav Ganguly (86), Sachin Tendulkar (72) and Robin Uthappa (44), but ultimately ran out of steam.
Needing 56 runs off the last five overs, Mahendra Singh Dhoni (26) and Uthappa unleashed a flurry of shots but Mitchell Johnson (2-39) dismissed them both in one over to douse the Indian challenge.
The Indians started off their chase confidently, with Tendulkar and Ganguly combining for their 26th century stand together and the best start in the series for either side.
Tendulkar was in sublime form, hitting nine fours and a six in his entertaining run-a-ball 72. He reached his record 85th one-day half-century with a huge six over midwicket off Hogg.
Ganguly reached his 50 in similar fashion, hitting the same bowler for a six to bring up his 72nd half-century.
Their stand was broken when James Hopes had Tendulkar stumped by Adam Gilchrist in the 25th over.
Irfan Pathan (29), promoted up the order as pinch hitter, joined in the run fest, hitting a four and a six off Nathan Bracken's over before lofting Symonds over the ropes.
But Pathan's dismissal in the 33rd over triggered off a collapse with Ganguly, Yuvraj Singh (six) and Rahul Dravid (seven) departing in quick succession.
Earlier, man of the match Symonds shrugged off the controversy over his alleged racial abuse by Indian fans in the previous game at Vadodara to smash nine fours and four mighty sixes.
Dropped on two by Shanthakumaran Sreesanth with whom he has had a running feud since the start of the series, Symonds rallied the middle order with two half-century stands.
He put on 75 runs for the fifth wicket with Brad Haddin (25) and another 90 runs for the sixth with Hopes (39) off just 58 balls.
He reached his sixth one-day century with a four and jumped in the air while pumping his fist to a standing ovation from the Australian dressing room.
Gilchrist, with a 47-ball 51, and Ricky Ponting (49) also made valuable contributions after the visitors elected to bat in conducive conditions.
The butter-fingered Indians dropped three catches and allowed the visitors to slam 102 runs in the last 10 overs.
Murali Kartik was the most economical bowler, conceding 37 runs in nine overs with one wicket, while Sreesanth had a miserable outing, giving away 64 runs off his eight overs with just one wicket in return.

Australia root out India for just 149runs.

2007-10-11T02:49:00.000-07:00

Australia thrashed India by nine wickets in the fifth one-day international at Vadodara on Thursday. Chasing 149 to win, Australia overhauled the target in just 25.5 overs. With this win, the Aussies have taken a 3-1 lead in the seven-match series.
The first match was washed out and there are two more ODIs to be played. India need to win both if they are to share honours in the series.

Now India have to win further 2 matches just to DRAW the series.
Australia is just 1 match short of winning the Future Cup.

Video: Ricky Ponting controversal - 4th ODI

2007-10-08T10:03:00.002-07:00

Ponting's controversial decision - 4th ODI - India vs Aus
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Video: RP Singh's match winning over - 4th ODI

2007-10-08T10:03:00.001-07:00

RP Singh's match winning over - 4th ODI - India vs Aus
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Video: Australian Innings Highlights - 4th ODI

2007-10-08T10:02:00.001-07:00

Australian Innings Highlights - 4th ODI - India vs Australia
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Video: Sachin's Inning in 4th ODI

2007-10-08T09:59:00.000-07:00

Sachin wicket - 4th ODI - India vs Australia
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Yuvraj's 121 goes in vain, hosts lose by 47 runs

2007-10-05T09:41:00.000-07:00

Yuvraj Singh's brilliant hundred went in vain as Australia put on another clinical performance to beat India by 47 runs in the third one-day international at Hyderabad on Friday.
With this win, the Aussies go 2-0 up in the seven-match series after the opener in Bangalore was rained out.
The key difference between the two teams was the batting and fielding. The Aussie top order fired in unision, while India's much-vaunted batting lineup struggled for the second successive game. The Aussie fielders threw themselves at everything that came their way and the runs they saved made India's job even more difficult.
Andrew Symonds, who has been in terrific form, was adjudged Man of the Match for his knock of 89.

Bat first, pile it on
For the third successive time, Australia went in to bat and piled on the runs. Matthew Hayden and Adam Gichrist got the team off to a flier, putting on 76 runs from the first 14 overs.
To make matters worse, Zaheer Khan missed out on the easiest of run out opportunities when he failed to hold on to the ball before removing the bail. Hayden made him pay by hitting a half-century.
Irfan Pathan put a stop to the plunder, when he bowled Gilchrist for 29. Hayden and skipper Ricky Ponting, who came back into the side at the expense of Brad Haddin, put on 36 before the burly left-hander headed back to the pavilion for 60.
Ponting departed soon after and the brisk scoring rate began to head south. But Michael Clarke and Andrew Symonds had other plans. They picked the ones and twos and then launched themselves into the Indian attack. The duo forged a critical 123-run partnership before Clarke holed out to Pathan trying to go for the maximum.
Symonds, who had missed out on a century in the last ODI, looked set to get it in this match. He smashed five boundaries and an equal number of sixes before being dismissed for 89 in the last over.
Zaheer Khan, S Sreesanth and Irfan Pathan picked up two wickets each, but they were expensive. Harbhajan Singh sent down the most economical spell, but he did not pick up any wickets.

Lone hand
India's story during the chase was one of climbing a difficult peak. The game was virtually lost when the Aussies had them reeling at 13 for three.
Run-making was difficult as the Aussie fielders choked the singles and plugged all the gaps. Yuvraj started slowly, but settled into a rhythm. But barring a 95-run stand with Sachin Tendulkar and a 65-run partnership with MS Dhoni, Yuvraj played a lone hand.
His 121 was almost 50 per cent of India's total.
Gautam Gambhir, Robin Uthappa and Rahul Dravid were back into the pavilion within the fifth over. Tendulkar, with all his experience, found it difficult to pierce the gaps and was finally bowled by Brad Hogg for 43.
Dhoni started on a brisk note. The skipper and his deputy together provided a ray of hope before Dhoni edged a Brett Lee delivery to Gilchrist. The asking rate had begun to spiral out of control.

Rohit Sharma, who replaced Ramesh Powar in the lineup, failed to make the best of the opportunity and gave Lee the simplest of catches.

Yuvraj was running out of partners and he decided to take on the Aussies single-handedly. He smashed 12 fours and three sixes in his 115-ball knock before Mitchell Johnson uprooted his middle stump with an incisive yorker.

Harbhajan Singh chanced his arm hitting a six and four, but it was too less and too late. Stuart Clark bowled S Sreesanth to bring the curtains down on yet another poor show by the hosts.

Brett Lee and Brad Hogg picked up three wickets each, while Johnson took two.

Ganguly named India's best captain

2007-10-04T05:02:00.001-07:00

Comeback man Sourav Ganguly has been named India's 'Best Captain' in 75 years of Test cricket at the 10th Castrol Awards for Cricketing Excellence in Kochi.
Besides Ganguly, Late CK Nayudu, Late Vinoo Mankad, Nari Contractor, Chandu Borde, Ajit Wadekar, Bishan Singh Bedi, Sunil Gavaskar, Gundappa Viswanath, Sachin Tendulkar and Rahul Dravid were the skippers especially chosen for the recognition.
Nayudu's daughter Chandra and Mankad's son Atul received the awards on behalf of their illustrious fathers.
Anecdotes flew thick and fast at the function.
Contractor recalled how he had gone on to become an opening batsman only because Vinoo Mankad was not available for a Test against New Zealand.
"Polly Umrigar was the captain and he asked me to open. And in the next Test, me and Vinoo opened the innings and that is how I became an opener," he said.
Much to the amusement of those in attendance, Ganguly, known for carrying plenty of bats on tour, quipped, "If you carry one bat now, then you might be dropped from the side for the next match due to lack of commitment."
Bishan Singh Bedi said he was a fan of Sir Gary Sobers and that "he never felt bad when he hit me for boundaries".
Awards were also given to players of six different eras.
Nayudu was honored as the 'Best Indian Cricketer' of the first era 1932-47 while Mankad received the honour for 1947-61.
Former captain Mansur Ali Khan Pataudi received the award for the 1961-71 era. He couldn't make it to the awards gala, but in a recorded message congratulated the Twenty20 World Champions.
Gavaskar, the first batsman to score 10,000 Test runs, and Kapil Dev, the first Indian bowler to take 400 Test wickets, won the award for the 1971-81 and 1981-1997 eras respectively.
Dravid and Tendulkar shared the award for the sixth era - 1997-2007.
Members of the triumphant Twenty20 squad were also felicitated.

Ricky Ponting - I like the aggressiveness of Sreesanth

2007-10-04T04:57:00.000-07:00

India's media Wednesday condemned fast bowler Shanthakumaran Sreesanth's on-field tantrums after he clashed with Australian batsmen, saying there was a "thin line between aggression and antics."
Sreesanth clashed repeatedly with the batsmen during Tuesday's second one-day international in Kochi and even appealed for a run-out against Andrew Symonds after the ball was ruled dead.
The bowler ran up to striker Brad Haddin's feet to collect a ball that bounced off the batsman's pad and eye-balled him inches from his nose.
Non-striker Symonds left his crease to have a word with Sreesanth who promptly dislodged the bails and continued to appeal for a run-out even though umpire Suresh Shastri ruled it a "dead" ball.
Indian captain Mahendra Singh Dhoni prevented the situation from turning ugly by persuading Sreesanth to get on with the game, but the local media was unimpressed.
"Sreesanth's on-field behaviour made little sense," wrote the Hindu newspaper.
"There was little excuse for Sreesanth's exaggerated and provocative celebration when he, subsequently, had Symonds caught and bowled.
"He has (in the past) had his match-fees docked, been spoken to by umpires, but he does not seem to have learnt his lesson.
"He is so much the better paceman when his mind and body are in harmony. Once Sreesanth loses his cool, he is not the same force as a bowler."
Sreesanth has been fined a few times in the past year, the latest for excessive appealing during the semi-final win over Australia at last month's Twenty20 world championships in South Africa.
Australia's stand-in captain Adam Gilchrist, celebrating his team's 84-run victory, said he was shocked by the aggressive on-field behaviour of some players.
"I saw some really hard-fought cricket," said Gilchrist. "There were some comments between different players and that happens.
"I also saw a few things that I would not expect from my son, Harrison, in a backyard game of cricket.
"Sreesanth was quite outspoken about how he was going to take the challenge to us. He's said a lot in the press, and we see it. That's fine. We're not questioning that.
"That's no doubt the way he wants to play cricket. When we get our chance, we will play aggressive cricket too."
Haddin, who was named man of the match for his 69-ball 87, was less diplomatic.
"There is a fine line between stupidity and the spirit of cricket," Haddin said, referring to Sreesanth's run-out appeal against Symonds.
"You can judge for yourself."
The Indian captain chose to play down his fast bowler's behaviour.
"Sreesanth was heated up but he has changed over the last six months," Dhoni said. "He was playing in front of his home crowd and got excited."
With the first match in Bangalore abandoned due to rain, Australia lead 1-0 in what has effectively become a six-match series.
The next match will be played in Hyderabad on Friday.

2nd ODI Update: Australia set India 307 to win

2007-10-02T00:59:00.000-07:00

Australia has once again put on a stiff target for India after losing the toss and batting under damp conditions. After a slow start and early wickets, partnerships held the Aussie innings together. Indian bowlers again failed to wrest the initiative even after picking up wickets at regular intervals. The chase is going to be an engrossing one. Australia are 306/6 (50 overs). India need to chase at the Run Rate of 6.12.

This will be a good testing match for India to win in a 50 over match against Australia.

Keep visiting the site for more Updates.

Wankhede Stadium in problem??

2007-10-01T06:45:00.000-07:00

Gory days are on the anvil for the home of Indian cricket, the Wankhede stadium, which houses the headquarters of the BCCI.The euphoria over welcoming the world champions, Team T20 has given way to damage to the ground that is far more extensive than what meets the eye.

In fact, it could seriously affect preparations for the 7th ODI between India and Australia on October 17. And Nadeem Memnon, a former curator who knows virtually every inch of the ground, isn't too pleased."The main pitch has been damaged and so have the practice pitches. These will probably be repaired but its a sad day for Indian cricket," said Nadeem Memon, Former Curator, Wankhede Stadium.

The grand reception for Team India seems to have run into a fair bit of controversy. First, the charge that the function was hijacked by NCP functionaries and now, the obvious damage to the pitch.For now, the Mumbai Cricket association is putting on a brave front and hoping for quick damage control."We will keep the ground ready, we are more concerned about the rain," said Hemant Waigankar, Joint Secretary, Mumbai Cricket Association.

For now fingers are crossed in the hope that the Wankhede pitch recovers from injury.

India vs Australia: Sourav Ganguly to miss 2nd ODI

2007-10-01T06:23:00.000-07:00

Sourav Ganguly will be rested for the second ODI against Australia at Kochi on Tuesday due to the hamstring injury he picked up during the first match at Bangalore.
BCCI secretary Niranjan Shah said in a statement that the decision was taken after an MRI scan revealed no major injury to the region and therefore "more vigorous rehab approach will be commencing immediately".
He said according to team physio John Gloster's findings, Ganguly was expected to "progress quickly and hence it was decided to give him one game rest".

INDIA are World Twenty20 Champions!!!

2007-09-24T09:41:00.001-07:00

Shahrukh Khan personally congratulates the Indian players one and all. There'll be a party and a half tonight wherever an Indian cricket fan resides.
India receive two million dollars in prize money. Fireworks crackle in the Johannesburg night. "Moments you cherish" says Harsha Bhogle
"The way Joginder bowled was really good" says the captain. "We'll have to keep doing it in Australia."
Agarkar, Chawla, Gambhir, Karthik, Pathan, Pathan, Sehwag, Sharma, Sharma, Singh Singh, Singh, Sreesanth, Dhoni. The World Twenty Champions.
Shahid Afridi is the Player of the Series. He graciously congratulates the Indian players and the Indian nation.
Man of the Match is Irfan Pathan. "Great feeling. Amazing!" says Irfan. "The pitch was a bit on the slow side, i was trying to mix up the pace". "We played as a team, and i think we deserved it"
Pakistan collect their runners up medals. They contributed so much to a cracking final, it's a cliche, but it's a shame someone has to lose. Shoaib Malik apologises for losing but promises the Pakistan fans that they gave "100 per cent".
India are World Twenty20 champions after an epic final against old foes Pakistan. Gautam Gambhir was the hero with the bat, hitting a precious seventy five. RP Singh did the damage with the ball, getting good support from Joginder Sharma and Irfan Pathan. But in all truth, the whole team deserve the plaudits they are receiving now. MS Dhoni has his shirt off, every woman watching on STAR Cricket or ESPN India faints.
20th Over - Sunny Gavaskar gets his wish that this comes down to the final over. What a match. Joginder bowls it. WIDE on the first ball. 11 from six still. SIX! Misbah belts a full toss. Six from four needed. 43 from 37. WICKET! Misbah tries the clever over the shoulder flip, but succeeds in finding Sreesanth and Joginder survives an onslaught. India are World Twenty20 Champions by five runs. Cue the celebrations across the nation.
13 needed.
19th Over - RP Singh's final over. APPEAL Not given by Taufel. Hawkeye disagrees. 18 from nine. 17 from eight. The pressure is palpable. BOWLED HIM! India on the edge of victory now. Umar Gul DUCK! Leg stump gone. Asif in to try to be the hero. FOUR! Asif gets an edge down to fine leg.
Misbah is the key.
18th Over - SIX! Fourth on the trot. Tanvir's first ball is in the crowd. WIDE India under pressure. The run rate is up and down like a fiddler's elbow. SIX! Sohail Tanvir - three balls, two sixes. Brutal. WICKET Tanvir gone! 12 from four balls. Can Pakistan find the men to take them over the line? They're running out. Sree's first wicket. Bowled him. 20 from 12 balls.
Twelve an over needed.
17th Over - SIX! From Misbah off Bhajji. India lost a wicket on 111. Pakistan don't, Misbah hitting another SIX and there's ANOTHER SIX! Bhajji, what are you doing? Full toss gives Misbah all the incentive he needs to crunch one over square leg. Is the worm turning?
16th Over - 59 from 30 balls required. Desperation time for Pakistan. Big over needed. And soon. 100 UP for Pakistan. The second fifty took sixty balls. That'll hurt them. FOUR! Straight drive from Arafat. BOWLED! Irfan catches Arafat slashing across the line. Pathan's final ball bringing his third victim. Top stuff.
15th Over - Reverse sweep from Misbah-ul-Haq. Earns only two from Harbhajan. Only nine fours and two sixes so far from Pakistan. The required rate races through eleven. "Pakistan, you've got to go" says David Lloyd. Oh, he's DROPPED HIM! Arafat picks the full toss, Robin Uthappa had the catch in his hand, but rolling forward the ball pops out of his fingers. Valiant effort. He's getting treatment now.
14th Over - Irfan's third. 68 needed from 38 balls. Pathan has good Test match bowling figures, never mind the bloodbath Twenty20 rates we're used to seeing.
13th Over - Bhajji comes in. Can he turn the screw on Pakistan? Two low full tosses to start, three runs from them. Ten an over needed now. FOUR! Streaky inside edge from Arafat. They all count in this game. Ten from the over. 88 for six.
Irfan has two overs, two wickets for just seven.
12th Over - WICKET Captain Malik gone, eight from 17 balls. Irfan strikes. Afridi in. WICKET The crowd are going mad, the espnstar.com office is going mad. GOLDEN DUCK! Afridi toe ends one, Sreesanth takes a huge catch. "Incredible over" says David Lloyd
11th Over - Malik and Misbah face Joginder. WIDE but Joginder thinks it's a wicket! Simon Taufel stands firm, arms spread eagled. Shahrukh Khan is less than impressed.
10th Over - Irfan comes in. Five off it.
9th Over - Joginder jogs in for his second. WICKET Loose shot from Younus Khan, finding Yusuf Pathan at long on. Joginder strikes!
Danger man Afridi waits in the wings for Pakistan.
8th Over - Yusuf Pathan comes in before Harbhajan to bowl. Pressure on the youngster. Can the mystery factor benefit Yusuf? Five off the over. Good work. 95 from 72 needed.
7th Over - Joginder Sharma brings his right arm medium fast into play. FOUR! Through extra cover by Khan, lovely stroke. 100 needed from 80 balls. 58 for three.
6th Over - A quick outfield makes a mug of Harbhajan chasing. Sree struggling with his lines. Nazir struggling with his hamstring? FOUR! Younus' third boundary. 50 UP. What a shy at the stumps by Robin, as Nazir is run out for 33. He should have taken a runner. Captain Malik comes to the crease.
5th Over - RP hopes to continue the hot streak. FOUR! Nazir has 32 from 13. He takes advantage of the free hit, belting a full toss for FOUR MORE! Thirteen off the over, 44 for two. Evenly poised is this. India were 40 for one.
4th Over - Sree better in his second. Four dots balls to start. Make that five. Younus is "out of sorts" reckons Michael Slater. Fabulous over from Sree, it's a MAIDEN
3rd Over - Honours even at the moment. One wicket for India, one huge over for Pakistan. RP Singh continues. WICKET! What a ball from RP, an inswinger has Akmal's off stump cartwheeling across the Wanderers. Akmal gone for a DUCK! "Great rhythm" says Ravi Shastri of RP Singh right now. Younus Khan off the mark. Nazir FOUR punishing the wide ball from RP. Six off the over, one wicket too.
2nd Over - S Sreesanth starts badly, Nazir smashing his first ball for FOUR. Huge SIX! Ten from the first two balls, Nazir has just belted that into the crowd. 88 metres on the six. SIX MORE! Nightmare start from Sree. These short boundaries will punish the short balls, and Sree is way too short. FOUR MORE! Short and wide from Sree, Imran Nazir needs no second, third, fourth invite, and he just belts it away. 21 off the over. Gulp.
Kamran Akmal in at two.
1st Over - Hafeez off the mark with the first ball. Bit of swing for RP. That's encouraging. Nazir single off the third ball. "Everything needs to go right for India" says Ian Chappell. Well that's a great start! WICKET Hafeez flashes at one from RP and it's gobbled up at first slip by Uthappa.
The run rate is 7.9
The India team huddle before their final fling at glory. MS Dhoni needs a Churchillian speech to rouse his troops one last time. Here we go. Hafeez and Nazir are the Pakistani openers. RP Singh opens the bowling.
Umar Gul outstanding with the ball. Can India defend 157?
20th Over - Six deliveries remain. Tanvir will bowl them. He's gone for just 15 from three. Two off the first ball. Is 160 possible? SIX! Rohit belts one, Hafeez palms the ball over the rope. 150 UP. Single off another yorker. Pakistan's line and length has been impeccible today. Final ball - two runs. India hit 157, way off of MS Dhoni's 180. "A good total" thinks Lloyd.
19th Over - Arafat taking a beating from Rohit now. Two SUCCESSIVE FOURS off the first two. More more more please. Good running sees Rohit pick up two more. 16 from ten now. Crucial runs. Arafat on top towards the end of the over. 13 off the over.
18th Over - Gul's final over. He's been the pick so far. "Nothing happening from India" asys David Lloyd cancelling his holiday in Mumbai any time in the near future. SIX! The scoreboard is under attack from Gautam over square leg and over the short boundary. 11 fours and three sixes. More needed. Oh no! WICKET off the final ball of Gul's spell. And that's what he's had India under. Gambhir tries a cheeky flick over his shoulder and only finds Asif hiding in the shadows. 75 for Gautam off 54 balls.
Three overs remain. Come on India, time to pick it up. Gambhir is the key. 68 from 51.
17th Over - Yasir Arafat comes in. some of the greats of the all conquering West Indies team of the eighties are here, admiring the fabulous bowling effort from Pakistan. "India quiet in the crowd" says Bumble Lloyd. Six off that one, 120 for four.
16th Over - "They've gotta go have India" says David Lloyd. Umar Gul with the dangerous BEAMER! He apologises immediately to MS Dhoni. No malice in that. WICKET Dhoni inside edge and he's pulled out his own leg stump, six from ten balls a poor return from the captain. India in trouble. Rohit Sharma in. "How's your toes?" says Bumble as Gul puts in a corker of a yorker to Rohit. "Outstanding, super bowling" from Gul. 114 for four.
15th Over - Afridi's final over. "Dhoni struggling for timing" proffers Slater. Five off the over, just what Pakistan needed. They are definately in the ascendancy. Can India kick on in the home straight?
"Nicely balanced" says Michael Slater
14th Over - FOUR Gambhir is on fire at the moment. 60 from 42. Great timing and placement through cover. 100 UP for India. WICKET Umar Gul gets the danger man, but Yuvraj was no danger today. Caught and bowled. Yuvraj very much off colour today. Captain Dhoni comes in. 105 for three after 14 overs.
13th Over - 50 PARTNERSHIP but it's mostly Gambhir. When will yuvraj start launching the ball? FOUR! More from Gautam. He's on 55 now. Hafeez is the man taking a punishing. Nine off the over.
12th Over - Umar Gul into the attack. Top over from Gul, only seven from it. Gambhir makes it a decent over for India with a FOUR from the fifth ball. FIFTY for Gambhir. If India win this it will because they've had a good start.
11th Over - Yuvraj needs to pick up the pace. Geoff Lawson thinks this could be "the calm before the storm" for India. FOUR Yuvraj finds his form, blasting through mid on. SIX! Gambhir joins the party, the word has gone out to pick up the run rate. 82 for two. 13 off this over.
10th Over - The slower pace continues to trouble the big hitting Yuvraj. Good captaincy by Malik. FOUR! Gambhir is getting his eye in very nicely now. FOUR MORE Through extra cover, GG becomes the second highest scorer in the tournament. 39 from 31.
9th Over - Afridi continues. "Beautifully placed and timed" says Nasser as Gambhir cuts one through the covers. 29 off 27 so far. Eight off the over.
"Good start from Pakistan" says Nasser Hussain. A great shot from GG, FOUR off Hafeez. 50 UP for India. Only five off the over.
7th Over - Yuvraj off the mark, shockingly with a single. Afridi's lack of pace might be confusing Singh. CHANCE A poor throw from the field, Gambhir gets back in time.
Can Afridi do more damage with the ball? First bowling change.
6th Over - "Perfect conditions" says Nasser Hussain. Robin is gone. WICKET Uthappa bottom edges one to Afridi, he doesn't have to move and Robin has just eight from 11 balls. Yuvraj surprises by coming out at four. Forty for two.
5th Over - Asif's third. He's been expensive so far, but made the breakthrough. FOUR over the top of mid off from Robin. Lovely shot. His first boundary. 39 for one.
7th Over - More Tanvir. "Slippery" is Rameez Raja's opinion of Sohail. Contact between Gambhir and Tanvir. It's hotter than a chicken vindaloo out there. Seven off the over, 33 for one.
Deep breath.
3rd Over - Asif continues. FOUR! "Power shot" says Bumble Lloyd as Pathan crashes one through point. WICKET! Pathan lets his inexperience get the better off him and skies one. Asif has his man. Shoaib Malik takes the catch. Uthappa in at three. APPEAL Gambhir under the cosh from Asif. Down leg that one.
2nd Over - Sohail Tanvir to take the second over. He starts poorly, single then wide. Nerves are jangling. FOUR! Gambhir tickles one to fine leg. "They look nervous" David Lloyd says of Pakistan. Twenty for no loss after two.
1st Over - Incredible start, Yusuf is nearly run out on the first ball but the 3rd Umpire gives him a second life. He would have been out, without facing a ball, in his first match! The World Twenty20 final no less. SIX! What a start for Yusuf, straight and true off Mohammad Asif. Three more follow. Great start. Thirteen off the first.
Sunil Gavaskar has said he "doesn't care who wins." Do we believe him?
The atmosphere is electric with both sets of fans mingling in the sold out, 32,000 capacity Wanderers stadium in Johannesburg. The flags are flying, the dancers are limbering up and Yusuf Pathan and Gautam Gambhir will open for India. Can they set a big enough total for the Pakistanis and walk away with India's first World title since 1983?
The inaugural World Twenty20 pits old foes India versus Pakistan in a subcontinet shootout to crown the first World champions in the shortest version of the game. India won the toss and will set the target for Pakistan to chase down. Bring it on!
India opener Virender Sehwag has failed a fitness test, and will be replaced by Yusuf Pathan. Pakistan make one change, with Yasir Arafat replacing fellow all-rounder Fawad Alam.

Pakistan: Hafeez, Nazir, Younis Khan, Misbah -ul-Haq, Malik, Afridi, Akmal, Arafat, Tanvir, Gul, Asif

India: Gambhir, Uthappa, Yuvraj, Irfan Pathan, Dhoni, Sharma, Yusuf Pathan, Harbhajan, J Sharma, Sreesanth, RP Singh

Umpires: M R Benson, S J A Taufel

SOURCE: EspnStar

Yuvraj: India-Pakistan is a dream final

2007-09-23T09:52:00.001-07:00

India's man with the magical wand Yuvraj Singh Saturday said "India, Pakistan in a final is a dream coming true".
He said it was something that everyone always looked forward to and it was "great" that it was finally happening at such a big stage.
Yuvi was also kicked about beating Australia. "It's a big thing to beat Australia. It's a great team victory and a very important phase of our life."
Recounting the days after the team came back from the Caribbean earlier this year, he said: "We lost in the World Cup and we had to hear a lot of things. This is a special occasion."
He dismissed questions about his elbow injury, saying "There was a lot of pain but I wanted to play. It doesn't matter how much it was hurting, we won and that's what matters."
The lad from Chandigarh said he was "playing positively" and that he had "got in to a groove".
"You can't bat like this in 50 overs, you have to play like like this in 20 overs."
Source: EspnStar

Star of the match: India vs Australia

2007-09-23T09:51:00.000-07:00

2nd Semi-Final: India versus Australia
Yuvraj Singh (70 runs from 30 balls)

India’s leading light walked out in front of a packed house at the Kingsmead in Durban with his head held high. He was returning from injury, hadn’t played in the previous match against South Africa and was raring to go!
The tournament’s highest wicket-taker Stuart Clark was gearing up to bowl. The very first ball was a deliberate bouncer – in an attempt to push the insistent batsman to the back-foot. Ball number two was once again pitched short of length – WHACK! Yuvraj doesn’t hesitate to swivel and let the ball soar over the top. That’s it! He had sent the memo loud and clear to the grand Australians. He was here to engage in recreation and give his team the desired thrust.
Brett Lee was the next target in this dismissive display of batting by the Indian vice-captain. Lee’s pace made it all the more easier for him to generate faster bat speed and in return he struck the biggest six of the tournament - 119 meters! He broke Misbah-ul-Haq’s record. The irony – Lee was the same bowler who was struck for the previous biggest six.
Nathan Bracken, Andrew Symonds, and Michael Clarke – they all tasted the ill effects of bowling to this man, especially on this night. Remember, India was crawling at 60-2 at the end of ten overs. Yuvraj’s innings ensured India amassed an incredible 128 runs in the second half of their innings.
Yuvraj brought up his half-century off just 20 balls by lofting Stuart Clark for his fourth six. Overall, he struck 5 massive sixes and 5 beautifully struck boundaries in his innings of 70 runs from 30 balls. It was right up there with Chris Gayle’s innings at Johannesburg as the innings of the tournament. Also, the stylish left-handed batsman is number two in the list of maximum sixes belted in the tournament – 11, just behind Craig McMillan who hit 12.
He got competent support from Robin Uthappa (34) and Mahendra Singh Dhoni (36) who ensured that he could play his strokes freely and didn’t have to worry about stabilizing the innings. He was given an exclusive license to thrill the crowd at Kingsmead and in the process give the knockout punch to the ODI World Champions.
Eventually, it was an appropriate end when Yuvraj Singh took the catch to dismiss the dangerous Michael Hussey in the very last over – discarding Australia’s chances of winning the match.
Source: EspnStar

World T20: India down Australia, meet Pakistan in final

2007-09-23T09:02:00.000-07:00

DURBAN (AFP) - India stunned favourites Australia by 15 runs at Durban on Saturday to set up a mouth-watering final against Pakistan in the Twenty20 world championships.

Yuvraj Singh smashed 70 off 30 balls as India, electing to take first strike at the jam-packed Kingsmead, made a challenging 188-5 and then restricted Australia to 173-7 in a rousing semi-final.

Australia, needing 27 off the last 12 balls, were kept down to five runs in the 19th over bowled by left-arm seamer Rudra Pratap Singh and six runs in Joginder Sharma's last over.

Sharma, who was hammered for 31 runs in his first two overs, was gambled for the final over by Indian captain Mahendra Singh Dhoni and came good with two wickets at the end.

Opener Matthew Hayden hit 62 off 47 balls and Andrew Symonds scored a 26-ball 43 during a rollicking third wicket stand of 66 that came off just 37 deliveries.

Australia, coasting at 134-2 by the 15th over, lost five wickets for 39 runs to hand India a famous win before some 19,000 delirious South African fans waving the Indian flag.

Seamer Shanthakumaran Sreesanth shone with the ball taking 2-12 off his four overs. Irfan Pathan and Sharma also claimed two wickets each.

The final at the Wanderers in Johannesburg on Monday will be the first major title clash between India and Pakistan since the limited-overs world championship of cricket in Melbourne in 1985.

"I think there were certain crucial moments in the game that India played better than us and deserved to win," said Australian captain Adam Gilchrist, standing in for the injured Ricky Ponting.

"This game shows that if you have runs on the board you can put the other team under pressure and India did it very well tonight."

Dhoni said his team was delighted to prove critics wrong.

"I think everyone said Australia were the favourites and I am glad we proved them wrong," the Indian captain said.

"Once we posted a reasonable total, I knew we could win even when Hayden and Symonds were scoring so heavily.

"I just told Joginder before the final over to bowl as if he was bowling in a domestic match and not a world championship semi-final.

"I told him that you have faced such situations in domestic matches and done well, so there was no reason why you can't do it again. God bless him, it worked out well."

Left-handed Yuvraj, who smashed England fast bowler Stuart Broad for six sixes in a over on Wednesday, hit five sixes and as many boundaries to boost India's total.

Dhoni chipped in with 36 off 18 balls as India plundered 128 runs in the final 10 overs after a slow start.

Yuvraj and Robin Uthappa (34) hammered 84 for the third wicket off just 40 deliveries after India had plodded to 41-2 by the eighth over.

Yuvraj walked in after openers Virender Sehwag (nine) and Gautam Gambhir (24) had fallen against the tight Australian seam bowling.

Yuvraj took charge immediately, slamming the first delivery he faced from Stuart Clark for six over square-leg.

Symonds' first over, the 11th of the innings, produced 19 runs as Yuvraj helped himself to a six and four and Uthappa pulled a short ball for six.

Yuvraj brought up his half-century off 20 balls by lofting Clark for his fourth six and Uthappa celebrated his partner's feat by smashing two consecutive sixes off Mitchell Johnson.
Source: EspnStar

Sports Nite Live: Barclays Premier League

2007-09-23T09:01:00.000-07:00

39min - Man United DENIED Vidic manages to squeeze in between Terry and Ben Haim for the freekick but his bullet header is stop point blank by Cech. Man United 0-0 Chelsea
72min - Berbatov is substituted by Darren Bent. Seems Jol is planning for a direct approach. Bolton 1-1 Tottenham
32min - Mikel is off! Obi is judged to have stamped the feet of Evra and the referee harshly sends the promising midfielder off. Chelsea down to ten men! Man United 0-0 Chelsea
70min - Bolton denied Kevin Davies' header is goal-bound straight at Paul Robinson. Bolton 1-1 Tottenham
66min - Martin Jol issues a grim look as Meite denies Tottenham a goal off Berbatov.
18min - Man United have a legitimate penalty waved off as Evra steals the ball at the halfway line and sprints to Cech's goal, only to be brought down from behind by Joe Cole. But the referee judges that Cole got the ball and elects not to give the penalty. Man United 0-0 Chelsea
14min - Shevchenko runs half the length of the field, fending off three defenders on the way. Man United's centreback converge on the Ukrainian and Shevchenko correctly lays the ball for the trailer, but Makelele fumbles the ball. Man United 0-0 Chelsea
9min - Chelsea MISS Shevchenko gets the ball on the edge of the area and works his way into a shot that curls wide and does not bother Van der Sar. Man United 0-0 Chelsea
4min - Both Man United and Chelsea lack a genuine centre-forward in the match and it shows as long balls into the box and rendered useless by both 'keepers. Man United 0-0 Chelsea

1min - And the clash of the titans has begun. Man United try to draw first blood as Rooney curls in a blinder, but Cech swats the ball into the stands! Man United 0-0 Chelsea
Fulltime Villa win as Everton fail to convert their chances. Funny thing is, Agbonlahor ends up in a scuffle with Marlon Harewood at the end, and Philip Neville steps in to be peace maker!
90min - The Aston Villa-Everton game is drawing to a close as the Villa 18-yard area is under siege.
38min - Bolton GOAL Ivan Campo heads in the equaliser from a El-Hadji Diouf freekick. Bolton 1-1 Tottenham.

Magic Moment of the Day: World T20 on Sept 22

2007-09-23T08:58:00.000-07:00

The first thrilling moment of the day came when Pakistan captain Shoaib Malik stroked a tremendous sixer to take his team to victory in grand style. The Asian giants confirmed their berth in the grand finale of the ICC World Twenty20 – it was almost fitting that their captain hit the winning runs.

India and Australia geared up for a taxing contest at the Kingsmead in Durban. India drew first blood, courtesy an astonishing innings from Indian vice-captain Yuvraj Singh, who hit a 20-ball half-century to guide his team to a cut-throat total of 188 and the Australians were immediately on the back foot.

Matthew Hayden and Adam Gilchrist responded in style, like they do on nine out of ten occasions. Later it was Andrew Symonds’ turn to bludgeon the inexperienced Indian bowlers to all corners of the ground, striking the ball so hard that the target had fallen to just 55 runs from the final six overs.

India were hoping for an inspiration from somewhere – in the form of a tight over, a brilliant catch, a run-out… something to lift the spirits, that had fallen so rapidly. Hayden had almost demoralized the young Indian bowling attack.

There was one man in the Indian attack who thought otherwise – he was never this pumped up. It was RP Singh in the match against South Africa and someone had to raise their hands and stake claim – it was the night of young Kerala pace bowler Shanthakumaran Sreesanth to come to the party.

In his very first delivery, he bowled a loose full toss to the tournament’s highest run-scorer Matthew Hayden – was smacked for a boundary, which came as no surprise whatsoever. The lively fast bowler was not willing to give up.

He bowled quite immaculately to the aggressive Australian batsman, containing and frustrating them. Eventually, the magical moment came when he around the stumps and powered in a quick fire yorker length delivery. Hayden was targeting an expansive stroke but his stumps were uprooted. It was Sreesanth’s comeback over and in more ways than none it was the turning point of the match.

It was Sreesanth’s hostility that set up the famous victory for India. His overall figures, quite impeccable, he conceded only 12 runs from his quota of four overs and claimed the priceless wickets of Adam Gilchrist and Matthew Hayden.
Source: EspnStar

India knock-out South Africa to make semis

2007-09-20T23:10:00.000-07:00

India romped into the semi-finals of the Twenty20 World Cup after comprehensively beating South Africa by 37 runs in the concluding Super Eights match of the tournament in Durban on Thursday.

R P Singh turned in a superb bowling performance, claiming four wickets for 13 runs after Rohit Sharma's unbeaten 50 bailed the team out from a precarious position, to enable India top its group ahead of New Zealand and South Africa on run-rate.
South Africa could have made it to Saturday's semi-finals had they put up at least 125 on the board, but chasing India's total of 153 for 5 they could only muster 116 for 9 in their 20 overs.

Earlier, Australia thrashed Sri Lanka by ten wickets in another do-or-die match to take second place behind Pakistan in the other group.

Winning the toss and deciding to bat first, India were in dire straits at 33 for three in the sixth over, but an 85-run stand for the fifth wicket between Sharma and skipper Mahendra Singh Dhoni [Images] propped the team to a fighting total.
India were without the services of Yuvraj Singh architect of Wednesday's sensational victory over England who sat out because of an elbow injury.
The 20-year old Sharma, who made his debut just 24 hours ago against England but did not get to bat, batted sensibly and with controlled aggression to remain unbeaten on 50. He posted his half century in style, pulling the last ball of the innings from Johan van der Wath for a six over square leg. He faced 40 balls and hit seven fours and two sixes.

Dhoni, who came in at number six, batted in customary fashion to score a quickfire 45 off 33 balls before being run-out in the final over. He hit four fours and one six.

India's fifth wicket pair took 55 balls to add 85 crucial runs.

Shaun Pollock 2/17) was the most successful bowler for South Africa.
Indian openers Gautam Gambhir [Images] (19) and Virender Sehwag [Images] (11) made a cautious start, putting on 32 runs for the opening wicket in 4.4 overs before disaster struck.

In a sensational turnaround, India lost three wickets -- those of Gambhir (19), Dinesh Karthik (0) and Sehwag (11) -- in four balls and were reeling at 33 for 3.

Gambhir tried to go over the top off Pollock but succeeded only in presenting an easy catch to Graeme Smith [Images] at mid-off in the fifth over.

Karthik, who came in next, was out first ball, flicking Pollock straight to square leg.

Then, in the next over, Sehwag edged Ntini to wicketkeeper Mark Boucher [Images].

Robin Uthappa (15) began audaciously with a pulled six off Johan van der Wath in the eighth over before being dropped off the same bowler in his next over when Vernon Philander grassed a skier at mid-on. He celebrated his escape by hitting the bowler over cover for another boundary.

However, his innings was cut short in the 11th over when he hit Albie Morkel to mid-off only to find the ball sail into the hands of Graeme Smith.

At 61 for four in the 11th over, Sharma and Dhoni joined forces to give the total some respectability.

The pair kept the score board moving and punished the bad balls before turning on the heat in the last four overs that realised 52 runs.

Morne Morkel went for 18 runs in the 17th over, Dhoni hitting him for a six over mid-wicket.

The next over from van der Wath produced 12 runs as Sharma hit his first six over mid-wicket.

The pair struck some handy boundaries in the death before Sharma ended the innings in style, pulling van der Wath for the maximum to complete his maiden half-century.

Defending a not-so-impressive target, the Indian bowlers decided to have a go at the hosts and R P Singh led the way with a two-wicket burst in his first over.

His first delivery trapped Herschelle Gibbs (1) and the fourth kissed Graeme Smith's blade before nestling into the gloves of an airborne Karthik, who dived full length to his left to pull off an absolute stunner.

South Africa had slumped to 12 for two and the worse was yet to come.

S Sreesanth then joined the party and AB de Villiers was beaten by the pace as the delivery struck his pad in front of the wicket and Simon Taufel had no qualms upholding the appeal.

Lot depended on Justin Kemp (5) but Rohit Sharma's brilliant piece of fielding meant it was not to be his day.

Boucher had pushed it to off-side and set out for a single when the fielder swooped on the ball and broke the stumps with a direct hit with Kemp yet to make his ground.

And it was double whammy in the sixth over as R P Singh crashed the fifth delivery through Shaun Pollock's (0) gate. The hosts had lost top half of their batting order with the score reading a mere 31.

Boucher (36, 41b, 4x4) and Morkel (36,) stemmed the rot with Boucher, hitting Harbhajan Singh for three fours in a row in the 13th over. However, in the 17th over, he dragged a Sreesanth delivery onto his stumps to end the 69-run stand.

Harbhajan had Vernon Philander stumped in the next over and R P Singh then returned to dismiss Morkel and end South Africa's hopes.

666666 by Yuvraj

2007-09-19T11:24:00.000-07:00

Today Yuvraj Singh had a Blast in Durban Ground.
Today was the day of records...... Yuvraj made fastest 50 in just 12 balls, He hit 6 sixes in 6 balls.
Today India won the toss and chose to Bat first.
Sehwag & Ghambir gave a cracking start to India which was followed by Yuvraj Sing & Dhoni at the end.
Pictures & Videos will be added soon.

Pak qualified for Semi-Final, Will India qualify?

2007-09-19T01:24:00.000-07:00

Pakistan won two consecutive matches against Sri Lanka & Australia. Though Australia lost to Pakistan, i think they will qualify for Semi finals.
Today India should really bat and bowl well to reach Semi final.
In A group (India, New Zealand, South Africa, England) New Zealand has qualified for finals and in B group (Australia, Pakistan, Sri Lanka, Bangladesh) Pakistan has Qualified.

For Detail Info log onto: http://www.thetwenty20cup.co.uk/

World T20: India face tough task to qualify for semi-finals

2007-09-18T03:00:00.000-07:00

Singapore (espnstar.com) - Harsha Bhogle, the voice of India cricket, thinks India’s bowlers have to buck up their bowling or else India will not make it to the semi-finals of the World Twenty20 championships.

Following India’s defeat by New Zealand, the ESPN STAR Sports commentator for the World Twenty20, felt that the India lost the game during two key periods.

“It’s very clear India lost this match in two phases,” remarked Bhogle after the numbing 10-run defeat to New Zealand that puts a place in the semi finals in real jeopardy. “Batting wise, I think India lost the game in the middle overs, and for the bowling, in the final overs. “

While Bhogle is confident India’s batsmen will learn from their mistakes, he is worried about India’s bowlers as this championships progress. In the 10 runs loss to New Zealand, Ajit Agarkar was 0-40, Yurvraj Singh 1-38 and S Sreesanth 1-37.

“India didn’t have bowlers to bowl at the death,” said Bhogle. “In the game against Pakistan at Durban, 39 runs came from 13 balls - that game should never have been tied. And here, India had New Zealand where they wanted, the Kiwis were looking at scoring 160/170 and then the last five overs cost 78 runs.”

Bhogle believes the problems are similar to those seen on the Tour of England, while the batting department is also showing fragility. “That 190 target is actually ‘gettable’ if India start well, and remember we did get a start. After six overs there were 76 in the board, and the asking rate was down to under eight an over. But India were worried about losing wickets and, as a result, I thought they concentrated too hard on keeping their wicket. That’s not such a bad thing in itself, but when you do that you have to ensure that the people who are concentrating on keeping their wicket intact are batting all the way through to the end. And that didn’t happen for India. “

“Without a doubt, it will now be very hard for India to go on and qualify for the semi finals from here,” he added.

Liverpool: Angry Benitez defends rotation policy

2007-09-18T02:59:00.000-07:00

OPORTO (AFP) - Liverpool manager Rafa Benitez launched a scathing attack on critics of his rotation policy as he prepared to ring the changes again for his side's Champions League opener at Porto on Tuesday.

Benitez was given a rough ride by many pundits for starting Saturday's Premier League match at Portsmouth without Steven Gerrard, Fernando Torres, Dirk Kuyt and Ryan Babel.

The Spaniard's gamble didn't pay off as Liverpool were held to a goalless draw that cost them their place at the top of the English league.

But Benitez insists he had to rest his stars because of the intense schedule they have been subjected to in the last two weeks.

Gerrard played twice in five days for England despite being troubled by a broken toe, while the rest of the squad were scattered around the globe on international duty.

Benitez believes rotation is the only way to keep the Reds fresh as they try to end their 18-year wait to win the league title, as well as competing in Europe.

He is set to carry on tinkering by bringing back Gerrard, Kuyt and Torres at the Dragao Stadium as Liverpool start their bid to reach a third Champions League final in four years.

"We know when you change players, especially the big names, people will talk about your rotation system," Benitez said.

"You hear people taking about it on the televison but they cannot know. It is a surprise to me when you can hear some professionals talking like this without analysing the situation.

"It is the managers decision. It's not too early to change players. It's the time between the games.

"In september they will be fitter than January of course, but travelling all around the world is the problem.

"I was talking to (Dirk) Kuyt on the way here. He was saying to me that some of the players having been saying to him that they were really tired.

"If you lose a player for one month or two months because they are tired that is worse."

Magic Moment of the Day: World T20 on Sept 17

2007-09-18T02:58:00.002-07:00

Day seven of the ICC World Twenty20 featured only one match – between Asian rivals Pakistan and Sri Lanka. The stage was set for a thrilling contest.

The match could have swung either way until the last four overs, when Pakistan had eventually gained a firm grip over it. The Pakistan new ball bowlers Asif and Tanvir started to lose their rhythm and so did off-spinner Mohammad Hafeez.

It took an inspirational performance from star all-rounder Shahid Afridi to get Pakistan the needed result. The leg-spinner was introduced within the first ten overs. He snapped the all important wicket of Jayawardena in his second over itself.

The 12th over of the Sri Lankan innings witnessed some magic – it was undoubtedly the highlight of the night. Afridi was smacked for two fours in a space of three deliveries by Chamara Silva. The batsman was unbeaten on 38 – batting aggressively, providing a glimmer of hope for Sri Lanka.

It was the fifth delivery of the over when Afridi produced a thrilling delivery – it was a yorker length ball that clipped the middle stump of the batsman. The middle-order batsman was bamboozled by the pace at which the events transpired.

There was an instant when everyone was unsure about Afridi being a leg-break bowler or a fast bowler. His ability to bowl a fast paced yorker is unique and keeps the batsmen on their toes at all times
.

Cricket: Dravid says he was not enjoying the captaincy

2007-09-18T02:58:00.001-07:00

Prolific Indian batsman Rahul Dravid has revealed that he quit as Indian skipper because he was no longer enjoying the captaincy, a report said on Monday.

The 34-year-old batsman took the cricketing world by surprise when he announced Friday that he was stepping down from the post.

The Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) issued a statement which said Dravid had taken the step because he wanted to concentrate on his batting.

Dravid chose to remain mum but finally broke his silence on Monday.

"I had done the job for two years and they have been a pretty eventful couple of years. Obviously it takes a lot out of you and I felt that I was not enjoying it," Dravid was quoted as saying by the Press Trust of India.

"The decision was personal and based on my observation of whether I would be able to give it my very best, like I have always tried to.

"Finally, you have to be comfortable yourself that you will be giving it your best and not going through the motions, which will not be fair to the team."

The 34-year-old batsman, however, refused to comment on who should step into the skipper's shoes.

Veteran Sachin Tendulkar and the younger Mahendra Singh Dhoni have emerged as frontrunners for the job. The selectors will choose a new man at a meeting in Mumbai on Tuesday.

"I obviously will not like to comment on it and it is a decision best left to the selectors," said Dravid.

Chelsea: Mourinho's injury insights before Rosenborg game

2007-09-18T02:56:00.000-07:00

LONDON (AFP) - Jose Mourinho gave an insight into how he tends an injury-hit squad after revealing both Didier Drogba and Frank Lampard would not play in Tuesday's Champions League match against Rosenborg.

Chelsea seem certain to start the Champions League Group B match at Stamford Bridge with Andriy Shevchenko and Saloman Kalou in the forward positions, though neither player have made electrifying starts to their Premier League campaigns as Mourinho's side struggled for goals.

Mourinho should not be unduly troubled by the Norwegian club, but perhaps a more pressing concern for him will be the forthcoming league fixture against Manchester United on Sunday.

In the meantime, the Portuguese coach must juggle his squad further after receiving news that Peruvian striker Claudio Pizarro will also miss the game with a calf injury.

"If you have no eggs, you have no omelette," said Mourinho. "And it also depends on the quality of the eggs. In the supermarket you have class one eggs, and you also have class two and class three.

"Some are more expensive than others and they give you better omelettes. Sometimes the class one eggs are not in Waitrose (an English supermarket) so you don't go there.