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Playing four spinners will come handy especially in second innings: Jadeja

Sports

Dec 132012

Nagpur: Debutant all rounder Ravindra Jadeja feels that India’s plan of going in with four spinners at the cost of a quick bowler is a good strategy and will pay off for the team in the second innings.

“Four spinners will come in handy later in the game especially in the second innings. Currently wicket is not offering much help to any kind of bowlers butI think spinners will get more and more help as the game progresses,” Jadeja said after the end of first day play of the fourth Test here today.

Jadeja dished out a decent performance with the ball as he dismissed Jonathan Trott and the half centurion Kevin Pietersen.

The Saurasthra player said that India were aiming to bowl out England for something between 300 and 350 on Friday.

“The less number of runs we give the better it will be for us. Ball will start turning on day two or three. As footmarks, develop ball will starting turning more. We will have restrict them to 300-350.”

Talking about the wicket condition, he said, “There is no turn on offer. It’s flat and very slow. Fast bowlers are also finding it difficult to bowl. No turn for spinners and bounce is low. Key to on this wicket is to bowl stump-to-stump and not give them easy runs and boundaries so that they play wrong shots and get out.”

By Indian Sports News Network

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indian sports news
ravindra jadeja

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India beat arch-rivals Pakistan to win inaugural Blind T20 World Cup

Sports

Dec 132012

Bangalore: A spirited India beat arch-rivals Pakistan by 30 runs to annex the T20 World Cup for the sightless at the Central College ground in Bangalore on Thursday.

Batting first India scored 258 runs for eight wickets in the stipulated 20 overs before restricting Pakistan Pakistan to 228 runs for eight wickets in their 20 overs to lift the inaugural edition of the tournament.

For the men in blue, Ketan Bhai Patel hit a blitzy 98, while Prakash Jayaramaiah and Ajay Kumar Reddy chipped in with and 25 respectively.

For Pakistan, it was Mohammed Jameel who top-scored with 47 while Ali Murthaza and Mohammad Akram contributed 38 and 32 respectively.

By Indian Sports News Network

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indian sports news
t20 world cup for the sightless

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Pietersen leads England to 199/5 at stumps on day one

Sports

Dec 132012

Nagpur: Some fine bowling performance from Indian bowlers and some resilient batting from the England batsmen saw the visitors score 199/5 at stumps on day one of the fourth Test being played at Vidarbha Cricket Association Stadium, Jamtha, Nagpur here today.

Indian bowlers did really well to take five wickets on the pitch where the ball was not coming on the bat. England in the day scored at a little 2 runs per over in what was a slow day of Test cricket. Indian team were well ahead of the over-rate the entire rate and ended up bowling 97 overs in the day.

Earlier in the day, England captain Alastair Cook won the toss and decided to bat first on a pitch that was covered with cracks before the start.

England had two changes in their squad with Steven Finn and Samit Patel being replaced by Tim Bresnan and Joe Root.

India too had two changes, with Zaheer Khan and Yuvraj Singh missing out their places to Piyush Chawla and Ravindra Jadeja.

Cook and Nick Compton have done well as an opening pair in the series but they failed in this match. Compton (3) was the first man to get out when he edged a rising delivery from Sharma and Dhoni completed an easy catch. Jonathan Trott got a lucky break when the umpire denied an appeal, with the replays showing that he was out.

But, Ishant got lucky in his next over when Cook (1) was adjudged leg before wicket when the ball was clearly missing the stumps.

Trott and Kevin Pietersen then played good cricket to put up an unbeaten stand of 45 runs to take England to lunch on 61/2.

The post lunch session saw the two not-out batsmen Jonathan Trott and Pietersen playing well. Together the two took the score past the 100 run-mark and Pietersen completing his half-century. But Trott soon got out shouldering arms to gift Ravindra Jadeja his first international wicket.

Ian Bell’s struggle continued as he looked extremely nervous in the middle and eventually got out to Piyush Chawla scoring one run from 28 deliveries that he faced. England finished the afternoon session at 133/4.

Pietersen unbeaten on 68 started the evening session in style hitting the first delivery to the cover boundary. Indian bowlers continued bowling in good areas and were rewarded when Pietersen picked out Ojha standing at short mid-wicket of the bowling of Jadeja.

England at 139 for five were desperate for a good partnership and that’s exactly what they got as Root and Matt Prior held their ends together. Both batsmen dropped anchor and waited for bad deliveries. Together the two added 60 runs in 177 balls that they faced together.

Root (31*) and Prior (34*) will begin the proceedings for the visitors on day two.

Brief Score:

England: 199/5 in 97 overs (Pietersen 73, Trott 44, Ishant Sharma 2-32)

By Indian Sports News Network

Tags:
alastair cook
kevin pietersen
matt prior
ms dhoni
piyush chawla
ravindra jadeja

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India vs England T20s: Vinay Kumar replaces injured Balaji

Sports

Dec 132012

New Delhi: Karnataka captain Vinay Kumar replaced paceman L Balaji in the Indian Twenty20 squad for the two matches against England. Balaji suffered a foot injury which will keep him out of the matches.

“L Balaji has suffered a stress injury to his right big toe, and has been ruled out of the T20 International series against England, as a result. The All-India Senior Selection Committee has picked R Vinay Kumar as his replacement in the Indian team,” Sanjay Jagdale, BCCI secretary in a statement.

Vinay Kumar has been in good wicket-taking form in the domestic circuit. The first T20 will be played on December 20 in Pune and the second in Mumbai on Dec. 22.

By Indian Sports News Network

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Yuki and Somdev get wild card for Chennai Open

Sports

Dec 132012

Chennai: Star Indian tennis players, Somdev Devvarman, and Yuki Bhambri, have been awarded wild card entries into the main draw of the Aircel Chennai Open 2013.

The tournament will be held at the SDAT Nungambakkam Tennis Stadium from December 31, 2012 to January 6, 2013.

Somdev and Yuki join an impressive field, which includes four players from the Top 20 in the world. Apart from the Czech Republic’s Tomas Berdych (No. 6), the grid includes Janko Tipsarevic (No. 9), twice winner Marin Cilic (No. 15) and Stanislas Wawrinka (No. 17).

Somdev notched his best run on the ATP World Tour in the Aircel Chennai Open 2009 when he reached the finals as a wild card entry. His dream run ended when he lost to third seed Marin Cilic of Croatia 4-6 6-7 (3). In 2010, Somdev won Gold in the men’s singles event of the XIXth Commonwealth Games at the R.K. Khanna Tennis Stadium in New Delhi and followed it up with a men’s singles and doubles Gold in the 2010 Asian Games in Guangzhou, China.

In 2012, the 27-year-old participated in Chennai and was hopeful of putting up a good show but was forced to exit the tournament due to an injury. In 2011, he had a great run at the Australian Open but a shoulder injury kept him on the back foot. This wild card entry into the tournament is a significant recognition of his talent and ability to take on the world’s best.

Twenty-year-old Bhambri defeated Amir Weintraub in straight sets to win the first ever ATP Challenger singles title of his career in Fergana, Uzbekistan on 20 May 2012. In the 17th edition of Aircel Chennai Open, Yuki shocked Word No. 101 Karol Beck and defeated him in 79 minutes . In 2009, Yuki became the first Indian to win the junior Australian Open.

Somdev had a World Ranking of 62 in July 2011 and Bhambri is currently the highest ranked Indian player.

By Indian Sports News Network

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aircel chennai open
indian sports news
somdev devvarman
yuki bhambri

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India vs England 4th Test: Players who can make the difference…

Sports

Dec 122012

India will lock horns against England in the final match of the Test series at Nagpur tomorrow. The match holds lot of importance for the teams. For India they will be looking to salvage some pride after going 1-2 down, whereas for England they will be aiming for their first series victory on Indian soil after 27 years.

India have lost two consecutive Tests, the first time since 1999. England are leading 2-1 and can’t lose the series. India on the other hand are on the brink of a series loss. No matter what happens in Nagpur, this series will have a serious impact on the future of Test cricket in India.

There will be tremendous pressure on India when they walk out for the match tomorrow.. It is going to be a very big challenge for Indian captain Mahendra Singh Dhoni. There has been a lot of controversy surrounding this man. Reports have suggested that the Nagpur pitch is not a rank-turner and the Indian team will have to go past that fact and play well.

Both teams have some of the world’s best players and it is expected to be a cracker of a contest.

Let’s have a look at some of the players who will be in thick of action in the final Test:

India:

Cheteshwar Pujara: He has been the highest run scorer for India in the series and has already two centuries. Both his centuries have come during the hour of need and it showed that he has the temperament to play big innings. He failed in the last match and will be willing make his mark in tomorrow’s match. Indian batting line-up is horribly out of form and a lot will depend on this talented youngster.

Virender Sehwag: After a century in the first century Sehwag has not been able to play a long innings for India in the series. The Indian team in under-fire and he will know the importance of a good knock at the top of the innings. He has got starts in the series after his 100 in the first match, but never could convert them into big score. He will have to bat as long as possible and give India a good start.

Pragyan Ojha: Ojha has been the best bowler for India and has looked the most threatening and has been consistently among wickets. The Nagpur Test might not offer assistance to the spinners and it will be a challenge for him to deliver in the match.

Parvinder Awana: Awana, the Delhi lad will most probably be making his debut tomorrow. He has been doing very well for Delhi in the domestic circuit and earned a call-up as a replacement for out of form Zaheer Khan. Pitch should offer assistance to him and if he can continue his good run then things can get difficult for England.

England:

Alastair Cook: He has been the best batsman for England and has already played some phenomenal innings. Cook has scored centuries in all the matches and will be a huge threat to the hosts. India will have to come up with a strategy if they want to draw level in the series.

Kevin Pietersen: He played a superb innings in Mumbai and a good hand in the last match as well. Pietersen took the attack to the Indian bowlers and scored freely against them. He has been very effective against the Indians spinners and played an important role in his team’s success. All the focus will once again on him and India just can’t afford him any leniency.

Monty Panesar: He has been the hero for England with the ball. Monty has played a huge role for their success in the series Indian batsmen have struggled against him and failed to pick his pace.It will be good to see how bowls on the Nagpur pitch.

Graeme Swann: Surprisingly in this series, it was Swann who played the role of second fiddle to Panersar. But that did not keep him from contributing in the success. It is always a treat watching him bowl and Indians will have to play him well if they want to put a good total on the board.

By Indian Sports News Network

Tags:
alastair cook
cheteshwar pujara
graeme swann
kevin pietersen
monty panesar
pragyan ojha
virender sehwag

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India vs England: Fourth Test: Preview

Sports

Dec 122012

The Fourth and the final match of the India-England Test series will begin tomorrow at Nagpur. It is hard to believe what has happened in the previous three matches for an Indian fan. The series which was to be India’s revenge for the embarrassing loss last year has turned out to be even more humiliating for the Indian team.

No one expected England to do so well in the series, England were thrashed by Pakistan not so long ago in UAE and the same result was predicted here. Cricketing Pundits said that it will be an achievement for the Englishmen if they could avoid a white-wash. The statement made sense after the Ahmedabad Test, but everything has changed since then.

Coming to the Nagpur Test, it will only be fair to say that England are favorites to win this match. It is quite unbelievable to see India enter a match as under-dogs in home conditions. India have always been dominating on home soil, they have tormented some of the best captains and the best teams of recent era, but not this time.
There will be tremendous pressure on all eleven Indians that will walk out on the field tomorrow. It is going to be a very big challenge for Indian captain Mahendra Singh Dhoni. There has been a lot of controversy surrounding this man. Reports have suggested that the Nagpur pitch is not a rank-turner and the Indian team will have to go past that fact and play well.

The major difference between England and India has been that Indian batsmen have wasted the starts that they have got in the previous two Tests. England team have got some huge partnerships over the past two matches, whereas India have just missed opportunities. In both innings of Kolkata Test Indian batsmen got starts, but they got out in 40s, 50s and 70s. Someone from top four will have to score a big hundred for India to put a good score in Nagpur.

Dhoni’s laid-back attitude has cost India dearly in the past few tours. He just waits for the opposition to make the mistakes and never takes any initiative. There have been some huge partnership against India in recent times and some blame should go to the captain. He needs to be ahead of the game rather than waiting for things to happen.
Dhoni will be hoping that his spinners will finally rise up to the occasion.

R Ashwin has been ordinary with the ball. He has struggled from the first match. Ojha too has bowled good only in patches and as a team the two spinners have been a big letdown.

It will be exciting to see the replacements of Zaheer Khan and Yuvraj Singh. Parwinder Awana has done brilliantly for Delhi and he might get to play his first match. Ravindra Jadeja is also expected to make his debut in the match. He is a handy left-arm spinner and that might give him the edge over some of the other batsmen waiting in the wings.
England team will be looking to play the way they played in the last two matches.

Their team looks settled and have a lot of variety. Almost all of their top order batsmen have got one good innings. Ian Bell too made a good looking 20 in the previous match and that would give him a lot of confidence.

Their bowling attack is in scintillating form. Both Swann and Panesar have been among wickets. Their fast bowlers James Anderson and Steven Finn looked lethal in the previous match.

All the eyes will be on the Nagpur Test in the next 4-5 days as this match holds much more importance than just a series decider, especially for the Indian team.

By Indian Sports News Network

Tags:
indian sports news
ms dhoni
pragyan ojha
r ashwin
ravindra jadeja
yuvraj singh
zaheer khan

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Finn a doubtful starter for Nagpur Test

Sports

Dec 122012

New Delhi: Steven Finn is a doubtful starter for the fourth and final Test against India at Nagpur starting tomorrow due to a sore back.

Finn who missed the first two Tests due to injury made a comeback in the Eden Test, but probably will miss the next match. Finn did not take part in the practice session and a scan showed a minor disc injury in the lower back. He has not been ruled out of the match yet.

This comes as a huge blow to the England side who are aiming to become win a series in India after a gap of 27 years.

Earlier Stuart Broad was also ruled out of the Test due a foot injury.

.By Indian Sports News Network

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indian sports news
steven finn
stuart broad

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Are the Indian selectors toothless tigers?

Sports

Dec 122012

Mohinder Amarnath’s recent allegation about how the whole Mahendra Singh Dhoni’s removal after India’s 0-4 whitewash in Australia was dealt with has created a storm in the Indian cricket fraternity.

The former North Zone selector Amarnath in an interview to Times Now said, “Definitely, there were discussions to replace Dhoni and people had even agreed to do so, but for some internal reason it didn’t happen. I would not like to divulge what the reasons were.”

He did not divulge any further information but Indian Express went on to speak with Raja Venkat, former East Zone selector who said, “Sanjay Jagdale, the BCCI secretary and convener of the national selection committee, consulted BCCI president N Srinivasan who shot down the proposal. Srinivasan made it clear that though the majority of selectors felt that Dhoni didn’t inspire confidence as Test skipper, the time was not right to remove him.”

With majority of the selectors including Amarnath, Venkat and Central Zone selector Narendra Hirwani was in favour of dropping Dhoni after the dismal performance, but Srinvasan was against it.

The move could by no means have been successful after Srinivasan’s denial as the BCCI constitution has a clause which apparently states that the approval of the president is required while selecting the team.

Well, reason exactly not known as of yet why was proposal overlooked but then what the allegation does is that it throws light on how the cricket body in India is run.

Amarnath’s s statement does not help but makes one wonder why is there even a selection committee when the right to take the final call is vested upon the president.

After what had transpired in Dhoni’s case, it would not be harsh to say that the selectors are toothless tigers in this whole setting and work as a puppet to the higher authorities.

Because if three out of five member people thought of dropping Dhoni, ideally it should have happened but it never saw the light of the day.

There can be only two reasons for not dropping Dhoni even after selection committee’s insistence and they are either Srinivasan did not have faith in them or he just never wanted to change anything and let the sport be run the way it always used to be.

Whichever might be the reason, calling BCCI wrong will not be improper. Even selectors never could generate the faith, why were they selected at the first place?

It is a known fact and even in the past players have received immense patronage from the board president and nothing can be done about it.

But then what it does is that in the longer run the interest of cricket that gets side-tracked.

Dhoni’s case is a classic example to that. Dhoni did not receive the axe because of the people at helm and what happened is for everyone to see.

India are already 1-2 down in the ongoing series are poised for their first home series against England in 27 years.

Recent developments in Indian cricket show that the time has indeed come to change and the people at power should put the sport ahead of anything.

BCCI is an autonomous body and is not answerable to anyone, but in a nation where cricket is something which is equivalent to religion and cricketers are nothing less than Gods, demands an answer.

By Indian Sports News Network

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bcci
mahendra singh dhoni
?mohinder amarnath

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Three selectors wanted MS Dhoni to be removed from Test captaincy after the Australia tour

Sports

Dec 122012

New Delhi: Former Indian selector Mohinder Amarnath said that the selectors were thinking of sacking Mahendra Singh Dhoni after Indian team’s poor performance in Australia. India lost all the four Test matches in Australia following their 4-0 whitewash in England.

“Definitely, there were discussions to replace Dhoni and people had even agreed to do so, but for some internal reason it didn’t happen. I would not like to divulge what the reasons were,” Amarnath said in an interview to Times Now.

Meanwhile, a report in The Indian Express says that Mohinder Amarnath, the North Zone selector, Central Zone’s Narendra Hirwani and East Zone’s Raja Venkat wanted to remove Dhoni from captaincy. But they did not had the support of chairman Srikkanth and West Zone selector Surendra Bhave said Raja Venkat to The Indian Express.

“Sanjay Jagdale, the BCCI secretary and convener of the national selection committee, consulted BCCI president N Srinivasan who shot down the proposal. Srinivasan made it clear that though the majority of selectors felt that Dhoni didn’t inspire confidence as Test skipper, the time was not right to remove him,” Venkat said.

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