India Gains No.1 Spot Again in Test ICC Cricket Ranking

India beats South Africa in 2nd test match at kolkata eden gardens by an inning and 58 runs. India were in serious danger of losing top spot in ICC Test Ranking after South Africa won the 1st test at Nagpur last week and then bad weather on Wednesday allowed only 31 overs of play on the day of the second Test Match. Last man Morne Morkel (12) kept Amla company for 20.4 odd overs before being leg-before to Harbhajan Singh in the 2nd last over of the match at the Eden Gardens in Kolkata. By the way, Harbhajan Singh took 5, Amit Mishra 3 & Ishant Sharma took 2 of the wickets as South Africa were bowled out for 289 despite a fighting 127 not out by Hashim Amla, his second century of the Test & 3rd of the Test series. India have slipped to 124 ratings points after conceding one ratings point while South Africa have stayed second on 120 ratings points.

Amla was outstanding through the 2 match test series. Amla has fitted to the no. 3 spot after kallis was there for a long time. He is very cool cusomer who plays very good innings for south africa recent past. Amla, who was declared the man of the match and the series, was understandably disappointed for losing .

The one-dayers will be played in Jaipur (Feb 21), Gwalior (Feb 24) and Ahmedabad (Feb 27).

However, the fight for the second place is tight as only two ratings points separates second-placed India from third-placed South Africa. The two sides will go head to head in the three-match ODI series on February 21 in Jaipur and the side that wins the series will finish second and will earn an additional $75,000.

Amla replaced the injured Smith for the three one-dayers, while veteran all-rounder Jacques Kallis was named the captain.

Indian cricket's Rip Van Winkle wakes up to realities, but how

By Ashis Ray

Not surprisingly, Rahul Dravid, speaking on behalf of his colleagues, has voiced concern about the payment system and restrictions on players' endorsement incomes arbitrarily and unilaterally declared by the Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) after its two-day conclave.

Clearly, the emerging theme of the meet was to make the unsuccessful representatives on the field scapegoats for India's unexpected early exit from the World Cup, and raise a red herring of cricketers' remunerations being the cause of it.

Some members of the Indian squad that went to the West Indies are unquestionably responsible for the abysmal failure and must pay for such non-performance. Given the suspicions that have been raised, their commercial contracts also need to be closely scrutinised. But a blanket dilution of fees and restraint on extraneous earnings would be unfair and unjust.

Reading between the lines, the BCCI's working committee attempted to attribute their decision to recommendations received from seven former captains invited to the conference, who have apparently distanced themselves from such advice since. Now BCCI officials seem to be divided on whether to insist on their proposal or listen to the players' point of view.

A productivity-based disbursement structure is propitious. But to dispense with retainers is debatable and may create insecurity. Also, rigid restrictions on cricketers' general proceeds could be unworkable under Indian law, if the players refuse to sign such an agreement with the BCCI. At the end of the day, it's the players' presence on the green that lays the golden egg. A potential biting of the hand that feeds the BCCI is yet another instance of this organisation being incapable of thinking through important decisions.

The wholesale gag on players also militates against freedom of speech as granted by the Indian constitution. It is common sense that if a player makes unacceptable statements, disciplinary action can be taken against him.

As expected, the BCCI's introspection has proved to be essentially an exercise in futility. It failed to address fundamental issues, such as the transfer of executive powers in the board and its affiliated associations to fulltime, caring, knowledgeable and professional persons. Instead, in a typically populist style of fooling the Indian people, it papered over cracks, that, too, clumsily.

Akin to Rip Van Winkle, the officials have woken up to the fact that international players should compulsorily be playing domestic tournaments, that subsidiary associations should 'prepare fast and lively wickets' for such competitions and India under-19 and 'A' teams should be touring overseas more frequently to gain experience of foreign conditions. That the world's richest cricket board had not been implementing the last mentioned is a tragic reflection of its ineffectiveness.

The BCCI wildly stated that all associated units should start their own academies linked to the National Cricket Academy (NCA). Would it not have been more sensible to initially have zonal institutes, while sourcing talent from the innumerable privately owned coaching camps that exist in most provinces?

It emphasises the medieval state of the BCCI that it will take six months to ratify a change in its constitution before selectors can be appointed on a fulltime, remunerated basis. Besides, it's shocking that the working committee has 'directed' the selection committee to send a 'young team' for next month's tour of Bangladesh. This is naked interference in the remit of selectors, who are supposed to pick a side purely on merit. Youth for the sake of it is a ludicrous policy. While it's wise to encourage younger players, they must deserve inclusion.

It makes sense to prepare for next year's Champions Trophy tournament with younger legs, but it could unduly jeopardise India's prospects if replacement of senior exponents is not undertaken in a phased manner. The same should also apply in test matches, but even more judiciously.

What's welcome though is the retention of Dravid as captain and the appointment of Ravi Shastri as interim cricket manager, Venkatesh Prasad as bowling coach and Robin Singh as fielding trainer. It will also be a boon for Indian cricket if Greg Chappell is recruited for an authoritative and meaningful role at the NCA. But more critical is the choice of long-term coach and the assistants around him.

(Ashis Ray is the author of the recently launched 'One-Day Cricket: The Indian Challenge' - Harper Collins - which can be bought online on www.ians.in)

Source : news.monstersandcritics.com

Indian cricket stars’ lookalikes hide from angry fans after India’s World Cup loss

NEW DELHI (AP) – Life as a lookalike of an Indian cricket star can have its perks, but lately it’s had a nasty downside, with some hiding from irate fans after India’s loss to Sri Lanka, a news report said Sunday.

India’s defeat to Sri Lanka on Friday disappointed millions of Indians with the team facing its ouster from the World Cup in the Caribbean. Fans vented their anger by burning effigies and posters of the players in several Indian cities and towns.

The team’s participation in the tournament has also resulted in the deaths of two Indians, one who hanged himself and another who died of a heart attack.

Lookalikes of Sachin Tendulkar, Virender Sehwag and Mohinder Dhoni – popular among cricket–mad Indians during better performances – have been watching their backs in recent days. In the past, they made frequent appearances on television and were cheered by spectators during cricket matches.

"When Sehwag plays well, I am treated well by people. But when he scores badly, even the lives of my wife and child are in jeopardy as people threaten to beat me up for Sehwag’s bad performance," The Times Of India newspaper quoted Yogendra Shah as saying.

He has temporarily moved out of Mehsana, his home town in western Indian state of Gujarat, to escape the wrath of cricket fans, the daily said.

Police have been drafted to protect the homes of some players and prevent a recurrence of the vandalism that followed a five–wicket upset loss to Bangladesh on March 17.

Suresh Rathod said he was treated like a very important person by cricket fans because he resembled India’s star batsman Tendulkar.

He said people’s extreme reactions were understandable as they felt let down by their heroes. "The Indian players have betrayed the trust of millions of people who worship them."

He said he had joined thousands of people in praying for the Indian team’s success in the World Cup.

However, Mukesh Patel, a clone of wicket–keeper Dhoni, has refused to go into hiding or shorten his long hair just because his idol got out without scoring in Friday’s match against Sri Lanka.

"I had long hair before Dhoni burst on to the cricket scene," the daily quoted him as saying.

Meanwhile, cricket fan Mahadeb Swarnakar, 28, allegedly hanged himself Friday after an argument with his wife because he wanted to watch the India–Sri Lanka match on a neighbor’s color television, while his wife wanted him to watch it with her at home on their monochrome set, said police superintendent Hari Kishore Kusumakar.

The poor farmer’s wife, Sadhana Swarnakar, panicked and also tried to hang herself, but survived when the rope broke. The incident took place in Shaktinagar, a village 60 kilometers north of Calcutta, the capital of West Bengal state, Kusumakar said.

Also Friday, P. Raju, a 28–year–old cricket enthusiast, died after he suffered a heart attack in Hyderabad, the capital of southern Indian state of Andhra Pradesh, while watching India losing badly to Sri Lanka, said his wife, P. Kavita. He died on arrival at a hospital.

Kavita told The Associated Press that her husband was shocked by India’s poor performance.

Source : http://www.caycompass.com

India Coach Greg Chappell’s Insatiable Hunger For Experimentation Met With A Disaster

Was Greg Chappell the right choice to coach India coach after New Zealander John Wright made way for him in 2005? In retrospect one believes that the BCCI did not make a right choice, considering that he produced more victories in India than abroad.

As a player, Greg, was supposed to be one of the finest batsman Australia ever produced. But it seemed that coaching was not his forte. After all, he never had the experience of coaching an international team once he had hung his boots as a cricketer.

The biggest drawback of Greg’s coaching tenure with the Indian team was his insatiable hunger for experimentation, which met with a disaster.

His ploy to juggle and shuffle the batting order by playing around with cricketers’ fortunes seemed to shake their confidence right till the onset of the World Cup and through the tournament as well. And, the results were there for everyone to see as he messed up the entire dynamics of Indian cricket in association with captain Rahul Dravid, who never seemed to be bold and forthright like his predecessor Sourav Ganguly.

The Dravid-Chappell combo seemed to push India deep into a hole rather than lift the team out of it from time to time.

The batting positions of players of the caliber of Sachin Tendulkar, Virender Sehwag, Yuvraj Singh, Mahendra Singh Dhoni and Irfan Pathan, including that of Dravid himself were relentlessly toyed with during Chappell’s tenure.

His first few months or in fact days with Indian cricket brought about the exit of one of India’s most successful captains – Sourav Ganguly.

It was a pity then that Ganguly did not find any supporters in Indian cricket to help him hold on to his position in the team, which had become a world beater under his astute
leadership.

Once Greg arrived he played his cards well, sought the ouster of Ganguly first and then rallied for Dravid to be roped in as captain at the expense of Ganguly’s exit from Indian cricket for a while.

Unfortunately, even Dravid seemed to have kept mum when Ganguly needed total support from his pro with whom he debuted at Lord’s in 1996 while scoring his maiden hundred at the Mecca of world cricket.

It was a pity that Dravid, who fought tooth and nail to retain a terribly out of form Virender Sehwag for a place in the World Cup squad, never batted in favour of Ganguly then.

Kudos to Ganguly, who gave himself time until World Cup, to make a comeback into the Indian team and did it in great style once he was selected for the South Africa tour. He made his bat do the talking and the rest is history.

Coming to Greg, his lunacy to play around with key batting positions cost India the World Cup. A team as talented as India was thrown into shambles by one man’s single-minded desire to prove his point and that was to keep experimenting.

Had Greg given the team the stability it needed in terms of secured batting positions for senior pros, India would have done much better than enduring a first round exit.

Dravid’s captaincy was a total failure, as he never seemed to motivate his players on the big stage and instead of him taking the lead role by stepping up the order, the “Wall” simple crumbled when it mattered the most. At times his decisions seemed dreadful.

It is an after thought that Dravid now wants to own total responsibility for India’s shock exit from the World Cup, but can he undo what has already transpired. He isn’t God any way.

Source : http://www.cricketworldcuplatest.com

Abhishek Bachchan comes out in support of cricket team

The battered Indian cricket team, out of contention in the World Cup, has found a supporter in Bollywood star Abhishek Bachchan who said the players had given it their best.

"I was very disappointed last night. But what we should understand is that it is difficult to perform under the kind of pressure they were in. They gave it their best," Bachchan said at the India Today Conclave in New Delhi on Saturday.
Abhishek said just because the players endorsed products and appeared in advertisements did not mean they were compromising with the game.

"It would be unfair to come down on them for doing too many endorsements and call for replacing them," Abhishek said.

Empathising with the Indian team Abhishek said, "I have faced failure. And I know it is difficult to go out there and perform."

Abhishek was responding to a question on whether corporate sector interest in films would lead to a decline in their quality, as was the case with cricket.

Source : http://www.apunkachoice.com

Bangladesh win to eliminate India

PORT OF SPAIN, Trinidad (Reuters) -- Bangladesh coach Dav Whatmore praised his team for holding their nerve to clinch a maiden World Cup second round berth with victory over debutants Bermuda on Sunday.

Bangladesh chased a revised target of 96 in gathering gloom after Bermuda scored a challenging 94 for nine in the rain-affected final Group B match that was restricted to 21 overs.

"This is very significant for us," Whatmore told a news conference. "It was something that I personally knew we had the potential to do. It is reality now."

Bangladesh, who needed only to avoid defeat, joined group winners Sri Lanka in the Super Eights, their victory pushing India out of the competition.

"This game was the most difficult you could be in to qualify," the Australian said. "Chasing that total was never easy. The ball was doing all sorts of things in the first 10 overs."

Bermuda seamer Saleem Mukuddem took three early wickets to leave Bangladesh struggling on 37-3.

"Yes, my heart was pumping a little bit," Whatmore added. "The boys haven't been in this situation before. They have done very, very well."

Source : http://edition.cnn.com

Sri Lanka win leaves India on brink of elimination

PORT-OF-SPAIN, Trinidad - Sri Lanka clinched an emphatic 69-run victory yesterday that pushed India to the brink of a humiliating first-round elimination from the World Cup.

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Source : http://www.canada.com

World Cup in a spin after Bangladesh win

Bangladesh's spinners did the damage as they successfully chased down India's insufficient total to record another World Cup shock Tamim Iqbal's stunning 51 from 53 balls, featuring two sixes, proved to be the decisive knock but it was new-ball bowler Mashrafe Mortaza who set Bangladesh on their way with the early strikes to dismiss Virender Sehwag and Robin Uthappa.

India's innings was steadied by Sourav Ganguly and Yuvraj Singh, who shared a partnership of 85 after skipper Rahul Dravid, who had earlier won the toss and chosen to bat, fell in the 25th over at 72-4.

Source : http://www.clubcall.com

Indian Cricketers Score Record Win against Bermuda.

It has been a day of records for the Indian cricket team as they put behind them their upset World Cup loss to Bangladesh at the weekend.

A century from Virender Sehwag steered India to a record World Cup total of 413 for 5, before they bowled debutants Bermuda out for 156 resulting in the biggest ever one-day victory margin of 257 runs.

India swept past Sri Lanka's previous highest total of 398 for 5, made against Kenya in 1996.

They eclipsed Australia's previous one-day record victory margin of 256 runs, achieved against Namibia in the 2003 World Cup.

The 1983 champions still need to beat a formidable Sri Lankan side convincingly in their third and final group game at the weekend to be in contention for the Super Eight stage if three teams tie on points.

Source : http://www.newswire.co.nz

Due to superstition Mr. Amitabh Bachchan will avoid cricket.

Legendary actor Amitabh Bachchan avoids watching live telecasts of cricket matches involving India because he believes whenever he does so his home team loses, a newspaper report said on Tuesday.

Bachchan, 64, is known to be an avid cricket fan and has even lent his voice to a special song composed to inspire the Indian team participating in the World Cup, which opened in the West Indies this week.

"I normally don`t watch tense matches because I have this superstition that India will lose if I watch the match," Bachchan, among the busiest Bollywood actors even at his age, told the Times of India newspaper.

"That`s why I watch it after the results."

The iconic actor, who has inspired generations of Bollywood aspirants, is confident India will bring home the World Cup.

"The team is good in all departments," he said. "The blessings of the entire nation are with the Indian cricket team."

Bureau Report

Source : http://www.zeenews.com

'Best ever' Opening Ceremony, claim cricket analysts

ANDREW HANCEL , Observer staff reporter

Grabbed by the colour and the energy, some of the world's leading cricket commentators believe the West Indies have delivered the best ever opening for an ICC Cricket World Cup.

The ninth ICC Cricket World Cup - the first to be held in the Caribbean - was declared officially open two nights ago in Florence Hall, Trelawny.

Dubbed 'Caribbean energy', the Opening Ceremony mirrored a West Indian party - gradually building momentum, before getting to a prolonged climax.
The three-hour affair was so captivating that the capacity crowd remained until the end, revelling in the historic moment.

"This is by far the best. This is world class. I got a call from a friend of mine who is in Barbados. who just called to say 'I'm so proud to be a West Indian tonight'. She was in tears.," said veteran West Indian cricket commentator, Tony Cozier.

"Everybody looks at it and says 'we can't do it'. They started on time and finished on time. and they got everything in," Cozier added.

The hard-talking, but highly respected former West Indies fastbowler, Michael Holding agreed.

Said Holding: "It is the best Opening Ceremony I've seen. I saw the opening ceremony in England and watched some of the opening ceremony on TV in South Africa. But to compare this to what happened in England is chalk and cheese. This is far, far superior."

Second vice-president of CONCACAF, Cpt Horace Burrell, believed that the Caribbean has delivered, adding that while the FIFA World Cup evolves on a grander scale, Sunday's opening ceremony was of the highest standard.

"Sitting there in the stands really made me feel proud, and it just goes to show what we can do as a region. I really can't find adjectives to describe the feeling, but I think it was really, really tremendous.

"World Cup football covers a wider spectrum. but nonetheless, I believe the performance here was really next to none. I have looked at the performances of opening ceremonies of other World Cup finals and I have to say, even though I might sound biased, that this is certainly the most magnificent that I've seen," says the Jamaican, who has been largely credited for taking Jamaica to its first and only senior FIFA World Cup in 1998.

As expected, the ceremony had a lot of Caribbean entertainers, with the likes of David Rudder, Sean Paul, Shaggy, Third World, Beres Hammond and the legendary reggae icon Jimmy Cliff, who had the distinction of closing the night's show.

Harpal Singh Bedi, special correspondent, United News of India, told the Observer that credit must go to the organisers, headed by Martin Lewis.

He said that he and his Indian colleagues were overwhelmed by the music, though they struggled to understand the language.

"This is the best one. It started slowly, but it picked up. Compare to other opening ceremonies, this is the most lavish. it lived up to expectation, no doubt about that," said Bedi, who says this is his fifth Cricket World Cup.

"Usually what happen, people lose interest when the opening ceremony starts and suddenly people start leaving. But with this one nobody left the stadium. It goes to the credit of the organisers. it was just fascinating," stated the Indian from New Delhi, who has also covered five Olympics.

Headley 'Delmar' Samuels, one of the world's most recognised cricket photographers, has captured several World Cups through the eyes of his camera lenses, and he too thought the opening event was the best.

"It is the best," beamed the West Indian photographer, "we just co-ordinate everything and get it right."

Ever since the region was awarded the 2007 Cricket World Cup, there have been many critics who questioned the Caribbean's capacity to deliver.

Having proved those cynics wrong on Sunday night, the opening ceremony's organisers deserve credit for a tremendous achievement, said Brian Murgatroyd, ICC Media and Communications manager.

"When I first saw the rehearsal last night (Saturday) it was the colour of the costume, the variety of colours, the vibrancy of them that grabbed me. The number of people at the back of the North Stand. it was like a city at the back and it was just incredible," said Murgatroyd from inside the media centre, adding that "I'm not going to disagree" with those who called it the best ever opening ceremony.

Meanwhile, Cozier said the standard set by the Opening Ceremony should be duplicated for all Caribbean events.
"So many times we let standards fall. but we can do it and this is a standard that should be set for every show, in every country in the West Indies, every time," Cozier said.
"This is just a starter," said Holding. "You have the main course and the dessert to come.

"I'm anticipating all good things. I hope that everything will go smoothly, I'll expect that you'll have hiccups, because you have no world tournament or such a huge occasion that doesn't have hiccups, but I hope the hiccups will be minor and everything will be dandy by the 29th of April," Holding said.

"World class, by far the best that we have ever had in World Cup, as far as Opening Ceremony is concerned," reiterated Cozier.

For More : http://www.jamaicaobserver.com

India's amazing win against West Indies by nine wickets.

India bowled out West Indies by nine wickets in their final World Cup warm-up match in Trelawny on Friday. The Indian fast bowlers led the way in the win. The hosts were dismissed in 25.5 overs while the Indians win in 18.3 overs.

Robin Uthappa (35 not out in 43 balls) and Dinesh Kaarthick (38 not out in 67 balls) took the team home.

Sehwag disappoint once again he out for duck face only three bowls.

India Won in WC warm-up game by massive 182 runs over Dutch

Trelawny (Jamaica), March. 7 (PTI): Skipper Rahul Dravid and Sachin Tendulkar struck impressive half-centuries as India powered their way to a massive 182-run victory over minnows the Netherlands in their first warm-up game in the lead-up to the Cricket World Cup here.

Apart from setting the mood perfectly for the tournament proper, this match provided an opportunity to the Indians to acclimatise with the conditions in the Caribbean.

After setting an uphill target of 301 to win, the Indians bundled out their opponents only for 118 runs in 37.5 overs to script a convincing win yesterday.

Batting first, India were off to a good start with Sourav Ganguly and Virender Sehwag scoring 60 runs for the opening stand.

But the top order squandered the advantage due to poor shot selection and at one stage India were looking vulnerable at 82 for 3.

However, Dravid and Tendulkar batted sensibly to set the platform for a big total after the mini collapse.

The veteran duo steadied the innings and tried to gather runs at a decent pace, adding 116 runs for the fourth wicket.

Tendulkar's run-a-ball innings was attractive as he punished the inexperienced Dutch bowlers, belting five fours and two sixes during his knock of 61.

Dravid, who provided a solid support to Tendulkar, subtly switched to aggressive mode and played some entertaining shots. His 74 came off 92 balls and was studded with five boundaries and two lofty sixes.

However, Dutchman R ten Doeschate stole the show with his five-wicket haul followed by a gritty 31.

Doeschate, with his slow medium pace, delivered a double blow by scalping Ganguly (19) and Sehwag (28) in two successive overs.

Majority of the Indian batters threw away their wickets while going for big shots and the trend started with Ganguly, who committed the crime of pushing a wide ball on the off-side and hand out an easy catch to W F Stelling.

Sehwag perished to an sharp inswinger which knocked off his middle stump after rushing through the yawning gap between his bat and pad.

Robin Uthappa, who came after the fall of Ganguly, played some glorious shots before dragging a Darron Reekers delivery onto his stumps at his individual score of 20.

When Dravid and Tendulkar were going smoothly, it seemed they would guide India to a 300-plus total. But, Tendulkar was caught brilliantly by Dutch captain Luuv van Troost off Tim de Leede.

Dravid now took the responsibility of scoring quickly and in his bid to do so he was caught by Alexei Kervezee while playing a big shot off P Borren.

Within seven overs, India lost four more wickets thereby jolted their chance of getting a bigger total as they were restricted at 300 for 9.

Doeschate took the opportunity to snatch his prized five-for. Apart from Ganguly and Sehwag, he accounted for Yuvraj Singh (14), M S Dhoni (21) and Harbhajan Singh (0) in a dream preparation to his World Cup campaign.

After shining with the ball, ten Doeschate showed his resolve and skills with the bat and notched up 31 runs off 37 balls, laced with four hits to the fence.

Other than him, opener B Zuiderent (32 off 73) was the only one who could provide some resistance to the Indians.

The task to polish off the Netherlands batting line-up was cakewalk for the Indian bolwers, who rolled their arms mainly for having some practice before the crucial games ahead.

Taking advantage of the laxity to field 13 players (of which only 11 could bat), Dravid gave chance to five of his main bowlers -- Irfan Pathan, S Sreesanth, Munaf Patel, Harbhajan Singh and Anil Kumble -- to warm up.

But, the most successful of the Indian bowlers was part-timer Yuvraj Singh, who claimed four wickets conceding 12 runs.

The piece of news the team would have cherished most was the form of Irfan Pathan, who after his unbeaten breezy knock of 25 got down to swing the ball both ways and capture a wicket, which showed some signs of improvement.

India will take on West Indies in their next warm-up game on March 9.

Source : http://www.hindu.com

Expected big scores from top order, says Dravid

Trelawny (Jamaica), March. 7 (PTI): While expressing satisfaction over the win against the Netherlands in the warm-up game before the Cricket World Cup, Indian captain Rahul Dravid said he expected the top order to notch up big scores in the match.

"I expected the top three to go on and get big scores. But this is the early part of the tour and the boys looked good," Dravid said after the match here yesterday.

The Indian skipper said the victory against the Netherlands provided his team the right platform to proceed on their World Cup campaign.

"It was a good game, it was a sort of game we had our legs and feet moving. It was a must win game for us. We want to make our presence felt and make an impact," he said.

Dravid said the damp wicket made batting slightly difficult early in the innings, but it eased up with time.

"It was a bit wet and damp. But as it dried out, it played beautifully in the afternoon," he said.

On the next warm-up game against the West Indies on March 9, Dravid said the match would provide a chance to test the skills against one of the best sides.

"We have played each other a lot of times recently. But it is a good chance to test each other. And the West Indies are the best team in such conditions," he said.

Disappointed with the loss, Dutch captain L van Troost said his bowlers were slightly nervous earlier in the innings.

"Bowling-wise we were a bit nervous in the early part. We gave away too many extras. But the job was well done later and we were back in the game," he said.

"We always wanted to win. For that we had to bat for 50 overs," he said.

Source : http://www.hindu.com

Windies fails to woo Indian cricket fans

New Delhi, March. 6 (PTI): Refusing to part with his hard-earned money for an expensive passage to the West Indies, the average Indian cricket fan has given a firm thumbs down to the World Cup.

While tour operators blame it on Men in Blue's late peaking, the average crowd find the packages beyond their reach.

Prem Kumar Maurya, a tour counsellor with FCM Travel Solutions, one of the five ICC-approved travel agencies in the country, believes things would have been different had the team peaked earlier.

"The hype generally builds around the team's performance and Rahul Dravid and his boys peaked too late. The team was not doing well for the major part of the recent past and it dampened the cricket tourists' spirit," he rued.

Reminded that the side did well in the twin home series against the West Indies and Sri Lanka before leaving for the World Cup, Mr Maurya lamented it was too late.

People tend to plan their tours well ahead and the damage was already done. Initially we had expected to cover 500-600 people under three packages but the response is very, very disappointing," he said, refusing to disclose the exact number.

Apart from the team's poor show, he blamed the lukewarm response to the high expenses involved.

"You have to admit that it's quite expensive. Besides, people also have apprehensions about the accommodation there. You don't have enough big hotels there and I think all these factors combined to put off an average Indian cricket fan," he elaborated.

FCM Travel Solutions offered three packages starting from Rs 3.6 lakhs per head and the trend is unlikely to change, he said.

The Trinidad and Tobago High Commission here, however, put up an optimistic face and said they were not unhappy with the response.

"The applications are still coming in," said a spokesman, refusing to disclose the number.

Shyam S Sharma, Founder-president of the Dada Army, which often sends its members to root for the Indian team abroad, however, begged to differ and said the response was quite timid.

"The packages leaves a deep hole in your pockets and few can really afford the trip. We at Dada Army are quite upset. We had plans to take 100 people from India and 900 NRIs as well to be a 1000-strong support base for our team. Thanks to the cost involved, we are struggling to make it even 100," he told PTI.

"Some had even bought the tickets planning to go but the huge cost has put them on the backfoot. Still, we'll have 49 members coming from the US and UK. Four of us would leave before India's first match there and six others are likely to join us," he said.

Promising to match the opponents decibel-by-decibel in the Caribbean, Mr Sharma, a lawyer by profession, said the motley crew would offer their unconditional support to the side, chanting "Apne Bachche Sabse Achchhe" and assuring the players "Whatever You Do, We Are With You".

Source : http://www.hindu.com

Nike: 'Just Play It', anywhere, anytime

When three immortal words - Just Do It - unite with the fanaticism of Indian cricket, all hell breaks loose.

In what is only the second Indian ad for international sports brand Nike (the first ad was more of a tactical one, and ran only for a short duration last year), JWT India has tried to capture this chaos in an endearing manner. Nike India forayed into cricket-oriented products recently, beginning with the Indian cricket team's jerseys and other gear.

"What Brazil is to football, India is to cricket," says Agnello Dias, or Aggie, senior vice-president and executive creative director, JWT. Obviously, there was no question of choosing any other sport for a Nike India-specific ad. To understand the origins of the ad, perhaps, the origins of Indian cricket need to be analysed. "Indian cricket has traditionally always been the 'kalakaar' or textbook cricket type," says Dias. But this character of the game changed when players such as Tendulkar, Sehwag and Ganguly entered the scene and didn't necessarily play 'correct' cricket; they played result-oriented cricket, which has its origins in the 'galis' of India.

"If one truly wants to witness the spirit and passion of coarse Indian cricket, then it is not in plush stadiums," says Dias. "It is in the heartlands of India." In this cricket-crazy nation, one will find kids and young boys playing cricket on rooftops, terraces, 'galis' (small lanes), virtually anywhere. According to JWT executives, these young kids are not dissuaded by any obstacles and play cricket the way they want to.

Stemming from that insight, Dias, along with the team at JWT, Bangalore, conceptualised a TVC that is on air at the moment and will run through the upcoming ICC World Cup.

The ad opens on the shot of a traffic jam in a crowded Mumbai street; stuck in the jam is a bus full of 16-17 year old cricketers. Notwithstanding the jam, one of them leaps out onto the roof of the bus and, before you know it, a cricket match is on in full swing on top of the bus. In the classic 'gali' cricket way, one of the shots has the ball striking a dusty hoarding, another one, messing up an old man's daily cuppa. Watching the ball land in the hands of a young fellow in a nearby flat, the cricketers yell, 'Balcony, ball dena! (Hey you, in the balcony! Pass the cricket ball!)" The boy on the balcony jumps on to the cricketers' terrain and starts bowling ferociously.

As the batsman strikes ball after ball, all the cricketers get out of the bus, scrambling in a bid to catch the elusive ball. Soon, the bystanders get involved in the game, too. Stuck in the jam also are cricketers Zaheer Khan and Sreesanth, who, for once, don't join in the game, but simply watch the proceedings. An elephant picks up the ball with his trunk, men jump on to the tops of cars to catch the ball, people bump into each other and drop things, an old Parsi man's statue with his finger up acts as the umpire - all these form a part of the chaos that is the film. In conclusion, as the jam clears, the disappointed boys turn their backs on the game. But one of them is not willing to give up and, yelling deep from his lungs, flings himself up into the air (freeze shot with Nike logo and super, 'Just Do It') and ends up bowling.

Says Sanjay Gangopadhyay, marketing director, Nike India, "This film has its roots in the change which India is currently going through - we're far more confident and positive than we were a decade ago." This confidence has seeped into Indian cricket also. "With instances such as the Natwest Trophy finals, we have proved that we are willing to fight it out, even if we're batting at number six or seven," explains Aggie of JWT. Thus, two words, 'Gutsy Cricket', formed the client brief.

Few know that an even tougher challenge posed itself before JWT than just bringing out the spirit of cricket. Internationally, Nike has always associated itself with mean sports such as football, rugby and basketball, whereas cricket is considered a gentleman's game. In a sense, JWT had to prove this theory wrong by showing that cricket is a tough game, too, and involves the same sweat and toil as the other sports. To do that, the agency drew out the aggression and competitive spirit of the young players, from the way they grunted and yelled while playing to the way the bystanders got involved.

Further, a Konkani song with lyrics on the attitude of a game (penned by Aggie) was added to the TVC as the background track. The idea of using a Hindi track was vetoed because the effect needed was that of a fresh, hummable song. The film and the track were both sent to Portland for approval from the Nike executives there; Aggie feared that they would insist on a Hindi song, rather than the Konkani song, which has an inherent Latino feel to it. "Luckily, they saw how the Konkani song added to the feel of the film and gave their blessings," says a much-relieved Aggie.

Cricketers Zaheer Khan and Sreesanth were cast as mere onlookers as the game in the ad is supposed to belong to young, aspiring players.

The ad was shot by Abhinay Deo of Ramesh Deo Productions; Nitin Desai is the art director. The background is a set created by Desai in Karjat, Maharashtra. The film, shot on a Rs 1 crore budget, is easily one of the most expensive Indian ad films made recently. A traffic setting was used because Nike is known for scaling up a common, every-day setting. Elements such as a man looking into a mirror and clipping his nostril hair (when the ball strikes the mirror), or even the Parsi statue working as the umpire, have all been thrown in to add to the well-planned chaos effect. Further, words such as 'Balcony, ball dena' are quintessentially a home-grown Mumbaikar's line - something that Mumbaikars Aggie and Deo would know only too well.

Source : http://www.agencyfaqs.com

India's bowling has found depth: Walsh

Author : Amitabh Sharma

Kingston, March 5 Former West Indies captain and pacer Courtney Walsh believes that Indians have found depth in their bowling attack with leg spinner Anil Kumble back in the side.

'I had concerns about the Indian bowling attack,' Walsh said. 'But with Kumble back in the side now, Indian bowling has found the depth and the experience.'

According to Walsh, Kumble is a consistent and unpredictable bowler who can do wonders in the World Cup.

'He can turn and swing the ball around and if the pitch favours him, he can be a match winner,' Walsh said.

Kumble is among the three bowlers, after Shane Warne and Muthaiah Muralidharan, who surpassed Walsh's record of taking most wickets in test matches.

In 2001 on his home ground of Sabina Park in Jamaica, Walsh beat the record of 434 test wickets set by India's Kapil Dev. During his career (1984-2001) of 132 test matches, Walsh took 519 test wickets before retiring in 2001.

Walsh was also upbeat about former Indian captain Saurav Ganguly's comeback in the team. 'Great players don't disappear that fast,' Walsh said. 'He (Ganguly) has found the form and should make a good impact.'

Walsh's World Cup favourite team is the West Indies team. He is confident that they will break the 'home team' jinx and win the World Cup.

'I am supporting the West Indies team, through and through,' said Walsh. 'People might call me crazy but I am throwing my weight behind them and wishing that they will win.'

Walsh's other favourites to reach the finals are Australia and South Africa though he doesn't rule out Pakistan either. 'They (Pakistan) are one team to watch out for, they are unpredictable,' he said.

And Walsh's dream final...he would want history to repeat itself. 'I have been telling my friends, I would love to see a India and West Indies final (like in 1983 when India won the World Cup), but this time we will win.'

(c) Indo-Asian News Service

Source : http://www.earthtimes.org

Dravid wanted Sehwag: Vengsarkar

andhracafe

New Delhi, March 3 India's chairman of selectors Dilip Vengsarkar has disclosed that Virender Sehwag was picked for the upcoming cricket World Cup on captain Rahul Dravid's insistence.

Asked in a television interview whether Dravid wanted an out-of-form Sehwag, Vengsarkar said: 'Definitely, yes.'

When asked, had Dravid not demanded Sehwag would the swashbuckling opener have been dropped, the former India captain said: 'Definitely, I agree with you. He (Dravid) made the difference.'

The interview, conducted by Karan Thapar for 'Devil's Advocate' programme, will be telecast on CNN-IBN Sunday night.

Before leaving for the West Indies, Sehwag gave hints of getting back into form as he scored 46 in the fourth and final one-day international against Sri Lanka at Visakhapatnam. He also spent long hours at the nets in Delhi polishing his batting.

Vengsarkar said he would always back the captain as he should get the team of his choice.

After the team selection, Dravid, when asked at a press conference, had not entirely denied that he did not want Sehwag, India's only triple centurion in Test cricket.

Giving his reasons and his own example, Vengsarkar said during the interview that when he was the India captain in 1989 he never got some of the players he was keen on.

'...when I was captain, they (selectors) never gave me players on whom I was keen. It was always 3-2 in selection committee meetings. I didn't want Rahul to go through the same thing. That is why I backed Sehwag, on whom Rahul insisted that he should be there,' he said.

'It is a bit of a gamble, definitely, but in cricket you have to take these gambles.'

Describing Sehwag as a match winner, Vengsarkar said that the Delhi player has 'done exceedingly well in the past'.

On India's prospects in the World Cup, starting in the West Indies March 11, Vengsarkar was optimistic.

'If they go till the last four (semi-finals), it could be anybody's cup. All eight sides in the fray are good sides. If India does not enter semi-finals, of course, I will be very, very disappointed,' he said.

'They have the ability. They have to believe in themselves that they are the best team in the world. And they ARE the best in the world.'

Talking about team coach Greg Chappell's role, the Mumbai-based Vengsarkar said that his 'inputs are quite important' for the team's success in the 16-nation World Cup.

'I hope he remains with the team beyond the World Cup,' he said, adding that the board would have the final word whether to extend the former Australia captain's contract or not.

India are placed in Group B and play their opening match against Bangladesh March 17. Sri Lanka and qualifiers Bermuda are the other teams in the pool.

The final will be played April 28.

India's Yuvraj Singh Confident Of Winning The World Cup, Hopes For A Much-Improved Team Performance In The Caribbean

by Sudhakar Shanbhag

India’s middle order batsman Yuvraj Singh believes that his team has the wherewithal to repeat their outstanding performance of 2003 World Cup and in fact go one step further by actually winning the Cup in the West Indies.

The stylish southpaw reiterated that the present Indian team touring the Caribbean for World Cup is a hungrier lot and have worked harder on their game and fitness.

Yuvraj believes that the West Indian wickets might just suit the Indians better as they are the only country to have travelled to the West Indies for a full-fledged Test and one-day series last summer.

Although the pitches for the World Cup are newly laid, Yuvraj says they wouldn’t differ much this time.

Source : www.cricketworldcuplatest.com

Team profile: India - ABC Sport

India will take one of the world's most feared batting line-ups into the World Cup as they seek to claim their first title since 1983, but the performance of their unheralded bowling attack is likely to determine how far they progress.

Led by Sachin Tendulkar, who holds the world record for one-day international runs with 14,782, the Indian batting card also features Rahul Dravid, Sourav Ganguly, Virender Sehwag, MS Dhoni, Yuvraj Singh and young gun Robin Uthappa.

Tendulkar has been below his best of late and has certainly not been displaying the kind of form that earned him Player of the Tournament honours at the 2003 World Cup for his total of 673 runs.

But no one doubts the diminutive ace will not be right on his game for what should be his last tilt at a World Cup title, one of the only achievements missing from his most impressive CV.

Dhoni, who is currently ranked the fourth-best one-day batsman in the world, will also be crucial to India's World Cup success.

A strong tournament from the swashbuckling Dhoni, who averages 45 with the bat in limited-overs cricket at the phenomenal strike rate of 98, would take some of the pressure off the big three.

The trio of Tendulkar, Dravid and Ganguly all feature in the top six run-scorers of all-time, and India will need them firing if they are to make their second successive World Cup final following the mauling they received at the hands of Australia in the 2003 decider.

On that day, Australian captain Ricky Ponting struck a blistering 140 off 121 balls as the world champions posted 2 for 359 from their 50 overs before bowling the Indians out for 234 inside 40 overs.

Australia tore the attack to pieces on that occasion and the Indian bowlers, although not boasting the big names of the batting line-up, are arguably the key to success this time around.

Irfan Pathan and Zaheer Khan head the pace attack with all-rounder Ajit Agarkar in tow, and the Indians boast two proven spinners in Anil Kumble and Harbhajan Singh.

If the bowlers can restrict their opposition to scores of under 300 throughout the tournament, there is no batting line-up in the world, save for Australia, more capable of chasing down the totals.

Another interesting dynamic is the team's Australian coach Greg Chappell.

The former Test captain has not had the easiest time since taking over the reins in 2005, but of late appears to have the support of the public and of wayward former captain Ganguly.

Chappell has said strong performances out of at least seven of his 11 players throughout the tournament would go a long way towards securing the country's second World Cup.

If he can achieve this aim, few would be prepared to back against one of the most naturally talented sides in the tournament.

Squad

India: Rahul Dravid (capt), Sachin Tendulkar, Sourav Ganguly, Robin Uthappa, Yuvraj Singh, Virender Sehwag, Dinesh Karthick, Mahendra Singh Dhoni, Irfan Pathan, Ajit Agarkar, Anil Kumble, Harbhajan Singh, Zaheer Khan, Shanthakumaran Sreesanth, Munaf Patel.

Source : http://www.abc.net.au