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Case against Dhoni for hurting sentiments

As reported by news agency PTI, a case has been registered by a Bangalore court against Indian cricket team captain MS Dhoni for allegedly denigrating a Hindu god and hurting the religious sentiments of the Hindus. The image in question had appeared on the cover of the April 14th issue of Business Today magazine which is published by the India Today group.

The image appears to have been created by the magazine and it is not clear whether Dhoni posed for the photograph or if he provided his consent for the image.
Hiremath had alleged that by posing for an advertisement in a business magazine as Lord Vishnu holding several things including a shoe in his hands, Dhoni had denigrated the Hindu god and hurt religious feelings of the Hindus. Taking cognisance of the offence and registering the case, the court has posted it to May 12 for recording of the statement of the complainant.

Gambhir, Yuvraj out of Champions Trophy squad

MUMBAI: Experienced batsmen Gautam Gambhir andYuvraj Singh were left out of India's 15-man squad for the Champions Trophy, the Board Of Control For Cricket In India(BCCI) said on Saturday.

Left-handed opener Shikhar Dhawan, who last played a 50-over match for India in June 2011, got the nod ahead of Gambhir while wicket-keeper batsman Dinesh Karthik, who can also open the batting, was recalled after almost three years.

The other opener in the squad, Murali Vijay, was a surprise inclusion as the right-hander last played an ODI against South Africa in January 2011 and has failed to score a fifty in his 11 matches in the format.

Yuvraj, who made a fairytale comeback last year after battling a rare form of lung cancer, could not find a place in the middle-order with selectors preferring right-handed batsman Rohit Sharma ahead of him.

Fast bowler Umesh Yadav returned from his back injury while all-rounder Irfan Pathan also got a recall. Off-spinner Ravichandran Ashwin and leg-spinner Amit Mishra were the two specialist slow bowlers in the squad.

India, the reigning 50-over world champions, are in Group B and will play the opening match of the June 6-23 tournament against South Africa in Cardiff. Pakistan and West Indies are the other teams in the group.

Squad: Mahendra Singh Dhoni (captain), Murali Vijay, Shikhar Dhawan, Dinesh Karthik, Virat Kohli, Suresh Raina, Rohit Sharma, Ravindra Jadeja, Ravichandran Ashwin, Amit Mishra, Irfan Pathan, Umesh Yadav, Bhuvneshwar Kumar, Ishant Sharma, R. Vinay Kumar.

After spat, Gambhir says he respects Dravid

Kolkata: Aggression is good but not when you get into a verbal duel with the likes of Rahul Dravid.In the heat of battle.

Kolkata Kinght Rider skipper Gautam Gambhir learnt his lesson the hard way as his spat with Dravid seems to cost the southpaw more than what he expected as social networking sites were abuzz with the incident.

With his image taking a beating, a shaken Gambhir sought to clear the air by tweeting that there was no spat and he always respected Dravid.

"Guys, you have got it all wrong. No harsh words exchanged between me and Rahul bhai. He was and will always be a respected teammate. No fuss please," Gautam wrote on his Twitter page.

Taking a dig at how the incident was being handled, Gambhir in another tweet wrote: 'Guess we are always obsessed wid some drama or spice. Sorry none existed between me and rahul. Always respect him.'
Things got ugly on Friday at the Eden Gardens after an altercation between Shane Watson and Manvinder Bisla saw skipper Gautam Gambhir involved in a verbal duel with one Rahul Dravid. However, the temperamental left-hander sought to clear the air by saying he never exchanged any harsh words with Rahul.

Bisla had a verbal spat with Dravid after Shane Watson gave him a stare. Ajinkya Rahane intervened while Gambhir had a go at Dravid too. 

Chennai's Ravindra Jadeja blasted Gambhir for not respecting the Indian stalwart.

"Gambhir you might have won the game, but you lost all the respect of the Blue Billion and you'll never get it back," Jadeja wrote in a series of tweets after the match between Rajasthan and Kolkata.

For all its glitter and slam-bang cricket, the domestic Twenty20 league has also witnessed a fair share of unruly behaviour on the pitch. The inaugural edition of 2008 had set the tone with Harbhajan Singh slapping S Sreesanth for some insensitive comments he made during a match. 

Gambhir was earlier involved in a spat with Virat Kohli during the match between Bangalore and Kolkata at the Chinnaswamy stadium on April 12. Virat did not leave the ground after being caught and the Kolkata skipper marched up to him in some anger.

Rajat Bhatia, intervened to prevent the two from having a go at each other and help diffuse the situation. Both players, who have lost their cool in the past, were admonished by the referee and handed a warning.

Australian spin legend and former Rajasthan skipper Shane Warne tore into the Indian opener. "Question cricket followers - is Gambhir in the top three annoying cricketers on the planet?," Warne wrote on his Twitter page.

Chennai juggernaut remains on course

CHENNAI: Suresh Raina resumed his love affair with Chepauk on Thursday night as Chennai Super Kings equaled Royal Challengers Bangalore's record of seven successive IPL wins with a thrilling triumph over Kings XI Punjab.



Raina's 53-ball, unbeaten 100 ultimately prevailed over the late counter-attack by lefties Shaun Marsh (73, 51b) and David Miller (51*, 26b) that took Punjab to the doorstep of what might have been a famous chase. But the pair, having united for 95 in just 8.4 overs, ran out of ideas with the visitors needing 19 off the last over, bowled by Dwayne Bravo.
Tight over
Bravo bowled Marsh on the first ball, and the new man Gurkeerat Singh holed out on the following delivery, the matter decided for all practical purposes when the West Indian all-rounder picked up another one by bowling R. Sathish. Chennai thus defended by 15 runs the formidable 187 they had accumulated batting first, a total build around Raina's three-figure fulcrum.

Raina hit his straps just in time for the business half of the competition with a blistering hundred, in an innings where the second-highest score was Michael Hussey’s 35, which took the Aussie to the top of the run charts again. But it was the Indian southpaw who stole the show.

Raina hits out
Raina came in at the fall of Wriddhiman Saha and was merciless against the smorgasbord of  bowling available for consumption. A majority of his six sixes came against the pacers – Manpreet Gony and Praveen Kumar were both hit disdainfully back over their heads – and the spinners, leggie Piyush Chawla especially, were smashed through the leg-side.

It was a rare failure for Chennai’s captain MS Dhoni, who was run-out for two soon after Hussey was stumped off Chawla, but Raina rained hits on the park without cessation. The Ghaziabad lad reached three figures in the last over, in just 53 balls, and powered Chennai to a total that proved beyond the reach of Marsh’s and Miller’s dramatic counter-attack.

Convincing win for top class Chennai

Pune: MS Dhoni and Mohit Sharma starred as the Chennai Super Kings beat Pune Warriors by 37 runs, to register their eighth win in IPL 2013 at the Subrata Roy Sahara stadium on Tuesday.

Chasing 165 for victory, Pune openers Uthappa and Finch began aggressively before Finch was caught behind by counterpart Dhoni off Mohit Sharma. Their troubles would double, as No.3 Tirumalasetti Suman would fall leg-before-wicket to Sharma off the very next delivery. Robin Uthappa’s run out reduced them to 29/3.

Steve Smith counter-attacked by hitting two fours in the next four deliveries, but could only watch as Sharma (3/21) picked up his third wicket by dismissing Yuvraj Singh for four. The Aussie could only scream in frustration, as he drove the ball down the ground, only to find the ball hitting Albie Morkel’s boot, and the stumps.

Luke Wright was outside the crease at the non-striker’s end.

Smith fell for 35, after being caught and bowled by Ravindra Jadeja. Kane Richardson and Bhuvneshwar Kumar managed some lusty hits, but Chennai continued to chip away. In the end they would finish with 127/9, to bring up their eighth loss of the tournament.

Earlier, Chennai Super Kings won the toss and elected to bat first.

Michael Hussey began by driving a wide delivery for four off the very first delivery. It would be his last boundary of the evening, after first change Kane Richardson however, sent the left-hander’s off-stump for a walk. Saha struck a four and a six, before falling leg-before-wicket to Rahul Sharma. Suresh Raina and Subramaniam Badrinath then put together a 75-run partnership for the third wicket. Both batsmen dealt mostly in ones and twos, making sure that they rotated the strike, bringing up the odd boundary when the opportunity presented itself.

At the start of over no.15, they were 102/2.

Badrinath fell while trying to accelerate, holing out to Steve Smith at long off, off Luke Wright. Raina crossed over, and he took a single to give the strike to Dhoni. The CSK skipper began by smashing a four and a six. The momentum would change.

While Raina brought up his half-century, Dhoni went after Dinda, paddling him for a four, before smashing him for a six over long on. The left-right duo milked 12 off the penultimate over from Bhuvneshwar Kumar, and got ready to face Ashok Dinda one last time in the match. Dhoni missed the first ball, traded strike with Raina off the next two, before running two off the fourth.  Dinda sent one in full, which was promptly dispatched to deep midwicket for four. He repeated the routine in the last delivery, only to be hit for six.

Thanks to their skipper’s knock of 45 from 16, Chennai finished with 164/3. 62 runs came off the final five overs. A top performance that would see them hold on to the No.1 spot in the points table.

Sunrisers batsmen have to take responsibility: White

Jaipur: Sunrisers Hyderabad's stop-gap captain Cameron White feels that his batsmen need to step up and take responsibility as individuals with the bat and make sure that they put up some better scores for their bowlers to defend.

Sunrisers suffered a batting collapse here Saturday as Rajasthan Royals won the match by eight wickets at the Sawai Mansingh Stadium.

Sunrisers were left reeling at 19/5 at one stage but they managed to put on a target of 144 after a great fightback by lower order batsmen.

Asked what went wrong, White said: "There was a bit of swing early on. I think initially they bowled well up front."

However, Darren Sammy faced all odds, stood firm and made 60 runs to revive their inning.

White was all praise for Sammy. "It was a great innings, wasn't it. After that start it was a really good batting effort by the tail to get to 140-odd," White said.

"Darren Sammy was excellent again and he was well supported by Mishy (Amit Mishra) and Ashish Reddy as well so that was good," he added.

Despite having one of the best bowling attacks, Sunrisers were hapless during the match and failed to defend their total.

"Yes, we think we needed to get some early wickets. We had got one and it would have been nice to get a couple more but that did not happen. Shane Watson batted unbelievably well and Rahul (Dravid) played well up front. So the credit has to go to Shane and Rahul," he said.

However, White gave credit to their bowlers.

"The bowlers have done a great job led by our bowling coach Waqar Younis, who is doing fantastically well. Dale Steyn is leading our attack, backed up by our two leg-spinners as well. Mishy has been great and Karan (Sharma) has been excellent too," he said.

Gayle storm rocks Bangalore with fastest century in IPL

Bangalore, April 23: After a spell of summer showers, it rained sixes and fours at the M. Chinnaswamy stadium here Tuesday evening under a cloudy sky as Royal Challengers Bangalore's explosive opener Chris Gayle scored the Indian Premier League's fastest century in 30 balls and highest score of 175 in 66 balls against Pune Warriors India.

Put in to bat first, the West Indian southpaw lost no time in setting the stands on fire with his blitzkrieg knock that included a record 17 sixes and 13 fours and remained unbeaten after being at the crease for all the 20 stipulated overs.

Returning to bat after a 30-minute break when a sudden downpour disrupted the game, Gayle raced to 50 in 17 balls with four mighty sixes and four 4s and to 100 in 30 balls with 11 sixes and eight boundaries.

Feared as the most dangerous batsman in the tournament, the Jamaican beat Indian all-rounder Yusuf Pathan's record of scoring a century in 37 balls while playing for Rajasthan Royals against Mumbai Indians in Mumbai March 14, 2010 and equalled the half-century record of Aussie wicket-keeper Adam Gilchrist, scored against Delhi Daredevils in 2009 while captaining Deccan Chargers.

Pathan currently plays for Kolkata Knight Riders, while Gilchrist captains Kings XI Punjab.

Not content with setting new IPL records galore or upsetting previous ones, including the fastest 150 in 53 balls, beating the 158-run in 73 balls record of Brendon McCullum of KKR against the home team in the tournament's inaugural match in Bangalore April 2, 2008, Gayle was involved in a record opening partnership of 167 runs in 13.4 overs with opening partner Tillakaratne Dilshan of Sri Lanka, who hit a modest 33 in 36 balls, including five hits to the fence.

At a phenomenal strike rate of 266.15 percent, another IPL record, Gayle stood rock-like at one end even as the hosts lost five wickets for a record 263 runs, beating the previous 246-run record of Chennai Super Kings (CSK) against RR in 2010.

None of Pune's seven bowlers could stop the lanky hitter from going hammer and tongs after them. Warriors captain Aaron Finch, who won the toss and elected to bowl on a flat batting wicket, had given up changing bowlers after every over as Gayle was unstoppable and the fielders could do little as most of the runs from his deadly bat were coming from sixes and fours.

When Sachin met Viv

The Indian Premier League on Sunday witnessed one of its most memorable moments when Sachin Tendulkar walked up to Sir Vivian Richards — Delhi Daredevils’ new ambassador-cum-advisor — at the Ferozeshah Kotla.

It was a scene worth capturing when Daredevils mentor TA Sekar informed Tendulkar about Richards’ arrival. Tendulkar who was engaged in a knocking session just dropped all work and trudged slowly towards the iconic West Indian as they were cheered lustily by all those present at the stadium.

First, they were engaged in bear hug and then Richards pointed at Tendulkar’s abs and patted it as they shared a hearty laugh. Then Richards took hold of Tendulkar's bat, had a close look and did a bit of shadow practise.

After a 10-minute session with Tendulkar, Richards along with Sekar walked towards his team’s training session as the boys welcomed him with a clap.

He then had some words of wisdom in his pep talk during the official team huddle before the players dispersed.

Richards asked the beleaguered outfit to have faith and be solid in mind in the rest of their matches in the IPL. With six consecutive defeats — before Sunday’s win over Mumbai — nothing seemed to have gone right for Delhi this season, and it remains to be seen if Richards can help Delhi still make it to the knockout stages.

"It’s important to keep faith and be solid in mind. The talent that’s there in the dressing room, I marvel. I am sure things are going to get going for them soon,” Richards said.

"I know the team has plenty of players of proven quality and I will see and try to make an impact over the next few days.” The West Indian great is delighted to see players from his part of the world setting the tournament ablaze with their performances.

"I am happy with what’s happening with West Indies cricket, guys like Chris Gayle, (Keiron) Pollard and Dwayne Smith who is here today, they are doing really well here,” he said.

On a lighter note, when asked by his contemporary Sunil Gavaskar if he was actually out on 12 during a Test match against India way back in 1974, a smiling Richards replied: "Sunny, that’s still there in your mind. That was 1974 and now it’s 2013. But I still maintain that I was not out.”

Miller gets it Wright for Kings XI Punjab

It came down to 29 from 12 in the end, with David Miller (80*) and Mandeep Singh (77*) at the crease. The penultimate over began with Ashok Dinda being smashed for two fours by David Miller, one down the ground, and the other past point. Both deliveries being full tosses. It took a comforting gloved arm from Robin Uthappa to help Dinda keep his nerve. Giving away three singles is all right. But when Mandeep took two off the final ball, courtesy a misfield from third man Rahul Sharma, Dinda offered a mouthful.

Was it in Bengali or in English? Difficult to tell.
Luke Wright came in to bowl the final six deliveries. Miller and Mandeep traded strike, and the South African readied himself for the final four balls. Wright bowled full, and was smashed for six. Two runs later, the target came down to six from two. Man-of-the-Match Miller got a dull full toss, and was more than happy to send the ball over long off for a six, and was quickly surrounded by his mates from the dugout.

That is a great way to finish a cricket match.

It didn’t look like a Kings XI Punjab show at the start of the match though. Adam Gilchrist dropped Aaron Finch on one. When it was his turn to bat, the Aussie came out with a different set of gloves and a bat. He edged the ball like his counterpart, only to be caught by Pune keeper Robin Uthappa.

Finch made 64, Gilchrist made 4.

A contrasting tale describing the fortunes of two captains, one that began with the left-handed legend winning the toss and electing to field at the PCA stadium in Mohali.

Finch made Gilchrist pay for his mistake, by hitting the bowler- Azhar Mahmood for a six and a four in the same over. Kings XI didn’t exactly help themselves by bowling short, only to find Finch and Uthappa helping themselves to boundaries. Both batsmen used the pull shot to good effect, making room when they anticipated the length early, to go for their shots. Uthappa however failed to convert yet another good start, edging the ball to Gilchrist.

Awana flashed a big smile and celebrated by spreading his arms.

Yuvraj Singh joined Finch in the middle, and found his groove right away by picking on Piyush Chawla. The Australian meanwhile went on to make 64, smashing two sixes and eight fours. He walked back after falling to Manpreet Gony, who had a couple of things to say during the send off. Yuvraj put his back into hitting two sixes off Awana, before miscuing a stroke that ended up in Gurkeerat Singh’s hands.

Enter Luke Wright. The Englishman playing his first IPL match did everything right, at least with the bat, smashing Azhar Mahmood for four consecutive fours. It was Praveen Kumar’s turn for some bitter English medicine next, and the medium-pacer could only watch as Wright milked two fours and a six. There were six other runs in the over, and six more deliveries to go.

Pune Warriors eventually finished with 185/4, with Wright making 34 off just 10. Both teams had a ball with the bat, just that Pune did everything Wright, only to get it wrong in the end!

Sehwag helps Delhi storm past Mumbai

 

Virender Sehwag.

These 14 alphabets decided to fire, with 15 boundaries from the bat, as the Delhi Daredevils went on to register their first win of IPL 2013 with a nine-wicket win over the Mumbai Indians at the Ferozeshah Kotla on Sunday.

Chasing 161 for a win, Sehwag smashed his way past Mumbai with some uninhibited hitting. The 34-year old made full use of the room that the bowlers were offering, and he swung away with an entire stadium getting behind him. Not that Mumbai didn’t have a chance. Jasprit Bumrah could have caught a ball that Sehwag hit to him at short fine leg, but he failed to move forward, and the ball ended up hitting his knees.
Sehwag ensured that he would bring Mumbai down to their knees.

The ‘Nawab of Najafgarh’ unleashed a brutal assault, as fours and sixes started to rain at the Kotla. At the other end, Mahela Jayawardene decided that he wasn’t going to be left behind. The Daredevils skipper drove and swept his way to a fine half-century, punching gloves with Sehwag as they placed Delhi on track for an easy win.

Though the Sri Lankan fell leg-before-wicket to countryman Lasith Malinga, Sehwag signed off by hitting Bumrah for a four to bring the smiles back on  the faces of the Delhi Daredevils.

Earlier, Mumbai’s decision to split their opening pair of Tendulkar and Ponting worked, after they won the toss and elected to bat first. Albeit for Tendulkar.  Ponting’s replacement Smith was caught, trying to clear Umesh Yadav off Roelof van der Merwe. Dinesh Karthik’s run out then brought Rohit Sharma to the crease.

It would be the start of a fruitful partnership.

Sachin Tendulkar drove, pulled and paddled his way to a half-century, his first of the tournament. The 39-year old had Shahbaz Nadeem to thank for the opportunity to raise his bat, after the left-arm spinner dropped a simple caught-and-bowled chance. At the other end, when Rohit Sharma got the strike, he didn’t think twice before hitting the ball away to the boundary.

Agarkar and Pathan paid the price for bowling full-tosses to Sharma, who swatted them away for a six. When the ball was pitched on driving length, the right-hander took a step forward and drove through the gap.  Tendulkar fell playing away from his body, with Warner taking the catch at extra cover. Rohit was around till the last ball of the penultimate over, smashing his fifth six, before being caught by Andre Russell at long on.

Shahbaz Nadeem dropped Pollard, who went on to hit the last ball of the inning for a six. Mumbai finished with 161/4, but Virender Sehwag made sure that they wouldn’t allow their seventh IPL 2013 match to slip away from their hands.

Kallis leads Knight Riders trampling of Hyderabad

KOLKATA:All-rounder Jacques Kallis hit top form and Eoin Morgan exploded before a packed Eden Gardens as defending champions Kolkata Knight Riders stormed to a 48-run win over Sunrisers Hyderabad on Sunday.

The burly South African struck a brisk 41 and took 3/13 in four overs as Hyderabad were restricted in their chase of 181. Along with skipper Gautam Gambhir's second consecutive and record 18th IPL half-century and Morgan's maddening 21-ball 47, Kallis had earlier helped the home team post a massive 180. The veteran all-rounder then removed Hyderabad’s openers in consecutive overs to scupper the chase after Parthiv Patel and Cameron had added 57 at the top of the order.


Shockingly, Gambhir's 45-ball 53 edged Kallis to the Man of the match award.

Sunrisers fade

Starting with an asking rate of nine-an-over, it was always going to be difficult for the visitors once their openers returned to the pavilion. And Kumar Sangakkara’s dismissal, caught by a lunging Manoj Tiwary at long-off, spiked the requirement further into the region of two runs per ball.

The threat of Thisara Perera made itself felt briefly when the Sri Lanka all-rounder targeted no-longer-mystery-spinner Sunil Narine for boundaries. But Perera received very little support. D. Ravi Teja holed out to long-on, Tiwary’s second catch of the match, and Perera was himself bowled by Kallis trying to accelerate. Hyderabad finished on 132/7 in their 20.

Kolkata bat

Everybody chipped in when Kolkata batted before the innings culminated in an eruption from Eoin Morgan’s bat. Gambhir and Manvinder Bisla took the score to 59 inside of eight overs, followed by which the captain and Kallis maintained a healthy rate of accruing in the middle stages.

Gambhir was bowled by Ashish Reddy trying to force the pace.It was then time for Morgan to take control. The England dasher got going against Amit Mishra, creaming him for six and four, and then destroyed Perera for 22 in the 18th over.

Morgan’s 47 came off just 21 balls and contained three sixes, including a flat-batted assault against Dale Steyn. Morgan and Kallis added 67 in five overs, taking the game away from Sunrisers even though Ishant Sharma came back to bowl a good last over.

Sunrisers make heavy weather of small chase

NEW DELHI: Much was made of Virender Sehwag’s return to competitive cricket. More so as his side Delhi Daredevils had begun their IPL campaign with three straight defeats. But Sehwag’s inclusion for the match against Sunrisers Hyderabad made no change in Delhi’s fortunes, as they plummeted to their fourth consecutive loss.

The former India opener made 12 before chasing one wide outside the off-stump. Sunrisers' leg-spinner Amit Mishra was named Man of the Match for an economical bowling performance and for holding his nerve in the final stages of the chase with an unbeaten 16.

The inevitable loss, however, was accompanied by much more drama this time. After another pathetic batting display Mahela Jayawardene’s side fought valiantly to defend a trifling 114. Delhi’s spinners Shahbaz Nadeem and Johan Botha gave them a chance and a flurry of wickets towards the end saw Sunrisers needing six to win off the last over, to be bowled by Irfan Pathan.


Dale Steyn, who had turned in a magnificent performance with the ball earlier, struck 2 and 4 off the first two deliveries to ensure a three-wicket win for the Hyderabad side, who had almost messed up what sould have bee an easy chase.

Steyn gun

When Delhi batted, Steyn began with a wicket-maiden - David Warner losing it in the first over – and Ishant Sharma removed skipper Jayawardene and Sehwag off consecutive deliveries for an identical 12. Steyn, who bowled 12 dot balls in his quota, Ishant and Thisara Perera kept it tight and only through cameos by wicketkeeper-batsman Kehdar Jadhav and Irfan Pathan did the home team reach 14 runs past 100.

Within six balls Steyn imposed himself on the contest. He took out Warner and could have had Jayawardene next ball were it not for
Parthiv’s sloppiness behind the wicket. Steyn followed his wicket-maiden with another terrorizing over for two runs, his first spell reading 2-1-2-1. From such a rocky beginning Delhi’s innings was unable to gain any momentum.

The Sunrisers too started shakily. Opener Akshath Reddy was run-out by Nadeem and they were 7/1 after three overs.Kumar Sangakkara hit a breexzy 28 and Parthiv, who had earlier grassed Jayawardene off Stein, made 19, before he was caught-and-bowled by Nadeem. A succession of tight overs from the spinners made it tough for the batsmen.

Thrilling climax

Left-arm spinner Nadeem almost did a Steyn for his team. He picked up Parthiv in his first over, was economical, and may well have picked up new man Hanuma Vihari when his shot slipped through Siddharth Kaul’s hands and over the long-off boundary.

Nadeem also engineered the stumping of Cameron White, followed by which Vihari departed to a good catch by Botha at mid-off off Morkel. The asking rate by now nearing eight as Thisara Perera and Ashish Reddy were left to get the last 40-odd runs in the last five overs. Reddy (16) played his part with a few timely boundaries, and Mishra (16*) ensured that Daredevils stayed without a win this season.

Mumbai give Delhi the blues

MUMBAI:When a 38-year old takes a diving catch off the first ball of an inning, and is hugged by a man he loved to hate a few years ago. It’s a story you won’t find on the scoreboard.

We are talking about Ricky Ponting and Harbhajan Singh. Though the Aussie didn’t fire as an opener, this flying effort to send back Unmukt Chand, provided the impetus, that ensured that the hosts would come out at the end with flying colours. Soon, Mahela Jayawardene made room with an intention to attack, only to find an edge flying to Dinesh Karthik. Bad start.

It would be chase that would turn into a maze.

Still, David Warner and Manprit Juneja ignored the fact that the target was growing on them, with some fine hits to and over the fence.  But once Warner had struck his fourth and final six, he was caught by Rayudu off  Johnson. 61 off 37 is a good effort. With this wicket in hand, all Mumbai had to do was chip away to ensure that they had two points in their bag.  Juneja was unlucky to be run out on 49, but with a losing cause, he can save the dream of pointing his bat at the dugout for a better night. Mumbai Indians would defeat the Delhi Daredevils by 44 runs.


It didn’t start that way.

Ricky Ponting won the toss and elected to bat first, only to last five deliveries after walking out to bat. The Mumbai Indians skipper walked down the pitch to Irfan Pathan, only to lift the ball into counterpart Mahela Jayawardene’s hands at mid-off. Two balls later, the Sri Lankan ran Tendulkar out, after the batting ace took off for a run that didn’t exist at the non-striker’s end.

Ponting and Tendulkar gone. Mumbai Indians were feeling the blues.

Not for long. Dinesh Karthik, who had struck the ‘run out’ ball, put the past behind him and launched a counter-attack, with Rohit Sharma for company. The 27-year old drove like the night belonged to him, and pulled and flicked without any concern for the bowler’s reputation. On his way to picking up the orange cap, the right-hander tore apart Delhi’s bowling with a style and shuffle that is truly his. When he left, he had made 86 off just 48.

Mumbai weren’t going to take their foot off the accelerator.

Till Karthik was around, Rohit Sharma had been scoring at a brisk pace, but was restricted to playing second fiddle. This continued thanks to Ambati Rayudu. For, eight balls was all that the new batsman needed to make 24 runs, 21 of which came off 5 deliveries from Irfan Pathan. When he fell at Ashish Nehra’s hands, there were five deliveries remaining in the inning, and it is here that Rohit Sharma finished with flair, smashing three sixes to power Mumbai to 209/5.

Rajasthan pull off a pace coup

SUMMARY: Something extraordinary occured at the Sawai Mansingh Stadium today. The Rajasthan Royals and Kolkata Knight Riders both played five seamers each today on what was a green pitch – something unheard of in the IPL. The teams read the pitch correctly, but only Rajasthan batted sensibly, winning by 19 runs after being asked to bat first. A costly over by Sunil Narine at the end of Rajasthan’s innings made a big difference while meaty contributions from Ajinkya Rahane and Brad Hodge lifted the score to 144-6.

Kolkata could never get their chase up to speed. While a calm-headed 51 by Eoin Morgan took them close, they failed to get string together partnerships. Kevon Cooper, Siddharth Trivedi and Rahul Shukla blew a big hole through the Kolkata line-up, settling the game well before the final wicket was taken. 

THE COVER DRIVE: Ajinkya Rahane got out to a couple of rash shots on his Test debut recently. But he possess a drop dead gorgeous extra-cover drive. In the recent T20 series against Pakistan, he took a step forward to Saeed Ajmal and deposited him far beyond extra cover for one of the most effortless sixes you’ll see. Today, he brought out that shot again, this time against Shami Ahmed. Ball on driving length, front foot forward, bat meets ball, ball lands in the stands. Not a bad skill to have.
WATSON FAILS: The IPL would be the third trip to India that the Australian all-rounder has made this summer, and he has failed to get his freak on. Failures in the Tests and his problems with Michael Clarke are now a thing of the past. Now at the IPL, he’s be one of Rajasthan Royals’ key players. But he failed in first game, tamely chipping Brett Lee to cover having made just 5.

YAGNIK IMPRESSES: There’s no lack of self belief in the Rajasthan wicketkeeper Dishant Yagnik. Last year, he walked out to face Dale Steyn in the final over of an IPL game with Rajasthan needing eight runs in four balls. He tapped the world’s best pace bowler for consecutive fours through the cover like it was no big deal. Today, with the rest of his mates struggling to decode the mystery spin of Sunil Narine, Yagnik thumped him for a four and a six in his final over – runs that made a big difference in the final analysis.  A slog over midwicket was followed by a clever reverse sweep. Yagnik backed his runs up with his neat wicketkeeping: he took three catches, including a tremendous one flying to his left to dismiss Gautam Gambhir.

A HANDY COMBINATION: Kevon Cooper, he of the extraordinary IPL debut last year, Siddharth Trivedi, now the most-capped Rajasthan player, and Rahul Shukla, who is a bundle of raw energy, are quickly turning to be the best middle overs pace combination of the IPL. Add to this troika the untamed pace of Shaun Tait, the explosive unpredictability of Sreesanth, and the experience of Shane Watson. What we have here is a winning combination.

Shukla kicked in the door today with the wickets of Manvinder Bisla (bowled due to his extra pace) and Jacques Kallis (caught behind for a golden duck – would you believe that?). Trivedi, whose 61st game it was in the IPL,  slowed down the pace with his mix of cutters – something which Cooper did too. The formidable Kolkata middle order of Kallis, Manoj Tiwary, Yusuf Pathan, Laxmi Ratan Shukla and Rajat Bhatia combined just 26 runs between them. That is where Kolkata lost the game. The question is how many more giants are Rajasthan going to slay?

Narine stars as Knight Riders start IPL6 on winning note

Jayawardene was the only shining star for Delhi Daredevils. (IANS)KOLKATA: Sunil Narine carried on from where he left off in the fifth edition of the Indian Premier League, as he spun a web around the Delhi Daredevils' batsmen at the Eden Gardens here on Wednesday night as defending champions Kolkata Knight Riders started their campaign in IPL-6 on a winning note. Gautam Gambhir, captain of KKR, then led the run chase of 129 as the hosts eased to a six-wicket win with eight deliveries to spare over their depleted rivals.

The Daredevils batsmen, with the exception of their captain Mahela Jayawardene (68), struggled to come to grips with the slow Eden Gardens track after being put into bat; and Narine (4-13), the Purple Cup Winner in IPL-5, added to their pain as the visitors were bundled out for a sub-par total of 128 in the last delivery of their innings. 

The Knight Riders' chase wasn't off to the best start as Irfan Pathan bowled the first maiden over of IPL-6 before Ashish Nehra dismissed Manvinder Bisla in the second over of the hosts' innings. Gambhir, who made a quickfire 29-ball 42, and Jacques Kallis (23), added 47 runs for the second wicket as they took the attack to the Daredevils' bowlers.
Kallis was especially harsh on Nehra, who he hit for three boundaries, while Gambhir was harsh on all the bowlers, and looked confident in the middle as he displayed his range of shots. Gambhir did have some nervy moments though, including a couple of occasions when he almost ran himself out, but the KKR captain looked unruffled for most of his knock and he also kept the scoreboard ticking over as he ran the singles and twos. Shahbaz Nadeem (2-22), who was the pick of the Daredevils' bowlers, and troubled Manoj Tiwary, dismissed Kallis with a long hop that the experienced South African all-rounder failed to take advantage of and was caught by Unmukt Chand at midwicket.

The Daredevils may have thought an improbable win was on the cards when Johan Botha and Nadeem dismissed Gambhir and Tiwary in the space of seven deliveries as KKR slipped to 99 for 4 in the 15th over. Botha trapped Gambhir LBW when the southpaw missed a straight delivery, and then a Nadeem delivery that turned sharply led to a top edge from Tiwary (23), and he was easily caught by Naman Ojha behind the stumps.

Eoin Morgan (14*) and Yusuf Pathan (18*), though ensured there wouldn't be any slip-ups in the run chase, as they steered KKR to victory with their unbroken 30-run partnership for the fifth wicket.

Earlier, Jayawardene came to the middle in only the second delivery of the match and was the only Daredevils' batsman to come to grips with the slow and sluggish Eden Gardens wicket. Brett Lee had given Knight Riders a dream start when he uprooted Chand's off stump with a lethal away cutter in the first delivery of IPL-6. Chand came into the match with consecutive domestic Twenty20 centuries, but was no match for a Lee special that would have been too much for the most experienced of batsmen.

In an indication of things to follow, Jayawardene got himself and the Daredevils off the mark with a boundary in front of square leg off the first ball he faced; with David Warner also hitting a boundary through the covers in the last delivery of the first over.

Jayawardene, who made a 52-ball 68 (eight boundaries and a six), and David Warner consolidated the Daredevils' innings and gave the visitors some hope with their 44-run partnership for the second wicket. The pair not only kept finding the boundaries at regular intervals, but also rotated the strike well as they ran well between the wickets as the scoreboard was kept ticking over. Warner had a poor away Test series against India, but appeared to be regaining his form, and was especially harsh on Kallis, who he hit for three boundaries.

But, the introduction of Narine in the sixth over, was to change the complexion of the match, as the West Indies offbreak bowler, struck with his fifth delivery when he got Warner to edge a catch a Kallis at first slip. This was to be Narine's only over of his first spell, but if the Daredevils' batsmen thought they could take runs off the other Knight Riders' bowlers, they had a nasty surprise awaiting them as L Balaji and Rajat Bhatia took the pace off the deliveries and mixed up their deliveries, with Bhatia especially bowling legcutters almost at will. Such was their effectiveness on the slow Eden track that Balaji (1-20) and Bhatia (2-23) only conceded 43 runs in the eight overs they bowled between themselves.

Jayawardene though showcased his class and experience to the hilt through the course of his knock as he mixed caution with aggression even as he watched a procession of Daredevils' batsmen not showing the required application and trying to hit their way out of trouble, but in vain. The 22-year-old Gujarat batsman Manprit Juneja, who was making his IPL debut, failed to learn from his captain's example at the other end, and was well caught by Laxmi Ratan Shukla off Balaji's bowling in the ninth over with the score on 59. Bhatia then got rid of Ojha and Botha in quick succession as the Daredevils slipped to 88 for 5 in the 14th over.

Narine's re-introduction into the attack in the 16th over destroyed any hopes the Daredevils had of posting a 140-run target, as he dismissed Irfan Pathan, Andre Russell and Nehra to end with dream figures of 4-0-13-4. The dismissal of Russell would be one Narine would get particular pride in as he bamboozled his West Indies team mate during the all-rounder's short stint in the middle. Russell's ordeal finally ended when he lobbed an easy catch to Narine off his own bowling. 

At the other end, Jayawardene was harsh on Lee in the 17th and 19th overs as he took 23 runs, including three boundaries and the only six of the Daredevils' innings, off the former Australian pace spearhead. Lee (2-40) did have Jayawardene caught by Narine off the last delivery of the 19th over; and the West Indies offbreak bowler conceded only three runs in the final over of the innings as Daredevils were bundled out for a paltry 128.

The Daredevils, who suffered a double blow before the season started, with the injured pair of Kevin Pietersen and Jesse Ryder both ruled out of IPL-6, were without Virender Sehwag for the IPL-6 opener because of a back spasm. Morne Morkel was another notable absentee for the Daredevils as he is playing domestic cricket back in South Africa. The Knight Riders were without New Zealand captain Brendon McCullum, who is yet to join the franchise, because of a hamstring injury he suffered during the drawn third Test against England in Auckland last week.

Arrests for assault as Kiwi star Ryder improves

 

Battered New Zealand cricketer Jesse Ryder was showing signs of improvement Friday and gave family the thumbs-up as police charged two men with assaulting the gifted batsman in a savage beating.

Ryder was attacked by a group of men as he left a bar in the South Island city of Christchurch early Thursday, and was rushed to hospital in a critical condition where he was placed in an induced coma.

His manager Aaron Klee said Ryder was responsive Friday and had given the thumbs-up to medical staff and members of his family who rushed to be at his bedside.

Ryder remains in an intensive care unit in a stable condition and requires help with breathing because of an injury to his lung while the extent of his head injury has yet to be determined.

His mother Heather and his partner Ally thanked people around the world for sending messages of sympathy and police for arresting "people responsible for the heinous crime committed on our Jesse".

"Jesse will be chuffed knowing how many people care and have reached out, including the huge number of cricket fans and players from around the world," they said in a statement.

"We have read many of the messages online over the past 24 hours and we are keeping them for Jesse to read when he recovers."

Police said they had charged a 20-year-old man and a 37-year-old relative of his with the assault and they would appear in court next Thursday.

"Two or three" people attacked Ryder as he left a bar and then resumed the assault when the injured player made his way to the car park of a fast-food outlet across the road, police said.

Although Ryder has a history of alcohol-related incidents and had been drinking before he was attacked, police said alcohol was not a factor in this instance.

Closed-circuit television footage showed the 28-year-old Ryder shaking hands with one of his alleged attackers moments before the assault started, according to bar owner Steve Holmes.

Holmes told Fairfax Media after reviewing the footage that the assault was "completely unexpected".

He said Ryder, who had been drinking with his Wellington team-mates after losing a season-ending match against Canterbury, was leaving the bar when one of the attackers called out to him.

Ryder went back to talk to the man and the two appeared to chat before shaking hands, Holmes said.

After a few minutes he said the "body language changed" between the two. Ryder walked out of the bar and the man followed him, seemingly yelling after him.

"There was no altercation until the cricket team left basically," he said. "No one was heavily intoxicated, it was just a mediocre Wednesday night."

Regan Harvey, who witnessed the assault and has given a statement to the police, believed Ryder was the target of an unprovoked "hate fight".

Harvey was drinking at the bar when he heard the fight erupt.

"As I walked out there were a couple of guys beating up this one guy on the ground" and one of the attackers gave "two massive kicks" into Ryder's stomach and rib cage, he said.

Ryder is on a self-imposed exile from international cricket while he addresses "personal issues" and has rejected calls to return to the New Zealand team despite an outstanding domestic season.

He last played for New Zealand a year ago in a one-day match against South Africa.

He was dropped for the next game when he breached team rules and went drinking in a bar where he verbally reacted to taunts from a member of the public.

Ryder was due to fly to India this weekend to compete for the Delhi Daredevils in the lucrative Indian Premier League. The team has wished him a speedy recovery.

IPL Governing Council asks Lankan cricketers to skip Chennai

New Delhi: The Governing Council of the Indian Premier League (IPL) on Tuesday decided to keep Sri Lanka cricketers out of Chennai in view of the opposition from Tamil Nadu Chief Minister J. Jayalalithaa.

This decision will make the players from the island-nation skip the matches to be held in Chennai in view of the security concerns in Tamil Nadu over the atrocities carried out against ethnic Tamils in Sri Lanka during the war against Tamil Tigers that ended in May 2009.

"The Governing Council decided that Sri Lankan players will not participate in the Pepsi IPL 2013 League matches in Chennai and will advise the nine franchises accordingly. The Governing Council met this afternoon to discuss the issue. The security of all involved in the IPL, whether players, spectators or those working in the stadiums, is of paramount importance to the BCCI," said IPL chairman Rajeev Shukla in a press statement.

"This is with reference to news reports last week that the government of Sri Lanka has issued a travel advisory that its citizens should exercise caution when travelling to Tamil Nadu. Today, the Honourable Chief Minister of Tamil Nadu has written to the Prime Minister of India stating that she will not permit the participation of Sri Lankan players or umpires in matches in Chennai during Pepsi IPL 2013."

Earlier, Shukla, also the union minister of state for parliamentary affairs, had said that the local administration's advice cannot be ignored but the IPL matches were not to be shifted out of Chennai.

Jayalalithaa, in her letter to Prime Minister Manmohan Singh, had stated that the state government will permit IPL matches only if the organisers promise that no Sri Lankan player, umpire, official or support staff will participate.

Street protests had taken place in Tamil Nadu to denounce the Sri Lankan government for the killings of Tamil civilians in the war against the Tamil Tigers in the emerald nation.

Eight of the nine IPL franchises have 13 Sri Lankans in their roster while Chennai, home to Super Kings, were scheduled to host 10 IPL matches this season. Ten Sri Lankan players, barring Chennai Super Kings Akila Dananjaya and Nuwan Kulasekara, will be missing just one match, the away encounter in Chennai. Dananjaya and Kulasekara, however, will me missing around eight home matches of Super Kings.

Jeevan Mendis and Mahela Jayawardene will playing for Delhi Daredevils, Sachithra Senanayake for Kolkata Knight Riders, Lasith Malinga for Mumbai Indians, Ajantha Mendis and Angelo Mathews for Pune Warriors, Kusal Janith Perera for Rajasthan Royals, Muttiah Muralitharan and Tillakaratne Dilshan for Royal Challengers, and Kumar Sangakkara and Thisara Perera for Hyderabad Sunrisers.

Jayawardene will captain Daredevils while Sangakkara will lead Sunrisers.

India squeeze out another win

 
 MOHALI: Australia resisted like a girl with an attitude, but gave in eventually to a relentless suitor as India won the third Test by six wickets to go 3-0 up in the series. The fourth and last match will be played in New Delhi from March 22 when India will attempt to win four Tests in a series for the first time in their history.

Set a target of 133 in a minimum of 27 overs, India hit the promised land for the loss of Murali Vijay (26), Cheteshwar Pujara (28) and Virat Kohli (34) and Sachin Tendulkar (21). For a brief while it appeared that Australia may confine India to a draw. Thirty were needed in fifty-six balls when Kohli flicked Peter Siddle to short mid-wicket.

Tendulkar and MS Dhoni (18*) played through a phase of quiet as the requirement escalated, and the maestro’s sharp run-out by David Warner gave Australia another look-in to enforce a draw. But Ravindra Jadeja walked in to cream boundaries against Siddle, setting an example for his skipper to follow: Dhoni decided things with three fours off Mitchell Starc and then uprooted a stump as a souvenir.


The win at Mohali was largely set up by Shikhar Dhawan’s blazing 187 on debut that was scored across two sessions on Saturday and made up for the time lost on account of the first-day washout. Dhawan was named Man of the Match, but did not come out to bat on Monday as he has injured his hand while fielding. India were also served well by Jadeja's left-arm spin, that claimed six wickets - three in each innings - in the match. Jadeja has dismissed Michael Clarke five times in this series.

Australia fight

Australia were effectively 79 for eight at lunch, with 52 overs remaining, and were rescued by two stubborn alliances: thirty-six in 16.1 overs between Starc and Haddin, and 44 in 18 overs between Starc and Xavier Doherty for the last wicket. Ravichandran Ashwin deceived Haddin with a ‘carrom’ ball immediately after lunch.

Starc and Doherty stretched the lead to 132 before the first innings scorer of 99 was done in by Jadeja for 35. This meant that India had 90 minutes plus a minimum of 15 mandatory overs to reach the target. The hosts got there, not in a tearing hurry, but well within the time stipulated, and will head to Delhi soaring on a first-ever 3-0 cushion over Australia.

Spun out

Earlier, Australia resumed in the morning three down on 75, sixteen ahead, and were all out for 223 mid-way into the second session. They suffered the first jolt when night-watchman Nathan Lyon edged Pragyan Ojha to Dhoni.  Australia’s spasm-wreaked captain, Clarke, lasted for 49 deliveries before Jadeja dismissed him for the fifth time this series – via an inside-edged bat-pad that was gobbled up by Pujara at short-leg.

The next dismissal was rather unfortunate. Phil Hughes (69) who had infinitely multiplied his series gains in the course of one attacking knock, was given out ‘lbw’ to Ashwin when the delivery seemed likely to miss leg-stump. All-rounder Moises Henriques (2) lasted ten balls before Jadeja flung himself to his left to accept a blinding return-catch. Siddle had his off-stump knocked back by Ojha, clearing the way for Haddin and Starc to delay the inevitable.

Shikhar Dhawan scintillates on debut

MOHALI:Thank Michael Clarke if you’re Indian. Fall at his feet if you’re Shikhar Dhawan. On Saturday, the Aussie captain allowed the Delhi opener to have a belligerent, record-breaking maiden Test by choosing not to appeal when Mitchell Starc had inadvertently ‘Mankaded’ him on the first ball of the innings.

Dhawan went on to smash an unbeaten 185 in just 168 balls, the fastest hundred ever on debut and the highest score by an Indian debutant, and was 15 away at close from scoring the country's first double-hundred in a maiden Test. The blitz kept alive India's hopes of enforcing a result in the rain-curtailed third Test.

The hosts, having endured an irritatingly prolonged wag of the Australian tail in the first session, took themselves to within 125 runs runs of their rivals by stumps. Not since Virender Sehwag (the man Dhawan displaced) in his pomp had India gathered Test runs at such a pace: 283 for no loss in 58 overs, in reply to Australia's 408. This was also India's third-highest opening partnership in Tests.

Power play
The impetus came mostly from Dhawan’s bat and he pierced a packed offside with spectacular stroke-play. Almost 80 percent of his runs came in boundaries (a scarcely believable 33 fours garnished with two sixes) mostly placed to perfection through a well-populated off-side field, but some also cheekily attained via the premeditated paddle against the spinners.


Dhawan reached fifty in as many balls, and just 35 more deliveries were needed to nudge aside Suresh Raina as India’s latest centurion on debut. His 150 came off 131 deliveries. The frenetic, unconquered opening partnership of 283 is the highest, by a long way, by an Indian opening pair against Australia. Murali Vijay (83*), who ensured a steady distribution of strike while his partner was going ballistic, deserves no little credit for that.

Two of Australia's own had earlier come tantalizingly close to three figures. Steve Smith stretched his overnight half-century to 92 before Pragyan Ojha got him with a beauty, ending a 97-run partnership that tormented India for one whole session.  The other relinquished maiden hundred was even harder on the heart.

Tail wags
Mitchell Starc batted like a man possessed for 99, presenting the full face of the bat, alternating conscientious blocking with intensive hitting that gained him 14 boundaries. He hit Ishant Sharma back over his head and cut and flicked R. Ashwin and Ravindra Jadeja. Starc survived a streaky phase during which he edged a few and eventually the nerve of getting to a maiden hundred got to him one run away from the landmark.

Suddenly, Starc was all pins and needles against Ishant Sharma, who teased him outside off before snaring him with an outside edge for his highest first class score. This made Starc the fourth Aussie bat to miss out on a ton in this innings. The tail, however, had done enough by then to extend the score from an overnight 273/7 to 408 all out. With the entire first day lost to rain, it appeared that the visitors had done enough to ward off defeat in the third Test. Dhawan took two sessions to rubbish that notion.