Bowling to Sachin Tendulkar an education: Pragyan Ojha

April 3, 2013

Pragyan_Ojha

Hyderabad, Mar 3: Left-arm spinner Pragyan Ojhabecame the third quickest Indian to reach 100 wickets when he scalped Australian James Pattinson in the first innings of the fourth Test at Delhi recently. The 26-year-old, who has 102 Test wickets from just 22 Tests, is also the joint highest wicket-taker in Tests from Hyderabad, equaling off-spinner Shivlal Yadav's mark. Ojha, who is in Bangalore preparing with Mumbai Indians for their opening game against Royal Challengers, said the IPL and his achievements on Tuesday. Excerpts:

IPL a boon: It's a great platform for youngsters. I was just a domestic player when I was signed up by the Deccan Chargers in 2008. After some good performances that year (11 wickets), there was no looking back. I went on to get my India cap. For youngsters, it's anawesome opportunity to rub shoulders with international stars and legends of the game. Even if one doesn't get to play many games, being in the same dressing room is in itself education.

Struggles: I had a really good time with the Deccan Chargers in the first four seasons (60 wickets in 54 matches). I struggled a bit after moving to the Mumbai Indians last season. And then, after doing so well against England, I got to play only two Tests in the recent series against Australia but was able to cross the 100-wicket mark. I have learnt to take disappointments in the stride. Such moments only make me mentally tougher.

Tendulkar effect: It's great to have someone like Sachin paaji in the dressing room. He is an inspiration for all of us as the energy, commitment and dedication he has for the game even after more than two decades of international cricket is just amazing. He is an awesome player and a wonderful person. I always love to bowl to him at the nets as I get to learn a lot from it.

Kumble factor: We have good support staff and that helps a lot in a tough competition like this. Having Anil (Kumble) bhai as a mentor is really proving to be a blessing for me especially. His vast experience and knowledge of the game is something that I want to tap into during this season. I will be working with him closely and look to become a better bowler.

New skipper Ponting: There is not much that I can say about Ponting. He is a proven match-winner and is not only a great batsman but also a wonderful captain. On top of it, he is a jolly good guy and gets along well with all the players. His very presence will be a big boon for the team.

Learning from Harbhajan: I consider myself fortunate to have played with Bhajji. I have gained a lot from him. To have a senior like him is always a great thing for a youngster.

John Wright: It is still early days with him. Haven't been able to interact with him much but he has tremendous knowledge of the game and I look forward to tap into it.

Batting: I have started working on my batting too with Wright helping me out in that area. I want to contribute to the team with the willow too as in a T20 game every run scored is vital.

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News Network
June 2,2020

Jun 2: Former West Indies captain Daren Sammy has spoken strongly against the killing if George Floyd in USA, and has now urged the ICC & all the other boards in the world to come together and fight the evil.

In a series of tweets Sammy wrote how the blacks have been suffering for a long time.

“For too long black people have suffered. I’m all the way in St Lucia and I’m frustrated If you see me as a teammate then you see #GeorgeFloyd Can you be part of the change by showing your support. #BlackLivesMatter,” Sammy wrote.

He also wrote, “@ICC and all the other boards are you guys not seeing what’s happening to ppl like me? Are you not gonna speak against the social injustice against my kind. This is not only about America. This happens everyday #BlackLivesMatter now is not the time to be silent. I wanna hear u.”

“Right now if the cricket world not standing against the injustice against people of color after seeing that last video of that foot down the next of my brother you are also part of the problem.”

Earlier, West Indies star batsman Chris Gayle has said racism exists in cricket too, saying he gets the 'end of the stick' even within teams.

"Black lives matter just like any other life. Black people matter, p***k all racist people, stop taking black people for fools, even our own black people wise the p***k up and stop bringing down your own! I have travelled the globe and experience racial remarks towards me because I am black, believe me, the list goes on," Gayle wrote in his Instagram story.

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Agencies
January 11,2020

London, Jan 11: Former cricketer Sachin Tendulkar's famous lap around the Wankhede Stadium after the World Cup 2011 win has been nominated in Laureas's list for the most inspiring sporting event in the last twenty years.

The moment featuring Tendulkar has been described as "Carried on the shoulders by a nation".

On his sixth attempt at the World Cup and with India not having won the competition since 1983, Tendulkar finally became a part of the team that lifted the coveted trophy. Carried on the shoulders of the Indian team, he made a lap of honour, shedding tears of joy after the victory was sealed in his home city.

The 2011 World Cup was also the first time, in which a host nation ended up winning the trophy.

Apart from Tendulkar, England's Andrew Flintoff is the only other cricketer to feature in the list. In 2005, England managed to defeat Australia in an Ashes Test, but Flintoff chose to first shake hands with Brett Lee rather than celebrate with his side.

Matthias Steiner (weightlifting), Natalie du Toit (swimming), Sky Brown (skateboarding), Alistair and Jonathan Brownlee (triathlon), Xia Boyu (mountaineering) have been nominated in the list.

Female tennis stars also feature in the list for coming up with an equal play, equal pay campaign. After pressure from Venus Williams and others, Wimbledon announced that female tennis players would receive prize money equal to the men's.

German international footballer Miroslav Klose was playing for Lazio in Italy's Serie A in 2012 against Napoli when he rose for a ball in the early moments of the game.

The ball came spiraling off his hand and skirted into the back of the net and a goal was awarded. While most players would carry on as if nothing had happened, Klose was honest with the referee and admitted that he handled the ball.

As a result, he also finds a place on the list.

The Laureus Sporting Moment Award celebrates the moments where the sport has unified people in the most extraordinary way.

This campaign has shortlisted 20 sporting stories from the last 20 years that have left their mark on the world.

The winner will be decided on the basis of public voting. It has already started, and the final date to cast the vote is February 16.

Finally, the result will be declared on February 17.
With three knock-out rounds, the top-20 moments will be whittled down to ten then five, with the top-five moments going head-to-head.

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News Network
May 14,2020

New Delhi, May 14: Mahendra Singh Dhoni is an unconventional and unique leader, whose biggest strength is his incredible gut feeling, says his Chennai Super Kings teammate Faf du Plessis.

The former South Africa skipper has spent considerable time with Dhoni after joining the Indian Premier League (IPL) side in 2011 and has been an integral part of its successful journey.

"He reads the others player really well and he uses that to make instinctive decisions on the field. He's got an incredible gut feeling on the game and I think that's his biggest strength," du Plessis said in a Facebook live session with Bangladesh ODI skipper Tamim Iqbal.

The 35-year-old said Dhoni changed his perception of how a captain should be.

"It was amazing for me to see how different M S was as a captain. I used to think a captain must speak all the time in team meetings etc but M S was completely different.

"He doesn't believe a lot in team meetings. He's a very instinctive captain he's got such a good cricket brain that he relies on it to make the right decisions on the field," du Plessis said of former India skipper.

Dhoni last played for India in World Cup semifinal last year and was expected to be back to playing competitive cricket at now-postponed IPL.

Calling Dhoni the best finisher he has played with, Du Plessis said no one can emulate what the dasher from Ranchi can do with the bat.

"He's extremely calm. I haven't played with someone who is a better finisher than him. It's just remarkable to watch him from the side of the field."

"If someone else tries to do it like him they won't be able to. He's just so unique like he times the ball so late he's got an incredible calmness. He knows his game and he picks a bowler and goes for it."

Du Plessis said that playing for CSK alongside Dhoni and under the guidance head coach Stephen Fleming has taught him a lot about leadership.

"I'm lucky to have started my journey there at CSK because I have really learned a lot from a leadership point of view. I tried to learn as much as possible from Dhoni and Stephen Fleming because both are great captains."

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