Dhoni's presence makes a huge difference, says Raina

Agencies
May 2, 2019

Chennai, May 2: The sheer presence of MS Dhoni on the pitch creates a lot of pressure for opposition teams and it is always difficult to fill the veteran stumper's boots whenever he is not around, said Chennai Super Kings' batsman Suresh Raina.

Dhoni missed two games for CSK this season -- against Mumbai Indians and Sunrisers Hyderabad -- due to fever and stiff back, and on both occasions, they ended on the losing side.

Besides, Dhoni has been in superb form with the bat this year and hit a 22-ball unbeaten 44 against Delhi Capitals to ensure a comfortable 80-run win for CSK.

Asked Raina how challenging it was to lead CSK in Dhoni's absence, he replied: "I think losing him (Dhoni) as a captain is not an issue, losing him as a batsman is always difficult for us. That's what happened for us against Hyderabad and Mumbai Indians.

"When he comes to the crease a lot of pressure is created for other teams. When he is not in the team, we see the difference."

Raina also hinted that he might take up CSK captaincy as and when Dhoni decides to call it quits.

"He has done well in the last couple of years as a batsmen as well team mentor. So probably you may see me more next year when he is done but I need more of his calibre. But he will continue as long as he wants to play for Chennai, you know him and Chennai," he said.

The left-hander also praised Dhoni's glovework in the light of two brilliant stumpings he had effected on Wednesday night.

"He (Dhoni) had two brilliant stumpings. One is Shreyas (Iyer) and the other is (Chris) Morris. It shows how compact he is.

"In the last couple of years when he was playing for India also, he has done amazing stumpings that shows how involved he is in the game," Raina said.

Raina said it was important to play smart cricket in Chennai.

"It is important to play very, very smart cricket in Chennai. The game starts after the sixth over here. In the powerplay, if you see the last two games which we won against Hyderabad and against Delhi here, you can see that we hadn't done well in the first three overs," he said.

"Watto (Shane Watson) and Faf (du Plessis) played very carefully against (Trent) Boult and (Chris) Morris. It is important to have wickets in Chennai because later when you have hitters like MS (Dhoni), (Ambati) Rayudu and Jadeja, you can score extra 30-40 runs."

Raina, who became the first fielder to take 100 catches in the IPL on Wednesday night, felt it was a blessing for the team to lose the toss as the wicket was a bit difficult in the second innings when Delhi batted.

"I think it was a blessing for us to lose the toss. The wicket was a bit difficult when they (Delhi) were batting second. The game really set up for us. We kept wickets in hands. In Chennai, we need to put extra 30-40 runs on the board. that's what we did."

Raina said Delhi couldn't capitalise on a good start, adding one needs to plan well against CSK's lethal spin attack.

"They (Delhi) were very good in the powerplay, but later on they didn't capitalise on their good start. In Chennai, you need to plan really well against our good spinners. You need to rotate really well, otherwise it is going to be difficult with the heat," he said.

Meanwhile, Delhi Capitals captain Shreyas Iyer said the defeat was a good reality check for his team ahead of the playoffs.

"After the kind of start we got (52/2 at one stage), we should have at least reached close to the total. It was a reality check for us. We need to assess where we went wrong and come back strongly," he said.

Iyer said Rishabh Pant could have played 'smart' but added he won't ask the left-hander to curb his style.

"He (Pant) has won matches for us earlier in the season. A batsman like him can turn the momentum with one innings. So I wouldn't want to curb his style. I like the way he bats," he said.

Asked about Dhoni's impact, the Delhi captain said: "We can't blame our bowlers because you had an experienced campaigner like Dhoni in the middle.

"He can change the game from ball one and if he stays till the end, he can take them to a good total. The bowlers too feel the pressure when MS is in the middle."

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News Network
July 2,2020

Jul 2: Cricket Australia has decided to not use the Dukes ball from this summer's Sheffield Shield, having used it alongside Kookaburra for four seasons.

CA has confirmed that the Kookaburra ball will be used for the entire 2020-21 first-class season.

Australia has been using Dukes ball since the 2016-17 season in Shield matches with an aim to help its cricketers prepare for the hostile English conditions.

CA's Head of Cricket Operations, Peter Roach, said the decision to axe the Dukes was the right call. "The introduction of the Dukes ball has been a worthwhile exercise, particularly in the lead up to overseas Ashes series where the Dukes is used so well by our English opponents," Roach said.

"We have been happy with how the ball has performed when used in Australian conditions over the past four seasons. We do, however, feel that reverting to one ball for 2020-21 will provide the consistent examination of our players over a full season that CA and the states are presently seeking. The Kookaburra is the ball used for international cricket in Australia and many parts of the world and we see benefits this season of maximising our use of it," he added.

Roach said the ineffectiveness of spinners in first-class cricket in recent times played a role in CA's decision to do away with the Dukes. "We have noted that spin bowlers in the Sheffield Shield have been playing less of a role in recent seasons, most notably in games when the Dukes ball is in use. We need spinners bowling in first-class cricket and we need our batters facing spin. We hope that the change to one ball will have a positive benefit here," he said.

The CA official, however, didn't rule out the possibility of re-introducing it later.

"We see a definite opportunity to reintroduce the Dukes ball at some stage in the future."

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News Network
June 17,2020

New Delhi, Jun 17: Indian skipper Virat Kohli on Wednesday paid tributes to Indian Army soldiers, who were killed during the face-off with the Chinese troops in Ladakh's Galwan Valley.

Extending condolences to the kin of bravehearts, Kohli said, "No one is more selfless and brave than a soldier."

"Salute and deepest respect to the soldiers who sacrificed their lives to protect our country in the Galwan Valley. NO one is more selfless and brave than a soldier. Sincere condolences to the families. I hope they find peace through our prayers at this difficult time," he tweeted.

The violent face-off happened on late evening and night of June 15 in Ladakh's Galwan Valley as a result of an attempt by the Chinese troops to "unilaterally change" the status quo during de-escalation in Eastern Ladakh and the situation could have been avoided if the agreement at the higher level been scrupulously followed by the Chinese side, India said on Tuesday.

The Army confirmed that 20 soldiers were killed in the face-off, including 17 who were critically injured at the stand-off location and exposed to sub-zero temperatures in the high altitude terrain.

Indian and Chinese troops have disengaged at the Galwan area in Ladakh where they had earlier clashed on the night of June 15 and 16, Indian Army said.

Former cricketer Irfan Pathan tweeted, "We will always be indebted to our jawans of #IndianArmy who lost their lives in #GalwanValley #JaiHind."

Expressing similar sentiments, Indian batsman Shikhar Dhawan wrote, "A sacrifice that will never be forgotten by the nation. Heartfelt condolences to the family and loved ones of the Indian Army officer and the two soldiers. Saluting your bravery, Jai Hind! #GalwanValley."

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News Network
April 2,2020

New Delhi, Apr 2: It was on April 2, 2011, when the Men in Blue went on to win their second 50-over World Cup title.

India won its first World Cup in 1983 and then had to wait for 28 years to again lift the title.
Going into the 2011 tournament, India went in as the clear favourites as the competition was to be played in the sub-continent.

Under MS Dhoni's leadership, India lost just one match in the competition against South Africa.
India had defeated arch-rivals Pakistan in the semi-final to set up a summit clash with Sri Lanka.

In the finals, Sri Lanka won the toss and opted to bat first. Mahela Jayawardene top-scored for Sri Lanka as he struck a century to take the team's score to 274/6.

India in their chase got off to a bad start as the side lost Sachin Tendulkar and Virender Sehwag with just 31 runs on the board.

But Gautam Gambhir and MS Dhoni stepped up and stitched a match-winning 109-run partnership.

Gambhir perished after playing a knock of 97 runs, but in the end, Dhoni and Yuvraj took the team over the line by six wickets.

The winning six struck by Dhoni is still viewed as one of the most exciting moments in India's sporting history. 

As the winning six was hit, Ravi Shastri was doing commentary then, and he famously remarked, "Dhoni, finishes it off in style, India lifts the World Cup after 28 years".
As soon as the match-winning shot was hit, Tendulkar erupted with joy and had tears to see his dream finally being fulfilled.

Earlier this year, former Indian batsman Sachin Tendulkar's famous lap around the Wankhede Stadium after the 2011 World Cup win, titled 'Carried On the Shoulders Of A Nation', was voted the greatest Laureus Sporting Moment of the last twenty years.

The lap after the World Cup is still edged into everyone's hearts.

Playing in his last mega 50-over tournament, it was the last chance for Tendulkar to lift the coveted trophy.

Before the 2011 World Cup, Tendulkar had played five tournaments (1992,1996,1999,2003 and 2007), and he fell short every time.

The closest he came to winning the trophy was in 2003 as India made the finals under the leadership of Sourav Ganguly.

But the Men in Blue fell short in the finals against Australia.

Then in 2007, the biggest setback was in store for the legend has India bowed out of the tournament in the group stages.

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