Gautam Gambhir thrashes allegations of rift between senior India cricketers

January 6, 2014

Gautam_GambhirJan 6: Gautam Gambhir on Sunday clarified that all the rumours about his differences with India captain Mahendra Singh Dhoni, or the famous dispute between Dhoni and Virender Sehwag is nothing but an ‘imaginative mind working overtime’.

Gambhir told Mumbai Mirror, “All this friction within the team is nothing but someone’s imaginative mind working overtime. I have said this before and I will say this again that there is nothing wrong between me and MS Dhoni or Viru bhai, Yuvi and Harbhajan. It is just a coincidence that we’re not in the team for various reasons like form and fitness but to look beyond all this is nothing but being disrespectful to the intentions of the players.”

The 32-year-old batsman, who was relegated from the Grade A of the Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) contract list to Grade B, says that he is not the only cricketer trying to make a comeback.

Gambhir said, “It still means that I am in the scheme of things for people who matter. Believe me, it is no disaster. I am not the first or the last cricketer trying to make a comeback. I think apart from Sachin Tendulkar, there is not a single cricketer in the Indian team who hasn’t been left out at some stage. I’m trying to evolve as a cricketer which is the most important thing to me.”

Talking about his batting technique, Gambhir defended himself and said he has scored runs all over and he does not rely on a few methods.

“I’ve scored some runs in front of the wicket as well — my game is not only about nudges. There was a time when I was not leaving enough balls outside the off-stump. I’m just trying to do that and thankfully it is working out for me. But there hasn’t been anything specific with either of the two coaches[Duncan Fletcher and Sanjay Bhardwaj],” he said.

Talking about insecurities, Gambhir said, “It’s not about being secure or insecure. At the end of the day you are competing with the opposition and not with insecurities. To put things in perspective, I spoke about insecurities when I was in and out of the side at the very start of my career but things are different after playing 50 Tests.”

Gambhir denied the allegation that he put club over country and played for his Indian Premier League (IPL) franchise Kolkata Knight Riders, and missing the tour to the West Indies in 2011.

He said, “The Club vs Country notion was completely fabricated. I don’t go about advertising things but I have played with enough injuries for my country. To set the record straight, let me tell you that the reports of the scans on my shoulder and groin reached us only after the game in Mumbai. Had I known how serious my injury was, I’d have definitely opted out of the IPL and looked at the opportunity of playing for India. And I am yet to come across a cricketer who prefers playing for his franchisee in the IPL rather than his country.”

“I don’t think I was out of form. In fact, it was a combination of some good bowling and injuries that ruined my England tour,” Gambhir added.

Gambhir said he never believed in designations and always wanted to contribute to the team’s cause.

“Well I am not a great believer in designations. Captaincy or vice-captaincy is not the end, it’s the means to the end. The difference that I was trying to make as the vice-captain of the team, I was still doing that as member of MS Dhoni’s team. To the outside world, it might seem a catastrophe but I was certainly not losing sleep over them,” Gambhir said.

“My job is to score runs and not worry about selection. The idea is to evolve as a cricketer and individual which is exactly what I am focusing on. And I have not spoken to either the selectors or Dhoni. It is a simple equation: keep scoring runs and you will end up being in top teams, be it India, KKR or Delhi,” he added.

Gambhir said that he remains motivated to play cricket and he is enjoying the ongoing season with Delhi.

“Like most cricketers, I picked up my bat to score runs and help my teams win. So travelling the country to play Ranji games is as much fun as it has been travelling abroad with the Indian team. The zest to win in different conditions, the desire to take Delhi cricket forward and, in the process, evolve as a batsman, all this keeps me going. I love this sport and the very fact that I am involved in a contest,” he said.

Gambhir continued, “Sometimes, the contest is with the opposition, sometimes there is a battle within that I won’t hit a cover drive but it’s all fun and not a burden. To cite an example, when we travelled to Gujarat or Jharkhand, I was really looking forward to visiting these places and see for myself how they have developed. Being a cricketer is fun. As far as playing at Roshanara on green tracks is concerned, it was done to ensure outright wins for Delhi and nothing else. It would have been tough to get full points at Kotla and that is why we made this move.”

Gambhir thrashed the talks that he will be hoping for an opening in the Indian team in case Shikhar Dhawan or Murali Vijay flop on the tour of New Zealand.

He said, “It disappoints me that we cricketers are such a misunderstood lot. It is disgraceful to think that for my personal gains, I’d expect M Vijay or Shikhar (Dhawan) to fail. I’m sorry but I don’t approach my life or cricket that way. Vijay looked really good in South Africa, especially in tough conditions in the Johannesburg Test. I wish him all the very best for New Zealand. Shikhar again is extremely dear to me. He may not have scored in heaps but I’d really request the critics not to get after him. Just give him time, he’ll be fine. I wish both of them luck.”

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News Network
April 9,2020

New Delhi, Apr 9: The legendary Kapil Dev on Thursday slammed Shoaib Akhtar's idea of a made-for-television three-match ODI series between India and Pakistan to raise funds for the Covid19 pandemic, saying "India doesn't need the money" and it is not worth risking lives for a cricket match.

Speaking to news agency, Akhtar on Wednesday proposed a closed-door series to jointly raise funds to fight the deadly virus both in India and Pakistan. Dev said the proposal is not feasible.

"He is entitled to his opinion but we don't need to raise the money. We have enough. For us, what is important right now is how our authorities work together to deal with this crisis. I am still seeing a lot of blame game on television from the politicians and that needs to stop," Dev said.

"Anyway, the BCCI has donated a hefty amount (Rs 51 crore) for the cause and is in a position to donate much more if the need arises. It doesn't need to raise funds.

"The situation is unlikely to get normal anytime soon and organising a cricket game means putting our cricketers at risk which we don't need to," said the World Cup-winning former captain.

Dev said cricket should not even matter for at least the next six months.

"It is just not worth the risk. And how much money can you make from three games? In my view, you can't even think of cricket for the next five to six months," he said.

Dev said the focus, at the moment, should only be on saving lives and taking care of the poor who are struggling to make ends meet in a lockdown situation.

"Cricket will resume when things get normal. The game can't be bigger than the country. The pressing issue is to look after the poor, the hospital workers, the police and all other people who are on the frontline of this war," said the 61-year-old.

As an Indian, Dev feels proud that his country is in a position help other nations including the United States.

President Donald Trump has thanked Prime Minister Narendra Modi for helping the United States with the supply of hydroxychloroquine, an anti-malarial drug being touted as a potential cure for Covid19 patients.

"Helping others is in our culture and I feel proud about that. We should not seek credit after helping others. We should strive to become a nation which gives more and more rather than taking from others," he said.

Like everyone else, Dev is at home and practising social distancing.

Asked how he views the current situation, he said: "Nelson Mandela stayed in a tiny cell for 27 years. Compared to that, we are in a privileged position (that we just have to stay at home for sometime)."

"There is nothing bigger than life at the moment and that is what we need to save."

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News Network
July 6,2020

Karachi, Jul 6: Former Pakistan captain Inzamam-ul-Haq has said that questions will be raised if Indian Premier League is slotted in the window allotted to ICC T20 World Cup in Australia, which in all likelihood will be cancelled in the wake of the Covid-19 pandemic.

The ICC is yet to decide the fate of the T20 World Cup in Australia which is scheduled to take place from October 18 to November 15.

"There are rumors that the World Cup was clashing with the Indian Premier League (IPL) and the Australia-India series, therefore, it (T20 World Cup) won't take place," Inzamam said in his YouTube channel on Sunday.

"The Indian board is strong and has control in the International Cricket Council (ICC). If Australia says that we cannot hold the World Cup because of the Covid-19 pandemic, then their stance will be easily accepted, but if any such kind event happens during the same time, then questions will be raised," he said.

The 50-year-old former batsman, who has scored 8,830 runs in 120 Tests and 11,739 runs in 378 ODIs for Pakistan, further said, "People will think, if a country could host 12 to 14 teams (16 teams), then why the ICC could not look after the teams, after all Australia is such an advanced country.

"Another thing is the ICC should not be allowed to give priority to private leagues (IPL) on international cricket. This will lead to young players forcing on private leagues other than international matches."

The former coach, however, agreed that it is not easy to host 16 nations during the T20 World Cup.

"Australia can say that it was difficult for it to manage 18 teams (16) for the mega event as it is not easy. Likewise, the Pakistan team was in England in a hotel and all the facilities were being provided there, therefore, it has not been easy to manage 18 teams (16)," he said.

The fate of Asia Cup which PCB will be hosting in a neutral country for security reason is also an issue as no one knows the fate of the tournament originally scheduled in September.

Inzamam said: "I have also heard that objections are also raised on the dates of the Asia Cup as it is clashing with some other event.

"The ICC, the Asian Cricket Council (ACC) and all cricket boards should sit together and give a strong message that any such kind of impression (giving priority to private leagues instead of international cricket), won't take place," he said.

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News Network
January 2,2020

New Delhi, Jan 2: Thrilled after getting to know about Hardik Pandya and Natasa Stankovic's engagement, skipper Virat Kohli on Wednesday called it a "pleasant surprise".

Extending his best wishes to the newly-engaged couple, Kohli posted a comment on Pandya's Instagram post which read, "Congratulations H. What a pleasant surprise. Wish you guys great times ahead. God bless".

On the first day of the New Year 2020, Pandya announced his engagement with Serbian actor Natasa Stankovic.

The cricketer took to Instagram to share the photo with the actor and captioned the post: "Mai tera, Tu meri jaane, saara Hindustan. 01.01.2020 #engaged".

The couple got engaged in Dubai and were seen taking a ferry ride along with close friends.

On the work front, Stankovic was last seen in a song from the Bollywood movie The Body starring Emraan Hashmi and Rishi Kapoor. She had also made it to the finals of the TV show Nach Baliye with her ex-boyfriend Aly Goni.

Stankovic first became a household name after appearing as a contestant on famous reality show Bigg Boss 8.

In 2019, the Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) had confirmed that Pandya had had lower-back surgery in London.

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