For India, life and runs after Sachin Tendulkar

December 22, 2013

Sachin_Tendulkar

Johannesburg, Dec 22: It took one Test for India to realise there is life - and runs - after the great Sachin Tendulkar. Virat Kohli made 119 from Tendulkar's former No.4 spot in the first innings of the first Test against South Africa. Cheteshwar Pujara stroked a superb 153 from No.3 in the second innings.

And Kohli added another 96 in their double-century partnership on Saturday, only just missing out on becoming the first player to make two centuries in a test at Johannesburg's Wanderers.

Tendulkar, cricket's leading run-scorer, retired after a glittering 24-year career in November, yet India has two youngsters who have immediately stepped up.

The outstanding performances from Kohli and Pujara, both 25, also came in unfamiliar territory as Kohli scored his first hundred in South Africa and Pujara went big for his first ton outside India.

They shared a 222-run partnership on Friday and Saturday that put India in total charge of the series-opener against the top-ranked South Africans and made the tourists favorite to take the lead in the short 2-Test series.

"It's always good," Pujara said of his relationship with Kohli.

"We have played many innings together now and communication is also very good. I think we have got a very good record because we are almost the same age and whenever you want to pass on any information, or whenever you want to chat about something, it becomes easier."

India's tour to South Africa came straight after Tendulkar's retirement, ending more than two decades with the Little Master anchoring the Test batting lineup. The Indians were soon under pressure on the quick, bouncy tracks in South Africa when they lost the first two one-day games by big margins.

Yet in the opening Test - on one of the country's paciest pitches - the youngsters have proved they also have the grit and the attacking flair to dominate the world's best bowlers in their own conditions.

South Africa bowling coach Allan Donald compared Kohli's century on a fiery Wanderers pitch on the first day as reminiscent of Tendulkar at his pugnacious and skilful best.

Pujara's 153 showed similar signs of great potential as the pair battered the Proteas quicks for 175 in a session late on Friday during their game-changing second-innings stand. Exasperated, South Africa bowler Vernon Philander simply said "hats off to them" after Test cricket's most fierce attack was tamed.

It's easy for Indian cricket followers to recall Tendulkar and Rahul Dravid at the top of the batting order when they see young Kohli and Pujara, who have done much in the space of one match to suggest India has found another lasting combination.

"It's too early to say because we still have to prove a lot," Pujara said.

"It's still a very good start for us. We still can take very good confidence out of it and learn from whatever we can from this match and then carry it forward from this."

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News Network
March 13,2020

Mar 13: The start of the Indian Premier League (IPL), the world's most lucrative cricket competition, has been postponed from March 29 until April 15 over the coronavirus, the Indian cricket board said Friday.

"The Board of Control for Cricket in India has decided to suspend IPL 2020 till 15th April 2020, as a precautionary measure against the ongoing Novel Coronavirus (COVID-19) situation," the BCCI said in a statement.

The two-month Twenty20 competition is estimated to generate more than $11 billion for the Indian economy and involves cricket's top international stars.

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News Network
June 30,2020

Malabar, Jun 30: I-League club Gokulam Kerala's former assistant manager Muhammad Alloush on Monday died due to COVID-19. He was 44.

Alloush, who was with the football club in its inaugural season, was working as technical director at Egyptian club Tanta SC at the time of his demise.

Alloush's mother had also succumbed due to the deadly virus earlier.

"We're deeply saddened by the death of our former assistant manager Muhammad Alloush, aged 44, after contracting Covid_19. The thoughts of everybody at Gokulam Kerala Football Club are with Alloush's family and friends at this sad time. Rest in peace, Alloush," Gokulam Kerala FC tweeted.

Meanwhile, with a spike of 18,522 COVID-19 cases in the last 24 hours, India's coronavirus count stands at 5,66,840, said the Union Health and Family Welfare Ministry on Tuesday.

According to the Ministry, 418 deaths due to COVID-19 were reported in the last 24 hours. The number of deaths in the country now stands at 16,893.

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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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