Individuals can win games but team work can win titles: Rohit Sharma

May 22, 2017

Hyderabad, May 22: Individual brilliance can win a side few games but what is needed to win a tournament is team work, said Mumbai Indians captain Rohit Sharma after his side lifted their third Indian Premier League title.

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Mumbai Indians rode on their bowlers' superb display to eke out a close one-run win over Rising Pune Supergiant in a low-scoring final to win the IPL title Sunday night.

"I feel individual brilliance can win you a few games but what is required to win a championship is team unity and team work. These are the factors which I believe personally is very critical to win a championship," Rohit said in the post-match press conference.

Rohit termed all three title victories as special and said getting the right combination is crucial for a team's success.

"All three titles are special. I personally feel it's how you prepare at the start of the tournament, getting your combinations right. I feel that is the most critical part of winning a tournament," he said.

Rohit praised Australian left-arm pacer Mitchell Johnson, who bowled the last over in which Pune needed 11 runs to win, for turning the match in their favour.

"We got some proven match winners in our squad. Mitchell Johnson is a proven customer. He (Johnson) proved again and again playing for Australia and he has done it for Mumbai as well. He has been in that atmosphere before for us. Yes, I could happily rely on him when I needed the most. The last over was very crucial," the Mumbai skipper said.

"It was fantastic to have him throughout the season."

Asked about Mumbai Indians' strategy going into the last over with a set Pune captain Steven Smith at the crease, Rohit said: "There was no specific strategy. We just wanted to make it difficult by not giving him (Smith) pace. What we saw, he was trying to use the pace of bowlers. That's something me and Johnson discussed.

"He (Johnson) was bowling against the wind. So, we wanted Smith to hit into the wind. That will make it difficult for him."

Mumbai Indians made a paltry 129 for eight after electing to bat, and Rohit said they were 30-40 runs short of what would have been a winning score on this pitch here.

"Our target on this wicket was 140 to 160. 160 on this wicket probably would have been a match winning score," he said.

Terming Lasith Malinga and Jasprit Bumrah as best death bowlers, Rohit said he always preferred a five-bowler attack.

"Cricket is all about experience. You will always have some experienced and proven match winners and some inexperienced in your squad. I personally felt at the start of the tournament, it's always good to have five bowlers theory," he said.

Rohit also praised Krunal Pandya, who was adjudged man-of-the-match for his vital 47 runs.

Asked if he aspired to become India captain, Rohit gave a diplomatic reply.

"It's thinking too far ahead. I don't think too far ahead. When the opportunity comes, it comes. I will grab it with both hands," he said.

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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
June 9,2020

Jun 9: Former West Indies skipper Darren Sammy has released a video, alleging racism within the SunRisers Hyderabad camp. Last week, Sammy had lost his cool after learning the meaning of the word "Kalu", which he alleged was directed at him during his Indian Premier League (IPL) stint with the SunRisers Hyderabad. The T20 World Cup-winning Windies skipper had said that he along with Sri Lanka player Thisara Perera were sometimes called that word when they played for SunRisers Hyderabad. However, Sammy did not specify as to who directed these slurs at him, but now the player has released a video, saying he will message all those who called him that word.

"I have played all over the world and I have been loved by many people, I have embraced all dressing rooms where I have played, so I was listening to Hasan Minhaj as to how some of the people in his culture describe black people," Sammy said in a video posted on his Instagram account.

"This does not apply to all people, so after I found out a meaning of a certain word, I had said I was angry on finding out the meaning and it was degrading, instantly I remembered when I played for SunRisers Hyderabad, I was being called exactly the same word which is degrading to us black people," he added.

Sammy said that at the time when he was being called with the word, he didn''t know the meaning, and his team-mates used to laugh every time after calling him by that name.

"I will be messaging those people, you guys know who you are, I must admit at that time when I was being called as that word I thought the word meant strong stallion or whatever it is, I did not know what it meant, every time I was called with that word, there was laughter at that moment, I thought teammates are laughing so it must be something funny," Sammy said.

"Now, I realise it was degrading, I will be texting you guys and I will ask you as to when you called me with that name, did you all mean it in any bad way or form? I have had great memories in all my dressing rooms, so all those who used to you call me with that word, think about it, let's have a conversation, if it was in a bad way then I would be really disappointed," he added.

The former Windies skipper has been a vocal supporter of the protests that are currently going on in the United States over the death of an African-American man named George Floyd.

Sammy had also made an appeal to the ICC and other cricket boards to support the fight against social injustice and racism.

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News Network
February 9,2020

New Delhi, Feb 9: The Indian Fed Cup team will travel to Dubai for this year's competition as the ITF has named the desert city as the new venue for the matches, to be held from March 3 to 7.

The ITF named the new venue after moving out the matches from then Chinese city of Dongguan due to Coronoavirus threat. The Asia/Oceania Group I matches were originally scheduled to be played from February 4-8.

"The event will be held in the week following the ATP Dubai tournament at the same venue, and will see six nations China P.R., Chinese Taipei, India, Indonesia, Korea Rep. and Uzbekistan - compete for a place in the Fed Cup Play-offs in April," an ITF release said.

The six teams will vie for two spots in Fed Cup Play-offs.

"Being in Dubai makes no difference. But the dates give enough time to Sania for her recovery. Doubles is an important point. Ankita is playing well. The other team members will also get some tournament to play under their belt," India's Fed Cup captain Vishal Uppal told news agency.

Sania's participation was under doubt due to a calf injury she aggravated during the Australian Open, where she pulled out of the mixed doubles before retiring mid-way into her women's doubles opening round match.

"I think we have a good chance but we will have to be at our best and fight hard for every point, every game, every set, every match," Uppal added.

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