Big math ahead of big match for Dhoni's boys

September 28, 2012

India-vs-Australia

Colombo, September 28: India will be playing against Australia in their first Super Eight game on Friday. The men in yellow want to redeem their pride after they were recently ranked below Ireland in this format.

The Indians will be worried about how to tackle the most dangerous opening pair in world cricket, Shane Watson and David Warner. They would also be concerned about how they will cope with a pace battery that comprises the likes of Mitchell Starc and Pat Cummins, along with Watson himself.

All three are raring to dish out some 'chin music,' something which the Indians have never enjoyed 'listening to'. Dhoni will also need to devise a strategy to contain his Chennai Super Kings teammate Michael Hussey, who had scripted one of the great turnarounds in T20 cricket in the semifinal of the 2010 edition against Pakistan in St Lucia.

And it's not just the rivals that are giving Dhoni sleepless nights. He also has tricky selection issues to contend with. Does he have the guts to drop star batsman Virender Sehwag after 'resting' him in the final group game against England?

Does he dish out the same treatment to his most experienced bowler Zaheer Khan? Does he play five bowlers again and open with Irfan Pathan? Is it prudent to drop currently out-of-touch big guns like Sehwag and Zaheer against an opposition which might just bring out the best in them, and against whom experience and class is always an invaluable asset?

Dhoni may have the answers to all the above questions. But if the move to drop the seniors backfires, he will forever be haunted by the outcome and taunted by the critics. But the time has come for the great gambler to bite the bullet. It remains to be seen whether he goes for the jugular, or plays safe, and 'welcomes' back all the seniors in the XI. It would make the dressing room a happy place for sure! But would it be the team that he, in his heart of hearts, wants to play? Maybe not!

What will give Dhoni a lot of confidence is the fact that if the Aussies are talking about ruffling Indian feathers with pace, it is spin that could call the shots in these conditions, and here, India are richly stocked.

Live on Star Cricket - 7:15 pm



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News Network
April 24,2020

New Delhi, Apr 24: The International Cricket Council (ICC) on Friday extended wishes to the "most prolific batsman of all time" Sachin Tendulkar on his 47th birthday.

ICC took to Twitter and wrote: "Happy birthday to Sachin Tendulkar, the most prolific batsman of all time! To celebrate, we will give you the opportunity to vote for his top ODI innings in a bracket challenge! Stay tuned to join the celebrations."

The Maharashtra-born player had an illustrious career in the game, creating several records.
Tendulkar made his debut in Test cricket on November 15, 1989. In the same year on December 18, he played his first ODI match.

The legendary cricketer has the most number of runs in the longest format of the game, amassing 15,921 runs. Along the way, Tendulkar scored 51 Test centuries, most by any player.

Things are no different in ODI cricket as Tendulkar atop the list of most runs in this format as well. He has accumulated 18,426 runs in ODI which includes 49 tons.

Tendulkar represented the country in six World Cups during his career that lasted for 24 years. He was the part of the 2011 World Cup-winning squad.

This year, Master Blaster decided not to celebrate his birthday due to the ongoing coronavirus crisis in the country.

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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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News Network
February 4,2020

Feb 4: India captain Virat Kohli on Tuesday said the death of NBA legend Kobe Bryant in a helicopter crash has impacted his outlook towards life, which he feels, is sometimes taken for granted in pursuit of control over the future.

Bryant, a two-time Olympic gold-medallist and one of the most decorated basketball players of all time, died in a helicopter crash last month along with his 13-year-old daughter Gianna, who was also a budding hoopster.

"Firstly, it was a shock to everyone. I grew up watching those NBA games in the morning and watching what he did on court. But when someone that you have looked up to in some ways, passes away like that, it does put things in perspective," Kohli said on the eve of the first ODI against New Zealand here.

"...at the end of the day, life can be so fickle. It's so unpredictable. I think a lot of the times we get too caught up in the pressures of what we have to do tomorrow...we really forget living life and enjoying life and just appreciating and being grateful for the life we have," he added.

Kohli said a tragedy like this makes one realise that nothing can be more important than enjoying every moment of existence.

"...it did put things in perspective for me massively. It just makes you feel like not wanting to have control of things in front of you all the time, and just embracing life and appreciating it.

"You start looking at things from a different point of view suddenly and you want to enjoy every moment you're going through. You realise that what you're doing at the end of the day is not the most important thing. The most important thing is life itself," Kohli signed off.

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