Australia match impacted our chances badly: Dhoni

October 3, 2012

dhColombo, October 3: India captain Mahendra Singh Dhoni has said that the heavy defeat against Australia in their first Super Eights game had a telling impact in his team's ouster from the ICC World T20 even though he termed the side's performance as "satisfactory".

"It was a satisfactory performance. If we talk about the tournament, the match that we lost (versus Australia) impacted us badly. The margin of defeat was a big one. Today after the first match, the equation was such that we wanted to field first and then chase down whatever target within 15-16 overs," Dhoni told the reporters at the post-match media conference.

"It becomes very difficult to make a strategy when you bat first. In any case defending 120 was a tough ask," he said after India defeated South Africa by one-run in their last Super Eights game last night but still failed to qualify for the semi-finals.

Dhoni was curt in his reply when asked whether too many changes in the batting order had an effect on the team's performance. "No, I don't think so," he replied.

The skipper admitted that on flat tracks, his bowlers have found it difficult to deliver and that's been the reason for the team's repeated poor show in the last three editions of World T20.

"If one looks at the 2007 edition, we were playing in Durban which helped our seamers. Whatever total we put on, they were able to defend that. But when there is nothing in the wicket, they find it very difficult. That is the reason why I prefer a turning track or seaming track rather than flat tracks," Dhoni said.

When the inevitable question of overhaul in the team and dropping a few seniors -- Zaheer Khan and Virender Sehwag -- was raised, Dhoni said: "This question is always asked when we don't do well. When we lost in Australia and England, the similar question was asked. Let's get real.

"We performed well in the tournament and we lost just one match. We don't have bowlers who bowl 140 kmph plus," Dhoni said.

The captain again defended his decision to come down the order in the batting line-up. "Apart from Virender Sehwag, there are only two players who can hit right from the start. They are myself and Suresh Raina. Agreed that if we come up the order we can make an impact but if we get out by the 13th over, will the other batsmen who need a few balls to set be able to hit in the same manner.

"Also for the sake of this team, Virat Kohli needs to bat at No 3. The kind of form that he is in, we can't let him face a few balls in the end," Dhoni said.

"Our logic is simple. If we lose too many wickets in the powerplay overs, then Rohit goes in otherwise Yuvraj goes in and tries to play as many overs as possible," he added.

Probe him about international captains having a shelf life, he gives a roundabout answer.

"I don't like to look too far ahead. I am someone who loves living in the present and that is important. I would rather try to look at what solutions I can provide for the problems. We have problems regarding death bowling. We need a few 140 plus bowlers. We have a few but then we need to groom them properly as they have a tendency to get hit on flat tracks," Dhoni said.

Dhoni once again defended Rohit Sharma, who has now played over 120 internationals across two formats but has failed to perform consistently with the bat.

"Rohit is a player who always plays for the team and doesn't look at his average. There are times when he has to play five balls and he has played a big shot right away and got out. He could have played along the ground and kept his average intact but he has always played for the team," he said.


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News Network
January 29,2020

New Delhi, Jan 29: Badminton champion Saina Nehwal joined the ruling BJP today and is likely to campaign for the party ahead of the February 8 Delhi election.

"I have won medals for the country. I am a very hardworking and I love hardworking persons. I can see Prime Minister Narendra Modi does so much for the country, I want to do something for the country with him," the shuttler said, wearing the BJP scarf.

"I draw a lot of inspiration from Narendra sir".

Haryana-born Saina Nehwal, 29, is a major acquisition for the party in the middle of the Delhi poll campaign; she is one of the most popular sportspersons in India with a huge fan following and brand value. She is preparing for the 2020 Tokyo Olympics.

A former world number 1, she has been honoured with the country's top sporting awards like the Rajiv Gandhi Khel Ratna and Arjuna Award. She was also awarded the Padma Bhushan in 2016.

The Badminton player has won over 24 international titles. In the London Olympics, she won a bronze. She was world number two in 2009 and number one in 2015.

With her tweets praising Prime Minister Narendra Modi, Saina Nehwal was widely seen to lean towards the BJP.

One of her tweets became controversial when it was found to be identical to several others in praise of a PM Modi speech last year. Saina was trolled on Twitter with screenshots of the identical tweets. She was also among the sportswomen who put up identical tweets on Diwali thanking PM Modi for his initiative to empower women, with the hashtag #bharatkilaxmi.

The BJP roped in many famous personalities last year, including cricketer Gautam Gambhir, who was elected MP from Delhi in the national election, and wrestler Babita Phogat. Just before the Haryana assembly polls, the party roped in wrestler Sushil Kumar, Babita Phogat and former Hockey team captain Sandeep Singh. Sandeep Singh won the election and was appointed minister.

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Agencies
August 5,2020

New Delhi, Aug 5: Indian cricketers Suresh Raina and Harmanpreet Kaur were on Wednesday appointed as the global brand ambassadors of the WTF Sports.

Raina is also joining the brand as a Strategic Partner. WTF Sports, a fantasy sports gaming platform, was today formally launched in India and globally.

The announcement was made through a web conference with prominent cricket host, Vikram Sathaye moderating and hosting the webinar and Vinit Bhatia, Manit Parikh and Yash Kadakia Co-Founders - India and Global, WTF Sports introducing the cricketers as the Global Brand Ambassadors.

Kaur said it was a perfect fit for her and she can use her strategy and experience while playing.
"WTF Sports was the perfect fit with me, I can use strategy and my experience while playing, I've actually learnt to strategize better as I've played along. Additionally, when we were under lockdown and I couldn't really practice, it was fun to come on the platform and feel like I'm still playing," Kaur said in a statement.

On the other hand, Raina said, "It is exciting to be a part of a fantasy sports platform like WTF Sports not just as an ambassador but also as the strategic partner, it is everything that I embody and what I believe in, it's fierce, fun and competitive."

The app currently hosts three major sports, multiple playing modes, and exciting contests, ensuring that sports fans can get more skillful by letting them strategize and use their sports knowledge into rewarding behaviour.

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News Network
June 3,2020

New Delhi, Jun 3: Shuttler HS Prannoy has hit out at the Badminton Association of India (BAI) and has questioned the selection criteria for the Arjuna Award.

The shuttler has said that the players who have won nothing have been recommended, while the players who have medals to their credit have been snubbed.

His remarks come as BAI recommended doubles pair of Satwiksairaj Rankireddy and Chirag Shetty and men's singles player Sameer Verma for the Arjuna Award on Tuesday.

"Same old story. Guy who has Medals in CWG and Asian Championships not even recommended by Association. And guy who was not there on any of these major events recommended #waah #thiscountryisajoke," Prannoy tweeted.

Prannoy had been left out from the list last year as well and the shuttler had slammed the criteria then as well.

"If you ever want your name in the awards list, make sure you have people who will get your name to the list. Performance is least considered in our country. Sad state of our county but can't help it. Let go and just play until you can," Prannoy had tweeted last year.

Prannoy had won the mixed team gold at the 2018 Commonwealth Games in Gold Coast and he also has a men's singles bronze medal at the 2018 Asian Championships.

On Tuesday, the BAI has also recommended the renowned National Institute of Sports (NIS)-certified coaches, S. Murlidharan and Bhaskar Babu for the Dronacharya Award.

Murlidharan has been working relentlessly for the growth and development of the sport in Kerala, besides being an able administrator.

He has coached the likes of Vimal Kumar, Rupesh Kumar and Sanave Thomas amongst many other renowned former players.

He has also been a recipient of the Meritorious Service Award given by the Badminton World Federation (BWF) in 1996.

For the Dhyanchand Award, BAI has recommended the names of Pradeep Gandhe and Manjusha Kanwar.

Gandhe is a two-time Asian Games bronze medallist while Manjusha is a South Asian Games silver medallist.

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