Sachin Tendulkar, Ajinkya Rahane hit tons to place Mumbai on top against Railways

November 3, 2012

Ajinke_sachin

The usual cacophony that surrounds a cricket match where Sachin Tendulkar is playing, was missing at the Wankhede Stadium on Friday.

Barring pockets filled with a few Tendulkar-enthusiasts who had gathered next to the dressing room to have a glimpse of the cricketer, the stadium was virtually empty when the senior batsman walked in to bat at No. 5 for Mumbai, in their 2012-13 Ranji Trophy opener against Railways.

The attack in store was average; the weather perfect for cricket; and the wicket tailor-made for runs. Lack of a boisterous crowd chanting 'Saachiin, Saachiin' didn't seem to matter as Tendulkar went about his business as usual; 181 minutes and 136 balls later, he returned to the pavilion, with 137 runs to show and a lot more to munch on with the much-anticipated Test series against England coming up soon.

Mumbai were 143-3 in the 46th over, post lunch, when Tendulkar joined young teammate Ajinkya Rahane, who had come at No. 3, batting four runs short of his half-century. Tendulkar, reportedly, had just about recovered from a stomach bug but there seemed absolutely no discomfort in the manner in which he went about his job. The start was unhurried, measured in fact, with Tendulkar looking to weigh each stroke before actually playing it. The attack lacked any kind of zing, yet the batsman took 31 balls before hitting his first boundary.

That was as slow as it could get for the handful of spectators who had waited half the day in anticipation. Things would soon change and indeed, a very aggressive Tendulkar would step out of the crease in due time. However, the priority at the start of the innings was also to resurrect the Mumbai batting order after the fall of the first three wickets, including that of Rohit Sharma who walked in at No. 4 - usually reserved for Tendulkar in Tests.

The boundaries became more frequent as he got comfortable in the middle. There was a six on way to his half-century too, that came off 69 balls. From there on, the cautious approach soon began a forceful one. Meanwhile, Rahane stayed focused at the other end, crossing 80 as Mumbai reached 240-3 by the 65th over, tugging along the quiet afternoon.

Day Two of this match will see Zaheer Khan roll his arm as part of his warm-up ahead of the England series.



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News Network
April 21,2020

New Delhi, Apr 21: India skipper Virat Kohli on Tuesday said people seem to have become more compassionate while coping with the COVID-19 pandemic and hoped the sense of gratitude towards frontline workers like doctors and police personnel remains even after the crisis is over.

Speaking in an online class organised by "Unacademy", Kohli and his actor wife Anushka Sharma spoke at length about the challenges they faced before tasting success.

"The one positive out of this crisis that we as a society have become more compassionate. We are showing more gratitude to the frontline workers in this war, be it police personnel, doctors or nurses.

"I hope it stays this way even after we overcome this crisis," said Kohli with Sharma seated next to her.

Kohli said the pandemic has taught the world a very important lesson.

"Life is unpredictable. So, do what makes you happy and not get into comparisons all the time. People have a choice now how to come out of this phase. Life is going to be different after this," said the skipper.

For Sharma, the pandemic has forced people to care about the basics in life.

"There is a learning in all of this. Nothing happens without a reason. If the frontline workers were not there, we would not have access to basics," she said..

"This has taught us that no one is special than the other. Health is everything. We are more connected as a society now," she added.

During the session, Kohli was asked about the moment when he felt most helpless.

"I felt nothing was working for me when I was not picked for the state team initially. I cried the whole night and asked my coach 'why did I not get selected'?" he responded.

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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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News Network
February 10,2020

Potchefstroom, Feb 10: India's under-19 cricket team manager Anil Patel says the ICC has taken a serious view of the aggressive celebrations by Bangladesh players after their World Cup triumph and will be reviewing the footage of the final game's "last few minutes".

Some Bangladeshi players got carried away while celebrating their historic three-wicket win over India in the final on Sunday. While their captain Akbar Ali apologised for the "unfortunate incident", his Indian counterpart Priyam Garg said their reaction was "dirty".

"We don't know what actually happened," Patel told 'ESPNCricinfo' on Sunday.

"Everybody was in a shock, absolutely, but we don't know what happened exactly. The ICC officials are going to watch the footage of the last few minutes and they are going to let us know," he said.

Even when the match was on, the Bangladesh players were overly aggressive while fielding and their lead pacer Shoriful Islam sledged the Indian batsmen after every delivery.

As soon as the match ended, it became tense with Bangladeshi players rushing to the ground and displaying aggressive body language. The two teams nearly came to blows before the situation was defused by the coaching staff and on-field officials.

Patel claimed that match referee Graeme Labrooy met him and expressed regret at what transpired on the field.

"The referee came to me. He was sorry about the incident. He clarified the ICC is going to take very seriously what has happened during the match and the last session. They are going to witness the footage and they will tell us in the morning (Monday)."

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