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There is a lot of cricket in me: Mohammad Azharuddin

November 14, 2012

azar

He made his first century at the Eden and shares a special bond with Bengal. Former Indian captain and Congress MP Mohammad Azharuddin talks to CT about his future plans after the Andhra high court revoked the match-fixing ban on him. Excerpts:

BETTER LATE THAN NEVER

It is difficult for me to express in words how relieved I am after the court verdict. For a cricketer, taking away his game is the end of the road. Par mujhe kisise gila shikwa nahi hai. Mujhe ladai jhagra nahi karna. I'm in a very positive frame of mind right now. Agey nayi zindagi hai, mujhe desh ke liye bahut kuch karna hai.

BCCI had given me cricket... it made me what I am. I have no grudges against them. There is a lot of cricket in me. If they consider me for a coach or mentor's role, I'll be more than happy to take it up.

LAST 12 YEARS WERE A TEST

My parents and sons have stood by me for the last 12 years. Thousands of people were praying for me. Even when I took up politics, I came across people who loved me for the cricketer I was. It was a bitter fight, but I never gave up. Allah wanted me to see this day. But losing Ayaz was the biggest blow. Losing a young son is something I hope and pray no person has to go through. Apna jawan beta ko khona kya hota hai, yeh shayad hi kisiko malum hoga. But I have coped with it.

EDEN AND BENGAL ARE SPECIAL TO ME

I have so many good memories of playing in Bengal. My first century was at Eden. I have always been successful at the Eden. Recently I went to Bengal to campaign for Pranabda's son. People there still love me so much. I was really touched.

I don't remember the name of the pitch-maker at Eden, but I had given my man of the match money to him. I did it because I felt like doing something for him.

LINKUPS DON'T BOTHER ME

There are certain aspects of my life I have never spoken about, neither will I do it now. I have never reacted to the negative things that have been said about my personal life. Even when I was linked to a sportsperson I chose not to be bothered by it. Ye sab chalta rehta hai.

THE FAMOUS WRIST FLICK IS ALL BUT GONE

There are plenty of promising kids in the game. Now that I have got the chance to pass on my legacy, I will do the best for the next generation.

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Agencies
August 1,2020

Bengaluru, Aug 1: Indian Premier League (IPL) franchise Chennai Super Kings (CSK) are aiming to set up their preparatory camp for the 13th edition of the tournament from early August.

This year's IPL was slated to commence from March 29 but the tournament was postponed due to the coronavirus pandemic.

Recently, the IPL Governing Council chairman Brijesh Patel had confirmed that the 13th edition of the mega event will commence on September 19 in the UAE.

As per a report in ESPNcricinfo, CSK players have been asked to report to Chennai first, following which they will leave for Dubai via a charter flight only after approval from the Indian government.

The IPL Governing Council will meet on August 2 to finalise the schedule and other key arrangements for the tournament. Also, the Standard Operating Procedures (SOPs) around securing eight teams for 51 days across three venues will be formally established in that meeting.

CSK, who has the oldest squad in the IPL, are looking for a month's preparation before ahead of the tournament.

Before the coronavirus pandemic, the side was the first team to start their training camp in March. Senior players like Suresh Raina and Ambati Rayudu had begun training their training in December 2019.

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News Network
April 28,2020

New Delhi, Apr 28: IPL franchise Royal Challengers Bangalore's Director of Cricket Operations Mike Hesson returned to New Zealand on Tuesday after being stranded in India for over a month amid the nationwide lockdown to combat the COVID-19 pandemic.

The ex-New Zealand player and coach had arrived in India on March 5 for the 13th edition of the Indian Premier League but was stuck in the country after the lockdown was imposed and all flights were suspended.

"What a wonderful sight after spending over a day on a bus to get to Mumbai airport. The staff on @FlyAirNZ were simply outstanding on our return to New Zealand," Hesson tweeted.

He also thanked Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi, the New Zealand Embassy in India, New Zealand's Ministry of Foreign Affairs and New Zealand's Prime Minister Jacinda Ardern.

"Special thanks to Down pointing backhand index @NZinIndia @MFATNZ @narendramodi @jacindaardern #repatriationflight #india #NZ" he added.

To stem the spread of the coronavirus outbreak, India and New Zealand had announced lockdowns in their respective countries last month, alongside travel restrictions, forcing the 45-year-old to stay in Bengaluru.

While India remains in lockdown till May 3, New Zealand eased its stringent measures on Tuesday.

The IPL, which was originally scheduled to get underway on March 29, has been suspended until further notice due to the pandemic.

The cornavirus outbreak, that originated in the Chinese city of Wuhan, has infected over 30 lakh people across the world while killing more than two lakh.

All sporting events, including the Tokyo Olympics, have either been cancelled or postponed.

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Agencies
August 3,2020

Silverstone, Aug 2: Mercedes driver Lewis Hamilton on Sunday won his seventh British Grand Prix title after a dramatic last-lap at the Silverstone Circuit.

Hamilton and teammate Valtteri Bottas were at the first and second spot respectively until tyre drama struck.

Second-placed man Bottas was the first to suffer as his tyre deflated on lap 50, resulting in 11th place finish. Hamilton also suffered a similar issue before the final few seconds of the race.

However, with Max Verstappen having opted to pit a few laps from the end to try and claim the fastest lap, Hamilton had enough time in hand to just cross the line first, five seconds ahead of Verstappen and the third-placed Ferrari of Charles Leclerc.

McLaren's Carlos Sainz had been set to finish fourth, but his own last lap tyre issue saw him eventually come home P13, allowing Renault's Daniel Ricciardo to claim fourth, following a late pass on the sister McLaren of Lando Norris.

Renault's Esteban Ocon finished sixth, having enjoyed a race-long battle with Lance Stroll's Racing Point, with Pierre Gasly having enjoyed a fine race to finish seventh for AlphaTauri.

Alex Albon finished eighth for Red Bull, having recovered from a lap 1 tussle with the Haas of Kevin Magnussen that saw him fall to last, while Lance Stroll and Sebastian Vettel rounded out the top 10, Vettel holding off a late charge form the recovering Mercedes of Bottas.

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