India's sorry state continues, all out for 167 in 3rd ODI

January 6, 2013

saeed

New Delhi, Jan 6: India's horrendous batting show continued unabated as the hosts were bowled out for a paltry 167 against Pakistan in the third and final cricket One-day international, here today.

So pathetic was India's batting that they could not even last the full 50 overs after electing to bat. They were bundled out in 43.4 overs as Pakistan off-spinner Saeed Ajmal recorded a career-best performance of five for 24.

If India fail to defend the total, they would suffer their first series whitewash in 29 years. The last time India suffered the ignominy was at home in 1983 when the West Indies had routed the then world champion 5-0.

India's top-order collapsed again in the face of some fiery bowling by the Pakistani pacers -- Junaid Khan and Mohammad Irfan -- at the Feroz Shah Kotla ground.

Pakistan bowled as a unit -- the fast bowlers provided a start and the spinners carried on with the good work.

India owed their partial recovery to a sensible partnership between skipper Mahendra Singh Dhoni (36) and Suresh Raina (31). They joined forces when the team was stuttering at 63 for four and their 48-run stand for the fifth wicket repaired the flagging innings to some extent. They batted cautiously, looking for singles and punishing the bad balls.

Raina was timing the ball well, driving and lofting confidently. The diminutive left-hander hit an elegant six off Mohammed Hafeez over long-on and Dhoni, too, later hit the same bowler for two consecutive sixes.

However, Ajmal broke the stand by trapping Raina before also scalping R Ashwin in the next ball, which brought Ravindra Jadeja to the crease.

Dhoni dispatched Hafeez for another six over mid-wicket boundary before being dropped by the same the bowler in his follow through later on. Dhoni smashed one hard, which Hafeez tried to latch on to but only ended up hurting his left hand. Dhoni was batting on 29 at the time.

Dhoni could not cash in on the chance and was out to Umar Gul when he went for a cut only to find Umar Akmal at point. His 55-ball knock featured four boundaries, including three sixes.

With Dhoni's dismissal, India's hopes of a recovery were crushed even as Jadeja came up with a useful cameo of 27 with the help of two sixes.

Junaid and Irfan tested the Indians with some short and fast deliveries and succeeded in subduing the host's top- order. The Kotla wicket had some juice and the Pakistani duo made full use of the conditions to keep the Indians under check.

India left out struggling opener Virender Sehwag and brought in Ajinkya Rahane, hoping for a good start, which has eluded the hosts right through the series.

Rahane (4) was never comfortable and fell prey to the seven-foot tall Irfan when he edged one to keeper Kamran Akmal.

Baring a few shots, Gautam Gambhir's (15) stay was also uncomfortable before he gifted away his wicket by guiding a widish delivery off Irfan straight to point.

Local boy Virat Kohli (7) made a promising start with a boundary off Irfan, which got the spectators off thir seats. But he was soon scalped by Junaid in the slip cordon.

With both the pacers bowling in tandem, Pakistan captain Misbah-ul-Haq let the two bowl an extended seven-over spell each. After 14 overs, India were reeling at 43 for three and the crowd, which braved a chilling winter to see their stars in action, had only five boundaries to enjoy.

Two of those five shots came from the blade of flamboyant left-hander Yuvraj Singh at the start of his innings. The introduction of Umar Gul gave India their best over as the paceman was spanked for 18 runs.

India's joy, though, was short-lived as off-spinner Mohammed Hafeez castled Yuvraj with a faster one that spun from the middle before taking the bails off.

Scoreboard of the third and final One-day International between India and Pakistan here today.

India:

Gautam Gambhir c Umar Akmal b Md Irfan      15

Ajinkya Rahane c Kamran Akmal b Md Irfan     4

Virat Kohli c Younis Khan b Junaid Khan      7

Yuvraj Singh b Md Hafeez                    23

Suresh Raina lbw b Saeed Ajmal              31

MS Dhoni c Umar Akmal b Umar Gul            36

Ravichandran Ashwin lbw b Saeed Ajmal        0

Ravindra Jadeja c Umar Akmal b Saeed Ajmal  27

Bhuvneshwar Kumar lbw b Saeed Ajmal          2

Ishant Sharma    c&b Saeed Ajmal                5

Shami Ahmed not out                          0

Extras: (LB-4, W-7, NB-1, PEN-5)            17

Total: (all out; 43.4 overs)               167

Fall of wickets: 1-19, 2-29, 3-37, 4-63, 5-111, 6-111, 7-131, 8-141, 9-160, 10-167.

Bowling: Mohammad Irfan    7-1-28-2, Junaid Khan 9-1-17-1, Umar Gul 8-1-45-1, Mohammad Hafeez 10-0-44-1, Saeed Ajmal 9.4-1-24-5.

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News Network
April 24,2020

New Delhi, Apr 24: Veteran off-spinner Harbhajan Singh said he doesn't think Mahendra Singh Dhoni will play for India again, adding to the guessing game over the future of the superstar former captain.

Dhoni, 38, has not appeared for club or country since last year's 50-over World Cup and India's coronavirus lockdown could threaten his chances of getting back into the national team.

The Indian Premier League, the main platform before this year's scheduled T20 World Cup, is likely to be truncated or cancelled because of the pandemic.

Harbhajan, who plays with Dhoni at IPL side Chennai Super Kings, said international retirement was on the cards for Dhoni and that he was increasingly being asked about his teammate.

"It's up to him. You need to know whether he wants to play for India again," Harbhajan said in an online forum.

"As far as I know him, he won't want to wear India's blue jersey again. IPL he will play, but for India I think he had decided the (2019) World Cup was his last."

Dhoni, who gave up Test cricket in 2014, started training for the Super Kings in March but has not commented on his international future.

Dhoni led India to win the inaugural Twenty20 World Cup in 2007. He hit a six to seal the 2011 World Cup final victory and, along with it, his status as a national hero. He has amassed 10,773 runs from 350 ODIs.

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Agencies
June 7,2020

Mumbai, Jun 7: The Mumbai airport became home for a 23-year-old Ghanaian footballer for 74 days after he got stranded there due to the coronavirus-induced lockdown that led to cancellation of flights.

The ordeal of Randy Juan Muller reminded people of Tom Hank's character in the Hollywood film "The Terminal", and it ended after Yuva Sena, the youth wing of the Shiv Sena, reached out to help him.

Muller has now shifted to a local hotel and is waiting for airlines to resume operations so that he can fly home.

The Mumbai International Airport Ltd (MIAL) also provided him all help, including food, and allowed him to use the airport WiFi network to make calls, an official said.

Muller, a Ghana national who used to play for a club in Kerala, was scheduled to fly home by Kenya Airways flight when the lockdown was announced and he found himself stranded at the Mumbai airport.

"He would spend his time at the airport's fancy artificial gardens and somehow buy food from stalls and pass his time with the airport staff. Muller told me the airport staff was very helpful," Yuva Sena office-bearer Rahul Kanal said.

A security officer at the airport gave him mobile phone to call his family back home.

A Twitter user brought Muller's plight to the notice of Maharashtra Tourism Minister Aaditya Thackeray following which Kanal reached out to the footballer and helped him move into a hotel.

On Saturday, Muller thanked Thackeray and Kanal for their help.

"Thank you Aaditya Thackeray, Rahul Kanal. Thank you very very so much. I appreciate what you have done. Salute," he said.

Kanal in a tweet said when he met Muller at the airport, the latter cried with happiness.

"Have no words to salute his willpower and fight for survival in such circumstances at this age," Kanal said.

An official at the Mumbai International Airport Ltd said the footballer was provided all help.

"All personnel at the airport, including from MIAL and CISF, gave him every possible help during his stay at the airport. Besides food, he was also allowed to use the airport WiFi network to make calls. Airport staff would recharge his phone at their own expense," the official said.

The 2004 film "Terminal" of Steven Spielberg was about a man stranded at a US airport after being denied entry into the country and a military coup back home.

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News Network
April 15,2020

New Delhi, Apr 15: Indian cricket team head coach Ravi Shastri on Wednesday urged people to beat coronavirus by staying at home and by maintaining social distancing. He termed the virus 'mother of all World Cups' and asked people to combat this disease together and win the World Cup of humanity.

Taking to Twitter, Shastri shared a video post where he cited cricket examples to aware people about the seriousness of the COVID-19 pandemic. "As I would know, sports teaches you life lessons that can be applied to just about anything you want to pursue in rest of your life.

Today the COVID-19 has put us in a situation where we got our backs to the wall. To combat this coronavirus is like chasing a World Cup where you give your everything in trying to win it. What's staring you at the face is no ordinary World Cup. This is the mother of all World Cups where not just eleven are playing but 1.4 billion are in the playing arena and competing. Guys we can win this. For that, we have to observe the basics. You have got your Prime Minister leading from the front ahead of the curve like other countries have farmed out," Shastri said.

"You have to obey the orders that come from the top: be it centre, state or the frontline workers who are risking their lives. Two orders that stand out: staying home and maintaining social distancing. It is not easy but to win the game you got to go through the pain to break the chain and see the gain. Come on, guys! let's do it together. Let us get out there in a bruit force of 1.4 billion and beat this corona and get your hands on the World Cup of humanity. Let's do it," he added.

With 1,076 new COVID-19 cases reported in the last 24 hours, India's tally of coronavirus cases has risen to 11,439, said the Union Ministry of Health and Family Welfare on Wednesday.

Out of the total tally, 9,756 cases are active while 1,306 patients have been cured/discharged and migrated. With 38 new deaths reported in the last 24 hours, the death toll rises to 377.

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