Any match against India is always special: Hafeez

May 21, 2013
Karachi, May 21: Pakistan all-rounder Mohammad Hafeez is all geared up for the upcoming Champions Trophy clash against India, and said any encounter between the traditional rivals on the cricketing field is "always very special".

hafeezHafeez told Pakistani reporters in Ireland, where the team is preparing for a One-Day series against the hosts, that the players were eagerly awaiting for the match against India as it would also determine their chances of qualifying for the knockout stage of the tournament.

Pakistan and India will clash on June 15 at Edgbaston in one of the most awaited fixtures of the ICC event.

"A match against India is always very special and as usual we are awaiting for the match. But we will be trying to to play every game in the tournament in the same manner and with same passion," Hafeez, who is Pakistan's T20 captain, said.

"The match against India should be electric and I always enjoy playing against India because the atmosphere is different and the environment is charged. Both the teams give more than 100 per cent to do well," he added.

He said he was expecting a exciting clash against India in the Champions Trophy and it would be a different experience playing in English conditions.

Hafeez said the good thing about the present Pakistan team was that most of the players had previously played in England either in league or county cricket or for the national team.

"That experience will come in very handy for us and it is good we are already playing Scotland and Ireland prior to the tournament in England," Hafeez said.

He recalled that when Pakistan last toured England in 2010, they had done well in the ODI that followed the spot-fixing scandal.

"The good thing was that despite everything the people were always supporting us at every ground. The good thing about playing in England is that we have a large Pakistani community supporting us strongly," he said.

The 32-year old said despite the absence of senior players like Umar Gul, Shahid Afridi and Younis Khan, the Champions Trophy-bound team was a good blend of youth and experience and the bowling attack was its strongest point.

"I think Junaid Khan and Mohammad Irfan will prove to be handful in English conditions with the new ball and than we have great backup and a quality spinner in Saeed Ajmal," he noted.

Hafeez also said that by the time the tournament started, Pakistan's batting will also settle down as the side had some very talented players like opener Nasir Jamshed, whom he described as special.

"The good thing about Nasir is that he is a very good timer and always tries to play cricketing shots," he said.

Pakistan are placed in Group B in the Champions Trophy along with West Indies, South Africa and India.

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News Network
May 30,2020

New Delhi, May 30: Former world chess champion Viswanathan Anand will be finally reaching India late on Saturday after being stuck in Germany for over three months due to the travel restrictions imposed in the wake of the COVID-19 pandemic.

"Yes.. Anand will be returning today," the chess maestro's wife Aruna told PTI on Saturday morning. Anand, who boarded an Air India flight (AI-120) from Frankfurt on Friday night will reach Bengaluru via Delhi.

He is expected to reach Bengaluru at 1.15 pm. The five-time world champion will undergo 14 days quarantine as per rules laid down by the Karnataka government.

"He will complete quarantine procedures and come to Chennai as per protocol," Aruna Anand said. The flights from Germany are only scheduled to land only in Delhi and Bengaluru.

The chess ace was in Germany to play in the Bundesliga chess league and was to return to India, but was forced to stay put after the COVID-19 outbreak disrupted sporting schedules across the globe, apart from restricting movement.

He was staying near Frankfurt and was doing online commentary for the Candidates tournament which was called off mid-way due to the pandemic and led the Indian team in the Online Nations Cup early this month.

Anand had been in touch with his family in Chennai on a regular basis via video calls and kept himself busy with chess-related work.

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News Network
April 4,2020

New Delhi, April 4: India skipper Virat Kohli has said that the 2014 Test series against England was the lowest point of his career.

He made the revelation during a candid Instagram Live session with former England batsman Kevin Pietersen.

To date, the 2014 Test series in England remains one of the worst Test series for Kohli as he averaged just 13.40 from 10 ten innings with his highest score being 39.

"I felt like as a batsman, you know you are going to get out in the morning as soon as you wake up. That was the time I felt like that there is no chance I am getting runs. And still to get out of bed and just get dressed for the game and to go out there and go through that, knowing that you will fail, was something that ate me up," Kohli told Pietersen.

However, just four years later, Kohli made a triumphant return to England as he scored a century in the opening Test of the 2018 series and finished as the highest run-getter in the series.

Kohli told Pietersen that the performance in 2014 came because he was just thinking about his own batting.

"2014 series happened, for all the younger guys listening, because I was too focused on doing well from a personal point of view. I wanted to get runs. I could never think of what does the team want me to do in this situation," Kohli said.

"I just got too engulfed with England tour - if I perform here, Test cricket, in my mind I am going to feel established and all that crap on the outside, which is not important at all," he added.
During the chat, Kohli talked about his favourite format in cricket and he also revealed the main reason for turning into a vegan.

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April 2,2020

New Delhi, Apr 2: BJP MP and former cricketer Gautam Gambhir on Thursday said that he will donate his two year's salary to PM-CARES Fund to support the battle against coronavirus pandemic in the country.

"People ask what can their country do for them. The real question is what can you do for your country? I am donating my 2 year's salary to #PMCaresFund. You should come forward too! @narendramodi @JPNadda @BJP4Delhi #IndiaFightsCorona," Gambhir tweeted.

The total number of coronavirus cases in India climbed to 1965 on Thursday after 131 people confirmed positive in the past 12 hours, said the Ministry of Health and Family Welfare.

At present, there are 1764 COVID-19 active cases in the country and 50 people have died due to the lethal infection.

Interestingly, on this day in 2011, India lifted its second World Cup title after a drought of 28 years. Gambhir played a crucial role in the final and anchored the run-chase.

India won its first World Cup in 1983 under the leadership of former all-rounder Kapil Dev. 

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