Formidable Chennai stand in Mumbai's way of maiden IPL crown

May 26, 2013

Chennai_standKolkata, May 26: Amid the intriguing but dark saga of the unfolding spot fixing and betting scam, two-time champions Chennai Super Kings take on traditional underachievers Mumbai Indians in the final of the controversy-ridden sixth edition of the Indian Premier League (IPL) at the iconic Eden Gardens here Sunday.

A formidable but beleaguered Super Kings, who topped the round robin league on way to the title round, would hope for a replay of the 2010 finals to dash Mumbai Indians’ quest for an elusive IPL crown. Three years back, the Mahendra Singh Dhoni led Chennai had carved out a 22 run win over Mumbai to bag their first IPL title.

It will be a test of cricketing skills as well as mental toughness for the Chennai outfit which has been making news outside the 22 yards with the fixing scandal reaching its doorstep following the arrest of chief executive Gurunath Meiyappan.

On the other hand, Mumbai would draw confidence from their 2-1 win-loss record over Chennai in this edition of the league. MI had won both the round robin games, but lost in the first play-off.

For a team based in what is called the cricket capital of the country, Mumbai’s best performance so far has been a runners up trophy in their only appearance in the final. Through the IPL years, they have fielded sides packed with superstars and promise, only to bow out in crunch games. Failures in the play-offs over the last two seasons is a further proof of their status as chokers.

Sunday gives them yet another chance to redeem themselves.

A further incentive could be a desire to enable batting legend Sachin Tendulkar, now battling an injury, to add the missing jewel in his dazzling crown - an IPL trophy.

Both the teams look evenly matched on paper.

Chennai though have been more consistent. In their armoury is orange cap holder Michael Hussey (732 runs) to provide a blistering start, a Suresh Raina (548) to carry the momentum forward and finally the trio of Dhoni, Dwayne Bravo and Ravindra Jadeja to finish things off in style.

Their potent bowling is led by all-rounder Dwayne Bravo who with 28 scalps is the joint highest wicket taker this season along with Rajasthan Royals’ James Faulkner. New ball bowler Mohit Sharma (19 wickets) has been a revelation, both in terms of his economy rate and ability to take wickets in crucial situations. He has been well supported by lanky South African pacer Chris Morris (14 wickets).

The spin twin of Ravichandran Ashwin (15 wickets) and Jadeja (13 wickets) can also be a handful for the opponents, especially on a slow turning Eden track.

On the other hand, Mumbai Indians have been blowing hot and cold. They powered themselves into the knockout stage by finishing second, but were humbled by Chennai in the first playoff before stuttering past Royals in the second to seal the final berth.

Opener Dwayne Smith has been in red hot form and so long as he is out batting in the field, Mumbai look favourites to win any game. The West Indian so far has amassed 414 runs and his last two innings read-62 (44), 68 (28).

While Tendulkar has been forced to lay low with a wrist injury, his replacement Aditya Tare has grabbed eyeballs with his big hitting.

The middle order comprising skipper Rohit Sharma (536 runs) and keeper-batsman Dinesh Karthik (489) looks solid. The big hitting prowess of Kieron Pollard needs no introduction. The burly allrounder has the ability to turn a match on its head in a short span.

If in Mitchell Johnson (22 scalps) and Lasith Malinga (18), Mumbai have a dangerous new ball bowling pair, they have an equally beguiling spin duo in Harbhajan Singh (22) and Pragyan Ojha (15).

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Agencies
June 7,2020

New Delhi, Jun 7: Former Pakistan spinner Danish Kaneria on Sunday said that Sourav Ganguly would be fit to lead the International Cricket Council (ICC), and added there is no reason for respective cricket boards to not support Ganguly if he wants to hold the post.

In an interaction with media, the former spinner said Ganguly has all the qualities of leading the ICC as he has been a reputed cricketer and knows what a player goes through in his life.

"I also think that it would be really helpful if Sourav Ganguly goes on to lead ICC, it will help cricket and the players as a reputed cricketer will hold such a big post, he has played professional cricket, he has led the Indian side and he has also held an administrative post in the Cricket Association of Bengal," Kaneria told media.

"It depends on all of the boards whether they want to support Ganguly or not, if other boards support Ganguly and PCB doesn't, then also Ganguly would have the maximum number of votes, as a cricketer Ganguly is fit to lead the ICC, he had led the Indian side so well and he has earned a name for himself, so I don't see any reason for boards not supporting Ganguly," he added.

Ganguly had become the president of the Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) last year, but speculation continued to rise over the former skipper heading the ICC.

"He is currently the president of the BCCI, he knows in and out of everything, he knows what players have to deal with and he is aware of what cricket needs, he knows what support needs to be given to associate nations, players would be able to put forward their point in front of Ganguly," Kaneria said.

In May this year, Cricket South Africa's (CSA) director of cricket Graeme Smith had backed Ganguly to lead the ICC looking at the current scenario.

"Now it is even more important to have someone in a role who can provide leadership who understands and can navigate the challenges in the game today. I think post-COVID with the things that are going to come our way, to have strong leadership is important. I feel that someone like Sourav Ganguly is best positioned for that at the moment," sport24.co.za had quoted Smith as saying.

"I know him well, I played against him a number of times and worked with him as an administrator and in television. I feel that he has got the credibility, the leadership skills, and is someone that can really take the game forward and I think that, more than anything, that is needed right now at an ICC level," he added.

ICC's elections are slated to be held in July this year and current chairperson Shashank Manohar has already clarified that he is not seeking a tenure extension.

Ganguly was exceptional in making India play its first day-night Test last year.

India had played its inaugural day-night Test against Bangladesh at the Eden Gardens last year.

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Agencies
January 11,2020

Dubai, Jan 11: India opener KL Rahul has retained the sixth position while skipper Virat Kohli and left-hander Shikhar Dhawan have advanced one place each in the latest ICC Men's T20I player rankings after the conclusion of the series against Sri Lanka.

India won the T20I series 2-0 with one match getting washed out. Rahul, the highest-ranked Indian batsman, has gained 26 points and is now at the sixth spot with 760 rating points.

Rahul is just six points behind Australia's Glenn Maxwell after scores of 45 and 54 in his two innings against Sri Lanka.

Kohli, top-ranked in Tests and ODIs, is in the ninth position while Dhawan is on 15th. Manish Pandey has advanced four places and is ranked at the 70th.

India's fast bowlers have made notable gains in the first T20I update of the year and would be encouraged as they prepare for the ICC Men's T20 World Cup 2020 in Australia.

Player of the series Navdeep Saini has rocketed from 146 places to 98th while Shardul Thakur has re-entered in 92nd position after both finished with five wickets in the series. Jaspreet Bumrah has gained eight places to reach the 39th position.

For Sri Lanka, Dhananjaya de Silva has gained 72 places to reach 115th among batsmen after aggregating 74 runs while spinner Lakshan Sandakan has moved up 10 places to reach 29th position after grabbing three wickets in the series.

In the ICC Men's team rankings, India have gained two points but remain at fifth position with 260 points, while Sri Lanka have lost two points and now have 236 points and are at the eighth spot.

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News Network
May 6,2020

New Delhi, May 6: He has flattered to deceive on umpteen occasions but highly-rated wicketkeeper-batsman Sanju Samson says he has learnt to accept his failures in pursuit of the calm demeanour that former India captain Mahendra Singh Dhoni possesses.

The 25-year-old from Kerala has always been talked about by the likes of Rahul Dravid and Gautam Gambhir but it hasn't translated into international success with only four T20 Internationals in his kitty in the last five years.

"I have learnt to understand and focus more on my strengths and (be more) accepting (of) the failures. I try to contribute to the team's cause and try to take the team over the line. I am learning to focus and control my emotions while batting like MS Dhoni," Samson said during a podcast organised by Rajasthan Royals.

He recently made a comeback in India's T20 side and it was a worthy experience for him.

"It was great to be a part of the Indian team again. To be a part of one of the best teams in the world, surrounded by players like Virat bhai and Rohit bhai, it was a fantastic experience," Samson said.

In one of the games in New Zealand, Samson was sent to bat in the Super Over, something which made him feel wanted in the Indian set-up.

"It was a great feeling to be trusted by the players such as Virat bhai and Rohit bhai to go out there and bat in the crucial moments. It's a great feeling when the team and the players consider you to be a match winner."

On a lighter note, Samson revealed that he refers to Steve Smith as "chachu" (uncle) after Brad Hodge once started calling him by that name.

"I share a very good relationship with 'Chachu' Steve Smith. He is one of the best brains in world cricket and we all enjoy a lot playing under him."

Asked what's the back story of the nickname, Samson said: "It started with Brad Hodge, he used to call Smith 'Chachu', then when Hodgy left, I started calling Smith 'Chachu'. In return Smith also started calling me 'Chachu'. We both really enjoy and continue calling each other that."

While Dhoni is his idol, he also loves watching Jos Buttler in Royals and makes notes on how the star Englishman prepares for games.

"I observe Jos especially given he too is a wicketkeeper-batsman. He's always working on his skills and his game and never sits idle.

"He's either working on his keeping, batting in the nets or running around the park. I love to observe and know how he thinks and prepares as a keeper before a game.

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