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
January 6,2020

Washington D.C., Jan 6: 'The Irishman,' and 'Two Popes' were shut out from the winners list despite getting multiple nominations, the movies didn't win a single award at the Golden Globes Award held on Sunday (local time). Other movies in the list include 'Bombshell,' 'Dolemite Is My Name,' 'Harriet,' 'Jojo Rabbit,' 'Knives Out' and 'Little Women.'

According to The Hollywood Reporter, 'The Irishman' may have gone into the 2020 Golden Globes with the second-highest number of film nominations, tied with 'Once Upon a Time in Hollywood' with five nods, but Martin Scorsese's highly anticipated mob epic for Netflix was completely shut out at the award ceremony.

Netflix landed the most film nominations of any company with 17 mentions, but it won only one award which is the best-supporting actress for 'Marriage Story's' Laura Dern. Netflix's nominated films 'Dolemite Is My Name' and 'The Two Popes' was tied with 'Joker' with four mentions each and failed to grab any awards.

'Dolemite Is My Name' star Eddie Murphy was expected by a number of pundits to win for best actor in a motion picture, musical or comedy.

'Bombshell', 'Harriet',' Frozen 2', 'Jojo Rabbit', 'Knives Out', 'The Lion King', 'Little Women' and 'Pain and Glory' are among the other films that received multiple nominations but didn't win a single award.

On the TV side, Netflix's 'Unbelievable' tied in the race to most small-screen nominations with 'Chernobyl' and 'The Crown' with four nominations, and 'The Crown' won only one award, for star Olivia Colman.

The three-time nominees 'Barry', 'Big Little Lies', 'The Kominsky Method' and 'The Morning Show' also didn't grab any award. 'Catch-22', 'Killing Eve', 'The Marvelous Mrs. Maisel' and 'The Politician' who were two-time nominees that were also iced out.

'Hustlers' star Jennifer Lopez failed to take home the best-supporting actress award as she was predicted to win the award by a number of pundits. Billy porter also failed to make history with the best drama actor win for his role on 'Pose,' if he would've won the award, he reportedly would have been the first openly gay African-American to win that award.

'Chernobyl' won two of its four nominations. Despite that, star Jared Harris didn't win the best actor in a limited series Globe which was predicted by many prognosticators. The award was bagged by Russell Crowe for his portrayal of Roger Ailes in 'The Loudest Voice.' But the star was absent from the ceremony.

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Agencies
June 14,2020

New Delhi, Jun 14: From being a 20-year-old mischievous talented striker to 35-year-old, India captain Sunil Chhetri has seen Indian Football through thick and thin. Coaches, who have nourished the striker with utmost care to yield the best for the team have seen numerous changes from close quarters but one aspect has remained absolutely perpetual, resolute - Chhetri's never-say-die attitude and 'dedication.'

Igor Stimac, current head coach of the Blue Tigers recalled seeing Chhetri during the preparatory camp ahead of the King's Cup 2019 - his maiden assignment with the Blue Tigers.

The Croatian pointed out that despite being the senior-most member of the troop, "Chhetri craved to push maximum to achieve the result after the heartbreak in AFC Asian Cup."

"Dedicated, workaholic and team man -- those are some of the attributes which define Sunil Chhetri. When I first saw him last year, they were back to the National Team camp after a long gap following the AFC Asian Cup. A few boys were new but the fire under his belly probably was more than anyone else. That's the secret of his long career. Congratulations!" All India Football Federation (AIFF) quoted Stimac as saying.

Sukhwinder Singh, while reminiscing the India-Pakistan bilateral series in 2005, revealed that he wasn't sure about the youngster's credibility at all.

"I needed someone who had the trickery, didn't have the fear and had to be quick. Honestly, Sunil wasn't in my mind at all. He wasn't my first option. I had my doubts," Sukhwinder, coach during Chhetri's first national team endeavour, recalled.

He had seen the youngster from close quarters while coaching in JCT FC where Chhetri started blossoming and hogging the limelight. Chhetri, who scored more than 20 goals during his 3-season-long stay in JCT, had already shown signs of performing in the bigger stages which convinced Sukhwinder Singh picking him up for the high-octane bilateral series in Pakistan.

"I haven't seen anyone as dedicated as Sunil. I saw him maturing in JCT and there were flashes of what he could do in the future. I still remember his hunger. In 19 years of my coaching career, I haven't seen anyone as dedicated as Sunil. He remained undaunted and was never willing to shy away from working hard. Shouldering the responsibility for 15 years demands discipline and he keeps it above everything else," Sukhwinder maintained.

According to Stimac, Chhetri is someone who always runs the extra yard, breaks some more sweat during the training session which, in the process encourages the youngsters to emulate him. The entire process aids the cumulative progress of the team and raises the bar.

"I see him as someone who always pushes the bar in the training and never compromises with the regime. He drives the team and he is the character who defines the team. Numerous characters have glorified the Indian Football history and he's definitely one of them who have made his country proud," Stimac said.

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Agencies
February 4,2020

Potchefstroom, Feb 4: Yashasvi Jaiswal and Divyaansh Saxena guided India to a comfortable ten wickets win over Pakistan in the ICC U19 World Cup semifinal at Senwes Park on Tuesday and progressed to the final of the tournament.

Chasing 173, Indian openers Jaiswal and Saxena played cautiously and stitched an unbeaten partnership of 176 runs.

The duo built the highest opening partnership of the tournament's history. Jaiswal, the left-handed batsman, scored his maiden century of the tournament as he amassed unbeaten 105 runs studded with eight fours and four sixes.

Saxena scored 59* off 99 balls including six fours. India chased down the total in 35.2 overs. This is the first time in the history of the U19 World Cup that a team won a knockout match by ten wickets.

Earlier, Pakistan won the toss and elected to bat.

Opener Haider Ali and skipper Rohail Nazir's half-centuries guided the side to a respectable total of 172. Ali played a knock of 56 runs while Nazir accumulated 62 runs including six boundaries.

Pakistan did not have a good start as they lost Mohammad Hurair (4) in the second over. Fahad Munir, came to bat at number three, failed to score a single run and was departed by Ravi Bishnoi on a duck in ninth over.

Apart from Ali and Nazir, Mohammad Haris was the only batsman to score runs in double digits. He played an innings of 21 runs off 15 balls. Indian bowlers showed a spirited performance as they bowled out arch-rival in 43.1 overs.

Pacers Karthik Tyagi and Sushant Mishra bagged two and three wickets respectively. Spinner Ravi Bishnoi clinched two scalps and conceded 46 runs in his ten overs.

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