Top BCCI officials resign; Ankeet Chavan released from Tihar

June 1, 2013

Top_BCCI_officialsNew Delhi, Jun 1: Two top BCCI officials, secretary Sanjay Jagdale and treasurer Ajay Shirke, on Friday quit from their respective posts in a bid to put pressure on beleaguered cricket board president N Srinivasan in the wake of the IPL spot-fixing and betting scandal.

Jagdale said he resigned from his post as he was deeply hurt by the current crisis that has hit Indian cricket. " Yes, that's true, I have resigned from the post of honorary secretary of BCCI," Jagdale said. "I don't want to comment further but I am deeply hurt by the recent developments in Indian cricket. I thought it's better to get out so that some new faces come in and deal with it in a better way," he added.

He, however, refused to divulge the details of the resignation letter sent to Srinivasan. "I can't comment about the resignation letter I have written to the president. It's proper to inform the president and I have done that. Jagdale said he would no longer be part of the three-man inquiry commission set up by the BCCI to go into allegations against Srinivasan's son-in-low and CSK Team principal Gurunath Meiyappan, who was arrested on charges of betting in IPL, and Rajasthan Royals franchise.

"I have already expressed my inability to be part of the commission," Jagdale said. "I can't comment on whether other BCCI members would follow suit and resign." He declined to comment on whether Srinivasan should also tender his resignation. Shirke also confirmed his resignation. "I have spelt out my reasons (for resignation). I don't want to comment any further.

I have already spoken to the media at length," Shirke said. Shirke said he was not cajoled by Srinivasan not to quit. Buckling under relentless pressure on him to quit, Srinivasan on Friday convened an emergency meeting of the Board's all-powerful working committee on June 8 to discuss the current crisis arising out of betting and spot-fixing in IPL.

The beleaguered president's decision came after three important members called him up to convene such a meeting and asked him to announce it by the evening in what is seen as the first step towards possibly ousting him.

There was intense speculation that joint secretary Anurag Thakur and five vice-presidents will also put in their papers by on Saturday.

The five vice-presidents are Arun Jaitley (North), Niranjan Shah (West), Sudhir Dabir (Central), Chitrak Mitra (East) and Shivlal Yadav (South).

However, Chitrak Mitra denied that he was planning to quit. "I have no plans to quit nor am I under any pressure to do so," he said.

There were reports that the vice-presidents are set to resign in a bid to put further pressure on Srinivasan so that he quits on his own.

Jagdale later said that he had already declined yesterday to be part of the three-man commission appointed to probe Meiyappan.

"Yesterday, I declined to be part of the Commission and today I resigned," he said.

He said Indian cricket will bounce back from the current crisis.

"In every organisation and walk of life, there are always bad people but good people always outnumber them. Maybe 1 to 2 per cent people are bad. BCCI has been running well over the years and the system has been good.

"Some bad people has brought disrepute to the game but I believe Indian cricket will bounce back stronger from this crisis," he added.

Ankeet Chavan out of Tihar

Suspended cricketer Ankeet Chavan, who was arrested on allegations of spot-fixing, was on Friday released from Tihar Jail, a day after a court granted him bail to solemnise his marriage.

"Chavan was released from Jail Number 1 at 8:05 PM," Tihar Law officer Sunil Gupta said.

Chavan had sought bail on the ground that his marriage is fixed for June 2 and if the wedding does not take place it will harm his reputation and that of his fiancee.

He was granted bail till June 6.

Chavan had to deposit two sureties of Rs 1 lakh each and a personal bond of Rs 1 lakh with the court before he was granted bail.

The cricketer was directed to surrender his passport and not to make any direct of indirect inducement to any person related to the case. He was arrested on May 16.

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Agencies
April 15,2020

Former Australia batsman Mike Hussey has heaped praise on MS Dhoni, saying the veteran Indian wicketkeeper-batsman is the "greatest finisher" the game of cricket has ever seen.

"Dhoni is the greatest finisher of all time that the cricketing world has ever produced," Hussey said while speaking to Sanjay Manjrekar on ESPNcricinfo's Videocast.

"Dhoni can keep his cool and make the opposition captain blink first. Dhoni also has unbelievable power. He knows that when he needs to clear the ropes, he can do it. He has that kind of self-belief. Honestly, I didn't have that kind of belief in myself," he added.

The former Australian batsman, who shared the dressing room with Dhoni for the Chennai Super Kings, said the 38-year-old Indian believes in the philosophy that he who panics last, wins the game.

"I tried not to let it reach 12 or 13 runs an over," said Hussey while talking about his ability to finish the game without much hiccups.

"And I learnt this from MS Dhoni. He is incredible. He believes that he who panics last wins the game. So Dhoni would keep his cool, and keep it longer because the pressure is on the bowler as well," he added.

The 44-year-old believes that the greatest players of the game have a few common traits like "they don't hang on to a defeat for too long. If they lose, they move on quickly. They don't let a loss or a win hamper their thinking".

"They are always consistent, and level headed whether it's MS Dhoni or Ricky Ponting."

Hussey, who played 59 IPL matches for CSK, further revealed the secret about the franchise's success in the Indian Premier League.

"And I learnt this from MS Dhoni. He is incredible. He believes that he who panics last wins the game. So Dhoni would keep his cool, and keep it longer because the pressure is on the bowler as well," he added.

The 44-year-old believes that the greatest players of the game have a few common traits like "they don't hang on to a defeat for too long. If they lose, they move on quickly. They don't let a loss or a win hamper their thinking".

"They are always consistent, and level headed whether it's MS Dhoni or Ricky Ponting."

Hussey, who played 59 IPL matches for CSK, further revealed the secret about the franchise's success in the Indian Premier League.

"Supportive owners who let coach Stephen Fleming and captain Dhoni decide how to run the team, excellent chemistry between the coach and the captain, Dhoni's leadership and lastly the foresight of the owners, Fleming and Dhoni to pick the best players, particularly the good Indian players and then stick with them for as long as possible."

"This has built an excellent continuity in the team. And once you have continuity, you build relationships and trust that otherwise takes time to grow," he added.

Hussey also said that once Dhoni bids adieu to the game, CSK would probably like to start all over again.

"That's a 60-million-dollar question, and I am equally intrigued. I believe the owners would like to keep Dhoni involved in some way or the other," said Hussey.

"However, whenever the change of guard happens, CSK might want to start all over again, build a brand, new team, and use their existing philosophy as they enter the next decade of IPL. It is definitely going to be more challenging in current times," he added.

Dhoni was supposed to lead CSK in the 13th IPL edition which now stands postponed due to the coronavirus pandemic.

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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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Agencies
January 25,2020

Headingley, Jan 25: England have become the first team in the world to score 500,000 runs in Test cricket. They achieved the feat during the ongoing fourth and final Test against South Africa being played at The Wanderers.

On Friday - the opening day of the Test match -- England captain Joe Root's single through the covers took the Three Lions to a landmark 500,000 run-mark in the longest format of the game. They achieved the feat in their 1022nd Test match.

Australia comes second in the list, with 432,706 runs in 830 Tests. India, meanwhile, are third, with 273,518 runs in 540 Tests, followed by West Indies (270,441 runs in 545 Tests).

In the third Test played at St George's Park in Port Elizabeth, England had become the first team to play 500 Test matches on foreign soil. Australia are the second team to play the most away Test with 404 matches they have played so far.

India have played 268 Tests on foreign soil in which they have won 51, lost 113 and 104 have ended in a draw.

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