Yuvraj dedicates match-winning knock to Tendulkar

October 11, 2013

Yuvraj_match-winningRajkot, Oct 11: He should have been on cloud nine after smashing a match-winning unbeaten 77 against Australia in the one-off T20 International in his comeback match, but Indian batsman Yuvraj Singh said he had mixed feelings as it came on the day Sachin Tendulkar retires from Test cricket.

An emotional Yuvraj, who guided India to a six-wicket win over Australia here, dedicated his unbeaten innings to Tendulkar who yesterday announced that he would quit Test cricket after playing his 200th match against the West Indies next month.

"Well I don't know if I am happy or sad. Happy that I hit the ball and sad day that Sachin is retiring. But really happy the way I hit the ball and how I continued to play well since the India A and West Indies A series," Yuvraj said at the post-match press conference.

"Definitely, I would like to dedicate it to Sachin and hopefully, maybe tell him on the phone as well. That is the least I can do, dedicate this knock to him. I will also like to dedicate this knock to my mother who prayed a lot for my comeback. Everyday she has been praying for me," he said.

The 31-year-old batsman, who last played an international match in January, was recalled to the national team after a string of fine performances for India A against West Indies A and a solid display for India Blue in the NKP Salve Challenger Series.

"Yuvi is back my friend," he told the media.

Yuvraj said it was an emotional moment for the country when an iconic cricketer like Tendulkar retires and added that he did not want to see him leave the game.

"I don't think I am going to let him go away. I am going to catch hold of his feet and not (let him) leave the dressing room. It has been amazing to play with him for so many years. One of the greatest players to have played the game. I don't know what to say," he said, adding that the team did not discuss Tendulkar's retirement in the dressing room.

"There are so many things to say about Sachin, probably the best Indian cricketer ever played. Just the milestone as not only as a cricketer but just as a man, who is an ambassador of cricket around the world. So it is going to be an emotional time for the whole of India," Yuvraj said.

"Sachin will always be very special to me. I am sure I will have the opportunity to play with him, I don't know if I will (be selected) but if I am not playing, I will definitely come and watch (his last match)," he added.

Yuvraj, who survived a germ cell cancer, said that people should respect Tendulkar's decision.

"It is upto him when he wanted to retire. A player of his stature should decide when he wants to leave. I would want him to play for 10 more years with us. It is his decision and we need to respect that. It will be an emotional time for India when he plays his last match," he said.

Describing the qualities he likes about Tendulkar, the flamboyant left-hand batsman said that it would be tough to see the champion batsman go.

"He is a very down-to-earth person. He never showed he is the great Sachin Tendulkar.

He was always trying to reach out to youngsters although we were a bit reluctant to go out to him. Personally he has always guided me on and off the field about things in my life, specially the World Cup journey. So it has been very special playing with him. I can't really express it in words. It is tough for me to see him go."

He said it would be next to impossible for anybody to fill in the shoes of the 40-year-old retiring batsman.

"The way he hits the ball, the way he is always still. The best batsman I have seen in my career, technique-wise. How he has been smart all these years to know what bowlers are going to bowl to him.

He always been one or two steps ahead, and that is why he been consistent for so many years. To have such consistency over so many years is really tough for any batsman. He is just something amazing. He has been a God's gift to India. It is going to be difficult for anybody to replace him as the next Tendulkar," he said.

Yuvraj rated his comeback knock as special and said, "Definitely it is special. I have come back after a few months. I have worked quite hard in the off season and I have worked on the mental aspect of my game," he said.

"Just happy the way I hit the ball. I have been playing well in the domestic season. I had a tough off season, shed a few kilos, so I am happy the way I am hitting the ball," he added.

On the unbeaten 102-run stand he had with skipper Mahendra Singh Dhoni, Yuvraj said, "We have had a lot of partnerships in the past. And we have always discussed which bowlers to go after. If I get out then, one person is attacking and one person is trying to rotate the strike. We have a very good understanding between us for last couple of years. So talking to him always helps."

He said he hoped to continue his form in the seven-match ODI series starting October 13 in Pune.

"I hope to continue the good form. Play according to the situation and try to make India win again. Australia is ranked number two in ODIs. They have a very good side.

It is going to be a good series so I hope to contribute with my batting, bowling and fielding. It is going to be a tough series and hopefully we can play good tough cricket, sensible cricket and win the series," he said.

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News Network
April 14,2020

Melbourne, Apr 14: As all sporting action across the world has come to a halt due to the coronavirus pandemic, Australian bowlers are pondering as to how Indian skipper Virat Kohli might play in front of no spectators.

India and Australia are scheduled to play a four-match Test series later this year, and it is being speculated that the series might end up taking place without any crowds due to the COVID-19 pandemic.

Australian spinner Nathan Lyon on Tuesday said that it would be interesting to see how Kohli goes about it if he does not get a chance to get the audience behind him.

"He is probably good enough to adapt to any scenario. But I was talking to Mitch Starc the other day and we actually said that if we are playing with no crowd, it'll be quite amazing to see Virat trying to rev up the empty seats," cricket.com.au quoted Lyon as saying.

"It is going to be a little bit different, but Virat is a superstar. He will be able to adapt to any climate that we are able to play in," he added.
During the 2018-19 series, India managed to defeat Australia in Australia for the first time in a Test series.

Australia, at that time were without the services of David Warner and Steve Smith. However, the series later this year promises to be a mouth-watering prospect.

"I am excited about the prospect of India coming out to Australia, it's up there with the biggest series alongside the Ashes. They are an absolute powerhouse of the cricket world, and to have those guys out here is going to be fantastic. Playing in front of crowds or no crowds is out of our control, we have got to follow the advice of all the amazing medical people around the world," Lyon said.

"I have not thought about no crowds or massive crowds, it is just about the opportunity of playing against India again. They had the wood over us last time they came over here but we are a much stronger Australian cricket side at the moment, and I am just unbelievably excited about playing them here at home," he added.

Lyon was slated to represent Hampshire in County Championship this year, however, his stint was called off last week due to COVID-19.
He is Australia's third-highest wicket-taker in the longest format of the game as he has total of 390 wickets in Test cricket.

Lyon was last seen in action in the Big Bash League for Sydney Sixers.

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News Network
January 10,2020

New Delhi, Jan 10: Injured Assam archer Shivangini Gohain underwent a critical surgery at the AIIMS. Dr. Deepak Gupta, professor of Pediatric neurosurgery at AIIMS, revealed about the delicate nature of the procedure and said there was no room for error.

"It was touching vertebral artery which supplies blood to the brain stem. The arrow was 0.5 cm in front of the spinal cord and the child could have become quadriplegic if someone tried to pull it out," Gupta said.

According to doctors, the arrow accidentally went inside the body damaging the shoulder bone, part of the neck, spinal cord and left lung.

Dr Gupta said, "Now the patient is fine. We had planned the surgery in a very unique way. Last whole night, our team was doing the planning and plotting to conduct this complex surgery. About 15 cm part of the arrow was inside the body which has entered through shoulder bone and affected neck, spinal cord and left lung".

"We started the surgery in the morning at 6 am which lasted for three and a half hours. We have successfully removed the arrow. The patient is stable now and shifted to ICU for observation," he added

Shivangini Gohain, the 12-year-old Assam archer who was impaled by an arrow shot accidentally at the SAI centre in Dibrugarh, was training unsupervised and the mishap was a result of negligence by the local coach and officials, the state's archery association has said.

The child was training at the Dakha Devi Rasiwasia College at Chabua, which serves as an extension centre under the Sports Authority of India (SAI) Regional Centre in Guwahati when the incident took place on Wednesday.

She was airlifted to Delhi on Thursday night and admitted to the AIIMS Trauma Centre. Pulin Das, a joint secretary of Assam Archery Association and executive member of the state Olympic association said the injury to the school girl from the Deodhai village, which is 3km from Chabua, happened as the trainees were practising without any coach and other officials.

“There is a SAI contractual coach Marcy and he has left for the Khelo India Games in Guwahati. He didn't instruct the trainees to stop the camp for some time nor did the college principal, who acted as administrator of the extension centre, looked after the practice,” Das said on Friday.

The extension centre has 11 trainees, six boys and five girls, and they were training under SAI contractual coach A C Marcy from Nagaland, who is in Guwahati for the Khelo India Youth Games.

“The training ground itself is in very bad shape, it was not even a dedicated ground for archery training, some play football, cricket and other sports on that ground. But the worst part is that the SAI coach did not give instructions to stop the camp for a while and the archers were training without any supervision,” he added Das said Gohain was struck by an arrow shot by boys doing practice for compound event. The arrow remained stuck for more more than a day before she was airlifted to New Delhi on Thursday night.

“There was nobody to look after the archers, they were training on their own though their parents were outside the ground. An arrow shot by a boy trainee who was doing compound event practice hit her on the shoulder,” the official said.

Gohain's father Brinchi Gohain was outside the practice area and with no official of the college and SAI coming for help, she was taken to Assam Medical College in Dibrugarh, 33km from Chabua.

“She could reach the AMC in Dribugarh only on Thursday morning. There, the doctors told her parents to take her to a more reputed hospital like AIIMS in Delhi. With help from people close to the local Member of Parliament and Assam CM himself, she was taken by air ambulance to Delhi.

“I was told that she had a very tough time as the arrow remained stuck for more than a day. She is a strong-willed girl and she fought. Her father must be a daily wage labourer and he was distraught also.”

The SAI said that it will bear all the expenses of her treatment. The Assam Archery Association has contributed Rs 20,000 towards her treatment.

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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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