Long rope for struggling paceman Ishant Sharma

October 21, 2013

Chandigarh, Oct 21: After India lost the third one-dayer against Australia on Saturday after being in the driver's seat, skipper MS Dhoni vented his frustration at the post-match press conference and said, "The individuals will have to step up. You can't spoon-feed bowlers at the international level." He also added, "I think the last few overs were disappointing, it is an area of concern and it is getting worse."ishant

With 'Captain Cool' fuming, many thought there would be a change in personnel for the final four ODIs in the series, especially in the fast bowling department. The player whose position in the team looked most shaky was Ishant Sharma who was smashed for 30 runs in an over by James Faulkner, a match-turning over.

However, the selection panel has decided to retain the same squad for the rest of the series. The BCCI tweeted an unchanged 15-member squad, which means Ishant may get another chance to redeem himself.

The selection was not a big surprise if one recalls what Dhoni had to say on Saturday. "The bowlers who are waiting in wings, they can wait a bit more. Once somebody goes out of the side, tendency is that they are forgotten, they keep talking about new bowler. I always feel that people who are in the side should be given the rope, does not matter if he is a bowler or a batsman," the Indian captain said. "If it is a selection matter, I will discuss it with the selectors and not at a press conference. If you base everything on one or two games, the whole team will have to be changed. One can't drop a player on the basis of one off day."

However, how long will be the rope? Ishant, who has played 51 Tests and 68 one-dayers so far, has an average of 37.99 in the longer version of the game and 32.36 in ODIs while his economy rate is close to six in ODIs. As far as strike-rate is concerned, the lanky medium-pacer picks a wicket every 69 balls in Tests and takes nearly six overs to scalp a victim in the 50-over version!

While there is no questioning Ishant's talent, his inconsistency and lack of adaptability for an experienced bowler cannot be ignored. While Faulkner batted brilliantly and took the game away from India, Ishant only made it easier for him. Where were the yorkers, the slower ones, the cutters, the variety? Vinay Kumar too hasn't looked the part in the series so far and has proved easy fodder for the Australians.

Says former Indian medium-pacer Chetan Sharma: "Ishant, over the last three years, hasn't set the world on fire. There are several other talented fast bowlers in the country, in fact even in this squad who should be given a chance now. Umesh Yadav and Mohit Sharma should be given a chance. We need to build a pool of good fast bowlers for the 2015 World Cup," he added.

The other pace options in squad, apart from Bhuvneshwar Kumar and Vinay Kumar, are Mohammad Shami and Jaydev Unadkat. Other than the two pacers, Amit Mishra, who was the highest wicket-taker in the five-match ODI series against Zimbabwe with 18 wickets, is also sitting out.

Squad: Mahendra Singh Dhoni (captain and wk), Shikhar Dhawan, Rohit Sharma, Virat Kohli, Yuvraj Singh, Suresh Raina, Ravindra Jadeja, R Ashwin, Bhuvneshwar Kumar, Ishant Sharma, Vinay Kumar, Amit Mishra, Ambati Rayudu, Mohammad Shami, Jaydev Unadkat.

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Agencies
January 11,2020

London, Jan 11: Former cricketer Sachin Tendulkar's famous lap around the Wankhede Stadium after the World Cup 2011 win has been nominated in Laureas's list for the most inspiring sporting event in the last twenty years.

The moment featuring Tendulkar has been described as "Carried on the shoulders by a nation".

On his sixth attempt at the World Cup and with India not having won the competition since 1983, Tendulkar finally became a part of the team that lifted the coveted trophy. Carried on the shoulders of the Indian team, he made a lap of honour, shedding tears of joy after the victory was sealed in his home city.

The 2011 World Cup was also the first time, in which a host nation ended up winning the trophy.

Apart from Tendulkar, England's Andrew Flintoff is the only other cricketer to feature in the list. In 2005, England managed to defeat Australia in an Ashes Test, but Flintoff chose to first shake hands with Brett Lee rather than celebrate with his side.

Matthias Steiner (weightlifting), Natalie du Toit (swimming), Sky Brown (skateboarding), Alistair and Jonathan Brownlee (triathlon), Xia Boyu (mountaineering) have been nominated in the list.

Female tennis stars also feature in the list for coming up with an equal play, equal pay campaign. After pressure from Venus Williams and others, Wimbledon announced that female tennis players would receive prize money equal to the men's.

German international footballer Miroslav Klose was playing for Lazio in Italy's Serie A in 2012 against Napoli when he rose for a ball in the early moments of the game.

The ball came spiraling off his hand and skirted into the back of the net and a goal was awarded. While most players would carry on as if nothing had happened, Klose was honest with the referee and admitted that he handled the ball.

As a result, he also finds a place on the list.

The Laureus Sporting Moment Award celebrates the moments where the sport has unified people in the most extraordinary way.

This campaign has shortlisted 20 sporting stories from the last 20 years that have left their mark on the world.

The winner will be decided on the basis of public voting. It has already started, and the final date to cast the vote is February 16.

Finally, the result will be declared on February 17.
With three knock-out rounds, the top-20 moments will be whittled down to ten then five, with the top-five moments going head-to-head.

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News Network
May 9,2020

May 9: Indian cricket icon Sachin Tendulkar has donated an undisclosed amount to financially help 4,000 underprivileged people, including children from Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation (BMC) schools, amid the Covid-19 pandemic.

Tendulkar made the donation to the Hi5 Foundation, a non-profit organisation based out of Mumbai.

“Best wishes to team Hi5 for your efforts in supporting families of daily wage earners,” Tendulkar tweeted.

The organisation, through a tweet, thanked Tendulkar for doing his bit for the needy.

“Thanks @sachin_rt for proving once again that #sports encourages compassion! Your generous donation towards our #COVID19 fund enables us to financially aid 4000 underprivileged people, including children from @mybmc schools. Our budding sportspersons thank you, Little Master!”

The legendary batsman had earlier contributed Rs 25 lakh each to Prime Minister’s Relief Fund and Chief Minister’s Relief Fund for the country’s fight against COVID-19. Tendulkar had earlier pledged to bear the cost of feeding 5,000 people for a month in a couple of areas in Mumbai.

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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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