No need to remove Dhoni from captaincy, says BCCI

August 20, 2014

Dhoni captaincyAug 20: On a day when the BCCI cracked the whip in the aftermath of the 1-3 humiliating Test series loss to England, the board also made it clear that it was fully behind Dhoni.

The India captain enjoys the blessings of International Cricket Council (ICC) chairman N Sriniavasan, who has been removed as the BCCI president by the Supreme Court.

"There is no need to remove Dhoni as the captain," said BCCI secretary Sanjay Patel.

The BCCI, however, has acted tough by clipping the wings of chief coach Duncan Fletcher. Fielding coach Trevor Penney and bowling coach Joe Dawes, who were hand-picked by Fletcher, were dropped and former India captain Ravi Shastri was appointed director of the team for the ODI series starting August 25.

The BCCI earlier this year extended the contracts of both Penney and Dawes, along with Fletcher, till the World Cup due in February-March 2015. But in the aftermath of the team's disastrous show in the five-match Test series against England, the board decided to drop Penney and Dawes.

The BCCI has also appointed former India all-rounder Sanjay Bangar and former fast bowler Bharat Arun as the assistant coaches while R Sridhar, who was part of the now non-functional National Cricket Academy (NCA), will join as the fielding coach for the ODI series.

It was after five years that BCCI has appointed Indians as assistant coaches. Venkatesh Prasad and Robin Singh, who were appointed in 2007, were sacked as the bowling and the fielding coaches in 2009.

Shastri’s appointment ups pressure on Dhoni, Fletcher

London: Captain Mahendra Singh Dhoni and coach Duncan Fletcher remain in place, but only time will tell if the appointment of Ravi Shastri as director of cricket is a temporary measure or a sign of deeper changes ahead in the Indian game.

Former captain Shastri was installed "overall in-charge of cricket affairs" for India's upcoming five-match one-day series against England, following their embarrassing 3-1 test series to defeat to the same opposition.

India claimed their first overseas win since 2011 when they won the second test at Lord's, but surrendered the final three matches meekly, the final indignity being their downfall at The Oval when they lost by an innings and 244 runs within three days.

Dhoni was one of the only players to show some fight as India's batting line-up failed to pass 200 in their last five innings of the series, but has come under severe criticism from media back home for overseeing some desperate performances.

"He has well and truly outlived his usefulness as a captain in the long form of the game," Nalin Mehta said in The Times of India on Tuesday.

"It is not so much the defeat, but the manner of the capitulation that rankles. India's cricketers have not just been routed in a series they began well, under Dhoni they looked bereft of ideas and direction."

The sentiment was shared by Sanjeev K Samyal in the Hindustan Times, who recalled that former greats Kapil Dev, Sachin Tendulkar and Saurav Ganguly had lost the captaincy during their careers.

"And they never led teams that have played as poorly as those MS Dhoni has captained," he wrote.

"The humiliation at Old Trafford and The Oval is unacceptable. He has long since outlived his utility as test captain."

Fletcher, a former England coach, has arguably been placed under supervision following Shastri's appointment.

He was not spared criticism either, apportioned blame for the way the likes of Virat Kohli and Shikhar Dhawan, tipped as potential stars of the series, struggled on foreign pitches.

"Fletcher is aware of the conditions and should have developed ways to see that the boys improve and come out of lean patch," former India captain GR Viswanath said in The New India Express.

"I think Fletcher has not been able to do the job," he said.

Bowling coach Joe Dawes and fielding mentor Trevor Penney have been given a "break" for the ODI series, with Sanjay Bangar and Bharat Arun made assistant coaches and R Sridhar named as fielding coach.

The Board of Control for Cricket in India said the changes were for the next five matches, but given India begin the defence of their World Cup title in Australia and New Zealand in February, more big decisions may be needed if India are to add a third 50-over trophy to their name.

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News Network
March 7,2020

Melbourne, Mar 7: Ahead of the Women's T20 World Cup against Australia, India spinner Poonam Yadav said that skipper Harmanpreet Kaur has given her a lot of support.

"Harmanpreet has been of immense support. When I got hit for a six in the first over, she came to me and said, 'Poonam, you're one of the most experienced players in the team, and we expect better of you'," Poonam said.

The 28-year-old experienced bowler has played 68 shortest format games for India and taken 94 wickets at an average of 22.66.

She has been in devastating form throughout the tournament and has bagged nine wickets so far.

"So, that kind of stirred something within me. I told myself if my captain has that much faith in me, I should be able to make a comeback," she said.

"I took a wicket in the very next ball, and didn't look back since. Now when I look back at that moment, it means so much in the context of my individual performance and run to the final," she added.

In the opening game against Australia at Sydney Showground, Poonam came within a whisker of the third hat-trick in Women's T20 World Cup history, dismissing Rachael Haynes and Ellyse Perry before Jess Jonassen was dropped.

The final of the tournament will be played at Melbourne Cricket Ground (MCG) on March 8 -- International Women's Day.

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News Network
April 6,2020

London, Apr 6: As the coronavirus brings the international sports calendar to a grinding halt, news agency Sport looks at three long-standing habits which could change forever once competition resumes.

Saliva to take shine off swing bowling

It's been a tried and trusted friend to fast bowlers throughout the history of cricket. But the days of applying saliva to one side of the ball to encourage swing could be over in the aftermath of Covid19.

"As a bowler I think it would be pretty tough going if we couldn't shine the ball in a Test match," said Australia quick Pat Cummins.

"If it's at that stage and we're that worried about the spread, I'm not sure we'd be playing sport."

Towels in tennis - no touching

Tennis players throwing towels, dripping with sweat and blood and probably a tear or two, at ball boys and girls, has often left fans sympathising for the youngsters.

Moves by officials to tackle the issue took on greater urgency in March when the coronavirus was taking a global grip.

Behind closed doors in Miki, ball boys and girls on duty at the Davis Cup tie between Japan and Ecuador wore gloves.

Baskets, meanwhile, were made available for players to deposit their towels.

Back in 2018, the ATP introduced towel racks at some events on a trial basis, but not everyone was overjoyed.

"I think having the towel whenever you need it, it's very helpful. It's one thing less that you have to think about," said Greece's Stefanos Tsitsipas when he was playing at the NextGen Finals in Milan.

"I think it's the job of the ball kids to provide towels and balls for the players."

Let's not shake on it

Pre-match handshakes were abandoned in top football leagues just before the sports shutdown.

Premier League leaders Liverpool also banned the use of mascots while Southampton warned against players signing autographs and stopped them posing for selfies.

Away from football, the NBA urged players to opt for the fist bump rather than the long-standing high-five.

"I ain't high-fiving nobody for the rest of my life after this," NBA superstar LeBron James told the "Road Trippin' Podcast".

"No more high-fiving. After this corona shit? Wait 'til you see me and my teammates’ handshakes after this shit."

Basketball stars were also told not to take items such as balls or teams shirts to autograph.

US women's football star Megan Rapinoe says edicts to ban handshakes or even high-fives may be counter-productive anyway.

"We're going to be sweating all over each other all game, so it sort of defeats the purpose of not doing a handshake," she said.

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News Network
May 9,2020

May 9: Filipina weightlifting star Hidilyn Diaz noticed live-streamed concerts were collecting money for coronavirus relief and was struck by inspiration: why not raise funds with an online workout?

Since then the Olympic silver-medallist -- and strong contender for her country's first Games gold -- has made enough money to buy food packs for hundreds of hard-hit families in the Philippines.

Diaz has done it all from Malaysia, where she was training to qualify for the now-postponed Tokyo Olympics when much of the world locked down against the virus in March.

"I thought (distribution) would be impossible because I'm not physically present," Diaz, 29, told news agency.

"It's a good thing that I have trusted friends and trusted family members who understand why we need to do a fundraising."

That circle of supporters has handed out the packages, which include vegetables, eggs and rice, to more than 400 families.

The food was bought with donations from about 50 people who joined sessions that lasted up to three hours, and gave them a rare chance to train with an elite athlete.

Diaz rose to fame in 2016 after snagging a surprise silver in the 53 kilogramme category in Rio, becoming the Philippines' first female Olympic medallist and ending the nation's 20-year medal drought at the Games.

Two years later, she won gold at the Asian Games in Indonesia.

However, her quest to qualify for Tokyo is on hold ahead of the Games' rescheduled opening in July 2021.

"I thought all the hard work would soon be over... then it was extended," she said. "But I'm still thankful I can still continue with (the training) I need to do."

Still, the lockdown broke her daily training regimen, keeping her away from weights for 14 days for the first time in her career.

"I felt like I was losing my mind already. I've been carrying the barbell for 18 years and all of a sudden it's gone. Those were the kinds of anxiety that I felt," she said.

But she got access to some equipment, and with her coach's urging, got back to work. She was relieved to find her strength was still there.

Instead of a Tokyo berth, the past months have been about a different kind of accomplishment for Diaz: helping her countrymen get through the coronavirus crisis.

Rosemelyn Francisco's family in Zamboanga City, Diaz's home town, is one of the first to get help from the athlete's initiative, and is deeply grateful.

Her family was not wealthy to begin with, and the pandemic has cost her husband his construction job.

"The food she donated has all everything we need, including eggs," said Francisco, 27.

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