Shocking! Upset Mahendra Singh Dhoni to quit international cricket after the ongoing World T20!

April 1, 2014

Apr 1: What was just a rumour till a week back is now almost official: Mahendra Singh Dhoni is extremely upset that his name has been badly sullied by irresponsible rumours about his so-called involvement in the Indian Premier League (IPL) fixing scandal.

A week back an upset Dhoni had phoned N Srinivasan, Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) President, about his desire to step down from the captaincy. Dhoni, who enjoys the unqualified support of Srinivasan, heard him patiently. The BCCI chief told him that while he has his full sympathy he cannot afford not to have him as India captain.

Dhoni_quitA source who is close to both Srinivasan and Dhoni revealed that the Indian captain is too well-mannered to instantly oppose an elder who has played such a huge role in his career. Srini had told Dhoni to sleep over the matter and that he would have a different view point in a few days.

Srini was right; Dhoni slept over the matter but decided merely stepping down from the captaincy was not going to solve his miseries. He had to give up international cricket and even playing the IPL. For long he has believed that despite achieving far more than any Indian captain and despite being the most dangerous batsman-wicketkeeper in world cricket, he has been viciously attacked by a section of people. The feedback he got was that these people were targeting him because of Srinivasan, who proximity with Dhoni needs no elaboration.

Dhoni spoke to his wife Sakshi and his business manager and they felt that financially his retirement would not have any adverse effect on him; if anything being free from international cricketing assignments would give lot more free time to tap his commercial value, the way Sachin Tendulkar is doing. Moreover, there is nothing more left to achieve for Dhoni: he has taken India to the pinnacle of success in the World T20 (2007), the Asia Cup (2010), the World Cup triumph (2011) and the Champions Trophy (2013). Besides, he has led India to the No 1 position in Tests and has made Chennai Super Kings a powerhouse, winning both the IPL and the Champions League T20. He has got everything and more a cricketer can aspire. Dhoni, who will be 33 in a few months’ time, wants to go out with his head high.

That Dhoni has made up his mind about his retirement comes from someone who is extremely close to the Indian captain. He has apparently told the team of his decision and the team wants to win the remaining two matches to give their beloved captain a fitting farewell.

Dhoni has requested the BCCI to make the announcement a couple of days after he lands in India, so that he can get time to pack up and leave the country to an undisclosed destination to be away from the media frenzy that will follow once the news becomes public. Quite clearly, Dhoni has a few good years of cricket in him to serve Indian cricket. It’s unfortunate that he has been forced to make a premature exit because of entirely avoidable circumstances.

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Agencies
August 1,2020

Colombo, Aug 1: Former India all-rounder Irfan Pathan has expressed his interest in playing the inaugural edition of the Lanka Premier League (LPL), scheduled to start from August 28.

Pathan is among 70 foreign players to have shown interest in playing the LPL, ESPNcricinfo reported.

It is believed that Pathan has taken permission from the Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) to take part in the competition. 

BCCI doesn't allow active players to participate in other T20 leagues but Pathan announced his retirement in January this year.

Former swashbuckling all-rounder Yuvraj Singh also played in a foreign league last year. He played for Maratha Arabians in the T10 League in Abu Dhabi.

According to ESPNcricinfo, Pathan will now be put in a player draft unless one of the five franchises choose him to be a marquee player. The details of the draft, and the franchise owners, are yet to be finalised and announced. 

Sri Lanka Cricket (SLC) is also waiting on some government clearances even as it decides on franchise owners. The five franchises will represent Colombo, Kandy, Galle, Dambulla and Jaffna.

On Monday, SLC Executive Committee granted approval for the tournament.

"The 23 match League will be played on the four international venues of R Premadasa International Cricket Stadium, Rangiri Dambulu International Cricket Stadium, Pallekele International Cricket Stadium and Suriyawewa Mahinda Rajapakse International Cricket Stadium. Five teams named after the cities of Colombo, Kandy, Galle, Dambulla and Jaffna will participate in the League," SLC said in a statement on Monday.

Sri Lanka has controlled the spread of COVID-19 better than many other cricket-playing nations.

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News Network
July 1,2020

New Delhi, Jul 1: After being named as India's 'Most Valuable Player' in Test cricket in the 21st century, all-rounder Ravindra Jadeja on Wednesday said that he will always aim to give his best for the country.

His remark came as Jadeja achieved an MVP rating of 97.3 and as a result, he was also rated as the second most valuable player Test player worldwide, only second to Sri Lanka's Muttiah Muralitharan.

"Thank you Wisden India for naming me the 'Most Valuable Player'. I would like to thank all my teammates, coaches, fans, and well-wishers for your support as I aim to give my best for our country. Jai Hind," Jadeja tweeted.

Based on CricViz's market-leading analytics, each player in world cricket was awarded an 'MVP rating' by Wisden using a statistical model to rank their 'match impact' compared to their peers.

Jadeja has played in 49 Tests from 2012, managing to score 1,869 runs and has also picked up 213 wickets.

"It might come as a surprise to see Ravindra Jadeja, India's spin-bowling all-rounder, feature as India's number one. After all, he's not even always an automatic pick in their Test team. However, when he does play he is picked as a frontline bowler and has batted as high as No.6 - contributing to a very high match involvement," the official website of Wisden quoted CricViz's Freddie Wilde as saying.

"But Jadeja's position is based on more than simply volume: it's what he does when he's involved that really counts. The 31-year-old's bowling average of 24.62 is better than Shane Warne's and his batting average of 35.26 is better than Shane Watson's. His batting and bowling average differential of 10.62 runs is the second-best of any player this century to have scored more than 1,000 runs and taken 150 wickets. He is an all-rounder of the very highest quality," he added.

With the bat in hand, Jadeja has managed to score one century and 14 fifties in the longest format of the game.

He was last seen in action during India's two-Test series against New Zealand earlier this year.

He would have been in action for the Chennai Super Kings (CSK) in the IPL had the tournament commenced from March 29.

However, the IPL has been postponed indefinitely due to the coronavirus pandemic.

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Agencies
February 12,2020

Mumbai, Feb 12: Former Indian greats Kapil Dev and Mohammad Azharuddin have been left disappointed by the behaviour of the Under-19 team after the World Cup final where they were involved in an altercation with their Bangladeshi counterparts.

After Bangladesh won the final beating India by three wickets (via DLS) at the Senwes Park on Sunday, the players of the two teams were seen engaging in an exchange of words and even some pushing and shoving on the field.

"I would like to see the board (BCCI) take some strict action against the players to set an example. Cricket is not about abusing the opponent. I am sure there is enough reason for these youngsters to be dealt with firmly by BCCI," Kapil was quoted as saying by The Hindu.

"I welcome aggression, nothing wrong in it. But it has to be controlled aggression. You can't cross the line of decency in the name of being competitive. I would say it was unacceptable that youngsters put up such an obnoxious display on the cricket field," he added.

The International Cricket Council (ICC) has sanctioned five players, including three from Bangladesh -- Towhid Hridoy, Shamim Hossain and Rakibul Hasan --and two from India --Akash Singh and Ravi Bishnoi for the scuffle.

Azharuddin also reiterated what Kapil said, insisting that players need to be disciplined.

"I would take action against the errant Under 19 players, but I also want to know what role has the support staff played in educating these youngsters. Act now before it is too late. The players have to be disciplined," Azharuddin said.

Earlier, Bishan Singh Bedi has lashed out at the Priyam Garg-led team, saying their behaviour was disgusting and disgraceful.

"You bat, bowl and field badly�happens, but there's no excuse for behaving badly. The behaviour was disgusting and most disgraceful. The innocence of that age was not visible at all," Bedi told Mid Day.

Bedi, who represented India in 67 Tests and 10 ODIs, said the behaviour of the Bangladesh cricketers is not our problem.

"Look, what Bangladesh do is their problem, what our boys do is our problem. You could see that there was abusive language used," he said.

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