ISL 2015: Helder Postiga scores brace in debut as ATK beat Chennaiyin FC in opener

October 4, 2015

Chennai, Oct 4: Portuguese striker Helder Postiga scored twice as defending champions Atletico de Kolkata (ATK) started their campaign on a winning note beating Chennaiyin FC 3-2 in an exciting lung opener of the cash-rich Hero Indian Super League (ISL), here tomorrow.

ISL 2015

The former Portugal frontman and Cristiano Ronaldo's one-time teammate Postiga showed his predatory skills with two opportunistic strikes in the 13th and 70th minute while substitute Spanish striker Valdo also found his name on the scoresheet.

For Chennaiyin FC, Jeje Lalpeklhua hit one in the 31st minute while their main player and skipper Elano Blumer got one back converting a controversial penalty in the 89th minute when the referee awarded penalty with the ball rebounding off ATK stopper Arnab Mondal's stomach.

However there was some bad news for the ATK fans as Postiga might just be out for a week to 10 days after he pulled a hamstring while taking a crack during the second goal and was stretchered off the field.

ATK skipper Borja Fernandes said: "Postiga is an important player and I hope that his injury is not serious."

For Chennai outfit, the absence of Marco Materazzi, serving a one-match touchline ban from the last season did have its ill-effects as Chennai left Bruno Melissari and Stiven Mendoza from starting line-up.

For ATK, Iain Hume was a livewire down the left flank as he tormented Chennai side back Avishek Das.

In fact all the three goals conceded by Chennaiyin were due to defensive lapses.

In the 13th minute, Borja kept a floater inside the box and a surging goalkeeper Edel bete collided with Mailson Alves leaving Postiga with an open net and the scorer of 27 international goals did not disappoint.

In the 31st minute, it was Elano, who kept a cross for Fikru Teferra who was intercepted by ATK goalie Amrinder Singh but as the two collided, an unmarked Jeje slotted the ball home.

The second was played on even keel till the 70th minute before Frenchman Bernard Mendy's fatal header towards his own goal gave ATK the lead.

Mendy's backpass was collected by Postiga, who did his spadework past a defender and then rounded off Bete to make it 2-1 with a neat placement. But as soon as he scored the goal, he was found writhing in pain and was immediately taken off.

His replacement Valmiro Rocha Valdo, also celebrated his first outing on Indian soil with a headed finish when Hume sent a perfectly measured cross from the left.

Mendy and goalkeeper Bete both missed the flight of the ball as Valdo timed his jump to perfection heading it into an open net. The match was into its 76th minute at that point of time.

Mendy, who will be remembered for his famous bicycle kick goal in the first edition had horrifying 10 minutes where he also conceded a penalty in the 78th minute after he was found to having handled the ball inside the 18-yard box.

However Bete made amends with a full strectched diving save to his right as he denied Javi Lara from making it 4-1.

Since Elano was not in his element and the free-kicks were way off the mark, Chennaiyin's attack did not have the sting most of the times as a dejected Avishek Bachchan watched his team lose from the VIP stands.

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News Network
April 7,2020

Bengaluru, April 7: India batsman Robin Uthappa has said that he reckons he still has a World Cup left in him, despite being out of the team for than four years.

Uthappa had last played a match for the Men in Blue in 2015 on the tour of Zimbabwe.

"Right now I want to be competitive. I still have that fire burning in me, I really want to compete and do well. I honestly believe I have a World Cup left in me, so I'm pursuing that, especially the shortest format. 

The blessings of lady luck or god or whatever you call it, plays a massive factor," ESPN Cricinfo quoted Uthappa as saying.

"Especially in India, it becomes so much more evident. I don't think it is as evident when you're playing cricket outside of India. But in the subcontinent and India especially, with the amount of talent that we do have in our country, all of those aspects become evident," he added.

The 34-year-old Uthappa has played 46 ODIs and 13 T20Is for India and he was also a part of the T20 World Cup-winning squad in 2007.

Uthappa has scored 934 runs in ODIs at an average of 25.94, while in T20Is his numbers are 249 runs at an average of 24.90.

"You can never write yourself off. You would be unfair to yourself if you write yourself off.

Especially if you believe you have the ability and you know that there is an outside chance. So I still believe in that outside chance," Uthappa said.

"I still believe that things can go my way and I probably can be a part of a World Cup-winning team and play an integral role in that as well.

Those dreams are still alive and I think I'll keep playing cricket till that is alive," he added.

Uthappa had enjoyed great success with IPL franchise Kolkata Knight Riders. He went on to become their leading run-scorer in the 2014 edition.

However, he was released by the side after a below-par 2019 season, and last November he was picked up by the Rajasthan Royals for the 2020 edition.

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News Network
January 8,2020

Indore, Jan 8:  India skipper Virat Kohli has added yet another feather to his cap by becoming the fastest player to score 1,000 runs in T20I cricket as a captain. Kohli played an unbeaten knock of 30 during India''s seven-wicket win over Sri Lanka in the second T20I of the ongoing three-match series on Tuesday evening.

Kohli achieved the milestone of scoring 1,000 runs as captain in his 30th T20I inning. He is the second Indian and sixth overall after MS Dhoni to have achieved the feat. Dhoni had scored 1112 runs in 62 T20I games as captain.

Faf du Plessis (1273 runs from 40 games), Kane Williamson (1083 runs in 39 games), Eoin Morgan (1013 runs in 43 games) and Ireland''s William Porterfield (1002 runs in 56 games) are other captains on the list.

During India''s emphatic victory at the Holkar Stadium, Kohli also surpassed team-mate Rohit Sharma, who has been rested for the series, as the top run-getter in the T20Is. Kohli now has 2663 runs from 71 innings.

Both had finished 2019 as joint top-scorers in T20Is, with 2633 runs each.

India, already with an unassailable lead of 1-0 in the series, will now face Sri Lanka in the final T20I on Friday in Pune. The first match between the two teams was called off without a ball being bowled due to wet patches on the pitch in Guwahati last Sunday.

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News Network
May 10,2020

New Delhi, May 10: Former Australia captain Ian Chappell has proposed radical changes in the LBW laws, stating that a batsman should be given out leg before as long as the ball is hitting the stumps irrespective of the spot of its landing and impact.

Chappell also said captains should agree on one way of working up the ball which will encourage swing bowling, even as the ICC is considering the use of artificial substances to shine the ball instead of sweat and saliva in post-COVID-19 scenario.

"The new lbw law should simply say: 'Any delivery that strikes the pad without first hitting the bat and, in the umpire's opinion, would go on to hit the stumps is out regardless of whether or not a shot is attempted'," he wrote in a column for ESPNcricinfo.

"Forget where the ball pitches and whether it strikes the pad outside the line or not; if it's going to hit the stumps, it's out."

The 76-year-old said the change in lbw law would attract expected criticism from the batsmen but it would make the game more fair.

"There will be screams of horror - particularly from pampered batsmen - but there are numerous positives this change would bring to the game. Most important is fairness.

"If a bowler is prepared to attack the stumps regularly, the batsman should only be able to protect his wicket with the bat. The pads are there to save the batsman from injury not dismissal.

"It would also force batsmen to seek an attacking method to combat a wristspinner pitching in the rough outside the right-hander's leg stump," said Chappell.

He cited Sachin Tendulkar's example on how he negotiated Shane Warne's round the wicket tactic during the 1997-98 Test series in India.

"Contrast Sachin Tendulkar's aggressive and successful approach to Shane Warne coming round the wicket in Chennai in 1997-98 with a batsman who kicks away deliveries pitching in the rough and turning in toward the stumps. Which would you rather watch?

"The current law encourages "pad play" to balls pitching outside leg while this change would force them to use their bat. The change would reward bowlers who attack the stumps and decrease the need for negative wide deliveries to a packed off-side field," he said.

Chappell said his proposed change to the lbw law would also cut down "frivolous" DRS challenges.

"This change to the lbw law would also simplify umpiring and result in fewer frivolous DRS challenges. Consequently, it would speed up a game that has slowed drastically in recent times.

"It would also make four-day Tests an even more viable proposition as mind-numbing huge first-innings totals would be virtually non-existent."

On the substitute of shining the ball without sweat and saliva, Chappell said international captains should find out a way of working up the ball.

"With ball-tampering always a hot topic, in the past I've suggested that administrators ask international captains to construct a list (i.e. the use of natural substances) detailing the things bowlers feel will help them to swing the ball.

"From this list, the administrators should deem one method to be legal with all others being punishable as illegal," the cricketer-turned-commentator added.

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