India look to tame Afghans

September 19, 2012

cricket

Colombo, September 19: Even taking into account the fact that Twenty20 is a great leveller in the game of cricket, minnows Afghanistan will not be expected to trouble India much as the two Asian neighbours lock horns in a Group ‘A’ opener of the World T20 here at the R Premadasa Stadium on Wednesday.

In their few brushes with major teams since their arrival on the international stage, Afghanistan have run into India only once before – during the last World T20 in the West Indies in 2010 – when MS Dhoni’s men emerged a comfortable seven-wicket victors. It’s nothing more than a coincidence that both teams are meeting again to kick-off their respective campaign and the game will serve the same purposes it did in the previous edition.

While Afghanistan have everything to gain from this contest – whether it’s picking things from their better skilled counterparts or getting an idea about the quality of the game at this level – for India it will provide a chance to get the team combination right ahead of stiffer battles. Quite obviously, ironing out a few chinks in their bowling, especially at the death, would be on top of team think-tank’s mind.

Notwithstanding their impressive effort against Sri Lanka in the opening warm-up match, when they bowled out the hosts for 120 after scoring 146, the inability to defend 185 against Pakistan on Monday has definitely added to the team’s concerns.

Come to think of it, bowling at the death has been India’s Achilles’ heel for as long as one can remember, a fact not lost on skipper Dhoni. Though he admitted that bowling has been a bit of a concern, the Jharkhandi maintained that India would stick to their tried and tested policy of seven batsmen and four bowlers.

While India may have enjoyed success on many occasions with this combination, it’s not a strategy fraught without any risks. Going in with four specialist bowlers means you have to rely on part-timers to complete the fifth bowler’s quota, and if one of the regulars has an off day then you are in for some serious trouble.

Dhoni, however, pointed out a reason for packing the side with seven batsmen, a policy India have been following for many years. “If you see, in our batting line-up, there are quite a few players who like to go and express themselves which means they may take the bowlers on right from the very first or second delivery which means they would like to have the cushioning of that extra batsman.

But as I said, it’s something we would like to start off with and if the batsmen keep putting up scores consistently on the board, then we may look for five specialist bowlers and a few part-timers,” he reasoned.

The onus thus will be on Zaheer Khan, Irfan Pathan, Lakshmipathi Balaji and R Ashwin to deliver the goods. A good outing for the quartet against Afghanistan in itself isn’t an indicator that everything is fine but if Nawroz Mangal’s side can conjure up a decent total, it will only add to Dhoni’s worries. Batting, though, should be the least of concerns given the form of a few players in the side.

Without discounting the recent struggles of the opening duo of Gautam Gambhir and Virender Sehwag, India’s batting appears to be in safe hands. Obviously, Virat Kohli offers the biggest assurance but the return-to-form of Rohit Sharma has to be equally encouraging for the team management which has backed the Mumbai batsman to the hilt. Given the proven credentials of Suresh Raina and Dhoni in this format, India can rest easy for the moment.

Teams (from): India: MS Dhoni (capt), Gautam Gambhir, Virender Sehwag, Virat Kohli, Yuvraj Singh, Suresh Raina, Rohit Sharma, Irfan Pathan, Ravichandran Ashwin, Zaheer Khan, Harbhajan Singh, Lakshmipathi Balaji, Manoj Tiwary, Ashok Dinda, Piyush Chawla.

Afghanistan: Nawroz Mangal (capt), Asghar Stanikzai, Dawlat Zadran, Gulbodin Naib, Hamid Hassan, Izatullah Dawlatzai, Javed Ahmadi, Karim Sadiq, Mohammad Nabi, Mohammad Shahzad, Najibullah Zadran, Mohammad Nasim Baras, Samiullah Shenwari, Shafiqullah, Shapoor Zadran.

Match officials: Asad Rauf (Pak) and Simon Taufel (Aus); Third umpire: Aleem Dar (Pak); Match referee: Ranjan Madugalle (SL).


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News Network
March 6,2020

Melbourne, Mar 6: Experienced middle-order batter Veda Krishnamurthy believes that "destiny" is in favour of first-time finalist India to win their maiden ICC Women's T20 World Cup title provided they get a grip on their nerves in the summit clash against Australia on Sunday.

India will have a psychological advantage going into the final as they had stunned the defending champions by 17 runs in the tournament opener.

The Harmanpreet Kaur-led India reached the final on the basis of their unbeaten record in the tournament after their semifinal against England was washed out on Thursday.

Krishnamurthy, who was a part of the Indian team that finished runner-up to England in the 2017 Women's ODI World Cup, knows the pain of missing out on a world title.

"It's all about destiny, and I'm a big believer in destiny. I feel like this is the way it was meant to be. There is a joke going around that this World Cup is made in such a way that it's helping us, starting from the wickets to everything else," she was quoted as saying by the tournament's official website.

"Being in the final is just reward for the way we played in the group stages. There was an advantage to having won all our games with the weather not in our hands."

The team's first target of reaching the final having achieved, the 27-year-old player said the Indians now need to hold their nerves and remain focussed leading up to the big day on Sunday.

"We said the first aim was to get to the final and take it from there. We've crossed the first stage. We need to make sure we hold our nerves and we do what we need to do on the final day," she said.

India's recent rivalry with Australia has taken fascinating twists and turns, with Kaur's outfit chasing down 173 in their recent tri-series, then getting home by 17 runs in the T20 World Cup opener.

But all is not hunky-dory for Krishnamurthy on the personal front. Considered a great finisher, she has recovered from a series of single-digit scores in the tri-series to score 20 from 11 balls in a finishing role against Bangladesh.

Having amassed just 35 runs from four matches in the tournament so far, the Karnataka batter knows her role in the team.

"As an individual, the role given to me is very consistent in the last year. They've put the effort in the last year to keep me there and I've been supported by every individual, not just one or two. The entire team, with all the support staff, have shown faith in me," she said.

"I know coming into the World Cup, I would play a crucial role to finish the innings well, which I felt I was unable to do in the last World Cup in the West Indies," she added.

Krishnamurthy said specific roles have been set for every player of the squad and they all are trying to contribute as much as they can to help the team achieve its goal.

"I was very motivated to do my role and I've been working on that. It's not just me, all 15 players involved know what their role is," she said.

"I'm happy we're all putting in efforts and executing our role properly. Even if it's a smallish contribution of saving a couple of runs, it's all panned out really well."

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Agencies
August 5,2020

New Delhi, Aug 5: Indian cricketers Suresh Raina and Harmanpreet Kaur were on Wednesday appointed as the global brand ambassadors of the WTF Sports.

Raina is also joining the brand as a Strategic Partner. WTF Sports, a fantasy sports gaming platform, was today formally launched in India and globally.

The announcement was made through a web conference with prominent cricket host, Vikram Sathaye moderating and hosting the webinar and Vinit Bhatia, Manit Parikh and Yash Kadakia Co-Founders - India and Global, WTF Sports introducing the cricketers as the Global Brand Ambassadors.

Kaur said it was a perfect fit for her and she can use her strategy and experience while playing.
"WTF Sports was the perfect fit with me, I can use strategy and my experience while playing, I've actually learnt to strategize better as I've played along. Additionally, when we were under lockdown and I couldn't really practice, it was fun to come on the platform and feel like I'm still playing," Kaur said in a statement.

On the other hand, Raina said, "It is exciting to be a part of a fantasy sports platform like WTF Sports not just as an ambassador but also as the strategic partner, it is everything that I embody and what I believe in, it's fierce, fun and competitive."

The app currently hosts three major sports, multiple playing modes, and exciting contests, ensuring that sports fans can get more skillful by letting them strategize and use their sports knowledge into rewarding behaviour.

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News Network
February 5,2020

Aukland, Feb 5: Striker Navneet Kaur scored a brace to guide the Indian women's hockey team to a convincing 3-0 win over New Zealand in the last game of its five-match tour here on Wednesday.

Navneet found the net in the 45th and 58th minutes, while Sharmila scored a field goal in the 54th minute as India drew curtains on the New Zealand tour on a bright note.

After a goalless opening two quarters, Navneet finally broke the deadlock for India in the 45th minute.

Sharmila then doubled the lead when she struck a powerful shot past the New Zealand goalkeeper in the 54th minute. Navneet found the net again just two minutes from the final hooter with a beautiful field strike.

India began the tour by thrashing New Zealand Development squad 4-0 before suffering close 1-2 and 0-1 defeats to the home senior team.

In penultimate game of the tour, skipper Rani's lone strike handed India a 1-0 win over Great Britain.

"...I am happy we produced three goals against New Zealand in the last match. This tour gave us a good insight about where we need to improve and one of the things is to create faster play than we do now," said India's chief Coach Sjoerd Marijne.

Commenting on his side's performance during the tour, Marijne said, "Sometimes we tend to keep the ball too long on the stick and then we create pressure. We need to avoid that by passing faster.

"On the defence side, we need to be a bit more calmer and need to improve our tackling. We will have a four week camp after a short break when we return home and we will be working on these points."

The Indian team will return home on February 7.

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