Australia 273/7 at close on Day 2

March 15, 2013

Australia_3rd_testNew Delhi, Mar 15: After a solid opening stand, Australia lost their way as they were reduced to 273/7 in their first innings at close of the second day play of the third Test at the PCA stadium in Mohali on Friday.

At stumps, Steve Smith was batting at (58) along with Mitchell Starc (20).

Ravindra Jadeja was the most successful bowler as he claimed three Australian batsmen while Ishant Sharma bagged two wickets.

For Australia, Ed Cowan scored 86 while David Warner made 71.

After losing Brad Haddin (21) and Moises Henriques (0) in the same over to Ishant Sharma, Australia lost their seventh batsman in the form of Peter Siddle who became third victim of Ravindra Jadeja.

Siddle was trapped leg before wicket by Jadeja after Steve Smith reached his fifty to take Australia past 250 mark in their first innings on the second day of the third Test.

Just before Smith reached his fifty, lanky Indian pacer Ishant Sharma dismissed Brad Haddin (21)and Moises Henriques (0) to leave Australia six down for 244.

Sharma bowled out both batsmen after remaining wicket-less in the first two sessions.

R Ashwin got his first wicket in the form of Ed Cowan who scored 86 before giving an easy catch to Virat Kohli at slip just after tea break.

Cowan's dismissal reduced Australia to 198/4.

Ravindra Jadeja proved to be the surprise package for India with two wickets off successive balls to disturb Australia's momentum after a solid opening-wicket century partnership.

Jadeja got the wickets of David Warner (71) and skipper Michael Clarke for nought while Pragyan Ojha accounted for Phillip Hughes (2), as Australia reached 180 for three at tea.

Cowan and Warner shared 139-run stand for the first wicket.

This, incidentally, is also Australia's best partnership for the first wicket on this ground, eclipsing the 87-run stand set by Shane Watson and Simon Katich back in 2010.

After having Warner caught by Mahendra Singh Dhoni, who ran forward after the ball looped off the batsman's bat-pad, Jadeja bagged the most important wicket of Clarke, who was stumped by Dhoni off the first ball the batsman faced.

The ball turned away sharply on landing, and an over-confident Clarke made the mistake by stepping out straightaway.

Twelve overs later, Ojha had Hughes caught down the leg-side by Dhoni, ending the out-of-form batsman's yet another miserable stay at the crease.

India could have added one more wicket to the tally, but Virat Kohli at first slip dropped an edge that Ojha induced off Cowan.

Warner struck nine fours while facing 147 balls. What was also important was that the opener spent 206 minutes in the middle after a run of poor scores.

It turned out to be good session for Jadeja, who delivered after the specialist bowlers failed to give the hosts a breakthrough.

That India struggled prior to that was only due to Watson and Ed Cowan, who produced Australia's best opening partnership of the series as the visitors went to lunch at an impressive 109 for no loss.

Warner led Australia's promising start with a flurry of boundaries, including a few delectable drives through the off-side. At the lunch break, Cowan was giving him company on 43 after 36 overs had been bowled.

There was a chance for Ojha to dismiss Warner right after he completed his fifty, but Kohli, positioned at first slip, could not get to the ball.

Opting to bat after Clarke won the toss for the third time in the series, Australia were served well by the two openers, even as the Indian bowlers looked for wickets on a surface that is likely to assist the spinners over the next few days.

It was a departure from the norm as far as the wicket was concerned - the PCA is well-documented for assisting the quicker bowlers.

Seeking to make a fightback after two reverses in the first two Tests in Chennai and Hyderabad respectively, the two wickets off successive balls put the brakes on the Aussies.

After a four-over first spell, Ishant, playing his 50th Test, was replaced by Ashwin in the ninth over, and the off-spinner straightway extracted turn and bounce.

Bringing Ishant back, instead of Ojha, for another six-over spell, however, seemed a bit surprising. When Ojha was finally introduced in the 25th over, in place of Ishant, the left-arm spinner was greeted with two boundaries - one through the covers off a short ball and the next one nudged down the leg-side.

With his four specialist bowlers used within the 30th over, Jadeja was introduced in place of Ashwin.

It was surprising to see Jadeja given a more attacking field than the two specialist spinners -- with a leg-slip in place alongside the first slip and the short-leg fielder -- but the all-rounder lived upto his skipper's expectation.

Earlier, it turned out to be Shikhar Dhawan's greatest moment of his cricket career as the 27-year-old left-hander from Delhi was handed his maiden Test cap by none other than the great Sachin Tendulkar.

India made two changes to the squad, bringing in Ojha in place of Harbhajan Singh and Dhawan for the dropped Virender Sehwag.

Australia brought in Brad Haddin, Mitchell Starc, Steven Smith and Nathan Lyon in place of the injured Matthew Wade and suspended James Pattinson, Shane Watson and Glenn Maxwell.

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News Network
May 5,2020

May 5: Former Pakistan speedster Shoaib Akhtar says he is interested in becoming India's bowling coach if there is an offer, asserting that he is capable of grooming "more aggressive, fast and talkative" pacers.

Akhtar expressed his willingness in an interview on social networking app 'Helo'.

Asked if he would like to be associated with the Indian bowling unit in future, he responded in the positive. India's current bowling is Bharat Arun.

"I will definitely. My job is to spread knowledge. What I have learned is knowledge and I will spread it," Akhtar said.

One of the fastest bowlers to have played the game, he added, "I will produce more aggressive, fast and more talkative bowlers than the current ones who will tell-off the batsmen in a way that you will enjoy a lot."

He said he has always wanted to share his knowledge among budding cricketers and that he is looking to produce more aggressive bowlers.

He also added that he would like to "coach" IPL franchise Kolkata Knight Riders, for whom he has played in the cash-rich T20 league's inaugural edition.

The former pacer also spoke about his early interactions with Indian batting great Sachin Tendulkar in the 1998 series.

"I had seen him but didn't know how big a name he was in India. In Chennai, I got to know that he was known as a god in India.

"Mind you, he is a very good friend of mine. In 1998, when I bowled as fast as I could, Indian public celebrated with me. I have a big fan following in India," Akhtar said.

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News Network
January 3,2020

Jeddah, Jan 3: Spanish driver Fernando Alonso is aiming to create history as the first Formula One world champion to win the Dakar Rally when the 12-day marathon gets underway in Saudi Arabia on Sunday.

Alonso, who won the F1 championship with Renault in 2005 and 2006, is one of 351 starters in this year's 7,500 km race which has moved from South America to Saudi Arabia, both venues a long way from the original 1979 route between Paris and the Senegalese capital Dakar.

Among the starters will be motorbikes, quad bikes and trucks but Alonso, who will have five-time bike champion Marc Coma navigating his Toyota, will be in the car category as he bids to become one of the greatest all-round drivers of all time.

Apart from his success in F1, the 38-year-old Spaniard has also won the Le Mans 24-hour race and has singled out the Indianapolis 500 as his priority for 2020. He describes Dakar as “the biggest challenge of my career”.

Alonso is not the first F1 driver to take part in the race, however.

The Belgian Jacky Ickx, a winner of eight grand prix and six-time winner of Le Mans, won Dakar in 1983 and came second in 1986 and 1989. Frenchman Patrick Tambay, who had two wins in his 114 grand prix, came third in 1988 and 1989.

Given the treacherous conditions--long stretches of sand dunes--Alonso is not overly confident of challenging for victory, noting that even the nine-time world rally champion Sebastien Loeb was unable to deliver when he raced the Dakar. Loeb won 13 stages but could only finish second in 2017 and third in 2019.

“If Loeb still hasn't won the Dakar, imagine me, who is coming from asphalt,” Alonso told RTVE. “I think the goal is more to approach the rally as an enriching experience for us.”

Fellow Toyota driver Nasser Al-Attiyah is a more likely candidate, not least because the Qatari is a three-time winner and reigning champion.

"Give me some sand and I'm happy," Al-Attiyah told dakar.com.

He will be pressed, however, by the Minis of Carlos Sainz and 'Monsieur Dakar' aka Stephane Peterhansel who has won 13 Dakars across bikes and cars in 30 races.

“We are obviously very excited about the Dakar in Saudi Arabia. It will be a new challenge for everyone,” said Peterhansel who will be partnered by Paulo Fiuza after the Frenchman's wife Andrea pulled out for health reasons.

“Unfortunately, it is not possible to contest the rally with Andrea, as was planned, however I have known Paulo Fiuza for a very long time. According to the organisers, the navigation will be very complicated and play a major role this time.”

Cyril Despres, a five-time winner on bikes, is also back with a new teammate -- explorer Mike Horn.

“I was stuck in the ice for a month, and now I'm heading to Jeddah. For the first time, the Dakar Rally is in Saudi Arabia and I'm doing it with a very good friend of mine, Cyril Despres,” tweeted Horn whose adventures include an 18-month solo journey around the equator without using any motorised transport.

Horn is also the first man to travel without dogs or transport to the North Pole during winter, in permanent darkness.

Across the dunes of Saudi Arabia that experience may come in handy.

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February 24,2020

Feb 24: India captain Virat Kohli had no qualms in admitting that his team was outplayed by New Zealand in the opening Test but said they "can't help" if a few want to make a "big deal" out of the 10-wicket defeat. Hosts New Zealand thrashed India by 10 wickets at the Basin Reverse on Monday to go 1-0 ahead in the two-match series. This was India's first defeat in the World Test Championship, coming after two inept batting efforts. "We know we haven't played well but if people want to make a big deal out of it, make a mountain out of it, we can't help it as we don't think like that," the skipper said at the post-match media interaction.

Kohli said he fails to comprehend why one Test match defeat should be made to look like the end of the world for his team.

"For some people, it might be the end of the world but it's not. For us, it's a game of cricket that we lost and we move on and keep our heads high," Kohli said.

It is the acceptance of defeat that defines the character of a side, the world's premier batsman said.

"We understand that we need to play well to win, also at home. There's no cakewalk at international level as teams will come and beat you. You accept it and that defines our character as a side."

It is the acceptance of defeat that defines the character of a side, the world's premier batsman said. "We understand that we need to play well to win, also at home. There's no cakewalk at international level as teams will come and beat you. You accept it and that defines our character as a side."

If he had given credence to the "outside chatter", he said the team wouldn't have been where it is now.

"That's why we have been able to play this kind of cricket. If we would have paid attention to the outside chatter, we would again be at No. 7 or 8 in the rankings. We don't really bother about what people are saying on the outside," the skipper said.

One defeat can't make a team, which has been winning games of Test cricket, "bad overnight".

"If we have lost then we have no shame in accepting that. It means we didn't play this game well. It doesn't mean that we have become a bad team overnight. People might want to change our thoughts, but it doesn't work like that."

The self-belief is intact and Kohli was confident the team would come back stronger in the second Test, to be held in Christchurch in four days time.

"We will work hard, and after four days play just like we have played all these years. Just because we have lost one match in between all wins, doesn't mean that the belief is gone. The dressing room thinks differently and team atmosphere is different."

Kohli felt that there is a very thin line between being ultra-defensive and over-attacking, something that his team didn't get it right in this Test match.

"New Zealand got into the mind of the batsmen and make the batsmen do something that they don't want to. think that's a very thin line and a very delicate balance of when to attack and when to put bowlers under pressure which we failed to do in this match and there is no harm in accepting that."

According to Kohli, it was a combination of both good bowling from the Kiwis and Indian batsmen not putting the pressure back on bowlers, which led to the drubbing.

"That has got to do with partly good bowling from New Zealand and partly us not pressing that momentum on to them when required. "It was perfect for them because they bowled well and we allowed them to bowl well for longer periods rather than doing something about it in a partnership."

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