Robin Uthappa’s fifty guides Kolkata Knight Riders to easy victory against Chennai Super Kings in IPL 7 match

May 21, 2014

Robin UthappaKolkata, May 21: Robin Uthappa started brilliantly for Kolkata in the 47th match of the Indian Premier League (IPL) 2014 between Kolkata Knight Riders (KKR) and Chennai Super Kings (CSK). Uthappa and Gautam Gambhir, who opened with him, have been in tremendous form at the top of the order for KKR.

With 40-plus scores in each of his last six innings, Uthappa has been the best Indian batsman in IPL 7. The way he started his innings, it seemed like he would add another 40 to his tally. He eventually did manage to, but not before being dropped on two occasions. In the very first over of the innings, R Ashwin dropped a simple catch at slip. He was dropped again in the third over by Suresh Raina, also at slip. He went on to compile a very good 67 off just 39 balls with 10 fours and a six.

At the other end, Gautam Gambhir gave Uthappa good support with a quiet 21. The pair added 64 for the first wicket, and all but took the match away from CSK. Even after Gambhir’s dismissal — bowled by Ishwar Pandey — Uthappa powered on. When he was finally dismissed caught by Faf du Plessis in the deep off Ravindra Jadeja, KKR needed just 57 more runs to win.

Manish Pandey was solid at his end, rotating the strike and letting first Uthappa and then Shakib al Hasan score the boundaries. Ultimately, the pair of Pandey and Shakib proved to be enough to win KKR the match comfortably. Shakib ended with a breezy unbeaten 46 off just 21 balls.

Earlier, Chennai Super Kings scored 154 for four in the first innings after KKR won the toss and elected to field first. Pat Cummins came into the KKR side in place of Morne Morkel, while David Hussey and Samuel Badree were replaced by Ben Hilfenhaus and Faf du Plessis.

Dwayne Smith started positively for CSK, hitting a boundary off the very first delivery of the match bowled by Shakib al Hasan. Pat Cummins, the young Australian pacer who shot to fame with his exploits in South African a few years ago, started off with a terrific over. After beating Dwayne Smith’s drive off the first ball, he came back to clean him up with an absolute gem that swung late and knocked the off stump out of the ground. Cummins ended up bowling a wicket maiden in his very first over in IPL.

Later in the innings, Suresh Raina hit Piyush Chawla for a six over cow corner for a six, and that signaled the start of CSK’s attack. Cummins was hit for a boundary down fine leg by new man du Plessis in the last over before the timeout. The 14th over, bowled by Piyush Chawla, was the start of a very productive spell of play for CSK. Raina hit two big sixes and a four off the last three balls of the over to bring up his half century.

Pat Cummins justified his inclusion in the line-up with impressive figures of 4-1-29-1 on IPL debut. CSK ended with 154 for four after their 20 overs. In the end, that proved far too little for a side that has now won five games in a row.

Brief scores:

Chennai Super Kings 154 for 4 in 20 overs (Brendon McCullum 28, Suresh Raina 65; Sunil Narine 1 for 24, Pat Cummins 1 for 29) lose to Kolkata Knight Riders 156 for 2 in 18 overs (Robin Uthappa 67, Shakib al Hasan 46*; Ishwar Pandey 1 for 31, Ravindra Jadeja 1 for 23) by 8 wickets.

Sunrises wins

Sunrisers Hyderabad hold nerve to defeat Royal Challengers Bangalore in IPL 2014


Mumbai, May 21: Shikhar Dhawan the sparkling left-handed opening batsman and the equally gifted, David Warner, set the tone at top of the order, while chasing down a target of 161 against Royal Challengers Bangalore in Indian Premier League (IPL) 2014. It helped Hyderabad to win the game by seven wickets. Both batsmen explored the nook and cranny of the ground, while facing Bangalore’s bowlers. They kept peppering the off-side field with utmost ease. Dhawan in particular, played some sumptuous shots through covers. Warner too showcased his class by essaying a switch hit off wily spinner, Muttiah Muralitharan.
Once Dhawan got out, Naman Ojha played well to take them home to a victory. For a moment or two, it seemed like it can get tough for Hyderabad, as the required run rate went over nine runs per over. Warner even gave a tough caught and bowled chance to Abu Nechim, but Nechim couldn’t take it. Warner finally got out to Varun Aaron’s bowling. It was a full toss, but Warner hit ti straight to Yuvraj fielding at covers. Ojha and Aaron Finch then played well to help them win the game. It has to be remembered that Bangalore needed to win this game desperately.
Actually, while Bangalore were batting, they lost the plot early on, against Hyderabad in IPL 7. They lost both openers, Chris Gayle, the Jamaican marauder and Parthiv Patel early in the piece. However, Virat Kohli, Yuvraj Singh and AB de Villiers at the right time looked to up the ante and that helped Bangalore to amass 160 for the loss of six wickets on the board.
The shot Kohli essayed over extra cover off the bowling of Karn Sharma was a sumptuous stroke. He also thwacked Irfan Pathan, the medium pacer over extra cover for another fine boundary during the 15th over of the innings. He compiled his fifty off just 34 balls for Bangalore. Kohli finally lost his wicket to Pathan caught by Dale Steyn.
Yuvraj on the other hand, struggled a bit for timing and precise metre of placement during the early part of his innings. He was even slightly lucky a few times, as few of his shots fell just short of fielders in the deep. Just at the right time for Hyderabad though, Parvez Rasool enticed him to play a big shot and was caught at long-on by the ever agile fielder, Steyn. It meant that de Villiers, the sparkling batsman in Bangalore setup was again up against Steyn. He too played some wondrous strokes.
De Villiers smashed Darren Sammy, the captain of Hyderabad with effortless ease for a six during the end overs. Just like Kohli, he kept peppering the extra cover region all the time. Here is a batsman who can take the game away from the opposition ranks within no time. His strike rate during his innings was hovering around 200. To make it worse for Hyderabad, Shikhar Dhawan dropped a catch off de Villiers in the deep. Even Sachin Rana played a nice little cameo right at the end of the innings.
It was Bangalore who won the toss and elected to bat in their game against Hyderabad in IPL 2014. Parthiv was the one, who opened up his shoulders and essayed a boundary through covers. Bhuvneshwar Kumar though, trapped him dead in front with the one that swung back into Parthiv.
It was Steyn, who bowled the second over for Bangalore. The pacer swung the ball away from Gayle. Kohli came into bat at No 3 position. Once they lost Parthiv, Bangalore batsmen tended to be cautious at the crease. Bhuvneshwar Kumar swung the ball into right-handed, Kohli and struggled to find his length right. Gayle then, finally got going by compiling a boundary over covers.
Brief scores:
Royal Challengers Bangalore 160 for 6 in 20 overs (Virat Kohli 67, AB de Villiers 29; Bhuvneshwar Kumar 2 for 27) lost to Sunrisers Hyderabad 161 for 3 in 19.4 overs (Shikhar Dhawan 50, David Warner 59; Varun Aaron 2 for 36) by 7 wickets.

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News Network
June 1,2020

Jun 1: Premier India pacer Jasprit Bumrah won't miss the hugs and high-fives as part of a wicket celebration but he will certainly miss applying saliva on the ball and feels an alternative should be provided to maintain the red cherry.

The ICC Cricket Committee, led by former India captain Anil Kumble, recommended a ban on using saliva on the ball as an interim measure to deal with the COVID-19 pandemic. However, the Committee did not allow the use of artificial substances as a substitute move.

The new rule makes life tougher for the bowlers and Bumrah, like many former and current fast bowlers, feels there ought to be an alternative.

"I was not much of a hugger anyway and not a high-five person as well, so that doesn't trouble me a lot. The only thing that interests me is the saliva bit," said Bumrah in a chat with Ian Bishop and Shaun Pollock on ICC's video series 'Inside Out'.

"I don't know what guidelines we'll have to follow when we come back, but I feel there should be an alternative," he added.

Bumrah said not being able to use saliva makes the game more batsman-friendly.

"If the ball is not well maintained, it's difficult for the bowlers. The grounds are getting shorter and shorter, the wickets are becoming flattered and flatter.

"So we need something, some alternative for the bowlers to maintain the ball so that it can do something - maybe reverse in the end or conventional swing."

When former West Indian pacer Bishop pointed out that the conditions have been favorable to the fast bowlers over the last couple of years, Bumrah nodded in agreement.

"In Test match cricket, yes. That is why it's my favorite format because we have something over there. But in one-day cricket and T20 cricket… one-day cricket there are two new balls, so it hardly reverses at the end.

"We played in New Zealand, the ground (boundary) was 50 metres. So even if you are not looking to hit a six, it will go for six. In Test matches I have no problem, I'm very happy with the way things are going."

He finds it amusing that the batsmen keep complaining about the swinging ball.

"Whenever you play, I've heard the batsmen - not in our team, everywhere - complaining the ball is swinging. But the ball is supposed to swing! The ball is supposed to do something! We are not here just to give throwdowns, isn't it? (laughter)

"This is what I tell batsmen all the time. In one-day cricket, when did the ball reverse last, I don't know. Nowadays the new ball doesn't swing a lot as well. So whenever I see batsmen say the ball is swinging or seaming and that is why I got out - the ball is supposed to do that.

"Because it doesn't happen so much in the other formats, it's a new thing for the batsmen when the ball is swinging or seaming," said the 26-year-old.

The Ahmedabad-born pacer finds himself in an unusual position as he has not bowled for over two months due to the lockdown imposed in the wake of the coronavirus outbreak.

When India will play next is not clear yet and Bumrah said he is not sure about how his body will hold up when he returns to action.

"I really don't know how your body reacts when you don't bowl for two months, three months. I'm trying to keep up with training so that as soon as the grounds open up, the body is in decent shape.

"I've been training almost six days a week but I've not bowled for a long period of time so I don't know how the body will react when I bowl the first ball.

"I'm looking at it as a way to renew your own body. We'll never get such a break again, so even if you have a small niggle here and there, you can be a refreshed person when you come back. You can prolong your career," he said.

Bumrah has risen rapidly in international cricket despite experts having reservations about his longevity due to his unorthodox action.

The gritty fast bowler sees similarities in his career graph to Swedish football star Zlatan Ibrahimovic.

"Our personalities are different. But the story I could relate to is that not many people thought he would make it big. There was a similar case with me growing up as well.

"Wherever I went, it was the general feedback from people that 'this guy would not do anything, he would not be a top-rated bowler, he won't be able to play for a long period of time with this kind of action'.

"So, having the self-belief is important and the only validation that is required is your own validation. I saw that in his (Ibrahimovic's) story, so that's the thing I could relate to," added Bumrah.

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Agencies
April 15,2020

Former Australia batsman Mike Hussey has heaped praise on MS Dhoni, saying the veteran Indian wicketkeeper-batsman is the "greatest finisher" the game of cricket has ever seen.

"Dhoni is the greatest finisher of all time that the cricketing world has ever produced," Hussey said while speaking to Sanjay Manjrekar on ESPNcricinfo's Videocast.

"Dhoni can keep his cool and make the opposition captain blink first. Dhoni also has unbelievable power. He knows that when he needs to clear the ropes, he can do it. He has that kind of self-belief. Honestly, I didn't have that kind of belief in myself," he added.

The former Australian batsman, who shared the dressing room with Dhoni for the Chennai Super Kings, said the 38-year-old Indian believes in the philosophy that he who panics last, wins the game.

"I tried not to let it reach 12 or 13 runs an over," said Hussey while talking about his ability to finish the game without much hiccups.

"And I learnt this from MS Dhoni. He is incredible. He believes that he who panics last wins the game. So Dhoni would keep his cool, and keep it longer because the pressure is on the bowler as well," he added.

The 44-year-old believes that the greatest players of the game have a few common traits like "they don't hang on to a defeat for too long. If they lose, they move on quickly. They don't let a loss or a win hamper their thinking".

"They are always consistent, and level headed whether it's MS Dhoni or Ricky Ponting."

Hussey, who played 59 IPL matches for CSK, further revealed the secret about the franchise's success in the Indian Premier League.

"And I learnt this from MS Dhoni. He is incredible. He believes that he who panics last wins the game. So Dhoni would keep his cool, and keep it longer because the pressure is on the bowler as well," he added.

The 44-year-old believes that the greatest players of the game have a few common traits like "they don't hang on to a defeat for too long. If they lose, they move on quickly. They don't let a loss or a win hamper their thinking".

"They are always consistent, and level headed whether it's MS Dhoni or Ricky Ponting."

Hussey, who played 59 IPL matches for CSK, further revealed the secret about the franchise's success in the Indian Premier League.

"Supportive owners who let coach Stephen Fleming and captain Dhoni decide how to run the team, excellent chemistry between the coach and the captain, Dhoni's leadership and lastly the foresight of the owners, Fleming and Dhoni to pick the best players, particularly the good Indian players and then stick with them for as long as possible."

"This has built an excellent continuity in the team. And once you have continuity, you build relationships and trust that otherwise takes time to grow," he added.

Hussey also said that once Dhoni bids adieu to the game, CSK would probably like to start all over again.

"That's a 60-million-dollar question, and I am equally intrigued. I believe the owners would like to keep Dhoni involved in some way or the other," said Hussey.

"However, whenever the change of guard happens, CSK might want to start all over again, build a brand, new team, and use their existing philosophy as they enter the next decade of IPL. It is definitely going to be more challenging in current times," he added.

Dhoni was supposed to lead CSK in the 13th IPL edition which now stands postponed due to the coronavirus pandemic.

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News Network
January 15,2020

Jan 15: Australia openers David Warner and Aaron Finch both struck superb centuries to complement their bowlers’ inspired display as the touring side handed out a 10-wicket thrashing to India in the opening one-day international in Mumbai.

India, world-ranked No 2 in ODIs, suffered a middle-order collapse on their way to being bundled out for 255 in the final over of their innings after Australia captain Finch won the toss and opted to field in the first of the three-match series.

Warner and Finch then smashed the Indian bowlers to all corners of the ground, picking up boundaries seemingly at will to chase down the target with 74 balls to spare at the Wankhede Stadium.

Left-handed Warner successfully used the decision review system twice to overturn the umpire’s decision on his way to his 18th ODI century, hitting three sixes and 17 fours in his unbeaten knock of 128, from 112 balls. Finch completed his 16th century in the format, his unbeaten innings 110 from 114 features two sixes and 13 fours.

Earlier, Australia’s left-arm fast bowler Mitchell Starc, who made his ODI debut in India 10 years ago, picked up three wickets to set up Australia’s victory. He struck the first blow with the new ball when he sent back Rohit Sharma for 10.

India managed to recover from that early loss through a second-wicket stand of 121 between opener Shikhar Dhawan, who top-scored for the hosts with 74, and KL Rahul. However left-arm spinner Ashton Agar broke the stand by dismissing Rahul for 47 before Agar caught Dhawan off Pat Cummins in the next over.

The hosts were hoping for a solid innings from captain Virat Kohli, who batted a position lower than his usual No 3 spot to accommodate Rahul, to get them out of trouble. However, he lasted only 14 balls, hitting leg-spinner Adam Zampa for a six before offering a return catch to the bowler on the very next delivery to be out for 16.

Starc then returned to the attack, removing Shreyas Iyer cheaply as India lost four wickets for 30 runs to be reduced to 164 for five. Rishabh Pant and Ravindra Jadeja then fell just short of a half-century partnership, before the remaining four wickets falling for 42 runs, with Cummins and fast bowler Kane Richardson picking up two wickets apiece for Australia.

To compound India’s woes, wicketkeeper Pant suffered a concussion after being hit on his helmet by a short-pitched delivery from Cummins. The Indian cricket board said Pant, who did not come out to keep wicket and was replaced behind the stumps by Rahul, was under observation. The two sides will meet in Rajkot for the second ODI on Friday.

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