Sourav Ganguly bats for Laxmi Ratan Shukla's India comeback in Ranji final

January 16, 2014

Sourav_GangulyKolkata, Jan 16: Urging Bengal skipper Laxmi Ratan Shukla not to lose hope for a India comeback, Sourav Ganguly on Wednesday said the national selectors would surely be noticing the allrounder's sparkling show if they make the Ranji final.

"If Bengal make the final, Shukla's performance will be counted by the national selectors, (Ashoke) Dinda will also make a strong case for himself for a comeback," Ganguly said of Shukla who played three ODIs way back in 1999.

Despite having got the Lala Amarnath award for the best all-rounder in domestic limited overs by the Board, the 32-year-old is still being overlooked as Stuart Binny was chosen for the allrounder spot in India's five ODIs in New Zealand.

Defending the decision, Ganguly said the selectors had considered the burly allrounder's IPL show for the Rajasthan Royals and rued that Bengal had little representation in the T20 extravaganza which is taken as a yardstick.

"He (Binny) had been a stand out performer for the Rajasthan Royals and in their qualification into the (IPL 6) final. He has also been retained by Rajasthan Royals.

"But if you look at Bengal, our boys are not even get a chance to play in IPL regularly...

"On form, Shami is the best Indian pacer at the moment, but it's unfortunate that he's not retained by the state franchise (KKR).

"These are the things national selectors take into account. Selectors are bound to give importance to a big tournament like IPL, that's the way it is, that's the system," Ganguly pointed out.

Hailing Bengal for making the Ranji semifinal for the first time since 2006-07, Ganguly said: "They have all performed under from pressure, right from skipper Shukla, Dinda who is still being overlooked by the national selectors...

"All these players have stood under pressure. For four years, they have fought relegation. I've seen it very closely. I know how tough it is," the left-hander told a Bengali news channel.

"On paper, Bengal have beaten stronger teams to make the semis than Maharashtra who have come from lower rung group C. But any team at this stage is strong, they (Bengal) have to play all five days of good cricket to be in the final," he said of Bengal who will face Maharashtra in Indore from January 18-22.

Ganguly further said India would do well in the five ODI and two-Test series in New Zealand, an "inferior" side to South Africa.

"They dont have (Dale) Steyn or (Morne) Morkel in their side. New Zealand are an inferior side in comparison to South Africa. If their coaches are intelligent enough, they would have out and out greentops.

"I'm very very hopeful of success against New Zealand. We've just come back from a tough tour of South Africa, losing both Test and ODI series. We have seen India doing well after a difficult tour. But I'm hopeful of Team India doing well in New Zealand."

Ganguly, who has already got an honorary fellowship from University of Central Lancashire, will be conferred D.Litt by the Bengal Engineering and Science University, Shibpur.

"That I will be honoured in my home town makes it all the more special. It's a big honour for me. I feel proud," Ganguly concluded.

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News Network
July 21,2020

Jul 21: The tickets sold for the now-postponed ICC T20 World Cup will remain valid if Australia hosts the edition in 2021 instead of India.

In case the event is shifted to 2022, all ticket-holders will be entitled to a full refund, the ICC stated on its website on Monday night after postponing the mega-event this year due to the Covid-19 pandemic.

The tournament was to be held in October-November but will now be conducted later because of the pandemic.

The ICC has not yet announced which country will host which edition as there are operational issues that both the Indian and Australian cricket Boards need to sort out.

The world body had opened ticket booking through its ticketing partners and a significant number was already sold.

"Ticket holders are welcome to retain their tickets, noting, if Australia hosts in 2021, tickets will remain valid for fans who have already bought and will be automatically updated to reflect the new dates.

"If Australia hosts in 2022, for tickets already bought a full refund will be processed automatically," ICC stated in a series of FAQs.

Fans can retain their tickets until a date is confirmed for the event.

Refund requests can be made until December 15 and they will be processed within 30 days after an online submission.

The hospitality package will also remain valid for the 2021 fixtures.

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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
June 30,2020

Malabar, Jun 30: I-League club Gokulam Kerala's former assistant manager Muhammad Alloush on Monday died due to COVID-19. He was 44.

Alloush, who was with the football club in its inaugural season, was working as technical director at Egyptian club Tanta SC at the time of his demise.

Alloush's mother had also succumbed due to the deadly virus earlier.

"We're deeply saddened by the death of our former assistant manager Muhammad Alloush, aged 44, after contracting Covid_19. The thoughts of everybody at Gokulam Kerala Football Club are with Alloush's family and friends at this sad time. Rest in peace, Alloush," Gokulam Kerala FC tweeted.

Meanwhile, with a spike of 18,522 COVID-19 cases in the last 24 hours, India's coronavirus count stands at 5,66,840, said the Union Health and Family Welfare Ministry on Tuesday.

According to the Ministry, 418 deaths due to COVID-19 were reported in the last 24 hours. The number of deaths in the country now stands at 16,893.

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