Duncan Fletcher blames luck for India’s dismal show against Australia

India’s coach Duncan Fletcher claimed that his side was unlucky against Australia during their first innings in the second Test of the four match series at the Sydney Cricket Ground (SCG) on Tuesday, January 3, 2012. The tourists were bowled out for 191 runs, as none of their batsmen really got going. Skipper MS Dhoni was the top scorer of the innings, contributing an unbeaten 57 runs to the total, but there was not much support for him from the other end. If India go onto lose this match, this will be their sixth consecutive defeat in the longest format of the game on foreign soil. They were whitewashed by England in a four-match series played last year and suffered a 122-run loss against Australia in the ongoing competition.

Due to these poor performances on foreign soil, the critics have slammed the Indian players, especially the experienced ones, who have been unable to deliver results on wickets with assistance for bowlers. Amongst the star studded Indian top-order, Rahul Dravid was the only player who delivered against every opposition in 2011. However, his performances went in vain, as the team continued losing matches against quality sides. Despite all this, Fletcher backed his players, saying, “The mood in the dressing room has been very, very good. They're working very hard at nets, they're putting in the effort, they're trying their best. It's just sometimes in cricket we just need a little bit of good fortune.” The former English coach pointed out the mode of dismissal of the most successful Indian batsman Sachin Tendulkar, saying that it was extremely unlucky. The veteran batsman attempted to drive a full delivery outside the off-stump, but dragged it onto the stumps. According to Fletcher, “How often would he (Sachin) play on from that width, more often than not he would have put that through the covers for four.... Sometimes it goes against you and sometimes it runs with you.” Last year, when the Men in Blue lost to England, they blamed lack of practice and fitness issues. However, they had all their regular players available for the Australian series and also played a couple of tour games in order to get used to the conditions.

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India must fight fire with fire, advises Wasim Akram

Former Pakistani captain and legendary pacer, Wasim Akram, has advised Team India to be confident of their skills which are equivalent to those of Australia and turn up hard against the opponents in the 2nd Test of the ongoing 4-match series. Akram claims that the Men in Blue have the potential to pay back the Aussies with the same coin, provided they stick to their game instead of feeling gloomy after the first defeat. He further said that the Indian squad has experienced and talented players who can fight for their life if need be, provided they are up for it. The ex-speedster is not ready to admit that India’s pace attack is weaker than that of Australia, arguing that the Blue bowlers like Zaheer Khan and Umesh Yadav are capable enough to give a tough time to the Oz batters.

In his column for Espnstar, the pace king wrote, “India have the experience and the talent to counter Australia and I am not willing to write Dhoni and his team off going into the Sydney Test. The Sydney wicket will definitely seam and swing in the first two days. India must be prepared for this and believe their pace attack is equally promising. India must fight fire by fire and they have the arsenal.” Akram has urged the Indian skipper, Mahendra Singh Dhoni, to perk up his captaincy techniques and lead the side by example, averring that the captain possesses immense intelligence, but he needs to work on his batting skills. The legend went on to write, “While Dhoni must sharpen his captaincy skills, I would like to see a proactive skipper who leads by example.” The best left-arm pacer of all times, who was present in the commentary box during the first Test match at Melbourne Cricket Ground, has expressed deep disappointment on the poor batting performances by Gautam Gambhir and Virat Kohli, provoking the duo not to repeat it in the second match that is scheduled to start from January 3 at Sydney Cricket Ground. Wasim ruled the world of cricket with his matchless bowling action for at least 18 years, grabbing 414 Test and 502 ODI wickets. He equally contributed with the bat too.

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Dhoni blames batsmen for T20 loss against England

Indian captain Mahendra Singh Dhoni blamed an ordinary display by his batsmen for the hosts' six-wicket defeat at the hands of England in the lone Twenty20 International.

Opting to bat, India struggled for a good partnership in the middle as the 121-run victory target was easily achieved by England with eight balls to spare on Saturday.

Dhoni said they were always short on runs despite playing with eight batsmen.

"We were short of runs. We were playing with eight batsmen. We always knew that wicket would be on a slow side. It was important for batsmen to continue till end. We did not get off to a good start.

"If you see the comparison between the two sides, the big difference was the four-wicket and the eight-wicket fall. So, there we lost the game," said Dhoni at the post-match press conference.

Asked about the Eden strip which he had termed 'ugly' for the ODIs, Dhoni said it was a decent one.

"It was not the wicket where you look to score 160-170. 130-135 would have been a very good score on this wicket. But Kevin Pietersen batted well, they calculated the game really well.

"The wicket was on a slower side. As the game progressed, it did not change a lot. It was a bit slow compared to ODIs, overall a decent one. I would not say that it was a bad wicket," he said.

India were drubbed in England this summer as they were whitewashed in all three formats of the game but Dhoni said they were never short on confidence something that helped them bounce back.

"We did not completely need to revamp the conditions. Even when we lost the series in England we were in a positive frame of mind. If you know what went wrong, it becomes a bit easy to focus on those areas and improve as a team.

"I think the gap we got in the middle, the individuals got some time to work on those areas. If you see, the fast bowlers did a good job for India. Also the spinners were brilliant. It was like not down and out. The mood was always good in the camp. That helped us bounce back," the skipper added.

With an eye on India's tour to Australia late this year, the selectors have picked a relatively young side for the three-Test series against the West Indies at home starting next month. Dhoni said it would be a challenge for the youngsters.

"Test cricket is a bit different. You need to spend time in the middle. It's a bit difficult that requires slightly different temperament. A bit different to shorter version. The red ball spins a bit more, bowlers get reverse swing. It's a completely different challenge. Experience is very important. You will see the transition as they play more and more cricket they improve."

Dhoni also rubbished reports that he wanted to be rested for the West Indies series.

"I've never answered all these questions."

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Harbhajan Singh available for the complete tour of West Indies

Indian off-spinner Harbhajan Singh, has said that he is available for the complete tour of West Indies, if given a chance by the selectors. The World Champions are scheduled to visit the Caribbean next month.

Some of the senior players have requested the Board of Control for Cricket India (BCCI) to rest them for the tour after a hectic schedule. The list includes MS Dhoni, Sachin Tendulkar and Zaheer Khan, all three have been playing in the Indian Premier League’s ongoing season as well.

The off-spinner has been an integral part of the Indian team since the last one decade but he is still hungry for cricket. Harbhajan said that he will definitely go to the Caribbean if selected by BCCI. The off-spinner added that he is available for all the three formats of the game against the West Indies.

Harbhajan said, "If I get selected, I am going to play. I am definitely available for the whole tour. If I am selected, I will definitely go."

He has played 93 Test matches for his country in which the off-spinner has taken 393 wickets. On top of that he has taken 255 One Day International wickets in only 226 matches.  

Harbhajan has served Indian cricket greatly and has carried the burden of Indian spin bowling over the years.

Singh is currently busy playing in the IPL, where he represents Mumbai Indians. His franchise is doing very well in the current season.

However, he asked his team not get over-confident because still there is a lot of cricket to be played in this edition of the league.

He added that all the teams in IPL are strong and have the capability to beat each other on any given day, hence Harbhajan wants his team to take every match seriously.

"We don't want to take things for granted. We know all the teams are capable of beating each other. We just want to keep on working hard and do things which will ensure we stay on top," Harbhajan added.

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Kings X1 Punjab Vs. Delhi Daredevils

The confident Kings X1 Punjab (KXP) will take on the struggling Delhi Daredevils (DD) in the 26^th match of the Indian Premier League (IPL), at the Feroz Shah Kotla stadium, Delhi in India. The match will be played on Saturday, 23rd April, and the hosts will look to turn around their fortunes in the tournament.
Things haven’t been good for Delhi at home though, as they were defeated by Mumbai Indians (MI) and Deccan Chargers (DC) at the Feroz Shah Kotla, earlier in the tournament. They are currently at the bottom of the IPL table with just one victory in four games.
The home team is led by flamboyant Indian batsman Virender Sehwag, who has been unable to fire until now in the cash rich event. The explosive right-handed opener has been suffering from a shoulder problem, which may have affected his performance in the tournament. His performance holds the key for the hosts, as it will give them a huge confidence boost.
Sehwag is partnered by Australian David Warner at the top of the order and both batsmen can be deadly for the opposition once they get going. They were deemed to be one of the best opening pairs in the tournament, but have been unable to live up to those expectations until now.
There are also some other very talented batsmen in the DD side, but they too have struggled to be consistent. Aaron Finch, Venugopal Rao, James Hopes, Morne Morkel, Irfan Pathan and Naman Ojha have looked good in patches, but will be required to come up with a special effort to overcome the opposition.
On the other hand, former Australian wicketkeeper batsman Adam Gilchrist will lead the KXP side. He was a part of the DC team in the previous three editions of the IPL and led the franchise to a title victory in the second season, played in South Africa. One common thing between both captains in this match is their aggressive nature. However, the Australian has been able to use his abilities to full affect, winning three matches out of the four played until now in the tournament.
The main force behind the visitors impressive start has been their opener, Paul Valthaty, who is the leading run scorer in the tournament so far. He has been able to attack the opposition with effortless ease and also scored a brilliant century in a match against the defending champions Chennai Super Kings (CSK), who are led by Indian captain MS Dhoni.
Shaun Marsh has also been a consistent performer for his team and has managed some useful runs at the top of the order. He was a relative unknown when he first appeared in the inaugural IPL in 2008, but stunned one and all with his brilliant batting. The stylish left-hander ended-up being the top scorer in that tournament and has been a valuable player since then.
David Hussey, Ryan McLaren, Ryan Harris and Dinesh Karthik are the other players who add to the strength of the KXP squad. They will look to continue doing well for their team and win against any opposition they face.
Both teams look strong on paper, but the momentum is definitely with the visitors at the moment. They will look to gain full advantage of that and exert maximum pressure on the home team.

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KINGS X1 PUNJAB VS. DELHI DAREDEVILS

The confident Kings X1 Punjab (KXP) will take on the struggling Delhi Daredevils (DD) in the 26^th match of the Indian Premier League (IPL), at the Feroz Shah Kotla stadium, Delhi in India. The match will be played on Saturday, 23rd April, and the hosts will look to turn around their fortunes in the tournament.

Things haven’t been good for Delhi at home though, as they were defeated by Mumbai Indians (MI) and Deccan Chargers (DC) at the Feroz Shah Kotla, earlier in the tournament. They are currently at the bottom of the IPL table with just one victory in four games.

The home team is led by flamboyant Indian batsman Virender Sehwag, who has been unable to fire until now in the cash rich event. The explosive right-handed opener has been suffering from a shoulder problem, which may have affected his performance in the tournament. His performance holds the key for the hosts, as it will give them a huge confidence boost.

Sehwag is partnered by Australian David Warner at the top of the order and both batsmen can be deadly for the opposition once they get going. They were deemed to be one of the best opening pairs in the tournament, but have been unable to live up to those expectations until now.

There are also some other very talented batsmen in the DD side, but they too have struggled to be consistent.Aaron Finch, Venugopal Rao, James Hopes, Morne Morkel, Irfan Pathan and Naman Ojha have looked good in patches, but will be required to come up with a special effort to overcome the opposition.

On the other hand, former Australian wicketkeeper batsman Adam Gilchrist will lead the KXP side. He was a part of the DC team in the previous three editions of the IPL and led the franchise to a title victory in the second season, played in South Africa. One common thing between both captains in this match is their aggressive nature. However, the Australian has been able to use his abilities to full affect, winning three matches out of the four played until now in the tournament.

The main force behind the visitors impressive start has been their opener, Paul Valthaty, who is the leading run scorer in the tournament so far. He has been able to attack the opposition with effortless ease and also scored a brilliant century in a match against the defending champions Chennai Super Kings (CSK), who are led by Indian captain MS Dhoni.

Shaun Marsh has also been a consistent performer for his team and has managed some useful runs at the top of the order. He was a relative unknown when he first appeared in the inaugural IPL in 2008, but stunned one and all with his brilliant batting. The stylish left-hander ended-up being the top scorer in that tournament and has been a valuable player since then.

David Hussey, Ryan McLaren, Ryan Harris and Dinesh Karthik are the other players who add to the strength of the KXP squad. They will look to continue doing well for their team and win against any opposition they face.

Both teams look strong on paper, but the momentum is definitely with the visitors at the moment. They will look to gain full advantage of that and exert maximum pressure on the home team.

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Stephen Fleming not decisive of pursuing a coaching career

Former skipper of the New Zealand cricket team, Stephen Fleming, whose name has been in the news for the next coach of the Indian national squad, has said that he has not yet decided to take coaching as a full-time job.
Dwelling upon the topic, Fleming, who is currently coaching the Chennai Super Kings said, “I’m enjoying coaching Chennai Super Kings. I got my hands full at CSK. It is good experience. I haven’t thought a lot about my coaching career. It is something that I’ll consider as time goes on.”
Talking about his current job, the Kiwi said that it was a great challenge for him to take on the opportunity, as he is trying to develop his coaching philosophies in these two months.
While addressing the post-match conference after the Chennai side lost to the Mumbai Indians by eight runs, Fleming said that the narrow defeat at the Wankhede stadium was mainly contributed by the loss of quick wickets.
Commenting upon his team’s performance in the match, the former skipper said, “We are not quite getting across the victory line. We let another game slip away. We did OK in the field to restrict a powerful batting line up like theirs to 160 on a wicket that was getting better and better. We just lost key wickets at key moments.”
He was of the view that the match changed its’ position after the loss of Mike Hussey and MS Dhoni’s wickets. Fleming also praised the impressive fielding displayed by the Mumbai Indians and said that it proved to be a decisive factor between the two sides.
The left-handed opener was of the view that though the fielding in the Indian Premier League had met new standards, the Mumbai Indians had particularly displayed a terrific performance on the field, saving about 15 to 20 runs in the match.
Mumbai Indians’ Rohit Sharma took a splendid catch to get rid of the Chennai Super Kings skipper Dhoni, in their previous encounter. The catch was the turning point of the match, as Dhoni certainly has the capability to take the game away from the opposition.
Fleming said that though his boys could not display an equal standard of fielding, they would certainly try to do better on the ground next time. The CSK coach added that though his team was competing well in the IPL tournament, they will have to focus on winning games to ensure that they do not fall behind in the competition.
The former Kiwi skipper said that they were striving for devising a success formula for their team. Fleming added that his side have already laid the foundation and are now putting in their efforts to get better, as the tournament lingers on.

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STEPHEN FLEMING NOT DECISIVE OF PURSUING A COACHING CAREER

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Former skipper of the New Zealand cricket team, Stephen Fleming, whose name has been in the news for the next coach of the Indian national squad, has said that he has not yet decided to take coaching as a full-time job.

Dwelling upon the topic, Fleming, who is currently coaching the Chennai Super Kings said, “I’m enjoying coaching Chennai Super Kings. I got my hands full at CSK. It is good experience. I haven’t thought a lot about my coaching career. It is something that I’ll consider as time goes on.”

Talking about his current job, the Kiwi said that it was a great challenge for him to take on the opportunity, as he is trying to develop his coaching philosophies in these two months.

While addressing the post-match conference after the Chennai side lost to the Mumbai Indians by eight runs, Fleming said that the narrow defeat at the Wankhede stadium was mainly contributed by the loss of quick wickets.

Commenting upon his team’s performance in the match, the former skipper said, “We are not quite getting across the victory line. We let another game slip away. We did OK in the field to restrict a powerful batting line up like theirs to 160 on a wicket that was getting better and better. We just lost key wickets at key moments.”

He was of the view that the match changed its’ position after the loss of Mike Hussey and MS Dhoni’s wickets. Fleming also praised the impressive fielding displayed by the Mumbai Indians and said that it proved to be a decisive factor between the two sides.

The left-handed opener was of the view that though the fielding in the Indian Premier League had met new standards, the Mumbai Indians had particularly displayed a terrific performance on the field, saving about 15 to 20 runs in the match.

Mumbai Indians’ Rohit Sharma took a splendid catch to get rid of the Chennai Super Kings skipper Dhoni, in their previous encounter. The catch was the turning point of the match, as Dhoni certainly has the capability to take the game away from the opposition.

Fleming said that though his boys could not display an equal standard of fielding, they would certainly try to do better on the ground next time. The CSK coach added that though his team was competing well in the IPL tournament, they will have to focus on winning games to ensure that they do not fall behind in the competition.

The former Kiwi skipper said that they were striving for devising a success formula for their team. Fleming added that his side have already laid the foundation and are now putting in their efforts to get better, as the tournament lingers on.

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FLAWED BATTING ORDER COST PAKISTAN SEMI FINAL GAME AGAINST INDIA IMRAN KHAN

Pakistan's former World Cup winning captain, Imran Khan, blamed the national team to have a flawed batting order for its 29-run defeat against arch-rivals India in the semi-final of the recently concluded ICC World Cup 2011.

"I kept on saying that you need to send your best batsmen at the top so that they can save wickets”, said Khan while talking to the media on the sidelines of a function arranged to honour Elite panel umpire, Aleem Dar. Dar was one of the officials in the high-pressure World Cup final between India and Sri Lanka.

“When you preserve your wickets, the pressure transfers to the fielding side and if you have couple of hard hitters in the team, you can always score quick runs in the final overs", he further added.

The cricketer-turned-politician said that the same strategy was followed by the team in the knockout matches during 1987 and 1992 editions of the World Cup.

The former cricket star of Pakistan admitted that losing to the Men in Blue, led by Dhoni, in the semis still hurts and it is hard to accept the loss. Imran reckoned that Afridi and his men crumbled under pressure.

Imran Khan said that the Cornered Tigers were outstanding throughout the mega event prior to collapsing under the pressure of the semi-final. The former Pakistani cricket captain said that he was not expecting that the team would come under pressure.

"What disappoints me is that this team overall performed very well and reached the semi-finals when no one expected it to go this far”, said the 58-year-old. "But once they had got into the semi-final and knew it was going to be a high pressure match against India, the players should have been ready for the situation. Unfortunately they buckled under the pressure", he further added.

The former all-rounder ace is frustrated that the co-hosts were under immense pressure of playing in front of home crowd as well as their title favourites tag. He said that the whole batting line-up of India, except forVirender Sehwag, was under pressure and this led to quite a number of soft dismissals as well.

He said that pressure on the Indian team could be better judged from the fact that a world class performer like Sachin Tendulkar offered at least four chances to the opposition to send him back to the pavilion.

Khan further commented that the under pressure Men in Blue seemed to be all set for a defeat but Pakistani batsmen failed to absorb the pressure on themselves and collapsed. Imran said that once wickets started falling, the pressure started to mount on incoming batsmen and it became difficult for them to perform. The legendary all-rounder noted tactical mistakes in the game as well.

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Kapil Dev lauds Mahendra Singh Dhoni for leadership skills

Former Indian captain, Kapil Dev, is of the view that Mahendra Singh Dhoni, the present Indian skipper has some amazing qualities in his leadership.
Kapil Dev admired Dhoni for his audacious and fearless attitude, whenever he is playing in a game.
He exclaimed, “It is very difficult to speak about my qualities but I think Dhoni's approach to the game is very simple and straight. The one quality that I admire about him is his willingness to take risks”.
While attending an awards ceremony in Dubai, Kapil said that he loves Dhoni’s passion for cricket and the way he creates magic in the ground. He added that Dhoni has the audacity to take risks for the team.
Kapil Dev is one of the most energetic and finest players of the Indian cricket team. He led the team in 1983 and also won the title of World Champions by winning the World Cup in 1983.
He started his international cricket career in 1978 against Pakistan. He is still regarded as one of the most finest and remarkable all-rounders in Indian cricket history. In his exuberant 225 One Day Internationals (ODI), he has scored 3783 runs at an average of 23.75 and in bowling took 253 wickets in ODIs at an average of 27.45.
The 52-year old veteran cricketer praised the current Indian skipper for his outstanding leadership and performance in the recently ended ICC World Cup 2011. He congratulated and conveyed his heartiest wishes to all the members of the team, at the award ceremony in U.A.E
Kapil stated, “When you take risks and things don't go your way, you can be heavily criticised by the media. One ball or a decision can change the life of a sportsmen but it is the people, who have the courage to do it that comes out victorious”.
The present Indian captain, MS Dhoni, has risen up the ranks in a very short period of time. He started his ODI cricket in 2004 against Bangladesh at Chittagong. He has played in a total of 186 One Days and has scored 6049 runs at an average of 48.78. He has so far scored seven centuries and 38 fifties.
His extraordinary efforts and dynamic leadership has led the Indian team win the coveted trophy of the World Cup 2011. His strategies and management as a captain has always proved useful for the team. Even in the recently concluded World Cup, he maintained the consistency and momentum of the team and performed remarkably in the entire tournament.

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AFRIDI VOWS NOT TO SPEAK ON INDO-PAK RELATIONS IN FUTURE

Flamboyant Pakistan captain, Shahid Afridi, has vowed not to speak on the sensitive issue of Indo-Pak relations in the future, reiterating that there are some elements in Indian media, who are negative about ties between the two arch-rivals.

Afridi said that he is not against India, or Indian people insisting that he was misinterpreted by the media.

"I am not against India, or, Indian people or Hindus. They are Hindus living in Pakistan just like Muslims in India and since this is a very sensitive issue I have decided that from now on I will not speak on it", said Afridi while talking to a TV channel of Pakistan.

He stressed that there are negative elements, who do not want the two countries go ahead. He suggested that if the authorities from both sides want to move forward, they would have to change their mindset.

Afridi also hailed Indian skipper, MS Dhoni’s decision of coming up in the order and leading from the front in the World Cup final against Sri Lanka. The hard-hitting Boom Boom Afridi rued he should have batted up in the order.

Talking about the disappointing semi-final game against nemesis India, Afridi conceded that he made mistakes in the high-voltage game.

"I made mistakes in the World Cup particularly in the semi-final at Mohali”, admitted the all rounder, who finished as the tournament’s leading wicket-taker with 21 scalps, along with Zaheer Khan of India. “I should have gone up the order like Mahendra Singh Dhoni did against Sri Lanka in the final at Mumbai", he added further. 

Talking about his 21 World Cup wickets, Afridi said that it was a big honour for him and that he never expected to finish the esteemed tournament as the joint leading wicket-taker.

He said that the main goal he and the coach had was to ensure a clean and politics free dressing room atmosphere and reckoned that he have been successful in doing that.

Afridi thanked senior players such as, Misbah-ul-Haq, Younis Khan, and, Kamran Akmal, for supporting him in the high profile tournament.

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