WE CAN DO IT: DHONI
ON THE EVE OF HIS TEAM’S DEPARTURE, DHONI SAYS THE BOYS ARE WELL-EQUIPPED TO DEFEND THE WORLD T20 CROWN
Mumbai: When India won the ICC World Twenty20 in South Africa, just under two years ago, captain MS Dhoni sported long thick hair, an infectious smile and his eyes radiated hope and optimism. Twenty-one amazing months later, Dhoni has the onerous task of defending the crown.
A lot has happened since then. T20 has evolved and has emerged as the money-making monster that threatens to eat up all the other formats of the game. Cash-rich leagues have cropped up and batsmen and bowlers have got accustomed to innovation and dealing with pressure.
Something else has happened too. Dhoni’s hair is now thinner and dare one say greyer. His beard too has traces of grey. The media, who loved Dhoni’s direct and uninhibited style, now expect well-rehearsed and measured responses from the 27-year-old.
It was evident on Friday too as he addressed the media at a suburban hotel, just a few hours before the team left for England. Excerpts:
How do you rate the team’s chances?
Our team has players who are ideally suited to T20. We have specialist bowlers and the best part is we have part-timers who bowled really well in the IPL. They are all spinners and T20 has been good for spinners since 2007. The options allow me the chance to play an extra seamer if I want to. We are quite confident, but we cannot afford to relax and need to play to our potential.
Will the tag of defending champions drag the team down?
No. The IPL will help us here. The Indian players would have played more T20 games than any other side because of the four-foreigner rule. Our guys are more experienced. They have been thrown in different scenarios by the franchisees and that will enable them to deal with that pressure.
Concerns are being raised about the Indians being a fatigued lot…
If you are an Indian cricketer you get used to playing non-stop cricket. We, in India, have the kind of weather where we can play at least eight months in a year. I made my debut in December 2004 and have been playing non-stop. The important thing is knowing what to do and what not to when you get a break. The players are aware of that and they realize what they should do to sustain at this level for a long period of time.
There’s been a mystery over Zaheer’s injury. What’s the status now?
He is not 100 per cent fit at the moment. But he will get fit by the 2nd or the 3rd. We hope to have him fit by the first match of the tournament. (June 6 vs Bangladesh).
Aren’t you worried about the form of the opening batsmen?
Not at all. Both openers are very talented. It just takes an innings of 20-odd to get back in form. I don’t think they are completely out of form though.
And what about the reserve ‘keeper. Shouldn’t there have been one? What happens if you break down?
(Smiles, sarcastically). Hopefully, I won’t get injured. You need to ask the selectors why there is no reserve wicketkeeper.
Are you happy that India are placed in an easy group (with Bangladesh and Ireland)?
Weren’t we in an easy group in the 50-over format in the 2007 World Cup in West Indies? What happened? We lost to Bangladesh and were out. There is no point in thinking about all this.
From the 2007 ICC World Twenty20 to now, how has the T20 game evolved?
Batsmen have become more innovative and aggressive. Scoops over short fineleg and reverse sweeps to fast bowlers are strokes which you never saw before T20 came about. Captains too have begun taking chances like opening the attack with spinners. Basically, these are gambles. There are other changes too. Batsmen don’t look to hit everything from the first ball, they assess the conditions and play accordingly.
And what about Dhoni, the captain. How has he changed in two years?
I have more grey hair. My beard is greying too!
India not to be blamed: ICC
ICC on Thursday dismissed Pakistan’s claims that India was behind the shifting of their 2011 World Cup matches and said the decision could have been avoided if the security apprehensions in the strife-torn country were responsibly addressed during the ICC Executive Board meeting.
“India had nothing to do with the decision. The decision was taken after consulting all the member nations.
There are all together 16 member nation’s in ICC and India is just one of them,” ICC Chief Executive Officer Haroon Lorgat said.
“Had Pakistan done half as they are doing right now before the ICC meeting, the decision could have been avoided. We know many countries won’t tour Pakistan,” he said.
On the possibility of shifting Pakistan’s share of World Cup matches to neutral venues like Abu Dhabi and Dubai, Lorgat said the ICC had not received any such proposal from the PCB.
“We have received no such proposal on neutral venue,” he said.
The ICC CEO, who was here to unveil ‘LG Lead XI campaign’ which will witness 15 children leading the Indian team on to the ground to participate in the national anthem ceremony, also expressed confidence of hosting a peaceful and successful 2011 cricketing extravaganza.
But Lorgat said in the coming days more security checks would be carried out in the venues of India, Sri Lanka and Bangladesh.
“It’s a normal part of our process. We will still review the security in the other three host countries,” he said.
Taking fame in his stride
Manish Pandey is clearly enjoying his newfound star status. Life for a hitherto unheralded cricketer has undergone a heady change after becoming the first Indian to score a hundred in the Indian Premier League.
That stunning 73-ball 114 for Royal Challengers Bangalore against the Deccan Chargers in the league game last week has elevated Pandey to hero status. By Wednesday, the 19-year-old was inundated with phone calls and he jokingly says he has received more than thousand calls since his arrival from Johannesburg on Tuesday evening.
And what’s more, he can’t believe that it took him more than one hour to get out of the airport, besieged as he was.
“It was a mad rush at airport. Photographs autographs and interviews, it was very tir ing. But who does n’t want fame?” Pandey says with a chuckle.
But he then turns seri ous. “The best piece of advice that I received was from our bowling coach Eric Simmons. He told me to be humble. And I want to be like that and achieve more in cricket.” This is not the first time Pandey has received accolades.
He was part of the U19 Indian team that won the World Cup in Malaysia last year but he did not have a great Ranji Trophy season.
But the IPL seems to have changed all that.
At first, Pandey did not get an opportunity as he played two matches at number 7.However, with Robin Uthappa failing as opener and Sreevats Goswami and Wasim Jaffer not utilising their chances, Manish got his chance.
bhai asked me to be prepared to open the batting. So there was a little bit of pressure to do well. Having got an opportunity to open the batting it was a golden chance. But at the same time, I was batting well in the nets so was confident of doing well.” “After the meeting, Anil arrived, Pandey did not let his captain down. He started on a shaky note, trying too hard to get off the blocks and had problem in timing the ball. “I was not middling the ball properly in the beginning. But I was seeing the ball well so that made me go for big shots and it helped that I was not very nervous,” he recalled.
“But once I reached 25And when the big day odd, I knew I had to convert the start. And then even before I realised I was in the 80s. It all happened so fast.” With a hundred in sight, Manish did not lose the plot.
The impressive part of the innings was the way he paced the innings.
“The plan was to get into the 90s with couple of boundaries and take singles till I reach hundred. I didn’t want to lose such an opportunity and thankfully, everything fell into place,” he added.
It was then that Pandey realised he really belonged at the international level and he attributes his success to the advice of his seniors.
“After I scored a century I knew that I belonged to this level. But all along, Anil and Rahul bhai had been very supportive on the tour and kept saying “be positive, you will get your chance to prove yourself.” “I was focussed to do well this time in the IPL. You don’t get to play along international stars every time. It was a very good experience,” he said.
Having taken the first step towards success, Pandey is focusing on the bigger challenges.
And, fame is just one of them.
Kumble tips India to retain T20 title
Former India captain Anil Kumble believes that Test cricket is alive and well, despite the rise in popularity of the game’s shortest format.
“As far as I am concerned Test cricket is the ultimate. I have always looked up to Test players mostly for their skill. I’ve always wanted to play Tests ever since I was a child. Twenty20 cricket is hugely popular now, but I think Test cricket, and in fact all three formats, will survive,” the former India captain said at an even here.
Having steered the Royal Challengers Bangalore into the final of this year’s IPL, Kumble gave credit to the youngsters for their performance.
“When I took charge of the team (from Kevin Pietersen), I told my players ‘let’s go out there and just enjoy the game’. That message helped because we won the next two games,” he said.
ever, felt that they could have performed better against eventual winners the Deccan Chargers in the final at the Wanderers in Johannesburg. “I wouldn’t mind swapping the man of the match trophy with the IPL one. We were a just hit away from winning the title, we were so close.” He also said strategy breaks, introduced after The RCB skipper, how every 10 overs, helped the bowling side more than the batting side. “I brought on my regular bowlers and not non regulars immediately after the breaks for getting wickets.” Kumble also tipped India to retain their title at the World T20 Championships, starting in England on June 5, saying they had the most balanced side and the potential to emerge winners again.
“International cricket is such that you are responsible for your own fitness levels. And it’s the same with every team. But then the wickets and pitches are going to be almost similar to South Africa so it won’t be a problem for them to perform.”
Hyderabad’s new Nizams
In the end the all round strength and combative spirit of Deccan Chargers proved to be the difference.
Chargers beat the Bangalore Royal Challengers by six runs to claim ownership of the glittering IPL Trophy.
With 45 runs required off 41 balls the road looked easy and straight for Bangalore Royal Challengers which was made difficult from the moment Ross Taylor chose to pull a ball that got a bit high on him. Venugopal Rao accepted the catch at deep square leg and off the next delivery Virat Kohli lost his balance and Adam Gilchrist whipped the bails of in a flash. Andrew Symonds in a matter of two balls gave another twist to the final. Full credit to Harmeet Singh for picking two crucial wickets and holding on to an excellent catch under pressure.
If ever there a template can be followed when defending a below par score, following what Deccan Chargers did on Sunday at the Wanderers will not be a bad idea. Coming out from the dug out like men possessed the Chargers put an admirable display in the field. Ryan Harris provided pace and R.P. Singh seam and swing. Jacques Kallis after a few streaky boundaries chopped one on to this stumps. Van der Merwe walking in at three and Manish Pandey under a verbal barrage struck on gamely.
Harris who repeated his maiden over act as against Delhi was struck for two new mighty sixes by Merwe and the heat in the middle intensified.
What the players exchanged will never get the MCC’s approval. Pandey trying to cut a ball close to the stumps nicked to Gilchrist and Merwe after adding another six was flummoxed by Pragyan Ojha who went a little overboard with his celebration.
The match hung on a razor edge at the halfway mark.
Pressure can do strange things even to the most experienced. Rahul Dravid in trying to beat the man at 45 was castled. Ross Taylor ensured the asking rate did not rise by much when he struck Ojha for a six and four. The target ahead was not difficult the key was to keep wickets intact but were unable to.
Anil Kumble did what he had done successfully all his career-stare at the opponent right in the eye. After winning the toss and electing to bowl, Kumble sprang a surprise.
But it was a surprise only for those who didn’t know Kumble. He brought himself on in the first over against Adam Gilchrist. It was the mother of all contests.
against each other. Kumble tossed one up and Gilchrist took the bait and played over the ball. Kumble had handed over the advantage to his team exactly two minutes after play started.
Herschelle Gibbs struggled for timing. T. Suman started well but a leading edge when he closed the bat early ensured Symonds walked in much before he would have expected.
Andrew Two fine leaders
FINALS HYDERABAD VS ROYAL CHALLENGERS JOHANNESBURG
Johannesburg: For the second year in a row, the Indian Premier League was won by a team that had a fairytale run to the title. If it was Team Jaipur that went from underdogs to champs last year, this time it was the turn of a squad that could do nothing right last year, Team Hyderabad, to pull off an amazing turnaround.
Hyderabad rose from rock bottom, shaken and stirred, to pull off a sensational victory in the final here at the Wanderers, thus adding another chapter to the sweet irony of lastyear’s wooden spoon holders. If 2008’s number seven and eight teams were destined to make the final, it was perhaps only apt that the number eight won the title. Knight Riders may well derive some hope for next year.
The IPL ended in spectacular fashion as one IT city barely held off the other in a match that went down to the wire. Defending a mere 143 runs, Adam Gilchrist’s men provided the much needed spark to swing their side’s fortunes in an exceptional manner. Some electric fieldwork by Andrew Symonds, Rohit Sharma and Herschelle Gibbs, excellent left-arm spin from Pragyan Ojha and aggressive captaincy by Gilchrist worked wonders. Gilchrist’s hurricane innings in the semifinal had single-handedly given his team a ticket to the final. On the flip side though, it burdened his team with the expectation of a repeat performance. In retrospect, it seemed like the third ball of Hyderabad’s innings had decided the fate of the final when Gilchrist was clean bowled by Anil Kumble, trying to come down the track and completely missing the line.
Kumble’s genius needs a mention despite his team losing at the end. He reserved his best for the allimportant clash and when it came, his figures of 4-16 from four overs grabbed the opposition by the throat.
After Gilly left, scoring runs became tough hell for a seemingly mentally-subdued side. Herschelle Gibbs batted through the innings, anchoring one end. But there was no acceleration forthcoming from the other end. Andrew Symonds briefly flourished, but Kumble cut his innings short. Rohit Sharma too did his bit, but Hyderabad’s 143/6 seemed barely adequate.
The Challengers began their chase well. with Jaccques Kallis providing a stable start, Roelof van der Merwe’s run-rate boost adding meat to the effort and Ross Taylor indulging in some sensible strokeplay. FINAL HYD VS ROYAL CHALLENGERS HYD RISE LIKE A PHOENIX … End IPL II In A Blaze Of Glory
Johannesburg: To the credit of Team Hyderabad, they did not flinch when faced with a situation in the final of IPL II at the Bull Ring on Sunday.
They did it once before against Mumbai Indians in the league stage when they did well to hold their nerve and they did it again when it mattered the most.
Ball by ball they gained in confidence with each falling wicket just as Royal Challengers dug a hole which they found tough to get out of. A target of 144 from 120 balls came down to 100 from 82, 65 from 48 and the sequence remained in that order till the
end. There was always the need to surge but a vigilant Hyderabad, also a bit lucky, never provided the chance.
Two stumpings by Gilchrist, the second one a stunner, along with excellent spells from Ojha and Symonds further dented Royal Challengers. Vijay Mallya’s outfit, though, bat deep with the
likes of Praveen Kumar, Vinay Kumar no mugs with the bat. Not to talk of Robin Uthappa, who till recently was in the Indian scheme of things.
But the tide had turned clearly in favour of Hyderabad with the wicket of Rahul Dravid.
TODAY’S FINAL HYDERABAD VS ROYAL CHALLENGERS JOHANNESBURG
TEAM HYDERABAD
LAST YEAR’S RANKING: 8
CAPTAIN: Adam Gilchrist. The Aussie stalwart has provided a degree of stability and innovative thinking to a side desperately lacking in confidence after last year’ debacle.
COACH: Darren Lehmann. A thinker more than a talker, the former Aussie middleorder bat has quietly but effectively overseen his side’s transformation into a force to be reckoned with.
RECORD: M-14, W-7, L-7
TEAM FORM: Barring a few hiccups along the way, Hyderabad look the most improved team this season. With an army of big-hitters and agile fielders to support potent, incisive bowlers, they look like a team that could go all the way.
DRAWING BOARD: Bat first and unleash Gilchrist on the RC bowlers. Symonds and Rohit Sharma will have to play crucial knocks.
X-FACTOR: Ojha’s leftarm spin can be troublesome.
KEY STARS: Symonds, Gibbs, RP Singh, Gilchrist
PROBABLE TEAM: Adam Gilchrist, Herschelle Gibbs, Tirumalsetti Suman, Andrew Symonds, Rohit Sharma, Venugopal Rao, Ravi Teja, Ryan Harris, SM Shoaib, Pragyan Ojha, RP Singh.
ROYAL CHALLENGERS LAST YEAR’S RANKING: 7
CAPTAIN: Anil Kumble. By far the most inspirational skipper in the tournament, RC have lost just once under his leadership.
COACH: Ray Jennings. Took some time to get his plans into order. With his knowledge of South African conditions and wickets, he has played a great part in RC’s late charge.
RECORD: M-15, W-9, L-6
TEAM FORM: On a high after beating Team Hyderabad in their last match, RC will now have a psychological advantage over their rivals. The men in red have peaked at the right time.
DRAWING BOARD: Ensure one of their batsmen play a long innings. They will have to watch against complacency.
X-FACTOR: Manish Pandey. The youngster’s explosive hitting can derail their rivals.
KEY STARS: Dravid, Taylor, Praveen.
PROBABLE TEAM: Manish Pandey, Jacques Kallis, Ross Taylor, Rahul Dravid, Roelof van Der Merwe, Virat Kohli, Mark Boucher, Praveen Kumar, Balachandra Akhil, Anil Kumble, Vinay Kumar
KEY CLASHES
GILLY VS KUMBLE
This captain vs captain battle promises a mouthwatering feast. Adam Gilchrist exploded like a bomb in the semis against Team Delhi, and would surely be looking to do an encore in the final. Remember his blazing century in the 2007 World Cup summit clash against Sri Lanka? The only man who seems capable to stop Gilly is Kumble. The retired leggie is opening the bowling these days, and Gilly would surely look to go after him. How Kumble uses his variations and guile against a marauding Gilchrist should make for a fascinating contest. This clash may well decide the final. TAYLOR VS OJHA
Ross Taylor’s big-hitting at the crunch has been one of the highlights of this tournament. It is also one of the chief reasons why the Royal Challengers find themselves here. His unbeaten 81 off 33 balls against the Knight Riders was as good a knock as one gets to see in T20 cricket. Against the spinners, he has been ruthless, employing the slog sweep to deadly effect. Ojha, on the other hand, has been one of the more difficult spinners to hit. Can he deceive Taylor with his flight?
RP VS KALLIS RP Singh holds the Purple Cap for being the highest wicket-taker, and rightly so. The left-arm seamer has threatened to taker a wicket every time he comes on to bowl. The onus on providing the early breakthrough will be on this Uttar Pradesh youngster again. Kallis has looked the part both with the bat and the ball. His solidity will be tested by RP’s probing, away-going deliveries WHAT TO EXPECT FROM BULL RING
BAT SECOND
Teams batting second have thrived. Off the six matches played before the second semifinal, teams batting second have won four times.
WINNING SCORE: 160+
With the highest score recorded in this tournament being 163 by Team Chennai, any team which can get a total of 170 plus can fancy its chances of defending it. Lesser than 150 could spell trouble as defending a small total at this venue is not that easy. Only Kings XI managed to do it but that too with great difficulty.
SPINNERS HAVE A SAY
The pitch has provided help to both seamers as well as spinners. Initially, it is the seamers who have called the shots. However, spinners have had their fair share of the limelight as can be seen in the performances of Shadab Jakati (4-24), and Kings XI Punjab skipper Yuvraj Singh, who claimed a hat-trick.
MORE 4S FEW 6S
Things have not been easy for batsmen who love to slam sixes on this ground. With the boundaries a bit longer than normal in the tournament, most batsmen have preferred not taking on the fielders in the deep. In the six matches played thus far on this ground, only 47 sixes have been scored at a match average of eight
RC CUT CHENNAI TO SIZE
Johannesburg: Lalit Modi may have first conceived the idea of a grand Twenty20 spectacle that the Indian Premier League (IPL) is, but one still has to wonder who is writing the script.
Last year, the team that wasn’t even considered an underdog, criticised for poor player-selection, accused of spending the least among eight franchisees, won the trophy. This year, two teams that had ended up as 2008’s wooden-spooners have done the unthinkable. Royal Challengers and Hyderabad last year’s No. 7 and 8 will clash in the final of IPL 2009.
The two IT cities have surprised the bookmakers which make this T20 extravaganza so exciting and, for the second year in succession, have ensured that anything is possible in this extremely unpredictable format.
It is hard to project a player-versus-player contest here. Will it be Adam Gilchrist’s willow-power against Praveen Kumar and Jacques Kallis’ new ball attack? Rohit Sharma’s finesse or Andrew Symonds’ belligerent hitting against Anil Kumble’s precision? This could also be a battle for youngsters like Virat Kohli and Manish Pandey competing with T Suman and Azhar Bilakhia. On the face of it, this could be anyone’s trophy. The atmosphere at the Wanderers can get quite intimidating when close to 50,000 spectators will fill up the stands.
On paper, Hyderabad definitely look the better side. The loss to Royal Challengers at Centurion on Thursday notwithstanding, they have a top-order boasting of some of the biggest names this format can think of. Even if one of these players — Gilchrist and Gibbs or Symonds and Sharma bats to his full potential, it will be enough to wipe out any opposition. Gilchrist showed precisely that in the first semifinal, cracking one of the best T20 knocks ever.
For Royal Challengers too, the batsmen have been at the helm in the last few matches. In fact, it has been at least one of the top-order men in every game delivering the goods. Ross Taylor did it in a crunch match against the Knight Riders when he struck a 41-ball 81 to take the match away singlehandedly from the opposition. Kallis and Utthappa demolished Mumbai in a partnership that was absolutely dominating. Virat Kohli has been consistent and Manish Pandey, of course, became the first Indian to score a century in IPL the other day.
Scoring runs, as aggressively as possible, will be the key to the game on a track that hardly has anything for the bowlers.
Royal Challengers Bangalore won by 6 wickets
Result Royal Challengers Bangalore won by 6 wickets (with 7 balls remaining)
Chennai Super Kings innings (20 overs maximum) R B 4s 6s SR
PA Patel lbw b Kallis 36 27 7 0 133.33
ML Hayden c Pandey b Vinay Kumar 26 19 2 1 136.84
captain wicketkeeper MS Dhoni c Vinay Kumar b van der Merwe 28 30 0 0 93.33
SK Raina c wicketkeeperBoucher b Kumar 20 19 1 1 105.26
JA Morkel not out 20 17 1 1 117.64
JDP Oram c Uthappa b Vinay Kumar 9 7 0 1 128.57
S Badrinath not out 1 1 0 0 100.00
Extras (lb 3, w 3) 6
Total (5 wickets; 20 overs) 146 (7.30 runs per over)
Did not bat SB Jakati, L Balaji, M Muralitharan, MS Gony
Fall of wickets1-61 (Hayden, 6.6 ov), 2-69 (Patel, 8.4 ov), 3-104 (Raina, 14.1 ov), 4-125 (Dhoni, 17.2 ov), 5-140 (Oram, 19.2 ov)
Bowling O M R W Econ
P Kumar 4 0 26 1 6.50
JH Kallis 4 0 26 1 6.50 (1w)
R Vinay Kumar 4 0 38 2 9.50
A Kumble 4 0 30 0 7.50
RE van der Merwe 4 0 23 1 5.75 (2w)
Royal Challengers Bangalore innings (target: 147 runs from 20 overs) R B 4s 6s SR
JH Kallis c Patel b Gony 9 7 2 0 128.57
MK Pandey b Jakati 48 35 7 0 137.14
RE van der Merwe b Morkel 2 5 0 0 40.00
R Dravid lbw b Muralitharan 44 39 6 0 112.82
V Kohli not out 24 17 1 2 141.17
LRPL Taylor not out 17 12 0 2 141.66
Extras (lb 3, nb 2) 5
Total (4 wickets; 18.5 overs) 149 (7.91 runs per over)
Did not bat RV Uthappa, wicketkeeperMV Boucher, P Kumar, R Vinay Kumar, captainA Kumble
Fall of wickets1-17 (Kallis, 1.4 ov), 2-22 (van der Merwe, 2.5 ov), 3-94 (Pandey, 12.3 ov), 4-110 (Dravid, 15.1 ov)
Bowling O M R W Econ
JA Morkel 3 0 26 1 8.66
MS Gony 2 0 23 1 11.50 (1nb)
SB Jakati 4 0 29 1 7.25
SK Raina 3 0 23 0 7.66
M Muralitharan 4 0 15 1 3.75
L Balaji 2 0 16 0 8.00
JDP Oram 0.5 0 14 0 16.80 (1nb)
ICC T20 