Kolkata outplayed chennaii..

Robin uthappa played very good inning. Kolkata outplayed the chenaii in all departments.. In the last overs sakib hasal played and important hand and made a quickfire 40 odd runs in 20+ ballls......

India crashed out of the world T20 cup

India has made the hat trick as consecutively 3rd time they crashed out of the t20 world cup in super 8 stage.

Zaheer taught me nuances of fast bowling

Indian paceman Umesh Yadav said speed was his only virtue before he came in touch with senior pro and team-mate Zaheer Khan, who taught him a few tricks of the trade to improve as a bowler.

Yadav said he learnt a lot from Zaheer during the last Australian tour, which though was disastrous for India as they were routed 0-4. Yadav, with 14 wickets from four matches, was the second highest wicket-taker behind Zaheer on that tour.

"I didn't know anything much besides bowling fast. Since I started bowling with Zak Bhai, he told me that with my pace, if I can gain a bit of control over the ball, I'll be a much better bowler and I'll get many more wickets," Yadav said.


That's what I did in the latter part of the Australia tour -– concentrated more on my line and length than earlier. He had ingrained in me the length that I had to hit, and I constantly kept that in mind before every delivery. I'm still working on it and I have a long way to go," he said.

"He told me the sooner you learn from your mistakes, the better you'll get. I always keep that in mind and try not to repeat my mistakes," he said.

Yadav said the team had forgettable time in Australia but he returned richer in experience.

"As a team, we didn't do too well but when I returned home, the only thing I kept in mind was to keep up with the way I bowled there and keep improving on it every day. I was very happy to be going to Australia. It's a dream of every fast bowler to bowl on Australian wickets. I'm very thankful to Zaheer bhai," he said after India's win against New Zealand in the first Test in Hyderabad.

India returned to Test victory thrashing New Zealand by an innings and 115 runs and Yadav said they would look to carry on the winning momentum.

"The last two series that we played didn't go well for us and we were under a lot of pressure ahead of this one. This is a good start to the season and we'll look to carry on in this vein."

Yadav picked a wicket each in both the New Zealand innings as the spin duo of Ravichandran Ashwin and Pragyan Ojha shared the remaining 18 wickets in between them.

The young Indian pacer said they too had a strategy against the Kiwis although the spin duo dominated the proceedings.

"The wicket was not turning that much. Our spinners worked really hard for their wickets. But yes, when bowling on such slow and low wickets, we just try to keep pitching the ball on one side of the wicket consistently. That's what Zaheer bhai and I did -– we just kept bowling the same line and our spinners did the rest of the job," he said.

Yadav also said that he share very good chemistry with Ishant Sharma who came back into the squad after an ankle surgery.

"In this series, Ishant is coming after recovering from a surgery. If that wasn't the case, surely he would've been the first choice since he is more experienced than me."

"When I'm playing, he keeps giving me feedback about my bowling if he feels I'm doing something wrong. We share a very good relationship," he said.

Source:Rediff.com

Expect a fast track at SCG: curator

Done in by pace and movement during the opening Test against Australia , the Indian cricket team is unlikely to get much respite in the second match as well with the pitch curator promising a track which will initially aid fast bowlers.

SCG curator Tom Parker said the pitch he is preparing would favour fast bowlers on the opening day before settling down and turning later.
A year ago, Australia registered a first-day score of 134/4 on a rain-marred first day en route to an innings defeat to England
"I was happy with that (pitch for the game against England) and I was happy with the previous year's as well (against Pakistan)," Parker told ESPNcricinfo.
"The last two years we've really got it together and it has really come up well. I'm hoping to have a pitch somewhat similar to that.
"That's the ideal scenario and that's what we're aiming for. I don't see why that won't happen. The weather's been kind to me and the forecast is for hot sunny days in the lead-up to the Test and the first couple of days of the Test, so I don't see why it shouldn't be perfect for us," he added.
India lost the opening Test by 122 runs and Australian pacers played a crucial role in triggering the visiting team's batting collapses.
It has been raining here but Parker said it won't affect the preparation of the pitch at the SCG, where the India-Australia match will be the 100th Test played.
"There's been a lot of rain around but we have the covers on as well; we've had a lot of matches up to date and it hasn't affected our preparation too much on the centre," Parker said.
"The thing that's been a bit of a downfall for us is the overcast conditions more than the rain.
"The hours of direct sunlight have been fairly minimal on several days, and that's been a bit of a pain as far as grass growth goes. In saying that, the outfield's in tip-top condition, as is the centre square," he added.
Parker said he would ensure a sporting track, which has something for everyone -- pacers, spinners and batsmen.
"That's what I've always aimed for. It has always been my goal to produce pitches with an even coverage of grass and pitches that were going to play consistently over the period of the match. We've got that mix pretty well right now.
"As long as you're going into the match with great preparation and good grass coverage, nice even moisture throughout the pitch, it usually pays off and the pitch will play consistently," he added.

source:rediff.com

Australia fortifies their pace attack with Harris inclusion

Australia brought Ryan Harris into their squad for the second Test against India on Friday, adding a fourth pace option a day after bowling their way to victory in the opening match against the tourists.
The injury-prone Harris joins James Pattinson, Peter Siddle and Ben Hilfenhaus in the 12-man party for the second match in the four-Test series, which starts on Tuesday at the Sydney Cricket Ground.

source:rediff

I can play as per situation demands: Yusuf Pathan

Dashing Baroda batsman Yusuf Pathan doesn't believe with the popular perception about him being a pinch-hitter; he believes he can change his game according as per the situation demands.

"I had started as a pinch-hitter, but now I have a different role to play. I try to play according to team's needs, be it domestic or international cricket," Pathan said.

"I have scored a century against New Zealand and played some big knocks in the recent past. It is not correct to say that I am a batsman who deals in sixes and fours only," he added.

He is confident that he will make it to the final squad for the World Cup, to be held in sub-continent from February 19 next year.

"Obviously, it is a dream to be a part of World Cup team and I am no exception. I have worked hard to get a place in the team. I am working on both areas of the game for that," he said.

India's [ 30-member World Cup probables list will be selected on Saturday.

Yusuf blasted his way to an unbeaten 123 off only 96 deliveries in a recent ODI against New Zealand in Bangalore apart from providing crucial dismissals with the ball.

Yusuf attributes his recent success to his parents, brother Irfan, coach Gary Kirsten.

"Gary has advised me to bide my time at the crease and he has worked hard on my bowling as well. I got support from seniors also," said Pathan.

He also believes that the Mahendra Singh Dhoni-led team will be the strongest contender to win the World cup.

"It is happening in India and we have the home advantage. The Indian team is playing really good cricket recently and is capable of winning the trophy," he added.

Source:rediff.com

ICC extends deadline for Pakistan to name WC squad

The International Cricket Council (ICC ) has extended its deadline for Pakistan to name their preliminary squad for next year's 50 overs World Cup until January 5.

A Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB) source told Reuters on Thursday that the board had asked the ICC to extend its deadline of December 19 while it sought information from three players who are being investigated for alleged spot-fixing.

"The ICC has given until January 5 to announce our squad," a PCB official said.

Former Test captain Salman Butt and pace bowlers Mohammad Amir and Mohammad Asif have already been suspended during an investigation into newspaper reports that they deliberately arranged for no-balls to be delivered in the fourth Test against England this year.

Source:rediff.com