Asides

What he said, really meant and definitely didn’t: Jacques Kallis

What he said:

“I am an easy man to please and one of the greatest pleasures is taking money off Mark Boucher on the golf course.”

Jacques Kallis finds SA and Kolkatta Knightriders team-mate easy meat on the links.

What he really meant:

“Pocket money’s always welcome.”

What he definitely didn’t:

“I’d continue playing Mark is if I kept losing.”

What he said, really meant and definitely didn’t: Adam Gilchrist

What he said:

“He’s come of age I think, and I have just aged. I have never been hit on my head before. “

Adam Gilchrist reacts to being hit on the side of the head by a Lasith Malinga bouncer.

What he really meant:

“If I cannot out of the way of a bouncer anymore, I am surely getting older.”

What he definitely didn’t:

“I’ve been appointed by Puma to test their helmets. Lasith, have another go on the fresh one.”

“For my team’s owner, Preity Zinta and her wonderful inspirational speech, I’ll take all the hits, Malinga!”

What he said, really meant and definitely didn’t: Tillakaratne Dilshan

What he said, really meant and definitely didn’t: Rohit Sharma

What he said, really meant and definitely didn’t: Geoffrey Boycott

What he said:

“We made some appalling selections in India and our team did not look like they could win an egg cup let alone the World Cup.”

Geoffrey Boycott making it clear that England needs to take a hard, bold look at their approach in the shorter format of the game.

What he really meant:

“The English team at the World Cup were pathetically inconsistent. I threw in that egg cup bit to bolster my point.”

What he definitely didn’t:

“I’ll coach this team into winning at croquet and lacrosse.As a bonus, I’ll teach them to putt into an egg cup from six yards.”

What he said, meant and what he definitely didn’t: Shah Rukh Khan

What he said:

“Dada is my favourite player. But we need to move on. I wish him all the best with Pune Warriors and hope that he does really well.”

Shah Rukh Khan making it clear that KKR don’t need Saurav Ganguly’s services.

What he meant:

“Now if Ganguly would have done a few more promotions with me, everything would have been hunky-dory.”

What he definitely didn’t:

“In Chak De II, I’m playing the coach again and Dada’s the captain of the team.”

What he said, meant and definitely didn’t: Shivnarine Chanderpaul

What he said:

“Been called into meetings everyday, or every other day, spending hours answering questions. You never leave a meeting until they get whatever answer they want. That is what I’ve been going through. When you batting there are messages coming to you telling you how to bat, it happens until you get out, you know.”

Shivnarine Chanderpaul on how he was forced to play for the past year by the current West Indian management.

What he meant:

“Don’t disturb me, I’m batting. Let me focus.I’ve been doing this for 17 years. How many years have you put in?”

What he definitely didn’t:

“I’m a multi-tasker. I love being on call in the middle.”

“OK, you asked me to dance. I did. Now you want me to sing? No, what, a switch hit, is it?”

“Telling me what to do out in the middle? Isn’t that what got Aamir and his pals into trouble? It’s OK if it’s the WICB?”

What she said, meant, and definitely didn’t: Dona Ganguly

What she said:

“”Yes,but his role in the management and in the IPL team are two very different things.”

Dona Ganguly defending her husband Saurav representing the Pune Warriors franchise owned by Sahara Adventure Sports in which he is on the board of  directors.

What she meant:

“He (Saurav) can’t play cricket in board meetings, can he?”

What she definitely didn’t:

“Do you think Subrata Roy can play cricket as well as Saurav?”

“No, I don’t think Dada would have been chosen had he been an outsider.”

What he said, meant and definitely didn’t: Gautam Gambhir

What he said:

“I always believed that there were never great captains and there will be no great captains. There are only great teams. No captain can win you the game. It is the team that wins the game.”

Gautam Gambhir on his captaincy stint with Kolkatta Knight Riders.

What he meant:

“The team makes me.”

What he definitely didn’t:

“I bet you a hundred bucks that Ganguly would win with this team.”

What he said, meant, and definitely didn’t: Ian Chappell

What he said:

“So the message is clear to cricketers: enjoy the high wages for short games because soon “value for money” will become the owners’ catch-cry.”

Ian Chappell , writing on how IPL owners will soon seek value for their dollars from players.

What he meant:

“The IPL is a business and it makes no sense for owners to pay players wages they can’t afford and that might lead them to bankruptcy.”

What he definitely didn’t:

“Current players shouldn’t care; that’s for NexGen to worry about.Take your money and run.”