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Suresh Raina: What he said, really meant and definitely did not

Suresh Raina Duets Not With Virender Sehwag

What he said (via Times Of India):

"No, I was only on 30 at that time. So, I did not."

Suresh Raina, unlike his batting partner Virender Sehwag, preferred not to make a song-and-dance of his modest score—in comparison.

Raina was replying to a query whether he joined his illustrious senior in humming Kishore Kumar melodies during the Delhi blaster’s record-breaking 219 at Indore.

Raina said:

"He was playing very well with no tension. That day, he was singing some Kishore Kumar songs. He was not feeling any kind of tension."

The young southpaw was addressing the India Today Youth Summit.

What he really meant:

“I was left spellbound and breathless by Viru’s audacious shot-making. How could I?”

What he definitely didn’t:

“I’m a Mohammad Rafi fan.Ghazals are more my scene.”

Viv Richards: What he said, really meant and definitely did not

Vivian Richards And The Games People Play

What he said (via Times Of India):

“The WICB have been very naughty.”

Sir Vivian Richards bats for Chris Gayle.

The dashing Jamaican opener has been kept out of the West Indian side for criticising Dr. Ernest Hilaire and his colleagues for their high-handedness and arrogance.

Richards squarely laid the blame—for the current state of Caribbean cricket—at the doorstep of  the West Indian Cricket Board (WICB) .

Richards said:

"There have been some good signs coming out of the team of late, but really, we need to improve more. We are in a transitional stage."

Richards believes that Chris Gayle deserves to be in the Test side.

The original master blaster added:

We have a board that is totally dictatorial and they won’t budge on their thoughts with Chris. The WICB had also asked for a commission to undertake a wide look at the governance of cricket in the West Indies. Now some findings have come back to them and the WICB were not too happy in its findings.

Chris Gayle has a case and the board should find a resolution in the matter ASAP as it is really sad how they have treated him.

The board has not released the findings of the commission and haven’t been upfront with everyone. They have put up a smoke screen and they have been far too dictatorial and someone has to take them on and Chris Gayle is doing that. I wish him luck and I am totally supporting Chris and we need to take these guys on … The WICB have been very naughty.

What he really meant:

“The WICB are acting like spoilt children—wielding the rod.”

What he definitely didn’t:

“Yay! The freshly minted West Indian cricketing anthem—Games People Play.”

Scott Styris: What he said, really meant and definitely did not

Scott Styris Scores A Ton—On The Golf Course!

What he said:

“Disappointed to hear I’m probably the only Nz cricketer to score a hundred today!”

Scott Styris tweets his reaction—from the golf course—to Team New Zealand’s dismissal for a paltry 150 runs in the second Test against Australia at Hobart.

James Pattinson claimed his second five-wicket haul in two games to put Australia in the driver’s seat on Day One.

What Styris really meant:

“At least, my handicap is not a guy named Pattinson.”

What Styris definitely didn’t:

“Hey chaps, keep this up and you can join me on the golf course from days four to five.”

Chris Gayle: What he said, really meant and definitely did not

Chris Gayle Cannot Mask His Admiration

What he said (via Twitter):

“Well I did watch some of that innings by Viru…. Brilliant striking!! Congrats on ur 219.. That’s child abuse! The Mask would say, Smoking!”

Chris Gayle congratulates Virender Sehwag on his marauding knock in the fourth ODI against West Indies at Indore.

Sehwag’s double ton is the highest individual score in the 50 over format.

Sachin Tendulkar held the previous record having scored 200 against South Africa at Gwalior.

What he really meant:

“Viru, you’re toying with my teammates. Find kids your own size to beat up.”

What he definitely didn’t:

“Viru, you interrupted my movie. Which one, you ask? The Mask, of course.”

Bishan Singh Bedi: What he said, really meant and definitely did not

Bishan Singh Bedi Is Five Degrees Or Less

What he said (via IBNLive):

“I believe in clean action. I belong to traditional cricket. I don’t believe in 15 degrees of all such nonsense.”

Bishan Singh Bedi is still not convinced of the validity of Shoaib Akhtar’s and Muttiah Muralitharan’s bowling actions.

The left-armer famously termed them “javelin throwers”.

Bedi currently manages the Jammu & Kashmir Ranji team.

What he really meant:

“Either you’re chucking or you’re not.Hyperextension—what’s that?”

What he definitely didn’t:

“I’d love to coach javelin throwers. They’d make great bowlers; the right bio-mechanics are already in place. And the doosra is right up their alley.”

Sepp Blatter: What he said, really meant and definitely did not

Sepp Blatter Goes On The Warpath

What he said (via SkySports.com):

“The World Cup was theirs by right. When they came here with Beckham, Prince William and Prime Minister Cameron, they were certain of winning.They got two votes. Since then, they have looked for every means to justify their defeat.”

Beleaguered FIFA boss, Joseph Blatter, launches a tirade at the English Football Association for their opposition to his continued presence at the helm of international soccer.

England lost out to Russia in its bid for the 2018 World Cup.

The 75-year-old is fighting corruption charges and was recently in the center of a racism row with his seemingly flippant remark that such on-field incidents could be settled with a handshake.

Transparency International dealt another blow to FIFA’s pretensions of corruption reform severing ties with the soccer body for ignoring two of its recommendations.

Mark Pieth,  a Professor of Criminal Law and Criminology at the University of Basel,asked to oversee reforms, disclosed that he would be accepting payment from FIFA. Additionally, he would not be investigating old hoary scandals.

In an interview to Matin Dimanche, a French Swiss daily, Blatter denounced the English body claiming that they are more interested in hosting the World Cup than the Olympics.

Blatter said (via Goal.com):

In the 60s and 70s, the great sporting federations were in the main British. It’s no longer the case.The English have lost power and, most recently, the 2018 World Cup.They were very keen, more than for the Olympics. They thought that football should have come home.

What he really meant:

“The English are sore losers—according to me.”

What he definitely didn’t:

“Why don’t HRH The Duke Of Cambridge and I settle our differences with (what else) a handshake?”

Read Blatter’s original interview here.

Ishant Sharma: What he said, really meant and definitely did not

Ishant Sharma Negates Team Australia’s Mind Games

What he said (via Espn Cricinfo):

“They (the Australians) are better at playing mind games than they are at playing the game.”

India pace spearhead Ishant Sharma has sensible words of advice for Varun Aaron and Umesh Yadav for the upcoming tour of Australia.

Speaking to Mail Today, the lanky fast bowler expressed satisfaction with his performances this year. Sharma missed out on Team India’s ODI World Cup party.

Sharma said:

It has been a very good year for me. I am happy with my rhythm and pace. Even though I didn’t get wickets on some occasions, I am pleased with the way I have bowled this year.But the learning process never stops. Even someone like Sachin Tendulkar says he is still learning about the game after 22 years. So I am always learning to improve. For me, every day is a new day.

Sharma will lead the inexperienced Indian attack if Zaheer Khan does not fully recover from his ankle injury.

Sharma said:

Obviously, having Zaheer would be a huge bonus. But if he is not there, it would be an honour to lead the attack in Australia. It would be a great responsibility. Every fast bowler dreams of leading the attack for the country.Australia is going to be very exciting. But the key would be not to put pressure on yourself. If you keep thinking about results and wickets, it would only add to the pressure. So I would look to just enjoy myself. This time in Australia, patience will be the key.The thing is that Australian batsmen don’t like to be tied down and if you bowl patiently at them, you can pick wickets. So bowling tightly would be the best strategy.

Sharma looks forward to bowling in tandem with pace prospects, Umesh Yadav and Varun Aaron.

Sharma said:

Bowling with Umesh and Varun is quite exciting. They have the pace and the best thing is they are willing to learn. The more they bowl, they more will learn to exploit the conditions.

What he really meant:

“Cricket’s played more in the mind than anything else and ,boy, don’t the Aussies know it.”

What he definitely didn’t:

“Sledge me if you can.”

Ross Taylor: What he said, really meant and definitely did not

Ross Taylor Wishes For More Catching Practice From Philip Hughes

What he said (via ESPN Cricinfo):

“I’d love him to be in the team.”

Kiwi skipper Ross Taylor cannot hide his glee at Philip Hughes’ performance in the first Test at Brisbane.

The belligerent opener scored 10 and seven in his two outings in the middle.

The New South Wales batsman’s troubles outside the off stump continue.

Taylor said:

If Hughes plays in Tasmania then obviously Chris Martin will be bowling at him and hopefully Martin Guptill takes a third catch too.We had a lot of video footage of all the Australian players and Hughes got caught at second, third slip and gully a lot in the Ashes and in South Africa. That was definitely an area we wanted to target, and with the way Chris Martin bowls, he bowls across the left-hander.

Chris Martin bagged Hughes in both innings.

Michael Clarke put his hand up in defense of his young team-mate.

Clarke said:

I look forward to a press conference where I don’t get asked about Phillip Hughes.Once again, not concerning for me. I have confidence that Hughesy will come out in Hobart and perform. He got a hundred not that long ago, 80-odd not that long ago. I’ve seen Hughesy cut that ball for four a number of times. I’m sure he would be disappointed personally that he hasn’t made any runs in this test match, but I’m confident he can put his hand up in Hobart and get a big score for us.

Clarke believes that Hughes can deliver the goods and is a much improved batsman since his Test debut.

Clarke added:

I think his technique has improved out of sight.Every one of us has deficiencies in technique. And these days with the footage you can get on players, it’s very easy to find out what those deficiencies are. It’s no different for any batsman. I have seen a lot of improvement. I continue to see him scoring runs. Probably not as consistent as he would like, but he’s still scoring them. His record for NSW is better than any 23-year-old in this country. He’s scored three great hundreds for Australia and I’m confident he can score a lot more.

What Ross Taylor really meant:

“More slip catching practice for us.”

What Ross Taylor definitely didn’t:

“I’d love to have Hughes bat for my life.”

Michel Platini: What he said, really meant and definitely did not

Michel Platini Seeks  A Wintry 2022 World Cup

What he said (via BBC):

“If we play in winter, [it is] not a problem to organise it.”

UEFA Chief, Michel Platini, has the interests of soccer spectators at heart.

The 2022 World Cup awarded to Qatar will have temperatures of about 50 degrees Celsius if the tournament begins—as planned—in June.

Qatari officials have sought to alleviate reservations with promises of air-conditioned stadiums and cloud-seeding.

Platini would rather consider a workaround where the European season is modified to continue until June so that the World Cup is scheduled for winter when temperatures are cooler.

Speaking to Al Jazeera English, Platini said:

How can people go to Qatar in 50 degrees in June? If the people can’t come to enjoy it it’s not good. The people they come for three weeks or two weeks in 60 degrees and never go outside the hotel. So when is the best moment? It’s not a problem for players because they can be acclimatised and in hotels.

Platini, revealing  that he voted for Qatar, added:

I think it’s nice to go to another part of the world, with people who have never hosted the World Cup.I think it was a good decision but now we have to adapt to when and where the best moment is to play this World Cup in Qatar.

What Platini really meant:

“Why play Weather God when we can adapt our schedules to it? It’s surely more practical.”

What Platini definitely didn’t:

“I’m dreaming of a Snowy White World Cup.”

Novak Djokovic: What he said, really meant and definitely did not

Novak Djokovic Believes He Belongs Among The Game’s Elite

What he said (via ATPWorldTour.com):

“I think luck falls on not just the brave but also the ones who believe they belong there.”

World No. 1, Novak Djokovic, answers the question,”What’s been the difference?”

The Serb’s interview with Patrick McEnroe  features in the debut edition of ESPN, The Magazine.

What he really meant:

“Luck is more belief than anything else.”

What he definitely didn’t:

“It’s all about my gluten-free diet.”