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Indian side doled out taste of their own medicine

Two Rohit Sharma centuries, two 300 plus scores, yet the Indians couldn’t keep the rampaging Aussies at bay.

One could go with the excuses trotted out by Indian skipper Mahendra Singh Dhoni that his bowlers lacked bite and are incapable of bundling out the opposition. But one could say the same about the Aussies as well.

The Indian batting failed to accelerate in the final 10 overs of their innings.

As for the bowling, it’s time Dhoni reassessed his options and picked bowlers who can  bag wickets given their current form and the conditions.

The Indians are simply tasting their own medicine when they regularly chase down imposing totals in docile home conditions to their opponents’ chagrin.

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

What he said:

“Not everyone gets to be raja [king], some have to be mantri [minister].”

Harbhajan Singh is not too worried on being overlooked for the Indian ODI captaincy.

What he really meant:

“You’ve never heard of Birbal, have you? I think I’m Birbal to Raina.”

What he definitely didn’t:

“Jodhaa Akbar.”

Sachin Tendulkar, the cricketer, versus Sachin Tendulkar, the ‘artiste’

Sachin Tendulkar is an “artiste”. Not a mere cricketer, not a mere entertainer but a performer who uses creativity, imagination and skill arranging elements in such a way to to affect the human senses and emotions and having a certain aesthetic value.

This definition of the batsman comes courtesy that Income Tax Appellate Tribunal which overruled an IT officer’s objections that Tendulkar’s income earned via commercials should not be granted tax-exemption.

The said officer contended that by appearing in commercials Tendulkar does not become an actor.

Recap and implications of ICC’s Cricket Committee recommendations

Cricket Ireland will welcome the recommendations made by the ICC’s cricket committee on Wednesday, the 11th of May, 2011.

Associate teams will be allowed to participate in the 2015 World Cup through a qualifying process. The next World Cup will not default to Test-playing nations. Teams will have to earn the right to be in the elite group of participating nations.

Cricket fans will start to believe again that “yes, the administrators are playing cricket.”

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Why Saurav Ganguly signed up with the Pune Warriors (Satire)

KOLKATTA—

Sourav Ganguly, in an exclusive interview to MakeTimeForSports, revealed the reason why he decided to accept an offer from Pune Warriors for this year’s IPL.

“I had completely given up hope of playing for Kolkatta Knight Riders  or any other franchise in this IPL. That mealy-mouthed SRK is not my favourite actor anymore.” said the former India captain.

“I was looking for the right franchise to turn to. Kochi Tuskers was on my radar. But the final decision was made by my wife,Dona.” disclosed the ODI legend.

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Michael Holding, the ‘doosra’ is here to stay

Fast bowling legend, Michael Holding, set the cat among the pigeons with his comments regarding the legality of the ‘doosra’ during the second ODI between Pakistan and West Indies at St. Lucia.

It is not the first time that old-timers have questioned the legality of the delivery.It will not be the last.

India’s Bishan Singh Bedi is another rabid critic of the off-spinner’s googly.

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Cricket: Aakash Chopra and Shashi Tharoor voice their opinions

Browsing cricketing articles can be a source of joy, especially when the writer knows what he’s talking about.

Aakash Chopra is one among few ex-cricketers who dons his thinking cap before typing words into his posts.

In his recent article “Reinventing The ODI,” the ex-India opener tackles the future of the 50-over format.

Anirudha Srikkanth makes a mark against KKR in IPL4 opener

Once upon a star, a star is born.

Is Anirudha Srikkanth is a star in the making?

In the first game of IPL4, the young dasher gave spectators a glimpse of his talent.

He has a cool head and a great temperament.

Opening for Chennai SuperKings, the right-hand bat composed 64 off 55 balls which included six 4’s  and two 6’s to propel his team to a competitive 153 in their essay.

Victory by his team off the last ball of the final over ensured that he was declared player of the match.

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ICC World Cup 2011: Irish Luck and DRS howlers

MS Dhoni bowled a bouncer at the ICC: Image via Wikipedia

The Irish rode their luck—the other night—to throw a spanner in England’s attempt to progress to the quarter-finals.

Kevin , the other O’Brien—younger brother to Niall who rang the curtain call on Pakistan’s exit in the 2007 World Cup—hit the fastest World Cup century ever off just 50 balls.

He was cool, calm and collected. He was to the manor born.

If there was any doubt that talent exists in the lower echelons of the ICC, Kevin O’Brien and Ryan ten Doeschate blew those vacillations to smithereens.

IPL barons, take note.

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How many times must Rahul Dravid prove his critics wrong?

Image via Wikipedia

He’s called Mr. Dependable, Mr. Reliable, Jammy and simply The Wall.

If Raymond—the famed suitings and shirtings  brand— has the Complete Man, then Team India retains the Complete Team Man.

His name is Rahul Sharad Dravid and he has just compiled his 31st ton for India in the third Test at Jamta against New Zealand.

For a man who has over 10,000 Test runs— only the third Indian ever in the select club—Dravid is amazingly low profile.