yuvraj singh

McCullum keeps India at bay with classy double: Second Test drawn

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The second Test match at Hyderabad ended as a damp squib as well.

There were many who considered the tourists easy meat coming into the Test series. The New Zealand batsmen obviously had other thoughts.

Except for the first innings here when they collapsed after a healthy start, they have made the Indian bowlers labour hard for their wickets. They have not let the home side buy their wickets cheap.

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Indian cricket: BCCI announces revised graded payment structure , list of contracted players

Suresh Raina has made strides in more ways than one. Besides making it to the Test eleven at the expense of Yuvraj Singh, his success at the highest level has resulted in the demotion of Yuvraj Singh from a Grade A contract to a Grade B one.

The BCCI has sprung a few other surprises in its revised structure of payments to Indian cricketers.

The types of graded contracts has been fixed at A,B and C. Grade D has been scrapped.The number of players contracted to the BCCI has also been reduced from 41 to 24.

The retainers for each contract type have been upwardly revised.

A Grade A player receives a crore (Rs. 100 lacs) up from Rs. 60 lacs;Grades B and C cricketers receive Rs. 50 lacs (up from Rs. 40 lacs) and Rs. 25 lacs respectively.

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Indian cricket: Asia Cup Team Selection

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The Indian cricket team for the Asia Cup in Dambulla from June 15 to June 28 has been announced.

There are no real surprises in the team selection bar the much expected(?) dropping of Yuvraj Singh and the resting of Sachin Tendulkar at his own request.

Yusuf Pathan has been dropped purportedly because of his inability to play short-pitched bowling. I guess the ones without a godfather are the first ones to feel the selector’s ire.

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