Posts Tagged ‘VVS Laxman’
Mohammad Azharuddin son hopes to make it big at dad’s happy hunting ground
Posted on: January 5, 2009
His father Mohammad Azharuddin began his career at Eden Gardens and now an 18-year-old Mohammad Ashaduddin, called for the Kolkata Knight Riders selection trials, hopes the venue will do the magic for him as well in his quest to make it big in cricket.
A product of St John’s Academy — a club where VVS Laxman learned his basics — Ashaduddin is yet to make it big anywhere, but he is hpoing that the KKR call-up will help him establish in the big league.
The left-handed opener said: “I have heard a lot about Eden Gardens from my father… It was one of his favourite grounds, having made his debut (against England in 1984-85). “It’s a great opportunity for me to prove myself if I get a chance. It can well be the turning point if I can cash in on the opportunity. I am very excited abou the call-up.”
One of the most successful India captains, Azhar, boasts of a 107.5 average, 860 runs from seven Tests at the Eden. In ODIs, the former middle-order batsman has 332 runs at an average of 47.42 from nine matches. Unlike his father, Ashaduddin, popularly known as Abbas, loves to play attacking shots which he says come in handy in the Twenty20 format.
“I have learnt cricket watching my father…so he is my first coach. But I have my style of play and I don’t want to play like my father. My father had a God’s gifted talent. I will never get there. I just like to be myself and perform well being a cricketer.”
“I think my style of play will suit the Twenty20 format. I have an attacking approach… I like to pull and Ganguly’s stepped-out shot was my favourite,” Ashauddin, who plays for East Marredpally CC in the Hyderabad’s A division league (two-day format) and has four fifties in six innings this year, added.
Ashauddin, who is also a part-time off-spinner, agreed there are a lot of expecations that a star-son has to face but is confident of shrugging off pressure. “There is pressure when you are born to a legendary father. But on the field I will be just a cricketer and try to play as the situation demands.”
Asked to compare his father and Sourav Ganguly — two of India’s most successful captains — the youngster chose to laugh it away: “It’s tough to answer… Ganguly was also a great leader and it was a dream come true for me meeting the former India captain.”
He added that Australian hard-hitting opener Matthew Hayden is his all time favourite, while he also admires Yuvraj Singh among the Indians. Incidentally the KKR probables also includes another cricketer son Shatrunjay Gaekwad, son of former India coach Aunshuman Gaekwad. Left-handed batsman Shatrunjay has played for Baroda.
Ashauddin is part of a pool of 44 cricketers selected from all over the country to go in for a three-day selection trial to be conducted by coach John Buchanan and Ganguly for Kolkata Knight Riders. The camp will begin tomorrow.
Opener Gautam Gambhir’s stupendous year with the willow today (December 24) helped him jump 10 spots to 10th in the ICC Test Rankings, making him the highest-ranked Indian batsman in the list.
The diminutive Delhi batsman has scored more than 1000 runs this calendar year, including three hundreds in his last five Tests.
Gambhir, who made 179 and 97 in the second and final Test against England at Mohali, amassed 361 runs in the two-match series against England at an average of 90.25.
The 27-year-old was in 37th place in October but had rocketed 27 places since then after scoring 824 runs in five Tests at an average of 82.4.
However, it is down-slide for his more famous team-mates. Virender Sehwag (13th) and Sachin Tendulkar (18th), who scripted a memorable win in the first Test against England in Chennai, as also VVS Laxman (18th), have slipped outside the top 10.
Rahul Dravid, who ended his extended lean patch with a century at Mohali, climbed two places to 28th. The same is for another star performer in Chennai, Yuvraj Singh who jumped 10 places to 46th.
Among bowlers, India’s player of the series against England, Zaheer Khan, has gained two places to 12th position while his team-mate Harbhajan Singh has gone also up two places to eighth.
Meanwhile, Shivnarine Chanderpaul of the West Indies has strengthened his hold on the top of the batting chart by becoming only the 25th batsman in the history of Test cricket and the sixth West Indian to reach the magic 900-point mark.
The 34-year-old Chanderpaul, who won the ICC Cricketer of the Year 2008 award at the ICC Awards in Dubai, reached the milestone while making 126 not out in the first innings against New Zealand in the Napier Test which ended in a draw.
There was no good news for Australia whose captain Australia captain Ricky Ponting has dropped three places to ninth — his lowest ranking since October 2002.
Mike Hussey has slipped two places to sixth, Michael Clarke has dropped one place to 12th and Matthew Hayden has slipped three places to 16th.
England captain Kevin Pietersen has returned to the top five for the first time in 14 months and now sits in fifth place after jumping three places due to a magnificent innings of 144 at Mohali against India.
Another new addition to the top 20 is South Africa’s AB de Villiers whose 63 and 106 not out was the cornerstone of South Africa’s six-wicket victory over Australia in a record final-innings run-chase of 414.
This performance has lifted him seven places to 17th in the rankings.The bowlers’ list is still headed by Sri Lanka’s iconic spinner Muttiah Muralitharan.
Australia’s Mitchell Johnson has broken into the top five for the first time after his man-of-the-match performance in the Perth Test where he had match figures of 11/159.
South Africa’s Makhaya Ntini recorded figures of 4/72 and 1/76 which have helped him rise to third place and is now just behind second-placed team-mate Dale Steyn who had figures of 4/162.
There is no change in the top five in the Reliance Mobile ICC Player Rankings for Test all-rounders as South Africas Jacques Kallis enjoys a commanding lead over New Zealand captain Daniel Vettori.
Gautam Gambhir and Yuvraj Singh kept India in control of the second Test
Posted on: December 22, 2008
Following a fog-delayed start, England resumed on 282-6 in reply to India’s 453 but they were bowled out for 302 as Harbhajan Singh finished with 4-68.
The tourists fought back to reduce India to 44-3 and then 80-4.
But Gambhir (44no) and the explosive Yuvraj (39no) guided the hosts to 134-4 at the close, a lead of 285.
With his side having offered such a poor display with the bat, England captain Kevin Pietersen will have been delighted by the way they performed in the field.
But the arrival of Yuvraj, their nemesis in the abandoned one-day-series, allowed India to reassert their authority going into day five.
A draw remains the most likely result and that would be enough to seal the series for India, who are 1-0 in the two-Test series after their victory in Chennai.
For the second successive day, thick fog meant the start of play was delayed considerably and it was not until 0530 GMT, two hours late, that the players and umpires came to the middle.
That gave England, who lost the crucial wickets of Pietersen and Andrew Flintoff late on day four, plenty of time to focus on the task ahead.
It was vital that nightwatchman James Anderson and Matt Prior batted cautiously to see England through the opening exchanges and, if possible, guide them towards India’s first-innings 453.
But such hopes were banished when Prior clipped the first ball of the third over, from Harbhajan, into the hands of wicketkeeper Mahendra Dhoni when attempting to work it through the leg side.
India sensed England were there for the taking and they made further inroads when Broad shouldered arms to a straight delivery in Harbhajan’s next over and it went on to knock back the left-hander’s off stump.
Zaheer Khan then bowled Graeme Swann with a sumptuous in-swinger before Harbhajan had Monty Panesar caught at short leg by Gambhir.
Openers Gambhir and Virender Sehwag were forced to navigate two potentially tricky overs before lunch but they did so comfortably, Gambhir flicking Anderson for two fours as India reached the interval on 9-0.
But England seemed to come out for the afternoon session with a spring in their step and although India kept the scoreboard ticking over, the tourists were rewarded with the wicket of Sehwag.
The 30-year-old attempted to take a quick single off Broad with a drive that the bowler deflected to Ian Bell, who came in from short extra cover to drive at the stumps and complete the run out.
A period of slow scoring ensued as Rahul Dravid, still lacking fluency despite his first-innings 136, looked nervous in the face some aggressive but disciplined seam bowling.
England did all they could to keep Dravid on strike and the tactic paid off handsomely when he fell for a duck off 19 balls – Broad getting one to nip back off the seam, keep low and clatter the former captain’s middle stump.
Captain Pietersen tried to maintain the pressure by deploying an attacking field to Sachin Tendulkar, which looked as though it might backfire when the world’s highest run-scorer beautifully drove Broad wide of mid-off to the rope.
But that failed to dishearten a vibrant England and they soon had their man when Tendulkar (five off 22 balls) steered Anderson to Swann at gully.
It capped a tremendous session for the tourists, who took three wickets for 47 runs in 23 overs, but at tea India had ground their way to 56-3, a lead of 207.
VVS Laxman, fresh from his first-innings duck, was struggling to find any sort of rhythm but dug in as he and Gambhir steadied the innings.
Laxman laced Panesar to the cover boundary for the first four in 12.2 overs but soon succumbed as a mix up between the batsmen saw Flintoff and wicketkeeper Prior combine to run the right-hander out.
Unfortunately for England that brought Yuvraj to the crease and he signalled his intent with two fours off Panesar in the first over he faced.
Pietersen’s decision to stick with spinners Panesar and Swann allowed Yuvraj to open up but, at the other end, Yuvraj was fortunate to survive when Alastair Cook at silly point could not take a difficult chance low to his left.
Yuvraj responded by clubbing Panesar for a six over deep mid-wicket and four through the covers in the following over as India ended on a high.
Graeme Swann
Posted on: December 12, 2008
Graeme Swann took two wickets in his first over in Test cricket as India struggled to 155 for six wickets in reply to England’s 316 by the close of the second day’s play in Chennai.
The off-spinner claimed Gautam Gambhir and Rahul Dravid to leg before wicket decisions to open up the home side’s top order in the opening Test of the two-match series.
Paceman Jimmy Anderson had made the initial breakthrough to remove Virender Sehwag and Swann’s dramatic intervention left the home side wobbling on 37 for three wickets at tea.
A 61-run partnership between Sachin Tendulkar (37) and VVS Laxman threatened to wrest the initiative away from England, but both fell in quick succession.
Laxman, who had batted elegantly, drove Monte Panesar back for a caught and bowled before Tendulkar also gave Andrew Flintoff a return catch.
When Steve Harmison removed Yuvraj Singh cheaply — caught sharply at second slip by Flintoff — England’s excellent day was complete.
At stumps, home skipper Mahendra Singh Dhoni was on 24 and Harbhajan Singh was on 13 with India still trailing by 161 runs.
Swann’s feat has only been matched by one other player in Test history, fellow Englishman Richard Johnson on his debut against Zimbabwe.
Earlier, wicketkeeper Matt Prior made an undefeated half century as England battled past 300 having started the day 229 for five wickets.
Flintoff went for 18 in the third over of the day, but Prior found solid support from nightwatchman Anderson, who made 19 in just under two hours at the crease.
Swann, Harmison and Panesar were all dismissed cheaply with Harbhajan Singh and Amit Mishra leading the Indian bowling with three wickets apiece, while paceman Zaheer Khan took two for 41 on a pitch offering help to both seam and spin.
The match has been played against the backdrop of heavy security after the Mumbai attacks which left the series in doubt.
England cut short their one-day international series in India, trailing 5-0 with two matches remaining, but returned with a full squad to play Tests in Chennai and Mohali.
On Tuesday, England’s players said they would donate half of their match fees for the series — around $52,000 — to help those affected by the attacks.
The events in Mumbai have placed India’s tour of Pakistan next month under considerable doubt with sports minister M.S. Gill saying on Friday that it was unlikely permission will be granted for it to proceed.
The attacks, which killed 171 people, have been blamed on militants linked to an Islamic group in Pakistan.
India are scheduled to play three Tests, five one-day internationals and a Twenty20 match during the five-week tour from January 6 to February 19.
It is very special because beating Australia so convincingly is very very satisfying and that too in my 100th Test match. I am really pleased that I have contributed in this Test series consistently and played some knocks which have been helpful to the team to come out of some tough situations. I am really proud about what the entire team has done.
I think personally, I would not think much about this. It definately did hurt to listen to such comments from people and do not regard your contribution towards Indian cricket. We are not telling us that they should respect us too much but they should be regarding our contibution. It was disappointing but I think everyone of us took it in a positive note and the team came very close and it was a magnificient dressing room atmosphere. Everyone enjoyed each others company and success. We helped each other during tough times, which is why we have been able to do well as a team.
I think he is a very balanced guy and that is very critical when you are leading a team especially when you have to handle some tough situations. He has done tremendously well and proved himself in T20, ODI’a and now the three Test matches he has captained, I think he has done very well.
Yuvraj Singh
Posted on: December 11, 2008
Cricket would score over terrorism and more than the outcome, both the teams would hope to apply balm on the wounds of India’s terror-stricken populace when they host England for the first cricket Test in Chennai today (Dec 11).
Since the November 26 Mumbai mayhem, it took umpteen hectic parleys and individual behind-the-door persuasion by both the Indian and English Boards to convince that India is safe enough to continue the tour they had abruptly abandoned after the Mumbai massacre.
To their credit, Pietersen and his teammates, including the reluctant trio of Andrew Flintoff, Steve Harmison and Graeme Swann, put behind their personal apprehension and decided to board the India-bound flight after security adviser Reg Dickason had given the green signal for the series.
But now that the terror scare has been overcome, weather god poses the most serious threat to the Test with the possibility of rain hovering over the eagerly awaited Test.
Despite England returning with a full-strength team, the match on paper looks heavily tilted in favour of the Indians, who bulldozed the visitors 5-0 in the ODI series.
However all eyes will be on none other than the left-hander Yuvraj Singh, who makes a comeback into the Indian Test squad after the retirement of veteran Sourav Ganguly.
It’s time now for the Yuvraj to step in and show the world that he belongs at the International Test scenario. But filling the void created by Ganguly’s retirement won’t be an easy job.
Riding high on his rolicking form the young left-handed dasher powered his way into the Test team. Yuvraj will be hoping to translate this form into the longest format of the game. Yuvraj, who had played his last Test against South Africa at Kanpur in April, has been in sizzling form with two centuries in the recent ODI series against England before it was called off following the terror attacks in Mumbai.
So far Yuvraj has failed to establish himself as a Test cricketer having played just 23 test matches since bursting on the scene nearly eight years ago.
Skipper MS Dhoni is hoping to use the southpaw’s all round skills to good effect in the Tests. But pressure will be on Yuvraj to perform and book his berth in the Indian Test team.
Tamil Nadu batsmen S Badrinath and Murali Vijay, paceman Munaf Patel and left-arm spinner Pragyan Ojha, who are part of the 15-member squad, have been left out for the first Test beginning at the MA Chidambaram stadium today.
Yuvraj’s inclusion means that the home team will go into the game with seven batsmen and four specialist bowlers. While the in-form Zaheer Khan and Ishant Sharma will spearhead the pace attack, Harbhajan Singh and leg spinner Amit Mishra, who has come into the team after the retirement of former captain and ace spinner Anil Kumble, will shoulder the spin bowling responsibility.
Sri Lanka Vs India in Galle
Posted on: August 3, 2008
Sri Lanka has grabbed three big wickets in the closing session to throw the second Test against India wide open on the third day in Galle.
India was strongly placed at 1 for 144 before slipping to 4 for 200 in its second innings at stumps, with Muttiah Muralidaran, Ajantha Mendis and Chaminda Vaas sharing wickets.
The tourists are now only 237 ahead with six wickets in hand.
Sourav Ganguly and VVS Laxman had yet to open their accounts when bad light stopped play.
India appeared to have seized the initiative after attacking knocks from Gautam Gambhir (74), Virender Sehwag (50), Rahul Dravid (44) and Sachin Tendulkar (31), before losing their way.
“We are in a better position at the moment and need to look at one good partnership tomorrow and try to win the Test,” Gambhir said.
“I think anything above 350 will be a difficult target to chase. It is not an easy wicket to bat on and it is deteriorating.
“Harbhajan (Singh) and Anil (Kumble) will not be easy to play.”
Sri Lanka was bowled out for 292 in its first innings on the stroke of lunch in reply to India’s 329, with skipper Mahela Jayawardene top-scoring with a stylish 86.
Off spinner Harbhajan played a big role in India gaining the lead as he grabbed 6 for 102 for his 22nd haul of five or more wickets in a Test innings.
He was brilliantly supported by leg-spinner Kumble (3 for 81).
Sri Lanka leads 1-0 in the three-match series following its win by an innings and 239 runs in the opening Test in Colombo.
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