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Praveen Kumar has been one of the few successful Indian pace bowlers in IPL 3
When 39 year old Anil Kumble is the best bowler in a T20 competition then you have serious issues. This is exactly the story of IPL III this year where Anil Kumble and Muthaih Muralitharan have been the best bowlers by a mile in terms of economy and wickets tally respectively. Even though the overseas pacers have done reasonably well, the Indian pace bowling continues to suffer in the ongoing IPL.
Ishant has been ordinary and the less said about Irfan Pathan’s bowling exploits the better. RP Singh looks jaded and the other young bowlers like Tyagi and Sangwan lack consistency and pace to survive at the international level. So why is India struggling to unearth one good pace bowler to compliment Zaheer in the Indian team? Praveen Kumar has been bowling very well for Bangalore Royal Challengers and Zaheer has been in decent form for Mumbai Indians but that about does it for Indian pacers till date.
Chaminda Vaas who hasn’t played for Sri Lanka for a while has easily out bowled every Indian bowler in this tournament. That says something about the plight of Indian pace bowling in the past few months. So it seems like the selectors are in for a headache when they sit together to pick a team which will best represent India in the upcoming T20 WC in West Indies. Zaheer and Praveen probably will be automatic selections considering current form but who will claim the third seamer spot is anybody’s guess at the moment.
Sreesanth has been poor, Nehra injured and Irfan Pathan not in the 30 probable’s picked for the T20 WC. The selectors might look to play 2 spinner, 2 pacer attack to counter this situation with Mishra or Chawla joining Harbajan in the bowling line up or they could give a chance to a untested youngster such as the promising Mithun or Umesh Yadav who has bowled with pace and heart for Delhi Dare devils. I guess some investigation should be done as to why our bowlers regress after a strong start in their careers to avoid such situations in the future. Is it the money? Is it the fame? Is too much cricket affecting them? Someone has to find an answer to that question.
The team selection will be an interesting one, whatever the combination the selectors come up with. I am not hoping for any drastic changes or any major surprises in the squad so we have to be prepared for Nehra, Ishant to be back in the squad. We will see Indian bowlers leaking lots of runs yet again the onus clearly will be on the batsmen to perform. Bowling continues to be a problem and looking at the IPL performances there seems no light at the end of the tunnel.
Hispania Racing team who had a disappointing beginning to the season when both their racers were unable to finish in Bahrain said that they are aiming for finishes in Australia. Karun Chandhok hit a bump and crashed out and Senna could only complete 17 laps as an engine failure forced him to retire.
Speaking to the media the team principal Colin Kolles said “We have worked extremely hard since the Bahrain season opener, We have worked long hours and successfully with Bridgestone, Cosworth and Xtrac learned from our first laps with the car and found a good basis from which to start preparation for our second Grand Prix in Australia in a few days. “
“We have successfully repaired the damage sustained by Karun Chandhok’s car and focused on building our car’s reliability. Our goal is to improve steadily and the next step is to work towards our first race finish. I am confident we will achieve this goal very soon and having seen how we came together as a team in Bahrain I can see just how much potential and commitment we have”, he added.
Karun Chandhok who had a disappointing start to his F1 campaign seemed optimistic with his chances in Australia.
“I am really looking forward to my second F1 race this weekend,” he said. “I have never driven in Melbourne, but I am a very quick learner. I was able to work on a team’s simulator before the Grand Prix so that will help my familiarisation a little bit! Our next step with the team’s engineers is to make the car reliable for the race. The secret of good racing preparation is to complete as many laps as possible on Friday to see where we are with the car. Finishing the race would be a fantastic achievement we will strive for.”
Bruno Senna who was forced to retire due to an engine failure after 17 laps hoped that HRT will have a better finish this weekend in Australia. Bruno Senna who has already won on this track albeit in Formula 3 seemed really confident ahead of the second race of the season.
“We need to continue building on what we achieved in Bahrain,” said the Brazilian. “We put two cars together and ran successfully in Bahrain. Now we must continue to work as a team. I came early to Australia to acclimatise to the time difference. I love Australia more and more, as I spend more time here! I have already driven on the Melbourne track, back in 2006.”
“I did the F3 support race for F1 back then and had a fairly successful weekend. I won! Now, I must work with the team to continue learning about the car. I have enjoyed working long hours with the team so far and I will be giving my all as I really want to progress and guarantee them good results.”
Source: Formula1.com
Ecclestone says no to any changes in the Refueling regulations
The refueling regulations implemented for the 2010 F1 season received quite flak from the media and the teams alike after the first race of the season. The reason for the outburst was due to the fact that there were no refueling stops which enabled the teams to strategize in the past and it made interesting viewing as it also paved way for teams to overtake.
Putting paid to any hopes of reinstating refueling Bernie Ecclestone said that there will be no rule changes for this season and the teams have to live with the same. He said that the rule change now is impractical owing to the designs of the 2010 cars.
Speaking to the media Bernie Ecclestone said,
“We cannot change the rules. It would take far too long and it’s too difficult. F1 is now a democracy. And all the teams voted for these rules, so now they must also deal with them.”
Even though every team has criticized the refueling regulations Ecclestone found a supporter in Vijay Mallya, the owner of F1 team Force India when he said that the teams have to give the new rule a chance.
Speaking to the media Mallya was quoted saying,
“We need to give the regulations a chance to prove themselves and for people to learn how to use them,” he said. “To change everything after just one race is a knee-jerk reaction, let’s see how it goes in Australia and Malaysia and make an informed decision about whether we do need to react to improve the Formula One show. If we do then at least we have more information to make a proper call.”
It seems like most of the drivers and team bosses are not happy with the current regulation but Ecclestone has clearly said that the rule is written in stone and cannot be changed this season. So the teams will do well to come out with a strategy to deal with the same instead of complaining. Hopefully the teams will be better prepared in Australia than they were in Bahrain and I guess the qualifying might become more important this season.
- In: Boxing | Cricket and Sports | General | Sports
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World number 1 Vijender Singh claimed gold in the commonwealth boxing championship
The Indian boxers created history when the won 6 gold medals to claim the overall title in the Commonwealth Boxing Championship in New Delhi. Vijender Singh, who recently became world number 1 according to the AIBA (International Boxing Association) rankings in the middle weight category beat England’s Frank Buglioni 12-3 to claim the Gold medal.
Along with Vijender, Amandeep Singh (49KG),Asian champion Suranjoy Singh (52kg), World Cup bronze medallist Dinesh Kumar (81kg), Asian bronze medallist Paramjeet Samota(91+ kg) and Jai Bhagwan (60 kg) also won Gold medals in their respective categories. This is indeed a proud moment for the boxers and their families. It has to be noted that only recently the Indian boxing team received sponsership and Vijender signed a multi-million dollar deal with Percept Sports Management company.
This indeed is great for the sport in India and the success acheived by the boxing team will for sure generate more interest in the country. Congrats again to the boxing team for creating history and also to Vijender on becoming the number 1 ranked boxer in the world in the 75 KG category.
Alonso celebrates after his victory in the Bahrain Grand Prix
Fernando Alonso and Felipe Massa make it Ferrari one-two
Fernando Alonso and Felipe Massa made it a dream beginning for Ferrari when they took the top two positions on the podium on Sunday in Bahrain. Alonso, a former champion with Renault, had a fantastic start to this season with a win. Michael Schumacher, making a comeback to competitive racing after a four year layoff and racing for team Mercedes, finished 6th.
It was not all smooth sailing for the Ferrari team though, as Sebastian Vettel racing for Red Bull was in control of the race before an engine failure forced him to retire. Alonso took advantage of Vettel’s misfortune to claim the first position and Lewis Hamilton (McLaren) also benefited, as he finished on the podium in third behind Massa.
The Indian contingent got off to a disastrous start when Karun Chandhok, representing Hispania Racing Team (HRT), hit a bump on the track and was forced to retire after a crash. Karun later apologized to his team about the mistake and said that a lack of time time on the track was the reason for the crash. Tonio Liuzzi, representing Force India, finished in the points when he finished in the top ten, giving the Indian fans something to cheer about.
This race belonged to Ferrari and Alonso as, but the new regulations have sparked a few controversies and the F1 bosses had plenty to say about it.
Refueling Regulations slammed by the media and teams alike
The new regulations for this year’s championship received quite a bit of flack from the media. According to the new regulations, starting this season there will be no refueling stops, which according to most of the drivers will make catching up almost impossible. This was done to get the on -the -track overtaking back to F1, but did not go well with the teams and drivers.
The press called it a “Bore-rain Grand Prix,”as they felt the change in regulation reduced the race to something of a procession. The McLaren principal Martin Whitmarsh said that Formula 1 needs to consider immediate rule changes to spice things up on the track. The drivers joined the bandwagon too, as Mark Webber and Alonso slammed the changes, and Michael Schumacher said that it would be almost impossible to overtake due to this change and can only happen if the driver in front of you makes a mistake.
Only time will tell for both Ferrari and the regulations, but change is certainly going on this season, whether everyone likes it or not.
Hispania Racing Team's car this season
The first race of the Formula one season begins this weekend and it will also mark the debut of the Indian racer Karun Chandhok. Karun was signed up by Hispania Racing Team (HRT) as their second driver for this season and he became the second Indian to race in Formula one. This year is also special for the return of former F1 champion Michael Schumacher at the age of 42 to competitive racing after his retirement in 2006.
I am really excited for Karun as this will be big occasion for him and he will know that there will be lots of F1 fans like me who will be cheering for him this weekend. I hope that Karun does put up a decent show in his first year and it will be amazing if he can finish up with few points next to his name. He wasn’t on the track today during the free practice sessions for HRT but I am sure that he will be there on the track tomorrow during the practice session before the actual qualifying.
I wish him all success this season and I hope he does himself and his country proud.
Yousuf and Younis Banned for Life
Posted on: March 10, 2010
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Younis and Yousuf recieve life ban
Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB) shocked everyone with their decision to ban the two most senior players for Pakistan in Mohammad Yousuf and Younis Khan today. It was known that after the inquiry commission reports the PCB might impose a ban on Rana Naved and Shoaib Malik for a period of one year, but this one was totally unexpected.
The reason given by the PCB for the ban of the two was that they caused infighting, which in turn damaged the team unity. Afridi and the Akmal brothers (Umar and Kamran) were slapped a fine of $24000-$35000 and have been kept on 6 month probation to mend their ways.
The life ban on Yousuf and Younis means that they will not be considered for any future games for Pakistan from here on in any format, but the PCB have allowed them to participate in their domestic tournaments, county cricket and in any such foreign leagues. Shoaib Malik and Rana Naved have been banned for a year from representing Pakistan in any form of international cricket starting now. It was not very clear as to what was the reason for the bans on Rana and Malik.
This now puts the selectors in a predicament as they have punished almost all of the senior members of the squad, and choosing a captain for the upcoming T20 World Cup is going to be a challenge. From the available pool of players – since Afridi has been placed on probation – Razzak might take the mantle for the T20 WC. He is the most senior member left in the Pakistan squad, and he is almost certain to represent them in the 20 over format.
The captain for the ODI’s and Tests will leave the selectors pulling their hair out. Whether they will name Afridi as the captain for all three formats is something to wait and watch. The inquiry commission has certainly left the Pakistani cricket in further turmoil, and it will take a lot of planning by the PCB to get the team on track.
Karun Chandhok becomes only the second Indian to secure a formula one drive
Karun Chandhok became only the second Indian racer to secure a drive in Formula one. He joins Narain Karthikeyan who was the first Indian to receive this distinction in 2005 when he was signed up by Jordan. Karun Chandhok will race for Hispania Racing Team (HRT) along with the Brazilian rookie Bruno Senna being his partner.
This was rather special for the man from Chennai as he realized his dream of driving a Formula one car. Speaking to the reporters the HRT team principal Colin Kolles said,
“I’m pleased to announce our official car livery today,” he told reporters in Murcia, Spain.
“We also complete the driver’s team line-up with the Indian Karun Chandhok at the wheel of the car for our first ever season,” Kolles added
“We are proud to have Karun as part of our team line-up ahead of our Grand Prix debut in Bahrain. I am delighted that we can count on such a promising young talent as Karun Chandhok,” Kolles said in a statement.
Karun Chandhok had been participating in the GP2 series over the past few years and has now graduated to Formula one with this signing. Speaking to the media after hearing the news Karun said,
“This is just an unbelievable feeling. I am absolutely thrilled to be able to fulfill a lifelong dream to break into Formula One,” an elated Karun said after he signed a deal to be Hispania Racing Team’s (HRT) second driver this season.
“I have been training really hard over the winter to be as fit as possible. I’ve been doing a lot in the heat in Chennai, cycling or running at 11 am at the peak of the heat,” he said.
“The F1 cars are particularly demanding on the neck because of the higher speeds and g-forces and I have been doing special exercises concentrating on building up my neck muscles. The first couple of races will be hard I’m sure but I’m pushing in the gym as much as I can,” said the youngster.
It’s amazing for a Formula one fan like me to see another Indian make this graduation. India has a Formula one team (Force India) and now we also have a driver in the mix. I hope that Karun can drive for Force India in the future. The thing for me to proud of is that Karun comes from the city in India I grew up in. So I hope that Karun makes this season memorable for Formula 1 fans in India.
Source: Rediff
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Jadeja was the best bowler on view for the Indians in the first ODI against South Africa
Phew! What a game. South Africa almost pulled off a miracle yesterday against India in the first ODI between the two sides in this three match series. When SA was 182/7 requiring more than 7 an over, I thought to myself even our bowlers couldn’t mess this up, but how wrong I was. The Indian bowling as usual melted under pressure in the final overs and allowed No. 10 and 11 to get the visitors to within 1 run of securing a brilliant victory.
To be frank when you have Ravindra Jadeja (5th bowler) as your best bowler on the day then you have serious issues. The Indian selectors seem to be averse to doing any sort of experimentation with the squad at the moment. The bowling selections have been monotonous for the past year or so. It has been Nehra, Zaheer, Praveen, Ishant and Sreesanth doing merry-go-round for the bowling spots. Tyagi received one chance and there has been no other new bowler for the Indians.
Zaheer seems to be the only bowler who is remotely close to being a decent ODI bowler and the rest of them seem ordinary. I would give a few more chances to Praveen Kumar but Sreesanth, Ishant and Nehra need to stay away from the team for some time. The Indian selectors need to be bold with the selections and look ahead to the World Cup. With the current bowling line up India will get hammered in the World Cup which is supposed to take place on these batting paradises in the sub continent.
India needs to give a decent run to Tyagi, Mithun, Irfan and Sangwan etc. to see how they do in this format. I am sure they can’t do worse than the current crop. If not for few lucky decisions going India’s way and a fantastic over by Praveen under pressure India would have lost the match easily.
I hope the selectors are listening and I hope they experiment a little bit with the bowling combinations in the future series.
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Bajji and Ishant need a break from test cricket
With 2 days to go the Indian team is starring down the barrel in first test of a two test series in Nagpur. Sehwag’s positive comments notwithstanding, it would be a miraculous escape if India does manage to save this game. This match is the exact replica of the 2008 series where South inflicted an innings defeat on India in the first test.
The batting yesterday was for sure a disappointment and in spite of the heroics of the debutant Badrinath the Indian team fell 325 runs behind the South African first innings total. Sehwag and Badri held the Indian innings together after a top order collapse which left India 50 odd for 3 wickets. The partnership, which added 136, looked to have pulled the hosts out of the woods but a late order collapse meant that India is fighting for survival at the start of the fourth day.
Dale Steyn was the chief wrecker for the tourists as he picked up 7 wickets in the Indian first innings, one more than what the Indian bowlers managed collectively. It’s amazing to know how the focus always remains on the batting failures as no one seems to be critical of the pathetic Indian bowling performance. The South African bowlers have managed to bag 12 wickets on the pitch where the Indian bowlers toiled just less than 2 days for a grand total of 6.
The Indian bowling is a real cause for concern, there is no support for Zaheer in the pace department and as far as the spin bowling is concerned less said the better. Harbhajan Singh has been really disappointing and has really struggled to step into the shoes of Anil Kumble. Amit Mishra also has failed to fulfill his early promise which leaves India with not many options in the spin department. Pragyan Ojha and Piyush Chawla are the only options left for the selectors.
Ishant is nowhere near international standards and has looked clueless. His performance against Bangladesh has been ordinary and for sure needs an extended stay away from the team. The Indian team somehow needs to unearth some decent bowlers if they have to stay on the top of the rankings. It seems like the team has to look past Harbhajan and Ishant for the test matches. Sreesanth will be available for selection for the second test and I am sure he will be replacing Ishant Sharma. I would have really liked to see Abhimanyu Mithun in the lineup as I am sure he couldn’t have done worse than Ishant. This test match seems all but lost barring a miracle so I guess the think tank would already be thinking about the second test in Kolkata.
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