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Dalmiya emerges as backup candidate

Written By Unknown on Minggu, 30 November 2014 | 21.24

CHENNAI: The ruling clique within the BCCI is finally reconciling to the fact that their leader, N Srinivasan, might not be able to contest for the president's post, after all.

In fact, it is almost in a state of denial after the Supreme Court observed that all persons named in the Mudgal panel should step aside from the election process and allow a new team to take charge and take a decision.

It has, of course, not yet given its verdict and defence counsel Kapil Sibal will argue BCCI's case on Monday; but if the court sticks to its stand and keeps Srinivasan out due to conflict of interest, Jagmohan Dalmiya is likely to be propped up as the group's presidential candidate.

"The president has to be from East Zone and we have to see who has the credentials to run the show. Dalmiya has the experience and he might be our candidate," a source privy to the scheme of things told TOI.

Other senior East Zone candidates like Ranjib Biswal (Orissa), Goutam Roy (Assam) and Amitabh Chowdhury (Jharkhand) may have to be persuaded by Srinivasan to keep the flock together.

"Board members have show great unity in times of crisis. Everyone wants Srinivasan back but if that doesn't fall into place, we are hoping that the members will stay together and back a candidate with experience and stature," the source added. Dalmiya has been a BCCI president before (between 200104) and Srinivasan holds him in high esteem. Even a month back, the president-in-exile met Dalmiya at his home as the AGM loomed; both leaders are also very close to Arun Jaitley, who is being seen as a kingmaker in BCCI politics now.

If Srinivasan doesn't get a green signal from the Supreme Court and Dalmiya comes into the fray, there's an apprehension that Sharad Pawar or Shashank Manohar might throw their hat into the ring.

The ruling group, however, is confident that it will be able to stop either of them from contesting. The feeling in the camp is that BJP won't support the Pawar group and, moreoever, it might not be easy for the Maratha strongman to garner a proposer and a seconder from East Zone.

But before all this plays out, the defence counsel will try to clear the way for Srinivasan on Monday . The ruling group still feels that once all the papers asked by the Supreme Court are submitted, the court will see Srinivasan's position and allow him to contest the polls.

"The BCCI constitution was amended when India Cements bought the Chennai franchise in 2008. The letter that the then IPL commissioner Lalit Modi sent to India Cements requesting them to bid for a franchise has been submitted to the Mudgal panel. We haven't flouted a single rule. But it's in the Supreme Court's hands now," the official said.

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'Best franchise' CSK braces for doomsday

CHENNAI: When fans went back home on the balmy summer night of May 14, 2013, happy that Chennai Super Kings had won another game (against Delhi Daredevils by 33 runs), little did they know that it could have been the last time that they saw their beloved yellow submarine at Chepauk.

CSK never returned to Chepauk, courtesy the Sri Lanka controversy, and now they are on the verge of being ousted from IPL itself. Till 2013, the low-profile CSK team principal, Gurunath Meiyappan, was virtually a non-entity in the eye of the fans; but in one-and-a-half years, he has emerged as the villain of the piece for Chennaiites.

Despite all the controversies around it, there's no denying that the franchise had been the most consistent team of IPL in its seven seasons so far. They won the title twice, played three more finals, and made the semifinals of every edition. It's this consistency that has attracted more than two dozen sponsors, including well-known names such as Aircel, Gulf Oil, Amazon.in, UST Global, Reebok and 7Up.

The company, which is a subsidiary of India Cements Limited, reported a revenue of Rs 166 crore in 2013-14. Brendon McCullum, the new entrant in CSK ranks, told TOI a few days back how well-run the team is. "The owners of the team know their cricket and that shows in our performance. There's never any undue pressure on us," McCullum, who had played for two other franchises, had said.

It's CSK's excellent work ethic that helped turn around quite a few careers. Suresh Raina, who was out of the Indian team for quite a while, found a fresh lease of life after he joined CSK. "Raina was young, while I was coming back from an injury. The way the CSK management nurtured us, helped in our comebacks, is truly remarkable. It will be a great loss for cricket if CSK are thrown out of IPL," former India paceman L Balaji said. Balaji played the first three seasons for CSK followed by three in KKR and now he is in Kings XI Punjab. "I can tell you that CSK is the best franchise that I have played for," Balaji said.

Skipper MS Dhoni's legendary finishing skills, that helped India win the 2011 World Cup, have been on display for CSK since 2008. By his own admission, it was Dhoni's experience of playing Muttiah Muralitharan at the CSK nets that prompted him to go out at No. 4 and negate the spinner in the World Cup final.

CSK, over the years, went on to become the best T20 unit and the two Champions League triumphs are testimony to that. But it's not just about their success on the field that makes CSK such a popular brand. They organize a multi-sport corporate tournament called CSK Super Cup, which is a big hit in Chennai. "It covers chess, cricket, badminton, table tennis, snooker, etc...In addition to that we also organize a Junior Super Kings inter-school tournament in the districts which helps us find new players for the state," a CSK official said.

But going by Thursday's Supreme Court observations, all that might come to an end and the well-nurtured fan-base of CSK might have to find another team to root for in the days to come.

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Will Dhoni be available for all four Tests?

CHENNAI: The series between India and Australia is going to stay a four-Test affair. BCCI sources indicated that Cricket Australia is in the process of finalizing whether they want to postpone the match by two days or squeeze it in between the second and third Tests.

If the first Test at Gabba ends up being the second Test and is played between December 19-23, there is a possibility of MS Dhoni being available for all the four Tests.

He was ruled out of the first Test with an elbow injury but is likely to be available from the second. The BCCI, though, was not ready to go into any speculation whether Dhoni would be available for all the Test matches.

"Let's see what the CA de cision is and then we will take a call," a source pointed out.

If Dhoni is available for all the four Tests, Virat Kohli's chance to lead India in Test matches will have to wait for a while. He had shown promise as captain in the recently-concluded ODI series against Sri Lanka and the Gabba Test could have been a good opportunity for him to get a feel of leadership in the longer version.

Provided the Gabba Test is now played between December 19-23, another player who might miss out is Wriddhiman Saha.

The wicketkeeper has been a passenger on tour for quite a while -his chances coming far and few in between. Saha looked in good form in the only tour match India have played so far, scoring a half-century.

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Aparajith ton seals semifinals spot

MUMBAI: Riding on glittering knocks from two youngsters with tremendous potential, and an impressive spell by their skipper, South Zone finally ended their jinx against Central, scoring a crushing 116-run win to storm into the semifinals of the Deodhar Trophy at the Wankhede Stadium on Saturday.

After losing to Central Zone six times in a row (five times in the Deodhar Trophy and recently in the Duleep final), South, gained sweet revenge over their nemesis. They will now take on West in the last four clash on Monday.

A brilliant hundred by one of the heroes of India's U-19 World Cup triumph in 2012, Baba Aparajith (113, 105b, 8x4, 2x6), and his magnificent 124-run stand for the fourth wicket in 109 balls with Karun Nair (74, 62b, 9x4), helped South Zone post 296 for nine after being put in. The match began after everyone at the ground observed a two-minute silence in memory of Australian opener Phil Hughes, who tragically died on Thursday after being struck by a bouncer at Sydney during a Sheffield Shield game.

A listless Central succumbed to Vinay Kumar in the beginning of the chase itself, and never recovered from there, with only Arjit Gupta (66, 49b, 5x4, 5x6) showing some spine. While all the five national selectors present at the ground must have been pleased with Aparajith and Nair's batting, Kumar's burst with the ball (6-2-8-3), apart from a smartly effected run out, would have reminded them of his case for the ODI Tri-series that follows the Tests in Australia.

Aparajith and Nair's efforts on Saturday promise much from them in the future. The youngsters joined forces after their team had slipped to 88 for three, and quickly took the game away from the opposition. Showing their prowess against spin, both made mincemeat of Central Zone tweakers Piyush Chawla and Kuldeep Yadav, smashing them for 115 runs in 14 overs. Being the skipper, it must have been embarrassing for Chawla to go for 61 off seven overs, while Yadav, who was included in the India squad not too long ago on account of being a 'surprise weapon,' gave away only seven less in as many overs.

Brief scores: South Zone 2969 (Baba Aparajith 113, Karun Nair 74; Pankaj Singh 545) bt Central Zone 180 in 36.3 overs (Arijit Gupta 66, Mukul Dagar 47; R Vinay Kumar 38)

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Sachin made 'international' debut for Pak!

Written By Unknown on Sabtu, 08 November 2014 | 21.24

Everyone knows that Sachin Tendulkar made his debut for India against Pakistan in 1989, but did you know that he actually got his first taste of international cricket two years earlier, not playing for India but for a Pakistan team - against India! During Pakistan's tour of India in 1987, Sachin was sent in as a substitute fielder for Imran Khan's team during a festival match with India at Mumbai's Brabourne stadium.

Javed Miandad and Abdul Qadir left the field at lunch time and Sachin was asked to field. Imran deployed him at long-on and soon Kapil Dev hit a skier in his direction. Despite running 15 metres, Sachin could not reach the ball.

Recounting the incident in his recently released book, 'Playing it My Way', Sachin remembers complaining to a friend later that he could have taken the catch had he been positioned at mid-on instead of long-on.

"I don't know whether Imran Khan remembers this or has any idea that I once fielded for his Pakistan team," writes Sachin in his book.

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ICC launches contest on WC moment

MUMBAI: With the World Cup is less than 100 days away, the International Cricket Council (ICC) on Thursday launched an interesting campaign to whet the appetite of the cricket lovers.

It has culled out a list of the 100 greatest moments from the previous 10 World Cups, which will be tweeted out from @ICC on a daily basis over the next 100 days. Each of the 100 moments will only be open for voting for a 24 hour period.

The fans will have to look out for the hashtag, and tweet with hashtag to vote for their favourite moment. After 100 days, the ICC will announce the top 10 voted moments, and a final vote will then take place over 24 hours on March 2 to crown the greatest World Cup moment till now.

The first greatest World Cup moment, released on Thursday, was 'Rawalpindi Express' Shoaib Akhtar breaking the 100 mph mark (100.23mph) while bowling to England's Nick Knight during the 2003 World Cup - officially the fastest ball ever.

The second, put out on Friday, was Bermuda's Dwayne Leverock taking a stunning one-handed catch to send back India's Robin Uthappa during the 2007 World Cup in the West Indies.

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Spruced up MCG gears up for 2015 WC

MELBOURNE: The third largest sporting extravaganza on the planet after the Fifa World Cup and Summer Olympics - ICC Cricket World Cup - is less than 100 days away and the organisers are leaving no stone unturned to make it memorable like previous editions. They have roped in legendary World Cup-winning captains Allan Border (1987), Steve Waugh (1999) and Ricky Ponting (2003 & 2007) besides current Australian skipper Michael Clarke to promote the February 14 to March 29 event Down Under.

The 14 venues across Australia and New Zealand have been spruced up and tickets have been modestly priced to encourage people to throng the stadiums. Australia's sporting capital Melbourne, which is scheduled to stage the opening match between England and Australia as well as the final, has not only re-laid the outfield at the MCG, but has also lined up a wide range of activities to attract tourists and fans from around the world.

"Hundred days is the launchpad of any event. It's the launch of television advertising. We will be launching the trophy tour in Australia and New Zealand with Australian batting greats Allan Border, Steve Waugh and Ricky Ponting travelling to different venues. In Australia we will take it on a double decker bus to host cities Adelaide, Brisbane, Canberra, Hobart, Melbourne, Perth and Sydney as well as regional centres like Geraldton, Broken Hill, Port Augusta and Launceston," said John Harnden, the 2015 Cricket World Cup CEO.

"There are 14 teams playing in the World Cup and as part of the organising committee we cannot just focus on Australia. So, we have been trying to help 12 of the other teams mobilise people in their respective countries to come to World Cup. But more importantly here in Australia and New Zealand we have been trying to engage the large Indian community. We staged Diwali celebrations and gave thousands of Indians an opportunity to get themselves photographed with the trophy. We have also had talks with Australia-India business council," Harnden explained.

The reasonable pricing of tickets saw the India-Pakistan match on February 15 at Adelaide sold out within 20 minutes and even the South Africa-India match at the MCG has got better response than the tournament opener.

"We have kept ticket prices as low as AUD20 (INR 1100 approx) for adults and AUD5 (INR 270) for kids for pool matches. And two-thirds of the tickets across the tournament is AUD50 (INR 2650) or less. We want an electric atmosphere just like the India-Pakistan match," Harnden said. With the season-opening Grand Slam - Australian Open (Jan 19 to Feb 1) - and Formula One Grand Prix (March 12 to 15) happening around the 50-over Championship at Melbourne, the Victorian city will have more things to offer sports aficionados than any part of the world.

"You might also be a tennis fan or any other sport fan and so tournaments in the buildup or during the World Cup will only help. They can go for the Australian Open tennis and say now what's next - World Cup - and then the Melbourne GP.

"Tourism Victoria will be conducting food and wine festival (February 27 to March 15) around the event and it will only add to the experience. MCC have relaid the outfield at the MCG. It's now like a billiards table (laughs)," Harnden said.

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I wanted to play till 2014: Tendulkar

...But the West Indies series made Sachin Tendulkar rethink his retirement plans, as Nalin Mehta found out in this exclusive interview.

When did you first entertain thoughts of retirement?

I was looking forward to the tours to South Africa in Dec 2013 and New Zealand in early 2014. But when the BCCI announced a two-Test series with the West Indies in Nov 2013, I had to rethink my plans. It was then - and I don't know exactly how and when - that the thought of retirement came to me. I started to wonder whether those two Tests against the West Indies should be my last. I remember discussing it with (wife) Anjali and (brother) Ajit. We were sitting on the first floor lounge of my house when I told them that I was thinking about retiring after the West Indies series. The second Test would be my 200th and I would not have another opportunity to retire on home soil till the end of 2014, and I wasn't sure if I could battle with injuries for that long. There was no point in dragging things out if my heart wasn't in it.

You talk in the book about the immense pressures of being Tendulkar. How did you deal with it?

I have always liked the fact that people expected something from me, because it meant I was capable of delivering something. When I played cricket it was also about living up to my own expectations and play the way I wanted to play the game - with the right values, in the right spirit and without taking things for granted. I never changed my priorities. Everything happened around cricket and cricket was always the centre. The rest of the things continued happening around my game and my family kept it that way .

My manager, Mark Mascarenhas from WorldTel, understood me well. Being a huge fan of cricket, he did not want me to make compromises. If we were shooting an ad, he never said, "C'mon, let's skip a practice session because they are giving us money ." The understanding was clear that during my cricket period nothing comes between me and my game. My family was extremely particular about this. This was a protective shell around me and it allowed me to forget about the outside world. Outside pressures were kept outside my territory and my territory was cricket.


Sachin Tendulkar, Ramakant Achrekar with Sara Tendulkar. (TOI Photo)

How did you keep this bubble going?

In the 1996 World Cup, I was the only batsman in the team who didn't have a sticker on his bat. Most others had 'Four Square' or 'Wills' but I didn't want to endorse a tobacco brand. Then in the middle of a game, the manager of an MNC came to me and suggested that if I put his company's sticker they would pay any amount I wanted. I turned it down because I didn't want any distractions in the middle of the tournament. I did not want any alien element on my bat which could catch my eye on the pitch. I had done well without a sticker till then and didn't want to risk my rhythm. We decided to wait till the tournament ended to fix the sticker.

You had your shell to protect you. But what happens when the fame and pressures start affecting your wife and children?

Arjun is 15 years old now and has faced this for a long time. So has Sara. In 2007, we had told Arjun, who was seven years old then, that if someone makes bad comments at school about our first-round exit from the World Cup, he should ignore it. But when a friend told him that India lost because his dad got out for zero, our advice went to his head. He punched his friend and told him never to say anything about his dad! At that time, reporters also asked him questions. It's unfair on Arjun and he should be treated like any other 15-year-old now that he is playing his own cricket. People should judge him as an individual and not compare.

You write about how you changed your game for that wonderful Perth century in 1992...

Before that Perth hundred we had already spent two months in Australia, played four Tests and a triangular series. I count that innings as among my best because I made certain adjustments. I was making my debut at No. 4 and by that stage had mastered the backfoot punch. People talk about Perth being helpful for fast bowlers but I feel that once you get your eye in, Perth can also make a fast bowler's life difficult. If a batsman knows how to use the length, then the bowler has a very small area as far as the good length spot is concerned. Because of bounce, if he falters on the shorter side you can cut or pull and if he is marginally fuller, then naturally you have to read the length and hit him on the rise. Perth is the kind of wicket where if you are in a positive frame of mind, it's a beautiful track to bat on. If you are not very positive then it's tough.

The most challenging bowler you ever faced?

There have been so many top players I have played since 1989. I can say there were at least 30 great bowlers that I have played against and it's difficult to pinpoint one guy as the best.

How can you differentiate between a Glenn McGrath or a Curtley Ambrose or a Shaun Pollock? They were all accurate and consistently bowled in that corridor, with a nagging length, where you couldn't attack them on the front foot. Neither could you pull or cut on the back foot. They had mastered that length. For that matter, how do you differentiate between Malcolm Marshall and Richard Hadlee or Imran Khan? All these are great bowlers so I just consider myself fortunate that I was able to play against the top all-rounders and bowlers of the '70s and '80s: Malcolm Marshall, Ian Botham, Richard Hadlee and Imran Khan. In the next generation you had Waqar Younis, Wasim Akram, Allan Donald, Courtney Walsh and others.

But who made you the most uncomfortable?

The one bowler I didn't feel comfortable batting against was Hansie Cronje.

Why him?

I don't know. There was something. Early on, when someone like Allan Donald is bowling with strike bowlers such as Brett Shultz, Craig Matthews and Brian McMillan, you had to stay focused and respect how they were bowling. Then when you get someone who is just going to bowl 2-3 overs to give the strike bowlers a rest, then you want to put pressure on him. Later, I tried to play him differently. I tried to block, to leave, to slog and to play my normal game but somehow kept getting out to him.

The one thing that didn't work very well was your captaincy. You say you didn't get a free hand...

Captaincy left me bruised. I always wanted the best team but many times the selectors wanted to promote zonal quotas. In South Africa in 1996, I wanted Abey Kuruvilla to play with Venkatesh Prasad and Srinath but I didn't get him. He did very well later in West Indies and not taking him to SA was a mistake.

Who is the best captain you have played against?

Nasser Hussain was the best. He was very proactive, even though he used Ashley Giles against me negatively. He had the ability to think out batsmen and would do very good field placements. I also have a lot of regard for Graeme Smith.

And among the Australians?

Michael Clarke was the best. In 1992, I was about to pick up a ball to toss back to the bowler when Allan Border told me, "Don't you dare touch the ball." It was an early lesson in how competitive Australians are. But I was too young to judge him as a captain. Mark Taylor, Steve Waugh and Ricky Ponting had great teams. Clarke had to rebuild his team from scratch.


Fab Four of Indian cricket - Dravid, Ganguly, Laxman and Tendulkar. (TOI Photo)

Some Australians accused you of unfairly backing Harbhajan in the 'Monkeygate' incident...

That incident happened because Symonds was continuously provoking Bhajji. Something had to give and when I walked to Bhajji to calm him down I heard him say "teri maa ki" to Symonds. To me it was part of the game. But Australian players started threatening him and he got out. I thought that was that, but later was very surprised when they said Bhajji had called Symonds a 'monkey'. The match referee could have handled it better. We were shocked at the ban they put on Bhajji. Anil and I decided to boycott the tour if the ban was upheld. It was time to take a stand, and we did.

You write that you always batted best when you were thinking about the opposite end, rather than your end...

Cricket is played best when you are thinking about what the guy against you is thinking, not about yourself or your technique. In 1999 in the first Test against Australia, when I went in to bat in the evening of the second day, McGrath bowled almost five maiden overs to me, bowling fairly outside the off-stump. I kept leaving the ball because I knew I had to stay on for the next day and they were just playing with my patience. So I said okay, let's play with your patience and see who wins. Next morning, McGrath bowled the same line and length but I hit a couple of boundaries in his first over and started playing my normal game. Shane Warne told me later, "You ruined our strategy because our strategy was to not make you play 70% of deliveries, frustrate you and take wickets from the other end." When you play against such great bowlers you have to play mind games and this was my way of retaliating to their strategy.

When you first played for Yorkshire and were short of money, you adopted interesting ways to buy food...

I didn't have enough money when playing county cricket. Quite a few friends were with me. We used to go to Pizza Hut, where if you ordered buffet you could have as much you wanted but you could fill the salad bowl only once. We figured out a technique where we would create a huge wall of lettuce in the small bowl, and then you could fill much more inside! We mastered that technique.

There is a story you recount about playing a shot you saw in your dream. Tell us about it.

It happened when I scored my 51st Test hundred in Cape Town. I was batting outside the crease to negate the bounce. I had seen in my dreams five days before that game that I was hooking Morny Morkel for a six to reach my hundred. And I just got this strong feeling that this is that ball where he would bowl a short of length bouncer. It was the only one in the innings where I went back inside my crease got all set for the ball. He actually balled exactly the same ball I had seen in my dream and I hit him for a six exactly the same way to reach my hundred. I went for a hook shot and normally I don't do that. Something inside just told me inside that this is the moment, just do it. I went up to Veeru and told me this is the second time I have played this shot, the first was in my dream. Then I moved back to my normal stance.

You also describe a hilarious incident with Anjali in a movie hall.

I could never go out publicly without being mobbed so we had to make adjustments. When we were dating, we went to see Roja in Mumbai in 1993. I put on a wig, a false moustache and glasses. But in the interval the glasses broke and in my panic the moustache came out to. There was a huge ruckus in the hall and we had to run away half through the film.

What do you plan to do in your second innings?

The first innings was all about excitement, being competitive and chasing my dreams on the field. The second innings is about giving back to people as much as I can, and in return to expect satisfaction. I have been with an NGO called Apnalaya for 20 years but it was difficult to be there when I was playing. Now I have promised them more direct involvement. I am also donating part of the proceeds from this book to ending malnutrition in children and providing clean water for the underprivileged.

The expectations from me continue. And I realise that in this innings I do not have a bat in my hand. On my 40th birthday , I developed an initiative with a team to light up villages.We are pursuing this idea very passionately through the Spreading Happiness Indiya Foundation. I know it sounds silly and I can't do it on my own. The whole nation has to participate. The Swachh Bharat Abhiyan is also something I'm passionate about.

What about your work as an MP?

Three months ago, the PM asked each MP to create a model village and I have adopted a village in Nellore in Andhra Pradesh. I am also working with UNICEF to increase awareness about hygiene, with emphasis on hand-washing and sanitation.

Do you see a role for yourself in politics?

No, I don't see myself in politics. I share my ideas with the concerned people and that is my contribution.

Will you push your ideas in Delhi as an MP?

I have shared my ideas with the PM and the details with his team. They were fantastic and the follow-up has been really good. They were very receptive, especially the PM. While the adoption of the village has been implemented with the support of the local administration, I also did my bit to help the locals when Jammu and Kashmir was ravaged by floods.

Do you see a role for yourself in cricket as a coach or administrator?

At this stage I am focusing on other things. I continue to help few players. When the team is travelling we speak on the phone and whatever I observe I tell them, but not in any official capacity. If I can have access to players or they can have access to me, then that is what matters.

You are heavily involved in the Indian Soccer League. What are your plans for promoting other sports?

Sports for all is something I have discussed with the PM. From the grassroots level, kids should be encouraged to play sports. Sport should become a subject in schools, where if you represent your school you get marks, more marks if you represent your state and even more if you play for your country. I am not saying that all children should become sportsmen but they should all engage in outdoor and physical activity. We have 62 million diabetes patients in India and if we don't change our lifestyle or eating habits, or the way we spend our day, then this figure will soon be 75 million. The idea is for children to be fitter.

Why can't India produce more champions in other sports?

In other countries, talent is identified as early as 5-6 years of age. We identify talent at 11-12 years. Some other guy in China has already had experience by then of 7-8 years. That much gap at a competitive level is too much. It is not a fair competition and whatever we achieve is because of sheer talent. We need better facilities.

Sachin though have lived your life in the media spotlight you have still managed to fill your book with surprises and it is a fast-paced easy read with unexpected twists. Now that your story is out in the public domain how does it feel to get it all off your chest?

We started this book three years ago and it has taken a lot of effort, spending a lot of hours recalling my wonderful and disappointing moments. It is a mixed package deal. It's relieving that everything is out in the book the way I wanted. There are a number of facts which people were not aware of as I did not entertain those things while I was playing. I wanted all my energy to be focussed only on scoring more and more runs and winning matches for India. Once I retired I wanted to pen it down. It wouldn't have been possible without my friend and co-writer Boria Majumdar who by sheer persistence kept me sitting for endless sessions and his enthusiasm and pointed questioning made this project animated and enjoyable.

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Spruced up MCG gears up for 2015 WC

Written By Unknown on Jumat, 07 November 2014 | 21.24

MELBOURNE: The third largest sporting extravaganza on the planet after the Fifa World Cup and Summer Olympics - ICC Cricket World Cup - is less than 100 days away and the organisers are leaving no stone unturned to make it memorable like previous editions. They have roped in legendary World Cup-winning captains Allan Border (1987), Steve Waugh (1999) and Ricky Ponting (2003 & 2007) besides current Australian skipper Michael Clarke to promote the February 14 to March 29 event Down Under.

The 14 venues across Australia and New Zealand have been spruced up and tickets have been modestly priced to encourage people to throng the stadiums. Australia's sporting capital Melbourne, which is scheduled to stage the opening match between England and Australia as well as the final, has not only re-laid the outfield at the MCG, but has also lined up a wide range of activities to attract tourists and fans from around the world.

"Hundred days is the launchpad of any event. It's the launch of television advertising. We will be launching the trophy tour in Australia and New Zealand with Australian batting greats Allan Border, Steve Waugh and Ricky Ponting travelling to different venues. In Australia we will take it on a double decker bus to host cities Adelaide, Brisbane, Canberra, Hobart, Melbourne, Perth and Sydney as well as regional centres like Geraldton, Broken Hill, Port Augusta and Launceston," said John Harnden, the 2015 Cricket World Cup CEO.

"There are 14 teams playing in the World Cup and as part of the organising committee we cannot just focus on Australia. So, we have been trying to help 12 of the other teams mobilise people in their respective countries to come to World Cup. But more importantly here in Australia and New Zealand we have been trying to engage the large Indian community. We staged Diwali celebrations and gave thousands of Indians an opportunity to get themselves photographed with the trophy. We have also had talks with Australia-India business council," Harnden explained.

The reasonable pricing of tickets saw the India-Pakistan match on February 15 at Adelaide sold out within 20 minutes and even the South Africa-India match at the MCG has got better response than the tournament opener.

"We have kept ticket prices as low as AUD20 (INR 1100 approx) for adults and AUD5 (INR 270) for kids for pool matches. And two-thirds of the tickets across the tournament is AUD50 (INR 2650) or less. We want an electric atmosphere just like the India-Pakistan match," Harnden said. With the season-opening Grand Slam - Australian Open (Jan 19 to Feb 1) - and Formula One Grand Prix (March 12 to 15) happening around the 50-over Championship at Melbourne, the Victorian city will have more things to offer sports aficionados than any part of the world.

"You might also be a tennis fan or any other sport fan and so tournaments in the buildup or during the World Cup will only help. They can go for the Australian Open tennis and say now what's next - World Cup - and then the Melbourne GP.

"Tourism Victoria will be conducting food and wine festival (February 27 to March 15) around the event and it will only add to the experience. MCC have relaid the outfield at the MCG. It's now like a billiards table (laughs)," Harnden said.

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Feels good to be on top: Mohammed Shami

NEW DELHI: He has played international cricket for just one and a half years and Mohammed Shami is already among the top-20 bowlers in the world. The India pacer, who was named in the ICC's ODI team of the year on Wednesday, said he was pleased that his performance was recognized.

"Every player dreams of this moment. I am proud of this achievement. I performed well this year and that has been rewarded. I am young and relatively new to the team, so such moments boost your confidence," the 24-year-old player told TOI on Thursday on the sidelines of a Daredevils School Cup match.

With 38 wickets from 16 games, Shami is the highest wicket-taker in ODIs this year and has been in top form. "It feels good to be at the top. It's a huge thing. I was able to accomplish all my goals this year and I will try my best to keep performing for India," said the UP bowler who plays for Bengal in the domestic circuit.

Shami, who is focusing on improving his death-bowling skills, says one of the major reasons behind his success has been his approach. "I do not go by the name or stature of the batsman. I don't think about who is facing me. I focus on taking advantage of his weakness. I have played against many top batsmen. My approach varies from situation to situation. You feel the pressure sometimes and are not able to execute your plan. Then, you just want to finish your over. It's better to focus on what I can control. I enjoy playing all the formats. Tests give you more options to experiment. But in the end, it's all about mindset," he explained.

Shami, who took 10 wickets in the three ODIs against the West Indies before their tour was cancelled, was forced to miss the first three ODIs of the ongoing series against Sri Lanka owing to injury. "I felt a slight discomfort in my right foot's toe after the first ODI against West Indies at Kochi. However, now I am fully fit," he said. India tour Australia next month where they play four Tests and an ODI tri-series involving England. Just 15 days after that, India face Pakistan in their opening match of the World Cup.

"The tour of Australia is very important for us. If we manage to win that series then our confidence level will be pretty high going into the World Cup," said Shami, who is currently ranked 16th in ODIs.

And Shami does not think the tight schedule would affect the team's performance. "We have been playing continuously for the past one year or so. The more you play, the more experience you get. Playing in Australia right before the World Cup will work in our favour," he said. Asked if defending champions India can repeat their performance of 2011, he said, "Our team is relatively young and we believe we can chase or defend any target. All teams are good. We do not focus on any specific opponent or compete with other teams. We focus on improving our game and playing better cricket."

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A prodigy who has blossomed late

HYDERABAD: Many years after being talked about as the next big thing in Indian cricket, Ambati Rayudu is showing the world the stuff he is made of.

His first ODI century for India, an unbeaten 121 in Ahmedabad on Thursday, couldn't have come at a better time for the 29-year-old, who had, at a young age, caught the eye of the pundits here for his remarkable ability to pick the length of the ball very early and essay shots with time to spare.

"He came to me when he was just seven, learnt the basics and quickly graduated to the regular nets. Seeing his talent, we put him in the senior nets and he proved us right by scoring a century in the HCA A1 Division two-day league match when he was just 13," his first coach Vijay Paul told TOI on Thursday.

The local media was soon abuzz with his exploits after he scored 160 odd runs out of the 180 plus his team scored in an inter-school meet. His rise continued to be steady and two centuries on his Ranji Trophy debut for Hyderabad against Andhra only heightened expectations.

He was part of the U-15 Asia Cup team, led the India U-19 team in the World Cup in Dhaka, where the likes of Suresh Raina and Irfan Pathan played under him and his century for India Colts in Taunton, England earned praise from Sachin Tendulkar. Thereabouts, the wheels came off. A spat with HCA meant he had to shift base to Andhra for a season following which he came back to Hyderabad, but the move to the now defunct Indian Cricket League (ICL) went against him.

So while his peers and juniors went up the rungs to play for India, Rayudu toiled in the domestic league after his return to the Hyderabad team following BCCI's amnesty to ICL players returning to the fold.

It was not long before the Indian Premier League (IPL) came calling and Rayudu didn't think twice before accepting Tendulkar's call to join the Mumbai Indians, for whom he has been a consistent performer. "Just to share the same dressing room as my idol Sachin is an unbelievable feeling," he had remarked then. He also shifted base to Baroda, where after a string of big scores, he came back into national reckoning once again.

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ICC launches contest on WC moment

MUMBAI: With the World Cup is less than 100 days away, the International Cricket Council (ICC) on Thursday launched an interesting campaign to whet the appetite of the cricket lovers.

It has culled out a list of the 100 greatest moments from the previous 10 World Cups, which will be tweeted out from @ICC on a daily basis over the next 100 days. Each of the 100 moments will only be open for voting for a 24 hour period.

The fans will have to look out for the hashtag, and tweet with hashtag to vote for their favourite moment. After 100 days, the ICC will announce the top 10 voted moments, and a final vote will then take place over 24 hours on March 2 to crown the greatest World Cup moment till now.

The first greatest World Cup moment, released on Thursday, was 'Rawalpindi Express' Shoaib Akhtar breaking the 100 mph mark (100.23mph) while bowling to England's Nick Knight during the 2003 World Cup - officially the fastest ball ever.

The second, put out on Friday, was Bermuda's Dwayne Leverock taking a stunning one-handed catch to send back India's Robin Uthappa during the 2007 World Cup in the West Indies.

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I didn't watch 2011 World Cup final: Sachin

Written By Unknown on Kamis, 06 November 2014 | 21.25

They came dressed in formals, not in the familiar all-whites or the Men in Blue attire, etched indelibly in a generation's memory as they scored a mind-boggling 88,218 runs in Tests and ODIs. But when they spoke, the Fab Four of Indian cricket - Sachin Tendulkar, Sourav Ganguly, Rahul Dravid and VVS Laxman - rolled back the years. There was the easy camaraderie that only comes after sharing rooms, your worst fears and the finest moments of your lives over thousands of days playing, travelling and bonding together.

The anecdotes flew thick and fast at a function in Mumbai to mark the release of Sachin's autobiography on Wednesday. Sachin revealed that he did not watch any part of the 2011 World Cup final after his dismissal and didn't allow his opening partner, Virender Sehwag, to watch either.

"In an earlier game in Ahmedabad, I had been getting a massage with my head down and Viru was sitting next to me and we did well. So in the final, I stayed on the massage table and kept Viru with me. He said, 'Let me see the game a little bit'. I said, 'No, you see as much as you want on TV later'. And we won," said Tendulkar.

Ganguly narrated how he once asked Sachin to face the first ball of the innings as he was going through a rough patch and thought it might change his luck. Sachin declined, saying he never took first strike. So Ganguly walked straight to the non-striker's position, leaving Sachin with no choice but to take guard. Even as the audience roared with laughter at Sourav Ganguly's anecdotes about Tendulkar, Sachin hit back by mentioning how he was once struggling with an injury, which later turned out to be a broken rib.

"I wasn't even being able to put bat to ball and Sourav strolled down the pitch and told me, 'Tu champion hain re' (Come on, you're a champion)." Inevitably, Rahul Dravid was asked about the infamous declaration when Sachin was unbeaten on 194.

He responded, "If I charged a penny for every time I was asked about the Multan declaration, I would be a multi-millionaire by now." But he was quick to add, "My greatest memory of that Test is asking Sachin to bowl the last over of the day after the declaration. He got Moin Khan out and he was visibly overjoyed because he was again doing what he did so many times - helping India win. We walked off as a team." Fondly referred to as 'Jam' by Tendulkar during the evening, Dravid revealed that the two would converse in Marathi during their long partnerships in the middle.

He also said, "When I first started playing for India, I was startled because he would always ask 'kya ho raha hain'. He was Sachin Tendulkar, had already played for seven years and was captain. What could I tell him about the pitch or conditions? I thought he was taking the mickey out of me. Later I realised that is how he is: always interested in knowing what is happening on the pitch and what the bowlers are doing."

Of course, the subject of Greg Chappell came up too.

"The dressing room environment was negative at that time," said Tendulkar.

He also mentioned that he was extremely depressed after India's disastrous performance in the 2007 World Cup but cheered up after he got a call from his childhood hero, Viv Richards. "We spoke for a good 45 minutes and he told me there was still a lot of cricket left in me. At that juncture, that helped."

Laxman spoke with awe about Sachin's 241 not out at Sydney. "At the end of the Melbourne Test, we were seeing the TV graphics on how Sachin was getting out. He said he was playing brilliantly but kept getting out freakishly. So he said he won't play the cover drive. I have never seen any batsman play with more control. I have never seen a more controlled innings."

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India look to keep rolling against Sri Lanka

AHMEDABAD: The makeshift ODI series against Sri Lanka is proving to be a blessing in disguise. With the World Cup just three months away, both India and Sri Lanka have got a wonderful opportunity to iron out a few issues. Everything fell in place for India in Cuttack and Thursday will offer another opportunity for Virat Kohli and his boys to assert their domination when both teams face each other here in the second day-night ODI.

First, India would like to be doubly sure about their batting. Over the years, India's batting has been their major strength, home or away. As skipper Virat Kohli said, "The batting has come together very nicely over the past one or one-and-a-half years. The whole idea of this series is to try different people in different positions and see how they react to those situations. We need to figure out the best combination.

"The guys responded beautifully in the first game and hopefully any change that we make, or different combina tions that we try, will give us the same results. We can be more confident and have more options going closer to the World Cup." The second issue is the Indian pace attack. Having a potent seam attack will definitely be an added advantage Down Under. Back from injury, Ishant Sharma and Umesh Yadav were very impressive in the Cuttack ODI.

Sharma picked 434 runs from eight overs - including a maiden - while Yadav picked 224 from 6.2 overs.

However, Varun Aaron's injury in the first ODI, in which he bowled just 4.1 overs, is affecting the combination. Kohli said, "Obviously Varun's pace is always an advantage. If a guy is bowling at 150 kmph, it's a great thing. But Umesh (Yadav) is doing the same thing and Ishant (Sharma) can push himself up to 140 kmph and when his body is strong enough, he can bowl consistently at 140 for 7-8 overs.

"If you look at the complete picture you will see that Varun is quick, Umesh is quick, Ishant bowls at 140-plus, Mohammad Shami bowls quick and Bhuvneshwar Kumar swings it both ways. So things are looking good going into the World Cup."

Meanwhile, four of the five spinning options will also battle for the all-rounder's slot.Interestingly , all-rounders have played important roles in both of India's World Cup victories, be it Kapil Dev in 1983 or Yuvraj Singh in 2011. Now any one among Ravichandran Ashwin, Ravindra Jadeja, Axar Patel and Karan Sharma, according to Kohli, can qualify for that all-important slot.Amit Mishra remains the fifth spinning option, and he too is no mug with the bat.

"Ashwin is a very intelligent cricketer and has been more than good with the bat in certain situations. There is Jadeja, everyone knows how capable he is. He's been a perfect all-rounder for us. Now we also have Axar, whose temperament has been amazing. I have seen him in the two games now and in IPL, he's a very strong character. We have Stuart Binny as well as a fast bowing all-rounder.

"Any of these four people or even Karan Sharma can be very handy with the bat. I see every one of them having the character and temperament to deliver," said Kohli.

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Sacking as captain was humiliating: Sachin

NEW DELHI: Sharing his anger and pain after being stripped of the captaincy in 1997, batting legend Sachin Tendulkar has revealed that the "unceremonious" sacking was very "embarrassing" and "humiliating".

Writing in his autobiography 'Playing It My Way', published by Hachette India, Tendulkar recalled the drawn three-match series against Sri Lanka, which preceded his sacking.

"At the end of the series, I was unceremoniously sacked as skipper. No one from the BCCI managed to call me or inform me of my removal as captain before someone from the media called to say I was no longer captain," Tendulkar has written.

Tendulkar, 41, said the being removed from the position made him more determined to play better cricket.

"I was actually with my friends in Sahitya Sahawas. I felt extremely humiliated to hear this, but the manner in which the whole thing was handled strengthened my resolve to be a better cricketer in the years to come.

"I told myself that the BCCI mandarins might be able to take the captaincy away from me, but no one could do the same as far as my own cricket was concerned," he wrote.

Even as he vowed to do better, Tendulkar said the "sense of ignominy and the pain were still there".

"During my tenure as captain some of the players used to call me 'skip', so when one of the players shouted out 'skipper' in our next engagement in Dhaka, I automatically turned around to answer the call. That's when it really hit me that I was no longer the captain of the Indian cricket team.

"Now I simply had to focus on my batting and win some matches for the team. So that's what I did," he writes.

Tendulkar also revealed that he was "so focused on doing well" that after losing his wicket in one of the matches in Bangladesh due to distraction caused by movement around the sight-screen, he yelled at the then Bangladesh Cricket Board President Ashraful Haq on his way back to pavilion.

"I ended up shouting at someone who has since become a good friend. This incident, which has caused us both much embarrassment, took place in the second of the three finals of the Silver Jubilee Independence Cup in Dhaka in 1998.

"There was a lot of movement in front of and around the sight-screen and, despite my repeated complaints, things did not improve. I was distracted and lost my wicket soon after.

"On my way back to the pavilion I was livid and, when someone came across to apologise, I just screamed at him, saying Bangladesh did not deserve to host international cricket if the basic fundamentals were not in place.

"Only later did I realise that the man I had yelled at was Ashraful Haq, then president of the Bangladesh Cricket Board and currently chief executive of the Asian Cricket Council. Ever since, whenever we meet, we start by saying sorry to each other for what happened!," he said


Tendulkar has written that he had high expectations from Kapil. (TOI Photo)

Kapil as coach disappointed Tendulkar

One of the finest Indian all-rounders of all time, Kapil Dev was a "disappointment" when it came to coaching, reveals batting maestro Sachin Tendulkar in his just-released autobiography 'Playing It My Way'.

Tendulkar has claimed that he was left disappointed by Kapil during one of the Australia tours since the coach never involved himself in strategic discussions.

In the chapter -- Tumultuous Times: India in Australia, November 1999-January 2000 -- Tendulkar has written that he had high expectations from Kapil.

"During my second stint as captain, we had Kapil Dev as our coach. He is one of the finest cricketers to have played for India and one of the best all-rounders of all time, and I had great expectations of him in Australia.

"I have always maintained that the coach's job is an important one, for he is in a position to play a key role in formulating team strategy. Who better than Kapil to come up with options for me during a tough tour of Australia?

"However, his method of involvement and his thought process was limited to leaving the running of the team to the captain, and hence he did not involve himself in strategic discussions that would help us on the field," Tendulkar writes.

The Indian batting great also shared his frustration on how some of his moves as captain did not pay off but the same strategy clicked when other captains employed it.

Tendulkar talked about the 1997 Sharjah series where he promoted Robin Singh to bat at number three but the southpaw failed and he had to cop heavy criticism from the media.

"The match against Pakistan on 14 December highlights how things were just not going my way. I was batting at number four in this competition, at the selectors' request. Sourav and Navjot Sidhu had given us a good start against Pakistan, and when Sidhu got out at 143-2, I sent in Robin Singh, the all-rounder, to accelerate the innings. It was a strategy I had given considerable thought to.

"Manzoor Akhtar, the leg-spinner, was at one end bowling around the wicket to the right-handed batsmen. The theory was that Robin, a left-hander, would be able to negotiate his leg-spin better and also hit some big shots. However, Robin got out without scoring after just three balls from Azhar Mahmood, the medium-pacer, and the experiment proved a disaster. In the press I was criticised for sending in Robin ahead of me and the move was blamed for our defeat," Tendulkar recalled.

"A month later, however, in January 1998, Azhar, back as captain, repeated the very same move in the final of the Silver Jubilee Independence Cup in Dhaka against Pakistan. Robin was sent in at three to keep up the momentum after Sourav and I had got off to a flier and this time Robin played a terrific hand, scoring 82 and setting up the run chase.

"This was arguably a bigger gamble, because he was pitted against the off-spinner Saqlain Mushtaq and it is no secret that left-handers find it more difficult against off-spinners.

"The same experiment was now hailed as a master stroke. Not without reason is it said that success has many fathers while defeat is an orphan," he wrote.

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Mathews leads Sri Lanka to 274/8

AHMEDABAD: Skipper Angelo Mathews struck a fighting fifty to lift a struggling Sri Lanka to 274 for eight against India in the second one-day International at the Sardar Patel Stadium, Motera, on Wednesday.

Electing to bat, the visitors lost early wickets but Mathews' unbeaten 92 - his innings laced with 10 fours and a six - and Kumar Sangakkara's valiant 61 took the side to respectability. The duo stitched a crucial 90-run fourth-wicket partnership after Lanka were struggling at 64 for three.

With the visitors being reduced to 220 for eight in the 44th over, Mathews got support from number-ten batsman Dhammika Prasad and the duo stitched a valuable 54-run unbeaten partnership to give the islanders the necessary push in the end.

Indian pace spearhead Umesh Yadav (2-54) struck with two important wickets before spinners Ravichandran Ashwin (2-49) and young Axar Patel (2-39) took charge to hurt the Sri Lankan batting.

Ravindra Jadeja, brought into the side for injured Varun Aaron, disappointed though he took a wicket with his left arm spin as he conceded 64 runs.

Ishant Sharma bowled well initially but gave away runs in the last over to conceded 58 runs without any success while Yadav (2 for 54) bowled a bit too short or too wide at times. India fielded well with Ambati Rayudu picking up two catches, besides effecting a run-out.

Sri Lanka commenced on a poor note when Kusal Perera, who had replaced Upul Tharanga, fell to the sixth ball of the match when he played across and was trapped leg before by Umesh Yadav.

Tilekaratne Dilshan, at the other end, batted aggressively and took ten runs with the help of two successive fours in speedster Yadav's second over.

The seasoned batsman then hit Ashwin for four successive fours in the bowler's first over, and tenth of the innings, to give the innings some momentum as the Lankan total reached 50.

However, he tried to cut an arm ball fired into the stumps by Patel in the very next over and lost his stumps after having added 51 runs for the second wicket with Sangakkara. He also hit 7 fours in making 35 off 30 balls.

Ashwin, then, made amends for his first-over profligacy by inducing the other senior batsman in the line-up, Mahela Jayawardene, to flick straight to mid wicket fielder Ambati Rayudu - who took a diving catch - to leave Lanka struggling.

The two dismissals arrested the run-rate and Sangakkara and captain Mathews eschewed risky shots and started the innings rebuilding process.

Mathews slog-swept Ashwin over mid-wicket for a six, but otherwise both batsmen were content in pushing the ball into gaps and taking runs.

The innings 100 was raised in 21.2 overs before 37-year-old Sangakkara reached his 87th half century in his 352nd game off 73 balls.

Lanka took the batting power play after 31 overs and India struck thrice during this set play period while the visitors put on 30 runs.

The big breakthrough for India came when Sangakkara surprisingly hit a full toss from Yadav, bowling his second spell, straight to the mid on fielder.

Sangakkara's 61 came off 86 balls and had just four fours in it and the 90-run stand he figured in with captain Mathews in 111 balls restored the faltering innings.

Then the inexperienced Seekkuge Prasanna hit a six off Ishant and a leg-side four off Ravindra Jadeja before top-edging a sweep off the left arm bowler, who replaced injured Varun Aaron in the eleven, to deep fine leg fielder Rayudu.

Four balls later the fielder again did some smart work to run out Ashan Priyanjan at the non-striker's end from deep mid wicket after the batsman responded to a call from captain Mathews for the second run.

Lanka were left struggling at 179 for six at the end of the power play.

However, some wayward bowling by Jadeja - who was hit for three leg-side fours by Mathews and a straight six by Thisara Perera in the 40th over of the innings and the left arm bowler's 9th as Lanka moved to 205 for 6 after 40 overs.

Patel dismissed Perera in the next over as the batsman attempted an almighty heave to leg and lost his stumps to give the Indian newcomer his second wicket.

Mathews did not have enough support from the lower order as Suraj Randiv was bowled by Ashwin without having a clue about facing the bowler.

The medium pacers came back at the death and proved expensive as Lanka added 46 runs in the last 5 overs.

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Mudgal panel clears Srini, nails Gurunath

Written By Unknown on Rabu, 05 November 2014 | 21.24

NEW DELHI: In its final report to the Supreme Court on Monday, the Justice Mudgal committee said it did not find any evidence to link Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) president N Srinivasan to his son-in-law Gurunath Meiyappan's betting activities during the Indian Premier League T20 tournament in 2013.

The report, submitted in sealed cover to a bench headed by Justice T S Thakur, will be taken up for hearing on November 10 and marks the culmination of the extensive inquiry process set in motion by the Supreme Court in October last year.

Even as the Mudgal committee held Meiyappan guilty of betting, it failed to find enough evidence of his involvement in the far more serious offence of spot fixing. Evidence of Meiyappan's involvement in fixing would have put not just him but Srinivasan and the players of M S Dhoni-led Chennai Super Kings in serious legal trouble, with possible consequences extending to scrapping of the team and lengthy bans on individual players. CSK is owned by India Cements, whose managing director is Srinivasan.

The committee had first submitted its report in February, finding Meiyappan guilty of betting and reject ing the claim of CSK that he was not a team official.

With regard to Srinivasan and some eminent cricketers, it said allegations against them were unverified and needed to be probed.

The court, while asking the Mudgal panel to probe the charges, had forced Srinivasan to keep off the affairs of the BCCI till the probe was over, though it allowed him take over as chairman of the ICC.

The Mudgal committee is learnt to have said in its final report that there was no clinching evidence to link Meiyappan's betting activities to his father-in-law.

Although the panel said some nagging issues about Srinivasan's conduct remain unresolved, its report vindicates his stand that he had nothing to do with Meiyappan's work, and will allow him to renew his request to the apex court to let him get back to the top post in BCCI.

Moreover, this will also allow him to contest elections for the BCCI president's post, which will take place dur ing the November 20 annual general body meeting of the board. Though the top post earlier went by rotation among the four zones, Srinivasan will be eligible to contest again as the BCCI amended its rules to permit anyone from any zone to contest the elections.

With Mumbai Police confirming the voice samples of Meiyappan, the Mudgal panel added sting to its finding about his deep involvement in betting activities though the evidence was scanty to return a finding on his involvement in spot-fixing.

It reiterated its earlier finding that Meiyappan had flouted IPL rules as well as the IPL code of conduct for players and team officials by bringing the game of cricket into disrepute. It also reiterated that Meiyappan was for all practical purposes a team official of Chennai Super Kings.

On August 29, the committee had submitted an interim report to the SC but sought two more months to wind up the inquiry on the ground that it needed to question some Indian cricketers who were touring with the team in England.

In collecting evidence to compile the final report, the committee was assisted by a team headed by VB Mishra, senior IPS officer and deputy director general in Narcotics Control Bureau, whose services were requisitioned by the apex court along with an officer each from Delhi, Mumbai and Chennai police.

"The allegations of betting and passing on information against Gurunath Meiyappan stand proved. However, allegation of (match) fixing require further investigation," said the panel, also comprising additional solicitor general L N Rao and Nilay Dutta.

On the report, Justice Mudgal told reporters, "We have done our work and now it's up to SC to do justice in the matter. It's up to the Supreme Court whether it finds our work satisfactory. We complied with the order and have done a good job. However, the report has been filed before the court and it (SC) will decide the further course of action."

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Dhawan, Rahane set up 169-run win

CUTTACK: India's World Cup preparation got off to a rollicking start on Sunday at the Barabati Stadium as the Men in Blue brushed aside Sri Lanka in the first ODI of the five-match series. Ajinkya Rahane (111) and Shikhar Dhawan (113), two men in race for the opening slots, made full use of the 'drops' of relief they got on a hot day. Riding their 231-run opening partnership and milestone man Suresh Raina's (it was his 200th ODI) 34-ball 52, India scored 363 for five batting first, virtually wrapping up the contest. The bowlers then put finishing touches with aplomb with senior pacer Ishant Sharma leading from the front, giving the team a 169-run win.

The islanders, except for the first nine overs of the host innings, did not look competitive. Their chase was virtually over when they were reduced to 109 for four in the 22nd over. When Mahela Jayawardene, the only batsman who was hitting fours at will, was dismissed by Akshar Patel in the 26th over, there was no way back for Sri Lanka. The only thing they won on the day was the toss.

Nothing signified their listlessness than the two costly drops by none other than Kumar Sangakkara. He dropped Dhawan, diving to his left, when the southpaw played an unsure push off Dhammika Prasad's outswinger. Then he dropped Rahane, going to his right, when Thisara Perera found the right-hander's edge. The timing of the drops made a huge difference. Dhawan, who has not been among runs, was finding the going tough initially as Prasad and debutant Lahiru Gamage moved the new ball off the seam. He was on 10 at the time of the miss and trying all sorts of things to get out of jail. Rahane, on the other hand, was beginning to play his shots after a sedate start when the Lankan wicketkeeper dropped him in the 18th over.

After that, it looked like Barabati was holding an exhibition of hitting. While Rahane showed how a batsman's footwork can be as delightful as a dancer, Dhawan was at his improvising best. Be it a medium-pacer or spinner, Rahane often took a few steps down the track before launching into his drives or pulls. Among his 13 boundaries and two sixes, the best was the one off Sri Lanka skipper Angelo Mathews. Rahane had danced down the track and Mathews shortened the length but the batsman sent the ball soaring over long-on with his feet off the ground. Ironically, Rahane's downfall came when he danced down the wicket to Suraj Randiv, getting the ball at the toe end of his bat and offering a s simple catch to Jayawardene at mid-off. Dhawan revelled in sweeping, reverse sweeping and driving down the ground. He t was batting with such ease after a point that it seemed he could not be dismissed. It took an across-the-line heave off Prasanna Seekkuge to get an inside edge first on to his front leg and then his stumps.

Raina and captain Virat Kohli took over and ensured the heat was on.

Indian bowlers' performance was also impressive. Ishant showed discipline and his four wickets were rewards for bowling in the channel outside the off-stump consistently .The delivery that sent back Sangakkara was an absolute beauty. Umesh Yadav and Varun Aaron generated a lot of pace and bowled good lines before the latter left the field. It was heartening to see Indian pacers bowling at 145km plus from both ends, a very rare occurrence. However, the match situation didn't give them a test of death bowling.

Even though R Ashwin looked innocuous on return, young Akshar Patel impressed again, generating a lot of turn and taking the key wicket of Jayawardene, not to mention his two sixes with the bat.

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Greg asked me to help oust Dravid: Sachin

Across 24 years and dozens of landmarks, it was always the God of cricket's bat that spoke, not the man himself. But that's set to change.

In his autobiography, 'Playing It My Way', co-written with sport historian Boria Majumdar, Sachin Tendulkar has likened former coach Greg Chappell to a ringmaster and sensationally revealed that Chappell sought Sachin's help in getting Rahul Dravid sacked as captain just a few months before the 2007 World Cup.

"Chappell had come to see me at home and, to my dismay, suggested that I should take over the captaincy from Rahul. Anjali (Sachin's wife) who was sitting with me was equally shocked to hear him say that 'together, we could control Indian cricket for years'. I was surprised to hear the coach not showing the slightest amount of respect for the captain, with cricket's biggest tournament just months away," writes Sachin.

"I suggested to the BCCI that the best option would be to keep Greg back in India and not send him with the team to the World Cup...That's not what happened, of course, and the 2007 campaign ended in disaster." India crashed out of the tournament in the first round.

"Unlike John Wright and Gary Kirsten, Greg (Chappell) was like a ringmaster who imposed his ideas on us," says Sachin Tendulkar in his forthcoming autobiography, 'Playing It My Way'.

India's humiliating exit in the very first round of the World Cup led to Chappell's tumultuous reign finally coming to an end. Tendulkar was glad to see his back, concluding that "Indian cricket benefitted significantly when the BCCI decided to end Chappell's tenure in April 2007." He adds that "several of our senior players were relieved to see him go, which was hardly surprising because he had not treated them well."

The statement confirms how unhappy India's senior most players were with the methods of the Australian batting legend who had previously only coached South Australia with little distinction.

For Sachin, Chappell failed to win respect in the dressing room. As he put it, "every time India won, Greg would be seen leading the team, but every time India lost, he would thrust the senior players in front."

Sourav Ganguly, who lost his captaincy under Chappell, said on television that he "feels vindicated" by these revelations and that he is glad Sachin has spoken out. Dravid said, "I don't have a comment to make, because it's a private conversation between two people, and I am not privy to it."

There are other bombshells too, reportedly on the Monkeygate controversy Down Under when India threatened to leave the tour mid-way and on the controversial declaration by Rahul Dravid at the 2004 Multan Test when Sachin was left stranded on 194 not out. Boria Majumdar, who has co-authored the book, which is to be launched on November 6, says, "You will have to read the book to find out but I can tell you that the master blaster has been totally honest, just the way he did his batting."

If there was an unflattering record in Sachin's career it was his tenure as captain, wining 4 and losing 9 of the 25 Tests he led India in. He recounts his frustration at that low in his career, saying, "I hated losing and as captain of the team I felt responsible for the string of miserable performances. More worryingly, I did not know how I could turn it around, as I was already trying my absolute best."

On March 30, 1997, on the night before his team was bundled out by Brian Lara's West Indians for a miserable 81, chasing 119 for victory in Barbados, Sachin had been so confident that he had even asked a restaurant waiter to keep a bottle of champagne chilled for the victory celebrations. But India's batting collapsed and Sachin was so devastated that he even contemplated quitting.

He shut himself up in his room for "two days" and though his wife Anjali helped him out of the crisis he says he still feels the "pangs of that defeat".

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Chappell was a double-faced man: Bhajji

MUMBAI: Sachin Tendulkar's revelation in his forthcoming autobiography isn't surprising considering the frosty relationship the Greg Chappell shared with the senior Team India players.

Apart from Tendulkar, quite a few Indian players had hit out at Chappell's dictatorial ways after the World Cup debacle in 2007. A prominent member of the team who had major issues with the former Australian captain was Harbhajan Singh.

The off-spinner went through a tumultuous phase during Chappell's time with the Indian team. On Tuesday, Harbhajan spared no punches while recalling the torrid time he and his teammates suffered during Chappell's stint with Team India from 2005-07.

The 34-year-old off-spinner, who took 413 Test wickets, alleged that Chappell caused rifts in the team by 'creating misunderstanding'.

"He had spoiled the atmosphere, implement a 'divide and rule policy'. He would instigate fights between us so that he would be able to do what he wanted. He would trigger misunderstanding between us by telling us 'this player was saying this against you', when in fact, that player wouldn't have said anything," Harbhajan told TOI.

Harbhajan felt Chappell lost the confidence of the players also because of the fact that he would betray them in the media. "He hated it if we asked him questions. He would say something to us, and then say something entirely different to the media. He was a double-faced man. What Sachin has written about him is absolutely true.

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Dhawan, Rahane set up 169-run win

Written By Unknown on Selasa, 04 November 2014 | 21.24

CUTTACK: India's World Cup preparation got off to a rollicking start on Sunday at the Barabati Stadium as the Men in Blue brushed aside Sri Lanka in the first ODI of the five-match series. Ajinkya Rahane (111) and Shikhar Dhawan (113), two men in race for the opening slots, made full use of the 'drops' of relief they got on a hot day. Riding their 231-run opening partnership and milestone man Suresh Raina's (it was his 200th ODI) 34-ball 52, India scored 363 for five batting first, virtually wrapping up the contest. The bowlers then put finishing touches with aplomb with senior pacer Ishant Sharma leading from the front, giving the team a 169-run win.

The islanders, except for the first nine overs of the host innings, did not look competitive. Their chase was virtually over when they were reduced to 109 for four in the 22nd over. When Mahela Jayawardene, the only batsman who was hitting fours at will, was dismissed by Akshar Patel in the 26th over, there was no way back for Sri Lanka. The only thing they won on the day was the toss.

Nothing signified their listlessness than the two costly drops by none other than Kumar Sangakkara. He dropped Dhawan, diving to his left, when the southpaw played an unsure push off Dhammika Prasad's outswinger. Then he dropped Rahane, going to his right, when Thisara Perera found the right-hander's edge. The timing of the drops made a huge difference. Dhawan, who has not been among runs, was finding the going tough initially as Prasad and debutant Lahiru Gamage moved the new ball off the seam. He was on 10 at the time of the miss and trying all sorts of things to get out of jail. Rahane, on the other hand, was beginning to play his shots after a sedate start when the Lankan wicketkeeper dropped him in the 18th over.

After that, it looked like Barabati was holding an exhibition of hitting. While Rahane showed how a batsman's footwork can be as delightful as a dancer, Dhawan was at his improvising best. Be it a medium-pacer or spinner, Rahane often took a few steps down the track before launching into his drives or pulls. Among his 13 boundaries and two sixes, the best was the one off Sri Lanka skipper Angelo Mathews. Rahane had danced down the track and Mathews shortened the length but the batsman sent the ball soaring over long-on with his feet off the ground. Ironically, Rahane's downfall came when he danced down the wicket to Suraj Randiv, getting the ball at the toe end of his bat and offering a s simple catch to Jayawardene at mid-off. Dhawan revelled in sweeping, reverse sweeping and driving down the ground. He t was batting with such ease after a point that it seemed he could not be dismissed. It took an across-the-line heave off Prasanna Seekkuge to get an inside edge first on to his front leg and then his stumps.

Raina and captain Virat Kohli took over and ensured the heat was on.

Indian bowlers' performance was also impressive. Ishant showed discipline and his four wickets were rewards for bowling in the channel outside the off-stump consistently .The delivery that sent back Sangakkara was an absolute beauty. Umesh Yadav and Varun Aaron generated a lot of pace and bowled good lines before the latter left the field. It was heartening to see Indian pacers bowling at 145km plus from both ends, a very rare occurrence. However, the match situation didn't give them a test of death bowling.

Even though R Ashwin looked innocuous on return, young Akshar Patel impressed again, generating a lot of turn and taking the key wicket of Jayawardene, not to mention his two sixes with the bat.

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Greg asked me to help oust Dravid: Sachin

Across 24 years and dozens of landmarks, it was always the God of cricket's bat that spoke, not the man himself. But that's set to change.

In his autobiography, 'Playing It My Way', co-written with sport historian Boria Majumdar, Sachin Tendulkar has likened former coach Greg Chappell to a ringmaster and sensationally revealed that Chappell sought Sachin's help in getting Rahul Dravid sacked as captain just a few months before the 2007 World Cup.

"Chappell had come to see me at home and, to my dismay, suggested that I should take over the captaincy from Rahul. Anjali (Sachin's wife) who was sitting with me was equally shocked to hear him say that 'together, we could control Indian cricket for years'. I was surprised to hear the coach not showing the slightest amount of respect for the captain, with cricket's biggest tournament just months away," writes Sachin.

"I suggested to the BCCI that the best option would be to keep Greg back in India and not send him with the team to the World Cup...That's not what happened, of course, and the 2007 campaign ended in disaster." India crashed out of the tournament in the first round.

"Unlike John Wright and Gary Kirsten, Greg (Chappell) was like a ringmaster who imposed his ideas on us," says Sachin Tendulkar in his forthcoming autobiography, 'Playing It My Way'.

India's humiliating exit in the very first round of the World Cup led to Chappell's tumultuous reign finally coming to an end. Tendulkar was glad to see his back, concluding that "Indian cricket benefitted significantly when the BCCI decided to end Chappell's tenure in April 2007." He adds that "several of our senior players were relieved to see him go, which was hardly surprising because he had not treated them well."

The statement confirms how unhappy India's senior most players were with the methods of the Australian batting legend who had previously only coached South Australia with little distinction.

For Sachin, Chappell failed to win respect in the dressing room. As he put it, "every time India won, Greg would be seen leading the team, but every time India lost, he would thrust the senior players in front."

Sourav Ganguly, who lost his captaincy under Chappell, said on television that he "feels vindicated" by these revelations and that he is glad Sachin has spoken out. Dravid said, "I don't have a comment to make, because it's a private conversation between two people, and I am not privy to it."

There are other bombshells too, reportedly on the Monkeygate controversy Down Under when India threatened to leave the tour mid-way and on the controversial declaration by Rahul Dravid at the 2004 Multan Test when Sachin was left stranded on 194 not out. Boria Majumdar, who has co-authored the book, which is to be launched on November 6, says, "You will have to read the book to find out but I can tell you that the master blaster has been totally honest, just the way he did his batting."

If there was an unflattering record in Sachin's career it was his tenure as captain, wining 4 and losing 9 of the 25 Tests he led India in. He recounts his frustration at that low in his career, saying, "I hated losing and as captain of the team I felt responsible for the string of miserable performances. More worryingly, I did not know how I could turn it around, as I was already trying my absolute best."

On March 30, 1997, on the night before his team was bundled out by Brian Lara's West Indians for a miserable 81, chasing 119 for victory in Barbados, Sachin had been so confident that he had even asked a restaurant waiter to keep a bottle of champagne chilled for the victory celebrations. But India's batting collapsed and Sachin was so devastated that he even contemplated quitting.

He shut himself up in his room for "two days" and though his wife Anjali helped him out of the crisis he says he still feels the "pangs of that defeat".

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Chappell was a double-faced man: Bhajji

MUMBAI: Sachin Tendulkar's revelation in his forthcoming autobiography isn't surprising considering the frosty relationship the Greg Chappell shared with the senior Team India players.

Apart from Tendulkar, quite a few Indian players had hit out at Chappell's dictatorial ways after the World Cup debacle in 2007. A prominent member of the team who had major issues with the former Australian captain was Harbhajan Singh.

The off-spinner went through a tumultuous phase during Chappell's time with the Indian team. On Tuesday, Harbhajan spared no punches while recalling the torrid time he and his teammates suffered during Chappell's stint with Team India from 2005-07.

The 34-year-old off-spinner, who took 413 Test wickets, alleged that Chappell caused rifts in the team by 'creating misunderstanding'.

"He had spoiled the atmosphere, implement a 'divide and rule policy'. He would instigate fights between us so that he would be able to do what he wanted. He would trigger misunderstanding between us by telling us 'this player was saying this against you', when in fact, that player wouldn't have said anything," Harbhajan told TOI.

Harbhajan felt Chappell lost the confidence of the players also because of the fact that he would betray them in the media. "He hated it if we asked him questions. He would say something to us, and then say something entirely different to the media. He was a double-faced man. What Sachin has written about him is absolutely true.

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Mudgal panel clears Srini, nails Gurunath

NEW DELHI: In its final report to the Supreme Court on Monday, the Justice Mudgal committee said it did not find any evidence to link Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) president N Srinivasan to his son-in-law Gurunath Meiyappan's betting activities during the Indian Premier League T20 tournament in 2013.

The report, submitted in sealed cover to a bench headed by Justice T S Thakur, will be taken up for hearing on November 10 and marks the culmination of the extensive inquiry process set in motion by the Supreme Court in October last year.

Even as the Mudgal committee held Meiyappan guilty of betting, it failed to find enough evidence of his involvement in the far more serious offence of spot fixing. Evidence of Meiyappan's involvement in fixing would have put not just him but Srinivasan and the players of M S Dhoni-led Chennai Super Kings in serious legal trouble, with possible consequences extending to scrapping of the team and lengthy bans on individual players. CSK is owned by India Cements, whose managing director is Srinivasan.

The committee had first submitted its report in February, finding Meiyappan guilty of betting and reject ing the claim of CSK that he was not a team official.

With regard to Srinivasan and some eminent cricketers, it said allegations against them were unverified and needed to be probed.

The court, while asking the Mudgal panel to probe the charges, had forced Srinivasan to keep off the affairs of the BCCI till the probe was over, though it allowed him take over as chairman of the ICC.

The Mudgal committee is learnt to have said in its final report that there was no clinching evidence to link Meiyappan's betting activities to his father-in-law.

Although the panel said some nagging issues about Srinivasan's conduct remain unresolved, its report vindicates his stand that he had nothing to do with Meiyappan's work, and will allow him to renew his request to the apex court to let him get back to the top post in BCCI.

Moreover, this will also allow him to contest elections for the BCCI president's post, which will take place dur ing the November 20 annual general body meeting of the board. Though the top post earlier went by rotation among the four zones, Srinivasan will be eligible to contest again as the BCCI amended its rules to permit anyone from any zone to contest the elections.

With Mumbai Police confirming the voice samples of Meiyappan, the Mudgal panel added sting to its finding about his deep involvement in betting activities though the evidence was scanty to return a finding on his involvement in spot-fixing.

It reiterated its earlier finding that Meiyappan had flouted IPL rules as well as the IPL code of conduct for players and team officials by bringing the game of cricket into disrepute. It also reiterated that Meiyappan was for all practical purposes a team official of Chennai Super Kings.

On August 29, the committee had submitted an interim report to the SC but sought two more months to wind up the inquiry on the ground that it needed to question some Indian cricketers who were touring with the team in England.

In collecting evidence to compile the final report, the committee was assisted by a team headed by VB Mishra, senior IPS officer and deputy director general in Narcotics Control Bureau, whose services were requisitioned by the apex court along with an officer each from Delhi, Mumbai and Chennai police.

"The allegations of betting and passing on information against Gurunath Meiyappan stand proved. However, allegation of (match) fixing require further investigation," said the panel, also comprising additional solicitor general L N Rao and Nilay Dutta.

On the report, Justice Mudgal told reporters, "We have done our work and now it's up to SC to do justice in the matter. It's up to the Supreme Court whether it finds our work satisfactory. We complied with the order and have done a good job. However, the report has been filed before the court and it (SC) will decide the further course of action."

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Rahane & Dhawan power India to 363/5

Written By Unknown on Senin, 03 November 2014 | 21.24

CUTTACK: Openers Ajinkya Rahane and Shikhar Dhawan struck fluent centuries as India toyed with the Sri Lankan attack to post an imposing 363/5 in the first one-day international at the Barabati Stadium on Sunday.

Put into bat, Rahane struck 111 from 108 balls (13x4, 2x6) en route to his second ODI century while Dhawan returned to form with a 107-ball 113 (14x3, 3x6), his sixth overall, and first since his 119 vs West Indies in Kanpur in November last year, to set the tempo for the record total at this venue.

Capitalising on their respective dropped chances by veteran wicketkeeper Kumar Sangakkara, the duo complemented each other in a 231-run opening partnership.

Suresh Raina also did his bit by striking a quickfire 52 off 34 balls (4x4, 3x6) after being promoted to No.3 in his 200th match as it was one-way traffic for India.

Rookie left-arm spinner Axar Patel too impressed with his big-hitting skills as he spanked Dhammika Prasad for two sixes in the last over in his unbeaten 14 off four balls.

This was only the second time 300-plus was scored at this venue with the previous best being India's 301 for three against Zimbabwe way back in 1998.

However in the recent past, Kings XI Punjab piled 231/4 against Chennai Super Kings in the IPL in May this year in match that saw a total of 418 runs.

Much had been written about Sri Lanka's under preparedness for the series organised after the West Indies pull out from a full length series and it came to fore with their sloppy fielding and a depleted attack that lacked sting in the absence of Lasith Malinga and Rangana Herath.

Former skipper Sangakkara became the villain, dropping Dhawan on 10 and Rahane on 38 in what would have been routine diving catches behind the stumps, much to derail the promising start given by their two new-ball bowlers in Dhammika Prasad (0-60) and Lahiru Gamage (1-59).

The two Indian openers moved at snail's pace with 14 runs from first five overs and the first power play yielded just 43 with 44 dot balls but the Lankan attack started becoming wayward, while Sangakkara's two reprieves injected the spark the duo needed.

Rahane started stepping out and even pulled at ease with the Lankans bowling short while left-handed Dhawan too complemented his partner to give the Indian run-rate the much needed push.

Rahane completed his 50 from 61 balls, while Dhawan who was a tad slower struck two fours and one six to Suraj Randiv in a 21-run 21st over to reach his half-century in 64 balls.

India's third 50 came in just 31 deliveries as the run-rate jumped to six into the midway mark as the openers started toying with the Lankan attack.

Rahane completed his century with a gentle push to long-on in the 32nd over while Dhawan too got the monkey off the back, scoring his first century in 19 matches with a six over mid-wicket to Seekkuge Prasanna.

It was a relieved looking Dhawan, who celebrated with his trademark style of stretching both arms wide in the air to a cheering 45,000 capacity crowd.

Just when the duo looked unstoppable Ashan Priyanjan gave the first breakthrough when the ball went down Dhawan's knee and had enough pace to dislodge the leg stump bail.

Randiv might be expensive conceding 78 runs from his 10 over quota but he too was their most successful bowler with three wickets to his tally including that of Rahane and stand-in skipper Virat Kohli, who made 22.

Earlier, the Lankans observed one-minute silence for the landslide tragedy in the Meeriyabedda tea plantation about 200kms east of Colombo on November 29.

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Rahane, Dhawan hit tons in India's win

CUTTACK: Ajinkya Rahane and Shikhar Dhawan smashed comfortable centuries in a huge 231-run opening stand as India spanked Sri Lanka by 169 runs in the first one-dayer to take a 1-0 lead in the five-match series on Sunday.

Put into bat, Rahane struck 111 from 108 balls en route to his second ODI century while Dhawan returned to form with a 107-ball 113 as India posted an imposing 363/5.

It was Dhawan's first hundred since his 119 against West Indies in Kanpur in November last year and sixth overall as the two Indian openers capitalising on their respective dropped chances by veteran wicketkeeper Kumar Sangakkara.

In their huge partnership, Rahane and Dhawan plundered 32 boundaries, including five sixes, between them.

Suresh Raina, appearing in his 200th ODI, also did his bit by striking a quick-fire 52 off 34 balls as it was one-way traffic for India.

India continued to dominate the proceedings as bowlers took the baton from the batsmen. They called the shots, bundling out the 'under-prepared' visitors for a mere 194 in 39.2 overs.

The pacers, led by gangly Ishant Sharma, and spinners bowled with authority, never allowing the Sri Lankans to build partnerships or score freely.

Delhi lad Ishant made an impressive comeback to the One-day side after a gap of one year as he accounted for four batsmen and conceded just 34 runs in his 8 overs.

He had both Kumar Sangakkara (13) and Ashan Priyanjan (12) caught behind and later added two lower-order batsmen to his kitty.

Seasoned campaigner Mahela Jaywardene put up some resistance with a fiery 43 off 36 balls for the Lankans but other batsmen failed to put up fight.

Skipper Angelo Mathews (23) tried to dig in but half of his side was back in pavilion by the half-way mark in their chase at a score of 126 and he too could not survive for long.

India received an injury scare as paceman Varun Aaron left the field grimacing in pain after bowling the first ball of the 13th over. Skipper Virat Kohli completed the over.

Aaron, who clocked 152kph in the first over, chatted with Kohli as physio was called before the pacer was taken off.

The two teams will now travel to Ahmedabad for the second match on Thursday.

The Lankan batters, which had the experience of Sangakkara, Jayawardene and Tillkaratne Dilshan, unlike the weak bowling link, hardly showed any appetite as nobody stood firm to anchor the big chase.

Aaron and Umesh Yadav (2/24) generated raw pace from the flat surface while the fielders looked spirited backing the bowlers.

Dilshan (18) was the first to go with Yadav giving the breakthrough in the ninth over, while Ishant claimed the big scalp of Sangakkara (13).

Jayawardene looked untroubled before he lost his patience driving straight to Kohli at short cover to give rookie left-arm spinner Axar Patel his second wicket.

Patel was very impressive, bowling with a flat trajectory outside the off-stump line and he nearly got a third in Mathews but Raina misjudged the line in the slip.

Patel had also impressed with his big-hitting skills as he spanked Dhammika Prasad for two sixes in the last over in his unbeaten 14 off four balls.

Much had been written about Sri Lanka's under preparedness for the series organised after the West Indies pull out from a full length series and it came to fore with their sloppy fielding and a depleted attack that lacked sting in the absence of Lasith Malinga and Rangana Herath.

Sangakkara dropped Dhawan on 10 and Rahane on 38 in what would have been routine diving catches behind the stumps.

The two Indian openers moved at snail's pace with 14 runs from first five overs and the first power-play yielded just 43 with 44 dot balls but the Lankan attack started becoming wayward, while Sangakkara's two reprieves injected the spark the duo needed.

Rahane started stepping out and even pulled at ease with the Lankans bowling short while left-handed Dhawan too complemented his partner to give the Indian run-rate the much needed push.

Rahane completed his 50 from 61 balls, while Dhawan who was a tad slower struck two fours and one six to Suraj Randiv in a 21-run 21st over to reach his half-century in 64 balls.

India's third 50 came in just 31 deliveries as the run-rate jumped to six as the openers started toying with the Lankan attack.

Rahane completed his century with a gentle push to long-on in the 32nd over while Dhawan too got the monkey off the back, scoring his first century in 19 matches with a six over mid-wicket to Seekkuge Prasanna.

It was a relieved looking Dhawan, who celebrated with his trademark style of stretching both arms wide in the air to a cheering 45,000 capacity crowd.

Just when the duo looked unstoppable Ashan Priyanjan gave the first breakthrough when the ball went down Dhawan's knee and had enough pace to dislodge the leg stump bail.

Randiv might be expensive conceding 78 runs from his 10 over quota but he too was their most successful bowler with three wickets to his tally including that of Rahane and stand-in skipper Virat Kohli, who made 22.

Earlier, the Lankans observed one-minute silence for the landslide tragedy in the Meeriyabedda tea plantation about 200kms east of Colombo on October 29.

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