Virat reminds me of myself: Viv Richards

NEW DELHI: Virat Kohli on Thursday received the biggest compliment of his cricket career with West Indies batting legend Sir Vivian Richards saying the talented Indian batsman reminds him of his own batting.

"I love watching Virat Kohli bat. He looks to me like an individual of my own heart. I love his aggression and serious passion that I used to have. He reminds me of myself," Richards said.

"He is an individual who doesn't back off from confrontation. Someone who can stand his ground under pressure. I love that as you can't teach these instinctive aspects," Richards said on Thursday.

The 61-year-old Richards, regarded as one of the greatest batsmen in the game's history, said that even while fielding, Kohli is a lot like him.

"Just like me, he loves the ball to come to him. He wants to dive, stop the runs. He is a livewire unlike some fielders, who would just dig a hole and dive in it rather than dive to stop the ball!" he said.

Asked whether Kohli will be the 'flag bearer' of Indian batting once Sachin Tendulkar retired, Richards sounded positive.

"I believe till the Master of Shaolin (Tendulkar) is there, you need to give him respect. Obviously, once Sachin retires, you can bank on Kohli as he is young enough and has a lot of time on his side. He will only improve and continue to get better," he explained.

While Richards is a great fan of skipper Mahendra Singh Dhoni's cool approach, he did not forget to mention that the Indian team needs to win on overseas soil regularly.

"What a way to come back against the Aussies (in the recent Test series at home). But for me, the determining factor of how good you are is when you win anywhere. You don't have to wait until you play at home to beat your opponent.

"I agree that it's vital to defend home turf but it's crucial to win outside," Richards said, making no bones about what he felt about Team India's recent performances.

"For me, it used to give me immense pride to perform away from home. Look at Steve Waugh's team or Ricky Ponting's team till a certain point of time. They were great teams because they won in all conditions. That I believe was the essence of 'Fire in Babylon'(Documentary on West Indies cricket)."

'King Richards' was also forthright in pointing out that India's away Test series in South Africa at the end of the year would be a tough assignment.

"It's going to be tough. South Africa are the best Test nation in the world at the moment with the most successful and aggressive bowling attack ( Dale Steyn, Morne Morkel, Vernon Philander). You saw what happened to Pakistan a few months back. It will be the ultimate test," he said.

"But Dhoni is one of the coolest individual and I liked the way he got his job done during the recent Australia series. But having won 4-0, people may expect more in South Africa, which is a huge ask. But if they can collectively work together, they can keep hopes alive," he said.

Asked what would have been his auction price had he been playing in the IPL era, Richards jokingly said "may be one pound!"

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'When to retire should be Sachin's call'

NEW DELHI: Sachin Tendulkar's prolonged form slump may have raised questions on his retirement but West Indies batting legend Sir Vivian Richards reckons the veteran batsman is still a "class act" and should not be pressured into calling time on his career.

"When Sachin wants to retire is his call. It's completely an individual call. He alone should decide. I would never dare to walk up to Sachin and tell him that 'You go tomorow'," Richards said.

"Everyone knows that I am a fan of Sachin. He is still a class-act and doesn't look out of place even in T20's which is a modern day game. Let him go to 50 and I will still like to watch him," Richards, who is in an advisory role with Delhi Daredevils team, told reporters here today.

Richards felt that the meticulous approach with which Tendulkar prepares for a match is an indicator about his passion for the game and something that youngsters can learn from.

"Having Sachin is an wonderful indicator about how one prepares for a match," he said.

The veteran of 121 Tests said that Virender Sehwag still has a lot to offer to Indian cricket and should take a cue from Chris Gayle's batting approach.

"We all know that Sehwag is a magnificent player. What has happened to him can happen to the best players but I will always have him in my team," he pointed out.

"Viru can take a cue from Gayle's approach. When I mean you bluff the opposition, it's about changing your approach a little bit. Gayle loves to hit sixes from the first ball but there are times when he waits for a certain period of time before attacking.

"I want Viru to do that. Take a few singles and stay there. Because when players like Gayle and Sehwag stay for a longer period of time, the bowling side starts sweating a little. They start apprehending as to when these guys will have a go," Richards explained.

"It's like driving. When you see the red light, you have got to stop and wait. Again when you see the green light, you set your foot on the pedal and accelerate", Richards pointed out.

The Delhi Daredevils' IPL has been disastrous but Richards said that he has come to "keep the hopes alive."

"They (Daredevils) did very well last year and just because they have lost doesn't make them a bad team overnight. If they work collectively, better days are sure to come," he said.

The 61-year-old Antiguan believes that one needs to look at the bigger picture about how results can change in sports over a period of time.

"Look at Barcelona and Real Madrid. Such great teams taking a hiding in the Champions League semi-finals regardless of the quality of players they have. But they need to continue to keep up the faith and show the 'never-say-die' attitude."

When questioned whether Gayle's technique of "stand and hit" will mark an end to all the coaching manuals which talk about footwork and shoulder position etc, he said "I doubt Chris plays like this in Tests".

"You have to realise that each format now has a different requirement. I am very happy to see the way modern day cricket has evolved in the era of T20. I wouldn't like to get into comparisons as to how I would have fared. I guess, everyone nowadays fancies their chances when you have 65-yard boundaries."

Richards gave a simple about batsmanship. "Batsmanship is all about hitting the gaps. If you can't find the gaps, you have to clear the boundary."

Asked what would have been his batting position in T20 cricket, opening or No 4, he replied, "I guess when you play a fast and furious game like T20, you expect to face as many deliveries as possible. You need enough time to compete. I guess the best should play most of the bowling."

Richards believed that a stare at the fast bowler was good enough rather than indulging into mindless sledging.

"For me, aggression is not about having an elaborate discussion on each other's parenthood! For me, it's about standing my ground. You might get out early and get a mouthfull from the fast bowlers.

"Fast bowlers are different substance but you need to stand upto that pressure. Try and score 100, 150 or even 200. That's the best way to answer as seeing your face should hurt that fast bowler."

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IPL: Hyderabad to bat against Chennai

NEW DELHI: Sunrisers Hyderabad won the toss and elected to bat against Chennai Super Kings in the IPL clash at the MA Chidambaram stadium on Thursday.

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Chennai made no change to their playing XI while Hyderabad will get the service of Shikhar Dhawan who stages a comeback after recovering from a hand injury.

Hyderabad, like the Super Kings, have five wins from seven matches, although they did not achieve it with the same fluency and authority of that of the Lions.

Expectations will be high when Shikhar Dhawan walks out to bat for Sunrisers Hyderabad against CSK here on Thursday. The exciting Delhi left-hander's return from a hand injury is a huge boost for Hyderabad who have been struggling with their batting.

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KKR are tough to beat at home: Lehmann

KOLKATA: Form might be favouring the Kings XI Punjab with two wins on the trot but coach Darren Lehmann on Thursday said Kolkata Knight Riders would be tough to beat on Friday since they were playing at home and the last few games they have lost were pretty close.

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"We managed to get across the line against KKR the last time at home. But obviously they are a very good side and tough to beat at home," Lehmann said on the eve of the match.

"They probably should have won the last couple of games but fell at the last hurdle. That's the nature of T20 cricket. It's a tough road trip for us. We just have to keep going. We have no advantage. It's them who have got the home advantage."

The coach was not overtly worried with injuries to Jacques Kallis, Manoj Tiwary and Laxmi Ratan Shukla.

"I don't think there would be an edge. There would be an overseas player and a domestic player who would be waiting to take the opportunity. Whoever they play, we just got to beat the XI."

Lehmann further said his deputy WV Raman, who is the Bengal coach, would have a big role to play on Friday.

"He will tell us what we're doing tomorrow. They have coached here and spent a long time in these conditions. He knows these conditions so well. He is probably more of a coach in this game than what I am," he said.

Lehmann was surprised to see 160 being surpassed by Mumbai Indians at the otherwise slow Eden.

"We saw last night 160 being chased. Probably it was not a 160-wicket. Both sides did not bowl the way they could have. Probably the bowlers who adapt the conditions the best would come out on top tomorrow."

Without boasting any big names, Kings XI Punjab batsmen have been successful as they chased down Pune Warriors 186 and 121 by Delhi Daredevils with ease.

Lehmann said it's exciting time to coach the young lads. "We need to keep improving. It's a whole team effort. We have got a mix of very good young domestic players and some experienced overseas ones. They all are doing their job at different times. If they keep gelling as a team, it's really great fun to be a coach," he said.

Asked whether Mandeep had the abilities to make it to national colours, Lehmann said, "Oh yes. He is a very good player. The big challenge for him is to be more consistent and make runs every time he plays. He has been very good for us in the last few games. If he keeps doing that, he has a great future."

Mumbai Indians regular skipper Ricky Ponting showed fine team spirit on Wednesday as he stepped down to hand over the captaincy to Rohit Sharma.

Lehmann however indicated that the struggling Kings XI Punjab skipper Adam Gilchrist would like to get runs under his belt.

"I don't know about him, you'll have to ask him. He is captain and has led really well and kept very well. Obviously we want some more runs from him. It's been well-documented. Even he would like to hit more runs. We will have to wait and see," he said.

Giving an update on Shaun Marsh (hamstring pull) who is yet to play a match, Lehmann said, "He is not fit yet and will not play tomorrow."

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Sachin thanks fans for unconditional love

KOLKATA: Sachin Tendulkar was a picture of humility as he celebrated his 40th birthday with a brief cake-cutting ceremony, thanking his legions of fans for their "unconditional love" in a cricket career spanning over two decades.

The Mumbaikar, who would be seen in action during an IPL match for his team Mumbai Indians against the Kolkata Knight Riders later tonight, made a brief statement to the media before cutting a cake.

"Let me take this opportunity to thank all the people in India and well wishers all over the world who have supported me and showered me with unconditional love," said the veteran, whose wife Anjali was by his side during the ceremony.

"It has been really special and it is because of their good wishes that I am standing here," he added.

Tendulkar said he wanted to thank each one of his fan personally for supporting him for over 24 years.

"Since I can't do that, it is a good opportunity to thank the every little thing that they have done for me, like fasting for me during injuries. I just wanted to say thank you," he said.

Tendulkar got the first bite of his birthday cake from Anjali's hands who giggled after being called from the backstage by the batsman on the insistence of the present journalists and photographers.

"Now, don't ask her to put it on my face next," joked the veteran cricketer.

Earlier, the Cricket Association of Bengal celebrated Tendulkar's birthday a day in advance by cutting a 10-pound cake in the presence of 100 blind students.

The blind students from Narendrapur Ramakrishna Mission Blind School and Light House for the Blind cut the cake in the evening.

In a career spanning 24 years, Tendulkar has got almost all the batting record to his name other than Brian Lara's Test highest of 400 not out.

Tendulkar, who has called it quits from the ODI format to prolong his Test career, has a colossal 18426 runs from 463 matches with 49 hundreds at an average of 44.83.

In the leading run-getters list of Test matches, Tendulkar is sitting on 15837 runs with 51 hundreds, way ahead of South African veteran Jacques Kallis who with 13128 runs is the only playing batsman to be in the race at fourth place.

Tendulkar has played only one T20 for India as he has limited his Twenty20 ambition to his franchise Mumbai Indians in the IPL.

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'Tense' Sachin cuts 40th birthday cake

KOLKATA: An epitome of calmness on the cricket field, Sachin Tendulkar said he felt "tense" cutting his 40th birthday cake even as he humbly thanked his millions of fans world over for showering him with "unconditional love" for over two decades.

In Pics: Sachin cuts 40th birthday cake

"(I have) never been so tense actually while cutting a cake. Thank you everybody for this gesture. It's really touching," Tendulkar said in a brief cake-cutting ceremony where his wife Anjali was also present.

The veteran batsman said it was his former teammate Anil Kumble's wishes that helped calm the nerves.

"While walking to get here, I met Anil Kumble along the way who wished me 'Happy Birthday' and told me, 'don't worry, 40 is just a number.' So that was sort of relieving," he said with a smile.

Thanking his billions of fans worldwide, Tendulkar said it was because of their good wishes that he could continue playing more than two decades after his international debut.

"Let me take this opportunity to thank all the people in India and all across the world who are well-wishers of mine...They have supported me and showered their unconditional love on me over the last 23 years. So it's been really special," he said.

"It's because of their good wishes and prayers that I am standing here in front you all after 23 years. It's been my strength. I thought this was the best opportunity to come here and thank each and every one of them for every little thing that they have done for me," he added.

Tendulkar said there have been many special people in his life who have made various sacrifices for him.

"There have been so many people who have made various sacrifices, fasting and those kind of things when I was injured... I just want to say thank you which I believe is not enough.

"I would have personally liked to meet and thank them but it's not possible so I thought this was the best forum where I could reach out to most of them," he said.

Dressed in a formal charcoal black shirt, the Mumbai Indians batsman cut the customary cake while wife Anjali in a white salwar kameez was beside him in a special programme organised by his IPL franchise.

Tendulkar got the first bite of his birthday cake from Anjali's hands who giggled after being called from the backstage by the batsman on the insistence of the present journalists and photographers.

"Now, don't ask her to put it on my face next," joked the veteran cricketer.

The Mumbai Indians senior-most batsman is later scheduled to cut a 40-pound specially-ordered cake at the Eden Gardens ahead of their 8pm IPL match against Kolkata Knight Riders.

In a career spanning 24 years, Tendulkar has got almost all the batting records to his name other than Brian Lara's Test highest of 400 not out.

Tendulkar, who has called it quits from the ODI format to prolong his Test career, has a colossal 18426 runs from 463 matches with 49 hundreds at an average of 44.83.

In the leading run-getters list of Test matches, Tendulkar is sitting on 15837 runs with 51 hundreds and an average of 53.86, way ahead of South African veteran Jacques Kallis who with 13128 runs is the only playing batsman to be in the race at fourth place.

Tendulkar has played only one T20 for India as he has limited his Twenty20 ambition to his franchise Mumbai Indians in the IPL.

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'Sachin brought school books to England'

LONDON: World Cup-winning captain Kapil Dev says a shy and quiet Sachin Tendulkar was carrying his tenth class school books during his first tour of England in 1990, when he was all of 17.

"He (Tendulkar) was very quiet. On that first tour he was carrying his school books to study in tenth grade. He was shy, did not talk too much and he was just a normal kid. He did not involve himself in topics. He used to observe," said Kapil.

"Two thing were very different about him at that age. His balance was so good... Unbelievable. And he did not hit the ball. He pushed the ball. He had a heavy bat. During that period I had never seen someone using that heavy bat and he held the bat low down," Kapil told the BBC Radio 5 Live show.

Kapil was told to look after Tendulkar on that first tour to England, rooming with him, and he watched the young cricketer's ambidextrous skills with amazement.

"He did with the left hand, writing, eating. But batting, bowling was with right hand. Later on I realised he must be a genius who has power in both hands. That is the future of cricket. If you can have balanced power you can control the ball and balance of your body."

Kapil recalled the first time he watched Tendulkar bat in a domestic match.

"The first time I saw him bat was at Brabourne Stadium (in Mumbai) and I was asked to bowl at him. I was told he would get encouragement from it. I said 'who is he?' and was told he had done well in school cricket and to just bowl a few balls," recollected Kapil.

"He looked like a 14 year-old. He played with decent balance and I was very nervous to bowl to him. He was too young for me to bowl to. I bowled a couple of quick ones. He flicked them off and in the net you could see he looked good at that age. His ability was there but could not dream this young boy would be one of the finest cricketers to walk this earth."

Another former captain, Rahul Dravid, said it will be impossible to replace Tendulkar once the senior India batsman retires from international cricket, but added the game will go on.

"I don't think you should look to replace him, it will be impossible," Dravid said.

"There is a lot of talent there and they have to become who they want to be. When Sunil Gavaskar retired people said where would the next Sunil Gavaskar come from but then we had Sachin Tendulkar come through," he added.

Tendulkar retired from ODI cricket last year but is expected to carry on with his Test career for some time.

"For a whole generation of people it is going to be strange because they have grown up with Sachin but it is inevitable. It will happen. People move on. It is life. Cricket will go on. It is bigger than any individual. The greats have played before him and will continue to play after him," he added.

Asked to pick Tendulkar's greatest innings, former captains Sourav Ganguly and Gavaskar said it was his 114 against Australia at Perth in 1992.

India were heavily beaten but Tendulkar made 114 on a typically rock hard, bouncy pitch at the WACA.

"That is still the best. He was a young boy, about 18. It was a bouncy Perth pitch. We were hammered in that series but he smashed (Craig) McDermott and (Merv) Hughes on a quick WACA pitch," said Ganguly.

"We go to Australia quite a lot now and are used to those pitches but in those days we went once every six years and it was even harder to get used to the pace and bounce."

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'Shikhar's presence will boost Sunrisers'

CHENNAI: Sunrisers Hyderabad mentor Krish Srikkanth said that explosive opener Shikhar Dhawan's presence in the playing XI will be a huge boost for the batting line-up that has blown hot and cold during this season of IPL.

"The best news for us is that Shikhar Dhawan is back and will be playing his first IPL match this season. It will be a big boost to our batting strength and we are confident of even chasing totals in excess of 190," Srikkanth announced about Dhawan's comeback to competitive cricket after a knuckle fracture kept him out of action for more than a month.

CSK may have some top class finishers but the former India captain and chief national selector doesn't want to draw any comparison between the two sides.

"We do not wish to be compared with other teams. All teams play to their strength. We are hopeful of getting in to the semi-finals. That's our first target," said Srikkanth.

The former opener also defended the team management's decision to drop regular skipper Kumar Sangakkara in favour of Quinton de Kock.

"He (De Kock) is a swashbuckling batsman. He has played only a couple of games and you cannot judhe him on basis of that. He is just 20 years old and had had terrific T20 season in South Africa."

Since both Sangakkara and Thisara Perera will be unavailable due to Tamil Nadu government' diktat, there is a possibility that West Indies captain Darren Sammy might get his first T20 game.

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Gayle's fastest ton powers RCB to 263

NEW DELHI: Chasing a record 264, Pune Warriors India lost half of their side at the score of 100 in their IPL match against Royal Challengers Bangalore at the Chinnaswamy stadium in Bangalore on Tuesday.

Scorecard

Pune team reached the 100-run mark in 78 balls. Seamer Ravi Rampaul picked up his second when he dismissed Steven Smith, who scored a brisk 31-ball 41 with the help of six boundaries.

Murali Karthik gave Bangalore first breakthrough as he dismissed Pune's Robin Uthappa in the very second ball of the first over.

Ravi Rampaul picked up the second wicket for Bangalore when he sent skipper Aaron Finch back in the dug out.

Seamer Jaydev Unadkat picked up two quick wickets as he scalped Luke Wright and Yuvraj Singh to dent Pune's mammoth run chase

Earlier, Chris Gayle hit the fastest century in the history of professional cricket blasting an incredible 175 off 66 balls as Royal Challengers Bangalore posted a record 263 for five against Pune Warriors.

Gayle hit the fastest century, off just 30 balls, and the highest-ever individual score in a T20 game surpassing Kolkata Knight Riders' Brendon McCullum who hit 158 off 73 balls against RCB at this very Chinnaswamy Stadium.

Incidentally, RCB's total was also the highest-ever total in any T20 game.

Put into bat, it was 'Gayle Force' that blew away the Pune Warriors as the big-bodied Jamaican showed his power-hitting ability as he struck 13 fours and 17 sixes en route the fastest ever T20 century off only 30 balls. 154 out of his 175 runs came in boundaries and off only 30 scoring strokes.

Typically, he brought up his century with a six off Ashoke Dinda that sailed over the stadium and in the process also damaged the roof.

The carnage started from the second over bowled by rookie paceman Ishwar Pandey. Playing his first IPL match, Pandey found out what top-level cricket was all about as Gayle hit him for five boundaries taking 21 runs of that over.

Mitchell Marsh and Aaron Finch got even worst treatments as they went for 28 and 29 runs in their respective overs as both were clobbered for four sixes each.

There was minimum fuss as usual in Gayle's batting as he barely had any footwork. It was just stand and deliver as the ball kept on sailing into the stands and there was little that skipper Finch could have done.

Intimidated by this mayhem, the Pune bowlers could only go through the motion. All the three changes made by Pune backfired as Pandey gave away 33 in two overs while left-arm spinner Ali Murtaza conceded 45 from his two overs.

It was Bhuvneshwar Kumar, who returned unscathed with figures of 0 for 23 from four overs.

Marsh, who came back in place Ajantha Mendis, was hammered for 56 in three overs while the profligate Dinda went for 48 off four overs.

Gayle and Dilshan added 167 runs for the opening stand with Tillakaratne Dilshan (33). Such was the ferocity of Gayle that Dilshan didn't even cross 20 when Gayle reached three-figure mark.

AB de Villiers also played his part to perfection with a cameo scoring 31 off eight balls (3x4, 3x6).

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Gayle awestruck by his own exploits

BANGALORE: Regarded as the most dangerous batsman in Twenty20 cricket, Chris Gayle on Tuesday said that he himself was awestruck by his devastating 175-run knock against Pune Warriors and said it was one of those days when everything "he hit stayed hit".

Scorecard

Gayle hit the most breathtaking knock in the history of Twenty20 cricket blasting an incredible 175 not out off 66 balls to help Royal Challengers Bangalore post a record 263 for five in a Pepsi Indian Premier League match against Pune Warriors.

Gayle hit the fastest century, off just 30 balls, and the highest-ever individual score in a T20 game, surpassing Kolkata Knight Riders' Brendon McCullum who hit 158 off 73 balls against RCB at this very Chinnaswamy Stadium. Incidentally, RCB's total was also the highest-ever total in any T20 game.

"I am at loss of words myself. It was a good wicket and I started really well. It is just one of those when you hit the ball it stays hit. Everything was coming out of the middle of the bat," the big-hitting West Indian said after his scintillating unbeaten knock.

"In the first 6 overs I went bizzare and it actually paid off. And then I decided to slow it down in the middle period. Eventually we got a pretty good total and I am really happy with my performance," he said.

Put into bat, Gayle single-handedly blew away the Pune Warriors as the big-bodied Jamaican showed his power-hitting ability as he struck 13 fours and 17 sixes en route the fastest ever T20 century off only 30 balls.

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