Chika Talk

Ishant has been find of tour Down Under

Every time India tour Australia, they seem to discover a special bowling talent. If it was Javagal Srinath in 1991 and Irfan Pathan in 2003 there should be little doubt that this time around it is Ishant Sharma.

The speedster has improved with every game during the course of the tour and, more importantly, has added pace, while technically he has been getting better and better.

Indian medium pacers have always done well when they are provided with the right conditions. Kapil Dev never failed to exploit the advantage in the wicket, as with Srinath.

Ishant seems to have that quality of getting the best out of the surface.

The youngster has the ability to make the ball climb off the pitch and it would be better for him to persist with the three-quarter length rather than throw the ball a yard further up in search of swing. It doesn't suit his alignment as the one over to Hayden proved.

Ishant has shown the ability to grasp things quickly.

He bowled exceptionally well on Sunday and he deserved every bit of the man of the match award.

For someone who started predominantly as an inswing bowler, he has developed the one that straightens. This has helped him greatly in casting a doubt in the batsmen's mind.

The early wickets helped Dhoni continue with his positive ways. He made the right moves and was supported ably by the new ball department that struck as a team. They never allowed the Aussies to get back.

Against a top side that's crucial.

A composed Sreesanth is a valuable asset.

Ishant has been find of tour Down Under

Every time India tour Australia, they seem to discover a special bowling talent. If it was Javagal Srinath in 1991 and Irfan Pathan in 2003 there should be little doubt that this time around it is Ishant Sharma.

The speedster has improved with every game during the course of the tour and, more importantly, has added pace, while technically he has been getting better and better.

Indian medium pacers have always done well when they are provided with the right conditions. Kapil Dev never failed to exploit the advantage in the wicket, as with Srinath.

Ishant seems to have that quality of getting the best out of the surface.

The youngster has the ability to make the ball climb off the pitch and it would be better for him to persist with the three-quarter length rather than throw the ball a yard further up in search of swing. It doesn't suit his alignment as the one over to Hayden proved.

Ishant has shown the ability to grasp things quickly.

He bowled exceptionally well on Sunday and he deserved every bit of the man of the match award.

For someone who started predominantly as an inswing bowler, he has developed the one that straightens. This has helped him greatly in casting a doubt in the batsmen's mind.

The early wickets helped Dhoni continue with his positive ways. He made the right moves and was supported ably by the new ball department that struck as a team. They never allowed the Aussies to get back.

Against a top side that's crucial.

A composed Sreesanth is a valuable asset.

ICC agrees to change Oval test result to a draw

International Cricket Council (ICC) has agreed to change the result of the controversial Oval test between England and Pakistan in 2006 to a draw, sources at the Pakistan Cricket Board said on Wednesday.

"I can just confirm the (ICC) board agreed to change the result," one senior PCB official, who declined to be named, told Reuters.

England were declared winners after Pakistan captain Inzamam-ul-Haq refused to lead his team back onto the pitch following the tea session on the fourth day after they had been docked five runs for ball-tampering by umpires Darrell Hair and Billy Doctrove.

The ICC board agreed to the change on Wednesday after lengthy discussion at its annual conference in Dubai.

Other PCB sources said all board members, including officials from England, agreed to Pakistan's request which had initially been made in January.

The result led to a strong protest from Pakistan and the ICC appointed an adjudicator to probe the incident that had resulted in the first forfeited result in tests.

The ICC adjudicator, Ranjan Madugalle, banned Inzamam for four games but cleared Pakistan of ball-tampering charges. He also censored Hair for overstepping his authority.

In November the same year, the ICC board suspended Hair from supervising test and international matches for his conduct and he was only restored in March this year after the Australian underwent a six-month rehabilitation course.

"The ICC will make an official announcement after the conclusion of the board meeting on Thursday. We are happy that the members have accepted our point of view that the result should not be given to either team," one PCB source said.

Dalmiya breaks his silence, says he will fight CAB elections

Jagmohan Dalmiya is all set to stage a comeback. The veteran cricket administrator, forced into an exile by the Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI), on Wednesday announced his candidature for the Cricket Association of Bengal (CAB) presidency at the state body's annual elections to be held later this month.

He will be up against Prasun Mukherjee, who succeeded Dalmiya in 2007 after the BCCI booted out the latter on corruption charges.

Speaking to The Indian Express, Dalmiya said: "I have finally decided that I will fight for the CAB president's post. I am prepared as far as the elections are concerned. But as people wanted me to contest, I think it was high time that I announced I was ready for it," the 68-year-old said, adding that he would file his nomination next week.

The CAB elections are slated to be conducted in the last week of July at the BC Roy Club House at Eden Gardens. The exact date is expected to be announced at the CAB Working Committee meeting on July 8.

In a career spanning over two decades, Dalmiya has served as the president of the International Cricket Council (ICC), the Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) and CAB. In 2006, he had defeated former Kolkata police chief Prasun Mukherjee in a bitterly-contested fight for the top job

BCCI

The Board of Control for Cricket in India, or BCCI, is the apex governing body for cricket in India. The board was formed in 1929. It is a society, registered under the Tamil Nadu Societies Registration Act. The BCCI often uses government-owned stadiums across the country at a nominal annual rent. It is a private club consortium. Basically to become a member of a state-level association, you need to be introduced by another member and also pay an annual fee. The state-level clubs select their representatives (secretaries) who in turn select the BCCI officials. As for any private club, BCCI or the state-level associations are not required to make their balance sheets public.

As a member of the International Cricket Council (ICC), it has the authority to select players, umpires and officials to participate in international events and exercises total control over them. Without its recognition, no competitive cricket involving BCCI-contracted Indian players can be hosted within or outside the country.

The BCCI's membership generally includes the State cricket associations, though some states have more than one association. Maharashtra state, for instance, has Maharashtra Cricket Association, Mumbai Cricket Association and Vidarbha cricket association and Gujarat state has Gujarat Cricket Association, Baroda cricket association and Saurashtra cricket association. Railways and Services are also members.

The BCCI is India's richest sporting body. The BCCI's constitution provides for annual elections at its Annual General Meeting (AGM) for all posts, with a bar on re-election of an incumbent president beyond two consecutive years, "provided that the General Body may in its discretion re-elect the same person as president for the third consecutive year". The President of BCCI is Sharad Pawar (elected 29 November, 2005). Niranjan Shah is the secretary.

All the office-bearers for the year 2004-05, were elected at the annual general meeting of the Board held in Kolkata.

On January 10, 2005, the Supreme Court of India ordered the removal of Jagmohan Dalmiya from the post of patron-in-chief of BCCI and also asked the board to complete its annual general meeting (AGM) which had been adjourned on September 30, 2004.

The legality of the office-bearer's election at the board's annual general meeting (AGM) held on September 29, 2004 is subjudice.

In recent times the BCCI has been at odds with the ICC on Future Tours Program, it has formed unilateral arrangements to allow more series between India and Australia, England and Pakistan. This, however, has left out 'minnows' such as Bangladesh and Zimbabwe.

Indian National Cricket team

The Indian cricket team is an international cricket team representing India. It is governed by the Board of Control for Cricket in India, the cricket governing body in India. The Indian Cricket Team is currently the highest paid national sports team in the world (in terms of sponsorship).

Though the first match in India was recorded in 1721, when a group of sailors gathered to play in Western India, India's national cricket team didn't play their first Test match until 25 June 1932 at Lord's. They became the sixth team to play Test cricket. Traditionally much stronger at home than abroad, India proved weaker than Australia and England, winning only 35 of the 196 matches they played in their first fifty years. The team gained strength near the end of the 50-year period with the emergence of players such as Sunil Gavaskar and Kapil Dev and the Indian spin quartet. The Indian team has continued to be highly ranked since then in Test cricket and One Day Internationals. The team won the Cricket World Cup in 1983 and was runners-up in 2003. It also won the first World Twenty20 in 2007. The current team contains many of the world's leading players, including Sachin Tendulkar, Rahul Dravid, Sourav Ganguly and Anil Kumble, who hold numerous cricketing world records.

As of January 2008, the Indian team has played 414 Test matches, winning 22.46%, losing 32.13% and drawing 45.41% of its games. The team is ranked second in the ICC Test Championship rankings and fourth in the ICC ODI Championship rankings.

India in Sri Lanka, 5 ODI Series, 2008, Aug 18 - Aug 29

1st ODI: Sri Lanka v India at Rangiri Dambulla International Stadium, Rangiri

Aug 18 04:30 GMT

2nd ODI: Sri Lanka v India at Rangiri Dambulla International Stadium, Rangiri

Aug 20 04:30 GMT

3rd ODI: Sri Lanka v India at R.Premadasa Stadium (Khettarama), Colombo

Aug 24 09:00 GMT

4th ODI: Sri Lanka v India at R.Premadasa Stadium (Khettarama), Colombo

Aug 26 09:00 GMT

5th ODI: Sri Lanka v India at R.Premadasa Stadium (Khettarama), Colombo

Aug 29 09:00 GMT

India in Sri Lanka, 3 Test Series, 2008, Jul 23 - Aug 12

1st Test: Sri Lanka v India at Sinhalese Sports Club Ground, Colombo

Jul 23 - Jul 27 05:00 GMT

2nd Test: Sri Lanka v India at Galle International Stadium, Galle

Jul 31 - Aug 4 05:00 GMT

3rd Test: Sri Lanka v India at R.Premadasa Stadium (Khettarama), Colombo

Aug 8 - Aug 12 05:00 GMT

Top 10 Batsman in ODI

1	G.C. Smith	SA
2	S.R. Tendulkar	IND
3	Mohammad Yousuf	PAK
4	R.T. Ponting	AUS
4	M.E.K. Hussey	AUS
4	M.S. Dhoni	IND
7	S. Chanderpaul	WI
8	M.L. Hayden	AUS
8	A.B. de Villiers	SA
10	H.H. Gibbs	SA

Indian Test captain Anil Kumble on Monday endorsed his ODI counterpart Mahendra Singh Dhoni's view that back-to-back matches are taking a toll on the

Bangalore:

"It's never easy to play back-to-back one-day games," Kumble told reporters when his reaction was sought on Dhoni's comments.

"I have done that in my (one-day) career. It's quite tough and demanding on the players," he said on the last day of a week-long camp here for Test specialists as part of the preparations for the upcoming Sri Lanka tour.

Dhoni on Saturday lambasted the gruelling Asia Cup schedule after his side swamped Bangladesh by seven wickets to record their third successive win in the competition in Karachi.

Dhoni had said: "We have spent 36 hours playing cricket out of the 84 hours we have been in Karachi. It is too tight. I am not happy with the schedule. Two teams have to play back to back matches while two have got a day off."

He also said that his players were tired after the matches. "It was tough out there for us".

Meanwhile, on the umpire referral system, Kumble declined to pass a judgement for now, saying the system can be analysed only when it is put to use.

"It's in experimental stage. We have to look at it in Sri Lanka," he said.

But he rejected suggestions that the system would lead to teams failing to bowl the mandatory 90 overs in a day in Test matches owing to time delays.

In such situations, captains would have to move things quickly (to make for time loss) and ensure that daily quota is completed. In the last six months, he had no problem in ensuring that 90 overs were bowled in a day.

"I don't think it (the new system) will stop us doing that (completing 90 overs in a day)," Kumble said.

He also said the Indian side never goes into any series keeping in mind where it would stand in the ICC Test ranking after the tour.

"I don't think any new competition will make us better; make us more passionate about the game."

The newest addition to India's spin bowling armoury, left-armer Pragyan Ojha

Karachi: The newest addition to India's spin bowling armoury, left-armer Pragyan Ojha credits Test captain Anil Kumble for helping him learn the tricks of the trade and fine tune his game.

"Obviously it helps a lot if you are playing with experienced bowlers like Anil Kumble and Harbhajan Singh. I have not had a chance to speak to 'Bhaji' but I have been in touch with Anil brother and he has been very helpful to me," Ojha told reporters after a net session Monday.

Ojha, who made his ODI debut against Bangladesh on Saturday, said he had got tips from Kumble who had given him a lot of guidance. "His advice has helped me a lot and it is good to learn from experienced players like him," he said.

Ojha, who had a decent show in the Indian Premier League, didn't agree that the Twenty20 competition was the main reason behind his selection in the Indian team for the Asia Cup.

"No, it has all come together. It is very important to also play and perform in Ranji trophy, Deodhar trophy and the Challenger trophy. I think playing in all these events including the IPL has brought me forward," he said.

The young spinner who impressed on his debut against Bangladesh said he was prepared to the challenges of bowling to sub-continental batsmen who play spin well.

"My only ambition is to play for my country and do well. There is pressure, no doubt, but I can take it. Playing in the Asia Cup against batsmen who are used to playing spinners is a challenge but I have accepted it," he said.

"My first match was a good one and I just want to continue the same way whenever I get a chance to play," he added.

Ojha said he was sticking to the basics and not working on special deliveries or tactics for Twenty20 and one-day cricket. "I am just trying to stick to the basics like working on my flight and keeping a good length consistently."

Meanwhile, only three Indian players opted to use the optional practice session with the Pathan brothers and Ojha coming to the nets.

Irfan, who missed the first three games of the Asia Cup because of a side strain, bowled around six to seven overs in the nets before he picked up the bat under the guidance of the team physiotherapist.

India posts record Asia Cup score

India posts record Asia Cup score

AP

Thursday, June 26, 2008 12:26:07 PM

© Getty Images

Karachi: Captain Mahendra Singh Dhoni and Suresh Raina hit centuries and led India to a 256-run victory against inexperienced Hong Kong in the Asia Cup on Wednesday.

India posted the Asia Cup's biggest ever score of 374-4 off 50 overs and then bowled Hong Kong for 118 in 36.5 overs. Dhoni smashed an unbeaten 109 off 96 balls while left-handed Raina entertained with his maiden century, 101 off just 68 deliveries.

The Indian skipper also featured in three stumpings behind the wickets off legspinner Piyush Chawla, who took 4-23.