Leading the pack, one hot the other cool

Published>Tue, Apr 13 10 12:25 PM

Chennai, April 12 -- The final chapter in a tale of two captains will start to unravel when the Chennai Super Kings take on the Kolkata Knight Riders on Tuesday. Sourav Ganguly and MS Dhoni have been the most influential captains India have had in the last decade. Both are aggressive as leaders and known to back talent when they see it. However, IPL III has also thrown into sharp relief how different the two can be off the field. Ganguly tore into his side after their loss to the Royal Challengers. Particularly galling for the other Knight Riders would have been his comment, "When I was leading India I had some serious talent to look after. That probably helped." Dhoni appears to have beaten Ganguly to the realisation that leading Team India and leading an IPL side are completely different propositions. And though Dhoni is usually quite honest at press conferences and says it as he sees it, it is difficult to envisage him describing his team's performance as "rubbish" or "pathetic", as Ganguly did.

"If he (Dhoni) has a problem he will go and talk to the coach (Stephen Fleming) and Fleming will talk to the player."

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'I don't play to prove anything'

Published>Tue, Apr 13 10 12:19 PM

Jaipur, April 12 -- Spectators at the Sawai Man Singh Stadium on Sunday were treated to a Sachin Tendulkar special. The Little Master hammered a 59-ball 89, his best in IPL so far, and with it he climbed to the top of this year's leading run-scorer's list. Don't forget, his blitzkrieg ended the Rajasthan Royals' home-win record in Jaipur and the Mumbai Indians became the first team to qualify for the semis. While it was just another signature Tendulkar innings, the secret of Mumbai's victory lay elsewhere. Enunciating the team spirit and difference in mindset, Tendulkar said: "(In the) first two seasons, we didn't have our full squad. First season, Malinga didn't play, I didn't play the first seven games and in the second season, Zaheer Khan was not available along with a few other key batsmen. This season, we have a full strength (squad). We are still missing Abhishek Nayar, who's injured, but it's been quite good so far." Just like Shane Warne, who likes to promote homegrown talent, Tendulkar, too, has pushed the domestic players to perform in the tournament. Be it Saurabh Tiwary, Shikhar Dhawan, Rajagopal Sathish or Ambati Rayudu, each one has delivered for the team. Mumbai pacer Dhawal Kulkarni, who got a look-in on Sunday, responded with the wicket of Michael Lumb in his first over. But the squad looks too much dependent on Tendulkar. Had the Mumbai skipper not shown enough presence of mind to slow down and then go for the kill in the last five overs, that fetched 68 runs, the result would have been different. But Tendulkar backed his players saying, "I think in this format, some day you click and sometimes you don't. When you are improvising so much, it's difficult to be consistent. But I am hoping when it's needed the most, the batsmen will fire. They are all talented cricketers and at some stage they will come good. And I hope it's in the semis."

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Modi in soup on Tharoor pal's Kochi IPL stake

Published>Tue, Apr 13 10 12:11 PM

Indian Premier League ( IPL) commissioner Lalit Modi's tweet revealing the identities of the owners of Rendezvous Sports World, the consortium that had snapped up the Kochi IPL team for $ 333 million ( Rs 1,533 crore), has triggered a threat of legal action from the people he has named.

One name particularly - that of Sunanda Pushkar - has got tongues wagging. Pushkar was seen sharing a sofa in the front row with minister of state for external affairs Shashi Tharoor at the launch of the former Punjab chief minister, Capt. Amarinder Singh's book, The Last Sunset: The Rise and Fall of the Lahore Durbar , in Delhi on March 4.

Who is Pushkar? Why does she have "free equity" to the tune of 4.9 per cent in Rendezvous? These are the questions that are doing the rounds of the cocktail circuit. And Modi's cryptic remark in his reply to one of the responses to his Rendezvous tweet - "I was told by him not to get into who owns Rendezvous. Specially Sunanda Pushkar. Why? The same has been minuted in my records" - has set off a frenetic guessing game on the mysterious " him". Sources close to Tharoor - who categorically denied media reports of Pushkar becoming the third Mrs Tharoor - said she had been a promoter of Rendezvous from the time the consortium had started working on the bid two years back for a team in the world's most lucrative cricket league.

Pushkar, they said, is with the Dubai government agency, TECOM Investments, which is behind projects in the emirate such as Media City, Internet City and Knowledge Village. Her profile on the business networking site LinkedIn shows that she has been working as a sales manager with TECOM since 2005. She also shows up in pictures of high- society parties in Dubai.

Pushkar, the sources said, is the daughter of a senior Army officer and she lost her husband - who was from Kerala - 14 years back. She has a 17- year- old son and divides her time between Dubai and Delhi.

The other holders of free equity in the Kochi IPL team, according to Modi, are Shailendra and Pushpa Gaikwad, Puja Gulati, Jayant Kotalwar, Vishnu Prasad and Sundip Agarwal. Little is known about them, except that they are good friends of Vivek Venugopal, a promoter of Rendezvous. US- educated Venugopal is from the family that owns Elite Group, a 45- year- old Kerala company that is into a diversified range of activities, from producing instant food mixes to real estate and construction. His mother's family owns Cholayil, makers of Medimix soaps and Cuticura talcum powder.

The Rendezvous promoters, according to sources close to Tharoor, are planning to initiate legal action against Modi for violating the non- disclosure clause in the agreement they had inked with the Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) on Saturday.

Asked to confirm if the Rendezvous promoters had sent a notice to the BCCI headquarters, board secretary N. Srinivasan said: "I don't know; I have no idea. I am in the temple town of Kumbakonam, near Tiruchirapalli." And did IPL rules allow any of its governing council members or any BCCI official to disclose the names of IPL franchise owners? Srinivasan replied: "I'll have to check the facts. You call me tomorrow morning and I will tell you."

Another BCCI office- bearer, who is also a member of the IPL governing council, however, was certain Modi had transgressed the line. "He had no business disclosing the names," he said on the condition of anonymity.

Reacting to reports of the legal notice being contemplated against Lalit Modi, Jacob Joseph, Tharoor's officer on special duty, asked: "Why doesn't he disclose the holding pattern of Rajasthan Royals?" Tharoor, he confirmed, had used his political skills to make the consortium viable (to bid for the Kochi IPL team).

Joseph rejected media reports that suggested Pushkar was set to become the third Mrs Tharoor. "She's just a good friend," Joseph said. "If the minister had to choose between Jacob Joseph and Sunanda Pushkar to accompany him to a public function, he'll naturally choose her."

At the Amarinder Singh book release, Pushkar was with Tharoor in the front row, in the company of Congress leaders such as Virbhadra Singh, Mohsina Kidwai, Jayanthi Natarajan and Manish Tiwari. She came dressed in a Chinese collar blouse with a purple diaphanous designer sari and sported a Franck Muller watch.

Joseph clarified that Tharoor's marriage with his New- York based second wife, Christa Giles, a United Nations official whom he had met during his stint at the world body, was "experiencing a lot of pain because of physical separation". They wedded in 2007.

MODISPEAK

On March 21,2010

Tharoor is an ardent fan of the game who wanted a team from Kochi. His role ends here

On April 11

I was told by him not to get into who owns Rendezvous. Specially Sunanda Pushkar. Why?

Reproduced From Mail Today. Copyright 2010. MTNPL. All rights reserved.

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War zone to new life, a fast shuttle

Published>Tue, Apr 13 10 11:29 AM

New Delhi, April 13 -- They wanted to breathe free; steal a glimpse of a world away from violence and bloodshed. And so, they chose to pick up the racquet instead of holding grudges or picking up the gun. Burhanuddin Mir Aman Khan and Mohd Abid Mohammad Alim, 17, are from Afghanistan. Here to participate in the Yonex-Sunrise Asian Badminton Championships, they say they couldn't have asked for more. "This is our first time in India," said Burhan. At 21, he is the player, coach and manager of the national team that comprises just the two of them. Although both Burhan and Alim lost in the qualifiers, making it to India and playing in the championships has given them immense satisfaction. Burhan says, "For us, watching the top shuttlers play is an honour. We would not have had this chance back home." Burhan was born in Kabul at a time when the country was going through a major upheaval; Aghanistan was ravaged by Mujahideen attacks, and was ripped apart by civil war in the wake of the Soviet invasion. Over five million fled the country, mostly to Pakistan. Both their families were among them. Burhan was four at the time, while Amin was a toddler. "My father and Khan's worked as accounts officers with the UN," said a reticent Abid who spoke occasionally, just to put his point across. "Due to the terrible violence, we had to flee the country. Our parents though continued working with the UN in Islamabad." Destiny saw Burhan wandering into an academy in Islamabad where he would watch his friends play everyday. "I could imagine myself playing the game. It fascinated me. So I took Alim, who was a neighbour, and we started practicing. We also had the opportunity to train with some top Pakistani shuttlers." In 2001, the shuttlers relocated to Kabul after the Karzai government took over. This time round, Burhan was determined to help other kids who dreamt of making it big, just as he had. He took it upon himself to improve the quality of badminton in the country, "Whenever we play, people would form a group and would ask us questions, like, what is the game, what is this bird like thing (shuttle), how do you play this? Things will improve though, inshallah," said a smiling Burhan.

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Kochi franchise may sue Modi

Published>Tue, Apr 13 10 10:55 AM

Mumbai, April 13 -- The tug of war between one of the two newcomers on the Indian Premier League (IPL) block, the Kochi franchise, and IPL chairman Lalit Modi took an uglier turn on Monday. The franchise, Rendezvous, threatened to take Modi to court for announcing the identities of each member of their consortium and the percentage stake they held, on Twitter. "There was no need to announce it in a public forum," a franchise source told HT. "If we are asked to furnish all minute details, why not do the same with all the other franchises and announce that too? Let us also know all the details about stakeholders in all other teams." The source, however, did not confirm if a legal notice would be sent to Modi. It is also reliably learnt that the Board for Control of Cricket in India brass was "terribly upset" with Modi for going public with the details and suggested he might have done so because he "doesn't like the Kochi franchise". A BCCI official indicated the matter had been raised "at the highest level". At the heart of the controversy is Modi's Twitter revelation that the Kochi franchise's stakeholders include Sunanda Pushkar, a close personal friend of Shashi Tharoor, the Minister of State for External Affairs.

The little-known Rendezvous Sports World group became owners of the Kochi franchise last month, picking up the team for $333.33m (Rs 1533 cr approx).

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Kumble deplores RCB crumble, Singh on song

Published>Tue, Apr 13 10 10:49 AM

The 152 target set by Deccan Chargers was achievable but we let the match get out of our hands by our own mistakes, a visibly disappointed Royal Challengers Bangalore captain Anil Kumble said today.

Deccan Chargers defeated Royal Challengers by 13 runs in a must-win Indian Premier League match here after posting a modest 151 for six on the board and Kumble said his side lost the plot after Rahul Dravid's dismissal.

"The 150 score was getable. We let them bowl well to us on quite a few occasions. I am very disappointed," he said after the match.

"You can't expect Robin (Uthappa) to win every match. Rahul (Dravid) gave us the initial impetus but after that our innings fell apart," he said.

Kumble also praised Dale Steyn, who returned with figures of three for 18, for producing a fiery opening spell.

"Steyn bowled brilliantly upfront and picked up the three early wickets to restrict Deccan Chargers," he said.

His counterpart Adam Gilchrist, meanwhile, said he always believed that 150 was defendable on the tricky Vidharba Cricket Association ground here.

"It is an incredible win. I always believed that we can defend the score. I felt 150 was defendable if we executed our plans well and we exactly did that today," he said.

"We chased here twice and never felt comfortable chasing in this wicket. So, I was not disappointed to bat first. But the opening spell from Steyn was outstanding," Gilchrist added.

Man-of-the-match Harmeet Singh, who came up with the magical penultimate over in which he picked up two wickets, including that off Uthappa and gave away just one run, said, "It was very difficult to bowl to Robin but I had the belief of my captain (Gilchrist). I am happy that I kept his faith."

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For Delhi, it's getting too close for comfort

Published>Tue, Apr 13 10 10:39 AM

Mumbai, April 13 -- If someone were to conduct a poll for the most under-performing side in the first two editions of the Indian Premier League (IPL), the Mumbai Indians would beat the Kolkata Knight Riders by an overwhelming margin. But one month into the third edition, the most high profile IPL franchise, owned by the richest Indian and led by the most iconic cricketer, has been able to turn the tide and become the only team yet to have assured itself a place in the knockout stage. That doesn't mean they don't have anything to play for in their last home game against the Delhi Daredevils on Tuesday. Sachin Tendulkar's men would like to keep their consistent run going with another strong performance. No doubt, Tendulkar's scintillating form with the willow has been a key factor in their success. But Lasith Malinga and Harbhajan Singh's clever bowling has also provided the much-needed backup to Tendulkar's heroics. And, as the tournament nears its business end, Zaheer Khan's superlative effort against the Rajasthan Royals on Sunday night showed that the pace spearhead is indeed at his best. That leaves MI slightly worried with just two spots in the eleven. The back-up seamer hasn't yet delivered on a consistent basis, while Abhishek Nayar's prolonged injury break hasn't helped R. Sathish cement his place in the side. While the Mumbai Indians will try and get their team combination perfect, the Delhi Daredevils just can't afford to even think of experimenting. If they have to make their third successive IPL semis, they have to win at least two of their remaining three matches. Naturally, Gautam Gambhir and Co would not like to give away two points on Tuesday and advance their knockout phase with two league ties remaining. And, if their poor showing against the Kings XI Punjab on Sunday is taken as benchmark, it looks one hell of a task for the Daredevils to overcome MI's resistance. More than the skipper and David Warner, the Daredevils will be banking on Virender Sehwag who, not so long ago, had scored 293 at the same venue - the Brabourne Stadium - in a Test against Sri Lanka.

And, if he is able to divert his master's supporters to his side on Tuesday afternoon, God help the Mumbai Indians.

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Mickelson's wonder shot from the trees at Augusta

Published>Tue, Apr 13 10 10:13 AM

Phil Mickelson delivered a dazzling array of breath-taking shots en route to a third U.S. Masters title but his magical six-iron at the par-five 13th in Sunday's final round will live longest in the memory.

Facing a four-foot gap between two pine trees after a wayward drive, Mickelson conjured an audacious blow that propelled the ball 207 yards over the menacing water of Rae's Creek to land softly three feet from the cup.

Playing partner Lee Westwood, who had also ended up in the pine trees to the right off the 13th tee, could only shake his head in disbelief.

"It's one of the few shots, really, that only Phil could pull off," the British world number four told reporters after finishing runner-up to Mickelson, three strokes adrift.

"I think most people would have just chipped that one out. But that's what great players do, they pull off great shots at the right time."

Mickelson, long known as Phil the Thrill for his spectacular and, at times, foolhardy shot-making, felt the risk-reward factor had been in his favour.

"I had a good lie in the pine needles," the American said.

"I was going to have to go through that gap if I laid up or went for the green. I knew I was going to have to hit a decent shot.

BIG ENOUGH

"The gap was a little bit wide. It wasn't huge but it was big enough for a ball to fit through," he said with a flashing smile.

"I needed to trust my swing and hit a shot, and it came off perfect."

Asked if his long-serving caddie Jim Mackay had supported his decision to go for the green in two, Mickelson replied: "He didn't try to talk me out of it.

"We were in between a six or five-iron because sometimes, out of the pine needles, the ball will come out a little slow.

"I just felt like it was clean enough that it was going to come out fine and I wanted to hit something hard, so I hit six."

Mickelson's stunning stroke did not gain the reward it deserved as he surprisingly missed the three-footer for eagle before holing out for birdie from a similar distance coming back.

That six-iron, however, will never be forgotten by those lucky enough to have witnessed it, and the shot may well end up being commemorated at Augusta National with a plaque.

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