A chance for India to climb to No.1 spot in T20 table

               A chance for India to climb to No.1 spot      in T20 table

        

India have a great chance of climbing to the top of the ICC T20I championship table if they manage to win all four matches scheduled to be played against England and Pakistan before theend this year.

India are all set to play England in a two-match Twenty20 International series, starting in Pune on Thursday, before squaring off against arch-rivals Pakistan, in another two-match series, commencing in Bangalore on December 25.

Victory in all four games for India, currently ranked third on the T20I table with 120 ratings points, will not only propel them to number one position with a gain of 12 rating points but will also open up a five-point lead over current table toppers, Sri Lanka.

This will be the first time that India has a chance of making it to the No.1 spot in the T20I championship table since it was launched in October 2011.

But if India lose even one of the four matches, the best they can hope to end 2012 is at the number two place, while losing all four could mean slipping down to as low as seventh position with 106 ratings points.

England and Pakistan could hope to push up a place if they win their games against India.

Meanwhile, South Africa could rise up to number two spot if they win the series against the New Zealand 3-0.

But the final positioning for South Africa will be determined by the outcome of India’s series against England and Pakistan.

There cannot be another Dravid: Dhoni

M.S. Dhoni stressed that the spot vacated by Rahul Dravid, is a huge void to fill. “Over 13,000 runs in Tests, over 10,000 in ODIs, I mean, what more can you expect from a cricketer who played for 16 years ? There cannot be another Rahul Dravid. He did everything he was asked — opening, wicket-keeping — and he will be missed in the dressing room,” the Indian captain said here on Saturday.

Dhoni hoped that some youngster will step forward but cautioned against comparisions with Dravid. “Let us not put any pressure on any youngster, who might step in,” the skipper added.

Meanwhile, Akram Khan, who resigned from his position of chairman of selectors following Tamim Iqbal's exit at the insistence of the Bangladesh Cricket Board president, has now declared that he will get back to the committee.

Sachin Completes 22 year in International Cricket

Master-Blaster Sachin has completed 22 years in International Cricket. He started his career on 15th November, 1989 on the age of 16. He played his first test against Pakistan at Karachi. After that Sachin has never look back.

Sachin is on 9th rank in International Test Cricket. All Rounder of English cricket team Wilfred Rhodes has the record. He played for 30 years and 315 days for his country. He played from 1st June, 1899 to 12th April, 1930.

After that English Cricket team members Danish Brown and Fran Wooly have 2nd and 3rd rank.

There are some players are ahead of Sachin and they are George Hadley (West Indies), John Tricos (South Africa), Jack Hobbs (England), George Gun (England) and Syd Gregory (England).

15,086 runs in 183 Tests and 18,111 run in 453 one day this is the world record Sachin holds and it’s still unbeatable. One day and Test highest centuries are made by Sachin.

Sachin is the older player in Team India after Rahul Dravid. Sachin is 38.

In past 2 decades Sachin has made hundreds of fans. Sachin has suffered tenis elbow and other major or minor injuries during his career. Sachin is always out of controversies either he is on field or off. He plays a gentleman game every time.

When Sachin started his International Career he hit his first century against Australia in Colombo. Once Sunil Gavaskar said that, “No one would stop Sachin after hitting his first century.” 

Why Shane Watson is the best all-rounder in cricket in over 50 years

There has been a lot of talk, especially amongst Australian fans, that Shane Watson isn't good enough to make the team, or they want him to bat at No 7 or 8, or lower. Let’s see how good Watson is, and why he is the Australia's best ever all-rounder.

Firstly, let's look at his statistics:

	Tests	ODIs	T20Is	First Class
Batting average	36.92	41.48	30.62	44.11
Bowling average	29.2	28.83	20.42	27.69
Strike rate		88.27	148.48
Economy rate		4.8	7.19

That equates to +7.72 in Tests, +12.65 in ODIs, +10.20 in T20s, +16.42 in FC.

The first test of the quality all-rounder is that they have a higher batting average than bowling average. Watson easily accomplishes this. The second test is that they bowl regularly — Watson has bowled in 90 per cent of innings that he has played in, across all formats (which is why someone like Michael Clarke, who bowls less than 10 per cent of the time, cannot be considered an all-rounder). The third test is that they take wickets regularly — Watson has 35 wicket-innings in 36 Test matches. The fourth test is that they score big runs regularly — Watson has scored two Test centuries and 18 half centuries across 36 matches and 66 innings.
 
There is no question that, as it stands, Watson has performed better in T20s and ODIs than in Tests. +12.65 in ODIs and +10.20 in T20s are a lot better than +7.72 in Tests. Not to mention that his batting strike rate of 88.27 in ODIs and an amazing 148.48 in T20s are very impressive. But +7.72 is still pretty good. And his First-Class record, of +16.42, suggests that he can improve. +16.42 is up there with the best in the world.
 
Watson is also ranked amongst the best all-rounders in the world. In tests, Jacques Kallis is the undisputed number 1, but in ODIs and T20s Watson is either first or second, sometimes behind Bangladesh's best ever player, Shakib al Hasan. And there is no shame in being behind Shakib!
 
Watson has won matches with the bat and with the ball.
 
Now, let's compare him with other great all-rounders in Australian cricket.
 
In the past 30 years, or in my living memory and the living memory of most people reading this, the following players have been tried in Australia as all-rounders:
 
Andrew Symonds - Did okay in ODIs and was good at times in T20s but really struggled in Tests and was unable to take regular wickets. He rarely bowled, and when he did it was mainly just to support the regular bowlers. Not really an all-rounder but more a batsman who bowled a bit.
 
Greg Matthews - Was meant to be a bowler who could bat a bit but ended up with a Test batting average of just over 40 and, unfortunately, his bowling average was about the same. Was carried most of the time and not particularly useful.

Steve Waugh - Believe it or not, Waugh started off as an all-rounder. He didn't bat particularly well and while his bowling was useful, it wasn't great. He turned it around and ended up with a great batting average — largely because he stopped bowling. Injuries led to him often being unable to bowl. Not truly an all-rounder because he didn't bowl often enough.
 
Mark Waugh - Bowled a bit more often than Steve Waugh but mostly it was just to ease the workload of the regular bowlers. Didn't do enough to be considered a true all-rounder; rather, he was a batsman who bowled a bit.
 
Simon O'Donnell - Most well known for surviving cancer, and for tonking it, he wasn't a particularly good bowler and was a mediocre batsman, albeit one who could smash it a mile.
 
Now, going back a bit further, Australia did have proper all-rounders, so let's compare Watson to them as well:
 
Richie Benaud - Similar style to Andrew Symonds in that he batted and bowled and also bowled both pace and spin, though Symonds went one further by also being able to bowl both left and right-handed. He is incorrectly recorded in the stats books as a spinner only; yet, he was well known to bowl part of an over with pace and the other part with spin. His canny tactics — including changing his bowling action — led to great results for the team but personally he averaged just 24 with the bat and 28 with the ball, or -4 overall, which is far worse than Watson.
 
Alan Davison - Played at the same time as Benaud, some 50 years ago, and ended up with pretty good returns, though he wasn't really much of a batsman. He ended up with an average of 24 with the bat and just 20 with the ball, or +4 overall, superior to Benaud, but few regard him as better than the latter. He never scored a Test century and never won Australia a game with his bat.
 
And then there is the one true contender to Watson's title as the greatest ever all-rounder in Australia:
 
Keith Miller - Averaged 36 with the bat and 22 with the ball, +14, ahead of Watson's +7, and he was +26 in First-Class cricket (48 and 22). He formed an opening bowling team in 55 Tests, taking three wickets per Test, and also batted at No 4. A true fast bowler who, unlike Watson, didn't break down.
 
So why do I consider Watson to be superior to Miller?
 
It is easy to say that Watson is better than the others. But Miller is a tough one. Perhaps this is the thing — Miller didn't play all that often, just 55 Tests, and hence didn't suffer the kind of injuries that Watson did. He also didn't bowl all that often.
 
Look, maybe Miller is superior, but Watson single-handedly won Australia four matches in a row in the recent World T20 and all but took them to the title.
 
If I just consider Tests, sure, Miller is ahead. I'd like to think that Watson will improve. I think that Watson should finish with a Test batting average of 50, or at least mid-40s, and a Test bowling average of around 27 or 28 (i.e. about what it is now). But what sets Watson ahead is his ability in ODIs and T20s, where he has been amazing.
 
Even considering this, Watson is still a long way behind the two greatest of all time, Sobers and Kallis. He is even behind at least three of the four great all-rounders of the 1980s in Richard Hadlee, Imran Khan and Ian Botham, though he may be ahead of Kapil Dev.
 
I can say without hesitation that Watson is the best all-rounder in over 50 years. At worst, he is the second-best of all time for Australia, behind Keith Miller. But I'd like to think that, considering ODIs and T20s, he is actually ahead.

(Adrian Meredith, an Australian from Melbourne, has been very passionate about cricket since he was seven years old. Because of physical challenges he could not pursue playing the game he so dearly loved. He loves all kinds of cricket - from Tests, ODIs, T20 - at all levels and in all countries and writes extensively on the game)

Sunil Gavaskar lashes out at Virender Sehwag's attitude

Former India captain Sunil Gavaskar on Monday slammed Virender Sehwag’s  fielding efforts in the fourth and final Test at Nagpur against England.

"What's unfair? The man was just not bending. What do you expect in Test cricket, against spinners that the catches will come above the knee? The catches will invariably be around the knee or below the knee. By him (Sehwag), standing in a way that he was, he didn't do any favour to the team,” Gavaskar told when asked about the catch of Kevin Pietersen, which Sehwag dropped at the first slip.

"The bowlers, in any case, are finding it hard to get past the outside edge, and when that edge comes you find somebody whose balance is all wrong," he added.

"When you are committed to the team, you do everything. These are five days that's all India is asking for...to give all that you have from the time you step onto the field," the legendary cricketer was quoted as saying by NDTV.

Gavaskar was critical of the Indian support staff, saying they had very little control on the players.

"Today players were waiting for two-three players to complete their interviews by the time they started their warm-ups. This indicates to me that the support staff has zero control on the players,” he said.

Gavaskar added, “They are not able to tell the team that 'let those two players finish their interviews, let's start warming up'. The sooner we start looking into all these matters, better it will be for the Indian cricket."

The former Indian cricketer however heaped praise on Virat Kohli, who had a verbal duel with England batsman Jonathan Trott on the fourth day at VCA Stadium.

Trott tried to cut a delivery off Ishant Sharma, which was taken behind the stumps by MS Dhoni. Umpire Kumar Dharmasena rejected the Indian appeal, after which Kohli ran to Trott and exchanged a few words.

Gavaskar said, "Jonathan Trott has not been very quiet in slip position. He has plenty to say to the Indian batsmen. So Kohli was just giving it back and I think it is a good attitude. I am not for a moment advocating bad words or abuse of the opponent. It's a complete 'no-no' for me.”“But when you are given a bit of a stick by the close-in fielders, it's about time you gave it back when it's your turn to field. So I am very happy with the way Virat Kohli did that and with the way he was joined by Ravindra Jadeja and the others," Gavaskar added.

"That's what the Indian cricket team needs.  That's the kind of guys the Indian cricket needs, guys who are 'in-your-face'...guys who are not going to take a step back. That's the kind of cricketers you need," he said.

Gavaskar told the Indian side not to get complacent and underestimate the opponent.

"Don't be complacent, don't be happy with just one performance and never underestimate your opponent. India underestimated their opponent and they have paid the price,” he concluded.

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Mahendra Singh Dhoni's continuance as Test captain is detrimental and untenable

‘Tinker Tailor’ is a counting-out game. Children use it to ‘count out’ or choose who shall be, for example, the seeker in a hide-and-seek game. It goes like this: the children stand in a huddle or a circle and the dominant child or the leader of the group starts counting, pointing at each in the huddle -

Tinker, Tailor,
Soldier, Sailor,
Rich man, Poor man,
Beggar man, Thief.

For each word in the rhyme, a person is pointed at, and the child who is pointed at when the last word ‘Thief’ is said, is ‘out’ or chosen to be the seeker in the game. There are many variations of this counting-out game, and each is used to randomly choose a player to carry out a task in the main game.

Seeing the way India captain Mahendra Singh Dhoni rotates his bowlers in Test matches, one cannot but feel sometimes that he starts counting in his mind “Tinker, Tailor, Soldier, Sailor . . .” looking at each of his bowling options before throwing the ball to the bowler who ends up with the word ‘Thief.’

Sample this: In England’s first innings in the fourth and final Test match in Nagpur, Dhoni introduced off-break bowler Ravichandran Ashwin only in the 30th over. After his first spell of eight overs, Ashwin again got to bowl the 79th over of the innings, and after a mere four overs, was again taken off the attack. The next opportunity for Ashwin came in the 113th over of the innings, and in the 115th over, i.e. in the second over of his third spell, Ashwin claimed Prior’s wicket with a straight one and was pumped up, only to find himself replaced byIshant Sharma for the 117th over. In effect, Ashwin’s first spell consisted of eight overs, second four, and third a depressing two overs — though one of them a wicket-taking one — in what appears to be Dhoni’s quirky gambit of diminishing overs.

What’s more, Ishant bowled two more overs (119th and 121st) and was again replaced by Ashwin, who went on to bowl three overs (123rd, 125th and 127th), to be replaced yet again by Ishant for just one over (129th) before lunch. After lunch, Dhoni merrily continued from where he had left: Ashwin replaced Ishant for one over (131st), was replaced by Ishant for two overs (133rd and 135th), and came inescapably back to bowl the 137th over, replacing Ishant. Mercifully, the English innings came to an end in the next few overs, saving Ashwin and Ishant from this ordeal of ‘Tinker, Tailor’ played out by their captain Dhoni.

If it was Harbhajan Singh who was at the receiving end of Dhoni’s odd experiments in ‘counting-out’ (in the only Test match in the series that he played, Harbhajan got to bowl only 23 overs to Ashwin’s 46.1 and Ojha’s 44), it was Ashwin’s turn to end up being under-bowled in the first innings of the fourth Test: In all, Ashwin got to bowl 24 sliced-up overs to Ojha’s 35 and debutant Ravindra Jadeja’s 37. Again, Dhoni opened India’s bowling attack with Aswin and Ojha in both innings of the second Test; with Zaheer and Ishant in the first innings, and Ashwin and Ojha in the second innings in the third Test; and with Ishant and Ojha in the first innings of the fourth Test.

While the idiosyncratic changes that Dhoni makes in the bowling may help upset — to a small extent — the rhythm of a settled batsman in a Test match, on the flip side, such changes are bound to deny his own bowlers a chance to strike the right line and length and even experiment their variations, which are crucial to their success as bowlers in the longer version of the game. After all, it is a known fact that bowlers, especially spinners, require long spells to hit their stride in Test matches.

Dhoni’s ‘Tinker Tailor’ choices and start-stop methods are best suited for shorter versions of the game like ODIs and T20s, where the element of surprise works and long spells are not possible due to bowling restrictions. That brings us to the question whether too much of T20s and ODIs have made Dhoni ill-suited to captain the team in Tests.

In the 43 Test matches (excluding the Nagpur Test) that he has captained Team India, Dhoni has won 20, lost 12, and drawn 10 — a winning percentage of 46.51— with about two-thirds of those wins coming at home venues. In contrast, Dhoni’s rate of success in the shorter versions is impressive. In the 127 ODIs he has captained the side so far, he has won 73 and lost 43, with a winning percentage of 62.60; and in his 37 T20s as captain, he has won 18 and lost 17, with a winning percentage of 51.38. Interestingly, his record as the captain of Chennai Super Kings in the Indian Premier League is by far his best showing as captain. Dhoni has taken his team CSK to the finals in four seasons out of five, winning the trophy twice and finishing as runner-up twice. Under Dhoni’s captaincy, CSK reached the semi-finals in all five seasons.

Statistics apart, it is obvious that Dhoni lacks the temperament and vision needed for a Test captain, and his instinctive leadership style, bulldozer approach, and stopgap solutions do the Test team more harm than good in the long run. Exactly why the Board of Control for Cricket in India (read N Srinivasan, the BCCI chief) should allow the selectors to choose and groom a new candidate to lead the Test side, while letting Dhoni lead in the shorter versions. Such split captaincy makes a lot of sense in the Indian context, given the amount of cricket that the BCCI’s contracted players, especially those in Grade A and B lists, play in a calendar year.

Also, it is clear from ex-selector Mohinder Amarnath’s revelation that the national selection committee had on an earlier occasion unanimously decided that Dhoni needed to be relieved of his Test captaincy. And if Dhoni managed to stay on as Test captain, it was primarily due to the intervention — it now transpires — of BCCI chief Srinivasan who, as the owner of CSK team in IPL, has vested interest in retaining Dhoni as the national captain in all formats.

While Srinivasan, as the board president, may be — as per the constitution of the BCCI — entitled to veto the selection/dropping of a player, Dhoni’s continuance as the Test captain has been made untenable by Amarnath’s exposé. In other words, Dhoni is living on Board president’s munificence, which is not only indefensible but also unethical, and is an insult to the very spirit of the gentleman’s game. Hence it is also incumbent on Dhoni to do some soul-searching and decide whether he really wants to continue as captain and be at the mercy of his employer.

(Venkatesan Iyengar was a speedster who could swing the ball both ways. He captained his school team at the zonal and district levels. His boyhood dream was to open the bowling for Team India in the august company of his idol Kapil Dev. Even today the sight of Kapil makes him nostalgic)

The god of cricket

The god of cricket

Sachin Tendulkar's mere presence is important for Indian Team: MS Dhoni

Well aware of Sachin Tendulkar's penchant for proving his detractors "wrong", Indian captain Mahendra Singh Dhoni today advised everyone to stop speculating about the senior batsman's future in international cricket.

"When it comes to Sachin I feel the best thing to do is not to speculate. He has proved everybody wrong throughout his career. But I am not Sachin Tendulkar, may be when he comes for a press conference you will have to ask him," Dhoni said.

The skipper was addressing the media a day ahead of the fourth and final Test against England.

Dhoni was of the opinion that Tendulkar's mere presence in a crisis situation like this is important from the team's point of view.

"He's the best man to have in the side in a game like this. The kind of experience he has and the kind of performances he has come up with over the years... he is someone we all look up to," Dhoni said.

Tendulkar has averaged 25 in 2012 and his innings of 76 at Kolkata against England was his first Test half century since Jan 3.

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BCCI rejects speculation regarding Sachin Tendulkar's retirement: Report

The Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) has reportedly rejected the speculations regarding Sachin Tendulkar’s retirement from cricket after the end of India’s fourth Test against England at Nagpur.

Speculations were rife since Monday morning regarding Tendulkar calling it a day as India slumped towards their first series defeat at home since 2004, which were fuelled by his wife Anjali Tendulkar’s presence in the city.

The social media was abuzz with the speculations and even the cameras in the stadium were more focused on the Little Master, rather than the game.

According to the Times of India, a BCCI official has rejected the allegations and said the legendary cricketer will indeed speak with the board officials before making any such move.

"He is on the wrong side of 30, so it's natural that every failure will be a talking point. It's not Sachin alone who is not scoring runs, others are also going through a lean patch,” the source in the BCCI said.

The source added, “We should leave him alone. Nobody has played more cricket than him in the world so he knows best.”

Talking about Anjali's presence, the source said, "She tours with him sometimes during home Tests. It's nothing unusual. Sachin will certainly discuss his retirement with top BCCI officials. Everyone will know when that will happen."

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Tirumala Hills side view As Lord Balajis Face-Pictures.

I received an email with pictures of  Tirumala Hills and Lord Balaji.

The vertical tilt of the Hill reveals Lord Balaji’s Face. ( 90 Degrees anti clock wise)

                                                                                                 

  Krishna decided to take his incarnation, he relaxed under a tree.     At              that time,                                                                                                        

Tirumala Tirupati Temple History

the hunter, Jara, in his previous life, hit the lord with arrow. Hunter apologized and then the Lord has enlightened in his previous life. In his previous life, Jara was Vali whom Lord Rama killed from the cache tree. This account has been settled now.

At that time, Lord Brahma, Shiva and other Devas came to offer prayers to the Lord and in the center of each, the Lord disappeared from that place to Vaikuntam. On the way, to everyone’s surprise, when it was Jyoti reached Suryamandalam, has become an idol and landed Tirumala. The Lord said that the, he wanted to protect his devotees and decided to reveal himself in this world until the end of Kali Yuga. The Lord has Swayambhoo (self created). No one has carved vigraham.He said that chosen the Tirupati Tirumala as a place of residence because it was in mid-earth and the major planets, and he could have easy access to humans and Deva. Deva acknowledges his request headed by Lord Brahma, the Perumal to grant their wish to offer prayers to Him on a daily basis. Consequently, every night, Pancha paathrams are filled with pure water, and the temple doors are closed.

The Devas performed to Perumal Thiruvaaradhanai each day (early morning before Suprabhatam). This Theertham offered to the faithful who participate in Suprabhata Sevai. No Satari made during Suprabhata Seva.

When all the wise men were carried out in yaagam Naimisaranyam, Rishi Narada question of who offered the yaagam. It was decided that the best of the Trinity, ie Brahma, Vishnu or Shiva should be directed to yaagam. Consequently, Rishi Brighu undertook the task of finding the best among the Trintiies. Rishi Brighu Satyalokam, Brahma for the first time and not pay attention to him, he went to Mount Kailash, the residence of Lord Shiva. Brighu Rishi was mad because he was neglected by the Lord Shiva. The rishi was stormed Vaikuntam, which saw Lord Vishnu in Sayana Thirukolam and Goddess Mahalakshmi urged his holy feet. The angry rishi immediately kicked the Lord’s heart to free his temple.

Vishnu is known for compassion, he got up, paid respect, Rishi and asked him to apologize. Vishnu has gone too far to say that kicking the chest Brighu Rishi is suffering from pain and began to press the foot of Rishi. In the process, Vishnu pressing Rishi third eye, which was his leg. Rishi felt humiliated by the type of activities of the Lord and decided that was the best of the god Vishnu worship Kali Yugam and came back and gave yaagasaala decision.Goddess Mahalakshmi felt offended because he kicked the heart Perumal, who was his place and could not continue out of anger leave the Vaikuntam.

The time Thayar left Vaikuntam, the whole place engulfed in darkness and also left Perumal left from Vaikuntam looking for Thayar. In due course, reached Tirumala Hills Perumal and become fascinated by the quiet and pleasant, he continued to live there. Formed an ant hill where he sat. Seeing the situation Perumal,Thayar sent Brahma and Shiva to satisfy his hunger. Brahma and Shiva turned to the cow and calf and Goddess Parvathi disguised as ordinary lady approached Thondaimandalam rule (in and around Tirumala) and sold the cows to the king. Even if the cows were removed to watch this special cow used to go near the ant hill and empty her udder. Thus, she met hunger Perumal giving milk.

ROLE VAKULAMATHA Perumal at the wedding: and Yasodha yugam Dwapara Vakula Maath Srinivasa appeared injured and took them home and took care of him. It ‘happened that one day he saw Padmavathy Thayar who was princess of the kingdom. IN Ramavataaram was excited when Sita Devi carried  away  by Ravana, Vedavathi, a woman who had cursed Ravana that he would meet with destruction because of his disguise, Sita Devi, went to Lanka and experienced all the suffering. As a thank you for this help, the Lord Rama assured him that he would marry her in Kali Yugam. This daughter Vedavati, Akasa Raja Perumal darsanam is just one, you can experience the happiest moment of calm and the Lord’s presence can be felt by all.

The stone steps (PADI), near garbagriham is known as “Padi Kulasekhara” because Azhwar had wanted to stay as a solid object before the Lord “PADIYAAYI KIDANDHU UNN PAVAZHA KAANBENEY Vaai”