Gautam Gambhir, who has confirmed his availability for Delhi, can help Delhi tide over their top order worries for at least one game, says a report in The Times Of India, adding that the India opener can also help negate the threat the Kotla pitch poses early in the morning against the new ball. Railways, though, will be without the services of JP Yadav, and don’t boast of an impressive new-ball attack.
Having enjoyed a smooth run so far, Delhi take on underdogs Railways in the quarterfinal of the Vijay Hazare Trophy on Wednesday with their squad further beefed up by the presence of Gautam Gambhir.
Asked if batting on the early-morning Kotla track was a cause of concern, skipper Rajat Bhatia said, “It does assist the seamers early on but we have won matches batting first too. Even in the match against Assam, it was the spin of Varun Sood that got four wickets, not the seamers. We have played outstanding cricket so far to have won so many one-sided affairs.”
Former Australian fast bowler, Geoff Lawson, who followed India's tour as an expert radio commentator, said the Indian bowlers were completely outperformed by their Aussie counterparts, says a report in Hindustan Times, adding that It's natural that being high-profile names, they will be the first to come under the microscope when the Indian cricket team fails and the bowling department also didn't exactly cover itself in glory Down Under.
“The bowling showed promise but they were not persistent enough. The Indian bowling gave away after the first Test,” said Lawson. Talking about IShan Sharma, he said that Ishant Sharma is a good bowler, but couldn't get his length right. “After more than four years experience of playing at the highest level, it's quite frustrating to see him struggle to take that step from just bowling well to becoming an effective wicket-taker. Wicket-taking is a fine art, mastered by the very best.”
Controversies and Sreesanth are synonymous to each other and you just can’t keep Sreesanth down, says a report in The Times Of India. “He has this penchant for becoming fodder for juicy news. Even before he has proved his worth with the ball for Rajasthan Royals, the Kerala-based medium-pacer has grabbed the headlines for wrong reasons. During the Royals’ preparatory camp here last week, Sressanth allegedly jumped over the wall of the Sawai Mansingh Stadium complex late in the night to attend a party at a city hotel. He is alleged to have returned in the early hours the next day, once again scaling the wall. Australian paceman Shaun Tait apparently accompanied Sreesanth on this adventurous journey,” writes the national daily.
The Royals players, including skipper Rahul Dravid, stayed in the Rajasthan Cricket Association’s academy inside the stadium complex during the camp. The complex is controlled by the Rajasthan State Sports Council, which has some stringent rules regarding entry and exit. All movement in and out of the complex has to be entered in a register at the main gate. If a visitor staying at the academy or one of the hostels wants
to go out of the complex after 7 pm, he needs to inform the sports council authorities.
Other news: (TOI, HT, Indian Express)
Modi’s case based on Dinesh Mongia’s claim: Defending a case of libel filed against him by Chris Cairns in the high court here, sacked IPL commissioner Lalit Modi has said his accusations about Kiwi cricketer’s involvement in “match-fixing” were based on claims made by Dinesh Mongia, the former India player. In the face of persistent questioning by Modi's barrister Ronald Thwaites, Cairns, seated in the witness box of court number 15 in the Queen's bench of England and Wales' ancient Royal Courts of Justice, rejected the allegations. He repeatedly replied such assertions came from “self-confessed cheats” (meaning Mongia and others); and reiterated he was not one of them.
Rana Naved denies any role in BPL match-fixing: Pakistani fast bowler Rana Naved-ul-Hasan has denied his inolvement in match-fixing in the Bangladesh Premier League (BPL). Rana’s name figured in the investigations after police in Bangladesh arrested a Pakistani, Sajid Khan, on suspicion of spot-fixing during a BPL match. Rana and Khan have been photographed together in the past. Khan allegedly was making several phone calls from the stands during a crucial BPL match. A court in Dhaka has remanded him to custody.
