Sachin Tendulkar-The Living Legend

Sachin Tendulkar’s life can be summed up quite rightly in one sentence. From Tendulkar to Ton-dulkar to End-ulkar to Ton-dulkar again. Such has been his importance to the game that it had be quite an achievement to find an Indian cricketer who says that he has not been inspired by Tendulkar. For the past two decades, Sachin Tendulkar has quite successfully handled the magnanimous task of living upto the expectations of a billion people.

Don't take opponents lightly: MSD

Remember what happened last time when India visited the Caribbean Islands for the World Cup 2007. Yes, the stunning defeat for the Men in Blue by the Bangla Tigers. That game changed the course of India’s World Cup Journey with a unexpected exit.

Dravid and Co had overconfidence of beating the Bangladesh team so did they lose. But MS Dhoni this time is taking it seriously.

Here are his words:-

If you ask me, I would not consider our opening match against Afghanistan as a practice game. I don’t take my opponents lightly. At the end of the day you have to win whichever team you play.

I don’t know much about them. It is good in a way because if we know too much about a side then you are thinking too much about them. However, our preparation will remain the same as if you are playing the best opponent in world cricket

We can’t really relax against whichever team you are playing. At the end of the day you are representing India and you have to be at your best when you turn up on the field.

We don’t actually need to play a warm-up game as the way we have shaped up after the long journey, there wouldn’t have been any good coming out of it. It is good that we can rest and have a rigorous practice session and get back into the groove and prepare for the match against them

Let us see what happens…

Sehwag out of T20 World Cup

Just a week before the T20 World Cup to kick start,The Indian team has seen a injury- Virender Sehwag, player of DD has injured his shoulders just like what happened last year.

But the selectors have not made the same blunder as they did in the last T20 World Cup. Wiser selection has been done by choosing Murali Vijay, the experienced campaigner and one in the top 5 run scorers in the IPL.

Some of you might think Vijay is a test player and won’t fit in Viru’s aggressive shoes. But, he has been selected because of his superb playing in the IPL this year.

Will he do wonders? Lets wait and see.

West Indies T20 Squad

The West Indies Cricket Board has made hell of surprises in  the T20 World Cup squad. The yougies, Adrian Barath, Darren Bravo and Lendl Simmons who played a major role in domestic T20 tournaments for WI have not been chosen.

But, Veterans Shiv Chanderpaul, Ramnaresh Sarwan and Jerome Taylor made a comeback to the West Indies team.

Andre Fletcher who with his poor run has not been dropped from the squad. He will open along with the long stand Opener Chris Gayle. He will also be a reserve keeper for Dinesh Ramdin.

The Chief of the selectors said:-

Wavell Hinds has been recalled and he brings a wealth of experience. He is a knowledgeable cricketer and we believe can make a good contribution in the middle-order as well.

The strength is in the all-round ability of the team. Overall, we have a balanced side with good all-round strength. We want to prepare well, because good preparation leads to good results

We have Chris Gayle at the top of the order and he can be a match-winner. It is also good to have our experienced players in the middle-order – Shiv Chanderpaul and Ramnaresh Sarwan – and this gives us strength in the batting.

We are confident our players will deliver on the home stage. If we play as a unit we have a very good chance of winning the ICC T20 World Tournament

SQUAD:-

Chris Gayle (Captain), Sulieman Benn, Dwayne Bravo, Shiv Chanderpaul, Narsingh Deonarine, Andre Fletcher, Wavell Hinds, Nikita Miller, Kieron Pollard, Denesh Ramdin, Ravi Rampaul, Kemar Roach, Darren Sammy, Ramnaresh Sarwan, Jerome Taylor

Juan Theron in SA T20 squad

The South African cricket Board has named the T20 squad for the Caribbean tournament starting April 30th. Juan Theron is the only new and uncapped player.

Good signs for South Africa is that Graeme Smith who went back home from IPL suffering an injury will be alright and will lead the team in the Cup.

However, Wayne Parnell and Justin Kemp who got themselves injured in the IPL won’t get a chance to play in the T20 World Cup.

In Parnell’s absence, Juan Theron who impressed everyone by leading the bowling attack of KXIP from the front in IPL and won the match for them has been given a place in the squad.

With the presence of Rory Kleinveldt, the all rounder adds depth to both bowling and batting. He was a part of the Under 19 team and is in fine form now.

The Coach of South Africa told:-

I am delighted that we have Graeme Smith back from injury to lead us in this campaign. At the same time it is sad to lose players of the calibre of Wayne Parnell and Justin Kemp.

Rory Kleinveldt will be a good like-for-like replacement for Parnell. He is capable of opening the bowling or operating at first change and he has also been a regular death bowler for the Cobras which is an important area for us. Rory also gives us some good batting options down the order

Rusty Theron has impressed everybody both with his skills and his temperament both in domestic cricket and in the Indian Premier League. He was a key player for the Warriors in doing the domestic limited overs double.

South Africa are placed with India and Afghanisthan in the Cup.

SQUAD:-

Graeme Smith (capt), Jacques Kallis, Loots Bosman, Johan Botha, Mark Boucher, AB de Villiers, JP Duminy, Herschelle Gibbs, Rory Kleinveldt, Charl Langeveldt, Albie Morkel, Morne Morkel, Dale Steyn, Juan Theron, Roelof van der Merwe

Chandimal in T20 WC squad for SL

The Sri Lankan Cricket Board has included uncapped domestic player Dinesh Chandimal to their T20 World Cup squad for the Caribbean tournament.

The Wicket-Keeper Batsman Dinesh Chandimal is performing excellently in the domestic level and has an average of above 52.

Surprisingly, they have also included The Veteran Sanath Jayasuriya despite his poor run in the recent tournaments.

The squad includes Suraj Randiv, the right arm spinner along with the Ace Muttiah Muralidharan and Ajantha Mendis.

SQUAD:-

Kumar Sangakkara (Capt), Muttiah Muralitharan, Mahela Jayawardene, Sanath Jayasuriya, Tillakaratne Dilshan, Angelo Mathews, Thissera Perera, Suraj Randiv, Dinesh Chandimal, Nuwan Kulasekera, Lasith Malinga, Chinthaka Jayasinghe, Chamara Kapugedera, Ajantha Mendis, Chanaka Welegedera

Ryder in T20 World Cup Squad

Rob Nichol is the only new cap for the T20 World Cup Squad for the New Zealanders starting April 30th in West Indies.

Kiwi Player Jesse Ryder too has been included in the team after a long time. He was dropped after the Champions Trophy.

Daryl Tuffey and Niel Broom made way for the uncapped Rob Nichol as they are suffering from injuries.

The Selectors of the New Zealand Team told:-

We think we have some very dynamic batters who can be lethal in this form of the game. Our bowlers are also very effective Twenty20 performers,” he said.

The Black Caps will leave for their Brisbane training camp on April 18 where players such as Jacob Oram and Kyle Mills, who are returning after injury, will be put through their paces in an effort to restore match fitness.

SQUAD:-

Daniel Vettori
Shane Bond
Ian Butler
Martin Guptill
Gareth Hopkins
Brendon McCullum
Nathan McCullum
Kyle Mills
Rob Nicol
Jacob Oram
Aaron Redmond
Jesse Ryder
Tim Southee
Scott Styris
Ross Taylor

Bangladesh name their T20 squad

The Bangladesh Cricket Board have recalled the Former Captain Mohammad Ashraful to the T20 World Cup squad which will take place in the Caribbean after the IPL this year.

Ashraful has been in poor form and he skipped England series to improve form in Domestic level.

Pacer Syed Rasel has been included in the squad while left-arm spinner Mohammad Sohrawordi and batsman Jahirul Islam retained their places in the Twenty20 squad..

The Bangladeshis will have a tough time along with Australians and Defending Champions Pakistanis in group A.

Shakib Al Hasan (captain), Tamim Iqbal, Imrul Kayes, Jahirul Islam, Mohammad Ashraful, Aftab Ahmed, Mahmudullah, Mushfiqur Rahim, Naeem Islam, Mashrafe Mortaza , Abdur Razzak, Shafiul Islam, Rubel Hossain, Syed Rasel, Mohammad Sohrawordi.

Lee back for T20 World Cup

Australian Veteran Pacer, Brett Lee who recently retired from Test Cricket and just recovered from an injury has been chosen in the T20 World Cup Squad coming up after the IPL in West Indies. Along with him, Micheal Hussey too has been chosen in the squad.

But, Adam Voges and Shaun Marsh have not been included. Lee selection was a surprise ahead of the emerging pacer Ryan Harris.

The Chairman of Selectors said:-

While Brett Lee hasn’t played the amount of cricket we would’ve liked him to in preparation for this World Cup, at his best he is one of the best Twenty20 cricketers in the world.

He also has the opportunity of continuing to play in the IPL as preparation for this tournament. Ryan Harris is extremely unlucky to miss selection given his strong performances in all forms of the game in recent times for Australia

We’ve gone with Mike Hussey who brings great international experience and is in fantastic form in all formats of the game right now

We’ve also added Tim Paine to give us cover in case of injury to Brad Haddin and of course, Tim’s ability with the bat, which saw him have a great KFC Twenty20 Big Bash, more than warrants his selection.Dan Christian had limited opportunities in the lead-up to this selection but we see him an exciting Twenty20 cricketer with his all-round skills with bat and ball

SQUAD:-

Michael Clarke  – Captain
Cameron White  – Vice-captain
Daniel Christian
Brad Haddin
Nathan Hauritz
David Hussey
Mike Hussey
Mitchell Johnson
Brett Lee
Dirk Nannes
Tim Paine
Steven Smith
Shaun Tait
David Warner
Shane Watson

T20 WC squad: India

Just when one third of the Indian Premier League is completed, Kris Srikkanth and co decided the final 15 players for the twenty twenty world Cup which will take place in West Indies starting April 29th.

It was a tough job to pick the 15 as there are many good players in the 30 man probables.

Young Pacer Ishant Sharma who was part of last year World Cup has been dropped giving a chance to Vinay Kumar.

But, some good performers till now in the IPL- Robin Uthappa, Saurabh Tiwary, Murali Karthik, Amit Mishra, Virat Kohli have not been considered.

The team is placed in group C along with the South Africans and Afghanisthan. Key players will be Virender Sehwag and Zaheer Khan who were missed in World Cup 2008.

Squad:

MS Dhoni, Virender Sehwag, Gautam Gambhir, Piyush Chawla, Yuvraj Singh, Suresh Raina, Vinay Kumar, Harbhajan Singh, Zaheer Khan, Ravindra Jadeja, Praveen Kumar, Ashish Nehra, Rohit Sharma, Dinesh Karthik, Yusuf Pathan.