Kolkata Knight Riders Skipper Gautam Gambhir Says First Class Cricket More Vital Than IPL

Gautam Gambhir believes that to see how good a young talent is, one must assess that individual's capabilities at first class level.

Reported by: motiur

Last updated on Friday, 15 May, 2015 17:40 IST

Gautam Gambhir in action during the IPL.

© BCCI

Mumbai: Praising IPL for improving young cricketers' temperament to play under pressure, Kolkata Knight Riders captain Gautam Gambhir on Friday also emphasised that performance in first class cricket should be the yardstick to judge them rather than the cash-rich and glamorous T20 event.(Gambhir Raises Toast to his Spinners)

"I feel if you really want to see a young talent, you should see him in first class cricket and your first class cricket should be given more importance than IPL," said Gambhir at a promotional event of the IPL franchise.

"People in India consider IPL bigger than first class cricket but I think the first class cricket of any country should be far more important than the IPL because in the T20 format it is very difficult to judge a young batsman," said the 33-year-old cricketer.(KKR Lose Thriller vs Mumbai)

"I am a strong believer that you should not be judging a young talent on a T20 format. It is going to be unfair because there are going to be times when there are not going to be enough opportunities for a young talent.

"Obviously, IPL is a great opportunity. When you play at this stage and under this pressure you end up getting your temperament right. Your mental toughness can be tested in this tournament, but your actual technique can be tested only in first class cricket.

"First class cricket should be given more importance than the IPL. That is where your actual talent will come from," he concluded. Turning his attention to the ongoing IPL season, Gambhir said he had expected it to be a close race for the play-off because of the quality of all teams.

"We knew that the competition would be very tough because so many good teams are taking part in the tournament. Till this stage we don’t know who will make it to the play-offs which is a good sign for the tournament," the left-handed opener said.

Gambhir welcomed the return to the franchise of former Bangladesh captain and all-rounder Shakib Al Hasan, who had travelled back home to play in the Test and ODI series against Pakistan.

"Shakib coming back has been a big boost for us because he can contribute with both bat and ball," said Gambhir about the player who turned in a superb bowling stint, albeit for a losing cause, for KKR against Mumbai Indians on Thursday.

Gambhir maintained that KKR's entire focus will be on Saturday's make or break game against Rajasthan Royals and not on other teams' results.

"Our destiny is in our hands tomorrow and we don’t need to look at any other team or any other results because if we win, we make it to the play-offs. Hope we will win tomorrow and finish in the top two," he said.

IPL 8: Pandya-Pollard Help Mumbai Stun Kolkata in Thriller, Keep Play-off Hopes Alive

Mumbai Indians stunned Kolkata Knight Riders with a thrilling five run win at the Wankhede Stadium. Mumbai Indians climb from sixth spot to fourth spot with 14 points from 13 games, whereas Kolkata remain in second spot with 15 points from 13 games.

Last updated on Friday, 15 May, 2015 00:12 IST

Kieron Pollard celebrates after the win

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Mumbai: Yusuf Pathan's late 52 off 37 went in vain as Mumbai Indians held their nerves till the end to defeat Kolkata Knight Riders by five runs in their Indian Premier League (IPL) encounter at the Wankhede Stadium here on Thursday and keep their play-offs hope alive. (Highlights)

With their win, Mumbai Indians climb from sixth spot to fourth spot with 14 points from 13 games, whereas Kolkata remain in second spot with 15 points from 13 games.

Kolkata managed to score 166/7 in 20 overs, in response to Mumbai Indians' 171/4 in 20 overs. (Scorecard)

For Mumbai, Lasith Malinga, Mitchell McClenaghan, R Vinay Kumar, Harbhajan Singh, Jagadeesha Suchith, Kieron Pollard all picked up one wicket.

Chasing a challenging 172-run target, Kolkata got off to a modest start with openers skipper Gautam Gambhir and Robin Uthappa taking it easy from the start scoring 38 off the first five overs.

But third ball off the fifth over brought fortunes back for Mumbai as Harbhajan Singh got Uthappa (25) caught by Malinga. Incoming batsman Manish Pandey (1) too departed after a direct throw by Lendl Simmons got him run out.

Two quick wickets didn't trouble skipper Gambhir (38 off 29 balls) as he went on scoring five boundaries and sneaking in with couple of quick singles.

But he too fell in the 11th over. Coming down the track again, looking to strike it big, spinner Suchith bowled it flat and yorked Gambhir to take out his leg stump. Kolkata score was 88/3 in 10.6 overs.

Shakib Al Hasan also went back to the pavilion after playing a short quick-fire innings off 23 off 15 balls, the score being 118/4 in 14.2 overs. Incoming hard-hitting batsman Andre Russell (2) was also dismissed by Malinga.

Kieron Pollard and Hardik Pandya turned the game on it's head vs KKR.

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Earlier, put into bat, Mumbai got off to a modest start scoring 25 off the first four overs, but lost opener Parthiv Patel (21) in the second ball of the very next over. Patel ran down the track to hit spinner Hasan straight down the ground but ends up flicking it uppishly, which straight landed into the hands of Manish Pandey standing at deep midwicket.

Patel's opening partner and in-form batsman Simmons (14) too didn't last long. After hitting pacer Morne Morkel for a six off the previous ball, Morkel banged it in and Simmons failed to uppercut it, and ended up scooping it feebly into the hands of Pandey.

Incoming batsman Ambati Rayudu (2) also didn't trouble the scorers too much. With the wicket of Rayudu, Mumbai were struggling at 47/3 in 6.3 overs.

With wickets tumbling at the other end, skipper Rohit Sharma faced his game positively striking five boundaries in his short innings of 30 off 21 balls.

But a beauty from spinner Sunil Narine which Rohit failed to pick in the fourth ball of the 12th over saw the end of Rohit, leaving Mumbai at 79/4 in 11.4 overs.

But a late cameo by Hardik Pandya, 61 not out off 31 balls, with eight boundaries and two sixes and Kieron Pollard 33 not out off 38 balls helped Mumbai post a challenging score.

The duo remained unbeaten to pile up 92 runs partnership off 51 balls for the fifth wicket.

For Kolkata, Hasan (2/22) was the pick of the bowlers.

India vs Pakistan: First Test in Kolkata?

Sources say BCCI chief Jagmohan Dalmiya wants the first Test between India and Pakistan to be held in Kolkata.

Reported by: NDTVSports

Last updated on Wednesday, 13 May, 2015 15:18 IST

India and Pakistan fans are waiting for the arch-rivals to resume their rivalry.

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If India and Pakistan do play bilateral cricket again this year, Board of Control for Cricket in India or BCCI chief Jagmohan Dalmiya wants the series to be held in India, with the first Test match in Kolkata, sources said today.(Pakistan Hope to Resume Ties With India in UAE)

The Pakistan Cricket Board or PCB, which said on Sunday that it expects to play a bilateral series with India in December, has proposed that it be held in the United Arab Emirates. India has as yet not confirmed that it will resume playing bilateral Test cricket with the neighbour.(BJP MP opposes Indo-Pak Series)

It had cancelled bilateral cricket after Pakistani militants killed 166 people in the Mumbai terror attack of November 2008, but had hosted Pakistan in 2012-13 for a short limited over series.(India May Play Pakistan at Home: Anurag Thakur)

"If the approval of the government is required, fine, but we should make a very clear decision...the world wants to see Pakistan and India playing each other," PCB chairman Shaharyar Khan told NDTV after meeting Mr Dalmiya in Kolkata on Sunday.

Mr Khan has also met Arun Jaitley, who has reportedly asked the two boards to first discuss compensation for broadcasters, before the Indian government considers the proposal, weighing security concerns among other things, sources said.

There is a section in India that opposes resuming cricketing ties with Pakistan. RK Singh, a lawmaker of ruling party BJP and a former senior bureaucrat, raised the issue in parliament on Monday, saying, "A country which is giving shelters to the terrorists, who have attacked and had carried out bomb blasts against us, what is a point of playing cricket with that country, I don't understand."

He requested the government to turn down the proposal to play three tests, five one-dayers and two Twenty20 internationals in December, adding, "You don't have friendly relations with a country which sends terrorists across the Line of Control everyday."

The Indian board has, however, said it is looking forward to resume cricketing ties with Pakistan. "Since there are certain matters that need to be addressed and considered, it was decided to take appropriate steps. The two boards would be in regular touch and review the situation," BCCI secretary Anurag Thakur said in a statement.

On being asked about RK Singh's statement, Shaharyar Khan told NDTV "Many in the Indian government are keen to see this series go on. I am confident it would."

To hold the series in India, a memorandum of understanding between the two boards will have to be redrafted; the present one states that Pakistan will host the first series and the two teams will play each other five times over eight years.

Shaharyar Khan admitted that the security situation in Pakistan is not conducive for it to host a full series. "The security situation (in Pakistan) is improving fast but we know that right now India would not be able to come for a full tour," Mr Khan told a news channel recently, adding, "We therefore have decided that we'd play in the UAE."

Pakistan have not hosted international cricket since the 2009 attack on the visiting Sri Lankan team which forced them to play home matches in the UAE.

In Pakistan's Karachi today, at least 47 people were killed this morning when armed men entered a packed bus and opened fire.

IPL 8: Delhi Daredevils stuns Chennai Super Kings by 6 wickets

Delhi Daredevils (DD) produced an authoritative performance in the Indian Premier League in Raipur to defeat table toppers Chennai Super Kings (CSK) by six wickets. It is a win that came a bit too late. DD is already out of the playoffs race. What the win really achieved was making the qualification a bit more difficult for CSK.

DD players and CSK players shake hands after match 49 of the Pepsi IPL 2015 (Indian Premier League) between Delhi Daredevils and Chennai Super Kings held at the Shaheed Veer Narayan Singh International Cricket Stadium in Raipur, India on the 12th May 2015. Courtesy BCCI

MS Dhoni won the toss and as always won the toss. But when the action unfolded, something unusual happened. Zaheer Khan and Shahbaz Nadeem bowled exceptional first spells. They achieved something that most bowlers in the world would not even dream of: that of containing Brendon McCullum and Dwayne Smith. The six overs of power play produced just 16 runs. And McCullum got out in the final ball of the power play.

There was no let up for the Chennai side even after power play. The DD bowlers managed to keep a tight leash on scoring. None of the Chennai batsmen appeared comfortable on this pitch. The explosive flourish that CSK was looking for never arrived. The whole innings witnessed just 10 fours and two sixes. A David Warner or an AB de Villiers hits more boundary shots in a single innings. Chennai Super Kings eventually crawled to 119 for six.

Delhi Daredevils faced no difficulties in chasing the total. Shreyas Iyer played a smart innings of sensible hitting. He scored an unbeaten 70 off 49 balls. Even he hit 10 fours and a six – to put CSK’s boundary hitting into perspective. His 69-run partnership with Yuvraj Singh for the third wicket virtually settled the chase for Daredevils. DD reached the target with 20 balls to spare.

Zaheer Khan, who finished with figures of two for nine in four overs, is the man of the match.

IPL 2015, DD vs KXIP - Highlights: All-Round Delhi Daredevils Thrash Kings XI Punjab, Move to 4th Spot

Shreyas Iyer and Mayank Agarwal smashed fifties in Delhi Daredevils' nine-wicket triumph over Kings XI Punjab at the Feroz Shah Kotla. Catch highlights here:

Reported bY MOTIUR

Last updated on Friday, 01 May, 2015 21:01 IST

Delhi Daredevils moved into top-four in Points Table in style with a comprehensive win over Kings XI Punjab. Catch highlights here (All Times IST) 

Shreyas Iyer raises his bat after reaching his third IPL fifty on Friday.

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18.56: It's all over! Delhi Daredevils thrash Kings XI Punjab by nine wickets!

18.52: FIFTY for Mayank Agarwal! He gets there with a classy cut behind point for four as Delhi reach 112/1 (13 overs) v Punjab (118/8).

18.48: OUT! Shreyas Iyer's superb innings comes to an end. He is caught by Axar Patel at deep midwicket off Shardul Thakur. Delhi 106/1 (12.3 overs) v Punjab (118/8)

18.44: FIFTY for Shreyas Iyer! His third in IPL! Excellent display of batting from the youngster, as he gets to the landmark off 38 balls. Delhi 95/0 (11.3) v Punjab (118/8)

18.36: What a batting display from Delhi! Shreyas Iyer and Mayank Agarwal have taken Delhi Daredevils to 75/0 in 10� overs, needing 44 of just 10 more overs.

18.02: Delhi Daredevils seem to be in a hurry here. Shreyas Iyer has come out all guns blazing! Delhi 33/0 in 5 overs vs Punjab

17.43: Excellent showing on the field by Delhi Daredevils has helped them restrict Kings XI Punjab to a lowly total of 118/8. Zaheer Khan made a successful comeback with figures of 2/17 while Aussie pacer Nathan Coulter-Nile led the way with 4/20. JP Duminy too rolled his arm over successfully, picking up one wicket for 15 runs. For Punjab, David Miller's 42 was the only positive in what can be described as a poor batting display.

17.37: Nathan Coulter-Nile finishes with fabulous figures of 4/20!

17.24: What a spell from Zaheer Khan! Exceptional comeback for the Indian pacer! He finishes with figures of 2/17 in 4 overs! Punjab 97/6 (17 overs)

17.10:� Punjab get a move on! But is it too late! Axar Patel and David Miller collect 18 runs off Imran Tahir's over. Punjab 92/6 (16 overs)

17.10: SIX! Axar Patel launches an Imran Tahir delivery for a straight six! Punjab 64/6 (14 overs)

16.56: Punjab's last recognised batting pair - David Miller and Axar Patel - are in the middle. They have nine overs to bat and pull Punjab out of their misery. Punjab 48/6 (11 overs)

16.51: SIX DOWN! Thisara Perera's stay at the wickets ends early! Nathan Coulter-Nile bowls a testing short delivery which Perera pulls but fails to get completely behind it. Saurabh Tiwary takes a good, low catch. The umpires refer it upstairs and then send Perera packing. Punjab 45/6 (9.5 overs).

16.40: FIVE DOWN! George Bailey has to talk the long walk back! He looks to sweep an Amit Mishra delivery but misses it and is struck in line. Easy decision for the umpire. He departs for 18. Punjab 37/5 (8 overs)

16.23: The onus is on the skipper George Bailey. Punjab in desperate need of a partnership here.

Zaheer Khan strikes early for DD

© BCCI

16.16: Another wicket! Punjab are on a serious downward spiral. Nathan Coulter-Nile gets Saha to edge the ball to Jadhav behind the stumps. Punjab 10/4 (3.3 overs)

16.16: Zaheer strikes again! What a comeback he's having. He gets rid of Manan Vohra, who made room but only managed to get an edge that was taken easily by Kedar Jadhav behind the stumps. Punjab 10/3 (3 overs)

16.10: WICKET!� JP Duminy's golden arm continues to strike for Delhi. Shaun Marsh is trapped leg before.Punjab 6/2 (1.1 overs)

16:05 WICKET! Sehwag is sent back to the pavilion by Zaheer. Punjab 2/1 in 0.2 overs.

16:01 Zaheer bowls his first ball for Delhi and Sehwag carves it away for 2 runs. Punjab 2/0 in 0.1 over.

15:45 Here are the playing XIs for today's game:

Kings XI Punjab:

V Sehwag, M Vohra, S Marsh, G Bailey, D Miller, T Perera, W Saha, A Patel, S Thakur, Anureet Singh, Sandeep Sharma

Delhi Daredevils:

M Agarwal, S Iyer, JP Duminy, Y Singh, A Mathews, K Jadhav, S Tiwary, N Coulter-Nile, A Mishra, Z Khan, I Tahir

15:35 Delhi have won the toss and they will bowl against Punjab. Zaheer Khan set to make his debut for the Daredevils in the IPL.

Yuvraj Singh will be keen to make an impression against KXIP, his former employers.

Delhi Daredevils changed, chopped and changed some more in the hope of a better year in the Indian Premier League. After finishing bottom of the pile the last two seasons, the DD management had had enough. So in came Yuvraj Singh, Amit Mishra and Zaheer Khan. Of the three, only one has done anything of note half-way into the 2015 edition. Yuvraj, bought for Rs 16 crore, has failed miserably, while Zaheer has remained sidelined with an injury. Mishra has done well with Imran Tahir and the two leg-spinners have been potent together.

Yuvraj of course hinted that Zaheer may get back this afternoon - if that happens Delhi's attack would be boosted further against a strong KXIP batting line-up. The likes of Virender Sehwag, Glenn Maxwell, David Miller, Wridhhiman Saha can be explosive. Delhi can breath a sigh of relief because George Bailey and Shaun Marsh might miss out.

However, that still leaves them with the daunting prospect of negotiating a Mitchell Johnson-led pace attack. And most of Delhi's batsmen are not in the best of form. It will be a great test of character for Yuvraj.

The two sides may be languishing at the bottom but if they play to their strengths, it could be a cracker of a contest. 

Yuvraj Hints Zaheer Might Play Against Kings XI Punjab

Still non-committal about Zaheer Khan's first season appearance for Delhi Daredevils, Yuvraj Singh has hinted at the left-arm pacer's inclusion in the playing XI during the team's last home encounter against Kings XI Punjab, on Friday.

George Bailey doubtful with injury

© BCCI

Shaun Marsh, George Bailey Doubtful Against Delhi Daredevils

Already grappling with poor form of their big players, Kings XI Punjab are now facing injury scare to skipper George Bailey and Shaun Marsh, coach of the struggling IPL side informed on Thursday. 

Mahendra Singh Dhoni, Virat Kohli to Hop 'n' Hustle in Dwayne Bravo's Music Video

Playing cricket is not all that Mahendra Singh Dhoni and Virat Kohli are phenomenal at. The Indian stars are all set to rock the world of entertainment when they shake a leg in all-rounder Dwayne Bravo's new music video.

Reported by: NDTVSports

Last updated on Tuesday, 12 May, 2015 19:26 IST

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Dwayne Bravo is seen here with his CSK captain MS Dhoni.

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It takes three to tango and who better in cricket than Mahendra Singh Dhoni and Virat Kohli to dance up a storm in Dwayne Bravo's new music video?

Bravo launched a single last week titled 'Chalo Chalo' - a mixed genre song featuring Caribbean music with western and Indian tune infusions. Not done with just singing his way to limelight, the Chennai Super Kings cricketer has partnered Royal Challengers Bangalore's Virat Kohli off the field in a 'dance duel.' The music video for the song featuring the two has already been shot despite the hectic schedule of IPL.

CSK skipper Dhoni and teammate Ravindra Jadeja will be next in line to show off their dancing skills. The two will reportedly also feature in the music video which shows how Bravo courts a woman he is in love with.

"When I'm not playing cricket, I'm known as DJ Bravo. I enjoy doing music," the 31-year-old Trinidadian had earlier said. Interestingly, 'Chalo Chalo' is Bravo's seventh single but it is the first time that he has roped in superstars of Indian cricket.

A multi-talented person, Bravo is not just making headlines for his music. The cricketer took an unbelievably athletic catch in the match against Rajasthan Royals on Sunday to help Chennai seal a place in the IPL playoffs. (Read more here)

With wickets claimed and runs scored by the dozen, life is indeed all song and dance for the 'discarded' West Indian.

IPL 8: Zaheer Khan's Determined Bowling Helps Delhi Stun Chennai

Zaheer Khan claimed two for nine to help Delhi Dardevils - already out of contention for playoffs - stun top-ranked Chennai Super Kings.

Reported by: Press Trust of India

Last updated on Tuesday, 12 May, 2015 23:32 IST

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Zaheer Khan struck early to remove Brendon McCullum.

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Raipur: Opener Shreyas Iyer struck an unbeaten 70 after veteran pacer Zaheer Khan led a brilliant bowling show as Delhi Daredevils notched up a comprehensive six-wicket win over table toppers Chennai Super Kings in their IPL cricket match here on Tuesday. (Scorecard | Highlights)

Electing to bat, Chennai scored just 119 for 6 with Zaheer returning with superb figures of 2 for 9 from his four overs and Albie Morkel chipping in with two wickets as Delhi produced a disciplined bowling show at the Shaheed Veer Narayan Singh International Stadium.

Chasing the small target of 120, Delhi, who are already out of contention for a play-off berth, lost two quick wickets to be reduced to 24 for two in the fifth over as opener Quinton de Kock (3) and captain Jean-Paul Duminy (6) were out cheaply.

But young Iyer and veteran Yuvraj Singh (32) repaired the Delhi innings with a 69-run stand for the third wicket and set up the easy victory with 3.2 overs to spare.

20-year-old Iyer, who was dropped on 32 in the ninth over, hit 10 fours and a six in his 49-ball unbeaten knock on a slowish track while Yuvraj, who was out in the 14th over, struck four boundaries and a six in his 28-ball innings.

Iyer hit the winning run, a single, as Delhi reached 120 for 4 in 16.4 overs.

For Chennai, Ishwar Pandey and Pawan Negi took two wickets apiece. Tuesday's win was Delhi's fifth from 13 matches and in the process they snapped their four-match losing streak this season though the victory did not have much significance as they remain on seventh spot in the league table with 10 points with one match left to play.

Interestingly, Delhi snapped their seven-match losing streak against Chennai in the IPL.

For Chennai, Tuesday's loss means they are yet to seal a play-off berth though they still remain on top of league table with 16 points from 13 matches with one match left to play.

Earlier, Delhi produced a disciplined bowling show to restrict Chennai to 119 for six. Chennai found scoring difficult as they failed to build partnerships while losing wickets at regular intervals.

Chennai, one of the most consistent IPL sides, made a slow start and lost three wickets by the halfway mark before top-scorer Faf du Plessis (29 off 23 balls) and captain Mahendra Singh Dhoni (27 off 24 balls) tried to repair the innings with a 36-run stand for the fourth wicket but in vain.

For Delhi, Zaheer (2/9) and Morkel (2/21) were the top bowlers while Gurinder Sandhu and Jayant Yadav took a wicket apiece.

In-form opener Brendon McCullum struggled at the crease and was the first Chennai batsman to be dismissed in the sixth over bowled by Zaheer for just 11. The Kiwi drove into the hands of Delhi captain Jean-Paul Duminy at mid-off off a fuller ball outside the off-stump.

The other opener Dwayne Smith (18) and one-down Suresh Raina (11) followed McCullum to the dressing room in the ninth and 10th over respectively as Chennai suffered jolts in quick succession to be reduced to 46 for 3 at the halfway mark.

Smith fell to Morkel's first delivery of the match as he was rapped on the pads in front of middle and off stumps from a pitched-up delivery.

Next over, Raina was out off a soft dismissal as he came down the track only to chip the ball straight down the throat of Duminy again off the bowling of Jayant Yadav.

Du Plessis and Dhoni tried to stitch a partnership but they separated in the 16th over. The South African dragged a Morkel delivery onto his stumps after facing 23 balls from which he hit three boundaries.

Dhoni hoisted Yuvraj Singh for a six and then got a four as Chennai took 13 runs from the 17th over. Bravo followed suit of his captain by smacking a six in the next over but perished while attempting another big hit off the bowling of Gurinder Sandhu.

Dhoni, who hit three fours and a six, was out in the penultimate over and Chennai ended their innings on a below par score.