THE man makes news wherever he goes. Whether it’s hitting six consecutive sixes, walking the ramp or having dinner with a Bollywood actress, the vice-captain of India’s ODI team Yuvraj Singh attracts media attention without even trying. Yuvi, who has gone through two break-ups recently, gets candid and tells why he’s begun to take gossip in his stride.
Now that you’re a part of the Indian Test squad, which aspects of your game will you concentrate on?
I didn’t have a good Test series in Australia because of my knee injury but now I am 100 per cent fit. I’ll focus on playing my natural game. That’s priority.
Last year was very eventful for you. How’s the confidence level this year?
When you’ve had a few bad games, your confidence level tends to go down. But I’ll give my game everything and try and spend more time in the middle. There were a lot of questions raised about your form recently...
I was in brilliant form last year. But nobody can stay on top all the time. I need one good game to regain my form. And I’m sure I’ll do it soon.
With cricket becoming such a young game, do you think it will affect senior players?
I don’t think cricket is such a young game. It’s the game of the young and the experienced. Indian team is quite young but the average age of other teams, including the Australian team, is more than ours.
You’ve all the requisite qualities of a leader, so what’s your take on captaincy?
My dream is to lead the Indian team one day. But before that I have to garner all the experience required for the job.
What’s the biggest threat for Team India from the South Africans?
Their pace attack. We’re playing in India, so we’ll have the home advantage. It’s a spin wicket, so Harbhajan Singh and Anil Kumble will be effective. But then, we need to play really well because it’s a very good team we’re up against.
Raima and you hit it off well during the fashion week in Delhi. Is there a romance brewing?
(Laughs) I’ve known Raima for quite sometime. She’s my friend but there’s nothing brewing here. It’s funny. The moment I’m seen with a girl, I’m linked with her. It’s nothing but gossip and I’m used to it now.
After having been though a rigamarole of relationships, what’s your opinion on marriage?
I don’t want an arranged marriage because it’s important to know your partner well. But my mother’s consent is very important. My gal will have to be pally with my mom and take care of my home.
She’s just 17 and already India’s top amateur woman golfer. She’s all set for the big times
AT first glance, Sharmila Nicolette looks like a tall, pretty young model. But watch her whack the golf ball 300 yards off the tee and you know she’s a lot more.
Meanwhile, she is far from relaxing. First off, her board exams are not too far away, though doing it through the
But most exciting was her recent golfing encounter with iconic golfer Laura Davies. “It was really thrilling playing with her, especially since she’s also a long hitter of the ball,” says Sharmila. Laura made public just how impressed she was with Sharmila’s game and predicted she would soon be encountering her on the professional tour abroad. “She’s so friendly with a great attitude,” marvels Sharmila.
Attitude is something Sharmila knows she will have to watch, especially with young international golfers like Michelle Wie facing criticism for bad attitude and tantrum throwing. Sharmila admits she had a temper when she started out. “I even broke a club when I was 11. But I went to a counsellor and that helped me a lot. Now I’m much more stable, calm and positive.” Which is also why Sharmila admires international golfer Annika Sorenstam. “I like both her game and her mental toughness,” she says.
Even though she’s shot to the top of Indian women’s golf so quickly, Sharmila admits she’s just a kid at heart who loves hip hop and house music, her Saturdays off, her room at home and her dogs, Trixie and Tiara. She loves Italian food but is aware that champions must watch their diet. “I also miss school — hanging out with my friends and the occasional late night. But you have to make sacrifices for your sport. Becoming a pro will be even more demanding.” She’s a compulsive shopaholic, she adds with a laugh, and adores buying clothes and belts. She’s evolved a distinctive style of her own on the course with her bright colours, fancy belts and long earrings, which go very well with her height and model-girl looks. If she ever faced criticism like Sania Mirza, how would she react? “I don’t know. You have to be strong. But I can’t imagine not playing in
Her golfing role model is no surprise: Tiger Woods. “His name spells golf. He’s handled pressure and criticism so well. I admire his mental toughness.” Her dream fourball would include Tiger, Annika and Adam Scott, who she thinks is very cute. “I was to play with Adam in
History at Gabba
India ended their tour of Australia on a high note when they beat the hosts by nine runs on Tuesday to win their best-of-three finals series 2-0.
Sachin Tendulkar scored a superb 91 and paceman Praveen Kumar went on to capture four wickets as the tourists followed up Sunday's six-wicket win in Sydney with a thrilling victory at the Gabba in Brisbane.
The Australians, who also lost last year's tri-series finals at home to England, recovered from a terrible start to give themselves a glimmer of hope when James Hopes (63) and Matthew Hayden (55) made half-centuries, only to come up short.
Australia (249/10)
| Batting | R | B | 4s | 6s | S/R | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Adam Gilchrist (W) | c MS Dhoni b Praveen Kumar | 2 | 3 | 0 | 0 | 66.67 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Matthew Hayden | run out Yuvraj Singh | 55 | 68 | 7 | 0 | 80.88 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Ricky Ponting (C) | c Yuvraj Singh b Praveen Kumar | 1 | 7 | 0 | 0 | 14.29 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Michael Clarke | b Praveen Kumar | 17 | 22 | 0 | 0 | 77.27 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Andrew Symonds | lbw Harbhajan Singh | 42 | 56 | 2 | 1 | 75 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Michael Hussey | c MS Dhoni b Sreesanth | 44 | 42 | 3 | 0 | 104.76 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| James Hopes | c Piyush Chawla b Irfan Pathan | 63 | 80 | 3 | 1 | 78.75 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Brett Lee | b Praveen Kumar | 7 | 12 | 1 | 0 | 58.33 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Mitchell Johnson | c MS Dhoni b Sreesanth | 8 | 6 | 1 | 0 | 133.33 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Nathan Bracken | c Piyush Chawla b Irfan Pathan | 1 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 50 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Stuart Clark | Not Out | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Extras: 9(NB-0, WB-7, LB-2, Byes - 0, Penalty-0) | Run Rate:5.01 | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Target: 259 runs from 50 overs | Total Score: 249/10 (49.4) | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
India (258/9)
| Batting | R | B | 4s | 6s | S/R | |||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Robin Uthappa | c James Hopes b Stuart Clark | 30 | 49 | 1 | 0 | 61.22 | ||||||||||
| Sachin Tendulkar | c Ricky Ponting b Michael Clarke | 91 | 121 | 7 | 0 | 75.21 | ||||||||||
| Gautam Gambhir | c Mitchell Johnson b Michael Clarke | 15 | 16 | 1 | 0 | 93.75 | ||||||||||
| Yuvraj Singh | c Matthew Hayden b Andrew Symonds | 38 | 38 | 2 | 2 | 100 | ||||||||||
| MS Dhoni (W & C) | c Michael Clarke b Nathan Bracken | 36 | 37 | 2 | 1 | 97.3 | ||||||||||
| Rohit Sharma | c Andrew Symonds b Michael Clarke | 2 | 5 | 0 | 0 | 40 | ||||||||||
| Irfan Pathan | b Nathan Bracken | 12 | 20 | 1 | 0 | 60 | ||||||||||
| Harbhajan Singh | lbw Brett Lee | 3 | 3 | 0 | 0 | 100 | ||||||||||
| Praveen Kumar | c Ricky Ponting b Nathan Bracken | 7 | 7 | 1 | 0 | 100 | ||||||||||
| Piyush Chawla | Not Out | 6 | 2 | 1 | 0 | 300 | ||||||||||
| Sreesanth | Not Out | 1 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 50 | ||||||||||
| Extras: 17(NB-0, WB-12, LB-5, Byes - 0, Penalty-0) | Run Rate:5.16 | |||||||||||||||
| Total Score: 258/9 (50.0) | ||||||||||||||||
Hats off to a stupendous team effort. The Indian team has come off the shackles. We dont see them wilting under pressure. This is a team that has the spirit of youth with the right blend of experience.I wish and pray that we keep developing this thirst to win, and more importantly, make it a habit.
Celebration at Firoz Shah Kotla stadium.
Men will always be men even if they are in Blue.. :)
Celebration time..
Congratulate men in blue.. Write u r comments..
Sydney story has a happy ending
The Sydney story is now a finished book. For all that bitterness it evoked in the introductory pages, the end has been sweet and happy for Team India.
Sachin Tendulkar came up with his 42nd ODI hundred, his first in Australia, powering India to a six-wicket win to go up 1-0 in the three-match final. Earlier, Harbhajan Singh, whose spats with Andrew Symonds and Matthew Hayden raised temperatures throughout the series, scalped both. And when India chased, it was perfect, a comprehensive victory which saw Brett Lee going wicketless for the first time. What's more, there was no chit-chat this time.
One up and needing only one more win from the remaining two matches, it was celebration time in the Indian dressing room where there were impromptu jigs, music and bear hugs. In 36 hours, India will get another crack at the Australians. The team wants to finish it in Brisbane and head home without needing to play a third match.
Sydney belonged to Tendulkar today. His unbeaten 117 - he was later named man of the match - came at a time when his team needed it most, when he needed it to silence his critics. The 10 boundaries he hit were precisely placed and there was a dash of youthful innovation, despite a groin strain and cramps during the 220-minute stay at the crease.
With Rohit Sharma, Tendulkar stitched a 123-run partnership after a bit of a wobble at 87/3, chasing Australia's 239 under lights. It was a compelling partnership between two batting generations who together took India to heights where the space between India and Australia is now marginal. Rohit was equal to the repair job, hitting a calm 66 from 87 balls that started with two sparkling straight drives off Nathan Bracken.
Tendulkar was unrelenting in his assault against Mitchell Johnson, playing the upper cut to perfection, and tactically phasing out Brett Lee with a dead bat. All along, he kept the required run rate under five an over.
Rohit was out soon after Tendulkar scored his century, but India were almost through by that time. Skipper Mahendra Singh Dhoni only hastened the victory, hitting three boundaries, including the winning runs, in his unbeaten 15.
Dhoni opted for two spinners in the five-man bowling attack, bravely bringing on Piyush Chawla for whom it was the first appearance in the tournament and that too in a critical match. The ploy worked: Chawla, along with Harbhajan Singh and part-timer Yuvraj Singh, brought the Australian middle-order to a halt after Symonds and Hayden put on 100 runs for the fourth wicket.
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)
Hi...
