ICC Champions Trophy 2013: India Favourites to Lift Final Trophy

Host England defeated South Africa in the 1^st semi-final on Wednesday, while India will take on Sri Lanka on Thursday in the 2^nd semi-final. The winners of the matches will play on Sunday for the final ICC Champions Trophy before it is replaced by the ICC World Test Championship in 2017.

The top performing teams will now enter the most crucial part of the tournament, and it can be anybody's game, but going by their performance this season, India clearly emerge as the favourite to win the trophy.

India, under the captaincy of Mahendra Singh Dhoni, set off for England amid spot-fixing scandal in the domestic league - Indian Premier League - but managed to put the controversy aside and put up a good show.

After beating South Africa by 26 runs in the Tournament opener, India went on to beat West Indies and Pakistan by eight wickets apiece. They have six points on the table after convincingly winning all the three matches, and are the only undefeated team this tournament.

Openers - Shikhar Dhawan and Rohit Sharma - became the strength of the Indian team by ensuring a good start, thus letting the middle order to play their shots freely. Dhawan scored back-to-back centuries, while Sharma scored two half centuries.
With Virat Kohli, Suresh Raina, Dinesh Karthik, MS Dhoni and others in the line-up, India are no doubt a strong batting side.
India are not far behind other countries in bowling department too. Ravindra Jadeja has taken nine wickets in three games besides his ability to contribute runs with his bat. The performances of other bowlers like Umesh Yadav, Bhuvneshwar Kumar and Ishant Sharma have also been impressive this tournament.

It looks like IPL, which was wrapped up just a few days before the Champions Trophy began, helped India as it was like a practice session for the players. Most of the players took their good form in IPL to the Champions Trophy, helping India's cause.
Any team can beat any team on their day but for now, it's India that clearly emerge as the favourite to lift the final trophy.

Rahul Dravid is my cricketing God, says Shreyas Gopal

BANGALORE: Shreyas Gopal's technically-sound all-round talent is suitably aided by his grounded nature. The youngster's attitude came in for high praise from batting legends --  Rahul Dravid and GR Viswanath.

After watching Shreyas at a local tournament a little over a year ago, Dravid presented him several bats and a pair of pads he used in his last international appearance in England in 2011. The 19-year-old, who grew up idolizing Dravid, was overjoyed. "I follow Rahul Dravid's style of batting. I want to be like him," said Shreyas, who cherishes Dravid's words of wisdom, "Keep working hard, you will come up", just as much as does the bat.

"Rahul sir is my cricketing God. I admire his style, discipline and commitment," says the U-19 India cricketer who motivates himself reading biographies of  Sports personalities.

The all-rounder has been among the runs since his under-13 days when he became the youngest cricketer to represent the state in that age-category.

Shreyas has led Karnataka teams in the U-13, U-15, U-16 and U-19 age-groups. He has made his presence felt for the Karnataka U-22 side as well as the 'A' team. He also made a brief appearance for the India U-19 side in their quadrangular series in Visakapatnam in 2011.

A right-handed batsman and a leg spinner, Shreyas has slammed more than 15 centuries and has claimed nearly 200 wickets so far in state and zonal tournaments. He also snapped a double hat-trick (of wickets), when representing Frank Anthony Public School against Presidency, four summers ago.

Last season in the Vinoo Mankad Trophy an under-19 one-day competition, Shreyas scored 217 runs in six matches, collecting ten wickets. In the Cooch Behar four-day competetion he has 260 runs and 27 wickets under his belt.

Earlier in the summer his all-round performance helped Southern Champs Jain University clinch the T20 All-India University Cricket Championship title with a two-run victory over Kent Northern Stars Delhi. He claimed two wickets and scored an unbeaten 84 in their wining cause. He has several double hundreds to his credit, the one he appreciates most is his unbeaten knock of 216 for President's XI against Bangalore in the Zonal two-day tournament last season.

Shreyas, whose mother Amitha played state-level volleyball and father Gopal Ramaswamy was, a club cricketer for 20 years, aims to break into the Karnataka Ranji Trophy squad this season. "The two tournaments of immediate focus is the Karnataka 'A' and the Shafi Darashah. With good performances here, I may be able to get to the next level. Every cricketers dream is to play Ranji Trophy and I hope through performances in these tournaments I can do it. I have worked hard enough for that," said Shreyas

Shreyas was encouraged to play cricket by his father Ramaswamy, who is the director of the sports management firm Mercuri Talent. Ramaswamy points out that Shreyas was a good student academically, especially in his younger days. "As he progressed in cricket there was a gradual dip in his grades, but he is very ambitious," the father said of his son.

A second year Bcom student at SBM Jain College, Shreyas knows the importance of education even for a sportsman. "I want to be an educated cricketer. I want to pursue a MBA," he said.

Irfan Sait, his coach at the Karnataka Institute of Cricket (KIOC), applauded his ward. "Shreyas has got better temperament than any cricketer of his age," said Sait. "This guy has got the ability to switch gears according to the situation and the format of the game. He's a coach's delight."

Asad Rauf got pricey gifts from bookie via Vindu Dara Singh

Asad Rauf (Pakistani umpire who was officiating in IPL 6): "Do you know my birthday is coming up?"

Vindu Dara Singh(film and TV actor): "Asadbhai, don't worry, we will take care of it. I will convey the message to Pawanbhai."

Pawan Jaipur (bookie) to Vindu: "I am sending a watch worth Rs 6 lakh and a gold chain for Asad through Prem Taneja (another bookie) in Delhi. Please ask Asad to collect it from Delhi."

These conversations, tapped separately in April, are the clearest evidence so far that Rauf, who fled India after his name cropped up in the IPL betting-fixing racket, was hand in glove with the bookies and solicited gifts.

The transcript of the conversation tapped through three mobiles of Vindu Dara Singh, arrested for his role in the spot-fixing scandal, was shared with TOI by police sources.

The source said in another conversation around the same time, Rauf is heard insisting that Pawan send the bill for the gold chain or else Rauf would have problems with customs.

The bills for this package as well as two other parcels sent later with gifts for Rauf are with the Mumbai crime branch. In May, the crime branch seized the two parcels containing branded shoes, clothes and other personal effects sent by bookie Prem Taneja to Rauf from Delhi airport's cargo section. The umpire, sensing trouble, had fled barely a day before Vindu's arrest on May 22 without collecting them.

Vindu is also accused of helping bookie-siblings Pawan and Sanjay Chabra alias Pawan and Sanjay Jaipur flee Mumbai at the height of the crackdown on the betting-fixing rackets.

The crime branch on Wednesday had prepared to strongly oppose the applications moved by the absconding brothers for anticipatory bail, but the court adjourned the matter to July 3.

Senior lawyer Adhik Shirodkar, who appeared for the brothers who own a big jewellery showroom, Motison Jewellers, in Jaipur, pleaded that the police be at least directed to withdraw the lookout notices issued against the duo so that they could return to the country.

The court refused, saying there was no hurry and a decision would be taken after the court has gone through the evidence.

Opposing the bail, the crime branch said since Rauf is not available for interrogation, they need to grill the brothers, who have given the umpire expensive gifts, to uncover their roles in the cricket scandal.

"These two bookies were in touch with Pakistani umpire Asad Rauf and had even paid his shopping bills in the country. They also reportedly own a benami stake in the Sri Lanka Premier League," said an officer.

Police said the Chabras fled to Dubai immediately after Vindu alerted them about Mumbai Police raiding super bookie Ramesh Vyas's betting den at Kalbadevi. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kxHQ9J75K_c 

Opportunity for Rohit Sharma

CARDIFF: An 'all-you-can-eat-for-five-pounds' pub in the Cardiff City Centre is bustling with people counting lose change to grab a hot meal and watching - perhaps for the umpteenth time - Mark Taylor score his historic unbeaten 334 against Pakisthan at Peshawar in 1998. The footage is repeated often in these parts.

A commercial halts Taylor's charge. The Champions Trophy fills up the screen. It's easy to note that weather-beaten men, who've seen their share of cricket over the years, aren't quite impressed. They'd rather watch Taylor.

Right then, Rohit Shrama - the Indian opener - plays an on-drive as the commercial nears its end. Heads finally move. "What's his name? Sharma? Kohli?" asks an elderly.

It's obvious they've seen Sharma bat, but not enough to know little details. The manner in which men in pubs here raise their eyebrows discussing Sharma shows they're impressed. "He's good," they say, as if enough has been said already.

Sharma is the sort, isn't he? You watch him bat once, and you might want to watch him again. The problem though lies in him being so unsteady that opportunity itself begins to take a walk.

  Kohil is popular here among the youngsters who've taken to the game and that's because he has scored more consistently. Sharma's not, except for those who've seen a glimpse of his strokeplay and probably wondered why he's not as popular.

Inconsistency has to be the only reason.

In the Champions Trophy so far, he's been a refreshing change as an opener, living up to MS Dhoni's expectations and more importantly the trust he has in himself.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kxHQ9J75K_c
Dhoni has backed Sharma for maybe the same reasons why the old man in the pub has bothered to raise an eyebrow watching him.

At an average of 31.42 in 86 ODI innings and merely 2,200 runs to show despite getting to bat in the upper-middle-order, may want you to question Dhoni's philosophy in backing the Mumbai player. Talent alone, one might argue, isn't enough if you can't be consistent.

A comparison of this sort immediately puts Kohli in the spotlight - 4,129 runs in 98 innings at an average almost touching 50. Comparisons are a normal trend in any sport, including cricket. Haven't we spent time discussing Tendulkar vs Ganguly vs Dravid vs the rest?

But this Champions Trophy, Sharma hasn't been his usual inconsistent self. Instead, picking on the new ball, he's pulled and cut with impunity to log 135 runs in three matches.

While it is Dhawan who's been on a roll, posting hundreds, Sharma has done the needful at the other end, providing the start.

"Whenever we play out of the sub-continent, teams think let's bowl short to the openers and pitch-it up. But if the opener cuts and pulls, they don't really have a back-up plan. Sharma has done that job well for us," says Dhoni of the Mumbai batsman.

In the given team composition, the skipper obviously thinks he's the best choice.

But there's more to what Dhoni thinks of Sharma. "He's really talented, and that's the only space we have got, where we all felt that with his talent he can really capitalise and be a good opener. It's a win-win situation," he says.

It is clear that given Sharma's talent, Dhoni wants to give him a longer rope and it speaks well of the confidence he shares in him.

Putting up bigger scores is something that Team India may eventually ask of him. At the moment though, they'll be content - just like Dhoni - if he can show a bit more consistency.

Desperate to beat India in semis: Jayawardene

LONDON: The five-wicket defeat to India in a warm-up match ahead of the ICC  Champions Trophy will have no significance when Sri Lanka square off against the same opponents in the semifinals, said Mahela Jayawardene.

Jayawardene, who reached 11,000 ODI runs yesterday, said the defeat against India in a warm-up game in Birmingham on June 1 was history. India easily chased down Lanka's 333 for five with  Virat Kohil and  Dinesh Karthik scoring big centuries.

"Warm-up games or whatever, it doesn't count right now. It's a big tournament. It's the semifinal, so looking forward to that," said Jayawardene.

The Lankans beat Australia by 20 runs at The Oval on Monday to finish second in Group A.

Jayawardene scored an unbeaten 84 to win the Man of the Match award as Sri Lanka scored 253 for the loss of eight wickets in a must-win game.

While defending Kulasekara took 3 for 42 and Rangana Herath scalped 2 for 48 to snuff out a late challenge by the Aussies.

The Lankans are travelling to Cardiff on Tuesday to play the tournament's second semifinal against India on Thursday. On Wednesday, England take on South Africa in the first semifinal at The Oval.

Jayawardene, however, admitted that India's batting looked very strong in the tournament.

"I think they're playing some really good cricket. Their batting looks really strong, so those are key areas that we need to focus a bit on," the former Lankan captain said.

On his personal milestone of reaching 11,000-run club, Jayawardene said: "I didn't feel anything. Obviously, pleased when the numbers came up. I can tonight probably reflect more on that achievement because we won the game as well. So importantly the contribution that I made towards the team is much more valuable for me."

Jayawardene said Sri Lanka will be desperate to win the ICC Champions Trophy, a trophy which they shared with India after rain washed out the finals in 2002 in Colombo.

"I'll be desperate for every game to win, simple as that. It's not about trophies or whatever, it's just to win matches. So I'll have that same passion and same desperation to win games, doesn't matter if it's a semifinal or final or just a group game. As long as I have that attitude and the rest of the boys, we'll go a long way," he said. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kxHQ9J75K_c 

India vs Sri Lanka: A battle

CARDIFF: The Sri Lankan team that played and won the last league match in Group 'A' against Australia had four international captains, eight batsmen, seven bowlers and three wicket-keepers in the eleven.

From a tactical point of view, that's quite an Irish broth. While it does give any captain the advantage of numerous options to choose from, what it also possibly does is create different viewpoints. Theoretically, it is prone to create confusion in the ranks as compared to a team that looks up to one leader.

This sort of a combination has greater possibility of running into danger when up against a side that is in very good form and hasn't lost a game yet in the tournament.

On these counts, M.S Dhoni & Co once again is firm favourites for Thursday's clash between the two neighbouring countries from the sub-continent.

The semifinal would be the fifth meeting between India and Sri Lanka in England. Except for the shock defeat in the 1979 World Cup, India have won the remaining four comfortably.

On paper, this should simply mean another day in the office for India, who have won not just matches, but confidence, accolades and appreciation from other teams in the Champions Trophy
However, these instances can only be taken into account when the two teams are matched on paper. On the field though, the Sri Lankans are a young squad too and are being well mentored by the senior trio of Sangakkara, Jayawardene and Dilshan. They could pose a different set of challenges if some of the individuals are looked at in closer detail.

Kusal Perera, Lahiru Thirimanne, skipper Angelo Mathews and Dinesh Chandimal make for the Sri Lankan batting line-up, which has the backing of Dilshan at the top and Jayawardene and Sangakkara in the middle-order.

Perera is a 22-year-old wicket-keeper-batsman, who has played just 10 ODIs so far, but has been aggressive enough to draw comparisons with none other than Sanath Jayasuriya. A clean hitter with forearms to be wary of, the young man has the ability to explode.

On the other side of the coin is Thirimanne, a 23-year-old, who has already played 42 ODIs. Matching Perera's aggression, here's a southpaw who relies more on consistency, likes to strike partnerships, loves the new-ball and has a cover-drive that Jayawardene may possibly envy.

Further down the order is Mathews, presently leading the side and learning the ropes from his more experienced teammates, who've been happy to hand over the responsibility. An all-rounder with a keen cricketing mind, the 26-year old can clear any ground with his timing.

Finally, there's Chandimal, the technically sound 23-year-old right-hander, who has risen through the ranks in Sri Lanka after impressing many with his textbook batting.

Past records and on-paper match-ups would hardly matter to these young strapping men if they get going. With Jayawardene, Sangakkara and Dilshan - all proven match-winners on their day - to back them up, India should have quite a match on their hands.

It is India's batting that has been exceptionally good in the tournament but a few loose ends still wait to be tied up where bowling is concerned. Against a Sri Lankan line-up that has been traditionally stubborn with their never-say-die attitude, they certainly need to be wary.

Considering it's a semifinal, paperwork may not be enough, no matter the shortcomings we've seen so far in the tournament.https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kxHQ9J75K_c 

Cricket and BCCI

The last thing that seems to be on everyone’s mind is the cricket. Mumbai took home the IPL trophy, but there has been very little talk about that. All the talk has been about BCCI, corruption, spot-fixing, money, resignation and non-resignation. Swift constructive action eliminates rumor, innuendo and speculation. But why should anyone expect it out of the BCCI? What really surprises me the most is that Indians expect other Indians to do what they themselves would never do!

The BCCI is dominated by a rabble of politicians and their campaign contributors. It is a place to trade favors, jockey for influence and sweep dirt under the carpet. Why did politicians get elected to prestigious BCCI posts in the first place? The answer is probably very simple. The membership of state associations is dominated by the rich and powerful. From the erstwhile kings and nawabs that originally sponsored cricket, it moved into the hands of corporate scions that needed to indulge in some pass time with their money. They in turn confer these offices on the politicians who gladly return their favors in other ways. Politicians’ very existence depends on the perception of being powerful, administratively astute and organized. So the quid pro quo serves them very well.

These politicians appoint the judges, bureaucrats and officers to investigative agencies. Given the coalition politics in India, no politician is going to ever piss off another one completely unless he is devoid of all ambition. My theory is that any politician devoid of ambition would never get involved in cricket administration. He or she would be happy being politicians and managing their constituencies and their constituents’ expectations. So a mix of ambitious politicians and their influential, rich and powerful friends runs Indian cricket and now dominates world cricket.

As such any bad news is not good for any of these guys. So sweeping things under the rug is the best solution for all problems. Appointing three member panels with two Tamil Nadu judges to probe a Tamil Nadu industrialist whose son-in-law is in a Tamil Nadu jail reeks of just that - an attempt to sweep things under the rug. Any punishment meted out to Srinivasan will not be in the Dalmiya league. Dalmiya tried to keep out Pawar and got his wings clipped and his very life was made miserable. Srinivasan on the other hand gets a ‘he is an honorable man’ from the MCA president who is a proxy of Sharad Pawar.

Indian culture works such that quid pro quo conversations are probably happening daily to give Srinivasan an honorable exit or at worst a slap on the wrist. A few players will be banned. The most cynical one would say that Asad Rauf will likely be hung out to dry. He is a Pakistani and what better way to fool the Indian public than point the finger at a Pakistani. No one in India will stop watching the IPL or any other cricket game. If cricket descends to being a version of WWF, so be it. Indian fans will not care because they have no other forms of entertainment. Films, politics and cricket are all that binds Indians. Everything else is divisive.

So just as easily as Sanjay Dutt gets a bunch of sympathy votes though he has broken the law and Salman Khan breaks records at the box office despite being a drunk driver who killed someone, Srinivasan and his son-in-law may resurrect themselves because an alternate narrative will emerge sympathetic to their state, that will make enough excuses for enough Indians to start looking the other way or even supporting them because their livelihoods and their election depends on these guys.

And what about the cricket? The BCCI wallahs keep telling us that they are paying the first class cricketers more money than before and that they are spending more money than before on Indian cricket. But clearly, not enough is being spent on developing cricket in India and clearly they are not doing enough to maintain the sanctity of the sport. That’s because you can’t expect the fox to guard the hen-house. A majority of them are in it for themselves.

Cricketers also understand that sport is now a job. And pissing off your boss is the last thing you do to stay employed. Kapil’s humiliation is a classic example of how independent opinions are treated in “democratic” India. In the end, the feudal structures that operated for centuries continue to operate now and have made ethics and morality a convenient choice.

The cricketers are an underclass and those that criticize Dhoni for not speaking out don’t understand that speaking out will serve no purpose. Kumble’s silence makes that clear. So be prepared for a prolonged spell of gloom or simply tune out and find another sport to follow. India will infect every other nation’s cricket, due to its money and emigrant cricketers. And if you are looking for a clean sport, watch something else.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kxHQ9J75K_c