Cricket

Australia's cricket great Steve Waugh says Indian players should not be talking of winning the World Cup for Sachin Tendulkar because that's not the 'right attitude,' as the game is bigger than any individual. 'They should think of winning the World Cup for the team, most importantly for the country,' said Waugh on the sidelines of a event here Friday when asked what he thought of many Indian players parroting that they want to win the World Cup for Tendulkar. 'I don't think it is the right attitude. You cannot think of winning the World Cup for one player. The game is bigger than any individual. You have to win it for each other. I am sure that even Sachin Tendulkar will like to win it for the team and the country. Yes, if India win the World Cup it will cap off a brilliant career,' said the former Australia captain. Waugh said Tendulkar would play a crucial role in the tournament. 'Tendulkar may not be the star of the tournament, but he ...

Indian cricketer Rahul Dravid was on Thursday, all praise for star batsman Sachin Tendulkar, saying that he was an inspiration for every Indian. He said this at the launch of the book 'Sach', based on Tendulkar's life, written by sports journalist, Gautam Bhattacharya. Also present at the ceremony were, captain of the Indian Cricket team, Mahendra Singh Dhoni, cricketers Yuvraj Singh, Anil Kumble and Gary Kirsten, coach of the Indian team.

The 32-year-old Delhi opener has been part of the Delhi Daredevils since the IPL began in 2008. Under his leadership, Delhi Daredevils reached the semi-finals in the first two editions of the IPL and also topped the league stage in 2009. Sehwag said he was looking forward to taking the Daredevils to new heights in IPL-4. "For me there cannot be any other team than Delhi Daredevils in the IPL. As someone who grew up playing cricket in Delhi I am very proud to be playing for the Delhi Daredevils. I am delighted to be part of the Delhi Daredevils and lead the team," said Sehwag. Srinivas Bommidala, chairman of GMR Sports, said Sehwag was the source of inspiration and strength for both young and experienced players. "He is a leader who paves the way by example," he said. P.B. Vanchi, director GMR Sports, said: "Viru has been an integral part of the Delhi Daredevils from the day it was formed. He has been the face of the team and an icon best suited to lead ...

World Cup 2011 Fixtures (All timings are mentioned in GMT+05:30) Timing Teams Venue Results Sat Feb 19 (D/N) 14:00 PM 1st match Group B - India v Bangladesh Shere Bangla National Stadium, Mirpur Sun Feb 20 09:30 AM 2 nd match Group A- Kenya v New Zealand MA Chidambaram Stadium, Chepauk, Chennai Sun Feb 20 (D/N) 14:30 PM 3 rd match Group A- Sri Lanka v Canada Hambantota International Cricket Stadium Mon Feb 21 (D/N) 14:30 PM 4th match Group A - Australia v Zimbabwe Sardar Patel Stadium, Motera, Ahmedabad Tue Feb 22 (D/N) 14:30 PM 5th match Group B- England v Netherlands Vidarbha Cricket Association Ground, Nagpur Wed Feb 23 (D/N) 14:30 PM 6th match Group A - Kenya v Pakistan Hambantota International Cricket Stadium Thu Feb 24 (D/N) 14:30 PM 7th match Group B- South Africa v West Indies Feroz Shah Kotla, Delhi ...

In a book titled 'SACH,' by Gautam Bhattacharya, Tendulkar revealed that he played under Imran but as a substitute fielder during a festival match at the Cricket Club of India (CCI) in Mumbai. Imran asked him to field in the deep and Tendulkar couldn't complete a catch and going back home, in the local train, constantly grumbled about the captain's field placements. "Absolutely true. I went in as a substitute. Imran was the Pakistan captain. No words were exchanged with him. But yes, I may've got the catch if I was kept slightly ahead (laughs)," Sachin said. The book also revealed that a year before in 1987, Sachin was selected as a promising fast bowler to train at legendary Australian fast bowler Dennis Lillee's MRF Pace Academy in Chennai, but was rejected. "I was okay with it. In any case I was not aspiring to become a fast bowler. I thought of myself as a fast bowling all-rounder. That is precisely the reason I had carried my b...

Australia coach and to a 30-year-old former Shield player recently was to understand the challenges currently faced by those responsible for directing the game in this country. As in other arenas, a battle is on between the classical and the contemporary. Suffice to say the classical is in retreat. Wise nations and activities seek to strike a balance between the eternal and the present, seek to take the best from both. The coach spends his time instructing selected youngsters in the techniques of the game. Except that those skills seem to have changed. Coaches chide any batsman allowing a ball to pass, and teach them to use the bottom hand not as an assistant but as the driving force. Youngsters are taught to open their hips and lift the ball. Ignoring the traditions of local batsmanship, they are told to go forwards, anticipate and punish full deliveries. Is it any wonder that Australians keep hooking off the front foot or that the captain keeps losing his wicket to t...

When Gautam Gambhir was struggling to cement his place in Team India, the appointment of Gary Kirsten as India coach proved to be a godsend. The Delhi batsman gives the former South African opener a lot of credit for understanding him both as a cricketer as well as a person. Gambhir, 29, feels Kirsten's presence in the India dressing room has done a world of good to his game as he has given him a lot of confidence. Kirsten, who joined the India team in March 2008, carried it to the top of Test rankings, and Gambhir says he is one of the players to prosper in the process. "Kirsten worked on my game, he has helped me a lot. Unlike other coaches, he has never asked me to make changes in my game. Importantly, he understood me both as a player and person," Gambhir "Kirsten worked on my basics and tried to improve on them. It was quite encouraging coming from a person who has played 100-odd Tests." The left-hander, who made his debut in 2004, had only one Te...