MS Dhoni Forgets how to play big shot

MS Dhoni Forgets how to play big shot.
He was taking single when team requires six and fours.
He completely lost his self belief that he can hit a six or a four.
He was giving strike to Yousuf pathan instead of hitting fours.
He is the biggest culprit of the series for indian loose.
When india requires his hitting ability he was not looking at all aggressive.
He was more keen to give strike to yousuf. That actually cause india a big disaster.

England smack champions India out of World Cup

London: England knocked defending champions India out of the ICC World Twenty20 2009 with a three-run victory in their second-round match at Lord's on Sunday.

India needed 19 off the last over to stay in the tournament but, despite a one-handed six by Yusuf Pathan over long-off, the task was too much and they finished on 150 for five.

The England victory silenced the large contingent of noisy Indian fans packed into Lord's and India failed to make the semi-finals after also losing their first Super Eight match against West Indies on Friday.

Off-spinner Graeme Swann captured the crucial wicket of Yuvraj Singh for 17, including two sixes, stumped neatly by James Foster.

Left-arm swing bowler Ryan Sidebottom, returning to the side in place of leg-spinner Adil Rashid, bowled the final over and was given the man-of-the-match award after capturing two for 31 from his four overs.

England lost Luke Wright for one in the second over after losing the toss and being asked to bat.

Ravi Bopara and Kevin Pietersen added 71 for the second wicket with Bopara hooking the first six of the match off Ishant Sharma.

Pietersen whipped Sharma through mid-wicket for four and moved down the pitch to left-arm paceman RP Singh as if he were playing a spinner to off-drive a four.

The introduction of Ravindra Jadeja's left-arm spin seemed to turn the match India's way. Jadeja bowled Bopara for 37 and dismissed Pietersen lbw for 46, trying to sweep a full delivery.

But five wides from Harbhajan Singh in the final over allowed to England to creep to 153 for seven, a defendable total on a pitch offering variable bounce.

Dhoni plays a important part in indian Loss against west indies

M.S dhoni not only score run with poor strick rate but also miss a easy runout.
That cost india loosing a match.
Probably loosing world cup T-20.
His 11 off 23 balls felt like Dravid trying to save a game. Seems to have lost the art of acceleration

Current Match News

Here’s a look at the studs and duds of the day’s play:
India Losses their first super eight match against west indies

Rohit Sharma: Paid the price for arrogance. Forgot he was playing a genuine West Indian paceman and not a trundler from Ireland. Could have waited a couple of balls before trying big shots. Fielded well though. 2 out of 10.

Suresh Raina: Disappointed with the bat. Stood his ground after edging to the keeper when the catch never looked in doubt. Minus marks for sportsmanship. Great fielding though. The video of one of his saves off a Bravo shot is worth putting out on the net. 3 out 10.

Gautam Gambhir: Had a lucky escape fending off a bouncer in the first over against Taylor. Failed to take advantage though. Miscued a pull off the considerably slower Bravo. Being a senior player should have been more responsible since two wickets had already fallen. 3 out 10.

Yuvraj Singh: India’s hero no 1. Brought Men in Blue back in the game after the horror start. Without his stunning 67 off 43 balls, India would have finished around 130. 7 out of 10

MS Dhoni: Full marks for not turning up at No 3. But his 11 off 23 balls felt like Dravid trying to save a game. Seems to have lost the art of acceleration. Good captaincy though. Brilliantly used Yusuf Pathan to bottle Gayle. Smiled in the post-match interview. One point for that. 4.5 out of 10.

Yusuf Pathan: Sparkling camero. But should have stayed till the end after being dropped once. Bowled a spell that exceeded expectations. 7 out of 10.

Irfan Pathan: Failed with the bat. But turned his arm alright. 5 out of 10.

Harbhajan Singh: The three boundaries off the last three deliveries of India's innings lifted the team's spirit at the right time. A magical maiden first over. But little thereafter. 5.5 out of 10.

Pragyan Ojha: A score of 153 meant that every bowler had to be keep it tight. But the left-arm spinner was off the mark. 3 out of 10

Zaheer Khan: India needed its premier bowler to strike early. But he failed to lead from the front. 2 out of 10.

Ishant Sharma: Gave away 16 runs in the crucial 16th over. That really turned the game in favour of the Caribbeans. 2 out of 10.

Super Eight Schedule of ICC-T-20 World cup

Twenty20 World Cup 2009
Schedule: ICC Twenty20 Cricket World Cup 2009



Super Eight Stage:
Placement for the Super Eight stage is determined as follows:
The first two teams in each group are placed 1 or 2. They will retain this position for the Super Eight stage, irrespective of whether they finish first or second in their group, unless they are knocked out by the team 3 in their group. In this instance, team 3 replaces the position of the team they knock out.

Group E: A1 - India, B2 - England, C1 - West Indies, D2 - South Africa
Group F: B1 - Pakistan, A2 - Ireland, C2 - Sri Lanka, D1 - New Zealand

Thursday, June 11
Ireland v New Zealand	Nottingham	18:00 IST
England v South Africa	Nottingham	22:00 IST
Friday, June 12
Pakistan v Sri Lanka	Lord's	18:00 IST
India v West Indies	Lord's	22:00 IST
Saturday, June 13
South Africa v West Indies	The Oval	18:00 IST
New Zealand v Pakistan	The Oval	22:00 IST
Sunday, June 14
Ireland v Sri Lanka	Lord's	18:00 IST
England v India	Lord's	22:00 IST
Monday, June 15
England v West Indies	The Oval	18:00 IST
Ireland v Pakistan	The Oval	22:00 IST
Tuesday, June 16
New Zealand v Sri Lanka	Nottingham	18:00 IST
India v South Africa	Nottingham	22:00 IST

Thursday, June 18
E1 v F2, 1st Semi-Final	Nottingham	22:00 IST
Friday, June 19
F1 v E2, 2nd Semi-Final	The Oval	22:00 IST
Sunday, June 21
Final	Lord's	19:30 IST

India Register a Super Win against ireland

Zaheer Khan wreaked havoc while Rohit Sharma continued his purple patch as a ruthless India decimated Ireland by eight wickets in a
Zaheer
rain-marred Group A tie of the Twenty20 World Cup on Wednesday.
T20 WC: India thrash Ireland by 8 wickets
Zaheer Khan (4/19) led the rout as India restricted a hapless Ireland to a mere 112 for eight in 18 overs and then went on to overwhelm the target in 15.3 overs with Rohit (52 not out) and Gautam Gambhir (37) making merry against the toothless Irish attack.

Leave Sehwag alone now

espnstar.com’s Ayanjit Sen finds it in poor taste to hound the very cause of Virender Sehwag returning home from England.

It is an injury and let it be at that.

Damned if you say. Damned if you do not.

In a choice of players, it is difficult to take sides.

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History pages need to be fluttered to find out how much an injury has made headlines as an injury and not for causing a reported rift in the team.

In this news-hungry atmosphere, a change of a coloured button on your coat can blow out of proportion.

Thirty-year-old Virender Sehwag's explosive batting style coupled with his occasional off-spin, is a stupendous option for any team in a Twenty20 format of the game.

Let us accept one thing. Sehwag is Sehwag and he does not have to prove it time and again.



He was ruled out of the on-going ICC World Twenty20 championship due to a shoulder injury. The buck should stop there for the media.

But it has not.

Dhoni had to bring out the entire team before the media to portray the unification quotient in the team.

But, why is the media hell-bent on proving something that they are not privy to.

Have you seen it or sensed it yourself?

Then, why should you shout? Isn't this 'selective amnesia'?

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Some have come up with an argument that Sehwag was also not in the best of form and that he could have found himself difficult to get back to the opening slot considering the good performance of Rohit Sharma.

At the same time, class is permanent while form is temporary.

Yes, he has not been in best of his form in recent days in the shortest format of the game.

But it takes one match, one innings to get it back. And, we all know how he can get it back.

But the issue boils down to one point. Is he now fit enough to deliver?

The simple answer is no. The issue should rest then and there.

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From another perspective, it can be argued that since it is a team game, it is important that we go by the current form and performance and not by the weight of the name alone.

Absolutely right.

Some argue that though the lusty hitting of the vice-captain suits this game format, but statistically, he has not performed to his name and capability.

Will Sehwag's absence cost the Indian team? Time will tell. But for the moment, let us give the Nawab of Najafgarh some time to get over his injury.

The person replacing Sehwag is someone who should have already been with the team from the start, considering the kind of form he is in. Dinesh Karthick.

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He is undoubtedly the best player to replace Sehwag at this juncture.

Remember, the T20 format swears by the form of the player and not by the handkerchief in his pocket.

Team India are strong. And, going strong further.

Let the Indian supporters bask in that glory and hope for another tournament victory rather than mourn the temporary loss of Sehwag.

And the media, follow the supporters if you can!


Clinical India blow Ireland away

India cruised away to an eight-wicket victory against Ireland in their Group A clash at Nottingham on Wednesday.

Zaheer Khan (4/19) led the rout as India restricted a hapless Ireland to a mere 112 for eight in 18 overs and then went on to overwhelm the target in 15.3 overs with Rohit Sharma (52 not out) and Gautam Gambhir (37) making merry against the toothless Irish attack.

Put into bat after persistant rain had truncated the tie to an 18-overs-a-side affair, Ireland could not recover from Zaheer's early three-wicket burst and only four players managed double digit scores as the minnows barely crawled past the 100-mark.

Good Moments


With both the sides having already made it to the Super Eight stage, nothing really was at stake but India captain Mahendra Singh Dhoni meant serious business when he walked out with the full-strength team.



And chasing a paltry 113 from 18 overs, India hardly broke a sweat with Gambhir and Rohit going great guns.

Gambhir cut the first ball from Boyd Rankin through covers for a four to signal his intention. The left-hander came dancing down the track to hit Kevin O'Brien through covers and then upper-cut Rankin over third man for a stunning six.

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At the other end, Rohit was not silent either. The right-hander paddle-scooped Alex Cusack for a four and then chipped him to a similar effect. The opening stand had yielded 77 runs when Gambhir perished at backward point in the 11th over.

Rohit Sharma is in elegant touch


An undeterred Rohit smacked Rankin over mid-wicket for a huge six to inch closer to the target and even though Mahendra Singh Dhoni's (14) was a brief stay, India's win was just a matter of formality which Rohit and Yuvraj Singh (3 not out) completed with ease.

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Earlier, Zaheer showed Ireland up as doddering novices as he helped India restrict the opponents to a mere 112 for 8.

Andrew White was the lone face of Irish resistance, top scoring with a 25-ball 29.

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The left-arm paceman steamed in on a rainy day to hustle out four Irish batsmen, three off seven balls in his first spell of two overs.

Zaheer took a wicket off his sixth, seventh and 12th deliveries, two off catches in first slip to reduce Ireland to 17 for three in four overs.

Gambhir looked as solid as ever

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Pragyan Ojha then struck off his first delivery in the seventh over and Harbhajan Singh too joined the fun as Ireland's score read 48 for five in the 10th over.

The first boundary in the Ireland's innings came in the fourth over and there were in all only nine fours, besides a six, hit.

From the time Dhoni won the toss and chose to field, the defending champions kept a tight hold on the proceedings. Zaheer bowled the second over but things soon began to happen in India's favour.

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Ireland's opening pair mostly connected air as they tried to swish outside the off-stump but to no success.

Jeremy Bray then completely misread the line of an incoming Zaheer delivery to have his middle and leg stumps knocked back for no runs from seven balls.

The left-arm paceman put himself in line for a hat-trick when he had the other opener William Porterfield edge a catch to Yusuf Pathan in the slips.

Ojha spun a magical web

Before Zaheer's second over was out, Andre Botha too fell in the same manner but not before he had square cut the left-arm paceman for the first boundary of the innings.

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Ojha was pressed into service in the seventh over and obliged off his first delivery when Kevin O' Brien under-edged a pull on to his stumps.

Harbhajan had to wait till his second over before Gary Wilson (19) failed to read his 'doosra' and lost stump.

Ireland then lost their sixth and seven wicket for the addition of one run only.

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John Mooney (19) reverse swept Ojha uppishly into the hands of Yuvraj Singh at short fine leg and Regan West was run out by a direct throw by Suresh Raina from mid-on.

Left-arm spinner Ojha increased his tally of wickets to six from two matches, his haul in the present innings reading 2 for 19 from allotted four overs.
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