Raina powers CSK into final
CHENNAI: Powered by an amazing 50-ball unbeaten 73 from Suresh Raina, Chennai Super Kings defeated Royal Challengers Bangalore by six wickets with two deliveries remaining in the thrilling first qualifier of the Indian Premier League Season-4 at the Wankhede Stadium in Mumbai on Tuesday.
The defending champion is through to the final that will be played in Chennai on Saturday. RCB can still progress to the summit clash if it wins the second qualifier at Chepauk on Friday.
Pursuing a stiff 176, CSK needed 33 from the last two overs and 12 from the final over sent down by RCB captain Daniel Vettori. The blazing left-handed duo of Raina and Albie Morkel (28 not out off 10 balls) dazzled. Morkel concluded the match with a exciting six off the cunning Vettori. The brave Raina, who lived cramps in the final moments of the gripping contest, was declared Man of the Match. The southpaw struck four boundaries and a stunning six sixes. The Chennai side, recovering from seven for two, looked hard knocks in the eye.
Reference from The Hindu.
Mumbai Indians will be under pressure
Mumbai: Black caps all-rounder James Franklin leads the Mumbai Indians batting averages after playing remarkable game-twisting roles in the last league fixture of the IPL-IV against Kolkata Knight Riders at the Eden Gardens.
Off and on, Franklin was named in the team sheet skipper Sachin Tendulkar carried with him to hand over to his counterpart at the toss in the lead-up to the play-off match, prompting wisecracks in the press box to comment on the utility of the Kiwi bought at a mere $100,000 on the second day of the auction in Bangalore almost four months ago.
Match-winner
Apart from practising hitting sixes at net-sessions at the Wankhede stadium, Franklin has hardly managed to catch the attention, on occasions as an opener and getting out cheaply, when operating with the ball and while fielding in the deep. But turning out in his sixth match, Franklin became MIs' match-winner against KKR, after exhibiting nimble work with ball that removed key KKR batsmen in Jacques Kallis and Yusuf Pathan and then hitting hefty shots that sent Laxmipathy Balaji to the far corners of the Eden four times before Ambati Rayudu clinched victory with a six.
Franklin's heavy-duty shots gave him and MI 45 runs in an aggregate of 62 in six matches and high average of 62.00. It's on the back of this magnificent show with the bat and ball (two for 35) that MI will take on KKR in the IPL-eliminator.
MI is disappointed at the fact that it did not sustain its form to be placed among the top two in the league; a string of defeats against Kings XI Punjab, Deccan Chargers and Rajasthan Royals saw it slip from the top of the table to fourth position before the cliff-hanger against KKR.
Rough ride
It has been a rough and tumble ride for MI after Lasith Malinga and its top order worked like a well-oiled machine in the opening matches against Delhi Daredevils at the Kotla and RCB at the Chinnaswamy stadium.
The erratic story thus far would bring it under pressure against the KKR. The Wankhede is not any more its home ground in a way; the stadium does not bear the flex-posters in blue, the shades of India's tri-colours have replaced it with the BCCI-IPL taking charge of the play-off matches.
The winner of this MI-KKR match would proceed to the qualifier 2 match in Chennai and it will play against the loser of the match between RCB and Chennai Super Kings.
For the first time in four seasons, KKR has entered the last four, a feat its owner Shah Rukh Khan would be happy about. Gautam Gambhir has every right to lavish praise on his colleagues, the way they lifted the game after going down to CSK in the opening match of the competition at Chepauk by two runs.
After the victory against Pune Warriors, Gambhir rejected a view that his team's performance has been very changeable. “I do not agree with that at all. We have played excellent cricket on different kinds of surfaces. We are a team that would be most difficult to beat,”' he said without any trace of apprehension and adding that events in an over or two can swing the fortunes of a team.
On Sunday he went out of the way to defend Balaji who sent down the final over of the match and was battered for 23 runs — the same Amit Mishra and Shikhar Dhawan scored against Munaf Patel in the MI- DC match. Balaji is the third highest wicket-taker for KKR after Iqbal Abdulla (16) and Yusuf Pathan (13).
After a three for 15 spell against Rajasthan Royals in which he sent down the dream leg-cutter to dismiss Shane Watson, the former Indian seamer has been in the news and for good reasons.
It's not often that he has been thumped so as to be the cause of defeat. Rightly Gambhir has defended one of his strike bowlers. “He is an experienced bowler, he is not a bad bowler because of one over. In this format such things can happen. It was one of those bad days for us. He gave away 23 runs in that over. Nine times out of ten he would have emerged as a winner,” said Gambhir.
Adequate strength
KKR has the bowling resources to subdue an unpredictable MI on a surface that has encouraged the seamers and spinners. It has adequate strength to post a formidable total too.
MI will have its supporters rooting for it, but Tendulkar's team will take the field with a stark reminder that it could not make 136 while chasing against the Chargers and post only 133 against Rajasthan Royals after which Watson cut loose and made the home team wilt.
It's been more often the case of MI not able to deal with pressure in the tournament and there's no denying that fact.
Reference from The Hindu
Sensational win for Super Kings
MUMBAI: Suresh Raina eased Chennai Super Kings' way into a third final in four IPL tournaments, swinging his way to a match-winning 73 not out (50b, 4x4, 6x6) as the defending champion won by six wickets in the DLF-IPL-IV first qualifier at the Wankhede here on Tuesday.
Royal Challengers Bangalore found the early stranglehold exerted by bowlers slipping away as Albie Morkel joined in the fun, leaping in delight after hitting the winning runs. CSK chased down 175 with just two balls to spare on a night of big hitting.
Man-of-the-match Raina teamed up with Badrinath in a 63-run stand for the third wicket to infuse life into the CSK chase after Zaheer Khan had claimed openers Michael Hussey and Murali Vijay. The left-hander crumbled to the turf with cramps, then got up and went about smashing the bowlers all over the field. Kohli's smile turned into a scowl after conceding 16 runs in his second over and Mithun looked on helplessly as 23 runs were stolen off his third over.
Consistent Badrinath
Badrinath enhanced his reputation as a run-machine, rattling up 34 off 32 balls faced with a slew of fluent drives and unfearing shots. Dhoni entered the battle at 70 for three in the 11th over and kept finding spaces for forceful drives.
Though Vettori and Gayle came on to check the run flow, Raina and Dhoni went on firing away, putting away anything in range to take the score within striking range. Even when Vettori turned to Zaheer for damage control, the CSK duo kept firing away without missing a beat to steal 20 runs off the India strike bowler's fourth over.
The CSK left-hander lashed four boundaries and four sixes to cross the half-century mark off 44 balls as the pair put on 61 runs off 35 balls before the captain departed during the no-holds barred assault.
Morkel took up the baton, with 45 runs needed, to heave two sixes off Aravind and Raina swatted a huge six in the 19th over as the play-off headed for a thrilling climax.
With 12 runs required off six balls, Vettori brought himself on. Morkel smashed one boundary past mid-wicket, ran singles hard and pulled CSK past the tape with a six off the fourth ball.
Earlier, Ashwin was held back till the fourth over by Dhoni. Gayle, who could not contain his patience after blocking the off-spinner's first ball, swatted the second over mid-wicket. But he fell for the bait immediately.
The breakthrough delivery, pitched on leg-stump, slipped after pitching to hit Gayle's front pad below the knee roll after the West Indian failed in his attempt to sweep. The off-spinner roared in joy when umpire Simon Taufel upheld the appeal.
Meanwhile, young opener Mayank Agarwal flexed his muscles against the pace bowlers. He quickly got into position and hit on the rise against Morkel and Bollinger. He stepped out to clear long-off twice effortlessly, showcasing power in his arms for 34 off 33 balls (5x4).
Bravo preyed on the young opener's anxiety to cash in by stepping out and shortened the length. Bollinger on the fence did his part coolly as the ball soared high towards the floodlights. Murali Vijay then kept his nerve on the ropes at long-on to pouch a heave from A.B. de Villiers.
At the other end, Virat Kohli, who took charge in the fourth over, kept his focus on rotating strike and punished the bowlers.
Pomersbach stepped in to strike lusty blows, displaying his value as a hard-hitter (29, 18b, 2x4, 2x6). The left-handed Aussie used the bounce off the track for back-to-back shots against Bravo. A delicate cut past Dhoni to third man and then a brutal pull left the fielders keeping track of the ball flying over their heads. However, Bollinger's persistence paid off when Pomersbach swung and missed.
Then Ashwin was escorted off the field, somewhat disoriented, after a shot from Saurabh Tiwary caught the off-spinner on the head.
Kohli matched Tiwary's assault with forceful strokes down the straight in a 42-run stand. Two sixes off Morkel in the penultimate over showcased his form in an unbeaten knock of 70, laced with five fours and three sixes. RCB's top-scorer walked off with head held high, proving once again that the team's high expectations from him were not misplaced.
SCOREBOARD
Royal Challengers Bangalore: M. Agarwal c Bollinger b Bravo 34 (33b, 5x4), C. Gayle lbw b Ashwin 8 (9b, 1x6), V. Kohli (not out) 70 (44b, 5x4, 3x6), A.B. de Villiers c Vijay b Jakati 11 (10b, 1x6), L. Pomersbach b Bollinger 29 (18b, 2x4, 1x6), S. Tiwary (not out) 9 (6b, 1x6); Extras (b-2, lb-7, w-5): 14; Total (for four wkts. in 20 overs): 175.
Fall of wickets: 1-30, 2-65, 3-85, 4-133.
Chennai Super Kings bowling: Morkel 4-0-40-0, Bollinger 4-0-20-1, Ashwin 4-0-33-1, Bravo 3-0-28-1, Jakati 4-0-37-1, Raina 1-0-8-0.
Chennai Super Kings: M. Hussey lbw b Zaheer 0 ( 4b), M Vijay lbw b Aravind 5 ( 5, 1x4), S. Raina (not out) 73 ( 50 balls, 4x4, 6x6), S. Badrinath c Aravind b Mithun 34 ( 32b, 5x4), M.S. Dhoni c Mithun b Zaheer 29 ( 19b, 3x4, 1x6), A. Morkel (not out) 28 ( 10b, 1x4, 3x6); Extras (b-1, lb-1, nb-2, w-4): 8. Total (for four wkts in 19.4 overs): 177.
Fall of wickets: 1-3, 2-7, 3-70, 4-131.
Royal Challengers bowling: Zaheer 4-0-31-2, Aravind 3-0-32-1, Mithun 3-0-32-1, Kohli 2-0-19-0, Vettori 3.4-0-42-0, Gayle 4-0-19-0.
Man-of-the-Match: Suresh Raina .
Reference from The Hindu.
It will be a cracker of a contest between MI and Royals
JAIPUR: Ambati Rayudu, once a bright rising star, was lost to Indian cricket for reasons most challenging. Even he has no answers. When Greg Chappell took over as India's coach in 2005, the Australian, in his notes, pencilled Rayudu as an ‘immensely gifted' youngster. There was hope. But it was a lofty thought that never really become productive. Again, Rayudu was lost.
That he is back in the reckoning is ironical. It is his Indian Premier League (IPL) show, and not the success in the domestic cricket, that is creating waves. True, Sachin Tendulkar saw him from close only when both batted for Mumbai Indians but the fact remains that Rayudu was made for higher league. He may have just begun his process of rejuvenation and a spot in the Indian team beckons him for the first time in a career that has meandered for some time now.
On the eve of the IPL match against Rajasthan Royals here, Rayudu is a step behind Tendulkar in aggregate of runs for Mumbai Indians. If his batting comes across as naughty, the roots can be traced to Guntur, his birthplace. It is a town marked by spice traders, especially red hot chilly. And Rayudu's style quite meets the spicy demands from the spectators. He is an entertainer!
Sitting pretty
With Mumbai Indians sitting pretty at the top of the table, the platform is ideal for Rayudu to perform. The Sawai Man Singh Stadium will not have a vacant seat when the teams meet on Friday. The presence of Tendulkar ensures more than a capacity turn out and the sell out ambience can be expected to produce a cracker.
There is a performer in the Rajasthan Royals camp too. In Shane Warne, the home team has a match-winner, in the same mould as Tendulkar. The two maestros have luxuriated in many a fascinating battle in the past on far more competitive fields. This would be an shortened version, if it happens, for T20 cricket creates mostly mini-contests.
That Rajasthan Royals occupies the fourth place in the table is a tribute to Warne's cricket. He commands unstinted support from the team and his imposing authority is one of the most enduring experiences that the young players can cherish. He is known to create magical moments on the field apart from boosting an individual achieve his potential in a short span.
Mumbai Indians is the glamour team of the IPL. Tendulkar signifies the batting thrust and Lasith Malinga the bowling teeth. Harbhajan Singh provides variety to the team's overall strength with Rayudu and the precociously talented Rohit Sharma the depth. It is a complete team.
Rajasthan Royals is beginning to settle down and strike a combination that can be effective in challenging situations. Warne is known to experiment with the batting order and the bowling options and knows his strong points well by now. Then the calming influence of Rahul Dravid means the team remains focused.
There is plenty for the spectators to savour. Rayudu, Rohit, Warne, Malinga — and above all, Tendulkar —the cricket lovers know it. The match is a sell out.
Tough job
Harbhajan Singh is “happy” that he is not a fast bowler. “It can be a tough job on the slow Indian pitches. It is not that all fast bowlers have been struggling. But, it can become tough in T20 cricket.
“You can't always succeed by bowling at 130k. You have to bowl 150k consistently or get the ball to swing. You have to have swing. I may be wrong, but I am happy I am spinner and not a fast bowler,” he said.
On Mumbai Indians doing well in this IPL, Harbhajan said, “We have been performing like a unit. We have had players chipping in at crucial moments. The batsmen have kept the momentum going and we have done collectively well in fielding too. The other night we beat CSK (Chennai Super Kings) because of our fielding and not my five wickets. We have players who can win from any situation.”
Harbhajan praised Shane Warne for his achievements and rated him an ideal role model. “It's been a privilege to have played against him. I have learnt a lot from him,” he said.
The 30-year-old off-spinner, with 393 Test and 255 ODI wickets, confirmed that he would be travelling to the West Indies. “I am looking forward to going to the West Indies,” he said.
Reference from The Hindu.
‘Mohinder would have been a good choice’
New Delhi: Former India captain Sunil Gavaskar is least excited at the selection of Duncan Fletcher as the country's coach and said someone like Mohinder Amarnath would have been a better choice.
“Mohinder Amarnath for example is one himself, who for the simple reason that the core of the Indian team today comes from the Hindi belt. And I think Jimmy would get along brilliantly with them.
“Apart from that he has got a fabulous record of making comebacks, he knows what it is to be down and then come back up,” Gavaskar said.
Amarnath was in the fray the last time around too, but was pipped at the post by Kirsten.
Critical
Gavaskar was critical of India's fascination towards foreign coaches, saying that there was a wrong sensing that an Indian would get involved in the politics of the game rather than focusing on the job.
“I think if you have a look there is a perception, and wrong if I might add, that the Indian coach can be influenced.
“He will get involved in politics which is there but that you are presuming that Indian is not going to be a strong person,” the Little Master told NDTV.
Reference from The Hindu.
Disciplined Daredevils restricts KKR
NEW DELHI: Manoj Tiwary's unbeaten 61 stood out in an unusually circumspect Kolkata Knight Riders' 148 for seven against an inspired Delhi Daredevils here on Thursday.
It was a surprisingly disciplined Daredevils' bowling that added to KKR's worries. With Irfan Pathan coming up with a standout performance, getting an early breakthrough and picking up two catches, KKR failed to get any momentum going.
With the exception of Tiwary, and Ryan ten Doeschate, who came up with some late blows, none of the KKR batsmen looked in their element.
Tiwary, who smashed three sixes and two boundaries, held the innings together. He kept one end going and also rotated the strike in phases. However, the late-charge that was expected from a well-set Tiwary never came.
Disciplined line
For once, most Daredevils bowlers stuck to a disciplined line and frustrated the opposition. The absence of big partnerships was another reason for KKR's below par total on a batting strip.
From the start, there was hardly any sense of urgency in the KKR innings. Srivats Goswami and later Manoj Tiwary looked impressive by turns but the frequency of big hits remained low.
With Irfan bowling his best spell so far in the competition, Morne Morkel's off-day did not hurt Daredevils much.
Prized wicket
Irfan was duly rewarded with the prized wicket of Jacques Kallis. The South African, who struggled to get strike, hit two boundaries off compatriot Morkel before missing an intended glance off Irfan.
Goswami, too, targeted Morkel but fell to the first delivery from Ajit Agarkar, flicking into the hands of wicketkeeper Naman Ojha.
Skipper Gautam Gambhir struggled to get going and so did Yusuf Pathan. The duo watched, in turn, as Tiwary batted with scant respect to the bowlers.
Both Gambhir and Yusuf departed in attempting to send the ball over the ropes. Yusuf and Eoin Morgan fell to Umesh Yadav off successive deliveries but there was no stopping Tiwary.
Kolkata Knight Riders: J. Kallis b Irfan 11 (11b, 2x4), S. Goswami c Ojha b Agarkar 22 (20b, 4x4), G. Gambhir c Rao b Hopes 18 (19b, 2x4), M. Tiwary (not out) 61 (47b, 2x4, 3x6), Yusuf Pathan c Irfan b Yadav 5 (8b), E. Morgan c Ojha b Yadav 0 (1b), R. ten Doeschate c Irfan b M. Morkel 19 (12b, 2x4, 1x6), B. Lee (run out) 1 (1b), L. Balaji (not out) 3 (1b), Extras (lb-2, w-6) 8, Total (for seven wkts. in 20 overs) 148.
Fall of wickets: 1-29, 2-42, 3-82, 4-105, 5-105, 6-140, 7-145.
Delhi Daredevils bowling: Irfan 4-0-16-1, M. Morkel 4-0-42-1, Yadav 4-0-29-2, Agarkar 4-0-34-1, Hopes 4-0-25-1 .
Reference from The Hindu.
Duncan Fletcher appointed coach
CHENNAI: The former England coach, Duncan Fletcher, has been appointed coach of the Indian cricket team for a period of two years. He takes over from the highly successful Gary Kirsten.
The 62-year-old Fletcher was a path-breaking coach for England from 1999 to 2007. During his tenure, England registered its first Ashes triumph in 18 years and recorded significant away Test series victories in Sri Lanka, Pakistan, the West Indies and South Africa.
As a player, he stood out as an all-rounder — he was an aggressive left-handed batsman and bowled tight right-arm medium pace for Zimbabwe. The highlight of his career was when he skippered Zimbabwe to a stunning win over Australia in a group match of the 1983 World Cup in England. He led from the front too, scoring 69 not out and claiming four wickets for 42.
The Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) decided on Fletcher for the top job at its working committee meeting in Mumbai on Wednesday. Eric Simons' role as the bowling coach was extended.
BCCI secretary N. Srinivasan said Fletcher might not join the side during India's tour of the West Indies beginning early June. The new coach would, however, be part of the side for the full tour of England from mid-July.
The untalkative Fletcher, much like Kirsten, shuns the limelight. He has earned respect for strategic brilliance and out-of-the-box thinking.
As England coach, he shaped impressive partnerships with captains Nasser Hussain and Michael Vaughan. Fletcher has also played a key role in the development of Marcus Trescothick, Andrew Flintoff and Kevin Pietersen. He has the reputation for backing ability, and not numbers.
Reference from The Hindu.
Incredible Ishant destroys Tuskers
KOCHI: A fiery spell by Ishant Sharma gave the Deccan Chargers a much-required lifeline in the IPL, almost single-handedly taking the Hyderabad side from a seemingly losing position to a highly delightful win over Kochi Tuskers Kerala at the Jawaharlal Nehru stadium on Wednesday.
Taking a cue from the way the rival bowlers had spelt gloom on his side earlier in the day, the lanky fast bowlers was simply irresistible as he ran through the Tuskers top-order from wherein the local side found no way to recover itself.
Sharma finished with figures of five for 12 while Steyn returned with a three wicket haul costing him only 16 runs.
The target of 130 was something like Mount Everest to climb for KTK all of a sudden — or exactly within the first two overs. And, undoubtedly, what pushed the local side up against the wall was the spell from the hitherto struggling Sharma who found his wonted form at the nick of time by claiming three wickets off his first over — he had Parthiv Patel caught by Sangakkara, clean bowled Raiphy Vicent Gomez the next ball and then breached Brad Hodge's defence in the fifth ball of the brilliant over.
Brendon McCullum had been dismissed by Dale Steyn in the first over — the Kiwi was caught behind after fishing out to an outgoing delivery.
Then, Sharma neatly removed Kedar Jadha, trapping the batsman plumb in front with a delivery which straightened, and then completed his five-wicket haul capturing the prized wicket of Mahela Jayawardene off the last ball of his second over — the Sri Lankan picking up an edge off a climbing delivery and guiding the ball to the gloves of Sangakkara behind.
At 11 for six, it was all but over, and all that KTK could get was to get a paltry 74, prolonging the inevitable to lose by a huge 55-run margin and 3.3 overs remaining.
A good day for quicks
It was the seamers who had helped KTK to restrict the Hyderabad side to 129 for seven earlier in the day.
Jayawardene was quite specific that the wicket was going to be a competitive one as he won the toss and elected to field. And his hopes were again proved right as R.P. Singh gave KTK the much sought-after breakthrough reducing the Chargers to 10-2 within the first three overs.
Sreesanth, returning to the side, provided admirable support to Singh by bowling a tight spell at the other end. And when Vinay Kumar, who replaced the Kerala bowler after two overs, sent back Bharat Chipli after the openers Sunny Sohal and Shikhar Dhawan had returned, KTK was really on top with its rival reeling at 20 for three.
Sangakkara was lucky that a Sreesanth delivery that had the timber rattling proved to be a ‘no ball'. And the Sri Lankan made this bit of good luck count as he helped his side to recover from the early damage.
Sangakkara was all grace as he waited before picking up the rival bowlers and then launched the counter-attack with Cameron White lending him superb support. The duo, with Sangakkara turning aggressive, took the fight back to the rival camp as they put on an invaluable 90-run partnership for the fourth wicket before White, who was shaping well, fell to Vinay Kumar, caught by Jayawardene for a fine knock of 31.
Tragedy struck the Chargers again the very next ball when Sangakkara too departed, caught behind by Patel, after having made a brilliant 65 off just 47 deliveries.
The Hyderabad side could only add 19 more runs in its last three overs, losing two more wickets in the process.
There was cheer in the KTK camp but that in the end came too early as the local side was simply blown away by that terrific opening spell from Ishant Sharma.
No prizes for guessing who won the Man of the Match award.
Deccan Chargers: S. Sohal lbw R.P. Singh 1 (4b), S. Dhawan c Gomez b R.P. Singh 4 (9b), B. Chipli c Sreesanth b Vinay Kumar 4 (10b), K. Sangakkara c Parthiv Patel b Vinay Kumar 65 (47 b, 10x4), C. White c Jayawardene b Vinay Kumar 31 (34b, 1x6, 2x4), D. Christian b Perera 9 (11b), Ravi Teja (not out) 8 (5b, 1x4), Amit Mishra (run out) 0 (1b), Manpreet Gony (not out) 0 (1b), Extras (b-1, lb-1, w-3, nb-2) 7, Total (for seven wkts. in 20 overs) 129.
Fall of wickets: 1-3. 2-6, 3-20, 4-110, 5-110, 6-127, 7-127.
Kochi Tuskers Kerala bowling: R.P. Singh 4-0-21-2, Sreesanth 4-1-22-0, Vinay Kumar 4-0-25-3, Perera 4-0-30-1, Gomez 1-0-4-0, Jadea 3-0-25-0.
Kochi Tuskers Kerala: B. McCullum c Sangakkara b Steyn 0 (4b), M. Jayawardene c Sangakkara b Ishant 4 (8b, 1x4); P. Patel c Sangakkara b Ishant 0 (3b); R. Gomez b Ishant 0 (1b); B. Hodge b Ishant 0 (2b), K. Jadhav lbw b Ishant 0 (2b), R. Jadeja c Christian b Mishra 23 (35b, 2x4); T. Perera c White b Gony 22 (23b, 4x4); Vinay b Steyn 18 (19b, 2x4); S. Sreesanth (not out) 0 (1b); R.P. Singh b Steyn 0 (1b); Extras (lb-3, w-4): 7; Total (in 16.3 overs): 74.
Fall of wickets: 1-0, 2-1, 3-1, 4-2, 5-6, 6-11, 7-47, 8-73, 9-74.
Deccan Chargers bowling: Steyn 3.3-1-16-3, Ishant 3-0-12-5, Christian 3-0-12-0, Gony 3-0-19-1, Mishra 4-0-12-1.
Man of the Match: Ishant Sharma .
Reference from The Hindu.
A new era for India under Fletcher
MUMBAI: Indian cricket continued its link with foreign coaches by appointing Duncan Fletcher, former Zimbabwe captain, as replacement for South African Gary Kirsten.
Former Australian captain Greg Chappell and ex-New Zealand captain John Wright were the earlier foreign coaches associated with Team India.
Fletcher was chosen for a two-year stint by the Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) at a working committee meeting on Wednesday. The BCCI extended the contract of South African Eric Simmons, part of the support staff under Kirsten, as bowling coach.
The BCCI media release stated: “Mr. Duncan Fletcher has been appointed coach of the Indian cricket team for a period of two years. Mr. Eric Simmons will continue as bowling coach.”
Fletcher had coached Kirsten at University of Cape Town and Western Province, besides coaching Simmons at Western Province. The change of guard in Indian cricket can be viewed as an extension of the process established by Kirsten with his intuitive, behind-the-scenes style of coaching.
Simmons was part of the South Africa coaching staff before accepting the India bowling coach offer under Kirsten. Honours
Fletcher earned coaching honours with the England team as its first foreign coach (1999 to 2007). After stepping down from the England job in 2007, his reputation as a batting coach and acumen in man management got him assignments with the South African national squad where he was consultant to head coach Mickey Arthur in 2008. He was also the New Zealand national team's coaching consultant in 2011.
He is the fourth foreigner to be given charge of Team India. John Wright was the first foreign professional to accept the high-pressure, high stakes coaching job and worked with captain Sourav Ganguly to mould India into a combative bunch from 2000 to 2005.
Greg Chappell's two-year assignment ended on a negative note after India's first round exit at the 2007 World Cup. He was hand-picked after interviews with candidates, among whom were Tom Moody and Mohinder Amarnath.
Wright's low profile work in the background contrasted with Chappell's forthright work methods. India did not have a full-time coach after 2007 and relied on the experience of ex-Test stalwarts Chandu Borde and Ravi Shastri as managers for tours to England / Ireland and Bangladesh respectively. The hunt for a full-time coach ended with Kirsten taking over in 2008 till the 2011 WC triumph.
Fletcher is in charge with India listed No. 1 in the Test rankings and second in the ODI rankings behind Australia.
As World champion in one-day cricket, India is slated to tour West Indies from June 4 to July 10 for a series involving one T20, five ODIs and three Test matches. England is the next stop for M.S. Dhoni and his teammates from July 21-September 16.
At this juncture, it is unclear if Fletcher's first ever coaching assignment with Team India will commence in West Indies in June or England in July.
Reference from The Hindu.
Super Kings too good for the Warriors
Navi Mumbai: S. Badrinath's exquisite strokeplay helped Chennai Super Kings register a commanding eight-wicket win over Pune Warriors in their DLF-IPL clash at the D.Y. Patil Stadium here on Wednesday.
This was Super Kings' second straight win against the same opponent, and the fourth in this year's edition. It was also Warriors' fourth consecutive defeat.
Badrinath, walking in at the fall of Michael Hussey's wicket in the fifth over, first targeted left-arm spinner Murali Kartik before taking control of the proceedings.
His unbeaten 63 (44b, 6x4, 2x6) ensured that Super Kings reached its target of 142 in style, losing just two wickets. Super Kings, with eight points, is second behind Mumbai Indians (10) in the points table.
The second wicket pair of Murali Vijay and Badrinath raised 61, rotating the strike and sending the ball to vacant spaces.
Once Vijay fell after lifting Jesse Ryder for a straight six, Badrinath and Suresh Raina completed the formalities.
Badrinath, who has batted only once at the No. 3 position for Super Kings, cashed in on the opportunity when promoted ahead of Raina. The inside-out shot off Yuvraj Singh for six over extra-cover was easily the best stroke of the day.
Rollicking start
Electing to bat, Warriors' Ryder gave a torrid welcome to Nuwan Kulasekara, who replaced the injured Albie Morkel.
In the absence of South African Graeme Smith who is recovering from a hamstring strain, Ryder has stepped in to intimidate the opposition bowlers with some scintillating shots.
After Bollinger kept Mohnish Mishra guessing and outsmarted him, Ryder smashed three boundaries off the second over bowled by Kulasekara: pulling to midwicket, lifting to the straight field and driving over cover. However, the burly Kiwi, in an attempt to score heavily in the Power Play overs, offered a low catch to S. Anirudha at midwicket off Bollinger.
Kulasekara, brought on from the dressing room end, then bowled Mithun Manhas neck and crop. None of the Super Kings fielders, except the bowler, noticed the bails coming off and umpire Asad Rauf had to consult the third umpire before declaring the batsman out.
Manish Pandey made it a mini-procession by spooning New Zealand speedster Tim Southee to R. Ashwin at mid-on.
From a roaring 22 for no loss, Warriors was reduced to 41 for four before Robin Uthappa and Yuvraj Singh got the innings back on track with Uthappa even reverse-hitting left-arm spinner Shadab Jakati. Uthappa also struck Ashwin for two sixes before offering a straightforward chance to short third man off the off-spinner.
The Warriors lower-order rotated the strike, offering more scoring opportunities for Yuvraj. The Warriors captain was clinical in his execution of the big shots as he finished with an unbeaten 62 off 43 balls with three fours and four sixes.
It was Yuvraj's second half-century in six matches which took his side to a respectable 141 which proved inadequate when Badrinath got going.
Sheer magic
Bollinger, who was named man-of-the-match, said Badrinath is “sheer magic. He is simple and sticks to his strengths. He is such a valuable team player for Chennai.”
The Australian seamer, who took three for 21, said the wicket at Chennai was more spinner-friendly and that the D.Y. Patil wicket was good for batting.
“It is important to win and show consistency in order to be in the top four or two. We have seven more matches to go and it's good to be in the position we are now.”
He said that Albie Morkel has a bicep strain of the bowling hand and as a precautionary measure, he was not picked for the match.
Warriors coach Geoff Marsh pointed to the mistakes made by the batsmen. “They are not scoring enough runs for the bowlers to compete and defend. Both Graeme Smith and Tim Paine are injured and we don't have Angelo Mathews and Ashish Nehra,” he said.
Pune Warriors: J. Ryder c Anirudha b Bollinger 19 (12b, 4x4), M. Mishra c Jakati b Bollinger 2 (9b), M. Pandey c Ashwin b Southee 10 (13b, 1x4), M. Manhas b Kulasekara 0 (4b), Yuvraj (not out) 62 (43b, 3x4, 4x6), R. Uthappa c Anirudha b Ashwin 31 (22b, 2x4, 2x6), M. Marsh c Ashwin b Bollinger 11 (15b, 1x4), J. Taylor (not out 1) (2b); Extras (lb-1, w-4): 5; Total (for six wkts. in 20 overs): 141.
Fall of wickets: 1-22, 2-22, 3-28, 4-41, 5-83, 6-123.
Chennai Super Kings bowling: Kulasekara 3-0-26-1, Bollinger 4-1-21-3, Southee 4-0-33-1, Ashwin 4-0-29-1, Jakati 2-0-15-0, Raina 3-0-16-0.
Chennai Super Kings: M. Hussey c Pandey b Kartik 9 (18b, 1x4), M. Vijay c Manhas b Ryder 31 (31b, 1x4, 1x6), S. Badrinath (not out) 63 (44b, 6x4, 2x6), S. Raina (not out) 34 (25b, 1x4, 2x6); Extras (lb-2, w-5, nb-1): 8; Total (for two wkts. in 19.3 overs): 145.
Fall of wickets: 1-19, 2-80.
Pune Warriors bowling: Thomas 3.3-1-24-0, Taylor 4-0-27-0, Kartik 4-1-27-1, Marsh 1-0-7-0, Rahul 4-0-27-0, Yuvraj 1-0-10-0, Ryder 2-0-21-1.
Man-of-the-match: D. Bollinger .
Reference from The Hindu.