'We will adopt rotation policy for youngsters'

Cuttack: Deccan Chargers’ skipper Adam Gilchrist finally got the monkey off his back when his side registered their first home win in India. The new home proved to be lucky for Gilly’s men as they survived the Irfan Pathan scare to register a six-run victory here at the Barabati stadium on Friday.

Here’s what Gilchrist had to say after the win

On Irfan Pathan’s innings (60 off 29 balls)

It was a great innings by him [Irfan Pathan]. You know that sort of an innings was possible in this form of the game. It is never over till the last ball is bowled. Irfan showed some great fighting ability. He did give us some switches in the nerves but we had done the hard work earlier to get into that position of reasonable comfort - but great effort by him.

On the senior cricketers coming good

Yeah, I think they have played well. There has been some quality cricket by some quality cricketers. Jacques Kallis has played some beautiful innings. It was time that Matty (Matthew Hayden) gets comfortable and starts contributing. You know clean innings like that of Haydos (Matthew Hayden) and Symos (Andrew Symonds) with clear mind is refreshing. Given the fact that these performances have come early on despite the fact that we don’t have much cricket other than this tournament is great. The way Kallis has been played it is wonderful to watch him.

On breaking the home jinx

If you want to consider that as our first home win then you can stop focussing on that for now. We had a lot of home wins in South Africa last year. We were not focussing on that - in fact we were just focussing on the points table yesterday and now we can just tick that off. We have been putting a lot of attention on that win against Kings XI Punjab.

On his thoughts on the upcoming matches

It is hard to tell as we have played just three games. We have had the same XI in the last three games. Obviously we will have a look now. We have to have a look at VVS Laxman and everyone after the first week. Maybe tomorrow we will sit and think about the game on Sunday. Look, we have played some fantastic cricket. We showed signs of good cricket in the first game [against Kolkata Knight Riders] but we let them off. We played a very dominant game against Chennai Super Kings and now here. So it is a good sign. There were openings from where the opposition has made a comeback and we would like to eradicate those. We are pleased where we are after three games.

On Chaminda Vaas

He [Chaminda Vaas] plays in these conditions beautifully. With other senior guys putting their effort in batting like Symmo [Andrew Symonds], he is one who has taken responsibility in the bowling department. He is experienced, clever and a very skillful bowler. He has been playing domestic cricket so he has been in good touch.

On Andrew Symonds

He [Andrew Symonds] has been a quality cricketer for over a decade for Australia. And credit to him because he has been out of the game but still he is fit. His desire to play in IPL and win matches is enormous.

On training and fitness programmes for senior cricketers

To be honest you don’t need to train that hard [when you are at] Haydos’ [Matthew Hayden’s] or my age.

On Virender Sehwag and Delhi Daredevils

He [Virender Sehwag] is an absolute beauty to watch. I like watching him play. We will obviously keep him in mind when we start planning for our game against Delhi Daredevils. But we will keep the whole batting line-up in mind. You know there are times when you think you have got the danger man out and then someone else chips in like Pathan did tonight. And Delhi Daredevils have got that kind of players through their batting line-up.

On batting performance against KXIP

I think we were short of what we wanted to score on this pitch today. We were in a position from where we should have scored. They held on to some amazing catches and we didn’t have someone like Symmo for the last three overs. The boundary ropes made sure that the size of the ground was smaller than its actual size. I think they should play on big grounds to make it more intriguing.

On the rotation policy for youngsters

We haven’t rotated our Playing XI in the last three games. We will assess the fitness of all our guys. And we have obviously got good depth in our squad. Guys like Azhar Bilakhia and a few others will definitely get their chance as we move forward in the tournament. It is a long tournament, so we will be rotating players.

Meanwhile, Andrew Symonds who scored fifty in Deccan Chargers’ six run win revealed that the preparation for IPL began earlier than the actual camp in India.

On his preparations for IPL 2010

For me the preparation started eight weeks ago in Australia. I underwent a fitness programme and I started batting two weeks before I landed in India for IPL. Obviously when we came here we had to adjust to the conditions.

On the success of Adam Gilchrist and Matthew Hayden

They [Adam Gilchrist and Matthew Hayden] are real good players and that is why [they’ve been successful]. They are great players.

Toss Report: RR vs KKR

Ahmedabad: Shane Warne, captain of Rajasthan Royals has won the toss in Ahmedabad and elected to bat on a pitch that looks good enough to put up a big score.

Warne said, “We have had good preparations and the practice was good too. We had a few honest chats so the boys are in good spirits and hope to put up a good show.” Warne seemed positive and felt that the wicket was good enough for a 175 plus score.

Kolkata Knight Riders captain Sourav Ganguly was confident of posting a win. He said, “It’s early days yet. There’s still a long way to go. It’s good to have wins under your belt but there are still a lot of games remaining.” On the pitch, he said, “It looks like a good wicket. Looks a little damp, though. We hope to utilise it with our fast bowlers.” Chris Gayle, who has joined his KKR teammates from the Caribbean, will not be playing this encounter, Dada announced at the toss.

Teams:

Kolkata Knight Riders: Sourav Ganguly (captain), Shane Bond, Ishant Sharma, Wriddhiman Saha (wk), Angelo Matthews, Ashoke Dinda, Brad Hodge, Cheteshwar Pujara, Manoj Tiwary, Murali Kartik, Owais Shah

Rajasthan Royals: Shane Warne (captain), Yusuf Pathan, Naman Ojha (wk), Adam Voges, Shaun Tait, Faiz Fazal, Paras Dogra, Michael Lumb, Munaf Patel, Abhishek Jhunjhunwala, Siddharth Trivedi

Preview: MI vs RCB (IPL 2010 – Match 14)

What

The Royal Challengers look set to take the challenge to the Mumbai Indians on the latter’s home ground

When

Friday, March 20, 8pm. With both teams having won their previous two encounters, it will be a mouth-watering prospect to see them clash for the top spot on the points table.

Where

Brabourne Stadium (CCI, Mumbai). Having already played hosts to the Mumbai Indians vs Rajasthan Royals run-fest, it would be worth watching this match which will be played under lights. The dew factor is likely to come into play and the toss might give one of the two sides a bit of an advantage.

The Protagonists

This match is all about who gets to sit at the top of the table. The Mumbai Indians, now with their full squad at their disposal, would want to win with the massive home support behind them. Players such as Pollard, Jayasuriya, Tendulkar can strike fear in any bowler’s heart, and with bowlers such as Zaheer, Malinga, Harbhajan, they look set for another victory.

Standing in their way, however, is a resilient Royal Challengers Bangalore team, who are without a certain Ross Taylor, but are playing brilliantly nonetheless. Kallis, Steyn, Kumar and Kumble have the ability to destroy any formidable batting order, and Pandey, Uthappa, Dravid and Kohli are the batting strengths. Both teams are matched equally in all departments, and this match will truly set Brabourne Stadium and Mumbai alight.

What next?

A win for the Mumbai Indians would give an added boost to their campaign, and keep them at the top of the table. A victory for the Royal Challengers Bangalore would displace the Mumbai Indians from the top spot and RCB would be first instead.

Both teams have their fair share of veterans and also a talented bunch of youngsters.

Always a challenge to bowl to the Master: Kumble

Mumbai: Royal Challengers Bangalore skipper Anil Kumble is very happy with the way his side's top-order has been firing. He is hoping for more of the same when Royal Challengers Bangalore play Mumbai Indians on Saturday at the Brabourne stadium.

“It’s certainly a pleasing factor for us that our top-order batsmen have delivered in two consecutive matches. The top-order getting runs is important in any form of the game. [Jacques] Kallis has been excellent along with Manish Pandey, and hopefully we can continue [our good run],” Kumble said at a news conference at the CCI m on Friday.

The champion leg-spinner said that his team morale was very high after two back-to-back wins. “The team is full of confidence after two victories at home. If you look at Mumbai, they have done exceptionally well in their last two games. But we are looking forward to this game, and hopefully we can now register a win away from home.

“Another plus factor is that the bowling too came good against Rajasthan. It was an exceptional performance from our bowlers to restrict Royals to 90-odd runs,” added Kumble.

But Kumble felt playing Mumbai Indians at the Brabourne Stadium would present a different challenge. ``The stadium is smaller [than the Chinnaswamy] in size and there is a fast outfield. Hopefully, the bowlers will be able to come up with a good show, but it will definitely be challenging,” Kumble said.

But the clash of the day would be when Kumble locks horns with Mumbai Indians skipper Sachin Tendulkar. The two legends of Indian cricket know each other better than anyone else. So the contest will be top notch.

“Sachin [Tendulkar] is their key batsman, we all know how destructive he can be,” Kumble said, adding in a lighter vein, “Hopefully, I don’t have to bowl to Sachin. Our fast bowlers will have done the job by the time I come to bowl.”

He signed off saying, “I am looking forward to bowling at him. It has always been a challenge to bowl to the Master.”

Need to maintain winning momentum: Zaheer

Mumbai: Pace spearhead Zaheer Khan addressed the media ahead of the big Mumbai Indians vs Royal Challengers Bangalore encounter at the CCI, Mumbai. He feels Mumbai Indians need to keep up their momentum to make DLF-IPL a really memorable one.

"We are happy to have begun well but importantly, we need to maintain the momentum. We have to focus on each game, take a small step at a time," Zaheer said on the eve of their third match against Royal Challengers Bangalore team on Saturday.

Zaheer said that it was important to keep doing the simple things well. "All teams are equally good. The format is such that on any given day any team can beat any other team. It's important to keep things simple and do them well," added Zaheer.

Zaheer was not too concerned about the spate of injuries plaguing the team. "I got injured during the last IPL and could not get fit though I tried hard. Injuries are part and parcel of the game. Just like others, I want to keep playing as I know that's the best way to maintain my rhythm," he said.

Zaheer also praised the younger players for having come good in the tournament. "I'm happy with the way the youth brigade, including Saurabh Tiwary and Ambati Rayudu, have performed. And a guy like Abhishek Nayar has not got a game yet.

"Then there's R Satish who has not got a good opportunity to show how good a finisher he is. He's another to keep an eye on," Zaheer said.

Newspaper round-up – March 20

Showing appreciation of Preity Zinta commitment to the KXIP team, Yuvraj Singh was quoted as saying in the Gulf News, "She's actually the main captain. I think Preity is great. I think, in the last series she learnt a lot about cricket and cricketers and she's very generous and she makes sure the boys are like a family."

“Saturday’s game against Bangalore Royal Challengers is going to be particularly challenging,” Sanath Jayasuriya wrote in The Times of India. Appreciating Sachin Tendulkar’s captaincy and hailing the Mumbai Indians bowling attack, he added, "We have some genuine wicket-takers with the likes of Harbhajan Singh and Lasith Malinga. Having domestic players of this quality is really important and it is a major reason why we have made such a positive start.”

“Shane Warne needs to turn things around for them quickly, as only he can, but it seems a little tough for them at the moment. He used to say that coaches are what gets players to the ground. He might now have to recognize that a coach actually does have a role”, wrote Steve Waugh in The Times of India. He added, “Captaincy is all about how you come back from adversity, so this is a good opportunity for Shane to prove himself”.

On the eve of Kolkata Knight Riders match against the Rajasthan Royals, KKR captain, Sourav Ganguly wrote in the Hindustan Times, “Chris Gayle, the West Indies - skipper, has joined the team and will definitely add to our strength. Apart from his tremendous batting prowess, Gayle's bowling is also a plus. It will add to our already existing variety. A loss at home means one has to try and make up by winning away. That is what makes our game against Rajasthan Royals more crucial. A win in Ahmedabad will calm a lot of nerves and set the record straight”.

“Just one glance at the way the Master Blaster is batting says it all. God! I still get goosebumps recalling his last innings. Where are all those pundits who predicted that T20 is a format for youngsters, here is Sachin Tendulkar, a veteran cricketer of the present world, literally playing with the bowlers mind. Shots like these leave very little for the bowler to do except for standing there and saluting the champion”, wrote Harbhajan Singh in The Times of India on Sachin Tendulkar’s blitzkrieg against Delhi Daredevils.

“Among the IPL teams, the Chennai Super Kings have one of the best offers for fan club members,” the Hindustan Times reported. It added that the Kings’ club has a range of offers on ticket purchases for their fans like, complimentary ticket with every first ticket they bought for the seven home matches, annual memberships, and for recent members opportunity to watch CSK practice and so on.

Warne's boys come good at last

Ahmedabad: Rajasthan Royals opened their account in IPL 2010 with a clinical team performance that saw them defeat Kolkata Knight Riders by 34 runs.

Kolkata Knight Riders never appeared to be in the chase while going after target of 169. The wily campaigner that Shane Warne is, he understood the nature of the pitch and had Yusuf Pathan open the bowling for the Royals.

The KKR openers found Pathan’s slow off-spin difficult to hit out against and were bogged down from the very beginning. The wicket was the slowest of IPL 2010 and the Kolkata side could never get ahead of the curve. Pathan may have failed with the ball, but took the two vital wickets of KKR openers Brad Hodge (36) and Manoj Tiwary (11). Knight Riders’ supporters would have been hoping for a match-winning show from Sourav Ganguly, but the KKR skipper could only contribute a slow 33 runs from 27 balls.

In the ultimate analysis, it was good, disciplined bowling by the Rajasthan Royals that won them the match.

Earlier in the day, the Kolkata Knight Riders started well getting the wicket of Rajasthan Royals opener Michael Lumb off the first ball of the innings. But after that it was a tale of batsmen from the Royals’ stable settling in and then getting out.

On a slow track, proper cricketing shots are the order of the day. And Rajasthan Royals’ innings was about cricketers who played classical shots getting in and helping the team reach a decent total. Rajasthan’s total was largely due to the efforts of their in-form batsman Abhishek Jhunjhunwala and debutant Faiz Fazal.

Fazal, who plays for the Railways side in the domestic competition, went after the KKR bowling right from the start. Fazal was particularly severe on Dinda milking him for 18 runs. But Fazal (31) got out to Shane Bond just when he was looking good for a big score. Jhunjhunwala has had a good run in IPL 2010 till now and his 45 along with Australian Adam Voges’ 37 runs were instrumental in getting the Royals to 168 in their allotted 20 overs. Yusuf once again fell to a bouncer. Dinda got rid of the blaster with a short one that had him holing out to deep square leg. The slowness of the wicket can be gauged from the fact that only two sixes were hit in the Royals’ innings.

With this win, Rajasthan Royals opened their account in IPL 2010 with two points.