 Robin Singh wants IPL
crowd to
embrace
Symonds, Gilchrist
CHENNAI, Mar 12: Hangover
of India’s acrimonious Australia
tour may linger but Hyderabad coach Robin
Singh would like to see the Indian crowd
embrace Andrew Symonds and Adam Gilchrist
once the Indian Cricket League (IPL)
takes off.
Robin,
also Team India’s fielding coach,
has seen from close quarter the racism
row in Australia featuring Symonds and
Harbhajan Singh that threatened to
polarise the cricket world.
Though
sanity eventually prevailed, it left
enough bad blood and it remains to be
seen how the Indian crowd greet the
Australian duo who would pull on the
Hyderabad jersey in the IPL.
Robin,
however, hopes that the crowd would
embrace the duo and greet them with the
same warmth bestowed on their Indian
counterparts.
"I
would definitely ask the people to treat
them well. After all, we are popularising
the game, particularly this form of
cricket. I think they should be given the
same treatment," the former player
told.
He also
dismissed the view that both Symonds and
Gilchrist would be under pressure once
they arrive here.
"Absolutely
not. These guys are thorough
professionals. They have won a huge sum
of money from the bid and there is no
doubt about their motivation levels. I
also had a long discussion with
them," he said.
Talking
about the Hyderabad side, Robin said it
was a balanced team, even though they
might need an additional pacer.
"Ours
is a very good fielding side and a top
batting side. May be we require an extra
fast bowler. We have quality spinners in
Shahid Afridi, Symonds and Pragyan Ohja.
In the bowling departments, R P Singh and
Chaminda Vaas are there. We have roped in
Sanjay Bangar too and we will use him as
well", he said.
"We
will be changing our combination
according to the strength of the team
that we will be playing," he said.
Asked
which team looked most formidable in the
tournament, he said, "in this format
of the game each team is a good side.
Some teams look formidable on paper. But
the matches are not based on their
strength on paper."
He was
also of the view that IPL would put
adequate emphasis on fitness.
"There
are a lot of professional fitness experts
coming, which probably the state
associations could not afford so far. Now
you have franchisees and they can afford
these. There will be lot of emphasis on
fitness," he said.
"Even
international players have to ensure that
they take of care their fitness because
the season is long. Fitness is one thing
which is important in this short game.
Fitness is the key as Twenty20 is very
demanding and the time to recover is very
short," he added.
The former
all-rounder hoped IPL would throw up new
stars and on personal front, he said he
was looking forward to coaching the
Hyderabad side.
"It
helps your thinking and wide range of
other aspects. It definitely helps to
improve your knowledge much better. Your
thinking patterns changes a bit and your
experience will allow you to do that
also," he said.
Asked
about condition of pitches for both home
and away matches, Robin said he had not
seen the track in Hyderabad.
"One
has to be careful about preparation of
pitches but at the same time, pitches
will not make much of a difference in the
Twenty20 format," he said. (PTI)
Nel
shapes South Africa’s easy win
DHAKA, Mar 12: Fiery
paceman Andre Nel took 4-27 to set up
South Africa’s comprehensive
seven-wicket victory in the second
one-day international against Bangladesh
here today.
The
victory helped South Africa take an
unbeatable 2-0 lead in the three-match
series and moved them one step closer to
reclaiming the world number one spot from
Australia in official ODI rankings.
The
Proteas now need to win the final
one-dayer against the hosts here on
Friday to become the top-ranked team in
the world.
The win
was shaped by Nel who responded to his
overnight axing from the squad to tour
India this month with an aggressive
opening spell that helped his side bowl
out Bangladesh for 173 in 48.2 overs.
(Agencies)
Indian
hockey team returns home
MUMBAI, Mar 12: The Indian
hockey team, which failed to qualify for
the Olympics for the first time in 80
years, returned home in the wee hours
this morning with coach Joaquim Carvalho
blaming poor umpiring as one of the
reasons for the debacle.
Carvalho,
who had decided to resign owning moral
responsibility for the fiasco, said there
was nothing wrong with the preparation
but the team failed to play to their
potential when it mattered the most.
India lost
to Great Britain 0-2 in the final of the
qualifying event in Santiago, Chile, and
the disappointment was evident on the
part of the players who looked grim and
tired after the long flight home.
"The
preparation went on the right lines and
even now we have a very good team. I am
not giving lame excuses, but it is just
that we did not play to our potential and
we lost the final," Carvalho told
reporters at the airport just after the
team landed. The coach was critical of
the umpiring standard in the tournament,
saying his boys were at the receiving end
of "unnecessary booking". (PTI)
Kallis,
Boucher, Ntini return for India tour
DURBAN, Mar 12: The trio of Jacques
Kallis, Mark Boucher and Makhaya Ntini
have returned to the South African squad
for the three-Test tour of India starting
later this month. Left-arm spinner Robin
Peterson, who took career-best figures of
five for 33 in South Africa’s
innings victory over Bangladesh in the
second Test, retained his place in the
squad which has Ashwell Prince as Graeme
Smith’s deputy.
Peterson’s
good form saw him joining another
left-armer Paul Harris in the touring
party with Johan Botha being the unlucky
player to miss out.
The squad
has no place for out of form Herschelle
Gibbs, who was not part of the Test
series in Bangladesh as well.
Kallis,
Boucher and Ntini were rested for the
one-day series against the minnows.
Ntini’s
return will strengthen South
Africa’s pace attack which also has
Dale Steyn in fine form with
man-of-the-series awards in his
country’s previous three Test
series.
Swing
bowler Charl Langeveldt, who has not
played a Test for more than two years,
also finds a spot at the expense of Andre
Nel. (PTI)
Ice
Ski Championship concludes
Excelsior Sports
Correspondent
LEH, Mar 12: The five-day long
1st CEC Ice Ski Championship organised by
District Youth Services and Sports,
Kargil concluded at Snow Ski Centre,
Naktul-Kargil today.
Nasir
Hussain Munshi, Executive Councilors for
Works and Powers was the chief guest on
the occasion who distributed certificates
and medals among the participants.
Haji Mohd
Ishaq, Kacho Gulzar Hussain Khan, R K
Bhagat, Deputy Commissioner, Kargil and
Hajia Marzia were also present.
In all 83
players drawn from various villages of
Kargil district took part in the
championship in the disciplines of
Alpine, Ski, Jiant Solulm and Cross
Country.
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