Wednesday, November 11, 2009

Sachin Tendulkar

Introduction
Sachin Tendulkar a legendary and great Indian batsman was born on 24th April 1973 in the suburb of Mumbai city. His father's name is Ramesh Tendulkar. His father was a great Marathi novelist and dramatist. He was inspired by his elder brother Ajit. He is one of the greatest batsmen in the world.
He has a very unique style of playing. People compare him with all time great Australian batsmen Sir Donald Bradman. He is known as 'Little Master", "Master blaster" in the cricket world. Sachin learned his first cricket lessons from his guru 'Ramakant Achrekar'. Now even though he is great cricketer he always respects his guru and acknowledges his contribution in their cricket life.
Career in Cricket
Sachin played his first international knock against Pakistan. He made debut against Pakistan in the year 1989 in tests as well as odi's. He made his first century against England in 1990. On that time he was sixteen years old. He was the youngest batsman in the Indian team.
Sachin Tendulkar breaks the record of Lara of 28th oct 2008 while playing against the Australians. He surpassed Lara's record of 11953 runs. He also completed his 40th century.
Statistics
Sachin played 256 innings in test cricket. He has remained not out for 27 times in his Aggregate score of 12429 runs. His average score was 54.27. His highest score was 248. He has 51 half centuries to his name. He has completed 41 centuries and double century by 4 times.
As the member of the Indian squad he is a perfect all-rounder who has showed his skills in all the three departments of batting, bowling and fielding. Till the date he has bowled 646 over's. He has given 2227 runs and has taken 42 wickets. His average is 53.02. He has also done remarkable job in fielding. He has taken a recording feat of 100 and more catches He has also captained the Indian side for 25 innings under his leadership team has won 4 matches and lost 9 matches.
Sachin has the record of playing 419 odi's. In the tests he has played total 409 innings and he has been not out 38 times. He aggregated a score of 16422. His average was 44.26. His highest score was 186. He completed half centuries for 90 times while holds record of centuries for 42 times. His scoring rate was 85.46. He also contributed the side by bowling 1224 over's. His average is 43.98. He also done remarkable job in fielding.
Awards
His efforts were acknowledged by giving 'Rajiv Gandhi Khel Ratna' award in 1997-98. He also honor by was by 'Padmashree' in 1999.
Tendulkar has won a world record 14 ODI Man of series awards over his 18 year career. Tendulkar has won a world record of 58 Man of the match awards.
Summary
Sachin Tendulkar is a great player in Indian cricket. He played the highest test matches and done great contribution in Indian cricket. He is great cricketer. He is also a good human being. He is associated with many charitable institutions. He always respects his seniors. He is always calm and quit. His greatness is respected by all over the world.

Ricky Ponting Australia Captain

Not many cricket lovers question that Ricky Ponting, along with Tendulkar and Lara, is one of the best three batsmen of our generation. The stats certainly back this up as he stands on the verge of surpassing Alan Border as Australia's highest ever run getter. Ponting has hit 38 centuries, second only to Tendulkar who has 42 albeit in 26 more tests, and his average before the start of the Edgbaston test is 56.31.
Yet there are regular murmurings and criticisms about his qualities as a captain both here in England and also from his homeland. Jeff Thomson was decidedly uncomplimentary about Ponting's captaincy skills before the series started, and the reaction from both the Australian and English media after the 2nd test at Lords was pretty scathing. Indeed, at Lords, that supposed bastion of civility, we witnessed the Australian captain being booed by the crowd at various times during the match. But is all this criticism fair, or is Ponting being a bit hard done by? I suggest that he is.
Certainly, his record as captain is very impressive with only three series losses in England in 2005, India in 2008 and at home to South Africa in 2008/09. Both the England and South Africa series were very close and could have gone either way and he is not the first Australian captain to lose a series in India. In the one day game, he has led Australia to two successive World Cups, the first despite losing Shane Warne on the eve of their first match against Pakistan.
It has to be said, of course, that the team he inherited from Steve Waugh was one of the greatest teams ever and contained several all-time greats (Warne, McGrath, Gilchrist and Ponting himself), as well as many other players just below the all-time great level (Langer, Hayden and Gillespie). Players of that quality could easily have hidden an average captain. But the fact that he got the job above Warne and Langer, who both would have been exceptional captains, suggests that the Australian selectors saw something special there.
However, where Ponting has really shown his mettle is in dealing with the simultaneous retirements of these great players whilst still keeping Australia as the leading test team in the World, albeit by a close margin from South Africa. This is in stark contrast, for example, to the World Cup winning England Rugby team of 2003, who following several retirements soon after their triumph slid down the rankings faster than an Andrew Flintoff yorker.
There is no better example of Ponting's captaincy skills than following the demoralising home series defeat to South Africa; he was able to lead a young and inexperienced team to a 2-1 victory in the same opponent's backyard. Not many teams win series in South Africa. He managed this with a rookie opener (Hughes), a middle-order batter making his bow (North) and several inexperienced bowlers (Siddle and Hilfenhaus). This triumph speaks volumes for Ponting's ability to motivate his team, instil self-belief and mould them into a unit that is clearly hard to beat.
So far during the current Ashes series Australia have not had the rub of the green. They should have won in Cardiff after losing the toss and at Lords they were on the receiving end of a number of poor umpiring decisions. Also, no-one could have predicted that Mitchell Johnson was going to turn into a pie chucker, that Phillip Hughes would struggle as he has, or that Brett Lee would be injured.
Of course like every captain he has made mistakes. Putting England in at Edgbaston in 2005 after McGrath's injury smacked of complacency and even a touch of arrogance. Also bowling North at the end of the Cardiff test instead of Hilfenhaus was a strange decision. However, his good decisions have definitely outweighed the bad.
The English media in particular tends to focus on his mistakes, which is to be expected given the rivalry between the two countries. Also as the newspapers and TV pundits in England are dominated by former players who were all on the receiving end of batterings from Australian teams over the last 20 years, maybe we should take the criticism with a pinch of salt.
As for the public and the booing at Lords, unfortunately more and more of a football mentality is creeping in to some cricket supporters and maybe Punter should take it as a compliment that he is being singled out for boos. He'll probably score a double century now to shut up the critics and the boo-boys.
As a Pom, I wish that Ponting was a poor captain unable to motivate his troops, but I don't believe that is the case and expect Australia to come roaring back at Edgbaston, weather permitting. I suspect that Johnson and Hughes will both return to form and perhaps the inclusion of Watson and/or Clark will give Ponting a bit more firepower in the bowling attack.

The Fall of Australian Cricket

It's 3 May 1995 and thanks to a brilliant 200 by Steve Waugh, Australia have beaten the West Indies in the final test to regain the Frank Worrell Trophy, surrendered by Bobby Simpson's team in 1977-78, and ended West Indies' 15 years without a series defeat. From this point on Australia have enjoyed a long period of dominance to match that of the team they beat on that famous day. Until now.
Although Australia are still top of the ICC test rankings, they are fighting to repel South Africa's bid for their number 1 ranking. Last week Andrew Strauss, not known for making bold statements about opponents during the middle of a crucial series, said that he believes facing Australia "...feels like you are playing against any other Test team." This was similar to comments made previously by Graeme Smith and Anil Kumble.
So have we reached the end of an era? Or, is this just a temporary blip in a continued era of Australian dominance?
Certainly if we look at the test match records of the five leading countries in the ICC rankings since January 2008, coincidentally when Adam Gilchrist, the last of the holy trinity along with McGrath and Warne, retired, Australia have definitely been brought back to the pack.
Most Australians will rightly point out that the baggy greens have had a tough schedule during this time with home and away series' against South Africa and an away series against India, as well as the current Ashes contest. Fair point, but during their era of dominance, only tours to India proved to be consistently difficult to win for Australia.
During the same press conference Strauss went further saying that "I don't think this Australian side has got an aura about it to be honest with you and prior to this Test series starting we didn't feel they had an aura about them." This is hardly surprising when you consider the long list of all-time great and/or very good players who have retired in the last three years: McGrath, Warne, Gilchrist, Langer, Hayden, Martyn, Gillespie and MacGill. Any team in any sport would struggle to replace players of that calibre in such a short space of time.
Although some of the replacements for these great names have already made a mark (Haddin, Johnson and Hughes to name but three), it will take some time to achieve the consistency that can only come from experience and the familiarity of playing in a team that has grown together. Indeed, inconsistency, a loss of the ability to kill teams off and the absence of the fear factor from other sides seem to be Australia's main problems at the moment.
The inconsistency has been clearly highlighted during the current Ashes series with both Johnson and Hughes in particular struggling to maintain the excellent starts both had made to their test careers. In addition to Johnson's travails, the absence of a genuine test class spin option, as well as injuries to Lee and Clark have made the Aussie attack toothless at times. On the batting side, given Hussey's continued search for form, only Ponting and Clarke can be called genuinely world class at the moment.
The loss of the killer instinct is just as stark. In the Australian summer, South Africa chased 414 to win in Perth, recovered from 184/7 to post 459 in the 1st innings during their win in Melbourne, and then nearly survived in Sydney. All that added up to Australia's first series loss at home in 15 years. The incredible survival by England at Cardiff is yet another example of Australia lacking teeth. Can anyone imagine a team with McGrath and Warne throwing away those winning positions in Perth, Melbourne and Cardiff?
As Strauss also said, the fear factor associated with playing Australia has gone, with teams no longer fearing a dramatic fightback when they've got the Aussies under the cosh. "We certainly felt that in 2006-07. Even when we had good days, we were thinking what is going to happen now. Is Gilchrist going to blast a hundred or Warne take five wickets from nowhere?" Who is going to take that quick five for now?
Undoubtedly Australia are still a good side and they will always have that streak of competitiveness that runs through any team wearing the baggy green. They proved this by bouncing back against Graeme Smith's side in the return series in South Africa, where not many sides win. Any team that can count Ponting, Clarke, Haddin, Lee and an in-form Johnson in its ranks is a dangerous side, and Strauss would be ill advised to think that winning back the little urn this summer is inevitable. However, whilst they will continue to be one of the top sides, the days of the all-conquering Australia are over, for now.

Finding the Right Cricket Equipment

My article provides cricketers with useful information on buying the right cricket equipment, resources, clothing and supplies, to improve performance. I hope that you find my guide useful and that it results in you getting the correct gear to best suit your cricket style.
The summer is upon us and the weather is looking very promising for the cricket season. If you're a keen cricket player you will understand that you need the right clothing and equipment to keep your performance levels high when the temperatures are rising and your using your energy supplies up much quicker than usual. By getting the best cricket clothing you can increase your performance due to the development in the clothing materials over the last few years. The dri-fit range keeps you cool and dry throughout the whole match so that you can concentrate on the task at hand. It does this by wicking your sweat away and increasing the air-flow. View a full range of cricket clothing, including the dri-fit ranges, at the online shop.
Let's talk about cricket equipment. There are other aspects of cricket that you must pay attention to when improving your performance levels. Training alone is only going to take you so far.A great place to start is with the equipment that you are using. By replacing your old kit with the latest products can massively improve your game. There are many different types of balls, bats and pads to choose from and the key is to find the perfect matches to suit your particular style.
Find more advice on buying the right cricket gear by visiting one of many cricket shops on-line. Once there you can speak to cricket advisors who will do their best to assist you. Thanks for reading my article and I hope that you found it useful.

An Indian Cricket Paradox Resolved

Maybe the reasons for the decision are not exactly right. But a paradox is definitely resolved now.
Rahul Dravid, the former Indian cricket captain who was called the wall for his solid anchoring, last played a one day international (ODI) in October, 2007. His defensive approach was no longer considered to be suitable for ODI cricket and so was axed.
But, the IPL (Indian Premier League) that came into being in February 2008 made Rahul Dravid one of the five highest paid icons. IPL is twenty20 meaning you have only twenty overs to build an innings in a match. Naturally, this is supposed to be tougher than ODIs where you have fifty overs. Now, if you are unfit for fifty over match, how on earth could you be considered not only fit but fit for an icon too for twenty20 cricket. A paradox was thus created.
After India's debacle in the T20 world cup of 2009 there was continuous talk about Rahul's 'experience' and 'solidity'. Rahul is kind of a player whose dogged anchoring in building an innings never gets highlighted in so many wins of Team India. Some dashers who get the momentum from him manage to win the man of the match awards. The Wall always remains abandoned at the end.
On August 16, 2009, Rahul Dravid makes it to the 15 of Team India selected for the ODI Tri-series in Sri Lanka and the Champions Trophy in South Africa, both scheduled for September, 2009.
Rahul is past 36. Under his captaincy the Royal Challengers did miserably in IPL-1. Though in IPL-2 the same team worked wonders, Rahul was no longer the captain and his performance showed only sporadic brilliancy. There were two major mistakes in the T20 debacle; selection of unfit Virender Sehwag and somewhat forcing Rohit Sarma into the role of an opener. While Sehwag only contributed to the team's low morale and never played a match, Rohit was a string of abject failures. And that made the selectors look for 'experience' and 'solidity'.
A paradox is resolved indeed. But how paradoxical it turns out to be in the final reckoning remains to be seen.
Chinmay Chakravarty is a professional specialized in the creative field with over two decades of experience in journalistic writing, media co-ordination, film script writing, film dubbing, film & video making, management of international film festivals and editing of books & journals. Proficient in providing professional services in these related fields. Presently working in Mumbai Doordarshan as a News Editor.

Cricket Bats and Use Them Well

Where do you start when choosing a bat for the first time? If you have never had to purchase a bat before it is a task which could be a little daunting. For starters, there are funny sizes starting with numbers and then changing to names and handle lengths. Then there is the type and grade of willow to consider and finally the shapes of the bats.
So first things first, work out which size of bat you need. If you are an adult and are less than six foot tall then you will probably want a short handle bat, which is the standard adult size bat. If you are six foot tall or over then you will probably be more comfortable with a long handle bat. This as the name suggests just has a slightly longer handle so that the player doesn't need to stoop so much to hold the cricket bat and play shots. If neither suits you some manufacturers offer a bat called the Long Blade model. This has a normal sized adult handle but blade is marginally longer as in the standard model. Overall it is therefore similar to a long handle bat.
For children the choices are obviously different. The sizes begin at zero and continue up to size 6 and then continue on to Harrow. There is also an Academy size which comes in between the Harrow and senior short handle cricket bats. Following are the guideline heights and sizes for the junior bat however various other points that should be considered will be discussed later.
It is best to visit a specialist equipment store when choosing a bat as they will let you lift the bats in store and you can then be sure that it is comfortable. Additionally the staff will be on hand to answer any queries you may have. The player who is to use the bat should stand and hold the bat as if he or she is waiting to play a shot on the crease and lift the cricket bat up in the back lift position as if about to make a shot. There should be no discomfort or strain for the player when lifting the cricket bat in this position. If the bat is too heavy for the player he will be forced to alter his grip as he lifts the bat to play a shot and this means that the bat will come down across the line of the ball. A bat for cricket that is too long will prevent correct pick up as the handle will get in the way. Both of these problems will affect the player's ability to properly develop their technical skills and play the game to their best ability.

Five BatsmenGreat Records

First one: There are many great cricket players in their sports. When you think of these great players the player that probably comes to mind first is Donald Bradman. Bradman, an Australian Cricketer was acknowledged as the greatest batman of all times. By the age of 22 he had set many records for high scoring, some of these records are still unbeaten, he is idolized by many Australians' during the height of the Great Depression.
Second one: Another one of the top cricket batsman is an Indian cricketer known as Sachin Tendulkar. In 2002 he was ranked as the second greatest test batsman of all time according to Wisden. Tendulkar is the highest scorer in both test matches and ODIs,. Tedulkar is also known for the most centuries in either form of the game. In 1997 he passed Laras record for the most runs scored in Test cricket, and went on to become the first batsman to score 12,000 runs in that form of the game.
Third one: Garfield Sobers born July 28. 1936 in the WEST Indies is regarded as crickets greatest ever all-rounder. In 1975 he was knighted by Queen Elizabeth II for his services to cricket.
Fourth: Another one of the best cricketers in the sport is an Australian native known as Allan Borden. Borden still holds the world title for the most consecutive Test appearances, a total of 153 and the most test as a captain. A left handed batter Borden held the world record with a 11,174 test runs until 2005 when it was broken by Brian Lara in 2005.
Last but not the least: Probably another one of the best cricket players is Viv Richards, he was voted one of the top 5 cricketers of the century in 2000 by a 100 member panel of experts. In 2002 he was chosen as Wisden as the greatest ODI batsman of all times.