Wednesday, September 26, 2012

Clash against India a mini grand final: Michael Hussey

Colombo: Australia's veteran batsman Mike Hussey feels that Friday's Super Eights clash with India would be a mini-grand final in the World Twenty20.

Australia, who are yet to lift a World Twenty20 title, face a tall order in the Super Eights stage. First they take on India and then South Africa and Pakistan.

"The pressure and tension are only going to rise as we get closer to that India match because it's a huge game," Hussey was quoted as saying by the Australian media Wednesday.

Hussey feels a win can help Australia stake their claim for a place in the semi-final.

"If we can win that first one in the Super Eights, it does give you that confidence and that little buffer that you know you just need one out of the last two to get through. It's pretty much an early grand final really in the context of the tournament," he said.

Thursday, September 20, 2012

Mahindra Quanto launched at Rs. 5.82 lakhs

New Delhi: Home grown auto major Mahindra and Mahindra today launched its multi-utility vehicle, the Quanto.

At under 4 metres, the Quanto is the smallest MUV in Mahindra’s stable.

Priced at Rs. 5.82 lakh, the vehicle is powered by a 1.5-litre diesel engine. The top-end model will set you back by Rs.
7.36 lakh.

The Quanto has opened up a new segment in the Indian automobile market and has an opportunity to consolidate its presence before others jump in. However, it may see some competition from the passenger car segment due to its pricing. Maruti Suzuki’s Ertiga and Renault’s Duster, among others, are being seen as its competitors for now.

The smaller length of the Quanto means buyers will have to shell out only 12 per cent excise duty as compared the 27 per cent for larger vehicles.

The company plans to sell 1,500-2,000 Quantos a year.

Mahindra's passenger car sales have outpaced that of local rivals such as Maruti Suzuki and Tata Motors thanks to huge demand for its new XUV 500 and its all-diesel line-up.

“With the Quanto, Mahindra is aiming to fill a need gap in the Indian automotive market for a versatile and compact SUV. We expect the Quanto to offer an exciting upgrade at a premium to customers who are otherwise looking for premium diesel hatchbacks or entry level diesel sedans,” Pawan Goenka, president, automotive & farm equipment sectors, Mahindra & Mahindra, had said last month.

Source:NDTV

Wednesday, September 19, 2012

Australian great Matthew Hayden quits cricket

Sydney: Veteran Australian opener Matthew Hayden has called time on his glittering playing career, opting not to play in Australia's domestic Twenty20 series this year, his Brisbane Heat team said on Thursday. The Heat said that after lengthy discussions, Hayden, 40, had opted not to return for a final series after signing as their marquee player for last season's inaugural T20 Big Bash League.

Hayden, who retired from Test cricket in 2009, played for the Chennai Super Kings in the Indian Premier League in 2010. He took a sabbatical from cricket before returning to play for the Brisbane team in 2011-12. "I will be pursuing my initial intention and agreement with the Heat of moving from the pitch to the boardroom, where I hope to continue to make a meaningful contribution to the Big Bash League and the Brisbane Heat," Hayden said in a statement. "I also plan to be very active in promoting and supporting the Brisbane Heat both on and off the field, and to contribute to the long-term success of the franchise."

Hayden said cricket would remain a significant part of his life. "Whilst closing the final chapter was difficult, it feels great to be more actively involved in supporting and nurturing our next generation, especially now with my children," he said. Hayden scored 8,625 runs in 103 Tests for his country with 30 centuries, at an average of more than 50. He also played 161 one-day internationals.

Saturday, September 15, 2012

Oil companies raised premium or branded petrol and diesel rates steeply...

New Delhi: Days after the steepest diesel price hike, oil companies today raised premium or branded petrol and diesel rates by Rs. 6.36 and Rs. 19.55 per litre, respectively.

The government, on Thursday, had raised diesel price by Rs. 5.63 per litre and allowed the oil companies to price premium or branded petrol and diesel at market prices.

Subsequently, the premium or branded petrol in Delhi is being sold at Rs. 77.58 per litre from today as against Rs. 71.22 previously.
Similarly, premium or branded diesel is being sold at Rs. 65.81 per litre as against Rs. 46.26 previously, industry sources said.

Indian Oil Corporation (IOC) sells premium or branded petrol under the brand name 'XtraPremium', while Bharat Petroleum calls it 'Speed'. Hindustan Petroleum sells the fuel under the brand name 'Power'.

Friday, September 14, 2012

BCCI terminates Deccan Chargers' IPL contract

The Deccan Chargers' IPL contract has been terminated after a decision was reached in an emergency IPL council meet.

It was earlier reported that the Hyderabad-based Deccan Chargers was likely to survive in the Indian Premier League as YES Bank, one of its lenders, had agreed to bail them out by paying the players' salaries for Season 5.

It seems now that the BCCI has not taken the matter lightly and decided to go ahead with the tough decision.

On Thursday, debt-ridden Deccan Chargers' attempt to find a buyer had ended in an anti-climax with the IPL team rejecting the only bid they received, throwing the future of the beleaguered franchise into uncertainty.

Deccan Chronicle Holdings, the owner of Deccan Chargers, reportedly received a bid of Rs. 900 crore from PVP Ventures Limited, a Hyderabad-based company engaged in urban infrastructure and financing movies, but surprisingly chose to reject it at the auction as it considered the price and terms unacceptable.

The board, which was forced to take a decision on the fate of Chargers, had announced the date of the Working committee meeting as Saturday, September 15.


Source : NDTV Sports (With PTI inputs)

Parineeti Chopra in Band Bajaa Baarat Remake

Latest news buzz is that Parineti Chopra has been almost finlaised as the lead actress in Band Bajaa Baarat remake.

Band Baaja Baraat is a romantic movie about two graduates named Shruti and Bittoo from the University of Delhi, who start a tumultuous business venture as Wedding Planners together with a strict rule: Not to mix business with pleasure. But some things test their friendship over time and eventually make them discover one another. Anushka Sharma and Ranveer Singh played Shruti and Bittoo in it.

Parineeti Chopra in Band Bajaa Baarat remake

The lead actor has not been finalised till yet but most probably Telegu actor Nani will get the nod.

Nani, who is busy with three projects, will be on cloud nine. The Tollywood star has been flooded with several new offers after the huge success of recent movie Eega.

Friday, September 7, 2012

Wayne Rooney wants to stay at Manchester United for next decade

Manchester: Manchester United striker Wayne Rooney has revealed he wants to stay at Old Trafford for the next decade after admitting handing in a transfer request two years ago was the biggest mistake of his career.

Rooney, who joined United from Everton in 2004, was asked by talkSPORT radio on Friday where he saw himself in another 10 years.

"Hopefully still here at Man Utd," he replied. "That's the aim, the plan and what I want to do.

"As long as this club wants me, I'll be here and trying to be successful."

England striker Rooney is currently promoting his latest autobiography, 'My Decade in the Premier League', which is also being serialised by the Daily Mirror. In the latest extract, Rooney admits he regretted asking for a transfer.

Rooney issued a statement in September 2010 in which he questioned United's ability to attract top players and indicated he wanted to leave.

Two days later, though, he performed a dramatic U-turn and signed a new five-year contract.

He wrote: "In September 2010 my ankle puts me on the sidelines.

"I get frustrated with myself, my game, my injury, and everything around me.

"I'm stuck in a cycle of bad form but I can't get out of it.

"And that's when I make the biggest mistake of my football career.

"In October, I release a statement which publicly questions my happiness at Old Trafford. Am I better off elsewhere?

"Everyone makes a fuss. There are discussions inside United to sort out the issue, people outside United chuck their opinions around, but the thing is, nobody really knows what's going on in my life.

"None of them understand where I am in my career. They don't know where my head's at.

"The only person who really knows what's going on in there is me, but even I'm not sure what I want."

He continued: "Then the manager (Alex Ferguson) has his say. 'Sometimes you look in a field and you see a cow and you think it's a better cow than the one you have in your own field. And it never really works that way'.

"He's saying the grass isn't always greener, and he's right.

"I like what's in my field. I'm wrong. United want the same as me: trophies, success, to be the best."

Meanwhile Rooney told the Manchester Evening News his recovery is on track after suffering a gash to his leg in a tackle against Fulham a fortnight ago.

"The injury is going well. It could have been a lot worse than what it was. It is up to the doctor. When he declares me fit I will be ready.

"What I don't want to happen is to come back too early when it is not quite healed and it opens up again first game. That would just set me back again another four weeks."

"Overall, I think at the most I will miss four games."

He added that he was keen to get back onto the pitch to start building a partnership with summer signing Robin va Persie.

"I am looking forward to getting back into the team and trying to forge an understanding with him (Van Persie)," Rooney added.

Rooney has been known as a volatile character on the pitch but said that was a more mature person after being banned for swearing at a TV camera at West Ham in April last year.

He said: "That was the biggest moment where I realised that was wrong and stupid and I need to change.

"I have tried to do that and feel I have. It wasn't great so hopefully that won't happen again."

Rooney became a parent when his son Kai was born in 2009.

He added on Sky Sports News: "You want to try to do right by your kids. When the incident happened at West Ham and I swore down the camera I was really disappointed with myself.

"I have made a conscious decision to try to stop silly things like that. I don't really want my kids seeing their dad doing that on TV."

Thursday, September 6, 2012

Sourav Ganguly, not Rahul Dravid, will be a better coach for India

On Wednesday, former Indian captain Sourav Ganguly expressed a strong desire to coach Team India. Ganguly asserted that he wants to give something back to the game by mentoring and grooming the youngsters for the rigours of international cricket.

A couple of months back, Rahul Dravid also said that he is open to coach Team India in the future if an opportunity crops up. This has generated a nation-wide debate that who between Ganguly and Dravid is the right candidate for the job. This is not the first time Ganguly has spoken about coaching India. In an interview with The Telegraph on his 40th birthday, Ganguly made his intentions very clear as he was quoted as saying, "I could be the coach, so I could take the abuse... Take the brickbats... Rahul can quietly sit at the back and be the nice boy that he is."

The statement is an apt reflection of attitude and characteristics of both cricketers, and evinces the way both played and approached the game. While Ganguly was an intrepid and vibrant leader who took the bull by its horns and didn't shy away from being aggressive on and off the field, Dravid was a supremely composed man who possessed unflinching concentration and impenetrable batting technique.
Being strong-headed, Ganguly never dithered to take tough decisions and back his instincts, while Dravid seemed to have taken the safer route, playing the Good Samaritan, and was reluctant to stir up the hornet's nest.

Ganguly instilled killer instinct, confidence and vigour among the youngsters and backed them to the hilt. Under his tutelage, players like Virender Sehwag, Yuvraj Singh and Harbhajan Singh thrived and emerged as match-winners. He stood up for the players he believed in, and his pupils rewarded his faith by setting the cricketing landscape ablaze with their sparkling performances.

Indians were no longer perceived as stoic, diffident and home-track bullies. Ganguly transformed them into belligerent tigers with indomitable spirit who tore into the opposition in their den. His shirt-waving histrionics at Lord's after winning the NatWest Trophy in 2002 against England is regarded one of the most iconic sporting pictures in the history of India. Though wasn't highly shrewd in tactical nous, Ganguly, an outspoken person, made up for it by flair, flamboyance and fairness. No other Indian captain fought for his players the way Ganguly did. He enjoyed the undivided support from the team which always rallied behind him.

In comparison, Dravid was a notch above Ganguly as a batsman and he had a phlegmatic temperament. A pleasant personality, he commanded unanimous reverence and admiration from cricket fraternity but by his own admission he didn't enjoy the responsibility of being a captain for too long and it had started affecting him mentally. Thus he had no option but to give it up in a bid to concentrate more over his batting. He's a private and intense person who likes to ruminate over finer nuances of the batsmanship and game. But captaincy demanded reaching out to other players and be among the thick of gazillion activities, something he isn't cut out for. Pervasive media and constant pressure of being at the helm didn't help matters.
It is fair to say, after analyzing all aspects, that Ganguly is a better choice for coaching while Dravid is the best choice as a batting consultant. Coaching involves mentoring and motivating youngsters by establishing personal rapport, something which Ganguly does with flourish. Also, being an Indian coach involves taking scathing fulmination and brickbats in your stride and Ganguly is one person who did it admirably throughout his career. He was caned, castigated and ridiculed by the media and cricket experts ruthlessly several times but he stood his ground, remained unfazed and proved his detractors wrong every time. These attributes make him an obvious choice for coaching.

Dravid was endowed with a string of epithets like The Wall, Mr. Perfectionist etc., during his career for his impregnable defense, discipline and work ethics. He's a perfect role-model for youngsters who all look up to him. He's a batting virtuoso who proved his mettle across the globe, and his suggestions and guidance will be incredibly vital in shaping up the future of current crop of Indian batsmen.

Ganguly and Dravid have served Indian cricket with distinction as players and they make a formidable combination as coach and batting consultant respectively. Expect nothing short of brilliance when the best of both worlds meet to attain a common goal. Indian cricket will benefit immensely by this cracking confluence.
Source: cricketnext.in.com