Emulate Dhoni: Vengsarkar to NE cricketers

Chief selector Dilip Vengsarkar has said that cricketers from the North East would have to come of age to secure a berth in the Indian team and they would do well to take a leaf out of skipper Mahendra Singh Dhoni’s book, who, in spite of coming from a small town, had made a mark in world cricket.

Vengsarkar said there was no dearth of talent in the North East, which was evident by the inclusion of players from Assam into the national U-19 and U-16 teams, but somewhere they had failed to retain the momentum just when it mattered most.

“In recent years, I have seen a couple of good players, especially from Assam, but after a few good performances, they sink into oblivion, which is unfortunate,” said Vengsarkar, who was at Guwahati for the opening match of the Indian Oil Cup between arch rivals India and Pakistan.

“There can’t be any other criteria than your performance on the field that would enable you to don the national colours. For the players of the region, the immediate goal should be to play well representing their respective states and then for the East Zone squad,” he said.

“If you perform, there is nothing that can stop you from making the cut. There can’t be any other reason, which is barring the region to produce any international cricketer till date,” stated Vengsarkar.

It is ironical that Assam, which boasts of several decades of cricket history and has, till date, hosted as many as 13 international matches, has failed to produce any cricketer of national standing.

The former Indian skipper also said that the Assam Cricket Association, being the dominant force in the region, has a greater role to play in making the North East a force to reckon with in Indian cricket.

“The fact that many talented players are coming out from smaller cities should motivate the players here to work that bit harder. Success does not come easy,” he asserted.

It may be mentioned here that in recent years, paceman Abu Naschim Ahmed, who eventually joined the Indian Cricket League, was the only player to manage a berth in the East Zone team, though he could not find a place in the playing eleven.

The chief selector categorically said that at present there were no such players in view from the region, who could immediately make it to the big league.

When asked whether he was happy with the facilities on the ground, the former stylish middle order batsman refused to make any comment.

Source: The Assam Tribune

Image: www.cricinfo.com

Team India in Guwahati

Dhoni hits bull’s eye at shooting range: Ganguly, Sreesanth visit Kamakhya

Nov 6: After a good beginning to the ODI series against Pakistan, the Indian team today found themselves in a relaxing mood. Before the team’s departure for New Delhi, several members of the side took some time out to hang around at Guwahati.

Led by captain Mahendra Singh Dhoni, three cricketers of Team India visited the shooting range of the 4th APBn at Kahilipara while former captain Sourav Ganguly and his junior team-mate Sreesanth offered prayers at the Kamakhya temple.

All members of the two teams, except Delhi players Yuvraj Singh, Gautam Gambhir and Virender Sehwag, spent the night in the city before taking a flight to New Delhi later today. Though most of the Pakistan team members preferred to stay back at their hotel, their Indian counterparts took some time out to enjoy.

Middle-order batsman Robin Utthapa went to the Nehru Stadium for a light work-out. He was accompanied by trainer Gregory King. Later Utthapa joined Dhoni, RP Singh, Murali Kartik and bowling coach Venkatesh Prasad to the shooting range.

The local manager of the Indian cricket team, Bishnu Nunisha, who accompanied them to the shooting range, said that everyone enjoyed the one-and-a-half-hour trip very much.

On the other hand, Sourav Ganguly and S Sreesanth separately visited the famous Kamakhya temple and offer prayers there.

Sreesanth visited the temple early in the morning while Sourav entered the temple on his way to the airport.

The security personnel had a tough time to control the crowd at the Kamakhya temple, and Sourav had to wait for a few minutes before offering puja.

During his earlier visit to the city also, Sourav had offered puja to Goddess Kamakhya.

Source: The Sentinel

India-Pak Guwahati ODI

No rivalry off the field: Malik

Nov 4: India and Pakistan cricketers were seen enjoying company of one another during nets session at the Nehru Stadium one day before the match.

Fast bowler Shoaib Akhtar was seen involved in gossip with Harbhajan Singh and later Zahir Khan also joined the duo while Sourav Ganguly was speaking with Mohammed Yousuf in such a mood that it looked like both friends were meeting after a long time.

It is for the first time the two sides are facing each other at the Nehru Stadium and also the first time after the Tewnty20 World Cup final.

Pakistan skipper Shoaib Malik admitted that rivalry was just confined to the ground while outside they were all very good friends.

“Nowadays, we are facing each other frequently. So I personally feel that there is no extra pressure on us. We confine the rivalry to the ground only and off the field we are very good friends,” he said.

The two teams had a 40-minute work out before two separate pre-match conferences.

India skipper Mahendra Singh Dhoni said both the sides were evenly matched and whoever handles the situation well would have the last laugh. He said the small ground (65 sq yards) could be a nightmare for the bowlers.

Earlier, the IndianOil Cup was unveiled by both the captains at a city hotel in the presence of senior IOC officials and Pakistan coach Geoff Lawson.


Fans fail to see cricketers at nets:

Nov 4: It was a tough day for the crowd that came to witness the cricketers for a little while. The police didn’t allow a single fan inside the stadium to see the two teams at the nets.

Security personnel took extra cautions and did not allow a single person unless he had a pass.

There were restrictions on crowd movement at the B Borooah Road from the morning and once Team India checked in at the nearby hotel, complete ban on movement was imposed on the B Borooah Road.

A crowd of more than 5,000 gathered near the main gate of the RG Baruah Sports Complex when the bus carrying Indian team entered the stadium. The news of the arrival of the Indian team brought in more supporters near the main gate.

Source: The Sentinel