Sachin Tendulkar

India Vs USA: EXCLUSIVE: 18 years later, USA all-rounder Nisarg Patel aims for reunion with Rohit Sharma and Ravindra Jadeja | Cricket News

Danijones6 months ago011 mins

NEW DELHI: USA all-rounder Nisarg Patel was a mere 18 years old when he travelled to Sri Lanka for the Under-19 World Cup in 2006. The tournament had prominent players from various nations, including the likes of current Indian captain Rohit Sharma and star all-rounder Ravindra Jadeja.The USA team, placed in Group B with Australia, the West Indies, and South Africa, played three matches but unfortunately lost all of them, leading to an early exit from the tournament.T20 World Cup Schedule | Points TableDespite the disappointing outcome, Nisarg had the opportunity to meet the entire Indian squad, exchanging greetings with Rohit and Jadeja before returning to the United States.Now, 18 years later, Nisarg, who is part of the senior USA team, is eagerly anticipating a reunion with Rohit and Jadeja. India and the USA are set to face off in their ICC T20 World Cup 2024 match at the Nassau County International Cricket Stadium in New York on Wednesday.With two wins in two matches, India are well placed to make the Super Eights, while the USA will have to win one of the two remaining matches – vs India or Ireland – to move to the next stage of the mega event. TimesofIndia.com caught up with Nisarg, who played 41 ODIs and 21 T20Is for the USA so far and spoke about meeting young Rohit and Jadeja during the U-19 World Cup, cricket in the US, drop-in pitches, clash against India, and much more…The USA’s performance in the T20 World Cup has been remarkable…We are very excited. We have a big opportunity to represent the US on such a grand stage. There’s nothing bigger for players than representing their country in the World Cup, and we are doing just that. We have the chance to play against big teams – Pakistan and now India. We have played against Ireland many times and also against Canada. But this is a different experience altogether. This is special for us.How does cricket’s popularity fare in the USA, a nation renowned for its passion for NBA, Baseball, and NFL?People have come in huge numbers to witness our matches. There is a lot of buzz. It is an opportunity to bring the whole community together. As players, we just want to go and play cricket and enjoy every moment. That’s it. It’s the first time we have got the opportunity to play in such a big event like this, and we are giving our best. All I want to say is that we all (the US team) are enjoying our cricket. US cricket is doing really well. USA all-rounder Nisarg Patel (AFP Photo) After defeating Pakistan, the USA’s upcoming match is against India. Do you have your sights set on any specific Indian player’s wicket?I don’t specifically target players. As a player, I love to contribute to my team’s victory. It’s a very short format game. Whether it’s keeping it tight, bowling good overs, taking crucial wickets, putting brakes on runs, scoring runs, inflicting runouts, or keeping a batsman in check, I just love it. Obviously, I’d love to dismiss Virat Kohli or take Rohit’s wicket. But it all depends on when I’ll be bowling – in the Powerplay or after. I thrive in all situations. I met and interacted with Rohit Sharma and Ravindra Jadeja during the 2006 U19 World Cup and now look forward to meeting them again.Could you highlight two pivotal players from the Indian squad?Rohit Sharma. He can perform anywhere. And in bowling, none other than Bumrah. Give him any condition or situation, he will take wickets and win you the match. He’s that type of player.Your India connection?My cricketing journey started in India. I was born in Ahmedabad, Gujarat, and studied in a boarding school in Vapi. I played most of my cricket in Ahmedabad before relocating to the US in 2003. I began playing cricket in the US and received my first major opportunity to represent the USA in the Under-19 World Cup in Sri Lanka in 2006. I had the chance to compete against teams like Australia and South Africa, facing players such as David Warner, Aaron Finch, Matthew Wade, and many more. During the World Cup, I had the privilege of meeting and interacting with Rohit Sharma and Ravindra Jadeja as well. Experiencing international cricket at such a young age was invaluable. Subsequently, I was selected for the senior USA team and have since played around 70-80 matches for them. I aspire to continue representing the USA team for as long as possible.Who is your inspiration and why?I started playing during the era of Sachin Tendulkar, Sourav Ganguly, and Rahul Dravid. Initially, I admired Dada (Ganguly). He was my inspiration and a true leader. As time passed, I witnessed the era of players like MS Dhoni, Yuvraj Singh, and Virat Kohli. I greatly admire MS Dhoni. I appreciate the way he conducts himself on and off the field, how he handles players, and his ability to turn matches with his batting prowess. He is simply amazing and incredibly down-to-earth. He has contributed immensely to cricket.In cricket, being an all-rounder, I look up to Ravindra Jadeja. I play a similar role to him, being a left-arm spinner and a middle-order batsman. I closely watch and follow his game. I am eagerly looking forward to meeting him.Could you share insights from your meeting with batting maestro Sachin Tendulkar and the legendary Shane Warne?When the Legends Masters League took place in the USA, the great Shane Warne and the legendary Sachin Tendulkar were part of that league. We had the opportunity to meet them and learn valuable cricket lessons. I served as a net bowler in that league, bowling to the likes of Tendulkar, Ricky Ponting, Matthew Hayden, and many other legendary players. I learned a lot from their experiences.What are your thoughts on the drop-in pitches?I’ve never played on drop-in pitches before. This is our first time. All I’ve heard is that they are true wickets. They benefit…

Sachin Tendulkar and Brian Lara resume storied rivalry, this time on a golf course

Danijones7 months ago04 mins

Legendary India cricketer Sachin Tendulkar shared glimpses of a fun golfing session with his old rival Brian Lara with his fans on social media. Notably, Tendulkar and Lara are touted as two of the greatest batters to have played the game having a plethora of records to their name. There was a widespread debate regarding who was the best between the two during their playing days as the duo continue to rule the run-scorers list even after their retirement. While Lara established his reputation to be a Test great, Tendulkar stamped his authority as the best ODI batter of his era surpassing all the previous records of the format. The India legend also went on to surpass Lara’s record of most Test runs in 2008 after the former’s retirement from international cricket. Having bid adieu to their respective careers a long time back, the duo decided to keep their rivalry alive through a golf session, the image of which was shared by Tendulkar on his Instagram handle. The legendary cricketer gave a summary of their game and mentioned that they both played ‘attacking shots’ and took the ‘aerial route’ regularly while keeping the ‘timing alright’. “We played some attacking shots the other day. Took the aerial route, mostly. Timed them alright,” wrote Tendulkar in the caption as the two cricketers posed with their respective golf sticks alongside two other players. Notably, in one of his earlier interviews, Lara revealed his fondness for golfing and also mentioned that he plays the sport ‘right-handed’ as opposed to his batting stance which is left-handed. The reason behind that was that the cricketer didn’t want to alter his batting technique. Lara’s record-breaking feats Lara continues to hold the record for the highest individual score in Tests having scored an unbeaten 400 against England on 12th April 2006 in Antigua. The southpaw also holds the record for the highest score in First Class cricket as well having notched up a monumental 501 against Durham while playing for Warwickshire in Birmingham on June 6. On the other hand, Tendulkar retired as the most prolific batter in the history of international cricket with 34357 runs to his name and a world record 100 international centuries. Published By: Rishabh Beniwal Published On: May 30, 2024

‘Tendulkar, Dravid and Ganguly were never dropped because…’: Virender Sehwag’s stern message for under-fire Shubman Gill | Cricket News

Danijones8 months ago05 mins

NEW DELHI: Star Indian batter Shubman Gill, the captain of Gujarat Titans, has experienced a fluctuating performance in the ongoing IPL 2024 season. Despite a promising beginning, the star opener has struggled to maintain his form in recent matches, with his last significant score of 50+ runs occurring on April 10 against Rajasthan Royals. Since then, Gill has been dismissed for single-digit scores on three occasions.The young opener was also overlooked for the T20 World Cup squad, although he was included in the four-man reserves list alongside Rinku Singh, Avesh Khan, and Khaleel Ahmed.In Gujarat Titans’ recent encounter against Royal Challengers Bengaluru on Saturday, Gill’s struggles continued as he managed only 2 runs off seven deliveries.However, former India opener Virender Sehwag expressed his support for Gill, believing that the young talent will bounce back stronger. Sehwag also offered guidance to Gill during this challenging phase, drawing from his own experiences and referencing legendary batsmen such as Sachin Tendulkar, Rahul Dravid, Sourav Ganguly, and VVS Laxman while discussing Gill’s lack of run-scoring in detail.“I think he’s lucky that his name is in the T20 World Cup reserves. KL Rahul and Ruturaj Gaikwad are not even in that. That’s a good point and he should be motivated by that. Next time, he should not let his place go once he gets a chance. He should focus on scoring runs at a good strike-rate so he doesn’t get replaced,” Sehwag told Cricbuzz.“In my days, we had Ganguly, Tendulkar, Dravid, Laxman. It doesn’t matter how many runs the other guys scored, these guys didn’t go out because they never stopped scoring runs. How will you drop them if they keep scoring runs? They never gave a reason to get dropped. This is what Shubman Gill has to learn. Once he returns to the Indian team and plays regularly post the World Cup, he shouldn’t let such an opportunity arise again. Improve your skills and score big, because big scores will eventually save you,” Sehwag further said.The Titans’ recent loss to RCB further compounds their struggles in IPL 2024, as they now find themselves languishing at the ninth spot in the table. With just four wins from 11 games, the team led by Gill faces an uphill battle to turn their fortunes around and mount a comeback in the season.Under Gill’s leadership, the Titans, who were champions in 2022 and runners-up last year under Hardik Pandya, have failed to replicate their past successes. Their current position offers little hope of securing a playoff berth unless they manage to pull off a remarkable turnaround in their remaining matches.One of the glaring weaknesses for the Titans has been their performance during the Powerplay, particularly with the bat. Scoring only 23 runs in the Powerplay against RCB, they posted the lowest Powerplay total of any team this season.Further analysis reveals that the Titans’ Powerplay run-rate of 7.54 and strike-rate of 118.43 are the lowest among all teams in IPL 2024. Additionally, they have scored the fewest runs in the first six overs throughout the season, tallying just 469 runs.Addressing their underwhelming performance in the Powerplay will be crucial for the Titans if they are to salvage their season and make a late push for a playoff spot in IPL 2024.

The batter you know, the mentor you don’t – India TV

Danijones8 months ago08 mins

Image Source : BCCI Sachin Tendulkar and Virat Kohli. Sachin Tendulkar’s name is synonymous with records as the Mumbai-born scaled numerous milestones during his playing career and still holds plenty of records in international cricket even after 10 years of retirement. While Sachin’s match-winning ability as a batter is not unknown to anyone, very few are aware of his role as a mentor and how he helped his fellow teammates overcome adversities and challenges during their playing careers. As the Master Blaster turns 51 on April 24, 2024, let’s try to shed light on Sachin ‘the mentor’ who came to the rescue of Virat Kohli when the latter was going through the most distressing periods of his international career. Virat always looked up to the Master Blaster since childhood and found inspiration in him. He forged many match-winning partnerships with Sachin across formats to help India bask in glory before the Master bid adieu to international cricket. When Sachin retired from the game in November 2013, the entire world celebrated his illustrious career and many thought that it was the end of Sachin’s contribution to Indian cricket. Though Sachin has not coached the Indian men’s cricket team in any form thus far, the 51-year-old has and continues to make key contributions to Indian cricket by grooming players and sharing his invaluable inputs. While many know Sachin’s role at Mumbai Indians in grooming budding talent, very few are aware of how Sachin came to Virat’s rescue when the latter was going through the toughest phase of international and was even struggling to put bat to ball. High on India’s success in the ICC Champions Trophy in 2013 in the English conditions, India were buoyant when they toured England for a five-match Test series and also a white-ball series in 2014. Virat had scored 176 runs at an impressive average of 58.66 during the Champions Trophy and therefore was confident of getting plenty of runs for India in the Test series. However, Virat endured a horrid red-ball series against the Three Lions with the willow in hand and could only manage 134 in five games at a below-par average of 13.40. Virat’s failure cast a major shadow on his international future and allowed his critics to have a go at him. While many people wrote the champion cricketer off, Virat believed in himself and sought his idol’s help to end his slump in form. Virat came back to India and met Sachin in Mumbai to iron out the flaws that had crept into his technique and were ailing his form. “I came back and went to Bombay for 10 days. I spoke to him. He spent time with me. He said he watched me in England and helped me with a few technical things that are important at this level, in terms of getting a good stride in, always having intent when playing the ball and never being unsure of what to do at the crease,” Virat Kohli told The Daily Telegraph in an interview. “I never had a forward press but he told me you should go forward to a fast bowler like you would defend a spinner. Do it with the same conviction. It is the only way you can be in a good position to tackle swing, seam or anything you want. We ended up speaking a lot during that phase. Those things worked for me,” Kohli said. Cognizant of the fact that Virat was battling mental challenges as well, Sachin advised him to have a calm demeanour and focus on what worked for him instead of bothering about what was working for people around him. “He told me about the importance of staying mentally relaxed. ‘If you do not feel like hitting the ball, don’t hit it. Do not look at other people having a great net session for long hours, go off, try and do the same thing and come out frustrated.’ That helped me a lot,” added Virat. “When trying to build a career, you straightaway try to make sure everything is in sync for you to do well. Sometimes you have to make your own decisions and because he had played for so long, the expectations and consistency made a lot of sense. From then on, I followed what I wanted to do.” Sachin’s mentorship worked wonders for Virat as he went on to have a dream red-ball series against Australia in 2014-2015. Virat finished the four-match Border-Gavaskar Trophy as the leading run-scorer for India and the second-leading run-getter behind Steve Smith with 692 runs in four games. While it can be argued that a champion player like Virat Kohli would have ultimately come out of a lean phase like that, whether the turnaround would have been as swift as it eventually panned out can’t be ascertained.

Picture Perfect! Sachin Tendulkar hugs MS Dhoni after MI-CSK match | Cricket News

Danijones8 months ago02 mins

NEW DELHI: Irrespective of the match result in the IPL, the players’ camaraderie of the opposition camps often takes center stage. One such moment emerged after the Mumbai Indians-Chennai Super Kings match at Wankhede Stadium in Mumbai on Sunday.The two legends of the game, former CSK captain MS Dhoni and MI mentor Sachin Tendulkar were seen hugging each other graciously after the match.CSK put an end to MI’s home winning streak and secured their first away victory in this IPL season. Defending a total of 206 runs, they relied on superb defensive bowling. Matheesha Pathirana shone brightly, leading the charge with figures of 4 for 28 in his four overs.Despite Rohit Sharma’s magnificent unbeaten 105, Mumbai Indians fell short by 20 runs as they attempted to chase down a formidable target set by defending champions CSK in a clash between IPL giants.Even though Rohit raised his century off 61 balls, Mumbai concluded their innings at 186-6, unable to overhaul the target at their home ground, Wankhede Stadium. Skipper Ruturaj Gaikwad and the in-form Shivam Dube powered Chennai, who won their fifth title last year, to 206-4. Gaikwad hit 69 and Dube smashed an unbeaten 66 before warhorse MS Dhoni smashed three successive sixes in the 20th over to take Chennai past 200.Dhoni came in to bat with four balls left and scored 20. He smashed Mumbai skipper Hardik Pandya for three sixes and finished with a two to end a 26-run over.

Watch – MI vs CSK: Rivals on the field, friends off it | Cricket News

Danijones8 months ago04 mins

NEW DELHI: There’s no bigger clash in the Indian Premier League (IPL) than the one between Mumbai Indians and Chennai Super Kings. It’s a classic rivalry to say the least.Both Mumbai Indians and Chennai Super Kings are powerhouse teams, each having won the trophy five times. Whenever they clash, it’s not just a cricket match, but a showdown of talent, strategy, and nerves. Their matches are always highly anticipated and fiercely contested, with fans from both sides eagerly watching every ball.The MI vs CSK rivalry is characterized by competitiveness, high-quality cricket, and memorable moments, making it one of the most captivating matchups in the IPL.But regardless of the rivalry, the players of both the teams are friends and have mutual admiration for each other.On the eve of the clash between the two teams at the Wankhede Stadium in Mumbai on Sunday, the official X handle of CSK shared a video of players both the teams meeting and greeting each other.Ajinkya Rahane and Shardul Thakur who are from Mumbai play for CSK.In the video, Rohit Sharma was seen talking to Shardul Thakur and Ravindra Jadeja interacting with Tilak Verma. And the friends from the Caribbean, Dwayne Bravo and Kieron Pollard were seen talking to CSK head coach Stephen Fleming.Bravo and Pollard have had numerous and memorable on-field clashes but their friendship has only grown stronger over the years.Shardul Thakur was also seen talking to Ishan Kishan, whose idol is the great Mahendra Singh Dhoni.The MI-CSK rivalry began in the inaugural season of the IPL in 2008. Since then, MI and CSK have faced each other numerous times in the league stage, playoffs, and finals, adding to the intensity of their rivalry.Both teams have had their moments of dominance. However, CSK has historically had a slight edge in head-to-head matches, particularly in the earlier seasons of the IPL. In recent years, MI have balanced the scales, making the rivalry even more compelling. MI and CSK have often met in crucial playoff matches and finals, elevating the stakes of their encounters. These matches have produced some thrilling moments and have been highly anticipated by fans of both teams.The rivalry is also fueled by the presence of star players in both teams. Players like Sachin Tendulkar, Rohit Sharma, Kieron Pollard, Jasprit Bumrah (MI) and MS Dhoni, Suresh Raina, Ravindra Jadeja (CSK) have played key roles in shaping the outcomes of matches between these teams over the years.MI and CSK have large and passionate fan bases, adding to the atmosphere and excitement whenever they face each other on the field. The support from fans further intensifies the rivalry.