INDIAN PLAYERS

Nicknamed Bengal Tiger, Prince of Calcutta and affectionately called Dada (means elder brother in Bengali) by his team-mates and Lord Snooty by his opponents, he is an aggressive player. He made his ODI debut in 1992, but his talents did not truly receive the recognition they deserved until India's 1996 tour of England when he scored consecutive centuries both in his debut Test and the next match (the 2nd and 3rd Tests of the series). He is only the 3rd cricketer ever to score a century on debut at Lord's. Rahul Dravid once commented, "On the off-side, first there is God, then there is Ganguly”. He scored 183 against Sri Lanka at Taunton in the 1999 Cricket World Cup, the highest by an Indian in World Cup cricket.He became the Indian captain in 2000 and led them in a record 49 Test Matches, winning 21 of those, including 12 of them outside India. All three figures are records for Indian Test captains.

Name:Sourav Chandidas Ganguly
Born: 8 July 1972, Calcutta
Major Teams: Bengal, India, Lancashire.
Known As: Sourav Ganguly
Batting Style: Left Hand Bat
Bowling Style: Right Arm Medium


Profile

Saurav Ganguly, the Prince of Calcutta has a fan following of millions and that is justified
considering the number of winning knocks he has played for India. His batting is the perfect
blend of elegance and power. He has all the traditional style that goes with left handed
batsmanship. He is also a superb/ perfect timer of the ball. The manner in which he steps out
and pounces on the ball, like a tiger on a hapless prey, is something to be enjoyed on the spot.
He is one of the most aggressive Captain India has ever had and has emerged as one thekey
components of the Indian team. His ability to play shots on the off side is special because there
are very few players who can hit the ball in that area as crisply as he does. He is an aggressive
left-handed batsman and is also an effective (right-handed) medium pace bowler. He tarted his
international career as a 19 year old during the tour to Australia in 1991-92 where both his ability
and attitude was questioned. His recall for the 1996 tour to England was severely criticised as
one of the evils of India's "quota" system. But he answered that in style by not only scoring
centuries in his first two Test innings but also capturing vital wickets to bag the Man of the
series award. Still he was considered fit only for the Test matches because of his inability to
play onside strokes. He worked on that problem and became a household name in India after the
Sahara Cup in Toronto where he won several matches for India against Pakistan. Besides
several superlative batting performance (including 75* in 75 balls), he exploited the conditions to
return some excellent bowling figures (including 5-16). He is often criticised for his running
between the wickets and if he works on that, the way he has worked on his leg-side then he will
definitely become a formidable force in the World of Cricket

With Sachin Tendulkar, he formed what was arguably the most successful opening pair ever in one-day cricket. This pair has the highest number of century partnership (16) for the first wicket. They together have scored 5621 runs at an average of 49.30. His position as opener has now been replaced by Virender Sehwag. He is known for hitting the "big sixes". He is also a useful extra bowler as a medium pacer.

His batting is the perfect blend of elegance and power. He has all the traditional style that goes with left handed batsmanship. With superb timing he almost caresses the ball to the boundary. But when the mood gets to him - particularly in the one day game - his batting can be a murderous assault on the bowlers and a delight to the spectators. The manner in which he steps out and pounces on the ball, like a tiger on a hapless prey, is something to be enjoyed on the spot.

But then Sourav Ganguly is not just strokes and class and powerful batting. He has a sound temperament and the ability to rise to the big occasion. Only a person who is mentally strong could have responded in the manner he did to widespread criticism to his selection for the tour of England in 1996. When he first went as a teenager to Australia in 1991-92 he was far from ready for the big time, despite his manifold gifts. By the time of his comeback, a mixture of talent and hard work had made Ganguly capable of the dream feat with which he launched his Test career. Since then, it has been impossible to envisage an Indian team in both forms of the game without him. On the strength of his figures and undoubted class, he has taken his place as among the `Big Three' of the Indian batting order. Few would deny him his place as probably the greatest Indian left hander of all time. And in the last year, he has also proved himself to be a tough, no nonsense captain. A record of four wins and only one defeat in his first six Test matches as captain - including a memorable series triumph over the formidable Aussies - augurs well for him as a leader.

Sourav Ganguly was a very happy man after India's majestic six-wicket win over arch-rivals Pakistan in what many had described as the mother of all battles.
"It was a huge game back home, schools were closed offices were closed and we're so happy we could make everybody smile back in India," a smiling Indian skipper said after the contest, which saw the two sub-continental rivals lock horns in the international arena for the first time in three years.

Ganguly also praised Sachin Tendulkar, whose 75-ball 98 at the top of the order paved the way for the Indian win. "He's been in great form and it's not the first time (that he has played a match-winning innings), he's a champion in one word and the knock he played is one of the best I've seen him play," Ganguly observed.

With India now carrying eight points into the Super Six stage (four for beating one of the qualifiers and four more for their other wins), Ganguly went on to add justifiably that his team now had a bright chance of making the semi-finals.

Tendulkar, who was deservedly named the Man of the Match, meanwhile, rated his match-winning knock as one of his best innings, despite missing his 35th ODI ton after being dismissed by a snorter from Shoaib Akhtar.

"It's obviously one of the most important innings I've played and when it's a World Cup match against Pakistan that makes it a special innings and I'll put it right up there," the little master observed.

"I was picking the line and length quite early today and felt very comfortable there in the middle from the moment of playing the back foot cover drive off Wasim," he added.

Talking about his problems towards the latter half of his innings, Tendulkar said, "I started getting cramps and it went from bad to worse, there was a stage in the game when I even couldn't stand properly."

Losing skipper Waqar Younis, for his part, blamed the Pakistan bowlers. "Looking at the total of 270 it seemed a good one, but unfortunately we didn't bowl that well, we bowled both sides of the wicket."

Sourav makes his test debut against england in 1996 at lord's. He score his century in his very frist match, and shows to the world that the king of kolkata is come to rock the world.

He makes his O.D.I debut in 1991/92 at brisbane against Westindies in world series. He 5221 runs in test with an average of 40.78 he also make 10123 in odi's with an average of 40.65.

The bangak tiger anousand his retirment from both odi's and test cricket at oct 7/2008 when he anouns his retirment he says that “I have informed my team-mates that this series would be my last, he added, "Thank you all for your support. Hopefully I’ll go on a winning note" some in the media ask him on the pressure about his last match he said “Every series has pressures attached to it, you have to play well every time. No one can start as favourites in this series, both have the skills to win.” And he makes century at his last match but anfortunatly he out for 0 in secound innings in his last match.

*** Some achinement from Sourav Ganguly ***
* Ganguly was appointed the Captain of the Indian cricket team in February, 2000.
* Ganguly was the Man of the Series in the New Zealand-India 5 match ODI series in November 1999.
* Ganguly made a mammoth 183 against Sri Lanka in World Cup 1999, which, at that time, was the Highest ODI Score by an
Indian, beating Kapil Dev's Record of 175*.
* Ganguly was the Man of the Series in the Pepsi Cup 1999 (March-April) for scoring 278 runs and taking 6 wickets in total.
* Saurav Ganguly has the distinction of being one of the few players in the World to Score a century and take 4 wickets in the
same match. (ODIs)
* Saurav Ganguly along with Tendulkar forms the 4th Best Opening Pair in the History of One-day cricket.
* Saurav Ganguly and Tendulkar were involved in a World Record Opening Partnership of 252.
* Saurav Ganguly scored a Century on Debut at Lords in 1996, and went on to score a century in the very next match as well.
* Saurav Ganguly was named Sport star Person of the Year 1998. He also won the Arjuna Award in 1998.
* Saurav Ganguly was the Highest Run-Scorer for India in ODIs in 1997.

* In the Sahara Cup 1997, Saurav Ganguly set a new World Record for 5 consecutive Man of the Match Awards. He was also the
Man of the Series





















SACHIN TENDULKAR - The name itself strikes terror in the hearts of bowlers all around the world. Hailed as the next Master-blaster following the legacy of the great West Indian Vivian Richards, this man has all the shots in the book, and a few more. There is nothing this man cannot do - he opens the batting for India in the one-dayers, comes at no. 4 in test matches, bowls right arm offbreaks, legbreaks and even googlies (the wrong-un). He also swings the ball both ways when he bowls his medium pacers. It seems he had tried his hands at wicket-keeping too (in his school days), but gave it up in pursuit of what he does best Batting Sachin Thread Cricket is a religion, Sachin is our god

Peofile

Known As: Sachin Tendulkar
Batting Style: Right Hand
Born: 24 April 1973, Bombay
Major Teams: Mumbai, YorkshireBat
Bowling Style: Right Arm Off Break,
Leg Break, Right Arm Medium



The greatest batsman in the world today, Sachin Tendulkar has the cricketing world at his feet. The adulation he commands world over is unsurpassed, perhaps since the days of Don Bradman, to whom of course he has been compared, by no less than the great man himself. While he may not end with a Test career average of 99.94, there is little doubt that based on his vigorous style of batsmanship and his insatiable appetite for runs and big scores, he is the most complete batsman since Vivian Richards. In many ways though he has surpassed even that outstanding West Indian batsman.

When Tendulkar is on song, there is no more majestic sight in the cricketing world. The spectators at the stadium are on their feet cheering while all over the world, TV audiences are glued to the screen. He has scored heavily on all kinds of wickets the world over, in conditions which lesser mortals have not been able to master and against bowlers whom other batsmen have found it difficult to score off. Immensely gifted and blessed with an impeccable technique, Tendulkar's batting is a dream, combining timing, elegance and power. Mentally very strong, Tendulkar is best when confronted by a challenge - as he showed when mowing down Shane Warne in India in 1998. Captain during two short stints, Tendulkar has made it clear that he would prefer to concentrate on his batting and indeed, he seems to be getting better with every passing year. Scoring two double centuries in successive seasons and being the first to cross the 10,000 run barrier in ODIs is clear proof of this. The best thing from the fans' point of view - if not the bowler's - is that the entertainment, courtesy Tendulkar, is still at the intermission stage. Long may
`The King' continue to regale his willing subjects!
While his batting ranks him among the best in the world, he is also a part-time bowler and has played a crucial role as a leg spinner or a medium pace bowler who tends to break partnerships. He has more than a hundred wickets in ODIs and 35 in tests, though his bowling averages are above 40. He continues to perform well under the massive weight of expectation of hundreds of millions of cricket followers, in India and around the world, and most recently was named Player Of The Tournament in the 2003 Cricket World Cup.Incidentally, Sachin is the first batsman to be declared run out by third umpire in 1992 in South Af









Some great Achivment in his career are:
* 4th highest tally of runs in test cricket (10,134) at an outstanding average of 57.25 (highest among those who have scored over 8,500 test runs) as of March 2005
* Most runs (over 13642) and centuries (38) in one-day internationals
* Only person to have scored over 11,000 ODI runs and over 25 ODI centuries as of April 28, 2005
* Highest ODI batting average among Indian batsmen and among all batsmen who have scored over 7,500 ODI runs (as of April 3, 2005)
* Most Number of Man of the Matches in one-day internationals
* Only player to have over 100 innings of 50+ runs in ODIs as of April 2005
* Most Number of Runs in World Cup Cricket History
* First cricketer to cross 10,000-run mark in ODIs
* Has equalled Sunil Gavaskar's record of 34 test centuries.
* Among those who have played over 100 test matches, he is the only one with a batting average above 55.
* Only second Indian to cross 10,000 runs in Test matches.
* He has the most centuries in ODI cricket against Australia, South Africa, New Zealand, Sri Lanka and Zimbabwe.
* He is the fastest to score 10,000 runs in test cricket history. He holds this record along with Brian Lara. Both of them achieved this feat in 195 innings.
* To go with this he has 34 hundreds in Test cricket at an average of 57. An average above 50 distinguishes a batsman as an all time great.
* Highest individual score in ODIs among Indian batsmen (186* against New Zealand at Hyderabad in 1999)
*1994: Arjuna Award Receipient for achievements in Cricket
*1997: Tendulkar was one of the five cricketers selected as Wisden Cricketer of the Year
*1997/98: India's highest sporting honour - Rajiv Gandhi Khel Ratna
*1999: Padma Shri - India's civilian medal of recognition
*2008: Padma Vibhushan, India's second highest civilian award.
*In August 2003, Sachin Tendulkar was voted as the "Greatest Sportsman" of the country in the sport
personalities category in the Best of India poll conducted by Zee News.
*In November 2006, Time magazine named Tendulkar as one of the Asian Heroes.
*In December 2006, he was named "Sports person of the Year"



Batting and fielding averages Mat Inns NO Runs HS Ave BF SR 100 50 4s 6s Ct St
Tests 166 271 29 13447 248* 55.56 47 54 55 104 0
ODIs 441 430 40 17398 186* 44.61 20254 85.89 45 93 1902 182 134 0
T20Is 1 1 0 10 10 10.00 12 83.33 0 0 2 0 1 0
First-class 268 422 45 22336 248* 59.24 74 100 172 0
List A 528 515 54 20950 186* 45.44 56 111 169 0
Twenty20 25 25 3 750 69 34.09 599 125.20 0 5 95 17 14 0
Bowling averages Mat Inns Balls Runs Wkts BBI BBM Ave Econ SR 4w 5w 10
Tests 166 130 3994 2299 44 3/10 3/14 52.25 3.45 90.7 0 0 0
ODIs 441 267 8020 6817 154 5/32 5/32 44.26 5.10 52.0 4 2 0
T20Is 1 1 15 12 1 1/12 1/12 12.00 4.80 15.0 0 0 0
First-class 268 7359 4191 69 3/10 60.73 3.41 106.6 0 0
List A 528 10196 8445 201 5/32 5/32 42.01 4.96 50.7 4 2 0
Twenty20 25 8 93 123 2 1/12 1/12 61.50 7.93 46.5 0 0 0





















Indian cricket player RAHUL DRAVID is a star of today, he has proved that nothing is impossible.Full Name: Rahul Sharad DravidNickname(s): Jammie, The Wall, Mr. DependableDate of birth: 11-01-1973Place of birth: IndoreSun Sign: CapricornSchool and College: St.Joseph's, BangaloreFamily:Dad: Sharad Dravid (Worked for Kissan Jam)Mom : Pushpa Dravid (Prof. for architecture in College)Brother: Vijay Dravid (Engineer, Plays cricket)Wife: Vijeta PendharkarSon: Samit DravidName of his home: SrishtiCareer: Indian Cricket Player (Batsman, occasional bowler and wicketkeeper)Deputy General Manager (In marketing division of India Cements Ltd.)First unofficial century: In school vs. St Anthony's when he was 10 yearsold.Batting Style: Right handedBowling Style: Right arm off breakCricket Gurus: G R Vishwanath, K K Tarapore, Roger Binny and Brijesh PatelODI Debut: Vs. Sri Lanka at Singapore, on 3/4/96Test Debut: India v England at Lord's, 2nd Test, 1996 Rahul Dravid:A player with 11000+ Test runs & 10000+ ODI runs is one of the finest cricketer the world has witnessed;a stalwart in Indian Cricket who gets acknowledged as a perfect gentleman in the gentlemen's game.He is India’s best No3 batsmen,also batted at different positions; kept wickets; captained India & lead to some famous victories, then later resigned. A team man to the core; the sacrifices he made for it are abundant. In his biography also, it was mentioned by Mr N.S.Sidhu that,’’Rahul is a person who will walk on the broken glasses if his team asks him to’’ Some call him 'The Wall', some call him 'Mr. Dependable' & to some he's just 'Jammy'.This community is for all of them. Join us if you believe he is a legend & an icon who inspires millions.


Name: Rahul Dravid
Born: 11 January 1973, Indore
Major Teams: Karnataka, India, Kent.
Known As: Rahul Dravid
Batting Style: Right Hand Bat
Bowling Style: Right Arm Off Break
Other: Wicket-Keepe


Rahul has been one of the main pillars of the Indian batting with his blend of technical
proficiency & stylish strokes. His strokes are so perfect technically that he is considered as
the "wall" of the Indian Team. His batting style was regarded slow for the ODI’s initially but with
his imaginative placing of the ball & innovative strokes he made himself as an integral part of
the Indian team for both Tests as well as ODI’s. His temperament for both the versions of the
game is exemplary and has earned him respect from all the other players. The Indian Vice
Captain has frequently played the sheet anchor role to perfection. . He was verily the batsman
of the 1999 World Cup with two hundreds and the highest aggregate. For this, he was named
as Wisden cricketer of the year, one of the few Indians to receive this special accolade. His
and beacause of his good looks he always being favorate in girls


Rahul Dravid makes his test debut against England at the crickers home Lord's in 1996.
Rahul Dravid has been one of the main pillars of the Indian batting with his blend of technical proficiency and stylish strokes. In a side bristling with dashing batsmen, he has frequently played the sheet anchor role to perfection. His style of batting was once regarded as too slow for the one day game, but through sheer practice, innovative strokes and imaginative placing of the ball, he has transformed himself into an integral part of the team in the shorter version of the game also. He was verily the batsman of the 1999 World Cup with two hundreds and the highest aggregate. For this, he was named as Wisden cricketer of the year last year, one of the few Indians to receive this special accolade.
For sheer consistency, Dravid has few equals and has maintained a Test career average of over 50. His temparament is exemplary and his concentration legendary. A batsman who revels in a crisis, Dravid, against New Zealand in January 1999, joined the ranks of Vijay Hazare and Sunil Gavaskar as one of only three Indians to have scored a century in each innings in a Test. The poor run in Australia in 1999-2000 was only a passing phase and he returned to top form the next season, including notching up his first double century in Tests. His promotion as vice captain was widely acclaimed. Dubbed as ``The Wall'' for obvious reasons, the modest, unassuming and well behaved Dravid is one of the most popular and instantly recognizable players in the land.


Rahul Dravid's Greatest achivment

Dravid named World Player of Year
India batsman Rahul Dravid has been named World Player of the Year at the inaugural International Cricket Council (ICC) awards. He was chosen by a 50-strong panel of former cricketing greats, national captains, umpires and referees. "It is quite unbelievable, I am really proud," said Dravid, who was also named Test Player of the Year. "I am so happy to be recognised by some really great people."
The batsman, who has also turned his hand to wicketkeeping in the one-day game, received the Sir Garfield Sobers Trophy for being the best player in both forms of the game in the year to July 31, 2004.
England all-rounder Andrew Flintoff was chosen as One-Day International Player of the Year to top off a memorable week for the 26-year-old after his partner gave birth to a baby girl.
"If someone had said three years ago you would be getting One-Day Player of the Year I wouldn't have believed them," said Flintoff, who beat off competition from Australians Ricky Ponting and Adam Gilchrist and India's Sachin Tendulkar. "It has been a special week. I am pinching myself."
Ponting was named captain of both World XIs and asked who would win if there was a game between the one-day XI chosen by the panel and his Australia side, he said: "Probably just the Aussies by a run or two."
The awards, held at London's Alexandra Palace, were
















Kumble has a reputation for modesty and quiet confidence - the epitome of a gentleman playing a gentleman's game.At the age of 38 years, with 619 Test wickets and 337 ODI wickets Kumble has finally decided to call it a day. And it is not only for his wicket taking that fans will remember him. Memories remain of the courageous way he walked out of the dressing room in Antigua in 2002 with his jaw bandaged, after it had been fractured while he was batting - and then proceeded to bowl a stirring spell during which he picked up Lara's wicket and not to forget is his Maiden Test Hundred where he scored against England at the Oval which was supposed to be the only hundred by an Indian in that series.Kumble was a quiet achiever - inspiring a generation of young cricketers and his own team mates by his efforts





Name:Anil Kumble
Born: 17 October 1970, Bangalore
Major Teams: Karnataka, Northamptonshire, India, Leicestershire.
Known As: Anil Kumble
Batting Style: Right Hand Bat
Bowling Style: Leg Break Googly

India's main strike bowler of the 90s, Anil Kumble has taken upon the role of both stock bowler and shock bowler for many years now. Like his illustrious predecessor BS Chandrasekhar, he has frequently proved to be a match winner, especially on Indian wickets. On a turning track, Kumble can be pretty unplayable as he mixes his bag of tricks to bamboozle the batsman. Kumble has never been a big spinner of the ball but his accuracy and his enormous variety make him a difficult bowler to handle. Kumble came into the side as a relatively unknown 19-year-old on the tour of England in 1990, was promptly forgotten for a couple of years and was back in the team on the basis of an outstanding Irani Trophy performance in 1992-93. Subsequently on the tour of South Africa he really came of age, a major turning point being his bag of six for 53 in the second Test at Johennesburg.
Less than a month after his 37th birthday, he received the ultimate honour when he was named India's Test captain for the home series against Pakistan. He went on to win the series, the first home triumph against Pakistan in 27 years, before playing a big role in holding the side together during the controversial series in Australia. He was also India's leading wicket-taker with 20 in the four Tests.

His form, however, slipped during the tour of Sri Lanka and there were calls for him to quit after a wicketless performance in the Bangalore Test against Australia. A shoulder injury added fuel to the fire and an upset Kumble reacted sharply, saying that he had it in him to continue for a while longer. However, he changed his mind during the Delhi Test and announced his retirement, fittingly at his favourite venue. He finished his career as the third-highest Test wicket-taker (619), behind Muttiah Muralitharan and Shane Warne.

Anil Kumbale makes his test debut at manchester against England in test he take perfect 10 wickets of pakistan and becomes the frist man who takes ten out of ten in test cricket history he took 10/74 and because of his performans india won that match.


Anil Kumble bowled his last ball for India as the third Test with Australia ended in a draw.
The India skipper announced his retirement before calling a halt to India's second innings on 208 for five, a lead of 244.
That left a possible 23 overs remaining in the day and Kumble came out to bowl four wicketless overs before the captains shook hands.
VVS Laxman had backed up his first innings double hundred with a an unbeaten half-century in the second earlier on the fifth day.
Brett Lee and Mitchell Johnson raised faint hopes of a dramatic Australian victory with a wicket apiece in the morning session, but that prospect was ground into the dust at the Feroz Shah Kotla.
Gautam Gambhir (36) and Sachin Tendulkar (47) kept India afloat until Laxman (57 not out) and Sourav Ganguly (32 not out) led India to their declaration total deep into the final session.
That left Australia with the improbable task of chasing 245 for victory and Kumble opened proceedings with the new ball.
Matthew Hayden (16 not out) and Simon Katich (14 not out), however, denied the prolific leg-spinner a final hurrah as they reached 31 for no loss when stumps were drawn after eight overs had been bowled.
Kumble shook hands with his team-mates, both Australian batsman and the umpires at the end and was carried around the ground on the shoulders of his successor Mahendra Singh Dhoni for one last farewell at the Kotla, a venue which had brought him immense success.
The result means India take a 1-0 lead into the fourth and final Test at Nagpur, which starts on Friday, but Australia have a chance to retain the Border-Gavaskar Trophy should they win there.

Some achivement for Anil Kumbale
Mohali, March 11
A wave of jubilation swept through the Indian camp when Anil Kumble trapped England tailender Steve Harmison lbw to join the select band of bowlers to claim 500 Test wickets. As umpire Simon Taufel upheld the lbw appeal, the 35-year-old Kumble jumped in the air and pumped his fists in celebration. Though denied a hat-trick, Kumble went on to claim the last wicket of Monty Panesar to complete another five-wicket haul.
The other bowlers to have already achieved the 500-wicket feat are Shane Warne (Australia - 659), Muttiah Muralitharan (Sri Lanka- 600), Glenn McGrath (Australia- 542) and Courtney Walsh (West Indies- 519).

The Indian leg-spinner, scourge of batsman the world over and the architect of so many Indian victories at home and abroad, emerged the second fastest to complete the 500-wicket mark in terms of number of Tests played.

The current Test at the PCA Stadium is the wily spinner’s 105th match.

Warne, the leading wicket-taker in Test history, is way ahead of other bowler with 659 scalps in his kitty. Muralitharan joined Warne as only the second bowler in the history of the game to cross the 600-wicket mark during the Bogra Test against minnows Bangladesh.

In quest of the rare honour, Kumble started the proceedings today with pacer Munaf Patel. Though he came close to taking a wicket on a couple of occasions, the Karnataka leggie went wicketless in th pre-lunch session. But he triggered a batting collapse immediately after the lunch break. Operating with the new ball with Munaf, Kumble castled Jones to reach the figure of 499. Then he got rid of Harmison and Panesar to take his tally to 501. Kumble’s second spell read 1.4-0-2-3.

For someone who made his Test debut in 1990 at Old Trafford, it has been a peerless saga of success achieved through sheer determination and hard work. During the 16 years that he has been on the international stage for the country, Kumble has numerous occasions to cherish, the foremost among these being the 10-wicket haul against arch-rivals Pakistan at Ferozeshah Kotla. Though he has lost berth in the one-day squad, Kumble is a vital component in the Test squad. Kapil Dev with 434 wickets is the second highest wicket-taker for India in Tests.

An ecstatic Kumble later said it was his self belief, perseverance and support by team-mates which kept him going. “There were doubts created by various people but I never doubted my abilities,” he said.

“It is a great feeling to be able to reach the milestone as the first Indian and only the fifth bowler in the history of the game. I owe it to all the cricketers I have played with,” he observed
























Vangipurappu Venkata Sai Laxman
Born: 1 November 1974, Hyderabad
Major Teams: Hyderabad, India.
Known As: VVS Laxman
Batting Style: Right Hand Bat
Bowling Style: Right Arm Off Break

Profile:
V.V.S. Laxman is a stylish right-hander from Hyderabad who will always be remembered for the fine knock of 167 he scored in the third Test against Australia at Sydney in January 2000. Since his debut he has been in and out of the Indian team but one of the main reasons for that is that he is unable to have a secure batting position. To be fair to Laxman, he is not a natural opening batsman and has had the job thrust upon him. Laxman's fine technique however makes him a safe bet to open the innings. Some people have labeled him as a Test batsmen who cannot bat aggressively hence have marked him unfit for the one dayers.
This however is not true as his aggressive nature is visible even in the Test matches. Laxman may lack some of the glamour that is associated with some of his teammates but he prefers to be what he is - a quietly efficient and determined cricketer. He is a batsman for whom patience, timing and technique are of utmost importance.
The term 'Hyderabadi stylist' is one that is not new to Indian cricket. First popularised by the late ML Jaisimha, an attacking batsman, the mantle was taken over for many years by Mohammed Azharuddin. Today, VVS Laxman has honourably made the title his own. A spate of high scores in the 1999-2000 Ranji Trophy season, including ten centuries in as many first class matches, confirmed Laxman's pedigree and penchant for tall scores. In Test cricket however, apart from a sparkling 167 against Australia at Sydney in a losing cause, Laxman had done little to show that he was a world beater. All that changed dramatically when the Australians toured India in early 2001.

Going into the series with a Test average of just under 28, Laxman was not a major cause of concern for the Aussies. In a rare display of attacking yet consistent batting, Laxman notched up 503 runs at an average of over 83. More than the sheer volume of runs scored, it was the manner in which he made his record breaking 281 at Kolkata that will remain etched in memory for years to come. It was a flawless innings under pressure that changed the complexion of a whole series, and signaled the emergence of a new batting hero. Laxman's 281 surpassed Sunil Gavaskar's record innings of 236 not out against West Indies at Madras in 1983 as the highest Test score by an Indian. Riding on the back of Laxman's efforts, India pulled off a sensational 2-1 win in a closely contested series. Spurred on by the success in Tests, Laxman was a changed man in the one-dayers, scoring his maiden ton in the fifth match against the Aussies at Goa. In short, the series against Australia changed Laxman's destiny as a cricketer. Rather, Laxman rewrote Indian cricket's destiny at the expense of the Australians.


Test Debut:India v South Africa at Ahmedabad, 1st Test, 1996/97
ODI Debut:India v Zimbabwe at Cuttack, Pepsi Triangular Series, 1997/98

Rohit Shrma

Name: Rohit Sharma
Born: Apr 30 , 1987, Bansod, Nagpur, Maharashtra
Age: 20 years 5 months
Team: India
Batting Style: RHS
Bowling Style: RHS
Test Debut:
ODI Debut: Ireland vs India-Jun 23, 2007
Twenty 20 Debut:
Profile:
The Mumbai player exuded his potential in the recent EurAsia tournament, where he scored two half-centuries for India A in three matches including 62 against Pakistan A.He displayed his class at No. 3 in the Under-19 2006 World Cup - barring the final, when the entire Indian line-up was blown away by rampant Pakistan fast bowlers - and displayed the key quality for that position: adaptability.
Sharma has the temperament to adapt to the role of accumulator or aggressor, depending on the game situation. He is also a more than useful off-spinner - a skill he will no doubt be looking to hone so as to have a second string in his bow. He has been awarded by his inclusion in the One-day squad for the England and Ireland tour of 2007. After India's poor performance at the 2007 Cricket World Cup, selectors looked at new players to represent India at the national level. As a result, Sharma was selected for the limited-overs matches on India's tour to Ireland in 2007. He made his One-day International debut against Ireland at Belfast although he did not bat in the match.

Prior to that, Sharma had scored a breezy 48 under floodlights against Rajasthan in the final of the Ranji Trophy One-Day Tournament, which Mumbai won by 72 runs, at Sawai Mansingh Stadium in Jaipur.

Indeed, there seems to be just no stopping Sharma, whose youthful aggression and hunger for success are in keeping with the spirit of Generation Next. Considering the kind of cricket that is seen today, and the hardcore professionalism and sheer ruthlessness with which it is expected to be played in the 21st century, Sharma appears to be just the right tonic the doctors may have prescribed for Indian cricket. Surely, future belongs to players like Sharma. The ball is certainly not in Sharma's court. Rather it is in the selectors' now. It is up to them how to make the most of Sharma's exuberance and exciting talents.

The unbeaten 142 in 123 balls for West Zone against North Zone in the Deodhar Trophy in Udaipur in March 2006 brought him further into reckoning. Performances for the Indian A sides in Abu Dhabi and Australia followed leading to him being selected for the 30 member probables list for the Champions Trophy (though he didn't make the final squad) and the Challenger Trophy.
His first Ranji Trophy game for his first-class side Mumbai was in the 2006/2007 season. In his first few matches, not only did he make ordinary scores, but Mumbai, a traditional heavyweight in Indian domestic cricket, struggled mightily. It was in their match against Gujarat in December 2006 that Sharma hammered 205 in 267 balls and set the foundation for an innings victory for Mumbai. Mumbai then went on to win two more matches against Rajasthan and Maharashtra by an innings, thus making their way into the Ranji Trophy playoffs. Sharma hit a 50 in the final against Bengal and Mumbai won the tournament.
After India's poor performance at the 2007 Cricket World Cup, selectors looked at new players to represent India at the national level. As a result, Sharma was selected for the limited-overs matches on India's tour to Ireland in 2007. He made his One-day International debut against Ireland at Belfast although he did not bat in the match.

On the 20th of Spetember, against hosts South Africa, he made a sesational knock of 50(not out), and his valuable performance helped knock out hosts South Africa from the 20-20 World Cup.

--------When did you start playing cricket?

I think when I was eight or nine years of age. I used to play a lot of tennis ball cricket before I began playing with the hard leather ball. I was very famous in and outside my colony as a tennis ball cricketer. I was very much in demand, too!

--------Does tennis ball cricket help in some way in improving one's game?

It helps you play your shots on the backfoot. The tennis ball bounces a lot, particularly on the cement wicket. We used to play tennis ball cricket on cement wickets on which the ball would come very fast. In fact, tennis ball cricket itself is very fast and action-packed. It helps you improve your batting, bowling and fielding. Tennis ball cricket helps in the game played with leather ball, too. Of course, I soon started playing leather ball cricket as well.

--------When did things actually begin happening in your career in terms of being noticed and nurtured properly?

I was playing against Swami Vivekananda School in the final of a club tourney. My performance enabled my team to win that game by a good margin. Interestingly, the opposite side's coach, Raju Lad, was so impressed by my performance that he asked me to join Swami Vivekananda School. I was very happy by his gesture of appreciation. Unfortunately, I wasn't in a position to pay the astronomical fees charged by that institute. But he was keen to have me in Swami Vivekananda School by all means. He probably convinced the authorities of my ability as a cricketer, if not as a student, and I eventually ended up studying and playing for Swami Vivekananda School. Mr Yogesh Patel, the director of the school, arranged a scholarship for my studies.

Gurunath P. Sharma (Rohit Sharma's father): "I'm very happy and humbly proud of my son Rohit, who has just begun to bring laurels, not only for his family but also for the country. I've never doubted his cricketing talents and always given him the much-needed encouragement and support. He is an extremely studious and level-headed boy. He has already played for Indian Under-17, Under-19 and India A teams. But I know he won't rest content till he makes it to Team India. Of course, he still has a lot to learn and also to improve his game a bit more. But I've no doubt that he'll do all that is required to be a better player than what he is today. The best thing about Rohit is his self-confidence which, if you observe carefully, always reflects in his approach to his batting. I'm sure success will never go to his head. It would be a very proud moment for all of us ? his family ? when he finally plays his maiden Test and One-Day International."

Ishant Sharma

Ishant Sharma
Full name Ishant Sharma
Born September 2, 1988, Delhi
Current age 19 years 154 days
Major teams India, Delhi, India Red, North Zone
Playing role Bowler
Batting style Right-hand bat
Bowling style Right-arm fast-medium


With a physique and attitude that is reminiscent of a young Javagal Srinath, Ishant Sharma shot into prominence during the 2007-08 Test series in Australia. Standing at 6'4", his rhythmic, high-arm action allowed him to bowl at around 135-140 kph. For one who started serious cricket at 14, his rise was rapid and he made his Ranji Trophy debut at 18. An injury to Munaf Patel provided him an opening during India's tour of Bangladesh in May 2007 but it was in Australia where he caught the attention, prompting Steve Waugh to call him the next best thing in Indian cricket. He showed he could move the ball both ways and his probing spell in the second innings in Perth, where he set-up Ricky Ponting, was the stuff of folklore. Siddhartha Vaidyanathan January 2008

Ishant Sharma (born September 2, 1988, in Delhi, India), is an Indian cricketer, more specifically a fast-medium pace bowler at pace around 140 km/h (87 mph). He has a high delivery action and is able to swing the ball in both directions. Sharma was called up to join the Indian national cricket team for the 2006–07 Test series in South Africa at the age of 18, though he did not play for his country in the series. However, after receiving the call-up and organising travel arrangements, it was decided to not send for Sharma after all. In May 2007, he was called as a replacement for fast bowler Munaf Patel, for his national side for the second test against Bangladesh, where he has bowled 3 overs so far, bowling one maiden and only conceding five runs, without taking a wicket.


Sharma plays for Delhi in domestic cricket and has taken 19 wickets in four first class games, including a five-wicket haul against Baroda on the opening day of a match Delhi drew after failing to bowl Baroda out on the fourth day. He has earned the nickname 'Lambu', which refers to his lean but tall build, measuring 6'4" (192 cm).
Sharma toured England with the India Under-19s in 2006 and Pakistan in 2006–07. He has played three youth Tests and six youth One-day Internationals for India, and is yet to lose a match for them.

In May 2007 ,he was selected in the Test Cricket team for the Bangladesh tour, and then the tour of England in July- August.
During Pakistan's tour of India in December 2007, Sharma picked up 5 wickets during the third test in Bangalore.


In January 2008 Sharma was called up to the Indian side once again to replace an injured Zaheer Khan in the second test of India's series against Australia at the SCG. Sharma started the first day of the match strongly and was involved in a controversial decision from Steve Bucknor when Andrew Symonds clearly nicked the ball to keeper MS Dhoni off Sharma's bowling but was given not out. On the fourth day of the third test in Perth he bowled an exceptional spell to Australia's captain Ricky Ponting that resulted in his wicket and helped India claim victory. The following test played in adelaide on australia day he picked up two wickets. he also appeared in the twenty-twenty match vs australia scoring 3 runs but not getting a wicket.

Ashish Nehra

Ashish Nehra Born: 29 April 1979, Delhi
Major Teams: Delhi, India.
Known As: Ashish Nehra
Batting Style: Right Hand Bat
Bowling Style: LeProfile:


Ashish Nehra's selection for the Asian Test Championship match against Sri Lanka at Colombo in February 1999 came as a surprise for he was then in the midst of his second first class season and had done little to suggest he was ready for the highest level. With Javagal Srinath resting a sore shin, Nehra was named to the squad and he sneaked ahead of Laxmi Ratan Shukla into the playing eleven. Still two months short of his twentieth birthday, the leftarmer trapped Marvan Atapattu leg before in his third over for his only success.
Nehra has been in sensational form in the 2000-01 first class season, grabbing 36 wickets at 12.83 in five games for Delhi in the zonal league. In the Duleep Trophy, he played a generous hand in North Zone's title triumph with 14 wickets at less than 20 apiece, including figures of 7/14 against East Zone at Guwahati. Having been named in the 25 probables for the Test series against Australia, Nehra is clearly bracing to slip back imminently into the national team.

Test Debut: India v Sri Lanka at Colombo, Asia-Test, 1998/99
ODI Debut: India v Zimbabwe at Harare, Coca-Cola Cup (Zimbabwe), 2001
ft Arm Medium Fast



Indian media salutes Nehra's six-wicket burst
27 February 2003
NEW DELHI, Feb 27 - Left-arm bowler Ashish Nehra's match-winning six for 23 against England on Wednesday has been hailed by the Indian media as one of the great one-day spells.
The lanky New Delhi bowler, who almost missed the match due to an ankle injury, bowled India to an 82-run victory over England in their World Cup Group A match to stay on course for a place in the tournament's Super Six stage.

"Nehra began the day sitting in the dressing room, waiting for his fitness test... He ended it with six wickets for 23, the third-best bowling figures in World Cup history," the Indian Express said in an article headlined: "Ashish Wednesday".

Left-armer Zaheer Khan and the experienced Javagal Srinath also contributed in a rare display of top-class pace bowling for India, traditionally known to rely on spin.

"Nehra bowled 10 inspired, lethal overs in one single spell to destroy England almost single-handed and to redefine the face of Indian cricket: roll over batsmen, the pace attack is winning matches," the Indian Express added.

Large pictures of Nehra, who had never taken more than three wickets in a one-day match before Wednesday, were splashed on all the leading dailies.

"Rarely has one seen an Indian opening attack, spearheaded by Ashish Nehra's chilling, searing spell, bowl with the kind of venom, speed, movement and accuracy as they did under floodlights at Kingsmead," said the Hindustan Times.

In an article headlined "Nehra lives a dream, England a nightmare", the paper added: "The way England played and missed, they might has well have been facing the wrath of a (Dennis) Lillee or a (Jeff) Thomson."

India now have 16 points from five matches, with an encounter against traditional rivals Pakistan on Saturday.

England, with 12 points, will have to beat world champions Australia in their last group match on Sunday to stay in the hunt for a berth in the next stage.

Zaheer Khan

Zaheer Khan
Born: 7 October 1978, Shrirampur, Ahmednagar, Maharashtra
Major Teams: Baroda, India.
Known As: Zaheer Khan
Batting Style: Right Hand Bat
Bowling Style: Left Arm Medium Fast


Zaheer Khan who quit his engineering studies to pursue a career in cricket is one of the best current findings of Indian team. His emergence has been a revelation for Indian cricket which was badly needing a genuine quick bowler. Zaheer's impressive debut in the ICC KnockOut, when two yorkers in three balls speared into the off stumps of Kenyan batsmen, heightened people's expectations. His pace and willingness to angle the ball into the body has impressed even the best in the World. He is an aggressive wicket taking bowler and has unveiled another potent dimension of his game in the one-dayer at Jodhpur against Zimbabwe, where he struck Henry Olonga for four sixes off the last four balls of the innings thus proving that he is an aggresive batter too.
The emergence of Zaheer Khan has given the Indian new ball attack a sense of well-being after a long hiatus. Zaheer's impressive debut in the ICC KnockOut, when two yorkers in three balls speared into the off stumps of Kenyan batsmen, heightened expectations. He stayed in the forefront of India's ICCKO and Champions Trophy campaigns, picking up 15 wickets, the most prized being Steve Waugh's, which showed he could unsettle the best in the business. Always presenting a composed exterior, his bursts of speed and willingness to angle the ball into the body can discompose most batsmen. In two Tests on bland subcontinent wickets, Zaheer toiled for limited success but his enthusiasm never flagged. He unveiled another potent dimension to his game in the one-dayer at Jodhpur against Zimbabwe, smiting Henry Olonga for four sixes off the last four balls of the innings.

Three years with the MRF Pace Foundation moulded Zaheer into a fighting fit product, ready to pass through the turnstiles into international cricket. He was given the opportunity to train at the Commonwealth Cricket Academy in Adelaide in October 1999 and toured New Zealand with the Academy boys. Having played for Mumbai at the Under-19 level, he failed to break into the city's Ranji Trophy side and sensibly decided to shift allegiances to Baroda. The impact of his Australian sojourn was evident during his maiden first-class season in 1999-2000, which yielded 35 wickets. The lad from Srirampur who quit his engineering studies to pursue a career in cricket would soon rest assured he had made the right decision.

Test Debut: India v Bangladesh at Dhaka, Only Test, 2000/01
ODI Debut: India v Kenya at Nairobi (Gymk), ICC KnockOut, 2000/01

Irfan Pathan

Irfan Pathan

Full Name: Irfan Khan Pathan
Born: 27 October 1984, Baroda, Gujarat
Major Teams: Baroda, India
Batting Style: Left Hand Bat
Bowling Style: Left Arm Medium Fast


Irfan Pathan Jnr - his namesake is also a left-arm seamer for Baroda - is India’s youngest pace-bowling hope. At 18, he has already established himself as part of arguably the most incisive pace trio in the country, alongside Zaheer Khan and Rakesh Patel; served consistently as spearhead of the national under-19 team; and finds himself regularly selected for the India A team. Tall, and well filled out for his age, Irfan does most of his work off the seam at a useful pace off a side-on action, and his left-handedness marks him out a natural danger to the right-hander. Like Zaheer, one of his two idols – Wasim Akram, naturally, is the other – Irfan has refined his raw ability at the Dennis Lillee-assisted MRF Pace Foundation in Chennai. In another two years, this boy could be a star

Historic hat-trick for Pathan
India left-arm seamer Irfan Pathan (5-61) took a hat-trick in the first over, the first bowler to do so in the Test cricket history in first over of the third and final Test against Pakistan on Sunday. Pathan had Salman Butt caught at first slip by Rahul Dravid with a sharp outswinger, trapped captain Younis Khan LBW with a sharp inswinger and bowled Mohammad Yousuf with another big inswinger to leave Pakistan reeling on nought for three. Pathan took wickets with his fourth, fifth and sixth balls to complete the 36th hat-trick in Test cricket history.
Off-spinner Harbhajan Singh is the only other India bowler to take a Test hat-trick, against Australia at Kolkatta in 2000-01. The 21-year-old Pathan had his victims beaten by the swing as well as seam movement extracted from the pitch. The left-armer is the 33rd bowler to record this feat in Test cricket. It is the 36th occasion that a bowler had taken three wickets off successive balls in the longer version of the game. Former Pakistan captain Wasim Akram, Australians Hugh Trumble and Jimmy Matthews have taken two hat-tricks in Test cricket.
Irfan Pathan's hometown -- Baroda -- erupted with joy when the local lad became only the second Indian to claim a Test hat-trick on Sunday. "Pathan has really done us proud and I wish him all the best and hope he takes more and more wickets and sets greater targets and achieves more," selection committee chairman and secretary of Baroda Cricket Association Kiran More said.
Pathan's mother Shamimbanoo said that all family members, relatives and friends were very happy that he got this achievement on Pakistani soil and "as Indians we feel proud for it". She added: "Irfan has really made all Indians proud and that makes us happy." Shamimbanoo said that Irfan used to be in touch with them regularly and "we were very confident that he would get us on his own and caught us by surprise".
Mehbubkhan, Irfan's father, said that the entire family were praying to Allah that their son achieved something great which would ramain in everyone's memory forever. His sister Shagufa said: "After his failure in getting wickets in Lahore and Faislabad tests on dead pitches, we all were sure about his sucess in Karachi Test." Pathan's local coach Mehndi Shaikh said that the paceman had bowled with a lot of heart and soul and "I am very happy and glad that he showed both maturity and fire during his spell".


He has taken 5 wickets in an innings six times in Test cricket, and once in one-day internationals, against Zimbabwe in the 2005 Videocon Tri-Series. His spell in the final match against Pakistan in the 2004 tour was arguably his best performance in ODI cricket. His trademark weapon is an inswinger which darts into a right-hand batsman, and he also has the ability to reverse swing the old ball. In the ODI format, Pathan has been particularly impressive, frequently giving India early breakthroughs. He now consistently ranks in or near the top 10 of the LG ICC cricket ratings.
He is developing into an all-rounder, as part of a reallocation of responsibilities under the new Indian cricket coach Greg Chappell. Chappell has identified potential in Pathan's batting. Pathan has recently been used as both an opener and a top order batsman in late 2005 in one-day cricket, making 83 runs at more than a run a ball against Sri Lanka in a Test match. He also proved his enhanced batting skills by scoring 82 and 93 against Sri Lanka, opening the batting in the December 2005 New Delhi Test, when regular opener Virender Sehwag was hospitalised with illness. He scores primarily in front of the wicket, his main strength being his ability to drive. He has shown his batting strength against Pakistan (India's traditional rival) by hitting 90 in the second Test in Faisalabad (21-25 January, 2006).

He is developing into an all-rounder, as part of a reallocation of responsibilities under the new Indian cricket coach Greg Chappell. Chappell has identified potential in Pathan's batting. Pathan has recently been used as both an opener and a top order batsman in late 2005 in one-day cricket, making 83 runs at more than a run a ball against Sri Lanka in a Test match. He also proved his enhanced batting skills by scoring 82 and 93 against Sri Lanka, opening the batting in the December 2005 New Delhi Test, when regular opener Virender Sehwag was hospitalised with illness. He scores primarily in front of the wicket, his main strength being his ability to drive. He has shown his batting strength against Pakistan (India's traditional rival) by hitting 90 in the second Test in Faisalabad (21-25 January, 2006).








Pathan recently took a hat trick in the first over of the Karachi Test against Pakistan becoming the first bowler to take a hat-trick in the first over of a Test match. It was also the highest in terms of total averages of the batsmen dismissed (130.18: Salman Butt 34.27, Younis Khan 46.04, Mohammad Yousuf 49.86). [1] This was also the first hat trick by a paceman from India and the first hat trick for any Indian bowler in an away match.

Pathan was the inaugural winner of the ICC Emerging Player of the year award in 2004, and is being groomed as the spearhead of the Indian attack for years to come, as well as a potential captain. Following his strong performances in 2005, Pathan was promoted in December to an A-grade contract by the BCCI.

He moved to the second spot in the ICC ODI Bowling rankings but a poor performance against West Indies saw him go down to 7th in the rankings.



Irfan Pathan named Emerging Player of the Year at ICC Awards
Stephanie Beltrame September 7, 2004
Indian pace bowler Irfan Pathan was tonight named Emerging Player of the Year in front of 1000 guests at the ICC Awards at London's Alexandra Palace.
The 19-year-old claimed the award in a category featuring some of international cricket's most talented players.
The ICC Awards, presented by Hyundai in association with FICA, recognise the game's most outstanding players of the past 12 months.
Accepting his award, Pathan paid tribute to his family and friends: "My family has supported me a lot as well as my coaches, right throughout my career. Everyone has helped me and I'd like to thank them all."
ICC Chief Executive Malcolm Speed said: "On behalf of the ICC and the cricket community, we congratulate Irfan Pathan on winning the Emerging Player of the Year award. He is a highly gifted player and along with the other nominees in this category, all have very bright futures in cricket," said Mr Speed.
With 100 votes, Pathan claimed the award ahead of Pakistan's Yasir Hameed (75 votes). Australia's Michael Clarke finished in third place with 45 votes, while another Pakistan youngster, Umar Gul, rounded out the top four on 21 votes.
In the 12-month voting period (1 August 2003 to 31 July 2004), Pathan played five Test matches and 18 One-Day Internationals.
He took 16 Tests wickets at an average of 38.00 during the voting period, and 36 ODI scalps at an average of 23.19, including best figures of 4-24 against Zimbabwe in the VB Series in Australia in February.
Pathan's 36 ODI wickets was more than double the tally of any of his colleagues in the Emerging Player of the Year category, with Australia's Michael Clarke (16 wickets) the next highest wicket-taker in limited-over matches during the year.
Nominees for the Emerging Player of the Year Award must have been under 26-years-of-age at the start of the voting period (1 August 2003), and have played no more than five Test matches and/or 10 One-Day Internationals before the start of the voting period.
Voting for the Emerging Player of the Year was completed by the 50-member ICC Awards voting Academy, who cast a 3-2-1 vote (3 votes being the greater value) from the list of nominees, with the votes tallied to produce a winner.
The voting Academy included the 10 ICC Full Member captains, the Emirates Elite Panel of eight ICC Umpires, seven members of the Emirates Elite Panel of ICC Referees (the eighth member did not officiate in the voting period), and a combination of 25 former legends and respected members of the media.

Harbhajan Singh

Harbhajan Singh is an Indian cricketer. A specialist bowler, he has the third-highest number of Test wickets by an off spinner and the highest among Indians.

Harbhajan made his Test and One Day International (ODI) debuts in early 1998. His career was initially beset by investigations into the legality of his bowling action and disciplinary incidents that raised the ire of cricket authorities. However in 2001, with leading leg spinner Anil Kumble injured, Harbhajan's career was resuscitated after Indian captain Sourav Ganguly called for his inclusion in the Border-Gavaskar Trophy team. In that series victory over Australia, Harbhajan established himself as the team's leading spinner by taking 32 wickets and becoming the first Indian bowler to take a hat trick in Test cricket.[1]

A finger injury in mid 2003 sidelined him for much of the following year, allowing Kumble to regain his position as the first choice spinner. Harbhajan reclaimed a regular posi

Harbhajan's elevation to the Indian cap in 1998 was a major surprise to the world because the 18-year-old was relatively unknown outside Punjab. An attacking spinner in the classical mould, he has not yet established himself in the side. The fact that he has not fully enjoyed the confidence of the selectors is one reason for this but his action being deemed suspect by the ICC has also stalled his progress. A stint with former England off spinner Fred Titmus seemed to have done him some good. The one quality that Harbhajan Singh is well known for is that he is a fighter to the core. For a purveyor of slow off spinners, his attitude is aggressive. He is back among the probables for the series against Australia - the opponents against whom he made his Test debut three years before - it is to be hoped that his best results could lie ahead since he has youth on his side.

Harbhajan Singh's road to glory has not been an easy one. The 20-year-old off-spinner from Jullunder has been plagued by allegations of a jerk in his bowling action and insinuations of him having attitude problems. After almost losing his job with employers Indian Airlines and being saddened immensely by the death of his father, Harbhajan was reborn as a cricketer. Training doubly hard, the fiery youngster readied himself for the touring Australians. In the absence of ace legspinner Anil Kumble, India were desperately on the look out for a strike bowler. Bowling with a high arm action, extracting good bounce and considerable turn on good Test match wickets, Harbhajan Singh destroyed the Aussies by scalping 32 wickets in the three Test series. Harbhajan's performance had outdone the previous best wicket tally for an Indian in a Test series against Australia, beating legendary left arm spinner Bishen Singh Bedi's haul of 31 wickets in 1977-78 in Australia. What makes the feat especially commendable is the fact that Harbhajan notched up his wickets in three Tests as against Bedi's five. The most special moment in the series for Harbhajan was undoubtedly the hat-trick he snared in the first innings of the second Test at Kolkata when he dismissed Ricky Ponting, Adam Gilchrist and Shane Warne off successive deliveries. In the three Tests, Harbhajan returned figures of 4/132, 13/196 and 15/217, thereby leading India to a famous 2-1 victory.

In the course of the series, Harbhajan was constantly aggressive, giving back in good measure any on field chatter he got from the Aussies. With the bat too Harbhajan struck some lusty blows, earning kudos from teammates, scribes and selectors alike. The arrival of Harbhajan at the international stage as a force to reckon with has been a whiff of fresh air for Indian cricket. India were struggling in the bowling department and Harbhajan has answered the call handsomely.

The Trbonator makes his test debut against Australia at Bangalore in 1997/98 in 3rd test. His doosara always get the aussies in pressure and he takes wickets in regular intervral in any form of cricket. Harbhajan is alwas been target of the aussies the australian captain Ricky Ponting take an objection over Harbhajan's action Harbhajan gives all test and he get pass surtifict from the icc selecter.
This off spiner makes his o.d.i debut against New Zealand at Sharjah, Coca-Cola Cup, 1997/98 Harbhajan Singh is top clss spiner with very ataking persnality in CB series he had been get some word exchange with Mathwe Hyadyn and Andrew Simonds. But overall his the best off spiner for India.

Gautam Gambhir

Gautam Gambhir
Born: 14 October 1981, Delhi
Major Teams: Delhi, India.
Known As: Gautam Gambhir
ODI Debut: India v Bangladesh at Dhaka, TVS Cup, 2003
Major teams: India, Delhi, Delhi Daredevils, India Red, Indian Board President's XI, Rajasthan Cricket Association President's XI


As a 17-year-old stripling in 2000, Gautam Gambhir's attacking strokeplay at the top of the order for Delhi set tongues wagging in India ­ not least in the ranks of the opposition. Fast-bowler bullies have paid the price for mistaking Gambhir's slight build and shy demeanour for signs of meekness. His compact footwork, high bat-speed and a brashly youthful approach befuddled bowlers more than once as cautious defence was replaced by the aerial route over point. His success took him close to the Indian side when Zimbabwe toured early in 2002. He had pasted successive double-centuries ­ one for Delhi and another for the Board Presidents’ XI against the tourists ­ and seemed to be a shoo-in as Shiv Sunder Das’s opening partner. But the selectors persisted instead with the band-aid solution of Deep Dasgupta. Gutted but determined, Gambhir soldiered on, pressing his case with particular urgency in the West Indies with the Indian A side early in 2003. And when several senior players asked to be rested after the World Cup, Gambhir was summoned from the wings into the national squad for the TVS Cup in Dhaka.

This Delhi boy shows his nurves in all froms of cricket after 2007/08 icc world T20 cup he doesn't look back. Gambhir is now opning partner of smashing hard hitter batsman Virendra Sehwag, they also are the opning partners of their home team Delhi team. Gambhir is very cool and very handy opning player it's shows from his records and his playing takenike. Because Sehwag is hitting from one end he just roteting the stike but he naver ever leave the bad balls. HE score 71 in his third o.d.i which helps India to get easy win over Bangaladesh. He also get his first man of the match award for his innings. Gambhir scors his firsto.d.i century against Sri Lanka in 2005. He make 103off97 balls.

Gambhir makes his tesy debut against the very well strong team the aussis. Unfortunatly he ruled out for 3and 1 runs. But steel the bord mambers of Indian cricket team shows confidens in him and pick him for South Africa tour in that match he score 96 important runs so it shows his temprament and his capacity to play goods innings. His first test century came against Bangaladesh in 2004/05. Gambhir then made a number of starts in the home series against Pakistan in 2005, but was able to make only one half-century in six innings. He made 97 in Zimbabwe later that year, but failed to reach 30 against Sri Lanka at home, repeatedly struggling against Chaminda Vaas, and was subsequently dropped from the Test team.

After get dropped from the test side Gambhir consantrate on o.di. side He played some good knoks but still he had been dropped from the icc world cup 2007. Then he selected for icc T20 World cup 2007/08. This his golden piroed India wins the cup and in that win gambhir had hudge contribution he make 227 at an average of 37.83, including three half-centuries which included a crucial 75 runs off 54 balls against Pakistan in the final. After that it's just Gambhir allthe way. Gambhir starts 2008 with blashig hundered in Ranaji Trofy final which helps Delhi get win over Utter pradesh.

Then he selected for the CB series he scored an unbeaten 102 at the Gabba against Sri Lanka in a match washed out due to rain. Three weeks later at Sydney, he scored a career-best 113 off 119 balls against Australia, in a high scoring match which India lost by 18 runs. He finished the CB series as the leading run-scorer with 440 runs.

After this knowk he finaly been abale to make his place in Indian test team and then after he never look back he been the more consistant player of this Indian side. It's shows from his performans he score 5 consecutive hundereds in five match that he played.

*Some achivements for Gautam Gambhir*

* Gautam Gambhir is awarded by the one day player of the year in icc awards*

Yuvraj Singh

Whether it comes to scoring the fastest fifty in any form of int'l cricket, hitting all the balls for sixes in an over, or bagging man of the series award thrice in a row, yuvraj singh has performed them all. The greatest middle order batsmanin modern one day cricket. Besides being a talented batsman, he throws himself allover the ground, saving dozens of runs in every match and turns matches by stunning catches and direct hits. the indian player is always relentless in his pursuit to earn victory for his team. greater future lies ahead for the swashbuckling batsman, who is bound to become a legend when he retires. This community is dedicated to yuvraj singh. here, we hail, praise and discuss about this true Match Winner Name:Yuvraj Singh Born: 12 December 1981, Chandigarh Major Teams: Punjab, India. Known As: Yuvraj Singh Batting Style: Left Hand Bat Bowling Style: Left Arm off spiner At 19, Yuvraj is already an all rounder who has proven himself. One need look no further than his performance in the domestic youth competitions and in the Under-19 World Cup in Sri Lanka. In the final of the Cooch Behar Trophy in the 1999-2000 season, Yuvraj made 358 against Bihar. Any batsman who has the ability to play an innings of that length is bound to be a force to reckon with. Following that performance up with what was an extremely successful World Cup in Sri Lanka, Yuvraj caught the eye of many a cricket pundit. He was named player of the series for scoring heavily through the World Cup, including a tremendous half century that came off just 20 balls in the semifinals against Australia. A tall, well-built lad, Yuvraj Singh strikes the ball very hard. Although critics feel that he is uncomfortable and imbalanced driving off the front foot, this does not reflect in his performance so far. A useful left arm spinner, Yuvraj sometimes refrains from bowling because of a recurring back strain that has threatened to put him out of action more than once. Yuvraj's father Yograj Singh represented India in one Test match against New Zealand in 1981. A good fielder inside the circle, Yuvraj is regarded by many as an exciting One-Day prospect Yuvraj is primarily a left-handed batsman but can bowl part-time left-arm orthodox spin. He is regarded as being a better player of fast bowling than spin bowling, and cites the Indian Oil Cup 2005 as a turning point in his career . He is one of the better fielders in the Indian team, fielding primarily at point, with a good aim at the stumps. A Cricinfo report in late 2005 showed that since 1999, he was the fourth most prolific fielder in effecting ODI run outs, and of those on the list of prolific fielders, he had the second highest rate of effecting a run out . He was previously often characterized as having attitude problems, but now often assumes leadership positions whilst either captain Rahul Dravid or vice-captain Virender Sehwag are absent. Yuvraj made his One-day International debut against Kenya at Nairobi in 2000, at the ICC Knock-Out Trophy. He showed his potential in his second ODI which was against the Australians where he scored a quickfire 84 off 82 balls against a quality pace attack consisting of bowlers like Glenn McGrath, Brett Lee and Jason Gillespie. However, after a lean run of form, he was dropped for the one-dayers against Australia in India in early 2001, but returned later in the year and helped India to victory in a match in Sri Lanka with an unbeaten 98. One of his most memorable innings was a partnership with Mohammad Kaif in the Natwest Series final against England in July 2002 which led India to victory. He was selected and represented India at the 2003 Cricket World Cup. He scored his first century in his fourth season with the Indian team against Bangladesh in 2003. After that he also scored hundreds against Zimbabwe and Australia, including a 139 off 119 balls at the Sydney Cricket Ground. In the Indian Oil Cup 2005, he made 110 (of 114 balls) (his third century) and an important partnership worth 165 runs with Mohammad Kaif, to become the man of the match against West Indies in the last match of the round robin league. After reaching his century, he attracted attention by angry gesticulations to the Indian dressing room, which was postulated to be due to his clashes with team management. Yuvraj made his Test debut against New Zealand in Mohali in late 2003 in front of his home crowd in Punjab due to the absence of regular captain Sourav Ganguly in the No. 6 position. He was omitted upon Ganguly's return but got another another opportunity in the Test team in the 2004 Tour to Pakistan, when Ganguly was again injured. He scored his first Test century in a losing effort against Pakistan in the second Test at Lahore. When Ganguly returned for the third Test, Akash Chopra was dropped and it appeared that the Indian selectors wanted to give him a regular place in the team. He was subsequently played as Virender Sehwag's opening partner, but after two poor matches in the Border-Gavaskar Trophy against Australia, he was dropped in favour of Gautam Gambhir. He was recalled to the Test team, batting in the No. 6 position for the away series against Zimbabwe in August 2005 after Sachin Tendulkar was sidelined with tennis elbow. He then retained his position in the Test team after Ganguly was axed following a row with coach Greg Chappell. He scored a second Test century in the third Test against Pakistan. Yuvraj is that kind of hard hitting batsman who can hit the ball out of the stadium Yuraj had hitted six sixes in an our of stuart brod in icc T20 World Cup 2007 at south africa because of his stunnig batting india reach in the semi's of that world cup. He also played in semi's against austrelia he score 70runs in just 30 balls. Due to his brilient bating India wins The world T20 cup.

Virender Sehwag

Virender Sehwag
Born: 20 October 1978, Delhi
Major Teams: Delhi, India.
Known As: Virender Shewag
Batting Style: Right Hand Bat
Bowling Style: Right Arm Off Break


Profile

A hard hitting batsman and a more than useful off spinner, Virender Shewag made a disastrous debut against Pakistan at Mohali in the Pepsi Cup. After having got out for a single he was hammered for 35 runs in the three overs that he bowled. He was then short listed among the 19 probables for the 1999 World Cup in England but did not make the final squad. Shewag has been a mainstay in the Delhi Ranji Trophy team since the 1998-99 season. A powerful hitter of the ball, he aggregated 745 runs during the 1998-99 Ranji Trophy season with three centuries and followed it up with 674 runs in the 1999-2000 edition of the competition.
Shewag made a strong comeback to the Indian team during the Australia tour of India in 2000-01. In the first one-dayer at Bangalore, Shewag helped himself to a quick half century before scalping three crucial wickets to play a leading role in India's victory. Man of the match in the first one-dayer, Shewag was forced to miss the rest of the series with a fractured finger. But the last has not been heard of this stout hearted Delhi all rounder.

ODI Debut: India v Pakistan at Mohali, Pepsi Cup, 1998/99


Batting and fielding averages Mat Inns NO Runs HS Ave BF SR 100 50 4s 6s Ct St
Tests 76 130 5 6691 319 53.52 8273 80.87 19 21 948 78 60 0
ODIs 220 214 8 7082 146 34.37 6839 103.55 12 35 977 118 82 0
T20Is 14 13 0 313 68 24.07 204 153.43 0 2 34 14 1 0
First-class 139 230 9 11178 319 50.57 33 39 119 0
List A 290 279 13 9035 146 33.96 13 52 106 0
Twenty20 52 51 4 1253 94* 26.65 792 158.20 0 8 149 49 8 0
Bowling averages Mat Inns Balls Runs Wkts BBI BBM Ave Econ SR 4w 5w 10
Tests 76 72 2785 1405 32 5/104 5/118 43.90 3.02 87.0 0 1 0
ODIs 220 134 4111 3623 88 3/25 3/25 41.17 5.28 46.7 0 0 0
T20Is 14 1 6 20 0 - - - 20.00 - 0 0 0
First-class 139 7416 3838 96 5/104 39.97 3.10 77.2 1 0
List A 290 5716 4916 134 4/17 4/17 36.68 5.16 42.6 2 0 0
Twenty20 52 17 258 370 16 3/14 3/14 23.12 8.60 16.1 0 0 0

M.S. Dhoni

Name: Mahendra Singh Dhoni
Born July 7, 1981, Ranchi, Bihar
Current age 24 years 100 days
Major teams India, Jharkhand
Also known as Mahi
Batting style Right-hand bat
Fielding position Wicketkeeper
captain of Indian Cricket team



The spectacular arrival of Virender Sehwag was bound to inspire others to bat with the same mindset. But the odds of a clone emerging from the backwaters of Jharkhand, whose state side has consistently scraped the bottom, was highly remote. That was until Mahendra Singh Dhoni arrived. He can be swashbuckling with the bat and secure with the wicketkeeping gloves. His neck-length hair adds to his dash. Though Dhoni made his first-class debut in the 1999-2000 season, it was only in 2004 that he became a serious contender for national selection with some stirring performances when the occasion demanded - a rapid hundred which helped East Zone clinch the Deodhar Trophy and an audacious 60 in the Duleep Trophy final. But it was with his two centuries against Pakistan A, in the triangular tournament in Kenya, that he established himself as a clinical destroyer of bowling attacks. In just his fifth one-dayer, against Pakistan at Vishakapatnam, he cracked a dazzling 148 and for a while even put Sehwag in the shade

Dhoni being The captain of Indias o.d.i side before that India Wins T20 world cup 2007 at soutafeica under Dhoni's captains


Mahendra Singh Dhoni took a huge step toward one of the biggest jobs in world cricket on Tuesday when he was named captain of India for its series of one-day matches against Australia and Pakistan, to be played over the next two months.
Dhoni, 26, who is leading India in the Twenty20 World Cup in South Africa, can make a strong case for also taking charge of the five-day test team if he performs well in the one-day matches. The job carries the pressure of meeting the expectations of India's huge population for its highest-profile national sport but also the prospect of great wealth.

India's next five-day series, against Pakistan, does not start until Nov. 22. The alternative to Dhoni is believed to be Sachin Tendulkar, India's greatest contemporary cricketing hero, who was only moderately successful when he captained the team in 25 tests from 1996 to 2002.

India's chairman of selectors, Dilip Vengsarkar, said of Dhoni, "He is a good captain, and this is the right time to groom him."

Dhoni's ferocious middle-order hitting has given him a high media profile and made him a highly effective one-day player. At one time, he was rated the best one-day international batsman in the world.

The main risk in appointing him to the five-day role would be that he is also a wicket-keeper, carrying an immense physical and psychological weight as the only man actively engaged in every single delivery in opposition innings that often extend over more than a day's play.

The vacancy was created by Rahul Dravid's resignation last week. World Cup years always bring their crop of captaincy changes. Inzamam ul-Haq and Brian Lara stepped down as captains of Pakistan and West Indies; Habibul Bashar lost the leadership of Bangladesh; and England finally concluded that Michael Vaughan's undoubted leadership qualities were outweighed by his limitations as a player in the shorter form of the game.

Dravid had survived India's miserable World Cup, where it was eliminated by Bangladesh, and led it to a series victory in England. His own form as a batsman had suffered, though. After scoring 87 runs per innings on previous visits to England, his average dropped to 25, and in the final test, he played one of the slowest innings in test cricket history, scoring only 12 runs in more than two and a half hours.

A consummate team player who never actively sought the captaincy, Dravid said he had stopped enjoying the job.

His was the second surprise departure in a week. Steven Fleming's replacement as captain of New Zealand by Daniel Vettori was a still greater shock. Fleming had come to look like the single fixed point in an ever-changing world. Not many captains get to lead their country in two World Cups. Fleming had done it in three, taking his team into the final four for the second time in West Indies this year.

The consensus pick as the world's shrewdest captain, he turned a squad of solid rather than brilliant performers into a tough, highly competitive team. Only quick bowler Shane Bond, on the rare occasions when he is fully fit, would be a serious contender for a World XI.

Fleming had led New Zealand in 80 five-day tests, second only to the record of 93 by Allan Border of Australia, and a record 218 one-day internationals.

Fleming chose to stand down as one-day captain but would happily have continued in the longer format. New Zealand's selectors have decided, though, to appoint Vettori.

It is an intriguing appointment. Selectors are often wary of bowlers as captains. That is because the most important single element in captaincy is deciding who should bowl at any given time, making it hard to detach personal from team considerations.

It is not hard to see, though, why New Zealand has long seen captaincy material in Vettori. He is an astute, intelligent cricketer who contests the title of the best slow left-arm bowler with Monty Panesar of England and has also, by playing sensibly within his limitations, developed his batting to the point where he is little short of being classified as an all-rounder.

He combines the air of the enthusiastic student with that of the hard-bitten veteran for the simple reason that he genuinely does have something of both. He is still only 28 but has been playing test cricket for a decade, taking 229 wickets in 73 five-day tests.


The World is under the feet of Dhoni


London, April 20
Swashbuckling wicketkeeper-batsman Mahendra Singh Dhoni today became the world’s top batsman in one-day rankings with a phenomenal average of 52.76 and an awesome strike-rate of 103.Dhoni, who was placed second behind Ricky Ponting before the two-match one-day series against Pakistan, displaced the Australian captain from the top spot after his fine knock of 59 in the second match in Abu Dhabi.The 24-year-old Jharkhand player, who made his ODI debut in December, 2004, has made a remarkably rapid rise with his statistics providing compelling support for his position on top of the ODI charts released by the ICC today.
Since making his debut, Dhoni has played in 42 matches and has scored two hundreds and eight fifties.
Dhoni is one of three India batsmen in the top 10 places with captain Rahul Dravid ninth (up two places) and Yuvraj Singh (10th) also featuring



Dhoni's best performance for India thus far was an unbeaten score of 183 off 145 balls against Sri Lanka at Jaipur on 31 October 2005, equalling the second best score by an Indian in ODIs. It was also the highest innings recorded by a wicket-keeper, and the highest number of sixes in an innings for a wicketkeeper with ten (all-rounders Sanath Jayasuriya and Shahid Afridi have hit 11). He also broke Saeed Anwar's record of most runs scored off boundaries by scoring a total of 120 runs off 4s and 6s eclipsing the previous record of 118. This has broken the record for the highest individual score for a team batting second. This has also established the new Indian record of number of sixes in a match, overtaking previous record holders, Sachin Tendulkar and Sourav Ganguly (both hit seven 6's in a match). Earlier, in 2005 he scored 148 against Pakistan in Vishakapatnam, in his fifth one-day international; the score came off only 123 deliveries.
At the end of the year Dhoni was rewarded a BCCI contract, starting with a B-grade contract
Dhoni's current batting average in ODIs is just over 50 (as of April 2006), the highest by any Indian player with more than 20 innings. With a career ODI batting strike rate of more than 100 he remains the only batsman with the unique double of a 50+ average scored at more than a run a ball. Currently, Dhoni has one of the highest strike rates in the world (103.00 runs per hundred balls). With 44 sixes in 38 ODI innings, Dhoni has hit more sixes than he's played international matches.
Following his good one-day form against Sri Lanka, he ousted Dinesh Karthik in December 2005 as the Indian Test wicketkeeper. Shoaib gave him a bouncer first up which surprised Dhoni and in his follow through Shoaib told him exactly what he thought of him. His reply was to hit Shoaib for 42 runs (5 fours and a six) of 28 deliveries from Shoaib and made his maiden Test century against Pakistan in the 2nd Test at Faisalabad in January 2006, reaching the landmark in just 93 balls. Shoaib at one stage of that innings got hit for 3 fours off 4 balls and therefore bowled a full toss at chest height; and it was Dhoni's turn to have a word or two. In total he made a 148 in that match of 153 balls; 19 fours and 4 sixes. Dhoni's career batting average at the end of the ODI series against Pakistan in Abu Dhabi stands at 52.76, which is the fourth highest for any batsman having scored at least 1,000 runs in one-day internationals, behind Australians, Mike Hussey Michael Bevan, and Englishman Kevin Pietersen.

However, in the third Test against England, Dhoni attracted some criticism when losing his wicket after playing an injudicious shot. India went from 75-3 to 100 all out to lose the match .

Just after the 2006 Test match Loss against England,which resulted in a 1-1 levelled series, Dhoni requested for more crowd support and he was obliged with the same, the team going to win the ODI Series that followed the Tests, his fans seem to be increasing by leaps and bounds and is received to a a rousing reception whenever he comes into bat.

As of 22th April 2006, Dhoni ranks number one in the ICC ODI rankings for batsmen, overtaking Australian skipper Ricky Ponting for the top ODI spot.

In the 2006 India tour of the West Indies, where India won the Test series 1-0, Dhoni had a relatively average outing, aggregating a substandard 24.00 with the bat, his only score of note being the belligerent 69 in the first Test at Antigua. He also took 13 catches and had 4 stumpings in the series. India were defeated 4-1 in the ODIs that preceded the Test series, where Dhoni averaged only 23.75, his highest being 46 not out, with 5 catches.



On 31st October 2005 Mahendra Dhoni scored 183* runs of just 145 balls, accompanying that there are a list of records which he broke
He hit 10 Sixes, the most by an Indian in an Innings, and the second highest in ODI cricket (The highest is 11 by Sanath Jayasuriya and Shahid Afridi)
He broke Adam Gilchrist's record of 172 for the highest score made by a wicket keeper
He is the second highest in scoring maximum runs in boundaries after Herchelle Gibbs of South Africa
In this match Kumar Sangakkara also made a century, making it the first match in which both wicket keepers scored a century
He has an average of 48.89 giving him the 4th highest average in the world overall
The highest Indian average
Highest average for a wicketkeeper.
2nd Highest average among those who have made more than 1200 runs in one day international cricket
Highest strike rate among the top 5 averages
He has a strike rate of 100.96 giving him the sixth highest strike rate overall
The highest by an Indian
The 4th highest among players who have made more than 1000 runs in International Cricket
In April 2006 Dhoni was briefly ranked No.1 in the ICC one day Batsmen's ratings. He is currently ranked No. 4 after a poor series in the West Indies.
Statistics are true as of 30/4/06




Dhoni finds a fan in Ramdev
Indian cricket's goldilocks is sure going places. And has loads of admirers and land too. All for a just cause.
After Pakistan president Pervez Musharraf, Jharkhand's brightest star Mahendra Singh Dhoni got a new admirer in yoga guru Baba Ramdev on Thursday. The baba, conducting a yoga camp here, handed over papers for a 5,000 square-foot plot in a prime location at the request of chief minister Arjun Munda.

The state government has gifted the land to the wicket-keeper. Hailing Dhoni's efforts, Ramdev said, "Dhoni ne balle se bhuton ko dhoya hai. (Dhoni was purged the ghosts with his bat)."

Saying Dhoni was the country's pride, he advised him to do yoga. On a lighter vein, he added, "Some people like Pervez Musharraf freak out on his lustrous locks and some on his game."

However, he said Dhoni's self-determination was more important than his hair. "Dhoni did not become a star cricketer in a day or two. It must have taken him a long time. Similarly, people should do yoga with strong will power," he added. Dhoni, along with his parents, sought the guru's blessings. The guru, in turn, appealed to children to emulate the cricketer."


MR. Inzamam UL Huk
(former captain of pak team says)

Lahore, February 21
"Having suffered from his blade in the just-concluded series, Pakistan captain Inzamam-ul Haq today described Mahendra Singh Dhoni as “murderous” and a player to be watched in the 2007 World Cup.

The Indian wicket-keeper, who blasted away 219 runs in the four innings of the five-match series at a stupendous strike rate of 137, “is safe behind the wickets and can be compared with Adam Gilchrist though the Australian has proved himself as the best after years in commission”, Inzamam told PTI in an interview here.

On a high following his team’s brilliant performances in the past one year, Inzamam finds himself to be the target of criticism after losing the ODI series by a comprehensive 4-1 to India. Suddenly his tactics and everything else he did during the series are being faulted.

But the burly Pakistani is unruffled as he always is at the crease. His team lost to a much superior foe, he admits.

Is he angry? “I control my anger. If someone drops a catch and I get angry, will that catch come back to us? It won’t. Therefore it is better to be cool because that helps in better performance”, he said.

Despite the ODI series loss to India, Inzamam believes that the Pakistani team has become much better in the past two years. “When India came here in 2004, our boys were young and inexperienced. They have since played a lot of cricket in other countries that has given them experience and confidence”, he said.

Analysing the Indian team, Inzamam said that undoubtedly batting was India’s strength as the line-up was very experienced. The bowlers are inexperienced but they are young and talented.

He rates Tendulkar as one of the five best batsmen in the world along with Rahul Dravid, Ricky Ponting, Jacques Kallis and Brian Lara.

Here is Inzamam’s take on the new talent in the Indian team:

Yuvraj Singh: He is an exciting young talent who has now learnt how to finish off games. He has the power to play big shots and is equally clever in finding the gaps to nudge and push the balls for ones and twos. His footwork has improved tremendously ever since I saw him last year. The only time he looks uncomfortable is when he receives short pitched deliveries which we could not bowl as much as we would have liked because of the nature of Test pitches.

M S Dhoni: I can easily pick him as one of the players to be watched in the 2007 World Cup. He is unorthodox but very effective and at times murderous. He is difficult to bowl to because he has this ability to even hit the good balls with a jab shot. He is equally good in horizontal and vertical bat shots. He is safe behind the wickets and can be compared to Adam Gilchrist though the Australian has proved himself as the best after years in commission.

Suresh Raina: I did not get a chance to see him because the Indian top order did not let the pressure come on to Raina and the later order batsmen. But I always believe that only the best players are picked to represent their countries and therefore Raina must be a good cricketer who will improve with every game. But consistency is the key and it applies to both — Raina as well as the selectors.

Irfan Pathan: He is blossoming into an all-rounder India so desperately needed to strike the right balance in one-day cricket. He was always a good bowler who bowled to a teasing line and length but his batting has improved after Greg Chappell threw him in the deep pan and made him realise that he has the ability to graft the innings and at the same time play big shots.

R.P. Singh: A young and committed bowler who bowls with a lot of heart and determination. He is young and will surely gain speed and at the same time will maintain top grade fitness.

With a total of 8,172 Test and 11,251 one-day runs with 25 and 10 centuries, respectively, Inzamam is well on his way to become Pakistan’s greatest batsman.

How would he like to be remembered when he hangs his bat? “If people remember me as one who contributed to Pakistan’s cricket, I will feel good. If people say good things, it makes me feel happy,” he responds shyly.



Batting and fielding averages
Mat Inns NO Runs HS Ave BF SR 100 50 4s 6s Ct St
Tests: 43 66 9 2428 148 42.59 3991 60.83 4 17 267 45 113 20
ODIs: 160 141 36 5343 183* 50.88 5989 89.21 7 34 410 110 154 52
T20Is: 20 19 4 356 46 23.73 336 105.95 0 0 23 7 5 2
First-class: 83 131 12 4580 148 38.48 7 31 220 36
List A : 216 193 46 7345 183* 49.96 13 45 221 67
Twenty20: 54 50 15 1225 73* 35.00 973 125.89 0 5 93 39 16 6


Bowling averages: Mat Inns Balls Runs Wkts BBI BBM Ave Econ SR 4w 5w 10
Tests: 43 2 12 14 0 - - - 7.00 - 0 0 0
ODIs : 160 1 12 14 1 1/14 1/14 14.00 7.00 12.0 0 0 0
T20Is 20 - - - - - - - - - - - -
First-class: 83 42 34 0 - - - 4.85 - 0 0 0
List A: 216 39 36 2 1/14 1/14 18.00 5.53 19.5 0 0 0

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