Kolkata: Former cricketer and Mumbai Indians icon Sachin Tendulkar has heaped praise on the IPl champion team’s skipper Rohit Sharma, saying that he has grown as a leader over the years.
“If you compare him today with what he was when he started out as Mumbai Indians captain, he is a far better captain today. He is much more confident now. He has gone through a lot of ups and downs as MI’s captain and faced a lot of challenges. These challenges make you a better cricketer and a tougher person,” Sachin said.
Rohit led from the front in the final of IPl against Chennai Super Kings, scoring a half-century and putting on 119 runs with lendl Simmons (68) to help Mumbai Indians post a massive 202 for five, and eventually win the trophy with a 41-run victory.
“I think his execution has been particularly good this season. Whatever we planned in the meetings and dressing room, he has been able to execute them very well. You can tell a lot about the captain from the feedback the bowlers give you. The bowlers bowl in the areas and execute the plans that the captain asks them to,” Tendulkar said.
Ganguly would be a great coach: lee
Melbourne: Former Australia pacer Brett lee feels ex-India skipper Sourav Ganguly has a huge wealth of knowledge and would do “a great job” if he is appointed as India’s new head coach.
Zimbabwean coach Duncan Fletcher’s tenure expired with India’s semi-final exit from the World Cup in March and BCCI will name its new coach and revamped support staff before the team departs for its tour of Bangladesh on June 7.
“I think he would do a great job because he’s got a great wealth of knowledge behind him with so many games of Test match cricket, one-day cricket and Twenty20 cricket,” lee was quoted as saying by Cricket Australia (CA).
“He’s been there and done it all. Will that make him a good coachIJ I don’t know. If he’s hungry for it, with his wealth of knowledge he could definitely pass it on. Having the right balance as a coach is the most important thing.
“If Sourav Ganguly can give these (Indian) players confidence, I think he’d do a good job if he got it,” said the 38-year-old former Australia fast bowler.
‘I’ve experienced more failure than success’
New Delhi: India opening batsman Shikhar Dhawan says his ability to deal with the “inevitable failure” has helped him immensely in his five-year-old international career.
“Now I am seen as a successful cricketer but the fact is that I have had more failure than success. You are bound to undergo hardships and it has been no different for me. I have played about 60 odd games (ODIs) and scored only eight hundreds. A lot of the guys worry about their form, for me it is just about being persistent and patient,” Dhawan said after interacting with the kids at the Smile Foundation here on Tuesday.
With back-to-back cricket since the Australia tour last year, the Indian team has had a rather hectic schedule. Now that the IPl is over, the team travels to Bangladesh next month for a short series.
Dhawan has experienced some dry patches since returning to the Indian team two years ago but he has overcome those testing times, the most recent being his impressive showing in the World Cup Down Under after struggling in the preceding Test and ODI series against Australia.
“You have to have the persistence power, something that has helped me out over the years to deal with failures,” stressed Dhawan, who spent quality time with the kids, alongside his wife and son.
As he inspired some with his pep talk, the jovial cricketer himself was asked about his inspiration.
“When Yuvi (Yuvraj Singh) paaji hits the ball, he hits it really sweet, like no other. I was inspired by that. I realised I had to play like him to have success in international cricket. Consistency wise, I learnt a lot from (Cheteshwar) Pujara .The bowlers get tired in trying to dismiss him but he doesn’t throw his wicket away. The bowlers end up scratching their heads eventually. So there is lots to be learnt from your teammates.”
Holder: look up to MSD’s leadership skills
New Delhi: Young West Indies ODI captain Jason Holder feels that his stint at Chennai Super Kings was a well spent one as he learnt about the nuances of captaincy from none other than MS Dhoni.
“MS is an influential figure. In true sense, he is a leader and I found that during my stint with Chennai Super Kings in the Indian Premier league. As a captain, I have always looked upto MS’s leadership qualities for inspiration,” Holder said during an interaction.
Asked which qualities of Dhoni he would like to imbibe in his captaincy, Holder said,”The manner in which Dhoni handles pressure is exceptional. That is the reason he has achieved so much while leading a team with players from different countries. There is so much to learn from him.”
The 23-year-old Holder is one of three international captains that West Indies have currently.
“I would only be too happy to be involved in IPl again but this time I had a different goal. I was trying to help the West Indies and solidify our position. At the international level, you will have good days and bad days but you need to have self-belief to perform,” said the tall all-rounder, referring to his match-saving maiden Test hundred against England at Antigua.
Holder was appointed captain last year during West Indies’ tour to South Africa replacing Dwayne Bravo and he said that he was neither weighed down by the pressures of the job nor by the presence of many senior players.
SlC appoint panel to probe corruption
Colombo: Sports Minister Navin Dissanayake on Tuesday appointed a three-member panel to investigate alleged corruption. Ravi Algama, Jaliya Bodinagoda and Waruna Mallawarachchi, all lawyers, have been appointed to go into the alleged past corruption in the game’s administration.
The Minister’s action follows his action to appoint an interim committee to govern the SlC administration late March.