Black Caps allrounder Scott Styris admits he would rather be in India for the IPL which starts this weekend. The tournament was moved from India to South Africa for security reasons.
Styris lines up for the Deccan Chargers and says while he is enjoying the comforts of being in a first world country, the atmosphere is not as good. He says Indians love their cricket and during the tournament, a player is treated like a rock star.
The Deccan Chargers play the Kolkata Knight riders in their first match of the tournament in Cape Town on Sunday.
Source – home.nzcity.co.nz
For close to a year now, Sharma has been hailed as one of the most talented youngsters in Indian cricket. Stylish and elegant to watch, the right handed batsman was one of the few bright sparks for the Hyderabad IPL team last year in the first edition when his more distinguished colleagues failed to get going.
However, Sharma does not think there would be any pressure on him to shine bright again: “There is no pressure on me. Yes, it was a challenge for me last year but I would be focussing on the IPL in South Africa.
“A different venue would mean some adjustments but I am confident.”
In fact, Sharma said last year’s experience in the IPL would help him continue with the good show.
Gritty and determined batting ensured some good runs for him on the IPL scoreboard last year.
The young batsman would remember South Africa for more reasons than one. It was there, during India’s Twenty20 World Championship triumph in 2007 that Sharma announced his arrival in world cricket with a bang.
Not many Indian cricket fans would forget his scintillating fifty against South Africa in a league game and his breezy partnership with Indian skipper MS Dhoni that eventually helped the team win.
“Yes, I played the T20 World Cup in South Africa and that experience would help me. Some of my colleaugues have also given me an update of the wickets in South Africa.”
Sharma believes Adam Gilchrist, who stepped into lead the side after local hero VVS Laxman was sidelined with an injury, did not get enough support.
The likes of Herschelle Gibbs, Scott Styris, Shahid Afridi were huge disappointments with the bat and the Deccan Chargers despite a star studded line up finishes bottom of the pile.
After the first edition of the IPL, Gilchrist was officially appointed the captain of the Deccan Chargers, replacing their icon player, V V S Laxman.
However, Sharma said the change in captaincy does not bother him at all.
“Gilly has done well for Australia and he has had a great record as player. The captaincy does not bother me at all. It is all about performing in the middle.”
Source – espnstar.com
THE Deccan Chargers won just two of their 14 games last season in the Indian Premier League, but they are a much better side than their results suggested.
They will be captained by legendary Australian wicket-batsman Adam Gilchrist. He was one of just six players to have scored a century (109 not out) in the inaugural tournament, making 436 runs from 14 innings at an average of 33.53 and strike-rate of 137.10.
With players like Gilchrist, South African Herschelle Gibbs, Aussie Andrew Symonds and VVS Laxman of India — who can all take any bowling attack apart on their day — the Chargers will definitely not be thin in the batting department.
With the ball they have several world- class bowlers in Sri Lanka’s Chaminda Vaas, India’s RP Singh and West Indian Fidel Edwards.
Singh took 15 wickets in his 14 games at a healthy average of 29.46 last season.
Allrounders like Symonds, Black Cap Scott Styris and the Windies’ Dwayne Smith will take the rest of the overs.
The team will be coached by former India international Robin Singh, and is owned by the Deccan Chronicle.
Source – thetimes.co.za
Owner – Deccan Chronicle Captain – Adam Gilchrist (Australia) Coach – Darren Lehmann (Australia) Assistant Coaches – Mike Young (USA) Assistant Coaches – Kanwaljit Singh (India) Strength and Conditioning Coach – Steve Smith Physiotherapist – Dr. Sean Slattery
The two T20 internationals between the Proteas and Australia over the weekend gave a glimpse of what can be expected from this year’s IPL to be held in South Africa. And on the evidence of Cape Town and Johannesburg, it seems that the Deccan Chargers’ gain will be the Kolkata Knight Riders’ loss.
Following Andrew Symonds’ misdemeanours in the last nine months, the player who has benefited most from the vacancy for the batting allrounder in the limited overs format has been David Hussey. As such, the younger Hussey has since cemented a middle order position in the Australian ODI team, at least until Symonds is deemed to have been rehabilitated.
Last year, Hussey played out a full campaign, but this year, barring anomalous behaviour by the Australian selectors, he will miss at least the first nine matches, due to Australia’s ODI series against Pakistan in Abu Dhabi.
In the past year, he has become even more destructive in the abbreviated format. In the Australian T20 campaign this year, Hussey plundered 171 runs in four matches and was out only once, the highlight being an unbeaten 100 against Tasmania from only 47 overs. In five T20 internationals since then he has amassed 177 runs at 44.25, including a big-hitting 88* from 44 balls against South Africa at the Wanderers on Friday. Not only that, he counter-attacked despite the loss of two quick wickets, refusing to yield the momentum to his opponents. Hussey would have been invaluable in stabilising a Kolkata middle-order that will field Indian players who have never played outside the subcontinent.
Aside from his batting, he has also become more of a regular with his off spin, sending down at least three overs in each of his last nine matches. At international level this season, he has taken six wickets at 18.66, conceding less than seven runs per over, a performance comparable to any frontline spinner.
Were I more conspiratorially minded and cynical, I could claim that the reason for Ricky Ponting’s persistent advocacy of Symonds’ place in the Australian team would be to keep Hussey on full-time IPL duty, thereby strengthening Kolkata at the expense of the Hyderabad outfit, in order to land himself some kind of under-the-table kickbacks from Shahrukh Khan and co.
That’s wishful thinking of course, but if Kolkata are still in finals contention when Hussey returns for the latter part of the tournament, then they will surely be a threat. Having said that, with all the upheavals regarding the multiple captains, they would be lucky to still be in the hunt. Meanwhile, Symonds will be enjoying a full season in South Africa, the site of his career-defining campaign at the 2003 World Cup. Deccan will be hoping that he turns back the clock to the halcyon days.
Source – blogs.livemint.com