Even before the man of the match was announced at the end of the second test match in Napier on Monday Jesse Ryder had staked his claim with an uprooted stump.

Yes, Gautam Gambhir’s solid performance to save India’s blushes deserved the title of the “Second Wall of India’ in the footsteps of “The Wall’, veteran Rahul Dravid.

But, indubitably, Ryder is the man TV cameras will follow, not only in New Zealand but around the world.

As Napier Technical Old Boys stalwart and former club and Bay representative teammate Craig Finlay points out, the world now knows of the talented batsman who could go on to rewrite many record books in the age-old game of willow on leather.

For those who were fortunate enough to have watched him in the Bay since he was a teenager, it’s the worst-kept secret.

His prowess is not just confined to bludgeoning balls over the boundary rope or switching to effortless stroke making. He is equally adept in other facets of the game.

The baby-faced allrounder is just as lethal on the field. A safe pair of hands and an educated line and length with variable speed in bowling make him even more marketable.

That is why so many Indians can’t wait to see the former Napier Boys High School pupil ply his trade in India.

Those who quibble about issues such as why he gave his bat a bashing after he was dismissed last Saturday following his double century have to juxtapose that with a player coming to grips with a world outside his comfort zone.

However, the astute media wallahs in the press booth at McLean Park are equally cautious, not surprisingly, about his off-field antics which have in the past year quite often detracted from his on-field ones. His trials and tribulations have been of major concern to New Zealand Cricket who have done a commendable job in keeping him off the booze wagon.

Central to Ryder not reaching out for another cost-free shot glass from money- grabbing watering-hole moguls around the country is the support he’s been receiving from friends who opt simply to drink coffee and tea when he pays them a visit.

It was only a matter of time that the lucrative IPL Twenty20 competition was going to snap up the 24-year-old middle-order batsman.

The imposing question is who will be Ryder’s big brother in time of need abroad?

The Indian media informed me the owner of Ryder’s Royal Challengers Bangalore team is none other than Vijay Mallya, the No 1 liquor manufacturer in the subcontinent.

“They have some huge parties after matches, win or lose. The celebrations then carry on board his luxury yacht so it’ll be a real test for Ryder,’ a journalist said.

A female scribe added Ryder would also have to deal with the distraction of the fairer sex in Bangalore, which boasts many famous long-legged beauties including the No 1 Bollywood actress, Katrina Kaif, masquerading as the team’s brand ambassador.

“When he comes back from there you guys here will be writing different types of stories about him,’ she said with a grin.

But it doesn’t have to be that way. Ryder has shown discipline, albeit on the foundation of some sobering counselling and support.

He won’t be short of advisers. His former Wairarapa Bush age-group teammate, Ross Taylor, will be there. So will the likes of senior Bangalore players such as Rahul Dravid and Englishman Kevin Pietersen.

Perhaps the biggest saving grace for Ryder is that the IPL has been reluctantly moved to South Africa this month because of terrorism threats during the height of general elections in India.

That is not to say South Africa is any more safer than any other part of the world. Nevertheless, it could be an ideal location to acclimatise to an intriguing habitat.

Regrettably for Ryder, his life-long test, rightly or wrongly, will be to show he didn’t win the world only to lose his soul.

Warding off social undesirables, while rewriting cricket history, will become his main preoccupation, whether he likes it or not.

But only he can change that and, more importantly, he will always have that choice.

He can start by taking a leaf out of the book of milk-guzzling Indian Virender Sehwag.
Source – hbtoday.co.nz

This has been a memorable year for Mumbai in domestic cricket. They won a record 38th Ranji Trophy crown. But as the IPL approaches, the Mumbai Indians are hoping to add another glorious chapter to their history by turning last year’s disappointing result on its head.

There is a buzz in the Mumbai Indians camp: a new coach in former India batsman Praveen Amre, who has been very successful with the Mumbai Ranji team, taking them to two titles in the last three years.

“When you work with Mumbai (Ranji team) you’re the only decision maker,” Amre says. “But here you have to work as a unit and adjust yourself to see that the franchise is going there and winning.”

Amre will join Shaun Pollock, who has given up his playing gear for a role as mentor to the team, and Jonty Rhodes, who has been roped in as fielding coach. Ten young Mumbai Indians players have already been to Durban and trained with Pollock and Rhodes.

“As far as we saw, the pitches were pretty good, there was some good bounce and pretty good for batting,” said Abhishek Nayar. “It was good for cricket: bowlers had some nip in it, the batsmen could time the ball as well.”

The Mumbai Indians endured more near misses than hits last year. The players in particular remember close losses to Kings XI Punjab and Rajasthan Royals – defeats that cost them a semi-final place.

“The one-run loss to Kings XI Punjab last year is still fresh in my mind,” says Ajinkya Rahane. “But close games are bound to be played in Twenty20 cricket. Fewer mistakes will give us a better chance.”

So even as their key players Sachin Tendulkar and Harbhajan Singh prepare for a final go at the Kiwis, the first batch of Mumbai Indians will leave for Durban in a couple of days.

Source – cricketnext.in.com

Welcoming Kolkata Knight Riders owner Shahrukh Khan’s decision to have just one captain during the second IPL season in South Africa, former Indian skipper and coach Ajit Wadekar said better sense has prevailed in KKR camp at last.

“I am happy that better sense has prevailed in KKR camp and the owner of the team and film star Shahrukh Khan’s decision to have just one captain and Kiwi stumper Brendon McCullum as his deputy for the second IPL is a welcome sign,” Wadekar told Cricketnext.com here on Wednesday.

“I admire the way the Aussies play any sport. They just don’t like to lose and posses the best killer’s instinct. They are also the best finishers of a cricket match and that is the reason they are still at the top of the heap.

“They have produced some high quality cricketers and continue to do. But some times there coaching tactics are beyond anybodies’ imagination and may not work to the best interest of the team,” he added.

“I should say that Khan’s timely intervention has saved the team from a real disaster. Like in the Bollywood movies, he (Shahrukh Khan) has arrived at the right time to save the team from a certain disaster. John Buchanan’s multiple-captains theory would certainly not have worked for KKR,” Wadekar pointed out.

“Not just in cricket, but in any sport this theory would not have worked. I also strongly feel that Sourav Ganguly is the right choice to lead the team at least for this season. Sourav, Rahul (Dravid) and V V S Laxman have a lot to offer even in the shortest version of the game and it will be a mistake to dismantle them at this point of time,” he added.

Source – cricketnext.in.com

As owner of the IPL team Kolkata Knight Riders Shahrukh Khan has moved heaven and earth to promote the team. And it stands to reason; with the Second season of the Indian Premier League moved out of the country, the teams could use all the extra publicity they can get.

But according to Shahrukh his purpose behind appointing cheerleaders is not only to publicise his team. He firmly believes that with some consideration and planning, cheerleading can be developed as a sport in itself; cheerleading has all the characteristics of a good sport: it demands immense physical fitness, flexibility and concentration, and the levels of competition can get intense too. He believes that there is no reason to undermine this activity. It is well known that in America, a game is never complete without a cheerleading routine. Cheerleading there is a full-fledged sport and comes with a huge fan following. It’s more than just a routine; it’s a competition in itself. Moreover cheerleaders are instrumental in grabbing the audience’s attention to the game and inciting participation. In a short, action packed sport like Twenty20 cricket the cheerleaders will be perfect to keep the adrenalin levels up.
In the first season of the Indian Premier League, cheerleaders served to bring colour, opulence and glitz to the games. But the concept faced flak from most traditionalists who labelled it as vulgar, indecent and as going against the sentiments of the nation. Then how is it that it will be any different this time? But Shahrukh Khan insists that if developed ethically sensibly and tastefully cheerleading can open up whole new avenues and opportunities for the youth.

The King Khan will personally choose the cheerleading team through a television show called ‘Knights and Angels’. Produced by Shahrukh’s Red Chillies Entertainment, it is India’s first ever reality talent hunt show for cheerleaders. From the proceeds of the show he will select six cheerleaders who will travel to South Africa for the upcoming matches. He believes that his show will bring propriety to cheerleading as a profession.
Source – cricket360.com

Sourav Ganguly will likely lead the Kolkata Knight Riders (KKR) for the second edition of the IPL, but unlike last year he will not have the final call. He will be assisted by a team of four or five ‘core experts’ in various departments of the game.

Sourav, who was in the city on Tuesday, met with team coach John Buchanan and KKR co-owner Jay Mehta at Mannat, Shah Rukh Khan’s residence. Though the details of the meeting were not discussed, it is clear that the deliberations were to iron out the captaincy issue that sparked outrage after Buchanan’s ‘multiple captain’ theory.

The KKR management in a statement said that “the idea is to have a set of strategists as is always the case classically in cricket… who will form a team of 4 or 5 core experts in the field of fielding, bowling, batting and data etc. These strategists will assist the one captain on field with their viewpoints on the plan set earlier or shoot from the hip as the case maybe.”

A team official on conditions of anonymity further added that “the intent of today’s meeting was to keep the team’s plan where it was. And that is that the decision-making process is a shared one. As far as Sourav is concerned, he is a senior who was the captain last year and we want to make sure that he stays in a respectable position.

“All internal decisions are taken collectively by the core team, which comprises John, Sourav, Matthew Mott and a few others and there is no dissent on that ever.” A squad of 15 KKR players will leave for Johannesburg from Mumbai on Wednesday.
Source – hindustantimes.com