India Cricket - Test Players Must Provide Excitement Says Virat Kohli

#India #Cricket

India must play exciting #TestCricket to entertain crowds, #Skipper #ViratKohli said after defeating New Zealand, amid waning interest in the game's longest form. India regained the #TopSpot in the world #Rankings in #Tests.

The series against the #BlackCaps marks the start of a packed programme of international cricket for India who also host #England, #Bangladesh and #Australia later this #Season. Kohli said players needed to interact with the crowd during Tests, in a similar fashion to the high-energy, limited-overs games.

"You have to interact with them, you have to make sure they are a part of the whole thing. You feed off their energy. It happens so much in limited-overs, so why not in Test cricket?"

The comments come as Test cricket struggles to find an audience in the #Twenty20 era, prompting last year's introduction of day-night Tests played under lights with a pink ball in Australia. 

Former cricket greats including Shane #Warne and some cricket board chiefs have also flagged slashing the format from five to four days. But controversial plans to create a two-tier Test system have been scrapped by cricket's world governing body #ICC after India's powerful board led a backlash.

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ISL 2016: Forlan Leads Mumbai Beat ATK

#ISL2016 #Indian #Soccer #League

Star Uruguayan striker Diego #Forlan struck a late goal as Mumbai City FC snapped Atletico de Kolkata's unbeaten run with a 1-0 victory and jumped to the top spot in the Indian Super League (#ISL) in Kolkata on Tuesday.

The former Atletico Madrid and Villareal star with more than 100 caps for his country, scored the all-important goal in the 85th minute to help his side record their third win in seven matches.

With Tuesday's win at the Rabindra Sarobar Stadium, Mumbai jumped three places to be at the top spot of ISL table with 11 points from three wins, two losses and two draws, pushing NorthEast United (NEU) to the second position. NorthEast have 10 points from six matches.

This was Forlan's second goal in the tournament after he scored from the spot in Mumbai's 1-0 win against NorthEast at home on 7 October. For ATK, it was their first loss in six matches and they are now on third spot with nine points from two wins, three draws and one loss.

The first half was a very entertaining end-to-end contest, but neither team was successful to get the goal. Mumbai had a wonderful chance to take the lead in the 33rd minute but ATK goalkeeper Debjit Majumder made a vital save as he palmed over a ferocious shot by Sony Norde.

The home side started the second half brightly by introducing Bidyananda Singh, who whipped in some dangerous crosses in. After that, both the teams settled down and the match looked heading for a stalemate.

But then came the game-changing moment in the 85th minute when 37-year-old Forlan put in Norde's deflected shot-cum-cross into the back of the ATK net. This was Forlan's first goal from an open play.

ATK got a chance at the very end when they earned a free kick at the edge of the Mumbai box. Javier Lara took it and his powerful shot was on target but only to see Mumbai keeper Albino Gomes making a diving save.

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Ind v NEw Zealand ODI Series: Virat Masterclass Sinks Kiwis

#IndvNZ #ODI Series 2016
#Mohali, #Punjab

India Beat New Zealand by 7 Wickets in the 3rd #ODI #Match to take a 2-1 lead in the 5 match series.

Powered by #JimmyNeessham's super hitting in the final overs to sail New Zealand from a precarious 199 for 8 to 285 all out in 49.4 overs, the #Kiwis fancied their chances bowling under lights on a lively Mohali pitch.

They snuffed #AjinkyaRahane and #RohitSharma cheaply as well leaving India struggling at 52 for 2. In walked #Skipper #MSDhoni to join #ViratKohli. Slowly and steadily they began to maneuver the ship in direction safety. The no. 4 slot seems perfect for #MS since he can stablize and take the bowlers to the cleaners in the latter part of the #Innings. he did exactly that and added a valuable 150 partnership with Virat before being dismissed softly off Henry for a well made 80.

Virat on the other hand is increasing his #Chase reputation by the day. Cant remember India failing to chase a score when he has scored above 50. He is the bankable star for India in #Runchases and he did just that smashing his 26th ODI #Ton. A true masterclass to steer India to victory by 7 wickets.

All in all, a clinical victory for India as they head into the 4th ODI attempting to wrap the series.
The #BlackCaps need to find in all their reserves and assist their #Captain #KaneWilliamson salvage something from this horror tour for them.

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ISL 2016: Indian Players Need Better Facilities To Become World Class - FC Goa midfielder Jofre

#ISL2016
#IndianSoccerLeague #Season3

For Indian football to develop, the stress should be on creating an environment where players do not just enjoy the sport but are well aware of their tactical positioning, feels #Spanish #Midfielder #Jofre Mateu Gonzalez.

The #FCGoa #Footballer who robbed Atletico de Kolkata (#ATK) of a win by winning and converting a late #Penalty here on Sunday, said: "You need to have academies where children grow in a #Football environment."

"It's not only about practicing and enjoying the game, but knowing a lot about being part of a team, a lot of skills and #Tactical issues which you must know in your (playing) position," Jofre added.

"It's very good for the #League and for the country. And my mates (Indian players at FC Goa), you can see they are improving every year." Jofre, who has played over 300 games in the second division of the #Spanish #LaLiga, pointed out the importance of off-field activities like nutrition and rest, which are as important as the on-field development.

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Ind v NZ ODI Series: Kiwis Find New Zeal To Beat India By 6 Runs

#IndvNZ #ODISeries2016
#Kotla #NewDelhi

New Zealand defeated India by six runs in a closely-fought second One-Day International (#ODI) cricket match at the #FerozeshahKotla here on Thursday - the #Kiwis' first win on the current tour of the country.

#KedarJadhav (41) was the highest scorer for the hosts and skipper #MSDhoni contributed 39 runs in the team's chase of 243-run target. For New Zealand, #TimSouthee scalped three wickets while #TrentBoult and #MartinGuptill took two #Wickets each. #NewZealand scored 242/9 riding on skipper #KaneWilliamson's fine century (118). With the win, New Zealand squared the five-match series 1-1. It is also after 11 long years that India have lost an ODI at the Feroz Shah Kotla ground here.

"I feel this was one game where we lost wickets against the run of play, it was not that the deliveries were good, we just kept losing wickets," Dhoni said at the post-match presentation ceremony. "Until the end we had the run rate under control. When you're chasing you need to play 50 overs and at one stage it didn't look like we would," he said. Dhoni also credited New Zealand as his own bowlers for the superb show in the match.

"I felt the New Zealand bowlers bowled really well but we just kept losing wickets. I don't think there was a lot of #Dew, it was not coming out to the bat," he said. "I think we bowled really well, after the new ball it was key to get #ReverseSwing and put pressure on the #Batsman," Mishy (Amit #Mishra) bowled well and got crucial wickets.

New Zealand captain Kane Williamson was adjudged #ManOfTheMatch for his 118-run knock which was largely responsible for the visitors 242 run score on the board. Williamson too credited his bowlers for helping the Kiwis register their first win in the tour. "The wicket wasn't easy to increase the scoring rate, at the halfway stage we were a few off where we wanted to be. A lot of credit to the way we bowled, to create pressure on that surface was key and Trent Boult was outstanding," he said.

"The bowling was huge for us. We were below #Par but we did have enough runs to create a squeeze, dealing with the dew is never easy. The dew didn't help the #Spinners and they did a great job. There wasn't much turn but they did great for us. #Seam #Bowling was easier to face on that surface. It was a good game of cricket," Williamson added.

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ISL 2016: Delhi Dynamos Rally From Behind To Hold Mumbai City FC 3-3

#ISL2016
#Indian #Soccer #League #Season 3

#Delhi #Dynamos and #MumbaiCity #FC are at second position but the former are above because of better goal difference.

Delhi Dynamos staged a remarkable comeback to play out a 3-3 draw with Mumbai City FC in a high-scoring encounter of the Indian Super League (#ISL), which witnessed end-to-end football throughout, in New Delhi on Tuesday.

For Mumbai City FC, Hungarian midfielder Krisztian #Vadocz found the net twice, in the 33rd and 38th minutes, and the consistent Sony #Norde added to the tally by finding the back of the net in the 69th minute at the Jawaharlal Nehru Stadium.

Richard Gadze opened the account for the hosts when he found the target in the 51st minute and then substitute Badara #Badji and #Marcelinho scored in the 76th and 82nd minutes respectively.

This was the ongoing #season's highest scoring game. It was an impressive outing by Mumbai too, considering that they were missing a few key players, though their coach Alexandre Borges #Guimaraes will be livid for twice letting slip the advantage.

Mumbai City FC remained on second position with two wins, two draws and a defeat after five appearances, while Delhi Dynamos moved to second place owing to a better #Goal #Difference than #AtleticoDeKolkata.

Dynamos have played four #Matches and recorded a win and three #Draws. This was their third successive draw after starting the #Campaign with a win. The match started on a positive note with both teams looking to #Attack. 

The first breakthrough came when Vadócz, after being fed by playmaker Leonardo Da Costa with a through, sent the ball into the bottom right corner.

Barely five minutes later, it was Vadócz again who emerged as the scorer. Norde took the freekick from just outside the box and Dynamos goalkeeper Roberto Volpato tried to palm it away, but Vadocz headed it off the rebound to make it 2-0 for the visitors.

Mumbai City went into the break with a comfortable two-goal cushion. The visitors were the better of the two sides in the first half. Two goals in the space of six minutes changed the complexion completely and the pressure was certainly on Delhi Dynamos and their coach Gianluca #Zambrotta. Before the breather, the hosts did not really create any great opportunities.

However, they upped their game in the second half and eventually forced Mumbai to settle for a stalemate. The Dynamos came out all guns blazing and first scored through Gadze. Skipper Florent Malouda sent a through to #Marcelo and he, in turn, squared one to #Gadze, who made no mistake while finding the back of the net.

Replay showed that Marcelo could have been offside, but the goal stood. Even as Dynamos tried to come back into the game, Sony Norde dribbled past Souvik Chakraborty and slotted the ball at the far bottom corner.

Mumbai were sitting pretty at that stage with a two-goal cushion again. But there was more to come as Dynamos rallied to find the net through Badji. Malouda played the ball to Badji and he only had #Volpato to beat, and he did that successfully.

As the Mumbai goalkeeper came out rushing to collect the ball, the referee called for penalty, and Marcelinho managed to beat Volpato with a wonderful spot kick. The goalkeeper guessed it correctly as he dived to the right, but the ball evaded his fingertips.

Mumbai made three changes from their 1-0 loss to Blasters. David Lalrinmuana, Boithang Haokip and Cardozo went out and in came Sony Norde, for his first appearance, Pronay Halder and Sena Ralte.

For #Dynamos, goalkeeper Toni Doblas alongside the likes of #Sweepers Lalchhawnkima, Ruben Rocha and holding #Midfielder Marcos Tebar were benched for this game and included in their places were former Aizawl goalkeeper Soram Poirei, David Addy and Ibrahima Niasse.

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ODI Cricket New Method To Minimise Loss Of Play In Rain-Affected Games

#ODI #Cricket

What happened at #Kingsmead, #QueensParkOval and more recently at #GreenPark in #Kanpur is fresh in memory. Rain had rendered the #Ground #Unfit for play resulting in #TestMatches in Durban and Port of Spain turning out to be a farce.

In the India-New Zealand Test in Kanpur, India's 500th Test match, which India won by 197 runs, the visitors were 152 for one at tea on the second day when it started raining. But though the rain relented and despite bright sunshine, the rest of the day's play was lost as the ground staff feared that removing covers immediately could endanger the ground. Moving the #Water #Logged #Covers, they reckoned, would result in seepage and more damage to ground conditions.

Agreed, elements are beyond control, but a solution to playground management is within reach. At least if Ch Yaamalaiah, a training and place ment officer at Krishna Chaitanya Institute of Technology and Sciences in Markapur of Andhra Pradesh, is to be believed. Yaamalaiah has applied for a patent titled: Methods and apparatus for covering a playground from rain.

The drill when it starts raining is cricket grounds are covered with multiple covers manually. It takes time to cover and they cannot cover the entire ground in time. Even after covering, rain water seeps through the edges and the ground gets damp in case of heavy rain. Even with #SuperSoppers at work, it takes time to dry the covers and matches get delayed or sometimes cancelled after a long wait due to #Wet #Outfield.

Yaamalaiah reckons the outfield would not get wet if the entire ground is covered with a single cover in quick time. #Rain water that falls on the cover, he said, will reach the boundary along the g round and flows out through the gutter/moat along the playing field. If his solution works fine, there will be no need for super soppers. His invention, Yaamalaiah said, does exactly that. The #Unicover method solves the problem by covering the entire ground with a single #WaterProof cover. That can be done by an apparatus which holds, unrolls and rolls back the rain cover. 

Instead of allowing water and #Mopping, this apparatus prevents rain water from falling on the outfield surface and the cover does not allow water #Seeping on to the ground as the said cover has no gaps. Water that falls on the cover reaches the edge/boundary of the ground and exits through the #Gutter.

Yaamalaiah said the apparatus is installed on one side of the ground near the boundary. It comprises two vertical bars, one rotatable horizontal bar and one rain cover. The waterproof cover, equivalent in size and shape of the playground, is wound to the horizontal bar that can be rotated with th e help of an electric motor.

When it starts raining, the apparatus' cover holding the bar is rotated so that the waterproof cover rolls on to the ground. Groundsmen spread the cover and rain water that collects on the cover rolls into the moat - as most playgrounds have surfaces that slope towards the boundary - so the ground staff can immediately roll back the covers, he said. 

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ISL 2016 2 week Review - Points Table, Team Standings, Match Results

#ISL2016

#Indian #Soccer #League

#Chennaiyin #FC registered their first win of the Indian Super League 2016 as they defeated #FC #Goa by 2-0 margin. For Chennaiyin FC, Mehrajuddin Wadoo and Hans Mulder scored one goal each to help their side open their account on the ISL 2016  points table. 

It is going to be a long season in the #ISL. We will bring you all the updates and news on the tournament which is expected to grip the imagination of football fans for more than two months. It is fair to say that with only eight teams competing with each other, there is little confusion on who stands where. All teams have a fair idea about their opponents and can eventually set a plan accordingly.

#AtléticoDeKolkata and Chennaiyin FC have been the two winners of the tournament thus far and what will really spice up things will be a new winner and it is fair to say that it is difficult to predict. #KeralaBlasters and #FCGoa have been the two runners-up which means that we have had four different teams in the two seasons as far as the finals go. 

Team Matches Wins Losses Draws Points 
NorthEast United 4 3 1 0 9 
Mumbai City FC 3 2 0 1 7 
Atletico de Kolkata 3 1 0 2 5 
Delhi Dynamos 2 1 0 1 4 
Chennaiyin FC 3 1 1 1 4 
FC Pune City 3 1 2 0 3 
Kerala Blasters 3 0 2 1 1 
FC Goa 3 0 3 0 0

One thing is for sure, predictions are most difficult to make. It will not be different at this point either. Anything other than a win will not shape up the points table and eventually the more results we have, the better it may be.

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