To be honest, I didn’t expect to be picked, says Sourav | ||
| A CORRESPONDENT | ||
Bangalore: The dramatic announcement was kept for the last. Sourav Ganguly had finished the question and answer part of his session with the media late on Tuesday afternoon, when he stunned everybody by saying: “Just one last thing lads, before I leave, I just want to say that this is going to be my last series. I have decided to quit and I’ve told my teammates before I have come here. These four Test matches are going to be my last. Thanks for all your support, hopefully we’ll go on a winning note. Thanks.”
Earlier, Sourav took a lot of questions from the media. The following are excerpts: Q If he is prepared for the series A I am prepared. I played some games before coming to Bangalore. Hopefully with the break after Sri Lanka, some matches under the belt and some good nets, I’m prepared for the series. Whether his inclusion in the squad was a surprise It was. To be honest I didn’t expect to be picked for this series. Once I was (picked) I started preparing. Even when I was left out of the Rest of India squad, which was a bit surprising, I was training with the Bengal boys. That’s the way it is. On the retirement of the seniors This has been going on for some time really — for the last one, one and a half years. And it will go on. I don’t think it’s ever possible that anybody can offer you a VRS scheme, that was the term used. I don’t think that’s ever possible in sport. You can’t do that to players like Kumble, Dravid, Laxman, Sachin, myself or anyone. We have been performing for years. I understand we all had a poor series in Sri Lanka. But they have been performing for the last two-three years, for their entire lives. On the speculation that the Board has directed the seniors to retire I don’t know really. When you play for so long you tend to put speculation behind you because there have been a lot of things written in the past and a lot of things will be written on the future. It’s important what you get to know from the board. As far as I am concerned and as far as any of the other seniors are concerned we haven’t received any intimation from the board on anything. Obviously some people have been picked and some people have been dropped. That’s the way selection goes. That’s all I can say and when you play this sport you have to learn to keep these things behind you and go ahead. On the pressure on the seniors cricketers In every series there is pressure. It is not about seniors or youngsters. When there was a series five years back also, there was pressure. You knew that if you didn’t perform then there was someone to come in. When we started there were greats who had played for India for so long, like Azharuddin, Vengsarkar, Manjrekar… We performed and we came in. That process will go on. It’s all about performances. Every series, every year you have someone waiting. Five years ago it was probably Dinesh Mongia, Hemang Badani, now it is Yuvraj Singh and Rohit Sharma. Five years down the line it will be someone else. That’s the way sport goes, you just have to live with it. If the touring Australian side is weak You should never judge any touring team on the basis of a practice game. Test matches are different, practice games are different. As a team you try a whole lot of things in a practice match before you get to Test cricket and this Australian team will be as formidable as those of the past. You can say they lack a quality spinner but they have other people who can make up for it. On what will be India’s strategy in batting We’ll just play every bowler. You have to survive till the spinner comes! You just have to play every bowler and then play the spinner when he comes. On India’s strength There are some players who peak against good teams. Somebody like VVS, or Sachin, who have good records against Australia. Plus we have always produced quality spinners and good spinners will do well against any team. If Hayden is India’s greatest threat I’m sure with 30 Test hundreds he gets fired up against anyone. Obviously he has a superb record against India. You have Ponting, who is one of the best, you have Clarke who plays spin very well, you’ve seen what Hussey can do. They’re not the best side in the world for nothing. Bangalore being his lucky ground Hopefully it turns out lucky again. You feel good walking out to a ground where you have played well. Hopefully I can do well again. If India will start as favourites As I said they are a very good side. I don’t think anyone can start as favourites. It’s what you do on the park and that can change every day. They will be a tough side and a hard side to beat. Whether there is too much pressure on the Indian cricketers As I said you will have pressure right throughout. Look at the pressure on these Australian players. They have somebody waiting who is as good. There is pressure on everyone. There will be different players putting pressure on you at different stages. We have done that when we were young players trying to get into the team. You have to just live with that and perform. On what will be Australia’s plan They played differently last time. They also had the players to execute. They had Glenn McGrath, they had Shane Warne, they had Gillespie who was as good as anyone. They had the bowlers to execute it. It’s going to be the same this time. Both teams will have plans, but how they execute it is important. On India’s plan Whichever team puts runs on the board will put pressure on the opposition. That’s the way Test cricket is played. If we can put runs on the board we’ll put pressure . Players who might replace the seniors It’s difficult for me to say. I’m a firm believer that it’s not just a question of one game, it’s what you do over a period of time. Look at someone like Michael Hussey, he had to get 10-15 thousand first-class runs to get a place in the Australian team. Some of these boys have just started. Yuvraj has been around for a long time, Badrinath too. If India can repeat the performance of the 2001 series against Australia 2001 was a different part of our cricketing lives. I was captain then, now it’s Anil. Some new boys have come in, some are same. It’s two different times. On the Bangalore wicket This will turn as the Test match goes on. Bangalore wicket has been a bit different over the last few years. It might get a bit up and down in the last couple of days. It’s an older wicket now with more cricket played on it. So I’m sure it must have settled down. But I’m sure there will be spin for the bowlers. Source: http://www.telegraphindia.com/ |
Tuesday, October 7, 2008
Kumble may go Dada way, retire after series:
Tuesday, September 30, 2008
Sandisk launches world's first 16GB mobile flash memory
If recent blog posts about the increase in capacity of CompactFlash cards and small-size hard drives make you wonder what's in store for your mobile phones, then I have some good news.
(Credit: ScanDisk)On Monday, SanDisk announced its new microSD high-capacity (microSDHC) card that offers up to 16GB in storage space. While 16GB doesn't sound like a huge deal compared with other media that offer hundreds of gigabytes, this is actually very significant for two reasons. First, microSD cards are by far the smallest in size among consumer storage devices--about the size of your little finger's nail. Second, it's also the most popular media for smartphones and PDAs, and it is becoming more popular thanks to its tiny size.
The introduction of the new size lets cell phone and PDA owners really use their devices for storage-intensive purposes, including music and video playback, high-definition digital camera functions, gaming, and GPS applications. The new card also works with other devices that have a microSDHC reader, such as digital cameras, GPS receivers, or MP3 players.
Together with the new microSDHC, SanDisk also introduced its new 16GB Memory Stick Micro (M2) mobile memory, which is the micro version of Sony's Memory Stick card.
SanDisk's new 16GB microSDHC and M2 cards will be available in October and cost about $100 and $130, respectively. They will also be available in 4GB and 8GB versions. The new microSDHC might not be compatible with all devices that support the legacy microSD cards (that caps at 2GB). Make sure to check your devices' compatibility or update them to newer and supporting firmware before purchasing.
Source: http://news.cnet.com
Thursday, September 25, 2008
Big B's first international film
Bollywood superstar Amitabh Bachchan has said that he is likely to sign an international film project which will be made by makers of the Oscar winning documentary March of the Penguin.
Big B wrote on his blog that he might give consent to this project to be made in English. The project will be produced and directed by the French makers and the film will be set in India and France.
"That is all that one can talk of right now," he wrote on his blog.
March of the Penguin directed by Luc Jacquet is about Antartica's emperor Penguins which earned $77 million at the US box office.
Big B has also hinted that he had got a Hollywood offer. "There is another project from the writer of Taxi Driver and Raging Bull from Hollywood and I shall need to see the script before I consider any further," he said.
Amitabh Bachchan has recently wound up his Unforgettable tour with wife, son and daughter-in-law Aishwarya Rai. Bachchan Sr is currently in Paris.
Source: http://movies.ndtv.com
Alltel Wireless Announces MOTORAZR VE20 Mobile Phone
A symbolic flip phone, the MOTORAZR VE20 comes with some really great attributes. The device sports a large external screen and touch sensitive controls that should ensure the user effortless access to recent calls, messaging, Bluetooth and music. So now you can enjoy all this and much more without even opening your phone.
According to Brian Ullem, vice president of device strategy at Alltel Wireless, “The RAZR is one of the most popular wireless handsets of all time, and Alltel’s next generation RAZR, the VE20, will impress anyone seeking form, function and fun in their wireless device. This latest addition to our handset lineup continues our mission of providing our customers with the phones they want at prices that they can afford.”
The handset boast of a multitude of popular features that include a 2 megapixel camera with video, a 3.5 mm headset jack, GPS, expandable memory slot, an MP3 player. Giving a great multimedia experience, the phone is additionally preloaded with applications like Alltel Search1, City ID1, Alltel Navigation1, and Aricent Celltop1, Music Connect etc.
At 3.17 oz visibly one of the lightest phones in the RAZR family, the MOTORAZR VE20 is powered by a battery that should last you about 250 minutes in talk time and 360 hours in standby time.
Source: http://www.mobiletor.com
Wednesday, September 24, 2008
'Hari Puttar' gets green signal from Delhi HC :
Lucky Kohli, the director of Hari Puttar-The Comedy of Terrors was a worried man. Although he is of Punjabi origin he's been born and brought up in the UK. And his first film ran into major controversies with Warner Brothers having taken Mirchi Movies to court. But Lucky Kohli is not a man to be easily deterred. He went ahead and now finally four days before the release of the film the court has ruled in his favour.Tell us something about yourself. This is your first film in Bollywood…
My family settled in the UK. But I am originally a Sikh. My name is Harinder but my pet name was Lucky and the name just sort of stuck over the years. I am very fluent in Hindi though. I would say I'm more fluent in Hindi even as compared to Punjabi.
How is that?
When my sister and me were really young my mother could not afford a baby sitter for us. And minors below a certain age cannot be left unattended at home. So she used to buy a cinema ticket and leave us in the theatre for about five hours while she went off to work. And my sister and me saw many Hindi films over and over again.
Which ones do you remember?
Ask me which ones I don't remember. Seeta Aur Geeta for one, Mr Natwarlal... they are all my favourite films.
Any particular film, which you would call your favourite?
It would have to be Sholay. I remember every scene, every line almost verbatim.
But your first film belongs to a completely different genre.
There's a reason for that. When my daughter was younger I saw a lot of kiddie films (Shrek, Monsters Inc,) with her. Initially I thought I was being a good parent. But later I found at the end of the film that I had enjoyed myself as much as she had. So I had this dream of making a film, which would be a complete 'family' entertainer.
Have you succeeded?
Yes, but of course the final verdict is yours. But I sincerely feel from the bottom of my heart that I have succeeded.
Why Hari Puttar as a title? Didn't you anticipate the backlash? Or was it a calculated decision to cash in on a highly popular series.
As I told you earlier my full name was Harinder. But I was often called Harry. Our protagonist in the film is Hari Prasad. So he is called Hari. And puttar is a suffix every Punjabi boy is familiar with. So it is nothing but an unfortunate co-incidence.
Source: http://www.buzz18.com
Tuesday, September 23, 2008
Yuvraj to lead BCCI President's XI against Australia
This move could mean Yuvraj's return to the Test fold. Since 2006, he has played 13 Tests - four in the last two years - and has averaged 29.42 with two centuries.
Jaffer, Ashok Dinda and Pragyan Ojha also make their way towards national reckoning since they are part of Irani Trophy and Board President's squads. Apart from Ojha, Saurashtra bowler Rakesh Dhurv is the other left-arm spinner in the squad. Dhurv took 23 wickets at 21.56 from eight Ranji Trophy games last season.
Sreesanth and Irfan Pathan will lead the bowling attack along with Manpreet Gony and Pankaj Singh.
Meanwhile Dinesh Karthik has fallen off the national radar by neither making it to the Board President's squad nor the India A squad for the two Tests against New Zealand. Wriddhiman Saha, the Bengal wicketkeeper, has made the cut instead. Suresh Raina will lead the India A side now that S Badrinath has been called up to the Rest of India squad as a replacement for Sachin Tendulkar. Jaydev Shah, the Saurashtra captain, has been picked as Raina's deputy after a successful series in Israel.
Board President's squad : Yuvraj Singh (capt), S Badrinath, Wasim Jaffer, Aakash Chopra, Rohit Sharma, Virat Kohli Parthiv Patel (wk), Irfan Pathan, S Sreesanth, Piyush Chawla, Pragyan Ojha, Pankaj Singh, Manpreet Gony, Yogesh Takawale, Rakesh Dhurv.
India A : Suresh Raina (capt) Jaydev Shah, M Vijay, Shikhar Dhawan, Sahil Kukreja, Cheteshwar Pujara, Yusuf Pathan, Ravindra Jadeja, Wriddhiman Saha, Ashok Dinda, Dhawal Kulkarni, Sudeep Tyagi, Amit Mishra, Pradeep Sangwan, Mohnish Parmar.
Source: http://content-usa.cricinfo.com
Taare Zameen Par is India's Oscar entry
 Spicezee BureauMumbai, Sept 22: Aamir Khan’s directional debut ‘Taare Zameen Par’, which has been officially nominated at the Oscars seems to have a strong chance of winning the award as it has a mass appeal and has already touched the emotional chords of the audience. The film has secured an entry into the Oscars beating exceptional films like ‘Jodhaa Akbar’, ‘A Wednesday’, ‘Mumbai Meri Jaan’, ‘Rock On’, ‘Black And White’ and two Marathi films and a Telugu movie. Expressing happiness on the nomination, Aamir said, “I’m very happy that my film has been selected as we have got a chance to represent India internationally at a level where best films from all over the world are nominated for the honour.” The actor, however, expressed the desire to have ‘TZP’ reach the top 5 of the nominations, like his previous film ‘Lagaan’. Rejecting the charge of lobbying for his films, Aamir said, “I feel there is nothing wrong if I say that I have a PR in Los Angeles, because I believe it is important to have one so that people get to know about the films we make in India through the media over there. My responsibility is and has been just to create awareness about the films that we make.” Speaking about the importance of an Oscar to him, the actor said, “I don’t target Oscars when I make a film. My films are mainly for the audience. I think it is my responsibility to make good films which are entertaining and worth watching for the audience and their money and time is what matters to me the most.” “For the Oscar nomination I would say that the competition is tough, so I’m not sure if TZP would win the award, but I’m sure the film is going to leave a strong impact,” he added. Source: http://www.zeenews.com |
Friday, September 19, 2008
Tendulkar says Australia now India's major rivals
Ahead of Australia's four-Test tour to India, which opens on October 9 in Bangalore, Tendulkar said he expected a fiercely competitive series between two teams who have battled for superiority over recent years.
"I think it (India v Australia) has become bigger largely because of the competitiveness," Tendulkar said.
"All the series between us from 2001 onwards have been very keenly fought and have been very close ones."
In the ill-tempered 2007-2008 series in Australia, India lost the first two Tests but recorded a prized victory over the home team in the third Test in Perth.
"We have gone to Australia and beaten them," Tendulkar stressed.
"We have been able to surprise the Australian team and that's what the Australian public likes: competition and high standards of play. They love to see challenges and competitiveness.
"The fan following for the India-Australia series has definitely increased as compared to say 15 years ago," he added.
The "little master", now aged 35, is closing in on Brian Lara's record for the most runs ever scored in a Test career, but said statistics were not his priority.
"I don't think much about records. I want to enjoy my game. If players focus on their performance, records automatically fall into place," said Tendulkar, speaking to reporters in New Delhi.
"I focus on playing the game well. If it (the record) comes in doing so I will be happy," added the ace batsman, who is only 76 runs short of overtaking Lara's mark of 11,953 runs.
India's last tour of Australia was marked by personal insults between teams, and allegations of racial abuse and bad sportsmanship.
But Tendulkar said he did not expect a repeat of such problems during the upcoming series.
"Talking on behalf of the Indian team, I can say we will play hard but fair and I feel the Australians also will do so," he said.
Source: http://afp.google.com
Thursday, September 18, 2008
Saas Bahu aur Sensex: Movie Review
Reason being that from a title comprising of the word 'Sensex', some may expect a bit of sex element in the film as well. "I am considered to be a sex symbol and I take pride in the fact that audience does expect me to be seen in particular kind of roles where I bring on the oomph. However, I am sorry to say that Saas Bahu Aur Sensex doesn't have any sex in it even though the word 'sex' does come into picture", winks Tanushree who came with quite a bang with films like Aashiq Banaya Aapne and Chocolate. "However, I am quite a different individual in Saas Bahu Aur Sensex and truly enjoyed being a part of this cinema," says Tanushree who has for the first time worked with a woman director, Shona Urvashi, in the film. "From the entire look to make up to general appearance, I have gone through a change. Unlike majority of my films which have featured me as an 'ultra oomphy' Diva-ish kind of a character, Saas Bahu Aur Sensex has me in a contrasting avatar altogether." "It was fun to be playing someone who you could meet while walking on a street rather than someone who is larger than life,” says Tanushree. She also reveals that the humor in this latest film of hers is on the same lines as that of Jaane Tu…Ya Jaane Na. "I play a young girl who belongs to an Indian metro and share a normal relationship with her mother (played by Kirron Kher). The best part about the film is that neither is it women-centric, nor does it get its drive from a hero-heroine angle per se." Confident that the film would strike gold with the urban audience, Tanushree declares, "Saas Bahu Aur Sensex is for those who want to watch something that isn't run of the mill. It is meant for an urban audience and its light hearted narrative would ensure that college students as well as adults get an ample share of laugh." | |
Indiafm: One catches Tanushree Dutta in a chirpy mood as she talks about her latest arrival Saas Bahu Aur Sensex. She exclaims that this film directed by Shona Urvashi may end up disappointing a few. Wednesday, September 17, 2008
Priyanka Chopra performs with 'Son Of a Bitch'
Priyanka Chopra performs with 'Son Of a Bitch' | |
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Bollywood is known to be the 'Masala Industry' for nothing. The reason being this is one place whereby you can find millions of masala.| Drona Wallpapers | ||||
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