Cricket

Controversial writer Taslima Nasreen has denied a media report which claims that the noted Bangladeshi writer had “advised the cricketing world’s god, Sachin Tendulkar, not to pray for Sathya Sai Baba, who passed away on Sunday morning.”

Protesting against the media report, Taslima tweeted: “Times of India’s headline is ‘Taslima advises Sachin not to pray for Sai Baba’ It’s not TRUE. I DIDN’T GIVE HIM ANY ADVICE.

“I’m shocked to see TOI misleading people by publishing a news that’s not true. Most people don’t know what Retweet is. Doesn’t TOI know it?

“I’m protesting against TOI report. I RT people’s different comments. They’re not mine. I also RT comments that are against me.”

It seems the Times of India’s reporter Bharti Dubey failed to understand the difference between a tweet and a retweet.

Explains Taslima, in a comment that she posted on the inaccurate Times Of India article, “I have never given any advice to Sachin Tendulkar on Twitter or otherwise about Sathya Sai Baba.

“The tweets you see here attributed to me are not my tweets. TOI has quoted tweets that I retweeted as my own tweets. Anyone who is familiar with Twitter will know that retweets do not necesarily become the opinion of the person who retweets it.

“I retweet both things that I agree with and not agree with. Taslima Nasreen.”

Mis-using the power of influencing public opinion, the reporter unfortunately describes the noted writer as someone “who is known more for the controversies chasing her than her literary skills.”

Earlier, India’s cricketer, Sachin Tendulkar visited Puttaparthi in Andhra Pradesh to pay homage to Sathya Sai Baba who passed away on the Easter day.

Sathya Sai baba, who has millions of followers in India and worldwide, died of liver disease. He was hospitalised for two weeks for jaundice. His organs had gradually stopped responding to treatment.

The Wankhede Stadium wicket for the ICC World Cup final between India and Sri Lanka will be a slow turner, according to the pitch curator, Sudhir Naik. This is like most wickets in the subcontinent during this time of the year, says Naik who is a former India player.

If the pitch report is anything to go by, the Sangakkara - Mahendra Singh Dhoni battle is likely to be another cliffhanger for the 1.5 billion cricket fans watching the final live worldwide.

The final will also be a deciding factor for the future of both the captions, and many players in the teams.

Naik still expects the pitch to support batsmen and offer opportunities to score runs. He thinks that the team batting first will get the maximum benefit of the turning wicket.

“It will be an ideal one-day wicket,” Naik told news service – IANS. Naik was part of the India squad who toured England in 1974.

If Naik’s interpretation of the wicket is correct, the battle for the world cup will see a score of about 270 to 280 runs. The warring teams will do well to play an extra spinner.

“The bounce will be even with a good carry,” the 66-year old curator said. “The pacers will get something out of the wicket in the initial overs.”

While the team batting first will be able to score runs, spinners will rule the second session of the final match.

The temperatures will be very high, and Mumbai is known for high humidity. This will make it very difficult to score runs in the second half of the Tournament decider.

Khans to attend the ICC World Cup decider

In the meantime, the final between Sri Lanka and India is likely to attract who’s who of Indian business and of course, Bollywood.

The three ruling Khans of Bollywood, Salman Khan, Shah Rukh Khan and of course, Aamir Khan are attending the final battle.

During India-Pakistan face off in the second semi final, Shah Rukh Khan had said “if Team India wins no one can stop me from going to the finals at Wankhede.”

Salman Khan also said, “I will try and go for the finals.” Aamir Khan was spotted at the Mohali stadium for the India-Pakistan semi-final and is likely to be at Wankhede with his better half.

President Pratibha Patil will be there

If the prime ministers of India and Pakistan stole limelight from cricketers at the second semi-finals, the presidents of India and Sri Lanka don’t wish to be left behind.

India’s president, Pratibha Patil and her Sri Lankan counterpart, Mahinda Rajapaksa, will attend Saturday’s cricket World Cup final. While Patil will fly to Mumbai, Rajapaksa will arrive from Colombo.

Don’t get carrid away: Dhoni

India’s skipper MS Dhoni has warned his team not to get carried away by the excessive hype ahead of their World Cup final against Sri Lanka and stick to their basic job of playing “good cricket”

Heavy security for India – Sri Lanka game

Aerial and sea surveillance will guard the final match which is likely to be attended by the who’s who of India’s political and business leaders. About one thousand police will be posted at the Wankhede Stadium for Saturday.

The security arrangement is described as the biggest in Mumbai since the US president, Barack Obama’s visit last year.

The security cover is likely to be more extensive than the Mohali match where the prime ministers of India and Pakistan attended the match.

India has entered the final of the ICC World Cup, thanks to a heroic knock by master blaster Sachin Tendulkar. Sachin was awarded the man of the match award.

Batting first, India put a modest target of 260 for Pakistan to chase, but Pakistan struggled to chase the total.

Pakistan had a good start but lost their opening pair, Kamran Akmal and Mohammad Hafeez, before reaching 100 runs.

Indian bowling attack restricted any recovery by Pakistan batsmen, and were 2 wickets down for 103.

Sachin Tendulkar’s 85-run stint wasn’t without lifelines. The batting maestro was survived four dropped catches and two referrals.

India will play Sri Lanka in the final of the ICC World Cup in Mumbai.

INDIA PAKISTAN FINAL SCORECARD – SEMIFINAL

India: V. Sehwag lbw b Riaz 38 (25b, 9×4), S. Tendulkar c Afridi b Ajmal 85 (115b, 11×4), G. Gambhir st. K. Akmal b Hafeez 27 (32b, 2×4), V. Kohli c U Akmal b Riaz 9 (21b), Yuvraj b Riaz 0 (1b), M.S. Dhoni lbw b Riaz 25 (42b, 2×4), Suresh Raina (not out) 36 (39b, 3×4), Harbhajan st. K. Akmal b Ajmal 12 (15b, 2×4), Zaheer c K. Akmal b Riaz 9 (10b, 1×4), A. Nehra (run out) 1 (2b), Munaf (not out) 0; Extras (lb-8, w-8, nb-2): 18; Total (for nine wkts. in 50 overs): 260.

Fall of wickets: 1-48 (Sehwag), 2-116 (Gambhir), 3-141 (Kohli), 4-141 (Yuvraj), 5-187 (Tendulkar), 6-205 (Dhoni), 7-236 (Harbhajan), 8-256 (Zaheer), 9-258 (Nehra).

Pakistan bowling: Gul 8-0-69-0, Razzaq 2-0-14-0, Riaz 10-0-46-5, Ajmal 10-0-44-2, Afridi 10-0-45-0, Hafeez 10-0-34-1.

Pakistan: K. Akmal c Yuvraj b Zaheer 19 (21b, 3×4), M. Hafeez c Dhoni b Munaf 43 (59b, 7×4), A. Shafiq b Yuvraj 30 (39b, 2×4), Younis c Raina b Yuvraj 13 (32b), Misbah c Kohli b Zaheer 56 (76b, 5×4 1×6), U. Akmal b Harbhajan 29 (24b, 1×4, 2×6), A. Razzaq b Munaf 3 (9b), S. Afridi c Sehwag b Harbhajan 19 (17b, 1×4), W. Riaz c Tendulkar b Nehra 8 (14b, 1×4), U. Gul lbw b Nehra 2 (3b). S. Ajmal (not out) 1 (5b); Extras (w-8): 8; Total (in 49.5 overs): 231.

Fall of wickets: 1-44 (K. Akmal), 2-70 (Hafeez), 3-103 (Shafiq), 4-106 (Younis), 5-142 (U. Akmal), 6-150 (Razzaq), 7-184 (Afridi), 8-199 (Riaz), 9-208 (Gul).

India bowling: Zaheer 9.5-0-58-2, Nehra 10-0-33-2, Munaf 10-1-40-2, Harbhajan 10-0-43-2, Yuvraj 10-1-57-2.

India-Pakistan cricket match in Mohali came under clouds with a drizle and light storm in Chandigarh just the night before the crucial ICC World Cup match.

However, the met department is predicting the weather to be clear for the match. The temperature is expected to be around 32 degrees, with clear skies and bright sun.

A cricket match between india vs pakistan is always a closely watched battle. Since this is a world cup semi-final match, the cricket fans are worried about potential mohali rain. Mohali weather today is unpredictable with a bit of a drizzle last night.

However, Chandigarh weather is normally warm in the month of March. India Pakistan semifinal is likely to experience nice weather if the met department is to be believed. Weather news from Mohali is positive so far.

Mohali match will experience warm temperature today. The climate in Mohali is a little humid. Overall, weather in India is pleasant since March is the beginning of summer in India.

Worried about the weather, Bollywood actor Rahul Bose tweeted: “Weather report from mohali from friends at stadium – clear skies, sunshine, mild temperatures. Will reach and provide an update.”

Mohali pitch report

Mohali pitch expected to help the batsmen. This should not come as a surprise, since the pitches are mostly prepared to help the host team. India has a strong batting line while Pakistan has a strong bowling team.

While most matches in this ICC World Cup have been low scoring, the Mohali pitch is batsmen’s paradise. The flat wicket are likely to help the seamers than spinners. This should be a good news for Pakistan.

Zaheer Khan is expected to be a beneficiary of this pitch in this match. Indian cricket fans are also expecting their god, Sachin Tendulkar, to complete his 100th ton. As far as Pakistan is concerned, Afridi is likely to rely on Shoaib Akhtar who has bowled well against Indians.

Fierce rivals India and Pakistan will have to deal with huge expectations from their cricket-crazy fans when they clash on Wednesday for a place in the World Cup final. Anything but a win will be a shock for either set of supporters when the neighbours, who have fought three wars since their 1947 i

Heavy security for India-Pakistan match

With the heads of the state of the nuclear-armed countries, India and Pakistan, attending the ICC world cup semi-final in Mohali in Chandigarh, the security for the cricket match is the highest ever expected.

The presence of the prime ministers of the countries at war is likely to put more pressure on both the teams. India cricket team captain MS Dhoni is aware of the attention.

“The biggest, distinguished guests will be there to see the game,” MSD told India media. “But they are here to enjoy cricket, so we have to be at our best.”

Indian batsmen vs Pakistan bowlers

While the Indian team will be expecting their batsmen to live up to their reputation, Pakistan is banking on its bowlers, especially its seamers.

Indian fans are expecting Sachin Tendulkar to score his 100th century, while there are similar expectations fro Yuvraj Singh who will be playing in his home country.

Dhoni will also be relying on Gautam Gambhir, Virat Kohli and Suresh Raina to support him in the batting line.

Tweeted Bollywood producer Pritish Nandy: “Pakistan’s bowlers vs India’s batsmen: thats the real battle today.”

Spare a thought for hapless cows while you enjoy the final battle between India and Sri Lanka at Wankhede Stadium in Mumbai. Cricket balls are made of leather, which is procured after slaughtering defenceless animals.

In India, where much of the world’s leather comes from, cattle are marched for days to slaughter without food or water, says People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals (PETA) India, which is requesting a ban on leather balls.

PETA suggests using synthetic balls instead.

“Synthetic balls are not only kinder to animals but also safer for the environment”, says PETA campaigner and cricket fan Sachin Bangera.

“They are superior to leather balls because they can be made more durable and water resistant, and with the technology available, they can be customised to meet players’ needs.

“We are calling on the International Cricket Council (ICC) to show that cricket is truly a gentleman’s sport by choosing synthetic balls over leather ones.”

PETA India wants ICC to know that animals killed for their skins are routinely abused and cruelly slaughtered.

Animals slaughtered for their skin endure extreme crowding and deprivation; castration, branding, tail-docking and dehorning without any pain relief and cruel transport and slaughter.

It will be a tough call for Indians who worship both – cricketers and cows.

PETA highlights the inhuman treatment afforded to cows. “Those who collapse from exhaustion have their eyes smeared with chilli peppers and tobacco and their tails broken in an effort to keep them moving. At India’s abattoirs, animals are often skinned and dismembered while they are still conscious,” says a PETA statement.

Also, the process of procuring leather has wide-reaching impact on environment and human health.

“Turning animal skins into leather requires massive amounts of toxic chemicals, and runoff from leather tanneries poisons rivers and streams,” says the statement.

Vellore in Tamil Nadu – which has about 6,000 tanneries – is alarmingly polluted, according to a report by the Central Pollution Control Board.

“The chemicals that tannery workers are exposed to have also been linked to cancer, respiratory infections and other illnesses.

The risks are internationally well-documented. “Studies of leather-tannery workers in Sweden and Italy found cancer risks “between 20% and 50% above [those] expected”.

The India-Pakistan cricket match in Mohali in a semi-final of the ICC World Cup is going to be a work-stopper. Described as the battle of battles, this mother of all cricket matches is likely to stop work throughout India.

Sensing the potential impact of the India-Pakistan world cup match on work, many companies are looking at ways to deal with the issue.

Realising the strong-hold of cricket among Indians, and accepting defeat, some companies have offered a day off, or half-day to employees, while other companies want to share the space with cricket, my installing large TV screen in workplaces.

The match is reported to be the most-watched sporting event in the world.

India’s major brand, Dabur India, is considering a day off for its employees but is constrained by the fact that it is the financial year end, and work pressure is going to be very high. Dabur has experienced similar dilemma in 2007 for the T20 final between India and Pakistan. Cricket had won in the battle of attention and the company gave a day off to its employees.

Similarly, PepsiCo India is considering offering half-day leave for employees “if it doesn’t impact the organisation’s functioning” Samik Basu, vice-president (HR) and chief people officer for India Region was quoted in a media report

If a day-off is not a viable option, some employers are allowing its employees to work from home. PVR is one such employer which is open to this option. PVR is also streaming the cricket match live at some of its movie venues, and is considering an exclusive screening for its employees.

However, working from home is not a viable option for customer-facing employees like those of the Future Group’s Big Bazaar, which is India’s largest retailer. The frontline staff will be able to watch the match on large screen especially arranged for the match in the stores.

Some employers have even gone a step further and have come up with ideas of employee involvement. BPO firm Quatrro has organised employee contests about the ICC Cricket World Cup.