B-G Trophy 2008 : Build-up

[Sachinism]

grrr *****es, i hope some of their players get injured in the 2nd practice game

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Bhajji doesn’t care if Symmo comes or not Off-spinner is relishing the challenge of taking on Ricky Ponting’s No.1 team in the Test series beginning early next month More... Bhajji doesn’t care if Symmo comes or not Ankita Pandey Wednesday, September 03, 2008 04:39 IST Off-spinner is relishing the challenge of taking on Ricky Ponting’s No.1 team in the Test series beginning early next month MUMBAI: Harbhajan Singh is no ‘Pappu’ when it comes to dancing. We’ve all seen him break into an impromptu bhangra on the field. But now the reality TV bug has bitten him too. Bhajji has signed on to take part in a new dance show co-hosted by Pakistani legend Wasim Akram. It will pair a cricketer with a TV actress, who will then compete against other such teams. Bhajji’s ‘slap-gate’ buddy and disco-dancer of the team S Sreesanth is also a part of the show. “It’s just something fun. I enjoy dancing, so let’s see,” Bhajji said, from his home in Jalandhar, where he is spending some quiet time with his family after the tiring tour of Sri Lanka. However, it is Australia’s tour of India that Harbhajan is focussed on now. Bhajji promises it’s going to be one heck of a series. “Our aim has always been to be the No.1 side in the world. We have a tough task against Australia. I am sure it’s going to be a very exciting and closely fought series. I really like playing against them. There is always extra josh to do well against a team of the calibre of Australia.” Another ‘buddy’ of Bhajji, Andrew Symonds might not feature in the Aussie line-up, after the all-rounder’s disciplinary problems have left the selectors with no choice but to drop him. Is that a relief for the 28-year-old off-spinner, considering their tumultuous past? “It doesn’t bother me whether he is coming or not. We are playing against a team. If he features in it, fine, if he doesn’t, things don’t change much for me. We may have had our squabbles, but that’s all part of the game. And for me the team winning is more important than any personal battles or dramas.” With a long and gruelling season ahead, Harbhajan is focussed on making each day count. The over 40-day long tour of Sri Lanka has left the team battered and bruised and in need of a break. In the second Test at Galle, Harbhajan came to the party. It was his first series after being banned for the slap-gate incident. Bhajji played a huge part in scripting that win. However, his 10 wickets in the match were overshadowed by Virender Sehwag’s 201. “It was a good tour for me. Even as a team we did well, winning the ODIs,” he said. “I wish I had taken more wickets in the Tests and helped the team win the series. I am proud of my performance in Galle.” Bhajji scalped 16 wickets in three Tests and six in the four ODIs that he played. He says that every wicket he took in Lanka, gave him immense pleasure, as the island is one of the tougher places to play cricket in. “It’s a misconception that Lanka being in the sub-continent, playing there is like playing in home conditions. Nothing can be farther from the truth. The wickets are different, balls are different and the conditions are very hard. The wickets are very slow and one has to toil hard to get the batsmen out. The heat and humidity is killing. Probably, Chennai is the most similar in conditions to Lanka. Even then, Lanka can get much more difficult.” Having, played three hard Tests, Bhajji says winning the ODIs series has been like a much-needed tonic. “To end the series on the high is great. We sort of felt rejuvenated.”

[satishg]

grrr *****es' date=' i hope some of their players get injured in the 2nd practice game[/quote'] hehe calm down dude..it wont be fun then..v need to beat a full strength aussie squad and show them who the boss is..

[Dinx - the Jinx]

I want some kangaroo blood damnit!

Me too... we're gonnu have it in litres

[Dinx - the Jinx]

i just hope that the two warm up games are washed out and then we have punter complaining to mamma like a baby.. let the curators at blr, mohali, delihi and nagpur, wake up. make square turners... i dongt buy the argument tat turners kill indian fast bowlers... guys.. yo had rewards in england, south africa, and in australia.. just sacrifice one series for the country's sake... I'm lookin' at sumthing like a team in the late 1990s. New ball shared between Srinath and Ganguly, Azhar brings Kumble in the 9th over of the first innings of a test match, who is then supported by Venkatapathy Raju and Rajesh Chauhan... Oh man.. those were the days... In today's scenario.. we still can stitch some fairy tale like tat... Zaheer and Sourav opening the bowling... Kumble, Bajji and Chawla being the other spinners. Even if they score 60 off the first 10 overs from pacers, they will fold up within 200 in the next 30 overs from the spin triangle.. Its been 5-6 years since watching spin at both ends with 6 to 7 fielders sorrounding the hapless batsman, appealing for everything that hits the pad or goes to the keeper's glove... I want to relive that one m,ore time.. come on india... they made it a dirty series in dec-jan. lets make it a dusty series...

[Dinx - the Jinx]

Aus A 111/7 at Bangalore. The venue of the first test match between the senior sides. news is tat, 4 of these wickets have been captured by spinners. what better reason yo need to prepare square turners and murder the kangaroos?

[Feed]

Chappell to help Australia plot India's downfall Greg Chappell is willing to slip some of the secrets from his experience of coaching India to prepare Australia's defence of Border-Gavaskar Trophy. More... Chappell to help Australia plot India's downfall Indo-Asian News Service Melbourne, September 04, 2008 First Published: 15:18 IST(4/9/2008) Last Updated: 16:05 IST(4/9/2008) Greg Chappell is willing to slip some of the secrets from his experience of coaching India to prepare Australia's defence of Border-Gavaskar Trophy in the upcoming Test series next month. The Australian team will play four Tests in India and Chappell will pass on his inputs on the Indian team and conditions to coach Tim Nielsen and captain Ricky Ponting, who will be in charge of a relatively inexperienced team following a string of retirements in recent years. Chappell was appointed coach of Cricket Australia's (CA) Centre of Excellence in Brisbane on Wednesday and his two-year coaching stint with India will come in handy for Ponting. "My experience there (India) obviously will help planning for the sort of conditions and the type of cricket they should plan to play. In the end, Tim and Ricky and others will decide but I can certainly give them some input," Chappell was quoted as saying in The Australian Thursday. Australia will leave for India on September 21, a week earlier than originally planned after the postponement of the Champions Trophy in Pakistan. Their preparation will begin at RCA's academy in Jaipur where Chappell will share his experience. Chappell had a tumultuous rein as coach of the Indian team, which finally ended after the team's disastrous performance in 2007 World Cup in Caribbean. Chappell was then roped in as consultant in RCA's academy. Despite Chappell now helping Australia to retain one of cricket's most sought after trophies, he believes his history with Australia and involvement in India will help cement ties between the game's superpowers. "It cements an ongoing relationship for Australian cricket," Chappell said. Chappell believes cricket has entered a new phase after the success of IPL. "The game has been turned on its head in recent times with Twenty20 cricket and the success of IPL. I think we need to have a look at a whole range of issues, not least how coaching has to adapt to changes. I see that as an exciting part of it." Chappell said his time in India will not only help the current team but the next generation of young players who come through the Centre of Excellence. "India is now the epicentre of cricket and therefore having had that experience will help me in preparing players for what the future holds," he said. "A big part of that will be in India and the subcontinent. I would expect Australian teams to go more regularly to that part of the world and Australian players going individually to the IPL. I think the experience I have had in India will help me greatly."

[Dinx - the Jinx]

hmmm... this is wat he did when he was coaching us... plotting India's downfall, in the capacity of the Coach in Cheif. And we fools paid him millions of dollars to get kicked out of the WC in the 1st round and to disgrace one of the best captains of india... now he's offering this service free for australia... long live chappal...

[Chaos]

more like " i will plot downfall for my country (aussies)".

[DomainK]

Thank God they have changed the rules. Otherwise we would have seen more under arms. This old man does not do anything straight.

[Lurker]

What??? The man calls India as epicentre of world cricket and hopes cricket exchange between India and Australia would continue to improve over next few years and all that Indian media can come up with is "Chappell plotting India's fall"? Not to mention Indian fans quickly jump on bash Chappell bandwagon!!! We are a clueless bunch, arent we. Greg Chappell says this - My experience there (India) obviously will help planning for the sort of conditions and the type of cricket they should plan to play. In the end, Tim and Ricky and others will decide but I can certainly give them some input. Whats wrong with that? If Sandeep Patil was coaching Australia wont Indian team take his inputs on how to play at Sydney or Perth? Get a grip people, no need to get all Nationalist at the drop of the hat. xxx

[DomainK]

What??? The man calls India as epicentre of world cricket and hopes cricket exchange between India and Australia would continue to improve over next few years and all that Indian media can come up with is "Chappell plotting India's fall"? Not to mention Indian fans quickly jump on bash Chappell bandwagon!!! We are a clueless bunch, arent we. Greg Chappell says this - My experience there (India) obviously will help planning for the sort of conditions and the type of cricket they should plan to play. In the end, Tim and Ricky and others will decide but I can certainly give them some input. Whats wrong with that? If Sandeep Patil was coaching Australia wont Indian team take his inputs on how to play at Sydney or Perth? Get a grip people, no need to get all Nationalist at the drop of the hat. xxx

No, I dont agree. When a company hires a professional for a period, it is generally in the good faith that the professional will not share the internal details with another company when his tenure is over. When a team hires a coach, it is generally in the good faith that the coach will not share the secrets with the world outside. Thats professionalism. Chappell has been in the Indian dressing room enough to know how the team operates. Players have discussed their weaknesses with his to get his advise, captains have discussed their problems with him to find out a solution. He is being very unprofessional here. Just picture this: You have a tennis match and you hire me as your coach for a month. You discuss your problems, weaknesses and game strategies with me. Then when I am out of your employment, I go to your opponent and pass on all my knowledge to him. How would you feel?

[Lurker]

No, I dont agree. When a company hires a professional for a period, it is generally in the good faith that the professional will not share the internal details with another company when his tenure is over. When a team hires a coach, it is generally in the good faith that the coach will not share the secrets with the world outside. Thats professionalism. Chappell has been in the Indian dressing room enough to know how the team operates. Players have discussed their weaknesses with his to get his advise, captains have discussed their problems with him to find out a solution. He is being very unprofessional here. Just picture this: You have a tennis match and you hire me as your coach for a month. You discuss your problems, weaknesses and game strategies with me. Then when I am out of your employment, I go to your opponent and pass on all my knowledge to him. How would you feel?

Lets take that argument further, what exactly is Greg CHappell sharing here?? Please point me to specifics that is a breach in his contract with BCCI.

[Predator_05]

The headline is inflammatory and doens't convey the true gist of the article. Typical Indian media, even HT isn't worth reading anymore.

[Dinx - the Jinx]

Get a grip people, no need to get all Nationalist at the drop of the hat.

wats ur prblm dude?

[Lurker]

wats ur prblm dude?

My problem is your language, or lack thereof. Folks like you should not be given access to a computer, just have your life built around cellphone.

[Guest dada_rocks]

Lets take that argument further' date=' what exactly is Greg CHappell sharing here?? Please point me to specifics that is a breach in his contract with BCCI.[/quote'] Knob, if those information which he might share were public then there was no need for Chappel to reveal them ... So how do u expect anyone here to know what are those secrets..... Elementary watson

[Lurker]

Knob' date='[b'] if those information which he might share were public then there was no need for Chappel to reveal them ... So how do u expect anyone here to know what are those secrets..... Elementary watson

:hysterical::hysterical: You must belong to the school of Kauwa kaan lekar bhaaga. Arre bhale aadmi, if you are quick to make an allegation you should have some substance to back it up. Else you shall have no credibility..not to say that you do anyway! So again, what are the specifics here? Or are you just dieing to run after Guru Greg because a journalist in your favorite media(that would be Hindustan Time and CNN-IBN) wrote a piece! Must say I am impressed by your trust man!

[Shehezaada]

well he can give all the information he wants..Punter is going to push the ball straight into the hands of the waiting close in fielders.

[satishg]

Inidan media is just blowing this up..i mean what is he gonna tell the aussies that bowl to sachin like this bowl to VVS in this area..comeon..without even knowing the intricacies people here start abusing him..u guys seriously think that his inputs is wat aussies need to beat us..i concur with Lurkers view on this topic