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Indian test players will get practice in NZ afterall!

Chandan

By Chandan
in Cricket Talk

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Chandan Newbie

Chandan

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Indians to play for NZ sides to gain practice Mumbai There is no practice match for India players on their tour of New Zealand. But six players-- Rahul Dravid, VVS Laxman, L Balaji, Murali Vijay, Amit Mishra and Dhawal Kulkarni --will play for each of the six New Zealand state sides in their domestic first-class competition to get ptactice before the Tests. 19_02_2009_021_006.jpg Besides that, there were a few more interesting news: India go to NZ via new jersey There is no doubt there is great camaraderie among the members of the MS Dhoni-led Indian side. The way the players have fun in the company of each other was for all too see here on Wednesday at the launch of the new Indian ODI kit by Nike. Master of ceremonies Harsha Bhogle kept the audience in good humour with his short Q&A sessions with MS Dhoni, Yuvraj Singh, Zaheer Khan, Rohit Sharma, Dinesh Karthik and Pragyan Ojha all of who walked the ramp in the new outfit. "I am a bit scared of heights. I have not tried bungee jumping,†said Dhoni, who has been invited by Ministry of Tourism in Auckland to try bungee jumping. “According to the contract (the players sign contracts with the BCCI before every tour), we cannot do bungee jumping.†Yuvraj Singh was at his usual witty self with his answers, choosing to add a 'ask Dhoni' to all his replies. Asked if he was happy batting at No. 4, Yuvraj said: "Very happy, but you have to ask Dhoni. He decides the batting order." That humorous vein continued in Yuvraj's answer to whether he would seek Dhoni's permission before appealing too, he said: "I appeal to the leg umpire." Up next was Zaheer Khan who said he 'enjoyed the responsibility of leading the attack'. "You have to do the right things, like the elder brother advising the younger brother. You have to be spot on before guiding the youngsters," Zaheer said. Even as Zaheer was speaking, Yuvraj prodded Bhogle to ask the pacer about being the leader off the field too. Zaheer, taking a leaf out of Yuvraj's book, replied: 'you must ask Dhoni'. Before the kit was launched, former players L Sivaramakrishnan, Venkatesh Prasad, Vinod Kambli and Robin Singh displayed the kits the team wore from 1985 to 1999. Dhoni does lose his temper, but quietly MS Dhoni always looks calm even during the most tense of situations. So, does he ever lose his cool? “At times, I am a bit frustrated. But if you show it on the field, it contributes to nothing in the side. There is no point in abusing a player. I talk to the player later. It helps more than abuse him on the field,†was Dhoni's reply. -------------------------------------------- Dhoni prefers being an underdog on the tour: ‘No point taking pressure’ India skipper Mahendra Singh Dhoni stressed on the importance of creating an environment where his team could give its best in demanding New Zealand conditions. "Every country has its own demands. Teams coming to India have to tackle spin and bounce. New Zealand has its own challenges. We look to provide an environment where the team can give off its best," said the India captain addressing the media along with coach Gary Kirsten. Dhoni also stressed on not thinking about the end result but planning and executing the strategies. The Indian team has not won a Test in New Zealand since the first Test on the 1976 tour. That means 13 winless Tests on New Zealand soil. Also, India have not won a series there since 1968, when the team led by M.A.K. Pataudi had earned its maiden overseas series win (3-1). Dhoni said: "Every assignment at the international level is tough. We don't know how we will do in New Zealand. People say that I have had a good stint as captain so far. We go everywhere to win the series. "We start as underdogs. There is no point taking pressure. We will go out to enjoy the game. I have heard it is a great country to tour. Nothing comes easy in international cricket. Hopefully, we will come back with a couple of trophies," Dhoni said. The best way to tackle the New Zealand conditions, Dhoni said, is to go and practice. "It is all about how well prepared we are." Coach Kirsten's experience of having played in New Zealand with the South African team will come handy. "But that's a long time ago," he said. The former opening batsman admitted that the conditions were going to be testing. "We will put in our hard work, we have exciting young cricketers and experienced players. We have four days before the first T20 match, which is nice." -------------------------------------------------- Coach has stressed on practice and preparation: Practice, preparation the key, says Kirsten Mumbai: India captain Mahendra Singh Dhoni and coach Gary Kirsten said assessing the conditions — weather and pitch — preparing well and executing plans would be vital factors approaching the tour of New Zealand. India starts the tour with two Twenty20 matches, then plays five One-Day Internationals before the three-Test series. “When India toured New Zealand six years ago the ball seamed a lot and in the recent series against West Indies, the pitches were flat and good for batting. “Around this time of the year there will be a bit more rain and cold, and the conditions would assist the seam bowlers. But regardless of the conditions we are likely to confront, we have a well balanced team. “Practice and preparation would be the key. New Zealand is a very competitive side at home and hard to beat. We have four days to prepare for the Twenty20 matches, so we have to work hard in the time available,†said Kirsten. When specifically asked how this Indian team is planning to change the story after India’s only series win (3-1) there in 1967-68 with three spinners taking over 50 wickets, Kirsten said, “It’s not only the spinners, the batsmen and fast bowlers have won matches for India in recent times. Fast bowlers have won man of the match awards. “We have the combination to play and win in any condition and on any surface,†he added. Dhoni brushed aside the observation by Daniel Vettori that he is scared by the big hitting prowess of Virender Sehwag and Dhoni, saying, “We have no control over the statements coming from New Zealand. No ground would be small for some of our batsmen, once they adapt and strike form. We have big hitters other than Sehwag, Gambir, Yuvraj and myself.†----------------------------------------------------- So, I'm relieved that our players will get practice before the tests start. Now how they adapt after that is upto them. Let us hope that they won't disappoint us!

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The Outsider Newbie

The Outsider

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I am surprised at the lack of responses in this thread - we are always quick to jump on the BCCI, not without reason most of the time. But this is really a tremendous effort and deserves to be applauded - it's on par with Ranji teams excluding one of their players to fit in one from the touring party for match practice.

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King Newbie

King

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Yup it's a great way to practice. Why just play among your blokes and feel comfortable? Both NZ cricket and the Indian players will gain a lot from this. The upcoming NZ domestic players can learn a lot about preparation from the experienced Indian cricketers. Here's hoping Rahul plays for Wellington.

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The Outsider Newbie

The Outsider

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Yup it's a great way to practice. Why just play among your blokes and feel comfortable? Both NZ cricket and the Indian players will gain a lot from this. The upcoming NZ domestic players can learn a lot about preparation from the experienced Indian cricketers. Here's hoping Rahul plays for Wellington.
What I feel really, really commendable about this gesture is that the local sides are not only dropping one of their players but taking in players who would have little identification with the team culture or with the trophy on line and might just be looking at this as a glorified net session. In today's competitive environment this is a fresh breath of air, where the local teams are banking on learning from international talent over the course of a few days.
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Shane Newbie

Shane

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We only have T20 matches as practice games :(( 

Sun 22 
13:00 local, 00:00 GMT 	State Twenty20
Auckland v Otago
Eden Park Outer Oval, Auckland

Sun 22 
13:00 local, 00:00 GMT 	State Twenty20
Central Districts v Canterbury
Pukekura Park, New Plymouth

Sun 22 
14:00 local, 01:00 GMT 	State Twenty20
Northern Districts v Wellington
Blake Park, Mount Maunganui

http://content-ind.cricinfo.com/newzealanddomestic/content/match/schedule.html?country=5&season=2008/09

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Lord Grand Master

Lord

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We only have T20 matches as practice games :(( 
Sun 22 
13:00 local, 00:00 GMT 	State Twenty20
Auckland v Otago
Eden Park Outer Oval, Auckland

Sun 22 
13:00 local, 00:00 GMT 	State Twenty20
Central Districts v Canterbury
Pukekura Park, New Plymouth

Sun 22 
14:00 local, 01:00 GMT 	State Twenty20
Northern Districts v Wellington
Blake Park, Mount Maunganui

http://content-ind.cricinfo.com/newzealanddomestic/content/match/schedule.html?country=5&season=2008/09

practice games are only for test players who are not in ODI /T20 squads.So we will have a 4-days games to practice before tests start
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