Indian test players will get practice in NZ afterall!

[Shane]

Dravid will suprize us all this time in NZ In a positive way :giggle:

[zubinpepsi]

Dravid at the end of NZ tour..

[SachDan]

Dravid at the end of NZ tour..

:hysterical::hysterical::hysterical::hysterical::hysterical::hysterical::hysterical:

[Shane]

Dravid at the end of NZ tour..

:--D

[bunny]

Dravid at the end of NZ tour..

Ha ha ha :) ... Hope he does well but I am not banking on it.

[Chandan]

Central Districts welcome Indian spice The prospect of Rahul Dravid stonewalling Central Districts march to the domestic four-day cricket crown has been embraced by the championship front-runners. Dravid is one of six Indians included in provincial teams for the fourth and fifth rounds of the State Championship after the Indians requested match practice for their late arriving test specialists before the three-Test series starts in Hamilton on March 18. The 36-year-old will play for Canterbury against CD in Rangiora starting Friday - a development that has been welcomed by the Central Districts Cricket Association, despite the possibility Dravid may hinder Central's chances of beating a team yet to register a competition point. Dravid's guest appearance was confirmed yesterday after New Zealand Cricket succeeded in massaging the former Indian captain and five teammates into provincial sides without any links to the so-called rebel Indian Cricket League (ICL) Twenty20 competition. The Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) forbids any of its players from competing with or against players with connections to the ICL - meaning Auckland and Northern Districts were off limits due to the presence of former internationals Daryl Tuffey and Hamish Marshall. Dravid's fellow batting cornerstone VVS Laxman, opener Murali Vijay plus bowlers Amit Mishra, Lakshmipathy Balaji and Dhawal Kulkarni will also have an opportunity to acclimatise to New Zealand conditions. Mishra plays for Central Districts against Canterbury, Laxman turns out for Otago against Wellington in Dunedin where he will face fast bowler Balaji. In the fifth round match between Central and Wellington in Napier starting March 13, Vijay and Kulkarni will play in opposing sides. Central Districts' chief executive Blair Furlong was delighted with the acquisition of legspinner Mishra, believing it was more important to strengthen the side's bowling as they seek to protect their seven-point lead over Wellington. "Having a Dravid or a Laxman would be fantastic in the context of our batting but we're ahead in the competition, what we need to do is get 20 wickets," he said. The top and middle order has been settled throughout the season despite the unavailability of internationals Jamie How, Ross Taylor and Jacob Oram at various times. Central's bowling has also been replenished by the return of former international Michael Mason. Allrounder Brendon Diamanti is now available to play the four-day format after initially limiting himself to the one-day and Twenty20 competitions. Legspinner Robbie Shaw is the unlucky player to step aside for Mishra after coach Dermot Reeve targeted the 26-year-old, who played the first of his five tests last October against Australia in Mohali. Dravid, known as "The Wall" on the basis of his obdurate defensive technique, dwarfs Mishra in terms of experience given he has amassed 10,509 runs at 52.28 in 131 tests. He has crafted 26 Test hundreds and 53 fifties but Furlong reckoned the Indian imports would be on a level playing field. "Mishra should get him pretty smartly, he bowls to him all the time," Furlong said. "I can see caught Griggs (wicketkeeper Bevan) bowled Mishra zero. "We don't have an overseas player, so we're delighted to have him." Meanwhile, Auckland Cricket chief executive Andrew Eade was philosophical about missing out on the Indian influx. "It's just the nature of their stance on ICL players - and we respect their right to have a stance like that - means we can't accommodate them. I'm sure they'll understand where we're coming from in respect of our decision to play Daryl." ------------------------------------------------------ looks like people at NZ domestic cricket circuit are quite excited about Dravid and Mishra's participation! I'll love Dravid to spend some time in the middle. It is really important from Indian perspective!

[fineleg]

looks like people at NZ domestic cricket circuit are quite excited about Dravid and Mishra's participation! I'll love Dravid to spend some time in the middle. It is really important from Indian perspective!

Absolutely! If only Dravid gets back in form, it will be a tremendous boost to our Test side. But that is a big if.

[Chandan]

Dravid hits ton for Canterbury March 6, 2009 Canterbury 388 for 5 (Dravid 102, Papps 127, Myburgh 104*) v Central Districts Scorecard Wellington 94 for 5 trail Otago 174 (Laxman 20) by 80 runs Scorecard Rahul Dravid ran into form ahead of the Test series with a hundred but the other Indians who turned out in New Zealand's State Championship on Friday weren't so lucky. VVS Laxman couldn't convert his start, L Balaji was economical but picked up just the one wicket and Amit Mishra went wicketless. Dravid, playing for Canterbury, turned out against Mishra's Central Districts while Laxman, representing Otago, faced up to Wellington's Balaji. Dravid entered the park in the 26th over with Canterbury on 90. He reached his 50 in 133 minutes from 103 balls. By tea he moved to 76 and brought up his hundred in 160 balls with the help of 13 fours. However, he fell immediately after raising the landmark, falling to the seamer Brendon Diamanti. Mishra finished wicketless from 28 overs. Canterbury reached 388 for 5 by the end of the day with Michael Papps and Johann Myburgh also scoring hundreds. Laxman, however, didn't have a great day. He batted cautiously for 69 minutes before falling for 20. Balaji finished the day with figures of 15-4-39-1. His team-mate Michael Burns, who dismissed Laxman, finished with 4 for 41. Six Indian players are participating in the tournament to get some practice ahead of the three-Test series. Four players are playing this round while Dhawal Kulkarni and M Vijay will take part in the next round, beginning March 13. March 6 - March 9 Rahul Dravid - Canterbury v Central Districts Amit Mishra - Canterbury v Central Districts VVS Laxman - Otago v Wellington L Balaji - Otago v Wellington March 13 - March 16 Dhawal Kulkarni and M Vijay - Central Districts v Wellington ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Looks like Dravid batted on an utterly flat track while Laxman batted on a seamer friendly track. In that case, Balaji performance has been disappointing as he picked up just one wicket. I'm surprised at Mishra's failure, though. Even if it was a track track, he could have deceived a couple of batsmen who do not have much experience of playing wrist-spin! Just hope that Laxman plays better in the second inning, spending more time in the middle. Also hope that this preparatory ton has given Dravid confidence to do well in the test series.

[msb1991]

Although I am primarily an Indian fan, it must be extremely harsh in Graham Napier to have to sit out in favour of Balaji and Dhawal especially considering he is in top form in all three forms of the game and will have likely performed better than either, had he played.

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Laxman scores 44, Amit claims 3 wickets in practice match Stylish Indian middle-order batsman VVS Laxman made a stodgy 44 to help Otago Volts gain control over Wellington Firebirds in a low-scoring four-day match of the New Zealand Cricket state championship at Dunedin on Saturday. More... Laxman scores 44, Amit claims 3 wickets in practice match Christchurch (PTI): Stylish Indian middle-order batsman VVS Laxman made a stodgy 44 to help Otago Volts gain control over Wellington Firebirds in a low-scoring four-day match of the New Zealand Cricket state championship at Dunedin on Saturday. The classy Hyderabadi struck six boundaries in his 123-minute stay at the wicket and shared a crucial 77-run third wicket stand with G Todd (73). The Volts, who were bowled out for 174 in their first innings, skittled out the Firebirds for a modest 139 to take a 35-run lead. In their second essay, the Volts were on 210 for the loss of seven wickets when stumps were drawn. Right-arm seamer Laxmipathi Balaji picked up the crucial wicket of Nathan McCullum giving away 39 runs in his 18 overs. Elsewhere at Rangiora, former India skipper Rahul Dravid, who made a dignified 102 yesterday, spent most of his time in the dressing room as Canterbury Wizards stretched their overnight score of 388 for five to 543 all out in 158.2 overs. Leg-spinner Amit Mishra, who went wicketless on Friday, claimed three wickets today for 155 runs in his 48.2-over spell. At stumps Central Stags were on 130 for the loss of three wickets.

[Shane]

Balaji 33 overs 80 runs 2 wkts, Two out of the three Mishra wickets were tailenders, well they were wickets nevertheless, 50 overs of bowling was a real good warm up for the lil guy.

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Test stars get the Kiwi polish Rahul Dravid and Amit Mishra got their first taste of conditions on this tour of New Zealand in the match between the Canterbury Wizards and the Central Districts Stags, reports Anand Vasu. More... Test stars get the Kiwi polish Anand Vasu, Hindustan Times Christchurch, March 08, 2009 First Published: 00:24 IST(8/3/2009) Last Updated: 00:28 IST(8/3/2009) The mainpower Oval in Rangiora, about 30 kilometres outside Christchurch, is some distance away from city life. It was in this idyllic setting that Rahul Dravid and Amit Mishra got their first taste of conditions on this tour of New Zealand in the match between the Canterbury Wizards and the Central Districts Stags. Far away from the media glare, with just about the proverbial three men and a dog watching, two of India’s Test specialists went about their business. “It was good to play this game because there was no practice match scheduled for the team otherwise. I’ve got what I needed out of the game, in terms of practice,” Dravid told HT at the end of the second day’s play. “It’s certainly better this way than starting the Test matches without any practice game.” Mishra picked up 3 for 54, an improvement on his first day’s none for 101. “This is the first time I am coming to New Zealand and though I had some idea on what the pitches here are like, only after playing have I got a really good idea,” said Mishra. “I’ve bowled better on the second day than on the first. By the time the Test matches come, I’ll understand how to bowl on these wickets.” After having a torrid time with the conditions on the last tour, Dravid was happy to confirm for himself that normal service had resumed. “The conditions we got on the last tour were an aberration. When we played here in 1998 the wickets were really good,” said Dravid. “From what I’ve seen of the T20 games and the ODIs, the wickets seem to be good for batting. Hopefully, the wickets will be good right through the series. The important thing when you tour anywhere is that you want to play good cricket and have pitches where you get a result on the fourth or fifth day.” Mishra, who had done his homework before arriving in New Zealand, felt that spinners would have a role to play. “Rahul gave me a lot of tips. He said that a spinner would need to do a lot of hard work in the initial stages of a match. Then maybe, in the last couple of days, there will be some turn,” Mishra said. “Spinners will have a role to play in this series. On previous tours, the conditions were a bit different. But this time I can see that there will be something in the wickets for the spinners also.” For Johannes Myburgh, who left South Africa years ago to play and live in New Zealand, batting alongside Dravid was something to cherish. “I’ve played with and against a lot of quality cricketers, but to bat with Rahul was really special,” said Myburgh. “He’s a class act and to have a partnership with him is something you’ll remember for a long time.” Looks like this was one situation where everyone was a winner.

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Let the rock stars play Allowing the Indians to play in the State Championship has been great for cricket in New Zealand, writes TVNZ.co.nz's Max Bania More... Let the rock stars play Published: 2:10PM Tuesday March 10, 2009 By TVNZ.co.nz's Max Bania Source: ONE Sport Reuters Rahul Dravid celebrates Rahul Dravid has been just about everywhere you can go in cricket, and he's conquered most of it. The legendary Indian batsman's 56 first class hundreds have been spread far and wide; from Leeds to Lahore, Georgetown to Harare. He can now add Mainpower Oval in Rangiora to that list. It seems New Zealand Cricket can't do anything without courting controversy these days, but their willingness to allow four of the travelling Indian Test squad to play in the latest round of State Championship cricket is to be commended. While Dravid was taking guard for Canterbury against the backdrop of the Southern Alps and a few sheep grazing in a nearby paddock, leg-spinning prodigy Amit Mishra was lining up opposite him for Central Districts. Meanwhile at University Oval in Dunedin, Otago drafted seasoned pro VVS Laxman into their batting line-up to face a Wellington side headed by paceman Lakshmipathy Balaji. The presence of these Indian "rock stars" in the humble arena of domestic four-day cricket seemed too exotic for some to accept, including several talkback hosts who predictably complained that they were robbing four homegrown players of an opportunity at first-class level. Such a narrow-minded view not only ignores the fact that the Indians' selection represents a win/win situation for all involved, but presumes that the future of the four youngsters to miss out hinges on the two round of first class cricket they will miss. The Indians will not be available for the final two State Championship rounds. These youngsters will almost certainly get another chance to impress at this level and if they don't, then they surely can't have been considered up to the task anyway. Other than the unlucky four locals who lost their places, there appear to be no other losers in this scenario. The Indian players involved were not part of the Twenty20 or ODI squads, meaning these games are their only chance to acclimatise to New Zealand conditions ahead of the test series. Dravid indicated after Canterbury's game that he was grateful for the opportunity. Likewise, the Canterbury players would have been more than grateful for his presence. Dravid's temperament and defensive solidity is legendary, and promising Canterbury youngsters Todd Astle and Corey Anderson will have learned plenty from getting up close and personal with him. But perhaps most importantly, the presence of the Indians injects a bit of intrigue and romance into the domestic four-day game that badly needs something to raise its public profile. In a sport that finds itself increasingly enslaved to the dollar (or is that rupee?), there's something heartwarming about seeing these giants of the game in such humble provincial settings. There can't be much greater entertainment on offer in Rangiora on a Friday afternoon than the sixth-highest run-scorer in Test history plying his trade for the locals. Dravid didn't disappoint, scoring a fluent 103 in his only innings. In Dunedin, what long-time Otago fan Will McKee described as "a festival crowd of cricket purists and students" was on hand to see Laxman give us a sneak preview of his silky strokeplay during entertaining cameos of 20 and 44. We've all seen how the smash and grab nature of Twenty20 cricket has captured the imagination of young people, but anything that turns more youngsters on to the longer version of the game is going to be more beneficial for New Zealand cricket in the long run. So, should allowing touring players to take part in our local competition become the rule and not the exception? Usually, a touring side's only warm up to the international fixtures is one or two meaningless first class games against disinterested provincial opposition, with no attempt to force a result as both sets of players merely go through the motions. Scrapping these games would help NZC partially clear an already-congested fixture list, while injecting touring players into live, meaningful matches would create a more worthwhile situation for all involved. With the Australians due to pay us a visit next summer, their possible presence in domestic cricket throws up all sorts of tantalising scenarios. The good folk of New Plymouth might get to enjoy Brett Lee being carted all over Pukekura Park by Greg Hay and Central Districts' promising band of youngsters. While at Molyneux Park in Alexandra, picture the sight of young Otago tyro Neil Wagner giving Aussie skipper Ricky Ponting a working over before removing his off-stump with a textbook outswinging yorker. There's no shortage of people who would be prepared to go along to see that. Who is Max Bania? Born in Auckland, raised in Australia and educated in Dunedin, Max can claim the rare distinction of having a foot in three camps. After leaving Otago in 2008 with an MA in Media, Film and Communication, he returned to Auckland and became a cricket writer for TVNZ in early 2009. Max is a passionate follower of all New Zealand sport and hopes to one day represent the All Blacks.

[flamy]

NZ are great hosts. Gotta give them that.

[Anakin]

Yep, this was a very nice gesture

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Cricket: C Districts reach156 for two by stumps on Saturday New Zealand's domestic batting giant teamed with a rock-solid Indian opener to lead Central Districts' response on the second day of a State Championship cricket match More... Odd couple lead CD fightback Published: 10:05AM Sunday March 15, 2009 Source: NZPA New Zealand's domestic batting giant teamed with a rock-solid Indian opener to lead Central Districts' response on the second day of a State Championship cricket match against Wellington on Saturday. Central captain Mathew Sinclair and invited Indian Murali Vijay - warming up for next week's test against New Zealand - helped their side reach 156 for two by stumps at McLean Park in Napier. They still trail by 254 runs after veteran Wellington wicketkeeper Chris Nevin compiled his fourth first class hundred before his side were dismissed for 410 soon before tea. Wellington allrounder James Franklin then struck twice with the ball, dismissing Jamie How and George Worker cheaply before Sinclair and Vijay struck up a fruitful liaison. Competition leading runscorer Sinclair reached 57 off 84 balls by the close while Vijay compiled a more sedate 64 in an unbroken stand of 111. Wellington's inserted Indian, young seam bowler Dhawal Kulkarni, wasn't as effective as his compatriot, ending the day with none for 27 off seven overs, including six no-balls. Franklin's figures were two for 29, to complement his 76 with the bat that carried him to 524 runs for the season at an average of 131. However, his knock was overshadowed by Nevin's 134, which featured 15 fours and a six in a stay of more than six hours. Nevin added 98 today after resuming on 36, while Franklin began the day on 54 with Wellington at 222 for five. Sinclair was a surprise packet with the ball for Central, taking career-best figures of three for 31 off 23 tight overs.

[King]

M.Vijay batting on 64* for CD Good to see the stand in opener also getting a hit. Looks to be in good touch by the looks of it. Mind you, Napier is a road and there has been lot of high scores on this ground this season. Scoreboard after the second day of the State Championship four-day cricket match between Central Districts and Wellington at McLean Park in Napier on Saturday. Wellington First innings (222-5 overnight) M Bell c Rance b McClenaghan 25 J Brodie c Worker b Hefford 23 N Parlane b Sinclair 59| B Crook c Vijay b Sinclair 12 J Franklin c How b Hefford 76 L Woodcock c How b Rance 2 C Nevin c Sinclair b How 134 D Bowden b Sinclair 26 M Houghton c Griggs b Bracewell 23 D Kulkarni not out 13 M Burns c Hay b Bracewell 4 Extras (8lb, 2w, 3nb) 13 Total (for 10 wkts, 142 overs) 410 Fall:30, 85, 117, 126, 131 Bowling: M McClenaghan 28-7-89-1 (1w), D Bracewell 23-5-76-2 (1w), S Rance 19-3-64-1 (3nb), B Hefford 22-8-49-2, G Worker 16-0-58-0, M Sinclair 23-11-31-3, M Vijay 5-0-21-0, J How 6-3-14-1 Central Districts J How c Parlane b Franklin 18 M Vijay not out 64 G Worker c Nevin b Franklin 8 M Sinclair not out 57 Extras (2lb, 7nb) 9 Total (for 2 wkts, 41 overs) 156 Fall: 28, 45 Bowling: J Franklin 9-2-29-2, D Kulkarni 7-1-27-0 (6nb), M Burns 7-1-25-0 (1nb), L Woodcock 8-1-31-0, D Bowden 5-0-23-0, M Houghton 5-0-19-0

[nospam]

Dhawal Kulkarni 6 nb... who is going to be the third seamer???

[h4te]

Vijay out on 93 :(( Kulkarni 8 no-balls :((

[nikred]

Vijay out on 93 :(( Kulkarni 8 no-balls :((

:((:((:((:((:((:((