Dhoni is a very balanced captain, says Tendulkar

After Rahul Dravid had decided to step down, I had suggested Mahendra Singh Dhoni's name for the captaincy and he has not let me down, says master blaster Sachin Tendulkar.
Despite the long wait, there are no regrets. Despite the long answers, there is no sense of boredom. Such is the charm of Sachin Tendulkar. The new brand ambassador of Jaypee Cements, Tendulkar spoke on the recent series win in New Zealand, the IPL and his Mumbai Indians side, among other issues.

On the win in New Zealand: The series win in New Zealand was fantastic. We broke the jinx by winning after a long wait of 41 years. This was something that was really satisfying.

On playing under MS Dhoni: He has been instrumental in elevating our performance. Our team's success under his leadership has vindicated my faith in him. After Rahul Dravid had decided to step down, I had suggested his name for the captaincy and he has not let me down.

On the multiple captaincy idea: It is not a matter of multiple captains but a matter of multiple strategies. Having one captain does not mean he does everything himself. Other players also give him suggestions. I am not criticising Buchanan's idea but we are not doing any such experiment with the Mumbai Indians. Let them (Kolkata Knight Riders) do whatever they want.

At Mumbai Indians we will do what we want. It is always nice for a captain to have more options. That is what we generally do.

On Mumbai Indians: We are strong contenders. We have some great players and that gives us a good combination.

On preparing for the IPL: At Mumbai Indians we are a perfect blend of youth and experience. This year we will be focusing on making good use of this blend in our team and will try to win the tournament.

Ishant eyes Sachin's scalp: Ishant Sharma, who plays for the Kolkata Knight Riders, has denied reports that he was in favour of John Buchanan's multiple captaincy idea. "I have not said anything like that. It will be good for the team if we have only one captain.

"Asked whose wicket he wants the most in the IPL, Ishant said: "There are many batsmen whose wicket I would like to take, but Sachin Tendulkar's would be special. He is the legend of the game."

Though the lanky bowler refused to pick his favourite team for the IPL, he said that winning would be crucial. "Maintaining the winning momentum will be important."

Shoaib Akhtar to miss World Twenty20 cricket

Pakistan fast bowler Shoaib Akhtar has been ruled out of the World Twenty20 due to a skin infection in his groin, a Pakistan Cricket Board spokesman said on Thursday.

"The medical panel of the board has examined Shoaib and he has been advised 10-12 days rest for a skin infection," the spokesman said.

"The medical panel will re-examine him in the first week of June. In the meantime the team management has requested a replacement," he said.

Fast bowler Rao Iftikhar is likely to replace Shoaib who did not attend a week-long conditioning camp held in Bhurban, a hill resort near Islamabad, last week.

"Shoaib is not fit so it was useless waiting for him to recover just before the tournament," Pakistan coach Intikhab Alam told reporters in Lahore.

"He has not trained or bowled for the last two weeks so it would have been risky taking him to the World Cup and I think Rao Iftikhar is a suitable replacement," he added.

Shoaib, 33, has played just six one-day internationals and a Twenty20 game since December 2007 because of fitness and disciplinary issues.

Pakistan are drawn in Group B of the 12-team World Twenty20 and open their campaign against hosts England on June 7.

Times of India interview

Ana was this week interviewed by The Times of India, one of the world's biggest selling newspapers.An extract from the interview, conducted by Saibal Bose, follows:

How serious is your knee injury? Is it a setback ahead of your French Open title defense?

It’s for sure a setback. I haven’t had the preparation I wanted, but there’s nothing I can do about it. Injuries are the most frustrating thing about being a professional tennis player, but you just have to accept that they are part of the game. But I have to stay positive. I didn’t play many matches before the French Open last year either.

Almost one year after winning the French Open, how do you look back at the victory?

It’s for sure the highlight of my career so far. It was amazing to win my first Grand Slam and become No.1 in the world for the first time in just 48 hours. It was an amazing experience and something I look back on with a lot of joy and pride.Tennis has seen a number of early retirements/burnouts, the latest being Justine Henin.

How do you counter the stress of a top-flight tennis player?

I think it’s very important to have the right balance. I cannot comment on other players because I don’t know about them and everyone is different. But for myself, I can say that I have some interests away from the court, for example studying finance and learning Spanish, and I always make sure I have some time to relax and recover. At times I feel like I don’t have enough time to myself, but I’m working on that!

IPL in South Africa won't affect Indian following: Sachin

Batting genius Sachin Tendulkar Tuesday said Indian Premier League (IPL) has changed the face of cricket in the country and feels the shifting of the Twenty20 tournament to South Africa would not impact its following in India.
The IPL this year will be played in South Africa as it clashed with the general elections in the country.
'IPL has changed the Indian cricket. It is the first time in cricket that players from all over the world are competing against one another. It is a great opportunity for the younger players who get to rub shoulders with the top players,' Tendulkar said at a reception by Jaypee Group.
'It is disappointing for the Indians that the IPL has been shifted to South Africa. I am sure the BCCI did its best to hold it in the country. But I do not think that it will affect the popularity of IPL. It will be followed as much as it was last year.'
Tendulkar, who is the captain of the Mumbai Indians, said the team is prepared for the challenge.
'Mumbai Indians are a balanced team. We have a good blend of experience and youth. We have wonderful players in Sanath Jaysuriya, J.P. Duminy, Abhishek Nayar. I hope even this time our players will impress with their performance and have a terrific impact on all other guys,' Sachin said.
'Shaun Pollock and Jonty Rhodes are mentoring the team. The team has been practising in South Africa from past month, and Pollock and Jonty are guiding the team how to make the best of the condition,' he said.
Asked to comment on Kolkata Knight Riders multiple captain theory, Tendulkar said: 'I don't know what to say about the multiple captains but multiple suggestions always come to a captain.'
'I am only concerned about Mumbai Indians and don't have anything to say on this issue.'

Ana Coming to India

Coming to Indian Wells is always a pleasure. This is one of my favourite tournaments for a few reasons. First of all the organization is great, the stadium seems very new and everyone is so welcoming. The crowds are great too, even for practice. Then you have the breathtaking views of the mountains and the fresh desert air. I find it very relaxing.It's a lot different to the other cities we play in: so quiet and peaceful. I'm sure it helped me last year when I won the tournament, and obviously my goal is to win it again.I also very much enjoyed my time in New York two weeks ago. It was nice to have more time to look around the city, and it was my first time visiting in the winter. I enjoyed it more in the snow than when it's so hot and humid in the summer, during the US Open.I trained in Las Vegas last week. I had never visited the city before and it was a very interesting experience! I didn't know that much about it, but people had told me that it would be a unique experience and they were not wrong!It was fun to walk through this busy area known as "The Strip" and check out all the themed hotels. I went on the rollercoaster at New York New York and I also went to the famous 'O' show at the Bellagio.I am not sure how soon I will return to Vegas, but it was definitely a fun trip.LoveAna

Ana Ivanovic- New pics

IPL bandwagon to roll out of India Quotes

IPL won't have the same feel abroad: Tendulkar

Auckland, March 23 (IANS) Sachin Tendulkar Monday said Indian Premier League (IPL) on foreign shores would not have the same feel as it had last year.
The Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) at an emergency meeting Sunday decided to hold the Twenty20 tournament outside the country after the state governments expressed their inability to provide security to the tournament as it clashes with the general elections.
Tendulkar, who is the captain of the IPL team Mumbai Indians said he is disappointed with IPL being held abroad.
'It is disappointing that IPL has been moved out of India,' Tendulkar said. 'We will miss playing in front of our supporters. It won't be the same.
'IPL had a good concept of playing home and away matches. This is something that the teams will miss this time around. Wherever we play, we hope to have the same fervour that we had had last season,' he said.
Yuvraj Singh, the Kings XI Punjab captain, too, said the second edition would be different.
'It is sad that the IPL won't be held in India. But it is the decision of the board and we will have to follow it,' Yuvraj said.
'We were looking forward to play at home, now we have to play away so we feel sad for a lot of Indians who were looking forward to watch it. Anyway if we were playing in India, a lot of home games were shifted to other centres. So it was not actually a home game or away game.'

3rd ODI India vs New ZealandSunday, March 8, 2009