Confident India look to nail series

January 23, 2013

india_confident
Mohali, Jan 23: Cold, windy conditions may help pace bowlers in crucial match as England look to strike back.

This small, laidback suburb of Chandigarh has woken up to the hum of activities in the last few days.

The road ribboning around the picturesque Punjab Cricket Association (PCA) stadium is milling with people since morning and countless policemen dot the venue to keep a vigil. With India leading 2-1 in the series, the fourth one-day international between India and England here on Wednesday has gained prominence.

India, rapped for their dismal performance at home against England in Test series and Pakistan in the ODIs, would be desperate to seek some breather by sealing the series here. They have worked hard for it, clawing their way back from the defeat in the opening match at Rajkot, to win convincingly at Kochi and Ranchi. In the process, they have also gained the world No 1 ranking in ODIs.

The Englishmen, on the other hand, are keen to rediscover their winning touch that they had not many days ago. They believe they could do so again and would do everything to push the series to the wire.

They have already stated that Mohali has reminded them of home; the tourists seeking solace in its nippy wind and warm sunshine. They, though, would not like to be reminded of their last match at this ground -- October 2011. It was also the last ODI played here, and England had then lost by five wickets having scored 298 for four.

With the conditions assisting pacers, India would fancy their new ball bowlers — Bhuvneshwar Kumar and Shami Ahmed — to come good again. Curator Daljit Singh called it a good one-day wicket with some carry, and admitted the cold weather could be a factor. Daljit also said the pitch, on which India took on Pakistan in the World Cup semifinal in early 2011, has been relaid.

Incidentally, the World Cup semifinal was also the last time Yuvraj Singh played at his home ground before being diagnosed with cancer. On Wednesday, he would be returning to play here for the first time post his recovery, and that would be an emotional moment for him.

Indian batting has fared better in this series but still look unsettled. Skipper Mahendra Singh Dhoni has been the cog of batting in the last three outings and to add a modicum of comfort, Virat Kohli, who has been struggling for big runs of late, made an unbeaten fifty in the last match in Ranchi. But India need a solid start from their openers Gautam Gambhir and Ajinkya Rahane, who failed both in Kochi and Ranchi after getting a bright start at Rajkot.

What has given India the edge is their new bowling faces Bhuvneshwar and Ahmed. In Ian Bell’s words, the two have “tested” the English batsmen while the contribution of Ravindra Jadeja, with the bat and ball, has been crucial.

At this moment England would do well to have a Jadeja of their own. Their batsmen have failed to put enough runs on the board, with the exception of the first match, and the new ODI?rules have only added to their woes.

The form of Kevin Pietersen has also hurt England even though he was unlucky to be given out at Ranchi. It is likely that the struggling wicket-keeper batsman Craig Kieswetter would make way for Jos Buttler at No 6. The English seamers, led by Steven Finn, would be happy with the conditions, with the ball likely to move around.

But a confident India won’t mind that much. The criticism they have faced in the past few months has been cutting, even ruthless at times. Mohali, they know, offers an opportunity to seek redemption. At least for now!

Teams: India: MS Dhoni (Capt), Gautam Gambhir, Ajinkya Rahane, Virat Kohli, Yuvraj Singh, Suresh Raina, Ravindra Jadeja, R. Ashwin, Bhuveshwar Kumar, Ishant Sharma, Shami Ahmed, Rohit Sharma, Cheteshwar Pujara, Amit Mishra and Ashok Dinda.

England: Alastair Cook (Captain), Jonny Bairstow, Ian Bell, Tim Bresnan, Danny Briggs, Jade Dernbach, Steven Finn, Craig Kieswetter, Stuart Meaker, Eoin Morgan, Samit Patel, Kevin Pietersen, James Tredwell, Chris Woakes and Jos Buttler.

Umpires: Steve Davis (Australia) and Sudhir Asnani.

TV umpire: Shamshuddin.

Match Referee: Andy Pycroft (Zimbabwe)

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News Network
March 22,2024

IPL.jpg

The start of the world’s most lucrative cricket tournament in India is presenting investors with another big opportunity to cash in on the sport, months after the world’s most populous nation hosted the Cricket World Cup.

The eight-week long Indian Premier League begins March 22 for its 17th season. Since its inception, the fast-paced cricket tournament has become a corporate juggernaut to rival the National Football League in the US and the English Premier League in value.

Just as October’s Cricket World Cup boosted consumption in India for months, fans are expected to flock to restaurants, pubs and food delivery platforms over the duration of the tournament. This year’s IPL also coincides with general elections that will last for six weeks starting April 19, a period when companies are expecting higher food and drink sales as people flock to rallies and other events.

“There’s going to be a lot of spending,” said Madan Sabnavis, chief economist at Bank of Baroda. “IPL, as well as the election, gives a three-month corridor with enhanced economic activity.”

Stocks in India such as McDonald’s franchise operator Westlife Foodworld Ltd. and peer Sapphire Foods India Ltd. gained ahead of the first match on Friday, as well as hotels and beverage makers. Packaged-food companies could also stand to benefit from the IPL craze, said Sachil Bobade, an analyst at investment firm Dolat Capital Market.

The IPL ecosystem was valued at $11 billion (Rs 91,721 crores) in 2023, including the value of media rights and sponsorships, according to Indian valuation consulting firm D&P Advisory.

The league is also attracting record sums of money from sponsors and broadcasters. Conglomerate Tata Group won the title sponsorship rights of the tournament in January for a record 25 billion rupees ($300 million). Billionaire Mukesh Ambani’s media venture secured the digital streaming rights in 2022 for five years for $2.7 billion, while Walt Disney Co. paid roughly the same for TV rights.

“There was a serious amount of bidding even this year,” said Vinit Karnik, head of entertainment, esports and sports at media agency GroupM South Asia. “I see growth in IPL in double digits year-on-year,” he adds.

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