Dyson puts pressure on latecomer Gayle

Chris Gayle finally arrived in England two days before the first Test at Lord's and will face huge pressure to perform with coach John Dyson clearly far from pleased about his captain's timing.

Gayle's flight landed at 6.45am and he trained with the squad during the afternoon. However, regardless of the comfort he will have flown in, and the benefit of South Africa's time difference to the UK being minimal, he has left himself facing huge criticism if he doesn't lead from the front.

Gayle, along with Fidel Edwards who arrived yesterday, were given No Objection Certificates (NOC) from the West Indies board until May 2, but Gayle was granted two further days so that he could squeeze in one more match with the Kolkata Knight Riders. It was a decision that Dyson had no say in.

"I just have to work with that," he said. "We thought the original NOC was the barest minimum but you just have to work with what happens. Our board considered that an extra day or two didn't matter so that's that. It's one of the things these days that you have to work with.

"We all knew the IPL was on and we knew the players would be arriving when they have. Ideally you would have your full squad here, but you have to work with how it is. Medical guys say you need time to recover from flights, coaches say you need practice and then you get players saying they can handle not doing that. I suppose time will tell."

Gayle was one of the players most unhappy that this tour was shoe-horned into the schedule at the last minute after the players had already signed IPL deals, but it certainly doesn't create a glowing image when a captain feels he only needs to arrive 48 hours before a major Test. However, it isn't the first time that a West Indian player has cut it fine arriving for a Test as last year Dwayne Bravo was flown in on a private jet on the eve of the opening match against Australia in Jamaica.

"Chris is a big-match player," added Dyson. "He handles pressure very well and has played well in all formats of the game over the last 12 months. He says he is in good form." But Dyson clearly needs convincing that what Gayle says can be translated onto the field.

One bonus is that the heel problem Gayle experienced in South Africa which required a runner against Bangalore Royal Challengers isn't a concern. The West Indies top order desperately needs their captain to perform after failing to adapt to English conditions during their warm-up matches.

They crashed to a 10-wicket defeat against the England Lions, which followed on from being bowled out for 146 against Essex. Shivnarine Chanderpaul, as is the norm, has found some form and Lendl Simmons has played well but apart from that it is slim pickings. Even Ramnaresh Sarwan has started edging a few to the slips.

"That's a concern," Dyson admitted. "Our only opener here so far on this trip to get runs is Lendl Simmons and he has played quite well. He also finds conditions far different but has managed to make the adjustments. It's difficult for the guys coming out of the Caribbean. They get hit by what they think is very cold conditions and then they get totally different wickets. Those who haven't had experience here do take time."


However, Dyson still retained belief that his side can pull their fortunes around to make a competitive series. "When we get the full side on the park for the Test, our big match players will be in the side together for the Test and that's what we have been working towards." A performance from their captain would be the perfect start and could also build a few bridges along the way.

RP Singh included in India's World Twenty20 squad

Fast bowler RP Singh has been included in India's 15-man squad for the World Twenty20 in England in June. Reserve wicketkeeper Dinesh Karthik and fast bowler Munaf Patel have been axed from the 16-member squad that played two Twenty20 internationals in New Zealand in February.

There were no surprises in the squad which was more or less was finalised after the national selectors held a preliminary meeting in Cape Town on April 24, in the presence of N Srinivasan, the BCCI secretary.

RP has been one of the IPL's most successful bowlers, taking 12 wickets in six games for the Deccan Chargers at an average of 11.33 and economy rate of 6.27 runs per over.

The selectors did not pick Mumbai Indians allrounder Abhishek Nayar who has also been impressive during the IPL. Nayar, who bowls medium pace and is a powerful hitter in the middle-order, has scored 102 runs in six innings this season at a strike-rate of 143. He has also taken four wickets and conceded only 5.90 runs per over. Karthik has also been in good form for Delhi Daredevils but couldn't find a spot as the selectors decided a reserve wicketkeeper was not necessary for the two-week tournament in England.

Squad: MS Dhoni (captain), Virender Sehwag, Gautam Gambhir, Suresh Raina, Yuvraj Singh, Yusuf Pathan, Rohit Sharma, Harbhajan Singh, Zaheer Khan, Ishant Sharma, Praveen Kumar, RP Singh, Ravindra Jadeja, Pragyan Ojha, Irfan Pathan.

Rajasthan blast their way to 211

Rajasthan Royals had relied extensively on their bowling to compete hard in this year's IPL but managed to rectify the blips in their erratic top order to build on a solid opening stand between Graeme Smith and Naman Ojha - whose promotion in the order proved a masterstroke - and post a substantial score. If Rajasthan got their tactics right, Punjab certainly did not, immediately undermining their decision to field in conditions favourable to seam bowling by opening with a spinner.

Romesh Powar's first over was a disaster as Ojha, replacing Swapnil Asnodkar as opener, used his feet to counter the flight and despatch Powar into the stands. Seven balls into the game and Rajasthan had equaled their highest opening partnership of 20 in this year's tournament - the first wicket had reached double figures just once in seven matches .

Though Yuvraj Singh realised his miscalculation and immediately reverted to pace the momentum had been seized and both Smith and Ojha, reserving their restraint only against Sreesanth - back in the team after a back injury had ruled him out for three months - timed their innings superbly, latching on to any available opportunity and consistently heightening the sense of regret in the opposing captain for gifting them the initiative in the first over.

Ojha adapted to the conditions perfectly after the fielding restrictions were lifted. Once Smith provided a fitting conclusion to the powerplay, dismissing the off-colour Yusuf Abdulla for successive fours, Ojha combined his naturally aggressive flow with some deft touches, late-cutting Piyush Chawla for a boundary and following that up with an even more delicate dab wide of third man off Abdulla to put on display his varied repertoire of strokes. Both batsmen used their feet against spinners - Ojha dancing down the track and Smith favouring the sweep - to prevent prevent spin, the IPL's main bowling weapon, from enjoying any element of success before the tactical timeout.

The break had caused the undoing of many a good start in this tournament, but the Rajasthan openers ensured their team held the advantage by picking up the pace. Smith's innings marked a contrast to his guarded approach against Delhi Daredevils, where, struggling for form, he took a backseat to Yusuf Pathan's monstrous onslaught which won them the game. Here, he led the charge, smashing Powar for a six in the eleventh over, and finding the gaps in the leg-side consistently, favouring the short-fine and the midwicket region, using the slog-sweep and the clip off the pads to good effect. The only lapse in his innings, before holing out to long-on in the 15th over, was a catch he offered to Mahela Jayawardene at short mid-on who dived to his right but failed to hold on.

Yusuf wasted little time to reveal his ferocity after the tournament's best opening stand, smashing Abdulla for a six and a four before mistiming an attempt to clear long-on off Chawla. Rajasthan had plenty of wickets to survive any inroads by Punjab, and though Ojha fell soon after, he had inflicted enough damage, including two sixes of his final three deliveries, for his partners to intensify in the remaining three overs.

Lee Carseldine, fresh from a fluent 39 in his previous game, and Ravindra Jadeja then combined to punish Irfan Pathan for 15 in the 18th over before Jadeja spoiled Sreesanth's figures in the penultimate over - partly a result of his own inconsistency, conceding two freehits - by smashing him for two fours and a six to steal 23 runs, and taking his team past 200, and to the highest score in the tournament. Yuvraj lost the plot in the very first over and, if Punjab's batsmen don't compensate for their team's tactical failure, the difference between the teams in the IPL standings will diminish even more.

'I take a shower every day'

Is it true that you have 20,000-plus songs on your iPod?
Yes, it is true.

Which song do you listen to the most?
The one am hooked on to these days is "O Saathi Re, Tere Bina Bhi Kyan Jeena" [What's the point of living without you].

Who is your saathi (partner)?
I'm trying to find one.

Tell a secret about yourself.
For what?

There must be something we don't know.
I take a shower every day.

What was the most naughty thing you did as a kid?
I was very naughty. I'm still like that. Once, at school, I shot at a beehive, after which there was complete chaos. When they found I was the culprit, the teachers gave me a lot of stick.

What's one mistake you try never to repeat on the field?
I don't want to give loose balls. I don't want to drop a catch, especially off my own bowling. And I don't want to get out by giving a direct catch.

You are supposed to be a specialist at giving your team-mates nicknames. Give us some examples. And which was your best?
Viru's [Virender Sehwag] is good - "Lala". Yuvi's [Yuvraj Singh] is "Buggi", [Suresh] Raina's is "Bhabhi".

What's the one ball you've bowled that you will always treasure?
My best ball in Test cricket is the one that got Michael Hussey in Bangalore last year. He left the ball and it turned in to him like a legspinner. I don't know how it happened and it was like a mystery ball even to me. I was shocked when I saw it again later, because it turned in big time.

One sledge you won't forget?
Actually a lot of people are scared to sledge me, because if they do so they know they will have to hear a lot of crap from me later.

Batsman you most enjoyed beating?
Brian Lara. Toughest.

What's the best thing about playing cricket for a living?
God has been kind that I can actually do something I love.

One compliment you won't forget?
I'm still waiting for it. Perhaps I will get it when I pick up my 500th Test wicket.

What do hotel rooms need to make them more enjoyable?
I don't want to say. You will land me in trouble.

Which ground has the most hostile crowds?
Sydney.

And the most amusing crowds?
Kolkata and Mumbai.

Which tour do you look most forward to?
Going home. That is a very short tour, but the one I enjoy the most.

What do you like to drink to celebrate a victory?
I enjoy a glass champagne or wine with my team-mates after a victory.

How often do your friends ask you for free tickets to matches?
All the time. Once someone asked, "Can you get 70 tickets please?" Seventy! Mera ghar ka thodi hain stadium, yaar! [I don't own the stadium]. People feel we get tickets easily, but we only get three each. It's hard to explain to friends. They think we are lying. That is not the case.

If you could have one thing from the likes of Anil Kumble or Sachin Tendulkar, what would it be?
The only thing I would like from them is the way they handle things: they are very calm. Of course, apart from that, I would try to be like them - they are champions. And I hope people remember the day I leave cricket.

If you were to design a t-shirt, what five words you would put on it that describe you best?
Emotional, straightforward, prankster, fighter, no-nonsense.

If your house was on fire what would you grab first?
I will grab the guy who burned my house and make sure I burn him first.

Charmed by Sree

You know what they say about men and women? Men are predictable, and women are predictable for being unpredictable. Well, after the first two days of matches I'm beginning to think that the game of cricket, and Twenty20 particularly, seriously takes after women.

Think about it: on day one, who would have put their money on last year's losers beating last year's winners? And I certainly didn't expect to see the most stellar performances come from the senior players on the team. Sachin Tendulkar, Rahul Dravid, Shane Warne and Anil Kumble proved that old is gold, and that experience and keeping one's cool is the most valuable skill in this sport.

On day two those trends visibly continued. The Deccan Chargers (last year's absolute losers) came up with an impressive win against the Kolkata. And again, seniors, aided by a few brilliant flashes from the young 'uns like RP Singh and Rohit Sharma, were the heroes of the day. Inspiring performances from Daniel Vettori, Virender Sehwag and Herschelle Gibbs were only somewhat deflated by disappointing efforts from Sourav Ganguly and VVS Laxman, but still it appeared to me that one of the key factors to winning this game is having not just the passion to win but the wherewithal to know how to do it. And that comes only with experience.

Of course, the tables could very well turn, and over the next few days the brash, hungry youngsters may take charge. In the meantime I was very charmed to hear Sreesanth talking to Mandira Bedi about his expectations of the IPL. Charmed not just because he called his t-shirt a dress, but because he said he was hoping to be something like a sponge and absorb things from all the world-class players that he was getting an opportunity to share a dressing room with.

After his much-publicised tiff with Harbhajan Singh last year, which is exactly the kind of youthful, senseless behaviour (both the crying and the slapping) that doesn't endear you to anyone, it was heartening to see Sreesanth ready to turn over a new leaf and soak up a little wisdom. But if the weather continues as it has been, he's going to have to soak up a whole lot more.

In defence of cheerleaders

Okay, it's official. Everyone here thinks I'm mad for watching cricket on holiday. It's a valid point. After all, who would want to sit in front of the smallest television in the world when you could be on the beach, or drinking watermelon juice in a shack, or playing in the waves? "It's my job," I say, and then proceed to get ribbed for being the only guest allowed the privilege of a television in her room. I've reconciled myself to the fact that the next five days are going to be hard: balanced between keeping up with a suntan and the cricket scores, between being social and solitary. I'll have to be the last to bed and the first to rise so I can watch the highlights and trudge to the Wi-Fi tent first thing in the morning to file. And that's fine.

Yesterday proved especially difficult, though. I was invited, along with my other housemates, to a dinner party at Wendell Rodricks's house. Wendell is one of Goa's most famous sons, known for his wonderful designs and equally wonderful parties, so obviously I wasn't going to say no. The only problem was that dinner was at 8, just when the match was meant to begin, and I couldn't very well say, "Hi Wendell, nice to see you, so where's the TV in this joint?" (Incidentally, he has a beautiful house filled with art and dogs and plants; there must have been a TV in it somewhere, but I didn't see it).

I'm guessing there are going to be more occasions over the next five weeks when I'm otherwise occupied at 8 pm. And unless I want to give up my social life entirely (I don't), I'm going to have to come up with a back-up plan, to divert from the game and talk about something else. So today, it's going to be cheerleaders.

I bring up cheerleaders only because last year they created so much controversy and this year there seems to be a continuation of that complaint. Personally, I don't get what the big deal is. They're dancers who come out every once in a while to do a little jig. Okay, and they're cute and comely and wear skimpy tops and short skirts. Is this exploitation or objectification of women? I hardly think so. Are they necessary? Probably not. But then again, do we really need film stars waving flags at sporting events? Do we need rugby players talking about cricket. Or dancer-poets for that matter?

The idea is inclusion. And the IPL has shown from the beginning, that their format of the game is going to embrace the previously non-embraceable. How wonderful, really, to see Anil Kumble leap into Kevin Pietersen's arms. How amazing to hear Warney shout something to Graeme Smith that's not a sledge. If you're going to be so "we-are-the world", why not include America as well? And if that means having a squad of girls to try and rah-rah up the already glam glamour quotient, then I say go for it.

Last year there were issues about the cheerleaders being "distractions". There was talk of cricket being a gentleman's game, and of cheerleading eroding Indian family values. In response to that, I'd say, this isn't a five-day Test match at Lord's. There would be no place for cheerleaders there, because the poor things would probably be bored out of their brains with their heads on their pom-poms waiting for their chance to run out and jump. And as far as Indian family values go, that's the lamest excuse in the book. Everyone knows that at any given moment on Indian television there are probably about 10 channels wholly devoted to song-and-dance routines, where excessive declarations of love and lust are made in a series of choreographed moves that involve gyrating hips, thrust-out chests, and a rain sequence for full effect. If that's not erosion of culture or giving a somewhat misguided idea about how things really work in the world, then I don't know what is.

And finally, feminist groups. Ladies, really, there are so many other things to be concerned about. Have these cheerleaders been dragged from villages, made to wear clothes they normally wouldn't, and made to do things they normally wouldn't do? Absolutely not. These women have had aspirations to be cheerleaders, just as others have wanted to be chefs or flight attendants or doctors. Who is to say that one is better than the other? The point is, the choice is made by the woman herself, and there can be no offence to the dignity of a woman if the choice has been her own.

Now, are these cheerleaders any good at what they do? That's a question for another day.

Indian Premier League, 2009

Team Mat Won Lost Tied N/R Pts Net RR For Against
Deccan Chargers 2 2 0 0 0 4 +2.158 288/33.1 261/40.0
Mumbai Indians 2 1 0 0 1 3 +0.950 165/20.0 146/20.0
DliDaredevils 1 1 0 0 0 2 +3.167 58/4.5 53/6.0
Chennai 2 1 1 0 0 2 +1.825 325/40.0 252/40.0
Bangalore 3 1 2 0 0 2 -0.683 380/60.0 421/60.0
Kolkata 2 1 1 0 0 2 -1.508 180/29.2 172/22.3
Rajstan Royals 2 0 1 0 1 1 -3.750 58/20.0 133/20.0
Kings XI Punjab 2 0 2 0 0 0 -1.779 121/15.2 137/14.1


Result Date Team Pts Team Pts

18-04-09 Mumbai Indians 2 Chennai 0
Bangalore 2 Rajasthan Royals 0
19-04-09 Delhi Daredevils 2 Kings XI Punjab 0
Deccan Chargers 2 Kolkata 0
20-04-09 Chennai 2 Bangalore 0
21-04-09 Kolkata 2 Kings XI Punjab 0
Mumbai Indians 1 Rajasthan Royals 1
22-04-09 Deccan Chargers 2 Bangalore 0