Limited speed - Times of India

THE GUYS ARE PRETTY
UPSET THAT THEY
LOST. IT’S GOOD TO
HURT WHEN YOU
LOSE. IT MEANS THAT
PLAYERS ACTUALLY
CARE ABOUT
WINNING.
MARK BOUCHER
RCB WICKET-KEEPER
TIMES SPORT
Hoping For The Best
Selectors spring some surprises while
picking India’s T20 World Cup squad
Lucky To Be In
Piyush
Chawla
(erratic in IPL)
(patchy show
so far in IPL-3)
(just recovered
from injury)
Unlucky To Miss Out
Manish Pandey (outstanding domestic season,
has been brilliant in IPL)
Virat Kohli (did well for India in ODIs, good
IPL-3, superb fielder)
Amit Mishra (has done far better than
Chawla in this year’s IPL)
Though Irfan Pathan and Robin Uthappa
were not among the 30 probables, they may well
feel disappointed too
Dropped From Last World Cup Squad
Ishant Sharma R P Singh
Ojha Irfan Pathan
Selectors persist with tried and tested
K Shriniwas Rao | TNN
Rohit Sharma Ashish Nehra
Pragyan
THE TIMES OF INDIA, BANGALORE
SATURDAY, MARCH 27, 2010
Mumbai: With several top stars grappling with fitness issues and poor form,
the Indian selectors were left with an unenviable job as they sat down to pick the
15-member squad for the upcoming World
Twenty20 tournament in West Indies.
In the end, they ended up playing
safe, reposing their faith in the tried
and tested. The only real surprise was
leg-spinner Piyush Chawla’s inclusion
who was preferred over the likes of
Amit Mishra and Pragyan Ojha for the
second spinner’s slot. Batsman Rohit
Sharma, some would reckon, is lucky
to be in the mix since his form has been
jittery recently.
The squad has just one newcomer
in Karnataka medium-pacer Vinay Kumar who has been rewarded for his fine
show in IPL3 so far as also his exploits
in the Ranji Trophy last season.
Fitness of some key players was the
critical issue and the selectors had
asked all the players to submit their fitness certificates ahead of the selection
and only after going through them did
they announce the squad from a
probable list of 30 cricketers.
Chairman of the selection panel, K Srikkanth, stressed that the
“best team” had been picked,
adding, “We are happy with the
performance of every member of
the team. They have shown consistency.”
He also spelt out the reasons
for his being optimistic about India’s chances: “Our batting is
very powerful and condition of
the wickets in Caribbean is similar to India’s.” On fitness, he
claimed, “Everyone is hundred
per cent fit.” The fact, though, remains, that among the 15, currently three players are injured
and still recovering, two are in
poor form and all of them still
have to endure another 30 days of
the IPL before it is time to
tour
the
Caribbean.
Besides, the fitness cer-
STRENGTHS
Match-winning
batsmen, including
Sehwag, Gambhir,
Dhoni, Yusuf Pathan
Captain Cool
M S Dhoni
Spin could come in
handy on low, slow
Windies wickets
WEAKNESSES
Poor fielding unit
Worrying pace attack
Will be coming straight
out of exhausting IPL-3
Key batsman Yuvraj
struggling for form
At least 5 players (Dhoni,
Yuvraj, Nehra, Gambhir,
Yusuf) carrying niggles
ROOKIE: Vinay Kumar | Just reward for
Karnataka paceman, who has claimed a bagful of
wickets this domestic season. Handy with bat too
The team: MS Dhoni (capt & wk), Virender Sehwag,
Gautam Gambhir, Yuvraj Singh, Suresh Raina, Yusuf
Pathan, Dinesh Karthik, Ravindra Jadeja, Zaheer
Khan, Praveen Kumar, Ashish Nehra, Harbhajan
Singh, Piyush Chawla, Vinay Kumar, Rohit Sharma
tificates issued on Friday will
have no bearing on injuries, niggles, stress-related issues, fatigue and other such trivial factors that players will be vulnerable to over the coming
month as the IPL goes on. For
instance, Gautam Gambhir is
still not playing his share of IPL
matches after he suffered a hamstring injury in the match
against Mumbai Indians.
Ashish Nehra’s injury to the ribcage is more serious than Gambhir’s and the word is still not out
on his return.
MS Dhoni returned to play
on Thursday after suffering an
injury to his elbow and
Women’s team: Jhulan Goswami (captain), Mithali
Raj, Poonam Raut, Sulakshana Naik, Anagha Deshpande, Rumeli Dhar, Amita Sharma, Harmanpreet
Kaur, Reema Malhotra, Diana David, Gouhar Sultana, Sonia Dabir, Priyanka Roy, Anjum Chopra.
Limited speed,
My parents
sacrificed a lot
for me: Vinay
UNLIMITED ZEST
H
ad R Vinay Kumar been a legspinner,
he
would have been
an exact replica
of Anil Kumble. Not merely the
hard-working and never-saydie attitude but the label thrust
on both — players of limited
talent. Ultimately though cricket has always been all about
runs and wickets and here’s
where both have played their
part, picking up wickets regularly whatever the format of
the game or the level.
Like Kumble many years
back, Vinay, picked to represent India in the World T20
tournament that kicks off in
the West Indies next month,
has been given the chance to
do at the international level
what he has done so well at
the national stage.
Before the much-awaited
call-up, much as it never mattered to Kumble that he didn’t turn the ball as a leggie
was expected to, Vinay too
DESERVING BREAK
R VINAY KUMAR
carried on season after season, never ever beating the
batsman for pace and yet getting his wicket. He didn’t just
lack pace, he didn’t have the
height either to make an impression. But what Vinay
lacked in height, he made up
with stature, his quite demeanour on and off the field
hiding a fierce determination
to succeed.
Fifty-three first class wickets in the season, the highest
tally in the country, eight thus
far in IPL 3, which puts him
at joint second on the wicket-taker’s list, meant that a
national call-up was always
around the corner. But Vinay
has been left disappointed so
many times in recent years
that when the call finally
came, he was so excited that
the first reaction was more of
disbelief than joy.
When he finally recovered, he had this to say. “It is
always a great feeling to be
given the honour of playing
for the country. I am elated. I
thank the selectors for recognizing my performance
and I will do my best to justify their faith in me.”
It has been a long and arduous journey but one Vinay
has undertaken with sheer determination. Spotted during
a zonal trial by former state
player Siddarama, he was
brought to Bangalore for Neptune CC, a fifth division side
run by Narayan Raju, presently the curator at the Chinnaswamy Stadium. “It was
they who encouraged me initially to make the big move.
And when I started taking
wickets regularly, they put me
into the senior division, where
I have played for Swastic
Union and Jawans,” said
Vinay, who also fondly remembers the role played by
the late YB Patel, the former
Karnataka seamer.
“YB sir would always say
that I’d go on to play big cricket. He always encouraged me.
Even on his death bed, he told
someone to hand over a kit
bag to me. I haven’t used it. I
treasure it,” said an emotional Vinay.
Not one to forget his roots,
Vinay also expressed his gratitude for his first coaches
back home in Davangere. “I
should thank my coach
Prakash Pawar, who is no
more, and LM Prakash for
recognizing my talent and developing me into the cricketer
I am today. K Jeswanth (former Karnataka captain) and
K Sanath Kumar (current
Karnataka coach) were also
instrumental in shaping my
career,” he said.
Once it had been shaped it
was a question of doing well
over a period of time and
holding on to his self-belief.
This is where Rahul Dravid
and Kumble helped.“I used to
talk to them a lot. They are
the ones who have kept me going with their advice. Once I
asked Rahul what I lacked
and what is that I have to do
to get selected. I had started
thinking ‘I must be doing
something wrong’. But he just
told me to continue what I am
doing and that one-day I will
get the chance.”
He has, and now it is upto
him to make the best of it.
staying away for two games.Injuries
don’t seem to be the only concern.
Yuvraj Singh tops the list among the
players who completely lack form and
seem to have made it to the team only
on reputation. In the IPL so far, Yuvraj
has not clicked and has managed less
than 100 runs in five innings so far. That
aside, the batsman has put on weight
and his poor body language so far is
something that is being talked about
with remarkable levels of interest in
the cricketing circles.
The Indian team that toured England last year to take part in the World
T20 championship and made an early
exit had begun to resemble a quiver
full of broken arrows throughout the
tournament. Overdose of cricket, injuries and fatigue had made their outing as defending champions end in
thorough misery. Exactly a year later,
with 30 more days to go before the IPL
concludes, the picture doesn’t look
any different. However, cricket is unpredictable and T20 even more so. And
that must give fans hope as the team
has the class and firepower to excel.
Satish Viswanathan | TNN
VINAY KUMAR
HAS RELIED ON
FIERCE DETERMINATION
TO BEAT ADVERSITY,
WRITES
SATISH VISWANATHAN
Bangalore: It was in the late 1990s, as a 13-yearold, that the talent of R Vinay Kumar, the Karnataka bowler selected for the T20 World Cup,
was first spotted — as a batsman. His father wasn’t raking in the money, but still encouraged his
son to play the game. “My parents have sacrificed
a lot for me. We weren’t financially strong, and
me being the eldest, it was my duty to take care
of them. But looking at my interest in the game,
they encouraged me to continue playing. They
never made me feel guilty about the fact that I
wasn’t helping them in running the family,” an
emotion-filled Vinay told TOI on Friday.
“Once we realized he had talent, we didn’t have
the heart to stop him from playing. It was tough
but we did what we had to do,” said his father. “Being a sportsman myself (he used to dabble in athletics and kabaddi), I understood his needs. He was
never short of encouragement; our family chipped
in, my friends helped and his coach, Prakash Sir,
provided the cricket equipment,” said Vinay’s dad
Ranganath, who is proud that he could provide all
his three kids with education.
“Actually, I don’t how we managed. I drove my
auto day and night. Before I realized it, Vinay and
his sister completed their BCom while my second son will do the same soon,” added Ranganath.
All that of course has changed in the past three
years. Since his Karnataka Ranji Trophy debut
in 2004-05, thanks to the BCCI opening its purse
strings to first class cricketers as well, Vinay’s financial problems have been taken care of. He
wasted no time in getting his family to move to
Bangalore from Davanagere. And, yes, there is
no more driving autos for his father. Instead, he
can sit back and proudly watch his son take the
long flight to the Caribbean.
Joyous moment
for dad, mum
TIMES NEWS NETWORK
Bangalore: R Vinay Kumar’s family members
could not contain their joy when they heard that
he had made the Indian squad for the T20 World
Cup. “Though the call has come later than what
we had hoped for, I am happy for him. My son is
a very hard worker and I am confident that he
will do India proud with his performance,” said
Vinay’s father, Ranganath.
“I am happy for my son. I am sure he will perform well for the country,” said his mother Soubhagya. For his sister Vinutha, an anchor with Doordarshan, it was prayers answered at long last.
“I have been waiting for this moment for a long
time. As he was performing well, every time the
national team was being selected we would hope
that Vinay would be included,” she said.
Meanwhile, Chief Minister, B S Yeddyurappa
congratulated Vinay on his selection to represent
India in the T20 World Cup. KSCA president
Srikantadatta Wadiyar also congratulated Vinay
on behalf of the managing committee.
[email protected]
Syed Asif
Davanagere celebrates
TOI
S A Gangaraju | TNN
Davanagere: Davanagere district came alive
in a festive atmosphere on Friday, following the
Team India selection of one of its favourite
sons for the Twenty20 World Cup in the West
Indies. Sports lovers along with family members of R Vinay Kumar came together and put
on a fireworks display that could have rivalled
one during any great political victory. Royal
Challengers Bangalore star Vinay, a resident
of KTJ Nagar, was educated at the Mothi Veerappa Government PU College here and later
obtained his Bachelor’s degree from ARG Commerce College. He is presently an assistant manager with Vijaya Bank.
Vinay’s father Ranganath was as an auto
driver during his time in Davanagere, before
moving to a private firm in Bangalore. His
mother Soubhagyamma is a homemaker. He
has one younger sister Vinutha and a younger
brother Vinod, both of whom reside with her
mother and grandmother in Davanagere. While
stating that Vinay always came off as a studious and serious cricketer, his coach Prakash
LM said the youngster owed a lot of his suc-
the successful semifinal clash against
Central Zone in Indore to cap an impressive season with 53 first class
wickets, highest of the season, edging
out Mithun (52).
ALL ABOUT VINAY
Name: Ranganath Vinay Kumar
List A debut: vs Kerala in Margao (SZ Ranji one-day
tourney), January 13, 2005
List A record: 42 matches (28 Ranji one-day/ Vijay
Hazare ties, 12 Deodhar ties, two Challenger ties) 70
wickets, @23.54, BB: 4-24; 454 runs, @ 23.89, SR:
99.34, HS: 82.
Maiden first-class five-wicket haul: vs Gujarat in Bangalore, November 16-19 (second match).
IPL debut: vs Mumbai Indians, Wankhede,
April 20, 2008.
IPL record: 24 matches, 22 wickets, @ 27.92, economy 7.98.
● Vinay first came into reckoning with a 40-wicket
Vinay Kumar’s grandmother (sitting), his
mother (right) Sowbhagya and his sister
Vinutha in Davanagere on Friday
cess to the values he learnt in the district.
“He never wasted any time on the field,”
said Prakash. “He was a dedicated cricketer
and a talented allrounder early on in his career. His selection is great news to the citizens
of Davangere. Being a mofussil region, it is
tougher for youngsters to make their mark
and we are proud of him.”
haul in 2007-08 Ranji Trophy season, only behind top
wicket-taker Sudeep Tyagi (41). Vinay bagged seven
more wicket in two Duleep Trophy matches to finish
with 47 first class wickets for the season.
● Vinay’s first outing with India ‘A’ side came against
visiting Australians in 2008 in his home ground M
Chinnaswamy Stadium. Vinay’s only major trip with India ‘A’ team was during their Israel tour in 2008/09
and topped the wickets tally, though the matches
played there didn’t come under the official category.
● The 26-year-old was called up for
the Board President’s tie against
South Africa early this year but the
two-day clash was unofficial one.
● Vinay was made the captain of the
Karnataka side for the Vijay Hazare
Trophy One-day tournament, taking
over the mantle from Robin Uthappa.
● Vinay topped the bowling charts
for the state in the the Vijay Hazare
Trophy with 11 wickets @ 29.81.
MEMORABLE MOMENT: Vinay Kumar’s father
Ranganath (centre) savours the moment with his
younger son and friends in Bangalore on Friday
the overall wickets tally though Vinay has played one
match less than the top-wicket taker but bowled exactly the same number of balls.
● The Shimoga-born lad’s best innings bowling per-
● In the last Ranji season, the Karnataka pace
formance in a first class match (8-32) came against
Delhi in Delhi in the 2009-10 season even as the
medium pacer returned a match-haul of 11-102 in the
drawn contest.
spearhead took 46 wickets @ 19.69 in eight matches
to finish behind teammate Abhimanyu Mithun (47) in
● In his only Duleep Trophy tie of the season, Vinay
bagged seven wickets including a five-wicket haul in
● Vinay’s best T20 bowling performance came against Chennai Super
Kings in IPL III, where he took four
wickets for 40 runs. He has eight
wickets from five matches so far in IPL III.
● Usually a lower-order batsman, Vinay, who has
been used as a pinch-hitter by Karnataka, has impressive strike rates of 99.34 and 136.79 in List A
and T20 respectively.
● In the inaugural Karnataka Premier League, where
Vinay’s team Belagavi Panthers finished runners-up,
the medium pacer took 14 wickets at an impressive
average of 11.92 and economy rate of 4.6.
— Compiled by Aby Jose
ALL PADDED UP: Vinay all set to prove his
batting prowess in his younger days