Varun Aaron suffers injury setback

Varun Aaron, the India fast bowler, has suffered a recurrence of a back injury that had ruled him out of India's tour to Australia last year. He is likely to be out of cricket till at least September, according to a report in the Indian Express.

Aaron, whose last international game was in December in an ODI against West Indies in Visakhapatnam, returned to competitive cricket during the IPL. He played eight games for his franchise, Delhi Daredevils, and picked up eight wickets. "There was a slight niggle, but I was still good enough to bowl at my best during the IPL," Aaron told the Indian Express. "But as soon as I experienced the pain again, I returned to the NCA some five weeks back."

"The back injury must have relapsed after the IPL," TA Sekar, Daredevils mentor said. "He was 100% fit during the matches he played and he even bowled at 145 kmh-plus in them." Sekar said it was only after putting Aaron through the franchise's rehab schedule that Daredevils decided to play him; Aaron played his first game only midway through the tournament.

"Ideally the board should have sent him to Australia for treatment in December itself, especially since they had a qualified physio in Evan Speechly with them," Sekar said. "The two-month delay really cost him." Aaron was sent to the National Cricket Academy in Bangalore for his rehab after he was ruled out of the Australia tour.

Aaron, who has played one Test and five ODIs for India, has had a history of back trouble, having suffered two stress fractures soon after he made his Ranji Trophy debut for Jharkhand in the 2008-09 season. He first played for India during the ODI series against England last October and made his Test debut the following month against West Indies. He was picked in India's Test squad for Australia, but once the stress reaction in his back was diagnosed, he was replaced by Karnataka seamer R Vinay Kumar.

Sehwag backstracks over shots at India skipper

India’s swashbuckling opening batsman Virender Sehwag may want to take the same route as did Jesse Ryder after accusing the media of “twisting” his comments to make it “newsworthy.”

In Auckland, Ryder became an instant hero for cricketers who “hate” the press when he stepped into a ring to settle a score with an outspoken sports radio host. The bad boy of New Zealand cricket forced the referee to step in after a minute and 45 seconds after he staggered Mark Watson. The all-rounder has fallen foul of the New Zealand board and has been at the receiving end for his drunken behaviour that’s led to his exclusion from the national team.

Sehwag, meanwhile, gave the impression that India won the 2011 World Cup because his captain had a strong team.

It was an apparent dig at skipper Mahendra Singh Dhoni, his comments attracting wide interest since the two had a much-publicized falling out during India’s disastrous tour of Australia recently.

“Dhoni got a very strong team,’’ Sehwag said about Dhoni’s leadership in guiding India to the 2007 Twenty20 and the 2011 World Cup victories. “When you get a strong team, it is easier to perform well, just like Australia did at one point of time. We won the World Cup because we had a very strong team which was ably backed by Dhoni’s leadership.”

Sehwag took to Twitter on Saturday, claiming his comments were misinterpreted.

“Unfortunate when a comment is twisted to make it newsworthy,’’ he said. “Gist of what I said: we had a great team and thus we have won two World Cups under MSD. MSD is a good captain and one of the most successful captains we have had. To imply anything else from my statement was irresponsible.’’

Dhoni and Sehwag will have a chance to bury their differences or carry on feuding during India’s limited overs tour of Sri Lanka that starts July 21.

Sachin Tendulkar decided to skip the tour, but made it clear he has no intention of quitting the shorter version of the game. Tendulkar was in London cheering for his good buddy Roger Federer in Sunday’s Wimbledon men’s final.

No plans to quit ODIs – Tendulkar

Record-breaking Indian batsman Sachin Tendulkar on Friday scotched speculation over his future in one-day cricket, saying he had no plans to retire as long as he was enjoying the game. 

The master batsman, 39, on Wednesday opted out of India's upcoming tour of Sri Lanka for a one-day series and a one-off Twenty20 match, leading to speculation over his one-day career.

Tendulkar said he skipped the Sri Lanka tour to spend time with his family.

"It's not about what XYZ thinks, it's about what I feel and I feel as long as I am enjoying and I feel like being part of it, I'll continue (playing one-dayers)," Tendulkar told CNN-IBN news channel.

"I think it (speculation over retirement) has been going on since 2006. It's been six years now. I am enjoying cricket and as long as I am passionate about cricket it makes sense being part of team sport."

Tendulkar said he decided to stop playing Twenty20 internationals in 2007 because he felt he should not be part of the squad. He has figured in just one T20 international and was not part of India's 2007 World Cup-winning squad.

"I felt I should not be part of T20 squad because the team did well. When I get that feeling in one-day cricket maybe I would take that decision," said Tendulkar.

"When I feel like taking that decision (to quit one-day cricket) I will take that. I don't want the rest of the guys to take that decision for me."

Tendulkar holds four world batting records – maximum runs in tests (15 470) and one-day internationals (18 426) and centuries in tests (51) and one-dayers (49).

He completed an unprecedented century of centuries during the Asia Cup in Dhaka in March.

The one-day series in Sri Lanka starts in Hambantota on July 21 while the Twenty20 match will be played on August 7.

Greg Chappell opens old wounds

Former India coach Greg Chappell has opened old wounds, claiming that some players did not give their best when Rahul Dravid was leading the national team. Had Dravid been given "wholehearted support" by all the players, he could have gone on to become India's most successful captain ever, says the former Australia captain.

Chappell also claimed that all the team members did not enjoy the success achieved under Dravid. He made these startling revelations in an article written for the book Rahul Dravid - Timeless Steel, which was launched in Mumbai on Wednesday.

"He was an excellent deputy, in that he gave wholehearted support without ever thinking he might be better than the incumbent, and when he got the job he was a much better captain than he will ever be credited with," Chappell wrote, referring to the period when Dravid was deputy to Sourav Ganguly.

"Had he been given the same wholehearted support in the role that he had given others [read Sourav Ganguly], I think the recent history of Indian cricket may have been very different and he could have gone on to become the most successful Indian captain ever," he said.

Dravid was vice-captain to Ganguly for a long time, except for once in mid-2005, when the latter was suspended by the ICC for a few ODIs for the team's slow over rate in previous matches.

Incidentally, Dravid's assuming captaincy in Ganguly's absence, on the tour of Sri Lanka, coincided with Chappell's first assignment as coach.

Later, when Ganguly was dropped from the team due to a lack of form, Dravid took over the reins.

Chappell and Ganguly shared a frosty relationship and they made no bones about their dislike for each other, leading to one of the most controversial phases in Indian cricket.

The Australian quit in the aftermath of India's early elimination from the 2007 World Cup.

Chappell cites a remarkable world record winning streak by the Indian team under Dravid. He led India to 17 consecutive wins while batting second.

"To learn how to get better at chasing a target, Rahul kept asking the opposition to bat first, no matter the conditions. Under his leadership, India won nine ODIs in a row against Pakistan and England, and went on to complete a world record of 17 consecutive wins batting second," wrote Chappell.

"A similar approach to Test cricket brought about India's first overseas victory in the West Indies for 35 years and a first ever Test victory in South Africa, which could have been turned into a series win if the team had batted better in the second innings in the final Test in Cape Town."

Chappell was referring to India's 1-0 Test series victory in the Caribbean in 2006 followed by their maiden win in the first Test in Johannesburg in 2006-07. India lost the next two matches and the series to South Africa.

Chappell unashamedly admits that he liked Dravid.

"Men don't say these things, but I have a genuine affection for Rahul Dravid," he wrote in the article.

World Cup hero Yuvraj Singh to visit Dubai

Dubai Yuvraj Singh, India’s World Cup hero, will be in Dubai next Thursday. 

Not long after playing a pivotal role in India’s road to glory last year, Yuvraj had to face the biggest challenge of his career when he was diagnosed with a rare form of cancer, from which he has since recovered. 

 

He will be attending the Indian Property Show to be held from Thursday, June 21 to Saturday, June 23 at Dubai World Trade Centre. 

The star all-rounder, who underwent two-and-a-half-months of treatment in the US, will be present at the Investors Clinic booth. 

Yuvraj received a huge welcome in India after his return from America in April, with thousands of fans descending on the airport. 

Now gearing up to be resume his cricket career, Yuvraj has been appointed Investors Clinic’s brand ambassador. 

Honey Katiyal, chief executive officer of Investors Clinic, said: “We are extremely excited about Yuvraj’s visit to Dubai as he has huge fan following here. 

“This will certainly help us connect with the non-resident Indians better as they are our target audience. 

“Yuvraj’s association will surely enhance our brand equity as we plan to strengthen our services for NRIs here. 

“Yuvraj’s fighting spirit and all-round persona perfectly matches our brand attributes.”