Dravid lauds Rahane after easy win over Kings XI

Jaipur: Rajasthan Royals captain Rahul Dravid on Friday lauded young Ajinkya Rahane for his brilliant 98-run knock that set the platform for his side`s comfortable win over Kings XI Punjab in their opening match of the Indian Premier League season five here.

Rahane scored a blistering 98 off just 66 balls with the help of 16 fours and a lone six to power Rajasthan to 191 for four after sent into bat.

In reply, Kings XI could only manage 160 for the loss of nine wickets, thereby losing the encounter by 31 runs at the Sawai Mansingh Stadium here.

"It is a fantastic night for us. Great to start with a win. It was nice to see the youngsters doing well. We executed our plans well," Dravid said after the match.

"Rahane was brilliant. He has worked really hard after being out of the Indian team," he added.

Kings XI skipper Adam Gilchrist also praised Rahane for his fantastic innings and said Rajasthan completely outplayed his side today.

"We were outplayed. Probably, I got the toss wrong. Rahane played a beautiful innings," he said.

"We gave away 20-30 runs more than what I thought we should have conceded. We now have plenty to work. We need to work hard for our victories and execute our plans well," Gilchrist added.

Man-of-the-Match Rahane was full of praise for the pitch offered at the Sawai Mansingh Stadium.

"I was batting well even in practice games so wanted to continue. I believe in myself and if you are a good batsman, you will play well irrespective of the format. The wicket was good and the ball was coming on well," he said.

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Steven Smith all praise for Dinda

Australian Steven Smith praised Ashok Dinda for providing Pune Warriors the early breakthroughs in their IPL match against Mumbai Indians on Friday.

"I had not seen much of him, to be honest. He bowled very well early on, swung the ball and took a few early wickets and really gave us a chance to get into their middle-order," said Smith.

Dinda scalped four wickets as Pune Warriors successfully defended their total of 129 to register a 28-run win over Mumbai Indians in a low-scoring match at the Wankhede Stadium. Pune restricted Mumbai to 101 for 9 in the allotted 20 overs. Dinda grabbed 4 for 18 in two spells of four overs, including two wickets in his first over.

"Tonight, it was just about going out there and getting our skills to do the work. We got the better of Mumbai tonight," said Smith, who put on 44 runs in 48 balls for the fifth wicket with Robin Uthappa (36) to rally the Warriors' innings from 47 for 4.

Keeping the slow nature of the wicket in mind, the Australian all-rounder said he and Uthappa were of the opinion that a total of 140 would be a fighting score. "The wicket was a bit slow and there was also some turn. It was quite tough to start on but we knew, Robin and I, in the middle there if we could get a partnership going and get to 140, we would be right in the game," he said.

"I would have loved to bowl on this wicket, but the others did the job and I was not needed," he added.

Smith said it would be difficult to cement his place in the playing eleven with so many overseas players around. "It's obviously tough to keep my place with plenty of overseas players coming in later. But as long as we play well as a group that's what matters to me the most."

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Sachin Tendulkar hands over Mumbai Indians captaincy to Harbhajan Singh

Mumbai, Apr. 2 (ANI): Master blaster Sachin Tendulkar on Monday handed over the captaincy of Mumbai Indians in the fifth version of Indian Premier League (IPL) tournament to off-spinner Harbhajan Singh.

According to reports, the latest decision came following a conversation with the management of Mumbai Indians, a Mumbai-based IPL franchise owned by IndiaWin Sports Pvt. Ltd, a group company of Reliance Industries Ltd.

Tendulkar said the judgment was taken after due thought. "The Mumbai Indians is more than a team. It is like a family to me. At this point of time, I feel I need a break from the liability of captaincy of the Mumbai Indians. After due consideration, I discussed my meaning to hand over the Captain-ship of the team to Harbhajan Singh," said Tendulkar in the media release.

"I was touched by the graciousness and wholehearted support they offered me while emphasizing that they would accept any decision which helps me to continue enjoying the game," he added. Harbhajan on his part said it was a huge honor for him.

IPL 2012 will be played at 12 venues over 54 days in India. Starting from April 4 to May 27, there will be 72 matches in the fifth season of IPL. (ANI)

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Andrew Strauss : Captains knowledge inconsistent fortunes

In England terms, this Test is about one man: Andrew Strauss. England's captain has said that he has not considered resigning in spite of England's losing run on the sub continent of four successive Tests and his own middling form which, Tests against Australia apart, has gone on for more than two years. An England victory or an innings to restate his worth is sorely overdue. 

It is no doubt the case that he has not thought of acceptance and neither has England's selectors yet seriously thought of forcing him to stand down. They are all observing a problem and trusting that it will go away. One of Strauss' strengths as a captain is that he is extremely confident about his rightful place at the centre of things. He can be short of runs and chided for what are seen as overly suspicious tactics but even without England's position at the top of the Test rankings, he would understandably be perceived as crucial managerial material. If he threatened to move to the Cayman Islands, it would probably persuade the government to drop the top rate of tax by another 5p. 

Strauss' urgent fate might rest on a hard selection. England need to decide whether pace or spin is their best chance of rescuing their Test credentials. Shane Warne took 11 in his one appearance here while the wicket-taking list is headed by an unsurprising name: Muttiah Muralitharan claimed 52 wickets in nine Tests. England has not played here since Sri Lanka's inaugural Test in 1982 when Derek Underwood and John Emburey combined to take 14 wickets. 

Sri Lanka, by contrast, is experiencing love, second time around, for Mahela Jaywardene. After the retirement of Murali, decline seemed likely. England, comically vulnerable against spin all winter, has fired Sri Lanka's conviction that taking 20 wickets in a Test remains achievable.

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