Noel David I Pravin Amre I Deep Dasgupta I Robin Uthappa - 2006 Interview I Dr. Ali Bacher I Yashpal Singh I Mahendra Singh Dhoni I Karsan Ghavri I Shivlal Yadav I Charu Sharma I Kiran More I L.Balaji I John Gloster I Dinesh Karthik I Shikhar Dhawan I Gagandeep Singh I Suresh Raina I Rudra Pratap Singh I Venkatapathy Raju I Satyajit Parab I Nayan Mongia I Y.Venugopal Rao I Paras Mhambrey I Hrishikesh Kanitkar I Dheeraj Jadhav I Sadanand Vishwanath I Jonathan Rose I Vijay Bharadwaj I Rowland Barrington I Peter Chingoka I Tinu Yohannan I Sujith Somasunder I M.S.K.Prasad I Arshad Ayub I Robin Uthappa And more...

Sponsored by 123kerala.com

Noel David would be remembered as one of the finest fielders in Indian Cricket. An all rounder who used to bat in the middle order and bowl off breaks, Noel got his break in International Cricket when he was picked following the famous rotator cuff injury to Javagal Srinath just after he landed in the Caribbean in the 1996/97 tour. Although Noel David has played just 35 first class games along with 4 ODIs, he had his moments on and off the field which are quite interesting.

Pravin Amre is the new Coach of the Mumbai Ranji Side. An ardent fan of Indian Cricket will remember him as the 9th Indian Cricketer to score a Century on Test Match Debut which he did on the historical tour of South Africa in 1992/93. Amre still holds the record for the highest individual score in the history of Irani Trophy history with a score of 246 for Rest of India in 1990/91 against Bengal.

Deep Dasgupta is the present Captain of the Bengal Ranji Side. He is a Wicket Keeper-Batsman who once served India as a makeshift opener in Test Matches. Dasgupta helped India with some fine knocks including a century against England but he couldn't really create an impact through his glovework. He has been serving Bengal Cricket quite admirably for the last few seasons with both bat and his wicket keeping.

Robin Uthappa had made his ODI Debut for India on the 15th of April in 2006, where he had smashed the English bowlers all over the Maharani Usharaje Trust Ground for a scintillating 86. That was no fluke innings as he was up against four pacers who were bowling consistently above 140kmph. Add to the fact that Robin’s innings was while chasing a reasonably high target of 289!

South African cricket has given the world some truly legendary personalities. One of them is Dr. Aron ‘Ali’ Bacher. Having represented his country both as a player and an administrator with immense success, Dr. Bacher was in India as a consultant to a South African based company for electronic scoreboards – ‘Stellavista’. Venkat Ananth caught up with him at the Coffee Shop of the Cricket Club of India, Mumbai.

Yashpal Singh is a prolific run scorer in Indian Domestic Circuit. He plays for Services in the Ranji Trophy Championship. Yashpal is a right handed middle order batsman who can bowl useful medium pace. if he continues to score runs in a heap, this man would soon become an integral part of the next generation Indian team with already the superstars in the middle order of India into their thirties.

Yeah hopefully I am looking forward for it. With the new form of play that of the powerplays and all, if I get a chance I would really like to go even 1 run more than the 148. Obviously I like to get a 150. It’s not easy to repeat this kind of performance at the international level. But with this powerplay, I think it can be done. It’s not impossible, if I have done it once, I can do it once again.

Karsan Ghavri is the the Mumbai Coach for the 2005/06 Ranji Season. Last season, Karsan Ghavri was the coach of the Bengal Ranji Team. Karsan played 39 tests and 19 ODIs for India between 1974 and 1981. Karsan Ghavri went into the record books as the first Indian left arm pace bowler to take 100 Test Wickets. Karsan also used to bowl slow left arm orthodox.

Shivlal Yadav is the Hon. Secretary of the Hyderabad Cricket Association. Apart from that he has also been the Indian Team Manager and also a National Selector. Shivlal Yadav was an off spinner who had played in 35 Tests and had captured 102 Test Wickets. He has also played 7 ODIs for India.

Charu Sharma is a familiar face with the Indian TV Viewers. This man has been on the Television for about 23 years now. In this freewheeling chat, Charu talks about Diving, Doordarshan, fellow Commentators and just about everything else. As it turned out , Charu opened up and unleashed a dazzling array of shots of his own. The end result was of course a very interesting conversation.

I thought National Selectors were very serious individuals and would be reserve to their words. However, I changed my opinion ever since I met Kiran More, the Chairman of Selectors and former Indian wicket keeper. From whatever I had seen of him on TV as a naughty wicket keeper who could be a real pain to the opposition batsmen (ask Javed Miandad about that), it's the same Kiran More today, who is very jovial and doesn't mind answering the crowd who ask him "Who should keep for India - Dinesh Karthik, Parthiv, Dhoni or Dravid?" 

Good news for all the Balaji fans, the 23 year old is up again and is all set to make amends for India after recovering from his stomach injury. Balaji made a comeback into first class cricket by playing for South Zone against West Zone at the Brand New Visaka International Stadium in Hyderabad. The ever smiling Balaji shared his cricketing moments with B.V.Swagath.

There is one man who has to keep the Indian Cricketers 100% fit and that is John Gloster. Whether it's to monitor Sachin's elbow or Pathan's groin, this man is the most crucial factor. John Gloster today is as important as a Sachin or a Dravid in the team simply because his work can never be taken lightly.

In the past 4-5 years, India has seen many wicket-keepers come and go without establishing themselves successfully in the National Team. A young and agile wicket-keeper named Dinesh Karthik was drafted into the Indian team during the 4th Test against Australia last year at Mumbai, after his successful stints with Tamil Nadu and the India U-19 team. Till date, this promising 19-year old has been a part of the Indian Team for 5 Tests and 2 One Dayers.

It almost seems to everyone as if Indian cricket has given the responsibility of finding a suitable partner for Virender Sehwag to Delhi. A few months ago, a young man from the state mentioned caught the eyes of many an Indian cricket fan. His talent, class and confidence was in full witness during the Under-19 World Cup in Dhaka where he amassed more than 500 runs and ended up as the Man of the Tournament.

Gagandeep Singh is the new pace sensation that India has discovered in the last month. This well built 24 year old Punjab-da-Puttar was a part of the Indian Squad which played in Bangladesh after his consistent performances in the domestic circuit last season. As much as one loves to go ga-ga over these new youngsters, this new policy by the selectors to induce fresh blood every now and then is really refreshing.

Suresh Raina is a promising left-handed batsman coming from Uttar Pradesh in India. This immensely talented batsman was a part of the India Under-19 team during the World Cup in 2004. Also known as Sanu, this 18 year old scored a quick-fire 90 of just 38 balls against Scotland earlier this year. With his maiden First Class century coming against Andhra last season and some notable performances in this year's Ranji Trophy, Suresh Raina seems an interesting prospect to look out for in the near future.

Rudra Pratap Singh is one of the promising young bowlers emerging out of Uttar Pradesh in India. He was one of the strike bowlers for the Indian Under-19 team during the World Cup in Dhaka in February 2004. With 16 wickets in just 3 matches this season, RP Singh looks a definite prospect in the future for India.

It was a Wednesday afternoon and I cut some time off from my office and decided to catch up with some players at the Gymkhana. Hyderabad and Uttar Pradesh were battling in the heat, Hyderabad's skipper Venkatapathy Raju walked in to bat at No. 10 and there was a camera man taking a snap of his, I asked myself is today anything special with Raju? Finally, I got my answer and yes it was that of Venkatapathy Raju's retirement from First Class Cricket.

Satyajit Parab is an attacking opening batsman from Baroda and has been a very important part of the Baroda team for the past 6-7 years. He played a very important role in Baroda clinching the Ranji Trophy in 2001 by scoring a century when it mattered the most. With 2 centuries already in this season against Maharashtra, he seems an interesting prospect to watch out for.

“A wicket keeper’s job is never done”. That is a quip that may be quoted any time in the history of cricket. While all the praises are showered upon the star batsmen, the super fast bowlers and the electric fielders, the show lights rarely do shine on these small people who do great and yet silent deeds. Nayan Ramlal Mongia is no stranger to that pack.

Humble, Honest and Humane, are the three best words I can think of to describe this young and upcoming middle order batsman from Andhra - Yalaka Venugopal Rao. Venugopal Rao is one of those immensely talented batsmen, Indian cricket is constantly churning and his recent run of form which is nothing short of classy is certainly a reflection of the far flung talents emerging out of India.

Paras Mhambrey, the tall lanky medium pacer from Mumbai played 2 Tests and 3 One Day Internationals for India. The highlight of his career came when Mumbai won the Ranji Trophy in 2002 under his captaincy. His coaching stints with Maharashtra helped them win the Plate Championship in 2003.

Hrishikesh Kanitkar probably doesn't need any introduction to a genuine cricket follower. However for the record, here is a man who is in charge of the Maharashtra Ranji side. Kanitkar is a wonderful left handed middle order batsman in his own rights. He is a more than a useful off spinner with wicket taking deliveries like the floater in his repertoire. 

Dheeraj Jadhav, the stylish Left Hand opener from Maharashtra has performed well than anybody else in the domestic circuit last year. He was also a part of the Indian Squad for the Fourth Test against Australia at Mumbai. With an average of 103 in the Ranji Trophy last year which included 3 double centuries and a century, Dheeraj Jadhav is competing with Gautam Gambhir for the opener's spot in the Indian Test team.

Sadanand Vishwanath was the young chirpy wicket keeper who got noticed during the Benson and Hedges World Series in 1985. Vishy as he is known in the cricketing circles replaced the one and only Syed Kirmani and whatever little chances this stumper got, he gave his best shot.   

As a cricket fan, one knew of anything and everything that happened on the field. But, as one should know, that there are several men behind the picture who make things happen off the field for the players. One such man is Jonathan Rose, Chief of Media Operations for Cricket Australia and also the Media Manager with the current touring side.  

Vijay Bharadwaj was once thought to be the street smart all rounder for India. He was thought of as someone who could come in to the slogs and produce a quick cameo and with his off breaks keep it tight and pick up a few wickets here and there. Bharadwaj is reckoned to be one of the technically well equipped batsman in the country.  

Rowland Barrington, the 24 year old from Bangalore has been the backbone of the Karnataka batting along with Vijay Bharadwaj in the absence of Rahul Dravid who is busy in giving laurels to the nation. Rowland has been in the domestic circuit for more than 5 years.

Criketfundas.com's representative in Zambia, Hemant Sharma got an opportunity to have a chat with Peter Chingoka, the man who is quoted to change the face of cricket in Africa, during the World Cup Qualifying series in Lusaka. Peter Chingoka is the Chairman of Africa Cricket Association and Zimbabwe Cricket Union. 

Tinu Yohannan is one of the rare natural athletes to play for India. With a solid training in MRF under the guidance of Pace Guru Dennis Lillee, Tinu has impressed everyone in whatever little opportunity he has had in playing for the country. He is tall, he is nippy and he gets the ball to move both sides.

Sujith Somasunder is a right handed opening batsmen who has played 2 ODIs for India. The 32 year old hailing from Bangalore is one of the most experienced blokes in the domestic circuit, he infact made his Ranji Debut in the 1990-91 season.

M.S.K.Prasad is a Never-say-Die kind of person. He has played 17 ODIs and 6 Test Matches for India till date. This 29 year old wicket keeper batsman from Andhra is working hard towards making a comeback into the Indian team. So Dinesh Karthik or Parthiv Patel or anyone just watch out and be on your toes!

Arshad Ayub was one of India's most promising spinners in the 1980s. A competent late order bat as well, Ayub made telling contributions in quite a few ODIs while playing for India in the late 80s. 

We are pleased to have interviewed M.R.Baig, former Ranji and Duleep Trophy Player and a well known coach for the past 30 years, based out from Hyderabad. 

CRICKETFUNDAS.COM is proud to bring out the Interview of a talented youngster who is knocking the big doors of Indian Cricket. We are talking about Robin Uthappa - the man instrumental in winning the Asia U-19 cup played in Pakistan recently.

WOMEN CRICKETERS

Wicket Keeper Batswoman 

Nelly Williams is the opening batswoman for West Indies and hails from Trinidad and Tobago, the place of Brian Charles Lara.

Former Indian women's new ball bowler.

A wonderfully talented opening batswoman, Gargi Banerjee made an immediate impact scoring 71 in her debut Test against Australia at Delhi. She has the distinction of playing 26 One Day Internationals and 14 Test Matches for India.

Mithali Raj - the name that associated with the World's highest individual score in Women's Test Cricket for some time, yes we are talking about the 21 year old from Hyderabad who has created a new self belief among all the Indian sportswomen .

Mamatha Maben is the present India Women’s captain and has started her captaincy stint in great style with a series win over New Zealand Women.

Top of the Page