Current England tour one of the toughest of my career: Dhoni

His injury-ravaged team down in the dumps with back-to-back defeats and some key players experiencing indifferent form, Indian skipper Mahendra Singh on Tuesday conceded that the current England Test series is one of the most difficult tours of his career.

"If you consider injuries, fitness, form, everything, there are quite a few things to worry about. It's difficult to recall (any other) but it's among the most difficult tour (I've been involved in)," he told a press conference ahead of the third Test starting on Wednesday.

The tour has placed extraordinary demands on the mental faculties of Indian cricketers, more so on Dhoni who has been on the road for almost a year and who has the added responsibility of keeping and leading the side.

"More than that, it's the physical aspect. However, more and more you play, the more experienced you get to train your mind to get out of it; the measures what needs to be done.

"Of course, it's not easy... there are different ways for different individuals. Some prefer to have extra nets while others prefer to take mind off cricket. It's what suits an individual," he said.

He did not outrightly reject the idea of fielding four medium pacers on a green track at Edgbaston in the third Test.

"The wickets so far haven't assisted spinners. It pushes us to think if we can play four fast bowlers - the slow over-rate doesn't bother us, what's important we select the eleven suited to the track," said the Indian captain.

India presently have four fit medium-pacers in Sreesanth, Ishant Sharma, Praveen Kumar and Munaf Patel. RP Singh, the replacement for Zaheer Khan, is yet to join the squad which actually restricts the options for the tourists.

The other option of course would be to have either leg-spinner Amit Mishra or left-arm spinner Pragyan Ojha make the playing eleven.

Despite opener Virender Sehwag's failure against Northamptonshire in the warm-up match, Dhoni underlined the value the Delhi dasher brings to the side.

"There is no good reason why he shouldn't be playing. He is a dynamic player, he backs his instincts to play shots, irrespective of who the bowler he is facing. He looks at the ball and give it the treatment it deserves.

"He is an aggressive opener who has a big impact on opposition bowlers. He is a very good batsman to have in the side," he said.

Dhoni expressed concern on how his side failed to capitalise on the good positions between the 45th and 80th over during England's batting.

"We were in a position we could dominate both the games. If we get into a similar situation, it's important we go ahead and put further pressure on their batting which is quite deep. It's important how we bowl with the ball between 45-80 overs," he said.

Reacting to the riots in London and surrounding areas, including Birmingham, Dhoni revealed he was shopping with a few other teammates at the city centre before they returned and were then planning to leave for dinner when the violence broke out.

"Our security manager, Zaks told us it was better off if we stayed in hotel. It's sad (the riots), but there is not much we can do as individuals or cricketers.

"There are concerned authorities, as cricketers we even don't need to have a look at it. We should do what's in our control and that's preparing for the game. We are avoiding things we can avoid," he said.

Recommend this article by clicking on +1:

Read More

Gaana.com launches iPad version in HTML5

The ipad version will allow all the ipad users to
enjoy complete Gaana.com collection - all free of cost

Gaana.com has struck the right chord with young Indian music lovers by garnering 1.4 million unique visitors and 11.7 million song plays within the first month of its launch. The high level of engagement on the portal can be gauged from the fact that on an average a user spends over 9 minutes per visit.

Gaana.com has one of the largest collection of Hindi, regional and English songs, it provides free and licensed music to its listeners through a unique "media player" interface. Besides a simple to use navigation and ease of content discovery, the key features include song recommendations, radio gaana and social features.

The song recommendation engine generates a list of tracks based on a user's liking, while radio gaana on the other hand creates an endless music stream. The social features allow users to connect to their Facebook & Twitter profiles with their Gaana account and share their activity with their community. Another social feature is the user activity stream that allows users to see each other's playlist, giving users a community music experience.

It's the first music site in India to build an iPad version using HTML5. The ipad version will allow users to enjoy the complete Gaana.com collection - all free of cost. By launching this advanced version, Gaana.com intends to take advantage of the multiple facets of interactivity that the iPad provides.

Commenting on the launch Rishi Khiani, CEO, Times Internet Limited ,said "We are happy to see the traction the site is receiving and are extending our portfolio across many platforms. We aspire to build scalable global products. The iPad version of gaana.com is another step in that direction".

All social platforms are abuzz with rave reviews about the experience, the UI, it's feature set and its social connect. While one of the tweets praises the site by saying " gaana.com has made life so much easier and entertaining for millions of music listeners," another tweet says "Flat Out. Times Internet just pulled out a winner"

Recommend this article by clicking on +1:

Read More

Where is the aura? Team India down in the dumps ahead of 3rd Test against England

After being at the top for two years, India may not have expected their world to turn topsy-turvy in just two weeks; but the defeats at Lord's and Trent Bridge have done exactly that, leaving them virtually down in the dumps.

It showed rather alarmingly in their body language here at the Edgbaston ground on Monday morning as they prepared for the remaining two Tests. Being back-to-back matches, India won't even find the time, space or energy to regroup or revitalize from any major setback.

They need to win both the games, with the first starting on Wednesday, to hang on edgily to their World No. 1 ranking. But one more defeat and England will catapult over South Africa, from No. 3 to No. 1. It is the final stretch for both, the champions and the contenders.

In such a scenario, you would have hoped - if not expected - the players to show a little more enthusiasm, if not passion, in their penultimate training session; it was glaringly missing, though, as they went through the routine in a lackadaisical manner.

England, on the other hand, looked that much more desperate and fervent in their approach. Like always, the morning began with a light loosening-up session; it quickly dissolved into the mandatory football game but the players were barely kicked about it.

The bonhomie or even the desire to go one-up was conspicuously missing as they scrambled after the ball listlessly. Where had the confidence, if not the aura, evaporated?

If that was not enough, they trooped away from the stunning ground towards the "nets" in ones and twos.

Virender Sehwag, Gautam Gambhir and Rahul Dravid took guard quickly enough and Munaf Patel, Praveen Kumar and Amit Mishra bowled at them, with support from local bowlers and fielding coach Trevor Penny.

The others, however, seemed least interested. If Ishant Sharma sat in one corner, Abhinav Mukund was in another. Sachin Tendulkar quietly padded up, keeping an eye on Dravid's footwork. Virat Kohli walked around aimlessly while Suresh Raina was not his usual energetic self either.

Mahendra Singh Dhoni, after showing his fast bowling skills in the first Test, worked on his spinning abilities. Maybe, he realizes that he may need to back this up now in the absence of Harbhajan Singh. Pragyan Ojha, who finally joined the team, seemed in his own world too.

All the others who are likely to figure in the playing XI had a go with their bats, including Virat Kohli. Mukund, who scored a hundred in the practice game, didn't even bother to pad up, which means he is not in the reckoning at all. There was no sign of Sreesanth for the most part either.

Clearly, this team is not just dispirited; it is too low on confidence and will need a miracle or a standout performance by someone to make a comeback.

Sadly, Edgbaston is not the best place for such a turnaround. India's record here, even when it used to be a batting track, is dismal. Now, of course, it has a tinge of green and promises to be pacy and helpful to England's attack.

Maybe, that's why they are already down in the dumps.

Recommend this article by clicking on +1:

Read More

Earthscraper concept takes urban planning underground

 

This ambitious "Earthscraper" concept from BNKR Aquitectura seeks to address several problems faced by Mexico City - a growing population, the lack of new plots for construction, the need to conserve historic buildings and height restrictions on new structures. "The historic center of Mexico City is in desperate need for a pragmatic make-over," says BNKR. The solution - build an inverted pyramid underneath the main plaza at the heart of the city.

A kind of reversal of the historical Aztec pyramid, the Earthscraper would aim to preserve the visual aesthetic of the historic city square whilst also retaining the public space, commonly used year round for events such as concerts, political gatherings, open-air exhibitions and cultural celebrations. The 775,000 square meter design is capped with a glass "roof" and habitable spaces are positioned around the central void, allowing natural light to filter down to even the lowest of levels.

The first ten stories would offer a tourist attraction, with all floors displaying Aztec and Mayan artifacts in a pre-Columbian museum. The design sees the next ten stories filled with retail shops and domestic housing, whilst the deepest levels offer 35 stories of office space.

The concept is reminiscent of the famous glass pyramid featured at the center of Le Louvre Museum in Paris, but with mammoth proportions. "The Earthscraper is the skyscraper's antagonist in an historic urban landscape where the latter is condemned and the preservation of the built environment is the paramount ambition," says BNKR.

Recommend this article by clicking on +1:

Read More

CWG scam rocks Parliament, Question Hour stalled

The CWG mess rocked Parliament for the second day on Tuesday as opposition NDA stalled the Question Hour in both the Houses and demanded resignation of Delhi Chief Minister Sheila Dikshit in the wake CAG observations against her.

In the Lok Sabha, soon after Speaker Meira Kumar finished references to the nuclear attacks on Hiroshima and Nagasaki, BJP and Shiv Sena members trooped into the well raising slogans against Dikshit.

Opposition members raised slogans 'Ab toh yeh spasht hai, Sheila Dikshit Bhrasht hai (now it is clear, Sheila Dikshit is corrupt) in both Lok Sabha and Rajya Sabha.

Amid din, SP members rushed to the well in the Lok Sabha and raised the issue of fake encounters in Uttar Pradesh.

Parliamentary affairs minister P K Bansal was heard saying that if this was the stand of the Opposition the House should be adjourned for the day.

In Rajya Sabha, opposition BJP members began shouting slogans even before chairman Hamid Ansari took his seat.

As Ansari took up the questions listed for the day, BJP members started moving towards the well shouting slogans against Dikshit.

To counter the opposition attack, some ruling party members stood up holding posters alleging cost overrun and overpayment for projects in BJP-ruled Gujarat.

Ansari asked members not to show banners. "What are you doing? No banners please," he said.

As the din continued, he adjourned the house till noon, barely minutes after it met for the day.

The BJP, at its Parliamentary party meeting, had decided to demand suspension of the Question Hour to facilitate discussion on Commonwealth Games 'scam' and the privilege motion against sports minister Ajay Maken.

Recommend this article by clicking on +1:

Read More

London Riots: India, England cricketers told to stay at hotel

Instructed to stay put in their hotel rooms, Indian cricketers are watching with concern the riots which hit the city on Monday night as part of the growing unrest in London and neighbouring areas.

"We were told by the Board to remain where we were last night with instructions to restrict our movement," said team manager Anirudh Choudhry on the eve of the third Test against England.

In an email, he later said, "all the members of the Indian touring squad are safe and accounted for...the team management is keeping a close watch on the situation."

The Indian team is staying in a central city hotel as is the England team, a part of the town which was the centre of riots.

Over 200 people have been arrested so far as the police continued to grapple with trouble spreading to newer areas in London. The violence started after a person was killed allegedly in police firing.

The unrest has since spread to Birmingham as well and the Indian and English cricketers have been asked to stay indoors to avoid trouble.

Indian batsman Suresh Raina tweeted, "Good nite, every thing safe here miss you mom can't wait to see u", while England batsman Kevin Pietersen wrote: "They have just locked our hotel in Birmingham. Riots just started here. Insane!"

England bowler Tim Bresnan said on his Twitter account: "Just seen the rioters in Birmingham fleeing down the main street followed by a load of police in the full get up. What's going on?"

All-rounder Stuart Broad added on his Twitter page, "Police vans all around Birmingham where we are right now."

Former England all-rounder Andrew Flintoff also pleaded for calm in the city.

"Please stop this nonsense people, stay safe everyone," he wrote on his Twitter page.

"I think it's harsh to have a pop at the police they too are putting themselves in danger to protect us! I hope everyones behaving up north!".

Recommend this article by clicking on +1:

Read More