Bangalore RC is not a Test squad in T20 : Rahul Dravid

Bangalore Royal Challengers may have sunk to their fourth defeat in five matches but skipper Rahul Dravid vehemently dismissed suggestions of them being a Test side in Twenty20 jersey.

Talking to reporters after their 10-run defeat against Delhi Daredevils, Dravid refused to buy the theory that his presence, along with the likes of Wasim Jaffer and Jacques Kallis makes it look more like a Test squad than a Twenty20 outfit.

"I don't think so. Twenty20 fates are decided in an over or two. Luck, and rub of the green are factors here," said the former India captain. "And it's not that our team does not have youngsters. If there is any missing link, I think we lack that X-factor," he said.

According to Dravid, Delhi bowlers made all the difference in Wednesday’s match. "I think the difference (between the sides) were (Glenn) McGrath's wickets, both upfront and in the later stage. (Daniel) Vettori gave next to nothing in his four overs, and (V) Yomahesh bowled tight too.

"Twenty20 matches are decided in one-two overs and we needed two big overs, which we just didn't get. Chasing 10 per over, we were right on track but could not eventually make it," he rued.

Dravid also defended the ploy to open with Praveen Kumar, which fell flat on its face with the player falling in the first over itself. "Chasing 10 runs per over, we had to send our stroke-players upfront. Praveen was sent up with this idea. If he could score 15-20 quick runs, things could have changed. There was nothing wrong with the strategy," he said.

Asked why the side kept out Misbah-ul-Haq despite the Pakistani's expertise in this format of the game, Dravid said, "It was difficult fielding all the foreigners. We needed an all-rounder because our bowling was not strong, so (Jacques) Kallis played. Ross Taylor would leave now and Misbah will definitely get his chance."

Dravid is also banking on Anil Kumble's return to bolster the attack. "I hope things would improve when Anil returns. Our fifth bowlers are conceding 50-odd runs. If Anil concedes a little less, it would help the side," he added.

IPL 19th Match : Deccan Hyderabad chargers Vs Kings 11 Punjab, match preview - Live ipl scores

Buoyant after registering their first win of the tournament, the Hyderabad Deccan Chargers take on Kings XI Punjab in the Indian Premier League today with both the sides depleted due to the exit of their Australian imports.

The Chargers notched their first win in the tournament against Mumbai Indians on April 27 after losing three consecutive matches against Kolkata Knight Riders, Delhi Daredevils and Rajasthan Royals.

Captain VVS Laxman would be under considerable pressure to score on his gome turf. His highest score in the series so far has been 37.

The team will miss the services of Australian all-rounder Andrew Symonds, who has left for home to join his team for a training camp ahead of the tour of the West Indies. South African opener Herschelle Gibbs is likely to replace him.

In the absence of Symonds, retired Aussie star Adam Gilchrist, Laxman, Pakistani swashbuckler Shahid Afridi and Gibbs will shoulder the responsibility of making big scores for the team.

Gilchrist hit a scintillating century in the match against Mumbai Indians and the team banks heavily on him. Though Afridi is the highest wicket taker for the team so far, his batting has remained lackluster. Afridi's highest score in the series has been 10.

The Kings XI Punjab, meanwhile, has won two of the four matches it has played so far and looks strong with Kumar Sangakkara, Yuvraj Singh, Simon Katich and James Hopes doing well with the bat. Irfan Pathan is the highest wicket-taker for the team but Brett Lee's departure will add to the pressure on Pathan and new-ball bowler S Sreesanth.

The pitch at the Rajiv Gandhi stadium is ideal for batting and the team chasing a target is expected to have an edge. PTI

Deccan Chargers probable Team: Adam Gilchrist (wk), VVS Laxman (capt),Herschelle Gibbs, Rohit Sharma, Shahid Afridi, Sanjay Bangar, Arjun Yadav, Nuwan Zoysa, Pragyan Ojha, RP Singh, D Kalyankrishna.

Punjab probable Team: Kumar Sangakkara (wk), James Hopes, Ramnaresh Sarwan, Yuvraj Singh (capt), Mahela Jayawardene, Tanmay Srivastava, Irfan Pathan, Ajitesh Argal, Piyush Chawla, Sreesanth, VRV Singh.

IPL 18th Match : Rajasthan Royals Vs Kolkata Knight riders match preview, live ipl score

The pink city of Jaipur is all set to witness a battle of wits between Shane Warne and Sourav Ganguly when the Rajasthan Royals meet the Kolkata Knight Riders in the IPL tie at the Sawai Man Singh Stadium on Thursday.

The Rajasthan Royals, tagged underdogs before the start of the meet, are on a roll. Coach-cum-captain Shane Warne has turned the team into a well-knit side. “We are waiting for our fourth straight victory on Thursday,” Warne said. Though Warne refused to name his final eleven, Dmitri Mascarenhas, the only English cricketer in the IPL, is expected to replace Sohail Tanvir.

Warne has transformed his team from underdogs to frontrunners and hopes to continue the winning streak against the Knight Riders who have performed well below expectations in their losses to Bangalore Royal Challengers and Mumbai Indians.

There’s no doubt Sourav and Warne will hold the key to any excitement this match could generate. They will need to come good in their respective departments to make an impact.

With little time in hand to get used to scorching heat and ground conditions, the visitors may find the going tough in a day match. They are also hit by the loss of overseas players like New Zealand's Brendon McCullum and Australian skipper Ricky Ponting, who are leaving for their national assignments.

The form of Knight Riders' skipper Sourav Ganguly has also been a worrying factor and he has failed to make any impression so far. West Indian Chris Gayle apparently has also not recovered from his injury. The Knight Riders, however, will be strengthened by the inclusion of Salman Butt and Brad Hodge, their two new foreign recruits. PTI

Rajasthan probable Team: Graeme Smith, Mahesh Rawat (wk), Yusuf Pathan, Shane Watson, Mohammad Kaif, Dimitri Mascarenhas, Ravindra Jadeja, Dinesh Salunkhe, Shane Warne (capt), Siddharth Trivedi, Munaf Patel.

Kolkata probable Team: Sourav Ganguly (capt), Salman Butt, Brad Hodge, David Hussey, Mohammad Hafeez, Wriddhiman Saha (wk), Laxmi Ratan Shukla, Ajit Agarkar, Murali Kartik, Ishant Sharma, Ashok Dinda.

Time for Evaluation for Kolkata knight riders

It was a shock for the Kolkata Knight Riders at the Eden Gardens, as they lost to a determined performance from the Mumbai Indians. For the visitors, it was their 1st win of the IPL. For the hosts, it is time to evaluate their options for the next few matches as Brendon McCullum, Ricky Ponting, and David Hussey will soon leave for their respective countries. Sourav Ganguly and John Buchanan will have to draw from all their vast experience to turn the momentum back in their favor.

It's Disappointing to not win in Bangalore: Rahul Dravid

Rahul Dravid has long been known to be one of the few genuine gentlemen that the game has produced. And being one, he knows well to acknowledge a good performance even if it has come against his own team.

"Dhoni played some great shots; not much you can do if you're being hit but we could've bowled better on one side of the wicket and restricted the bad balls. He played well and you've got to give him credit for that. He finished off the innings well with Hussey. The way we bowled and fielded, we shouldn't have been chasing more than 155 or 160," said Dravid after his side lost to Chennai Super Kings.

The Bangalore Royal Challengers are lying in the lower half of the table and one does wonder how the confidence is in the side.

"It doesn't feel nice to lose but at least we were in contention today. This was the kind of game we thought we should've won. But from now on, we have to keep improving, correct our mistakes and move forward. We can't afford too many mistakes now," the Royal Challengers' skipper said.

Since the inception of the T20 format, few stars have risen and tasted fame like Pakistani batsman Misbah-ul-Haq has. With his international commitments being over, he was expected to play in the crucial clash against Chennai.

Dravid said, "It's tough to play too many foreign players because of the rule that allows teams to play only 4 of them per match. We've got many quality international players in our side but we can't fit them all in. We went in with what we thought was the best combination and I thought we got it right, just that we didn't finish the game well."

Dhoni's Super Kings have managed to astonishingly win all four of their encounters and one may attribute that to the skipper's tactical brilliance. The former Indian captain said, "I think they are playing some superb cricket, especially in the closing stages of the game. Against Mumbai they came pretty close, then against us. They looked like they were struggling at one point of time but they held their nerve. They've been able to finish close games and take it away from the opposition."

Bangalore is said to have passionate sports buffs and one has to admit that the support showered on the Royal Challengers is overwhelming. Dravid agrees, stating, "It's been a bit of a disappointment that this team hadn't been playing well in Bangalore. The crowd support has been fantastic with lots of people coming out to watch us. It was a good cricket match today. We weren't in contention in the previous two games but today we were very much in contention. Some good cricket was played by both sides, just that we ended up second best."

His personal form hasn't been up to his own high standards and experts may blame it on the format that doesn't suit his game. Knowing him to be the team man that he is, Dravid's supporters will know that he is more anxious about his team doing well than his own personal tally of runs.

IPL 1st match, Kolkata Knight riders Vs Bangalore Royal Challengers, Match Review

Brendon McCullum's murdering 158 helped the Indian Premier League on its way in remarkable fashion, as Kolkata Knight Riders walloped Bangalore Royal Challengers by 140 runs in a one-sided game on Friday night.

McCullum's score is the highest in T20 cricket, beating the previous mark by 17 runs. The short-statured but strong-armed wicketkeeper from New Zealand hit 14 sixes and 10 fours in a breathless exhibition of batting before a packed house at the Chinnaswamy Stadium.

Kolkata's score of 222-3 in seam-friendly conditions under lights was too much for Bangalore, who had chosen to field.

Bangalore Royal Challengers Embarrassed at Home turf

After Bangalore lost captain Rahul Dravid to Ishant Sharma's first ball, there started a sombre procession of wickets in an embarrassing performance where extras was the joint top scorer with 18.

It was McCullum's day from the start. He kick-started the innings in style in the second over from Bangalore's Zaheer Khan - three cross-bats for four and miscued pull that flew over third man for six set the tone.

McCullum had moved to 29 by the time his opening partner, captain Sourav Ganguly scored his first runs.

The fifty of their innings was up off the last ball of the fourth over. Ganguly fell for 10 to Zaheer, and in came Ricky Ponting. He wasted no time in moving to 20, the highlight of his innings being a trademark hook off Jacques Kallis for six.

Attacking Batting Performance

McCullum crossed 50 in 32 balls, 100 in 53 and 150 in 70 balls. Not a shot from his blade went wrong, not even the mistimed ones that flew over the fence comfortably.

The previous record for the highest score was Cameron White's 141 not out. Today, White was at the receiving end, hit by McCullum for 23 runs in his only over.

The Kiwi went into the last over on 136. Two huge sixes off the first two balls took him past the record in style.

His 14 sixes is also a record for most sixes in a T20 innings, comfortably beating Chris Gayle's 10 during his 117 that had started off the Twenty20 World Cup in similar style last year.

No Fightback from Bangalore

Kallis had been famously kept out of South Africa's T20 side last year. Today, he had the whole stage to him to prove he can be equally spectacular in this variety.

A huge six over extra cover started his innings. But he hit the very next ball to mid on.

Ajit Agarkar is making a comeback of sorts to cricket and he had a useful outing, finishing with three wickets.

With edges flying all around, Ponting's slip catching was easy on the eyes. He gobbled Wasim Jaffer and B Akhil with consummate ease.

After Bangalore were reduced to 4-24 in the sixth over, the rest of the game became a formality. Ganguly chipped in with two wickets after Ishant's fiery spell.

Pick the players without prejudice : Sourav Ganguly

Former India captain Sourav Ganguly believes age should not be a barrier to selection for the Indian squad.

The man-of-the-match at the third and final Test against South Africa in Kanpur has been at the rough end of the selection process, especially when he was dropped from the one-day squad after the Australia series.

Kokota-based southpaw Ganguly, a veteran of 106 tests, has battled his way back into the fold, believing that proves there is not a new-found obsession with youth in the selection policy.

He told the Hindu Times: "For me, the driving force was to play for India again. It helped that I was not leading the side. The best way to pick a player on performance and nothing else.

"There is no other way to judge a player. You can do it only on performance and not age. It would be wrong to call it an obsession with youth."

The 37-year-old also had a word of warning for the youngsters set to benefit from the huge contracts being handed out by the Indian Premier League.

He said: "I will tell them that money will not fetch runs or wickets. It is only performance that will count. They have to work on their cricket and judge their abilities by what they achieve, not what they earn.

"You have to do well in Tests, to do well in all forms of the game. This is a lesson I learned the first time I played in a one-day match. Nothing can match Test cricket, nothing."