Mumbai Indians got much needed impetus and CSK got a wake up call before CLT20 Semis

What was thought as a day of MI going out of CLT20 2013 and CSK topping the table ? It turned out to be totally amazing day for cricket fans, as they may see Sachin Tendulkar one more time in a T20 match in semis and CSK got a wake up call again, right at the end of the tournament.

How MI cruised into semi is no wonder a one day fluke ? Because their batting clicked only in yesterday's match. Thanks Mumbai Indians have a huge bulk of biggest hitters in T20 cricket in their batting-order who alas aroused to the occasion to beat Perth Scorchers and storm into the semi-final of the Champions League. They achieved their target in just 13.2 overs, target was 150 and they needed to achieve it within 14.2 overs.

The score were: - Mumbai Indians 152 for 4 (Rohit 51*, Smith 48) beat Perth Scorchers 149 for 6 (Whiteman 51*, Coulter-Nile 3-19) by six wickets.

Trinidad & Tobago which are now the only team from outside the three countries, who have reached the semis were given direct entry to the tournament, which they justified by topping the league table by beating Chennai Super Kings. CSK once again got a wake up call towards the business end of tournament, their batting collapsed and were bowled out for only the seventh time in 117 matches. CSK set a target of 118, T&T completed the chase within 17.4 overs, which meant T&T sealed top spot in the group. 

The score were : -  Trinidad &Tobago 119 for 2 (Simmons 63, Lewis 38) beat Chennai Super Kings 118 (Raina 38, Emrit 3-21) by eight wickets

Now, CSK will be facing the tigers of their dens Rajasthan Royals who have 12-game winning streak  to be broken yet at home in the semi-finals. A nicely picking MI will take over T&T at Kotla again.

Which team do you expect to reach the finals ? Do comment here...

A clinical display saw Trinidad and Tobago beating Chennai Super Kings by eight wickets, topping Group B and booking their place in the semi-finals of the Champions League Twenty20. After restricting a strong CSK outfit to mere 118 runs, the T&T batsmen made a short work of the run chase, scoring the required runs with 29 balls to spare and ensuring their spot in the semis.

Read more at: http://ibnlive.in.com/news/cricketnext/clt20-trinidad-and-tobago-enter-semis-with-a-convincing-win-over-csk/426002-78.html?utm_source=ref_article

A LOOK AT INDIAN SQUAD FOR NZ HOME SERIES AND T20 WORLD CUP

Indian Cricket Squad for NZ Home Series and upcoming T20 World Cup has been declared. The most-awaited name was Yuvraj Singh, who earned Indian fans heart and man of the series in World Cup 2011 and his famous six sixes of Stuart Board are still lively in fans mind. So, finally Yuvraj Singh is fit and ready to come-back from cancer treatment. Yuvraj Singh seems to be getting fitter and leaner as his first international outing approaches. 

Yuvraj is back to cricket with T20 World Cup

Yuvraj has been picked to play in the two T20 matches against New Zealand next month and the World Twenty20 in Sri Lanka that follows. The fans are overwhelmed with the comeback of Yuvraj Singh. The Man of the tournament of the ICC Cricket World Cup 2011 has played the role of an all-rounder in crucial tournaments and he would be desperate to be among the runs on the Lankan soil. The dashing southpaw underwent chemotherapy in the United States before returning to India in April and was included in India's preliminary 30-man squad for the Sept 18-Oct 7 tournament in Sri Lanka.

Our very own fab-four veteran batsman VVS Laxman retained his place in the Indian Test squad for the two-match series against New Zealand, starting August 23 in Hyderabad despite his poor show in the last eight Tests in England and Australia. Sachin Tendulkar will be back in action after his two-month break, having skipped the limited overs series in Sri Lanka recently, while young batsman Cheteshwar Pujara has predictably got the nod as replacement for the retired Rahul Dravid in the longer version.

The most surprising pick has been Piyush Chawla's inclusion in T20 World Cup squad. The surprise pick certainly is leg-spinner Piyush Chawla, who last played for India in the 2011 World Cup and since then has been confined to the sidelines. Gautam Gambhir, MS Dhoni, Yuvraj Singh, Rohit Sharma, Irfan Pathan, Harbhajan Singh are the seven players who were a part of the Indian squad that won the maiden T20 World Cup organised in Johannesburg in 2007.

The announcement would have come as a huge relief for two players-Harbhajan Singh and Rohit Sharma. Bhajji went into hibernation after his struggle in the Indian Premier League where he failed both as the Mumbai Indians' skipper and as a spin bowler. The ‘Turbanator’ had earlier failed to impress in the away series in England and thus the selectors had no other choice but to drop him.

Rohit Sharma, despite his failures, has once again retained his place which could have been given to the likes of Ajinkya Rahane, Ambati Rayudu. Sharma’s body language these days is enough to suggest the kind of form he is in. The selectors could have easily replaced him with Rahane, who was the highlight of IPL 2012.

Manoj Tiwary has capitalised the few opportunities which have come his way and has been rewarded for his patience as well as consistency. While the selectors should be hailed for their decision to prioritise Tiwary over Yusuf, one might wonder if they have missed a trick by not including Ambati Rayudu. The right-hander who has been consistent for the Mumbai Indians in IPL was in contention for a place in the shorter format of the game.

But the biggest shocker has come with the selection of Piyush Chawla. One can understand that the selectors wanted a leg-spinner to add variety, but for that purpose Pragyan Ojha would have been a better choice.

Indian Cricket Team in new T20 Jersey

 First Indian Cricket will take on New Zealand as the first home series of the season - against New Zealand - beginning with the Test match at Hyderabad on August 23. The visitors will play one more Test at Bangalore before ending their tour with two T20 Internationals at Vizag and Chennai. This will be followed by the ICC World T20 Championship in Sri Lanka from September 18 to October 7. The season will continue with the visit by England and Australia before the IPL.

India Test squad: MS Dhoni (c), Virender  Sehwag, Gautam Gambhir, Sachin Tendulkar, VVS Laxman, Cheteshwar Pujara, Virat Kohli, Ravichandran Ashwin, Zaheer Khan, Pragyan Ojha, Umesh Yadav, Ajinkya Rahane, Piyush Chawla, Ishant Sharma, Suresh Raina

India T20 squad: MS Dhoni (capt/wk), Virender Sehwag, Gautam Gambhir, Virat Kohli, Yuvraj Singh, Suresh Raina, Rohit Sharma, Manoj Tiwary, Irfan Pathan, R Ashwin, Zaheer Khan, L Balaji, Piyush Chawla, Harbhajan Singh, Ashok Dinda.