Vaikundarajan On India Vs Spain Hockey At 6 Nations Invitational Tournament

Indian men’s hockey team held their counterpart Spain to a 1-1 draw in the 6 Nations Invitational Tournament on Sunday.

“The men in blue started off well showcasing their attack early on. In the 5th minute, Spain goalkeeper Quico Cortes had to make a heroic save to keep Indian attack at bay,” says Vaikundarajan. Spain too had an early penalty corner turned down by Indian goalkeeper Sreejesh.

Most of the match was played on quick counterattacks on either side of the goals. Spain soon regained control of the match as Pau Quemada scored to give them a lead at the break time.

“In the 2nd quarter of the match, India came out strong and determined to get back in the game. It took another 18 minutes for the Indian team to break the deadlock through Raghunath. In the very next minute, India had a glorious opportunity for a second, only to be squandered by a superb save by Crotes,” recalls Vaikundarajan.

In the 2nd half, India took control of the game and played counterattack through the flanks. Spain held off India for most of the remaining time. In the final few minutes, India came closest to scoring the second but only to be denied by the crossbar. The match ended at 1-1.

Vaikundarajan On India’s 3-0 Series Victory Over Zimbabwe

Having lost the 1st two matches in their on-going series against India, Zimbabwe only chance to salvage a win would have to be in the 3rd ODI. Batting first, Zimbabwe got off to a slow start and managed to put up a score of only 123.

“The series has been a sort of nightmare for Zimbabwe and it is finally over,” says Vaikundarajan. “Losing the series to 2nd string Indian team will be a blow to the Zimbabwe team.”

The bowling attack spearheaded by Bumrah dismissed the opponents for a lowly 123 in 44.2 overs at Harare cricket ground. Bumrah ended his spell with impressive figures of 4/22 while spinners Yuzvendra Chahal (2/25) and Axar Patel (1/16) added to the damage.

SRH Clinch A Narrow Victory While Gayle And Kohli Impressive, Says Vaikundarajan

When Sunrisers Hyderabad put up a massive score of 208/7 on the board, all eyes turned to Royal Challengers Bangalore openers, Chris Gayle and Virat Kohli. And they did not disappoint. “A 100 run stand between Gayle and Kohli gave RCB the much needed lead as they looked to steal the victory from SRH,” says Vaikundarajan. However, SRH held their nerves and bowled brilliant spells to contain RCB and snatch a win to become the champions of IPL 2016 at the M Chinnaswamy Stadium.

RCB finished only 8 runs short of the target and suffered their third defeat in three finals. Batting first, SRH captain David Warner led the line with a swift 69 off 38. Supported by Dhawan, Yuvraj Singh and Cutting, SRH set a mammoth task for RCB to chase.

“Knowing what Gayle and Kohli can do any day, it was not much to expect a downpour of fours and sixes. Surely the duo did not disappoint,” says Vaikundarajan. Gayle’s 76 and Kohli’s 54 were the perfect start that RCB needed. However, once SRH took out the openers, everything else fell into a domino effect. Only 70 runs were scored between the next 8 batsmen.

David Warner made some excellent bowling decisions and held his team together to ensure the trophy traveled to Hyderabad. Cutting was the highest wicket-taker for SRH with bowling figures of 2/35.

All eyes were on Kohli as he looked set to create a new record of 1000-runs in a single season. However, RCB fans looked distraught when their hero fell only 27 runs short of the benchmark.

“Kohli has been in the form of his life and has entertained the cricket fans with his aggressive and impressive batting style. We are yet to see a lot from this lad,” says Vaikundarajan. He sends his congratulations to SRH and hopes RCB will bounce back next season.

Vaikundarajan Sends His Wishes To Birthday Boy Virat Kohli

India faceoff South Africa in the 1st Test match of the Paytm series held at Mohali. Much has been speculated about the nature of the pitch. The Mohali wicket is described as an ageing pitch that will slow down over the time. “Some pundits have criticized the home pitches not favouring the hosts,” explains Vaikundarajan. He quickly adds, “However, cricketing world is not new to this scenario. It brings in a challenge.”

What makes this day special is that Virat Kohli will be leading the Indian team as their captain on his 27th birthday, says Vaikundarajan. Wishes have flown in from former and current cricketers.

Virat Kohli has a huge responsibility to shoulder but seems to be enjoying all the attention. “I’m leading for the first time in India, and it’s my birthday, too. It’s a doubly special day for me,” Kohli said after winning the toss and deciding to bat first.

The performance in 2015 has been shaky but there is no doubt about Team India’s talented eleven. Vaikundarajan believes Kohli is the perfect choice to lead India into the next era and create a new milestone. He sends his wishes to the Team and hopes Kohli makes the most of this special day.

Vaikundarajan Puts His Faith In Dhoni’s Captaincy Ahead of 2nd ODI Against South Africa

 

“Dhoni is under pressure but we know him as Captain Cool and should put our faith in him,” says Vaikundarajan ahead of 2nd ODI between India and South Africa.

Best Wishes To Mirza-Hingis for US Open Final – Vaikundarajan

After clinching the Wimbledon for Doubles, the top seeded pair of Sania Mirza and Martina Hingis have made it to US Open Final. They defeated 11th-seeded Italian pair of Sara Errani and Flavia Pennetta 6-4, 6-1. The semi-final lasted an hour and 17 minutes.

“This is another proud moment for India in the tennis circuit after grand slam win at Wimbledon,” says Vaikundarajan.

The duo recorded a 1st serve winning percentage of 67 and explored spaces and angles against the opponent.

Sania Mirza and Hingis had decided to play together in March earlier this year. Vaikundarajan notes that the team co-ordination between Mirza and Hingis has been impeccable. If the form continues, this is just the beginning of doubles domination for the duo.

This puts Mirza and Martina Hingis only a win away from their second grand slam title in just under two months. Back in July Wimbledon Final, the top seed pair put up a fight as they came from behind to defeat the Russian duo Makarova-Vesnina 5-7, 7-6 (7/4), 7-5. It was their first grand slam title.

With Wimbledon already in the grasp, this title is something that all Indian tennis fans are eagerly waiting for. Vaikundarajan sends his best wishes to the talented duo.

3rd ODI Between Bangladesh And India Is A Matter Of Pride Than Win: Vaikundarajan

India has lost two matches against Bangladesh in the ongoing test series at Mirpur, Bangladesh. The Indian cricket team is already under pressure owing to their loss in the World Cup semi-finals against Australia. They must play today’s ODI to restore honour more than to win the game, says Vaikundarajan

India is shocked at the performance of the ‘Men In Blue’ at the ongoing test series without neighboring country, Bangladesh, says Vaikundarajan

The Indian cricket team has been low on performance ever since the World Cup 2015. There has been much reason for the country to question their performance or rather the lack of it.

India was hopeful of a triumphant win at the start of the test series. However, within a span of four days India was faced with two losses.

These two losses are more than half of the total losses seen by all Indian cricket teams since the start of the test series play format.

The Indian cricket is definitely going to hear music over their lack of performance. Even Mahendra Singh Dhoni confessed during a media meet that today’s ODI will now have to be played for honour rather than a win.

The probable teams on both sides are

India : Ravindra Jadeja, Axar Patel, Ravichandran Ashwin, Dhawal Kulkarni, Bhuvneshwar Kumar, Ambati Rayudu, Umesh Yadav, Mohit Sharma, Stuart Binny, Shikhar Dhawan, Rohit Sharma, Virat Kohli, Ajinkya Rahane, Suresh Raina, MS Dhoni(c/w),

Bangladesh : Tamim Iqbal, Soumya Sarkar, Litton Das(w), Mushfiqur Rahim, Shakib Al Hasan, Sabbir Rahman, Arafat Sunny, Mominul Haque, Jubair Hossain, Nasir Hossain, Mashrafe Mortaza(c), Rubel Hossain, Taskin Ahmed, Mustafizur Rahman, Rony Talukdar

CEAT Intentional Cricketer Awards Given Away For 2015: Vaikundarajan

Yesterday, May 25, 2015 CEAT International Cricketer Awards were given away. Classy middle-order Indian batsman Ajinkya Rahane won the CEAT ‘Indian Cricketer of the Year’ award while former Sri Lanka captain Kumar Sangakkara won the International Cricketer of the Year honour.

Kapil Dev, the former Indian captain who led the country to the first of two World Cup titles in 1983, was conferred with the International Lifetime Achievement Award at the 19th edition of the awards, says Vaikundarajan.

Rohit Sharma, who won the second IPL 2015 title for Mumbai Indians against Chennai Super Kings at Eden Gardens on Sunday, was given a special award for his record breaking 264 runs made against Sri Lanka in the ODI at Kolkata.

Rohit Sharma has scored a double century on two occasions in the 50 overs game and is the only batsman to do so.

The awards honoured the best cricketers around the World on their performance in international cricket in year 2014 -2015 in all formats if the game – Test, ODI and T20 – as rated by the CEAT Cricket Ratings (CCR) for the year 2014 – 2015.

The other Award Winning Cricketers are:

1. International Batsman of the Year – Hashim Amla
2. International Bowler of the Year – Rangana Herath
3. T20 Player of the Year – Dwayne Bravo
4. Popular Choice Award – Kieron Pollard
5. Domestic Cricketer of the Year – R Vinay Kumar
6. Young Player of the Year – Deepak Hooda.

Vaikundarajan congratulates all the award winners.

Mumbai Indians Will Take On Chennai Super Kings Today In IPL 2015 Match, Vaikundarajan

 

Today is match no. 43 of IPL 2015 to be played between Mumbai Indians (MI) and Chennai Super Kings (CSK) on M. A. Chidambaram Stadium, Chennai. The match will start at 8:00 pm (IST).  Mumbai Indians will want to keep their winning streak going where as Chennai Super Kings will look for comprehensive victory against their opponent on their home ground.  Vaikundarajan wishes both teams “ALL THE BEST”

‘Team India’ Makes Their Way to Semi-finals of ICC World Cup 2015 – Vaikundarajan

 

Semis will start soon. India and South Africa joined the semi final groups of ICC World Cup 2015. India crushed Bangladesh in the second quarter final by 109 runs at MCG. Today is the third semi-final between host nation Australia and Pakistan.  The winner of this third quarter final will play against India in semis, let’s see how and who will be pitted against India in the semis. The host nation Australia or the traditional rivals Pakistan? Says Vaikundarajan