Sreesanth

Full name Shanthakumaran Sreesanth
Born February 6, 1983, Kothamangalam, Kerala
Current age 23 years 18 days
Major teams India, Kerala, Kerala Under-19s
Also known as Gopu
Batting style Right-hand bat
Bowling style Right-arm fast-medium

For three seasons, S Sreesanth was hardly anything more than an answer to a trivia question - who is the only Kerala bowler to have taken a Ranji Trophy hat-trick ? His rise, though, was rapid, and since he played for a weak side, unnoticed. Not too many bowlers get selected for the Duleep Trophy in their first season, like Sreesanth did in 2002-03 after snapping up 22 wickets in his first seven games. His progress was halted owing to a hamstring injury in the following year, but he returned stronger, with a more side-on action and increased pace and a superb display in the Challenger Trophy, in 2005, propelled him to the national squad for the Sri Lanka series.


Harbhajan suspended after 'slap'

With so much cricket played these days it is often difficult to keep track of who is who and what they are doing. In a new weekly feature Cricinfo will take a look at one player who is making the news, whether at the highest level or an aspiring talent, and tell you what they are all about. This week, it's the turn of India's new star, S Sreesanth
When India's new-found left-arm pace attack let it all slip after a rollicking start in the third Test against Pakistan at Karachi, the fans were crying out for variety. Sreesanth, always in the reckoning for the one-dayers following an impressive start against Sri Lanka last year, broke the monotony, rolling his right arm and bagging six wickets in the series, four of which were snared in a Karachi pitch which looked as dead as the 'dead rubber' encounter. His pace, coupled with his studious demeanour may be far from frightening. Neither is his gentle delivery stride. What is rather disconcerting for the batsman, however, is his ability to swing the ball late and generate sudden movement off the pitch. The frequent dropped catches by his colleagues at Multan notwithstanding, at Karachi Sreesanth had announced his arrival.

He represents the new breed of Indian cricketers who hail from far-flung regions, which in the past have been given the cold shoulder as far as talent-spotting is concerned. Incidentally, Kerala, his homestate, is revered for its sporting culture and has produced several Olympian athletes but has sadly had a dearth of international-quality cricketers. Sreesanth was to change all that. Early on, he took to legspin, modelling his action on Anil Kumble. However, his pace and penchant for slipping the frequent yorker compelled him to take up fast bowling, encouraged by his elder brother. When his predecessor from Kerala, Tinu Yohanan earned a selection to the National Cricket Academy in 2000, Sreesanth worked harder at his craft, making it to the MRF Pace foundation in Chennai. Success followed almost immediately, making his first-class debut in the 2002-03 domestic season, bagging 22 wickets in just seven matches and meriting a selection in the Duleep Trophy squad in the same season.

In October 2003, he had a chance to impress the selectors in a tour match against the visiting New Zealand side at Rajkot. However, he was laid low by a hamstring pull which saw him bowl just 12 overs, taking one wicket. There was speculation as to why he missed five Ranji Trophy games that season, despite travelling and training with the side. The grapevine had it that an astrologer convinced him to take a break for the sake of his longevity in the game. However, Sreesanth flatly denied this claim, stating that he was training just to regain fitness.

He entered the record books the following season, taking a hat-trick against Himachal Pradesh, the first such feat by a Kerala bowler. Back home, he was nicknamed `The Prince of hat-tricks.' National recognition didn't follow till the Challenger Trophy in 2005, when he played for India B. To start with, his name drew more attention than his skills. There was confusion whether to address him as Sreesanth or S Santh, as shown in scorecards (He later insisted on being called by his first name, ie Sreesanth). But, with an entire nation desperately wishing Sachin Tendulkar to rediscover his touch after a long layoff, here, ironically, was Sreesanth's great opportunity to become a giant-killer. The ball jagged in, trapping Tendulkar right in front, and the minute the finger went up, he had acquired his passport to national colours. Timeline

November 2002 - Ranji Trophy debut against Goa
March 2003 - Duleep Trophy debut for South Zone
October 2003 - Plays tour match against visting New Zealand team. Bowls 12 economical overs and takes the wicket of Craig McMillan. Suffers hamstring pull.
November 2004 - Takes a hat-trick against Himachal Pradesh in the Ranji Trophy, the first by a Kerala cricketer.
October 1 2005 - Irani Trophy debut.
October 13 2005 - Wins the Man-of-the-Series award in the Challenger Trophy with 7 wickets, the joint highest wicket taker with Murali Kartik.
October 25 2005 - ODI debut against Sri Lanka at Nagpur. Takes 2 wickets
February 19 2006 - Takes best bowling figures in ODIs - 4 for 58 against Pakistan at Karachi.


What he says

"For a start, I never expected to get the new ball. I didn't think I'd even play. Then for Rahul bhai (Dravid) to ask me to open the bowling with Irfan (Pathan) was incredible. Since I've got a large percentage of my wickets with yorkers, my friends suggested I start with one. I almost got Salman Butt in the first match at Peshawar."

What they say

Javagal Srinath, after the third ODI at Multan

"What impressed me most was his attitude. For someone who was ill and down the previous day, he played the game with verve. It's an irony in cricket that often when a player is coming out of a niggling injury or a brief illness, he puts up a performance which is above expectations."

Moin Khan

"To me, the find of the series for India has undoubtedly been Sreesanth and irrespective of what happens, this lad has the ability to go a long way and serve his country with merit and distinction."

What you may not know


Sreesanth is an accomplished dancer and was once a national break-dance champion while in the eighth grade. His favourite entertainer is....well Michael Jackson. His folks back home wouldn't have been surprised to see him shake a leg after taking a wicket in Karachi. In an interview to reporters he said, "People recognise me. When I was on stage, I used to do all silly things to be in the limelight. I love dancing."


Sreesanth's talents and ability were recognised in other sports as well, namely, football, table tennis and hockey. Though hailing from the south, Sreesanth speaks Hindi with a distinct North Indian twang. Hindi aside, he also speaks Malayalam, English and Tamil. He is also a student of psychology and an avid reader.


Known for his guts and spontaneity, once as a student, Sreesanth couldn't resist the urge to meet Sachin Tendulkar. Stopped by a security guard, he managed to bluff his way in, saying that Tendulkar had paid for his scholarship. Little did he know that few years later, he would grab Sachin's wicket to earn national selection.

Ashok Dinda

Ashok Dinda


Full name Ashok Bhimchandra Dinda

Born March 25, 1984, Medinipur, Calcutta (now Kolkata), Bengal
Major teams India, Bengal, East Zone, Kolkata Knight Riders
Batting style Right-hand bat Bowling style Right-arm medium-fast

Hailing from the village of Naichanpur, about three hours from Kolkata, Ashok Dinda was spotted by a coach in Kolkata after bowling a few overs in the nets. The coach, Atal Dev Burman, asked him to stay back and hone his talents. After a stint with Kalighat club and the Australian Institute of Sport, Dinda made his first-class debut for Bengal in the 2005-06 season. He was a regular member of the side that reached the final of the Ranji Trophy the next season, although his performance with the ball wasn't that impressive, with 16 wickets in eight matches at 54.56. He was a late addition to the Kolkata Knight Riders' squad for the inaugural season of the Indian Premier League in 2008, and shone in the league opener in Bangalore. In September he was awarded a place in the Rest of India squad for the Irani Trophy - a match meant to include Test probables for the Australia series, the following month. His first India call-up was for the Twenty20s against Sri Lanka in 2009 and his maiden international wicket was that of Sanath Jayasuriya.
Ashok Dinda's talent was spotted by a coach in Kolkata after bowling a few overs in the nets. The coach, Atal Dev Burman, asked him to stay back and hone his talents. After a stint with Kalighat club and the Australian Institute of Sport, he made his first-class debut for Bengal in the 2005-06 season. He was a regular member of the side that reached the final of the Ranji Trophy the next season, although his performance with the ball wasn't that impressive, with 16 wickets in eight matches at 54.56. He was a late addition to the Kolkata Knight Riders' squad for the inaugural season of the Indian Premier League in 2008, and shone in the league opener in Bangalore. In September he was awarded a place in the Rest of India squad for the Irani Trophy - a match meant to include Test probables for the Australia series, the following month.
Ashok Dinda
Ashok Dinda was named in the Israel bound India A Squad which will play three limited overs match against the Israel, players made the side on the basis of his impressive performance in the Indian Premier League.

Sudeep Tyagi

Sudeep Tyagi
Full name Sudeep Tyagi

Born September 19, 1987, Ghaziabad, Uttar Pradesh
Major teams India, Chennai Super Kings, Uttar Pradesh
Batting style Right-hand bat
Bowling style Right-arm medium

A tall, lean, lively seamer, Sudeep Tyagi burst into the Indian domestic scene with a ten-wicket haul on debut and his roaring success was a sign of things to come, as he finished the Ranji season with 41 wickets, the highest by any bowler across the two leagues. Tyagi's progression to the top was meteoric as he was spotted by the Uttar Pradesh captain Mohammad Kaif at the nets and handed an opportunity in the big league, after the seamer Shalabh Srivastava had drifted into the ICL. He followed his debut heroics with a nine-wicket haul against Andhra and was instrumental in getting UP to the Ranji final. Unfortunately, he suffered a stress fracture to the back and had to withdraw from the IPL, after being named in the Chennai Super Kings squad. Having recovered, he made his way into the India A side for the home series against Australia A and New Zealand A. He finally made his IPL debut the following season in South Africa and his signature moment was the peach of a delivery which castled AB de Villiers. A lively opening spell in the Challenger Trophy final, which sunk India Blue, earned him a national call-up for the ODIs against Australia at home in 2009.

Sudeep Tyagi is emerging on the cricket arena as a promising young talent who has impressed the Indian fans as well as cricket experts. His performance in the domestic tournaments
is outstanding sending positive signals to national team selectors. He took 41 wickets in the Ranji Trophy and emerged as the highest wicket-taker.

Tyagi got an opportunity to play for the League when Shalabh Sriwvastav joined the India Cricket
league. But unluckily he got fracture and couldn’t play for the Indian Premier League despite he was selected in the Chenai team. After heeling, he went to Australia to represent Indian A team.
Sudeep Tyagi
He was born in 1987 and at this young age he may prove a great prospect for the Indian National Team. He is a medium pace right-handed bowler and a good batsman as well. He played for the Uttar Pardesh team against Orissa. During his debut in that match, he grabbed six wickets that lead the team towards the success. As far as his batting was concerned, he could not enter in to double figures until third match of the tournament. He also participated in Duleep Trophy and Vijay Hazare Trophy and proved himself as an emerging talent.

As far as Tyagi’s Physical structure is concerned, he is thin, tall and effective with a lot of energy and enthusiasm. He has great resemblance with Praveen Kumar but he is faster than him. He is being seen as great emerging talent to fortify bowling squad of the UP team with other promising bowlers e.g. Praveen Kumar, R.P. Singh.

Rookie India pacer Sudeep Tyagi wants to forget Feroz Shah Kotla pitch fiasco in his debut match against Sri Lanka and eyeing some impressive performance in the forthcoming tour of Bangladesh.

Tyagi scalped Sri Lankan skipper Kumar Sangakkara and gave away just 15 runs in 6.3 overs before the one-dayer was abandoned because of dangerous pitch.

"I was quite disappointed with the incident because my international career did not start the way I wanted. I was bowling quite well in the match and my economy rate was also not bad when the game was abandoned after 23.3 overs," Tyagi said.

"But I have left the incident behind and now gearing to produce some good performance in Bangladesh. I am going there with the hope of making a fresh beginning of my career and am very confident about making a mark," the 22-year-old added.

In Bangladesh, Mahendra Singh Dhoni's men will play a Tri-series, also involving Sri Lanka, before taking the hosts in two Test matches.
.......Back

Ashish Nehra

Ashish Nehra Statistics
Born: 29 April 1979, Delhi
Major Teams: Delhi, India.
Known As: Ashish Nehra
Batting Style: Right Hand Bat
Bowling Style: Left Arm Medium Fast

Profile:
Ashish Nehra's selection for the Asian Test Championship match against Sri Lanka at Colombo in February 1999 came as a surprise for he was then in the midst of his second first class season and had done little to suggest he was ready for the highest level. With Javagal Srinath resting a sore shin, Nehra was named to the squad and he sneaked ahead of Laxmi Ratan Shukla into the playing eleven. Still two months short of his twentieth birthday, the leftarmer trapped Marvan Atapattu leg before in his third over for his only success.

Nehra has been in sensational form in the 2000-01 first class season, grabbing 36 wickets at 12.83 in five games for Delhi in the zonal league. In the Duleep Trophy, he played a generous hand in North Zone's title triumph with 14 wickets at less than 20 apiece, including figures of 7/14 against East Zone at Guwahati. Having been named in the 25 probables for the Test series against Australia, Nehra is clearly bracing to slip back imminently into the national team.

Test Debut: India v Sri Lanka at Colombo, Asia-Test, 1998/99
ODI Debut: India v Zimbabwe at Harare, Coca-Cola Cup (Zimbabwe), 2001




Indian media salutes Nehra's six-wicket burst
27 February 2003
NEW DELHI, Feb 27 - Left-arm bowler Ashish Nehra's match-winning six for 23 against England on Wednesday has been hailed by the Indian media as one of the great one-day spells.

The lanky New Delhi bowler, who almost missed the match due to an ankle injury, bowled India to an 82-run victory over England in their World Cup Group A match to stay on course for a place in the tournament's Super Six stage.

"Nehra began the day sitting in the dressing room, waiting for his fitness test... He ended it with six wickets for 23, the third-best bowling figures in World Cup history," the Indian Express said in an article headlined: "Ashish Wednesday".

Left-armer Zaheer Khan and the experienced Javagal Srinath also contributed in a rare display of top-class pace bowling for India, traditionally known to rely on spin.

"Nehra bowled 10 inspired, lethal overs in one single spell to destroy England almost single-handed and to redefine the face of Indian cricket: roll over batsmen, the pace attack is winning matches," the Indian Express added.

Large pictures of Nehra, who had never taken more than three wickets in a one-day match before Wednesday, were splashed on all the leading dailies.

"Rarely has one seen an Indian opening attack, spearheaded by Ashish Nehra's chilling, searing spell, bowl with the kind of venom, speed, movement and accuracy as they did under floodlights at Kingsmead," said the Hindustan Times.

In an article headlined "Nehra lives a dream, England a nightmare", the paper added: "The way England played and missed, they might has well have been facing the wrath of a (Dennis) Lillee or a (Jeff) Thomson."

India now have 16 points from five matches, with an encounter against traditional rivals Pakistan on Saturday.

England, with 12 points, will have to beat world champions Australia in their last group match on Sunday to stay in the hunt for a berth in the next stage.

Robin Uthappa

Robin Uthappa
India
Player profile
Full name Robin Venu Uthappa
Born November 11, 1985, Coorg, Karnataka
Current age 21 years 313 days
Major teams India, India Under-19s, Karnataka, Reebok XI
Batting style Right-hand bat
Bowling style Right-arm medium
Fielding position Wicketkeeper

Aiyudda Robin Uthappa born 11 November 1985 in Kodagu, Karnataka) is an Indian cricketer. A son of an international hockey referee, he made his one-day international debut in the seventh and final match of the English tour of India in April 2006. He had a successful debut, making 86 as an opening batsman before being run out. It was the highest score for any Indian debutant in a limited overs match.

Uthappa first came to the public's attention when he made 66 for India B against India A in the Challenger Trophy in 2005. The following year, in the same tournament, Uthappa made matchwinning 93-ball 100 against the same team which propelled him in the big league. Previously, he had been a member of the India under-19 team that won the Asia Cup. Once a wicketkeeper-batsman, his List A batting average of near 40 with a strike rate of approximately 90 has made him regarded as something of a limited overs cricket specialist.

He was recalled to the ODI side in January 2007 for the series against the West Indies where he smashed a 70 from just 41 balls.

He has been recently selected in the 15 member squad of the Indian Cricket team for the ICC Cricket World Cup 2007 to be held in West Indies in this March-April.

Tall and robust Robin Uthappa, the son of Venu, an international hockey referee, scored heavily in the Ranji Trophy till he could not be kept out of the Indian one-day team any longer. Although his initial record in domestic cricket - a first-class average of 32 from 20 matches with just one hundred - was modest he plundered 854 runs in 7 Ranji matches in 2006-07 to top the batting charts. At one time a wicketkeeper-batsman, Uthappa has since given up the big gloves to concentrate on batting, and now occasionally bowls mediumpace.

Uthappa first came to the public's attention when he made 66 for India B against India A in the Challenger Trophy in 2005. The following year, in the same tournament, Uthappa made matchwinning 93-ball 100 against the same team which propelled him in the big league. Previously, he had been a member of the India under-19 team that won the Asia Cup. Once a wicketkeeper-batsman, his List A batting average of near 40 with a strike rate of approximately 90 has made him regarded as something of a limited overs cricket specialist.


As a batsman he has always been attractive to watch, hard-hitting, with every shot in the book, unafraid to hit the ball in the air. A useful member of the India under-19 team that won the Asia Cup, Uthappa first caught the eye when he made a brilliant 66 in a losing cause for India B against India A in the Challenger Trophy in Mumbai in 2005 against an attack that included Zaheer Khan, Murali Kartik and RP Singh. But it was in the subsequent edition of the same tournament, in Mohali in 2006, where he cracked a matchwinning 93-ball 100 for India B against an India A team that had seen a ton from VVS Laxman, that Uthappa really arrived in the big league. It won him a place instead of Virender Sehwag in the final one-dayer against England early in 2006, and he capitalised with a well-paced 86 at Indore. His next two outings were less spectacular, but time is on his side. After a spell out of the team Uthappa got a chance in the sixth ODI against England at The Oval. A nerveless unbeaten 47 off only 33 balls helped India seal a rousing win, and, for the moment, his place in the Indian team.

Sep 19, 2007
Batting and fielding averages
Mat Inns NO Runs HS Ave BF SR 100 50 4s 6s Ct St
ODIs 14 13 1 409 86 34.08 396 103.28 0 4 59 7 8 0
Twenty20 Int. 4 3 0 56 50 18.66 45 124.44 0 1 5 2 0 0
First-class 35 60 2 2410 162 41.55 6 14 33 0
List A 48 46 3 1655 160 38.48 1801 91.89 3 12 21 0
Twenty20 13 12 0 247 50 20.58 189 130.68 0 1 2 0

Bowling averages
Mat Balls Runs Wkts BBI BBM Ave Econ SR 4 5 10
ODIs 14 0 0 0 - - - - - 0 0 0
Twenty20 Int. 4 0 0 0 - - - - - 0 0 0
First-class 35 150 74 2 1/7 37.00 2.96 75.00 0 0 0
List A 48 0 0 0 - - - - - 0 0 0
Twenty20 13 0 0 0 - - - - - 0 0 0

Ramesh Powar

Ramesh Powar Statistics
Full Name: Ramesh Rajaram Powar
Born: 20 May 1978, Bombay (now Mumbai), Maharashtra
Major Teams: Mumbai.

Batting Style: Right Hand Bat
Bowling Style: Right Arm Off Break
A stocky offspinner who is more than handy with the bat, Ramesh Powar had a huge role to play in Mumbai’s Ranji Trophy success in the 2002-03 season. His 20 wickets with his flighted stuff was useful enough, but even more crucial was the runs he contributed. He never batted higher than No. 7 – sometimes going in as low as No. 10 – but ended up as the second-highest scorer for Mumbai in the tournament, with 418 runs at more than 46. More importantly, a bulk of those runs came with his team in strife. Powar started off as a carefree striker, but has learnt the benefits of grinding a big score. His performances for Mumbai in 2002-03 were enough to warrant a place among the 36 probables for the following season. However, Powar needs to bring in more variations to his bowling, and develop more consistency in his batting, to progress to a higher grade.

Mohammad Kaif

Mohammad Kaif Statistics
Born: 1 December 1980, Allahabad, Uttar Pradesh
Major Teams: Uttar Pradesh, Leicestershire, India.
Known As: Mohammad Kaif
Batting Style: Right Hand Bat
Bowling Style: Right Arm Off Break

Profile:
Immensely gifted, Mohammad Kaif's inclusion in the Indian team against South Africa was widely welcomed. During the last couple of years he has impressed not only with his stylish strokeplay and steely temperament which has seen him perform well under pressure, but also with his agile fielding. As skipper of the victorious Indian under-19 side in the World Cup in Sri Lanka in January 2000, Kaif also proved himself to be a skillful captain. He came up through the ranks representing the under-19 team against Sri Lanka in 1999 (earning handsome praise from the coach, K Srikkanth) and then playing with much success for the India A team on the tour of West Indies early in 2000.

But it was his showing in the under-19 World Cup that brought him into national reckoning. This was followed by two superb knocks of 90 and 93 in the Challenger Trophy Series - performances that saw him edge that much closer to the India cap. He did not exactly fail in his only Test against a rampaging South African side. A stint at the National Cricket Academy and a training trip to Australia played a major role in furthering the cricketing education of Kaif. A series of high scores in the domestic circuit followed and this saw him drafted into the Indian one-day side where his useful batting and athletic fielding have made him an indispensable member.(



Test Debut: India v South Africa at Bangalore, 2nd Test, 1999/00
Latest Test: India v Sri Lanka at Colombo (SSC), 3rd Test, 2001

ODI Debut: India v England at Kanpur, 4th ODI, 2001/02
Latest ODI: India v Australia at Johannesburg, World Cup, 2002/03

First-class debut for Uttar Pradesh, Ranji Trophy, 1997-98.

Represented India in the MTN Under 19 World Cup, South Africa, 1998.