Sehwag will be missed by Team India, says Gautam Gambhir

Chennai, Sep 4 (ANI): Cricketer Gautam Gambhir on Friday said that swashbuckling opener Virender Sehwag, who is sidelined due to injury, will be desperately missed by the team during the tour of Sri Lanka as well as the Champions Trophy.

"Any team will miss Sehwag (Virender Sehwag) because he was in such a form, that would have been a great advantage for any team," Gambhir said.

Gambhir said this on the sidelines of ceremony held in Chennai, where he was appointed the brand ambassador of MRF.

India has announced the squad for the Sri Lanka tri-series followed by the Champions Trophy, in which they have recalled Rahul Dravid and left out Sehwag due to his shoulder surgery.

Gambhir further sad that international cricket was all about handling pressure, and you have to continuously deliver for the team.

"When you are playing international cricket it's all about the pressure. You should know how to handle it and you should be able take that responsibility, which is very important and the responsibility only comes when the team starts expecting that you can deliver," he said.

The series in Sri Lanka, which also involves New Zealand, will be held from September 8 to 14. (ANI)

Complacency, not Pakistan, India's main threat in final

R Eswar

Dhaka, Jun 13 (PTI) Rampaging form and beleaguered opponents tilt the scale pretty much in India's favour but complacency, and not Pakistan, pose the most serious threat to Mahendra Singh Dhoni's team in the final of the cricket tri-series here tomorrow.With runs flowing from the top order blades and the bowling attack mowing down rival line-ups with regularity, Dhoni hardly had a reason to worry as his team bulldozed Bangladesh and pounded Pakistan with characteristic ruthlessness in two lop-sided league contests to storm into the final.In contrast, a depleted Pakistan reached the summit showdown not before India had inflicted on them their worst defeat against the arch-rivals.The 140-run thumping in fact had a ripple effect with a livid Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB) Chairman Nasim Ashraf shooting off a stinging e-mail to team manager Talat Ali seeking immediate explanation and questioning the team's ability, along with that of coach Geoff Lawson and the captain Shoaib Malik.And with Ashraf set to attend tomorrow's final, Malik and his teammates would surely feel the heat.In contrast, Dhoni's team has hardly put a foot wrong since their arrival here and the India captain said he was expecting the openers and new ball bowlers to give the side a good start tomorrow."I am really happy about the team performance. We have played two matches and in both ties, we had good starts both in batting and bowling. I wish the same kind of performance continues in the final against Pakistan also," Dhoni said. PTI

Raju inspired me to play for India: Ojha

Dhaka: One of the men who will be hoping for a debut in India colours is left-arm spinner Pragyan Ojha. He spoke to CNN-IBN about his experience so far in the India dressing room.

Pragyan Ojha: It's a great feeling to be a part of the Indian cricket team. Every growing cricketer always dreams of playing for the country. I think I'm lucky enough to be in the side.

Digvijay Singh Deo: When you started the season last year which ended with the IPL, did you have an inclination that this would be the year when you would break into the side, or has it come as a very pleasant surprise?

Pragyan Ojha: I have not been thinking about getting into the Indian team. I had that at the back of my mind that sometime I would make it. But I just wanted to be consistent wherever I play, and that is what my main focus was.

Digvijay Singh Deo: Now that you have come into the side and have had a couple of practice sessions, how has it been?

Pragyan Ojha: It's certainly been like a dream. But I'm just trying to do my best. We had a good practice session for a couple of days, fielding hard, batting or bowling. But I am enjoying everything.

Digvijay Singh Deo: Who is your idol?

Pragyan Ojha: Right from my childhood, it was Venkatapathy Raju. I watched him as a kid and always thought that I should play for the country like him. And it's been a blessing that I have been picked for this tour.

Source: http://www.cricketnext.com/news/raju-inspired-me-to-play-for-india-ojha/32071-14.html