M S Dhoni proves his worth - wins IPL9 encounter against last year's champions MI

M S Dhoni knows just how to deliver and, even with a new franchisee in Rising Pune SuperGiants, he showed that he is always the Boss. It was a fantastic debut for his team as it scripted a 9 wicket win over Mumbai Indians, the IPL8 champions, at the Wankhede Stadium in Mumbai to set in motion the prestigious IPL9 season.
It has been reported in indianexpress.com dated 10 April 2016.

Winning the toss, MI opted to bat first and Dhoni, the captain of the new entrant Rising Pune Supergiants, lost no time in putting his plans into action that left the MI bewildered. They kept losing wickets too fast for comfort and only three batsmen reached double figures - Harbhajan Singh (45 not out), Ambati Rayudu (22) and Vinay Kumar (12). Finally, MI wa all out for 121/8.
And, that score was overhauled in 14.4 overs by RPS - Ajinkya Rahane scored 66 not out and was declared Man of the Match.
With this win, RPS have announced their arrival but, one must remember that MI is a determined team with many big names and, in IPL8, it had lost five matched on the trot before recovering to win the trophy. This is just the start of, what promises to be, an exciting contest as always. It will keep people glued to their TV sets.


Image courtesy wikimediacommons.org

Some more interesting links -

Didi rolls out the red carpet (satire)

Moody’s cleanliness drive - free soap for all children (satire)

Lord Shiva cannot relate to today’s Shivaratri (satire)


Teenage girl jumps off moving bus in Mehsana to avoid molestation

Transgender candidate to contest against Mamata Banerjee in West Bengal polls

Japan kills 333 whales in its latest Antarctic hunt - the figure was 252 whales in 2014


ISIS claims responsibility for Brussels attack and warns Britain of more severe attacks

Tragedy in chicken eating contest in Indonesia - a competitor chokes to death

Terror attack in Ankara kills at least 37 - one suicide bomber was a 22-year-old woman

Star Wars Episode VIII to get delayed till December 2017

Antonio Banderas gifted a pair of monkeys to Salma Hayek on her birthday

Frieda Pinto talks about 'Jungle Book - Origins'

IPL8 – Mumbai win the title, Dhoni rues decision to field first

#IPL8 #IPLFinal #CSKvMI #RohitSharma #EdenGardens The IPL8 champion is Mumbai Indians who beat Chennai Super Kings by 41 runs at the Eden Gardens, Kolkata, to win the coveted trophy for the second time in the history of the IPL. With this win, MI joins KKR and CSK in having the title twice. This has been reported in timesofindia.indiatimes.com dated 25 May 2015.

The reason of why M S Dhoni chose to field first after winning the toss will never be known – it was a good batting track and was loaded with runs. But, Dhoni allowed Rohit Sharma to bat first and gifted the game away, literally.
MI hit 12 sixes (Lendl Simmons, Keiron Pollard and Ambati Rayudu hit three sixes each, Rohit Sharma hit two and Harbhajan Singh hit one) while CSK could manage to hit only 4 (Dwayne Smith, Dwayne Bravo, Suresh Raina and M S Dhoni hit one each).
The CSK bowlers were clobbered all over the field and Dhoni rued his decision. It was most unlike him because he is known to be able to judge the playing conditions fairly well. Moreover, in view of the not too good form of Mike Hussey (played only 9 balls to score 4 runs) and Pawan Negi (went for 18 runs in 2 overs and scored only 4 runs), Dhoni could have changed the team composition.
But, that is neither here nor there – the fact remains that CSK lost.
The Man of the Match award went to Rohit Sharma for his 23 ball 50.
(Image courtesy wikimediacommons.org)


A few more must reads -

Nashik Kumbhmela 2015 – a once in 12-years pilgrimage

Trip to Nashik should take in Shirdi and the Ajanta and Ellora caves

Nashik, a tourist center with links to the epic Ramayana

Nashik, a tourist center with links to the Mahabharata

Kumbhmela 2015 in Nashik – guided tours to wineries and vineyards

Nashik transforms from a place of pilgrimage to an industrial hub


Activists on kayaks protest against drilling for oil in Alaska

Disenchanted with rosy promises of a life with the ISIS, three British girls escape

Over 600 stranded migrants from Bangladesh and Myanmar rescued by local fishermen

British spy chiefs recruiting computer geeks for £27,913 to help fight terrorists, criminal gangs and hackers

Ancient 2000-year-old city of Palmyra in Syria targeted for destruction by ISIS

I become a detective to trace a missing consignment

IPL8 – Chennai beats Bangalore and enters the finals, Dhoni does it again

#IPL8 #CSKvsRCB #MikeHussey #AshishNehra Chennai Super Kings defeated Royal Challengers Bangalore at Ranchi to move ahead to the finals and their opponent now will be the Mumbai Indians – they will clash at the Eden Gardens, Kolkata. This has been reported in timesofindia.indiatimes.com dated 22 May 2015.

Dhoni won the toss and elected to bowl first and Ashish Nehra took three of the prize wickets of Virat Kohli, AB De Villiers and Dinesh Karthik to put RCB on the back foot. Hard hitting Chris Gayle hit Suresh Raina for two consecutive sixes and then gave a return catch to Raina to ensure that RCB does not get to a too big score.
It was a game more of holding ones nerves and there were dropped catches and misfielding on both side. The tension was evident from the facial expressions.
Finally the RCB could score 139 runs and it was left to CSK to score 140 to win and move on to the finals which should have been an easy task but proved difficult and dragged on to the last ball of the innings. Mike Hussey top scored with 56 runs and Dhoni added 26 runs.
Ashish Nehra was adjudged the Man of the Match.
(Image courtesy wikimediacommons.org)

A few more must reads -

Nashik Kumbhmela 2015 – a once in 12-years pilgrimage

Trip to Nashik should take in Shirdi and the Ajanta and Ellora caves

Nashik, a tourist center with links to the epic Ramayana

Nashik, a tourist center with links to the Mahabharata

Kumbhmela 2015 in Nashik – guided tours to wineries and vineyards

Nashik transforms from a place of pilgrimage to an industrial hub


Activists on kayaks protest against drilling for oil in Alaska

Disenchanted with rosy promises of a life with the ISIS, three British girls escape

Over 600 stranded migrants from Bangladesh and Myanmar rescued by local fishermen

British spy chiefs recruiting computer geeks for £27,913 to help fight terrorists, criminal gangs and hackers

Ancient 2000-year-old city of Palmyra in Syria targeted for destruction by ISIS

I become a detective to trace a missing consignment

IPL8 – Bangalore beats Rajasthan and will now face Chennai in next round

#IPL8 #RCBvsRR #MandeepSingh #ABDeVilliers After the big names like Chris Gayle and Virat Kohli failed to deliver, Royal Challengers Bangalore still managed to defeat Rajasthan Royals to set the stage for its next encounter which will be with the Chennai Super Kings.
This was made possible by two fine knocks of AB De Villiers and Mandeep Singh. De Villiers hit a fighting 66 and shared a match-winning 113-run stand with Mandeep Singh (54 not out) to enable RCB to recover from a sluggish start to post a challenging 180/4 after electing to bat.
This has been reported in timesofindia.indiatimes.com dated 20 May 2015.

In reply RR could score just 109 runs in 19 overs even though, at one time, they appeared to have had the control of the game when they had removed Chris Gayle and Virat Kohli within 8 overs. But they gave away 86 runs in the last six overs to let the game slip away. Chris Morris and James Faulkner conceded 42 runs each in their allotted overs.
AB De Villiers was named the Man of the Match.
(Image courtesy wikimediacommons.org)

A few more must reads -

Nashik Kumbhmela 2015 – a once in 12-years pilgrimage

Trip to Nashik should take in Shirdi and the Ajanta and Ellora caves

Nashik, a tourist center with links to the epic Ramayana

Nashik, a tourist center with links to the Mahabharata

Kumbhmela 2015 in Nashik – guided tours to wineries and vineyards

Nashik transforms from a place of pilgrimage to an industrial hub


Activists on kayaks protest against drilling for oil in Alaska

Disenchanted with rosy promises of a life with the ISIS, three British girls escape

Over 600 stranded migrants from Bangladesh and Myanmar rescued by local fishermen

British spy chiefs recruiting computer geeks for £27,913 to help fight terrorists, criminal gangs and hackers

Ancient 2000-year-old city of Palmyra in Syria targeted for destruction by ISIS

I become a detective to trace a missing consignment

IPL8 – poor bowling by CSK leads to loss against MI who enter the finals

#IPL8 #MIvsCSK #LendlSimmons #KeironPollard Winning the toss, Mumbai Indians did not hesitate to opt for batting at the Wankhede Stadium and, in front of the home crowd, they played havoc with the bowling attack of Chennai Super Kings. Mumbai posted an imposing total of 187 for 6 and, it turned out to be an insurmountable total for CSK.
This has been reported in timesofindia.indiatimes.com dated 19 May 2015.

This was the 3rdtime that MI has entered the finals after 2010 and 2013, and the scoring was mainly thanks to the hard hitting duo of Kieron Pollard who smashed a 17-ball-41 on the platform laid by Lendl Simmons who smashed 65 off 51 balls. Both of them hit 5 sixes each.
Chasing 188 to win, CSK were all out for 162 runs in the 19th over – they could not even play out the full quota of 20 overs!! Dwayne Smith and M S Dhoni could not open their accounts and Faf du Plessis top scored with 45.
And, for this loss, Chennai only have their bowlers to blame. They sent down a total of 8 wides and six of these were in the 19th over bowled by Mohit Sharma and 20th over bowled by Dwayne Bravo. MI jumped from 164 for 5 in the 18.5 ove185 for 6 in 19.4 overs – which means within a span of six balls, MI scored 21 runs.
The experiment with Pawan Negi failed – he went for 46 runs in his 4 overs.
(Image source wikimediacommons.org)

A few more must reads -

Nashik Kumbhmela 2015 – a once in 12-years pilgrimage

Trip to Nashik should take in Shirdi and the Ajanta and Ellora caves

Nashik, a tourist center with links to the epic Ramayana

Nashik, a tourist center with links to the Mahabharata

Kumbhmela 2015 in Nashik – guided tours to wineries and vineyards

Nashik transforms from a place of pilgrimage to an industrial hub


Activists on kayaks protest against drilling for oil in Alaska

Disenchanted with rosy promises of a life with the ISIS, three British girls escape

Over 600 stranded migrants from Bangladesh and Myanmar rescued by local fishermen

British spy chiefs recruiting computer geeks for £27,913 to help fight terrorists, criminal gangs and hackers

Ancient 2000-year-old city of Palmyra in Syria targeted for destruction by ISIS

I become a detective to trace a missing consignment

M S Dhoni and Virat Kohli want to skip Bangladesh tour

#IPL8 #bangladeshtour #ViratKohli #mirpur It is reported that both M S Dhoni and Virat Kohli have requested BCCI to be excluded from the team that would be going to Bangladesh for another round of cricket. As per the tentative schedule – there would be a one-off Test at Fatullah from June 10-14. That will be followed by a best-of-three ODI series from June 18-24 – all of these matches would be played at Mirpur and there would be one reserve day each.
This has been reported in cricbuzz.com dated 15 May 2015.

The IPL season is coming to an end in another weeks’ time. Indian cricketers had been fully engaged in the past several months with tours abroad in England and Australia-New Zealand followed by the 2015 Cricket World Cup. It is but natural that tiredness has set in and the players would like to have some time off to spend with their families. MS Dhoni has already announced retirement from Test cricket and Virat Kohli has been named the new captain. He had led the team in Australia after Dhoni's announcement at the conclusion of the third Test at Melbourne. However, he also wants to be excused from the Bangladesh tour.
Bangladesh cricket were minnows but, today, it is on the upswing and, in case India decides to send a No 2 team, it would reflect poorly on the commitment of Indian cricket to the cause of the game.
The selectors would decide on the team on 20 May.
(Image source wikimediacommons.org)

A few more must reads -

Nashik Kumbhmela 2015 – a once in 12-years pilgrimage

Trip to Nashik should take in Shirdi and the Ajanta and Ellora caves

Nashik, a tourist center with links to the epic Ramayana

Nashik, a tourist center with links to the Mahabharata

Kumbhmela 2015 in Nashik – guided tours to wineries and vineyards

Nashik transforms from a place of pilgrimage to an industrial hub


Activists on kayaks protest against drilling for oil in Alaska

Disenchanted with rosy promises of a life with the ISIS, three British girls escape

Over 600 stranded migrants from Bangladesh and Myanmar rescued by local fishermen

British spy chiefs recruiting computer geeks for £27,913 to help fight terrorists, criminal gangs and hackers

Ancient 2000-year-old city of Palmyra in Syria targeted for destruction by ISIS

I become a detective to trace a missing consignment

IPL8 – Mumbai seals playoff spot by beating Hyderabad with 37 balls to spare

#IPL8 #SRHvsMI #MitchellMcClenaghan #indiakatyohar Electing to bat first after winning the toss, Sun Risers Hyderabad could manage to score only 113 runs and Mumbai Indians chased it down with 37 balls to spare for the loss of one wicket. By virtue of this win, MI jumps up to 2nd position in the pints table and will face Chennai Super Kings for the Qualifier 1 which will be played in Mumbai.
This has been reported in timesofindia.indiatimes.com dated 17 May 2015.

SRH were put on the defensive when they lost both their openers in the first overs itself – Shikhar Dhawan (1) and skipper David Warner (6) fell to consecutive balls. The destruction was by left-arm pacer Mitchell McClenaghan (3/16) who was ably assisted by left-arm spinner Jagadeesha Suchith (2/14) and Lasith Malinga (2/17).
With SRH out for 113, MI openers Parthiv Patel and Lendl Simmons did not have to bother. They played freely and Parthiv remained not out on 51 off 37 balls while Simmons missed his 50 by 2 runs – he made 48 off 44 balls.
Third-placed Royal Challengers Bangalore will meet Rajasthan Royals in the eliminator at Pune on Wednesday. Obviously, the India ka tyohar is in its closing stages with IPL8 and there will suddenly be a big void in the lives on millions of cricket fans across the globe.
(Image courtesy wikimedia.org)

A few more must reads -

Nashik Kumbhmela 2015 – a once in 12-years pilgrimage

Trip to Nashik should take in Shirdi and the Ajanta and Ellora caves

Nashik, a tourist center with links to the epic Ramayana

Nashik, a tourist center with links to the Mahabharata

Kumbhmela 2015 in Nashik – guided tours to wineries and vineyards

Nashik transforms from a place of pilgrimage to an industrial hub


More than 200 Nigerian schoolgirls kidnapped last year by Boko Haram have vanished

Journey to freedom – 5800 migrants rescued from the Mediterranean

Indonesian smugglers stuff yellow-crested cockatoos into plastic bottles to get past customs

Engineering graduate of Hyderabad goes astray, dies because of links with ISIS

Dozens of corpses found in bamboo cages in Thai human trafficking camp

Quick tour of Delhi by ITDC bus

IPL8 – Chennai defeats Punjab at Mohali to retain the top of the table position

#IPL8 #CSKvsKXIP #fafduplessis #pawannegi #sureshraina Chennai Super Kings retained their winning momentum and defeated Kings XI Punjab convincingly to remain on top of the points table scoring 18 points in 14 matches. KXIP won the toss and elected to bat first and Wriddhiman Saha (15) quickly hit a six and a four but fell to the guiles of diminutive left-arm spinner Pawan Negi.
This has been reported in timesofindia.indiatimes.com dated 16 May 2015.

It was the spinners Pawan Negi (2/25 in 4 overs), Ravichandran Ashwin (1/14 in 4 overs) and Ravindra Jadeja (1/18 in 3 overs) who gave away a total of only 57 runs to capture 4 wickets.
CSK managed to restrict Kings XI Punjab to 130/7 in 20 overs and getting it was like chicken feed to CSK batsmen. Faf du Plessis (55, 41 balls) and Suresh Raina (41 no, 34 balls) added 92 runs for the third wicket to lay the foundation of a victory that was achieved in just 16.5 overs.
By finishing on top of the table, CSK will play the first qualifier and, in case they lose, will get another chance when they will face the winner of the 'Eliminator' between teams placed third and fourth.
(Image courtesy wikimediacommons.org)

A few more must reads -

Nashik Kumbhmela 2015 – a once in 12-years pilgrimage

Trip to Nashik should take in Shirdi and the Ajanta and Ellora caves

Nashik, a tourist center with links to the epic Ramayana

Nashik, a tourist center with links to the Mahabharata

Kumbhmela 2015 in Nashik – guided tours to wineries and vineyards

Nashik transforms from a place of pilgrimage to an industrial hub


More than 200 Nigerian schoolgirls kidnapped last year by Boko Haram have vanished

Journey to freedom – 5800 migrants rescued from the Mediterranean

Indonesian smugglers stuff yellow-crested cockatoos into plastic bottles to get past customs

Engineering graduate of Hyderabad goes astray, dies because of links with ISIS

Dozens of corpses found in bamboo cages in Thai human trafficking camp

Quick tour of Delhi by ITDC bus

IPL8 – Rajasthan defeats Kolkata to move up to No 2 position

#IPL8 #RRvsKKR #ChrisMorris #ShaneWatson Riding on a century by Shane Watson and the wonderful spell of 4 for 23 by Chris Morris, the Rajasthan Royals defeated the defending champions Kolkata Knight Riders by 9 runs at the Brabourne Stadium in Mumbai. RR thus go into the playoffs.
This has been reported in timesofindia.indiatimes.com dated 17 May 2015.

RR won the toss and opted to bat first and the opening pair of Shane Watson and Ajinkya Rahane (37) put on 80 runs before Rahane was run out attempting a second run when there was none. Shane Watson hit five sixes and nine fours in his 59 ball blitz of 104 not out.
RR finally posted 199 for the loss of 6 wickets and KKR had to score at the rate of 10 runs per over.
But, KKR began on a dismal note losing Gautam Gambhir in the first over itself. But, they had hard hitting batsmen like Yusuf Pathan and Andre Russell in their midst. They did their best but Pathan fell to Watson for 44 and Russell fell to Morris for 37. The KKR innings ultimately ended at 190 for 9.
With this win, RR climb up the ladder to No 2 position – they have 16 points from 14 games.
(Images courtesy wikimediacommons.org)

A few more must reads -

Nashik Kumbhmela 2015 – a once in 12-years pilgrimage

Trip to Nashik should take in Shirdi and the Ajanta and Ellora caves

Nashik, a tourist center with links to the epic Ramayana

Nashik, a tourist center with links to the Mahabharata

Kumbhmela 2015 in Nashik – guided tours to wineries and vineyards

Nashik transforms from a place of pilgrimage to an industrial hub


More than 200 Nigerian schoolgirls kidnapped last year by Boko Haram have vanished

Journey to freedom – 5800 migrants rescued from the Mediterranean

Indonesian smugglers stuff yellow-crested cockatoos into plastic bottles to get past customs

Engineering graduate of Hyderabad goes astray, dies because of links with ISIS

Dozens of corpses found in bamboo cages in Thai human trafficking camp

Quick tour of Delhi by ITDC bus

IPL8 – Bangalore dislodges Kolkata from No 2 position in rain affected match

#IPL8 #SRHvsRCB #ChrisGayle #ViratKohli #DavidWarner It was a terribly rain affected match between Royal Challengers Bangalore and Sun Risers Hyderabad. The match was initially reduced to an 11-over match but, by the time RCB came to bat, the revised target was 81 in 6 overs. And, thanks to brilliant batting by Virat Kohli and Chris Gayle, they reached the target with one ball to spare.
This is reported in timesofindia.indiatimes.com dated 16 May 2015.

RCB defeated SRH by 6 wickets and, by virtue of this win, RCB moves up to 2nd spot in the points table dislodging KKR, the defending champions to No 3 position based on the net run rate.
Batting first, SRH posted a total of 135 for 3 in 11 overs – David Warner remained not out with 52 and with Moises Henriques (57), they put up a fairly good score because RCB would have to score at over 12 runs per over.
But, Duckworth-Lewis decided that RCB should score 81 runs in 6 overs – which works out to a rate of little over 13 per over.
And, when batsmen like Kohli and Gayle ae at the crease, anything can happen. Kohli remained not out with 44 in 19 balls while Gayle made 35 in 10 balls – both of them hit three sixes!! (Image courtesy wikimediacommons.org)

A few more must reads -

Nashik Kumbhmela 2015 – a once in 12-years pilgrimage

Trip to Nashik should take in Shirdi and the Ajanta and Ellora caves

Nashik, a tourist center with links to the epic Ramayana

Nashik, a tourist center with links to the Mahabharata

Kumbhmela 2015 in Nashik – guided tours to wineries and vineyards

Nashik transforms from a place of pilgrimage to an industrial hub


More than 200 Nigerian schoolgirls kidnapped last year by Boko Haram have vanished

Journey to freedom – 5800 migrants rescued from the Mediterranean

Indonesian smugglers stuff yellow-crested cockatoos into plastic bottles to get past customs

Engineering graduate of Hyderabad goes astray, dies because of links with ISIS

Dozens of corpses found in bamboo cages in Thai human trafficking camp

Quick tour of Delhi by ITDC bus

IPL8 – Mumbai upsets Kolkata’s applecart, win by 5 runs at Wankhede

#IPL8 #Hardik #KKRvsMI #KieronPollard It was a thrilling last over win by the Mumbai Indians at the Wankhede Stadium when they beat the defending champions Kolkata Knight Riders by 5 runs. Sent in to bat first by KKR who won the toss, MI managed to post a total of 171 runs for the loss of 4 wickets, thanks to a 61 not out by Hardik Pandya. He scored at will and took only 31 balls for his 61 with 8 fours and 2 sixes.
This has been reported in zeenews.india.com dated 15 May 2015.

At one time, MI was at 47 for 3 and, thanks to Kieron Pollard and Pandya they made a fantastic recovery – Hardik Pandya struck Umesh Yadav for four fours in the 17th over and reached his half century with a six in 25 balls.
KKR, in reply, managed to score 166 for loss of 7 wickets – Yusuf Pathan top scored with 52 and, with him going out in the last over, MI was set to win.
With this win, Mumbai Indians have moved into the top four in the points table and have hopes of being in the playoffs. (Image courtesy wikimediacommons.org)

A few more must reads -

Nashik Kumbhmela 2015 – a once in 12-years pilgrimage

Trip to Nashik should take in Shirdi and the Ajanta and Ellora caves

Nashik, a tourist center with links to the epic Ramayana

Nashik, a tourist center with links to the Mahabharata

Kumbhmela 2015 in Nashik – guided tours to wineries and vineyards

Nashik transforms from a place of pilgrimage to an industrial hub


More than 200 Nigerian schoolgirls kidnapped last year by Boko Haram have vanished

Journey to freedom – 5800 migrants rescued from the Mediterranean

Indonesian smugglers stuff yellow-crested cockatoos into plastic bottles to get past customs

Engineering graduate of Hyderabad goes astray, dies because of links with ISIS

Dozens of corpses found in bamboo cages in Thai human trafficking camp

Quick tour of Delhi by ITDC bus

IPL8 – RCB lose to KXIP by 22 runs, courtesy Duckworth-Lewis

#IPL8 #Wriddhiman #KXIPvRCB #Mohali It was a rain affected match at Mohali where the home team Kings XI Punjab got the better of the visiting Riyal Challengers Bangalore by 22 runs, courtesy Duckworth-Lewis. This has been reported in timesofindia.indiatimes.com dated 14 May 2015.

RCB won the toss and send in KXIP to bat. Batting first, Kings XI Punjab posted 106 for 6 in 10 overs with Wriddhiman Saha hitting 31 runs off only 12 balls. Considering the changed playing conditions of the game which started nearly 3-hours after the scheduled time, Saha was promoted as opener. He did not disappoint his captain. He launched an all-out attack from ball one and, a quickfire innings from David Miller (14 off 4) and Axar Patel (20* off 15) put KXIP in a comfortable position.
In reply, RCB could score only 84/6 even though they began with a flying start scoring 33 runs in 2.5 overs but, Anureet Singh scalped Virat Kohli for 19 and Chris Gayle soon left after scoring 17. Axar Patel got the wicket of AB de Villiers (10) and Dinesh Karthik (2) fell to Beuran Hendricks. For RCB, Mandeep Singh was the top scorer and, RCB finally fell short by 22 runs.
Due to this loss, RCB moves down to 5th position on the points table.
(Image courtesy wikimediacommons.org)

A few more must reads -

Nashik Kumbhmela 2015 – a once in 12-years pilgrimage

Trip to Nashik should take in Shirdi and the Ajanta and Ellora caves

Nashik, a tourist center with links to the epic Ramayana

Nashik, a tourist center with links to the Mahabharata

Kumbhmela 2015 in Nashik – guided tours to wineries and vineyards

Nashik transforms from a place of pilgrimage to an industrial hub


More than 200 Nigerian schoolgirls kidnapped last year by Boko Haram have vanished

Journey to freedom – 5800 migrants rescued from the Mediterranean

Indonesian smugglers stuff yellow-crested cockatoos into plastic bottles to get past customs

Engineering graduate of Hyderabad goes astray, dies because of links with ISIS

Dozens of corpses found in bamboo cages in Thai human trafficking camp

Quick tour of Delhi by ITDC bus

IPL8 – listless batting dooms Chennai Super Kings – Delhi Daredevils win by 6 wickets

#IPL8 #DDvCSK #ShreyasIyer #ZaheerKhan It was listless batting that let down the table toppers Chennai Super Kings in their encounter at the Shaheed Veer Narayan Singh International Stadium, Raipur, as reported in zeenews.india.com dated 12 May 2015.

CSK won the toss and elected to bat and Faf du Plessis top scored with 27 runs while M S Dhoni could manage only 27 runs. Others like Dwayne Bravo, Pawan Negi and Ravindra Jadeja failed to reach double figures. There were only three sixes hit by a side known for hard hitting. Obviously, it was one of the most pathetic shows by CSK.
Anyway, for the Delhi Daredevils, Zaheer Khan was the demolisher – he took 2 for 9 runs in his 4 overs – his victims were the prized scalps of Brendon McCullum and M S Dhoni.
It was a well-disciplined bowling show by DD and it all began with the first over being a maiden bowled by Shahbaz Nadeem.
Chasing the small target of 120, DD began precariously – they lost two quick wickets of opener Quinton de Kock (3) and Captain Jean-Paul Duminy (6) cheaply and were 24 for 2. However, Shreyas Iyer with 70 not out and Yuvraj Singh (32) ensured a win for DD with hopes of a playoff berth not being ruled out.

A few more must reads -

Nashik Kumbhmela 2015 – a once in 12-years pilgrimage

Trip to Nashik should take in Shirdi and the Ajanta and Ellora caves

Nashik, a tourist center with links to the epic Ramayana

Nashik, a tourist center with links to the Mahabharata

Kumbhmela 2015 in Nashik – guided tours to wineries and vineyards

Nashik transforms from a place of pilgrimage to an industrial hub


More than 200 Nigerian schoolgirls kidnapped last year by Boko Haram have vanished

Journey to freedom – 5800 migrants rescued from the Mediterranean

Indonesian smugglers stuff yellow-crested cockatoos into plastic bottles to get past customs

Engineering graduate of Hyderabad goes astray, dies because of links with ISIS

Dozens of corpses found in bamboo cages in Thai human trafficking camp

Quick tour of Delhi by ITDC bus

IPL8 – CSK beat RR by 12 runs to once again prove that they have the firepower

#IPL8 #CSKvsRR #RavindraJadeja #BrendonMcCullum It was a home game for Chennai Super Kings but, at one time, it appeared that the score of 157 for 5 that they had put up might not have been enough. But, Ravindra Jadeja rose to the occasion to scalp 4 wickets for just 11 runs to defeat Rajasthan Royals by 12 runs and allow CSK to regain the No 1 spot in the points table.
Mohit Sharma (3/25) also bowled a good spell and added to the miseries of Rajasthan Royals.
This has been reported in zeenews.india.com dated 11 May 2015.

MS Dhoni won the toss and opted to bat first but when Dwayne Smith and Suresh Raina returned to the dugout with the score at 15 for 2 in the 4th over, it meant trouble ahead. However, Brendon McCullum smashed a quick-fire 81 and in the company of Faf du Plesis (29) steadied the ship with a 101-run stand for the third-wicket.
However, RR bowler Chris Morris (3/19) produced a brilliant display with the ball and managed to restrict CSK to a modest 157 for five.
Chasing this apparently achievable target, Rajasthan's innings just fell apart after a steady start by Ajinkya Rahane (23). He and Shane Watson (28) shared 37 runs for the opening wicket before disaster struck in the form of Mohit Sharma when he scalped Rahane.
Samson (26 off 17), James Faulkner (16 off 13) and Chris Morris (16 not out off 10) made useful contributions but Dwayne Bravo (2/43) got two wickets towards the end to snuff out any opposition.

A few more must reads -

Nashik Kumbhmela 2015 – a once in 12-years pilgrimage

Trip to Nashik should take in Shirdi and the Ajanta and Ellora caves

Nashik, a tourist center with links to the epic Ramayana

Nashik, a tourist center with links to the Mahabharata

Kumbhmela 2015 in Nashik – guided tours to wineries and vineyards

Nashik transforms from a place of pilgrimage to an industrial hub


More than 200 Nigerian schoolgirls kidnapped last year by Boko Haram have vanished

Journey to freedom – 5800 migrants rescued from the Mediterranean

Indonesian smugglers stuff yellow-crested cockatoos into plastic bottles to get past customs

Engineering graduate of Hyderabad goes astray, dies because of links with ISIS

Dozens of corpses found in bamboo cages in Thai human trafficking camp

Quick tour of Delhi by ITDC bus

IPL8 – it was a de Villiers one-man show as RCB routs MI to climb to 4th spot

#IPL8 #RCBvsMI #ABdeVilliers #ViratKohli #Gayle Royal Challengers Bangalore have real good hitters in their midst and, when Chris Gayle fails to deliver, A B de Villiers emerges as the hero to sweep away the opposition. He scored 133 runs in just 59 balls and, in the company of captain Virat Kohli who chipped in with an unbeaten 82 runs, put up a huge score of 235 runs for the loss of only one wicket – that of Gayle.
A B de Villiers hit four sixes and 19 fours in his total of 133 and it was a one-man show with Kohli playing second fiddle as reported in timesofindia.indiatimes.com dated 10 May 2015.

The stand of 215 in 102 balls is, now, an all-time IPL record partnership. It has overtaken the earlier best of 206 between Adam Gilchrist and Shaun Marsh and they had put it up against RCB while they played for Kings XI Punjab in 2011 at Dharamsala.
The Mumbai Indians did stage a fight of sorts but fell short by 39 runs and, with this win, RCB move up to the 4th spot in the points table. RCB still has three games in hand and appear to be well-poised to enter the play-offs. It was a disappointment for the Mumbai crowd at the Wankhede Stadium and, if Harbhajan Singh had not dropped de Villiers when he was on 6, things might have been different but then, T20 does not believe in ifs and buts, its all about here and now.

A few more must reads -

Nashik Kumbhmela 2015 – a once in 12-years pilgrimage

Trip to Nashik should take in Shirdi and the Ajanta and Ellora caves

Nashik, a tourist center with links to the epic Ramayana

Nashik, a tourist center with links to the Mahabharata

Kumbhmela 2015 in Nashik – guided tours to wineries and vineyards

Nashik transforms from a place of pilgrimage to an industrial hub


More than 200 Nigerian schoolgirls kidnapped last year by Boko Haram have vanished

Journey to freedom – 5800 migrants rescued from the Mediterranean

Indonesian smugglers stuff yellow-crested cockatoos into plastic bottles to get past customs

Engineering graduate of Hyderabad goes astray, dies because of links with ISIS

Dozens of corpses found in bamboo cages in Thai human trafficking camp

Quick tour of Delhi by ITDC bus

IPL8 – Sun Risers Hyderabad beat Delhi Daredevils to move up to 4th position

#IPL8 #SRHvsDD #KedarJadhav # BhuvaneshwarKumar The venue of Raipur was the second home of Delhi Daredevils and a new one and no one knew how the pitch would behave but, winning the toss, SRH elected to bat first. However, Moises Henriques put on an unbeaten 74 to allow SRH to post 163 for four in 20 overs as reported in zeenews.india.com dated 10 May 2015.

Later, the bowling of wily and crafty Bhuvaneshwar Kumar ensured that Delhi Daredevils lose by 6 runs and Sun Risers Hyderabad move up the points table to 4th position and remain in the hunt for the playoffs.
It was a disappointment for Delhi players Kedar Jadhav (63 not out) and Saurabh Tiwary (26 not out) who had tried to stave off the inevitable with a 91-run unbeaten stand.
Kedar Jadhav hit 63 not out in 34-balls – his score comprised 8 fours and 2 sixes. In company pf Sourav Tiwary the duo raised hopes of a successful run chase with a good-looking fifth wicket stand but just could not finish off.
With 22 needed in the last two overs, Bhuvneshwar Kumar bowled a near-perfect penultimate over by conceding just 6 runs. Then came Ishant Sharma who kept a tight leash on his bowling and never allowed Delhi Daredevils to get the 16 runs off the final 6 deliveries even though his first ball had been hit for a boundary.

A few more must reads -

Nashik Kumbhmela 2015 – a once in 12-years pilgrimage

Trip to Nashik should take in Shirdi and the Ajanta and Ellora caves

Nashik, a tourist center with links to the epic Ramayana

Nashik, a tourist center with links to the Mahabharata

Kumbhmela 2015 in Nashik – guided tours to wineries and vineyards

Nashik transforms from a place of pilgrimage to an industrial hub


More than 200 Nigerian schoolgirls kidnapped last year by Boko Haram have vanished

Journey to freedom – 5800 migrants rescued from the Mediterranean

Indonesian smugglers stuff yellow-crested cockatoos into plastic bottles to get past customs

Engineering graduate of Hyderabad goes astray, dies because of links with ISIS

Dozens of corpses found in bamboo cages in Thai human trafficking camp

Quick tour of Delhi by ITDC bus

IPL8 – Kolkata’s thrilling win over Punjab dislodges Chennai from the top

#IPL8 #KKRvsKXIP #EdenGardens #AndreRussell #PiyushChawla It was a thrilling encounter at the Eden Gardens as the defending champions Kolkata Knight Riders snatched a victory from Kings XI Punjab with one ball to spare as reported in timesofindia.indiatimes.com dated 9 May 2015.

It was the brilliant performance of Andre Russell who smashed the joint fastest fifty of the season and Piyush Chawla who struck 18 with an all-important six off Anureet Singh to take KKR to the target of 184 and eventually winning with one ball left.
With this win, KKR moves to the top of the points table dislodging Chennai Super Kings. Andre Russell was adjudged the Man of the Match.
This win was a huge relief because KKR were, at one time, in dire straits when the score was 83 for 4 and the required run-rate had was more than 12. At that time, KKR still needed 98 runs from the last eight overs.
That is when Russell came on the scene. In the company of and Yusuf Pathan (29) they added 53 runs from 25 balls for the fifth wicket to turn the match around. Later, Piyush Chawla added 18 runs in with two fours and a six to ensure the win. He is known as a bowler but, on this occasion, he proved his usefulness with the bat also.

A few more must reads -

Nashik Kumbhmela 2015 – a once in 12-years pilgrimage

Trip to Nashik should take in Shirdi and the Ajanta and Ellora caves

Nashik, a tourist center with links to the epic Ramayana

Nashik, a tourist center with links to the Mahabharata

Kumbhmela 2015 in Nashik – guided tours to wineries and vineyards

Nashik transforms from a place of pilgrimage to an industrial hub


More than 200 Nigerian schoolgirls kidnapped last year by Boko Haram have vanished

Journey to freedom – 5800 migrants rescued from the Mediterranean

Indonesian smugglers stuff yellow-crested cockatoos into plastic bottles to get past customs

Engineering graduate of Hyderabad goes astray, dies because of links with ISIS

Dozens of corpses found in bamboo cages in Thai human trafficking camp

Quick tour of Delhi by ITDC bus

IPL8 – poor show by Chennai at home against Mumbai, still CSK at the top

#IPL8 #CSKvMI #AmbatiRayudu #HardikPandya It was undoubtedly a poor show by Chennai Super Kings at their home ground when they lost to Mumbai Indians by 6 wickets in a match that CSK should have won comfortably. This has been reported in timesofindia.indiatimes.com dated 8 May 2015.

First it was the batsmen who could manage only 158 runs when they could have got at least 180. Then came several dropped catches followed by bowling in the last 3 overs that saw sixes splattered all over the grounds – thanks to Ashish Nehra and Pawan Negi.
Ashish Nehra is the topmost wicket taker in IPL8 and has the Purple Cap but when he is his for two sixes in the 17th over, obviously the team suffers. In that over Nehra conceded 17 runs!!
The return of injured Ashwin paid dividends because he removed both the MI openers quickly but thanks to an unbeaten 34-run knock by Ambati Rayudu, who was given wonderful support by Hardik Pandya (21*) ensured a win for Mumbai in the 19.2 overs.
Pandya hammered Pawan Negi for three sixes in the penultimate over in which Negi conceded 25 runs. Of course, Negi, the Delhi based cricketer, proved useful with the bat – he smashed four fours and a six in quick time to score 36 runs off 17 balls.
The culprits for the dropped catches were Faf du-Plessis, Ravinder Jadeja. CSK continues to hold the No 1 spot in the points table and, with others gradually creeping up the table, one hopes that CSK will continue to hold the pride of place.

A few more must reads -

Nashik Kumbhmela 2015 – a once in 12-years pilgrimage

Trip to Nashik should take in Shirdi and the Ajanta and Ellora caves

Nashik, a tourist center with links to the epic Ramayana

Nashik, a tourist center with links to the Mahabharata

Kumbhmela 2015 in Nashik – guided tours to wineries and vineyards

Nashik transforms from a place of pilgrimage to an industrial hub


More than 200 Nigerian schoolgirls kidnapped last year by Boko Haram have vanished

Journey to freedom – 5800 migrants rescued from the Mediterranean

Indonesian smugglers stuff yellow-crested cockatoos into plastic bottles to get past customs

Engineering graduate of Hyderabad goes astray, dies because of links with ISIS

Dozens of corpses found in bamboo cages in Thai human trafficking camp

Quick tour of Delhi by ITDC bus

IPL8 – Hyderabad beat Rajasthan to move up the points table

#IPL8 #RRvsSRH #ShikharDhawan #Brabourne Sun Risers Hyderabad kept their play-off hopes alive by pulling off a well-deserved seven-run victory over Rajasthan Royals – Hyderabad now have 10 points from 10 matches and four matches remain. The contest went to the wire at the Brabourne Stadium in Mumbai as reported in timesofindia.indiatimes.com dated 7 May 2015.

SRH won the toss and elected to bowl first and with Shikhar Dhawan (54) and Eoin Morgan (68 off 28 balls), they managed to put up a 200 plus score (201 for 4 in 20 overs) which put pressure on the RR batsmen from the word go.
For Rajasthan Royals, their in-form batsman Ajinkya Rahane (8) went out cheaply but there were others who wanted to pull off this match. The superb knock from Steve Smith (68) brought them back in contention. Subsequently, there was a late-order recovery from James Faulkner (30), Sanju Samson (21) and Chris Morris (34 not out). One got an impression that RR would retain their superiority but that did not happen and the hosts lost by 7 runs.
Incidentally, when RR won the toss and elected to bowl first, there was a feeling among exerts that it was not a correct decision – RR should have elected to bat first. And the fears were proved.

A few more must reads -

Nashik Kumbhmela 2015 – a once in 12-years pilgrimage

Trip to Nashik should take in Shirdi and the Ajanta and Ellora caves

Nashik, a tourist center with links to the epic Ramayana

Nashik, a tourist center with links to the Mahabharata

Kumbhmela 2015 in Nashik – guided tours to wineries and vineyards

Nashik transforms from a place of pilgrimage to an industrial hub

EU realizes the curse of plastic carry bags – to banish the bags

100 cities in India would turn into Smart Cities

Pet Pomeranians of Surat married off, 500 wedding guests enjoy the feast

Woman kills her husband because of his dark complexion

Baltimore on fire as protest over death of a black youth in police custody spirals out of control

‘Papri’ and ‘Barood’ - collection of Bengali short stories published from Nashik

British Army wants computer whizzkids to counter the growing menace of ISIS propaganda

IPL8 – Chris Gayle hits 12 sixes in his 57 ball 117 to blow away the Kings XI Punjab

#IPL8 #RCBvsKXIP #ChrisGayle #Bangalore It was an unbelievable show that Chris Gayle put up with his bat at the Chinnasawmy Stadium in Bangalore when he hit 12 sixes to score a 57 ball 117 runs to help RCB amass a huge score of 223 for the loss of 3 wickets.
He was dropped twice, first time when he was on 27 and then again when he was on 53 and the Kings XI Punjab paid a heavy price for their lapses. They lost by 138 runs and this was second biggest win in the history of IPL. The record is held by the 14-run victory by Kolkata Knight Riders over Royal Challengers Bangalore in the 2008 edition.
This has been reported in timesofindia.indiatimes.com dated 6 May 2015.

This massive win helped Bangalore to jump to 3rd spot overtaking Kolkata and Mumbai based on run rate. RCB has certainly improved their chances to make the playoffs – they now have 11 points from 10 matches.
Chris Gayle completed 3000 runs in IPL with a single off Anureet in the eighth over and is the fourth player do so. He was finally caught and bowled by spinner Axar Patel and was adjudged Man of the Match.

A few more must reads -

Nashik Kumbhmela 2015 – a once in 12-years pilgrimage

Trip to Nashik should take in Shirdi and the Ajanta and Ellora caves

Nashik, a tourist center with links to the epic Ramayana

Nashik, a tourist center with links to the Mahabharata

Kumbhmela 2015 in Nashik – guided tours to wineries and vineyards

Nashik transforms from a place of pilgrimage to an industrial hub


Durga Puja - priest dancing with devotee (YouTube video)


EU realizes the curse of plastic carry bags – to banish the bags

100 cities in India would turn into Smart Cities

Pet Pomeranians of Surat married off, 500 wedding guests enjoy the feast

Woman kills her husband because of his dark complexion

Baltimore on fire as protest over death of a black youth in police custody spirals out of control

‘Papri’ and ‘Barood’ - collection of Bengali short stories published from Nashik

British Army wants computer whizzkids to counter the growing menace of ISIS propaganda