Short ball worries for beleaguered Ponting during World Cup
By ANIFriday, February 11, 2011
BANGALORE - Riding high on the expectation of fans, India captain MS Dhoni refused to say whether his fast bowlers would target Ricky Ponting with short balls during the World Cup, increasing the pressure on beleaguered Australian skipper.
Dhoni was coy when asked if India’s pace attack, led by Zaheer Khan, would be instructed to bowl short to Ponting to test out his injured left little finger, should the Australian captain be selected, declaring: “We’ll see about the strategy later.”
Australia will have only two days’ training at the M. Chinnaswamy Stadium to decide if Ponting, along with Steve Smith and Brad Haddin, are fit enough to play in the tour opener.
In the 20 minutes Dhoni spent facing 100 or so journalists yesterday, he was asked no fewer than five times about the “disaster” that was India’s humiliating exit a week into the 2007 World Cup, The Age reports.
India is emphatically a cricket-loving country but its affection is strongly tied to success. Dhoni was part of the Indian squad that recorded only a solitary win last time around - against Bermuda - with losses to Bangladesh and Sri Lanka.
“Well, what was I doing for the past three-and-half years? A lot of hype is always created for a World Cup, but every series the Indian cricket team plays they have a lot of expectation,” he said.
“It’s just that with the World Cup happening, we are supposed to win. The atmosphere was quite the same when we went to the 2007 World Cup. Expectation will always be there,” Dhoni added. (ANI)
|Richard Gere ‘to replace Al Pacino in ‘Arbitrage’|Entertainment[London{London, Feb 11 (ANI): Richard Gere is apparently set to take over Al Pacino’s role in ‘Arbitrage’.
According to Deadline.com, Pacino dropped out of his part as a hedge fund manager selling off his empire in the upcoming thriller, and Gere is the main contender to replace him, reports the Daily Express.
The movie also stars Susan Sarandon and Bond girl Eva Green.
It begins shooting in New York in April 2011 and is due for 2012 release. (ANI)
