Gambhir to tie the knot after IPL

Gautam Gambhir is set to join the club of married men. The India cricketer, who had got engaged recently at a private ceremony, will tie the knot after the Indian Premier League. Sources said preparations for the wedding are already underway and that both the families are waiting for the World Cup a
nd the IPL to get over.

One of Gambhir's close friends confirmed that the cricketer's marriage to Natasha Jain has been fixed after the IPL and added that both the families knew each other for long. Gambhir's soon to be father-in-law, Ravindra Jain, is one of North India's well-known industrialists.

Television -- last resort for Bollywood's heroines?

The news that Preity Zinta had taken up a television show was nothing short of a shocker. While some may say this clearly meant film offers had become few and far in between, the bubbly actress says she's just using the time she has before the IPL begins.

Preity, who's hosting Guinness World Records Ab India Todega, recently clarified in a magazine interview, 'I didn't want to take up anything that would clash with IPL. I want to give undivided attention to the IPL but that wouldn't be possible if I signed a movie at this time.'

Whatever her reason, Preity is not alone in following this trajectory. Increasingly, Bollywood's actresses are turning to television once their filmi careers start petering out. We start with Preity herself:

Preity Zinta

Although this dimpled beauty gained recognition early on with her Liril ad, she ventured into films much later with Kya Kehna (her first release, however, was Shah Rukh Khan's Dil Se).

After witnessing a meteoric rise with films like Kal Ho Na Ho and Koi... Mil Gaya, she took a couple of missteps with the disastrous Jhoom Barabar Jhoom and Heroes. Her decision to take up films like Main aur Mrs Khanna, Dil Ne Jise Apna Kaha and Jaan-E-Man did not help matters.

Preity turned to alternative cinema but, unfortunately, The Last Lear and Heaven On Earth didn't help her career.

Her film with Shiney Ahuja, Har Pal, ran into trouble when Shiney was charged with (and convicted) with raping his domestic help. Three years on, it is yet to see the light of the day.

Now, Preity devotes all her free time to her IPL team, Kings XI Punjab.

IPL 2011 Schedule and Teams

IPL 2011 is scheduled to start in first week of april . It should begin a few days after World cup ends. Lalit Modi has been sacked and 2 teams which very removed are back again now after court intervention ( Rajasthan Royals and Kings XI Punjab ) . Kochi cricket team has come out of all problems.Now it looks as if 10 teams are going to play. So the number of matches are going to be increased.
Need more information?
Ask Sudhir Rawat a follow up question

Teams : Chennai Super Kings, Deccan Chargers, Delhi Daredevils, Mumbai Indians, Rajasthan Royals, Royal Challengers Bangalore, Team Kochi, Team Pune, King XI Punjab, Kolkara Knight Riders.

Apr 8 Chennai v Kolkata Chennai 8 PM

Apr 9 Hyderabad v Rajasthan Hyderabad 4 PM

Apr 9 Kochi v Bangalore Kochi 8 PM

Apr 10 Delhi v Mumbai Delhi 4 PM

Apr 10 Pune v Punjab Navi Mumbai 8 PM

Apr 11 Kolkata v Hyderabad Kolkata 8 PM

Apr 12 Rajasthan v Delhi Jaipur 4 PM

Apr 12 Banglore v Mumbai Banglore 8 PM

Apr 13 Pune v Kochi Navi Mumbai 4 PM

Apr 13 Punjab v Chennai Mohali 8 PM

Apr 14 Hyderabad v Banglore Hyderabad 8 PM

Apr 15 Mumbai v Kochi Mumbai 4 PM

Apr 15 Delhi v Kolkata Delhi 8 PM

Apr 16 Chennai v Banglore Chennai 4 PM

Apr 16 Hyderabad v Punjab Hyderabad 8 PM

Apr 17 Rajasthan v Kolkata Jaipur 4 PM

Apr 17 Pune v Delhi Navi Mumbai 8 PM

Apr 18 Kochi v Chennai Kochi 8 PM

Apr 19 Delhi v Hyderabad Delhi 4 PM

Apr 19 Banglore v Rajasthan Banglore 8 PM

Apr 20 Mumbai v Pune Mumbai 4 PM

Apr 20 Kolkata v Kochi Kolkata 8 PM

Apr 21 Punjab v Rajasthan Mohali 8 PM

Apr 22 Mumbai v Chennai Mumbai 8 PM

Apr 23 Kolkata v Rajasthan Kolkata 4 PM

Apr 23 Delhi v Punjab Delhi 8 PM

Apr 24 Hyderabad v Mumbai Hyderabad 4 PM

Apr 24 Rajasthan v Kochi Jaipur 8 PM

Apr 25 Chennai v Pune Chennai 8 PM

Apr 26 Delhi v Bangalore Delhi 8 PM

Apr 27 Pune v Chennai Navi Mumbai 4 PM

Apr 27 Kochi v Hyderabad Kochi 8 PM

Apr 28 Kolkata v Punjab Kolkata 4 PM

Apr 28 Rajasthan v Mumbai Jaipur 8 PM

Apr 29 Bangalore v Pune Bangalore 8 PM

Apr 30 Kochi v Delhi Kochi 4 PM

Apr 30 Mumbai v Punjav Mumbai 8 PM

May 1 Rajasthan v Pune Jaipur 4 PM

May 1 Chennai v Hyderabad Chennai 8 PM

May 2 Delhi v Kochi Delhi 8 PM

May 3 Hyderabad v Kolkata Hyderabad 8 PM

May 4 Chennai v Rajasthan Chennai 4 PM

May 4 Pune v Mumbai Navi Mumbai 8 PM

May 5 Kochi v Kolkata Kochi 4 PM

May 5 Hyderabad v Delhi Hyderabad 8 PM

May 6 Bangalore v Punjab Bangalore 8 PM

May 7 Kolkata v Chennai Kolkata 4 PM

May 7 Mumbai v Delhi Mumbai 8 PM

May 8 Bangalore v Kochi Bangalore 4 PM

May 8 Punjab v Pune Mohali 8 PM

May 9 Rajasthan v Chennai Jaipur 8 PM

May 10 Punjab v Mumbai Mohali 4 PM

May 10 Hyderabad v Pune Hyderabad 8 PM

May 11 Rajasthan v Banglore Jaipur 8 PM

May 12 Chennai v Delhi Chennai 8 PM

May 13 Kochi v Punjab Indore 8 PM

May 14 Mumbai v Hyderabad Mumbai 4 PM

May 14 Bangalore v Kolkata Bangalore 8 PM

May 15 Punjab v Delhi Dharamsala 4 PM

May 15 Kochi v Rajasthan Indore 8 PM

May 16 Kolkata v Mumbai Kolkata 8 PM

May 17 Pune v Hyderabad Pune 8 PM

May 18 Punjab v Banglore Dharamsala 4 PM

May 18 Chennai v Kochi Chennai 8 PM

May 19 Pune v Kolkata Pune 8 PM

May 20 Mumbai v Rajasthan Mumbai 8 PM

May 21 Punjab v Hyderabad Dharamsala 4 PM

May 21 Delhi v Pune Delhi 8 PM

May 22 Bangalore v Chennai Bangalore 4 PM

May 22 Kolkata v Rahasthan Kolkata 8 PM

May 24 Qualifier 1 Mumbai 8 PM

May 25 Eliminator Mumbai 8 PM

May 27 Qualifier 2 Chennai 8 PM

May 28 Final Chennai 8 PM

Kirsten may coach Mumbai Indians from next IPL season

After his successful stint with Team India, coach Gary Kirsten’s next assignment could be with the Mumbai Indians in the Indian Premier League (IPL).

According to sources, Kirsten will not be joining the Sachin Tendulkar-led team this season, but he has been lined up for the job next year.

The Mumbai Indians have already engaged former South African pacer Shaun Pollock as their mentor-cum-bowling coach this season. “MI are in touch with Kirsten and he may join the team next year,” a source told TOI.

Kirsten has already given his resignation letter to the cricket board, but sources said the players were still trying to get him to change his mind.

Kings XI Punjab Vs Royal Challengers Bangalore Live IPL 2011 Stream Free KXIP Vs RCB T20 Score

Kings XI Punjab VS Royal Challengers Bangalore (KXIP V RCB) IPL 2011 Live T20 Cricket Streaming, Score, and Schedule : The 63rd Match of DLF IPL 2011 Kings XI Punjab VS Royal Challengers Bangalore (KXIP V RCB) Twenty 20 match is scheduled to be played on 17 May 2011 at 20:00 time at Dharmasala Stadium.
You can watch live T20 cricket stream broadcast on Sony, Network 10, Sky Network, Setanta Sports, ART Prime Sport, Willow TV, SuperSport, Geo Super, CBN and ATN Cricket Plus TV Channels worldwide on IPL2011LiveStream.Co.CC.
Teams: Kings XI Punjab VS Royal Challengers Bangalore (KXIP V RCB)
Tournament: IPL 2011 Twenty 20
Date: 17 May 2011
Time (IST): 20:00
Live TV Coverage: Sony Max
You can also see Kings XI Punjab VS Royal Challengers Bangalore (KXIP V RCB) live stream p2p HD coverage webcast on Youtube, justin tv P2P , ustream, freedocast, vshare Sopcast too.
Kings XI Punjab:Adam Gilchrist, Stuart Broad, Piyush Chawla, Ryan Harris, David Hussey, Dinesh Karthik, Praveen Kumar, Shaun Marsh, Dimitri Mascarenhas, Abhishek Nayar, Nathan Rimmington
Royal Challengers Bangalore:AB de Villiers , Tillakaratne Dilshan , Nuwan Pradeep , Mohammad Kaif , Zaheer Khan , Virat Kohli , Charl Langeveldt , Abhimanyu Mithun , Dirk Nannes Luke , Pomersbach , Cheteshwar Pujara , Rilee Rossouw , Saurabh Tiwary , Johan van der Wath , Jonathan Vandiar , Daniel Vettori

Rain in Chandigarh (Mohali) Weather Report, Temperature for India Pakistan Semi Final

Rain in Chandigarh (Mohali) Weather Report, Temperature for India Pakistan Semi Final' Cricket mania has touched to a feverish pitch in Mohali as it gears up to stage the eagerly-awaited World Cup semifinal clash between India and Pakistan and even the ruckus over ticket sales has failed to dampen the fans’ enthusiasm.

The Wagah-Attari border has been flooded by fans on either side of the border that raised slogans in support of their nations while at Mohali, last evening a cultural programme was organized on Indian side and cricket fans from Amritsar danced there. During the retreat ceremony at the Wagah -Attari border yesterday, a huge gathering of fans of the two countries was seen waving flags of their nations. While two teams will face each other on Wednesday foolproof tight security has been put in place.

Multi-layered security has been put around the stadium, including the Special Protection Group, National Security Guard, Central and State police forces. Mohali’s Senior Superintendent of Police, GPS Bhullar said that watertight security arrangements are there.

Prime Ministers of India and Pakistan besides a host of VVIPs will be watching the match. Anti-aircraft guns will be placed strategically and NSG commandos will join a large number of security personnel to guard the stadium, which will be primarily taken over by the elite SPG. With the arch-rivals facing each other after a long gap as bilateral action between the two nations had been suspended in the wake of Mumbai terror attacks in 2008, cricket mania has been touching new heights with each passing moment.

Fans from Pakistan have also started to reach at Mohali. Pakistan Cricket Board official Tariq Haqim arrived with his wife and son Ibrahim. Pakistani citizens are seen everywhere in Mohali and Chandigarh while many of them has emotional relationship with Punjab due to their past.

Everybody wants to rush to Mohali to watch the match, such is the craze among the fans about this match. With hotel rooms in Chandigarh and Mohali and much beyond having been fully booked, some local residents in a noble gesture have thrown open their houses for the Pakistani guests.Chandigarh has nearly 1500 hotel rooms and all are booked.

India vs Pakistan Semi Final Match 2011 at Mohali Stadium

Pakistan fan gestures during the Cricket World Cup 2011 quarter-final match between Pakistan and the West Indies in Dhaka.

India vs Pakistan World Cup Semi Final Match 2011 Will be the important and interesting match between Pakistan and India.Both teams will put their full effort to win Semi final cricket Match.

A game that's more than cricket

Stephen Brenkley captures the buzz and he build-up ahead of India's semi-final clash against Pakistan in Mohali in the Independent.

Relations between the neighbours remain at an all-time low, which is saying something considering that in the best part of 64 years they have never tilted towards the high scale. Between 1961 and 1978 they did not meet on the cricket field at all. Now, the political frisson and the proximity of Chandigarh to the Pakistan border, 150 miles away, has provoked rampant speculation about an influx of away fans, all desperately seeking last-minute visas and determined to reach Mohali at all costs.

Andy Bull gets a taste of Mohali and the frenzied lead-up to Wednesday's game. Here's what he has to say in the Guardian.

For "serious sporting rivalry", a phrase that is misplaced on many an occasion, fans ought to tune into the India-Pakistan semi-final on Wednesday, writes Jamie Corringan in the same newspaper

Nathan Guy warns team against any attempts to smoke weed before semi-final

New Zealand's Minister of Internal Affairs, Nathan Guy, has issued a strict warning to the New Zealand team ahead of the World Cup semi-final against Sri Lanka. Acknowledging that New Zealand cricketers had a past history, he indicated that the team was under surveillance. Smirking & refusing to comment when this reporter asked him if he knew what South Africa's batsmen were smoking during the quarter-final, he said "I don't know about that, but what they were doing was a phonetically similar 7 letter word ending with 'oking'".

Mahindraa Rajpaksa invites Queen Elizabeth II and John Key to chill out at the World Cup semi-final

Sri Lanka's President (& head of government), Mahindra Rajpaksa, has invited New Zealand's head of state Queen Elizabeth II and the head of government John Key to enjoy his hospitality during the World Cup semi-final at the Premdasa stadium as part of a diplomatic coup. The two island nations have been engaged in a 'cold war' since December 2006 after Murali was controversially run out even as he was walking to congratulate Sangakara on his brilliant 100 at Christchurch.

Tharanga and Dilshan crush England

Sri Lanka 231 for 0 (Dilshan 108*, Tharanga 102*) beat England 229 for 6 (Trott 86, Morgan 50) by ten wickets

Tillakaratne Dilshan and Upul Tharanga set an emphatic seal on Sri Lanka's place in their home semi-final against New Zealand next Tuesday, as England's chaotic World Cup campaign came to an abrupt and anticlimactic end under the floodlights at the Premadasa Stadium in Colombo. Set a testing total of 230 at a venue where successful run-chases have been notoriously thin on the ground,Sri Lanka's openers set about proving that history is bunk as they sauntered to victory by 10 wickets and with a massive 64 balls to spare. After five months on the road for England's cricketers, and six consecutive nail-biters in the group stages of the tournament, they found they had nothing left to give as the first round of knock-out matches was concluded with an utter walloping.

Though several higher scores have been made in this tournament to date, England's total of 229 for 6 ought to have competitive in the conditions. Only eight times in 49 internationals at the venue had a team batting second chased 230 or more for victory, and the most recent occasion came back in 2004. However, Dilshan and Tharanga battled through a tricky start with a flurry of aggression, before settling back into an effortlessly accumulative tempo. For the second time in the campaign, following on from their crushing of Zimbabwe in Pallekele, both men brought up centuries in a massive and indomitable stand.

Such was Sri Lanka's dominance that the match was able to finish in comically contrived scenes, as Dilshan - who had already reached his landmark with a savage cut for four off Graeme Swann - set about shepherding his partner to his own hundred. With seven runs still needed and Tharanga on 98, Dilshan accidentally carved Swann clean through the covers, and was grimacing his apologies before the ball had crossed the rope. Dilshan responded with two of the most exaggerated forward defences he has ever played, the first to a rank long-hop that even Swann was able to smile about, and with both men rendered virtually immobile with cramp, Tharanga finished the game three balls into Chris Tremlett's subsequent over, with a flat-footed swipe through the off-side

The statistics told a sorry tale for England. All told they managed 12 fours in the whole of their 50 overs, two of which were scored by Jonathan Trott, whose 86 from 115 balls was his fifth half-century in seven innings, as he became the first batsman to pass 400 runs in the current tournament. Eoin Morgan provided some impetus with a 55-ball 50, but the batting Powerplay once again scuppered their momentum, as they were restricted to 23 runs and two key wickets in their five overs of fielding restrictions. Sri Lanka by contrast clobbered 22 fours and three sixes in less than 40 overs. The final result was every bit as resounding as it had been when these two teams last met in a World Cup quarter-final, at Faisalabad 15 years ago, a match that was lit up by Sanath Jayasuriya's epoch-defining 82 from 44 balls.

The nature of England's campaign meant that everyone, players and spectators alike, was waiting for the inevitable twist in the narrative, a fightback of the sort that the bowlers had produced against South Africa and West Indies earlier in the tournament - two other occasions in which the openers had proven hard to dislodge. However, it simply never materialised. All the same, they started promisingly enough. Tim Bresnan found good swing in a tidy first over, while Swann spun the ball sharply after being armed with the new ball. However, Tharanga quickly decided valour was the better part of discretion, and latched onto a modicum of width to crash his first four in Bresnan's second over, before using his feet expertly to deposit Swann back over his head.

Chris Tremlett, retained in the team ahead of the experienced James Anderson, looked set to justify his place in a brilliant first over in which he beat Dilshan three balls in a row, including a massive nip-backer that shaved the leg bail on its way through to Prior. But his line and length became scrambled thereafter, and whereas England had managed just four boundaries in their first 25 overs, Dilshan cashed in with two in four balls, both crashed through the off side, as Sri Lanka reached 57 for 0 at the end of the first Powerplay.

The chances that England were able to create were too marginal to be capitalised upon. Early in his innings, Dilshan survived a miscued pull off Bresnan that looped over the head of short midwicket, while Ravi Bopara came within a whisker of bowling him in his first over, only for the ball to beat everyone and fizz away for four byes. The same fate awaited a beauty of a delivery from Swann, while James Tredwell, the hero of Chennai, was tidy but unthreatening in his first three overs, before Dilshan planted his front foot to drill him into the stands at long-off. Tremlett returned to create two half-chances as the ball was drilled hard back through his fingertips, but the game was as good as over long before then.

25 overs Sri Lanka 132 for 0 (Dilshan 57*, Tharanga 58*) need another 97 runs to beat England 229 for 6 (Trott 86, Morgan 50)

Tillakaratne Dilshan and Upul Tharanga put their team within touching distance of the World Cup semi-finals, as they overcame a tricky start to their innings to lay into England's bowlers with an unbeaten first-wicket stand of 132. Under the Premadasa floodlights, and in front of a raucous and expectant home crowd, the two batsmen made a tricky target of 230 look insubstantial, as England's rollercoaster campaign looked finally as though it was about to hit the buffers.

Though several higher scores have been made in this tournament to date, England's total of 229 for 6 ought to have competitive in the conditions. Only eight times in 49 internationals at the venue had a team batting second chased 230 or more for victory, and the most recent occasion was in 2004. However, with Dilshan taking the lead in a 57-ball half-century, there seemed little prospect of England staging the sort of fightback they produced against South Africa and West Indies earlier in the tournament - two other occasions in which the openers had proven hard to dislodge.

England's response with the ball started promisingly enough. Tim Bresnan found good swing in a tidy first over, while Graeme Swann spun the ball sharply after being given the second over. However, Upul Tharanga decided valour was the better part of discretion, and latched onto a modicum of width to crash his first four in Bresnan's second over, before using his feet expertly to deposit Swann back over his head.

Chris Tremlett, retained in the team ahead of the experienced James Anderson, looked set to justify his place in a brilliant first over in which he beat Dilshan three balls in a row, including a massive nip-backer that shaved the leg bail on its way through to Prior. But his line and length became scrambled thereafter, and whereas England had managed just four boundaries in their first 25 overs, Dilshan cashed in with two in four balls, both crashed through the off side, as Sri Lanka reached 57 for 0 at the end of the first Powerplay.

Whereas England had managed to find a crumb of comfort in each of their previous contests, nothing seemed to fall into place for them this time. Early in his innings, Dilshan survived a miscued pull off Bresnan that looped over the head of short midwicket, while Ravi Bopara came within a whisker of bowling him in his first over, only for the ball to beat everyone and fizz away for four byes. The same fate awaited a beauty of a delivery from Swann, while James Tredwell, the hero of Chennai, was tidy but unthreatening in his first three overs, before Dilshan planted his front foot to drill him into the stands at long-off.

Tharanga brought up his fifty from 70 balls with a jogged single off Swann, and as England delayed taking the bowling Powerplay, singles proved easy to come by as the fight began to drain visibly from an ailing attack.

50 overs England 229 for 6 (Trott 86, Morgan 50) v Sri Lanka

Jonathan Trott and Eoin Morgan turned up the heat on Sri Lanka with a fourth-wicket stand of 91 in 16 overs, only for the batting Powerplay to once again scupper England's momentum, as two nervy sets of players fought for the ascendancy in a gripping quarter-final in Colombo. After winning the toss on a typically spin-friendly surface, England overcame a sluggish start to post a defendable total of 229 for 6, with Trott once again playing the anchor role as he passed 400 runs for the tournament with his fifth fifty in seven innings.

However, their ambitions of a formidable 240-plus total were scuppered by the dismissal of Morgan in the first over of the Powerplay. Until he drilled Lasith Malinga to deep cover for a 55-ball 50, he had lived a charmed life, with no fewer than four clear-cut chances going his way - three dropped catches, two of them extraordinarily easy, and an lbw appeal on 29 that would have proved stone-dead on review. His luck, however, ran out at an inopportune moment for England, and when Graeme Swann missed a switch hit to fall for a first-ball duck, England proved incapable of reaching the boundary while the field was up, with just 23 runs coming in the five overs of fielding restrictions, and 56 in the last 10 all told.

Nevertheless, England have runs on the board, and that - according to the ground statistics at least - could be half the battle won. Thirty-six of the 49 completed matches at the Premadasa Stadium have gone to the side batting first, including 14 of the last 18 day-night fixtures, and Trott's performance was that of a man who knew that if he batted through the innings, the runs would materialise somehow. He finished with 86 from 115 balls with just two boundaries, none of which came in the first 30 overs, and eventually fell in pursuit of his third, as he swept Muttiah Muralitharan to deep backward square with nine balls of the innings remaining.

This could yet prove to be the last match of Murali's exceptional career, and he finished with 2 for 54 in nine overs before limping off with an apparent recurrence of his hamstring strain. However, that tally could have been higher but for an extraordinary sequence of events in his eighth over, when Morgan was dropped twice in consecutive deliveries. He had already survived one dolly of an opportunity on 16, when Thilan Samaraweera shelled a leading edge off Ajantha Mendis at point, but Murali couldn't contain his fury when, first, Angelo Mathews at extra cover fluffed a lofted drive, before Rangana Herath dived forward at point but failed to cling on.

In between his let-offs, Morgan produced a typically inventive and energising performance. England had collected a grand total of four boundaries before he came to the middle in the 28th over, but Morgan added that many off his own bat, as he worked the angles in his inimitable style, launching Malinga for a checked drive over extra cover before dabbing three more through third man, two via an open face, and one from a well-timed reverse sweep.

Such riches proved hard to come by at the top of the order, as Sri Lanka's bowlers applied the tightest of tourniquets in the opening exchanges of the contest. Despite enjoying a fine tournament to date, Strauss's ambitions were thwarted from the outset as Sri Lanka opened their bowling with a spinner for the first time in the tournament to date, and he already seemed resigned to ugly heaves through the leg-side when Tillakaratne Dilshan beat him on precisely that shot in the eighth over, to send the captain back for 5 from 19 balls.

At the other end, Ian Bell became Strauss's third opening partner of the campaign, after Kevin Pietersen and Matt Prior, and he launched his innings in fine style with a first-ball flick through square leg for four as Malinga strayed onto his pads. Mathews, though several notches slower than Malinga, also provided enough pace to pick the gaps, as Bell added two more boundaries in an attractive and promising 25 from 32 balls. But, just when he seemed set for a big performance, Bell chipped Mathews limply to midwicket, as England struggled to 32 for 2 in the mandatory Powerplay - their lowest total in the tournament to date.

However, Trott's sang froid was well suited to the situation, as he backed himself to work the ones and twos in a boundary-less start to his innings, and at the same time he drew a gutsy response from Ravi Bopara, who was far less comfortable with the tempo, but who knuckled down for an important 31 from 56 balls.

Bopara cut Herath sweetly through point for four early in his stay, but he might have fallen twice in two balls in Herath's next over, as an lbw appeal was deemed to be missing leg (although the decision would have stayed on-field) before Bopara missed a cut that zipped millimetres past his off stump. Herath also had another lbw appeal that was this time sent for a review, before Murali's wiles eventually extracted him on the sweep in the 27th over. Nevertheless, the collective effort has given England's bowlers something to chew on. Another thrilling finale is in prospect.

Tendulkar walks

The contrasting actions this weekend of batting greats Ricky Ponting (waiting to be given out despite knowing he was) and Sachin Tendulkar (walking despite being given not out by umpire Steve Davis) have re-opened the never-fully-shut walking debate. It’s also a great excuse to post this video of one of the greatest ever cases of walking (at 0:36) during the 2003 World Cup semi-final and this interview of Adam Gilchrist recalling the incident.
Recognising his actions as a personal choice and keen not condemn the vast majority of cricketers who don’t walk, Gilchrist’s thoughts on the subject are spot on. Ponting should not be condemned for doing the human thing and Tendulkar deserves admiration for doing the hard thing. Whether or not he’d do the same in the knockout stages – as Gilchrist did – we may not find out, because as anyone who has played the game can verify, the act of walking plays havoc with your instincts. Multiple factors – match importance, game situation, teammates’ reaction – bombard the mind of even the most virtuous batsman, demanding a snap decision. Gilchrist walking in the 2003 World Cup semi-final remains one of the most impressive piece of sport I’ve ever seen.