Nagpur Test defeat Dhoni’s first as captain
India’s loss by an innings and six runs to South Africa here Tuesday is Mahendra Singh Dhoni’s first defeat as a captain in Tests.
Dhoni has lost one, won eight and drawn three out of 12 Tests. He has a winning
per cent 66.66.
Other highlights of the day were:
# Dale Steyn (7/51 + 3/57) has recorded the best ever bowling performance in a Test match for South Africa against India in India.
# Steyn is the first and only South African bowler to claim 10 wickets in a Test match against India in India.
# Both Allan Donald (12 for 139 at Port Elizabeth in December 1992) and Shaun Pollock (10 for 147 at Bloemfontein in November 2001) had achieved the feats against India in South Africa.
# Steyn’s magnificent bowling figures of 10 for 108 are the second best for South Africa, next only to Donald’s 12 for 139 at Port Elizabeth in December 1992.
# Steyn became the second South African bowler after Makhaya Ntini to bag ten wickets or more in a Test match four times.
# Tendulkar has posted hundreds against all the eight teams in India – the first to achieve the distinction was Rahul Dravid.
# Sachin became the first batsman to record 40 centuries at one batting position (four).
# Sachin’s tally of 20 hundreds at home is bettered only by Matthew Hayden and Ricky Ponting – 21 each.
# Sachin became the first to register hundreds in successive Tests at VCAS, Jamtha. Against Australia, he had recorded 109 in November 2008.
# Mohammad Azharuddin, Virender Sehwag and Sachin Tendulkar share the Indian record for most hundreds (4) against South Africa.
# Tendulkar has registered centuries in three consecutive Tests for the first time.
# With his 46th hundred, Tendulkar has extended his Indian record for top-scoring on 41 occasions and is second in the list, next only to West Indian, Brian Lara (49).
# India’s 319 is the third instance of 300 or more in the second innings of a Test match against South Africa – the first two instances were the 400 for seven in the 1996-97 Kanpur Test and 328 at Ahmedabad in 2007-08.
# It is India’s third defeat by an innings margin at home since 2000, all three against South Africa.
# Hashim Amla has been adjudged the Man of the Match for the second time – his first against India.
# South Africa have posted their 11th victory in 23 Tests against India (Lost 5 and drawn 7) – winning per cent 47.82.
# South Africa have won 5, lost 4 and drawn 2 out of 11 played in India – winning % 45.45.
Big B takes to voice blogging now
Avid blogger Amitabh Bachchan has gone a step closer to his fans through vogging or vocal blogging by which they can hear his thoughts anytime and anywhere at the push of a button on their mobile phones.
The service called Bachchan Bol is being introduced by Inside India, which is a repository for licensable content and entertainment from Indian superstars.
“Bachchan Bol empowers me with a personal platform on which I can connect and speak directly with my fans across the globe anywhere and anytime. This is my way…From my films to my family, from my country to my city, you will be able to hear about it all, in my own voice, directly on your mobile phone,” Bachchan said in a statement.
As part of the service, Amitabh will be sharing his personal and professional experiences from time-to-time. This service will be available to mobile users at a monthly subscription or pay-per-minute pricing model.
A spokesperson for Inside India said: “We are honoured and excited to launch this project with such a fantastic icon of Indian cinema. We know the power of Indian entertainment and we are firmly embedded in the innovation of technology and the digital world.”
“Combining these two elements we are paving a new way for social networking, starting it in the world’s most exciting country and taking it across the globe.”
Fans can connect with the megastar by dialling 505678910** from their mobile and landline phones. They will also be able to get updates of Bachchan Bol by joining the Bachchan Bol Facebook, Orkut, Twitter, Rediff or SMSGupShup groups or communities.
Lady Gaga says aunt’s spirit saved her from drugs
Lady Gaga says she was saved from cocaine addiction by the spirit of her aunt who has a huge influence on her career.
The “Paparazzi” singer says she used to lock herself in her bedroom and snort “bags and bags” of cocaine for songwriting inspiration when she was starting out. But realised she was jeopardising her life and recalled unfinished job of her aunt Joanne who died at 19, reported femalefirst.co.uk.
Gaga, whose real name is Stefani Joanne Angelina Germanotta, said: “I thought I was going to die. I wanted to be the artists I loved, like Mick Jagger and Andy Warhol… I thought the only way to do it was to live the lifestyle. My cocaine soundtrack was always The Cure. I would lock myself in my room and listen to ‘Never Enough’ on repeat while I did bags and bags of cocaine.”
“But then I realised my father’s sister Joanne, who died at 19, had instilled her spirit in me. She was a painter and a poet – and I had a spiritual vision I had to finish her business.”
Kamat denies river talks, says met Yeddyurappa at toilet
Goa Chief Minister Digambar Kamat Tuesday refuted his Karnataka counterpart B.S.Yeddyurrapa’s claim that the two at a meeting in New Delhi last week had decided to solve the Mhadei river dispute through discussions rather than going to a tribunal.
Speaking to reporters here, Kamat said the only time he met Yeddyurappa in New Delhi was outside a toilet.
“We only met outside the toilet. I was stepping out of the toilet with Gujarat Chief Minister Narendra Modi and Yeddyurappa was going to the toilet. You call that a meeting?” Kamat said, adding this occurred during the chief ministers’ conference in New Delhi last week.
“He (Yeddyurappa) said he would like to come to Goa for a meeting. I consider myself a good human being. That much decency I have. So I said ‘you can come to Goa’,” Kamat said, and added that the Goa government’s stand on the Mhadei issue was absolutely clear.
“We are not going to enter into dialogue with Karnataka. We will place our arguments with the tribunal appointed by the central government,” Kamat said.
Media reports quoted Yeddyurappa as saying that a water dispute tribunal was not needed to settle the Mhadei river dispute and that both the chief ministers have decided to resolve the issue through discussions.
Goa and Karnataka are engaged in a bitter water dispute over the waters of the Mhadei river, known as the Mandovi in coastal Goa. The river originates in Karnataka and meets the Arabian sea at Panaji. While the river travels 28.8 km in Karnataka, it is 81.2 km in length in Goa.
Karnataka plans to construct seven dams across the river, aimed to divert the river’s water into its parched Malaprabha basin.
We were completely outplayed, admits Dhoni
Skipper Mahendra Singh Dhoni admitted that India were completely outplayed by South Africa in the first cricket Test that was over in four days here Tuesday.
World No.1 India aiming for the Test champhionship crown lost the match by an innings and six runs. The win has given second placed South Africa a chance to aim for the title if they go on to win the two-match series. The second match will be played in Kolkata from Sunday.
Dhoni said that performances by Jacques Kallis (173), Hashim Amla (253) and Dale Steyn, who had a match haul of 10 wickets, were the deciding factors.
“We were completely outplayed. (Jacques) Kallis and (Hashim) Amla played brilliantly and Dale Steyn – the way he bowled…. was the best I have seen in the last two years at least as far as conventional bowling goes. Seven of the 14 dismissals were out to great deliveries,” said Dhoni.
“The ball was changed at tea break and we lost five quick wickets. It changed everything. Once we lost (Virender) Sehwag, I got out immediately and the ball was reversing .. it was difficult for the tailenders. We are on the backfoot. They (South Africa) can’t lose the series now. So, we are under pressure. Last time when they came, they were ahead and in the same position.”
South Africa captain Graeme Smith lauded his boys for the excellent performance.
“It has been outstanding performance from the guys. To win here, you need lot of discipline and the guys have showed it. There were a few special individual performances like Amla, Kallis and Steyn but it is a good team effort,” he said.
“It was an emotional last two weeks what with all the changes going around. It’s nice to have a someone like (Steyn). To run in like that and bowl as he did. It all happenned so quickly even for us; it was great to watch. Harris .. he bowled well, he is not fancied cricketer you know, but he knows his role and he has come back well,” Smith added.
Hashim Amla, who was adjudged Man of the Match, for scoring 253 rated his knock as one of the best.
“It was one of my best knocks. It was a crucial time when I came into the crease and I got the team into a great position. Everybody feels a bit of pressure and I am just grateful that I got an opportunity to put the team in a good position. I have had a few good partnerships with Jacques; once we both got in, we complimented each other…. when I wasn’t scoring he was, and vice versa. With the ball turning, anything can happen. With the new guy coming in, I just tried to keep it as risk-free as possible. yes, so I concentrated not on hitting anything in the air. I just hope Eden Gardens gets a good crowd,” he said.
Pranab stands by Shah Rukh
Bollywood icon Shah Rukh Khan, who faced the Shiv Sena’s ire for saying he would have liked to include Pakistani players in his Kolkata Knight Riders team for the the third season of the Indian premier League (IPL), Monday got support from union Finance Minister Pranab Mukherjee.
Answering queries from the media here on the issue, Mukherjee said nobody can tamper with anybody’s freedom of speech and expression, which was a fundamental right in India.
“Freedom of speech and expression in any form is a fundamental right. In India, fundamental right is guaranteed by the constitution. Nobody can tamper with it,” Mukherjee said.
I remember walking the ramp in a lehenga: John Abraham
In his early days as a model John Abraham had even walked the ramp in a lehenga! The macho actor said though some in the audience were taken aback at his outfit, he is grateful to the designer Mona Lamba who gave him the opportunity in 2000.
“I remember walking the ramp in a lehenga you (Mona of the designer duo MonaPali) had designed. As I was walking I saw some in the audience loved it, while others were a bit taken aback. But thank you madam, for giving me the opportunity in my early days as a model,” John told reporters here.
He was in town to unveil the logo of the first ever Kolkata Fashion and Lifestyle Week.
Commenting on his fashion statement, he said: “For me, the best fashion is the one I am comfortable with.”
John has no favourite designers, but said: “Among Kolkata designers Sabyasachi (Mukherjee) is brilliant.”
Encouraging the young designers, he said: “You all have a long way to go. Remember, fashion is not about actors who wear your dresses, but about the dress itself.”
I think Bipasha is coming out with second DVD: John
John Abraham is impressed with girlfriend Bipasha Basu’s fitness DVD for women and says it’s equally good for men and soon she may come out with the second edition of it.
“I… well… feel she is in the prime shape of her life. And though it is meant for women, it is equally good for men. I think she is coming out with a second DVD. I will follow that too,” John, who was here to unveil the logo of the first ever Kolkata Fashion and Lifestyle Week, told reporters.
The 39-year-old, however, clarified that he has no such plans for himself.
“Right now, I have no such plans. May be 15-20 years later I will come out with a DVD when I am fitter,” he said.
Praising Bipasha, he said that she looked in amazingly good shape after regularly doing the fitness exercises.
Abraham also had lot of good things to say about Bipasha’s Bengali movie “Sab Charitra Kalpanik”. “It is such a beautiful film. Sometimes certain cinemas miss out on some angles. But Bengali cinema is so layered.”
Asked why he has not been seen in any movie since “New York”, John said: “Earlier I was doing lot of movies. Some of them were good. Some not so good. I am learning through experience and being selective.”
He says that before signing contract for a film, he gives importance to three things – the entire set up, director and producer and the hero.
“But I must say in lot of films now, the hero is discreet, as one finds in ‘Sab Charitra Kalpanik’.”
Peter Andre wants to rid himself of ex-wife’s tattoo
Australian singer Peter Andre is planning to get rid of the tattoo of his ex-wife Katie Price’s name on his ring finger.
“I think it’s time to get rid of the tattoo. I didn’t do it (earlier) before because of the kids. I didn’t want them to ask, ‘Why have you done that?’ But now it’s the right thing to do,” said Andre, reports newsoftheworld.co.uk.
Katie tied the knot with her boyfriend Alex Reid in Las Vegas last week, less than a year after splitting from Andre. The “Mysterious Girl” singer says there was no better way to end the brouhaha over their split.
“To me it was the best closure I could have asked for. Once she became Mrs. Reid, it’s not my business anymore. I stepped away from the circus a long time ago. Whatever is to do with the kids will be my business,” he said.
Andre has two children with Price – Junior, 4, and Princess Tiaamii, 2. He also dotes on Harvey who is Katie’s son with another man, Dwight Yorke.
Personally, he doesn’t see any wedding bells for himself this year.
“It’s safe to say it’s going to be a long time before I get married. I’m going to keep any relationship private and well away from my children unless it’s serious.”
Bachchan ecstatic after wearing ‘air-conditioned’ dhoti
Bollywood megastar Amitabh Bachchan believes in “When in Rome, do as the Romans do” and he followed suit while in Kerala recently by donning the local dress code – a crisp white shirt and “air-conditioned” dhoti, as he puts it.
“Keeping in tune with the phrase �do in Rome as the Romans do’, I order some extraordinary crafted dhoti and sari to be worn… The sari, of course, for the ladies in the house,” Amitabh posted on his blog www.bigb.bigadda.com Sunday night from Cochin.
“So, I wear the dhoti or mundu as it is more colloquially known for the evening and I think there is an appreciation of it,” he added.
The 67-year-old was also ecstatic by the whole procedure while tying the wrap-around.
“The �dhoti’ in all its pristine glamour, tied up around the waist by sheer will power and some dextrous use of the stomach muscle, else it slips down and opens up! It is just a piece of cloth, no buttons, no belts, no clips, nothing.
“Simple, elegant, convenient and with its own characteristic charm and above all – air conditioned at all times. The fall of the main design as a strip down the front to be positioned on the right hip and just around the right knee. Rules of culture,” he added.
