Selectors to pick Team India for ODI tour of Sri Lanka on Wednesday

July 4, 2012

sri_lankan_tour
The long holiday is over and it's time for the Indian cricket team to get back to work. The first assignment coming up is a short trip to Sri Lanka towards the end of July, five one-dayers and a Twenty20, for which the selectors will pick a squad in Mumbai on Wednesday.


Leading batsman Sachin Tendulkar is holidaying and senior pacer Zaheer Khan is back to full fitness. Tendulkar's availability for this series and whether or not to give Zaheer an opportunity to warm up on this quiet tour should figure in the discussions among the wise men. Regardless of what the selectors decide, Zaheer himself should be looking forward to the trip.


In the absence of extreme media attention, because of the ongoing Wimbledon and the upcoming Olympics, it will be a good opportunity for the bowler to get back to match fitness. That should mean selectors picking him without much debate alongside Nagpur pacer Umesh Yadav, who had missed out on the Asia Cup in March this year but was in good form during the IPL that followed.


If Tendulkar chooses to rest, Mumbai batsman Ajinkya Rahane should certainly come on board. His performance this IPL season was extremely impressive and batting alongside Rahul Dravid for Rajasthan Royals did the youngster's confidence a world of good.


However, Rahane is unlikely to get his usual opener's slot. Gautam Gambhir, riding high on the IPL victory, will remain the first-choice opener along with Virender Sehwag who missed out on the Asia Cup and is most likely to make a return.


Both Sehwag and Gambhir were in extremely good form during the IPL which will mean Rahane having to settle for the No. 3 slot. Virat Kohli, Rohit Sharma, Suresh Raina and Mahendra Singh Dhoni make the middle order.


Manoj Tiwary may miss out because of Sehwag's return while his continuing lack of form is likely to keep Yusuf Pathan on the sidelines. Allrounder Ravindra Jadeja too has struggled but the option of a left-arm spinner that he brings to the table may coax selectors into picking him. If that happens, Jadeja will be the one responsible for keeping Irfan Pathan - also vying for the allrounder's slot - out of contention.


Among the other spinners, Ravichandran Ashwin - currently India's premier off-spinner, and Rahul Sharma whose leg-breaks can come in handy, fill the slots.


Two additional pacers - a choice between R Vinay Kumar, Praveen Kumar and Ashok Dinda - should settle the final squad of 15. Considering that India head to an international assignment after a rare lengthy patch, it is important for the selectors to keep the crux of the squad - that will consistently figure in the months to come - together. Therefore, unnecessary experiments are likely to be avoided.



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News Network
March 27,2024

IPLbettingsuicide.jpg

Bengaluru: Darshan Babu is an engineer who is fond of betting on cricket matches and has been placing major bets on Indian Premier League (IPL) games since 2021. He often borrows money after losing a bet, or to place one when he is short on funds. His 23-year-old wife, tired of the constant harassment by creditors, died by suicide.

Ranjitha was found hanging at her home in Karnataka's Chitradurga on March 18. According to the family, Darshan had racked up a debt of over Rs 1 crore.

He worked as an assistant engineer in the Minor Irrigation Department at Hosadurga and had been ensnared in the realm of IPL betting from 2021 to 2023. This took a major toll on the couple's finances. Allegedly, he had borrowed over Rs 1.5 crore to place bets after his luck ran out and he lost all his money. While he managed to return Rs 1 crore, cops say that he still has a pending loan of ₹ 84 lakh.

Ranjitha married Darshan in 2020. She realised the truth about Darshan's involvement in betting in 2021, claims her father Venkatesh.

In his complaint, Venkatesh said that his daughter was extremely distressed due to the constant harassment by moneylenders and this led to her suicide. He has also named 13 men who had allegedly lent the money.

He said that his son-in-law was lured into betting with a promise of quick money.

"He (Darshan) was not willing to get into betting, but the suspects forced him saying it was an easy way to get rich. They promised to finance his betting activities against some blank cheques as security," he said.

Cops during their investigation found a suicide note, where she detailed the harassment they faced. Darshan and Ranjitha have a two-year-old son.

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