IPL-10 Diary: Easier to say ‘yorker’ than bowl them, says Nehra

The more he plays in T20 matches, says Ashish Nehra, he increasingly keeps hearing the word "yorker". But the veteran pacer wryly says that it is easy to utter the word but far more difficult to execute. He has heard experts and fans say that bowlers, especially in the death overs, should end up bowling perfect yorkers ! He only wished it were so easy to execute.

On Wednesday, Mumbai Indians will play defending champions Sunrisers Hyderabad in what will be Mumbai’s skipper Rohit Sharma’s 100th IPL appearance. A report in The Hindustan Times noted Sharma’s impressive record in previous IPL seasons, markedly different from the rough patch he is going through this season. He has scored 2,709 runs in his IPL career, at a strike rate of 131.25.

Sharma’s Mumbai Indians’ teammate Parthiv Patel also weighed in the ongoing debate around Sharma’s form, as he backed his captain’s decision to bat in the middle-order.

"The year before (2015) when we won the title, we were successful with myself and Lendl (Simmons) opening. With Rohit coming down, it gives stability to the batting order and gives us freedom to play shots in the first six overs," the wicket-keeper batsman was quoted as saying.

Sakshi Dhoni takes to social media to defend husband MS

Sakshi Dhoni backed her husband and former Indian captain MS Dhoni by posting a picture of herself on Instagram in the yellow jersey of banned IPL Chennai Superkings.

Sakshi also uploaded a poster on “karma” on the social networking site, which is seen as a riposte to businessman Harsh Goenka’s last week’s jibes at the former Chennai captain.

A brother of Sanjeev Goenka, the owner of Rising Pune Supergiant, Goenka had tweeted his appreciation for new Pune skipper Steve Smith’s batting on April 6, saying the Australian ‘overshadows’ the former Indian captain.

"Smith proves who's the king of the jungle. Overshadows Dhoni totally. Captain’s innings. Great move to appoint him as captain,” the tweet, which appears to have been deleted, reportedly read.

Sanju Samson’s century

Sanju Samson’s century against Rising Pune Supergiant at the MCA Stadium on Tuesday is prompting calls for his re-inclusion in the Indian cricket team. Pune all-rounder Rajat Bhatia said after the match that he hoped that the wicket-keeper batsman from Delhi Daredevils would ‘knock a few doors now’.

“He’s a terrific batsman. I just feel it’s been quite some time he’s been playing in the domestic circuit and the IPL and he should have played more for India,” Bhatia was quoted as saying in an after-match video uploaded on the website of Indian Premier League (IPL).

Twenty-two-year old Samson has featured in seven T20 internationals for India. He made his debut in a T20 against lightweight Zimbabwe in July 2015. The wicket-keeper batsman from Kerala, however, hasn’t been able to make a significant impression on Indian selectors until now.

The Delhi club beat Pune by 97 runs in the Tuesday encounter, after an excellent century by Samson and a nine-ball 38 by Chris Morris helped the Daredevils pile up 205 in their 20 overs. In reply, Pune was never really in contention for a win as they lost wickets at regular intervals in face of excellent fast bowling by former Indian seamer Zaheer Khan. The Pune side was dismissed for 108.

Praises for Rahul Dravid

Player-of-the-match Sanju Samson had a word of praise for Delhi Daredevils’ coach Rahul Dravid, saying he was ‘blessed' to be part of the Delhi team and playing under the former Indian star batsman.

Samson was further quoted in India Today’s website as saying that he was "extremely lucky to have him (Dravid) around and guide me.” The Kerala batsman also reportedly reflected on his experience of being coached under Dravid. “I feel Rahul Dravid, the captain on the field, was a bit more aggressive. But when it comes to coaching he is a lot more calm as opposed to what he was while captaining the side," he was quoted as saying.

Kevin Pietersen bids adieu to IPL 10

A good word for Dravid also came from former English batsman Kevin Pietersen, who ended his debut commentating stint in the IPL on Tuesday.

"Speaking from personal experience, I owe it to the Indian Premier League that I had the ability to come and tap into a genius like that (Dravid) who helped me in my career to overcome a shortfall. And just go from strength to strength,” he was reported as saying.

The estranged South African-born English cricketer noted that Dravid’s tips to him during his playing days proved beneficial not only for him, but also for English cricket.

“I managed to sort out a little bit of deficiency in my technique which assisted England because it helped me perform a lot better for my country.”

Compiled by Dhairya Maheshwari