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Showing posts with label Champion. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Champion. Show all posts
Jadeja asks for permission to spend honeymoon in Lions’ dugout
Ravindra Jadeja, who spent most of his
adult cricketing life under the watchful gaze of MS Dhoni and Suresh Raina, is
now feeling the pangs of separation. Married in Rajkot to his lady love, Riva
Solanki, the southpaw missed his team, Gujarat Lions’ match on Saturday. Even
though the Lions didn’t miss Jadeja’s four overs, it was in the dugout that his
quiet demeanour was missed.
Thankfully, for both Jadeja and his
pride of Lions, Gujarat’s next match is in Rajkot. An unusually vocal Jadeja couldn’t hide his
excitement, “I have never played cricket as a married man before. I am sure
marriage will help my performance in the middle. I have already asked my wife
and Suresh bhai (Raina) for permission”
When asked what permission was he
implying, Jadeja was somewhat cagey but spilled the beans, “During the IPL, you
know, we don’t get time to breathe so celebrating married life toh door ki baat hai (is farfetched) and
I have only got married on Sunday so it is not easy this separation. I have to
play in the middle and I have to...” Jadeja shyly looked at his feet not adding
any more.
It turns out, Lions’ captain, Suresh
Raina (also recently married) has agreed to allow Jadeja’s wife into the team
dugout. “I know what Jaddu is going through. After marriage, my wife had to
return to the Netherlands where she’s holding a job. I had to hold the bat
here. It was not easy. Thank god for whatsapp and facebook messenger we stayed
in touch through our separation. MS was a big support through this time. PK
(Praveen Kumar) abused me a lot when I was feeling down, he helped me become a
man with his gaali galoj”
Jadeja has received support from
former CSK teammate, DJ Bravo, who was in charge of Jadeja’s sangeet where he taught everyone to
dance to the “Champion” song. Bravo also created a special remix where he
reworked the lyrics of the song:
RA Jadeja,
RA Jadeja,
RA Jadeja,
RA Jadeja,
RA Jadeja,
RA Jadeja,
RA Jadeja,
Champion,
Champion,
Champion, Champion,
Champion, Champion,
Champion, Champion,
Champion, Champion,
Everybody
knows.. Say Jadeja a Champion,
Champion,
Champion,
Champion, Champion,
Champion, Champion,
Champion, Champion,
Champion, Champion,
Everybody
knows Riva is a Champion,
Jadeja, a Champion,
Jadeja, a Champion,
Dhoni, a
Champion,
Raina is a
Champion,
Ashwin is a
Champion,
Baz is a
champion
Hussey is
Champion,
Faf is a
champion,
Don’t
forget Srini,
Nehra a
champion, Smith a champion,
Badree a
Champion,
Ishwar a
champion,
Negi a
Champion,
Haydos, a
champion,
Champion
Champion Champion Champion Champion,
Everybody
knows say Jadeja a champion,,
Champion
Champion Champion Champion Champion Champion,
Everybody
knows MS Dhoni is a champion,
Champion we
are real Champion,
Champion we
are real Champion,
Champion we
are real Champion,
Don’t vex
if your name not call,
We have to
leave time to bat some ball,
We love
Garba and Dandiya,
We love
cricket and Dandiya,
From ah
dancing , ah my name your call,
Champion,
Champion,
Every CSK
and every Lions’ man,
Champion, Champion,
Every
Chennai and Every Rajkot,
Champion,
Champion,
Every CSK
and every Lions’ man,
Champion
Champion
The wedding reception was in keeping with Jadeja’s IPL franchise name, Gujarat
Lions: a wedding planner created a “Wild Night” theme, a cinema hall was booked
out for a private screening of The Jungle Book. Much to everyone’s amusement, the
ushers were dressed as Mowgli in a red loin cloth. It was a vegetarian affair
with a juice bar in the shape of a machan serving mocktails with names like
“red flower anaar juice”, “Akela banana shake” and “Bagheera’s Black Currant
shake”, all inspired by the movie.
As for the real honeymoon, it’s being planned after the IPL. Jadeja and
his wife are planning a trip with Raina and his wife to the Netherlands.
Teamwork at its best.
(However plausible this may sound, this is
largely a work of fiction.)
Carlos Brathwaite regrets not hitting six sixes
Not too long ago, Carlos Brathwaite said his claim to fame (before making his Test debut) was having shared a class room with superstar, Rihanna in first and fourth form. That was way back in Combermere School in Barbados.
Now in the space of four deliveries, Carlos Brathwaite has come a long way, from relative anonymity to super stardom. Facing up to the last over of the World T20 finals, 19 needed for an unlikely win, Brathwaite knocked the stuffing out of both ball and bowler.
Four sixes might have been a little much for a flattened Ben Stokes, but lower order batsman, Brathwaite wanted more. His only regret, that he could not do what his idol, Yuvraj Singh, had done to England's Stuart Broad in the first edition of the World Twenty20 - that is, hit Stokes for six sixes.
After winning the World T20 title for the West Indies, a subdued Brathwaite said, "Yes, four sixes are good and they made us win but six sixes would've been better and still made us win. Y'kno nobody ever forgets six sixes, with four sixes I just don't know. Can just hope for the best. England should have scored more that way I would have had to score more. I blame our bowlers for doing such a good job," he said, tongue firmly in cheek.
By blaming the bowlers, Brathwaite was also blaming himself; he conceded just 23 runs in his four overs, grabbing three wickets that included Jos Buttler and Joe Root. "Dunno it's all very easy in hindsight but once you're in the middle you're not really thinking about making the opposition score more," he added somewhat candidly.
In the IPL auctions earlier this year, Brathwaite was picked by the Delhi Daredevils (DD) for a whopping Rs 4.2 crore. His base price was a mere Rs 30 lakh. Even though little was known of the player at that time, seeing as he was picked by the Daredevils, he was written off as yet another unsound investment by the franchise.
When contacted, Brathwaite was happy to be part of a franchise that his idol, Yuvraj Singh, had once played for. When informed that Yuvraj had had a bad last season with the Daredevils, he said that was not possible: "Anyone who can hit six sixes cannot have a bad season."
When asked if there was anything he wanted to improve on, Brathwaite said he was looking forward to perfect his back-foot defence to the spinners under the guidance of DD mentor, Rahul Dravid.
After the World T20 triumph, Brathwaite received a text from classmate, Rihanna. What did it say? Not much according to Brathwaite except "Congrats C! Everybody know West Indies are champion! Wanna do a remix with Bravo on Champion! xxxxx R"
After reciting Rihanna's text, the new champion started to move to the song, "Champion". His moves though were lacklustre without the fizz of his mates. Clearly he wasn't reconciled to the missed opportunity of hitting those six sixes.
(However plausible this may sound, this is largely a work of fiction.)
First published here
I am the Champion.
Well, India plays Pakistan in the Champions Trophy. It's hard to imagine an India Pakistan match without Zeenat Aman and me in it. It just lacks all passion and intensity, without Zeenat swinging and me seaming. It's hard to imagine a Champion's Trophy without me in it. If I was there it would have been just the Champion trophy since I would have stood head and shoulders above everybody else. Do I have any advice for Younis Khan, yes I do, but I'm not going to give it since he hasn't asked me for it. But I can't resist, Younis try not to speak before a match, in fact try not to speak after a match either. It'll help the team. Again, all I can say it's hard to imagine an Indo-Pak match without me and Zeenat.
by Mohit Varma
For the entire Imran Khan series, I go here
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