If you are able to find a way to protect yourself from all the extra emotions and added pressures, there are great positives in playing at home. There is no doubt that when things are going well it can be really inspiring to be playing in front of a vocal and supportive home crowd.
For many people and pundits, Team India strode into this ICC World Twenty20 as red-hot favourites. They have a rock-star batting line-up with unparalleled T20 experience, thanks largely to the IPL, and a bowling attack with the skilful left-armer Ashish Nehra backed up by some promising pacers and some top-quality spinners. They have intimate knowledge of home conditions and will be cheered on by jampacked passionate home fans.
The only problem is that this is 2016 and there are at least eight top sides in this World T20 all of whom pose a real threat. The game has moved on, teams have developed and are able to compete in different conditions — as we saw with New Zealand’s brilliant performance against India in Nagpur. T20 is also inherently unpredictable and no team can hold the favourites tag with any sense of comfort.
Denne historien er fra April 2, 2016-utgaven av Sportstar.
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Denne historien er fra April 2, 2016-utgaven av Sportstar.
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Tokyo Marathon Cancelled For Amateurs On Coronavirus Fears
Organisers in Japan cancelled the amateur portion of the Tokyo marathon, affecting around 38,000 runners, on fears about the spread of the new coronavirus in Japan.
Right Criteria To Pick The Tennis GOAT
What should the criteria be? What weight should be attached to each criterion? And what should not be considered as valid criteria?
The making of a batting behemoth
If Steve Smith dominated the Ashes in England in a dramatic, blockbuster fashion then his like for like a replacement, Marnus Labuschagne, is the Next Big Thing after an exciting summer of run-glut.
WHEN ACES WERE REWARDED...
It was an evening of nostalgia and celebration when the Sportstar Aces awards were given away in Mumbai.
A question of recognition
After a week of awards, one wonders if it’s only a departed player that one will be named after.
Thinking straight, thinking right!
“A lot depends on when I am bowling and what is required from me. That’s something I do when I play for India and I try to follow the same thing in the domestic circuit,” says Yuzvendra Chahal.
The Big Three and the Next Gen
Though the Big Three are very unlikely to retire during the same year, Judy Murray, mother of Andy, echoed the sentiments of many fans worried about the impact of their departures.
WAKING UP TO MENTAL HEALTH
Sport at large and cricket specifically has taken an inordinately long time to address the elephant in the room — the dark abyss of depression.
Like sunshine in a gloomy dressing room
Bangladesh quick Abu Jayed Rahi is new in the red-ball arena, but his swing brings back old memories — of James Anderson on green tops.
The league of the masses
With traditional clubs locking horns with the hard-working nurseries of the game, the I-League will continue to keep the beating heart of Indian football alive despite official apathy.
