Who would have believed if someone told them that Roger Federer would cause controversy in cricket? But it has happened!

The tennis ace was caught juggling fans from around the world, especially India and Pakistan, when photos of him holding a blue Team India jersey emerged on his Facebook page.

Upon learning about the furore that the picture caused, Federer immediately apologised. He also made it clear that the photo was more a part of a marketing gimmick than him expressing his favouritism towards India during the 2015 ICC Cricket World Cup.

“It was more of a Nike thing to be quite honest,” said the 17-time Grand Slam champion before the commencement of Dubai Open.

The picture in question has Roger Federer holding an Indian team jersey with the caption reading “Dressing up for a Gentleman’s game today. #BleedBlue”.

Meanwhile, Nike decided to upload the same picture on its Twitter page, too.

https://twitter.com/nikecricket/status/566890488548950016

On any other day, this photo would appear comparatively harmless, but not during the World Cup.

The Pakistani fans are said to be dejected the most, who admire Roger’s skills on the tennis court. One supporter even went to the lengths of deleting all his pictures of Federer and is said to have taken an online poll in which 10 out of 12 Pakistanis felt betrayed.

The entire controversy even forced the 33-year-old to reveal the team he supports – South Africa.

“I support South Africa, and everybody knows that. The idea wasn’t to spark any fire.” Everyone, who has kept a track of Federer’s life, knows that his mother Lynette is from South Africa. Moreover, the Swiss ace has also supported the disadvantaged children in South Africa through the Roger Federer Foundation.

The Swiss player has helped underprivileged children via Roger Federer Foundation

The current World No. 2 also said that he supports India “a little bit”.

When asked if he follows cricket, Federer said that depends on which part of the world he is in at that moment.

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Yuvraj Singh’s exclusion from the 2015 ICC Cricket World Cup came as a shock to every cricket fan. One of the questions that most Indians asked is who would emulate Singh’s role in this year’s World Cup.

Well, one candidate has stepped up expressing the same desire and his name is Suresh Raina.

Suresh Raina hopes to emulate Yuvraj Singh’s performance during the 2015 World Cup

While speaking to bcci.tv, the Indian middle-order batsman said, “I want to play Yuvraj Singh’s role in this World Cup. I want to field, bowl and bat well”.

The 28-year-old southpaw displayed his dominance in India’s opener against arch-rivals Pakistan last Sunday. His worthy score of 74 runs off 56 deliveries helped India register the total of 300 runs, eventually helping his team win by a margin of 76 runs.

Raina played a crucial knock against Pakistan by scoring 74 runs off 56 balls

Raina claims to have looked up to Yuvraj Singh and MS Dhoni as inspirations. “I observed Yuvi and saw how he used to finish games for the side”.

No one has ever questioned Raina’s ability to score big runs during crunch situations. He can also come in handy with his off-spin and carries agility of a leopard while fielding.

Prior to the World Cup, India played in a forgettable tour against Australia. A win in the opening match of the biggest cricket tournament, however, would have definitely given India the much-needed boost to go all the way and retain the trophy.

The victory against Pakistan gave India an impressive lead of 6-0 in the World Cups. Raina talked about every match against the arch-rivals being a high pressure one hoping to maintain the unbeaten record against them.

India beat Pakistan by 76 runs on Sunday

Suresh Raina has started the World Cup campaign on a perfect note. India captain MS Dhoni was all praises for the left-handed batsman after his innings against Pakistan.

India’s next match is against South Africa on 22^nd February where they will try to combat a malicious bowling attack that includes Dale Steyn. India have never beaten South Africa in World Cups, but with the current form that Suresh Raina and team India are in, the tides might finally change.

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Team India’s lacklustre performance in the recent past has made it vulnerable and other teams confident to put on a great show in the upcoming ICC World Cup.

That being said, many teams are already counting out the defending champions and focusing on their own strengths. India not looking confident enough presents other teams an opportunity to win the most coveted prize in cricket.

England, New Zealand and especially South Africa would be fancying their chances this year. South Africa, who are also referred to as chokers because of their inability to pull off matches later in the competition, would have their sights on the World Cup.

15-member squad for South Africa

They have had a phenomenal cricketing year thus far (also 2014) and they would want to get rid of the ‘chokers’ tag once and for all. So what exactly are South Africa’s chances at winning the trophy?

In the ICC rankings, team South Africa is placed at number three in ODIs. Eight members out of their 15-member squad have appeared in the previous World Cup matches.

Out of these eight men, two players – AB de Villiers and Hashim Amla – are in sublime form. Where the former recently recorded the fastest century in ODI history, the latter cannot let go of his habit of playing consistent innings, regardless of the opponents.

Hashim Amla and AB de Villiers will play a key role

Other teams cannot ignore their bowlers either. Dale Steyn is still one of the most ferocious bowlers in cricket (ODI, Test and T20). Supporting him are Vernon Philander, Morne Morkel and Imran Tahir.

Basically, the squad is full of match-winners. However, their habit of crumbling under pressure situations is something that needs working. South Africa has already risked it by including half-fit wicketkeeper Quinton De Kock.

The team is gelled well together and is seen as one of the frontrunners for winning the World Cup. South Africa played 19 One-Day Internationals in 2014 of which they won 12 matches. Such a result means that the players are physically and psychologically strong and can bring home the trophy for the first time since their inclusion in cricket.

South Africa is placed in Pool B. Other teams competing alongside them in this pool are West Indies, India, Pakistan, Zimbabwe, Ireland and UAE. They play their first match at Hamilton against Zimbabwe, which they are slated to win.

Pool B in the 2015 ICC Cricket World Cup

If the team manages to rid the psychological barrier that has often resulted in them being labelled as ‘chokers’, South Africa can really take home the trophy after participating in the tournament on prior six occasions.

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The 2015 ICC World Cup is scheduled to start in nine days and the Indian Cricket Team is facing a major dilemma.

Four members out of the 15-man squad are unfit.

The Indian squad for 2015 ICC World Cup

On any other day, this would bother the fans, but this time around, they might actually be enjoying Team India’s misery. Speculations are rife that Yuvraj Could Be Included In Team Indian Squad.

Bhuvaneshwar Kumar, Ishant Sharma, Rohit Sharma and Ravindra Jadeja are the four unfit players. This clearly spells trouble to the already struggling Indian bowling line up.

Initially when it was announced that Yuvraj would be left out of the World Cup squad, it meant that India were one batsman short and losing out on a fifth bowler. However, with concerns surrounding injuries, Yuvraj’s inclusion could pay off.

The swashbuckling southpaw has been in outstanding form scoring three back-to-back centuries in the Ranji Trophy tournament for Punjab. This might force the selection committee to make a U-turn on its earlier decision of excluding the Punjab lad.

Yuvraj Singh could make a grand entry

The 33-year-old batsman showed his calibre in the 2011 ICC World Cup. His performance with the bat and ball won Team India the tournament, making them a two-time Wold Cup holder.

Other than Yuvraj Singh, Murali Vijay might get a call to the Indian team, too, in case Rohit Sharma is deemed unfit. Vijay was seen in sensational form during the recently concluded Test series against Australia.

Murali Vijay could come in for Rohit Sharma

Ishant Sharma, who is recovering from ankle injury, could be left out of the squad and be replaced by either Mohit Sharma or Dhawal Kulkarni.

Yuvraj, particularly, has received massive support from fans not only in India, but in different parts of the world. His #LoutegaYuvraj trend might see the day of light again with this news reaching his fans.

The post Yuvraj Singh Could Actually Make It To The 2015 World Cup Squad…Here’s How appeared first on Youngisthan.in.

There is a question…

Will India Bid Adieu To MS Dhoni After 2015 ICC World Cup?

The real reason for MS Dhoni quitting Test cricket is still a mystery to many.

Speculations are several, but one of the most prominent is ‘Captain Cool’ losing his golden touch.

It was not long ago when Dhoni as well as Team India appeared invincible. However, the recently completed Test series versus Australia and the on-going One-Day series are highlighting prospects differently.

Suddenly, the media and the audiences are beginning to question India’s chances of winning the 2015 ICC World Cup which is just over couple of weeks away.

Many even speculated to Dhoni’s relationship with Kohli straining as the reason for the former quitting from Test cricket. The Indian captain kept everyone in the loop about his retirement and made the announcement midway through the series surprising everyone.

During a press conference, one of the journalists even asked him if this World Cup would be Dhoni’s swan song, to which he replied curtly, “My retirement (from Test cricket) has really excited you guys.”

MS could not play the first match of the Test series against Australia at the Adelaide Oval because of injury which resulted in his deputy, Virat Kohli, leading the side. Kohli, on the other hand, impressed the selectors as well as cricket fans, when he decided that Team India would chase down the fourth innings total which was over 300 runs. Though India fell short of 48 runs, Kohli did earn everyone’s respect.

The way things went down after the First Test, it seemed like Dhoni feeling uncomfortable with Kohli around. Is that why he quit Test cricket?

When Dhoni took the reins of leading the Indian squad from Anil Kumble, the team featured one of the best line ups. Tendulkar, Dravid, Ganguly, Laxman, Sehwag, Zaheer and Gambhir, to name a few, had no problem with a young lad leading them.

Under Dhoni’s captaincy, a number of younger players made their debut for India. With the legends of Indian cricket retiring one after the other, the Indian team saw a drastic transition.

Before Dhoni retired, he was the most experienced player in the Indian squad. He, however, still leads the Indian ODI and T20 squads.

With Kohli phenomenally leading the Indian team in the first Test in Australia, did it hurt Dhoni’s ego? Where Kohli decided to chase the 300+ target, knowing Dhoni, he would have played for a draw.

Dhoni has always played cricket with indomitable attitude, but a person can only endure so much ego. The currently retired Indian captain has not been open about his reason for quitting from Test cricket.

With Virat Kohli encouraged to take up the reins, this World Cup might well be Dhoni’s swan song.

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