NEW DELHI: He has been the finest ambassador for India in the traditional form of the game and Rahul Dravid, after calling time on his cricket career, remained true to his first love -- Test cricket.
"It was (emotional) in some ways. It's when you give up Test cricket,
that's when you feel emotional," Dravid said when asked whether he felt
emotional turning up for Rajasthan Royals against Mumbai Indians in the last match of his professional career.
"It was a privilege to lead such a bunch. The franchise has gone
through a lots of ups and downs. It has been the same group and there
was great working environment," Dravid, who captained Rajasthan Royals
to the final of Champions League T20, said.
As he has done on many occasions, Dravid did mention that the spot-fixing scandal involving India international S Sreesanth was "very disappointing".
"It wasn't an ideal thing to have happened. I don't want to comment
specifically but those were extremely challenging times," Dravid told in
an interview to a TV channel.
Dravid felt that the spot-fixing incident is a lesson for the cricket establishment that one needs to be "vigilant".
"Look, people who want to corrupt the game are not going to go away.
It's a lot about the choices that an individual makes. We have to be
vigilant."
Dravid gave a logical answer as to why he came in at No 8 during the final last night.
"Chasing a target with an asking rate of 11 per over is certainly not my strength at 40 plus," he laughed.
"It has been a memorable journey with the Royals. It started three
years back and last two years, I have been a captain. The whole campaign
has been excellent. Yesterday was a good night and I got a lovely
reception from the Delhi crowd."
He was all praise for veteran Praveen Tambe who grabbed 12 scalps in the tournament to emerge as highest wicket-taker.
"While we play international cricket, we must never forget that we have
the Praveens of the world playing for along with us in the club
matches. It's a heart warming story of Praveen's skill, fortitude and
attitude."
The best part about retirement according to Dravid "is not having to practise anymore".
"I will get to spend more time with my family. I haven't planned about my second innings. Right now however, I need a holiday."
NEW DELHI: Mumbai Indians
made it a golden Twenty20 season for themselves winning the Indian
Premier as well as the Champions League T20 title in the same year. The
Rohit Sharma-led side defeated Rahul Dravid's Rajasthan Royals by 33 runs to win the CLT20 for the second time at the Ferozeshah Kotla stadium on Sunday.
Scorecard | Match in Pics
Chasing 203 to win, Royals were in with a chance till Ajinkya Rahane (65) and Sanju Samson (60) were in the middle but Harbhajan Singh (4/32) and Kieran Pollard (3/31) cut short the chase.
Earlier, Sachin Tendulkar
dazzled all-too-briefly in his last T20 game but his teammates put up a
frenzied display of power-hitting to enable Mumbai Indians to reach a
seemingly insurmountable 202/6 after being put in to bat.
With
RR skipper Dravid playing his last competitive game, it was a day of
farewells at the Ferozeshah Kotla. The hapless Royals bowlers, though,
were left scratching their heads as MI's million-dollar baby Glenn Maxwell
finally got it together to lead the late charge, smashing 37 off 14
balls (4x4, 2x6), including two fours and a six off James Faulkner's
19th over.
It was again Dwayne Smith,
though, who got the innings going with a belligerent 44 (39b; 5x4, 1x6)
before RR's 41-year-old leg-spinning sensation and the tournament's
highest wicket-taker Pravin Tambe (4-0-19-2) got rid of him in the 12th
over.
Tambe's efforts were undone somewhat as Shane Watson and Stuart Binny kept bowling loose deliveries, and after Ambati Rayudu departed for a 24-ball 29, the stage was set for another Rohit Sharma-Kieron Pollard spectacular.
The MI skipper didn't disappoint, pulling Binny over deep midwicket for maximum before both batsmen targeted Kevon Cooper, the 16th over yielding two sixes and a four and 20 runs before Faulkner uprooted Pollard's leg-stump in the next.
Sharma's belligerence too seemed to take a hit and he went soon after for 33 off 14, but Maxwell and Dinesh Karthik (15 off 5 balls) ensured no let-up in the rampage.
The final itself threatened to turn into a sideshow, though, as
Tendulkar and Dravid hogged all the pre-match attention before Tendulkar
took guard for what could be the last time at the Kotla.
Just
when it seemed Tendulkar would stamp his authority on Watson, though,
the bowler sent his off-stump cartwheeling. A subsequent guard of honour
from MI players and a muttered "thank you" from the batsman brought the
curtains down on Tendulkar's innings in coloured clothing.
Brief scores:
Mumbai Indians 202/6 (Smith 44, Maxwell 37, Rohit Sharma 33; Tambe 2/19) bt Rajasthan Royals 169 in 18.5 ovs (Rahane 65, Samson 60; Harbhajan 4/32, Pollard 3/31)
MUMBAI: Their focus on the number one spot up for grabs in the upcoming ODI series against India, Australian captain George Bailey and coach Steve Rixon
said the visitors are no longer intimidated by the sub-continental
conditions courtesy the exposure they have got through the IPL.
The Aussies will start the tour with a one-off Twenty20 match in Rajkot on October 10 followed by seven ODIs.
"If you look at the tournament, it is not just a tournament but a
chance to be number 1 in the world in one of the three formats," said
Rixon at the first media conference of the squad after its arrival on
Saturday night.
"So, it is very important to the players, the
coaching staff and Cricket Australia. At the end of the day, we want to
sit back and want to be part of the number one side," he added. "Yes,
we do know a few players that certainly I think one of the great things
about the IPL, over the years. We have played at a lot of grounds that
we are about to play at. Most of our players have played with and
against a lot of Indian players, vice-versa, they have played with a lot
of us," said Bailey who is leading the squad in the absence of injured
regular ODI captain Michael Clarke.
"We know a lot about
strengths and weaknesses and lot about the personalities, so there is
absolutely some advantage for both the teams but also some areas to try
and exploit," added Bailey who played for Chennai Super Kings, led by India captain Mahendra Singh Dhoni, in CLT20.
Rixon, a part of the support staff of CSK as its fielding coach, agreed
with his captain, adding the squad still had plenty of work to do to
get the better of the ICC World Cup and Champions Trophy holder.
Tiger Woods clinched the Presidents Cup
for the United States for the third time in a row on Sunday, giving the
Americans an insurmountable 18-14 lead over the Internationals at
rain-soaked Muirfield Village.
World number one Woods edged
41st-ranked Richard Sterne of South Africa 1 up to secure the trophy,
thwarting an Internationals fightback and boosting the Americans to
8-1-1 in the overall rivalry with their fifth win in a row.
Battling nagging back spasms over the final five holes, Woods won the
par-3 16th with a par, chipped from the rough to inches from the hole at
17 and halved 18 for the victory.
"It feels good," Woods said. "It was a tough day, tough conditions, rain, wind all around.
"(My back) acted up from 14 on in. It keep getting worse, a little tight, but I think we can find something for it."
His victory put the hosts up by four with only two matches on a course
that saw heavy rain for the fourth day in a row, forcing lift, clean and
place rules to be used.
"We've all slogged it out and did our best," said 2013 Masters champion Adam Scott of Australia.
It was the third triumph for Fred Couples as the US captain, all having ended Woods taking the winning point.
"Three in a row and Tiger has the winning point all three times -- that's pretty good," Couples said.
Internationals captain Nick Price was proud of the rally, winning four
matches in a row with the US on the brink of clinching to create some
drama until Woods came through.
"Against the might of America,
that was a tall order for us," Price said. "The all played incredibly
well. They tried their hardest and I'm proud to be their captain."
Aussie Jason Day won the first singles point 6 and 4 over Brandt
Snedeker. The Muirfield Village member won four of the first six holes
and led all the way.
"I just wanted to finish off with a bang,"
Day said. Hunter Mahan answered for the hosts, beating Japan's Hideki
Matsuyama 3 and 2. Mahan birdied six and seven to take the lead for good
and prevent an Internationals run.
"It is critical. You can't
give them momentum," Mahan said. "I got off to a good start and felt
like I was in control from there."
Jason Dufner, who won the PGA Championship two months ago, edged the US closer by beating Zimbabwe's Brendon de Jonge 4 and 3.
Dufner led from start to finish and won after de Jonge hit his tee shot way left into trees at the par-5 15th.
Canada's Graham DeLaet chipped in from a bunker at the 18th hole to beat Jordan Spieth 1-up.
Zach Johnson beat South African Branden Grace 4 and 2 to put the US on the brink of victory.
But Scott edged Bill Haas 2 and 1 and South African four-time major winner Ernie Els outlasted Steve Stricker 1-up to keep Internationals hopes alive for a draw.
Aussie Marc Leishman made a 10-foot par putt at 18 to edge Matt Kuchar
1-up and South African Charl Schwartzel beat Keegan Bradley 2 and 1
before Woods ended the drama.
The US team won 2 1/2 key points in foursomes matches that ended Sunday morning.
A foursomes key was when Snedeker and Simpson, 3-down after 12 at
nightfall, won four of the last six holes to beat Schwartzel and
Oosthuizen 1-up.
"I can't believe we did it but I'm happy to
get the win," said Simpson. Els and De Jonge won 1-up over Woods and
Kuchar, delivering the US duo's first defeat when Els made a five-foot
par putt at 18.
Stricker and Haas beat Scott and Matsuyama 4 and 3 while DeLaet and Day halved with Mickelson and Bradley.