Tendulkar is fit for remaining games: Robin

Mumbai Indians coach Robin Singh on Thursday said he was unaware of any injury to Sachin Tendulkar and confirmed the skipper's participation in all the remaining IPL games.

A media report had said that Tendulkar would soon head to Germany for the treatment of a shoulder injury.

"He (Sachin) is fit for all the games," Singh told reporters here ahead of the team's clash against Rajasthan Royals at the Wankhede stadium here on Friday.

Asked about the injury, Singh said, "I really have no clue. I'm only focusing on IPL now. I really don't know what has happened."

Singh said the match against the Jaipur-based franchisee was crucial for Mumbai Indians, which has suffered two consecutive defeats.

"We didn't play well. We didn't bat well. We played way below our potential. We are quite aware of that. It's quite an important game for us and we need to win it," he said.

"Any loss will hurt. Especially a game that you expect to win comfortably. So we sat back, we just wanted to reflect on what went wrong and wanted to better that," he added.

Tomorrow's match will be last for leg-spin legend Shane Warne in the IPL and it will be last time that Warne and Tendulkar would be up against each other but Singh said they cannot afford to get distracted by those things.

"We are focussed on what we want to do. It's important to play the way we want to. We know its Shane Warne's last game but it does not affect us," he added.

Asked whether the team was struggling to cope up with slow turners, he said it was a problem for everyone and not Mumbai in particular.

"It's a problem for everyone. Even in Chennai the wickets are very slow. No team has got a huge score unless the wicket has been very good. It's a question of adapting. Every team has to face that. The more you go into the tournament. The more you go into the season the wickets are going to get slower. We are preparing for that," he added.

Singh also denied that his they were bad-chasers.

"No we just batted badly. It was a easy score to get (against Deccan Chargers) but the batters didn't do the job. Overall we had a good game."

Warne unhappy with Tendulkar's pitch remarks

Rajasthan Royals captain Shane Warne on Sunday expressed displeasure over Mumbai Indians skipper Sachin Tendulkar's remarks on the pitch at the Sawai Mansingh stadium, which hosted the IPL match between the two sides on Friday.

Tendulkar, after his team's seven-wicket defeat, drubbed the pitch as a two-paced wicket on which the ball kept low, but Warne thought otherwise.

"It is very unfortunate. Mumbai still is not relishing the fact that they were restricted to 94 for 8 and that is why they are searching for excuses. They should admit that they were outplayed if they were outplayed," Warne said in a press conference after leading his team to a six-wicket win over Pune Warriors on Sunday.

"A pitch inspector (member of the pitch committee of BCCI) was here and how can the wicket be termed bad when we reached the target losing three wickets. The ball was coming nicely and it was the same wicket on which Kolkata made 160 odd losing one wicket," he said.

"I think the Rajasthan Cricket Association and curator Taposh Chatterjee have been doing a decent job and are preparing fine wickets. In fact the wicket was a bit slow but that makes a 20-20 even for both bowlers and batsmen. I am really very disappointed by the complaint."

"I have seen wickets in other matches too which were slow and few balls keeping low. But lodging a complaint is not fair. It makes a fair contest between the bat and the ball," the legendary spinner added.

It is learn that chairman of the Pitch Committee of BCCI, Venkat Sundaram flew to the city to have a chat with RCA officials and the curator following Tendulkar's remarks.

The champion batsman had earlier said that it was a tough pitch and the conditions were difficult.

"It was a two-paced wicket and the ball kept low. The pitch was very different from Mumbai where we had a little more bounce and pace," Tendulkar had said.

About Sunday's match, Warne said he was happy that the team got the winning momentum at right juncture.

"I think we bowled pretty decently. We had hoped to restrict them to 130-135. While chasing we were pegged back a bit because we lost wickets at crucial juncture. But Ashok Menaria and Ross Taylor got us through. Young Rahane was a treat to watch - calm and composed," he said.

"I am happy with the way boys have left behind the tough week and three losses on trot," Warne said.

Warriors coach Geoff Marsh, on the other hand, was disappointed with his team's fielding and catching.

"We dropped a few at crucial moments and that cost us the match." Marsh said.

Talking about skipper Yuvraj Singh who bowled only one over, he said sometimes captains tend to under bowl themselves.

"I don't know why he sent down only one over on a slow wicket like this. Sometimes captains tend to under bowl. But otherwise he is fit. We have lost a few close matches and will have to lift ourselves up to bounce back."

Coming soon: Ricky Ponting the golfer!

                                Ricky Ponting could be swinging a golf club in a major tournament.

In the twilight of his cricket career, former Australian captain Ricky Ponting could be seen swinging a golf club next summer as he might be given a sponsor's exemption in one of the major tournaments in Melbourne.

According to a report in the 'Daily Telegraph', "Ponting's reputation as a supreme golfer has made him a candidate for a sponsor's exemption in one of next season's key tournaments."

The Tasmanian, who stepped down from captaincy after Australia's quarter-final exit from the World Cup last month, was reportedly told by nine-time Major winner Gary Player: "The way you hit the ball, you're wasting your time playing cricket."

PGA of Australia's southern division executive officer Nick Thornton said the 36-year-old could be given an invite the moment he decides to take up golf full-time.

"We don't want to take him out of our Test line-up just yet, and we don't want to take away opportunities for up-and-coming players, but it would be great for golf in Australia for someone like Ricky Ponting to play in one of our events," Thornton was quoted as saying by the newspaper. "It certainly would create a lot of interest for one of those tournaments, so that is something we are always interested in."

Pollock against increasing overseas players

S Badrinath and Ambati Rayudu are examples of Indian talent that has flourished in the IPL.

Mumbai Indians' mentor Shaun Pollock is not in favour of having five foreigners in the Indian Premier League, saying the tournament was meant for giving opportunities to local talent.

"Why would you want to change that. At the end of the day when you went to the auction, you chose your players based on the fact that you will need only four players. It wouldn't make sense to change it now," the former South Africa pacer told reporters on Sunday.

"The idea of the IPL was to discover some local Indian talent. The more opportunities they get the better for them," he added.

In a newspaper column, Tom Moody had stated that since the number of franchises in the IPL had been increased to 10, it was time to increase the number of foreigners per side from four to five to bridge the gap in the skill of different players.

Commenting on the appointment of Duncan Fletcher as the coach of the Indian team, Pollock said the key for him to be successful would all depend on whether he is able to strike a chord with skipper Mahendra Singh Dhoni.

"I have never played under Duncan, never played in a team under him, never been coached by him, so it would be unfair for me to comment on what type of coach he is. I suppose because of all his experience, he's been with a couple of teams, a couple at the international level as well. He's got a lot of experience.

"It all depends on how he works with Indian skipper MS Dhoni and what sort of rapport he has with (Indian) players. I'm sure he will give Gary a call and if Eric Simmons is involved they will come up with a plan. I would expect him to be pretty good."

Pollock hoped his team, which plays three matches in the next seven days - two in Mumbai and one in Navi Mumbai - will ensure it wins all the games to book a spot in the play-offs.

"We would love to work it that way. That's ideally how I wanted it. But we are taking it one game at a time. In this tournament we can't think too far ahead. We have to come back to Mumbai. We are looking forward to tomorrow's game," he said ahead of his team's clash with Kings XI Punjab at the Wankhede stadium on Monday.

Mumbai Indians have registered five victories from seven games so far. Pollock felt that though Punjab have a strong batting line-up, his team could put them under pressure by taking early wickets.

"They have got some depth as well. Ideally, if we get some early wickets we can put them under pressure," he added.

The former all-rounder blamed Mumbai's unexpected eight-wicket loss against Rajasthan Royals to bad pitch and conditions.

"You got to understand that the pitch was not similar to the ones we have played on so far in the tournament. Probably (it) won't be similar to the ones we'll see going forward. And we didn't play that well. It was difficult wicket to play on. We didn't bat well, and kept losing wickets and didn't get a partnership going.

"It was not a good score but I thought we bowled very well. We made them fight hard for every run and put them under some good pressure for some good time. We'll take that positive out of it," he said.

About the form of Kieron Pollard, who is yet to fire with the bat, Pollock said it was only a matter of time before the West Indian found his form with the willow.

"He isn't anywhere near the player which he is. Its not great for us to start with but its only a matter of time before he finds form. Its only a matter of couple of shots before he gets going. Once he gets going he is destructive.

"We were blessed with guys who played well for us at the top with only the top 4 batting in the first three games. He didn't get many opportunities. It was great that they batted that way but the only let-down for us was that Pollard didn't get too much time at the crease. He will play his part no doubt. I'm sure he will win us a few games. He brings a lot to the team. He is a decent bowling option, good in the field."

It's dangerous to throw names around: Sangakkara

Sangakarra wants Hashan Tillakaratne to work with authorities if he has facts about match fixing.

Reacting to former Sri Lanka captain Hashan Tillakaratne's comments that match fixing has existed in Sri Lankan cricket since 1992, Kumar Sangakkara on Sunday said the former player should work with the ACSU unit of the ICC and the home authorities in Sri Lanka if he has "anything more than allegations, as it's dangerous to throw names around."

Speaking in the post-match media conference after his side's 19 run loss to Chennai Super Kings, the Deccan Chargers captain said, "Hashan made those comments in a TV show. It was then taken up by the press. Hashan has played the game for years and he's captained Sri Lanka as well. So it's interesting to see what he has to say and if he has anything more than allegations.

"It's dangerous to throw names around, and he should work very closely with the ACSU of the ICC and the home authorities to ensure that something's done about it if there is any foundation to those claims but beyond that I don't think it makes any big sense to the players playing now."

About Sunday's defeat, Sangakkara said, "We had a few opportunities today that went abegging, which was unfortunate. The guys tried their best to take those chances, but unfortunately we couldn't take some of the catches that came to us. But that's the way the game goes, may be 10 to 15 runs too many but we were in the chase right up to the 15th, 16th over, when we fell away."

Asked about the nature of the strip, Sangakkara said, "I think the wicket in the second half didn't turn as much as we thought it would. It was a bit on the slower side. It played much better than we thought it would."

About the next few matches, his answer was: "Pretty simple. We have six games, we have to win about five of them to stay alive in this competition. It's a great challenge. We're playing well, but we have to convert that extra 10 or five percent to try and win a game."

Man of the match Albie Morkel said he was "very surprised" not to see compatriot Dale Steyn among his opposition. Steyn was one of the four players rested on Sunday.

"I think Dale and Ishant, in the last couple of games formed a formidable bowling pair and them not playing one of the world's best Test and One-day bowlers was surprising. But they have a couple of back-to-back games in Hyderabad, so may be they're saving him for that."

When asked if he had been able to snap his "mediocre run with the bat", Morkel shot back: "I think to use the word 'mediocre' is unfair. If you look at the position I bat in, I only get (about) four balls to face anyway, so for me it's not about only myself. It's also about whether I can do one or two good things for the team and help them win."

Both Warne and Sachin right: Shastri

                                   Both Shane Warne and Sachin Tendulkar are right according to Ravi Shastri.

Former India batsman Ravi Shastri agreed with Rajasthan Royals captain Shane Warne that the Jaipur pitch was not a "90-run wicket" even though he felt Mumbai Indians skipper Sachin Tendulkar was also not off the mark in stating that "it was a two-paced, difficult track to bat on".

Mumbai Indians lost to Rajasthan Royals in their IPL match on Friday last week and Tendulkar was critical of the pitch on which his team's batting collapsed.

"The first question I asked Sachin (at the post-match presentation) was if it was a tough pitch. In turn he gave me a straight answer," said Shastri, who covered the Rajasthan Royals-Mumbai Indians IPL match as a commentator in Jaipur last Friday.

Tendulkar had replied to this query by stating it was a two-paced pitch, a difficult track to bat on and much different from the ones in Mumbai which have pace and bounce.

"But I have to say it still wasn't a 90-run wicket. To be fair a few pitches in Kolkata, Delhi and the one in Kochi the other day, if anything, were more ordinary," said Shastri.

"Compared to them, the pitch at Jaipur was a shining difference."

Mumbai Indians suffered only their second loss of the IPL season, going down tamely by seven wickets to the hosts.

Warne had questioned Tendulkar for criticizing the strip which he believed led to pitch regulator Venkat Sundram flying to Jaipur the very next day and inspect the wicket-in-question.

Sundram, when contacted, didn't want to get dragged into the controversy, except stating that it wasn't the first pitch he had inspected in this IPL.

"I have been travelling to other venues as well, I did so during the World Cup too. And I am not sure if any formal protest was lodged (by the Mumbai Indians)," he said.

According to reports emerging from Mumbai Indians camp, no formal complaint was lodged and Warne might have over-reacted to Tendulkar's cricketing reply at the post-match presentation ceremony.

"I am not sure in what context Warne replied (in the press conference on Sunday). But he might have been piqued that his criticism of the Kolkata pitch wasn't taken seriously," stated Shastri.

Shastri was referring to Rajasthan Royals' drubbing at the hands of Kolkata Knight Riders on April 15 which led to Warne describing the Eden Gardens pitch as "very ordinary".

Sundram chose to give a left-handed compliment to Jaipur, stating the pitch produced - after his inspection - in yesterday's match against Pune Warriors was a "lovely track".

Preview: WI v PAK, 4th ODI

                                  Misbah ul haq has been Pakistan's Mr. Consistent in this series.

Pakistan, having already clinched the 5-match ODI series with an unassailable 3-0 lead, would now be aiming to be on track for a series sweep when they face West Indies in the fourth one-day international at the Kensington Oval. West Indies, on the other hand, have only pride to play for, and would do well to win the remaining two matches.

Head to Head: Pakistan and West Indies have face off against each other in a total of 23 ODIs in the last 10 years. Pakistan have emerged victorious on 18 occasions while losing just 5 times.

Pakistan: Generally a very mercurial side, Pakistan have been anything but that in this series. After having bagged clinical wins in the first two ODIs, Pakistan emerged trumps in a low-scoring third game to bag the series. Mohammad Hafeez, who has been growing in confidence with every game, has been one of the key performers. He has done well with both the ball and the bat, contributing for Pakistan whenever called upon. Ahmed Shehzad has also done well at the top of the order, scoring an important century in the 2nd ODI. Pakistan's Mr Consistent Misbah ul Haq has performed brilliantly with two fifties and one score in the forties and is yet to be dismissed in this series. Their only concern would be the way the middle order struggled in the third ODI while chasing a target of 172 before getting home in the end.

Pakistan's bowling has been disciplined, never letting West Indies post a good total in all three ODIs so far. Wahab Riaz, Saeed Ajmal and Mohammad Hafeez have all been amongst wickets and have also been very economical, especially the spinners. They would look to continue in the same vein as Pakistan pursue a 5-0 series win.

West Indies: The Caribbean side have been average to say the least and the absence of their three senior batsmen has definitely hurt the team. While Chris Gayle and Shivnarine Chanderpaul have not even been considered for the series, Ramnaresh Sarwan, the other senior in the ranks, has only been drafted into the squad for the 4th and 5th ODIs. With West Indies having already lost the series, he can only do as much as lending stability to the middle order which has been woeful. Lendl Simmons has been the only batsman who has been scoring runs for West Indies, with a couple of fifties while the talented Darren Bravo has gone past the half century-run mark once. Barring that, none of the other batsmen have come up with any kind of meritorious performance. They need to play with more application if they hope to contribute to West Indies' cause.

As far as the bowling is concerned, Devendra Bishoo has been the stand-out performer for the Windies, taking 7 wickets in the series at an average of 18. Ravi Rampaul, who played only in the third ODI, was also impressive with his excellent spell of 4/32. The rest of the bowlers, though they did not have much to defend in the past three outings, have also not been up to the mark. Kemar Roach, their strike bowler, is still searching for a wicket and so are Darren Sammy and Dwayne Bravo. West Indies need an all-round display in the remaining games if they are to prevent a clean-sweep.

Captains speak:

Rotating the strike is one area we have to get better at. If we rotate the strike, that upsets the rhythm of the Pakistan bowlers and that would lead to us posting bigger, match-winning totals. As a batting unit we hit a lot of boundaries, but we have to get better at ticking over the strike: West Indies skipper Darren Sammy

There are still some problems with out batting, and I'm sure the management and coaches will come at us hard in the meetings. The way the boys delivered in the series was good, but the batsmen need to spend some time in the middle. We all know we made mistakes: Pakistan skipper Shahid Afridi