Sunday, June 23, 2013
Saturday, August 7, 2010
Laxman ton secures India a series-levelling win
Sachin Tendulkar chipped in with 54 and Suresh Raina made 41 not out to help India surpass a challenging victory target of 257 just before tea on the fifth day at the P. Sara Oval.
Raina smashed seamer Chanaka Welegedera over mid-on for a six to signal the series-levelling win after Sri Lanka had taken the opening Test by 10 wickets, while the second was drawn.
Laxman, aged 35, and Tendulkar, 37, shared a match-winning partnership of 109 runs for the fifth wicket in what was probably the last Test innings for the two veterans on Sri Lankan soil.
Laxman was on 60 when he developed back spasms and called for a runner in Virender Sehwag after being treated by team physiotherapist Nitin Patel on the field.
The stylish Hyderabadi followed his 56 in the first innings with his 16th Test century that was studded with 12 boundaries.
Raina, playing only his second Test, hit four fours and a six during an unbroken stand of 87 for the sixth wicket with Laxman.
Laxman's exquisite strokeplay inspired the Indians to ward off the threat of the Sri Lankan spinners exploiting the bounce and turn on a fifth-day wicket.
Off-spinner Suraj Randiv, brought in to replace world bowling record-holder Muttiah Muralitharan, who retired after the first Test, claimed all five Indian wickets to fall.
But Randiv had little support at the other end as sling-arm fast bowler Lasith Malinga went for 0-49 from 12 overs and unorthodox spinner Ajantha Mendis conceded 65 runs in 14 wicketless overs.
Tendulkar, the world's leading run-getter, marked his record 169th Test appearance with a dour half-century during a three-hour vigil at the crease.
Sri Lanka should have got rid of Tendulkar when he was on 18, but Tillakratne Dilshan floored a simple catch at forward short-leg off Randiv.
Tendulkar fell in the fifth over after lunch, with 86 still needed, when he gloved a sweep off Randiv and was taken smartly down the leg-side by wicket-keeper Prasanna Jayawardene.
Earlier, India added just nine runs to their overnight score of 53-3 when nightwatchman Ishant Sharma was dismissed for four, caught at short mid-wicket off Randiv.
It was the off-spinner's fourth wicket in the innings, having removed Sehwag, Murali Vijay and Rahul Dravid in the final hour on Friday.
But Laxman settled in to drive Mendis through the covers and play a fluent on-drive in the same over to bring up the 50-run partnership with Tendulkar.
He continued in the same vein despite the pain, pulling Malinga and Randiv for boundaries.
India and Sri Lanka will now be joined by New Zealand for a limited-overs tri-series that opens in Dambulla on August 10.
Laxman's century helps India draw series
India 436 (Sehwag 109, Raina 62, Randiv 4-80) and 258 for 5 (Laxman 103*, Tendulkar 54, Randiv 5-82) beat Sri Lanka 425 (Samaraweera 137*, Sangakkara 75, Ojha 4-115) and 267 (Samaraweera 83, Mendis 78) by five wickets
Scorecard and ball-by-ball details
Scorecard and ball-by-ball details
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| Related Links Players/Officials: VVS Laxman | Sachin Tendulkar Matches: Sri Lanka v India at Colombo (PSS) Series/Tournaments: India tour of Sri Lanka | |||
The final day of the Test series lived up to its billing with India emerging victorious in a gripping contest to level the series and confound those who had doubted their depleted line-up. VVS Laxman battled the pressure as well as an injured back and, with support from Sachin Tendulkar and Suresh Raina, countered the probing Suraj Randiv to reach his 16th century and seal a memorable win - India's fourth-highest successful chase in Tests.
India needed a recovery each time Laxman stepped out to bat this series, and he delivered once again: his most valuable innings coming in a situation that was the most challenging. The nerves of a tough chase were more evident in his partners, who offered chances and survived moments of edginess, as opposed to Laxman, around whose solidity India's hopes centered.
Laxman seemed to have more time than the rest to play his shots, and he picked gaps in the spread-out fields with comfort during a constant search for singles and twos. The wrist worked its charm early in his innings with a couple of delightful drives off Ajantha Mendis on either side of the pitch, and he latched on anything short, pulling Lasith Malinga for two boundaries behind square. Randiv's extra bounce was neutralised with a quick adaptation to varying lengths and the use of soft hands. Mendis' googlies were read early, and Malinga's slightly wayward line was dominated with flicks, glances and pulls, along with a safe negotiation of his intermittent yorkers.
Laxman suffered back spasms shortly before he lost Tendulkar, and relied on Virender Sehwag as runner. As India approached the target, Laxman moved towards his century with sublime timing, easing the spinners through covers, and brought up the landmark with a tickle to fine leg.
Randiv was the most threatening of Sri Lanka's bowlers and assumed the role of lead spinner in just his second Test. He delivered the ball quick from a high angle and was potent on a track generating bounce. Randiv's three wickets on the fourth day had put Sri Lanka ahead and they would have been on top had an initially patchy Tendulkar not been dropped at forward short leg. He attacked from round the wicket, targeted the rough and got the ball to spit from a middle-and-off line. India's approach throughout the day had been positive and Tendulkar's hunt for runs, though reflecting his determination to keep India on track, kept Randiv interested. Tendulkar closed the face often, used the paddle, made room to cut Randiv from the stumps and even stepped out of his crease. He inside-edged Randiv to one that spun in but Tillakaratne Dilshan failed to hold on to a straightforward chance, a moment Tendulkar shrugged off with a lovely off-drive next ball.
The feature of the Tendulkar-Laxman partnership was the ease with which they took singles, 48 of them in a 109-run stand. The fielders at mid-on and mid-off were placed deep enough for the batsmen to steal a run, and Kumar Sangakkara also had a deep point, who was kept busy. The steady flow of fours tempered Sri Lanka's plan of attack, and the vacant areas were exploited through a series of nudges, cuts and dabs. One such attempt, however, brought about Tendulkar's downfall as he gloved a sweep to the wicketkeeper to give Randiv his maiden five-for. But a counter-attack by Raina in a stand that dealt mainly in boundaries crushed Sri Lanka's hopes.
Raina's previous two Test innings had an assuredness unusual for a debutant but he batted more like one at the start of his knock today. Raina tried to attack from the outset, an approach that could have triggered another twist to a topsy-turvy Test. He edged a wide delivery from Malinga that scraped the hands of slip and charged down the track the next ball to swing and miss. Those lapses prompted more caution and he opted for aggression only when the field came in. Raina launched the spinners twice over mid-on, smashed Mendis down the ground and ended the game before the tea break by dispatching Chanaka Welegedara into the stands at midwicket.
Laxman's performances in both innings were crucial but the game was set up in two decisive phases by Sehwag. His blistering century set a tempo to the Indian first innings that enabled them to scale down a formidable Sri Lankan total in quick time. And his dismissals of the Sri Lankan openers, Dilshan and Tharanga Paranavitana, on the third day deprived the hosts of the strong start they needed to post an intimidating target. All this on a competitive pitch, which gave India's bowlers enough assistance to grab 20 wickets despite the absence of their most experienced bowler and the unavailability of a first-choice seam attac
Saturday, May 22, 2010
What makes you Laugh?
Laughter is great for your health. So what makes you laugh? Lets get the ball rolling. A good movie like Ye Maya Chesave will always bring a smile to my face.A funny book. Terry Pratchet discworld books usually makes me laugh.
Funny incidents that happen. Being with really good friends and having funny conversations about things. (Izzy)
The best way to get a laugh is not to take yourself and life too seriously. Whenever I'm going through a problematic/irritating episode I remind myself that, with the right slant, it will make a very funny story to tell in the tea room at work! Not that I always take my own advice of course (and very rarely at the time!) and some things that happen are too serious/sad to be funny however it is quite an effective method for cutting difficulties down to size.
I do love simple things... The laughter of others at my feigned ineptitude makes me laugh..though I keep it to myself...it is even funnier if those that find my antics amusing attempt to disguise their smiles.. Life is actually full of humour..small practical jokes that dont hurt anyone are sweet to me.. Our house is one of laughter..when this is lost a great deal is lost.. Television does provide much humor of course..but for me real life humor is the best..often subtle ..sometimes missed..but so valuable...
Laughter is a real tonic . . . to laugh literally lifts the spirits . . . many things make me laugh . . . I have laughed so hard that I have been in tears and thought I could laugh no more and then been taken beyond . . . you’ve heard of the phrase “wet yourself with laughter” . . . I’ll say no more! :wink: I find all sorts of things amusing . . . usually those things that I don’t see coming, rather than a joke with an obvious punchline . . . perhaps a comment that can be taken in a way that it was not originally intended . . . and I love comedy films. I often find that something tickles me so much I am giggling away for hours about the same thing! I think it is something to do with having a good imagination! Keep smiling :
I find with our little one his ticklish just under the shoulder blade. And laughter does produce laughter, us adults laugh far too little maybe we need more fun comedies on TV.
For me , it is the unexpected happening, like this morning. We have a big garden with about a dozen currant bushes of all colours. The birds love them, but only at the red stage. Once the black o0nes have turned black they are ignored and the white ones are never touched. As my mother no longer manages them, last year I just netted half of the bushes for my use, leaving the rest for the birds. This year they started to turn red over the weekend and I have seen the blackbirds starting to fly off with a bright red berry in their beaks. There is one greedy female, trying to keep them all for herself, chasing the others away. About an hour ago there was a terrific racket out there. I really though the cat next door was causing mayhem and dashed out. There was this blackbird chasing a magpie out of the apple tree overlooking the fruit bushes. She chased it full about quarter of a mile, at full voice, before returning to carry on eating. If it is the same one as last year, she challenged me when I went to pick some. Love and smiles Joy
. . . you’ve heard of the phrase “wet yourself with laughter” . . . I’ll say no more!: Now I have to confess, being in a menopausal state and not having the strongest bladder in the world, I can fully relate to you on this one my dear!!!!
well there are so many things that make me laugh i dont want to miss any opportunity of laughing all my life it brings those happines back to us and makes us remember the best times i have had together with my loved ones .
Funny incidents that happen. Being with really good friends and having funny conversations about things. (Izzy)
The best way to get a laugh is not to take yourself and life too seriously. Whenever I'm going through a problematic/irritating episode I remind myself that, with the right slant, it will make a very funny story to tell in the tea room at work! Not that I always take my own advice of course (and very rarely at the time!) and some things that happen are too serious/sad to be funny however it is quite an effective method for cutting difficulties down to size.
I do love simple things... The laughter of others at my feigned ineptitude makes me laugh..though I keep it to myself...it is even funnier if those that find my antics amusing attempt to disguise their smiles.. Life is actually full of humour..small practical jokes that dont hurt anyone are sweet to me.. Our house is one of laughter..when this is lost a great deal is lost.. Television does provide much humor of course..but for me real life humor is the best..often subtle ..sometimes missed..but so valuable...
Laughter is a real tonic . . . to laugh literally lifts the spirits . . . many things make me laugh . . . I have laughed so hard that I have been in tears and thought I could laugh no more and then been taken beyond . . . you’ve heard of the phrase “wet yourself with laughter” . . . I’ll say no more! :wink: I find all sorts of things amusing . . . usually those things that I don’t see coming, rather than a joke with an obvious punchline . . . perhaps a comment that can be taken in a way that it was not originally intended . . . and I love comedy films. I often find that something tickles me so much I am giggling away for hours about the same thing! I think it is something to do with having a good imagination! Keep smiling :
I find with our little one his ticklish just under the shoulder blade. And laughter does produce laughter, us adults laugh far too little maybe we need more fun comedies on TV.
For me , it is the unexpected happening, like this morning. We have a big garden with about a dozen currant bushes of all colours. The birds love them, but only at the red stage. Once the black o0nes have turned black they are ignored and the white ones are never touched. As my mother no longer manages them, last year I just netted half of the bushes for my use, leaving the rest for the birds. This year they started to turn red over the weekend and I have seen the blackbirds starting to fly off with a bright red berry in their beaks. There is one greedy female, trying to keep them all for herself, chasing the others away. About an hour ago there was a terrific racket out there. I really though the cat next door was causing mayhem and dashed out. There was this blackbird chasing a magpie out of the apple tree overlooking the fruit bushes. She chased it full about quarter of a mile, at full voice, before returning to carry on eating. If it is the same one as last year, she challenged me when I went to pick some. Love and smiles Joy
. . . you’ve heard of the phrase “wet yourself with laughter” . . . I’ll say no more!: Now I have to confess, being in a menopausal state and not having the strongest bladder in the world, I can fully relate to you on this one my dear!!!!
well there are so many things that make me laugh i dont want to miss any opportunity of laughing all my life it brings those happines back to us and makes us remember the best times i have had together with my loved ones .
Where are you from? What course are you doing? What A-levels did you do? What grades did you get? Where are you staying? What clubs have you joined?
*YAWN*
With the same questions spewing out of everyone's mouths you'll be hard pressed to have an original conversation, or to stand out from the crowd. If you want people to remember your name you best come up with some more entertaining ways to make friends.
Ice breakers:
Wear a T-shirt with the answers to all the above questions and say, "fancy a pint?" instead.
Say: "I'm from Mars, I already have a PhD in Cybernetics and just came down to Earth for the party".
Dress obscurely; those lime green hot pants are sure to pass comment. Especially if you're a guy.
Get yourself a famous mate/lover and get them to drop you off at uni. Make sure they are credible; everyone will want to know you.
Organise the party to end all parties at your halls, for which the entrance password is your name, everyone will have a great time, and know you were responsible for it.
General tips to becoming popular:
Get out more. The TV is not your friend: the East End Mitchells are fictional, go meet some real people.
Talk to strangers. Your mum may well have told you to stay away from them as a kid, but parties are for meeting people. By making the first move you have taken the pressure off the other person and they will probably be relieved to have someone to talk to.
Join a club or two - whatever your interest, be it scuba or sewing there will be something for you and it is much easier to talk to people when you have common interests.
Smile.
Introduce yourself early on in the conversation, and take an interest in the other person's answers.
Ask open-ended questions that allow the chat to flow easily, rather than closed questions that are just going to be answered with a simple 'yes' or 'no' and an awkward silence as you try to think of something interesting to say.
If you hit it off, swap email addresses or phone numbers, if you contact them again a chain reaction will be set off where you will be out meeting more and more people. As always, consider your personal safety with anyone you don't know very well, and don't rush into giving them your home address or similar details straight away.
Friendships tend to just happen, it just takes the effort to get talking to people and to stay in touch. It won't happen overnight, so don't panic if you didn't make that lifelong best friend by day three of Freshers Week.
Avoid campus freak.
Dye your hair pink, adjust your dress sense, and pretend to be a completely different person who just moved in after 'Fred' dropped out.
Match them up with another clinger; they can cry on each other's shoulders, you can live again.
Spend your student loan on a hit man.
Claim to have a contagious disease.
Take them to new members night at a cult, then they can worship something other than you.
Friday, May 21, 2010
This part of life at OUCE is filled with fun only - and a frisk of study (when exams are on). Two students share a single room, which has enough space for 2 beds, 2 study tables and chairs, and 2 Godrej almirahs. The Dining Hall is adjacent to the boys' hostel, which serves arguably the best food amongst all the all universities in Ap. The boys' hostel has a TV room - used quite a lot, especially in the evenings. Students go crazy over football and cricket (especially IPL) matches, creating a stadium like environment with supporters of various teams. People are always on high-adrenaline here. Apart from this, there is also a volly ball court where students usually are seen playing volly ball, chess and other indoor games.. We also have a computer room...has 5 well configured computers which people can use for whatever the purpose. Then there is a reading room - it is the only place that actually has the study "ambience" - quiet, well lit environment. This is also the place where all the newspapers are also kept daily for student store beside the . . One also enjoys outdoor sports in a different barbaric manner...we play football, volleyball and cricket with vigor on a small field in front of the Dining Hall. It's great playing football at whatever the time( it is lit by some vapor lamps) at the field which we like to call - New Trafford. the Birthdays....the celebration starts on midnight with cake (usually smashed on the birthday boy's face), soft drinks and of course the ever famous birthday bumps! Celebrating birthdays in the hostels' has become a tradition now and everyone looks forward to it. So, to sum it up in short, that's Hostel Life... What we call "Home Sweet Home" !
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