Blog Posts by Hindustan Times

There have been better and more influential captains in Indian cricket. But M.S. Dhoni has carved a special place for himself as the man under whom India reached No. 1.

Mumbai: There have been better and more influential captains in Indian cricket. But M.S. Dhoni has carved a special place for himself as the man under whom India reached No. 1. Over to him:

On becoming No. 1

Of course it's a dream come true. If you do well everytime the ratings take care of themselves. There have been games where individuals stood up and did well. One good thing was that we saw the same team play in more and more games. There were not too many injuries and we were playing with almost the best side available. It is a result of good preparation and execution of plans on the field for the last 18-20 months.

On his philosophy

We believe in short-term goals. I can see immediate effects so I am a person who likes to live in the present. The tougher it is to get into the side the best it is for the

I took confidence from all the positive statements made about me and with the help of that confidence I looked to climb the ladder, says Sachin Tendulkar.

When you look back today, what do you think was the turning point of your career, in terms of international stardom and becoming what you wanted?

I think my first Test hundred in England when I was 17, it kept us alive in the series. If you do well in England or Australia, the world takes note. Immediately after, in Australia, I scored two hundreds, on different surfaces, one in Sydney and the other on the bouncy wicket of Perth.

You still rate the Perth one as your best?

Yes, one of the tops.

Because of the quality of the innings or because you were so young?

Not age, but I think, the quality of attack, the kind of surface we played on. given the circumstances, what I was able to achieve.

Did you set yourself targets once you knew you were here to stay?

I would sort of set targets, but would obviously keep them to

When I was picked to play the 2nd Test, I told myself, come what may, I will hang around. I'm not going to accept defeat, I'm going to stay there.

The early years

After two decades of international cricket, what childhood memories come back to you most vividly?

Those images would be that of playing for India, before that would be playing with my friends in my building where I wanted to be the best. I was nine or 10 then, we played with tennis balls and I liked accepting challenges.

Challenges like?

I was the top-scorer in our age-group events and when I was 10, a couple of my friends challenged me to face a guy of about 22-23 without pads with a seasoned ball (a proper cricket ball). I straightaway said, 'why won't I be able to do it, what's the big deal'! I faced him and managed quite well.

What was the atmosphere like at home? Did they not mind your playing the whole day?

They gave me a lot of freedom, especially my father. My brother was instrumental in making everything

For now, he (Glenn McGrath)is busy connecting with nature - enjoying fishing with his kids, exploring islands and spending time at the farm. The Hindustan Times chatted with the Delhi Daredevils pacer on his comeback since IPL 2008 and life beyond cricket.

Who says life after retirement is boring? Glenn McGrath has a lot of time on his hands since retiring two years ago, but is having no trouble in keeping himself occupied.

For now, he is busy connecting with nature - enjoying fishing with his kids, exploring islands and spending time at the farm. The Hindustan Times chatted with the Delhi Daredevils pacer on his comeback since IPL 2008 and life beyond cricket.

How does it feel to be bowling at competitive level again?

It is obviously a good feeling to be back. I don't know how long I will be doing this though I still have another year left in my contract. I'm happy with the way I bowled the other night when I picked two wickets. But I don't think I will be bowling in any other

Hindustan Times caught up with the fiery batsman after he inaugurated a clinic and discussed matters ranging from his injury to the forthcoming India-Australia ODI series.

New Delhi: It is sheer bad luck for India that Yuvraj Singh, one of the cleanest hitters in international cricket, had to miss two successive editions of the ICC Champions Trophy - in 2006 and 2009 - due to injuries.

In October 2007, when the doctors had told him that surgery was the only option to cure his injured knee, Jatin Chowdhary came to his rescue.

The southpaw, who is nursing an injured finger, was back to the same doctor on Sunday, although for a different reason.

Hindustan Times caught up with the fiery batsman after he inaugurated a clinic and discussed matters ranging from his injury to the forthcoming India-Australia ODI series. Excerpts:

How are you coping with the finger injury?

I feel better now. The doctor in South Africa told me that recovery would take at least 5-6 weeks. There is

Sachin Tendulkar is a legend among his peers and a colossal that history would place on a heady pedestal. He still plays the game with limitless enthusiasm and continues to enchant.

India: It was the winter of 1989 when a 16-year old Sachin Tendulkar made his debut for India against Pakistan, their fiercest rival.

He came armed with an already formidable opposition and began the journey that scaled a summit that a few would imagine was possible.

Twenty years later, Sachin Tendulkar is a legend among his peers and a colossal that history would place on a heady pedestal. He still plays the game with limitless enthusiasm and continues to enchant.

CNN-IBN brings you the man himself, his unmatched success and the hunger that continues to drive him on in Tendulkar@20 in his own words.

Are you still as excited as ever to begin a new season of cricket?

Sachin Tendulkar: I am always excited to play cricket. Twenty years ago, it was a similar kind of excitement and today also it's the

Ishant Sharma found support from his skipper Mahendra Singh Dhoni, who found it difficult to say what was a 'good' performance from a first-change bowler that Ishant is being used as in one-dayers.

Ishant Sharma needn't worry about having gone for plenty in the recent tri-series in Sri Lanka.

He found support from his skipper Mahendra Singh Dhoni, who found it difficult to say what was a 'good' performance from a first-change bowler that Ishant is being used as in one-dayers. Dhoni looked at the positives not just with regards to Ishant, but also in other areas.

"The conditions are different when you are bowling one change and with the new ball. Ishant bowls two overs in the first Powerplay and then comes again in Powerplay II. The opponents tend to go after the one-change bowler.

It is difficult to say what is a good performance for a one-change bowler. He is not like a bowler who sends down 4-5 overs with fielders inside the circle.

"Dhoni said Ishant's bowling strength

I was lucky to have Sachin, Rahul, Laxman, Sehwag and Harbhajan probably playing their best cricket at that stage between 2000 and 2005, says the former Indian skipper Sourav Ganguly in an interview to the Hindustan Times.

Having been in the thick of things for the better part of his career, Sourav Ganguly was languishing at deep mid-wicket and waiting for the final moment on Monday. It came at 2.10 pm, when the last Australian wicket fell and India's most successful skipper became a former player.

He joined the celebrations before being chaired out quite fittingly by Harbhajan Singh and VVS Laxman with Ishant Sharma lending support. Ganguly showed no emotions at his final media conference in India colours, although he sounded somewhat low on energy. Maybe he was making too strong an effort to stay normal. The following are excerpts of what he said.

On going out on a winning note

To win the series 2-0 against the best side in the world is very satisfying. After the first Test in