Punjab v Services, Mohali, 1997-98Even before I made my Ranji Trophy debut, there was some chatter that I was in contention for a place in the Indian side. My name was doing the rounds because I had played the Under-19 World Cup, and I was the only spinner in the country who was bowling the doosra at that time. Earlier in the season, when the Indian team was practising, I was asked to bowl in the nets to them.Before that, there was a West Zone team that came to Jalandhar for the Deodhar Trophy; there was Sanjay Manjrekar, who was leading the team, Sachin Tendulkar and Vinod Kambli. I bowled to them in the nets and got all of them out quite a few times. At that time, [Mumbai coach] Balwinder Singh Sandhu apparently wanted me to represent Mumbai in the Ranji Trophy, but people in the Punjab Cricket Association said I had a promising career ahead and would play for Punjab. So I knew my turn would come any time, and wasnt really surprised by the call-up.The Punjab team had Vikram Rathour, who captained in this game, Sherry pa [Navjot Singh Sidhu], who captained the side that season, Pankaj Dharmani and Bharati Vij. These were the big guns we used to hear of during our U-19 days, and here I was, playing alongside them. I knew Punjab already had an offspinner in the form of Ashish Kapoor. I had no idea at that time if the wicket we played on would allow for two spinners to be played, but I got to play and I was really happy.The Punjab team was sponsored by a famous apparel brand at that time. Every player in the team used to wear the branded t-shirt - the jersey was nicely done and was proper English white in colour - and I used to long for it too. It was a great thrill to finally wear it, and I wouldnt take it off even while bowling in the nets in Jalandhar.The one thing I was most scared of - and there wasnt much nervousness about my debut - was facing up to one of their bowlers, who had a reputation for being very quick; I think it was MV Rao. At the U-19 level, you dont face many quick bowlers, and you naturally assume that bowlers in the Ranji Trophy are much faster.I was worried about being hit by Rao, and kept praying that he wouldnt bowl to me. It was one of my earliest experiences of wearing the helmet - given the hype around Raos pace, I would have gladly worn two of those. As luck would have it, it was Rao who was bowling when I came out to bat. But, after I got bat on ball off the first delivery, I felt good and realised I had been unnecessarily scared. Now, I knew that he wasnt unplayable.Soon, I began to treat it as just another game. Somewhere down the line, I realised that it had been harder bowling to some U-19 batsmen than against Services because they werent a great team at that time. When I picked up my first wicket, Sherry pa said in his typical style: Oye, Shabaash bacchu, Cha gaya beta [well done, kid]. Sherry pa was my hero. There was a jolly environment in the team at that time, and we would constantly pull each others legs. I was younger than most and used to hang out a lot with Harvinder Singh most of the time; he was another prankster.I played only four or five first-class matches before my international debut. In that season, there was a game against Karnataka, which was quite crucial for Punjab. Nine of Karnatakas eleven players were internationals - people like Rahul Dravid, Sujith Somasundar, Venkatesh Prasad, Javagal Srinath and Anil [Kumble] bhai were playing. The selectors were there to see what the big fuss was about me. I picked up three wickets in the first innings and two in the second.I bowled well in whatever opportunity I got in the game. I troubled Rahul Dravid quite a bit, and was more than happy that I was challenging a top batsman like him. With every game I played, I knew I was coming one step closer to my dream of playing for the country.As told to Arun Venugopal http://www.falconsrookiestore.com/Falcons-Blidi-Wreh-Wilson-Jersey/ . The Croatian served 21 aces and hit 42 winners against Sijsling, who double-faulted to give Cilic a 4-3 lead in the deciding set. "All the players, they know me and they were really happy to see me and they were really happy that this is over for me," Cilic said. http://www.falconsrookiestore.com/Falcons-Tevin-Coleman-Jersey/ . Carey Price didnt, but he still came out on top against one of his rivals for the No. 1 job at the Sochi Games. The Anahim Lake, B.C., native was stellar in making 39 saves in his home province and Lars Eller got credit for a bizarre short-handed winner as the Canadiens defeated the Canucks 4-1. http://www.falconsrookiestore.com/Falcons-Courtney-Upshaw-Jersey/ .com) - Rafael Nadal, Andy Murray and Roger Federer were easy first-round winners Tuesday at the Australian Open. http://www.falconsrookiestore.com/Falcons-Tony-Gonzalez-Jersey/ .ca! Kerry, Two nights after the Scott-Eriksson incident in Buffalo, the Bruins returned home to play San Jose. In that game, Zdeno Chara put a check on Tommy Wingels that clearly targeted his head. http://www.falconsrookiestore.com/Falcons-Brett-Favre-Jersey/ . Artturi Lehkonen, Joni Nikko and Ville Leskinen had the other goals for Finland (1-0) while Juuse Saros stopped 28 shots. Tim Robin Johnsgard had the lone goal for Norway (0-2).ARDMORE, Pa. -- Adam Scott and Steve Stricker dont have much in common except for how infrequently they play golf tournaments. Scott began to scale back on his schedule two years ago, devising a plan that would help him practice more, play less and be ready for the biggest events. Stricker, who turned 46 in February, decided this year to spend more time at home in Wisconsin. The U.S. Open is only his seventh tournament this year, and he might only play three more. "I congratulated him on his semi-retirement," Scott said. "Welcome to the club." Stricker would love to part of another club to which Scott belongs -- a major champion. Since returning to the top of his game in 2006, he has given himself a couple of reasonable chances. Stricker was the 36-hole leader at Winged Foot in 2006 until a 76-73 weekend dropped him into a tie for sixth, three shots behind. He was tied for the lead after 63 holes at Oakmont a year later, only to shoot 42 on the back nine to tie for 13th. He also played in the final group at Carnoustie in the 2007 British Open. He tied the major championship record at Atlanta Athletic Club in the 2011 PGA Championship with a 63 in the opening round, though he couldnt keep it going. At 46, and playing a limited schedule, Stricker is running out of time. And thats OK with him. "Im kind of past that," he said Tuesday. "I think that the decision that I made earlier this year about playing less has taken some of the pressure off me. Im completely fine with my career and what Ive done. And dont get me wrong -- Im still very competitive and I still really want to win. I still want to play well. But Im just enjoying it. "Im enjoying coming out here and playing and not really having any expectations at all." He is far from a forgotten figure. He has a pair of runner-up finishes this year -- to Dustin Johnsoon at Kapalua and to Tiger Woods at Doral -- and is No.dddddddddddd. 13 in the world. He remains No. 8 in the Presidents Cup standings, so his form is not far off. What makes him intriguing at this U.S. Open is his wedge game. Stricker is vastly improved off the tee, turning that into one of his strengths. As for his putting? Not only is he regarded one of the best in the game, hes so good with the flat stick that even Woods sought him out for advice in March -- and then beat him to win the World Golf Championship at Doral. But its the wedge play that typically allows Stricker to set up birdie putts. And there are a lot of wedges to be struck at Merion, a course that starts and finishes with holes that are long and strong, and features a stretch of short par 4s in the middle where birdies figure to be made. "I like the setup," Stricker said. "Theres a lot of short irons when you get into certain parts of the course, but there are also a lot of long clubs into some of these holes. I think that still the advantage kind of goes to some longer hitters here, just because were not getting any roll in the fairway at all. But I like that theres a lot of short irons. Theres a good mixture of long and short. You dont really get to play to your medium game too much, unless they move up some of the tees on the par 3s." One thing he can count on is being fresher than anyone else in the field. Stricker hasnt played in a month. He tied for 37th in The Players Championship, where he was coming off another monthlong break since the Masters. Thats not to suggest hes been lounging around the house all day. "Im busier now than I ever have been for some reason," Stricker said. "I dont know what it is -- I guess kids. People know that Im playing less, so theyre asking me for things and to do things. Im staying extremely busy." Wholesale Hoodies NFL Shirts Outlet Jerseys NFL Wholesale Cheap NFL Jerseys Free Shipping Wholesale Jerseys Cheap Cheap NFL Jerseys China Wholesale Jerseys Wholesale NFL Jerseys Cheap NFL Jerseys China Cheap NFL Jerseys ' ' '
