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Test Cricket: Cook hits ton as England pursue mammoth total

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Cook

Abu Dhabi: England captain Alastair Cook knocked a solid hundred to lead England’s fightback on the third day of the first Test against Pakistan in Abu Dhabi on Thursday.

Cook continued to bat without much problem as he reached 116 to take his team to 197 for one at tea with Ian Bell on 31 as the pair thwart Pakistan’s pace-cum-spin attack on a Sheikh Zayed Stadium pitch.

England still trail Pakistan’s mammoth first innings total of 523 for eight by 326 runs.

Cook drove left-arm fast bowler Wahab Riaz for an exquisite cover drive for his tenth boundary to complete his 28th century in Tests, raising his bat in celebration.

When on 93 the England skipper also completed 1,000 runs in 11th Test this year, only the second batsman to reach 1,000 runs in 2015 behind team-mate Joe Root.

He has so far hit 11 boundaries during his 222-ball stay at the wicket.

Pakistan thought they had England skipper leg-before when he failed to connect a sweep off left-arm spinner Zulfiqar Babar but Australian umpire Paul Reiffel’s decision of not out was upheld on review.

Earlier, Cook and Moeen Ali resumed the day at 56-0, bringing up the century stand in the first hour of play as Pakistan attacked through pace at one end and spin from the other.

England’s last century stand came against New Zealand at Leeds earlier this year with Cook and now discarded Adam Lyth posting 177.

But at 116, left-hander Ali edged an outgoing delivery from paceman Imran Khan to wicket-keeper Sarfraz Ahmed who took a low catch to his left.

Bell survived some anxious moments at the crease with left-armer Zulfiqar Babar started to turn the ball on a pitch which did not assist England spinners on the first two days.

Babar was unlucky not to have Bell four overs before the interval when close-in fielder Shan Masood failed to hold on to an edge at silly point.

Bell, who survived some anxious moments before lunch, looked settled with three boundaries in his 104-ball knock.

(AFP)

Ranji Trophy: Karnataka Vs Vidarbha in Bengaluru

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KL Rahul has returned to Karnataka side after recovering from injury.

KL Rahul has returned to Karnataka side after recovering from injury.

Bengaluru: KL Rahul and Karun Nair would look to put up impressive show before the national selectors meet to pick the Indian Test squad for the South Africa series, as Karnataka take on Vidarbha in a Group A Ranji Trophy.

Rahul, who is making a comeback after recovering from the quadriceps strain that he had sustained during India’s tour of Sri Lanka in August, will be desperate to make to mark.

He has played a stellar role in Karnataka’s success story in last two seasons. Last year, he notched up 838 runs from five matches and became the first Karnataka batsman to score a triple century in the domestic circuit.

The 23-year-old will look to continue the success story this season too, besides returning to the Indian team. Karun, who was recently called up as a reserve for the India Test team against Sri Lanka, would want to carry forward his form that he showed against Bengal in the last match.

He made a mincemeat of Bengal bowling with a crushing century, which put Karnataka in the driver’s seat. Shishir Bhavane (119) and bowling-allrounder Shreyas Gopal (139) will also be high on confidence after their fine tons that helped Karnataka amass 537 runs for nine declared.

Also one of last season’s top scorers Robin Uthappa and Manish Pandey will be eager to showcase their skills. The Vinay Kumar-led bowling attack has been consistent with its ability to take wickets in regular intervals.

Kumar and HS Sharath shared seven wickets between them in Bengal’s first innings, forcing them to follow on in the last game. On the other hand, Vidarbha will look to put behind their dismal performance against Delhi, which had mauled them after Ishant Sharma ran through their innings.

After failing miserably in the last match, stalwarts Wasim Jaffer and Subramanium Badrinath would like to showcase their talents, which they had been doing for their erstwhile Mumbai and Tamil Nadu, respectively.

A Shanware, who scored a brilliant 119 against Odisha in their opening match, and Ganesh Sathish, who notched up a half century so far, will also like to contribute with their bats.

A consistent run-maker for the past four seasons, Shalabh Shrivastava would also want to bury the disappointing performances of the last two matches.

Umesh Yadav is away on national duty and it is a big loss for Vidarbha. His new ball partner Shreekant Wagh, meanwhile, has been growing in stature in the last three seasons.

The team will expect the pace duo of Ravi Thakur and Swapnil Bandiwar to shine. They did a good job last year. Off-spinner Akshay Wakhare, who broke the 50-year-old record of best bowling figures in a match for Vidarbha, enjoys role of lead spinner and would like to make his presence felt.

Squads

Karnataka: R Vinay Kumar (captain), CM Gautam (vice-captain and wicketkeeper), R Samarth, Robin Uthappa, Manish Pandey, Karun Nair, Shishir Bhavane, Shreyas Gopal, J Suchith, A Mithun, HS Sharath, Udit B Patel, S Aarvind, Mayank Agarwal, KL Rahul.

Vidarbha: Subramanium Badrinath (captain), Ganesh Satish, Wasim Jaffer, Shalabh Shrivastava, Swapnil Bandiwar, Ravi Thakur, Amol Ubarhande, Jitesh Sharma (wicketkeeper), Ravi Jangid, Aditya Sarwate, Aditya Shanware, Shreekant Wagh, Akshay Wakhare, Dharmendra Ahlawat, Amol Jungade.

(PTI)

Movie Review: ‘Jazbaa’ is a captivating thriller with good performances that makes it a decent watch

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Jazbaa

Banner: White Feather Films & Viiking Media & Entertaiment
Producer: Sanjay Gupta, Aishwarya Rai, Anuradha Gupta, Nittin Keni, Akash Chawla, Sachin R. Joshi & Raina Sachin R. Joshi
Director: Sanjay Gupta
Cast: Aishwarya Rai Bachchan, Irrfan Khan, Shabana Azmi, Chandan Roy Sanyal, Jackie Shroff, Atul Kulkarni, Siddhanth Kapoor, Priya Banerjee, Sara Arjun, Abhimanyu Singh et al
Music: Amjad – Nadeem Arko, Pravo Mukherjee & Amar Mohile
Distribution: Essel Vision Productions

Director Sanjay Gupta is more famous for his thriller movies genre in the past. And once again he has delivered the goods in his latest offering ‘Jazbaa’ albeit this time he has laced the movie with a bit of emotionalism too, probably to tug at the viewer’s heart strings too.

The intricatly plotted scenerio of ‘Jazbaa’ kicks off with Anuradha Verma (Aishwarya Rai Bachchan), a prominent criminal lawyer and a single mother who has never lost a case. One day her daughter Sanaya (Sara Arjun) is kidnapped and no ransom is demanded, but instead the kidnapper contacts her and tells her that she has to defend a convicted felon to get her daughter back. The felon is Miyaaz Shaikh (Chandan Roy Sanyal) who is convicted for rape & murder of a young woman and the case against him is set for judgement in 4 days. The kidnapper keeps track of Anuradha very closely to make sure she complies with his demand. With the pressure of time against her, Anuradha tries to get help from her suspended police friend Yohan (Irrfan Khan) who has been suspended from the police force for flaunting the rules & the regulations too often. The case against Miyaaz Shaikh is handled by a renowned public prosecutor (Atul Kulkarni) who has been defeated by Anuradha time & again and hence has a long time professional rivalry against her.

Director Sanjay Gupta has officially made ‘Jazbaa’ as the indianised version of the Korean movie ‘Seven Days’ packing in all the edge – of – the – seat punches topped with his par excellence directional skills. In fact the movie ‘Jazbaa’ sounds almost like a perfectly crafted slick Hollywood thriller, yet the film lacks in its repeat value deviod of any mass entertainment value. The film also proves weak in its proper romanticism depiction & musical treatment barring the first rate backgrond score of Amar Mohile. That apart his other behind – the – scenes technicians have also given a first rate account of their unsurpassed talent perfectly living upto his directorial expectations and that includes each & every bit role playing actors too. A word of extreme praise also goes to all the producers backing the project and of course last but not the least to Nittin Keni too for his distributional vision through his Essel Vision Company.

Performance wise the film ‘Jazbaa’ clearly belongs to Aishwarya Rai Bachchan as her overtly perfect comback launch pad after 5 long years. She delivers a towering performance despite the towering presence of a superbly talented performer like Irrfan Khan. But sadly speaking this time around Irrfan Khan could not stand tall with his volcano of talent with his half the time dopey act, against an equally talented performer like Aishwarya Rai Bachchan. Yet all said & done the duo has perfecty matched their talent in a few scenes at least. And for that the entire credit goes to director Sanjay Gupta for capturing & extracting a raw & stunning performance from the duo. Next in line the veteran actress Shabana Azmi, on the other hand, comes up with yet another sterling performance. The remaining actors like Jackie Shroff, Priya Banerjee, Siddhant Kapoor, Chandan Roy Sanyal & Atul Kulkarni too have excelled beyond imagination in their respectively brief cameo roles.

Tail Piece: ‘Jabaa’ is a captivating thriller with good performances that makes it a decent watch for the entire family audiences.

‘Ranveer – The Maarshal’ is completely based on 8 kinds of unique martial arts”: Milind Ukey

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Milind Ukey

Director Milind Ukey had 1st gained a recognized limelight with a Shahid Kapoor & Nana Patekar starrer movie ‘Pathshaala’. And then he came into his own with varied language films made every once in 2 years and he is still around with many more filmy martial arts tucked up his directorial sleeves. At present, he is ready with his extraordinaire martial art movie named ‘Ranviir – The Martial’, whose imminent release is just round the corner.

To start off with, how about giving us a brief lowdown on your pre -filmic background?

I am from Nagpur. I am basically a Mechanical Engineer from VNIT. I had done my 3 year Film Direction Course from FTII Pune.

Ranveer The Maarshal

Now tell us how & from where did your cinematic journey begin?

I had started off as an associate director for Sanjay Leela Bhansali in ‘Khamoshi’ & ‘Hum Dil De Chuke Sanam’. I had made my 1st independent feature film in Marathi named ‘Devaki’ which had won 27 awards. Then I had made films like ‘Hanuman’ the 1st animation film, ‘Paathshaala’ with Shahid Kapoor & Nana Patekar, ‘Dehradun Diary’ with Adhyayan Suman. Then I had made 2 more films in between namely ‘Deshdevi’ & ‘Humne Jeena Seekh Liya’. I was also a creative director for ‘Naina’.

Fine! By the way, why was there such a long gap in your directional arena?

I have made 1 feature film every 2 years for the last 10 years. Hence, there is not much gap in the directional arena. Making good films from conception to release does take around 1.5 to 2 years.

Time to reveal about your upcoming film ‘Ranviir – The Marshal’ in a nutshell’?

‘Ranviir – The Marshal’ is the 1st of its kind film in India which is completely based on 8 kinds of martial arts. All artists are expert professional martial artists. Every character , story, backdrop, twists & turns deals with only martial arts. The fights are choreographed by professional martial artists, supported by International Taekwondo Federations of India. The feel, the structure & the execution of this film is on the lines of the international martial arts films.

What according to you are the highlights of ‘Ranviir – The Marshall’?

The great martial arts fights of the lead hero and the professional martial artists, the arena fights, the pure martial arts competition fights involving 800 students, the international look of the characters & the backdrops and above all 8 kind of martial arts in the finale and above all 6 International fighters are the highlights of the film.

Scores of martial art movies are being made time & again, so what’s so special about ‘Ranviir – The Marshal?

You see full-fledged martial arts films are not made in India. There is specific writing, designing & fight composition of martial arts films, which nobody understands in India. I myself practiced martial arts. I studied martial arts cinema from ‘Enter The Dragon’ to the recent ‘Grandmastar’. Besides I also learnt some cinematic fight technique from Hong Kong fight master in London. So I can proudly claim that ‘Ranviir – The Marshal’ is a 1st of its kind of martial arts film completely based on art, culture, skills & designs of only martial arts.

When is the movie finally releasing and what was the specific reasons for its delay?

It is finally releasing on 23rd Oct, 2015 and there was no delay in the film as such. Its only that lots of post production work takes time as much as ground level marketing does. We had long connect programme with 5000 martial arts clubs all over India. So it takes time.

Is your film a message oriented one and what message are you trying to impart?

This is a sports film based on martial arts sports. Today’s children are too absorbed in electronic gadgets, video games, internets,
smart phones et al, thereby restricting their physical growth. This film will inspire them to come out of their closets & play ground games. The Guru in my film says, “Martial arts ek jeene ki kala hai, ek aam aadmi se ek kabil insaan banane tak ka safar” It will also inspire girls to learn the self-defence techniques.

How was it moulding & working with debutante artistes. Did they deliver the goods and finally are you satisfied as a director?

Every actor has delivered a superb performance. Rishy as Ranviir is outstanding in fighting as well as emotional & dramatic sequences. Rajesh as a stylized villain is unique. Shibani Kashyap debuting as a vamp with a hunter is too good to be true. NSD Guru of acting Robin Das adds the spiritual angle to the film. Viswajeet Pradhan as composed guide & Ratiji as over powering mother are amazing. The professional martial artists Sameer Khan, Vinod Koomang, Prateek Parmar are outstanding in their fights of international standards.

As a parting shot tell us what is next on your filmmaking agenda?

I am busy making 3 films at the moment. Firstly I am working on the next level of martial arts film. Another project is a true international story about Gomla village. Period!

A new low: Israeli police officer puts pork chop on dying Palestinian man’s face

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A pork chop was placed on the dying man's face while the paramedics were awaiting an ambulance near Hebron. Photo: Facebook

A pork chop was placed on the dying man’s face while the paramedics were awaiting an ambulance near Hebron. Photo: Facebook

by Sam Matthew, Daily Mail

This is the moment it was claimed a pork chop was placed on the face of a dying Palestinian man.

He had been gunned down after allegedly stabbing an Israeli police officer in the settlement of Kiryat Arba, near Hebron.

In 12 days of bloodshed four Israelis and 26 Palestinians have been killed in Jerusalem, the Israeli-occupied West Bank, Gaza and in Israeli cities. The death toll is said to include eight children.

The violence has been stirred in part by Muslim anger over increasing Jewish visits to the Al-Aqsa mosque compound in Jerusalem.

Footage, which is now circulating on social media, shows a man, said to be an Israeli settler, approaching paramedics claiming to be clutching pork meat.

He then places the substance on the wounded man’s face and body.

It has not been confirmed that the meat was pork and in the short clip posted on YouTube it appears to look more like raw chicken.

But both Muslims and Jewish people are forbidden to eat pork, which is considered to be unclean.

Paramedics were lifting the wounded man into the waiting ambulance when he was targetted.

They do not stop to remove the flesh, as a crowd gathers around the man, who was said to have later died in hospital of his injuries.

The clip has been viewed more than 24,500 times on YouTube.

The act was later praised by right-wing activists, according to the International Business Times.

‘If this could prevent terror attacks, then we are definitely talking about the idea of the year,’ they reported that Itamar Ben Gvir said.

Muslim Americans win chance to sue NYPD for spying

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Philadelphia court rules plaintiffs had legal standing to assert claims that police surveillance violated their rights.

NYPD

by Kristen Saloomey, Al Jazeera

New York: An appeals court in the US has given Muslim Americans another chance to sue the New York Police Department for its surveillance on them.

Last year, a lower court had dismissed the case in which the police were accused of deliberately targeting Muslims because of their religion.

However, the 3rd US Circuit Court of Appeals in Philadelphia reversed a lower court’s decision, finding the plaintiffs had legal standing to assert claims that the country’s so-called counterterrorism programme violated their rights.

(Agencies)

Netaji files to be declassified from January 23: Modi

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Narendra Modi being presented a Netaji portrait by his family members in New Delhi on Wednesday. Photo: PTI

Narendra Modi being presented a Netaji portrait by his family members in New Delhi on Wednesday. Photo: PTI

New Delhi: Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Wednesday announced that the government will start de-classifying files related to Netaji Subhas Chandra Bose from January 23 – his birth anniversary.

Modi said this in a series of tweets after meeting members of Bose’s extended family at his residence here.

The prime minister said the government would also request foreign governments to declassify their files on Bose, whose reported death in a plane crash in 1945 in Formosa, now Taiwan, is widely disputed.

Modi said he will begin the process involving other countries with Russia in December when he visits Moscow.

Bose, a leading light of India’s freedom movement who at one time was elected the Congress president, was said to be fleeing to Russia when his plane reportedly crashed and caught fire.

This version has been challenged for decades by innumerable Bose fans who have held varying versions of what happened to him after 1945.

Bose’s family members met Modi in the light of the West Bengal government’s declassification of official files related to the last days of Bose, who set up the Indian National Army (INA).

“It was a privilege to welcome family members of Subhas Babu to 7RCR. We had a remarkable and extensive interaction,” Modi said.

“I told Subhas Babu’s family members – please consider me a part of your family. They shared their valuable suggestions with me,” he added.

Modi said: “There is no need to strangle history. Nations that forget their history lack the power to create it.”

The prime minister had announced in September that he would meet over 50 members of Bose’s extended family living in India and abroad.

(Agencies)

Bihar electoral battle enters second phase

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samastipur-voters

Patna: The battle for Bihar enters into its second phase tomorrow with voters set to decide the fate of 456 candidates in 32 constituencies spread over six Naxal-hit districts, posing a big challenge to security forces.

The districts are Kaimur, Rohtas, Arwal, Jehanabad, Aurangabad and Gaya.
After the completion of the first phase of polling in 49 seats, the second phase saw NDA sharpening attack on the grand secular alliance in the backdrop of a sting video that purportedly showed a minister accepting Rs 4 lakh bribe.

Prime Minister Narendra Modi grabbed the ‘windfall’ with both hands and flagged it at his rallies in Jehanabad and Bhubua on October 12, a day after the damning video showed up on the 113th birth anniversary of socialist icon Jayaprakash Narayan.

The second phase polling constitutes a great challenge for the security personnel as the six districts are heavily affected by Naxalism. In view of the security concerns, voting time has been curtailed by one hour and two hours in as many as 23 Constituencies.

Additional Chief Electoral Officer R Lakshamanan said that while voting would start at 7 AM in all 32 constituencies it would end at 3 PM in 11 constituencies and at 4 PM at 12 others. Only 9 seats would have scheduled voting from 7 AM to 5 PM.

A total of 86,13,870 electors are expected to decide the fate of 456 candidates, 32 out of whom are women. There are 9,119 polling stations.

A total of 993 companies of Central Para Military forces and state police would be deployed on the day to ensure peaceful voting.

As many as 334 companies would be in service in Gaya, 201 in Rohtas and 193 in Aurangabad.

While contest on all the seats is intense, the battle at Imamganj (reserved SC seat) would be keenly watched where former chief minister Jitan Ram Manjhi of HAM is locked in a straight contest with the Speaker of the outgoing assembly Uday Narain Chaudhary of JD(U). Chaudhary is a five-term MLA from the seat.

Manjhi is also trying his luck from Makhdumpur seat in Jehanabad too.

Senior BJP leader and former minister Prem Kumar (Gaya town), former state unit chief of the saffron party Gopal Narayan Singh (Nabinagar) and state minister Jay Kumar Singh (Dinara) are among those whose fate would be decided in this phase.

(Agencies)

‘1,000 Hardiks will rise’: 22-year-old challenges BJP chief Amit Shah

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hardik-patel

Ahmedabad: Hardik Patel, Gujarat’s 22-year-old politician, has in a message shared on WhatsApp, asked BJP chief Amit Shah to “stay away” from the agitation he is leading for reservation in government jobs and colleges for the Patel community in the state.

“I request Amit Shah to stay away from the Patel community’s agitation to get reservation. We will not stop it just because you want it. The agitation will not stop till I am alive. And if you still want to crush the stir by force, then you will have to kill me,” Hardik Patel said.

In Ahemdabad, also Amit Shah’s home-town, Hardik Patel said he had “learned from sources” that Amit Shah has been tasked with mediating to end the Patel agitation. “Since we will not end the stir merely on his request, we know that he will use other tactics and force our movement to finish. So I have issued that open message asking him to stay away,” Patel said.

BJP leaders here did not react to Patel’s comments and said they do not know of any plans for Amit Shah to visit Gujarat to resolve the reservation row. In Patel’s challenge to the BJP chief, they see a new attempt to draw attention.

“Even if you kill me, thousand other Hardiks will rise. Try to accept our demands and give us justice. Otherwise, do whatever you can do,” said Patel, who has alleged that he is being prevented from holding rallies and public meetings in Gujarat at the behest of Shah, whose party governs the state.

Hardik Patel is demanding that either the Patels, wealthy and politically influential, be included among the castes that benefit from affirmative action in Gujarat, or then all quota be scrapped. He has also repeatedly reminded the BJP that the Patels have played an important role in powering its political ascent in Gujarat.

The Anandiben Patel government has said it will be unable to meet Patel’s demands and has also prevented the young politician from gathering crowds and addressing public meetings ever since his brief detention after a rally in Ahemedabad led to two days of violence in several cities.

(PTI)

Zaheer Khan announces retirement from international cricket

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Zaheer-Khan

Mumbai: Left-arm pacer Zaheer Khan announced his retirement from international cricket on Thursday.

The 37-year old pacer made the announcement on Thursday, ending his 14-year long international career. Zaheer made his India debut in 2000 and played his last game for India in 2014 at Wellington against New Zealand.

He is leaving the field after playing in 92 Tests and 200 One-Day Internationals (ODIs), picking up 282 and 311 wickets, respectively.

Zaheer was the joint highest wicket-taker in the 2011 World Cup along with Pakistan’s Shahid Afridi, claiming 21 wickets at 18.76.

“The BCCI appreciates Zaheer Khan’s outstanding service to Indian Cricket. He served Indian cricket with remarkable passion and commitment. Being a fast bowler in the Indian sub continent is challenging but he led the bowling attack with distinction and contributed significantly to the success of Indian cricket .I wish him all the best for the future,” Shashank Manohar, BCCI president said in a statement on Thursday.

“Zaheer will go down as one of the finest fast bowler in the history of Indian cricket. He has been the leader of Indian fast bowlers in the last decade or so and of the best exponent of reverse swing in the country. He has been an outstanding role model on and off the field for Indian cricket. Zaheer has been of the key reasons for IndiaÂ’s success over the last fifteen years. I congratulate him on his wonderful career, ” Anurag Thakur, BCCI secretary, said.

Here is his full statement:

“New Beginning ….

The toughest call in a cricketing career is when one has to walk away from the game itself. You almost ‘will’ yourself and want to push that few, extra miles but then the body, after nearly two decades, decides not to respond.

As I was training for the upcoming season, it dawned on me that my shoulder may not last the rigours of bowling nearly eighteen overs a day, and that’s when I knew it was time….

With immediate effect, I bid adieu to my career in international cricket. I look forward to signing off my last season in domestic cricket at the conclusion of Indian Premier League season 9.

As a kid from a small town Shrirampur, I gave up a career in engineering to pursue bowling.

My parents backed that decision and every decision since! My dad, I distinctly remember said, ‘Engineers toh bahut saare hein tu bowler hi ban na!’

I fondly remember my initial days, way back in 1996 at National Cricket Club at Cross Maidan to the call up for the Mumbai Under-19 team. My crucial months of training at the MRF Pace Foundation, my debut with Baroda in the Ranji trophy to going on to leading Mumbai, I have cherished every game. Each game was an opportunity that allowed me to express myself freely in the best way I could – on the cricket field, always trying to improve as a player.

Leading up to my debut for India in 2000 and beyond, I got crucial opportunities, with people backing me at different and difficult stages and I was able to contribute to Indian cricket and learn many things along the way. I was able to try out different ideas while playing because of the unconditional support I received from my Captains and Coaches, who trusted and supported me in setting fields or trying a different approach or tactic that was loaded with risk.

My greatest cricketing moment was lifting the World Cup as part of team India and creating history. We played as a top team and being part of the journey of India as a top ODI side was very fulfilling. As a young fast bowler who grew up watching the legends of the game, I remember the satisfaction and joy to win a test match for India. Winning ways are addictive and I thoroughly enjoyed sporting the whites for India as we emerged as the No 1 test playing nation in the world.

For those who supported me, especially in the BCCI, Baroda Cricket Association and Mumbai Cricket Association, I am grateful for the encouragement. It has been a privilege to be part of various teams during my career including the Indian cricket team, Baroda, Mumbai, Worcestershire (critical to my come back in the national team in 2007), Mumbai Indians, Royal Challengers Bangalore and Delhi Daredevils.

Today, I have many many individuals to thank — from physios, trainers, support staff, colleagues, captains, coaches, selectors, senior officials, administrators in various Associations, groundsmen, Team management as also team owners. Kindly pardon me for my inability to name each one of you but that does not take away from the deep sense of gratitude I have for your support in allowing me to live my dream.

My colleagues, who I shared dressing room pranks have, over the years, become some of my closest friends. It has been a pleasure to play alongside them as each added a different perspective. I’ve enjoyed listening to them as also contributing in a small way to their growth.

My family has been patiently watching from the sidelines but they have always been central to my life. I can’t thank my parents enough for understanding me and allowing me to chase my dream. My elder brother, Zeeshan, who dutifully reminded me that, ‘my job wasn’t finished with my India debut, but I needed to make every game count’.

My younger brother, Anees, has shouldered a lot of pressure which allowed me the freedom to enjoy on the cricket field. He’s never watched me play live, but his encouragement has been a significant part of my life.

To those millions of fans and well wishers of Indian cricket who’ve watched and encouraged me over the years, I trust you know that I was always trying and never gave up.

I thank the members of the media for the many words of appreciation and constructive criticism during the course of my career.

Cricket has been my only life over the past two decades and is in fact that the only thing I know well. Cricket has made me the individual I am, giving me everything in life and much more. I walk away with fantastic memories, life defining experiences and great friendships. My mother summarised it well in reaction to my decision to retire,
‘Theek hein, bahut accha safar tha hamara ….’

‘Zak is Back’ is perhaps a headline that may come my way again, as I have every intention of giving back to this game and our wonderful country which gave this kid from Shrirampur the opportunity to chase and live his dream!”

(IANS)

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