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India intent on Sixes Success
Abdul
Razzaq’s withdrawal as Pakistan captain creates space for India’s sixes success
[Hong Kong, October 18, 2012]: The India team for the KARP Group
Hong Kong Sixes (Oct 27-28 at Kowloon Cricket Club) has been announced. The team is the first specialist sixes side
selected for the Hong Kong Sixes. India
is grouped in Pool B alongside defending champions Pakistan, Sri Lanka and the
Netherlands.
“This is the first time the
Indian team has been selected with the unique format of the Sixes in mind and I
believe we have one of the best combinations,” warned Vivek Bakshi, manager of
the Indian squad.
India will have a band of IPL-hardened
players at its core, namely Paul Valthaty, the Kings XI Punjab opening batsman,
Rajasthan Royals’ bowler Ajit Chandela and Siddharth Chitnis, a useful batting
all-rounder who bowls off-spin and who also turns out for the same team as
Valthaty.
The team will be captained by
Praveen Kumar, who has represented India at all forms of cricket, and is the
only player after the legendary Kapil Dev to bowl a natural outswinger.
A lot of thought has been put by
the Indian selectors into this team as the country make an attempt to catch up
on Pakistan’s superb record at the Hong Kong Sixes. India has only won the
tournament once, back in 2005 when a young Mahendra Singh Dhoni turned out for
them.
Any clash between India and
Pakistan is treated as the mother of all matches. Cries of ‘Pakistan Zindabad will be matched with
‘Chak De India’ as both teams will be reminded that nothing but the best is
desired from their supporters at the KARP Group Hong Kong Sixes.
Passions will run high when the
two sides meet on Saturday afternoon, and the stakes will be even higher - for
with Sri Lanka also in the same group, victory will be vital as the loser might
have trouble securing a place in the Cup competition.
As defending champions, Pakistan
will be expected to win. They return with the core of their champion team from
last year intact and all eyes will once again be on dashing batsman Umar Akmal
to provide them with the impetus going forward.
But the withdrawal of last
year’s successful captain Abdul Razzaq from the Pakistan six, being replaced as
captain by another veteran of last year’s Cup winning side in Kamran Akmal,
India’s chances may be looking brighter.
“The entire nation expects the team to perform
at their best and win this tournament. Also I personally expect that all the
players will leave no stone unturned as they seek to win but at the same time
play the game in a very disciplined manner,” Bakshi added.
With so much riding on run rates from the
day’s results, India will need to start fast against the Netherlands in their
2012 Hong Kong Sixes opening match on Saturday (Oct 27) at 09.15. India then play Sri Lanka at 13.45 on
Saturday and face off against Pakistan in the Cricket world’s best rivalry at
15.15.
Hong Kong Cricket Association President Captain Shahzada
Saleem Ahmed commented on the Indian Six saying:
“Hong Kong cricket fans will be delighted with the India
team selected for this year’s tournament. India boasts some of the most
exciting cricketers in the world game and to see them select a side uniquely
suited to the entertaining Hong Kong Sixes format bodes well for some dramatic
play on Saturday.
“Pool B with India, Sri Lanka and the defending champions
Pakistan is shaping up to be the group of death and the Netherlands is now ideally
positioned to play the spoiler’s role,” added Captain Saleem.
“The loss of Abdul Razzaq, last year’s Player of the
Final, is unfortunate for Pakistan but with Kamran Akmal stepping in to assume
the captaincy, the team has the strength to repeat once again,” added Captain
Saleem.
India Squad: Praveen Kumar (Captain),
Ajit Chandela, Siddharth Chitnis, Ishan Malhotra, Sandeep Sharma, Siddharth
Trivedi, Paul Valthaty, Vivek Bakshi (Manager)
Ticketing Details:
Public stand tickets for Hong Kong crickets’ annual
showpiece are still available for the Karp Group Hong Kong Sixes, however, with
capacity set at 2,000 this year, the event is expected to sell out before the
event. Ticket packages are as follows:
Weekend Package: HK$800 (adults), HK$380 (children)
Saturday only: HK$310 (adults), HK$180 (children)
Sunday only: HK$550 (adults), HK$220 (children)
Tickets are available
through HK Ticketing (www.hkticketing.com) and from the following outlets -
HKCA, HKCC, KCC, and Dot Cod Seafood Restaurant & Oyster Bar.
Hospitality Packages:
The Hong Kong Sixes
Champagne Garden and VIP Gold Pass tickets are also still available. Prices range from $3,000 per day to $5,500
for the weekend.
For more information,
please contact Ms Leung at chingwa@hkcricket.org.
About the
KARP Group Hong Kong Cricket Sixes 2012
Organized by the Hong Kong Cricket Association since
1992, the Hong Kong Cricket Sixes is the only international cricket event held
in Hong Kong. The Hong Kong Cricket Sixes is fully sanctioned by the world’s
governing body for cricket, the International Cricket Council, and title
sponsored by KARP Group.
The tournament has been broadcast live since 2008 and
in 2011 reached over 115 million households on the Indian subcontinent, across
Southeast Asia, the Middle East, Australia and South Africa, as well as being
packaged for distribution in North America, the United Kingdom, Europe and
China.
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