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    "id": "5316",
    "author": "13",
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    "title": "Topsy-turvy year for cricket in India",
    "lang": "en",
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    "cup_year": "2000",
    "article_type": "General",
    "excerpt": "Indian cricket went through another tumultuous year on and off the field with a controversy that shook the very foundation",
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    "editor1": "<script type=\"text\/javascript\" src=\"http:\/\/adcdn.forkmedia.in\/impulse3\/cricketnmorearticle.impulse.js\"><\/script>\r\n<p style=\"text-align: justify;\"><span style=\"font-size:14px;\"><span style=\"font-family:arial,helvetica,sans-serif;\">Indian cricket went through another tumultuous year on and off the field with a controversy that shook the very foundation of the game&#39;s governing body in the country - the Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) - that refused to die down and spilled over to the New Year after raising several tough questions for its beleaguered president, N. Srinivasan.<\/span><\/span><\/p>\r\n\r\n<p style=\"text-align: justify;\"><span style=\"font-size:14px;\"><span style=\"font-family:arial,helvetica,sans-serif;\">Srinivasan was under the spotlight, for all the wrong reasons, throughout the year, as his son-in-law Gurunath Meiyappan was implicated by the Mudgal Committee report in the IPL betting and match-fixing scandal.<\/span><\/span><\/p>\r\n\r\n<p style=\"text-align: justify;\"><span style=\"font-size:14px;\"><span style=\"font-family:arial,helvetica,sans-serif;\">He himself faced several embarrassing, potentially image-damaging questions before the Supreme Court and was forced, after seeking the apex court&#39;s permission, to postpone the BCCI Annual General Meeting (AGM) and elections till Jan 31, 2015.<\/span><\/span><\/p>\r\n\r\n<p style=\"text-align: justify;\"><span style=\"font-size:14px;\"><span style=\"font-family:arial,helvetica,sans-serif;\">He also faced the uncomfortable task of addressing the contentious &#39;conflict of interest&#39; issue since he continued to defiantly hold on to the BCCI post as well as owning the Chennai Super Kings (CSK) IPL team.<\/span><\/span><\/p>\r\n\r\n<p style=\"text-align: justify;\"><span style=\"font-size:14px;\"><span style=\"font-family:arial,helvetica,sans-serif;\">Mahendra Singh Dhoni&#39;s name also cropped up in the report after his deposition to the committee was found to deviate from reality as Meiyappan was a prominent team official and not just a &#39;cricket enthusiast&#39;.<\/span><\/span><\/p>\r\n\r\n<p style=\"text-align: justify;\"><span style=\"font-size:14px;\"><span style=\"font-family:arial,helvetica,sans-serif;\">While off-the-field events kept the BCCI busy, its team&#39;s on-field performance also began on a wrong note, losing its away two-match Test series against New Zealand 0-1 and the five-match One-Day International (ODI) series 0-4.<\/span><\/span><\/p>\r\n\r\n<p style=\"text-align: justify;\"><span style=\"font-size:14px;\"><span style=\"font-family:arial,helvetica,sans-serif;\">The team&#39;s form nosedived further in the Asia Cup final in Bangladesh and the subsequent Twenty20 World Cup, getting outplayed in the final by Sri Lanka.<\/span><\/span><\/p>\r\n\r\n<p style=\"text-align: justify;\"><span style=\"font-size:14px;\"><span style=\"font-family:arial,helvetica,sans-serif;\">The lucrative IPL gave players and the fans the option of forgetting their sorrows with Kolkata Knight Riders (KKR), arguably the tournament&#39;s most glamorous team, lifting the trophy for the second time.<\/span><\/span><\/p>\r\n\r\n<p style=\"text-align: justify;\"><span style=\"font-size:14px;\"><span style=\"font-family:arial,helvetica,sans-serif;\">But that proved to be a temporary reprieve as the team&#39;s misery continued in its tour of England, losing both the Test and ODI series, 1-3.<\/span><\/span><\/p>\r\n\r\n<p style=\"text-align: justify;\"><span style=\"font-size:14px;\"><span style=\"font-family:arial,helvetica,sans-serif;\">India sought comfort at home against the West Indies and led 2-1 in the four-match ODI series when the touring side, embroiled in a payment dispute with the West Indies Cricket Board (WICB) and the players union, called off the remainder of the tour with a Twenty20 and three Test matches still to be played.<\/span><\/span><\/p>\r\n\r\n<p style=\"text-align: justify;\"><span style=\"font-size:14px;\"><span style=\"font-family:arial,helvetica,sans-serif;\">The BCCI took legal action against the sudden decision as it lost a considerable amount of money, suspending all further tours of the West Indies until further notice and slapped a Rs 250 crore ($40 million) compensation claim on the WICB.<\/span><\/span><\/p>\r\n\r\n<p style=\"text-align: justify;\"><span style=\"font-size:14px;\"><span style=\"font-family:arial,helvetica,sans-serif;\">The hurriedly arranged five-match ODI series with Sri Lanka not only eased BCCI&#39;s financial loss but also helped the team return to winning ways as it thrashed the admittedly under-prepared visitors 5-0.<\/span><\/span><\/p>\r\n\r\n<p style=\"text-align: justify;\"><span style=\"font-size:14px;\"><span style=\"font-family:arial,helvetica,sans-serif;\">Indian batsman made merry to topple several records, the prominent of all being batsman Rohit Sharma&#39;s 264 in Kolkata, the highest individual score in an ODI.<\/span><\/span><\/p>\r\n\r\n<p style=\"text-align: justify;\"><span style=\"font-size:14px;\"><span style=\"font-family:arial,helvetica,sans-serif;\">The series whitewash restored the team&#39;s confidence before their tough away series Down Under, succeeded by the 2015 Cricket World Cup in Australia and New Zealand.<\/span><\/span><\/p>\r\n\r\n<p style=\"text-align: justify;\"><span style=\"font-size:14px;\"><span style=\"font-family:arial,helvetica,sans-serif;\">But their rivals went into deep mourning after the tragic demise of batsman Phillip Hughes who succumbed Nov 27 to a head injury while batting in a domestic match. His demise was deeply mourned by the cricket community and all ongoing matches were temporarily ceased as a mark of respect.<\/span><\/span><\/p>\r\n\r\n<p style=\"text-align: justify;\"><span style=\"font-size:14px;\"><span style=\"font-family:arial,helvetica,sans-serif;\">India then lost the first Test by 48 runs led by stand-in skipper Kohli as Dhoni failed to recover from a right thumb injury. Kohli&#39;s own form was impressive though, becoming only the second cricketer to hit tons in each innings of his debut Test as captain.<\/span><\/span><\/p>\r\n\r\n<p style=\"text-align: justify;\"><span style=\"font-size:14px;\"><span style=\"font-family:arial,helvetica,sans-serif;\">The team&#39;s World Cup preparations began with a fresh endeavour, with the axing of 2011 Cup-winning team&#39;s famous quintet - Yuvraj Singh, Harbhajan Singh, Virender Sehwag, Zaheer Khan and Gautam Gambhir - from the provisional 30-member squad.<\/span><\/span><\/p>\r\n\r\n<p style=\"text-align: justify;\"><span style=\"font-size:14px;\"><span style=\"font-family:arial,helvetica,sans-serif;\">The other member of the Cup-lifting squad, Sachin Tendulkar, was also dragged into a controversy, as his autobiography &#39;Playing It My Way&#39; revealed his version of events during the infamous Greg Chappell&#39;s era as coach of the national team.<\/span><\/span><\/p>\r\n\r\n<p style=\"text-align: justify;\"><span style=\"font-size:14px;\"><span style=\"font-family:arial,helvetica,sans-serif;\">Highlights of the year:<\/span><\/span><\/p>\r\n\r\n<p style=\"text-align: justify;\"><span style=\"font-size:14px;\"><span style=\"font-family:arial,helvetica,sans-serif;\">* Mudgal Committee on betting and match-fixing in the 2013 IPL implicates BCCI president N. Srinivasan&#39;s son-in-law and asks the president to explain his stance in the conflict of interest issue<\/span><\/span><\/p>\r\n\r\n<p style=\"text-align: justify;\"><span style=\"font-size:14px;\"><span style=\"font-family:arial,helvetica,sans-serif;\">* West Indies controversially pulls out from its India tour<\/span><\/span><\/p>\r\n\r\n<p style=\"text-align: justify;\"><span style=\"font-size:14px;\"><span style=\"font-family:arial,helvetica,sans-serif;\">* Sachin Tendulkar releases his autobiography &#39;Playing it my Way&#39;<\/span><\/span><\/p>\r\n\r\n<p style=\"text-align: justify;\"><span style=\"font-size:14px;\"><span style=\"font-family:arial,helvetica,sans-serif;\">* Rohit Sharma sets the record for the highest individual score - 264 - in ODIs<\/span><\/span><\/p>\r\n\r\n<p style=\"text-align: justify;\"><span style=\"font-size:14px;\"><span style=\"font-family:arial,helvetica,sans-serif;\">* &#39;Big five&#39; omitted from 2015 World Cup probables squad<\/span><\/span><\/p>\r\n\r\n<p style=\"text-align: justify;\"><span style=\"font-size:14px;\"><span style=\"font-family:arial,helvetica,sans-serif;\">* Tragic death of Australian cricketer Phillip Hughes after being hit by a bouncer.<\/span><\/span><\/p>\r\n",
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    "created": "2015-02-05 07:25:00",
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