- Title: INDIA: CRICKET - Canada prepare for their World Cup match against Kenya
- Date: 7th March 2011
- Summary: NEW DELHI, INDIA (MARCH 6, 2011) (ANI - SEE ABOVE FOR FULL RESTRICTIONS) VARIOUS OF CANADA TEAM DOING STRETCHING EXERCISES TEAM MEMBERS STANDING CANADIAN SKIPPER ASHISH BAGAI PRACTICING IN THE NETS BAGAI ENTERS NEWS CONFERENCE (SOUNDBITE) (English) ASHISH BAGAI, CANADA CAPTAIN, SAYING: "It's a very important game for us, going in, if we get our batting right we should be competitive in this game, it's been a worry for us in the warm-up games and the World Cup. Our bowling hit its straps as well as the last four games has been pretty good with the ball but the batsmen still have to step up." WIDE SHOT OF NEWS CONFERENCE (SOUNDBITE) (English) ASHISH BAGAI, CANADA CAPTAIN, SAYING: "The feelings's great, I've got a very, very warm welcome, I've got a lot of friends in this place that I went to school with in St. Columbus, and tons of family, my grandparents, my cousins are all here so it's a very good feeling coming back home, I feel at ease and so do the rest of the guys, they have people from surrounding areas that have come into this city so it's a very good feeling, hopefully we'll have some support tomorrow." NITISH KUMAR, CANADA'S OPENING BATSMAN AND YOUNGEST PLAYER TO PLAY IN THE WORLD CUP, IN THE NETS (SOUNDBITE) (English) ASHISH BAGAI, CANADA CAPTAIN, SPEAKING ABOUT NITISH KUMAR, SAYING: "He said he is 16, I don't think he knows what is going on really and it's good, we want it that way. He's not really fussed about getting out, he doesn't get frustrated that easily, just a very simple boy and keeps it very simple which is good at his age. You know hopefully he comes out of this with a bit of positive experience rather than negative experience and he has a lot of years to give what he is capable of and this is just the very, very beginning of his career." KUMAR IN THE NETS (SOUNDBITE) (English) CANADA BATSMAN NITISH KUMAR SAYING: "Patience at the crease, just spending a little time batting because like last game, chasing 180 you don't really need to score runs, you can just spend time, just spending a little bit more time at the crease." KUMAR IN THE NETS (SOUNDBITE) (English) CANADA BATSMAN NITISH KUMAR SAYING: "I've been in Sri Lanka and the crowds there, huge crowds so playing in front of that, you always remember like big crowds that you have played against them so that's probably one thing I will take back" KUMAR SPEAKING TO COACH
- Embargoed: 22nd March 2011 08:10
- Keywords:
- Location: India, India
- Country: India
- Topics: Sport
- Reuters ID: LVADJHCNJXFI3BAJILHBCAODCSZ1
- Aspect Ratio: 4:3
- Story Text: Candian skipper Ashish Bagai says their batting is key if they are to be competitive against Kenya.
Canada and Kenya will get their only realistic chance of breaching the 150-run mark when the World Cup's whipping boys clash in a Group A match at the Feroz Shah Kotla in Delhi on Monday (March 6).
While Kenya have been bundled out for scores of 69, 112 and 142 -- amassing just 323 runs in their three outings -- Canada have fared little better.
The North Americans have managed 122, 123 and 138 in their matches against Sri Lanka, Zimbabwe and Pakistan respectively.
The scores are in sharp contrast to some of the very high-scoring matches in the tournament with co-hosts India racking up 370 and 338 in their two matches against Bangladesh and England.
Monday's match will not generate much interest for the cricket purists but will mean a lot for both teams, trying to justify their presence at the showpiece event.
Both teams have played three matches so far and have lost all of them, probably vindicating the game's governing body's decision to cut the quadrennial event to 10 teams from 14 in the next edition.
Canada, placed sixth in the seven-team table, will be kicking themselves for failing to get past Pakistan on Thursday.
Ashish Bagai's men skittled Pakistan for 184 but failed to get to terms with Shahid Afridi's leg spin and were all out for just 138.
Bagai believes their batting will be key in overcoming the Kenyans.
"It's a very important game for us, going in, if we get our batting right we should be competitive in this game, it's been a worry for us in the warm-up games and the World Cup. Our bowling hit its straps as well as the last four games has been pretty good with the ball but the batsmen still have to step up," said Bagai at the pre-match news conference in New Delhi on Sunday (March 6).
Bagai, who grew up in New Delhi, said he received a warm welcome in the city and hoped the crowds would turn up to support the Canadians.
"The feelings's great, I've got a very, very warm welcome, I've got a lot of friends in this place that I went to school with in St. Columbus, and tons of family, my grandparents, my cousins are all here so it's a very good feeling coming back home, I feel at ease and so do the rest of the guys, they have people from surrounding areas that have come into this city so it's a very good feeling, hopefully we'll have some support tomorrow," said Bagai.
Canada's opening batsman, 16-year-old Nitish Kumar, is the youngest player ever to play in the World Cup and Bagai hopes the tournament will be a positive experience for him.
"He said he is 16, I don't think he knows what is going on really and it's good, we want it that way, he's not really fussed about getting out, he doesn't get frustrated that easily. just a very simple boy and keeps it very simple which is good at his age, you know hopefully he comes out of this with a bit of positive experience rather than negative experience and he has a lot of years to give what he is capable of and this is just the very very beginning of his career," said Bagai.
Speaking about playing in his first World Cup, the teenager said that playing in front of the large crowds in Sri Lanka will be one experience he will remember.
"I've been in Sri Lanka and the crowds there, huge crowds so playing in front of that, you always remember like big crowds that you have played against them so that's probably one thing I will take back", said Kumar. - Copyright Holder: ANI (India)
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