Opening Pair With seven wins from nine matches in the ongoing IPL T20 tournament, Delhi Daredevils are placed at the top and are almost sure to reach the semifinal. They are also the semifinalists of the IPL T20 tournament, 2008; they had lost to Rajasthan Royals in the semifinal who later on won the title. Captained by Indian iconic player, Virender Sehwag, DD is one of the most experienced teams in the IPL tournament in both, bowling and batting, fields. Grandhi Mallikarjun Rao, the Chairman and Managing director of GMR group, owns the franchisee of the Delhi Daredevils. DD was purchased for US$84 million. It has one of the most ‘destructive’ batting opening pair of Sehwag and Gautam Gambhir, who has won many international cricket matches for India on their own. In IPL 2008 it had some of world’s most destructive bowlers in its squad. Mohammad Asif, Shoib Malik and Glenn McGrath were the main fast bowlers in its squad. But because of the absence of Pakistani players, Asif and Shoib are not playing for DD in the IPL T20 tournament 2009. DD was also hit wit drug scandal in 2008 when its star strike bowler Mohammed Asif had tested positive for an unnamed banned substance. Squad In IPL 2009, David Warner and Andrew Barry McDonald are two players who are the new entries into the Delhi Daredevil Squad. They both are Australians. Warner does not have any first class experience but has been selected for the DD squad. Ashish Nehra has been included into the team in place of Shikkar Dhawan. DD has signed two England cricketers also for the IPL season 2009. They are Karachi (Pakistan) born Owais Shah and England’s T20 captain Paul Collingwood. Shah is a batsman but Collingwood is an all-rounder. Except Collingwood, DD has five more all-rounders in its squad. They are Andrew McDonald (Australia), Farveez Mahroof (Sri Lanka), Tillakratne Dilshan (Sri Lanka), Rajat Bhatia and Mithun Manhas. Ab De Villiers ( South Africa) and Dinesh Karthik are the two wicket-Keepers with the team. It must be learnt that Ab De Villiers has become the first batsman who has hit a century in the IPL season 2009.With big names like Glenn McGrath (Aus), Daniel Vettori (NZ), Dirk Nannes (Aus), Ashish Nehra and Amit Mishra, DD has a quality bowling attack that can bring every world class batting orders to their knees. All-rounders have provided [...]
Archive for May 1st, 2009
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INDIA AFTER HARSHA
May 1st, 2009 
Aman After the death of Harsha and before the Muslim invasion of northern parts of India, for almost five and a half centuries, there was no permanent occupation by any foreigner. The only exception being Punjab, no other part of India was aware about the Muslim Power. There were many Hindu Kingdoms and state of different number and extent were at war with each other continuously. There were rulers and people who also thought about peace and other constructive things. Royal courts of no small magnificence were made and maintained and art of peace was cultivated with success. Architecture with works enriched lavishly with sculptures of high merit, were erected in almost every kingdom and learned men wrote mostly in Sanskrit with the patronage from intelligent and liberal princes and kings. Languages like Hindi, Sanskrit, Bengali, Gujarati and some other languages were spoken and these languages gradually attained the dignity of their existence thus resulted into laying down of the foundation of the vernacular literature. In the fifth and sixth centuries, the effects of the great foreign invasion lasted for many years. The Gurjaras, along with their allies and kinsmen were converted into Rajputs who acquired a dominating position in Rajasthan. In the ninth and tenth centuries the Gurjaras & Pariharas were the leading forces in the north western India. In the east, Bengal was in the sway of Pala Kings who belonged to and indigenous dynasty for more than four centuries. The history of norther India took its own course irrespective of the events that happened in the kingdoms of the subcontinent. There are instances when the rules from Deccan made inroads into the rich plains of Aryavarta which resulted in the temporary extension of their power to the banks of the Ganges. But no northern prince ever thought about the same. The states from the past like Pandyas, Cholas and Cheras were reduced to nothing for many years during the seventh century by the Pallavas. No one is certain about their origin who had their capital at Kanchi. In the eleventh century the Chola Kingdom became paramount in the south and probably was the most powerful state in India. Changes as extensive, disconnected, and incessant as those indicated cannot be described in a single continuous narrative arranged in strict chronological order. The political revolutions were accompanied by silent local modifications in religion, manners, and art equally incapable of comprehensive [...]
