BWI: Series Poised Delicately as Both Teams Resume Battle at the Eden Gardens

Press release from Business Wire India
Source: ESPN STAR Sports
Tuesday, December 04, 2012 05:45 PM IST (12:15 PM GMT)
Editors: General: Consumer interest, Entertainment, People, Sports; Business: Business services, Media & entertainment, Sports
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Series Poised Delicately as Both Teams Resume Battle at the Eden Gardens


Kolkata, West Bengal, India, Tuesday, December 04, 2012 -- (Business Wire India) -- STAR Cricket's eminent Hindi presentation panel consisting of cricket experts and legends of the game like Kapil Dev, Navjot Singh Sidhu, Sourav Ganguly, Wasim Akram, Ramiz Raza and Arun Lal claimed that the rest of the England tour and the upcoming tours of Pakistan and Australia will pose an acid test for this new look Team India. For starters, Team India will have to fight hard in Kolkata and Nagpur to ensure that we come up triumphant in this engaging Test series.

Speaking on the occasion, Aloke Malik, Managing Director, ESPN Software India Pvt Ltd, said, "We are in the middle of a very exciting and close test series. As the official broadcaster, we are delighted with the response this series has generated. We are completely sold out on our advertising inventory front."

"STAR Cricket's Hindi presentation has also been accepted very positively by the people and our initial research indicates that we are on the right track. 85% of the core cricket viewers prefer to watch Hindi commentary on TV. We believe that our world class Hindi presentation and commentary will significantly impact viewership" added Aloke.

STAR Cricket's panelist Navjot Singh Sidhu in his inimitable style added, "Take pride out of a man and he is like an umbrella without the ribs. Honor is the spur that pricks the princely mind. This series is about honor, about pride, about sustaining a good name that they have kept for years but could slip away in a moment. It is about defending an impregnable fort which has developed cracks. Defend it well for nothing deflates as fast as a punctured reputation. Naam hi kho diya toh kidhar jaoge, pehchan khodi toh bikhar jaoge. A good name is worth all the riches in life."

Former India captain and STAR Cricket commentator, Kapil Dev, said, "The Indian team will have a lot to prove given that they lost on a pitch that suited Indian playing styles more than the English. Dhoni and his team will be under lots of pressure and they will have to show strength of character to come out of this on a winning note. I don't recall for a long time any overseas team visiting India with two such quality spinners who exploited the conditions so well. The 3rd test match would be very interesting and might determine the outcome of the series. It will be a true 'pariksha' for this new Team India."

Stylish southpaw and former Captain of India, Sourav Ganguly, added, "India went in with 3 spinners but I don't think Dhoni utilised their services efficiently. Also, I was disappointed with the way our batsmen approached the English spinners. We need to concentrate better and use our feet more often to deny Panesar and Swann any advantage. I am still confident that Dhoni will dig deep and lead his team strongly. Team India seniors including Sehwag, Gambhir and Sachin will also have to pitch in with strong performances if India wants to win this series."

Former Pakistan Captain, Ramiz Raza, added, "I loved every bit of the first two test matches. Two strong teams adapting to different conditions and competing hard is a perfect recipe for a block buster series like this. It will be interesting to note how the pitch will behave in this test match. Remember, India won the toss and still lost on a turning track. "

Former Indian opener, Arun Lal, said, "I think that this series has been a brilliant advertisement for test cricket. India expectedly used their home strength to win the first one but England showed spirit and resilience and outplayed India comprehensively in the second. Dhoni and his men will have to regroup fast. The Indian spinners will also have some serious introspection to do and rethink their bowling strategy before the third test."

The current India England test series is being telecast on STAR Cricket in Hindi while STAR Sports and STAR Cricket HD are showcasing the series in English. India will take on England in 2 T20s immediately after the Test series. Later this month, arch rivals Pakistan will tour India for 2 T20s and 3 ODIs. England will return to India to play 5 ODIs in month of January 2013. Immediately afterwards, India will take on Australia in a 4 Test series starting February 2013. Catch all the action on STAR Cricket in Hindi and in English on STAR Sports and STAR Cricket HD.

To view the photograph, please click on the link givwen below:

From Left to Right - Mr. Aloke Malik, MD ESPN Software India , Navjot Singh Sidhu, Kapil Dev, Ramiz Raza, Arun Lal, and Sourav Ganguly
For picture(s)/data to illustrate this release click below:

http://www.BusinessWireIndia.com/attachments/IMG_1(47).JPG
IMG_1(47).JPG


CONTACT DETAILS
Sameer Bajaj, ESPN Software India Pvt Ltd, +91 9811222700, sameerb@espnstar.co.in
Supriya Gupta, ESPN Software India Pvt Ltd, +91 9899552515, supriyaG@espnstar.co.in
Monish Mazumdar, IPAN H+K Strategies, +91 9810542491, Monish.Mazumdar@hkstrategies.com
Sukriti Kalra, IPAN H+K Strategies, +91 9910393262, Sukriti.Kalra@hkstrategies.com

KEYWORDS
CONSUMER, ENTERTAINMENT, PEOPLE, SPORTS, BUSINESS SERVICES, MEDIA

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