Offtopic/fun » With only 5 seconds on the clock, Saints

Punjab v Services, Mohali, 1997-98Even before I made my Ranji Trophy debut, there was some chatter that I was in contention for a place in the Indian side. My name was doing the rounds because I had played the Under-19 World Cup, and I was the only spinner in the country who was bowling the doosra at that time. Earlier in the season, when the Indian team was practising, I was asked to bowl in the nets to them.Before that, there was a West Zone team that came to Jalandhar for the Deodhar Trophy; there was Sanjay Manjrekar, who was leading the team, Sachin Tendulkar and Vinod Kambli. I bowled to them in the nets and got all of them out quite a few times. At that time, [Mumbai coach] Balwinder Singh Sandhu apparently wanted me to represent Mumbai in the Ranji Trophy, but people in the Punjab Cricket Association said I had a promising career ahead and would play for Punjab. So I knew my turn would come any time, and wasnt really surprised by the call-up.The Punjab team had Vikram Rathour, who captained in this game, Sherry pa [Navjot Singh Sidhu], who captained the side that season, Pankaj Dharmani and Bharati Vij. These were the big guns we used to hear of during our U-19 days, and here I was, playing alongside them. I knew Punjab already had an offspinner in the form of Ashish Kapoor. I had no idea at that time if the wicket we played on would allow for two spinners to be played, but I got to play and I was really happy.The Punjab team was sponsored by a famous apparel brand at that time. Every player in the team used to wear the branded t-shirt - the jersey was nicely done and was proper English white in colour - and I used to long for it too. It was a great thrill to finally wear it, and I wouldnt take it off even while bowling in the nets in Jalandhar.The one thing I was most scared of - and there wasnt much nervousness about my debut - was facing up to one of their bowlers, who had a reputation for being very quick; I think it was MV Rao. At the U-19 level, you dont face many quick bowlers, and you naturally assume that bowlers in the Ranji Trophy are much faster.I was worried about being hit by Rao, and kept praying that he wouldnt bowl to me. It was one of my earliest experiences of wearing the helmet - given the hype around Raos pace, I would have gladly worn two of those. As luck would have it, it was Rao who was bowling when I came out to bat. But, after I got bat on ball off the first delivery, I felt good and realised I had been unnecessarily scared. Now, I knew that he wasnt unplayable.Soon, I began to treat it as just another game. Somewhere down the line, I realised that it had been harder bowling to some U-19 batsmen than against Services because they werent a great team at that time. When I picked up my first wicket, Sherry pa said in his typical style: Oye, Shabaash bacchu, Cha gaya beta [well done, kid]. Sherry pa was my hero. There was a jolly environment in the team at that time, and we would constantly pull each others legs. I was younger than most and used to hang out a lot with Harvinder Singh most of the time; he was another prankster.I played only four or five first-class matches before my international debut. In that season, there was a game against Karnataka, which was quite crucial for Punjab. Nine of Karnatakas eleven players were internationals - people like Rahul Dravid, Sujith Somasundar, Venkatesh Prasad, Javagal Srinath and Anil [Kumble] bhai were playing. The selectors were there to see what the big fuss was about me. I picked up three wickets in the first innings and two in the second.I bowled well in whatever opportunity I got in the game. I troubled Rahul Dravid quite a bit, and was more than happy that I was challenging a top batsman like him. With every game I played, I knew I was coming one step closer to my dream of playing for the country.As told to Arun VenugopalKorleone Young Jersey Signed . "I wrote 36 on my sheet at the beginning of the game," the Cincinnati coach said, referring the yard line the ball would need to be snapped from. Jimmy Darden Jersey Signed . Robinson finished with 17 points, all but two in the second half, and Lawson had 14 after halftime and finished with a game-high 11 assists as the Nuggets handed Dallas its first home loss in eight games this season. J.J. Hickson led Denver with 22, and Kenneth Faried added 10 points and 10 rebounds. https://www.cheapnbajerseysjustwholesale.com/terrence-jones-jersey-signed/ . 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Staffords other touchdown went to running back Theo Riddick from the 1.The Lions outgains the Saints 422 yards to 369, and also controlled time of possession, 36:52 to 23:08 while running 67 plays to New Orleans 57.The victory was Detroits first in a road game following Thanksgiving since 1974, snapping a streak of 22 losses in such games.COSTLY DROPSDrops by two Saints players in thee first half could have altered the course of the game.ddddddddddddIn the first quarter, cornerback Sterling Moore lost the handle on a tipped pass that popped upward, giving him ample time to run under it with the potential for a significant return. In the final seconds of the second quarter, Brees hit Fleener in the hands at the goal line with a strike over the middle. 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