Sonstiges » important to them, as well as it is for me.d

Haryana v Bombay, Faridabad, 1993-94I remember it precisely - February 12, 1994. It was the day I made my first-class debut, in the pre-quarterfinal of the Ranji Trophy. We were missing Sachin Tendulkar, Vinod Kambli, Sanjay Manjrekar and Salil Ankola at the time, as they had been called up for the New Zealand series.Prior to this game, every time they announced a team, I was included in the squad but not in the XI; instead, I was sent to play for the Under-19s. Although that made me unhappy, I never showed it. It was a good build-up - it kept a fire burning inside me.That year, we had won the U-19 tournament after a long gap. I had captained the side and got a hundred in each innings of the final. Just prior to my Ranji debut, we had also played the MA Chidambaram Trophy against a Rest of India U-19 team that had the likes of VVS Laxman and Hrishikesh Kanitkar. I had got a hundred in the second innings of that game, where we came close to chasing 426.I was picked to play for the India U-19s against a touring Australia U-19 side, so I had to make a decision whether I wanted to play in that match, or show up for the Ranji pre-quarterfinal. Luckily, Ravi Shastri, who was the Mumbai captain at the time, had given me a message seven days prior that I would be batting at No. 4 for Mumbai in that game. So the decision was a no-brainer - playing for Mumbai was my dream.Ravi Shastri was a towering figure, and the Mumbai dressing room could be daunting at times. As a youngster I might have felt a little nervous, but thankfully I was too preoccupied to be bothered by it. Besides, it was a breakthrough season for a lot of other guys in the Mumbai team. The team had gone through a transition and most of us - Sairaj Bahutule, Jatin Paranjpe and Paras Mhambrey, to name a few - were making our debuts in that season or had just broken into the squad in the previous season. We had all played together previously and this made things more comfortable.When Ravi handed me my Mumbai cap on that cold Faridabad morning, it was a special feeling. After putting in years of hard work, I felt like I had accomplished something.We won the toss and elected to bat. I had a routine: I would put my pads on and then wear my cap, with my gloves resting on my thighs. I also had a habit of walking around the dressing room and skipping for a bit. I watched the game but - I can say it easily 23 years later - I never liked to talk about cricket. I followed this routine that day, and was talking about other things with Paras - who was also my room-mate - while waiting to go in.Just after the drinks break, Sunil More got out and I walked out to the crease. I was nervous, but fully aware of what was happening around me. I defended the first two balls from the offspinner Pankaj Thakur, and stepped out to the third, driving it past cover for three runs. Jatin was at the other end, and he said later that he had crossed his legs - a superstition - when I was on strike. He was hoping everything went right for me on debut. It seemed to have worked, as I went on to score 260, which remains the world record for the highest first-class score on debut. You dont just go and snatch world records unless you are Brian Lara. It just so happened that everything went right that day.When I was close to my hundred on the second day, Ravi was batting with me. He pepped me up a little bit when I got to 90, when I was, understandably, a little nervous. He said, Just graft these 10 runs. Once you get them, I can guarantee the next 30 will flow like a river.I have a habit of keeping snapshots in my mind. I can usually picture the exact place and moment that something happened. I recall taking a cab - a kilometre or two into town - to find an STD booth to call my dad. I was on top of the world when I told him about my hundred. I needed somebody to keep me grounded and my dad was the perfect person. He reminded me how I had got into the Mumbai team after a long wait.Now that you are batting on hundred, dont let go of it, he said. Even when the stars come back, make sure your place is there.That kept ringing in my ears constantly and I just carried on. By tea, I was batting on 197 and a scorer reminded me about Gundappa Viswanaths record of 230 on debut. There wasnt much cricket in Faridabad at the time and people kept coming into the dressing room. So I asked Kaddu bhai (Karsan Ghavri), my senior, if he could keep them away. I didnt want to be rude, but I needed to be in my zone. I think Clive Lloyd had been at the game too. He had come to meet Ravi and seen my innings, but had left before I came in at tea.At the end of the second day, I was not out on 245. After play, I was sitting quietly in my chair and letting it all sink in. I remember Ravi coming in, putting his arm around my shoulders and saying, How are you feeling now, young man? Ravi was my hero and I was thrilled at that moment. It is another one of my precious snapshots.That night, BCCI president IS Bindra saab might have visited because his secretary was around and asked me if I knew I had made a world record. My reaction was: Really? Can I tell my parents about it?After the 260, the press was all over the shop. There were about three or four centuries scored in that innings and we had quite a tall score. Jatin and Ravi got hundreds as well. We only batted once and bowled them out twice to win by a huge margin.I used a SG Sunny Tonny bat that day. I only played four games with it and retired it after we won the Ranji Trophy that year. As a batsman, you tend to use your luckiest or most precious bats for a long time, but I said to myself, This bat has given me recognition. It now goes in the vault.As told to Arun Venugopal Cheap Suns Jerseys . Irving scored 23 points, Tristan Thompson had 20 points and 10 rebounds and the Cavaliers beat the Denver Nuggets 117-109 on Friday night. Custom Penny Hardaway Jersey . Paul Pierce couldnt believe he missed at the end. Young scored a season-high 26 points to spark a huge effort from the leagues most productive bench, and Los Angeles beat the Brooklyn Nets 99-94 on Wednesday night after blowing a 27-point lead. http://www.customsunsjersey.com/ . The person spoke to The Associated Press on condition of anonymity because the Lions have not announced the hiring, which was first reported by ESPN. Lombardi, the grandson of former Green Bay Hall of Fame coach Vince Lombardi, has been an offensive assistant on Sean Paytons New Orleans staff since 2007. Custom Suns T-shirts . The parade and rally were held to celebrate the Saskatchewan Roughriders 45-23 win over the Hamilton Tiger-Cats on Sunday in the CFLs championship game. Penny Hardaway Jersey Large . Hazard cut in from the left and scored with a swerving right-footed shot for ninth goal of the season, which proved to be enough for the victory despite Chelseas forwards again lacking a cutting edge up front.SAN FRANCISCO -- New York Mets right-hander Matt Harvey will skip his scheduled start on Saturday against the Pittsburgh Pirates, making it even more likely he could start the All-Star game. Manager Terry Collins made the announcement before the Mets series finale Wednesday with the San Francisco Giants. He says a minor blister has recently bothered the young ace. Harvey is a top candidate to start the All-Star game for the National League next Tuesday night at Citi Field, the Mets home. "No. 1, hes thrown 130 innings and hes going to be limited this summer," Collins said. "Part of the reason is also his blister issue." "We need to back him off and now is a good time," Collins said. "If he pitches in the All-Star game hell be ready for it." Harvey is 7-2 with a 2.35 ERA and leads the league with league with 147 strikeouts. The 24-year-old Harvey said being ready to pitch in the All-Star game didnt have much to do with the decision to skip his next start. "My goal is to finish a full season," he said. "The last thing I want to do is find myself at 210 innings at the very beginning of September and get shut down again. That was not fun. So finishing a whole season is definitely iimportant, and I know its important to them, as well as it is for me.dddddddddddd" Harvey matched his career high with 121 pitches in the Mets 16-inning win over the Giants on Monday. San Francisco manager Bruce Bochy will guide the NL team and yet to make an announcement. Bochy hinted at the likelihood about a week ago, but St. Louis ace Adam Wainwright is in the mix. Collins will also be a part of the All-Star Game as a member of Bochys coaching staff. Harvey said the blister began to bother him during his start against Washington on June 28. "Obviously I dont like not playing or being able to participate," Harvey said. "But I think in the long run Id rather miss a start now than miss all of September and not be able to pitch because of an innings limit." Collins says Harvey will throw limited innings this season, but the number hasnt been determined. "I dont have a say in really what goes on," Harvey said. "Right now everything feels fine, but they feel like at 130-plus innings, whatever I have, in order to stay on path for a full season, they felt this was a good time to skip, so Im on board for that." Carlos Torres (0-1, 0.51 ERA) will replace Harvey at Pittsburgh. ' ' '