DUBAI // Any conversation on cricket and the art of captaincy invariably steers towards the charismatic Pakistani Imran Khan and the outspoken Aussie Ian Chappell.
The irresistible Pathan shaped a talented but underperforming, and frequently feuding lot into one of the most formidable units in world cricket, which won the 1992 World Cup against all odds.
"Chappelli" is recognised as the one of the greatest captains the game has seen.
The term "ugly Australians" took birth under his reign, and the famous England captain Mike Brearley was forced to state that "playing against a team with Ian Chappell as a captain turns a cricket match into gang warfare".
To get an endorsement from these two would be a like a throne on Mount Olympus, and the India captain Mahendra Dhoni has managed just that. "I like the look of Dhoni as captain," said Chappell, who has described Steve Waugh as "selfish" and a captain who "ran out of ideas quickly".
"Dhoni is the sort of cricketer that guys play for. Part of the job of the captain is to make the cricket interesting for his players and that's what he does."
Imran, who captained Pakistan to the 1992 World Cup at the age of 39, subscribes to the same view.
"Dhoni, I believe, has all the attributes of becoming an outstanding captain," said the "King of Swing", who is now one of Pakistan's leading politicians.
"After a very long time, I have seen a captain from the subcontinent who has the [Australian captain] Ricky Ponting type of approach. He clearly gives 100 per cent.
"You learn the tactical side of the game as you go on, but the basics - courage, leading from the front and taking the pressure - he has those qualities in abundance."
Chappell's self-described philosophy as Australian captain "was simple: between 11.00am and 6.00pm there was no time to be a nice guy", and the Indians seem to be following that principle in the ongoing series against Australia.
But to the Aussie great, the hosts have been two different sides under Dhoni and Anil Kumble. Dhoni led India to one of their biggest wins at Mohali when Anil Kumble sat out due to injury, but the difference was apparent in the first Test to Chappell.
"Probably the worst thing that happened to Kumble as far as captaincy was concerned, was the couple of hours he spent off the field in Bangalore," says Chappell.
"Dhoni took over and it was two different teams. The Indian side for two hours under Dhoni and then when Kumble came back on the field, looked like two different teams.
"If you go back and look at the video tapes of the Mohali Test match, every time you saw a shot of Virender Sehwag, he [Dhoni] had a grin from ear to ear. Sehwag is an attacking cricketer and to have an attacking captain there is right up his alley. He looked to me like a guy who was enjoying every minute of that game.
The National's picks
4.35pm: Tilal Al Khalediah
5.10pm: Continous
5.45pm: Raging Torrent
6.20pm: West Acre
7pm: Flood Zone
7.40pm: Straight No Chaser
8.15pm: Romantic Warrior
8.50pm: Calandogan
9.30pm: Forever Young
The Kites
Romain Gary
Penguin Modern Classics
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COMPANY PROFILE
Name: Kumulus Water
Started: 2021
Founders: Iheb Triki and Mohamed Ali Abid
Based: Tunisia
Sector: Water technology
Number of staff: 22
Investment raised: $4 million
EA Sports FC 25
Developer: EA Vancouver, EA Romania
Publisher: EA Sports
Consoles: Nintendo Switch, PlayStation 4&5, Xbox One and Xbox Series X/S
Rating: 3.5/5
Test
Director: S Sashikanth
Cast: Nayanthara, Siddharth, Meera Jasmine, R Madhavan
Star rating: 2/5
THE SPECS
Engine: 3.5-litre V6
Transmission: six-speed manual
Power: 325bhp
Torque: 370Nm
Speed: 0-100km/h 3.9 seconds
Price: Dh230,000
On sale: now
The%20specs
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GOODBYE%20JULIA
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The White Lotus: Season three
Creator: Mike White
Starring: Walton Goggins, Jason Isaacs, Natasha Rothwell
Rating: 4.5/5
Skewed figures
In the village of Mevagissey in southwest England the housing stock has doubled in the last century while the number of residents is half the historic high. The village's Neighbourhood Development Plan states that 26% of homes are holiday retreats. Prices are high, averaging around £300,000, £50,000 more than the Cornish average of £250,000. The local average wage is £15,458.
The specs
AT4 Ultimate, as tested
Engine: 6.2-litre V8
Power: 420hp
Torque: 623Nm
Transmission: 10-speed automatic
Price: From Dh330,800 (Elevation: Dh236,400; AT4: Dh286,800; Denali: Dh345,800)
On sale: Now
In numbers: China in Dubai
The number of Chinese people living in Dubai: An estimated 200,000
Number of Chinese people in International City: Almost 50,000
Daily visitors to Dragon Mart in 2018/19: 120,000
Daily visitors to Dragon Mart in 2010: 20,000
Percentage increase in visitors in eight years: 500 per cent
The%20specs
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Dengue%20fever%20symptoms
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TOURNAMENT INFO
Women’s World Twenty20 Qualifier
Jul 3- 14, in the Netherlands
The top two teams will qualify to play at the World T20 in the West Indies in November
UAE squad
Humaira Tasneem (captain), Chamani Seneviratne, Subha Srinivasan, Neha Sharma, Kavisha Kumari, Judit Cleetus, Chaya Mughal, Roopa Nagraj, Heena Hotchandani, Namita D’Souza, Ishani Senevirathne, Esha Oza, Nisha Ali, Udeni Kuruppuarachchi
The specs
Engine: 3.0-litre six-cylinder turbo
Power: 398hp from 5,250rpm
Torque: 580Nm at 1,900-4,800rpm
Transmission: Eight-speed auto
Fuel economy, combined: 6.5L/100km
On sale: December
Price: From Dh330,000 (estimate)
In numbers: PKK’s money network in Europe
Germany: PKK collectors typically bring in $18 million in cash a year – amount has trebled since 2010
Revolutionary tax: Investigators say about $2 million a year raised from ‘tax collection’ around Marseille
Extortion: Gunman convicted in 2023 of demanding $10,000 from Kurdish businessman in Stockholm
Drug trade: PKK income claimed by Turkish anti-drugs force in 2024 to be as high as $500 million a year
Denmark: PKK one of two terrorist groups along with Iranian separatists ASMLA to raise “two-digit million amounts”
Contributions: Hundreds of euros expected from typical Kurdish families and thousands from business owners
TV channel: Kurdish Roj TV accounts frozen and went bankrupt after Denmark fined it more than $1 million over PKK links in 2013
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The biog
Name: Mariam Ketait
Emirate: Dubai
Hobbies: I enjoy travelling, experiencing new things, painting, reading, flying, and the French language
Favourite quote: "Be the change you wish to see" - unknown
Favourite activity: Connecting with different cultures
The specs
Price, base / as tested Dh1,100,000 (est)
Engine 5.2-litre V10
Gearbox seven-speed dual clutch
Power 630bhp @ 8,000rpm
Torque 600Nm @ 6,500rpm
Fuel economy, combined 15.7L / 100km (est)
Roger Federer's 2018 record
Australian Open Champion
Rotterdam Champion
Indian Wells Runner-up
Miami Second round
Stuttgart Champion
Halle Runner-up
Wimbledon Quarter-finals
Cincinnati Runner-up
US Open Fourth round
Shanghai Semi-finals
Basel Champion
Paris Masters Semi-finals
Quick pearls of wisdom
Focus on gratitude: And do so deeply, he says. “Think of one to three things a day that you’re grateful for. It needs to be specific, too, don’t just say ‘air.’ Really think about it. If you’re grateful for, say, what your parents have done for you, that will motivate you to do more for the world.”
Know how to fight: Shetty married his wife, Radhi, three years ago (he met her in a meditation class before he went off and became a monk). He says they’ve had to learn to respect each other’s “fighting styles” – he’s a talk it-out-immediately person, while she needs space to think. “When you’re having an argument, remember, it’s not you against each other. It’s both of you against the problem. When you win, they lose. If you’re on a team you have to win together.”
