Star all-rounder Ravindra Jadeja is all set to take on Sri Lanka when India tour the neighbouring country next week.With the engagements beginning with a warm-up match on July 21, Virat Kohli and Co. are scheduled to play three Tests, 5 One-Day Internationals and a one-off Twenty20 in the 1.5 months
Bryan Trottier Jersey long tour. The left arm spinner, who is also the No.1 ranked bowler in Test cricket, will be a vital cog in India's wheel on slow and turning tracks.
Asked about his preparations for the tour, the 28-year-old says he likes to perform when faced with challenges. "I like to perform when there are challenges. In cricket when you get easy performances or easy wickets then it's no fun, but when you have to fight and perform in challenging conditions then that feeling is something else."
Jadeja recalled the time when spin great Shane Warne described him as a "rockstar", saying he did not know the meaning of the term.
"Then I didn't know what rockstar meant. When I met Shane Warne for the first time, I didn't know he was
http://www.officialpittsburghpenguins.com/Adidas-Bryan-Rust-Jersey such a great bowler in Test cricket. He used to call me 'rockstar', and I used to wonder that I don't sing any songs, nor do I do anything that I deserved to be called a rockstar.
"I just asked one of my friends why he is calling me a rockstar. He said that maybe because you put too much of zinc on your face (smiles)... I kept working hard on my game and kept improving my skills, whether it was bowling or batting."
Jadeja also shared how he felt when he met his daughter for the first time after returning from England and the West Indies. "It was a special feeling. I don't realise anything now but as I spend more time with the baby, then I will get more attached. It is a good thing for me and everyone in the family is so happy," he said.
Walking down memory lane, Jadeja recalled how there were no good facilities during his initial days.
"When I started cricket, we didn't have good facilities in Jamnagar so I had to arrange everything myself if I had to play a match on Saturday or Sunday. I used to prepare the wicket myself and then try to arrange for the money to purchase the cricket balls for the match," he said.
"Those things motivate me a lot even now. My aim since the start was that I wanted to play in the blue jersey. I always wanted to play for India and when I used to see the team playing in blue, I also felt that I should be a part of the team and play for India," he added.
Venus Williams became the oldest Wimbledon finalist for 23 years on Thursday as the American star ended Johanna Konta's history bid with a masterful 6-4, 6-2 win. Twenty years after making her Wimbledon debut, five-time champion Williams is into her ninth
Alexander Mogilny Youth Jersey final at the All England Club and her first since 2009. The 37-year-old's sublime display of power-hitting on Centre Court stopped Konta becoming the first British woman to make the final for 40 years and set up a title match against Spain's Garbine Muguruza. Venus, aiming to win her first Wimbledon title since 2008, took only 73 minutes to write her name in the history books as the oldest Wimbledon finalist since Martina Navratilova in 1994.
"I've played a lot of finals here. It's been a blessing. I couldn't ask for more, but I'll ask for a little more! One more would be amazing," Venus said.
"I thought the crowd were so fair. Jo gave it her all. It's a lot of pressure. I think my experience was important.
"I just tried to get one point after another and wow it was done. I'm so happy."
After losing the Australian Open final in January, the world number 11 would be the oldest Wimbledon champion in the Open era -- breaking her sister Serena's record -- if she collects her eighth
Grand Slam crown on Saturday.
Williams' 87th match win at Wimbledon took her past Serena into sole possession of first place among active players.
With Serena at home preparing to give birth to her first child, Venus has
http://www.officialvancouvercanucks.com/Adidas-Alexander-Mogilny-Jersey picked up the baton and can make it a 13th Wimbledon title for the Williams family this weekend.
"I miss Serena terribly. I wish she was here. Before the match I wished she could do it for me, but I said 'no you have to do it for yourself'," Venus said.
Lifting the aptly named Venus Rosewater Dish would be an especially sweet moment for Williams, who has had to deal with a debilitating autoimmune disease for years, as well as her accidental involvement in a tragic car crash that killed an elderly man in Florida last month.
