Warne willing to take India job

Legendary Australian spinner and captain of the Rajasthan Royals Shane Warne said that he is willing working to help the spinners in India if the Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) offers him a job.

In an exclusive interview with IBN7 and CNN-IBN, Shane Warne said that he would consider any such offer in the future.

"If the BCCI wants to work in the spin department, I would have to work with our man Manoj Badale (co-owner, Rajasthan Royals) and I'm sure we can come up with something. I am not ruling any thing out but I am not saying I am agreeing to it now. It depends on my time and my family. But if there is an offer, any offer, I will see if it fits," said Warne.

The former Australian player said that he has worked with the spinners in his Royals team and would love to impart his knowledge to other young Indian spinners.

"As far as the BCCI goes, I work with all the spinners. Yusuf Pathan, Abhishek Raut and Ravindra Jadeja, who had a great last year, I work with all of them. I love cricket and I try to impart my knowledge on leadership on a lot of guys. As far as spin bowling goes, I would love to help any bowler. I would like to help (Amit) Mishra and Piyush (Chawla) and a few other guys as well," stated Warne.

The Rajasthan Royals captain also said that he would cherish the opportunity of coming to India and working there.

"I love India these days. It took me a long time to embrace the culture and appreciate India. It probably took me a couple of tours to understand that. But the last two Australian tours and the last two seasons of IPL have been great. The Indian people have been wonderful and I really appreciate that. The way they have welcomed me I think they have really appreciated the way I have looked after the youngsters of the Rajasthan Royals. The way we play makes our brand of cricket very exciting, so I think every body has a soft spot for the Rajasthan Royals," added Warne.

Priyanka hits back at Kareena

Kareena Kapoor who recently asked her ex love Shahid Kapur to stay away from Priyanka Chopra and move on in life has received a tight slap from Priyanka verbally. Kareena who further went to say that Shahid and Priyanka are dragging her and Saif’s name to publicize ‘Kaminey’ has further intensified Priyanka's anger and she responded hardly. She hits back at Kareena and gave an appropriate reply to her false accusation.

Priyanka said, “Kaminey is directed by Vishal Bharadwaj whose directorial credentials don’t need any introduction and it is produced by UTV which is amongst the best production houses in the country today. I have seen the film and I feel it’s a brilliant piece of work. All those who will see the film will definitely love it. We as the team of ‘Kaminey’ are extremely well equipped and capable of publicizing the film and don’t require any outside help for the same.”

It is even said that the relationship between the two beauties turned sour ever since Priyanka started to date Kareena’s ex-boyfriend.

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India can beat anyone anywhere: Harbhajan

Fresh from a rare Test series victory in New Zealand, off-spinner Harbhajan Singh believes India have what it takes to beat the best in the world on their home soil.

India's Test series win in New Zealand this week was their first in four decades. It was also their third successive Test series victory since beating top-ranked Australia in November.

"This team is capable of winning anywhere," Harbhajan said in an interview on Friday. "If we play to our potential, stick to the basics and focus on the job, we have the team that can beat anyone anywhere."

India defeated Australia and England in back-to-back series at home last year and are once again considered a true force in world cricket. India have yet to win a Test series in Australia, although they squared a close series 1-1 in 2004 and lost a controversial Test series 2-1, before winning a tri-series last year.

India won their first Test in South Africa in 2006 and emerged surprise winners of the inaugural Twenty20 World Cup there two years ago. The 28-year-old bowler said winning matches overseas has made a big difference.

"The guys are confident, confident of performing in any conditions," said Harbhajan, the side's main spinner since Anil Kumble retired last year.

"I think this team can win anywhere -- South Africa, Australia -- we have got the ability to exploit any conditions." Harbhajan is his country's second most successful spinner and emerged the highest wicket-taker in New Zealand with 16 wickets.

Their success streak, including a 1-0 win over England, has triggered debate in the cricket-mad country as to whether the current side are the best yet.

India are ranked third behind Australia and South Africa in the Test rankings and the batting-heavy team has found a potent new ball pair in the wily Zaheer Khan and quick Ishant Sharma.

The pair have played a significant role in the last three series victories and are regarded as the best new ball pair in the business. "Zaheer has bowled beautifully to give India early breakthroughs," Harbhajan said of the left-armer.

"Ishant is still raw, and he needs to be focused. He is a talented bowler." Harbhajan, who has taken 330 Test wickets and over 200 one-day wickets, did not get drawn into the debate of whether the team is India's best yet.

"I won't want to compare between eras," said Harbhajan. "But a batting like up of Virender Sehwag, Gautam Gambhir, Rahul Dravid and Sachin Tendulkar, VVS Laxman, Yuvraj Singh... I'd say it is one of the best. It's an exciting team."

First Time Five Indians in Wisden's Dream Test XI

Wisden, the highly respected cricket publication, today named Virender Sehwag as the Leading Cricketer in the World for 2008 and Mahendra Singh Dhoni captain of its first ever Dream Test XI which has five Indians in the ranks.

India's rich vein of form found ample reflection in Wisden's first ever Dream XI which include Sehwag, Dhoni, Sachin Tendulkar, Harbhajan Singh and Zaheer Khan.

India has the largest representation in the Test squad, followed by Australia (Ricky Ponting and Mitchell Johnson) and South Africa (Graeme Smith and Dale Steyn) who have two each.

Flamboyant batsman Kevin Pietersen is the lone English player in the XI, while the West Indies is represented by run-machine Shivnarine Chanderpaul.

Smith is Dhoni's deputy in the side.

The three selectors who picked the squad were former India captain Ravi Shastri, retired West Indian pacer Ian Bishop and former New Zealand stumper Ian Smith.

"The criteria for selection are simple: the best eleven to play a Test match, no matter the opposition, guided by performances in 2008, and taking into consideration the amount of Test cricket they played in the year, the quality of their opponents, and that indefinable blend of class and form," Wisden said.

It turned out to be a double delight for Sehwag who became the sixth player to be adjudged the Leading Cricketer in the World, an award instituted in 2004.

The five previous winners have been Ricky Ponting, Shane Warne, Andrew Flintoff, Muttiah Muralitharan and Jacques Kallis.

"Virender Sehwag had to beat off the strongest of challenges by Graeme Smith to become the Leading Cricketer in the World for 2008. Sehwag did so by taking the task of opening Test innings to a new level," Wisden observed.

"He sought, and often achieved, mental domination from the first ball by scoring faster than any other opening batsman has ever done on a regular basis in Test cricket," it said.

Team:

• Virender Sehwag
• Graeme Smith
• Ricky Ponting
• Sachin Tendulkar
• Kevin Pietersen
• Shivnarine Chanderpaul
• Mahendra Singh Dhoni(W,C)
• Harbhajan Singh
• Zaheer Khan
• Dale Steyn
• Mitchell Johnson