Odd couple on even keel

One is a believer who sought divine blessings on the match eve and the other a party animal, but the bipolarity between Shivnarine Chanderpa...

One is a believer who sought divine blessings on the match eve and the other a party animal, but the bipolarity between Shivnarine Chanderpaul and Marlon Samuels never hindered their scintillating 191 run partnership at the Eden Gardens.

The indomitable duo, who stuck to the crease like rock through the third day’s play seemed to draw inspiration from extreme contrasts.

While some saw the Guyanese left hander Chanderpaul’s unwavering 136 not out as a blessing from the Bharat Sevashram Sangha, which he visited just before the Test, Samuels’ 89 runs followed the controversy after he reportedly visited a city discotheque at the end of first day’s play.

Story continues below this ad

His rendezvous with ’Tantra’, an upmarket discotheque in the heart of the city, drew the ire of the West Indies team management, which cautioned him to abide by the guidelines imposed on touring teams.

“How is Saurav Ganguly going to stop Chanderpaul,” asked a senior sports scribe from a leading daily when a colleage quipped, “contact Bharat Sevashram Sangha”.

“And what about Samuels?.”

There were no prizes for guessing!

‘Given stale food, locked up’: Truck cleaner on ‘abduction’ horror at Khedkar residence

Cities1 hr ago

A truck cleaner in Navi Mumbai was rescued by the police after being abducted by the father of a sacked IAS officer. The victim was held captive, given stale food, and threatened with murder. The accused demanded compensation for their damaged car and threatened to kill the victim if not paid. The accused have been charged with extortion and destruction of evidence.

View all shorts

Live Blog