Cricket World Cup 2011 fever finally grips City maidans !

MUMBAI: With the biggest cricketing action just 9 days away, the city's aspiring cricketers who dream of donning the national colours someday are flocking the cricket grounds - Azad, Cross, Oval and Shivaji Park - to practice and hone their skills to perfection.

These local players from various socio- economic backgrounds want India to win. They want India to win because this would be the last World Cup where master blaster Sachin Tendulkar would be playing.

" Sachin and Sehwag are the key players on whom we can rely, however Yusuf Pathan and Kohli can be the surprise factors for everyone" said Deepak Parekh, a budding cricketer who spoke to FPJ during drinks in the blazing sun at Cross Maidan.

When it comes to cricket every player on these grounds has an ' expert opinion' to give. Though majority of these young club level and gully cricketers feel the Indian team composition is perfect, some would be missing the likes of Irfan Pathan and Robin Utthapa. " I think Rohit Sharma would have been a better choice rather than Piyush Chawla as he provides a better option as an all rounder," said Piysh Shah, a spinner who daily practices at Shivaji Park, the cradle of Mumbai cricket where Tendulkar was groomed by his first coach Ramakant Achrekar.

Not only seasoned players, but even the gully cricketers have their own way of preparing for the cup. Many kids throughout the city have prepared teams and named them according to the different countries participating in the World Cup.

Though many people believe the increasing craze, glamour and popularity of the IPL has affected the fan following of the World Cup.

" The IPL is providing a lot of entertainment in lesser time and with so much of cricket around, the World Cup has lost its prominence that it used to have till 2003" said Farhan Mirza, another local cricket player.

One of the factors that can go against the popularity of the event is only three matches are scheduled to take place in the city one of them being the final. As none of the remaining two matches includes India, the citizens would be wanting the Indians to qualify for the finals.

" This is unfair, this city is one of the biggest fans of cricket in the country and only three matches are kept here and India is not involved in any of them" said Akshay Kamboj, local cricket player.

ICC pleased with new look of Kolkata's Eden Gardens

Cricket Association of Bengal (CAB) president Jagmohan Dalmiya has done it again. Having lost the right to hold the coveted India-England World Cup match, scheduled at the Eden Gardens, he has ensured that all renovation work at the historical ground is complete so that the venue isn’t stripped off the remaining three matches to be held in Kolkata.

Known for his tactical acumen and administrative qualities, he was considered a spent force after the International Cricket Council (ICC) stripped the historical Eden Gardens of the February 27 match — considered to be the biggest revenue earning match in the group stages.

Having kept quite all this while, he let his actions do the talking as he took the ICC team visiting the Eden for the first of the final three inspections on Monday. The other two inspections are slated for February 14 and 22.

After it found incomplete work on January 25 —debris lying all over and more than 50 per cent of the work still left to be completed — the ICC inspection team had deemed the ground unfit to host the February 27 match.

They even raised the question whether the venue would be ready for the next three matches — South Africa-Ireland match on March 15, the Ireland-Netherland game on March 18 and the Zimbabwe- Kenya clash on March 20.

But on Monday, the ICC team members left with a smile on their faces. After all, nobody wants a historical venue like the Eden Gardens to miss out on hosting World Cup matches. Although the official report will be submitted to the CAB on Tuesday, an ICC official confirmed that the team was happy with the progress and things look in order.

“We were stunned when we visited the Eden on January 25. Most of the work looked incomplete. But this time round, the work put in must be appreciated. The effort is commendable. Although we will carry on with our inspections on February 14 and 22, we are happy with the progress,” he said.

As of now, Eden looks set to hold the remaining three matches. A CAB official, who refused to be named, confirmed that unlike the last time, the ICC team was happy with the work put in by CAB and they looked pleased when they left the ground.

“Last time they misjudged the situation. One has to realise that we start work only 20 days ahead of the match. Maybe, the ICC pressed the panic button a bit too early. But they looked pleased with the arrangements put in place by us and we should be awarded the right to hold the remaining three matches. We don’t expect a googly this time round,” he said.

Commenting on ICC’s stance on the construction of the roof on the stands, he said: “Construction of the roof was definitely on the cards as per the initial drawing, but later we decided to complete it after the fourth season of the Indian Premier League (IPL). The ICC has agreed and the roofs will be constructed after the IPL.”

Rumours doing the rounds are that Dalmiya wants the India- England game to be back at the Eden now that it is ready for cricketing action even ahead of the Wankhede Stadium in Mumbai. Will the ICC concede?

25 X-ray machines to be part of security at Ferozeshah Kotla in Delhi

Around 25 baggage X-ray machines will ensure that nothing unwanted slips inside the Ferozeshah Kotla as part of unprecedented security plans chalked out for the four World Cup games starting this month.

The Delhi Police and the Delhi and District Cricket Association (DDCA) have decided to check the ‘character and antecedents’ of the 3,000- odd people, including security personnel, curators, DDCA officials, and the catering staff, who will be issued accreditation cards.

For this, the Delhi Police are using the same template that they implemented for the hockey World Cup and the Commonwealth Games held in New Delhi last year. People will have to answer questions like if they have ever been prosecuted or convicted or facing a trail in a court of law, among other personal details.

“We are taking around 25 X-ray machines on rent. They will screen every article and food item that will go inside the stadium. Two machines each will be stationed at the gates at which there is more spectator rush. There are 18 gates in all, but only 13 or 14 will be used for the matches,” a top DDCA official told us.

“However, we will ensure that the controversy surrounding the X-ray machines rented at a high price for the Commonwealth Games is not repeated at the Kotla,” he said. The Delhi Police are taking no chances as there is a reported militant threat to the World Cup. Therefore, a limited number of accreditation passes will be issued for the matches beginning on February 24.

This means that many people connected with the DDCA who used to, by hook or crook, get the supposedly prestigious ‘all areas’ passes made for international matches, will have to take a backseat — literally. “In all, we will be issuing about 3,000 accreditation passes and we will be particularly very strict with sundry officials linked with the DDCA.

It has made some people angry and they are haggling for more, but we have put our foot down,” the official said. “We have decided to issue accreditation to members of the executive committee (24), government nominees on the executive (3), DDCA patrons (5), vice-patrons (2), and the sports working committee (10),” the official said.

Those who will be issued passes include Delhi Police personnel, private security guards, ground staff, medical teams, catering staff, housekeeping, scorers, hospitality staff, volunteers, local managers attached to the teams, and equipment suppliers etc. “These 3,000 passes will be excluding the central accreditation issued by the International Cricket Council,” he said.

And like everyone else, they will all have to fill the ‘character and antecedents verification’ forms.

Sourav Ganguly’s IPL 4 dream go up in smoke

Sourav Ganguly’s faint hopes of playing in the fourth edition of the Indian Premier League (IPL) were finally dashed when the governing council did not make him available for sale on Friday. The former India skipper was left unsold during the two- day IPL auction in Bangalore last month, which resulted in a lot of hue and cry, especially in his home city of Kolkata.

However, it was believed that Team Kochi had evinced interest to avail Ganguly’s services at his base price, as they found that they were lacking in Indian batsmen in their squad after the auction. The franchise had approached the governing council in order to sign the left- hander up, but their plans came a cropper as other franchisees objected to the move.

According to the rules governing the IPL, all other franchisees had to give their assent. It is believed that at least three teams objected to a back- door entry for the Bengal stalwart. Other players such as Wasim Jaffer, VRV Singh, Brian Lara and Chris Gayle also went unsold in the auction. Ganguly had doubled his base price to $ 400,000 just days before the auction, much to everybody’s surprise. There were murmurs that he may not find bidders.

“ Based on the views from franchisees, IPL governing council decided not to make available the unsold Indian players from the auction,” a press release after the meeting said.

“ We had received a request from one franchise (Kochi) that Ganguly should be allowed to be purchased outside the auction and rejected it after objections were raised by some other franchisees,” IPL chairman Chirayu Amin said. The governing council also slapped a four- match ban on young batsman Manish Pandey for breach of guidelines.

“ Based on the complaints from franchisees and after meeting with the player, IPL governing council has imposed a four IPL match ban on Manish Pandey. He cannot play the first four matches of IPL Season - 4,” the release said. However, “ as desired by him, he is permitted to play for the Pune franchise,” it added.

The youngster, the first Indian to score a century in the twenty20 tournament, had refused to sign a contract with Royal Challengers Bangalore, for whom he had played for the first three seasons. “ Pandey's agent was negotiating with a number of franchisees,” Amin said. The governing council also rejected complaints from Mumbai Indians, who said that the auction was not carried out in a clear and transparent manner.

“ As regards the letter from M/s. India Win Sports Private Limited (Mumbai Indians) regarding the recent IPL auction, the governing council was briefed by the operational team, including IMG, on all aspects of the letter,” the release said.

The procedure followed in this year’s auction is exactly the same as was done in all the previous IPL auctions. Representatives of all franchisees had read the auction briefing note prepared by IMG which included the changes referred to and signed the same in acceptance before the auction including the India Win Sports Private Limited (Mumbai Indians),” it added.

“ The governing council reiterates that the auction was transparent and fair.”

Half of the Indian Team took the media for a ride before ICC World Cup 2011

How organisers of any cricket event can take the media for a ride was starkly evident at a press conference starring six top cricketers, including India captain Mahendra Singh Dhoni, here on Wednesday.

Presuming that the 150-odd media contingent just would not boycott despite a veiled threat, those who were given the task of organising the press conference by Reebok did not even deem it fit to explain the delay to the large audience.

The event was scheduled to start at 9 am — advanced by an hour only on Tuesday, apparently because some players had to catch an early flight out of Delhi — but it eventually started only at 10.35 am!

After getting no word from the organisers for about an hour, the media started getting restless and mildly threatened to boycott the event. It was only after this that a lady and the master of ceremonies appeared to reluctantly utter the first words about the reasons for the delay.

Dhoni’s flight to Delhi was late, he said. But there was still no regret and, clearly, no remorse. Of course, none of the players apologised.

The media is also partly to be blamed as they didn’t execute what they threatened to do: boycott the press conference.

“Can anyone of us afford to boycott given the high stakes in the game today?” was someone’s pertinent remark. This, then, is the stage cricket craze has reached in India — and, imagine, the World Cup hasn’t even started.

Team India World Cup 2011 Squad : Selection a big blunder ?

Even before assessing the merits and demerits of India’s World Cup squad, it would be pertinent to highlight the grave blunder committed by the Board of Control for Cricket in India in undertaking the selection process with just three of the five selectors present at Chennai on Monday.


Two selectors are in South Africa and one wonders what are they doing there, if not holidaying. What is there more to see or exercise their opinions on in the remaining three ODIs? The BCCI knew well in advance of the date of selection of India’s squad for the 2011 World Cup, so how did it allow a couple of selectors to remain away from this crucial meeting.

In fact, it was the most important selection in four years. Its importance therefore cannot be so blatantly underestimated. Of course, today, you have the facility of video-conferencing. But this exercise is undertaken only in emergencies. Did we have to turn a prime selection process into an emergency ? There is no need to say that nothing better can be achieved than by a lively faceto- face debate amongst the five wise men. Can the BCCI top brass explain this act of gross irresponsibility in as important a matter as picking a World Cup squad, on which rest the hopes and aspirations of a billion people.

Krishnamachari Srikkanth, the chairman of selectors, who was himself a member of the 1983 World Cup- winning team, ought to have known what it is like winning cricket’s ultimate prize. Could he not have insisted on a full meeting ? Be that as it may. With such an embarrassment of riches, the choice was not that of whom to pick, but whom to omit. Hereabouts, there were at least two, if not three, slots that needed a meaningful debate.

As much as the right choice of players, what was required was an apt insurance or cover for the recurrence of injuries to key players. On the recovery list at the moment are Tendulkar, Sehwag and Gambhir. You cannot say for sure that during the hectic schedule of matches, they may not develop a niggle again or have a breakdown.

In this regard, therefore, the omission of Rohit Sharma is glaring. Yes, one more batsman may have upset the balance of the squad. But if the selectors had had the courage, they would have dropped uvraj Singh, who still looks woefully out of touch, Basking in the glory of his past, six sixes and all that, is being carried too far, as that is now history. You might as well take a walk in the museum and watch the fossils.

Since the event is on the sub- continent, the inclusion of three spinners may be justified but, the important question to ask is: Will Dhoni ever opt for five specialist bowlers ?

Then, and only then can two spinners be played in any match. The biggest problem faced by India is that far too many runs are conceded in the power play and the end overs. With Nehra being so erratic and now only a shadow of what he was two years ago, he will be a liability. This may perhaps induce the inclusion of an extra spinner in the playing eleven. Even then, with so many part-timers, the selection of three spinners is a luxury.

IPL teams offer players money under the table

Few desperate franchisees are offering huge amounts of money “ under the table” to their targeted uncapped players in a crazy rush to strengthen their teams for the lucrative Indian Premier League (IPL). It is reliably learnt that some franchisees are going all out to get such players, telling them that they would officially meet the IPL requirements on maximum payment for uncapped cricketers and pay the rest under different heads.

This maddening rush to sign established or promising domestic players has hit the IPL catchment area rule for a six, with one prominent team official describing the stipulation as a “ mere tokenism”. “ I know a few prominent franchisees which are luring some players who have already played in the IPL with huge amounts of money and those players are bargaining hard with the teams they have represented earlier,” a top official associated with the IPL informed. “ In one case, a player, who falls in the Rs 30-lakh category by virtue of having made his first-class debut before 2005-06 and plays only in domestic tournaments now, was offered Rs 75 lakh by a franchisee based in South. The official assured him that the rest of the money would be paid under the table,” he said.

Well before the player auction took place in Bangalore on Saturday and Sunday, officials of the 10 franchisees visited venues where domestic tournaments were being played. This took the players’ focus off matches in some cases like that of the Delhi team in Ranji Trophy.

According to the IPL rules, franchisees can sign those players who have made their debut between 2006-07 and 2008-09 for a maximum Rs 20 lakh and those who are yet to make their first class or List A debut in 2009-10 or 2010-11 can be signed for a maximum of Rs 10 lakh.

A franchisee based in western India has reportedly offered a humongous amount to a north Indian batsman who made his debut during the ongoing season and has played a handful of first class matches. “ This franchisee has either signed, or is on the verge of signing him, for close to Rs 1 crore, which is a mind boggling figure for a green horn. In this case, too, the rest of the money is being offered under the table,” he said.

In another case, a franchisee is said to have offered to pay a player employed with it through his wife. “ Since this player is employed with that company, an official told the player that he would show his wife as a consultant in the company and deposit the excess money in her account,” he said.

Several domestic players are bargaining hard as they are in talks with several franchisees at the same time. Royal Challengers Bangalore’s (RCB) Manish Pandey, for instance, has been reportedly offered a huge sum by another franchisee. But the RCB is not ready to part with the hard hitting batsman, who was the first Indian to score a century in the IPL, leading to bad blood.

Certain franchisees’ mad rush to sign players fails to justify the logic of catchment area rule. “ The concept of catchment area is a tokenism and serves little purpose and because there’s no incentive for indulging in development of cricket in that area,” Delhi Daredevils COO Amrit Mathur informed us. Mathur points out the absence of a rule that would give some advantage to franchisees to retain uncapped players once their contracts are over. “ There should be a method by which franchisees should have the first preferential right over players from their catchment areas. And there has to be some reason to invest in one’s catchment area,” he said.

IPL CEO Sundar Raman said that franchisees are aware of the catchment area regulations and also in cases when more than one team owner approaches an uncapped player.

“ The process is simple — once a player and a franchisee have come to an agreement, based on cricketing considerations, they send across a request and the contract is sent across to the franchisee for signature,” Raman said. “ If more than one franchisee is interested in a player then the BCCI will directly get in touch with the player to seek his decision on which franchisee he wants to play for.” But in reality some franchisees are not adhering to the rules.

Ganguly, Gayle & Jayasuriya ignored for the list of IPL teams 2011 players

Former India captain Sourav Ganguly was on Sunday left untouched by the 10 Indian Premier League (IPL) franchisees at the player auction, effectively signalling the end of a successful cricket career in a most embarrassing manner. Former Kolkata Knight Riders (KKR) captain Ganguly, who had voluntarily jacked his base price from Rs. 92 lakh to Rs. 1.84 crore, had to bear the ignominy of not being bought on Saturday and hoped that some franchisee would finally pick him when the unsold players were up for sale again on Sunday. It did not happen.

On the other side of the spectrum, unknown Australian fast bowler Daniel Christian was bought by Deccan Chargers for a whopping Rs. 4.14 crore — 18 times his base price — on the second and final day of the auction in Bangalore. Ganguly’s omission completely overshadowed Christian’s unexpectedly high price. The 27-yearold player has played only three Twenty20 Internationals but 2009 champions Deccan Chargers saw huge potential in him.

“We believe Christian is a good buy. He is good fast bowler and a decent batsman. He is also a brilliant fielder,” pointed out Chargers owner Gayathri Reddy. Gautam Gambhir remained the highest earner by a distance among the 353 players auctioned after KKR bought him for Rs. 11.04 crore on Saturday.

Besides Ganguly, to everyone’s surprise, ageing Brian Lara, Chris Gayle, Sanath Jayasuriya and Mark Boucher were among those players who remained unsold. Fifty-five players were sold on Sunday, in addition to the 72 on the first day. N Srinivasan, secretary of the Board of Control for Cricket in India, confirmed that it was the end of the road for all those unsold, including Ganguly, in the lucrative IPL beginning on April 8.

“The players who were on the auction list and remained unsold can’t play in the IPL. However, franchisees who have some purse left of their maximum of $9 million (Rs. 4.14 crore) can buy uncapped players from 10 am tomorrow,” Srinivasan told. Of course, Ganguly, 38, can still play a role if he joins a team’s support staff, provided the franchisees, who have all become much smarter with their money vis-à-vis IPL, are interested in a player who was also known for his leadership qualities.

A couple of team owners dropped hints to that effect. But the question is: Were they really serious or just being diplomatic in front of television? Srinivasan said that the unsold players can join teams as officials. “But I don’t think anyone will sign them,” he felt. While Ganguly was unlucky, New Zealand’s Jesse Ryder (Pune Warriors, Rs. 6.9 crore), Murali Kartik (Pune, Rs. 1.84 cr) and Mohammad Kaif (Bangalore Royal Challengers, Rs. 5.98 cr) were among the fortunate 12 who finally found buyers after being rejected initially.

On a dull second day, Ganguly remained the hot topic. Some people wondered the need for the wealthy businessman from Kolkata to stick to a format that suits youngsters. “Amazing! And wasn’t he instrumental in setting up the KKR team? Now, even Shah Rukh Khan [co-owner of the franchisee] is not saying anything,” former India captain Ajit Wadekar told us.

Bishan Singh Bedi was more straightforward. “It’s quite baffling that he allowed himself to be humiliated like this. It’s the height of humiliation. There must be someone advising him. I would like to ask Sourav that if he wanted to play on why he retired in the first place,” wondered the former captain. He felt Ganguly could have opted to join the support staff of one of the teams. Ganguly, India’s most successful Test captain, has staged at least two comebacks to firstclass cricket. He returned again in the ongoing domestic season after KKR announced that it would not retain him. In 2009, he was removed from captaincy but was reinstated last year. While Ganguly failed to decide where to draw the line, he has done enough as India captain — and with the bat — to be remembered for a long time. He has 7,212 Test runs and 11,363 ODI runs. And he is a successful businessman. He says his family owns the third-largest printing press in Asia. So, whatever people may say for his carrying on and on, Ganguly’s only fault seems to be that he failed to realise when to call it quits.

IPL Auction 2011 : Gautam Gambhir sold for 2.4 million dollars

Kolkata Knight Riders have sparked the IPL Auction as they have spent a hefty amount on the Indian team opener Gautam Gambhir who has been bought for $2.4 million when a team can only spend upto $9 million dollars. There are 10 teams who are bidding for the total of 353 players, the auction process would last for around 16 hours and $75 million would be spent.

Followed by Gambhir, Dilshan was bought for $650,000 by Bangalore, Zaheer Khan wa sold for $300,000 to Bangalore. SRK's Kolkata Knight Riders trying to bring in as strong players as it can as they have bought Yusuf Pathan for $ 2.1 Million. Rajasthan Royals filled up the Pathan spot with Ross Taylor for $1 million.

Deccan Chargers bring Kevin Pietersen for just $ 650,000 which can prove to be a best buy whereas Jayawardene sold to Kochi for $ 1.5 million. Big hitter Yuvraj Singh has been bought by Pune for $ 1.8 million and Bangalore brings home AB de Villers for $ 1.1 million.

Stay tuned as rest of the proceedings would be updated shortly.

Nishikori knocks out defending champ Cilic from Chennai Open

Don't go by Kei Nishikori’s slight build and smiling face. On Monday, the 21- year- old Japanese star played the role of ‘ Terminator’ to perfection as he rocked the Chennai Open by ousting second seed Marin Cilic 4-6, 7-6 (7/0), 6-2 in the first round.

Just before the match, Nishikori was running outside the centre court and gently warming up. Even at 5pm, when play should have begun, he was outside and running short steps. Little did people know that in a matter of hours, Nishikori would be running and sliding on court to demolish the tournament favourite from Croatia in a match where the Chennai fans cheered lustily for the underdog.

Nishikori was almost apologetic after the match. “ I know it’s bad for the tournament that Cilic lost but there’s nothing I can do about it,” said Nishikori.

To be sure, Nishikori has been gearing up for this event in the right way. A new trainer, a new coach and new clothes, things worked out well for him. But then, for someone who has the resources to afford a coach like Brad Gilbert, this was kind of expected. Agreed, Nishikori beat the same opponent at the US Open. But tonight it was more about serving better and playing smart which helped Nishikori pull it off.

Japan has never produced tennis players in an assembly line fashion like their famous cars. Perhaps, after Shuzo Matsuoka and Takao Suzuki, Nishikori is the one to watch for. As one who had plummeted to a career- low 420 rank at the end of 2009, he has cranked himself up well. Last year, he jumped 322 spots on the ATP computer to finish at 98 on the ATP computer. Nishikori is a typical Nick Bolletterrei Tennis Academy product.

Good serves, a solid forehand and consistency has worked well for him. Tonight, he whipped up the action with a smarter first serve percentage and added a smooth backhand as he destroyed Cilic’s dream of making it a hat- trick of Chennai Open titles.

The 5- 5 game in the second set was long and that’s where momentum swung Nishikori’s way. “ I think I played well there and there was no problem for me in the tie- break,” he said. But the Japanese star is not looking too far ahead. “ I was not looking beyond Cilic in the draw,” said Nishikori. “ I was in fact surprised so many people were backing me, like the US Open.” Surprisingly, the opponent then, too, was Cilic.

Talking about the decision to hire Gilbert, Nishikori said it all happened at the IMG academy in Florida last December. “ I played with Brad and after that we trained together for a few days at my home ( in the US). He will join me in Adelaide next,” said Nishikori, who wants to be back in the top 50 rankings.

From the Indian point of view there was disappointment as Robin Haase and David Martin beat Somdev Devvarman and Sanam Singh 5- 7, 6- 2 and 10- 8 ( super tie- breaker) in doubles first round. On a day when Cilic struggled for rhythm, it was clear the pressure was on him as the favourite. However, he did not attribute that to the defeat.

Cilic said: “ The first two sets were close and I didn’t win any point in the tie- break. Nishikori deserved to win.” “ Yes, I am a little bit disappointed I lost,” added Cilic.

On the outside courts, results in singles were on predictable lines. Robert Kendrick from California beat Denis Gremelmayr from Germany 7- 6, 6- 4 to enter the second round. The highlight of the match was Kendrick’s first serve percentage of 69. Another regular visitor to Chennai, Bjorn Phau from Germany was too good for Italian Simone Bolelli as he won 6- 2, 6- 2 in the first round.

BMC wakes up to fete Master Blaster Sachin Tendulkar after 10 Years

When Sachin Tendulkar returns from South Africa, it will be a different sort of homecoming for him. For, Mumbai, his beloved hometown, would be eagerly waiting to felicitate this famous son of the soil. It is after a long wait of almost 10 years that the Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation ( BMC) is finally decided on felicitating the master blaster for his stupendous achievements in cricket, once he returns from the South African tour.


According to civic sources, Municipal Commissioner Swadhin Kshatriya will soon write a letter to Sachin asking him for his availability after the tour of South Africa. " Mayor Shraddha Jadhav had also sent a letter to Sachin expressing interest to honour him. Earlier, it was not possible to felicitate him due to his extremely busy cricket schedule.

The civic chief Swadhin Kshatriya will now request Sachin to provide dates for arranging the felicitation ceremony once he is back in Mumbai," a civic official said.

According to the official, the BMC has initiated the process of honouring Sachin for his remarkable feats in cricket. The draft of the letter, to be sent to Sachin's residence in Bandra, is ready and awaiting Kshatriya's signature, he added.

Additional Municipal Commissioner Manisha Mhaiskar said, " The municipal commissioner had recently sent Sachin a message congratulating him over his 50th Test century and informed him that the BMC wanted to felicitate him. In reply, Sachin said he would give the dates as soon as he returns from his South Africa tour." Several proposals of Sachin's felicitation have been pending with the civic body for the last 10 years. In 2001, the proposal was put up after Sachin created history by becoming the first batsman to score 10,000 runs in the history of limited overs cricket. In 2005, then Deputy Mayor Arun Dev and BEST Committee chairman Surendra Bagalkar asked BMC to felicitate him for scoring highest number (35) of Test cricket centuries during that period.

Recently, opposition leader Rajhans Singh (Congress) demanded Sachin should be felicitated by the BMC after he became the first batsman in ODI history to score a double century in an innings against South Africa in February. Following his demand, the BMC House passed a proposal to organise a felicitation ceremony for him. In between, Sachin even featured in an advertisement for the BMC's ' save water' campaign, appealing to Mumbaikars to use water judiciously during the water crisis, last summer.

Lamenting the fact that it has taken so long for the BMC to felicitate the master blaster, Rajhans Singh said, " The ruling Shiv Sena has deliberately delayed his felicitation, as Sachin had recently said he is first an Indian and then a Maharashtrian."

Sachin Tendulkar, Virendar Sehwag in ICC Cricket greatest ODI Team

In-form batting grandmasters Sachin Tendulkar and Virender Sehwag on Wednesday found pride of place among the shortlisted players from which an all- time greatest One- Day International XI will be picked. Sourav Ganguly, who has retired, is the third Indian in the pruned openers’ club.


“ The online poll, being conducted by the International Cricket Council (ICC) on its website www.icc-cricket.com, will pick the team to coincide with 40th anniversary celebrations of ODI cricket,” the ICC said in a statement. The event is part of the build up to the World Cup, which will begin in less than two months in India, Sri Lanka and Bangladesh.

Besides selecting the ODI XI from a shortlist of 48 players, the ICC is also asking fans to pick the greatest ODI from a choice of 10 memorable matches, including the historic 1983 World Cup final that India won by upsetting the West Indies at Lord’s, London.

The ICC has divided the XI into six departments – openers, middle order batsmen, all- rounders, wicket- keepers, fast bowlers, and spinners – and shortlisted eight players in each. Out of these, fans worldwide will pick two openers, three middle order batsmen, one all- rounder, one wicket- keeper, three fast bowlers, and one spinner.

Interestingly, there is no Indian middle- order batsman in the list. But Kapil Dev is in the allrounders’ department. Current captain Mahendra Singh Dhoni is the lone Indian among the wicket- keepers. There is no Indian among the fast bowlers while leading offspinner Harbhajan Singh and retired leg- spinner Anil Kumble find places in the slow bowlers’ list.

Australia, who played the first ODI against England in 1971, will also mark the 40th anniversary with a number of events, including a cocktail reception with members of Australia’s first ODI team at Victoria’s Government House, during Melbourne’s Cricket Weekend.

The Australian ODI team from 1971 will also be presented to the crowd during the innings break of the first ODI match of the series between Australia and England at the Melbourne Cricket Ground on January 16.

Asiad 2010 Medal Tally : Indian wins 2 bronze in Greco-Roman

Commonwealth Games gold medallist Ravinder Kumar and bronze winner Sunil Kumar Rana kept their date with destiny to win a medal each in Greco- Roman wrestling at the Asian Games at the Huagong Gymnasium on Sunday. Rana pinned down his Thai opponent Sutep Oomchompoo to win by fall (5-0) in just six seconds to stamp his authority in the bronze medal bout. Earlier, Ravinder showed he was not an also-ran here to win against Indonesian Muhammad Aliansyah by points (3-1).

A lot of hopes were pinned on both Ravinder and Rana and they did not disappoint the fans back home despite losing their first-round bouts in the morning. In fact, the two Indians had very little time after their first bouts which they lost — Ravinder 1-3 to Nurbak Tengizbayev of Kazakhstan and Rana 0-3 to Yazgeldy of Turkmenistan — but proved themselves in the next to keep their hopes floating. However, the third Indian in the fray, Rajinder Kumar, bowed out without making it to the medal round.

Ravinder fought well against Jihyun Jung of Korea in the second bout to make it to the repechage round for a bronze medal in the evening. The bout against his Korean rival was easy as the Railways matman came into his own to pin him down and log full three points, without conceding any to the Korean. When he came for the repechage bout in the evening, Ravinder looked confident and reassuring to the sparse Indian crowd which cheered endlessly the moment he stepped on the mat. Within seconds, he picked a couple of technical points and by the time the first round was over, he had a lead of seven points to three.

The second round seemed a mere formality as the 21-year-old Indonesian could not extricate himself from the grip of the experienced Ravinder, who scored two more technical points in 18 seconds and made the bronze medal his own. “I knew after my second-round win that I will definitely take the medal here. This medal is precious because the competition level here was much stronger than at the CWG,” said the wrestler from Haryana. His coach Hargobind Singh was all praise for his ward, but admitted that he should have won against the Chinese wrestler in the morning. “Ravinder is a technically sound wrestler, but I he was a little overawed by the occasion this morning,” he said.

But the bout between Rana and Sutep seemed a mismatch as the Indian was quick to pounce on his rival and pin him down. It took just six seconds and it was the game and medal for the Indian. Rana, who had finished third at the Asian championship in Delhi early this year, was too good on the day and the Thai found himself well caught in his grip.

“I am happy I was able to win a medal after the disappointment of missing out on the gold at the CWG at Delhi,” said the 27-yearold wrestler. He admitted he was aggressive right from the word go and it paid dividends. Another CWG gold-medallist, Rajender Kumar, however, crashed out in the 55kg competition after losing to Li Shujin of China in the first round.

Updated Medal Tally of Top 10:

Rank - Country - Gold - Silver - Bronze - Total Medals
1 - China - 146 - 71 - 70 - 287
2 - South Korea - 55 - 46 - 61 - 162
3 - Japan - 30 - 53 - 63 - 146
4 - Iran - 10 - 8 - 14 - 32
5 - Hong Kong - 7 - 13 - 9 - 29
6 - Thailand - 7 - 7 - 22 - 36
7 - Chinese Taipei - 6 - 8 - 29 - 43
8 - India - 5 - 11 - 17 - 33
9 - North Korea - 5 - 8 - 12 - 25
10 - Malaysia - 5 - 8 - 7 - 20

Asian Games 2010 Update : India vs Pakistan in Hockey Today

An India vs Pakistan contest on the hockey field revives good old memories though at the Asian Games it’s going to be all about who can play harder and win. This is one contest which deserves all the hype not just because of the style of play but also the fortunes in recent times.

Hockey fans in India are lucky that in 2010, twice these teams competed against each other in the capital at the World Cup and the Commonwealth Games and the hosts won both times. That apart, India also beat Pakistan in the Azlan Shah tournament this year in Ipoh.

Reality is that when the two teams meet in Pool B on Saturday at the Aoti Sports Complex, there is no scope for reflecting on past glory or recent results but starting with a clean slate. Enough has happened in Indian hockey this year, with the huge thrashing at the hands of Australia in the Commonwealth Games final a nightmare which is tough to forget.

Two easy wins in the group stage against weak opponents like Hong Kong and Bangladesh means nothing to assess where the Indians stand. Coaches Jose Brasa and Harendra Singh have repeatedly said that lack of match practice after the Commonwealth Games has been a huge handicap. However, Pakistan have also not come in with any big preparation.

Whether one looks at it as a desperate measure or relying on the old guard, the Pakistan Hockey Federation had to recall drag flick expert Sohail Abbas and seasoned goalkeeper Salman Akbar. In a country where the cricket and hockey federations do not hesitate in the hire-and-fire policy, it’s clear that with so much at stake in the Asian Games, Pakistan are dying to win against India.

Two decades ago, Pakistan won the Asian Games title in Beijing. As four-time world champions now seeking redemption, they have in Rehan Butt and Shakeel Abbasi players who can trouble the Indians.

Their deep defence will be marshalled by skipper Zeeshan Ashraf and Mohammad Imran, who also has a decent penalty corner conversion record. As for India’s attack, Shivendra Singh, Tushar Khandker and captain Rajpal Singh will spearhead the attack. Till now, Sandeep Singh has been in good form though the big day is against Pakistan.

Harendra said that the boys had a good practice session on Friday. “Our advice to the Indian team is to play from the head and not the heart. There is no place for being emotional in such big contests,” he said.

Asian Games 2010 Medal Tally : Rowing bring cheer as Bajrang Lal wins 2nd gold

The Indian rowers turned in stellar performances to win two silver medals in the men’s fours and the men’s lightweight fours at the Guangdong International Rowing Centre and today on the seventh day of the Asian Games in Guangzhou, India's Bajrang Lal Thakkar created history by clinching the first ever gold in rowing for India in the men's single sculls event.

The story of Indian rowers is one of constant improvement and succeeding against all odds. As MAIL TODAY had reported earlier, they had a major handicap as they came to Guangzhou with old boats.

Apparently, when the team had to leave India, their boats were still stuck in Hyderabad due to customs clearance issues. But once the team came to the Asian Games, they trained hard. The rowing venue was situated almost two hours away from the city and one has to drive past farmland to reach there.

It’s a two-kilometre long straight and on Thursday there was a slight headwind. However, the Indian men’s fours team of Anil Kumar, Saji Thomas, Ranjit Singh and the experienced Jenil Krishnan completed the distance of 2000m in 6 minutes 16.79 seconds. Favourites China took gold in 6:06.40. Unheralded Uzbekistan won the bronze, edging out Kazakhstan in a tight fight for third place with a timing of 6:22.70.

In the men’s lightweight fours event, India’s Lokesh Kumar, Manjeet Singh, Rajesh Kumar Yadav and Satish Joshi gave a tough fight to Japan before finishing second with a timing of 6:13.32.

Japan took the gold medal, clocking 6:10.14. Hong Kong won the bronze with a timing of 6:14.84. The Indians started strongly and until the halfway stage of the 2000m race, it seemed that they had a chance to upstage the Japanese. But Japan started to pull away after the 1000m mark.

Though the Indians pulled hard, it did not prove to be enough. However, there was disappointment in store for India in the other rowing events. The men’s doubles sculls pair of Anil Mehroliya and Devender Khandwal clocked 6:49.34 to finish sixth.

In men’s lightweight double sculls, Sandeep Kumar and Shokender Tomar were fifth with a timing of 6:42.23. “Our sport has been rapidly growing over the years and it’s thanks to the government support we are able to do well. We were very close to Japan as you can see from the results and we are closing in on the gap,” coach Ismail Baig said.

“Earlier, the gap between the Japanese and us was huge and now we are narrowing it down to seconds,” he added. Taking a macro look at the sport in India, Baig said that in India there were not more than a few hundred rowers. “If you compare it with the stronger Chinese and Japanese teams, they have thousands of rowers who are competing,” he said.

CP Singh Deo, president of the Rowing Federation of India, was again thankful to the government. “Our boys have done really well here and the improvement can be seen. One must not forget the Chinese and Japanese oarsmen are coming from the world championship,” he said.

Rowing medallist Satish said: “I wanted to change the colour of my medal and win gold today. It could have been more satisfactory.” “I am more than happy that we are now close to Japan in timings. We rowers wish to thank our coach for the way he has helped us. It’s almost like a family,” he said.

Asian Games 2010 Updates : Saina Nehwal enters quarter-finals

Saina Nehwal is used to hectic activity all the time. At the Asian Games, the Indian star experienced ‘boredom’ which, however, did not manifest itself on the badminton court as the second seed defeated Malaysia’s Cheah Lydia 21-15, 21-17 to enter the quarter-finals.

After the match, Saina spoke of how the long wait to play her match was preying on her mind. “It was, indeed, very difficult for me to remain motivated for the last three days,” she said at the Tianhe Gymnasium.

Saina feels she has a tougher job to do on Thursday when she runs into 12th seed Pui Yin Yip from Hong Kong in the quarter-finals. More than the player’s reputation, what worries Saina is the timing of the match --it is scheduled at 10pm local time.

“It’s a big worry because playing a game as late as 10 at night means it could be mentally draining because I will have nothing else to do the entire day,” said Saina.

She, however, added that she had played late games — like she did in New Delhi to win the Commonwealth Games gold. “That was a different atmosphere and was not very late. Moreover, the home crowd support and the expectations were the motivational factors,” said Saina.

Knowing Saina’s capabilities, the Indian shuttle queen should go flat out against the Hong Kong player. However, the Hyderabadi definitely lacked the usual verve which she treats her fans to.

After taking a runaway 6-0 lead in the first game, Saina conceded the first point to her Malaysian opponent. It was an unforced error when Saina tried to drop the shuttle close to the net. The tall and strapping Malaysian seized the opportunity that came her way in between and managed to stretch the Indian with some good winners. But Saina returned to her smashing ways to take the game at 21-15, in 14 minutes The second game went more or less in the same pattern as Saina conceded her first point after having led 6-0. Some line calls in the game also played their role as Saina seemed upset with them, but took them in her stride. Even the shuttle trajectory seemed to drift, but she overcame it and surge ahead to 12-5.

At this stage, Saina also committed some unforced errors which gave her opponent some advantage. Serve kept changing hands and the Malaysian kept collecting points one-by-one to reach 12-20. Serving for the game and match, the Indian indulged in net play and helped Lydia save a match point.

But that was not all. The Malaysian took five more before the Indian finally shut her out with a smash winner to the left of her opponent.

Asian Games 2010 Medal Tally : China dominates as India slips to 9th Position

China continues to dominated the 16th Asian Games at home at Guangzhou where as Star shooters of India who shined bright in the Commonwealth Games held in India struggle against the windy conditions in China. Indian shooters disappoint today as they fail to win any medals for the third consecutive days where some better performance by Samaresh Jung saved the day to an extent for India.

Jung missed the men’s 25m standard pistol shoot-off for the bronze by one point in a straight final to finish 7th overall with 569 points from amongst 39 shooters, however his two other teammates, Pemba Tamang and Chandrahas Chaudhary, performed very poorly, shooting only 550 and 549 out of 600 to end up 22nd and 23rd respectively. North Korea won the bronze medal in the combined effort with 1690 points where India's team only managed to score 1168 points where as South Korea won the gold.

Indian squad disappoint in the four-way shoot-off where China’s Jin Yongde won the bronze while the gold and silver went to South Korea’s Hong Seonghwan (575 with 20 tens) and North Korea’s (573 with 14 tens).

India has now slipped on to the 9th position with just 1 Gold medal where China, R.O Korea and Japan rules the roost with 77, 22 & 15 gold medal respectively.

Asiad 2010 Medal Tally : Suranjoy begins with a 7-2 win

The organizers have smartly not built all the Asian Games venues within the special sub city. Some venues like those for weightlifting and boxing are situated so far that it takes almost two hours to reach there. On a day when India won four bronze medals, the boxing competition began at Foshon, close to an hour and 45 minutes from the main press centre in Guangzhou.

There were not many takers for boxing on Tuesday from even the Indian media, though Suronjoy was on view. But the journey to Foshan was in itself historic. Yet, when one comes close to Foshan, there is a lot more security. This is the hometown of the legendary Bruce Lee whose kung fu exploits are still seen repeatedly on videos.

But once inside the hall, there was no kung fu, only boxers ready for action. With Suranjoy the only Indian on view today, there was glamour. Unlike the other events near Guangzhou where crowds are still not pouring in, Foshan was more eager to see Suranjoy.

The Commonwealth Games gold medallist is certainly a big draw these days in the boxing ring. And on Tuesday, the Chinese egged him on against Thailand’s Chatchai Butdee.

Before the bout, Suranjoy had been told by coaches BI Fernandez and GS Sandhu not to go flat out. The Thai boxer was expected to be a surprise package, so Suranjoy had to bide his time. By the end of the first round, Suranjoy had won only one point. But once into the second, he opened up and punched with more purpose to increase the lead to 4-0. In the third round, Chatchai won three points but also lost two. The 7- 2 verdict for India’s “Chotta Tyson” was good enough as he readies for tougher challenges ahead.

“My coaches asked me not to go on the offensive from the start,” the diminutive boxer told MAIL TODAY, sweating profusely. But what pleased the modest boxer, who has now made a name for himself despite the exalted status which Vijender enjoys, was the crowd support.

“Yes, it was nice to see so many people cheering for me,” he said. As Suranjoy had to go for a random dope test, coach Sandhu wanted to escort him out of the hall fast. “He did very well in the first bout. One doesn’t know what to expect in initial contests and I am glad Suranjoy has given India a good start,” said Sandhu.

Medal Tally so far:

Rank - Country - Gold - Silver - Bronze - Total Medals
1 - China - 77 - 28 - 28 - 133
2 - R.O.Korea - 22 - 17 - 27 - 66
3 - Japan - 15 - 34 - 29 - 78
4 - DPR Korea - 3 - 6 - 9 - 18
5 - Chinese Taipei - 3 - 5 - 13 - 21
6 - Hong Kong, China - 3 - 5 - 3 - 11
7 - Kazakhstan - 2 - 5 - 9 - 16
8 - Uzbekistan - 2 - 5 - 6 - 13
9 - India - 1 - 4 - 7 - 12
10 - Malaysia - 1 - 1 - 3 - 5

WI vs SL 1st Test Live Score : Chris Gayle scores Triple Century, looking for highest runs record

Chris Gayle has already written his name in the history books after becoming only the fourth player to make two Test triple centuries and he is on way, looking strong to break the record highest run by in Individual which is currently under the name of Great Brian Lara.


West Indies after the two sessions of First Test on Day 2 left the field at 532 for 3 where Chris Gayle is on the crease after scoring a magnificent 313 runs off just 407 balls with the help of 32 fours and 9 sixes. Like other West Indian batsmen, Brendan Nash also playing quite well with 55 against his name.

None of the Sri Lankan Bowlers have been able to leave an impression as batsmen have played them with quite ease. Randiv, so far the most sussefful bowler for Sri Lanka, has taken 2 wickets after bowling 47 overs and giving away 181 runs with the economy rate of 3.85.

When the two batsmen left for Tea , West Indies dressing room stand to applaud Chris Gayle, and the loudest claps are from Darren Sammy. Ironical isn't it, current Skipper applauding the brilliant effort of former captain.

Asian Games 2010 Medal Tally : Advani wins first gold for India

Pankaj Advani turned in an aggressive performance laced with emotion to fetch India their first gold medal at the Asian Games as he conquered Myanmar’s Nay Thway Oo 3-2 in the English billiards final here on Sunday. On a day when the shooters ensured a silver and a bronze, it was Advani who was the flavour of the day. It’s been a tough year for Advani, having lost in the world billiards semi-finals in Pune and losing in the same stage at the World Professional Billiards Championship in Leeds, UK, recently.

As the defending Asian Games champion, the pressure was indeed intense on him. Having conquered the world of baize sport at such a young age, Advani knew Sunday was a big day, where he had two play backto- back matches.

He had begun the day by defeating another player from Myanmar’s Kyaw Oo Oo 3-2 in tough conditions. But the final was indeed a big match with the Myanmar team management vocal in their support, which is pretty unusual in a billiards hall.

As the final began, Nay Thway looked cool and composed. Short in stature and dressed nattily, the unfancied Myanamar cueist was fast in walking away with first frame at a 100-33. During this period, Advani looked tense and not his usual self.

As he came to the billiards table and rubbed the wax on his cue, there was hesitancy while he was potting the ball. It appeared as if Advani was tense. Once into the second frame, the bigwigs of Indian sport had arrived in the hall in anticipation of a gold medal. Advani slowly cranked his game up.

He had compiled a 46-37 lead and then went on to register a break of 28 for a 74-37 lead. That was the point Nay Thway missed potting a simple red.

Advani jumped in on the chance and sealed the frame with an unfinished break of 26 points. The Myanmar cueist was on song in the third frame. His monk-like serenity and the fast game he played was worth watching. With breaks of 56 and 43, he won 101-12.

That was the stage Advani took a toilet break. For those not conversant with the billiards format in the Asian Games, it is very different from how the world championships are played (time and point format).

Out there, cueists like Advani can pace themselves out in hours and win a match.

But in the Asian Games, it’s on a 100-point format, meaning whichever player first gets to 100, he wins the frame. For purists like Advani, this doesn’t come naturally. Yet, when a purist becomes a convert, we got to see what happens with the Indian in full flow on the table as he potted the ball with fluency and feel.

In the fourth frame, Advani took a 6-2 lead and then built a good cushion to lead 34-2. Till then, Nay Thway looked as if he would compete hard. All of a sudden, Advani then unleashed a brilliant burst which only champions can, as he scored 67 points to win the frame 101-4.

By this time, the Myanmar support staff had become quiet. They knew Advani had bounced back and Nay Thway was fidgety, looking left and right, with his body language being negative.

Advani did not ease on the pedal in the decisive frame. He led 64-45 and from there again did not stop till he had sealed the frame 100-45.

For a man who had till then been restrained, he signalled victory by pumping his clenched fists and pointing to the stands. A golden moment that Indians will treasure.

Updated Medal Tally:

Country - Gold - Silver - Bronze - Total
China - 37 - 14 - 12 - 63
R.O.Korea - 13 - 10 - 13 - 36
Japan - 8 - 20 - 15 - 43
Hong Kong - 2 - 2 - 2 - 6
India - 1 - 3 - 2 - 6