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Poll bugle sounded and the gloves are off

2009-03-02T17:37:00.002-08:00

The poll bugle has been sounded and the gloves are off. The campaign has begun with political rhetoric taking over every other move.

Minutes after the Election Commission announced the General Election dates, the Congress and the BJP got into a war of words.

BJP prime ministerial candidate LK Advani said that Congress had ensured the defeat of BR Ambedkar in the post-Independence polls.

So, here was the Congress response: “If one does not know history even then the charges are disgusting,” UPA Spokesperson Abhishek Manu Singhvi said.

But the BJP was unperturbed.

“The country will get a new government on May 16 and we will have a new Prime Minister in the form of LK Advani,” NDA Spokesperson Ravi Shankar Prasad said.

The politicians have already moved into second gear. Now as they begin to intensify their campaign in the coming weeks, expect allegations and counter-allegations to be traded almost on a daily basis.

“Everyday, the UPA alliance is gaining and the NDA is eroding,” AICC chief spokesman M Veerappa Moily said.

But rhetoric apart, it was time to stitch up pre-poll alliances. Within hours of Trinamool Congress tying up with the UPA, Ajit Singh returned to the NDA fold. His coming over will strengthen the BJP in western Uttar Pradesh.

For the BJP, isolated in UP, this is an opportunity which they have grabbed with both hands. “Ajit Singh has supported us in increasing the alliance index,” Advani said.

But a lot still remains to be done like the seat-sharing arrangements, which are yet to be worked out.

Congress leader Ghulam Nabi Azad was in Tamil Nadu on Monday to discuss the formula. The SP-Congress and Congress-NCP discussions are also on. BJP is holding talks with JD(U) and BJD.

So, the 2009 polls are more about alliances than the two national parties.

Sonia, Advani locked in a close fight for PM's post

2009-03-02T17:37:00.001-08:00

Even before the 2009 General Election campaign has taken off, Rahul Gandhi and Narendra Modi have squared off publicly. But a CNN-IBN CSDS poll suggests that it is not Rahul versus Modi, but Sonia Gandhi versus L K Advani that remains the real leadership battle of the coming General Elections.

The nationwide poll across 23 states asked BJP and Congress voters who their preferred prime ministerial choices were.

Among the Congress voters

Rahul Gandhi ranked third with 13 per cent of voters supporting him as the prime minister.
The incumbent, Dr Manmohan Singh ranked second with 23 per cent of the vote.
Sonia Gandhi was way out in front with 46 per cent of the vote among Congress supporters.

Though Sonia Gandhi shunned the prime ministership once, she is still seen as the face of her party.

Manmohan Singh emerged ahead of Rahul Gandhi is also perhaps an evidence that five years in office have given him a strong public image, especially among the urban middle class.

Among the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) voters

There still seems to be a preference for the original big two who have guided the party for almost half a century.

With 10 per cent of support among the BJP voters, Narendra Modi ranked third.
With 27 per cent of support, Atal Behari Vajpayee was second.
L K Advani ranked first with 31 per cent of the BJP voters wanting him as their party's prime minister.

Interestingly, this is perhaps the first time that Advani has emerged ahead of Vajpayee in a poll of this nature. This suggests that the BJP's core supporters have now finally recognised that Vajpayee era is coming to an end.

For Modi and Rahul though, there is reason to look positively to the future. They are clearly ahead of any other contenders at this stage within their respective parties. Perhaps, their war of words is only a trailer to the battle that may lie ahead in the 2014 General Elections.

AIADMK ahead in TN, Cong leads in Andhra

2009-03-02T17:36:00.000-08:00

Andhra Pradesh and Tamil Nadu are two southern states that had turned the tide against an over-confident National Democratic Alliance (NDA) in the 2004 Lok Sabha Elections. A neck-and-neck fight between United Progressive Allinace (UPA) and third parties looks like the most possible scenario in the 2009 elections.

A Billion Votes focuses on the CNN-IBN-CSDS poll that explains how the two states will decide the fate of the 15th Lok Sabha.

On the panel of experts to discuss the survey were political columnist Kalyani Shankar, Bureau Chief of Vaartha R Rajagopalan, political commentator Dr V Krishna Ananth and political analyst Dr K Nageshwar.

Tamil Nadu: All India Anna Dravida Munnetra Kazhagam (AIADMK) has the momentum

Massive swing in favour of AIADMK
Party	2006	2007	2009
DMK	26	26	28
AIADMK	16	18	28
Others	48	56	44
Note: All figures in per cent.

A Billion Votes: How Andhra, TN will vote in '09

Rajagopalan began the debate by saying, "DMK (Dravida Munnettra Kazhagam) will lose because of not handling the Sri Lankan issue properly. Secondly, there is no governance in Tamil Nadu. And that is reflecting in your poll too."

Compared to 2006 AIADMK is gaining…………
Caste/community-wise swings for…
Upper caste	+35
Nadars	+17
Vanniyars	+33
Women	+13
Muslims	+10
Note: All figures in per cent.

Traditionally, Tamil Nadu is all about alliances. The poll shows that while there is a dead heat between the DMK and the AIADMK, 13 per cent are with the Congress. There is also the PMK (Pattali Makkal Katchi) which is as of now with the DMK alliance. So Chief Minister M Karunanidhi maybe down, but he is not out.

Alliance crucial in a fragmented scenerio
Party	Vote share
DMK	28
AIADMK	28
Congress	13
DMDK	9
BJP	6
PMK	4
Left	3
MDMK	1
Others	8
Note: All figures in per cent.

"I agree but at the same time arithmetic matters more in elections. This has been proved in Tamil Nadu for the past two or three times. When Jayalalithaa got the number of allies, she got the maximum number of seats," Shankar said.

The panelists agreed that whoever gets the bigger alliance will have the advantage even now in Tamil Nadu, particularly the party which is with the Congress. Traditionally, a Dravida party plus Congress has been the beneficiary in Tamil Nadu.

Complete schedule of Lok Sabha elections

2009-03-02T17:34:00.000-08:00

The Election Commission has staggered voting in Jammu and Kashmir and Uttar Pradesh over five phases while Bihar will have a four-phase election.

Maharashtra and West Bengal will vote over three days and eight states - Andhra Pradesh, Assam, Jharkhand, Karnataka, Madhya Prdesh, Manipur, Orissa and Punjab - will see two-day elections.

The remaining 15 states and seven Union Territories will hold vote on a single day.

Election dates and states:

Phase One April16: Andhra Pradesh, Arunachal Pradesh, Assam, Bihar, Jammu and Kashmir, Kerala, Maharashtra, Manipur, Meghalaya, Mizoram, Nagaland, Orissa, Uttar Pradesh, Chattisgarh, Jharkhand, Andaman and Nicobar Islands, Lakshwadeep. March 23: Issue of notification. March 30: Last date of filing nominations. March 31: Scrutiny of nomination. April 2: Last date of withdrawal of nomination.

Phase Two (A) April 22: Manipur. March 28: Issue of notification. April 4: Last date of filing of nomination. April 6: Scrutiny of nomination. April 8: Last date of withdrawal of nomination.

Phase Two (B) April 23: Andhra Pradesh, Assam, Bihar, Goa, Jammu and Kashmir, Karnataka, Madhya Pradesh, Maharashtra, Orissa, Tripura, Uttar Pradesh, Jharkhand. March 28: Issue of notification. April 4: Last date of filing of nomination. April 6: Scrutiny of nomination. April 8: Last date of withdrawal of nomination.

Phase Three April 30: Bihar, Karnataka, Madhya Pradesh, Maharashtra, Uttar Pradesh, West Bengal, Jammu and Kashmir, Gujarat, Sikkim, Dadar and Nagar Haveli, Daman and Diu.

Phase three (A): April 2: Issue of notification. April 9: Last date of nomination. April 11: Scrutiny of nomination. April 13: Last date of withdrawal of nomination.

Phase three (B): April 2: Issue of notification. April 9: Last date of nominations. April 10: Scrutiny of nomination. April 15: Last date of withdrawal of nomination.

Phase three (C): April 2: Issue of notification. April 9: Last date of nominations. April 10: Scrutiny of nomination. April 13: Last date of withdrawal of nomination.

Phase Four May 7: Bihar, Haryana, Jammu and Kashmir, Punjab, Rajasthan, Uttar Pradesh, West Bengal, Delhi. April 11: Issue of notification. April 18: Last date of filing of nomination. April 20: Scrutiny of nomination. April 22: Last date of withdrawal of nomination.

Phase Five May 13: Himachal Pradesh, Jammu and Kashmir, Punjab, Tamil Nadu, West Bengal, Uttarakhand, Chandigarh, Puducherry, Uttar Pradesh.

Phase Five (A): April 17: Issue of notification. April 24: Last date of filing of nomination. April 25: Scrutiny of nomination. April 27: Last date of withdrawal of nomination

Phase Five (B): April 17: Issue of notification. April 24: Last date of filing of nomination. April 25: Scrutiny of nomination. April 28: Last date of withdrawal of nomination.

Break up of seats: Phase One: 124. Phase Two: 141. Phase three: 107. Phase Four: 85. Phase Five: 86. Counting: May 16.

All election related procedures are to be completed before May 28.

Third Front confident of forming government

2009-03-02T17:33:00.000-08:00

This groups calls itself the Third Front and believes that the next government may not be formed if all of them come together. Eight parties including the Left and three southern parties on Monday announced that they wouldn’t go with the United Progressive Alliance (UPA) or the National Democratic Alliance (NDA).

From H D Dewe Gowda to Chandrababu Naidu to Jayalalithaa to Telengana Rashtra Samiti (TRS) and the Left; it is a group which has done business either with the Congress or the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) in the past. But, it is now rallying around an anti Congress and anti BJP stand.

“Next government will be a Third Front government,” says Chandrababu Naidu.

But who is going to be the leader of this group. Without a powerful player like Mayawati, the Third Front would resemble a still born child.

Just before last years trust vote on the nuclear deal the same players had come together in an unsuccessful bid to dislodge the UPA government. Then Mayawati was the prime ministerial candidate but this time she wants to go alone.

“We are all united in our attempts to provide a good government,” says Dewe Gowda.

This is the leader who is actually playing the Third Front card to its maximum advantage. Almost on a daily basis Sharad Pawar is threatening the Congress to fall in line and treat his party like an equal partner. He has one line open with the Shiv Sena and the other with Comrade Karat.

So for the time being the Third Front is looking like one bus with too many potential drivers.

BJP selects its poll issue: terrorism, Afzal Guru

2009-02-28T11:18:00.000-08:00

The BJP on Saturday accused the Government of failing to secure the nation and alleged it was soft on terrorism.

LK Advani, the party’s prime ministerial candidate, indirectly accused the Congress-led government of endangering national security at the cost of vote bank politics.

Advani claimed the UPA Government was delaying hanging Afzal Guru, a terrorist awarded capital punishment for his role in the Parliament attack case, because he was a Muslim.

The terrorist has not been hanged because "his name happens to be Afzal Guru. Had he been some Anand Singh or Anand Mohan he would have been hanged," he said in Bangalore.

Advani claimed the common man’s security was a more important issue than unemployment and inflation and wanted India to follow a “zero-tolerance” policy against terrorism.

"Al-qaeda has not been able to carry out any terror attack in the US and Israel post-9/11 strikes as the governments of both the countries adopted a zero-tolerance policy towards terrorism," said Advani at an awareness campaign against terrorism conducted by Karnataka’s higher education department.

He claimed the UPA government had taken a "U-turn on all issues relating to terrorism", citing its decision to scrap POTA, the security law enacted by the previous NDA administration.

Earlier in the day, BJP general secretary Arun Jaitley, had accused the government of making India a soft state.

"UPA has made India into a soft state. India from a booming economy is now in a disarray as far as economy is concerned. India as a nation is an insecure nation. It is a naive foreign policy where in you seriously think Pakistan is giving you information. Pakistan's best front... non-state actors are doing it and we cannot help it. And our Prime Minister has already given Pakistan a certificate saying like us poor Pakistan is also a victiom of terrorism," he said in Mumbai.

Diptosh Majumdar, CNN-IBN’s National Affairs Editor, says the BJP’s emphasis on terrorism is a planned move. The party emphasised on terrorism during the five-state elections last year but it didn’t bring it results.

The Congress returned to power in Delhi though elections in the city were held just after the Mumbai terrorist attacks in November. The BJP tried to speak of the economy and inflation for a while but now has returned to its core issue.

Pak Navy chief eats his words on 26/11, Kasab

2009-02-28T11:11:00.000-08:00

Pakistan’s navy chief on Saturday tried to calm the controversy created by his statement on the Mumbai terrorist attacks and said his intention was not to contradict his government.

Admiral Noman Bashir told at a press conference in Islamabad on Friday that Ajmal Amir Kasab, the lone terrorist captured for the Mumbai attacks, didn't take the sea route to the Indian city.

On Saturday, he clarified his statement and said the Pakistan Navy didn’t have the authority to speak about the investigation into the Mumbai attacks.

"We have not been directly involved in the investigation, which is under the domain of the Interior Ministry. Therefore they are better equipped, they have better knowledge and information," said Bashir.

"We have no contradictory opinion on the report prepared by them. Whatever evidence they have is correct. I won't contradict it," Admiral Bashir said.

The Admiral admitted that Pakistan’s Interior Ministry, which is investigating the attacks, may have evidence that Kasab used the sea to reach Mumbai.

India on Saturday dismissed Bashir’s contention that the terrorists did not use the sea to enter Mumbai, saying "thorough investigations" had proved that the men did take that route.

Speaking at a function at the Cochin Shipyard Ltd (CSL), Defence Minister A K Antony said: "After the 26/11 incident, our agencies have done thorough investigations and come to the conclusion that the attackers had come through the sea route."

Indian Navy chief Admiral Sureesh Mehta reiterated the point at the same function: "We all know our investigating agencies are competent and have provided excellent documents that this (the arrival of the attackers) has happened over the sea route."

BJP edges Congress in cyberspace poll campaign

2009-02-28T11:10:00.001-08:00

In what promises to be a keen electoral contest to determine who rules India, the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) has already taken an early lead over the Congress -- in cyberspace warfare.

With general elections involving some 700 million voters only two months away, the BJP - perhaps taking a leaf from the Barack Obama style of campaigning - is targeting voters who are mostly young and net savvy.

"Advani for prime minister" is the theme of five campaigns by the BJP on more than 2,000 websites, including those of the US, British and Pakistani media which Indians often frequent.

Prodyut Bora, convenor of the BJP's IT cell, said: "We are the leaders in the use of Internet for elections."

So far there has been no similar effort from the Congress. But the party has shown it can use the Internet if it wishes.

In the Rajasthan assembly contest late last year, it launched an Internet campaign with video ads.

To go with the web ads, Advani, 81, has started a blog -- the first senior Indian politician to do so.

On January 7, he wrote: "My young colleagues who created this website told me that a political portal without a blog is like a letter without a signature. I am excited by the idea of using the Internet for the election campaign."

But the question remains - will the Internet campaign bring in the votes?

V K Malhotra, the BJP's chief ministerial candidate in Delhi last year, launched a website to woo voters. It did not help. Incumbent Chief Minister Sheila Dikshit of the Congress won again.

Arun Kumar of the School of Social Sciences in New Delhi's Jawaharlal Nehru University (JNU) says the BJP campaign is unlikely to help it garner too many votes because "Internet-savvy people are a small portion of the population".

According to him, what really matters are face-to-face interactions based on issues that matter to the people. Similarly, he says, the lack of an Internet campaign is unlikely to harm the Congress.

All major parties such as the Communist Party of India-Marxist (CPI-M), Samajwadi Party, Bahujan Samaj Party (BSP) and the Nationalist Congress Party (NCP) have their official websites.

The CPI-M website has comments on a whole range of issues.

On the coming Lok Sabha polls, it says: "The party should conduct a vigorous political campaign in the run up to the Lok Sabha polls.

We should call for the defeat of the BJP and the NDA (National Democratic Alliance) to ensure that the communal forces are kept out of power at the centre.

The campaign should attack the UPA (United Progressive Alliance) government's anti-people economic policies.

The Left parties, along with the secular parties, should work together to make a non-Congress, non-BJP alternative realisable."

The Samajwadi Party's official website says: "This website aims to communicate with the masses and let people understand the party better. As time changes, technology changes; Samajwadi Party believes in staying up to date with technology and using it for betterment."

The website of Agriculture Minister Sharad Pawar's NCP welcomes visitors to "join our cause and make a difference".

Navneet Kaushal, founder CEO of Page Traffic, told IANS: "Political parties have been using online media since 2003. The online Congress campaign in the last state elections showed it can gather a momentum of its own.

However, Advani's campaign is the first of its kind on a national scale and borrows heavily from Barack Obama's style. We will have to see if it connects with the Indian people."

Dipankar Gupta, also of the School of Social Sciences in JNU, says: "The Congress seems to think there is not much advantage to be had by going for an Obama-style Internet campaign.

The BJP campaign is unlikely to help it secure too many votes, just as it is unlikely that Congress's prospects will be harmed as most real voters don't surf the Internet."

Pakistan heading for unfortunate situation: Nawaz

2009-02-28T11:03:00.000-08:00

Opposition leader Nawaz Sharif has blamed the Pakistan government for the political turmoil in the country set off by a court order barring him from elected office and warned Islamic extremists could exploit the unrest.

Sharif, in his first interview since the ruling on Wednesday, accused President Asif Ali Zardari of "declaring martial law on democracy," a charge echoing the complaints that forced former military ruler Pervez Musharraf to give up the presidency last year.

Sharif's interview with The Associated Press on Friday came amid a surge of political squabbling that is sure to distract the government of this nuclear-armed country from grappling with the Taliban and al-Qaida threat spreading from the tribal areas along the frontier with Afghanistan.

Pakistan also is in the middle of a tense time with neighboring India over the deadly militant attack on Mumbai, and Sharif said Zardari's pro-Western government isn't going to be able to face any of its key tasks if it continues to wage political war on him.

"It cannot concentrate on the very big issues we are confronted with," he said. "We have issues going on in the tribal area, we have this big issue in the Swat area, and we have a very ugly situation on our eastern border after the Bombay (Mumbai) killings."

The political uproar set off by the court ruling against Sharif is lining up influential civic groups led by disgruntled lawyers with Sharif's increasingly popular Pakistan Muslim League against Zardari. It's a confrontation that will also feed worries about military intervention, a frequent result of political turmoil in Pakistan.

"I think we are heading for some sort of unfortunate situation," Sharif said at his villa near Lahore, without elaborating. "There are a lot of forces — the militants, the extremists — they are all there to take advantage."

The Supreme Court ruling upheld a ban on Sharif from contesting elections because of a past criminal conviction related to the 1999 military coup that ended his second term as prime minister and put Musharraf in power.

Sharif's brother also was disqualified from continuing as head of the provincial government in Punjab, the nation's biggest and most populous region. Zardari ousted the government there and installed a loyalist as governor.

Parliament was not a priority for some MPs

2009-02-27T16:41:00.003-08:00

The 14th Lok Sabha came to an end on Thursday and all eyes are now on the General Elections.

Even though the 14th Lok Sabha was one of the most acrimonious but there were many MPs who just did not made it a habit to attend its sessions on a regular basis.

Quite a few MPs revelled in giving the House a miss during the 14th Lok Sabha.

On top of the absentee list was Govinda Arun Ahuja who was busy romancing his first love - Bollywood - and forgetting that he had business in Parliament.

Dharmendra was more interested in his son's career than welfare of the neglected Bikaner constituency.

Shibu Soren was in and out of jail and stayed away from Parliament while Mamata Banerjee fought the Nano and the Tatas but didn't want to take on her opposition in Parliament.

So is there any self-introspection among the MPs?

"I promise my constituency people and my party that of next time I get a chance I am going to do better and better," Samajwadi Party MP Akhilesh Yadav said.

The above list is of just a few of the famous absentees. But there is a comprehensive list of people with less than 30 per cent attendance during the 14th Lok Sabha.

It includes Ateeq Ahmad (20 per cent), Babu Lal Marandi (29 per cent), Dayanidhi Maran (10 per cent), Dharmendra (24 per cent), Govinda (12 per cent), MH Ambareesh (27 per cent), Mamata Banerjee (18 per cent), Mohammad Shahabuddin (24 per cent), Pappu Yadav (four per cent) and Shibu Soren (14 per cent).

It is an appalling figure and therefore some MPs have taken a pledge to improve it.

"Public wants the MPs to attend Parliament," BJP MP Shahnawaz Hussein said.

In the barely pass list are also some notables. Sonia Gandhi had an attendance percentage of 36, HD Deve Gowda 39, Priya Sunil Dutt 46, Navjyot Singh Sidhu 45 and Jaya Prada at 43.

But the Class of 2004 was not without the good boys and girls. Eighty-year-old Abdul Rehman Antulay headed the group that registered a 95 per cent attendance.

Pawan Bansal, Krishna Tirath and Sajjan Kumar also belonged to this club of exemplary MPs.

It was not only the attendance that mattered. Errabelli Dayakar Rao of the Telegu Desam Party had a 100 per cent attendance record.

But it was of hardly any use because his debate records show he never aksed any question or took part in any discussion.

There's a saying 'absence makes the heart grow fonder' and with almost 11 per cent of MPs earning an attendance of less than 50 per cent, it's hard to say if the Speaker or fellow parliamentarians grew any more fond of them.

What's certain though is that the voters will not remember them fondly.

(Data provided by PRS Legislative Research. Data till December 2008)

Govt wakes up, to stop auction of Gandhiji's items

2009-02-27T16:41:00.001-08:00

After a public furore, the government has decided to acquire Mahatma Gandhi's personal belongings including his iconic glasses which were to auctioned in New York early March.

The government is still exploring options as to how to go about the process. Gandhiji's grandson Tushar Gandhi has already been trying to get those items back.

Five personal belongings of Gandhiji including, spectacles, glasses, sandals, a pocket watch and some utensils are slated for auction in New York on March 4 and 5.

Now the Indian government is expected to make a formal request to return them citing honour and respect for Indian sentiment.

But if this request is unheard, then the government hopes to convince some organisation to buy them and gift them to India. The government is also toying with the idea of buying them at a reserve price.

The Indian mission in New York and Washington has already been briefed about it.

But what is intriguing is that even after the auctioning of Gandhiji's letters by Christies in London in 2007 had to be withdrawn following loud protests and an appeal from India, the government has been caught unawares over the this one.

"It was a national shame that somebody that we refer to as Father of the Nation and his personal belongings are being auctioned off in a foreign land. This kind of concern should be for every national heritage," says Tushar Gandhi.

Especially so since the Minister of Culture Ambika Soni has been proposing for some time a law prohibiting auction of belongings of leaders like Gandhiji.

The government's worry now is understandable as in the election season Gandhiji is a powerful emotion.

Pak flip-flop continues, navy doubts 26/11 confession

2009-02-27T16:39:00.000-08:00

Pakistan on Friday sacked the special public prosecutor Sardar Ghazi in the Mumbai terror attack investigation case and in another major development Pakistani Navy chief Admiral Noman Bashir said that they were not sure whether Mumbai attackers had travelled to Mumbai by sea.

"India has been claiming from Day I that they used the sea route but we don't have any evidence," Admiral Noman Bashir said.

But it isn't evidence from India but Pakistan that Admiral Noman Bashir seems to doubt. Just two weeks after the Interior Minister Rehman Malik detailed the sea route Kasab and the other nine terrorists took giving the number of boats used, Admiral Bashir's remark seems to contradict Malik.

If there's no evidence that Kasab and the nine other terrorists took the sea-route then why did Pakistan Interior Minister name three boats, arrested the engine-seller for boats used by the terrorists and seized bank accounts of men who bought them.

The Admiral may still be unsure over whether Kasab and the attackers came to Mumbai by sea but not about whose fault it is.

"They (Mumbai attackers) dodged a navy that is 10 times the size of Pakistan Navy and a coast guard that is 12 times Pakistan Coast Guards. So you can imagine," Admiral Bashir added.

In India, External Affairs Minister of State and Information and Broadcasting Minister of State Anand Sharma was quick to take a dig at the Pakistani see-saw.

"This multiple speak, duplicity and denial creates confusion. We cannot say for them. they have to decide and speak in one voice," said Anand Sharma.

Sharma's words were followed closely by a barb from Home Minister P Chidambaram.

"Well I don't wish to receive any certificate of appreciation or criticism from the Pakistan Navy. I am sure that somebody will deny tomorrow what the Pakistan Navy has said," said Chidambaram.

Whatever the reason, Admiral Bashir's statement has left many wondering both in Islamabad and New Delhi.

Is Pakistan preparing for another turnaround in the 26/11 investigations, or is it more evidence of the growing fissure between its political and military establishment?

Conspiracy behind mutiny, says Dhaka

2009-02-27T16:37:00.000-08:00

The morning after the mutiny ended on Thursday, family members and relatives gathered at the gates of the Bangladesh rifles headquarters in Dhaka seeking news of their loved ones

The mother of Major General Shakeel Ahmed - among the first to be killed in the mutiny - along with his wife was in the crowd. Major General Shakeel Ahmed was the boss of BDR. His body was shot seven times.

Despite the calm after the end of the violence, on Friday morning Dhaka witnessed another round of high drama as the army tanks rolled into the BDR headquarters to search the entire complex.

As the list of army officers found dead increased and emotions ran high, there were rumours of the army acting on it's own. It took Home Minister Sahara Khatun's public announcement to clear the doubts.

She made clear that the Bangladesh army were acting on Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina's commands.

Till Friday evening, 42 more army officials posted in BDR were found dead from a mass grave inside this compound, taking the death toll to 125.

During the day, Prime Minister Hasina clearly indicated that the killing of army officers during the BDR mutiny was an act of sabotage, a conspiracy as the government claimed.

The government promised to hunt down the instigators of the bloody mutiny.

Minister (Bangladesh Local Development), Jahangir Kabir Nanak said, "There will be no mercy for those who killed."

Meanwhile, more than 300 BDR soldiers have been arrested across the country, as the civilian government hunts for those who plotted and funded the violent mutiny.

Tendulkar to join Lara and Warne at Madame Tussauds

2009-02-27T16:36:00.001-08:00

Cricket maestro Sachin Tendulkar will be the latest sporting great to be featured at the internationally-renowned Madame Tussauds in London when a new wax figure of the Mumbai-born batsman joins the A-list line up in April.

Tendulkar follows in the famous footsteps of Bollywood greats Amitabh Bachchan, Aishwarya Rai, Shah Rukh Khan and Salman Khan and will join other cricket legends Brain Lara and Shane Warne to become the very first Indian sports personality to be portrayed, the waxworks museum said in a statement Friday.

The cricketing legend has already had a sitting with the Madame Tussauds studios team who last week travelled to Mumbai to capture a catalogue of reference photographs and hundreds of precise measurements.

The information they collected at the two hour session at the Taj Lands End Hotel will prove invaluable as the sculptors and hair and make up artists get to work on his figure.

"We are delighted to confirm our next Indian superstar is going to be Sachin Tendulkar; his achievements on the cricket pitch are phenomenal and he is one of the biggest names in international sport," says Liz Edwards, Madame Tussauds PR manager.

"The Bollywood stars we have included over the past ten years have proved enormously popular with Asian guests and film fans from all over the world. We know Sachin will be just as popular for sports fans from home and abroad and are looking forward to introducing the real Sachin to his wax double soon."

Tendulkar, the Mumbai Indians Captain will be featured in typical celebratory "on the pitch" pose after another century marked in the scorebook.

He will be dressed in his cricket whites which he has donated.

The figure will be created at Madame Tussauds studios in West London at a cost of 150,000 pounds.

The cricket star will join the ranks of sporting greats, including David Beckham, Mohammed Ali, Tiger Woods and Jesse Owens, in Madame Tussauds interactive Sports Zone.

There will also be a cricketing challenge around the introduction of the figure, where guests can test their cricketing skills against the 'masterblaster'.

McCullum steals last-ball thriller for Black Caps

2009-02-27T16:34:00.000-08:00

Brendon McCullum hit a single off the last ball to lead New Zealand to a thrilling five-wicket win over India in the second Twenty20 international at Wellington on Friday to seal the series 2-0.

McCullum held his nerve in a nailbiting final over from Irfan Pathan to guide New Zealand past India's total of 149-6, finishing with an unbeaten 69. The home team finished on 150-5.

New Zealand's chances of winning looked slim when they needed nine runs off the last three balls but McCullum kept his cool, smacking two successive boundaries to level the scores before chipping the final delivery over the infield to seal the win.

McCullum, who also made an unbeaten half-century in New Zealand's seven-wicket win over the Twenty20 world champions in Christchurch on Tuesday, produced another great innings when his team needed it most.

The wicketkeeper-batsman faced 55 balls and struck eight boundaries and a six. The only other New Zealanders to pass 20 were opener Jesse Ryder (26) and Ross Taylor (27).

Yuvraj Singh top-scored for India with 50 off 34 deliveries, featuring three sixes and three fours, but received little support apart from captain Mahendra Singh Dhoni (28 not out) and opener Virender Sehwag (24).

The pathan brothers have put on a gem of a stand

2009-02-10T09:19:00.000-08:00

India need just five off the last over. These two are following up on what the Husseys did against New Zealand earlier today. Can Malinga stop them? The odds, though, are not in his favour.Atlast I.KPathan hits the ball out of the ground.Ofcourse,they are T20 champions.What a finish by the world T20 champions........

India have fought back superbly here. A win seemed unlikely at 115 for 7 but the Pathan brothers had other ideas. Yusuf got things going, ensuring the spinners were taken off the attack after launching into Bandara. Dilshan resisted from bringing Jayasuriya back, but his fast bowlers, particularly Fernando, leaked way too many extras to allow India bring the game back in their favour.

Yusuf Pathan is the Man of the Match.

Dilshan : "I thought 170 was defendable. We started well, picked some early wickets, but both Yusuf and Irfan played really well. We conceded too many extras, that eventually made the difference."Dhoni: "Their spinners bowled really well, and although our batsmen struggled, it's a good learning curve for them. There are lots of youngsters in our team and stiff matches like these is a great learning experience."

Hussey brothers help Australia level series

2009-02-10T08:56:00.000-08:00

The Hussey brothers ensured the Chappell-Hadlee Trophy would be decided by Friday's final match in Brisbane after they helped Australia to a six-wicket win that levelled the series 2-2. For the first time in the series New Zealand batted first and they posted a moderate 244, which on a good pitch was not enough against an Australian batting order starting to find form.
The game was to some degree overshadowed by the Victorian bushfire appeal that surrounded it, with contributions from players, sponsors, spectators and administrators totalling just over $6 million. But while Australia had failed to beat South Africa at the same venue on Australia Day, this time they did get over the line at Adelaide on another special, if more sombre, occasion.
Fittingly Michael Hussey brought up the win with a six over long-on, adding another $5000 to the tally after the Commonwealth Bank pledged that amount for every six in the game. It confirmed the win with ten balls to spare but much of the hard work was done by Australia's bowlers, who did well to restrict New Zealand to a middling total.
However, there were a couple of jitters in the Australian camp when Brad Haddin, fresh from a century in Sydney on Sunday and looking good once again, was run out for 43 thanks to an awful call from David Hussey. It left Australia at 3 for 101 in the 25th over and the match was very much in the balance.
The onus was then on the out-of-form Hussey to repay his side with a big innings and he delivered. He struck his highest one-day international score of 79 and combined in a 115-run partnership with his older brother that made sure the required run-rate was never too much more than six.
Importantly Australia made sensible use of the batting Powerplay, which they took with nine overs to go and a further 55 runs required. David Hussey punched the ball confidently through the off-side gaps and although he fell during the five-over period, bowled by an Iain O'Brien yorker, Australia were by then in control and took 37 runs from the Powerplay.
Siddle's appeal
Peter Siddle flew to Adelaide to join the Australia squad for the ODI against New Zealand but could not break into the side to make his debut. Instead, he found another way to occupy his time while his team-mates were on the field.
Siddle was roaming through the crowd collecting money for the Victorian bushfire appeal and there was a personal significance for him. Siddle's family lives in Gippsland, where some of the fires took place, and he said his brother had lost friends to the deadly blaze.
"It's hard to get a word out of him," Siddle said. "He doesn't want to talk about it. It's tough times for everyone."
By the end of the game, the Commonwealth Bank appeal had raised $6,023,643 via a combination of donations from players, spectators and TV viewers, the bank, Cricket Australia, the South Australian Cricket Association and gate receipts.
In his first ODI at his home venue, Callum Ferguson calmly helped Michael Hussey pick off the remaining runs and they got home with ease. Michael Hussey's unbeaten 75 was yet another superb innings - he entered the game with a lowest score of 49 from his past four efforts - and he made New Zealand pay for putting him down twice.
The first was a terribly hard chance when he was on 3 and pulled Daniel Vettori viciously to midwicket, where Martin Guptill just got his fingertips to the ball. But the second opportunity was particularly frustrating for New Zealand as Hussey pulled Grant Elliott hard and flat into the deep, where Craig Cumming spilled what he should have taken. It was not a good return to ODIs after a near four-year absence for Cumming, who had earlier made a duck.
He was not the only one of the New Zealanders who struggled with the bat and they were unsure of the right tempo in setting a target. Chasing is their preferred method and in the past two years they have won nine ODIs batting first compared to 19 batting second. Only a late spike from Ross Taylor and Kyle Mills pushed them to a respectable score after they had stumbled to 6 for 173 in the 42nd over.
Mills added $5000 to the bushfire appeal when his enormous hook off Mitchell Johnson went out of the ground. But it was Taylor who was in charge of the recovery mission and his 76 from 71 balls continued his impressive series.
He was eventually caught top-edging a pull off Johnson, who finished with 3 for 51, and Taylor was one of four New Zealand specialist batsmen who lost their wickets to top-edged hooks and pulls. The extra pace and bounce surprised them and Johnson used it to get rid of Guptill (45) and Elliott (26), while Neil Broom also skied one off Ben Hilfenhaus.
James Hopes was again dangerous with 2 for 37 and Michael Clarke proved an economical spin option. He also removed Brendon McCullum, who passed a late fitness test on his right shoulder and played an uncharacteristically cautious innings of 33 from 55 balls.
Like most of his team-mates, McCullum seemed unsure of how quickly he needed to score batting first and there seems little doubt that at the Gabba on Friday, New Zealand will be keen to chase if given the chance. The Chappell-Hadlee Trophy could depend on it.

India fail to whitewash Sri Lanka, win series 4-1

2009-02-08T07:49:00.000-08:00

Sri Lanka stopped India's nine-match winning streak beating them by 68 runs in the fifth and the final One-day International but couldn't stop the visitors from clinching the cricket series 4-1 here Sunday.

Chasing a mammoth target of 321, India were all out for 252 in 48.5 overs after Yuvraj Singh scored a blistering 73 and debutant Ravindra Jadeja remained unbeaten on a fine 60.

The chief architects of Sri Lanka's pride-saving win were Tillekaratne Dilshan (97) and Man of the Match Kumar Sangakkara (84), who helped the hosts get 320 runs on board for the loss of eight wicket.

While chasing the target, India were off to a poor start right from the word go, as Gautam Gambhir (13), Virender Sehwag (6) and Suresh Raina were all back to the pavilion by the ninth over.

Man of the Series Yuvraj Singh (73) and captain Mahendra Singh Dhoni (53) brought some stability to the innings with some smart hitting. Both played in their typical style and freed their arms on both sides of the wicket. At a time when the partnership was looking good, Muttiah Muralitharan took a brilliant catch off his own bowling to get rid of Yuvraj.

Indians paid heavily for failing to build partnerships and the highest was 55 for the seventh wicket between Dhoni and debutant Ravindra Jadeja (60).

Earlier opting to bat, Dilshan held the innings with a well-struck 97 while Sangakkara scored a 70-ball 84 to salvage some pride for Sri Lanka.

Sanath Jayasuriya (37) gave a flying start to Sri Lanka's efforts to prevent the ignominy of a 5-0 whitewash, and Dilshan and Sangakkara played sensible innings to pose a tough challenge for India.

Jayasuriya started his onslaught by hitting Ishant Sharma (3-60) with his trademark clip over mid-wicket. In the young fast bowler's fourth over, Jayasuriya pulled him twice for four over the square leg boundary.

Jayasuriya departed in the 11th over top-edging Irfan Pathan to Suresh Raina. But even after his dismissal, the scoring rate didn't decline as both Dilshan and Sangakkara kept on piling runs at a steady rate and added 143 runs for the second wicket.

The duo frustrated the Indians and forced skipper Mahendra Singh Dhoni to try out nine bowlers. Comeback man Lakshmipathy Balaji proved expensive and conceded 32 runs from his five overs while debutant Ravindra Jadeja gave away 40 from his six overs.

It took a brilliant effort from Rohit Sharma to get rid of Sangakkara off Yuvraj Singh. Dilshan and Thilan Kadamby (26) kept the scoreboard moving. Rohit was again superb on the field and this time his direct throw stopped Dilshan three runs away from a deserving century.

Windies rout England for 51

2009-02-07T12:20:00.000-08:00

West Indies won by an innings and 23 runs

Well, what a breathless, brilliant day of Test cricket for West Indies who win by an innings-and-23-runs. Gayle receives handshakes (and a hug) from Pietersen and then salutes the crowd who, to a man, are standing and applauding this rare win at Sabina Park. It's just pure elation for West Indies out there - almost disbelief.

England, though, are disconsolate. It's their third-lowest Test total (their second-lowest of 46 came here in the Caribbean in 1994) and today their batsmen have lacked application and intent, against Jerome Taylor whose 5 for 11 won't be forgotten for a while.

It's been so long that West Indies' fans have had cause to cheer this long and hard, and the players - who, to be honest, look shell-shocked - are walking around a sun-baked ground to wave to the supporters. An outstanding allround performance from a team which - whisper it - might have turned the corner.

"Now's not the time to be too hasty on these things. We haven't played well. As a batting unit, there's very little positive to come out of this Test. We have to take it on the chin and move on."

Strauss: "We were entirely outplayed by a very good WI side. We've not done outselves justice. Our bowlers stuck to the task well but we batted very, very poorly today and paid the price."

Here's Chris Gayle, with a smile as wide as ever. "Brilliant day. It's come full circle. Sarwan batted really well, Nash batted well and everyone else chipped in. Benn bowled brilliantly, but Taylor picking up five was [superb]. It's good to see our allround cricket improving. The support was tremendous here, as ever. Hopefully we can move on from strength to strength."We'll definitely go for a drink tonight, but we won't over-do it. We'll enjoy it though."

Ponting rushed back to save Oz blushes

2009-02-07T12:12:00.001-08:00

Australia skipper Ricky Ponting has been rushed back from a break in a bid to save the hosts from a humiliating series defeat at home to New Zealand.
Ponting was allowed a break in the middle of the series against touring New Zealand after Australia lost the opening limited overs encounter. The decision had invited widespread criticism from the former greats of the sport loving nation.
Michael Clarke was told to lead the team in his absence. However, a loss to the Kiwis on Friday in Melbourne in the second of the five-match series put the hosts in the danger of losing the series if New Zealand with a 2-0 lead, manage one victory in rest three games.
Australia will take on New Zealand in Sydney on Sunday. The hosts were restricted to 181 in Perth in the opening match and 225 for five from 50 overs in Melbourne. According to a report published in an Australia website, Ponting has been called back to bolster the depleted Australian batting attack.
Australia loss on Friday moved India one spot up in the world ODI rankings to number two as the Aussies were pushed down to number three.

ICC ODI Championship

Team Matches Points Rating
South Africa 34 4245 125
India 45 5487 122
Australia 35 4241 121
New Zealand 29 3389 117
Pakistan 31 3446 111
England 32 3469 108
Sri Lanka 42 4336 103
West Indies 27 2463 91
Bangladesh 38 1731 46
Zimbabwe 32 736 23
Ireland 10 190 19
Kenya 12 0 0

India in Sri Lanka 2008-09

2009-02-07T12:04:00.000-08:00

The plan is simple, the results impressive

In early 2008, RP Singh spoke of Mahendra Singh Dhoni's captaincy. "Sometimes in ODIs, since Dhoni is behind the wicket, you don't get to communicate that often. The nature of the format means you don't change your plans too much. There are generally just two spells to be bowled," he had said. "So under Dhoni, you execute what you have already decided off the field and when you change, he would come running to you and discuss."
Nearly a year later, Dhoni has been running to Ishant Sharma during match situations almost pleading with his bowler to bowl to a plan and to set fields, and to experiment only within those parameters. This is the mantra Dhoni has been harping on since he became captain.
Strait-jacketing a bowler within a pre-determined plan might seem like killing his creativity but Dhoni sees it just as sticking to a method and being disciplined. According to him, the plan is drawn up before a game in conjunction with the bowler and thus allows for the creativity to flourish as a part of the system; he is simply against making an impromptu decision on the fly. "It's better to have a plan - may be a bad plan - in mind than be confused," Dhoni said. "When you are the top of the bowling mark, you need to have one clear thought of where to bowl.
"If you are going to bowl a slower one, then you need a deep midwicket, not a third man," Dhoni said after the second ODI. He wanted better clarity of thought from Ishant, who took the most wickets but was expensive in the Powerplay in that game.
In the absence of Harbhajan Singh, Dhoni has relied on his fast bowlers to take wickets. And in the era of the batting Powerplays, especially on flat tracks and without your specialist spinner, the role of a fast bowler becomes critical.
Ishant knows what he has to do and where he is going wrong. "I get to bowl three or four overs at the start and then I have to come again and bowl in the Powerplay," he said today. "You just have to stick to your fields. I don't have to do too many experiments."
Ishant has seven wickets at an average 26.14, second to the left-arm spinner Pragyan Ojha, but it has come at an economy rate of 6.10. That is the highest for an Indian bowler to have bowled over seven overs in the series.
Ishant, who likes to hit the deck and derive pace off the track, has struggled a bit on the sluggish pitches. "Bowling has been difficult as the ball does not come on. It's not a big thing," he said. "The Indian wickets are similar and I am learning to bowl in all conditions. Zaheer [Khan] advises us in the nets and even during matches. When I am struggling or not bowling well in the game, he comes and tells me what to do."
When you are winning everything, the team spirit does tend to be exaggerated. But there are some pleasant signs that have been a constant feature in the series. Zaheer has constantly talked with Ishant in the nets and during the games. Venkatesh Prasad, India's bowling coach, has been intensively working with all the bowlers in the practice sessions. During practice Sachin Tendulkar and Virender Sehwag have been suggesting to the bowlers on where they are going wrong and what lines to bowl.
In the middle, the captain has led by example. Dhoni got out in the 90s in the last game, going for the big shot and he explained it thus: "There was a ball change in the 34th over and we had to take the second Powerplay as well. So I thought one of the batsmen had to quickly get his hundred and capitalise in the Powerplay." Even cynics will have to admit that that there is at least clarity of thought and a sense of purpose in the ranks. Every one appears to know what their role in the team is. Not for nothing are India ranked No. 2 in the official ICC rankings.
The doubters will say that the hard job is sustain over a period of time - year after year, month after month, day after day, spell after spell, ball after ball. India is looking at it in the other way - Do it ball after ball and the rest will follow. An interesting 2009 lies ahead of us.

India's aim is No. 1, says Kirsten

Gary Kirsten has said that India's goal in 2009 is to be the No. 1 team in the world. India's coach, who has received praise from many in the Indian team, felt the side's biggest improvement in recent times was the way they prepared for a game.
Following Australia's loss to New Zealand in the second ODI at the MCG, India have moved to second place in the ICC's official ODI rankings. "Getting to No. 1 is the obvious goal for this year," said Kirsten, "but it's not playing too much on our minds. To do that, it's important for the basics to be right. We are just trying to focus on taking it game by game and series by series. The team ethic is great. Everyone is preparing really well for a game and we are moving in the right direction."
Today's was an optional nets session at the R Premadasa, and the attendees included Sachin Tendulkar, L Balaji, Irfan Pathan and Ravindra Jadeja. Tendulkar batted for 45 minutes and was constantly chatting with the bowlers on the correct line to bowl. Venkatesh Prasad, India's bowling coach, spent lots of time with Irfan, primarily working on his length. Tendulkar even bowled to Jadeja and passed some tips now and then to the young allrounder.
Irfan's form has been a concern for India. Given the new ball in the last game - his only appearance on tour so far - Irfan ended up with 3 for 58 from seven overs; his first spell read 5-0-42-1 as Sanath Jayasuriya went after him. India have been using their slow bowlers in the middle overs, retaining the seamers for the Powerplays.
Kirsten had earlier said the lack of an allrounder who bowls seam had forced the team to take that route, and he felt it had been a bit difficult for Irfan as he has been in and out of the team. "I really can't comment after just one game," said Kirsten. "He [Irfan] is working hard in the nets. He has a good work ethic and hopefully will get the rewards for it."
To be the No. 1 team in the world, Kirsten said that India would have to dominate the opposition consistently. It was something that Gautam Gambhir also stressed upon, while talking about the dead-rubber game at this same venue on February 8. "When you playing for your country you can't take any game lightly," he said. "It's going to be a fantastic achievement if we can make it 5-0. You want to be a part of the team which is creating this history.
"You can't just think that you have won the series 4-0 and be complacent for the next game. It doesn't happen with us. When you go onto the field you go to win and not just compete. Great teams are those that carry the momentum forward into every game."
India have won the series and the final match is to be played at the R Premadasa as well.

2009 IPL AUCTION

2009-02-06T09:06:00.000-08:00

List of players sold (base price in brackets; all numbers in US$)

Shaun Tait to Rajasthan Royals 375,000 (250,000)

JP Duminy to Mumbai Indians 950,000 (300,000)

Andrew Flintoff to Chennai Super Kings 1.55 million (950,000)

Kevin Pietersen to Bangalore Royal Challengers 1.55 million (1.35 million)

Fidel Edwards to Deccan Chargers 150,000 (150,000)

Owais Shah to Delhi Daredevils 275,000 (150,000)

Paul Collingwood to Delhi 275,000 (250,000)

Tyron Henderson to Rajasthan 650,000 (100,000)

Ravi Bopara to Kings XI Punjab 450,000 (150,000)

Thilan Thushara to Chennai 140,000 (100,000)

Jesse Ryder to Bangalore 160,000 (100,000)

Kyle Mills to Mumbai 150,000 (150,000).

Dwayne Smith to Deccan Chargers 100,000 (100,000)

Jerome Taylor to Punjab 150,000 (150,000)

Mohammad Ashraful to Mumbai 75,000 (75,000)

Mashrafe Mortaza to Kolkata Knight Riders 600,000 (50,000)

George Bailey to Chennai 50,000 (50,000)

Unsold players: Stuart Clark, Brad Haddin, Chamara Kapugedara, Ashwell Prince, Phil Jaques, Andre Nel, Luke Wright, Nuwan Kulasekara, Samit Patel, Shakib Al Hasan, Morne van Wyk, Steven Smith, Ashley Noffke, Gulam Bodi, Daren Powell, Tamim Iqbal, Jon Moss, Bryce McGain, James Franklin, Aiden Blizzard, Ramnaresh Sarwan, Michael Klinger, Kaushalya Weeraratne, Prasanna Jayawardene, Dominic Thornley, Yusuf Abdulla, Daniel Harris, Kemar Roach, Aaron Bird, Michael Dighton, Michael Hill and Brett Geeves.

INDIA-AUSTRALIA SERIES

2008-10-08T06:36:00.000-07:00

So the Indian selectors have decided to stick to the tried and tested team which has done Indian cricket proud in recent times. The five-wise men gave former captain Sourav Ganguly a new lease of life by including him in the 15-man squad.

©AFP

A straight interpretation of including Ganguly in the XV means that he is a certain starter for the Bangalore Test.

Had Ganguly been dropped from the squad, it would have meant one of either - Yuvraj Singh, Mohammad Kaif, Subramaniam Badrinath or Rohit Sharma would have occupied that slot – that would have meant the Aussies would have one less experienced player to contend with. By including Ganguly, the Indian selectors have not only fielded a trusted performer, but they’ve also thrust at the Australians a player with 109 Test caps and over a decade of experience. This is the last thing the Australians, who are traveling with a vastly inexperienced team, wanted.

Given we now have the men who will do duty for both the teams, let’s look at how they match up head-to-head, individual-to-individual.

Matthew Hayden vs Virender Sehwag
Both attacking players, and both capable of winning matches on their own for their teams. Hayden has been a consistent performer, but if Sehwag gets going, he is simply devastating. Both camps have identified these two individuals as the dangermen. Venkatesh Prasad, the Indian bowling coach had said, “We have to get Matthew Hayden early because he is a kind of batsman who has scored all over the world. In the past, Hayden has done well in the sub-continent and so his wicket will be important", while Australian captain Ricky Ponting on Wednesday said, “Sehwag is a key player and he is dangerous once he gets in.”

Scoreline: Australia 1, India 1

Phil Jaques vs Gautam Gambhir
Both relatively inexperienced, strikingly similar, but silent performers. Both batsmen are in good nick; Gambhir was one of the two Indian performers in the Test series in Sri Lanka, while Jaques, after an indifferent start to his last Test series against the West Indies, finished it off in style – scoring 108 in the final Test at Barbados.

Scoreline: Australia 2, India 2

©AFP

Ricky Ponting vs Sachin Tendulkar
The men on whom most of the discussions in the forthcoming Test series will be based upon. Both are vastly experienced, and both veterans of over 100 Test matches.

One will have to consider Tendulkar as coming up trumps in this battle, primarily because he is playing at home, and at venues where he has performed admirably in the past. Barring Delhi’s Feroz Shah Kotla, where he averages 44, the little master averages in excess of 50 at the other three venues. Tendulkar’s is a wicket the Aussies will value most.

Ponting had recently said, “I have the highest regard for him. Sachin is a true champion, one of the all-time greats of the game…..But we are here to win and know pretty well that we have to get rid of him early if we are to win here. We have come here with a few plans for him and hope our plans would click.”

Aussie speedster Brett Lee said, “He is a world class player who has proved himself over more than a decade. You talk about [Don] Bradman, you talk about Lara, Sachin and probably Ricky...It's an honour to bowl to Sachin and getting his wicket is the ultimate prize.”

Ponting, on the other hand, has a dismal record in India, and is under immense pressure to set his record right. He said, “There is a bit of a void in my international career here in India, there's no doubt about that…..I'll work really hard for the next week and a bit to make sure I'm as good as I can be come first Test time and hopefully I can turn things around there, it's all in my hands, I know what I have to do to have success here.”

Scoreline: Australia 2, India 3

Michael Hussey vs Rahul Dravid
Two men, who have been huge contributors to their team’s successes in recent years, but have been passing through an indifferent time recently.

Hussey once boasted of Bradmenesque averages; after his first 18 Test matches, he had a batting average of 86.18, but since then, his average has come crashing down to 68.38. He hasn’t scored a hundred in his five Test matches, and averages a dismal 22.78 from those five matches. However, being a good player of spin, he will be confident of getting back to his run scoring ways.

Dravid too has been passing through a lean patch. The former India captain too hasn’t scored a hundred in his last five Tests; in this period he has scored 215 runs at an average of 23.89 and found it difficult even in home-like conditions in Sri Lanka. However, Dravid can be expected to come out all guns blazing – the first Test will be played on his home ground in Bangalore, and he then moves on to the remaining three venues where he averages close to 60.

Scoreline: Australia 3, India 4

Michael Clarke vs VVS Laxman
Two men who have a special liking for each other’s teams.

Clarke has a special place for India in his heart; it was here in India, and at Bangalore where the first Test will be played, that he scored a century on debut. Since then, he has gone on to greater heights; he is now the vice-captain of the Australian team and one of the most reliable performers with the bat. One of the better players of spin in the Australian team, Clarke will be expected to play big innings on this tour.

Laxman too has a special liking for the Australians – it is not for no reason that he is identified by the Australians as ‘Very Very Special’ Laxman. The man who scripted a famous turnaround of fortunes in the Calcutta Test match of 2001, Laxman has scored nine of his eighteen hundreds against the Aussies. A free-flowing stroke-maker, Laxman likes the ball coming onto the bat, and the Australian attack might just suit him perfectly.

Scoreline – Australia 4, India 5

Shane Watson vs Sourav Ganguly
Not the ideal head-to-head one would think, but this is where the Australian combination starts to stutter. Had Andrew Symonds been present in the Australian line-up, then he would have batted at number six – and that would have matched up to Sourav Ganguly on the Indian side. But Watson, though he is an exceptional allrounder, isn’t in the same league as Symonds just yet. Though Watson’s numbers in first-class cricket are exceptional, he is yet to stamp his authority in Test cricket. His last Test appearance was in November 2005, and one will have to wait and see how he copes with the demanding Indian conditions. His inexperience, coupled with his vulnerability against spin, means the Aussies will be on the backfoot in this match-up.

Although he is not in the greatest of forms, Ganguly’s inclusion means India will have a fighter-to-the-core batting at number five. His fighting abilities helped India beat South Africa in a Test match at Kanpur earlier this year, and it was the same ‘never-give-up’ mentality that saw him become India’s leading run scorer in 2007, after making a comeback in the Test tour of South Africa.

Further, Ganguly is a proven performer when the chips are down. Add to this the fact that he is one of the players the Australians love to hate; he brings a distinct character to this Indian team.

Scoreline: Australia 4, India 6

Brad Haddin vs MS Dhoni
Two flamboyant young men, one who has already established himself in international cricket, while the other is still trying to find his feet. Dhoni’s experience at the international level can be equated with Haddin’s exploits in domestic cricket. Both are safe wicketkeepers and equally good behind the stumps.

Scoreline – Australia 5, India 7

Jason Krejza vs Harbhajan Singh
Harbhajan Singh takes this duel hands down. His attitude, his liking for the Australians, playing in Indian conditions, his current form, and his past record – career and against the Aussies – makes Krejza no match for the Indian Sardar.

Krejza, who will be making his Test debut at Bangalore, has already started playing mind games. Known to be a big turner of the ball, Krejza recently disregarded the Indian batsmen’s ability to dominate spin. He said, “I am confident that I can come over here and be successful, that is why I targeted this tour. If I can spin it hard and get it in the right areas, get a few big wickets, that would be great. I'm not intimidated, because bowling to our guys, Michael Clarke and Ricky Ponting and the others, it isn't much different. They treat spinners as Indians do, very, very aggressively. I have confidence that I've got the skills to do it."

Scoreline – Australia 5, India 8

Who? vs Anil Kumble
Never in the recent past has there been so much uncertainty in the Australian set up. The Aussies, the number one ranked team in the world, have generally had a settled team – and players in the fringes have only had their opportunity when someone has suffered an injury or in similar circumstances.

Whoever the match up to Kumble be, there’s no question that he would win that contest hands down. The captain of the Indian team, India’s leading wicket taker in Test cricket, India’s most successful match winner, and an enviable record against Australia in India – do we need to say more?

Mitchell Johnson and Douglas Bollinger are said to be prime contenders for this slot in the Australian team – both left arm seamers, barely experienced if anything, and they will not only have to battle the Indian conditions, but also a star-studded batting line up.

Scoreline: Australia 5, India 9

©AFP

Brett Lee vs Zaheer Khan
A very close contest this one – both men leading the bowling attack, and a lot will be expected of both of them.

Lee is a proven match-winner and has shown significant signs of maturity and leadership qualities since the retirements of Glenn McGrath and Shane Warne. Tough inexperienced when it comes to playing Test cricket in India, Lee knows Indian conditions well through his one-day international appearances and his stint in the Indian Premier League. Lee has said he was looking forward to his first Test in India; he said, “Yes, there will be great lot of pressure on me. But I enjoy the pressure. I am looking forward to the challenge. We have our task cut out. I might not have played a Test here but have the experience of playing in twenty20 and one-day matches.”

Zaheer Khan, on the other hand has relatively lesser pressure. With the likes of Kumble and Harbhajan in the team, Zaheer’s main job will be to give the team early breakthroughs. He has been a consistent performer for India in recent times, and bowling coach Venkatesh Prasad has said Zaheer will be a vital cog in India’s plans. He said, “He (Zaheer) is somebody who has played a lot of cricket in India and abroad and has a lot of experience. He can move the ball in both directions and would play a vital role in our bowling department.”

Scoreline: Australia 6, India 10

Stuart Clark vs Ishant Sharma
Different types of bowlers, with different types of responsibilities.

Australia, in the past, have used Stuart Clark in the role of a stock bowler. However, on this tour of India, where the conditions are going to be tough, Clark will be expected to share the wicket-taking responsibilities with Brett Lee. He will be expected to bowl long spells, keep the runs in check and also pick up wickets regularly. This 6.5 feet tall fast bowler will also be expected to extract some reverse swing from the dry Indian pitches.

Ishant Sharma – a bowler who the Aussies will remember for that spectacular series in Australia, and in particular that one terrific spell to the Australian captain at Perth. He can bowl quick, can bowl long spells, and the Indians will be expecting him to get breakthroughs at regular intervals. Sharma should relish playing at Nagpur and Mohali, which have generally aided swing bowling, while he should know the Feroz Shah Kotla stadium – his home ground - like the back of his hand.

WHO WILL WIN THE IPL?

2008-05-19T06:38:00.000-07:00

Till now the IPL has been fantastic that every team is showcasing its potential.
This is an open poll here
WHO WILL WIN THIS IPL LEAGUE?
post ur answers in the comments

INDIA SQUARES SERIES AGAINST SA

2008-04-15T01:56:00.000-07:00

Virender Sehwag's 372 runs -- 319 of which came in the drawn Chennai Test -- made him the highest run-getter of the three-match series against South Africa, while Man of the Series off-spinner Harbhajan Singh signed off as the numero uno bowler with 19 scalps.Just as the series, the honours were also even in the individual performance list with the South Africans making their presence felt.
The Proteas in fact dominate both the top 10 bowling and batting lists. The batting chart has seven South Africans in the top 10 starting with Neil McKenzie, who is second with 341 runs with a highest of 155 that he scored in the first Test in Chennai.
Hashim Amla, A B de Villiers and skipper Graeme Smith complete the top five before Sourav Ganguly and Rahul Dravid come in the latter half of the list for India.
The bowling list is no different and it's South Africa all the way after Harbhajan at the top. Pacer Dale Steyn, Makhaya Ntini, Morne Morkel and Paul Harris occupy the next four slots behind Harbhajan.
Instead of a frontline bowler, India's next best in the list is part-time spinner Virender Sehwag, who scalped six wickets in the series.

INDIA MAKES AN END TO AUSSIE DOMINANCE

2008-02-24T09:28:00.000-08:00

India wrapped up the triangular one-day international cricket competition when they beat Australia by nine runs to take an unbeatable 2-0 lead in the best-of-three finals series here Tuesday. The Indians made 258-9 in their 50 overs then restricted the home side to 249 to claim a thrilling win and take the final ever triangular series to be played in Australia. Veteran Sachin Tendulkar led the Indian batting with a fine 91 before newcomer Praveen Kumar tore through the Australian top order, claiming Adam Gilchrist, Ricky Ponting and Michael Clarke with just 32 runs on the board.
Kumar came back at the death to bowl Brett Lee and finish the match with 4-46 from 10 overs to signal his arrival on the international scene. Australian allrounder James Hopes led a rearguard action, scoring a career-high 63, but he kept losing batting partners and was last man out when caught at mid-off trying to blast 13 runs off the final over. The Indians made a magnificent start in the field when Gilchrist, in what turned out to be his last innings for Australia, edged a ball from the impressive Kumar to wicketkeeper Mahendra Singh Dhoni to be out for just two. Kumar struck again in his next over when Ponting (1) tried to pull a shorter ball and spooned an easy catch to Yuvraj Singh at mid-on. Clarke (17) then followed after he lazily tried to pull a straight delivery only to see it crash into the top of off-stump to leave Australia staggering at 32-3.
But when an injury-hampered Tendulkar was dismissed for 91, the scoring rate slowed and Australia's bowlers began to gain control. Tendulkar was well supported by Yuvraj Singh (38), M.S. Dhoni (36) and Robin Uthappa (30), but the Indians were at least 50 runs short of where they should have been. They had a let off when Ponting dropped Tendulkar on seven, the Australian skipper spilling a difficult diving chance at point. The little master made the Australians pay for the miss as he began to settle and increase the scoring rate. He brought up his 50 from 70 balls when he dabbed a short ball from Stuart Clark to third man, delighting the large number of Indian supporters in the crowd.
Andrew Symonds (42) and Matthew Hayden (55) recovered brilliantly and got the Australians back on track until Hayden was run out with the score on 121. Symonds was making a big impact with his bat, but made an even bigger one with his shoulder when he tackled a streaker who made the mistake of running too close to the burly Queenslander. The match appeared as good as over when Harbhajan Singh trapped Symonds in front to leave Australia 123-5. Mike Hussey and Hopes set out on a rescue mission and put on 76 before Hussey feathered a Shanthakumaran Sreesanth delivery to Dhoni with Australia on 199. Although Hopes got Australia close, the task was always just out of reach and the young Indian side celebrated wildly as their older opponents ran out of deliveries. After Dhoni won the toss and chose to bat, India were 205-3 at one stage and heading for a score of more than 300.

INDIA U19 WIN THE WORLD CUP

2008-02-24T04:39:00.000-08:00

India lifted the under-19 World Cup for the second time after a 12-run victory over South Africa in Kuala Lumpur.
They were bowled out for just 159 after being put in by South African skipper Wayne Parnell, with Tanmay Srivastava's 46 the top score.
But Ajitesh Argal took two wickets as South Africa slumped to 22-4 in reply.
A rain interruption left them with a revised target of 116 from 25 overs, but despite 35 by Reeza Hendricks, they could only manage 103-8.
Ravindra Jadeja and Siddarth Kaul also picked up two wickets each, with Kaul having Parnell caught at square leg for 29 in the final over to seal victory.
India's win rounded off a triumphant day which also saw the senior national team beating Australia in the first match of the best-of-three CB Series final in Sydney.
And it also saw India coach Dav Whatmore complete a notable double, having guided Sri Lanka to victory in the 1996 World Cup.
Today march 2nd is a memorable day for the indian cricket for both juniors and seniors

DASAVATHARAM AUDIO ON APRIL 2ND

2008-02-24T04:35:00.001-08:00

It’s confirmed. The most awaited audio launch of the mega movie ‘Dasavadharam’, will be on April 2. Many speculations and predictions suggested that it would be held somewhere in March. IndiaGlitz recently reported that the grand event would take place in April.
Now it is confirmed that the audio of ‘Dasavadharam’ will be held on April 2 at Nehru Indoor Stadium.The trailer of the movie too will be released in the event
The grandeur of the function will be fitting to the grandeur of the movie. The big weights from various languages will attend the function. The participation of Jackie Chan as the chief guest is confirmed. The super - star studded event will have Rajinikanth, Kamal Haasan, Mammootty, Mohanlal, Chiranjeevi, Nagarjuna, and Amitabh Bachan.
Sony BMG, which has bagged the audio rights, is coordinating the arrangements of the function. The audio rights have been sold at an unprecedented rate, breaking all records.

SOUTH AFRICA WIN SERIES 2-0

2008-02-24T04:29:00.000-08:00

Given how Bangladesh were terrorised by the short ball in this Test, it was entirely appropriate that South Africa wrapped up the match and series with one. And unlike the five-wicket defeat in Mirpur, there was nothing remotely heroic about the innings-and-205-run capitulation in Chittagong, with a world record partnership between Graeme Smith and Neil McKenzie illustrating the huge chasm that still separates Bangladesh from the best practitioners of cricket's most demanding form.
When Mashrafe Mortaza couldn't avoid fending one to the left of McKenzie at gully, it was the final act of a match that once again didn't go into the fourth afternoon. With Aftab Ahmed unable to bat after a sickening injury on Sunday, South Africa needed only four more wickets to set the seal on a very satisfactory outing.
An eighth-wicket partnership of 56 between Abdur Razzak, who remained defiant on 33, and Shahadat Hossain briefly halted the victory charge, but with Robin Peterson scalping an unexpected five-for, the result was never in doubt. Bangladesh managed a few half-century partnerships during the course of the Test, but the fact remained that their tally over two innings didn't even come close to matching Smith and McKenzie.
The batting frailty was all too evident at the start of the fourth day. Razzak's periscope approach to batting resulted in a comical four over the wicketkeeper off Dale Steyn, and South Africa didn't have very long to wait for the breakthrough. Peterson was aiming at the cracks from the outset, and Mushfiqur Rahim edged his first ball of the morning to Jacques Kallis at slip.
Enter Mohammad Rafique to tremendous applause in his final Test innings. Two balls later, exit Rafique - a biff back to the bowler that Peterson was never going to drop. Shahadat, with a few sorties down the ground, and Razzak with his patented carves over slips added runs in a hurry, but the South Africans were amused rather than annoyed, and when Shahadat holed out to long-off to give Peterson number five, the Last Post could begin.
South Africa now look to India, and a series that will really be a test of their mettle in subcontinent conditions. As for Bangladesh, they have three one-dayers to look forward to. The format suits their hit-and-miss batsmen, and they did hammer South Africa at the World Cup last year. Jamie Siddons just won't be expecting any miracles in Tests, especially not with an FTP that barely gives them matches to iron out the many kinks that continue to bedevil their play at their highest level.

NEW ZEALAND WINS SERIES AGAINST ENGLAND

2008-02-23T01:22:00.001-08:00

Last week, Brendon McCullum was the surprise package in the IPL auctions - today he batted like a cricketer with a million-dollar price tag. His superlative 77 from 43 balls ensured that New Zealand finished their five-match one-day series against England as they had begun it; with a thumpingly impressive victory. Had it not been for a late collapse of 3 for 1 in seven balls, and the even later invention of rain, this result would have been as comprehensive as New Zealand's first two victories at Wellington and Hamilton. It really was that one-sided.
England were off the pace throughout. They batted too slowly, bowled too naïvely, and fielded like a side resigned to defeat - four chances of varying degrees of difficulty were shelled while the game was still live, including a howler by Stuart Broad at third man when McCullum had made 31. New Zealand were led superbly in the field by Kyle Mills, who took 4 for 36 with two wickets in an eight-over burst with the new ball and two more with his offcutters in the death overs, but none of England's bowlers seemed willing to follow his lead.
James Anderson, once again, was especially culpable. He unleashed the Kiwi beast in his third over by serving up another diet of short wide long-hops that McCullum bludgeoned up and over the covers for two fours and a six. When he returned for a second burst at 75 for 0 in the tenth over, with his side in dire need of wickets, he was clobbered for three massive sixes in a row - the first, which was spectacularly caught in the second tier of the grandstand, took him to his fifty from just 27 balls.
McCullum's form in this series has been nothing short of sensational. He finished with 261 runs from 203 balls faced, and only once, at Auckland, did he fail to reach 40 - not surprisingly, that was the only game that New Zealand went on to lose. Once again he compiled a century stand with his new opening partner, Jesse Ryder, but on this occasion Ryder was little more than a bystander. By the time he was lucklessly run out for 24 from 32 balls, his partner had pummelled his way to 72 from 34.
It was England's captain, Paul Collingwood, who eventually ended McCullum's stay. One ball after dropping a regulation return chance, he knocked back the off stump as McCullum attempted another heave through midwicket. But Jamie How, in the form of his life, responded with two sumptuous drives before the new batsman, Ross Taylor, got off the mark with consecutive edges for four. It was clear that nothing was going to stop New Zealand now.
Well, almost nothing. Just as at Napier, England found a second wind at precisely the moment that everyone else had given up on them. Scott Styris was once again the unwitting catalyst, as he wellied an attempted pull to cover off the undeserving Anderson, before Ryan Sidebottom - very much in the zone - removed the debutant Daniel Flynn and the dangerous Jacob Oram with consecutive off-stump legcutters. At 198 for 6, there was a glimmer for England, but then came the mandatory ball change at the end of the 34th over, and the venom went out of their challenge as the rain began to fall.
In truth, England scarcely deserved to get so close to victory. Batting first, their innings had been a mishmash of partially formed anchor roles, and all-too-brief cameos. Phil Mustard never got going, Ian Bell and Kevin Pietersen played themselves in then gave their wickets away in crass fashion - Bell to a lofted drive, a shot he had been playing exquisitely, and Pietersen to a second-ball mow off the spinner, Jeetan Patel.
Alastair Cook seemed set to drop anchor for the full 50 overs when he missed a quicker one from Daniel Vettori, who also served up the ball of the innings to have Collingwood stumped for 14. Owais Shah was scratchy in a rare lengthy opportunity, and in the end England owed every ounce of their competitiveness to Luke Wright and Dimitri Mascarenhas, who belted six sixes between them as 81 runs were added in the final eight overs.
Unfortunately for England, Wright and Mascarenhas's ease of strokeplay was the norm for this wicket, not the exception. By the time McCullum was into his stride, there was no doubt about the outcome. England had done well to recover their poise after the humiliations of the opening two games, but the 3-1 series result still flatters them. There is much for Collingwood and his team to work on before the return one-day series in June.

INDIA U19 WIN OVER W.INDIES

2008-02-23T00:20:00.000-08:00

Their spot in the Super League quarter-finals secured, top-of-the table India made a clean sweep of Group B with a 50-run win over West Indies at the Kinrara Oval. Virat Kohli's crackling 74-ball 100 was the crux of his side's 265 for 5 after they were put in to bat on a slow pitch, and it didn't matter that India's bowlers weren't as smooth because West Indies made a mess of their chase and crashed out of the Under-19 World Cup.
Virat walked in with India 116 for 3 in the 28th over, after West Indies had removed half-centurions Tanmay Srivastava and Taruvar Kohli, sculptors of a patient 102-run stand for the second wicket. While the two had been a tad sluggish, Virat was away like a rabbit. His opportunities had been limited so far and the Indian captain showed his intent from the get-go, collecting pulled boundaries and pushing the close-in fielders.
Finding the gaps successfully, Virat ticked along to his fifty from just 49 balls, one raised with a smash down the ground. An unflustered approach and appetite to dominate was complimented by some slick running between the wickets with Saurabh Tiwary, with whom he added 111.
With Tiwary struggling to time the ball off the square, Virat shepherded him quite impressively. He took most of the strike and led the way with his ability to convert singles into doubles. His acceleration during the end overs was unproblematic and his century came up twice, oddly enough, after the umpire miscalculated a four into a six. Kohli duly drove the next ball to mid-off and celebrated animatedly. From 199 for 3 after 45 overs India posted 265 thanks to Virat's clean hitting. He struck ten fours and four sixes - two of which came in the 46th over from Sharmarh Brooks - and there was no space he didn't pick in the field.
With a series of clattered fours, the West Indian openers were away but the aggression was short-lived. Kieran Powell, clearly not interested in running, did a proper Chris Gayle impersonation with meaty drives through the offside but top-edged Ajitesh Argal for a 20-ball 29.
Steven Jacobs was trapped plumb by Argal and an aggressive approach faded into a mixture of pushed singles and missed cuts after Siddarth Kaul nipped out Brooks and Adrian Barath in consecutive overs.
Darren Bravo and Devon Thomas stemmed the rot with a workmanlike partnership of 75, under an increasing run rate, but India pulled matters back rather easily. Thomas walked across his stumps to a slider from Ravindra Jadeja and Bravo (43 from 68 balls) was sold down the river by a poor call from Shacaya Thomas, who proceeded to miss a full delivery from Kaul a few overs later. Veerasammy Permaul and Dawnley Grant added a battling 26 for the last wicket but India's slow bowlers wrapped up victory in the 48th over.
India will next meet England, runner-up in Group D, at this very venue on February 24.

BANGLADESH TAKE LEAD

2008-02-23T00:09:00.000-08:00

Shahadat Hossain finished with magnificent figures of 6 for 27 as Bangladesh garnered a valuable lead of 22 on the second afternoon at the National Stadium in Mirpur. Having trapped Mark Boucher in front with one that angled back, Shahadat then knocked back Makhaya Ntini's off stump to complete an impressive hour of work from the bowlers after South Africa had recovered to 145 for 6. Now, it was up to the batsmen to try and push on. A day after their U-19s defeated England at the World Cup in Malaysia, this was another sign that Bangladesh cricket really is on the March.
The controversial dismissal of AB de Villiers was the main talking point on an engrossing morning of play. Bangladesh struck early to reduce South Africa to 77 for 5, before a 68-run partnership between de Villiers and Johan Botha, the nightwatchman redressed the balance. But the loss of de Villiers triggered another collapse and it was Bangladesh who were the happier side at lunch with South Africa struggling at 158 for 8.
By the time Mohammad Ashraful brought himself shortly before lunch, the momentum had swung towards South Africa, with de Villiers riding his luck to 46 and Botha offering stout resistance. But it all changed in the space of one ball. And what a ball it was. Ashraful is no Shane Warne, and when the ball left his fingers, it bounced twice before reaching de Villiers. He chose to play it from the crease, but could only top edge it back to the bowler.
Cue massive celebrations from Bangladesh and no movement from de Villiers, who was convinced that it was a dead ball. Steve Bucknor finally him on his way though, much to the dismay of the South African dressing room. Botha's 91-ball vigil ended soon after, trapped in front by Hossain, and when Mornè Morkel followed on the stroke of lunch, Bangladesh were poised to take a slender lead on first innings.
That hadn't seemed likely when de Villiers was going strong. Coming to the crease after a shambolic mix-up sent Ashwell Prince on his way in the second over of the morning, de Villiers quickly signaled his intent with drives, cuts and powerful pulls through midwicket. There was an element of good fortune too, with Ashraful, running back from mid-off, dropping a catch off Mohammad Rafique after de Villiers had made just 30.
On a pitch where the odd ball stayed exceptionally low, concentration was crucial, and Botha played his part in a partnership that got South Africa back into the contest. He let de Villiers do the bulk of the scoring, but there was also a lovely on-drive off Rafique and an impudent reverse-sweep off Shakib Al Hasan in his innings of 25.
There was a phase between through the session where the South Africans were becalmed for more than five overs, but once de Villiers smacked Shakib for a big six over midwicket, the tide turned.
Later South Africa was dismissed for 170 and bangladesh gained 22 runs first innings lead

AUSSIES WIN AGAIN

2008-02-22T10:27:00.000-08:00

Australia and Sri Lanka were both dug into holes by their top orders at the MCG but while Michael Hussey and Michael Clarke clambered out, Sri Lanka were drowned in their pit by Melbourne's rain. Australia picked up a 24-run victory on the Duckworth/Lewis method, which means Sri Lanka must now win both their remaining CB Series games and rely on Australia beating India to have any chance of reaching the finals.
They had only themselves to blame, though, after dawdling in their chase of 185. Sri Lanka's innings was 29.3 overs old when the showers came but they had only reached 4 for 77 when they needed to have 101 on the board to make Duckworth/Lewis work in their favour. They were so far off the mark they even conceded the bonus point to Australia. The slow pitch did not help matters, and Sri Lanka's go-to man Kumar Sangakkara struggled to find a way to score.
He laboured for 59 balls for his 22 and when he departed in the 25th over, top-edging James Hopes to cover when he tried to force the run-rate, Sri Lanka's chances took a major blow. Nobody will ever know if the batsmen at the crease could have rescued the situation but it had taken Chamara Silva 47 deliveries to reach 16 while Tillakaratne Dilshan was on 9 from 14.
Sri Lanka had looked steady while Sangakkara and Mahela Jaywardene were together but the loss of the captain, who edged behind off Nathan Bracken, hurt the visitors significantly. Jaywardene had finally got the scoreboard ticking over with a couple of boundaries - none came until the 15th over - and his cover-driven four off Mitchell Johnson looked like it might spark some quicker runs.
But Australia's seam attack continued to use the conditions perfectly after a pair of Stuart Clark wickets in the opening overs reduced Sri Lanka to 2 for 3. They were 1 for 0 when Sanath Jayasuriya made a first-ball duck, edging Clark's initial delivery to Ricky Ponting at second slip.
Clark followed with the wicket of Dilruwan Perera, the opener playing his first ODI of the tour, who was unlucky to be given lbw to a ball that would have sailed over the stumps. So difficult was the pitch that Sri Lanka reached just 2 for 19 after ten overs - the crowd thought Australia's 1 for 24 at the same stage was sleep-inducing.
Fortunately for the hosts they had Clarke and Hussey to fall back on. It was not the first time this series the middle order was required to clean up the mess left by Australia's top order. The pair built a 90-run partnership that was all the more important as they came together when Australia had staggered to 4 for 54 in the 22nd over.
Boundaries were not high on the agenda as they took easy singles, although Clarke eventually managed four fours. He sparked a relative frenzy from the subdued crowd when he launched Lasith Malinga over long on and next ball glanced fine for another boundary. Clarke made his third half-century of the series - he has been the shining light in a switched-off batting line-up - but fell for 50 to a sharp return catch by Muttiah Muralitharan.
Hussey's effort was typically workmanlike - he scored 39 singles and only one four - but it was just what his side required under the circumstances. When he came to the crease Farveez Maharoof had been choking the runs and picking off the batsmen to more than justify Jayawardene's unexpected decision to send Australia in.
Ponting said on Thursday he and Matthew Hayden were the only Australians who could be disappointed at their price-tags in the Indian Premier League but they did little to earn sympathy with their agonising approach to target-building. Their 27-run partnership took nearly 11 overs - hardly inspiring for their Twenty20 purchasers - and both fell when the pressure from Sri Lanka's seamers became too much.
The out-of-touch Ponting had 11 from 34 balls - his series has been so bad his low score actually improved his average - when he attempted a suicidal single. He thought he had pushed the ball past the bowler but Maharoof is a tall man and dived to his right to stop it, leaving Ponting to try and scramble back from the middle of the pitch as Clarke wisely decided against running.
Maharoof also had Hayden caught off a leading edge for 23 from 53 balls and he finished with 2 for 20 from his ten overs, which was a fine turnaround after he leaked nearly seven an over in Adelaide on Tuesday. Ultimately, though, Sri Lanka's inability to break the Hussey and Clarke partnership sooner was the key. Australia's total was their lowest in 10 yrs for a 50-over innings, but their attack, even without Brett Lee, was dangerous and Sri Lanka's inability to read a weather radar and bat accordingly has left their CB Series in a precarious position.

JODHAA AKBAR BAN IN M.P

2008-02-22T10:23:00.000-08:00

The Madhya Pradesh government suspended the screening of "Jodhaa Akbar" on Friday following protests against the film by the Rajput community in the state.
The Mughal-era romance of Emperor Akbar and his Rajput consort, brought to life by filmmaker Ashutosh Gowariker, has sparked protests over the historical accuracy of his on-screen love life.
The order suspending screenings of "Jodhaa Akbar" was issued after some Rajput groups tore posters of the film and shouted slogans outside cinemas. They claim that Rajput princess Jodhaa was the Mughal emperor's daughter-in-law and not his wife.
"The screening of the movie has been suspended for the time being only," Chief Minister Shivraj Singh Chouhan said at a press conference.
"Later, the situation would be reviewed and further decision would be taken."
But Akhil Bharatiya Kshatriya Mahasabha, a Rajput community organisation, said protests would continue.
"We welcome the decision (but) opposition to this movie would continue demanding a blanket ban on the movie," Hemant Bahadur Singh Parihar said.
The organisation had earlier threatened to set ablaze cinema halls if screenings of the film were not stopped.

DHONI IN TROUBLE

2008-02-22T01:26:00.000-08:00

Mahendra Singh Dhoni became the most expensive cricketer in the world following his Rs 6 crore bid by the Chennai franchisee in the DLF Indian Premier League but all is not hunky dory for him.
Dhoni is in the eye of a legal storm over unfulfilled ad commitments.
The Karnataka Soaps and Detergents Ltd, manufacturers of the Mysore Sandal brand of soaps, have cancelled their contract with him and slapped a legal notice on Dhoni.
"They were supposed to give us 10 days over two years against which they've only given us three days. For the balance seven days there's no committed dates. So we had to cancel the contract. That's why we've asked for damages of Rs 41 lakh," Anil Kumar of Karnataka Soaps and Detergents Ltd says.
Mysore Sandal is one of the most popular soap brands in the south.
And the reason Dhoni was roped in to promote it was to get a good foothold in north India as far as sales are concerned.
But the deal with one of the most expensive cricketers in the country has gone terribly awry for the state-owned company.
Mysore Sandal boasts of a 15 per cent market share in the south but has just eight per cent share in the north Indian market.
Dhoni became its brand ambassador at a cost of Rs 84 lakh in 2006. Dhoni's endorsing company Gameplan has now asked for arbitration in the case, but refused to comment on camera.

JODHAA AKBAR MORE LIKED THAN LAGAAN

2008-02-21T22:00:00.000-08:00

A week after his epic period film Jodhaa Akbar checked into the theatres, filmmaker Ashutosh Gowariker spoke to Anuradha SenGupta on the making of the film, the controversies surrounding it and what is it like being Ashutosh Gowariker, the auteur.
Anuradha SenGupta: What is your take on the public reaction on Jodhaa Akbar so far? Are people saying better than Swades but not quite Lagaan?
Ashutosh Gowariker: No in fact they are liking it more than Lagaan and Swades . And I can see why because they are liking the romance and the love story aspect in the film. People are also liking the grandeur - the battle scenes, the elephant fight and the lavishness and scale of the film.
Anuradha SenGupta: We have been hearing about the protests against the film. Some people are saying that there are certain inaccuracies in the film and it revolves around the fact that Jodhaa is not Akbar's wife but his daughter-in-law according to their interpretation of history. You have been going blue in the face that the allegations are incorrect, the origins of the person are sketchy in any case and the dynasty, that she is shown to belong, has no problems with the attribution. Is there more to these protests than meets the eye?
Ashutosh Gowariker: I think the History books are probably leading to that confusion. The more the History books, the more different names that are being attributed to Raja Bharmal's daughter. There are several names. So when I started my research even I was quite taken aback that no historian meets eye to eye because each historian does his own interpretation and analysis and presents history.
So when you have six different names going for that princess, there are at least three who call her Jodhaa Bai. And on the other hand you have someone like Satish Chandra saab who has written Medieval India , which is the book that everyone in Rajasthan is referring to. He talks about the daughter of Udai Singh, also known as Mota Raja, who was given to Jehangir. Now he mentions that her name is Jagat Gosain. I also think that there is a difference between Jodh Bai and Jodhaa Bai. So the confusion is within the History books.
Anuradha SenGupta: So you are saying that you understand where these protests are coming from. You don't think that maybe somewhere hidden in these protests, like some people are saying, that there is an anti Hindu-Muslim love story sentiment. You don't think so?
Ashutosh Gowariker: No, I don't.
Anuradha SenGupta: You don't think these protests are motivated by that larger protest, which nobody is articulating.
Ashutosh Gowariker: No, I don't think so because nobody will be shy in articulating it. So here if we have a Rajput lobby that has reservations about the name, I empathise with them because I went through the same thing. At the start of the film I have given a disclaimer, which says that there are several names but I am using Jodhaa because it is the most popular name.
Anuradha SenGupta: You have explained your stand. But do you sense the protesters - the Rajput Karni Sena - are accepting your argument?
Ashutosh Gowariker: At the moment they are not, but I am trying to explain to them again and again that...you know no way in the film has Rajput honour and dignity been disturbed. That is because as a filmmaker I have certain responsibilities and I know them very well. I in no way as a filmmaker would want to disturb any community's honour or pride, or for that matter a woman's pride.
Anuradha SenGupta: Are they saying that that's what you have done because their argument seems to be based on the historical inaccuracy issue. But hidden in that do you see them saying that you have dishonoured them?
Ashutosh Gowariker: What they are saying is that they find it preposterous that the film is aboutâ€¦ that if she is called Jodhaa it will seem that a father-in-law is having a romance with his daughter-in-law. And they are saying this because of the name.
Anuradha SenGupta: What is the total material impact of all this on the fortunes of the film because we know that Rajasthan is not screening the film. We have also heard of sporadic incidents in Gujarat, Madhya Pradesh and even in Gurgaon, Haryana.
Ashutosh Gowariker: I will know how much the loss is by the end of the week, but it is not economic loss anymore. For me if I think in terms of what are my gains when I make a movie I wouldn't be making a film set in the 16th Century. I would make a nice thriller at a much cheaper budget and release it. That would give me much more returns. My main concern right now and my heartfelt desire is that the film releases in Rajasthan.
Anuradha SenGupta: You have said that you expect the audience to be ruthless because you yourself are part of the audience and therefore ruthless. Okay I have seen your film...
Ashutosh Gowariker: You can please be ruthless.
Anuradha SenGupta: One thing that I felt missing historically was the fact that... I am pretty sure that Emperor Akbar was a polygamist. We also know that she (Jodhaa) is taken to what is part of the harem and yet there are no other wives or concubines. Why?
Ashutosh Gowariker: Reason is because as it is the story in my hands had reached a length of three hours and 20 minutes. There are many more things in Akbar and Jodhaa's life that I would have loved to bring to the screen but I cannot because it goes beyond the scope of the film.
Anuradha SenGupta: The other question that I was coming to is why in three hours and 20 minutes did you not find enough space for any of the nine gems?
Ashutosh Gowariker: The Navratnas came in much later. They formed when Akbar became much mature in age, around 40.
Anuradha SenGupta: This is clearly when he is really coming of age, in that sense.
Ashutosh Gowariker: Yes, because whenever we say Akbar we only think of Akbar-Birbal in which he is 55 years old or we think of Mughal-e-Azam when he is 60 years old. And if we say Navratnas or his religion which he formed creatively - Din-e-Illahi, that came in when he was 55 years old.
Now all of this is beyond the scope of the film. But I wanted to put in seeds of his thought process. So if you see the scene before the song Jashan-e-Bahara you have the ulemas telling him about love in heaven and he finds himself getting attracted to music. There is a questioning that has already begun in him. What interested me was that here is a love story but while telling it we must also see the making of an emperor.
Anuradha SenGupta: A lot of people coming out of the theaters are reacting most positively to the amazing love story. For you personally as a filmmaker at some point did the film become more about Akbar, the individual, and less about Akbar and Jodhaa, the love story?
Ashutosh Gowariker: Maybe, maybe not but even if it does become about Akbar it becomes that because of Jodhaa especially when both are influencing each other by way of their backgrounds.
Anuradha SenGupta: It's very clear that you are an idealist. Your movies that we have seen so far, we are not talking about the first two...
Ashutosh Gowariker: No, no don't do that. They are my takeoff points. You can call them phase I. But I can't remove them from my life because that phase I was very necessary for me to set up and write a Lagaan or a Swades .
Anuradha SenGupta: With all due respect to phase I and after phase II starts there is a clear sense that Ashutosh Gowariker, the filmmaker is an idealist. You have these stories, which are very telling but you also think of what this world should be like and therefore what we could be like. Correct?
Ashutosh Gowariker: Yes.
Anuradha SenGupta: Do you have no bones about admitting the fact that your films are about a message and a view of the world that you are trying to put out.
Ashutosh Gowariker: Be it Lagaan ( a period drama) or Swades (a social drama), I have just poured my thoughts into those films especially with regard to our world, society and our nation. I really believe that patriotism is something that we are inborn with. You don't have to tell a child that he is an Indian and he should be proud to be one. What needs to be inculcated in us is nationalism because that is dormant in all of us. This needs to be given more lift and power. We need to make people realise how we need to work for the upliftment of our country. So for me these things are very important and if I can bring those themes in while telling an entertaining story then why not? That is because my experience of going to the movies has always been fulfilling. When I have seen a film and gone home...
Anuradha SenGupta: ...It made food for thought.
Ashutosh Gowariker: Yes, food for thought is what makes a film memorable.
Anuradha SenGupta: A lot of filmmakers see this as a bad thing. They want to be appreciated for being an entertainer first and last sometimes. Not so with you.
Ashutosh Gowariker: No, that balance can go wrong certain times. Ultimately you are trying to put all your thoughts into one movie. And you have only one chance to get it right. Sometimes you get it right and sometimes you don't. I obviously want entertainment to be the first aspect because without it the message cannot go too far. But sometimes you can go topsy-turvy in that.
Anuradha SenGupta: Ashutosh Gowariker, the auteur. You have a signature style amongst other things - idealism, subtle style of storytelling and length. What is thing with length?
Ashutosh Gowariker: I have analysed this thing myself.
Anuradha SenGupta: And we know the reasons. This one is a drama genre so it requires time to be told. Swades is documentary style. The man leaves US comes to a village, slow-paced lifestyle and so the movie needs to go with the pace. I understand that and know all your reasons for the duration. But you know what I feel? Are you hurting your film by giving it this a burden of duration and length? Because people are reacting to it negatively - but that's not the case with just you. And, it is not a challenge as a craftsperson to make a film which is able to convey exactly what you want and yet not feel long?
Ashutosh Gowariker: I am working towards that. I must tell you that it's all about a personality. A filmmaker's personality comes through in his movies. I am someone who is very calm and I like to analyse a lot. I like to mull over things before I arrive at a decision. I think these are three of the things, I could say, get translated in my storytelling. So if you ask me where I would be going next, I will not be jumping out with an answer. It's a persona-driven thing.
Anuradha SenGupta: And with it also comes the danger of, 'I am the director, this is my style and if you care for my storytelling, you need to accept me and my style,' correct?
Ashutosh Gowariker: No. There's no arrogance here. I would say when I started out with Jodhaa Akbar, my ambition was to make it a 2 hour 50 minutes film. When I looked at the scope of the film, I realised I cannot bring it in because I think this kind of film needs the tehzeeb , the salaams , the duas , the announcements of an emperor coming into court. Because it is due to these that the right ambiance, the right atmosphere is created. So I decided that let me not start cutting the film because it is long. But the next reaction that I get is that the audience did not get it.
Anuradha SenGupta: You think so?
Ashutosh Gowariker: Absolutely. I like to balance something called an intelligence audience as well as someone who needs it to be spelt out to be him/her.
Anuradha SenGupta: In fact, all the scenes in your film which were about the setting, the political times, the social structure, all the plots which added up to that whole, seemed like Amar Chitra Katha.
Ashutosh Gowariker: It is. You know it's a compliment.
Anuradha SenGupta: Though I am not sure if I meant it like that. For instance, when Jodhaa's father decides to barter his daughter to broker peace, it's a huge conflict. We didn't seem to see that. We saw something like and Amar Chitra Katha storyboard. The other stories that set up the context of the Akbar-Johaa main story, seem to lack the kind of complexity which they could have had - something which perhaps an adult could have enjoyed a lot more.
Ashutosh Gowariker: This question is, in a manner, going to break open the craft. My take off point was Amar Chitra Katha. I grew up on Amar Chitra Katha and I loved its simplicity. I want the film and the film's message go across to every nook and corner of the nation and the world. Now a sophisticated audience might see it and feel it's elementary. But even if it's elementary, when you are making a film, trying to cater to a wider audience, there's certain leeway you need to take. Like a chef, you need to make the dish palatable for everyone. That's the style you need to communicate to maximum number of people.
Anuradha SenGupta: It's not necessarily your first choice?
Ashutosh Gowariker: No. For example, I had employed the same style in Lagaan and I have applied the same style to Jodhaa Akbar . Swades was slightly more cerebral. Swades had a few moments which were for a more intelligent audience. They got it. They liked it. There's another section which wanted that much of information by the way of dialogue. In hindsight, when they watch it now on TV, they like it. That's because they have calmed down in their approach towards the film.
Anuradha SenGupta: Hyder Ali and you co-wrote this film and while you did a lot of research which helped you imagine the Akbar Jodhaa story, what made you imagine this lovely human being - Akbar? You have a man who seems to respect the woman, gives her choice. In 16th century, wasn't it a bit unimaginable?
Ashutosh Gowariker: The first question we asked was - if Babar established Mughal rule in India, why isn't he called great? If Shahjahan built the Taj Mahal, why isn't he called great? Why is so special about Akbar? There must be something. That was our first take off point. All our research - the Akbarnaama , Ain-e-Akbari and every book that there is - there is not a single history book I haven't gone through and I like to do the research myself because otherwise I don't experience it. Based on that we have created the characters of Akbar and Jodhaa. But here I must tell you it's 50 per cent of what we created and 50 per cent is what Hrithik Roshan has brought to the table. It's a combination of what we created on paper and what he aligned himself with the part. - which I think is fantastic. His whole physical presence, his good looks, his sensuality, his physicality as a warrior - I find his eyes to be very truthful. And there's a searching look in it.
Anuradha SenGupta: We know that the Akbar Jodhaa story started getting discussed even while you were working on Swades. Has the next thought begun?
Ashutosh Gowariker: It will not be a long film.
Anuradha SenGupta: Thank you for being so sporting and listening to all the feedback. But when we buy the ticket we have a right to the film.
Ashutosh Gowariker: Absolutely. I buy the line Ye public hai, ye sab jaanti hai.
Anuradha SenGupta: Thank you Ashutosh for being with us and we wish you all the best, as always.
Ashutosh Gowariker: Thanks a lot.

AJITH OR VIKRAM ??

2008-02-21T21:51:00.000-08:00

After the success of Billa, attempts to remake old hits have become the latest fad in the industry. Discussions are on at various levels to choose the right film which will have a contemporary feel and Kadiresan, producer of Polladavan has obtained the remake rights of super star’s Moondru Mugam which was a blockbuster hit during those times.
Now he is in the process of choosing the correct hero for the new venture and is considering Ajith and Vikram.Currently Kadiresan is producing a film with Dhanush and Vetrimaran and after this venture gets completed, the project of Moondru Mugam will commence if he gets the call sheet of any one of these actors. At this juncture it is interesting to note that Cheeyan had once replied that he would be interested to act in Moondru Mugam if it were to be remade. Perhaps after he completes Kanthaswamy, he may consider this offer. Meanwhile Ajith is also busy in Aegan and fans should wait for a while to know which of their favorite actors will feature in this remake.

DASAVATHARAM CREATES RECORD

2008-02-21T21:32:00.000-08:00

Even before the news that Sony BMG taken the music rights of ‘Dasavadharam’ could die down, here comes more news about this mega-budget movie.
By now we are all aware that Kamal Haasan will be appearing in ten different makeovers in this film, and one of them will be like a famous Sardarji singer. A few more pictures have been released, one of which shows the ‘Ulaga Nayagan’ jumping in the air in a Sardarji makeover. The makeup is too good that it fits Kamal like a glove.
The producer of this flick Oscar Ravichandran has spent around 50 crores in the making of ‘Dasavadharam’. It is confirmed that ‘Dasavadharam’ will hit theatres on April 10, 2008. The film is a tri-lingual as it is being shot in Tamil, Telugu and Hindi. Kamal has dubbed in Hindi and Tamil, and with regards to Telugu, play back singer S.P. Balasubramaniyam is dubbing for the actor.
‘Dasavadharam’ will see the release of 1000 prints. There are lots of highlights as far as this film is concerned. It will see the comeback of actress Jayapradha in Tamil after a hiatus. The actress has a special appearance in this film. The film also stars yester year comedian Nagesh, Napolean, R. Sunderrajan, Ramesh Khanna, M. S. Baskar, K. R. Vijaya and Rekha.
The music launch of ‘Dasavadharam’ will take place towards the end of March from Nehru indoor stadium, Chennai. Hollywood actor, Jackie Chan, will be the Chief Guest and will release the audio. The music launch will be a star studded one with hi-fi film celebrities like Rajinikanth, Amitabh Bachchan, Mammootty, Shah Rukh Khan, Aishwariya Rai Bachchan, and Telugu Star Venkatesh gracing the music launch.
With so much hype on ‘Dasavadharam’ hitting the stands on a daily basis, we hope this film will satiate the desires of all the fans.

RAJNI'S KUSELAN

2008-02-21T09:41:00.001-08:00

These days the fans of the superstar seem to have adopted a new trick and are less irritated when they don’t get to meet their superstar in his office,‘Ragavendra Mandapam’.
If they don’t get to meet their hero they land up at director P. Vasu’s house. They confront the director with a thousand questions regarding the superstar and their idol’s next films. They ask these questions based on the various news stories that are flashed non-stop on the media.
It is reported that the fans of the superstar have also requested the director to direct their idol as how they would want to enjoy him on screen. The fans’ fears might be because there was a recent news doing the rounds that Rajini might only appear in a small role in his next film ‘Kuselan’ being directed by P. Vasu.
It is said that, the director, on his front, after patiently hearing to the fans has assured them that they can get to see their superstar through out the film, singing and fighting in his usual trademark style. This connection between the fans and the director is quite unique.
Meanwhile, work on the ‘Kuselan’ front is going on in full swing. Young music director G. V. Prakash has started compiling music at Chennai Palm Grove Hotel. It seems he has done almost 100 compositions out of which only two have been short-listed. Reports say that the music director is working hard for a chart-buster song as an introduction for the superstar.

ASH-ABHISHEK & MANI RATNAM

2008-02-21T09:37:00.001-08:00

It seems like director Manirathnam has zoomed in on his favorite real life pair yet again.
If reports are to be believed then Abhishek Bachchan and Aishwarya Rai Bachchan will soon come together for a romance drama that will take shape under Manirathnam’s lens. If this film materializes then it will the third film together for Manirathnam-Abhishek duo.
Abhishek has acted in two films of Manirathnam already, ‘Yuva’ and ‘Guru’. While ‘Yuva’ essayed a very rough character for Abhishek, ‘Guru’ showed him as top level industrialist who had to fight his way to the top -- a real life story. This third film is rumored to be the best of Manirathnam’s romance pictures.
Manirathnam is known for bringing out the best acting skills from his actors, which is depicted very naturally in all his films. This new project being a romantic one is yet to be titled. With Abhi and Aish playing the lead role, it will be a feast for the audience to see chemistry that this real life couple can work out in reel life.
Aishwarya has acted in Manirathnam’s Tamil film ‘Iruvar’ and his more recent ‘Guru’

PONTING SURPRISED AT HIS LOW PRICE

2008-02-20T23:42:00.000-08:00

Ricky Ponting says he is disappointed he did not sell for more at Wednesday's Indian Premier League (IPL) auction, where he was valued nearly US$1 million lower than Andrew Symonds. However, Ponting said there would be no friction in the Australian dressing room following the bidding war, during which he went to Kolkata for $400,000.
"I thought I might have been able to attract a little bit more than that," Ponting said. "The fact I haven't made a lot of runs over the last couple of weeks probably hasn't helped much. But realistically we as Australian players probably won't be able to take part in the first couple of years of the event anyway."
Symonds, who Hyderabad purchased for $1.35m, has not had a strong CB Series either, while the in-form Brett Lee fetched $900,000. Ponting, Matthew Hayden ($375,000) and Michael Hussey (350,00) may have been under-valued, however Ponting said there would be nothing but light-hearted banter in the Australian camp.
"I'll have a bit of a laugh and joke with everybody today," he said. "I've already sent Symmo a few messages saying that any time I go out with him from now on it's his shout, which is not always the case with Symmo either, he's pretty much the first one to dodge a shout whenever he can."
Both Australia and Sri Lanka must put the monstrous pay-cheques out of their minds while they keep pushing to win the CB Series, which continues with a clash between the two sides in Melbourne on Friday. Like Australia, there were some lofty price-tags placed on Sri Lanka players, notably Sanath Jayasuriya, who went to Mumbai for $975,000.
Mahela Jayawardene was sold to Mohali for $475,000 and he will be in familiar company, with Kumar Sangakkara also at the franchise which will be coached by Tom Moody, their former mentor of the national side. Jayawardene said there were "a few happy faces" after the auction.
"It's good that it's over now and we can concentrate [although] we were never that much focused on IPL," Jayawardene said. "This is the start of a good event and it will probably be very successful. All the guys are very keen, it'll be great.
"I had a chat to Tom last night, that's about it. It was a good chat we had and he just sent a text saying welcome back. Both Kumar and myself, it will be good to work with him again. [But] IPL is in April, so we have got much more cricket ahead of us before IPL."
At least Sri Lanka's players should be free of other commitments at the time, whereas Australia have tours of Pakistan and West Indies that are complicating matters. Last week Ponting called for the IPL to be included in the Future Tours Programme to allow all players from all nations the chance to participate and he said it was now even more important the ICC considers the idea.
"I read a few things in the paper a couple of days after [I first said] that," he said. "Some people sat back and had a bit of a laugh and joke at what I had to say about it.
"I think everyone now understands that with the amount of money that's been bandied around and spent over the last couple of days there is going to be some tough decisions to be made for international cricketers. If it doesn't fit into an international programme then you could see lots and lots of very good Test and one-day players just giving it up and going and playing in the Twenty20 tournament."

DETAILS OF AUCTIONS

2008-02-20T09:45:00.000-08:00

Jaipur :
Shane Warne (US$450,000), Graeme Smith (US$475,000), Younis Khan (US$225,000), Kamran Akmal (US$150,000), Yusuf Pathan (US$475,000), Mohammad Kaif (US$675,000), Munaf Patel (US$275,000), Justin Langer (US$200,000)
Chennai:
MS Dhoni (US$1.5 million), Muttiah Muralitharan (US$600,000), Matthew Hayden (US$375,000), Jacob Oram (US$675,000), Stephen Fleming (US$350,000), Parthiv Patel (US$325,000), Joginder Sharma (US$225,000), Albie Morkel (US$675,000), Suresh Raina (US$650,000), Makhaya Ntini (US$200,000), Michael Hussey (US$350,000)
Mumbai:
Sachin Tendulkar (icon), Sanath Jayasuriya (US$975,000), Harbhajan Singh (US$850,000), Shaun Pollock (US$550,000), Robin Uthappa (US$800,000), Lasith Malinga (US$350,000), Dilhara Fernando (US$150,000), Loots Bosman (US$175,000)
Bangalore :
Rahul Dravid (icon), Anil Kumble (US$500,000), Jacques Kallis (US$900,000), Zaheer Khan (US$450,000), Mark Boucher (US$450,000), Cameron White (US$500,000), Wasim Jaffer (US$150,000), Dale Steyn (US$325,000), Nathan Bracken (US$325,000), Shivnarine Chanderpaul (US$200,000)
Hyderabad:
Adam Gilchrist (US$700,000), Andrew Symonds (US$1.35 million), Herschelle Gibbs (US$575,000), Shahid Afridi (US$675,000), Scott Styris (US$175,000), VVS Laxman (US$375,000), Rohit Sharma (US$750,000), Chamara Silva (US$100,000), RP Singh (US$875,000), Chaminda Vaas (US$200,000), Nuwan Zoysa (US$110,000)
Mohali:
Yuvraj Singh (icon), Mahela Jayawardene (US$475,000), Kumar Sangakkara (US$700,000), Brett Lee (US$900,000), Sreesanth (US$625,000), Irfan Pathan (US$925,000), Ramesh Powar (US$170,000), Piyush Chawla (US$400,000), Simon Katich (US$200,000), Ramnaresh Sarwan (US$225,000)
Kolkata:
Sourav Ganguly (icon), Shoaib Akhtar (US$425,000), Ricky Ponting (US$400,000), Brendon McCullum (US$700,000), Chris Gayle (US$800,000), Ajit Agarkar (US$330,000), David Hussey (US$675,000), Ishant Sharma (US$950,000), Murali Kartik (US$425,000), Umar Gul (US$150,000), Tatenda Taibu (US$125,000)
Delhi :
Virender Sehwag (icon), Daniel Vettori (US$625,000), Shoaib Malik (US$500,000), Mohammad Asif (US$650,000), AB de Villiers (US$300,000), Dinesh Karthik (US$525,000), Farveez Maharoof (US$225,000), Tillakaratne Dilshan (US$250,000), Manoj Tiwary (US$675,000), Gautam Gambhir (US$725,000), Glenn McGrath (US$350,000)

IPL PLAYER AUCTIONS

2008-02-20T09:43:00.000-08:00

Indian one-day captain Mahendra Dhoni and Australian all-rounder Andrew Symonds topped the bidding as teams spent big ahead of the inaugural Twenty20 Indian Premier League (IPL).
Chennai splashed out $1.5 million for Dhoni while Hyderabad paid $1.35m for Symonds at a glitzy auction to determine who plays where in the IPL tournament starting in April.
"It is amazing drama," Inderjit Bindra, a member of the IPL governing council, told reporters. "The market is determining the price. That's how a free market economy should flow."
Dhoni was snapped up by the southern metropolis side in the first round of the sale.
Retired Australian spin bowler Shane Warne was the first player to go under the hammer in a five-star Mumbai hotel conference room filled with cricketers, celebrities and tycoons, fetching $450,000 from Jaipur.
The team will pay the winning bid to the player annually. The contracts are for a three-year period and are guaranteed by the Indian cricket board.
India's multitude private television channels flashed developments by the minute sending the cricket-crazy country into a frenzy.
Indian paceman Ishant Sharma was bought by Kolkata for $950,000 and his partner Rudra Pratap Singh fetched $875,000 and was bought by Hyderabad.
Warne's compatriot fast bowler Brett Lee was snapped up by Mohali for $900,000 while Australia captain Ricky Ponting was bought by Kolkata for $400,000.
MOST VALUABLE
The Mumbai franchise, which has Sachin Tendulkar as the designated city player and is owned by India's most valuable company Reliance Industries, paid $975,000 for Sri Lankan Sanath Jayasuriya and $850,000 for India spinner Harbhajan Singh.
The eight franchise teams of the IPL -- Bangalore, Chennai, Delhi, Hyderabad, Jaipur, Kolkata, Mohali and Mumbai -- had a budget of up to $5 million each for a maximum of eight contracted players.
They bid from a pool of 78 players and the main segment of the closed-door auction lasted for over seven hours.
The 44-day IPL starts on April 18 and will feature 59 matches.
No single event has made global cricket news in this manner since Kerry Packer's circuit did over thirty years ago, but unlike the IPL, the late Australian media magnate's event was a breakaway league.
Some of the country's biggest companies, including spirit company UB Group, have bought franchises. Bollywood stars Shah Rukh Khan and Preity Zinta have bought into the Kolkata and Mohali franchises, adding further glamour to the league.
Zinta, who accompanied IPL chairman Lalit Modi for one of the media announcements, clapped in glee when Modi announced to reporters that India pacer Shanthakumaran Sreesanth was bought by Mohali for $625,000. Mohali also bought India all-rounder Irfan Pathan for $925,000.
Australian wicketkeeper Adam Gilchrist, who last month retired from test cricket, went to Hyderabad for $700,000. Sri Lanka's Muttiah Muralitharan went to Chennai for $600,000.
The players were bid in sets of 12 according to their annual base price, multiple-skills and expected availability for the inaugural year.
Retired Australian fast bowler Glenn McGrath and Pakistan's Mohammad Yousuf were among players who did not find buyers in the main round. They will be re-presented for auction later on Wednesday.

YUVRAJ BACK IN SCINTILLATING FORM

2008-02-19T05:59:00.000-08:00

Yuvraj is back!
We were able to see the old yuvi again in this crucial 8th ODI in Commenwealth Bank Series.
Yuvi suffered in loss of form in the last few matches in ODI's and also in the Test Series
He had an average of about 4 before the last 2 matches in Australia.
He was able to get some touch in the last game against Australia
In today's game he spent more time in the crease and was in great touch as he helped India to win this match and making sitting comfortable in the points table.
India needs atleast 1 more win to book a place in the finals
Yuvi's form now will be a booster to India as they are getting ready to meet the Australian's this Sunday.Hope that match would be worth watching for all the viewers.

INDIA BEAT SRILANKA IN A NAIL BITTER

2008-02-19T05:54:00.000-08:00

Sri Lanka's chances of making the finals of the Tri-Series have suffered a blow with a close loss to India at the Adelaide Oval.
The Indian captain MS Dhoni with an unbeaten 50 guided his side home with just 5 balls to spare. It was 8/239 in reply to Sri Lanka’s 6/238 off their 50 overs.
Sri Lanka won the toss and were 2 for 6 in the third over after Jayasuriya was run out at the non-striker’s end for nought. Sangakarra 128 and captain Jayawardene 71 led the recovery with a partnership of 153. The recovery was slow with lots of singles and then the acceleration in the end helped by Silva’s 21.
Sri Lanka 6/238 off their 50 overs .
There were 3 run outs, including one brilliant one by Rohit to remove Kapugedera for 1. For India, Pathan took 1/44, Munaf Patel 1/38 and Harbhajan 1/54
Sachin Tendulkar was bowled by Malinga for 0 in the second over with a stunning delivery. However it was Yuvraj’s return to form with 76 off 70 balls that set up India’s victory. He hit 1 six and 10 fours and played some explosive shots.
Vaas produced a superb delivery to dismiss Yuvraj, and when Kumar swung wildly and was bowled by Amerasinghe for 6 it was 7/229.
Malinga had Harbhajan LBW for 3 and it was tight at 8/236 with one over to go.
A wide and then a 2 appropriately to Dhoni and India won with 5 balls to spare. Dhoni, the captain, no boundaries in 129 minutes led from the front and Sharma was there nought not out - 8/239 to Sri Lanka’s 6/238. For Sri Lanka, Amerasinghe took 3/49 off 10 overs and Malinga 2/37 from 10.
The table is Australia 17 points from 5 matches, India 12 from 6 matches and Sri Lanka 6 from 5 matches.
The Sri Lankan’s must defeat Australia at the MCG on Friday to stay in the race for the finals.

KAREENA IN HOLLYWOOD??

2008-02-18T04:53:00.001-08:00

Starting from ‘Tashan’ (With Akshay Kumar & Saif Ali Khan) she has more than a half-dozen films in her kitty. ‘Kambakth Ishq’ (With Akshay Kumar) ‘Golmaal Returns’ (With Ajay Devgan) ‘Agent Vinod’ (With Saif Ali Khan) and two yet-untitled films, one with Asthavinayak production firm, where she will pair with John Abraham and another yet-to-be titled film of Karan Johar. Her film list seems to be endless. Bebo is the Queen Bee when it comes to the endorsement bandwagon too. Her list of ad campaigns are Globus, ICI paints, Head & Shoulders shampoo, Boroplus cream, and Citizen watches. Kareena certainly seems to be making headlines for all the right reasons. Close on the heels of this super success comes another clincher. Reports have it that this Kapoor girl has recently been approached by a couple of Hollywood biggies. After the super success of ‘Jab We Met’ Hollywood too seems to be beckoning Kareena.
A source reveals that "Kareena has been high on the popularity stakes for sometime now. The super success of ‘Jab We Met’ has catapulted her into the top league. Hollywood is definitely looking at her. It is reported that she is going to be in Los Angeles in May to shoot for Sajid Nadiadwala's ‘Kambakth Ishq’.
She has been offered two top line Hollywood projects and she will be listening to the scripts. A low-key meeting has been planned in May when she is there to finalize the details." Looks like Kareena is soon going to conquer Hollywood too. All the best

JODHAA AKBAR'S 'NO SHOW' COSTS DEARLY

2008-02-18T04:50:00.001-08:00

The producers and distributors of Jodhaa Akbar, United Motion Pictures (UMP) and multiplexes came to a consensus late last weekend over revenue share terms. The terms have been settled at 50, 41 for the Mumbai area and 45, 37½ for Gujarat area. For the other cities across India it has been settled at 50, 45.
The movie commenced screening from Saturday onwards with an average grossing to 10‑15 shows across various multiplexes.
Since there was no screening of ‘Jodhaa Akbar’in certain parts of the country on Friday, there was a loss of approximately 50 million INR. The producers and multiplexes have suffered a loss of Rs. 25 million which amounts to a huge 2.5 crore rupees each.
An industry expert has said, "Considering that the movie is a Hrithik - Aishwarya starrer, its second week business would be in approximately 50 million rupees in Mumbai city, out of which multiplexes would have contributed 30 million rupees which is around 3 crores.
Due to this uncertainty on Friday, the programming and bookings of other movies also went haywire at multiplexes. The show timings were not confirmed for most movies, or were the audiences given tickets in advance bookings.
PVR Cinemas was the only multiplex that played this film which grossed collections of approximately Rs 10 million (Rs 1 crore) on Friday. Additionally, on Thursday too PVR held paid previews of the show and collected 25 lakh rupees for the same.

AMITABH OR ARJUN??

2008-02-18T04:47:00.000-08:00

Hot news on ‘Robot’ is coming out almost everyday. The latest news on the mega budget movie is that Arjun will be playing an important role in this film.
It may be recalled that Arjun had acted in Shankar’s 'Gentleman' and ‘Mudhalvan’ which were super hits. Moreover, it is not the first time Arjun acting in a movie with a senior star. He has earlier acted in Kamal Haasan’s ‘Kuruthippunal’ in a very significant role. The nature of Arjun’s role in ‘Robot’ is yet to be known.
We have more hot news on the ‘Robot’ front. Director Shankar has roped in Amitabh Bachchan in to the film. Though Rajini and Amithabh have acted together in Hindi movies, it would be the first time that Big B starring in a Tamil movie.
On the first day of the shooting, Shankar shot Rajinikanth in various angles with different varieties of wigs and costumes. The photo session promises to bring more surprises about the movie.

AUSSIES WIN AGAINST INDIANS

2008-02-17T10:09:00.000-08:00

Mitchell Johnson took three wickets as Australia defeated India by 50 runs in a low-scoring tri-series One-Day International at Adelaide Oval on Sunday to move closer to a place in the tournament finals.India looked to have a great chance of winning when they restricted the Australians to 203 for nine but could only manage 153 in return as they were bowled out in the 42nd over. Michael Clarke was given the 'man of the match' award for his 79.His innings with brad hogg boosted the aussies to go past 200

Indians were off to a shaky start losing Sachin early.Then Gambhir tried to lift the scorecard but failed and indians were in great trouble at 59/4.Yuvraj and Dhoni added few runs before yuvi getting out for 26.Then after the fall of Dhoni,Harbajan & Uthappa there was no hope left for the Indians as the Aussies clinched a win with a Bonus point.

KATRINA NOT IN AEGAN?

2008-02-17T07:56:00.000-08:00

Katrina Kaif is not coming to Kollywood in the near future. It was reported earlier that she is going to be Ajit’s heroine in Raju Sundaram new film for Ayngaran International. The buzz is that on second thoughts, Katrina has decided to stay put in Bollywood, which is far more lucrative and career wise a better choice as far as she is concerned.Last year Katrina had an awesome record with Namaste London, Partner and Welcome being super hits. Her 2008 release list includes biggies like Race, Main Yuvraaj, Singh Is Kinng. Where does she have the time to do Kollywood films?Added to that, last week Katrina Kaif has inked a two-film deal with Studio 18 for Rs 6 crores. Katrina now joins the ranks of Bollywood actresses like Aishwarya Rai and Kareena Kapoor in terms of fees. She also signed a film with Yash Raj Films being directed by Kabir Khan, where she stars opposite John Abraham.Ajit and Raju Sundaram are in a big fix, as they were depending on Katrina joining them in the first week of March for the talkie portion of the film. Now they will have to start another heroine hunt in a hurry, as the project is already delayed. The grapevine is that Ajit and Raju are talking to all regular south Indian cinema heroines who have immediate dates available!

JACKIE CHAN AND DASAVATHARAM

2008-02-16T09:20:00.000-08:00

The Audio Launch of Kamal Hassan's "Dasavatharam" will be held within next few weeks
The buzz around the Kollywood industry is that Jackie Chan is expected to be the Chief Guest for the audio launch function of Dasavatharam
Dasavatharam is film directed by K.S.Ravikumar in which Kamal Hassan appears in 10 different roles
This is the first indian film which has the hero in 10 different roles in a single film
Dasavatharam is expected to release in Tamil New Year day

HAS THE STORY FINALISED FOR "AEGAN"??

2008-02-16T08:16:00.000-08:00

It was said that the movie has kickstarted with story finalised.
But Ajith is not supposed to have interest in the story said by the director Raju Sundaram.
Then it was planned to remake Sharukh Khan's "Main Hoon Na".
But Ajith still not happy with the story has asked the director to choose a different story
So the director is consulting some story writers for finalising the project
More updates will be coming soon

AJITH'S NEXT FILM TITLED "AEGAN"

2008-02-16T08:13:00.000-08:00

The title of Ajith’s next movie, directed by Raju Sundaram is announced. ‘Aegan' will be the name in which Bollywood beauty Katrina Kaif makes her debut in Tamil films.
Earlier, it was said that the title would be Akbar. Now it has been finalized as Aegan, which means single man. Ajith, going by the title, might be seen as ‘one man army’ involved in a great mission in the movie.
Aegan also refers to lord Siva according to Hindu Mythology.
The first schedule of the movie is already over in Hong Kong and the next schedule is planned to be started soon in Ooty and Neelagiri. The movie is expected to be released around November, 2008

GILCHRIST EXTENDS HIS RECORD--Signs off in style in his home ground

2008-02-15T09:54:00.001-08:00

Perth: Australia's Adam Gilchrist registered his 16th ton in ODIs, against Sri Lanka here Friday, to extend his record for most ODI centuries by a wicketkeeper.
The left-hander's innings (118 off 132 balls) is his highest score at the Western Australian Cricket Association (WACA) ground. It was his second hundred at this venue, his first century having also come against Sri Lanka in the VB Triangular Series in 2005-06.
Gilchrist became the third batsman to record two hundreds at WACA, joining Australia's Dean Jones and South Africa's Jacques Kallis. Gilchrist has extended his record for most hundreds (6) in Australia-Sri Lanka ODIs. Ponting, with four centuries, is the next best.

Gilchrist's strike rate of 89.39 Friday was the slowest amongst his 16 centuries. His previous slowest innings of 100-plus was recorded at a strike rate of 96.15. It was his maiden ton against South Africa at Sydney in 1998. Of his 16 centuries, 13 were scored at a strike rate of 100 or more.
All of Gilchrist's 16 centuries have resulted in Australian victories. He and Ricky Ponting now share the record for most Man of the Match awards for Australia - 27.
Gilchrist and Michael Clarke put on 105 runs for the third wicket - a record for Australia against Sri Lanka. The stand is Australia's second best for the third wicket at WACA. Kepler Wessels and Kim Hughes had put on 119 against West Indies in February, 1984.

ENGLAND KEEPS SERIES ALIVE

2008-02-15T09:51:00.001-08:00

AUCKLAND, New Zealand - Ian Bell and Paul Collingwood scored half centuries as England beat New Zealand by six wickets with three overs to spare in the rain-affected third limited-overs cricket match Friday.
The win, achieved under the Duckworth-Lewis system, kept alive a five-match series which New Zealand now leads 2-1.
Bell made 83 in a partnership of 107 with Kevin Pietersen (41) and Collingwood blasted an unbeaten 70 from 50 balls to steer England home comfortably.
Earlier, Collingwood took three wickets, claimed a catch, set intelligent fields and expertly managed his bowlers as England, after winning the toss, restricted New Zealand to 234-9 in 50 overs.
England was 23-1 in reply when rain swept over Eden Park, reducing its innings to 47 overs and its winning target, under the Duckworth-Lewis system, to 229.
They were 31-2 when the previously out-of-form Bell and Pietersen combined in their century stand for the third wicket, which guided England towards victory.
Both Bell and Pietersen were out to contentious lbw decisions but Collingwood hit six fours and three sixes and put on 80 in an unbroken stand with Owais Shah (18 not out) to see England home.
"It was a top performance," Collingwood said. "After the two defeats we've had, to bounce back the way we did was excellent."
England lost the first match at Wellington by six wickets and the second at Hamilton on Tuesday by 10 wickets.
Collingwood had promised an improved performance, particularly over the Hamilton match in which England suffered one of its heaviest one-day defeats.
England was able to cheaply remove openers Brendon McCullum and Jesse Ryder, who blasted New Zealand to victory in Hamilton, and expose New Zealand's brittle middle order, reducing the home side to 64 -5.
"We got early wickets which is always important against New Zealand and we put them under pressure," Collingwood said. "The way the opening bowlers set the tone was outstanding."
Jacob Oram led the New Zealand fightback, batting from the 22nd to the 48th over to make 88 from 91 balls with four fours and four sixes. Oram shared partnerships of 31 for the sixth wicket with Ross Taylor (31), 74 for the seventh wicket with Daniel Vettori (42) and 30 for the eighth wicket with Kyle Mills which enable the Kiwis to post a semi-competitive total.
Collingwood finished with 3-43 from nine overs and was well supported by Stuart Broad who took 3-32 from 10. James Anderson took 2-41.
The fourth match in the series is next Wednesday in Napier. The teams will play a three-Test series in March.

JODAA AKBAR IN 26 COUNTRIES

2008-02-15T09:08:00.000-08:00

Jodhaa Akbar', the epic romance between Mughal Emperor Akbar and the fiery Rajput princess Jodhaa - a co-production between UTV Motion Pictures and Ashutosh Gowariker Productions - is set for an epic scale release worldwide on February 15, 2008.
Directed by Academy Award nominated director, Ashutosh Gowariker, 'Jodhaa Akbar' an epic romance, starring Aishwarya Rai Bachchan and Hrithik Roshan is set to release across 26 countries in USA, Europe, Asia and Middle East. The film will be dubbed in 3 languages - Hindi, Telegu, Tamil; and subtitled in English, Arabic and Dutch. In the biggest release ever for an Indian film, it will be viewed across 1500 screens worldwide.
In India alone the film is set to release in more than 1200 screens of which 500 will be through digital cinemas and 825 through physical prints. In the US, the film will be released on close to 122 prints, the highest ever for an Indian film. "Jodhaa Abkar is one of the most anticipated movies of the decade and in keeping with the unprecedented anticipation amongst audiences, our distribution strategy will ensure that the film can be viewed by the maximum possible audience in the very week of its release." says Siddharth Roy Kapur, Director, UTV Motion Pictures Plc.
The key distribution highlights:
Releasing at around 122 - 125 prints by far the biggest Hindi film release ever. With this film UTV is reinventing Distribution in North American continent. In Canada for the first a Hindi film is being released simultaneously in 6 provinces (British Columbia, Ontario, Quebec, Manitoba, Nova Scotia, Alberta) for the first time. Additionally the film is being released in Bal boa Theatre, San Francisco and Culver Plaza Theatre, Los Angeles - 2 well known art-house theatres for mainstream audiences, first for a mainstream Indian film. On Feb 14, there would be special screenings Citibank screenings in New York, Chicago, Houston, San Francisco.
UTV Motion Pictures has taken first of its kind steps to combat piracy of the film in North America and globally. As a part of the process to take preemptive measures, in the last few weeks US based film exhibitors have collectively identified 500 top retail stores stocking piracy. All these retailers have been sent legal warning letters to each of them through registered mail. Attached is a sample copy.
The music of 'Jodhaa Abkar' by maestro AR Rahman available on the UTV Music label, launched earlier in January 2008 and has proved to be the undisputed mogul on the music charts for the past few weeks.
Jodhaa Akbar- The Story
Set in the sixteenth century, this epic romance begins as a marriage of alliance between two cultures and religions, for political gain, with King Bharmal of Amer giving his daughter's hand to Emperor Akbar.When Akbar accepts the marriage proposal, little does he know that in his efforts to strengthen his relations with the Rajputs, he would in turn be embarking on a new journey- the journey of true love.
From the battlefield where the young Jalaluddin was crowned, through the conquests that won him the title of Akbar the Great, to winning the love of the beautiful Jodhaa. Jodhaa Akbar traces the impressive graph of the mighty emperor and his romance with defiant princess.

PREMIERE OF JODAA AKBAR

2008-02-15T09:07:00.001-08:00

The epic of Ashutosh Gowarikar ‘Jodhaa Akbar’ premiered at the IMAX theatre in Mumbai. The grand event saw the cream of Bollywood attending the function.
The lead characters of the film Hrithik and Aishwarya attended the premiere. Aishwarya’s husband Abhishek was there to wish his wife. Her in-laws Amitabh Bachchan and Jaya Bachchan were present at the premier to cheer their bahu.
Apart from the Bachchan family there were a lot of other stars, friends and well-wishers, who attended the premiere function. Actor Aamir Khan and his wife Kiran Rao were present. The renowned lyricist Javed Aktar was present at the event along with his actor wife Shabana Azmi.
Shathrugnan Sinha and his family, actress Rekha, Kangana Renaut, and many others were present to wish the entire team of ‘Jodhaa Akbar’ their best! We present to you some exclusive pictures taken on this grand screening.

ASH CONFIRMS ACTING IN ROBOT

2008-02-15T09:05:00.001-08:00

There was news making the rounds yesterday that we might not get to see the Bollywood beauty Aishwarya Rai acting opposite our superstar in the sci-fi flick ‘Robot’. The reason that was sighted that she wanted to have babies before she hits 35.
But Aishwarya herself has quashed all rumors and confirmed that she will be acting as Rajini’s heroine in Shankar-directed ‘Robot’. She has confirmed this in her latest interview to a private news channel.
Talks are going on that Aish will star in one more Manirathnam film soon. This film will be a bilingual in Hindi and tamil. The best part is that Aish will get to act opposite her Husband Abhishek Bachchan in this film too. The earlier film we saw the coming together of this real-life pair was in Manirathnam film ‘Guru’.
This whooping 125-crore big-budget film will soon start rolling, and we have reports that Aish has already received a whooping sum as advance for her role in this film. Aish has said that she has liked the script of ‘Robot’ in which she gets to essay a very different and novel role.
Now folks this confirmation from the lady herself has quashed all rumors suggesting that the Rajini-Aishwarya pair is jinxed!

WEDDING BELLS FOR SHREYA REDDY

2008-02-15T06:19:00.000-08:00

Shreya Reddy the vj turned actress is going to get married on march 8th
She will get married to Vikram Krishna who is Vishal's brother
Will Shreya Reddy continue her acting after marriage??
The answer is yes.
She will join the club of Ramya Krishnan,Jyothirmayee,Malavika etc
More news will be updated soon

EASY WIN OVER LANKANS

2008-02-15T06:10:00.000-08:00

AUSTRALIA have claimed a comfortable victory against Sri Lanka in the tri-series one-day international in Sydney, thumping the tourists by 128 runs.
Nathan Bracken was the hero for Australia, claiming career-best figures of 5-47 in a man-of-the-match dsiplay as the home side dismissed Sri Lanka for 125 in just 31.3 overs after making 6-253.
Bracken played down his efforts, saying he had had the benefit of playing for New South Wales at the SCG in recent Pura Cup, which helped him go to school in the local conditions - which suit his style of seam bowling.
Asked if his performance was his best effort for Australia, the Cricket World Cup winner said: "I think performance wise and results wise, yes."
The result saw Australia jump to the top of the table, after the first two matches of the triangular series were washed out, with seven points from a no-result and a bonus-point win from their two matches.
India are second on the ladder, with four points from two no-results, ahead of Sri Lanka, who have two points.
Australia captain Ricky Ponting said he always felt confident after his team's innings.
"I thought 250 batting first on that wicket was a pretty good total and our batsmen adapted really well," he said.
"Michael Clarke played a really sensible knock, not taking too many risks and making sure he was there at the end.
"I knew our bowlers would be able to take the pace off the ball and use the seam on the ball, and Nathan Bracken did a great job of doing that."
Sri Lanka captain Mahela Jayawardene, meanwhile, admitted that his top-order batsmen simply didn't do enough.
"We lost too many wickets up front and we are very disappointed with the performance," he said.
"We haven't been very consistent with our one-day form and we've been talking about it quite a bit.
"We thought we were getting back into it, but today was a very disappointing day.
"Against these guys you have to play A-grade cricket."
Clarke paced Australia's innings with a patient 77 not out, while retiring superstar Adam Gilchrist also battled hard on the two-paced pitch for 61 off 81 balls.
In reply, Sri Lanka lost openers Sanath Jayasuriya (7) and Upul Tharanga (10) in successive balls to the bowling of Brett Lee and Bracken.
Jaywardene (6) then took an unnecessary risk with the score on 57, and was caught behind off Mitchell Johnson.
Kumar Sangakkara anchored the Sri Lanka innings before Bracken struck a crucial blow in the 20th over, trapping the left hander leg before for 42 off 41 balls.
Sri Lankathen lost two more wickets in the next two overs as spinner Brad Hogg removed Chamara Silva, caught behind for 7, before Bracken had Chamara Kapugedera caught at slip for 0.
Sri Lanka had lost 3-10 in 13 balls, to be 6-84, to put victory out of their grasp. Bracken had Tillekeratne Dilshan (14) caught at long-off to claim his fourth scalp, and the paceman then removed Muttiah Muralidaran caught in the deep in his ninth over to end the match.
Ponting had earlier won the toss and elected to bat first in overcast conditions.
Matthew Hayden, returning from a hamstring injury, hit 42 to dominate an opening stand of 65 with Gilchrist, who hit three fours and one six in his 54th half-century.
Ponting (9), Andrew Symonds (12) and Mike Hussey (10) all failed before James Hopes made 34 off 29 balls in a 63-run partnership with Clarke. Hopes was out in the final over.
Muralidaran went wicketless and was then struck in the face by the ball while diving forward at mid-on in the 48th over. The 35-year-old immediately left the field for treatment.
Chaminda Vaas (2-34) was the pick of the Sri Lankan bowlers.