Gilly takes Chargers home, hits fastest IPL century

NDTV Reports: Adam Gilchrist produced a breathtaking hundred --- the fastest so far in the Indian Premier League --- to take Deccan Chargers to their first win. It meant that Mumbai Indians slumped to their fourth straight loss.

The former Australia wicketkeeper clubbed a 42-ball hundred with 10 sixes and nine fours making a joke of the 155-run target that Mumbai had set. Hyderabad were home by 10 wickets --- the biggest victory margin so far in the IPL --- with an astounding 44 balls to spare. Hyderabad captain VVS Laxman made 36, playing bass to Gilchrist's electrifying riffs.

At cricket's newest home, Navi Mumbai's DY Patil Sports Academy Stadium, hosts Mumbai were asked to bat and put up a disappointing show. Reduced to 79-4 in the 14th over, it took a couple of brisk thirties from local boy Abhishek Nayar and Dwayne Bravo to take them to respectability.

The Hyderabad seamers set up the win with some tight bowling. Leading them was RP Singh, with figures of 4-1-15-2. Sanjay Bangar bowled economically till an expensive third over that went for 16, while leg spinner Shahid Afridi carved a hole out of the Mumbai batting, dismissing the dangerous Sanath Jayasuriya and Robin Uthappa.

Mumbai now have immense problems at hands. They've had three captains so far in the IPL. Sachin Tendulkar hasn't played a game, Harbhajan Singh has been suspended and will probably receive a hefty ban, and Pollock couldn't get his side to perform in this dire situation.

For Chargers, it was a performance long overdue. A side that boasts of some of the most feared hitters in the game, they had played poorly up to this point. However, Gilchrist's magical touch could now turn things around for them in the tournament.

The Chargers were my favorite team from the onset of the tournament and finally they have shown what they're worth. Gilchrist hasn't lost his firepower even after retirement from both forms of the game. I hope this is just the beginning of the Chargers' winning streak.

I saw a report on this issue on NDTV 24x7 which is available here in the US only on DirecTV.

PCB to launch Pakistan Premier League in 2009

NDTV Reports:
The Pakistan Cricket Board will launch a new look Twenty20 domestic tournament next year on the lines of the Indian Premier League, offering franchises of city-based teams to sponsors and companies.

A senior official of the board said that this year's Twenty20 competition, which has been delayed until August 10, would be the last time that the popular domestic event would be held on regional basis and without team sponsors.

"From next year, we will offer franchise of teams like in the IPL to interested companies and individuals and work has already begun in this direction," the official said.

He said the Twenty20 national championship would also be expanded to possibly include foreign players.

"But that will definitely depend on the sort of money the companies and individuals buying the franchise of teams are willing to offer for overseas players," the official said.

"The fact is that Twenty20 leagues are now a popular form of cricket and we don't want to lag behind other countries in this regard," he said.

Its good to see other Cricket boards jumping on to T-20 bandwagon. Maybe a match between the teams form both the leagues can be arranged in the future on the lines of the European Football Leagues. It will be exciting to see the PCB league.

Kalam was to quit over Bihar: Book

Former President APJ Abdul Kalam left office a year ago but it seems people are still talking about his tenure.
I heard them talking on NDTV 24×7.

His senior most aide PM Nair has written a book The Kalam Effect: My Years With the President, which will be released on Thursday.

The book talks about some of the big controversies during the Presidency and indicates that Kalam was ready to quit after the whole controversy surrounding the dissolution of the Bihar Assembly.

Nair gave some juicy anecdotes about the former President, the attention he received as a bachelor.

NDTV 24×7 is a must for Indians living in the US. The news channel is available in the US through DirecTV.

No one can stop me on my day: Sehwag

NDTV Reports: After his buccaneering unbeaten 94 powered Delhi Daredevils to a comprehensive win against the Deccan Chargers in Hyderabad on Tuesday night, Virender Sehwag said none can really stop him when he gets going and it was one of those days.

After the hosts put on a modest 142 for 8 in their allotted 20 overs, Sehwag led from the front and slammed an unbeaten explosive 41-ball knock of 94 to guide his side to an easy nine-wicket victory in just 13 overs.

"Someone asked me yesterday what would be our strategy and I just told him if the day belongs to me, none can stop me. And it was such a day," said Sehwag whose swashbuckling innings earned him the Man of the Match award.

Sehwag was especially harsh on Andrew Symonds and Sanjay Bangar and he in fact milked 30 runs off an over from the Australian all-rounder.

His opposite number VVS Laxman said the batsmen did not put enough runs on the board to give the bowlers any cushion in the match.

"You see 142 was just not enough. We did not capitalise on the first six overs and then lost wickets at regular intervals. It is not easy for a new batsman to come and start playing his shots. we could not concentrate enough.

"It's extremely disappointing to lose in such a manner in front of the home crowd," Laxman rued.

It really was an exhilarating performance by Sehwag who seems to be back in his element. The Deccan Chargers i think are a fabulous team with some explosive players; Symonds, Gilchrist and Afridi to name a few. Guess it just wasn't their day.

Amitabh Bachchan turns blogger

Bollywood superstar Amitabh Bachchan has turned blogger with bigadda.com, a youth networking site, to connect with his fans worldwide.

Speaking about his new initiative, Bachchan said, ''bigb.bigadda.com allows me to express myself, share and reflect my emotions, thoughts, opinions and listen to what people have to say to me and show them the 'real' side to my larger than life image that they see through media. It's a platform which I control and share my own drama without anyone editing or interpreting my thoughts.''

Amitabh also posted his views on his upcoming film Bhootnath and asked readers responses.

Bigadda.com has gained a user base of 1.6 million, where 40 per cent users are from tier II cities like Tuticorin, Bhilai, Amritsar, Guwahati, Surat and Nashik.

The site gets almost 10 per cent of users from countries like Sri Lanka, Pakistan and from Indians from Dubai, United States and United Kingdom.

This news is available on NDTV 24x7. DirecTV make sit possible to access this channel in the US and also guarantees excellent picture and sound quality.

China expresses thanks for great Indian efforts for torch run

NDTV Reports: Relieved at the trouble-free Olympic torch relay in New Delhi, China on Friday appreciated the ''great efforts'' by the Indian government for its smooth run.

''China expresses its thanks for the warm support and participation of the Indian people and the great efforts by the Indian side,'' the Foreign Ministry spokesperson's office told PTI, a day after the relay passed off under a massive security cover in New Delhi.

Beijing was anxious about the smooth passage of the relay in India, home to an estimated population of about 150,000 Tibetans living in exile who have been staging repeated protests to draw global attention to alleged repression in Tibet, ahead of the Olympics here in August.

I believe in the sanctity of the Olympic Torch and believe that the Olympic Games are a human event and cant be hijacked by any country. But then the rights of the Tibetan people are also critical. Watched a report about this on NDTV last night... it was very well reported!

Met Department forecasts near normal monsoon this season

NDTV Reports: The south-west monsoon that is crucial for agriculture is likely to be near normal this year, the India Meteorological Department has forecast amid hopes that good summer rains would lead to easing price situation.

''India Meteorological Department's long range forecast for the 2008 south-west monsoon season (June-September) is that the rainfall for the country as a whole is likely to be near normal,'' Earth Sciences Minister Kapil Sibal told reporters in Delhi.

Quantitatively, monsoon season rainfall is likely to be 99 per cent of the long period average with a model error of five per cent.

This is some real good news for India. he monsoons still play a huge role in our country's economy as agriculture depends mostly on the rains for water. Watched a report about this on NDTV last night. I'm glad i can stay in touch with all thenews about India through NDTV 24x7 which is available here in the US on DirecTV.

With 100 hours left, IPL gets ready for trial by fire

Millions have already been spent. More will be spent in the next few days. But who gets to show the matches of the Indian Premier League (IPL), the world's most lucrative cricket event, or who gets to see them is still not clear.

The stand-off, with the IPL management on one side and media - both print and electronic - on the other, has not been resolved yet, though the IPL top brass says that all outstanding issues relating to the media have been sorted out.

The National Broadcasters Association (NBA), a group of broadcasters, is said to be holding meetings on how to deal with this issue and the dreaded word 'boycott' has figured often enough.

The championship has also raised security concerns in the cities the matches are being played as nothing has been heard about transport arrangements after the matches late in the night.

Security after the match is causing concern in Delhi and Mumbai as the police forces want a greater say in matters.

Then there is a lack of information on ticket sales and disputes on entertainment tax on tickets. All these things put together are making IPL's debut a trial by fire.

While many cities have started ticket sales, some franchises have not yet started them. In cities like Delhi (Daredevils), Kolkata (Knight Riders), Bangalore (Royal Challengers) and Mohali (Kings XI Punjab) sales have started, but the response is said to be lukewarm still.

In Kolkata, Shah Rukh Khan's team is said to be facing a lot of problems in trying to get exemption on entertainment tax. While the franchises are claiming it to be a sport, the state governments are said to be saying that it is also entertainment, as can be seen by the involvement of Bollywood stars and their performances. Other franchises are also likely to encounter the problem over next few days.

On entertainment tax, the West Bengal government is believed to have agreed to charge three percent on the entertainment component of 35 minutes of the 195 minutes' match duration.

And, finally, even as overseas players are joining their respective teams, there are questions on who will be available for how many matches as Pakistan, Australia, Bangladesh and West Indies are going to be engaged in international Test and ODI series.

Any major tournament on this massive scale will have issues that need to be sorted, till the last moment. But lets not forget that, over-all this has been a well organized event right from the start. I hope these issues get sorted soon and we can finally take the pleasure of watching some quality cricket. Dont forget to catch the post match analysis of IPL on NDTV 24x7 only on DirecTV here in the US.

Ishant Shines, South Africa bowled out for 265

Spinner Harbhajan Singh and pace bowler Ishant Sharma have shared six wickets as India wrested control of the deciding third Test away from South Africa on day one.

India bowled South Africa out for 265 on Friday, after the tourists were at one stage 152-1 and in firm control of the match approaching tea.

Harbhajan Singh (3-52) and Sharma (3-53) brought India back into the game, heightening its chances of winning the final test to square the series. However the pitch was already exhibiting uneven bounce, and India will face a challenge on Saturday to match South Africa's first innings total.

South Africa captain Graeme Smith (69), Hashim Amla (51) and Jacques Kallis (1) fell in the space of 27 deliveries as South Africa moved to 161-4 after two sessions. Ashwell Prince (10) and AB de Villiers (3) were the not-out batsmen.

South Africa were 80-1 at lunch, needing only a draw to win the series. It was an important toss to win, with South Africa avoiding having to bat last on a pitch expected to strongly assist spinners as the match proceeds.

The South African openers, Graeme Smith and McKenzie, played cautiously to give the visitors a solid start before Chawla got rid of McKenzie with a gem of a flighted delivery and provided the much-needed breakthough.

Neil McKenzie (36) was the only batsman to fall in the first session, stumped by India's stand-in skipper Mahendra Singh Dhoni in leg-spinner Piyush Chawla's first over after he played down the wrong line when stepping out for an aggressive shot.

Earlier, Anil Kumble was ruled out of the final Test because of a groin injury.

The 37-year-old leg-spinner, India's most successful bowler, failed to recover from the injury, leaving one-day captain Mahendra Singh Dhoni to lead the team for the first time in Tests.

India included leg-spinner Piyush Chawla in place of Kumble and recalled fit-again paceman Ishant Sharma and batsman Yuvraj Singh.

The tourists lead 1-0 after crushing India by an innings and 90 runs on a lively pitch in the second Test in Ahmedabad, a victory that brought them close to claiming an Asian treble after wins in Pakistan in November last year and Bangladesh last month.

Teams:

India: Wasim Jaffer, Virender Sehwag, Rahul Dravid, Saurav Ganguly, Vangipurappu Laxman, Yuvraj Singh, Mahendra Dhoni (captain), Harbhajan Singh, Piyush Chawla, Shanthakumaran Sreesanth, Ishant Sharma.

South Africa: Graeme Smith (captain), Neil McKenzie, Hashim Amla, Jacques Kallis, AB de Villiers, Ashwell Prince, Mark Boucher, Morne Morkel, Paul Harris, Dale Steyn, Makhaya Ntini.

It will be interesting to see what happens in Kanpur tomorrow. India have done a good job today but its important to carry the gains forward and make use of them. Its the responsibility of the batsmen. Cant wait to watch the analysis of today's play on the NDTV cricket show. You need a DirecTV subscription to view DirecTV here in the US.

Scindia sets agenda for new responsibility

NDTV reports: Providing cheaper communication facilities, upgrading the ailing postal system and taking India to the next level of development in IT are high on new Minister of State for Communications and IT Jyotiraditya Scindia's agenda.

''We have to ensure that the common man gets a product with the best quality and price. There exists a lot of asymmetry in communications today which we have to remove and involve every man in this revolution,'' said the minister who took charge in New Delhi on Wednesday.

''In IT, India should now look beyond being the back-office of the world. There should not be any reason why semiconductor fabrication units cannot be set up in India,'' he added.

''Another area that needs to be upgraded is the Department of Posts, which is present in every corner of the country. It must become our window to the world.''

Son of Madhavrao Scindia, a charismatic leader and seasoned politician who died in a plane crash in September 2001, Jyotiraditya Scindia was first elected to the Lok Sabha from his father's old constituency Guna in Madhya Pradesh in February 2002.

The 37-year-old was Sunday inducted into the council of ministers as minister of state for IT and Communications replacing Shakeel Ahmed.

Its heartening to see young faces being inducted into such high offices of government. India is a young nation and needs leaders who can understand the pulse of the youth. The ministry he's taking over is the most appropriate for him. Being young and tech savvy he will be able to hopefully resolve long standing issues like spectrum allocation and such. I wish Jyotiraditya Scindia all the very best.

India gives visual effects in Hollywood films

Ever since ''The Golden Compass'' won an Oscar this year, the Indian animation and visual effects sector is going places. More Hollywood movies are being outsourced to the country for visual effects.

Director Chris Weitz's ''The Golden Compass'', starring Nicole Kidman and Daniel Craig, outsourced most of its visual effect shots to the Mumbai set-up of Culver City, the California-based firm Rhythm & Hues.

Although it is primarily for cost reasons that Hollywood began to look eastwards, the talent shown by Indian animators and Computer Generated Intermediary (CGI) experts is unquestionable.

Some of these Indian visual effect set-ups are doing an incredible job for Hollywood productions, though out of the glare of publicity.

I saw this news on NDTV 24x7. This channel is excellent for NRIs for the latest news related to India. The channel is available in the US through DirecTV.

Sania moves up in WTA rankings

Sania Mirza, struggling to recover from a wrist injury, moved one place up to 31 in singles and gained three spots in doubles to be 22 in the latest WTA tennis rankings.

Sania, who withdrew from the on-going Sony Ericsson Open in Miami, made the singles pre-quarterfinal at the Pacific Life open and reached doubles semi-finals with American partner Bethanie Mattek at the same event.

This news was brought to me by on NDTV 24x7. This channel is excellent for NRIs making it easier for them to stay connected to India. This channel is available in the US through DirecTV.