TENDULKAR'S RETIREMENT FROM ODIs IS A FIGMENT OF MEDIA IMAGINATION, SAYS FAMILY

Legions of Sachin Tendulkar's fans can heave a sigh of relief now with reports about the champion batsman's possible ODI retirement turning out to be mere rumours.

Speculation was rife with media reports claiming that Tendulkar, the highest run-accumulator in the history of international cricket, might retire from the shorter version of the game after the seventh and final match of India's ongoing ODI series at Lord's on Saturday.

Team India captain Rahul Dravid, however, rubbished the claims in his post-match press conference in London yesterday, dismissing the reports as "completely false".

The reports prompted BCCI Chief Administrative Officer Ratnakar Shetty to get in touch with the player and the official said, "I've spoken to him and he said the reports have no substance. It's media speculation."

Further clarification came from Tendulkar's family with his wife Anjali saying that he would have told her if that was the case. "The rumours about Sachin's retirement are not true. He could retire tomorrow but for that, we have to wait for him to say that. There is no point guessing it. How can anyone else say he is retiring from one dayers?" she was quoted as saying by a television channel.

"If he was to retire he would have told us first. Had Sachin had been retiring we would have been there at Lord's to watch the match," she said.

AUSTRALIANS ARE KEEPING A CLOSE WATCH ON ZAHEER KHAN, SAYS BRET LEE

A month before Ricky Ponting arrives in India with his team for an ODI series, Zaheer Khan -- after his dazzling display in England -- has become a subject of research for the Australians, revealed their pace spearhead Brett Lee.

The Australians will be in India for playing seven ODIs starting September 29 and Lee felt Zaheer would be a big threat to their aim of a series sweep. "We have been watching him very closely and I must say that he has done amazingly well in England. In fact, we are doing a bit of research on him," Lee, who is in the capital to launch the new watch collection of Timex, told reporters on Tuesday.

Zaheer won the Man of the Series award in the recently concluded Test series after picking up 16 wickets. "I am very impressed with his determination. He has tremendous control over the ball, and it looks he has worked very hard after being on the sidelines for some time.

"But ultimately it's all about putting the ball into the right areas and he has been doing it with consistency. Considering that he was not even in the team till some months ago, his comeback is just great."

Lee, who will return to the field in next month's Twenty20 World Championship after being sidelined by an ankle injury in February, said although the stars of the Indian team were now on the wrong side of 30's, they would still be a handful for the Aussies. "I don't think that age would have any effect on the likes of (Sachin) Tendulkar, (Sourav) Ganguly, (Rahul) Dravid or V V S Laxman. These guys never let anything affect them when they are playing against us.

"They have this knack of coming up with their best when they play Australia. We'll have to be wary of that," he said.

On the upcoming Twenty20 World Championship, Lee felt South Africa and England would start favourites as these sides have had the most experience of playing the shortest form of the game. "South Africa and England are favourites because they are more experienced. I think we also have good chance but we have not been exposed to Twenty20 much and it would be a challenge adapting to the format," he said.

"And we are taking the whole thing very seriously. After all, it is a world championship. As a bowler, I know it would be hard on me but I am preparing myself. I think 40 runs in four overs shouldn't be too bad," he said.

Despite Twenty20 being hard on the bowlers, Lee said he was all for the format as it would popularise the game. "Twenty20 has lot of merit. It lasts barely four hours. It is entertaining for the crowd and children are not going to get sunburn if they turn up at the stadium," he quipped.

Lee sidestepped queries on the upcoming Indian Cricket League and said only time would tell whether it would prove to be good for the game in India. "I have been reading about ICL in the papers. But I have got nothing to do with. As far as I am concerned, I am happy playing for Australia," he said.

About his Bollywood dreams, Lee said although he has received a couple of offers but the debut would have to wait as he was focused on cricket for now. "Bollywood will happen one day. I want to make my debut with Amitabh Bachchan but there is still some time before that happens," he said.

RAHUL DRAVID: INDIA HAS AN UNHEALTHY OBSESSION WITH WORLD CUP

Rahul Dravid does not foresee himself playing the next World Cup and the Team India captain insists India has an unhealthy obsession with the quadrennial cricketing extravaganza. "It is probably unlikely that I will play another World Cup. I am already 34 and by next World Cup, I would be 38. The game is getting younger and people are coming on. You never know what future has in store, but you have to be realistic," Dravid said.

Always under tremendous pressure to perform, Dravid felt the cricket-loving public just goes crazy during the World Cup. "I genuinely believe we have an unhealthy obsession with World Cup and the build up starts too early in India. We should have done better with the team we had. I went there with a positive set of mind but things did not work out."

India's disastrous Caribbean campaign saw his side losing to Bangladesh and failing to reach the Super Eight stage and Dravid admitted it rankles him. "I knew this was my last World Cup and so I was very disappointed," he told a TV channel.

But the disappointment is now a matter of the past, claims Dravid. "After the World Cup, I did get emotional for a while but you move on. I tried to put everything in perspective and balance life. After all, there are new challenges and new things to do," he said.

"My life did not stop for we could not do better in the World Cup. Other countries are very good in finding the balance, like the Australians who never stop in raising the bar."

RAHUL DRAVID SETS HIS SIGHTS ON PROLIFIC ENGLISH SUMMER

He fell five-run shy of a ton in his very first Test some 11 years ago but Team India captain Rahul Dravid still cherishes every moment of his debut match at cricket's traditional and spiritual home, the Lord's.

Dravid was batting on 95 when he edged one to the wicketkeeper and walked in the 1996 Test to see Sourav Ganguly outshine him with a debut ton.

On Thursday, Dravid leads the Indian team in the first Test against England and the stylish right-hander said he had no regrets even though he fell tantalisingly short of becoming the fourth cricketer to score a century on debut at Lord's.

"I couldn't have scripted it better. Just playing for India would have been special, to be honest with you - whether it had been in Chittagong or at Lord's. But for it to have happened at Lord's - really the home of cricket," Dravid told 'Cricinfo' website.

In awe of the venue and its rich history, Dravid said "To have known that so many great cricketers had played at that ground - the tradition, history. They really have maintained the culture and traditions in the ground.

"And whatever people may say, you do feel it. There's something about walking down those steps at Lord's. I do feel it definitely. So for me it was special to have played at Lord's and to have actually done well there. Every time I've gone there, I've always felt nice in some ways." Dravid said playing in England was a dream which, like every aspiring cricketer, he cherished at the bottom of his heart and touring the country was realising that dream.

LONDONERS TO WARM UP TO INDIAN FILMS AND CULTURE WITH 'INDIA NOW' FESTIVAL

It will be an Indian summer in London this year, with the British capital getting ready to celebrate a three-month India Now festival, showcasing the best of the country's culture, films and fashion.

"This is the biggest festival we have organised so far and this is just to demonstrate how serious London is about doing business with India," Mark Prescott, in-charge of Cultural Affairs at London Unlimited, which is organising the event, said in London.

"We not only want the Indian diaspora to be involved with the festival, but also want Londoners to warm up to Indian culture."

The festival will include more than 1,500 events spread over entire London city, including art exhibitions, film premiers and a fashion show by designer Manish Arora as the concluding event on September 7.
"Our main aim is to promote tourism, and also reflect the fact that the Indian diaspora is the largest in the UK. We are serious about doing business with India, but we are also serious about learning Indian culture, food and their films," Prescott said.

The festival will be kicked off on July 17 by Indian cricket captain, Rahul Dravid.

The Shah Rukh Khan-starrer Chak De India will also see its world premier taking place in London as part of the fest.

The budget for the entire festival runs into "seven figures" Prescott said, but declined to put a figure to it.

NEWS FROM THE WORLD OF CRICKET: INDIA WILL PLAY JUST ONE WARM-UP BEFORE BOXING DAY TEST

India will play just one practice game before the first match of a four-Test cricket series against Australia starting December 26 in Melbourne.

The visitors will play a three-day game against Victoria, from December 20 at the St Kilda Cricket Ground, to warm-up for the first Test, Cricket Australia said in a statement today.

The three-day match is the only chance the Indians will get to adapt to local conditions before the traditional Boxing Day Test.

The Indians will round out the Test series with matches in Sydney, Perth and Adelaide from January 2 to 24.

In between the Sydney and Perth Test, India will play a three-day match against an Australian Capital Territory Invitational XI at Manuka Oval in Canberra from January 10.

The two teams will then clash in the Commonwealth Bank ODI tri-series, also involving Sri Lanka, from February 3.

Rahul Dravid's men will take on the hosts in the series-opener at the Gabba.

Prior to the Test series against India, Australia will face Sri Lanka in a two-Test series from November 8 to 16 at Gabba and Hobart respectively.

The Lankans will build up for the series with a three-day clash against Queensland at Allan Border field starting November 2.

They will play against the Prime Minister's XI at Manuka Oval, before a second warm-up game against Tasmania at Bellerive Oval on February 2 ahead of the one-day series.

NEWS FROM THE WORLD OF CRICKET: INDIA AND PAK TO CLASH TODAY AT GLASGOW

INDIA AND PAK CLASH AT GLASGOW AFTER THEIR DISASTROUS DEFEATS IN WORLD CUP
India and Pakistan, the traditional rivals who have suffered similar failures and revivals in the recent past, face off once again in an off-shore cricket one-dayer in Glasgow on July 3. The one-off tie is to raise funds for Prince Charles' charity but there would no lack of edge that goes with any Indo-Pak clash. If anything, the teams go into the match with a lot riding on the outcome than ever before. Having suffered ignominious first round exits at the quadrennial event, both India and Pakistan are experiencing a revival of sorts.
Pakistan, led by 25-year-old Shoaib Malik who succeeded Inzamam-ul-Haq, crushed Sri Lanka 2-0 in Abu Dhabi in May. India had a successful tour of Bangladesh, winning both the ODIs and Tests comfortably. And they have the momentum going into the match after a 2-1 series win over South Africa in Ireland.
Both the squads are hunting for a coach, following the tragic death of Bob Woolmer who guided Pakistan during the World Cup and Greg Chappell's decision not to renew his contract with India.

A TALE OF TWO BATSMEN: SACHIN AND YUVRAJ
India's 2-1 triumph over South Africa in the off-shore series has been a tale of two batsmen. If Sachin Tendulkar hogged the headlines at the start with his two 90-plus knocks, Yuvraj Singh put the smiles back on the Indian team by sealing victory in the last two matches.
While the return of Tendulkar's old brilliance, although in flashes, would have warmed the cackles of the Indian fans, to see Yuvraj play the crucial role of finisher to perfection would be a better reason to rejoice.
And, as if symbolising the passing of the baton, the master batsman decided to share the man of the series award with the Punjab left-hander. "It is only because of Yuvraj that we are holding this trophy," Tendulkar said.
Captain Rahul Dravid, ever the eloquent, was not at a loss for words to praise Yuvraj either. "He's got the power, he's got the skill and he's matching that power and skill with temperament, mental strength and brains. That's a deadly combination," Dravid said after the six-wicket win in the third and final one-dayer on Sunday.
"He has been a fantastic finisher for us. He is up there among the best one-day players in the world without a doubt. It's not an easy job to do under pressure and he does it really well."

Dhoni moves up to 4th in ODI rankings

Team India stumper Mahendra Singh Dhoni gained a spot to be fourth in the latest LG-ICC Player Rankings for ODI batsmen, released today. Dhoni, who was the man of the series in the one-day international series against Bangladesh, has a chance to move up to third if he continues his fine form during the Afro-Asia Cup in Bangalore and Chennai starting tomorrow. The 25-year-old is just five rating points behind Australia's Mike Hussey and, if he continues with his good form over the next week, he will close the gap on Kevin Pietersen and Ricky Ponting at the top of the log. Skipper Rahul Dravid also moved up one place to be 15th, just one point behind South African batsman Herschelle Gibbs.
In the bowlers' chart, off-spinner Harbhajan Singh, despite being out of action after being dropped for the tour of Bangladesh has cilmbed up one spot to share the 13th position with England all-rounder Andrew Flintoff and Sri Lankan pacer Lasith Malinga. The only other Indian in the bowling top-20 is Ajit Agarkar, who occupies the 16th spot. Shaun Pollock continues to lead the pack and is set to play in the Afro-Asian Cup as a specialist batsman following minor foot surgery. PTI