TIGHT SECURITY FOR INDIA-AUSTRALIA ODI

Tight security arrangements have been made for today's ODI between India and Australia at the M Chinnaswamy Stadium with the city police deploying more than 3,000 personnel.

In addition, the police have pressed into service anti-sabotage, bomb disposal and sniffer dog squads for the day-night game, which has attracted a sell-out 55,000 crowd.

"We have taken all precautionary measures for the smooth conduct of the match," Deputy Commissioner of Police (Central) B N S Reddy told reporters.

Reddy also said a disaster management group drawn from 18 government departments, including home and medical, had been put in place in a nearby ground which would activate emergency measures within 15 minutes of any eventuality.

Security personnel have been given electronic badges this time, replacing the thick paper ones of the past, police said.

WHEN TWENTY20 OUTNUMBERED SAAS-BAHU SOAPS IN TRP RATINGS

In a clear indication that women viewers do watch things beyond the saas-bahu soaps, the India-Australia semifinal match of the Twenty20 World Cup saw a rating as high as 12.8 for the female TG.

This is the highest rated programme across the top-3 Hindi mass channels in 2007.

In fact, the semi-final between India and Australia touched a high of 23.2 TVR and the average rating for the match was also as high as 17.9 TVR, a press release issued by ESPN-STAR Sports said.

During the duration of the match, the channel share of ESPN and STAR Cricket combined was 63 per cent.

Meanwhile, STAR Cricket will once again take cricket lovers through the winning moments of the Indian team in the ICC World Twenty20 and will air non-stop action of all the victorious matches played by India on Sunday from 1530 IST.

DHONI IS JHARKHAND RATNA, AND MORE SURPRISES IN STORE FOR HIM FROM JHARKHAND CM

Jharkhand Chief Minister Madhu Koda today said he would present a surprise gift to the inaugural ICC Twenty20 World Cup winning captain Mahendra Singh Dhoni when he returns home.

"I have promised a surprise gift for Dhoni and it is proper that I should reveal it before him only. If I reveal now, the surprise element will be lost.

A couple of years ago, the state government had given a piece of land in the state capital after Dhoni's sizzling performance at the international level.

The Chief Minister, who watched the entire match in the capital, said he spoke to Dhoni's parents over phone and congratulated them on the success of the Indian team.

"We have arranged a grand celebration for Dhoni...We are already conferring him the Jharkhand Ratna on November 15."

TROPHY DESIGNER PREDICTS INDIA WILL WIN TWENTY20 WORLD CUP

Millions of cricket crazy fans in India and Pakistan would be praying for their team's victory in tomorrow's high voltage Twenty20 World Cup final, but there is one man who is banking on history repeating itself with the Indians coming home with the trophy.

Amit Pabuwal believes the team will return with the trophy made by him after conquering arch rivals Pakistan in the final at Wanderers Stadium in Johannesburg.

Here is how he supports his claim.

"All the trophies that I have manaufactured for different tournaments, in recent times, India has emerged winners in all those.

"India won the Future's Cup by beating South Africa, they won women's Asia Cup in Jaipur and did not lose in the Friendship Cup against Pakistan in Abu Dhabi which resulted in a tie with the trophy being shared by both countries.

"It has been happening for quite some time and I am praying that this time also the trophy comes back to India," Pabuwal said.

He said he would also make trophies for the upcoming India-Australia seven-match ODI series.

HOWZZAT! TWENTY20 WORLD CUP IN WOMEN'S CRICKET

Encouraged by the success and popularity of the Twenty20 World Cup, the Board is seriously considering introduction of the shortest version of the game in women's cricket too.

"BCCI is planning to introduce the shorter version of the game in women's cricket and also trying that Twenty20 World Cup of womens' cricket be organised either before or after the Womens' World Cup, scheduled in England next year", BCCI Secretary Niranjan Shah told PTI.

He said the shorter version of the game will not affect one-day or Test match schedules.

"People want something new everytime and there is always a chance of change in the game and BCCI welcomes the change," Shah added.

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.

CHAK DE! JHULAN: AS THE MEN IN BLUE ARE DROPPED FROM THE FINAL LIST, JHULAN IS THE LONE INDIAN NOMINATED FOR ICC ANNUAL AWARD

The hype around them notwithstanding, none of the 'Men in Blue' could make it to the shortlist for ICC annual awards, which has the lone Indian representation in Jhulan Goswami, nominated for the 'Women's Cricketer of the Year' category.

The long list for the ICC awards included Zaheer Khan and Anil Kumble in the 'Test Player of the Year' category, while Yuvraj Singh made it to the ODI list. But when the 56-member ICC Academy pruned the list, the Team India trio fell by the wayside.

Jhulan's new ball partner Rumeli Dhar, who was also named in the initial list, also failed to make the cut in the shortlist. Jhulan will have to stave off challenge from Lisa Sthalekar (Aus) and Claire Taylor (Eng) to win the coveted title.

Meanwhile, Australian captain Ricky Ponting may bag his second Sir Garifield Sobers Trophy as the Cricketer of the Year, which would be presented at a gala function in Johannesburg on September 10.

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."

TENDULKAR IS SOMETHING SPECIAL, VERY FREAKISH AND ABSOLUTELY PHENOMENAL, SAYS ALLAN DONALD

Showering praise on Sachin Tendulkar, former South African pacer and England bowling coach Allan Donald said the Mumbaiikar is the best batsman of present era and deserves to become the highest run-getter in Test cricket.

Donald said the veteran Indian willower, who became the third player to accumulate 11,000 Test runs during the second day's play of the second cricket Test against England, was the best in the business and could carry on for a few more years.

"In my era, I think he is the best player I have ever had the pleasure of playing against. He is something special, very freakish, and I think that what he has done for the game and his country has been absolutely phenomenal," Donald said while paying tribute to Tendulkar.

Donald said Tendulkar can carry on playing for a few more years and can go past Brian Lara's record of scoring most number of Test runs (11,953).

"There is a lot more cricket in Tendulkar. He still looks so boyish. It's is a bit scary to notice how many hundreds he has notched up in Test cricket and not to mention those one-day hundreds.

"He's just a credit to cricket. I know he has been through a bad trot with injuries over the last couple of years but he looked his old self out there. I hope there is still a lot more cricket in Sachin because it's unbelievable how many years he's stuck it out and achieved what he has. I hope he goes past Brian Lara's record - he deserves it," Donald said.

With England on the ropes in the second Test, Donald felt that his bowlers had given everything on a wicket that just got a bit better on the second afternoon.

"It was a good day's Test cricket, a classic hard day's toil on a pitch that has got a bit better. With a bit of luck it could have gone the other way - the ball did fly past the edge and a few balls were nicked through but credit to India, they fought hard."

Donald also defended the verbal volleys his bowlers resorted to as Dinesh Kaarthick and Wasim Jaffer stitched together a splendid opening stand of 147 runs.

"There comes a time when a partnership needs to be broken and you need to fire someone up," explained Donald.

"It was right to bowl two lengths, mix it up a bit and change the field. Jimmy (Anderson) stuck up his hand and anything could have happened in that spell. When a partnership gets over 100 you need to be aggressive and he did it well," he said.

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.

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."

SACHIIN TENDULKAR IS THE EMPEROR OF ONE-DAY CRICKET

Amitabh Bachchan and Rajnikanth might refuse to acknowledge they are kings of their respective worlds. But as far as One-day cricket is concerned, there is absolutely no doubt: Sachin Tendulkar is the emperor, the Numero Uno.

READ ON

INZYSPEAK: INDIA IS ON TOP, BUT WE IS TRY TO BOUNCE ON OUR BACK!!

This is an actual conversation that took place between Rameez Raza and Inzamam-ul-Haq after 3rd ODI between India and Pakistan played in Lahore on 13 February 2006

RAMEEZ RAZA: So Inzy, disappointed with your performance today?

INZY: Bismilla-e-rehman-e-rahim. Thank you allah. Ya the Indian batsman is play very good today. We is try very hard but is not win the game.

RAMEEZ: Any words for Dhoni?

INZY: Ya, Dhoni is play very well. He is hit his shot very hard in our gaps. In start, we is protect our gaps very well. The grass is also thick.. but Dhoni is split our gaps with his bat.

RAMEEZ: Another ordinary bowling performance?

INZY: Ya our balls is loose. The bowler is went for many run. Asif is bowled well. Also, after some shots the ball is out of shape. Umpire is not give another ball.. it is tough to play with one ball.

RAMEEZ: Dropped catches.. did that prove costly?

INZY: Ya the ball is not stick to our hands. We is practice a lot sticking our bat in our hands.. but now we is more practice sticking balls in our hands.

RAMEEZ: Any plans for the next match?

INZY: Ya, India is on top, but we is try to bounce on our back. Insha Allah we is play better.

RAMEEZ: All the best Inzy

INZY: Thank is you