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India ODI skipper Mahendra Singh Dhoni was on Monday chosen for the Rajiv Gandhi Khel Ratna Award 2007-08 given for the most outstanding performance in a year. The awards would be presented on August 25, 2008.

The current Indian captain of the ODI (one day international) and T-20 teams became the only second cricketer after master blaster Sachin Tendulkar to be honored with the Khel Ratna Award, the country’s highest honor given for an achievement in sports. .

Dhoni on Monday offered prayers at the famous Deori temple after being conferred with the prestigious Rajiv Gandhi Khel Ratna award.

The President of the Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI), Sharad Pawar said, “We are very happy. He has represented the country with distinction, and deserves the honor. His exemplary leadership and demeanor under pressure, especially in the ICC World Twenty20 and the tri-series in Australia, mark him out as the ideal role-model for millions of young Indians, who want to make a mark in life.”

Dhoni is the model icon among youth. He scored 148 against Pakistan in his fifth ODI in 2005 - then the highest score by an Indian wicketkeeper. Later in the year, he broke his own record as well as set the current world record for the highest score in the second innings in ODI matches as he scored 183 not out against Sri Lanka.

Tags: Award, BCCI, Dhoni, ICC, Indian Captain, Mahender Singh Dhoni, MS Dhoni, ODI, Rajiv Gandhi Khel Ratna, Rajiv Gandhi Khel Ratna Award, Sachin, Sachin Tendulkar, T20, Tendulkar

25 June, marks a special day in Indian cricket history. 25 years back on June 25, 1983, it was the lucky day, when Indian team won the first and the only cricket World cup till now. Captained by 23-year-old Kapil Dev, the memento was won by India, beating two-time world champions West Indies in the finals by 43 runs.

The Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) organized the special ceremony for the ‘Kapil Devils’ to mark the 25 years of triumph on Sunday, June 22 in New Delhi. The Indian cricket fraternity has felicitated the silver jubilee year to celebrate one of the greatest victories in the cricket history. Members of Dev’s team were very delighted over the BCCI’s special felicitation ceremony.

All the former Indian Test captains, all Delhi-based Test cricketers, former and current women cricket captains, Delhi-based women international cricketers, including former and present office bearers of the BCCI were invited. BCCI president Sharad Pawar, welcomed the 1983 World Cup team members and congratulated them on completing silver jubilee year.

An emotional Dev said, “The entire team contributed to the victory. It brought the Indian cricket to the centre-stage of world cricket that we enjoy today. As a captain, how it happened, I really don’t know! But, when it happened, then only we could realize it. What we achieved 25 years ago was really unimaginable. In my opinion, the love and affection of countrymen, which we got, cannot be weighed in money.”

“Somewhere, I must say that the 1983 team believed in themselves. That time when somebody asked me, if we could be the world champions; I said no!” added the India’s all time most successful all-rounders.

Sunil Gavaskar, one of the senior members of 1983 squad said, “His dedication, discipline as a captain is there for everybody to learn. The way people follow Sachin Tendulkar today, we used to follow Dev at that time. He is the man who showed us the way. The time when he lifted the trophy was the greatest memory of my life. He is still the greatest cricketer India has ever produced.”

“The 1983 World Cup win was a start that led us to the Asia Cup, Rottman’s Cup, Benson and Hedges and World Championship triumphs. It was a tournament that captivated the imagination of the whole nation,” added the legendary opening batsman.

Rahul Dravid, Anil Kumble and Mohammed Azharuddin and former board presidents Salve, Raj Singh Dungarpur, Inderjit Singh Bindra and Ranbir Singh Mahendra were also present in the function to honor the team.

The Board presented a silver memento and cheque of Rs. 25 lakh to each of the 14 member of the 1983 squad.

The contribution of the victory team of 1983 world champions is actually priceless as they have marked the history with golden words and landed Indian cricket to success doors.

Tags: , 1983 World Cup, BCCI, Cricket, Gavaskar, India, Kapil Dev, Sachin Tendulkar, World Cup

Watch the live proceedings of the biggest event by clicking here.

A live bomb found at Vishnu Das Bhave auditorium in Navi Mumbai last night has created panic waves for the cricket fans as the site is just a few Km away from the upcoming IPL Final venue. However, the Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) Chief Administrative Officer Ratnakar Shetty said that it will not deter the grand finale of IPL, expressing his confidence in Maharashtra Police.

Ratnakar said that Sundays Indian Premier League final would go ahead without any hindrance.

“We have full faith in the police force of Maharashtra and we are confident that they will take all necessary safety measures for Sunday’s finals,” he said.

As a precautionary measure, 800 extra security personnel along with sniffer dogs will be deployed at the stadium during the match, sources said.

“In the IPL, 58 matches have been held so far and 59th and the last match is on Sunday. We hope it will be an enjoyable affair,” he added.

The bomb was defused as soon as a viewer saw the bomb and reported to police. The theatre was evacuated at around 9 pm and a bomb detection squad defused the bomb.

Navi Mumbai Police Commissioner Ramrao Wagh said, “A low intensity bomb was defused in the Vishnudas Bhave Theatre during the interval of a play.”

Tags: BCCI, Bomb scare, Cricket, Final, IPL Final, IPL Tournament

A senior Board of Control for Cricket in India official on Thursday said that the Board will be ready to probe in the matter regarding the allegations of racial abuse by 2 London based cheer girls who spoke to the media about it a month after they claimed the incident took place.

The dark-skinned cheer girls, who were hired by the Kings XI Punjab team, through event management company Wizcraft International Entertainment, had alleged that they were asked to sit out just before the April 19 match in Mohali because they were not white (skinned).

The board said that if any formal complaint is lodged by them with the Indian Premier League, they will look into the matter.

“I am surprised why these cheer girls have taken over a month to speak out and that too in the media. As far as I know, there has been no complaint from them lodged with the IPL,” BCCI Joint Secretary and IPL committee member M P Pandove said in Chandigarh.

He said IPL will “definitely look into the matter if it is brought to the notice of the IPL commissioner by the alleged victims officially”.

However, Kings XI Punjab chief executive officer Neil Maxwell has already denied any truth in the racial abuse and he termed the allegations as baseless.

Tags: BCCI, Cheer Girls, Cricket, IPL, Kings XI Punjab

Indian former batting maestro Sunil Gavaskar has resigned from the post of the Chairman of International Cricket Council (ICC) on Thursday. He decided to quit from the post after being asked to choose between the twin role of his position with the ICC and his job as a TV commentator-cum-media columnist.

“Mr Gavaskar confirmed his decision to the ICC on Wednesday, a day after chairing this year’s meeting in Dubai,” an ICC statement said.

The former India captain, who was holding the post for eight years, had faced a lot of criticism during the recently concluded India-Australia series after he publicly questioned the sportsman spirit of the Aussie cricketers for their conduct in the Sydney Test.

“I have thoroughly enjoyed the eight years I have held the role (of ICC cricket committee chairman), which is an honorary position, and it has been extremely fulfilling to be able to give back to the game through that role,” Gavaskar said about his decision.

“However, with more and more cricket being played it has become clear that it is not possible for me to do justice to two jobs, the chairmanship of the ICC cricket committee and my media commitments.” He added.

Tags: BCCI, Cricket, Gavaskar, ICC, Suni Gavaskar

Harbhajan Singh, who has been temporarily banned by the IPL organizers from slapping his Team India teammate Sreesanth, has appealed to the cricket board to give him ‘one final chance’ before taking disciplinary action against him.

The 27-year-old off-spinner has written his appeal in a fresh letter to the BCCI just two days ahead of the disciplinary hearing to be conducted by the Board-appointed Commissioner Sudhir Nanavati in Ahmedabad.

Harbhajan who has allegedly slapped Sreesanth on April 25, after the IPL match between Mumbai Indians and kings XI Punjab, admitted in the latter that he has apologized to Sreesanth after the incident in Mohali and was willing to do it again in public, as reported by a TV channel on Wednesday.

“Along with accepting my most sincere and heartfelt apologies over this incident, I would like to appeal to the BCCI’s sense of fair play and ask for one final chance before taking any disciplinary action against me over this incident” he said in the letter.

Although the IPL governing council has already penalized him, the BCCI will also punish him separately for the level 4 offence as per the ICC Players Code of Conduct. A level 4 offence may leads to a maximum punishment of a life ban or a minimum ban of five Tests or 10 ODIs.

BCCI Secretary Niranjan Shah said that Harbhajan has been writing a number of letters and it was not proper for him to divulge the contents.

“The inquiry is going on. We are waiting for the report,” Shah said.

Tags: BCCI, Bhajji, Cricket, Harbhajan Singh, Harbhajan Sreesanth, IPL, Sreesanth

The Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB) has given permission to five year banned Pakistan player Shoaib Akhtar to resume his career outside the country giving him a chance to appear in the Indian Premier League (IPL) for Kolkata Knight Riders but BCCI denied his part in Twenty20 League.

“Akhtar can play anywhere in the world except for Pakistan,” said Farrukh Aftab, chairman of the Pakistan Cricket Board appeal tribunal, told reporters on Wednesday.

“Unless he is cleared to play for Pakistan, he cannot play in the IPL. This was the decision taken by the special general body of the BCCI at Bangalore before the start of the Twenty20 event,” informed BCCI sources.

PCB has imposed a five year ban on the player earlier this month for indiscipline breaches and Shoaib has appealed against the decision which was rejected on Wednesday by a three-member appeal tribunal but was permitted to resume his career overseas.

Akhtar was bought for USD 425,000 (approx Rs 1.7 crore) by the Kolkata franchise team owned by Bollywood star Shah Rukh Khan’s Red Chillies Entertainment. He can now play for the team after the decision.

Akhtar’s lawyer Abid Hassan Minto told reporters that it would request the appeal tribunal meet again before its scheduled deliberation in June if the IPL did not lift its upholding of the Pakistan ban.

Tags: Ban, BCCI, India, IPL, Kolkata Knight Riders, Pakistan, PCB, Shoaib AKhtar

The situation for Indian team at Ahmadabad is really tough, India is playing the second test match of the future cup against South Africa at Ahmadabad. Today is the third day of play and India is on the verge of the inning defeat.

At the tea India is batting at 191 for the loss of 4 wickets and Ganguly is batting at 59 along with Dhoni who is batting at 28. India is still trailing by 227 runs and only 6 wickets are left.

Today early morning South Africa decided to declare their inning at their overnight score and they give India a target of 419 runs to save the match by an inning. Then Sehwag started brilliantly by hitting two sixes in the very first over of Steyn.

Within a very short time Sehwag became the victim of Ntini and India moved to 31 for the loss of one wicket. After that Dravid felt at 64 while he scored only 17 runs. Then Jaffer got out at 19 and India reached to 3 down for 70 only. After that Laxman and Ganguly played some good cricket but Laxman too fell cheaply at 35 while at that time India were 125 for the loss of 4 wickets.

From then Ganguly and Dhoni are playing and they have scored a partnership of 66 runs. For complete coverage please visit Cricket Updates.

Tags: Ahmadabad, BCCI, Bhajji, Cricket News, Dhoni, Dravid, Ganguly, Harbhajan, India, Ishant, Kumble, Laxman, Live Score, live update, Motera, News Live, South Africa, Team India, Test Match

Triple Century of blasting batsman Virendra Sehwag led India to beat the huge score of South Africa. Today on the fourth day of the first test match of Future cup Series, India scored a brilliant record of 627 runs, 87 points more than the rival team. Sehwag was dismissed by Ntini at a mammoth record of 319. he crossed his own score but unable to beat Lara’s record of 400 runs.

Dravid has achieved the milestone of 10,000 runs in test. Dravid also gave his century with 111 runs and was knocked out again by Ntini after lunch. He became the sixth player to tally 10,000 Test runs reaching the milestone in the first Test against South Africa. He is the third Indian player after Sachin and Sunil Gavaskar to achieve this target.

South Africa scored 540 runs in its first inning and India replied the rivals with 468 runs on second day at only one loss. South Africans seemed very helpless in front of the star batsman Sehwag. He gave the opponent team a hard nut to crack. Sehwag is the second player who achieved the milestone of making two triple centuries in test matches after Brain Lara.

Other players including Sachin Tendulkar, Ganguly and Dhoni couldn’t use their bats much. They all got dismissed one by one very soon. Dhoni gave only sixteen and Ganguly contributed 24. Sachin, Harbhajan and R P Singh were sent to pavilion without opening their account. Laxman gave 39 while the captain (Kumble) couldn’t achieve more than 3. Sreesanth was the last player with only 4 runs in hand.

In the second inning of South African team, the players have recorded 131 runs in 33 overs at the end of the day at one loss. Smith had made 35 runs and was knocked out soon. McKenzie and Amla are now the overnight players with 59 and 35 runs respectively.

Tags: BCCI, Bhajji, Chennai, Chepauk, Cricket News, Dhoni, Dravid, Ganguly, Golden Ball, Harbhajan, India, Ishant, Kumble, Laxman, Live Score, live update, News Live, Rain, South Africa, Symonds, Team India, Test Match

After scoring 304 runs at a lose of four wickets in the first test against India on March 26, opening batsman Neil McKenzie told that South Africa will be looking to add another 100-150 runs on Thursday to push for a possible win in the series.

McKenzie who contributed sparkling 94 runs was happy with the start of the team scoring huge inning score but conceded that a lot of cricket was left in the match. But he is confident of getting big score by the remaining quality batsmen of the team.

“Still a long way to go. We have no illusions. Once the wicket gets to wear down, it will be difficult to bat on. I think another 100 to 150 runs tomorrow will be a good total and anything above that will be a bonus,” McKenzie, who added 132 for the opening wicket with Captain Graeme Smith, said after the match.

“We have dependable batsmen in Mark Boucher and AB De Villiers. If one of them comes up with a good individual score, it should be enough to fight our way for a possible win.” He added.

McKenzie said that it was a challenge to face high class spinners like Anil Kumble and Harbhajan Singh but his previous experience of conditions in the sub-continent helped him to fight but was a little disappointed

“I had toured the sub-continent (before). It is all down to experience,” the opener said.

“Paul Harris is a quality spinner, maybe not to the standards of Kumble or Harbhajan. If the same level of bounce that was there this morning continued in the Indian innings, Nitini and Morkel can be penetrative and trouble Indian batsmen,” he said.

“RP Singh bowled well in Australia but the Indian seamers did not get assistance from the wicket here today, though they played well as a unit,” he added.

The docile nature of the pitch rendered India’s pace bowlers largely ineffective, McKenzie said.

Tags: BCCI, Bhajji, Chennai, Chepauk, Cricket News, Dhoni, Dravid, Ganguly, Golden Ball, Harbhajan, India, Ishant, Kumble, Laxman, Live Score, live update, News Live, Rain, South Africa, Symonds, Team India, Test Match