New Delhi, August 5
The International Cricket Council will consider a judicial commissioner's verdict clearing England fast bowler James Anderson of a code of conduct breach after the BCCI expressed its disappointment with the decision.

“The ICC today confirmed that it has received and is considering the written decision of His Honor Gordon Lewis AM, the Judicial Commissioner, in respect of his findings..." the governing body said in a statement.

ICC chief executive Dave Richardson has until Sunday to decide whether to lodge an appeal against the decision.

Anderson and India's Ravindra Jadeja were involved in a verbal altercation during the first Test at Trent Bridge last month and the heated dispute continued after they left the field. Both players were found not guilty after a six-hour video-conference hearing on Friday and, under the rules, only Richardson can appeal against the commissioner's verdict.

BCCI secretary Sanjay Patel denied the game's most powerful board had requested Richardson to appeal the verdict. “What we have done is we've written a letter to the ICC saying we are not happy with the verdict,” said Patel.

“We don't have a right to appeal in this case,” he added. The spat could have resulted in a four-Test ban for Anderson, England's second-highest ever wicket taker, if a guilty verdict had been returned. — Reuters

Manchester, August 5
Having quietly cemented his place as India’s middle-order mainstay, Ajinkya Rahane on Tuesday said he has gained a lot from borrowing a trick or two from stylish Hyderabad batsman VVS Laxman.

Coming in at No.5, Rahane has showed the same maturity that Laxman once displayed during the latter part of his 16-year-long international career.

"When batting at No.5 you have more time in your hands. I noticed how Laxman paaji made the optimal use of time. He used to come to the dressing room, relax, take a shower and take a brief nap. I learnt from him how important it is that during this time when you are waiting for your turn to bat, you don`t over-think things and stress your mind out," said Rahane.

"It is important to switch off and go out to bat with a fresh mind when your turn comes. I did take that from him (Laxman) — sometimes, when there is a bit extra time, I try to sleep for 10-15 minutes. It helps me de-stress and rejuvenate my mind," he added.

Rahane said that he has grown as a player by just watching some of the greats of Indian cricket.

"I keep watching the videos of all the great innings played Rahul bhai, Sachin paaji and Laxman paaji. I watch how they approached a pressure situation and got the team out of the jail. I draw motivation from watching their innings," he revealed.

After making his debut against Australia in March 2013, Rahane rose to prominence with his two half-centuries against South Africa in Durban, but his 103 at Lords will always remain special for Rahane.

“At Lord’s I got to know what it feels like to win a Test match overseas. It was such an emotional feeling for all of us and it was so special. You play for moments like that. That is the feeling that makes every struggle and difficulty worthwhile,” he said. — PTI

New Delhi, August 5
Kerala youngster Sanju Samson and Railways leg-spinner Karn Sharma today earned their maiden call-up while batman Cheteshwar Pujara and Yuvraj Singh were omitted from India's 17-member squad for the One-day series against England, beginning from August 25.

Mumbai paceman Dhawal Kulkarni was also included while paceman Mohit Sharma was recalled to the squad, which had no place for seasoned players such as Yuvraj Singh, Gautam Gambhir, Ishant Sharma and Harbhajan Singh.

Suresh Raina, who was left out of the Indian team for the Asia Cup in Bangladesh, has been included in the squad, announced by BCCI Secretary Sanjay Patel after a meeting of the selection committee. Pacer Umesh Yadav has also been recalled to the team, to be captained by Mahendra Singh Dhoni with Virat Kohli being his deputy.

The selectors also dropped paceman Ishwar Pandey, Varun Aaron and Dinesh Karthik. “Considering the World Cup, the emphasis was laid on including the young players, that is why players such as Sanju Samson, Karn Sharma, Mohit Sharma and Stuart Binny are there in the team,” Patel told reporters.

Patel also informed that spinner Amit Mishra was ruled out due to a back injury. The 19-year-old Samson and 26-year-old Karn were rewarded for their consistent performance in the domestic circuit as well as India A engagements.

Samson was highest run-getter for India A in team's recent Quadrangular series victory in Australia. The diminutive batsman scored 244 runs at an average of 81.33 in seven matches. Yuvraj Singh, who was in the second-string team which toured Bangladesh under Raina's captaincy, was ignored. — Agencies

In 1981, the city of Glasgow did a wonderful thing — at a time when there was some sympathy south of the Scottish border, in England, for the apartheid regime of South Africa, it awarded Nelson Mandela the Freedom of the City.

Still more incredible was what the city voted to do in 1986, when it renamed St George's Place as Nelson Mandela Place. There was stunning defiance and beauty in this decision — the South African consulate was based here! The consulate of the ugly regime of South Africa had been given the humiliation of being based at an address named after the great man it had imprisoned. Sadly, Glasgow had to imprison two Indian men — both sports officials — who were arrested on the accusations of assault towards the end of the 20th CWG . The two were left off by a lower court here, after spending two nights in jail, due to the absence of evidence. The incident, however, left a bad taste in the mouth, especially for the immigrant Indian population.

The master chef

It helps that the city has some excellent Indian restaurants. As in the rest of the UK, 'Indian' food in Glasgow was made popular by the Bangladeshi restaurant owners. The Pakistanis and the Indians followed, and now the city has some great Indian food available — including some that was fit for a Prime Minister. Jamuna Datt Tewari is an award-winning chef who has made Glasgow a fan of his food over the last nine years. However, he has a greater claim to fame — he used to be on the staff of former Indian Prime Minister Atal Behari Vajpayee during his foreign travels. "I was selected after preparing 123 different dishes in one day after being asked to make a presentation," says the gentleman from the Haldwani region of Uttaranchal. He now runs his own restaurant, close to the City Centre, and is a happy man indeed.

Big thanks to Cheema

Another successful Indian immigrant is Gian Singh Cheema, who runs a business in Birmingham. Cheema migrated to the UK 50 years ago but has retained his Indian passport. Cheema represented India in the 1982 Asian Games, won a bronze medal which, he says, helped raise the profile of the sport in the country. "Before the event, we went to a camp and asked for better food," he says with a chuckle. "Guess what happened? We were asked if we could guarantee a medal for India?!" The Indian weightlifting team owes him and a few other NRIs, who hosted them and helped them train in Birmingham for three weeks, a big vote of thanks. India won the highest number of medals among the CWG contestants, and for that, Cheema and his friends deserve credit.

Sleepless before the final

L Sarita Devi fought the 60kg boxing final after a tough round the previous day. "I could not recover well and was quite tired and my legs could not support me,” she said about the final. The worst part was that Sarita Devi had been woken up late in the previous night because of a commotion.

"The wrestling team was in the same apartment and in the night, they had to leave to take a flight out. She woke up and was unable to sleep," says her coach Hemlata Negi, who belongs to Uttaranchal. "The floors were wooden, and as the wrestlers went away, they made a lot of noise. We had to request them to keep it silent." You can be sure the Indian sports officials were completely undisturbed in their sleep — at a posh hotel.

Clothing troubles

The gear and clothing of the Indian sportspersons too left a bad taste in the mouth. "We were given just three T-shirts for the whole event, can you believe it?" said an athlete, displaying his clothing, made of seemingly low-grade material. Boxer Vijender used a personal Nike vest while boxing, Vikas Gowda competed in his London 2012 Olympic Games gear.

TT star Achanta Sharath Kamal had his name spelt as "Sharat" on his shirt. The wrestlers and judo players were bursting out of their jackets. “We were given a form to fill out our fittings,” said a player. “That was about a month before the event. I can't imagine why things had to go so bad!”

No Lady luck

Ashpal Kaur Bhogal, engaged to be married to Sardar Singh, wore her heart on her sleeve during the men's hockey final against the super-strong Australians. In fact, she waved a Sardar Singh jersey, No. 8, before the match started. During the duration of the match, the jersey was put up on the wall above her. Sadly, it didn't bring the Indians any luck.

Divided opinions

Vijay Kumar had a poor outing in Glasgow.

Rob Taylor, a proud Scot, admires Mahatma Gandhi. “What he did in India in 1947 was remarkable,” he says. "We are inspired by him as we seek independence." We had met Taylor at a highland pub. “This pub is amazing,” a young woman had whispered. “We are Glaswegians, but we are not Scottish enough for it.” Glasgow, and the Scottish people, are fiercely proud about their identity, their distinctiveness from the other people of the United Kingdom. As they prepare for the next month's vote on independence from the United Kingdom, opinions are sharply divided. But for people like Taylor and others at the pub, independence is the only option. “We should not be ruled by a conservative government based in London, when we have never voted for the conservatives?!” says Taylor. There is a feeling that, since the Commonwealth Games were such a success, the 'Yes' vote may be strengthened in the afterglow of Scottish nationalist pride.

Off the target

There were two Himachalis who were quite crestfallen at the shooting range near Carnoustie. "Oh, are you looking for me? But I finished only sixth!" says Meena Kumari, a 50m rifle shooter born in Raghunathpur in Himachal Pradesh. She says that the tricky wind did her in — “It was windy and I was shooting OK,” she says. "But then the wind stopped, and I thought I'd make use of the better conditions and tried to shoot quickly. But that broke my rhythm and I didn't do well." Better luck next time.

Yogehswar Dutt wows one and all with his humility.

Vijay Kumar had qualified a bit lower than expected during the first qualification round for the 25m Rapid Fire Pistol event. The next day, he failed to qualify in the second round too and couldn't make the final. “I don't really know what to say,” he said. “It was a disappointing end."

Rooted to the ground

One more pleasant — and much more abiding — memory of the Glasgow Games comes from the evening four Indians won wrestling medals, three of them gold. It was freezing cold near the Games Village, and we all were in very light clothing, the wrestlers in even flimsier gear. However, the four wrestlers — Sushil Kumar, Amit Kumar, Vinesh and Rajeev Tomar — patiently answered our questions even as strong gales threatened to lift us off our feet.

Wrestler Yogeshwar Dutt, who won a gold later, is equally gentle and humble. The patience and the humility of these world-class athletes is a lesson not to be forgotten.

New Delhi, August 5
Having won the silver medal at the Glasgow Commonwealth Games, the Indian hockey team has now set its sight on winning the gold medal in this year’s Asian Games which would give the erstwhile champions of the game a direct ticket to the 2016 Rio Olympics.

Captain Sardar Singh said the CWG brought to the forefront many positives along with some areas that need urgent attention. “Our next step is winning the gold at the Asian Games and the boys are confident. We have improved as a team which reflected in our performance at the CWG,” Sardar said.

The hockey team arrived in the capital to a rousing reception with the CWG silver medals proudly hanging around the players’ necks. Hockey India and Indian Olympic Association (IOA) officials welcomed the players with garlands.

India was beaten by Australia 4-0 in the final. But, irrespective of the result, the silver finish was not a disappointing show since Sardar’s side defeated the higher-ranked New Zealand in the semifinal clash.

Sardar, however, conceded that there are still some areas which the team needs to work on. “We will work on our weaknesses and put forward a better team for the Asian Games. We need to be more consistent with our game and show better communication skills on the field,” he said.

Hockey India secretary general Narinder Batra congratulated the team and said the good showing at the CWG will boost the confidence of the players.

“All their hard work and efforts before the tournament helped them perform well, bringing laurels to the country. The entire nation is proud of the team. I wish them the very best for Asian Games,” he said.

The Asian Games will be held in Incheon, South Korea, from September 19 to October 4. In the last edition of the Games in Guangzhou, China, the Indian team had finished third after beating South Korea 1-0.

Munich, August 5
A German court on Tuesday halted a bribery trial against Bernie Ecclestone in exchange for his paying a $100 million fee, under the terms of a settlement agreed by prosecutors and the chief executive of Formula One.

Such an agreement is possible in German law, depending on the charges. It means the 83-year-old Ecclestone preserves his innocence and is spared the prospect of a lengthy trial.

Judge Peter Noll told the court the suspicion of bribery against Ecclestone could not, by and large, be backed up in a trial. He gave Ecclestone one week to pay $100 million — $99 million to the state and $1 million to a children’s charity. — Reuters

BRIEFLY

BCCI invites bids for title sponsorship 
New Delhi: The BCCI on Tuesday invited title sponsorship bids for its international and domestic matches. "The Marketing Committee of the BCCI met in Mumbai to finalize the ITT (Invitation to Tender) for title sponsorship rights for international and domestic matches for the period between September 2014 and April next year," BCCI secretary Sanjay Patel said in a statement. During this period the only international series will be against the West Indies, against whom India will be playing three Tests, five one-dayers and one Twenty20. The sponsorship rights are also for the domestic tournaments like Irani Cup, Ranji Trophy, Duleep Trophy, Vijay Hazare Trophy and Deodhar Trophy.

Sushil most searched on Google during CWG
New Delhi: Double Olympic medallist Sushil Kumar emerged the most-searched Indian sportsperson in the 2014 Commonwealth Games, according to a release issued by Google. Sushil Kumar won one of the five golds Indian wrestlers clinched in the Games. After Sushil, Abhinav Bindra was the second-most searched Indian athlete.

Indian teams suffer defeat at chess Olympiad 
Chennai: India suffered serious reverse Tuesday in the 41st World Chess Olympiad now underway in Norway with both the teams — open and women — losing to Cuba and Serbia respectively. — Agencies

“Sachin didn't face a single ball in nets in 2003 WC”
New Delhi: Sachin Tendulkar produced a fairytale run in the 2003 World Cup, which, in his own words, included the biggest match of his career, without facing a single ball in the nets, according to former teammate Rahul Dravid, who says the iconic cricketer “defied imagination”. “It (his preparation) changes from time to time. In the 2003 World Cup, Sachin Tendulkar didn't bat a single ball in the nets, right through the tournament. He only got throw-downs. He just received hundreds of throw-downs through the whole tournament,” Dravid said. “All of us were wondering 'Why is he doing that?’ When I asked him, he said, ‘I'm feeling good. I don't want to go into the nets and waste the touch. I want to feel good about my batting. If I have that sort of feeling, I will score runs when I go in.’ And that's what happened!”

India to play two football friendlies with Palestine
New Delhi: India will play two international football friendly matches against AFC Challenge Cup champions Palestine in October 2014. The AIFF confirmed that India would play Palestine October 6 and October 9. As per the July 2014 FIFA Rankings, Palestine are placed 85 -- 66 places above India who are presently lying on 151st position.

Vishal Marwaha is BCCI observer at Old Trafford
Dharamsala: Vishal Marwaha, Secretary Himachal Pradesh Cricket Association, has been appointed as the BCCI observer for the fourth Test between India and England at Old Trafford, commencing on Thursday. — Agencies