Tendulkar, VRV released

Master batsman Sachin Tendulkar and pace bowler Vikram Rajvir Singh, who are not in the playing eleven  for the third Test against Pakistan, left Bangalore on Saturday. "Tendulkar and VRV have been relieved, and returned home this afternoon. Tendulkar will take rest, while VRV will play for Punjab in the Ranji Trophy," a member of the team management said. VRV will turn  out in the match against Baroda in Amritsar beginning   Sunday. Tendulkar has not recovered from a mild knee problem that he suffered during the one-day series.

Save the planet!

Greenpeace volunteers on Saturday took the urgent message for everyone to act on climate change into the M Chinnaswamy stadium, combining the universal appeal of cricket to talk about the universal    impacts of the climate crisis.

"We are all players when it comes to fighting climate change," said Brikesh Singh, Greenpeace climate campaigner, as the stadium      reverberated with the sounds of the penguin's message when 1000 volunteers     began to chant: “It's not nice, to melt my ice,”   highlighting the dangers global warming poses to glaciers.

Book on HIV      
Team India captain Anil Kumble and the ‘Men in Blue’      released a ‘Viral Match’, a work of fiction based on the subject of HIV/ AIDS prior to the start of the third Test match at the Chinnaswamy stadium. The book , written by civil servant Rajesh Khullar, highlights the ravages caused by the disease to human relationships, especially between spouses.

Madugalle’s moment on the sidelines

Former Sri Lankan captain Ranjan Madugalle was felicitated by the Karnataka State Cricket Association (KSCA) on his 100th Test as match referee on day one of the final Test at the Chinnaswamy stadium on Saturday.
At the scheduled lunch break, KSCA president Srikanta Datta Narasimharaja Wadiyar presented a trophy to the Sri Lankan, who accepted it with characterstic modesty before getting on with his business.
Madugalle is the first match referee to reach the 100 Test match milestone.