Kaarthick hopes for a comeback
Disappointed at being left out for the first two ODIs against Pakistan, Dinesh Kaarthick said that he was sure of making a comeback.

“I am very confident that I will make a comeback,” the Tamil Nadu player said. “I was disappointed that I did not make into the Indian team. If you are dropped, you are definitely disappointed. If you are not, then there is no point in playing,” he added.
Shastri bats for Tendulkar
Former India Test captain Ravi Shastri has given the nod for batting maestro Sachin Tendulkar to take over the reins of Indian cricket team, ahead of Mahendra Singh Dhoni, in the longer version of the game as he felt it will be unfair to burden the wicket-keeper with so many responsiblities, reports UNI from Dubai.
The former Indian all-rounder believes that Tendulkar is the right man to lead the country as he “commands tremendous respect”.

“Tendulkar is the right choice. He is a certainty in the side and he commands tremendous respect from all team-mates,” Shastri told the ‘Gulf News’.

Tendulkar had led the side on two previous occasions, during which he captained the side in 25 Tests, winning four, losing nine and drawing 12 matches. He relinquished the captaincy in 2000 after losing the Test series to South Africa 2-0.

Praveen escapes unhurt
Uttar Pradesh all-rounder Praveen Kumar, the only new-face in India's one-day squad for the first two matches against Pakistan, on Monday escaped unhurt after he fell from an open Jeep during a reception organised for his homecoming, reports PTI from Meerut.

The incident occurred on Delhi-Meerut road when Praveen, who was travelling in an open Jeep had stopped to acknowledge the cheers from fans who were following his motorcade.

It was not clear how Praveen fell from the Jeep, but it could be because of the jostling and shoving which happened because some fans wanted to garland the city boy for his achievement of making it to the national team. He was immediately rushed to the hospital and X-rays did not reveal any injury.

Dutchman Stam calls it a day
Former Dutch international defender Jaap Stam has ended his playing career, Dutch media reported on Monday, reports Reuters from Amsterdam.

The 35-year-old played his last match for Ajax Amsterdam on October 20 against NEC Nijmegen, when he left the pitch injured.

Stam started his career in 1992 in the second division at Zwolle and earned his first big transfer four years later when he signed for PSV Eindhoven.

He joined Manchester United in 1998 and won the treble in his first season in England, before moving to Lazio in 2002 after he criticised United boss Alex Ferguson in his biography.

Pakistan’s Umar opts for ICL
Pakistani Test discard Taufiq Umar is to join the Indian Cricket League even though other senior players who had earlier opted for the rebel league have returned to the fold, reports IANS from Lahore.
"Taufiq, an opening batsman, does not foresee any future prospects for himself in Pakistan cricket," Dawn reported Monday, quoting sources.

Govt invokes must-share law
Having failed to get Nimbus Sports to share live telecast of India-Pak test matches, the government has issued notification declaring the entire Test series to be compulsorily shared with public broadcaster Doordarshan under the law, reports PTI from New Delhi.

"Despite several communiques sent to Nimbus to come and negotiate during past one month, the Prasar Bharati did not get any response from the sportscaster," a senior Information and Broadcasting ministry official said.
Any sporting event declared of high public importance has to be mandatorily shared under the Sports Broadcasting Signals (Mandatory Sharing with Prasar Bharati) Act 2007. Failure to comply could lead to fine or even taking the channel off air.

HASC to meet Churchill
The main round of the 120th Durand Cup, minus the three Kolkata giants, starts here on Tuesday with a double header at the Ambedkar Stadium.

In the first match of the day, Goa's Churchill Brothers will face Bangalore’s Hindustan Aeronautics Limited while in the evening Jamshedpur's Tata Football Academy will take on Punjab Police.