Peeking eyes: to end cricket mischief! New Delhi: Against the backdrop of allegations of spot-fixing during IPL matches, Union Minister Ajay Maken today said the BCCI – the national governing body for cricket in India – should come under the ambit of the RTI Act. “BCCI should agree to come under RTI. Any organisation entrusted with job of selecting a National Team can not call itself a Private Body!,” Maken, who till recently held the Sports portfolio, twitted. His Twitter account clarifies that the Union minister’s tweets are personal. Maken, who holds Housing... 

  Sreesanth: in trouble now! Mumbai: Rajasthan Royals players S Sreesanth, Ankit Chavan and Ajit Chandilia, have been arrested by the Delhi Police on charges of spot-fixing in the IPL. Delhi police have arrested seven bookies and are looking out for more. Bookies from Maharashtra have also been arrested on charges of spot-fixing. TV reports further added that the players were even involved in spot fixing in Rajasthan Royals’ match on Wednesday with Mumbai Indians at the Wankhede Stadium. Evidence has been found by Delhi police from tapping phones of several cricketers and bookies and... 

  Yuvi: saluting a brave spirit! Pune: it is a measure of the outrage and anger felt by the entire nation at the repeated incidents of brutal rapes in India. It is perhaps for the first time that the country decided with one mind that the attitude of men towards women needs to be changed. It was also the first time that there is little ambiguity in the condemnations coming from all over – women cannot be blamed for ‘inviting rape’ and the perpetrator must squarely take the onus and be punished for it.  Going with the prevalent outrage and concern, Yuvraj Singh decided to dedicate his... 

by Sidhartha Vaidyanathan O, bowled again ? Discussing Sachin Tendulkar has never been easy. He lends himself to arguments. Most of these arguments are like giant fractals – each made up of smaller, similar sounding mini-arguments. To debate Tendulkar is to be caught in a whirlpool and bombarded with streams of thought from tangential directions. So I have tried to rip the present Tendulkar debate (about his poor series against New Zealand and calls for retirement) threadbare. I have singled out each part of the argument and presented my view. As always, you are welcome to disagree and extend... 

by Sidhartha Vaidyanathan V V S Laxman: V for victory! The history of soccer is a sad voyage from beauty to duty. When the sport became an industry, the beauty that blossoms from the joy of play got torn out by its very roots. In this fin-de-siècle world, professional soccer condemns all that is useless, and useless means not profitable. Nobody earns a thing from that crazy feeling that for a moment turns a man into a child playing with a balloon, like a cat with a ball of yarn; a ballet dancer who romps with a ball as light as a balloon or a ball of yarn, playing without even knowing he’s playing,... 

Rahul Dravid’s speech at Sir Donald Bradman Oration, Australia     Thank you for inviting me to deliver the Bradman Oration; the respect and the regard that came with the invitation to speak tonight, is deeply appreciated. I realise a very distinguished list of gentlemen have preceded me in the ten years that the Bradman Oration has been held. I know that this Oration is held every year to appreciate the life and career of Sir Don Bradman, a great Australian and a great cricketer. I understand that I am supposed to speak about cricket and issues in the game – and I will. Yet,... 

Insider reveals recent history of cricket corruption    According to an observer and expert who ought to know, every international cricket team was involved in match-fixing at some stage in the 1990s. It seems that an entire generation of cricketers most likely knew what was going on around them, but chose to keep their mouths shut. This is what Lord Paul Condon, founder head of the ICC’s anti-corruption and security unit, had to say to London’s Evening Standard. He said ‘in the late 1990s, Test and World Cup matches were being routinely fixed. From the late ’80s certainly through... 

Don’t use the word ‘revenge’, Dhoni tells the media after victory!   Mohali: the vocabulary of sports journalism makes every sport sound like the gory game of bullfight or just plain war. But according to a latest report when the ongoing ODI series against England was termed ‘revenge series’ for India by the press, captain Dhoni put his foot down. He said ‘revenge is a very strong word in sports’. When after being trounced in all three formats of the game in England recently, India took 3-0 lead in the ongoing matches against the England with a series-clinching... 

Cricket coaching camp in Jhargram: sport vs violence in West Bengal!   Jhargram,West Bengal: according to reports, West Bengal is trying to develop cricket into a ‘weapon’ against the  Maoists in its most affected districts. Recently, Kolkata Knight Riders coach Dav Whatmore and National Cricket Academy Director Sandeep Patil, opened a residential coaching camp in West Bengal’s Maoist-affected Jhargram district scouting for talent in the troubled districts of West Midnapore, Bankura and Purulia. The coaching camp has been organized by the Cricket Association of Bengal (CAB).... 

Dhoni wants to start sports academy in Bihar: writes to Deputy CM Sushil Modi!     Patna: according to latest reports, India cricket captain Mahendra Singh Dhoni has expressed a desire to start a sports academy in Bihar and has written to the Bihar government, seeking its permission. The Art, Culture and Youth Affairs Minister of Bihar Sukhda Pandey told the press that Dhoni, in a letter to Deputy Chief Minister Sushil Kumar Modi, has sought allotment of land to set up a sports academy. According to Pandey, Dhoni has not mentioned if prefers a particular place in Bihar for the academy....