Rahul Dravid announces retirement from ODIs, T20s

Veteran Indian batsman Rahul Dravid, who was surprisingly recalled to the Indian limited-overs squad, had a surprise announcement of his own after the practice match concluded: he said he would retire from the shorter formats.

On the day that he was handed a shock recall to the one-day side, Rahul Dravid has said that the England series will be his final limited-overs assignment. He said he wanted to retire from the shorter forms and concentrate on Test cricket.

Dravid, like his teammate Sachin Tendulkar, has over 10,000 runs in both the Test and ODI cricket, with 10,765 runs in 339 one-dayers -- the seventh highest scorer in that format.

“Since I had not been picked for one-day cricket for the last two years, I was obviously a little surprised and to be honest, because I had not been picked,” he said in the statement issued after the warm-up game.

He said he now wants to concentrate on Tests in the future though he had not informed about it to the BCCI before his selection.

Interesting and memorable Quotes by Mahendra Singh Dhoni

Mahendra Singh Dhoni, also known as MS Dhoni is the current captain of the Indian Cricket team. Here come some wise words from the successful captain:

Quotes by MS Dhoni
"When we win a game I don't go around beating my fans, saying that you bashed my house in 2007," Dhoni said, referring to the attack on his home by fans after India were knocked out in the first round in the Caribbean.

"Australia are a very strong side and very expressive on the field. But it's about how we prepare for the game to achieve what we want. In the process, we hope to give our best." — MS Dhoni is geared up for the quarterfinal against Australia / March 20, 2011

"If you bat with Sachin for 15 games you have the kind of experience you'd have after 50 games," said India captain Mahendra Singh Dhoni in praise of Sachin Tendulkar.


"Our record at home is something that we can be really proud of. It is a big achievement for us but it does not mean that we can relax a bit," — Dhoni on Chennai Super Kings winning all their home matches in the 2011 Premier League / May 18, 2011

"Spectators love to see fours and sixes, but when you lose two-three wickets, you need to change your approach. When you have 270-280 runs on the board, batsmen want to play big shots."

"I'm just a soldier and I'm supposed to play. I'm not the one making decisions. I can't be giving opinions. As a player, my job is to go out and play and nothing else." — Mahendra Singh Dhoni when asked on his views on the IPL controversy / April 24, 2010

"The IPL schedule was tough as it came just after the World Cup," Chennai Super Kings skipper Dhoni said after his team won the IPL 4 title by beating Royal Challengers Bangalore by 58 runs in the summit clash.

Celebrity Cricket League begins

It rained celebrities at the Chinnaswamy Stadium where the Celebrity Cricket League began on Saturday.

After the ICC World Cup 2011 and IPL 2011, here comes the Celebrity Cricket League that promises to be bigger and better. With the biggest stars in the country taking on the field, sports has never been this glamourous.

Just after the overdose of cricket, country is all set to witness another Twenty20 extravaganza, featuring celebrities from four Indian film industries.

The league consists of a series of cricket matches to be played between the Kannada, Tamil, Telugu and Hindi film fraternity.

The IPL series may have ended, but cricket action in India never ceases. Now, pad up for the Celebrity Cricket League (CCL), which brings together two most popular forms of entertainment - cinema and cricket.

No bail to Kalmadi for 90 days

It is eight more nights in a Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) lockup for India’s high profile MP and sports administrator Suresh Kalmadi with a court Tuesday (26-Apr-2011) sending him to police custody till May 4 on charges of irregularities in awarding contracts for the 2010 Commonwealth Games.

The Indian Olympic Association removed the organiser of the scandal-hit Delhi Commonwealth Games as its president on Tuesday, hours after a court ordered him held in custody on graft charges.

IOA announced that its senior vice president Vijay Kumar Malhotra will be the 'officiating president' in the 'long absence of president.' Kalmadi was heading the association for 15 years.

Mr. Malhotra said he will call a meeting of the IOA Executive Board at the earliest in consultation with the Secretary-General Mr. Randhir Singh, who is out of town, and discuss the situation arising out of the arrest of Mr. Kalmadi.

However, Kalmadi will not be eligible to seek bail before 90 days with the CBI Tuesday adding charges of forgery in its FIR against him and two other CWG officials arrested Monday (25-Apr-2011).

Congress suspends Kalmadi after CBI arrests him

The Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) arrested Suresh Kalmadi, former chief organiser of the Delhi Commonwealth Games on Monday (25-Apr-2011) as part of a crackdown in a slew of corruption scandals.

Following the action by CBI, Congress wasted no time in suspending the Lok Sabha MP.

"The disciplinary committee of the party has suspended Suresh Kalmadi," Congress general secretary Janardan Dwivedi told reporters.

The action came hours after Kalmadi was arrested by the Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) for alleged financial irregularities in the conduct of the biggest international sporting event which India hosted.

Mr. Kalmadi was earlier removed from the post of Congress Parliamentary Party Secretary after controversies hit the Games. After the Games, he was sacked as chief of the Orgnaizing Committee by the government.

The agency also arrested two other OC officials Surjeet Lal, deputy director general (procurement) and A SV Prasad, joint director general (sports) in the same case.

Kalmadi, an MP from Pune, and the two other officials will be in CBI custody tonight and they will be produced in a court on Tuesday.

Deepika spotted kissing Siddharth Mallya

The latest buzz in tinsel town is that Deepika Padukone and beau Siddharth Mallya were recently spotted hugging and openly kissing each other in public.

Seems like Deepika and Siddharth have finally come out of the closet about their relationship. The rumoured couple was seen kissing and hugging in public.

In the moment of victory of Vijay Mallya's IPL team Royal Challengers Bangalore against Kolkata Knight Riders on Friday, Deepika Padukone and Siddharth Mallya threw caution to the winds and hugged and kissed in front of TV cameras.

The couple was seen enjoying the match and didn't lose any opportunity to steal loving glances at each other and an occasional hug. Those hugs turned out to be hugs of exultation in the end as Team Bangalore emerged winners, thanks to a whirlwind century by Chris Gayle.

What's latest about Ponnam Pandey

Skinny Kingfisher model Poonam Pandey, who had promised to go nude if Team India wins World Cup, said she would not strip onscreen.

Although, BCCI turned down her request to go nude but she gained a lot through the gimmick.

"The letter that I had written was refused by them. I felt bad and was hurt when they did not allow me to go bare. I was upset. They just said BCCI does not give permission for such things," she said.

To a query, the 19-year-old said she has not planned to meet the BCCI officials personally to pursue the matter.

"We were all born nude. People take nudity as vulgarity. I see it in a different way. If I keep it as an offer for bringing the World Cup to India, which incidentally worked (laughs), I see no harm in it," Pandey said in an interview.

She has grabbed a reality show Khatro Ke Khiladi Fear Factor 4. Hosted by Bollywood superstar Akshay Kumar, the show will be shot in Cape Town, South Africa.

"I am preparing myself for the show, I practice underwater swimming. It is very different from other reality shows. They are just fake," she said.

Poonam is also looking forward to meet Akshay, who has been her favourite since childhood.

"I have been watching his films since childhood. He is a great actor. I am looking forward to meet him," she added.

Poonam said that she has also been offered variety of roles from Bollywood but would not any role demanding her to strip.

"After I said that I will strip, there were a lot of people who supported and understood my sentiments. I don't understand why few people had to behave like the way they did and create an issue out of nothing," she said.

But her parents were certainly upset. So, what Poonam has to say about it?

"Frankly, when I gave the statement my parents felt very bad. But when I explained to them why I made the offer, they were relieved a bit," she said.

She said that she was scared for her life and this was the reason she wasn’t coming out openly after the Indians came out victorious in the World Cup Finals. “I was getting calls from people, who were threatening me to bear the consequences,” Poonam said.

Poonam, who faced the camera for the first time during Gladrags and went on to become a Kingfisher model, says she is keen on working in films and wants to become a successful actress.

She is super excited about her new innings with television and Bollywood.

Poonam surely knows all the tricks to fame. As a contender for Khatron Ke Khiladi 4, she stands a chance to win a whopping sum of Rs 50 lakh.

Indian sportswoman thrown out of train, loses leg

A 23-year-old national-level sportswoman lost her leg when she was pushed out of a moving train near Bareilly by three men who attempted to rob her.

Sonu Sinha, a national-level football and volleyball player, was thrown out of Padmavat Express on Monday (11-Apr-2011) night because she resisted a robbery attempt while she was traveling to Delhi to appear in an examination, police said.

Sonu is a resident of Ambedkar Nagar district. Around 6 miscreants were also traveling in the same compartment. They were harassing fellow passengers as the compartment was quite crowded. As Sonu tried to find a place for herself, the miscreants attempted to snatch her gold chain.

However, she resisted. In retaliation, the miscreants pushed her out of the compartment. Sonu fell outside on the parallel tracks and became unconscious. She was run over by another train and she lost her leg in the mishap.

She is now in hospital. ''I fell on the adjoining track, but could not get up. I was too late. I saw a train come and run over my left leg. The villagers found me and brought me to this hospital,'' said the sportswoman.

She boarded the train from Lucknow and was travelling in the general compartment, say media reports.

Police have registered a case of attempt to murder. None of her attackers have been traced.

Poonam Pandey hospitalised before she could strip for the team

In a shocking statement, the kingfisher model Poonam Pandey recently said that she will shed her clothes if Team India wins this world cup, rather Poonam is extremely bullish about India's win and hence is all set to perform the unperformed.

How far can you go to celebrate India’s win at the World Cup this year? Well, nothing can match the scintillating claim of hot Indian model Poonam Pandey who says that she’ll bare all in front of the whole stadium if India lifts the World Cup!

Poonam, a self-confessed cricket fan and die hard supporter of Indian cricket team has decided to go nude if India becomes the world champion this year. The beauty who is one of the most downloaded model on the net said that she is just doing this to cheer the team and to keep up their spirits.

There was just one question after India lifted the Cup: What happened to model Poonam Pandey, who said she'd strip if we won?

The Kingfisher model who requisitioned the Indian cricket board saying that her bare-all act will have a therapeutic effect on the Men in Blue, said on Monday (04-Apr-2011) she intends to stick to her commitment.

Women in India are encouraged to dress modestly at all times, but a brasher side to modern life has been exposed after this popular model vowed to strip naked if the nation wins the cricket World Cup. Case of obscenity and a threat from Shiv Sena was enough to send model Poonam Pandey to go into hiding. “I don't care if people have a problem,” she told reporters.

While her fans and the media were wondering where Poonam Pandey had disappeared in the last three days, the model who promised to run naked if India won the World Cup has been admitted to a hospital to remove kidney stones.

“She was admitted on Monday night because she was experiencing trouble in her kidney. She is likely to be discharged on Tuesday (05-Apr-2011) night,” said her publicist. “But she will soon speak up,” he added. A couple of hours after this statement, the 20-year-old skinny model tweeted, “Be content to act but leave the talking to others”.

I Will Keep My Promise: Poonam Pandey

The whole nation is going crazy for model Poonam Pandey, who is all set to strip for Team India soon. After a brief disappearance following the threatening calls, Poonam was back on the twitter on Monday (04-Apr-2011) evening.

Indian model Poonam Pandey, who rose to fame after announcing bare-all act if India win World Cup, said she is sticking to her commitment. The daring babe has asked her fans to have patience for her nude show.

Poonam Pandey certainly kicked up a lot of fuss for nothing this weekend. She's 20, Indian, and absolutely gorgeous.

Following India’s win, Poonam’s Facebook page was inundated with comments questioning why the promised strip had not taken place.

However, model Poonam Pandey may or may not get to strip for the Champions, but she's sure become the talk of the town, all thanks to her bold desire.

She had told earlier, "I am ready and willing, at any place and time of the Indian team's choosing, to go in the nude to boost their sporting spirit to perform better!" It has now emerged that Poonam may choose another country such as France for her striptease, to avoid controversy in India.

Now rumours are swirling that she may choose to get her kit off in Paris, to avoid controversy over nudity in India.

Freebies galore for Indian cricketers

Stupendous success brings incredible rewards. Not all of them are monetory. There are some that are psychologically, enormously satisfying.

So, a day after the Indian team won the World Cup, Delhi government announced cash rewards for captain Mahendra Singh Dhoni and four Delhi players in the squad - Gautam Gambhir, Virender Sehwag, Ashish Nehra and Virat Kohli.

As soon as city boy Mahendra Singh Dhoni hit the match-winning six at the Wankhede stadium, thousands of his fans hit the streets in a frenzy the city has seen in recent times.

Euphoric Mumbaikars spilled onto the streets and partied like never before late on Saturday (02-Apr-2011) night after India won the World Cup.

It's raining rewards for the winning squad. Not only a 10 million largesse from BCCI, state governments are also queuing up to shower the cricketers with big money.

Jharkhand chief minister Arjun Munda on Sunday announced that land would be allotted to local boy and Indian cricket captain Mahendra Singh Dhoni to set up a cricket academy and school.

The Jharkhand unit of the Congress on Sunday demanded that the Bharat Ratna, India's highest civilian award, be conferred on local boy Mahendra Singh Dhoni for leading India to victory in the cricket World Cup after 28 years.

The Bruhat Bengaluru Mahanagara Palike (BBMP) Mayor SK Nataraj announced on Sunday that a road would be named after Team India Captain Mahendra Singh Dhoni for his outstanding performance in the World Cup tournament and cricket.

Karnataka Chief Minister BS Yeddyurappa announced his government would honour the victorious members of the Indian cricket team with a residential plot each from the Bangalore Development Authority (BDA).

Two Days after lifting the World Cup, Master Blaster Sachin Tendulkar spoke to the media on Monday (April 4), where he admitted that he was overwhelmed with emotion when India defeated Sri Lanka on his home ground.

"He (Dhoni) is the best captain I have played under. He is very sharp and always alert. He reads the situation well and is open to sharing ideas. He always has discussions with bowlers, batsmen and senior players separately," said Tendulkar.

Where is Poonam Pandey the 'stripper'..?

This is for you to read, if you were wondering where model Poonam Pandey is now that we have won the World Cup. Twenty-year-old Poonam Pandey is an average Indian cricket fan, but what's unusual is the commitment she has made to the Indian cricket team.

After going to the media with promises of streaking down the streets if and when the Men in Blue get the World Cup home, Poonam Pandey conveniently disappeared on Saturday. And even managed to switch off her cell phone.

Sources say the 20-year-old model was pestered by calls from people, either begging her to strip or threatening should she dare 'insult Indian culture'.

Winning is one thing. Losing your clothes for a win, another.

Small-time model Poonam Pandey, who pledged to strip if the Indian team wins the World Cup, had written to the cricket board seeking permission for the same.

“I don’t care if people have a problem. I am one of the most downloaded models online. I don’t need to do this for publicity. I am doing what I want to do,” she said when questioned about the public morality.

Poonam, who grew up in Mumbai, says that when she first announced her decision, her parents were surprised, but later expressed their happiness. She says, "My parents, and everyone else too, are very happy with my decision. Initially, they were surprised, but after that they've supported me fully. I am getting a great response from the country. People are supporting me so much in this endeavour; everyone's asking me to go for it."

She says in her letter to BCCI: "It is therefore my humble request to allow me to perform in the privacy of the Indian cricket team's dressing room or any other place of your choosing. (you may also choose a foreign land, so that the laws of india -if a hindrance, do not apply) This shall be a private therapeutic performance -with a psychologist's presence and hence cannot be an offence under any law if the team members have no objection and the BCCI gives the goahead."

The model is keen, but, is ensuring that she doesn't get into any legal tangle. So, she had mentioned in her letter: "Only appearing in the nude in public is an offense but in private with consenting adults for a therapeutic purpose is no offense."

Poonam Pandey has hit the headlines by offering the reward to her country's players if they triumph over the Sri Lankans in Mumbai's Wankhede Stadium. Meanwhile, an FIR had been lodged against the Mumbai-based model Poonam. Bharatiya Janata Party's (BJP) women's wing had sought police action against the Kingfisher model.

Complying with a court order, an FIR was lodged against Poonam, on the charge of obscenity. She defended her case saying this would be her way of expressing support to Team India and that she wanted to go the 'extra mileage'.

"Once all this gets over, I'll focus on my career. Of course, my dream is to become a very successful actress," she said in an interview. This stunt must have surely caught Bollywood's eye!

Poonam Pandey and the controversy surrounding her

Twenty-year-old Poonam Pandey is an average Indian cricket fan, but what's unusual is the commitment she has made to the Indian cricket team. Things started to go wild since Poonam Pandey, a Mumbai based model, has announced that she will bare all if India wins the world cup.

Winning is one thing. Losing your clothes for a win, another.

Small-time model Poonam Pandey, who has pledged to strip if the Indian team wins the World Cup, has written to the cricket board seeking permission for the same.

The big question at this moment of time is if Model Poonam Pandey will go nude if India wins World Cup final. India is not just waiting for our team to win the match against Sri Lanka but also to see if model Poonam Pandey will be able to accomplish what she had vowed.

She says in her letter to BCCI: "It is therefore my humble request to allow me to perform in the privacy of the Indian cricket team's dressing room or any other place of your choosing. (you may also choose a foreign land, so that the laws of india -if a hindrance, do not apply) This shall be a private therapeutic performance -with a psychologist's presence and hence cannot be an offence under any law if the team members have no objection and the BCCI gives the goahead."

The model is keen, but, is ensuring that she doesn't get into any legal tangle. So, she has mentioned in her letter: "Only appearing in the nude in public is an offense but in private with consenting adults for a therapeutic purpose is no offense."

Poonam Pandey has hit the headlines by offering the reward to her country's players if they triumph over the Sri Lankans in Mumbai's Wankhede Stadium. Reacting to her proposal, Animal rights activists have asked the model to strip for the sake of animals instead of vowing to bare it all if India wins the World Cup.

"It's amazing how notoriety can make a nobody famous overnight. Someone called Poonam Pandey is willing to bare all if the Indian cricket team wins & everyone is excited???? Would have been more exciting if a famous Bollywood star had said that. Who wants to see Poonam Pandey strip? Def not me," Farah Ali Khan, daughter of veteran actor Sanjay Khan, posted on micro-blogging site Twitter.

Meanwhile, an FIR has been lodged against the Mumbai-based model Poonam. Bharatiya Janata Party's (BJP) women's wing has sought police action against the Kingfisher model.