BCCI aims to double title sponsorship earnings from 2015
Mumbai: The Cricket Board (BCCI) has decided to invite title sponsorship bids for its international and domestic matches for six months only as it expects to earn considerably more from 2015 when the new Future Tours Programme of the ICC kicks in. “The new ICC FTP will commence in 2015 and with stronger teams touring India, I think we can double our title sponsorship earnings from the current level. That’s why we have decided to invite bids for a six-month period only,” said BCCI secretary Sanjay Patel on TUesday. The BCCI has agreed for five-Test series against England and four-Test ones against Australia in future from 2015. Next season South Africa and England are set to tour India to play Tests, ODIs and T20 internationals. “The Marketing Committee of BCCI met at Mumbai (today) to finalise the ITT (Invitation to Tender) for title sponsorship rights for BCCI’s international and domestic matches for the period between September 2014 and April next year,” Patel said in a statement released earlier in the day. In this period, India will be playing three Tests, five one-dayers and one Twenty20 with the West Indies and it was learnt that the base price (for sponsorship rights) has been fixed at Rs 2 crore per match. The sponsorship rights would extend to domestic tournaments such as Irani Cup, Ranji Trophy, Duleep Trophy, Vijay Hazare and Deodhar Trophy. (PTI)
State Level Wushu Championship
SHILLONG: The two-day State Level Wushu Championship will be held at the JN Sports Indoor Hall from August 8-9. The championship is being organised by the Meghalaya Wushu Association under the aegis of the Directorate of Sports & Youth Affairs. All district level wushu athletes besides those from various clubs can register for the tournament in advance at the office of the Meghalaya Wushu Association. Director Sports & Youth Affairs, F M Dopth wil be the chief guest at the opening ceremony of the tournament, while Director SAI STC, Shillong, Francis Marwein will be the guest of honour.
I learnt a lot seeing Laxman: Rahane
Manchester: 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 bit of 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 in an exclusive interview with BCCI TV. “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 an rejuvenate my mind,” he added. If the match-winning century at Lord’s was not enough to prove his credentials in the middle-order then his two fifties in a losing cause at Southampton also highlighted his rise as a player. 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. (PTI)
Home conditions will favour India against Serbia: Amritraj
Bangalore: The high altitude conditions in Bangalore will benefit India in the upcoming Davis Cup tie against Serbia, which is likely to miss a few stars, said former star Vijay Amritraj. The winners of the 12-14 September play-off tie will qualify for the elite 16-nation World Group. “Bangalore will probably be the best bet from the stand point of where the tie should have been played, if we are not playing on grass. Somdev plays well here – the ball kicks up a lot higher. Yuki has won here in the Challengers. Rohan Bopanna plays well here, this will certainly help us,” Amritraj said. “Serbia tie makes it more interesting now. Possibly Novak won’t be here and Janko Tipsarevic is hurt and another player is not in the team. It is very good news for us because now it puts us in a position that I think the win is well within touching distance,” he told reporters at an event organised by Louis Philippe. “If on the opening day, if we can get to 1-1 start, I think we will be in a good position,” he added. Amritraj though thinks it will be very challenging for Indians to win medals at the Asian Games in Incheon, Korea. “Away matches are always difficult. Look at the performance in Delhi Commonwealth Games, we could win 101-102 medals and in Glasgow we could win 64. It doesn’t mean anything. It is difficult – weather conditions are different, crowds are different,” he said. (PTI)
We can be proud of our silver medal winning effort: Sardar
New Delhi: India might have failed to break their Commonwealth Games title jinx for the second consecutive time but captain Sardar Singh has a lot of positives to take from the event and said the silver medal was a “well- deserved” achievement for the past masters of the game. Sardar said the young side can be “proud of their achievement” in the just-concluded Glasgow Games despite losing 0-4 to world champions Australia in the final. “It was disappointment to miss out on the gold time but we are satisfied with what we have achieved. The boys can be proud of their achievement,” Sardar told PTI in an interview after arriving from Glasgow. “The silver medal was well-deserved because we lost against a side which is the best in the world and are currently well ahead of us. “Even though we couldn’t match them in the final as we expected but we gave them a tough fight in the group stage. We lost 2-4 in the group stage and that speaks volumes about our improvement,” the ace midfielder said. Even though the two teams were class apart, it was an ideal opportunity for the eight-time Olympic champions India to avenge their 0-8 thrashing at the hands of mighty Australia in the 2010 edition of the Games in New Delhi. But it was not to be as Australia produced a clinical performance and scored two goals in each half to secure their fifth consecutive Commonwealth Games title. (PTI)