Irani Cup Drop is Intention Of My Decision -Dada

A day after announcing his retirement from international cricket, Sourav Ganguly said the decision came at the right moment. "I just felt it was time for me to go," Ganguly said on the eve of the first Test against Australia in Bangalore.

Ganguly said he had not rushed into the decision and had arrived at it after he was ignored for the Irani Cup. "Obviously I can't deny the fact that I was disappointed after the Irani Cup selection. To be honest, I felt I'd two outstanding years except the Sri Lanka series," Ganguly said. For the record, Ganguly has scored 1667 in 21 matches at 45.05 in the last two years. Still he undercut the sense of sadness with wit.

Asked as to why he was the most scrutinised among the Fab Five, Ganguly smiled and replied, "Probably people didn't like my face."

On Tuesday, after briefing the media, Ganguly made the surprise announcement to call it a day. He said he didn't want the attention focused on him since the series was the priority. "I didn't want to make much of a fuss and that's why I announced it at the end of the press meet because the series is more important," Ganguly said.

Asked if there was a sense of relief now, Ganguly said, "The pressure of doing well will always be there and that probably brings the best out of everyone. Whether it's a relief or not, all I can say is I've not been sad."

Ganguly also rubbished all the rumours about him intending to stick around for a couple more years. "I've not said anywhere that I wanted to play for two years. It was picked from an interview a year ago after I played against Pakistan," Ganguly said.

Well aware of the fact that a lot speculation will surface about his decision, Ganguly said he wasn't bothered about it. "I know what is the right thing and you will find out in due course," he said.

Picking his debut, at Lord's in 1996, as the best moment of his career, Ganguly said if there were any unfulfilled expectations, it was the India's loss in the 2003 World Cup final.

Sourav Ganguly has said he will retire after the upcoming Test series against Australia. His statement, a moment of unscripted drama at the end of a routine press conference in Bangalore, ends widespread speculation over his future.

"Just one last thing lads, before I leave, I just want to say that this is going to be my last series," Ganguly said after taking the last question of his press conference. "I've decided to quit. I told my team-mates before coming here. These four Test matches are going to be my last and hopefully we'll go on a winning note."

With that, he got up and walked out, offering no explanation for what led to the decision. Shortly after that Kris Srikkanth, the head of India's new selection panel, threw some light on it. "I think he's probably taken the right decision," Srikkanth said. "He had a good chat with me and my co-selector Narendra Hirwani. He wants a peaceful series without any troubles on his mind. As a player I can tell you that when you have an axe over your head it doesn't feel right."

India's selectors, headed by Srikkanth, picked Ganguly in a 15-man squad for the first two Tests against Australia despite his being overlooked for the Irani Cup match between the Rest of India and Delhi. Lacking top-quality match practice since the end of the Sri Lanka Tests, he was rushed to Chennai for an India 'A' match against New Zealand.

"To be honest I didn't expect to be picked for this series," Ganguly said. "But once I was chosen, I started preparing. Even when I was left out of the Rest of India squad, which was a bit of a surprise for me, I was still training with the Bengal boys."

Ganguly also dismissed speculation over a "voluntary retirement scheme" for the senior members of India's squad. "I don't think it's ever possible that anybody can offer you a VRS. You cannot do that to players like [Anil] Kumble, [Rahul] Dravid, [VVS] Laxman, me, Sachin [Tendulkar] or anyone.

"What is important is what you get to know from the board [BCCI] and as far as I, and some of the senior players, are concerned, we have not received any intimation from the board on anything."

Ganguly, 36, has scored 6888 runs in 109 Tests, with 15 hundreds. He played 49 Tests as captain, the most by an Indian. The 21 matches won during his tenure is also an Indian record, and his win percentage of over 40 is the highest for players who have captained India in more than one Test. Starting with a hundred on debut, Ganguly's Test average has never dipped below 40.

In 311 ODIs, he scored 11,363 runs at 41.02. He captained India in 147 ODIs. His last ODI was against Pakistan in Gwalior on November 15, 2007. He is one of only three players to complete the treble of 10,000 runs, 100 wickets and 100 catches in ODIs, Sanath Jayasuriya and Sachin Tendulkar being the others. Along with Tendulkar, he formed a prolific partnership at the top of the order, with 6609 runs at an average of nearly 50 per stand in 136 innings.

Since his recall in December 2006 and till the end of the home series against South Africa earlier this year, Ganguly scored 1571 runs at 50.67, including a maiden double-century. However, he managed only 96 runs in six innings during India's 2-1 series defeat in Sri Lanka this summer.

Price rise kills the festive spirit

magine an Onasadya (the traditional feast on Onam) with only half the number of food items. The common belief is that Malayalees will not think of cutting expenses, especially the feast, for Kerala’s most celebrated festival.

But, Coimbatore provides a different picture this year. Malayalees in the middle income group say that the feast was low-key on Onam on September 12. They attribute this to the increased cost in all the items used for the feast.

‘I had invited five families in my neighbourhood for the feast last year. But, I gave them all only one glass of payasam this time,’ says M.B. Babu, who works in a private company.

‘I was able to give a feast for 15 persons last year with just Rs.2,500. This year, the feast just for my family of three cost me Rs.2,000. This is besides the expenses on clothes,’ he says.

The festival phase in Coimbatore is long. After Pongal in January, the festival season picks up in September for Onam. The city has a Malayalee population because of the proximity to Kerala. Instead of going to their home State for Onam, these people prefer to celebrate it where they have settled for good: Coimbatore.

While Onam has revealed the pinch one section has felt because of the inflation, the others feel that another important festival ahead – Deepavali – will not be different if the current price trend continues.

‘Crackers and sweets will be less this time,’ says S. Murugan, a businessman. ‘But, we may not be able to cuts costs on other traditionally mandatory areas,’ he says.

If a girl had been married recently, her family will have to spend heavily for her husband as it will be the couple’s ‘Thala Deepavali’ (the first Deepavali after the wedding). ‘No one takes the risk of cutting expenses here, as it may lead to bad blood between two families,’ explains Mr. Murugan. ‘So, the cost-cutting will be done in other areas.’

Mr. Murugan says that the scaled-down Onam celebrations are a pointer to the situation ahead during Deepavali. ‘Onam has only increased our loan burden,’ says K. Karthikeyan, who heads a family of four members. ‘The inflation actually made Malayalees move away from Onam, their most important festival,’ he says. ‘Even the most scaled-down feast in a family cost Rs.1,000.’

Treasurer of Federation of Coimbatore District Malayalees’ Associations M.R. Das says that inflation reduced festivities and increased charity during Onam this year.

‘We did not have the annual procession with three caparisoned elephants. Forty member-associations of the federation decided to use the money for the procession to offer welfare assistance. We had a two-day programme at which economically backward students were provided assistance for their education.’

From Rs.6 lakh last year, the expenses on the celebrations were cut down to Rs.2 lakh this year, he said.

It is not as if everyone plunged into cost-cutting. Some people did not reduce the scale of Onam celebrations despite the rise in prices, he says.

K. Sreekumar, a businessman, says the celebrations had been more this time. ‘There was no compromise on the sadya (feast), dress and pookalam (the flower arrangement)’.

Malayalees say that whatever the cost cutting in other areas, the pookalam was a must item. There cannot be an Onam without the pookalam. It is like Deepavali without lights or crackers.

So, there was the usual rush for flowers at the city’s Poo Market.

As for Deepavali, the cost calculations seem to have begun. V. Kamalam, a home maker, says it is better to make sweets and savouries at home than buy these from stalls.

Families can cut cracker expenses if there are no young children who demand all kinds of crackers.

But, it is difficult to eliminate food items from the usual Deepavali menu. It is just a month to go for Deepavali and the budget preparation is already on.

Delhi Security reviews by Home Minister

New Delhi (PTI): Two high-level meetings, including one chaired by Home Minister Shivraj Patil, were held on Monday to review security arrangements in the national capital ahead of the festival season.

The meetings, which came in the backdrop of two blasts that rocked the capital in a fortnight, decided to increase the presence of security personnel in the city during the coming festival season.

A Home Ministry spokesman said Patil discussed the security scenario with Home Secretary Madhukar Gupta and other senior officials and asked them to put security on maximum alert.

Gupta later chaired another security review meeting with Delhi Police Commissioner Y S Dadwal and members of the Special Cell of Delhi Police. Intelligence Bureau chief P C Halder was also present.

Dadwal later told reporters that in view of the festival season, patrolling would be intensified in the capital with increased presence of security personnel.

He said para-military personnel will also be deployed at sensitive localities in the city.

Delhi Police has already asked the organisers of Ramlilas in the city to conclude their programmes by 10 pm taking the security situation into consideration, he said.

The Delhi Police will make special efforts to create general awareness among the people and circulate some do's and don'ts to avoid any untoward incident. Special Cell has been asked to keep extra vigil during the period of Eid, Navratri, Dussehra and Diwali.

PM Sign N-Deal With France....??????

September 29, 2008 08:28 IST

As Prime Minister Manmohan Singh left New York for Marseilles to attend the India-European Union summit and hold discussions with French President Nicolas Sarkozy he looked set to ink the Indo-French civilian nuclear deal.

Expressing satisfaction that the 123 agreement had been passed in the Congress and that "one more hurdle had been crossed," Dr Singh said he would wait for the final outcome and the end of the Congressional process.

With the Indo-US nuclear deal almost in the bag, the civil nuclear agreement with France also looks to be completed.

Speaking to reporters, the prime minister in a brief interaction said he was looking forward to the "possible signature" on the civil nuclear co-operation bilateral agreement with France.

In January this year the framework agreement had been initialed and the prime minister said, "It will certainly come up for review and possible signature during my visit."

The prime minister is meeting President Sarkozy as the chairperson of the EU in Marseilles and the two will meet again in Paris on September 30 when in the delegation-level talks the bilateral civil nuclear agreement with France would be firmed up.

It is significant that apart from Union Commerce Minister Kamal Nath, who is a part of the Prime Minister's delegation in both Marseilles and Paris, Anil Kakodkar, chairman of the Atomic Energy Commission, is a member of the official delegation for the bilateral summit in Paris.

The prime minister gave brief details on the bilateral meetings he had during his five day stay in New York, which included Wen Jiabao of China, President Zardari of Pakistan, President Bush of the US, Prime Minister Gordon Brown of the United Kingdom and brief interactions with the prime ministers of Norway and Netherlands.

He said the visit to Washington was designed to review the state of Indo-US relations in the background of the July 18, 2005, statement. He said both he and the US president "expressed satisfaction at the way the relations have progressed".

A visibly relaxed and satisfied Dr Singh said he had just heard that the House had passed the bill and that it would now go to the Congress. "Well, I am happy that one hurdle has been crossed but it is not the end of the Congressional process and we need to wait for the final outcome," commented the prime minister.

Highly placed sources said that there were "concerns" about the language in the 123 agreement, but the Bush administration is said to have assured the Indian government that their concerns would be taken care of.

This could take the form of a presidential statement detailing which of the provisions passed by the Congress and Senate would not be binding on the administration and this sources say would satisfy the Indian government. It is similar to what happened when the Hyde Act was passed and is a procedure which the Dr Singh administration has no problem with.

Sources said the prime minister would be able to stand up and face Parliament in consonance with the assurances he had made to the people through arliament. The sources said the process was still at a sensitive stage and they would wait before making any further comments.

Sources also said that it is possible that the 123 agreement would be signed between External Affairs Minister Pranab Mukherjee and US Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice [Images] when she visits New Delhi [Images]. The details of the visit are being worked out.

Just before his departure from New York, the prime minister attended a reception of over 400 prominent and influential Indian-Americans where he announced to an enthusiastic and eager audience that the Indo-US nuclear deal is "nearing fruition" and that India is on the verge of securing a new status in the global nuclear order after being liberated from the constraints of technology for 34 years.

"The historic agreement on cooperation in the development of civil nuclear energy in India that President George Bush and I embarked upon is nearing fruition... India will be liberated from the constraints of technology denial of 34 years," the prime minister said at a reception at the Waldorf Astoria in Manhattan.

Dr Singh said the civil nuclear agreement, once concluded, would add an important strategic pillar to Indo-US bilateral relationship, '"e will widen our clean energy options," he said. Lauding the role of 1.73 million strong Indian community in the US in playing a major role for the success of the civil nuclear deal, the prime minister said, ''Your achievements fill my heart with pride.''

Before Dr Singh spoke, the Indian ambassador to the US announced the just breaking news that the US Congress had passed the 123 agreement. He said the prime minister had made history and it was a privilege for all of them to be a part of that history. The announcement was received with loud cheers, claps and cat calls of satisfaction.

Silambattam Stills

New Skipper For Deccan Chargers in IPL

VVS Laxman has been replaced as the captain of the Deccan Chargers team by Australia's Adam Gilchrist to "re-unite the outstanding talent" of the Hyderabad side, which ended at the bottom despite its star-studded line-up.

Laxman had drawn criticism from his team team member Shahid Afridi , who said Twenty20 was not the forte of the Indian batsman after the team managed only two wins from their 14 matches with the likes of Andrew Symonds , Herschelle Gibbs , Scott Styris and Rohit Sharma in its ranks.

"Adam Gilchrist commands respect within the team and right around the cricket world. He has redefined the role of wicketkeeper/batsman in modern cricket," said Tim Wright, Chief Executive of Deccan Chargers in a statement issued in New Delhi

"I am confident Adam Gilchrist will unite Deccan Chargers' outstanding talent. Four members of our squad were on the India tour of Sri Lanka , more than any other IPL team, and the quality of our overseas players is well known. These players will play for Gilchrist," he added.

Gilchrist, who averaged 47.60 runs in 96 Test Matches and 35.89 runs in 287 One-Day Internationals, helped Australia win the World Cup three times.

The wicketkeeper-batsman holds the world Test record for number of sixes hit (100) and has claimed 472 dismissals behind the stumps.

Adam Gilchrist said "It's a tremendous thrill and honour to become captain of the Deccan Chargers. I look forward to working hard with everybody towards making the team successful."