Indian news round-up

Indian paceman Javagal Srinath said on Sunday he had recovered well and would be fit enough to play in the second Test against Australia starting in Kolkata on March 11. Talking to AFP from Bangalore, Srinath who bowled in the first Test despite sustaining a fracture on his right index finger said "I have recovered quite well. I am positive I will be able to play at Kolkata."

Srinath also received the go-ahead from noted Indian orthopaedic surgeon Prem Chand Khincha, who examined the cricketer on Saturday. "The mobility in Srinath's hand has improved a lot, but I have to assess him again," Khincha said, adding "However, I am confident that Srinath will be able to play in Kolkata."

Srinath, who is the spearhead of the Indian attack following an injury to ace leg spinner Anil Kumble, broke the finger while fending off a rising ball from Australian paceman Jason Gillespie on the first day of the Mumbai Test.

Australian batting star Ricky Ponting said on Sunday that his team targeted Sachin Tendulkar in each innings of the Mumbai Test. Talking to the press in New Delhi, Ponting described his crucial catch which sent the Indian maestro packing in the second innings of the Test as "probably the best" of his career. Ponting added "He is a class batsman, a real thorn in our flesh."

On the catch which bounced off Langer's shoulders, Ponting said "It was probably the best ever... given the circumstances. It (Sachin's wicket) was a major breakthrough for us," adding "I think I have taken more catches than scored runs in my career."

Aussie seamer Michael Kasprowicz said "I would use the opportunity in the Delhi game to boost my chances of playing in the Kolkata Test. I have actually been batting better than bowling, so I might get a chance in the Test."

The Australian players are taking the game against the Board President's XI to be played in Delhi from March 6-8 lightly. Only half the side came for the nets on Sunday evening while most of the senior players, including skipper Steve Waugh, Shane Warne, Glenn McGrath and Damien Fleming decided to stay back at the hotel.

The Australian cricketers attended a party at the Australian High Commissioner's residence on Sunday night and on Monday morning the team visited Agra to see the Taj Mahal. They did not have any nets on Monday even as the Board President's XI players had practice on Monday.

Former Indian captain Ajay Jadeja who has been banned from playing cricket for five years by the BCCI said on Sunday in Mumbai on his way to Jamnagar that he had lost hopes of his chances of making it back into the national side. Criticising the speculative comments by the media on the private life of the players, Jadeja said "The criticism by writers and columnists of young cricketers, linking their on-field performance to their private lives is not fair." Defending Indian captain Sourav Ganguly, Jadeja said "Sourav's friendship with Nagma should not be attached to his captaincy and such write-ups do put mental tension on the performance of the players."

Jadeja who is helping the Gujarat earthquake victims said he would decide on the future course of action once the March 29 verdict which would come up on his petition against his involvement in the matchfixing scandal. Coming down on the selectors for the constant chopping and changing and not giving the youngsters a fair chance, Jadeja said such a short-term attitude would not help Indian cricket. Jadeja added "It is the team spirit and overall quality that makes Australia a distinguished identity among others and enables them to perform well repeatedly. We can never achieve that if we have a partial and short-sided approach."

The Income Tax authorities have issued notices to all bookies who have been allegedly involved in match-fixing including Mukesh Gupta. Sources in PTI close to the department said that notices to the majority of bookies had been sent and some of them had submitted their block returns in the wake of appraisals made of seizures during the country-wide searches on July 20 last year.

The sources also said that necessary action would be taken after the assessing officer would compare their returns to that of the assessment made by the I-T department. However, they said a few bookies are yet to be served with the notice and the process would be completed within the next fortnight.

Meanwhile, most of the cricketers who had been served notices after the nation-wide raids last year had submitted their returns. The players and officials on whom the raids were conducted include Manoj Prabhakar, Ajay Sharma, Ajay Jadeja, Nikhil Chopra, Mohammed Azharuddin, Navjot Sidhu, Kapil Dev, Jagmohan Dalmiya and Kishore Rungta.