Indian news round-up

Three players may lose Arjuna awards: Union Sports Minister Uma Bharati suggested in Parliament on Friday that the three Indian cricketers facing charges of match-fixing could be stripped of their Arjuna awards. During question hour in the Rajya Sabha, she said Mohammad Azharuddin, Ajay Jadeja and Manoj Prabhakar had been offered 15 days to respond to a written communication from the Government.

"We have written to these three players for their stand and will take necessary action regarding withdrawal of the Arjuna Awards", said Bharati according to PTI. Azharuddin was given the award in 1986, followed by Prabhakar in 1993 and Jadeja in 1997.

In other remarks Bharati stated the Government is considering the introduction of new legislation to deal with such activities. She said the Law Ministry held that it was not possible to charge the players under the Gambling Act since it came under the jurisdiction of state governments. The Minister also softpedalled on the BCCI, stating there was no evidence to suggest that Board authorities had any role to play in the scandal.

Cricket Club of India President Raj Singh Dungarpur will lead the CCI President's XI in a one-dayer against a Member of Parliament XI at the Brabourne Stadium in Mumbai on December 23, reports PTI. The game will be contested for the Jaipal Singh Trophy.

Madhav Apte, a former CCI President, his brother Arvind, and other former Test stars like Polly Umrigar, Chandu Borde, Hanumant Singh and Bapu Nadkarni feature in the CCI team which also includes BCCI Executive Secretary Sharad Diwadkar, Central Zone selector Anil Deshpande and National Cricket Academy coach Vasu Paranjpe.

Two Test players, Kirti Azad and Chetan Chauhan figure in the MP XI, besides former Board President Madhavrao Scindia and a host of other politicians gathered from across the political spectrum.

The teams: CCI President's Eleven: Raj Singh Dungarpur (capt), Madhav Apte, Polly Umrigar, Bapu Nadkarni, Bravish Shetty, Hanumant Singh, Arvind Apte, Vasu Paranjpe, Heartley Anderson, Anil Deshpande, Indrajit Sinhji, Sharad Diwadkar and Chandu Borde.

MP's Eleven: G M C Balayogi, Santosh Mohan Dev, Madhavrao Scindia, Chetan Chauhan, Shravan Patel, R P Rudy, Surinder Singh, S S Gaekwad, Wasim Ahmed, Ashok Mohol, Maharaja Bhanu Prakash, Akhilesh Yadav, Pramod Mahajan, K P Singh Deo, Kirti Azad, Yerran Naidu, Subramaniam Swami, Arvind and C Mani.

Sachin Tendulkar is extremely pleased with the wicket at the Middle Income Group (MIG) ground in Mumbai which hosts a Ranji Trophy quarter final against Gujarat commencing Saturday. Tendulkar who will be playing his first match in the competition this season commended the groundsmen for a job well done.

"It's really unbelievable. The groundsmen have done a fantastic job and the facilites are good here. Without their hard work this was just not possible and at this point of time I feel the MIG outfield is better than the one at Wankhede though it is a bit faster, said Tendulkar at a felicitation for current and former Mumbai cricketers at the MIG Club, according to PTI.

Tendulkar was also happy with the proximity of this suburban Bandra ground to his house. "Even the distance to MIG from my home is very short and I don't have to travel all the way to the CCI or the Wankhede Stadium to practice, he said.

The Mumbai University team for the All India inter-varsity cricket tournament at Gwalior from 23 December 2000 has been announced. Hrishikesh Shinde from Govt. Law College captains the team and Vijay Singh of Rizvi College serves as his deputy. Rajesh Sonawane will tour as the team manager.

The team: Hrishikesh Shinde (Govt. Law ) captain, Vijay Singh (Rizvi) vice-captain, Amol Bhalokar (Ruia), Mussavir Khote (Rizvi), Nishant Shivalkar (Ruia), Avinash Salvi (Mithibai), Prasad Patil (Rizvi), Gaurav Joglekar (Mulund), Amit Dhulap (Rizvi), Uday Karkera (Rizvi) Amit Mungekar (Ruparel), Viraj Pai (Mithibai), Vaibhav Dhokare (Bhavans), Rakesh Mithbavkar (Jhunjhunwala), Sinosh Panikar, (Mithibai) wicketkeeper, Ankur Sarawal (Rizvi). Coach: Amol Shejale