Indian news round-up

Former Indian captain Sachin Tendulkar has said in an in-depth interview to an Indian weekly that what India needs is to rebuild its national side. He said ``Right now we need to rebuild the side. It's a good team, it just needs some confidence. And that happens only when the team starts winning. We have to leave eveything behind and focus on our preparations for the World Cup. We have to start planning our strategy and put a winning combination in place.''

On his decision to step down from the captaincy after the disastrous Australian tour, Tendulkar said ``I felt I should step down from the captaincy because I wanted to concentrate on being myself. I was not being myself on the field. That was because of a few things like the team not playing to its full potential.'' He added ``When the team was not able to perform up to its best, it worked on my mind. It was not affecting me as a player but it certainly started affecting me as a person. Even off the ground I was just thinking of the game. It was a gradual process but it was getting to me.''

About the controversy over the non inclusion of Azharuddin and Mongia during his tenure, Tendulkar said he did not know what caused the impression that he was not keen on having them. He was surprised that such things like the non inclusion of both for the Australian tour came out into the open whereas it was a matter that should not have left the selection committee room where it was discussed.

The joint secretary of the Board of Control for Cricket in India, Jyoti Bajpai on Monday said that the junior selection committee voted for maintaining continuity while selecting the team for the Under-15 World Challenge which is to be held in England from July 30 to August 10.

Speaking to a news agency in New Delhi, Bajpai said ``The selection committee thought that there was no need to disturb the winning combination, and that's why the same players have been picked.''

Roger Binny, the team coach, after the announcement, said ``It's a good opportunity for the boys to start their careers, and added ``they will get to know their fitness levels.'' Binny explained that ``compared with other teams, our boys' fitness level is poor, basically as they do not train much at their age.''

The chairman of the National Cricket Academy (NCA), Raj Singh Dungarpur, said on Monday that the NCA committee would be meeting in Bangalore on July 22. He said that the meeting would be a ``general stock taking exercise of the academy's activities.''

Speaking to an Indian news agency in Mumbai, Dungarpur said ``The meeting will also discuss the modalities of setting up zonal academies which will be put before the Board's Working Committee.''

Dungarpur said that the cases of the three ousted trainees namely Harbhajan Singh, Murali Kartik and Nikhil Haldipur would also be taken up for discussion. He said ``They would be discussed at the meeting and a decision will be taken as to their return.''

Former Indian Test opener from Hyderabad Kenia Jayantilal has been appointed as one of the three coaches by the Malaysian Cricket Association to prepare that country for the the forthcoming International Cricket Council qualifying tournament to be held in Toronto next year.

Apart from Jayantilal, the other two coaches who have been appointed by the MCA are Lindsay Walker from England and Gary Hayes from Australia. Jayantilal's appointment comes after the Association was impressed by his approach when a Malaysian boys team played a invitational tournament in Mumbai in early 2000.

The 52-year-old Jayantilal made his debut in the first Test at Kingston against the West Indies during India's tour of the West Indies in 1970-71.