Indian news round-up

The chairman of the national selection committee Chandu Borde was honoured with the Punyabhushan (Pride of Pune) award at the Nehru stadium in Pune on Sunday. The award has been instituted by a Punebased social organization named Tridal.

The award, consisting of a silver statuette and Rs 25,000 in cash, was presented by the former Indian all-rounder and present team coach Kapil Dev. The function was presided over by veteran cricketer Polly Umrigar and Sachin Tendulkar was the chief guest.

The award winners in the previous years include Hindustani vocalist Pandit Bhimsen Joshi, late industrialist Shantanurao Kirloskar, Marathi litterateur Pu La Deshpande and astrophysicist Jayant Narlikar.

A `Solidarity Run' run was organised in Hyderabad on Sunday by the Voluntary Active Service Society (VASS) in support of former Indian captain Kapil Dev who has been alleged to have offered money to former Indian all rounder Manoj Prabhakar to play under his potential during a match in 1994. The run started from various parts of the twin cities of Hyderabad and Secunderabad and finally converged at the Gymkhana grounds.

Speaking on the occasion, the newly elected secretary of the Hyderabad Cricket Association (HCA), Shivlal Yadav, said that he has played under Kapil Dev's captaincy and is yet come across a cricketer as dedicated as the present Indian coach. He said ``The cricket fraternity and sports lovers of Hyderabad are behind Kapil Dev.

The secretary of the Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI), JY Lele said in Pune on Monday that Indian seamer Javagal Srinath had only requested for a break from cricket and had not indicated that he had retired from one-day cricket altogether.

Speaking to a news agency, Lele said ``Srinath has written a letter to us asking for a two-month break,'' and added ``he will be available for selection from August.''

Earlier the Indian coach Kapil Dev had told the media in New Delhi after the Sharjah tri-series in April that Srinath had retired from one-day cricket in a bid to prolong his Test career. Srinath played his last one day game against South Africa in the pipe opener of the Coca Cola Cup in Sharjah.

Former Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB) chief Arif Ali Khan Abbasi has pleaded with both the ICC chief Jagmohan Dalmiya and former BCCI chief IS Bindra to get over their differences for the sake of Asian cricket. Abbasi, along with Dalmiya and Bindra formed the three man organising committee of the 1996 World Cup.

Speaking to an Indian news agency in Mumbai, Abassi said ``no doubt the war of words between these two very able administrators will hurt cricket in Asia. Right now both should be working together in protecting Asian cricket interests. Unfortunately both have erred.''

Abbasi felt that Bindra should have quietly passed on to the investigation agencies all the details of malpractice and match-fixing that he possessed. Meanwhile Dalmiya should have tried to convince Bindra to back off from making such remarks in the media, he added.