Indian news round-up

Dungarpur expresses regret at tour scrapping: Former BCCI President Raj Singh Dungarpur said on Friday that the Indian Board and players were disappointed that India's tour of Pakistan had fallen through, reported Dawn. Dungarpur who is in Lahore for the ICC finance committee meeting starting on Sunday said, "I can assure you that the BCCI and the cricket team are disappointed that they will not be playing in Pakistan. But it was a government decision."

Dungarpur did not respond to the Pakistan Cricket Board chief, Tauqir Zia's threat to boycott future ties with India. "I know he is a hurt man but I don't want to comment on his statement", he said. Dungarpur recalled the good spirit in which Pakistan's tour of India proceeded in 1998-99. "I remember the Pakistan players playing in India last year. As you can remember, 40,000 people in Chennai gave them a standing ovation after they defeated India."

The veteran administrator expressed the wish that ties between the two nations would revive soon."I know Pakistan's public love to see the Indians playing here. I was the manager of the team in 1984. But its sad and let's hope that the relationship revives as soon as possible", he said.

Sachin Tendulkar inaugurated a photo exhibition on the recently concluded ICC KnockOut tournament in Nairobi at the Ferozeshah Kotla ground on Friday. Tendulkar was accompanied by the Indian team to the exhibition which is sponsored by the Japanese company Fuji Photofilms, reported Press Trust of India. The master batsman had some words of appreciation for photographer Kamal Sharma who captured the images on view.

The centrepiece of the display is a collection of images on Tendulkar and Aussie paceman Brett Lee. They show ten successive frames of Lee bowling one of his express deliveries and of Tendulkar executing a flowing cover drive. Zimbabwe captain Heath Streak and his teammates also looked in at the exhibition, which will run for seven days.

Indian batsman Sachin Tendulkar has taken up the role of ambassador for Child Care India, a non-governmental organisation which is working for the betterment of children from underprivileged backgrounds, according to PTI.

Releasing greeting cards brought out by Child Care, which feature paintings by the children themselves, Tendulkar appealed to the public to buy these cards, the proceeds of which would go towards their education.

In a statement issued in New Delhi, he said, "Quality education to every deprived child in our villages and slums is the only means of preventing child labour and positively building our nation."

Rahul Bakshi will captain Madhya Pradesh in the Central Zone league of the Under-16 Vijay Merchant Trophy beginning on November 23. The team was announced in Indore on Friday by Madhya Pradesh Cricket Association (MPCA) joint secretary Subhash Baias, reported PTI.

Madhya Pradesh plays its first match against Uttar Pradesh at Kanpur on November 23. Its remaining two encounters are against Vidarbha in Indore on November 29 and against Rajasthan at Gwalior on December 15.

The team: Rahul Bakshi (captain), Prashant Bhand (vice captain), Vikas Bhatt, Shan-e-Alam, Kirti Kapoor, Shadab Khan, Manas Pisodkar, Ratandeep Bhatnagar, Jyotindra Singh, Gagandeep Bhatia, Dinesh Raheja, Sudhansu Mukharjee, K Ganesh, Vishal Rajput, Nishant Mishra.