Indian news round-up

Poor crowd response for ICC KnockOut Trophy
The response to the eleven-nation ICC KnockOut tournament has been sparce because of either lack of knowledge to the game, exhobirant gate charges or outright apathy report Agence France Presse (AFP). AFP sources quoted that one of the reasons can be attributed to high prices of ticket rates which is 5,000 shillings (63 dollars) for the whole tournament to 300 shillings (eight dollars) per match which is on the higher side in a country where the average earning is around $50 per month.

One of the fan John Kimani turned away at the gate after hearing the rates and said that it was too expensive for him. He added that he would rather spend the money to buy food for the family than throw it away at the Nairobi Gymkhana. This apart, the game all by itself is hard to comprehend for the Kenyans. Former hurdles champion Charles Osoti said that "cricket is a very difficult sport to understand. Many Kenyans find it hard to comprehend wickets, runs, stumps."

Laxmanan Award a morale booster - Gynendra Pandey
Uttar Pradesh State Sports Minister Raghuraj Pratap Singh at a function in the secretariat building in Lucknow on Thursday, presented the Lakshaman Award to the State Ranji Trophy team captain Gyanendra Pandey. The award consists of a metal statue of Laxman, a scroll and a cheque of Rs 25,000. Speaking to the Times of India, Pandey said that the award is a reward for the hard work that he put in for the last 10-15 years.

Pandey added that he was very glad to have got it. Pandey, who has played a couple of one dayers for India, was elected the recipient of the award in May this year but the state government withheld it due to the dowry charges slapped on him by his in-laws. Pandey said that his confidence, which had been shattered after the unfortunate incident at the home front earlier this year, is restored to a great extent. He added that with the new season round the corner, he felt that he will be able to deliver his best.