Indian news round-up

* Police seal GCA office over ticket scam

Police have sealed the Goa Cricket Association office in Panaji and its temporary office at the Nehru Stadium in Margao in the wake of the bogus tickets scam during the fifth and final one-dayer between India and Australia last Friday. The DIG of police Karnal Singh said about 25,000 duplicate tickets were sold in excess of the official capacity of 30,000 as was evident from the crowd of ticket holders milling outside the ground when the stadium was already packed. A police lathi charge to disperse the crowd was the crowning indignity for many of them.

The GCA secretary Vinod Phadte and treasurer Ramashankar Das who failed to appear before police for interrogation on Sunday were issued with fresh summons for Monday. According to a PTI report, police had recovered 10,000 to 20,000 bogus tickets, many of them from the sealed offices of the GCA. No arrests have been made so far and Goa Chief Minister Manohar Parrikar ruled out action against anyone until police came up with proof.

Meanwhile Board secretary Jaywant Lele said he was not aware of the scam over ticket sales in Margao. "I have no idea (of the irregularities). It is news to me. I was not there. We had observers there and the BCCI working committee will take action on the basis of their report" Lele told Star News. Lele also defended officials of the GCA who are being investigated by police. "Why will they (do it)? They are the originators of the tickets" he inquired rhetorically.

* Harbhajan, Laxman receive contrasting welcomes

Harbhajan Singh and VVS Laxman, the heroes of India's 2-1 Test series triumph against Australia last month, returned home to contrasting welcomes, reported United News of India.

Harbhajan arrived from New Delhi to a rapturous welcome in Jalandhar railway station. The 20-year-old off spinner who grabbed 32 wickets in the series was garlanded as he landed, lifted on the shoulders of some enthusiastic members of the welcome party, and taken in a procession to his residence in the Mohalla Dautpura section of the old city. Police had a difficult time curbing the emotions of the surging multitudes and were forced to resort to a mild lathi charge.

On the contrary, Laxman who landed at Hyderabad's Begumpet airport on Sunday from Goa via Mumbai found the assembled media outnumbering fans. UNI reported that only a group of officials from the Hyderabad Cricket Association, besides his family members, were present to receive Laxman.

* Waugh gives Ganguly credit for series win

Australian cricket captain Steve Waugh admitted in Sydney on Monday that he had a testing relationship with his Indian counterpart Saurav Ganguly during the just concluded series between the two countries. "There's a lot of protocols that weren't adhered to and I think it was probably his first major series as captain, so maybe you can put it down to inexperience. But it was, I guess, a testing relationship. I can't say I got on that well with him, I'd be lying if I said that."

Waugh added that while he gave credit to Ganguly for the series win, it was too early to pass judgement on the Indian captain. "They've won a series against Australia which is a great performance. I give him credit, he's very competitive and knows what he wants. But at this stage, I guess he's in his honeymoon period and in another six months or so, we'll know where he really stands."

Waugh heaped lavish praise on VVS Laxman's 281 in the second Test at Kolkata, which he believed was the defining moment of the series. "Without his innings, India didn't believe they could get runs against us. In the previous nine innings against us they didn't put up a big total and were in trouble again at 3-100 and still over 100 behind the follow-on. I think the 281 was one of the all-time great Test match innings and the way he did it showed the other players that they could go out and play positive."

* BCCI to discuss Zimbabwe tour on April 24

Details regarding India's tour of Zimbabwe next month will be discussed at the working committee meeting of the Board of Control for Cricket in India to be held in New Delhi on April 24.

The venue of the Indian team's conditioning camp before its tour of Zimbabwe from May 28 to July 7 would be decided during the meeting, a BCCI official said in Mumbai on Monday.

* Globe Trotters enter final with emphatic win

With an emphatic 154-run win over Indian Overseas Bank. Globe Trotters entered the final of the MAC-TNCA first division championship at the MA Chidambaram stadium on Saturday.

In the face of an imposing total of 366 for nine in 90 overs put up by Globe Trotters on the opening day on Friday, IOB had only the barest of chances when play resumed on Saturday. And the match was virtually decided when IOB lost half the side for only 61 runs. A sixth wicket partnership of 135 runs off 39 overs between K Saravanan (63) and KN Ananthapadmanabhan (82) was the saving grace but this only succeeded in delaying the inevitable. Saravanan faced 138 balls and hit six of them past the ropes while Ananthapadmanabhan faced 124 balls and hit eight fours and two sixes. Once this stand was broken, there was precious little substance in the rest of the batting and IOB were all out for 212 in 61 overs 12 minutes after the tea interval.

Medium pacer Rajat Bhatia who did most of the early damage finished with three for 27 while off spinner Aashish Kapoor who succeeded in polishing off the innings with a spell of three wickets off eleven deliveries conceding only two runs, had three for 38. Globe Trotters play Jolly Rovers in the two day final, each side being limited to 90 overs an innings, at the MA Chidambaram stadium on April 10 and 11.