Indian news round-up

* Dungarpur moots sub-committee for domestic cricket

Former Board President Raj Singh Dungarpur has suggested the formation of a sub-committee to evaluate the present domestic structure. Dungarpur told PTI in Mumbai on Tuesday that he had recommended to present incumbent AC Muthiah the names of former Test players Bishen Bedi and Arun Lal along with coach Vasu Paranjpe to stand on the subcommittee.

Dungarpur also called for greater participation from senior players in the domestic arena. "It might be interesting to note that an allrounder like Kapil Dev has never bowled to a batsman like Krishnamachari Srikkanth in Ranji Trophy, though both of them played for the country for a long time" Dungarpur said.

He declared that the recent dinner hosted by the CCI, of which he is president, for former Indian cricketers was a 'fruitful exercise'. Dungarpur noted that Arun Lal had mooted the suggestion for an intercity tournament which could help domestic players, who currently travel to Bangladesh and Scotland where the profile of the game is not very high, earn a living.

* Bedi invited by ECB for lessons on spin bowling

The England and Wales Cricket Board has invited ace spinner Bishen Bedi to present a lecture on 'The Art of Spin' at the World Cricket Coaches Conference and Exhibition.

Bedi is the only Indian invited for the gathering which will bring together about 4000 coaches in a programme entitled "Cricket Live 2001" at the Telford International in Birmingham from May 1-2.

Several other ex-players and coaches like Barry Richards, Duncan Fletcher, Bob Cottam, Ian Healy, Terry Jenner, Mushtaq Mohammed, Mike Gatting, Tom Cartwright and Rodney Marsh are scheduled to address the assembly.

"I feel honoured to be asked to speak in the company of such illustrious players," said Bedi who served as Indian coach on tours of New Zealand and England in 1990.

* Ganguly leads rally for peace in Kolkata

It may seem strange. However, the captain of the Indian cricket team Saurav Ganguly donned the role of a peacekeeper in Kolkata on Tuesday. He took part in a procession in his own locality of Behala appealing to the voters and the political workers to maintain peace and harmony during the state elections on May 10.

The rally was organised by a local club in Behala which had announced a long time ago that Ganguly would participate. Initially, however, everybody was apprehensive whether he would turn up.

However, Ganguly appeared and walked quite a stretch along with other residents. With him were noted footballers of yesteryears P.K. Bannerjee and Sailen Manna. The Indian skipper looked relaxed as he waved to the assembled throng. "I am participating because of a good cause", he said. PK Banerjee added that "the idea of this walk is to create awareness about peaceful polls. Violence has no place in our society. We all want peace. We want the elections to be peaceful."